Objects of Substance- The Burrell Cup

With such athletic daughters, it is no wonder that Mrs Hilda Burrell saw fit to donate a silver cup in 1915, Joan’s last year at Girls Grammar and Alison’s first. The 1915 Annual Report states:

1915 Annual Report, Miss Annie Mackay, Lady Principal.

Research shows that this cup donated by Mrs Burrell was for interform swimming and was an aggregate trophy presented to the winning form. It was often referred to as The Burrell Challenge Cup in annual reports’ prize giving lists. So how did it become the Relays Cup? The Burrell Cup’s relegation began with the introduction of the Lieutenant-Colonel F.C. Plant Memorial Cup which was first presented in 1933 and awarded to “the form that wins the greatest number of points in the Annual Inter-form Swimming carnival, exclusive of the Burrell Cup.” (1936 Annual Report) This trophy has been presented ever since. In 1964, there was a significant organisational change in the School. Houses were introduced under the stewardship of Mrs Louise McDonald. In her Annual Report, Mrs McDonald explained the concept of the Houses and their naming. In doing so she stated: “It was very pleasant and fitting that Miss Lilley presented the Cups at our first Inter-House Swimming Carnival. She gave us a new “Lilley Cup” for the House with the highest aggregate points.” And so, with the awarding of a new cup, the Burrell Cup was relegated to the Interhouse Relay cup which was then engraved on the actual trophy. It is this engraving which proves the reallocation of the trophy as Houses did not exist in the school for the first 48 years the cup was presented. Interestingly, the School temporarily returned to Form competition from 1974 to 1979 with the Houses reinstated in 1980.

The Burrell Cup detail.