Objects of Substance- The Grammar Banner

The first documented image of one of these standards is from an athletics photo from 1924. The girls are resplendent in bloomers and babushkas (bandannas) whilst, in the top right-hand corner, the standard is held aloft. This standard was to be the first of many. By 1926, a different standard appears. It is shaped differently to the original, but it too had a short lifespan. A third standard emerges in 1932. The shape of the shield is more consistent with the original 1924 shield; however, there are some subtle yet noticeable differences in the school crest. This 1932 standard appears to have had a long and active life with it having been photographed through to 1961. Often adorned with ribbons, it rallied supporters on the sidelines, it featured prominently in team photographs, and was held proudly as Grammar girls entered fields of competition in the march past. One photograph from 1941 shows the athletics teams from Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Clayfield College, Somerville House, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, and Brisbane State High School, each with their own version of a standard.

1936 QGSSSA Athletics – BGGS Captain Ethel Carson.