Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2022

Helping Hands How Fathers Group supports the BGGS community

Mr Hayden Wells President of the Fathers Group

The BGGS Fathers Group is a group of fathers within the School community who aim to provide support to various activities and events that our daughters are involved in. Typical contributions include participating in working retreats at the Marrapatta Memorial Outdoor Educational Centre, and cooking the BBQ at Open Day and other sporting events such as the Interhouse Cross Country Carnival.

Participation at these events is on a volunteer basis and the group is a welcoming environment for fathers to meet, get to know more about the School, and help other fathers to understand the BGGS journey that our respective daughters are on The Fathers Group dinners and guest speaker nights provide an ideal opportunity to hear from BGGS leaders across various curricular and co-curricular areas and aim to give attendees a good understanding of the School’s philosophy of learning, which helps a lot come homework time!

For the working retreats at the Marrapatta campus, we drive up early on a Saturday morning and complete a variety of tasks that help maintain and improve many aspects of the centre including the building of retaining walls, tables and bench chairs, removing and replacing fencing, and also some vegetation management Although we work hard, it is also a great chance to meet other BGGS fathers, have an afternoon fire or swim in the local creek, and enjoy a dinner catered by the ‘Fathers Group Providore’. We stay overnight in the same lodgings that the students sleep in while they are participating in their Outdoor Education Program, and after a hearty breakfast, troop home on Sunday morning A good time is had by all, and it is the best way to understand the Marrapatta experience that your daughter will take part of in during her early years at BGGS The Fathers Group follows a typical committee structure and has a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, and several other positions which reflect some of its activities including a Marrapatta Coordinator, Providore and Sommelier At the end of each year an Annual General Meeting is held, and all positions are spilled and open to be filled by any father who wishes to join the committee. Like the Mothers Group, we report to the Parents & Friends (P&F) Association and regularly attend their meetings Every father who has a daughter at BGGS is a member of the Fathers Group and we welcome your time, efforts, and ideas to help build a strong community experience for your daughters I look forward to seeing you at the various events in 2023 ■

top right Mr Hayden Wells above Members of the Fathers Group at Marrapatta

Gazette

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

33

Issue 2, 2022