celebrating 100 years - 1918 - 2018 centenary newsletter ... · a particular highlight of the...

BLUE MOUNTAINS GRAMMAR SCHOOLCelebrating 100 Years - 1918 - 2018

Centenary Newsletter - April, 2018 (Vol 3)

Dear Alumni, Parents and Friends of BMGS,

The Centenary Autumn Heritage Festival, held 16th to 18th March, was a great success, and offered something for everyone!

The first event of the Festival weekend was Cocktails at the Carrington. Guests at this sold-out event, held in the Grand Ballroom, on the Friday evening, enjoyed delicious cocktails and mocktails, created especially for us by the Carrington staff, scrumptious canapes and crested cupcakes, with fabulous jazz and blues music performed live by Mrs. Debbie Smith (Head of BMGS Music Department) and Mr Col Burke on the Baby Grand, accompanied by Mr. Cameron Smith (Alumni, 2014) on drums. We thank Mrs. Smith, Mr. Burke and Mr. Smith for their wonderful support of this event.

A particular highlight of the evening was the presentation of stunning tableau vivants, three ‘living pictures’ featuring models wearing period clothing of three significant periods in our history, namely the 1920s (Foundation), the 1950s (when BMGS moved from Springwood to Wentworth Falls) and late 1970s (when BMGS became co-educational). We extend our particular thanks to Ms Charlotte Smith, curator of the Darnell Collection, who provided exquisite couture clothing from each period for the tableaus, and Mrs Marlene Plummer (BMGS Archivist) whoprovided historic School uniforms from her archive collection.

We were delighted that so many members of our Alumni were able to join current School parents, current staff and members of the BMGS Board for this celebratory launch of the Autumn Festival weekend.

1

** ComiNg EVENts **Saturday, 26th May

Bulb and Book Drive(see Page 6)

Saturday, 26th MayThe Tommy Cuff Era Reunion

(see Page 6)

Saturday, 9th JuneBlue & gold Anniversary and

Debutante BallFairmont Resort, Leura

Tickets on sale from 10th May via Trybooking.com.au

For the full calendar of events, see Page 7.



On the following day (Saturday), there was a full program of events, starting at 7.30am with the first of two Canyoning expeditions, to Empress Falls Canyon. A second group set off at 8.30am, with both groups returning back to BMGS in time for the Alumni Winter sports Competitions. We would like to thank Mr. Parrish Robbins for his support in the planning stages of these expeditions, and his wonderful team of assistant Guides, who with Mr. Robbins, shared leadership of the groups on the day.

The Alumni Sports competition was held between 11:00am and 1:00pm and our First VII Netballers were the first to take on an ex-students’ team, which featured Alumni members from 1996 to 2017.

Despite giving our current VII a head-start on the scoreboard, the Alumni team stepped on the accelerator in a thrilling second half, to almost secure a win.

The final score was 15-13 to the BMGS First VII.2

With the current students ‘one up’ on the overall competition scoreboard, the First XI Football (Boys) were the next to take on an Alumni team. The temperature was rising steadily as the clock moved towards the middle of the day, but this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the players. The School team featured a mixture of current First XI and Development squad players, some of whom joined the Alumni team for the match, to shore up numbers. It was an exciting, see-sawing competition - as with our Alumni Netballers, the skills of our Old Boys had not diminished: the Alumni boys won the contest 3-2.

With the competition evenly poised at one win apiece, the Girls’ Hockey competition was the final match for the day and would decide ‘bragging rights’ to carry over to the Summer Sports competition, which will be held in September at the Heritage Spring Festival (15th/16th September). Again, our First XI shot out of the blocks and were constantly pressing for goals, but the Old Girls were equally as enthusiastic and, having lost none of their on-field talents, took the match 2-1.

We thank Mrs. Megan Harris, Mr. Rhod Grivas, Mrs. Andy O’Doherty, Ms Vicki Stanton, Ms Lauren Wade, Mr. Serge Girardi, Mr. Chris Zito, Mr. Grant Norman, Mrs. Rachel Hyslop and Daniel Lane (Year 12) for their organisation and support of the competition.

The Alumni Summer Sports competition will be Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball and a T20 Cricket match. Stay tuned to the Alumni Facebook page for Registration details.

2





Rounding out a full day was our movies on the Lawn. Parents , students and staff enjoyed a relaxed and informal ‘picnic on the lawn’, and viewed the students’ submissions for a film competition, for which the theme was “100”. Prior to the screening of the films, we were delighted to host a presentation by Mr. Greg Mortimer OAM, mountaineer, and one of the first two Australians to climb Mt. Everest. We thank our three wonderful Alumni judges, Samantha O’Hare (nee Dicker), Mr. John Glover and Mr Michael Chirgwin for their expert adjudication of the films.

The final event of the weekend was an Anniversary service, held at St. Alban’s Anglican Church, Leura on Sunday, 18th March.

More than 100 members of the community, past and present, joined us for the Service, which was led by our Acting Chaplain, Mr. Luke Webb, and featured our Senior School Choir and musicians. The sermon was given by the Reverend Richard Newton (1988) and covered the School’s progression from 1950, when it moved to its current site in Wentworth Falls, to today.

Recollections from Mr Peter Morgan (1950-1953), Jeremy Cohen (1958-1968), Mr Peter Lloyd (1956-1968), Mrs Sue Hardy (nee Edwards) (1976-1980), Mrs. Kate Prowse (nee Groenewegen) (1980-1988), Ms Joanna Boyd (1990-2000) and Miss Catherine Barrett, (2005) were read by Ethan Cusick (Year 10) and School Captains and Vice Captains, Zac Franklin, Laura Clyne, Cameron Grivas and Jessica Prowse. Bible readings were given Mr. Damien Drew (1988), Tom Archer and Charlie Mannes (both Year 6).

3



The following weekend, and the final event for March, was the 10-Year Reunion for graduates of 2008. Held on 26th March, we welcomed back more than 30 members of this Year group for their first ‘milestone’ Reunion.

We have been delighted by the response of all members of our Community to each event in our Anniversary Calendar thus far - we look forward to seeing more of you at the events still to come in our Centenary year!

Blue mountains grammar school FoundationAnniversary Committee4



Coming Events - MayThere are two special events scheduled for May, and both will take place on saturday, 26th may.

The Daffodil Drive is back! Following the success of the Drive held in our 90th year (2008), which has resulted in our internal road being ‘lined in gold’ each Spring, we will be holding another Daffodil Drive on Saturday, 26th May, from 10:00am to 1:00pm.

The bulbs, of the School’s own special variety, can be purchased for your own garden, or purchased and donated back to the School, to be planted in gardens at each of the three campuses.

In conjunction with the Daffodil Drive, we will be holding a second hand book sale. These stalls will be located around the School’s central roundabout, and cups of tea/coffee and a piece of cake/slice will be offered with every purchase.

The Tommy Cuff Era ReunionAlso on saturday, 26th may will be a Reunion for graduates from 1974 to 1982, the years during which Mr. Tommy Cuff was Headmaster of BMGS.

The Reunion will commence at 12:00pm and guests are invited to enjoy a light luncheon and a tour of the School. Invitations have been posted to all Alumni who attended BMGS during this period, for whom we have addresses. If you are a graduate from 1974 to 1982 and you have peers who have not received an invitation, it indicates we do not have a current address for them. Please encourage your friends to contact the School to update their details or update them via the website, under Quick Links/Update my Alumni Record (www.bmgs.nsw.edu.au/update-my-alumni-record).

If you are a graduate of this period yet unable to join us on the 26th, the Back to Bmgs Day in September (Sunday, 16th September) is for all graduates, so don’t miss these opportunities to bring your friends together and celebrate our Centenary.

5

Blue Mountains Grammar school: https://web.facebook.com/BlueMountainsGrammarSchool/ Blue Mountains Grammar School Alumni: https://web.facebook.com/groups/BMGS Alumni/ Email: [email protected] Phone: 4757 9000 Website: http://www.bmgs.nsw.edu.au/bmgs-100-year-anniversary



Centenary Calendar of Events

26th May, 2018• The Tommy Cuff Era Alumni (1974 - 1982) Reunion• Bulb Drive

9th June, 2018• Blue and Gold Anniversary/Debutante Ball, Fairmont Resort, Leura

16th August, 2018• Sydney Alumni Reunion, Imperial Hotel, Paddington

25th August, 2018• BMGS Annual Trivia Night

12th September, 2018• Whole School Service of Thanksgiving, Archbishop Glenn Davies presiding, BMGS T. W.

Cuff Hall, 9.30am

15th and 16th September, 2018Heritage spring Festival• Saturday, 15th September, Centenary Spring Fair, incorporating a Golf Morning, Rock

Climbing Demonstration; Alumni Summer Sports competition and Symphony Under the Stars

• Sunday, 16th September, Back to BMGS Foundation Day

12th November, 2018• Remembrance Day Service, Wentworth Falls campus

6

Centenary Memorabilia

Limited edition branded Keep Cupson sale Now for $15Available from School Receptions and theUniform shopCups will also be available for purchase at upcoming Centenary events

celebrating 100 years - 1918 - 2018 centenary newsletter ... · a particular highlight of the...

Documents