Brisbane Grammar School (BGS) is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

, fee charging,

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. The term has been used in the context of various faiths, including Jainism, Baháʼí Faith, Zoro ...

day A day is the time rotation period, period of a full Earth's rotation, rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours (86,400 seconds). As a day passes at a given location it experiences morning, afternoon, evening, ...

and

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

for boys, located in Spring Hill, an inner suburb of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Queensland, Australia. It is the second oldest secondary school in Queensland. Some of the Brisbane Grammar School Buildings are listed on the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As ...

. Established in 1868 under the Grammar Schools Act that was passed by the

Government of Queensland The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the state Legislative Assembly, with the governo ...

in 1860, the school has a non-selective enrollment policy and currently caters for approximately 1500 students from Years 5 to 12, including around 100 boarders. Brisbane Grammar School is affiliated with the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ), and is a founding member of the Great Public Schools' Association Inc (GPS).

History

Brisbane Grammar School was founded in 1868 under the Grammar Schools Act, which had been passed by the Queensland Government in 1860. It was the second school established under this act in Queensland, with the first being

Ipswich Grammar School Ipswich Grammar School is a historic, independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for boys, located in Ipswich, a local government region of Brisbane on the Bremer River in South East Queensland, Australia. The school is situate ...

. The original school, designed by Benjamin Backhouse, was on a site in Roma Street in Brisbane City, approximately opposite modern Herschel Street. the stone foundation was laid at the site on 21 February 1868. The school opened in February 1869, with ninety-four students and four masters, under the leadership of headmaster Thomas Harlin. In 1881, the school was moved a few hundred metres away to its current site on Gregory Terrace in Spring Hill to make way for

Roma Street railway station Roma Street railway station is a commuter and long-distance passenger train station located in the Brisbane central business district, central business district of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the junction station for the North Coast ...

to become a

junction station ''Junction station'' usually refers to a railway station situated either on or close to a rail junction, where lines to two or more destinations diverge. Many junction stations have multiple platform faces to enable trains for multiple destinatio ...

. Following the opening of the boarding house in 1886, science laboratories were constructed in 1912. On 14 August 1916, the

Queensland Governor The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

, Sir

Hamilton Goold-Adams Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams, (27 June 1858 – 12 April 1920) was an Irish soldier and colonial administrator, who served as Governor of Queensland from 1915 to 1920. He was married to Elsie Goold-Adams. Early life Born in the townland of ...

unveiled a war memorial with the names of 600 students who had enlisted. In 1921, Brigadier General Lachlan Chisholm Wilson, a former pupil, presented a

field gun A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances (field artillery ...

to the school, an Austrian-made 10.4 cm Feldkanone M. 15, which had been taken from the

Ottoman Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...

by the

Australian Light Horse Australian Light Horse were mounted troops with characteristics of both cavalry and mounted infantry, who served in the Second Boer War and World War I, World War I. During the inter-war years, a number of regiments were raised as part of A ...

at the

Capture of Jenin The Capture of Jenin occurred on 20 September 1918, during the Battle of Sharon which together with the Battle of Nablus (1918), Battle of Nablus formed the set piece Battle of Megiddo (1918), Battle of Megiddo fought between 19 and 25 Septemb ...

in 1918. A new

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

and assembly hall were constructed in 1969 as a celebration of the school's

centenary A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

During the mid-1990s, the school commenced work on the off-campus Northgate ovals, which now consist of six fields that are used for

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

fixtures. The Indoor Sports Centre was completed in 2000, and the old

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

nasium was later renovated to become the new Centre for Art. In 2002, the school underwent a major redevelopment with the construction of a new

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

, which had its first intake of grade 6 and 7 students in 2003. This middle school consists of a large block of multi-purpose classrooms, functioning as a complete school in itself, with its own teachers and independent timetables. Grade 6 and 7 students spend most of their time in the middle school, although they do use the facilities of the "Upper School" for such activities as

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

and assemblies. In 2014, Year 5 was added to the middle school with 100 new students enrolled.

Headmasters

Extracurricular activities

Cultural activities

Students are able to participate in a wide range of musical groups, established by former directors of music, John Broughton, and Bruce May,Primrose, H., Light Blue Dark Blue, p.236 including two orchestras, five concert bands, three stage bands, eight string ensembles, five choirs, and an array of other instrumental ensembles, including three percussion ensembles. John Callaghan was the driving force behind establishing most of the bands. Student-led ensembles feature in concerts every year. Furthermore, each year the BGS Music Department performs an event known as the Grammar Community in Concert, typically at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. This event brings together members from across the BGS Community, including the BGS Community Choir, incorporating parents, teachers, and friends. The school also has a thriving Drama program, largely established by former Drama Master, Brian Cannon,Primrose, H., Light Blue Dark Blue, p.253 presenting a range of plays and musicals. In addition, opportunities in debating and public speaking are offered, with the school participating in Queensland Debating Union and Greater Public Schools annual competitions. Additionally, Brisbane Grammar School has recently revamped its participation in enterprise education groups. With the newly reformed Economics and Enterprise Club, students are gaining exciting experiences through external competitions such as YAA, Ecoman and ABW. An array of other special-interest groups exist, including those which focus on Chess, Astronomy, Aviation, Christianity, Environmental aid, and Community Service.

Sport

The school offers a range of mainstream sporting activities, including cross country, track and field, rugby, football, basketball, tennis, cricket, gymnastics, debating, swimming, rowing, sailing, chess and volleyball within the GPS association of schools, as well as many others such as water polo, fencing and tae kwon-do.

GPS membership

Brisbane Grammar School is a member of the Great Public Schools Association of Queensland Inc. (GPS). in the early stages of GPS when competition with earlier established Ipswich Grammar began,

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

was the chosen code. The first competitive match between the two schools was played in 1870 under these rules – the outcome was a draw. These early games were exceptionally long – the match between IGS and Brisbane Grammar in 1876 commenced at 10.30am and ended at 2.30pm, at which time IGS had scored 6 goals to Brisbane Grammar's nil. The first tennis match between

(IGS) and Brisbane Grammar School took place in 1893, with IGS emerging victorious. IGS also triumphed in the inaugural cricket match between the two schools, although the exact scores have been lost to history The school's membership enables its students to participate in sporting competitions as well as engage in endeavours such as Debating and musical events. Most competitions are played out on Saturdays at any of the schools' sporting facilities. The main campus comprises four playing fields in addition to eight tennis courts. Many fixtures, including Cricket, Rugby and Football, are conducted at the Northgate Campus. Sailing is run on Sundays at RQYS, Manly, and the GPS championship is held at the end of the season.

Campuses and facilities

Indoor sports centre

The Indoor Sports Centre was officially opened by the

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, governor-general at the national level, the governor Governors of ...

, Major General Peter Arnison on 3 March 2000. The centre, which is situated on the main campus, is home to a multi-purpose double

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

court sports hall (which can also accommodate three volleyball courts, six badminton courts, 12 fencing pistes as well as

futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

), an aquatic centre with a 10-lane, 25m heated swimming pool, a gymnasium featuring a deep foam pit, parallel bars and rings and a spectator area with seating for 150 people during sporting events, an indoor cricket net, as well as a weights room and theory rooms and amenities. This sports centre has hosted local and international sporting teams, such as the

Queensland Reds The Queensland Reds is the rugby union team based in Brisbane for the Australian state of Queensland that competes in the Southern Hemisphere's Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996, they were a representative team selected from the rugby union ...

Australia national rugby union team The Australia men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for Australia. The Wallabies first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first Test match (rugby u ...

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...

New Zealand national rugby union team The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

Australia national cricket team The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in international cricket. Along with England, it is the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing and winning the first ever Test match in 1877; the team also plays One ...

, United States swimming squad and the

England national rugby union team The England national rugby union team represents the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in international rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France national rugby union team, France, Ireland national rugby union team, ...

Northgate Playing Fields

Work commenced on the Northgate Playing Fields in the mid-1990s, which now have six ovals, accommodating

Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

Rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

and

Australian Rules Football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

fixtures. The fields are also used during the school week, especially for winter activities training sessions. Canteen facilities are provided on game days. Adjacent to the main oval is a small stadium which caters for seating for one half of the field, which also contains a dining area. The playing fields were used by the

Australian Cricket Team The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in international cricket. Along with England, it is the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing and winning the first ever Test match in 1877; the team also plays One ...

prior to the 2006/2007 Ashes campaign, where they trained with the school's First XI.

BGS Tennis Centre

The Tennis Centre, adjacent to the school grounds, is the location of tennis courts, a carpark, and a private balcony and small grandstand. Students visit this facility for PE lessons as well as sports training sessions. It is separated from the main campus by a public footbridge, which has been recently closed by Queensland Rail. Access is now available via a long walk from the Indoor Sports Centre, or via the Victoria Park side of the site.

Auditoriums and theatres

The school has 6 major auditoriums and a theatre: The Centenary Hall, The Great Hall, The Lilley Centre Forum, The Music Auditorium, The Amphitheatre, The Gallery and The Theatre. Centenary Hall accommodates the entire senior school (9–12) student body for weekly assemblies, when The Gallery above is opened up to the Hall. The hall is also used for other events such as breakfasts, music concerts, debates and year-level tests. The Gallery above the hall can accommodate 2-year groups for lectures and information sessions. The Great Hall is one of the school's most historic buildings. The walls have various honour-boards commemorating academic, sporting and cultural achievements, as well as honouring the names of those who have served in wars. The stage is overlooked by a 10*3-metre

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

window, with

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and her knights of the realm as a central feature. The hall provides venue for Form Year Assemblies, Public speaking, debating and music performances. It is also used for dinner parties (such as the Old-Boys Association's reunions or the ''Mothers of Past Student'' gatherings) and weddings for old-boys. The Forum can seat around 150–200 people and is used for collaborative learning exercises, usually housing all students in a subject or 3–4 classes. When using the extra seating available, a whole 250 student cohort can be housed. The Music Auditorium, established during the tenure of Bruce May as director of music, is a venue used to highlight the school's large music program. During the year a varied program of choral, concert and stage band and orchestral concerts take place. Many groups rehearse here weekly. Percussion equipment is able to fit in the hall. The Drama Theatre, established under the tenure of Brian Cannon as drama master, can seat approximately 300 for theatrical productions. The school holds a junior school play, a senior school play and a middle school production (play or musical) every year. It is equipped with sound and lighting equipment, including audio and lighting boards operated by students, a

green room In show business, the green room is the space in a theatre, or a similar venue, that functions as a waiting room and lounge for Performing arts, performers before, during, and after a performance or show when they are not engaged on Stage (thea ...

, and technical storage space. The Centenary Hall for many years was the venue for theatre productions under director, Brian Cannon.

Moogerah Outdoor Education Centre

Brisbane Grammar School's off-campus centre at Pepperina Hill, near

Lake Moogerah The Moogerah Dam is a concrete, mass concrete arch dam, double curvature arch dam with an Spillway#Types, un-gated spillway across Reynolds Creek in South East Queensland, South East Queensland, Australia, now within the Suburbs and localities (A ...

, was opened in 1976 and is named the Moogerah Outdoor Education Centre (colloquially referred to as Moogerah). The school sends each form class from grades 8, 9 and 10 out to the campus to strengthen intra-class relationships and morale, as well as develop team-working and leadership skills. Year 11 outdoor education leaders also attend the camp to build the relationship between the senior, and younger students. The five-day programme includes such activities as rock-climbing, bushwalking, orienteering, canoeing, and a camp-out in the bush at the foot of a mountain. Year 5, 6 and 7 students also visit the campsite, but for a shorter duration – one, two and three days respectively. The centre is also used for various other school activities: Writer's Camps, Composers' Camps, Scientist-In-Residence Camps, sport training, FFG (Faith Fellowship Group) Christian Camps, Astronomy & sky viewings and fieldwork in senior courses. The rowers utilise the camp's boatshed on the lake's edge for training.

The Lilley Centre

The Lilley Centre is a centre located on the College Road side of the main campus (named after Premier and chairman of the Board of Trustees Sir

Charles Lilley Sir Charles Lilley (27 August 1827 – 20 August 1897) was a Premier of Queensland, Premier and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland. He had a significant influence on the form and spirit of state education in colonial Queensland whi ...

), and houses several classrooms equipped with learning technologies, a library, a lecture theatre (called 'The Forum') and a seniors' study room. The centre was officially opened on 26 February 2010 by former Premier of Queensland,

Anna Bligh Anna Maria Bligh (born 14 July 1960) is an Australian lobbyist and former politician who served as the 37th Premier of Queensland, in office from 2007 to 2012 as leader of the Queensland Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch), Labor Party. ...

STEAM precinct

In 2024, the BGS STEAM precinct was officially opened. It combines the disciplines of

Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

Technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

Arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...

and

Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

. It is located on the main campus, near the Indoor Sports Centre.

Recent incidents

Pedophile compensation controversy

In 2003, the school was involved in controversy when it attempted to recover damages from its insurer following students' claims that they had been sexually abused by Kevin Lynch, school counsellor between the 1976 and 1988.David Murray
School pays sex victims
, Courier Mail, 5 November 2006 Some 70 former students sued the school, alleging Lynch sexually abused them during counselling sessions. Rejecting out-of-court settlements, some of the victims claimed compensation in the Supreme Court of Queensland. Two former students had allegedly lodged complaints about Lynch's conduct with then headmaster of the school, Maxwell Howell, in the early 1980s and the issue was quietly investigated. However, Grammar was unaware the details of the investigation had to be passed on to its insurer. For failing to notify its insurer of the complaints made of Lynch, the school thus became liable for A$1.17 million in legal fees and compensation. Lynch was charged in January 1997 over the abuses perpetrated at both St Paul's School (where he was subsequently employed) and Brisbane Grammar. Lynch committed suicide on 23 January 1997, the day after being charged.Survivor Link

Fumes exposure incident

On 14 July 2010, 120 students were exposed to a chemical solvent being used in school construction works. Many of these students had been exposed for less than 20 minutes. 6 ambulance crews were dispatched to the school, where 35 students experienced sore eyes and throats as well as minor breathing difficulties. Of the students affected, 2 were hospitalised.

Notable alumni

Politics

Australian Parliament

* James Bayley — former Member for Oxley in the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

and member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

* Sir Donald Charles Cameron — former Member for

and Lilley in the

* Don Dobie — former Member for Hughes and

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (profession), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * C ...

in the

* Nigel Drury — former Member for Ryan in the

* Grosvenor Francis — former Member for Kennedy in the

* Sir James Killen — former Minister for Defence and Member for Moreton in the

* Ian Macfarlane — former Liberal National Federal Cabinet Minister and Member for

Groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man and Groomsman, ...

in the

* Kenneth Morris — former Senator for

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

in the

and Deputy Premier of Queensland * Bill Riordan — former Minister for the Navy and Member for Kennedy in the

* Malcolm Roberts — Senator for

in the

Queensland Parliament

* Rob Akers — former member of the

* John Appel — former member of the

* Earle Bailey — former member of the

* Joshua Thomas Bell — former Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Tom Burns — former Labor Party National President and Deputy Premier of

* Thomas Joseph Byrnes — former

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is appointed ...

* Neville Harper — former member of the

* Phil Heath — former member of the

* John Herbert — former member of the

* Thomas Hiley — former

Treasurer of Queensland Treasurer of Queensland is the title held by the Cabinet (government), Cabinet Minister (government), minister who is responsible for the Queensland Treasury, and by extension, all financial matters of the Government of Queensland, Queensland Go ...

and

Deputy Premier of Queensland The deputy premier of Queensland is a role in the Government of Queensland assigned to a Individual ministerial responsibility, responsible Minister in the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland. It has second rankin ...

* Colin Lamont — former member of the

* Alan Munro — former

Attorney-General of Queensland The attorney-general of Queensland is a ministerial position of the Government of Queensland with responsibility for the state's legal and justice system. , the attorney-general of Queensland is Deb Frecklington. List of attorneys-general of ...

and Deputy Premier of Queensland * Frederick W. Paterson — former Member of the

* John Scott — former member of the

* Thomas Blacket Stephens — former

and

Mayor of Brisbane The Lord Mayor of Brisbane is the chief executive of the City of Brisbane, the capital of the Australian state of Queensland, and the head of the Brisbane City Council. Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner of the Liberal National Party of Queensland, Lib ...

* William Stephens — former member of the

* Jim Turnour — former member of the

* Cladius Buchanan Whish — former member of the

and sugar-planter

Other politicians

* Air Vice Marhsal

Don Bennett Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett, (14 September 1910 – 15 September 1986) was an Australian aviation pioneer and bomber pilot who rose to be the youngest air vice marshal in the Royal Air Force. He led the "Pathfinder Fo ...

— aviation pioneer, bomber pilot and Member of Parliament in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

* Sir Thomas Reginald Groom — former

* Drew Hutton — co-founder of the

Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly referred to simply as the Greens, are a Left-wing politics, left-wing green party, green Australian List of political parties in Australia, political party. As of 2025, the Greens are the third largest politica ...

, university lecturer, and social and environmental activist * Christopher Lethbridge — former member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House ...

Law and the judiciary

Ian Callinan Ian David Francis Callinan (born 1 September 1937) is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. Education Born in Casino, New South Wales, Callinan was raised in Brisbane, Queenslan ...

— Justice of the High Court of Australia * Sir Charles Powers — Justice of the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is the apex court of the Australian legal system. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified in the Constitution of Australia and supplementary legislation. The High Court was establi ...

* John Logan — judge of the

Federal Court of Australia The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indictable (mo ...

and president of the Defence Force Discipline Appeal Tribunal * Max Julius — barrister and

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

* Sir Arnold Lucas Bennett — barrister and president of the Bar Association of Queensland * Henry George Fryberg — Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland *

Lionel Lukin Lionel Lukin (18 May 1742 – 16 February 1834) was a British carriage builder and inventor, noted for the invention of the 'unimmergible' Lifeboat (rescue), lifeboat. Private and professional life Lukin was born in Great Dunmow, Essex, on ...

— Justice of the

Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory The Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory is the highest court of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters and hears the most serious criminal matters. The court ha ...

* John Laskey Woolcock — Justice of the

Supreme Court of Queensland The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the Australian State of Queensland. It was formerly the Brisbane Supreme Court, in the colony of Queensland. The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court allows its trial division to ...

Journalism

* Malcolm Farr — Canberra-based political journalist and commentator *

Andrew Olle John Andrew Durrant Olle (28 December 194712 December 1995) was an Australian radio and television presenter who mostly worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Early and personal life Olle was born in the Sydney suburb of Hornsb ...

— ABC and Nine Network journalist (last year of school only) * Michael Ware —

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

correspondent and ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine journalist * Spencer Howson — radio presenter * Robert Macklin — journalist and author

Military and public service

Public Service *

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Sir John Lavarack —

* Sir Charles Spry —

Director-General A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...

of the

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO ) is the Intelligence agency, domestic intelligence and national security agency of the Australian Government, responsible for protection from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign inte ...

John Douglas Story John Douglas Story (7 August 1869 in Edinburgh, Scotland – 2 February 1966 in Brisbane, Australia) was a public servant in Queensland, Australia. Also known as J. D. Story, he migrated to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, with his parents, ...

— public servant * George Wawrick Smith — public servant * James Cumes — diplomat *

Ian Carnell Ian Gregory Carnell (born 24 October 1955) is an Australian public servant, who was Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, responsible for oversight of Australia's intelligence agencies, from 2004 to 2010. Carnell was born in Melbour ...

— former Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Military * Major General Professor John Pearn — Surgeon General of the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

* Commander Eric Feldt — head of the Coastwatchers WWII * Brigadier General Lachlan Chisholm Wilson — commander of the

in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

* Major General James Harold Cannan * Major General Walter Adams Coxen * Brigadier General Cecil Henry Foott * John Francis Jackson —

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

and squadron commander in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

* Leslie Douglas Jackson —

Allan Joseph Boase * Major General Eric Clive Pegus Plant * Air Marshal Stephen Gareth Chappell

Entertainment and the arts

* William Baylebridge — writer and poet * Robert Davidson — composer, artistic director * Robin Dods — architect *

Robert Forster Robert Wallace Foster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019), known professionally as Robert Forster, was an American actor. He made his screen debut as Private L.G. Williams in John Huston's '' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967), followed ...

— musician, singer-songwriter and founder of

The Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster (musician), Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only co ...

Jack Lindsay John Lindsay , FRSL (20 October 1900 – 8 March 1990) was an Australian-born writer. He was born in Melbourne, but spent his formative years in Brisbane. He was the eldest son of Norman Lindsay and brother of author Philip Lindsay. Early li ...

— Marxist author and poet * J J Hilder — painter * Leonard Shillam — sculptor *

David Malouf David George Joseph Malouf (; born 20 March 1934) is an Australian poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright and Libretto, librettist. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2008, Malouf has lectured at both the University ...

— author *

Brad Shepherd Bradley Mark Shepherd (born 1 February 1961) is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially Hoodoo Gurus. Biography Early life Shepherd was born ...

— musician *

Ian Haug Ian Haug (born 21 February 1970) is an Australian musician and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and backing vocalist in the rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989 until its breakup in 2010. He is presently a member of The Church. Po ...

and John Collins — musicians,

Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins ...

* Spencer Howson — radio presenter * Stephen Vagg — writer, author of '' All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane'' (2007) * Adam Zwar — actor and creator of award-winning television shows '' Wilfred'' and '' Lowdown'' * Christopher Wrench — organist *

Ray Chen Ray Chen (; born 6 March 1989) is a Taiwanese Australians, Taiwanese-Australian violinist. He was the winner of the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists, 2008 International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition and the Quee ...

— violinist * Arthur Benjamin — composer, pianist, and conductor *

Leonard Teale Leonard George Thiele Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (26 September 192214 May 1994), professionally Leonard Teale, was an Australian actor of radio, television and film and radio announcer, presenter and narrator known for his resonant ...

— actor *

Ronald McKie Ronald Cecil Hamlyn McKie (11 December 1909 – 8 May 1991) was an Australian novelist. He was born on 11 May 1909 in Toowoomba, Queensland. After receiving his education at the Brisbane Grammar School and the University of Queensland, he ...

— novelist *

Henry George Lamond Henry George Lamond (13 June 1885 – 12 July 1969) was an Australian farmer and writer, notable for his novels about the land, people and animals of outback Queensland. In addition to his fiction and non-fiction books, he wrote over 900 essays ...

— writer and farmer * Philip Neilsen — poet and author * Robin Dods — architect * George Landen Dann — playwright * Francis Richard Hall — architect * Jang Han-byul — singer, actor, and television personality * George Pullar — actor

Science and academia

* Jock R. Anderson — agricultural economist at the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

and emeritus professor at the University of New England * John Graeme Balsillie — inventor, communications engineer, business proprietor who oversaw establishment of Australia's coastal radio network *

Bob Bryan Robert "Bob" Charles Bryan (born April 29, 1978) is an American former professional tennis player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest doubles tennis players of all time, Bryan was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis pl ...

— geologist and businessman * Alexander Marks — physician and military officer * Errol Solomon Meyers — Brisbane doctor and one of the founding fathers of the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

School of Medicine * Donald Nicklin — chemical engineer and professor *

Richard Powell Francis Richard Powell Francis (1860–1894) was the first Australian to graduate from Balliol College (Oxford University) and died after rescuing others in the 1893 Brisbane flood. Early life Richard (Dick) Powell Francis was born in Eccles, Manchest ...

— educator *

William Fleetwood Sheppard William Fleetwood Sheppard FRSE LLM (20 November 1863 – 12 October 1936) Australian- British civil servant, mathematician and statistician remembered for his work in finite differences, interpolation and statistical theory, known in par ...

— mathematician, statistician, and civil servant * Daniel Botsman — Sumitomo Professor of History at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

Joshua Gans Joshua Gans holds the Jeffrey Skoll Chair in Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Until 2011, he was an economics professor at Melbourne Business School in Australia. His research f ...

— economics professor * Leonard Keith Ward — geologist and public servant * Edward Rennie — scientist and president of the

Royal Society of South Australia The Royal Society of South Australia (RSSA) is a learned society whose interest is in science, particularly, but not only, of South Australia. The major aim of the society is the promotion and diffusion of scientific knowledge, particularly in re ...

* Harding Frew — civil engineer *

Oscar Werner Tiegs Oscar Werner Tiegs Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, FAA (12 March 1897 – 5 November 1956) was an Australian zoologist whose career spanned the first half of the 20th century. His contribution to th ...

— zoologist *

Donald Markwell Donald John Markwell (born 19 April 1959) is an Australian social scientist, who has been described as a "renowned Australian educational reformer". He was appointed Head of St Mark's College, Adelaide, from November 2019. He was Senior Advise ...

— social scientist and former Warden of

Rhodes House Rhodes House is a building part of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on South Parks Road in central Oxford, and was built in memory of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of the university and a major benefactor. It is Listed building#En ...

* Jock R Anderson — agricultural economist * Neville Thiele — audio engineer * Harald Jensen — geologist * Edward Marks —

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

* Harrison Bryan — former Director General of the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

Business

* Tom Strachan — head of AWX * James Chin Moody — CEO of Sendle * Sir Ronald Gordon Jackson — businessman * Kevin Weldon — book publisher and philanthropist

Sport

AFL

* Matthew Hammelmann — AFL footballer * Joel Macdonald — AFL footballer and businessman * Ray Smith — AFL footballer *

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

— AFL footballer

Cricket

* Ben Cutting — cricket, Queensland Bulls, Australia, Brisbane Heat * Patrick Dooley * Ben Dunk — cricket, Queensland Bulls, Hobart Hurricanes, Tasmania Tigers * Tim Caldwell * Alec Hurwood — Australian test cricketer * Kendel Kadowaki Fleming * Alan Marshal — cricket, Queensland and

Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey County Cricket Club (Surrey CCC) is a first-class club in county cricket, one of eighteen in the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Surrey, including areas that now form South Londo ...

Otto Nothling Otto Ernest Nothling (1 August 1900 – 26 September 1965) was a rugby union player who represented Australia, as well as an Australian cricketer who played in one Test in 1928. He is one of only two Australian rugby and cricket dual internati ...

— Australian test cricketer/Rugby Union player * David Ogilvie — Australian test cricketer * Sir Charles Powers — Queensland cricket captain * Matt Renshaw — cricket, Queensland Bulls, Australia * Pud Thurlow — Australian cricketer

Rowing

* Samuel Conrad — Australian eight Olympic rower * Patrick Holt — national representative rower * Richard Powell — Australian Olympic rower * Darryn Purcell — Australian rower * Logan Ullrich — national representative rower * David Weightman — rower

Rugby league

* Dajearn Asi * Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow

Rugby union

* Mitchell Chapman —

New South Wales Waratahs The New South Wales Waratahs ( or ;), often referred to as the Waratahs, are an Australian professional rugby union team based in Sydney that represents the majority of New South Wales in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. The Waratahs play t ...

player * Julian Gardner — Wallaby & Italy * Sam Greene * Rob Lawton — Wallaby prop * Tom Lawton — Wallaby captain * Cameron Lillicrap — Wallaby prop * Dick Marks — Wallaby and national coaching director * Greg Martin — Wallaby fullback * Bob McCowan — Wallaby captain * Andy McIntyre — Wallaby prop * Fraser McReight — Wallaby flanker * Stephen Moore — Wallaby captain * Tom Murday * Frank Nicholson — Wallaby captain * David Nucifora — Wallaby hooker * Bill Ross — Wallaby hooker * Chilla Wilson — Wallaby captain * Keith Winning — Wallaby captain

Soccer

* Luke DeVere — QAS, AIS and Brisbane Roar and Socceroo centre back * Matt McKay — captain of the Brisbane Roar FC and Socceroo midfielder

Tennis

Roy Emerson Roy Stanley Emerson (born 3 November 1936) is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, for a total of 28 Grand Slam titles. All of his singles Grand Slam victories and 14 of his ...

— won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles * Charlie Fancutt * Michael Fancutt *

Edgar Moon Edgar "Gar" Moon (3 December 1904 – 26 May 1976) was a tennis player from Australia who was best known for winning the 1930 Australian Championships – Men's singles title. He also won the 1932 Men's Doubles title with Jack Crawford. He wo ...

— won 1930 Australian Open men's single title, 1932 men's doubles title, 1929 and 1934 mixed doubles titles *

John Millman John H. Millman (born 14 June 1989) is an Australian former professional tennis player. He won one title on the ATP Tour, the 2020 Astana Open, reaching a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 33 in October 2018. His other career high ...

Other sports

* Trent Baker — pitcher and outfielder for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

and

Brisbane Bandits The Brisbane Bandits are a professional baseball team in Brisbane, Queensland that plays in the Australian Baseball League and is one of the six founding teams of the league. From the 2010/11 season till the 2012/13 season their home ballpark ...

baseball teams * Francis Gailey — Australian/American freestyle swimmer * Lee Holdsworth — V8 supercar driver * Toby Jenkins — Olympic water polo player 2004 * Dick Johnson — V8 supercar driver

Rhodes Scholars

References

External links

* {{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1868 Private secondary schools in Brisbane Boarding schools in Queensland Grammar schools in Australia Boys' schools in Queensland Nondenominational Christian schools in Brisbane 1868 establishments in Australia Spring Hill, Queensland History of Brisbane Great Public Schools Association of Queensland

History

Headmasters

Extracurricular activities

Cultural activities

Sport

GPS membership

Campuses and facilities

Indoor sports centre

Northgate Playing Fields

BGS Tennis Centre

Auditoriums and theatres

Moogerah Outdoor Education Centre

The Lilley Centre

STEAM precinct

Recent incidents

Pedophile compensation controversy

Fumes exposure incident

Notable alumni

Politics

Australian Parliament

Queensland Parliament

Other politicians

Law and the judiciary

Journalism

Military and public service

Entertainment and the arts

Science and academia

Business

Sport

AFL

Cricket

Rowing

Rugby league

Rugby union

Soccer

Tennis

Other sports

Rhodes Scholars

See also

References

Further reading

External links