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| Melbourne Grammar School | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
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South Yarra,Caulfield and Port Melbourne (Sports) ,Australia | |
| Coordinates | 37°50′2″S144°58′34″E / 37.83389°S 144.97611°E /-37.83389; 144.97611 |
| Information | |
| Type | private school,co-educational primary,single-sex boys secondary,day andboarding,Christian school |
| Motto | Latin:Ora et Labora (Pray and Work)[1] |
| Denomination | Anglican[2] |
| Established | 1849 (on present site since 1858[2] – the celebrated date of foundation) |
| Founder | Charles Perry, 1st Anglican Bishop of Melbourne |
| Chairman of Governors | Andrew Michelmore |
| Headmaster | Philip Grutzner |
| Chaplain | Hugh Kempster |
| Gender | Co-educational (P–6) Boys (7–12) |
| Enrolment | 1,782 (P–12) |
| Houses | Bromby, Bruce, Creese, Deakin, Hone, Morris, Miller, Perry, Ross, Rusden, School, Witherby |
| Colour | Oxford Blue (Navy) |
| Fight song | Play Together Dark Blue Twenty |
| Affiliation | Associated Public Schools of VictoriaG20 Schools |
| Alumni | Old Melburnians |
| Website | mgs |
Melbourne Grammar School is an AustralianprivateAnglicanday andboarding school. It comprises a co-educational preparatory school from Prep to Year 6 and a middle school and senior school for boys from Years 7 to 12. The three campuses are Grimwade House (Prep to Year 6) inCaulfield, Wadhurst (Years 7 and 8) and Senior School (Years 9 to 12), both in the suburb ofSouth Yarra.
Founded on 7 April 1858 as theMelbourne Church of England Grammar School, the school currently caters for approximately 1,900 students from Prep to Year 12, including 120 boarders from Years 7 to 12.[3]
Melbourne Grammar is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),[4] theIndependent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA),[5] theAustralian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA),[3] the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV),[2] and is a founding member of the historicAssociated Public Schools of Victoria (APS). The school is also a member of theG30 Schools Group, and officially a partner school withWaseda University and its affiliates in Japan.[6]Three of Australia's former prime ministers - Deakin,[7] Bruce[8] and Fraser[9] - were educated at Melbourne Grammar School.
The origins of Melbourne Grammar School (colloquially known asGrammar) can be traced back to 1849, with the establishment of an experimentalgrammar school at St Peter's Eastern Hill,East Melbourne. This school had been established by Melbourne's firstChurch of Englandbishop,Charles Perry, who founded theDiocese of Melbourne, and had been opened to meet the growing educational needs of the youngcolony.[10] In 1853, Bishop Perry commenced planning for the diocesan experimental school to become permanent, although on a larger site and not under his direct management, and so he set up a committee of eminent men to consider the task. The school however did not thrive and was suspended at the end of 1854.[11]
The first board of governors was elected in 1854 to take over from the committee, and it set about drawing up aconstitution, finding aheadmaster and a new site. Locations considered includedCarlton,Prahran andSt Kilda.[11]
Perry's dream of building a permanent, centrally located grammar school, based on the principles of the great Englishpublic schools, was realised in 1855, with a grant from GovernorCharles Hotham of 15 acres (6.1 ha) onSt Kilda Road. This is the inner South Yarra land now occupied by the Senior School and Wadhurst, next to theRoyal Botanic Gardens and a short walk from thecity centre. At the time it was considered relatively isolated and remote. The governors chosearchitectsCharles Webb and Thomas Taylor, well known Melbourne contractorsGeorge Cornwell and Co. undertook the construction, and Bishop Perry laid the school's foundation stone on 30 July 1856.[11]
The Melbourne Church of England Grammar School was finally opened on 7 April 1858 with 76 pupils, and with John E. Bromby as the first headmaster. Enrolments grew to 136 during the first year, with four students being the sons of Bromby, and about one quarter of them boarders.[11]
The school's first 40 years proved to be a struggle, exacerbated in the 1890s byeconomic depression, financial concerns and changes of headmaster. Senior school enrolments fell from 272 in 1889 to 117 in 1894 prompting a group of former students to do something to save the school. They formed The Old Melburnians Society in 1895 "to be the means of bringing together many former schoolmates, reviving pleasant recollections, and at the same time benefiting the life of the School as it is today".[11][12][13]
Two significant developments of the late 19th century were, firstly, the recognition that with a limited site, one storey buildings were not a wise use of space. A move began, continued now, of adding second stories or replacing buildings with two- or three-level structures. The second was the dedication of the Chapel of St Peter in 1893, the first school chapel in the colony of Victoria.[11]
The beginning of the new century saw the school's future assured, with enrolments increasing and theJubilee celebrated in 1908. Hundreds of former students enlisted in theGreat War of 1914–1918, as they had in theSouth African War, and more than 200 did not return.[11]
The 1920s were a relatively stable time for the school, experiencing high academic and sporting results. The 1930s however were an unsettling time. TheGreat Depression put pressure on members of the Grammar community, while administrative instability affected the whole school. Between 1935 and 1938 the school had three headmasters and two acting headmasters, and the outbreak of war the following year meant building plans were put on hold. Some 3,500 old boys enlisted in the services, and school buildings were commandeered by Australian and American forces with some students dispatched to the country and others doubled up in crowded quarters.[11]
By the 1950s it became clear that the school was seriously lacking adequate space, with expansions, extensions and renovations mostly crammed into Bromby's original 15 acres (6.1 ha). The School subsequently embarked upon a building program which it was thought could take 30 years to complete, with the Senior School, Wadhurst and Grimwade campuses all receiving attention. The Centenary Building Campaign of 1958 began this expansion. Another solution to this problem since this time has been the steady acquisition of neighbouring properties.[11]
In 1986 the governors decided on a staged restructure of the school. Until then, Wadhurst, established as apreparatory school in 1886 and Grimwade House, opened in 1918, had operated as two parallelfeeder schools taking students through to Year 8. Grimwade's boarding house had closed in the mid-1970s, leading to debate on the best use of the newly available space. It was decided to introduce girls at primary levels at Grimwade House, and today Grimwade House caters for girls and boys up to Year 6 and Wadhurst for boys in Years 7 and 8.[11]
The 1980s and 1990s were times of further growth, with theoutdoor program expanded with three permanent campsites at Breakfast Creek nearLicola,Woodend andBanksia Peninsula on theGippsland Lakes. On 7 April 2008, as part of the celebrations of Melbourne Grammar'ssesquicentenary, the school officially opened the multimillion-dollar Nigel Peck Centre for Learning and Leadership on the Domain Road boundary, an event which was attended by the then Premier of Victoria,John Brumby, who is also an Old Melbournian.[11]
| Period served | Name |
|---|---|
| 1858–1875 | John Edward Bromby |
| 1875–1883 | Edward Ellis Morris |
| 1883–1885 | Alexander Pyne |
| 1885–1893 | Ambrose John Wilson |
| 1894–1898 | Frederic Sergeant |
| 1899–1914 | George Ernest Blanch |
| 1915–1936 | Richard Penrose Franklin (Henry Girdlestone acting 1917–19) |
| 1937–1938 | David Stacey Colman |
| 1938–1949 | Joseph Richard Sutcliffe |
| 1950–1970 | SirBrian William Hone |
| 1970–1987 | Nigel Arthur Holloway Creese |
| 1988–1994 | Antony James de Villiers Hill |
| 1995–2009 | Andrew Paul Sheahan |
| 2009–2019 | Roy Kelley |
| 2020–present | Philip Grutzner |
Melbourne Grammar School features sevencampuses, three used for everyday schooling, one for sporting activities, and three for the school's outdoor education program:
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In 1914, headmaster George Earnest Blanch introduced a formal house structure to further encourage interest in sport and promote physical development. Six houses were originally established. In addition to School House (the traditional English name given to the boarding house), names of the others houses commented the first two headmasters of Melbourne Grammar School (Bromby and Morris), two benefactors (Rusden and Witherby), and two brilliant all-rounder Old Melburnians (Jack and Hugh Ross). A room was assigned to each house where they could gather for meetings and socialise. Some allumni that have come through the system include:Felix Turnbill, Sebastian Crelley, Duck Marshall-Orr, Mak Lansell, Chris Lee, and James Gowdey.
Initially, students were sorted into houses based on geographic distribution. Thus, boys from Toorak were put into Bromby House, while those from South Yarra and west of the Yarra River entered into Rusden House. Students from Malvern and Glen Iris joined Morris House, those from Brighton and other suburbs around Port Phillip Bay become members of Ross House, and Witherby House welcomed boys from Canterbury, Camberwell and other suburbs around the perimeter of Essendon.
The houses competed for the house championship and the prestige of being named "Cock House". They competed against each other in cricket, rowing, football, boxing (until 1950), running, shooting (until 1937), tennis, swimming, and now presently:Mario Kart, chess, painting, handball, drama, futsal, debating, and table tennis.
In Wadhurst, there are only five houses: Caffin, Cain, Cuming, Wilhelm and Brookes. The first three were named after prominent alumni. Wilhelm was named after Paul Wilhelm, a notable head of Wadhurst. Brookes house was named after the Brookes family, a significant family of Melbourne Grammar School. Prior to this, there were only three houses, before the addition of Wilhelm (originally called Deakin) in 2017 and Brookes in 2024.
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From the earliest days, competition between the houses was fierce. The prize in question was theCock House Cup. A points system was put in place, and houses gathered points in a range of sports in their quest to be recognised as the reigning house.
First presented in 1916 by SirRonald Munro Ferguson, the sixth Governor General of Australia, the Cock House Cup was intended to stimulate interest in house games and to build the sense of the houses as individual entities.
School House was the most successful competitor during the competition, securing the title 26 times between 1914 and 1956. Following each victory, the cup was passed around, according to School House tradition, so that each member of the house could drink from it.
Upon becoming headmaster in 1951, Brian Hone initiated significant change in the purpose of the houses, shifting the focus from sporting prowess to pastoral care, house unity and the growth of the character of the students. TheCock House Cup was thought to be impeding this vision, so it ceased to be awarded.
School House, as the original boarding house, was perceived to be the backbone of life at the school. The 1920s, 1930s and 1940s were the era of the "Long Dorm", which saw justice meted out by the house captain and prefects. The North dormitory "terrorised the school", however, following the disruption to the school during the Second World War a shift in power occurred and the day boys "got out from under".[14] Following the war, it was only the boarders who were still "terrorised", by this time it was by the East dormitory.[14] It was Hone who gave thecoup de grâce to the worst school house rituals that remained by the end of his first year.
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The house system continued to evolve over the next six decades, with the establishment of a further six houses. Perry House was founded in 1940 and established as the school's second boarding house in 1952. Bruce House was established in the same year, as a new house for day students. The next two houses were Deakin House and Miller House, both established in 1961, with Hone House following in 1979. The most recent addition was Creese House, established in 2005.
Melbourne Grammar offers its Years 11 and 12 students theVictorian Certificate of Education (VCE), the main assessment program which ranks the students in the state.
In 2004, six Melbourne Grammar students achieved the maximum possibleEquivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) of 99.95; only 32 students in Victoria achieved this ENTER. In 2005, five Melbourne Grammar students achieved this same ENTER of 99.95.[15] In 2006, two Melbourne Grammar students achieved the maximum ENTER of 99.95, and three Melbourne Grammar students achieved an ENTER of 99.90. In 2007, three Melbourne Grammar students achieved the maximum ENTER of 99.95; again, only 32 students in Victoria achieved this ENTER. In 2008, five Melbourne Grammar students achieved the maximum ENTER of 99.95.[16] This tradition was continued in 2009, when a record seven students achieved the maximum ENTER of 99.95. The school also recorded its best average score on record in 2009, with the median ENTER being 93.95. In 2010, three students achieved the highest possible ATAR score of 99.95 with median 91.5. In 2011, Melbourne Grammar School's VCE students have achieved a commendable 89.8 median ATAR score, and another seven students achieved the maximum possible ATAR of 99.95. In 2016, one student was awarded the maximum ATAR of 99.95, with five in 2018.
| Year | Rank | Median study score | Scores of 40+ (%) | Cohort size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 27 | 35 | 24.6 | 389 |
| 2013 | 29 | 35 | 27.9 | 383 |
| 2014 | 29 | 35 | 24.2 | 393 |
| 2015 | 41 | 34 | 22.0 | 386 |
| 2016 | 42 | 34 | 22.7 | 369 |
| 2017 | 42 | 34 | 22.8 | 379 |
| 2018 | 12 | 36 | 27.5 | 374 |
| 2019 | 28 | 35 | 23.7 | 388 |
| 2020 | 41 | 34 | 23.4 | 373 |
| 2021 | 21 | 35 | 24.5 | 371 |
| 2022 | 21 | 35 | 25.8 | 377 |
| 2023 | 20 | 35 | 27.1 | 385 |
Melbourne Grammar has held inter-grammar schoolBritish Parliamentary Debating competitions withScotch College andSydney Grammar. Additionally, Melbourne Grammar enters students into the Debaters Association of Victoria's (DAV) Debating Competition in the Caufield region. In 2016, Melbourne Grammar won both the B Grade and D Grade competitions, and in 2017, won the D Grade competition for the second year in a row.[18] In 2018, MGS won the A Grade championship.[19]
Melbourne Grammar's orchestra, the Melbourne Grammar School Symphony Orchestra (MGSSO), tours internationally in December every year. In 2005 the orchestra touredMalaysia andSingapore and in 2006 travelled toChina, performing inShanghai,Hong Kong andGuangzhou. In 2007 the orchestra touredDubai,Zagreb,Ljubljana andVenice, while in December 2008 the orchestra once again returned toMalaysia for Martin Rutherford's final orchestra tour.[citation needed] In 2009, Mark Drummond took over the orchestra and in 2010 it touredJapan, performing inOsaka,Tokyo (at theOkuma Auditorium atWaseda University) andGamagori.[citation needed] The MGSSO touredFrance andBelgium in 2012, then theUnited States in 2014, andGermany,Austria and theCzech Republic in 2016. In 2018, visited theUK, playing inLondon,Edinburgh andGlasgow.Pat Miller has been the conductor of the orchestra since October 2019. The orchestra has also toured regionalVictoria in 2022 and 2023, on a train.[citation needed]
The orchestra is usually made up of around 100 students, the vast majority of whom attend the school. The MGSSO has accompanied international soloists such asRonald Farren-Price,Leslie Howard andNeville Taweel, and has premiered works byAustralian andBritish composers.[20]
All of Melbourne Grammar's campuses have their own choirs, concert bands and string orchestras. The chapel choir is the oldest of any Victorian private school and consists of about 40 select members. It sings at the weekly Eucharists along with occasional concerts with the like of theAustralian Brandenburg Orchestra.
The Cordner–Eggleston Cup is competed for each year by the 1st XVIII football teams of Melbourne Grammar School andScotch College and has been run since 1858, making it the longest running school football fixture in the world. It commemorates the first recorded game ofAustralian Rules Football, which was played between the two schools on 7 August 1858, which ended in a 1–1 draw and is today commemorated by a statue depicting the game outside theMelbourne Cricket Ground.[21]
The Rose and Thistle Cup is traditionally the match of the Melbourne Grammar Soccer 1st XI and the Scotch College 1st XI. Inaugurated in 2008, it represents the Rose of England (symbolising Melbourne Grammar School's origins) and the Thistle of Scotland (symboling the roots of Scotch College). The Cup has an annual theme of 'Two Traditions, One Spirit.'[22]
Melbourne Grammar has a proud rowing record, having claimed theHead of the River 28 times, the most recent occasion being in 2016.[citation needed] In 2009 the school had an exceptional 1st VIII who broke the Head of the River record. They also won the National Schoolboy 8+ over theShore School in a record time of 5:49. The 2016 MGS 1st VIII, having won the Head of the River title, went on to compete at theHenley Royal Regatta in theUK, in thePrincess Elizabeth Challenge Cup. The crew were inaugural winners of theLeander Club Challenge Cup.
In recent years,[vague] Melbourne Grammar School has become a force in athletics, winning the APS premiership for the first time in 48 years in 2010. Over the past seven years, the school has won the Victorian track relay titles.
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Soccer is currently one of the most played sports at the school, with 12 teams being fielded in the APS Soccer Competition.
The Melbourne Grammar 1st XI Soccer team is yet to win an APS premiership. Following the hiring of VIS youth coach Ernie Merrick in 2000, the 1st XI began a steady improvement in subsequent years, leading to a third-placed finish in a tightly contested 2014 season and subsequently missed out on winning the premiership cup following a draw against the reigning premiers, Brighton Grammar. The strong performances of the 1st XI, as seen in 2014 and 2015, have partly been due to the guidance ofJesper Olsen, former Manchester United and Danish International winger.
Salvatore Sitch won the "MVP" award for the 1st XI in 2015. Lloyd Skinner, known for scoring as a goalkeeper, won the same award in 2018, followed byRowan Marshall in 2019 and more recently Josh Wills winning the "MVP" for the whole APS
In recent years, Melbourne Grammar School has producedA-League footballers includingStefan Nigro (Melbourne Victory), who receivedMan of The Match on debut againstBrisbane Roar, andYaren Sözer (Melbourne City FC) who played againstEPL giantsManchester City. Furthermore, Old Melburnians have signed for overseas clubs inSpain.
20 goals is the most goals anyone has scored in a soccer APS match.
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Melbourne Grammar is an emerging force in the Victorian APS Basketball Competition, finishing 3rd in 2012 and 2014. Recent noteworthy players includeDane Pineau (recruited by St Marys College US), 2012 Captain and also Captain of the Australian under-19s national team, Daniel Fisher, who went on to attend American University on a scholarship and Victorian State and BigV men's players Jakob Cornelissen (recruited by University of Hawaii US) and Andrew Panyiotou.
Melbourne Grammar School's highest placing in the APS Volleyball Competition is 1st in 2016 and has forged a rich heritage of boys going on to play at State levels. Most recently led by 6'7 Utility Hitter/Setter Sebastian Herbst[23] who currently plays collegiate volleyball at Cumberland University. He is the first Melbourne Grammar Student to attend university in the United States of America on a volleyball scholarship.
Melbourne Grammar School has won 18 out of the last 19 Victorian APS Snowsports Cups.
The varyingly successful MGS Hockey team has seen APS Hockey Competition victory over multiple years, most recently in 2022. Boys who play in a Premiership-winning team are awarded with a ceremonial wooden hockey stick to commemorate their efforts. Many boys have come through the program including Duncan Jackson who have moved onto the international stage.
Melbourne Grammar School competed in an annual cricket competition withSydney Grammar from 1876 to 1998, which was dubbed "The Bat". The competition is the oldest interstate rivalry in Australia, predating eventhe Ashes. Melbourne Grammar has won the competition 61 times, and Sydney Grammar has won it 57 times, with four draws and one tie. In 1998 the competition was changed to includeBrisbane Grammar and named the Tri-Grammar Shield. Since the inception of the Shield, Melbourne Grammar has won 10 times, Brisbane Grammar six times, and Sydney Grammar five times.
The 1st XI Cricket team tours the UK bi-annually.
Melbourne Grammar has won the following APS Premierships:[24]
Melbourne Grammar has a strong theatre department, especially within the Senior Campus[vague], which produces three plays each school year. In Term One, the Quad Play, most commonly a Shakespeare play, but on occasion from other notable playwrights, is performed within the school's Quadrangle, and is open to students in Years 10 to 12. In 2024, the Quad Play celebrated its 50th anniversary withJulius Caesar, celebrating a notable history of productions includingThe Crucible,Twelfth Night andMuch Ado About Nothing.
The school play, performed in August, is often the centrepiece of the year's theatrical calendar. These take place in the Memorial Hall, which was refurbished in the early 2000s. Staging and sets are constructed jointly by staff and students, often both current and former. These productions alternate between musicals and plays. Notable productions in recent history have includedTim Winton'sCloudstreet,Gilbert and Sullivan'sThe Pirates of Penzance,Lerner and Loewe's "My Fair Lady",Oscar Wilde'sAn Ideal Husband, andLeonard Bernstein'sWest Side Story. In 2014, Melbourne Grammar School performedPeter Shaffer'sAmadeus andOne Man, Two Guvnors was presented in 2019. The post-COVID era of Melbourne Grammar School drama productions was rejuvenated in 2022 withRomeo and Juliet as the quad play and famed musicalGuys and Dolls.
The final performance for the year is the Spring Production, which is open to students in Years 9 and 10. These plays take place in late Term Four, off-campus to leave the Memorial Hall free for VCE exams. These productions in recent years have provided modern updates to classic stories, includingLord of the Flies,Animal Farm andSweeney Todd, as well as performing modern plays such asNick Enright'sSpurboard. In 2013Eugène Ionesco'sRhinoceros was performed, and more recently a interpretation ofAnimal Farm directed by Jasper Harrington with notable actors such as Roma Blanche, Jeremy "Jezza" Trindade, Jack de Korte, Angus Hibbins, and Blake Bull.
All of these plays are performed by the students of Melbourne Grammar in conjunction with students from the sister school,Melbourne Girls Grammar School, whose campus is located nearby on Anderson street.
Wadhurst, Melbourne Grammar's middle school, also partakes in an annual production. This is performed either on the Wadhurst Deck or in the Wadhurst Hall. These productions usually take the form of a classic children's tale such asPinocchio orA Christmas Carol. In 2008, to celebrate the school's sesquicentenary, the playGlimpses of the Generations was performed featuring 150 years of the school's history. In 2013, the Wadhurst Production took the form of a film, featuring a Melbourne Grammar twist onAlice in Wonderland, produced by students.
Year 8 students also have the opportunity to take part in the Year 8 Project, established in 2012 with a reimagining ofA Midsummer Night's Dream. Students from Melbourne Grammar and Melbourne Girls Grammar have the opportunity not only to act in a play, but to take part in its development and production. The 2013 production was a surrealist modern update ofAlan Ayckbourn'sErnie's Incredible Illucinations.
The schoolmotto,Ora et Labora, which may betranslated fromLatin to "Pray and Work", was chosen by the second headmaster, Edward Morris, in 1875.[1] An old boy of England'sRugby School, Morris exemplified the way the principles of the English Public School system were adopted in Australia, including that education and religion should go hand in hand, as envisaged by Bishop Perry. The motto clearly reflects this.[1]
The schoolcrest is composed of a number of elements. The Archbishop'smitre placed on top of the crest indicates the school's connection with the Church of England; the mitre in the shield is in memory of Charles Perry, the school's founder; the open book represents either thebible or 'Knowledge like an Open Book', while its large clasps show that the book is not to be opened with ease; theFleur de Lys (lily) is a symbol ofpurity; and theSouthern Cross is the emblem of Australia, and is also on the Victorian and Australian flags.[1]
Melbourne Grammar's fight song is "Play Together, Dark Blue Twenty", sung to the tune of "Men of Harlech".[25] It is one of the oldest fight songs in Australia.[25] Ambrose John Wilson, principal of the school from 1885 to 1893, wrote lyrics.[26] The lyrics cover the school's three main sports in the late-19th century: Australian rules football, cricket and rowing.
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