Being an Old Grammarian means different things to different people. For some it is being actively involved and connecting regularly with the School and other Old Grammarians. For others, it involves eagerly anticipating reunions and special events as an opportunity to catch up with friends, and for some it may be the nostalgic memories of student experiences that are evoked from reading the latest edition of OG News.  

The role of the Old Grammarians Society is to help ensure these opportunities continue to meet the needs of each generation of new Old Grammarians.  

At their final meeting for the year, the OGS Committee expressed their gratitude to two retiring members: Libby Jones (Davey, 1964) Records Secretary and Emma Harrison (Gourlay, 1982) Vice President. We have two new members joining the committee next year and look forward to introducing them and working with each to continually enhance the OG agenda for 2024 and beyond.

2023 Annual OGS Celebration event

The 2023 Annual Old Grammarians' Celebration event was held on Saturday 14 October. Consistent with the theme of boarding, it was decided to hold the event in the Boarders’ Dining Hall.  

The occasion was well attended by OGs, many of them ex-boarders, including 95-year-old Erica Gregory (Asche, 1945) who attended with her son. Guests thoroughly enjoyed hearing about boarding life from current Head of Boarding, Amanda Haggie and from former Head of Boarding, Tam Maddrell (Bugge, 1995), who had herself been a boarder. The chance to tour the current Boarding House was enthusiastically taken up by most attendees who were keen to see what had changed.  

The event also involved the presentation to Rosie Humphrey (Wilmot, 1959) of her Honorary Life Membership to the Old Grammarians Society. Rosie has co-ordinated the activities of the OG NSW Branch for many years and has maintained a strong connection between this group and the School. A strong group of friends from 1959 were present at the OG Celebration to support and congratulate her on this award. Rosie donated the NSW Branch correspondence to the School archives, along with many pieces of School memorabilia. These included a wonderful photograph album belonging to her mother, Betty Wilmot, who was School Captain in 1929.

Old Grammarians Art Exhibition

The Young Old Grammarians Art Exhibition took place between 24 November and 9 December at the Alternating Current Art Space in High Street, Windsor. The exhibition, titled 'i see you - reflections of the aesthetic self' was an opportunity to share the art and design of Grammarians who graduated between 2020 and 2022 to showcase their work following several years of restrictions placed on them by COVID.  

The exhibition provided an opportunity for families, friends and the general public to see the creative talent of 12 young artists in a number of artworks and installations.  

The exhibition was an MGGS Arts Auxiliary initiative, co-ordinated by Rachael Haack and Rebecca Wilkinson (former Arts Auxiliary President) who generously gave their time and effort in organising and sponsoring the event. “i see you is not only a way of sharing the art and design of MGGS students but a chance to celebrate the young artists who flourished despite the restrictions placed on them by COVID. It was also a chance for our young artists to experience staging a professional exhibition in a commercial gallery space,” Beck said.

The Celebration Evening on Friday 1 December was well attended by students, staff and other members of our community, who had a wonderful time connecting and appreciating the artworks on display. Our community is lucky to not only have such talent to share, but people who are willing to help our Grammarians, current, young and old, pursue their goals and dreams within and beyond our red brick walls.

2023 Emily Hensley Award – Ginger Ridgeway (2006)

In 2023, Melbourne Girls Grammar in partnership with the Old Grammarians Society presented the annual Emily Hensley Award, the titular award that honours one of the School’s founding principals, to Ginger Ridgeway (2006). Ginger was selected as the recipient in recognition of her outstanding work towards advancing social justice, law reform and self-determination for First Nations Peoples in Australia. 

Ginger’s work at the Victorian Treaty Advancement Commission (VTAC) contributed to the establishment of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria in 2019. She played key leadership roles in both policy advice and community engagement throughout the inaugural Assembly elections. Her role is ongoing and is part of her commitment to the advancement of collective First Nations decision-making and structural reform through Statewide Treaty and Traditional Owner Treaties. 

Ginger’s career path has involved working with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva and the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service Victoria (now Djirra). Ginger’s passion for Aboriginal Affairs, law reform and social justice is complemented by her dedication as a volunteer to Young UN Women Melbourne – Australia Chapter, Women’s Melbourne Network (WMN) and the MGGS Merton Hall History Society.

Reunions

OG reunions are a much-loved tradition that provide an opportunity to reconnect with past school friends and ‘pick up where you left off’ regardless of the number of years that have passed. Over the second half of the year reunions were held for the peer years of 1953, 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993, 2018, and 2022.

The Committee would like to thank Robyn McCutchan, Executive Director, Marketing and Community Engagement and her team in the Community Office for all their assistance with planning and organisation. We are also grateful for the ongoing interest and support we receive from Principal, Dr Toni Meath and Chair of Council, Mark Burgess.