Melbourne Grammar School

History

The origins of Melbourne Grammar School can be traced back to 1849, with the establishment of an experimental grammar school at St Peter's Eastern Hill, East Melbourne. This school had been established by Melbourne's first Church of England bishop, Charles Perry, who founded the Diocese of Melbourne, and had been opened to meet the growing educational needs of the young colony. 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 to consider the task. The school however did not thrive and was suspended at the end of 1854.

The first board of governors was elected in 1854 to take over from the committee, and it set about drawing up a constitution, finding a headmaster and a new site. Locations considered included Carlton, Prahran and St Kilda.

Perry's goal of building a permanent, centrally located grammar school, based on the principles of the great English public schools, was realised in 1855, with a grant from Governor Charles Hotham of 6 hectares (15 acres) on St Kilda Road. This is the inner South Yarra land now occupied by the Senior School and Wadhurst, next to the Royal Botanic Gardens and a short walk from the city centre. At the time it was considered relatively isolated and remote. The governors chose Charles Webb and Thomas Taylor as architects, well-known Melbourne contractors George Cornwell and Co., and Bishop Perry laid the school's foundation stone on 30 July 1856.

The Melbourne Church of England Grammar School was 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, including four of Bromby's sons, and about one quarter comprising boarding students.

The school's first forty years proved to be a struggle, exacerbated in the 1890s by economic depression, financial concerns and changes of headmaster. Enrolments in the senior school 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".

Headmasters

The following individuals have served as Headmaster of Melbourne Grammar School:

Campuses

Melbourne Grammar School features seven campuses, three used for everyday schooling, one for sporting activities, and three for the school's outdoor education program:

Grimwade House – Caulfield (Co-educational; prep to Year 6)

Built as Harleston in 1875 in a Victorian Filigree style by the Hon. Frederick Sheppard Grimwade MLC, acquired by the school in c. 1911 – c. 1918.

Wadhurst – South Yarra (All boys; Years 7 to 8)

Senior School – South Yarra (All boys; Years 9 to 12)

Edwin Flack Park – Port Melbourne (Sporting complex)

Camp Dowd – Gippsland Lakes (Camp; Year 8)

Robert Knox Camp – Woodend (Camp; Years 5 to 7)

L. G. Robertson Camp – Breakfast Creek, Licola (Camp; Years 9 to 12)

House system

In 1914, headmaster George Earnest Blanch introduced a house structure to further encourage interest in sport and promote physical development; and six houses were 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 previous students (Jack and Hugh Ross). Some allumni that have come through the system include: Felix Turnbill, Sebastian Crelley, Duck Marshall-Orr, Mak Lansell, Chris Lee, and Leo Stephenson.

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 included 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, 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 Grammar family. Prior to this, there were only three houses, before the addition of Wilhelm (originally called Deakin) in 2017, and Brookes in 2024.

Cock House Cup

Competition between houses was encouraged through the Cock House Cup. A points system was put in place, and houses competed for points in a range of sports.

The first Cock House Cup was presented in 1916 by Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson, the sixth Governor General of Australia.

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.

Hone reforms

Upon becoming headmaster in 1951, Brian William 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. As a result, the Cock House Cup was no longer 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". 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". Following WWII, it was only the boarders who were still "terrorised", by this time it was by the East dormitory. Headmaster Hone gave the coup de grâce to the worst school house rituals that remained by the end of his first year.

Expansion of the house system

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.

Curriculum

Melbourne Grammar offers its Years 11 and 12 students the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), the main assessment program in Victoria.

In 2004, six Melbourne Grammar students achieved the maximum possible Equivalent 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. 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. 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.

Co-curricula activities

The following co-curricula activities are offered to students in the senior school:

Debating

Melbourne Grammar has held inter-grammar school British Parliamentary Debating competitions with Scotch College and Sydney 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. In 2018, MGS won the A Grade championship.

Music

Melbourne Grammar's orchestra, the Melbourne Grammar School Symphony Orchestra (MGSSO), comprises approximately 100 students, the vast majority of whom attend the school. The MGSSO has accompanied international soloists such as Ronald Farren-Price, Leslie Howard and Neville Taweel, and has premiered works by Australian and British composers. Pat Miller has been the conductor of the orchestra since October 2019. The orchestra tours internationally in December and recent tours include:

2005: Malaysia and Singapore

2006: China, performing in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou

2007: Dubai, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Venice

2008: Malaysia, for Martin Rutherford's final orchestra tour

2010: Japan, performing in Osaka, Tokyo (at the Okuma Auditorium at Waseda University) and Gamagori), under the direction of Mark Drummond

2012: France and Belgium

2014: the United States

2016: Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic

2018: the United Kingdom, playing in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow

2022 and 2023: Regional Victoria, on a train

Each of Melbourne Grammar's campuses have a choir, a concert band, and a string orchestra. The chapel choir is the oldest of any Victorian independent school, consists of approximately forty students, and sings at the weekly Eucharist service, with occasional concerts featuring the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and other performing arts organisations.

Theatre

Melbourne Grammar has a theatre department within the Senior Campus, 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 with Julius Caesar, celebrating a notable history of productions including The Crucible, Twelfth Night and Much 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 included Tim Winton's Cloudstreet, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, Lerner and Loewe's "My Fair Lady", Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband, and Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. In 2014, Melbourne Grammar School performed Peter Shaffer's Amadeus and One Man, Two Guvnors was presented in 2019. The post-COVID era of Melbourne Grammar School drama productions was rejuvenated in 2022 with Romeo and Juliet and Guys 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, including Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm and Sweeney Todd, as well as performing modern plays such as Nick Enright's Spurboard. In 2013 Eugène Ionesco's Rhinoceros was performed, and more recently a interpretation of Animal Farm directed by Jasper Harrington with notable actors such as Roma Blanchet, Jeremy "Jezza" Trindade, Jack de Korte, Angus Hibbins, and Blake Bull.

Plays are performed by the students of Melbourne Grammar, sometimes 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 as Pinocchio or A Christmas Carol. In 2008, to celebrate the school's sesquicentenary, the play Glimpses 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 on Alice in Wonderland, produced by students.

Sport

As of 2024, Melbourne Grammar has won the following APS Premierships:

In recent years, Melbourne Grammar School won the APS premiership for the first time in 48 years in 2010. The school has also won Victorian track relay titles.

Cordner-–Eggleston Cup

The Cordner–Eggleston Cup is competed for each year by the 1st XVIII football teams of Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College and has been run since 1858, making it the longest running school football fixture in the world. It commemorates the first recorded game of Australian 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 the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Melbourne Grammar is in the Victorian APS Basketball Competition, finishing 3rd in 2012 and 2014. Recent noteworthy players include Dane 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 competed in an annual cricket competition with Sydney Grammar from 1876 to 1998, which was dubbed "The Bat". The competition is the oldest interstate rivalry in Australia, predating even the 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 include Brisbane 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.

The MGS Hockey team has won the APS Hockey Competition, 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.

Crest and motto

The school motto, Ora et Labora, which may be translated from Latin to "Pray and Work", was chosen by the second headmaster, Edward Morris, in 1875. An old boy of England's Rugby School, Morris believed in the principles of the English Public School system, including that education and religion should go hand in hand, as envisaged by Bishop Perry.

The school crest is composed of a number of elements. The Archbishop's mitre 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 the bible or 'Knowledge like an Open Book', while its large clasps show that the book is not to be opened with ease; the Fleur de Lys (lily) is a symbol of purity; and the Southern Cross is the emblem of Australia, and is also on the Victorian and Australian flags.

Fight song

The school's fight song is "Play Together, Dark Blue Twenty", sung to the tune of Men of Harlech. It is one of the oldest fight songs in Australia. Ambrose John Wilson, principal of the school from 1885 to 1893, wrote lyrics. The lyrics cover the school's three main sports in the late-19th century: Australian rules football, cricket and rowing.

Alumni

^ Who's Who of boys' school rankings: 1. Scotch College, Melbourne, 2. Melbourne Grammar School, 3. Melbourne High School, 4. Geelong Grammar School, 5. Sydney Boys High School, 6. Wesley College, 7. Shore, 8. Fort Street Boys' High, 9. North Sydney Boys High School, 10. Sydney Grammar School