Weekly eNews
Ross Featherston
Headmaster, Brighton Grammar SchoolHealth and PE Week allows us to celebrate a key element of a good education: wellbeing. Schools are strongest when students and staff prioritise healthy lifestyles and support one another.
This week has included a wonderful Dance Night performance, the BGS Gift running race, ELC Footy Day, wellbeing-focused staff PL sessions, the BGS v Firbank Grammar Prefect Netball game and culminates in tomorrow’s Secondary School House Athletics Day.
This busy schedule, together with our regular sport and wellbeing programs across the school, reinforces the message that healthy minds and healthy bodies are fundamental to learning and growing. It also reflects our whole-school approach to Positive Masculinity (+M), particularly the importance of connection, motivation and developing boys who understand that looking after themselves and others is a strength.
In that same spirit of community and personal growth, I am pleased to announce that Hamish Ward has been appointed as Captain of School for 2027 and Connor Giles and James Lorback as Vice-Captains, who I have no doubt will lead with heart and kindness.
Best wishes also to our Year 12 students as they prepare for their final exams over the holiday break before school returns for all boys on Monday 5 October.
Have a safe break.
Simon Angus
Deputy Headmaster, Head of Secondary SchoolThe BGS Dance Night on Monday was a wonderful highlight as we celebrated our thriving Dance program. Students from Year 3 through to Year 12 demonstrated passion and talent on the stage and my thanks to our Head of Dance, Chris Horsey for his leadership.
Also on Monday, we had the annual running of the BGS Gift on the Crowther Oval. Congratulations to Spencer H (Year 10) for being the fastest on the day.
At tomorrow’s House Athletics Day at Duncan McKinnon Reserve on North Road, there will be plenty of fun activities for all boys, along with an anticipated beautiful spring day, and all students are expected to attend.
Finally, I wish all families a safe and enjoyable holiday. Whilst our Year 12 students will be busy with trial examinations, I hope they also take a moment to catch their breath. A special thank you to all Year 12 teachers for the support and work that takes place over this holiday period.
Meliora Sequamur.
Happenings & Reminders
- Friday 18 September: House Athletics Day
- Friday 18 September: Term 3 concludes
- Uniform Shop: School holidays/Term 4 opening hours.
- Monday 5 October: Term 4 commences
Ute Full of Food
The Junior School, Urwin Centre and St Andrew’s End recently came together to support our long-standing partnership with St Mark’s Community Centre in Fitzroy. Through our third food collection for the year, generous BGS families donated more than $6,000 worth of essential food and grocery items to support people experiencing food insecurity in the local community.
A group of boys from Years 7–12 then travelled by minibus to Fitzroy to deliver the donations, helping to unload and sort the substantial collection. This ongoing partnership is making a genuine difference to those in need. A huge thank you to all the generous families across the BGS community who continue to support this important initiative.
Lindsay McCormac
Head of Service Learning
BGS Gift
The BGS Gift is an annual highlight of the School’s Athletics calendar, held on the Crowther Oval. The event sees one student from each year level and House compete across six heats, with the winners progressing to a handicapped Grand Final.
This year’s finalists were Zane M (Year 7, 9m), Ollie W (Year 8, 6m), Charlie C (Year 9, 3m), Spencer H (Year 10, 1m), Will T (Year 11, 0m) and Will I (Year 12, 1m).
In a thrilling Grand Final, Spencer powered home to claim his first BGS Gift gold medal, with a photo finish separating him from Will I. Zane made excellent use of his 9m handicap to secure third place.
Congratulations to all competitors for their efforts, and a huge thank you to the Health, Wellbeing and PE staff for organising another fantastic event. Special mention goes to Head Athletics coach Tom Morehouse for his excellent judgement and handicapping throughout the competition.
All attention now turns to tomorrow’s House Athletics competition, where the BGS Gift runners will once again be in action.
Steve Bustin
Head of PE, Health, Wellbeing & RE Faculty
Dance Night
BGS Dance Night 2026 marked a significant milestone for the School’s growing Dance Program, bringing together the largest number of students and performances in the event’s history.
Students from across Years 3–12 took to the Rosstrevor Hall stage, alongside performers from Firbank Grammar School and Hutchins School, Tasmania. The evening showcased just how far Dance at BGS has come, with students of all ages contributing to a diverse program of ensemble works, small-group pieces and student-led choreography.
Vice Captain of Dance Lachlan W reflected on the scale of this year’s event, describing it as “our biggest so far”, with more students involved in Dance at BGS than ever before. For Lachlan, seeing so many students invested in the program was particularly significant, noting that the “support, achievement and participation” demonstrated how much the program has grown.
For Dance Captain Stefan B, performing at his final Dance Night was an emotional moment. Reflecting on his time at BGS, Stefan said Dance had given him “so much happiness” and had become a key part of his experience at the School. He also shared his hope that the program would “continue to grow far beyond” his own time at BGS.
Their reflections capture what made the evening particularly special: a Dance Program that continues to grow not only in size, but in the enthusiasm and sense of community shared by the students involved.
Michael Kent
TiC of Dance
Martyrs Gift Fundraiser
Keep alive the over 50-year relationship between BGS and Martyrs Memorial School Papua New Guinea by helping us support the ‘Martyrs Gift’ in aid of programs to improve adult literacy. Every dollar goes towards giving men and women a second chance, so they can transform their lives.
Please donate here.
Calling all Art Angels
Are you available to lend a hand in the lead-up to our annual Art Show held in November?
A friendly group, no artistic experience required – just a willingness to help and support our Secondary School students. A range of tasks available, both on-site and also from home.
Enquiries to Michael Hawkins.
From The Archives
This week saw the running of the annual BGS Gift with representatives from each house battling it out on the track.
The Crowther Oval has always been the site of significant sporting events. Although its appearance has changed and the perimeter has evolved over the years – as you can see in the pictures below – its purpose and essence remain the same.
The Crowther is a place where boys can challenge themselves, and each other, to be the best they can be, to have a go at something, feel part of a team, and celebrate their own achievements.
At the end of the BGS Gift one competitor and his fellow House members were overheard celebrating, ‘I didn’t come last’ with as much passion as if an Olympic gold medal had been won.
From Reverend Waterhouse
The House Athletics carnival occurring on Friday this week is always a highlight event in the school; in fact, for me, of all the House events, it is the one I feel is the most accessible and exhilarating, as we witness the students from our eight Houses partaking in various running, jumping and throwing events.
As I have mentioned before in a previous newsletter, I am extremely partial to the relays, the concluding events of the day!
Like all physical competitions, on Friday there will be successes, disappointments, celebrations and commiserations, all in a manner which reflect the wider journey of the seasons of life.
I’m reminded of some wonderful promises in the Bible from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah: ‘God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.’ (40:29-31).
As we enjoy the upcoming holiday break, and our Year 12s undertake their trial examinations, may we all know something of the renewing strength of God in our lives, so that, along with St. Paul, we may confidently say: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13).