Weekly eNews
Ross Featherston
Headmaster, Brighton Grammar SchoolThe recent National Reconciliation Week invited all Australians to reflect on our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to consider how each of us can play a part in building a more united future.
Junior School boys explored these ideas through classroom conversations and a special assembly presentation while some of our Year 9s spent a day on Country with Traditional Owner Steve Parker. Steve returns next term for a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, always a highlight of our Junior School calendar.
Meanwhile, a second group of Year 6 boys and staff are currently on our Indigenous Immersion tour in Pormpuraaw on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, where they spend their days attending school, playing games, learning traditional dances and songs, and supporting local students with reading and numeracy.
Next week, a group of Secondary School boys will continue this journey, travelling to Bathurst Island for their own community and on Country immersion experience.
These opportunities are powerful learning moments that help our boys build empathy, cultural awareness, and respect for diversity: qualities that support them to grow into thoughtful, grounded young men.
Simon Angus
Deputy Headmaster, Head of Secondary SchoolLast Friday, the +M Committee hosted the Face the Freeze lunchtime event as part of the Year 12 Legacy Project, Face the Fire. Students gathered to watch a number of staff members take their turn in the dunk tank. Alongside our Headmaster Ross Featherston, Dr Ray Swann and other staff it was a privilege to plunge into the icy water for a good cause!
On Tuesday Year 11 and 12 students sat the GAT, an important milestone in the VCE calendar that assesses a range of skills in writing, numeracy, and reasoning.
Later that evening, we hosted the VCE Combined Concert with Firbank Grammar students, continuing a long-standing tradition between the two schools. This concert gives Unit 3/4 students the opportunity to perform solo items in a supportive but high-pressure environment, encouraging them to refine and strengthen their preparation. The evening was a strong showcase of musicianship, with students performing confidently and rising to the occasion.
With only one week left of Term 2, the school is entering a busy and focused final stretch. Students are working hard to complete assessments and finish the term strongly before a well-earned break.
Meliora Sequamur.
Happenings & Reminders
- Friday 26 June -Term 2 concludes
- Wednesday 22 July – Term 3 commences
- BGS+ Community Term 2 Holiday Program Timetable
- Uniform Shop (Campus Location) – Holiday Trading Hours
Celebrating Pride Week
A special school assembly was held yesterday to celebrate Pride Week, and we were fortunate to hear from several guests and students whose words reflected just how far our community has come.
Guest speaker Tim Deller (OB 2008), a Mental Health Practitioner at Melbourne High School, reflected on his time at BGS in the 2000s with honesty and insight and offered our students a valuable opportunity to hear what life was like for a Tonner during his own time at the School.
Arki Butler, Captain of Football and Captain of the First XVIII, spoke about the annual Pride Round against MGS. Congratulations to the First Football on their win, and a special mention to the First Hockey, who also wore Pride socks in support of the round. Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the MGS vs BGS Pride Round, a milestone we look forward to celebrating.
Hugo Brodribb, Secretary of the Melbourne Grammar School Pride Alliance Committee, reported on what Melbourne Grammar is doing in the Pride space, the continued relationship between our two schools and its importance for inclusion.
Finally, BGSInc committee members William Husband and Joey Williams spoke about BGSInc’s dedication to making all students feel safe and welcomed, their work supporting inclusive initiatives such as Wear it Purple Day and Pride Round, and explained how the Year 12 Legacy Project, Face the Fire, encourages everyone to build an environment where students feel safe to be their authentic selves.
Jack Parwata
Equality, Inclusion and Diversity Coordinator
+M Face the Freeze
Brighton Grammar is a place that celebrates boys. It’s where boys grow into healthy, grounded, and determined young men – which is why initiatives such as Men’s Health Week are so significant.
With the 2026 Legacy Project Face the Fire calling students to embrace challenge and vulnerability, last Friday brave staff members swapped the classroom for the dunk tank to Face the Freeze.
In support of boys and men’s health, secondary students from Years 7–12 were given the golden opportunity to plunge their teachers into ice-cold water – an opportunity that not many could pass up.
More than just a fundraising activity, the event provided staff with a platform to share what men’s health means to them, sparking meaningful conversations about men’s health. For students it was particularly meaningful to see teachers show vulnerability, reinforcing their influence as role models and sources of inspiration for all boys.
A special thanks to Ms Howren for organising the event and to Mr Featherston, Mr Angus, Dr Swann, Mr Dann, Mr Huynh, Mr Machar and Mr Parwata for taking the plunge in support of this important cause.
As winter brings its cold weather, Brighton Grammar has never been warmer.
Kenneth Yeung
School Captain
Year 9 Service Learning Week
Year 9 Service Learning Week provided students with the opportunity to learn, act and reflect while engaging with real social and environmental issues across Melbourne and beyond. Throughout the week, students demonstrated the BGS values of Passion, Respect, Accountability and Integrity as they stepped outside their comfort zones, connected with community organisations and contributed to meaningful causes.
Read full report from Lindsey McCormac, Head of Service Learning.
A Life Saved, a Community Connected
We recently welcomed to Brighton Grammar a very special BGS connection, with an important reminder of the value of regular health checks and knowing first aid during Men’s Health Week.
In March this year, BGS parent Peter Eyers suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in his family home. By his side were his wife Katie and Year 12 son Harry. Arriving moments later was firefighter and fellow BGS parent, Steve Axup.
The quick thinking and decisive actions of Katie and Harry initially, and then Steve and a group of emergency services personnel, saved Peter’s life. Read the full article.
Shane Warne Legacy Health Check
This week from 8.30am – 4.30pm, free health checks are on offer to all staff, parents and the wider BGS community at a Shane Warne Legacy Health Check kiosk on-site at the Annandale Pavilion First Aid room.
The kiosk offers quick, non-invasive checks that include measurements of blood pressure, heart rate, and other critical indicators of cardiovascular health. Friends and family are welcome; we invite everyone in the community to take part.
For more information, watch this explainer or read the health check results document.
From the Archives
Brighton Grammar has a longtime connection with the Tiwi Islands and Pormpuraaw. The Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association is the central hub of the Milikapiti community in the Tiwi Islands. The artists are nationally and internationally renowned for their unique Tiwi style.
Many of you will have seen the imposing 233cm tall grave pole on display in the entrance to the Urwin Centre.
Carved from ironwood and incorporating the Tiwi palette of red, yellow, white and black, artist Gerry Mungatopi, depicts the story of Tokwampini, the messenger bird in the pukumani mythology.
Tokwampini told Purukaparli that his wife Bima had committed adultery. This event led to the mortality of the Tiwi people, the first death and the first funeral pukumani. Man and birds worked together to fell, carve and paint grave poles to remind the Tiwi of how death had come to the people and how man only lives forever in the spirit land.
From Reverend Waterhouse
I enjoy listening to podcasts, especially dramatised ones, and so during my recent drives to school, I’ve been listening to a four-part series called The Flood, produced by The Australian newspaper.
It gives an account of the largely unknown naval story from 2003, when the submarine HMAS Dechaineux, with 60 submariners on board, suddenly flooded and began to sink about 50 nautical miles off the coast of Perth.
There has always been something unnerving about deep water, which generations of sailors, explorers and military personnel have experienced. Perhaps it is because the deep is so dark, unknown and isolated. We can read a little about an extraordinary trip to the deep in the Old Testament book of Jonah!
While listening to the podcast, I couldn’t help but be reminded of some enduring words from King David in Psalm 139: ‘Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.’ [vss. 7 & 8].
God is eternal and inhabits every pore of the universe through his loving presence This is good news for us, especially when we may feel alone or abandoned.
Ultimately, the followers of Jesus have the presence of God himself within them through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, ‘I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ [Matthew 28:20].