Brighton Grammar School

Brighton Grammar School was founded on 14 February 1882, with eight male students. By 1890, 160 boys were in attendance. During the depression of the 1890s, students numbers declined rapidly.

Brighton Grammar School's first site was Temperly Lodge, located on Outer Crescent, north of Allee St. where the school's Urwin Centre for Learning currently stands. The School's second site, Pendennis on New St., was opened in 1886 when the school boasted near 160 pupils. In 1905, the Headmaster and founder purchased Rosstrevor, a large estate south of Allee St and its surrounding swampland. This land is now known as the Crowther Oval, sitting at the centre of the school. The oval was constructed by the help of “Old Boy engineers” who called upon “4000 loads of filling”[9] to produce the oval.

The school founder, George Henry Crowther was headmaster until his death in 1918. His son, Lieutenant Colonel Harry Arnold A. Crowther, subsequently assumed the role. Crowther retired in 1924, when Herbert E. Dixon took over.

Under Dixon, the school came near to bankruptcy, however was saved by incorporation under the auspices of the Church of England. In February 1927, the Governor-General Lord Stonehaven opened the present site of Brighton Grammar's Quadrangle. Dixon continued in expanding the school until his retirement in 1938.

Geoffrey G. Green was headmaster until sickness resulted in his resignation in 1942. His successor was Reverend Phillip St. John Wilson.

In 1958, Brighton Grammar joined the Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS), and soon after purchased grounds on the former Brighton Gas Company site, where "Wilson House", now the Junior School, was to be built to accommodate the growing student numbers. Under Wilson, the school's facilities grew, with the Tower Wing of the Quadrangle expanded, the first Annandale Pavilion constructed, and the Memorial Hall (where BGS’ library now stands) constructed.

With Wilson as Headmaster, enrolment continued to grow at a high rate. The number of boys reached 800 during the 1960s.

From 1967 to 1995, Robert Lancelot Rofe was headmaster. Rofe oversaw a large change in the school, with BGS’ facilities drastically expanded to accommodate an increasing number of students. Physical changes included the construction of the swimming pool at Wilson House, the Clive Crosby building (now the B-Hive[10]) the Zachariah Wing, Baddiley Building at Wilson House and the Robert Sanderson Centenary Hall. In addition to these, the R. L. Rofe Creative Arts Centre accommodating music, woodwork, art and design was constructed and named in the Headmaster's honour.

Michael Spencer Urwin was appointed headmaster at the beginning of 1996. He had previously held the position of deputy headmaster at Brisbane Grammar School, and began his term by implementing a curriculum review, a pastoral care system, and a program of modernisation. This also included community education opportunities in out of school hours in order to make the school more inclusive and less parochial. A new senior school library and resource centre, and specialist classroom facilities were built to upgrade facilities in the senior school as well as the middle school later on.

Urwin saw the purchase of the Girrawheen site north of Allee Street (now the Urwin Centre for Learning), the construction of the Atrium and Senior Library, and the resurfacing of the H.V. Mitchell and Junior ovals to synthetic. In 2011, under Urwin still, the Peter Toms Early Learning Centre was established, whilst construction began on the new middle school.

Enrolment sat at unprecedented level at Urwin's departure from Brighton Grammar, with 1262 boys on the roll at the period when Ross P. Featherston was appointed Headmaster of Brighton Grammar School.

So far, under Featherston, the school has undergone redevelopment, with improvements to the G.B. Robertson Hall at Wilson House, renovation of the Crosby Building into the B-Hive, complete reconstruction of the Annandale Pavilion, internal renovations to the Argyle Building, the Tower and Hancock Wings and the Junior School, as well as ambitious projects such as the Urwin Centre for Learning (opened 2014) and the upcoming Centre for Science, Creativity and Entrepreneurship turning soil in late 2022.

In 2022, BGS celebrated its 140th anniversary. The program BGS2032[11] was created by the school to mark where BGS would be at its 150th anniversary. Student enrolments reached a high of 1500 in 2023 leading to the introduction of two new Houses.[12]

Brighton Grammar School has a close sister school relationship with Firbank Girls' Grammar School, an independent Anglican school for girls. Students of the two schools participate in a range of co-educational activities together.[13] The school also maintains a close relationship with St Andrew's Anglican Church, Brighton.

In 2003, the Australian Government created the “Lighthouse Schools” program wherein 226 boys’ schools across Australia were selected as guiding institutions given data that boys were “significantly underperforming in key educational areas.” Brighton Grammar School received a $5,000 grant under the program to become a pivotal boys’ school.[14]

The Crowther Centre for Learning and Innovation is an organisation run under the auspices of Brighton Grammar School to provide support services for the educational community.[15][16] The Crowther Centre is part think-tank and research arm overseeing the collection and analysis of data to provide improved and informed decision-making processes.[17] The Head of the Crowther Centre is Dr Ray Swann.[18]

Brighton Grammar School currently has six houses: Armstrong (white), Crowther (yellow), Dixon (blue), Hancock (green), Rofe (purple) and School (red). In 2023, two new houses were added: Fairweather (orange) and reinstated Melville (grey).[19] In 1923 the original houses were Armstrong, Crowther, Dixon, Melville and School (for boarders).

Brighton Grammar offers its senior students the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).

Alumni of Brighton Grammar School are commonly referred to as Old Boys or Old Grammarians and may elect to join the schools' alumni association, the Old Brighton Grammarians' Society (OBGS).[22] Some notable Old Brighton Grammarians include:

Architecture, engineering and technology

• John Leopold Denman- member of dynasty of architects
• John Robertson Duigan and Reginald Duigan - Australian pioneer aviators who built and flew the first Australian-made aircraft.[23][24]
• Sir Lionel Hooke – Pioneer in radio; Wireless operator in Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Antarctic Expedition; Engineer[25]

Business

• Doug Warbrick - co-founder of Rip Curl.
• Andrew Bassat - co-founder of SEEK.
• Paul Bassat - co-founder of SEEK.

Entertainment, media and the arts

• Neil Douglas MBE – Environmental artist; Conservationist; Author[26]
• Charlie Pickering – Australian comedian, television and radio presenter, author and producer, and host of The Weekly with Charlie Pickering

Medical

• Professor Ian Meredith AM – Interventional Cardiologist, Director of MonashHeart, Professor of Cardiology at Monash University
• Brad McKay – Doctor, author and television personality
• Lieutenant Colonel James Joachim Nicholas M.B.B.S., M.D. - VFL footballer, killed in action in World War I.

Military

• William Grant CMG, DSO and Bar, VD – Soldier and commander of the 4th Light Horse Brigade at the Battle of Beersheba
• Lt. Col C. T. C. de Crespigny,[27]

Politics, public service and the law

• Sir Stanley Argyle KBE – Former Premier of Victoria; Member (Nationalist) for the seat of Toorak[28]
• Barry Robert Dove – Judge of the County Court of Victoria[29]
• The Honourable Justice Kim Hargrave – Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria Court of Appeal
• Peter Reith – Australian politician (Liberal); Minister Howard Government 1996–2003; Member for the seat of Flinders[30]
• Michael Rozenes QC – Chief judge of the County Court of Victoria
• Raymond Walter Tovell – Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (Liberal) for Brighton[31]
• Charles Wheeler – Master of the Supreme Court of Victoria

Religion

• John Charles McIntyre – Former Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Gippsland, Victoria; Recipient of the Centenary Medal 2003 (also attended Fort Street High School)[32]

Sport

• Dylan Alcott – Paralympian, 2022 Australian of the Year
• Will Ashcroft – AFL player
• Travis Brooks – Olympic hockey player
• Louis Butler – AFL Footballer
• Ben Canham – Australian representative rower
• Warwick Capper – AFL footballer
• Josh Clayton – AFL footballer
• Andrew Cooper – Olympic rower
• Chris Dawes – AFL footballer
• Jayden Hunt – AFL footballer
• Ben Jacobs – AFL footballer
• Josh Kelly – AFL footballer
• Andrew Lauterstein – Olympic swimmer
• Matthew Lloyd – Olympic cyclist
• Mat McBriar – American football player
• William C. McClelland – doctor, VFL footballer and Victorian Football League President[33]
• Andrew McGrath – AFL footballer
• Gary Minihan – Olympian, Commonwealth Medal Winner, Australian Record Holder (since 1984)
• Christian Salem – AFL footballer
• Albert Thurgood – VFL footballer
• Will Thursfield – AFL footballer
• Matthew Warnock – AFL footballer
• Robert Warnock – AFL footballer
• Jack Watts – AFL footballer, No.1 Draft pick 2008
• David Wittey – AFL footballer
• Nathan Murphy – AFL footballer
• Will Pucovski – cricketer
• Tommy Smith, international racing driver
• Archie Perkins – AFL player
• Cameron Mackenzie – AFL player
• Josh Canham – Rugby union player
• Harry Potter – Rugby union player

• List of schools in Victoria

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brighton Grammar School.

• Official website
• Crowther Centre for Learning and Innovation
• Understanding Boys
• Firbank Grammar School
• Old Brighton Grammarians
• George Henry Crowther (1854-1918) Gravesite at the Brighton General Cemetery (Vic)