175 Stories

Many colourful and lively characters have walked our halls and shared our classrooms and those captivating memories and stories have partly shaped who we are today. Here are some of our 175 stories as told by you, our parents, alumni, and other members of the Launceston Grammar community. We look forward to sharing all 175 stories with you throughout this year and don’t forget to let us know if you have a story you’d like to tell by emailing community@lcgs.tas.edu.au

The Broadland House Girls Grammar School Headmistress report for 1915 stated that ‘the girls have taken up cricket with great enthusiasm since they now have the benefit of a cricket pitch on their grounds’.

It wasn’t until the 1930s that cricket was approved as a sport for girls in Launceston schools and Broadland House and Methodist Ladies College exchanged some of the first matches.

In the early days of girls’ cricket, the players wore long dresses and big hats. The long dresses caused some issues, particularly with LBW decisions because the bowlers could hardly see the wickets however they came in handy for fielding as the ball would get caught up in them.

Broadland Cricket X1 1915 to 1916

In 1854 the Rev H Kane organised some Launceston Grammar students to produce a map of Tasmania and Bass Strait along with part of the southern coast of Victoria.

In 1855 a second map was produced, this time including six sailing ships and a steamer; the latter also having three masts and sails for use in favourable conditions or, in the event, that the coal had run out on board.

At these times, the Crimean War was raging, originally instigated by Russia against the Turks in October 1853. Britain and France joined the fray against the Russians in 1854 until peace was declared in February 1856.

Early in July 1855 a Bazaar was held in Launceston with a view to raising funds for assisting the wounded British soldiers and in some cases their widows and children. Over 1,700 pounds was raised.

The second map was sold at the Bazaar to Mr James Cox of “Clarendon” Evandale, my Great Great Great Great Grandfather and Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather of George, Minnie and James Calvert, current students of Launceston Grammar.

For the latter half of the 20th century, this map was hung at “Yaccamunda”, Mininera, Victoria, the property of my Grandfather, Mr John B Cox, one of the last Cox descendants to live at Clarendon, who also attended Launceston Grammar and later my father, Mr James CS Cox. With the sale of Yaccamunda, the map remains in the hands of a Cox descendant in Melbourne and is well preserved and cherished.

Lil Calvert (current parent)

I joined Broadland House as a new Grade 6 student with teacher, Mrs Panton. After 3 years I transferred to the Commerce Class, a good practical course and to many students, the best! We had Mrs Lawson for Shorthand and Typing and Mr Wilkie for Business Principles. Mrs Lawson was always cheerful and Mr Wilkie a real gentleman. There was a Junior and Senior Class in the one room, and we had very good subjects for those venturing into business, journalism, politics, and general administration work.

We had excellent teachers and learnt to touch type and achieve a good speed in shorthand and touch typing which helped me pass my Schools Board in both subjects. Mr Wilkie made sure we could balance the ledger! At times, the Class talked too much, so much so one day the very patient Mr Wilkie walked out. Consequently, we were given a very hard exam, which thankfully I passed.

I might add here that we invited Mr Wilkie to our 30-year class reunion and upon receiving his invitation he exclaimed to his daughter ‘Oh after all these years they haven’t forgotten me’! He remembered each-and-every one of us and thoroughly enjoyed the day, as did we.

On the sporting side I took tennis lessons with Mr Lovatt and have played tennis now for most of my life. I also enjoyed athletics and sprinting especially. Our annual school athletics was held at the cricket ground. Unfortunately, our Headmistress, Miss Rooney never allowed girls to run the 400 yards. The 200 yards was the maximum distance to run.  In later years I often heard of Old Girls who took up long distance running upon leaving school with the introduction to 5 and 10 km runs to marathons.

On Sports Day, our School invited girls from other independent schools to join with us for the Relay event. After the event, a Judy Gibson from St Thomas Moore’s encouraged me to join her Athletic Club, and so began a 7-year athletic career from age 15.

In the 1960s I was a member of the Tasmanian Team for the Australian Amateur Athletic Championships in Hobart where I ran against Betty Cuthbert and Shirley Strickland. In Adelaide, two years later, I won the Open Invitation 200 yards on my 21st Birthday – a truly memorable occasion.

Rosemary Hirst (alumnae, 1959)

I loved my years boarding from 1948 to 1950 at Launceston Grammar. I particularly enjoyed playing cricket and footy. I remember sleeping on the open balcony of the boarding house before it was enclosed. The winter fog would drift in and engulf us as we slept.

Carl Eberhard was my grandfather, and a remembrance plaque, which features on the Broadland House main entrance gate on Lyttleton Street, recognises him as a foundation member of the School Board.

Carl was a pharmacist in Launceston and a prominent businessman at the time. His two daughters, Rene and Molly Eberhard attended Broadland House. Molly (Mary Doris) was my mother.

Over the years, many descendants of Carl Eberhard have attended both Launceston Grammar and Broadland House. Carl has four great, great grandchildren in attendance at Launceston Grammar, two in Grade 6 and two in Grade 7.

Geoff Cresswell (alumnus 1950)

In the late 1950s the first international student to attend the boarding house was Lincoln Wu from Hong Kong.

Lincoln was a very popular student in my class, and I enjoyed endless hours playing table tennis against him in the boarding house. He was an exceptional player, and I must say he improved my table tennis skills so much so that in 1964 I went on to win the Peter MacCallum Table Tennis Championship at the Cancer Institute Board of Victoria whilst studying in Melbourne.

Some 59 years have passed and if you are ever in Launceston, Lincoln, I am ready for another game of table tennis for old times’ sake.

Paul AC Richards AM (alumnus 1963)

On my very first day of School, a senior student was asked to take me to my class. To my absolute distress, she left me in the foyer of the Hargrave Building, the then science block. I was surrounded by girls in brown uniforms all looking alike. Near to tears, a face appeared that I knew, Sue Willis a friend from Church, followed by Joan Luck who I had also known from Church. From that day on school was my other family.

I have some wonderful memories. The first French lesson where the boarders stood and greeted Mrs Hargreaves, in French, as she entered the classroom. The new intake of weekly boarders and day girls showing signs of tears, feeling isolated and not belonging; short lived as they became part of the Broadland House community.

The daily assemblies and prayers, the Prefects who stood along the wall under the large windows each morning ‘looking us over’! Miss Street walking line by line past each girl, head tilting occasionally toward a girl’s face often reprimanding those who only mouthed the words to the hymns.

Commerce and Mrs Lawson. A wonderful teacher who took us on an annual excursion to the Launceston Filtration Plant, which was managed by her brother. Our class, dressed in full uniform including blazers, hats and gloves, caught a morning bus to a Waverley bus stop. We climbed fences and walked through cow and sheep-filled paddocks to reach the plant.

Our Commerce class was one of the first of four classes to occupy the new Henty building. My desk was near the window and I could gaze over Launceston in all its seasons. We could also smell the chemicals from the new Science Laboratory on the ground floor. I was Class Captain for nearly two years and a ‘stand in’ prefect for a week or so while the senior girls sat for Matriculation. Wonderful memories.

Dona Bradley (alumnae 1961)

Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on 2 June 1953 and throughout the Commonwealth many celebrations were held including the annual Launceston Grammar Coronation Ball. Rosemary Stobart clearly remembers the occasion and the frock she wore.

It was blue and green shot taffeta that shimmered and changed colour as you moved. I was a little flower girl, standing at the bottom of the steps leading up to the stage. We had little tiaras, baskets of flowers and see-through gloves with sequins. I also remember running around the hall and getting into trouble.

For the occasion I remember the stage set with two thrones and because I was the youngest, I was placed at the bottom of the steps with my older and taller sister Roslyn placed closer to the King and Queen. Fifty-six children were in the procession from Launceston Grammar and Broadland with 1000 people watching on in the Hall itself.

The Examiner newspaper reported ‘One of the most spectacular displays ever seen at the Albert Hall’.

Rosemary Stobart (alumnae 1963)

Image: Rosemary is featured far right with her two sisters

Peg Greig recalls returning to Broadland House after long weekends with a variety of food supplies as did other boarders.

The food was stored behind an old fireplace grate in our common room ready for a midnight feast which was held on the tennis courts. Of a late evening we would quietly abscond from the 1st floor to the kitchen ledge on the ground floor below carrying our supplies. I can still see the look on Jean Davis’ face as she was left staring out the window as we escaped. Jean was too frightened to climb down.

Inevitably Miss Street heard about the escapades and hunted around for the infamous food items and found them. For the next midnight feast the supplies were replaced with something not so nice!

Peg, who turned 100 years on 1 August 2020, remembers fondly her time at Broadland House.

Peg Greig (alumnae 1936)

My 11 years at Broadland House school were from 1935 to 1945. They were very happy years for me as I was an only child and made many life-long friends.

These years included some very dramatic and worrying worldwide events, starting with the great depression, next the outbreak of poliomyelitis, which at that time we called Infantile Paralysis, and then World War II.

My first two years at school were with Mrs Belle Pennyquick. She was wonderful with young children and we all adored her. The classroom was across a ramp above the alleyway at the back of the old building.

A lovely piece of furniture in this classroom was the Birthday Chair and it was very exciting when ‘your day’ came along to sit in the chair.

My family was badly affected by the depression years but thanks to the generosity of a kind friend, who for two years paid my schooling, I was able to stay on at Broadland House.

During the polio epidemic we did our schoolwork by correspondence and were only allowed to associate with a limited number of school friends. My special friends were Judy and Dorothy Lorimer, who lived in Kenyon Grove Newstead. At this time, my parents and I were living in a flat in Erina Street so each day I would ride my scooter out to Judy and Dorothy’s home and together we would do our correspondence. I have no recollection of how the work was delivered or if it was ever marked.

My last six years at Broadland House were war years. In addition to our classroom learning time, we were able to support the war effort by knitting garments for the service men. The Comforts Fund supplied us with khaki wool so we could make scarves, socks, and balaclavas. Some of the more senior girls were able to knit beautiful jumpers for seamen in cream wool, a change from the tedious khaki. We used to walk around the school grounds at recess doing our knitting, and we were also allowed to knit during singing classes. We raised money for the Red Cross by organising and presenting singalong concerts with our parents in attendance.

On a more serious note, we had to practise a drill in the event of an air raid. Trenches had been dug in the new grounds and when the alarm sounded, we had to line up one behind the other and crouch down in the trenches until the ‘all clear’ sounded. We then returned to our respective classrooms.

In August 1945 peace was declared. At Broadland House we could hear the church bells ringing, sirens sounding and car horns blasting. We senior girls broke all the rules and went off into the city without permission, hats, and gloves, to join the celebrations. We also took the much-revered brass bell from the hall table. The whole town seemed to be there, and it was a wonderful occasion for us to be a part of it. We hopped on the back of lorries and went for rides with horns blasting. We were never reprimanded or given detentions for being out of bounds.

In 1945 Broadland also celebrated its 100 years. As students we were promised, by Miss Rooney, if we had a 100-students in the morning assembly, we could have a half day holiday. One morning we numbered ninety-nine, the absent girl was a senior student who arrived late because she had been to the hairdresser on the way to school. Her ‘friends’ put her head under the tap to show their disapproval.

Ann Fysh (alumnae 1945)

During the 1930s seeds from pines at Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli peninsula were given to the School by Colonel Hughes who had obtained them from the Imperial War Graves Commission. Some seed was given to William McGowan, the curator of Launceston’s parks, and some given to the Walker Brothers at the Sandhill nursery. Others were germinated and planted on 30 August 1934 in the avenue leading from the Senior Campus Chapel forecourt to the Quad.

By the early 1980s concerns had arisen over the safety of the trees, some of which were clearly in decay. It was decided that they would have to be removed. In 1982 seed was again gathered and a parent of the time, Ross Waining, propagated around a dozen trees which were later sold at the school fair.

In December 2011, an Anzac pine was planted behind the Poimena Gallery as part of the 5-year reunion of the Class of 2006 in memory of Richard Atkinson, a fellow classmate killed in active service in Afghanistan. The School Archivist at the time sourced the pine from Canberra where it had been propagated from the seed of the Anzac pine growing at the Australian War Memorial. This tree is one of only two in Australia certified as having come from pinecones brought back from Gallipoli in 1915.

One morning I came out of my office to notice a student standing between the classroom and the bathroom below. He looked confused and was looking anxiously around whilst standing still. I asked if he was okay and enquired as to what the problem was. “There’s an alien in the bathroom,” he remarked.

Thinking he had heard a strange noise, I offered to check out the scene whilst the student remained outside. On entering the well-lit area, I immediately heard a fan working noisily. I placed my hand on the plastic cover and the noise stopped.

I escorted the boy back to his classroom and announced to the teacher, so that the class could hear, we have a noisy fan in the bathroom that has been mistaken for an alien.

The next morning, I noticed a group of boys congregating in a frenzied manner around the entry to the bathroom before school began.

When I enquired about the issue, I was told very assertively, “There’s an alien in the toilet Mr Hosford. There’s an alien in the toilet.”

Again, I explained the fan and assured them that it was okay. Aliens had not visited our School. It was then that I heard a computerised voice announce, ‘Replacement time’, ‘Replacement time’. The air freshener in the bathroom was telling us it needed to be renewed.

I rang our Head of Grounds and told him there were aliens in the Prep bathroom and he needed to act upon this immediately.

Jon Hosford (former teacher)

I was fortunate enough to undertake all my schooling at Launceston Grammar, starting at Kindergarten at the Grammar Prep School in High Street. My first day of Kinder was memorable, in that we all received a Peters Ice Cream Dixie Cup, and a photograph was taken of myself and three other boys for the Examiner newspaper.

After all the excitement we had to lay down for a rest. In the middle of rest-time I woke up and decided it was time to go home. So, at 4 years of age, I walked down the School drive out on to High Street and proceeded down Brisbane Street, crossing over to the City Park and walking through the park and down Tamar Street to my parents’ business, GC Roney Pastry Cook, where I entered via the back laneway behind the Gas Works into the bakehouse where my parents were. They were very surprised to see me and not long after that the School phoned explaining they had lost me to which my Mum said, ‘don’t worry dear he is with us’. 1962 was certainly a different time – imagine if that happened now!

David Roney (alumnus 1975)

When Headmaster Adams introduced Agricultural Science as a subject in 1929 the school became home to a range of animals.

A lone calf as well as a flock of sheep could sometimes be seen grazing on the main oval. Headmaster Adams also introduced chickens however they became the cause of a dispute between ‘Jika’ Travers and groundsman George Drinkwater. Travers was dissatisfied with the number of eggs reportedly laid over the summer break and took this up with Drinkwater who was responsible for their management over the holidays. Drinkwater promptly resigned and egg production rose with 1015 eggs collected in March.

A horse also became part of the range of animals – a necessity in maintaining 7 acres of grassed grounds.

The first mention of a computer at Launceston Grammar is in the 1979 Old Launcestonian where it is reported that a Computer Club had been formed although at first, with no computer. By 1980 the number of computers had grown to two with the purchase of a Sinclair ZX80 with a RAM capacity of 5 kilobytes (today’s equivalent computing power of sending a text message). The following year the School had advanced as far as ‘hoping to have a machine with a printer attached’. In 1983, when personal computers became more readily available, John Ford became the School’s first computing teacher. Today they are very much a part of the School’s teaching and learning landscape.

2021 marks 50 years since Launceston Grammar took out the 1970 State Football Premiership. Robert Harrison was in the team and recounts that their coach was the legendary, Brian Smith.

We were playing against The Hutchins School at Launceston Grammar. I was also vice-captain in the 1971 side that won against St Virgil’s College playing in Hobart to complete the only back-to-back State Premierships, again brilliantly coached by Brian Smith. My father, Charles Arthur (Tom) Harrison was in the 1932 State Premiership playing against St Virgil’s College. The Coach was Mr Findlay. My sons, Tom and Edward Harrison were in the winning side against The Hutchins School in 1998 with coach, Pixie Crooks. Four State Premierships in the family, not too bad an effort.

Robert Harrison (alumnus 1971)

Earliest references to awards for sport are in the first edition of the Launcestonian where a photograph of the football team wearing their caps, features. The first reference to a blue is in 1906 where HO Smith is referred to as having his Blue for football.

The 1919 Launcestonian reports, ‘Boys representing the school in cricket, football and athletics are entitled to wear a light blue cap with the letters indicating the sport and year. Crews wear rowing caps, and the tennis team wears tennis caps.’

A specially designed metal badge could also be worn by boys who have won colours.

In 1945 a change was made to the awards system when half colours were removed, and colour pockets were introduced. Under the new system any boy who represented the School in either two roster matches at firsts level at football, cricket, or tennis, or who competed in open events at the interschool athletics or who was a member of the senior boat crew were entitled to a colour pocket.

Boys who fulfilled the conditions and who had been a regular member of the football, cricket or tennis team, or the senior crew the previous year, or who scored 8 points or more at the athletics sports were entitled to a Blues cap, however this was subject to the Headmasters’ approval.