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Howard Stack is a Brisbane Grammar School Old Boy and was School Captain in 1962. Mr Stack retired on 9 July 2020 as a Trustee of the School’s Board after almost 30 years of service. He was Chairman of the Board for most of that time and continues to provide significant philanthropic support to Brisbane Grammar School.

 

Dear BGS Community,

I have advised the Minister for Education of my decision to retire from the Brisbane Grammar School Board, effective immediately. While the new Board is not yet formally gazetted, it is effectively in place, and it is time to hand over the reins.

I want to thank the BGS community for their support.

To the Boards of Trustees who have worked together tirelessly to make BGS what it is, and map out where it needs to be, thank you. Beyond the significant skills and experience within each Board, respect and collegiality have been a constant ingredient. Vigorous debate, but never a vote. Change, but with significant continuity to keep a steady path. It has been a rewarding experience to work with you all.

It is not fair to pick individuals out, but the statistics do tell part of the story. Some seven Trustees served four or more four-year terms during my time: Professor Don Nicklin (6), Tim Crommelin (5), John Fenwick (5), Chris Morton (4), Judith Bell (4) and Steve Lonie (4). Their unyielding support has been invaluable.

John Fenwick and Chris Morton will retire from the Board at the end of this term, so there will be a few nostalgic moments from time to time, absent Don Nicklin and Steve Lonie unfortunately, who we lost too soon.

The new Board is experienced and provides a balance of male and female members. I am confident in the leadership they will provide and wish them well.

To the three headmasters I worked with, Peter Lennox, Brian Short and Anthony Micallef, you each inherited a good school, determined to make it better. Your abilities and commitment, and that of the Senior Leadership Team at BGS, has made us an even better place.

To our committed teaching staff, good teaching is at the centre of everything we do at BGS, and I thank you all for what you do every day. Your dedication to producing well balanced, thoughtful boys is vital. Academically, you have kept us at or about the top in the state for a sustained period and been central in aligning the needs of a diverse group of boys across a very broad Cocurricular program. We enjoy our wins, but participation is key.

To all the mums and dads who get involved in supporting what we do at BGS in this all-important stage of your boys’ development, thank you. The School knows we cannot do what we do without you. Your support of the P&F Association, the Auxiliary, and all the support groups is extraordinary.

Generations of parents and Old Boys have enabled us to make significant strides forward. Northgate Playing Fields, the Indoor Sports Centre, the Middle School, The Lilley Centre and the Tennis Centre are critical pieces of infrastructure. Our future development land at Northgate, sites on Gregory Terrace, and the Maintenance Building site on which construction of the STEAM Precinct is planned to commence late this year will facilitate our medium-term strategic plans.

The STEAM Precinct will be transformational. It will be funded by a sensible mix of borrowings, philanthropic support, and from our reserves which come from fees paid by generations of parents, past, present and future. To all who have contributed, thank you.

To our loyal band of Old Boys who continue to add so much in so many ways, you can be proud of your school. I am confident that current BGS boys, and their boys, will see a school that continues to evolve in ways that makes them proud of the place where much of what they are began.

To our current boys, come back when you are ready. You are the boys of BGS.

Thank you again for the privilege.

Howard Stack ’62