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It’s been a busy time for the Old Boys’ Association committee since my last message. Earlier this year, we had a planning day to discuss and set our priorities for the next few years. One of the key messages was understanding that what we want from the OBA as Old Boys changes throughout our lives.

For much of our lives we might not even give any thought at all to the concept of being a BGS Old Boy. I try to avoid using words like ‘journey’, but for the OBA to be useful to someone five years out of school, and also to someone 35 years out of school, we have to appreciate how people engage at different stages of their lives. And on the committee, we all believe that staying connected with your mates, and increasing the connectedness across year groups, can pay all sorts of dividends.

So, we have convened a Young Guns subgroup, to focus mostly on guys in the first five to 10 years out of school. Adam Franklin ‘97 is chairing this group, with Oscar Higgins ’15, Nicholas Carroll ’12 and Henry Meehan ’10. For our recent graduates, we have not forgotten you and we invite you to attend the first ever Nil Sine Live event at The Triffid for Old Boys who finished between 2015 and 2020. And, of course, I encourage all young Old Boys to attend any and all OBA events.

We’re starting our first ever series of Business Breakfasts later in May – the first breakfast sold out well in advance. The concept is an initiative of Simon Tolhurst ’87, and the second time we’ve hosted an event that is open to anyone in our community, not just Old Boys. If you missed out on tickets for the first one, tickets for the next two scheduled for 9 September and 11 November will go on sale shortly.

In August, we’ll host our second Band Battle at The Triffid. Cam Feltham ’86 was the brain behind the 2019 Jam, and he wants to make the next one bigger and better. Anyone that was at the last event won’t want to miss out. Ian Haug ’87 is once again very generously putting up a session at his renowned Airlock Studios for the winner, but all the bands will get to perform at John Collins’ ’87 iconic venue.

Our BGS Old Boys Facebook group continues to grow, and we now have more than 1800 guys in the group. It’s an easy way to stay connected, and it can be pretty entertaining. Brisbane Grammar Connect has almost 750 members. Everyone who has joined is there to connect and help, so if you need advice, assistance, or just want to reach out, get on and do it.

The Grammarians Rowing Club continues to be the model for what an Old Boys club should be. Stuart Rees ’79 and Jim MacPherson ’85 are looking at using what we’ve learned from the Grammarians to develop a second Old Boys’ sporting club.

Lastly, a big shout out to John Emery ‘83, OBA Secretary, and Richard Wheeler ‘99, OBA Treasurer, for all the work they do to keep us moving forward; and to Carla Hardy, Alumni and Community Relations Manager, the personification of the great support we get from BGS, for always smiling and for everything you do for us.

Michael Forrest
BGS Old Boys' Association President