Brighton Grammar School - History

History

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. The school founder, Dr 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. Dixon expanded the school until his retirement in 1938. Geoffrey G. Green was headmaster until 1942. His successor was 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. The number of boys reached 800 during the 1960s. From 1967-1995, Robert Lancelot Rofe was headmaster. He oversaw a period where some new buildings were erected.

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 have been built to upgrade facilities in the senior school as well as the middle school later on.

Urwin will retire at the end of 2013

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