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. 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. 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 to 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.

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.[9] The school also maintains a close relationship with St Andrew's Anglican Church, Brighton.

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.[10][11]

Brighton Grammar School has six houses: Armstrong (white), Crowther (yellow), Dixon (blue), Hancock (green), Rofe (purple) and School (red). In the 1930s the houses were: Chichester, Ireland, Marshall, Pelham, Smith and Willett, of which Marshall was exclusively for boarders.

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).[13] Some notable Old Brighton Grammarians include:

Architecture, engineering and technology

• John Leopold Denman- member of dynasty of architects
• Sir Lionel Hooke – Pioneer in radio; Wireless operator in Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Antarctic Expedition; Engineer[14]

Business

• Sam Walsh AO – Chief Executive Officer of Rio Tinto Group.
• 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[15]
• Charlie Pickering – Host, The 7pm Project

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,[16] later distinguished medico
• Major, later Air Vice Marshal H. V. C. de Crespigny CB, DFC, MC, Croix de Guerre

Politics, public service and the law

• Sir Stanley Argyle KBE – Former Premier of Victoria; Member (Nationalist) for the seat of Toorak[17]
• Barry Robert Dove – Judge of the County Court of Victoria[18]
• 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[19]
• Michael Rozenes QC – Chief judge of the County Court of Victoria
• Raymond Walter Tovell – Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (Liberal) for Brighton[20]
• 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)[21]

Sport

• Dylan Alcott – Paralympian
• Travis Brooks – Olympic hockey player
• Louis Butler (footballer) – AFL Footballer
• 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[22]
• 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
• Max Stroud - Sports Analyst, Channel 7
• Will Pucovski- cricketer

• List of schools in Victoria

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brighton Grammar School.

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