From the Principal

Last Friday, our school community gathered in the warm glow of the Sacred Heart Cathedral to commemorate Girton’s Foundation Day. This year, we recognised 140 years since Mrs Marian Aherne and Miss Alice Hill (who later became Mrs Millward) first established a school in Bendigo bearing the Girton name. In recognition of this milestone, within my address I reflected on what remains of the college that was founded over a century ago.  

Despite Girton College’s humble beginnings in 1884, commencing with just 14 pupils in modest accommodations, in less than a year its founders had managed to expand enrolments to more than 100 and move the school to a prominent new campus in Rowan Street. In the years that followed, the school would continue to succeed despite the multitude of challenges it faced – from the passing of its founders, to a languishing economy, to the unexpected sale of the Rowan Street campus. That final obstacle resulted in Girton having to quickly find a suitable new home – which, as luck would have it, happened to be lying in wait at the corner of Don and MacKenzie Streets. The grounds at the new location were not extensive and the school community did not always have access to the facilities we are lucky to have today. But in the decades that followed, the college expanded its landholdings significantly and its tight-knit community dreamed, worked and built – steadily transforming an assortment of houses, factories and stables into a cohesive campus that was befitting of the flourishing institution Girton had become. 

Of course, after last year’s 30th anniversary celebrations, we know the first chapter of Girton’s history eventually ended with the college’s closure in 1992, to be revived as Girton Grammar by our own esteemed founders. I can think of only a few tangible remnants of the college that survive to this day, including our historic buildings in the Junior School, our three original Houses (Aherne, Frew and Riley), as well as our motto, school song and the Girton name itself. However, reflecting on the journey of the college, it is evident that the founders of Girton Grammar also preserved something intangible in the spirit of resilience, collaboration and excellence that lives on within our school today.  

The college’s progressive spirit has been particularly apparent in the important Board announcements of the past week. Our Board was delighted to share details about the new fee model that will commence implementation in 2025, as well as the suite of developments that will further enhance our Junior and Senior School campuses over the next decade and beyond. To me, the most exciting aspect of this vision for the future of our campuses is that it will not only see us build innovative new spaces but also reinvigorate our heritage buildings for use by a new generation. I cannot wait to see the old and the new come together to provide an inspiring environment in which our students and staff will learn, teach and work.  

We also mirror the spirit of our predecessor in that we do not shy away from the multitude of challenges we face in our modern world, which was clearly displayed in the way our students, staff and parents engaged with the valuable information Dr Scott Griffiths shared in his social media presentations on Monday. When it comes to social media use, Dr Griffiths advocated for adopting a harm minimisation approach, focusing on embracing the best aspects of these platforms while reducing the negative impacts. He shared some practical strategies that we can all employ to minimise our exposure to harmful content, including using the 'refresh' setting in TikTok, setting daily screen time limits, and actively using the 'dislike' button to indicate which content we don't want to be shown.  

In another nod to the college of the past, which was founded on the partnership of two pioneering women, Girton Grammar is committed to working collaboratively with our school community to continually improve the experience for our students and families. This includes the review of our Inclusive Education department we are completing as an integral part of our 2024 Implementation Plan. I would like to thank all the parents and staff who are currently working with our independent consultant to help us identify the most effective ways of catering to our students’ individual needs, which will enable us to strengthen our Inclusive Education program for the future. There will also be many more opportunities this year for parents and carers to contribute to decisions that will impact the future of our school, including a focus group for our sport program as well as for our future landscape architecture. 

In closing, I believe Mrs Aherne and Mrs Millward would be proud to know that the founders of Girton Grammar preserved the values and spirit that form their legacy. These live on in the fabric of our school today, as we continue to dream, work, build and evolve – forging a new path for the next generation of Girtonians. Thank you to all those who helped to make this year’s Foundation Day one to remember, and I wish you and your family a wonderful weekend ahead. 

Dr Emma O'Rielly 

Principal