The Foot Stomp - a symbol of resilience

How the foot stomp in Girton Grammar School's song became a symbol of resilience

This year, Bendigo’s Girton Grammar School is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. On April 25th, at a special student assembly attended by the School’s Founders, the Girton community was reminded of the enduring traditions that underpin the institution's educational philosophy today. 

One such tradition is the "Fights to Win" line in the Girton School song, accompanied by a loud, syncopated foot stomp that has caught many unsuspecting new students and staff off guard. 

Ms Lynden Francis-Wright, a past student and current Girton Grammar teacher, shared the story behind the foot stomp.

In 1992, Ms Francis-Wright was a Year 8 student at Girton College when students were informed at a special Assembly that the School would close at the end of the year. Students were devastated by the news, and the directive that the School song was no longer to be sung was particularly upsetting.

The School song had always been sung at Assemblies, every week, and on each formal School occasion.

As the Headmaster left the Assembly and an awkward silence filled the room, one lone voice began to sing the first two lines of the School song. His friends joined in, and soon the rest of the student body and staff joined the choir. When it came to the second verse, the senior boys stamped their feet in the line "fights to win," fuelled with emotion, pride, and courage.

Over the months ahead, dedicated staff and parents, including those of Ms Francis-Wright, defied the odds to establish a new School called Girton Grammar for the start of the 1993 academic year. 

The foot stomp remains a symbol of the School's resilience today and a reminder to students that they are part of a community that fought for their education. 

Ms Francis-Wright told students, “Whenever you sing the School song, remember that you are a part of something great and that you are the legatees of a very powerful history." 

A new documentary, The Girton Grammar Story tells the narrative of the fight to build a new school and can be viewed here.