A Snapshot into School History 

Exclusive: An Interview with the Past

By Ellie Adams, Year 7, The Ridgeway Campus

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Mr Geoff Brown, Executive Officer and a member of the Old Ivanhoe Grammarians Association (OIGA) and a graduate from The Ridgeway Campus of Ivanhoe Grammar School in 1962. Mr Brown tells me that the School was a very different place at that time, but more on that later. The purpose of this interview was to learn about global and local citizenship at Ivanhoe and the changes that have seen the School transform into what it is today.

The interview with Mr Brown initiated with a formal introduction and the usual ‘getting to know you’ exchange where we talked about some interesting characteristics of the School and how it has changed from 1959 to 1962 when Mr Brown was a student.

One of the topics we discussed was communication. The ways of communicating globally have changed immensely over the time that Ivanhoe has existed. Mr Brown tells us that when he was a student at Ivanhoe, global issues and global citizenship were something that students knew considerably less about than their counterparts today. Mr Brown indicates that during those times, students were mostly aware of 'what was going on in their backyard'.  Compared to how global information was gained during the early times at Ivanhoe, we now have advanced technologies that provide instant access to current affairs across the globe from American politics to Tsunamis in Thailand. Previously global information (according to Mr Brown, and referring to students at Ivanhoe) mostly travelled by word of mouth from those who had experience overseas. Interestingly, teachers returning from overseas sabbaticals were a primary source of that global information.

At the beginning of Ivanhoe Grammar School, it was a boys' school. For the first five years, it was named Saint James’ Church of England Grammar School for Boys. After a change at  Plenty Campus, there were moves to go co-educational at Buckley House and the Senior school at Ivanhoe Campus: The Ridgeway Campus. Mr Brown tells us more about what happened at Plenty Campus. 'What the school found was that a lot of parents with both boys and girls were driving past the school to get their girls to school because there was no private school for girls out that way.  And as a consequence, the School decided they would go co-ed out at Plenty [Campus] in 1992'.  What a great win for equality, as girls were now able to attend a chosen private school either solo or along-side their brothers.

Another significant historical event for Ivanhoe Grammar School was the Second World War. During 1939, the beginning of that war, one thousand and three hundred students were enrolled at the School. Mr Brown relates the impact of this at the School: 'Of those thirteen hundred, nine hundred went to the war. Nine hundred of them signed up and went. Now that is a phenomenal percentage.'  Out of those nine hundred boys, sadly seventy one lost their lives. This is why Anzac Day is so very important to Ivanhoe as seventy one of its own noble men had lost their lives fighting. Anzac Day is used to honour those brave men. That nine hundred out of one thousand three hundred boys fought in the war is 'testimony to the fact of two things, Buckley’s ethos being of service to others but it was also the fact that because we started in 1915, in 1939 a lot of our old boys or alumnus had just turned at the age where they had to go [to the war] because of conscription'. Mr Brown goes on to tell us, 'We can link this to the theme of global citizenship as the school was abiding by [Mr] Buckley’s ethos, being of service to others, which is the definition of Global and Local citizenship'.

From the beginning of Ivanhoe Grammar School, the one thing that hasn’t changed according to Mr Brown is the respect and upholding of the ethics associated with the school motto 'Fidelis Ad Usque Mortem'. Mr Brown also tells me that this ethic is something even the oldest members of the Ivanhoe Grammar school community (alumnus) believe and cherish today.

It has been an amazing experience looking into the history of Ivanhoe Grammar School with Mr Brown’s help, and Ivanhoe’s contribution to the history of Australia to date. 

I hope everyone is staying safe and happy during these uncertain times.

Below are some photographic records of The Spectator, Ivanhoe Grammar School's original newspaper from 1978.