If you visited the OGA stall at the School’s 2023 Open Day, you would have seen a large map of the world, identifying more than 40 countries where a BGGS education has taken some of its graduates. Being a student at Girls Grammar means you have been encouraged to follow your passions, have endeavoured to find your pathway, and are always seeking new opportunities. These paths may stay close to home, they may be distant and sometimes they may be very complex. Whatever your pathway has been, or perhaps it is still in the process of developing, one thing stays resolute. That is the sisterhood of BGGS; a sisterhood that the Old Girls Association strives to keep relevant and inclusive. So why is connection today more important than ever?
When abroad, I often think to myself how small the world really is. It is when you travel that you realise how people are, in so many ways, the same the world over. We often have the same needs, the same desires, the same goals. Of course, the richness of culture and history shape us in different ways, but as human beings, we all need, in varying degrees, connections. Connections ground us. Connections remind us of who we were. Connections can take us to places we only once dreamed of. Connections often give us a sense of reassurance when the world around us sometimes makes us question our place in the scheme of everything.
The Old Girls Association, working closely with the School, recognises the need to provide opportunities for connections. Life is often messy. We all need constants as we manoeuvre through the mess. Our days at School are shared constants. What better way to connect than with the familiar engagements shared through secondary school? Many new connections have been formed at OGA events.
In 2024, the OGA will be striving to uphold our motto of ‘Connections for Life’ as we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the association. Established in 1899, the OGA has always strived to keep connections alive and embrace all who have experienced a Girls Grammar education. Over the years, the OGA has evolved, with the Committee seeking ways to stay relevant and contemporary.
The Committee has some special events and opportunities already planned to mark the anniversary in 2024. Please mark your diaries for a Gala Dinner to be held in Brisbane on 18 May. Tables will be limited, but we will strive to accommodate as many of our BGGS sisters as possible. Invitations will be sent next year, so ensure your contact details remain up to date for correspondence. Start organising your friends now for what will be a wonderful celebration of connections and the sisterhood of Brisbane Girls Grammar School.
I sometimes ponder what the Grammar Women of the late 1800s would have to say if given the opportunity to reflect on the Grammar Women of today. I hope they would be heartened to see that those needs of belonging and connections today are just as relevant as they were for them. I very much look forward to celebrating the OGA sisterhood with you next year.
Mrs Julie Caton (Cleghorn, 1981)
BGGS Old Girls Association President
Image: Julie Caton (1981), Isabella Byrne (11M), Nishika Lakshmi Narayanan (11G), Siona Danait (11M)
