Mother’s Day Chapel

By Father Chester Lord, Junior School Chaplain | Brighton Grammar School, VIC

The Brighton Grammar Junior School honoured and celebrated mothers by hosting a special Mother’s Day Chapel service. Boys were given the chance to reflect on the importance of their mums by sharing reflections, displaying photographs, and presenting art that demonstrated their love and devotion for their cherished mothers.

Mothers were also invited to participate in the liturgy by reading, praying and reciting poetry. The choir sang a specially chosen piece, which was beautifully executed, and four appropriate hymns were also sung. Each mother in attendance received blessed Singapore orchids. St Andrew’s Church was filled to capacity, before the boys escorted their mothers back to the Junior School where they enjoyed some fun and meaningful Mother’s Day activities and treats.

WWI Cannon a reminder

Brighton Grammar, VIC

At the end of Brighton Grammar’s 140th year, a mystery almost as old as the school was solved.

After an initial search, irrigation technicians digging along the oval perimeter have come across a part of the fabled BGS cannon, a captured Ottoman cannon gifted to the school by the Australian government after the First World War. Missing for a long time, it appears the cannon was disassembled, before being buried as landfill on the oval.

Only one piece has been found so far, but it’s now certain; the rest of the cannon is there.

The case of the missing cannon has captured the imagination of students throughout the years, and with the discovery of the recoil barrel it is hoped the rest of the cannon can be found.

The cannon is a relic, a worn out, discarded part of history, but it also holds a particular significance for the school community.

It is believed to have been captured in Damascus by the legendary Australian Light Horse Brigade commanded by an Old Boy of the School, Brigadier General William Grant (OB 1889).

During a recent Anzac Day service, Secondary School’s Chaplain Father Peter Waterhouse used the cannon’s recoil barrel as a symbol of sacrifice to remind the students about the memories of those who have served. In light of the fading memories of the World Wars, the cannon’s inclusion serves as a poignant reminder that we should never forget our place in history and the importance of keeping the casualties of war in mind.