TGS On Tour

By Mrs Cindy Wockner, Head of Admissions

The students and families of Toowoomba Grammar School are the life and soul of our School. Wherever they live, from the city to the outback, in small towns or on vast

cattle stations, it is the students who make up the rich tapestry of our School community.

Each one of our young men brings their life experience to school with them every day and this is why our TGS on Tour trips are vitally important.

It enables the Headmaster, Dr John Kinniburgh, and key staff, to meet our families in rural and regional areas, to see the backyards of our boarders and their families, to learn about how they live and where.

The trips also help us to connect and engage with the communities across the country which support our School and ensure we remain connected to our Old Boys and their networks.

Many of our TGS on Tour trips also enable us to bring our sport and activities staff to towns where young people can spend a fun afternoon learning from our experts.

Importantly, the trips are a key way of connecting with our past, present and prospective families, to find out what is important to them and why. We have taken immense pleasure in visiting many of our families during the first half of 2022.

Interstate border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic had made travel difficult over the last two years, so this year it has been wonderful for our dedicated and passionate staff to get back on the road and bring the best of TGS to the regions.

It has also been a fabulous opportunity for new staff, such as Director of Boarding, Mr Nick Byron, and new Head of Admissions, Ms Cindy Wockner, to meet so many of our families.

The TGS on Tour trips kicked off in mid-March with a road trip to Warialda, Moree and Narrabri, in northern New South Wales.

First stop was Warialda, a regional town in north-western New South Wales, where TGS sports staff, including Director of Sport and Activities, Mr Steven Fryer, and Indigenous Education Coordinator and First XV Coach, Mr Scott Gale, ran a sports clinic for local children, followed by a BBQ.

Next stop was another hugely popular sports clinic in the northern New South Wales town of Moree and a BBQ at the sports ground. Headmaster was in Warialda and Moree and also hosted families at a reception at the iconic Pally Pub, in Pallamallawa, north-east of Moree.

TGS was back on tour and back on the road again in April, this time to Goondiwindi. Accompanied by the First XV Rubgy team and key sports staff, TGS held a successful rugby training clinic in conjunction with the local junior rugby club’s training afternoon.

Dr Kinniburgh and staff also visited the Goondiwindi Show to watch the TGS Show Cattle Team in action, where the boys netted ribbons and accolades.

In a hectic few days, the Show Cattle Team and key TGS staff were back on the road again in May to the Taroom Show, where the boys competed in several young judges and led steer events and netted themselves a handy swag of ribbons. TGS on Tour is a vital way of connecting with our rural and regional families and their communities and of establishing relationships at the grassroots. As Dr Kinniburgh says frequently: We are a boarding school not a school with boarders.

More TGS on Tour trips are planned for the latter part of 2022 and we look forward to seeing as many people as possible.

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