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The Old Guildfordians Association
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25.01.2022 FLYING HIGH Pick 56 in the 2017 National Draft and Old Guildfordian Zac Langdon (He 2011-2012) was featured in a recent article highlighting the twists and turns that landed him to a spot in the competitive West Coast Eagles squad. The article reports on Zac’s history as an electrical apprentice, then a country footballer in Dampier, to a WAFL standout, and finally to making his debut in the AFL for Greater Western Sydney. Zac expresses his excitement about joining The Eagles... next season, revealing that he’s long had his heart set on West Coast. Although, Zac’s career was suddenly put into perspective following his fiancés cancer diagnosis, which prompted him to consider pulling out of the draft. His fiancé Eli continued to encourage him to push for placement since he’s worked so hard to get where he is. Zac is the second AFL player to come out of Dampier after Eagles legend Dean Cox - a close family friend to the Langdon’s and an important mentor to Zac. In his AFL career, Zac aspires to do the place proud and so, to follow in the footsteps of Dean. Coming back to Western Australia means that Zac and his fiancé may now be closer to home, where Zac describes the transition as a no brainer. Our congratulations go to Zac, and we extend our best wishes for his future AFL pursuits at The West Coast Eagles.
22.01.2022 From the Archives The early days of Cadets at Guildford Cadets began unofficially at Guildford in 1905, with drill commencing in second term. Two parades of ha...lf an hour were held each week with Sergeant Major Stewart who was on staff for that year. It was hoped that a Cadet Corps could be regularly formed but there was nobody in the State or Commonwealth who had the power to give permission. In 1906, drill was not held during the hot summer months but had recommenced by May, under Sergeant Major Uncles who was not a member of staff. Negotiations were still ongoing with regards to forming a Cadet Corps for Guildford. In the middle of 1907, an act was passed which allowed secondary schools to join. Three of the four PSA schools applied for enrolment. Another hitch occurred when it was discovered that Guildford was to join the State schools. The four Headmasters refused to agree to this arrangement until finally the request was granted and Guildford was to join the Fifth Battalion. The Battalion consisted of six companies, one from High School (Hale), two from Scotch College, two from Christian Brothers College (Aquinas) and one from Guildford Grammar, which formed D Company. The whole of the four corps was under the instruction of Sergeant Major Emmett. Guildford was under the instruction of Lieutenant W L Garrard (staff 1907-1909) who went on to win a Military Cross in WW1. The command of the whole battalion was given to our Headmaster, William Stewart Corr (1904-1909). He had many years of experience as the Senior Officer of Cadets in New South Wales. On 30 June 1911, Guildford became A Company 89th Battalion. Cadets was now compulsory. Donald Bennett, known as ‘Dolly’ attended the School as a boarder from 1916-1920. He came from Wellington Mills. Donald wrote for Tall Stories that all boys had to join the cadets between the age of 14 and 18 years and training was compulsory. Drill was held on the Oval which was the land between the School entrance and the tennis courts. The boys marched in fours carrying old Francotte rifles and learnt all the company drills. Rifles were stored in the Old Armoury which is now the Development Office. Once a year the cadets were taken to Karrakatta Rifle Range to fire a few shots at targets. Donald ‘Digger Collisson’ was in charge of the cadets. Digger served in WW1 and while serving in France he received a severe head wound. He was repatriated to England where a plate was inserted into his head. This caused him great discomfort for the rest of his life. Donald was on staff from 1912-1916 and 1918-1953. Derek Alton attended the School from 1940-1949 as a boarder in School House. His father was Captain Allton from Singapore. Derek wrote in Tall Stories about his adventures as a Cadet at Guildford. He held the rank of corporal in his final year. The commander of the Cadets was Captain Robert Spackman who served on staff from 1944-1952. The boys’ nickname for him was ‘Boof’. The boys were fitted out with comical overalls called ‘giggle suits’ which consisted of hats, belts and webbing. The first weapon issued to the boys was the archaic Martini-action .3 single shot rifle. Later the boys graduated to the 303 and fancy uniforms with school badges and embossed brass buttons. The boys often went on long route marches. After some time, Derek found himself in the Three-Inch Mortar Squad. One day on the parade ground the Cadets were firing sand filled bombs with only the primary charge which gave a maximum range of about 300 yards. From the north end of the gymnasium (now the Administration Office) they were trying to lob into a kerosene tin about 150 yards away in the direction of Terrace Road. It had been decided to give the Signals Squad practice at range-spotting for the Mortar Squad, half of them level with the target and safely to one side. The rest were with the Mortar Squad. Nothing much happened until Captain Spackman turned up and told the Cadets to move up a hundred and make it snappy. He then marched off to the Vickers Squad. The next bomb took off into the wide blue yonder and embedded itself into the bitumen of the road a split second after a car had passed. The two photos show the original Cadet flag which is on display in the museum and the 1914 Officers and NCO’s. ROSEMARY WALLER ARCHIVIST
19.01.2022 Guildford Grammar School has a proud tradition of boarding. Our Boarding Houses are a home away from home for boarders throughout regional Western Australia, th...e nation and overseas. Boarding at Guildford Grammar School is now proudly co-educational, with a new state-of-the art facility under construction, to be completed by 2021. Our sincere appreciation and thanks to boarding parents Heidi Cowcher and Michael Brooks for voicing the poem - thank you :)
15.01.2022 LAST CHANCE TO BOOK FOR ANNUAL DINNER *GUEST LIST AND SPEAKER* There are only 6 tickets left for the Old Guildfordians' Annual Dinner on Saturday, 10 October. Bookings will close on Tuesday at 4.00pm. See below for the guest list so far....Continue reading
14.01.2022 Today the whole school gathered to acknowledge Remembrance Day and its significance. Lest we forget. #remembranceday #lestweforget2020
13.01.2022 WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS Our congratulations go to the Class of 2020 who celebrated Valedictory Day this week. We welcome those pictured to The Old Guildfordians Association as our newest members.
10.01.2022 BOARDING AT GUILDFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL IN 1935 There were only three boarding houses in 1935, School, St George’s and Henn’s. Only Henn’s had accommodation for a ...married Housemaster. The Assistant Housemasters at the time were all bachelors. Edmund Arblaster (Sc 1931-1935) recalled in Tall Stories what life was like for the boarders. Edmund came from Goomalling and was the son of Rev G Arblaster. Edmund had won a Council and Government Secondary School Scholarship to attend Guildford. Edmund arrived at the School as a thirteen-year-old at the time of the Great Depression. He heard his Housemaster Mr Donald Collisson (staff 1912-1916 and 1918-1953) say to his father that enrolments were half the number of the previous year. Guildford was primarily a boarding school and it drew more than half of its students from country areas. Edmund was introduced to Mr Frank Johnson (Staff 1922-1923 and 1927-1938) who was the Assistant Housemaster in School House. Frank Johnson had attended the school from 1917-1920 as a Day Boy. He was also a Rhodes Scholar. Edmund also met Sister Bridgeman (Staff 1927-1933) who was a nursing sister attached to the school. She eventually married Donald Collisson. Miss Bold was the Sewing Mistress responsible for mending the boys' clothes. She believed the boys never had ‘clothes’ but ‘garments’. If in her opinion they were beyond repair, she tied them in a bundle with a strand of black thread and say they were ‘deceased’. Miss Morgan was the Housekeeper and oversaw the catering for the entire school. She also directed the cleaning and polishing and the day to day running of the domestic staff. Some of Edmund's happiest memories of the School were his joining of the choir. One year the choir was invited to broadcast from the ABC studios. Edmund's voice was in the process of breaking and so he was banned from singing in the unaccompanied items and allocated to play a chord on the piano to give the pitch. On the crucial night the chord he played was in the wrong key. After a moment of stunned silence, he played the correct key. Each morning at 8.40, including Sundays, a formal parade was held in the house. After that Edmund marched off to chapel with his fellow students for a 20 minute service. Every Sunday morning there was a voluntary Communion Service followed at 9.00 by a compulsory service for the boarders, after which they were free to visit families whose names had been submitted by parents to the headmaster. This leave pass was valid until evening when all boarders were mustered again for evening chapel. Edmund was a Chapel Prefect in his final year. One of his tasks was to organise rosters of staff and students to read lessons. He became close friends with the Chaplain Rev John Richardson (Staff 1922-1943). They used to stand in the vestibule facing each other as the boys passed between them to enter the chapel. Normally the boys had one hot bath a week but showered every morning. The two baths were in semi-private cubicles at each end of the shower room. On bath night, starting with the youngest about half way through prep, boys were sent for baths at five-minute intervals. As one of the perks of their status, prefects often had their baths first. This way they could be assured of hot water and a stay in the water longer. The school play took place at the end of second term, for some years produced by Alexander Todd, head of the Prep School (staff 1925-1942). In 1934 Edmund took part in Treasure Island as Dr Livesey. In the School magazine it was described as ‘an unusually ambitious undertaking’. The Swan was published three times a year and Edmund enjoyed contributing to the articles. He eventually became the editor. In 1934 the Duke of Gloucester made his first visit to Australia and Guildford was the only school from Western Australia to be paid a visit. The Duke inspected the Lectern Bible that his parents King George V and Queen Mary had donated to the school in 1914 for the Consecration of the chapel. The cadets formed a guard of honor near the Lich Gate. Edmund was part of the ceremony and in 1935 was promoted to Captain of Cadets. Each boarding house had a library which was little more than a few shelves of books in the recreation room. The main school library was situated in Big School Room. One of Edmund's lasting memory of his time at the School was his Confirmation when his father, on entering the chapel, slipped and with considerable difficulty prevented himself from sliding along the polished marble floor. Cartoonist Dean Alston kindly added some drawings to go with Tall Stories and one of the favorites is the teacher searching in the bath for any missing boys, below. The second photo shows the Duke of Gloucester’s visit and the Cadet Guard of Honor in 1934. ROSEMARY WALLER ARCHIVIST
09.01.2022 CLARK WINS AFL GRAND FINAL SPRINT Jordan Clark (Ha 2017-2018) was impressive in the 2020 Colgate AFL Grand Final Sprint. He started strongly and Jordan's late surge saw him power past Bradley Hill to take the win.
09.01.2022 The Guildford on Swan Regatta is tomorrow! The races starts at 9.00am sharp and will conclude by 10.30am at the GGS Boat Shed. Come along and show our rowers your support!
08.01.2022 ANNUAL DINNER GUEST LIST SO FAR - ONLY 40 TICKETS LEFT! Only forty tickets are left for the Old Guildfordians' Annual Dinner on Saturday, 10 October. See below for the guest list so far. Due to COVID-19, numbers are strictly limited with five guests per table, so get your tickets quick!...Continue reading
07.01.2022 This Sunday is Remembrance Day Requiem Eucharist in the Chapel at 6.15pm. The full Chapel Choir will present the choral cantata - The Tree of Life, composed and... conducted by the Director of the Chapel Choir, Mr David Gething. During this service, Old Guildfordians who gave their lives in combat are named and commemorated in one of the most significant services in the School calendar. See more
06.01.2022 MAKING WAVES Esteemed physicist, professor and Old Guildfordian David Blair (St/Wb 1961-1963) has been bestowed with the prestigious 2021 'Prime Minister's Prize for Science' for his outstanding and ground-breaking research and findings relating to the discovery of gravity waves. David's research at The University of Western Australia explores the detection of two substantial black holes which collided 1.3 billion years ago, where he was pivotal in detecting the gravitational... waves emitted. He and his team created an incredibly powerful facility in Gingin to investigate the nature of light, sound and heat, and their interactions to detecting gravitational waves. Our congratulations go to David for his achievement, along with our very best wishes in his further pursuits and endeavours in science.
