Keep up with the Centenary News on the BTC2019 Facebook Page ──── Prepare Celebrate Create BLACKTHORN ──── Visit the website April 2018 Vol XXXVIII NEWS www.btc2019.com.au Blackthorn Centenary - celebrating 100 years of ──── ‘A School on the Towers’. Contact your Thornburgh College opened in June 1919 and Blackheath classmates College the following year. Already plans for the ──── Commemoration Weekend to be held 14-16 June and the Centenary Reunion on the weekend of 16-18 August 2019 are Book well underway. A committee made up of representatives from accommodation the Past Students Association (Old Boy and Past Principal early Ross Thompson), Board and the school community have put together programs for these weekends as well as a range of other events and functions throughout 2019. CONTACT THE COMMITTEE: 55-59 King Street Charters Towers QLD 4820 07 4787 5100 [email protected] Dates and Times Sunshine Coast past students gathered on reunion roundup Sunday 2nd September 2017 at the Buderim Tavern for their annual ‘mini reunion’ lunch. In attendance Reunion 2017 was highlighted by the visit of – Angus Anderson, Margot McCamley, David special guest Mr Graham Thompson, School MacLaughlin, David Ross, Jennifer (Anderson) Principal from 1956 – 1973, and many who attended Vaccaneo and husband John, Doug Patterson, were there specifically to see this legendary figure. Jocelyn (Mann) Gould and husband David, and Year groups were well supported – 8 of the 12 Judith (Pratt) Lawrie who made the trip from Senior students from 1957 returned to celebrate Brisbane especially for the occasion. This mini- their 60th anniversary. The weekend program reunion was also a 90th birthday celebration for followed the usual pattern – a casual ‘Meet & Greet’ Angus – he impressed the gathering with his BBQ on Friday night, the popular Past vs Present wonderful memories of his early life and career, netball and rugby league matches on Saturday complete with dates and places he had served with afternoon, and the Reunion dinner held in the the Education Department. Angus now has a school dining hall on Saturday night attended by contented life at the Buderim Retirement Village. more than 150 guests. Toasts were presented by Graham Thompson and Glen Bechley with a response from the Principal Nigel Fairbairn. Representatives from returning groups had the opportunity to remember the good (and not so good) features of past school life and the formalities were rounded off with the school song and the war cry. It was great to see our three nonagenarians, Graham Thompson, Jessie Landsberg and Norm Wallace sitting together at the official table. Sunday Sydney Mini Reunion was held at the Bonjour saw the traditional services – the honouring of Old Cafe in the Sydney CBD on 24th May 2017. Past Boys who had lost their lives in WWII at the students who attended this very pleasurable Memorial fountain and then the Church service held occasion were Geoff Chapman (1961-62) and wife in Blackthorn Hall, this year led by Rev Bruce Roy, Fiona, David Griffiths (1961-1963), Vanya Kable who was Captain of Thornburgh in 1958. The final (2013-15), Robert Chong (1954-55) and wife Kira. It activities for the weekend were the presentation of was an opportunity to meet Principal Nigel Fairbairn and Chris Hesp (Chairman of the Board since 2012), the 2017 inductee to the Wall of Fame, Dr Nita and to hear about the success of the Arrowsmith Vasilescu, and the BPSA Annual General Meeting. program, now attracting students from as far afield as WA. Melbourne Mini Reunion was on Saturday 4th November. A number of BTC past students, past and present staff and friends of the College met for drinks and fabulously delicious nibbles at the RACV Club in Bourke Street. Everyone enjoyed a wonderful function with a great chance to catch up on the past, celebrate the present and be excited about the future! It was wonderful to swap stories from ‘long ago’ as well as to hear from Nigel Fairbairn about the College today and plans for Past students from the 1957 Senior year with teachers tomorrow. Norm Wallace, Jessie Landsberg and Graham Thompson Special guests for this year’s Reunion reunion 2018 will be Wally and Libby Richards Wally was Principal of Blackheath and Thornburgh Program: from 1985 to 1990. Students, parents and staff who Friday 17 August knew the Richards during this time before they moved south will remember them with great 5:30pm Registration ($5.00) and sale of fondness. This was when preparations were being souvenirs made to begin the restoration of the ground floor 5:30 – 8:30 P&F fete and ‘Meet & Greet’. Meals and exterior of Thornburgh House. Libby organised can be purchased the P&F barbeque an event to contribute to the fund-raising effort. or other food vendors and drinks The ball and dinner from the BPSA bar was a ‘Period Affair’, 8:30pm Fete finale with fireworks display with attendees arriving in vintage 8:45pm Supper (tea, coffee & sweets), music cars and even a horse and drinks from the bar (no BYO) and sulky. Dressed in Saturday 18 August costume, they were announced at the top 10:00 am Annual General Meeting in library of the stairs by 12:00 – 2:00 Picnic lunch on the lawn – BYO liveried grooms: picnic rug, food & drinks. Sausage “Lord and Lady sizzle ($2) and drinks ($1) for sale. Somebody, Sir No alcohol please Whatever”. There 2:00pm Past vs Present Netball in the were even a couple of Colonels. Inside, the black Undercover Sports Area and white uniformed maids and footmen were lined up to serve dinner. It was as though everyone had 4:00pm Past vs Present Rugby match on top stepped out of a Jane Austin novel. oval A wonderful night, and only one example of how 6:30pm Registration for Saturday attendees committed Wally and Libby were to the school. 7:00 for 7:30 Dinner on the lawn, verandah and Their attendance at this year’s reunion gathering is front room of Thornburgh House warmly anticipated and welcomed. Platter food or sit-down meal ($35.00 + drinks) Sunday 19 August 8:30am Memorial Service at the fountain Church Service in Blackthorn Hall Wall of Achievement ceremony Morning tea ($15.00) For the travelers, a take-away lunch will be For all class cohort lists please contact Jasmin available for $10.00 Boschetti: [email protected] heritage & history Restoring our heritage In 2006 Thornburgh House was recognised as place of cultural heritage significance under the Queensland Thornburgh House Heritage Act 1992. The College community accepts with honour the responsibility of preserving its heritage by The grand old lady featured on the front cover of this restoring this magnificent house to its former glory. Both newsletter has been the property of BTC for almost 100 past and present students and the wider college family years. Since the very first day the school opened over are encouraged to contribute to the restoration project. 6,000 new students have come through the gates and Groups are now donating cans of paint to help ensure gazed at its majesty. This building is the iconic that she is wonderfully restored for her 100th birthday representation of school life, the memories and feelings next year. The paint has been heavily discounted at $90 that belong to those impressionable years of learning per can by past students of Ballarat and Clarendon and nurture. College (previously students of Principal Nigel Fairbairn) Thornburgh House, built in 1890 as the home for mining who own Haymes Paint. magnate Mr E.H.T. Plant, was a large and opulent villa and a fine example of the quality buildings constructed and it’s more than the paint cans … during Charters Towers’ rich gold-mining era. Its heritage The President of the BPSA, David Cummins, lives in is also associated with the lives and works of Rev Robert Canberra and on Friday 16 March he was joined by the Bacon, who established the school, and the first two Vice President Geoff Chapman to work together on the principals, Mr J.F. Ward and Miss J.E. Bullow. revised BPSA Constitution. On the same day thousands of kilometres away up in Townsville the Paint Blackheath’s Houses Coordinator received a donation for paint cans from Mrs Elizabeth Teasey (nee Hirst) who was Captain of Blackheath College in 1951. She gave her address as Curtin in the ACT. Emails flashed back and forth resulting in the two Thornburgh boys arriving at the address in Curtin to meet up with Elizabeth. Unfortunately, she was not at home. Could anything prevent Thornburgh boys from meeting up with a Blackheath girl? No, of course not! Consequently, they wrote a note, included their phone numbers, and pushed it under her door. And there Just as the origins of Thornburgh College lie in the we have it - history repeating itself with Thornburgh boys purchase of a grand old house, so too do the origins of leaving notes for a Blackheath girl! When Elizabeth its sister school, Blackheath College. The first boarding arrived home, she made contact and they caught up the house acquired in 1920 was ‘Yelvertoft’, originally the very next day. Geoff had in his computer all the home of David Rollston. The name was changed to Blackheath Magazines from 1947 - 1951 with her photos Blackheath in honour of Mr W.R. Black, a Brisbane in them and a brilliant photo of Thornburgh House with some of its new paint on. The project to paint philanthropist who donated considerable funds towards Thornburgh House is certainly a good one – but the the purchase of Yelvertoft for a girls’ school.