Chapter headings such as ‘Trim, Taught and Tested’ and ‘Allies, Anglicans and Activists’, provide insight into how the ideas, culture and context of Melbourne are explored. They point to the crucible of educational design and forward thinking that has always been the hallmark of MGGS.
Rather than a sanitised interpretation of how the School came to be, we are invited into the world of the students, who reveal the characters they encountered, and perceptions of their school. The voice of the student is woven through the text with colourful characters such as Valentine Leeper in the 1910s, to our current Middle and Senior Years Grammarians who provide insightful musings such as “I hope that in seventy years that all of the world can come together and become a community like Melbourne Girls Grammar has done to accept everyone’s differences no matter who they are.”
A lively and witty insight is provided that situates readers into the life, the thinking and the strength of the leaders that the girls were exposed to. The thought provoking narrative is infused with vignettes of life at the school, situated within the cultural context of Melbourne, as we are invited into the world of headmistresses, teachers, students and community leaders.