Dear Old Sydneians,

I want to start by wishing you all a happy and safe holiday period. It’s been a busy year for all and I want to encourage each of you to take some time to step away, calm your minds and spend some time getting back to what makes you happiest. 

It’s been an absolute pleasure meeting so many of you throughout our events in 2024 and the Old Sydneians’ Union Committee is enthused by the level of engagement this year as we implemented many initiatives for you to engage with each other. In 2025 we will continue to expand our scope of events to appeal to all of your interests.

The focal point for us in 2025 is the launch of our mentoring program. We are so excited with the initial expressions of interest, with over 200 Old Sydneians registered to be involved. We want to ensure we are building something formal which is perpetual and sustainable for future generations. We will be in touch with those of you who have registered to gather more details when we commence the matching process.

This mentoring program goes hand in glove with the OSU’s ‘Grammar in Business’ initiative; an informal symposium by Sydney Grammar industry leaders for those who are aspiring. Recently, we hosted a ‘Grammar in Finance’ evening at Hickson House Distillery with over sixty Old Sydneians present. The evening featured three engaging keynote speakers, Angus Aitken (OS 1994), Andrew Reeves (OS 1998) and James Hooke (OS 1988). They answered relevant questions, there was a live Q and A and then everyone descended to the main bar for networking. In 2025, we aim to have a set calendar for these events. If there is a topic or industry you would particularly like to hear about, please reach out to us directly so we can source the most appropriate alumni in our network.

In September, the OSU hosted its Annual Lunch at Nick’s Seafood Restaurant. We were enlightened by the keynote speaker, tech entrepreneur Zac Altman (OS 2010). Zac spoke about the life of an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, the process of capital raising and generally the tech ecosystem in Australia. We were thrilled to also hear from Jim Cattlin (OS 1961) showcasing his passion as he read excerpts of his book, Alligator Grammar! A History of SGS Rugby.

The OSU recently conducted our annual interview process to award the OSU Scholarship. We are excited to announce that, from this year onwards, the OSU has increased the monetary amount of this award. This year’s recipient is Harry Awad, and we are excited to see where his studies and future career takes him. However, for his immediate future, we wish Harry all the best in his HSC next year.

It is bittersweet to announce 2024 marks the retirement of two key Sydney Grammar School staff members; Greg (Sarge) Bulger and Wendy Scotter.

‘Sarge’ (as he is known to us) features in many of your core Sydney Grammar School memories, whether it be his colourful euphemisms through his support of sport (particularly rugby), his daily collection of absentee slips or simply around the playground. Sarge had an insurmountable presence within the School’s walls and will be a missed member of our immediate community. We wish Sarge all the best in his retirement.

Wendy, the ‘voice’ of the Old Sydneians, is a pivotal and beloved member of our wider alumni community. Wendy worked within the School’s Alumni Office and is someone who devoted many years to serving our community, beyond her day-to-day, whether it be updating information of alumni, organising reunions, working the phones, fielding enquiries or just having a chat to our Old Sydneians. Wendy will be sorely missed, and we are thankful for her many years of devotion to the Old Sydneians’ Union, our members and our interests. Wendy, we wish you all the best in your retirement.

Furthermore, you would have seen recent news from the Trustees announcing Dr Richard Malpass’ impending resignation. The OSU wishes to thank Dr Malpass for his engagement and support of our community. We wish Dr Malpass and his family all the best and success in his future endeavours. The OSU is aligned with the Trustees in their process to find the next Head of Sydney Grammar School and we will continue to provide our insights throughout this process. Until then, what is in our control is our ability to engage within our community and networks.

We will see you again in 2025.

Nick Manettas (OS 2009)

Athletics

Sydney Grammar School boys performed very well at the NSW All Schools Athletics (Homebush) and eleven have qualified for the junior National Athletics in Perth next year. Special mention goes to Jeremy Lenthen (I), who broke the School record in the U13 800m race.  

Basketball

There has been an increased number of boys attending gym sessions and, not surprisingly, the season has started well. The Firsts won against Sydney Boys High School and the Seconds defeated Sydney Boys High School and The King’s School. 

Cricket

The First XI has recorded four wins and three losses so far this season. There have been some excellent individual performances including Daniel Reypert (V) 129 v Sydney Boys High School, Jonty Snyman (V) 92 v The Scots College and 93 v Sydney Boys High School, Myles Kapoor (IV) 112 not out v St Joseph’s College and 89 not out v The Scots College, Joel Alexander-Easaw (V) 5-11 v Newington College and 5-26 v Sydney Boys High School, and Benjamin Ho (IV) 5-33 v St Joseph’s College. Congratulations to Myles Kapoor for being selected in the NSW Metropolitan U17 Team.

Our School will host the annual Tri-Grammar cricket series at Weigall from Thursday 16 - Friday 24 January 2025. We are the current holders of the T-20 Cup and the ‘Bat’, which the boys are keen to retain. The boys look forward to the annual Old Boys match prior to the commencement of Tri-Grammar on Monday 13 January 2025 from 2:00pm. 

Rowing

The First VIII and the Year 10 First VIII are off to a great start. The First VIII recently had a third-place result at the St Joseph’s College Regatta in a time of 6.05 (which is the fastest in several years). As always, the GPS is a tight field so it will be a great season to follow right through until March. 

The Year 10 First VIII recently raced against twenty-four crews in the ‘Melbourne Head’ and we were placed fourth over the 3500m event in Melbourne. 

Tennis

The Firsts is a very young team that is taking points off all schools. It is currently in fifth place while the Seconds is in third place.

Cross-Sport 

Cross-Sport is a new programme tailored for boys, who may not feel at ease in competitive sports. This summer sport allows the boys to explore a range of enjoyable activities, including swimming, pickleball, golf, and table tennis, all in a supportive environment. 

2025 Ithaka Lectures

Term I 2025 - Music Concerts

Thursday 27 February
Term I Concert A
6:30pm
John Vallance Hall

Thursday 6 March
Music Scholars' Concert
6:30pm  
John Vallance Hall

Thursday 20 March
Term I Concert B
6:30pm
John Vallance Hall

The GPS Gold Challenge is a reunion of GPS schoolboys taking place around the time when they turn fifty. This year, from 11-12 October, the classes of 1991 and 1992 took part in nine different sporting events, culminating in a dinner and debate. 

Sport included rowing, rifle shooting, golf, touch rugby, basketball, indoor cricket, tennis, swimming, athletics and football (soccer) making its debut this year. Most of the activities (plus the dinner) were held at Newington College on 12 October. On 11 October rifle shooting was held at The King's School, golf at Strathfield, rowing at Leichhardt and six-a-side football down at Weigall.

In all, 651 old boys across all GPS schools took part in a wonderful reunion disguised as a sporting carnival that left everyone wanting more and doubled as a fundraiser for Redkite. Grammar fielded a team of 73 across both years which was a great turnout (credit to St Ignatius’ College who managed to field 115). 

Highlights included Grammar winning both the 1991 and 1992 touch rugby competitions where the men from these years had the opportunity to represent Grammar on the sporting field one last time. The 1991 Old Sydneians (under captains Leo George and Rob Zelinski) triumphed in a final over St Ignatius’ College, while the 1992 team (captained by Dave Mower) thumped St Joesph's College in their final. Tanveer Ahmed (1992), Grammar’s debating winner on the evening, captured it best: “If you want to get a sense of that thrill – think of the Joeys boys winning the Mathematics Olympiad”. 

Once all results were aggregated, Grammar 1991 placed fourth and Grammar 1992 placed second, with the army of Old Ignatians’ triumphing in both years. 

In October 2026 the classes of 1993 and 1994 will get the opportunity to participate in their GPS Gold Challenge. This year’s participants are envious of the enjoyment they will have. 

Acknowledgement and thanks to Ms Ditmarsch, Ms Louey and Dr Malpass for helping to make Weigall available for football; and Mr Greenwood for marking out four fantastic pitches and refereeing along with Mr Pacey. 

GPS Gold Challenge Participants

1992 SGS Touch Rugby Team


1991-1992 SGS Basketball Team

Five Sydney Grammar School alumni have brought Australia’s sporting spirit to the Big Apple. As members of the New York Kookaburras Cricket Club, this group of Aussies has created a slice of home while managing busy professional lives.

The Kookaburras recently claimed victory in the fiercely contested World Series League 35-over competition, played on Saturdays in the Bronx. Playing on matting wickets and facing off against a melting pot of expats from South Asia, England and the Caribbean, the team’s success was driven by the leadership of Jake List and Nick Kelland, who support the club’s administration and on-field strategies.

A highlight for the Kookaburras was having games officiated by Steve Bucknor, the legendary retired ICC umpire, who now calls New York home.

But the Kookaburras are more than just a cricket team – they’re a supportive community for Australian expats seeking connection and camaraderie. Actively recruiting fellow Aussies with a love of cricket, they offer a welcoming home for Sydney Grammar alumni far from their roots. Old Sydneians moving to New York are encouraged to reach out to Nick Kelland (nick.kelland96@gmail.com) to join the club.

L-R: Yash Diwan (OS 2013), Amiya Diwan (OS 2009), Jake List (OS 2004), Nick Kelland (OS 2014), and Patrick Kelland (OS 2012)

The GPS Old Boys Golf Day was held on Thursday 7 November at Manly Golf Club. This tournament started in 1932 and has been held every year since except 1966, 1989, 2011 and 2020 /21 when it was cancelled due to COVID. 

The champion school is decided by the best four scores aggregate from each school. The combined scores of Robbie Josephsen (43 pts), Adam Wayling (42 pts), David Louden (41pts) and Sean Southwell (38 pts) ensured that Sydney Grammar School won with 163 points. Special congratulations also to Lucas Jordan (nearest to the pin hole #7) and John Crawford (nearest to the pin hole #15).

The first John Duffy Rugby Lunch was held in 2014 to celebrate fifty years since Ian Edwards appointed him First XV Coach. The latest and the tenth gathering took place on Friday 8 November at Doyles, Watsons Bay.

L-R: Tim Ross, Tony Wehby, James Barkell, Michael Soulos, Tony de Saxe, Richard Allsop, Jim Cattlin, Peter Gibby, Denis Hillary, David Louden, Dave Raffan, Robert Barry, Vic Keller, Stuart Murray (absent for photo John Sample OS 1960)

First XV 1964

Class of 1984

40-Year Reunion on Friday 18 October at North Bondi Surf Club

Class of 1994

30-Year Reunion on Friday 18 October at College Street





Class of 2004

20-Year Reunion on Saturday 19 October at College Street

Class of 2014

10-Year Reunion on Saturday 26 October at College Street

Class of 2019

5-Year Reunion on Saturday 26 October at the Bellevue Hotel

1950-1957 Old Sydneians Lunch on Wednesday 13 November in the Alastair Mackerras Theatre

Class of 1979

45-Year Reunion on Friday 15 November at the Phoenix Hotel

Class of 2009

15-Year Reunion on Saturday 16 November at Adria Bar Restaurant in Cockle Bay

Steven Lowy AM (OS 1980) 

Businessman and philanthropist Steven Lowy AM (OS 1980) recently received an honorary doctorate in business at the University of New South Wales. Although he rarely speaks publicly, he took the opportunity to address the audience about Australian values and responsibility and made many interesting points. 

Steven remembered his childhood very positively. He said that growing up, he never felt anything other than Australian. At Sydney Grammar School, he wasn’t ‘a Jewish kid’. He was just one of a whole variety of kids from different backgrounds, such as Chinese, Indian, European, Anglo-Saxon etc. He and his classmates weren’t specifically taught ‘Australian values’. They just lived them every day unconsciously.

Steven said that he thrived at university, and, for the first time, he really understood that whatever advantages he might have started out with, the most important things had to be learned AND earned. His B. Comm (hons) degree was incredibly valuable as a foundation for his business career.

Finally, he expressed the importance of strong leadership, and he felt that we, as a nation, need to protect Australian values, think big and act fast as productivity must be enhanced. 

James Barkell (OS 1995)

James Barkell has been awarded the Rugby Australia Geoff “Bunter” Shaw Community Coach of the Year award at the recent John Eales Medal awards ceremony. James was up against all rugby coaches across Australia, apart from the professional coaches within Super Rugby and the national programs in Rugby Australia. James has been a cornerstone of community rugby coaching for over 15 years, including roles with the Australian Universities XV, NSW Waratahs 7’s, NSW Schoolboys, 1st Grade Shute Shield and a host of representative teams. 

He holds a PhD in high performance sports coaching through the University of Sydney and achieved his High-Performance Level 4 Coaching accreditation in 2022. James is now a full-time academic at the University of Sydney and lectures in Physical Education, Health and Nutrition and Sports Coaching. He has over 12 publications in the sports coaching and sports science field and in 2023 presented at the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) Global Coach Conference. 

Ronald Vowden Davies (OS 1958-1959)

Ron has been a member of the Sydney Cricket Ground team for over 20 years, and he thoroughly enjoys guiding groups around the famous arena. In his younger days, Ron was an ABC Sports commentator, and he called the last rugby union test held at the SCG (1986) before the original Allianz Stadium opened.

Anthony Locascio (OS 2010) 

Anthony is an established comedian whose final performance is coming up on 12 January at the Enmore Theatre.
Tickets available here.

Anthony Locascio with his beloved grandparents

 Anthony Locascio with his Pappou (grandfather)

If you have news of some significant event or achievement, that you would like published, please contact Steve Gonski (OS 1975) at smg@sydgram.nsw.edu.au.

Sadly, many of our Old Sydneians have passed away in recent times, and the School sends condolences to friends and family. 

Old Sydneians who have passed away since our last OS E-Newsletter:

Dr Ronald Hughes CABLE (OS 1947-8)

Dr Trevor Baxter TURNER (OS 1948-49) 

David Geoffrey ARMITAGE (OS 1950)

John Turner WOOD (OS 1950)

Kenneth James TURNER (OS 1952)

David Mitchell ROSS (OS 1953)

Allan (David) SWINBOURNE (OS 1954)

James (Jim) Cochrane VICKERY (OS 1955)

The Honourable James Moreton Neville ROLFE KC (OS 1956-7)

Dr Humphrey Malcolm GASTINEAU-HILLS (OS 1959)

Alan Charles BIRDSALL (OS 1959-1960)

Colin Stanley FREESTONE (OS 1960)

Alan Wilkie NICOL (OS 1962)

William (Bill) Hugh George WHITTAKER (OS 1965)

Matthew James PEACOCK (OS 1969)

Jonathan David BRYANT (OS 1987)

The latest edition of SGS magazine, Edition 19, Spring 2024 is available in an online electronic format here.

A vast number of hard copy magazines are ‘returned to sender’ each time the School sends a new edition out to subscribers through the post. If you are regularly on the move and would prefer to receive the SGS magazine online via email, or would no longer wish to receive a hard copy of the magazine via post, please kindly notify the Alumni Office on (02) 9332 5918 or alumni@sydgram.nsw.edu.au.

You are able to view most editions of SGS magazine anytime via the School’s website.

The School’s Archives would appreciate some assistance from the Sydney Grammar School community. We are wondering whether any of our readers remember the dancing lessons with St Catherine’s Waverley (particularly from 1950s) and have any photos related to this.

Unfortunately, we have none to share. The photo below is one from the late Paul Isherwood’s (OS 1955-6) personal album. It was taken just after he attended Grammar and was shared by him just before he passed away.

Any information can be passed on via sgsarchives@sydgram.nsw.edu.au and please let us know whether you do not want your name to be acknowledged as a contributor in the next newsletter. 

Thank you to Paul Eisen (OS 1977), Peter Mohay (OS 1977), Ross Kelly (OS 1977), James Taylor (OS 1976), Garry Charny (OS 1977), Robert Dane (OS 1976), John Watson (OS 1972) for helping identify the boys in the photo of the 1977 Aussie Rules Team.

1977 Aussie Rules Team

Back Row: Geoff Rosenberg, ? , Peter Varnay, Doug Routley, Ed Day, Michael Herman, Ron Molnar, Peter Mohay, James Salmon, ?
Second Row: Tony Green, Andrew Pearson, Rob Chikamoto, Neil Layton, Garry Charny, Robert Feller, Damian Asprey, Paul Eisen, Richard McBurney
Front Row: Frazer Ward, Stephen Cook, Robert Hanley, Mr John Lanser, Richard Herring, Mark Langsworth, Tony Berriman

Alligator Grammar! A History of Sydney Grammar School Rugby

***FOR A LIMITED TIME*** until the end of December 2024

Jim Cattlin (OS and First XV 1961) has published Alligator Grammar! A History of Sydney Grammar School Rugby. The book delves into the 150-year history of rugby at the School, with 440 photos of teams, action shots and illustrations. Purchase here for $50. 

In Gallant Company

Dr Philip Creagh’s (OS 1965-1966) book honouring the Old Sydneians who died in World War I is available, at a cost of $65 plus postage via the following link. This book includes short biographies of each Old Sydneian who didn’t make it home, comprising details of their school career, the circumstances in which they found themselves during the war and events leading to their untimely demise.

Old Sydneians’ Newsletter

Editor:

Mr Steve Gonski

smg@sydgram.nsw.edu.au

Alumni Office 

Ms Charlotte McColl

alumni@sydgram.nsw.edu.au

Publications Office

Ms Dimetra Skondras-Silva

publications@sydgram.nsw.edu.au