CGS Alumni

CGS ALUMNI VINTAGE CLUB REUNION 2024! Step back in time and join us for a day of nostalgia and connection at CGS. We invite all Alumni from 1974 and earlier to experience the School as it is today. Reconnect with old friends, share cherished memories, and witness how your legacy continues to shape the next generation of students as we head toward our Centenary! 🗓️ Friday, 1 November 2024 Book Now on : https://lnkd.in/gjBX8Np6

Welcome to our newest ALUMNI MEMBERS! Congratulations to our soon-to-graduate Year 12s who have just joined CGS Engage after attending their very first CGS Alumni event - 'Where 2 Now?". We were proud to welcome back four outstanding members of the CGS Alumni community— Bee Handel, Phoebe Warr, Jackson Friend, and Alexander Abbey—each at different stages of their professional journeys. They generously shared their personal stories, offering invaluable insights into the diverse paths life can take after leaving school. Their experiences remind us that there are countless ways to achieve growth, success, and fulfilment and that your Alumni community will be here to support you! A heartfelt thank you to our panel, and a big warm WELCOME to the Year 12s. We hope you make the most of your Alumni experience! #cgsalumni #cgsengage

Huge congratulations to Nick Champion de Crespigny (CGS 2014) for signing with the Western Force for the 2025 season! 🎉 After honing his skills over two years in France’s Top 14 with Castres Olympique, Nick is bringing his talents back home. Interestingly, he’s not the only CGS Alum making waves at Castres—Tom Staniforth (CGS 2012) might just be contemplating whether France will be his choice for international rugby representation... Watch this space to find out! #CGSRUGBY #cgsalumni #cgsengage https://lnkd.in/gKXidMpT

CGS Alumni in Brisbane—The Countdown is ON! Just a few days until we come together to celebrate CGS's 95th Anniversary at our exclusive Brisbane Alumni Reunion on 23 August! Get ready for a night of luxury and nostalgia at the Deco Room, Blackbird Bar & Dining. Picture this: exquisite cuisine, fantastic company, and a trip down memory lane as we toast to 95 incredible years of CGS! This is more than just a dinner—it's a celebration of our shared history and the exciting journey ahead to our 100th year in 2029! Reminder: Only 24 spots are available, and they’re filling up fast! Don’t miss out on this special night—secure your place now! Register today at cgsengage.au or click the link: https://lnkd.in/gj2H-Cru #cgsalumni #cgsengage #cgsalumnireunion

MEET THE MENTOR Robert Ewing (CGS 1994) - ABS Head of Business Statistics Can you describe your current role and your key responsibilities? As head of business statistics at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), I lead a team of people across Australia who take information from businesses and turn them into the numbers we need to measure the economy, understand consumer behaviour, gain insight into how businesses are run, and measure innovation in the economy. What inspired you to pursue your current career path? Canberra Grammar was the inspiration for my career path. I started my journey in economics in Year 11 with John Lamb as the teacher. It soon became my favourite subject, as I was inspired by the potential economics has to make the world a better place. By the end of Year 12, I had settled on a career as a government economist. Did you follow the path you had planned for yourself or did your journey take turns you didn't expect? My initial path was to focus on the place where an economist can have the most influence on Government - working for the Australian Treasury. Treasury provided me with a wonderful career for 20 years, with an opportunity to work on policy areas ranging from immigration, the labour market, energy, population, climate change, and taxation. But after 20 years, I found that I needed a new challenge - and an opportunity to help make Australia a better place in a different way. Working for the ABS has offered that opportunity and challenge, as well as providing a stimulating, collegiate, and innovative work environment. .... Read Roberts full Meet the Mentor interview and find more mentors on cgsengage.au

It is with much sadness that we share the news of the passing of Mr Terry Snow AM. Terry's extraordinary contributions and unwavering support have left an indelible mark on our School. Please read the message from our Head of School, Dr Justin Garrick, as we remember and honour Terry's remarkable legacy.   To all in the School community,   Many will know already the sad news of the passing this weekend of Mr Terry Snow AM.      Those close to Terry will be aware that he had been unwell for some time. He bore the impact of his illness with characteristic strength and dignity. Personally, and on behalf of our entire School community, I extend deepest sympathy to his wife, Ginette, and to their family and friends, and to all who knew Terry’s extraordinary warmth, support, drive and generosity.   Terry’s history with our School is well known. He attended Canberra Grammar School from 1953 to 1961, as did his brothers, his children, and their children. He was a passionate member of the Old Boys’ Association, a member of the School Board from 1978 to 1986, and an instigator of the School’s original Foundation.      He also became Patron of the new CGS Foundation with the exceptional gift of the Snow Centre for Education in the Asian Century in 2014. That was followed in 2019 by his gift of the Snow Concert Hall. Both are amongst the greatest personal endowments to any school in Australian history, and each is a landmark that has transformed our campus and elevated the experience and the aspirations of our School.  READ MORE > https://lnkd.in/g2YSCrzr

Canberra Grammar School was saddened by the passing of Mrs Wilma McKeown on 25 July 2024, at 96 years of age. Her late husband, Mr Paul McKeown, was Headmaster for 27 years from 1959 to 1985, making Wilma a daily presence for nearly a third of the School's history. For over sixty years, she was respected and loved by generations of students, staff, and alumni. A woman of warmth and strength, she raised the five McKeown children in the former Headmaster’s Residence on campus and was an additional mother to many, especially distant boarders. She also played a vital role in creating a community for countless families of students and staff.   She was dedicated to the School throughout her husband’s tenure and beyond, regularly attending concerts, Vintage Club Reunions, and School events, even into her 90s. Most recently, she was the guest of honour at the Snow Concert Hall opening, where Mr Terry Snow expressed his lifelong gratitude.   A passionate arts champion, Wilma ensured music was integral to the School. The original Chapel organ, the grand piano in the Dining Hall, and many artworks around the School are part of her legacy. To celebrate the School’s 50th anniversary in 1979, she led the project to embroider the Chapel kneelers, which are still in use today. The Chapel, reflecting her and her husband's deep faith, symbolises the School and the community they shaped through decades of change and growth.   Her support was invaluable during the School's evolution. Wilma graciously accepted the demolition of the Breezeway building and was delighted with the new plans. She was thrilled about the decision to become fully co-educational, exclaiming, "Whacko! at last!" Her husband's early initiatives in the 1970s paved the way for much of the School's current structure.   Wilma is survived by her children, Christopher, Deirdre, Libby, Jonathan, and Penelope, and her sister, Mrs Lesley Sowell.   We extend our community's sympathy and give thanks in prayer for Wilma’s dedication and care.    A remembrance service will be held at the Anglican Church of Ascension in Bateman’s Bay at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, 6 August 2024.

Yesterday, we were delighted to welcome back our CGS Scholars and their Alumni Mentors for a second face-to-face session of our ongoing CGS Scholar/Alumni Mentorship Programme. Over a relaxed lunch, Mentors and Mentees seized the opportunity to catch up and discuss progress since their last meeting. It was heartening to see our mentors carve out time from their busy schedules (some even via Zoom from their workplace) to engage with students, sharing invaluable experiences and offering guidance on navigating life after school. If you as a member of our Alumni community would like to offer your support for our 2025 CGS Scholar/Alumni Mentorship Programme please email alumni@cgs.act.edu.au #CGSAlumni #cgsengage #cgsmentorship #cgsscholarship

We’re excited to announce our Brisbane Alumni Reunion on 23 August, celebrating CGS’s 95th birthday! Join us for a luxurious dinner at Deco Room, Blackbird Bar & Dining, where we’ll enjoy delightful cuisine, great company, and shared memories. Let’s gather to honour the School’s remarkable 95-year journey and look forward to the upcoming centenary in 2029. Spaces are limited to 24 guests, so register today! Visit cgsengage.au to book or follow this booking link: https://lnkd.in/gj2H-Cru #cgsalumni #cgsengage #cgsalumnireunion

MEET THE MENTOR Paul Nicolaou (CGS 2021) is a freelance harpist and composer/arranger and a harpist with a number of Australia’s state orchestras. He has been making quite a mark in the Australian classical music scene, receiving the Most Outstanding Performer Award at the 2022 Sydney Harp Eisteddfod, 2021 Monash University Emerging Composer Prize, Highly Commended Award in Willoughby Symphony’s 2023 Composer Competition, and was a winner of the 2022 Artology ‘Fanfare’ Competition. We talked to Paul about his path to success and what his learnings have been as he progresses in the world of music. Read the full interview with this Alumni Mentor on https://cgsengage.au/feed .