Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School

Strathcona Girls Grammar School is an independent, Baptist, day school for girls, located in Canterbury, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Strathcona Girls Grammar School
Location
Canterbury , Victoria Australia
Coordinates	37°49′47″S 145°4′48″E
Information
Type	Independent, single-sex, Christian, day school
Motto	Latin: Fortiter Fideliter Feliciter (Bravely, Faithfully, Happily)
Denomination	Baptist
Established	1924; 100 years ago (1924)[1]
Founder	Mrs Florence Livingstone & Miss Henrietta Hughes
Chairperson	Jocelyn Furlan
Principal	Lorna Beegan
Chaplain	Rev. Janet Costello
Gender	Girls
Enrolment	~800 (P–12)[2]
Colour(s)	Navy blue, yellow and pink
Slogan	Girls Unstoppable
Affiliation	Girls Sport Victoria
Website	strathcona.vic.edu.au

Established in 1924 by Florence Livingstone and Henrietta Hughes, the school currently caters for approximately 800 students from Preparatory to Year 12, over three campuses. Year nine girls attend Tay Creggan, an historic building on the Yarra River in Hawthorn. Years 7 to 8 and 10 to 12 are located in Canterbury, and the primary school is located on a new renovated purpose-built premises in close proximity to the Main Campus in Canterbury.^[3]

The school is affiliated with the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),^[4] the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),^[5] the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV),^[1] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA),^[6] and is a founding member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV).^[7]

History

Strathcona was established in 1924 by its founding principals, Florence Livingstone and Henrietta Hughes, with a small number of pupils, both boys and girls.^[8]

In 1942, the school was purchased by the Baptist Union for the purpose of establishing a Baptist school for girls, and thus the school was renamed Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School.^[8]

Ms Featherstone commenced as headmistress in 1943, serving the school for 10 years. Enrolments increased rapidly and despite strict building restrictions after the Second World War, facilities were expanded providing for up to 200 girls.^[8]

In November 1969, Strathcona purchased historical building 'Tay Creggan', the Year 9 campus located in Hawthorn on the banks of the Yarra River. The built in 1893 in the Queen Anne style mansion as a family home it became an important and fashionable part of Hawthorne social life with many parties. It was designed by architect Guyon Purchas for his own use, however he ended declaring bankruptcy and had to sell the house.^[8]

Principals

There have been a total of nine principals or formerly headmistresses of Strathcona since the school was established in 1924. Note, between 1924 and 1941 there were two headmistresses at the same time who were the co-founders of the school.^[9]

Years served	Name
1924–1941	Henrietta Hughes & Florence Livingstone
1941–1942	Bessie Sweetland
1943–1953	Dora Featherstone
1954–1956	Helen Smith
1957–1972	John Morley
1973–1989	Ken Lyall OAM
1990–2000	Ruth Bunyan AM
2001–2014	Helen Hughes
2015–2023	Marise McConaghy
2024–Present	Lorna Beegan

Curriculum

Strathcona Baptist Girls’ Grammar School offers the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) for their Year 11 and 12 students.

Strathcona Baptist Girls’ Grammar School VCE results (2012-2022)^[10]

Year	Rank	Median study score	Scores of 40+ (%)	Cohort size
2012	9	37	32.9	148
2013	12	36	30.3	142
2014	20	36	23.5	168
2015	23	36	21.5	174
2016	18	36	25.8	165
2017	19	36	25.8	163
2018	22	35	24.6	159
2019	15	36	27.9	154
2020	9	36	28.2	154
2021	25	35	20.5	166
2022	15	36	25.1	171

Sport

Strathcona is a member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV).

GSV premierships

Strathcona has won the following GSV premiership.^[11]

• Tennis – 2004

Notable alumnae

Alumnae of Strathcona are known as Old Strathconians and are part of the school's alumni association, the Old Strathconians' Association (OSA).^[12] Some notable Old Strathconians include:

• Jill Baker – Publisher and former newspaper editor^[13][14]
• Pamela Gutman – Burmese art historian, member of the Refugee Review Tribunal; deputy director of the Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific at the University of Sydney; Senior Advisor for the Foreign Affairs Department^[15][16]
• Margaret Anne Jackson – professor and Director, Law Discipline, School of Accounting and Law, RMIT Business, RMIT University^[17]
• Regan Lamble – Australian representative to the 2012 Olympics in Athletics^[18] and selected for the 2016 Rio Olympic Team for the 20 km Race Walk.
• Norma Redpath OBE – Sculptor^[19]
• Prudence Anne Sibree – Parliamentarian and Solicitor; Member for Kew in the Legislative Assembly in the Victorian Parliament from 1981 to 1988.^[20]
• Jo Stanley – TV and Radio personality
• Jess Wilson – Current state MP for the Kew District^[21]

See also

• List of schools in Victoria
• Victorian Certificate of Education

References

1. "Strathcona Girls Grammar School". Find a School. Association of Independent Schools of Victoria. 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
2. Strathcona Girls Grammar School- International (accessed:12-06-2007)
3. National Education Directory Australia- Strathcona (accessed:12-06-2007)
4. "JSHAA Victoria Directory of Members". Victorian Branch. Junior School Heads' Association of Australia. 2007. Archived from the original on 4 December 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
5. "AHISA Schools". Victoria. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia. January 2008. Archived from the original on 2 November 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
6. Butler, Jan (2006). "Member Schools". Members. The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia. Archived from the original on 19 May 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
7. "Member Schools". Profile. Girls Sport Victoria. 2007. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
8. "History of Strathcona". About. Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School. 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
9. Strathcona Girls Grammar. “History | Strathcona Girls Grammar,” November 5, 2021. https://www.strathcona.vic.edu.au/history/.
10. Better. “Trend of Strathcona Baptist Girls’ Grammar School by VCE Results.” Bettereducation.com.au, 2022. https://bettereducation.com.au/CompareSchools/year_12/vic/compare_vce_school_ranking.aspx?enc=ezUfh1sfZkL5YR63c5p5ezFfu7aEbJB5uJkAnS4cZlsMe7HrnMyV+Z7GxaYe0Sjqyqcm5k6wYj8F2p3goqQwumvspFz95zdVHFAq0xdu0bO1r7TV+UEwvkPjMOx+y/RK.
11. "Archives » Girls Sport Victoria". Retrieved 28 February 2021.
12. "The Old Strathconians' Association". OSA. Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School. 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
13. Green, Jonathan (30 March 2005). "Famous alumni on Latham's hit list". Politics. Crikey. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
14. "The Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism – 2007 Walkley Finalists Announced". walkleys.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
15. "Specialist in Asian art and culture shared her work in books". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
16. Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "GUTMAN Pamela Christine". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
17. Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "JACKSON Margaret Anne". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
18. "London 2012 – Regan Lamble Athlete Profile". Retrieved 4 August 2012.
19. Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "REDPATH Norma". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
20. Australian Woman Biographical Entry- Sibree, Prudence Anne (1946 -) (accessed:12-06-2007)
21. "Jess Wilson - Candidate for Kew". vic.liberal.org.au. Retrieved 27 November 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Girls Sport Victoria