REWIND WITH…

You arrived at Grammar as an experienced teacher. Where did you teach prior?

After graduating with a Degree in Chemistry and a Diploma in Education from the University of Wales in the summer of 1963, I migrated to the US to fulfil my ambitions to travel and possibly teach.

After taking a variety of jobs, I was fortunate to be offered a teaching position at a Catholic high school for girls in San Francisco. While here, I particularly became aware of the importance of a strong leader in a school in establishing professional standards and a caring, happy environment, in which the girls could flourish.

I left San Francisco to travel to Australia in January 1966. Shortly after arriving in Sydney, the NSW Education Department quickly arranged a job for me at Chatswood High School, where I taught science until the end of 1967 and met my future wife, Rae. I was transferred to Pittwater High School at the beginning of 1968, but my stay there lasted only six months, for I had decided to return to the UK to tell my parents I would be settling in Australia. After applying unsuccessfully for leave without pay, I was compelled to resign from the public teaching system.

Fortuitously, Rae was involved in marking public examinations in English, and in this role had met David Lloyd, an English master at Sydney Grammar School. David advised me to introduce myself to the staff at Grammar and I did so in June 1968. After finding and speaking with the Science master, Mr Ray Holland, I was ushered up to the Headmaster’s Study, where I had an interesting and enjoyable talk with Headmaster Peter Houldsworth. Shortly afterwards I received the exciting news that a job awaited me at Grammar, commencing January 1969.

Pictured: The Junior Science labs in the early 1960s

What was the Science department like in 1969? Were there many specialist masters and laboratory resources when you arrived?

I was impressed with the scope of the teaching space – a dozen or so laboratories, numerous adjacent preparation rooms and a lecture theatre known as the Science Auditorium. This room was packed with masters and pupils on 21 July 1969 to witness Neil Armstrong take his first steps on the moon. While the facilities available in the senior laboratories were good, those utilised by junior classes were less impressive! While junior laboratories contained the necessary basic equipment, the furniture was unattractive, noisy when moved and contributed to an uninviting ambience.

For senior classes, the department was well served by the range, quality and quantity of resources available. However, while some of the facilities were less than perfect, it must be recognised that the School had raised and spent a great deal of money on the Science Building which opened in 1963. At the time it represented a major step forward in the provision of facilities designed for science education at Grammar.

Pictured: View of the newly extended Science building June 1963

7. Headmaster Alastair Mackerras and Mr Ray Holland.jpg

Senior classes were taught by some very experienced and knowledgeable masters. Mr Ray Holland, the Science Subject Master, was accomplished in chemistry and biology. Mr Ted Edwards was the senior biologist and keeper of the rats, while Mr Barry Newman and Mr Jim Bonnefin provided expertise in Physics. Geology was the domain of Mr Freddie Earle. The latter enjoyed a good reputation in this subject area but operated independently of the Science department.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the department was the cramped space devoted to the masters’ staff room. Most of the staff were huddled in a small space adjacent to a workshop and a laboratory which at times was the location of a rat breeding programme. At those times, many unappealing organic odours diffused into the staff room which detracted somewhat from the work at hand!

Pictured: Headmaster Alastair Mackerras and Head of Science Mr Ray Holland in 1988

In what ways have the Science department and science teaching changed in the time you have been associated with the School?

When I arrived in Sydney in 1966, secondary education was undergoing a major overhaul. Schools were busy implementing the new School Certificate and HSC courses. In this period of dramatic change, strong leadership was needed and at Grammar this was provided by two men in particular. Firstly, Science master Mr Ray Holland used his vast experience to select courses which best suited the needs of our boys. Secondly, Headmaster Mr Alastair Mackerras had a profound influence in establishing a happy and cooperative environment throughout the School. Alastair provided the opportunities and encouragement for every master to extend and refine their professional skills.

In the Science department, I was surprised to discover that sharing ideas, techniques and successful practical activities was not an established practice. Over the years, I worked hard to engender a team approach to teaching, which ultimately became standard practice.

The demands imposed by the new courses resulted in the employment of extra support staff and I cannot over emphasise the importance of their work, including that of the AV team. Mr Don Craig was appointed director of Audio-Visual Services in 1972, and Don and his staff made heroic efforts over many years to provide the boys with the best electronic educational programs available at the time.

Pictured: Mr Don Craig with AV department equipment and a member of the AV Club in the 1980s

Pictured: Mr Brian Jones (front row, second from left) and Mr Don Hinks (front row, fourth from left) with the SGS Athletics Senior Team of 1977

You’ve made a big contribution to the School’s athletics and cricket programmes. Have you always been passionate about these two sports?

I have always had a great interest in sport, especially rugby, cricket and athletics. I grew up in a small, isolated village atop a mountain in South Wales and to go anywhere, you had to walk, or in my case, run. I became proficient in running across country, which resulted in my captaining both the School and University of Wales Cross Country teams. Cricket was always a passion after I was taken to watch the famous West Indies team as a birthday present when I was ten years old!

In my early years at College Street, I always relished the opportunity of interacting with the boys on the spacious grounds at Weigall, after surviving a double period of practical work on a hot afternoon. While I had always loved participating in cricket and athletics, I had minimal experience in coaching and so was very fortunate to find myself working alongside the Sportsmaster, Mr Don Hinks. He was both an experienced administrator and an excellent instructor in the skills required for success in a range of sports. I was encouraged to gain formal qualifications as a coach in cricket and athletics, and subsequently gained satisfaction and much enjoyment in my efforts to make the boys better sportsmen. I was appointed Master-In-Charge of Athletics in 1971 and was able to help celebrate the centenary of Grammar athletics in 1973 by organising a Special Invitation Carnival for all GPS schools, which was held at Weigall over three days of August of that year.

Pictured: Brian running for University of Wales, early 1960s

12. Brian running for Uni of Wales, early 1960s.jpg

Your colleagues have often lauded you for your calmness and common sense in dealing with people. Were these qualities needed to be successful on the Common Room Committee and part of the Union Chapter?

I am unaware of the exact reasons why my colleagues encouraged me to represent them on a variety of committees but I would be surprised if it was my ‘calm disposition’! I believe the qualities which served me well in those representative roles include being a good listener and having a strong desire to advance the professional well-being of the staff. I accept that having ‘common sense’ is a rare and valuable quality in helping resolve disputes, but in my case, I suspect it was my training as a scientist which helped me mediate and resolve contentious issues. The scientist is required to ‘suspend judgement’ and collect all available evidence before deciding on a course of action – an approach which I readily adopted in my representative roles.

Pictured: A senior boy demonstrating the latest science equipment to Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies in 1963

13. Brian Jones with Mr Malcolm Binns in c. 2022.jpg

Pictured: Mr Brian Jones with Mr Malcolm Binns in 2022 at the Ex-Grammar Staff Luncheon

Finally, what have you been doing since retirement?

I have remained active in education and kept in touch with Grammar. I filled in at SCEGGS Darlinghurst for a term in 1999 and became Presiding Officer for the HSC at Grammar for a couple of years, as well as doing some relief teaching. I had the pleasure of helping many young people from schools on the North Shore with their HSC chemistry, as well as acting as mentor to new masters at College Street until 2014. Outside of education, my wife and I have travelled extensively and have regularly attended concerts, plays, ballet and opera in Sydney. My three young and interesting grandchildren continue to be a priority, so too does the weekly game of golf played with my former Grammar colleague Geoff Simmons, which helps keep the mind and body in a reasonably healthy condition.

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