REWIND WITH...

Pictured: Geoff Simmons and Mick Souter met at the School of Artillery 1966

What made you want to become a teacher in the first place?

The awarding of a teacher’s scholarship after the Leaving Certificate pointed me in that direction. Time spent as an army physical training instructor during National Service saw me lean towards Physical Education.

When did you start teaching at Grammar and what were your first impressions of the School?

I started in Term I, 1968 with Peter Houldsworth as Headmaster. It was a cramped inner-city school with buildings surrounding an asphalt playground. The School was very much in need of a makeover, especially the old Palladium building. Big School, however, was different and I found it very impressive. There was only one female member of staff (Clair Barlow in the Music department) and the average age of the staff was much older than it is today.

What was it like working under Headmaster Mackerras?

What are your memories from this time? The appointment of Alastair Mackerras was an overwhelming success! Although he was not a fan of rugby and the hype surrounding GPS sport, he appreciated the importance of boys playing sport and doing exercise. He was largely responsible for the internal sports programme that was introduced in 1984. He appointed myself Head of Physical Education in 1977 and Sportsmaster in 1985.

There were so many great memories from those times. There were the Friday afternoon jogs around Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and the Sydney Opera House with the Stanley Street Shufflers, namely my colleagues John Duffy, Tony Wood, Bill Ledlie, Brian Jones, Phil Doherty, Peter Switzer and Mick Souter. We also participated in many City to Surf events as well as a Sydney half-marathon. During one of those events, a press helicopter was forced to land on the 100-metre track at Weigall. And speaking of Weigall, I was on my way there one Saturday morning at the corner of Yurong and William Streets when I was hit by a driver running a red light. Fortunately, I wasn’t badly injured and discharged the same day from hospital.

Pictured: 'Sydney Grammar Battles the Philistines' article inGood Weekend April 1985

What were the positive changes that were implemented under Dr Ralph Townsend, and what new roles did you take on during this time?

Dr Townsend commenced as Headmaster at the start of Term III, 1989. I was on a teaching exchange in Chicago in 1989 so I didn’t meet him until the commencement of 1990. I was, however, kept informed of happenings at the School during that time by Mick Souter who was acting Sportsmaster.

Dr Townsend was responsible for a number of positive changes. He introduced the House system of pastoral care, which was well and truly overdue. He improved many of the physical conditions for the staff, including a new common room, staff workstations, senior staff offices and a dining room. He also introduced a vastly improved salary scale along with further promotion positions. There were, however, some hiccups with some staff leaving during his tenure.

In terms of my changing roles, I stood down from the position of Sportsmaster after 12 years in 1996. I filled in as Acting Housemaster of MBC (Mr MB Coady’s) House in 1997, the same year that I was appointed Registrar. It was also the year that I was appointed Secretary of the AAGPS.

Pictured: Basketball action c. 1970s

Pictured: Walking the Kokoda Track

And your last few years at Grammar were under Dr John Vallance...

John took over as Headmaster in Term III, 1999. He had previously been Head of Classics. At the beginning of 2000, he approached me to oversee a Community Service initiative for boys in Form V as part of the tutorial programme. I thought this was a very worthwhile challenge as I believed this to be one aspect of Grammar’s extracurricular offerings that was sadly lacking. I thought it important that the boys were exposed to a side of life that they might not necessarily see in their day-to-day comings and goings. Consequently, it was great to see the boys assisting in the dining room at the Matthew Talbot Hostel in Woolloomooloo, mentoring children at Plunkett Street Primary School, and providing assistance at the Salvation Army headquarters in Redfern and the Vincentian Aged Care Village nearby. The Matthew Talbot component continued as an after-school offering until 2015, with some boys even volunteering after leaving College Street. I completed 20 years there in 2020 at the start of the pandemic.

Another important event occurred in 2003 when Mick Souter and I organised the first of the Grammar Kokoda treks. It was significant for both of us on a personal level in that we had served in the army during National Service and both our fathers had fought in Papua New Guinea during WWII. The 2003 expedition was well supported by parents and boys and has been ever since with groups undertaking the trek every other year.

You were largely responsible for Grammar adopting basketball as a sport. You coached the Firsts team for twenty years. What are your basketball memories?

The popularity explosion of basketball (and soccer) in the early 1970s made it impossible to accommodate all who wished to play. The lack of courts (and soccer fields) and coaches with expertise created many problems. Our early games were played at Alexandria Stadium. Gradually, we had backboards installed on the Middle and Lower Playgrounds. Basketball was recognised as an official GPS sport in 1975 with annual fixtures for First and Second Combined GPS teams playing CAS teams. Today, on any given Saturday, all GPS and CAS schools are fielding between 40 and 50 teams. Standards have improved out of sight.

During my time at Grammar, 1988 was a standout year, with the Rowan Gillies-led team finishing the GPS season as champions. It was also the year that Ralph Imberger coached the First XI to win GPS premiership honours. The 1993 team, led by Ben Farnsworth, earned a gallant second place after losing narrowly to St Joseph’s College in the opening round and winning all six after that. I still attend the occasional Firsts game and follow all GPS sports results on the AAGPS website.

Pictured: SGS Basketball Firsts 1973

Pictured: Rugby match at the Sydney Cricket Ground 1985

You were also closely involved in rugby...

In our latter years at Grammar, Mick Souter and I looked after the Third and Fourth XV teams and they attracted a very willing troop of players. Wins were infrequent but the opposition remembered their encounter!

One memorable First XV game was the opening round of the 1985 GPS competition against Riverview, which was a curtain-raiser to a Test at the SCG. It just so happened that on that very same day an article on Grammar, and particularly Headmaster Mackerras, came out in the Good Weekend about him being academically elitist and anti-sport. Given his discomfort with rugby, I think he would have had a wry smile on his face as the victorious Grammar XV left the field to the cheers of the vocal supporters.

Pictured: Community Service at Plunkett Street Primary School

You also had a lot to do with the Athletic Association of the GPS (AAGPS).

Yes, I was involved in different roles from 1977–2010, including Convenor of GPS Basketball, the inaugural President of NSW Schools Basketball and Co-Convenor of AAGPS Athletics.

Overall, what were your highlights at College Street?

My main highlight was having the privilege of spending 37 years at such a wonderful school and meeting and working with so many wonderful people and in the process making many lifelong friends. I also enjoyed being given the opportunity to involve myself in so many fields of endeavour.

Finally, what have you been doing since your retirement in 2004 and what lies ahead for you?

After retiring, my wife Lynne and I travelled the world with Mick and Michele Souter, undertaking many long distance walks such as Milford Track, Camino de Santiago, the Great Wall of China and Coast to Coast in the UK. These days, I serve on various committees, play golf with Brian Jones, and spend a lot of my time with family including seven grandchildren.