From the Archives: Origin stories of our prizes and awards
School Archivist Dr Madeline Bowers explores the history behind two Speech Day prizes: The EW Bonwick Prize and the William Shepheard Laidley Prize.
The EW Bonwick Prize for Historical Investigation
The EW Bonwick Prize is awarded annually on Speech Day in recognition of a Form VI history essay. The prize was established in 1969 by former pupils of Edwin Walter Bonwick to honour their late friend, who was a master of History, Geography, and Economics from 1916 until 1943, at which point he retired due to poor health.
The prize’s emphasis on investigation reflects Bonwick’s own experiences and values. Prior to joining the School, he had an extensive career, notably including service as a combatant in WWI, as a mining engineer, and as a regional industrial investigator. He was appointed to this latter role by the British Prime Minister Lloyd George to investigate working conditions in England as part of his social reform programme. Bonwick’s work as a mining engineer took him around the world – including a two-year journey on foot across Africa from east to west – culminating in his involvement in the Great Chaffinch Affair.
In 1911, Bonwick was arrested for his part in publicly exposing that the Great Chaffinch Company, owners of the Bullfinch Mine in Western Australia, had fraudulently claimed that they had discovered gold. Bonwick was arrested in Sydney and charged with conspiracy to devalue market shares in the company; however, the case against him collapsed as further testing soon demonstrated that the mine contained no gold at all.
Yet, despite his extensive career, Bonwick valued his time at the School the most. In a letter penned to the School Trustees in 1944 after his retirement, he wrote:
“I shall treasure your letter as a most happy ending to what, in my opinion, has been my life’s work. What I did before joining Grammar is very dim and unimportant. The School has been everything to me and I am not ashamed to admit that (I think for the first time in my life) I wept when I had to resign.”
Pictured: EW Bonwick in an undated photograph, likely taken between 1930 and 1940. Credit: Sydney Grammar School Archives Collection
Pictured in header: EW Bonwick (back row, centre) at the 1924 rowing camp. He served as rowing master from 1924 to 1925. Credit: Sydney Grammar School Archives Collection
Although the prize was only established posthumously, it seems clear that Bonwick would have greatly appreciated the sentiment from his pupils, the memorialisation of his name, and the promotion of an investigative spirit for generations of boys to come. In his memoirs, Headmaster FG Phillips noted Bonwick’s “vigorous and original mind” and how he encouraged the boys to think critically in all matters, imparting such valuable advice as “Listen; don’t be too anxious to talk” and “You can’t criticise till you know the facts”. In establishing the prize, Bonwick’s former pupils decided to reward an essay that demonstrated “critical and analytical ability” and “literary style in the handling of historical studies” in honour of their late master.
Pictured: EW Bonwick (front row, fourth from left) with Fifth form boys in 1938. Credit: Sydney Grammar School Archives Collection
The William Shepheard Laidley Prize for English Essay
The William Shepheard Laidley Prize was established in 1919 to honour the late Captain William Shepheard Laidley MC, an Old Sydneian and fallen First World War soldier. The Prize is awarded annually on Speech Day to the top Form VI boy in the English Extension examinations.
Pictured: The 1902 First IV boat with their premier trophy. WS Laidley is seated on the floor in the foreground. Credit: Sydney Grammar School Archives Collection
Pictured: The poem discussing potential coxswains for the 1902 IV boat, published inThe Sydneian in March 1902. Credit: “Outrigger”; Sydney Grammar School Archives Collection
WS Laidley was born on 3 November 1886, joining Grammar in 1901 at fourteen years old. He attended the School until 1905. At the turn of the century, boys’ examination results were published in each edition of The Sydneian, showing that he excelled in modern languages. However, Laidley’s biggest impact on the School at the time was his role as coxswain in the First IV boat that won the 1902 Head of the River Regatta, Grammar’s first win since 1894. The decision of who was to cox the boat was between Laidley and two boys from the Lower School. This choice was set down in a charming verse in the March 1902 edition of The Sydneian.
Laidley will perhaps have a turn,
He’ll find it quite easy to learn;
But as soon as he trains,
He must lighten his brains,
Or he’ll sink the boat down by the stern.
After graduating from Grammar, Laidley joined the Colonial Sugar Refining Company as a chemist. Coincidentally, the CSR Company was founded by School Trustee Sir Edward Knox, another Speech Day Prize honouree. The origins of the Senior and Junior Knox Prizes have previously been explored in the Autumn 2024 issue of this magazine. Following his work at CSR, Laidley joined his father’s company William Laidley and Co., Ltd. as a merchant.
Like many young men, Laidley enlisted in 1915, joining the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). By 1918, he had been promoted to Captain of the 1st Battery unit of the 1st Australian Field Artillery. The AIF artillery batteries were equipped with eighteen-pound field guns, howitzers, and mortars to wound enemy troops, damage their equipment, and devastate the battlefield. As such, they were inevitably the targets of non-stop enemy fire themselves. On 21 August 1918, Laidley was wounded by shrapnel while in action at the village of Proyart in the Somme Valley. He died the next day on the operating table at just 32 years old, and was buried that same day at the Military Cemetery at Daours.
Over 2,000 Old Sydneians enlisted in the First World War, the most graduates of any school in Australia. Laidley was one of 334 OS men that never returned home. Today, these fallen soldiers are memorialised on the middle panel of the Honour Board in Big School. Ten of these men were further honoured with Speech Day prizes, including the William Shepheard Laidley Prize.
Pictured: An illustration honouring Old Sydneians enlisted in the First World War, published inThe Sydneian December 1917. Credit: Unknown artist; Sydney Grammar School Archives Collection
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