From the Archives: Origin stories of our prizes and awards

The William Yabsley Prize for Mathematics

The William Yabsley Prize for Mathematics is awarded each Speech Day to a Form IV boy. The prize was established in 1947 by the estate of Ms Louise Jane Yabsley, whose brothers attended Grammar at the end of the 19th century. The prize is named for their grandfather, the pastoralist and shipwright William Yabsley.

Yabsley was born in the port city of Plymouth in 1812, spending his youth working in the fields and the dockyards. In February 1837, Yabsley enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Carpenter’s Mate and joined the crew of the HMS Beagle for its third expedition; only a year earlier, the second expedition of the Beagle had sailed along the coast of South America and across the Pacific Ocean with a twenty-two-year-old Charles Darwin onboard.

The Beagle arrived in Sydney in August 1838 after a year spent surveying the western and northern coastlines of Australia. We can assume that was enough time in the navy for Yabsley as he deserted his post and fled the ship when it docked in Sydney. Boarding the John to sail north to the Clarence River, Yabsley had his first documented (but certainly not his last) brush with danger on the water, as the boat capsized and he had to swim to safety.

Pictured: Arthur Yabsley (OS 1881), grandson of William Yabsley. Credit: Sydney Grammar School Archives

Jack Rich Memorial Prizes

The Jack Rich Memorial Prize was established in 1915 by Rich’s father The Right Honourable Sir George Rich (OS 1880) to award general proficiency amongst boys. From 1975, it has been awarded annually at Speech Day to the Dux of the Third and Fifth Forms.

The prize was established in memory of Lieutenant John Stanser Rich (OS 1913), who was killed in action on 17 May 1915. He was only nineteen years old. During the Battle of Festubert, Rich participated in the capture of a trench and 200 German men. The following day, his company attempted to gain further ground but were forced to fall back. Rich was shot while supervising his platoon’s retreat and waiting for the last of his men to find cover from machine gun fire. It was recorded that:

“Rich worked with utmost coolness and gallantry covering the retirement of the companies … If the boy had been selfish enough to think of himself only he could have taken cover at once and been comparatively safe, instead of which he remained in the open until his last man was in.”

Rich was amongst the first two dozen Old Sydneians who were killed in the War, and as he had graduated from Grammar less than two years before, his death came as a shock to his schoolmates. In the June 1915 issue of The Sydneian, the editors wrote:

“Among the recent Old Boys and present senior boys of the school his death caused great astonishment and grief. It is hard to realise that this splendid schoolmate has gone forever.”

Letters sent to his father Sir George Rich following Jack’s passing reference his bravery, kindness, and cheery demeanour, all of which served to make him popular amongst the men, just as he was no doubt popular amongst the boys at Grammar. Ultimately, 334 Old Sydneians would die during the First World War. Their names are preserved on the central panel of the Honour Board in Big School.

Pictured: John Stanser ‘Jack’ Rich (OS 1913). Credit: Australian War Museum and Imperial War Museum