Snowy Mountains Grammar School - The Founding from 1995

Snowy Mountains Grammar School

Origins.

As described elsewhere on this site, from 1982 Curriculum Camps developed within the co-curriculum of SCECGS Redlands. The design was based upon concepts of ‘experiential education’, supplementing the classroom based school experience. In the period to 2003 at the school experiential education was embedded in each annual calendar, eventually encompassing Kindergarten (Margaret Roberts Preparatory School) to Form 11 and where needed, Form 12.

During 1980s Heads of Schools in Australia started to focus on experiential education as a natural adjunct element of all education, particularly adding to the urban child’s school years, to each child’s knowledge of the world and of self. Originally the SCECGS Redlands ‘curriculum camps, were exactly that: developed by Form Teachers in age appropriate models, supervised and ‘staffed’ by Staff members of the school. The responsiveness of teachers, across the entire school, to requests for their being away from home and work for up to a week was in itself a superlative feature of professionalism. Curriculum camps went to sites across New South Wales, but particularly to Yarrahapinni Centre, south of Coffs Harbour, and to the Colo River centres near Sydney itself.

Owing to the easy communication between Heads of Schools in the 1980s and 1990s, organisations such as the Outdoor Education Group were established, eventually centred on Victoria but engaged from time to time by Redlands to bring special expertise to bear on the annual camps. The academic staff, the teachers at Redlands however always remained involved and essentially responsible for the integration of the camps into learning overall and for encouraging the different association of teacher and pupil characteristic of being ‘outdoors’ continuing to the advantage of both, in the classroom.

By the end of the 1980s, experiential education in many models including the Adventure Programme for students with ‘behaviour issues’ at school had become a usual part of each school year. Consequently a move towards having the High Country Campus established was initiated and is described elsewhere on this website. At Round Hill near Jindabyne, a parcel of land was purchased and residential structures provided, programmes developed, first camps conducted.

Central to the philosophy of curriculum camps and then the High Country Campus was recognition of the value of difference in any learning method. More important was recognition of the life-long values to be absorbed by young learners through their being in a rural environment, a mountainous environment, an environment with defined four seasons. The Snowy Mountains region in southern New South Wales provided all this and more. It is also a manageable drive from Sydney, making the logistics of curriculum camps more consistent, effective, smooth year on year. Commentary on the High Country initiatives of SCECGS Redlands is provided elsewhere on this website.

Presence and economic impact brought by Redlands’ students in Jindabyne and surrounds were not missed by the local residents in the mountains, with the result that discussions occurred about the possibility of Redlands’ being involved somehow in establishing a new school in Jindabyne. An initial ‘cup of tea’ was taken at the invitation of the late Karl Brunner who managed Lake Crackenback apartments; Garry Huggett, solicitor; Kevin Blyton, radio station proprietor and Bruce Marshall, Jindabyne businessman.

A ‘local HSC school’ was said to be a long-held aim of the local community; the State governments had refused time and again. A key reason to keep pressing for local schooling, it was explained, was winter travel for young people having to go to Cooma High School for their final two years.

The SCECGS Redlands Board accepted an initial approach and authorised discussions to continue. In retrospect this captures the central character of that Board over the 1980s and 1990s; every Redlands’ child and his or her family mattered; the best that could be provided for each should be provided; the classroom alone with a smattering of clubs and sport did not provide ‘the best’; a wider, more generous researched ‘vision’ of education was always welcome at the Board table. The result was that once SCECGS Redlands’ reconstruction was well underway and the ‘new life’ of the school secured, the ‘sunlit uplands’ of education, sourced globally, became the welcome far horizon. The times were optimistic, work delivered results.

By 1994, relationships between Jindabyne township and SCECGS Redlands had become warm, almost collegial. Those who had held initial discussions (above) connected with the most senior Snowy Hydro officer, the late Murray Jackson, and others to discuss options. The right steps were taken to ensure Registration and Accreditation by State authorities. Plans for physical resources developed. Negative guidance by others –“the minimum size for a school to commence is 40 students” – was set aside. Snowy Mountains Grammar School, a place for liberal education in the finest grammar school tradition, was founded.

Then Chairman of SCECGS Redlands Ltd. And SCECGS Redlands, John H A Lang OAM., recollects here:

“…The movement upward (of enrolments and school strength) was even stronger in the Nineties and in 1989/90 an additional second campus, which we were fortunate to find within less than a kilometre from our present Military Road Campus, was acquired. (The Cremorne Campus, formerly Cremorne Girls’ High School, originally Neutral Bay Girls’ Intermediate High School 1927.). So our student numbers grew, moving up by 2.5 times of our pre-purchase school numbers – and it all enjoyed a strong potential to keep climbing towards three times our earlier numbers.

The second campus aided that programme, also providing a suitable location to commence our long-desired pre-school operation, incorporating yet another important segment of our desired Operations. This could also be later emulated in other sections of our community.

These interesting contributions also demonstrated the CORPORATE POWER of OUR PARENT GROUP, as was shown by Mr. Robert Dunnet’s assistance in the acquisition of the second Cremorne Campus site in 1989/90, an asset costing almost SIXTEEN MILLION DOLLARS. This enabled us to broaden our horizons, and again highlighted other needed future planned developments.

Around the time of this second acquisition another parent Mr. Andrew Buttfield advised the Headmaster that he had just learned the new Calvary Hospital (Woden Valley) ACT had been completed and their existing demountable wards were available for immediate sale and transfer. The Headmaster was asked to investigate if purchase possibilities existed, and his inquiries together with Mr. Buttfield’s data suggested two possible items could be of assistance to Redlands school. Since Redlands was operating a ‘year round Retreat’ possibility of country visits for our Sydney students to be established near Jindabyne, using many of the hospital buildings, and secondly we could use some of the demountable buildings at the new campus in Jindabyne – the site of Snowy Mountains Grammar School. Demountable buildings had been used to good effect on the new Cremorne Campus to house growing student numbers: the effect in Jindabyne would be as pleasing to all who worked to nurture development of all the schools.

The SCECGS Redlands Board had taken a “DARING” decision to visit Jindabyne in Country NSW in the Snowy Mountains, some 500 kms away, to assess the request for assistance to the community there whilst evaluating merit from SCECGS Redlands’ point of view. The Board hired two small aircraft and encouraged Director Dr Kim Edwards to help with his own aircraft. The Board and Headmaster flew to Jindabyne/Cooma to make a truly quick on-site visit to the area and see any other potentially useful sites nearby. The Board took out insurance coverage of $30 million for the Saturday journey, against risk to Board members. Thank goodness it was not used.

The Directors and Headmaster landed at Cooma. We all tramped over a number of sites including some already in operation for the same sort of activity Redlands was considering and especially the available vacant site for our potential SCHOOL RETREAT CENTRE. Upon return to Sydney that same evening of the day we had flown down, I believe the Board had a verbal approval in their minds and were indeed quite excited by the visit. The time afterwards was used to wait for costings to be developed and considered, a policy decision to be proposed and agreed, needed finance options, all hopefully to be considered over the next several Board meetings.

Obviously this was a proposed major cost that had to be added in to our Financial Plan. It had to be assessed as to whether the benefits outweighed the obvious costs which would be inserted into the overall Business Plan.

Under consideration was the fact that the development would provide us firstly with many more teaching accommodation spaces at Cremorne, with the benefit of ‘increased student population’ in Sydney.

The second major benefit proved to be the permanently located in the Snowy Mountains region for a Redlands Retreat Centre for students to be cycled through residential retreat visits throughout the year, especially in the snowy months of winter.

A third option was even offered. That was – for students of Redlands and other schools who were training for snow sports and the Olympics – to rent space within our complex on site.

A most positive decision was “immediately forthcoming” and so we acquired the many buildings from the Calvary Hospital, shipping many to the two campuses in the Jindabyne area – the Round Hill Jindabyne ‘High Country

Campus’ site and the newly leased site at the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority vacant headquarters.

Then another item of Parent Power arose. Mr and Mrs Doug Olding, Sydney parents elected to become the ‘House Parents’ of the Round Hill facility (HCC), which they undertook willingly. Mr Andy Buttfield continued his connection to the major projects by being the engineer on site to supervise and work on the installation of the demountables.

These projects all were considered, discussed, planned and then constructed in the period from 1991 to 1996. The Round Hill High Country Campus started to be used regularly, linked to the Curriculum Camps but also to the ‘Adventure Course’ for children needing ‘time out’ from school and sometimes home pressures. The latter led to some memorable challenges – including a group of boys rebelling against their Tutors – and rushing into areas which were forbidden because they were catchment for the Hydro-Electric scheme. On that occasion the authorities reacted by switching ‘off’ the East Coast grid supply until the boys emerged. A brief time but serious; however the authorities were superb in their understanding of the boys and their development as ‘difficult’ teenagers.

Two further stages of the Jindabyne complexes were also programmed from Sydney for the education needs for Sydney students ‘on retreat’; exchange programmes between the new Snowy Mountains Grammar School were developed, adding to the utility from SCECGS Redlands’ standpoint, alongside continued teaching by internet/distance for all the students from Sydney and their counterparts from the Mountains region. This was a magical period of integrating physical facilities with the new technology of on-line tuition.

I can even now remember that each month the Headmaster and I attended the Jindabyne Campus, flying from Sydney on a very early morning flight to Cooma, then motoring to Jindabyne for a 9 a.m. start. Coincidentally a one hour ‘window’ morning and evening on each of those days, whilst travelling, provided positive hours of planning consultations on Redlands’ overall operations. Among the many memories of that time is the knowledge that local education facilities in Jindabyne emerged around 1884 and so Redlands’ attachments in this new era was complementary.

Where is “SMGS” to start? We set a target of 70 or more students to be billeted at our Retreat Centre at Round Hill, and then added to it the desire to attract perhaps another 25 students locally to be ‘launched’ as Snowy Mountains Grammar School (SMGS). For over two to three months we advertised but nothing works as well as demonstration and so we took the decision at Board level that finally we would start with just 15 SMGS students, supplemented by Redlands’ students, setting out to form a ‘Grade 1 to 12’ school and then grow it from there. We persuaded three local Directors to ‘come on board’, with the Headmaster and myself and visiting Redlands’ Directors.

All were local businessmen of Jindabyne – lawyer, radio station proprietor, and a Department store owner. The decision to commence a Redlands; associated school with its Anglican tradition and education standards was well received; it would not be large school, perhaps, but rather it would be a school that provided centralised boarding facilities for country families with the Southern NSW region, and a school for children who families wished them to be educated outside the boundaries of State schools regrettably limited by the location regional country areas. SMGS has grown to welcome some 250 students each year, in 2020 all ‘local’ students. Originally the teaching facilities were supplemented by on-line lessons from SCECGS Redlands – for instance in Latin – and by Staffing from Redlands.

Then yet another factor unexpectedly arose in Jindabyne. The regional Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme headquartered in Cooma – with its wonderful business operations spread throughout the region and across New South Wales – had a major depot in Jindabyne. When it reduced its operations in Jindabyne, the Authority agreed to sell the site to SCECGS Redlands/SMGS. Eventually the school enjoyed owning a 40 acre site, a philanthropic gift from an SMGS parent, adding 32 acres to the original 8 of the Authority site. This was a joyful outcome, providing SMGS with an exceptional Campus but also with some capital base for future benefit.

SMGS was of course situated in the Diocese of Canberra-Goulburn; a warm relationship was generated with the Bishop and the local Anglican Church of Australia, based in Canberra.

Initially SMGS was a satellite school of SCECGS Redlands, supplemented in its curriculum and staffing by Redlands, but subsequently disengaged from Redlands to be independent, with its own Directors and complete identity.

In 2000 I retired as the SMGS Chairman. I also retired from the Chairmanship of Redlands. In retrospect it gives me great joy to observe our ‘Retreat Centre”, the High Country Campus, had led us to assist greatly in the formation of a new

Independent School in the Snowy Mountains. It was a masterful contribution and an achievement gifting much to our fellow Australia, fostered by being

based in the Anglican Diocese and in the Snow Mountains. Thanks to Redlands “it too became another FAMILY ANGLICAN SCHOOL”.

JHA Lang OAM

September 2020.”

As SMGS grew in the immediate years after its foundation, many parents of both schools welcomed mutual exchange programmes. Memorable among many anecdotes of the time was the comment by some SMGS children, when asked why they were crowding to the windows of the bus bringing them to their exchange families in northern Sydney, “ we want to see the prostitutes that gather along the streets”. It was obviously essential for them educationally to know Sydney and how it differed markedly from that.

Powerfully emerging at Redlands itself, perhaps inevitably, was a recognition of the intrinsic value of the Mountains, their meaning, and the winter experience for children – including ski sports. Winter Olympics (established in France 1924, separated in four year cycle from the Olympics themselves in 1992) had started to be part of the Australian sports’ ‘panoply’ in 1936. A first Australian Medal was won in 1994. Given the awareness emerging in the early 1990s, and Medal results at the Winter Olympics the school community provided ready support to sustain formal links of SCECGS Redlands to the ‘High Country” and all the latter had to offer by way of recreation, education, training, differences and especially challenges for the young.

Winter School commenced at the High Country Campus, as John Lang notes (above) bringing boarding life to Redlands’ students in Senior School, in the winter setting, with Ski Instruction in the morning and late afternoon, school lessons and studies throughout the remainder of each day. Timetables were adjusted for weather. Visiting students from as far away as Perth were welcomed to Winter School. It all gained rapid acceptance, despite the costs associated with it and the necessary additional tuition fees being charged.

Vital to it all was the founding, existence, operation and normal school life operating at Snowy Mountains Grammar School. Experienced professional skills were provided by the leaders and staff of SMGS in alliance with the staff and residential ‘house mothers’ of Winter School. Inevitable difficulties arose from time to time with the social interaction of children from both places. The development, welcome and effect of both SMGS and Winter School, continuing in 2020, remains testament to major contributions of many people of that time.

From the keen interest of parents and staff of both also emerged the Redlands’ Cup skiing competition (parallel and snowboard alike), still a ‘fixture’ in the annual ski season in the Snowy Mountains. Both SMGS and Winter School, created by the underlying philosophy of ‘advanced, nuanced contemporary education’ in part to be provided by a ‘bridge’ between Sydney and the High Country of New South Wales, continue to serve as planned.

Influences.

Other commentary on this website explains influences brought to bear from 1973 onwards to shape SCECGS Redlands differently from any other school of the time, nationally and internationally. The ‘design’ and ‘methods’ are set out elsewhere.

However the nexus between Snowy Mountains Grammar School and SCECGS Redlands should be understood as caused by a particular philosophy, explained in The Redlands Years elsewhere on this website. Examples such as Timbertop within Geelong Grammar School (1953), Gordonstoun School Scotland (1934), The Duke of Edinburgh Award UK (1956) and other known programmes such as those in Utah USA, are now and were then acknowledged.

However the broad scope of the High Country Campus, followed by SMGS, then by Winter School is a key difference.

At a geographical level, children of a vast Australian ‘dry’ continent, relatively sparsely populated, affected by tropical influences, need to have experience of ‘four seasons’ (see above) such that High Country of the Snowy Mountains allow. The integrated need is physical governed by the intellectual and, perhaps primarily, emotional. The beauty of difference, the intake of sharp cold air. Meaning.

More exactly intellectual influences such as the Enlightenment and then Romantic poets’ and essayists’ views informed the ideal and idea of the High Country as part of the education of each student at Redlands, notably across a number of schooling years with a ‘longitudinal’ experience plan, blended and built learning, insight and appreciation year upon year. Whereas Timbertop for instance is reportedly focused on Year 9, the Redlands’ footsteps in the High Country were always from Kindergarten to Year 11 and were helpful to Year 12.

Moreover by such aggregated learning and refined feeling across a school life, the positive education impact will be more likely to grow well. Even for some students whose circumstances proved to be emotionally extreme, the exciting though ordered life in the context of combined delicate natural beauty and harsh realities of the mountains, was demonstrably helpful. Should development have continued to permit wider provision and residential timetable centred on existing facilities – SMGS and the High Country Campus – many more may have been helped.

It is understood that SMGS was separated from SCECGS Redlands in the first decade of the 21st century, operating in 2020 as it does under its own Constitution.

Those many of us who were originally involved in the commencement of all of SMGS, HCC and Winter School in context of the centre of our work of those many years expect that the philosophy, practice, altruism and those acute differences which motivated us all have not been lost.

And if lost, will be found again.

Your attention is drawn to additional material on this website provided by Stuart Walker, sometime Headmaster SMGS, and Andy Buttfield, former parent SCECGS Redlands and volunteer engineer High Country Campus and SMGS.

Peter J Cornish

September 2020.