Back to the 80s

From the moment we saw the old box television set and heard the familiar beats of Wham! playing on the boombox, many of us were transported right back to 1989. It was a delight to see students embrace the catchy tunes previously unknown to them and immerse themselves in a time before technology dominated our lives. SGCS brought Back to the 80s (written by Neil Gooding) to the stage at the Pavilion Performing Arts Centre at Sutherland from 22 to 24 October, 2025. The musical celebrated the days when CDs were emerging as the latest innovation in the music scene, and fashion was all hot pink taffeta, faded denim, and leg warmers. The well crafted videos on the big screen enhanced the lively stage performances, adding an extra dimension to the show which left the audience vacillating between applause and laughter. We hope you enjoyed the special Star Wars-inspired cameo appearances of several staff members including Mr Honor, Mr Collyer and, of course, Miss Molly Campbell.

The superb cast played their roles with authenticity and energy. Many of us could relate to the struggles of Corey Palmer Jnr (played by Chris T) and recognise the antics of the popular kid, Michael Feldman (played by Leonidas L). The heartbreak and lessons learnt by Tiffany Houston (played by Isabella M) and Eileen Reagan (played by Jess S) were also very real. Feargal McFerrin III (played by James H) captured many hearts and the cheers rang out when he finally took on Michael and had his moment of triumph. Feargal illustrated that it is often the unexpected people at school who find the most success. Corey Palmer’s character exemplified that life doesn’t always go to plan but when we look back we see how precious and wonderful it is.

The journey back to the 80s was a collaborative effort. Director, Jaala McDonell, did a remarkable job despite confessing to not being born in the 80s. Stage Manager, Tayla Lugo, drew from her experience of starring in the production as a student herself. Bryan Lugo was excellent as Corey Palmer Snr, and Musical Director, Amy Canning, led the accomplished band to new heights. Producer, Laura Richardson, empowered and encouraged the cast, and Choreographer, Claire Deck, brought the epic 80s dance numbers back to life. Jessica Cooper and Nicole Finch orchestrated the inclusion of Junior School students, and the Creative Arts Faculty and Property team did a mighty job creating props. Last, but certainly not least, we congratulate the talented cast who stepped out courageously in their bold colours and big hair shining brightly in their performances in acting, singing and dancing, inspiring us and creating an outpouring of nostalgia and joy in the audience. Congratulations to each and every one involved in this Musical and a heartfelt thanks to the wider team and our School families who helped to bring it all together. You certainly left us Walking on Sunshine and agreeing wholeheartedly that we had The Time of our Lives!

GALLIPOLI CENTENARY TOUR UNIFORM
Object: Gallipoli Centenary Tour Uniform

SGCS has been involved in many community events during its 40-year history. One of the more prominent events was the Gallipoli Centenary Tour.

In 2015, four SGCS students along with SGCS History Teacher, Mr Scott Wimble, formed part of the Gallipoli Centenary Tour Team. Mr Wimble and our students, travelled to Gallipoli, Turkey, to mark the 100th Anniversary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli.

The Gallipoli Centenary Tour Team, funded by the NSW Government, enabled 100 students and 28 supervising teachers to attend the official Anzac Day commemorative services at Gallipoli in 2015. The SGCS party was joined by students, across Australia, descendants of those who served at Gallipoli, Australian First World War widows and people who were successful in the national ballot.

The Gallipoli Centenary Tour had a lasting impact on our students and staff.

Ben Meller said of the Tour:
“The emotions you feel standing there, where the ANZACs stood 100 years ago; with the beach 20 meters behind and the cliffs 200 meters in front; imaging the gunfire and devastation; was an indescribable experience”.

The SGCS Gallipoli Centenary Tour Team included:
Mr Scott Wimble, SGCS History Head of Department
Josephine Anugerah (Year 11, 2015)
Lucinda Benn (Year 12, 2015)
Peter Binns (Year 12, 2015)
Ben Meller (Year 10, 2015)

The polo shirt is the official uniform for the Gallipoli Centenary Tour Team. Every teacher and student received a uniform of two polo shirts and two pairs of pants. The polo shirt features the NSW Government Logo alongside the official Australian Gallipoli Centenary logo. The latter sees a male digger forming the number 100.

Mr Wimble said:
"This uniform was to wear ‘only on certain days when there was going to be a media presence’. This was to ensure that the group looked homogenous and on particularly busy days, so that students who became lost in the crowd could be easily spotted by anyone looking for them. We ended up wearing the uniform much more than expected. There were many nights involving frantic washing in the hotel bathroom and drying overnight”.

Mr Wimble outlined the lasting impact of the Gallipoli Centenary Tour on his teaching:
“The trip really opened my eyes to the need for Geography to be emphasised in teaching History. After teaching about Gallipoli for over a decade, the ability to go there, and see and experience the landscape myself, made everything seem so much more real. The mind is only able to imagine so much. Since the Gallipoli Centenary Tour, I’ve made sure that when I’m teaching about Gallipoli, I spend more time immersing the students in the world that they are learning about.”

SGCS LIBRARY
Object: Wood, J. G. Rev., Boy's own book of natural history. Melbourne : George Robertson & Co., [189-?] vi, 378 p., [1] leaf of plate : ill. (some col.); 20 cm.

Our Library is at the very heart of SGCS, providing a wealth of information and reading resources, literacy classes, a space for study, meetings and time for fun. The Library also serves as an important place of sanctuary for students and staff. The welcoming Library staff are always willing to give their time to others.

Over the past 40 years, under the leadership of five Teacher-Librarians, and with the support of several Library Assistants and a dedicated team of volunteers, the SGCS Library has embraced technologies moving from card catalogue and microfiche to digital technologies for Library management and learning. There have been several long-standing Library Staff members including Mrs Jennifer Fryer, Library Assistant (1988-2014), Alison Brown, Infants Teacher-Librarian (2001-2015), Mrs Barbara Wilson, Teacher-Librarian (1994-2012), and Mrs Barbara Orrock, Teacher Librarian (2013- present).

The SGCS Library was originally housed in a timber structure that extended from the rear of the Chapel. In 1988, the Library moved into a small demountable located adjacent to the Chapel, on the Church Lane side. In 1992, the Library relocated to its permanent home as part of the Stage III Building program. 2011 saw the Library refurbished and extended with additional rooms and spaces, like the Bay Room which has grown to be a much-loved place for students and the wider SGCS community.

Our Infants School maintained a dedicated Library, linking to the main SGCS Library. Prior to the development of the Sans Souci Campus in 2017 and the construction of a new Infants Library, the Library was situated in the former church manse.

This book, Boy’s Own Book of Natural History, is the oldest book in the SGCS Library. The book was donated to the SGCS Library by Frank Grayhurst on 8 August, 1986. Frank originally received it as a gift for Christmas in 1915. In the early days of the School, the Library was reliant on donations for building its collection. The SGCS Library presently holds more than 33, 466 books and print and digital resources.

The book was written by Rev. John George Wood, an English priest with a keen interest in natural history. His books were for the amateur enthusiast, and he wrote in a popular rather than scientific style. Boy’s Own Book of Natural History features profiles of a range of animals, in a chatty, observational style. (Much like you would expect from an elderly Uncle regaling you with tale of his adventures). Delightful pen and ink drawings and several colour illustrations are featured. The book was first published in 1898, and interestingly refers to Australia as New Holland.

References: The British Museum; Wikipedia; National Library of Australia, SGCS Yearbooks.

TECHNOLOGY
Object: Apple Macintosh LC III [1993]

This Apple Macintosh LC III was purchased for SGCS in 1993. It features a 25 MHz 68030 processor, 4 MB of RAM, and an 80 MB hard drive in a compact, easy-to-upgrade "pizza box" case. It presently resides in the Junior School computer laboratory.

SGCS commenced in the era of the personal computer. Computers were first introduced to Infants and Primary in 1987. Senior School classrooms received their first computers, the Intel 80486 microprocessor, in 1989.

In 1998, SGCS acquired Apple’s brightly coloured, translucent iMacs in Dalmation Blue.
The design of these iMacs was heavily influenced by the 60s hippie culture and are credited with turning around the fortunes of Apple.

Connected digital technologies made an appearance in the mid-1990s and by 2002, our Primary and Secondary Schools were digitally connected to each other.

Around 2008, SGCS underwent an enormous change in digital technologies with new servers, data storage, remote access, email and internet. More than 150 new computers were purchased, with 99 funded by the Federal Government’s National Secondary School Computer Fund. In 2009 network storage was doubled and much faster Internet access was installed. At the time, the School network serviced more than 400 computers for both students and staff.

SGCS continues to harness digital technologies for learning. Laptops were introduced to Science classes in 2009 followed by iPads in late 2010.  The student’s personal laptop program commenced in 2011. In the same year, Wi-Fi was implemented to support the extended use of technologies in all classrooms. Interactive whiteboards were first introduced to Junior School in 2011, with interactive projectors for all classrooms rolled out from 2015.

At SGCS all students entering Year 9, and again at the start of Year 11, are required to purchase a new laptop for use in Senior School. The current model of laptop issued by the School, and required to be used by the students, is the Apple MacBook Pro 13” with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage.

Digital technologies were not just for the classroom. The School’s Learning Management System, Sentral was introduced in 2010.

Mr Wayne Zong was the first appointed Manager of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) in 2006. Prior to that time, digital technology integration was overseen by Technologies Teachers like Mr Andrew Green and staff with a passionate interest like Mrs Karen Binns.

2010 saw the appointment of Mr Wilson Cheng, ICT Manager/Director and Mrs Karen Binns to the position of ICT Integrator.

In 2020, Mr Cheng and the ICT team faced one of their most challenging times, the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Cheng rightly predicted the impact of the global pandemic and made preparations for making remote learning possible by implementing remote management software, Zoom conferencing, and moving services to a private cloud.

During Term 2 in 2020, and in Term 3 2021, learning at SGCS was conducted almost exclusively through digital technologies due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney.

UNIFORM
Object: School Uniform

The commencement of Middle School in 2008, also saw a restructuring of Junior School and Senior School. Reflecting critical stages in the life of a child, the School created distinct communities of learning, relationship and care, with Infants (K-Year 2), Junior School (Year 3 to Year 5), Middle School (Year 6 to Year 8), and Senior School (Year 9 to Year 12).

The school uniform was changed in 2008 to reflect the restructuring. Prior to this time, the SGCS uniform was mainly blue. Young boys wore a blue shirt with navy shorts and tie; girls wore a checked blue tunic with a white Peter Pan collar and the sports uniform was a light blue polo shirt with navy shorts. In winter, girls wore a checked pinafore with a long sleeve white shirt and navy ribbon tie. Secondary female students wore a white shirt over a navy skirt.  Secondary Boys wore a blue shirt and navy pants. In their senior years of schooling, the girls wore blue shirts, and the boys wore white.

The new uniform featured a summer and winter option, and the addition of a cardinal red to reflect the new structure of SGCS.

Summer:
K-5 girls: checked red and blue tunic with red piping on the Peter Pan collar.
K-5 boys: Blue short-sleeve shirt with charcoal pants.
Year 6 -10 girls: checked red and blue tunic with red piping and a red panel on the notched collar.
Year 6 -10 boys: white tuck-in shirt with fine red and blue stripes and charcoal shorts.
Year 11- 12 girls: short sleeve, white, sit-out shirt and charcoal skirt.
Year 11- 12 boys: short sleeve, white, tuck-in shirt with fine read and blue stripe and charcoal shorts.

Winter uniform:
K-5 girls: Charcoal tunic, white, tuck-in shirt with fine red and blue checks, with microfibre blue jacket or polar fleece vest.
K-5 boys: long sleeve, white, tuck-in shirt with fine red and blue checks and charcoal long pants, with microfibre blue jacket or polar fleece vest. Striped blue and red tie.
Years 6-10 girls: charcoal pinafore with a long sleeve, white shirt with fine red and blue stripes and striped school blazer.
Years 6-10 boys: long sleeve, white, tuck-in shirt with fine red and blue stripes and charcoal shorts/long pants, and striped school blazer or woollen jumper with blue tie.
Year 11- 12 girls: long sleeve, white, sit-out shirt and charcoal skirt with school blazer or woollen jumper (introduction of long charcoal pants in 2019).
Year 11- 12 boys: long sleeve, white tuck-in shirt, charcoal long pants, and striped school blazer or woollen jumper with cardinal red tie.