Giving back to the community is an important value that Toowoomba Grammar School endeavours to instill in our boys. Year 12 student, Tumoana Strugnell is a shining example of how it costs nothing but our time to help others, especially as we move into the Festive season and the challenges of life seem heightened.
I first became involved in community service when I was in Year 6, through my local primary school’s involvement on ANZAC Day and my parent’s involvement in local community events. I’m active in my town of Cambooya, being involved in community events such as Christmas parties, Summer Tunes and Australia Day, be it set up, clean up or involvement on the day. I am a founding member of the Cambooya Community Hall Committee – Next Gen (Youth Committee) and a member of the Toowoomba Regional Council Youth Leaders Program. I assist at Food Bank Queensland via the Cannon Hill Baptist Church with my grandfather, and I am actively engaged in a variety of Toowoomba and School-based events.
Through my involvement in both the Interact Club and School life in general, a multitude of service activities have been made available for me to participate in. I began my involvement in the Toowoomba Grammar School Interact Club in Year 10. The Club’s sole purpose is to give back to our local and wider community and supports the organisation of, and participation in, service activities undertaken through the School. The Interact Club encourages boys to donate their time and aims to educate boys about the importance of service.
Toowoomba Grammar School provides incredible service opportunities year-round, such as the Sony Camp, the AEIOU Take a Hike event, Rosies – Friends on the Street food kitchen, and visits to primary and special schools. These opportunities, in conjunction with the values and examples set by my parents, have helped pave the way for me to become more involved in my community and build the confidence to join groups such as the Toowoomba Regional Council Youth Leaders Program.
I find service and giving to others to be incredibly rewarding, fulfilling and uplifting. I enjoy the social aspect of being involved with service; I enjoy the joy that can be brought to others through simple acts of kindness. I’m only 16, and I may not have a lot of things, but one thing I do have is time. Donations of time are some of the simplest and purest acts of service, in my opinion. Because of this fact, if I can’t find time, I’ll try to make it. Although balancing your study, sporting and social life may be a juggling act, particularly so in your Senior years, I believe everyone can still find time to be charitable and kind. Sometimes, it can be as simple as taking ten minutes and writing a letter to an overseas soldier or an elderly resident. A simple act, inconsequential and fleeting in your life, can bring unimaginable joy and change to another life. So, make the time, put another before yourself, be charitable and spread love, not hate.
Latest Blog
Women of Grammar Luncheon
A Tribute to the Heart of the School Originally scheduled for International Women's Day but rescheduled (thanks, Cyclone Alfred!) to the eve of Mother's Day, the timing felt serendipitous. It was a day to honour the women—past and present—whose quiet strength, tireless support and enduring love have shaped the School's legacy and the lives of its boys for 150 years. The marquee was beautifully appointed for a day of merriment
Lachlan Stuart's Marathon Feat
Mr Stuart will return to TGS again for the event held on Wednesday, 28 May to support the Year 12's significant fundraising G150 Gift Run event. The boys are running 1500km in a relay format to honour a 1968 TGS Interact Club fundraising project that will help upgrade the original School gates on Herries Street, along with raising funds for the Nerve Connection Foundation.
Remembering Private Colin Stirling, a TGS Old Boy (1899-1900)
This was the headline that screamed out on the pages of the Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser on Thursday, 15 August 1901. With ANZAC Day just last Friday, this week we continue to honour many of our Old Boys who gave the ultimate sacrifice including Private Colin Stirling, a TGS Old Boy (1899-1900) and our first former student lost in the Boer War. The story began with: “News was received on Tuesday afternoon that in an engagement at Kopjesfontein, on the 6th instant,…
Honouring Tradition: Toowoomba Grammar School and ANZAC Day
This year marks 98 years since TGS and the 13 Army Cadet Unit (Toowoomba Collective Unit) first participated in ANZAC Services in Toowoomba. The School's commitment to these services is a testament to its deep-rooted military traditions and the enduring spirit of remembrance. Mounties out the front of School House in 1908. A Legacy of Service Toowoomba Grammar School's military traditions date back to its early days. The School's Cadet Unit, formed in 1892, has been a cornerstone of its…
Outdoor Pursuits and Activities Week - Developing Good Character Beyond the Classroom
We offer a range of enrichment activities for our boys, but the last week of Term 1 is a very special opportunity for all of our Senior School students. It's Outdoor Pursuits and Activities Week, which provides age-appropriate physical challenges in a safe, well-supervised environment. Activities on the various camps may include ropes courses, rock climbing, bodyboarding, surfing, mountain biking and canoeing. The aim is to foster a love of the outdoors and an appreciation of the environment.…
Stories behind key TGS staff helping shape our students
It was my great privilege to join TGS as Head of House - Boyce Boarding in 2024. The opportunity to lead these young men of character on their TGS journey carries great weight but is also enormously exciting. Embarking upon this project alongside my wife Meg as Boyce Boarding House Manager strengthens the team further. I am hopeful that we will demonstrate to the boys how positive relationships can foster a warm and supportive environment. I know that many of our boys are familiar with strong…
More Than Just an Education and That Makes All the Difference
Toowoomba Grammar School excels in its extensive co-curricular programs, particularly in performing arts and sports. Our boys learn that success comes from hard work and dedication. This ethos is inspired by quotes like “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great,” “The harder I work, the luckier I get” and the words emblazoned on our P.B. Hauser Aquatic Centre wall “Success is the celebration of preparation.” These opportunities allow students to excel in programs…
Stewardship: Leading the Way in Safety, Sustainability and Security
However, the challenges facing the Director of Facilities, Mr Bengie Dickeson and the Director of Information Technology, Mr Ron Robinson certainly are. This month's weather has been nothing if not unpredictable and it's in those conditions that both these men's skills come to the fore. With Tropical Cyclone Alfred and its threat to our School campus and community - Mr Bengie Dickeson and Mr Ron Robinson played integral roles in keeping everyone and everything on our 150-year-old campus safe.…
Pursuing New Horizons in Horticulture
Jake Moon is a sixth-generation primary producer. He is dedicated to agriculture and is currently working at his family’s St George farming enterprise, tackling some of the sector’s biggest challenges. The 28-year-old says his family moved to the St George irrigation precinct in 1978, initially growing rockmelons and watermelons, hence the business name Moonrocks. Seasonal and market changes led them to switch crops frequently, growing grapes, broccoli and even wax flowers over the years.…
