Mac Flegler TGS Old Boy (2017-21) and Corfe House Boarding Supervisor
I have returned to where it all began, and I feel right at home.
My parents decided when I was very young that I would attend Toowoomba Grammar School as a boarder. Coming from a property surrounded by a small community, my parents believed that sending me to TGS would provide me with many fundamental skills needed for a young man, as well as an education that I could not get in my hometown.. Starting my journey at TGS in Year 8 as a boarder in Mackintosh, adjusting from a small country high school to one of the biggest private schools in the country, was frightening but exciting. While at TGS, although education my primary focus, I was involved in many co-curricular activities including cricket, football, rugby and track and field.
I loved my time as a boarder. Living with 56 other people probably doesn’t sound like the most enticing thing to many people; however, when you put that into the perspective of a teenage boy, it’s more like a sleepover with 56 of your mates! Over the five years of my time within Mackintosh, I was able to create many memories and make many friends which will be with me forever. I graduated in 2021 and it didn’t take me long at all to realise that I missed boarding so much, that I wanted to come back, this time as a staff member.
Currently I am studying Psychology at UniSQ in Toowoomba while also committed to playing sport for local clubs. My Psychology studies, along with my experience as a TGS boarder , means that working in the Year 7 boarding house (Corfe House), is a great opportunity to assist many of the young boys in their development into young men by providing advice based on my own experience. As a Boarding Supervisor in Corfe House, my role is to provide a supportive outlet and friendly face to make the boys feel as if they are home. From working with the boys to complete their homework, or playing table tennis with them, providing a role model or someone to point them in the right direction is essential in helping the boys to reach their full potential both academically and as young men of good character. What I enjoy the most though, is being able to create a home away from home for the boys and provide them with rich memories that will stay with them forever - just like mine.
The importance of role models for TGS boarders cannot be understated, and whom better to do this than the TGS Old Boys themselves! Being able to understand the daily routines as well as help the boys with any specific questions, whether that be directions to a classroom or which oval their sports training is being held, this help never goes un-appreciated by the boys. I would encourage any Old Boys to get back involved within the TGS community in any capacity. Our own experiences and knowledge of the School can help produce many more great experiences for countless students as they engage in their transition from young boys into good young men.
Latest Blog
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Gummingurru is unique in being the best-preserved initiation site in southeast Queensland, including bora rings and various stone arrangements that have ancient links to the totems and kinship practices of the Jarowair and Giabal people of Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, as well as the broader region within the highly significant cultural landscape of the Bunya Mountains. The boys were welcomed to, and guided through, the site and its learning centre by Mr Shannon Bauwens, a Western Wakka…
Responding to Negative Peer Interactions
As we approach the end of Term 3, we find it is typically a time when boys start to get tired and emotional and are most likely to make poor decisions that can lead to relationship challenges between peers. Comments and humour shared between mates that may have been received without concern in the first week of the term may change as boys start to tire and their tolerance levels decrease. This may lead to boys reacting with heightened and overly emotional responses. This is normal as boys are…
Boarding is who we are
Our boarders make up nearly one third of our student cohort from Years 5 to 12, which enables us to consider the boarding experience in all that we do at the School. Every boarding experience at TGS is about equipping boys with the skills to function as a student and preparing them for their future.
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Fresh Faces Guide - TGS Sportsmen into the Fray
With their dedication to excellence and player development, TGS athletes are in good hands as they navigate the challenges and triumphs of competitive sports.
Honouring Tradition, Preparing for the Future
They will invariably be inspired by effective teaching and the satisfaction of personal achievement will always be motivating. At Toowoomba Grammar School, the power of high-quality instructional practices has resulted in the development of a strong academic culture that has endured for nearly 150 years. Preserving core principles provides stability and continuity. However, we must be open to continuously adapting our methods so that our students are well-prepared for the ever-changing world…
We See You - Mitchell Wilkes
That was the heart-wrenching diagnosis for Year 10 student, Mitchell Wilkes, right on Christmas in 2021. Mitchell’s mum noticed he wasn’t reading properly and had a gut feeling that there was something wrong with his eyesight. A trip to the optometrist revealed a thinning in the retina, and further tests showed that Mitchell had a genetic condition called Stargardt Disease, a juvenile macular degeneration illness that results in slow central vision loss.
Correcting our School's official record commemorating World War I and World War II
On the eve of our 150th year, we're calling on the School's alumni, parents, past parents and greater community to aid us in correcting the record of our involvement in two watershed geopolitical events of the 20th century. For the last four years Toowoomba Grammar School Museum Volunteers, Mrs Ann Hallam and Mrs Sue Palmer, have been updating the School records on Old Boys, staff and Trustees for the World War I and World War II theatres of war. Over the years several staff and volunteers have…
A Pioneering Woman of TGS
My late husband was a teacher, and our four children are all teachers, which we encouraged them to do because it is the best job in the world. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for 36 years, working under four Headmasters: Mr Bill Dent, Mr Hugh Rose, Mr Peter Hauser and now Dr John Kinniburgh. I still drive into the School each day and smile, looking at the beautiful place it is — magnificent ovals, gracious trees and historically significant buildings. It is difficult to express the…
