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
Developing Generational Change in our Men – Stand Up and Speak Out
The devastating effects of domestic and family violence (DFV) are more prominent today as this previously ‘taboo’ issue is finally being publicly recognised and addressed. Toowoomba Grammar School is proud to be leading the way in creating generational change for this sensitive issue through a variety of School initiatives and by supporting community groups associated with DFV. Our programs are aimed at developing good men of the future who will “Stand Up and Speak Out.” TGS became a White…
The Barbour Connection
They will tell tales of meeting someone on the other side of the world whom they spotted wearing a TGS cap. It led to an instant connection. Of getting their dream job by simply proudly sporting a TGS Old Boy tie at the interview. It led to an instant connection. There is no denying that Toowoomba Grammar School students share a special bond. We celebrate it with our annual Old Boys’ Sons and Grandsons photo and our Old Boys’ Generations Gathering dinner. You see it in the playground at…
“I’ll Be There for You” at Toowoomba Grammar School
“I’ll be there for you” was the theme of National Boarding Week. This statement is particularly relevant at Toowoomba Grammar School as the boarders, the dayboys and the staff, help each other in the good times and the bad. We see our school as a ‘boarding school’, not a ‘school with boarders’. We are proud to be one of the oldest and most highly regarded boys’ boarding schools in Australia, providing a home away from home for boys for almost 150 years. TGS came from very humble beginnings. The…
Helping families navigate rules, rewards and consequences for boys
Recently I was in a webinar that aimed to tackle the issues surrounding technology and its effects on students. Some members of the forum started openly criticising boys for their poor behaviour. Whilst their criticisms were not directed specifically at our boys, I was offended at their general statements. We can be too quick to criticise boys and we forget that their frontal lobes are still developing. We also forget that their brains are “wired” differently from girls and that they don’t see…
Accepting Our Past, Creating Our Future
Toowoomba Grammar School has added the new role of Indigenous Education Coordinator to the School’s offering, to further promote a culture of diversity, inclusivity, and reconciliation. Mr Scott Gale has been appointed to this ground-breaking position that aims to spread awareness and understanding of the significance of Australia’s culture and history. “That’s something that has been lacking in Australia’s education system for so long,” said Scott. “It’s an extremely significant part of our…
The Gift of Music
You can feel the pride and passion exude from Janelle Fletcher as she reflects on her thirty-year career as a Music Tutor at Toowoomba Grammar School. “It’s a long time to stay in any job,” she admitted. “But working with the boys, seeing how important it is to have music in their lives and to develop not only as musicians but as people, that’s what’s kept me here.” Janelle believes staff in an all-boys’ school have a real understanding of boys. “It’s been very positive for me to see the…
