Past Grammarian Stories

General

Full Name

Nicholas (Jake) Doran

Known as

Jake

Born

18 July 2000

Townsville Grammar School

Attended

2012 - 2017

Academics

High Achiever – regularly earning Cum-Laude & Magna Cum Laude Awards.

Cultural

High Achiever – Culture Award, 2012 & 2014

Rugby

2012 - u/12 - Rugby League & Rugby Union

2013 & 2014 - Rugby Union

Athletics

2014 – 2017 - Athletics Team.

2015 – u/15 – Age Group Champion

2015 – 2017 – Queensland Athletics

2016 – King of the Track

2016 – School Record, 400m

2017 – Australian Athletics

Track & Field

(100m & 200m)

Jake was a late athletics bloomer “I only began running track seriously in 2014 when I surprized myself and ran my way from school toto the National All-Schools Championship in the 100m”

2016/7 season – Junior Nationals, 10.47

2017 - Commonwealth Youth Games (Bahamas), 100m, 5^th place

Career

Sports

Track & Field

(100m & 200m)

2018 – 100m Australian Junior Record (10.15) - Finland

2018 – IAAF World Junior Championships

2019 – Oceania Championships, 100m Silver Medal

2022 – Oceania Championships, 100m Gold Medal

2022 - Australian National Champion, 100m

2022 – World Athletics Championships, 100m

2022 – Commonwealth Games, 100m, 200m & relay,

2023 – Australian Athletics Champion for 200m

2023 – World Athletics Championships, 100m

Football

Licenced Football Scout and Opposition analyst (professional Football Scouts Association

Tertiary Education

Graduated, B.Bus (International Studies) JCU

General

Full Name

Josh Hannay

Known as

Josh

Born

11 January, Moranbah.

Townsville Grammar School

Attended

1996 & 1997, Boarder from Moranbah on a Cowboy Scholarship

Sports

1997 – House Captain, Miller House

1996 & 1997 – Athletics Team

Rugby League

1996 – Cowboys, selected to play for the Cowboys in Yr 11 (16 yrs, 185 days) but banned by the ARL due to his youth.

1997 – 1^st XIII captain

1997 – Australian Rugby League, captain

Professional Career

Playing Career

1998, Cowboys

Debut, scored a try in 16 – 15 win.

1998 – 2006, Cowboys

150 games. 49 tries, 343 goals, 882 points

2007, Cronulla Sharks

3 games

2007 – 2009, Celtic Crusaders

44 games, 12 tries, 30 goals, 108 points

2003 – 2006, Queensland

2 games, 4 goals, 8 points

Coaching Career

2020, Cowboys

9 games (interim head-coach)

2021, Cronulla Sharks

19 games (caretaker head-coach)

Josh has returned to his alma mater as a guest coach to our junior Rugby Union teams and as a presenter at our Sports Awards evening.

General

Full Name

Stephanie Anna Kershaw

Known as

Steph

Born

19 April 1995

Townsville Grammar School

Attended

2007 - 2012

Academics

High Achiever – Magna Cum Laude Yr 7 (2007), Cum Laude Yr 8 (2008) & Yr 9 (2009)

Cultural

High Achiever – Cultural Award Yr 8 (2008), Yr 9 (2009)

Sports

Tri - Rep

Yr 8 (2008), Yr 10 (2010).

Cross- Country

School Team, Yr7 (2007), Yr 8 (2008), Yr 9 (2009).

Yr7 (2007) u/12 age champion.

Yr9 (2009) u/15 age champion.

Athletics

School Team Yr7 (2007), Yr 8 (2008), Yr 9 (2009).

Yr 8 (2008) u/13 400m record.

Yr10 (2010) u/15 age group champion.

Swimming

School Team Yr7 (2007), Yr 8 (2008), Yr 9 (2009).

Basketball

Yr 8 (2008) Jnr Basketball Team

Hockey

Yr 9 – Yr 12 (2009 – 2012) Open Girls Hockey.

Yr 8 – Yr 12 (2008 – 2012) North Queensland Hockey

Yr 8 - Yr 12 (2008 – 2012) Queensland Hockey

Yr 9 – Yr 12 (2009 – 2013) Australian Hockey

Middle School Sportswoman of the Year - Yr 9 (2009)

Davida Tucker, Sportswoman of the Year – Yr 10 (2010), Yr 12 (2012).

Principals Award, All-Round Sports Woman of the Year – Yr11 (2011).

Whight House Vice-Captain Yr12 (2012)

International Career

2015 – 202?

Hockeyroo, 97 goals

2015

National Development Squad

Debut v Korea, Hockeyroo #479

Oceana Cup

2017

Player of the Tournament – Australian Hockey League

Oceana Cup

Runner-up Hockeyroo Player of the Year

2018

Champions Trophy – Gold Medal

Hockey World Cup (semi finalist)

Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast) – Silver Medal

Champions Trophy

2021 (2020)

Olympics (Tokyo)

2022

Commonwealth Games (Birmingham) – Silver medal

Hockey World Cup – Bronze Medal

Other

·       Steph ruptured her ACL in 2015 & 2019, dashing her goal of representing Australia at the 2016 Olympics and the 2020 Olympics (fortunately for Steph, the 2020 Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to COVID and she was selected).

·       Both Steph’s brother Ryan 12/08 and father attended the QAS Hockey academy.

·       2024, Steph is enrolled at Curtin University, B. Primary Education.

·       Married to cricketer, Tim David.

·       Visited TGS in 2023 and donated a Hockeyroo playing top to the school. It now hangs proudly in the centenary Gymnasium.

·       Steph is a self-confessed coffee and beach enthusiast; her favourite snack is frozen grapes.

·       Follow Steph on Instagram - stephkersh

General

Full Name

Daniel McKellar

Known as

Dan

Born

17 July 1976 in Brisbane.

Townsville Grammar School

Attended

1990 – 19932 as boarder from the Burdekin

Cultural

Yr 12 (1993) Rugby Choir, Formal Committee.

Sports

Touch Football

Yr 9 (1990)

Basketball

Yr 12 (1993)

Rugby Union

Yr 9 (1990) North Queensland u/14

Yr 10 (1991) u/15 TGS RU captain

Yr 11 (1991) 1st XV, Queensland Country u/16, NQ Schools u/16 & NQ u/17.

Yr 12 (1992) 1^st XV (captain), Townsville u/19 & Tvl Schools, NQ u/17 & NQ Schools, Queensland u/17 & Queensland Schools.

Career

Rugby Union (Player)

Souths RUC, 150+games as a loosehead prop. Winners of the Brisbane Premiership in 2000.

2005 – 2006 Queensland Reds Super Rugby squad

Xxx – xxxx RFC (Scotland)

2001 – 2005 Wicklow RFC (Ireland)

Rugby Union (Coach)

2022 – 2005, Wicklow RFC (Ireland) Player/Coach

2007 – Souths, Assistant Coach

2008 – 2010, Souths, Head Coach

2011 – 2012, Tuggeranong Vikings (Canberra) – Back-to-back ACT Premierships.

2013, Red Hurricanes (Japan)

2014 – ACT Brumbies defence & skills Coach

2016, ACT Brumbies Assistant Coach

2018 – 2022, ACT Brumbies Head Coach, Winners of Super AU Series in 2020.

2021 - 2023 Assistant Coach, Wallabies.

2024, Leicester Tigers Head Coach (England)

Other

·       Introduced to Rugby Union by Bill Muller at Townsville Grammar School.

·       As a teenager player 1^st Grade and was part of the Burdekin Cane Toads Premiership in 1994.

General

Full Name

Gregory John Norman

Known as

Greg

Nickname/s

The Great White Shark

The Shark

Born

10/02/1955, Mount Isa

Townsville Grammar School

Attended

1967/68 & 69

Sports

Cricket, Rugby League, AFL, Athletics, Swimming

Aspired to be a professional Surfer

At his acceptance speech on being awarded an honorary PhD (Griffiths, 1998) he recalled his days at TGS wishing his Deputy Headmaster could see him now. Mr von Wald had told Greg that there was “no future for him in golf”.

After caddying for his mother Greg borrowed her clubs for a hit, he was hooked. 18 months later he had gone from a 27 handicap to playing off scratch

TGS named the sporting oval at our Annandale campus in his honour

Career

Golf

Greg Norman is best known as a retired golf professional, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Greg turned professional at age 21 in 1976, winning his first title, the Martini International in 1977. He went on to record 88 professional wins including The Open Championship, twice. He was ranked #1 for 331 weeks, second only to Tiger Woods.

Greg Norman was the first player to surpass US$ 10 million in career earnings

Awards

1986/90/95

Arnold Palmer Award

1987

OAM (philanthropic work)

1988

Sport Australia Hall of Fame

1988/90/93/94/95

Byron Nelson Award

1989/90/94

Vardon Award

1992

National Sports Medal

1995

Jack Nicholas Award

1995

PGA Player of the year Award

1998

Honorary PhD (Griffith University)

1999

OA (philanthropic work)

2001

World Gold Hall of Fame

2007

Legend of Australian Sport

2008

Old Tom Morris Award

2008

Charlie Bartlett Award

Business

Arguably the most successful athlete-turned-businessman in the world, Greg Norman is known as much for his entrepreneurial spirit in the boardroom as his dominance on the golf course.

Founded Greg Norman Company in 1993. His company now has numerous diverse business interests, including apparel, wine, golf course design, real estate, wakeboarding complexes, investment, sunglasses and Waigu steak/Australian themed restaurants.

Greg Norman Golf Course Design has created over 100 golf courses worldwide.

His most recent business venture is his involvement as the CEO of LIV Golf, an independent, alternate, high prize money golf tour.

Philanthropy

Greg Norman is also a philanthropist of note. He has quietly raised US$ millions for research into childhood cancer and fostering of youth golf.

Book

Greg Norman – The way of the Shark, Lessons on Golf, Business and Life

General

Full Name

John-Patrick Tracey Smith

Known as

JP

Nickname

J Bomber

Born

24 January 1989

Townsville Grammar School

Attended

2002 - 2006

School Perfect, Pro-Diligencia & Cum Laude recipient

Sports

1^st XI Cricket - 2006

Cross-Country Age Group Champ - 2002, 2005

Cross-Country Team - 2002, 2005

Athletics Team - 2002, 2003

Queensland Tennis - 2002

Open Tennis Team - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

Jnr Sportsman of the year - 2003

Australian Tennis, Team Tennis World Junior Competition - 2003

Career

2007 – awarded a Tennis Scholarship to the University of Tennessee, JP was the top ranked player in both singles and doubles for 4 years.

JP studied for and earned an under-grad degree, majoring in Economics at the University of Tennessee in 2010.

2011 – turned professional and won his first tournament in that year (Tulsa Open).

At 35 (2024) JP is still a fixture on the International Tennis circuit. The left handers highest rankings have been 108 (singles and 52 (doubles .

JP has contested 12 consecutive Australian Open Tournaments and appeared in the mixed doubles final in 2019.

2023 – JP married long-time partner Lauren Zuckerman.

General

Full Name

Samuel Joseph Norman Scott-Young

Known as

Sam

Wallaby (Australian International Rugby Union Player – Flanker/8^th man.

Nickname/s

Born

07/04/1957, Townsville.

Townsville Grammar School

Attended

1980-1995

Sports

Athletics

Rugby League – 1^st XIII, Townsville

Rugby Union – 1^st XV, Townsville, North Queensland (U19 & U21), Qld Country, Qld Schools, Australian Schools, Australian Schools UK tour.

Career

Sam was selected to play in the Australian School Boys team in 1995, which toured the UK and Europe, returning undefeated.

Sam played his club Rugby for Souths in Brisbane, he debuted for Queensland in 1987.

Wallaby #690

Between 1990 and 1992, Sam was capped 7 times for the Wallabies, playing tests against France (2), USA (1)  and the All-Blacks (4). In a winning side in the 3^rd test in Wellington (21-9), he was awarded the ‘man-of-the-match’.

He retired from rugby in 1994 due to a neck injury.

Sam was a combative and abrasive backrow forward in an era of some of the greats (including Tim Gavin, Simon Poidevin, Jeff Miller, David Carter & Scott Gourley).

He also plied his trade for a short time in South Africa playing for Eastern Province.

Of interest is that his son, Angus has also played representative Rugby Union for the Queensland Reds (also as a loose forward).

General

Full Name

Pamela Faye Sergeant (Harm)

Known as

Pam

Born

1946

Died

2023

Townsville Grammar School

Attended

1960 - 1963

Sports

Pam was an outstanding swimmer but also represented the school at basketball.

In 1962, at only 16 years of age and whilst in Form V (Grade 11), Pam represented Australia at the Empire Games in Perth, earning gold, silver and bronze medals.

Career

Pam swam for the Gardens Swimming Club in Townsville and went on to represent Townsville, North Queensland, Queensland, and Australia.

Pamela donated a significant portion of her memorabilia to Townsville Grammar School. We hold not only her Empire Games Blazer, but also numerous medals, and certificates earned over her career. As well as many swim meet programmes.

Included in the collection of medals is a gold medal for the 440-yard Medley Relay where she swam the backstroke leg and Dawn Frazer swan the freestyle (1992 Empire Games, Perth).

We also hold the certificate she earned when she broke the World Record in the 110-yard backstroke during the Empire Games Perth. 1962.

In 2023 many of these items were put on display in the Effie Hartley Room, School House.

Pamela also donated an impressive comprehensive scrap book of newspaper cuttings, dating back to 1958, focussed on her swimming heroes.

Pamela Harm (married name) continued to contribute to her sport and was recognised in 1986 with a Queensland Coaching Award.

Awards

Sydney Olympic Park, Walk of Champions (Bronze Plaque)

1962 – Empire Games

Gold Medal – 4 x 110 yards Medley Relay (backstroke)

Silver Medal – 110 yards backstroke

Bronze Medal – 220 yards backstroke

World Record – 110 yards backstroke (heats)

General

Full Name

Tia-Clair Toomey (Orr)

Known as

Tia-Clair

Born

22 July 1993

Townsville Grammar School

Attended

2009 – 2010 (boarder from Weipa)

Sports

Athletics

2009 – u/16 age group champion

2009 – Queen of the Track

2010 -u/17 & Open age group champ, new record for 800m & 1500,

Cross-Country

2009 & 2010 -Open Champion

2010 McKimmon Mile winner

Swimming

2009 & 2010 – Open swimming champion

2010 – Queen of the Pool

Tri-
Representative

2009 & 2010

Career

Cross-Fit

Cross-Fit Games

2015 & 2016 – Silver Medal

2017 – 2022 – Gold Medal (fittest woman in the World)

Weight Lifting

(58kg class)

Oceana Championships

2015 & 2016

Pacific Games

2015

Commonwealth Games

2018 Gold medal

Olympics

2016

Books

How I became the Fittest Woman on Earth (2017)

The Heart is the Strongest Muscle (2024)