Somerville House is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: **Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where hor ...

and

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...

for girls, located in

South Brisbane South Brisbane is an inner southern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 14,292 people. Geography South Brisbane is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, bounded to the nor ...

, an inner-city suburb of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. Established in 1899 as the Brisbane High School for Girls, the School was eventually named after the Scottish scientific writer,

Mary Somerville Mary Somerville ( ; , formerly Greig; 26 December 1780 – 29 November 1872) was a Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath. She studied mathematics and astronomy, and in 1835 she and Caroline Herschel were elected as the first female Honorar ...

(1780–1872), though the school's official name is still Brisbane High School for Girls. Today, Somerville House is owned by the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association (PMSA), and provides classes from Preparatory to Year 12, within two sub-schools — Junior School (Years Prep to 6) and Senior School (Years 7 to 12). Within the Senior School it is also split into Middle Years (Years 7–9) and Senior Years (Years 10–12). The school currently caters for approximately 1,385 students from Prep to Year 12, including approximately 100 boarders currently ranging from Years 6 to 12. Somerville House is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the

Junior School Heads Association of Australia The Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA) formerly Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), is an incorporated body representing the heads of independent primary schools in Australia. Officially established in Septem ...

(JSHAA), the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA), the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA), and is a founding member of the Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association Inc (QGSSSA). The boarding house,

Cumbooquepa Cumbooquepa is a heritage-listed house at Somerville House, 253 Vulture Street, South Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by George Henry Male Addison and built in 1890. It is also known as Brisbane High School f ...

, meaning waterholes that existed below the house, is listed on the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As ...

History

The Brisbane High School for Girls (later to be known as Somerville House) was established with 39 students in the basement of the Baptist City Tabernacle at 183

Wickham Terrace Wickham Terrace is one of the historic streets of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known as the street of private medical specialists. Geography Wickham Terrace commences at the western corner of the intersection of Ann Street, Brisbane, ...

, by Eliza Fewings in October 1899. The early school consisted of a large Assembly hall, drill hall, and a number of separate classrooms, with the four founding boarders living with Fewings at her home, "Glen Olive", in

Toowong Toowong ( ) is a riverside Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 12,556 people with a median weekly household income of $1,927. Geography Toowong is ...

. Fewings, who had previously been

Headmistress A headmaster/headmistress, head teacher, head, school administrator, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. Role While s ...

of the

Brisbane Girls Grammar School Brisbane Girls Grammar School is an independent non-denominational secondary day school for girls, located in Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1875, the school is one of eight grammar schools in Queen ...

, but after being dismissed, decided to open her own school, she aimed to create a school community where girls could be educated and equipped with social graces, and would be able to take a leading role in the management of the nation. Based on English models, within three years it became the largest girls'

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

in Queensland, with 150 students. In 1900, the boarders moved to "Whytecliffe" at

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...

, a property which still stands in Whytecliffe Street. In July 1903, the boarders were moved again, this time to "Garth House" on Wickham Terrace, which was closer to the Day School. Early in 1906, after Miss Fewings returned from a trip abroad, the boarding students were relocated once more to "Cheltenham", which was situated in what is now Jephson Street, Toowong. Constance Elizabeth Harker had been an acting headteacher and she and Marjorie Jarrett purchased the school in 1909, and so began their partnership as co- principals. The two women had met while teaching at the

Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney (PLC Sydney) is an independent Pre-school education, early learning, Primary school, primary and Secondary school, secondary school for girls, located in Croydon, New South Wales, Croydon, an Inner West ...

, where Harker was senior English and classics mistress. Following their purchase of the school, they searched for a site in Brisbane that could house the day and boarding schools under one roof, and in 1912, settled on "Erneton" on Wickham Terrace, which was located next door to the boarders previous residence, "Garth House". A

paddock A paddock is a small enclosure for horses. In the United Kingdom, this term also applies to a field for a general automobile racing competition, particularly Formula 1. Description The most common design provides an area for exercise and is ofte ...

at the rear of Garth House was rented for a

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

court. As time went on, space became limited at the new site, and so Athol Place, a few doors away on the Terrace was rented for extra boarders and two

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

classes. Harker and Jarrett gained little income from the school, as teacher-proprietors had little chance of financing a modern expanding school, especially one with boarding facilities. In 1918, due to these financial struggles, they transferred ownership to the newly formed Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association, while retaining their Principalship. In 1920 the school moved from Wickham Terrace to its present site on Mater Hill, in South Brisbane, opening with an enrolment of 225 pupils. The boarding-school occupied "

",the now heritage-listed former home of prominent Brisbane businessman, newspaper publisher, and one time

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Thomas Blacket Stephens Thomas Blacket Stephens (5 January 1819 – 26 August 1877) was a wealthy Brisbane businessman and newspaper proprietor who also served as an alderman and mayor of Brisbane Municipal Council,Brisbane City Council Archives a Member of the Legisl ...

and his son William Stephens mayor of the South Brisbane City Council (built 1890). A new classroom block was constructed in 1919, designed by architect

Lange Powell Lange Leopold Powell (1886–1938) was a noted architect who designed many important buildings in Brisbane and the state of Queensland. He started practice in 1909; his major works included St Martin's War Memorial Hospital (opened 1922) and th ...

. At this time the school's name was changed to Somerville House, in recognition of the work of

(1780–1872), a famous Scottish scientist and mathematician of the 19th century. Over the next two decades the school carried out a major building programme and established a good reputation. Harker retired in 1931, but continued to live at the boarding school until Jarrett's retirement in 1940. During her time as Principal, she gained a reputation in Queensland as a pioneer in the education of girls. The academic achievements of Somerville House during her co-Principalship were amongst the best in the state, and she widened the interests of her pupils by encouraging visitors who were authorities on

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

and international affairs. She encouraged good citizenship and social service, and during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

formed the first school branch of the

Red Cross Society The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world's largest group of non-governmental organizations working on humanitarian aid, is composed of the following bodies: *The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), is an indep ...

in Queensland. The school subsequently had branches of the

Australian Student Christian Movement The Australian Student Christian Movement (ASCM), formerly the Australasian Student Christian Union, is a Christian group with an ecumenical focus working with university students. History Described as a "university within a university", the AS ...

and the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

Union, two companies of

Girl Guides Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of Girlguiding, The ...

, and a Cot Fund which supported the ill and disabled. The still functioning

Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association The Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association Inc (QGSSSA) is a sporting Professional association, association for girls from eight Private school, private girls' schools, one co-educational private school, and one co-educational Pu ...

(QGSSSA), was initiated by her. On Saturday 24 January 1942, Military authorities visited Somerville House with a view to taking it over. The school was officially commandeered by the

Australian Military Forces The Australian Military Forces (AMF) was the official name of the Army of Australia from 1916 to 1980. This encompassed both the (full-time) "regular army", and the (part-time) forces, variously known during this period as the Militia, the Citizen ...

on 1 February, and was later used as Base Section Three Headquarters of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, East Asian Command, for the duration of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Pupils from north of the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...

were transferred to

Raymont Lodge Raymont Residential College (commonly known as Raymont College) is a student residential college with its offices in Drysllwyn, a heritage-listed mansion at 47 Cadell Street, on the border of Toowong and Auchenflower, City of Brisbane, Queenslan ...

, at Auchenflower, while those from the south went to the former Queen Alexandra Home,

Coorparoo Coorparoo ( ) is a suburb in the inner City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Coorparoo had a population of 18,132 people. Geography Coorparoo is by road south-east of the Brisbane GPO. It borders Camp Hill, Holland Park, Ston ...

; boarding students were sent to Moiomindah at

Stanthorpe Stanthorpe is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Stanthorpe had a population of 5,286 people. The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt. Geography Stant ...

, which became the school's administrative centre. Based at Stanthorpe, the Principal at the time, Elinor Frances Craig, managed the three dispersed centres and frequently commuted by rail to maintain a presence in Brisbane. The school returned to South Brisbane with minimal inconvenience in January 1945, and classes commenced on 6 February. The American forces still occupied the upper floor of the school's education block with an armed guard at the door. The years since the war have seen many changes to Cumbooquepa, which is now used as a boarding house. Restoration work was undertaken in 1980 in order to preserve the building. The first new building since the

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

in 1934 was opened in 1960, the MK Jarrett School of

Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

and

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

. This has been followed with further construction, including the Aquatic Centre, Seymour Centre, classrooms, and the Valmai Pidgeon Performing Arts Complex, opened in 2000. In 1986, Old Girls of the School rallied from around the country in protest of an offer to the School Council from an overseas syndicate, to purchase the School for use as a trade centre, adjoining the

Expo '88 World Expo 88, also known as Expo 88, was a specialised World Expo, Expo held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988, inclusive. The theme of ...

site. This offer was eventually rejected. On 15 June 1999, the school purchased the adjacent heritage-listed Old

South Brisbane Town Hall The Old South Brisbane Town Hall is the heritage-listed town hall of the Borough of South Brisbane, later the City of South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located at 263 Vulture Street (on the south-west corner of the intersection of ...

. The school uses the buildings for offices and function rooms.

Principals

Curriculum

Somerville House typically performs well in statewide examinations, scoring the second highest rating for academic outcomes from girls' schools, directly after Brisbane Girls Grammar School in the Queensland Studies Authority's 2005 report.

Technology

The deployment of

laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...

computers to the staff and students of Somerville House began in 2001 and continued to the pilot laptop deployment to Year 6 students during Semester 2, 2003. Laptops are currently used by all students from grades 4 to 12.

Gallery

File:Somerville House, South Brisbane 01.jpg, Cumbooquepa building, c. 1880 File:South Brisbane Town Hall on Vulture Street, South Brisbane 03.jpg, "The Chambers" building (formerly

), c. 1892 File:Somerville House 02.JPG, Entrance via "The Chambers" File:Somerville House 06.JPG, Somerville House gardens

School badge

The School Badge appeared for the first time on the cover of the June Magazine in 1902, and was designed by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Robin Dods Robert Smith (Robin) Dods (9 June 1868 – 23 July 1920) was a New Zealand-born Australian architect. Personal life Dods was born in Dunedin, New Zealand on 9 June 1868. His parents were Robert Smith Dods (a wholesale grocer) and Elizabeth Gray ...

. The central figure represents Wisdom, standing upon or emerging from, the open book, representing Knowledge. In her hand is a lamp, representing Truth. The school

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

''Honour before Honours'' can be found at the base of the badge. The illustration is also a clear reference to the famous verse from Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." In 1912 the original school colours of yellow and white were changed to navy blue and green. The colours of the School badge are blue, green and white, with blue associated with

loyalty Loyalty is a Fixation (psychology), devotion to a country, philosophy, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another human being can be the obj ...

, green representing growth, and white representing

purity Purity may refer to: Books * ''Pureza'' (novel), a 1937 Brazilian novel by José Lins do Rego * ''Purity'' (novel), a 2015 novel by Jonathan Franzen ** ''Purity'' (TV series), a TV series based on the novel *''Purity'', a 2012 novel by Jackson ...

. From 1949, the name Somerville House surmounted the badge and the side letters of B.G.H.S. were omitted.

House system

Somerville House utilises a

house system The house system is a traditional feature of schools in the United Kingdom. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. The school is divided into units called "houses" and each student is allocated to on ...

. During World War II, a limited house system was first introduced to encourage participation in sport. The two houses were named Leslie and Cunningham, after two local pioneers. After the school was reunited at Vulture Street in 1945, it was decided to divide the school from Form IVA (Year 12) to Form IIB (Year 3), into four groups. The Houses (Chisholm, Franklin, MacArthur and Osburn) were named after outstanding women in Australian history. It was not until 1983, when the school had grown significantly, that two more Houses were started – Durack and Gilmore. Today the school has six houses, each named after an Australian woman who was a pioneer in her field: * Chisholm – Named after

Caroline Chisholm Caroline Chisholm ( ; born Caroline Jones; 30 May 1808 – 25 March 1877) was an English humanitarian known mostly for her support of immigrant female and family welfare in Australia. She is commemorated on 16 May in the Calendar of saints (Ch ...

* Durack – Named after Mary Durack (née Costello) * Franklin – Named after

Jane Franklin Jane, Lady Franklin (née Griffin; 4 December 1791 – 18 July 1875) was a British explorer, seasoned traveller and the second wife of the English explorer Sir John Franklin. During her husband's period as Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's L ...

* Gilmore – Named after

Mary Gilmore Dame Mary Jean Gilmore (née Cameron; 16 August 18653 December 1962) was an Australian writer and journalist known for her prolific contributions to Australian literature and the broader national discourse. She wrote both prose and poetry. Gi ...

* Macarthur – Named after

Elizabeth Macarthur Elizabeth Macarthur (14 August 1766 – 9 February 1850) was an English-born landowner and businesswomen who was wife of John Macarthur. Early life Elizabeth Macarthur was born in Bridgerule England, the daughter of provincial farmers, Rich ...

* Osburn – Named after Lucy Osburn The houses have competed for the Adamson Shield since 1947, a gift of Dr R V Adamson, father of a past pupil. In 1948, Mr D.J Drysdale donated a shield for competition in Choral singing between the Houses, which is still presented at the annual Choral Festival. Inter-house competitions held throughout the year, include a Swimming Carnival, Athletics Carnival, Cross Country, Hockey, Speedball (fusion of netball and soccer – frequently played in physical education classes at Somerville), Chess Competition, Senior School Choral Festival (Years 10–12), and Middle School Arts Festival (Years 7–9).

Notable alumnae

Alumnae Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

of Somerville House are known as Old Girls, and may elect to join the schools alumnae association, the Somerville House Old Girls' Association (OGA). The OGA was established in 1901. Some notable Somerville House Old Girls include: ;Academic * Ida Nancy Ashburn – Founding Principal of

Clayfield College Clayfield College is an independent, Uniting Church and Presbyterian, coeducational day and boarding school, located in Clayfield, an inner-northern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The College is owned and governed by the Presbyteria ...

Abigail Allwood Abigail Allwood is an Australians, Australian geologist and Astrobiology, astrobiologist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) who studies stromatolites, detection of life on other planets, and evolution of life on early Earth. Her early wo ...

– geologist and astrobiologist at the

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Cali ...

*Susan Caroline Bambrick – Consultant;

Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

at the

University of Southern Queensland The University of Southern Queensland is a public research university based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, the sixth largest city in the Australian state of Queensland Founded in 1967 after a successful campaign by the local Darling Down ...

Isobel Bennett Isobel Ida Bennett AO 1984 (9 July 1909 – 12 January 2008) was one of Australia's best-known marine biologists. She (with Elizabeth Pope) assisted William John Dakin with research for his final book (''Australian Seashores'') regarded b ...

– One of Australia's most distinguished

marine biologist Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms that inhabit the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology clas ...

s * Hazel Joyce Harrison (1905–1970) – kindergarten principal * Margaret Hardy Fallding – Research zoologist *

Joan Kerr Joan Kerr (1938–2004) was an Australian academic and cultural preservationist. Initially her interest was sparked in preserving the architectural heritage of Australia, but over time her interests spread to art history and Australian culture ...

– Art and architectural historian ;Business and philanthropy * Ann Caroline Sherry –

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Carnival Australia; Director of

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

Australia; Recipient of the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

2003 *

Valmai Pidgeon Florence Valmai Miller Pidgeon AM (born c. 1927) is a leading figure in the Arts and the construction industry in Queensland. After completing her education in 1945, Florence joined her father's building construction business F.A. Pidgeon & Son P ...

– Leading figure in the Arts and the construction industry ;Entertainment, media and the arts *

Olive Ashworth Olive Ashworth (1915 – 2000) was an Australian artist, textile designer and photographer. She is acknowledged as a significant contributor to Australian textile design during the 1950s. Collections Ashworth's works are held in the collectio ...

– Textile designer *

Betty Churcher Elizabeth Ann Dewar Churcher (''née'' Cameron; 11 January 193131 March 2015) was an Australian arts administrator, best known as director of the National Gallery of Australia from 1990 to 1997. She was also a painter in her own right e ...

– Artist and former Director of the

Australian National Gallery The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

Melissa Downes Melissa Downes (born 17 September 1973) is an Australian broadcast journalist. She is currently a presenter of ''Nine News Queensland.'' Career Downes began her career at the Seven Network in Brisbane as an intern during her final year of un ...

– Weeknight co-presenter of ''

Nine News Queensland ''Nine News Queensland'' is the flagship state-based news bulletin of the Nine Network in Brisbane. Like all ''Nine News'' bulletins, the Queensland bulletin runs for one hour nightly at 6:00pm. The bulletin also airs, albeit on a half-hour del ...

'' *

Melissa Dunphy Melissa Dunphy (born 1980) is an Australian-American composer best known for her vocal, political, and theatrical music. Born in Australia and raised in an immigrant family, Dunphy herself immigrated to the United States in 2003 and has since becom ...

– Composer *

Jackie French Jacqueline Anne French (née Ffrench, born 29 November 1953), known professionally as Jackie French, is an Australian author who has written across several genres for both adults and children. Her most notable works include '' Rain Stones, ...

– Author *

Maude Garrett Maude Garrett is an Australian radio and television personality living and working in Los Angeles. She is currently the Entertainment Correspondent for '' The Project''. doing studio crosses live from Los Angeles. She is known for her on air w ...

– Radio and television presenter *

Marion Grasby Marion Grasby (born 29 September 1982) is a Thai-Australian cook and food entrepreneur. She is also a television presenter, cookbook author and food journalist. Marion marrieTim Althausin 2013 and the couple have two children. Althaus is CEO o ...

– Journalist and foodie *

Lindy Morrison Belinda "Lindy" Morrison (born 2 November 1951) is an Australian musician, activist and social worker originally from Brisbane, Queensland. After starting her career working for a new Queensland branch of the Aboriginal Legal Service in 1972, an ...

– Drummer,

The Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster (musician), Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only co ...

Margaret Olley Margaret Hannah Olley (24 June 192326 July 2011) was an Australian painter. She held over ninety solo exhibitions during her lifetime. Early life Margaret Olley was born in Lismore, New South Wales. She was the eldest of three children of J ...

– Artist *Amy and Emma Sheppard – Musicians,

Sheppard (band) Sheppard are an Australian indie pop trio, formed in 2009. Their debut studio album, '' Bombs Away'', was released on 11 July 2014, and peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Associa ...

Ann Thomson Ann Thomson (born 1933) is an Australian painter and sculptor. She is best known for her large-scale public commissions ''Ebb Tide'' (1987) for the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre and ''Australia Felix'' (1992) for the Seville World Expo ...

– Artist ;Politics, public service and the law * Jane Lesley Aagaard –

Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly The Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. Though the office had existed since the creation of the Assembly in 1974, it was given greater legislative force wh ...

; Member for

Nightcliff Nightcliff is a northern suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It is the traditional country and waterways of the Larrakia people. History Although the origin of the name Nightcliff has alway ...

in the

Northern Territory Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory (also known as the Parliament of the Northern Territory) is the unicameral legislature of Australia’s Northern Territory. The Legislative Assembly has 25 members, each elected in single-member ...

( ALP) *

Gracia Baylor Hilda Gracia Baylor AM (8 October 1929 – 23 May 2025) was an Australian politician, who was one of the first two women elected to the Victorian Legislative Council in 1979, the other being Joan Coxsedge. Biography Baylor was born in Brisb ...

– Politician (

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

), Member for

Boronia ''Boronia'' is a genus of about 160 species of flowering plants in the citrus family Rutaceae. Most are endemic to Australia with a few species in New Caledonia, which were previously placed in the genus ''Boronella''. They occur in all Australi ...

; One of the first two women elected to the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House, Melbourne, Parliament ...

(1979) * Anthe Philippides – Judge of the

Supreme Court of Queensland The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the Australian State of Queensland. It was formerly the Brisbane Supreme Court, in the colony of Queensland. The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court allows its trial division to ...

;Sport *

Tippah Dwan Tippah Dwan is a professional Australian netball player. Dwan was signed by the Queensland Firebirds in the Suncorp Super Netball league ahead of the 2019 season, after spending two years in the extended training squad for the team. Born in Too ...

– Professional Netball Player * Harriet Hudson – Olympic Rower and Bronze Medalist *

Isabella Holland Isabella Holland (born 2 January 1992) is an Australian former professional tennis player. Career Holland's preferred surfaces are clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phy ...

– Professional Tennis Player *

Lisa Curry Lisa Gaye Curry (born 15 May 1962), also known by her married name Lisa Curry-Kenny, is an Australian former competition swimmer. Curry won seven gold, two silver and one bronze Commonwealth Games medals, and is the only Australian swimmer to ...

– Olympic Swimmer * Lisbeth Trickett – Olympic Swimmer and World Record Holder *

Julia Price __NOTOC__ Julia Clare Price (born 11 January 1972) is a former cricketer for the Australian women's cricket team. She made her first-class debut in 1995 for Queensland Women and her Test debut against New Zealand at Melbourne in February 1996. ...

– Australian Women's Cricketer

References

External links

Official website: www.somerville.qld.edu.au

OH 12, Somerville House Centenary Oral History
John Oxley Library,

State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...

{{Authority control Private secondary schools in Brisbane Presbyterian schools in Australia Uniting Church schools in Australia Boarding schools in Queensland Educational institutions established in 1899 Girls' schools in Queensland Junior School Heads Association of Australia Member Schools 1899 establishments in Australia South Brisbane, Queensland GHM Addison buildings Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia