Throwback Thursday – Brian Green

This week’s Throwback Thursday is a little different! We catch up with Brian Green, who called into College on a trip from Australia for a tour of his former school, Upholland Grammar, which stood on the site until it became a sixth form college in 1977. 

Brian left school back in 1955 and had not returned since, however memories came flooding back as he took a walk down ‘A Corridor’ the only original part of the building.

Brian recalled with amazing accuracy stories of ‘Mr Maggs’ the headteacher strolling about school with a presence that commanded respect and compliance from all he came across. He also remembered being persuaded by his PE teacher, ‘Sid Pennington’, along with the rest of his class to join the school choir which was struggling for numbers, and the time English teacher, Charlie Appleton, asked him to come and felt his garage roof!

Brian went on to have an incredible working life in education, starting out as a PE teacher in Hertfordshire and the Midlands.  He took a year out to train in Dance and Laban Institute, and then began his international career in Singapore setting up the PE programme in the founding ‘United World College of South East Asia’.

Following his retirement in 1997, Brian returned to Britian before moving out to Australia in 2003 to join his daughters. He has lived in Queensland ever since but travels regularly to visit former colleagues and friends.  Over the years he has had a array of hobbies from cricket and rugby to performing star parts in Gilbert and Sullivan and other big name productions.

We are delighted Brian took the time to visit us and recount his school days. He commented on how impressed he was with the facilities including our media and performing arts suite and sports facilities which he said would have been beyond belief back in the 1950s!  If anyone remembers Brian or has similar memories of their Upholland Grammar school days we would love to hear from you. You can also visit MUGS61 - Home for more memories and photos of the old site.

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