Canberra Girls Grammar School

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Canberra Girls Grammar School

• St Gabriel’s School, Canberra, 1926-1933
• Canberra Church of England Girls’ Grammar School, 1933-2001
• CGGS

• Educational

Canberra Girls Grammar School (CGGS) is an independent non-selective Anglican school with its origins in the 1920s and a current enrolment of approximately 1 600 students. Spread over two campuses, the school is co-educational from Early Learning to Year 2 and girls only from Years 3 to 12. Boarding facilities are available for girls in Years 7 to 12.

In 1926 St Gabriel’s School was opened with just 10 pupils, as the first federal Parliament House was nearing completion. Housed in the old St John’s Rectory (Glebe House), the Anglican Community of the Sisters of the Church had answered a request from Bishop Radford of the then Diocese of Goulburn, who saw a need for such a school in the small community designated as the new federal capital.

In May 1927, Dr Radford laid the foundation stone of the mock Tudor building which today comprises the Boarding House on Melbourne Avenue - just one day before the opening of Parliament House by the Duke and Duchess of York.

The school came close to shutting down during the great depression due to hardship in the rural community which supplied much of its enrolment. However, it was rescued by the determination of Canon Robertson, and later by a dedicated group of parents and friends, who purchased the school from the Sisters in 1935. St Gabriel’s had been renamed the Canberra Church of England Girls’ Grammar School in 1933. The school was renamed Canberra Girls' Grammar School in 2001. The apostrophe was dropped in 2012, so now the school is ‘Canberra Girls Grammar School’.

The School Archives were established in 1987 to serve the needs of Canberra's oldest independent school.

In 1995, the Archives moved to a purpose-built facility and, with enhanced storage capacity in 2012, the collection continues to grow.

Officer-in-charge: Archivist

The Archives collects and preserves records relating to the School and its associated bodies. Donations of items are always welcome.

The collection consists of the School’s official records from 1926, photographic and uniform collections and school memorabilia.

The Archivist may be contacted Monday to Friday on 02 6202 6457 or by email. [Being checked for currency]

In writing to Principal or Archivist.

• Éducation (Thematic area)
• Religion (Thematic area)