Brisbane Boys College alumnus’ savage message to other old boys

A once proud Brisbane Boys’ College alumnus says he is ‘ashamed’ of the elite school as he delivers a blistering message to other old boys.

A once proud Brisbane Boys’ College alumnus says he is “ashamed” of the elite school as he delivers a blistering message to other old boys: “stop closing ranks and grow a backbone”.

The man, in his 40s, says BBC has lost its way, with some current and recent students bringing the 123-year-old institution into disrepute.

“I was once proud to say I was a product of BBC but I am ashamed and no longer say I went there,” he said.

The father of two, who attended the prestigious Toowong school in the late 1990s, said old boys could not afford to ignore the deterioration in behaviour standards.

“BBC needs to get back to its humble roots – if we are among the elite schools of Brisbane, then people look at us, not for what we will achieve but for how we act.

“For all the good work our doctors and lawyers do, the negative actions of a growing number impact us all.

“So I want to say to the old boys: this old boy is point blank asking why we can’t stand up as a unit, and why are we not raising questions about why these public incidents are continuing to appear more frequently? Enough is enough!

”Stop closing ranks and grow a backbone – this is bigger than you.”

The man, who attended the prestigious Toowong school in the late 1990s, said he now believed “the best thing to come out of that school are the teachers because they are the ones with the values”.

“Some of the students leaving those grounds today are being seen in public as rich ‘yobs’ and their laddish behaviour is not honourable.”

Last weekend, The Courier-Mail revealed “allegedly serious and potentially illegal” nude content had been shared by BBC boys in a group chat on social media, sparking a police investigation.

A parent subsequently disclosed details of the content, saying it included alleged child pornography and “very graphic” images of a dead person.

In April, this newspaper revealed students from BBC threw an out-of-control party at an Airbnb house in East Brisbane where the home and contents were trashed.

Again, police were brought in.

Generic pics of Brisbane Boys College entrance. (Kensington Tce) Photo by Chris McCormack.

“These two incidents happened within weeks of each other and reflect poorly on the social status of BBC – we have lost our way,” the man said.

“What is going on at that school and what is next?”

The man said he started noticing a shift in the behaviour of BBC students and alumni in the last decade.

“I’ve had encounters with young ‘old boys’ while out socially where they are loud louts and rugby jerks.

“It’s like there is a ‘hyper-elitism’ now and they’re making a mockery of the school motto (Let Honour Stainless Be).”

He went as far as to say he would be “deeply concerned” if either of his daughters were to form relationships with students from any of the Queensland schools run by the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools’ Association.

The PMSA owns BBC, Somerville House, Clayfield College and Sunshine Coast Grammar School.

“There are inherent diminished values of what those schools profess to stand for,” he said.

The man said the poor behaviour extended to parents.

“The manners on the roads of parents with BBC stickers on their fancy cars are awful, these drivers are particularly rude, aggressive and entitled, and this rubs off on the kids.”

He said parents should share the blame for the behaviour of students and he did not believe the slide in values had occurred under the current headmaster Andre Casson, who commenced in 2022.

“The problems began before the current administration and senior leadership of BBC,” he said. However, he also said: “Leadership must be able to make an impression on our young generation that they do not own this earth.”

In 2020, former headmaster Paul Brown and BBC were sued for $750,000 by four parents over the expulsion of their Year 9 sons following an alleged sexting and alleged gang-bashing scandal. The case has since settled.

The PMSA controversially overturned the expulsions and had the four boys to be tutored by BBC teachers in office space only a few hundred metres from the Toowong school campus.

The following year, there was a mass exodus of staff, with former deputy headmaster Peter Franks slamming the PMSA as “reprehensible” in the way he claimed it treated staff.

The PMSA has denied any wrongdoing.

The man said while social media had made a big impact on student behaviour, it was vital to stay connected to positive role models in real life.

“The moment you put on your green shirt and your boater hat, people are looking at you, so remember your manners.”