Notable alumni from Ballarat Grammar
From footballers and rowers to biologists and premiers – here are some of the high-profile Aussies to have passed through Ballarat Grammar’s doors.
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Ballarat’s schools boast talent that makes a mark on many walks of life across Australia and beyond.
Ballarat Grammar is no exception, with alumni leaving legacies on science, art, politics, sport, and more.
Here are just 10 people who achieved distinction from humble Ballarat beginnings.
David Fleay
David Fleay was a biologist who, among numerous achievements, became the first person to breed a platypus in captivity.
Mr Fleay was born in Ballarat in 1907 and attended Pleasant Street State School and Ballarat Grammar School.
He taught at the Ballarat Church of England Grammar School, studied at Melbourne University, photographed the last living Tasmanian tiger in Hobart, and in 1943, bred the first captive platypus in Healesville.
A heritage-listed wildlife park was named after him in Queensland, where Mr Fleay lived for a time.
He died aged 86.
Tony Lockett
Tony Lockett played more than 280 AFL games for St Kilda and Sydney between 1983 and 2022 after beginning his career with the North Ballarat Roosters in 1974.
He also played football for the Ballarat School of Mines.
Nicknamed ‘Plugger’, Mr Lockett won a Brownlow Medal in 1987, as well as four Coleman Medals.
He famously kicked a point after the siren against Essendon in 1996 to secure the Swans’ spot in that year’s grand final.
Plugger, a full-forward, has kicked the most goals in AFL/VFL history – 1360.
Mr Lockett retired at the end of 1999 other than a brief comeback in 2002.
He has since been inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2017 and was given ‘Legend’ status by the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Henry Bolte
Henry Bolte was born in Ballarat in 1908 and became the 38th premier of Victoria in 1955 – a position he held for 17 years straight.
Mr Bolte’s family owned the Skipton Hotel and he himself had a background in manual work and farming.
After the Second World War, Mr Bolte – who had a background in manual work and farming – got involved with the Liberal Party and was elected in Hampden in 1947.
He later attracted national attention with his advocating of the death penalty and his refusal to show any lenience to a man who was eventually hanged for killing a prison worker.
Mr Bolte’s tenure – the longest in state history – coincided with the construction of Tullamarine Airport and much of the West Gate Bridge.
The Bolte Bridge is named after him.
David Hirschfelder
Ballarat-born musician David Hirschfelder has been involved with several groups since the 80s, including the John Farnham Band, Little River Band – of which John Farnham was once a part – a jazz band called Pyramid, and more.
Among other awards, Mr Hirschfelder has won two BAFTAs – one for Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom – and worked on films including Australia and The Railway Man.
His score for Elizabeth was nominated for an Oscar in 199, and the following year, Mr Hirschfelder composed the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Lucy Stephan
Lucy Stephan has competed in two Olympics and won numerous world championships among other achievements.
Ms Stephan competed for Victoria in the Australian Rowing Championship after graduating from Ballarat Grammar, taking part in seven consecutive Women’s Eight wins.
She won several medals in world championships between 2012 and 2022, as well as multiple national titles in 2022 and 2023.
Internationally, Ms Stephan participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics and at Tokyo in 2020, where her team took out a gold medal.
She was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2022.
Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis is a musician and composer who is part of bands Dirty Three and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Born in Ballarat in 1965, Mr Ellis is capable of playing numerous instruments and has worked on the scores for films including 2009’s The Road.
He has been nominated for several APRA Music Awards Song of the Year awards and in 2016 won a César Award for Best Original Music through his work on the film Mustang.
Mr Ellis founded the Ellis Park Wildlife Sanctuary in Sumatra.
Roy Dalgarno
Artist Roy Dalgarno is known for his working class realist pieces depicting the world of miners, steelworkers, and sheepshearers.
Born in 1910, Mr Dalgarno was educated in Ballarat and went on to study at the National Gallery Art School in Melbourne, East Sydney Technical College, and Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris.
He worked as lecturer in India and New Zealand after co-founding an art studio in Sydney alongside other artists.
During his career, Mr Dalgarno was commissioned by trade unions to make prints about working Australian life, including some of miners at Broken Hill which were exhibited in 1984.
Some of his social realist prints were shown at Wollongong City Gallery in 2000 and 2001 before Mr Dalgarno died in Auckland aged 90.
Thomas Hollway
Thomas Hollway was a lawyer and the 36th premier of Victoria.
The son of an eventual Ballarat mayor, Mr Hollway was dux of Ballarat Grammar (then Church of England Grammar School) in 1924.
Initially a member of the UAP, he was elected at age 25 to represent Ballarat.
After some time in the RAAF, Mr Hollway was the deputy premier for part of World War II, and in 1947, he became the premier himself at the head of a Liberal-Country Party coalition.
In terms of policy, Mr Hollway was best known for his electoral reform plans, which were carried out by a later Labor-led state government.
Hollway died in Point Lonsdale in 1971.
Katie Foulkes
Katie Foulkes is a two-time Olympian, having competed as a rower in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.
Born in Geelong, Ms Foulkes attended Ballarat Grammar and was coxswain of the Australian Women’s Eight.
She now works as a coach and sports consultant, having presented at international conferences and universities.
Emily Martin
Emily Martin is a three-time world champion rower and Olympian.
She started rowing at Ballarat Grammar and joined the Wendouree Ballarat Rowing Club, going on to represent the state at the Australian Rowing Championships on twelve separate occasions.
Besides other successes, Ms Martin won world championship titles in Greece in 1998, in Switzerland in 2001, and in Japan in 2005.
She was also part of the Rowing Women’s Eight at the Sydney Olympics.
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