Trinity Grammar haircut spectacle not going anywhere as billboards pop up

THE Trinity Grammar haircut saga has taken another twist with a 2014 quote attributed to the headmaster haunting him very publicly.

JUST when you thought the Trinity Grammar haircut saga might be winding down, it ramped right back up again.

Two full weeks after the deputy headmaster of the prestigious Melbourne private boys’ school was forced to resign over a student picture day haircut, the situation remains incredibly tense.

Former deputy headmaster Rohan Brown is still on the outer despite calls from students, parents and the Old Boys’ Association to have the teacher of 30 years reinstated. And now the focus is shifting towards headmaster Michael Davies.

On Wednesday, billboards were erected outside the Kew campus featuring a giant image of the headmaster’s face with a red cross over it. Next to it was the opening line from Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice which Mr Davies published in the school community magazine The Trinity Grammarian in 2014, offending parents and students who identified as LGBTI.

Trucks with billboards outside the Trinity Grammar school in Kew. Picture: Aaron Francis/The Australian

“Men of Trinity, all in possession of a good fortune. A Trinity education — should heed the opening words of Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”

The electronic billboard then changes to read the following: “Our school community is far too progressive and inclusive for your 18th century values.”

The tide turned against Mr Davies quickly after Mr Brown’s axing. Students dressed in casual gear — a stark contrast to their normally immaculate uniforms — and chanted “bring Browny back”.

One student was pictured holding a sign with a cartoon character wearing glasses and a suit alongside the words: “No one wants you at Trinity.”

A picture for Mr Davies. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Mr Brown wrote to students on Tuesday this week asking them to get on with life at the school without him and to end their weeks-long protest.

“May I please thank you and the boys for your wonderful support over the last week,” Mr Brown wrote to Trinity Grammar’s school captain and four vice captains, the Herald Sun reports.

“It must be very trying, confusing and difficult for the five of you.”

He asked them to end their protest and put their uniforms back on.

“It is my wish that the boys return to school uniform for the remainder of the term. I would like the boys to walk proud and tall, in uniform, to and from school and at school.”

The students said they would do what Mr Brown had asked and pass on the message to other students.

Trinity Grammar students protest over the sacking of deputy headmaster Rohan Brown. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Fifty former captains and vice captains at the school from 2001-2017 wrote a letter to the school council and the headmaster last week in which they expressed “profound disappointment” and lamented the direction the school had taken in recent years.

“The school’s executive leadership has made clear its intention to change the school’s vision and direction,” the letter said.

Mr Brown was forced to resign after he chopped a student’s hair because it did not meet the standards set within the school’s grooming guidelines.

School Council chairman Roderick Lyle wrote to parents last week saying Mr Brown’s action was “in contravention of school policy and was also inconsistent with community expectations in this day and age”. But support gathered quickly behind Mr Brown.

Mr Brown has said he would like to return to the school — a place he’s worked for 30 years — if possible.

News.com.au has contacted Trinity Grammar for comment.