Brisbane Grammar School Captain Marcus Ray wrote his own piece of BGS history when he met HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, at a tree planting ceremony to mark the school’s 150th anniversary.

The Earl visited BGS in April to meet Duke of Edinburgh Award participants and awardees, including Marcus, who achieved the Bronze award in 2016. Marcus introduced the Earl and handed him the same spade his father Prince Philip had used to plant a tree at Brisbane Grammar School’s 100th anniversary in 1968. Prince Edward’s great grandfather, then a teenage Prince George, also planted a tree to mark the opening of the school’s current location in Gregory Terrace in 1881. A BGS student since 2013, Marcus has won public speaking and debating prizes to add to his academic achievements as Dux of Years 8, 10 and 11.

He is also a talented sportsman, winning the Open Men’s 100 metre and several tennis championships while at BGS. Head of Year 12 Mr Craig Timms says Marcus strives for excellence in everything he does, but also gratefully acknowledges his peers and teachers who help him along the way. “Marcus’s conduct is marked by humility and a commitment to lead others selflessly. He wouldn’t ask his peers to do something that he wasn’t also prepared to do,” said Mr Timms. In the future, Marcus plans to attend Oxford University and pursue a career in international diplomacy.

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