The President of Friends of Grammar (FOG), our School’s parent organisation, is one of the busiest and most important service roles in the School. For mother and daughter Edith Nelson and Priscilla Feaver, both of whom have served as President of FOG, the role has deepened their connection with the entire School community.
Edith’s story: Building lifelong friendships
Edith Nelson’s long and deep association with Melbourne Grammar School culminated with her serving as FOG’s fourth President in 1980.
Married to Theo Nelson (OM 1953), at least one of Edith’s four children attended the School from 1973 until 1989. Four grandchildren have graduated from the Melbourne Grammar and she still has family members, including four grandchildren, who are students today.
“The School has been a continuous presence in my life for the past 50 years, but FOG is where I made my true friendships,” Edith says. “I still regularly see the same women who were making tea and serving scones when I was President. It’s been extraordinary.”
Remembering her time as FOG President, Edith emphasises the contribution of volunteers who may not have had a formal role, but gave of their time and energy all the same.
“There are always those people who don’t get any gongs or recognition, but who were the real, true grit,” she says. “I always say to people, volunteering is just as valuable as donating financially.”
Organising the annual School Fair, hosting cocktail parties, and folding hundreds of letters for School mail-outs were all part of Edith’s role. She also recalls a lamington drive that was almost too successful, with students coming back twice in one day to buy another round. “I’d never seen so much chocolate and coconut in all my life,” Edith says.
And why take on the role? “The moment that cemented my relationship with Melbourne Grammar came after one of my sons was hospitalised when he was in Year 4,” says Edith. “The School organised a bus to bring his whole class to visit him at home. How can you repay something like that?”
Priscilla’s story: Inclusivity and communication
When asked why she decided to accept the invitation to be FOG’s 40th President in 2016, Priscilla Feaver says: “My mother was a great role model and I thought if she could do it, so could I. While I knew it would be a very busy year, I took a deep breath and said, ‘let’s have a go.’”
For Priscilla, whose four children have all been Melbourne Grammar students, leading FOG was about building a sense of inclusivity among parents while acting as a point of connection with the School itself.
“The purpose of FOG as I saw it was to help communicate the School’s thinking back to the parents, and vice versa,” she explains. “I hope I’ve been able to make a difference.”
“I was also trying make sure everyone who wanted to be part of FOG events could attend,” Priscilla adds. “I was always thinking about those parents who might not know many people at the School, and how we could include them.”
Priscilla was a parent at Melbourne Grammar for 16 consecutive years and she contributed to the School during each one of them. “I don’t believe I was a helicopter parent and, even though I was a working mother, my aim was to try to be involved with my children as much as possible, so that meant volunteering at their school,” she says. “I tried to help out in any way that I could.”
“Being involved keeps you aware of what is happening within the School environment. By chatting with other parents, you can find out about opportunities which might be available to your child that you hadn’t thought of,” Priscilla explains. “And, as my children progressed through the School, I became an “experienced” parent and was able to give advice to other parents which, of course, I had received from other parents before me.”
