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For many years, it was widely believed that Peter Kanoa (OM 1969); later known as Peter Rotumah — the well-known and much-loved scholarship student of the 1960s — was Melbourne Grammar’s first Indigenous student. His presence was a milestone in the School’s journey toward inclusion and remains an important part of the early story of today’s First Nations Scholarship Program.
But in November last year, the School received an unexpected email, revealing an earlier and remarkable chapter in our history — that of brothers Charles Melbourne Johnston (OM 1911) and Spencer Johnston (OM 1913). Both proud Old Melburnians and, significantly, proud great-grandsons of Minboaram (Queen Caroline) of the Boandik people of South Australia.
Left to Right
– Ellis Julius Arthur Johnston, son of Bertha, brother of Charles, great-grandson of Mingboaram (Queen Caroline)
– Rachel Viola Johnston, daughter of Bertha, sister of Charles, great-granddaughter of Mingboaram (Queen Caroline)
– Maria Simmonds (née White), daughter of Mingboaram (Queen Caroline), mother of Bertha, grandmother of Charles
– Adolf Charles Johansen (surname Anglicised to “Johnston”), husband of Bertha, father of Charles
– Andrews Simmonds, husband of Maria, not the biological father of Bertha
– Charles Melbourne Johnston, son of Bertha and Adolf, grandson of Maria, great-grandson of Mingboaram (Queen Caroline)
– Bertha, daughter of Maria, wife of Adolf Johnston, granddaughter of Mingboaram (Queen Caroline), mother of Charles
– Travis Andrews Johnston, son of Bertha and Adolf, brother of Charles, grandson of Maria, great-grandson of Mingboaram (Queen Caroline)
– Spencer Adolphus Johnston, son of Bertha and Adolf, brother of Charles, grandson of Maria, great-grandson of Mingboaram (Queen Caroline)
Absent from portrait
– Frances (b. 1908)
– Carmen (b. 1910)
The email drew attention to Charles Melbourne Johnston, who attended the school from 1907 to 1911 and is honoured in two online articles by the Australian War Memorial (2015 and 2019) as a decorated First Nations soldier of the First World War. Known to his comrades as “The Black Prince of Gallipoli,” Charles served with courage and distinction, earning a lasting place in the nation’s military history.
Although Charles had long been recognised among the 1,350 Old Melburnians who served in WWI, this new understanding of his heritage brings a deeper layer of significance. He is now acknowledged as the most highly decorated First Nations Australian soldier of the Great War — and an Old Melburnian.
The connection between the Johnston family and the School remains strong. Recently, Charles’s grandson, Associate Professor Peter Wyllie Johnston, visited the campus to walk in his grandfather’s footsteps through the Bluestone and the Quad. He shared lunch and stories with Melbourne Grammar’s First Nations Program Manager, Shane Evans and the School’s fifteen current First Nations students, in a moment that bridged generations and honoured shared legacy.
On Tuesday 27 May, Peter Wyllie Johnston will speak about his family’s remarkable story and their connection to Melbourne Grammar as part of the Community Speaker Series during Reconciliation Week. This rediscovered legacy reminds us that Melbourne Grammar’s story of is often broader and richer than we realise — and that it continues to be shaped by voices of strength, service, and connection.
Lest we forget.
Author: Luisa Moscato, School Archivist
