Latin Class Disturbance

One of our more innovative 1960's students chose to bring his latest explosive device to  Latin class.  His device consisted of nuts and bolts and phosphorous matches with just the right amount of pressure.  Just as the class was reciting the Latin conjegution of Duco, Ducis, Ducit ... BOOM!  Our classmate tightened his contraption a little too tight and it exploded in his hands.  His blood spraying everywhere, Dr. Orgil cringes wide eyed, and our bloody handed student goes screaming from the classroom heading for the nurses office.  Class Dismissed!

Drinking at Brentwood

Drinking alcohol in the 1960's was as serious a no-no then as it is today.  I can not remember a specific student being kicked out, but I am sure there were some.  Even though it was strictly enforced, drinking happened.  Just like the beverages of today, we had people who carried.  One enterprising lad who went home on the weekends, was known to bring a case of beer back to Brentwood on a Sunday night.  You can't just walk into a dorm with a twelve pack, so he took it to "29 Acres".  
29 acres was the forested land owned by Brentwood above the highway and students sometimes went for a run in the forest back there.  If they had paid for a MAP of where a case of beer was laying about, they were sure to go for a run... with a bottle opener.  There were a lot of empties in 29 acres.

A Brentwood Ritual

Back in the 1960's when men were men and boys were stupid, someone created a ritual to prove you were accepted by some silly group.  The challenge you accepted was to run from the top floor of Ellis House, through the front entrance, up the paved driveway to the front gates, along the road to the Island Highway to the phone booth in front of the store ... NAKED.  
You were expected to tear out page 364 of the phone book and run back the way you came into the screaming masses watching from our dormitory.  All went well until someone added humiliation to the ritual and ripped out the chosen page from the phone book.

Brentwood Car Wash

Washing a Masters car was both a priviledge and a treat.  I can not remember if I was involved because I was doing a "Defaulter" ( work punishment ) or if I volunteered, but to wash Master Browne's car was alot of fun in the 1960's.  Four students would surround the car and lather it with soap in front of the main entrance.  The Master would lose interest in the process and go inside, where one student would keep a lookout and the others would quickly wash and flip a coin to see who got to drive.  
When the coast was clear, the "Winner of the Flip" would get inside, start up the car and light up the tires with much tire screeching to the top of the Brentwood driveway.  A slow return to the front entrance was required to insure the car was returned in one piece.  Another defaulter could be earned if caught.

Living as a Boarding Student

Your first experience as a Brentwood boarder, away from family and friends is pretty emotional.  In the 60's it was not uncommon to see someone packing up their gear a few weeks or a month or two after the start of the year.  Usually the student was one of the less known boys with few friends.  A few frantic phone calls home and many tears later, was an indication that boarding is not for everyone.  For those of us that survived, we became part time psychologists who learned to eat, sleep and live with hundreds of other humans and make you able to deal with many types of people for the rest of your life.

Smoking was an Adventure

Smoking at Brentwood was frowned on and could result in six stripes on your bottom from a cane if caught, so if you were a committed smoker, it paid to be inventive.  One way to have a smoke was to take one of the Flying Junior sailboats out into the bay for a sail.  Knowing how to sail helped, but was not essential.  Just keep the mainsail between you and the school and smoke away.  It was not uncommon for Head David McKenzie in the 60's to watch students with binoculars from his office, so smoking was a one direction activity.  You knew what they were doing when you saw students with life jackets, toothpaste, toothbrush, mouth wash and Aquavelvet after shave heading for the docks.  Smoking is bad for you.

Hiding in a Closet

Once upon a time in the 60's, a pair of prospective parents were being given a tour of Brentwood College.  All students were given fair notice to stow all their gear, dust their shelves and stay out of their dorms until the tour was over.  There was a young man from Nanton AB who had played a strenuous game of rugby, showered and ran up to his room for a particularly tempting bag of Oreo cookies he had received in a family care package. (food from home was a tradition)
When he dashed up the Ellis House staircase to the top floor, darted into his room, popped the lid of his trunk and started munching Oreos.  At that same moment, he heard the steel door latch at the bottom of the staircase click open and footsteps start up the stairs with full polite conversation between the parents and the tour guide.
Our student from Nanton dashed to the closet with bag in hand and stood in the dark munching and listening.  As they entered his dorm room, the tour guide went straight for the closet while saying, "And look at the size of the clothes closet", while whipping the door open.  That student was brought into the Headmaster's office and introduced to the cane with 6 strips. ( see below )

Caning Punishment

Caning Punishment  https://goo.gl/xz6Sbi
Something recent Brentonians will NEVER experience is the early years form of punishment called "Caning".  If a Master (teacher) felt you had stepped over the line, he would tell you to go find a cane ( or switch ) and you were expected to go into the forest and find a suitable tree branch.  If your selected stick did not measure up to the Master's expectations in flexibility and/or stiffness, he had a reserve supply of British canes, honed over the backside of our British counterparts.

You were told to bend over and given 6 strokes of the cane.  Most punishment was administered in the privacy of the Heads Office ( Head of School ), but in some cases if Gil Bunch ( an early Master ) was involved, it was not uncommon for him to run the length of the top floor of Ellis House Dormitory at full speed and have the boy watch him coming through his open legs.  Every student in Ellis House stood at their doorway to watch the spectacle  For past few decades, touching a student could result in a teacher dismissal.  Ahh the early days!

Brentwood College History 1923-Present

Brentwood Heads of School

Henry Pollock Hope    1923-1932
Martin H. Ellis              1932-1939
A.C. Privett                  1939-1946
W.K. Molson                1946-1947
E. Colchester               1947-1948
David D. Mackenzie     1961-1976
William T. Ross            1976-2000
Andrea M. Pennells      2000-2012
Bud Patel                      2012-present

History

Brentwood College School was founded in 1923 by a Board of Governors led by Cuthbert Holmes and its first Headmaster, H.P. Hope. The school was originally located in Brentwood Bay near Saanich on Vancouver Island, from where its name was derived. Starting with an initial enrolment of fifty boys and a faculty of four, the school gained an enviable reputation through outstanding academic and athletic results. Brentonians remember with pride the achievements of our founding students including Brentwood's first Olympian, Ned Pratt (Class of 1930) and Federal Cabinet Minister, Alastair Gillespie (Class of 1941).

In 1947, the Brentwood Bay campus was destroyed by a fire, leaving only the chapel intact. Despite this, Old Brentonians remained loyal to the spirit of their alma mater and dreamed of rebuilding their school. In September 1961, a board of dedicated alumni, inspired by the enthusiasm of the new Headmaster David Mackenzie, reestablished the school on the shores of Mill Bay, directly across the inlet from the original site.

In 1972, Brentwood College became the first all-boys boarding school in Canada to become co-educational, enrolling twenty brave Grade 12 female students for the fall session. In 1976, Bill Ross was appointed as Headmaster, remaining at the helm until 2000. He was succeeded by Andrea Pennells who served as Head of School until 2012. Bud Patel is our current Head of School.

From its early pioneering days, our school has flourished through the rebuilding of the campus, the development of Brentwood’s unique tripartite program of academics, athletics and arts, and the continuing tradition of leadership and service.  http://goo.gl/yeQd8f