More than two decades after retiring from Melbourne Grammar School, Dr Peter Mountford still remembers his students.
The boys to whom he taught Latin grammar and ancient Greek poetry. The students who travelled with him through Italy and Greece. The generations of Bruce House boys who came under his care as Head of House, and the countless young men he mentored on the hockey field during 19 years as coach of the 1st XI.
“I still remember with great fondness the wonderful students whom I taught Latin or Classical Studies and those whom I was so fortunate to have under my care during my ten years as Head of Bruce House,” he says.
Peter’s students, too, remember him just as well, and have now come together all these years later to acknowledge the tremendous impact he had on their lives.
Led by Rowan Minson (OM 2003), six Old Melburnians and a supporting foundation have successfully spearheaded a fundraising initiative to support the humanities faculty within the new Jack Morrow Centre for Humanities in Peter’s honour.
Headmaster Philip Grutzner, who studied Latin under Peter in Year 8 in 1977, says the recognition reflects the profound influence exceptional teachers can have across generations.
“Peter combined deep knowledge with genuine care for his students,” Philip says.
“I recall our exam that year was to translate the centenary test match between England and Australia from Latin to English. He challenged young people to think carefully, engage deeply with ideas and approach the world with curiosity and intellectual rigour.”
“This is a fitting tribute to a teacher whose influence continues to be felt not only by those he taught directly, but through the culture of learning he helped shape at Melbourne Grammar School.”
For Rowan, Peter’s impact was deeply personal.
“Peter was my greatest mentor at school from amongst a number of great mentors,” Rowan says.
“He was a true gentleman scholar – well-travelled, learned in classical history, languages, literature, philosophy and the law, as well as a first-class cricketer and avid golfer.”
Peter started his career in Australia at Grimwade House in 1976 before moving to the Senior School in 1979, where he remained until his retirement in 2002.
Head of Classics, Head of Bruce House and long-serving coach of the 1st XI Hockey team, Peter occupied many roles during his 26 years at Melbourne Grammar. Yet for the students who knew him, his impact was never confined to a single classroom, subject or co-curricular activity.
“He understood teenage boys, the struggles they faced and how to inspire them,” Rowan says.
“He treated his students as young adults and thereby encouraged them to behave as such.”
Whether discussing ancient history, coaching on the hockey field or guiding students through the challenges of adolescence, Peter brought the same combination of wisdom, humanity and care to every aspect of school life.
Peter was a lifelong scholar who studied at Keble College, Oxford, and later became one of Victoria’s most respected Classics educators, yet Rowan believes his greatest gift was helping students to become thoughtful and well-rounded young men.
“He cared deeply about his students’ physical and emotional wellbeing, at a time before such terms were commonplace,” Rowan says.
“He kept a steady eye on the bigger picture – launching well-rounded and values-driven young people on a path towards happy, fulfilling and meaningful lives beyond school.”
Many former students remember Peter through the School’s celebrated Classics tours to Italy and Greece. Armed with meticulously prepared handwritten guidebooks, he brought the ancient world vividly to life, fostering a lasting appreciation for the Humanities and the ideas that continue to shape society today.
The response when Rowan reached out to his old school mates and peers was immediate.
“Without exception, those I approached about the initiative were immediately enthusiastic,” he says.
“Each had a story about what Peter had done for, and meant to, them, but the unifying feature was Peter’s generosity and his love of learning for learning’s sake.”
For Rowan, honouring Peter through the Humanities Faculty feels especially fitting.
“As the consummate humanist, who embodied the classical values that he taught, it seemed only fitting to honour his life’s work through an association with the Jack Morrow Centre for Humanities” he says.
He also hopes the new Morrow Centre will reinforce the continued importance of the Humanities in modern education.
“Despite what some might say, independent, critical thinking of the kind the humanities can teach us is more important now than ever.”
Today, at 86, Peter remains actively engaged with education through his work as a VCAA Panel Member for VCE Latin. Yet when reflecting on this recognition, his thoughts return not to his own achievements, but to the students whose lives intersected with his.
“I am still trying to come to terms with the enormous generosity of so many of my former students.”
“I am very honoured by the naming of an area in my memory,” he says.
When walking under the hanging sign of the new Humanities Faculty, future generations of Melbourne Grammar students will come to know Peter Mountford only by name.
But in the questions they ask, the ideas they challenge and the curiosity they bring to the world, they will encounter the values that defined his teaching every day.