Ted Matson Club

The Club was established in 1995 as the supporters’ group for GGS rugby followers.

In 2024, the School Council Directors unanimously voted in favour of renaming it the Ted Matson Club in recognition of Ted Matson, Club’s President between 2005-2021.

Ted embodied a culture of service to the GGS Rugby Club. He understood that the lessons taught and learnt on the training paddock, as well as before, during and after games on Saturdays, help to enable wisdom for the students who represent GGS while playing Rugby. Building a positive and respectful culture does not happen overnight and the School is blessed with a team of staff and volunteers who travel the journey alongside the students. One of these was Ted Matson. 

Ted treated others with respect and worked tirelessly for the other members of the Rugby Club. Our current Staff collective memories stretch back 13 years, and Ted was very much an institution in the Rugby Club then and across that time. He would arrive on Saturday mornings to catch the bus to Melbourne for away games, always keen to travel with the players and coaches. Once at the ground, Ted mingled with GGS and opposition parents alike. During home fixtures, Ted could always be found in the BBQ marquee, serving sausages and coffees. All of this was done to assist the travelling team feel welcome and to raise funds. In addition, during the mid-year break, Ted would manage the residential arrangements for the Under 18 Australian Schools Rugby Championships.

Ted’s dedication to Geelong Grammar School, and to Rugby, was remarkable. This is even more so when understood that he was a GGS parent back in 1998. Neither of his daughters (Clare (A’97) and Kate (A’98)) played rugby during their time at GGS. Nevertheless, 21 years on, Ted was still engaged and doing all that he could to ensure that the players and coaches were supported through the Rugby Club at GGS.

Ted organised various awards – The Best Bullocking Forward with an award everyone wished to win, with a trophy that no one wants to take home; Clubman of the Year and Ted’s Best Team.

He always began his email messages with the same salutation for another season of rugby at Geelong Grammar School encouraging people to join, and asking if you were not a member of the club, why not?  And he always signed off with “To the game that’s played in heaven (and also at Corio) I trust you’ll become dedicated servants”.  As he was.

After 15 years at the helm as the President of the then John Lewis Club, Ted retired diagnosed with a lymphoma on the brain and was rewarded with a Rugby Half Blue at the end of the 2019 rugby season. He passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack in mid-February 2024.

The Club is very proud to bear his name.

The purpose of the Club is to foster fellowship of the rugby community at GGS (both, sideline supporters and the playing and coaching staff) and to assist the development of the sport by fundraising to meet the wishes of the Head of Rugby and coaches which cannot be fulfilled within the current budget.

Should you be able to get to a match in Melbourne or Geelong during the season, please come along and stand on the sideline to cheer on ‘The Gs’.

We look forward to meeting you at one of the matches.