Labertouche

In 1907, Horace was born in Poona, India where his father Reverend Percy Webber was a missionary with the Church of England.

In 1920, the family moved to Ringwood where his father became the vicar of St Paul’s Church. After graduating from the University of Melbourne, Horace joined BGS in 1946 as the Head of the Middle School.

Apart from teaching French and English and coaching sport teams, Horace was keenly interested in the Australian flora and fauna.

He considered that with increasing urbanisation the opportunities for boys to experience life in the bush had become remote.

It took until 1962 for Horace to achieve his goal when he obtained a lease in the Bunyip State Forest at Labertouche, a little over an hour’s drive from the school and 15 miles from a town of any consequence. Groups were organised into work periods and recesses. Horace conducted Botany lessons under a large marquee and specimens of plant life were drawn and studied. At night, he led excursions to observe the animal life around the camp. Every boy did their share of peeling spuds and chopping firewood, which developed a community spirit. Countless young students relished their camp experience and their hikes in the wilderness.

In February 2008, the staff and students were shocked to hear when they heard that the Labertouche campsite had been razed by bushfires.

Horace is remembered not only through his camps but also for his published works, which included a novel, Reluctant Angel, published under the pseudonym of Edna Constance; Years Pass On–Caulfield Grammar School 1881-1981; and the Greening of the Hill–Revegetation around Broken Hill in the 1930s.