A Chat to the Guy Who Invented Schoolies

Burgers and dressing gowns, Schoolies 15′. All photos by Chris Stevens.

There was a time when schoolies didn’t exist. The Gold Coast in the early 1970s consisted of reclaimed heathland, fibro shacks, and a sprinkling of early high-rises and gaudy hotels. People just finished school then. They didn’t go to Queensland and spend a week drinking. They didn’t embarrass themselves on Snapchat.

Then a Broadbeach hotel manager named Geoff Lewis changed everything. He took the Spring Break party model from Florida, marketed it around the Gold Coast, and founded an institution. Today Geoff is a 74-year-old retiree, still living in the area, so I called him up to hear the journey.

VICE: Hi Geoff, can you explain how this all began?
Geoff Lewis: So I was the General Manager at the Broadbeach International Hotel in 1975, which has now been torn down. Around November/December business was very slow at the hotel. There just weren’t a lot of large celebrations for kids leaving school.

Which inspired you to see what they were doing in the States?
Yeah so back then I would go to a hotel show every year in Chicago. In 1975 I was discussing with delegates in the US what the market situation was like in Queensland. Someone suggested I go to Fort Lauderdale and have a look at Spring Break. So I did and there were these massive hotels, big pools right on the beach, and thousands of students. I couldn’t believe it. It was all about pool parties, wet t-shirt contests, egg throwing competitions, and music. The drinking age was 21 and they still managed to get alcohol to everyone. The whole experience left a massive impression on me.

Ground zero. The foreshore.

Did you think something like Spring Break would work here?
Yeah, after Spring Break I was like, I have to do this.

How did you start?
So in 1976 we promoted to university students in Queensland, but specifically about this celebration. I went to Armadale and other universities to put out flyers but mostly news travelled through word of mouth. The only concern I had was getting a liquor licencing extension. Back then we were only licensed until 10pm and in those days you had to make an application for a late license.

Describe how the first schoolies celebrations went down? Did you follow the Spring Break model?
We made it different but there were some things that were the same. Ours were a bit boozier. The celebrations started at 12pm and ended at 12am. We were very well organised. I had an entertainer who hosted. People were singing to American Pie for about a quarter of an hour and The Angels’ Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again? Including that awful chorus they had.

How many people attended?
There were 500 people I reckon.

Were drugs an issue back then?
There were no drugs that we knew of at the event but yes, there was an issue with people getting drunk. We tried to control it. Initially we had four security guys but we ended up doubling that. It was different to control than today, but if people were playing up we just kicked them out.

Straight to Instagram

How did the police and parents react?
We were really expecting to have university students but we ended up with all these underage kids. I thought the police were going to close us down because of the noise on the first day but we had a chat with the police and they told us we needed to help them identify underage kids. There was no identification like there is now and very few of them had licences but the police were fantastic, they just required signed declarations.

Did schoolies make you rich?
The hotel certainly did very well. During that period of time we doubled the beverage business. We were probably the biggest bulk beer outlet in Australia in those days. It was full on but actually I think the 80s were our peak.

What was your most memorable schoolies experience?
The most memorable in Queensland was when Abigail, you remember Abigail right, from the television show Number 96 ? She was such a huge celebrity back then and her involvement really helped. She was a part of the wet t-shirt contest and all the kids were like, show us your tits! Of course she did.

What are your thoughts on schoolies these days?
What’s funny is that I seemed to cop a lot of blame. But in all honesty I think everyone’s doing their best to control schoolies. It’s a very different situation today. At times I think it’s gotten out of hand but I’m happy what they’re doing with it. The real problem is the licensing laws. I’m concerned that people can still be drinking in the early hours of the morning. There’s just been a massive change in our drinking culture.

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