Following the death of Mrs Millward the Diocese of Bendigo took over the complete management of Girton from 1 January 1912. The College changed from being a privately owned to a Church school. The name Church of England Girls’ Grammar School, Girton College, used since 1904, was now a reality although the property still belonged to the Millward Estate.
In January 1912 the Diocese appointed Miss Jane Walker, B.A., to be the Principal of Girton. Miss Walker had taken her degree at the University of Wales and had taught in a number of large boarding schools in Great Britain. For the previous four years, she had been Principal of the Methodist Ladies’ Colege, Adelaide, Mr Chief Justice Way, the Director of Education in South Australia, said of her “Under her management, the College has become the largest non-State school in South Australia and three new classrooms have had to be erected. A born, as well as a highly trained teacher of wide experience, she is undoubtedly one of the best equipped school mistresses in the commonwealth.” Several of the older Old Girtonians will speak highly of her. They say “Miss Walker was a very clever, ladylike person, hardworking, and very well thought of.”
After the death of Mrs Millward, Girton started 1912 with only 30 girls. Numbers increased during the year so that by its end 85 girls were on the roll.
Miss Walker resigned from Girton at the end of 1913. She had been the right person to take charge of Girton following Mrs Millward. In her short erm of two years she re-established the school through hard work and sound educational principles, after the serious decline during the last year of Mrs Millward’s time as headmistress.