The Log 2018 by Queen's Gate School

THE LOG

QUEEN ’ S GATE ALUMNAE MAGAZINE Nº 95 · 2018

THE LOG

QUEEN ’ S GATE ALUMNAE MAGA ZINE Nº 95 · 2018

TH E LOG

Principal’s foreword

Dear Old Girls, It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2018 edition of The Log. It has been another successful year at Queen’s Gate with excellent A Level and GCSE results as well an ever-increasing range of extra-curricular activities and opportunities for our girls to develop their skills or discover new interests – and to become the leaders of the future. It has been an important year for our country too as we celebrate the centenary of women’s suffrage, the centenary of the RAF and the 70th anniversary of the NHS, and we commemorate the centenary of the ending of the First World War. Looking back over the past century, we are struck by the resilience of the human spirit and the determination of previous generations as they fought for the freedom we enjoy today. Queen’s Gate girls played their part in the

shaping of the past one hundred years and I hope that in this year’s edition of The Log you will enjoy reading of their adventures and their achievements. You, our Old Girls, form an important part of the Queen’s Gate family. We enjoy meeting you, hearing your news as well as your memories of the past. We continue to develop our alumnae programme and hope that we will have the pleasure of hearing from you, or even better seeing you in the year ahead – a warm welcome awaits you in Queen’s Gate. My very best wishes to you all. Yours sincerely, Mrs R. M. Kamaryc Principal

WELCOME

many sporting competitions – turn to page 40 for The Review. My thanks go to everyone who has contributed to this year’s magazine, and we hope you enjoy reading it.

Meet the new team

Editor Miss Amy Hinds Communications Officer feature writers Miss Emily Acton-Edmiston External Relations Assistant Miss Lilliah de Bie Alumnae & Events Officer Sig.na Cristina Podavitte Archivist photography DFPhotography art direction ARCH Design Studio

Queen’s Gate School 131–133 Queen’s Gate London SW7 5LE queensgate.org.uk

From the Editor Welcome to the 2018 edition of The Log. This edition focuses on an extremely important anniversary for women in the UK; 100 years since the first woman was given the right to vote at an election. The suffragist and suffragette movements saw the lengths to which women were willing to go to be able to get their voice heard in society. Our archivist, Cristina, in her article on page 11 explores the fight for suffrage and introduces Queen’s Gate’s own prominent suffragette, Lavender Baillie Guthrie. The strength of women who have been educated at Queen’s Gate is shown throughout the magazine, from business owners to comedians and journalists – vocations that were not necessarily recognised as careers for women before the First World War. Queen’s Gate itself continues to be busy as always, and our pupils have excelled in this year’s examinations, as well as entertaining us with two musical productions, creating new fundraising ventures and succeeding in 5

This year has seen some changes in the External Relations Department, with not one but two new members of staff! In January, Emily Acton-Edmiston took up the brand new role of External Relations Assistant. We soon had Emily working with our alumnae, and within her first few weeks at the School, she organised a trip to Scotland to meet with Old Girls studying at Edinburgh and St Andrews universities. Emily has also been instrumental in leading the social media since her arrival, and many of you will have read, liked and shared the content she is producing for the School on Facebook and Twitter. In April, we were joined by Alumnae and Events Officer Lilliah de Bie, who comes to us from UCS Hampstead. Since her arrival, Lilliah has been working hard on evolving the alumnae department, with the introduction of e-newsletters and even some QG merchandise.

Contact details As always, we love hearing from our alumnae community, and you can keep in touch with us in so many different ways. Turn to page 54 to find out how you can keep in contact with the QG Community, and we look forward to hearing all your news in the coming year! above The 2018 External Relations team: (l–r) Emily, Lilly, Amy & Cristina

TH E LOG

CONTENTS

Alumnae news

Old Girl profiles

FRONT

Elizabeth Kapasa, og 2001

Principal’s foreword

Editor’s welcome

Events digest A jazzed-up party for Old Girls, visiting alumnae in Scotland, the annual summer Garden Party

From the Archives

Well engineered

Katy’s got talent

Tour de Transplant

Katy Stephens, og 1995

Liz Schick, og 1980

Queen of all she surveys

Sister Act

Nicola Dixon Brown, og 2000

Madeleine Bye, og 2005

Votes for women

Suffragette pity

A century on from the Representation of the People Act, how did the battle for women’s rights affect Queen’s Gate?

The story of Queen’s Gate’s suffragette, Lavender Guthrie, who was instrumental in the Votes for Women campaign

CONTENTS

Old Girl interview

Press Pack

Gini & Eccie Newton

In the news We take a look at a few of our Old Girls who have been hitting the headlines over the last year

The entrepreneurial sisters tell us about their successful corporate catering start-up, Karma Cans

The need for women who know how to tackle things will be great in the future Against all odds

The Review

Queen’s Gate taught me to stick with things that are challenging Eccie Newton

Old Girl Timeline

A century of strong women

A summary of all things Queen’s Gate, bursting with culture, sport, exploration, learning and high achievement

The Back Pages

A timeline showing some of Queen’s Gate’s most influential and pioneering alumnae from the last 100 years

Announcements

In memoriam Michelle Faustmann Soumier, OG 2000, and former Principal Mrs Margaret Newnham

Forthcoming events

Join us online

TH E LOG

Events digest Old Girls’ party A glittering evening of cocktails and jazz for Alumnae On Friday 17 November 2017, the annual Old Girls’ Party took place in the Black Dining Room of Queen’s Gate Senior School. Guests ranged from those who had left in the 1950s, to the newest 2017 alumnae – all of whom were keen to be back in school, catching up with old friends and staff. Upon arrival, guests were escorted on tours around the School by LVI pupils, prompting much storytelling and conversation between the former pupils and the current! School Archivist, Miss Podavitte, created a beautiful display of materials from Queen’s Gate’s history for everyone to enjoy. Drinks and canapés were supplied in plentiful amounts and some excellent jazz was provided during the evening by London-based swing band, The Shirt Tail Stompers. Thank you to all our former pupils, current pupils and staff who helped make the evening such fun.

Scotland tour Visiting Old Girls at university in Edinburgh and St Andrews Following the success of last year’s alumnae trip to New York (see The Log 2017) during February half-term, Principal Mrs Kamaryc, Head of Sixth Form Dr Lee and External Relations Assistant Miss Acton-Edmiston travelled to Scotland to visit Queen’s Gate Old Girls living and studying in Edinburgh and St Andrews. Whilst there, QG staff also toured round the universities and attended information sessions given by Admissions departments, gaining useful advice about the application process and life at the institutions. 8

‘The trip reminded me of the strong bonds we all have and how the Queen’s Gate community lives on after leaving school’ Poppy Hooper (OG 2017)

EV ENTS DI GEST

Annual Summer Garden Party

The trip was also a chance for the School to host lunches for the Old Girls. This was a wonderful opportunity for staff and girls alike to connect and catch up. In Edinburgh, a lovely Monday afternoon was spent with 11 Old Girls at The Outsider restaurant. Fun was had reminiscing and recording messages for the current pupils to play in assembly back in London. In St Andrews the following day, although a smaller affair, the staff were delighted to be joined at Mitchell’s Deli by Old Girl Isabel Steele, who recounted the quirky traditions that go on at the university! The two days spent in Scotland were both thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile, complete with bagpipes and a run along the beach at St Andrews!

The end of the academic year is toasted in style This year’s events calendar was rounded off with the annual Summer Garden Party on Thursday 21 June in Stanhope Gardens. Over 250 guests, including parents, Old Girls, former staff and current staff, arrived through a beautiful flower arch created by Old Girl (2010), Alisa Lambina (pictured left), in QG colours. The evening saw guests catching up with each other and making new acquaintances, with musical entertainment provided by the Senior School Girls’ Barbershop. The sun shone through the garden’s trees, and all were able to enjoy al fresco drinks and canapés for the year’s longest day. A wonderful evening, which Mrs Kamaryc and the Queen’s Gate Foundation look forward to hosting again next year.

F ROM THE ARCHI VES

In this 100th anniversary year of the Representation of the People Act, our archivist, Cristina Podavitte, describes Queen’s Gate’s role in the battle for women’s rights

Against all odds The history of our school is filled with stories of remarkable women whose personalities and achievements have contributed to the shape of our community as well as the wider world. In last year’s issue of The Log, where we travelled back 100 years to the middle of the First World War, we celebrated the lives of those Queen’s Gate girls who actively participated in the war effort by knitting bandages, nursing in hospitals, making munitions, learning to drive motors, and working on Military Committees at the Front. The bravery and kindness of their deeds will never be forgotten. This year, we are delighted to share more extraordinary stories from our archives and history, with special focus on a poignant turning point in the history of democracy in Great Britain and Ireland: the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote. The introduction of the Representation of the People Act in February 1918 entitled women who were over the age of 30, who were also property owners and graduates from British universities, to vote in parliamentary elections for the first time. The same Act gave the vote to all men over the age of 21. (Women under the age of 30 continued to wait a further ten years before being granted the same right.)

There is no doubt that the resilience of women who experienced the tragedy of the Great War, yet did not retreat in the face of barbarity by undertaking jobs traditionally fulfilled by men, won them considerable respect and admiration. Women, who were commonly referred to as the ‘weaker sex’, had in fact proved that their physical, intellectual and creative abilities were equal to those of men. Stories of Queen’s Gate girls from the past, and the present, constantly remind us of women’s remarkable strengths and entrepreneurial spark. As we read in The Log 1914–15: ‘When this war began a great many people seemed to be surprised – pleasantly so, no doubt – at the eagerness shown by girls and women to “do their bit”. It was considered remarkable and praiseworthy that the idle, pleasure-loving “daughters at home” should rush in one wild, disorganised torrent to the hospitals, Red Cross Societies, Relief Committees, Belgian Refugee Societies, etc.’ Furthermore, in the years leading up to the conflict, the actions and campaigns of the suffragists and suffragettes had contributed enormously to unveiling the political and social injustice that women endured. In this scenario, girls’ education played a crucial role, as it allowed women to develop their

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Parliamentary Silhouettes Then a short, dogged, rather violent member of the opposition rises, with a jerk, to her feet. After glaring at the other side she declares their ideas “ preposterous and sentimental” in an energetic, inspiring voice. She thrusts her points before the Parliament, insisting on their being understood. This member generally winds up by declaring ‘ that the only way to redeem the world is to teach it H istory." Here one or two members “ groan,” A short, dogged, rather violent m em ber.

and a wave of emotion p a sse s o v e r “ T h e House.” When she finishes, the “ lon g” member, with a slightly worried expression, rises to ask a question. Here the Speaker ( W hat should we do without him ?) states that inconvenient questions need not be answered. A third member now rises, and the Opposition are struck by the kindQl_ ' ness of her face and think that she at least will spare them. But she is a wolf in lamb’s clothing, and her remarks are biting, and Daintily Attired.

“ I thin k”

Suffragette

[ 61 ]

self‑consciousness, empowering them both as individuals and as members of the wider social context. Indeed, schools and colleges such as the London (Royal Free Hospital) School of Medicine for Women opened the way to women’s professional, social and political engagement. In 1915, Queen’s Gate School held a meeting chaired by Her Grace the Duchess of Marlborough, Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, in support of the appeal for the extension of the school of medicine’s premises. It is fascinating to read in The Log about the growing number of women training at the School: ‘Founded in 1874 by Dr Sophia Jex-Blake, it occupied a small private house in Hunter Street, Brunswick Square. There were 14 students. Larger premises on the original site were built in 1900, and were opened by King Edward and Queen Alexandra (then Prince and Princess of Wales). The School has now outgrown these buildings also. There are to-day [sic] 220 students, and a further entry of over 60 is expected next term. […] In 1874 there were only two women – Miss Elizabeth Blackwell and Mrs Garrett Anderson –

To be allowed to argue, to express our views; the fun of thrust and repartee, was bracing

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on the British Medical Register. There are now about 1,000, of whom over 600 have received their training at this School.’ A further appeal came from Olive Franklin, a former Queen’s Gate pupil who then went to study at Girton College, Cambridge. Olive contributed to The Log 1914–15 with an extensive article about the importance of women’s higher education in wartime: ‘Women are so sensible of their own uselessness that they even dread becoming the mothers of girls instead of boys. […] From the practical point of view we are glad to see there is no falling off of the numbers who wish to acquire a university education. […] The need for women who know how to tackle things will be great in the future.’ (Finally, the editor remarks: ‘It is not bad patriotism to share in the intelligent preparation for citizenship’.) The girls at Queen’s Gate were very much aware of the importance of their contribution to the wider society. The School’s Principal, Miss Annabel Douglas, believed that the girls should be articulate: ‘the good talkers are people with real thoughts and good, warm words to clothe them in’. In 1902, a Debating Society was formed under the leadership of Miss D’Esterre Keeling, and in 1909 Mr Harold Gorst instituted the School’s Parliament with the aim of ‘educating girls in the duties of citizenship’. This opened the way to the art of debating and promoted female participation in the discussion of political and social matters, a practice that continues to this day. Vera Stewart, speaker at the 1910 Queen’s Gate Parliament, wrote in The Log 1941: ‘To be allowed to argue, to express our views; the fun of thrust and repartee, was extraordinarily bracing, and many of us who arrived tongue-tied gradually found our tongues becoming unloosed.’ Some of the motions debated show how the Queen’s Gate community was profoundly engaged with the political and social turmoil of the time. In 1910, the motion ‘That Woman cannot become fully developed until she has been given Full Citizenship […]’ provoked an interesting discussion on the educative and developing

FROM THE ARCHI VES

power of the vote. One side insisted that the best way to develop and expand women’s interests is to give them the full powers and duties of citizenship. Interestingly, ‘this was strongly opposed on the ground that women can get all they desire by other means than the Parliamentary Vote’, such as ‘learning to co-operate and organize the professions and industries in which they engaged.’ These words from the School’s magazine manifest the spirit and controversy that arose from the women’s quest for freedom and social rights. In copies published between 1905 and 1915 (the last issue before the ceasing of non-essential printing during war), the word ‘suffrage’ and its variants ‘suffragette’, ‘antisuffragette’, ‘suffragist’ occur 27 times with a peak in 1911–12. Despite their relatively low frequency, the fact that these words were subject of discussion and articles in The Log

shows that the social upheaval of the time had permeated the minds and lives of the Queen’s Gate family. Indeed, our School’s community has always been outward-looking, and echoes of the women’s battles beyond the United Kingdom’s border can be found as early as in 1906–07 (The Log page 89):

A Warning [Finland is going to admit female legislators] Suffragetta, hast heard the good news? Dry up some of the tears that you swim in, For the boon that we Britons refuse Is conceded by Finland to women! But although this instalment’s secured, Still your struggles you must not diminish, For your triumph is not yet secured— The beginning is often the Finnish.

Opposite An excerpt from Parliamentary Silhouettes (The Log 1910–11, p. 61) Right The Representation of the People Act 1918, which gave some women the vote for the first time

previous page Consuelo SpencerChurchill with Winston at Blenheim in 1902

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girls’ responses to the motions of the 1920 and 1923 Queen’s Gate Parliamentary sessions: ‘That personal vanity figures too prominently in the women of to-day – Lost without Division’; ‘That all women should have the same rights and independence as men – Carried by a majority of 3’; ‘That the idea of liberty in England has been carried to excess, and should be curtailed for everyone under the age of twenty-one – Lost by twelve votes.’ Finally, following in the footsteps of the Government, Queen’s Gate held its very first General Election in 1923. This occasion, which was celebrated as an unprecedented event […] in the annals of Queen’s Gate history, marked the culmination of this period of profound change within the microcosm of the School’s community as a reflection of the broader horizon.

Interestingly, on the same page of the same issue, the editor includes a poem written by an anonymous parent who celebrates, amongst others, Lavender ‘Sergeant’ Guthrie, an Old Girl who later became a militant suffragette (see article on page 22):

Paradise Regained Ring out the clarion note, Proclaim the holy cause, ‘Why should not women vote!, And make their country’s laws, And join in England’s battle, And sail the endless seas: Not stay at home like cattle, And brew their husbands’ teas!’ Let girls be taught to fight, And mind the babes no more, As soldiers claim the right To guard dear Albion’s shore. So lay we down the shoddy On which we waste our stitches To form a valiant body Of Bandar Logs in breeches. With Douglas for our colonel And Major Johnstone too We’ll win a fame eternal And honours, not a few. With Corporal Page beside us, And Sergeant Guthrie brave, We know whate’er betide us, Our own soft skins will save. When Girouard blows the cornet, And Henshaw beats the drum, The enemy will mourn it Immediately—if he come. Then on we march to glory With banners gay unfurled, Our end will not be gory, Though we subdue the world!

below Mr Harold Gorst, founder of the Queen’s Gate Parliament, 1909

In the years that immediately followed the introduction of the Representation of the People Act, the consequences of this fundamental step towards women’s equality are reflected in the

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A LUM N AE PROF I LES

Elizabeth Kapasa née Roberts OG 2001

Well engineered Since leaving Sheffield University with a first-class degree and a Santander award for Engagement in the Wider Community, Elizabeth has continued her involvement in outreach projects whilst studying for her PhD, redirecting her aim at inspiring the next generation to get involved in engineering. Her book, Suzie and Ricky: The Crash Landing, aimed at eight- and nine-year-olds, was sponsored by the University of Sheffield’s ‘Women in Engineering’ society and distributed free to the city’s schools and libraries. In 2016, the book was launched nationally at the Houses of Parliament, and is now available as an e-book as well as having its own website. In 2017, Elizabeth won the National Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine’s Spier’s Prize for Outreach 2017, for her contribution to promoting

bioengineering. As a postgraduate researcher, Elizabeth is working on ways in which cell-sheet engineering can provide innovative stem cell therapy to treat bone defects and diseases such as osteoporosis. Keep up to date with news of Suzie and Ricky on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @SuzieAndRicky · #SuzieAndRicky

ALUMNAE PROFILES

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Liz Schick OG 1980

Tour de Transplant Katy Stephens OG 1995

Katy’s got talent Katy Stephens founded KMPR talent management and PR agency in 2016 with the aim to provide a one-stop shop for talent to be represented, and brands to come to for access to the best and most relevant influencers. The company specialises in fashion, lifestyle and beauty and represents reality TV stars such as Jon Clarke (The Only Way is Essex) and Sophie Habboo (Made In Chelsea) and influencers including musician Roxxxan and Nicola Hughes (Made In Chelsea). Prior to starting her company, Katy worked as a Global Director of PR for Next Management and has also had experience in music management, including a four-year stint with the Rolling Stones guitarist, Ronnie Wood. Katy lives in Surrey with her husband, daughter Savannah, three dogs Leon, Flake and Fudge, and cat Lols.

Following our profile of Liz in last year’s edition of The Log, she is continuing to impress us with her strength and enthusiasm, following her transplant surgery 20 years ago in 1998. To honour her deceased anonymous organ donor and their family, Liz cycled 177 kilometres around Lake Geneva on Saturday 26 May 2018 to raise funds for her children’s transplant charity TACKERS. The charity’s camps, founded by Liz, are a project of the National Swiss Foundation for Organ Donation and Transplantation, Swisstransplant, with the next camp taking place 10–17 March 2019 in Anzère, in the Swiss Alps. At the time of writing, Liz had raised £840. Donations are still open for TACKERS by visiting: paypal.com/pools/c/84AOtnof3H UK organ donor register: organdonation.nhs.uk

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A LUM N AE PROF I LES

Madeleine Bye OG 2005

Sister Act Madeleine Bye, alongside her sister, Marina, took their duo comedy show, Siblings, and new show, Siblings Act 2, up to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, performing at the well-known Udderbelly venue throughout August. Following her time at Queen’s Gate, Maddy went on to study at Clown School Ecole Philippe Gaulier, after her godfather, Alan Rickman, gave her a little nudge in the right direction! The duo’s comedy careers began in 2015 when they signed up for an open mic night in Edinburgh, and they never looked back! The show is a cacophony of sketch, Gaulier-trained clowning, intensely serious Guildhall-trained acting, a whole lot of synchronised dance and plenty of deep-rooted familial issues.

Nicola Dixon Brown OG 2000

Queen of all she surveys Nicola Dixon Brown has won the prestigious Asset & Facilities Management Award at the 2017 RICS Matrics Young Surveyor of the Year Awards. Nicola demonstrated her ability to be an outstanding ambassador and excellent role model for her profession, and was acknowledged for her work on the RICS Matrics UK Board. Following the awards, Nicola took up a Director position at CBRE Asset Services.

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Dinner ladies Gini (OG 2011) and Eccie Newton (OG 2008) founded their business Karma Cans in 2014 from their basement kitchen. Starting with £5, one customer and an idea, they have grown their company into a corporate catering service, which delivers hundreds of meals a day across London. With their next venture, Karma Kitchen, in the pipeline – a community of co-working kitchens and office spaces for people in food and drink – it looks like the sky really is the limit for these two sisters

Food is at the heart of Karma Cans. Tell us a bit about how it started and

E It’s the herbs! But not too many flavours – no weird fruits in there!

your recipes. What are the challenges of running

Gini Eccie is a chef and she’s worked at Petersham Nurseries and other top restaurants. She has always had this ability to take simple ingredients and make them taste amazing. I don’t have that! I don’t really know where she learnt it?! eccie I can’t really explain where it came from – it just happened. We plan menus collaboratively, talking about our ideas as a team. We make a vegan salad base and add things to it. G Rather than the meat making the meal, the salad on its own should stand for itself. I must say, all of our salads have this amazing texture! Everyone always comments on the texture.

your own business?

E Anyone can start a company, you just need to have an idea, but running a company, going to work every day to keep it going is the hard part! When a company is starting, it’s going to fail before it succeeds, so you have to persevere. Even companies like Uber and Airbnb struggled in their infancy. A lot of people don’t know that. G We started out as an individual lunch delivery business and now we look back and laugh because it was so expensive and operations were crazy. We were delivering to ‘Sally in Kensington’ when our kitchen was the other side of London and she would be saying, ‘why is my 1 8

INTERV IEW · GI NI & ECCI E NEWTON

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food late?’ and we were like, ‘I don’t know – because you’re really far away!’ There was no logic. There were points where we thought we were going to completely fail but we restructured to service a corporate market and it was the best thing we’ve done. E We had to start somewhere and not be afraid to get things wrong. Learning to be flexible and accept that things needed changing was a big challenge. G Karma Cans is revenue driven, and that’s great, but before we got our loan, whenever we were failing, we were absolutely failing – there was no buffer zone. After a couple of years, we applied for a Virgin Start-Up Loan and we did this as separate founders so we could get the maximum amount. With Karma Kitchen, we have had to pitch to so many investors and, because it’s not our money, there’s a lot more upfront pressure before we have even launched.

necessarily about being charismatic (although that helps), it’s about research and strategy too. G Computer skills are also key!

E In terms of a formalised adviser, we have never really had one, but Virgin provided us with an hour’s mentorship a month and we chose sales as our specialism.

E I agree, having really good IT skills is so useful these days. If you can code or use programmes like Photoshop, InDesign and Keynote it is definitely going to give you the edge.

G Our mentor was a machine! His aggressive approach combined with our more creative side really worked and he brought processes into what we do, which was invaluable.

Running your own business must

You mentioned that sales should be

be daunting at times. Do you have

taught in schools. Is there anything

anyone who advises you?

you learnt at Queen’s Gate that has particularly helped you with your

G When we started out with Karma Cans, we had a group of friends we met through the food industry who we used to meet up and have drinks with regularly, and genuinely they were the most inspiring people. A lot of them were going through a similar journey and we learnt a lot from just chatting to them.

What advice would you give to anyone starting their career, or even their own business?

G Sales is the key to any business! I would advise anyone that I meet now to learn sales – it makes you indispensable! Sales has a bit of a bad reputation because I think people often immediately think of recruitment consultants or sales assistants in shops, but it’s so much more than that. It needs a rebrand! E Sales should be taught in schools. Even if you’re not doing an explicit sales role in a company, you will have to sell to your team and to people more senior to you. Any company requires a level of internal selling. It’s not

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business?

E I definitely think that school and university teach you how to communicate properly. Knowing how to talk to different types of people is a key skill that we learnt at school, even more so than university, where the focus is on written tasks.

INTERV IEW · GI NI & ECCI E NEWTON

G Yes, communicating well, particularly public speaking, is so important in what we do, as we are constantly pitching for investment and new clients. There were a lot of opportunities to speak, act and debate at Queen’s Gate, which has 100 per cent helped us.

at university women were, and are, outperforming men. But then suddenly in the workplace it’s a complete reversal of what you’ve known before.

E Queen’s Gate also taught me to stick with things that are challenging, and this is definitely something we look for in job candidates for Karma Cans. You’re given the opportunity to try new things but also to commit to them – it’s such an important skill to develop early on. Is it difficult working as sisters?

G Initially it was, yes! We were standing on each other’s toes and it was the hardest thing in the world because we would disagree on everything! We would be arguing about the smallest things like the amount of coriander in the food! Eventually I accepted that Eccie knew the kitchen better, and I knew the clients better. Once these divisions had been made clear, things started running a lot more smoothly.

G We have had battles! Raising money for Karma Kitchen as two women was very challenging at the beginning. We even had to bring on a man to help because we knew we wouldn’t get in the door of some of these venture capital companies on our own. It was predictable, but then once we got to the next step and they actually met us, they would say how much they believed in us. E I think things are changing but it’s not easy when you’re only meeting male investors. There’s resistance to women initially.

When you’re not eating your own food, where do you go and eat in London?

G For me, dinner at St John’s. I know it’s so traditional but the meat is incredible and the wine from their own vineyard makes it so special. We both also love Ducksoup in Soho, we have probably been going there since we were at Queen’s Gate. They change their menu every day which is something you respect as a chef. E Either Leila’s or Violet for breakfast. Violet is the one that made Meghan Markle’s cake and they make the best avocado on toast! karmacans.co.uk karmakitch.co

So how do you think we break down that initial resistance to women?

G Hopefully women like us will by owning our own companies! Mindsets always filter down from the top. Sustainability was at heart of what you were doing at the beginning. Is

E We started trusting each other a lot more. I know that Gini is really good at sales and the company wouldn’t function without her. I’m helping making the product every day and having that person who knows what our audience wants is so important. Is being a young woman working in

this still the case?

G Sustainability has always been at the base of Karma Cans, the only thing we don’t do now is preach about it as much, because it’s not every client’s priority. Whatever a client’s agenda is, everything is delivered on bikes and all of our packaging is compostable.

the business world tricky?

G & Yes, completely! E E Queen’s Gate always strongly championed female opportunity and

E We don’t want the client to feel the pressure to be sustainable, but we provide them with the opportunity to be so; the option to not have packaging and cutlery for instance. 2 1

Gini and Eccie will be guest speakers in our Inspiring Women Series 2018/19 on Monday 12 November at 6 pm at Queen’s Gate Senior School Book now at queensgate.org.uk/events

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left A postcard promoting the suffragette cause

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FROM THE ARCHI VES

Queen’s Gate Suffragette The sensational story of Old Girl Lavender Guthrie, who played an active part as a suffragette at the height of the militant Votes for Women campaign One Queen’s Gate Old Girl who best embodies the spirit of this great time of change in history is Joan Lavender Baillie Guthrie. Lavender was born in 1889 to an affluent couple. Her father, Mr George Baillie Guthrie, was born in South Africa and educated at Cambridge University. During the Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902) Captain Baillie Guthrie returned to South Africa as an officer of the Middlesex Yeomanry, where he died of enteric fever on 16 May 1900. In December that year, Mrs Joan Baillie Guthrie (née Cross Binney) took her two daughters, Lavender and Lilias, to London and, shortly after their arrival, both girls joined Queen’s Gate School. Lavender was an intelligent young woman who could read Latin and Greek, and was a confident poet. She and her sister contributed extensively to The Log with poems, short stories and translation of classical authors. Lavender was a very intense, passionate woman, who was engaged in the social and political ferment of her time. In 1908, aged 18, Lavender joined the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). She studied the condition of working-class women and became interested in politics, which led to some contrast within her family. At the inquest on Lavender’s death, Mrs Guthrie reported that she ‘was not quite a normal girl. She studied very hard, and had ideas of Socialism and of giving her life and her all to her more unfortunate sisters’. She also reported that Lavender thought her family ‘too luxurious’. From the Editor’s Drawer in The Log, we know that her family travelled to Cannes, the South of France and Italy. Mrs Guthrie added that her daughter ‘had been a very good and

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spiritual-minded girl, and had not cared for any of the ordinary pleasures or enjoyments of life. All her ideal was to work, and work very hard […] but she found that the wages of unskilled women labour would not support life’. At the inquest, Mrs Guthrie remarked that Lavender was an obedient daughter and, despite joining the WSPU at the age of 18, she waited until she turned 21 and reached the age of majority to take part in any militant action. After leaving Queen’s Gate, Lavender adopted a suffragette name: Laura Grey (which also served as her stage name). While using this pseudonym, she was arrested for obstruction and released without charge on 18 November 1910, also known as ‘Black Friday’. On this day,

above Lavender’s death made front page headlines Opposite Handkerchief embroidered with the signatures of 66 suffragettes imprisoned at Holloway in 1912, including those of J. L. Guthrie and Dorothea Rock (see poem on page 27)

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300 women marched to the House of Commons after the Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, refused to grant more parliamentary time to the Conciliation Bill, which would have given the vote to property-owning women. The violent response of the police was soon covered up by the Government and no official inquiry into the case was ever held. In 1911, following these events, the WSPU organised window-smashing campaigns as a form of militant protest. During this time, Lavender was sentenced to seven days in prison for breaking the windows at the National Liberal Club, however, she was released when her mother paid the fine. In March 1912, Lavender took part in another protest and was sentenced to six months at Holloway Prison for wilful damage, having smashed the windows of Garrards Jewellers in Mayfair. In a letter to an (unknown) friend dated 28 March, Lavender wrote that she would miss their walks round the Serpentine, commenting that she would be ‘sad to miss the strawberries but nothing really matters for we captive criminals (Ha! Ha!) know that we are freer than anyone else in the world’. In a previous letter dated 10 March, she wrote that she had ‘been held in Holloway since March’ having smashed ‘5 large plate glass windows’, but she wished ‘they’d been 100’. She also wrote about her love of classical languages, by including some words in Greek script: ‘have begun on the XXIVth book of the Iliad. It’s very lovely, only the vocabulary leaves such a lot to the imagination’, also commenting she was ‘proud and glad to be able to do this small service’, but her ‘mother seems to consider it rather a blot on the family’s escutcheon’ and asked her friend not to ‘mention it to people at Princes’ (the Princes Skating Club, Knightsbridge). Finally, in her post scriptum, she gives the reader a precious insight into the suffragettes’ life in Holloway: ‘We are just now having 7 days solitary confinement for a very reasonable protest we made last week, but I can hear my next door neighbours quoting Love in the Valley to each other, so we’re not altogether

miserable.’ Lavender signed this letter with her pseudonym, Laura Grey, written in Greek code. (Quotes from letters courtesy of the Dobkin Collection.) During her imprisonment, Lavender also wrote to Queen’s Gate. In The Log 1911–12, it is reported that Lavender ‘writes from Holloway Prison, which felt dull after her exciting window-breaking escapade in Regent Street. She had invoked the Muses in turn, but they all found her conduct had been unladylike, and refused to lend a gracious ear, so that she could add nothing to the poem she had worked out one day while selling papers in the City. Lavender was consoling her enforced absence from social life with Gilbert Murray’s translations of Medea, Elektra, and Oedipus.’ Lavender’s ardent devotion to the suffragette’s cause is evident in The Log 1912–13 editor’s words: ‘We must not forget our modern Savonarola, Lavender Baillie Guthrie, with whose movements we are not so familiar as we should like to be, owing to the fact her strenuous effort on behalf of the Suffrage cause are carried on under an assumed name’. Whilst in Holloway, Lavender went on hunger strike and was force fed by prison guards. She was released two months before her sentence was complete, though this period of captivity and the pain and sufferings endured by Lavender and her fellow suffragettes would mark the lives of these women forever. Sylvia Pankhurst, daughter of suffrage movement leader Emmeline, whilst in jail, wrote about being force-fed, best describing the tragedy, and also the resilience that lived behind the bars of Holloway prison: ‘I am fighting, fighting, fighting. […] I am fed by stomach tubes twice a day. They prize open my mouth with a steel gag, pressing it in where there is a gap in my teeth. I resist all the time’. Lavender herself cited the author Robert Louis Stevenson in a suffragette’s autograph album, adding more poignant words to the ideal that inspired the action: ‘The conditions of conquest are easy; we have only to hope a while, endure a while, believe

FROM THE ARCHI VES

We captive criminals know that we are freer than anyone else in the world

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always and never turn back’. Lavender was later presented with the WSPU hunger-strike medal in recognition of her ‘gallant action, whereby through endurance to the last extremity of hunger and hardship, a great principle of political justice was vindicated’. Following her release, Lavender sought employment in the theatre world. In the inquest report, her first successful attempt at walking the stage professionally is recorded as December 1912, when she was cast by the Lyceum Theatre for their Christmas Pantomime, The Forty Thieves. Around the same time, Lavender left her maternal home in 10 St Alban’s Road, Kensington, and went to live in Handel Mansions, Brunswick Square. Soon after, she moved into a new flat at 111 Jermyn Street, St James’s. Sadly, we know little about her life in the year that preceded her tragic death. However, we do know that visits from two female doctors, Dr Helen Boyle and Dr Louisa Garrett Anderson, sent by Mrs Guthrie, took place to certify that her daughter suffered from a mental disorder. Dr Garrett Anderson was the daughter of Dr Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

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Mrs Spicer, the charwoman. The toxic sleeping draught had been used by Lavender to ease the neuralgia left from her force-feeding at Holloway. During the inquest into her death, Mrs Guthrie reported that her daughter was ‘very ill’ after her release from prison. Police Surgeon, Dr Percy Edmonds, spent some time attempting resuscitation, but Lavender never regained consciousness. She had left a ‘suicide’ note, dated 5 June, addressed to her mother and signed with the initials ‘J. L. G.’, although she was known to her landlord, charwoman and friends as Laura Grey. The letter read:

(see Against all odds on page 11) and was imprisoned alongside Lavender at Holloway in 1912. On 26 May 1914, the doctors, escorted by two nurses, did not find any symptoms that justified restraint. Also, there is little or no evidence of theatre commitments or jobs that she may have undertaken to support herself financially whilst living in St James’s. In her will, Lavender left over £1,000 to her mother, who later declared that, although her daughter had initially refused to accept an allowance, eventually she had agreed to receive £1 a week, which was afterwards increased to £100 a year. Mrs Guthrie also remarked that Lavender ‘lived in a very self-sacrificing manner, denying herself everything’. On Monday 8 June 1914, Lavender was found unconscious in her room on Jermyn Street, having taken an overdose of Veronal, by

The conditions of conquest are easy; we have only to hope a while, endure a while, believe always and never turn back

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My Dear Little Mother, I am hoping that you will not get this foolish epistle for some time; at any rate that it will not be a great shock to you. I have given you so many. I am enclosing a few things I do not know what to do with. But I do not think there is any need for you to come back here; at least, I have left nothing behind to connect your name with mine. There are a few private letters I have not the heart to destroy – you have one or two such yourself – and a file of receipted bills. As far as I can remember I owe no money at all; in fact, it is a good deal the other way. I have left directions with the charwoman what to do with my clothes. You must not think, dear mother, that I am at all unhappy. Whatever wretchedness I have had has come to me through my own doing, and during this last year I have met some very dear souls, both men and women. If you ever come across them and they speak to you of me give them a welcome for my sake, even though I may have met them in bad and immoral ways. Please don’t imagine for a moment that what I have done was suggested by our last conversation. I have been taking Veronal for the last six months practically every night. I only lied to you about it because I knew you would worry if I told you the truth. Of course the kindly Coroner will call it temporary insanity, but as a matter of fact I think this is about the sanest thing I have yet done. I am simply very, very tired of things in general. I cannot see that the world will progress any the worse for me being out of it. It seems cowardly. I know, but I should only go on causing you more unhappiness, dear soul, for there are certain ways of life which is absolutely impossible to give up. In fact, one does not want to. You are so pure and good that it is hard to write this to you, but I feel it to be the absolute truth. My love to Lilias, and I hope she will be very happy and marry some decent man whose children you could be proud of. I feel you have so far had more or less rotten life, and that causes me to believe there must be a further sphere for people like you where unhappiness and disappointment are smoothed away. No one in this world could have had a better or more sympathetic mother than – J. L. G.

As Lavender had anticipated in her letter, the coroner, Dr Ingleby Oddie, and the jury reached the verdict of ‘suicide during temporary insanity’. An article entitled ‘A Girl’s Downfall: from Militancy to Suicide’ in The Daily Mirror, 12 June 1914, gave readers a picture of Lavender as a fallen, well-educated young lady, deprived of her balanced mind and decency by her militancy in the suffragette movement. This was a typical piece of anti-suffrage propaganda the press had become known for producing. Lavender’s powerful story generated a newspaper sensation that sailed across the ocean and reached the United States. From national papers to local bulletins, a plethora of poems, letters and articles were written by people who felt moved by the fate of this young woman, who to them, was the embodiment of the great change that British society was about to undergo. Although most blamed the Militant Suffragette for Lavender’s death, a few letters and poems were sympathetic to her fate. Following a rumour that Lavender may have been pregnant when she took her life, Anna Wickham published a poem in which she asks: ‘When will this world begin, To see man and the woman equal in sin, Contemn her lonely if you can, When the child has asked “Where is the man?”’ Lavender’s spirit, courage and passion still resonates today in the empowering words written by a young woman, whose dream of Liberty will be treasured by future generations to come.

FROM THE ARCHI VES

To D. R. [Dorothea Rock] Exercise Yard, Holloway, 10 March 1912 Beyond the bars I see her move, A mystery of blue and green, As though across the prison yard The spirit of the spring had been. And as she lifts her hands to press The happy sunshine of her hair, From the grey ground the pigeons rise, And rustle upwards in the air, As though her two hands held a key To set the imprisoned spirits free. Lavender Guthrie (Laura Grey) from Holloway Jingles

Opposite Images of the suffragette wing at Holloway Prison from the Illustrated London News, 1909

From the Archives References Elizabeth de Leeuw, Queen’s Gate: An Unschooly School, 1891-2006 Diane Atkinson, Rise Up, Women! The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes Elizabeth Crawford, Woman and Her Sphere With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive The Dobkin Family Collection of Feminism The Women’s Library at the LSE The Sussex Archaeological Society The National Archives Kenneth Florey Ancestry.co.uk

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below left Lavender’s Hunger Strike medal below A poster advertising The Suffragette newspaper, which urged women to join the campaign

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The strong spirit of Lavender Guthrie has lived on through the Queen’s Gate alumnae, who have not only made changes in their fields of expertise, but also in society as a whole. This timeline gives an overview of just a few of the many pioneering Old Girls

A century of strong women

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OLD GI RL TI MELI NE

Dame Katherine Jane (Jenny) Trefusis Forbes OG 1914 In 1938, Jane (known as Jenny) was appointed Chief Instructor of the Auxiliary Territorial Service School of Instruction, training women to prepare for war, and in 1939, she was made the first Director of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). In this role, Jane became instrumental in leading women to plot radar, maintain barrage balloons and interpret RAF intelligence.

1910s

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Margaret (Nancy) Hewins OG 1921 Nancy was the founder and director of the Osiris Players, Britain’s first all-female professional theatre company. The group was established in 1924 to create ‘theatre for the people’, and toured the UK until the 1960s performing on improvised stages, such as munitions factory canteens. During the Second World War, the Osiris Players performed 33 plays over 1,500 times throughout England.

1920s

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Nancy, second from right, and members of the Osiris Players loading props and costumes into their Rolls Royce

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Vanessa Redgrave CBE OG 1954 Vanessa has become one of the UK’s most prestigious and well-loved actors over her stellar career in theatre, television and film. Vanessa showed her early dramatic prowess, performing in many plays at Queen’s Gate, including the portrayal of Herod in Kings of Judea in 1953. Since then, Vanessa has won an Academy Award for her role in Julia (1978) a Golden Globe, an Emmy and an Olivier. In 2010, BAFTA Film awarded her an Academy Fellowship, their lifetime achievement award. Vanessa is also active with her political interests, continuing to be a strong advocate of human rights and to this day is an outspoken critic of the war on terrorism.

1950s

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Georgina (Gina) Melissa Hathorn OG 1961 Gina Hathorn competed as a skier in the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Winter Olympic Games. Coming tantalisingly close to an Alpine skiing bronze medal in the women’s slalom event at the 1968 Olympics, Gina is recognised as one of the UK’s most successful female skiers.

Susan (Siobhan) Davies CBE OG 1967 An outstanding modern dance choreographer, Siobhan established the Siobhan Davies Dance Company in 1988. Siobhan was named as one of six Creative Britons in 2000 and was awarded a CBE in the 2002 New Year’s Honours in recognition of her outstanding contribution to dance.

1960s

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Kelly Hoppen MBE OG 1970 A name synonymous with interior design, Kelly began her career aged 16. She has now written eight books as well as presenting her own television show and featuring as a ‘dragon’ on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den. Kelly was awarded an MBE in the 2009 New Year’s Honours for her services to Interior Design. In 2013, Kelly was awarded the NatWest Everywoman Ambassador award for inspiring young women to excel in their careers.

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Lulu Guinness OBE OG 1978 After leaving Queen’s Gate, Lulu went to the University of Cape Town to study Graphic Design. She founded her international handbag and accessories company, Lulu Guinness, in 1989. In 2006, Lulu was appointed an OBE for services to the Fashion industry. This was followed by the Independent Handbag Designer Awards ICONOCLAST Award for ‘Lifetime achievement in Handbag Design’ in 2009. See interview the 125 edition of The Log

1970s

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Ophelia Dahl OG 1982 Ophelia is a British-American social justice and world healthcare advocate. She is the co-founder and chair of the board of Partners in Health (PIH), a Massachusetts-based non-profit healthcare organisation dedicated to providing a preferential healthcare option for the poor around the world.

1980s

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Eleanor Stride OG 1997 On leaving Queen’s Gate, Eleanor went to University College London to study Mechanical Engineering, first receiving a B.Eng. and then a PhD. In 2015, Eleanor was named one of Red Magazine’s Women of the Year for her groundbreaking work of using tiny bubbles to improve chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients. The bubbles transport the drug so it can be targeted to a particular area and then popped using ultrasound.

1990s

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Chloe & Florence Bellas OGs 2007 Sisters Chloe and Florence took over the family hair salon in South Kensington on their father’s retirement in 2013. Playing to their strengths, Florence creates legendary hairdos alongside the rest of the technical team whilst Chloe attends to the business side. With raving reviews, they pride themselves on their excellent service that is tailored to each individual, in a relaxed environment. In August 2018, Clo&Flo underwent a major facelift and rebrand taking the business to the next level. The salon now offers hair, beauty and fitness services, further incorporating the skills of both sisters.

2000s

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In the news

We take a look at a few of our Old Girls who have been hitting the headlines over the last year Tilda Swinton 2018 Suspiria remake OG 1971

Nigella Lawson #MeToo Movement

OG 1972

Forthcoming supernatural horror film Suspiria sees Swinton in a leading role alongside Dakota Johnson. Susie Bannion (Johnson), a young American ballet dancer, travels to a prestigious dance academy in Berlin, only to discover it is something far more sinister and supernatural. She becomes increasingly terrified after a series of gruesome murders ensue as she slowly unravels the dark history of the academy led by Madame Blanc (Swinton). The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by David Kajganich, also sees Radiohead’s Thom Yorke composing his first-ever film score. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2018 and is scheduled for release on Friday 2 November.

Speaking at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday 21 January, the author and TV presenter said she, like ‘everyone’, viewed #MeToo as an important moment.

OG 1982 Trinny has rebuilt her TV career on social media, and sees this youthful platform as the way forward.

‘It’s so important for older women to engage with social media and be tech-savvy because it helps you feel ageless. The excuse that “It’s not my decade to do that” is rubbish’

‘It’s also very good that young women are brought up perhaps to fight and to feel they must stand up for themselves’

Trinny Woodall Online update

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IN THE NEWS

Emma Thynn Viscountess of Weymouth

Imogen Poots Stage and screen

OG 2004

OG 2005

‘An extraordinary cook and mother who is positioned to become Britain’s first black marchioness, has recast the mould of aristocracy with her stylish, entrepreneurial spirit’

Imogen’s career continues to flourish both on stage and screen. In late 2017, Imogen performed at the Donmar Theatre in Belleville, a story depicting a young couple whose marriage is beginning to unravel. 2018 has seen a busy year for the young actor, with an Olivier nomination for her role in Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Harold Pinter Theatre. She has also taken leading roles in Friday’s Child and The Art of Self-Defense, in which she stars alongside Jesse Eisenberg. It was announced in mid-2018 that the duo have been cast together in new sci-fi thriller, Vivarium.

Vanity Fair recently featured Emma’s position in the aristocracy, and her family’s approach to bringing a modern feel to a traditional institution. Emma is now mother to two boys, and continues to cook and bake whilst also enveloping herself in the running of Longleat. Emma’s plans for the future involve holding ‘live cooking demonstrations [at Longleat], and is in talks with publishers and producers about expanding the Emma’s Kitchen brand to cookbooks and television.’

Bryony Gordon Underwear Marathon and new book

OG 1998 This year, Bryony and fellow runner Jada Sezer, ran the London Marathon in just their underwear, to raise awareness for mental health issues associated with body image, to inspire curvier girls and to prove that exercise is for everyone. Sponsorship they raised supported Heads Together, the charity set up by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry to help change the conversation about mental health. Bryony’s latest book Eat, Drink, Run: How I Got Fit Without Going Too Mad documents her marathon training journey. On top of the aching muscles and blistered feet, there was also the small matter of getting a certain royal (Prince Harry) to open up about his mental health. The book has a poignant message that extraordinary things can happen to everyone, no matter what life throws our way. 3 9

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There have been many countrywide celebrations in 2018. The Royal Family gained two new members with the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s third child, Prince Louis Arthur Charles, in April and Prince Harry marrying American actress Meghan Markle in May. Important anniversaries included the 70th Anniversary of the NHS and 100 years of the Royal Air Force

THE REVIEW To read more about what’s happening in school, visit the Queen’s Gate homepage for the latest news or queensgate.org.uk/qgnews to view the termly magazine. If you would like to receive the print edition of QG News, please contact: comms@queensgate.org.uk

Alongside joyful events, the UK has also seen challenges greater than were thought possible. With gang culture on the rise in the capital, by July a total of 51 stabbings had taken place in London. Abuse in recent times of the nerve agent Novichok took place first in Salisbury in April and then in July in the nearby village of Amesbury, with one of the four victims dying within days of being exposed. 4 0

At Queen’s Gate we continue to grow as a school, with new initiatives and challenges for pupils, as well as the routine academic examinations and co-curricular activities. This year saw former Head of Lower School, Mr James Denchfield, take on a new challenge as Director of the Junior School, bringing with him new ideas and perspectives for our younger pupils.

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Model United Nations Pupils have continued to impress in Model United Nations this year, with girls chairing at Cambridge University Schools (CUSMUN) and Haberdasher’s Aske’s Boys’ School (HABSMUN) summits amongst others. Anna Vittoria Porter and Luna MiddletonRoy won Best Delegate and Best Speaker respectively at St Paul’s School (SPSMUN), demonstrating the strength and maturity of the QG team. left Maria Posada gives a speech at Royal Russell School’s MUN below The D of E Gold Award girls on their expedition in Exmoor

Academic & Co-curricular

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Science Week In February, many exciting activities took place in the Queen’s Gate Science Week, with TV scientist Marty Jopson bringing his Dangerous Equations show to the Senior School, and visits from Steff the Bubbleologist and the Medical Mavericks. In the Junior School girls got to grips with nature when a number of creepy crawlies visited, spent time in space – thanks to virtual reality – and learnt all about their senses with Ginny Smith.

above Bubbleology fun in Science Week left Elisabeth Long receives her D of E Gold Award at Buckingham Palace below TV scientist Marty Jopson playing with fire

Duke of Edinburgh Award Three Sixth Form pupils, Anna Vittoria Porter, Elisabeth Long and Mariam Malhame-Khawam finished their Gold Duke of Edinburgh awards this year. The challenges included a four-day trip to the wilds of Exmoor.

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Results & leavers’ destinations

54%

of A Level results were A or A*

EPQ The largest number of pupils to date put themselves forward to tackle the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) this year, all completing a 5,000-word essay and presentation on a subject of choice. This year questions, including ‘To what extent can China be referred to as a “superpower”?’ and ‘What really is gender, how many genders are there, and how is gender created?’ were researched by girls and presented to a panel, before answering questions on their topic.

above A Lower Sixth pupil giving her EPQ speech to a panel below Junior School girls meeting Mr Gecko

Bioveterinary Sciences Classical Civilisation Fashion Design History of Art Liberal Arts Medicine Physics with Astrophysics Social Anthropology are some of the girls’ university subjects

80%

of GCSE results were A*, A, 9, 8, 7

50%

of girls achieved all A*, A, 9, 8, 7 at GCSE, 5 girls achieved all 9s or A*s

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The Arts

above & above right The Senior School’s production of Oh What a Lovely War right & below The Junior School perform Singin’ In The Rain

Drama It was a year for lively musicals, with the Senior School performing Oh What a Lovely War in March and the Junior School wowing audiences with their version of Singin’ in the Rain in April. Both took place in the black box space of the Chelsea Theatre, showing the abilities of the performers and crew alike, creating the trenches of the first world war one week and the glamour of 1920s America the next!

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above The A Level and GCSE Art Exhibition left Portrait by GCSE pupil Victoria Ascani right Shoug Shadi’s A Level Product Design flamingo vase

Art and Design Technology

below The artwork of Key Stage 2

This year’s Art and Design Exhibition in the Senior School showed the high level of work that continues to be produced at both GCSE and A Level over Art, Graphic Communication and Product Design. Amongst the wonderful collection of pieces on offer was a beautiful pencil portrait of a small child by Victoria Ascani, and a creative and technically clever flamingo vase by Shoug Shadi. The Junior School took inspiration from Fauvism, Luke Dixon, Egyptian art and Gargoyles to present a mixture of colourful pieces at their exhibition in May; with girls from Key Stage 1 showing their artwork for the first time alongside that of the older girls.

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left One of this year’s (many!) cake sales below Mr Mataya juggles at the QG Talent Show bottom The small town of Babati in Tanzania

Charity The girls have continued to produce wonderful initiatives for charity this year and, following a number of months’ fundraising, a small group of LVI pupils travelled to Babati in Tanzania to work with the charity Girls4Girls. Whilst there, the girls worked at the Managhat Primary School painting a classroom, as well as building a new Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) cubicle in girls’ toilets in two other schools. Back in England, termly fundraising has included a ‘Purple Day’ to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer, Jeans Days for Alzheimer’s, NEWTEC and Unicef and a ten kilometre walk in aid of Plan International.

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Sport

above The Cheltenham and European Biathlon Championships

right & below right The London Youth Games full team and coxed double

above right The Whitgift Modern Biathlon

Fencing is continuing to show its strength in the Senior School, with pupils taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions in key Leon Paul competitions throughout the year as well as at the London Youth Championships. Removian Claudia Crawford-Brunt also gained a place in the England U13 Challenge Wratislava team, where she fenced against young players from all over the world. Girls have excelled this year in both the Biathle and Biathlon disciplines, with Remove and LIV girls beating mixed gender teams at the Whitgift School modern Biathlon meet. Form IV pupil, Isla Wallrock continues to dominate in her field, this year securing

a place in the Great British Reserve team for the Madeira International Biathle. In Rowing, girls competed at the South of England Indoor Rowing Championships, the London Youth Games Regatta, Walton & Weybridge and Chiswick Regatta, with Form IV’s Georgiana Hillier and Cecilia Woods winning medals as part of a coxed quadruple scull and as a double. 47

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Trips

top left LIV girls on their French Exchange above III Form pupils in Normandy left IIB building tents at New Barn below left Sixth Formers on their Art trip to Venice

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There were trips to France for both the Juniors and Seniors, with the younger girls spending a week in Normandy, learning how to horse ride and rock climb, and the older girls in Paris honing their language skills alongside their Exchange partners. The Sixth Form artists took on Venice in a chilly February, walking the length and breadth of the city to view and appreciate the art on show in the city, as well taking lessons on mastering Venetian mask painting. Closer to home the Junior School girls visited Highclere Castle, the Florence Nightingale Museum and New Barn in Dorset, and girls in the Senior School enjoyed several outings including those to Keats House, Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit, and took part in Bushcraft activities in Hatfield Woods.

A NNOU NCEMENTS

Announcements

Marriages

Congratulations to all our Old Girls over the past year on the occasions of their marriages and new members of their family. We wish them all good health and happiness.

Births

Helena Rose Kennedy, née Buckley, (OG 2006) married Michael Kennedy on Saturday 14 July 2018 at the Mermaid in Rye, Sussex.

Eman Parker, née Malhas, (OG 2007) and husband Rupert welcomed a beautiful daughter, Eleanor Leila Rose, on Saturday 28 October 2017.

Katy Stephens, née Moseley, (OG 1995) and husband David are delighted to announce the birth of their daughter Savannah-Ann on Monday 25 June 2018.

Pandora Weldon, née Tulloch, (OG 2001) and husband Emilio are pleased to announce the arrival into the world of their daughter Minnie in June 2018.

Daisy Jones, née Idwal, (OG 1999) and husband Josh welcomed a beautiful daughter, Joy Allegra Juliet, on Wednesday 18 July 2018.

If you have any notices you would like to be included in the next edition of The Log, please send your news and photographs to: alumnae@queensgate.org.uk

Blanche Fitzgerald (OG 2008) married Saam Idelji-Tehrani on Saturday 14 July at her grandparents’ former home in Etchingham, East Sussex. 4 9

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IN MEMORI AM

Michelle Faustmann Soumier OG 2000

A tribute by her husband, Guillaume Soumier

My wife, Michelle Faustmann Soumier, mother of our now two-year-old daughter, passed away in January 2018, after bravely battling cancer. As devastating as this news has been for myself, our families and friends, we need to remember Michelle as the truly inspirational and beautiful person she was. We need to cherish the legacy she left us with, rather than being sad for the unfinished story we were planning on writing together as a family. This would have been her wish. Through her 34 years on this planet, she has been a very inspirational woman to many. I have never met someone who loved life as much as Michelle, even when times were difficult. She often had a genuine smile on her face as she was truly appreciative of any little joy life could bring. From her love of Australia where she was born and raised for 8 years with her sister Rochan, to her life in London afterwards, she would often share the good times she had as a child and teenager. She kept very good memories of her times at Queen’s Gate where she made very good friends. As

multicultural as she was, with strong ties with the Philippines, Australia and Spain, South Kensington was where she spent most of her life; she was a West London girl. She became a very good solicitor in the capital, very well respected amongst her peers with a path to keep succeeding in her industry. Michelle had several passions in her life but, if I could only mention two, they would be travelling and food. Join the two in a place like San Sebastian and you would have Michelle at her happiest. From short weekends away within the UK or Europe to travels to many parts of the world (ideally sunny), she loved discovering new places, cultures, local food. She would come back from our trips with new cooking ideas she would mix with recipes she would already know by heart. There was always a twist in her approach to cooking and I was lucky enough to be the official tester of her creations. Michelle had very good family values and food was important to her, mostly because it was a moment to share dishes, and also stories and laughter, with family and friends. Following Michelle’s diagnosis, 51

she felt it was her duty to share her journey with the world. She wanted to show others in the same or similar situation that life can still be lived to the fullest no matter what has been taken away, that challenges can only be overcome with sheer determination, to never give up, because life is worth fighting for. Through this difficult journey, her greatest inspiration has been our daughter. Our little Margaux is, in many ways, already like her Mum. Michelle was an amazing mother and she will live through our little angel. I already know that like her Mum, our daughter will be very special and Margaux will get to know the bright light her Mum was. Now Michelle still shines, as the new star she became in the sky. Thank you to Queen’s Gate for allowing me to write a few words in Michelle’s memory and share the link to donate for a cause very close to her heart. Life is worth fighting for!

inmemory.breastcancernow.org/ michelle-soumier

TH E LOG

Mrs Margaret Newnham Principal of Queen’s Gate 1971–87 by Angela Holyoak · Principal 1987–2006

A graduate of Newnham College Cambridge, Margaret Newnham joined the staff of Queen’s Gate in 1955. She was an inspirational teacher of English whose knowledge and love for her subject imbued her pupils with a lifelong love of literature. In 1967, Margaret, by then resident in the school, became Deputy Principal. As the indomitable Mrs See’s health failed, Margaret’s skill in running the school, then both a boarding and a day school, became evident. With her authority and presence, Margaret was appointed Principal in 1971. Throughout the time she was Principal, Margaret worked tirelessly for the survival of independent school education through a network of professional associations. The school at that time had many remarkable teachers; several notable characters had worked at Bletchley Park and others were talented linguists and professional musicians. Margaret’s interview techniques and perception enabled her to appoint staff possessed of both personality and teaching skills, who were, or quickly became, team players. Throughout her years as Principal, the school teemed with extra-curricular activities supported with great enthusiasm by Margaret. There were endless school trips both local – to take advantage of London’s rich culture – and abroad to France, Germany and Italy for

languages and Switzerland for skiing. The annual pilgrimage to experience the joys of Florence and the Uffizi, led by the remarkable Susie Swoboda, took place each spring. One memorable year, Susie was taken ill on the train and was unable to continue. Margaret took over the whole visit without a moment’s hesitation. The annual school play was a highlight and, be it Shakespeare or a diverting musical, Margaret was always supportive. Behind the scenes or as a member of the audience, her obvious enjoyment and infectious laughter gave confidence and carried directors, actors and audience along. In 1986, Margaret was presented with some of her greatest challenges. Sixth Form boarding ceased and the school became a day school with an 5 2

increase in pupil numbers. Margaret’s agile brain adapted easily to this change of emphasis on the curriculum, timetabling, staffing, room usage and finance – she was never fazed. Ever ready with a solution she gave confidence and a feeling of security to those around her. I first got to know Margaret well in my daily meeting with her when I was Head of the Junior School. I hugely appreciated her quick grasp of an issue and the speed with which she worked. However thorny the problem, she managed to solve it and extract some humour in the process. In talking to Old Girls I have frequently heard mention of Margaret’s understanding and compassion for her pupils as they faced up to problems in their personal lives. They remembered the support she gave to them with gratitude and her with affection. Margaret’s remarkable ability to empathise with those in need was greatly valued by others throughout her life. After her retirement to Wiltshire, she worked tirelessly with The Samaritans for many years, reaching out over the telephone and through the internet to those who needed her. Margaret loved the countryside, and her house in East Winterslow was a delight, enhanced by a beautifully tended garden. In her latter years she was joined there by her son and his family. She greatly appreciated their love and care at the end of her life. After over 30 years at Queen’s Gate, Margaret said ‘It has been a privilege to preside over the re-planning and redesigning for future generations, richly rewarding with never a dull moment’. It was the school’s privilege to have such a talented, intelligent and cultured Principal.

FORTHCOMI NG EVENTS

Forthcoming Events 2019 All our events can be booked via queensgate.org.uk/events

2018

Friday 18 January 2019

Monday 18–Friday 22 February 2019

Old Girls’ Private Tour of the V&A Museum 6–8 pm V&A Museum, South Kensington

The Principal’s US Tour Reunions If you are living in the USA and are interested in attending an Old Girls Reunion near you please email alumnae@queensgate.org.uk

Wednesday 10 October 2018

The ‘8’ Reunion for the classes of 2008 to 1968 celebrating respectively 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years since leaving Queen’s Gate 6.30–8.30 pm Queen’s Gate Senior School

Wednesday 6 March 2019

Professional Networking Evening for all Old Girls and Parents If you are interested in hosting this event at your offices or would like further information please email alumnae@queensgate.org.uk

Thursday 7 February 2019

Chinese New Year Foundation Dinner 7–11 pm Queen’s Gate Senior School

Monday 12 November 2018

Inspiring Women Talk 6–7.30 pm Speakers: Gini and Eccie Newton, Karma Cans

Thursday 20 June 2019

Summer Garden Party 6.30–8.30 pm Stanhope Gardens, SW7 5QX 5 3

TH E LOG

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