Journal Sherborne Old Girls
No. 51 – 2017
No. 51 – 2017
Contents
Editorial Team Fiona James
From the Secretary
1
From the Chairman
1
Anna Anthony
2017 SOG Families Day and AGM
2
Tim Gibson
From the Headmistress
3
Executive Committee
From the President
5
SOG charity 2015/18 – Achievement for All
6
Design and print
Congratulations
7
Development Review
8
Obituaries
9
Susie Suter Fiona Clapp
Shelleys the Printers
Journal enclosures Your invitation to the 2018 AGM is enclosed. If paying by cheque, please send it, together with your name, House, year and telephone number to the SOG office.
Golf
18
Births, Marriages & Deaths
20
Circle News
22
Careers Networking Service
27
The Old Girls Office
Features
34
Sherborne Girls
New SOG members 2017
36
Daughters and Granddaughters of OGs
36
Peer Group News
37
News from Honorary Members
52
Sherborne Old Girls
53
Bradford Road Sherborne Dorset DT9 3QN T: 01935 818329 F: 01935 818310 E: oldgirls@sherborne.com www.sherborne.com/Sherborne-Old-Girls
Sherborne Girls Alumnae
Sherborne Girls
The cover photo was taken at a joint Sherborne Girls and Sherborne School Sunday Abbey Service.
From
T H E S E C R E TA RY Fiona James
Welcome to the 2017 edition of the Journal. I would like to share with you our vision. We would like to become a leading example of best practice of alumni associations with increased engagement with our members. We have launched a new strategy for Sherborne Old Girls that has been aligned with constitutional objectives, already in place, and the school’s vision and next five-year plan. Working together with common aims will strengthen both organisations. We continue to grow our Careers Networking Service, enabling us to offer advice and assistance in an ever increasingly competitive employment market. As part of this service we will be launching a career-based life coaching programme. This new
From
initiative will help enable young women and those wanting to return to work to reach their full potential and give them confidence to excel in the workplace. I am passionate about women succeeding in their chosen careers and having the skills necessary to thrive and excel and, as we further develop our careers service, we will be able to offer a really tangible benefit to Old Girls. This is a very exciting time for SOG and we look forward to seeing you at one of our events. We hope you will enjoy reading the articles. With all good wishes for 2018.
Fiona James on behalf of the Editorial Team
THE CHAIRMAN Nicki Whiteman (Lewis) E’94
It has been a real pleasure to catch up with so many Old Girls and Honorary Old Girls at events, reunions, careers events and at our AGM and Families Day in May. At these events I have been struck by the strong bonds of friendship and kind offers of support that alumnae share with each other and indeed with the Old Shirburnian Society. As you will have already read in the Secretary’s piece, we now have a strategic and five-year plan, which will give us focus and structure in the years ahead. As we move our organisation forward, we are mindful that in an ever changing environment we need to provide value to our members. With this in mind I am delighted to share with you that we are jointly hosting a Women in Leadership event in April, where we will be celebrating the success of
Old Girls and hearing from a few, first-hand, about the challenges they faced in their working lives. We also hope this event will give an opportunity for younger alumnae to chat to those already established in their careers, which will give them a better insight into the profession. We will be launching a careers life coaching programme to help Old Girls realise their full potential in the workplace, which will be offered to younger alumnae who apply for support. Our next AGM is being held on Thursday, 17 May at the Salters’ Company, London. Your invitation is included with this Journal and I do hope you will be able to join us. Please do keep in touch and if you know of someone who is not receiving news from us, please let Fiona in the office know. I look forward to seeing you during the year. 1
Journal 2017
2017
S O G FA M I L I E S DAY A N D AG M This year we held a Families Day and AGM at school. Old Girls were met by current students and shown round their Houses and school which everyone enjoyed. Old Girls also had the opportunity to watch the numerous tennis matches that were taking place and to chat to current parents and girls. Activities for children were run by girls taking their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the Sports Hall and grounds before Old Girls and their families enjoyed a Champagne Afternoon Tea in the Stuart Centre. After tea there was an opportunity to watch a performance of the Junior play, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, performed in the School Hall. At the AGM, which also followed tea, President Louise Ellam (Hall) E’84 welcomed everyone and thanked Old Girls for coming. Chairman Nicki Whiteman (Lewis) E’94 thanked Headmistress, Jenny Dwyer, for hosting us. Nicki spoke about her wish to engage with more members and to look at how we can further develop SOG for the benefit of members, Sherborne Girls and the wider community. Jenny welcomed everyone to Sherborne Girls and highlighted the results of a recent inspection of the school, given at 24 hours’ notice. The inspectors found the quality of pupils’ academic and personal development, and their other achievements, to be excellent. This is the highest grading that can be awarded.
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There are now over 470 girls in the school and over the last ten years SG has invested significantly in new and improved facilities. SG hopes to continue to attract high calibre girls in the top 45–50% academically and also deliver added value. This year seven girls have been offered places at Oxbridge which is very encouraging. SG continues to focus on combining academic excellence with the breadth of opportunities and experiences girls can enjoy. Nicki thanked Louise Hall for her hard work and wonderful support for SOG, as she stepped down from her role and welcomed Lucy Jameson AE’89 who was elected as our new President. Nicki also thanked Joanna Cock (Carson) W’64 for taking on the role of Treasurer and for her continued support for SOG. Honorary Old Girl Gill Oliver was elected as Treasurer. Old Girls went home having met up with friends and having seen the school in full swing.
From
THE HEADMISTRESS
THE YEAR IN REVIEW A shortened version of Headmistress Jenny Dwyer’s reflections in the 2017 Commem programme, on a year of outstanding achievement for Sherborne Girls. At the start of each year, I introduce a theme to focus our attention. This year’s has been ‘Prepare to succeed’, and it has proved a fitting motif for a time of considerable achievement at Sherborne Girls. It was a year in which we underwent an inspection from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), scoring the highest possible result of a ‘Double Excellent’ for academic performance and personal development. It was a period in which plans for our innovative new Arts Centre were finalised, and preparations for construction began. And it was a year in which our girls continued to demonstrate their capacity for outstanding achievement, academically, in a variety of sports and creative endeavours, and as human beings. It is this last category that I find so fulfilling. When providing an account of the success for which we prepare both corporately and individually, I want to say that it is centred on what it means to be human. We operate with a profound reciprocity at the heart of our shared life, knowing that we can only be fully ourselves if we create the conditions in which everyone can flourish.
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Journal 2017
“”
...it was a year in which our girls continued to demonstrate their capacity for outstanding achievement, academically, in a variety of sports and creative endeavours, and as human beings.
So success looks like a community of thriving young people, ready to face the world with confidence, flair and humour. These young people are the embodiment of what we stand for. They are our words made flesh. In every area of school life, our dictum is that everyone should have the best opportunity to succeed. Our task as teachers and support staff is equally straightforward: we are called to help pupils prepare for success, to understand that they are part of a community that wills for their flourishing, and to take their place in that community with pride, humility and a profound sense of purpose. To end where I began, that is precisely what the ISI inspectors perceived when they visited our school and declared it to be ‘Excellent’. It is what makes us such a distinctive place.
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Ultimately, it is what ensures we are all prepared to succeed: because we know that we have a common purpose, and value every person’s role in bringing it to pass. Our theme for this year is ‘Embracing Change’. At Sherborne Girls, we are committed to giving the girls a sense of perspective and to empower them to live fully in the world, in all its occasional mess and muddle, while having a deep
sense of rootedness in our supportive community. This is particularly meaningful for me this year as I step down. It has been a privilege to serve as Headmistress for the last 12 years and to have been a part of this special community. I offer a warm welcome to my successor, Dr Ruth Sullivan, herself a Sherborne Old Girl, and I have every confidence that she will safely guide the school forward into a new and exciting era.
From
THE PRESIDENT Lucy Jameson AE’89
Why we need an ‘old girl network’ We need your help. Girls leaving Sherborne today face a far more competitive world than the one we faced when we left school. They are going to be spending a large proportion of their life working – even if they take time out to travel, have kids or be carers. So, it’s paramount that they find something they enjoy doing. Then, working is not a bore, nor a chore, nor something you just have to do for the money. So, the more exposure that Sherborne Girls (and recent leavers) get to the world of work the better. That’s where the Old Girls come in. You don’t have to be able to give anyone a job or even offer them work experience, just be prepared to have a chat and let the girls know what your job is really
like. So, please do get in touch with Fiona James (the brilliant secretary of the Old Girls) and let us know if you are happy to help. When I left Sherborne, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had no more idea after three years at Oxford. So, I went to the careers service and started working my way through all the possible jobs, alphabetically. Luckily for me, advertising begins with an A. Twenty years later – having been a Chief Exec of an advertising agency, started up my own business and had a family along the way – I still love working in advertising. But finding that career was more down to dumb luck, than judgement or planning. I’d love it if today’s crop of Sherborne Girls had more than dumb luck on their side. I’d love it if they had all of you on their side too.
Old Girl announced as new Headmistress We are delighted that Dr Ruth Sullivan (AW’91) has been named as the new Headmistress of Sherborne Girls. Ruth takes over from Jenny Dwyer, who steps down at the end of the Summer Term. Educated at the City of London School for Girls as well as Sherborne Girls, Ruth went on to study Geography at Edinburgh University before completing a PGCE at Moray House Institute of Education. She holds a variety of postgraduate degrees, including a PhD in Non-Communicable Epidemiology, which she gained from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Ruth’s first teaching appointment was at St John’s School in Leatherhead and she moved to Glenalmond College as Head of Geography in 2001. In 2005 she was appointed as Head of Sixth Form at Queen’s School, Chester, and moved to Haileybury College in 2011, where she is Deputy Master. It is from this job that Ruth moves to Sherborne. We wish Ruth every success in her new role, and look forward to welcoming her back to the Sherborne Girls community.
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Journal 2017
SOG CHARITY 2 01 5 – 18
AC H I E V E M E N T F O R A L L Professor Sonia Blandford, CEO and Founder of Achievement for All, sent us this update about the valuable work Achievement for All does.
At Achievement for All, we are
constantly pushing back against
any practice that does not improve the life chances of all children and young people through education.
We challenge the prevailing
position, whereby education is
failing at least one in five of our
children and young people – the disadvantaged and others
vulnerable to underachievement. In 2015 – 2016, primarily through our Achieving Schools programme, 45,582 children and young people directly benefited from Achievement for All, along with 43,244 parents and carers and 56,647 education professionals in 1,279 schools and settings across England and Wales. This is a great achievement, particularly in light of our longitudinal evidence base (PwC, 2016) which shows that progress of targeted children and young people in reading, writing and maths is up to 50% above national expected levels. Schools working with us reported a significant reduction in absenteeism and 75% of pupils surveyed reported increased confidence in their own ability to
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achieve better marks at school. Our early years programme Achieving Early has enabled settings to better prepare children for starting school, whilst our Achieving Further programme in colleges, has supported the development of literacy and numeracy skills, vocational qualifications and employability skills to better prepare young people for life. In 2017 we launched the 10 million minutes reading challenge, which saw children in 200 primary schools across the country register to take part in the challenge, clocking up 15,995,407 minutes of reading. The aim of the competition was to highlight the importance of reading and help boost children’s
literacy levels across the country. Following the huge success of the reading challenge, the challenge is being run again (1 – 9 March 2018) but this time, with a target of 100 million minutes and open to primary and secondary schools, along with community groups. And our thanks to Sherborne Old Girls, for their support over the last few years in helping us to reach more children and young people, whose lives might otherwise have taken a different path. Professor Sonia Blandford is CEO and Founder of Achievement for All. Her recent book, Born to Fail? puts a new slant on some of the age-old questions facing educators today.
Congratulations to...
Charlotte Broad K’63 received a PhD
in Letters (Doctorada en Letras) from the National University of Mexico.
Mary Gandell (Porter) W’02
graduated from Southampton University with a First Class Honours degree in Geography.
Katie Ball DH’12 graduated from
Bristol University with a First Class Honours degree in Geography.
Isabell Norris RH’14 graduated from
UCL with a First Class Honours degree (iBSc) in Medical Sciences with the History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine.
Torchbearers News We are delighted that several Old Girls have joined our Torchbearers recently and we are enormously grateful for their support. The annual lunch for Torchbearers and potential legators was held at Plumber Manor, near Sturminster Newton in March. In the Headmistress’s absence, Katherine Massey, Director of Development and Marketing, gave an update on the school and presented the plans for the new Arts Centre. In the Spring there will be a Torchbearers lunch in Sherborne. We are always keen to hear from potential new legators and welcome enquiries from those who feel that they may be able to support the school in their Will. If you would like to know more, do please contact Laura Windsor in the Development Office.
Jane Reekie (Nicholson) E’59 Leader, The Torchbearers Society
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SOG AGM
Thursday, 17 May 2018 The Salters’ Company 4 London Wall Place London EC2Y 5DE
2 – 5pm
10% DISCOUNT FOR SHERBORNE OLD GIRLS AND SHERBORNE GIRLS PARENTS
Please find your invitation and how to reply included with this Journal. 7
Journal 2017
Development THE SHERBORNE GIRLS FOUNDATION PROvIDES A FOCUS FOR PHILANTHROPY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY When we launched our new strategy – ‘Roots to Grow, Wings to Fly’ – earlier in the year, we cast a deliberately bold vision. We want to ensure Sherborne Girls remains at the forefront of women’s education, not just for the sake of the ongoing vibrancy of our school, but for the good of the world around us. The Sherborne Girls Foundation plays an important role in supporting these purposes. It is about changing lives and empowering the girls to be an influence for good – whether through funding bursarial support, community partnerships and service, inspirational experiences or exceptional facilities. However, supporting the Foundation isn’t only about raising funds. We know that the wider school community is a repository of experience, expertise and intelligence that can prepare and inspire our girls to flourish in, and make a positive contribution to, the world ahead of them. The Foundation hopes to ensure we benefit from this knowledge and good will. Two fundraising priorities for the Foundation this year are:
Arts Centre Appeal A transformational project that will benefit the whole community with new recital hall, drama school, display space and multifunctional social space. We are delighted to have raised £2m but still have £500,000 to go to reach our £2.5m target.
Candlelight Bursaries Widening access through full bursaries for girls whose challenging circumstances at home mean a boarding education is life-changing. In addition to our scholarships and bursaries programme, we aim to increase the number of girls on full, life-transforming Candlelight Bursaries year on year. Katherine Massey, Director of Development and Marketing (kem@sherborne.com) Old Girl A’91 8
Alex Dickson Leach K’92
Old Girl and Foundation Trustee At our Kenelm 20-year reunion I looked around at my friends and realised what amazing careers we all had – everything from a magazine editor to an oncologist. Some of us owned our own companies and others worked for huge multinationals. I believe much of this is down to our education at Sherborne and the belief we had on leaving school that we could achieve anything we wanted. When my daughter joined Sherborne Girls last year, I was thrilled to be asked to join the Foundation. It is an opportunity for me to give back to the school that helped shape who I am, where I discovered my talents and interests, and where I made lifelong friendships. Part of my role is to build awareness of the importance of philanthropy so that the school can continue to provide the best possible facilities and experiences for the girls today and for future generations. I also support the school’s commitment to widening access through its bursaries. I am keen to develop a network of OG Year Group Co-ordinators to galvanise other Old Girls to come forward, share their time and expertise, spread the good word about the school, and possibly support the Foundation financially as well. Please look out for further updates from the Foundation and do get in touch if you would like to be involved: development@sherborne.com
Obituaries
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson A’90
‘Naughty, irreverent, rebellious, incredibly funny and incredibly fun to be around. There was no one quite like Tara. She was utterly unique and a little bit crazy. But she was also kind and so, so generous. A great friend.’ Emma Pike E’90 ‘Tara was completely brilliant, an integral part of our lives at Sherborne. We always knew that if Tara was around, something exciting would happen. She was full of energy, charisma and huge amounts of fun. So sad she’s gone, but wherever she is, I know she’ll be the life and soul of the party.’ Suzie Rocke (Horsey) T’90
TRI BUTE S FOR TARA
Former Sherborne Girls Director of Music Gussie Miller reflects on Tara’s life and legacy. Tara comes from a distinguished and loving family. Her sense of fun and nicely naughty ways always appealed to me. She was special: talented, stylish, imaginative – and she kept us all on our toes! She loved her music and was a good pianist and a brilliant singer who contributed so much to the sparkle of performances in the Stuart Centre, the Abbey, and in the local community, as well as further afield in St George’s Chapel, Windsor and Kensington Palace. Tara’s enthusiasm was infectious and she was always on time, especially for the Choir and Madrigal Society. There was Tara in the centre of things acting her part in dancing and singing – what talent! She certainly belonged to the ‘social set’ in both the Boys’ and the Girls’ schools, so was a very popular member of her year. She was a clever girl when she put her mind to it and managed to escape trouble! Tara sang in two Dorset operas, where she showed great acting talent. It was one of the happiest times of her life. She and Louisa Garnier (North) W’90 were ferocious witches stirring the cauldron in great style in Macbeth. In Manon Lescaut Tara’s long hair flowing off the, stage caused a sensation – much to the consternation of the horn player, who very red-faced, said he was unable to play as her locks were blocking up the bell of his horn! After Tara left school she became an ‘It Girl’, which amused us all and we enjoyed the hilarious stories in the newspapers. Whatever would Tara get up to next! She became a celebrity especially on ITv’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!.
Tara was always kind and this was portrayed in the ITv programme With a Little Help from My Friends. She asked her friends to help her to do up a house for the parents who were visiting their children in the Royal Free Hospital who had leukaemia. Everyone enjoyed doing whatever Tara asked of us. Angela Pitt and I had a hilarious time fitting a cupboard in the kitchen. A week before Tara died she composed a beautiful song with words called Ricochet which was played at her funeral in Dummer. Her sister Santa’s eulogy was very moving. Tara was a strong and lively character and will be missed by everyone who was privileged to know her.
‘At school a few of us decided to have a competition as to who could have the most greasy hair by the end of the week. Unbeknownst to us, Tara had spread butter on her head and of course won the competition. She fessed up in the end! ‘Unusually for Tara, she had been snubbed by one of the Sherborne boys and vowed to get revenge. Along with some others, he came over to Mulliner one Sunday for afternoon tea and proceeded to drink his tea and eat his cake, but commented that there was a slightly strange taste to the tea. Tara had laced it with laxatives!
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TRI BUTE S FOR TARA co n t.
Journal 2017 ‘As a minor cast member in Dorset Opera one summer, Tara managed to entirely eclipse the professionals on stage by embracing her character – that of a ‘loose peasant woman’ – by lying back half off the stage and draping her arm around a very surprised percussionist! ‘She was nutty as fruitcake, mad as a box of frogs and a loyal, intelligent and fun, fun, fun friend. Her sparkle will be sorely missed.’ Annabel Giles (Pitkanen) DH’90 ‘Tara was a huge presence during my school life. From our first days at Hanford, she captivated us all with magical tales of swimming pools of baked beans and diving boards as high as the Eiffel Tower! Then on
to Sherborne, where we shared many more adventures. Her enthusiasm was infectious and always a welcome tonic. Her immense generosity still brings joy in remembering how it felt to be part of her world. She burned so brightly and it is very sad to lose her.’ Louisa Garnier (North) W’90 ‘There was never a dull moment with Tara! I arrived the year after Tara into Lvth and she immediately came to find me and took me over to Alymar to meet her friends introducing me as Holly the Wally! Full of energy, always smiling and on a mission usually involving boys from the boys’ school we had a lot of fun together.’ Holly King (Rowell) T’90
Barry Williams
Head of History 1972 – 1992 Barry’s daughter Jane Williams (Wilson) E’79 leads tributes to her father, who was Head of History and University Adviser at Sherborne Girls until 1992. Since my father passed away on 27 October 2017, I have received so many messages of support from his former pupils. The thing that stands out from them all is that he was a kind man, who was committed to drawing out the best from the people he taught. He made a mark on Sherborne Girls, in so many ways, and the school remained in his heart long after he retired in 1992. Barry Williams was born in Brighton in 1932. His father was a CID officer in the Sussex seaside town, and Barry stayed there until going to Bristol University to read history at the age of 18. It was here that he met Ann, his future wife, within just a
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few weeks of arriving. The pair soon became inseparable, and remained devoted to each other until Barry’s passing. After three years’ National Service in the RAF, during which he formed lifelong friendships with his fellow officers, Barry followed Ann’s lead in completing a PGCE and starting his career as a teacher. The coming years would see the couple teach in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, before arriving in Dorset in the late 1960s. Barry took a job at the comprehensive school in Gillingham before joining Sherborne Girls as Head of History in 1972 – a post he retained until his retirement some 20 years later. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Barry assumed oversight of university entrance in 1978, helping many pupils achieve their ambition to enter higher education. He delivered a lecture at Commem each year in which he outlined the process of applying to university. It became a
We received so many tributes to Barry that there simply isn’t room to print them all. We’ll post them in full online, but here is a flavour of the messages received. ‘I always enjoyed his lessons. He was a wonderful teacher.’ Sarah Tory W’84 ‘…always so excited when he spoke that we were swept up in his stories. An unforgettable teacher.’ Pip Mullins (Pickering) A’80 ‘…my favourite and most inspiring teacher at Sherborne and the reason for sticking with history.’ Emma Lloyd (Appleyard) K’90 ‘…inspirational and a wonderful teacher.’ Sarah Jackson (Lavington) AE’85
TRI BUTE S FOR BARRY
legendary event, packed to the gunwales with eager parents and girls wanting to know more about the next steps in their educational journey. For all his enthusiasm in this role, teaching history remained Barry’s main passion. He wrote many books about the subject, including one about Sherborne Girls entitled So Many Opportunities. My sister Sara and I remember him busily writing his books long-hand on the table at the end of our living room. Meanwhile, my daughter Georgina was delighted to discover that her grandfather’s book The Elusive Settlement is still used at Sherborne Girls when studying the English Civil War. Another of Barry’s trademarks was his huge Alsatian, which was a regular presence at school. It would usually sleep in his car in the mornings, then have a walk over the sports fields at lunchtime before joining Barry in class for the afternoon. Like everyone in that classroom, the dog would have witnessed a man who loved his discipline, and had a real interest in young people. Barry wanted his pupils to achieve their potential; he taught them how to think. As the letters Sara and I have received in recent months testify, he made an impression on countless generations of Sherborne Girls’ pupils. That is a legacy of which he would be proud, as we are. He was a teacher, a gentleman and a devoted father and husband. We miss him more than words can say.
‘…my most inspirational teacher and encouraged me so much.’ Ann Cook (Ridgeway) DH’80 ‘…had a major influence on me.’ Diana Muriel DH’83 ‘…taught me so well and encouraged me and my sister to apply to Oxford which we both did successfully.’ Emma Pike E’90 ‘…did such a lot for school.’ Honorary Old Girl Wendy Laid ‘His passion for the subject was infectious.’ Siân Lloyd-Jones (Prentice) DH’80 ‘…an excellent and inspiring teacher. ’ Georgina Andrewes (Dodd) A’77 ‘…learned but very down to earth…’ Honorary Old Girl Yvonne Libbey ‘…an inspirational teacher.’ Jane Hyam (Carpenter) T’75 ‘A wonderful man who had faith in the abilities of each and every one of his pupils, making us believe we could achieve anything.’ Melanie Annett (O’Shea) K’91 ‘…a wonderful history teacher, endlessly kind and patient.’ Annabel Venning (Walters) A’91 ‘He brought history to life.’ Arabella Pike E’86 ‘…the teacher who saw my potential…’ Emma Burrows AE’83
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Journal 2017
Cara Beresford-Stooke (Henderson) AW’61
By John Henderson. As an adopted child, Cara always said that her parents chose her and her brother, Peter, which may explain the wonderful relationship she enjoyed with them. It was her adoptive parents who christened her Cara. Her brother remembers glorious days spent on Lumley Beach, outside Freetown in Sierra Leone, camping out at night, listening to the wild animals. Her father was the Governor and she proudly kept her first passport, as it was signed ‘Sir George Beresford-Stooke in the name of Her Majesty!’ Cara loved school and when she left, she chose to go to Paris to learn French. Years later, she was delighted when a Frenchman mistook her for a Parisian, by her accent. On her return, she worked a Christmas season in Harrods, in the ski-wear department. Thus sleekly attired, she joined a skiing party of bright young things and students from Cambridge University and the Royal Agricultural College. So it was, one cold February morning in 1961, on a victoria Station platform en route to Austria, that John and Cara’s eyes first met – but then, each was with their own attachments. In 1965, just before John left for two years in Australia, he invited Cara and some friends to a farewell dinner and asked her to write to him. In December 1966, Cara and John met again, he with an Australian accent! They married in March, 1968. By this time, John had secured a post as assistant to the Agent on the Croome Estate. They moved into a small estate house in Pirton. When John, was promoted to acting Agent in May 1970, they moved to High House in Severn Stoke. Alex was born that July and two years later, Charlie came along. Cara made a wonderful contented home. She helped with the annual Pershore Festival and with an old age lunch club there, kept up her French at evening classes and later Italian and pursued her beloved painting in classes at Malvern and Pershore. Later with Alex, she 12
became involved with Upton Young Farmers. She always helped with innumerable village ‘dos’ and when the Friends of Croome were first established, she joined others serving refreshments to the new visitors from a small tent. Her fudge became famous! When John retired from Croome in 1996, they spent a fortnight in Uganda and saw some of the wonderful work undertaken out there by FOAG, the Worcestershire Farmers Overseas Action Group. In 2009, Cara suffered a life-threatening aneurism from which she bravely recovered but in May 2015, she had a massive stroke. With intense hospital care and rehabilitation in the Willows Stroke Centre, Evesham, she regained her speech and learnt to walk again, through sheer courage and determination. She came home that November, but had a fall, which entailed a new hip. She came home again in January 2016 and despite further falls, she bore her disability with quiet acceptance, never complaining, always cheerful and patient. Cara died suddenly but peacefully at home on 13 August 2017, sitting in her wheelchair facing the Malvern Hills. Cara was so open-hearted, she had a capacity for radiating happiness and warmth by just a smile.
Caro Macintosh
Head of PE department 1965 – 1980 and Second Mistress 1980 – 1989 Caro arrived at Sherborne Girls in 1965 as Head of PE, with a philosophy: ‘All physical activity should be enjoyable; it is up to the staff to make it so.’ Caro received a place in the Guinness Book of Records with 52 lacrosse caps for Scotland and four for Great Britain. During her tenure all major team sports flourished, with the lacrosse
teams in 1973, 1978, 1986 and 1990 winning the AllEngland National Schools tournaments in London and Milton Keynes. Hockey, in which the 1st XI was unbeaten in 1995-96, produced excellent players at junior and university levels. Caro worked hard to ensure there was a wide range of sports on offer. Caro was an outstandingly successful
sportswoman and an incredible organiser, who cared deeply about the girls. The fact that she had such great talents beyond the pitch meant that in due course she was to become an outstanding Second Mistress in 1980. In 1989 Caro retired as Second Mistress and continued to take a great interest in the school. She will be much missed by us all.
‘…never forgot anything, her brain was as sharp as a pin to the very end. A truly incredible person.’ Katharine Martin (Stringer) DH’78 ‘…the most inspirational teacher: tenacious, nononsense and practical. Her get up and go have been a huge influence on my life.’ Emma Young (Rose) K’81
‘…always hugely encouraging to all of us in every sport.’ Caroline Counsell (Pearce) W’75 ‘Unforgettable’. Natalie Rae (Rucellai) W’84 ‘…filled with endless enthusiasm and a can-do attitude.’ Clare Crawshay-Williams E’85 ‘…will be very much missed.’ Pippa (Philippa) Shaw AE’93
‘…had a great affinity with the girls and always encouraged them in every type of sport...’ Honorary Old Girl Kathryn Harris
‘Such an amazing lady, Sherborne was very lucky to have her.’ Suzannah Rocke (Horsey) T’90
‘…a good teacher as well as a good sportswoman.’ Rolly Wells (Thomas) K’76
‘…very sad to see that Caro died last week.’ Jane Symons (Thornton) DH’64
‘…incredibly kind and very good company. All in all, she was a jolly good egg and I liked her enormously.’ Philippa Scott-Moncrieff (Armitage) AE’84
‘…a great enthusiast and so full of zest for sport…’ Jocelyn Passey (Humfrey) K’73
‘…she never knew how much encouragement and joy she gave me...’ Anne Francis DH’79
‘…always an inspiration. She had very high standards, and expected us all to be as organised as she was.’ Helen Bayley (Daltry) AE’73
TRI BUTE S FOR M ACK I E
We received so many tributes to Caro that there simply isn’t room to print them all. We’ll post them in full online, but here is a flavour of the messages received.
Hilary Plumptre (Churcher) AE’52
Memories from Hilary’s friends: Una Harris (Rankin) AE’51, Barbara Mudge (Thomas) T’55, Shirley Taylor (Pickup) AE’52, Rosemary Longsdon (Snoad) AE’51 (Godstow Primary School), Jenny Pugh-Copok (Rampling) St Thomas’ Hospital, Margaret Smith (Barnett) E’50 and St Thomas’ Hospital. ‘Hillie’ was born in Sheffield in 1934, the youngest of three children. Part of her childhood
was spent in India where her father was in the Indian Medical Service. Sadly he died when Hillie was 10 and the family returned to the UK. She went to Godstow Primary School before going on to Sherborne Girls, where she excelled at all sports and made many lifetime friendships. On leaving school, Hillie worked as an au pair in Paris before training as a nurse in 1953 at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. Some years later, her eldest son qualified as a doctor, also at St Thomas’. In 1957, Hillie married Mark, a St Thomas’ 13
Journal 2017 doctor, and they had four children and six grandchildren. The family moved to Devon when Mark became a consultant anaesthetist. Once her children grew up, she worked for a time at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth. Hillie undertook much voluntary work: helping in the Plymouth Hospice and supporting her church. She looked forward to and loved family visits and found time to enjoy Scottish country dancing, tennis, bridge, gardening and holiday travel. Both she and Mark were generous hosts to their many friends. Her vast circle of friends remember her as being a good, kind and caring friend, who was full of fun and laughter and who had a deep compassionate Christian faith. Hillie lived life to the full and was a much-loved friend. She died on 17 April 2017. We shall all miss her very much.
Jane Smerdon (Easterbrook) T’58
Obituary submitted by Jane’s close friend Cynthia Courtney (Chignell) T’59. Jane Smerdon was born on 27 April 1942 in Windsor and joined SSG in Autumn 1954. After leaving school she worked backstage in the theatre, which had always been a family interest, and with BBC Television where she met her husband, Ian Easterbrook. They married in 1968 in Kew and moved to Ontario, Canada, Ian’s home, where she was a sessional lecturer with the University of Guelph Drama Department. After raising their children, Edward and Margaret, Jane’s career took her to CBC Television in Toronto, followed by a stint as House Mother at Upper Canada College in Toronto. This led her to the Canadian College in Italy which was followed by further experience for several years as a matron in England, first at King Edward’s School in Surrey, then Harrow and Rugby. During these years she kept in 14
close touch with her family and friends in England, returning to Canada in the holidays. Back in Canada, she worked for some years with an insurance and financial services company and most recently she was a special part of Critters to Castles, pet and home care, walking dogs and dog sitting on occasion. This fulfilled two of her great loves – dogs and exercise – and she walked several dogs a day, not to mention her own. Jane found dog walking was a perfect form of regular exercise in place of her daily run, having formerly run several marathons (and even more half marathons) in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada. Jane died on 21 February 2017 following a short illness.
Marion Knowles Honorary Old Girl
(Assistant Housemistress of Aylmar and Kenelm) By Honorary Old Girl Frances Walker, Housemistress of Kenelm 1987 – 1994. Marion came to work as Assistant Housemistress in Kenelm in 1990, where she quickly became an integral part of the life of the boarding house as well as an adopted member of the Walker family. Her sense of humour, always the most important asset for anyone living with teenagers, kept us going through many a trying episode and her friendly manner with the girls, allied to a strong sense of discipline and order, was key to the happy atmosphere in the house. Marion loved to discuss fashion trends and celebrities with the girls, listen sympathetically to boyfriend problems and admire photos of their pets. She was a warm and approachable member of staff who will be fondly remembered by many old girls. Marion’s attention to detail and flair in running the domestic side of the boarding house was a huge asset not just to me but to all the Housemistresses she supported during her many
Mary Hallam (Leared)
‘When I arrived at Kenelm as a new Housemistress, Marion was the assistant in the house. She was a wonderful woman who always took time with the kids in the house, and to look after the household staff under her domain. Marion ran the house with energy and drive and her personality endeared her to the girls and the parents associated with Kenelm. She was the “best dressed AHM” and loved being stylish and in fashion. Red shoes were her favourite I recall at one time. ‘Marion always welcomed people into Kenelm with graciousness. With that came support for the house from all quarters and I was very lucky as the HM in charge. Marion became a great friend of mine over that time and although she retired from Kenelm, kept bouncing back to fill in here and there and to work as a Housekeeper at Sherborne School and Matron at Hanford. ‘Many families from that era will have fond memories of Marion and she will be missed by many for her caring and nurturing of the girls in our care. On a personal note I will miss her for her loyalty, humour and friendship and I am so thankful that I did see her again and spend time with her on my recent trip back to the UK.’
A TRI BUTE FOR M ARI ON
years at Sherborne Girls. She got on well with everyone, including the academic staff, the works department, groundsmen and cooks, and people naturally wanted to do a good job because they liked her. This has been a feature throughout her life. Everywhere she went she chatted to people and made friends. Shop assistants, receptionists at the dentist’s and the doctor’s surgeries, local café proprietors and the postman would greet her warmly by name and stop to share a joke. Marion would regularly send cards from her well-stocked card drawer to say thank you to acquaintances who had helped her in some small way, or just to say hello to friends. She was truly a people person and was much loved. Our children were very young when Marion moved in to Kenelm and they adored her. She was kind to them and tolerated their fascination of her glamorous wardrobe, sparkly shoes and colourful bottles of nail polish. Watching Blind Date with Mrs Knowles on a Saturday evening was a regular treat and one of the many things they still fondly remember about her and would reminisce about, when they saw her. Marion will be much missed by everyone who knew her.
Margaret Dooley Housemistress of Kenelm and Home Economics teacher 1995 – 2008
W’49
By Jill Hallam (Sorell) W’53. My sister Mary died in October 2016 in Harare, Zimbabwe. She started teaching at Ruzawi School, Marandellas, Zimbabwe in 1955, after Froebel training at Roehampton College and a year’s first job in London. From there she married Nick Leared – a young farmer, working in Inyanga, Zimbabwe – and became part of the group of farmers who were allotted 3,000 acres of bush each by Ian Smith, the then Governor, to stump and
develop as tobacco farms. Since then, the ‘Horseshoe’ group of farms produced a large proportion of the country’s tobacco and other produce. A few years ago, sadly, theirs, with nearly all the other farms, was confiscated and it has largely gone back to bush. Mary wrote an excellent monthly newsletter on Zimbabwe life, and continued teaching into her 80s. She leaves two sons: Adrian, now a successful restaurant owner in the Canary Islands, and Harvey, still living and working in Harare, and a clutch of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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Journal 2017
Moira Bradbury (Lucas)
Sarah Canning
Moira’s daughter, Lavinia Halliday, writes this obituary. Born in 1929, the only daughter of Dr and Daisy Bradbury, my mother spent her Devonshire childhood in and around Torquay riding ponies, walking her beloved spaniel and, later, dancing the nights away at the glamorous Imperial Hotel. Term time was spent boarding at Sherborne which she remembered with affection: muddy lacrosse fields, close friends, midnight feasts and hideous, grey gym knickers! Swept off her feet and married in Malta to a dashing naval officer at the tender age of 22, Moira soon found herself transported to a small, primitive North Devon farm with two small children, no running water, no heating, hundreds of chickens and a spring which periodically erupted under the kitchen table. The impossibility of achieving anything other than subsistence living quickly dawned and my father’s subsequent decision to join BOAC saw a radical shift in lifestyle: foreign travel, life in the Home Counties and a diet no longer featuring interminable tins of pilchards and cracked eggs! Houses came and went. Following 10 years in a comfortable and pretty mill house (now with four children), Moira found herself (somewhat unwillingly!) on an almost derelict farm on Dartmoor. Filth, dead sheep and freezing temperatures greeted her: ‘I nearly cried,’ she said, but there were compensations, not least glorious riding country right on her doorstep, time to paint (mainly horses) and wildness. Then to the hills of Scotland and, finally, to the deeply rural landscape of central Brittany where my mother learnt to weave, acquired an enormous Breton horse and spoke French like a native. Moira was a memorable character – strongwilled, resilient, funny, brave, affectionate, exhausting and exhilarating and somehow ageless. Widowed for 10 years and living on her own, she remained in France and never complained, even when ill health dogged her last couple of years. Both Moira and my father, Jeremy, are much missed by us all.
By Rory Johnson, Headmaster of Hanford. Sarah was the daughter of The Rev’d Clifford Canning and Mrs C, who founded Hanford in 1947. She devoted her entire adult life to the school, having served variously as headmistress, Latin and English teacher and riding instructor. She taught and inspired hundreds of girls over the years, still remembered many of them – and their nicknames – and was always delighted to hear their news right up to the end of her life. In 2004, she transferred the building and assets of Hanford into a charitable trust to secure the school for future generations. Sarah was admitted to hospital in December 2016 following a fall at home. She bore the months in hospital – and the pain of her injuries and operations – with typical stoicism. Her long stay in hospital meant that Sarah was unable to attend Hanford’s 70th birthday celebrations in June, but she was delighted to read the many cards and messages from Old Girls. There will be a memorial service on 20 May 2018 at 2pm at Hanford School, Child Okeford, Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 8HN. If you would like further information and to attend, please contact the school at: oldgirls@hanfordschool.co.uk
AE’46
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A’49
Katherine Trench (Down) A’75
Sheila Brownlee E’75, Kate’s friend, sent us this obituary. Kate was the kindest, warmest and funniest of friends, with a delightfully offbeat sense of humour and unconventional outlook on life. From Monteverdi to David Bowie, from Beowulf to Ursula Le Guin, from black holes to Chinese pottery, she was knowledgeable about a dizzying range of subjects. She could
explain the trickiest scientific concepts (even quantum physics!) in a clear and entertaining way. Her greatest enthusiasms were probably music, poetry and everything Chinese. She played the clarinet and dulcimer and sang for many years with Dorset Opera, while her love of Chinese was born during her childhood in Hong Kong where her father Sir David Trench was Governor. At university, she was awarded a first class degree in Chinese from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and afterwards drew on her language skills while working for Bluett & Sons, dealers in Chinese art. It was during her time at Bluett’s that Kate met and married Christopher Down who worked at the British Museum. In 1988 she took up a post there herself as secretary to the Keeper of the Prehistoric and Romano–British Antiquities department, and in her spare time enjoyed knitting and jewellery-making. After taking early retirement in 2002, Kate freelanced for a former Bluett’s colleague, and in 2010 she and Christopher moved to Sherborne, where they took an active part in the musical and social life of the town. Kate bore her final illness with extraordinary spirit – apt for a winner of SSG’s Winifred Spooner award for courage and wisdom. She is missed by all her SOG friends, including Elizabeth Symes (Findlay) E’75 with whom she shared a house in her early London years, Kirsty Mackenzie DH’74, Nicole Barber (Kirkman) AW’75, Jenny Morton (Sanderson) AW’75, Sharmini Thillaimuthu (Ashton-Griffiths) E’75, Sarah Edney (Speller) A’75, Kate Melvin (Avery) DH’75 and Clare Cooper A’75.
Emma Bowden T’87
Obituary submitted by Emma’s close school friend Louise Noel (Troup) W’87. Emma contributed greatly to the life of Sherborne Girls during her time here and made many close friendships. An extremely talented Art student, she went on to study Graphic Design at the London College of Printing and to achieve much success in her chosen field working as Art Editor for OK Magazine for fifteen years. At just over six foot, and always unflappable, she also made a fantastic hockey goalie, playing for her house, Thurstan, and for the school. Emma joined the school in the Middle Fifth, following the tragic death of her mother from cancer. She coped amazingly with the bereavement and the transition to boarding school, although it must have been very hard for her to be away from her home in London in such circumstances. She had great resilience and bravery, which we all admired. However, Emma will be best remembered as a true friend by the class of ’87. She was an incredibly kind and gentle person who was universally liked and respected. She had many, many friends and kept in touch with them throughout her life. We all deeply miss her, and her beautiful daughter Heather, to whom she was a devoted mother. Emma and her daughter tragically died in a seaplane accident near Sydney, Australia on New Year’s Eve.
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GOLF Journal 2017
REPORT
Anne Whately-Smith (Agnew) K’70
MOOR PARK GOLF CLUB We started our golfing year at the end of March with a match held at Moor Park Golf Club in Hertfordshire against Cheltenham Ladies College. We struggled to field a team of 8 so reduced the match to 3 pairs consisting of Susie Pym (King) DH’68 and Anne Agnew, Hilary Park (Dennes) E’65 and Liz Pendered (Edwards) W’75 and Jane Jefferson (Shearer) E’68 and Alison Shine (Old Malvernian). The SOGs were victorious! Left to right: Anne Agnew, Alison Shine (Old Malvernian) Liz Edwards, Jane Shearer, Hilary Dennes, Susie King
MATCH AGAINST THE OLD SHIRBURNIANS Next up was the annual match v the Old Shirburnians playing for the Steele-Perkins Plate. We played at Long Sutton Golf Club on 15 May, having changed the format to 4 ball better ball to keep the OSs happy (!) and despite all their protestations they won this year 2.5 v 1.5. Thank you to all the SOGs who came down to Somerset to play. Individual winners were Caroline Davis (Patterson) DH’57 (nearest the pin) and Mary Elliot (Troughton) T’76 (Longest Drive).This year’s team were: (L to R) Katharine Martin (Stringer) DH’78, Anne Agnew, Hilary Dennes, Mary Troughton, Gilly Steele-Perkins (ffrench-Blake) A’60, Caroline Patterson, Valerie Worth (Thomas) E’73, Trudi Hubbard (Harris) DH’58 and Hilary Tuckett (Ward) W’58. Representing the OSs were Richard Morgan, Rob Fisher, Paddy Macintosh, Tony Steele-Perkins, David Dinkeldein, Dick Draper and Pat Farmer. For any eagle eyed readers who noticed the discrepancy in team numbers, one of the SOGs (me!) had to fill in for the OSs, to keep numbers level as Richard le Flufy had to drop out at the last minute.
THE WINNERS FROM NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Once again a plea to all those golfers out there! It would be lovely to welcome some younger players as we are keen to try and arrange more gatherings, especially with the Old Shirburnians. Please liaise with our OG office. Left to right: Trudi Harris, Katharine Stringer, Barbara Dalrymple (Savill) W’70
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THE TASSIE Rachel Long (Trotman) W’69 captained our Tassie team this year and although no prizes, The Berkshire is always a treat to play and much enjoyed by our team. Left to right: Mary Troughton, Rachel Trotman, Ali Preston (Aldred) A’81 and Susie King
AUTUMN MEETING The annual Autumn Meeting was held at The Northamptonshire County Golf Club on Wednesday, 27 September, courtesy of Jane Shearer (Lady Captain). She very kindly put up 4 SOGs, a call above and beyond! But we had a delightful evening with many hilarious stories coming out of the woodwork. It was good that we could repay some of our OGs who make the annual trek down from the North to venues usually south of the M25. We had a wonderful day; it is a lovely course and the winning team comprised of: Left to right: Trudi Harris, Katharine Stringer, Barbara Savill. Nearest the Pin was won by Valerie Thomas and the Longest Drive by Anne Kinnersley (Boyle) K’67. 16 of us attended with Gill Buzzard (Blenkinsop) DH’62 acting as roving reporter, course ranger and photographer. Gill took the group photo: Left to right: Hilary Younger, Anne Agnew, Josie Kemp (Mather) DH’62, Valerie Thomas, Clare Hoblyn (Wells) A’64, Jane Shearer, Hilary Dennes, Jenny Josselyn A’63, Trudi Harris, Susie King, Buzz Blandy (Francis) E’62, Barbara Savill, Katharine Stringer, Anne Boyle and Gail Preston (Taylor) DH’67
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& Journal 2017
Births, Marriages & Deaths BIRTHS
Annelise Platou Bjornseth (Glew) A’91 and Steve had a son, William Thor Platou, on 5 December 2016
Janice Leung K’95 and Bevan White had a daughter, Taylor Lola White, on 17 December 2015
Clare Corry (Hope-Dunbar) E’99 and Charles had a son, Fergus Alexander, on 7 August 2017
Clementine Kerr (Sinclair) A’00 and Robert had a daughter, Ottilie Katharine, on 27 February 2017 Anna Hartwell (Farnell) W’03 and James had twins, Oscar and Alex, on 30 May 2017
Susannah Rowell E’87 married Christian Jaroljmek on 17 June 2017
Alanna FitzGerald E’97 married Rob LoderSymonds on 11 February 2017
Jo Agnew K’99 married James Leeman on 25 March 2017
Clare Corry E’99 married Charles Hope-Dunbar on 4 June 2016
Emma Wright AW’01 married Clifford Oakes on 29 April 2016
Miranda Kraunsoe W’03 married Justin Robinson on 23 September 2017
Molly Browne A’04 married Ed Playfair on 25 November 2017
Hannah Godwin E/AE’04 married Hugo Blott (The Digby’04) on 19 August 2017
Penny Kirby-Johnson (Johnson-Story) K’03 and Thomas had a son, Edward, on 16 October 2017
Tattie Graham M’04 married Fred Isles on 29 July 2017
Annie Gregory (Davidson) K’04 and JP Davidson had a son, Bertie, on 11 April 2016
Olivia James E/AE’05 married Richard Coughtrie on 29 July 2017
Katharine Jacob (Valentine) AE’04 and Max had a son, Felix, on 29 June 2017
Camilla Kerr DH’05 married Andy Cameron on 30 September 2017
Bella Blackburn (Grant Peterkin) AW’04 and Charlie had a son, Milo, on 11 July 2016
Zanna Jackman (St. Quinton) A’04 and Danny had a daughter, Isabel Laura, on 29 December 2016
Clemmie Stanley (Mounsey-Heysham) K’04 and Toby had a daughter, Isla Rose, on 31 January 2017
Annie Gregory (Davidson) K’04 married JP Davidson on 19 July 2014
Alice Kennon DH’05 married Brian Richardson on 31 December 2017
Margaret Muthama E/AE’05 married Paul Odera on 11 July 2015
Sarah Hatherell (Wood) A’05 and Laurence had a daughter, Emma Julia, on 30 November 2016
Emily Ayles DH’08 married Harry McCorkell on 6 January 2018
Rebecca Hamilton DH’07 and Fergus Clarkson had a daughter, Louise Clarkson, on 25 May 2016.
Isobel Chitty RH’12 married Ben Green on 17 June 2017.
Margaret Muthama E/AE’05 and Paul Odera had a daughter, Ella Atieno Odera, on 3 March 2017
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MARRIAGES
Jessica Entwisle K’08 married William Habershon on 16 September 2017
DEATHS
Shirley Faulkner-Horne (Simmonds) AE’36 died on 25 April 2017
Joyce Neale (Skelton) K’37 died on 28 August 2017 Noreen Clayton (Tudor-Williams) AW’43 died on 25 September 2016 Jill Hamilton K’43 died on 27 March 2017
Anita Despard (Fischel) E’45 died on 26 February 2017
Arminell Morshead (Gerahty) E’45 died on 21 June 2017
Rosalind Phillips (Marchant) DH’45 died on 16 January 2018
Moira Bradbury (Lucas) AE’46 died on 23 January 2017 Mary Fenwick (Cooper) A’46 died on 19 January 2017
Bridget Mosse (Woods) A’46 died on 22 July 2017
Ann Merriman (Mansel) T’47 died on 29 August 2017
Mary Hallam (Leared) W’49 died on 25 October 2016
Jennifer Bowron (Gardner) AE’51 died on 9 November 2016
Hilary Plumptre (Churcher) AE’52 died on 17 April 2017
Jill Russell (Long) AW’52 died on 31 August 2017 Elizabeth Bucknall (Hale) AW’54 died on 12 October 2016
Susan Marley (Webb) AE’54 died on 24 February 2017
Mary Burchnall (Hignett) AW’56 died on 3 January 2018
Anne Pinney (Hyde-Smith) W’56 died on 28 March 2017
Rosemary Williams (Gardiner) AE’56 died on 16 June 2017
Jane Smerdon (Easterbrook) T’58 died on 21 February 2017
Cara Beresford-Stooke (Henderson) AW’61 died on 13 August 2017
Rosalind Whitaker (Plowright) T’63 died on 5 October 2016
Elizabeth Gibson (Murdoch) E’69 died on 18 June 2017
Rachel Gobert T’84 died on 28 September 2017
Emma Bowden T’87 died on 31 December 2017
Fern Callister T’90 died on 5 October 2017
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson A’90 died on 8 February 2017
Gordon Baker died on 7 July 2017 (Head of Maintenance for 40 years)
Marion Knowles, Assistant Housemistress of Kenelm 1990 – 1992, died on 19 July 2017
Caro Macintosh, PE teacher and Second Mistress 1965 – 1989, died on 12 September 2017
Barry Williams, Head of History 1972 – 1992, died on 27 October 2017.
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Journal 2017
Circle News
1A Devon &
1B
Cornwall
Joint Secretaries: Liz Whitley (Pybus) AW’58 and Sarah Pybus (Moody) AW’80 Riverford Farm Kitchen was again the venue for this year’s Devon Circle Old Girls’ reunion on 21 September. The restaurant’s recent recognition in the Taste of the West awards was clearly justified in the meal we were given. Delicious seasonal vegetable dishes accompanied extremely tender meat followed by a sumptuous array of puddings! All this plus much reminiscing and laughter made for a really fun occasion for those able to attend. Those attending from the Devon Circle were: Georgina Foss K’61, Pippa Hutchen (Birts) W’90, Jo Perriam T’90, Kate Pybus (Buckley) AW’85 and Clare Whitley (Rendle) AW’60. We were very pleased also to be joined by Laura Windsor from the Development office. We would be really pleased to hear your views on venues and what time of year, day of the week and time of day might make it easier to get to the reunions. Please do pass them to us via the SOG office.
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2A Dorset Secretary: Anne Walsh (Colquhoun) E’69 The Dorset group of the Sherborne Old Girls spent a very happy afternoon at Sculptures by the Lake, at Tincleton near Dorchester, on 20 September. Nestled in 26 acres of Dorset’s glorious countryside, this is an oasis for art lovers and collectors alike, created by renowned sculptor Simon Gudgeon. Simon’s vision was to create an environment that blends nature’s beauty with inspiring works of art free from the constraints of enclosed spaces of a traditional gallery. Even the happy chattering of 16 Old Girls didn’t detract from the peace and tranquility! We wandered in small groups catching up with news and reminiscences from Sherborne days, then enjoyed a delicious tea in the converted gallery. There was an excellent turnout from Ealhstan, much to Gussie’s delight, and
2B
I was particularly pleased to welcome Georgina May (Bullock) E’69 and Anne Bond (Kendrick) E’69, both good friends of mine at school, who had journeyed to Dorset with their husbands and stayed in the area for a couple of days. A very happy time was had by all!
Somerset
Secretary: Katharine Martin (Stringer) DH’78 Katharine Stringer writes: I was delighted to welcome Old Girls to our second reunion. Although we were small in numbers, we had a really delicious twocourse meal, preceded by aperitifs and canapés at the wonderful Crown Hotel in the market square in Wells. There was continuous talking and laughing while we reminisced about old times but it was also good to hear how well the school is doing now. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Attending the lunch were Elizabeth Dolman A’54, Sara Whitehouse W’55, Phillipa Peel (Boyd) AE’75, Charlotte Ashe (de Grey) DH’72, Katharine Stringer and Honorary Old Girls Gill Oliver, Lindsey Spears, Carol Price and Old Girls Secretary Fiona James. Thanks to all who came, and thanks to Fiona James for sending out the letters and emails, Here’s hoping we get more next year!
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Journal 2017
12A Norfolk & Suffolk 4
Wiltshire
Secretary: Jane Reekie (Nicholson) E’59 Many of you will remember our happy reunion at the home of Ailsa Morris (McLeod) E’56 in June 2014. Ailsa and her husband Rob have very kindly offered to host another reunion lunch for any old girl of any Circle who can get to their lovely farm, just south of Salisbury on the Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset border on Wednesday, 13 June 2018. As before, a sit down lunch will be provided (about £12 a head) in one of their barns. There is plenty of space and I hope many of you will join us and bring other OGs who may not have seen this notice. Please contact Fiona in SOG office at fmj@sherborne.com or 01935 818329.
Secretary: Gillie Bryson (Scoular) E’73 The 2017 Norfolk and Suffolk OG lunch took place on Wednesday, 1 March at Gillie Scoular’s home and a thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all! I think those who attended are as follows – left to right: Suzanne Rose (Bartlett) DH’70, Judith Atkinson (Towill) T’59, Rachel Long (Trotman) W’69, Gillie Scoular, Penny Cooper (Baily) AW’64, Katherine Brown (Tulley) W’87, Sarah Brown (Patey) K’73, Rosemary Hoysted (Fraser) A’56, Libby Ashe (Foss) DH’60 and Anthea Ottaway (Shaw) T’58. The 2018 lunch will probably take place later in the year, date and venue yet to be fixed, but all suggestions (to Gillie) would be gratefully received!
Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire 13B and Lincolnshire Secretary: Josephine Hepburn (Blake) A’69 Circle reunion from left to right: Elizabeth Blandy (Francis) E’62, Jo Blake, Romie Leveritt AE’67, Gillian Alcock (Ford) AE’67, Judith Hoare (Sweny) A’61, Pru Nahum (Tatham) A’63 and Margaret Mayell DH’50. In May 2017 Pru Tatham very kindly gave our annual Circle lunch in her brand new ‘eco’ house built in the orchard of her old farmhouse near Loughborough. After a delicious lunch she showed us round her new house with all the modern advantages of a new build, which was fascinating to see and a great success after years of planning. We also went round her new garden which was still being made, but with so many plants from her original beautiful garden and Pru’s talent, it will soon be finished and looking lovely. We all very much enjoyed the afternoon and seeing such an exciting project. Next year Elizabeth Francis has very kindly offered to host our Circle lunch at her home in Epperstone near Nottingham on Tuesday, 15 May 2018. Again this is very central within our large Circle, and please make a note in your diaries. 24
14B Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland Secretary: Teresa Huntley (Hepworth) K’63 We had another wet day for our annual reunion this year, but very enjoyable nonetheless! We met on 5 July at Raby Castle, Staindrop, which is privately owned by the Barnard family. We had a necessary coffee before we toured the Castle, which was fascinating. The gardens were lovely and by then the rain had stopped! Pictured from left to right: Jane Pople (Adley) A’55, Teresa Hepworth, Anne Batten (Pender) AE’58 and Marilyn Graham (Gordon) DH ‘52. Kate Kinnersley (McKenzie Johnston) K’72 was also there, but had to go before the photograph.
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Australia and New Zealand
Victoria Cutchey (Harding) K’86 is organising a reunion lunch in Sydney on Friday, 19 October 2018 at 12.30. The proposed venue is Doyle's on the Beach at Watson’s Bay which is easily accessible by ferry from Circular Quay. If you would like to join her, please contact Fiona in the SOG office at: fmj@sherborne.com
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Channel Islands
Secretary: Emma Campbell (Le Maistre) T’89 Emma writes: Having attended my 1989 reunion in London the night before, it was then time, on 3 May 2017 to attend the Sherborne School and Sherborne Girls reception at Banjo in St Helier. The event was well attended by Old Girls and Boys as well as by parents and prospective parents; it was also lovely to have a few future pupils in attendance. It was a great evening of catching up and meeting new faces including Georgina May (Bullock) E’69 who was over staying on the Island. 25
Journal 2017
23
Hong Kong and China
In October, Jenny Dwyer and John Jenkins together with other members of staff went to Singapore and Hong Kong and hosted a number of receptions, meeting prospective, current and past parents and Old Girls.
CLOCKMAKERS COTTAGE – HOLIDAY RENTAL
A spacious single storey cottage in an idyllic riverside setting. Situated on the outskirts of the beautiful village of Chetnole, 8 miles south of Sherborne. Well placed for touring the surrounding area with a network of walks on the doorstep, it’s the perfect spot for a relaxing holiday. For more information, availability and pricing contact: James t. 01935 873136 m. 07836 503377 e. james@lymington-yachts.com
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It is always a real pleasure to meet Old Girls at events and hear about their career plans and careers to date. The breadth and diversity of professions and sectors represented by our alumnae is very impressive. It is also a real pleasure to assist younger Old Girls as they start out on their chosen career. Our new E-Bulletin is proving to be a useful tool in this regard. Our first series of university visits proved to be very popular and it was good to hear what Old Girls thought of their universities and courses. We will be visiting a number of universities again early this year. We continue to work closely with the Old Shirburnian Society to provide a wide and varied programme of careerbased events and we are enormously grateful to everyone who has helped with our careers service. Fiona James Old Girls Secretary
CAREERS
NET WORKING SERVICE
‘The City Event was an excellent occasion to connect with other
‘The City event organised by Sherborne Old Girls
Old Girls and Old Shirburnians working in the City. The panellists
and Boys was an enthusing eye opener to the
also gave interesting insights into a diverse range of careers and
many opportunities out there for me in finance. I
provided useful tips both for those looking to work and those already
had valuable conversations with people working in
working in the City. Overall, a useful evening exchanging ideas /
the City and it has really helped me to figure out
advice and networking with alumnae of all ages.’
what job might best suit me after uni.’
Emily Palmer RH’09
City Event does the Numbers
A joint event between Sherborne Old Girls and the Old Shirburnian Society was held in the City of London in April, giving alumni a taste of a career in finance. The event was aimed at former pupils who are considering a career in finance, or those already working in the sector who wanted to expand their network. It was very wellattended. We are very grateful to Robin Creswell, former and current parent, who is managing principal at Payden & Rygel. Robin kindly agreed to host this event at the firm’s London office.
Flora Foreman RH’14
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Journal 2017
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After leaving Sherborne in 1962, two terms after my cohort, I read Economics at Cambridge University – and met my husband. Male undergraduates heavily outnumbered females in those days. Initially, I worked in the construction industry as an economist for John Laing plc and then Tarmac plc. Following five interesting years, I moved to the National Economic Development Office. The public sector was a better place to work as a mother and I was expecting our first child. When our fourth child was well-established at school in 1986, I was lucky enough to win a place at the Cabinet Office working in the Science and Technology Secretariat. My science A levels at Sherborne came in very useful. While at the Cabinet Office, I passed the Civil Service entrance exams. It was a surprise to take exams again. As a civil servant I started at the then Department of Trade and Industry. This was followed by a move back to the Cabinet Office in 1995 to privatise public sector organisations for Michael Heseltine, who was the Deputy Prime Minister. After an exciting time at the Cabinet Office, I won the role of Director of Competition Enforcement at the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), responsible for enforcing competition law in relation to mergers, monopolies and cartels. In 2003, I was delighted to be made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and to be presented with a US Department of Justice plaque for my contribution to international antitrust co-operation and ‘the fight against international cartels’. Since my retirement from the OFT in 2003, I have been a visiting (now honorary) professor at King’s College, London, a senior consultant for the magic circle law firm, Freshfields, a non-executive director of a charity for the severely indebted and on various boards responsible for raising the standard of financial services for consumers and small businesses. I also enjoy voluntary environmental work on Hampstead Heath as well as looking after various of our expanding number of grandchildren – now 10 of them!
Emma Talbot Baker (Ford) W’02
Margaret Sturrock (Bloom) W’61
Alumnae Profiles
After leaving Sherborne I went to the Royal Agricultural University (Cirencester) to study International Business Management. After a few years of trying to work out what I wanted to do I set my sights on sales and found my way into the construction industry. I work for a company called Uretek. Uretek work in civil engineering and do ground stabilisation (dealing with subsidence). The material that I work with is injected underground and expands to lift slabs and foundations back up, meaning that a domestic property can be underpinned in one to two days, rather than the four to six weeks it takes using more traditional methods. My role is to work with engineers to design solutions for infrastructure and commercial projects, working on projects such as the M3 Smart Motorway, Heathrow and a number of warehouses. I enjoy the variety: one moment I will
L AW RE CE P TI ON BRI N GS P ROFE SSI ONAL S TOGE THE R
be standing up doing a presentation to 50 engineers and an hour later I can be walking around a factory that manufactures artificial legs. I work from home when not out visiting clients and I love not working in an office. I always imagined that I would want to be a team player, but it turns out that I enjoy working on my own where my success (or not!) is purely down to me. I have had a variety of roles in construction sales: I worked in commercial bathrooms (e.g. for prisons, stopping people from hanging themselves from the showerhead, in hospitals, lowering the risk of waterborne infection, and schools). After that, I moved into flat roofing and now focus on the subsidence business with Uretek. There are not many women in the construction industry, but that is changing and I enjoy being the odd one out in that regard.Â
A law reception was held at the offices of Holman Fenwick Willan LLP in London on Wednesday, 8 November. The event was open to Old Girls and OSs who were already working in the profession as well as those thinking of a career within this sector. It provided an opportunity for alumni from both schools to network in an informal and friendly setting. It attracted a number of younger Old Girls and Old Boys at the start of their careers, who relished the chance to connect with more experienced lawyers.
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Stephanie Hislop RH’07
Journal 2017
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After four years of working in the Ministry of Defence as a civil servant, I finally acknowledged that the only way to eliminate the temptation of joining the army was to yield to it. Egged on by my colleagues in uniform, I embarked on the adventure (ordeal) that was a year at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. As far as general preparation for this experience goes, seven years of publicschool education is probably hard to beat. Cross country in the December snow, living day to day by the shriek of an obnoxiously loud buzzer, termly rehearsals for midnight house fires that never materialised, room inspections before school open days and semi-regular detentions (Sandhurst calls these work parades) provide some sort of inoculation against the practical hardship of life at the Academy. And yet, despite such thorough preparation, the first term at the Royal Academy amounted to what is termed in Army lexicon ‘an emotional grizz’. Every day of the first five weeks began at 0500 with a gravelly and tuneless rendition
of the national anthem, followed immediately by a water parade (a cruel and unusual form of rapid and ineffective hydration, most likely designed to give the duty mopper something to clean up). Junior term focused predominantly on soldiering, instilling low-level skills like polishing, ironing, tidying, weapons handling, mapreading, marching and, most crucially, the ability to do all the above while pretending to be awake. The other two terms
focused more on the theoretical and practical functions of command and leadership. Exercises were designed to teach and test our ability to think, plan, communicate, motivate, administrate, and sometimes simply survive in miserable conditions with little or no sleep. Much more accomplished wordsmiths have endeavoured to describe this mysterious process that turns a civilian into an army officer. Nuances differ, but all seem aligned on one fundamental observation: the Royal Military
Academy Sandhurst is a life-altering education. I commissioned into the Royal Artillery on 12 August 2016. I haven’t enjoyed a more meaningful day before or since. The commissioning parade, known as ‘Sovereign’s Parade’, comprises all three terms of Officer Cadets at the Academy and takes place on the iconic Old College parade square in front of a representative of Her Majesty The Queen. The Sovereign’s representative delivers the final words of wisdom and encouragement to the British Army’s newest swathe of fresh-faced and eager junior leaders. It serves as one final reminder of the significant burden of responsibility that couples the privilege of commanding soldiers. Next up was Phase Two training in Larkhill, Wiltshire, where I specialised in Air Defence. Besides the technical and tactical training, the Royal School
of Artillery must be commended for its commitment to extra-curricular activities. One could be forgiven for inferring that the ability to ride, ski, and effectively mask a hangover are pre-requisites for being an officer in the Royal Artillery. In February 2017, in the rank of Second Lieutenant, I was posted to Thorney Island, Hampshire, and assumed command of E Troop, 9 Battery, 12th Regiment, Royal Artillery. Nothing could truly have prepared me for the unparalleled joy and privilege that is commanding soldiers of the British Army. The journey to get to this point felt eternal and at times extremely uncomfortable, but the real challenge will be leading these incredible men and women on exercises and operations. This is yet to come.
Careers event focuses on media world Sherborne Old Girls and the Old Shirburnian Society teamed up for an alumni careers event with a focus on the media. Former pupils from a range of professions attended, offering advice to those seeking employment in sectors such as film and Tv, publishing, advertising and PR. Those currently in their first media jobs were also welcomed, and received helpful guidance about the next steps in their career. The event, which involved a number of panel discussions followed by lively Q&A sessions, was
Charlotte Garton, Olivia SeQueria WD’13 and OS Sam Whipple
hosted by Old Shirburnian Charles Lewington, chief executive of the Hanover PR agency. Speaking about the event, Charlotte Garton WD’14 remarked, ‘I found the event really helpful, and have since been in contact with a few of the panellists, which has been a real encouragement!’ Poppy Greacen WD’14 said, ‘This careers event was really useful! I have just finished my degree and I’m at that critical stage of deciding where my career goes next. Media (PR and advertising in particular) is my main interest and this event was obviously perfect. It is a great environment to pick people’s brains and talk to some experts firsthand in an informal setting. One of the panellists was really helpful and I went on to contact Emma following the evening. She was great to talk to and has invited me to a workshop all about travel PR and marketing – something that wouldn’t have happened without the Media Careers event.’
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Victoria Nicholson T’00 32
When victoria Nicholson left her job in financial PR, she wanted a fresh challenge. Within a month, she was on course to play in the world’s highest-altitude cricket match – but that was only the start of her big adventure. Everyone knows what it feels like to want a fresh challenge. Many of us dream of jacking in the day job and seeking a fresh adventure. That is exactly what victoria did after four years as a financial PR consultant in the City of London. With a 2:1 degree in History of Art from York University, she could have done anything, and was all set to make ends meet with some professional cooking jobs when an exciting opportunity came her way. While working out her notice period, victoria heard of an expedition to play a record-setting game of cricket at Everest Base Camp – making it the highest-altitude match ever played. Her interest was immediately piqued, and within a month she’d secured a place on the expedition team. The Everest Test 2009 involved 52 young professionals who fundraised for 18 months prior to departure, making more than £100,000 for two charities. They pulled off their mission to play the first game of official TwentyTwenty Cricket at Everest Base Camp, earning a Guinness World Record in the process.
It was an especially proud moment for victoria. Not only had she secured a place on the life-changing challenge. She also ended up project-managing the whole expedition, which involved liaising with four specially-trained expedition doctors, two full cricket teams including reserves, and three qualified umpires. In addition, she had to facilitate the movement of two tonnes of kit between Europe and Lukla, the gateway to the Everest region, via Kathmandu. victoria proved adept at such a task, and has since established her own expedition management company, Chase Expeditions Ltd. She project manages all of the expeditions for the military charity Walking With The Wounded, which numbers Prince Harry among its team members. She has also worked with notable explorers such as Pen Hadow, Ben Saunders and Russell Brice. ‘I haven’t looked back since leaving the City in 2008,’ she remarks. ‘As well as organising expeditions for other people, I’ve continued pursuing my own challenges. For example, I undertook an unsupported crossing of the largest non-polar ice cap in Patagonia, and have completed the notorious Marathon des Sables, raising more than £30,000 for Walking With The Wounded.’
Features IRON WILL BRINGS TRIATHLON SUCCESS
Old Girl Ali Hollington T’82 is a regular on the triathlon scene, competing in the toughest events around the world. When Ali Hollington left Sherborne Girls in 1982, she knew she wanted to stay active. She achieved this during her university days mainly by running, with a particular enthusiasm for cross country, as well as 5k track and 10k road races. She represented England, but eventually called time on her career as a result of shin splints. It was then that Ali first turned her attention to triathlons, and won three national championships before heading to New Zealand and taking some time out to recuperate from a period of intense fatigue. When she returned to exercising, Ali decided to enter the toughest triathlons of all: Ironman events. These require up to 30 hours a week of Photos by Ali Hollington www.stuweb.co.uk
training and involve a challenging mix of long-distance swimming, cycling and running. Ali has now completed somewhere in the region of 15 Ironman events, including five in New Zealand, three Hawaii World Championships, in which she achieved fourth- and sixth-place finishes in her age group, and three in Germany. Unsurprisingly, Ali is in demand as a triathlon expedition leader – a role she fits around her responsibilities as a supply PE teacher in New Zealand. She returns to the UK regularly, but says that her new home country is an outdoor paradise, which she’d encourage anyone with an interest in adventure to visit.
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Features VOTES FOR WOMEN:
100 YEARS ON
On the centenary of women’s enfranchisement, Honorary Old Girl Gill Oliver reflects on the role Sherborne Old Girls played in the suffrage movement. The ‘News of Old Girls’ section in the School Magazines gives an insight into some of the war work undertaken by women. This included farming, munition factory work, nursing and ambulance driving. In last year’s Journal, we traced the involvement of Sherborne Old Girls in the Red Cross. And in February 1918 – some months before the armistice – the place of women in British politics was to change for ever. Women had undertaken jobs normally done by men, and proved to be just as capable: over the war years an estimated two million women replaced men in employment. It was now politically impossible to refuse them the vote, and the Representation of the People Act was passed with all-party support. Intriguingly, though, if we wish to find evidence in the SG Archive of involvement in the campaign for women’s suffrage, we have to go back to a spirited article written 10 years before the Act by Old Girl Clara Winifred Dixon, a clergyman’s daughter from Lowestoft (Headmistresses House 1903).
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Winifred Dixon gives a firsthand account of the ‘Women’s Suffrage Demonstration’ in the Albert Hall in March 1908, organised by the National Women’s Social and Political Union (NWSPU). She was not at that time herself a suffragist, she tells us, but was intrigued by the prospect of women having a fair hearing on this contested issue. Men were excluded ‘unless they had tickets signed by an eminent suffragist’. The magazine Votes for Women had been launched the previous year by the NWSPU treasurer, Emmeline Pethwick Lawrence, and at this point the suffrage movement was gaining momentum, as well as notoriety! On the very afternoon of the Albert Hall demonstration, the redoubtable Mrs Pankhurst was ‘unexpectedly released from Holloway’. The excitement was huge: ‘As one man, that whole vast audience rose to its feet, while, amid a storm of cheering and waving of handkerchiefs, Mrs Pankhurst walked down the gangway and seated herself in “The vacant Chair”.’ Notwithstanding this
enthusiasm, our Old Girl is at pains to emphasise the rationality of the speeches themselves, commenting on ‘...a remarkable absence of “the emotional element”.’ There was rhetoric, yes, but the justice of their cause was paramount: They said however that not merely justice – but also expediency – demanded the enfranchisement of women. Today England wants the woman’s point of view and keen sensibilities in dealing with the present social evils. Problems, such as those of the Unemployed, Infant Mortality and Sweated Industries, could not, they declared, be solved by men alone. Miss Dixon’s balanced account of her day at the Albert Hall ends with a reflection on the WSPU itself. She supports its aim, the enfranchisement of women. However, she declares herself ‘not so sanguine as they as to the speedy reformation of our present social system.’ And when it comes to the means that the NWSPU is prepared to employ – ‘vigorous agitation’ which breaks the law – she disapproves and
declares herself not ready to join them. The NWSPU was driven by middle-class and educated women such as Miss Dixon, who cannot have been the only Sherborne alumna of the time to be drawn to the cause. The Sherborne Suffrage Society (founded in 1909) and the Dorset (West) branch of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies had members connected with both the Sherborne Schools: academic staff and, in the case of Canon Gooden, a Chair of Governors. Perhaps it is not surprising, given the
dominance of the Great War in national and personal preoccupations, that our trail in the SG archive runs cold after Miss Dixon’s 1908 account. At the outbreak of the First World War, Mrs Pankhurst suspended the campaigning of the WSPU and concentrated on helping the government recruit women into war work. Most other women’s suffrage movements did likewise and supported the war effort – which turned out to be their most politically effective course of action.
The noise of time
After last year’s feature about sound pioneer Daphne Oram K’43, Sally Romanes T’74 got in touch to share memories of working on ‘Oramics’ during her physics classes. I was really interested to read the article about Daphne Oram in last year’s Old Girls’ Journal. I remember, as a rather disengaged and rebellious physics student, having the chance to build a prototype ‘Oramics’ machine under the supervision of our teacher Joan Burchadt, who knew Daphne well. In fact, as I think about it, Joan probably did most of the building and circuitry, but the experience has stuck in my mind. The machine we helped to build was made from angle iron, capacitors, old-fashioned radio valves, various pulleys and rollers, speakers and light sources. It turned light into sound, meaning we could produce a multi-pitched sound by waving, gesturing or moving across a light source. Alternatively, we could make marks on a long roll of cellophane, thereby breaking the electrical circuits to generate noise. As with other Oram-designed sound generators, the result was a unique way of making music, creating a highly unusual sound. I know that Daphne had a number of patents in this area. It was a privilege to work on one of her trademark machines. Joan taught at Sherborne Girls for many years and was also Cutting from the London Evening Standard, 24 July 1939 an Old Girl. She knew Daphne well and her name appears in the Oram archives at Goldsmiths, University of London. She supervised us with care and encouragement, even though at times she must have wondered what on earth she was doing with these kids who took nothing seriously. I’ve no idea why she picked me as one of her lab assistants. I suspect she hoped I’d be inspired by the interesting and innovative Daphne, who really was a pioneer in her field. And as this report shows, it was a wise choice, because the work I did on Oramics has stayed with me until this day! Joan is photographed in the newspaper cutting above instructing air defence cadets in assembling a glider at their camp at Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire. 35
Journal 2017
NEW SOG MEMBERS
Welcome to the following ‘new’ Old Girls, who left school in summer 2017 Frances Budd Mary Butler Robyn Carty Frances Cattermull Cathy Chan Charmaine Cheng Stephanie Cheung Sophie Dible Sakhizwe Dlamini Eleanor Dowie Serena Dwerryhouse Angelina Emmanuel Eleanor Fisher Rebecca Flack Imogen Folkes Lavinia Gage Elena Garcia Sale Grace Gardner Elizabeth Gunton Philippa Herring
Rosanna Hill Alexandra Hillan Holly Hills Yee Him Hung Alice Hunt Alexandra Hurst Dawnee Kanjanapas Maddie Katzinski Clementine Kerr Rebecca Kerr-Jarrett Syn Loong Koo Rosie Landon Marina Lawrence Hannah Lees Daisy Lines Eliza Loyd Muslima Maitekova Olivia Manson Beatrice Marchegiani Josephine Marshall
Lucy Massey Louisa McGregor Rosanna Miller Arabella Moorhouse Katherine Morony Alexandra Mountbatten Johanna Murphy Eloise Newman Grace Palmer Imogen Parr Ella Penton-Voak Natasha Phillips Caterina Piovesana Emily Pope Aimi Pu Skye Reid Blanca Rivero Alicia Robinson Oenone Rodgers Alice Rogers
Charlotte Rouse Libby Rowe Lizzie Rydon Hannah Segrue Sonia Shats Alice Slade Jessica Soanes Rebecca Stagg Lily Stevens Emily Summerhayes Cheuk Wai Tam Lara Taylor Saskia Tennant Matilda Thomas Valerie Tsoi Sabrina Uithol Charlotte Watkins Maya Whitman Flora Wordie Lucy Wright
Daughters and Granddaughters of Old Girls in the school ALDHELMSTED EAST Flora Williams Vicky Bartholomew, Mother Elsa Williams Vicky Bartholomew, Mother ALDHELMSTED WEST Anna Cleveland Louise Noel, Mother
Lucy Knott Jane Royston, Mother
Lucy Holcroft Anthea Malim, Grandmother
Agatha Palmer Zoë Phayre-Mudge, Mother
Rosie Kitson Caroline Jones, Mother
Grace Tucker Antonia Tozer, Mother Penny Hockley, Grandmother
Portia Manson Caroline Wilson, Grandmother
Jemma Craig-Cooper Catharine Simpson, Mother
READER HARRIS Eva Contomichalos Melissa Charrington, Mother
Matilda Massey Katherine Prideaux-Brune, Mother
Christa Cripwell Emma Pocock, Mother
Artemis McMaster-Christie Sarah Tory, Mother Diana Hamblin, Grandmother
Cecilia Darwall Diana McWatters, Mother
Tilly Garton Mary Monro, Grandmother KENELM Petra Deacon Alexandra Dickson Leach, Mother Joanna Osmond, Grandmother Isobel Ellis George Hardy, Mother
Emma Kitson Caroline Jones, Mother Anna Schwinge Clare Matthews, Mother
Emily Nokes Anthea Ottaway, Grandmother Sacha Nokes Anthea Ottaway, Grandmother Poppy Weldon Clare Hedges, Mother MULLINER Cecilia George Cristina Brodie Cooper, Mother Sophie Hall Louise Ellam, Mother Isabella Harding Victoria Cutchey, Mother
WINGFIELD DIGBY Tilly Cripwell Emma Pocock, Mother
Stephanie Teale Sue Willmott, Grandmother
Annabel Drummond Louise Taylor, Mother
Poppy Weldon Clare Hedges, Mother
If you know of other mothers and grandmothers with daughters currently at SG, please let us know by sending an email to: fmj@sherborne.com 36
Peer Group
1925 – 1955
NEWS
Peer Group Co-ordinator: Jenyth Worsley AW’52
Jenyth (pictured above) writes: ‘My Parkinson’s is beginning to take over daily life and I am downsizing and coming to terms with being an octogenarian! Otherwise I am still writing and organising poetic events in Oxford.’ Jenyth has decided to step down from her role. We would like to take this opportunity to thank her so much for all her hard work and support for SOG over very many years. Anne White (Howitt) W’45 writes from her flat in Roehampton, south west London: ‘Since my husband Frank died five years ago, foreign travel without him doesn’t seem so much fun. “Mum,” said one of my children, “you are lucky to have eight grandchildren. Why not treat each of them to a mini holiday to some European city of their choice?” ‘So in spring 2013 my eldest grandchild Isabel led me to Amsterdam for a couple of days. In
2014 Christopher took me to Bologna while in 2015 Felix chose vienna and Alice venice. Last year it was off to Lyon with Freddie and to Cracow with Hugo. This year Ophelia has chosen Seville; Oscar has not made his mind up! ‘Now they have all had a turn, do I run through the list again? Or, aged 89, is that asking for trouble?’ Anne’s grandson Hugo in Cracow
Patricia Strangways-Dixon (Dixson) W’49: ‘I was a farmer’s wife for 20 years and for the last 20 years I have been working as a social worker, receiving no salary, giving food packets to the elderly to take home every two weeks.’ Jean Lynden-Bell (Grieve) DH’49: ‘I had some interesting trips this year to enliven my usual playing in the local Symphony and teaching violin and cello with my Suzuki method colleagues. Last Fall at the Banff Centre I experienced once again wonderful music at the International String Quartet Competition. Then after Christmas I revisited Belize after many years, and in March spent 11 days with
family, friends and ex-students in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan. I have plenty of room in my house if any travelling SOGs would like a place to stay in the Toronto area.’ Minty Parker (Sparrow) AW’50: ‘At 85 I have nothing of any interest [to report], but I am blessed with enjoying life!’ Jenifer Weston (Wates) K’50 reports: ‘Unfortunately I haven’t been well this year, but am now much restored – and only today was again giving thanks for the inspiring teaching I received at Sherborne, 1944–50. Any Old Girls would be welcome to coffee or tea in Woodstock.’ Alison Lansdown (Copeman) DH’53: ‘I now have three greatgrandchildren, who give me great pleasure. I have just been to Judy Lowe’s (Ernst) T’52 wonderful wedding. I am coming to England in September and hope to catch up with Tricia Bell (Rawson) DH’54, Frances Boas (Bouchier) DH’53 and Elaine Maliphant (Ledingham) DH’54, who are all my special Dun Holme friends. They are so kind in getting together whenever I come to England.’ Jane Lees (Brian) E’43: ‘News? Well, I am approaching my 91st birthday so don’t suppose there are very many left from my time at Sherborne – 1940–43 I think. It is amazing to see how things have changed at the school. For instance, we used to spend one afternoon a week pulling ragwort 37
Journal 2017
out of a farmer’s field. One afternoon we spent with our gasmasks on because of a threatened gas attack. And we were allowed, encouraged, to knit during lessons, so long as what we were knitting was khaki-coloured, i.e. for the Army. Some of us came back to Ealhstan after sitting our School Certificate (roughly equivalent to GCSE, or maybe AS levels). We were so hungry, we begged the cook for food and eventually she gave us a slice of bread each and a bowl of dripping. We toasted the bread in front of the common room gas fire, and I can vividly remember what a feast it was.’ Angela Tatham (Clarke) T’49: ‘I had an operation on my knee in May which has slowed me up quite a bit. Old age, I’m afraid! However, I’m looking forward to another grandchild in the Isle of Wight and another greatgrandchild in Denmark – both in September.’ Elizabeth Lloyd (Barnicoat) K’46: ‘It seems that I must update my news before it is too late! I shall be 90 in a few days! I was in Kenelm during the war. We had a wonderful matron, Miss Norris, who fed us very well. For the last 11 years I have lived in Australia with my husband. A great move. We have driven all around and up and down this amazing country and made many friends. Having seen all the cathedrals and castles in Europe, we have now explored many Pacific islands, diving and snorkelling. ‘Our daughter, Katy Barnicoat (Fletcher) K’83, lives with her two tall teenage sons about an hour away by car. We live on NSW Central Coast between Sydney and Newcastle: a very pleasant area with sea close and 38
every amenity handy. Great views over virgin forest with a big sky and a Mediterranean climate. ‘I have contact with two other Kenelmites: Sylvia Scott (Gardner) K’46 and Lynne Wharton (Connor) K’46. I read the Journal avidly and marvel at all the changes.’ Sue Robinson (Jones) A’47: ‘I would like to report the death of Bridget Mosse (Woods) A’46 on 22 July 2017. She was a very dear friend, dating from when we met at school, in Aylmar in 1940 and top of my list of six people from school I kept up with after we left. ‘She was a bridesmaid at my wedding and godmother to my daughter, and our lives touched many times over the years, with family events and celebrations. ‘Of those six people now only one is still with us, Jane Becker (Allen) DH’45. She lives in the USA.’ Maureen Nielsen AE’43: ‘I have many wonderful memories of my years at Sherborne and over the years I kept in touch with my two friends Heather Turner (Hodges) K’46, and Priscilla Mellis (Moore) AE’42. Priscilla and her husband Lloyd came several times to stay with us, driving all the way from their home in Toronto, Canada, to Portland, Oregon, and we had good times talking about the old days at school. ‘After I left school I went to London to study art but when the “doodle bugs” got bad I went home to stay until the end of the war. After the war my father took me and my sisters and brother to Denmark to visit relatives and there I met, and married, my husband Erik. Soon after we moved to the USA and made our home here in Portland, Oregon. It is a beautiful state with mountains, forests and
lakes, and only 75 miles to the beach and the Pacific Ocean – a wonderful place to rear our five children. They have all done well, all college graduates and, to our great delight, have all come home to Oregon. We now have six grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren. ‘Erik and I have been retired for more than 20 years and, in fact, both reached the ripe old age of 90 this year. We feel very fortunate that we have good health and all our dear ones around us. I should add that we enjoy our usual ritual of doing our crossword puzzles every morning at the breakfast table, using the SG Journals to rest the papers on – in fact Erik reads the Journals from cover to cover!’ Jill Hallam (Sorrell) W’53: ‘I live in Dorking, Surrey, where I’m much involved in the U3A. I run a handbells group (much harder than I had imagined!) and start a ukulele group in September, having taught myself to play mine while at school! I see a fair bit of Stefanie Hilton-Sergeant (Harwood) T’52 who is still living on her houseboat on Cheyne Walk, Chelsea.’
1956 – 1960 Peer Group Co-ordinator: Daphne MaGuire (Thomson) T’59 Daphne writes: ‘Elizabeth Honnywill (Lindsay-Rae) A’59 arranged for a group of us to see Rossini’s Comte d’Ory at Bryanston. Somerset Churches arranged a fascinating Benedictine tour of Bath Abbey. Rooster, my cockerpoo, loves his agility classes which may not be such a good idea as he now can climb 6’ up a tree to jump into the garden next door.’
Mary Monro (O’Dwyer) A’59: ‘My granddaughter Tilly Garton (11) starts at Sherborne in September. ‘She came for a “sleepover” last year, and came on the lax course at Easter... I even took her to tea in the Three Wishes! She is much looking forward to it.’ Virginia Warren (Tidmarsh) T’60: ‘Three of our Thurstan year of 1960 had a jolly meeting in Bristol in June, when I met Antonia Peck (Mayhew) T’60, who lives in Winchester, and Joan Bond T’60, who lives in Westbury, Wiltshire. Photograph below taken by the Clifton Suspension Bridge; from left to right – Virginia, Antonia and Joan
‘I am in touch with other Thurstan contemporaries but we are not meeting up this year. Antonia stayed the night at a bed and breakfast right next door to us, run by an Aldhelmsted West Old Girl – Joanna McArthur (Fuller) AW’70 – about ten years our junior! ‘I am recovering from major surgery of a year ago after which both legs were paralysed so I am learning to walk again. I have received great support from family and friends and particularly from Toni Mayhew and Joan Bond. ‘I am in touch with my sister, Diana Warren (Allison) T’55, who lives in Wedmore.
‘I have four nieces, all of whom went to Sherborne: Josephine Stock (Missick) A’76 is a Senior Lecturer at The University of Westminster teaching Fashion Buying Management and Fashion Merchandise Management. Her sister, Lottie Stock (Fenton) A’79, lives in Sydney and has just been over on a visit. ‘Anna Crawford (Seton Coad) T’79 has worked nearly twenty-five years at The Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro. She teaches and works in anaesthetics. Her husband is a farmer and they have an equestrian manège and a beautifully renovated farm outbuilding which they let. ‘Caroline Crawford (Woollard) T’81 lives in London with her husband. She works for The Anthony Nolan Trust which saves the lives of people with leukaemia who need a stem cell or bone marrow transplant.’ Olivia Birt (Pittet) W’57: ‘In March 2017 Anne Pinney (Hyde-Smith) W’56 died after a long illness, bravely borne. I still miss her greatly. Anne was one of the very first fellow-students I met when I arrived in Wingfield aged twelve and she became a lifelong friend. I still have happy memories of how she, Diana Hodges (Cowell) W’56 and I used to go biking around the Dorset countryside as a threesome whenever the school would let us out! Then Anne and I shared a flat in London in the early 1960s, when we both worked in publishing, and I always remember her waving me goodbye when I left for America in 1963. We both married in 1968 and had children at much the same time, and luckily we were able to keep in close contact throughout the years. Admittedly never a “star” at Sherborne in the schoolgirl sense, not especially academic, not very good at games,
Anne came into her own after she left school. She cultivated many interests, including fine cooking and choral music; treasured the companionship of her devoted family, including her two grandsons; and amassed a huge number of devoted friends, among whom I am proud to count myself.’ Anne Zeal (Lavruckine) AE’57: ‘It has been a mixed but interesting year travelling to St Petersburg and a surprise and memorable visit to London to celebrate my sister Jane’s 80th birthday. I am continuing my voluntary work with our refugees and learning a great deal about humanity and world politics. They mainly come from Eritrea, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan and China. Sadly 80 per cent will ultimately be sent back to their countries of origin. It is very rewarding work working in a team of dedicated people but at times heart-rending. I keep up my interest in art and take part in various courses – this summer “Printing without a press”. I continue to organize events for our second-hand charity shop and took 50 odd to visit the Swiss equivalent of the British Museum.’
1961 – 1965 Peer Group Co-ordinator: Rosie Cox (Highfield) DH’63 Rosie writes: ‘Georgina Foss K’61 has just completed (another!) degree, this time in Humanities with History from the Open University. It included two Latin modules – fun to revisit Aeneas and Dido, 56 years after A Level. She volunteers for the RNIB Transcription Centre in Ivybridge, 39
Journal 2017
with his family. In July they all came to us in France to celebrate our Golden Wedding with 11 close family, including my sister, Jane Taylor (Geers) K’60 who came from Belgium where she lives.’
recording the Church Times, National Geographic, Farmers’ Weekly and various legal documents for blind listeners. She has seven grandchildren now between one and 10, who visit regularly and enjoy messing about in boats.’ Jennifer de Paula DH’61: ‘2017 has been a frustrating year. In February, I was knocked down by a car in Oslo. I got a small fracture in my skull, concussion and a broken leg. I had to cancel a trip to England with my eldest granddaughter. Now, I am concentrating on getting my leg quite better and getting as fit as possible! ‘My partner and I went on a trip to Kirchberg in Austria in July. We visited Kitzbühel and took the cable car up the Hahnenkamm mountain. We went to the starting point of the Hahnenkamm Downhill Ski Race. We also visited Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest on a very wet day; sadly the view was spoilt by lots of low cloud. I am still living in Heggedal, outside Oslo in Norway.’ Elizabeth Taylor (Sanderson) K’62: ‘For the last 20 years we have been renovating our house in France, one hour north east of Limoges. 2016 was a wonderful year for us. We celebrated Stuart’s 80th birthday in New Zealand with family. Our eldest son lives there 40
Jacqui Rose DH’64: ‘After nearly 40 happy years at Kenilworth Court in Putney we have moved half a mile down the road to a new build on the edge of Putney Common with easier access for John. This has involved some drastic downsizing – hard work, but quite therapeutic. We were delighted to have Margaret Powell (Taylor) DH’64 to stay in September while visiting family and friends. She is now an established artist in Botswana specialising in oil paintings of indigenous trees.’ Charlotte Broad K’63: ‘After a multitude of administrative problems , I finally got my Doctorado en Letras at the National University of Mexico (UNAM), the oldest university in the Americas, where I have taught, at all levels, since 1984… I am now Doctora Charlotte Broad. Thesis title: Transitions in Southern African Literatures: Bessie Head.’ Teresa Huntley (Hepworth) K’63: ‘Nothing much to say of particular interest, but put in a plea for a replacement for my job as Circle Secretary!’
and to live nearer our increasing brood of grandchildren (probably 11 by the time this is printed). I have joined a Benefice team in Chipping Norton, North Cotswolds – a growing church and great vicar taking the church in a direction we can put our backs into. My specific responsibility is developing the small groups in the life of the church and Roger, my husband, continues to work as Archbishop Sentamu’s Evangelist to the North but rather more part-time. It makes a long commute…’ Gillian Alcock (Ford) AE’67 writes: ‘Since our Circle reunion lunch organised by Jo Hepburn (Blake) A’69 held in May we have sadly learnt that Romie Leveritt AE’67 is very unwell and is now in a home in King’s Lynn near her sister, Margaret. If anyone would like to know more and possibly visit, Gillian can give more details. Please contact the SOG office if you would like to get in touch with Gillian.’ Harris (Vanessa) Walden (Hibbert) E’70: ‘I completed a full-time BA in Illustration at the Arts University Bournemouth in 2016. In July 2017, my work was shortlisted in the World Illustration Awards. Those listed exhibited at Somerset House during August and will be at the Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge, from November to January and then on tour round the UK.’
1966 – 1970
1971 – 1975
Peer Group Co-ordinator: vacant
Peer Group Co-ordinator: Jocelyn Passey (Humfrey) K’73
Ursula Housman (Simpson) AE’69: ‘Having been leading a church in inner-urban York for the past seven years and living in York for nearly 20, we decided to go for a change
Sarah Brown (Patey) K’73: ‘My husband David and I have had a busy year. In December 2016 we sold our house in a south Norfolk
village and bought a former care home, 15 minutes’ walk from Norwich Cathedral, for conversion. The business we set up provides accommodation for up to 43 students (see www.heathfieldnorwich.co.uk). ‘Between January and August 2017 we worked with our contractors – a lively and friendly bunch – to install kitchens in the six flats to enable students to be selfcatering, convert the former large bathrooms to provide shower rooms, redecorate and re-carpet throughout, and fit out the student rooms. Students from both UEA and the University of the Arts, many of them international students, moved in from early September. We live on site, in a small bungalow.
We feel privileged to share our home with these delightful young people.’ Claudia Horsfield (Roche) AW’75: ‘I retired from being an Equine and Human Sports masseuse in 2014 and I am now in my third year of a BA (Hons) in Art, here in the Republic of Ireland. I graduated from Bristol University in 1980 with a BA (Hons) in History without having done the A level. My Instagram address is: claudia_roche_ if you would like to see my work.’
The photo above shows Claudia with one of her paintings on display in the Collette Ward Interiors Show House at the Ideal Home Show. The photo below is of her paintings on display at RDS end of year show at College.
‘At the time of writing (October 2017), the community is beginning to build, fuelled by tea and cakes on a couple of Sunday afternoons. We plan other social events. By January we shall have a large social space available, which will be used in part by local community groups, but also for the student community here: social events, concerts, seminars, film nights, occasional lectures, and “open mic” evenings, when students can practise the now essential presentation skills and – we hope – spark off interesting discussions. There is also wall space for the arts students to exhibit on, if they wish to.
1976 – 1980 Peer Group Co-ordinator: Jane Digby (Auer) AW’80 Jane writes: ‘After more than 35 years in London and with Christoph’s retirement imminent, we’ve decamped to Dorset. We are looking forward to creating a
kitchen garden from scratch and maybe getting a horse. I am still in touch with Jill Passey (Eyre) K’80, Angelica von Hase (Laird-Clowes) AW’80, Victoria Holland (Elvidge) A’80, Leonie Fox-Pitt (Gibbs) AW’80, and Christabel Hunter W’80 who lives nearby in Tisbury.’ Jane Williams (Wilson) E’79: ‘I chose to take early retirement in April from my full-time role as Pensions Manager at Caterpillar (UK) Ltd, and moved into a part-time role as Secretary to the two Trustee Boards of the Caterpillar Pension Schemes, working from home. The idea was that I would ease into retirement in two or three years’ time and be able to spend more time with my husband, who retired four years ago, and our collie-cross Macy who needs lots of walking. All went well until August when my father, Barry Williams (Head of History, 1972 - 1992), had a car accident that left my mother in hospital and we had to move him into a care home. Dad has since passed away (see obituary, p. 10), and we are looking after Mum, who is in a nursing home. ‘I manage to keep up with various OGs on Facebook, and we have enjoyed some UK breaks with family and dogs. My daughter, Georgina Wilson RH’08, is settled working in London as a PA, and Adam has just embarked on a career as a teaching assistant. Hoping next year is a little less fraught!’ Jo Winslade (Batten) E’79: ‘Heddy, the counsellor at SG, and I continue to run Standing Tall UK, which we’ve done for 16 years now. We travel the length and breadth of the UK and abroad helping businesses and students to increase confidence and other vital life skills. ‘Our three children are thriving and the first wedding is 41
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upon us: Charlie is marrying in December, which makes one feel very old! Our farming life has changed somewhat with major diversification having to take precedence. With a bit of luck this time next year I will be a granny!’ Kirsty Armstrong AW’77: ‘I am a Senior Lecturer in Primary Care and Workforce Development, an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Urgent and OOH care, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and an NMC Stage 4 Teacher Associate FSRH School of Nursing. I greatly enjoyed coming into Sherborne Girls and speaking to pupils about my role teaching paramedics, doctors, nurses, ambulance crews and pharmacists.’
Louise White (O’Flynn) W’79: ‘I live in Putney with my husband Giles and two daughters, Ophelia, who has just completed her GCSEs, and Alice, who does hers next year (the photo above right shows Louise with Ophelia and Alice). I am halfway through my RHS Gardening Diploma at Capel Manor and otherwise am kept busy walking Lottie, the family dog, and improving my golf handicap. I am in contact with Rosalind Smith (Neely) W’79 and Michele Nicholson (Jordan) DH’79.’
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Louise and her two daughters Ophelia and Alice Serena Vernon (Kerr) A’77: ‘I went to Caro Macintosh’s funeral. She had been my inspiration while at Sherborne and lacrosse was my main joy. I was asked by Leggy: “I can’t quite remember, who was your great friend whom you did everything with?” Well, of course, it was Shane Winterton (Flutter) A’77 and Leggy remembered how we had been in all the school lacrosse teams together and fought for Aylmar in those highly competitive House matches. What fun to remember and Mackie taught us and inspired us. ‘It was lovely to see Katharine Martin (Stringer) DH’78 and Lucy Goddard (Schute) AW’81 and June Taylor W’61, who is always so interested to hear about one’s life and family. My eldest son William got married in December and my youngest son is in his last year at the Boys’ School.’ Jo Gornall (Wright) W’78: ‘I can’t believe it is 39 years since we left Sherborne! I followed the welltrodden path to read History of Art at Manchester and then had a career in business and Whitehall. In 2011 I contracted a rare spinal infection which brought working life to an end, but has given me the excuse to learn how to do wheelies in a wheelchair! I’m now a trustee of the wonderful Back Up Trust which supports people who’ve got a Spinal Cord Injury, and we’re busy
finalising plans to build a very contemporary and accessible house in our garden. ‘I live in Hampshire with my husband David, our three gorgeous kids (all at varying stages of undergrad and Masters’ degrees), plus a collection of horses, dogs and cats. I’m a guilty member of an Old Girl cohort that is spectacularly useless at submitting news, but perhaps we should be planning something for our impending 40? ‘I am in contact with Melanie Wray (Blake) AW’78, Emma Hooper (Bedford) A’79, Julia Herbert-Burns (Hutchings) W’70, Caroline Wilson (Newland-Smith) W’76, and to a wider group via Facebook. My mother Elizabeth Leighton (Gornall) W’52 lives near us and is in fine form.’
1981 – 1985
Peer Group Co-ordinator: vacant Antonia Tozer (Tucker) K’82: ‘I have been living just outside Malmesbury for the past 10 years with my husband Jonathan and two children, Jack and Grace. We still run our gallery in St James’s specialising in Asian Art. Jack is now in his GCSE year at Sherborne Boys which he loves and Grace has just started at Sherborne Girls this term. She is in Kenelm, my old house and my mother’s, Penny Hockley (Tozer) K’55, before me. She has settled really well and made lots of friends and is looking forward to a happy few years there.’ The Tucker family climbing Pen Y Fan in April 2017
Clare Crawshay-Williams E’85: ‘I’m living back in London again after a four-year stint on the north Norfolk coast. My daughter Honor is very glad to be back in London too. She is studying for A levels at MPW. I’ve embarked on a new venture as an agent representing artists and held my first exhibition in November, of works by Norfolkbased photographer Garlinda Birkbeck. If any Old Girls would like to come to an exhibition I would be delighted to see them. For more information please visit my website http://www.crawshays.co.uk/showsand-exhibitions/’
Diana McWatters (Darwall) W’81: ‘I have been living on Dartmoor for almost six years now. With the children growing up and going off to university, it is good to be kept busy with farming, involvement with wildlife projects and occasional consultancy work. My love for music is indulged by playing the cello with the Plymouth Symphony Orchestra (very much at the back). It has been fun revisiting the school with my youngest
daughter now in U5. I try to keep in touch with SOG friends and have enjoyed reconnecting with others thanks to social media. Recently I have seen Fiona Philips (Saunderson) AE’81, Caroline Crawford (Woollard) T’81, Nicole Stalker (de Souza) A’81, Cristina Brodie Cooper (George) K’81, Alexandra Robson (BrocklebankFowler) AW’81 (thanks to a chance meeting) and Emily Russell AE’80.’ Dionne Curtiss (Brignardello) K’83: ‘I am still living in Thousand Oaks, California: 30 years living in the US now and 30 years as a Realtor (estate agent) in the Thousand Oaks area with my mom as my wonderful partner. I’ve been married now for 26 years to Carlo, originally from Peru, who is a commercial real estate broker. Our two daughters are Gabriella, now 23, who graduated in 2016 from Stanford University and lives and works in LA with a consulting firm, and Isabella, who just turned 18 and is a Freshman (first year) at USC (University of California). Charlotte Barraclough (Parry) AW’83 and I see each other every so often as she also lives a couple of miles away in Thousand Oaks – it’s a very small world!’
Emma Young (Rose) K’81: ‘I’ve had a brilliant year… brilliantly good and bad. Bad because I nearly died! Collapsed, A&E, misdiagnosed, sent home, ambulance, emergency laparotomy (estimated three hours to live), but miraculous recovery and nearly three months regaining health. But all good now – the art business is going very well and I’m selling online now, at www.emmaroseartworks.com. All Sherborne Girls are welcome to come to all my Private views and shows. Just drop me an email – emmaroseartworks@gmail.com. I exhibited twice this year with Rachel Cordle DH’81, who is a wonderful sculptor. ‘Our daughters are 16 and 15, deep into GCSE and A Level territory. I still see Jennifer Galloway A’81, Cat MacLean T’81, Pippa Currey T’81, Katie Gillman (Munro) K’80 and Ann McNairWilson T’82.’ Natalie Rae (Rucellai) W’84: ‘I am back in London during the week running PRCO, an integrated communications company dealing with travel, real estate and lifestyle brands. I am happy to hear from anyone interested in internships or work experiences as well as Old Girls who wish to pursue a career in PR. On weekends I normally head back to Florence, which remains my home!’ Susan Ahrens (Carpenter) K’85: ‘I have lived abroad since 1992. Here is a quick summary of the countries I have lived in: ‘Three years in Damascus, Syria. I learnt to read and write Arabic while there and it remains one of my favourite postings. My son Benjamin was born in Damascus in a government hospital. ‘Three years in Muscat, Oman. My daughter Jessica was born in a hospital there with a view over the sea! 43
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1986 – 1990 ‘Two years in Istanbul, Turkey. Nine years in Singapore, where my youngest two Rebecca and Stephanie were born. It was in Singapore that thanks to the Old Girls reunion, Susie Evans (Allam) W’85 and Lucy Venning (Wilkinson) A’85 got in touch. ‘Six years and still going in the Kingdom of Bahrain. My husband Mark is a civil engineer, and I work as a physiotherapist predominantly working with children with cerebral palsy.
Peer Group Co-ordinator: Antonia Foster (Plant) AE’91 Amanda Perriss (Twyman) AW’90: ‘I have recently moved out to Cape Town to join my husband who is working out there. Our three girls (17, 15 and 13) remain at school in the UK and will be joining us for holidays and half-terms. I am very keen to meet up with any old girls in the Cape Town area. ‘Alternatively any good contacts the SOG network might have in SA would be much appreciated.’ Please get in touch with Amanda via the Old Girls’ Office: fmj@sherborne.com
‘The above photo was a mini reunion with my mother Dorothy Byrt (Ahrens) K’55, Victoria Wood (Robinson) K’85 and me. ‘The photo below was at my 50th celebration at Ston Easton Park, near Bath, to which Tory and Charlotte Brown (Stansfield) K’85 were able to come. Charlotte lives in Bristol with her family of three children. It shows Charlotte with my daughter, Jessica.
‘My mother still lives in Germany and is regularly in touch with Sally Johnson, and her daughter Pippa Kuhl, who was in Kenelm for a year and lives in Switzerland. Pippa is a dermatologist.’
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Victoria Cutchey (Harding) K’86: ‘We moved to Australia nearly nine years ago. Our daughter Isabella is in the U6 at Sherborne Girls. We also have two boys, Henry (16) and Will (11), who are with us in Mosman, Sydney. After a 10-year career break, I recently returned to work as a lawyer in a small aviation/litigation practice and have also been studying part-time at Sydney University. We visit the UK occasionally and plan to attend Commem in 2018. I am in touch with Alice Pope (Hall) T’84, who has promised to visit one day and Issy’s godmother, Anne Dawson (Giulianotti) AE’86, who came out to Sydney last year and whom we see whenever we are in London. The picture shows me (left) and Annie (right) at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. You can just see the Opera House behind.’
Melissa Kettlewell (Nicholson) K’86: ‘Here is a photo of five SOGs at a 50th “Wild West” birthday party in Dorset this year.’
Left to right: Flora Pope T’85, Jane Keysell (Waterworth) E’86, Melissa Nicholson, Anabel Fielding T’86 and Melissa Charrington W’88 Anthea Willey (Wood) AE’89: ‘I attended the Old Girls’ and Boys’ reunion at Chris Hayes’ bar earlier in the year and loved seeing so many old friends. After a 17-year career in advertising, I have now moved into training and coaching. I am a Partner at Make Yourself, a company specialising in leadership, influencing and presentation training. I moved from Earls Court to Chiswick two years ago, where I live with my husband, David (Woody), and seven-year-old son.’ Susannah Rowell (Jaroljmek) E’87: ‘Christian and I have been together for 17 years and finally tied the knot in June last year. We have two girls together aged 8yrs and 10yrs.’ Toppy Wharton A’87: ‘I am still working at St Catherine’s as Alice Phillips’s PA. very thrilled to see how Sherborne is flying and much enjoying my goddaughter Mimi Wharton being in the Sixth Form now. very much in touch with Clare Ferguson E’87, Rebecca Courtney (Wharton) A’87, Caroline Symington (de Minvielle) A’87, Helen Stacey (Moriarty) E’87 and Ginny Jory (Clover) A’87.’
Gemma Townley (Malley) AW’89: ‘The Old Girls and Boys of 1989 had a reunion in April at The Marquis of Westminster, a pub in Pimlico belonging to Chris Hayes, an Old Boy himself. A huge number attended from across all houses, and for many of us it was the first time we’d been together in over twenty-five years. The night was fantastic and I’m glad to say that none of us has really changed a bit.’
1991 – 1995 Peer Group Co-ordinator: Alexandra White (Ballard) A’95 Annelise Platou Bjornseth (Glew) A’91: ‘It’s certainly been an interesting and amazing year for us as we welcomed our son, William Thor Platou Glew, into our family last December. Getting used to parenthood, getting back to work and organising and running the Highland Canicrossers Highland Fling Event in September has kept us busy. I haven’t physically seen any Old Girls recently, but I keep up to date with a few via Facebook.’
The picture above shows Annelise with her husband and son on a family walk ay Loch Ness. Below is a photograph of William helping in the garden!
to both sets of grandparents. Our oldest son Ben (12) was starting secondary school and we were much happier with options available in Bath. ‘Ben is now in Year 8 at Prior Park College. We have found a wonderful Special school for my son Sebastian (10, with hemiplegia and learning difficulties) just down the road, where he is currently doing a dual placement. My daughter Clara (3) has just started pre-school at the prep school to Prior Park and loves it. ‘After 18 years in the City I have taken a break from my career to focus on settling the family into our new home/lives! We now live closer to, and see more of, some of my closest friends from Sherborne including Alexandra Dickson Leach K’92 and Amanda Claydon (Benbow) T’92. In September my youngest sister Mindy Kraunsoe W’03 got married to Justin Robinson. Two of her bridesmaids were old girls Lucinda Gosling W’03 and Anna Hartwell (Farnell) W’03.
Chania Paterson (Tundo) AE’93: ‘I am very proud to have won two awards in the past year: Kenya’s Most Influential Woman in Tourism and Leisure, and East African’s Most Influential Woman in Tourism and Leisure. Meanwhile, Lizzie Garton (King) E’93 has brought out an amazing cookbook, which can be found here: www.amazon.co.uk/Lizzie-LovesHealthy-FamilyFood/dp/1409167038/ref=sr_1_1?ie =UTF8&qid=1507037612&sr=81&keywords=lizzie+king’ Georgina Kraunsoe (Menko) K’92: ‘In July 2016 we made a lifestyle decision to leave London and move to Bath, where my husband Stephen is from and went to school (Monkton Combe) and also nearer
‘The photos are from Mindy’s wedding: one of the whole Kraunsoe family, of whom five out of seven went to Sherborne (me, 45
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Mindy, Victoria Kraunsoe (Thomas) K’97, my mother Ann Livock (Kraunsoe) K’60 and my brother James, who went to the boys’ school), and one with her bridesmaids (the little bridesmaid is my daughter, Clara).’ Jane Boyd-Brent (St John Webster) DH‘95: ‘I live in Milverton, Somerset, with my three children who are now all at school. I run the charity, Somerset Building Preservation Trust and keep in touch with friends in my year (friends forever!). This year I attended the milestone 40th birthday parties of Zara Hinds DH‘95 and Tamsin Irving DH‘95 which were a great chance to catch up with Sherborne friends.’ Louise Taylor (Drummond) DH’94: ‘Our elder daughter, Annabel, started in Wingfield Digby four weeks ago and is having a fantastic time. I have found myself feeling quite envious as she kicked off her Knighton House dungarees to be a Sherborne Girl! Jemima is due to follow the year after next. Meanwhile, I am finally getting around to enhancing army-wife-life with a new career: a PGCE at Southampton University for Secondary Modern Foreign Languages Teaching (thank you to my old German teacher, Miss Laid!) is keeping me busy and it’s exciting to be taking advantage of our first ever army posting south of the M4! I hope everyone from our 1988–94 era is keeping well.’ Sarah Stewart (Wolf) W’93: ‘I am still happily living in Frome with my daughter (Bella, aged 12) and running my PR consultancy, specialising in outdoor leisure, travel and tourism and the wonders of the British countryside. I am also now a fully trained volunteer for Wiltshire Search and Rescue, 46
helping the police to find missing and vulnerable people. An avid hill walker, I am planning on conquering all 115 of the UK’s peaks over the coming years. If any local Old Girls fancy meeting up for a walk and a chat, I’d love to hear from you.’ Serena Freeland (Freeland) E’95: ‘I am married to Justin, a distant cousin, and we have four children. We live in Hampshire and run an antique restoration business in Surrey (freelandrestoration.com ).’ Janice Leung K’95: ‘I live in Macau and have been part of the gaming industry for the past 13 years. I now work for a publication and events company that specialize in online and land based gaming across Asia. I have a baby girl, Taylor Lola White, with Bevan White. She was born in December 2015.’
1996 – 2000 Peer Group Co-ordinator: Alexa Ramsay (Laryea) E’00 Sarah Williams (Waddington) A’00: ‘A massive thank you to all those who have supported us in fundraising for the installation of a solar panel system for the children’s ward in Kenema Government Hospital, Sierra Leone. We are thrilled to inform you that we
reached our fundraising target of £28,915 earlier this year and the solar panels are now up and running! They are generating and storing electricity that enables the ward to run oxygen concentrators to provide sick children with lifesaving oxygen as well as continuous lighting to the ward. ‘We are so grateful to Goldman Sachs, the Alice Ellen Cooper Dean Charitable Foundation and the valentine Trust for their generous grants as well as to all the organisations and individuals who organised and attended our fundraising talks and events and so kindly donated to the cause. We are optimistic that the solar power supply will have a profound and lasting impact on the care provided to the children in Kenema Government Hospital. ‘As they say in Sierra Leone – tenki plenti (thank you very much!)’ Clare Corry (Hope-Dunbar) E’99: ‘I am still in regular touch with Amy Cooper E’99, Fiona Zeller E’99, Alice Russell (Parker) K’99 and Juliet Agg-Manning (Kennedy) E’99. I married Charles Hope-Dunbar on 4 June 2016 and our first child, Fergus Alexander, was born on 7 August 2017. ‘I am still working at Mango PR (Managing Director) where I have been for the last 10 years. We live
2001 – 2005 in Wandsworth, London, and are spending a bit more time in Scotland when we can (this is where my husband is from).’ Lettice Moore Ede (Hagan) A’96: ‘My family and I have relocated out of London to Benenden in Kent. I have three boys (aged ten, seven and five) and have my own business, Catapult (www.catapultclothing.com) selling our own designs T-shirts, hoodies, beanies, bags and limited-edition accessories for five to 14-year-olds. I have recently met another local mum, Harriet Nicholls E’99 and discovered we were at school together, so that has been a happy coincidence!’
Alanna FitzGerald (LoderSymonds) E’97: ‘I married Rob Loder-Symonds on 11 February 2016 (photograph below). The children of Tessa Lyndon-Skeggs (Currie) A‘97 and Sophie Doran (Morant) K‘97 were my bridesmaid and page. ‘Tessa and Sophie were at the wedding, as were my sisters Miranda FitzGerald E’99 and Hattie FitzGerald AE/E’04. Also Victoria Fleming-Williams T’97 read a lesson in church. Liz Pavitt T’97 flew in to the wedding from Los Angeles for the weekend.’
Peer Group Co-ordinator: Tess Cavendish A’02 Olivia James (Coughtrie) E/AE’05: ‘I married Richard Coughtrie on 29 July 2017 (photos below). It was a really happy day and many SOGs and OSs attended. Fennella Kerr (Drummond-Brady) A’05 read a lesson.’
Jo Agnew (Leeman) K’99: ‘I married James Leeman on Saturday, 25 March at St Mary’s Church, Long Sutton, Somerset. A blessing took place on 20 July 2017 in Loreto Aprutino, Italy. My bridesmaids were Rebecca Dix (Norris) T’99 and Jessica Clarke (Fordham) A’99 and lessons were read by Charlotte Hammerbeck (Roy) K’99.’
Pictured above from left to right, Rebecca Norris, Anna Tyzack (Kenny) AE’99, Vanessa Simon (Boal) A’99, Joanna Robinson (Green) K’99, Charlotte Roy, Jo Leeman, Helen Francis (Fox) AE’99, Beverly Lay (Ramsey) K’97, Harriet Aldous (Carver) A’99, Annabel Baker (Veysey) A’99 and Jess Fordham Photographer: Contemporanea Studio - www.contemporaneastudio.it/
Left to right: Tamsin Graham DH’05, Lucinda James RH’07, Antonia Lyne E/AE’05, Emily Moseley K’05, Fenella Drummond-Brady, Olivia Coughtrie, Rosie Trousdell AW’05, Lucy Stewart-Richardson (Lucas) K’05 and Alice Kennon DH’05
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Annie Gregory (Davidson) K’04: ‘In 2014, I married JP Davidson at home in Wiltshire on a beautifully sunny day (photo below). All my lovely Sherborne friends were there in force: Georgina Lucas K’04, Beanie Major K’04, Claudia Guest K’04, Clementine Stanley (Mounsey-Heysham) K’04, Jo Gordon K’04, Rose Beer DH’04, Elizabeth Cobbe DH’04, Georgie Crichton A’04 (all the way from Australia), Tattie Graham M’04, Louisa Graham A/RH’06, Hannah Godwin E/AE’04, Gee Woods (Lakeman) A’04, Catherine Saunders DH’04, Harriet Gabbey AE/E’04, Molly Browne A’04. OSs Bobby Blake, Guy Stebbings and Hugo Blott also came along. ‘JP and I had a baby boy, Bertie, in April 2016. The photo below was taken on his first birthday in April 2017.’
Clare Ratazzi (Ledger) AW’03: ‘I was married on 5 August 2017 to Tom Ledger at my parents’ home in Broad Chalke, Wiltshire, with a good crew of Sherborne girlies: Cheskie Harland AW’03, Poppy Swann (Hall) AW’03, Louisa Kayll (Robson) A’03, Anna Neill A’03, Harriet Gidney E’03, Serena Forbes (Ferguson) W’03, Annabel Lintott (Choné) E’03, Lucy Atkinson (Ferguson) AE’03, Sarah Kipling AW’03 and Anna Kene AW’03.’ Hannah Godwin (Blott) E/AE’04: ‘Here are some photos from my wedding day, 19 August 2017, to Hugo Blott, who was in The Digby at Sherborne School. We were married in The Chapel at Sherborne School, with a reception at Sherborne Castle, and the day was attended by a number of Old Girls and Old Boys. A Sherborne wedding through and through!’
Pictured, left to right: Minna Cowper-Coles E’04, Lauren Godwin, Hannah Godwin, Hannah Elder (Yates) W’04 and Molly Browne A’04
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Pictured, from left to right: Elizabeth Cobbe (Dalkeith) DH’04 with Willoughby and Hesper, Clemmie Stanley (MounseyHeysham) K’04 with Isla, Annie Davidson with Bertie, Gee Woods with Edie, Zanna Jackman (St. Quinton) A’04 with Izzy, Bella Blackburn (Grant Peterkin) AW’04 with Milo
The photo (below centre) is of Hannah and Hugo leaving the Sherborne School Chapel on their wedding day. Photographs by AnnKathrin Koch (http://www.annkathrinkoch.com/). Miranda Kraunsoe W’03: ‘I married Justin Robinson on 23 September 2017 (photo below). The ceremony was attended by a number of Sherborne Old Girls, including: Annika Tingay DH’03, Penelope Kirby-Johnson (Johnson-Story) K’03, Lucinda Gosling W’03, Anna Hartwell (Farnell) W’03, Harry Hutchinson (Byrne) AW’03, Georgina Kraunsoe (Menko) K’92, Victoria Kraunsoe (Thomas) K’97, Ann Kraunsoe (Livock) K’60 and Clare Apperly (Hartwell) W’70.’
Millie Kerr DH’05 married Andy Cameron on 30 September 2017 in Cornwall. Millie writes, ‘We married down in Cornwall but we’re lucky enough to have a choir from SG sing at the church! I also had three old girls as my honorary bridesmaids – Sally Neil RH’05, Henrietta Pringle W’05 and Catherine Laine A/RH’05. My sister Clemmie was my bridesmaid. Tamsin Graham DH’05, Georgina Muir-Mackenzie A’05 and Verity O’Gorman A’05 were there too. It was such a fun special day.’
2006 – 2010 Peer Group Co-ordinator: Bella Hussey A/RH’06
10 YEAR REUNION
Jessie Entwisle (Habershon) K’08: ‘I married William Habershon on 16 September 2017 (photo from the church below). I had three Sherborne Old Girls as bridesmaids: Flora DavidsonHouston AE’08, Jessie Staley K’08 and Thea Wellband DH’08. Samantha Lee K’08 did a reading and Bella Rigby WD’08, Hannah West T’01 and Sammy Jenkinson (Ross) T’01 were guests. The latter three are Will’s age so would have been in a different year group.’
2011 – 2015 Peer Group Co-ordinator: Louise Moseley K’11
Photograph by Bella West Thea Wellband DH’08: ‘James (Jimmy) Carroll of The Green'00 and I got engaged. We didn't overlap at school but it goes to show, Old Shirburnians will find each other in the end!’
Georgina Newman AE’14: ‘I am now at the University of York studying Electronic Engineering. I am in my final year. I am also Director of The Shambles – an improvised short-form comedy group. We took our show up to Edinburgh again this year. It is a fast-paced show that relies on audience suggestions and we did the whole month of the Edinburgh Fringe, as well as shows throughout the year. It is one of the best things I have done at university and I really enjoy running the rehearsals and open workshops as well as planning and producing the shows. The picture on the right shows me beside our poster at the Edinburgh Fringe.’
Hannah Mary Harrington WD’11: ‘When I left Sherborne I received a Pilkington Award, allowing me to spend three months volunteering at an educational outreach centre in Pune, India. This sparked my 49
Journal 2017
lasting interest in International Development. I went on to read French and Spanish at UCL, where I also gained some experience in the UK voluntary Sector, and graduated with First Class Honours last year. I spent seven months after my degree as a Team Leader for the International Citizen Service based at the YMCA in Togo, West Africa. I am now a Trainee on the esteemed Charityworks Graduate Scheme for young leaders in the charity sector. I will complete my 12-month placement in September 2018, and would love to hear from Old Girls with links to the charity sector who would be happy to share their knowledge or have a suggestion for a “next step” in the world of nonprofits!’ Hattie Tennant WD’12: ‘Since graduating from Newcastle University, my business partner Minna Bunting and I have established an independent underwear and lifestyle label, Fruity Booty. It is aimed at people between 18 and 35 years of age. ‘Both Minna and I were fed up with having to choose between being a plain Jane or an on-the-prowl sex kitten when it came to underwear. So we created a label that reflects everyday style and interests. ‘Fruity Booty celebrates the fact that women, like fruit, come in all different shapes and sizes. Therefore, comfort and natural shapes are at the forefront of our designs. The brand promotes “keeping it real”, with the collections being wire- and paddingfree. ‘Inspired by the textures and colours of all things fruity, Fruity Booty combines eclectic style, exclusive prints and soft fabrics. It brings a fresh, confident and fun lingerie offering to the market. The brand produces pieces that can be viewed as an extension of the wardrobe, rather than something that should be kept under wraps. ‘To find out more about our range, please email me (hattie@fruitybootyco.uk), or visit our website: www.fruitybooty.co.uk.’ 50
In the frame: Hattie with her Fruity Booty business partner Minna Bunting
5 YEAR REUNION
2016 – 2020 Peer Group Co-ordinator: Imo Andrews WD’16 Catherine Barber AE’17: ‘I have been working in different office jobs this summer to gain lots of work experience for the future, as well as having some relaxing time off on holiday and with friends. My next venture will be to the Three valleys in France for a ski season where I will work for five months as part of a hotel team. I’m extremely excited! I will then come back and hopefully go interailing as well as work and holidays before going to university in September 2018.’
Emily Pope DH’17: ‘Mary Butler K’17 and I were awarded Kitchener Scholarships by the Lord Kitchener National Memorial Fund. They are grants of £1,000 provided to university students whose parents are/were in the army or who have military experience themselves. I believe they are based on academic merit as well as how you come across in an interview, including your global awareness and knowledge of current affairs. ‘Mary and I went through a process based on our application forms and later an interview, which included lots of interesting current affairs
questions (topics included Brexit, Trump, the general election) as well as questions about what we’d written in the application. One question I remember being asked was something along the lines of, “If you were alone with Donald Trump for five minutes, what would you say to him, using experience from your Classics degree?” I had to think hard about that one! ‘I think I will be using the money to go towards general university fees as well as my travel plans, which include a trip to Ecuador next year!’ Tatiana Bridge WD’16: ‘This year, I challenged myself to run a half marathon a month for Mind. This is a charity that helps people suffering with mental health get the support they need. ‘Only 1 in 8 adults with a mental-health problem currently
receive treatment, and 1 in 4 people experience a mental-health problem each year in the UK alone. I believe these statistics could be improved with our support! ‘The photo shows me at the finish line of my September half marathon, the ninth of the year. This was my best time yet: 2 hours and 23 seconds to be precise (forgive the sweaty tired face...)! ‘I am aiming to get under 1 hour and 50 minutes by the end of this year and reach my fundraising target. I would love any support Sherborne Old Girls can provide for my challenge. ‘If you would like to read more about what Mind does then please visit: https://www.mind.org.uk/aboutus/ ‘To read my blog on my yearlong journey running around the world, go to:
https://therunninggapyear.wordpre ss.com/ ‘Finally if you would like to donate to this challenge please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundrai sing/tatianabridge?utm_medium=email&utm_s ource=ExactTarget&utm_campaign =20171001_96877’ By kind permission of runthrough
www.runthrough.co.uk
UNIVERSITY VISITS
For the first time we joined the Old Shirburnian Society on their annual round of university visits, which proved to be very popular. We went to London, Bristol and Exeter and met alumni, both graduates and post-graduates. It was so good to catch up with our younger Old Girls and hear what they thought of their university, course and their future plans.
LONDON
BRISTOL EXETER
51
Journal 2017
News From
HONORARY MEMBERS
52
Helen Keating Housemistress of Aldhelmsted East 1987 – 1990
Peter Cantrell Head of English 2002 – 2017
We retired to Scotland where we have continued the musical life we missed at Sherborne. We started a very good orchestra, based in Dumfries, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It has attracted very good players including an ex-music scholar of my husband, Geoff, from Millfield, who had been second desk of the first violins in the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for 30 years. The orchestra is a great joy to us all. (www.solwaysinfonia.org.uk) Whilst at SG I organised a productive exchange for Sherborne Chamber Choir with children in Prague schools, just before the revolution in 1989. My Head of House was NinaMaria Potts AE’91, whose father was on the Embassy staff in Prague and arranged what led, for us, to many years of friendship with one of the staff there. I also produced a performance edition of a hitherto unknown composition by Geraldine Mucha, daughter-in-law of Alfonse Mucha, the famous Czech painter. We gave the world premiere of her Overture 'The Tempest' here in 2015 with the orchestra. It was quite an occasion! Geoff has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours list, as 'Founder and Conductor of the Solway Sinfonia, for service to music and charity in Dumfries and Galloway’. I would love to hear news from Old Girls and Honorary Old Girls.
Peter joined Sherborne Girls as Head of English in September 2002 and led the English Department for 15 years. His devotion to and love of language and literature were inspirational to the staff and to the many girls he taught and guided. Peter’s knowledge and thoroughly considered views and ideas brought interesting and challenging changes and developments to English. For him the study of English meant fostering curiosity and joy in writers’ skills, in the constant developments and changes in the language. Shakespeare’s plays were to be appreciated and enjoyed, never feared. The introduction of The Shakespeare Prize fostered analytical and critical skills together with an appreciation of the plays in performance. A Speaking Prize ensured that the value of debate, discussion and the ability to articulate thoughts and ideas confidently were never underestimated, preparing girls to express their views confidently in many forums whether at home, at school, at university and in the workplace. As a colleague he was astute, courteous, kind and supportive, always willing to listen and to encourage new projects, whether these were theatre trips, visits to the British Library or historic houses, which would enrich and inspire the girls to enjoy lessons, to question and to be creative writers themselves.
Other staff leavers: Jenny Bernal, Freddie Brooke, Fanny Guilbaud, Emily Hobson, Magdaleine Mbonimana
Sherborne Old Girls President Lucy Jameson Presidents Emeritae Mrs Geraldine Kerton-Johnson Miss June Taylor Vice-Presidents Mrs Patricia Barker Miss Augusta Miller Miss Sheila Powell Dr Hassan Qasrawi
Executive Committee Chairman Nicki Whiteman (Lewis) Treasurer Gill Oliver Secretary Fiona James oldgirls@sherborne.com Peer Group Co-ordinators’ Representative Alexandra White (Ballard) oldgirls@sherborne.com Circle Secretaries’ Co-ordinator Jane Reekie (Nicholson) oldgirls@sherborne.com Journal Co-ordinator Susie Brabner (Suter) oldgirls@sherborne.com Co-opted Member Emily Palmer oldgirls@sherborne.com Headmistress Jenny Dwyer headmistress@sherborne.com Senior Management Team Representative Fiona Clapp fc@sherborne.com
Peer Group Co-ordinators 1925 – 1955
Jenyth Worsley
1956 – 1960
Daphne MaGuire (Thomson)
1961 – 1965
Rosie Cox (Highfield)
1966 – 1970
Vacant
1971 – 1975
Jocelyn Passey (Humfrey)
1976 – 1980
Jane Digby (Auer)
1981 – 1985
Victoria Hunt (Dakin)
1986 – 1990
Antonia Foster (Plant)
1991 – 1995
Alexandra White (Ballard)
1996 – 2000
Alexa Ramsay (Laryea)
2001 – 2005
Tess Cavendish
2006 – 2010
Bella Hussey
2011 – 2015
Louise Moseley
2016 – 2020
Imo Andrews
Trustees of Sherborne Old Girls Bursary Fund June Taylor, Prudence Butterworth (Mrs Dauris), Joanna Gornall (Mrs Wright), Helen McLuskie (Mrs Garton) All correspondence should be addressed to: Miss June Taylor, Flat 4 Palliser Court, Palliser Road, London W14 9ED Development Officer Laura Windsor development@sherborne.com
Sherborne Old Girls Office, Bradford Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3QN Tel: 01935 818329 Email: oldgirls@sherborne.com www.sherborne.com/Sherborne-Old-Girls Main school tel: 01935 812245 Email: office@sherborne.com
Sherborne Girls Alumnae
Sherborne Girls
www.sherborne.com/Sherborne-Old-Girls