Old Eds - Old Edwardians - King Edward VI High School for Girls

ynotes
KE
The annual newsletter for Birmingham Girls’ Old Edwardian Club
2008-2009
The 125th
Anniversary
Edition
Inside
After the 1936 Fire
A nostalgic look at
the old school tie
Old Eds Reunion
Lunch 2008
Stress Management
Project 125
Plus
Reports • Dates for your diary • Founder’s Day Collage • Messageboard • News of Old Eds • In Memoriam
BGOEC Committee
President
Miss Sarah Evans
Committee Officers
Chairman
Mrs Annette Duffy
19 Grassmoor Road, Kings Norton, Birmingham B38 8BX
[email protected]
0121 451 1573
Vice-ChairmanMiss Rachel Walker
21A Metchley Park Road, Edgbaston,
Birmingham B15 2QD
[email protected]
0121 603 7599
Contents
Content
Page
President’s Welcome
Sarah Evans looks forward to the celebrations for
the 125th year of KEHS
3
125th Appeal
Sarah Evans launches the 125th Appeal
4
Chairman’s Welcome
Annette Duffy highlights another year
5
Founder’s Day Collage
5
Thirty Years On
Lynne Yates gives us an insight
6
The Old School Tie
A nostalgic look at the old school tie
7
Windy Wellington
Emma Westwood tells us about life ‘Down Under’
8
Editor Annual Report
Mrs Barbara Davis
‘Bays’, 295 Monmouth Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 6JU
[email protected]
Day: 0121 554 2684. Eve: 0121 624 2887
Project 125
Hannah Proops and her time at KEHS
9
Stress Management
Julie Edge helps us with our stress management
10
Staff Rep
After the 1936 Fire
Margery Elliott reports on KEHS in Acocks Green
11
BGOEC Reunion Lunch 2008
Annette Duffy reports on the latest reunion lunch
12
News of Old Eds
A look at Old Eds and what they are up to today
14
Business Secretary
Mrs Annette Duffy (see Chairman)
Membership Secretary
Dr Gabrielle Stanley
Penthouse 14, Wexler Lofts, Carver Street,
Birmingham B1 3AQ
[email protected]
0121 236 4997
Treasurer and Assistant Membership Secretary
Mrs Lynne Yates
Little Paddock, Middletown Lane, Studley,
Warwickshire B80 7PW
[email protected]
01527 853045
Social Functions Secretary
Mrs Janet Burgess
28 Portman Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham B13 0SL
0121 444 1475
Miss Alison Warne
KEHS, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham B15 2UB
[email protected]
0121 472 1834
Leavers’ Rep Miss Helen Craven
London Branch Secretary
Mrs Lois Freedman
1 White House Drive, Stanmore HA7 4NQ
[email protected]
020 8954 3776
Loan & Gift Fund Secretary
Mrs Marion Davies 36 Blackthorn Road, Stratford Upon Avon CV37 6TJ
01789 292084
Committee Members Mrs Sylvia Dicker, Mrs Marie Hannan-Meads,
Mrs Janine Biggs, Miss Alice Stanley
Trustees of the Club
Miss Sarah Evans, Mrs Barbara Davis
Mrs Helen Nixon, Dr Gabrielle Stanley
Dates for your Diary
Monthly meetings, events, evening classes,
term dates and concert dates
Reports
Reports from the committee
Messageboard
Notes and messages for Old Eds
In Memoriam
The Old Eds who are sadly no longer with us
19, 27
20
25, 26
28
KEynotes Editorial Committee
Editor
Assistant Editor
Assistant Editor
Liaison/Articles
Secretary
Proof Readers
Members
Mrs Barbara Davis
Miss Alice Stanley
Mrs Marie Hannan-Meads
Mrs Lynne Yates
Mrs Annette Duffy
Mrs Molly King
Mrs Janet Burgess
Mrs Margaret Bond
Miss Rachel Walker
Front cover pic.
Jinah Shim
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Members of the KEynotes Editorial Committee
L to R: Marie, Alice, Annette, Barbara and Lynne
President’s Welcome | 2008-2009
A warm welcome to
KEynotes 2008-2009
“I am delighted to have been asked to contribute to the enlarged
Old Edwardians’ Annual Report, under its new title.”
In my twelve years at KEHS, my contact with Old
Edwardians has been one of the most enjoyable aspects
of my job. The number of Old Edwardians whom I
know personally of course grows all the time but I am
constantly meeting fresh faces at Annual Reunions
and other events. In this 125th year when we have
been thinking about the on-going community of the
school, it is wonderful to see so many Old Edwardians’
continuing interest in and support of the school.
The 125th exhibition in the school library in June of this
year was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to feel
a sense of the school’s heritage. From old reports and
exercise books to newspaper cuttings documenting the
“The 125th year
is affording opportunities
for all sorts of
exciting events.”
curriculum 1883 style - and we can all dress up, always
a winner as those who remember non-uniform days
will know.
All this looking back is going to be tempered by some
very significant looking forward. Following an extremely
generous donation from an old boy of King Edward’s
School, the governors have agreed to the building of a
Performing Arts Centre, to be shared by the girls’ and the
boys’ school. This much needed space will finally give
us the showcase our excellent music, dance and drama
so deserve. We are currently at the stage of meeting with
architects and poring over designs trying to reconcile all
the demands and visions of the teaching staff with a fixed
budget.
So, whether we look forward or back, this is a very
exciting year!
Sarah Evans, President.
importance of the school in the life of the Birmingham
community to uniform down the years, the artefacts
assembled by Cas Britton and the members of the Old
Edwardians’ Committee brought alive a school that, from
its inauspicious birth in an underused hall of the boys’
school, grew to being one of the greatest girls’ day
schools in this country.
The 125th year is affording opportunities for all sorts of
exciting events. We are republishing the history of the
school bringing it up to date and the famous Florence
George King Edward’s Cook Book is serving as a model
for a modern one, reflecting, we hope, the society in
which our girls are brought up, just as Florence George
reflected hers. We look forward to a summer concert at
Symphony Hall on Tuesday 28th April, where Grieg’s
Piano Concerto will be played by one of our sixth formers
and we are having a piece composed specially for the
band, by Stuart Johnson, a well known band composer.
We are embarking on a year long arts project where artist
Stephen Earl Rogers will be working with the school to
create ‘A Portrait of a School’, a project that will have
a number of other spin offs. We are planning an 1883
day in school where teachers will attempt to deliver the
3
125th Appeal
President launches
new 125th appeal
1 2 5
Y E A R S
O F
Throughout almost all its history, KEHS has received
some form of state funding. Girls who would otherwise
not have been able to afford fees, came to the school
through free grammar school places, through the direct
grant scheme, through government assisted places.
This funding has now stopped.
E X C E L L E N C E
special year to say if we want the school’s excellence to
continue, we must raise significant sums of money to fund
these crucial bursaries. We believe KEHS does serve and
has supported the wider community at many levels and
is providing an education much needed. We need our
wider community to recognize this
E X C E L L E N C E
and support us.
“...the number of
girls applying for
fee assistance
is growing...”
1 2 5
Y E A R S
The governors put King Edward
Foundation money into the school to
ensure there are some means tested
bursaries but it is not enough. Each
year the number of girls applying
for fee assistance is growing and
generous though the Foundation
1 2 5
Y E A R S
bursary support is, it is stretched because of six other
schools in the Foundation to help and a seventh shortly
to be added.
O F
O F
E X C E L L E N C E
Your donation will ensure another girl can receive a KEHS
education. Apply to school for more information.
Sarah Evans
It is therefore hugely important that we are able to
increase our bursary fund. I am unashamedly using this
1 2 5
4
Y E A R S
O F
We are asking Old Edwardians to
consider giving to the bursary fund,
either as a one off donation, or as
a regular payment or to consider a
legacy to the school.
E X C E L L E N C E
Chairman’s Welcome | 2008-2009
Welcome to our members young and old
“I am delighted to welcome all members of BGOEC to our
brand new Annual Report.”
As KEHS celebrates 125 years of excellence, your
committee felt this was the perfect opportunity to
“revamp” the Annual Report, and I hope you will enjoy
not only reading the reports and articles but looking
at the photographs too!
For many of you who have moved away from Birmingham,
this may be your only means of contact with the club, so
at last you can put some faces to the names!
As this is our first venture into the world of ‘glossy
magazines’ we have tried to get the right mix of articles,
reports and news of Old Edwardians, but we would be
delighted to receive your feedback, suggestions and
indeed articles for next year’s edition - they can be sent
to any member of the committee listed at the beginning
of the report, by post or e-mail.
There are a number of people who have worked very
hard to bring this together, and on behalf of the whole
Club I thank the newly formed Editorial Committee for
their commitment and determination.
I would also like to thank Susan
Pallister, a member of the staff,
without whom we wouldn’t
have had a clue how to get
started! She has brought
ideas, examples, contacts
- and her digital camera
(which was not always quite
so welcome!!)
Finally
and
most
importantly, I would
like to thank Sarah
Evans for her constant
support to the Club in
so many ways and her
generosity in letting us
use school for our various events.
Please read and enjoy and we look forward to receiving
your comments and suggestions.
Annette Duffy
Chairman
Founder’s Day Cards
Greetings on Founder’s Day
Each year we send cards and greetings to some of our older Old Edwardians
on the occasion of Founder’s Day. This year we chose a selection of cards
which had been produced for K.E.H.S. to celebrate our 125th Anniversary.
They show various images of the
school in New Street and had been
painted by girls who were pupils
between 1905 and 1910.
We have received a number of
appreciative letters and emails from
Old Edwardians saying what happy
memories these cards have brought
back.
‘Many thanks for greetings on
Founder’s Day. I enjoyed the card. I
remember the room where Gumery
(Matron) held sway’. Jocelyn Henry.
‘Thank you for the lovely card. Looking
down the corridor seems just like
yesterday.’ Jeanne Edmonds.
‘Thank you so much for sending me
the card for Founder’s Day with the
painting of the ground floor corridor
at New St... I remember that corridor,
though it did not have curtains in my
time. Miss Treneer used to ride a large
motor-cycle to school and would park it
just inside the front door.’
Margery Elliott.
‘Thank you for the most interesting card.
I much appreciate the kind thought.’
Joyce Geisler.
‘Thank you for the beautiful card of the
windows at New St. It brought back
many happy memories. I still have my
hatband and scarf from when I was at
school and wore them when my sister
and I went to watch K.E.S. play rugby in
Christchurch many years ago.’
Brenus Johnston, Christchurch,
New Zealand
5
Lynne Yates
Recycled after
Thirty Years
Three years ago I was recycled; at
least that is what I was told when
I volunteered to become a committee
member again after more than thirty years.
Inevitably my mind went back to my first period on
the committee: Miss Wilks was Headmistress, Alice
Arthur, Mildred Berry, Margaret Murray, Margaret
Bond and Helen Shedden, amongst others, were
committee members.
Our main project at that time was to update the ‘History
of the School’. Over many years
Miss Jaques had been collecting
material for the second volume
to follow on from the original
published in 1928. She had worked
on the book following her retirement
and contacted the committee
to say that her contribution was
ready for collection. As ‘Jacko’
had been my form mistress in 3C
and also because I lived not far
away I volunteered to collect it, so
one pleasant afternoon I drove to
Henley-in-Arden, had tea with Miss Jaques and Miss
Denley and took possession of... three plastic bags full
of papers.
It was soon obvious that we needed an editor.
Mildred Berry - Mrs Boulton - had done a marvellous job
in typing much of the manuscript but it needed a firm
and experienced hand to bring this amazing collection of
information together and turn it into a book. A few years
previously Betty Dobbie (Willmott) had written a local
history of her home village, Batheaston in Somerset; she
seemed an ideal candidate for the
post! We contacted her and asked
if she would consider taking on the
project. She agreed, not realising, I
think, the amount of work involved.
Again I agreed to act as messenger,
so one sunny afternoon I drove
to Stow on the Wold and met her
for tea. I arrived first and hid the
bags under the table. We enjoyed
our tea, discussed HER book and
then it was time to hand over the
‘manuscript’. To be fair to Betty
Dobbie her smile hardly wavered when she saw the three
plastic bags appear from beneath the table.
“The publishers
changed
‘Mistress of Girton to
‘mistress of Girton’
which isn’t the
same thing at all!”
Betty Dobbie did an excellent job on Miss Jaques’ work
and then passed it back to the committee for copy
reading. We had a few disagreements with the publishers
who wanted to change a few things (for example, they
changed ‘Mistress of Girton’ to ‘mistress of Girton’ which
is not the same thing at all!) Eventually all was ready; the
book was printed and published; the Birmingham Post
wrote an article about it and Helen Shedden became
responsible for sales. We all breathed a sigh of relief.
So that was more than thirty years ago. Now I am back
on the committee; what are we going to tackle next?
Our latest project is to produce a more modern, glossier
Report.
But no plastic bags!
Lynne Yates (née Hawkins)
1945-1952
6
Margaret Bond
A nostalgic look at the old school tie
When I glance at the old school photographs lining the walls of the lower
corridor, with rows and rows of neatly uniformed figures, I find myself reflecting
on the hours and hours of parental frustration and pupils’ despair which lie
behind such apparent accord and tranquillity.
Take for instance the gymslip, obligatory in my time
at KE, for I was a wartime pupil, and even in the days
of bombing raids and descent into air-raid shelters
trousers were never an option.
Then clothing could only be
acquired
through
a
Rationing System involving
Clothing Coupons - so
many coupons per garment,
depending on size, amount
of material etc. For many
families, it was a particularly
difficult time, and there was
a great deal of lending from
aunts and cousins to help kit
out girls with school uniform.
My parents, though, decided
to try to make my gymslip
themselves, thereby saving
many valuable coupons. I well remember their hours of
frustration faced with yards and yards of black serge,
which had to be accurately marked out and cajoled into
pleats to attach to a yoke at the top. That garment lasted
for many years thanks to their hard work and accuracy.
Then there were shoes: one pair for indoors only, to help
preserve the highly polished floors, and one pair (sensible
with laces!) for outdoors, which had to be kept in your
clearly labelled shoe bag on your peg in the cloakroom.
Indeed, the middle part of the ritual of answering the
register every morning with “Present, Yes, No” was to
indicate that you had changed into your indoor shoes.
(The ‘No’ meant no detention had been set.) Rumour had
it that every so often, Prefects were asked to go round
and inspect all the shoe bags to check that they did, in
fact, contain outdoor pairs. Even after all these years I
never enter the house now without kicking off outdoor
shoes and searching for an indoor pair. Footwear in
school which was never allowed was pumps or plimsolls
- except for the PE staff, Miss Jaques and Mrs. Field: you
could hear them approaching along corridors from miles
away because of the tell-tale squeak and squelch of their
rubber soles on the polished floors. With shoes there
were stockings: in summer, white cotton ankle socks,
but in the winter, thick black lisle stockings which had to
be anchored by suspenders, blessedly replaced in later
years with the arrival of the American GI’s who supplied
Nylons! The latter could eventually be purchased from
barrows in the Bull Ring from the likes of Del Boy of Only
Fools and Horses.
For outer wear there were blazers and raincoats. How
many rebellious spirits were struck with despair when
shopping for such garments in The Don, by the ominous
words from parent or shop assistant “Oh, she’ll grow into
it.” and the girl thinking in reply “I’ll probably be dead
before then!”. The Don - for those of you who don’t
remember it - supplied a vast variety of uniforms for
schools across the city and elsewhere and it stood where
C&A’s and then Beatties took over. It was a wonderful
emporium with long, polished wooden counters, staffed
by formally dressed gentlemen in an atmosphere of
dignified solemnity.
The Don also sold hats: winter hats and summer hats.
The winter hats were black felt, with a deep crown that
unfortunately looked somewhat like a German Storm
Trooper’s helmet. In order to be fashionable the answer
was to fold a deep crease in the crown to lessen its size
- in many cases these same articles were held securely
down by elastic under your chin. Summer hats, on the
other hand, were soft white panamas - disastrous if they
got wet. How envious we were of our friends who cycled
to school - they were allowed to wear a much less formal
beret, since hats secured by elastic were not considered
practical. We had a somewhat ambivalent attitude
towards the headwear of the Walsall girls - they wore
snazzy tartan tam o’ shanters - and we hovered between
thinking how lucky they were and what a frivolous attitude
it conveyed.
One very minor item of clothing, not on the official list,
was gloves. I remember hearing that the demise of the
custom of wearing white gloves to chapel, during the
evacuation period in Cheltenham, was a major cause of
regret to Miss Jaques.
Finally my bête noire: the gym garment. In spite of
impassioned pleas, I had to make do with a second-hand
one which looked like an overgrown toddler’s romper
suit. The real crunch came, however, when my daughter
Jacqui started at KE some thirty years later, as at that time
parents were offered a school sewing pattern to make
their daughters’ gym garment themselves. I have always
contended that it was an evil scheme on the part of the
staff, having accepted the girls as being academically
suited to enter the school, to proceed to test the family’s
abilities in deciphering the weirdest codes of the pattern
to produce a recognisable garment. Ours ended up
looking like a cross between a parachute and hot pants,
nothing like the sophisticated Grecian tunic we so fondly
dreamed of.
And the old school tie?? Well, nothing changes, does
it? I guess it’s still as difficult to knot on a dark winter’s
morning as it ever was!
Note from Editor: The girls today are very grateful
that the school tie has now been abandoned.
Margaret Bond (née Palmer)
1941-1947
7
Emma Westwood
Windy Wellington
When I arrived from the UK, I wandered round Wellington New Zealand with
wide-eyed innocence. (Well, more like world weary antipathy.) But even through
my cynicism ‘Windy Wellington’ seemed to me like a breath of fresh air.
Even
though I knew
fewer people than I had fingers
and thumbs, I would always run into
someone to stop and talk
to in town. I would marvel
at energetic Mums going
for a jog up Wellington’s
unforgiving hills. And not
wanting to leave the little
ones out, they push them
seemingly effortlessly up
and up, in their prams.
Houses are precariously
perched everywhere that
could possibly contain a
house, and on places that
look like they’re about to slip
off the hill at any moment.
You can only guess at the
devastation an earthquake
would reap (quite likely
since Wellington sits on
four fault lines).
So why is Wellington so different?
Coming from the UK, a city dweller all
my life, Wellington seems pretty small.
I guess it’s the geography of the city,
the harbour enclosed by hills that give
a sense of compactness. Statistically
speaking, it’s not huge for a capital
city. The population is about 160,000
in Wellington City and 400,000 for the
entire Wellington region. Central London
alone is home to a seething mass of two
million.
An unusual bus stop
In England stress levels run high during
the daily commute. Trains are late and,
8
when they do turn up, are packed so
tightly that if you do manage to squeeze
on, you may as well forget trying to
breathe. Then there are the buses.
As we all know bus drivers are pretty
miserable creatures. In England they
take pleasure from pulling away from
the bus stop just as you, running at
full pelt, get within an arm’s distance
of the bus. Let’s face it, on the whole
bus drivers are a pretty sadistic lot. Here
in Wellington there’s the odd miserable
blighter, but in general they’re a cheery
Running flat out down the streets I
made it to the bus stop and was just
trying to tap on the door when the bus
pulled off. In fairness the driver hadn’t
seen me and was concentrating on
pulling into the traffic. Gutted and
panting for breath, I managed to gasp
out some expletives. But suddenly
with a whoosh of hydraulic pumps the
doors of a different bus opened up in
front of me. A lady bus driver shouted
down to me “Are you trying to catch that
bus? Hop on.” I stumbled aboard and
stared in amazement as she
radioed the bus and asked
the other driver to wait at the
next stop because she had
a passenger that wanted to
board the bus. I was so short
of breath I could hardly thank
her for her help.
It was a small act of kindness,
but it seemed extraordinary
to me. Three years on and
I’ve had mixed experiences
with bus drivers, but I have
never forgotten this event
that helped me feel at home
in a land far, far from my
home.
bunch. Some want to chat, some even
drop you off right outside your house
(thus deviating from the route!). But it
gets even better than this. I was in town
one day and saw my bus pull away from
the stop. I decided to try to run to the
next stop to catch it.
“Let’s face it,
on the whole
bus drivers
are a pretty
sadistic lot.”
Emma Westwood lives in Wellington
New Zealand and works as a freelance
copywriter.
KEHS 1987-1994
KEHS 125th Anniversary
A Portrait of a School
This year sees the 125th Anniversary of King Edward VI High School for Girls.
In July I received an email from Sarah Evans, Headmistress, asking for
ideas on how best to celebrate this significant milestone.
As an ex-pupil it got me thinking about all the
wonderful memories I had of my 7 years at
the school. Like many other teachers who
were pupils here, I wonder why so many
of us have come back to teach and what
makes this school so special?
The Exhibition
As a designer I was keen that we should
stage something that would encourage personal creativity
and engagement with the contemporary visual arts. It was
this that led me to the idea of mounting a very special art
exhibition to be staged in the Summer Term. This exhibition
aims to invite every member of the school, teachers, pupils,
non-teaching staff and alumni to express their impressions
of King Edward’s in imaginative and visually creative ways to
express those feelings.
The Workshops
Throughout the Spring Term there will be a number of free
workshops led by artists to help people to discover new and
exciting ways to express themselves. These workshops will
range from fine art and illustration to the written word, sound
installation, performance art, photography and 3D design.
The Portrait
Alongside the exhibition, we are thrilled to be inviting
renowned artist Stephen Earl Rogers into the school as our
artist in residence. Stephen has exhibited at The National
Portrait Awards for the last six years and has also exhibited
alongside such artists as Tracy Emin, Maggie Hambling
and Bridget Riley. Throughout the year Stephen will be
creating a very special piece of art inspired by the school.
In this unique portrait Stephen will be exploring the school’s
past, present and future and translating the narrative that
emerges into an oil painting that will hang within school.
The aim of this portrait is to express something that cannot
be communicated in words alone, in such a way that it can
be understood and appreciated by everyone associated
with the school. This work will then be unveiled at our final
exhibition.
Your Involvement
We hope that everyone will want
to be involved in Project 125,
whatever their experience of art,
and we invite all old girls to join
us for the art workshops and the
final exhibition.
For more information and ways
that you can be involved please
visit the school website: www.
kehs.org.uk or phone 0121 472
1834 and leave your contact details for Hannah Proops.
Hannah Proops KEHS 1990-1997
Drama Teacher and Fashion Designer for Jukes & Proops
Example of Stephen Earl Rogers’ work
9
Julie Edge
Think your way to a less stressful life!
Henry Kissinger once said: ‘There cannot be a stressful crisis next week.
My schedule is already full.’
As an Old Edwardian who is juggling family life
with running her own business and taking a
part-time PhD, I can’t help thinking: ‘Wouldn’t it be
wonderful for women everywhere if it were possible
to reschedule stressful situations until such time
as the resources we needed were at hand and our
emotions were fully intact!’
Stress occurs when there is a mismatch between
how you view the demands on yourself and what you
believe you have available to you in terms of resources
and abilities.
For many, workplace stress can arise from job
uncertainty, poor job performance feedback, or a lack
of authority to make decisions. Everyday life stressors
can include financial difficulties, divorce, lack of work/
life balance, bereavement and moving house. For either
type of stress, the resulting symptoms might include:
• Increased irritability
• Weight gain or weight loss
• Inability to concentrate
• Heightened sensitivity to criticism
• Signs of tension, such as nail-biting
• Difficulty getting to sleep and early morning waking
• Drinking and smoking more
• Indigestion
Modifying or changing
the ideas and beliefs
that largely create
our
emotional
and
behavioural
reactions to stress is
a vital key to stress
management.
Many
GPs
recommend
C o g n i t i v e
Behaviour
10
Therapy (CBT) as a counselling approach to help
people suffering with signs of stress and other problems
such as depression, anxiety, panic and phobias.
The essence of CBT is ‘HOW WE THINK ABOUT
EVENTS CAN HAVE A POWERFUL INFLUENCE ON
HOW WE FEEL ABOUT THEM’ - essentially, changing
your thoughts can alter your feelings and reduce stress
related symptoms.
As the Managing Director of The Women’s
Counselling
Centre
in
Lickey,
Bromsgrove
(www.thewomenscounsellingcentre.co.uk) I have seen
how our CBT therapists and psychologists often explain
to clients that: ‘Problems don’t lie in external events
but in our reactions to them. Once you stop blaming
external pressures for the stress you are suffering, you
start to take control and responsibility for how you feel.
CBT challenges negative thoughts and encourages
more realistic positive ways of thinking; it also supports
behavioural change to create more enjoyable ways
of living.’
As the next generation of highly able women leave
King Edward’s to go onto University and then join the
rest of us Old Eds, already out there balancing
our roles as career women, partners, mothers
and even grandmothers, it is important
to emphasise that managing life
stress can be a vital ingredient in
leading a full, productive and
healthy life.
Julie Edge
KEHS 1981-1988
Margery Elliott
After the 1936 fire
The School had moved out of New Street in December 1935, and had
spent one term and a few weeks in single-storey temporary buildings on
Bristol Road, where the playing fields are now. I was in the Lower Sixth.
We were at breakfast on the 6th of May 1936, when
my mother picked up The Birmingham Post. “You
can’t go to school today,” she exclaimed, “It has
burnt down!”.
My father drove
me towards the
temporary buildings,
but we saw and
spoke to one of my
friends who was
walking up Priory
Road as we were
driving down it.
She told us that
the pupils were
being sent home.
The elder brother of a girl in my form, Joan
Townshend, who lived in Selly Park, had noticed the fire
through a window during the night, and he and Joan
had got dressed and walked down to Bristol Road to
see what was going on. As the only KEHS girl to witness
the fire, she wrote a piece for the next Phoenix about it.
The boys’ school was burnt out. The girls’ school was
much damaged by water, but not destroyed. The cause
of the fire, as far as I know, was never discovered.
The loan of more than one lot of premises was offered
to Miss Barrie, but within a few days she had settled on
the Sunday School attached to the Methodist Church
in Botteville Road, Acocks Green, as this was near
to several bus routes and to Acocks Green station. It
had a fairly large hall and several other rooms, though
some of the furniture was intended for Sunday School
children considerably smaller than ourselves.
We all gathered in the hall on the first morning. Miss
Barrie said that apart from her decision that no ink
was to be used on the premises (as she did not wish
to have to hand the building back with ink-stains on
the floor), there would be no school rules until we
made it necessary to make some. For the whole term,
everything which we wrote in school had to be written
in pencil, as there were then no ball-point pens, and if
the staff corrected our work in the building, they had to
use red crayons.
After she had addressed us, Miss Barrie and the staff
moved out to hold a long staff meeting (probably in
the church), leaving Miss Denne Parker at the piano, to
run a sing-song for the whole school. She, of course,
coped magnificently, and I can still remember a Scottish
song which she taught us on that day.
There were not enough rooms for each form to have
a separate one, so the only forms to have rooms to
themselves were the three Upper Fifths, who
Miss Barrie
would be taking their Matric in July. There
were usually two or three lessons going
on simultaneously in the hall and the other
rooms, so if we were not interested in our
own lesson we could listen to one of the
others. Miss Udall commandeered the
gentlemen’s cloakroom as her Biology Department!
Fortunately, the summer turned out to be warm and
dry, and lessons could be held on a flat roof (to reach
which girls and teachers had to climb out through a
first-floor window, taking chairs with them), on the
pavement outside the building, in the church, the
cellar, and many other unlikely places. Mrs Hopkins
(Domestic Science), deprived of kitchens and sewing
machines, let her pupils make dolls’ knickers by hand,
which took little material and taught them how to do
cross-seaming.
Other schools kindly offered the use of their science labs
to sixth-form pupils, and I remember going to Yardley
Grammar School for chemistry and to Edgbaston High
School for biology in the afternoons.
A café in Acocks Green village, The Copper Kettle,
agreed to do inexpensive lunches for KE girls, and the
verb ‘to Copper-Kettle’ came into existence.
We returned in September to the rebuilt temporary
buildings. These had now acquired some brick walls,
necessitating many pairs of swing doors in the long
corridors, an emergency exit from each room, and a
sprinkler system. Miss Barrie told us that she had said
to Mr Holland W. Hobbiss, the architect, that she hoped
that the girls would not meddle with the sprinklers, and
he had replied “Well, if anyone does, you will know
who it is, because she will be drowned.”
I left School from the temporary buildings at Easter
1938. The girls were evacuated to Pate’s School,
Cheltenham on the outbreak of war in September
1939, and the temporary buildings were taken over by
the Army (an armed sentry was to be seen standing
outside the main front door which led to Miss Barrie’s
room!). After the School returned from Cheltenham
to the completed new buildings, the temporary ones
became a one-year emergency training college for
teachers. Finally, the University of Birmingham’s Music
Department used part of the buildings. It was many
years before they were demolished altogether, and the
land was developed as a playing field.
I remember the Acocks Green term as a somewhat
hilarious time when almost anything went, and staff
and girls were all in it together. And I don’t think Miss
Barrie did ever need to invent any School rules while
we were there!
Margery Elliott KEHS 1931-1938
11
Annette Duffy | KEHS 125th Anniversary Reunion Lunch 2008
BGOEC Reunion Lunch
2008 sees the start of the 125th anniversary of King Edward VI High School for Girls
and we were delighted to be at the beginning of the year of celebrations with our
AGM and Annual Reunion Lunch.
We decided last year to move the date
of the lunch to June 28th as this meant
we could create an exhibition which
would remain in place for the whole
week and the School’s Open Day on
3rd July (more about this later on!)
We knew we were going to have a very
special day as the numbers for lunch
grew to 185 - a record number I think
since we combined the AGM with a
Reunion Lunch.
Whilst not everyone attending the
lunch is a Club member there were
approximately 70 ladies at the AGM and
it was certainly quite a lively meeting! The
usual items were dealt with efficiently but
there was a lengthy debate about the
Annual Report. Margaret Bond raised
the issue asking why the last Annual
Report was smaller than usual and with
very little news of Old Edwardians. It
was felt that this is the only thing some
members get for their membership and
it was perhaps outdated.
Sarah Evans dealt with this
under any other business,
suggesting that the Club uses
this anniversary year as an
opportunity to ‘revamp’ the
report but added that to do
this would need more money
(as the cost will be greater)
12
and also more people. Members
perhaps don’t realise that the lion’s
share of preparing the Annual Report is
done by Barbara Davis and is very time
consuming. To that end a proposal was
made to increase the Life Membership
to £150 (effective from 2009) which was
accepted by the majority.
Furthermore Sarah suggested that the
Club could develop sub committees
to deal with things such as the Annual
Report and social events and report
back to the main committee and
appealed for members to think about
joining and thus help share the load!
The meeting finished at about 12.45pm
and everyone made their way down to
lunch - certainly ready for the wonderful
spread that Peter and his staff had
prepared.
It is always fascinating to look around
the dining hall and see ladies chatting
to their friends probably exactly as they
did when they were schoolgirls! I think
the gathering certainly encompassed
Sarah’s ideal for the Anniversary
celebrating the past,
present and future as
our oldest member
present was 92 and
we were also joined by
some thirds and lower
fourths and of course there were plenty
in between!
After lunch Sarah spoke about Miss
Creak’s vision for the school 125
years ago and how down those years
the various Heads, through their own
innovations, have caused the school
to evolve and become the centre of
excellence that it is today. She laid out her
plans to take the school into the future
but at the same time acknowledging
and even using the ideals of those she
has succeeded.
Perhaps the biggest difference Sarah
faces is the need to generate funds to
allow girls from all walks of life access
to the education they deserve, and she
appealed for Club members to help her
make contact with those in the business
world who could help her achieve this
goal.
She also encouraged members
to go and visit the exhibition in the
library, which showed the many
aspects of school life in the past,
present and future.
2008
The applause she received at the
end was a clear indication of what a
fantastic speech it was and the bouquet
I presented to her at the end was only a
small token of how much we value her
support for the Club.
Following lunch members were able to
wander around school and reminisce
about their days there! Most made
their way up to the library to visit the
exhibition of various aspects of school
life - sport, music and drama, curriculum,
community service, the war years and
evacuation and of course uniform.
The Committee is hugely indebted to
Cas Britton (a member of the History
Department) without whom there would
probably have been no exhibition at all!
Cas
had helped coordinate the
Centenary exhibition in 1983 and
25 years on she created another
masterpiece. It was a mammoth
task going through both Club
and School archives and thanks
also go to Geraldine Marston
and Sylvia Dicker who came
into school and advised on the
significant events and items
that needed to be included.
A huge
thank you also to members of staff who
provided items related to their subjects
(the physics display was amazing) and
those behind the scenes who typed,
photocopied and laminated – including
3 Upper Fifths who were doing work
experience!
I went into school and helped Cas and
I know exactly how much she put into
this and we can never thank her enough
- especially when I tell you she also had
to put on an exhibition at King Edwards
Camp Hill for their reunion as she is one
of their Old Girls!
It was wonderful to see so many Old Girls
in the library - not only remembering their
own time at school but also their interest
in how school has evolved and life there
now. Similarly it was fascinating to see
the interest of the current pupils during
the week as we prepared it and also at
the Open Evening. Many of them much
preferred the older items of uniform
- even the gym
garments! I suggested they it put it to
School Council for consideration!
The feedback received was fantastic –
many people want something like that
every year! The whole thing might be
difficult but we will certainly think about
getting display boards for the Club
Room and perhaps having themed
exhibitions in the future.
I think it is fair to say that the day was
a great success and I finish with some
comments from the commemorative
book people signed on the day:
“Great to be back.”
“That smell and the mural by the library
still here! Wonderful!”
“First time back since leaving in1984 really enjoyed it and its brought back
some great memories.”
“Most peculiar feeling to be transported
back to adolescence. But good!”
“A wonderful exhibition! Thanks to
everyone for the hard work involved in
organising the day.”
“Thank you for a lovely day. The exhibition
in the library was most evocative.”
Annette Duffy
Chairman
13
Old Eds
News of Old Eds
A brief round-up of some of our Old Eds on their lives after leaving KEHS
1930s
Brenus Johnston (née Lloyd)
1932-35
On leaving school, Brenus went to the
Midland Bureau for Educated Women to
train as a private secretary - they would
be called P.A.s today. She became
secretary to Miss Brew and later Miss
Bamforth, headmistresses at King
Edward’s, Handsworth. She met her
husband, Tom, when he was appointed
as assistant curate at her family’s
church, St. Mary’s, Handsworth. He
had come from New Zealand to study
at Emmanuel College and Radley Hall,
Cambridge in 1937. Brenus and Tom
were married in 1946 and two years
later decided that they should go and
live in New Zealand. Within three years
not only were they joined by Brenus’
parents and sister, Gwyneth, but also by
her father’s two sisters, Tom’s Aunt and
Godmother. As Brenus writes “ Tom was
responsible for a mass emigration”.
crossed Canada by train visiting
friends along the way and then sailing
out of San Francisco on the Oriana to
New Zealand. I travelled around New
Zealand for six months again financing
my travels by working in Hotels and by
working as a receptionist in Christchurch
for the Commonwealth
Games.
Brenus and Tom have three daughters
and five grandchildren and live in a
beautiful bay near Christchurch.
1950s
1940s
Joan Jackson
1941-1948
I attended KEHS from 1941 to 48
soon after the new building opened
in Edgbaston. After graduating from
Birmingham University in 1951 I taught
for a while in Birmingham before
joining the British Forces Education
Service teaching first in Germany and
later in Malacca Malaysia… I returned
home from Malaysia overland together
with a colleague… We travelled by
cargo ship to Japan and thence on
the Trans-Siberian railway across
Russia and from St. Petersburg
(now Leningrad) to Tilbury, visiting
Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo en route.
In the late 60s I set off on my travels
again with a friend from Army School
days travelling overland across Europe,
Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and
India using local buses and trains. I
stayed two years in Australia exploring
the Outback and visiting and working
in the cities to finance my travels. My
last big trip was in the early 70s when I
sailed to New York on the S.S. France,
14
For the last years of my teaching
career I taught in a school for the
Blind and the Partially Sighted.
Now retired and my globe-trotting days
behind me, I enjoy my life in London and
to quote John Hillaby, a famous world
traveller whose books inspired me when
I was young, I now find like him that the
narrow back streets of large cities are
as ripe for exploring as the roads to
Samarkand and access to these streets
is for me on the magic carpet of my
Senior Citizen’s Free Bus Pass!
Molly King
(née Jervis)
1947-1954
After school, I
worked for 12
years in industry,
for the majority
of that time as
a
computer
p r o g r a m m e r.
Then
followed
marriage to Fred
and the birth of two
sons. During their
teenage years I
took a B.Ed. degree
and subsequently
became a Maths
teacher. Although
life was very busy
during
those
years, retirement
has proved even
more
hectic.
I am involved with
a number of local
organisations, including National Trust,
U3A, Trefoil Guild, Middleton Hall Trust,
RSPB and, of course, BGOEC. I am
also a keen walker and have, among
other things, walked up Snowdon many
times, walked the coastline of the Isle
of Wight and taken part in the St. Giles
Hospice overnight Solstice Sponsored
Walk.
Lynne Yates (née Marilyn Hawkins)
1945-1952
I left KE in 1952 and
went to train as a nurse
at the Queen Elizabeth
Hospital. Although I
did well in all my initial
examinations, I soon
realised that nursing was
not for me and I resigned
early in the following year.
I then decided to work
in a bank and spent six
happy years at Lloyds Bank in Temple
Row, Birmingham. (It is now a wine bar!
) I stayed there until 1960 when I left
to have my first child and did not work
again while my children were growing
up.
In 1974 I went to work at the newlyestablished Solihull Sixth Form College
and eventually became Bursar there.
This job grew and grew. I became
responsible for much of the nonacademic side of the College and
thoroughly enjoyed my time there.
Later with the expansion of autonomy
throughout the schools in Solihull, I went
to Tudor Grange School as Bursar. Now
in retirement I am treasurer of BGOEC,
I sit on school appeal tribunals for
Worcestershire, belong to U3A, read
a great deal, walk the dog, keep the
garden under control and am never
bored!
1960s
Gabrielle Stanley (née Tully)
1962-1965
Mother of Alice.
My weekends are spent
in the Cotswolds, near
Cirencester. I’ve recently
sold the Victorian family
house and am happily
adjusting to modern
lakeside
living,
with
weekdays based in the
Jewellery Quarter.
During the week I work as a Specialist
Paediatric Dentist at Birmingham
University Dental School and at
Birmingham Children’s Hospital. I’m
an Honorary Governor of The Blue
Coat School, a Trustee of Birmingham
St Mary’s Hospice, and recently
have become involved as a surveyor
of hospices and hospitals to audit
healthcare quality.
As a music lover, I regularly attend
concerts at Symphony Hall and Town
Hall. Belmont Abbey, Hereford, is my
spiritual retreat and I escape there
regularly, in an attempt to slow down
the pace of life.
that specialised in the international coproduction and distribution of cultural
programming - opera, ballet, classical
music concerts, music and arts
documentaries. After a two-year career
break, I am now working as a fundraiser
for the UK charity Changing Faces that
exists to support and represent people
with disfigurement.
1970s
Caroline Rhodes (née Simmonds)
1971 leaver
Having graduated from Birmingham
Medical School I trained in General
Practice. I have now been a partner
in General Practice in Coventry for 27
years, senior partner for the last 5 years.
I have recently reduced to three days
a week to start learning golf to add to
my long standing addiction to tennis!
Career also involved two children,
Nicholas (25) and Sarah (22).
Christine Thomas (née Waller)
1971 leaver
Christine qualified from Birmingham
University Dental School in Dec 1975.
She has run a small family dental
practice in Studley, Warwickshire for
26 years.
She is KEHS coordinator for Year 1971
reunions.
e-mail: [email protected]
Jane Gregory (née Guest)
1971 leaver
Jane has worked in Market Research
and lives in Australia with husband Chris
and daughter Elizabeth.
Sarah Curtiss (née Taylor)
1970 leaver
Sarah retired from teaching after being
a Head of Department and Year Coordinator. She now works part time for
the Worcestershire Registration Service
with duties both in administration and
also as a Registrar. She particularly
enjoys conducting marriage and other
ceremonies.
Sally Fairhead 1971 leaver
Having completed my degree in Drama
and English at Exeter University in 1974,
I worked for short periods running a
young people’s theatre, in publishing, in
theatre administration and in the press
office of LWT. From 1980 - 2005 I worked
for an independent television company
From left to right: Caroline Rhodes,
Christine Thomas, Jane Gregory,
Sarah Curtiss, Sally Fairhead
Alison Fairchild (née de Reybekill)
1970 leaver
My story is very
much one of a
60s/70s child - we
believed we could
change the world,
and
in
some
cases, we did. I
was very young
for my KE year end of October
before the intake year - so I did a Gap
year. Travelled through Europe to Israel
with Debbie and worked on a kibbutz.
Then French and Linguistics at Bangor
- (university recommended by Miss
Freeman, French teacher/legend).
Back to Brum to be Co-ordinator of
Birmingham Peace Centre, then worked
for the magazine Peace News as a coeditor. During that time we all went to
court in the Strand over something we
had published, and went on to be given a
Queen’s Pardon...a bit of a minor cause
célèbre, and once again, not typically KE.
Back to Brum, worked in the
wholefoods movement, and lecturing
in FE. Along the way married Les, a
university lecturer, and had Martha
and Tom. Having always been
adamant I would never teach (I would
take the agricultural leaflets from the
Careers rack, but somehow it was
intimated to me that was not what
girls from KE did) I did a PGCE and
found delight in work with disturbed
and damaged children. My marriage
came apart. Husband Les now
Lesley and legally
female. Living happily
in my own little house
with son Tom, found
Julian online. Moved
to rural Lincolnshire
and married him.
I am a supply teacher,
keep chickens and
stepchildren,
and
am happy. I am
neither rich nor
famous, but I open
my curtains and look out on rolling
fields and a close village community.
It could be worse!
Amanda Hume (née Mandy Miles)
1977 leaver
In July 2007 we had a reunion of the
1970 - 1977 classes A, B and C.
It started with Allison George’s (as was)
suggestion and I took over the mantle
of trying to contact all my own Class B.
With the help of Google, word of mouth
and Irene Bannister we managed to
track them all down and invite them to
a reunion. At first we thought we might
meet at KEHS but then Jenny Welch (as
was) nobly ‘volunteered’ her parents’
garden in Edgbaston as a convenient
meeting and eating place. The good
old British summer did not let us down
and so we had a bring and share picnic
followed by a tour of KEHS kindly
arranged by Irene Bannister and Miss
Evans (I can never call headteachers by
their first name!). We agreed that given
we were all heading rapidly towards the
buffers of being 50 we were doing pretty
well!
I have used maiden names throughout:
Left to right they are Joan Goodyear
(turning her head), Vicki Cassells
(partially obscured), Sue Field, Rachael
Naish, Jeanette Gosney, Mandy Miles,
Sarah Carter, Rebecca Hurn, Susan
Mickleburgh, Nadia Amini and kneeling
are Julie Scholey, Jenny Welch and
Julie Melvin. Held up by traffic and too
late for the photos were Mita Mitra and
Katy Bott. Unable to attend on the day
were Sarah Withers, Jackie Griffiths,
Julia Wight, Paula Davies, Sally Heath,
Jenny Senior, Miriam Lowbury, Mary
Rack and Lyn Bulman (now living in
USA).
15
Old Eds (continued)
We had a super day and vowed
not to leave it another 10 years before
repeating the exercise. Subsequently
some of the Midlands based among us
have met for lunch and we will continue
to stay in touch. Many thanks to Irene
Bannister for her tremendous help in
putting this all together!
Allison Bucknell (née George)
1977 leaver
In 2007, those who started at KEHS in
1970 decided to hold a “30 years since
we left” reunion. I was responsible
for assembling the “A” form, and
successfully managed to contact 20 out
of the 25 “girls”. Thirteen of us met up
with the Bs and the Cs (it would have
been more if the traffic had been on
our side!) and we enjoyed a wonderful
afternoon, with a visit to the school and
a picnic tea.
Looking at what we had done with
our lives, we had a good number of
nurses and doctors (3), teachers (4), IT
professionals (4), solicitors (2), not to
mention a librarian, reporter, conference
organiser. There are still some that we
have not managed to contact, we have
not given up though! Old Edwardians
pop up in many strange places, not least
on the same holiday in Cuba this year.
Long may we keep up this tradition!
1980s
Samantha Jones
1986 leaver
After leaving KEHS, I studied law at the
London School of Economics and then
did a DPhil at the University of Oxford.
16
My ambition to join the police was
thwarted by my dodgy eyesight and so
I ended up at the Ministry of Defence
in Whitehall working on Middle Eastern
issues. In 1995, I went on an eighteen
month secondment to the Northern
Ireland Office at Stormont in Belfast. I
stayed for five years, working in
support of the
peace process.
There were highs
and lows (being
‘on call’ on the
day of the Omagh
bombing in 1998
being a particular
low) but I retain
very fond memories
of Northern Ireland
and the warmth and hospitality of its
people and I regularly travel back there.
In 1998, I bought a flat in a listed
building in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull,
having fallen in love with the west coast
of Scotland some years before. In 2000,
I moved to Scotland permanently and I
am now a senior official at the Scottish
Parliament. During my time at the
Parliament, I have worked as the Clerk to
the Standards Committee (responsible
for investigating so called ‘sleaze’) and I
have been fortunate to travel fairly widely
on business, most interesting of all to
Sarajevo and Banja Luka in Bosnia. I
divide my time between Edinburgh
(where I spend three days a week) and
Mull. In my spare time, I have developed
a passion for landscape photography
and was awarded a Licentiateship of
the Royal Photographic Society last
May (you can see my work at www.
islandscapephotography.co,uk). I am
also Deputy Chairman of Mull Theatre,
which is one of Scotland’s foremost
professional touring companies (www.
mulltheatre.com), although I am yet to
persuade the Artistic Director to let me
play Goneril in ‘King Lear’. I share my
flat with a slightly demented collie who I
acquired during my time in Belfast. Oh
and I live next door to the pub.
Georgina Pearson (née Lloyd)
1988 leaver
After spending seven great years at
KEHS, October 1988 found me starting
at the University of York doing a Biology
degree - Mr Hopkinson had made
the subject seem the only one to
do! I had three fantastic years
at York, fitting my Biology
course around everything
else available to me as an
undergraduate - playing
football, rugby, basketball
and
cricket,
sampling
excellent Yorkshire beer
and doing other slightly mad things,
like a charity parachute jump!?! - and
somehow still managing to come out
with a good degree! I found myself
wanting to stay in science, as well as
in Yorkshire, and so I embarked on a
PhD in Biochemistry at the University
of Leeds... and so began another three
years of managing to fit playing football
around my time in a lab!! Doing a PhD
was not quite what I had imagined, and
certainly had its ups and downs, but
July 1995 saw me graduating as Dr
Lloyd!
While at KEHS, I had spent several
years walking to school across the
University of Birmingham campus
past what I can only describe as a
tall, grey and unattractive building, the
Department of Biochemistry... this is
where I found myself starting work in
April 1995 as a postdoctoral research
fellow! I had no idea that, more than 13
years later, I would still be working in the
same place! For all of this time, I have
been doing research on the bacteria,
Escherichia coli and I still enjoy spending
time at a laboratory bench hoping to
find out something
amazing, while also
supervising students
in the lab, but with
absolutely no desire
to do any lecturing!
Away from work, I
met Richard in Leeds
and we got married
in September 1997
- I became Mrs
Preston but still
remained Dr Lloyd
at work! Then in May 2001 I had my first
child, Alexander. I was lucky enough to
be able to go back to work part-time
and so I have had what I feel has been
the ‘best of both worlds’, time at home
with Alexander but also time where I
get to be George, rather than always
Mummy! Unfortunately, life doesn’t
always go according to plan, and in
2004 I became a single Mum for a while
following divorce, but luckily things
could only get better and I met Hamish,
who has since become a wonderful
husband, step-father to Alexander, and
father to our own son, Owen, born May
2007 - so I now add Mrs Pearson to my
list of names!
I find it hard to believe that it is
20 years since I tearfully left
KEHS to embark on life in the
outside world, and I certainly
had no idea where that life
would take me. But I have
wonderful memories of life at
KEHS and hope that my own sons will
one day feel the same way about their
own school experience!
1990s
Suzy Ramsey (née Lill)
1992 leaver
From left to right Suzy Ramsey, Joanna
Parry-Gokce, Caroline Powell and Kate
Chamberlain - together for a weekend
to celebrate Jo and Caroline’s 35th
birthdays. Absent from our gathering
but very much still in touch were
Katie Saunders and Lucy Haines.
Caroline would probably like me to point
out that she is pregnant in this photo not
fat!
Beth Brewin (née Whittaker)
1987-1994
I am a part time GP in Birmingham
and have also just started working at
St Mary’s Hospice. Married to Tim,
we have two children: Hannah (4) and
Oliver
(2). My interest
in running has
recently been
reignited and
this year I’ve
completed a
half and a full
marathon.
Naomi Blunden
1987-1994
Living in London and working for John
Lewis. I enjoy city life and all that the
capital city has
to offer, but I
still
manage
to see the KE
crowd when I
come back to
Birmingham.
Saliha Noor (née Ahmad)
1987-1994
After
qualifying
in medicine at
Birmingham
University I am
now a part time
GP. Married to
Zia (also a GP),
I have two small
children: Zara (3)
and Zak (1).
Katherine Thomas (née Garvey)
1987-1994
After leaving School and working in
Spain, amongst other things, in my gap
year, I studied History at St Catherine’s
College, Oxford University. Now married
to Simon (and have been for 7 years),
living in Sutton Coldfield and working
as Marketing Manager for law firm
Pinsent Masons. I have two little boys:
Isaac, who is 2 and Sebastian, who is 3
months old.
Jenny Eriksson (née Hawkins)
1987-1994
After leaving KEHS, I spent my gap year
working for Arthur Andersen as part of
their Scholarship Programme. During
this year I also went on a round the
world trip for 3 months which awakened
an interest in travel I have pursued ever
since, culminating in me now living in
Stockholm, Sweden with
my husband Mattias, two children Ebba
(35 months) and Leo (17 months) and
soon to be no. 3 (due January). During
the time in between, I read Economics
& Management at Jesus College,
Oxford (graduated 1998) and worked
as a management consultant for
Andersen (later BearingPoint) and now
for McKinsey & Company, specialising
in supply chain management. My
husband and I recently moved into
a new house which we have been
planning, designing and building for the
last 15 months (with a lot of help from
architects, builders and the bank!).
Alice Stanley
1987-1994
I’ve been back
in Birmingham
for 5 years now,
teaching Italian
and French at
Brasshouse
Language Centre
and KEHS, while
furthering
my
academic interest
in French Studies
and French Film.
I’m now nearing
completion of my PhD on François
Ozon at Warwick University and I hope
to move back to Italy in 2009 to return to
teaching English. In my free time I still
love swimming, practising yoga, chilling
out and kayaking in the Cotswolds, as
well as being godmother to three lively
two year olds.
Angela Buckley 1991 leaver
Now member of staff in the
Biology Department
Full Circle - The most difficult bit is
walking through the main staff room
door. That’s what people always ask
me. What’s it like coming back? Isn’t
it hard working with your ex-teachers?
Who taught you?
Working with my ex-teachers is one of the
easiest things. Staff here are absolutely
delighted to welcome someone who is
‘homegrown’ so to speak and so the
transition to first names is generally
easy (though there are always a couple
of exceptions). And since the staff
room has five entrances even my worst
challenge wasn’t too bad. The other
place that is somewhat forbidding is the
Head’s study – just because of what it is
and the fact that as a pupil you rarely got
more than a glimpse through the door.
The school buildings, assembly,
lessons and clubs have all evolved
but are recognisable in their modern
forms. Pupils don’t really change all that
much either, despite continual moans
of ‘they’re not like they used to be’. In
fact, sometimes it makes me smile to
recognise some of my less desirable
characteristics in current classes. The
other thing that doesn’t change - and
17
Old Eds (continued)
many flights to Rome to see him and
the friends I had made, I spent the rest
of my time at Leeds University studying
medicine. I am now an Academic
Clinical Fellow at Imperial College NHS
Trust, London, specialising in Metabolic
Medicine (a subspecialty of Chemical
Pathology).
but surely things did improve, and
especially in the second year I really felt
that I was having a positive impact on
the students. When lessons did go well
I got a fantastic sense of achievement
and it’s great seeing the students
mature over the year and having an
influence on that.
I’ve now started on the finance graduate
scheme at a pharmaceuticals company.
I think teaching has prepared me well
for this - I’m definitely not as scared of
making presentations! Compared to my
school the working environment seems
very relaxed, but I’m assured this won’t
be the case once I get into things!
the
reason that I was very
keen to come back as a permanent
member of staff - is the ‘feel’ here. KEHS
is different. It is almost impossible to say
how, but it is in the supportive attitude
towards others and the way people are
willing to go the extra mile. I fell in love
with KEHS when I first walked through
the door over 25 years ago, (I have an
older sister who was also here). I have
taught in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in
the UK and I am enormously happy to
have finally completed the circuit and
come home.
What do I remember most? Dissecting
eyes in biology (my subject), concerts
in the Town Hall, hockey practices
and always being last changed from
swimming; the Christmas Carol Service,
the fete and singing Jerusalem in final
assembly. I enjoyed school and took part
in lessons with boundless enthusiasm according to those who remember me I
haven’t changed much at all!
Sara Spizzichino (née White)
1987-1994
Sister of Natalie White, Old Ed and
Current Member of Staff
It frightens me to have to admit, but it is
actually 14 years since I left KEHS! So,
what have I been doing with my time?
After those exhausting A levels, I took
a much needed year out and went to
Italy to be an au pair. Two wonderful
outcomes followed from this - I learnt to
speak Italian, and met a man who was to
become my future husband! In between
18
I’m hoping to do a PhD in the not too
distant future, but at the moment we
are raising a delightful but mischievous
family; two little girls, one who is nearly
3 and the other who is just 6 months
old. My eldest already speaks better
Italian than the rest of my family which
is entertaining for all of us!
2000s
Catherine Walton
2003 leaver
Straight after
university
I
signed up for
Te a c h F i r s t ,
a
scheme
where
you
commit
to
teaching
in a tough
i n n e r- c i t y
secondary
school for 2
years, with
the option of staying in
teaching afterwards.
The scheme was a real challenge,
definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever
done. I was placed in a school for 11
to 16 year olds in Manchester, and took
on full responsibility for classes after
only 6 weeks training over the summer.
Following my education at KEHS and
then Cambridge, I was in for a real
shock. I assumed that students would
come in to my classroom, sit down
and wait to listen to what I said to say
- this really wasn’t the case at all! Most
students seemed to sense my naivety
instantly and tested me out as much as
they could. I spent the first few months
desperately trying to get on top of this,
and hoping that the well-behaved ones
weren’t missing out too much. Slowly
Hannah Clarke
2003 leaver
I left KEHS
in 2003 and
went straight
to Manchester
University
to
study
P s y c h o l o g y.
I didn’t really
know
what
course I wanted
to do when I was
in 6th form but
had always had
an interest in the subject and knew I
wanted to study something completely
new. It was a great course for me and
I had a fantastic 3 years, coming out
with a 2:1. I worked in a bar through
term time to fund travelling during the
holidays - ever since going to Moscow
with school I’ve had the travelling bug
(I thank Mr Barratt and Mr Cooper for
that)! During those trips I got stranded
in Siberia, bitten by a rabid dog and
cruised down the Yankzee river, to name
but a few adventures I’ve had.
After graduation I moved to South
Korea to teach English in Seoul. I
cannot recommend it highly enough!
Whilst there I travelled around Asia,
culminating in a weeklong trip to North
Korea. After a couple of months back
in England to catch up with family and
friends (I’m still really close to all my best
friends from KEHS), I used the money
I’d saved in Seoul to travel around
Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The
polarisation of wealth, and corruption
in the area was distressing to say the
least so I aborted travelling and stayed
in Siem Reap, doing volunteer teaching
at an orphanage and teaching English
for use in the hotel trade to help local
adults find work.
Eventually funds ran out and I moved
to London where I have been working
for the last 6 months for an advertising
agency. I’m hoping
to do a Masters
in
Educational
Psychology next
year but for now I
know sitting behind
a desk isn’t for me
so I’m off to Berlin
next week to work
again as an ESL
teacher.
If you’re considering
doing any of the things I have, feel free
to send me an email with any questions
([email protected]), or of course
there’s always Facebook.
Sheena Sabherwal
2005 leaver
Having left KEHS in 2005 after 7 long
but incredible and transforming years I
started Medicine at
Imperial College,
London. I am now
in the 4th year and
looking back on
the last 3 years, it
really has been an
amazing and life
changing journey; it
was quite a change
to be living in a such
a large city away from
the home comforts
but it was easy to settle in with
so many friendly faces and KEHS girls
around London.
involved with a number of societies
within Imperial and am currently
the President of IC Fitness Soc as
well as being a Royal Life Saving
Society Trainer in infant first aid. I
have kept in contact with a number
of KEHS girls and Sophia and I
even visited School at the last
Open Evening and caught up with
all our teachers and we were really
impressed
with
all
changes
which have taken
place at school
since we left!
Our Fresher’s Fortnight was probably
the best two weeks of my life and every
year it gets better and better. Having to
fend for myself for the first time, I had
to pick up on my culinary skills quickly
with the fear of starving! I have got
Dates for Your Diary
ANNUAL REUNION LUNCH AND AGM
Saturday 20th June 2009
Partners, families and friends are invited to join Club Members
for the day, including lunch.
Club members. £16.00 • Non members. £16.50
11.00 am
RECEPTION
For everyone.
11.30 am-12 noon
AGM
(For Club Members only)
12.30 pm
LUNCH
AFTER LUNCH SPEAKER: DR. CHERYL FITZGERALD
(née Doherty at School. 1974-81)
CHOICE OF AFTERNOON ACTIVITIES
(A charge of £2 will be made for each family attending in the
afternoon only)
Tours of the School.
Use of the swimming pool, if available, during the afternoon.
3.30 pm
CHILDREN’S TEA (In the hall)
From 3.45 pm
TEA AND BISCUITS
for everyone, will be served in the
entrance hall.
PLEASE APPLY FOR ALL TICKETS ON FORM 1.
CHILDREN’S TEA, for children up to 6 years of age under the
supervision of their parents. Older brothers and sisters will be
welcome to have tea also.
If you are planning a particular Reunion e.g. leaving or starting
in years ending with a 9 (1939/49/59/69/79/89/99 etc.) or other
Group Reunion for this day, please will you let Janet Burgess
know so that arrangements may be made for you to sit together.
Janet also needs to know the names of those who are attending
your Reunion, and who will be in School, but who will not be
attending the Luncheon.
During the Luncheon, numbers in the dining room are strictly
limited to those who have Luncheon tickets; others will be
welcome to use the ClubRoom and its kitchen facilities, and to
join in again after lunch to hear the speaker.
LONDON BRANCH DINNER
Thursday 2nd April 2009. Time: 6.00 p.m. for 6.30 p.m.
See Form no. 3
HIGHBURY THEATRE AND SUPPER
THURSDAY 7th May, 2009 at 7.30 p.m.
Present Laughter by Noel Coward
See Form no. 2
SUMMER OUTING
This is expected to be on Saturday 13th June 2009.
Please send the form to Molly King to let her know if you are
interested in attending.
See Form no. 4
SKITTLES AND FISH AND CHIP EVENING
SATURDAY 12th SEPTEMBER, 2009. 7.30 p.m. at School.
See Form no. 5
Night school classes that will be running during the
Spring term 2009:
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
Thursdays
Sundays
5.30 - 7.30 p.m. History of Art with Olga Baird
6.00 - 8.00 p.m. Creative Reading and Writing
Group with Polly Wright
6.00 - 8.00 p.m. Exploring European Towns and
Cities with Lewis Braithwaite
11.00 a.m. - 1 p.m. Figure Drawing
2.00 p.m. - 4 p.m. Discover Drawing both classes with Peter Willock
Classes usually run for 10 weeks - normally 5 weeks either side
of half terms and the cost is usually £7 per session for adults
and £5 for concessions.
If you are interested in joining any of these classes, please
contact school for registration forms and details etc. on
0121 472 1834.
19
BGOEC Reports
Secretary’s Report 2008
Once again I am pleased to report on another successful
year for the Club.
Our 2007 AGM and Reunion Lunch were as usual well
attended and our speaker after lunch was Lana Wood, who
despite following her first love - music - at university, changed
direction completely and now works in the complex world
of Land Law and sits as a District Judge on land dispute
cases.
Our September event was a Skittles Evening, which was
organised by Molly King ably assisted by her husband Fred,
and was as always a huge success!
We like to think that our ties with KEHS are close and these
were furthered strengthened by our use of the Resources
Centre to publish the Annual Report this year.
Their assistance was fantastic and certainly
made the process a lot easier. Furthermore
the reports were delivered to school and Sarah
very kindly let us use the Computer Room to
carry out the packing of the Reports, and the
porters to despatch them! We are aware that
this meant not everyone got their Report at
the same time, but it certainly saved many
committee members driving around looking for
empty post boxes to fill!!
It is at times such as Report packing that we
realise how the number of committee members
have dwindled! This year we have lost another
valued member of the committee - Geraldine
Marston - who has served on the committee for
a number of years. She has been invaluable as
our Archivist with her phenomenal memory of
members and events in the history of KEHS,
and we shall miss her very much.
I know exactly how precious time is to us all,
but I urge you to consider whether you could
join the committee - we only have four meetings
per year and a few more hands would certainly
lighten the load!
Our Annual Reunion this year was very special
as it marked the beginning of the celebrations
for the 125th Anniversary of KEHS. We moved
the date to the end of June, which would then
lead into School’s Open Evening. (See pages
12-13 for a full report on this event.)
Our final event this year was another Skittles
Evening. This has become an annual event
because it is so popular with all ages and
Molly and Fred King do an outstanding job
organising it.
Annette Duffy
Business Secretary
20
BGOEC Reports
Treasurer’s Report 2008
The Club accounts for the year ended December 2007 again
show a healthy balance.
A further £20,000 was transferred into Lazards Funds and the
increased income is shown in the accounts. Inevitably the
amount of capital invested will be reduced in these uncertain
financial times, but the Committee considers that the present
investments are as safe as we can make them.
The cost of the Annual Report was lower than last year
although postage was considerably more. We thank the
Resources Centre at school for printing and producing the
Report.
The number of annual members renewing their subscriptions
remains about the same but there has been a decrease this
year in Life membership subscriptions. Whether this is a
trend which will continue we will have to wait and see.
We are grateful to members who, from time to time, send a
donation to the Club. These contributions are very welcome.
The Scholarship Fund balance is more than £73,000 and we
regularly receive donations from members. If you would like
to contribute to this Fund, which is used to provide bursaries
for girls in the 6th Form, please use the Gift Aid form which is
in the Report or ask me for a copy. The Fund is administered
for us by the Foundation Office which is able to reclaim tax
against these gifts.
As Sarah Evans has explained, we all want this special year
to be a time to celebrate the past but also to look forward
to the future. In particular we want to enlarge and enhance
the Annual Report which is, to many Old Edwardians, the
only contact they have with the Club. This will be costly. To
accommodate this expense we propose increasing the cost
of Life Membership to £150 as from September 2009. This
increase, the first since 1994, will only affect pupils who go
into the 6th Form in September next year. Annual membership
and renewals will remain the same, at £6 per year, and Senior
Life membership will stay at £50.
I thank the members of the Finance Committee for their
support during the year and many thanks go to Margaret
Bond who has reviewed the accounts and offered advice
when needed.
Lynne Yates, Treasurer
June 2008
BGOEC Loan & Gift Fund
We have not received any requests for
help or loans this year.
The Old Edwardian we had been helping
financially by means of a Christmas gift
for a few years, expressed her gratitude
to the Club for all their help and kindness
over the last few years and sent a small
donation to the Fund together with an
appreciative letter.
Dr Way’s £1000 legacy to the Loan and
Gift Fund was credited to the account in
January 2007.
No further donations were received last
year other than these two.
One gift of a basket of roses was sent
to Elizabeth Robson on the occasion of
her 90th birthday. She was thrilled.
The Loan and Gift Fund’s assets to
the end of December 2007 stood at
£3,679.43. The Annual Interest in April
was £66.06 net, an increase of a little
more than £8 over the previous year.
Marion D. Davies
May 2008
Margaret, John and Elizabeth Fund
There was no expenditure in the year. Net interest income amounted to £47.46
and the balance on the account at 31/12/07 was £3,454.04.
Amanda Moores, December 2007
21
BGOEC Reports
School Report 2007-2008
With fantastic exam results, thousands
raised for charity and many achievements
in both sports and performing arts, we
can safely say that this year was yet
another successful one. Our continual
high standards in all areas must be
attributed to the dedication, hard work
and enthusiasm of both students and
teachers.
In December it was the karaoke, this year
with a ‘diva’ theme. It was a success as
usual, and was followed by a fun-packed
week of charity events organised by the
Lower Sixth. Towards the end of the
winter term, the Upper Sixth organised
a Christmas party for the elderly,
which was an enjoyable occasion for
all involved and much appreciated by
our elderly visitors. In March, they also
organised a week of fund-raising, which
included the comical ‘Miss KEHS’ (in
which some brave male teachers dress
up in drag to be voted as the best ‘Miss’
by the girls), as well as fancy dress
days for teachers. Our summer fête,
Cirque du KEHS, had a circus theme,
so as well as the usual events such as
the auction and bouncy castle, we were
joined by fire breathers and stilt walkers.
Everyone had a brilliant day, and more
money than ever before was raised for
charity. The sixth form and teachers
also organised a Christmas party for
underprivileged children, a spring party
for the elderly and a trip to Umberslade
Children’s farm with children from
Clifton infants.
The drama at KEHS lived up to
expectations again this year. Our Senior
Production in January was Romeo and
Juliet. The cast conveyed the tragic
story with real professionalism, and
the production was both entertaining
and moving. Juliet was played by Beth
Heaven (L6) and Romeo by James Taft
(U6). Les Petits Rats was our Junior
Production, and was unusual in having
cast members of all ages, right up to
Upper Sixth. At the heart of the musical
was ballet, and we were fortunate to
have many very talented dancers in
the production. The students studying
A-Level theatre studies also put on
performances. The Lower Sixth group
did The Woman in Black, and used both
clever technical devices and superb
acting to terrify the audience. The Upper
Sixth performed 4:48 and psychosis,
with a devised piece called Mind the
Gap, which pushed the boundaries of
experimental theatre.
The summer and Christmas concerts
were highlights of the year, and the
school orchestras worked very hard
and spent many hours rehearsing to
make them so impressive. Symphony
Orchestra and Choral Society also
put on a separate performance of
Haydn’s Nelson Mass and
Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto
in the Town Hall. The theme
of the Dance Production was
‘Body and Soul’, and the
performances were of a very
high standard. The hall was
transformed into the inside of
a human body, designed and
created by Stage Crew.
There were many trips this
year. In summer 2007, two
groups of Lower and Upper
Sixth girls participated in
‘World Challenge’. One group
22
travelled to Borneo and the other to
Malaysia, each spending a month
there. Both groups did charity work; in
Borneo the sixth formers helped in a
local school, and in Malaysia they spent
time in a centre for orphaned children.
There was also trekking through jungles
and endangered rain forests, and the
Borneo group even managed to fit
in a trip to an orang-utan sanctuary.
Everyone involved said they had the
experience of a lifetime. There were
also trips to Barcelona and Norway, and
a cruise to Belgium and Amsterdam
during the summer of 2007.
In October, the new thirds went to
Cleobury Mortimer to get to know
each other whilst learning new skills.
Symphony Orchestra also made their
annual trip to Cleobury Mortimer,
where they practised hard all weekend
to prepare for the summer concert. In
December, students studying English
A-Level discovered aspects of life as
one of the Brontë sisters when they
spent a weekend in Haworth. A group of
Upper Sixth travelled to Rome with the
Classics department at the beginning
of the Christmas holidays and had a
brilliant time. The French students went
to Lyon towards the end of the summer
term to practise their French and
experience the French culture.
In November, Miss Evans was awarded
the prestigious Institute of Directors
Leadership Award for Education 2007,
which she received in Birmingham Town
Hall. The award was richly deserved,
and is an acknowledgement of the
efforts of Miss Evans to maintain the
excellent reputation of the school. Her
hard work, supported by her staff, allows
us to enjoy an excellent education and
equips us for a successful future.
Saranne Moule, U6 (2008-2009)
BGOEC Reports
Staff News 2007-2008
In September 2007 we welcomed a number of new members
of staff: Rebecca Medlock (now Coetzee) to teach Classics,
Stephanie Hayton to teach Science and Sarah Blanks to
teach PE, plus a trio of old girls:
Angela Buckley, Alice Stanley
and Hannah Proops to teach
Biology, Italian and Drama
respectively. We welcomed back
ex-staff to take on new roles:
Mel Hopkinson to teach General
Studies and Cas Britton to teach
History. We also welcomed Andy
Cottrell to the Porters’ Lodge, as
Terry James retired. Later in the
year, following the departure of
our School Secretary, Flavia
Highfield, Sandra Jones kindly
stood in for several weeks until
Dr Stephanie Hayton
we found a new encumbent:
Alison Wagstaff and, on Diane Siddaway’s retirement, we
welcomed Veronica Cassidy as a Science Technician.
As if all these changes were not enough to contend with, this
year has also seen the arrival of a Bursar, John Bone and
a Facilities Manager, Matt Barrett, both of whom we share
with KES!
The year proved to be very
busy and challenging.
We reviewed our post
16 provision and made
the decision to stick
with A levels, rather than
switch to the International
Baccalaureate. We piloted
the new AQA Bacc with
great success and saw our
first GCSE Astronomers!
Staff were also busy
preparing the new A level
examinations for Autumn Angela Buckley
2008. The GCSE and A
level results that came out in August were extremely pleasing
for staff and girls, with a record number of A and B passes
at A level (over 95%) and an increase to the number of A* at
GCSE.
Cas Britton
As
we
all
know,
examinations play only a
small part of life in school
and staff have, as ever,
played an enormous
part in ensuring that
girls have opportunities
to undertake all sorts
of
extra
curricular
activities and have also
participated in some
of their own! I had the
pleasure of hosting two
Russian teachers who
came with their class
of girls from a school
in Archangel (a city which is 27 hours by train east of St
Petersburg) with which we have a long standing exchange
programme. I also accompanied two of our girls on the outward
leg of their exchange visit to Seymour College, Adelaide, and
stayed for a week - Harry Kavanagh accompanied two girls
on their exchange to
Rangi Ruru School,
Christchurch, New
Zealand and got to
stay for 4 months,
including a trip to our
Australian
partner
school where he
taught mathematics
to their Gifted and
Talented and some
PE! Paul Barrett has
been travelling the
globe looking for
new links and from
September 2008 we will be adding York House, Vancouver
to our international programme. Other staff have continued
to give generously of their time accompanying girls on trips
at home and abroad, including to Africa, France, Denmark,
Norway, Italy, the USA and Spain.
Community Service ventures have seen the staff involved in
their usual round of dressing up and game shows. Highlights
included Richard Sheppard winning the Miss KEHS crown for
the second year running as part of the U6 charity initiative,
leaving a dejected Mike Gilbert, Chris Hope and Nigel
Freeman-Powell! (I should add that only male staff were
allowed to enter this competition).
At the end of the year we said farewell to Alison Timms, who
had taught Music here for two years and who went to be Head
of Music at Bishop Vesey’s and to Lorraine Jones, who retired
after 25 years as our Administrative Assistant.
We are are enjoying our celebrations to mark the 125th
anniversary of the founding of KEHS. After the Old Edwardians’
AGM and lunch in May, where Cas Britton had prepared a
wonderful exhibition with members of the Old Edwardians’
Club and staff, we have
a service in Birmingham
Cathedral and an 1883
day amongst other
events, to look forward
to. There should be
much to report next
year!
Alison Warne
Deputy Head
23
BGOEC Reports
London Branch Report 2007-2008
The Branch continues to maintain a membership of
approximately 70 members and, at the time of our Dinner
in March 2008, a greater number than usual were fully
paid up. Our finances allowed us to make a donation to
the 125th Anniversary Bursary Appeal at the time of the
Anniversary celebrations.
Due to the later than usual date of the 2008 AGM, I am
able to report on two Joint Summer Outings with the KES
London Old Boys.
In 2007 the expedition was in central London. We gathered
on a late June Saturday afternoon in Camden Town for a
guided tour of the historic area and its somewhat Goth-like
current ambience, moving down to the Canal. We had an
excellent guide who took us on the traditional walking tour
from Camden Town to Regent’s Park. We were assailed
alternately with brilliant sunshine and squally showers, but
made it through the rose garden in the Park, back to a pier
in Camden Town, where we boarded a specially booked
canal barge with on-board dining. After an excellent meal
and a very merry evening watching the rain torrent down
into the Canal, we returned to the pier, where the rain
miraculously ceased and we disembarked. In all, a fairly
good imitation of a trip in a Bateau Mouche on the Seine
in Paris.
On 21st June 2008, conveniently arranged to avoid our
own 125th celebrations on the 28th, the outing was to Kew.
Some members gathered at the rendez-vous early to eat
lunch, and the official tour began at 2.30 pm when a group
of almost 50 including 9 Old Girls, some accompanied
by friends or husbands, set out in groups for a guided
walk round some of the amazing hot-houses and the
plants therein. There is far too much at Kew to see in one
afternoon. It was a long walk but, amazingly, some of the
more elderly of the group managed to keep up very well
indeed. After a little respite we all gathered for a tour of
Kew Palace, everyone at their own speed. The house, for it
is, in fact, a large country house, was the home of George
III and his Queen with some of their 15 children, during the
time of his illness; it exudes the air of being a real family
home, which is in fact what it was. In the evening, some
having left the party, and some new faces appearing, we
ate an excellent dinner at a delightful restaurant in Kew,
where people mingled very well and a thoroughly convivial
atmosphere ensued.
24
Our 2008 Dinner was held in March 2008, at the University
Women’s Club where everyone who attended was glad to
arrive to shelter from the pouring rain outside. As usual, we
were joined by a group from the Birmingham Club. Some
who had booked were obliged to drop out for one reason
or another, but 32 of us sat down. Everyone seemed to
enjoy the meal, in spite of the spiced leg of duck being
either very tough or somewhat under-cooked! Steak knives
were called into service to help.
After coffee and Belgian chocolates had been served, we
listened attentively to the Head, Sarah Evans, who talked
about events at School, and in particular of the plans which
were being made for the 125th Anniversary celebrations,
which many of you will have learned of, and experienced
some of them, at the AGM on 28th June. Our guest speaker
was Vanessa Coode, who was at School from 1961 to
1968. A graduate of Sussex University, with an English
degree, she went on to qualify as a solicitor, then changed
direction into music, developing her mastery of the viol, or
viola da gamba, and an interest in early music. She runs
the Early Music Festival in North London. Her ‘day job’ is
as Rights Editor at the London review of Books. She spoke
graphically of all this, and of her time at School, and the
influence KEHS had on her, to an appreciative audience.
Our last AGM was in October 2007, as a tea-meeting at
UWC. Sadly, only four people, including myself, attended
and the discussion mainly centred around discussion for
the 2008 Dinner, described above. A request for members
to suggest ways of combating this poor attendance was
made at the Dinner, but so far I have received none. At
present, I have not yet fixed a date for the next AGM, as
a way must be found to improve the attendance and I am
talking to those whose support I so very much appreciate:
Angela Clayton-Turner who keeps our data-base, Dr.
Charlotte Page and Mary Kernick, all of whom are always
ready with support and advice.
We are always happy to welcome Old Edwardians who
find themselves in our catchment area, either temporarily
or permanently, whether it be for University, employment,
marriage or retirement.
September 2008
Lois Freedman (née Singer)
KEHS 1940-1946
BGOEC Message Board
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DATA PROTECTION
We are still waiting for Data
Protection Forms from Club
Members so we can exchange
your details with KEHS.
You may not realise this, but as
two separate organisations we
are not, presently, allowed access
to Old Girls’ information on the
other’s database. The idea is to
have three databases in the
future: one for BGOEC, another
for KEHS, and also a joint one.
NEWS UPDATE
Please find tim
S
e to fill in one
of the forms
is current. W
so that our R
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rts).
CLUB BROOCbHara Davis:
Mrs. Bar
B73 6JU
Available from
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Apply on Form
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MEMORany special
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take on mod
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12
ready for the
u’re interested
ntact us if yo
up! Please co
Q&A
1. When was the school tie abandoned?
2. Dare I ask? What do Members think about Annette being
called ‘Chairman’? Is it time to move to a more unisex ‘Chair’
or do you think there is no inoffensive alternative to the
traditional term?
3. Janet asks: What is a Bailiff and what does s/he do?
Send your opinions and queries to
[email protected]
Any contributions need to be in by the end of October 2009.
Send them to a member of the Editorial Team.
25
News Round-Up
Annual Subscriptions are due on receipt of KEynotes!
LIFE MEMBERS: No action required.
Reunion Lunch and AGM
- - - - - - - - - - - 20th June 2009 - - - - - - - - - -
CLUB LAPTOP
Particulars of “year” reunions being organised should be sent to: Mrs. Janet
Burgess (see Application Form 1 in Inserts).
Janet Burgess would be grateful if Members attending the Reunion would write
down memories from their time at School and bring them to the Reunion for her
book of “Memories”.
Please contact Barbara Davis if you require assistance in locating Club Members
from your year. Address found under Committee Members’ details.
Telephone or fax 0121 624 2887 • Email. [email protected]
PS! MAGAZINE
YOUR OWN CLUB TERMLY MAGAZINE. PUBLISHED
SPRING, SUMMER AND AUTUMN.
Full of news, articles, photographs, recipes and competitions.
ALL CLUB MEMBERS ARE WELCOME
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THIS MAGAZINE,
and the PS! Editorial Committee would be pleased to receive
articles and features for inclusion, also recipes and puzzles.
See Application Form 8 (see Inserts)
SWIMMING
Members of the BGOEC have been
able to use the Swimming Pool at
School between 4.30 and 6.00 p.m.
on Tuesdays during School terms.
We are hoping this facility will
be available during 2009 but this
should be confirmed by contacting
The Office, at School, to see if the
pool is available.
IMPORTANT SAFETY
REGULATIONS MUST BE
OBSERVED.
Anyone wishing to use the
pool either regularly, or just
occasionally, must now apply to
the school in advance for the issue
of a pass which will be valid for
one year and a list of the rules will
be made available.
Passes obtainable from
Head of PE.
FOUNDER’S DAY CARDS
(12th OCTOBER)
Greeting cards are sent out on
Founder’s day to older Members of
the Club. If you know of anyone who
would welcome a card on this day
(e.g. ill, living alone, bereaved etc.)
please will you send the information
to: Mrs. Lynne Yates, Little Paddock,
Middletown Lane, Studley. B80 7PW
Tel: 01527 853 045
As this is funded by the Club, we
would also appeal to Members who
would like to donate to this service to
send the money to Mrs. Lynne Yates
with cheques made out to BGOEC.
Please use the Gift Aid Form enclosed
with this Report.
USE OF THE CLUB ROOM
Members are reminded that they may use the
Club Room and kitchen during school hours,
after first contacting the School office to make
sure that it will not be in use for examinations.
It will be necessary to collect the key from the
School Porters on arrival and return it to them
on leaving. Office telephone number 0121 472
1834.
The Club Committee hopes that Members will
26
make use of this excellent facility during 2009
either singly or in groups.
This is your opportunity for quiet study, lunch
or meeting with fellow members, or a Year
Reunion perhaps? If you are having a Reunion
please will you also notify the Club Chairman,
Annette Duffy, so that she is up-to-date with
the Club Room’s use. N.B. Because of the
need for security at School, some form of
identification may be asked for when you
obtain the key.
The Club is hoping to buy a laptop for
general Club use and to assist in the
running of the Club. It will also be used
for producing KEynotes. If members
attending the 2009 AGM/Luncheon
wish to bring features or memories for
the 2010 edition of KEynotes, they can
upload them onto the Club Computer
from a memory stick on the 24th June.
GIVE A GIRL
A CHANCE
BGOEC SCHOLARSHIP
FUND.
The Club has managed to fund one
6th form bursary for 2 years.
The Fund is still open to receive
donations and fund raising will
continue indefinitely.
Please use the Gift Aid Form
enclosed with this Report.
We also appeal to Old Edwardians
to remember the Fund in their wills.
125th ANNIVERSARY CARDS
School has produced a set of cards
to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of
KEHS. To purchase these cards
(see p5) contact School Office.
MEMBERSHIP OF THE CLUB
GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY
TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH OTHER
EX-PUPILS OF KING EDWARD
VI HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS,
AND WITH YOUR OWN YEAR IN
PARTICULAR.
You can also contact friends
through Facebook.com (Academic
Organisations) King Edward VI
High School for Girls (KEHS) Old
Edwardians.
Dates for Your Diary
MONTHLY MEETINGS 2009
For ALL CLUB MEMBERS
Informal meetings: for tea and chat, please arrive any time
between 2.00 p.m and 4.30 p.m except where stated for the
evening meetings.
As the dates have to be arranged so far in advance, if you do
not attend on a regular basis please telephone to confirm the
venue and date.
JAN 2009
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
SEPTEMBER
Wednesday 14th January
51 Upper Holland Road,
Sutton Coldfield B72 1SU
Mrs. Pam Stonehouse 0121 354 2978
Wednesday 11th February
12 Little Aston Lane, Sutton Coldfield,
B74 3UF
Mrs. Molly King 0121 353 7362
Wednesday 18th March
8 Southam Drive, Sutton Coldfield, B73 5PD
Mrs. Pat Power 0121 355 8923
Tuesday 21st April
8 Braemar Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 6LN
Mrs. Joy Wilcox 0121 354 9267
Thursday 14th May
3 Stoneleigh Close, Sutton Coldfield
Mrs. Gill Sharp 0121 308 1971.
Monday 15th June
52 Seven Star Road, Solihull, B91 2BY
Mrs. Maisie Iles 0121 705 5197.
Tuesday 7th July
2 Lingfield Grange, Middleton Road, Streetly,
Sutton Coldfield
Mrs. Naomi Provost 0121 580 8707
Wednesday 16th September at 7.30 pm
19 Grassmoor Road, Kings Norton,
Birmingham B38 8BX
Mrs. Annette Duffy 0121 451 1573.
It is hoped that Members who are not able to attend
meetings in the afternoon will take the opportunity to
come along to this meeting.
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JAN 2010
Thursday 15th October
70 Britwell Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 5SW
Mrs. Helen Parry 0121 354 5502
Tuesday 17th November
‘Cornerways’, 2 Le More, Sutton Coldfield
Mrs. Pat Neil 0121 308 0469
Wednesday 9th December at 7.30 pm.
Evening meal.
Venue to be arranged.
Please let Barbara Davis 0121 624 2887 know by 1st November 2009 if you would like
further details
To be arranged.
SCHOOL TERM DATES
King Edward VI High School for Girls
Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham B15 2UB
Tel: 0121 472 1834 • Fax: 0121 471 3808
Dates of Term and Holidays 2009
Spring Term 2009
Open Monday, 5th January
Half Term Monday, 16th February to
Friday, 20th February inclusive
NB: There will be afternoon school on Friday 13th February
Close
Tuesday, 31st March
Summer Term 2009
Open Wednesday 22nd April
May Day
Monday 4th May
Half Term Monday, 25th May to Friday, 29th May inclusive
NB: School will close at 1.00 p.m. on
Friday, 22nd May
Close
Friday, 10th July
Autumn Term 2009
Start of Term 2nd September
Half Term 21st October to 2nd November
End of Term 16th December.
SCHOOL MUSIC CALENDER
SPRING TERM 2009
Lunchtime Recital
Thursday January 22nd
Olivia Kuo violin Mark Heath piano Eleanor Davidson cello
1.10 p.m. KES Concert Hall. Admission free.
Lunchtime Recital
Thursday February 12th
Kiyam Lin violin Jinah Shim piano
1.10 p.m. KES Concert Hall. Admission free.
Lunchtime Recital
Thursday March 12th
Susanna Quirke violin Dan Mort piano Claire Wallace bassoon
1.10 p.m. KES Concert Hall. Admission free.
Choral and Orchestral Concert Sunday March 22nd
This concert features performances by the Choral Society and the
Symphony Orchestra. 3.00 p.m. Adrian Boult Hall
Programme:
Requiem Mass
Mozart
Petrouchka
Stravinsky
Tickets £7.00 adults and £3.50 concessions available from
March 2nd
The Jean Gubbins MasterclassFriday March 27th
This year’s masterclass is for the cello and will given by
the distinguished international cellist Alexander Baille. The
masterclass featuring students from both schools will be in the
afternoon and the evening concert will be given by those students
and Alexander Baille.
2.00 - 3.30 p.m. Masterclass and 7.30 p.m. Concert, both in KES
Concert Hall. Admission free.
SUMMER TERM 2009
Summer Concert Tuesday April 28th
A special concert celebrate the 125th Anniversary of KEHS
This very special concert will include performances from all
the orchestras, choirs and bands and will feature KEHS student
Jinah Shim playing the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Symphony
Orchestra.
7.30 p.m. Symphony Hall.
Tickets at £7.00 adults and £3.50 concessions will be available
from March 23rd
Tickets for all concerts are available from KES Music School
0121 415 6041 or KEHS 0121 415 2195.
Cheques should be made payable to SKE Concert Fund.
Performers in all concerts receive priority booking one week in
advance of the published date. Some of the concerts are fundraising activities by the Music Departments of KES and KEHS to
further their extra-curricular activities and pay for the hire of public
concert halls.
27
In Memoriam
Our thoughts are with the families of all our departed friends and colleagues
DICKIE Mrs Dorothy (née Thompson) pre 1927
FINDLEY Barbara pre 1940
GOODE, Peggy (née Metcalfe) d. 7th November 2008
Member of Staff: Miss Metcalfe taught History at the School in the 1950s & 1960s
GROVE Miss F Mary 1933-39
HALE Mrs Estelle (née Ballard)
Age 101
1918-25
JORDAN Kathleen Margaret
Age 88
pre 1938
LOUGHRAN-SMITH Ruth (née Loughran) 1965-72
LOVERIDGE Mrs Jean (née Mitchell)
1940-45
ROBSON Mrs Elisabeth (née Dodd) 1929-33
SMART Miss I B pre 1946
WARD Miss Pauline 1939-47
WHITEHOUSE Mrs Mary (née Evans) 1938-44
WILSON Mrs Angela (née Haynes) 1957-64
WINFIELD Miss Jennifer 1938-44
Gwyneth Lloyd
Gwyneth was the sister of Brenus who was also a pupil at KE. On leaving school Gwyneth went to the Midland
Bureau for Educated Women to study under Miss France. There were only five students at a time and they were
trained to become private secretaries, or personal assistants as they would be known today. She subsequently
worked at the Foundation Office and at KE Handsworth. She served in the ATS during the war, leaving as an
Acting Captain. After the war she followed her sister to New Zealand where she became secretary to the Head
of Hagley College in Christchurch. In retirement she took up pottery and made many lovely pieces. She also
compiled a history of the Life and Times of the Lloyd and Price families which is much appreciated by her nieces
and their children. Gwyneth died 18th October 2003.
Margaret Franklin
Margaret was born in 1930 and attended KEHS from 1941 to 1946, and her brother Alan attended the Boys
School from 1944 to 1951. After leaving school Margaret joined the staff of the Midland Bank in Acocks Green,
later transferring to Wolverhampton when her parents moved there. At her 21st Birthday Party Margaret
announced that she was making a career change, and under took a course training to be a nurse at the General
Hospital in Birmingham, later specialising in Midwifery. She spent several years in Australia where she held the
post of Matron at a hospital in Queensland. Later in her career she held the post of Sister Tutor of Midwifery at
St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington. Her career in Nursing was punctuated by several breaks, working for a while for
the Royal Society of Medicine in London where her position involved giving talks to schools, and interviews on
television and radio, presenting the Society’s perspective on the sensitive issue of experimental work on animal
testing for new drugs. Margaret never married, but devoted a great deal of her time to caring for others. She
cared for her mother in old age, and after their re-location to Worthing she was responsible for the development
of a branch of the Carers Association then in its infancy. Margaret was taken ill at her home in Worthing in April
2007, and died after a short illness. She is much missed by her large circle of friends and relatives
Margaret Murray
Died on May 19th 2008 aged 94. For many years a Trustee of BGOEC and also Vice-President. She will be sadly
missed.
Many of you have commented on the absence of an Obituary for Dr. Way who died last year. We have had no luck
so far in finding someone who could write one. If you would like to send us an appreciation of Dr. Way, we would
be very glad to include it in our next issue of KEynotes.
28