Class NOTES

Scattered throughout these pages of news and photos are humorous anecdotes and memories of good times inside the classroom and beyond. These stories, submitted by alumnae, and accompanied by the cartooning skills of Laurie STEIN ’78, will transport you back into the less serious side of school life — fun times that are so fondly remembered.

1941

Judith KNOX Young spent three happy years at Branksome. Judith has fi ve sons — the eldest, Ted, is chief of surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton; Scott is a professional actor and teaches theatre arts at Sheridan College; Denton is in construction; Terence is an MP for the Oakville Conservative riding, elected with a huge majority; and Peter is a recently retired Lt. Col. with the Air Force in Winnipeg. Judith lives in Oakville and has 12 grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.

1945

Budge ARCHIBALD Wilson is still crisscrossing the country giving talks, workshops, readings and interviews in connection with Before Green Gables. In October, she received

1954

Newcomer In Town

an award from the Dalhousie University Alumni called The 2008 Dalhousie Alumna Achievement Award. A Japanese fi lm company is making an animation of Before Green Gables, and Budge is required to check all 39 episodes as they dribble in one by one — the fi rst will be shown in April.

On March 11, sisters Elspeth FAIRBAIRN Colebrook, left, and Agnes FAIRBAIRN Hopkins’48 enjoy a humorous moment (most likely something said by Elspeth’s husband, Peter Colebrook), following a delightful luncheon in Sherborne, England, with Toronto visitors Karen Murton, Jane CONNOR’84 and Tanya Pimenoff.

In 1991, I was nursing at the Vancouver General Hospital, but I had itchy feet — a typical characteristic of “Vikings.” Since graduating from UBC in 1959, I had always admired the Inuit and dreamed of working in the NWT someday, perhaps due to my Icelandic genes. So, I decided to enquire if there were any job vacancies in Yellowknife. The reply was that Inuvik was hiring. Before leaving, I had to buy suitable thermal apparel. I checked out trendy pastel ski jackets, but when I explained to the clerk where I was going, he darted into the back of his shop and returned with, “I have just the thing for you!” I groaned as he held up the khaki full-length jacket with down insulation, draw-string waist and protective hood — at half price! On April 1, I arrived in Inuvik, population 3,000, with luggage and four boxes of possessions.

One day I took a stroll about town bundled up in my Arctic clothes. Although it was spring, there were still mounds of longstanding snow hugging the ground in a temperature of -10C.

As I stepped onto the wooden sidewalk, I heard the voice of a young girl who was perched on her bicycle. She was wearing a pink jacket over her short skirt, leotards and boots. She greeted me with, “Hi! Were you in the war?

Where did you get that parka?” I cringed, realizing that a newcomer in town could be very conspicuous. I answered, “Oh, I bought it in a store in Vancouver.” I asked her if she had gone to the “Muskrat Jamboree” the weekend before — an annual event on the frozen MacKenzie River. She smiled and said, “That’s where I saw you before! I like your parka.” I told her that I was a nurse at the hospital – to which she excitedly replied, “I was born at the Inuvik General Hospital!” Nolene, my new friend, and I walked along together in the sunshine.

— Norma GUTTORMSSON’54 North Vancouver normaceline@telus.net

1960

Donna BULL George has been busy designing small history outings that she and a friend take in and around Toronto. They enjoy seeing how the city has changed and learning the history of what had been and what is now. They have been through Parkdale, Leaside and up into North Toronto. Next stop: Lake Simcoe Revisited. Donna keeps busy with her art, reading, church groups, family history research, local family gatherings, and keeping in touch with classmates from time to time.

1965

I have moved to a lovely house on Langford Lake — a western community of Greater Victoria. I am the President of the Victoria Women’s Newcomers Club, helping new ladies settle into the community and make new friends. The funniest person I know is my husband, Drew. He is constantly making puns about life around us, so I’m always laughing. When our son, Peter, joins us, hilarity erupts. At Branksome, my classmates Mary-Jo HUGHES Powell (Oakville) and Wendy WILLIAMSON Halford (England) were always making the rest of us laugh. They continue to be great fun — their e-mails brighten my day.

— Tricia PENTENY Mancuso Langford Lake, BC

1967

We were delighted to connect with Maggie PALMER through the Grade 8 trip to Stratford in October. Maggie came on stage to say that she had also attended Branksome — a wonderfully serendipitous moment! Maggie entered Branksome at Grade 4. She caught the theatre bug in Senior School and was in all the school plays, but knew her strengths would be backstage. Half-way through Grade 12, she ran away to the theatre, where she has spent her entire life. Now the Production Stage Manager at the Festival Theatre, her season starts mid-January. She works six days a week and schedules the comings and goings of 200-400 people a day. When the season ends

Kady MacDONALD Denton’59 lives in Peterborough, where she works as an illustrator and author of children’s books. Her latest book, A Visitor for Bear (written by Bonnie Becker, Candlewick Press), hit No. 2 on the New York Times Best Seller list, has been selected for the Kids Reading List of Oprah’s Book Club, and the illustrations are long-listed for the 2009 Kate Greenaway Medal (British).

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO GO BACK TO THE SENATE…

in November, she heads to her home in Mitchell, Ontario and does not move or talk for a month! Students are already looking forward to seeing Maggie on their next Stratford trip.

palmerransberry@sympatico.ca and find your small band of 20 has just about doubled to 38? Out of 105 Senators, the Conservatives still have only 38. The PM has to keep appointing Conservatives until the Senate is balanced in the government’s favour. It is impossible to get bills passed. The new Senators are great for us — they let us individually do more concentrated and better quality work. In the last parliament, we were running around, just covering the bases.

What one achieves in Parliament is usually the result of a number of people. What I initiated or was part of in the past year include the following: the Action Plan for Women; actioning the Auditor General to do a gender-based analysis review of several departments — her report will come out in the spring; being on the Defence Committee which gave me the opportunity to teach some generals and admirals the reality of UN Security Council resolutions on Women, Peace and Security. You can’t make or hold the peace without women being involved in the decision-making and implementation process. Never mind issues like Rape as a Weapon of War. These resolutions and issues have to be part of the training our soldiers receive before going into engagements like Afghanistan.

Committees have not yet been struck, but I am hoping to stay on the Finance Committee and go back on the Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee.

1971

Peggy DEAN O’Hara is the owner of O’s by the Water in Port Colborne — an art gallery that features unique objects, each with its own interesting history or story.

1975

Susan ANDERSON Thornburrow’75 and her husband Michael enjoy drinks prior to the Golf Day dinner on September 27. Through her generous contacts, Susan secured a number of giveaways for the Alumnae Association fundraiser.

1976

Anna SMALL-Adams e-mailed: I recently reconnected with Christine (now known as

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Cristen) GREGORY. We were classmates and participated in Choir and Madrigals, and also took the trip to France in 1973 with Mrs. Hay. After traveling the world singing in the many Opera Houses in Europe, Australia and North America, Chris married Bryan Eckenrode. They have settled in New York State where Chris is the Executive Director of the Lancaster Opera House. Chris teaches voice at Niagara University and also has private students. My husband, Carl, and I have enjoyed many good times with them in the Barrie area and spent Christmas/New Year’s at their home in Amherst. If any of you wish to reconnect with Chris, please e-mail anna@yourbarrierealty.ca and I will forward it to her.

1978

Marion COULTER Newton lives in Calgary with her husband, Peter, and two daughters, Janna, 11, and Caitlin, 15. They own a horse that is boarded in Okotoks and that Marion enjoys riding with Janna. Marion volunteers at a therapeutic riding centre for disabled children and adults.

1979

Lesley ADAMSON Skelly e-mailed: We have an exciting trip planned to Africa in July. My husband and I are going with our two younger children to work in the Mully Children’s Family Orphanage outside of Nairobi for two weeks, followed by a short safari and a little visit to Zanzibar. My oldest son, Adam, is a cab driver/ snowboarder in Whistler, my middle boy, Kit, is in second year at Guelph, and my daughter Robyn will be in high school next year.

There was Marilyn Ingo climbing out the window in 2B to get out of class quickly. Or the day the boarders went on strike and did not eat the cafeteria food until the cooks stopped using so much grease. We “day girls” brought food from home to help feed the boarders in our class.

The funniest and kindness classmates I remember are Gabby WALLACE Laberge and Cynthia DUNCAN Lumsden. We were always on some kind of diet, and their antics together were hysterical — a bit like Laurel and Hardy. I still draw from their inspiration.

— Annabel YARNELL McMahan

1981

Editor’s note: Branksome staff and faculty who attended a performance of Trudeau Stories — written and directed by Brooke JOHNSON — at the Tarragon Theatre in November, were enthralled by her one-woman performance that captured her long friendship with the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

On December 9, by invitation from lawyer and panelist/ presenter Fiona SAMPSON, teacher Kate Hebdon and several Branksome students attended a workshop entitled Stories of Women’s Inequality and Strategies for Gender Justice. Presenters included leading human rights advocates from across Africa and Canada, and was a unique opportunity for students to listen to voices and stories that are not often heard in Canada.

1982

Andrea CHLEBUS Osborne’82 has worked at Aviva for eight years. Good friend Andrea DODS Peckham’82 recently joined the company, but due to the size of the organization, the good friends don’t see each other unless they book a formal lunch meeting in their calendars!

Laurie HRUSHOWY Bickle received her Certified Human Resources Professional designation in fall 2008 — a national designation for human resources professionals. She is a member of the HRPA with her home chapter being Toronto. The designation included taking nine courses and writing two sets of national exams.

1983

In June 2008, my husband Andreas started a new job in Toronto. I stayed behind with Foxie, the dog, to sell the house and have long drawn-out farewells with all our fantastic participate are immigrants, many of whom speak English as a second language. It is such fun and, as I love to read, a real treat to be exposed to so many wonderful children’s books. Last November we headed off to Tempe, Arizona, where Drea participated in his third Ironman triathlon. We went to the Grand Canyon, shopped, visited Old Town Scottsdale, ate and drank well. It is our new favorite vacation spot and we plan to go back so we can explore the canyon and maybe even white water raft the Colorado River. We are happy to be back in Toronto, but still reminisce about our friends and the adventures we had while living in Newfoundland.

— Ginny KENT Doerig

1984

Jennifer KIM, her husband Peter and son William live in Toronto. Jennifer is a lawyer at Henry K. Hui & Associates in Richmond Hill.

1985

Paty ZINGG Velutini writes — I am quite good at fi nding the lighter side of life. It’s in my

When the news seems to be filled with gloom, and there are unhappy faces at work and on the street, I turn to my kids to help me find the fun in life. Without being oblivious to the world around them, they are still able to find the joy in simple things — riding a toboggan, creating with paper and glue, playing a game or building a fort. They help me remember to find the happiness in each moment, and not dwell so much on the past or the future.

St. John’s friends! We are now in a lovely, centrally located apartment in Toronto. I am not working but hope to get back into contract/freelance projects. For now, I am volunteering at The Children’s Book Bank, which exposes children, and their parents, to reading. Almost all the families who

Under Siege in the Overpass

It was early spring. I was in the overpass going from MacNeill to the Senior School when I heard a terrible, loud noise. It sounded like something really hard was hitting the windows. I couldn’t see what was happening outside because the windows are opaque. Coming from a country where anything can happen, I immediately assumed somebody was shooting at me from the street. So I hit the floor face down and crawled Rambo-like to the safety of the other side. I cautiously walked down the stairs looking back and forth to see if the people trying to shoot me had gotten inside the overpass. When I reached the door, I peeked outside, expecting to see dead bodies, or perhaps people taking refuge. Instead, I saw people running with books on their heads. And, instead of bullets, there were these huge chunks of ice falling from the sky, the size of ice cubes! I had never seen hail that size, and so ended my murder scenario.

— Paty ZINGG Velutini’85, Caracas, Venezuela genes. I’m Latin, and Latin people are naturally a happy sort of people. I’m also Venezuelan. I’ve never known people more capable of turning tragedy into comedy than Venezuelans (our political and social situation being a great example of epic tragedies). No matter how bad the news, it is always delivered with the right dose of humour. This is probably what keeps us still living in this crazy country of ours.

Growing up, there was always plenty of laughter in our home. And now, one of my husband’s best attributes is his sense of humour. He is the person I turn to when things look a bit overcast. Fortunately, our daughters have inherited this and are a constant source of laughter and happiness for me.

1987

Last fall, Ginny LUKS participated in a climb of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu for the MS Society. Her orthodontic team was a great support in being able to make this possible.

She conquered the mountain along with a group of 23 other individuals. Together, they raised $155,000 for this important charity and, through the generosity of friends, family and colleagues, Ginny was the top fundraiser in her group, raising $14,955. She was recognized with a medallion and plaque for being in the top 50 for funds raised by an individual.

1988

Sarah CARTER — CBS News Johannesburg Bureau Chief — has joined the School of Journalism at the University of British Columbia as the CanWest Global Visiting Professor for the Winter 2009 term. As an awardwinning producer and reporter, Sarah has covered every major news event in Africa and has reported on confl icts in Pakistan, Indonesia and the Middle East for both the CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes. During reading week in February, she took her students on a story for Frontline (PBS) to China and India.

If there is one thing I cherish most about my years at Branksome, it was laughter! When it came time for my mother to choose a school for my sister Meredith’83 and me, she did something unusual: she sat outside BSS, Havergal and Branksome as school was dismissed at 3:30 p.m. and watched the girls exit. Based on what she saw — socks down, uniforms askew, sports equipment fl ying, girls laughing — she could tell that Branksome was the school for us!

— Heather CARTWRIGHT Cambridge, Massachusetts

In September 2008, Heather CARTWRIGHT was appointed Head Coach, Lightweight Women’s Crew at Harvard. Heather wrote — It is a wonderful experience coaching over 50 student athletes as we pursue

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a National Championship. This is my sixth year coaching rowing in the U.S. Previously I was at Princeton and Boston University.

Jennifer McGILL and her family have moved back to Toronto from South Africa.

very funny family and hilarious friends who I laugh with daily, but this summer I took it one step further and took a stand-up comedy class. We spent eight weeks working together to develop our material and put on a show at Second City’s main stage. It was terrifying but a lot of fun.

California. They are both into triathlons and plan to do a half Ironman this August in Lake Stevens, Washington.

1989

Carol RILEY writes — To combat the stress of work and life, I try to surround myself with people who share my sense of humour. I am lucky to have a

Miss Brough and the Magic Gobstoppers

In Grade 4, my friend Jenny and I hatched a plan to avoid afternoon classes. We had the perfect idea.

After graduating from vet school, Allison ZWINGENBERGER worked in private practice in B.C., Germany and England and then went back to do her residency in veterinary radiology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. After a year as a lecturer, she headed for the California coast to become assistant professor at the UC Davis veterinary school. Allison was married two years ago in Napa, and she and her husband enjoy the wine and weather in

Dear Class, Thank you to those who helped us with the enormous task of reporting news on so many of our classmates. We feel proud to be connected to you and appreciate your support with sending and collecting updates. See you at our 20th on Saturday, May 23! Best wishes always, Melony and Stephanie melony@getitdone.ca stfulford@deloitte.ca

Yasmin ABDULLAH Dawood lives in Toronto with her husband and their two sons. In the summer, Yasmin will join the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, as an Assistant Professor.

Noreen AHMED-ULLAH is a journalist with the Chicago Tribune and has done some amazing reporting from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Marlene APAU is living in Malaysia and enjoying her growing family.

Jenny had a bag of Magic Gobstoppers, a candy guaranteed to make the eater invisible. We sucked and chewed several packets to make sure they worked. For the final test, we confidently skipped past two teachers as we made our way to the track field. They didn’t say a word as we passed, so we were convinced the candy had made us undetectable. Impressed with our success, we arrived at our destination celebrating victory by laughing loudly. Feeling hot and sick from so much excitement and sugar, I sat down. A voice suddenly came out of nowhere. I froze in fear. It was Miss Brough, the Principal of the Junior School.

Fear raced through our young minds as we all trudged back up the hill. Jenny and I had been in trouble before but not with the Principal. We sat in Miss Brough’s office on huge wooden chairs that swallowed us up. Afraid our fate would be a punishment of epic proportions, Miss Brough broke her silence: “What made you girls think you could skip classes? Do you think you are invisible?” I bravely said, “Yes, we ate Magic Gobstoppers that made us disappear, and you can only see other people who eat them too.” Jenny chimed in: “How did you see us Miss Brough? Do you eat Magic Gobstoppers too?”

“Yes. I eat them every day,” she replied. “That’s why I can see you and why you will never be able to hide from me.” She confiscated the remaining candy and had us sit in her line of vision until the bell rang. As we left her office, relieved to escape unscathed, we stopped in our tracks to listen to the sound of Miss Brough laughing.

— Namrita KOHLI’87

Steph recently enjoyed lunch with Susan ARCHER Taylor who reports all is well. Susan, husband Mike and children, Alexandra, Robert and Andrew live in North Toronto.

After 13 great years in southern California, Paige AUSTIN, husband Corey Tucker and their three children have traded in palms and citrus groves for rocks, waves and snow. Life in Newfoundland is familiar to Paige and Corey, who grew up there. Their house overlooks Conception Bay and Topsail Beach, where the kids love fi nding sea urchins and other treasures. Paige is doing part-time speech pathology in her children’s school and

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pursuing further studies in linguistics.

Tori BARTON is back on this side of the pond after almost a decade in London. She and husband Cam have welcomed a fourth child to their family — baby Poppy is baby sister to Henry and Max. Big sister Ryley is in Grade 2 at Branksome. Tori is happy to be back in Toronto to reconnect with everyone.

Karen BHATT Fenton and Bruce Fenton were married last fall at a little resort on Sparrow Lake, just outside of Orillia, ON, where they live. Stacey EVANS was maid of honor and flew in from B.C. Karen is proud mom to six-year-old daughter Aiden and fi ve-yearold stepson, Carter. Karen has fun working in management for The Disney Store.

Nicola BLEASBY was in Toronto last fall to visit family and friends. She still resides in Amsterdam and enjoys her work as VP of Customer Insight at TMobile, where her team has just doubled in size in spite of fi nancial gloom elsewhere. She is excited about adventures to Everest Base Camp in April and attending two Coldplay concerts in September.

Sam (Stephanie) BRENZEL apologizes for not providing updates in 20 years! She lives in Los Angeles, is a producer on Fox’s American Idol and, at press time, was expecting her fi rst child (a girl) in March.

For 10 years, Barb BROWN has been running her own chiropractic practice in Toronto’s Bloor West Village with a registered massage therapist and naturopath. She and her husband John live in the west end and enjoy spending time cycling and working on their house.

Betsy BROWN bought the farm! — and enjoys a spectacular country view outside Peterborough. She works in Toronto managing the online brokerage business for one of the big banks and has her own landscape design business. Betsy and husband Phil are parents of daughter Lila, 2.

Helen DEMPSTER and husband Anthony Shearing love life in Muskoka with their family. Helen is practising medicine in Huntsville, while Anthony practises in Bracebridge. Melony ran into Helen, who was directing the runners on the Muskoka Half-Ironman Triathlon course.

Carolyn DENNIS is an equity analyst on Bay Street. She is on sabbatical to do some traveling and catch up on everything she missed while she was busy working.

After seven years in Los Angeles and New York, Ali DRUMMOND has returned to Toronto. She provides affordable online development and marketing services for projects that create positive change.

Kendall ELDER Peart and husband Jeremy welcomed their third son, Miller Shane, last spring — baby brother to Lincoln, 6, and Sawyer, 4. The Pearts live in Toronto’s west end and enjoy visits from aunts Karen’87 and Lindsay’85.

Stacey EVANS Jones returned the favour to Karen BHATT Fenton and was her maid of honour last fall. Long live Buccleuch friendships!

Melissa FELDMAN has been living in Tel Aviv since 1996. After securing her teacher certification and a brief stint teaching junior high, Melissa began a career in educational technology, specializing in language learning content. She is currently developing educational material for mobile phones for a high tech startup in the Tel Aviv area.

Jacquie FENNER Harnack and husband Nicolaus welcomed their fourth child (and fi rst son), Max, last summer in London, England. Jacquie says that they are now done! It’s chaos at the Harnack house most of the time but at least the four kids and the dog keep each other entertained! They had a nice trip to Egypt and plan to be in Toronto this summer. As if she isn’t busy enough, Jacquie has started up a business doing novelty cakes from home. www.jacquiescakes.com

Stephanie FULFORD went to London for a friend’s wedding in October and had a fabulous time visiting Sarah WALKER Mander and Jacquie FENNER Harnack. She keeps in regular touch with Branksome friends and loves her role on the Alumnae Executive Committee, and as our class reunion rep. She’s still in the same home, and doing the same job at Deloitte.

Andrea GARE runs a successful interior design business and enjoys weekend cottaging near Peterborough with husband Jeff, an insurance bigwig, and their two children, Georgia, 6, and Andrew, 4.

Sarah GARROW is still busy with her career in genetics at Mount Sinai Hospital, and lives with husband Phil, and son Anton at Harbourfront.

Lori GEROW lives in her hometown of Midland (after working on big boats and in Whistler). She married her high school sweetheart, Chip.

Lisa GIBSON has a busy schedule as a Wealth Advisor at Scotia McLeod. She and husband Andrew Titley enjoy traveling (Florence, Caribbean, New York, Chicago) in the winter and cottaging on summer weekends in Muskoka.

Kathy HASLETT Salter moved to a new house in the Yonge/ Lawrence area. Kathy is still at an investment management fi rm, and she and husband Greg are parents to Bridget, 6, and Will, 4.

From Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, we’ve been in touch with DeeDee HUGHES, mom to Olivia, 13, and Nathanial, 4. For nine years, DeeDee has been working as an addiction counsellor, but in early 2009 she expanded her career to help problem gamblers. She plans to further her education to advance her career and will begin a Master’s later this year. She fi nds time to write music and has sent her fi rst demo to a few music publishers to see if anything comes of it. Fingers crossed!

Debbie HUMENIUK is still a real estate agent for Ashley Oaks in Oakville. Her husband Shawn Whitham works with Dell Canada and travels alot. Their daughters, Tristanne and Savannah, keep a full schedule of activities — school plays, basketball, chess, hockey, gymnastics, skiing and piano. Debbie plays ball hockey and ice hockey.

Kim IONSON Taylor and husband John are busy with their two girls, Brooke, 5, and Jaime, 2. Kim regularly sees Neysha SOODEEN, Jaime’s godmother. Kim recently heard from Leigh MACRAE, who has been traveling all over the world, most recently in Kenya. Kim loves visits with Andrea GARE, Melony JAMIESON and Jane TAYLOR Durno, and is hoping to see the rest of the Midnight Crusaders here in Toronto for the big 2-0!

Paul and Vanessa IRWIN Watson, Charlotte, 2, and Sophie, 1, live north of Cambridge, in a small village called Alconbury, U.K. In March,

Vanessa returned to work as Regional Account Manager for Sage, an accounts and payroll software organization. Vanessa is involved with Charlotte’s preschool committee and does their accounting. Paul is a private planning consultant and member of the Parish Council and the Sports and Social Club.

Consuelo JACKMAN and her husband Tim welcomed baby Henry, sibling for Frank, Arthur and Josephine, last fall. It will be hard to keep Consuelo from the reunion as she lives right across the street!

After 15 years doing class notes, Melony JAMIESON is looking forward to catching up with everyone in person at our 20th Reunion! Melony and her son JJ live in the Yonge/Lawrence area and their favour ite pastime is hanging out with friends. In preparation for the reunion, and in celebra-

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tion of nearly three decades of friendship, she and Geet (Andrea GARE) had a fabulously fun adventure in the Big Apple last fall.

Aimee JOY Dearing lives in Windsor, ON, with her husband Shawn, daughter Grayson and son William.

In search of space for their growing family, Debra KATZ and husband Sean Barlow moved to Ancaster, ON, with their four little ones, Owen, Will, and twins Lola and Violet.

Jennifer KELLIE enjoys spending time with her nephews, Tyler and Noah, sons of Sarah KELLIE’92. Unfortunately, they live in Japan, but this enables Jennifer to travel regularly to one of her favourite countries.

From London to Cape Town and back to the U.K., Jojo KIRKLAND Stephenson now lives in the Cotswolds, two hours from London. She and husband Charlie have three children, Felicity, 6, Alexander, 4, and Maxwell, 2. Jojo teaches Pilates from a studio in her home. Last June, Jojo was in Canada to attend the wedding of Jenny PURVES.

Lisa LEBOURDAIS Bower is loving life in the United States.

Katie LITTLE Roland is well. Melony and KT had a nice catch up last spring at a community event with her girls, Olivia, 6, and Audrey, 4. KT visited Jojo in England last spring and is now hoping Jojo will visit in Toronto for the Big Reunion. KT is looking forward to seeing everyone.

Finally fulfi lling her lifelong dream to live in Africa, Leigh MACRAE checked in from Tanzania! After three years in Qatar, she now teaches history

Andrea’s Oxfords, 1977-82 (…and still around today).

We had to wear old-fashioned black leather lace-up shoes called Oxfords. Because they were so old-fashioned, my mom couldn’t find them in a regular shoe store, so we had to go to a “special store.” I thought they were ugly, but they were built to last, and mine lasted six years before mom bought me a new pair.

—

Andrea

CHLEBUS Osborne’82

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Spirit Week! Our colour was orange, which was very difficult to find, so on the final day of competition everyone would come to school dressed in Hallowe’enthemed garbage bags!

— Erin MORGAN’03

and geography to Grades 6–10 at an international school. Leigh works in Arusha, the safari capital of Tanzania, so the Serengeti is not far away. There are lots of Maasai people and other indigenous tribes in and around the city and on a clear day, Leigh can see Mount Kilimanjaro! Leigh is planning to move back to Toronto later this year.

Trish MAGWOOD and her husband Bryce Conacher live near Branksome with three children, Finlay, Olivia and Charlotte. Trish is running her catering empire, dish, and won the prestigious James Beard Award for her cookbook, dish entertains. Trish has launched new children’s classes: dish kids, for parents and 3–5 year olds; and junior chef diplomas for 6–12 year olds. She will launch teen classes this spring. The Branksome Grade 1 class had a ball cooking at her studio!

Kathy MAUCHNER still works in marketing and sales for Corus Entertainment, W Network. Her cravings for pain au chocolat steered her to

France recently where she had a fabulous time watching a boat race called “Les Voiles de St. Tropez.”

Bonnie McKINNON Flemington lives in Oakville with her husband Jeff and Finley, 10, Ainsley, 7, and Riley, 5. They ski up north on weekends and were thrilled to bump into nicole@oakvillefi nehomes.ca

Sarah MERRY helping out her nieces. Bonnie looks forward to attending reunion in May — her fi rst.

Noelle McLEISH is busy being a full-time mom to Thomas, 1, and working as a project management consultant. They live in the Yonge/Lawrence area and have been spotted around the train table at Mastermind.

Nicole MEKINDA Weber and husband Paul live in Oakville and really enjoy life on the lake! Nicole is stepmom to Paul’s two boys, Jayden and Justin. She is a real estate agent with Prudential Town Centre Realty.

Now in her third year of directing the Yorkville House Studio, Sarah MERRY teaches painting to students at all stages of artistic development. She is also thoroughly enjoying teaching “Art Start” to students at Blythwood Public School. She is preparing for her second year curating a Canadian art show in New York called Parca Biennale. Canada Day in Manhattan has never looked so good… worth the road trip!

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From London, we had a newsy note from Catherine MICKELSON Bedford, who is a partner at Lee & Thompson, an exclusive entertainment law firm with film, music, television, talent and entertainment litigation departments. Catherine runs a special family law practice with five lawyers. She specializes in divorce and private children work — she can’t name any of her celebrity “A list” clients, so I guessed they are people we’ve heard of! She and husband Oliver love to travel with their daughters, Ella, 7, and Kitty, 4, who are good skiers and real outdoor girls. The family spends every summer at Catherine’s family cottage just outside Thunder Bay.

Melissa MILLER Sullivan sent a great update on the last two decades. While pursuing her B.A. at Memorial University, she worked as a fl ight attendant and lived briefl y in France and Russia. After getting her M.B.A. from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California, she worked in advertising in Toronto and then moved home to the Rock. Sadly, she was widowed in 2003. In 2006, she completed an M.Sc. in Applied Health Services Research. Melissa recently fi nished a contract with the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial government, where she served as a researcher for the Task Force on Adverse Health Events and helped prepare the government for the Commission of Inquiry on Estrogen and Progesterone Receptor testing.

Branksome Hall fashion shows — tape, stapling, paperclips — anything to get that outfit finished and on the runway — safety pins too!

— Carroll BARNICKE Armstrong’77

Louise MITCHELL Joseph, her husband Bing and their children, Chavez, 9, James, 4, and Tai, 2, have a new home on the cliffs of Cane Garden in St. Vincent. The house overlooks Louise’s home island of Bequia and was redesigned by British architect Richard Blunden. There are lots of trees, birds and places for the children to play. Louise continues to keep busy with family, a growing law practice, and volunteer work for the National Trust. Louise is proud that the Trust was able to convince the Government to commit to stopping development on the island of Battowia, which is a bird sanctuary.

Anja NOPPER is in Caracas, Venezuela, and is using her languages — English, French, German and Spanish — as a translator and interpreter. She also works as a consultant to cultural organizations. Anja and her husband Miguel sing in a choir dedicated to medieval, renaissance and baroque music.

Darlene NORRIS has a challenging new role as Executive Director of George Brown College Foundation where she is rallying the team in preparation for a major capital campaign for the college’s new waterfront campus. Dar is making good use of her personal trainer to get ready for a 10 km race with at-risk female teens from the Dovercourt Boys’ and Girls’ Club. She and her boyfriend John enjoy spending time at the waterfront and at their cottage in Muskoka.

Melanie PUGLIESE and her two boys, Carston and Barrett, live in Newmarket, ON. Mel teaches English and media studies to high school students north of Toronto. She often sees Debbie HUMENIUK.

Iram QURAISHI has spent 15 years working in the arts, from the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London to the Guggenheim in Venice. She has embarked on a “pop-up” shop project with Terra Plana and United Nude shoes; prepare yourselves for Iram’s pop-up during the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. Iram looks forward to seeing old friends in May!

Lynne RUDAN Woolcombe is a lawyer for the Security Exchange Commission. She and

Humour & Fun

I burned the top of my chemistry desk, by accident of course, during an experiment in Grade 11. While there was no fi re, the supposedly burn-proof desk top started to melt with the most awful smell, which permeated the school — and was still hanging in the air hours later during our school dance!

— Naomi RIDOUT’67, Ottawa her husband Mike are happily in Rosedale with their three boys, Nicholas, Andrew and Geoffrey.

Bay RYLEY is a busy lawyer with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and is married to Dave Seglins, of CBC Radio fame. Daughter Amy will be joined by a sibling this spring.

Melanie SEAGRAM Philip lives in Toronto with husband Ernie, Thomas, 12, and Leigh, 8. She is a controller and Ernie is a director of large enterprise accounts, both at Xerox Canada Ltd. This year Melanie will be doing her third walk in support of the Weekend to End Breast Cancer with the Xerox Walking Team. The family keeps busy with hockey, dance, skiing and various summer activities.

Patsy SMITH Bell is active on the Branksome Alumnae Executive Committee and manages her framing and design business, Patsy Bell Originals. She and husband John are parents of Hudson, 3, and Hadley, 4, who is in JK at Branksome. Patsy ran into

Jenny STEPHENSON last fall and reports that Jenny is a beaming new mom.

Meredith SHAW Chisholm is busy with three girls: Madeline, 5, Sydney, 3, and Heidi, 1. Her husband Dave enjoys working for Apple selling the iPhone. Meredith is in regular touch with the London girls and looks forward to catching up with the Toronto contingent in May.

Neysha SOODEEN has been super busy launching a new magazine called MACO People which will be the seventh magazine launched by her company, Toute Bagai Publishing. She also was nominated UN Goodwill Ambassador to promote female entrepreneurship. Neysha is expecting her fi rst child this spring. Kim IONSON Taylor and god-daughter Jaime have been very helpful with maternity shopping.

Kaija STEWART Pitt, husband Kevin, and children, Dylan, 4, and Alexandra, 2, have returned to Toronto after living in San Francisco for five years (with a short stint in England). Kaija is a real estate agent with Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd. and enjoys the flexibility this career brings to her home life.

Kristi SYRON and husband Neil Gilday are expecting their fi rst child this spring.

Jane TAYOR Durno is celebrating her 10th year with the Children’s Aid Foundation, a national organization based in Toronto that is dedicated to improving the lives of abused, neglected and at-risk children and youth. She is Senior Manager, Individual Giving and Major Gifts. Jane lives downtown with her husband Don and daughters Lexi, 4, and Isabella, 2. The girls love spending time with their cousins, Brooke and Jaime, and mom/auntie Kim IONSON Taylor.

Robin TAYLOR, husband Toby, and their kids, Mackenzie and Jarvis, have moved to Caledon, where they are building a new home so Toby has more space for his carpentry workshop.

Alexis THOMSON opened a new practice in Kelowna, BC. She