Where Are They Now?

Joe KeRven Dunottar School 2016-2021

What have you been up to since leaving Dunottar?

I loved psychology when I was at Dunottar. It was such an interesting subject to learn about “ ”

I applied for deferred entry at university and decided to take a gap year after leaving Dunottar. I have been lucky enough to gain my Surf Lifesaving and Instructor qualification. This meant I was able to work as a surf instructor down in Cornwall over the summer after A levels. I had the most amazing time down there. I lived in a van and surfed every moment in my time off. Instructing allowed me to explore other teaching opportunities and led to me working as a ski instructor in Canada for the winter! I gained my CASI Level One Ski Instructor qualification after four weeks of intense training. I lived in Banff for five months and worked at Lake Louise. Despite taking lessons and operating lifts in temperatures that were sometimes as low as -40° Celsius along with 5.30am starts, it was such an incredible experience. I learnt many valuable life skills and I have some amazing memories.

What is your highlight?

It is very difficult to pick one particular highlight from my gap year. So far, I would have to say that nothing can beat surfing. It is a feeling that does not come close to anything I have ever experienced before, I cannot get enough of it!

What are your plans for the next 6 months / year?

I am currently living down in Cornwall again, but I plan to travel to Croatia in July for a month on a conservation expedition. I will be living for two weeks in Krka National Park, monitoring and studying native wildlife. I will then be spending two weeks on Silba island, learning to scuba dive and collecting data on Mediterranean biodiversity.

After this, I will, of course, be back down to Cornwall to work and surf some more!

In the Autumn, I start at Exeter University where I will be reading Conservation Biology and Ecology. However, this will be at their Penryn Campus, which is close to the coast. This means, yes… I can surf whenever I have the chance!

What one piece of advice would you give pupils leaving Dunottar this year?

I am so glad I have taken a gap year and I would highly recommend it. It is such a precious time that you will never have again, and although it can be hard work to organise and a challenge raising the money to fund it, the life experience you gain is so worth it.

What was your favourite subject at Dunottar?

I loved psychology when I was at Dunottar. It was such an interesting subject to learn about, one which I readily relate to in everyday occurrences. I also had a wicked teacher, Mr Kokott, who made my lessons exciting and engaging.

What’s your fondest memory from being at Dunottar?

I loved my time in the Sixth Form at Dunottar the most. It was very exciting to be based in the new Sixth Form Centre. I have some happy memories: playing pool with my friends, laughing at one of Mr Manning’s excellent jokes, and enjoying chats over a hot chocolate with Mel. It was always a place of kindness and there was a wonderful community spirit.

JiLL TWAMLey (née DAnieLS) 1945 -1956 Pupil, 1965 - 1993 Staff

Jill is standing in the centre.

A pupil, teacher and active chair of the original ‘Old Girls’ Association, Jill Twamley is a familiar name among former pupils and teaching staff alike. An active member of the alumni since 1956, she leaves a legacy of fundraising and networking that is the foundation for the new Dunottar Society.

you joined Dunottar in 1945, when the school was much smaller and single sex - what was that like?

My year was very small... I have so many memories I could write a book, but the overriding one is that we were a big happy family, all the pupils knew each other and the staff (who were very caring) treated us like siblings.

What are your fondest memories?

I have a funny memory of trying to eat peas at lunch, they were always so hard. When we had lunch in the ballroom, we would put them down the grills in the floor where they’d fall through to the cellar. I also have a very fond memory of picking fruit in the kitchen garden in the summer.

How did you become involved in the old Girls’ Association?

In 1956, Mr Elliot Pyle organised a meeting at the school to re-instate the ‘Old Girls’ Association which had lapsed since before the war. At that meeting, Miss Sweeting (staff) became secretary, Margery Aarons the chair and I became treasurer. My father was an accountant, so Mr Pyle thought that would help me.

What sort of activities were you involved with?

In the autumn of 1956, we organised a bring-and-buy for luxury items, including a hairdryer for the boarders and a video camera for the main school. A few years after that I took on the role of chair and we continued to organise some kind of autumn fundraising sale each year.

What do you think of the modern Dunottar?

The new Dunottar is excellent. Every time I come into school I say, ‘I wish I was here now!’ The facilities are exceptional. It reminds me of when the art studio once doubled as the science and chemistry lab. On one occasion, the biologist couldn’t find the frogs for a dissection lesson because the art teacher had let them lose into the garden, saying it was cruel to keep them locked up!