Old Girls’ Association Newsletter 2018
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Old Girls’ Association 1873 - 2017
Contact details: alumnae@nhehs.gdst.net OGA c/o Notting Hill & Ealing High School, 2 Cleveland Road, London W13 8AX Please update your details and send your news via the link on the website: www.nhehs.gdst.net/alumnae/keep-in-touch Stay up to date with news and events at the alumnae section of the school website: www.nhehs.gdst.net/alumnae Follow us on Facebook: @NHEHSoldgirlsassoc
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Contents
page 4
Head’s Review, Mr Matthew Shoults
page 6
A Few Words From Jane Sigaloff, OGA Chair
page 8
Upcoming Events in 2018
page 10
Docs & Crocs: An Interview with Dr Sara Kayat
page 12
Dr Sally Mason: Sixth Form Cruise 1969
page 14
Noëlle Davies-Brock: Goes back to school
page 17
A Big Thank You
page 18
2017 Event Highlights
page 20
News from the Archives
page 22
News from our Old Girls
Editorial, layout and articles, where not otherwise acknowledged, by Natalie Burns Spence, Alumnae Relations Officer, NHEHS. ed. 2017/2018 3
Head’s Review
Matthew Shoults Head and President of the OGA It has been a privilege to join Notting Hill and Ealing High School. Right from the moment I first crossed the threshold back in March 2016 I immediately sensed the warmth and purposefulness of this wonderful school, and this combination of friendliness and ambition has only grown on me since arriving here properly in January. I’ve certainly been made to feel very welcome by the whole community, whether through Madeleine Heggs (NHEHS 1948) popping in to give me wise counsel, or the Head Girls’ Team advising me on the many traditions I would be upholding (the Boar’s Head Carol is on the horizon as I type this). Things have certainly been busy over the course of the calendar year. The girls have been imaginative and resourceful in proposing and setting up a wealth of new clubs. These include a linguistic club exploring a new language every week, a gardening club, and even a dissection club; the latter has ranged widely in its remit, led by Sixth Form students, starting with the humble mouse and moving on to everything from squid to frogs. Girls have also introduced a number of new events. In June the Art Secretaries launched a fashion show, with girls designing their own outfits, inviting in distinguished NHEHS alumnae from the industry, and raising funds for charities related to mental health and education in Africa. In October the school hosted its first Model United Nations conference, all organised by Year 13 students. These enterprises have been carried off with real panache, and the girls have learnt a huge amount from the bumps along the road as they navigated their way to success. The girls have inspired and impressed me in so many ways since I have arrived. Our engineers reached 4
the final of a national competition, by making recommendations to Crossrail on station efficiency, many of which will be implemented. Computer programmers found themselves at a national robotics final in Bristol in their first year of entry, while our Junior School choir was pipped to the post at Cadogan Hall in the GDST Young Choir of the Year (a steward’s enquiry was mooted at the time). Four girls performed concerto extracts in the Spring Term concert, including one girl who performed her own composition, while 40 students from our choirs recently accompanied OG Shaima Mirza (NHEHS 2012) at the Guidhall at a star-studded event promoting peace through football. In the sporting arena, our netball teams have taken home quite a trophy haul, and our hockey teams are beginning to find their edge. As you can see from this small sample of school life, Old Girls appear regularly, providing help and opportunities to current students. I have been struck by the power of the NHEHS Old Girls’ network, and I was not surprised to discover it is seen as a benchmark for other GDST schools. I am most grateful for all of the help you have provided for current students, and we hope to forge more opportunities for you to meet up, to maintain and grow links, and to benefit from such developments. It was wonderful to welcome back 60 more recent leavers at our first summer Pimms reception in June. In January 2018 we launch our first networking event for those working, or aspiring towards careers in the Media, with a chance to hear from industry figures who are also NHEHS alumnae and to network with each other. Attendees will also hear from Cheryl Giovannoni, the GDST’s Chief Executive and previously the CEO of leading communications group Ogilvy & Mather. However I think that the biggest gathering will remain the annual OGA tea party: last year almost 300 Old Girls descended on Cleveland Road. For the first time the Old Girls vs school netball match took place on the same afternoon, with Hazel Chapman, who taught PE here for many years, blowing the starting whistle. The school team emerged triumphant, but Jane Sigaloff speaks of new tactics for next year – so perhaps 2018 will herald the first victory…. Finally, I would like to thank Jane and the whole committee, alongside Natalie, for all their hard work; in particular, Gillian Lowe who steps down next year, after 45 years of service, a remarkable feat! May I take this opportunity to wish you a very happy New Year.
Matthew Shoults - December 2017
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A few words from Jane Sigaloff OGA Chair January 2018
Hope you’ve had a great festive season and a very happy new year to you all. Welcome to this year’s OGA newsletter. This edition is full of interesting feature articles plus the bit you all love to turn to first, the news of Old Girls. Thanks to Natalie Burns Spence for all her work in putting this together and also for organising so many fabulous events for us throughout the year - from Pimms on the Lawn for recent leavers, to a Christmas wreath workshop & not forgetting Divafit. Do look out for upcoming events and if you haven’t made it back to school since you left, maybe 2018 will be your year… I’ve always believed that an NHEHS education prepares you for anything in life whether it is stacking chairs, singing the harmony to Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, political office (Dr Rupa Huq MP) or winning Celebrity Masterchef (Angellica Bell). Our alumnae certainly seem to prove that they can thrive in every situation. Read about Dr Sara Kayat’s time marooned on Bear Grylls’ island and her top tips on what to take with you and how to survive on a desert island. Many of us experienced our first adventures abroad on a school trip. I was lucky enough to visit Moscow and St Petersburg in 1989 under the watchful eye of Miss Mercer. I had my first ski adventure in Switzerland in 1983 when I was still in Skipton. I had thought myself quite intrepid until I read Sally Mason’s recount of her time on the Commonwealth Institute Sixth Form Cruise in 1969. Noëlle DaviesBrock was feeling nostalgic enough to head back to school as a pupil to see how things had changed after 17 years. You can read about her School Day later on. In September the OGA hosted a fantastic tea party at school. Once again nearly 300 former pupils and staff gathered for a terrific afternoon. We moved the tea up to main hall preceded by a prosecco 6
reception in the atrium. This location meant we could all benefit from the new buildings and yet enjoyed a view of the central lawn, main building and science block that remains largely unchanged. The sun even came out for the OGs v Current Pupils netball match. Miss Chapman blew the starting whistle and that was really the last time the Old Girls were in charge. We were beaten in three out of four quarters despite some sideline coaching from Miss Chapman and Mrs Gregory (who some of you will remember better as Miss McBurney) but much fun was had by all who played and indeed all who watched. Do get in touch if you’d like to join our squad next year. And many many thanks to the reunion coordinators for their efforts in bringing their year groups together. It was a great afternoon of nostalgia and friendship. The date for this year’s tea party in Saturday 15th September 2018 and everyone is most welcome. The afternoon runs from 2-5pm and all former staff and pupils are warmly welcome so please do spread the word amongst those you are in touch with and contact Natalie: alumnae@nhehs.gdst.net for more info or to add yourself to our database. Tickets cost £10 and can be purchased in advance via Eventbrite: www.ogatea2018.eventbrite.co.uk, or on the door. All are most welcome, but this year we will also be organising specific reunions for those who left in 1958, 1968, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008 & 2013. We have coordinators for some but not all of these years. If you left in one of the years that has yet to find a leader and would be happy to help, please do email Natalie. We will help as much as we can. 1983 leavers – please contact Alison Shindler: alisonshindler@aol.com 1988 leavers – please contact Penny Kirk: penny_stuart.kirk@hotmail.co.uk 2003 leavers – please contact Gabriella Giles: gabriellagiles@hotmail.com 2013 leavers – please contact Grace Richardson-Banks: gracerichardsonbanks@gmail.com If you feel like volunteering in general, we are looking for a few more members for the OGA Committee. It is so important that we represent all our OGs and would love a few more to join us. Please get in touch with Natalie or me if you think you might be interested. We meet three times a year so it’s not a big time commitment but we do need the right team (and we are allowing our older committee members to leave occasionally…). Please do send us your news. As ever all updates, however general are hugely welcomed. With all best wishes,
Jane Sigaloff (NHEHS 1978 – 1991) 7
Upcoming Alumnae Events 2018
We are always delighted to welcome our Old Girls back to school for events. There is lots going on next year including our inaugral evening networking event. We again invite alumnae to share their career secrets with Year 13 at the networking breakfast and their university experiences with Year 12 for the first time later in the Summer. As always the annual OGA Tea remains in September. Alumnae Networking Evening: Communications 31 January, 6.30pm – 9pm Please join us for an evening of discussion and networking as we explore topics in the areas of Communications, PR, Media, Journalism and Broadcast. We are delighted to welcome a panel of NHEHS Old Girls introduced by our special guest speaker and panellist Cheryl Giovannoni, CEO of the GDST and former CEO of Ogilvy & Mather. The panel discussion will be followed by a drinks reception and the opportunity to network with other alumnae who work in these areas and have similar interests. Please email alumnae@nhehs.gdst.net or reserve your free ticket at Eventbrite: www.nhehsinspiring.eventbrite.co.uk Careers Breakfast with Year 13 4 May, 8.30am - 10.40am An opportunity for Old Girls to return to school and inspire the current Year 13 girls with details of their career journeys. This will be followed by the chance to network with each other and take a tour of the school. If you would like to be involved please email: alumnae@nhehs.gdst.net
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UCAS Breakfast with Year 12 22 June, 8.30am – 10.40am A new event for 2018; we invite alumnae who left school recently to return and offer current girls advice on their university choices - including courses and locations. A tour of the school is also available afterwards. If you would like to be involved please email: alumnae@nhehs.gdst.net Summer Drinks on the Terrace: NHEHS Leavers 2012 – 2017 22 June, 4.30pm – 7pm After the success of last year’s event we are delighted to welcome back NHEHS Leavers from 2012 – 2017. An opportunity to catch up with friends and teachers as well as to network with other alumnae who may be studying or working within similar fields. Tickets are free and can be reserved at Eventbrite: www.nhehssummer.eventbrite.co.uk Old Girls’ Association Reunion Tea 15 September, 2pm - 5pm We welcome Old Girls back to school for our traditional tea reunion; with tours of the school and plenty of nostalgia, a wonderful afternoon is guaranteed. This year there are reunions for leavers from 1948, 1958, 1968, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013, although alumnae from any year group are always welcome. Tickets are £10 and available to buy online now at Eventbrite: www.ogatea2018.eventbrite.co.uk If you are unable to purchase tickets online please contact the alumnae office on 020 8233 8533.
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Docs and Crocs...
An interview with Dr Sara Kayat
Dr Sara Kayat (NHEHS 2003) is a practicing GP at Gray’s Inn Medical Practice and is resident GP on ITV’s “This Morning”. Sara is an advocate of maintaining good mental health and regularly practices yoga. She enjoys extreme sports such as scuba diving, skiing and travelling as far as her air-miles will allow. Her love for travel and extreme environments came together in Summer 2017 when she took part in C4’s “Bear Grylls’ Celebrity Island” and was marooned on a desert island for 4 weeks with a group learning to thrive and survive together. When Sara came into school to speak to the girls about how her experiences in working within medicine prepared her for life on the island, we took the opportunity to ask her some questions...
People are often asked what they would take to a desert island. If you were able to take 3 things in retrospect – what would those have been? 1. You need a knife or a machete. We were given some as part of the few things that were supplied to us, but I don’t know how we would have built a shelter, gut fish, opened coconuts or cut through the jungle without them.
wasn’t a big shock for me and I knew how to pace myself a bit more than some of the other Islanders who burnt out pretty quickly. Calm in the face of adversity also held me in good stead- this quality has been learned from years in A+E and trauma jobs, where it is so important to keep your head screwed on and work methodically during stressful periods.
2. Tarpaulin- there is only so much that palm tree leaves shelter you from a storm. We would find water gushing through the gaps in the shelter roof, so tarpaulin is such a welcome addition to water proofing.
Were you given any medical equipment to take on the island – and if so what were you given? I did get a case full of medical goodies including: - Antibiotics - Antihistamines - Painkillers - Suntan Lotion - Sanitary products - Blood pressure machine - Stethoscope - Defibrillator - Urine dipsticks - Scales
3. Antihistamines- the sandfly bites drive you crazy, so anything to calm down the itching is a godsend. How did your medical training prepare you for life on the island? Medical training helped in so many ways. I’m fairly used to being sleep deprived and hungry having worked long and tiring shifts, so running on fumes 10
Was there any point where you were truly concerned for the medical wellbeing of any of the other islanders? Most of the ailments suffered were fairly easily treated, but my main concerns were with regards to Mark Watson’s mental health. As you saw on the programme he was becoming increasingly low in mood and anxious. His anxiety was also manifesting in physical symptoms. As a medic what was it like to be put in the position of being in near starvation? As a doctor you want to make sure you are on top form when you are treating patients, so that you are offering them the best care. Unfortunately when you are on The Island, you are hungry, thirsty, cold, wet and sleep deprived which is not conducive to an ideal medical consultation. So in terms of the role as a doctor, my main concern was whether starvation was affecting my clinical decisions. It was also so difficult to watch everyone lose so much weight, and become weaker and more fragile as I had insight into what starvation can mean to our organs and how it is affecting the team as a whole on a more cellular level. It must have been strange to have been on the island for so long and for it to have been condensed into so few episodes for c4. Do you feel the series accurately portrayed your experience? I expected that our month’s experience would have to be condensed but what was more difficult to come to terms with was that it was no longer in chronological order. In general however I think it was a fair portrayal. Did you get any food rations or was it only what you caught and picked? We had no food rations. We had to catch, kill and cook everything ourselves. How did it feel to catch a caiman crocodile? There was a dichotomy when it came to killing the caiman. We were absolutely starving by that point having only eaten a few coconuts and some barnacles in the 8 days prior, so when we managed to catch the caiman we were so grateful to be able 11
to eat something substantial. But of course killing an animal was incredibly difficult too, and the guilt and sadness that came with that was difficult to overcome. I think the experience has reminded me of how important it is to know where your meat comes from, how it was sourced and killed. What did you miss most about life off the island? I miss being able to switch off. I had a whole month without emails, texts, calls and I thought that would be difficult, but actually it was so incredible to be completely cut off. It was wonderful to be able to focus on the present and what was happening right there and then, rather than what was happening on the other side of the world. What was the first food you ate when you returned from the island? We were on a fairly strict diet to avoid re-feeding syndrome, and whilst with the production company we were advised to adhere to it. As soon as we were able to order our own meals two days later, I ordered a massive bowl of truffle fries and a pizza. What was the first thing you did when you got home? As soon as I got off the Island the first thing I did was shower. The dirt that came off me was disgusting. I had to shampoo my hair 5 times just to get the water to run clear again! If you could choose any celebrity, alive or dead to join you on a desert island who would that be? Bear Grylls would be useful to have with you!
Dr Sally Mason
Sixth Form Cruise 1969
It was over Christmas in my 6 Upper year that we dormitories were full of bunks - 5 foot x 2 foot and while we had just one bunk above the other, there had the opportunity to go to The Caribbean! were fixtures for a third tier. We were told it had The Commonwealth Institute (CI) cruises that been a WWII troop ship! we were aware of only happened every 2 years, and were usually to the Mediterranean region. While on board there was a memorable showing However, the cruise in 1967 had been to West of the film Romeo and Juliet 1968 with Olivia Africa - and sounded just so exotic that I wanted to Hussey and Leonard Whiting. The music was glorious and I cried and cried. There was also a go when my chance came! talent contest, we played quoits on the deck, and It is a long time ago now, and if my memory had ‘lectures’ about slavery and the economic serves correctly, we were away for about 4 situation, bananas, sugar cane etc. The talks came weeks, including Christmas, stopping at Madeira, from local academics, who shared their views and Barbados, Antigua, Trinidad and we should have experiences, which were markedly different from visited St Lucia too. The weather was against the standard colonial viewpoint we had grown up stopping there, so the SS Nevasa docked at with and a new way of looking at the world. Martinique to fill up with water and presumably We first landed in Trinidad, Port of Spain, and on other provisions. stepping outside the ship; we were hit by a wave of It was a long journey across the Atlantic, and the damp heat like never before! We dripped instantly. ship tossed and turned in the Bay of Biscay such I had not been abroad before, and this was that everyone was sea sick over the side, onto amazing. We walked down the main street of Port the people below - no stabilizers apparently! The of Spain and found.... a Woolworths!! So funny to ship was one of two chartered by CI - and the come all that way and find a shop I knew from West 12
Ealing (at the time I didn’t realise Woolworths was an American company of course!). BUT - the shop was air conditioned, and we stood in the doorway, as the refreshing cool breeze blew down on us. Later, we travelled by bus past banana plantations to the north coast where we swam in the sea, and drank from coconuts fresh from the trees!
economy by us not landing was a disaster. Instead the ship went on to Martinique, a French Island, where we roamed the streets of Fort-de-France at night; some of us only just managed to return to the ship, having over indulged on the local rum, and were dragged back on board by the Matrons! Quite extraordinary, looking back at it all!
In Antigua we visited Nelson’s dockyard, and watched a Son et Lumiere, with a steel band - all such new experiences and all so beautiful. Some of us bought cheap local rum and hid it behind the ceiling tiles in the dorms - but it got found, (who sneaked??!!) and poured down the sink. Coca Cola ran out on board within 2/3 days on board. The food was OK but I lost tons of weight, and had to ‘take in’ lots of my clothes with my trusty sewing kit...
I only took about 12 photos - cameras, film, and developing costs were prohibitive to me at that time and were all poor quality even then! There were very few 6 uppers on the cruise - Pandy Quinnen, Tuppy (Catherine) Fraser, Lee Moore, are those I remember - and I was the only one studying sciences. In retrospect it was not the best decision of my life to miss 3 weeks schooling, as I abysmally failed in the upcoming A levels - but I don’t think I would have done well anyway - and the whole experience was amazing. It gave me the sense that I did not want to be ‘a tourist’ - that I should instead try to become part of a community, to understand their values and life styles, and not be a spectator in life. This was an important lesson to learn - but it was a long long time before I travelled abroad again, let alone to anywhere quite as exotic.
On Christmas day the senior naval crew served us, which was great fun!
In all there were about 1000 6th formers from UK on board - 800 girls, and 200 boys - and ‘Matrons’ had been engaged to make sure that we didn’t get ‘together’ in any shape or form! There was a group of lads from St Benedict’s - and I met my first Dr Sally Mason (Ashford) NHEHS 1957-1970 significant other on board - despite the matrons patrolling the decks and cubby holes, life boats and lockers with powerful torches!! Needless to say there was a strict curfew. Some of us bought large conch shells off the beach, only to find that they still had rotting conch inside, and they stank! The size of the bunks was such that the feet of one person ended up on the pillow of the next far worse for the lads than for us!! There were about 200 adults on the cruise as well as school children, but we never mixed, and they had their own private deck. Due to bad weather we were unable to dock at St Lucia, or disembark on lifeboats, which we had done before. Island boys paddled out to our ship and dived deep in the clear blue water for the coins we threw overboard. We were told that A photograph from the archives of girls on board the Nevasa even our small amount of spending money lost to on the last day of the Mediterranean Cruise in 1965. 13
Noëlle Davies-Brock …Goes back to school It’s fair to say that I was not the most academic student at our school. Benign apathy was much more me, while that pesky NHEHS expectation of high achievement seemed a lofty goal. Students of persistent A grades and neat double-underlining were mystical to me indeed, as they queued for their distinctions to be signed at break. I just googled how to spell ‘queued’. Normally I snort in derision at the idea of organised OGA events, so when a reunion day arrived I was surprised to find myself there, proudly wearing my name badge (neatly written by one of those double-underlining people I was talking about). As I clutched my conciliatory piece of Battenberg, I soon grew sentimental about how little we’ve all really changed. There was certainly more talk of house prices and less of who rode in a shopping trolley last Friday night, but here were the same chats, the same stories, the same friends. Somewhere between talking and touring the shiny new bits of the school, in a haze of memories and unauthorised prosecco, I had an idea. Wouldn’t it be great go back to school for a day? To take the classes you wish you’d taken. YES!! To see things from a mature, adult perspective? Oops, did I say that out loud? Then someone made it happen. The day arrives. After an early tube scoot from East to West London, I was directed to assembly. I half slept through these at school, but this time it was riveting (Small white lie). After an alarmingly familiar bell, I was given my timetable: First lesson A-Level Art. Hurray for Art, this class was my sanctuary at school. My teacher Mrs Hurd treated me like a serious Artist, not some lazy doodler sticking tissue paper to chicken wire. As Artists we were 14
free to use our time, make our own mess and often someone else would even clean it up, how wonderful! I’m happy to see the students still have a safe and introspective space to develop their arty brain. Familiar subject matter still reigns here at A-Level. The brooding self- portrait, the picture of a best friend, the still life with that skeleton we gave a name once. The students have talent and seem well equipped to make big decisions about their future paths in Art. Talking to them was fun and unnerving because they listened to my opinion, but I soon realised that any advice I could give them isn’t about me or any scary, hairy (being art students) experiences I’ve had. It’s just about representing Art as a real career path they might follow. I’ve gone on to make (very little) money from my paintings and book illustrations, which has at times been incredibly satisfying. At other times, I admit I’ve considered never drawing again. But I’m still gleeful to wave a tiny, slightly rose-tinted flag in a student’s direction and say
“Hurray for Art, it’s the best, you like eating beans character doesn’t have a name. She’s known only from a can, right?” by her marital attachment to a male character and judged by her appearance. Her opinions are “Buenas tardes señorita, puedo ver sus hermosas ignored. In short, she’s a woman without a voice berenjenas? Por qué llamas a la policía?” in the world. So on to Year 11 Spanish, a language I wish I’d studied at school, but only started learning a few years ago while living in Argentina. The courses I took there were my first brush with ‘formal’ education since leaving school. Fortunately, embarrassment and necessity became very useful learning tools for me so I can now thoroughly enjoy a GCSE Spanish class. Reinforced by the entertaining, complaining aural content, this lesson was about how to assert yourself when your hotel stay goes wrong. However reluctant we were to sing a song regarding our missing loo-roll or the cockroaches on the ceiling, it’s still a good message. In Spanish or English, in a hotel or out of one, be polite, confident and assertive in asking for what you want. Ideally in the form of a catchy song. As she revealed Steinbeck’s comment on the perception of women in a patriarchal society, this clever and unfazed Year 10 student had little in common with the character. But while we talked I started to think serious things. Things like, ‘Will there be jelly for lunch?’, ‘How does that digital whiteboard work, voodoo magic? I didn’t even see the internet until I was fifteen.’ And then this: ‘What are the challenges women like us might face to make us reconsider following our dreams and ambitions?’
Of Mice and Men and Women By year 10 English, I felt a theme to my day beginning to emerge. My student partner summarised the plot of Steinbeck’s novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ concisely as we discussed the only female character in the novel. I learned that this 15
How apt a lesson we learned in my next class, Year 8 History: How did Elizabeth I prove her worth as female monarch in a male-dominated, 16th Century society? Well she circulated portraits of herself looking young and fabulous, and banned all others. She showed no weakness, kept spies and killed her enemies. This weak and feeble woman ruled England for forty-four years, so I suppose she did quite a good job. Interestingly, current Queen Elizabeth has reigned for sixty-five years, but is still rocking her forties in portraits on the new plastic money.
Not to trivialise the subject, but just then the bell rang for lunch and I was told there would be jelly for pudding. Following lunch, I enjoyed the charming babble of Year 7 French speakers and the contrasting cynicism of sixth-formers debating Russian political history. As glittery pens and pencil cases gave way to chewed black biros, my thoughts returned to the challenges these women might face in their future lives, and how our school prepares them. We all know the clichés of how women are perceived. We’re not opinionated, we’re emotional. Our choice of clothing makes us either a nun or a tart. We can’t be an expert, and we can’t expect gender equality in the workplace.
Your gender is irrelevant to the pursuit of your dreams and ambitions. Form and discuss your own opinions. Yes, we all need different things to motivate us at school and out in the ‘real’ world, but students at our school can take for granted that anything they choose to pursue is possible. And as alumnae, anything we choose to pursue now is still possible. So I think I’ll sup from my NHEHS mug with a small bubble of pride and affection from now on. And yes, sign me up for that OGA workshop.
Noëlle Davies-Brock NHEHS 2000
Conclusion: Can’t we just murder our enemies? As students many of us took our education for granted, and often forgot the cost to our parents. Personally, I worried more about writing my awful angst-ridden poetry than revising. But a day back at school showed me how valuable it was that we could take things for granted. The following messages were repeated in every class I attended: Clichés about women will not be reinforced here.
Last academic year the Alumnae Office had fantastic feedback on the variety of Old Girls who came back to school to inspire the girls in their career and university choices. As an extension of this the Alumnae Office would like to provide more opportunities for Old Girls to network in business, and to inspire each other. In 2018 we kick of with our first alumnae networking evening on 31st January. Please see upcoming events on page 8 for more information. If this is a success we will follow with more networking evenings in different areas such as Engineering, Architecture and Design, Law and Medicine. If you would like to host an NHEHS alumnae networking event at your place of work please do get in touch. 16
Thank you!
A huge thank you to the Old Girls who have been such an inspirational part of school events and lectures in 2017 - the following alumnae have provided work experience, offered the opportunity for school trips, and also been in to school to inspire girls with their university and career stories, judge the fashion show or run workshops... Hafsa Malik Yasmin Sahota Zaibun-Nisa Malik Shaima Mirza Sophie Phillimore Olivia Stamp Chloe Coates Gala Garrod Farnaz Motamedi Rachel Aroesti Emily Lloyd Grace Richardson Charlotte Cooke Sara Sesardic Natalie Hughes Harriet Grigg Negar Hamzianpour Marisa Hofat Anita Davies Sara Kayat Claudia Burns Spence Lucy Dartford Antonia Kraskowski Katie Wilmot Yasmine Say Noelle Davis-Brock Pippa Evans Maggie Rogers Roseanna Hailstone Jasmine Piran Elizabeth Chase
2014 2014 2012 2012 2012 2012 2010 2010 2009 2008 2008 2008 2007 2007 2006 2005 2005 2005 2003 2003 2002 2002 2002 2002 2001 2000 2000 1999 1998 1998 1997
Laura Vickery Lizzie Davison Aneeta Parthipun Lara Saour Kate Crawford Nirupa Murugaesu Azmina Airi Anne-Marie Pearce Jane Sigaloff Katharine Hunt Vanita Parti Lydia Stevens Amabel Polglase Shailina Benning Kate Murphy Marcia Shekerdemian QC Anna Zakharova Penny Bingham MRICS Jamelia Gavin
1997 1996 1996 1996 1995 1995 1994 1994 1991 1987 1987 1987 1986 1984 1983 1982 1981 1974 1957
If you would like to be involved please email alumnae@nhehs.gdst.net
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Alumnae Event Highlights 2017
Alumnae advise girls at the careers networking breakfast in April.
Old Girls meet for a tea reunion in Bristol in March.
Pimms on the lawn for recent leavers in June.
Alumnae join the judging panel for the Charity Fashion Show in June. 18
There was a fantastic turn out for the annual OGA Tea Reunion at school in September.
The OGA netball squad photo in September.
The second Christmas wreath workshop was a great success in December.
For more information on past events please see the ‘news’ section on the Alumnae page of the NHEHS website: www.nhehs.gdst.net/alumnae/news or visit the OGA Facebook page @NHEHSoldgirlsassoc 19
news from the archives
The Chick sisters on a picnic in 1902. We have welcomed a steady stream of enquiries during the past year, ranging from a request for a full list of Head Girls to information on past pupils. Now that we have built up some core resources, answering enquiries is simpler and the recently completed database of 11,246 old girls who came to Notting Hill before admissions went digital is proving invaluable. Two highlights this year were visits from Miss Chapman, sports teacher and Guide Captain at NHEHS from 1951-1984 and Anne Irvine, a pupil from 1952 to 1965. They shared their memories and helped fill some gaps in our knowledge. The Old Girls’ tea party also provided an opportunity to pick the brains of various Old Girls. Some of them kindly brought in photographs which we were able to scan. Having completed the digitisation of the school magazines, we have started our next project: to digitise the pupil registers. All records up to 1934 have now been completed. These include those for the first 10 girls who started at Notting Hill on 16th September 1873 as well as those for the daughters of some well-known fathers such as William Morris (Father described as ‘Artist’) and Winston Churchill (‘Secretary of State for War’). The plan is to make those records which are no longer subject to Data Protection restrictions available on the NHEHS Digital Archives pages, so they are accessible to family historians and researchers. During the coming year, we plan to start digitising the Junior School magazines. We have a copy of The Red Skipper for 1982 but unfortunately, are missing the 1983-5 copies. (Does anyone know when this publication started?) We are also missing the 1999 issue of The Red Swallow. If anyone has a copy of any of these which they would be happy to donate to the archives, or loan to us so they can be scanned, we would be very grateful. Finally work has continued to raise the profile of the archives within the school. We provided photos and information for Mr Shoults who marked the school’s 144th birthday by reminding the girls of their incredible heritage, and for the third year I ran a workshop for Year 3 - always a treat for me. 20
The Chick Family This year we were approached for information on two past pupils by two separate learned societies, The Royal Statistical Society and The Nutrition Society. Coincidentally they were searching for information on two sisters– Harriette and Frances Chick. The Nutrition Society was interested in Harriette’s background while the Royal Statistical Society needed information on Frances for an article in ‘Significance’ magazine. Prompted by this interest, some of the sixth form looked further into the family and produced an assembly on the Chick family, who it turns out have provided us with some most distinguished past pupils. Seven daughters of lace merchant Samuel Chick attended Notting Hill in the late 19th and very early 20th century. Incredibly, five went on to university and to have distinguished careers at a time when the education of girls was not generally a high priority and when study and work opportunities for women were limited. The eldest sister, Edith, studied botany at UCL where she became the first female Quain Student in Botany and went on to become a renowned ecologist in her own right. Harriette became an authority on nutrition and played an important role in demonstrating that conditions like rickets were caused by nutritional deficiencies and were not ‘diseases’ as previously thought. She was the first woman to receive a Research Studentship at the Lister Institute, an organisation with which she went on to have a long connection. She was the only woman amongst the founders of the Medical Research Council and in 1941 helped found the Nutrition Society. She was made a DBE in 1949 for services to science. After the war, Harriette went to work in Vienna where, for a short while, she was joined by her sister, Mary. Mary had left school early because of ill health and went into her father’s lace business, eventually becoming a Director. She became the Secretary of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom whose aim was to bring together women from various backgrounds to work for peace. Margaret trained as a teacher and taught elocution at NHHS from 1918 to 1947. She joined the OGA when she left school and served as its Secretary from 1939-1954. In World War 1, she was involved in Belgian relief work. Elsie studied languages at UCL and graduated with Honours in English. She later did an MA and then spent a year studying Icelandic! She became a lecturer in English Literature and, in 1918, was made a Fellow of UCL. Like Margaret, she was involved in Belgian relief work during World War 1. Frances Chick studied Chemistry at UCL and became a research chemist at the Lister Institute. Here she joined a new statistical department where she looked into things such as the impact of changing food prices on working families and the correlation between home conditions and the mental development of children. She is generally recognised as the first female medical statistician and was the first woman appointed to the Royal Statistical Society Executive Committee. She is commemorated in the RSS’s Frances Wood Medal. The youngest sister, Dorothy trained as a doctor and worked as a house surgeon in Serbia. She died of influenza in 1919 and a prize was set up in her name at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine.
Liz Broekmann (BA, HDipLib, HED, MCILIP) NHEHS School Archivist 21
News from our Old Girls...
Noreen King 1938 I am now 96 and still love watching tennis!
managed to achieve 12 A*s in her GCSE exams last summer!! We feel very proud of all of them!
Gillian Lowe (Mitchell) 1954 (OGA Committee member) I have an Hon.Treasurer’s hat on for two local organisations – Warfield Ladies’ Probus Club and Bracknell Flower Club, as well as being on the Committee of Bracknell Probus Club and keeping their membership records. I belong to two sections of Bracknell U3A and am a Voluntary Steward at St.George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Having studied Medieval History during several of my NHEHS years, I find the history of the Chapel and Castle especially interesting. All these activities lead to various outings to places of interest, theatres, etc. At this somewhat late stage of life I am attempting to learn Bridge !! I keep in touch with and sometimes see several school contemporaries – Sheila (Wood) Cottingham, Valerie (Chadwin) Keen, Josphine (Dunster) Neighbour, Pauline (Ebden) Hedley, Mildred (Griffen) (Dewhurst) and Marian (Morley) Griffin. My daughter lives in Spain but we spend time together several times a year and have just had a very enjoyable week in South-West Ireland.
Jamila Gavin (Singh) 1957 I think I have returned twice to NHEHS for my year reunions, which was amazing. Over the past thirty years of writing children’s fiction, I’ve had a parallel life going to libraries and schools as a visiting author to do talks and workshops. I was so thrilled to reconnect with NHEHS when I tutored a group of girls on an Arvon Creative Writing Course at the Hurst in Shropshire, and to subsequently be invited to share World Book Day in 2017 with the girls at NHEHS.
Virginia Patterson (Thorp) 1956 This year we have not had any exciting visits abroad but we did enjoy seeing our daughter and son-inlaw from Belfast with their lovely family when they came over to visit in the summer. Apart from that, our excitements this year have all been wonderful exam results for many of our 10 grandchildren! Our eldest granddaughter (22) got a first in Modern Languages at Hull University and is now about to start her MA studies at Leeds; our second started studying Psychology at Guildford Uni; our third did very well in her A levels and will go to Keele to study Forensic Science, while our fourth 22
Diana Balogh (James) 1959 Lots of travel planned for 2017 – 18. October to the UK for 2 weeks. Christmas and New Year to be spent in Australia (Perth and Sydney to visit friends and family). Then June 2018 to London for my son’s wedding (second!) followed by a trip to Palma De Mallorca where my co-parents-in-law live for a further celebration. To Perth I travel with a friend. On my return from Sydney I might just treat myself to a once in a life luxury = Business Class! Dr Jill Gurney 1960 Have now completed MA in Philosophy from University of Birmingham and still enjoy long walks over the South Downs. Jane Hering (Hilary Kent) 1966 (OGA Committee member) After several years of fairly major medical ailments, I’m now pretty much recovered and am currently loving being a hands-on Granny to my 2 granddaughters (aged 3 months & nearly 3) which happily takes up much of my time. I regularly volunteer at Osterley House, enjoy upholstery as a hobby and also help support in a tiny way a
wonderful older lady with macular degeneration ‘The Holiday’ of course....set in the same place! to help enable her to stay in her own home. Barbara Pell (Bailey) 1972 I moved away from London in 1970 after O levels Jane Anderson 1967 Retired from social work with children and families and lost touch with old school friends. I would love in 2014. Now I spend my time travelling and to get in touch with them again. I am now retired helping to look after my grand-daughter. Married. and living in Surrey. Gina Regester (Buckingham) 1967 Married with 2 sons and 3 granddaughters Alison Woodman (Bailey) 1967 Still working as a Children’s Guardian Independent Social Worker. Am married with 2 daughters. Enjoying life! Dr Sally Mason (Ashford) 1970 (OGA Committee member) I am recovering well from spine surgery at RNOH Stanmore and getting more active. Now that Peter is formally retired we are hoping to extend the fruit garden and travel more. Still living in Ealing! Dr Elizabeth Sparrow 1970 Now retired though still professionally active and a trustee at several charities Sylvia Forder (Barker) 1972 After a most enjoyable and fulfilling career in primary teaching, culminating in headship of a large primary school for the final 8 years, I retired in 2012, just in time to watch the Olympics! My home is in West Sussex, perfect for exploring the Downs, the beautiful coast and the many special National Trust places. Time flies, helping my elderly father (Reg Barker - a Lancaster Bomber Pilot veteran, who will be 96 in December 2017) and enjoying family time - I have two daughters: Sarah & Louise and two gorgeous grandchildren: Lucy aged 7 and Joseph, just a month old! My sister Clare (who left in 1969) and her family live nearby - she has 5 grandchildren. My happiest memory of NHEHS was the wonderful residential trip to Gomshall, visiting Shere, the Silent Pool, Abinger Hammer etc! Lovely memories! My favourite film? 23
Clare Johnson (Amanda Walkden ) 1973 All through my 13 years at NHEHS I was called Amanda, but ever since 1980 I’ve been known by my preferred forename Clare. In a school context, though, I can answer to either name. On my marriage in 1986 I moved from London to Bielefeld in Germany where my husband Malcolm was working. I was very grateful for Mrs Olszewska’s ‘O’ and ‘A’ level German lessons! We were soon moving around Germany to Verden an der Aller and Dortmund, and then in 1992 we returned to the UK for a wonderful 18-month stay on the Isle of Benbecula in Scotland. After that we were briefly at Wolverhampton, then back in Scotland at Kelso and Coldstream. Each of our many moves was due to Malcolm’s work, first in the Army and later as an IT consultant. In 2000 we were delighted to be able to settle at last here in Falkirk. All three of our children were with us by that time - Ruth Helen (born in 1989), Stephen Michael (1991) and Tessa Lucy (1998). My ongoing role is as carer for Tessa, because this bright and lovely young lady is autistic (Asperger’s) - just like me, only a bit more so! I’m greatly enjoying this fascinating life full of adventures, learning and discovery. One of the best things has been finding out about autism and understanding how it explains the difficulties I myself faced from my earliest schooldays, including how on leaving school I managed to attend Birmingham University for only one term. I’m happy to help if other Alumnae with a connection to or an interest in autism would like to discuss it. The welcoming friendliness, interest and fun I’ve found in the NHEHS OGA online has emboldened me to check back in here after more than 30 years! Kindest wishes and love to you all.
Jane Mansell (Sellers) 1975 Last April I retired after almost 40 years as a speech and language therapist. Latterly I specialised in working with young people with learning difficulties and I also led the service in West Kent for children and young people who stammer. My husband retired at the end of July and we have now returned to North Yorkshire. We have been given a warm welcome and are much enjoying being closer to our 4 grandchildren and getting involved in village community life. Thus far, we are also relishing the lack of work responsibilities, giving time for other pursuits! Jane Salisbury (Freake) 1975 After living in Hanwell for 40 years we have finally fulfilled a dream and escaped to the country. I am discovering the joys of fruit trees and compost heaps and with a choir, pub and bus into Oxford just a few minutes walk away I couldn’t be happier. Gillian Crehan (Evans) 1977 I have 5 children ranging from 22 - 30, two of whom married this summer in our garden. My eldest, Lucy, has recently written a book on education in the top-performing countries called ‘Cleverlands’ and was on the news on various occasions for about a week when the Pisa scores came out. She now speaks at education conferences around the world. I have been a head teacher at St.Helen’s College in Hillingdon for 29 years and retired last year although I am still involved as a principal and with various other aspects, mainly music. I started singing at Notting Hill and am still singing! I was in Dido and Aeneas at school. It is now 40 years since I left school and I will be attending the reunion for the first time. My sister, Glynis, and my mother also attended Notting Hill. My mother, Joan Bate, left in 1944 and has stories of cycling to school with a gas mask avoiding the bombs! She is still going strong and has only just given up on world cruises aged 88.
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Linda New (Post) 1977 I would love to get in contact with Hilary Grace who was in the A class of my year. She came to NHEHS for Senior School and went into the 6th form. We only lost touch a few years ago. Her married name is McKenzie. Nicola Cormack (Lumley-Kelly) 1979 I live in Farnham in Surrey and have 4 (big!) children and 2 granddaughters. Andie Chandler (Miller) 1981 Have been living in FishHoek,Cape Town for ten years now. Originally visited Cape Town to see Katy MacDonald (née Sankey) and fell in love with the place. Am married with four dogs and four cats, a 20-year-old foster-daughter, Nancy, who has just left home, and a 10-year-old foster-boy, Faldie, who lived on the streets until he was 8 and has been with us since July 2015. After eighteen months of home-schooling him, he has just started Grade 3 at the local Primary school and is thriving. My parents still live in Ealing and I come back to visit once or twice a year. If you are visiting Cape Town’s South Peninsula, please do get in touch and we could meet for a coffee or a “sundowner”! I always love to see people from home. Carolyn Harden 1981 Moved last summer to live in Norfolk away from the busy Surrey life around the M25. Wonderful life close to the sea and out in the country. Dr. Alexandra Lascarides 1981 I’m married with one daughter, born in 2003. I’m a professor in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. My research focusses on computational linguistics and AI. Anna Zakharova 1981 I have now been a vet for over 25 years. I farm with my husband (also a vet) on the Welsh Borders. We have 2 wonderful daughters and are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this year.
Kathryn Flett 1982 Funnily enough, my latest novel ‘Outstanding’, about schools, is now out in paperback! I moved from London to the south coast in 2005 and (apart from friends) the only thing I really miss about the Smoke is Selfridges. I’m an old mum of two young boys (turning 15 and 11 this year) so I’m very much still in the thick of it, parenting-wise. Aside from my restaurant column in the Sunday Telegraph, I am currently studying interior design — a long time passion. I also own an Airbnb holiday apartment in St Leonards’ Warrior Square (Europe’s largest seafacing garden square, fact fans) — and offer mates’ rates to any NHEHS OGs who fancy visiting this bit of the East Sussex seaside. (FYI 90 mins from Charing Cross, we’re close to Rye and Battle and half an hour from Camber Sands).
husband Scott and our two daughters, Isabelle (12) and Amelie (10). I’m in touch with several old NHEHS girls via Facebook and would love to come to the next reunion! Many, many memories of Redlands, Skipton and Main School, and very happy to see the school is continuing to thrive!
Geraldine Mynors 1987 I have been living in Glasgow since 2013 with the family and enjoying the countryside and the celtic music scene. I still work as an independent healthcare consultant and also run an ADHD parent support group in the city.
Jola Chudy 1994 I’m the Editor in Chief of three magazines in Dubai at the Middle East’s largest publishing house. During my career I’ve interviewed many famous people including Sarah Jessica Parker, Christian Louboutin and Sir Ben Kingsley. I recently flew to Zurich to test-drive the new Rolls-Royce Phantom and was one of the first in the world to drive it. I write about luxury brands - you can follow my Instagram @jolachudy and get in touch for some more stories. I’m a working mother; one funny thing that happened recently was whilst interviewing the head of Montblanc, famous for their exclusive pens, I pulled a giant colourful Mr
Jane Sigaloff 1991 (OGA Committee member) Has started playing netball again as part of her midlife crisis and finds she is still as competitive a WA as ever, if her joints are a little less supportive. A committed Londoner she is writing her next novel (slowly) whilst looking after her two girls. Now 9 and 6 they are both at Putney High School. She also lives with her lovely husband and their now ancient spaniel. Her brother is now living in Sydney, Australia which has resulted in some excellent travel opportunities for the family. Tragically her Meg Cope (Minasian) 1987 father has been suffering with a form of dementia I launched Zaccys in 2016, we are a niche luxury which includes elements of Parkinson’s disease for brand handmaking beautiful shoes with the added several years and is now in the later stages of his benefit of comfort, we support 2 children’s cancer illness. He now (inconveniently!) lives in Norfolk so charities. many hours have been spent in the car just to pop in for a hug. Fortunately she finds the long road Danine Irwin (Benardout) NHEHS 1987 trips rather cathartic. Still playing hockey for WGCHC. Recently graduated from the OU with BA(Hons) in Kate Brooks (Kent) 1992 Spanish and working with Young People; never too Still loving life in Berkshire - busy juggling work and late!! children’s activities/social lives!
Anke Rudy (Murmann) 1989 NHEHS gave me a fantastic education, opportunity to study at Oxford, and 10 years of varied and interesting working life... I married and had two girls. Moved to Frankfurt, Germany in 2004 then to the East coast of America in 2012, where I am now living on beautiful Cape Cod with my American 25
Men pen out of my bag. That got a lot of laughs! I’m often on the front row at fashion shows and receive hand written notes from people like Dolce and Gabbana. It can be very glamorous but it’s hard work too. Zosia Thackery (Kulesza) 1994 (OGA Committee member) Currently working as a specialist dyslexia and literacy support teacher at St Augustine’s Priory, Ealing. Loving work and a busy family life.
which went to number 3 in the UK Music Week Club Charts. Following this I released my next single ‘Phenomenal’ in February, which was made track of the week on BBC Asian Network. I am also involved with a number of local initiatives with Ealing Council in order to try and empower children and encourage them to follow their dreams no matter what background they might come from. Separately from this, I set up a Co-Working Tech company BoomZone in Ealing Broadway (www.boomzone.co.uk) which provides office space for start-up companies, alongside providing mentoring and incubation. I would like to say a special thanks to my teacher Mrs Peric Matthews as I clearly remember her words “The World Is Your Oyster” which really inspires me to aim for all I can achieve.
Julia Bushby (Wood) 2000 (OGA Committee member) After returning to NHEHS to teach for 3 years, I am now teaching French and Spanish at a school in Caversham. Married to Mark (met whilst both teaching at NHEHS!) who is now Head of a Prep school in Reading. We have two daughters. Annabel Roderick 2015 Currently studying at Durham University and Nathalie Mairs (Watson) 2004 about to undertake a year abroad to the University Moved to Taunton in July 2016 and married of Granada, looking forward to immersing myself Ian Mairs at a lovely ceremony by the sea in in Spanish language and culture. September 2016. Enjoying the start of married life and continuing my work for the RNLI. Carol D’Avella retired in June 2017 after 27 years working in the finance department at NHEHS. A Benaisha Daruwalla 2007 familiar face at school; many of you will remember (OGA Committee member) that she always helped at school events and I’m taking a sabbatical from work this year and functions and was even known to cook the lunch doing some of the things I’ve always wanted to do, when the cooks were off sick! She is looking forward starting with a trip to India to do my yoga teacher to spending more time with her grandchildren and training course. Following this, I will be going to to a few well-deserved holidays. live and work on a horse ranch in Tucson, Arizona for 3 months, spending my time riding through the cactus-filled national parks and teaching yoga :)
We love to hear from you!
Shaima Mirza 2012 It has been a while since I have had contact with my alumnae and I wanted to keep my friends updated on what I’ve been up to. Firstly, I graduated in 2015 from one of the top UK business schools with a First Class Hons Degree. Simultaneously, I have been managed since 14/15 by Tileyard Management as a recording artist. I released by first single ‘Spread the Love’ in September 2016 26
Please update us with your news and with any changes to your contact details at the alumnae section of the school website:
www.nhehs.gdst.net/alumnae
or via email to alumnae@nhehs.gdst.net or telephone the alumnae office on: 0208 233 8533
In Memoriam
we fondly remember Sarah (Angela) Maguire NHEHS 1974, died November 2017 aged 60 Sarah left school at 17 to become Ealing Council’s first female gardener; working her way through a demanding apprenticeship that included long lists of Latin nomenclature as well as hours spent raking leaves in the cold. This hard-won knowledge of gardening informed much of the four volumes of poetry she wrote and aided her in editing ‘Flora Poetica’: an anthology of botanical verse. Sarah could often be heard on the radio providing pithy critical reviews of a wide range of subjects including poetry, film, politics and London. In 2004 Sarah founded the ‘Poetry Translation Centre’ at London University, which aims to introduce new audiences to leading poets from around the world. Ann Sigaloff NHEHS 1963, died on 30th September 2017 aged 72 Ann very sadly died of lung cancer at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington, aged 72. Judith O’Riordan NHEHS 1942, died 19th February 2017 aged 92 Beryl Feuer (nee Slatter) NHEHS 1953 died June 2017 Beryl had previously returned to school for the afternoon tea every 5 years to meet with her year group. Josephine Sybil Cledwyn (nee Wadden) NHEHS 1946, died May 2017 Helen Mary Tuff (nee Alexander) NHEHS 1955, died October 2016 NHEHS Staff: Simon Trickett (Biology teacher 2002 – 2017) died December 2017 Sue Lawrence (Head of Languages from 1990 - 2011) died May 2016 Marian Jolowicz (Head of Science 1964 – 1990) died September 2015
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Old Girls’ Association c/o Notting Hill & Ealing High School 2 Cleveland Road, Ealing, London W13 8AX alumnae@nhehs.gdst.net
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