e-Roedeanian - Spring 2023

The Roedeanian

Alumnae News

Teresa and Tanya reunite in Texas

Claire Simpson and friends

Leila Lai, Tricia Teo & Mr Rous

Music and Mystery Promenade Concert King's Coronation

vs The School Netball

Carolyn Steel, Carolyn Aitken, and Lynn Johnson

Wild Fridays

Year 13 Leavers

Brighton Festival Fringe Concert

Sea Swimming

Introduction

Welcome to my first edition of the Roedeanian Magazine as Head of Roedean. It is wonderful to be sharing so many fantastic articles from the Roedean community with you.

My first term here has certainly had a busy but brilliant start, with a visit from Roedean South Africa on my second day. I am looking forward to developing further connections with our sister school in the future.

I have also enjoyed seeing so many ORs visiting the School this term, whether for an organised event, or for private tours. ORs are always welcome to come back to see us, and can book visits through the Roedeanian Office. It was particularly lovely to have had a chance to meet Carolyn Steel, Carolyn Aitken and Lynn Johnson during their recent visit to celebrate a very special birthday year – Lynn having joined us all the way from Hawaii.

As you will read in the magazine, our students have been keeping very active, from our new Saturday Sailing Club, to abseiling down the i360 to raise an amazing amount for charity, to individual success competing for Great Britain.

We had another very successful series of careers events last term, and so thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to support the girls. It really does mean a lot to them to know that there is a global and varied wider Roedean community out there to help them as they start to plan for their futures.

In this issue, we are also celebrating some brilliant ORs, who have won awards, prestigious scholarships, and been invited to 10 Downing Street amongst others. Congratulations to you all.

As our 125th Anniversary celebrations continue, it was great fun to join the students and my colleagues on the front field to take our wonderful cover photo, and I look forward to meeting many of you at our celebration evening in September.

Best wishes

Niamh Green

Headmistress

School Highlights

Roedean Welcomes New Head – Niamh Green

We were delighted to welcome Niamh Green as our new Head at the start of the Summer term. She was warmly welcomed by students, staff, and parents in her first week, around school, in assemblies, and at Parents’ Evening. “It is a privilege and an honour to be the next Head of this very special School. It is an exciting community to be part of, with dedicated staff, enthusiastic girls, supportive parents’ association, and a global Old Girls network.”

Mrs Green studied at a European school in Luxembourg, before studying French and History at University College, Dublin. She then took an MA in Public Relations and after a short career in PR in London, she studied for a PGCE in Cambridge.

She has worked in leading girls’ boarding schools for over 20 years in a range of different roles including, French and German teacher, Head of Department, Housemistress,

Roedean Sailing Starts

April marked the start of the new Roedean Sailing Club, which saw the girls head to Ardingly Reservoir. Despite the low wind speed, they were able to sail their boats for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed their experience. A lot of fun was had, and they are incredibly excited for the rest of their sailing this term.

The new Sailing Club is a wonderful opportunity for the students and has been made possible by a generous OR donation. From September, every Year 7 girl will also have sailing lessons as part of their Wild Fridays programme. Hopefully this new initiative will see more sailors for the OR Team in years to come!

Deputy Head, and more recently Acting Head at Mayfield School.

When talking about all girls’ education Mrs Green said, “For me, an all girls’ education is synonymous with an education to become a strong, independent, resilient, young woman, ready to face the world – whilst providing a safe space for girls as they experience the most important years in their development.”

Year 9 – An Abseil with a Difference!

As part of a fundraising drive for their dedicated charity this year a group of Year 9s took on the iDrop, abseiling an incredible 165 metres from the city’s iconic landmark – the i360.

Depending on when they dropped, they had unparalleled views of the sun setting, the streetlights coming on along King’s Road, and the moon over the sea. As they arrived back on firm ground, they were cheered by family, friends, and staff all celebrating their fantastic achievement.

‘It was just incredible, and it was amazing looking out over the sea with the moon reflecting on the water and the lights from the wind farm’. – Megs

‘It was absolutely exhilarating – I was really lucky because all the lights on the prom came on as I was going down.’ – Farwa

The group have so far raised £8956 for Raystede Animal Shelter which really is amazing.

Careers Events

March saw the return of our in-person Careers Fair, the first one since before the pandemic and we welcomed some incredible contributors from our OR, parental and local community.

The hall was filled with students, and the room had a real buzz. Seeing them so keen to discuss different careers with people working in fields such as Law, Medicine, STEM, HR, and Creative Arts was wonderful.

This year we also welcomed students from the Roedean Academy, and it was great that they too had the chance to be involved, adding to the brilliant atmosphere on the day.

The feedback from the contributors has been really positive, and it has been so nice to hear how impressed they were with the students.

It was my pleasure; it was great to speak to the girls and hear how passionate a lot of them are about STEM subjects and careers. –

Harriet Morphew OR

It was an absolute pleasure to meet the students. They were all so polite and inquisitive. –

Grace-Eyre

Both Sophie and I really enjoyed it and were very impressed with the students, their questions, and their confidence. It was very well organised and I hope it was of help both to the students and the staff assisting them in their career pathways. – Claire

Martin OR

In addition to the Careers Fair, we also held ‘In Conversation With…’, an online careers event. Students from Years 10-13 heard from a number of ORs and current parents about their career pathways and were able to ask questions about their roles and what they involved.

Anne was so kind and helpful and answered all of the questions that we had about law as a career. As a potential lawyer myself, I particularly enjoyed what she had to say about how her own career has progressed within the profession, as she is now in the position of Tribunal Judge. I found her hugely inspirational, especially due to the fact that she is an Old Roedenian, as she has made me aware of

the fact that I could potentially follow in the same footsteps as her and have a fulfilling career in law. – Portia

Finally, we recently paired one of our Sixth-Form students with a current parent to undertake work experience. Erin (Yr 13) spent a week at New Priory Vets and the feedback we received was wonderful.

‘I wanted to let you know what a pleasure it was to have Erin to see practice this week. She has been polite, attentive, interested and very helpful when asked’. – Bron Eastwood

Erin said ‘After hearing Dr Eastwood speak at the Roedean careers event in January, I made contact with her and over the Easter holidays, I was lucky enough to be offered work experience at New Priory Vets. Everyone at the clinic made me feel so welcomed and I learnt more than I could ever imagine – from intricate operating techniques to my first time using a stethoscope! My favourite part was seeing an ultrasound of a pregnant cockapoo as I had never seen an ultrasound being used before. I was so inspired by talking to Dr Eastwood, watching her work and hearing about her experiences made me even more excited to apply and go to vet school.’

The Alumnae Department are always keen to hear from ORs and parents who might be interested in taking part in Careers Events, or who could offer mentoring or work experience, so please do get in touch –alumnae@roedean.co.uk.

International Show Jumping Victory for Jasmine

Congratulations to Jasmine in Year 9 who has been show jumping for Great Britain in two international competitions.

Firstly, in France, she opened with a double clear round meaning she proceeded to the team competition on the second day. The British team finished in 7th place overall. Despite an exhausting journey from France, she and her horse entered the competition in Austria with a superb individual 2nd place on day one. Jasmine then went on to win the individual ‘against the clock’ speed class, competing against the best ‘Children on Horses’ combinations from across Europe. This is such an incredible achievement, and we look forward to hearing about future successes.

School Highlights

Year 12 in the Most Biodiverse Place on Earth!

Year 12 Biology students spent a wonderful day at Wakehurst where they practiced ecological sampling techniques in the hazel coppice woodland. They also learned about the incredible ex-situ conservation work that is taking place including at the Millennium Seed Bank.

The seed bank now contains a collection of over 2.4 billion seeds from over 39,000 different species of flowering plants from around the

A Visit from Roedean South Africa – Two Schools Come Together

On Tuesday 18th April we welcomed 56 students and 5 members of staff from Roedean South Africa. They were visiting the UK on a literary and cultural tour, and it was a real privilege to have them take some time out and spend the day with us.

It has been wonderful for our two schools to be involved in so many joint projects in recent years, including Mrs Dlamini, the Executive Director of Roedean South Africa, speaking at our International Women’s Day festival last term, lots of corresponding between students via social media, a joint virtual ‘race around the world’ during Covid lockdowns when we collectively walked or ran over 40,000 kilometres, and, most recently, a former Roedean student on a gap year spent 5 weeks volunteering at the school in South Africa.

The students were exceptional ambassadors for their school – they

world, making it the most biodiverse place on Earth! It is an incredibly important resource, and while some of the plant species are now extinct in the wild, they are not extinct overall, as the seeds can be grown, and areas replanted.

‘I thoroughly enjoyed the field trip and found the experience truly eyeopening. I think this trip made me become more enthusiastic about biology, from seeing the biggest seed to seeing extinct plants that bring incredible crops for future generations due to staggering climate change and global warming was truly amazing.’ –Samantha

were engaging, and funny and it was great to see how interested they were in the school, keen to see what is the same and what is different. Despite the distance between the schools, the most obvious similarity is that our holistic ethos is absolutely fundamental to the education provided – Roedean is celebrating 125 years on the current site this year, and was founded in 1885 by three Lawrence sisters, and Roedean South Africa was founded in 1903 by a fourth sister and her friend, and their vision, that girls and young women deserve access to the very best all-round education to prepare them to make their mark in the world, remains at the very heart of what we do. While there were some other similarities, there were also some differences, and it was fun to see the students from Roedean SA create a ‘wish list’ for their school,

including an on-site Farm, which they loved!

A tour of the school and attending lessons to see what teaching is like in the UK were among some of the activities our visitors enjoyed. There was also a chapel service at which the Heads from both schools, Mrs Green and Mrs Dilani, addressed the staff and students, along with students representing both schools. A highlight of the service had to be the most incredible performance of Malibongwe, sung by the students of Roedean South Africa.

To end the visit, students took a trip down our ‘secret’ tunnel and along to the marina where they could look back at our school, on the top of the cliffs! It really was a pleasure to welcome such a fantastic group of staff and students to Roedean.

Christopher Jonas

Former Chair of Council

Christopher Jonas is a photographer of the ‘every day’. He photographs people in their organisations, un-posed and always in ambient light. Christopher’s current exhibition at Wigmore Hall, London, is on until the end of July, and features 90 images of life behind the scenes at the Hall.

Ahead of the Wigmore Hall series, his earlier commissions include from: Westminster Abbey, Metropolitan Police (2 commissions), 45 Commando Royal Marines, the International Chamber Music Festival in Nelson NZ, and the Natural History Museum.

His current work is focussed on a series for the Royal Opera House to highlight the work of the backstage departments, Craftsmen, and technicians in nineteen departments that the public never see. His skill is watching the subject, understanding some of their characteristics, and then taking shots that reflect the subject going about its every day.

Zhiyu Chen

(Keswick, 2016 -18)

Tania Higgins (No.4, 1982-87)

Tania, now based in Munich, is an experienced and highly esteemed voice actor and presenter for corporate events. She has recently won ‘Documentary Best Performance Female UK’ at the One Voice Awards in London for her narration of the documentary film about the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2022, part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

The One Voice Awards Ceremony has been held in London since 2018 and is an awards ceremony which celebrates talent in the industry at all levels. ‘Whether it's industry legends, new talent, casting directors, agents, sound engineers or...well anyone in the industry at all, we want to award excellence and perpetuate brilliant work whether it's going on in front of the mic or behind it.’

This year there were 4000 entries in total, spread over 30 categories and each category had 7 nominees.

You can view the film Tania was nominated for below.

Zhiyu Chen, is among the 77 recipients of the 2023 Gates Cambridge Scholarship. She grew up in Xuzhou, a city in eastern China and joined Roedean in 2016. She went on to study Natural Sciences at Newnham College, Cambridge, where she will return this October to undertake a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science. Her interest lies broadly in the crosscultural production and reception of scientific images, objects, and texts, and she will be focusing on the history of map-making in the western Pacific between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries.

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme was established through a US$210 million donation to the University of Cambridge from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000; this remains the largest single donation to a UK university. It funds international postgraduate students from across the globe and from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds with the emphasis on diversity of thinking. Gates Cambridge Scholars are selected not just for their academic excellence, but for their ability to do just that in order to achieve wider social impact.

More information on Gates Cambridge can be found at http://www. gatescambridge.org and a list of the class of 2023 can be found on the Gates Cambridge Directory page.

The Oberammergau Passion Play – YouTube

Anabela Chan

(No.1, 1995-03)

Anabela, an award-winning designer, was invited to 10 Downing Street on March 8th as part of an International Women’s Day workshop. Girls and young women aged 14-21 got the opportunity to meet esteemed women from the worlds of business, sport, education, technology, media, publishing, and the creative arts.

“I was honoured to be invited to co-host a speed-mentoring workshop for secondary school girls at No.10 with The Girls’ Network, for International Women’s Day”.

The Girls’ Network was founded ten years ago by two secondary school teachers, and it has since supported 8,000 girls and young women. The charity delivers a year-long mentoring programme that builds confidence, raises aspirations, challenges stereotypes, and helps girls and young women aged 14-19 to create ‘unlimited futures’, regardless of their backgrounds. The charity empowers girls and young women to realise their ambitions, discover their self-worth, and develop their capacity to shape their worlds and futures.

Anabela offered words of encouragement and advice to the girls during the ‘speed-mentoring’ workshop at No.10 which also marked the 10th anniversary of The Girls’ Network.

“I still remember arriving in the U.K. age 11 to attend boarding school, sitting my GCSEs and A-levels in Physics, Maths, Art & Design and Design & Technology. I always knew that I loved both the Sciences and the Arts but wasn’t quite sure what career combined the two. From architecture to fashion design to fine jewellery, the most rewarding part for me is definitely the journey, carving your own personal path and story.

Dream Big, Work Hard, Make A Difference. Education is the passport to the future and the future belongs to those who prepare for it today.“

Anabela has also been appointed a female Ambassador for Design & Innovation for Great Britain for Great Campaign.

10 QUESTIONS WITH… Abadesi Osunsade

(No.2, 2004-06)

This month we spoke to Abadesi, Founder and CEO of Hustle Crew, about her work on inclusion and how she is still on the stage, just as she was at Roedean, but this time as herself! You can read some highlights from her interview here, and the full interview is available online: https://tinyurl.com/465aw3y6

What is your favourite memory of Roedean?

What an impossible question! Probably singing along to Alicia Keys first album, using a hairbrush as a microphone, when I shared Crow's Nest in House 2 with Tsiory... also House Music when we sang songs from Sister Act 2.

What have you done that you are most proud of?

Throughout 2020 and 2021 when the world was grappling with the pandemic the entire NHS England team completed the inclusion training program I designed. At a time when Black and brown Brits were dying from COVID-19 at a faster rate than white ones, I feel incredibly proud to have played a role in raising awareness of bias, and prejudice, plus practical ways to promote inclusion.

Rosalind Adler

(Ashley, No. 4, 1965-71)

Rosalind recently appeared on BBC Radio London to read her short story Boleyn. Rosalind submitted the story to BBC Upload, a platform for creatives to share their work. They loved it so much they invited her to be interviewed and to read the story.

Rosalind has a busy and varied career as an actress, coach, and writer. Having started writing alongside her acting work, largely to help provide work for herself, lockdown - when theatres and studios were closed - gave her the time to focus on writing, especially short stories.

Rosalind has a great interest in Anne Boleyn, and so wanted to write something with her, or an idea of her at its centre, and she is also drawn to stories about people who are selfdeceiving, and with a little twist at the end. All of these can be found in Boleyn.

ORA Heritage Projects – Appeal Update

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Heritage Projects so far. Your donations mean that we have been able to complete the restoration of the frieze painted by Sylvia Lawrence in No. 3.

We also have the funds to carry out the restoration of the sundial on the front terrace and commission the first phase of the work on the Art Studio Tiles. We are however waiting on South Downs National Park for Listed Building consent before work on both these projects can commence.

We now need your help to undertake the restoration of the frieze painted in the Drawing Room of No.1. Entitled ‘Morning’, it shows a host of trumpet playing angels greeting the dawn – the sky streaked with gold. It is in such a poor state that the ORA funded emergency temporary repairs last year. It is now imperative that we find the funds to save this historic wall painting. Sylvia Lawrence was a trail blazer in her field, experimenting with mural painting at a time when it was not considered a suitable medium for a female artist.

Fortunately, we have already received donations amounting to £2,135. We need a further £6,065. The total cost is £8,200.

Help us to restore these historic friezes for future generations of Roedeanians to enjoy.

Any donation, large or small, will help us reach this target, or you can of course also choose to donate to one of the other projects, or for your donation to go into the general Heritage Project pot to be used on any of the projects. Donations can be made online viahttps://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ora-heritage-projects, or please contact Noëlle Chase onheritage@oldroedeanians. co.ukfor a copy of the Gift Form.

Booking will be opening very soon for a spectacular evening at Roedean to celebrate the 125th anniversary of being on our iconic cliff-top site. Make sure to save the date, Saturday 16 September 2023, and keep an eye out for the booking information to join us for delicious food and drink, some special treats, and a chance to help support future Roedeanians.

125th Anniversary Gala Dinner

Our Founders’ – The Lawrence Sisters

Penelope, Dorothy, and Millicent were the Lawrence family's eldest sisters of fourteen siblings. Penelope was born in 1856, Dorothy in 1860, and Millicent in 1863.

The Lawrence sisters grew up and became established in their careers in the second half of the Victorian age, a period often described in English history, as a settled time marked by a degree of stability. However, in the earlier parts of the Lawerences’ lives, there were few gainful occupations for educated women to find their vocation. In later years, Penelope Lawrence spoke frequently of this during prize-giving addresses, comparing the variety of careers open to the girls in contrast to her own youth, she advised them to choose well and carefully.

In 1864 the sisters moved to Freiberg in Germany with their family, and with both a German nurse and governess, German became the home language. After a month’s visit to the Swiss Alps, the family spent almost a year in France, mainly in Versailles and then on holiday to Biarritz. While in Versailles, Penelope, who was almost nine years old, attended a day school, becoming competent in French.

The family returned to Wimbledon in 1865 where they stayed for four years. Penelope attended a private day school, while Dorothy and Millicent continued having lessons at home with the same German governess who had remained with the family since their time in Freiberg.

In 1870, when their father moved the family to Dresden, the three sisters attended a large private day school close to where they lived. The school belonged to two sisters, named Wimmer, but the teaching was done almost entirely by men.

As the family had grown, the sisters’ parents soon decided that the flat in Dresden, which had no garden, was too small for so many children and the decision was made to move to Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany, in the Spring of 1871. While in Gotha, Dorothy and Millicent were educated at home with a resident German governess, and at fifteen years old, Penelope started her training for the Froebel Diploma. She attended Dr. Köhler’s school whilst also having private lessons at home. It was during their time in Gotha that Penelope passed her teacher’s course.

In 1873 when the Lawrence family returned to England, Penelope

commenced teaching her younger brothers and sisters, while Dorothy completed her schooling at Mrs. Edwardes’ school and Millicent went to a small private school in Surbiton.

After focussing all her efforts on her sibling’s education, Penelope moved to Newnham College, Cambridge in 1874, and in 1875, Dorothy went to Bedford College for three years. Penelope passed her Tripos examination in Cambridge in 1878 and was appointed demonstrator at Newnham College. She held this post for two years until she moved on to become the Principal of the Froebel Training College. A great wish of Penelope’s was that her sisters would follow in her footsteps and also attend Newnham, but when the time came their father could no longer afford the expense. However, as soon as she had started to earn money for herself, she paid for Millicent to complete her teacher training. Dorothy, and Millicent on completion of her training, then devoted themselves to teaching the younger members of the family at their home, Fearegg House.

Autumn 1881, saw a crisis in the Lawrence family when their father suffered greatly in a serious accident

The Lawrence Sisters

leaving them with little income. With the upkeep of a large establishment such as Fearegg House, the Lawrence sisters, and their mother set about working up a school in their home, taking in boarders and inviting the neighbours’ daughters to attend as day girls. The laborious work at home continued for almost four years, after which Dorothy and Millicent persuaded Penelope to give up her other interests and join them in setting up a school away from home. Leaving home for Brighton, the three sisters rented a house in Lewes Crescent which became Wimbledon House

School. So came the frequent phrase from Miss Lawrence, ‘Roedean was founded by a family’.

After 11 years of rapid growth, the sisters knew that if the school were to continue to prosper, they would need to move to a larger location, and in 1895 they started their search to acquire such a site. The Lawrence sisters worked tirelessly, and it was by their own efforts that they managed to raise the sum, a large one at that, that was needed for the move. As they searched for an architect, Penelope, Dorothy, and Millicent, were

introduced to John Simpson. A close friendship between the four developed and during this time, Mr Simpson’s plans were altered a number of times in order to fit the exact details considered necessary by the sisters for teaching staff, pupils, and domestic staff. When the time came, in 1897, for the foundation stone to be laid, it was the Principal of Newnham College, Mrs Sidgwick who was chosen by Penelope to do so. This was rather poignant, but even more so some thirty years later when she became the first president of Roedean school.

1895, Lawrence sisters

Dorothy Lawrence

Millicent Lawrence

Penelope Lawrence

Dorothy Lawrence Aged 19

Penelope Lawrence Aged 27

Millicent Lawrence Aged 13

Dates for your Diary

Friday 9 June 2023

4 pm

Roedean

Saturday 24 June 2023

10 am – 4 pm

Roedean

Saturday 1 July 2023

1.30 pm

Roehampton Club, SW15 5LR

Saturday

2 September 2023

1.30 pm

Roedean

Saturday

16 September 2023

Evening

Roedean

Saturday 14 October 2023

Morning

Roedean

Saturday 14 October 2023

Afternoon

Roedean

ORA Heritage Projects Tour

ORs are invited to join the ORA for a tour of the ORA Heritage Projects. During the tour, you will hear about the heritage of various parts of the School, and the efforts to fundraise for their conservation. Please RSVP to heritage@oldroedeanians.co.uk or register online here on the Roedean Community Network.

Roedean Day 2023

ORs, former staff, and their guests are all welcome to join us for our main reunion day. The day will include all the usual options of tours, lunch, sports day, and some special extras to celebrate the 125th anniversary of being on our current site. Booking is now open here. If you have any questions, please do feel free to contact us via alumnae@roedean.co.uk or by calling 01273 667398.

OR Tennis Day

Please do join your fellow ORs for an afternoon of Tennis followed by a BBQ on Saturday 1st July at the Roehampton Club, London SW15 5LR. Both players and spectators are welcome. To reserve a place, please book by Friday 23rd June. Booking for this event can be made here.

If you would like further information, or if you have difficulty booking online, please contact Noelle Chase ontennis@oldroedeanians.co.uk.

OR vs The Girls Hockey Match 2023

Save the Date – the OR vs the Girls Hockey Match will take place at the school on Saturday 2nd September 2023 followed by a match tea in the Clubhouse. Players and spectators are welcome. More details will be posted nearer the time, but if you are interested in playing, please emailhockey@oldroedeanians.co.uk.

125th Anniversary Gala Dinner

We look forward to opening bookings soon for a fantastic evening celebrating 125 years of the school being on the current site. More details to follow.

ORA AGM

The ORA AGM will be held at Roedean this year. Further details will be sent out in due course.

ORA Heritage Projects Tour

ORs are invited to join the ORA for a tour of the ORA Heritage Projects. During the tour, you will hear about the heritage of various parts of the School, and the efforts to fundraise for their conservation. Please RSVP to heritage@oldroedeanians.co.uk or register online on the Roedean Community Network.

For more information about any of these events, please visit community.roedean.co.uk/events, email us on alumnae@roedean.co.uk or call us on 01273 667398.

Maqbul & Audrey on their wedding day, London 22 June 1948

Audrey circa 1940s Audrey Ahmad

Obituary

Audrey Ahmad

(Lunger, No. 3, 1939-43)

Audrey was born in Gosport, Hampshire, on 17th August 1926 to a submariner, Harry Lunger and Olive Lunger. As a member of a services family they moved quite a few times in her childhood but then at 12 years old she saw an advert in the Times in her local library for applications to Roedean. She applied immediately and was accepted, winning a full scholarship to become a boarder, in 1939. She absolutely loved it at Roedean and always talked about it with great fondness and pride, often mentioning playing lacrosse on the pitch in front of the sea. She was only in Brighton for a year, before the School evacuated to Keswick. This started her life-long love of the Lake District.

After Roedean, she entered Kings College, London, to study Russian at the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies and she completed her Masters, then a PhD in the History of Russian Trade in mid-eighteenth century Russia.

She married Maqbul in 1947. Both were very interested in the India League. They made many life-long friends and she was even a guide to Mahatma Gandhi when he visited London for a conference!

In 1954, they moved to India, with their young daughter Zohra, and in 1960 had twins Jennifer and Kiran. Audrey loved living in India and worked at Aligarh University as a lecturer in Russian and then went to Delhi and worked there for a number of years at the International School.

In 1962 a new medical college was opened in Aligarh, and Audrey was inspired to take up medicine. She was in her mid-thirties by then and had to start at the beginning by doing science subjects to A level standard before she

could even start the MBBS course.

Audrey completed the course with great tenacity and commitment, despite having to juggle home, family and her medical studies. She won 5 gold medals in the final exams in various disciplines. She did her postgraduate studies in Chandigarh.

In 1970 she returned to England and took the exams to become a Member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP). After working in Bedford and Acton, she settled in West London. She worked initially at the Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, which she loved, but she soon realised that all the consultants in Neurology at that time were very young and she probably wouldn’t get the chance to become a consultant, so she decided to switch her area of specialisation to geriatrics securing a post as Consultant Geriatrician in Ealing Hospital.

She initiated many innovative ways of treating the older generation and was loved by all her patients and their relatives. She also started a Geriatric Day Hospital, attached to Ealing Hospital, specialising in the outpatients treatment of the elderly, and as a result it was named after her.

At Clayponds Hospital, a geriatric longstay hospital in South Ealing, London, which she was in charge of, she introduced the idea of having cats in the wards. The idea was a great success, and she was interviewed by an Australian magazine about it. She loved medicine and thoroughly enjoyed her time as a doctor. She was later made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, (FRCP), which is a great honour. With her PhD from London, plus her MBBS, she was a ‘double doctor’, which is pretty rare!

After retiring in 1991, Audrey went to live in Cumbria, and loved living back in the Lake District. Together with Jennifer, she campaigned with local

shops and businesses to make Windermere a Fair-Trade town.

Audrey was a gifted linguist, and could speak Russian, Hindi, French, German Spanish and Japanese. She studied for ‘O’ level Japanese while in Windermere and got an A grade at the age of 71!

Most remarkably, at the age of 71, she was part of a mercy mission to Russia organized by the local Methodist Church. She accompanied them as their translator, crossing the Baltic in a ship, then driving around the northwest of Russia delivering vital goods, which the church had gathered through donations.

In October 2010, very sadly, Jenny passed away, which was devastating for Audrey and for the whole family and in October 2013 she decided to move down to Kingston in Surrey to be near Zohra and Kiran.

She was a very strong person and never complained about anything, and in particular about a nasty accident she had in her mid-forties, which left her needing to wear a full calliper on her right leg for the rest of her life. Despite this and other hardships, her industriousness, her stoicism, and fierce intelligence allowed her to fulfil her potential and lead a productive and exciting life. She was a very loving and loyal person, always giving her love, support and encouragement to all the members of her family. She set a wonderful example to us all of how to live life and as our cousin Moeen said in his message to us, “We have lost a jewel from the family”.