The Roedeanian Magazine Spring 2024

School News

Alumnae News

Roedean Farm’s Newest Addition

OR Spring Drinks - Sophie Watson and Sally Balzarelli (Cruickshank)

ORs vs the School Netball

Teresa Outhwaite (Brach) and Ankur Opal (Vijh) in Vienna

Teresa Outhwaite (Brach), Charlotte Barton (Lion), and Lauren Tarry

Open Mic Night

Wild Fridays

School Football

British Museum Trip

Prefect Team

It has been wonderful to finally welcome some sunnier weather to Roedean and with daffodils marking the start of Spring, our historic site is looking as beautiful as ever.

The School has had a fantastically busy few months with some memorable events involving the whole Roedean Community. We celebrated International Women’s Day and welcomed 22 inspiring women speakers, including 5 ORs, each sharing their valuable knowledge and experiences. The Dame Emeline Tanner Library reopened after a year of renovation works and it has been great to see the new design working so well. The official opening ceremony will take place on Roedean Day and ORs are most welcome to attend. The Roedean Festival Fringe Concert took place at All Saints Church in Hove and was an absolute triumph - the talent on show was truly remarkable. As we look forward to the end of the academic year, we wish our Year 11s and Year 13s the very best of luck with their examinations and look forward to celebrating their successes on Speech Day and Results Day.

So many students continue to take part in the wide range of sport on offer at Roedean, and with the warmer weather it has been great to see the cricket pitches in full use as well as the start of football. Our netballers have continued to shine on the court, and it was great to watch the ORs and the School team come head-to-head in the annual match in April.

Fundraising for our chosen charities remains a key part of what we do at Roedean, and the activities that have taken place have been brilliant. The MNDA 24 hour Charity Run was a real highlight, and the dedication from the staff and students involved was superb.

It has been wonderful to witness the restoration of the sundial, which was a gift from Sir John Simpson, the School’s architect in 1899. The work was carried out by specialist stone conservators using funds raised by the ORA for the ORA Heritage Projects.

So many ORs have attended OR and School events and I am looking forward to meeting many more of you at Roedean Day on Saturday 22nd June. Looking ahead there are lots of new and exciting events coming up, so do check out the Dates for your Diary page to see what’s on.

Best wishes

Niamh Green Headmistress

School Highlights

International Women’s Day

In March, to mark International Women’s Day, we welcomed 22 inspiring women to Roedean. With a huge range of speakers from different backgrounds and experiences it addressed the theme for this year’s IWD, #InspireInclusion, perfectly.

The talks covered everything from creating an app to free-diving and from feminism to diplomacy and even being a Beefeater. Our students, along with students from the Roedean Academy, attended 5 talks across the day and relished in the opportunity to hear from these esteemed women. They were incredibly attentive and asked some fantastic questions at the end of each session.

Each year it is particularly wonderful to welcome ORs back to Roedean as speakers and this year was no

‘It was so nice to hear from an OR with similar interests to me – hearing from Sorcha was empowering and I loved touring her round School afterwards.’

Maria (Yr 13)

different. Emma McFerran (Perkins, No.4, 1996-03), Sorcha Harris (No.3, 2015-19), Anita Sullivan (No.1, 1987-89), Georgia Elliot-Smith (No.4, 1990-93), and Camilla Macpherson (No. 1, 1989-94) joined our other speakers, each sharing their incredible experiences and valuable knowledge with the audience.

There has been so much positive feedback from this fantastic event, and we can’t wait to find out who the speakers for next year will be!

‘It was a great pleasure to speak at your IWD festival. The students really impressed with their attention and the very intelligent questions they asked.’

Emma Draper

‘I loved being back at Roedean and so enjoyed the girls’ brilliant questions.’

Emma McFerran (OR)

‘My favourite speaker was Zandile – she impressed because she has been determined to successfully pursue a career in a sport dominated by men’

Ida (Yr 11)

‘Georgia Elliot-Smith provided a unique perspective on sustainability and highlighted our responsibility as citizens of the world to make change.’

Amelia (Yr13)

‘You have an amazing school and the young women who attended my session were very focused. I hope they got something out of it that they can carry with them through their various journeys.’

Jacqueline Tege

Dance Showcase

The Roedean Dance Showcase was fantastic and featured 18 short pieces of dance from a wide range of styles with many choreographed by the students themselves. Year 8 students who had been taking part in a Bollywood workshop, also had the chance to perform and show off what they had been learning.

Year 9 Charity Abseil

49 students and staff took on the iDrop challenge – abseiling out of the iconic i360 on Brighton’s seafront. This was an amazing experience, and even more so as they raised £10,889 for their year group charity –Raystede.

Socials

We have held socials this term for Years 10-12. Year 11 enjoyed a formal dinner dance to wish them luck as they head off on study leave. Meanwhile, we welcomed guests from Tonbridge School to join Year 10 for a party and Year 12 for a formal dinner.

All three events saw the students looking incredibly glamorous as they dressed to impress, and there was lively chatter and lots of dancing.

Kelly Wins a Medefine Academy Place

Year 11 student Kelly has become one of 50 students who have been selected globally to join the Medefine Academy.

To win a place, Kelly had to submit an application to the academy and then have an online interview. Her success means she will be assigned a personal mentor for one year, helping guide her through the tough application process required for medical school, as well as providing top tips on how to get valuable work experience and completing medical admissions tests.

School Highlights

Roedean Festival Fringe Concert

One of the highlights of the year, the Roedean Festival Fringe Concert, took place this year at the All Saints Church in Hove, and it was the perfect replacement for our own Chapel. Some of our most talented musicians performed at the concert, with six soloists performing in the first half of the programme, complemented by two choral pieces with orchestra in the second half.

Two soloists performed arias from a Mozart opera, they were wonderfully expressive and did an incredible job of capturing the drama of their pieces. Another played all three movements of Handel’s Concerto for Harp, and truly captivated the audience as she played this incredible instrument.

A Year 13 student played the first movement of Mozart’s third Violin Concerto with remarkable confidence, and the other two soloists played Piano Concerto movements – the slow movement from Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto and a movement from Clara Schumann’s beautiful Piano Concerto, both were outstanding.

The choir sang Berstein’s Chichester Psalms in the second half of the concert, accompanied by a full orchestra. The music is challenging enough, but added to this was the fact that they sung in Hebrew.

There was a clear sense of enjoyment from the performers in performing together, and there must be a special mention not only to all the musicians that took part, but to Mr Rous and Ms Bartlette from the music department and to everyone behind the scenes who help make the concert a huge success.

Sally Beamish, the composer, who was also one of our speakers at International Women’s Day was in the audience. She said: ‘Congratulations on a really impressive showcase – the instrumental soloists were remarkably accomplished, and it was wonderful to hear so many truly gorgeous voices emerging in both halves of the concert!’

School Highlights

Library Refurbishment

The Dame Emmeline Tanner library re-opened in April, after a fantastic refurbishment. The new design enables a great combination of study, small group work, and quiet reading, as well as providing an incredible space for presentations for up to 80 people. The honours boards, which have always been a key feature in the library, have been made easier to view after some were previously obscured.

The design captures a clever combination of both modern and heritage features, with new windows,

stonework and even a new ceiling which recognizes the architecture in the beamed roof. A highlight of the refurbishment has to be the restoration of the portraits of our Founders, the Lawrence Sisters.

Although the library is now in use, it will be officially opened by Juliet Mabey (No. 4, 1967-72) on Roedean Day on Saturday 22nd June, all are most welcome to attend.

Netball Review

It has been brilliant that this year so many students have been competing in Netball matchesthe progress that everyone has made has been amazing. There have been 210 fixtures played and an incredible 3430 goals scored! There are so many highlights but a few that really stand out are:

The U16As came 4th in the South of England

The U12A got into the final 8 teams in the National Plate competition.

The U12D were undefeated all season. The U15A & U12A were Sussex Cup champions.

Olivia Fussell

(No.2, 1969-71)

We were delighted to welcome OR Olivia Fussell back to Roedean for her first visit since she left!

Olivia now works in the field of sustainability, running a company that sells carbon credits and works on carbon offsetting projects in Africa and Scotland.

During her visit, Olivia held an informal talk with a group of students about her career journey (from Architecture at London University, to a Masters at Harvard, before sidestepping into sustainability, and setting up her own company), and about the possibilities of working within the carbon credit market.

It was a really insightful conversation, with some excellent questions from the students.

Eugenia Cheng

(No.4, 1987-94)

Following the incredible news that Eugenia Cheng had been shortlisted for the LA Times Book Prize for her book Is Math Real, we were thrilled to hear that she had gone on to win the prize for Science and Technology.

When accepting her prize, Eugenia said:

“Thank you for doing me the honour of choosing me out of such distinguished company.

First I’d like to thank my parents for always nurturing my curiosity, and my publishers Basic in the US and Profile in the UK, for supporting me for over 10 years now, and for helping me to develop as a writer when my first profession is as an abstract mathematician. And I’d like to thank all my students ever, and especially all the children who have ever asked me questions about math.

I wrote this book because I love math, and I am sad that so many people

Katy Bourne

(Waller, No.3, 1975-81)

Congratulations to Katy Bourne who has been re-elected as the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner. This will be her fourth term, after winning by majority against three other candidates. Katy Bourne OBE said:

“I have always been grateful to Roedean for teaching me to ‘be the difference’ and for helping me learn the importance of listening to others whilst always remaining true to oneself.

I am very humbled to have been re-elected to serve a fourth term as Sussex’s Police & Crime Commissioner and to have the continued support of residents - it really means a lot. There have been some positive

are put off it for the wrong reasons. Many people have told me they had questions about math that were never answered. They were made to feel stupid for asking those questions. This book celebrates those questions, and shows that the most innocent and naive sounding questions can lead to mathematics’ deepest truths.

As I say in the dedication: if you have been made to feel bad at math, you didn’t fail math, math failed you.

Let’s celebrate curiosity instead of squashing it. Curiosity is beautiful, and math is beautiful. Let’s make sure that that beauty is available and accessible for everyone.”

improvements in policing, especially in how they tackle violence against women and girls and, over the next four years, I want to see Sussex Police’s performance continue to improve across all areas that matter to local people. Sussex has always been my home – it’s a vibrant and beautiful county with an amazing cultural diversity. It’s important to me that we keep it safe for future generations too.”

OR Channel Swim Relay

A relay team of intrepid ORs are hoping to swim the English Channel both as a personal challenge but also to raise money for the Old Roedeanians’ Scholarship Fund.

Inspired by the team of girls who swam the English Channel on 15/16 June 2022 – the Old Roedeanians’ Association received representations from some Old Roedeanians that “we” might like to do the same.

A team of 7 ORs spanning 4 decades since they left Roedean, have risen to the challenge to take part in this iconic swim. We have a “slot” booked for the crossing between 29th June - 4th July (subject of course to the weather!).

The swimmers are spread out across the country (plus one currently travelling) and most did not know each other before this adventure, so this is a real demonstration of self-motivation and teamwork, facilitated by zoom calls.

As well as taking part in a personal challenge, the ORs are planning to raise money for the OR Scholarship Fund and,

Roedean Merchandise Shop

We have been busy behind the scenes working on some great new products for the Roedean Merchandise Shop, which will be launching this year.

The first to launch is a bookmark. Made out of recycled leather, it is eco-friendly, and comes in navy blue with the School logo embossed in silver. The bookmark has been released to celebrate the re-opening of our newly refurbished Library and costs £3.

Also in planning are a water bottle and pyjama bottoms, which will launch this summer and be available to purchase on Roedean Day - there are also a few other products that we aren’t quite ready to announce yet.

These join our existing range of prints, greetings cards, tea towels, umbrellas, key rings and teddy bears. The canvas tote bags which flew off the shelf at the Christmas Fair will also be back in stock soon.

We are also very keen to hear ideas for new products, so please do let us know if you have any ideas or inspiration.

by funding the swim themselves, this means that 100% of donations will go towards means-tested awards enabling girls to continue their education into the 6th form at Roedean.

Training is well underway, and as soon as their assessment swims are completed, they are good to go! If you would like to help the team to raise money for this very worthwhile cause, then do keep an eye out for the JustGiving link that we will be sharing soon.

Thank you so much!

To purchase merchandise, please visit our online shop: https://community. roedean.co.uk/shop, where you can choose between Click and Collect, UK or International Shipping.

We will also have a stall on Roedean Day, and if you would like to guarantee your items beforehand, you can order now and collect when you visit in June.

Mary Henderson (No.3, 1971-76)

10 Questions with Zerbanoo Gifford

Zerbanoo Gifford (Irani, No.1, 1962-67) is an author, human rights campaigner, and president of the World Zoroastrian Organisation. She has won numerous awards and holds the International Woman of the Year Award 2006 for her humanitarian work. Zerbanoo has been involved in many charitable organisations both nationally and internationally and is the founder of The ASHA Centre - a charity working for the empowerment of young people, sustainable development and peace & reconciliation worldwide.

Here are some highlights from Zerbanoo’s 10 Questions, you can read the full article here: https://community.roedean.co.uk/news/alumnaeinterviews/826/826-10-Questions-withZerbanoo-Gifford

What was the best piece of advice you were given whilst at School?

Don’t take life too seriously as you will never get out of it alive.

What are you now you’ve grown up?

I am the same as I always was. I am just me. I have numerous awards including International Woman of the Year 2006 for my humanitarian work and was recently honoured by being unanimously voted the President of the World Zoroastrian Organisation. For those who don’t know who Zoroastrians are, Freddie Mercury was a Zoroastrian as was the founder of the TATA industrial conglomerate and Cyrus the Great (ancient Persian Empire) who gave us the first human rights laws and Dadabhai Naoroji the first Ethnic minority Member of the British Parliament as early as 1892. The list goes on and recently I have written the Z TO A OF ZOROASTRIANISM: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Living

I am happy to send a copy to any OR who would like to learn more about the oldest monotheism that influenced our world.

I am also the founder of the ASHA Centre www. ashacentre.org, please look at our work. The ASHA Centre was the main provider of the educational Erasmus plus programme for the young before the disastrous Brexit saga. Thousands of young lives from every country in the world have experienced the ASHA magic.

I have authored numerous books including Thomas Clarkson and the campaign against slavery. Which I wrote when director of the oldest human rights organisation in the world, ‘Anti-Slavery International’.

What have you done that you are most proud of?

The Avatar, Meher Baba who was born a Zoroastrian used to say that ‘Pride was the specific feeling through which egoism manifests itself’.

I am proud of still being alive! I have a rare blood disorder ‘thrombasthenia’ which means that my blood does not clot properly. It was said that I would not last beyond my school days. I have survived the birth of two sons, fifty years of a wonderful marriage, gone through the menopause and now am a working pensioner who gives her blood for medical research. How lucky is that?

If you had one year and unlimited funds, what would you do.

I am a proud feminist. It is unbelievable that nowhere in the world are women truly equal. What an indictment on all of us. We have walked on the moon, talk to strangers halfway around the world and have created AI to do our bidding and yet we are unwilling to see half the world’s population experience dignity and equity.

I hope to open with other women and men, the world’s first Women’s International Centre to address the barriers women still face and enable women globally to be their magnificent selves. I have already built the centre with fabulous accommodation and 54 acres of land for experiencing the power of nature in the beautiful Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. The centre’s opening is delayed because of the lack of an endowment which must be in place before the centre is opened. I am sure there is enough money in the world and must try and find it. My eldest grandson says I need to go on a treasure hunt.

Who knows there may be one extraordinary woman or a group of brilliant women who collectively will make this happen. I have put my wish into the universe and who knows it may be an OR who actualises this great endeavour for all the women of the world.

The day the Women’s Centre is opened I will write on the entrance of the auditorium the words said by the good witch to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. “You had the power all along my dear.”

ORA Heritage Projects

The Sundial

During the Easter holidays, specialist stone conservators, Cliveden Conservation started work on the sundial situated on the front terrace.

It was the first gift to the school in 1899 given by Sir John Simpson, KBE, FRIBA, the school’s architect, to commemorate his daughter Clara’s time at school. (Clara Carrick Simpson, No.4, 1897-99)

Neither the inscription carved on the north face, nor the brass plate for calculating solar time have been legible for many years. A century of salt, wind and pollution has not been kind.

The sundial was dismantled, the original cornice retained, and steam cleaned, and the new pedestal and hand carved obelisk, lifted into place. The inscription on the north face of the new pedestal of Portland stone was hand carved and completed on site.

All the metal work has been cleaned, lightly re-patinated and then ’hot waxed’. The brass plaque, pitted with a century of salt spray has come up surprisingly well with the dedication to Clara which (translated) reads:

A FATHER’S HAND, A DAUGHTER’S PIETIE, HAVE FIXED MY DYAL THAT YOU THE HOURE MAY SEE; AS EACH NEW SUN REVIVES THE LIGHT SO WE, DEAR CLARA, RENEW OUR LOVE AND THINK OF THEE.

The Sundial has been the ‘poster girl’ for the ORA’s Heritage Projects initiative and due to the generosity of Old Roedeanians we are thrilled to be able to complete the restoration.

You can donate online via www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ora-heritage-projects or via the Roedean Community Network, where you can also read more about the different projects: https://community.roedean.co.uk/pages/ora-heritage-projects

Dates for your Diary

Saturday

22 June 2024

9.30am – 4.00pm Roedean School

Saturday

20 July 2024

1.30pm

Roehampton Club, Roehampton Lane, London, SW15 5LR

Saturday

31 August 2024

11:30am Roedean School

Friday

6 September 2024

6.30pm – 9.30pm

The Last Talisman, 171-173 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3UW.

Friday 27 - Sunday 29

September 2024

11am – 6.00pm (All days)

gallery@oxo, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London, SE1 9PH. https://www.oxotower.co.uk/

Thursday 10 October 2024

12pm for 12.30pm - 3pm Gallery Room, The Bluebird Chelsea, 350 Kings Road, London, SW3 5UU.

Saturday 12 October 2024

10.30am - 2.30pm Roedean School

Join the Roedean Community

Roedean Day

ORs, former staff, and their guests are all welcome to join us for our main reunion day. The day will include the usual options of tours, lunch, and Sports Day, which will of course, include the Golden Mile Relay Race. You can book tickets and find further details here. If you have any questions, please do feel free to contact us via alumnae@roedean. co.uk or by calling 01273 667398. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you back to Roedean.

OR Tennis Day & BBQ

Join fellow ORs for an afternoon of Tennis followed by a BBQ. Both players and spectators are welcome. Tickets are now available and can be booked here

ORs vs the School Hockey

The ORs vs the School Hockey is back again this August. If you are interested in playing or attending as a spectator, please email hockey@oldroedeanians.co.uk

Young Roedeanians’ Networking Evening 2024

ORs aged 18-30 are invited to join Year 13 students and OR Career Reps. This will be an opportunity to meet fellow ORs who have similar career interests to you, and to build your OR network. Further details are to be confirmed, but please do save the date. Booking will open in July.

Roedean London Art Exhibition

We are delighted to invite all ORs, former staff, and members of the public to the Roedean London Art Exhibition from the 27-29 September. The exhibition will feature works of art from the Class of 2024 and OR Artists. The exhibition will be open free of charge, and many of the pieces will be available to purchase.

OR London Lunch

ORs and former staff are invited to join us for our annual London Lunch. Please save the date, booking will open in July.

Old Roedeanians’ Association AGM 2024

The 2024 Old Roedeanians’ Association AGM will be held on Saturday 12 October at Roedean School. Please do save the date.

Join the Roedean Community today to connect with fellow Old Roedeanians and keep up to date with the latest news and events.

Obituaries

Renée-Jean Wilkin

(Garrett, No.4, 1939-42)

Like many children of the Raj, RenéeJean returned to England at the age of 6. Unusually, she was sent to a school in Bude for the children of Russian emigres, where she learned ballet and Russian. As the only British child, life at the school must have been lonely. She often spent the holidays with the Headmaster and his family.

When her parents returned to England, her father took up a GP practice in Brighton. Renée-Jean was sent to Roedean; but with the outbreak of war and the evacuation from Dunkirk, whilst most of the school moved to Keswick; 50 girls, including Renée-Jean, travelled by sea to join Edgehill School in Halifax, Nova Scotia, accompanied by 2 teachers.

A number of ships in the convoy were carrying evacuee children. The danger from submarines was omni-present. Sadly, the ship ahead of theirs was torpedoed and, although a number of the children were rescued and

came aboard the ship, many drowned in the icy waters of the Atlantic. It was a great relief when they entered the mouth of the St Lawrence River.

When she finished school, the war was still raging, so RenéeJean went to Dalhousie university in Halifax, where she studied modern languages. She graduated in 1946 and returned to England. She met her husband, Tim, in 1947 and they were married in June of that year. They settled in Brighton where, for the first time in her life, she enjoyed a settled family life, with 3 daughters, dogs and cats.

and Tim visited their apartment in Anzère, Switzerland, twice a year. They walked in the mountains in the summer and langlauf skied in the winters.

All 3 daughters eventually followed her to Roedean. At that point, with more time at her disposal, RenéeJean became a Justice of the Peace. She thoroughly enjoyed the role and eventually became Chairman of the Hove Bench. In between times, she

Gillian van Zwanenberg

(No.4, 1967-73)

Gill was born in 1956 in Wargrave, Berkshire and followed her mother, Suzanne Holdron, to Roedean.

After leaving Roedean, Gill embarked on a career in the theatre. She graduated from RADA in London and her first job as stage manager was for the original Rocky Horror Show at the Kings Road Theatre in Chelsea.

From then she worked for more than a decade on many of the best known and successful West End theatre musicals - such as Song and Dance, Evita, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Les Misérables – culminating in a World tour of Cats, as well as a short season of Song and Dance on Broadway in New York.

After the West End, Gill worked for the communications company Imaginationboth launching new products with industrial theatre productions and running their gallery in London’s theatre district (her ‘home from home’).

It was a happy time. She was an excellent hostess and saw the humour in everything. She was very proud of her 3 grandchildren, and latterly, of her 2 great grandchildren. Theirs was a good marriage that lasted for 69 years, until Tim died in 2016. Renée-Jean made the most of her remaining 8 years, staying at the family home and enjoying the company of children and friends alike. She died in her sleep on 12th March 2024, aged 98, having hosted a family party for Mother’s Day 2 days beforehand.

Margot Chaundler (née Wilkin Georgina Reed (née Wilkin) Alison Wilkin

Outside of working in theatre Gill’s passion was the river Thames (and especially the Hennerton Backwater, where she lived for the last 30 years of her eventful life).

As a committee member and controller of the Wargrave & Shiplake

Regatta you would always see (and hear) Gill adding her professional experience and enthusiasm to making the events run smoothly

In 2019 Gill married her long-term partner, Stephen, after many years of living together and they enjoyed life to the full living by the river. She had many hobbies - such as minibus driver and tour guide in London, a massage therapist for the elderly, a contributor to local meals for the needy and a contributor to her weekly book and Pilates clubs but - most of all - she loved life and her family and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Guy van Zwanenberg

Sundial c1899