The Roedeanian
Winter 2020/21 1
Developments at Roedean 2020
Christmas Photo Booth
Ducklings are born on the farm
Duke of Edinburgh Expedition
Glow Wild Art Scholars
House Halloween Celebrations
Odd Socks Day for Anti-Bullying Week
Alumnae Events
Cocktail demonstration at the ORA Christmas Drinks 2
ORs from the Class of '91 catch up virtually
Introduction With the UK again placed into national lockdown at the beginning of the year, the School had to once more, close its doors, and many exams have been cancelled. Although we had to return to remote online learning, Roedean is in a strong position, safe in the knowledge that we did it before, highly effectively and successfully. We are confident that the girls have still been receiving an excellent, all-round education, with a range of cocurricular activities and fun challenges to complement their academic work. Keeping fit and active, as well as time away from screens is so important, and with this in mind, our PE department have been setting weekly challenges in running, walking and cycling, and we have launched our Race Around the World 2.0, which we encourage our whole community to join in with – please contact the Roedeanian Office to find out how to join in. As we have all found during the past difficult year, community is more important than ever. I am delighted therefore to be able to share with you in this issue three community-based news stories from the girls - a knitting project for premature babies, the Brighton to Bulgaria book, and the launch of our school charities for the year. It has also been wonderful to know that our OR community has been able to continue supporting our careers programme, despite not being able to visit us on site. The ongoing support for our Medical School hopefuls has been invaluable, this term has seen the return of our 6th Form Pathways Lectures, and we look forward to taking our annual Careers’ Fair online next term. Recently, we have all been enjoying watching The Dig on Netflix, based on the true story of OR Edith Pretty. I know that many of you will have already watched it, and encourage those that haven’t yet to do so. Edith’s determination for the burial mounds to be excavated, and her wonderful example generosity in donating the finds to the nation is an exceptional example of all that our Old Roedeanians have achieved, and I hope, is inspirational for our future generation of Roedeanians.
Contents School Highlights
4-6
OR News
7-9
Roedeanians in Culture
10-11
Dates for your Diary
11
Roedean Friendships
12
With best wishes
Obituaries
Oliver Blond Headmaster
Roedean through the ages
13-14 15
3
School Highlights Calling all knitters! Year 12 have embarked on a ‘Knitting for Premature Babies’ project. The idea behind this is both helping others and ourselves. Knitting is a hugely therapeutic activity, which can give us a really valuable break from screens of all types. They have been knitting a variety of items, starting with simple bonding squares, which help to transfer the scent of the mother to the baby and vice versa, helping to develop the bond between both while the baby is in hospital. The more ambitious knitters have been attempting beanie hats, jackets and booties. The photos show one of the newest members of the Roedean community, Sefi, when he was first born in June (15 weeks prematurely) and then when he arrived home in December - what a cheeky smile! We would like to invite all members of the Roedean community and their families to join us in our project. If you are interested, please contact alumnae@roedean.co.uk or call 01273 667398 for more information.
Remembrance Day Lest We Forget. The Roedean community collectively shared in the Act of Remembrance on 11th November. We remembered those who have died or suffered in war and conflicts all around the world, through services and personal stories. In the morning, senior members of staff, and the Prefects, held a ceremony at the Flagpole, during which wreaths were lain at the foot of the astrolabe on behalf of the School and the Old Roedeanians’ Association. Bronwen’s playing of the Last Post and Rouse was particularly beautiful and poignant overlooking the English Channel. In the afternoon, we collectively watched a virtual Remembrance Day Service. Although we all missed being in the Chapel together, the advantage of a virtual service was that we were also able to share it with ORs. We are incredibly grateful to the girls who shared personal stories about relatives who suffered or lost their lives in war. These occasions, remind us, especially at this time, of the importance at Roedean of our community and activities which bring us together. There are those in the world who repeatedly cause conflict and distress to others, but there are more who seek a peaceful path.
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Oxbridge Applications Congratulations to all 22 girls in Year 13 who were called for interviews at Oxford and Cambridge before Christmas, an outstanding achievement. Five girls have now received offers, three for Cambridge and two for Oxford, in a wide range of subjects. This is the highest number since 2013, which is fantastic, and even more so as it appears to buck the trend in Independent Schools. The Year 13s have been incredibly successful in securing excellent offers for higher education later this year. With so much uncertainty for them over the past months, it is even more beneficial than normal to them to have a clear target, and something to look forward to. Our congratulations go out to them all.
Students designs displayed at Glow Wild, Wakehurst Year 8 and 9 Art Scholars were busy last term in the Art Department, creating silhouettes to feature on one of artist Michelle Dufaur’s sculptures. The large withy sculpture was displayed as part of Glow Wild at Wakehurst Place. Dufaur has created a withy beech nut which had a light inside it during the lantern trail: ‘The Beech symbolises learning and understanding, sustenance and preservation. What will you be carrying with you through to next year? What have you learned that you can’t simply live without? What sustains you?’ Our students reflected on their experiences over the last year, and created silhouettes of the people, pets, and objects that had brought them comfort. The final pieces looked very impressive in situ. Well done!
Charity Support Before Christmas, our Charity Prefects, Jemima and Philippa, launched our school charities for this year: Despite the challenging times we are facing at the minute, being charity prefects has allowed us to engage the pupils at Roedean to get involved in supporting a number of worthy charities. This aim is reflected in our choices, which all focus on building friendship and a sense of community. With the pressure of COVID-19 in mind, mental health support and education has never been more important. Therefore, we have chosen the Beachy Head Chaplaincy and are continuing to support the girls from PlanUK. In addition to this, we have also decided to support the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection charity. This is particularly exciting for us as it allows Roedean to aid the animals in need as a result of the everchanging environment. It also provides educational programs for the younger girls to help develop their awareness of the world around us and our impact on it. Finally, these charities allow us to support both local and international causes which has an effect on many lives from a range of cultures and countries. The charity events we have done, and aim to set up, are centred on key aspects that make up life at Roedean. We do this through setting up enjoyable events that engage both pupils and staff in a range of diverse activities. From social occasions to sports matches, we are aiming to produce events that allow everyone to play their part in raising money for these excellent charities.
Brighton to Bulgaria Congratulations to the Year 12 Community Action Project group that has produced the Brighton to Bulgaria book, which has sold 275 copies and raised about £900 for vulnerable children in Bulgaria. Well done. We still have a very small number available to purchase online through the Roedean Shop: www.roedean.co.uk/shop. The proceeds from the book are being donated to Door of Hope, a charity based locally in Worthing who are supporting vulnerable children in Bulgaria have access to educational materials. The book follows the tale of our Roe Deer as she travels across Europe to Bulgaria, meeting lots of friends along the way. All of the text and the illustrations were created by Emily, Olivia and Megan in Year 12. 5
School Highlights Megan wins National Poetry Competition During the first lockdown, Megan (Yr12) entered the Stephen Spender Prize for Poetry in Translation - this is a national competition, and, from a very high number of entrants, Megan won her category. Those who enter can translate a poem from any language into English, and then write an analysis of the process they had been through. Megan is studying Russian A Level, alongside Maths, Physics, and Art, and she chose to translate a poem by the late-twentieth century Russian writer, Joseph Brodsky. Her translation and commentary have been published in this year’s prize booklet, and there was also a cash prize. She was also able to attend a virtual poetry workshop, along with the winners and runners-up from the other categories, and an awards ceremony. This is what she said about the experience: ‘I chose to enter the Stephen Spender Prize during lockdown, not only as a boredom-buster, but also to challenge myself to use my language skills to translate a poem - something which I have never done before. I enjoyed the puzzle of choosing words that best fitted the language and mood of the original poem even when there wasn’t a direct translation. At the poetry workshop, I was able to meet the other winners and commendees of the youth categories and listen to their translations as well as write some poems of my own. It was amazing to talk to people who were bi- or even trilingual, as well as those who had translated a poem from a language they had never studied before. If you’re interested in poetry, speak many languages or just one, I would definitely recommend entering next year!’ Winning this competition is an impressive achievement - well done, Megan!
Medicine Careers Support Last term, we were delighted to have so many ORs who work in Medicine share their wisdom with our current girls who are interested in studying Medicine. Firstly, speaking virtually to our Medical Society, Alicia Refson-Fertleman (No. 1, 1986-89), Monica Fawzy (No. 2 1995-97), and Natalie Green (Schwaiger, No. 1, 1996-2003) shared their personal journeys of working in Medicine and answered the many questions the society had for them.
On Thursday 3rd December, Sophia Williams (Borthwick, No. 4, 1985-88), Parisah Seyed-Safi (2002-2009) and Sue Ellery, a parent, kindly helped with our annual MMI (multiple mini interviews) practice for prospective medical students. Tabitha, Year 13, said ‘The experience formed an invaluable part of our preparation for the interview process to study Medicine at university. For the Year 13 girls, it meant we could practise questions in a virtual setting with ORs already in the medical profession. A unique feature for the interview process this year is that all interviews are to be held virtually. The practise MMI and the detailed feedback helped inform us about our presentation on screen. Using this, we can ensure that the interviewers in our real MMIs still recognise our enthusiasm to study medicine through the screen. The Year 12 girls were able to spectate the MMI sessions, this meant they became familiar with the style and pace of MMI questions and made the MMI seem like a less daunting future event. Overall, it was a brilliant experience for all of us girls involved, and we appreciate the time and effort put into the event by the staff and ORs to make it both realistic and extremely helpful. Thank you very much!’ We always love to welcome back ORs to speak to our current girls, if you are interested in sharing your career please email alumnae@roedean.co.uk.
6
OR News ORA AGM 2021 The ORA AGM was held via Zoom on 18th January - a wellattended evening with 40 ORs taking part from 4 different continents. It was lovely to see some new faces. The ORA President, Mary Henderson (No. 3, 1971-76), presented a report on the work of the ORA during the year up to the end of March 2020. ORA Treasurer, Erica Faircloth (Rhodes, No. 4, 1958-64), then presented the Accounts for both the ORA and the OR Scholarship Fund for the same period. Mary announced that in an effort to reduce the time lag between the end of the financial year and the AGM, there would be a further ORA AGM in November 2021 covering the period April 2020-March 2021. The reports presented on the OR Scholarship Fund and the ORA Heritage Projects promoted much discussion. OR Scholarship Fund Trustee Rosemary Eaton (Uffen, No. 1, 1973-81) reported, in addition to the awards for two girls in Y12 starting in September 2020, that the Trustees hoped to be able to make similar awards starting from September 2021, and September 2022, enabled by the generosity of ORs, whom Rosemary thanked for their donations. Vice President Noëlle Chase (Thompson, No. 4, 1970-75) updated the AGM on the status of the Heritage Projects and announced that the first project will be the restoration of the Astrolabe on the front terrace.
It is wonderful to have such interest in and support for the work of the ORA. Voting was conducted using Zoom Polling. All motions presented to the meeting were passed and we are delighted to announce that 100 new members were elected to Membership of the ORA. The Interim Chair of Council, Vivien Smiley (Paulson-Ellis, No. 2, 1988-93) and Headmaster, Oliver Blond then addressed the meeting, updating us on the extensive work the school has done and is continuing to do, to provide hybrid and again more recently full online learning during the pandemic. They also took questions. The impact of the significant extra workload since the start of the pandemic was acknowledged by both the Chair of Council and the President of the ORA who both conveyed their thanks to the Headmaster and the staff. Minutes of the meeting will be circulated to all members, as usual, with the papers for the next ORA AGM in November 2021. In the interim they will also be available from the ORA Membership Secretary: membership@oldroedeanians.co.uk or by calling the Roedeanian Office on 01273 667398.
7
OR News Alice Cox
Tess Osborne
(Keswick, 2008-09)
(Carr, No. 4, 1972-78)
Alice is a freelancer, creating sets for theatre and the events industries. She has worked on incredible productions, such as Roald Dahl’s Dinner with the Twits at the London Vaults, and Secret Cinema productions including Moulin Rouge and Stranger Things. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, this work all dried up, and so she launched Alice Cox Creative in April last year.
Tess Osborne has recently published her first children’s book The Big Wall Feeling. Written by Tess, the book is brought to life with illustrations from her daughter, Zoe.
‘I had always loved colourful fabrics and textiles and I felt that this was an opportunity for me to develop a business and to see where it would take me! From a spare room where I live in London I began to make things including soft furnishings and I started to make facemasks before they became compulsory. My world changed on the 12th May last year when I was mentioned in an article on independent brands of Face masks in Esquire Magazine and then my business exploded! I had over a thousand emails overnight from customers wanting to buy my masks. Many other publications, including The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph and Timeout picked up the AliceCoxCreative story and since then I have made over 4,500 masks and have been able to employ a number of wonderful women from the world of theatre and costume who, like me found themselves suddenly out of work. Running AliceCoxCreative has shown me the entrepreneurial spirit and drive that I knew I had somewhere! With plans for a new unconventional theatre and events business, I have just signed the papers for my first business premises with my talented friend and colleague. We are working towards some new exciting projects for when the theatre and events industries can come back with a bang!’ You can visit Alice’s Instagram by going to @alicecoxcreative, and buy her products at www.alicecoxcreative.com 8
The Big Wall Feeling was sparked by Tess’ strong sense of justice, and zero tolerance for prejudice. Tess hopes that the book will help to break down barriers between immigrants and settled Australians (where she currently lives). This simple message is told through the story of Mum, Dad, son Jacob, and cat Marley, and their new neighbours, Mr and Mrs and Ali Hussain. Whilst there is no animosity between the families, their indifference, and language and cultural barriers create the feeling of a huge brick wall between the houses, a barrier which only Marley, the cat, ignores. When Marley gets into trouble during a storm, Ali and Jacob manage to work together, with no need for speaking, to rescue him. The adventure marks the beginning of the breakdown of the cultural and linguistic Big Wall Feeling, and the families become friends. The story is transformed into a magical story that can be enjoyed at any age by Zoe’s illustrations, which include hidden Australian creatures on most pages. Their second book, Just Like Me, is also due to be published soon, so watch this space!
OR News Clare Boyd
Jackie Flaherty
(No. 1, 1987-91)
(Cooper, No. 1, 1950-57)
Clare Boyd’s latest novel is out now, and promises to be just as thrilling a read as her previous books. The Pretty One follows the story of Anna, admired by everyone in the village because she’s a wonderful mother. Her kind, polite daughters are a credit to her - even Bay, her stepdaughter, whom Anna loves as much as her own two girls. But a devastating secret threatens to break to the surface, after her middle daughter’s beauty catches the eye of a stranger. The Pretty One is a stunning family drama that explores the dark consequences of sibling rivalry and the heart-wrenching emotional cost of keeping secrets from those you love.
Jackie founded Godstone Farm which over the years has transformed from 80 acres of unused land to a hugely popular children’s farm welcoming over ¼ million visitors each year. Nestled in the Surrey Hills, the farm is home to over 500 animals and offers a range of other activities including an indoor and outdoor play area. Later this year, in time for Easter 2021, Godstone Farm will open a brand-new World of Dinosaur Roar! Discovery Trail which will include life-sized dinosaur models and a palaeontology tent with activities and events.
Sarah Dixon (No. 2, 1983-91) The Periodic Table of Brilliant Women & Girls, is a poster collaboration between OR artist and graphic designer, Sarah Dixon, and writer husband Rob Clucas-Tomlinson. The table was inspired by a conversation with their seven year-old daughter, where the only famous women in history she could name were Queens. Rob began to compile a list of inspirational female nonrulers, and Sarah asked for inspiration on social media. Every entry has an incredible story to tell. The table includes scientists, activists, reformists and artists, sportswomen and adventurers, many of whom have previously been reduced to mere footnotes in a male-dominated history of the world. We are delighted that included in them is OR Phyllis Pearsall (Gross, No. 1, 1917-22), who designed the iconic London A-Z map. Sarah will be telling more of their stories at our upcoming International Women’s Day event. You can order the poster, booklet or deluxe A1 print by going to: www.brilliantwomen.world.
Passionate about encouraging the elderly that life can begin again as you get older, Jackie set up the charity Grow Old Disgracefully which aims to improve the quality of life for elderly people. Grow Old Disgracefully inspires the elderly to have fun and a purpose by creating competitions and raising money to help individuals fulfil their goals, such as for Keith Stevens who become the UK’s oldest person to sky dive, aged 95. Last summer, they ran an Over 90s Art Prize competition which was judged by actress Dame Judi Dench. Following the success, they recently ran the Over 90s Short Story Prize competition with the theme of childhood memories which also has a fantastic array of judges including Sussex-based author Peter James. The winner will be awarded £200, have their story published online and a tree of their choice planted near their home. The Over 90s Photo Prize is planned for the spring. Jackie says that the response to the Story Prize was amazing, with an age range of authors from 90 to 103 and stories that vary from funny to sad, naughty to nice and privileged to deprived. However not one of them said their childhood was awful, and many said that they managed to make the most of it. A real eye opener! If you want to find more about the charity, and the competition winners, please visit: www.growolddisgracefully.co.uk. 9
Roedeanians in Culture As demonstrated in our 100 Roedeanians Book, (and the difficulty we had narrowing the choice down to just 100) Roedean has produced an extraordinary array of remarkable women, and has justifiably earned its place as one of the most well-known schools in the country. It is therefore perhaps not too surprising that Roedeanians, both real and fictional, have cropped up in numerous exhibitions, books, film and TV shows over the years. Most recently, Netflix released their new film The Dig last month. Based on the novel of the same name, The Dig follows the story of Edith Pretty (Dempster, No. 4, 1894-1900) and her decision to excavate the burial mounds on her estate, which led to the discovery of the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial, considered one of the greatest archaeological finds in the country. Following the discovery, it was ruled that the finds belonged to Edith, as they were found on her land, but she chose to donate them to the nation, she remains one of the British Museum’s greatest donors. The film stars Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes as Edith and archaeologist Basil Brown. Last year, Brighton Museums published a blog series 100 Pioneering Women of Sussex. The series featured notable local women throughout history, including female actors, writers, lawyers, medical practitioners and suffragettes, all with a Sussex connection. Within the women featured, were our own founders, the Lawrence Sisters: “Much of the success of the school was considered to be thanks to the dynamism and excellent team work of ‘The Firm’ with Millicent bringing great business and organisational skills, the quieter Dorothy being a nurturing force who could bring out the best in her pupils and
Penelope, the school’s headmistress for forty years, contributing vision and ambition.” You can read the Lawrence Sisters full entry on the Brighton museum website: brightonmuseums.org.uk/discover/ 2020/02/19/26909/ The blog series was designed to accompany the exhibition 100 First Women Portraits by Anita Corbin, which includes OR Elspeth Beard (No. 1, 1969-76), who became the first British woman to ride a motorcycle around the world in 1982-84. Elspeth Beard from the series Elspeth is also included First Women UK by Anita in the museums blog Corbin series. You can visit the exhibition online at www.firstwomen.brightonmuseums.org. You can also read more about Elspeth in 100 Roedanians as she is one of our featured ORs. Last year also saw the production of a film about Ursula Graham Bower (No. 2, 1924-31). Edited and produced by Martyn Cox and commissioned by the Royal British Legion, the film follows the incredible tale of Ursula’s time during World War II. You can view the film by going to: vimeo.com/ showcase/6966586/video/455443183. Ursula was an eminent anthropologist, and spent many years before the war working and living with the Naga, in the heavily forested hills on the Indian border with Myanmar. During the war, there was a threat of the Japanese invading from Myanmar via Nagaland, and so Ursula was recruited to lead the Nagas in scouting the area for Japanese spies and troops. As you will hear in the film, they ended up right on the front line, and far more involved than anyone had planned for them to be. It is exciting to see this fascinating
Ursula Graham Bower Lawrence Sisters 10
(photo courtesy of Catriona Child/Pitt Rivers Museum/Martyn Cox)
OR’s story told on film, and incredibly moving to hear about the close bond between her and the Nagas. Fictional versions of Roedeanians, and Roedean itself have also appeared several times in literature. Most famously, perhaps, Mallory Towers is said to have been inspired by Roedean, as well as several other books, such as High Jinx by OR Sara Lawrence (No. 1, 1992-97). A few years ago, local author, Elly Griffiths, visited Roedean whilst researching her 2019 book Now You See Them, a gripping historical mystery, set in Brighton. The story follows the investigation into missing girls, including one Roedean student, and features the character Emma Holmes as an ex-sergeant who also happens to be an Old Roedeanian. We were delighted to be able to help Elly flesh out her descriptions of Roedean in the 1960s - hopefully any ORs reading the book will recognise something in the descriptions. Perhaps inspired by his daughter’s (Tessa Dahl, JH, 196768) attendance at Roedean, Roald Dahl included mention of Roedean in The BFG - towards the end of the book, the Queen reads the newspaper article about missing children:
“‘Great Scott!’ cried the famous voice. ‘Eighteen girls vanish mysteriously from their beds at Roedean School!’”. Although we should add that to the best of our knowledge, no girls have ever been taken from their beds at Roedean by child-eating giants! Fans of TV show Call the Midwife will I am sure have spotted that Miranda Hart’s character, Chummy Browne, is an Old Roedeanian - perhaps Miranda asked her cousin, who is an OR herself, for insider tips on the school? But did you also know that Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, London Field Agent for International Rescue, in Thunderbirds is also an Old Roedeanian, and in fact a former Head Girl? Other fictional Old Roedeanians include Lady Constance in the Blandings series, Cecilia Tallis in Atonement and Charlotte Lacon, in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, amongst many more.
Lady Penelope
Let us know if you have noticed any other Roedeanians, or mentions of Roedean out ‘in the wild’!
Dates for your Diary Due to the ongoing situation with Covid-19, we have had to make the difficult decision that we will not be able to hold Roedean Day again this year. It seems incredibly unlikely that by late June we would be able to hold an event on that scale. We would like to arrange smaller events, likely to be virtual, for the special reunion year groups. We will be in touch with dates for these for the relevant year groups as soon as possible, and they will also be posted to the Roedean Community Network events page: https://community.roedean.co.uk/events. We are always happy to help facilitate organising other events as well, whether that be a year group reunion, regional event, or networking event. If you would like to chat about anything you would like to organise, or if you have an idea for an event we can run, then please get in touch via alumnae@roedean.co.uk or 01273 667398. Wednesday 17 March 2021 TBC
Headmaster’s Lecture Join us for our inaugural Headmaster’s Lecture, open to all members of the Roedean Community. This time, we are delighted to welcome Sarah Jenkins, Managing Director at Saatchi & Saatchi. The lecture will be presented virtually, to book please go to www.roedeantheatre.co.uk. Tickets are free of charge.
April 2021 TBC
Careers Fair This year we will be holding our annual Careers Fair virtually. As this means we won’t be able to host as many career reps, we are prioritising the careers the girls have particularly asked for information about. However, please do still get in touch if you are interested in taking part, or if you would be interested in presenting a separate careers talk to the girls.
For more information and booking, please contact us on alumnae@roedean.co.uk or call us on 01273 667398 11
Roedean Friendships A New OR Friendship Not long after an article of mine appeared in the Roedeanian Magazine last year, I received a phone call from a OR living in Edmonton. Wendy Davis (No. 3, 1945-47) who also had an article printed in the same magazine. When she noticed that I was also in Canada, she set out on a mission to track me down.
This is what being an OR is truly about - beautiful connections.
I have yet to meet Shanta but when I read about all her volunteer activities in the Roedean magazine, I was so impressed by her. I was amazed that she organized people to make masks which shows leadership skills. I was proud Wendy is 92, and does not have a cell phone nor a computer that a fellow Roedeanian was making positive waves in our so she engaged the help of a friend’s son who managed to world. get my phone number through the web. When I realized that Shanta was now living in Canada I What a delight. Although Wendy is 40 years my senior, her reached out to a friend of mine to help me track her down. memory far surpasses mine. It has been a delight to connect I was able to obtain her phone number last year and since with her, hear all her life stories slowly and for us both to then we have started a friendship over the telephone. have made a new connection. It seems very comforting to I am looking forward to the both of us meeting in the near have that friendly voice at the end of the telephone and I try future when it is safe again. to connect with her at least once a month. By Wendy Davis (No. 3, 1945-47) and Shanta Sundarason We cannot wait for COVID to end so I can travel to (No. 4, 1983-87) Edmonton and meet her in person.
The Two Carolines of House 2 When Jenny joined the Junior House in 1960 she was the youngest of three Harvey sisters. Come the summer term 1961, Nicky started as the elder Ford sister. Homesick on day four in her Blue dormitory cubicle in the Junior House (now Keswick House), it was Jenny who comforted Nicky, suggesting that Nicky would probably survive! Progressing up the Junior House under Miss Pike both Jenny and Nicky moved to the Main School joining House Two under Miss Stenning. Jenny had ‘a claim’ to go into No. 2 because her sisters were already there while Nicky wrote House 2 as her first choice as it was the ‘popular’ House of the year. On leaving in 1968 [Nicky from 6.2 Jenny from 6.3] their friendship continued with Jenny being a bridesmaid to Nicky in 1972. Jenny married in 1974 and both had daughters in 1979, both naming them Caroline. Nicky was invited to be Caroline’s godmother, while Jenny was already godmother to Nicky’s son Edward. Come the time for the Carolines' secondary education where were both girls destined? - none other than Roedean. Up the school they progressed in House Two. With excellent teaching and an aptitude for science, the Carolines were great buddies in the Science Wing with Jenny’s Caroline Lebus leaving to study Medicine while Nicky’s Caroline Orlebar read Chemistry. By Nicky Orlebar (Ford, No. 2, 1961-8)
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Obituaries Nancy Livia Drucker
Louise Morse
(Newman, No. 3, 1956-63)
(Stott, No. 1, 1962-68)
Nancy was born in 1945 in Brooklyn, the only child of Edwin and Rigel Newman. Ed, later a well-known TV journalist in the US, was European correspondent for NBC when Nancy was small, so the family moved to London. After Roedean, she went on to read Classics at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, and to social work training at Barnett House, also in Oxford.
This November was the year anniversary of the passing of Louise Morse. Louise attended Roedean as a girl and has incredibly fond memories of it.
After two years as a child care officer, Nancy joined Edinburgh University as lecturer in social policy. Here she met and married politics lecturer Henry Drucker, with whom she edited three issues of the Scottish Government Yearbook. Her profound concern for under-privileged groups was demonstrated in this period by two meticulously researched publications, one on residential facilities for children in care in south east Scotland, the other on creating community mental health services in Scotland. Evidence that this concern was enduring came after Henry’s untimely death in 2002, following which Nancy set up a summer school in his name, aiming to encourage disadvantaged young people to apply to university.
She often shared memories of her time there with her husband Robin (who sadly passed away in 2017) and her son Richard and his partner Hayley. In her later life Louise loved to visit Brighton with Hayley and Richard and enjoy Fish and Chips on the sea front. There is a memorial bench in Brighton for Louise and her husband Robin which looks out to the sea which we know they would both love. Louise enjoyed emailing and catching up with her friends from school and had a fun and vibrant personality. She enjoyed spending time with her brother James and going out to eat with Hayley and Richard. Louise loved dogs and had Pugs throughout her adult life. Her dog Lily became a great companion to her in later life as did Hayley and Richard’s dog Katie. We think of Louise daily but especially this November as a year without her approaches. She is greatly missed by all who knew her. By Richard Morse
In 1988 they moved to Oxford when Henry became the university’s first Director of Development. Nancy left a fulfilling 16-year career as an academic, but never complained, throwing herself instead into socially engaged work close to her heart. As Administrator of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies she initiated and edited its newsletter, laying the foundations of what today remains of great benefit to the socio-legal community nation-wide. She later became manager of Oxfordshire’s Panel of Guardians ad Litem until her retirement. During this time Nancy was heavily involved with Oxford Philanthropic, the business Henry set up after leaving the university, advising not-forprofit bodies on fund-raising strategies. Nancy died in Oxford in December 2020, aged 75. Apart from her philanthropic interests, on a personal level she was a loyal and thoughtful friend to many. In the absence of next of kin it is we who will miss her most. By Christa Laird 13
Obituaries Sheila Garland
Katharine Whitehorn
(Higham, No. 3, 1940-45)
(No. 1, 1940-42)
In memory of our Mother who died on 28th September 2019.
Katharine studied English at Newnham College, Cambridge, and following graduation, took a few odd jobs, such as publisher’s reader, including one at Picture Post. Whilst working there, she was used as a model for a feature on loneliness in London, the photographer was so impressed that he spoke to the editor, who gave her a job. After Picture Post folded, she moved to Woman’s Own and then the Spectator before joining the Observer as fashion editor in 1960. In 1963, she was given a column “to write about matters of social concern in a personal way”. Katharine became a star attraction at the paper, staying there until 1996, before moving to Saga, and then returning to write a weekly column for the Observer in 2011.
Sheila Alice Higham was born on Saturday 4th August 1928 in Blackburn Lancashire. During the war years she was evacuated to Keswick, near to the family home in Harrogate. She was in the equivalent of No. 3 House there. She did well at school, and throughout her life she often quoted her housemistress Miss Russell who was always in her thoughts. Miss Russell was one of the many that Sheila would photograph. Her parents, Hannah Greenwood and Walter Higham were regular visitors to Roedean Keswick, some of her school friends’ memories were of Walter and Sheila taking photographs together. Walter was a celebrated bird photographer, a profession very different from the family firm of the “dark santanic” cotton mills of Accrington Lancashire. Sheila made a fabulous photo album of the war time pictures that have been printed in past Roedean Magazines. Sheila always upheld the Roedean ethic, she was loyal and true. The school hymn of Jerusalem was sung at her funeral which she adored. She sadly passed after a long illness and is missed by us all. By Louise Cotton (Garland, No. 3, 1971-78) and Amanda Bailey (Garland (No. 3, 1971-77)
Katharine also produced several How to Survive Handbooks in the 1980s, but her best-loved book was her first, Cooking in a Bedsitter, published in 1961, it sold well for 40 years. The book immortalised the lifestyle it outlived, with hostesses continuing to serve her cheap but delicious recipes for years to come. As a journalist, Katharine helped revolutionise the journalism that women wrote and read, and was known for her boldness, such as her declaration in 1963 that she was a slut - not in the promiscuous sense, but instead confessing to the secret habits of a slattern. Whilst this might seem tame now, in the 60s it was considered ground-breaking, leading to her description in Time magazine as “the Observer’s most uninhibited and uninhabitable staffer”. But she also performed convincingly on a conventional stage, rarely appearing less than immaculate. She suited public life, sitting on several committees and advisory boards, and as rector of St Andrews University. In 1992, she received the International Women’s Forum’s Women Who make a Difference award, and in 2014 she was appointed CBE for services to journalism. She spoke little of her personal life, but loved her family dearly, juggling her career and family by gaining the editor’s permission to work at home, whilst appearing in the office enough to make her presence felt. She married Gavin Lyall, a colleague from the Picture Post, who she dedicated Cooking in a Bedsitter to, noting him as the person “who rescued me from bedsitters for good”. They had two sons, Bernard and Jake, and two granddaughters, Megan and Ruby.
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Princess Margaret with Jean Fort, 1964
Helen Sharman at the Science Block opening, 1997
Prince Charles at the Theatre opening, 1994 Helen Richardson-Walsh and The Mayor of Brighton at the Pitch opening, 2018
Hockey masterclass with Kate Richardson-Walsh, 2018
Princess Alice, 1935
The Queen Mother's visit for the 70th birthday celebrations, 1955
Roedean through the ages We have been lucky at Roedean to have been visited on several occasions by members of the Royal Family, and other VIPs, who do you remember visiting during your time at Roedean?
Princess Margaret's visit, 1964
If you have photos you would like included in a future issue, please email alumnae@roedean.co.uk. 15
Skiing in c1910
roedean.co.uk The Roedeanian Society, Roedean School, Roedean Way, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 5RQ Tel: +44(0)1273 667398 • Registered Charity 307063 16