The Roedeanian
Winter 2021-2022 1
School News
6th Form Snow Ball
Parents Guild at the Christmas Fair
House 4 make good luck cards for Years 11 and 13
GCSE Drama duologue recording
Alumnae News
ORs Vicky Whitehouse and Ohi Imevbore return to Roedean for a tour of the School
ORA AGM 2021 2
40 years on…ORs Leander Harrison, Lisa Aubrey and Katy Bourne
Roedean Rocks Brighton Christmas Drinks 2021
Introduction We are thankful that togetherness and our community spirit has helped us all to combat much of the uncertainty of the last two years. Despite the changing landscape and the challenges for Schools, we were delighted that Roedean continued to grow, improve and serve the best interests of its pupils. There is also a great deal about which we can now feel positive. It has been wonderful that less travel restrictions mean that so many of our international students have been able to return, and that we have been able to relax social distancing rules. Both of which have been challenging to manage. I am very pleased with how quickly the girls have settled back into their normal routines, and how positively they responded to the full return of all our arts, sports and co-curricular activities and trips. Roedean’s staff, parents and girls are also very proud that we had such a successful Independent Schools Inspection. The challenge for everyone, to undergo such a rigorous and detailed inspection after the past two years was huge. The inspection looked at every element of the School in considerable depth, surveying every member of the school. I hope that you are delighted to know that the result was that we are doing astonishingly well, and met all of the required regulatory standards. You can read more about what this means on page 6. It is an outstanding result, and I am incredibly proud of our students, my colleagues, and the whole School. I would like to congratulate everyone involved for this great achievement. On pages 10 and 11 you will see a full donor list for our Take Your Seat appeal. Thank you to everyone who supported the Theatre refurbishment. It has been wonderful to see the girls enjoy their new facilities and I look forward to this month’s production of Romeo and Juliet. We are pleased as well to announce the full return to in person events, including the Afternoon Tea and Roedean Day. See page 14 for more details. With best wishes for the year ahead, Oliver Blond Headmaster
Contents School Highlights
4&5
School ISI Inspection Report
6
OR News
7,8 & 9
Take Your Seat Donor List
10 & 11
Obituaries
12 & 13
Dates for your Diary
14
Roedean through the ages
15
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School Highlights Christmas Fair 2021 raises a fantastic £9092! The Christmas Fair was a huge success, and it was wonderful to see the students' amazing creativity in producing so many attractive stalls with lovely gifts to buy. The money raised by our fantastic stalls, and a large donation from the Parents' Guild, will go to our nominated charities for the year, which are Raystede and the Brighton Hummingbird Project. Congratulations to the Parents' Guild, who did the most amazing job of managing a whole range of stalls – what an enormous effort! 'Congratulations everyone, the Christmas Fair was a fantastic success, and even the weather was good. An enormous thank you to the bakers, shakers, movers, makers, donators, spenders, stall holders, moulders, artists, creators, backstage supporters, organisers and sorters, you were all amazing. It has been an honour to witness such strength of purpose and commitment to supporting our community and the charities we help.’ – Meriel Spicer, Chair, Parents’ Guild
An Entrepreneur Talk From An Ex-Dragon We were incredibly privileged to welcome the highly successful entrepreneur, Sarah Willingham, to Roedean. She is a British entrepreneur and investor, perhaps best known for her management of high-street restaurants such as Planet Hollywood, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Pizza Express, and her tenure as a ‘Dragon’ on the thirteenth and fourteenth series of Dragons’ Den. With a wonderfully down-to-earth manner, Sarah spoke about her experiences as an entrepreneur, and also answered many thought-provoking questions from our students. These gave them an insight about her not only as an entrepreneur, but also as a person and mother of four children. She said she believes that parenthood and business can exist simultaneously, without sacrificing the quality of either. Sarah said that the main thing she has learnt from business which she incorporates into her family life, is that empowerment is one of the most important things to give to her employees, and to her children! It is exactly this which allows them to flourish. ‘For me, the talk was incredibly captivating and inspiring. 'You never know if you will succeed if you don't try' is a piece of advice that applies to all areas of life. Whether that is in business, school, or your pursuits in life, taking the first step is usually the hardest -but the most rewarding. Overall, I really enjoyed the talk, and I am sure many others did too!’ – Sarah (Yr12) 4
Four Roedean Students Win Oxbridge Places! Congratulations to Sophia, Molly, Stella, and Kristina who have been offered highly sought after places at Oxford and Cambridge University. The four girls have chosen a wide variety of subjects to study. Sophia, one of our Head Girls, has been offered a place at Somerville College, Oxford, to study Medicine. Molly has a place to study Land Economy at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Stella, who joined Roedean in the Sixth Form, has been offered a place to study Ancient and Moden History at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. And finally, Kristina has won a place at Lucy Cavendish College to read Mathematics. ‘After so many sleepless nights, finally getting the email, then plucking up enough courage to open it, it was fantastic to see that I had got an offer – I just can’t wait until October.’ – Sophia
The entire school community is incredibly proud of them.
Sport at Roedean
40 Golds for Roedean Students at the Bebras Challenge 2021
Our School teams have had an incredible start to the year, across several different sports, and we are very proud of all of their achievements. We have been able to field A-E teams in different year-groups and there is even an U14F team! This gives so many girls the opportunity to represent Roedean. The Sports Department is delighted with the success in a range of sports. So far this term we have had wins in Badminton, Cross-Country, Netball and Swimming. We have also had second places in Netball and swimming, a 4th place in the Cross-Country Sussex Schools Championships, as well as three of our Netball teams progressing through the National Plate competition. Watch this space for even more sporting success!
This year's BEBRAS challenge, a worldwide computing challenge run by Oxford University, saw 255 Roedean pupils from Years 7 to 11 taking part. It involved solving a range of problems online, using computational thinking skills. These skills are essential for Computer Science and a good indicator of success in the subject and future career. Nationally, the challenge saw a total of 272,911 pupils competing in three categories: Juniors (Yrs6-7), Intermediates (Yrs8-9), and Seniors (Yrs10-11). The pupils who score within the top 10% nationally receive a Gold award, and they are invited to take part in The Oxford University Computing Challenge, which aims to encourage these pupils to develop their skills further and produce programmed solutions to computational thinking problems. We are so proud to see 40 of our pupils receive a Gold award, and an invitation to the next level, which has almost doubled from last year. In addition, 63 of our students were in the top 25% and received a Distinction certificate. What a fantastic achievement! 5
Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI) Inspection Report
We are delighted that the high-calibre team of six Inspectors, including five Heads and one Deputy Head, with a Lead Inspector who was formerly the Chief Inspector for ISI, have reported so positively following their four-day visit in November 2021. Independent Schools undergo a full education inspection every 3-6 years, and it is an incredibly rigorous process. We are delighted that the School has met all of the regulatory compliance standards, and has been judged as ‘excellent’ (the highest rating) in both the quality of its academic outcomes and students’ personal development.
‘Huge congratulations to all at the school for validation of what we parents already knew. Excellence in all areas.' Year 9 parent
Oliver Blond: ‘Everyone at the School is delighted that the Inspectors recognised all the positive aspects of the School, and the girls and staff are justifiably proud of their achievements. The report bristles with the energy, intellectual freedom, ambition and openness of our girls, and the commitment and dedication of our staff. It feels like a very genuine reflection of being here every day, so it is reassuring to know that our visitors felt the same way as we do about the strength and quality of education at Roedean. This year’s inspection was additionally challenging because it follows two years of disrupted or remote education. As a community, we are all still coping with and recovering from the impact of the pandemic, and this report recognises the depth and breadth of the educational opportunities, and the quality of our provision provided even throughout these extraordinary times.’
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Educational Quality Inspection
Regulatory Compliance Inspection
Quality of Pupils’ Academic and Other Achievements
Standards are MET in all 8 categories Excellent in All Areas
Excellent in All Areas Pupils’ Academic and Other Achievements ‘The very high level of attainment is a consequence of the pupils’ exceptional attitudes to learning supported by structural changes in the curriculum and focused academic support during the uncertainty of the last two years. Pupils feel well prepared academically and socially for the next stage in their education, and almost all achieve offers of places at universities in the UK and worldwide, art and music colleges which have highly selective entry requirements.’
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‘Pupils’ communication skills are outstanding. Foremost they are excellent listeners, whether in lessons, Chapel, assembly or smaller discussions. Pupils speak with confidence and clarity in public, where they are well prepared, adjusting style to the audience. They are skilled at answering questions following presentations and select appropriate language to discuss sensitive issues. In lessons they politely interrupt without reticence, and lucidly articulate their questions or areas of misunderstanding. The teaching-learning divide is seamless.’
OR News Holly Watt (No. 3, 1995-2000) Congratulations Holly whose thriller The Hunt and the Kill is on the Times 14 Best Thrillers list! The Hunt and the Kill is a searing, page-turning, pulseracing thriller that sees Casey on a hunt around the globe as she pursues a major exposé into pioneering medical research and drugs that could change the world. It is the third book by Holly featuring Casey Benedict.
ORA Christmas Drinks 2021 Report by Mary Henderson (No. 3, 1971-76), President of the ORA The annual ORA Christmas Drinks was held “Upstairs at the Antelope” in Eaton Terrace, London SW1 on 2 December. Slightly scuppered by the announcement a couple of days before of a new Covid variant, we opened the windows and carried on. Wine flowed – fabulous PicPoul and Côtes du Rhône – accompanied by an eclectic mix of snacks – spicy chicken wings, sticky sausages, falafel and samosas. As in previous years we collected presents and gift cards for St Mungo’s, Wix Lane in Clapham. Thank you to all the ORs for their generous donations which were piled under the Christmas Tree at The Antelope. Thank you also to those ORs who have donated to St Mungo’s online. We were delighted also to welcome some recent Leavers. How lovely to see so many ORs spanning seven decades – who said they thought this event was only for the youngsters!?
Felicity Flutter (Cole, No. 3, 1967-71) Congratulations to Felicity on winning a major award with International Watercolour Masters. Felicity is one of 6 First Place Winners from an entry of 3725 from around the world. The winning paintings will be hung alongside those of the IWM members at the International Watercolour Masters 2022 from May 16 to 29 at Lilleshall Hall in Shropshire. What a fantastic achievement.
10 Questions with…
OR Claire Macdonald (Palmer, No. 3, 1966-71) This month we were delighted to talk to Claire Macdonald. You can read Claire’s interview here. 7
Emma-Kate Wyrley-Birch (Clevett, No. 3, 2001-06) A new luxury pyjama company favoured by celebrities comes from OR Emma-Kate Wyrley-Birch. Twenty Six Years was launched by EmmaKate following the arrival of her two children. Emma-Kate trained as a solicitor and consequently had a successful eight years at The Jockey Club but wanted to sculpt a career that balanced family life and challenged her creativity. After many years away from Mrs Stanway’s studio Emma-Kate picked up her paint brushes and created five bold designs to be crafted into stylish ladies sleepwear. The aim: to offer stylish sleepwear that’s practical and designed to be worn daily. The designs feature blue lobsters, seahorses, scarab beetles, cockatoos and flamingos. Emma-Kate found a real gap in the market, to provide luxury pyjamas to rival the UKs biggest names without the excessive price tag. The range is crafted from the highest quality 100% Aegean cotton. Long cotton fibres ensure strong durable soft cotton that actually improves with age. Twenty Six Years pyjamas offer sophisticated feminine tailoring featuring contrast piping, shell style buttons, drawstring waist generous leg length and pockets. But why Twenty Six Years? The average person sleeps for a twenty six years of their lives. Emma-Kate decided if you are going to wear pyjamas for such a large percentage of your life, you better be comfortable and stylish. Twenty Six Years can now be found online at www.twentysixyears.com as well as in multiple stockist across the UK and on www.notonthehighstreet.com Old Roedeanians are offered an exclusive 20% discount code: ORALWAYS
OR Sailing Club Update Six ORs took part in the Keelboat training and racing event at Queen Mary Sailing Club in December. 'Despite the freezing temperature and occasionally gusty spells, we had a fantastic morning of training
followed by an exhilarating afternoon of racing.' Congratulations and we look forward to hearing of more racing to come! 8
Viva Soul London Vivien Minto (Reynolds, No. 4, 1969-75) Looking back to my time at Roedean, I realise that the influences of 1969, when I joined the Junior House, are still with me. That was the year of Woodstock, and our Dormy Decs took the theme of “Groovy London” (do they still have such a thing? These were dormitory decorations, run by the girls every Michaelmas Term, and very competitive!). As the only Londonbased pupil in our dorm, I entreated my mother to visit Carnaby Street and purchase everything with a “summer of love” theme, which she gamely did. She had been a model in the fifties and took fashion and style very seriously – my birthday presents that year had included a red wet-look plastic raincoat, a long gold chain belt and a pair of embellished yellow clogs – all happily worn together! History does not reveal whether we won Dormy Decs that year, though my optimistic memory tells me we surely did. So perhaps it isn’t surprising to find myself involved in the vintage clothing business now. After several decades organising the private lives of the great and the good, and then a switch to working alongside primary school
children with special educational needs, I stepped away to do something completely different. For many years my daughter Lydia and I were collecting and wearing vintage clothing, long before the push for a sustainable lifestyle became the norm. From this seed we developed Viva Soul London, responding to the call from friends to share the ethos and style of a bygone age. Viva Soul London prides itself on having something for everyone, no matter your age, size, gender or era preference. It’s lovely to see how clients put their own spin on our treasured finds. Even during the lockdowns of the past 2 years we were able to spread the word, filming a segment for The Repair Shop – where they gloriously repaired my mother's wedding tiara, just in time for Lydia’s marriage to the wonderful Nico which finally took place last year. I often feel that the opportunity to embrace 1960s and 1970s fashion whilst at Roedean, parading around Brighton and Rottingdean at the weekends wearing maxi skirts, fringed jackets and Mary Quant’s plum-coloured eyeshadow, were a great foundation for the business we’re in now! It’s also a delight to know that many of the wonderful friends I made at school are still part of my life, supporting Viva Soul London in person as well as online, and often lending their own memories of those vintage years. Visit us at www.vivasoullondon.com 9
Roedean – Take Your Seat We would like to thank all our generous donors who supported our Take Your Seat appeal and helped us beat our target. Rachel Adams (Chandler, No. 2, 1947-53)
The Deighton Family
Audrey Ahmad (Lunger, No. 3, 1939-43)
The Deverall Bartlette Family
Apollo Theatre Arts
Trevor and Angie Dodsworth
Annette Au (No. 3, 1996-2000)
The Dovell Family
Tim and Su Ayling
The Duncan Family
Diana Banham (Director of Admissions, 2010-21)
Jill Edwards (Parkinson, No. 3, 1946-53)
Nicola Barden (No. 3, 1973-75)
Claire and Steve Evans
Jennie Barrs and Amelie Samarasinghe
Fuzet Farid (No. 4, 1987-89)
Alex and Duncan Barton
Ian Farley
The Baxter Family
The Fletcher Family
The Bicknell Family
The Fulkes Family
Sarah Black, Head of History
The Furniss Family
Oliver Blond, Headmaster
Laura Galley
David Borha and Sola David-Borha
Christine and Stephen George
The Brighton Academy
Sasha Glynn (No. 1, 1980-87), and Ella Baker (No. 3, 2015-20)
The Broadley Family Heidi Chan Grace Chaston, Head of Alumnae and Development Brenda Cheng Freddie and Virginia Cheng Jennifer Cheung (No. 4, 1989-95) Melanie T. H Cheung Vanessa Cheung (No. 4, 1989-96) Sue Clancy (Former Staff, 1986-2007)
Catherine Goble (No. 4, 1991-98) Mill Goble (No. 4, 1995-2001) Rosy Greenaway (Meek, No. 1, 1995-2002) The Hak Family Lawrence and Anita Harris The Hedley Family Mary Henderson (No. 3, 1971-76) The Henderson Family
Toby and Zoë Clarke
Fiona Hodges (Ewart, No. 3, 1967-72) and Lucy Hodges (No. 2, 2001-08)
Kathy Cowell (Behrens, No. 3, 1965-71)
Karen Holyoake
The Crawley Family
Fiona Howe, Exams Officer
Oscar and Amber Cullinane
Ailsa Hughes (Hones, No. 2, 1960-64)
Ann-Cathrin Daly
The Hurley Family
The Dawson-Bowling Family
Indelible Bouquet
Tara Deeks (McMaster, No. 2, 1989-91)
The Ings Family Joanne Jackson-Hale Fan Jiang Jenifer Joel (Tyler, No. 1, 1948-50) Talia Keller, Head of School Zilla Kenna (O’Connor, No. 1, 1941-45) Sabrina Ko Liz Kunzler (No. 1, 1980-87) Ardy and Reshelle Larong Jaemin Lee and Sungho Hyun
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Roger Lee and Kate Eggers The Lever Family Baohong Li and Yanqing Zhong Diana Li Frances Low (Former Staff, 1986-2008) Sam Louis (ORSA, Trustee)
The Qi Family
John and Mohini Lynch
Gautham Radhakrishnan and Sreeja Nedungadi
The Lyttle Family
Rosemary Read (Brett, No. 3, 1943-51)
Edward and Rowena Macey-Dare
Vanessa Richards (Kent, No. 2, 1959-64)
Rebecca Mackay (Profit, No. 4, 1985-91)
Phebe Robinow (Harman, No. 1, 1960-67)
Johnny Mackintosh
Jean Robson (Beynon, No. 3, 1947-57)
Elizabeth Marsh
Roedean Catering Department
Sian McGrath (Owen, No. 4, 1992-94)
Kathleen Romain (Lawrence, 1974-76)
Sue Meek (Hemming, Head of Drama, Head of Performing Arts, Senior Mistress, 1978-97)
Susan Sheen (Former Staff, 1983-2008) Iris Shum Daisy Siu Rita Skinner (Oldak, No. 3, 1958-63) The So Family Roseanna Sonnenberg (Henry Sonnenberg, No. 3, 1980-88) The Spicer Family Sue Stanway (Former Staff, 1970-2016) Andrew and Helga Starup Williams Virginia (Ginny) Stephen (de Trense, No. 3, 1954-60) The Stoddard Family Joanne and Loetitia Kay Stone Kate and Isobel Stoner
Juliet Louise Menager (Wiggins, No. 4, 1993-98)
Sarah Strachan
Yolanda Mingyiu Tsui
Hayes Thompson
The Mok-Lo Family
Jessica Thomson (Martens, No. 4, 1965-69)
Karoline Molberg (No. 4, 1982-89)
Tim and Melissa Trebble
Ann Moseley (Kirkman, No. 1, 1985-92)
Leonard Treglown
The Moss-Pearson Family
The Trowhill Family
The Nightingale / Johnston-Lyon / Johnston family
Victoria Turck (Lyons, No. 3, 2001-06)
The Old Roedeanians' Association
The Veness Family
Nicky Orlebar (Ford, No. 1, 1961-68)
Freddie and Jemima Venturi
The Outhwaite Family
Joe Wailes, Head of School Services
Yanyu Pan (Aurora Pan)
Emma Whitby (Wilton, No. 1, 1989-95)
The Parents' Guild
Alison Whittall
Delva Patman, Trustee, Chair of Estate Committee
Li-En Wittenburg (Chong, No. 4, 1995-97)
The Peacey Family
Eden Wolfe-Naughton (No. 4, 2014-21)
Laura Peel (Scully, No. 2, 2000-05)
Michelle Wong (No. 3, 1996-2000)
Sir Michael Pickard (Former Chair of Council, 1980-90)
The Wood Family
Richard Poffley, Director of Finance and Administration
The Wong-Chow Family
Claudia Purley (No. 1, 1995-2002)
Catherine Yien (No. 3, 1984-89)
Tina Pynn, Catering Manager
…and all those who wish to remain anonymous. 11
Obituary Cecilia Robinson (Former staff, 1949-81) Cecilia was born on 22 May 1924, in the Precincts of Canterbury Cathedral, a sister to John and Edward. Her elderly father, Arthur Robinson, was a Canon of Canterbury, and her mother, Beatrice, herself a daughter of a Canon of Canterbury, had been a VAD nurse during the Great War. Cecilia was only four when her father died, and the family had to leave the Precincts and move to Cherries, a house close to St Martin’s, Canterbury. One of Cecilia’s favourite stories was of John and Edward teaching her to play cricket in the garden of Cherries. As the smallest, and a girl, her job was to scramble under the shrubbery to retrieve the lost ball, or go next door to ask politely for its return. Later, watching the children playing cricket together, a friend of her mother’s observed that he thought that Cecilia showed the greatest promise of the three. In 1942, she began her training at Bedford Physical Training College, and qualified as a PE teacher in 1945. In 1948, she was selected to play for England in the Test series against Australia and New Zealand. She told many stories of life aboard ship on the four-week voyage to New Zealand, including being challenged to deck cricket by the crew, during which the rope balls frequently ended up in the sea. Before leaving England, worried that she would return to no job, she answered an advertisement for a temporary position for one term, as a games teacher at Roedean School, and sent in her application. While in New Zealand she received a letter from Miss Nora Horobin, the Headmistress of Roedean, offering her the job. Miss Horobin also mentioned that there would be a full-time position available in September, and that if she had not already filled it by the time Cecilia returned in May, she might be considered for it. As Cecilia later said, “They hired me for a term to teach the girls to bat, and I stayed for 32 years”. I visited her once at Roedean, where the wind howled off
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the sea across the sports field, and wondered how the girls survived games lessons with their illustrious games mistress. But I have had many messages from old students, writing of their affection and gratitude to her as a teacher, and speaking of her enthusiasm and encouragement, whether or not they were good at sports. “Cecilia was the one responsible for me playing for Sussex in lacrosse and also junior Wimbledon.” “Miss Robinson somehow got me to enjoy watching cricket on TV, even now, and stop making daisy chains while fielding. RIP a memorable lady.” At Roedean she was affectionately known as Bobby, and from her first post as an assistant games teacher, she soon progressed to become Head of Physical Training in 1952, and then in 1968 was appointed as senior housemistress in the Junior House. Here she was in loco parentis for all the young girls coming to boarding school for the first time, and Cecilia’s golden retriever Isla, one of a succession of her beloved dogs, played an important role in their lives, providing comfort and consolation, and soaking up many a homesick tear. By 2009 the first indications of her dementia began to be apparent, and she came to live with us where she lived contently, finding a warm welcome at the church here, working intently on the crossword and Sudoko and taking her daily walk with Freddie, pulling up weeds as she went. After a fall in which she broke her hip, she went to live at St Heliers in Folkestone, who have cared for her lovingly for the past four years. On 3 November, as I, her goddaughter, held her hand, she slipped peacefully out of life after 97 full and eventful years. Goodbye, dear Cecilia. Catherine Robinson
Obituary Jen was an extremely good cook, having completed an extensive Cordon Blue cookery course however I can remember having very few French meals but lots of Indian meals and creole meals.
Jennifer Russell (Gimson, No. 2, 1963-70) I first met Jen in 1983 when she arrived, as the nurse at the factory where I worked, I soon discovered that Jen was a bit of a live wire, colourful with a fantastic sense of humour: she had presence. Jen was a nurse and by all accounts an outstanding one. On one occasion whilst waiting for Jen I overheard a conversation about a patient between a doctor, a trainee doctor and Jen. The doctor asked the trainee what course of action he recommended, the doctor then asked Jen what she would recommend and she recommended another course of action but the trainee insisted he was right. Jen left the doctors and the senior said to the junior that he could almost guarantee that within two weeks he would be changing to Jen’s recommendation as Jen was a very good nurse indeed, she knew the patient better than he did and she had been nursing as long as he had been alive. Sure enough she was right.
For Jen the last 4 1/2 years had been pretty torrid to say the least but she fought everything thrown at her until the end. Thankfully she passed away in peace and with no discomfort. Jen knew her time had come; she had a kiss and cuddle with our granddaughter Eloise in the afternoon. Luckily Alex managed to come home in time for him and Liv to give their mother a kiss and tell her they loved her and Jen told them she loved them very much too. Jen died with dignity and courage after a long illness. Dearly beloved wife of Nick, cherished mum of Alex and Liv, and loving granny of Eloise. Nick Russell
Alexandra Offer (Houlston, No. 3, 1984-1990) On Thursday 26 August 2021 Alex very sadly passed away at Sobell House Hospice in Oxford at the age of 49, after a brave 11 year battle with breast cancer. After leaving Roedean in 1990, Alex studied at St James’s College in London. She then worked in several positions before leaving London in 2006 with her husband, Charlie, to start a family in Oxfordshire. She was immensely proud of their two daughters, Chloe aged 14 and Jemima aged 13, and was a naturally wonderful mother. Alex was an exceptionally kind and warm person, full of fun, a truly beautiful person inside and out. She will be missed hugely, loved and remembered forever. Written by her twin sister, Victoria Freear (Houlston, No. 3, 1984-1990)
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Dates for your Diary We are delighted to announce the return of our most popular events in 2022, the Afternoon Tea and Roedean Day. See below for more details. Friday 25 March 2022 4 - 5.30 pm
Founders Day You are warmly invited to join us for our annual Founders' Day and Commemoration Service. During this service we remember all of those who we have lost in the previous year, and celebrate the legacy of our Founders and past Head Teachers. If you would like to attend this service, please contact alumnae@roedean.co.uk. The list of those being remembered is available here: https://www.roedean.co.uk/roedean-community/remembrance.
Thursday - Saturday 24 - 26 March 2022 7 pm
Romeo and Juliet Roedean Upper School presents Shakespeare’s most famous play, Romeo and Juliet. Join us in the Roedean Theatre for this much anticipated production, set in an eclectic world of Jazz, Swing and The Golden Age of movies. To book, go to www.roedeantheatre.co.uk.
Friday 6 May 2022 2- 5 pm
OR Afternoon Tea You are invited to join us for our annual OR Afternoon Tea at The Bailey's Hotel, 140 Gloucester Road, London, SW7 4QH. Catch up with old and meet new friends, all while enjoying a delicious sparkling afternoon tea. Booking will open soon via https://community.roedean.co.uk/event/or-afternoon-tea-2022.
Saturday 7 May 2022 TBC
Netball Match 2022 – ORS vs the School Further details to follow. Please contact events@oldroedeanians.co.uk for more information or book online via https://community.roedean.co.uk/event/netball-match-2022-ors-vs-the-school.
Saturday 25 June 2022 10 am - 4 pm
Roedean Day We are thrilled to announce the return of our annual reunion day. For more information and booking, or to volunteer as a Year Rep, please contact the alumnae team on alumnae@roedean.co.uk.
Saturday 23 July 2022 TBC
OR Tennis Join fellow ORs for an afternoon of tennis followed by a BBQ on Saturday 23rd July at the Roehampton Club, Roehampton Lane, London SW15 5LR. Players of all ages and abilities together with spectators are welcome. Further details to follow closer to the date. Please email events@oldroedeanians.co.uk for more information about the event.
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 that 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.
Keep in touch! We are always interested to hear what our community are getting up to, whether that is a new business venture, a book being published, or perhaps you have got married or have connected with another member of our community in some way. So please do get in touch with anything you would like to share on these pages, or if you would like to be added to our online Business Directory or Virtual Bookshop. You can contact our Communications Manager, Harriet de Bene, on hdb@roedean.co.uk. 14
Roedean through the Ages From the iconic djibbah to the school blazer, the Roedean uniform has rocked through the ages!
ditional djibbah's 1935 Girls wearing the tra
1940s School cloaks
1960s PE Kit 1940s The girls from Roedea n in Keswick – with unbottoned jackets!
1970s Uniform
2010 Jumpers
2020s Roedean Blazers 2020s PE Kit
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Sunset at Roedean
roedean.co.uk The Roedeanian Society, Roedean School, Roedean Way, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 5RQ Tel: +44(0)1273 667398 • Registered Charity 307063 16