Issue 09 – Autumn 2023
WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES INSIDE Page 4
Page 7
Page 12
Page 18
SPARKS TO FLAMES
A NATURAL JOURNEY TO SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION
POLITICS AT PLAY: COLD WAR HOCKEY
THE WORLD IN HER HANDS
Celebrating success and sharing news within the St George’s Community
Interview with Dr Eleanor Harris
Interview with Valerie Crombie
Interview with Niva Shrestha
A WORD OF
WELCOME T
he lives and adventures of a St George’s girl are rarely dull with so many opportunities and encouragement to thrive and achieve. This establishes a mindset and appetite for life which abides and is reflected in so many of those in our OG community. We wanted to showcase this enthusiasm, talent, determination and adventurism in this edition through our theme: A world of possibilities.
We welcome new Head Carol Chandler-Thompson and are delighted to include a personal note from her, as well as an interview with the trainee archivist Margaret Imlah – in a new role but certainly not new to St George’s.
It is always a pleasure and a surprise to learn about what many of our alumnae are doing right across the world, but also what they have seen, lived and breathed. This edition is no different, but we also have been able to include some excellent news about serious sporting success from current pupils, which demonstrates the world of possibility that awaits a new generation.
We hope you enjoy reading this edition of The Dragon and, as always, we welcome your feedback.
The Foundation Office 0131 311 8000 foundation@stge.org.uk foundation.stge.org.uk/homepage St George’s Alumnae Group @stgealumnae St George’s Edinburgh, alumnae networking group
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The world is open and we are so happy to see so many of our community taking every opportunity to enjoy and thrive in it.
With best wishes The Foundation Office Please do keep your feedback and suggestions coming – the Foundation Office always welcomes your input.
contents WORD OF WELCOME
02
HELLO FROM THE HEAD
04
SPARKS TO FLAMES
05
From the Foundation Office
Celebrating success and sharing news within the St George’s Community A NATURAL JOURNEY TO SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION
07
SCHOOL NEWS & SPORTING SUCCESS
10
TEDX YOUTH & TOUCH OF TARTAN CEILIDH
11
POLITICS AT PLAY: COLD WAR HOCKEY
13
A NEW LIFE FOR OLD MEMORIES
15
THE WORLD IN HER HANDS
18
REUNIONS
21
OUR PEOPLE
22
TRIBUTES
24
GERMANTOWN FRIENDS SCHOOL
26
SAVE THE DATE & KEEP IN TOUCH
28
Interview with Dr Eleanor Harris
Interview with Valerie Crombie
Interview with Margaret Imlah
Interview with Niva Shrestha
Reminiscing and reconnecting
Ways to stay in touch with the St George’s Community
The Dragon Editorial Team Editor Kate Forster
OGA Editorial liaison Elizabeth Bruce
St George’s Editorial liaison Mairi McNaughton
Design and Print thedragonflyagency.co.uk
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HELLO FROM THE HEAD Welcome from Carol Chandler-Thompson
I
t is a great pleasure to be writing this message to you all after my first full year of Headship at St George’s. I have felt very fortunate to meet many of you in person at reunion lunches, drinks parties, and indeed as current parents of students in the school. One of the consistent themes that is touched on in conversation with former students, is how St. George’s enabled them to understand their own strengths and talents, in an environment utterly free from gender stereotypes. I think this is a very special environment that excellent girls’ schools are able to create, and I see it in every aspect of St. George’s. Rather than being a stifling, overlystructured or old-fashioned institution, the school seeks to offer opportunities and possibilities for everyone. By removing ‘ceilings’ on ambition and presenting possibility for our students, we enable them to try things out, make mistakes, learn from them, become stronger and more adaptable people in the long term.
From the taster I have enjoyed this year, of learning what ex-St George’s students are doing with their lives, I can see this sense of ‘possibilities’ continues to persist in life beyond Garscube Terrace. I have had the pleasure of speaking to women excelling in traditionally male-dominated careers, broadening their horizons through travel; questioning accepted norms through campaigning and non-traditional career and training routes and drawing on the strength of their female networks to really fly. In school this year, there are many ways in which we have been encouraging our students to see the ‘possibilities’ out there for them. In celebration of International Women’s Day in March, Ms Oksen and Mrs Edwards organised our inaugural TEDx speaker event. Showcasing women as speakers and performers, the theme of the day was ‘Voices of possibility’ and provided all the attendees with an optimistic and thoughtprovoking afternoon: TEDxYouth@
StGeorges Edinburgh | TED. Our International Exchange programme has resumed with great gusto, with students and staff travelling as far afield as Texas, Philadelphia, Toronto, Durban and Sydney and hosting their partners in return. The experiences offered by such a programme are impossible to replicate in a classroom and really help create awareness and wider horizons, which we benefit from hugely as a school community too. There is a myriad of other opportunities to tell you about, but I hope perhaps we might be able to do so at future Old Girl events. I am extremely grateful to have been working alongside OG and Upper Sixth parent, Emma Welsh this year, as the OGA Chair and I thank her sincerely for all her support. Lizzie Bruce takes over this role this year and I am hugely appreciative to her.
A MARVELLOUS MILESTONE AND A ROYAL TOUCH In one of our first editions we included an article of reflections from Betty Cosgrove (nee Davidson, Class of 1941) where she shared her experiences of being a St George’s girl (19311939) evacuated to Bonchester Bridge during World War Two. Betty wrote to us again this year sharing news of more recent experiences, as she celebrated her 100th birthday on 10 August 2023 with her family and friends in Canada where she now lives. We are delighted for Betty and wish her continued health and happiness from all the Foundation team and wider St George’s community. Betty was very thankful for her celebrations saying: “I had a wonderful garden party, on a Godgiven sunny day, complete with my card from the from King Charles and Queen Camilla.”
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SPARKS TO
FLAMES Since the last edition we have been so pleased to receive more news from old girls within the St George’s community, highlighting how they are embracing new experiences, business ventures and hobbies or achieving personal recognition. We share a broad range of stories and updates from this powerful and widespread group. From small sparks come big flames – we want to hear how the fire is burning bright across our St George’s community. We would love to hear from you, whatever you are up to and whenever you left the school. Please do get in touch with The Foundation Office to share news or more general updates, or with any suggestions or comments about the Dragon.
Lucinda Russell (OBE) and Corach Rambler
school, but preferred Duke of Edinburgh hill climbing, has already completed a range of seriously impressive peaks in the Alps and around the world: Toubkal, Olympus, Triglav, Gurlach, Vihren, Rysy, the UK’s four national highest peaks and Ireland’s highest peak. She spends much of her spare time training with rope work and skills, cardio, cycling, and rock and ice climbing. During her training she has come across another OG - Kathryn Le Grice (nee Horn, class of 2000) at Military Fitness.
Anna, who is also a lawyer qualified in England, Wales and New York, lives in London and travels a lot, sometimes with her sister Kirsty (Class of 1998).
A world in weighting Rachel Steedman
Rachel Steedman (Class of 2013) has continued her weightlifting success at the World Equipped Bench Press tournament, lifting her best title yet for Team GB. She was competing in Sun City South Africa and achieved 3rd place U84. This is her first podium place (of many we are sure) and we send her big congratulations and best of luck for the next one.
A Grand winner Lucinda Russell
Previously featured in The Dragon, Lucinda Russell OBE (Class of 1984) has cemented her place in horseracing history as the trainer of the 2023 Grand National Winner – Corach Rambler. In 2017 she trained another Grand National Winner – One for Arthur. All of this she does from her Scottish race yard Arlary near Kinross in Scotland. Huge congratulations to Lucinda, the four-legged beauties and her team.
Anna’s ambition for 2024 is to climb Mont Blanc – the highest of the Alps at a height of 4800m.
Anna Robinson on a climb
Peaks and peaks of possibility Anna Robinson
Anna Robinson (Class of 1997) has been vertically challenging herself for the past few years, moving into mountaineering and alpinism (summiting 4000m+ mountains). Anna, who says she wasn’t into sport at
Anna and Kirsty
Rachel Steedman took third at the IPF in South Africa
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Uncovering worlds of the past Rachel Frame (Class of 2013) has been appointed as the Senior Archaeologist on the National Heritage Lottery Funded Roman Magna project for The Vindolanda Trust. She is leading the excavations at the Magna Roman Fort over the next five years, working with volunteers and specialists to uncover the history of the site. You can visit the link below for more information and updates from the project. romanarmymuseum.com/magnafort/ We look forward to an update on what Rachel uncovers in future editions.
Friendships from afar: Connecting and celebrating
Bridge over troubled water: an award winning project
School connections really do last, even across continents it would seem. Hollie Chambers (Class of 2010) undertook a school exchange to Ruyton School in Melbourne, Australia in 2006 where she met Alice Sweeney and they became best friends instantly and remain that to this day.
Congratulations to Philippa Walton (Class of 1995) who was the joint winner of Research Project of the Year 2022 awarded by Current Archaeology Magazine. This prize was awarded for her project at the University of Reading looking at why thousands of Roman objects were deposited in the River Tees at Piercebridge in Co. Durham.
Hollie said: “Despite the distance, Alice and I managed to keep in touch and were able to travel together whenever possible. I even lived with her and her family for three months when I went travelling after university! Alice got married this year (2023) and I was honoured to be her bridesmaid. It’s incredible that we stayed such good friends and it was an honour to be her bridesmaid, all of which began by a school exchange at St George’s.”
For more information about the project ‘Bridge over troubled water: Roman finds from the Tees at Piercebridge and beyond.’ you can scan the QR code below.
Rachel at the Magna Roman Fort
Striking silver with the Tassie Tournament St George’s entered a team again in 2023 for The Silver Tassie, a golf competition for alumnae of independent schools. The 2023 team comprised Jane Turton (nee Neill Class of 1980), Catriona Farquharson (nee Rose – Class of 1982), Katie Gordon (Class of 2012) and Jenny Middleton (Class of 2009). All played well, finishing in the top half of the field with Jenny Middleton winning a prize for a hole in 2. If you would like to play in the St Georges team on 10 June 2024 please email Jo Giddins at theilvertassiegolf@gmail.com
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Hollie and Alice together in the UK
Hollie as Alice’s bridesmaid in Australia
A NATURAL JOURNEY TO SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION Interview with Dr Eleanor Harris, ICF A born campaigner and champion of the natural world – Eleanor Harris (Class of 1996) was encouraged to be inspired by nature from a young age by her parents. As we all now grapple with the challenges of climate change and a more sustainable approach to living, working and co-existing we need more champions like Eleanor. Her role as the first Natural Capital and Carbon Leader for the Galbraith Group reflects how the property and development worlds are evolving and the importance being placed on sustainability and the environment by many industries.
(and not always the desired response) from a presentation on acid rain in primary school to the purchasing of Blair House in the Highlands with the ambition to turn it into a conservation centre. She understands the power of collaboration and consideration of others’ opinions and why we need to try harder to work together to make a difference in our world. We were so pleased to talk to Eleanor and found her experiences and outlook thought-provoking and motivating. Thank you to Dr Harris for her time and honesty.
Eleanor’s passions for history, nature and asking questions have often brought a different perspective
When did you attend St George’s? I am a gold badge holder, starting Primary 1 in 1983 and leaving Upper 6 in 1996. What stood out for you most about the education experience at St George’s? I don’t have anything to compare it to as I was there my whole school career, but for me I loved the teachers and their encouragement of my enquiring mind.I did ask lots of questions and go off slightly on tangents, but they embraced this and opened up lots for me to think about. What were your preferred subjects at school? Always a words person, and not an obvious fan of numbers, I liked english a lot. I was not a straight A student and had to work hard at school which wasn’t always easy as often my mind drifted, but I did want to do the teachers well as they were very supportive and kind. I did enjoy analysis and getting to the bottom
of things, but sciences were definitely not my subject. I loved art and music, even though I was only mediocre at the latter. Even though maths was not my favourite subject I really liked Mrs McLeod who taught me longer than any other teacher at St G’s. History was the one I discovered later on. I had mainly avoided it as my dad was a history teacher, but I was persuaded by Mrs Askew to go on the school trip to Russia in 1993 and my passion for the subject was ignited and I have never really looked back.
I really liked so many of the staff at St George’s, but for me the two stand outs were Frances Askew, who really helped show me why I should be an historian, and Linda Emslie who encouraged me to be myself. Was sustainability or environmental impact something you were aware of or focused on at school?
Having a broad interest in many subjects has really helped me with developing knowledge and curiosity about different specialisms and topics.
Not necessarily in my early days at school, but I was always very interested in it at home. When we were young my father transformed our garden into a wildlife garden and we spent a lot of time in nature, discovering botany and looking at things under microscopes. My parents’ passion for the outdoors gave me a love of nature and ecology.
Was there a teacher, mentor or fellow pupil within the school who particularly helped or inspired you to recognise and/or follow your dreams and set out on your current career path?
From an environmental perspective I remember watching something on Blue Peter about acid rain from pollution and car emissions (and this was well before days of climate change discussion). I
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Collectively we need to build bridges and work to understand a different perspective and walk in the shoes of another stakeholder. There is often so much partisanship and so little humility. I would urge those in industry to spend a day with an ecologist working for a wildlife charity. gave a presentation to my classmates about this, and it went down pretty badly and that put me off a bit at that age. But I was a campaigner and continued to remain interested. It wasn’t really until university, however, that this passion was reignited when learning about economics and tipping points in history that will change the impact on the environment dramatically. It was this that did make me reflect back on what my parents had taught me and encouraged me to learn and think about that I believe is so important in educating future generations.
What sort of influence did St George’s have on you as you look back now?
Can you explain to us what natural capital is and why it is important?
It is a hard one for me to quantify: It did give me an idea through an all-girls education that women certainly can be leaders; but there was a cliquiness and desire to fit in that did enhance a feeling of inadequacy in me. However, what I do know is that it made me embrace so many different things in life and think broadly about different topics. It allowed me to question and analyse and that is fundamental to me and my now career.
Natural capital just means planet earth; it is everything that we have which is physically natural – the air, the rocks, soil, plants, people, animals, water. There is a bit of debate but I also believe it is the processes too such as photosynthesis, water cycle and the nutrient cycle. Natural capital is basically thinking about that in a business sense – everything natural is capital and from that is the revenue of all the things we need to exist and enjoy life. Whether it is in a business, government, charitable or personal sense – we all need and benefit from that capital.
What did you study at university? Did this directly impact on your career path? I studied history. And yes, it really did impact: human capital is the big gap in natural capital and that is something I bring from my university studies. Can you tell us a bit about your role and the responsibility you have with Galbraith? Galbraith Group is a firm of Chartered Surveyors, specialising as land agents, working with a wide variety of clients. I’m part of the Forestry Department, and in relation to natural capital trees often seem to be a key part of the solution, so it is a good place to be! My remit is to develop commercial opportunities which arise from the global shift to a net zero and naturefriendly economy. There is an awareness and perception amongst our clients and agents that there is a great opportunity for sustainability and commerciality that if we run it well will bring substantial and far-reaching benefits. If we don’t then the impacts will be even more significant and catastrophic. We are currently doing a lot of work to understand and develop the offering internally and expanding the knowledge of our teams and departments. We have rural, renewables and forestry, as well as buildings and commercial teams. Net zero and carbon benefits are hugely important drivers for our clients and we are working hard to help them deliver that. It is so interesting and what I feel like I have been working towards through my academic, business and personal interests my whole life.
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The natural capital concept was borne out of the realisation that we’re using up our natural resources and if we don’t look after them then eventually we will not be able to sustain our economies and societies. For example, we need forests for making certain products but we also need them to sustain wildlife, filter air and maintain landscapes. Farmers need to sustain soil to ensure they can keep farming it. But it isn’t good enough to just view sustainability from an ecology perspective – it needs to be understood in the context of economics too, as an asset, to make it relevant and relatable. Is there a particular initiative or project that you have been most proud of whilst working in your current job? In this role many things are still developing, and we’re impatient to actively deliver collaborative place-based projects. Meanwhile I’m proud of the role I’m playing through speaking and writing in helping to raise the bar of socio-economic analysis in natural capital thinking, and getting beyond business versus ecologist versus community to a more integrated approach. One thing I personally am very proud of is qualifying as Chartered from the Institute of Chartered Foresters. It is an excellent professional organisation to be part of and I am delighted to be involved with it. What is being done to promote your industry, including its career opportunities and environmental impacts, to a more diverse and wider audience? Is it enough?
There is not enough being done to promote these jobs in our industry, but especially not in forestry. There are many different jobs in a great outdoor environment with really good professional career development. We certainly don’t have enough women, but not enough people generally and we do need more diverse people to come into the industry to enable broader thinking and approaches. I really do feel that foresters are my tribe: we are analytical, curious, problem solvers who love bringing humans into harmony with nature.
and we all need to co-exist to benefit and sustain each other. Individually, I feel like there are certain things we can be doing practically – think about growing some of your own food, even if it is just window boxes. Start planting or build a pond and encouraging nature where you can. There are also great annual initiatives like #30dayswild which took place in June run by The Wildlife Trusts and it is all about experiencing one thing in nature every day – from wild swimming to listening to bird song, to planting wildflowers or growing your own food. It might feel like a tiny contribution, but for that place it’s the world of difference; and when you become a role model or trendsetter, who knows how big the impact could get. In addition to your professional career, you also took on the renovation of Blair House, having purchased it in 2015. It was not without challenges and some potentially catastrophic incidents. What was your original vision when taking this on?
We are all aware of the pressures on our local and global environments, but how can we be doing more individually and collectively to bring greater impact? Collectively we need to build bridges and work to understand a different perspective and walk in the shoes of another stakeholder. There is often so much partisanship and so little humility. I would urge those in industry to spend a day with an ecologist working for a wildlife charity. Or if you have links to a rural community, spend a day with a commercial forester. If you support rewilding, live for a while with a rural community who have jobs on the land. If you strongly disapprove of something, go and work with the people whose lives are committed to that thing, and find out what moves them – because they aren’t just bad people. I personally have gone from urban environmental campaigner to a member of a rural community to a wildlife charity advocate to a forester. Now I work with farmers who have quite a different culture, history and mindset and it’s been a valuable new adventure still ongoing to find out how they tick. Everyone brings something valuable
I spent much time at Blair House when I was growing up as my father took school trips up there and it was just the most incredible location in the middle of the hills and we could run around free. I think that is where I got my love of forests from as the Forestry Commission owned it and we were allowed to explore it. We climbed Munros and just loved being outside, embracing nature. When the Edinburgh Academy decided reluctantly to sell it I thought it would make an amazing field centre so I decided to buy it. I wanted it to be accessible to anyone who wanted to come there, and not just for one school’s use. I really thought it would work and it was a huge passion project, but throughout the process if something could go wrong it did. Personal and family illness and injury brought some very significant challenges, but then there was a catastrophic fire at the neighbour’s property and the newly refurbished Blair House was burned down too. However, I didn’t give up there and went on crowdfunding mission and had lots of people behind me. I managed to get an
architect and builder to help me and we had a clear vision about what we could do to enhance biodiversity and add new, improved features. However, in the end there were also challenges with the team and then Covid hit and it just seemed to be the final straw. After much deliberation and a lot of stress I did decide to sell it. It wasn’t an easy decision but it was the right one. You have travelled to many different geographies – can you share your favourite place on the planet and why? I’m not at all a big traveller compared to many but each time I’ve travelled it’s transformed my perspective. Russia made me a historian. Hawai’i’ was so full of fruit and fish it made me realise how poor Scotland’s natural capital is! South Africa, despite being at the other end of the world, has vegetation like the Cairngorms but with thousands of species of plant instead of dozens and it made me think deeply about evolution and ecology. Vietnam transformed my perspective on culture and the pathways of different parts of the world. A perceptive fellow-traveller on that trip said: ‘I wouldn’t live in Europe again because everything is very good but it is all in decline – economy, demographics, public services; in South East Asia many things are terrible but everything is improving, and you can feel it.’ I have an accent which makes people say ‘but you’re not really from Edinburgh’ – we don’t have a ‘family home’ – my parents moved house a few times – and then I lost Blair House which was in a place I longed to belong. For a long time I’ve been saying I’m an earthling. In Vietnam I discovered the great Buddhist thinker Thich Nhat Hanh. Vietnam has a north and south with strong identities, rather like the UK, but he was from the centre and similarly people couldn’t place his accent. Later as a result of his peace activism, he found himself a stateless exile, banned from both Vietnam and the USA. He learned, and then taught, that my true home is myself, in the present moment. So my favourite place on earth is here and now – talking to you.
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SCHOOL NEWS
M
el Benson (Class of 2006) is Head of Lower School and has always been an active champion of girls sport since she started teaching at St George’s. In December 2022 she took part in a tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia, Diriyah Season, a professional tennis tournament with the participation of some of the best players in the world. As part of this tournament there was also an education programme which involved teaching women and girls’ tennis and how to play
Mel commented: “I have been fortunate enough to join Judy’s team in different capacities to deliver her philosophy. This includes Ambassador for an all-female programme to empower women and girls and Ambassador for the Judy Murray Foundation. Judy is always creating opportunities and invests in people ‘on the job’ and in the most inspiring environments. Judy invited me to help deliver some workshops in Austria and Germany where she introduced me to Sandra Reichel, one of the very few
Mel coaching family sessions in the Saudi
and teach. Tennis plays an important role in enhancing vision, quality of life, and its sporting and cultural impact. This project aims to spread the game of tennis in the Kingdom. Working closely with Tournament Director Sandra Reichel, and a hugely important figure in women’s tennis, Judy Murray. Mel has worked closely with Judy Murray, since she invited her to come to St George’s to teach staff how best to teach tennis in schools. Judy said yes and a month later a Girls’ Tennis Day for over 200 students from many schools and teachers from 68 PE departments across Scotland was set up and run at St G’s. That was 2016 and the start of Mel learning and loving the #MurrayMethod. At any opportunity she attended events that Judy was delivering and very quickly became hooked on the fun, engaging and progressive content and in awe of the consistent and very powerful messaging around women and girls in sport.
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female Tournament Directors - a fantastic role model. “Two months later, I was in Saudi Arabia working for Sandra delivering Judy’s content via workshops with Roger Federer’s coach assisting me, and two top ten players in the world joining the session. This was my first visit to Saudi and since then we’ve produced a national programme for all schools in Scotland in
how to deliver tennis in schools, as well as run many online and in person events. In December 2022, I returned to Saudi with Judy where we were tasked with growing women and girls tennis.” Judy’s philosophy is all about people and action. If you can see it, you can be it. Mel continued: “I feel incredibly lucky to have been swept up in this journey that is so positive, rings true to St George’s ‘Sport for All’ approach, empowers children, girls and women, is solutionfocused and creates success and builds on success. It has certainly shaped me professionally & personally. Thank you, Judy!” During the week Mel was integral to running tennis camps, school initiatives with teachers, pupils and parents, training kids at the Aramco Saudi Arabia Tennis Academy. She also joined Judy in meeting with the Head of the Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Tennis Federation to discuss how to drive further involvement in tennis in the Kingdom. Mel’s work and support, mostly undertaken during school holidays and weekends, really is opening up a world of possibilities for women in many different communities and we are very proud to have her as part of the St George’s leadership team.
Mats Wilander, Barbara Schett, Judy Murray, Mel Aiken and Nico
WORLD OF ACHIEVEMENTS SPORTING SUCCESSES ABOUND AT ST G’S
Our current St George’s girls continue to achieve and impress across so many different fields and arenas. We wanted to share a snapshot of some of this year’s successes. All that glitters Foil Fencer Alexia Hardie (Upper 5) represented to St Georges in the Public School Fencing Competition in Lee Valley Athletics Centre, London where she won Bronze. Alexia mainly fences in U15 Category but has also competed in Stirling Sword Senior Individual and Team Events, Salle Holyrood Senior Open, and Challenge Wratislavia in Poland. This year she has won two Golds, one Silver and three Bronze medals. She was selected as an @Limitlesskit Ambassador earlier this year.
Shuttles will fly – powered by Deepti St George’s Deepti Vijayakumar (Upper 5) won the Scottish U15 Badminton singles title and retained her doubles title at the end of 2022 to reaffirm her top billing in her age group with some outstanding performances and close fought matches. Deepti (aged 14) is currently ranked number one in Scotland for Badminton in her age group (2008+) for singles and doubles and trains as a member of the National Badminton Junior Scottish Squad. To cap her exciting progress over the past couple of years, Deepti was selected for a fully sponsored trip by to an invitational U16 International Tournament in Japan (Jul 1-2, 2023) with top 16 singles players from leading countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Denmark, Spain, Germany and hosts, Japan.
Fore sure a star of the future Evie McCallum (Upper 6) - continues to strike very well on the golf course and has been selected to play for Scotland in the Quadrangular international competition, against Wales, Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland. Part of a four-female U17 team she was selected from the performance squad to represent Scotland. In November 2022 she played in the Justin Rose Junior Telegraph Championship in Portugal, qualifying with 11 other players from across the UK, by shooting -2 at Kilspindie. Considered the juniors’ equivalent of a major, she was competing with the best players from the UK. Working hard with the Scottish golf team Evie has reduced her handicap to scratch and looks set to continue her successes. We wish her all the best.
Well done Alexia!
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ST GEORGE’S WELCOMES
The renowned TEDX programme came to St George’s in March 2023. ‘The Voice of Possibility’ was an independently organised event run by St George’s School, licensed by TEDx. It provided a platform for three of St George’s Sixth Form students, Charlotte, Sara and Eileen to share their ideas and hopes for the future alongside researchers, doctors, celebrated artists and female role models from Edinburgh talking about the possibilities that exist in their work or lives. The event was co-sponsored by Edinburgh Napier University, Healthy Nibbles and Amazon. Speakers included: Anna Lagerqvist Christopherson, Kate Ive, Omolabake Fakunle, Emma Perfect, Kirsten Macleod, Lily Battershill, Pegah Meridies and Hannah Lavery. Carol Chandler-Thompson, St George’s Head commented:
The St George’s team was delighted to introduce a new event to the social calendar this year. A group of parents, as part of the Parent Teacher Forum, kindly agreed to organise an event to bring St George’s parents back together in the dark days of February. This was such a positive addition and a chance to consolidate friendships and make new ones in the school community, as well as raising funds for school development projects. The informal Touch of Tartan Ceilidh was such a fun evening with a true Scottish haggis and neeps supper and a live band. A tombola and raffle ran throughout the night which helped us to raise £2500. Part of this sum went to the school Bursary award scheme and the rest was donated to Junior and Lower school projects. Thank you to everyone involved in the organisation and running of this successful event and to all those who donated raffle and tombola prizes.
“We were delighted to run this TEDx Youth event. As a school with long-held expertise in inspiring girls, this was the perfect event to showcase their talents and to harness the power of strong female role models. St George’s is proud of the genuine and active student voice that it cultivates, in the knowledge that this gives its students the best possible start in developing their own individuality and self-belief.” This event is available on the TEDxTalks video platform. TEDxYouth@StGeorgesEdinburgh
ST GEORGE’S, EDINBURGH - OLD GIRLS’ COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2023/24 Honorary President Mrs Carol Chandler-Thompson Head President Mrs Lizzie Bruce Honorary Vice President Miss Eileen Mackintosh Outgoing President Mrs Emma Welsh
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Minutes and Correspondence Secretary Mrs Desni McIntosh
School Alumnae Officer Mrs Mairi McNaughton
Treasurer Mrs Kath Young
Editor of The Dragon Magazine Mrs Kate Forster
St George’s Staff Representative Miss Mel Benson
Ordinary Committee Members Miss Charlotte Miller Ms Margaret Imlah
St George’s School Council Representative Mrs Shona Thomson
POLITICS AT PLAY
COLD WAR HOCKEY Reflections of Valerie Crombie
To be part of a significant moment in history is not something we can all claim and often goes unrealised at the time. When Valerie Crombie (nee Sinclair, Class of 1958) was approached to take part in a documentary – Cold War Hockey – in 2022 about her part as a Scottish national hockey player visiting West Berlin days after the Berlin Wall was completed, it was only at this point that she really was struck by the importance of that game in world politics. We were so delighted to welcome her back to the school and to hear about her reflections from that time and where her life and career have taken her since she left St George’s. Joining St George’s I began school when I moved from Greenock to Edinburgh in 1947 and remained at St G's until Upper 6, when I left in 1958. I have happy memories throughout my years there. A large part of my enjoyment at school were the various sports and games we played. I took part in them all and represented the school in most of them. Through this sport, as part of my education, I learnt how to be responsible, more confident and independent. When I became a Captain and Prefect I developed management skills of teams, schedules etc. The skills and character building learned at school have stood me in good stead for later years! It's not just academics that make you a 'well-rounded' person, I hope. Cold War Hockey By 1961 I had already represented Scotland in hockey for a couple of years. Earlier in September I had just qualified as an Occupational Therapist when a few days later Scotland was invited to send a hockey team to play West Germany in West Berlin. The English team had declined so we stepped in. No, we did not appreciate the dangers as in those days. News coverage was not as prolific and
half the team had heads down studying to qualify in their careers. The Berlin Wall had just been completed a few days earlier and West Germany wanted to keep contact with the outside world so decided to arrange this tournament. We flew from Edinburgh to Hanover and for most of us it was the first time we'd ever flown. In Hanover we picked up some of the West German team, as it was the only way they could get in to Berlin and join their teammates. During this bus trip we were stopped several times by armed guards to check us and the bus. We were not allowed to
take cameras or any kind of paperwork, only our passports. While soldiers were on board doing their inspection we were not allowed to talk. It was a very uncomfortable feeling and at this stage we really began to realise how serious the situation was. The final shock was at the last checkpoint between East and West Berlin, at the Brandenburg Gate - Check point Charlie as it became known - where we stepped out of the bus to be checked and found huge tanks pointing guns at us! Thankfully our hosts were there to take care of us, but it was an uncomfortable moment or two.
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Reflections of Valerie Crombie
The following day we played our match and, as expected, we were beaten, but what I remember most is the enormous roar that greeted us as we entered the 1936 Olympic Stadium. Not just schoolgirls, but the whole town had turned out and seemed grateful that we had overcome the hazards to keep the link with the 'outside world'. The mayor thanked us and entertained us royally at the after-match dinner. Once home we found there was very little publicity about the event as there had been no photography nor paperwork permitted and I don't think any of us really realised the significance of the trip and that our trip had helped to diffuse a difficult situation. When we were approached by Purple TV to take part in the Cold War Documentary which appeared on BBC Alba in April 2023 we had not really understood how important this match had been.
The Brandenburg Gate.
In November 2022 my former teammate Jenna and I were taken by Purple TV back to Berlin. We had such an interesting time in the making of the film and visited the old stadium and the new Brandenberg Gate. Everything was so different to what we had seen all those years ago. There was a model Check Point Charlie' and parts of the Wall for viewing and an extremely interesting museum with models and photographs of the terrible times that people experienced before the wall came down in 1989. We know of three others of the team who are still alive, including Elizabeth Simpson(nee Hamilton). Jenna and I were lucky enough to have had this opportunity to be part of the making of the documentary. There is a Hockey Museum in Woking, Surrey which holds many memorabilia of mine and other players of past years. Even my velvet cap given for playing in the first ever GB ladies hockey team played in 1965 but only physically awarded last year.
Valerie and Jenna at Berlin War museum.
Post St George’s life I qualified as an Occupational Therapist (O.T.) after school. I started my career in Edinburgh and worked with children who suffered from Cerebral Palsy. I had a leave of absence for a year to represent Scotland in the World International hockey tournament held in the United States and when I finished the two month tour I worked in Boston and then on to Hong Kong before returning to my old job in Edinburgh. I got married in 1967 and with my husband's work we travelled to many countries such as the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Canada. I continued to practice as an O.T. in many different and challenging facets. Here I am retired back in Edinburgh now. Sport has always been a hobby and a therapy with teammates either during or after its exercise. I try to keep as active as possible playing some golf and dog walking! I do keep up with some of my 'old' school mates and sports chums so there's a lot of chatting. Returning to St George’s I see lots of changes: the old bridge which I cycled over most days carrying a hockey stick or tennis racket along with the schoolbag has been supplemented with a pedestrian bridge. Cycling was much easier in those days, as not so much traffic and a kind policeman often there to stop traffic while I whizzed through the crossing! So, I guess I see lots of new things ... much needed footbridge; preschool facilities; sports pavilion; and a new dining hall. I suppose after 60 or more years you would expect a few changes! Although some things haven’t changed: The front entrance and school office and FK's study (but a new Head now) not to be forgotten!
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A NEW LIFE FOR OLD MEMORIES Interview with Margaret Imlah The St George’s archive has been transformed in recent years with dedicated resource allocated to cataloguing, organising and uncovering many of the treasures it holds. For many years this was the work of former history teacher and then librarian, Nigel Shepley, whose dedication to the archives was immeasurable and contributed to his authoring “Women of independent mind: St George’s School and the campaign for women’s education.” In 2018 St George’s took on its first placement archivist students – Chloe Elder and Kristen Mercier - from the University of Glasgow and the Archive entered a new phase.
I
n 2022 the Archive found a new dedicated home in the attic of the Lower School and really has come to life since then. Under the very diligent, committed and enthusiastic watch of former Facilities Director Margaret Imlah – a name and face synonymous with St George’s for over 40 years – the Archive has transformed into a living space to treasure and showcase memories, achievements, friendships, challenges, successes and of course, some questionable fashion and hairstyles of the past! We were delighted to be shown round and have the chance to talk to Margaret in more detail. Why was a new home found for the Archive and where is it now based? Summer work plans in 2022 included a change of use for the Upper School room where the School Archives had previously been housed. So, at the end of session 21/22 the records were packed into boxes and taken to Lansdowne House where previously un-used attic space had been allocated as their new home. Initially the attic was a very blank canvas but things are starting to take shape
19 years. It was not until 1905 that the and after a lot of help from Alasdair, my Scotch (as it was called then) Education husband, and the support of St George’s, Department followed the lead the collection of documents initially catalogued and organised by Nigel Shepley is taking shape as an r the Archive. Archive Collection again. New home fo The early records held in St George’s Archive are unique in that they describe the origins of formal education for girls and women in Scotland. Amongst these records can be found details of the inauguration of ‘The Ladies Edinburgh Debating Society’ in 1865; the setting up of the St George’s Hall classes in the hall of St George’s Church in 1876; the opening of St George’s Training College in 1886 and the opening of St George’s High School for Girls in 1888. In Scotland, who could imagine anything other than all children going to school and being taught by suitably qualified teaching and support staff? For me, it was quite an eye-opener to discover that in 1886, St George’s Training College was the first and only college that trained women to be secondary schoollevel teachers and that it remained so for
Margaret Imla
h at Archive.
of St George’s and introduced new regulations for the training of teachers. In those early days the Victorian ladies in
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charge were meticulous in the care they took to record all that seemed relevant. To them we owe a huge debt. They have given the school of today an authentic and reliable record of its creation documented by those who were there. Their records give the school community its memories and help to trace the origins of its ethos,
of electronic communication can open up opportunities for the whole school community to become engaged and involved and help us continue to grow the archive as an important resource. A term I’ve recently come across is ‘impact curation’ and this is what I hope we can do with school’s records.
New Archive publications.
and traditions. Even more than that, they show St George’s place in the early history of education for girls in Scotland.
What is your role within the Archives and what are your hopes in developing it?
Is the idea of moving it to make it more accessible?
With these early documents I have spent much time ensuring that what was originally catalogued has survived the move, and I am now re-cataloguing this collection to show new bookcase locations. That has probably been the easy part!
The initial decision to move the Archives was taken to meet a school need and not with the direct intention to increase accessibility to the Archives. The relocation to Lansdowne House, has momentarily taken away ease of physical access but I believe has set in motion a chain of events which will lead to easier access to and awareness of the Archives. As a historian herself school’s Head, Mrs Carol Chandler-Thomson, appreciates the significance of the school’s Archives. Going forward she is supportive of a plan to gradually digitise existing records and establish the best way to capture current records as these are increasingly of a ‘born-digital’ nature. We are still at very early stages but hope that the possibilities
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Information collected in later years has been done in a slightly more random manner and as such is much more time consuming and difficult to list. Currently I see my role within the Archive as that of a committed volunteer, organising and managing the collection. My hope is that with school engagement we can formulate an action plan that will compliment St George’s future development plans. This will encompass the preservation of records, past, present
and future in both paper, analogue and digital form to help school and its students harness their collective memories and take pride in their achievements. In order to get a better understanding of record and archive keeping I have just completed an ‘Upskilling Course’ on Information Management run by Glasgow University. I really enjoyed this interesting and informative course – and of course pretending to be a student again. It has made me much more aware of some of the complexities of current digital information gathering. I have had the chance for some discussion with Mrs Chandler-Thompson and working with school I hope we can come up with a sensible plan as to which records reach the Archive, how, when, in what format - and of course, in compliance with all relevant legislation. Digitisation means much more information can be and is kept and so more to think about when it comes to retention and what should be archived. Early application forms for example, were a single page leading to a hand-written entry into an entry register. Application to school now, runs to 20 pages I believe. Digitisation could open many doors to making the Archives more accessible. This is an exciting time and although still some way ahead, I am sure that an on-line presence in addition to the actual Archives Area in school, is the future. How are you engaging with OGs to share and source material? When I retired from St George’s I set up a Facebook Page called “St George’s - the shortbread years” to share photographs from my working years in St George’s. Since the move of the Archive and my involvement in that, I now use this page to post one St George’s photograph a day, usually something from the Archive. Membership now stands at over 300 so there is definitely Old Girl interest out there, and it’s always a treat to get a response when a photo “strikes a chord”. Anyone who has a connection to St George’s and uses Facebook, is welcome to join this page. We have self-published four magazines to give an easily accessible flavour of the information that St George’s has. The first gives a general history of the school and archive collection, the second relates
to Lansdowne School (although we only have limited information for this), the third covers World War 2 and the evacuation of school and the fourth, school in Victorian times. The magazines are expensive to produce so are really just for information and not re-saleable items. My plan is to have them at all OGA events and other development events should school feel this appropriate. This past year I have really enjoyed meeting the students in Primary 4 to discuss World War II evacuees and the Primary 3 girls to discuss how school would have felt in Victorian times. Sharing the information that school has with these young students could be a good way to spark their interest in the school archives. I’ve been fortunate to have had some assistance from retired members of staff and Old Girls. Presently 2 Old Girls are helping me to identify students in the whole school photograph from 1953 and others photos from the 1950s. Two retired members of staff have been helping to sort through boxes of information and list what is in them. Through the Shortbread Years Facebook page, Old Girls have been in touch to offer names and dates to help to identify photos and also some memorabilia of their own. Really wonderful What have been your favourite discoveries so far? Impossible to say. As I open another box or look at another photograph, I find myself caught up in the lives of the past students who have attended St George’s. If forced, I would say, among my favourites are the student and staff photographs from the 1890s/1900s and 2 very large books which contain the marked exam papers of the first St George’s students, kept by Miss Mary Walker, their Headmistress. How important are the Archives for the School? The Archive is extremely important (even vital, I would argue) as through these records, school can very easily trace its prominent place in the history of education for women. Without the archive, it would not be such a simple task. In 2018, Chloe Elder, the school’s Head Librarian, wrote a paper called “Archives
and Alumni – Building a Meaningful Relationship” as part of her degree of Master of Science in Information Management. It’s brilliant. I purposely did not read it before I had completed my own St G’s pupils in 1920’s. ‘Upskilling’ course on Information Management as was worried I would be Bonchester Bridge. St Gs pupils very tempted to use Chloe’s evacuated during Second World War. thoughts – and I would have been! Now though, there is much there that can be put to use to the future good of the school. The archived records serve to show everyone involved with St George’s past, present and future that they have much to be proud about. In the early days of the Debating Society those Victorian girls and women realised the importance of education to enable them to think and reason for themselves. That is still the mission and ethos of school today; to create young women armed with enough knowledge to think for themselves, listen, not be afraid to debate and reason and possibly sometimes – change their views. And finally… Going forward, it would be foolish to suggest that an Archive can survive without a budget. Apart from accommodation costs, there are the practical costs of shelving, archive suitable acid free storage envelopes and boxes and other related items as well as the need for technological support. With regard to technological support, there are possibly 3 strands to consider. 1.Outsourcing the digitisation of existing records. 2.Providing the archive with IT hardware, software and network connection.
3.Ensuring the IT equipment is kept up-todate so that information stored will still be accessible in another 100 years. School is supportive and willing to allocate a small budget but their priorities are many. A Lansdowne Old Girl has given me some very helpful contact details about possible sources of funding so I shall do my research with these. If any Old Girls reading this article have suggestions or ideas about funding sources, please let me know margie.imlah@icloud.com If you have any items from your school days, documents, pieces of uniform or photographs that you would like to contribute to the archive, please be in touch with me. Also, if you have material you feel of value to the archive but are not yet ready to part with these, as long as they are not too large, they can be scanned and the originals returned to you. Please do keep checking the school Foundation website for future information about the Archive.
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THE WORLD IN HER HANDS INTERVIEW WITH NIVA SHRESTHA Niva Shrestha was a boarder at St George’s from 1990 to 1997. From an international background, she developed an interest in other countries and cultures and this has shaped her personal and professional life after school. She epitomises our theme, taking opportunities that have both come her way and those that she has sought by being open and eager to develop and grow. Working on some of the world’s most high-profile events and with people from multiple cultures and backgrounds, Niva has always strived to learn and embrace each stage. She has many fascinating stories and shares her learnings and experiences openly. We are so happy to have had the chance to feature her in The Dragon.
Niva was the comms lead fo r the world cup Fan Guide. What stood out for you most about the education experience at St George’s? There was such a wide variety of subjects to learn from, and that really helped me widen my knowledge and interest in learning at school and in my later studies at university and beyond. What were your preferred subjects at school? I really enjoyed Geography, Biology and PE. I loved learning physical and urban geography, as from a young age, I had the opportunity to see many of the landscapes and environments across the world and I was fascinated to explore
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and learn the links between them in class. I also enjoyed biology, as we learnt about all living things, including humans, animals, and plants. We also had the opportunity to dissect a variety of organs, which was fascinating when you were 15. And finally, PE was one of my favourites, as we were able to participate in so many different sports throughout the year. I enjoyed the health part of the class and it came naturally, as it overlapped with what we were learning in Biology. What do you remember most from your boarding experience? I have so many fond memories from my time in Lansdowne and Houldsworth, however one memory that remains till today is that we would wait for hours to use the payphone. We would literally sit in the hallway waiting for our turn, whether to call home or the boys at Merchiston School. This seems absurd now as we live with mobiles and in such a connected culture to think we would queue for hours and days to use a phone.
Was there a teacher, mentor or fellow pupil within the school who particularly helped or inspired you to recognise and/or follow your dreams and set out on your current career path? Margaret Haston, our housemistress played an important role in my life over the seven years I was at St George’s. She helped me navigate through the highs and lows of being a boarder from a young age. I literally arrived from the middle of Africa having never been to Scotland and to be placed in a school very far away from home. She always managed to make us laugh and would encourage us to do our best! What sort of influence did St George’s have on you as you look back now? I think my time at St George’s has helped to instill my core values such as teamwork, integrity, diligence, discipline, and compassion. You have travelled all over the world with your job – was this something you always hoped to do? I hadn’t envisioned working internationally but I was fortunate to study and live abroad all my life, and as
a result it became a natural step to work internationally. Can you tell us how your degree influenced your career? I studied Communications with a minor in Business Administration for my Bachelor of Arts and continued to study Communications in Graduate school in Canada. I really enjoyed courses that focused on Marketing, Advertising/ Sponsorship, and Media Studies, I was fortunate to have Professors that encouraged me to explore my creativity and develop business plans and management skills. Twenty years on, these skills and interests have deepened, and I am fortunate to work on Mega Events such as, World Athletics Championships, FIFA World Cup™ and National Olympic and Paralympic Teams to lead on major communications projects in Crisis management, public affairs, and media relations.
leaders from around the world. Although there are many positive sides to working in Communications, one of my major frustrations has been working with a few international media who have preconceived ideas and only focus on reporting and promoting controversial topics. They have no interest in adjusting their viewpoints even after they have been provided with information, interviews with leaders of the project, and media tours to showcase that their perspective is in fact inaccurate. High profile can come with a lot of pressure – how do you manage this? I face deadlines and deliverables daily and often conflicting timelines which also tends to shift regularly, asides from working very long hours, I have learnt to prioritise, plan and delegate. It is important to always think forward and be at least two steps ahead of the client (and your boss) and always focus on finding solutions before a crisis occurs. Saying yes or saying no – which is more important? (Ultimately we are looking at some people who have taken chances and opportunities have had the ability to discover new things, work in different places or careers and we would love your insight)
a at g Team Canad Niva supportin . atch vs Belgium the opening m What do you enjoy most about working in communications? And where do the frustrations lie? Working in this field has enabled me to meet and work with the best talent from around the world, I have the privilege of interacting with a variety of audiences: International, regional, and local media, athletes & footballers and their administrative staff, C suites and political
“What is meant for you will not pass you by: You cannot break anything that is meant for you just like you cannot put together anything that isn’t. Let the pieces fall where they may as you march to the beat of your own drum and obey the truth within your heart.” I didn’t set out to work in the Sports and Mega events industry, in fact at the start of my professional career I was very much invested and interested in Humanitarian work and Government relations. I was interested to follow the footsteps of my father. I was working for the Canadian Government in a more permanent, safe role within the Foreign Minister’s Communications Strategic Office. I also
knew if I remained in this role, my path would be predetermined, and I would be guided by rules and policies set by the institution and have very little say in the direction of my future. However, an opportunity was placed in front of me in August 2007: eight-month contract to work for the State of Qatar, who were putting together a bid for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games for the first time in the Middle East. I knew very little about Qatar and its sports history and I knew even less about the complex bidding process and the political landscape of international sports, but I knew I had to say yes! At the time, I kept thinking it’s the Olympics. I really didn’t know what I was going to face in the coming months, as I didn’t know anyone who worked in this field to ask about my potential role and responsibilities. And asking Google as a culture was very much at its infancy but I had the burning desire to give it my best, even if it meant working long hours, learning on the job to promote a small nation’s desire to bring the Olympic flame to the region for the first time. During this eight-month contract, I attended every IOC event, conference, travelled with the team all around the world to present why this Bid mattered and why Qatar was the country to be chosen to host the greatest event on the planet. I was addicted. I knew I had “drank the cool aid” and there was no going back! Over the year, as my career has progressed, it has been like a building block as each project that I have worked on has helped me develop my skills, introduced me to a different part of the industry, meet interesting people and work in different cultures. Each experience has led me to open doors to new horizons and as the quote states: march to the beat of your own drum and obey the truth within your heart. Can you tell us what you have been most proud of in your career so far? While working for the Canadian Paralympic Committee during 2014 – 2018, I held multiple roles within the Revenue Generation team, operational roles during 2015 Parapan Games & 2016 Summer and 2018 Winter Paralympic Games. I was also hired as one of the
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first staff members to help establish the Paralympic Foundation of Canada.
Outside working life what makes your day and brings a smile?
I didn’t have a team to manage but I had a director that gave me a blank canvas to develop fundraising and media campaigns and Athlete activations to ask our Corporate Partners, the public and any supporters of the Paralympic Movement to donate. All donations were directed towards our athletes
I run, swim, cycle, SUP and continue to participate in physical activities with friends, being outside and being active is important to me. I recently qualified as a Yoga teacher in March 2023 in Bali, Indonesia and I am enjoying teaching and sharing my passion for yoga with friends, family, and my community around the world. You have travelled far and wide professionally and personally – can you share your top three favourite places on the planet and why? I was fortunate to spend my teenage holidays in the Maldives as my father was based there with UNICEF for three years. I have fond memories of growing up on the islands with pristine white sands and incredible marine life. I did a placement during one of my summer holidays, where I was involved in a Tuna tagging project as the Government of Maldives was committed to carrying out tuna research to enhance the rational management and sustainable utilisation of the resource. My role was limited to documenting what was captured but nonetheless I still remember and value this internship as it helped me understand our ecosystem.
Above: Niva in the Main Operations Centre.
(current and potential that had been identified through the various pathways) for their equipment, such as wheelchairs, sledges, prosthesis, access to training facilities to ensure they would be the very best to perform at the highest standards on the Global stage! Within the first four months of the 2014 Fall campaign, with the support of the CPC Board, the Sport Team, and wider Communication and Marketing team, I created and organised more than 12 Para athlete and Paralympians’ TV, radio, social media appearances and opportunities to increase awareness and engagement of Para Athletes. We generated over $500,000 CDN (approximately GBP 298 000) through the national campaign and Premier Partners, Official Partners and Official Suppliers.
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After Graduate School in 2003, I moved to Jakarta, Indonesia to work for an NGO supported by the Government of Canada for two and a half years. During my time there, I travelled across the country and experienced the beaches, volcanoes, and jungles from: Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi (Maluku islands) Bali, Flores, and Lombok. Indonesia is culturally diverse, heavily forested
with incredible flora and fauna and unique cuisine per island which I enjoyed immensely during my stay. I would return to Indonesia in a heartbeat. I worked in Yemen briefly (2006) before the start of their civil war in 2014. I spent six months working on a humanitarian project and through the nature of my work I had the opportunity to travel throughout the country. The topography of Yemen is simply beautiful, from the coastal plains to the central mountainous regions to the interior desert. The mountains are incredible with communities built into the mountains and the beaches were spectacular, deep blue, greens and aqua colours. The climate also varies depending primarily on elevation and determined by the distance from the sea. I also visited an island off the coast from Yemen called Socotra, at the time it was remote and accessible only by sea. The island features unique flora, specifically a tree called: Dracaena cinnabari, the Socotra dragon tree with its unusual, umbrella like appearance, this tree is native to nowhere else. Unfortunately, access to Yemen is now limited due to internal conflict and I fear that the country is likely in ruins but if you have the opportunity to visit this beautiful country, it is worth it! Below: Niva with Canadian PM post Rio 2016 Athlete Celebration.
Left: NIVA with F45 crew reached 250 sessions before leaving Qatar.
REUNIONS – REMINISCING AND RECONNECTING St George’s London Reunion - Caledonian Club - May 2023
T
he London Reunion was another very successful evening at which over 50 St George’s OGs attended. Mrs Carol Chandler - Thompson commented on the event saying: “What an inspiring and worthwhile evening it was, to meet a room brim full of intelligent, warm and impressive women. The strength of the St George’s community was demonstrated in the way that alumnae aged 21 - 81 chatted so readily to each other, sharing fond recollections of their time at school. That every woman I met was so charming and approachable is testament to the grounded and inclusive nature of St George’s. Yet their modesty belied a pretty talented group of individuals.” Above: Friends re-united at the Caledonian Club.
St George’s OGA AGM and Summer Lunch – June 2023
W
e welcomed over 60 St George’s old girls back to school for the Summer lunch in June and what a happy day it was. Many years groups were represented but the most impressive one was definitely the 28 members of the class of 1983.
respected campaigner for finest local produce, where to find it and what to do with it. Many thanks also go to our Emma Welsh for her hard work and time as President of the OGA. Emma is standing down and we welcome Lizzie Bruce to the position.
Below: A former President Christine and incoming President Lizzie.
It was so lovely to hear stories from the table of 40s, 50s and 60s leavers and compare them with those from the 80s, 90s and 2000 leavers. Our guests enjoyed a tour of the school to see all the new developments and to reminisce on old times, drinks and a delicious lunch provided by our Tony and his team. Many thanks go to our speaker Wendy Barrie who delivered a very interesting and informative speech. Wendy is a popular cookery show presenter and highly
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OUR PEOPLE Across our communities, wherever we live there continues to be joyful and exciting news of new lives and journeys beginning. There is also the sad news of deaths and we look to pay tribute here. This news is very important, and we are grateful to those who take the time to share it. We warmly encourage many others to share their news of pupils and staff and we will continue to share in upcoming editions.
BIRTHS
Blades – a daughter, Sky Elizabeth, born to Jo and Tim (Staff) on 23 September 2021.
Brown – a son, Ivo James, born to Sian (nee Carnegy-Arbuthnott, Class of 2008) and Tom on 1 April 2023.
Gordon Allison – a son, Angus, born to Victoria Allison (nee Gordon, Class of 2011) and Bertie Allison on 11 March 2023.
Grant-Wilson – a son, Austin born to Vicky Grant (Class of 2006) and Mark Wilson on 23 February 2023. A brother for William. December 2021.
Izatt-Lowry – a daughter, Lily, born to Victoria (nee Anderton, Class of 2012) and Matthew on 26 November 2021.
Macdonald – a daughter, Maeve Bonnie, born to Corinna (nee Benson, Class of 2008) and Kenny on 4 March 2023. A sister for Arlo.
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Messent - a son, Arlo James, born to Lisa (nee Charlotte, Class of 2002) and James on 16 December 2021.
Stephen – a son, Ezra Sheriff, born to Anna (nee Maris, Class of 2007) and David on 27 February 2023.
MARRIAGES
ENGAGEMENTS
Singh and Ratnayake Victoria (Class of 2006) and Chin were married on 24 September 2022 at the Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh. Her bridesmaids were all OGs: Rachel Bowman (Class of 2006), Camilla Davidson (Class of 2003) and Katie Jacholke (Class of 2006).
Phoebe Lewis Codona (class of 2014) is delighted to announce her engagement to Jamie Mackay (Merchiston Castle School class of 2014) after first meeting at a Remove ceilidh 16 years ago. The wedding will take place in September 2023 in St Andrews where Phoebe and Jamie both studied together at university. Mrs Christine Davies (nee Rose) Class of 1967 Died 03 September 2023 Aged 79 Patricia Macwilliam (nee Wilson) Class of 1974 Died 21 October 2022
Vogan – a son, Myles Gerard, born to Lauren (nee O’Neill, Class of 2007) and Richard on 25 May 2023. A brother for Poppy.
Ms Caitlin Goodale (class of 2011) and Dr Callum Hall are engaged to be married in October 2023. We wish both couples lots of luck and wedding fun and look forward to sharing news and pictures in future editions.
DEATHS - OGS Muriel Fraser Dalziel Walker (nee Fyfe) Class of 1943 Died 19 November 2022 Aged 98 Mona Wickes (formally Macdonald nee Cuthbertson) Class of 1946 Died 15 April 2023
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TRIBUTES Patricia MacWilliam (nee Wilson) Patricia passed away on 21 October 2022 after a short illness in Palma de Mallorca. A much-loved wife to David, mother to Sarah (1990-1998 U6) and Craig and Granny to Tom.
Muriel Walker (nee Fyfe) Early years Muriel Fraser Dalziel Fyfe was born on the 24th of August 1924 to Margaret and Archie Fyfe. Her first home was in Pollokshaws, Glasgow, but the family soon moved to Edinburgh, when her father started work in insurance. By the time Muriel’s sister Griselda was born in 1936 the family were living in a house on Old Kirk Road which was notable for having its own gate through a fence into Edinburgh Zoo. It was at this time that Muriel attended St. George’s school where she completed her secondary education during the early war years. The school played a significant role in Muriel’s life and she was an active member of the OGA along with her sister throughout her life. After leaving school Muriel volunteered to join the WAAF’s. She was posted to Prestwick where she trained as a meteorologist. Her work there included assisting in providing weather reports for the air transit of troops and supplies across the Atlantic in preparation for the D-Day landings and beyond and subsequently the post war repatriation of Canadian and United States forces back home. Married life After her post war discharge from the WAAF Muriel took a job with the Met Office in Palmerston Place in Edinburgh where she worked until the early 1950s. At this time Muriel met her future husband,
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Eric Walker. They became engaged a short time thereafter and were married at Palmerston Place Church in 1952. They both remained active members of this church for many years. Eric and Muriel set up in their first home together at 16 Craigmount View, Corstorphine. Muriel had to give up her job which was the norm for newly married woman at that time. Muriel and Eric were generous hosts and quickly built up a network of lifelong friends. Muriel had to quickly acquire culinary skills which developed into a love of cooking. She and Eric hosted many dinner parties over the years, keeping a record of every meal so that she would not repeat herself unknowingly, and so that she could delight her guests with a different menu every time. Muriel also developed a passion for playing Bridge, a pastime which she carried on until late in life as a member of various bridge clubs and hosting Bridge parties at home. On the 22nd of April 1955 Eric and Muriel’s family grew with the arrival of Graeme. When Graeme was about aged seven the family moved to a new build house at 20 Ravelston House Road and on the 11th of March 1963 the family grew again when Graeme ‘s sister Nicola arrived. The family remained at this address throughout Graeme and Nicola’s childhood and adolescence and beyond. Lifelong friendships and associations were formed in what became quite a close-knit neighbourhood. Latterly and until very recently Muriel continued to join a number of her former neighbours for monthly dinners at Murrayfield Golf Club and regular coffee get togethers. Travel Foreign travel played a significant part in Muriel’s life. She and Eric were an adventurous couple for the time and regularly holidayed abroad, notably in Brittany, France in the late fifties and early sixties. In the mid 1960s Grenoble in the
French Alps was a regular month-long summer destination with a family house swap. The journey there and back was undertaken by car over several days which in itself was part of the experience. The opportunity was taken to travel through the Loire and Rhone wine country to pick up supplies for home. One of Eric’s favourite wine regions was Hermitage in the Rhone valley. Towards the latter part of the 1980s when the long drives were becoming too much and Eric was nearing retirement from his law career Muriel and Eric took to the high seas. Their initiation to ocean voyaging was not a luxury cruise. Rather they headed several times to South Wales where they would catch the “banana boat” to the Caribbean. Just the cargo, the crew, and 12 or so passengers. I’m told that the drink was so cheap aboard that every time anyone went to get something from the bar, they had to buy a round for the entire ship’s company. In time Eric and Muriel expanded their horizons from the banana boat and ultimately cruised throughout the world including trips to East and Southern Africa, Asia, The Western seaboard of North America, the Amazon and South America and the Mediterranean. Eric tragically and very suddenly died on the eve of his 80th birthday on 26th April 2001. This did not subsequently curtail Muriel’s love of travel and she continued as a guest of Silver Seas well into her eighties. Stewart society After Graeme and Nicola had left home and were living independently Muriel took on the role as secretary and archivist for the Stewart Society. Despite the 56 steps from Castle Street up to their office she was undaunted and immersed herself in this position for many years. She once more developed a wide network of friends and contacts at home and abroad with whom she kept in close touch, even after her formal role in the Society was at an
end. She took a keen personal interest in everything to do with the Society, its work and its members, developing an encyclopaedic knowledge in relation to the clan. She particularly enjoyed the annual gathering and would attend whenever she could. This allowed her to demonstrate her talents for Scottish country dancing, another pastime in which she participated until a good age.
LEAVING A LASTING GIFT TO ST GEORGE’S Leaving a Lasting Gift to St George’s School SCHOOL
Later life In 2000 Muriel and Eric left their house in Ravelston House Road moving to a lovely flat in Ravelston Garden, from which they could still see their former home. The absence of their own garden was compensated somewhat by the open views over the playing fields of Mary Erskine’s to Corstorphine Hill. Sadly, their time together in the flat was not to be long with Eric dying in April 2001. Muriel had also lost her brother Douglas to cancer in 1999. However, her sister Griselda continued to live nearby and their relationship became very close and interdependent, particularly as Muriel became less mobile. It is difficult to overestimate the amount that Griselda did for Muriel latterly. Tragically Griselda died suddenly and without warning in 2018 leaving a huge void in Muriel’s life. With her foreign travel curtailed Muriel took great pleasure in her regular summer and Christmas trips to Fraserburgh to spend time with Graeme and his wife Carol and their family. The last trip to the Broch despite the interruptions of Covid was undertaken last Christmas. The trips to Fraserburgh are a fleeting example of one part of Muriel’s life which I have not yet mentioned, and that is her family. Muriel was blessed with five grandchildren, Kirsty, Iain, Lindsay, Ruaridh and Joanna, and four greatgrandchildren, Kaleb, Sadie, Isla and the late Ottilie. Over the years, the family, and friends were treated to many fine meals, and the memory of Muriel’s cooking will last long, but perhaps not as long as the love shared with a friend, mum, grandma and great grandma.
Large or small, a financial gift to St George’s will be well and wisely used. Your generosity will represent an investment in the education of young women today and tomorrow. Our students represent the future. The School Council and Head of St George’s are determined to ensure we provide a quality education for girls in a caring and stimulating environment, surrounded by the best possible facilities. When making your Will, family, friends and those you care for are of course your priority. Leaving a gift to education through a Charity, such as St George’s, may not be your first thought. You may feel your Estate is too small to provide funds for a charitable gift but you could be surprised just how valuable it is, especially if you own property. Making such a gift could make little difference to the value of your family’s inheritance, but a huge difference to the charity.
My education at St George’s and life experience gave me my confidence in myself, my drive and ambition. We are all made of different metal but no matter what you’re made of I truly believe St George’s had a great hand in moulding who I am today. Looking back on my time there, I have fond memories of both my teachers and friends. Many of whom are my friends for life.” Kimberley Day and boarding school for girls, 3 - 18 years Boys extending up to the end of P3 by 2024 Murrayfield, Edinburgh stge.org.uk OSCR Charity No: SC012632
Graeme Fyfe
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GERMANTOWN FRIENDS SCHOOL LOOKING BACK AND STILL GOING STRONG
The friendship and ongoing exchange programme between Germantown Friends School (GFS) in Philadephia, Pennsylvania has been established for over 50 years. Dorothy Cary was the first pupil to take part in the school exchange as it was ‘conceived’ between her mother Betty Cary and former St G’s teacher Kathleen Dickson in late 1960s. Dorothy came over to visit in early 2023 and shared some of the history and her own memories. The exchange is still going strong and we’ve included interviews with three pupils who visited this year – 2022/23. History of the exchange
I
t began with St George’s teacher Kathleen Dickson (who became Kathleen Mantle) visiting GFS for a year on a Fullbright teacher exchange, and GFS teacher Alan Clayton taught at St. Georges in return. Kathleen lived with my family. She was a great success, and my mother and Kathleen became good friends. In 1970-71 George Ruff, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, came to work at the University of Edinburgh for a sabbatical. His daughters Lynn and Susan went to St. Georges. The following year I wanted a break from GFS, so my mother decided to send me to St. Georges for a term, which I did in the spring of 1972. I stayed in the boarding house and attended Lower 5. That same year we hosted Lucinda Hall from St George’s at GFS for the summer term. For the next few years, the exchange was slightly more sporadic, but in the Spring of 1976, after she had sat the Oxbridge exams, Alexis MacKenzie, who had been in my year group, came to GFS and lived with my family. The exchange was formalised under Helen Mackie and was focused on the Upper 4 age group. When I returned to GFS as a teacher in 1996, GFS had sent approximately five girls to St. Georges yearly and hosted the same number again. In 2002, there was talk of a year off because of 9/11, but the exchange did go ahead. During Covid it was a virtual exchange.
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It is a somewhat competitive process for us. The girls who want to go write an essay, teachers are consulted about who can afford to miss a month of school, and then a committee makes the choice. Memories of my exchange in 1972 I flew over by myself and had to change planes in London. My mother had insisted I wear Susan Ruff’s St. George’s coat, which was a good plan. A porter saw me looking lost at the airport, which was swarming with school kids returning to boarding school from winter break, scooped me up and got me on the correct plane to Edinburgh. My fellow boarders later teased me about wearing the coat in public, but I am glad I had it. Kathleen Dickson met me at the airport, and I spent the night with her and then went to the boarding house the next day. The entrance to the boarding house is virtually unchanged. Miss Allen’s study was on the right, and the dining room was on the left. The students’ relationship with the staff has definitely changed for the better. We only ever interacted with Miss Allen. We had tea with her once a week and got called into her study if we misbehaved. Now the students interact with all the staff including the chef and seem to have many positive relationships with the staff. My room had four or five girls in it. I don’t remember any single rooms as there are now. We slept in iron beds and had a locker near the bed for our valuables. On a particular day, we could order fruit
and pay for it. I had my first bosc pear and blood orange this way. The sixth form bungalow and the common room for the lower forms are much nicer than what I remember. I remember watching “Top of the pops” with everyone else in our common room: “American Pie” was number 1 in the States when I left and spent three weeks at number three in the UK after I arrived. I know that song very well. They fed us very well. In addition to breakfast, the boarders got biscuits and milk in the dining room at break and then a full dinner at lunch time. We sat at long tables with a prefect at the end. We stood at our place (we ate by form) until Mrs. Lindsey sat down at the head table. Someone had the job of going to get the meal which was served ‘family style’. There was a coal miners strike in January and February while I was here, so there were rolling blackouts. I remember the oddity of having boiled rather than mashed potatoes at lunch, because the masher was electric. I did ‘misbehave’ at St. Georges. My crimes were walking across the hockey pitch to get to school when we were supposed to walk around. There is now a path exactly where we walked. We wore trousers into town, which was forbidden, and I ran up the stairs to lunch and occasionally in the corridors. My favourite activity on Saturdays was going into town and having bangers and mash. One Saturday we went to Murrayfield and watched Scotland play rugby. It was really exciting.
Miss McNabb was my form teacher. On the first day in English class she wanted the other girls to hear my accent so she asked me to read aloud a passage from my reading book from home; unfortunately it backfired on her a bit because I was reading Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, which is written in dialect. I read my bit, but when I handed it to my classmate to read aloud for comparison, she couldn’t make head nor tail of it. I think the class was actually reading Shakespeare - I read two that year - Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet. We did the French revolution in history, but in actual French language I was way behind. Dorothy Cary (St George’s 1972)
OPENING UP THE WORLD OF PUPIL EXCHANGE We were delighted to welcome three pupils from GFS in 2022/23. Sarah Stumacher stayed with Zvikomborero Mupfukudzwa, Elie Bekelman stayed with Scarlett Gilchrist Adams and Izzy Ritchie stayed with Victoria Pearson. We had a chance to chat with the girls from GFS and shared some of their feedback and experiences of the visit below.
countryside and culture. What was the application process? • General questionnaire • We had to write an essay on why we wanted to be involved, the possible challenges we might face, how we would cope and what we wanted to gain from the experience. • Interviews with teachers • Attitude to our work, school life and behaviour Was there a lot of competition? • Quite a lot and it was a shame that not everyone could be included. How did you feel when you left to come to Scotland? • Nervous but excited at the same time • Very relaxed and intrigued as to what the whole experience would be like • Sad at leaving family and friends but also excited as to what lay ahead. Is St George’s what you expected? • It is very different to our school. • Wearing uniform is alien to us as we are very relaxed and can wear what we want (within reason). • Being in an all-girls environment takes a bit of getting used to as well as we are a mixed school. • St George’s seems to us to be a formal
and traditional school which is fine but different. We call our teachers by their first name. • The curriculum is similar and the standard is similar although we seem to be ahead in certain subject and behind in others. PE is run differently as different sports are taught. Did you have contact with your hosts before arriving? • We had so much contact with our families which is why we felt quite relaxed coming over. We felt as if we knew them already as we face timed and emailed regularly. What have you been doing in your spare time? • Sightseeing around the city. • Trips to other areas. • Catching up with school friends at weekend. • Various outings to sporting events, cinemas. What will you take away from this experience? • Lasting friendships. • Incredible sense of achievement and independence. • A love for the country. • More of an understanding of different lifestyles and cultures.
When did you first think about applying for the exchange? • We were introduced to the exchange programme in an assembly in the 6th grade and straight away knew we wanted to do it. We are now in the 8th grade. What attracted you to the exchange? • We had been to Scotland before and loved it, but not just as tourists. • We have family ties and friends in Scotland • Travel – we wanted to spend time in another country and explore its
Izzy Ritchie, Sarah Stumacher and Elie Bekelman with Dorothy Cary.
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! e t a D e th Save OGA AGM AND SUMMER LUNCH SATURDAY 15TH JUNE 2024
FOUNDATION OFFICE KEEP IN TOUCH Foundation Office Contact details:
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LONDON REUNION, CALEDONIAN CLUB THURSDAY 16TH MAY 2024
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ST GEORGE’S, EDINBURGH
Garscube Terrace, Murrayfield, Edinburgh, EH12 6BG www.stge.org.uk Registered Charity No SC012632