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In September, many of you, generously, gave up your time to speak to some of our most recent leavers and Old Dolphins as part of our telephone campaign. Our callers appreciated very much hearing of your experiences at Godolphin and Latymer and comparing those with their own. We hope that you too enjoyed swapping stories with our newest Old Dolphins. You also very kindly pledged your support for our Annual Giving Programme and its focus on bursaries and for this too we are extremely grateful. Support for the principle of social inclusivity at Godolphin and Latymer is well-established and Old Dolphins play an important role in this. It’s something that provides another common area of interest for both Old and current Dolphins. Current girls successfully completed organising and performing in the GAFTAs – G&L’s version of a more well-known award – the purpose of this being to raise money for the Bursary Fund.

Do continue to keep in touch with us – your support of Godolphin and Latymer both then and now is so important.

Ruth Mercer

The last twelve months have been a busy and successful period for the school and for the ODA. As well as the established programme of events, such as

reunions, public lectures and the hockey match between Old Dolphins and current girls, a number of new activities have taken place this year. The Old Dolphins Debating Team competed against our current Debating Captains on the motion “This house believes that life begins when you leave school” – read on to find out the result of this exciting new venture!

Our UIV girls benefitted from hearing of the experiences of other Old Dolphins’ during the Aspire afternoon in the summer – it was such a success and we hope that it will be the first of many such opportunities. Our Careers evening too saw Old Dolphins back at school offering their expertise about many different areas of work, to current girls and parents. Thank you to all those of you who have offered support, advice and guidance to girls as they investigate the diverse world beyond school.

2 Welcome

4 School News

8 Friends’ Lecture Series

9 Festival 2012

10 Class Notes

12 The Dolphin Network

14 Reunions

16 Year Representatives

17 Old Dolphins’ Day & AGM

18 Features

24 Annual Giving Programme

25 Sport

26 In Memorium

From the Head Mistress

CONTENTS

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From the ODA Chairman The ODA has had another busy year with many successful events and reunions taking place as well as our first ever telephone campaign. Last summer, we introduced Aspire afternoon, where five

Old Dolphins shared their stories, wisdom and knowledge of life after G&L with the UIV. The worlds of medicine, law and the theatre came together with a Princeton undergraduate and a gap year student to offer advice. We also ran an Old Dolphins v Current Girls hockey match and I played! The current girls were narrowly victorious. In September, more than 600 Old Dolphins were phoned during our first ever telephone campaign, providing the opportunity to connect with you more closely and raise £65,000 for

bursaries. Thank you to everyone that worked tirelessly for the campaign and to all the Old Dolphins that pledged.This year we have held nine reunions at the school – Classes of the 1, 2, 5 and 10 year leavers and the classes of the 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 year leavers. We also held reunions outside school, in Bath and Exeter, and overseas in New York, LA and Melbourne. All of these reunions were a great success and we would like to have more! So do let us know if you’d like our help in planning one. This year for the first time we have given £200 to the UVI leavers’ ball, to foster a bond and awareness of the ODA as the girls leave the school.We really value all that you contribute, in so many different ways, to the future of Godolphin and Latymer and the Old Dolphins’ Association.Janaki Prosdocimi, née Nicholas(Class of 1989)

From the Head Girl

What an exciting and interesting year it has been for Godolphin girls throughout the school! With more events, productions and performances happening every day, it can be hard to keep up with the fast pace of Godolphin life. Through writing this piece, I

have been able to stop and take a moment to appreciate the determination, hard work and joy that students and teachers put into events that they organise. The amount of preparation that is invested into such occasions never fails to amaze me and the school musical, Into the Woods, is a prime example. With a cast of 30 students from various year groups, the musical had been rehearsed for nearly half a year. In true Godolphin style, the Bishop Centre continues to be transformed from scenes of Disney fantasies to the platform on which renowned professionals speak to students, teachers, friends and parents. The colder evenings throughout the winter months were made somewhat warmer and more riveting by lectures presented during the Public Lecture Series with talks by Anne Sebba and Lord William Rees-Mogg.

Girls also utilised the Bishop Centre in a creative and unique style for this year’s Bursary Fundraiser, by hosting our very own GAFTAs! Following Hollywood’s exciting film and television award season, the Spring term at Godolphin kept many girls busy in planning and producing their own enactments of their favourite movie scenes. Girls shine not just on the stage, but on the courts as well. 2011-2012 has seen Godolphin girls make their mark in sports, including a week where girls did not lose a single match and were unbeaten in hockey, netball and swimming. This is a true testament to how well students work together and how Godolphin teams are hard to beat. The reigning U13 cricket team showed amazing skill during the National Indoor Cricket Championship and won the London school competition allowing them to move on to the county finals, while the U14 and U15 hockey and netball teams went to Ireland for a week long sports tour. This year as Head Girl I have loved taking part in some of the school’s annual events such as the School Birthday. Getting to meet Old Dolphins at the September ODA reunion was lovely. The tales I was told proved to me that Godolphin and Latymer is a school that continues to evolve and adapt to new and exciting opportunities. When I leave, I look forward to coming back and giving accounts of my years behind the gates of Iffley Road.

Alexandra Giessen UVI

WELCOME

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SCHOOL NEWS

PRIZE LIST 2010 / 2011

Marshall Hays PrizeFlo ChesterGeorgina CoxWells Fray SmithFlo HareEloise OrtonEmma Parsons Josie SacksHiba Saleem DanishEmily Tripp

Winterstoke ScholarshipsCamille FentonOlivia Lamming Kate Walford

Gertrude Clement Books PrizeMarie Edison Alice EvansSophia JohnstonKitty Parker Brooks Daniela Raffel TorrebiarteRebecca Sugar Sarah Wood

Bellew Prize for Philosophy Sarah WoodTitmuss English Prize Olivia Lamming/ Clara StrunckDowner Jolliffe Prize for Classics Kate Walford Homan French Prize Kate Walford Dixon Spoken French Prize Florence Bown Prynne Prize for German Daniela Raffel Torrebiarte and Clara StrunckKnupffer Russian Prize Ola OlczakFrost Spanish Prize Flo Chester, Georgia Demeure and Amy CowpeClaire Eccles History Prize Sophia JohnstonGilliland History Prize Ally OveryHobbs Geography Prize Charlotte Elder and Natasha ThirskMason Economics Prize Daniela Raffel Torrebiarte Bell Mathematics Prize Camille FentonSelsky Pure Mathematics Prize Cordelia LongRichards Science Prize Marie Edison Isabelle Sellers Georgia Spain Winifred Watkins Chemistry Prize Alexandra BorrelliEnnis Biology Prize Jenny ScrineBearman Medicine Prize Alexandra Borrelli Pippa Franke Art Prize (Art + Design) Wells Fray Smith and Grace Palmer Reiss Prize for Creativity Alexandra Borrelli Charlton Prize for History of Art Flo Chester and Ola OlczakMcTavish Music Award Imogen Sebba Leavers’ Drama Prize Wells Fray SmithWalsh Award for Physical Education Harriet PotterCox Prize for Sport Bella Pringle

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Mantle Prize for Speech and Drama Kitty Parker BrooksDean Prize Jessica Bird and Gigi EttedguiThe Dawe Prize for Achievement Ally Overy Harriet Potter

White Prize for Sixth Form Service Pippa FrankeStratta Prize for Service to the School Hiba Saleem DanishHead Girl’s Prize Sarah Wood Spong Modern Language Travel Scholarships Eleanor UpchurchLVI Chaplin French Prize Lizzie Renard and Rosie SnowballLVI Wilson History Prize Francesca AndersonThe Sandra Williams Prize for Italian Emma ParsonsHarvard Book Prize Elizabeth BanesVellutini Prize Molly Collett (for UV English Coursework) Jessie Stafford Prize for Modern Foreign Languages Tara HekmatJames Macnair History Award Marjan Maghradi

LEAVING PRIZESNaomi Anderson Whittaker Ellen Bailey Katya Balfour-Lynn Marina Blake Vidya Brainerd Florence Bown Ileana Boyes Ella Brown Martine Chichizola Phoebe Clarke Lalla Farquhar-Thomson Fojan Fattahi Gabriella Gardiner Natasha Hachem Harriet Jordan Emily Lyhne-Gold Afsaneh Mahloudji Charlotte Moseley Eryl Murphy Hannah Newton Serena Patel Florence Rees Isabelle Young Iman Zia

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GCSE Results

Godolphin and Latymer celebrated the best ever GCSE results last year. We congratulate all the girls on their splendid achievements and success. Our stunning results included:

• 71% of all grades were A*

• 94% of all grades were A*/A

Out of the year group of 100 girls:

• 20% of girls achieved A* grades in all of their subjects

• 45% of girls gained at least 9 A*s

• 72% of girls achieved A*/A grades in all of their subjects

• 81% of girls gained at least 5 A*s

Particular congratulations are due to the following girls who got A* grades in all of their subjects:Olivia Ambler (11), Charlotte Cato (11), Natasha Doherty (11), Isobella Goonetillake (11),Emma Irving (11), Georgia Kandunias (11), Sophie Mathias (11), Clementine Metcalfe (11),Olivia Vickers (11), Zoe Walker (11), Harriet Baldwin (10), Eleanor Davies (10),Cornelie Demeure (10), Olivia Harris (10), Polly Lamming (10), Isobel McNaught (10),Juno Stahl (10), Victoria Strutt (10), Isabella van Niekerk (10),Alexandra von Guionneau (10) and Alice Harman (10).

A Level Results

Girls at Godolphin and Latymer experienced success in their A Levels again. The majority of our 83 candidates took up places at their first choice university.

• 30% of all grades were A*

• 70% of all grades were A*/A

• 55% of the girls achieved at least 3 A*/A grades

• 48% of the girls achieved A* and A grades in all of their subjects

Four girls, Florence Bown, Marie Edison, Camille Fenton and Florence Hare achieved 4 A* grades. They they have taken up places at Durham for Modern Languages, at Bristol for Medicine, at Oxford for Mathematics and at St Andrew’s for Classics respectively. We congratulate all of the girls on their hard work and success and wish them well for the future.

IB Results

Girls also achieved great IB results. The average point score was 38.4 out of a maximum of 45 points. Two girls, Olivia Lamming and Daniela Raffel achieved 45 points (a total achieved by only 0.2% of candidates worldwide) and Sarah Wood achieved 44 points. Seven of the 16 candidates gained more than 40 points. Olivia and Sarah have taken up places at Oxford and Cambridge for English and Philosophy respectively. Daniela is taking a gap year and has a place on the Deloitte’s Scholars’ Scheme, after which she will be attending Princeton University in the USA. All the IB candidates should be congratulated on their success.

SCHOOL NEWS

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SCHOOL NEWS

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Award-winning Writer Launches Literary Initiatives

Award-winning writer and poet, Mario Petrucci, launched various literary initiatives as the Writer in Residence at The Godolphin and Latymer School, as part of the school’s Creative Life Programme.

Mario, formerly a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Oxford Brookes and Westminster Universities, and currently RLF Fellow at Brunel University, ran a residential writing course, evening classes and lunchtime club for Sixth Form English pupils. Mario also visited Brackenbury Primary School where pupils participated in the Creative Life Programme.

The programme encompasses classes as part of the curriculum, in particular creative writing. In addition, after school, pupils can attend a Writing Clinic, where they can spend one to one time with Mario, focusing on a particular area of writing. Mario also shared his expertise with parents, friends and local residents through two four week adult writing courses at The Godolphin and Latymer School.

With creative writing now part of the curriculum and an integral part of the A level and IB courses, this Programme not only added to those studying English at this level, but will also prepare the school’s younger pupils for advanced English. During the October break, LVI pupils also spent three days immersing themselves in writing and reading and gleaning expert advice from

Mario in a converted abbey near Oxford.Head of English, Mr Julian Bell, said, “Having a Writer in Residence is a fabulous asset for those studying English in the Sixth Form at Godolphin and Latymer, and one which very few schools can boast. The pupils really benefit from a professional writer. Having our very own Writer in Residence has only been possible due to the school’s Annual Giving Programme, for which we are enormously grateful.”

Mario said, “It’s unusual, and somewhat intriguing, to be involved in a school residency that so prominently involves its wider community. By bringing science and study skills into the equation too, this writing residency begins to have the feel of a layered onion that can survive the seasons, rather than a single blade of grass that might wither once the visiting poet has gone.”

Mario has received many awards for his poetry: he is four times winner of the London Writers’ Competition and recipient of the 2002 Arvon/Daily Telegraph International Poetry Prize. The school’s Annual Giving Programme is supported by gifts from Old Dolphins, staff, parents and past parents. This year every member of staff supported the programme.

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FRIENDS’ LECTURE SERIES

Anne Sebba

Three hundred guests enjoyed a lecture by acclaimed biographer, lecturer and journalist, Anne Sebba, about her biography of Wallis Simpson, That Woman.

The lecture, which took place in the Bishop Centre, was part of the Friends’ Public Lecture Series. Ten pupils from Fulham Cross Girls’ School were invited as guests of Godolphin and Latymer. Teacher of English, Beth Allwood, said, “The girls and I found the talk both extremely informative and enjoyable. Students selected to attend were those that have displayed a particular flare for writing and are intending to pursue careers in literature. Their enthusiastic reaction to Anne’s eloquent exploration of the life of Wallis Simpson and the subject of storytelling, left me in no doubt that they were inspired by the presentation.”

Afterwards, guests joined Anne in the hall where she signed copies of her books. All proceeds from the event were donated to the Godolphin and Latymer Bursary Fund.

Series Convenor, Dr Kenneth Wolfe, said, “Anne Sebba has made a huge contribution to our window into the troubled time of the abdication; and of course has readjusted the common, prejudiced view of Wallis Simpson. We were thus delighted to have this woman talking about That Woman!”

William Rees-Mogg

Around two hundred guests enjoyed a lecture by Lord William Rees-Mogg in the Bishop Centre on 30 January 2012, as part of the Friends of Godolphin and Latymer Public Lecture Series.

Dr Kenneth Wolfe, Chairman of the Friends’ Lecture Series, said, “This is Jubilee Year so it was appropriate to invite one of the most eminent figures in twentieth century British life, a man whose career almost parallels the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Lord William Rees-Mogg was Editor of The Times, a Governor of the BBC, Chairman of the Arts Council and the first Chairman of the Broadcasting Standards Council. In his eighties now, he still writes for The Times and The Mail on Sunday. He is truly an eminent Elizabethan!”

Lord Rees-Mogg spoke of liberty and economics; power, public and private duty. In a very lively question and answer period that followed the lecture, he gave his views on several recent Prime Ministers as well as press hacking and Rupert Murdoch. He spoke of ‘gentlemanly capitalism’ a concept he believed is needed in these days of distrust of bankers. It was a pleasure and privilege to have heard Lord Rees-Mogg, a figure of exceptional insight and wisdom and we were also very happy to welcome Lady Rees-Mogg and their daughter Annunziata (Class of 1997), who is an Old Dolphin and presently pursuing a career in journalism and politics.

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This year the Godolphin and Latymer Festival ran from the 6-9 March. As always it involved talks from several renowned personalities speaking on their particular area of expertise, be it the history of cinema or the Queen. Each speaker was assigned interns, pupils who had a particular interest in the fields of the speakers.

I was an intern for Francine Stock, the well-known media presenter and producer, along with Ellie and Rain Goonetillake. My fellow interns and I were responsible for helping to promote the Festival, by advertising it in the local area of the school and promoting it among our friends and families. We all had to do background research into the career of the speaker that we were assigned to. As all of the interns for the Festival were in LVI it was particularly useful to look at the careers of these speakers, as it gave us a chance to consider the possibilities of following careers in similar areas.

One of the best parts of being a Festival intern was being able to run a one-hour workshop for Year Five pupils at Brackenbury Primary School, on the afternoon leading up to our speaker’s talk. All interns had to come up with workshops that were themed around the topic that the speaker was going to talk about. My fellow interns and I orientated our workshop around the theme of how film has changed and developed. We came up with a variety of activities for the children to do including designing their ultimate villain and a quiz on the sound tracks of famous films. The quiz was particularly amusing as the children soon realised that although they knew the tune of famous film themes like Space Odyssey and Chariots of Fire, they had no knowledge of what films they came from.

After the workshops we had dinner with the speaker before the talk. This allowed interns to get to ask their respective speakers questions about their careers and what had inspired them.

After this followed the talks, which the interns introduced, and these were all very insightful and informative. After the talks we helped the speakers while they sold copies of their books. It was a very rewarding experience and I would like to thank Francine Stock, Dr Agnes Nairn, Robert McCrum and Robert Hardman for giving up their time to give their speeches and to Mr Bell and the other teachers who made the Festival possible.

Livia Higgins LVI

FESTIVAL 2012

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1960sVeronica Goodchild (Class of 1969)In 1972, I moved to NYC. I completed my undergraduate and Master’s degrees at Columbia University. I married and have two wonderful children, now 26 and 24. I trained and practised as a Jungian-oriented psychotherapist for many years. After a divorce in the early 1990s I began a PhD in Clinical Psychology on the West Coast of the USA I completed it in 1998, and since then have been teaching Jungian psychology and psychotherapy at Pacifica Graduate Institute to doctoral students, and writing articles and two books. I remarried in 1996 and have been living near Santa Barbara, CA, since 1995. My husband is also a professor at PGI. My children live in Oregon: my daughter is an artist and teaches art; my son is an organic farmer.

Angela Pollitzer (Class of 1968)I finished the Brussels 20K race in 2 hours 18 minutes - not bad, given the heat! I loved the parks and the jazz bands, but not the uneven cobblestones beside the palace or the stuffy tunnels under Avenue Louise. Many thanks to those who sponsored me in aid of Banunule School for Orphans, Kampala.

1970sTracey Scoffield (Class of 1978)has 18 year old boy twins, and having been effectively released from the bubble of child care has very much enjoyed being reunited with her old school friends. In addition to running a TV and film production company she has just been appointed a school Governor, at Latymer Upper School.

Emma Henderson’s (Class of 1976) book Grace Williams Says it Loud, was shortlisted for the Orange Fiction Prize 2011.

1990sStephanie Vilner, née Sheppard (Class of 1992) was transferred to Sydney by L’Oreal in 2001, having led their global skincare development in Paris and London and taken the Garnier brand worldwide. In 2006, she left the corporate world and launched ‘mytoolkit’, her own marketing, market research and innovation business in 2006, to work part-time and not miss out on time with her two small children.

In 2010, she was nominated and shortlisted for ‘Business Innovation’ in the Australian Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Awards. Telstra highlighted her ‘unique lateral thinking in business’ and ‘great ideas for harnessing the untapped potential of women everywhere’.

For every corporate client project, Stephanie gives brand, marketing and strategic advice for free, to one small start up business, expecting nothing in return, and finds this highly rewarding. She is also part of a network of executive women who started up their own businesses and help each other by sharing their expertise.

Stephanie recently attended the G20 YES Young Entrepreneur Summit in Mexico as an Australian delegate.

Alison Albeck Lindland (Class of 1997)would love to help plan a reunion in NYC again. Since the last event she has invested in a restaurant which has turned into one of the most acclaimed new restaurants in NYC (www.colonienyc.com). If you are interested in attending a reunion in New York, please contact [email protected].

In May 2011 Lara Mercer (Class of 1999)celebrated her hen party which started off with a morning at G&L doing a ‘Tongue in cheek’ BAYS club. It was organised by her sister Caris Newson (née Mercer), Class of 2001. The only other Old Dolphins there were Lucy Gilmour (née Brown) and Victoria Robinson , both Class of 1999.

Primavera Quantrill (Class of 1991)recently raised over £600 for SightSavers by taking part in the Tall Ships Youth Trust’s Channel Challenge (for ages 18-80) which involved six days on a tall ship, including night watches, climbing rigging and handing sail. “It was a fascinating opportunity to learn about square riggers, enhance my seamanship and meet people of all ages and from all walks of life,” says Primavera. “I was particularly inspired by a lady of 75 who climbed the rigging so she could get a better view of her husband’s plane as it flew over!”

Kate Goddard (Class of 1999) married Paul Hickman in Richmond in October 2011.

CLASS NOTES


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CLASS NOTES

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Sabuhi Gard née Mir (Class of 1992)gave birth to a son Alexander Henry Daniyal Gard, on 20 April 2011, weighing 7lbs 14oz.

Kate Rose neé Phillips (Class of 1994)had a baby girl on 1 January 2012 called Charlotte Patsy Valera Rose, to join her son Leo Kenny Rose age three. Kate says “I have been living in Florida since 2004 and I have a rather unexpected lifestyle of travelling with Justin (he is a pro-golfer) on the PGA and European tours.”

2000sMelissa Amouzandeh (Class of 2000) née Carlile got married in August 2011 and is now expecting her first baby in July 2012.

Susanna Atassi Wagner née Al-Atassi (Class of 2000) gave birth to her first child, a beautiful girl named Lyra Grazia, on 20 September 2010. Susanna, who married Lewis Wagner in 2008, has recently returned to her job as a Strategy and Commissioning Manager for the Nottingham Crime & Drugs Partnership on a part-time basis, following maternity leave.

Laura Peltola (Class of 2001) After leaving Godolphin, and studying medicine at Leeds, I am now specialising in anaesthetics in London. Last August however, I undertook voluntary work in Blantyre, Malawi, at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital for nine months.

Nicola Dixon-Brown (Class of 2000) married Dr Alister French on 4 December 2010 at St Luke’s Church, Sydney Street, London followed by a reception and dinner dance at the Oxford and Cambridge Club, Pall Mall. Nicola met Alister on the Varsity ski trip whilst studying for her Master’s in Water Science Policy and Management at St John’s College, Oxford. Alister was completing his DPhil at Balliol. They have bought a house and are now living happily in the Gunnersbury Triangle. Nicola is a Chartered Surveyor and Alister, a Management Consultant.

Eleanor Dalgleish (Class of 2007) I graduated from Cambridge in Russian and Italian last July and I decided to take a year out before I return to Cambridge in the autumn to do an MPhil in Russian studies. Last summer I travelled for five weeks in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan before moving on to China where I taught in a city outside Shanghai for two months. I have been in Moscow since early March and I will be coming back to the UK at the beginning of August. I am currently working for an English company in Moscow and enjoying the Russian life!



THE DOLPHIN NETWORK

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Aspire AfternoonIn the summer term of last year, a panel of five Old Dolphins came in to school to share their stories, wisdom and knowledge of life after G&L with the UIV. The worlds of medicine, law and the theatre came together with a Princeton undergraduate and a gap year student to offer advice and answer questions. With the unifying experience of G&L, it was a lively and informative afternoon which we plan to run again next year. Thanks must go to the Old Dolphins who came in.

Careers EveningMiddle School and Sixth Form girls and their parents were invited to the biennial Careers Evening, held on 8 November. It was a fantastic opportunity to hear some inspiring speakers impart valuable advice on breaking into their chosen profession. The speakers, many of whom were Old Dolphins, were from a range of industries from medicine and environmental politics to fashion design and law. Dr Zahra Allawi is an Old Dolphin (Class of 2002) who has completed her studies in medicine and is currently taking a year off to do some more exams and apply to do general medicine next year. Zahra gave an insight into what life is like as a hard-working doctor and could not shy away from the challenges one faces. However, Zahra was keen to say that these negatives are greatly outweighed by the fact that she feels that she is

really saving people’s lives, and the job challenges all her skills on a daily basis. Zahra was joined by Madiha Sharaf, also from the Class of 2002, who is a current medical student at King’s College London. Erica Jenkins (Class of 1992) explained how a Veterinary Medicine degree can really take you all over the world. After Erica left Godolphin and became a qualified vet at Cambridge University, she went to Greece to work with a charity that neutered stray cats! This was certainly an eye-opener as well as lots of fun, and Erica became quite the expert in surgery. Negative sides to the job include the long hours and being on call, but the days don’t feel long if you really love what you do. Rowan Joachim (Class of 1995) is a Chartered Electrical Engineer working for London Underground Crossrail. Rowan studied Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Birmingham University where she was only one of seven female students on her course of 228 students! Zara Tempest-Walters left Godolphin in 2003 to study at Cambridge and then began a flourishing acting career. She focused her talk on how to maximise the chances of getting noticed and ahead in one of the most competitive professions. Leila Sutherland studied Psychology at Manchester University after leaving Godolphin in 1999 and went into primary teaching. The girls listening to the talk were slightly daunted by the prospect of teaching up to 30 students in a class at a mainstream school but Leila reassured them that you are rarely on your own in the classroom as you are aided by a teaching assistant or, in cases of statemented SEN students, a one-to-one carer. This is just a snap-shot of the variety of talks offered during the Careers Evening which was extremely informative and interesting for the girls. Thanks to all who took part and to the Old Dolphins who returned to support the school. We look forward to the next careers event! Frances LeeCareers Administrator

THE DOLPHIN NETWORK



REUNIONS


Melbourne ReunionOn Thursday 29 March a marvellous ODA reunion took place in Melbourne, organised by former Development Director, Tamlyn Worrall. Thank you Tamlyn!! Three of us Old Dolphins discovered we were all students within a couple of years of each other. So not knowing or remembering each other, we then spent the next hour or so having a fabulous time reminiscing – and there were some memories to share, not to mention the laughing!! So this is just a short report from the three of us – Barbara Crisp née Coombe (1952-59), Kay Koetsier née Seymour (1953-58) and Diane New née Currell (1954-1960). What has impressed us hugely is discovering that we have so much in common – all divorced - one remarried, 2 still going it alone; all with grandchildren; all completed degrees in middle age (Di managing two degrees); all of us played hockey for the school; and each of us recalls being a ‘naughty’ student! What a reputation! Two and a half weeks later we met up again for lunch and have agreed that we must keep this relationship going – and maybe, who knows, this article might just trigger off contact with other students who also remember us. I must say it was a bit disconcerting to discover that I was remembered by Di. But it turned out to be because we all played hockey! At lunch we looked at old photos and did an excellent job of remembering student names, as well as names of teachers and the subjects they taught! Not bad when out of the blue three senior ladies meet and have clicked so well. Must be that G&L training we received! Barbara Crisp, née Coombe (Class of 1959)

Exeter ReunionWe met at Exeter Cathedral for lunch and what a precious and incredible time we had. None of us knew each other! We girls graduated in classes 1947, 1956, 1963, 1966 and 1968.

Katherine Sterling (Class of 1966)

New York ReunionAlison Albeck Lindland (Class of 1997) organised a reunion in New York in November 2011, which was enjoyed by 15 Old Dolphins from various classes between 1962-2011.

LA ReunionHannah Davis (Class of 1990) and Bobbie Whiteman (Class of 1978) hosted a holiday gathering at the Chateau Marmont, on 5 December 2011. The event was enjoyed so much that they organised a second gathering a couple of weeks later!

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It was a great pity that one lady was taken ill at the last minute and another had a really bad fall enroute to the venue, unfortunately ending up in hospital with fractures. In both cases, the restaurant was extremely generous and did not make a charge.

The one question I was asked as people reluctantly departed was: “When can we do it all again?”

Ann Chaplin (Class of 1954)

Bath ReunionIn May this year a group of 14 of the Class of ‘57 met for our annual reunion weekend, this time in Bath. The highlight of the weekend was arranged for us by Jean Thorn on the Saturday morning, a visit to the Old Theatre Royal whose premises are now used as the Masonic Hall for several local Lodges. The group photograph was kindly taken by our genial guide in their main hall, on the stage of the theatre. We were given a fascinating tour of the building, behind the scenes and down into the Masonic Museum in the basement. Our guide was most entertaining, gently amusing and very informative, and we emerged much enlightened about the history of the building and about many of the mysteries of Freemasonry (but not all!). After such a serious expedition much of the afternoon was given over to a little retail therapy, and one or two enjoyed an organ recital in the Abbey. Nola Heslop, née Richardson (Class of 1957)

Back row, standing, L to R (maiden names in brackets): Stella Griffiths (Begent), Vivienne Pearl (Babani), Gillian Smithies (Stevens), Evelyn Spear (Edwards), Clarissa Russell (Pepprell), Nola Heslop (Richardson), Jean Thorn (Hill)Front row, seated: Norma Bridges (Burdon), Margaret Cazaly (Smith), Maureen Taylor (Pettifer), Pauline McCubbin (Gage), Mary Heeley (Wheeler), Christine Tracey (East), Claire Wendelken (Tozer).

Classes of 2001& 2006 ReunionI think that we would all agree, it’s a little bit daunting walking into the G&L school hall to attend your 10 year leavers’ reunion… but we all did what any sensible Old Dolphin would do, head for the bar and grab a drink! A quick glance at a name tab and memories were jogged, stories were exchanged and laughs were had. Probably the most surprising aspect of the night was seeing so many teachers remembering us fondly. I’m pretty sure we weren’t so well received back in the nineties!

A quick tour of the new school buildings found us huddling in our old friendship groups again - but a few more Pimm’s and a group photo directed by the legendary Dr Wolfe then off to the pub we went. I hope others would agree that it was an informal, fun evening, not as scary as we all thought it might be and definitely worth going to. It’s easy to forget the friendships, memories and laughs you shared with so many.

Katharine Piotrowski (Class of 2001)

75th Birthday LunchThey came from Tokyo, Vancouver, Brussels and Rome and from the north, south, east and west of England to lunch at the Vincent Rooms in Vincent Square, London, on 12 May 2011 to celebrate the year when we all reached 75.

Thirty-one Old Dolphins from the Class of 1954, together with two husbands, sat down to a really delicious meal that day and, as you can guess, the room was absolutely buzzing with conversation.

Thanks to a generous gift from the ODA, we were able to wish each other “Happy Birthday” with some sparkling wine as we finished our meal with some petit fours, followed by a robust rendering of the school song!


Dawn Hastings, née Bowyer (Class of 1987)Committee Member

Dawn is the Old Dolphins’ Association Committee member for Year Reps and acts as the main point of contact between each of the Year Reps and the rest of the Committee. If you have any suggestions for social events or reunions or how the ODA can help Old Dolphins, or any other ideas please get in touch with Dawn by emailing [email protected].

Year Reps ReceptionThe Year Reps Reception was a great opportunity for Old Dolphins to come into the school, share stories and attend the IB Art Exhibition. In addition, they met the new Development Director, Kathy Merrill.

14 Old Dolphins were in attendance, ranging in class years from 1950 to 2004 as well as four Executive Committee Members.

Class of 2011 Year RepsYear reps for the Class of 2011 are Charlotte Moseley, Harriet Potter and Sarah Wood. We look forward to welcoming them back to events at Godolphin and Latymer as Old Dolphins in the near future.

YEAR REPRESENTATIVES


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OLD DOLPHINS’ DAY & AGM


More than two hundred Old Dolphins and former staff came back to school on a beautifully warm October day for the Old Dolphins’ Day and AGM 2011. Guests were greeted by the 50th and 75th anniversary films before the AGM business began.Our guest speaker was the travel writer Alexandra Fitzsimmons (Class of 1999), who gave a fascinating talk on her adventures, following in the footsteps of Eric the Red – the Viking who founded Greenland - and her preferred method of transport (cargo ships transporting bananas).

Class reunions took place for the classes of 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1991 who enjoyed catching up with friends over a leisurely lunch and visiting the school.

Old Dolphins’ Day and AGM 2012 will take place on Saturday 29 September 11am-4pm with reunions for the classes of 1952, 1962, 1972, 1982 and 1992. Booking forms are enclosed with Dolphin Link and copies can also be found on our website.


a few statistics given to us by our excellent guide.

Two thousand semi-mature trees of different kinds have been planted and already they bring the site to life. The main Olympic swimming pool will remain as will the velodrome. The health centre will be a clinic; the 2,800 flats built for the athletes will be remodelled and half sold privately and half will become social housing. The stadium will be sold to whom? There are a few bidders. The sports academy will become a school, the gym club and cafe will stay, bridges across the river Lea. There is great attention being paid to the planting of the gardens which will be done by the two winners of the garden design competition, especially to encourage bees, butterflies and insects. Thrown in with all this, will be the biggest shopping complex in Europe.

All this, and I’m sure I have forgotten half of it, will be ready to greet visitors with a wild flower meadow! This is England - what a welcome.

I only trust that this gift to London will be appreciated and looked after with care.

Margaret Cable, née Lewis (Class of 1939)

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Oldest Old DolphinFrances Woolf turned 108 years old in October 2011. As well as being our oldest Old Dolphin, Frances is also believed to be the world’s oldest Jewish person.

Frances attended Coleville Primary School in North Kensington before winning a scholarship to Godolphin and Latymer. After leaving school she became a teacher and then a headmistress at Wendall Park Primary School in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Olympic TourWhen I held a lucky ticket in the raffle at the Old Dolphins’ lunch last year, I had no idea of what a bespoke tour of the London Olympic site would reveal. What a wonderful surprise awaited me! All had been kindly arranged by Kristy McCudden to make our visit as pleasurable as possible.

I read all the instructions carefully, especially the objects not to be taken into the arena. Everything of danger had been thought of including harpoons. With nothing dangerous and our means of identity in our handbags, my daughter and I set off for the city.

We had a Blue Badge parking area reserved for us and were greeted by the charming hostess and sat in the accreditation hut to wait for the bus. As it was parked quite a way away, I was taken out first on account of my great age! (There have to be some advantages to compensate for white hair, wrinkles and aching joints!) Also, I did not have to go through the airport screening and was first on the bus. It was very difficult to take photos from the moving bus, and they are superfluous in any case as they can be downloaded from the web without the ‘No Smoking’ sign on every shot. Also, all the information of the buildings is set out but perhaps I can add a few items that may be of interest.The site suffered from industrial contamination and so one million tons of soil was sieved and washed. Electric wires and pylons were removed, and when the new electricity provider is no longer needed for the games, it will be fed into the national grid. This project employs 12,500 people.

There will always be critics of any new development, but I felt that the regeneration of a run-down area, can only be a good thing and this was an important part of the whole concept. Just

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Language ReminiscencesI started at Godolphin in 1953, a few months after the coronation; I entered the Ulll - the equivalent to Year 7. I was actually only ten and a half , having taken my Common Entrance exam when I was nine.

My modern language career at Godolphin didn’t really begin very auspiciously. A few days after I started we were given a little questionnaire cum test to do. I remember we were asked whether we had ever been to France (I hadn’t) and whether we spoke Welsh or Yiddish. I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t even know what Yiddish was. Anyway having answered everything in the negative I was put into Division E (the lowest one!).

The textbook we worked from was called En Route. It was already showing its age in 1953; the illustrations all depicted a family dressed in Twenties-style clothes. I can still remember the names of the characters: Paul, Babette and Toto. My teacher was called Miss Dickson and she was very nice. We used to act out little scenes from the book and French soon became my favourite subject.

As the years went by I gradually moved up from Division E to Division B, where I was taught by Miss Chaplin. I never made it to Division A! By that time we were using a series of textbooks written by Whitmarsh. They were very well-known at the time. Coincidentally W Whitmarsh had been my father’s French teacher and had inspired my dad with a lifelong love of French.

When I was fifteen something happened that was to influence the whole of my future life and career. My parents joined me to an organisation called Amitié Internationale des Jeunes. They undertook to pair up young French and British people with a view to writing and exchanging. My other half was Françoise, also fifteen, who lived in Brive-la-Gaillarde in the Corrèze in south west France.

One July afternoon Françoise arrived at Victoria station in a large party of French students. We collected her and took her home. Her English was about as good as my French i.e. a bit approximate. However this didn’t stop us communicating – non-stop. She stayed with us for a month and then I went back to stay with her.

To a girl brought up in dreary, grey post-war Fulham (no million-plus houses there then!) Brive was another world. We arrived on the train from Paris at three in the morning and got out to a warm night smelling of hay and Gauloises cigarettes.

I spent a happy month meeting her family and friends, eating wonderful exotic food – goats’ cheese, the loaf-shaped éclairs called réligieuses, pistache ice cream… not to mention the now common-place things we never had at home like mayonnaise and coffee.

On Sundays Françoise’s older brother Jacques would drive us all miles in the ramshackle 2CV van belonging to the family laundry business. It had canvas seats and dreadful suspension which was tested to the hilt on the winding mountainous roads of the region.

Not surprisingly I opted to do A Level French and Spanish as well as English. My results were good and the then Head, Miss Bishop, wanted me to stay on another year and try for Oxbridge. However the thought of another year at school didn’t appeal so I wrote around and got a place at Manchester to read French with subsidiary Spanish. When I went and told Miss Bishop she was not pleased, merely remarking ‘Well, at least it’s not Hull!’

Manchester was another world again. The area around the university was then one of the most deprived and it was not unusual to sit in the arts library and look into a street where bare-footed children were playing.

I got my degree and did a year’s Certificate in Education. However the idea of starting full-time work didn’t appeal so I applied to do an Assistantship in France. I was sent to Toulouse, even further south than my beloved Brive. I had a great time, by great good fortune Françoise was also there that year. We used to hitch home to Brive every Saturday to have a shower and a big Sunday lunch.

When I got back to England I got a job teaching French in a girls’ comprehensive in Wandsworth. I followed this by six years as Head of Department at a boys’ comprehensive at the Elephant. The school was called Paragon – something of a misnomer! While I was there I



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did a part-time Master’s degree on my favourite French writer, Proust. The contrast between Combray and the Old Kent Road was quite marked!

During this time I realised that teaching languages to what was then called ‘The Less Able’ required a different approach and different materials from those currently available which had all been designed for teaching ‘The More Able’.

My next job was as an Advisory Teacher for the Inner London Education Authority, writing a French course which would be suitable for less able children. The course was called Éclair and caused something of a stir at the time as it was quite unlike anything that had been produced previously. It had flashcards and slides and little booklets the kids could fill and colour in. And on the whole they loved it!

I spent the next ten years writing French and Spanish materials for ILEA. At the beginning of the Eighties I started writing things for other commercial publishers and that’s really what I’ve been doing ever since, with periods of teaching interspersed when the work was a bit thin. I’ve written most things, from textbooks to interactive whiteboard materials, from radio stories to TV cartoons. I suppose my finest hour was the 100-minute Spanish adventure series that got a BAFTA nomination. And it still gives me a thrill to see my name on the front of a book – even if it’s not going to be a best-seller.

Being an educational writer hasn’t brought me great riches but it’s given me a living doing something I really enjoy and and that I feel is useful. It makes me sad to see how languages and language teaching have been downgraded of late but having lived and worked through so many different fashions of language teaching and learning I still hope we may see a revival soon.

And by the way, I’m still friends with Françoise – 52 years after that meeting at Victoria. My husband and I now have a house in a village near Brive, where she still lives.

Amanda Rainger (Class of 1960)

A Career in NutritionHaving just retired from my post as a nutritional epidemiologist with the Medical Research Council in Cambridge, I have been reflecting on a career in nutrition that started in more ways than one at Godolphin and Latymer.

Having been propelled to Cambridge by the inspirational teaching of Miss Eastwood (Chemistry) and Mrs Ennis (Zoology) I read Natural Sciences for a year and then changed to Physical Anthropology. Finding a job proved difficult so an MSc in Human Nutrition at Queen Elizabeth College in Kensington seemed like a good prospect. When I chose to investigate the diets of teenage girls as my dissertation project where else would I turn than back to G&L?

Miss Gray and the other members of staff were most helpful and accommodating and agreed to let me give a questionnaire to all the girls in classes UIII to UV; 434 in all. The simple questionnaire was a 24-hour recall of all food and drink consumed over that period and the girls filled it in under my supervision during their lunch hour. Did they tell the truth? I think that most of them did! Adolescent girls even in 1970 were worried about their figures; many said they were dieting and too many did not eat any breakfast. But this did correlate in many cases with very long journeys to school. To make up for this there was a high consumption of biscuits, sweets and potato crisps at break. But consumption of fruit and fruit juice during the day was high and the majority of the girls still drank their milk at break. Overall diets were good but the distribution of food over the day was weighted toward the afternoon and evening.

Many years later, after a long interlude in Africa where I was again involved in nutrition surveys, I returned to Cambridge and research, latterly working on the National Diet and Nutrition Survey in conjunction with the Ministry of Health. The headline results, as reported in the press, focussed on the diets of teenage girls in particular! Consumption of fruit and vegetables was low in this group and there was concern that the intake of some micronutrients, particularly iron, were below recommendations. As I wrote the report I could not help reflecting on my first attempt at nutritional surveillance at G&L 40 years earlier.

Celia Greenberg, née Prynne (Class of 1965)


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A visit to KenyaThis is the story of a visit to Kenya, which did not go exactly according to plan.

My daughter, Mandy, has lived in Kenya for about 25 years, and this was my third visit. I was accompanied by my grandson, aged 17, and a family friend.

We were met at Nairobi by Mandy and her daughter, Aija, aged 15. Mandy gave us 24-hours to recover from the journey, then told us to pack our bags for a night and drove us to Lake Nyeuasha, where we stayed in a large cottage owned by a friend and rented out to visitors. After a meal Mandy drove us to one of Kenya’s wildlife parks but her car got stuck in a hole, and nothing we did would move it. So we had to call our landlord Nyel who came and hauled us out. Before we reached the cottage the rain came. I guess we all slept well that night.

Early next morning Nyel took us out in his rowing boat and we had the gorgeous sight of flamingos flying around the lake just ahead of us.

Back to Nairobi for the night, then off to an airfield to catch a plane going south to the Masai Mara region. On our arrival we were greeted by several Masai warriors and helped with our luggage. Each party had its own truck and driver and we were taken in ours to a delightful safari camp for three nights. All meals were served outdoors and on our last night the effect of lanterns all round the tables was rather splendid. The Masai warriors entertained us on two occasions, and were again at the airfield to help.

The night we returned I fell in Mandy’s bedroom and broke my right femur. Having yelled “blue murder” I was eventually driven half an hour through Nairobi and ended up in Nairobi Hospital for 15 days. Mandy did not know what to do with me when I was discharged, but eventually said she thought I’d be happier in my own home. This was what the insurance company wanted and they sent out a nurse to accompany us back to the UK.

About three months later, just as the district nurses and I were discussing what sort of support I should have for outdoors, one Sunday evening I found I could not bear any weight on the leg. Next morning my doctor confirmed I was to have a new hip, so it was back into hospital again – this time the Princess Royal Hosptal, Telford, where I spent the next few weeks. I was discharged on 15 November 2010 – some dates are etched forever in the memory!

Joyce Parkin, née Eggs (Class of 1941)


MemoriesI first started at Godolphin & Latymer in 1936 at the age of 11 and recall so well my first days in UIIIa with the formidable Miss Bentham as my Form Mistress. I say now, with great regret, that I only stayed until

the outbreak of war in 1939. When school was evacuated I begged my parents not to send me away. Knowing that I was always a very homesick child and hated being away from home (even visiting cousins during the long summer holidays was a tearful time) my parents succumbed to my pleas and I stayed at home. How I wish now that they had been less soft-hearted with me and I had been able to finish my education at G&L.

During those three years at school I made many friends and I am still in touch with a few of them. Patricia Marie Blowey and I became friends early on and remain so today. During the war years we lost touch, but once the war was over we resumed our friendship – by this time in our teens – and used to meet every fortnight. After some years Pat left England and settled in Canada. I missed her but she made regular visits to England to see her family and we always met. I visited her in Vancouver. Latterly Pat’s health has been rather poor, I’m sorry to say, and I believe the friends with whom she lives in Canada have arranged nursing care for her.

Other names I remember so well: Joan Elderton, Avril Patten, Phyllis Braman, Daphne Farley, Joyce Lloyds, Winifred Jeans, Joyce and Doreen Guy, and of course Joyce Parkin (née Eggs) whom I knew before G&L as we were at the same school and attended the same church. We were both married in July 1952, and we still exchange birthday and Christmas cards.

During my years at school we used to have inter-form contests. I remember forming a choir when we had to sing “All through the night” with our own accompanist. (I can still remember the descant.) We won the contest. On another occasion we had to perform an act of the play “Peter Pan”. Pat Blowey was cast as Captain Hook as she was the

tallest in the class, and more suited to the part. I obtained a large meat-hook from our local butcher which Pat secured up her sleeve. Winnie Jeans was cast as Peter because she was of slender build. Another year we performed a short episode about Christopher Columbus discovering America. I had a part in this but, to my shame, I was overcome with stage nerves and forgot most of my lines. I wonder if any of the people I have mentioned here are still around?

From the foregoing it might seem that we had lots of fun but not a lot of studying. This was not the case, of course, and I remember with much respect many mistresses who gave us such interesting and worthwhile lessons. Mrs Bell, Miss Butler, Miss Lockwood (who was so popular), Miss Jewill-Hill, Miss Stewart, Miss Faulkner, Mrs Creighton and, of course, our much-respected headmistress, Dame Joyce Bishop.

It is always a regret that my daughter Jane was not able to keep up the family tradition and be a pupil at G&L, as I know she would have loved it there. (My in-law family and their attendances at school are mentioned in a Dolphin Link of Spring 2005.) However, my husband was transferred from London to the south coast which meant that Jane had to attend local schools (Portsmouth High School for Girls and Havant College), before finishing her education at Royal Holloway College, University of London, where she obtained a first. She is now a senior editor/economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. I am very proud of Jane, as I know her father would be. She also sings in the London Symphony Chorus with Sarah Illingworth, a G&L Governor, of course, and Tina Cobb.

I am proud to have been a Dolphin and, to quote the school song:

‘Tis a privilege and a pleasureThat we treasure beyond measureFor the Dolphin school’s delightfulAnd is very hard to beat.

Betty W Morley, neé Bennett (Class of 1943)

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Christmas BazaarThe Christmas Bazaar 2011 was a huge success and raised £18,000 for the Bursary Fund.

Many thanks to everyone who supported the occasion and donated items to sell or for the raffle and silent auction. We had 37 different groups of girls with their own stalls and every year group was represented in that number. Our apple strudel team made 215 strudels, with the ingredients kindly donated by Waitrose at Westfield, and the UV gave up their lunchtime and delivered nearly 2,000 leaflets to the neighbouring streets.

Special mention should go to the Christmas decoration-making ladies (and one man) who created some stunning decorations this year; their stall in the gym was amazing. It was really lovely to see so many Old Dolphins here and catch up with their news.

Every year the donations and prizes differ tremendously but the atmosphere and strong sense of community are always the driving force behind the Christmas Bazaar and its success. Thank you all very much.

Sue Adey & Julia Hodgkins

We need your Help!

For the Christmas Bazaar 2012 we would welcome handmade items for the ODA stall e.g knitted or crocheted items, home baking, arts and crafts etc. Please contact the Development Office if you are able to help – [email protected] 020 8735 9550.

Greenland VisitEríkr inn Rauði gaf nafn landinu ok kallaði Grænland , ok kvað men pat myndu fysa pangat fara, at landit ætti nafn got.Eric the Red gave a name to the land and called it Greenland, and said that men would be encouraged to go there, in that the land had a good name. I was interested to read Alexandra Fitzsimmons’ account of her Viking voyage, since I have recently returned from a trip to Greenland myself. I studied Old Icelandic as an element within an English degree – interesting in many ways, including the comparison with Old English, both members of the Germanic family of languages. I had visited Iceland at that time but this was my first trip to Greenland. We were based in the southern tip of the country, where Eric the Red established the first settlement in 986 at Brattahlid (steep slope). Extensive ruins of the settlement remain; in addition, Eric’s farmstead and the tiny church, built by his wife Thjodhild at her conversion to Christianity, have been beautifully reconstructed, complete with turf-covered roof sand walls. High on a nearby hill is a statue of Leif Ericson, Eric’s son, bringer of Christianity to Greenland and discoverer of Vinland (America). Another highlight was a visit to Gardar (farm), seat of the Bishopric from about 1124 and of the country’s ‘parliament’. Again, the extensive ruins bear witness to the Bishop’s and church’s power in this apparent outpost of the faith. Interestingly, both settlements are still important farming areas today – clearly, Eric and his peers chose their land well! Narsarsuaq, where we stayed, was an American air base during World War II and an interesting museum charts the inhabitants’ lives and experiences during that time. Although it can be quickly changeable, the weather was much milder, reaching 700 F, during our stay. Arrangements were made for us to do the morrow’s trip – sailing around and among the fantastically shaped icebergs in the area of the Qooroq glacier (though not too close!). The next day we ventured out; “walking” time to a seemingly nearby destination was doubled by the ferocity of the wind beating against us, yet still it was strangely warm! By the end of my visit, I felt a renewed admiration for Eric and the early pioneers, who battled such onslaught without meteorological forecasts and navigational aids. Gillian Davey (Class of 1956)

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ANNUAL GIVING PROGRAMME 2012

Giving girls a first-rate education requires funds that cannot be met through school fees alone. Each year the school raises money through its Annual Giving Programme to fund projects that immediately benefit the educational and social development of every girl in the school. In the past, parents, Old Dolphins, staff and Friends of the School have contributed generously. Their donations have been used to provide girls with a new rowing boat, offer a Creative Writer in Residence programme, and update the school’s language laboratories, among other projects. Every year, annual giving donations are also used to support school Bursaries.

This year, donations to our Annual Giving Programme will fund a diverse and interesting group of projects. And for the first time, this year’s Annual Giving brochure featured specially commissioned student art! Donations received will support the following projects:

BursariesThe School is committed to ensuring a Godolphin and Latymer education is available to girls of intellectual promise from all backgrounds, regardless of ability to pay. We presently support fifty girls through full and partial bursaries. We are committed to continuing to broaden access to the school through our bursary programme.

Astroturf Tree roots have made the astroturf surfaces uneven. As a result, play is currently restricted to only two-thirds of the astroturf and some girls have to play all their home matches away at offsite pitches. Replacing the astroturf and containing the tree roots will mean the girls can once again have the full use of the playing areas which include nine tennis courts, three hockey pitches and three rounders/cricket pitches.

Library Enhancement The Library is at the heart of the school, figuratively and literally. We would like to conduct renovations to ensure that the fabric, furniture and fittings of the library are as up to date and inviting as its contents. We plan to improve spaces for collaborative work by providing modular desks/equip areas designed for independent study with individual carrels, and furnish the fiction section with sofas for comfortable reading.

Musical AdditionsFor several years, the school has had a brass ensemble, and we would like to complete the range of instruments represented by acquiring the school’s first ever tuba. It is also time to replace our baby grand. The work horse of our music room, it is now showing its age after many years of loyal service.

Head Girls’ PresentationThe Head Girls’ Team explained the Annual Giving Programme to students during an assembly before the Easter holidays. The team also presented certificates to the winners of the art competition for the Annual Giving brochure. The winning entry was submitted by Cecilia Philips UV (below right) and was used as the front cover. Runners-up were (below left to right): Sophia Dowson-Collins LV, Josephine Fauchier LVI and Liberty Greetham LV. Their entries will also be used to promote the Annual Giving Programme. Information on how to give is contained in the Annual Giving brochure and can be found on school’s website. All donations are gratefully received!

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Old Dolphins v Current Girls Hockey MatchThe Old Dolphins v Current Girls Hockey Match took place in September 2011. The Old Dolphins’ team comprised of seven Old Dolphins and children of two of ODA Executive Committee Members! The Old Dolphins’ team played with great enthusiasm and spirit but were narrowly defeated by the UVI team 2-1. After the match, the Old Dolphins took on the girls in the first debate Life begins when you leave school. Sadly the ODs didn’t make a compelling enough case and lost on one point. A big thank you to all our ODs who took part in the debate and the hockey match.

Sporting AchievementsPupils have been excelling in a variety of sports at G&L. In this academic year our teams have achieved the following:

NETBALLU12 Winners of The Harrodian School Tournament and Quarter-finalists at Middlesex CountyU13 Semi-finalists at Middlesex County and Runners up in The Harrodian School and Highgate School TournamentsU14 Winners of The Harrodian School Tournament and Middlesex runners upU15 Winners of The Harrodian School Tournament and 3rd in MiddlesexU16 Winners of The Harrodian School Tournament and 3rd in Middlesex1st Winners of The Harrodian School Tournament HOCKEYU12 3rd in the Ibstock Place School seven-a-side TournamentU13 Quarter-finalists in the London Schools’ Championships and runners up in the Ibstock Place School seven-a-side TournamentU14 3rd in the London Schools’ ChampionshipsU15 Winners of the Ibstock Place School seven-a-side Tournament

ROWINGJ16 Winners of the Women’s Novice Four event at Teddington Head of the River, Novice Eights at the Hammersmith Head and Kingston Head of the River raceJ15 Winners of Teddington Head of the River (Quad) and Quintin Head (Eight)J15 Caris Coyle is national indoor rowing champion FOOTBALLU15 Runners up in the Independent Schools’ six-a-side Tournament CRICKETU12 3rd in the Lady Tavernor London Schools competitionU13 runners up at regional finals, county champions and Youth Games winnersU15 3rd at regional finals and county champions CROSS COUNTRYJuniors 3rd and 5th places in the London Schools’ Cross Country Championships, with India Weir finishing 2nd and Kosana Weir 4thIntermediate 2nd overall in the London Schools’ Cross Country ChampionshipsIndia Weir won her age group in the Hammersmith & Fulham Cross Country with Lara Tegner coming 3rd and Camille Bradbury 8th in their respective age groups.


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IN MEMORIAM

Florence Joan Perry, née Campbell(Class of 1941)13 July 1923 – 17 August 2011I was intrigued to read in Dolphin Link about war-time Old Dolphins. I didn’t think there could be many who remembered the Newbury evacuation and my Aunt Joan (school insisted on calling her Florence!) must have been one of the oldest. She was one of a family of five children who attended Addison Gardens School and all of them gained LCC scholarships to grammar schools. Joan and her younger sister Eileen gained places at Godolphin and Latymer. Joan enjoyed school but found the move to Newbury disruptive. She decided, as she was now 17, to leave school and keep her father company in London. Her two elder brothers were called up to the army and she felt she could help the war effort more by getting a job. She was a very accomplished needlewoman and the rest of her life was dedicated to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren who were always well-dressed when wearing her creations. I was astonished myself when I attended the school in 1960 to find teachers who remembered her and my grandmother was astonished that Miss Bishop was still there!

Catherine Stevenson, née Campbell (Class of 1967)

Joan Elleboode 30 December 1934 – 21 November 2011 Joan Elleboode worked in the labs at G&L for a period of nearly 40 years from 1934 - 2011. She started in the mid-1950s, took a few years off when her daughter was born and then returned as Chemistry Lab Technician, and then Senior Lab Technician with overall responsibility for all of the science laboratories. Joan was at G&L continually from 1958 until her retirement in 1994. She worked under four Headmistresses: Dame Joyce Bishop, Margaret Gray, Barbara Dean and Margaret Rudland. She assisted (and in many cases advised) numerous Chemistry teachers, and was a trusted and respected ally of Heads of Chemistry and Heads of Science during those 36 years.

Joan’s G&L career was characterised by great efficiency, supreme meticulousness, and a real love for the school and all it stands for.

Her links with the school were more than just employment, her sister June Lines and daughter Elizabeth are both Old Dolphins. When I started work at G&L in September 1977 as a junior Lab Tech Joan took me under her wing. I came from a very different laboratory, so she needed to teach me basics of the job, which she did with great patience, despite her surprise that someone with A Level Chemistry didn’t know how to make lime water! She also instilled in me the high standards which were so appreciated by all of the teachers who worked with her. They knew that the materials for their lessons would always be correct, the equipment set up with care and anything they might have forgotten to request would have been added to their lesson tray. This meant they could focus on teaching without any need to worry about whether the experiment would work. As well as working in the labs, Joan also helped the school raise money: she made decorations, Christmas cards, tags and other items for countless Christmas Bazaars, and assisted with Summer Fetes and other fundraising activities.

Joan worked in three different science department locations. Initially she worked in the old labs which were situated where the Goodison Building now stands. She was consulted about the new science block built in 1989 as she was the most knowledgeable person regarding what was needed and how the new labs could be made to work most efficiently. She made site visits in a hard hat during the building work to ensure that all was going to plan, and then oversaw the


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IN MEMORIAM

Margaret Clarke (Class of 1940)It is with great sadness (and help from her family) that I write this obituary for Margaret, who died on 2 April 2011, aged 87.

We had known each other since school days and she and husband Jack visited me here in Market Drayton.

Margaret gained a scholarship to G&L and was the first pupil to have a mother as an ex-pupil.

Margaret was evacuated with the School in 1939, and took up shorthand and typewriting ready for her first job after leaving School.

Margaret met Jack in a church choir and they were married in 1945, beginning 65 years together. They had three children: Marion, Brian and Colin.

Margaret was taught to play the piano at a relatively early age, and then moved on to the organ, so was well in demand at church, as well as for choirs, soloists and dance teachers.

Margaret loved her family gatherings – the most recent being her and Jack’s 65th wedding anniversary in September 2010, when I understand all the family spent the weekend together.

Margaret will certainly be greatly missed, not only by her family but by a large number of friends.

Our warm sympathy goes to her lovely family.

Joyce Parkin, née Eggs (Class of 1941)

Jeanne (Elsie) Collard, née Ahearne(Class of 1955)Jean lost her brave fight with motor neurone disease on 2 December 2011. Ray, Jeanne’s husband, had alterations made to their bungalow to allow Jeanne to remain at home until her death. We send her family our deepest sympathy. Ann Chaplin (Class 1954)

complexities of the move when the building was complete. In 2000 she repeated the whole procedure with the construction of the Goodison Building and another set of new modern labs.

She stalwartly supported the move to independence in 1977 believing that was the only way to maintain the true G&L tradition of excellence. That is also what Joan’s ‘School Report’ from G&L would say: excellent in every respect, and always hardworking and dedicated. And I’m certain it would also mention that she was kind, caring and had a really mischievous sense of humour.

Julie Kaiser, Head of Higher Education and Careers

Jean Guest, née Turner(Class of 1937)2 October 1917 – 10 May 2011Jean had a rich and varied life. A gifted intellectual, she was also a very sensitive, artistic personality, loving painting, music and ballet. She had a lifelong interest in gardens, and was talented at needlework and knitting.

Jean was born during a Zeppelin raid towards the end of the Great War. She spent her childhood in Kensington, London, where her parents ran a successful post office and newsagents - both her parents lived through two world wars. Jean won a scholarship to Godolphin and Latymer, and from there went to St Hilda’s College, Oxford, where she read Medieval French.

She played an active part in World War II, becoming an officer in the Wrens - and was also heavily involved in decoding and censorship. After the war she followed her vocations into teaching, being particularly dedicated to the education of deprived children.

Jean had a kind and generous nature. She was a loyal wife and was supportive of her daughter and two sons throughout her very long life.

Diana Hartley, née Guest



Marion JolliffeMarion Jolliffe, who died on 8 April 2011, just before her 81st birthday, was a well-loved and much-respected teacher at Godolphin and Latymer for 16 years, and an inspiring and supportive colleague. She joined the Classics Department in 1975 on a part-time basis, to teach Latin, Ancient History and Classical Civilisation, but became full-time two years later, after the (then) Head of Department, Jessamine Hoskins, left for pastures new in the year when the school became independent. In 1987 Marion was appointed Senior Mistress with special responsibility for the administration of examinations, a post in which she continued with great success until her retirement in 1991, whilst also maintaining her Classics teaching.

Marion met her husband Brian when they were both at university in Sheffield, from which she graduated in 1952, and they married the same year. Soon they moved to Bradford, where Brian taught English at Bellevue Boys’ School. When Brian subsequently became Senior Master at Tong Comprehensive in Bradford, Marian was busy bringing up their three children, Stephen, Catherine and Margaret, but they later moved to London on Brian’s appointment as Headmaster of Paddington Comprehensive, and now Marion was free to return to teaching, first at Northolt, and then at Godolphin and Latymer.

As a teacher, Marian was always calm but firm. Our colleague, Mary Herberg, remembers that her whole division was once kept in detention for reasons that no one now remembers, but Mary, meeting one of the group after her release from the room, gently probed about how she and the others were getting on in Latin, and was told they loved it - and loved their teacher, the girl adding, as though this were the reason, ‘She’s so strict!’. This aspect of Marion’s character certainly proved its worth when, with Veronica Evans and students of hers from Notting Hill and Ealing, we took a combined party to Pompeii and the Bay of Naples in the spring of 1989, at a time when we assumed the Italian schools were safely on vacation, but to our consternation found a large party of noisy school-boys staying at the same hotel, and disturbing our very well-behaved group (!) long after everybody should have settled for the night. Sadly for the other staff, when the trouble started yours truly had already fallen into a deep sleep, and, with hearing-aids removed, was quite oblivious to what was happening on the floors above and below.

Marion and Veronica left me to slumber and dealt with the offenders of both parties alone, with the result that they were somewhat weary the following day, whilst I was fully refreshed!

Marion accompanied us when, in 1981, Jess Hoskins, who was by then Head of Department at Burlington Danes, and I from G&L took a combined-schools group to the tourist spots of Greece, the year when a massive earthquake hit Greece, with its epicentre in the gulf just off the coast of Corinth. Jess had thought of everything, but even she could not bargain for a tourist company which was itself so badly hit that it was unable to forewarn its clients of the damage to their accommodation. Thus, when we arrived in Corinth late one evening to find that our hotel had been split down the middle by the shock, it took many hours to get the young people re-housed and fed in a motel at the Isthmus of Corinth, some distance away, and Jess and I were certainly glad of Marion’s calm support in soothing many damaged nerves. It did not ruin our holiday, however, and next morning we still managed to view Corinth before continuing south. Our tour later included Olympia, at which the accompanying photograph was taken.

Marion always displayed a quiet good humour, although she was not herself noted for initiating many jokes. On one occasion, however, which turned out to be 1 April, she asked the group she was teaching to open their books for ‘the’ test – of which naturally they had no prior knowledge - and proceeded to set questions with a perfectly straight face. We can imagine that the group itself was not quite as happy about this as she was, even when they discovered the joke, though they took it all in good part! The Classics’ Department shared a table in the staff room with members of the English Department, and when we came in one day to find the Classics’ end labelled by Bill Vellutini ‘Vestal Virgins Vigilante’s Table’, Marion was as amused as we all were - as was she on another occasion when (along with other female members of the table) she received an ‘anonymous’ Valentine’s Day card in Esperanto from a male member of staff who, with missionary zeal, was trying to convert our department from Latin to that made-up language. She also helped create a splendid adaptation of Ovid’s ‘Echo and Narcissus’ incident for the staff play one year which added yet more humour to an already ironic original.

Even before her retirement in 1991, Marion became an intrepid traveller in order to visit her daughter Cathy when she and her husband


IN MEMORIAM

were working in Brunei, and afterwards Marion frequently went to Dubai as well, when Cathy started working there. In later life, arthritis made even short journeys very difficult for Marion, so she must have been satisfied to reflect that she had made the most of her opportunities whilst she was still comparatively fit. She loved bridge and played with one or two of her colleagues, including Judith Fields, outside school and after retirement. Marion died whilst in hospital after a fall from which she never regained consciousness; very shortly beforehand, she had learned that she was also suffering from cancer. Our sympathy and condolences go to all her much-loved family.

Jean Glover, who was Deputy Head when Marion was Senior Mistress, reflected that Marion never sought the limelight and that her most outstanding impression of her was of the calmness and reliability she showed in all that she did, particularly in her management of examinations. John Escott, too, mentioned that she was one of the most civilised people one could imagine: she never resorted to derogatory remarks behind people’s backs or displayed uncontrolled anger; those in her own department would certainly concur with these impressions of her. In fact, her over-riding quality was that ability to ‘keep’ her ‘head, when all around’ were ‘losing theirs’, a quality which made it most pleasant and easy for all to work with her. She seemed to me always to have great joie de vivre as well. We owe her a great debt of gratitude for her contribution to the school over so many years, and I for one am very proud to have been privileged to work with her.

Carol Downer (also Classics’ Department 1973-1991)


IN MEMORIAM

Greta Alexander(Class of 1948)I was very sorry to hear that Greta died in August 2011. We had been in touch up until about five years ago when she became ill. We were friends before joining the school in 1942 and entered the same UIII 1A form. She lived just around the corner in Southerton Road. We left school at the same time in 1948 after a year’s secretarial training. We had already had several holidays together with my family in Somerset and enjoyed two further holidays later – one in north Wales and then a wonderful holiday to Lake Como – our first time abroad. Greta was a very pleasant companion – witty and intelligent.

Her first job was with BOAC where she was quickly promoted to secretarial positions with top management. This entitled her to travel concessions and she took many holidays to far distant parts. We did not have a lot of contact then as I had a family and we did not live very near each other. She stayed with the company (now British Airways) until she retired. She then took another job in the library at the House of Commons which she said she enjoyed very much. She was also a visitor volunteer at Osterley House. I think she lived a full and happy life and I have fond memories of her. Jean Lewsey, née Clarke (Class of 1949)

Sheila MayoApril 2011

Dorothy O’Brien, née Bennett1917 – 2011

Barbara Carder-GeddesClass of 1948December 2011

Annie Saville, née BankierClass of 1943July 2011


humour. Her views were often challenging, and she was not afraid to say exactly what she thought. She contented herself with working part-time, teaching in a primary school, then working as a GP’s receptionist. After Kate and Bill’s divorce in 1999, Kate’s mother took her on a cruise. She was hooked and went on one or two more. She joined MGR (“Merry-go-Round”), a social club for singles, and soon became its Membership Manager and Vice Chairman.

On retirement Kate took up riding again and rode with her daughter in Windsor Great Park. She had always been sporty and enjoyed playing racquetball, squash and tennis – until a knee injury put a stop to that; and anyone phoning her during Wimbledon received very short shrift. In 2009 she took up golf and won a trophy. She also won a trophy playing bridge, which she had mastered while still at university, and played every week for the 40 years that followed. Her weeks were incredibly busy but Sunday mornings remained sacrosanct for the omnibus edition of The Archers.

Kate loved cats, and a succession of them ruled the household. It was therefore fitting that T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Song of the Jellicles’ was chosen by Becky and Ben as one of several thoughtful and affectionate readings at the funeral.

Kate was feisty, outgoing, gregarious and an excellent hostess. By all accounts she was a wonderful mother but once, while giving a party, she found a note on the kitchen table from her daughter saying: “Grow up and keep the noise down, I’m trying to sleep.”

Joy Puritz (Class of 1967)

IN MEMORIAM

Catherine (Kate) Somerville,née Aldenton5 November 1948 – 17 April 2011It was on the School’s birthday, 4 May 2011, that I attended Kate’s funeral at Slough Crematorium. It was a glorious cloudless day and the chapel was full of Kate’s family and friends among whom were five others apart from me from our Class of 1967 at Godolphin: Wendy Richard (née Cooper), Jill Baker (née Hancock), Christine (Chi) Hilbery (née Hubble), Carol Smart (née Pinnock) and Eileen Townsend Jones (née Townsend).

In March Kate had collapsed on her way to see her GP. For a month she was in intensive care with encephalitis but could not be saved. Thus a vital, enterprising and hugely popular member of the community was taken, suddenly and unexpectedly. I had last seen Kate at our 40-year reunion at school in 2007 where she was as lively and smiley as she had been at school, and not looking very different either. Apart from that I was not in touch with her but was much impressed by what was said about her in that chapel in Slough.

Kate was born in Germany, her father being in the Army there. Within a few years she, her two older sisters and parents moved back to England, to Fulham. After attending Godolphin Kate graduated in History at Southampton University (in later life, if she failed to answer a history question in a quiz she would say: “Well, it’s not my period”), and she also did teacher training. Her first job was in London as an auditor for local authorities. In July 1974 she moved to Middlesbrough where her husband Bill’s work took them and, straight after their honeymoon, she took up the post of Head of Personnel at Teesside Poly.

After her son Ben was born in March 1977 she concentrated on being a mother and housewife, among other things enjoying making clothes and decorating. She joined the National Housewives’ Register, known at its inception in 1960 as the Housebound Wives’ Register; in 1987 it changed its name again, to National Women’s Register (NWR), and Kate remained a member for the rest of her life. It was not long before she felt she missed the south and, just before her daughter Becky was born in June 1979, the family moved to Windsor. There she continued her membership of the NWR joining a discussion group in which she showed off her sharp wit and sense of


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IN MEMORIAM

A legacy or bequest is likely to be the most significant gift a supporter of the school will ever make. Its impact for the school’s Bursary Fund is substantial.

Originally a grammar school, Godolphin and Latymer does not have a large endowment on which it is able to draw, so a legacy gift will help secure the long-term financial health of the Bursary Fund. In this simple way, your legacy maintains the School’s ethos of accessibility and opportunity for young women.

Your legacy is a personal gift, symbolic of the people who shared our past and believe in our future too.

If you are considering leaving a legacy to the School in your Will, please contact our Development Director, Kathy Merrill, on 0208 735 9550 or email [email protected].

Mary Beck, née Prowse-BroadClass of 1935April 2011

Milada Marshall, née WinnClass of 1963April 2011

Annie Samson, née GalinskyClass of 1967April 2011

Jean Guest, née TurnerClass of 1937May 2011

Adrée Frawley, née DutoitMay 2011

Richard SideryGovernor and Chairman of the Finance CommitteeJuly 2011

Brenda Ryan, née ColemenClass of 1957

Patricia Barnes, née BainsfairClass of 1947

Grainne MonksClass of 1964September 2011

Iris Luffru, née WakelingClass of 19422011

Dorothy ColemanNovember 2011

Janet Davis Class of 1968 2008

Olive Marsden January 2012

Cassandra JardineClass of 1972May 2012


& The Sir William Godolphin and Edward Latymer Society

o d a @ g o d o l p h i n a n d l a t y m e r . c o mwww.godolphinandlatymer.com

Old Dolphins’ Association, Development Office,The Godolphin and Latymer School, Iffley Road, Hammersmith, London W6 0PGTel: 020 8735 9550 email: [email protected] Registered Charity No. 312699

21 June – Aspire Afternoon21 June – 5 & 10 Year Leavers’ Reunion 5.30pm-7.30pm3 July – Croquet, Strawberries & Music! 4.45pm6 September – 1 & 2 Year Leavers’ Reunion29 September – Old Dolphins’ Day & AGM and reunions for the classes of 1952, 1962, 1972, 1982 & 19921 December – Christmas Bazaar10 -17 March 2013 – Friends Sinai visit

Calendar of Events

Telephone CampaignWe are indeed fortunate to have such wonderful supporters who generously provide their time, interest and financial backing to Godolphin and Latymer. Nowhere has this been more obvious than with our first telephone campaign to Old Dolphins. We know how much our Old Dolphins enjoy a visit or a phone call from someone from the school. For many, who live far afield, a visit or trip back to school is too difficult. So we wanted to connect with our Old Dolphins. The telephone campaign was a chance to do just that.

Along the way, Old Dolphins committed to funding a bursary place for five years. The £65,000 raised is a great gift from our old girls to our new girls. Above all though, the connections and conversations our recent leavers had with other Old Dolphins were incredibly heart warming. Clare, Phoebe, Emily, Mary, Eleanor, Pippa, Julia, Wells, Hiba, Atty, Roxanne, Sian and Isabelle recounted special conversations. Our Old Dolphins gave offers of career advice, work placements and even jobs. But our Old Dolphins also gave our callers a remarkable sense and flavour of Godolphin and Latymer over the past 70 years. Inspirational, interesting, independent and involved. Those are our Old Dolphins.

Keep In TouchWe would love to hear your news! Perhaps, you’ve recently got married, received an award, been on a memorable trip, had a life changing experience or attained success in your career. If so, please contact the Development Office by emailing [email protected].

New Development DirectorKathy Merrill was appointed as Development Director in January 2012. Kathy comes to the school from a corporate marketing background and was most recently with GE Capital. She has extensive experience of alumnae relations having served as President of the Smith College Club of Great Britain, her alma mater. Kathy is looking forward to meeting as many Old Dolphins throughout the coming months as she can.

d free and loyal art thou olphinlink - godolphin and latymer school

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