Roll News 2006

HOMERTON COLLEGE

ROLL NEWSfor

2006

One Hundred Years in CambridgeThree Hundred Years in Education

1894 2004

Cover illustration: ‘The South Porch’, Homerton College, Cambridgeby Catherine Hanlon, Postgraduate Student, 1994.

Printed by University Printing Services, University Press, Cambridge.

2006 Homerton Roll News

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Editor’s Comments Abbé Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès, when asked what he did in the French Revolution, is reported to have said ‘J’ai vécu.’ Survive, indeed, he did, and lived a full life for another forty-five years, dying a natural death in 1836. We might, perhaps, take heed of this in the troubled times through which we are living. As I write, the Middle East is in flames, terrorists plot to blow up transatlantic airliners and climate change threatens to alter, if not our lives then the lives of our children and grandchildren, for ever. And yet… And yet, scaling down from the global to the particular, we can find so much optimism and confidence in the future. In August, youngsters awaited their GCSE, AS and A level results with the same mixture of hope, fear and trepidation that we waited for our results. They are as anxious as our generation was to get the grades they need to continue their education or to enter the world of work. Indeed, this autumn a whole new cohort of school-leavers will enter Homerton with all the enthusiasm and expectation that we had, laying the foundations of their careers and forming friendships that will last throughout their lives.

It is these friendships that I have valued most in my time as editor of the Roll News. Over the past five years I have renewed old friendships, enriched existing ones and made new ones, and for this I thank you all. Editing the Roll News has been a real pleasure, but five years has to be about the limit of what an editor can do, and so this edition will be my last. I wish my successor the very best of luck and send my best wishes to you all.

Rosemary A Rees (Dawson 1960-63)

3 College Fold

Rathmell Settle

North Yorkshire BD24 0LQ

01729 840507

[email protected]

Contents

Editor’s comments Homerton Firsts Prize Winners 2004 & 2005 Club Reports Homerton Remembered Life After Homerton Reunions Branch News Refurbishment of the Ibberson Building

News by Decades 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Births Deaths


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On July 22nd I sat in the Senate House, melting in the thick red flannel and white fur robes of a Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and listened to the College Praelector, Janet Scott, presenting Homerton’s first Ph.D student to me. Nicolette Chan, who has been conducting research into Molecular Biology, stood alone, a small slight figure, dwarfed by the Georgian splendours of the Senate House and the four immensely tall young men behind her waiting to be given their M.Phil degrees. When any student, from whatever college, kneels before you, their hands clasped in yours, it feels personal, intimate and special, a real laying-on-of-hands down the academic generations. For me there was an especial pleasure in being able to give Nicolette, Homerton’s first Ph.D student, her degree. General Admission, on the first Saturday in July, was equally hot and the rows of black and white clad undergraduates sweltered in gowns and hoods, high white collars and bands and formal suits. Here too there were firsts – Starred Firsts in Theology for Richard Kueh and in Education for Sarah-Jane Winfield. (A starred first is awarded by the University Examiners for outstanding performance in all the papers of a Cambridge Tripos Examination.) Sarah-Jane’s was the first Starred First to be awarded in Part II of the Education

Studies Tripos, one of the University’s youngest degree courses. Theology, on the other hand, has been taught at Cambridge for nearly 800 years. It seems particularly apposite that at Homerton our first Starred Firsts should be in these oldest and youngest of disciplines. I am both a Pro-Vice-Chancellor and a Deputy Vice-Chancellor and the University buys my time from the College for three days a week. My special responsibilities include the University’s international strategy and relations and it has been good to welcome so many distinguished overseas visitors both to the University and to Homerton, including a fellow female Deputy Vice-Chancellor from Makerere, in Uganda, so well-known to Alison Shrubsole. I have no need to put Homerton on the map. It’s reputation for the training of teachers is world-wide. Yet it gives me a particular pleasure these days to represent both the College and the University as part of one another, mutually reinforcing each other’s distinction in Cambridge and beyond.

July 2006

HOMERTON FIRSTS

DR KATE PRETTY

Richard Kueh receiving the Foundation Prize for his Starred First in Theology from Dr Kate Pretty, Principal. Photograph by Nigel Luckhurst.


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List of Prize Winners 2004

Foundation Prize Amie Chopping (Education) Year 3 Kimberley Game (Education) Year 3 Anna Jones (Education) Year 3 James Heywood (Natural Sciences) Year 2 Hang Tung Chow (Natural Sciences) Year 1 Shuard Prize Claire Creamer Sarah Croxford Jennifer Dando Nicola Fowles Sarah Lyne Kirsty Morley Joanne Selby Lisa Thorne Angharad Vickery Robert Waiting Hannah Woods Matthew Yandell Tom Simms Prize Caroline Baron Lesley Brown Alison Clay Gareth Crooks Diana Falzon Ellen Richardson Catriona Turner David Thompson Prize - For achieving a First in: Alex Berkley Maths Tripos Year 3 Kim Phillips Oriental Studies Tripos Year 3 Ieuan Clay Natural Sciences Tripos Year 2 Ivy Ko Economics Tripos Year 1 James Simcox SPS Tripos Year 1 Xi Yen Tan Engineering Year 1 Horobin Prize - For the best overall results in the Education Tripos Lucy Bond Westall Prize – Awarded to a student who has made a most outstanding contribution to College life and has helped students, and others, above and beyond the call of duty. Laura-Jane Foley

George Peabody Prizes – For achieving a First in Part I of the Education Studies Tripos Nicola Arding English and Drama Lucy Bond English and Drama Jennifer Bone Mathematics Amy Cottingham English James Croft English and Drama Helen Eburah Biological Sciences Samantha Goreham Mathematics Sian Mawditt Mathematics Heather Nixon English Charis Pollard English and Drama Sam Robertson Biological Sciences Laura Rogers English Rachel Whyte Religious Studies Michael Wright English and Drama College Subject Prizes Nominated by the Director of Studies for overall performance in the Preliminaries to Part I of the English Tripos James Castell For overall performance in the Preliminaries to Part I of the Education Tripos Sarah Gooding Mathematics Rachel Matthews Mathematics Anna Webb Mathematics Mary Appleton English and Drama Simon Evans English and Drama Sarah McAllister English and Drama Alex Spencer-Jones English and Drama The Barbara Pointon Prize – For the most exciting and innovative materials for use in school music as part of the Education Tripos Part I Fiona Wrench The Malcolm Pointon Prize – For personal composition in music by a first year student Cara Culliford The Helen Morris Prize – For the most distinguished results in English in Part I of the Education Tripos Lucy Bond The Jonathan Beswick Memorial Prize – In recognition of outstanding project work in Maths for Part I of the Education Tripos Jennifer Bone

Prize Winners 2004 & 2005


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The Simms Benefaction – For the student judged by the History Directors of Study to have benefited most from the study of history Sutherland Forsyth

List of Prize Winners 2005 Foundation Prize Ieuan Clay (Biochemistry) Year 3 James Croft (Education) Year 3 James Heywood (Zoology) Year 3 Samuel Robertson (Education) Year 3 Sarah Winfield (Education) Year 2 Kugan Sathiyandarahah (Natural Sciences) Year 1 Jingdong Chen (Engineering) Year 1 Shuard Prize Stephen Atkins Lucy Crane Elizabeth Flatt Caroline Hopkins Louise Janes Catherine Phillips Kate Roe Tom Simms Prize Laura Allan Nicola Arding Amy Cottingham Saraid Dodd Gemma Fielding Heather Nixon Sarah Pidoux Laura Rogers Rachel Whyte David Thompson Prize - For achieving a First in: Lucy Bond English Tripos Year 3 Michael Finnie Zoology Tripos Year 3 Jack Holland Geography Tripos Year 3 Boxi Li Chemistry Tripos Year 3 Michele Wong Theology Tripos Year 3 Arti Krishna Linguistics Tripos Year 3 Alexandra Marks SPS Tripos Year 2 Richard Louth Economics Tripos Year 2 Can Liang Engineering Tripos Year 2 Hang Tung Chow Natural Sciences Tripos Year 2 Robin Dunmall Economics Tripos Year 1 Gregor Kuglitsch Economics Tripos Year 1 Sam Gunning SPS Tripos Year 1 Marc Simpson SPS Tripos Year 1

Horobin Prize - For the best overall results in the Education Tripos Samuel Robertson The Joyce Ridley Memorial Prize – For Arts and Education James Croft Westall Prize – Awarded to a student who has made a most outstanding contribution to College life and has helped students, and others, above and beyond the call of duty. Bernadette Crossley George Peabody Prizes – For achieving a First in Part I of the Education Studies Tripos Christine McCaughan Education and RS Rachel Matthews Education and Maths Sara Gooding Education and Maths Joanne Sharp Education and English Sarah McAllister Education and English and Drama Mary Appleton Education and English and Drama Simon Evans Education and English and Drama College Subject Prizes Nominated by the Director of Studies for overall performance in Part I of the English Tripos James Castell English Tripos Part I For overall performance in the Preliminaries to Part I of the Education Tripos Eleanor Barnard Music Jennifer Hurt Biology Jennifer Crossley Biology Amy Hobday Maths Clare Truman RS The Barbara Pointon Prize – For the most exciting and innovative materials for use in school music as part of the Education Tripos Part I Katy Hayes The Malcolm Pointon Prize – For personal composition in music by a first year student Eleanor Barnard The Helen Morris Prize – For the most distinguished results in English in Part I of the Education Tripos Simon Evans


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The Jonathan Beswick Memorial Prize – In recognition of outstanding project work in Maths for Part I of the Education Tripos Sara Gooding The Simms Benefaction – For the student judged by the History Directors of Study to have benefited most from the study of history Miranda Malins

The Griffins Club This year sport at Homerton has gone from strength to strength. Not only have we had high levels of participation in training and matches but also successes in league and cup competitions across a variety of our sports teams. Homerton's sports teams have continued to build upon their reputation within the University and are certainly a force to be reckoned with. Not only do our sports men and women represent the college teams, many also take part in sport at University level and have had the honour of representing Cambridge. Playing for the university requires a high level of commitment and dedication and for this many of our players have been awarded University colours, half-Blues and Blues. This year the Griffins Club held its first sports presentation night in College. This consisted of an awards ceremony and a bop in the bar. College colours were awarded to players from each team at the discretion of the respective captains. Colours were awarded to 5% of each of the squads’ members based on criteria of commitment and contribution to the club, with Captain’s Player and Players’ Player also receiving colours. Over 100 sports men and women and members of senior College staff enjoyed the evening and I hope it will be the first of many. It has been an honour to be Griffins President and I have enjoyed working with the Griffins team and all of the Captains who have shown their love for sport throughout the year and have done an excellent job leading and encouraging their respective teams. Michelle Moss – Griffins Captain 2005-06 Homerton College Women’s Rugby has gone from strength to strength this year. In Michaelmas term we started to play matches, winning the first two 10-0 and 44-0! We did well to get through to the semi-finals of the Plate in Easter term, considering most of the girls had never played rugby until this year. We also had Hull University medics come down to

play us in our first 15s match, which was a great experience for everyone involved. The first years have been trained up and next year I have high hopes for the club. (Abi Bradbrook- HCWRFC Captain) Homerton College Women's Cricket has continued to establish itself as a popular summer sporting activity at Homerton. Building on the initial enthusiasm of last year, we have had some great training sessions this year, both at nets and on the field, with up to 20 people attending, improving their skills and having fun (a welcome break from revision!). We also played in our first ever match with a very promising performance all round. The women's cricket scene continues to develop in Cambridge. (Claire Pollitt) Homerton College Women's football has enjoyed football in the top division this year, after being promoted from division 2 last years. New additions to the squad strengthened the core of players which we already had, and resulted in HCWFC being placed 3rd in the top division. We also had an excellent cuppers run, narrowly missing out on a place in the final losing 3-2 to Jesus, in a well fought match. The girls have shown a commitment and a passion for HCWFC this season and we have developed as a team. (Michelle Moss) Homerton College Netball is flourishing in its 3rd year of being a Club. With a high number of girls attending training and playing matches, we still hold our reputation across the University for being not only good sportswomen, but excellent netballers too. The first and second team have done well in the college leagues - the 1st Team were 3rd overall, with the 2nds coming in the middle of their division. Cuppers was equally as successful, with both teams progressing to the final stages. This year, we have also had a record number of men playing in the Mixed Team! They have a bizarre fixation with wearing skirts (being mostly made up of the Rugby team), giving them an excellent reputation for having fun, but they are also actually quite good - making it to the semi-finals of Cuppers, after beating the favourites Trinity in the Quarter Finals! Our HUS President - Chris Kellaway, has superbly led them this year and the Principal was surprised to find him in a bright red netball skirt one Saturday afternoon! This is my final year at Homerton, and I will be sad to leave after 4 years. My thanks must go to the girls and guys who have

Club Reports


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made Homerton Netball what it is today and to those who have helped me during my Captaincy. Long live Homerton Netball! (Bernadette Crossley Homerton College Netball club Captain) The Homerton College Women’s Hockey team have been extremely successful this year, only narrowly missing promotion to the first division, finishing the season in third place of Division 2. The team played enthusiastically on tour in Dublin at Easter, reaching the semi-finals of the Doxbridge Tournament, and at the beginning of Easter term won the league plate tournament, with victory over Trinity Hall 1-0 in the Final. (Kay Chadwick) Homerton College Women’s Badminton Team had a very successful season. The team proved themselves worthy of their promotion into the second division at the beginning of the year by climbing their way up through the division to finish the year in third place in Division two, very narrowly missing promotion to the first division. (Kay Chadwick) In only its third season as a club, Homerton College Men’s Rugby has taken the University by storm this year: winning the League without losing a game; the Cuppers Plate after beating Trinity in a pulsating Final and the Cambridge Colleges Sevens Tournament. Many players have represented the University, including two making the Varsity Under 21s match at Twickenham. All this comes after failing to win a competitive game the year before! Homerton Rugby is now firmly on the map – mainly thanks to our excellent team spirit and willingness to play for each other, which meant many of us trained three times a week for 3 years (sometimes to the detriment of our degrees!). We also had our first trip to Dublin for the annual Doxbridge Tournament – finishing fourth, but top out of the other Cambridge touring sides. Homerton College Men’s Cricket is on the rise; for the first time in the club’s history we now have a 2nd XI, who actually made it to the quarterfinals of Cuppers (better than the 1sts!). We also have the Blues Captain (Tom Savill), and many players who have represented Cambridge at 2nd XI level. Homerton Cricket will continue to get better as more people get involved, and to get two teams out during the dreaded exam term is real testament to the leadership of the squad by Alex Nash who has taken a professional and organised ‘fun’ approach. We have even had the club’s first tea ladies! (Alex ‘Bigal’ Nash)

Homerton College Boat Club

This year Homerton Boat Club celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of the Women’s Boat Club and the fifteenth anniversary of the Men’s Boat Club. This will spur us on to achieve good results in this year’s May Bumps. The Boat Club has gone from strength to strength starting in 2004 when the Men’s First Crew won Blades in the Lent Bumps and the Women’s Second Crew in the May Bumps. The Girls’ Novice Team also did well coming 3rd in both the Queen’s Ergs competition and the Fairburns Race. Each year the Boat Club’s novice rowers are showing increasing ability; this being perhaps due to the wide range of students the College is now attracting. This determination to succeed has continued. This year the Novice Men were 2nd in the Queen’s Ergs Competition and 11th in the Fairburns Race. This was the highest achievement for the Novice Men’s Crew in their history. The girls continued their success coming 4th in the Fairburn Competition. Meanwhile four of the senior men trained in the Lightweight Development Squad and three followed this by trialling for the blue boat. One member was successful rowing at Number Two in the Granta Boat in the Henley Races. The Boat Club has always struggled financially. This year we have worked hard to raise money and a fish and chip dinner and auction raised £846. Members are keen to find sponsorship for the Club and have worked to produce a sponsorship pack and a strategic boat replacement plan. The College have kindly agreed to match the money we get through sponsorship. This is an ongoing task and hopefully next year sponsorship will be achieved. The support of the Roll Committee is always appreciated and your last contribution helped towards the purchase of the women’s boat ‘Sarah Ann’ – named after two members of the committee who have always shown great commitment and loyalty to the club. This boat has greatly helped in the success of the women’s crews. With your additional contribution this year we will purchase a new set of blades for the Club, which will further assist the team as they strive for success.

Fiona Barclay Homerton College Boat Club Treasurer


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First we bumped and then we celebrated!

Homerton Boat Club


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2005 – 2006 has been an eventful year so far for Homerton music, with much more planned! Our Michaelmas concert began the year well, with a variety of works performed, including Vivaldi, Debussy, Poulenc and also our college jazz quartet, who went down a storm! The newly reformed college choir also performed for the first time in November, directed by Katie Wood, with a selection of seasonal favourites included. The Homerton Christmas Gathering in December was a huge success, with one of the largest ever audiences gathering to hear performances from the choir, brass group, steel pans and more! We were also delighted to have Kate Pretty join us as the narrator for Rutter’s beautiful musical fable ‘Brother Heinrich’s Christmas’!

Michaelmas concert – Jacqui conducting choir

The major Lent term concert – ‘Hom-Proms 2006’ – was a great achievement for all involved. Held in the Great Hall, it was a grand celebration of British music throughout the ages, including ‘Last Night of the Proms’ classics from our orchestra and choir, conducted by Diana Brady, with much audience participation and flag waving too! Homerton College Choir performed in aid of various charities at St Giles’ Church, with a concert including Vaughan Williams’ ‘Serenade to Music’, first performed by the choir at February’s Proms concert, to great appreciation.

HomsProms Orchestra

The popular HCMS lunchtime recital series has seen performers from Homerton and beyond provide a free half hour of musical escapism each Tuesday, and this will continue next term. This year’s college Choral and Instrumental Exhibitioners have been selected and will be performing next term also. HCMS were also pleased to welcome former piano teacher Renee Reznek back to Homerton, to perform an evening recital of twentieth century piano music in March. ‘Pandemonium’, the college steel band, have been active in the community, bringing Caribbean spirit to Cambridge’s elderly, through the ‘Contact’ group, and will be running workshops in local primary schools next term. Many HCMS members have been involved with Cambridge University Opera Society’s ‘Figaro 2006’ Education Project also, with Homertonians Rebekah Green and Jacqueline Howard as Education Director and Primary Education Co-ordinator. The HCMS Sierra Leone Education Campaign continues, having already sent 60 musical instruments, both unwanted and brand new, to the children of Waterloo, a war-torn village in Sierra Leone, thanks to the generosity of Cambridge students and staff. The HCMS website contains full details of the campaign. Socially, HCMS and HCC enjoyed formal dinner together, with more events and excursions in the pipeline. Other plans include a series of ‘for dummies’ talks on different genres and periods of music, more liaisons with local schools, and the continuation of the recital series.

Jacqueline Howard, HCMS President www.srcf.ucam.org/hcms

Opera Workshop

Homerton College Music Society


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An Evacuee at Homerton

We have a number of documents relating to student experiences at Homerton during the Second World War, particularly to the time when it was hit by incendiary bombs in 1941. Indeed, if you go to the BBC website and look at the ‘Peoples War’ section you will find two reports from students who were at Homerton at that time, one of who was a Land Girl under training at the College. It was a great pleasure therefore to meet Enid Friesen at Homerton recently and to hear her account of being an evacuee student at Homerton in the first year of the war. I was so impressed that I asked her to write to me and set down her experiences for our archives.

Dr Peter Warner

~ “I left Portsmouth Grammar School in July 1939, just before my 18th birthday in September. It was all arranged for me to go as a Day Girl to Portsmouth Teacher Training College, but suddenly the war came and changed our plans. It was thought that Portsmouth would be bombed, and we were told to go instead to Homerton College in Cambridge which had kindly offered to share their College with us. Most of the girls I knew slightly from school were older than me, and at first I was very homesick and worried about my family. All first year students were supposed to live in College, but due to some last minute changes two of us were billeted out in a private house. There were two hostels in Hills Road – one for accommodation and the other for meals. Breakfast was at our house but all other meals were taken at the Hostel, so we spent a lot of time walking along Hills Road. Homerton made us very welcome and we were never aware of any problems. If there were any they were not passed on to the students. Our Principal – Miss Dymond was a very clever and a very wise lady and I am sure that she and the Principal of Homerton must have worked hard together to keep everything running smoothly. A few subjects were curtailed but for the most part everything went on as normal. We gradually learnt to enjoy our stay in Cambridge and enjoyed walking the Backs, talking out a punt, and listening to the wonderful music in Kings. At a tea dance I was dancing with a young RAF Officer Cadet, and found he came from the small town in Wales, where I had lived until I was seven. His best friend turned out to the young playmate of mine when I was six. A small world! On another occasion some friends and I decided to explore the countryside. After a time we were very thirsty but the only place with drink was at a thatch-roofed pub. Young ladies in those days did not go into pubs, but we were desperate and so entered one for the first time. Fortunately the landlady realised what had

happened and kindly invited us into her “private parlour” and gave us tea and cakes. How times have changed! Another memory I have is of arriving at the Hostel one Saturday for our evening meal. On Saturdays that was ‘High Tea’ – pork pies and fruit. As we arrived we heard marching and along came a troop of soldiers – some in rags and some with makeshift bandages – very weary but trying to march. They were from Dunkirk! We dashed in and collected all the food we could and gave it to them as they passed. They sent up a great cheer, but was it for the food, or the sight of six girls smiling at them? We spent a year at Homerton, which we enjoyed very much, but as Portsmouth had not been badly bombed it was decided to return to our own College. It was a very new building with all the latest equipment and the navy were threatening to take it over. We started back there in September 1940, but on Jan. 10th 1941 Portsmouth suffered a most horrific blitz. My family and I lost everything but our lives. My books, lecture notes and most of my thesis went with the house. At the same time one of the halls of residents at the College was hit by a bomb, but fortunately all the girls were in a shelter in the other building and all were safe. Chichester College then offered help and the boarders went there, and we Day students stayed with our own College, which was not damaged. The lecturers went daily between the two groups giving duplicate lectures. My family took another house so that I could continue my studies, but we spent nearly every night and part of each day in air-raid shelters. I had to study by candlelight to the accompaniment of the whoosh of bombs and the noise from a mobile gun firing a few yards away. No wonder my hearing is affected. Still, Hitler did not stop us and I managed to pass all my exams. Last week I visited Homerton for the first time in 66 years and was amazed by all the changes that have taken place. I feel proud to think that I did have at least one year there. I would like to thank Dr Morrison and Dr Warner for the great welcome they gave me when, with my cousins, I visited Homerton. I wish you all a very successful and peaceful life.”

Enid Friesen (Green)

Homerton Remembered


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The Reunion 2006 We should have been ‘The First Eleven’, but four of us couldn’t make it for genuine reasons. So we became ‘The Magnificent Seven’, plus a few long suffering husbands. Conversation didn’t just flow, it rippled and chuckled. A positive waterfall of memories tumbled and gurgled out into the day. A slight touch of ‘Gigi’ wafted through the air. ‘There was a cat, Now fancy that, And it was yours…It wasn’t mine. Oh yes…I remember it well. We took our tea Inside my room In ABC… No D and E Oh yes…I remember it well. And didn’t we have fun? Yes, we had such laughs Are there some regrets?… Not one, not one. We’d do it all again, if only time allowed. Oh yes…We remember it well!’ Some of us hadn’t met up for forty one years! We hadn’t changed. Yes, all right, there were just a few minor, physical changes, but, and this is a big but, when we began talking, the years simply rolled away. It was such a happy day, and everyone vowed to meet again soon. Another half century of waiting for a reunion might prove a little tricky! The seven are Jo (neé Biddlecome), Julie (néePringle), Olive (née Richardson), Pam (née Gregory), Shena (née Gibson), Sue (née Cheverston) and Vale (née Exall) 1957 – 1959.

Jo Sutton (Biddleton)

The Homerton BIG Song (With acknowledgements to The Harrow School Song) [Nearly] Fifty years on, though afar and asunder Parted were those who are with us today, Do we look back now, sometimes to wonder, What we were like in our work and our play? Then, it may be, there will ruefully come o’er us. Glimpses of notes from a Salad Days song – Visions of youthfulness float up before us, Echoes of Homerton bear us along, Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up! ‘Big’ rings the summons to pile into Hall – Where “bifurcated garments” were forbidden to all – Hurry up! Hurry up!

Remember the morning that ended our first term When candles and carols awoke us at dawn? And that other tradition which surprised and delighted

When wild flowers and madrigals welcomed May Morn?

The Music and Drama, all kinds of debate At Namco and tea-time – how the time sped – Sports for the sporty, modern dance… but wait!

Didn’t Skillie once warn us of “vicissitudes” ahead?

Those were the days – from this distance enchanted – Cycling up Hills Road in rain, snow or sun. On Eleven-fifteen exeats we struggled and panted – Now hardly believable, fifty years on! – Waiting to sign in, with our banter and chatter, All that excitement, the crush at the gate, Disturbing those students at work on some matter For fear dissertations would be given in late. Reminiscences gather from our time at that college: Lectures, school visits and each teaching prac; Bussed up to Millbrook to gain yet more knowledge And find out if Woody was on the right tack. Shaw, Percival, Skinner – just a few we could mention – Whitley, Gage, Taylor; Melzi and Feaver: All played their part in our full education,

As did chaps in their rooms and punts on the river.

Fifty years on, growing older and older:

Ever more breathless though our memories are strong,

Feeble of foot or rheumatic of shoulder, It looks rather like our sale-by date’s gone! Who’d give us classes for teaching – restraining? We’d never sort Sats out – or get a Blair gong: But we know we’ve all valued our Homerton training, So here’s to reunions as we struggle along.

Val Read (Exall 1957-59): 17 June 2006 For a reunion of most of the “On the wall” group


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A Year of Publications 2005 - 2006 2005 was already a special year as Angus (St. Catharine’s 1950-1956) and I celebrated our 75th birthdays and Golden Wedding with 50 of our family and friends, but this was to be a prelude to a most astonishing year of publications in 2005-2006, as projects on which I had worked for a long time all came to fruition in the same academic year. First from the starting block was my contribution to a volume based on papers given by invitation at a conference in the USA, organized by the Dibner Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999. Edited by Brett D.Steele and Tamera Dorland, the volume is entitled The Heirs of Archimedes. Science and the Art of War through the Age of Enlightenment (MIT Press, 2005). My chapter is on ‘ “The Art and Mystery of Making Gunpowder”: The English Experience in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries’. Next came an account of attempts to regulate the gunpowder industry entitled ‘Gunpowder: “A Capricious and Unmerciful Thing”’, which appeared in the journal History of Technology (vol.26, 2005), in a Special Issue edited by R. Angus Buchanan and Ian Inkster. This was the result of thinking around technological disasters over the years, with academics and engineers. Earlier in the year I had been surprised and pleased to be approached by Penguin Books with an invitation to contribute a chapter on fireworks for a book they were planning in commemoration of the Gunpowder Plot of November 5th 1605. I had not tackled this theme before but enjoyed meeting the challenge, writing a chapter on the history of ‘Making Fireworks’. My fellow authors all wrote on different aspects of the history of the Plot itself, and although they included such well-known historians as Lady Antonia Fraser, the book came out as Brenda Buchanan et al, Gunpowder Plots. A Celebration of 400 years of Bonfire Night (Penguin Books, 2005). When asked about my heading the list of authors I replied modestly that ‘I had married well’ – as a glance at my name in college will confirm. Then later in November, after many delays, we were able to launch the tenth volume of Bath History (Millstream Books, 2005), in the Guildhall in Bath, in the presence of the mayor. I have now edited and contributed to the last five in the series of ten, a commitment lasting over a decade. With each volume it has been a challenge to find eight authors who could cover a sufficiently wide range of chronology and subject matter to interest as many of the citizens of Bath as possible, whilst also maintaining a high standard of scholarship. The beginning of the new year brought a reprint of a volume to which I had contributed, and edited, first published by Bath University Press in 1996. This arose from a symposium of the International Committee for the

History of Technology (ICOHTEC), held at the University of Bath in 1994. Historians of gunpowder had never before met collectively, and when I, then comparatively unknown, sent out invitations, twenty-four scholars from around the world agreed to come to a session within the larger conference, some saying they had never before had a chance to discuss so many aspects of the subject. As they all arrived with prepared papers in hand, it was not difficult for me to edit these into a volume entitled Gunpowder: The History of an International Technology (Bath University Press, 1996). Sales went so well that the book was soon ‘sold out’, although the demand continued, especially last year with all the features and programmes on the Gunpowder Plot. When researchers for one television company told me how much copies of the book were selling for on the internet, I refused to believe this until I had checked it for myself. Meanwhile Bath University Press had come to feel a reprint would be in order, to save them having to say it was not available. I agreed, despite the mock protests of my family who said that a reprint would diminish the value of the original copies they all possessed – part of his ‘pension pot’ said one son. So the reprint has been published - the same title but now (Bath University Press, 2006), and when I looked in the office a few days ago there was a copy on the desk, waiting to be packed to meet an order from Germany. And this reprint now has a long-awaited companion, the product of further ICOHTEC Symposia over the past decade in Budapest, Lisbon, Prague, and Granada. Again under my editorship, the new book was published at the end of May as Gunpowder, Explosives and the State. A Technological History (Ashgate Publishers, 2006). The coverage is extended further to include chapters on gunpowder making in for example the states of Venice, Portugal, and Sweden, and even in Egypt, under the control exercised there by Napoleon. As I studied the twenty papers collected together, I realised we were moving beyond the history of technology as such, towards some understanding of the ‘sinews of power’ that fuelled colonial expansion and imperial pretensions over the centuries. My own contribution for example, ‘Saltpetre: A Commodity of Empire’, explores the significance of this major ingredient of gunpowder as a factor in the British relationship with India that has not previously been studied. The cover illustration, to which I was pleased that Ashgate agreed, shows the Waltham Abbey Powder Mills in the 1730s, in a valley near London, cattle at rest in the foreground. But, as was to happen in so many countries, this rural scene was to be transformed. Purchased by the Crown in 1787 the mills were to be developed by the Board of Ordnance into the major British centre for the manufacture of military explosives and gunpowder, de-commissioned as recently as 1991. The relationship between military technology and the state is now easily recognised (switching on the one o’clock news today I heard Trident described as a political as well as a military weapon), but it has always existed as the chapters in the new volume reveal.

Life After Homerton


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Writing this account has allowed me to see how the research and authorship undertaken over the years has come to be compressed into one academic year of publication. The careful attention to detail by the publishers mentioned has been much appreciated, but of all these experiences it is the Penguin book that has proceeded with most sense of urgency, and that was because of the anniversary it had to meet. Perhaps choosing to write for such a deadline is the secret of a smartly-moving process towards publication, but I fear it is a little late for me to learn that lesson. Nevertheless, watch this space, as they say. (Brenda Wade, Homerton 1948-1950, and external under- and post-graduate student, University of London)

Brenda J.Buchanan, 22 June 2006

French Seams & Sewing Machines I suppose the sewing bit began in earnest in primary school, a large hastily erected building on a post war housing estate in Headstone Lane, North Harrow. The houses were double-decker prefabs, and we loved the space they afforded and the country setting and fresh air after wartime London. In school, the top junior classes were divided by sex on Friday afternoons: girls to Mrs. Fox for needlework and boys to Mr Hodges for bookbinding. We girls each had an Oxo tin, in which to keep our threads and needles. We progressed from an embroidered cushion cover to a hand-smocked baby’s dress with French seams. It is astonishing to recall the level of dexterity and skill demonstrated by 11 year olds in 1953. We also did some drawn thread work, producing covers for hymnbooks. It was in recalling this that I was led to consider how the threads of French and needlework have intertwined throughout my life. The French was launched at Lady Margaret School, Parson’s Green, London, by the most frightening but also best teacher I have ever known. She was a tyrant who ensured that we learned our verbs and spoke fluently with good accents. We were encouraged to go on exchange visits and to compete for travel scholarships awarded by the then L.C.C. We got good A levels as a result. The needlework continued. I made my own clothes. I had a holiday job working for a court dressmaker in Chelsea. At times I worked in the shop, learning trade skills and at other times looked after her four children. The topics of childcare and sewing were raised in my Homerton interview. I was scanned first by Miss Skillicorn, a dormouse behind her huge desk, and then had a delightful twenty minutes or so with Joyce Skinner and Tom Simms

in Macaulay. I was wearing a tailored woollen dress made by yours truly and skill in dressmaking was discussed. At the end of Year One, we being the guinea pigs for the three-year training course had to choose two areas for study. I opted for French and PE. Thus French language and literature with Dr Wilson added greatly to my life, even branching into drama, when Diana Longbottom and I performed part of Jean Anouilh’s ‘Antigone’. The sewing machine was still in use for running up the odd ball gown. Didn’t we have fun dressing each other in this way at minimal cost? A six-week visit to the United States on an English Speaking Union travel scholarship followed my year as President of the Union. Of course a new wardrobe was needed and college friends helped so much in designing and shaping it. It was whilst sailing back to the UK on SS United States that I became friends with a group of French students. One young man from the Basque Region became close and influenced my decision to teach in Pau in the Pyrenees for the year after I left Homerton. As a primary trained French specialist, I joined the ‘French From Eight’ experiment. I was sent to a school in Hillingdon, one of the thirteen pilot areas. There I taught French by direct method to half my class at a time, so this involved two groups of 24, for twenty minutes each day. Pupil progress was remarkable; the scheme was well resourced and monitored. It was on a training course that I met my future husband, so you see French has greatly influenced my life. I should say that the ‘French from Eight’ scheme was ultimately deemed to give children no significant advantage over their peers. The plan for primary schools in one area feeding a few secondary schools, so ensuring continuity, took no account of the mobility of the population nor of the teaching force. Parental pressure in non- participatory areas led to a mushrooming of primary French. Well-trained teachers were ‘poached’ from pilot areas, tempted by scale post offers. Some dreadful French teaching took place by non-specialists, eager to please demanding head-teachers. Families moved around the country and so some children with three years of good French found themselves in secondary classes with no one of similar experience. Secondary colleagues were receiving some pupils who hated French because of bad primary school experiences; some pupils were proficient; some had no knowledge of French at all. A nightmare! Later I, then married with two children, had a part time post in Wigan teaching remedial French to pupils who had moved into the area. After our spell in the north-west, [my husband was an H.M.I.] we were posted to West Sussex, by chance another of the French teaching ‘pilot’ areas. My first application for a deputy headship was to Fishbourne School, where French was a requirement. An all female


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staff really wanted a man—to teach football! How fortunate that the other string to my bow was PE and that I was prepared to don boots and go out in cold and mud each week. I got the job. Strangely, three years later in my first headship, an early challenge was to remove French from the curriculum, to the dismay of parents. The chaos that it was causing to secondary colleagues was evident, the time pressure on the primary phase was pressing and the National Curriculum was looming. I retired long ago and enjoyed lengthy spells in our French village house. We were the only Brits there and were totally integrated in the life of the village. The sewing continued, sometimes for curtains but for more fun — fancy dress costumes for the grandchildren. Now widowed, the French house sold - what do I do? French conversation classes for the U3A, of course, and costume for the amateur operatics group. So the threads continue to intertwine.

Jean Jeffery (Ash 1960-63)

News of ‘The Famous Five’ Readers of the Homerton Roll may like to know that a group of us was so called because of our exploits in the first year. But when I was made Senior Student in our second year, we had to amend our ways and conform to College rules! Now, although so much time has elapsed since then, we still keep in touch and are reasonably fit and active. Renée Edwards (née Cooper) is the most far-flung as she still lives in Canada. She met her late husband Sam at a College Dance in Cambridge while he was still in the Canadian Air Force. When he was required to return to his hometown of Toronto, just before the end of Renée’s Homerton course, they married and the remaining four of us attended their lovely, unforgettable Jewish wedding in London. They then moved away to his hometown. Although she has always regretted that she missed taking the final qualification, her career was not too affected. They had two sons, both of whom married and had families so she became a proud grandmother. Sadly, Sam died a few years ago but to help ‘fill the gap’ in her life and because she is still so fit and active, both intellectually and physically, Renée runs both a Debating Society and a Women’s Group. She may visit the UK in the summer when all can meet again. Beryl Colson (née Cheetham), now widowed, has returned to live in Oldham and if a little less mobile than formerly, is blessed with a supportive family and still contributes towards several charitable organisations. Brenda Hatton (née Morgan-Jones) who, like Renée, met

her husband Michael, in Cambridge, lives in Bromley, Kent. They also have an extensive family and are kept well occupied and mobile. Helen Gray, my closest friend, has lived for many years in Winchester where her Catering and Counselling skills are much appreciated. We meet whenever we can and enjoy reminiscing and catching up with current news. I am now happily settled in New Malden, Surrey after the death of my late partner Bill, eight years ago. It’s good to be close to most of my family consisting of two sons (one of whom is a teacher), two daughters-in-law, a daughter and seven grandchildren. One granddaughter is married and another about to be so we hope for further additions to the ‘brood’ in due course! I still provide Home Tuition for children with learning difficulties who keep me ‘on my toes’ mentally if not physically! Although I’m an established author of three Naval books, I’ve lost considerably more than I’ve made financially so something an Agent once said to me, certainly rings true: ‘To be successful today, you either have to be famous writing about the infamous or vice versa’. Regrettably, I don’t yet fit into either category but try to live in hope and continue to ‘accentuate the positive’ as far as possible.

Nixie Taverner (O’Conor 1943-45)

The Challenge of being a Primary School Governor

Our village is fairly unusual in having two rural Primary Schools. St Gregory¹s is Anglican and is sited in the centre of the village. St Mary¹s is Catholic and is difficult to find down a little country lane where it adjoins the church of Our Lady. I knew both schools as I continued to teach on supply at them until I was 68! After I retired I was approached and asked if I was prepared to become a LEA Governor for St Mary¹s. My only idea of a school Governor dated back many, many years when it was seeing a small group of worthy people with the lady of the manor, having a social gathering with a glass of sherry, and turning up for the annual school prize giving! Things have certainly changed nowadays! First I was invited to the Dorset Education Offices for an initial introduction session at which we were told what is involved in becoming a school governor. Then I received the agenda for my first Governors meeting. I was made most welcome by the other members present. I was told that we were divided into various committees: Curriculum, Personnel, Environment & Buildings, Finance, & others covering Publicity etc. I was elected to the Personnel Committee which has proved to be most interesting. I realised when I found out what this job would involve I would need quite a lot of help & training. Fortunately every term Dorset Governor


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Services run a number of courses: Level 1 for new Governors, level 2 for more experienced, & level 3 for those experienced ones who hold positions of responsibility within the governing body. I have found these courses both interesting, necessary & invaluable. We also each receive a termly newsletter "Governors" covering any up-to-date relevant news. There are so many changes in schools nowadays that there is plenty to keep the Governors very busy. Since September 2004 the Governing bodies had to be ³reconstituted² & as a result I then became a ³Foundation Governor². I have been on a number of sessions interviewing & appointing new staff. This I find very challenging. Recently we had 19 applicants for the Year 1 teacher¹s post & it took a long time going through all their application forms & references, before deciding on who should be called for interview. We watched all the candidates teaching before we interviewed them, and as has often happens it is very difficult to make a decision on the final two excellent candidates. We also have to deal with staff salaries, & set the budget for the financial year. Provision has to be made for SEN support. The school improvement plan has to be discussed. There are Parent/Teacher meetings to attend, school functions to support, and in 2005 I was asked to undertake the monitoring of the Headteacher¹s performance management objectives. Since the Spring Term I¹ve been nominated as the Governor to study online for training in safeguarding children & safer recruitment of staff. This is a necessary, but time consuming course run by NCSL (National College for School Leadership.} There are of course all the ongoing preparations for an OFSTED inspection. Under the new regulations the school is only given 3 days notice, so it must always be prepared! At the beginning of last Autumn Term the phone went to say the inspectors would arrive, but this time having first read the report of St Mary¹s on the internet they would only be staying one day & be arriving at 8.15 a.m. (A previous inspection some years before, was very stressful when 4 of them stayed for a week!) This time they seemed to cover everybody & all the activities in great detail. More by accident than design I found myself in for the de-briefing at the end of the day. This was a most interesting & rewarding experience as they were full of praise for the school. The three points they picked up needing improvement were given in a constructive helpful manner. I think everyone was glad that the ³new² Ofsted was a much more rewarding experience. I have now been made a mentor for a new governor, so I accompanied her to a one day course for new governors which certainly give us a great deal of information. There were about 45 people there ... many of them being new ³Parent Governors² from all around schools in Dorset.

I have only been able to give a glimpse of what is involved in becoming a school governor, but I would recommend it to anyone who has the time as it really is a most interesting and rewarding job.

Coral Harrow (Hemsley 1949-51)

From Middlesex to the USA

When I completed my training at Homerton, I applied to Middlesex as an infant/nursery teacher. I was accepted and taught the reception class in Harrow – Roxeth school. There were over 50, 5 year olds in my class so it was quite a challenge. I next moved to Willesden and taught at Chamberlayne Wood Road school – top infants, then I transferred to a Church Hall annex with 4 classrooms, only 30 children per year, and I was in the reception class. I married in 1949, having met my husband at Cambridge, where he was a scientist at Christ’s College. After a year we moved to Muswell Hill as I was having a baby, and it was there that I met Eileen Mold. I had twin girls, so we needed a ground floor flat. While at the clinic in Fortis Green, I met Marjorie Bennett, and many years later, I met Marjorie again, this time on a cruise to the Norwegian fiords and have kept in touch ever since. I also keep in touch with Mona Baddeley, my college mother, Margaret Rishbeth and Liz King (friends of Mona), and also Margaret Cornes. When the twins were one year old, I was persuaded by Beatrix Tudor-Hart to join her staff at the infant-nursery school she had opened in Fortis Green. I worked with children 2 – 5 and stayed there for three years. It was at this time, my husband was offered a research job in the U.S.A. We lived in a Quaker dry town and stayed in the U.S. until the twins were 16 and our son was 9, the girls hoped to go to British Universities. They took O levels while studying in the lower 6th with A levels in Maths, Physics and Chemistry. The younger twin studied chemistry at LMH, Oxford and became a cosmetic chemist and then a perfumer, while her sister was at Nottingham and studied English Language and Linguistics. She did 2 years with the V.S.O. in Sri Lanka, improving the teacher’s English, spent a year with The Boat People and then taught in a primary school. Our son became a statistician – BSc and M.Sc.

Jean Walters (Davies 1945-47)


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Mary Clements & Friends

The day before the reunion (Friday) I arrived at the station in pouring rain. The Saturday was glorious and the sun shone all day, but the light rain came again on Sunday as I left for the station. After lunch on the Saturday four of us went with Peter (Warner) to explore the archives. It was most interesting, but what I hadn't realised was that files are kept on ALL of us .... with details of any course or educational outing, details reports of our teaching practices & results ..... and also the first teaching post we obtained! .

At the evening Dinner in the Fellows Dining Room there were lots of us there. The Lecturers were placed at the head of each table, and Kate announced that when the desserts arrived every head of table had to change places to a different table. I was put at the head of Table 3, and changed over with John Hammond.

Coral Harrow (Helmsley 1949-51)

Reunions

40 Years In Photos by Mary Clements

September 2005 Reunion in Photos By Coral Harrow

Anne Perrin (Dawson), Annie Illingworth (Bailey), Marilyn Clements (Ellis) and Gillian

Knight (Cole).


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Dr M Collis

Dinner

Dr Kate Pretty

John Hammond Ian Morrison

September Reunion in Photos continued


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We had a most enjoyable Homerton/Wessex Luncheon on Saturday 12th November in a very old Somerset Inn. I managed to book us in at The Limekiln Inn and they looked after us so efficiently with a huge choice of menu Twenty-one had booked, but a couple couldn't come at the last minute due to illness. It was a lovely sunny day....a real joy to drive in such attractive Autumn countryside. We have arranged to meet again in March 2006, (not 18th though!)

As Bowlish House in Shepton Mallett made us to welcome last March we plan to go there again. (It is where Peter Warner & his wife joined us). You may remember that everyone appreciated Peter's talk about College, so now I'm wondering if any other lecturer from College would like to spend a weekend in Somerset and give a talk on their particular interest. I enclose a couple of the photos from the luncheon that show most of the group chatting!

Coral Harrow (Helmsley 1949-51)

Wessex Reunion

Wessex Reunion 12 November 2005


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At the Homerton Reunion in September 2005, responding to the glowing title of the Diamond Girls of 1945-47, a group of us who were at Homerton 60 years ago, were privileged to be allocated a special room on the Saturday morning, within the official programme, to meet prior to the other activities organised for the whole Reunion. This enabled us to have a very good opportunity to talk to each other, to exchange current news, to enjoy looking at each other's photographs and to listen to each other's memories of the past, especially from our two years at Homerton all those years ago! There were just six of us from 1945-47: Nancy Dunning, Jean Evans (née Stott), Ida Grundy, Audrey Harrison, Jean Walters (née Davies) and me, Dorothy Evans. You will be pleased to hear that all of us are keeping active and are involved in many interests. Most of the group were staying over in College on the Friday and Saturday nights so we were able to have a good time together – enjoying company and good meals! Altogether there must have been about 200 ex-Homertonians at the Reunion, and with the official programme giving us time and place to meet on the Saturday morning in our year groups, we were able to share news also of others from our year who had had to send apologies for not being able to be with us. To name just a few, these included Min Holden (née Drewery) who keeps very active in spite of a broken arm, and whose husband, John, has sadly died since the time of the Reunion. Jean Bamford (née Buckley) sent her news from Australia where she leads a very active life, still involved in teaching and she keeps in constant touch with her Homerton roommate, Monica Burnstock (in the Rabbit Warren on top ABC - do you remember?!) who also lives in Australia. Ann Blakemore (née Heap) leads a busy life in Newcastle upon Tyne. "Polly" Simmonds (née Pollard) enjoys life in Canada. Sadly, others were not able to come to the Reunion due to their own illness or that of a member of their family, but in general they continued to have the amazing spirit which somehow we remember from our Homerton days!

ABC Remembered

Without doubt, we had a wonderful time at the Reunion and particularly enjoyed the opportunity to be with each other and to talk also with other former Homertonians about their experiences too. There is one thing which unites us all and that is a great pride in our College and all that it has achieved throughout all the years since we were there. Let me give you an outline of the intensely interesting, important and informative matters which we were privileged to hear during the general Reunion Programme: Principal Dr Kate Pretty, who has been there since 1991, gave us all a very interesting session telling us the news and progress of Homerton within Cambridge University and also within the whole picture of University life in general. She herself is now one of the five Pro Vice Chancellors at Cambridge. The operative word at present is "divergence" and they are even admitting law students this year. Many new buildings are in progress and there is accommodation on site for the present 1150 students! 30% of the students are now male. There are still strong roots in teacher training, including at Junior and Senior Research Fellow status, from both home and abroad. As Pro Vice Chancellor, Dr Pretty is responsible for dealing with fund raising for the whole university. Regarding Homerton itself, it is clear that there is a tremendous need for financial help for some of its present students and, without doubt, some system whereby former students might help in this capacity according to their circumstances, would be much appreciated. We may well be receiving some information about this, to which I hope some of us will be able to respond. The Student President, Chris Kellaway, followed Dr Pretty's news by giving us the student view and clearly he is proud of the fact the Homerton is "an up-and-coming College" in the University, and of the deep involvement of the students in University affairs – including in rugby, theatre, football, women’s hockey, boat racing etc etc.! He anticipates that this academic year will see Homerton going from strength to strength. Dr Peter Warner, who has responsibility for Homerton’s archives, and Dr Ian Morrison who has taken over as Keeper of the Roll from John Hammond, are clearly doing a great job in maintaining records and keeping Homerton proud of its roots. The wonderful work of John Hammond over many years was much appreciated and acknowledged. Ian reported that there are 10,500 former Homertonians on the Roll, but that contact with about 2000 has been lost. (Can we help to link them again?). He is kept very busy with membership, forward planning, finance etc, but clearly enjoys his role and is grateful to the support of Louise Basham in the work.

Special Reunions

The Diamond Girls Reunion September 2005


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After a very good lunch, we had opportunity to have a tour of the magnificent grounds, or a visit to the Archives, followed by lively talks from recent ex-Homertonians about their current experiences in teaching in local schools, one of them as an NQT (newly-qualified teacher) and the other two as head teachers. Clearly we can be proud of them as our successors in the profession, carrying out their challenging tasks with enthusiasm and dedication. The day concluded with an excellent Dinner which was thoroughly enjoyed by us all and we were grateful to Homerton for the high standard of their welcome and their care for us.

Dr Dorothy Evans (1945-47)

“ Where did 50 years go?” and “Homerton has certainly changed since our time.” These were the two most frequently heard comments from the 24 old Homertonians gathered for our fiftieth anniversary. The amazing thing was we were all still recognisable, if a little blurred round the edges, which was more than could be said for the buildings. The College seems to have quadrupled in size and if any of you haven't been back yet, it is well worth the journey. As you can imagine conversation was lively and there were interesting letters from some of those who couldn’t make it, many from abroad, including Zimbabwe, Florida and France. There was a lot of catching up and wistful looks at old photographs, including a mystery photograph of a group of us dressed entirely in black but no one could remember why.

The Diamond Girls

It was also great to be back in D and E, but it had changed beyond recognition. My husband announced that at last he had been allowed into a bedroom in Homerton, albeit a single one! Remember phone duty, Namco and exeats: all gone! We all enjoyed catching up and sharing memories. People had had varied careers in all sorts of places but we had all found that Homerton was highly regarded. Many expressed the determination to go to the Reunion in 2007, marking 50 years since we left. So if you couldn’t make the last visit, make sure you put the next one in your diary. September 21st and 22nd 2007! Take heart! The next table in Hall was occupied by a group celebrating their 60th anniversary.

Sidella Morten (Williams 1955-57)

The Golden Girls Reunion

The Golden Girls


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Golden Girls Going Down Fifty years rolled away and it felt yesterday as 12 members of the 1953 intake met together at the 2005 Reunion. Some had kept in close contact with their friends but for others this meeting was the first in 50 years. What a happy day we spent together with much laughter as we reminisced about our time at Homerton. Without exception we felt privileged to have experienced those two years in Cambridge, and how Homerton had set us on the ladder of our chosen career. I do hope that this won’t be the last reunion we enjoy as a year group for I know I came away feeling uplifted by our “get together” and would recommend it to other members of the Roll.

Mrs Pamela Meeks (Steward 1953-55)

A Brief History of the North East Branch Meetings The inaugural meeting took place on 20 May 1958, as the Northumberland and Durham Branch of ‘The Homerton Association’. There were 5 members present: Miss L Thubron [33-35]. Mrs L Harding [46-48], Miss Whitworth later Stewart [54-56], Miss J Sauvain later Dodds [53-55] and Miss M Robson later Taylor [54-56]. They elected Janet Sauvain as their Chair, with Margaret Robson as their Secretary/Treasurer. An annual subscription of one shilling was set. They agreed to meet again on the 29 October 1958 and to publicise the meeting in the hope of attracting more members; in fact 2 more did come to that meeting. Those earlier meetings were held in members’ houses with the hostess providing refreshment such as coffee and biscuits. With the passage of time, it was no longer a case of ‘keeping up with the Jones’ because at the AGM on 17 October 1969 they decided to impose a maximum limit on refreshments to: 2 sandwiches, 1 cake/or 2 biscuits per person. However the ‘gourmet touch’ soon returned with several meeting minutes concluding with thanks to the hostess ‘for a sumptuous meal’. In fact a report [6 April 1973] records that they cleared the café of sandwiches at the Theatre Royal before a performance of ‘The Country Wife’. Membership Publicity had produced dividends because by 31 March 1959 the membership had increased to 20. The desire to

The Golden Girls

recruit younger members initiated publicity to those about to leave College. Two students straight from College did attend on 2 May 1964, having just completed the 3-year course. Sadly this new influx was not sustained, for at the AGM of 17 October 1969 it was decided not to try and contact recent leavers on the list sent by College, having failed to attract any new members in the recent years. Like all Branches, fluctuating attendees and lack of new members, recruitment was constantly discussed. A new approach was proposed in October 1972 that meetings should be held in college vacations and that current students should be invited to take coffee and sandwiches with members before a Theatre visit. In those days, Members had to pay an Annual subscription to ‘The Homerton Association’ as well as their Branch fees. The widening gap in Membership was illustrated nationally when Alison Shrubsole who chaired the meeting [18 November 1972] reported that ‘The Homerton Association’ had at that time 168 members aged 70 – 86 and only 27 members aged 30 and under! In October 1958, Miss Whitley [Vice Principal at Homerton] was invited to become President of the Branch. Miss Whitley was an encouraging supporter of Branch activities, even more so when she became Principal of the Neville’s Cross Training College at Durham. She maintained this support even after her retirement and up to her death on 19 September 1970. Miss Gage, the Principal of Ripon became Branch President and like Miss Whitley before her clearly

Branch News


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provided welcoming refreshments because many visits ended up at Ripon before the journey home. On one occasion – 26 June 1971 – members were joined at Ripon by Miss Madge, then Principal of Scarborough Training College. Both Miss Gage and Miss Madge were ex-Homerton. It would be interesting to know from other Branch Records how many local Principals of Training Colleges were ex-Homerton. Financial Matters Readers of this article with some knowledge of the UK’s economy over the last 50 years can probably relate the Branch subscriptions to the rate of inflation. From the initial subscription of one shilling, this was raised to 2 shillings and sixpence in November 1960. It had switched to 20p by October 1977 and then by increments to 30p in 1991 and to £1 by 1999. Annual accounts were kept until 8 October 1999 when they were closed and the Branch ran/runs on an ‘as needed’ basis. Visits The possibility of Branch outings was first raised in 1960 but no decision was taken. At the meeting of 29 April 1961, members discussed the possibility of a climb in the Lake District, but it was decided against on being too strenuous for older members and younger members had too many ties. A ‘family visit’ took place on 10 June 1961 with a trip to the Farne Isles; 12 adults and 2 children [21/2 and 11/2]. A ciné film was made by Miss Wincote [21-23] of the party being attacked by Terns whilst they were reading a notice which stated ‘Do not disturb the birds’! [see later reference to Miss Wincote]. Summer visits proved popular and in July 1962 members visited Wallington Hall and were given a talk by Lady Trevelyan whose daughter was at Homerton. These visits continued in 1963 to Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle, though late arrival was recorded due to ‘transport problems’ yet again! A visit to Fountains Abbey in July 1964 concluded with tea at Ripon College provided by Miss Gage. Further visits included Durham Cathedral and the Flower Festival [June 1967] and continued with some repeats, until a visit to the Goose Fair at Orvingham in June 1983. There then seems to be a break in summer excursions until November 1997 with a visit to the Discovery Museum in Newcastle. Twice a year visits then resumed with trips to: Segedunum, Baltic Arts Centre, National Glass Centre, Durham Cathedral, Queen’s Hall, Hexham, Sunderland Museum and Art Gallery and the Sage, Gateshead in November 2005. Interestingly, it was recorded that many visits either began or ended with a pub. visit. Perhaps some current Branch members could write a pub. Guide for visitors to the North East? Home meetings A feature of those earlier meetings was a showing of ciné films made by Miss Wincote. In 1959 she showed a film that she had made of Cambridge life in 1935. She was a member of the Shields Ciné Club and received a number of awards for her film work. It would be interesting to

know if those early films on aspects of life in the North East and Cambridge are housed in some film archive somewhere. Another member was famed for her displays of embroidery. Mrs Cushworth [18-20] featured frequently in the minutes of the meetings and it was recorded that a lot of her work could be found in Churches throughout the North East. Slide shows of members’ holidays were also popular and included countries as far away as China and the USA. Typically, as with other Branches, Homertonians in the North East extended the breadth of their social activities with a number of Theatre visits over the years. To the current, and future, Homertonians of the North East Branch, long may you continue with your activities and support.

John A Hammond (After a visit in March 2006)

21st Birthday Lunch at Cleadon

A Brief History Of The Homerton Association And The Manchester Branch

The Old Homerton Association was founded in 1900 and it celebrated its Jubilee year in 1950. In her history of the Association written for the Jubilee, Miss L. Dunstan, herself a student of 1903 – 5, noted the Homertonian as recorded that‘the fifth winter meeting of the Old Homerton Association was held in January 1905.’ This brief history is heavily dependent on her worki. In 1901 it was stated that ‘the Old Students Association has been vigorously worked up during the year’. Only 12 members gathered in 1903, but in the following year nearly 100 assembled in the Memorial Hall in London. The initiative came from Evelyn Farren, who had retired as Governess in 1903 on her marriage to Dr Lowe and had moved to London. Once Mary Allan became


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established as Principal she seems to have taken a keen interest and organised the first ‘Whitsuntide’ reunion attended by fifty former students. She personally issued an invitation to all past students to attend College from lunch in Hall on Whit-Saturday until Monday night or Tuesday morning. Events, apart from a business meeting of the Association, included tennis matches between past and present students, a dance display, tea on the lawn and a concert or a play. We have in the College archives two wonderful volumes of signatures and photographs of those who attended year-on-year from 1906 until 1951, and we know the gatherings continued after that dateii. There are gaps for 1917 and 1918, and for 1940 and 1941, but apart from those four war years they are continuous. Ninety-six students attended in the first year, one hundred and twenty-two in 1912. There is something quite extra-ordinary about the strength and repetition of these yearly gatherings. Staff and past students always signed personally with the dates when they attended and often the names are bracketed in groups of three or more suggesting particular friendships. In fact we know that there were formal gatherings of Homertonians before the foundation of the Old Homerton Association in 1900. The very first volume of the Homertonian, published in January 1893, has an article on the ‘Homerton Club’ founded in February of the previous year at a meeting held at the Collegeiii. Subscriptions of 2s 6d were set for ‘Town’ members, male and female, and 1s for ‘Country’ members. A year later they had nearly 100 ‘Old Homs’ on their books for which the editor was apologetic, but reminded readers that it was only their first year. In context, this was a period where the total student population of Homerton rarely exceeded 90. In their first year they had enjoyed several ‘socials’, one, an outing to Caterham and another at the College itself. Efforts were made to establish tennis and cricket clubs. Football was more successful. Having reached the third round of the Middlesex Junior Cup in the 1892 season they were ‘disastrously defeated’ by the Forest Swifts and Leytonstone Atlas. Their fixture list for the second half of the season is impressive with many of the matches being played at the Walthamstow ground. The first Homertonian also has had articles both from the ‘West Wing’ occupied by women students and from the ‘East Wing’ – the resident men. There were tensions between the sexes, following a previous attempt to launch a Homertonian written wholly by the men, which had failed. So there were comments from the West Wing that the magazine would only fly ‘when both wings are fully spread’! The West Wing declared its intention to publish biographies of ‘Old Homs’ while the East Wing, which seems to have been mainly concerned with football (what is new!) mentioned that the ‘Old Boys are still busy’ and wished them luck in the third round of the Middlesex Junior Cup. In May 1893 we hear of a ‘large muster of Old Homs’. Taking the train from Dalston Junction, they arrived at

Kew Bridge where others had assembled for a splendid tea. Some then raced in rowing boats up the Thames as far as Twickenham, while others walked around Key Gardens and Richmond Park before returning to the City. In June about twenty took the train to Chingford and walked through Epping Forest to the King’s Oak, High Beech, then to the Robin Hood Hotel for a ‘substantial’ tea, followed by a walk to the ‘British Camp’ or Hill Fort where there was much speculation about its history, catching the 9.20 back to London.

The Old Homerton Association was formally established by 1904, presumably under the influence of Miss Allan, because the earliest bankbooks, with the Capital and Counties Bank, Cambridge, date from July of that yeariv. Turnover was small in the early years, £14. 16s in the first year, rising to £127. 2s. 9d. in 1918 and over £235 in 1931. The earliest constitution that we have dates from 1949v. Now called ‘The Homerton Association’ its objectives were: ‘to maintain direct interest of past students in the College and to afford past students opportunities of meeting, and to encourage fellowship amongst them.’ Indeed this it did. The ‘President’ was the Principal and there were two ‘Vice-Presidents’, the Vice-Principal and an elected member. There was a Treasurer and a Secretary and twelve other members spread across the student years. The constitution was blissfully short by modern standards! There was a newsletter and a ‘Roll of Homertonians’ was to be published by the Association ‘at intervals’. In fact this proved rather ambitious. In June 1936 an alphabetical ‘Roll’ was published covering the years from 1903-1935 and at Whitsun 1953 an updated and more comprehensive one was published covering the years 1910-1953vi. Sadly these are the only published Roll lists. We have since compiled a hand list extending from 1783, with significant gaps in the nineteenth century with pass lists only from the 1950s; it remains a mammoth task to bring all of them together in an alphabetical list and one can understand why this was only attempted twice. Almost immediately after the Old Association became established, regional branches began to appear. In 1903 an attempt was made to establish branches outside London and secretaries were appointed in Lancashire, South Shields, Hull and Brighton. In London itself a meeting took place in 1905 at St Bride’s Institute where one hundred and thirty Homertonians attended. Thereafter regular February meetings took place in London and were attended by Homertonians from far and wide who came to enjoy a day out with friends in the City. The Yorkshire Branch met first at Leeds, than Bradford, finally settling on Sheffield. It was the Lancashire Branch that was instrumental in establishing the ‘Northern Homertonians’ in 1904vii. Thirty members gathered in Manchester, from ‘all corners of Northern England’. A ‘Coventry and District Branch’ was formed in September 1913 and continued at least down to January 1987 when its last meeting is recorded in the minute bookviii. Again Miss Allan played a significant roll in the


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formation of this branch. She was invited to attend the first formal meeting in 1914. It was agreed to hold three events a year, one in January to take the form of a ‘literary meeting’, the second in May to be an ‘outing’ and the third in October as a ‘social’. One of the first meetings took the form of a debate: ‘That men and women should receive equal pay for equal work’ – Miss Cowley led the opposition with eight members speaking in favour and five against. It is not always clear from the minute book where the meetings were held. Hughe’s Café, Great Western Arcade, Birmingham, is mentioned several times, but the Priory Row Assembly Rooms are also mentioned. Entertainment included a trip to Oxford, the pantomime and singing carols at Christmas to collect money for the ‘Boot’ fund. An early branch was also established at Norwich where it continued to meet throughout World War I. Much later, in 1945, a local branch in Cambridge formed a link with College. Further afield there was some form of Homerton Association present in India in 1920 when Miss Allan went out and met them; they kept in touch with College by circular letter and three of them held reunions in 1917 and 1918ix. A Miss Tuff (1903-05) worked for the Baptist Missionary in Bankipur and Mercy Ashworth, a Girton graduate, who had been a member of staff at Homerton from 1899-1902, became the Inspector of Schools in Bombay from 1902 –1911 and pioneered the education of girls and women in India. She went on to become one of the first women barristers at Lincoln’s Inn. The London Group from which the original Old Homerton Association had been formed remained the largest, swelled at its February meetings by members from all the other branches. Evelyn Lowe (née Farren), one of our most distinguished Homertonians, ‘Governess’ from 1893 and Vice-Principal from1901, became the first Secretary of the London Branch when she married and moved to London in 1903x. She went on to become the first woman chair of the London City Council in its Jubilee year of 1939 and was Chair of its Education Committee from 1934. A great organiser with boundless energy – she had masterminded the move of Homerton from London to Cambridge in 1894 - and having close contacts with all the London schools, she was the perfect person to act as a magnet for the London Group. Its members must have felt very privileged that they could call upon her for support over a period of some forty-seven years. Although all of the Old Homertonians were teachers, not all of them in London were female, because a group of male students who had attended the old College in London before 1894 were entertained at Cambridge in July 1911. However, it was the ‘Northern’ and Manchester branches which remained the most prominent. A brief history of their foundation appeared last year in The Homertonianxi. It is worth repeating some of that information here for the benefit of a wider audience. The first reunion took place at Manchester on Saturday 14 May 1904. This was instigated by Miss Morgan, Mrs Lily Allen and Miss

Alice Nichols and was held in the City Art Gallery - Manchester because it was considered convenient for all Homertonians based in the north of England. Thus was founded the ‘Northern Group’ of the Old Homerton Association. Thirty Homertonians gathered in the galleries from about 4.00pm: “Great were the rejoicings over each new recruit brought up captive by the scouting parties who industriously searched the galleries. Many a staid student found her attention wandering hopelessly from Art to Nature, as a delightful feeling of excitement and expectation began to fill the air.” At 6.00 they adjourned to the Refreshment Room where a meeting was held, chaired by Lily Allen, in “a refreshingly original manner”. It was “unanimously agreed that an annual re-union should be held on a convenient date in January”. Two secretaries were chosen. Ada Jackson recorded the event for us - her words are used above - together with the list of those who were present. Ten years later a separate ‘Manchester Branch’ was formed and continued to meet in January. It met for the 90th time on 10 January 2004 at the Mitre Inn overlooking the Cathedral. On 14 May in the same year the Northern Homertonians celebrated their 100th anniversary, gathering in Manchester City Art Gallery just as they had done in that celebrated year 1904. From 1909 the Old Homertonian Association began to develop a new function. We know that the branches were active in collecting money for charity, but now there was a need for its own members in the form of an ‘Old Homertonian Fund’ offering grants and loans to members on hard times. We must bear in mind that this was in the days before the Welfare State when many practicing teachers were single women who acquired the additional burden of caring for elderly relatives and dependents. There are touching cases recorded in the account book for this periodxii. The full names have not been used in case it might cause embarrassment to surviving relatives. Cases were brought to the attention of the committee by Doctors, friends and members of Homerton staff, and had to be presented by two committee members in order to be considered. Two former students brought the case of Miss H. to the attention of Miss Allan. She was seriously ill and had been off work for several weeks. Her father was dead. She and another sister, also a teacher, were supporting their mother who was ‘stone deaf’; a brother was in a mental home and another still at school. A cheque for £10 was sent to cover doctor’s fees. Loans were also given to assist with house purchase, or pay mortgages while individuals were incapacitated. Miss L. having undergone expensive and ineffective ‘radium’ treatment for cancer died leaving an adopted ‘little girl’. It was decided to make a grant to pay off the cost of the radium treatment so releasing funds for the girl. It may surprise some readers that the Homerton Association was involved in this type of charitable work. The last entry in the account book is for October 1939, where a Miss W, who had contracted tuberculosis from her father for whom she had been caring, was in desperate need as she was also caring for her mother. £10 was sent with an expression of sympathy.


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The formation of the ‘Homerton Social Service Band’ in 1910 is one of the more remarkable aspects of the Old Homerton Associationxiii. Miss Allan was particularly interested in Social Work. She was the first woman President of the Training College Association. Her inaugural lecture – ‘The Teacher as a Social Worker’, probably encapsulated some of the material that her students received at Homerton, for it was their enthusiasm and desire to continue having meetings to discuss social issues and plan for practical work that led to the formation of the ‘Social Service Band’. The Canning Town Settlement, run by Miss Cheetham, served as a focus for students wanting to get involved in social work during the vacations. From 1911 – 1913 a Summer Holiday Canning Town Play Centre was established which was said to be ‘entirely staffed by Homertonians’, past and present, living in the Settlement over August. Another play centre was established at East Ham meeting three nights a week. By 1915 the ‘Band’ was a hundred strong and branches were appearing in Coventry, Norwich and Sheffield. At Cambridge a play centre was established in Romsey Town. Zeppelin raids on London in 1917 brought meetings in the City to a standstill. But the regional branches survived, at Sheffield Craft Centre, plays and dancing displays were put on by the students and old Homertonians to entertain munitions workers and wounded soldiers from the trenches of World War I. Congratulations were sent from the College to the Manchester Branch that it had managed to continue with its re-unions during the war years. Miss Allan and Miss Waterhouse were also very concerned about the continued ‘spirituality’ of Homertonians and they arranged autumn weekend meetings at High Leigh, Hoddesdon, in Hertfordshire, where former students could listen again to Miss Allan’s wisdom and ask her questions, particularly about the teaching of religion in schools and other problems they were facing as young professionalsxiv. As we might expect, Evelyn Lowe and her London Group was also very much involved. She established a London Study Group in 1928 ‘for the consideration and discussion of Educational and Social problems’. It met twice a year for the next eight years. The February London meetings concluded with a Sunday morning service at Eccleston Guildhouse, where Miss Allan conducted the service and gave an address to the assembled Homertonians. This continued down to 1935 when Miss Allan retired. Twelve students who had been at Homerton between 1902 – 1913 signed a letter ‘on behalf of the last ten generations of students’ marking their gift of the portrait of Miss Allan by Hugh Riviere to the Trusteesxv. The outbreak of war in 1939 did much to disrupt meetings and was not until 1949 that the Association was reformed and reconstituted by Miss Skillicornxvi. Throughout both World Wars, the Northern Homertonians had remained strong. The Leeds re-union in 1914 formed the basis of what later became separate

branches. The main group was known as the Lancashire Branch between1924 and 1949. In 1934 seventy-five members attended one Lancashire meeting alone. Then in 1949, at what became the first official AGM with one hundred Homertonians present, the Northern Branch was reconstituted to become, in 1950, the ‘Manchester Branch of the Homerton Association’. Ten years later the College was commenting on the ‘stalwart qualities and staying powers of the Manchester Branch’ and Miss Skillicorn became its first Honorary Vice-Presidentxvii. In 1964 it celebrated its Diamond Jubilee and gave two trees to the College and by 1966 it had seventy-nine members. With the accession of Dame Beryl Paston Brown in 1961 the patronage of the College Principal was less evident. Dame Beryl loathed anything that smacked of elitism and clubishness, the silver sports trophies were all locked away for good, the grand high table given in memory of Miss Allan was disposed of and she had little time for the Old Homerton Association. For nearly twenty years the Manchester Branch survived more or less on its own, incorporating its men-folk as ‘honorary members’ in 1977, while the Homerton Association struggled on and survived thanks very much to the work of Pauline Curtis and others. However, when Alison Shrubsole became Principal in 1971 it began to take off again, eventually to be reconstituted by her as the ‘Homerton Roll’ in 1981. In line with these reforms the Mancunnians now referred to themselves as the ‘Manchester Homertonians’, although small in number with just fifty-five members in 1983, they came from all over the north of England. A constant reminder of their generosity is a bank of roses along the south terrace presented for the College Centenary in 1994. The Manchester ‘Branch’ has since dwindled to just thirty-three aging members in 2004 and is most anxious to survive and draw in younger Homertonians. Its meetings remain relatively formal, invariably at the Mitre Inn - at least since 1960. Dr Warner recalls attending a not very good lunch in a dingy upper room in the 90’s. However, following its refurbishment under new management, at the ninetieth re-union lunch in 2004, which was excellent, the Mitre presented the forty-five members present with a splendid engraved glass punch-bowl in recognition of their good custom! Key members over recent years have included Dorothy Wadsworth, who gathered material for this history, Rhona Whyte, secretary during the war years, Marjorie Morris, secretary for twenty-three years, Margaret Blott, Shirley Cawthra and Ruth Pearson, Treasurer for twenty-eight years and member of the Cambridge committee for forty-one years. Such commitment is rarely found these days and it will be a hard act for younger Homertonians to follow. The financial commitment is negligible – subscriptions rose from 1 shilling in 1966 to £1 in 1980 – well below the level of inflation! It is the time and energy that is needed. Perhaps this might be drawn from a younger ‘junior’ branch who might ‘do their own thing’ in more informal style. There is a history of more informal ‘come-if-can’ events held twice yearly by Bertha Morris in the 1970’s and trips out to places of interest. It would be a tragedy if


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the Manchester Homertonians were allowed to dwindle into extinction. The Homerton Roll, which is the direct descendent of the Old Homerton Association, goes from strength to strength. From 1980 all undergraduates entering Homerton have been automatically made members for life and a portion of their College membership fee has gone towards maintenance of the Roll. In more recent years PGCE students have been included and now, of course, higher degree students as well. The Roll now has well over seven thousand members with active addresses. We are always searching for ‘lost sheep’, particularly in the years between 1971 and 1981 when membership the old Association was entirely voluntary. When John Hammond was keeper of the Roll he made a concerted effort to reach members in the ‘missing’ years with some success and re-unions focussing on ‘golden’ years and decades has done much to increase the membership. The Friends Reunited website has also done much for us and this year we were declared, ‘Most Friendly College in Cambridge’ by them since our members seem to be frequent users of the site. The fact that we regularly have between 150 – 200 Homertonians returning every year to the September re-union is quite remarkable and far exceeds the size of alumni-weekend re-unions in other Colleges. There is something very special about Homerton collegiality, it is certainly enduring and I have no doubt that it will continue – in the words of the East Wing in the Homertonian for January 1893 – ‘Stick to it Homs!’

Peter Warner End Notes: Abbreviation: HCA = Homerton College Archives

I. L. Dunstan, Fifty Years of the Homerton Association, 1950 (HCA; LB 1474)

II. HCA; ACc 69. HCA; A5502, Ac. No. 1638. III. The Homertonian: The Homerton College Magazine, Vol.

1 No. 1. January 1893 p.15 (HCA; Adc 1247) IV. HCA; A 5324, Ac. No. 1471 V. Constitution of the Homerton Association 1949. (HCA;

LB 1482) VI. Homerton College Cambridge: Revised list of Students,

1903-1935, June 1936 (HAC Ac. No. 267); Homerton College Cambridge: Revised List of Students 1910-1953, Whitsuntide 1953.

VII. I am grateful to Dorothy Wadsworth for all the information she has gathered on the history of the northern branches.

VIII. Minute Books of the Coventry and District Branch of the Old Homertonians (HCA; A5319, Ac. No. 1602)

IX. Dunstan, op.cit. p.6. X. P. Warner, ‘Famous Homertonians’, Homerton Roll News

2004, p.20. XI. P. Warner, ‘Northern 100-Manchester 90’, The

Homertonian, May 2004, No.8. XII. Old Homertonian Fund. Record of Grants and Loans.

HCA A5502 Ac. No. 1638. XIII. Dunstan, op.cit., pp. 7-10. XIV. bid. p.9.

XV. HCA. LB 1480. XVI. Dunstan, op.cit., pp.10-11.

XVII. Dorothy Wadsworth, list of dates and historical details of members of the Manchester Homertonians compiled from - HCA: Minute Book of the Manchester Branch of the Homerton Association 1949-65, Ac. No. 2068; Account Book of the Manchester Branch 1949-72 Ac. No. 2069; Manchester Homertonians 1975 Annual Re-union. Account of the first meeting in June 1904, The Homertonian Vol. XI No. 13, pp. 1051-1052; Ac. No. 1198 (B108/5); Papers of Dorothy Findey (nėe Turner) Ac.No. 934-938(B 54).

Refurbishment of the Ibberson Building Homerton College has become an established reputation as a venue for residential and day conferences during University Vacation times. During 2005, the former art studios in the Ibberson Building were re-furbished for use by the College for conferences. This was the second phase of a programme which started in 2001 when the upper art studio was re-furnished and named the Paston Brown Room after Dame Beryl Paston Brown, (Principal 1961-1971). It became a very popular room for lectures and meetings and was used extensively by the College and Faculty. The second stage was completed in March 2006 and the rooms were named after Mr Alan Bamford (Principal 1985-1991), Miss Alice Havergale Skillicorn (Principal 1935-1961) and Dame Leah Manning (née Perrett), a former student (1905-1908) who became a Labour MP. The re-opening of the Ibberson Building in March 2006 allows Homerton to offer day conferencing throughout the year. With a range of rooms available in term time the college can accommodate meetings of up to 90 people in a variety of room layouts. Each of the rooms is equipped with the latest projection equipment and has Internet capability. Our resident IT department can meet any additional equipment requirements; technical support is always on hand. A computer lab with 16-networked PCs, a demonstration machine, surround sound and media projector is available for hire year round, an excellent choice for IT training. Homerton College’s location makes it the perfect choice for day meetings in Cambridge, seminars and training courses with easy access by car, train or bus. The catering team provide refreshments and lunches for all tastes and occasions. Private lunches can also be served either in the Ibberson Reception or in the adjacent Victorian building. For further information, to arrange a site visit or make a booking please call Michelle Connors. We do hope that amongst our many clients will be Homertonians.


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This section has been supplied either by the person themselves or through information given in other personal news or from the press. It has not been possible to check out dates in College or maiden names. I hope that everyone appears in the correct decade. It is not always possible to cross-reference names, dates, etc. or work out some handwriting. Apologies to those whose entries are not complete and to those who have missed publication due to missing the deadline.

1930s

WILLIAMS-BEER, Catherine Margery Evans 31: Enjoying home and takes great interest in gardening and all plants. Also enjoys outings in the car. Keeps in contact with her sister-in-law, Mrs Evelyn Sarah Baird (Parke) who is ex-Homertonian. BARFORD, Betty 34: Retired Vice-Principal of Chelsea College of Physical Education 1961-76. L.R.A.M. Still driving, playing bridge and doing crossword puzzles. Would like to hear from other ex-Homertonians of the same era. LEES, Annie Bamber 35: Retired. Continues to have O.M.F. Prayer Group, weekly bible study and prayer based on S.U. notes. Also joins a Get Together Group monthly. GARSIDE, E. M. Grimshaw 38: Retired head teacher. LOCKYER, Kathleen Walker 38: Retired infant and nursery teacher. CLARKE, Barbara Joan Brown 39: Retired Deputy/Senior Mistress of St Christopher’s Special School in Lincoln. Living in a very pleasant retirement flat. I have three sons. The eldest is Pro-Vice Chancellor of Bristol University, the second son is head partner of a firm of solicitors and the third is a doctor. I have 10 grandchildren. The five oldest have all attended university, 3 of whom gained first class degrees and 2.1s. The rest progressing well. Still in touch with Agnes Taylor (Fearnside) and Grace Allen.

1940s

FRENCH, Margaret A. Rendall 40: Retired teacher in South Africa. For 26 years I have studied the subject of antiques and was an Antique Leader of my local U3A. Still keeps in touch with Mrs. H Cook (Todd) and Mary Rees (Hodgson).

KEMMER, Margaret Wragg 40: Retired. Has enjoyed several holidays – Tuscany with daughter and family, the French Alps with the eldest son where it disappointingly snowed in June! Survived chilly Edinburgh as a Professors wife/widow for 52 years. Looking forward to

my annual reunion. Sill in contact with Mary Knipe (Ash), Mary Streat (Best) and Nora Ward (Marsh) whom I met at Homerton in September 1940. Most of my 8 grandchildren are now in post-graduate jobs. LEA, Teresa Baker 41: Retired student. BIRKBY, Elizabeth Owen 42: Retired Senior & Comprehensive teacher. Late husband (war pilot) taught for 30 years. Three sons who work as a district judge, a director of banking and a doctor. Still in contact with Bessie Wood of Huddersfield and Margaret Spencer of Kent who were both head teachers. TAVERNER, Nixie D M O’Connor 43: Retired but still give home tuition and is a writer/author. Having had 3 naval books published, ‘A Torch Among Tapers’, ‘Hoods Legacy’ and ‘Neptune’s Legacy’, and a series of educational books, is now working on an autobiography. Also do some sketching and painting. HATTON, Brenda Mair Jones 43: Retired senior social worker for abortions and fostering. After retirement aged 56, I spent twenty years as a trustee of the Catholic Children’s’ Society (Arundel & Brighton, Portsmouth & Southwark). I served on the adoption panel for 20 years and chaired the staffing committee for 12 years. Now fully retired. HUGHES, Cicely Madge Darnell 43: Retired school teacher. BRASHER, Marguerite Doreen Noble 44: Retired assistant teacher and private piano and guitar teacher. L.T.A. Elementary Coaches Certificate - 59 and Associate of the College of Preceptors - 68. I was widowed in 2003. I have two sons and three grandchildren. The eldest, Katherine, graduated from York University with 1st class honours last year and then spent 3 months in South America. Tom is reading maths at Cardiff University and Emily has just completed her AS levels. Each month I play piano for one hour to entertain patients at the local care home. I am still in touch with Zenda Evans (Sillita), Margaret Follet (Lott), Dorothy Keir (Fraser), Gwenda Carrveth (Doble), Mary Burrow (Rice) and Ann Blakemore (Yeap). FOLLETT, Margaret Lott 44: Retired teacher. GRAY, Joan Mary Lilley 44: Retired teacher. LEE, Freda Alton 44: Retired teacher. I belong to a community choir in Sheffield and so am involved in concerts throughout the year. My husband and I are going to South Africa in February to celebrate my 80th birthday. I meet Jean Eyre (44-46) regularly and am in touch with Meg Keerleyside (Lane) and Dorothy Handy (Foster) both 44-46.

News by Decades


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SWAN, Evelyn James 44: Retired Assistant Director and Schools Officer for the Diocese of Ely. Unfortunately I am unable to travel longer distances due to Rheumatical Arthritis so am delighted that a local group is being inaugurated for Oxfordshire in 1st August. I look forward to meeting our new Keeper of the Roll. EVANS, Dr Florence Isabel Dorothy 45: Retired Vice Principal of the College of St Paul and St Mary, Cheltenham. Dip in Mathematics (Mathematics Assoc, GB) - 64, BA Hons, Open University - 74, MPhil Bristol University - 90, Hon Doctorate in Humane Letters, Bridgewater College, Virginia, USA – 98 and MBE for Educational Services to St Helena – 89. I have been privileged to have a very happy career in Education (starting of course with Homerton 1945-47); then as a school teacher of physical education and mathematics in Worcester; as a college lecturer in teacher training at the Lady of Spencer Church College in Wheatly, Oxon; and as Vice Principal of the College of St Paul and St Mary Cheltenham. The latter caused me to have educational links with the South Atlantic Islands of St Helena, Tristan da Cunha, Ascension Islands and the Falklands and I have been able to visit them several times to work with the teachers and schools. In addition I have had links with several colleges in the USA, including a 2½ year faculty exchange in Bridgewater, USA. All these interests have led me to have active membership of seventeen committees, including those connected with my church, the Oxford Preservation Trust and the National Trust. I have kept in touch with several friends, including visiting Jean Bamford (45-47) in Australia. CATHERS, Sheila Mary Greenhalgh 46: Retired music teacher. L.R.A.M. – 58. keeps in touch with Avril Watts (Sheridan). COAD-PRYOR, Dinah 46: Retired school teacher. Certificate of Religious Knowledge – 64. COOMBE, Zoë Margaret Richards 46: Retired teacher. Married in 1957 after teaching at Beaminster and Netherbury Grammar School for 6 years and Tiffin Girls School for 3 years as a P.E. teacher. Two children who are both lawyers and two grandchildren. Served as a J.P. for 27 years on the Maidstone Bench. I keep in touch with Elizabeth Young (Yeardley). HAGUE, Margaret Mavis France 46: Retired teacher. HANNANT, Joan Patricia Cozens 46: Retired teacher. After a long wait for my two new hips, we celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary this year, having made our biennial visit to our daughter and family in Australia. I am still in touch with June Long (Bishop 46-48) and Vi Ong (Kilgonr 37-39). HOWD, Sheila Mary Dent 46: Retired from teaching in the UK and abroad.

MOLYNEUX, Joyce Kathleen Runcorn 46: Housewife. I still keep in touch with Helen Chadwick (Robinson), Dorothy Riley (Secker) and Shiela Topping (Sampson). REFOY, Vivienne Fazey 46: Retired. TOPPING, Shiela Sampson 46: Retired teacher. WRAY, Barbara Townley 46: Retired teacher. O.U. Degree B.S.C (Maths) - 94. YOUNG, Elizabeth Yeardley 46: Retired teacher. Diploma in the Teaching of Reading 75-76. EYRE, Jean Marion 44: Busily retired primary head teacher. Diploma in Primary Education at Nottingham University circa 1959. Interested in all aspects of Derbyshire life and Bonsai. GRIMSEY, K M 47: Currently an organist. Previously worked as a school music teacher. THEURING, Barbara Presland 47: Retired teacher. L.R.A.M. 53-54. Still in contact with Pat Gribbon (Blackburn). WINCKWORTH WARNE, Mary Butler 47: Retired. JAMISON, Gillian Mason 48: Retired teacher. My sister, Joan Denning (Mason), Homerton 46 – 48, now lives in Sidmouth with her husband. CANNON, Wendy Anne Norrington 49: Retired teacher. Taught at St Andrews, Johannesburg. Married in 1954. Taught in Kampala, Uganda. Daughter born in Kampala in 1957, son born in England 1962. Second son born in Sierra Leone in 1964. Taught in Surrey as deputy head from 67 – 89. Moved to Devon in 1989. Still in contact with Shelagh Humphreys and Margaret Cook (Stephens). HARROW, Coral Hemsley 49: Still busy studying and working as a school governor and continue to go into school to hear reading. Wessex Group now has about 50 members so I organise luncheons twice a year. Spent June in France resting. Daughter, Marietta Harrow (1980-84), very busy as usual. She has a number of jobs as a training and educational consultant designing and facilitating learning and development programmes for voluntary and public sectors, including mentoring for young people coming out of care. She has written and published a variety of educational books, most recently around human issues. She enjoys playing golf whenever she gets the chance. In touch with Lucy Barnett (Allen 61-64) and in regular contact with Mary Gadsby (48-50).

1950s BUTLER, Cathleen Margaret Wooley 50: Retired teacher.


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ELVEN, Dorothy Joan Kemp 50: Retired teacher. HAWINGS, Megan Roberts 50: Retired teacher. Despite back problems I continue to travel but only in Europe. Still an active member of U3A in Ludlow which I helped form 9 years ago. Enjoying time with the family especially with grandsons. PERRY, Jean A Pennington 50: Retired. Now grandparents to 14 and great grandparents to 9. SIMMONDS, Brenda Mary Tyler 50: Retired teacher. Having lived on the continent (Switzerland, France and Belgium) for many years, have now retired to Devon. Still enjoying singing, involved in the local U3A and other groups. Celebrated our Golden Wedding in 2004. Meet Paddie Fleet (Tregaskis) , Morris Blow (Sears) and Hazel Francis (Wilkinson) in a regular basis. The first two live in the South West and Hazel visits about twice a year. BAKER, Margaret Hollingworth 51: Retired school teacher. FARQUHARSON, Ann Tanner 51: Design & Technology teacher. B.A. O.U. – 75. Tech, Teacher Cert. – 73, Brunel University. Lives in Mexico September to March and in London during the summer. Occasional contact with Sylvia Gwinnel and Pam Jackson. LEWIS, Pam (Walker) 51: Retired primary school teacher. Involved in various activities to raise funds for charities. Still enjoying travelling to various parts of the world, especially Hong Kong where my son Kevin lives and teaches sailing. Also trips to Madeira, Bali and Thailand. I like to write letters to keep in touch. Still in touch with Pat Stockdale (Shipley) who has moved with her husband to Billericay in Essex. RAMSBOTTOM, Thelma Cooper 51: Retired Grammar school teacher. Also previously worked as a private maths tutor as well as a local organiser for R.A. Dancing. Keeps busy in retirement with several interests including walking, sport, church activities. Also a volunteer with Cruse Bereavement Care. Enjoys eating out with her husband. SHERIDAN, Brenda 51: Retired principal lecturer. N.F.F.T.D. – 63. Still playing bassoon in Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra. President of Worcester Home-Start, Governor of St Richard’s Hospice, Worcester, Chair of Governors, Oldbury Park Primary School. Otherwise busy with cricket, theatre and concerts. Still in touch with Gwen Turner and Joan Woodward.

HASLAM, Shirley D Jeffries 52: Retired teacher. Theology M.A. – 2004. Enjoying retirement and grandchildren. School governor. In touch with Sheila

Jenkinson, Jean Jackman (Anderson), Thirza McIntyre (Burney) and Claire Osgood (Simpson).

JACKMAN, Jean Anderson 52: Having taught in Hailsham for 29 years, I still live in the same house bought new in 1959 with my husband (now deceased). Having recently had a double knee replacement, I am now enjoying my favourite hobby – gardening – once more. I still keep in touch with Sheila Jenkinson, Thirza McIntyre (Burney) and Claire Osgood (Simpson).

LEWIS, Jane Rosa Bennett 52: Retired teacher. GSCE German and Italian.

MCINTYRE, Thirza Margaret Burney 52: Retired painter.

SAMPSON, Jean Pugsley 52: Retired head teacher.

LANGLEY, Jillian Pepperell 53: Retired teacher. Still friends with Alison Littlefair (Ratcliffe), Elizabeth Reid (Tunnicliffe), Margaret Sharman (George), Barbara Dixon (Jenkins), Shirley Emmerick (Oakley), and Janet Edgar (Simpson). We have our own reunion every year wherever possible.

LIDDIARD, Brenda 53: Retired head teacher. Diploma in Professional Studies in Education (Children with special needs), Oxford Polytechnic – 1985. RAINE, Barbara M Emsley 53: Retired teacher. Continue happily in retirement and just as busy as ever! Enjoy walking and all crafts, member of “Local History” class: head small drama group. Still in touch with Pamela Meeks (Steward), Yvonne Stephenson (Caseley), Joan Baker (Dale),Margaret Beck (Ludlow). BAXTER, Jennifer West 54: Retired primary teacher. BILSON, Diane English 54: Retired teacher. Keeping busy studying family history and mastering my computer. DOWDING, Margaret Ann Stewart 54: Retired head of infant department in a primary school. Very happily retired. Travelling, making pottery and collecting antiques. Also lots of family comings and goings. HULLANDS, Kathleen Margaret Ingham 54: Retired primary teacher. Diploma in Special Needs – 82, City & Guilds Creative Emb. – 92, HNC in Stitched Textiles – 94. HUDDART, Audrey Newboult 54: Retired junior teacher. Still happily living in Surrey. Busy with husband, 4 children and 8 grandchildren. Enjoying many village, church and social activities. LEGG, Judith Ann High 54: Retired secondary science teacher but still doing supply teaching. Diploma in the


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Teaching of Physics – 82. I still love doing the things I did at Homerton and in Cambridge. At 70 years I still go into the High School and teach on supply. I play cello in the North Staffordshire Symphony Orchestra and sing in our village choir (that used to be at Homerton). I am also a “retired clergy wife” and grandma. I am still in touch with Jenny Baxter (West) and Jill Wyatt (Highwood) from my year but I haven’t come across any Homertonians in the Stoke-on-Trent/North Shropshire area. Are there any? LOVELL, Beverley Ann Brown 54: Retired teacher. STANDLEY, Shirley Anne Davis 54: Retired teacher. ACKROYD, Ellen Gwenda Thomas 55: Retired nursery infant teacher and adult education lecturer. As myself and other friends were not able to attend the reunion in September last year, we held our own mini reunion in our home. The following attended:- Christine Grange (Wright), Maralyn Westwood (Steele), Joyce Simpson (Watson) and Maureen Champion (Wilby). KASIM, Patricia Wilson 55: Retire lecturer. Physical Education Diploma – 63. OAKLEY, Wendy Elizabeth Watford 55: Retired College lecturer. BA English – 73. QUICK, Judy Slatter 55: Retired teacher. City & Guilds in Design Embroidery - 90. My hobbies are gardening, writing (for pleasure not publishing), patchwork and quilting. I am involved with the local Quaker meeting. One (married) daughter lives in New York and we visit her alternate years. She and her family visit us the other years. Our other grandchildren and their parents live in England and we see them reasonably often. Like so many retired people we always seem to be busy. ARMOUR, Margaret Ruth Cocke 56: Retired occupational therapy assistant in a geriatric hospital. City & Guilds Embroidery Parts 1 & 2 – 82 – 87. Typing RSA 1 & 2 – 88 – 89. Computer CLAIT & Desktop Publishing – 2000. Long standing W.I. member and in recent years also a U3A member, attending groups for French, play reading, local history, theatre visits and help organise the Travel Group. I also give talks to groups on craft subjects – hessian figures, paper sculpture and City & Guilds Embroidery. I am in touch with Deirdre Clarkson Webb (Francis) with Christmas letters and holiday postcards. DONKIN, Marguerite May Steel 56: Retired infant teacher, working in both England and the Bahamas. EWING, Barbara Childs 56: Retired lecturer (F.E.). Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Education at Goldsmiths College – 79. Married to John for 40 years and have four grandchildren.

GIBSON, Christine Mason 56: Retired teacher. Married for 46 years in 1959 to a Trinity man!, Three daughters and 5 grandchildren. Walked the Pilgrim Way (Camino Francis) 55 miles to Santiago de Compestella in 2004. Still in touch with Judith Smith (Goffey) and Pamela Wilson (Ridgway). GREENWOOD, Erica Lesley Rankin 56: Retired teacher. One year art supplementary course at Leeds Art College – 59. HOLLIS,, Susan Carter 56: Retired head teacher of Nursery/infant school. Currently a voluntary magistrate. Taught at Theydon Bois CP school from 58 – 60. Married Jim Dyble in 1960 and had two daughters (1961 and 1963). Taught in infants schools in the main. Head of infants school 77 – 80, Farrow infants 80 – 95 (Gillingham, Kent). Retired 1995. Jim died in 1978 – married Dennis Hollis in 2003. Still in touch with Janet Smith (Figures), Tricia Hubbard (Turner) and Gillian Figures (Isaacson). MATTHEWS, Elizabeth Valerie Pickup 56: Retired teacher. Travel to India as often as finances allow to study embroidery and textiles then give talks locally and send the money so earned to an orphanage in Gujarat. I am the tour organiser for our local NADFAS group; NT room steward; W.I member and stage manager for my local theatre. Met up with Margaret Montague (Pilgrim) in April and will be seeing Liz Mills in August. MILLS, Elizabeth 56: Retired school teacher. SEVERS, Alice A Hatt 56: Retired secondary school teacher. Diploma in Special & Remedial Education – 81. SMITH, Judith Goffey 56: Retired head of infant department and market researcher. SPENCER, Muriel Brenda Dodgson 56: Retired primary school teacher. Certificate in Divinity, Birmingham University – 58 to 59. Spring 2001 spent 8 weeks teaching in a Palestinian School (East Jerusalem). August 2005 Trans-Siberian railway Moscow – Beijing to visit my son Richard and family. Richard is the Daily Telegraph correspondent in Beijing. Daughter Elizabeth (St Catherine’s – 83) is senior probationer officer at Bridgwater, Somerset. VARLEY, Jennifer M Dixon 56: Retired teacher. Presently Chairman of Governors. Taught full time until 1972 and then part time when started a family. Chairman of Governors at Marling School, Stroud – single sex Grammar school. Member of Nat. Grammar Schools Executive. Keeps in touch with Christine Keuleyan (Lewis), Gill Ross (Denning) and Les Bradford (Harvey). WILSON, Pamela Ann Ridgway 56: Retired infant school teacher. BTEC Business Studies – 1980.


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FLEETWOOD, Jacqueline Grace Barnsley 57: Retired teacher. JANES, Ann Barley 57: Retired head teacher. B.Ed degree. Retired in 1989 after 30 years training, given early retirement as my school was closed. Three children, thee grandchildren. Attended 40 year reunion in 1999. JONES, Shena McKenzie Gibson 57: Retired teacher. Married in 1966, daughter born in 1967 and son born 1969. Both married with children. Widowed in 2004. JUDGE, Pamela Margaret Gregory 57: Retired teacher. Advanced Cert Psycol. & Social Ed. – 68. MA Reading University – 85. Enjoyed approximately 31 years in the classroom in secondary modern, comprehensive and private teaching. Originally a history teacher with English – latterly English only. Two sons both connected to education – must be in the genes!. Occasionally still being called into my last school. Seven of us met up in Sussex at the home of one of us and vowed to attend the 50th reunion at college. All puzzled as to how the photo of some of us was obtained for 1995 anniversary cover booklet and postcard. SALE, Julia Pringle 57: Retired assistant principal. VINER Rosemary Billington 57: Retired teacher. HALL, Alison Janet Byron 58: Retired librarian. Moved in February to a larger flat in Cheltenham and am thoroughly enjoying the new place and getting settled in. MEE, Patricia Bates 58: Retired secondary school mathematics teacher. Retired from full time teaching; still in contact with school exam invigilation and marking for AQA. Ideal situation providing time to pursue interests, charity work and holidays combined with small amount of academic stimulation. POWELL, Wendy Margaret Grubbs 58: Previously a secondary school teacher. Currently a housewife. My husband retires from his work as Pastor of the United Reform Church in Ottery St. Mary in Devon in the Autumn and we are moving to Seaton, just twelve miles away. TwO of our children live in Cambridge and the other in Wales so we have family and grandchildren on both sides of the country. I am still in touch with Margaret Crabbe (Fry) and Elizabeth Allen (Jeffes). PRYCE, Beatrice Stringer 58: Currently a Professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music. Previously a voice tutor to the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Hon ARAM – 2000 and FRWCMD – 2006. WOODRUFF, Gillian Martin 58: Retired teacher. BEETESON, Dora Brennan 59: Retired senior lecturer in English as a Foreign Language. Diploma in the Teaching of English Overseas, Manchester University – 66 to 67.

RSA Diploma in Teaching across the Curriculum. Continuing to teach but only on a voluntary basis. I do 6 – 9 hours a week. The plight of European young people – jobless- flooding into Scotland and needing to improve their English concerns me greatly. This applies to Eastern and Western Europe. I was Chairman of the local Am-Dram group and led a successful lottery bid . I also sit on two committees for Scottish Opera (Friends). I meet fairly regularly with Virginia Forgc, Carole Courtneay and Anne-Marie Joder when I am in London. I also worked with Celia Charmings which I think was a couple of years after me at Homerton. BRASS, Ruth Rebecca Schalit 59: Retired teacher. Proud grandmother of 4. Work at Centre for People with Special needs and also flower lady at St Barnabas Hospice. Would love to hear news of Sandra Colwill (married name), Joan Skelton and Jennifer Mold. IRVING, Christine Mary Gaudin 59: Retired owner/teacher of private nursery school. I ran my nursery school in Edinburgh for 24 years (1970 – 94). We have 4 daughters who are all married and we now have 14 grandchildren between the ages of 1 and 11. Two families live in Edinburgh and two in London. We both enjoy seeing the children and helping too. It makes a large party when we are all together such as last Christmas and summer holidays. MARTIN, Marilyn Whittaker 59: Semi-retired. Specialist member on a Special Educational Needs & Disability and Care Standards Tribunals. Previously principal educational psychologist and head of pupil support services to schools, Cardiff L.E.A. Post Grad. Dip in Psychology – 76, Honours Degree O.U. – 78, M A in Behaviour Problems/Management – 80, M.Ed. Educational Psychologist to Practice – 82. Professionally I sit regularly on Government Tribunals: appointed by the Lord Chancellor. With my husband Ted, will move this month back to my home/birth area. Lived away for 47 years of which 43 years spent in Cardiff. Am past president of Soroptomists Cardiff and District Club. Play golf each week. Five grandchildren.

1960s DAWDRY, Mary Thompson 60: Retired having previously been a secondary teacher. LOUDON, Cynthia King 60: Retired but housewife having previously been Head of Lower School, Richmond, Surrey. Son James (Physicist), a JRF at Homerton 03 – 06. Active member of Friends of Tilling – an appreciation Society for the work of E.F. Benson – annual gathering in Rye, Sussex. Still in Touch with Morven Spence (McCarthy).


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STERN, Elisabeth Tucker 60: Retired having previously been an infant teacher. Head of Infant Dept. Hyde Infants – 78, Teacher Tutor – 80. Death of husband, October 2005. VALENTINE, Janet Martin 60: Retired having previously been a primary teacher. Chairman of Parish Council, Governor of Village school and about to be a grandmother. CRAIG, Dr. Olivia Hurst 61: Currently an Independent Consultant Psychologist having previously been in Special Education and 20+ years Ed. Psych. B.Phil, M.Ed., M.Ed(Psychol), PhD (B’ham Univ.) F.Coll. P. ASF. B.P.S. – 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and also Chartered Child Educational & Forensic Psychologist. Recently retired as Principal Psychologist to Birmingham Social Services. Still chairs B.P.S. Special Group of Psychologists and Social Services and practices privately as Consultant Psychologist and Expert Witness. One of Birmingham’s few Forensic Psychologists specialising in Child Protection. Grandson Henry, now 3rd generation chorister at Lichfield Cathedral. Still in close contact with Tessa Beresford (Dean), Betty Wells (Moore) and Myra Burrows (Hardwick). DICKSON, Susan Johnson 61: Retired teacher having been Head of Music, Hampshire schools. Retirement is marvellous, having bought a property in Barbados and live there 6 months a year. In touch with Anne Hulse (Goss), Sue Moss (Dee), Joy Read (Kohn) and Cynthia Holden (Holdswoth). All attend re-unions at Homerton and have a wonderful time together. HOWELL, Elizabeth Anne Noden 61: Retired having previously been deputy head teacher. B.Phil Birmingham University – 95-99. DENT, Kathleen Anne Phillips 62: Currently an Education Consultant having previously been a head teacher. BA (Open University) – 90. HOOD-CREE, Carolyn Anne Robins 62: Retired December 2005 having previously been a head teacher. L.P.S.H. 01 – 02. Taught in Beds. from Sept. 65 – July 67. Spent nearly 10 years in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). Lived and taught in Kent since 1977. Head of 3FE. infant school for nearly 15 years. Having a break prior to embarking on a Counselling Course in the Autumn. Taught almost continuously from 1965 – 2005. Still in touch with Anne Dent (Phillips) and Gwen Williams (Bradshaw). WEIR, Bridget Elizabeth Hill 63: Currently a schools inspector having previously been a head teacher. Retired from headship in 2003, but keeps in touch with schools through inspection work. Moved to Somerset in 2005, became a grandmother in 2006 and welcome visitors at any time! Still meets with Judi Precious (Hogg), Chris Macpherson (Hay) and Joan Powell (Weir) regularly.

Judi and Chris are retired, but Joan works as a Careers Advisor at Southampton University. DAVIS, Prof. Terence N. 64: Currently Visiting Professor, Oxford Brookes University having previously been Vice-Chancellor. Ph.D – 70, Dlitt Hon. – 00, OBE – 95. RKAINA, Penelope Ann Thomas 64: Currently Clerk to the Trustees, London Grant Making Trust, having previously been a Director of Surrey Care Trust. Chartered Institute of Housing, Professional Qualification 89-90. Still in touch with a wonderful group of old Homertonians (about 12-15) having met after a 30 year gap on leaving Homerton. The meetings, for lunch, are in each other’s homes, to which all contribute. BEALE, Elaine Herbert 66: Currently a housewife having previously been a teacher. DE BLOCQ VAN KUFFELER, Lesley Callander 66: Currently a housewife having previously been a teacher. Married to John (who read economics at Clare College) for 35 years had has 3 children, Hugo 31, Venetia 28 and Alexander 26 and lives in Hertfordshire and London. JONES, Dorrie Margaret Ann 66: Retired having previously been a teacher. KWIATKOWSKI, Sarah Hope Challis 66: Currently a novelist having previously been a teacher. Married, 4 sons, 3 grandchildren. Taught full-time until 1998, then began writing – 6 novels to date published by Headline Review. MARTIN-JENKINS, Judy Hayman 66: Currently a private tutor for children with S.L.D. having previously been a primary teacher in Berkshire, Surrey 69-73. R.S.A. Diploma S.L.D. – 89. NAFZGER, Janice Lawson 66: Currently Advisory teacher for looked after children, Herts. C.C. Has been teaching since 1969. B.Ed (Special Needs) Uni. Of Hertfordshire – 86, Dip. In Counselling and Welfare in Ed, PSHE London Inst. – 91. NEWBOLD, Susan Lindsay Mullins 66: Retired having previously been a learning support teacher. RSA Dip. Sp.L.D. – 91. Worked from 1979 – 2005 as a teacher at a prep. School giving individual coaching to children with specific learning difficulties. Meets up with the Wessex group of Homertonians and is also in touch with Jill Russell (Blasby), Anne Hulse (Calvert) in Canada and Cheryl Trafford (Norbrook). PAYNE, Angela R.C. 66: Retired having been PA to Provost of the Queen’s College, Oxford. RSA Personal Assistants Dip. – 76.


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PEMBERTON, Ruth 66: Currently a Consulting Partner having previously been teaching – deaf – Esol (NZ) (E2ndL). Post Grad Dip. TRAFFORD, Cheryl Anne Norbrook 66: Retired, Volunteer Museum educator having previously been a teacher/headmaster’s wife (30 years). M.Ed in Education & History from Bristol Univ. 84 – 86. TURNER, Frances E. Weddell 66: Retired having previously been a Senior Lecturer. Involved with family, friends and students of various nationalities, including Rwandan and Japanese. In touch with Anne Ford and Imogen Bowman (Walsh). WESTABY, Jane Elizabeth Axon 66: Semi-retired having been an IT Advisory Teacher, Cambs. County. WOOD, Annette Mahoney 66: Currently part-time teacher. B.A. and M.A. Southampton University. Still in touch with Chris Packer (Lyons) who now lives in S.W. France with her husband Colin. CHITTY, Rachel Smith 67: Retired having previously been a teacher of maths and physics. Cert in Teaching of Advanced Science – 91, Prof. Development Cert. In IT – 04. Happily retired in July 2005. THOMSON, Gillian Elisabeth Garside 67: Currently housewife with several voluntary jobs and also governor of a local infant and primary school. Previously taught special needs at a local school. At present is County Chairman of Hertfordshire Trefoil Guild and goes as often as possible to ‘Croxley Needlecrafters’ and a weekly lace class. In touch with Ann Moll (Beard), retired living in Sheffield and looking after grandson. Also, Ann Newton (Royle) living in Radlett doing some part-time teaching and lots of work for the C. of E. ‘Children’s Society’. WOOD, Beverly L. Lord 67: Retired having previously been a teacher. Married Martin Wood (Churchill 65-68) in 1971. 2 sons (1975 & 1978). Taught Science at Hatfield School 1971-75 and Wycombe High School 1988-2004. Retired early Aug. 2004 and went ‘Around the World in 90 days’. Looking forward to being ‘Mother of the Groom’ twice in 2006 and seeing even more of the world! Still in regular contact with Sheila Wilson, Sue Bowden, Chris Dockray, Moira Preston and Pat Leach. DOWN, Kathleen L. Hart 68: Currently a teacher. B.Ed – 88. HARROLD, Hazel Kathleen Mitchell 68: Currently a teacher. Still in touch with Carol Boulton now living in Jersey. TATLIOGLU, Virginia Hughes 68: Currently teacher trainer, ICT Resources having previously been a teacher.

Post Grad. Cert. In Arts Therapies, Univ. of Hertfordshire – 06.

1970s

CLARK, Lesley Elizabeth Sherratt Johnson 70: Currently senior teacher and part of the Senior Management Team at Plymouth College. BA – Open University – 90. Still teaching Religious Studies had has just added Critical Thinking to repertoire – very challenging and most enjoyable. Last year my son graduated from St. Catherines College, Cambridge, 31 years after his father graduated from the same college. The ceremony was identical – the only concession to the C21 was a camera inside the Senate House. It really took me back in time as I never dreamt that I would return to see my son follow his father. Still in touch with Anne Freeney (Christory) who has retired and Jennie Aspinall (Evans) who is an accountant in Boston, Massachusetts. DADA, Lyndis Paula Carman 70: Retired early due to ill health having been a teacher. MA Educational Studies (Mathematics Education) University of Hull – 86. HEALD, Revd. Claire Moira Harrison 70: Currently a Methodist Minister having previously been a teacher and housewife. Masters Degree in Applied Theology at Liverpool University – March 00. Having taught in primary school and brought up 2 sons, began training for the Methodist Ministry in 1996, being ordained in 2001. Has lived in Chester since leaving Homerton (very happy memories) and is now working in churches in the Chester area, whilst keeping up main hobby of choral singing. Still in touch with Lois Whittaker (Chapman) a head teacher in Cumbria and Gillian Dyson (Farnsworth) teaching part-time in Bristol area. BROOKE, Revd. Rosemary Jane Peacocke 71: Currently Principal Secondary Adviser having previously been an RE Adviser. BA Maths – 84. Priest in charge at St. Paul’s, Compstall since January 2005. BURN, Rev. Prof. Robert Pemberton 71: Retired having been a Reader in Maths Education at Exeter University and Prof. Of Maths Education at Agder University College, Norway. BARNES, Christine Hunter 72: Currently Advanced skill teacher (Foundation stage) having previously been an Early Years Adviser. P.G. diploma – 02. DUDLEY, Sue 72: Currently a Self-employed Ed. Consultant having previously been a head teacher 11 – 18 Comp. M.Sc – 90. Has taken “gap year” out with husband. Autumn and summer terms spent living in France and commuting back for consultancy with L.A. and diocese and spring term volunteering in Sri Lanka with Tsunami charity and then travelling in India,


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Vietnam and Thailand. From September, back in UK working with projects lined up for diocese and L.A. HAMILTON, Tricia Wilson 72: Currently a teacher. Masters in Primary Education from Exeter University – 94. RANCE, Elizabeth Mary 72: Currently an Educational consultant. BPhil/MA 86/96. WATERS, Margaret Anne Waters 72: Currently a University teacher having previously been a school teacher and human resources manager. IP>M Stage 1 – early 80s, Cert TEFLA UCLES – 92, Dip TEFLA, UCLES 99. Married to Adrian with 2 boys, Joe 17 and Toby 15. Now working at Leeds University having taught in FE for 8 years and schools for 2, have also worked in HR and other fields. Recently took up an old hobby again – amateur drama – and really enjoying it. Still in regular touch with Pam Arthwell (Skeet), Liz Jeffreys, Caroline Peover (Melrose) and Judith Robinson (Shelley) and enjoyed meeting up with them plus other 1972ers in Sept. 2005 at Homerton. BEARDSWORTH, Stephanie 73: Currently a deputy head having previously been a Civil Servant at the Financial Planning & Performance Dept, Foreign & Commonwealth Office. CIPFA Certificate & Diploma in Public Sector Accounting/External Audit – 90. HOPKINS, Susan Anne 73: Currently a music teacher. L.R.A.M. – 81. Still in touch with Penny Brown (Snell). MARTIN, Sheila Robb 73: Currently a supply teacher. Married to Brian a head teacher, and has 2 sons aged 15 and 18. Doing supply teaching in Hertfordshire. RICHMOND, Sara Jane 73: Currently a primary supply teacher having previously been a maths teacher (secondary), PA in London, Middle school class teacher and Matron in sixth form girls’ boarding house. Secretarial – 78, Cert. In Counselling Skills 98, Dip. In Counselling Skills – 99, Computer Course 00, and various art courses. Divorced, now living with partner Charles and 2 daughters aged 19 and 21. Still in touch with several Homerton friends. GREEN, Susan Shattock 74: Currently a teacher. BURGIN, Doreen Elizabeth 75: Retired teacher now Yoga teacher, having previously Head of Spanish. MA (Anglia) 98, BA (Cantab) 00, MA (Cantab) – 04. Teaching Yoga at the Gerome Campus and the Garden House Hotel and St. Mary’s School, Cambridge. Still in touch with Isobelle Hasleham, now retired. HAMILTON, Patricia Wilson 75: KILLICK, Bridget Elizabeth Hiley 75: Currently a National Account Manager (Pharmaceutical company).

HACKSHAW, Christina Kay Hall 76: Currently a Science teacher. B.E.L.A. 02. Married to Tim Hackshaw who was at Downing College and has 2 sons Stephen 21 reading music at Leeds University and Stuart 17 at 6th Form College. SMITH, Caroline A. Kinchin Harris 76: Currently caring for sick child having previously had various music teachings. OU Classics Course, completed Latin 03 and started Greek. After 14 years, now facing a move to a new parish where husband will again be Rector – huge amounts of sorting out and throwing out. BABER, Vanessa Mead 77: Currently head teacher. MA Ed. 95, NPQH – 00, Post Grad. Cert. In Maths & Mentorship & currently French. Head teacher of small rural school in W. Sussex. Can unblock drains, fix boilers and maintain garden as well as teach and be head teacher. Had OFSTED this year, the school coming out really well and is to speak of experience within county. Still in touch with Mo McGuire, Jane Purwar (Slater) and Mrs. Kathryn Coad. DAY, Alicia Margaret Gascoyne 77: Currently a school teacher. MA Education UEA Norwich – 88. Still in touch with Geraldine Webb (Lomax). ONLEY-GREGSON, Carol Ann Onley 77: Currently a teacher. Dip RSA – 85, M.Ed (Bristol) – 92. SIMMONDS, Michele A. Hughes 77: Currently a supply teacher. BURMICZ, Sandra Simpson 78: Currently a teacher. Dip SPLD – 02. Still teaching – back in Harlow having started there in 1985. Often feels that science teachers are a dying breed! Still in touch with Ann Muston (MacDonald) old college mother, still trying her best to convince her that life in the private sector is better! HANTON, Caroline Mary Norris 78: Currently an EFL teacher. CELTA - 00. BARNARD, Claire Burgoyne 79: Currently housewife and Governor at St. Albans Girls School having previously been a supply teacher locally. Really enjoys being a co-opted community Governor at St. Albans Girls School. Loves bringing up 2 teenage girls and co-ordinating Sunday school at local church. Still in touch with Fiona St. Clare Morgan who married another Morgan and is now head of Sheringdale Primary School, Wandsworth. PATERSON, Linda Joy Pratt 79: Currently a teaching assistant having previously been a teacher. Happily working as a teaching assistant in a local junior school, also a governor there, helping a variety of children with special needs. Family getting to the end of the education system with the eldest Rachel off to University soon.


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Still church secretary of the local Baptist Church and continues to run a Scripture Union holiday for teenagers on the Norfolk Broads. RATAJ-WORSNOP, Dr. Victoria Mary Rataj 79: Currently Vice Principal having previously been Director of Sixth form. MA – 94, PhD – 01, NPQH – 04.

1980s MARTIN, Joy 80: Currently a senior tutor RAPLEY, Vincent 80: Currently a Company Administrator/Banker. GRAY, Alison Clare 81: Currently a primary school teacher having previous been a VSO Zambia 1991-1993. Married with 2 children, living and teaching (part-time) in Derbyshire. Glad to be using French in primary school after all these years. HIORNS, Sue Martel 81: Currently a primary school teacher 0.6 week. Juggling family life with Nathaniel aged 9 and Alice aged 3 and ever increasing demands of work. As French was main subject at Homerton, pleased to see MFl on primary curriculum and lead this area in school, along with RE, D & T, and Healthy Schools. Still in touch with Sue Tongue (Pilbeam), Jo Whithington (Georgiadis), Jane Gibson (Warwick), Helen Maden (Holt), Liz Wren (Taylor) and Pennie Orpin (Aspinwall). MITCHELL, Sarah Catherine 81: Currently Quality Assurance Manager, QCA (Qualifications & Curriculum Authority) having previously worked as secondary teacher and at UCLES and Edexcel. NVQ Level 4 Quality Management – 2004. Still working at QCA and loving it and being based in the heart of Mayfair. Living in Clapham, London with partner Alex who works at the DFES and is a keen footballer. Since father passed away 3 years ago, also manages the family farm in Lincs with mother. Had a reunion at the National Gallery last December with Iris (Thomas), Aileen (Lawrence), Jeannette (Pitts) and Cathy (West). Meeting up with Amanda (Simmons) in July and also keep in touch with all old Cambridge Dancing Club and team friends. PALMER, Sarah June Davis 81: Currently head teacher having previously been a teacher. Ofsted Training – 05. Thoroughly enjoying tenth year of Headship at Camelsdale First School in West Sussex. Husband (Simon) now working for Total Butler. Son (Hedley) now 13 just about to transfer to Midhurst Grammar School. Still sport, Arsenal, tuba mad. ENGLANDER, Louise Marchant 82: Currently housewife and mother having previously been a teacher. Married in 2003 and has 2 children, Molly 3 and Harry 1.

JAMES, Anna Hennell 82: Currently head teacher. Diploma in Primary Science – 91, NPQH – 01. Has recently been seconded from own school to act as Head at a school in special measures, quite a challenge. Also kept busy with 3 children, Abi – 13, Rory – 11 and Hattie – 8. Learning to play the saxophone. Still in contact with Liz Currie (Blainey) and Fiona Woods (Abeny). OGRODZINSKI, Anna Pilkington 82: Currently a housewife and Administrator for family business having previously been a teacher. Basic Computer Course (European Computer Driving Licence) – 02. SWEETENHAM, Fiona Margaret Robertson 82: Currently a teaching assistant having previously been a teacher. Working with special needs children at a nursery school using Makaton sign language, PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) and working with Physios, OTs and S & L Therapists. Married to Ian a doctor from Peterhouse and has 3 children aged 14, 12 and 9. Still in touch with Rachel Linfield (Sparks) 80-84 and David Batten, Science Graduate who did a PGCE in 84-85. DIXON, Fiona Jane Hayward Giles 83: Currently Advisory teacher. Enjoying life ‘up North’. 2 lovely daughters. HILL, Susan Christine Morgan 83: Currently a peripatetic teacher of the deaf having previously been a housewife (Science teacher up to 01). IRVING, Susan Dean 83: Currently a peripatetic piano teacher. M.Mus. – 89. WRAY, Karen 83: Currently a teacher. ASHTON, Rosamund Olivia Selby Ashmore 84: Currently a housewife having previously been a teacher. Advanced Diploma at Cambridge Institute of Education – 95. Happily at home with 4 children aged 10, 8, 4 and 1. Meets up every year with friends met on day 1 at Homerton, having been next to each other on D & E staircase. Alex Adams, Alix Anson, Jo Avery, Liz Bassett, Jane Goodall and watch Caroline Seymour’s film career with interest (1983-87) – latest film to have seen her in is Hotel Rwanda. CROSSMAN, Ann Henley 84: Currently a teacher. HANDLEY, Karen Smith 84: Currently a primary school supply teacher, 2 days a week. Happily married to Roger who was at Emmanuel College. Has 2 daughters, Emma 7 and Lucy 4½ years. HESTER, James 84: Currently a Financier. HESTER, Jane Clarke 84: Currently a nursery teacher.


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HITCHBORN, Amanda Jane Plastown 84: Currently a housewife and mother having previously been a teacher. Married to Nigel (Pembrike 1984) for 15 years and full-time mum to Brandon 4 years and Oliver 8 years. Still in touch with Karen Tiley (Pocock), Karen Handley (Smith), Carol Girolestone (Rich) and Jenny Bottomley (Plumb). LEACH, Clive 84: Currently a teacher. MA (Ed) – 98. COOMBS, Karen Elise Vincent 85: Currently a housewife. 3 children Lucy, Pippa and Harriet. Married to Simon Coombs (Peterhouse 83-86). Still in touch with Liesl Nye (Temple) living in Ireland and Martin Arthur living in London. McMAHAN, Sharon Watkins 85: Currently a part-time teacher for CIMA and History off the Page having previously been a teacher. Lives in Cambridge with hubby and 2 daughters 12 yrs and 8 yrs old. Teaches with CIMA and History Off the Page travelling quite widely taking historical recreation days into schools. Has met up with a few ex-Homertonians whilst visiting their school for the day. Also nice to see Homerton Students training in some of the schools visited – its good to keep up with news of old lecturers. Has even bumped into Trish Maude in some more local schools. In touch with a number of Homertonians. STOLZ, Victoria Burgan 85: Currently teaching English up to GCSE in a boys’ senior school, Birkdale in Sheffield, having previously been a Prep-school teacher at S. Anselm’s in Bakewell and a boarding houseparent to the 12-13 yr old girls. Exciting promotion to Head of Lower School at Birkdale from Sept. 2006, in charge as Senior Mistress of the 11-13 yr old boys (about 75 children in total. Thanks Homerton! DAVISON, Janet Chapman 86: Currently Deputy Head teacher of Junior school. MA(Ed) – 00 , NPQH – 05. Married Stuart in Feb. 2005 and son Douglas was born in March 2006. STAPLES, Caroline Moore 86: Currently a mother having previously been a teacher. TAYLOR, Samantha 86: From September will be Leader of Music in an Upper school having previously been Leader of Music in a Middle school. LTCL (piano teaching) - 95, MA (Music) OU – Dec 05. Will be teaching GCSE and A level music for the first time. Also very proud of MA gained last year. ALLEN, Alison Elizabeth Gamble 87: Currently a teacher. ANDREWS, Susan Jane 87: At present disabled and not working having previously been a primary teacher. C & G Cert in Computer Applications, Cert. Life Coaching – Jan 2006. Still suffering from M.E. so hasn’t worked

since Feb 2001, but hoping to retrain for a new career when health improves. HALEY, David J. 87: Currently Head of School Improvement Service for Coventry Local Authority, having previously been Senior Schools Inspector for Sandwell MBC. Post Grad. Cert. In Education (OU) – 93, MA (Educational Leadership and Management) – 98, OFSTED Inspector Accreditation – 03. YURKWICH, Sally Chater 87: Currently at home having previously been a teacher. ASHTON, Lisa Hughes 88: Currently a housewife having previously been a teacher. Chelsea College Cert. For Interior Design – 98. Daughter Charlotte is 17 months in June and now looking forward to baby No.2 in October. TARR, Anna Louise Neiseke 88: Currently an Administrator having previously been a Museum Assistant. BEN-ZE’EV, Emily Kushner 89: Currently a teacher. NPQH – 05, Achieved National Qualification for Head teachers. Married in Sept. 2005. CAIRNS, Ros Aisbitt 89: Now has a wonderful son, Samuel Joseph Cairns, born 02.03.06. HAIG, Fleur Johnson 89: Currently a nursery teacher having previously been a KS1 teacher. M.Ed – 00. INNIS, Helen Clare Nicholls 89: Currently a full-time mother having previously been a primary school teacher. Mum to Shannon who will be 2 in September.

1990s AUSTIN, Nicky Horrocks 90: Currently mum and PT teacher. BAYNES, Naomi Alison Horn 90: Full time mum having previously been Head of Music (Middle school). BOTTOMLEY, Sara Thompson 90: Currently a teacher. Lived in Nepal and taught for a Medical Mission School until 1999. Returned with husband, had 2 children and now work part-time as specialist teacher giving inset courses and training to teachers in multi-culturalism and RE. Also do specialist supply at KS1 and KS2 on cultural diversity and RE. GIBBS, Sarah Threadkell 90: Currently a full-time mother having previously been a teacher. Professional Diploma in religious Education (Nottingham) – 2000. TAYLOR, Ian Frederick 90: Currently a teacher and writer. M.A. – 1999.


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WATKINSON, Ruth Jackson 90: Currently a senior teacher. MA (Educational Studies) 1998, Postgraduate Diploma in Language and Communication Impairment – 2001. WHEATLEY, Rachel Kathleen Bailey 90: Currently a part-time teacher having previously been a deputy head teacher. Has a 2 year old daughter called Eleanor and in spare time, doing a Psychology degree with a view to becoming an Educational Psychologist. McGRATH, Gerard Francis 91: Currently a teacher and Dean of International students. NOCK, Cecile 91: Retired. SHORTMAN, Elizabeth Ryder 91: Currently full time mother having previously taught in International schools in Lesotho and Brunei. Has 2 children, Joshua 4 and Eleanor 1. We are hoping to home educate them at least initially and are getting in contact with other home educating families. Found working in International Schools a fascinating and broadening experience. SHORTMAN, Julian 91: Currently a pop music teacher for 2 – 11 year olds at an independent school having taught in International Schools in Lesotho and Brunei. TICKNER, Alison 91: Currently a freelance teacher having previously been a secondary school teacher. ARMSTRONG, Jenny Woodard 92: Currently a Field Studies tutor having previously been a teacher. Has 2 wonderful children, Jake born 14.04.02 and Eve born 24.09.04. Met up with few friends recently. Everyone well and hardly changed. BEATTIE, Lucy Ann Moses 92: Currently a PR Consultant having previously been a Fundraiser and Events Manager. Had a baby girl, Scarlett in August last year and have enjoyed 10 months at home getting to know the Bath baby scene. Bumped into Jo Whyte who has Ben and is 2 weeks younger, at post natal group. Getting married in July and now happily working 2.5 days for the Environment Agency. Must try to organise something for our 10 years since graduation in 2007. COX, Christopher John 92: Currently an Assistant Registrar having previously been an Administrative Officer. Moved to a post at LEA 12 months ago, and get married at College on January 6th 2007 to my partner Sarah. DALZIEL Christina 92: Currently a special school teacher. 1 yr O.U. Psychology Child Development. GOOD, Sara Elizabeth 92: Currently a teacher.

HORNSHAW, Justine Naylor 92: Currently a supply teacher having previously been a full time teacher. PRICE, Siân 92: Currently a teacher. TAYLOR-DURANT, Ruth Kathleen 92: Currently a full-time mum having previously been a PA and teacher. Bmus (Hons) – Sheffield University 1987, DipRSA – West Glamorgan IHE – 1988. HEMMINGS, Caroline Macey 93: Currently teaching Yr 5/6 at Plymtree Primary School. Married Adrian Hemmings 25/07/98. Christopher Peter born 14/10/03 and Dominic Paul born 17/02/06. MORRIS, Susan Smith 93: Currently deputy head having been a teacher. SINNOTT, Sharon Jane Russell 93: Currently a housewife and mum having previously been a teacher at a boys Prep school. Married Gavin Sinnott 2000, daughter Poppy 2002, son Noah 2004 and son Gabriel 2006. Still keep in touch with Kathy Kretzer, Jo Pepper, C McDonald, Caroline Lawley, Lucy Moses, Vicky Allan, Vicky Imerie, Jo James. REDWOOD, Claire Elizabeth Vincent 93: Currently teacher and mother. Postgraduate Diploma (OCR) in Specific Learning Difficulties – Sept. 2002 – June 2003. DALTON, Samantha Jane 94: Currently a teacher. DAVIS, Megan Grace Body 94: Currently part-time job hunting for Jan 07 (music teaching) having been a teacher. Joshua James was born 6th May 2006, a brother for Bethany Rose (01/02/03). FOURNIER, Isabelle 94: Currently a language consultant. Certificate for Teaching Foreign Languages to Adults – June 2002. Now an OU Assistant Lecturer which is enjoyed very much and an item writer for Asset Languages (Cambridge Assessment). KINGSMAN, Lara Anne Sampson 94: Currently a mother and housewife having previously been a music teacher. Very happy being a mother at home with three children. MARTIN, Kerri C Corcoran 94: Currently an English teacher at Eton College having previously been an English teacher at St. Helen’s, Northwood. Married to Roland, a Housemaster at Eton College and has 2 children, Jude born 2001 and Jemima born 2004. Has been teaching at Eton on and off since 2003 – part-time. Also edits Shakespeare Bookmark for the English Association. In touch with Kathryn Hardacre (Fewster) who has a son and daughter and Teresa Brockman (Linford) who is also married and has 2 sons.


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ROBERTSON, Andrew 94: Currently a deputy head. Married to Clare and has 2 children, Grace 2 and Alex 4 months. CURRIE, Helen Lloyd Parry 95: Currently a teacher. Married to Fergus Currie in 1999 and has 2 daughters – Elinor born 2003 and Miranda born 2005. GOWER, Sharon M. (known as Smog) 95: Currently a PPA cover teacher (part-time) having previously been a teacher/supply teacher. Was expecting first child (Tommy now 6) when sitting finals. He has a brother now (Freddie aged 4). Became a Christian last year and has recently been baptised. MANSON, Abigail Roper 95: Currently a Membership Manager at British Dyslexia Association having previously been a Children’s Information Centre Officer. MARTIN, Sarah E. Spraggs 95: Currently a History teacher. OSBORNE, Giles 95: Currently a teacher – AST (LEA) having previously been a Health Promotion Advisor. MA (Ed) 2005. Working as the lead AST for Kent LEA, running a recovery team that supports schools in category. In touch with Mark Halton, (St. Johns) but studied at Homerton, has just completed his second Olympics. PORTAS, Andrew 95: Currently Advanced skills teacher having previously been Head of Faculty (MFL).Working at Ringwood School (Specialist Language College). Married to Helen Clapham in Dec. 2002, South Regional finalist for ‘Secondary Teacher of the Year 2006’. Still in touch with Valerie Nollet now married with 2 children, living and working in Bahrain. SMITH, Wendy Humphreys 95: Currently Project Manager having previously been a teacher. STANLEY, Mark 95: Currently a teacher. Working at school in Liverpool in English department. SWAIN, Jason 95: Currently an IT Training Consultant having previously been a teacher. BREWIN, Alison 96: currently an educational psychologist having previously been a teacher. MSc Educational Psychology – 03 – 04. BROWNING, Lindsay Ann Dinmore 96: Currently a music teacher having previously been a reception teacher. DALE, Lesley Frances 96: Currently a teacher (Head of Geography). GAMMON, Amy Clarke 96: Currently a teacher. AST (Advanced Skills Teacher) 2004.

RICHARDSON, Victoria Knowles 96: Currently working in Mathematics Dept. Wellington School. SCHROEDER, Barbara 96: Currently a Civil Servant having previously been a teacher. MCIPS – 2006. AMBROSE, Charlotte Louise 97: Currently Supply teacher and Part-time PhD student. BATTY, Gemma Elizabeth Bowers 97: Currently teacher on maternity leave. Married Chris Batty (also at Homerton 97 - 01) in August 2003. Had a baby girl Ellen Elizabeth on 6th March 2006. BATTY, Christopher Robert 97: Currently Editor for Longman Books. Married Gemma Bowers August 2003 also at Homerton from 1997 – 2001. Had a baby girl Ellen Elizabeth on 6th March 2006. BUCK, Alison Elizabeth 97: Currently a reception teacher. CRAVEN, Jayne Marie Reynolds 97: Currently a full-time mum having previously been a teacher. HODSON, Philip Anthony 97: Currently Acupuncturist – Medical Sales Representative. PYE, Louise 97: Currently unemployed but training as a play therapist having previously been a teacher. Still in touch with Katrina McKay, Rowena Rothery, Elizabeth Philips and Hannah Davies. UPFIELD, Daniel 97: Currently a teacher. UPFIELD, Jennifer Louise Underhill 97: Currently a teacher. VOUSDEN, Brigid 97: Currently an L.S.A./Critical Thinking teacher (6th form) having previously been an LSA. WEST, Susan Jane 97: Currently a student adviser having previously been a teaching assistant. WHYTE, Josephine 97: Currently assistant head teacher. YOUNG, Andrew 97: Currently a part-time teacher/student. ANDERSON, Claire Elizabeth 98: Currently an Admissions Officer having previously been a Floor Manager. MA in Religious Education (University of Warwick) – June 2005, Graduated Jan 2006. Has been working in Admissions at Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent for a year. As well as admissions, is involved in schools and college liaison and helping students with university admission.


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BLOWERS, Hannah Rachel (Moore) 98: Currently a primary teacher. Proud mum to 2 girls, Kate 3 years and Meg 9 months. CHRISTENSEN, Liz Kirkman 98: Currently Head of Music having previously been a teacher. Married to Girtonian in 2003, Head of Dept. for Music since September 2005. New House and 2 dogs. DOD, Rosemary Siobhan Sandford 98: Currently Post Grad. Student at Homerton. Having previously been a secondary school teacher. FRENCH, Angela Carole 98: Currently Research & Information Officer for University of Greenwich having previously been a Library Assistant. MA – 2005, ECDL – 2005. HORN, Caroline Louise 98: Currently Administrator/PR for Aids Orphanage in South Africa having previously been a teacher. ADAMS, Abigail 99: Currently a teacher. BIRD, Lucy Wayman 99: Currently a full-time mother having previously been a primary teacher. DAVIS, Cath 99: Currently Instrumental music teacher (team leader) previously been a 9+ part-time classroom music teacher. After leaving Homerton, taught music at KS3 + 4 part-time at Witchford Village College whilst maintaining previous job as a part-time instrumental teacher. The birth of daughter Anna on Christmas Day 2003 led to working part-time for Cambridgeshire Instrumental Music Agency as well as enjoying the new roll as a mum. GASGOYNE-CECIL, Victoria Louise Sansom 99: Currently Yr3 / 4 teacher and co-ordinator of maths, ICT and science. GIBBONS, Mark Richard 99: Currently a deputy head teacher. GRIFFITHS, Laura 99: Currently Early Years Consultant having previously been a tutor. HAZELL, Trudy Martin 99: Currently Y6 class teacher. Expecting the birth of first child in August this year. HENNESSY, Neil James 99: Currently a student having previously been a rugby player. MPhil Sports Psych. – 2004. Currently undertaking MSc Coaching Science at UWK. Getting married to Rachel on 13th December, 2006. McNULTY, Alexandra Margaret 99: Currently a Literacy co-ordinator in a primary school.

NOTON, Sarah Louise 99: Currently a PhD student, University of Cambridge having previously been a laboratory research assistant. PHILPOTT, Maryam 99: Currently Graduate schools assistant, Imperial College and part-time PhD, Birkbeck, University of London. RICHARDSON, Hannah 99: Currently a medical clerk. SCOTT, Fenella 99: Currently a foundation teacher. SHEAF, Helen 99: Currently a teacher. TIFFEN, Victoria Booth 99: Currently a teacher. WOODCOCK, Melodie Louise 99: Currently a teacher having previously been a scientist.

2000s BERRIE, Victoria Chambers 00: Currently a primary teacher. BERRY OTTAWAY, Georgina 00: Currently a teacher at RGS High Wycombe. COLES, Daniel Joseph 00: Teacher and Head of History in a successful department. DEAN, Rebecca Elizabeth 00: Currently a Geography teacher. Living in Bristol with partner who is also a teacher! Teaching in Hartcliffe in the south of the city. Currently Key Stage 3 Co-ordinator for Humanities. ELLIS, Keith 00: Currently a teacher. FULLERTON, Lee 00: Currently Head of Year. GIBBONS, Karen Elizabeth Woodings 00: Currently a teacher. HULL, Marion Elizabeth 00: Currently Educational Psychologist having previously been a teacher. PAYNE, Catherine 00: Currently a teacher. SAINT, Claire 00: Currently a teacher. WAKEFIELD, Victoria Helen 00: Currently a Geography teacher. WOOLF, Christopher David 00: Currently a teacher. BEAL, Sue 01: Currently a primary teacher having previously been a Pre-school Leader. BROAD, Marie 01: Currently a charity worker.


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CREAMER, Claire 01: Currently a primary teacher having previously been a church leader. GAME, Kimberley 01: Currently a primary teacher. HARRIS, Leila 01: Currently a teacher. MA July 2006, Just begun EdD course (professional doctorate) May 2006. JAN, Yasmin 01: Currently a Secondary maths teacher, consultancy and training. JENNER, Andrew Jonathan Dermot 01: Currently a teacher. KELLY, Katherine Margaret 01: Currently primary French teacher having previously been a KS2/3 French teacher. RAWLINGS, Tracey 01: Currently mum at home having previously been a Nursery nurse. Having a break from work and study to look after Isaac Harry Rawlings born 10.10.05. SCOTT, Elizabeth 01: Currently a primary teacher. SHEPHERD, Amy Victoria 01: Currently a primary teacher. PGCE 2004-2005. TOPP, Hannah Newman 01: Currently a supply teacher having previously been a teacher of RS. ASHWIN, Lindsey 02: Currently a music teacher. BRIDEL, Zoe-Laura 02: Currently a student who will be returning to Homerton in September to complete Secondary PGCE in music. Post-Graduate Diploma in Performance (Timpani/Percussion) Trinity College of Music July 2006 – awaiting result. BROTHERTON, Abbey 02: Currently a teacher. CROSS, Caroline N. 02: Currently a teacher having previously been Deputy Head of Nursery. MOULTON, Neil 02: Currently an Art teacher. Engaged to Helen Waters, due to be married August 2007. ROBINSON, Gill Sandall 02: Currently a French and Spanish teacher. Married to Christopher Robinson (from Christ’s College) 12rh August 2005. Now living in Highgate, London and teaching French and Spanish at North London Collegiate School. ROSE, Anna C. 02: Currently a primary teacher. Gained PGCE (Primary) 23.06.06. STOTHART, Mark 02: Currently a teacher having previously been a counsellor. Have bought flats in

Canterbury, got job as Head of Psychology and applying to emigrate to Australia. Rob Hyde is happily settled as a lecturer in Halle, Germany and Mark Case is working in a primary school in Moscow. SWEETING, Laura Ann 02: Currently a teacher. VERNEY, Clare 02: Start teaching in September 2006. Got engaged to Matthew Cooke on 1st June 2006. DOWNS, Alistair John 03: Currently a teacher. MORRIS, Cathy Ann 03: Currently a primary teacher. RANDALL, Jennifer Lucy Holmes 03: Currently a teacher of science. Married Jacob Randall in August 2005. ABBOTT, The Rev Stephen John 04: Currently a part-time clergyman in the C. of E. CATCHPOLE, Hannah 04: Currently a primary teacher. JOHN, Alison 04: Currently a teacher. KOUTSIOUKIS, Vasilike 04: Currently a Yr 1 teacher. SCOTT, Laura 04: Currently a secondary music teacher. BATTY, Ellen Elizabeth – born 6th March 2006. BEATTIE, Scarlett – born August 2005. CAIRNS, Samuel Joseph – born 2nd March 2006. DAVIS, Joshua James – born 6th May 2006. DAVISON, Douglas – born March 2006. HEMMINGS, Dominic Paul – born 17th February 2006. RAWLINGS, Isaac Harry – born 10th October 2005. ROBERTSON, Alex – born March 2006. SINNOTT, Gabriel – born 2006.

ABBA, Dr. Hilda M 1936 – 38 died in late 2005.

Births

Deaths


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BEER, Kathleen Elsie (Bailey) 1938-1940 collapsed suddenly and died, aged 84, at her home at Longfield Lane, Ilkeston on November 1st 2004, surviving her husband by just two days. She had been in poor health for a number of years and suffered a stroke in 1982 yet had travelled to Derby City Hospital every day throughout October to be with him and was there when he passed away peacefully on October 30th. Born Kathleen Elsie Bailey in April 1920 at Middle Farm in Central Wingland near Kings Lynn, ‘Elsie’ was the youngest of nine children. She was brought up in a Methodist family and that upbringing remained with her throughout her life with her greatest involvement in the church being at Ilkeston in the 1950’s and 1960’s where she ran the Sunday School at Corporation Road Chapel. Educated at Spalding High School and Homerton College Cambridge where she trained to be a teacher, she was appointed to Gaywood Park School at Kings Lynn where she taught throughout the war. She was still there when she met ‘Syd’ who happened to be staying at her digs. After marrying in 1947 and honeymooning in north Wales they moved to Huddersfield where she was appointed to Birkby School. Her main subject was PE but she also taught English, Maths and Geography. She left the school to start a family in 1950 and moved to Ilkeston in June 1952. After Anne was born in 1954 she spent some time in hospital and, after her recovery, returned to teaching at the Longfield Childrens Hospital in the town and later was appointed to Ilkeston Grammar School. After a short spell at Hallcroft School she returned to the Grammar School and remained there for fifteen years until her retirement in 1980, teaching English pupils in the lower school and providing careers guidance for older pupils. She was very sportsminded and, after playing hockey, tennis, netball and cricket for Homerton College, was instrumental in setting up a hockey club in Kings Lynn during the war and was selected to play for Norfolk and later Yorkshire. On moving to Ilkeston she played for a while but in 1958 became involved in the organisation of Junior County Hockey in Derbyshire of which she was a secretary and selector until 1972/3. She was then elected treasurer and later president of the Derbyshire Womens Hockey Associated in which role she continued until 2002. In retirement Elsie and ‘Syd’ became interested in genealogy, researching both families’ history, producing a small book on life in South Lincolnshire between the wars. They took great interest in the achievements of their children and grandchildren, particularly grandsons Stephen (a film composer with credits such as Sinbad, Shrek 2 and Bridget Jones, the sequel) and Jonathan, already sailing at national level, but were very saddened when their daughter Anne fell seriously ill with Multiple Schlerosis.

She is survived by her two children, David and Anne, and by her four grandchildren, Timothy, Stephen, Jonathan and Alexander. A joint funeral took place at Bramcote Crematorium on Friday, 12th November 2004 at 1.00pm. David Beer November 2004 COLLIS, Dr Margaret [Peggy] O.B.E. 1932-34 One of the oldest Members of the Roll, Margaret passed away on Monday 6 February after a short illness. She was a regular attendee at Roll occasions in Cambridge. Margaret came to the Formal Dinner at the Reunion in September 2005. When asked how she was getting home so late in the evening she replied “I have lights on my motorised chair”! On leaving Homerton in 1934 she taught in Cambridge for 5 years, at both Junior and Secondary School. For 10 years she taught Science at Mellow Lane Secondary School in Hayes, Middlesex. In 1949 Margaret was appointed a Lecturer in Biology at Southlands Teachers’ Training College in Wimbledon and it was at this time that she wrote a number of articles for the School Science Review Journal about introducing young children to the wonders of Nature. After 5 years at Southlands she became an Education Inspector for Kent for a further 18 years. Whilst in semi-retirement she continued to make important contributions to Science Education as a member of the School Council ‘Learning through Science’ project. She was an active member of the University of the Third Age; the National Council of Women and the Trefoil Guild. Margaret was a classical example of those Homertonians who never stopped learning. In 1948 she gained a BSc in Zoology with 1st class Honours and then in 1954 was awarded her PhD in Zoology. In later life she would discuss issues raised in her U3A classes and seek information to update her knowledge. John A Hammond March 2006 MAXEY, Alison (Dryden) 1972 - 75 who died in November 2005 of leukaemia. Alison was born in Rugby in 1953 and spent six years in Australia as a child. We met when she was at Homerton and I was at Emmanuel. Alison left Homerton in 1975 and first worked for the Inland Revenue before starting a teaching job at a small prep school (Homefield, now part of Bilton Grange) near Rugby. She taught French and Drama there. I remember being hugely impressed by a production of The Boyfriend, given that none of the girls who performed in it could have been older than 12.


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Other happy memories of this period include accompanying small groups of pupils from Homefield to a cottage in Dumfries and Galloway for the May half term. During these years I was teaching in a variety of secondary schools near Rugby, where we lived. Alison always joined in with our foreign trips and exchanges, and was a fantastic support to me. She always showed such wisdom, and dealt with people (youngsters and adults alike) with such warmth, understanding and patience. In the late eighties, Alison joined me at Stoke Park and Community College in Coventry, first as a supply teacher, then as a full-time member of the languages department. This was a challenging school but Alison made a great success of her work there and was much loved by staff and pupils. We left the Midlands in 1992 and settled near Ely. Alison’s last job was at Witchford Village College, first as a part-time, then as a full-time teacher of French, and for the last few years as a full-time teacher of English. At various times she took up pastoral posts too, Head of Year and then Anti-Bullying Co-ordinator, and was very much involved in the local community as a Youth Worker and Parish Councillor. As an English teacher she really blossomed. She had always been an avid reader and lover of literature and poetry, and at last she had a full opportunity to share this love with young people. Besides these interests, she was also fascinated by, and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of film, music and the theatre and she was a keen and able gardener.

Richard Maxey May 2006

EMMANUEL, Mary Julia (Dunsmore) 1973 – 76 died from an aggressive form of breast cancer. Mary, who died aged 50 last Sunday, 9 October, will be sadly missed by her huge circle of friends and her many pupils, past and present. A charismatic English and Drama teacher, who always saw the potential in every adolescent, she helped innumerable children achieve results which surprised them and delighted their parents. Not content with the stressful life of a secondary school teacher, she loved to be active and threw herself enthusiastically into local Tunbridge Wells life. Whenever a volunteer was needed, Mary would be there. Her optimism and generosity, combined with a quick wit, humour and intelligence, won her friends wherever she went. She enjoyed a good party, as guest or hostess, and had a busy social life. Diagnosed with breast cancer last Christmas, she faced up to this final ordeal with characteristic bravery and good humour, never complaining. Mary Emanuel was brought up and educated in Oxford, the only girl in a family of four. As a school girl she

represented Oxfordshire in diving competitions, and became a powerful swimmer. The family house was always full of books and she read voraciously, developing what became a life long love, and wide knowledge, of literature. After leaving school, she attended Homerton College, Cambridge, and gained a Bachelor of Education degree. In her second year, at the age of 19, she met Peter Emanuel, law student at Trinity College. When Peter got his first job at Cripps Harries Hall, Mary followed him to Tunbridge Wells, and they were married in 1977. Her first teaching job was at Senacre School in Maidstone but after the birth of her son Oliver, in 1980, and her daughter Alice in 1982, Mary gave up teaching for some seven years, being firmly of the opinion that she should be a full-time mother until her children started school. It was during this period that she was a keen member of the National Childbirth Trust and, although a firm Anglican herself, an active participant in the Catholic Young Wives group attached to St Augustine’s Church. In these two groups she made friendships which lasted the rest of her life. When her children started school, Mary returned to teaching, working at Beechwood Sacred Heart. In 1987, when the road was completely blocked by trees blown down by the hurricane, it was typical of Mary that she walked to school, climbing over branches and tree-trunks to get to work. After some 12 years Mary decided she needed a change and, after a short time as a supply teacher she accepted a full-time job at Uplands Community College, Wadhurst where she was a member of staff until her death. Throughout her teaching career, groups of successive generations of Mary’s pupils were frequent visitors at the home of “Mrs E”, a sign of the trust and affection she engendered in those she taught. Mary was a member of the Tunbridge Wells Drama Club (now TTC) and The Pantiles Players, appearing on stage in several productions She was also a talented director, notably of The Rivals and She Stoops to Conquer. Latterly she became a stalwart member of the TTC back-stage crew, turning her hand to any job which needed doing. In her last few years, her allegiance to the Anglican Church deepened and she regularly attended King Charles the Martyr Church. Inevitably, she was soon on the Social Committee. After 9 months of painful and unsuccessful treatment for her cancer, facing successive disappointments with fortitude, Mary bravely resigned herself to death. She is deeply mourned by all who had the good fortune to meet her. McGOWAN, Beryl B (nee Barrow) 1918 – 2005

Beryl grew up in Liverpool in the 1920s and 1930s, first attending the local state junior school and at the age of 10 gaining a scholarship to Queen Mary’s High School from where she matriculated in 1936. Despite opposition from


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her Head, who wanted her to stay on a further year to try for university, Beryl was determined to go to Homerton and duly passed muster at interview with Miss Skillicorn, going up in 1936 when barely 18. The years in Cambridge were much loved and Beryl made friendships which were to last a lifetime – Edna Davidson and Marian Phillips (Hughes) both sadly no longer with us, and Margaret Kent (Barry) who is still in good form, were ever present parts of her life. Teaching practice, the probationary year, began in the autumn of 1938. War clouds were on the horizon and it was not long before a period was spent with the evacuation of children, in Beryl’s case to North Wales, and area she knew well from childhood holidays. This period did not last long and it was soon back to school in Liverpool where fund-raising for the War effort was clearly an important part of life. On one occasion, the school (Blackmoor Park) raised over £3,000, an enormous sum for those days and equivalent to £90,000 in today’s money. Beryl met her husband to be, Vincent “Mac” McGowan, in 1943 and they were married in 1944. Their marriage lasted over 50 years until Mac’s death in 1996 and was the bedrock of her life. Mac was also a teacher and when Beryl took a career break in 1948 shortly before the birth of her first son in 1949 and second in 1951, the pattern of her life then followed that of her husband. His first major promotion to a secondary school Deputy Headship took the family to rural Herefordshire and it was here that Beryl was invited back to junior school teaching on the same site. Mac’s final move was to the Headship of a brand new secondary modern school in Windsor and this brought the family to Maidenhead in 1958. Once in Maidenhead, Beryl continued in teaching but on this occasion also moved into the secondary modern sector. Both she and Mac believed strongly that teachers outside the grammar school system often underestimated the capabilities of their pupils. Their underlying principal was that children (and adults) will live up to your expectations. Both proceeded to achieve exceptional results with their pupils. Beryl ultimately moved twice to become Deputy and then Head of Westgate School in Slough. Lifetime learning was very much Beryl’s modus vivendi, and while at Westgate she took an external B.Ed degree at Reading University, including a dissertation on the function of the educational psychologist with reference to her secondary school experiences. During the difficult economic years of the mid and late1970s, she managed to obtain funding to allow the establishment of an extra year at her school so that some of the less gifted would have a chance to improve their qualifications rather than face the almost certain prospect of the scrap heap of unemployment. Finally, in 1981 with unemployment still high and a number of good years in front of her, Beryl

decided to take early retirement to make way for another on the employment ladder. This was simply the beginning of another era. Remaining a very active member of the local community, Beryl spent a further 15 years as an adviser at the Slough Citizens Advice Bureau, only stopping that role when age rules forced retirement. She was also an active member of the Soroptomists, making many international friends during her foreign travels which had become a feature of her life since camping holidays around Europe in the early 1960s with her family, and undertook other voluntary work. Throughout her life, the Church (English Presbyterian then United Reformed) was very important. Beryl maintained a very active interest in young people, initially teaching in the Sunday school. Subsequently from the mid-1990s, she trained to become a lay preacher and remained active in this role right up to her death, preaching monthly on a local circuit of churches. Lifetime learning also remained a theme with active membership of the local branch of U3A and also taking computer qualifications in her early 80s. Active gardening (gardening was one of the subjects Beryl took at Homerton) helped maintain Beryl’s fitness and young looks. (It is true to say that the first time I thought of her as looking old was in the last six months of her life as her health faded). Her 300 foot garden was gradually evolved to become less labour intensive but most days she would spend a little time enjoying it and doing something. Latterly, Beryl’s health did take a turn for the worse. 2004 was a difficult year culminating in a triple heart by-pass and although she seemed to recover well from this, (preaching within four weeks of the operation) there always seemed to be something not quite right. This in the end turned out to be pancreatic cancer which was diagnosed in early September 2005. To the end, Beryl remained stoical, completing her last preaching appointment at the end of October. She was an inspiration to many and will be sadly missed.

Robert G McGowan 19th June 2006

MORTIMER, Joanne Louise: Homerton 97-8. An English teacher from Thames Ditton has died after a year-long battle with cancer. Jo Mortimer, 29, taught at Howard of Effingham School for more than four years and was promoted to deputy head of English before becoming ill last year. Family and friends paid their respects at a funeral service last week at St. Nicholas’ Church in the village. Headteacher Rhona Barnfield described Miss Mortimer as a “very effective teacher” and “real asset” to the English faculty. “She had a sunny personality with a


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delightful sense of humour,” she said. “Jo was popular, respected, loved and will be missed by all who knew her. She is particularly missed by students and colleagues in the 6th form where she taught Media English.” Miss Mortimer was a former teacher at St. Andrew’s school in Ashtead, where she taught for two years before taking up her post at Howard of Effingham in 2001. When she joined the school, she had never taught media studies A-level. However, Mrs. Barnfield said that when she was given the opportunity, she showed “customary enthusiasm” for the subject and became very active in it. She was also a tireless member of staff, helping to write the script for the staff Christmas pantomime and playing various parts in successive years. In a letter to parents, Mrs. Barnfield said “Although she has not been at the school for some time, Miss Mortimer is remembered with great fondness by staff and many students and our thoughts are with her family and friends.”

Article from the Esher News & Mail 06/04/06.

SHAW, Betty (1911-2005)

Betty Shaw Remembered

Betty Shaw, who was Head of the Drama Department at Homerton College 1953-75, died in December 2005. Her friend and colleague Joyce Skinner wrote this tribute. Betty and I joined the Homerton staff at about the same time in the early 1950s. She graduated from the Central School of Speech and Drama and came to us after a spell of teaching in New Zealand. We continued as colleagues for twelve years and then as good friends until her death last December. Betty did much not only for her Speech and Drama students, but contributed a great deal to the speaking skills of all students as well as to the dramatic life of the College. She was an excellent personal tutor and a very accessible member of the resident staff. Witty and warm-hearted, she added greatly to the social and literary life of both the SCR and the College as a whole. We had some lovely holidays together in France, Italy and the Holy Land. Betty’s retirement was spent in her charming house and garden in Kelsale, Suffolk, with her dog and cat. She made many friends in the village, particularly through the Church and her reading group. Betty added much to the life both of Homerton and of Kelsale.

Joyce Skinner. Lecturer in History 1952-64 and vice-principal 1960-64

Betty Shaw

I was not a Drama student at Homerton, but remember Betty Shaw very well. We were the first of the three-year trained students and so our first summer, in 1961, was the last summer for students in the year ahead of us. For their final, end-of-year assessment, Betty directed the second year Drama students in a production of Mrs Henry Wood’s ‘East Lynne’. We crowded into the gym (a semi-conscript audience) prepared to be bored and embarrassed. How wrong we were! We were faced with a slick, fast-moving, professional performance that never slipped or missed a trick. At the time, few of us appreciated the problems involved in putting on a Victorian melodrama. We just loved it and laughed until we cried.

Rosemary Rees (Dawson 1960-63, Editor)

Betty Shaw Good afternoon everyone. My name is Carole Evans and I had the great good fortune to be one of Betty’s, Miss Shaw’s, students at Homerton College in Cambridge in the late 1950s. In a golden career, there were so many students –in 6 years at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and 22 years at Homerton – and so many plays- even in my experience – from the diversity of Wilde’s wit in the Importance of Being Ernest –to the melodrama of East Lynne – and ‘Dead, dead and never lived to call me mother.’ We had such fun with Betty. She was inspirational, a hard task master and utterly enchanting. Betty’s family have received many letters from former students in appreciation of her influence on their lives. Here are some snippets. ‘I shall always remember the theatrical representation’ lectures she gave at Central, sending us off down to the V and A to check on the precise dates of the period furniture and to the portrait Gallery to check on the cravats or knee breeches. Woe betide us if we got it wrong. “He wouldn’t have worn THAT in the 1580s, it didn’t reach England from the Low countries until 1609!” I loved it! ‘ And from Homerton. She was wise and kind and it was to her that we went with our troubles. She always had time to sit and listen, give good advice and gentle comfort. This quiet warm Betty, so different from Betty the director, the producer, the slave driver at rehearsals, the perfectionist who drove us mercilessly to bring out the best in each of us. And another… She was a superb teacher. She certainly gave me the confidence to dream that I might go on to do a spell at a drama school.(probably just as well that I didn't go down that path!)


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And again….. 'Betty was formidable even then on her demands on her students that her productions took precedence over anything else going on in Cambridge. We remember one occasion during rehearsal, when Betty thought there ought to be a break and asked what time it was....’One am Miss Shaw'! was the reply... What a golden career, what a lovely lady. Thank you, Miss Shaw, from all of us.

Carole Evans (1959-61)

Betty Shaw I was so sad to hear that Betty Shaw had died. She was a stimulating teacher of Drama and very knowledgeable. Whilst at the Central School she taught Jeremy Brett and later of course Julie Covington and Jan Harvey at Homerton. Her sheer hard work left one gasping. In 1951 my group performed ‘The Critic’ by Sheridan. There are twenty-seven characters and Betty made all the costumes single-handedly – complicated eighteenth century ones and Elizabethan ones for the play within the play. Phenomenal! Betty was also a most kindly and sympathetic tutor to anyone with problems. We were not numbers. We were all individuals to Betty. She will be remembered with affection by many generations of Homertonians.

Gillian Erskine (Wilson 1954-56)

STOCKELL, Madeleine Macfarlane Harley 1959- 1961. Madeleine Stokell, who died on December 21st 2005, after a long and courageous fight against cancer, six weeks short of her 69th birthday, lived a rich and varied life, and her crowded funeral service at Wantage Methodist Church, paid tribute to her determination to continue her affections and her friendships to the end. She wanted the theme of the service to be “home going” much more than “good by” and was worried about pain, but not about dying, fortified as she was in spirit and courage by her solid belief. “Just because you are a Christian” she averred, “it doesn’t mean a tree isn’t going to fall on you.” She integrated her deep thoughtful Christian faith with an enormous love of life in all its fullness, a combination which proved the greatest inspiration to everyone. She was the last of four children of the Reverend K. M. Harley, a Congregationalist minister for nearly forty

years. She was at school at Milton Mount College, a Congregationalist foundation near Crawley which aimed to provide education for young women to fit them to be good wives to ministers – an irony not lost on Madeleine when she in her turn at the age of 46 became a missionary married to another missionary! Later she studied at Hatfield Tech., now a University in its own right, and at the Universities of Southampton and Cambridge. Her remarkable personality and range of interests were displayed in a love of music, especially singing, of politics, of imaginative holidays, of dog-breeding and showing, and above all in Congregationalism and church work generally, especially with young people. Tributes sent to the family praised her skill in emphasising that you can have a brain and yet believe in the Gospel, being a Christian didn’t mean you couldn’t have fun. After several years of teaching, including a difficult period in a Suffolk school containing many children from East End “overspill” families (to which she was driven by a dutiful social conscience), Madeleine returned to Radlett to look after her mother, working as an Assistant Secretary in a teachers’ trade union. She took great delight in later years in rehoning the skills she used there as a valued Clerk to several boards of school governors in Oxfordshire who found her experience invaluable in many challenging situations. In 1977 she married Geoffrey, then a widower with three young children, which remade and rejuvenated both of them. Both Madeleine and Geoffrey were delighted by the extended family each brought to the other, and Madeleine remained a special aunt to nieces and nephews all her life. The assumption of a whole new family, the joyous birth of Abigail, and years in America and in Tanzania brought a vast range of new experiences. Throughout all of this varied life, she displayed her resolute belief in the divine combination of present and future. After a short period of “sermon tasting” in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, The Stokells lit on Home Moravian Church and were sponsored into membership there by Gil and Beth Frank. They said later they felt they had been Moravians all their lives without knowing it, and the memories of that American welcome never faded. In 1981 they returned to England and in response to an appeal by Br. Bob Bird offered for work in Tabora, Tanzania, where they were to spend twelve years. Madeleine was able to teach ‘Scripture’ in secondary schools, and in addition, developed a large following for her domestic screening of videos sent out from the UK. The young people made an ideal medium for her instruction, demanding extra lessons in their own time and beseeching her to give them more homework. As she taught in English her classes were joined by Muslims and Sikhs anxious to study, and she would recall, with a wicked smile, how she delighted in teaching them songs about the Trinity. She was able to continue her teaching after a transfer to the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service in Dar-es-Salaam, and delegates to the Unity


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Synod in 1995 will remember the hospitality she provided to several of them then. She extended her contribution to local education by serving during a difficult period as Chairman of the Board of Governance of the International School of Tanzania in Dar. The large house in Wantage which the Stokells returned to in 1996 also gave opportunities to continue the firm friendships made in Tanzania, especially for visitors from overseas. Both Geoffrey and Madeleine joined the official roll of Lay Preachers in 1977, and Madeleine’s Crufts winning dog “Dotti” was a welcome sight in many Western District pews. Madeleine’s last service was at Malmesbury on December 18, but by this time she was too ill to take it, and Geoffrey delivered it on her behalf. Her message to all, however, was contained in the last hymn at her funeral service. It was also sung at her wedding and reiterated the creed on which her faith was based, from its opening line “All my hope on God is founded” to its close “Christ doth call one and all, ye who follow shall not fall”. As she would have wished, it was sung vigorously and joyously, a witness to her abiding confidence in the promise of salvation.

Roll News 2006

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Transcript of Roll News 2006