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ONLINE MAGAZINE FOR THE OLD NORTH LONDONERS’ ASSOCIATION | ISSUE 22 | 2017

ONLS AROUND THE WORLD Madagascar Mexico Melbourne New York

PLEASE CONTACT US POSTAL ADDRESS

ONLine, Alumnae and Development Office, Canons, Canons Drive, Edgware HA8 7RJ EMAIL

onla@nlcs.org.uk TELEPHONE

020 8951 6475

EDITORIAL TEAM PRODUCER

Carolina Jayson (ONL 1991), NLCS Alumnae and Development Officer ARTS COLUMNIST

Chloé Nelkin (ONL 2006) ARCHIVES COLUMNIST

Joelaine Fitch (ONL 2006)

The desire to encourage a culture of internationalism, with the importance of understanding the cultures of others through travel and exploration and deeper engagement, has been a characteristic of our School since it was first founded. In this edition of ONLine, Chloé Nelkin (2006) has written an article telling of the importance our Founder, Frances Mary Buss, attached to travel. This cosmopolitan ethos is still very much alive today at Canons.

During the last year, overseas visits have continued to enhance our students’ education and broaden their outlook, with some 45 trips and exchanges to places such as Bogota, Naples, The Western Front, Fontainebleau and Jeju. Pupils pursued their passions for both the sea and the slopes by representing the School in the Independent Schools Surf Championships in Cornwall, and the British Schoolgirls’ Ski Races in Flaine.

An increasing number of our students are considering the option of American universities. In response to this interest, we welcomed admissions staff from Princeton, Tufts and Yale Universities to an evening attended by students, parents and visitors from other London schools. Attendees learnt more about these prestigious universities and the opportunities available across the Atlantic for UK students.

As you know, a North London Collegiate education encourages our students to develop a sense of social responsibility and make a difference to the world around them. To this end, girls travelled again to Zambia last summer, and took part in the ninth year of our partnership with the Flying Angels School in Lusaka. We also launched a new charitable expedition to Uzbekistan, which gave the girls an opportunity to work with the local community in the Nuratau Mountains.

NLCS Dubai, our second overseas school, will open this September. A particularly exciting part of this project is the opportunity for service which it will offer. The Chairman of Sobha (an Indian-owned property development company, and our partner in the NLCS Dubai venture) has devoted half of his wealth to a charitable project in Kerala, his home state in India, in 2

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which he supports over 2000 people across three villages; providing food and clothing, education, healthcare, housing and jobs for young widows, and care for elderly people.

The community service opportunities offered by this project, particularly in the school and hospital located there, are very exciting, and plans are underway to ensure the most is made of these opportunities for students at home and in our overseas campuses, as well as ONLs. I think Miss Buss would be proud to see how NLCS prepares students today for lives which will often take them overseas.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the articles from our ONLs in this issue of ONLine.

What shone through was their confidence and sense of adventure as they embarked on these exciting worldwide opportunities.

I am delighted to hear that they feel their school days contributed, at least in part, to this adventurous spirit.

We are keen to support our students in their desire to travel and learn way beyond their time at School. For this reason we offer annual Travel Award Bursaries for ONLs. These help with the cost of travel and support their desire to explore, whatever their stage of life.

I know many of you are now aware that I shall be stepping down as Headmistress at the end of this academic year, having had the privilege of leading North London Collegiate School for 20 years. When you feel as connected to a school as I do to NLCS, this is a very difficult decision to make and I shall miss the inspiration and warmth of the community here at Canons immensely.

However, I am very excited about my new role as the Director of NLCS International Schools and Education Strategy, chairing the Academic Board of NLCS Heads at home and abroad, as NLCS Enterprises continues to expand its international educational footprint in a way that brings exciting educational opportunities to our students in London as well as to those in our overseas schools and around the world.

With best wishes, Bernice McCabe Headmistress

EDITOR’S WELCOME This year’s ONLine sees us travelling from Madagascar to Nova Scotia to hear about how ONLs settle, thrive and make lives for themselves in all corners of the globe. I often find that wherever I go, I always meet an ONL and this edition proves just how far our community stretches! I have found it really interesting reading these articles and learning about the lives and careers some of our alumnae have made for themselves around the world. Wherever you are in the world, ONLine and the Alumnae Office would love to hear from you so please do get in touch!

2018’s theme is based on ‘Following our Passions’. We always welcome new contributors, so if you are interested, or know someone who may be interested in writing for us, feel free to let us know!

Holly Levy (née O’Connell, 2003) ONLine Editor

ONLA AWARDS

ONLA Travel Award winner

Nepal Earthquake Relief Venture WRITTEN BY KATYA KAN (2005)

My trip to Nepal was the most memorable journey I have made in many years.

Thanks to Lokendra Badu Earthquake Relief Charity Venture, I ended up helping out with a school in Kathmandu called the North Pole Academy Secondary School. My responsibilities included teaching English and Art. I have never met such kind, giving people, who accept nothing in return.

I became particularly close to the children of Rama and Naba Thapa: Aadarsh and Nabendu. Every evening after school they invited me to their house, where I taught these children how to draw and to improve their English. I was impressed by their high standard of English overall. They spoke English with confidence and fluency, and had no fear of welcoming strangers such as myself into their house. This was in part explained by their family’s tradition of accepting couch surfers despite the small size of their home. One memorable incident was when I gave their daughter some handmade jewellery and let her try on some new lipstick. Her excitement was so sincere, innocent and untainted that it made me feel like a child again. Naba, the children’s father, was similarly kind enough to show me Kathmandu on his motorbike.

Kathmandu is extremely difficult to get around unless you either have a motorbike

and a good sense of direction or know an insider who can give you a candid city tour. Naba showed me many monuments destroyed by the earthquake. On the way, I bought some food for a homeless girl, as he told me that money can easily lead the children to pass it on to dishonest hands of the adults, who are behind their efforts.

The places, which I remember best are the earthquake-hit temple near Durbar Square as well as the Swayambhunath Temple on an exquisite mountain top, overlooking the city. These places really gave me inspiration to come back to Nepal and visit the Annapurna basecamp as well as to paraglide through the mountains one day. Upon leaving Kathmandu, I contributed some funds to Naba’s earthquake relief fund. Incidentally, Naba works as a professional trekking and tour guide for the Mountain Air Guided Adventures Ltd. Company, so if any of my readers ever travel to Nepal in the future, feel free to contact him via e-mail or give him a call directly on his Nepali number via Whatsapp: +9779851005685 or on Facebook: Naba Thapa. I recommend everyone to volunteer in Nepal at least once in your life. As they say, you will always regret more what you haven’t done rather than what you have in life.

From top left Katya with

the Rasta looking priests in Kathmandu during an after-school excursion The students’ mother and Katya in their garden in Kathmandu A typical Nepali lunch at the North Pole Academy Secondary School Two of Katya’s students in their home environment in Kathmandu, where she often spent her afternoons

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ONLA AWARDS

ONLA Travel Award Winner

Harvard Medical School WRITTEN BY ALICE TANG (2013)

I’m grateful to the ONLA Committee for their kind contribution towards a Travel Award, which made my work in the US possible this summer. I spent a total of twelve weeks working at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital under the supervision of Dr Huabiao Chen within the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center directed by Prof Mark Poznansky.

Most of the work I did focused on ovarian cancer research, though I also took part in three interesting lab projects. We looked at novel research stemming from HIV with regards to the immune system’s ability to generate an anti-tumour response, I helped in a project to develop a flu vaccine and finally worked on using biomaterials in ovarian cancer to better model tumour formation. I met and debated with Michael Sandel, author of Justice and a leading Harvard Professor of Political Philosophy, I met the family of Henrietta Lacks, a woman whose cancer cells are used ubiquitously in the lab, and made many, many new friends that I will keep for life. It has been an invaluable experience for me; I intend to continue with medical research, enter the field of medical start-ups and bring disruptive change to medicine in the NHS and further afield.

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I also helped in a project to develop a flu vaccine and finally using biomaterials in ovarian cancer to better model tumour formation.

Above Lab Group at

Harvard Medical School

Opposite Rehabilitation Centre in South Sudan

ONLA Academic Award Winner

Gender and Social Inequality Study

WRITTEN BY RANI SELVARAJAH (2009)

Women make up two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people and less than 20% of the world’s landholders. Thanks to the ONLA Academic Award I had the opportunity to study gender and social inequality as part of my postgraduate studies in Poverty Reduction at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) and understand some of the factors behind these shocking statistics. Since completing this course I have gained a thorough understanding of theories of gender and female empowerment and current debates over how to incorporate these into policy and development programme planning.

The strong emphasis the course places on how to implement the theory practically on the ground made the course so valuable. As someone who works for an international development organisation, I have long known about our programmes to support women and girls but now I have the academic insight into the nuances and potential impact of such programmes in my day-to-day work and beyond as I progress in my career.

Such a positive experience of this course has given me the push I needed to continue my postgraduate education to Masters Level, something I may have not done were it not for an ONLA Academic Award.

Credit: Marco Di Lauro | Photographer

ONLA AWARDS

ONLA Travel Award Winner

Rehabilitation Skills Training in South Sudan WRITTEN BY CATHY O’CONNOR (1978)

A team of eight from our NHS Hospital in Winchester travelled to the town of Yei in South Sudan, staying in the secure hospital compound. I was asked to do some training in rehabilitation skills for the charity Handicap International.

I did five days of training for 18 hospital and community staff. A few of the nurses were very knowledgeable, while others knew very little. Many of them will have had little formal education, as school, and ‘normal life’ have been interrupted by years of civil war. The training went well and I had some positive feedback.

Following that, I spent two days in the

community visiting patients with other charity workers. Travel there is quite an adventure. It was like driving through a jungle at times, to reach little communities of single-roomed huts. It was a sobering experience, seeing patients living in very basic conditions, with their family doing an amazing job in caring for them, with no extra help, and no resources.

Some of what we saw was distressing, but I was very impressed by the work of HI and the enthusiasm of their workers. I came home with a fresh appreciation for our wonderful health service in the UK. The ONLA Travel Award helped make this possible.

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EVERYBODY NEEDS GOOD NEIGHBOURS WRITTEN BY EMMA GORDON (1996)

IMAGE: Solo 7–Kibera

It started as a joke. When I took over the job of editing the Neighbours website, my employers warned me that under no circumstances would it involve a free trip to Melbourne. However, when my Australian colleague resigned (rightly miffed at some English upstart questioning her use of commas), my manager teased that it would be easier if I could just go and do the job myself. Ha ha ha, I laughed. Wouldn’t that be something?

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week later I was on holiday when a text came through. ‘Were you serious about Australia?

Because HR can make it happen.’ I had just bought a small flat but had little else tying me to the UK. I’d already spent a gap year in Israel and a semester-long internship in Washington DC so moving away from home temporarily didn’t scare me. I figured even if I made no friends and talked to nobody at all, I could last six months.

So visas were arranged, late night conference calls were had and there were farewell drinks in the hilariously themed Walkabout pub. Then I got on a plane, sat in my business class seat, took a glass of champagne and realised what a monumentally stupid thing I was about to do. I had never been to Australia. I didn’t know anyone in Australia. I had a hotel booked for two weeks but I was going to have to find a car, somewhere to live, open a bank account… things I had completely taken for granted in the UK. I spent pretty much the entire twenty-four hour flight in tears. I arrived at some ungodly hour of the morning and then couldn’t even work out the international code to call home. None of this boded well.

Determined not to let the challenge beat me, I headed to the beach to clear my head. Australians - with absolutely no sense of Crocodile Dundee irony - will tell you that the stretch of sand alongside Melbourne is not a beach (Bondi is a beach) but for a girl from the north-western suburbs of London, it was heaven.

Suddenly, I felt it might just work out after all.

HR had applied for the maximum two-and-a-half year visa but I assured everyone I’d be home within twelve months. Eleven years later, my dad still likes to remind me of that. However, those first years (which also happened to be the last of my twenties) passed in a joyous blur. Many of the actors on the show had also relocated for work and we became a little orphan family (that got free tickets to stuff and queue-jumped with impunity).

Eventually, though, my itinerant friends all moved to take the next step in their careers. Inspired by their drive and ambition (and with my visa about to run out anyway) I approached the executive producer about transitioning to the script department. She arranged a trial for me. One week. Sink or swim.

I embraced the opportunity with a ‘nothing left to lose’ spirit that was, I have since been informed, terrifying to those who’d never met an ONL before. I was offered a more permanent job and more visas were hastily arranged. Having wanted to be a writer since even before my NLCS days (and I was in the Junior School), I couldn’t believe it had taken me so long to jump in and give it a go.

I spent the next year working my way up the ladder from storyliner to story editor and then, much to everyone’s surprise, script producer. On the day I applied for the job, the executive producer smiled approvingly. ‘Yes. OK. I have also applied for jobs I wasn’t qualified for. Good on you.’ The learning curve was steep and the workload punishing but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

It was also there that I met my husband. A fellow writer, I fell for him the moment he pitched a comedy story for Lou Carpenter. My parents haven’t quite given up the hope that we’ll move back to England (preferably before my one-year-old son forms any unshakeable sporting allegiances) but there’s a lot more to Melbourne besides the residents of Ramsay Street.

It has a vibrant arts scene, a decadent obsession with food and drink and some breathtakingly beautiful scenery. Although the weather is something of a joke to the rest of Australia, I love the fact that it has four seasons, often in one day (which is where the Crowded House song comes from). The summers are long and warm, the winters cold enough for coats and mulled wine. You can surf an hour or so down the coast or ski an hour or so into the mountains. It even rains occasionally… just in case I ever get homesick.

Opposite Emma Gordon with Vicky Pollard on Ramsay Street Top left Emma Gordon, script producer, at work Top right Feeding wallabies

in Melbourne

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EXPAT LIFE IN MEXICO… More Than Just Sun, Beach And Tacos

WRITTEN BY HANNAH BRECKNER (2003)

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ONLS AROUND THE WORLD

Left The Pacific Coast

IMAGE: Solo 7–Kibera

J

ust over ten years ago at the age of 21, I set off for my university year abroad with a suitcase, a return ticket for 12 months’ time, and a keen sense of adventure. I spent the

year in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city, blissfully unaware at the time that one day this city would be where I called home. I studied for a BA in Hispanic Studies at the University of Birmingham (2004 – 2008) and when our third ‘sandwich’ year abroad options were presented to us, Guadalajara seemed to tick all the boxes as a great place to spend the year: good universities, a vibrant student life, the perfect mix of culture and nightlife, and a well-located base from which to explore the rest of Mexico. As the cliché goes, my year abroad in Mexico was one of the best years of my life, filled with travel, memories, adventure, new friends… and I also met a lovely Mexican guy who would go on to become my husband.

Fast-forward ten years, a long-distance relationship with lots of visits back and forth, various jobs in UK and Mexico, and my dream wedding on my favourite Mexican beach, I am now happily settled back in Guadalajara with plans to stay for good this time. It has been a long journey, but we have finally decided that Guadalajara seems to be the right place for both of us, our careers and our future.

Mexico is a fascinating and breathtakingly beautiful country. It is a colourful, passionate, unpredictable and exhilarating place to live, with a breadth of cultural traditions and customs, and a people that are warm, generous and welcoming. Although it was the idea of sun, sea, tacos and tequila that originally lured me to spend my year abroad here, I soon learned there is so much more to the country, and I continue to learn new things every day.

Guadalajara itself is a large cosmopolitan city in the Western-Pacific area of Mexico, with a population of around 1.5 million, and a three-hour-drive from the Pacific coast. It is a city full of contrasts and contradictions. On one hand, we have impressive, modern skyscrapers, sprawling shopping ‘malls’, American retail and restaurant chains such as Walmart, Costco and The Cheesecake Factory, Starbucks and Krispy Kreme drive-thru’s, luxurious cinemas where sushi is served to your seat, and valet parking everywhere you go. However, on the other hand, and from one road to the next, we have communities living in extreme poverty without running water or electricity, an inadequate

public transport and road system throughout the city which floods every time it rains and causes hours of traffic due to crazy driving, and badly organised infrastructure, impoverished children selling sweets on almost every corner, a corrupt police force and local government that use the taxpayers’ money for their own interests, drug trafficking-related violence, and many other similar and tragic issues associated with ‘third world’ countries. On a daily basis, and in every aspect of society, you see extreme wealth coupled with extreme poverty, with an obvious and uncomfortable divide between the two, and no middle class.

I work full-time as a freelance translator, translating anything from marriage and birth certificates, to UN or EU government documentation. I work with both local clients and agencies in the UK and US, specialising in the legal, government, business and tourism sectors. I enjoy the flexibility and freedom that freelancing gives me, and my work is usually varied and interesting. I have always been passionate about language and linguistics, so a career in translation feels like the perfect fit and I am fortunate that native translators are in demand here.

I love living here and I feel grateful every morning, not only for the sunny blue skies and frequent weekends away to the beach, but also for the laid back, spontaneous way of life, where people seem to live each day to the fullest and not sweat the small things as much. Living away from the Western bubble gives you a different world perspective and I have definitely broadened my mindset, values and outlook since being here. I do sometimes find it tough living in such a ‘backward’, old-fashioned and religious society, where the people have much more traditional and conservative views than I was brought up with, and it can also be hard to enjoy our privileged ‘expat’ lifestyle when there is so much poverty all around. I try to do my bit by giving back a couple of times a week through volunteering at local orphanages and soup kitchens as part of a women’s volunteering group; it is rewarding and insightful, but also terribly sad to see some of the circumstances adults and children are living in.

If anyone reading this has any questions at all about living abroad, a career in translation or Mexico in general, I would be more than happy to help, and my contact details can be requested from the Alumnae Office.

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Photography by Laura Dinraths

CANONS TO CONSERVATION WRITTEN BY PATRICIA DAVIS (1995)

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s far back as I can remember, I always dreamt of being a vet. Not just any vet. An exotic wildlife vet, following in the footsteps of David Taylor, darting rhino from a helicopter or lassoing elephants from a four-wheel drive on the African savannah. By the age of seven, I had already drafted floor plans of my veterinary surgery and by sixteen I had racked up several months of voluntary experience at small and large animal prac10

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tices, animal welfare centres and farms.

So, when I eventually failed to achieve the required A, A, B in the three sciences at A-level, I was understandably shocked and devastated. My conditional place at the Royal Veterinary School was offered to another candidate, despite my pleas to them to re-consider and I was left wondering what on earth to do with my life.

I knew I loved nature and animals as well as the outdoors lifestyle - one of the

suggested careers generated by the school careers analysis system was ‘gardener’, but I just didn’t feel that was going to cut the mustard. My teachers advised me to consider applying for Zoology through clearing; there were places available at Imperial College, Edinburgh University and Oxford University. The latter required an interview and I went up by train to talk to the college tutor, who turned out to be the quintessential eccentric academic; a

ONLS AROUND THE WORLD

Photography by USAID PACAM

Photography by Laura Dinraths Opposite The endangered Green Sea Turtle Chelonis mydas Left the endangered Dugong Top right Patricia with

representatives from USAID and Fiji Fisheries Department at their latest project launch

neuroscientist, apparently infamous for testing out his techniques on his students.

Amazingly, I was offered the place and started the course with a degree of excitement and trepidation as I had never really considered myself ‘Oxbridge material’.

In my second year I had the opportunity to join the University Scuba-Diving Club and take a course to become a ‘Sports Diver’. This involved a lot of pool sessions, culminating in an exciting trip to the Cornish coast, where we stayed in caravans and were officially certified after our ‘open water’ dives in 12°C water. Entering the underwater realm truly opened my eyes to a previously unknown and fascinating world; I was officially hooked! I started to read classics about underwater exploration by Hans Hasse, Jacques Cousteau and Sylvia Earle and envisaged myself diving in exotic waters around the globe to save endangered species.

After graduating, I travelled to the largest continuous coral reef system in the world, the Great Barrier Reef, in Queensland, Australia. After a six-month internship researching coral reproduction and inventorying invertebrates collected in trawls, I was ready to embark on a Master’s degree in Marine Protected Area Management at James Cook University.

Australia was the ultimate place to indulge in my passion for weird and wonderful creatures; I lived between the rainforests, home to cassowaries and tree kangaroos and the coral reefs, where I could snorkel with minke whales and dive with sharks and turtles. After my Masters I travelled up

to Cape York in the far of north Australia where I lived in a remote Aboriginal community, cut off by flooding during the wet season. After reading books by Bruce Chatwin and Henry Rowlings, I felt an urge to understand better the Australian bush from an Aboriginal perspective. It was an incredibly eye-opening experience; I wasn’t expecting to witness the diet and hygiene-related diseases seen usually in the developing world, nor the depressive domestic violence and alcoholism in the younger generations. In contrast, the immense wealth of knowledge held by the older generation in regards to the flora and fauna of the region was awe-inspiring and it was quite sad seeing how this body of knowledge was soon to be lost forever from humanity.

These formative experiences inspired me to create a non-profit organisation, Community Centred Conservation (C3), focusing on integrating traditional environmental knowledge with contemporary marine conservation science. C3 focuses on marine endangered species research and protection (sea turtles, dugongs, sharks) and marine habitat protection (coral reefs, sea grasses and mangrove forests) as well as environmental education and outreach. The organisation now has three established offices in Fiji, the Philippines and Madagascar. In the last five years, we’ve shifted our emphasis to developing sustainable livelihoods for remote fishing communities, who can no longer make a living from dwindling fisheries. Examples of successful small businesses now in oper-

ation are poultry, duck and goat farms and apiculture. It gives me real satisfaction visiting our project sites and witnessing firsthand how passionate our staff, volunteers and communities are about the work we do. It’s really making a difference to everyday lives and people appreciate the fact we don’t just come into a community, deliver a project and leave, as has been the case with traditional ‘aid’ projects. Instead, we build capacity and provide access to seed funds to set up enterprises for the long-term.

Given my background as an ONL there is (of course!) a heavy emphasis on involving women and youth in all aspects of our work, giving them access to much-needed information about their marine resources, training in business skills and empowering them to build sustainable futures for their communities.

Since the birth of my children in 2013 and 2014, managing trips abroad has been a little tricky and I need to limit each trip to two weeks, but fortunately much can be achieved with access to email and Skype.

Working for myself means I can be flexible with my hours and factor in the children’s needs. Looking back at the way my career panned out, it certainly wasn’t conventional but I wouldn’t swap if for the world!

More information on our projects is available at www.c-3.org.uk and please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for stories and photos from the field!

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WRITTEN BY SALLY JORGENSEN (1971)

LIFE IN NOVA SCOTIA

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was at NLCS from September 1964 to July 1971 and loved every minute! I studied at Middlesex Hospital Medical School from 1971 to 1977, where there was a number of other ONLs including Katy Holliday, Tanya Gordon, Sally Morgan, Suzanne Brosh and Ann Nabarro. During my last year at Middlesex I did an elective in St Lucia where I met a Canadian who was living in Nova Scotia at the time; we married in 1977 and I emigrated.

I was fortunate to enroll in an internship at Dalhousie University during which time I completed my licensing exams. It was a difficult adjustment moving from five years at medical school knowing everyone, to a new country where I knew no one. The fortunate thing about medicine is that it is its own world; I met new people and made wonderful friends and this helped me settle in. However my partner wanted to work in London so we decided to return to the UK for several years.

During that time I had decided I wanted to be an obstetrician/gynaecologist and so worked at Northwick Park Hospital and the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford before returning to Canada in 1982. I enjoyed being back in the UK but I knew that eventually I would return to Canada. After completing my training with a residency at McGill University in Montreal, I was appointed as a doctor at the Jewish General Hospital from 1984-1989. Again, another new place, but I had the opportunity to meet another wonderful group of great people. We lived in Montreal which I adored – it’s a fantastic, cosmopolitan city with a North American feel and the essence of Europe. I put my French to good use. I had to pass an exam for the Office de la Langue Française before getting my licence. I was lucky to have had excellent teachers at NLCS and never had any problems working in English and French. Despite all the moving I do feel that medicine provided me with a consistent structure and support mechanism. I never felt isolated although obviously missed family and friends. I did make as many trips to the UK as I could and welcomed any one who made the trip to visit me.

My first daughter, Lisa, was born in 1987 and a few years later we realized we wanted a different lifestyle for her: country living rather than city living. We moved back to Nova Scotia and I started working at a regional hospital. Initially I was on my own but worked with a wonderful group of primary care physicians; eventually another obgyn joined me and since 2000 we have been three, which allows for a better call schedule. I still love what I do and plan to keep on working for a few more years.

There is nothing more fulfilling professionally than delivering a baby!!

My years at North London gave me a desire to keep active and involved

Above The port town

of Lunenburg, on the Fairhaven Peninsula, Nova Scotia

Opposite Nova Scotia at its most colourful in Autumn

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in everything around me. My second daughter, Maia, was born in 1991. Despite working full time I ensured that I made as many of the girls’ activities as I could; being self-employed allowed for flexible hours. Lisa was a keen figure skater so I became involved in the skating club. Maia played football so I ended up coaching (until she became much too good for me to keep up). We all sang together in a mother/ daughter choir. We had a very busy family life, but it just reminded me of my busy schedule when I was at school. Medically, I became involved in committees at the local and provincial level and more recently became the Nova Scotia representative on the CMPA (our equivalent of the Medical Defence Organisation) Council.

I have few regrets about leaving England

except for missing friends and family. I have great friends and colleagues here; I am lucky enough to have two homes and love being in both countries. They are both very different: Canada is vast, multi-cultural and relatively underpopulated, whereas the U.K. is full of amazing history and beauty. I sometimes wonder if my daughters would have gone to North London if we had lived there. They were fortunate to have access to the International Baccalaureate programme at our local high school.

I keep in touch with many friends from school and always look forward to seeing them when I come ‘home’ for a visit, including Penny (née Ingleton) Martin-Fagg, Sarah Forster and Suzy (née Brosh) Sibley.

I would be happy to see anyone who might be visiting Nova Scotia!!

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‘ALL WHO LIVE UNDER THE SKY ARE WOVEN TOGETHER LIKE ONE BIG MAT’ WRITTEN BY SAMANTHA CAMERON (1995)

Whilst it was Madagascar’s incredible biodiversity that first attracted me to the country, it was the warmth of its people that made me want to stay on.

Little did I envisage that, 18 years on, Madagascar would have become home.

The contrasts and complexities of this huge island, almost two and a half times the size of the UK, continue to amaze, baffle and challenge me - how could it be that a country of such immense resource wealth, an acclaimed ‘biodiversity hotspot’, where war is unheard of, remains amongst the poorest countries in the world?

I have always been a passionate environmentalist and campaigner, ever since my time at NLCS - to whom I give credit for its strong emphasis on moral engagement and objectivity. After a gap year in South-East Asia, including three months on a rainforest research expedition, I went on to study Geography with Environmental Studies and Development Studies at the University of Sussex. This, combined with trips to India and Bangladesh, really opened my eyes to the complexities of development and conservation - and fuelled my desire to do more to address the world’s inequalities and injustices. I therefore seized the chance to participate on VSO’s (Voluntary Services Overseas) Overseas Training Programme and took a year out of university, choosing Madagascar as my destination.

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I volunteered with the Scottish charity ‘Feedback Madagascar’ (www.feedbackmadagascar.org). Being the only non-Malagasy based in a remote rural area bordering the rainforest was a truly life-changing experience. Coming from London, where one barely knows one’s neighbours, feeling part of a community was completely new for me - and learning about a different culture and way of life, hugely enriching. I was humbled by people’s generosity and by their perseverance faced with difficulties that I had never had to encounter in life.

Although I was working on a community forest management project, it was the state of people’s health that struck me the most. Having taken the NHS for granted, seeing first-hand the financial (as well as cultural) barriers to healthcare access was, and indeed remains, difficult. Aware of the rudimentary conditions in which most women gave birth at home, I negotiated and organised Madagascar’s first-ever trainings for traditional midwives. A huge success, these were a trigger for greater dialogue and cooperation between the

Above Tree planting for

future generations

Clean drinking water provision Opposite top

Opposite bottom Samantha

Cameron

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formal and informal healthcare sectors.

The impact was clear – more antenatal consultations, fewer childbirth-related deaths, an increase in birth registrations and more babies vaccinated.

Then, just when I felt like I was starting to understand the local culture, speak the local language (Malagasy) and be able to be useful, it was time to return to the UK. I was determined to come back to Madagascar.

Having secured limited funds in order to continue with health education work and more traditional birth attendant trainings, I returned to Madagascar in the months following graduation. This was at a pivotal point in Feedback Madagascar’s history when a split with its previous local partner organisation was underway.

Times were more challenging than I had expected as we restarted from scratch, helping found a local NGO ‘Ny Tanintsika’ (meaning ‘Our Land’) to ensure local governance and accountability. We have since managed to build up our organisation to a 60-strong Malagasy multi-disciplinary team committed to poverty reduction and improving natural resource management.

In light of the inter-relatedness of the issues being tackled, we have an integrated grassroots approach to conservation and development, ‘hand-in-hand’ – incorporating everything from sustainable livelihoods, women’s empowerment and forest conservation, to school-building, water, sanitation and hygiene. Our work focuses on building capacity at the local level, improving information flows, strengthening access to services as well as service quality, and empowering the most vulnerable in society. Prioritising areas of particular biodiversity importance, we are partnering with communities to reduce pressure on forests, to boost household food security and reforest degraded lands. Over a million trees have been planted, 134 new school classrooms built, 170 boreholes

with hand-pumps put in place, thousands of health education volunteers trained and equipped, and scores of sustainable local enterprises built-up.

Whilst obstacles never cease to present themselves and at times the challenge of poverty reduction and forest conservation can seem overwhelming, I am frequently reminded of how far we have come - that women now often outnumber men at public meetings when their participation used to be unusual, that people now dare to stand up to injustices, that family plan-

ning uptake has boomed and that tens of thousands of people now drink clean water.

Hearing individuals testify to the importance of project support spurs me to do more. I recently met Ravao and Mariette at an agroforestry festival we organised. They really meant it when they said: ‘It’s great to be here, the best moment in our lives. We’ll never forget this’. Previously shunned by society due to their poverty, they had been unable to go out and meet people, even to the market. Our support was empowering them - opening their eyes to the outside world, increasing their motivation to farm and giving them a vision for the future.

The need for action is as persuasive as ever - both Madagascar’s people and its environment are perhaps under more pressure than at any other time. Marginalised communities need and deserve support in order for them to ensure the guardianship of forest, whose preservation benefits the entire world. One Malagasy proverb puts it well – ‘All who live under the sky are woven together like one big mat’.

Samantha Cameron (ONL, 1995) was awarded an MBE in 2005 for services to healthcare and community development in Madagascar. Contact: sam@feedbackmadagascar.org 2017 | ONLINE

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ONLS AROUND THE WORLD

CONTENTMENT AND PEACE WRITTEN BY SHARMILA NANDWANI-SANI (1990)

I was already dating my husband when I graduated from NLCS in the summer of 1990. He had graduated from Harvard University and completed his Masters at Wharton when we met. Due to the Atlantic Ocean separating us, we had a whirlwind romance, with my partner regularly flying to London and sweeping me off my feet. By the time I had finished my first year at the London School of Economics, we were already engaged. We married in January 1992 and I started my new life in New York where my partner was born and raised.

I finished my undergraduate degree in International Studies at Marymount Manhattan College, a convenient walking distance from our home in New York City.

I managed to make it through my senior year finals and graduation ceremony; no easy task at 11 weeks pregnant and going through severe morning sickness.

I was 22 years old. This is the summary of my outdated, headlong dive into adulthood.

I grew up in England in an Indian home surrounded with the traditions, values, and religion which my parents deeply believed in. I wanted to pass on this knowledge to my own two sons, but after researching several sub-par local religious classes, I decided that if you want something done right, you should do it yourself. I was going to teach my own kids, so I thought that I might as well teach the other children in my community.

‘To teach is to learn twice.’ I was diligent in my research, widening my own understanding of Hinduism and its teachings, so I could impart accurate knowledge to the impressionable minds I had been entrusted with.

I started with a class of eight children (including my own, who were 5 and 7 years’ old at the time) teaching on Sundays from 12-1pm following the school calendar.

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Word spread and the class quickly grew to 22 students aged from 5 to 12, all learning together in my family room. I taught this particular group for 11 years, many attending class until the day they left for college.

As the years passed, it occurred to me that a large part of most religions is stress management. We often face situations/dilemmas in which we don’t know how to behave, so we alleviate this stress by adhering to the morals and codes of conduct of our chosen religion.

Similarly, we often face situations/dilemmas in which nothing we can do will help, so we alleviate this stress by turning to our religious faith to help us accept the situation.

Thus the Hindu religion classes (which I still teach to children of all ages) evolved into teaching another class: Stress Management and Meditation for teenagers and young adults. Children today face an unprecedented amount of stress. Some of it comes from physical stimuli such as increased competition both in school and in over-scheduled extracurricular activities. However, what is new is the mental stress caused by excessive screen time and more so by pressure from social media.

The media tells our children that their lives are not good enough and they need to buy/attain/achieve

ONLS AROUND THE WORLD

more of everything to feel fulfilled (yet we already have too much of everything). Social media reinforces this misconception as our children perceive what looks like everyone else their age having a better time and a better life than them.

So what do I teach? How can we help our children manage their stress, understand the truth of their privileged lives more clearly, and withstand the negative effects of social media?

Stress most often comes from four destructive thought patterns which we all mindlessly and habitually do: I. RELIVING PAST NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES II. ANXIETY ABOUT FUTURE NIGHTMARE SCENARIOS WE IMAGINE III. NON-ACCEPTANCE OF THE PRESENT MOMENT; SOMETHING I LIKE TO CALL ‘I SHOULD BE SOMEWHERE ELSE DOING SOMETHING ELSE.’ IV. OVERREACTION

It is proven and accepted that events and situations rarely cause stress; rather our views and reactions to the event/situation actually cause stress.

NOW THAT WE KNOW THIS, HOW DO WE CONTROL OUR THOUGHT PATTERNS? The first anti-stress tool I hand out to my students is a ‘magic notebook’ which they label ‘GRATITUDE JOURNAL’. In this journal they write five specific things daily, which happened to them that day which they are grateful for. Not overarching things like ‘world peace’, but five particular episodes in that day.

For example, ‘I’m grateful they served apple crumble at lunch in school today.’ (I don’t know if it’s still a favourite at NLCS, but in my day, apple crumble caused a stampede!)

Research shows that in as little as 21 days of gratitude journaling, the brain actually gets rewired to focus on the positive events and therefore minimize the negative events of the day. I personally have noticed a difference in a week. Gratitude journaling also reduces depressive symptoms and increases feelings of well-being. If that isn’t magic, I don’t know what is.

Of course another essential part of feeling gratitude is community service. I encourage parents to have their kids volunteer in local soup kitchens, help out in church, or tutor a friend for free. This act of helping others will fill them with a satisfaction and self-worth, which no academic accomplishment or sports triumph can supply. As an added bonus, it will help make the kids better people!

The second tool is teaching Controlled Breathing Exercises. There are many exercises, but the most basic is this; Take a gentle deep breath, expanding your belly while counting slowly to four. Pause for a moment. Exhale slowly to the count of six. Repeat four times. Voila! You’ve just calmed your nervous system.

Breathing Exercises oxygenate your bloodstream and your organs, strengthen your immune system, lower blood pressure, and help digestion. This also sends signals to the brain which promote feelings of calm and wellness and puts your nervous system in ‘rest/ heal’ mode, rather than ‘fight/flight’ mode.

The third tool I share with my students is Meditation. I cannot overstate the profound and lasting benefits of Meditation which modern science is only now beginning to quantify. Meditation is like taking a medicine – not a cough syrup which immediately makes you feel temporarily better, but an antibiotic which seems to do nothing for now, but through regular consistent use will cure you of your illness.

There are Meditation Apps like ‘Headspace’, however, I prefer to meditate in silence using the technique outlined in Time Magazine which is the exact same technique, almost word-for-word which is explained in the Hindu text The Bhagavad Geeta written over 3000 years ago. Time Magazine explained that the benefits of stress reduction and healing are so great that the US Military is teaching this meditation technique to their soldiers.

SO WHY AREN’T WE TEACHING IT TO OUR CHILDREN? I give the handout above to my students, which is a combination of Time Magazine’s plus my own instructions.

Meditation gives our overworked sleep-deprived brain a much-needed respite from the continuous and unyielding rumination of thoughts. It allows our brains to rest and heal for a few minutes (even as little as two minutes of meditation is significant), so it can operate smoothly and clearly for the rest of the day.

With all these techniques comes a general rule, ‘Practice when you can; you will need it when you can’t.’ Regular practice is far more effective than trying to meditate when you are already in crisis mode.

Teaching has been the greatest gift I could have given to my family and myself. Hopefully it has helped a few others as well.

May we all find contentment and peace.

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ONLS AROUND THE WORLD

TO BE A PILGRIM WRITTEN BY SINEAD NEWMAN (1996)

F

rom the age of seven, my sole aim whilst growing up was to be American. Despite being born and raised in London, I never felt at home and I longed for sunnier, more Disney-inspired surrounds. Throughout my teenage years, my career goals changed frequently, but my ultimate objective never wavered. I planned to pack up, catch a flight and pledge allegiance as soon as my A-levels were over.

Turns out that a hope, a dream and an ONL’s single-mindedness were not sufficient to simply ‘become’ American, and with age came the sobering realisation that I could not survive on less than 25 holiday days a year. So I packed my stars and stripes into the box of abandoned dreams and forged a career in London.

In 2008, a recruiter called to ask me if I was interested in a role in Abu Dhabi. This was the height of the financial boom so I jumped at the chance to earn a ridiculous salary. After applying for a new passport that removed all traces of previous trips to Israel, I moved to the UAE. A year later, the world’s economy imploded and I was back in London. The experience was crazy, but one I do not regret, if only for the dinner party tales I returned with.

Over the next six years, I did what was

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sensible. I saved hard, bought a flat and worked in Canary Wharf (soul-crushing, with excellent lunch options), but as I saw friends settling down and having families, I realised once again that there was somewhere else I was meant to be - I just wasn’t sure where.

Just over two years ago, I applied for a new role that I thought was based in London.

During the first interview I was informed that it was actually based in Barcelona, and was asked if I was still interested. I had spent a total of eight hours in Barcelona in my life and was not in the slightest bit interested in moving there, but I carried on with the process for the experience. Several interviews later, I was sufficiently enamoured that when I was offered the position in the final interview, I accepted on the spot. Note to self - play it cool next time so you have a better platform for salary negotiations.

On 5 January, 2015 I moved to Spain and I adore it. I live in the city centre, close enough to the office to walk to work, although lazy enough to take a cab. From my desk I can see the ocean, the mountains and the Sagrada Familia. Despite never having learnt a word of Spanish, I’ve managed to pick up enough to survive - Mrs Nistri would be impressed with my linguistic skills. While the idea of workday siestas is

something I can only dream of, we do close up at 3pm every day during August so we can hit the beach.

I can’t impart any advice from a strategic perspective, as clearly my path has been less ‘best laid plans’ and more ‘how did I end up here?!’, but I do have some general words of advice for anyone thinking about working overseas: Don’t be afraid to take a risk, moving abroad is hard work, but so worthwhile.

You’ll likely be starting your social life from scratch again. This can wear thin, especially if you’re living somewhere that attracts a largely transient expat community.

Don’t move abroad because you’re trying to run away from your problems; they will follow you. Move because you’re running towards something better, like a tax-free salary or sunshine.

Rescinded your Polyglot Society membership? Don’t fear. A combination of willing, translation apps and mime will get you through.

Don’t be afraid to change your plans.

Expat life is not for everyone. America is not for everyone. Keep an open mind.

At the time of writing, I was living in Barcelona, managing internal communications at PepsiCo. At the time of publication, who knows where I’ll be!

M AY FA IR & PA RK L A N E H AV E THEIR CH A R MS

BUT, AS EVERY NORTH LONDONER KNOWS, THE TRUE PRIME PROPERTIES ARE TO BE FOUND AT CANONS.

Whether your heart is set on leafy Lime Avenue, fun-filled Budge Square or the elegance of the Drummond Room, it is all there for the taking in North London Collegiate’s new custom Monopoly set and it is not just the locations that have been adapted. Pick up a community chest or a chance card and you will find many familiar aspects of school life. Be prepared to be fined for forgetting the words of To be a Pilgrim, or win some cash for remembering your daffodil on Founder’s Day. The North London Collegiate School Monopoly set is available now, at a cost of £35 plus postage and packaging, or through collection from the School. To order your own limited edition set please go to www.tinyurl.com/ nlcsmonopoly and for any queries email Leoni Kohler at nlcspgenquiries@gmail.com 2017 | ONLINE

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THE FRANCES MARY BUSS TRAVELLING SCHOLARSHIP WRITTEN BY JOELAINE FITCH (2006)

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H

This picture Frances

Mary Buss

ow do you commemorate someone as outstanding as Miss Buss? Following her death, a committee was set up to decide how to do her memory justice. Whilst the school would stand as a living memorial to her incredible success in pioneering the education of women, it was felt that something more personal to Miss Buss was needed.

In her obituary, the Educational Times noted that ‘Foreign travel was one of [Miss Buss’s] greatest pleasures’. Miss Elford (First Headmistress of Camden School for Girls) describes Miss Buss as a ‘delightful companion’; she ‘visited many places in France, Switzerland and Italy with [Miss Buss] and [Miss Buss] knew the history of every city and town.’ Miss Hughes, who travelled to Italy with Miss Buss, recalled that, ‘it was a great pleasure to accompany her’. Miss Buss frequently combined both work and pleasure on her travels. When on holiday in Denmark and Sweden, Miss Buss ‘gathered many educational facts and theories’ and also discovered ‘the Swedish desk, which she was the first to introduce to English schools’. On her travels to Italy, she visited a number of schools, and Miss Hughes noted that Miss Buss ‘saw so much, cared so much […] and was so careful to utilise what she saw and heard’. Ever generous, Miss Buss ‘was always anxious to help teachers to visit the schools of other countries […] and first started the idea of travelling scholarships for teachers’. It was therefore very fitting that the memorial committee decided ‘to establish a fund for the benefit of teachers desiring to travel’, in her memory in 1897.

Candidates for The Frances Mary Buss Travelling Scholarship were not confined to alumnae of North London Collegiate or Camden School for Girls; however, they had to be candidates after Miss Buss’s heart: qualified women who were secondary school teachers. The Travelling Scholarship benefited many women over the course of the century, giving them opportunities they would most likely have not been able to otherwise enjoy, and enabling them to pass on the benefits of their experiences to their pupils.

One successful applicant to the Travelling Scholarship was Alex Lawrie, her reference describes her as ‘an energetic, well-organised person who is becoming an outstanding teacher’: one feels that Miss Buss would definitely have approved of her!

Miss Lawrie used the award to fulfil her aims of 2017 | ONLINE

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studying the Indian education system, experiencing Indian culture, and, as she was a geography teacher, to gain knowledge and experience of India’s geography first hand. Miss Lawrie ‘firmly believe[d] that by the nature of their subject, a geography teacher cannot teach effectively unless she is well-travelled [and that it was] vital that in order for [her] pupils to achieve the Attainment Targets [set by the National Curriculum…she] should further [her] experience of other countries’. Fired by a spirit of adventure and a passion for her students, Miss Lawrie ‘left in trepidation as [she] flew from Heathrow into the unknown’.

Her initial anxiety soon vanished, and she went on to visit numerous schools in India, and travelled around the country, from the ‘richly historic Golden Triangle of Delhi, to the foothills of the Himalayas’ and south to Goa, as well as Jaipur and Agra.

Miss Lawrie’s visit to the Delhi schools soon caused her to realise the privileges enjoyed in the UK: classes in Delhi were crowded and ‘in all the schools [she] visited, the pupils sat in rows and columns in absolute silence. The obvious lack of finance available for equipment and books was distressing to see’. However, despite the privations, both staff and pupils had surprisingly high morale, with all students assuring her that they enjoyed their school; moreover, ‘the behaviour of all pupils was exemplary’.

In addition to studying the education system, Miss Lawrie pursued her ambition of getting to know the geography of the land, though her travels were sometimes fraught with danger. ‘The most frightening experience of [her] life was during a five hour bus journey from Delhi

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to Jaipur’, where the recklessness of the driving and the poor road conditions kept her ‘on the point of screaming’.

With admirable fortitude, however, she ‘buried [her] head in [her] book and resigned [herself] to death’. She successfully survived her travels, and found her ‘newly acquired experiences invaluable in [her] teaching’.

In all, Miss Lawrie felt ‘it was certainly one of the greatest achievements of [her] life and definitely the most memorable’, and was extremely grateful to the scholarship for making her trip possible.

The Travelling Scholarship permitted the recipient to go anywhere she wanted; Audrey Martin decided to spend ‘an intensely interesting winter’ in Switzerland. Miss Martin was described as being ‘up to date in her methods and genuinely interested in her work’; as head of an Arts department, her focus was the teaching of Arts and Crafts in Zurich, Switzerland.

Her choice of location was due to fact that the Technical School there ‘had a high reputation in textiles’, and because Zurich was also the headquarters of the Heimatwerk movement (traditional Swiss peasant handicrafts), which ‘had for her very great interest’ due its ‘theme of tradition in craft’ and its focus on textiles. Travelling in the aftermath of WWII (her scholarship was awarded just at its outbreak in 1939), Miss Martin noted that ‘the war sharpened consciousness. The very difficulties of obtaining permits to travel at all, the police surveillance, the war measures […all] cleared the dust of familiarity, so that even well-known routes and places exacted fresh attention’. She found that ‘the war threw into relief Switzerland itself as, due to its ‘historic neutrality’, it indicated ‘the European civilisation that might emerge if national barriers disappeared’. However, despite her hopes from the Technical school’s reputation, she found the teaching of Arts and Crafts in Zurich ‘rankly disappointing’ and ‘very much behind contemporary practice in England’. Miss Martin thought the teaching to be ‘largely utilitarian in purpose’ and believed that the ‘development of imaginative perception apparently did not enter into the educational aim’. As with Alex Lawrie, who returned from India to England with a new found ‘appreciation for all those little things we take for granted’, Miss

Martin also came back home feeling fortunate in her position and country.

Other recipients of the Scholarship travelled elsewhere: in the early days of the scholarship, in 1906, Ms Boys-Smith travelled to Massachusetts, to study the ‘teaching of Nature-Knowledge and Elementary Science’. She found that ‘American teachers fully recognise[d] that nature study precedes and underlies [sic] all Science strictly called’ and enjoyed observing ‘some very interesting lessons’ whilst there. Miss Boys-Smith concluded upon her return that ‘the average person [in America] is better educated, better fed, and more prosperous than in England’. Mary Gladys Jones also used her scholarship to travel to the United States, where she visited schools in Chicago, Indiana and New York; she felt ‘strongly that time and energy expended [on the trip] was well worth-while. [She was] more than grateful to the Frances Mary Buss Memorial for giving [her] the opportunity.’ in 1922, Alexandra Makin followed the example of Miss Buss and studied the education system in Italy, which she found to be ‘coming within sight of the new Fascist ministry’. Miss Dent visited the lycées of France, where she discovered that ‘the standard of the girls’ work in history [to be] undoubtedly very much higher than in English schools’. Miss Dent felt that her visit was ‘most stimulating’ and that it gave her ‘new enthusiasm in [her] work as a history teacher’.

These are just a few of the female teachers who benefited from the fund; there were many who had cause to be grateful to the memory of Miss Buss, and her passion for travel and education. The Frances Mary Buss Travelling Scholarship enabled numerous women to realise their hopes and ambitions, and to travel to a range of countries, from India to Switzerland to the United States, to mention a few. Its legacy lives on today through the ONLA Travel and Academic Awards, which continue to assist adventurous women in travelling the globe.

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ONL GROUPS

ONLA CAREERS NETWORK NLCS is a community for life and the School’s relationship with its pupils extends far beyond their time at Canons. ONLs are a unique and dynamic group of people with careers and life experiences spanning an incredible array of sectors. Young or old, there is an instant bond between them and an amazing willingness to support each other.

The ONL Careers Network was established several years ago to capture this spirit and to offer specific career advice and support to any ONL, regardless of what stage of life they are at.

As an ONL myself, it irked me that boys’ schools around the world had their ‘Old Boys’ networks and yet girls schools with equally incredible resources were less vocal about them. So over the last two years, we decided to take the ONLA Careers Network a step further and set up specific career societies for different industry sectors. Currently we have: Law, Media, The Arts, Business & Finance, STEM and Women in Medicine. There is no doubt that we will continue .

The purpose of these societies is to provide informal networking forums for ONLs at all stages of their career, ranging from those simply considering a career in a specific industry, to those well-established within their sector. They also provide support to current students about their career choices. It is vital that these societies are there, not only to promote their industry sectors, but equally to identify the challenges that women may face within them and very importantly, how to overcome them.

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Now more than ever, there is a global emphasis on supporting women in their careers and establishing a work-life balance regardless of family situations.

We want our students and ONLs to be aware of the choices they have and to have the courage to define success in their own terms rather than what they feel is expected of them. That is why I feel so passionately about the ONLA Careers Network and the support ONLs can, and do, give to one another.

For me, this ethos was summed up perfectly by another ONL on social media recently: The truly amazing thing about all the ONLs I know is the confidence to follow the most appropriate path for them, and then be able to excel at that. The timing doesn’t matter, nor the labels attached. Breaking the mould fabulously is what makes the best ONL. If you are interested in joining please register your interest at https://nlcslondon.wufoo.com/forms/ onl-career-networking-groups or by emailing us at onla@nlcs.org.uk, please email us if you are in need of career help, or if you are able to offer career advice.

Poorvi Smith (1991) Alumnae and Development Officer

ONL GROUPS

Clockwise Andrea Hubert,

Comedian (1997), Sasha Brown, Singer/ Songwriter (2012), Nicole Volavka, Drama Director (1995), Dame Esther Rantzen, Journalist, Producer and Presenter (1958)

ONLA Arts Society The ONLA Arts Society was established in 2015, but in September last year, the school approached me with the idea of building a committee of ONLs involved in the Arts to support growing the society. It is part, I think, of North London’s well-placed wish to nurture and develop alumnae relations. After all, we already know we’re brown and blue forever.

NLCS produces some of the most dynamic and successful women across myriad spheres, including the arts, and we want to celebrate this. Through events, and hopefully soon a database that we can all access, we aim to provide forums where we can get together, share memories about NLCS as well as advice about our various fields, network, talk, inspire, and also showcase some of the vast wealth of talent that exists within our ONL family.

At our first panel event held in January, coined Women of the Screen and Stage, TV presenter Rebecca Wilcox chaired a fascinating – and considerably

witty – panel comprising: Singer/Songwriter, Sasha Brown; Comedian, Andrea Hubert; TV and Film Director, Nicole Volavka; and the incomparable Dame Esther Rantzen. We talked about everything from breaking gender stereotypes on screen, to why Andrea’s comedy gigs are funnier when she’s wearing a pink dress.

Our new committee is made up of: Graphic Designer, Rachel Aloof; Talent and Literary Agent, Lisa Foster; Painter and Sculptor, Jackie King-Cline; Jewellery Designer, Muneera Mahendru; Painter and Curator, Allison Sharpe; and myself, an Author and Journalist.

Please do get in touch if you’d like any more information or to be involved in the society. We hope very much to see you at our next exciting event in September.

Jemma Wayne (1998), ONLA Arts Committee Member info@jemmawayne.com

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ONL GROUPS

Women in Medicine Society Established 2016 My 20 Year School Reunion in 2016 reminded me of the large number of girls who left school to study medicine, around 25 girls in my year. We became GPs, surgeons, radiologists, paediatricians, endocrinologists and oncologists; a microcosm of the NHS workforce. My year was not unique and every year a large number of girls chooses to study medicine and its related professions.

The School already had a number of networking societies running for ONLs, however I was very keen to get involved in creating a society to support ONLs working specifically in Healthcare and approached Carolina Jayson from the Alumnae Office and offered to work alongside the School to get a society established.

The School sent out invitations to assess interest in this society and were immediately inundated by replies (180 expressions of interest). There were also numerous offers to help run the society, which in turn led to the creation of the Women in Medicine Committee. The Committee gets together every couple of months to talk about future events and discuss potential speakers; if anyone would like to join us, they are very welcome!

The goals of our society are nurturing and aspirational. We plan to start small, but we hope to grow into a useful network with something to offer women at all stages in their career. This would range from 26

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offering advice to those starting off in their careers; helping them to make decisions regarding choice of career pathway, by those who understand the peaks and troughs of the medical world, and for those more established, a chance to share initiatives, innovative practice, to provide networks and build useful contacts.

Jo Horsburgh, a Principal Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London, opened our inaugural society event in January with a talk on Unconscious Bias. The event was well-attended and ONLs soon found people they knew from their year, people they had trained with and even senior colleagues who had taught them.

From ONLs who left school in the 1950s to those who had left in the 2000s, there was a wealth of common ground and shared experiences.

Our plan for the coming year is to hold a series of society events with common topics that are useful to all. We look forward to hearing from ONLs who would like to join the Women in Medicine Society, those with ideas for future events, and ONLs who are interested in developing the society further.

Sagen Zac-Varghese (1996), ONLA Women in Medicine Committee Member is a Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at East and North Herts NHS Trust. She is the Sub Dean for UCL medical students and an Honorary Lecturer at Imperial College London.

ONL GROUPS

Join our ONLA Societies on Facebook or email us at onla@nlcs.org.uk

ONLA ARTS SOCIETY

ONL REGIONAL GROUPS

NLCS – ONL Arts Society

The regional groups each have their own closed Facebook group which is managed by the Alumnae Office. To become part of the group please simply befriend ‘Frances Mary Buss’ (look for the daffodils!) and ask to be added to the relevant group.

If you are going on a gap year or simply abroad on a holiday do consider contacting the regional groups as they would love to help you plan your time away. If you yourself would like to become a regional, or overseas, group coordinator, please email us at onla@nlcs.org.uk

ONLA BUSINESS AND FINANCE SOCIETY

NLCS – ONL Business Society ONLA LAW SOCIETY

NLCS - ONL Law Society ONLA MEDIA SOCIETY

NLCS - ONL Media Society ONLA STEM SOCIETY

NLCS - ONL STEM Society ONLA WOMEN IN MEDICINE SOCIETY

NLCS - ONL Women in Medicine Society Top left: ONLA Australia Group standing under Sydney Harbour Bridge, with the Opera House in the background.

Elizabeth Oswald (née Hammond, 1962), Val Whatham (née Payne, 1957), Sue Labordus (née Selbey, 1961), Gillian Robinson (née Berdinner, 1959), Jenny Harkness (née Doolittle, 1967), Liz Burrows (1973), Kay Moyes (née Hannah, 1965), Jane Howat (née Bridges, 1976), Maggie Moss (née Clough, 1962), Mo Laidlaw (née Callow, 1965)

Top right: ONLA Gloucestershire, Sue Savidge (née Kenyon, 1953), Cathy O’Connor (1978), Sandra Goodchild (née Ody, 1960)

CORNWALL/DEVON Jill Hall (née Hankins) jill22hall@gmail.com Alison Nelson (née Strachan) an276@uwclub.net NLCS - ONLs Cornwall & Devon EAST ANGLIA Margaret Angus (née Claydon) maa@angi.me.uk NLCS – ONLs East Anglia GLOUCESTERSHIRE Dorothy Farley (née Coode) Tel: (01452) 713 883 NLCS – ONLs Gloucestershire HAMPSHIRE Mandy Collins ALCollins@doctors.org.uk Spring Meeting: 29 Apr 2017, Shedfield Autumn Meeting: 14 Oct 2017, Bitterne NLCS – ONLs Hampshire

LINCOLNSHIRE Caroline Kenyon (née Brandenburger) Tel: (01673) 828 302 caroline@thefoodawardscompany.co.uk NLCS – ONLs Lincolnshire MIDLANDS Kate Jones (née Levinson) Tel: (01564) 776 571 Kate.Levinson@talk21.com NLCS – ONLs Midlands SOUTH WEST Audre y Derrick (née Dickinson) Tel: (01823) 421 323 priorscombe@gmail.com Autumn Meeting: 14 Oct 2017, Frome NLCS – ONLs South West England

ONLA OVERSEAS

AUSTRALIA - Sydney Kay Moyes (née Hannah) Mobile: 0416 002 701 moyes_kay@hotmail.com NLCS - ONLs Australia ISRAEL – Givat Sharet Debra Benstein (née Kestel) dbenstein@gmail.com NLCS - ONLs Israel NEW ZEALAND - Auckland Helen Chipper (née Marr) Tel: 0064 9 4164946 j.h.chipper@xtra.co.nz NLCS – ONLs New Zealand USA – New York Sharmila Sani (née Nandwani) sharmilany@aol.com

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ARTS CORNER

Above Chinese artist

Ai Weiwei imitating the lifeless body of Syrian toddler Alan Kurdi

ONLS FROM AROUND THE WORLD In 2015, more than a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe. This number is set to have increased in 2016. As well as being the focus of our current news headlines, the crisis is inspiring many art projects, which offer a different platform for the communication of important messages which may otherwise be misinterpreted by the commercial media. The arts are a powerful tool through which to raise public awareness.

One such platform to give people a voice is Good Chance Calais - a theatre space, founded by two British playwrights, Joe & Joe, for people to tell their story, a place for people to come together irrespective of who they are or where they come from.

The theatre offers a different kind of Good Chance to those who were living in the Calais jungle.

World-renowned artist Ai Weiwei also found himself inspired by the ongoing humanitarian crisis – producing a highly controversial photograph recreating the image of 3-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi’s body washed up on a Turkish beach. Seeking to use art to provoke questions, Ai Weiwei lay on a pebbled beach on the Greek island of Lesbos (where he was spending time helping refugees) in a similar pose to the body of Kurdi.

ONLs have long believed in helping others in whatever way possible and the arts can be a powerful tool to convey impor28

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tant messages and people’s own personal struggles. Illustrator Ella Baron spent the summer volunteering in Athens in squats occupied by some of the thousands of refugees prevented from continuing west by the EU-Turkey deal.

She comments, ‘When you’re desperate and dependent, with no rights and no resources, you spend a lot of time queuing.

I sketched refugees queuing for their only daily meal, for the cracked basin in the playground, for the open-backed van that is a mobile clinic, for pre-registration to the government camps and for registration.’

Her sketches bring to life the struggles of these refugees.

One of Baron’s works also focuses on Aylan Kurdi’s - she surrounds his body with living, sleeping refugees whom she witnessed during her summer. The children who survived the sea but remain living on the streets and in squats – the people who didn’t make the front pages.

If you have any involvement in the arts, please do get in touch at info@chloenelkinconsulting.com. To keep up-to-date with my art news and clients, check out www.chloenelkinconsulting.com.

Chloé Nelkin (2006)

Right top Chance Calais

Theatre

Right bottom Ella Baron’s sketch inspired by Athens’ refugee squats

Chloé Nelkin Consulting specialises in PR, events and consultancy with a focus on visual arts, theatre and opera. CNC offers an internship scheme to those who are considering public relations as a career option.

Internships last for a minimum of one month and expenses are paid. A love of the arts is essential! This scheme allows people to get a feel for working at a busy Soho office. If you would like to be considered, email info@chloenelkinconsulting. com along with your up-to-date CV and a short covering letter, marking the subject box as ‘internship’.

BOOK CLUB

GHOST VARIATIONS BY JESSICA DUCHEN (1983) London, 1933. Dabbling in the once-fashionable ‘Glass Game’ - a Ouija board - the famous Hungarian violinist Jelly d’Arányi is amazed to receive a message supposedly from the spirit of the great composer Robert Schumann, asking her to find and play his long-suppressed violin concerto.

Jelly, formerly muse to many composers, hesitates to pursue this strange summons, eager to devote herself to charity concerts for the unemployed of the Depression. But soon her sister Adila and her friend Erik Palmstierna, both avid spiritualists, hear of the incident and the die is cast. Having lost her first love in World War I and now facing the death of another close friend, Jelly sets out to find not only a missing concerto, but also a form of redemption.

Facing a world slipping into the insanity of fascism and war and the prospect of her own life and career sliding out of control, for Jelly saving the concerto comes to mean saving herself.

Ghost Variations by Jessica Duchen was published by Unbound in September 2016.

It is available as an e-book or a print-ondemand paperback (from Waterstone’s and other outlets).

FLESH AND BONE AND WATER

BY LUIZA SAUMA (2000) Brazilian-born doctor André Cabral is living in London when one day he receives a letter from his home country, which he left nearly thirty years ago. A letter he keeps in his pocket for weeks, but tells no one about.

The letter prompts André to remember the days of his youth – torrid afternoons on Ipanema beach with his listless teenage friends, parties in elegant Rio apartments, his after-school job at his father’s plastic surgery practice – and, above all, his secret infatuation with the daughter of

his family’s maid, the intoxicating Luana.

Unable to resist the pull of the letter, André embarks on a journey back to Brazil to rediscover his past and a terrible secret.

JAIL BIRD BY SHARON GRENHAMTHOMPSON (1984) Jail Bird is an engaging, moving and frequently humorous account of one woman’s journey through life, searching for acceptance and approval, and how, in the most unlikely of places, she was finally able to find a place where she felt that she belonged and could make a positive difference.

Sharon Grenham-Thompson has had to prove herself many times during her life.

Not least as a woman and a mother working in three demanding male-dominated careers - Law, the Church, and the Prison Service. As an Anglican priest, Sharon could have stayed well outside the prison walls, but she felt herself drawn to working as Senior Chaplain at HMP Bedford, where she managed a large multi-faith team.

Recognising that those who commit crimes, even the most horrific ones, are still human, she drew on years of feeling that she didn’t fit in either, and was able to understand and reach out to those vilified by the press and by society at large. She offers moving insights into the life of prisoners in Britain today, drawing on real life accounts to highlight the kind of people with whom she was working as a prison chaplain.

ONE LITTLE BLACK NOSE BY CLARE PASSINGHAM (1963) When Jack’s best friend Charlie, and his Mum, leave suddenly without saying goodbye, Jack is left very lonely. A new puppy called Magic cheers him up. It’s soon very clear that Magic is no ordinary dog! Jack hopes Magic will track down his friend.

Follow Jack and Magic on their quest to find Charlie. But will they succeed? An adventure story, both touching and exciting, set in the 1960s.

A CHEMICAL PASSION: THE FORGOTTEN STORY OF CHEMISTRY AT BRITISH INDEPENDENT GIRLS’ SCHOOLS 1820s –1930s MARELENE RAYNER-CANHAM AND GEOFF RAYNER-CANHAM Chemistry is traditionally thought to have been a masculine subject in secondary schools - one at which boys excelled and girls had limited interest. In this ground-breaking work, Marelene and Geoff Rayner-Canham reveal that from the 1820s to the 1930s chemistry teaching flourished in girls’ independent schools in Britain. Working in well-equipped labs, generations of inspirational teachers imparted a lasting fascination for the subject in their pupils, many of whom became teachers or professional chemists themselves. For a variety of reasons that the authors investigate, this tradition tailed off before the Second World War, and a proud history was forgotten even in the schools where it had once flourished. The fruit of years of research in the archives of dozens of schools, the authors present a rich and multifaceted account that reveals the hidden history of a landmark achievement in the education of women.

In the development of science teaching, particularly chemistry, at British independent girls’ schools in the late-19th century, Miss Buss and North London Collegiate School played a key role. In this book, the national importance of pioneering NLCS is highlighted. The book brings to light the forgotten early chemistry teachers at NLCS, while the enthusiasm for chemistry of the girls themselves is demonstrated by samples of their chemistry poetic works and prose. Brief biographies of some of the early chemistry NLCS graduates are included in an on-line supplement.

Published by UCL IOE Press. Available at www.ucl-ioe-press.com 2017 | ONLINE

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REMEMBRANCE

Alison Bangham (née Harington, 1939) died on 2 September 2016 aged 89. She attended NLCS in Camden from 1936-39. Alison’s family moved to Wiltshire for the duration of the war and she completed her education at The Godolphin boarding school followed by a medical degree at Newnham College Cambridge and University College Hospital in London. She married, settled in Mill Hill and became a Senior Clinical Medical Officer in Family Planning services in Barnet. She pioneered a domiciliary service visiting disabled and vulnerable patients at home, and travellers’ communities. This career was ideally compatible with home life, as she was able to work part time, bring up four children and pursue her other interests of reading, crosswords, singing, opera, gardening, travel and hosting visiting scientists. She led an active life until 2016. She is survived by her younger sister Jane who attended NLCS at Canons for one year, two daughters Celia and Jessica who are ONLs, two sons and seven grandchildren. She will be remembered by Celia’s and Jessica’s contemporaries for giving them lifts up and down Canons Drive in the dormobile!

Hatty (Harriet) Brookland (née Carswell, 1968) died very suddenly on 14 July 2016 after a minor accident.

She read PPE at Somerville and was then the first woman on the floor at Lloyds Bank. Her career was hugely varied: she worked at The Consumers’ Association, wrote books on economics, and spent decades 30

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self-employed in the music industry. She did extensive voluntary work, was an expert gardener and oarswoman and maintained a rich cultural life in art and music. Hatty remarried in 2016 and leaves behind a husband, daughter and step-children, along with many friends. A eulogy was given at her funeral by Annabelle Baughan - they met on their first day at NLCS. Valerie Cleveland (née Richardson, 1948) died peacefully on 6 December 2016 in a care home in Suffolk. She was at NLCS from 1940-1948, and left in the Upper Fourth when her family moved to Ipswich, Suffolk. Other than horses, her great love was NLCS, which she remained in contact with for many years, often visiting Canons.

Barbara Olive Davis (1942) saw many changes and great times in her 90 years. Following her North London Collegiate School education, she enjoyed numerous adventures. They led her from London to Hastings, to Paris and the South of France, followed by St Ives and finally Banbury via a few other work-related placements. She had great fun as a young woman and enjoyed wing walking, parachuting and motorcycle riding. She believed in meritocracy and the welfare state, so ultimately, after secretarial and tutoring jobs, it was natural for her to take her post-graduate diploma in teaching. During the 1950s she wrote several books; in fact it says Teacher and Author (retired) on her death certificate, which she would have been pleased about.

Barbara Dorf (1951) remained loyal to North London Collegiate all her life. After leaving the School she got a scholarship to the Slade, where she developed her life-long creativity which was manifested in formal art works, remarkable outfits, cooking skills and her extraordinary kitchen which was an ever-evolving work of art.

Barbara was an extremely private person with a strong Catholic faith, eccentric, intellectual, kind, generous, unpredictable, sometimes uncomfortably honest or frighteningly shrewd, and in control of her life to her death.

Ann Ebner (née Domb, 1958) died on 5 February 2016 after battling mesothelioma for almost three years. She was born on 10 December 1939 and won a scholarship to North London where she was later joined by her younger sister, Eveleen (ONL, left 1960). Ann loved her time at NLCS, where she made life-long friendships and often talked of the great influence Dame Kitty Anderson had on her (not least on her going on to study History at Cambridge).

She spent time teaching in the United States before travelling around the world, returning to take up a position as a History Teacher at Camden School for Girls and becoming Head of History there aged just 23. She spent many years focusing on adult literacy and, through this work, changed the lives of hundreds of people. Ann helped so many people in her life, and her kindness, empathy and wisdom are missed by her husband Hen-

ry, three children (Jo, ONL left 1985, Mark and Sarah, ONL left 1989) and seven grandchildren (including Katie, ONL, left 2011 and Rebecca Ebner-Landy, current Year 12).

Professor Judith Gowar (née Gordon Walker, 1954) went on to Oxford University after leaving North London in 1954. After taking her degree in History she investigated various career options but then decided to return to academia, reading Psychology at UCL and completing her undergraduate degree and PhD in five years. She was then appointed to a lectureship at Birkbeck and published her first book, based on her PhD thesis on Chomsky’s theory of transformational grammar.

The fact that this book sold 40,000 copies is a testament to her talent of conveying complex, sophisticated ideas to a wide audience. She was a natural therefore to be appointed to the Chair of Psychology at the Open University, whilst still a lecturer, in the face of highly distinguished competition.

There she developed a small department into one with an international reputation.

The respect of her colleagues for her intellectual breadth is a testament to the grounding she had at North London.

Carol Rogers (née Owen, 1961) valued her time at North London with the charismatic headmistress Dame Kitty, and took the ethos of the school with her into later life. She was a loyal Old North Londoner, attending many events over the years. At a school dance Carol met her future husband David. Her love of chil-

dren led her into Nursery Nursing and she used her skills to open the very first playgroup in a shopping centre in Luton in the 60s.

Innovatively, Carol founded a charitable Outreach Day Centre in Aylesbury for those with senile dementia, giving respite to the carers.

She received a Golden Jubilee Queen’s Award for her hard work and enterprise. A debilitating illness restricted Carol’s life in 2012 but she continued to be involved in her church community and kept in touch with all her friends. Our thoughts are with her husband David, son Andrew, sister Lis, brother Godfrey, and families. We, her friends, had our lives much enriched by knowing Carol.

Ethelmay (May) Teague (née Spencer Harry, 1973) d ied on 16 January 2015 in Rosenheim, Bavaria, Germany due to medical complications. She bravely coped with cancer surgery in January 2000 and frequent debilitating treatments over her last eight years. She is survived by her husband and four adult children who lost a very capable and caring wife and mother. May was proud to have attended NLCS which clearly impacted her attitude to life. She was very popular, generously giving her time, energy, help and advice to many people and causes, as was evident from the hundreds of funeral attendees. She is sadly missed by many.

FORMER STAFF OBITUARIES BRIAN ACREMAN

Physics Teacher Brian taught Physics at the School between 1996 and 2009 and was a very popular member of staff. He contacted the School upon discovering that he was very ill, to notify us and to say his farewells to his former colleagues. Brian’s son, David, had a little girl in February 2016, and Brian was thrilled to be a grandfather and spoke about her with huge enthusiasm.

ENID ELLIS

Former Deputy Headmistress Enid worked with extraordinary dedication at North London from 1946 until 1980, when she took early retirement from her role of Deputy Headmistress. This puts her amongst our longest serving members of staff. She was a remarkable lady and NLCS was an important part of her life, visiting us at Canons as recently as last year. Former staff all speak with great fondness of her and the many years they had the pleasure of knowing her.

ELENA SCOTT

Music Teacher Elena taught at NLCS from 1975 to 1987. She was a very popular teacher, much loved by her piano pupils and her colleagues.

She was a wonderful accompanist, and helped many of the girls in their ABRSM practical music exams. After she retired, she moved from Stanmore to Herefordshire to be nearer to her son and his family, and was active in the musical life of Leominster until the time of her death last April.

DR EDWINA SHERRINGTON

RS and Philosophy Teacher Edwina taught at North London Collegiate School from 2006–2011; Head of School Alex Wilson (formerly Head of the RS and Philosophy department) and Michael Burke, Director of Studies and Administration, both had the pleasure of working with Edwina very closely and speak with great fondness of her. Edwina often mentioned her enjoyment of the time spent at North London Collegiate School prior to her retirement in 2011, and she spoke very highly of her colleagues and pupils.

DR TONY WALLIS

Head of Information Technology Tony Wallis joined North London Collegiate School in 1987.

He oversaw the pioneering introduction and development of computers/IT at NLCS and was involved in all aspects of IT at the School. Tony retired in 1995 as Head of Information Technology but that was far from the end of the story and he remained a firm friend of the School, pursuing his hobby of photography and taking photos and preparing the layout of the Junior School’s magazine, Omnibuss, for some 18 years after his retirement. Tony will be sorely missed by both the Senior School and Junior School. We are indebted to him for his long-standing service to the School.

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DEVELOPMENT

We extend our warmest thanks to donors who have supported us at all levels this year – whether through a monthly direct debit or a one-off gift. We are grateful for gifts of all sizes towards the Bursary Fund and to our capital campaigns.

BURSARIES AT NORTH LONDON

ANNUAL FUND 2016-2017

North London endeavours to provide the highest standard of education to able pupils, believing that the opportunity of an education at NLCS should be open to all. And by providing bursaries, we seek to maintain our rich, social mix and diverse community.

We currently offer some level of help with fees to nearly 10% of Senior School pupils – but we need to continually raise funds to cover their places, and our ambition is to grow our Bursary Fund over the coming years. We know that, increasingly, independent school fees may either in part or in total be beyond the reach of some families; our fundraising efforts for the Bursary Fund are now more important than ever.

Donations to our Bursary Fund will help students like ONL Dah-Eun Chae: ‘Both my two sisters and I attended NLCS as Music Scholars and beneficiaries of the Bursary Fund. We were fortunate to be supported through each of our Senior School careers as full recipients of bursaries. Our parents would not have been able to afford the fees unassisted.

The Bursary Fund allowed us to attend one of the UK’s top schools. It is truly amazing to imagine the generosity of donors. I’m not sure many will know that they supported an entire family through their Senior School education. We have all now graduated from university; two are lawyers and I work in finance. We are so grateful to the School for the opportunities it gave us, and for the doors the School has opened for our future.’

We are immensely grateful to all ONLs who support the Bursary Fund, and who enable us to welcome girls of all backgrounds into the School community, regardless of their parents’ ability to pay the fees. Thank you all.

In June 2016 we launched our new Annual Fund. The Annual Fund is a way of enabling parents, former parents and alumnae to play their part by supporting small but significant projects. The projects selected are diverse in nature and support a range of teaching and learning goals and extra-curricular activities with benefits for students of all ages.

The opportunity exists to either purchase a single item that would be of use to the School, or support us with an unrestricted gift that will be put towards ‘wherever the School needs it most’.

If you are interested in supporting our Bursary Fund, please let us know – do contact Deborah Sobel either on 020 8951 6376 or at dsobel@nlcs.org.uk – thank you.

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If you are interested in supporting the Annual Fund, please do let us know – do contact Deborah Sobel either on 020 8951 6376 or at dsobel@nlcs.org.uk – thank you.

NEW CAPITAL CAMPAIGN Our students enjoy a rich curriculum with a wide variety of activities and clubs to nurture interests, talents and individuality. But academic choice and extra-curricular variety need space, and our spaces need ongoing development and improvements.

We are grateful to all our supporters who, over recent years, have contributed towards capital campaigns and who have enabled North London to maintain its world class facilities and buildings. Most recently, philanthropic support allowed the School to complete the New Buildings Project through the ‘Extending Excellence in Education’ campaign; our students have greatly benefitted since the project’s completion in September 2013, and now enjoy additional laboratories and classrooms, social spaces and study spaces, and larger, refurbished dining facilities.

North London continues to improve and invest in its buildings and the School is committed to future capital works and campaigns. In recent months, the Governing Body has discussed a long-term fundraising plan that would enable the School to both secure our bursary provision and also continue our commitment to pro-

viding the best possible facilities. We are delighted to announce that the School has just committed to a new capital campaign to raise funds for arts and music provision which will include performance, studio and rehearsal spaces, as well as improving the Junior School.

We look forward to sharing further details with you soon.

A GIFT IN YOUR WILL Legacies and bequests have played a key part in North London’s success and that continues today. Whether large or small, a gift in your Will can help to make a real difference to the School in a meaningful way.

Remembering North London with a legacy gift will ensure that some of the moments you may recall from your school days here – games of Budge, inspiring teachers, lifelong friendships – will also be enjoyed by future generations.

You may choose to support the Bursary Fund, School facilities and buildings, or an unrestricted area of the School’s work.

We are immensely grateful to receive such meaningful gifts.

For more information or for an anonymous, informal conversation please contact us at legacies@nlcs.org.uk, or on 020 8951 6376.

VIRGIN MONEY GIVING If you would like to support North London Collegiate School you can now donate online via our Virgin Money Giving page.

Please check out the ‘Support Us’ section of our website – www.nlcs.org.uk – for further details. Both one-off gifts and regular donations can be made via this route and Gift Aid can also be reclaimed on any donations made online by UK tax payers.

We may use information about current and former parents and pupils, and others, in relation to fundraising and promoting NLCS. For example, we may contact individuals whom we consider might be interested in supporting NLCS in connection with a specific fundraising activity. In this, we are assisted by a small team of volunteers (which includes NLCS alumnae, governors and current parents) but we will not share your contact details with them, or any other information which we consider to be confidential, without your permission.

MEET YOUR DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Deborah Sobel

Abi Graham

INTRODUCING YOUR ALUMNAE & DEVELOPMENT TEAM The Alumnae & Development Team supports North London’s growing alumnae network, and fundraises for much-needed bursaries and developments at the School.

We hold many events for the ONL community from year group reunions and an annual ONL Picnic, to networking events and careers seminars. We always enjoy meeting you and receiving updates and news – by email, phone or Facebook. We’re here to support your ‘Community for Life’ so please do keep in touch!

We currently have contact details for over 5,000 ONLs across the world, but some of these may no longer be accurate. If you know anyone that isn’t in touch with the School, please ask them to email us at onla@nlcs.org.uk.

And finally – if you want to share with us any ideas or suggestions for how we can better support or bring together ONLs, we’d love you to let us know. This is your alumnae network.

DEBORAH SOBEL, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT I joined the team in January 2015, and I’m responsible for leading North London’s fundraising and alumnae relations activity. I have worked previously at the Royal Opera House, the Donmar Warehouse and the National Theatre, and started my career as a graduate trainee at Mars. I’m fortunate to work with a fantastic team of people who are passionate about the School, our ONLs and our students.

ABI GRAHAM, DEVELOPMENT MANAGER I look forward to continuing Gavin’s work for North London Collegiate School when I join the team at the start of the Summer Term. After reading Classics at Oxford my first career was in music, and I have since raised funds for a variety of organisations in the educational, arts and charity sectors, including Trinity Laban Conservatoire and the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras.

I benefited from a Girls Day School Trust education and am excited to meet the

Carolina Jayson

Poorvi Smith

many parents, ONLs and members of the North London community who have been so generous to NLCS.

CAROLINA JAYSON (ONL 1991), ALUMNAE OFFICER I joined the team at the end of 2015 and am so delighted to be back at NLCS after so many years! I have such great memories of the School and am still close friends with many of my classmates, which partly inspired my wanting to be active within the Old North Londoner community. My career background is in building and managing Sales and Customer Services departments within the telecoms industry, and I enjoy making use of my experience through getting to know other ONLs and working with Poorvi to build connections within the ONL community.

I am stunned by all the improvements here and the expansion of the facilities. I have an eight year-old daughter and a four year-old son who love the opportunity to run around the same grounds I ran around 30 years ago, during summer holiday camps here. I recommend any ONLs to contact us and come and have a look for themselves.

POORVI SMITH (ONL 1991), ALUMNAE OFFICER I am an ONL and mother to a nine-year-old daughter. I have worked in the Alumnae Office for four years, and previously worked in the advertising and marketing industry. I returned to NLCS for my 20 year reunion and very quickly fell back in love with the grounds, the buildings and the general ethos of the School – so much so that I began working here the following year. I still find it difficult to go into the staffroom and have to remind myself that at the age of 41, I am legitimately allowed to go there without getting into trouble!

Whilst I secretly still harbour a dream to become Prime Minister, my role in the Alumnae Office keeps me busy. I particularly enjoy running the Career Networking service and never cease to be amazed at the incredible careers that NLCS girls go on to do.

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STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS

Congratulations to our Editor, Holly Levy, on the birth of her daughter, Thea Grace Levy on the 20 January 2017

STAFF BABY NEWS

LONG-STANDING STAFF LEAVERS

Natasha Taberner , twins, Charlotte and Harry, February 2016 Hillary West , a baby boy, William, July 2016 James Baughan , a baby girl, Molly, October 2016 Rob McMillan , a baby girl, Sophia, October 2016 Farhana Kassamali , a baby girl, Aaliya, October 2016 Madeleine Copin , a baby boy, Martin, November 2016 Gill Conway , a baby girl, Gabriella, December 2016 Hannah Stokes-Wigham , baby boy, Hamish, December 2016 Lucy Cooper , baby girl, Freya, February 2017 Amy Ansell, baby boy, Corey, March 2017

Emma Brown (Junior School Teaching Assistant) left to stay at home with her young family Jenny Burdett (Teacher of Maths and Assistant Head of Sixth Form) left to join Kings College London Mathematics School as Teacher of Maths Victoria Jacques (Teacher of Maths) left to join St. Albans High School as Teacher of Maths Bhawna Kanani (Junior School IT Technician) left to go to Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls Paul McKeating (Assistant Head of Sixth Form and Teacher of Chemistry) left to join Shrewsbury High School as Head of Chemistry and Deputy Head of Sixth Form Matthew Shoults (Head of School and Deputy Head – Curriculum) left to become Headmaster at Notting Hill & Ealing High School Justine Skinner ( Junior School Year 6 Form Teacher) left to join Stonar School, Wiltshire

STAFF MARRIAGES Joe Brown (Junior School Year 6 Form Teacher) got married in July, and is now Joe Mattison-Brown Tessa Roberts (Teacher of Geography) got married in July, and is now Tessa Sittner Chris Ham (Teacher of Music) got married in the Summer holidays Tom Hardy (Teacher of Art & Design) got married in the Summer holidays Erez Cobb (Teacher of RS & Philosophy) got married in October

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A SPECIAL GOODBYE LISE BREKKEFLAT

Junior School Teacher Lise Brekkeflat joined the staff in September 1990 at a time when the Junior School had just doubled in size and moved out of Senior School classrooms. On her arrival, she quickly became known for her excellent pastoral care as a Year 5 Form Teacher and her calm and patient understanding were welcomed in Years 3 and 4 as well. Her knitting class was hugely popular, and nature and gardening clubs were among the many extra-curricular activities she contributed to School life. Most importantly, she helped many a new and nervous North Londoner find her feet and settle into the Junior School (our editor included!). She was Deputy Head from 1996-2006, being well-respected by the staff and girls alike, before returning to be a Form Tutor for Year 3. We are most grateful to her for her many years of service and for the support she has provided for generations of girls who have benefited from her kindness, patience and TLC in the Junior School. We wish Lise well with her future projects.

RETIRING STAFF HELEN GRIFFITHS

Science Technician Helen Griffiths has retired after 12 years at the School. Helen worked in numerous roles throughout the Junior School, Senior School and Bursary. She eventually settled as a Science Assistant where she spent a number of years working alongside the technicians to ensure the students were able to have the equipment they required for the exciting practical work they do. Helen always performed her very physically demanding role with a smile on her face and with friendly words to share with colleagues.

ANA KOLKOWSKA

Teacher of Spanish Ana Kolkowska joined us in 2010 as Teacher of Spanish and during her time with us has been a tutor in every section of the School, as well as teaching in both the Senior and Junior School. We wish Ana the very best in her retirement.

1 Year Reunion Class of 2015

3 Year Reunion Class of 2013

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10 Year Reunion Class of 2006

20 Year Reunion Class of 1996

30 Year Reunion Class of 1986

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40 Year Reunion Class of 1976

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50 Year Reunion Class of 1966

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ONL REUNION

Opposite bottom left NLCS Blue bag being put to great use while Jenny Cook (née Coombs) recovers from surgery!

Opposite bottom right Hilary

Joyce with Mandira Sen Gupta outside her publishing office in India

MEMORIES FROM OUR SCHOOL DAYS Class Of 1966

One of my memories is of our maths teacher, Miss Russell. She was the leading light in the staff dramatic society. One year the staff put on a production of Lady Audley’s Secret with Miss Russell playing the lead role. This was a melodrama with the audience encouraged to boo villains, cheer etc. At the next maths class, the class booed as she entered the room.

Elaine Moore Although we had reached the age of 13 in the Lower IV, suddenly (it now seems) we all became real teenagers in the Upper IV and also a lot more politically aware than we had been. Rebellious, yes we were! We became anti this and anti that, in fact I remember Miss Golden remarking that the Upper 4th were anti everything. Another member of staff maintained that we were the worst Upper IV for a long time. Looking back I think that many of the things we were on about were good causes, it’s just that we were rather noisy and forceful in our proclamations. Several girls went on the early Aldermaston Marches and I can remember the topic of a debate in an English lesson ‘Better Red than Dead’.

Dame Kitty eventually had us together and announced that we were to have our own ‘Upper IV Society’ with meetings organized by ourselves. I’m afraid I cannot now remember anything about these meetings!

I suppose we calmed down eventually, but of course, we were the Beatles generation. Another strong memory is dinner breaks in a form room at the top of the old building (when we were old enough not to be sent outside at dinner break). Someone smuggled in a small portable record player (remember them?) and we listened to all the latest singles and albums while playing cards. ‘I wanna hold your hand’ ‘She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah’ and all the rest from that era.

Another silly memory - we used to dare each other to go up or down the staff stairs (just outside the staffroom). We always thought that perhaps on Founder’s Day or the last day of term no-one would notice. I don’t know if anyone carried out the dare and I cannot imagine now why we wanted to! But, because I was very involved with music I think that choir and orchestra practises, senior concerts, carol services, Founder’s Days and sitting in assembly (no, I think we called it prayers?) listening to Miss Manson playing the organ will probably linger in my memory for longer than anything else.

Elizabeth Gruar (née Dodd) So many lovely memories were prompted by the wonderful reunion the School so kindly arranged. Unfortunately the fact that my daughter (now 30) was also at

NLCS makes it quite confusing, some of my events merging with some of hers!

What does stand out in my memory is my first week at NLCS. Entering as an eleven year-old, to me the pupils who had come up from the Junior School seemed so much more confident and at ease around the school, but they couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful to a nervous newcomer. Having come from a small local primary school, I was dazzled by the amazing grounds and atmospheric Old House. And I never stopped appreciating those things.

Andrea Sarner (née Berg) I must admit to being the original ‘goodygoody’. Had my father got to hear about what follows, he would have been furious, so I never dared to misbehave!

Picture the Dining Room, with oblong wooden tables with four places down each side, and one at either end. The time is late 1950’s I think and we had waitresses, in uniform! Ours was called Alice. An oblong metal dish containing lunch was brought to the table, and the ‘table monitor’ served the meal. One side of the table was larking about, and tipped the table the whole way up towards the other side, mayhem ensued; resulting in all 10 of us being sent to Dame Kitty. I was beyond mortified!

Anonymous as still too ashamed to confess!

2017 | ONLINE

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ONL INFORMATION

Annual General Meeting SATURDAY 7 MAY 2016

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting 2017 of the Old North Londoners’ Association will be held at North London Collegiate School, Canons, Canons Drive, Edgware, HA8 7RJ on Saturday 6 May 2017 at 10.30am.

AGENDA ÌÌ ÌÌ ÌÌ ÌÌ ÌÌ ÌÌ

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE MINUTES OF THE LAST AGM 2017 MATTERS ARISING SECRETARY’S REPORT PRESENTATION OF ONLA ACCOUNTS ELECTION/RE-ELECTION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND VICE PRESIDENTS ÌÌ ANY OTHER BUSINESS

COFFEE AND PASTRIES WILL BE SERVED AT 11AM.

All ONLs are more than welcome to attend.

The Association is run for the benefit of ONLs and we would be delighted to receive your input. If you would like to attend, please contact the Alumnae Office by 25 April 2017.

If you would like to nominate another ONL for election or re-election to the Committee at the AGM please contact us for guidance on how to nominate and the forms.

email: onla@nlcs.org.uk call: 020 8951 6475

Forthcoming Events 2017 Please visit the ONLA section on our website, nlcs.org.uk for the most up-to-date list of events and reunions.

MAY 6

ONLA AGM 10, 20, 30 AND 40 YEAR REUNIONS CLASSES OF 1977, 1987, 1997 & 2007

JUNE 22 ONLA COCKTAIL PARTY

(ONLS FROM 1998 ONWARDS) 25 ONLA SUMMER PICNIC 27 CLASS OF 2014 THREE YEARS REUNION

SEPTEMBER 16 CLASS OF 2016 ONE YEARS REUNION 26 CLASS OF 1967 50 YEAR REUNION

Visiting Canons ONLs are warmly welcomed back to the School at any time. Please don’t wait for a reunion – if you are going to be in the area, please contact the Alumnae Office and we would be delighted to organise a visit for you, with a tour of the school led by current girls. Please contact onla@nlcs.org.uk or 020 8951 6475.

ONLs have an open invitation to attend any of the school shows, performances and sports matches. For example, this year the school will host 39 events from music to drama to art in the Performing Arts Centre. Information about these events is available at www.nlcs.org.uk under About Us, Latest Publications: Performing Arts Brochure 2016-2017 Founder’s Day remains a popular date in the School calendar and space for ONLs to attend is limited by the attendance of Year 13 parents. If you wish to be placed on the waiting list, please contact the Alumnae Office at onla@nlcs.org.uk or 020 8951 6475 from January 2018. Names on the waiting list are added on a first-come, first-served basis and we will not be able to confirm your seat until approximately a week beforehand.

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ONLINE | 2017

ONLA AWARDS North London is keen to maintain a relationship with our students beyond their time at School, supporting ONLs in their endeavours and ambitions whenever possible.

All ONLs are eligible to apply for Travel and Academic Awards. Please contact the Alumnae Office for more details.

CANONS LIFE UPDATE Due to new regulations, we’ll only send you a copy of Canons Life, the School’s termly newsletter, if you choose to ‘opt in’ to receive it. If you would like to continue to receive Canons Life by post, please email us at onla@nlcs.org.uk or phone us on 0208 951 6475, and we would be delighted to send it to you. The online version will be available as usual on our website.

Buzz Square Frances Mary Buss has 2,000 ONL friends on Facebook. To become part of the ONLA Facebook community, please befriend Frances Mary Buss and ask to be added to the correct group for your year.

We also have different regional groups set up, as well as ONLA Art, Business, Law, Media, STEM and Women in Medicine Societies.

You can also keep up with the latest news about ONLs and current girls by following @nlcs1850 on Twitter.