From the RHBA Committee

Decade Reps

Last awarded in 2019, the GS Blackburn Award was due to be awarded again in 2021 but the uncertainty around the covid pandemic, and the limited opportunities to travel, put these plans on hold but the RHBA Committee were delighted to be able to accept applications again earlier this year. The award is named after a former Headmistress of Bath High, one of our founding schools, Gwendoline Blackburn who was, in her day, the youngest Head ever appointed by the GDST. She led the school during and after World War 2 and managed the rebuilding of Hope House after it was damaged by bombs. An outstanding teacher she also absolutely loved to travel and set up a fund to enable girls at the school to be awarded a monetary prize to help with travel plans related to their education, or a trip which involves experiences and activities which will broaden their horizons. The award is given on Miss Blackburn’s behalf by the Alumnae Committee and is open to sixth form students as well as alumnae up to the age of 25, although in view of the covid-enforce delay this year alumnae up to the age of 26 were invited to apply.

The Committee were sorry not to receive any applications from alumnae this year but interviewed 5 candidates from across Year 12 and 13 of which Lara Chalkley, Year 13, was the standout candidate.

Lara won the 2022 GS Blackburn Award for her application to travel to New Zealand to research Asajiro Noda - one of the first Japanese people to arrive in New Zealand in the 1800s and live amongst the Maori. Noda’s integration into Maori society was helped by language similarities and shared cultural values. Lara will enjoy an immersive experience to learn about Maori culture in order to investigate the similarities between the two cultures. Lara has a keen interest in cultural anthropology and hopes that her trip will lead to some interesting research as part of her university studies. We shall report back on Lara’s trip in due course and very much look forward to hearing how she gets on.

If you are an alumnae under 25 and would be interested in applying for the 2024 GS Blackburn Award please email rhsalumnae@rhsb.gdst.net.

We now have an established group of alumnae who have kindly joined the committee as Decade Reps. There are, however, a few more slots to fill as we would like to appoint two reps per decade, and pre-1998 per school, alongside two additional reps covering the period of the merger, one ex-RS and the other ex-BHS.

We are therefore looking to fill the following slots:

RHSB 2019-2028 One Rep RS/RHSB 1996-2001 One Rep BHS 1979-1988 Two Reps 1969-1978 Two Reps 1939-1958 One rep

RS

1969-1978 Two Reps 1959-1968 Two Reps 1939-1958 Two Reps

If you DO NOT wish your contact details to be shared with your Decade Rep(s) please email rhsalumnae@ rhsb.gdst.net Here is a reminder of what being a Decade Rep involves: • Decade Reps are simply representatives of your year group and the year groups close in age to you, giving your generation at our school a voice and to help encourage attendance at reunions.

• There is no set time commitment – give as much or as little time as you are able. We hold one meeting each term plus an Annual Review open to all alumnae, which forms part of the main summer annual reunion. These meetings can be attended either in person or remotely. • After each meeting, minutes will be sent round with some key questions to feedback on or vote on, allowing everyone to have a say.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact rhsalumnae@rhsb.gdt.net. Thank you for helping ensure true representation on the committee of all generations of our schools.

Keeping in touch

Please find below our existing Decade Reps and how they can be contacted:

RHSB

2019-2028 Eliza Hyde (2022) 2009-2018 Leah Knight (2012) Darcy Evans (2014) 1999-2008 Sarah Dix (2006) Hannah Boyer (2004) Emily Tanner Wardle (2015) rhsb2019to2028@gmail.com rhsb2009to2018@gmail.com rhsb1999to2008@gmail.com

1996-2001 Former BHS: Leslie Gumas (1996-2003) rhsb1999to2008@gmail.com

BHS

1989-1998 Anna Lewis (1997) Paula Marsh (1998) bhs1989to1998@gmail.com 1959-1968 Alix Adams (1960) Judith Marsham (1963) bhs1959to1968@gmail.com 1939-1958 Pam Gooding (1955) bhsto1958@gmail.com

RS

1989-1998 Emma Johnson (1990) Carol Beaumont (1998) rs1989to1998@gmail.com 1979-1988 Sallie Taylor (1981) Anne Marie Lorenzo (1987) rs1979to1988@gmail.com