Issuu

Supplement 2 019

Contents Welcome

Page 2

Events

Page 8

FeatureS

Page 24

Circle News

Page 30

In Memoriam

Page 44

Directory

Page 52

Contents

Welcome

Welcome from the Headmistress T

his year we welcomed ‘The Greatest Showman Travelling Circus’ to an appropriately dressed Big Top in Senior School. It was a real spectacle. We also saw the annual Wycombe Abbey Competitive Music Festival with 184 of girls of all ages and abilities playing or singing across the many different classes. We were thrilled to have Peter Tatchell speak at Evensong. Peter has given 50 years of his life to being a human rights activist, and he shared with us some of his triumphs and his struggles. There was a rapturous round of applause and following the service many girls met with Peter in Fisher Library to ask questions. In March, both Roman Catholic and Anglican confirmation services took place in Chapel. Our Chaplain, Reverend Penny Nash, contributed to both services; her dedication is much appreciated on these special days. She has made an excellent start at Wycombe Abbey, and the girls are thoroughly enjoying Chapel.

The new two-year Carrington Award Programme has been introduced in the Lower and Upper Sixth. Designed and developed by Deputy Head of Sixth Form, Dr Alistair Goddard, and taught by a wide range of staff, the Carrington Award aims to develop a range of skills and knowledge needed for the girls to thrive in the ‘real world’. Drawing from the latest theory and research, as well as the contributions of university academics and business leaders, the programme encourages the development of skills required in the university seminar room and the company boardroom of the future. As part of the programme, girls benefit from an introduction to self-defence techniques, training in financial independence, and managing money matters after they leave School. This year for the first time, I interviewed our bursary candidates with the help of Seniors Anne Walton (Felkin, C79) and Caroline Ames (Butte, C141). I am very grateful

to them for the preparation and thought they both put into the meetings with the girls. The girls enjoyed meeting them both and warmed instantly to the knowledge that they were former pupils of the School. I hope that such involvement in this important process will continue next year. We held two successful Reading Weeks this year, one before and one after Christmas. Both were much appreciated by girls and staff and provided an opportunity for the girls to read more, discuss what they enjoy, and reflect on what they have learned. We are very grateful to this year’s Clarence parents who have generously donated £19,250 towards buying new books and refurbishing the Clarence House Library. The idea for this Leavers’ Appeal came from the Head Girl Team: Jade, Inny, and Lizzie. Building on the great success of India Week last academic year, we held a Scandi Week in January. A particularly cold Welcome

blast of weather appositely hit High Wycombe, but we remained warm and energetic participating in a range of activities, including Hygge Night, a visit from the Oxford University Scandinavian Society, and a lecture on the renowned Swedish scientist, Carl Linnaeus. Academic departments also got involved – there were experiments to replicate the Northern Lights in Chemistry, infographics on Scandinavian data in Mathematics, basic Norwegian and Swedish in Modern Languages, the works of Edvard Munch in Art and History of Art, the tales of Hans Christian Andersen in Drama, and popular Scandinavian sports in PE. As the week drew to a close, in spite of heavy snow, we went ahead with our whole School Scandinavian singing extravaganza. Hosted by Mr Tubb and Mr Ledingham, dressed as Benny and Bjorn, girls and staff sang their hearts out to some of ABBA’s greatest hits. It really was a joyous spectacle. Our involvement in Model United Nations (MUN) continues to go from strength to strength. At the end of January two teams of girls from Wycombe Abbey won Best Delegation awards at the MUN Bilbao competition in Spain. The two groups were placed first equal at the prestigious international affairs conference, which attracted 50 teams from schools across the world. Ten pupils also won Best Delegate prizes, recognising excellence in their individual contributions to debate. The conference simulated a wide variety of international diplomatic forums, including the United Nations Security Council, World Health Assembly, and the Arctic Council. We are indebted to Dr Alistair Goddard. There have been numerous sporting successes, including the British Schoolgirl Ski Races at Flaine. Our new Director of Sport, Miss Windle and Mr Ledingham took seven girls to compete in what turned out to be tough weather conditions. Following on from the ski team’s success at Les Deux Alpes in December, there were some strong individual and team performances. The girls gained four team podium places and seven individual places, which is an incredible achievement. Tournament highlights include all but one lacrosse team reaching at least the last 16 in National Finals with more than one reaching semi or quarter-finals and the U13A team being crowned National Champions! The first team lacrosse have been crowned Five Schools Champions and Tri-County Champions. We qualified for Nationals Squash Finals with both our U19A and U16A teams. In gymnastics, girls represented Wycombe Abbey at the Milano

Welcome

Championships. Our fencers competed at the Public Schools Championships and we had the Aberdare Cup Tennis competition with our senior players. Oxbridge offers were made in early January to 27 UVI girls. A number have also applied to other destinations outside the UK, including Canada, Ireland, Hong Kong and Italy. Over the Easter holiday we received news of the UVI applications to US and Canadian universities. Sixteen girls made a total of 100 applications to an impressive range of colleges and universities for 2019 entry. We are delighted with the acceptances the girls received, including from Brown, Georgetown, NYU, Toronto, UVA, UCLA, UC Davis and Pomona College. During the Easter holiday a magnificent art project masterminded by Mrs Phipps of the Art department and designed by girls now in LV was installed in the Main Abbey staircase. Seed Heads provided the inspiration for the glass work pieces. The girls’ designs made in their UIV Art lessons translated spectacularly onto the glass discs. I hope you will come and view it and I also hope you will agree it looks stunning! We were delighted to welcome Seniors, including four of our Re-openers and their families, on a wonderfully sunny afternoon in June, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Glenn Miller’s final open-air concert, held at the School on 29 July 1944. The orchestra, directed by Ray McVay, showcased in spectacular style Glenn Miller’s legacy and music. We were also treated to a premier of never-beforeseen footage of the original concert, collated and donated by Senior, Trish Walker (C118) It was a fantastic afternoon with Seniors, pupils and the extended Wycombe Abbey community enjoying the grounds and the music in the sun. The Glenn Miller concert was followed in the evening by GlastonAbbey rock concert, showcasing the best of the girls’ (more contemporary!) musical abilities. It was a difficult decision to leave Wycombe Abbey, but I am excited for my new role in Shenzhen, China. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many of you in my six years here and I am confident that the School will continue to thrive and develop under Mrs Jo Duncan’s leadership and the commitment of my outstanding colleagues. Rhiannon J Wilkinson, MA (Oxon), MEd Headmistress

Welcome from the Chair of the

Seniors’ Consultative Committee T

he 2018 Seniors’ Day involved two new and contrasting attractions. After an excellent lunch in Big School, we were ferried to the old US Air Force site to discover at last what the fabled bunker looks like. Despite the building having been stripped of any sensitive contents, the bare underground rooms were fascinating and eerie, and we were able to imagine for ourselves, with the help of our enthusiastic guides, what it must have been like to have worked there. During the day we were also treated to a tasting by an enterprising Senior, Kathy Caton (C179), founder of Brighton Gin, who brought lavish quantities of her delicious gin to Wycombe Abbey for us to try. Even as a supposedly mature adult, drinking gin in Fisher Library felt wonderfully transgressive!

After the disappointment of 2017, when snow put paid to the Carol Service and Seniors’ Lacrosse Match, it was good to return to business as usual last December. A full team of Seniors took on the Wycombe Firsts on the AstroTurf. Despite a brave performance, the Seniors didn’t triumph on this occasion, but it was a very enjoyable match and good numbers turned out to cheer both sides on. Later in the day, Seniors turned out in force for the Carol Service, which continues to be a highlight of the year with an opportunity, both before and after the comforting familiarity of the service, to catch up with friends over tea or drinks. I am delighted that during the year the School launched the new Seniors’ website and I encourage you to make use of it. It can be accessed via a tab on the main Wycombe Abbey site or directly at wycombeabbeyseniors.com. Please have a look at it and sign up to it as it will enable you to keep in touch both with your contemporaries and with Seniors’ news. The site has the facility for you to establish your own private groups within it, so you might want to set up year or Circle groups of your own to exchange news and invite people to events. If you need any help with navigating your way around it or in signing up, please contact the Seniors’ Office at the School. Seniors’ reunions have continued to take place throughout the year. Seniors are increasingly international and this is reflected in the location of reunions, with one happening this year in Singapore, as well as many in the UK. As ever,

thank you to all those Seniors who organise reunions. They are always appreciated and help to put Seniors in contact with one another. Do please send a photo and a short piece about your reunion to the Seniors’ Office so the event can be included in the Supplement. A note on bursaries – please remember that if you are thinking of Wycombe Abbey for your daughter (or know of someone else who is) but are unable to meet the full cost of the fees, then please contact the School for details of the bursary scheme. Generous provision is available for bursaries, ranging from a small award of 10% up to, and even exceeding, 100% of the fees. My thanks go to the Seniors who give up their time to contribute to the work of the Consultative Committee. I would particularly like to thank Anne Walton (Felkin, C79) and Caroline Ames (Buttle, C141) for the enormous amount of work they put in on the School’s Bursary Committee and to Suze Stevens-Wood (Honorary Senior, C287) for all that she does to organise the Seniors’ Travel Awards. I would also like to thank everyone at Wycombe Abbey for the hospitality they extend to Seniors and for all that they do to look after us. We wish Rhiannon Wilkinson the very best in her new role and look forward to welcoming Jo Duncan in the next academic year. Amanda Gibbon (Owen, C149) Chair of the Seniors’ Consultative Committee

Welcome

One Year On H

aving left Wycombe Abbey in June 2018, this past year has truly flown by.

During the summer, I was lucky enough to travel to Crete and Malta with school friends while getting the opportunity to spend time with my family, taking a momentary break from examinations and all the joy that revision brings …! I then went on to begin my first year at Oxford University studying History. Starting the year off in October with my birthday on matriculation (the day when you are officially enrolled into the university), the tone was set for the many peculiar traditions to come. However, some aspects of my university experience I have found to be similar to School, including the continued importance of having an aesthetic picture wall and my college, Lady Margaret Hall, also possessing incredibly beautiful, yet slightly petrifying, swans. Being surrounded by a complete variety of people has been lovely and I have been lucky enough to meet friends for life in the same way that I did at Wycombe Abbey. 6

Welcome

In classic Wycombe girl fashion, I have found that it is still very much the case that lax is love, lax is life. Lacrosse plays a big part of my life at university and earlier this year I competed for the Blues team in my first varsity match against Cambridge University. Having come back to School for the Seniors versus Firsts match over Christmas, it is clear to me that Lacrosse continues to bring Wycombe girls together, past and present. Evidently, I have thoroughly enjoyed this past year and I feel extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to experience so many incredible things. I am very much looking forward to what else is in store, while I eagerly await going back to visit Wycombe Abbey, hopefully in the very near future. Katie McCarthy Head Girl 2017/2018

Who’s Who? Seniors’ Consultative Committee Chair:

Committee Members:

Patrons

• Amanda Gibbon (Owen, C149)

• Sue Cameron (C100)

• Baroness Howe of Idlicote (Elspeth Shand, C74)

• Felicity Conway (Harris, C160) • Bursary Committee:

• Looby Crean (Roswell, C138)

• Caroline Ames (Buttle, C79)

• Elizabeth Duignan (Player, C169)

• Anne Walton (Felkin, C79)

• Jane Gould-Smith (Morris, C127) • Caroline Griffiths (Newman, C127)

Seniors’ Travel Awards

• Clare Middleton (Cambell Golding, C166)

• Suze Stevens-Wood (Hon)

• Fiona Robinson (Johnston, C145) • Susannah Saary (C170)

• Sue Cameron (C100) • Enid Foxall (Hawley, C66) • Pauline Davies (Hon) • Judith Goodland (Hon) • Anne Walton (Felkin, C79) • The Rt Hon. the Baroness Butler-Sloss (Elizabeth Havers, C75) • Jill Ohlson (Thain, C70)

Regional Representatives • Derbyshire: Jill Harris (Lilley, C76) • Hampshire: Penny Cullis (Mudd, C127) • Manchester: Louise Rhodes (Melene, C107)

• Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria: Katy Marsh (Cameron, C82)

• Scotland: Catriona Brown (MacLeod, C119)

• Northern Ireland: Audrey Macafee (Wilson, C94)

• South West: Sue Cameron (C100)

Lost Seniors – Can You Help? Seniors is a global family with over 4,000 members across the world. Over time we have lost touch with a number of members, but we would love to reconnect with any Seniors we are no longer in contact with and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be involved and kept informed of news and events. How you can help

Do you know anyone in your Circle or any other friends from Wycombe Abbey who may no longer be in contact with Seniors? If so, please encourage them to get in touch – we are always delighted to hear from all Seniors. Please contact us by emailing seniors@wycombeabbey.com or telephone +44 (0)1494 896 309. Welcome

Events

Seniors’ Day

Seniors’ Day 2018 A gin workshop and tours of the bunker were just some of the activities on offer for Seniors who returned to Wycombe Abbey for Seniors’ Day on Sunday 23 September 2018. With every decade represented from the 1940s to 2000s, and some returning to the School for the first time in 40 years, 100 Seniors reunited for lunch in Big School, and an afternoon of activities, finishing up with tea and gin in Fisher Library. Kathy Caton (White, C179), Founder of Brighton Gin, led a workshop, sharing stories of the challenges and joys of her running a gin company, as well as her role as a gin script consultant for BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Archers’.

Also popular were tours of the School’s Cold War-era nuclear bunker. Many Seniors had no idea that it existed while they were at School. Others knew of it only as an area strictly out of bounds. This was an opportunity for a fascinating visit, with guides from Subterranea Britannica providing an historical account of the bunker and its role in the Cold War, and before that in World War II, when the School was requisitioned by the US Army and served as the headquarters of the Eighth Air Force. One Senior remarked, “To see the extent and size of the bunker and to learn of its function was nothing short of amazing!”

Events

75th Anniversary Glenn Miller Concert On a wonderfully sunny afternoon in June, Seniors joined current pupils and the extended Wycombe Abbey community to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Glenn Miller’s final open-air concert, held at the School on 29 July 1944. The Orchestra, directed by Mr McVay, showcased in spectacular style Glenn Miller’s legacy and music and those present were treated to a premier of neverbefore-seen footage of the original concert. Thank you to Trish Walker (C118) for sourcing and organising the film footage, recorded by US military personnel on 1940s film stock. To view the footage, please visit the Seniors’ website: www.seniors.wycombeabbey.com

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Decade Reunions 20 Years On On Saturday 22 September 2018, over 40 of the class of 1998 met up for a 20-year reunion at the Lansdowne Club in London. It was lovely to see so many people there, and we hope to see even more in five years for our 25-year reunion. Many thanks to Clare Evans (Stenning, C206) for helping with the organisation, and the Landsdowne Club for hosting us. Tania Lloyd (Coleman, C207)

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30 Years On Over 50 Seniors from the class of 1989 got together on Thursday 2 May 2019 at the Coopers’ Arms on Flood Street in London to celebrate our 30-year anniversary of leaving Wycombe Abbey. It was great to see so many people – and amazing that people travelled by plane and train, from France, Switzerland, Sweden, Hong Kong, Scotland, Cornwall, etc.! Many of us had not seen each other since leaving, so there was much catching up to be done. It was great to rekindle friendships and make contact again and we really hope that it won’t be another 30 years until we all meet again. Alexina Cassidy (Milbank, C171)

50 Years On In June 2019 a reunion took place of those who were in the cohort spanning entry in the then Sixth Form in 1963 to leaving after A Levels in 1969. We had all left school 50 or more years ago, therefore (some having left pre A Level). One of the big advantages of having shared those formative years is that it is fun to reunite decades later, either in person or via the internet. The majority of that cohort are still in touch, albeit sporadically. Fourteen of us gathered for lunch, kindly hosted by a local Senior and then ten of us were taken on a tour of the School, notably round the many buildings that weren’t there in our day. In 50 years much has changed and the facilities are way beyond anything we could have dreamed of. Not surprisingly, the tour also sparked off many memories. Thanks to the Seniors’ Office for enabling us to visit. Elizabeth Breeze (C117)

Events

HOUSE Reunions Butler House Reunion For many years I have been thinking that it would be wonderful to have a House reunion, as we had much stronger ties and friendships within our Houses than within our year groups at Wycombe Abbey. Indeed, in my time, we were not allowed to go into other people’s Houses without written permission. In lessons, we had to sit next to girls from other Houses, although with new staff, we sometimes exchanged ties so that we could sit next to friends in our own House! Ha! Surprisingly, all the reunions back at School have been in year groups. So in the New Year, I determined to set about organising a Butler House reunion. I contacted my friend Rachel Cunynghame (Baines, C120) and she very kindly offered her lovely house in the gorgeous Cotswolds as a venue. With the help of the Seniors’ Office, we managed to track down a good number of Butler Seniors. So in Chipping Campden on Sunday 16 June, we held the first Butler House reunion with 17 ex-Butler Seniors, six local non-Butler Seniors and five husbands! Everyone brought their offerings of sumptuous salads, delicious desserts, cakes and drinks; it was a veritable feast! The star of the day was 93-year-old Lalage Bown (C70) who was such a sprightly character. Lalage had been at Wycombe

Abbey in 1942 when the US Air Force chose Daws Hill as the headquarters of Bomber Command-giving the School and pupils two weeks to find accommodation elsewhere! It was absolutely wonderful catching up with friends we had not seen for over 40 years, and they all looked the same, with all very differing experiences over the years since school. The challenge was remembering everyone’s names on the fading sepia house photos! For the memorabilia table, I had managed to find my old tatty book bag, and Rachel found Lacrosse sticks and her divided games skirt. We had an amazing variety of memories of schooldays, not much about the work we did or didn’t do, but mostly about the friendships and good times we had. It was a great Butler reunion – just as good as I had thought, with regret that we had not all met up before but with the intention that we are definitely going to have another gathering before too long! Huge thanks to Rachel and Arthur for hosting such a memorable occasion. We all used to say that ‘Butler was the best’ and this confirmed it! Penny Kent (Bevan, C120)

“We had an amazing variety of memories of schooldays,

not much about the work we did or didn’t do, but mostly about the friendships and good times we had”

Events

Rubens House Reunion Thanks to Sue Paul (Weeks, C111), seven Rubens Seniors (Circles 111–115) met in May 2019 at the Goring Hotel in London to celebrate our 70th birthdays. Though we have all kept in touch, it was very special to meet up after so long and conversation ranged from life at Wycombe Abbey in the 1960s to our careers before retirement, families and grandchildren. We decided we were all very recognisable from our school-days as we examined a House photo from 1966! Hopefully we can encourage more Rubens Seniors to join us next time we meet.

In the photo from left to right is: Melanie Brice (Shipton, C111), Susan Paul (Weeks, C111), Fiona Morrison (WestRussell, C115), Caroline Daykin (Mendelski, C115), Vivien Northridge (Hayman, C114), Hilary Marsh (Allen, C115), Susanna Walker (Coryndon, C113). Dianna Emmett (McInroy, C112)

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Wendover House Reunion On Thursday 23 May 2019, 15 Wendover Seniors met for a reunion lunch in London. We comprised three academic years, all leaving the School between 1964 and 1967. Many of us had not seen each other for 50 years or more! Yet, we seemed to pick up from where we left off all those years ago and had a wonderful time looking at old photos, sharing memories and catching up with each other’s news. We didn’t stop talking and laughing; it was a truly happy occasion and we plan to repeat it next year. As one person commented afterwards: “The Wycombe experience is a bond that seems to transcend the years.” Back row from left to right: Ginny Davis (Matthews, C111) Julia Ling (Holmes, C109) Rachel Ronald (Taylor, C109) Teresa Curnew (Cartwright, C111) Pat Munn (C109) Judith Tait (Henderson, C113) Charlotte Hays (Whitworth, C111) Di Emmett (McInroy, C112) Hella Tovar (Snelling, C109) Ann Nymann (Lunoe, C104)

Events

Front row from left to right: Liz Fleming (Lattimer, C111) Judy James (Goldsworthy, C106) Jo Emms (Ide, C109) Maggie Guillebaud (Brooke, C111) Suzie Williams (Ellis Jones, C106) If any other Wendover Seniors from that era would like to join us next year, we would be delighted, so do get in touch!

Regional reunions Singapore Celebrations for Chinese New Year The annual Singapore Seniors’ reunion was held in February 2019 at El Tardeo – a tapas bar in the heart of the city. Not only were we treated to delicious paella, tapas and cava but our senses were delighted with a private flamenco performance. The repetitive drumming of the castanets and the strumming of the guitar made for an evening of fun and laughter. Against a hand-painted backdrop and a Spanish-tiled floor, some of the 15 ladies (and gentlemen) danced themselves to the beat.

Blindfolded, and passing the steps onto the next in line, the end result was what you could call a ‘watered down’ dance. But thanks to our professional dancers, we were also shown a true flamenco – and what a sight it was! Thank you to Stephanie Cheah (Demierre, C170) for organising the event. It will be tough to beat this when we meet again to usher in the next Chinese New Year. Gōng xǐ fā cái! Harriet Bick (C254)

“Not only were we

treated to delicious paella, tapas and cava but our senses were delighted with a private flamenco performance”

North West Reunion Seniors in the north west were lucky with the weather for the Dunham Massey reunion and saw the winter garden at its best. Pictured here (left to right) are Joanna Laing (Stubbs, C143), Christine Tacon (C134), Louise Rhodes (Melene, C107) and Anna Shaw (Welch, C99) by the lake.

Events

Networking Careers in the Arts We were delighted to hold the first Seniors’ careers networking event of the year in May, at the beautifully restored Christie’s Education Centre’s main conference room in Marylebone. The event was organised with the help of Christie’s Global Head of Communications, Cat Manson (Fenston, C172), who generously hosted us and joined a panel of experts from the world of arts. The panel also included Hannah Armstrong (C188), co-owner of Omnia Art Ltd; Diana Spiegelberg (C195), Deputy Director at Somerset House; and Susie Saary (C170), a published author, producer and screenwriter. The question and answer session with our artistic panel took place on a rather soggy evening at the start of May, but this did not dampen the enthusiasm of those attending, which included 19 Seniors and nine current Wycombe Abbey girls from the Sixth Form, along with Alison Kiln, Head of Careers; Anna Hassall, Careers administrator; Emma Bowen, Head of History of Art; and Rebecca Block from the Seniors’ Office.

The panel began by giving an outline of their current roles and a brief career history of how they progressed through various avenues into the world of art. Then the floor was opened to questions from the audience and the conversation flowed. Both current girls and Seniors were really interested in the different routes the panel had taken and the variety of roles available to anyone wanting to get into the art world. The session ran over as the questions kept coming but was drawn to a close with the chance to chat informally over refreshments. It is fair to say that everyone left the evening buzzing and asking when the next one would be. Thanks go to our four speakers for making the evening such an entertaining and informative event.

Events

Meet the Panel Cat Manson (Fenston, C172) Global Head of Communications, Christie’s Cat was appointed Global Head of Communications for Christie’s International in 2015. She is responsible for overseeing all internal and external communications for the company. Cat has 24 years of global experience and has been based in London and New York. Highly experienced in the development and delivery of communications strategy, specialising in the art market and reputational brand matters, Cat’s campaigns have covered every area of the business. She has worked with all categories and regions, from the fine and decorative arts and luxury fields, as well supporting many high profile single owner collection sales, celebrity and charity auctions. Cat worked on launching the company’s activities in China, Middle East, India, and Russia as part of the strategy to develop new markets. Her opinion is

sought from peers outside Christie’s on communications matters involving cultural heritage as well as a variety of reputational and industry issues. Cat joined Christie’s in 1995. She was appointed a Director in 2005 and a Senior Director in 2009. From 2009, she served as Deputy Global Head of Corporate Communications and Global Head of Internal Communications until early 2011, when she was appointed Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer, a post she held until late 2013 when she became International Director, Corporate Affairs. Educated at Wycombe Abbey, Cat completed a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Language at Durham University and a Master’s in Renaissance Studies at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London. Prior to joining Christie’s, she taught art history in Italy.

Diana Spiegelberg (C195) Deputy Director, Somerset House Diana is Deputy Director at Somerset House, a creative community in a historic setting that is home to London’s largest concentration of artists and creative enterprises, as well as welcoming over three million visitors each year. Recent developments have included launching Somerset House Studios.

Previously Diana was Director of The Kensington & Chelsea Foundation, a community foundation bridging the gap between people living and working locally and charities and community groups through philanthropy, corporate engagement, and volunteering. This followed over a decade working for live music producer Serious.

Can You Help? If you are interested in hosting a careers networking event in your field, or would be willing to participate as a panel member, please do let us know by emailing seniors@wycombeabbey.com Following feedback from Seniors, we plan to enhance the careers networking provision and would very much welcome ideas on such events that may be of interest, whether that be in finance, medicine, law, or sport.

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Hannah Armstrong (C188) Director, Omnia Art Ltd Hannah is co-owner of Omnia Art Ltd. Omnia Art is an independent art advisory business, guiding private clients on buying and selling artworks, ranging from Old Masters, Impressionists, furniture, porcelain, and decorative arts. Omnia researches and sells artworks directly to national and international museums and galleries, to private collectors and also at auction.

On leaving Edinburgh University 20 years ago, where Hannah read History of Art, she worked as the Head Cataloguer and as a Picture Researcher at Bridgeman Images for nearly nine years. Hannah also worked for News International in Sydney as a photo editor choosing photos for Australian newspapers. Hannah has worked at Omnia since 2010 and has been a co-owner since 2015. Hannah is a Patron of the Tate, the V&A, and the Wallace Collection and a member of the Professional Advisers to the International Art Market (PAIAM).

Susannah Saary (C170) Author and ghostwriter Susannah has written autobiographies for politicians, sports personalities, medical professionals, and entrepreneurs. A member of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, she has worked in publishing as a freelance editor and consultant for several years. Before this, Susannah worked in the entertainment industry as an actress, producer, screenwriter, and voice artist. Under another

alias she is a singer/songwriter, music producer and DJ with a number of tracks released. Her first official music video (produced and performed by aerial silks artists based in Vancouver, Canada) debuted earlier this year. Susannah has lived in London, Los Angeles, Paris, Barcelona, and Brighton. She is currently working on her second novel and has just launched a podcast.

Wycombe Abbey Seniors’ Private Client Network Having bumped into a number of other Seniors at various Private Client industry events, a group of us thought it would be fun to set up an informal network for Seniors working with Private Clients – be that in law, investment management, accounting, independent financial advice, etc. To date there are 15 of us, leavers from 2007–2011, but it would be great to have more. If you would like any more information or would like to join our next breakfast, please email Laetitia East (Campbell, C264) LEast@ruffer.co.uk for more information.

Events

Seniors’ Lacrosse Match and Carol Service The School was pleased to welcome an incredible number of Seniors for the Lacrosse Match and Carol Service in December 2018, which has become an annual favourite in the calendar of events. Over 180 Seniors, joined by their spouses, family, and friends, returned to the School for the festivities, which began as ever with the Seniors v 1st XII lacrosse match.

Events

Despite encouragement from spectators on the side lines, the Seniors lost 5–1, but here’s hoping they can regain the upper hand at the rematch in December 2019. Following the match, tea in Big School provided the opportunity for Seniors to catch up with friends over tea and cake, as well as find their entries (some written over 70 years ago!) in the Seniors’ Rolls. Afterwards, and with so many Seniors present, Chapel was full to the brim with everyone eagerly anticipating the Charterhouse Carol and the rapturous singing of ‘Joy!’ that brings much delight each year. It certainly did not disappoint. Mulled wine and mince pies rounded off a warm and festive event in The Courtyard, where Seniors were also able to purchase items from the School Shop, such as Wycombe Abbey Monopoly and a glass bauble bearing a watercolour of the Abbey, just in time for Christmas!

Seniors’ Lacrosse Match and Carol Service Sunday 8 December 2019 Timings 13:30 Arrival for lacrosse players 14:30 Seniors v 1st XII Lacrosse match 16:00 Afternoon Tea 17:15 Carol Service in Chapel

RSVP seniors@wycombeabbey.com 01494 896309 by Friday 29 November

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Events

Features

‘Noble Savages’: the Olivier Sisters Sarah Watling (C258) tells us about the publication of her first book and how her own experiences at Wycombe Abbey inspired its main themes of women’s access to education, sisterhood, and feminism over the 20th century. When I started my book about the Olivier sisters, one thing I was keen to think about closely was sisterhood itself. I was drawn to the Oliviers for several reasons: two of them had studied at Newnham College in Cambridge, where I went after leaving Wycombe Abbey; they were linked to both the Neo-Pagans (a group of idealistic young Edwardians who gathered around the poet Rupert Brooke) and to the Bloomsbury Group; they were raised by Socialist pioneers and they were each, it soon transpired, clever, determined and fascinating women. Margery, Brynhild, Daphne, and Noel were ahead of their time: well-educated, when that was still a rarity for women, and unusually uninhibited. They were also, in their early lives, surrounded by sisters, both within their family and in a wider sense, coming of age in a period of great activism by women: the electrifying suffrage movement. In these days when women are visible across public life, and few are limited only to their homes, it’s easy to forget just what an enormous confidence boost it must have been to campaign for suffrage; to march beside like-minded women who were not appalled that you might have an opinion, who did not for a moment think that you should go home and be quiet. It is, of course, no coincidence that the suffrage movement gained ground only once the education of women began to improve. Safe places of study for women, schools like Wycombe Abbey (founded four years after Noel Olivier was born) and colleges like Newnham, provided vital communities where girls and women could focus on themselves, become acquainted with their capabilities, and get to know their allies: to start to plan for a better future. The Olivier sisters had a fortunate start in life, and I’m sure it stood them in good stead for the 20th century, which was hardly consistently supportive of women. Of course they had to work within the opportunities of their times, but they were also remarkable within them. Noel Olivier, for example, managed to train as a doctor when only a tiny fraction of the profession was female; Daphne Olivier established a school in the days when married women were being forced out of teaching altogether. I often thought about how similar the Oliviers were to me and my peers: raised in relative comfort, highly educated, taught to believe they could achieve anything they set their minds to. They also still had to operate in a sexist world.

I can’t help but think that if I hadn’t had my own experiences of being educated by and among a series of interesting (formidable!) women, I might not have stumbled on the Olivier sisters, and I may not ever have truly appreciated what I owed to the many women who came before me, who made it possible for me to receive the education I did and to write the book I ended up writing.

“Interesting women have secrets. They also ought to have sisters” From the beginning of their lives, the Olivier sisters stood out: surprisingly emancipated, strikingly beautiful, markedly determined, and alarmingly ‘wild’. Rupert Brooke was said to be in love with all four of them; D. H. Lawrence thought they were frankly ‘wrong’; and Virginia Woolf found them curiously difficult to read. The sisters seemed always to be one step ahead of their time. Margery and Daphne studied at Cambridge when education was still thought by some to be damaging to ovaries. Noel became a doctor; Daphne a pioneering teacher; Margery’s promising trajectory was shot down by mental illness; and Brynhild, the great beauty of the four, excelled as a Bloomsbury hostess yet gave it up for love and a life of uncertainty. In this intimate, sweeping biography, Sarah Watling brings the sisters in from the margins, tracing lives that span colonial Jamaica, the bucolic life of Victorian progressives, the frantic optimism of Edwardian Cambridge, the bleakness of two world wars, and a host of evolving philosophies for life over the course of the 20th century. ‘Noble Savages’ is a compelling portrait of sisterhood in all its complexities, which rediscovers the lives of four extraordinary women within the varied fortunes of the feminism of their times, while illuminating the battles and ethics of biography itself. The book is available to purchase from Amazon.co.uk, in Kindle Edition and hardcover.

Features

Volunteering in Nepal I signed up to do ICS (International Citizen Service) during my gap year because I wanted a volunteering experience with people my own age in entirely new surroundings. The Seniors’ Travel Award that I received helped me put together the funding I needed to spend three months volunteering in a rural community in Nepal. I am most grateful for their support. From February to April, I worked with Raleigh International on a project in Rampur, a small village nestled in the hills of the Gorkha district. We were a team of seven UK and five Nepali volunteers and I felt lucky to have the opportunity to work with a group of interesting and passionate people. Our main focus on the project was to enable local farmers to diversify their businesses and thereby increase their income. We helped 24 smallholders build bamboo polytunnels, in which they would be able to grow tomatoes both in and out of season. I loved working alongside the local people to achieve our shared goals, and I also learned a lot about Nepali agriculture in the process. Everyone in Rampur was very enthusiastic about the programme and the

“I loved working alongside the people of the village to achieve our shared goals, and I also learned a lot about Nepali agriculture in the process”

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local project partners we worked with commented that they had never seen such large turnouts to training sessions in any other community! There was a long process of surveys, selecting fields, testing soil, completing business plans and, finally, construction. It was hard work but, as we were leaving the village at the start of our journeys home, it was very satisfying to see fields which had been empty on our arrival transformed with a polytunnel, rows of little tomato plants, and drip-irrigation set up. Just over a month after leaving the village we were sent pictures of the first batch of tomatoes ready for market. It has been really satisfying seeing how quickly our hard work with the villagers has started to pay off. I hope that our project will continue to have a positive and lasting impact on Rampur.

NEPAL

Aside from working with the beneficiaries, we also ran sessions with the women’s and children’s groups. The children’s talent show we held on Nepali New Year’s Eve was my favourite event! There were a variety of performances, lots of colourful, traditional clothing, and a large audience. I was really touched by how friendly and welcoming everyone in Rampur was. One of the best aspects of the project was that we all got to stay with different families in the village. Living with a host family made me appreciate the kindness

and generosity which seems intrinsic in Nepali culture. I am ashamed to say my Nepali didn’t progress much in three months and my limited vocabulary revolved almost entirely around food. On occasion, it was frustrating not to be able to have proper conversations with people. However, despite the language barrier, I felt like I became part of their family and the community. Caroline Dauris

Seniors’ Travel Awards The fund was set up by a Senior,Vera Gordon, and is available to all Seniors (whenever they left the School) and to girls in Clarence. To apply for the Award, candidates must fill in an application form, giving full details of their plans, including costs, which must most importantly include a charitable element.The applicant must be proactive about raising the majority of the money herself. There will follow an interview with one or two members of the Seniors’ Consultative Committee, so that they can be updated on any changes in the plans and the charitable intentions.

Successful applicants are expected to write a full report of their travels for publication in the Seniors’ Supplement. The Award is usually in the order of a few hundred pounds, with past recipients receiving in the range of £350–£750. To request an application form or further information, please email Suze Stevens-Woods at suzesw@sky.com

Features

Rhiannon J Wilkinson Headmistress of Wycombe Abbey 2013–2019 For six years, Rhiannon Wilkinson has made Wycombe Abbey not only the School which she leads, but also her home. She has been at the heart of the School community from the lacrosse touchline to the Chapel, putting all her energies into making Wycombe Abbey a global name in girls’ boarding education. Her commitment to the School, her warmth, and her visionary leadership have been exemplary. Passionate about boarding and pastoral care, she has instilled the importance of flourishing through a balanced approach to life, where wellbeing, academic success and extracurricular activities go hand in hand. During her time at the School, Wycombe Abbey has blossomed into a place where ‘oneness and joy’ are experienced by everyone who joins it. During her tenure as Headmistress, Mrs Wilkinson has driven the growth of the School, with the two new boarding Houses for Pitt and Rubens, the Courtyard Café, and the opening of the first school in China as part of the School’s international partnership. She oversaw the introduction of the innovative Carrington Award, which has ensured

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Wycombe Abbey girls will be truly future ready. Wycombe Abbey has enjoyed sporting success at national level, and there have been countless opportunities for girls to showcase their talents in Art, Music and Drama, such as at the Shakespeare Soirée at The Globe to mark the School’s 120th anniversary. As part of celebrations to mark her departure, the unveiling of Mrs Wilkinson’s portrait took place at Dove Day, where former Head Girls and their Deputies from her time as Headmistress were invited to say a few words about Mrs Wilkinson. We wish her the very best for her future.

Seniors Online Forum www.wycombeabbeyseniors.com

The Seniors’ online network is growing! We now have over 430 Seniors connected through our members’ forum, and the numbers are increasing daily. We are excited to announce that the forum recently went through a substantial updgrade to the new platform, and along with this we now have our very own Wycombe Abbey Seniors’ app! Joining the forum puts you directly in touch with the Seniors’ Office, Wycombe Abbey, and other Seniors. You will be the first to see the latest news and updates, event listings, networking opportunities and photos.You can also add your own news, pitcures, and events and set up groups.

www.wycombeabbeyseniors.com Download the app from the App Store or Google Play

Features

Circle News

Lalage Bown

In 2018, my 91st birthday year, I was given a special valedictory celebration (delayed a year because of my broken hip the previous year) by old colleagues at the University of Glasgow – a great dinner with friends from around Scotland and a seminar from former colleagues and present students; those present included academics from Canada and Nigeria. Then, later in the year, at the first graduation of students from our new Shrewsbury University Centre, which is an offshoot of the University Centre, I was awarded an honorary DLitt (Chester). It was my sixth honorary degree (the first being from the Open University in 1975, which just shows how ancient I am), but it was specially moving to receive an award in my home town. I continue as a member of the editorial team of the West Shropshire Talking Newspaper for the Blind and to give talks to raise funds for Womankind Worldwide, while, early this year, I was made a patron of a campaign group called Adult Education 100, remembering a famous report on the subject just after the First World War. My fellows are more famous than me, including Mary Beard and Ruby Wax, but I’m expected to be the ‘working member’, and have already been to Manchester and Oxford and am shortly to go to Nottingham and Oxford again. So I follow the Wycombe tradition of keeping active in community service as long as one can. Also, I continue to bless the memory of Rose Bruford, who taught us the art of public speaking.

Valerie Batt-Rawden (Try)

It is years since I wrote anything for the Supplement. Circle 72 was always very bad. Probably because the war-time closure of the School disrupted everyone’s lives. I will start with the last Openers’ lunch in London. Since then I had a stroke and was recovering well when I had the misfortune to turn too quickly and fell, breaking my hip. This has given me more trouble than the stroke because it has made me nervous and with a bar and metal plate in my hip makes walking more difficult. However, I am not deterred and still sing with Bracknell Choral Society, go to the local history society meetings, concerts, and social events with the help of a fantastic taxi driver.

There is nothing wrong with my brain and still research for FACHRS (Family and Community Historical Research Society). I have continued to send historical articles to my local history magazine Windlesora and Family Tree Magazine, etc. I now have five children, nine grandchildren (one boy) and five great grandchildren (two boys). The only two grandchildren I see regularly are the two children of my youngest son whose wife died of motor neurone disease in 2010. Hannah is 15 and goes to St Helen and St Katharine in Abingdon – the next best thing to Wycombe. The ethics are the same. They are in the process of building a Sixth Form house. Jamie is 12 and goes to an excellent school opposite St Helens which specialises in music, which will suit his musical potential. I am now building on the memories of my time at Wycombe that I started a few years ago, so watch this space … I would be pleased to hear from anyone with anecdotes of that time.

Marion Campbell

As Circle Secretary I have been very remiss about getting in touch with my Circle members, and am now out of time. So all I can say is that I heard from all last Christmas except Brenda Faux (Stonely), but I have just given her a ring and found that she is now being looked after in a pleasant care home, and enjoying the company, and care. No one else has, as far as I know, had any really big changes, and the ‘news’ was mostly of slowing down, etc., as indeed is mine. I find distances that used to be paltry, have now become quite lengthy, and take a surprising time to cover. And juggling a stick and shopping is not always easy! As we left Wycombe in 1950/1, I suppose it’s not surprising.

Circle News

Rima Martin (Glazebrook) I have been living in my top-floor apartment for over a year now, having moved here in January2018, leaving Anglesey behind. The view from my living room window could not be more different, to my seaside one. However, I have a spectacular view of Arundel town and the castle across the river. I have settled in, and gradually have met the other very welcoming residents. I am very near my youngest daughter and her family, which is why I chose to move here. I am also a useful B&B for my two daughters who live in Devon. An easy train service to Gatwick airport means my son can come and visit from Switzerland. My many grandchildren continue to travel the world. One grandson was married last year and I am now a proud great grannie, I am in touch with Jill Askew and Jenny Stott, who both live in Anglesey. It was a good move for me.

Maggie Farquharson (Kerr)

I am still in Australia having come for one year in 1958 ... how different school is from when I was there at the start after the war! I was 86 in March and my iPad skills are not good! Ann Huckstep (Macbeth) I am still living in the family home in Sydney, as it is conveniently located for most of my requirements. Fortunately, two of my three married children live nearby. Tennis has been replaced by ‘exercise classes’, the main attraction being congenial companionship. I find great pleasure in the company of my adult grandchildren (three girls, two boys), with their varied interests and activities. I visited the UK in July and August 2018 and enjoyed catching up with family and friends in England and Scotland.

church’s PCC. Lots of work as our vicar is retiring and we are preparing the case for why we need a successor, and what our future could be. Means lots of encouraging our congregation to share opinions and make suggestions .... Not usually active in politics, I was asked to stand as a ‘paper’ candidate in our 2018 borough elections. This gives voters where majorities are heavily one-sided the chance to show the support they prefer. In a ward whose winning councillors polled over 2,000 votes each, I was pleased with 540 on very little campaigning in just three weeks. At present, I am a Director of our residents’ management company. As the others are in employment, my job often involves ringing the lift company when there’s a breakdown. Plus, the usual planning and budgeting, and explaining why the maintenance charges have to rise. As well as pulling out items which should not be in the recycling bin – difficult as it’s deep and I’m no longer even 5’ 2”. (What’s that in metric?) Many friends are still in touch, from school and college and from where I have lived. (One for 83 years, daughter of our first next-door neighbours). No, I don’t usually text, etc.; we telephone and talk, send Christmas and sometimes birthday cards, and meet when we can. Susan Kuti, Elspeth Howe (Shand), Jo Pelly (Hirst), and Gill Foster (Fletcher) keep in touch, and I hope to see Jo this June. Visiting a family member in the Lords, I may encounter Elizabeth Butler Sloss (Havers). She, Elspeth and I were together for a time in the third lacrosse XII; being in a team was a chance to meet girls from other Houses and other years, which was very enjoyable. I have newer friends, too, and with one I have travelled frequently. Canada coast to coast by train ten years ago was special, but six days exploring the North Yorkshire coast and countryside this spring also gave us great pleasure, at a pace suiting our age.

Living in this far-flung outpost, I do enjoy keeping in touch with Wycombe Abbey through the Supplement. It is so interesting to read about the achievements of generations of Seniors.

My life continues full of coincidences, which is most entertaining. When I thanked a kind girl on my local train for moving her bag, how could I know her parents now lived in France across the lane from my brother-in-law’s vineyard? But thanks to my chatty habits, that’s what we discovered, and have since become good friends.

Clare Spring (Thistlethwaite) I am lucky to be very busy: I sing in a small choir in the City, and enjoy my membership of three Enfield societies, local history, archaeology and Enfield National Trust Centre (I joined the NT with my parents in 1947). And I am on my

My family, including my three grandchildren and my in-laws, are most supportive. I know the responsibilities and difficulties adult children can face, so I have raised this with them. My experiences include having to find care for

Circle News

relatives in a hurry and even worse, having to move someone elsewhere because of changing health. I hope that our discussions now will help in the future, whatever it brings. Meanwhile, I increasingly look back on my past with great pleasure, much of it from and through my days at Wycombe Abbey.

a year. I received postal orders from my members, kept the accounts and their letters with news. I am afraid I threw these out last year. Having to write and ask for the money and news was quite time-consuming and even stamps seemed expensive even in those days.

88 Margaret Hopkinson-Woolley (Twining)

No news is good news but I must write something for you so here goes. I do enjoy reading about Seniors I remember. Other than that, I haven’t much interest in what goes on at the School now, except noticing the Headmistress changes quite often or is this my imagination as time flies! I have recently been reading the book about Dame Frances Dove who founded the School. I wonder what she would think about it now. She should feel very proud of what she started. Also, I have been reading my letters home from school which my parents had kept. I had never really bothered to read them until a few weeks ago. They were very entertaining. I am sending a photo of my House, Pitt in 1950. Mrs Reddick was the Housemistress and one of the letters describes her as very nice and at night she says ‘Goodnight dear’. I send the names of the girls who signed the back of the photo as well and hope they might get in touch. Most of them look very cheerful.

Joanna Sanders (Harrison)

2017 was not the best year for me as I was out of action for about six months during which time my husband died – in a way it was a mercy as he had had Parkinson’s for several years and died peacefully but very unexpectedly at home. I am now fully fit but I am afraid WASS seems to have slipped through the radar this end! However, I am able to send a photo of a get together in Anglesey that my friend Jenny Stott (88) sent me.

Back Row: Melissa Hatton (Alexander, C183), Belinda Woodier (Rimmer, C146), Diana Scovell (Scott, C124), and Pippa Turner (Hunter, C88) Front Row: Jessamy Alexander (Owen, C106), Jenny Stott (C88), Paula Parry (Williams, C101), and Adrienne Saynor (Owen, C86) The years I spent at Wycombe Abbey in 1948 to 1952 were probably some of the best Wycombe had. Music, Drama and Sport were excellent. There has been no contact with my Circle this year. I presume Circle Secretaries exist no more? Please may I retire!! I took on the job several times over the years and for years, and at the beginning we had to collect five shillings

Angela Tait (Trounson)

I am now completely housebound and am depending on others to keep the house and garden in order, but my family and friends are wonderful and keep me walking around the house, with my walker, and as active as I can be.

Circle News

Sadly, I couldn’t get to Dubai in March as I have for the past ten years nor to Norway to visit my husband’s grave. I sound like a really miserable old bag, but in fact I am still in good humour and seem to have lots of visitors who enjoy chats!

Shelagh Collingwood (Robertson)

Luckily my husband’s hip operation in May last year was so successful (he was officially ‘signed off ’ after five weeks) that we were able to undertake a nomadic jaunt to France in the latter part of August, revisiting old haunts like Rheims (Cathedral and champagne), Beaune (the 15th-century Hotel-Dieu [hospital] and wine), Macon (more wine), staying with friends in the Lot (blissful relaxation of three nights in one place!) then sweeping round by Angers (with its beautiful and restored 14th century 100-metre-long Apocalypse Tapestry) and on to the rocky coastline of North Brittany, to savour their mouth-watering seafood. Our son, Clennell, (we have three of them in the family: my husband, our son, and our grandson) persuaded us to join his family for a swift visit to Clennell Hall (!) in Northumberland, a slightly ramshackle, but very comfortable, family hotel. I had thought that three Clennells arriving at once might be a bit unusual, but it seemed Clennells come to stay from all over the world!

of names was projected against the wall of the North Transept, showing the battles fought, with World Wars I and II being most prominent, and featuring others, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, Crimea, and Anglo-Egyptian, to mention a few. During the year there was a chance of catching up (always a good thing!) with Marion O’Brien (Blackie, C90), Wendy Dice (Harrison, C95), Joanna Seldon (Simkins, C90), Ros McMillan (Harries, C101), Dorothy Abel Smith and, here in Harpenden, Alison Edmonds (Milne, C77).

I returned a few days ago from a trip to Arctic Norway – close to the Russian border – where I used to live and work some 50 years ago. I wanted to see for myself how life has altered since I lived and worked there in terms of climate change, population growth, and the development of transport and communication, in the hopes that it would help me finish writing my fourth book based on my time there. I have also just marked the last piece of A Level English work that I have been teaching online to students all round the world for the last 19 years. I’ve really enjoyed doing it, but now it is time to stop. I see Marjorie Pattle regularly, who taught me Latin as Miss Whitter, now 96, living in Salisbury and still interested in young people and education. Jane Warren (C98), who left in 1960 from Rubens as did I, came to stay for ten days in March and we caught up with news of mutual friends from way back in the late 1950s. Chatting together made it seem much fewer than well over 50 years that we were at school together. And, just like Arctic Norway, there have since been many, many changes to life at Wycombe Abbey, though still a great school!

99 About Remembrance time last year, St. Albans Cathedral was the backdrop for a marvellous and dramatic light show of poppies, where ‘natural’ poppies were projected all over the internal walls (rather like wallpaper), and stylised poppies were projected against the fan vaulting of the Lady Chapel. Then, in a moving tribute to the fallen, a scrolling list

Circle News

Tresna Fletcher (Russell)

Jill Hadfield (Millican)

I have had a rather busy time. My husband of 54 years is now immobile, so life is a little more challenging. We moved to Brough to be more accessible to local services. Our surgery is superb, as are the district nurses. Old age is certainly not for wimps! We do get out to the pensioners’ lunch in Brough and to other local do’s. I have done a stint as the Chairman of the British Horological Institute, and also

as the President – the first female to achieve such status! Should any Seniors be in the area, we would be delighted to see them!

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Norma Fraser Reid

side and try to visit them every couple of years. This time, I counted 34 relatives visited with ages ranging from five to 96 – a record! Shetland, in all its wildness, was, thankfully, bathed in sunshine for all three days when I was there for my birthday last August; it was a last-minute surprise sprung on me by a friend. I finally got to see the Northern Lights in February, from the deck of a Hurtigruten boat. I would say that such a trip can be considered something of an achievement. It certainly takes stamina and by the end of it you have down to a fine art, rapidly piling the clothes on (and then off again) in order to reach top deck on several different occasions most nights, with the temperature as cold as -20 ̊c , determined not to miss the most spectacular show (which inevitably, more often than not, you do!). Our trip included daily astronomy lectures which, for me, kindled a latent interest in the stars. Of the excursions, my favourite was husky dog sledding in the twilight of late afternoon. We seemed to be going far too fast but it was exciting: our ‘musher’ came from Dundee! I attend a weekly ‘Silver Swans’ ballet class and find it tremendous fun, as well as a great morale-booster, as my class mates are all so cheery and upbeat. We are led and encouraged by our wonderful teacher, Sarah, who pushes us gently but firmly to new limits. Apart from that, I still edit and produce our bi-monthly church newsletter, keep up with friends, love my tiny garden, and write the occasional poem. I particularly enjoyed writing one about Doorkins, the Cat at Southwark Cathedral, which the Dean of Southwark kindly reproduced on his blog. I have already featured in verse Palmerston the FCO cat; next, I would like to target Larry at No 10!

I have had quite an eventful year with family visits from Argentina and some travels of my own. Two lots of five Argentine cousins came over, the first group in February of last year (when it was freezing cold but, thankfully, not wet) and a second group in July, whom I met in Rome (where it was far too hot for sightseeing, but we did it all) and who spent a week with me in London at the end of their trip. They were able to return the compliment when I had a holiday in Argentina in March, which included a family wedding in Salta, in the extreme north-west of the country. Salta and Jujuy provinces are beautiful with the most amazing rock colours and formations, as well as excellent wine. I have a huge family in Argentina from my mother’s

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Janet Pearce-Higgins (Herford)

As I write, three particular events stand out from the past year. A large family party here at Hawkhurst Farm in June 2018, celebrating a number of significant birthdays and what would have been my parents’ 80th wedding anniversary. Harold and Brenda Herford (Griffiths) had five children, 16 grandchildren and if they were still living, would enjoy, 25 great-grandchildren. Every member of the family attended (70 people); the sun shone and there was much to enjoy in the home my parents had created.

Circle News

At the end of October, Grace Janet was born to our daughter Nellie (C239). She and Tom now have two sons and two daughters. They enjoy coming to stay on the farm and we love having them. In November, Daniel and I visited our son, Alfred, who is working in Kampala. He and Madeleine organised a wonderful ten days visiting a variety of places in Rwanda and Uganda. It was a most relaxing holiday and delightful to be with them both. At an event in Hereford, I met Margaret Bryer (Bowyer, C98) and after years since we last met there was much to catch up with. Julia Braybrook (C103), Margaret Hill (While, C103), and I met and there were no pauses in our conversations over coffee. Carol Tucker (Carey-Brown, C103) and I talk frequently on the phone. I WhatsApp Persis Adajania (Battlivalia, C102) and always get an immediate response. Four years ago she taught me how to use WhatsApp, for which I am most grateful. My Wycombe Abbey friends still remain some of my closest.

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Jane McCann

Hello from living on the edge of a beach in Northern Ireland. I’m nervously waiting to hear the results of the NI EU elections! In so-called retirement I continue to be really busy … I have been a lead organiser of Northern Ireland’s first Linen Biennale, 2018. This culminated in my bringing presenters together from Europe, the US, Canada and China to an international conference in October 2018, that looked at the past, present and future landscape of this relatively sustainable fibre. The event – embracing industry, academia, and independent experts – ended with a fashion showcase within Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. This has resulted in my being the lead facilitator for an Invest Northern Ireland-led Collaborative Growth programme scoping study focused on natural fibre composites. With our flax heritage I am bringing together a network of textile, engineering, and design participants to scope design-led applications for relatively sustainable products. Flax composites may be used in boats, cars, sports equipment, musical instruments, furniture, etc.

Circle News

Most recently, I have been teaching Performance Sportswear Design for four weeks in Beijing (mid-April to mid-May) at the China Women’s University. I have been teaching there every year since so-called retirement from academia in 2012 from leading postgraduate and collaborative research programmes. Kate Walker (Catherine Linsell) We have been trying to move from our old house in Winchmore Hill, North London for nearly two years. We had a buyer some time ago but he disappeared without letting anyone know that he wasn’t interested anymore! This was very frustrating as we had found a bungalow that we felt would suit us very well, quite close to where our younger daughter, Suzy, and her family live. Unfortunately, we had to let that property go. Then in February this year we accepted an offer from another family and, much to our surprise, were able to put an offer in for the bungalow again; this time everything was more straightforward. We moved two and a half weeks ago and have been living in the midst of all the boxes ever since! We also went on holiday to Menorca, which did make everything a little more complicated. Unfortunately, I fell down some stone steps and landed flat on my face while we were on holiday, so now I am in plaster having broken my left wrist and dislocated my elbow! Somehow, there must be a reason for all this. I’m sure we’ll look back on all this at some time in the future and have a good laugh, but just now it’s a bit beyond us.

Our family has grown in the last 16 months with the addition of our grandson, Joshua, who was born in February 2018. He came as a bit of a shock to us all, not least Suzy and her husband, Warren. His two older sisters, 13 and 10, adore him, and the men of the family are very pleased to welcome a new member! I’ve attached a photo of Joshua with his sisters on his birthday. We went to Iceland in February and March. What an amazing country! We were fortunate enough to see the

Aurora borealis on two successive nights, which was very spectacular. We went round the country by road over snow, ice, and steam. Luckily we had an excellent coach driver who knew the country well, and we were able to enjoy some wonderful scenery as we travelled. We also bathed in one of the hot steam baths, which was very relaxing. The dash from the changing rooms to the pool was not, however, as the pool was in the open and it was very cold that day! It was a holiday to remember for many years to come. Mavis Warner (Harrison)

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Anthea Hewett (Holden)

Am finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that I left Wycombe 55 years ago! So much has happened from that time onwards. Vancouver has been home since 1969 which has seen so many changes as it morphs into an international city. We are lucky to be living in the same quiet neighbourhood, steps from the endowment lands forest/ park of UBC and minutes from the beach and downtown, which is all very convenient. I love using my senior’s Compass pass to travel around the city by bus, rail, and boat. I am still working in real estate, selling houses, and will probably not renew my licence in 2020 … I will have been in the business for 32 years, which makes me smile as I gave myself a year initially because I never thought of myself as being a salesperson. It has been an interesting ride – what with the market ups and downs, really broadening my horizons with the people I have encountered and having to deal with all types of situations. Am finding that technology and new rules and regulations are becoming burdensome (27 different forms for the last deal I did!) making it time to leave soon and hand over to the next generation.

I have just finished a most hectic and amazing year while my husband was Master of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers. We enjoyed a non-stop whirl of wonderful and varied events – at one of which I bumped into Julia White (Fickling, C101) whose husband is a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters. We had much to talk about! Our last event in January 2019, just before the end of John’s year, was to take a group of 31 fruiterers to our old stomping-ground of Oman where, much to our relief, a great time was had by all in this lovely country. I have recently been in contact again with Maureen Walsh (Mackay, C103), who had been a ‘lost’ Senior for several decades. We quickly made up for the missing 50 or so years!

I do try to see friends and family in the UK every two or three years and was there last year … met up with Jane Corkran (Pagent, C107) for a leisurely lunch, which was lovely. Am thinking that my next visit will be in the autumn of 2020. Next time I’m in the UK it would be lovely to see some Seniors again. And, in turn, if you are coming this way, let me know!

107

Louise Rhodes (Melene)

We are celebrating our Golden Wedding this July. I can’t believe it’s 50 years since Prince Charles’s Investiture, the moon landings, etc.

Circle News

109

Jacqueline King (Crill)

In the last few years I’ve caught up with Sarah Carnegie (C109), Janet Gilchrist, Debbi Praat (C108), Amanda Skillington (C108), and a few others, which has been lovely. At last I thought I might offer some news, because my first book for children will be published this autumn. It’s called A Cake for the Gestapo, and is about a group of fictional children set against the real background of the occupation of Jersey during World War II. I feel lucky that I’ve had a young agent who believed in my writing and has found me a great independent new publisher. Miss Flint was my brilliant teacher in the 60s. My report from her once read, ‘Jacqueline writes mere narrative.’ So, now, the mere narrative has bloomed at last. You may be interested to know that it has been rather fun recently to discover all those reports from that era – I think they could be made into a book, together with every letter I ever wrote home, which my mother, Marguerite Crill (Candlin, C50), who was also a Senior, kept. About skating on the canal: ‘A person fell through the ice, but luckily we fished her out with our lacrosse sticks and she didn’t drown and no-one made a fuss or they’d have stopped us skating.’ About my bed in the five dorm, Campbell: ‘My bed has a big dip in it where the springs have collapsed. I had to heave myself out on the radiator, then it came off the wall and matron was very angry. I kept my socks on that night because it was freezing and got a big splinter in my heel because I was dancing to keep warm. Matron cut it out with her scissors because she was so cross about the radiator. It bled a lot and now I am limping. But I am not really homesick.’

115

Margaret Beckett (Honorary Senior)

I should like to thank all the kind people who have expressed concern about my sight. Contrary to expectations, changes since Christmas have been amazingly positive and I am now in circulation again, though my journeys south (from Scotland) are usually by train. In the past year several of those have been Wycombe-related. In early autumn it was good to meet colleagues who had appreciated the enthusiasm and encouragement of Andrew Stewart-Roberts. Catherine Archer (Overton, C79), Sarah

Circle News

Sassoon (Barnes, C123), Venetia Howes (Wood, C127), Julie Harding (Honorary Senior), Catherine Livesey (Honorary Senior), Clive Rainbow (Honorary Senior), and Josephine Willmott (Honorary Senior) were among those who gathered in St Mary-le-Bow and the Grocers’ Hall. Many more had been to the funeral in Sussex. Almost every Senior who was at school in the 50s, 60s, and 70s will remember Miss Tait who in some ways embodied the Wycombe of her 34 years on the staff. As Form Mistress of the Lower Fourth, she initiated them as kindly and reassuringly as she welcomed Miss Fisher in 1962. Probably no one has known as much about the workings of the school as she did, and as maker of the timetable she took infinite trouble to reconcile apparently incompatible requests. Like many of her war-time contemporaries, she abhorred waste of any kind and could be found even after term had ended removing paper clips from examination scripts and detaching any blank pages for future use. But she is remembered above all for her quite exceptional kindness: one pupil attributes her survival and academic success almost entirely to Miss Tait’s unobtrusive help when the going was rough. After she retired she volunteered to drive the mother of a colleague to hospital appointments not once but every fortnight for seven years. Many other memories surfaced at the funeral at which I was asked to speak in the little church of Corfe, near Taunton. The journey would have been challenging but for the transport and hospitality provided, as ever, by Sue Farr (Honorary Senior). On a happier note, three contacts over the last month have commenced retirement. Caroline Friend (Brown, C123) is celebrating hers by embarking on the Spanish section of the Camino and expects to reach Compostela in July. Diana Cornforth 9 (C109), also a now retired solicitor, is planning travels in Scotland and further afield, and Elizabeth Stern (Slade, C113) has rounded off her distinguished career as a High Court Judge and retired on her 70th birthday in early May. The occasion was celebrated in the Painted Room in the Courts of Justice in a setting of exceptional splendour. Equally memorable were heart-warming tributes to her wisdom, warmth, and scholarship and to her influence as a role model for younger barristers seeking in their turn to balance the claims of husband and family, with those of a demanding and high-profile career.

116

Christina Thomson Jones (Thomson)

This has been another extremely busy and exciting year. I had a very good examining tour to Penang for six weeks in summer. I was three weeks in Butterworth on the mainland, Malaysia, then three weeks in Georgetown on the island of Penang. The week-days were flat-out work, but the weekends were free, and I managed to see a lot of sights, and have fun with colleagues. Penang is a favourite weekend destination for examiners in different parts of Malaysia. It’s really worth visiting if you are in that direction. Penang is a very cosmopolitan town, with masses of Malaysian, British, and Dutch history. And a good climate. Then in autumn I was part of a group tour to Hong Kong for five weeks, which was fantastic. And I went straight on to four weeks in Guangzhou, with seven other colleagues, and stayed in a wonderful hotel. We had some weekends to explore and days and days of piano Grades 1, 2, 3, then days and days of piano Grades 4 and 5, then days of Grades 6 and 7. I was very glad to get home and stop listening and writing! But I did enjoy it. Next, I am off for six weeks to Thailand, then in autumn I am going to Kenya! It’s a very interesting way to see the world. But it’s hard work, I hasten to say! Who would have thought it when I was at Wycombe all those years ago?!

118

Trish Walker

I much enjoyed attending the launch of the Dove-Bowerman Society held in July at the House of Lords. As a Londoner born and bred, it was a delight, nay a privilege, to enter those hallowed halls for the first time. Passing through the large steel bollards on the pavement outside, through security, and with well-armed police standing by, it was a bit of a shock but, sadly, a necessary sign of the times. It was a very good gathering. Work continues and, having more or less finished my part in the refurbishment of the now fully ‘open for business’ Hotel Phoenicia, Malta, I am so happy to return to residential work, preferring the personal relationship one establishes with private clients, which is not possible with corporate entities. Among other projects, I am currently working on the refurbishment of a property in NW1 which has not been touched since 1999 and is showing its age as, so the mirror tells me, am I! C’est la vie!

Kim, my civil partner of some 25 years, tells me that he will soon be closing his business, to retire. Yes, he is at that age but – oooh, conniptions here – will I manage with him at home, my office, 24/7? “Of course I will” say I with a fixed grin, teeth clenched. He tells me it will be “an exciting new adventure”. Not yet convinced, so watch this space next year. I have not been pro-active in keeping in touch with Seniors over the years since I left Wycombe Abbey (apart from Daphne Davies (Dickson) who was the Secretary for Circle 118) so cannot report on meeting this person and that from Wycombe days. That said, I do enjoy reading the Supplement entries from those who have kept in touch with their/my peers. Clearly, I need to try harder.

119

Catriona Brown (MacLeod)

I didn’t spot the call for Seniors’ news until the last minute, so here are some quick notes from a Circle Secretary with a guilty conscience (part of the Wycombe training?). I haven’t made it to any of the events at the School for many, many years. However, it strikes me that – as I am now 66 – it will soon be 50 years since many of us left school. Is that possible? Maybe it will soon be time for a big reunion? I am still in touch with some of our Circle, including Angela Fielding (Stokes), and was delighted to meet up with Anthea Cowley (Bazin) when she was in Edinburgh last year. Jenny Garland is still in London, but has been exploring various parts of Europe during the past year, including some areas of Italy which I would love to have the chance to visit myself! Heather Loake (Lumsden) has now retired from her GP duties near Oxford, and is enjoying having some more time to focus on gardening. My sister Fiona will be coming up to Scotland before too long with her husband, to spend a few days with us in Stirling and a few days at the Edinburgh Festival. Her daughter, Stephanie, got married last summer in London. A very happy occasion, but on what must have been one of the hottest days in July. We aren’t used to that kind of temperature here in Stirling, where there always seems to be a bit of a breeze! I am still trying to keep reasonably fit and have embraced Pilates as a form of not-too-aerobic exercise. It must be doing me some good. I have also joined a ‘wellness’ singing group, run by a local GP. She is very keen on alternative medicine, and always starts us off with lots of breathing and

Circle News

stretching. In the summer, the sessions take place in the garden of the local museum, much to the astonishment of visitors. The classes are open to all, and no knowledge of music is required. We learn everything by ear, and somehow we manage to create lovely three-part harmonies. Amazing! Angela Fielding (Stokes) I am just coming to the end of my time living in Kensington with my husband leaving St Mary Abbots and returning to a parish in Hertfordshire. Coming to live in London after many years has been really stimulating, varied, and sometimes challenging, but I am very glad to have experienced it! It is such a multinational place with visitors from all corners of the world coming to the church. As well as being able to see more exhibitions and plays, I’ve been learning to paint at Richmond Art School, a great place, and it is all about nurturing unknown talents! Three of my young are in London so that has been great for seeing them and grandchildren. I admire the way both my daughters manage their work/life balance as well as community involvement and, like me, value their Wycombe friends. I am having a fourth hip replacement shortly but will have every incentive to walk well as my youngest, Philippa (C254), is marrying at the end of the year! I have explored Elgar country with Anthea Bazin (C119) and really enjoyed meeting Caroline Habershon (Jacobson, C119) earlier this year when we were in Shropshire. We had a joint 17th birthday party many years ago. Jane Orchard (Griggs) Not a lot of news this year. Last September, I went to stay with my sister Annie Peake (Griggs, C123) in Ledbury, Herefordshire, as my sister, Sue Anderson (Griggs) was over from Kenya for a couple of weeks. It is the only time I tend to see them both, having the Channel separating us from the UK. We also tend to go south, rather than north, if we go away. While I was in the UK, I had great fun in Annie’s Austin 7 which is bright yellow – you can’t miss it! Such fun. We all went to visit a friend of Annie’s in Scotland for a couple of days and visited Dumfries House, which was fascinating. Coinciding with our visit was a vintage car meeting at the time; Annie was in her element! It also made us late for the house tour, but they finally let us in. We spent time going round the gardens, which were amazing – a must if you are in that neck of the world. Martin and I are very lucky having both our children and families living here in Jersey. We get to see them often, which is lovely. James’s one-year-old seems to change each time we

Circle News

see her and that could be two times a week. We are very proud that James has recently been made a partner in his law firm here where he specialises in family law and has recently had one of his cases heard in the Privy Council in London, which he won. Daughter, Sarah, and grandson, William, aged eight, do a lot for charity. William has had various awards for this and has been on our local television channel, thanks to Sarah’s encouragement.

120

Rachel Cunynghame In January we had a wonderful seven weeks in New Zealand and Australia. We stayed with Caroline Chambers (C119) in Christchurch. Our first grandchild, Rufus, was born a little early in February. By the time this is printed we will have had a Butler House/ Cotswolds reunion in Chipping Campden on 16 June. Penny Kent (Bevan) I enjoyed playing for Wycombe Abbey Seniors at The Silver Tassie again this year, held on a very wet, windy, and cold June day at The Berkshire! It was great to catch up with ex-Butler Seniors Hilary Wynter (Ohlson, C131) and Fiona Stuart (MacLean, C129). Our two Wycombe Abbey teams did surprisingly well in drastic conditions coming about halfway in the field. Our Butler House reunion in June was hugely enjoyable catching up with friends from over 45 years ago who looked just the same! Rachel Cunynghame (Baines) hosted the occasion in her lovely house in the Cotswolds and it proved to be a wonderful day of reminiscences. If there are any Butler Seniors who were not contacted and would like to be included, then please email me at penny.kent53@gmail. com as we intend to have another Butler House reunion before too long. I am still in Berkhamsted, so if anyone is passing by, please do pop in. I am still playing tennis, and now for the Herts over 65s.

121

Pippa Manson

I haven’t written anything for the Supplement for years, so here is a recent update. I live in Kirkby Malzeard, a lively and well-resourced village near Ripon, North Yorkshire. I retired as Head of Outdoor Education for North Yorkshire County Council in 2011 and since have been very happy choosing how to spend my time. I completed the Munros in 2011 and still spend a lot of time on foot in the hills of the UK, Europe, and beyond. I get out on my bike enjoying cycling in the Yorkshire Dales and cycle tours in England, Scotland, and France. At home I have a small garden and a much bigger one at the village primary school where, with others, I run a gardening club with many enthusiastic young gardeners. I’m also a volunteer Community First Responder with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, a Trustee of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a Parish Councillor, and Secretary of the local adventure club. I’m a member of the Liberal Democrats and this year have been very involved with a group called North Yorkshire for Europe. To date, I’ve been at three of the big pro-Europe marches in London. But by the time this goes to print, who knows what will have happened! It’s great to meet up with my sisters, Jill (C124), Sally (C132), and Diana (C138), and my six nephews and nieces when we can.

146

Rowena Pullan (Flux)

In February 2019, I retired from corporate life as VP of R&D at Pfizer Consumer Health. Today my husband, Rob, and I focus our energies on our horse farm in a beautiful part of New Jersey, USA. We look after eight retired/rescued horses who, in addition to personal horsemanship, support an equine assisted psychotherapy EAGALA-certified programme. The horses are a key part of the team.

156

Lucy Mori (Malein)

I am currently living in Brussels and active in the real estate, private equity, and venture capital sectors.

162

Kerry Florin (Cluer)

My husband, Guy, and I have been living in Cape Town for over 15 years now. Louisa Barham (Carter, C160) came to my 50th birthday last year; it was lovely to see her and her husband, Robert, here. I’m also in close contact with Rosie Glazebrook (Bowes Lyon, C161), who’s a wonderful godmother to our daughter, Fleur. We’re lucky enough to have a court at home so I still play tennis as often as possible!

174

Kirsty Leggate (Leyns)

I have noticed over the years there is almost no news from my year group so I thought it was time to send an update! I have been living in Cirencester for the last 23 years, having initially intended to stay for only a couple of years while I did an MSc at the Royal Agricultural College (following my Engineering degree from the University of Bristol). However, once here it is hard to leave the Cotswolds. After a rather convoluted career path I have now been working in the travel industry for 15 years. I met my husband, Bill, here eight years ago (also just passing through from Scotland!) and we now have a five-year-old daughter, Philippa, and three-year-old son, Hamish. Life is busy juggling work and small children, but good fun.

Also looking forward to celebrating 30 years of marriage this year!

Circle News

184

Francesca Ingram

London, and we’re looking forward to staying with Nicole Hudd (Randall, C209) and her family in the summer. Rebecca Singarajah (Lewis) Rebecca and Frederico welcomed a son on 23 August 2018, named Sebastian Benjamin Singarajah.

209

Alexandra Whale (Knight)

Alexandra represented Great Britain as an amateur in the women’s 35-39 age group at the European 2019 Triathlon Championships on 1st June 2019 in Weert, Netherlands Since my last update four years ago, I have had two beautiful sons with my husband, Tommaso. William (three years old) and Achille (one) were born 21 months apart and are keeping me on my toes. I am still living and working in London as a solicitor. I am still in regular touch with Angelique Chrisafis (C185), Claire Vallings (C184), Sarah Jane Bishop (C184), Lucy Rink (C185), and Helen Stevens (C184).

205

Sarah-Jane Ramage

My news for this year is that my husband and I welcomed Matthew James Ramage to the world on 1 May 2019.

208

Nicole Laws

I have completed my PGCert in Emergency and Critical Care and am now a Registered Advanced Practitioner. I have relocated to Scotland to work in a referral centre for small animals, working nights covering the ICU and out of hours cases. I am looking to start a residency to become board certified next year. Sarah Roberts (Crawshaw) My youngest started school this year, representing the end of preschool activities and the part-time stay-at-home mum era! However, I’m kept busy teaching Mathematics A Level at Barton Peveril Sixth Form College and chairing the committee of the local community centre. It was good to catch up with so many people at the year group reunion in

Circle News

263

Katarina Roele

I had my PhD graduation ceremony on Wednesday 8 May, having completed the PhD last year. I graduated from Imperial College London and now work for JP Morgan Asset Management.

297

Priya Shourie

Since February of this year, I have moved to China and started learning Mandarin on a Chinese Language course at Peking University in Beijing. Coming to China alone and with no prior knowledge of the language was definitely a challenge, but my experience has been wonderful! I really enjoy learning Chinese and have been able to travel around the country to see different cities, while learning about the rich history and culture of Beijing. It was always an interest of mine to do a study abroad programme and after studying China-related modules as part of my undergraduate Politics degree at Bristol University, I thought that it was an opportunity that I should take. I am hoping to extend my study and carry on learning Chinese for the rest of the year in Beijing. Catherine Livesey (Honorary Senior) In the 18 months since leaving Wycombe Abbey, after 27 years, I have directed the musical ‘Mary Poppins’ for the Godstowe Leavers’ Production and returned to my first career, acting. I have played Clytemnestra in ‘Electra’, Calonice in ‘Lysistrata’ and the lead role in a rehearsed reading of a piece of new writing, entitled Fledgling, at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus. I have also written a children’s story that I have been sharing with five to seven year olds in local schools (in one of which I cut the ribbon and opened the new reading corner in the Year 1 classroom) and recently received some favourable feedback from a publishing house.

Xiaoming Zhang (Honorary Senior) After retirement, my life opened a new chapter. The pace of my busy life has slowed down. I finally have time to visit more wonderful gardens, houses and castles of the National Trust. While looking at the classical architecture and beautiful scenery, I am also learning more about British history, culture, and tradition with great interest. Now I can see the world, avoiding high seasons, from Croatia to Andalusia, from the Black Forest to the Dead Sea, from Hainan Island (China) to the Wadi Rum Desert ... There are many amazing places waiting for me to explore. As soon as I retired, I accepted the invitation of a publishing house to consider comprehensively the needs of Chinese GCE, PreU, IB and HSK. Together with another retired teacher, Eileen Lee, of our School, we wrote and published ‘Chinese for Advanced Subsidiary Level’ according to the new specification of the examination board. This new book got Pearson’s endorsement, and has been well received by many teachers and students. I enjoy my retirement, but the most enjoyable thing is to receive letters and greeting cards from past pupils and hear their latest exciting news.

Apart from that I have just been relaxing and enjoying retirement! Adrienne Terblanche (Honorary Senior) My husband, Jan, and I have spent the last year on the continuing renovation of our stone farmhouse in south-west France. We have rebuilt a derelict sechoir (tobacco drying barn) and turned it into a gîte. We welcomed our first paying guests last summer and had a very successful season, meeting some lovely people. Work on the farmhouse and the grounds is still ongoing and will keep us busy for the next few years. We love it here and after nearly five years of ‘retirement’ are still excited by our project and keen to get out of bed each day to get on with it.

Circle News

In Memoriam

We were very sorry to hear that the following Seniors passed away this year: Mary Longsdon, MBE October 2017

Kathy Wicksteed 21 October 2018

Roxanne Heathcote Drury (Narracott, C103) 10 December 2017

Suzanne Blake-Wilson (Martin, C105) 13 December 2018

Elizabeth (Betty) Warman (Longsdon, C74) July 2018

Sheila Masters (Wilkinson, C81) 2 January 2019

Isabelle Sutherland (Stephen, C65) 6 August 2018 Anne Palmer (Evens, C83) 14 August 2018 Lady Evelyn Buchan (Phipps, C125) 17 August 2018 Dr Mary Farquharson, FRCP (C63) 19 August 2018 Rosemary Vaughan (Crofts, C69) 9 September 2018 Barbara Tait (Hon, C82) 22 September 2018 Elizabeth de C Spalding (Falle, C59) 5 October 2018

Joan Longsdon January 2019 Helen Hall (Hornbrook) 25 January 2019 Caroline (Carol) Devlin (Austin, C87) 28 February 2019 Sara Johnston (de Sausmarez, C107) 28 February 2019 Christine Mary Dean (Garnett, C81) 19 May 2019 Jane Kereama (Herbert, C174) 1 June 2019 Hazel Garnett-Peacham (Straker-Nesbit) 24 June 2019 Johanne Chevalier (Boulter) 3 July 2019

Christine Mary Dean (Garnett, C81) Christine was born in Leeds on 18 December 1935 to Francis and Kathleen Garnett, a little sister to Anne and Michael. She lived initially at ‘Ashburn’, Shell Lane, Calverley, Leeds. She attended a local village kindergarten before progressing to Leeds Girls’ High School in Headlingley. Following her sister Anne, Christine went on to board at Wycombe Abbey from 1948 to 1954 and achieved the honour of being Head of School. On leaving school she qualified in Physiotherapy in Leeds. She married John Anthony Dean, known to everyone as Tony, in 1958 and moved to Harrogate where they lived first on Lancaster Road, then moved to the south side of Harrogate, where Christine was to live for the rest of her life. She and Tony had two daughters, Elizabeth and Rosemary, and a son, Christopher, and she enjoyed many happy times with her three grandchildren. Christine’s faith played an important part in her life. She became a member at the Congregational Church in Idle in 1953, transferring to Victoria Avenue Congregational Church in 1959. She was made an Elder there from 1986, focussing particularly on pastoral care and more recently was made a Life Elder. She enjoyed singing particularly and was often a soloist at the start of Christmas carol services. Flower arranging was a regular activity in which she found huge enjoyment. After the three children had finished school and left home, Christine studied flower arranging and taught adults on a

City and Guilds course in Harrogate for many years. She was also in high demand for weddings and other auspicious occasions and was a valuable member of Harrogate in Bloom, where she was instrumental in encouraging young people to play their part. She donated the Christine Dean trophy which is awarded annually to the young person or group who have contributed most to the Harrogate in Bloom effort. She also put on flower festivals for HiB to show the Bloom judges what flower power can do for the local community in order to achieve the high standards in the Regional and National in Bloom competitions. Her garden reflected her love of plants and flowers and was used regularly for strawberry teas and open garden events for others to enjoy. Despite becoming increasingly frail, Christine was able to stay at home with carers, to enjoy her independence, her family, and her garden to the end. Written by her daughter, Elizabeth Macaulay (Dean) In Memoriam

Dr Mary Farquharson FRCP (C63) Mary was born in a very different era. The Great War had finished but Mary’s life was dominated by an overriding sense of duty and service. She joined the National Health Service quite early on as a great believer in social medicine and took a very dim view of her colleagues who made a great deal of money in private medicine. Her parents were in practice before the inception of the NHS and worked in the NHS after the war. Mary and her sister, Loveday Ann, had a peaceful life educated locally in Acton and later at Wycombe Abbey, where Mary thrived. School gave Mary her first real glimpse of authority as she took up the position of Head of School. Her love affair with music began quite early and by the time she was at Wycombe Abbey she had a good understanding of the violin; I recently came across a school report from Wycombe Abbey detailing Mary’s progress and prowess with the violin. She continued to play all her life and acquired many great friendships through it. She developed into an accomplished violinist and played in two quartets and two orchestras. There was a steady stream of musicians to her flat in Blackheath and she invariably began proceedings with coffee and mince pies laced with whiskey. Her favourite pieces were Schubert Quintet in C, Dvorak’s American Quintet and Beethoven’s Opus 18 Quartet. Academically, Mary was good but had the grace to acknowledge that her sister Ann was the clever one who had received a scholarship. Mary’s cousin, also called Mary, was at Wycombe Abbey at the same time; she would occasionally get mistaken for Mary and would bask in the praise heaped upon her. Mary enjoyed lacrosse and revelled in the fact that several of her contemporaries bore the scars of their encounters. Both Mary and her sister Ann had vivid recollections of doing exams in examination halls where large blocks of ice were brought into the hall to reduce the temperatures during the summer. Mary went from Wycombe Abbey up to Girton College, Cambridge at the time it was all-female. There, she read Medicine. She worked hard at Girton and enjoyed Cambridge a lot. She would recount a story of being stopped by a policeman who was concerned that the box she was carrying while cycling was not secured. On stopping, the box became detached and fell to the ground scattering the bones of her anatomical skeleton. This shook the policeman considerably who helped her gather them up as quickly as he could and rapidly dispatched her on her way. I am sure there is some law now about the transportation

In Memoriam

of human remains, but I suppose it didn’t exist then. I think that was the only brush with the law that Mary had. The clouds of war were gathering again and Mary’s training in Medicine sped up considerably. Mary spent some time in Southampton and in the early part of World War II there were several raids by British forces into Northern France and Norway where German prisoners were captured. Mary had to treat the wounded and the only word of German she knew was Schmerz, which means pain. She would shout this at them until the patient would point so the diagnosis was made and treatment began. Mary also spent some time in UCH and was present when a land mine was dropped on Gower Street. She was in charge of triage and said that that was a bit grim. Grim from Mary was a great understatement; she was not a shrinking violet. Work was difficult to find initially. Mary spent some time working in Uxbridge, where, for a while, life returned to normal. She then secured a job in Cardiff hospital and early on witnessed a knife fight on the docks; forever after she was of the opinion that the docks were a dangerous place. She lived in Cardiff quite happily and perhaps would have settled there but returned home to care for her family. Mary never married. She was a life-long spinster and careful observer of the trials of matrimonial union. She bought Rose Cottage, Hartfield where she enjoyed her time and the garden there enormously. She secured a consultants post and had beds in Lewisham, Hither Green, and London Bridge. Mary worked in thoracic medicine and was heavily involved in the treatment of tuberculosis. The work was long and hard and involved domiciliary visits to patients. She told me once, having gone to see a patient, she was ushered into their drawing room and sat at a table where there was a service revolver placed on it. Asked what she did, she said that she sat closer to the revolver than he did. When the Lewisham train disaster happened, Mary was in bed suffering from the flu; her mother heard of it on the radio, immediately got Mary up and sent her down to give blood and get to work. There was no time for ‘shirkers’. In her professional life she was held in high regard; Mary had a great deal of bad news to deliver, which is a subtle art but she was good at it. She taught by example. She did a great deal during her working life to improve the lives of so many. Her colleagues regarded her as an exceptional doctor with

a keen interest in medicine, always enquiring as to what was new and embracing the latest developments. She was an inspiration to many. Mary was a dominant force from a different era; she had a life of giving and took an interest in everything into her old age. She was a wise, kind friend with a wicked sense of humour. I had a final (misty-eyed on my part) conversation with Mary. With her usual and typical air of imperiousness she dismissed my son for a walk in the grounds as she wanted to talk to his father. She said that she knew that this was the end for her.

She said that she had enjoyed herself enormously during her lifetime. She said she felt the family was marvellous. She asked me if I believed in the hereafter, I said I did, and she said that she also did and that she felt sure that we would all meet again in due course in happier circumstances. Mary has now (I am reliably informed) gone to work with senior management and has left one final instruction to all: “Keep at it”. Written by her nephew, Tom Sheehan

In Memoriam

Roxanne Heathcote Drury (Narracott, C103) Born 1945, died 10 December 2017 in South Devon, sadly just one month after her 72nd birthday. Mother of three, she is survived by two of her children, Cinnamon Faye and Rupert James, and her elder sister, Avril. Roxanne was always interested in architecture and interior design, with her father, James Vesey (one of nine children) taking over the family business from her grandfather RE Narracott (one of 11!). The Narracotts left behind landmark structures along the South Devon coastline, including The Pavilion Theatre (1912) for which her grandfather engineered a steel framework and concrete raft, reclaiming part of the sea to optimise its harbour side setting.

was hoiked out of the audience by Lionel Blair a decade or so later, to receive a pirate’s bag of chocolate gold coins, and offered her stage debut, chatting and singing! Roxanne herself was an extra in the Oliver Reed film, The System/ Girl-Getters, (1964), her blonde beehive visible in a café wide-shot outside the Palm Court Hotel on the seafront.

No expense was spared at the time, with the oxidised copper rooves supporting a full-size sculpture of Britannia in the centre, and two smaller domes bearing fine bronzes of Mercury. The green was complemented by a Royal Doulton white Carrara enamelled stoneware tile facade, Art Nouveau-style cast iron promenade deck, matching fountains, octagonal bandstands, and out houses. Most areas were lined inside with oak panelling and illuminated with the finest crystal chandeliers. It was here, following a Wagner concert, that local girl Agatha Christie, née Miller, received a proposal from her future husband, Archie, leading rapidly to marriage in 1914.

Also in the 60s, one of Roxanne’s uncles, Edward, returned from service overseas and became president of the local Rotary Club. His first venture was to set about fundraising in order to plant 1,000 trees to beautify the local coastline on behalf of all residents, in 1966, before becoming Deputy Mayor. Meantime, her father, James Narracott, continued with construction challenges, such as a very high retaining brick wall opposite gasworks on the way to Oldway Mansion; ornate cinemas; private houses; the rebuilding of church towers and chancels; full design of the local crematorium; and even a mini lighthouse in Shaldon.

Adjacent to this, Roxanne’s father built the 1,500-capacity Princess Theatre 50 years later, in the very latest contemporary style, hosting the Beatles a year after its opening, in 1963 … and where also Cinnamon, age three,

With all of this excitement back home, I have found letters of regret from a Housemistress and friends, following

In Memoriam

Roxanne’s difficult decision not to stay on at Wycombe for the Sixth Form. I think this was a bad choice, as clearly she had a lot of improvement to make especially in terms of boating skills. Can anyone identify for me her friend in a hat and shades, under sufferance?

At school, Roxanne was interested in lacrosse, but her main sport at Wycombe was cricket … very popular at the time. Before and after Wycombe she presented The Narracott Cup each year on behalf of her father in Devon. I am unable to find a photograph of her in hot pants, but a couple of toned down (now married) press shots in the early 70s, have materialised courtesy of ‘Herald Express’.

Roxanne continued to study Art at the technical college, and was always reading. She married age 20, returning from honeymoon to a 21st birthday held at her parents’ house in Hennapyn Road, and where her amateur photographer husband, a pilot and hotelier, took this rather self-conscious glamour snap. Thinking about it now, I believe she may have just suspected she was pregnant with with her first daughter, Tabitha.

Roxanne also became a keen horsewoman, horticulturalist, and experimental domestic cook. She was forever making things to beautify the home, painting, planting, and had a menagerie of animals. English was her favourite subject at school, and she self-published a couple of books under a pseudonym, never giving me the titles! At the time of death, having relinquished her attraction to horse-sized Great Danes, she was working on the illustrated adventures of her little Norfolk terriers, Henry and Tuffy.

Due to Roxanne’s untimely death, I have rediscovered my roots, with a better appreciation of the geological, geographical, and architectural heritage of the area, thanks to Art History and other studies at Wycombe Abbey. Apologies if this reads like a tourist advert for the South West, but while pacing out my grief, I actually tripped over the granite and brass plaque, commemorating the planting of 1,000 trees; found the Palaeolithic caves; discovered Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s gardens and plot for private residence; Darwin’s accommodation and places of research along the Jurassic coastline two years after publishing The Origin of Species; a Romanoff summer villa; and more than a few myths and fables. For the first time I understand an innate calling back to the cliffs, peppered with the silhouettes of huge Scots pine trees with their distinctive graphic branches. I’ve re-kindled a romance with the cool blue Devonian limestone, and fossil-rich soft Permian red beds; the incongruous but flourishing tropical palm trees, just 14 miles from Dartmoor’s rugged parkland; engaged with the yacht club and its glittering boats and somehow, it finally makes sense to split time between London, and my real home, in the South West. Cinnamon Heathcote-Drury (C170)

In Memoriam

Sara Johnston (de Sausmarez, C107) Sara Johnston died on 28 February 2019 after a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia. Her illness was short, lasting just four weeks after diagnosis. Sara died peacefully in University College Hospital, London with her two children, Helen and Anna, at her side. She will be sadly missed by her family and friends.

Her memorial service was held in St Thomas Church, Salisbury on Saturday 30 March. Anyone wishing to contact her family may contact me, Diana McCall (de Sausmarez, C102) via email to alasdairmccall@btinternet.com or post (Firbank, Fintry Road, Kippen, Stirling FK8 3HL).

Anne Palmer (Evens, C83) Anne and I arrived at Wycombe Abbey on the same day in 1946 when the School re-opened. We had been at prep school together in Maidenhead. Our other good friend was Diana Cochrane (Craig) and we remained in touch throughout our lives. Anne was good at everything she attempted. She played lacrosse for England – Margaret Boyd was so proud of her and she was an excellent golfer. A terrible tragedy in her life was the death of her sister, Mary, in a car accident.

We had lovely lunches together in her later years, and she was so brave coping with her debilitating illness. I admired her for enduring the pain which she must have felt, but never mentioned. She had a close family and there were wonderful tributes to her at her memorial service in October 2018. Audrey Andrews (Sleeman, C73)

Miss Barbara Tait (Hon, C82) Joining your new school part-way through the School year is not easy. Middle of a term is worse. Then you find the Headmistress has fallen very ill so her Deputy is having to cope. And it is February 1947, post-war Britain is freezing, and your ailing predecessor has set no Geography papers at all for the School’s examinations. Due next week. This is what Miss Tait faced when she joined the staff at Wycombe. At the time, of course, her pupils had no idea of this. We had our own worries. At least our cloaks protected us from the worst of the weather, but they didn’t prevent chilblains. ‘Flu raged and the Hospice was full. (In Campbell we kept the dormitory doors shut to stop the cold chilling the rest of the House.) Not the best conditions for a new Mistress teaching Geography single-handed throughout the School. What impression did Miss Tait make on us? I like Geography and she taught us well, so my memory of her lessons is pleasant. Her rounded handwriting on blackboard or paper was always legible. At this time, clothes rationing meant we were used to staff having little variety in what they wore, but Miss Tait – plump, round-faced, with glasses and brown hair

In Memoriam

– was comfortable to look at. And teachers then seemed a different species. I for one did not realise how young she was, 26? Once there was a glimpse of youth, when Miss Walpole the new Headmistress chose to hold a School Dance. Staff danced with pupils as well as each other, and I had a dance with Miss Tait. She was wearing a ‘best’ outfit, probably her only one. I remember a little velvet bag on her wrist. And that she danced well. As a teacher, she was not soft on poor behaviour or shoddy work. In my mock A Levels I made nonsense of a question which I should have revised. Miss Tait then took time not only to give me the proper scolding I deserved; she made sure I now knew the facts correctly. In July, there was the exact question again, on the S Level paper ... this time I got it right. Thankfully. We were the guinea pigs of the new General Certificate of Education. Its structure must have caused problems and discussions among the staff. In an interview with Miss Walpole about A Level choices I had insisted on Latin, English, and Geography. As a historian, the

Headmistress did not approve. I had not included History in my School Certificate; surely I should study it now? But I obstinately stuck with my choice. Years later, when Barbara Tait had retired and we were friends; she explained to me that Miss Walpole had been trying to avert a timetabling problem. Barbara understood because for a long spell she was responsible for the School’s timetable. (Indeed, I learned from others that she had become the member of staff who took on tiresome tasks and could hold the fort as a temporary housemistress or Deputy Head.) Looking back, I am aware of her kindness and unselfishness. Once she touched lightly on her memories of the post-war staff room: not to complain, but sometimes there was a gulf

between newcomers and the teachers who had returned to rebuild Wycombe Abbey. A formidable group of women, I can hear them still: “My dear good child!”; “Well now,”; the crash of a solid metal bracelet on the desk top; “If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well.” Miss Tait was to become, like them, a valued and valuable teacher. In retirement, she settled in Taunton where I was able to visit her. She used to drive regularly to worship in the church of St Nicholas, in the little village of Corfe. There I attended her funeral service, planned meticulously by herself, and joined friends, relatives, and former colleagues in thanksgiving for her life. All, like me, had been glad to know Barbara Tait. Clare Spring (Thistlethwaite, C77)

Kathy Wicksteed (C115) Kathy Wicksteed had a distinguished career in Modern Language education. Born in Ilkley in 1950, she grew up there and in the nearby village of East Marton. She followed her mother, Joanna Bolton, and older sister, Julia, to Wycombe Abbey and to Cloister, finally becoming one of the early beneficiaries of the newly set-up Clarence House. After school (which she described as ‘prison’) she went to Cambridge and read Modern Languages at Newnham. In 1972 she moved to London with her partner, Roger, and taught languages in adult education, a comprehensive, and a Sixth Form centre. In 1983 she gave birth to Matthew, and in 1986 to Clare. In the late 1980’s at the University of York, she co-authored the Italian text-book ‘Ciao!’ She moved to Hampshire, first as a Head of Department and later as a Local Authority Inspector. In 1997 she became Director of the International Centre at Campion School, Northamptonshire and then worked as Language College Advisor at the Specialist Schools & Academies Trust. Finally, she led various language education projects under the aegis of the Association for Language Learning, with which she had long been involved. In her own words “... back in the 80s Kathy’s enlightened Head of Department dragged her to a Language World Conference ...This was the Damascus

moment when the existence of subject associations was revealed, and it was love at first sight. Kathy joined the Association of Teachers of Italian ... and ... ALL’s policy committee and later the management board ...” She also sat on ALL’s Executive Council and was President for a year. She was elected a Fellow of the Association in 2017. She was a member of the Nuffield Languages Inquiry chaired by Sir Trevor Macdonald, a trustee of the Mary Glasgow Language Trust, and wrote numerous articles. Over the years she was involved in such a giddying array of initiatives and projects in the field of language learning policy and practice that her family was quite incapable of keeping up with it all. She was a keen member of the Green Party and stood in several local elections. She much enjoyed digital photography. Kathy seemed to have an inexhaustible capacity for work, but always found the time and energy to be the most loving and supportive mother and companion, endlessly and unassumingly generous in all aspects of her life. Then in 2015, having never taken a day off work for illness, ovarian cancer was diagnosed. Alzheimer’s was confirmed a year later. She bore them both with great dignity and courage until her death at home in Northamptonshire on 21 October 2018.

In Memoriam

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Art Jonathan Speed Contemporary Art Jonathan is an English landscape and seascape painter who creates captivating pieces full of atmosphere, with a unique play on light. His work has a distinctive, abstract quality and provides a beautiful and peaceful focal point to any setting. Jonathan’s paintings are widely collected and can be found in private collections globally. As a special promotion, Jonathan is delighted to offer Wycombe Abbey Seniors and their families a 15% discount on all available paintings and commissions. Visit www.jonathanspeed.co.uk or email jonathan@jonathanspeed.co.uk for all enquiries. Jonathan is the husband of Jamie Hui (C237)

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interiors

Holiday Accommodation

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Holiday Accommodation

Cider Mill Enjoy a week’s holiday in the beautiful, peaceful, unspoilt countryside of the Wye Valley AONB. Relax in well-equipped four-star Cider Mill Cottage while you plan your visits to a wide variety of places of interest. The Cottage lies in the grounds of the former Rectory of How Caple with Sollershope, owned by Sue Farr, a former member of staff and Honorary Senior. How Caple lies on the River Wye and stands conveniently on the junction of four counties, four miles from the M50.

The Cottage sleeps four in two en-suite bedrooms but larger parties can overflow into The Bothy, once the nursery wing of the rectory, which lies in a self-contained part of the main house, just across the drive. Children love our miniature donkeys! This is Beano.

Ollivers Farm is located on the Essex-Suffolk borders. It is a medieval farmhouse set back from the road surrounded by farmland with glorious views over the surrounding Essex countryside. We look forward to welcoming you.

Sue Blackie (Jameson-Till) 01787 237 642 www.essex-bed-breakfast.co.uk

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Holiday Accommodation

Join us on a safari for the soul Award-winning Samara is a 70,000-acre piece of private wilderness in South Africa’s Great Karoo. Described by the ‘Financial Times’ as ‘heart-stoppingly beautiful’, this passionate conservation undertaking has been run by the Tompkins family (Isabelle Tompkins C273, Sienna Tompkins, C283) for the past 21 years. Their vision for Samara is to build a living legacy in the region by restoring fragile Karoo ecosystems, generating sustainable jobs and creating South Africa’s third largest protected area. Thirty guests can stay in two lodges: Karoo Lodge, a renovated farmstead overlooking an amphitheatre of mountains; or The Manor, a villa with private pool, chef, butler, and ranger, which can be booked on an exclusive-use basis. Activities on offer include tracking wildlife on foot (cheetah, rhino, elephant, giraffe, aardvark), Big Five game drives, photography, birding, mountain hikes, indoor and outdoor dining, picnics, luxury star-bed sleep-outs, conservation projects, and more. Samara also runs a volunteer programme for enthusiastic nature lovers aged 18 and older. No prior experience necessary – the only requirements are a sense of adventure and a desire to contribute to Samara’s conservation vision. For more information, visit www.samara.co.za or email isabelle@samara.co.za

The Tobacco Barn The Tobacco Barn at Le Serpen is a newly renovated self-contained barn conversion in the beautiful Dordogne countryside with exclusive use of a secluded pool and deck area. The light and airy property sleeps up to eight – perfect for families or groups. Explore the many delights of the local area: vineyards, historic chateaux, and markets. Or relax at the property, BBQ in the sunshine, and sip a glass of wine by the pool.

Limited availability for 2019. Now taking bookings for 2020. Please see our website for further details: www.leserpen.info

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Literature

People are enjoying

DAPHNE’S BOOKS True Stories about her Adventures in Africa Excitements in Ethiopia Through Ebola Territory The Daftest Journey (new edition) A story based on real antics on Lake Malawi Fateful Flies Novels The Seer Spoke (set in Southern France) Pre-P.C. at the Coast (set in East Africa)

Available from Amazon. Author: Daphne

A useful book How to Enjoy Mahjong

Photo by Rupert Roschnik

‘Adrian’s Journey’ by Alison Cooper (C93) Glimpse colourful and troubled Beirut, as Adrian leaves England to look for his birth mother who abandoned him when he was a baby. ‘Adrian’s Journey’ by Alison Cooper is not only a search across continents, moving between England and the Middle East, but also a voyage of self-discovery. Adrian, this affable and endearing character, settles easily into London university life, slotting into his new surroundings and interacting cheerfully with new friends who come from different backgrounds. But this comfortable life is interrupted by his overpowering quest for his biological mother in the Middle East, when he makes important emotional discoveries about himself. Beirut is both charming and horrifying in equal measure. Alison Cooper’s tale twists and turns, sometimes agonisingly, through unexpected situations and outcomes. An interesting and compelling read to the end.

Available through Austin Macauley Publishers (hardback £14.99, paperback £10.99, and Kindle £3.50).

“A well observed and beautifully written novel.” “... an excellent read. The plot was always gripping, the characters realistic and persuasive and the ‘politics’ interesting.”

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‘The Rapallo Legacy’ by Alison Cooper (C93) This is Alison Cooper’s first novel: a fast-moving tale of crime, revelation, and self-discovery. The plot follows Diana Motcombe as she leaves her comfortable life in England to investigate her late husband’s extraordinary bequest. As the truth unfolds, the story moves to Geneva and the Italian coastal town of Rapallo, where she finds her moral and emotional boundaries profoundly challenged.

Passion, loyalty, betrayal, and personal renewal are the themes of this story. Published in 2009 by Silverdart Publishing, the book was well received: “Engrossing from start to finish ...” “You judged your tone very cleverly ...” ”A gripping tale ...” “An excellent read ...” “An impressive and intriguing first novel ...”

Orders (by email please) to alisonhcooper@hotmail.com RRP £14.99. Discounted for Wycombe Abbey Seniors and pupils at £11.

Noble Savages

By Sarah Watling (C258) ‘Noble Savages’ is a compelling portrait of sisterhood in all its complexities, which rediscovers the lives of four extraordinary women within the varied fortunes of the feminism of their times, while illuminating the battles and ethics of biography itself.

The book is available to purchase from Amazon.co.uk, in Kindle Edition and hardcover.

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Stocken Travel: Luxury Holidays I have been running a very successful luxury bridge holiday company for the past ten years and, using all the expertise, experience, and contacts gained, I have now set up a sister travel company, Stocken Travel. We specialise in tailor-made luxury activity holidays, working with top guides and instructors and staying in very special hotels with excellent food and in stunning locations. Every detail is planned meticulously, which has always been key to a wonderful and unforgettable holiday experience. Alongside bridge holidays in Europe and Morocco, for 2020 there will be yoga in North Cyprus, cycling in the French Alps and more projects in the pipeline. Contact me to find out more.

We can offer all Seniors a 10% discount on any of our holidays. Contact: Claudia Stocken (C169) Address: Kemp House, 152-160 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX Telephone: 0033 663999289 Email: claudia@stockentravel.com Website: www.stockentravel.com

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services

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services ‘How to Breathe: the Symptoms If You Get It Wrong and How to Fix It’

(aimed at people with asthma, panic, sleep apnoea, and any lung or breathing condition)

‘Too Little Salt: Ten Annoying Symptoms’

(aimed at people with panic, shaky hands, headaches, insomnia, frequent urination)

‘ME for 20 years: Recovery in 10 Days’ By Sally Gething

Available from Amazon

Wycombe Abbey

W e dd i n g s Wycombe Abbey is delighted to offer all Seniors the opportunity to host weddings, civil ceremonies and events within the school grounds. The locations available to hire are: Big School, Daws Hill, PAC and the Chapel (Chaplain permitting). All events are fully catered. Please contact lettings@wycombeabbey.com for more information and to check availability.

A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to this year’s edition of Seniors’ Supplement. If you have any queries or would prefer to receive a digital copy of this publication in the future, please contact us at seniors@wycombeabbey.com We hope you have a wonderful year.

wycombeabbey.com Registered Charity No. 310638