olphIn lInK

Old Dolphins’Association

free and loyal art thou

Godolphin Latymer&

2013

2 Welcome

6 School news

8 Sporting Successes

10 higher education forum

11 public lecture Series

12 Science Week

13 annual Giving programme

14 Class notes

17 the dolphin network

20 Staff retirements

23 features

26 In Memorium

from the head Mistress

WelCoMe

I am delighted to be able to write to you about the on-going success of Godolphin and Latymer. The school continues to thrive and there are more girls than ever here, currently 758 girls are on roll. Girls are as active as ever in a very wide range of activities and, of course, examination results in 2012 were, once again, very good indeed.

As ever, while it is lovely to be able to talk about best ever results, the girls whose results give greatest satisfaction all round and especially to those who support them throughout their time here, are those who, for whatever reason, have experienced difficulty during their time in the Sixth Form and who have triumphed against the odds. We always have a number of girls like this each year, as we do not have a policy requiring girls to leave either at the end of the UV or at the end of the LVI because they are not performing at a particular level. This would be wholly against the ethos of the school as I am sure you would agree. Of course, it can have a negative impact on our League Table place, but I am sure you all agree that league table placing should not take precedence over a young person’s opportunities and chances.

As you know, Godolphin and Latymer is about so much more than examination results and we are very proud of our extra-curricular programme which goes from strength to strength, with the numbers of girls involved increasing annually. The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, for example, now runs from UIV with the Bronze Award, with over 90 girls participating at this level, which is a change from previous arrangements that saw girls beginning with the Silver Award.

At least 50% of the Lower School participate in extra-curricular sporting activities. We constantly review the extra-curricular offer in order to try to encourage as many girls as possible, particularly within the older year groups, to participate. This

Contents

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to be created. All that has gone and the new Astroturf looks stunning and is playing well. We developed two of our classrooms into more flexible learning spaces in order to provide greater opportunities for the use of ICT by girls as an integral part of their learning and are currently looking at the opportunities for the use of mobile technologies. Our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), which has seen increasing usage this year, continues to undergo development so that it optimises the availability of learning resources for the girls.

I will finish with a comment about our annual Bursary Fund Fundraising event. One of the highlights of our calendar, this event is organised by current Sixth Form girls and involves other girls from across the school in a production with the sole purpose of raising money for the Bursary Fund. This is a cause that is dear to the hearts of many of our Old Dolphins and the determination to make it possible for girls to attend G&L, who could not otherwise afford the very special education we offer, is something that is also very important to our current girls. They work so hard on this production and “ERA- sistable”, which involved a review of fashion, music, dance and much, much more from the decades since G&L opened its doors to girls in 1905, was an absolutely fantastic event, hugely enjoyed by the many parents, girls and staff in the audience. The way in which this event is led by the girls themselves is indicative of the quality of life skills that G&L help girls to develop during their time here. Their commitment to the Bursary Fund is indicative of the strength of feeling that exists within the school about the importance of accessibility to G&L by as wide a range of girls as possible.

I do hope that this gives you a flavour of what is currently happening at G&L and that you feel you recognise your school through this account. There may have been physical changes and curriculum changes, but I believe we remain true to the ideals of Godolphin and Latymer developed in its first century.

WelCoMe

year we have added Squash, for example. We also held the first ever extra-curricular display evening which allowed both parents and girls to see a wider range of the activities in which the girls participate. As I write, our second such event has just taken place and was another resounding success, showcasing some very wide ranging talents.

Music and Drama continue to flourish here and there are many opportunities for girls to participate, ranging from the formal School Birthday Service and later in the Autumn Term, the two Carol Services, through to orchestral and choral concerts, performances with the joint orchestra of Latymer and Godolphin (with LUS) and the PTFA Jazz Night. Drama is very popular indeed. The UIII perform a Christmas play to their parents, to local primary schools and to our guests at our annual tea party for the elderly. And as ever, the LV write, produce and perform their play. This year we enjoyed a fabulous evening of stand-up comedy and sketches- they were outstanding.

Curriculum changes have taken place too, such as the introduction of a choice in languages for girls joining the school in UIII in September 2012, and the introduction of opportunities to learn more about computer programming for the LIV. Drama GCSE will be available to girls from September 2013, as will Mandarin to the UIII.

In the Sixth Form, we have again been able to offer Critical Thinking AS to a number of girls and we hope this will be available as a choice for all girls from September 2013. Since 2011, all of the girls taking A levels in the Sixth Form have had the chance to take the Extended Project Qualification, which is highly regarded as a way in which independent learning skills can be developed.

From September 2012, the existence of five smaller forms in each of years UIII to UIV, which are also the teaching groups for many subjects, means that girls will be taught in significantly smaller groups of approximately 21/22 girls. The majority of teaching groups in LV, UV and the Sixth Form are, of course, already much smaller than this.

We are always keen to make sure that our facilities are well-maintained, and during the summer the Astroturf was replaced (and the hard courts were resurfaced) so that it is once again a fully usable playing surface. You may not be aware that the Astroturf was out of use for much of last year because of the penetration of tree roots, which caused a bumpy and dangerous playing surface Ruth Mercer, Head Mistress

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Thank you to all Old Dolphins who took the time to complete our online survey at the end of last year. The results show an overwhelming interest in helping the school. We still need more Old Dolphins to volunteer, especially for career events (see page 17). Also, please note that Old Dolphins are welcome to contact G&L regarding work experience in teaching!

I also would like to encourage you to return to G&L for other events, such as the increasingly popular Public Lecture Series. The current series includes high-profile speakers Andrew Marr, PD James and Edmund de Waal.

The ODA did a roaring trade at the Christmas Bazaar. The delicious jams and marmalades made by Ruth Mitchell née Bower ’65 sold out, and we did a brisk trade in the new t-shirts and mugs designed by Joy Puritz ’67. A new addition to the range of G&L merchandise is a lovely dolphin charm, the sale of which will support the Bursary Fund (see page 18 for details).

Overall, the Bazaar raised £22,000 for the Bursary Fund. As I am sure you will agree this is a phenomenal amount! We are keen for more Old Dolphins to be involved with next year’s Bazaar. If you would like to help with the ODA stall or are able to offer raffle prizes or items for the Silent Auction please contact Julia Hodgkins (Jhodgkins@godolphinandlatymer.com).

I look forward to seeing many of you at Old Dolphins’ Day on 28th September, especially members of the reunion classes (’53, ’63, ’73, ‘83 and ’93). This year we plan to streamline the AGM, giving you more time to reminisce with old friends and enjoy being back at Godolphin and Latymer.

Janaki Prosdocimi née Nicholas ‘89,ODA Chairman

Welcome to Dolphin Link. The ODA has had a busy year with changes not only within the Executive Committee, but also in the Development Office. I am very pleased to welcome Julia Hodgkins as Director of External Relations. She will play a vital role as a link between the school and the ODA.

The Executive Committee was greatly saddened by the death of Dawn Hastings née Bowyer, who was from the Class of 1987. Dawn had been our Year Reps Executive Committee member since 2009. Dawn left school for Bath University. She then went to work for The Hogarth Health and Fitness Group. She remained working there until her death last summer. She had fought cervical cancer for the past 4 years and passed away peacefully on the 13th of August 2012. Dawn was passionate about Godolphin and Latymer and we felt that we should honour her commitment to the Old Dolphins’ Association by raising funds from the ODA AGM/Reunion raffle for her lasting legacy, The Dawn Hastings Foundation. The Foundation, which provides complementary and alternative therapies for those suffering cancer and other terminal illnesses, was presented with a cheque for £500 after the AGM.

from the oda Chairman

WelCoMe

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With an expanded Sixth Form this year, it was great to see a number of new girls join the current Lower Sixth, many of whom immediately threw themselves into school life. The Lower Sixth appears to be successfully balancing new, tougher courses and work commitments whilst running societies and producing the UIII Christmas Pantomime and the fantastic Bursary Fundraiser. And, as we in the Upper Sixth accelerate towards the end of our time here, completing multiple personal statements, applications, EPQs and extended essays, the year group continues to fully immerse itself in school life and it makes me extremely proud to see my peers show such determination and dedication to societies and events at G&L, balancing these commitments whilst continuing to excel academically.

As ever, Godolphin continues to evolve and see changes –the school looks forward to the house system coming into force in September, and the School Council has been busy deciding the naming and function of this new system. The newly refurbished Astroturf was also met with much excitement, and has produced some brilliant results, with our 1st Hockey XI flattening a previous rival 12-0.

But, despite changes on the outside, the most important aspect of this school hasn’t changed in my almost seven years of being here. The ambition and talent, sportsmanship and commitment shown by girls combined with the generosity and experience of the staff make for a great atmosphere, and a combination of this and the excellent facilities we are so lucky to have at Godolphin makes every day a privilege.

It is only as I contemplate leaving G&L in a few months’ time that I realise just how brilliant my time here has been, the friends I’ve made, the opportunities I’ve had, and just how much support we as students have access to. We are extremely fortunate to have the ODA, to keep in place networks that otherwise would inevitably disappear. It’s daunting to think of walking out of the gates for the last time as a student, and it’s comforting to know that we will, in the words of one Old Dolphin I met last year, ‘be back before you know it’.

Polly Lamming UVI, Head Girl

from the head GirlIt is often said that time flies when you’re having fun, but the terms at Godolphin really do seem to flash past. The pace and energy felt from just walking down the corridor continues to make for an extremely enjoyable and

stimulating atmosphere to work in, with a never ending range of opportunities for girls to take part in.

The number of clubs and societies to get involved with seems to expand each year, and it’s great to see new events materialise such as the LV Comedy Revue; a production entirely scripted and staged by the girls. We’ve had numerous opportunities to hear some brilliant speakers this year, including Claire Lomas - the first paraplegic woman to walk the London Marathon - PD James and Count Nikolai Tolstoy.

Upper Thirds continue to set new records for the number of extra-curricular events they can physically fit into a five day week, with an enthusiasm that’s great, if slightly exhausting, to behold.

The Lower and Upper Fourth continue to contribute to our successful sport teams and music groups, whilst supporting the Raising and Giving Teams with impressive cake sales. With GCSE courses beginning, the Lower Fifth can feel a real change in workload and pressure, but this hasn’t stopped them winning matches, participating in the school’s debating competition and attending societies.

The Upper Fifth year involves mocks then GCSEs, but, however stressful the year, they continue to find the time to organise events, successfully participate in squads and raise money for World Challenge expeditions.

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SChool neWS

Winterstoke Scholarships Elizabeth Banes Sophie Clarke Charlotte Carson Krista Hyer Sophia Hyer Abi Magrill Hannah Murdoch

Gertrude Clement Alice AedyBooks Prize Lauren Edison Eleanor Metcalf Sophie Pridgeon Lizzie Renard Zoe Stein Unaiza Tughral Maria Vila de Mucha

Marshall Hays Prize Frizzy Anderson Alex Giessen Ayesha Patwardhan Rosie Snowball Freya Steveni Eleanor Upchurch Harriet Wagner

Bellew Prize for Philosophy Sophie Clarke

Titmuss English Prize Eleanor Metcalf

Downer Jolliffe Charlotte Carson

Prize for Classics Hannah Murdoch

Homan French Prize Rosie Snowball

Dixon Spoken French Prize Freya Steveni

Prynne Prize for German Elizabeth Banes

Knupffer Russian Prize Eleanor Boyer

Frost Spanish Prize Ola Dmitriew Ayesha Patwardhan

Claire Eccles History Prize Sophie Clarke

Gilliland History Prize Elizabeth Banes Alex Hindley

Hobbs Geography Prize Amelie Johansson

Mason Economics Prize Alina Eisler

prize listBell Mathematics Prize Krista & Sophie Hyer

Selsky Pure Charlotte CarsonMathematics Prize Zoe Stein

Richards Science Prize Abi Magrill Maria Vila de Mucha

Winifred Watkins Zoe SteinChemistry Prize

Ennis Biology Prize Amy Wilson Karolina Farrell

Bearman Medicine Prize Bea Bartholomew Abi Magrill Unaiza Tughral

Art Prize (Art + Design) Caroline Watson

Reiss Prize for Creativity Freya Steveni

Charlton Prize for History of Art Olivia Bright

McTavish Music Award Grace Cockell

Leavers’ Drama Prize Jessica Hof

Walsh Award for Natassa SiracusaPhysical Education

Cox Prize for Sport Rosie Snowball

Mantle Prize for Talia BurrowsSpeech and Drama

Dean Prize Elizabeth Cunningham Samara Elias Karolina Farrell Lisa Losseva Morgan Masters Zoe Tustain

The Dawe Prize Talia Burrowsfor Achievement Joanna de Boer Zehra Odunayo Nell Walker

White Prize for Molly ReidSixth Form Service Alexa Tamsett Victoria Taylor

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GCSE:

over 61% of all grades were a* and

over 90% of all grades were either a* or a.

nearly 62% of girls achieved a*/a grades in all of their subjects

43% of girls gained at least 8 a*s

A Level:

the uVI results also were very good and at a level, 33.5% of the results were at a* (an increase on last year and in contrast to the national position) and a further 38.3% were at grade a. there was an overall pass rate of 100%. five girls gained 4a* grades and 50% of the 68 a level candidates gained all a*/a passes.

IB:

the IB cohort of 25 girls performed very well indeed. thirteen of the girls achieved 40 points or more, with 2 gaining 45 points, 2 gained 44 points, 3 gained 43 points, 3 gained 42 points and 3 achieved 40 points. the average point score was 39.5 points, which is our best ever.

there has been great pressure on university places this year, but the majority of the girls – 85% – are attending universities of their choice.

We wish them every success and look forward to hearing of their progress.

exam resultsStratta Prize for Verity GreatorexService to the School Amelie Johansson Natasha Pinder

Head Girl’s Prize Alex Giessen

Spong Modern Language Eleanor UpchurchTravel Scholarships

LVI Chaplin French Prize Claudia Hyde

LVI Wilson History Prize Harriet Baldwin Emma Irving Eleanor St Aubyn

The Sandra Williams Victoria DreesmannPrize for Italian

Harvard Book Prize Georgia Kandunias

Vellutini Prize (for UV Grace CarneyEnglish Coursework) Rosanna Sheehan Verity Spragge

Jessie Stafford Prize for Alina EislerModern Foreign Languages

James Macnair History Award Maria Hage

Leaving Prizes Eleanor Arah Rebecca Burger Atalanti Dixon Dragana Draganic Natasha Drew Thea Hemming-Brown Cecile Hirschler Amy Hughes-Hallett Isabella Jenkins Marjan Magharehi Catriona McIntosh Freya Monro Morrison Simone Nelsen Aphra Pilkington Ciara Pignatelli Harriet Rankine Jessica Sammonds Kirandeep Uppal Eugenia Vilarosa Chloe Wai Franki Wiley

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U12 London Schools ChampionsU13 County Champions, Regional Finalists and London Youth Games WinnersU15 County Champions, Regional Finalists

SportInG SuCCeSSeS & opportunItIeS 2012-13

Entered the British School Girls’ races for the first time in several years. The girls from Years 9/10 worked well resulting in 22nd in the combined, 27th in the giant slalom and 18th in the slalom out if 56 teams.

U12 8th in London Schools ChampionshipsU13 4th in London Schools ChampionshipsU14 3rd in London Schools Championships, Country representationU16 London Schools FinalistsU12 Middlesex Champions

U13 Middlesex Semi FinalistsU14 Middlesex ChampionsU15 Middlesex Champions, County representationU16 3rd place at Middlesex finals, County representation

Flag bearers at the England v Australia international match at Wembley

Using England Netball’s ‘Pass on your Passion’ initiative as older girls coach younger year groups

Cricket

netball

hockey

Skiing

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afpe Quality Mark

extra-Curricular display

rowing

Cross CountryJunior TeamESAA Cross Country Junior Team National FinalistsIndia and Kosana Weir and Verity Walker individual ESSA Cross Country National Finalists as part of the London teamSilver medallists in London Schools Cross Country Championships, with 5 runners in the top 26Year 7 team 3rd in the LSAA Inter-borough Cross Country ChampionshipsYear 8 team winners of LSAA Inter-borough Cross Country Championships

Intermediate teamIzzy Dye and Maddie Turner individual ESSA Cross Country National Finalists as part of the London team4th place team in London Schools Cross Country Championships, with 2nd and 6th place finishes

Caris Coyle 5th at the U17 National Indoor Rowing Competition (she was the top rower who does not row for a club as Caris only rows for G&L).

The girls demonstrated their talent and skills in gymnastics, dance, karate and kickboxing in an excellent programme for parents and friends held in the Bishop Centre.

We are one of only five schools in the UK to be awarded a Quality Mark Award (with distinction) for Physical Education and Sport from the Association for Physical Education (afPE), endorsed by the Department for Education. The award reviewed the variety of curricular and extra-curricular activities offered by the school as well as meeting girls and observing a lesson.

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hIGher eduCatIon foruM

Lower Sixth seems to pass by pretty quickly; one minute you’re lounging in the common room revelling in your free

periods and next thing you know you’re being forced to decide whether you prefer a campus university or one in a city. Most people (I know I did) had the reaction of ‘no please…oh god…universities…help’ when ‘The Future’ was discussed. The Higher Education Forum however has a surprisingly calming effect as it dispels all the myths you’ve heard such as, ‘If you haven’t done gold DofE there’s no WAY any university will even look at you’. (100% Not True.)

I’ve always been pretty set on what subject I wanted to do, History, but the only thing I didn’t know was where I wanted to study it; the Higher Education Forum was very helpful in clearing it up. I attended the Oxbridge talk given by Ms Juckes and Ms Drennan, which was very helpful in clarifying the Oxbridge application process and explaining what HAT was. (Disappointingly, not stylish head gear but in fact the History Aptitude Test). I then went to Dr Snook’s talk on studying History at university. As well as being hilariously illustrated with pictures of his university days, it was also very helpful in explaining how to differentiate between the different courses at universities, as History can seem at first to be identical.

Overall the evening was extremely useful and helped to alleviate some of the stress that had been building up whenever anyone talked about life beyond Godolphin.

Rhiannon Tripp (LVI)

hIGher eduCatIon foruM

I on the other hand found myself going through a rather different experience. As someone fully dedicated to lists,

plans and colour-coding, I thought I was fully prepared for moving on to university. The several hours spent on Google Images assured me of my five chosen universities, and I knew I wanted to study Politics. What more would I need to know?

A lot.

Selecting a university and course to study takes a lot more than just finding the prettiest campus or nicest website. The courses differ depending on the university, as well as the teaching and assessment methods. For example, you may want to do Politics like me, but have you ever thought about International Relations, PPE, HSPS or Eastern European Studies?

The Higher Education Forum proved to be extremely helpful in highlighting the other options that had missed the cut for my all-exclusive plan for ‘The Future’. It’s very easy to become a tad too focused on the goal you set out for yourself in UIII, forgetting that there is a whole range of pathways out there which you may not have encountered. Thankfully, the Forum made the initially scary process of relinquishing ‘The Plan’ far less daunting. In fact, the widening prospects for the future left me feeling both excited and liberated, whilst the teachers were able to calm my over-organised mind with words of knowing reassurance.

Nada Bashir (LVI)

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puBlIC leCture SerIeS

Over four hundred guests enjoyed a lecture by journalist, broadcaster and Godolphin and Latymer parent, Andrew Marr, on 6th November 2012.

The lecture, which took place in the Bishop Centre, was part of the school’s Public Lecture Series. Mr Marr gave a fascinating lecture on his two recent books The Diamond Queen and A History of the World.

He explained his idea for producing A History of the World series, “The trouble with so much history in schools as I experienced it and I see it here and there is that there’s no overview that connects events, people and consequences from one era or place to another; it needs a broad sweep. Television is supremely able to dramatise and create an eloquent theatrical experience that links narrative and drama without absolutes and abstracts; and thus produce an overview on a large canvas.”

Afterwards, guests joined Mr Marr in the Hall where he signed copies of his books. The event raised over £6,000 for the Bursary Fund.

puBlIC leCture SerIeS

andrew MarrIt is heart-warming to read the opening line of PD James’ latest novel, Death Comes to Pemberley: ‘It was generally agreed by the female residents of Meryton that Mr and Mrs Bennet of Longbourn had been fortunate in the disposal in marriage of four of their five daughters’. Compare that with ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife’, and you will see that James has achieved her wish to write her ‘sequel’ to Pride and Prejudice somewhat in the style of Jane Austen, whose works she has always loved; and it has a happy ending: ‘Of course it has to have a happy ending,’ she told us at her public lecture in the Bishop Centre on 5 March, after which she must have signed at least 100 copies.

At 92, Baroness James of Holland Park, who stood throughout her lecture, is still absolutely on the ball, although she admitted that she now has to think a little harder for the ‘right words’. Her father did not believe in further education for women so she left school at sixteen, but years later, when her husband returned from the war mentally ill, she had to provide for her two daughters. She worked for the NHS and then as a civil servant in the Criminal Policy Department of the Home Office, not until 1962 publishing her first novel: Cover her Face, featuring the detective Adam Dalgleish, named after her English teacher at school. She had wanted him to be a detective who was also a musician, but when she realised she did not know enough about music she made him a poet. She said she was lucky to have a novel accepted at the first attempt, and although not ashamed of it, feels she has improved over the years.

I was very fortunate to be able to speak with PD James at a reception before the lecture. I said I had always wanted to be able to write a novel but that I just did not have the imagination to make up plots. She said I should simply use events from my own experience. But I know that there is a big difference between writers who rely on those and writers who are inspired with intricate plots which seem to come from nowhere. During her lecture James said that once the busy-ness following the launch of a new book was over, a new plot would be forming in her mind (in fact, a new one was forming now). I think these plots simply drop into her mind, just as musical themes dropped into Mozart’s – unbidden. What a wonderful gift.

Joy Puritz ’67

pd James

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SCIenCe WeeK

March 2013 saw us celebrate another hugely exciting and busy Science Week at Godolphin, with most girls in the school involved in some way, as well as many students from other schools. We started on the first Thursday with the LV visit to the Big Bang Fair at London’s ExCeL centre, where the whole year group got to experience the wealth of Science and Engineering that goes on in the UK and the myriad, varied career opportunities that exist. The next day was Science Night Club, our annual LIV Science sleep-over where the girls and their Sixth Form helpers had the chance to make some funky LED writing photographs and, for the first time this year, get up close and personal with a range of exotic creatures – cockroaches to chameleons, snakes to skunks and so much more – before spending the night in the labs, ready for a quiz and the customary balloon release in the morning.

The following Monday evening saw over 70 Sixth Form students from four schools compete in our Science Pub Quiz, and on the Tuesday the LV, UV and all Sixth Form scientists attended the Senior Debating Final – fittingly the motion, “This house would make the study of Science compulsory in the Sixth Form”, was carried!

Wednesday evening saw 15 of our UV girls head over to St Paul’s School to compete in their Engineering Challenge. On the Thursday, we were again very fortunate to welcome the outstanding Science Museum outreach team to Godolphin; their shows dazzled and enthralled our girls from UIII to UIV as well as Years 7 and 8 from the West London Free School and children from two localprimary schools.

The “week” culminated in a fantastic, eye- (and ear-) opening demonstration lecture from Steve Mould on optical and audio illusions and what they revealed about the way our brains work, attended by over 250 students from Godolphin and other schools.

Just as last year our Lower School Science Club, SciZmic, also incubated a number of chicken eggs which hatched during Science Week. These beautifully cute little chicks got a lot of attention from all comers once they were hatched, both in person and through the live webcam, which again had thousands of hits during the week.

The week was, as is now the norm, an entertaining and fun-packed way of experiencing and interacting with Science beyond the classroom in a variety of ways. Together with a number of other events and initiatives that the Science Faculty has run, it continues to help raise the profile of Science for our girls, both within school and looking to the future beyond school. It is for this reason first and foremost that we look forward to planning and running these events each and every year, and after a very brief rest, planning is already underway for next year’s to be even bigger and better!

If you are interested in reading about any of these events in more detail, please do get in touch. A special issue of our Science magazine, Absolute Zero (written by the girls for the girls), is due out early in the Summer Term and we would be delighted to send you a copy.

Jaideep Barot, Head of Science

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annual GIVInG proGraMMe 2012/13

This year, in addition to bursaries, donations to the Annual Giving Programme will fund important improvements in both the Science department and the Art and Design department. Funds raised through Annual Giving in 2013 will help support the school’s science laboratory modernisation programme and the purchase of new SLR cameras.

All of our pupils study three Science subjects from UIII, and we have seen a steady rise in the number of girls choosing to study Science at university. We wish to build on this momentum and make the study of Science increasingly attractive to the girls. To do this we need to provide state-of-the-art facilities to challenge and inspire them, including laboratories more conducive to group work and modern teaching techniques.

Photography is extremely popular at Godolphin and Latymer. It forms an essential part of the Art and Design curriculum across all years, including GCSE, A-level and IB examined levels of study. It also is a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award skill. We would like to purchase 20 state-of-the-art SLR cameras and two large-format digital cameras. The new cameras will enable the girls to capture high definition photographic images, and will give them the opportunity to learn a wider variety of processing techniques.

We are committed to ensuring a Godolphin and Latymer education is available to girls of intellectual promise from all backgrounds, regardless of financial circumstances. We presently support 54 girls through means tested bursaries. We are working to broaden access to the school through our Bursary Scheme.

Information on how to give is contained in the Annual Giving brochure which can be found on the school’s website. Donations can be made online or by printing off the gift form and returning to us. All donations are gratefully received.

Modern Science laboratories

photography equipment Bursary Support

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ClaSS noteS

1950s Ann Chaplin ’54 reports that she enjoyed a lovely lunch in March in Worcester Park with classmates Joan Passarelli-Crabtree, Gwen Madge-Merritt, Ann Crawley-Phipps and Anne Waters-Marns. They had a great time recalling past events from G&L all those years ago!

Jan Sadler née Hutchins ’57 was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2012 (see feature on page 24).

1960s Carol Dixon ’60 reports:

“Following the drama and excitement of Team GB’s success in the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, I was proud to be selected as a member of Team GB to compete in the women’s over-70’s foil contest at the 16th World Fencing Championships for Veterans in Krems, Austria in October last year.

The championships attracted 662 fencers from 46 nations to participate in the 18 competitions for men’s and women’s foil, epée and sabre in age groups 50-59 years, 60-69 years, and 70+ years. To handle the enormous number of bouts, 17 pistes in two different halls were needed. After winning the first round of the competition, I came up against a higher-ranked opponent in the second round, which unfortunately led to my elimination. However, when my opponent made it to the semi-final, I felt that I had not done so badly after all.

My interest in fencing began in 1968, during a Foreign Office posting to the British Embassy in Budapest (then behind the Iron Curtain). Fencing was a national sport in Hungary, but was new to me. It was quite unlike the sports, such as hockey, basketball and tennis, I had played at Godolphin, although the French I had been taught and my extra-curricular ballet classes proved very useful. Above all, fencing appealed because it was fun and I kept it up wherever possible in other overseas postings, especially in Paris and Saigon. Upon retiring and returning to the UK, I joined a local club and took part in various competitions, which eventually led to my qualifying as a participant in the 2006 World Fencing Championships for Veterans in Sydney, Australia. Just to be there was so exciting that,

despite coming second from last in my age group, I felt as if I had won the event! In fact, it spurred me on to qualify for further world championships.

This year the 17th World Fencing Championships for Veterans will take place in Bulgaria and I am hoping to be included again in Team GB after gaining a Silver Medal in qualification. There is still much to achieve and, despite my having been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer a few years ago, I hope to continue fencing for as long as the admirable lady I shared a room with in Krems last year who is still competing at the age of 85!”

Angela Sturgeon née Eaton ’60 writes:

“In early 1953, some 60 years ago, attending primary school in Hounslow, I took and passed the entrance examination to Godolphin and Latymer, the only girl from my school to do so for some years. At the age of eleven, it was possibly the most exciting thing I could imagine happening. The other day I was suddenly taken back in time.

I’ve been doing some volunteer reading help, through an organisation called Beanstalk, at a local west London primary school. I spend two afternoons a week there, working with several children and, for these challenging and rewarding sessions, I use the deputy head’s office.

On the day in question, on her desk was a letter ... from Godolphin and Latymer. Forgive me, I read it. It enclosed the results of entrants for the G&L 11+ exam. I turned the page. There was one name on it, the name of the girl who had been accepted.

I had the most extraordinary moment of déja vu. That girl was me, 60 years ago, possibly to the day. I was quite overcome, suddenly remembering what it had felt like, what it had meant to be that girl that day when that letter came.

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As I later emailed the more than forty Old Dolphins in our Class of 1960 who keep in touch, that girl was every one of us. That letter, or one very similar, must have landed on the desk of the head of the primary school that each of us went to, changing our lives forever and setting us off on an amazing educational adventure that, 60 years later, finds us still sharing experiences and planning to meet this September to celebrate that anniversary.

How good it was to see, literally, 60 years on, that a girl from a local primary school can still take that exam, have that letter arrive and have the chance to embark on the same exciting adventure that we did.”

Angela Pollitzer ’68 wrote last summer:

“I finished Brussels 20 K race last Sunday in 2 hrs 18 mins - not bad, given the heat! I loved the parks and the jazz bands, but not the uneven cobblestones beside the palace or the stuffy tunnels under Avenue Louise. Many thanks to those who sponsored me in aid of Banunule School for Orphans, Kampala.”

1970s Veronica Howe née Martin ’76 writes:

“I left G&L early in 1973 - before the rest of my classmates in the class of 1976. Having had children young I did various jobs, from administration to local government, while raising my two sons (I now have two grandsons aged 3 and 4). I was a late developer in the academic stakes but, following a history degree, recently graduated from University College London with an MA in Archives and Records Management and am now a qualified archivist. I am working at Kings College London on a couple of projects, including looking at how the university can support the management of research data in future. I would like to think this proves that there is no standard formula to follow in life, and that it’s never too late to develop!”

1980sTamsin Ford ’84 is based at the University of Exeter Medical School where she has been awarded a personal chair to lead a child mental health research group. Her research focuses on

the interface between mental health services and education services. She also maintains a limited clinical practice as a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

1990sStephanie Vilner née Sheppard ’92 was invited to attend the G20 Young Entrepreneur Summit held in Mexico City last June. She wrote: “I am delighted to be an Australian delegate after a career and life that has taken me so many interesting palaces!” Stephanie is still in touch with Marina, a Russian exchange student from her G&L days, and they catch up once a year when Marina visits Sydney to audit the books of a large Australian company.

Phoebe Barran ’99 and Lliana Bird ’99 are currently staging Patrick Hamilton’s play The Duke in Darkness at the Tabard Theatre in Chiswick.

2000s Jenny Boyd ’00 and her singer/songwriter brother Robbie visited G&L in January. Robbie performed a selection of his songs to the UV and spoke to the girls about the dangers of substance abuse. Robbie has another connection to G&L – his other sister Anna Boyd ‘01.

15

ClaSS noteS

Caroline Pardy ’01 is completing her last year of core surgical training, and is applying for a speciality training number in paediatric surgery. She also is a trustee of The Children’s Hospital Trust, raising money to provide grants aimed at improving children’s experiences in hospital. The charity is currently running The Pluto Appeal (www.theplutoappeal.com) to raise the £1.5 million needed to purchase the first surgical robot dedicated to paediatric surgery in the South of England.

Andrea Paltzer’02 founded the Earth Education Project in 2009. The UK charity works with women living on Central America’s largest rubbish dump in Nicaragua, providing them with education and employment opportunities. For further details visit the organisation’s website at www.eartheducationproject.org

Maria Kaski ’02 married Timothy Lee on 24th March 2013. Timothy is the son of G&L staff member Christine Lee (Teacher of Geography and PSHE Coordinator).

Elizabeth Collingwood ’06 is now living in Herefordshire, working as a primary school teacher and proof reader and is happily surrounded by animals.

Sophie Fry ’09 took time out from her studies at Harvard University to show the Boston sights to UIV girls on the annual ski trip to Vermont, USA.

Joanna Mobed ’11 was elected President of The Cambridge Union Society for Michaelmas 2013.

Elizabeth Banes ’12 (pictured second from right) is the newest member of Princeton University’s renowned female a capella singing group, the Tigerlilies. The group visited G&L on 20th March and thoroughly entertained their audience during a performance in the Bishop Centre.

Maria Kaski ’02 & Timothy Lee

Elizabeth Collingwood ’06

Sophie Fry ‘09 and UIV ski trip

Princeton Tigerlilies

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the dolphIn netWorK

The Higher Education and Careers Team run several programmes through the school year for all year groups. To bring to life aspects of higher education and the workplace, we invite Old Dolphins to speak to our current students.

At the moment we rely on a very small bank of people to come back every year to speak at our events. We welcome all new volunteers and appreciate your support.

aspire 2012

Volunteers needed!

Time to inspire a Godolphin and Latymer girl!

remember when you were a young girl at Godolphin and latymer and needed support and advice about subject choices, university degrees and future career options?

the higher education and Careers team run several interesting programmes for all year groups and would love just 20 minutes of your time to speak to our students. example events that require speakers:• Careers Evening (November 2013)• Talks with LV and UV (throughout 2013-14)• UIV Careers Insight Programme (throughout 2013-14)

talks can be based upon what you are currently doing, what you studied, your industry, your previous job roles, work skills etc. – they can be very flexible.

We are especially looking for women who are in the early stages of their career, so we would particularly like to target the Classes of 1995-2004.

We hope that you will be able to give a little bit of your time to inspire the current generation of Godolphin girls.

If you are interested to find out more, please email The Higher Education and Careers team (hedandcareers@godolphinandlatymer.com).

Thank you!

Old Dolphins Jessica Berry ’86, Sarah Gowing ’02 and Shilpa Jamieson ’98 came back to school to share stories about their lives after G&L with UIV girls. Each provided a unique perspective and valuable insight into their chosen fields.

Jessica is a Maritime Archaeologist. She is a director of the Nautical Archaeology Society and Founder of the Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust. Since 2012, she has been a member of the project team excavating the Swash Channel wreck, a 17th century Dutch armed merchantman located off the Dorset coast. Jessica also is Archaeological Advisor for the 1685 Coronation wreck in Cornwall. A former journalist, Jessica has worked for The Sunday Telegraph, The Times, The Sunday Times, the Guardian and the Mail on Sunday. After graduating from Edinburgh University she started her career in journalism at Reuters in Brussels followed by 2 years in the Middle East based in Jerusalem.

After leaving G&L in 2002, Sarah took a gap year, spending three months teaching English in India. She also travelled across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Sarah graduated from Newcastle

University Medical School in 2008, and then undertook a two-year Foundation Programme at South Tyneside Hospital, rotating through various specialities. She spent 15 months working in New Zealand before starting the Core Medical Training Programme in Southampton. Her aim in to pursue a career in geriatric medicine.

Shilpa studied Biology at Oxford, but soon realised she didn’t want to be a scientist. In 2003, she joined the Ministry of Defence’s Faststream Programme. Shilpa has held a range of strategy and finance roles, including being assigned to the Office of the Deputy Permanent Secretary and working on legal and human rights policies during the Iraq War.

The UIV girls were full of questions, making it a lively and informative afternoon! Sincere thanks to Jessica, Sarah and Shilpa for taking time out of their busy schedules to come back to G&L.

L to R: Jessica Berry ’86, Sarah Gowing ’02 and Shilpa Jamieson ’98

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the dolphIn netWorK

Football continues to enjoy growing popularity at G&L with well-established teams at both Lower School and Middle/Upper School levels playing a variety of local schools. This year also saw the inaugural Girls v Staff match which was very well attended and raised £100.00 for Place2Be – a charity offering in-school support to pupils with emotional and behavioural problems.

We are also trying to arrange what is hoped to be an annual 1stXI v Old Girls match, provisionally to be played on either Friday 6th September or Friday 13th September with a 4.00pm kick-off.

If you would like to play in this then please e-mail Peter Cosgrove (pcosgrove@godolphinandlatymer.com) saying which of the two proposed dates you would be available.

UVI parent, Daphne Dunn, has designed a delightful dolphin charm that is now available for purchase in support of the Bursary Fund. The charms are available in sterling silver and 9ct gold. Each is hand polished and hallmarked – a lovely memento of your school days! Please see the enclosed order form for more details.

Many thanks to everyone who participated in the online survey conducted in December. The ODA is always interested in exploring ways in which we can help Old Dolphins connect with each other and with the school. An important part of this process is getting feedback from you. Thank you for sharing your views and other important information that will help us better serve Old Dolphins and the wider Godolphin and Latymer community.

100 Old Dolphins from the classes of 2007 and 2002 returned to Godolphin and Latymer on 21 June 2012 for a reception marking the 5 and 10 year anniversaries of their leaving.

Chairman of the Friends of Godolphin and Latymer, Dr Kenneth Wolfe, welcomed everyone back. “It was a pleasure as always to see so many of them again and hear what direction their lives have taken since leaving G&L.”

The Old Dolphins enjoyed reminiscing about their school days and exchanging stories with each other and a number of former staff, including former Head Mistress, Margaret Rudland.

old dolphins football

dolphins for dolphins

oda Survey

5- and 10-year reunions

Class of 2002

Class of 2007

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The Old Dolphins’ Association hosted its annual reception for Year Reps on 19th March 2013. The Year Reps who attended represented classes spanning six decades, and each serves as a vital link between her classmates, the ODA Executive Committee and the school. The event marked the launch of the new ODA Year Reps Handbook, and included a tour of the delightful Crufts-inspired Lower School Art Exhibition.

On 29th September 2012, we welcomed 140 Old Dolphins, former staff members and guests back to G&L for Old Dolphins’ Day. The guest speaker at the AGM was RAF Squadron Leader Kate Frayling ‘93. Kate gave a fascinating talk about her experiences as a Search and Rescue helicopter pilot. She was introduced to flying whilst a pupil at Godolphin and Latymer, when she was awarded a RAF Flying Scholarship. The 30 hours of flying lessons got her hooked. Today she is Officer Commanding A Flight, 202 Squadron, and is based near Newcastle.

Following the AGM, there was time to catch up with old friends and classmates over a delicious three-course lunch. For the classes of ’52, ’62, ’72, ’82 and ’92 this was an especially happy occasion, as they were celebrating milestone reunions.

year reps

old dolphins’ day 2012After lunch, girls from the Hospitality Team were on hand to give tours of the school. The day ended with the singing of the school song and a raffle drawing. This year’s raffle raised over £500 for The Dawn Hastings Foundation – a charity providing support and complementary therapies to patients – named in memory of Dawn Hastings née Bowyer ’87. Dawn served as a member of the ODA Executive Committee and was a loyal supporter and champion of Godolphin and Latymer School (see In Memoriam, page 26).

Please plan to attend this year’s Old Dolphins’ Day on 28th September. We especially look forward to welcoming back the reunion classes of ’53, ’63, ’73, ‘83 and ’93. You will find a booking form enclosed.

L to R: Joy Puritz ‘67, Ruth Mitchell ‘65, Annabel Downs ‘07, Janaki Prosdocimi ‘89, Melanie Wood ‘81, Emma Davies ‘93, Julia Hodgkins (Director of External Relations) and Sue Lukowska ‘81

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Staff retIreMentS

Miss Amanda Arthurton first came to Godolphin and Latymer in 1991 as Head of the Mathematics Department which she proceeded to lead with great dedication and foresight. Efficient and effective, mathematics flourished under her guidance and became increasingly popular. In 2004, following a bout of ill health, she stepped down to a part time role. Sadly the time has now come for Amanda to retire.

Amanda was an experienced teacher by the time she arrived at Godolphin but she had taken an unconventional route into teaching. Following a degree in Mathematics, Amanda determined that she would under no circumstances become a teacher. She took a gap year working in Kwazulu at a mission hospital and returned to the UK to retrain as a nurse. Amanda then worked in the NHS in orthopaedics and intensive care before her vocation as a teacher took a hold. Many a Godolphin student will recognise the seeds of the subsequent understanding and caring nature with which she approached her role at Godolphin.

Maths teaching was a passion. I need not talk about it; her pupils’ words can do the talking for me.

“Miss Arthurton is a fantastic maths teacher who is able to explain very complex mathematical concepts in clear, comprehensible ways. She will be very much missed at Godolphin!”

“As for Ms Arthurton, I would like to thank her for her great teaching and infinite patience and would like to add that she will be greatly missed!!”

As is obvious from her background, Amanda was always going to contribute much more than just mathematics. Her unfailing professionalism and dedication were profound and contributed to all her actions. She was an outstanding form teacher and latterly deputy form teacher, not only appreciated by the students but also as a deputy by her form staff. Students always commanded her special consideration and commitment.

Amanda brought her special interest and involvement to the Amnesty group which she guided for many a long year. This year’s team wrote

“Amnesty was a pleasure to do, not just because of the difference we were making and the causes and people we were supporting but because it was head up by the incredible Miss Arthurton. She made settling into the routine of the team extremely comfortable and easy and her passion for Amnesty was an inspiration to the whole team.”

Whilst Amanda took great interest in her students, she did not neglect her colleagues. In the last few years, Amanda has been the ATL Union representative, liaising gently and guiding us quietly through, including dealing with the implications of the recent strike action. Personally, I was privileged to have benefitted from her support, both as a class teacher originally and, most importantly, when I took over as Head of Department. The Mathematics staff have been particularly lucky. Their birthdays were always remembered and her cakes greedily consumed. Most importantly, every week new flowers were on the table. This humanising touch will be sorely missed.

… and, finally, a last quotation from a student

“Her brownies cheered her students up on the worst of days and they won’t be forgotten, along with herself.”

We wish her the very best for a happy and fulfilled retirement.

Clare Gatward, Head of Mathematics

amanda arthurton

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Mrs Mackenzie joined G&L in September 1976 and she has now retired from the school to take up the challenges offered by the next stage of her life. In the 36 years that she has been a member of staff here, there is little that she has not undertaken, with her usual flamboyant charisma and with great success. School magazine editor, Sixth Form tutor, Head of Sixth, Careers, responsibility for Cambridge entry, Chairman of the Common Room Committee, and of course not least, Mrs Mackenzie has been an inspirational Geography teacher and a highly influential Head of Department.

Girls here value Mrs Mackenzie’s support greatly. Energetic and enthusiastic in the Geography classroom or out in the field at Slapton, Blencathra, Cuckmere, Docklands, Burnham Beeches and many other locations, she has inspired generations of girls to a love of Geography and many have pursued their interest in the subject at university and beyond. There are large numbers of girls, some of whom left many years ago, some more recently, who still have very clear and very fond memories of Mrs Mackenzie, either as their teacher or as their form tutor or in some cases as both. There is no doubt that so many girls have benefitted from the support that Mrs Mackenzie has given to them pastorally. I know how much she enjoys working with our Sixth Form and I also know how many of them have appreciated her warmth, the time that she has made for them, the tough love that she has sometimes had to use and the care and sympathy that she has lavished on them. I know from listening to many of these girls that they feel that Mrs Mackenzie has been instrumental in helping them to reach their potential and they cannot speak highly enough of her efforts on their behalf.

As a Head of Department, Mrs Mackenzie has contributed so much to the development of this school and its girls. Never one to be overwhelmed by fashionable dogma, as her referee commented back in 1976 before she joined the school, and always willing and able to take an independent stance, Mrs Mackenzie has never failed to offer her views of a particular issue or initiative but she has done so in a spirit of constructive discussion. At heart, Mrs

Jane Mackenzie

Mackenzie cares about the girls and she has always been willing to take on any challenge if she can see that even for only one girl it will bring benefit.

We will miss Mrs Mackenzie. She has a wonderful sense of humour, dry and pithy might be one way of describing it, and our community has been the richer for it. She has a way of injecting a lightness to an issue without at the same time belittling it in any way.

We know that Mrs Mackenzie will embrace what lies ahead with that joie de vivre that has characterised her approach to her role at Godolphin and Latymer. We thank her for all that she has done for G&L and its girls and wish her every happiness in the future.

Ruth Mercer, Head Mistress

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‘No one forgets a good teacher,’ ran the slogan of a teacher recruitment campaign a few years back. It could have been written for Pamela Shadlock; she was, quite simply, unforgettable. No one who encountered her in her 38 years at Godolphin will ever forget her. I have lost count of the number of Old Dolphins who, when I have met them, have immediately enquired about her, as being the one teacher who stood out in their school lives.

What was her secret? Above all, her unbounded and unfeigned love of her subject. The English language and its literature was her lifeblood. This passion came across to her students with great force, in the way that she talked about books. As one Old Dolphin said to me, ‘She seemed to live and breathe teaching.’ She was widely read not only in the classics, but also in literature for younger children, to the immense benefit of the department. Many of her recommendations have become much loved favourites for Lower School English classes. She is a writer herself – she was awarded an MA in Creative Writing with a Distinction – and she brought this passion to the classroom too, inspiring her girls to dare and to take risks in their writing. She was an active member of the Staff Writers’ Group. Her restless intellectual curiosity led her to pioneer and lead the teaching of English Language A-Level at Godolphin, an immensely fascinating and stimulating course which is easily the equal of the better known English Literature A-Level. She thereby gave hundreds of girls over the years an opportunity they would not otherwise have had, and I am delighted that English Language is now established and continues to thrive at Godolphin. But she didn’t only love her subject. She also (and, in the end, more importantly) loved her students, taking an intense personal interest in them. Those who were fortunate enough to be in her tutor group will testify to the care and attention she unfailingly gave them.

Pamela served Godolphin long and loyally. She joined the school in 1974 when it was still a non fee-paying school. She was with it when it turned independent in 1977. She led the English department from 1984 to 1998. Throughout she gave of her time and energy unstintingly. There is one side to Pamela’s life of which she would never speak. I believe we should speak of it now. During all those years of service, she had to cope with a disability which made the most ordinary tasks difficult and cumbersome, and which often left her deeply tired and in significant pain. Never – not once – did she complain or ask for allowance to be made beyond the minimum necessary. In this, she was an inspiration and an example to staff and girls alike. Her pursuit of a full time career as a disabled person did more for raising girls’ awareness and respect than a thousand well-meaning worksheets or advertising campaigns.

So thank you, Pamela, on behalf of hundreds, if not thousands, of Godolphin girls, past and present, for all you have done for them. We will not forget you.

Julian Bell, Head of English

Staff retIreMentS

pamela Shadlock

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featureS

As we wandered through the hustle and bustle of the darkened streets of Marrakech, our way led mainly by moonlight and noise, I wondered why the streets were so busy at this time of night. I quickened my pace to reach the front of our group and ask the volunteer co-ordinator. “It’s Ramadan,” she answered, “so when the sun goes down, the party begins!”

On July 18th 2012, four friends and I arrived at London Luton airport positive, prepared and packed, ready for whatever awaited us on the other end of the four hour flight to Marrakech. We were to spend the next week or so volunteering around Morocco through an organisation called Riad 9 – a volunteer organisation run by students, for students. We were to be primarily based in Marrakech in primary schools but also would be spending a few days helping out in an orphanage in Casablanca.

Volunteering in Morocco 2012

“On our days off, we found ourselves camel trekking through the desert, star gazing in the Sahara and swapping riddles with nomads”

We visited the orphanage in Casablanca for the first few days of our trip and our task there was to sand the paint off the walls of the hallway and a classroom so that we could then apply fresh paint. Painting proved interesting as Sami, our guide, decided that rather than joining in with the incredibly “challenging” manual labour we were partaking in, he’d stand and instruct (or distract) us as we worked (only joining in to write some of our names on the wall in paint).

The primary school where we volunteered in Marrakech, however, involved finding my artistic streak which I mislaid a fair few years ago now. Thankfully, some of the young kids who were playing in the playground came and joined us and displayed far more promising artistic talent at the average age of four than I did at nineteen.

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featureS

Jan Sadler née Hutchins ’57 was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2012 for founding and running the PainSupport online charity and for her services to pain management.

After leaving school Jan worked as a secretary and then trained as a teacher as a mature student. She had to leave teaching after an accident in which she damaged her back. An operation didn’t help and she was told nothing more could be done. She was left in constant pain. She then discovered natural methods of relieving and coping with her pain and wrote books and CDs about self-management of pain including ‘Pain Relief Without Drugs’.

Jan went on to write and design the PainSupport website, www.painsupport.co.uk. As well as containing information on managing pain, Jan also writes monthly newsletters to her thousands of members. The site features a Discussion Forum and also a Contact Club which enables people to find new friends who are in a similar situation. The website and Jan’s book and CDs are recommended by many NHS hospital-based Pain Management Programmes to their patients.

Jan Sadler MBe

One of the most incredible, unforgettable and inspirational aspects of the trip in my opinion was the fact it coincided with Ramadan. Indeed, on a trip we took during our two days off, five of us found ourselves on an eleven hour coach journey through the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara desert. When we finally got to the desert, the sun was setting as we mounted onto our camels. The views were absolutely breath-taking. About twenty minutes into our journey, the nomads leading us stopped, and a frenzy of activity arose. Suddenly food and drink was being eagerly consumed, as eating is forbidden in daylight hours during the month of Ramadan. Then it all came to an abrupt halt and they calmly wandered over to an area of sand where they all knelt down and proceeded to carry out prayers. Then they got up, walked back over to the camels, and we carried on!

All in all, volunteering in Morocco was a fantastic experience which I would jump at the chance to do again. Not only were able to see a lot of Morocco, but the volunteer work also was incredibly rewarding. I came home with some wonderful new friends for life and some great stories to tell, including how we swapped riddles with nomads in the Sahara until the early hours, and still woke up bright and early to see the sunrise! I could not recommend the opportunity highly enough.

Alexandra Matthews ‘11

Interested?Check out theirwebsite for more info:

www.riad9volunteering.com

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My sister, Betty Ryder (Cornwall), an old girl, sent me a copy of The Dolphin, which set childhood memories in motion.

My recollections of being in the prep department in the 1940s are in no way linear – rather, just a random set of snapshots – but they are unified by a strong feeling of having been very happy there. The general lingering impression is of being part of a little community (only sixteen in a form), intimate, cosy and sheltered in our informal classrooms, in what was previously a family home, the house of the headmaster in the days when Godolphin and Latymer was a boys’ school.

The sense of domestic security was enhanced by the spaniel, William’s coming into school every day with the headmistress, Miss Bishop. At the time, I didn’t realise how lucky we were to be in the hands of someone so sympathetic; I thought it was standard practice.

Even then, I was intensely interested in staff dress, probably making no allowances for clothes rationing and the pleas to “make do and mend”. I vowed that, if I ever became a teacher, with pupils forced to look at me, I would wear bright, pretty colours, an intention revised by the realities of chalk dust, leaking red biros and dressing on a teacher’s salary. I recall, clearly, several teachers wearing deplorably drab greys and browns, but also one’s beautiful amber necklace which I coveted.

The wartime ethic of recycling, unpicking parts of old pullovers and re-knitting them in fairisle patterns, extended to our delightful afternoon practical lessons. We brought salvaged wool in two colours, mine being blue and clover, and made these remnants into gauntlet gloves. We also made oilcloth pencil cases and jigsaw puzzles.

I loved the term when we did a project on what was then, and still is, my favourite book: The Wind in the Willows. We made our own books, complete with marbled covers, pasted in pictures, including outlines of animals drawn for us by one of the ‘big girls’. Even maths lessons included the costing of food for a picnic in the grounds of Toad Hall. Such maths lessons, throughout my entire school career, were misery, as I am egregiously innumerate – the

worst in every form. Philippa Archer (Rutter), who became my closest, and lifelong, friend was the second worst, and our shared suffering drew us together. Unlike me, Philippa compensated by being brilliant at art, which she later studied.

I worked my way through the entire junior library and loved music lessons where we learned some charming songs by Eleanor Farjeon but my favourite lesson was always history. I recall with pleasure how, as a treat at the end of term, we were allowed to look at a collection of history magazines for children. I think my lasting love of the subject stems from the habit, established then, of reading historical novels.

Founder’s Day was a major event. We commemorated ‘school’s birthday’ in May with ‘dance and song and music and with celebration meet (the dance was Sir Roger de Coverley) for the Dolphin school’s delightful and it’s very hard to beat.’ Agreed.

Discipline just didn’t arise. We were utterly biddable and responded to our gentle teachers, instructing us by gas fires in former bedrooms. However, there was one girl I especially admired for her daring in what counted then was naughtiness, namely climbing on her desk at break and performing a comic song and dance.

Seasons then were very distinct. In summer, I liked wearing my panama hat – until it shrank in the rain. But my most vivid memory is of my first autumn term when I was enchanted by the afternoon activity. We each brought in a fallen leaf and stuck it to the ‘magic tree’ on the wall.

If I have a negative criticism it is that such a protecting environment proved no preparation for my subsequent school. One of the King Edward VI Foundation in Birmingham, it was popularly considered to be exceptionally civilised, cultured, privileged and elitist, yet to me, aged ten, it was terrifying: vast, noisy, confusing, turbulent. The transition produced an emotional reaction similar to that of Laurie Lee’s in Cider with Rosie, cast out from the tender, re-assuring nurturing of the infants’ class.

Alma Evers

Memory lane

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evelyn Machin née palmer ’28

One of our oldest Old Dolphins, Eve Machin, passed away in March 2013 at the age of 102. She served as Head of Mathematics at Harrow Technical College (now Westminster University). After retiring, she moved to Dorchester-on-Thames, and was Hon. Treasurer of the Abbey for many years. More recently Eve lived in Bristol near her family, including her great-grandchildren.

Barbara higgens ‘33

Gwendolen taylor-Jones ‘42

pat Barnes née Bainsfair ‘47

Margaret townsend née Button ‘50It is with great sadness that I report the death of Old Dolphin, Margaret Townsend, on 12th May 2012. Margaret enjoyed her last year at school in LVI Secretarial, and has kept in touch with her classmates at our annual reunion most years since leaving school. After marrying David, she moved to Oxford and spent the rest of her working life working for Oxfam. Since retirement she endured a long illness without complaint and we shall miss her quiet presence. Elizabeth White ‘50

ruth andrew née olsson ‘50

diane Betty dennis née ashby ‘64Di was born in Hammersmith, the youngest of four girls. Money in the family was tight. Di, a very bright child, aged 10 did the scholarship exam for Godolphin and Latymer, and was awarded a place. When she told her mother she didn’t believe her and went up to the school to confirm it!

Di started at Godolphin and Latymer in 1958. She loved the English language and reading, poetry in particular. In fact she liked it so much that she kept her school poetry book.

Di did a secretarial course in the Lower Sixth and joined a theatrical agency, A.L.S., in 1964 as a secretary working with many well-known names, including Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, Spike Milligan, Frankie Howard

and Eric Sykes. Sean Connery asked Di out once, but she turned him down because she thought he was too old!

At Godolphin, Di had a daily challenge with one of the teachers as to which of them could complete the daily cryptic crossword first. This was good grounding for her to become such a great Scrabble player. She was a member of the Middlesex League. Unbeaten, she won the very first Matchplay Masters event in 1991. She achieved Grand Master status in 1998, the first woman so to do and there has been only one other. She was 19th in the world in 1993 and travelled quite widely, including Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur and the States - something she thoroughly enjoyed. She also belonged to a darts team, enjoying the social side of it as much as anything.

Di was a really clever woman, she had a fantastic memory and was a quick and intuitive thinker; she was fiercely competitive, but never a bad loser. She was blunt and to the point, never beat about the bush and always said what she thought. She had an acerbic wit, and could be quite sharp sometimes and would take you down a peg or two if it came to it, but it was never meant unkindly - she was just plain speaking. She was strong minded, had a strong sense of right and wrong – mostly she was right and you were wrong! She was never one to be hidebound by convention or the ‘proper’ thing to do – she was a rule breaker.

Di passed away peacefully in Kilfillan Nursing Home, Berkhamsted, on the 3rd of October 2012, after a short illness. Her beloved daughter, Kate, and her sister Fay were by her side. She was a good mother and grandmother; a loving sister, and a kind friend and colleague. She will be missed by all those who knew her.

Tessa Le Bars née Battson ‘65

laura hodge ‘85

dawn hastings née Bowyer ’87

Dawn was unmoved by the unkind hand that life had dealt her. She enjoyed her role as Head of Human Resources at the Hogarth Health Club, and continued to work right up until two weeks prior to her passing. Always assisting and caring for others, she was greatly admired by her friends and colleagues for the incredible tenacity she displayed.

In MeMorIaM

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Dawn was a keen advocate of complimentary alternative therapies and benefited hugely from the support offered by Changez Charity. Shortly before Dawn lost her battle with cancer, she was told of the change of the name of the charity to The Dawn Hastings Foundation. She was hugely touched and proud that the organisation would continue to support others in a similar position in her name.

Kate Hudson HallThe Dawn Hastings Foundation

elizabeth elletElizabeth was former Head Mistress Dame Joyce Bishop’s devoted friend and housekeeper for 50 years. She lived in Putney, close to Dame Joyce’s home, until two years ago when it became necessary for her to move into a care home in Wimbledon. She died in March 2013 at the age of 93.

Berenice GoodwinWhen Berenice Goodwin, ex Head of Art and History of Art at G&L, fell ill and went blind overnight, a group, principally of her erstwhile pupils, together with some of her friends, took it upon themselves to care for her in the remaining years of her life. They

did so in a quite remarkable way, out of love for her, and enormous gratitude for what she had done for them when she was at G&L and for long afterwards. When she died in June 2010, amongst other bequests she left a sum of money to St Christopher’s Hospice in South London, where her mother had been cared for in her last months. In June 2012 a group of some of her friends gathered at St Christopher’s for the unveiling in her memory of Berenice’s Bull Terrier, sculpted by Jane Ackroyd ‘75, one of her many talented ex-pupils.We were warmly welcomed and royally entertained by St Christopher’s before the unveiling of the sculpture, after which two of her pupils, Pip Mayo née Thomas ‘74 and Janet Mayo ‘68 (no relation), talked about their memories of Berenice and what they and so many others owed to her. Between them they painted a picture of an extraordinary woman, who was not only a knowledgeable and brilliant teacher, but who introduced her pupils to all of the Arts, not just to all aspects of art, but to all aspects of theatre and opera as well. She encouraged them to think carefully about their chosen careers, offering advice that was always right, even when unexpected. It was a heart-warming occasion and one which reflected the extraordinary work of this charismatic teacher.

Frances Payne, Former Staff Member

L to R: Joy Puritz ‘67, David Zerdin, Doren Zerdin, Caroline Hughes ‘93, Frances Payne (former staff), Jane Ackroyd ‘75, Janet Mayo ‘68, Pip Mayo ‘74, Vicky Ellison and Jane Blackburn ‘70

Berenice’s Bull Terrier has recently been rehomed at G&L, enjoying a shady spot under the cherry tree in the Library garden.

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