BOLITHO/ ST CLARE ALUMNI
POLWITHEN, PENZANCE

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News from Members during 2011 - 2012

Ann Harris Boxing Day, 2011,A quiet day at our house with time to reflect on a very unexpected year. We seemed to be going along as usual until June when Martin went to the doctor to complain about indigestion and came home with six bypasses, mitral valve repair and a pacemaker! His recovery had several setbacks with three more trips to the ICU and he added some stents to his hardware collection. Thankfully he has steadily improved and we are ending the year hoping that he will have a great year in 2012.
While all of this was going on we kept our plan to travel to England for our 45th wedding anniversary at the end of September. We made the trip and had a wonderful time. We did something that we have always wanted to do and walked along Hadrian's Wall. We caught up with my friend Jen (Sawyer) Jones whom I had not seen since we left St Clare's school. We visited with Martin's brother in Bristol where Martin and Ben made a bow and arrow. Finally we spent a few days with my sister in Cornwall. Cornwall was magical as always. Megan and Michael moved from New York to Houston in July. Michael has a position at St. Thomas University teaching classics. This is where he was as an undergraduate and he has a large family in and around Houston. Madeleine is delightful and turned two just before Christmas. They decided that they could not come to California for Christmas so we decided to make a road trip at the beginning of December. It took us four days to drive there and four days to come back. We broke the return journey in Albuquerque and visited with Martin's older brother's family. We packed our car with all of the breakable items that Megan and Michael had our house mostly wedding presents and I reclaimed a closet! While we were in Houston we helped them to set up a tree and all the trimmings to celebrate Christmas in their own home. We returned to Sacramento on the week before Christmas and did it all over again setting up a tree and celebrating Christmas with Mary. Mary is still enjoying life at Summer House with her friends and is continuing to be active in Special Olympics. As you can see an unusual and exciting year for us in more ways than one. Martin joins me in sending you all best wishes for 2012.

Jocelyn Munro. I was at St Clares from 1958 to 1963, as a boarder. I remember a number of people, including ‘Crankie’ and .Miss Ashworth, as I was mad about sport.I was with Sally Lakeman, Jenny Hambley, Daphne Dower, Carol Copplestone, Susan Hall, Sue Harrison, Ginnie Rudorf, Sally Gibbons, Terry Cushing amongst others.I went to PE College then came up to Edinburgh to work, initially teaching, then into Special Needs, with Physios. I married in 1969, have a son & daughter. The latter has provided us with 3 grand children.Best wishes to all who remember me Jocelyn Ness ( nee Munro)

Anne Foster Carter - You asked me ages ago if I had any stories about School. First Miss Blight was a govenerness to me and five other little girls .This would be about 1935-1937. I think I was the only one that went on to St. Clares but I may be wrong.I am also muddled because I think I went into first form which was the big room next to the Diningroom which is the library now.I remember going into second form and Miss Blight teaching me again!!
During the war we had another Woodard School evacuated to our School.I have a feeling they came from the London Area but there again I could be wrong. They did not stay too long.We also had an Anderson Shelter where the grass tennis court was in front of the school.I remember going down into it when the Air Raid siren went off.It did not go off too often in the Day time.Later on during the war we had two pot bombs that fell on thgrounds, We were told not to touch them as we could loose our fingers.
I remember taking Domestic Science and I remember going up the drive way to a building on the grounds for cooking lessons.Then we were told that we could no longer cook there and wou ld have to go to a kitchen on Chapel Street to my horror on Saturday mornings. I persume this had something to do with department of health. I do not know why I had to go into the school kitchen on the odd occasion and there would be Mrs Muller and was she ever big stirring something with a cigerette dangling from her mouth.!!
When I was in 3A I had a white rabbit and I decided to take it to school in my suit case and I let it out in Miss Gardeners class Iwas told her name was lettuce Gardener how true that was I don't know. I sure didn't play games that Wednesday afternoon I had detention instead. One day I went to School to find the School Office was all cordened off.It seems that a prisoner had escaped from some where and ended up in our school office.I guess someone had found whether he escped I can't remember but I think Scotland Yard was involved. I used to try and curl my very straight hair by putting it in rags at night,one day Miss Hudson who had very short straight hair made me comb it out outside her office and said to me"Anne why don't you leave your hair as the Good God gave you".
After Miss Hudson left we had a new Head Mistress I can't even remember her name. We were very unhappy . I would go home and tell my parents how unhappy I was and also my friend who was a border. She must have been very strict I guess the Board of Goveners listened to the Parents and she was let go I think at halfterm in the second term. We had a lovely intermum Head Mistress from the Woodard School in Taunton for the rest of the term. For the Summer term enter Miss Johns.
I was going to to a Domestic Science College in Sept 1947 and we were still on rationing I really needed a new Tunic and my Mother said Anne I don't care what they say about uniform I am going to put you in a grey skirt which I wore and I have a feeling I was the first one to start the trend of wearing a skirt it looked so much better on a developed girl than a tunic!! A bunch of us were moving on in the summer of l947 and we wanted to go to the beach on a Saturday but we were told not a beach were we could swim as the School did not want to be responsable for us,so we went off on the bus somewhere boarders and day girls on our picnic and we went somewhwere rocky on the coast.One girl fell in a pool of water in the rocks so three of us decided to skinnydip in the pools of water. What a laugh.
Hope this O.K. Love to you Wendy. Love Anne.

Jane Bickerstaffe, nee Atkins Thanks so much for the newsletter. I recognised a number of names and my sister, Carole, who was in the same class as Patience Gunter but no one from my class (1963-1969) and I've sadly lost touch. If anyone from that class is around I'd love to hear from them. I'm married (just clocked up 40 years) with a son and a daughter and live in Reading. I work for a research organisation covering environmental and social aspects of packaging - that means I'm a garbologist! Kind regards

News from members during 2010 - 2011

Trevaskis Restaurant January 2011

Daphne, Wendy, Jenny and Sue at Carlyon Bay 2011. We met up with our husbands for dinner to catch up on memories.

Christine Bulcock or Miss Crankshaw (Cranky) as she was affectionately known by the pupils - news from her nephew January 2011

On reading Lily's Christmas cards and messages to her this week, I was conscious that several have been sent by friends who may not be fully up to date with her present situation. What follows is an attempt to put you in the picture, and I ask for the understanding of those who are already aware of her situation. For the sake of simplicity, may I refer to my aunt as "Lily"? This is the only first name on her delightfully ancient birth certificate dated 1919 - though I am aware that "Christine" crept in somewhere around her Oxford days (if anyone can enlighten me further, please do so!). Lily's current address is : Bankhouse Nursing Home, Shard Road, Hambleton, Nr Blackpool, Lancashire, FY6 9BX.Telephone : 01253 701635

It would probably be slightly more reliable if any messages for Lily were sent to me here in York for me to read to her on one of my regular visits - but, as I say, I collected her various cards in the Home and read them to her. Your choice.My wife Anne and I visited Lily this week. You will appreciate that Lily's nursing-home is situated almost 100 miles from York, which is a significant journey for us. After her fall (23rd July 2008) we did look around some possibilities in York, but Lily had always wanted to go into Bankhouse Nursing Home (on the Fylde, and just 3 miles from her last residence, and also where her late husband Wilf spent his final months). All things being relative, she is as content as she could be in Bankhouse, and we confirm that her choice was right because of the quality of the care which she receives (and would we have ever been forgiven if we had got it wrong?!). We are very pleased with the place, and on a fine balance, the sacrifice we make with the travelling is worth it. Also, there are several of Lily's friends for whom the Fylde is probably more convenient than York. As you may have heard, Lily is now but a shadow of her former energetic self, seemingly confined for the past twelve months to a chair in her room. Before that she would be a regular visitor to more convivial parts of the Home (before occasionally being ejected for rowdy/argumentative behaviour!). She would particularly enjoy taking the regular chair of one equally ferocious elderly gentleman, and they were both given a dressing-down on one occasion (and some lines to write?!). But please do not get the wrong impression : she is a popular figure in the Home, and much respected by her many Carers. There is a gentleness, kindness and sheer big-heartedness in Lily which we all know, and these qualities again shone through her tortured exterior (and often fumbling thoughts) when today she instructed Anne and me to take care on our journey and not to worry about her. The dementia is severe, but after many distressing weeks of experimenting with medication ( a period which those of us visiting her found very difficult), about four months ago she began to come right again, and although we are not always sure that she recognises us, we can sometimes get into a train of thought with her which can be rewarding. And today she certainly gave us nods and a sense of understanding when we read cards and letters to her, and she was still quick, certainly, ladies and former pupils, with your maiden and married names! Lily's quality of life is poor, and I wish I could say otherwise. Near-blindness and some deafness are severe problems for a person of her intellect. Much of her vigour left her after that fall of nearly three years ago, and the hopes that she would recover sufficiently to become independent again have now gone. That she gives some joy to her Nurses and Carers is appreciated, and the Respect we all have for her continues to be fully justified. Life is hard for her at the moment, but she is in the best of hands - and she certainly knows and understands this. Your kind cards and words are very much appreciated : she listened and was clearly moved. Thank you. John Bulcock 14th January 2011

Sheila Jackson, nee Warren. Sheila lost her fight against cancer on 11 August 2010. Sheila was our Chairman for many years and our thoughts go out to her family.Sheila was a stalwart of the Alumni as a committee member and will be missed immensely but remembered with fondness. Sheila Jackson is not the sort of person to back down from a challenge, but the one that presented itself in January 2009 was not the sort of challenge any of us really want to face. Breast cancer was diagnosed, but hey, she thought that she would turn a negative into a positive! Sheila decided that she would like to do a charity ride to raise funds for the Mermaid Centre at Treliske in Truro. A decision that was no light undertaking. Sheila is not only a mother, she is also a grandmother, and though she has bred horses, she has not ridden since she was a child. Over £2,000 was raised for the Mermaid Centre.What an inspiration to us all.

Ruth TSUI I am an ex-stduent fom Hong Kong studied at St. Clare School between 1997 (upper 3) and 1983 (upper 6). I would very much like to get in touch with students from my class or any staff / girls who can still remember me.I would particularly like to have contact with my old dormate Petrina Mabbott who later moved on to the U.S.A. Her younger sister Carloyn Mabbott also studied at St. Clare. Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Mary Nowell, nee Ceber As a nearly 82 year "old girl" I was greatly heartened by the news regarding the Bolitho School finances, especially as I was one who had made a small investment in it and lost the money! Although I was only a pupil at St Clares for 18 months 1945-46, I have happy memories of my time there, a lot learnt, and many friends made, especially Anne Haydon with whom I have been friends ever since, until sadly, she died in June 2009. I do not know Ruth (Stephens) - mentioned in Class 69 - but I do know of their very pupular hotel at Dittisham and have enjoyed a meal there - a long time ago. My days go back to Miss Hudson's time. I have been widowed for nineteen years but have a very supportive family. My five grandchildren are all doing well and have graduated two in America (where my son's family live) and my eldest grandson from St Albans, married last year. He is a very dedicated worker with Youth for Christ. Best wishes to you all.

Vivien Slack, nee Wingfield I have 3 daughters and 9 grandchildren with one due in January. My husband, Phil, has two daughters and 6 grandchildren. Christmas is an expensive time!

Kate Allpress (nee O'Malley)'83 - '88 It would be great to hear news of any contemporaries - it was fantastic to see Rosalynd Thompson's entry (she was in my class) and would love to get in touch with her if possible. I am now married with one child - Daniel (aged 2) and enjoying spending time with him at home. I visited the school while on holiday a couple of years ago and it brought back a lot of happy memories - I enjoyed my time there, as did my mother (Rosemary Matthews) and aunty (Miranda Matthews) before me!!

Margaret Wigman nee Lawrey - I will be moving to Australia next year to be near my daughter.

Rosemary Skirton, nee Hall I was only at St Clares from 5 to 11, (abt 1951-62) so some of my memories are a bit hazy! I was the same year as Sally Lakeman,Denise Lawry (a distant relative) Susan Hall (no relation) Caroline Harvey, and Heather Stevens who were the main ones that I was pals with and kept in touch with even when I moved onto the Grammar School. My mother had spent all her school years at St Clares and if you think she is now 95, (and very well) that is quite a while ago. My elder sister Valerie was also there again from 5 to 11. (abt 1946-58) My mother now lives in a flat in Truro, my sister is also in Truro (married with one daughter and one grandson). I live just outside Truro also married, retired and have two sons (unmarried so far aged 28 and 31) who are in London and Henley.

Jill Horn: In September 2009 Sean Brosnan [my actor partner of 24 years] and I were married, and this time my two daughters were attendants and Sean's two daughters read during the service, with their 6 small children being helpful! We had a wonderful day, and I was pleased to have Jill [Sinnette] and her husband there, as they were at my first wedding in 1973. Photo attached. We had a delayed honeymoon/holiday in New Zealand in March 2010, and thought it was a marvellous country. Thanks to a diplomat daughter, we have had several recent visits to the Middle East, to Syria, Jordan and Lebanon - places we might not otherwise have chosen - which have been fascinating and fun and memorable. I am working full time for the NHS, and still live just outside London in New Malden. As ever, it would be good to hear from anyone at school between 1961-66, especially of course the girls I spent those teenage years with. My email is jillhorn@fastmail.fm

Wendy White Smith (Formerly Williams & Robinson.)First of all abject apologies for not keeping you up to date!! Everytime the Newsletter arrives I devour it eagerly and intend to write to you As I wanted to write a lot it has been put in my pending tray awaiting a good chunk of time to put you in the picture. That time seems never to have materialised and I really am sorry.

As the letter was addressed to "Williams Robinson" I assume that you were up-to-date with my activities since leaving St. Clare's . Just to remind you, I trained as a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital, London and after several posts as staff nurse and sister decided to join a visitor exchange programme in the USA. I travelled with a friend from St. Ives whom I had met at the preliminary training school at St. Mary's and we went to work in The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

We were both horrified at the commercialism in the hospital and the way in which medical tests and procedures were carried out, often without need, but because the patients had expensive private medical insurance. Although we had gone for a year we decided to stay for just three months and had to forego the 300 dollar payment we would have received at the end of our contract. That was a small fortune way back in the 1950's.

We still wanted to nurse and had just enough money to get to either Jamaica or Canada. We had seen that both places were advertising in the Nursing Times for British nurses. We decided on Canada and spent the next six months very happily at the Peterborough Memorial Hospital in Ontario. While there our yen for travel continued and we discovered that if we worked very hard, doing unpopular shifts (they were paid considerably more) we could afford the fare to return to England via the rest of the World!

We loved Canada and the people were so kind and friendly and we moved to Alberta after six months where we worked at the Baker Memorial Sanatorium between Calgary and the Rockies I suppose you could say we were among the original backpackers and at that time we even thought of working in Australia After many idyllic weeks on a P& O liner we arrived back in England on a snowy February morning, Having scrimped and saved for the trip we visited, Australia, Bali, Japan, Malaya etc. etc. We had set out eighteen months before with £100 and arrived back with £100 and a lifetime of memories.

I have always loved writing and on our return found it very difficult to settle down. When I saw an advertisement in the Nursing Times for an editorial assistant I couldn't help applying. I could not believe my good luck when I was short-listed for the job and at the final interview heard the Editor say, "We are really looking for someone who has a knowledge of the USA...." "But have you ever had anything published" she continued. Coincidentally, when I heard how the nursing profession were fighting for more money, I wrote an article about the satisfaction to be achieved in doing such a worthwhile job which meant far more than an enhanced salary. I had sent this in a couple of months before under a pseudonym and it had been published in The Nursing Times under the title of "The other side of the coin"

I was offered the job at £825 per annum and thus began what has been one of the most informative parts of my life . I visited over 200 hospitals in two and a half years and enjoyed the job so much that I was extremely reluctant to take holidays. We had one very popular series of articles "Portrait of a Hospital" and the staff were able to request a destination. Not surprisingly, I said I would like to go to the Scilly Isles. And, imagine my delight when we were photographing the outpatients department one of the people there was Joan Goddard and her daughter. Joan was at St Clare the same time as I was and I went to stay with her on St. Martin's Island.

I went to numerous Press Conferences and at one of these met someone who was later to become my husband, Lyster Robinson. He was head of the Information Department at The Royal Society of Health and a well liked Journalist. We married in 1965 and I left the Nursing Times and continued writing as a freelance Medical Journalist. The Editor of The Nursing Times suggested that I did a number of features but explained that she couldn't afford to send a photographer with me as was usual for staff members.

So,with great encouragement from my husband, I said I would illustrate my own articles. Happily this became very successful and I ended up doing colour covers for some of the journals I wrote for. And, in a ten year period I had over 1,000 pictures published. If all this sounds like an eulogy of my pursuits, the account is really to emphasize how, without such a wonderful education I had at St. Clare's, I would never have been able to achieve anything. Throughout my life I have been so grateful for the solid foundation that my education provided.

My husband had severe heart problems and had to retire early and I became the breadwinner. This was not an easy time. However, because of some of the contacts I had made in journalism it was suggested that I should help to design a broadsheet newspaper for members of the Professions supplementary to medicine such as physiotherapists, radiographers,occupational therapists etc. I was adamant that I couldn't edit a hymn sheet much less a new publication However, with my husband's tuition and help, "The Remedial Therapist" was born. It was supported by advertising and became very successful - starting modestly and then growing to up to 20 pages a fortnight. It was eventuallu purchased by Macmillan.

After two and a half years, it all became too much with my husband's declining health and we decided to move from London and come to Highcliffe in Dorset. We had three happy years here until he died in 1990. I knew I would have to work and took a "back to nursing course" at Bournemouth becoming very disillusioned at the mention of so much paperwork and regulations. I worked in several Nursing Homes before becoming a companion then carer and finally a nurse again, looking after a lady with Alzheimer's disease for five years. I changed my role as her condition deteriorated It was a demanding job but so very worthwhile.

I was on my own for seven years and that is how it might have stayed if fate had not stepped in. I had been using a computer for some time and when I decided to up-grade it advertised my old one for sale. Someone 'phoned and said they were interested and could they bring a friend with them to look it over! I sold my computer and as for the purchaser's friend it became "computer dating" but not the way most people think of it. Norman who had recently lost his wife was able to come and help me with my new computer. At the time I did not know he was a widower. One evening after he had been teaching me how to do spreadsheets he said that he was going out for a meal and would I feel offended if he asked me to join him. As a busy "working girl" with no food in the house, how could I possibly resist. The rest, as they say is history and we have just celebrated our twelfth wedding anniversary. I have gained a lovely stepdaughter and two grown up grandchildren. He has inherited my Brother who has six children (all adults of course) and sharing my love of travel we go on wonderful holidays We have similar interests with computing high on the list as well as photography, the theatre walking and swimming.

And, finally I attribute my lifelong love of tennis to the fact that I was once tennis captain at St. Clare's. I still play tennis three or four times a week! I hope the school continues to be an inspiration for many who attend I am sorry that I cannot attend the AGM and luncheon but wish everyone a good time. .

Patience Cooper nee Gunther Thank you for the Bolitho/St Clare Alumni newsletter and invitation to the AGM. My essential details have stayed the same although I am starting to move my E-Mails to patience.a.cooper@gmail.com.I have only made it down to the AGM once, 24 years ago when our eldest son was a baby. I do intend to do so again but cannot understand how the time flies and I keep prebooking myself. I will be in Nice at a Congress of Vets this year.I am lucky enough to be healthy and active. I ran the London Marathon again this year and raised over £800 for Diabetes UK. I will be running the Beachy Head marathon in October, slowly, just for fun, and am then off to Verbier in January to do a three month "GAP" course with the Warren Smith Ski Academy to train to be a ski instructor. Call it my mid (or even late) life crisis! Our younger son David did it in his Gap year and let slip that there were older people on the course. We didn't do Gap years when I left St Clare's in 1971 but hey - it's never too late. I am lucky to have an understanding husband and be self employed so I can take the time. I think my attitude to sport was greatly influenced by Mrs Nichols who taught all sports across the board and made them fun. I still play tennis using the backhand grip she taught me (much to my coach's despair) and have come back to Athletics in my 50's taking part in veteran matches doing anything for a point for the team - running sprints/distance, throwing javelin,discus,shot & even (very nervously) hammer and this year have had a go at Triple Jump - Thank you Mrs Nick!Really pleased to see Jane Melling's update. I am hoping though her to get in touch with her sister Susan, who was in our year. I liked the reunion report on the class of 69. Perhaps we could try for a class of 71 next year. I know Shana Simpson and Elizabeth Eva are active with the association and have been better than me at keeping in touch. I also am in contact with Carol Trebucq (Atkin), Cynthia Lambert (Jarvis) and Angela Wills (Withers).Thank you for all that you do to hold the Alumni together. I really appreciate news of St C's.

Jennie George here (nee Hambly - St. Clare 1958 -1962) Just received notification of AGM on Saturday 25th September next, however I shall be on holiday at that time so obviously not able to attend. Please note my new e-mail address. Would love to hear from anyone who remembers me - does anyone know the whereabouts of Elizabeth Day? To those who don't know my present circumstances, I was married in 1968 to Colin and after almost 43 years we are still together!! We have two children, a son Jason who is 40 and a partner in an estate agency business in Wadebridge and a daughter Melanie who is a receptionist at a chiropractic clinic in Bodmin. We are both retired now, have three wonderful grandchildren and enjoy our time looking after them when required, and travelling the world as much as we can. Off to the Holy Land in September, hence non attendance at AGM. Hope to hear from some of you soon. Jennie

NEWS FROM 2009-2010

Just to say that all cards and flowers were much appreciated. We did our best for the birthday girl : an excellent lunch, eleven guests, entertainment, and even a short speech at the end.

Vanessa Catherall nee Penrose. I was a pupil at the school between 1975 to 1983 is there anyone who attened the school around those dates who possibly remembers me I am trying to get in touch with old school friends |I have found some on friends reunited and also through Facebook.I am now caleed Vanessa Catherall but was Penrose when at school

Jinny Penneck Bless you for your thoughtful e-mail - I am SO pleased to hear the school has been 'saved' especially after the head's upbeat talk at the AGM in September last. Keep producing the up-date e-mails & a very happy new year to you.

Dorothy Sweet formerly Longman and on teaching staff of 'St.Clare's' in the 1950's. Thank you for your most recent and very welcome email. I had discussed on Sunday with a 'very' old girl of former St. Clare's the happy news that Bolitho school was to continue and we both hope that the financial troubles can be overcome for the future. We would also like to thank you, Elizabeth and the Alumni for helping in the process. I am going to send by mail a copy of your email to my friend and trust I will hear news as it breaks. We are both retired teachers and therefore take a great interest in affairs.affecting school children. Best wishes to the future of Bolitho School.

GHOST AT THE SCHOOL? Wonderful news the School is to open in January under new ownership and in the nick of time. I think the ghost of Willie Bolitho would have turned in his grave at the demise of his hauntings. We believed that he haunted the small inner dorm at the far end of the first floor, (opposite end to Miss Johns corridor/suite. ) (1955 - 60). Did anyone else 'see' him? I hated that room. I think i must have had a vivid imagination. Wishing you all a Happy New Year Margaret Hutcherson

Angela Angus nee Williams : I have been following th e news re the administration of the school and although I did not think I would be so concerned I found I was!! So I am glad to know the first hurdle is over and maybe one day I will creep back to a reunion. I was there in the 60s and was in a class with Sally Wakeham and the then Wendy Hall. I am still nursing and have 6 gorgeous grandchildren and so far the same lovely husband! Hoipe all goes well, will keep in touch.

Jane Price nee Carkeek A year ago I thought it would be a good idea to try and reunite some of our class - 'The Class of 69'. With help from Carol (Bonds) who has kept in touch with many of our class and hours spent on the internet I tracked down 29 of the 34+ girls who had at some time been in our class. Many sent me news for my newsletter with their contact address so we can keep in touch. Should I have missed anyone and they would like contact details or news please contact me at jane_price@hotmail.co.uk
And so it was that Carol (Bonds), Viv (Collins), Bev (Lehey), Suzanne (Sampson), Ruth (Stephens), Lydia and Rosie (Tellam) and I met at the AGM in September. . Some of us had travelled quite a distance -Bev from Cambridge, Ruth from Honiton, Lydia from Reading, me from Warwick whilst Carol, Viv, Suzanne and Rosie live fairly local. It was lovely to see everyone and even after 40 years we could still recognise each other. There was plenty of 'do you remember when….' and then fits of laughter when we did! We had lots to catch up on and didn't stop talking for several hours. The lunch was excellent, nothing like we used to be served! After lunch we explored the whole school inside and outside and were amazed at all the new buildings. We did laugh when we looked at what we called the 'new' block which must be at least 50 years old. But where had the 'bloosh' gone?!! We were surprised to find it is now a computer suite! A wander along the top floor brought back lots of memories of the dormitories we'd shared and the fun we had. We all agreed that we will not leave it so long to meet up otherwise it will be zimmer frames and a liquidised lunch! Thanks must go to the hard working committee and the kitchen staff.

	Left :Suzanne, Carol, Ruth,Bev, Rosie & Lydia Right School Diningroom
	Left: Rosie, Viv, Lydia Right Bev, Carol and Suzanne

Sue Jennings neeOwen-Jones I visited my sister Jill in America twice this year, once in February and then again in May for her yougest daughter's wedding. My son has a son agred 2 and my yuungest daughter has a daughter of 1. My eldest daughter has 3 children so the next generation marches on! Best wishes to you all.

Jane Hofmann-Thomson nee Melling So many names on the website that I remember and have fond memories of from my wonderful years 1957 to 1968 at St Clares!!Miss Crankshaw, wow, if she can make it we can!!I live in Dubai, am married now to Malcolm Thomson (half Scottish and half Dutch! We met 9 years ago here in Dubai). I have a daughter from a former marriage called Stephanie in London, part time International HR masters degree and looking for a job at the present time in the present circumstances!!! (24 years old) and two step daughters 26 and 24 years old Rebecca and Laura (in Abu Dhabi working at British embassy ex Durham Uni) and Dubai (working Dubai in luxury marketing ex York Uni). After leaving St Clares under a self imposed cloud!!!! I went to London to seek my fortune…worked for the Evening Standard, Vogue Magasine (great time 7 years as Travel Promotion Manager, traveled the world) and The Guardian (BD Manager). My first husband passed away very young and I moved to Spain, Italy, Greece, then on to Germany and eventually to Muscat , Oman and Dubai, UAE and have been in the Middle East for the past 20 years. I was a Jazzercise teacher for 11 years in Oman 1988 to 1999 and ran a spa and opened a restaurant and am now (1999 – 2009) helping run a business in Dubai, UAE for entrepreneurs and larger businesses from all over the world to set up in the ME. Jack of all trades!I have two small villas (self built and maintained on the island of Corfu Greece in Paleocastritsa) I rent them out on www.holiday-rentals.com property 53648 if anyone fancies a break! My international contact number is 0097150 6515281(jane.thomson3@gmail.com or janehofmann@gmail.com ) if anyone is interested in coming to Dubai, UAE or Corfu, Greece let me know.I am in UK for one week from 10th Sept to 18th Sept in Norfolk visiting family and mother in law then on to Corfu for a few days, returning 25th to Dubai.We plan to retire back in UK and Greece but have a few more years to go yet!!Warm Wishes

Taken at Trevaskis in June 2009 when a few of us met up for lunch Left - Wendy Wallis nee Gwennap, Elizabeth Solomon nee Coak, Jenny nee James, Janet Barrett, Sheila Jackson nee Warren, Jenny Bennetts nee Blamey, Elizabeth Hart .

Oenone Cox (nee Horton) 1929-1936 Thank you for the newsletter and I was impressed by the Schools many outside activities. I think ours consisted of an occasional Guide Rally and Hockey, Netball and Tennis match's with other Schools, the Annual drastic defeat by St Erbyn's Prep School's 2nd Eleven Cricket Team and the Cornwall Music Festival, with an occasional week in France organized by one of the Staff during the holidays. I was also very intrigued there are now so many Boarding Houses - only one at the end of the main building in my day though another house was bought soon afterwards and later sold for economic reasons. My family left Mawnan in 1946 and me to various Secretarial appointments in Hampshire, London Edinburgh and Hong Kong, plus the first 8 years married life in Nigeria. I rather lost tough with Penzance contacts after 1940 apart from Thelma Richards and Vivienne Speeding and any visits to Cornwall since 1970 were to friends in the Falmouth area. Thelma Cutler (nee Richards) married Beryl Cutler's brother Roger (who started his school in the Kindergarden and was ultimately Captain of the P & O Ship Canberra. Sadly they each died at the beginning and end of 2000, the year of their Diamond Wedding. Thelma and Beryl both joined the Kindergarden when the School was Penzance Church of England High School before it became the Woodard Corporation and left in 1936 after Form V1. Vivienne Sale (formerly Coakes) nee Speeding (1931 - 34) spent 14 years in Bermuda and Trinidad with her first husband then eventually settled with her second husband in Sussex and died there. It has been so interesting to see such an increase in numbers and wonderful achievements of former pupils.

Rosalynd Morrellnee Thompson. ,At present not working but a mother to my two children, Max(age4) and Beatrix(age3) Unfortunately I have not been able to attend any reunions up to now but now I am living relatively closer, I look forward to the opportunity to becoming more involved.

Patience Cooper (nee Gunther) Thank you for the old girls newsletter and the Herald. Although I have not visited Cornwall and the School for some years I like to see how the School is doing and read the news from old girls.My time at St Clare's was 1963 to 1971. It was a happy experience and I am sorry I have not kept in touch with more of my contempories. I am in touch with Elizabeth Eva ( nee Haynes), Angela Wills (nee Withers), Carol Trebucq (nee Atkins), Cynthia Lambert (nee Jarvis) and Penny Warwick. Unfortunately the years go by with Christmas cards exchanged but a peculiar inertia regarding meeting up. Perhaps with 5 contacts (and I know Elizabeth is also in contact with Shana Simpson) we have the basis for trying for a reunion!I am a Vet, married to a Vet and we have a Veterinary Practice in Hastings
(www.coopervets.co.uk). we have two sons who both chose IB at their respective schools. One is an undergraduate at Loughborough University and
the other is taking a postgraduate law conversion course in Manchester. We make visitors from the past very welcome so please make contact if you are in our area and fancy meeting up!

Chair Thompson, nee Hinton :Have just been browsing your website -- fascinating as there were quite a few names I remembered !My name is Clair Thompson nee Hinton , I am Australian , however lived in England in 1959 and 1960 during which time my sister , Cherry , and I attended St Clares -- had a wonderful time . Sally Gibbons was in my class -- I enjoyed seeing the photos , also reading news of Marlene Casley -- Cordelia Briscoe, Julia Mawditt , Briar Stower and I shared a room when we first arrived and made me very welcome -- lots of laughs . So interested to read about Sally Truscott -- also Miss Crankshaw ( who told us to go
back to the wilds of Australia !) I have just retired from nursing . Was married to a vet and have a son and daughter , and 5 grand children . I live in Orange -- 4hours drive west of Sydney , NSW, Australia

M Elizabeth Brendon-Cook - I thoroughly enjoyed my school life. I was a boarder and took full advantage of extra sport and clubs. Retirement in exceedingly busy, grandchildren to look after sometimes, encouraging sport and music and academic progress. We visit our daughter and family in Western Australia as often as possible.

Lesley Young (Morrison) Divorced. 3 children - 4 grand children. I am very involved in my eldest son's family business golf holidays.

Edith Morgan (nee Snell) Managed a ten day visit to Cornwall in June. Stayed with cousin in St Austell area (home patch)!

Mary Newing: Appointed MBE in 1997. Retired as editor Dental Practice 2007. Now part-time executive editor. The Dental Web. 2007 Eastman Fellowship in Dental Surgery. Winnter Outstanding Achievement category of The dental Awards 2008. British Dental Association Roll of Distrinction to honour outstanding services to UK Dentistry.

Sheila Jackson, nee Warren organized a gathering of her year at Trevaskis in January 2009.

NEWS FROM 2007 click here

NEWS FROM 2008 click here