Old Girls' Association - Malvern St James

2
From the Chairman
Two most enjoyable reunions
have been attended by OGA
members during the year, the
fi rst at School on 17 May 2008
when colleagues entertained
us with a Choral Workshop, and
the second at Corpus Christi
College, Cambridge on 15
November, when we welcomed
the Head Girl Fiona Sedgley and
the Deputy Head Girl, Abigail
Sands. Both reunions were
well attended and members
thoroughly enjoyed an update
on MSJ by Mrs Ros Hayes.
The opening of the Sports Centre was a highlight of the year and
I would add my appreciation of the quality of music at the Christmas
Carol service.
Helen Sommerville, our Secretary left us after 8 years in July and we
are grateful to her for her support and friendship. I would like to say a
heart-felt ‘thank you’ to Lindsay Stead who for the last sixteen years
has been the Honorary Editor and painstakingly compiled the News
Slips each year. She has made a very important contribution and will
be much missed.
During the year strenuous eff orts have been made to contact old girls
of St James’s and The Abbey and all known addresses have received
a letter inviting membership of the OGA. Your attendance at our
reunions has been sparse and we certainly hope to welcome you to
Malvern on 16 May and Oxford on 14 November 2009.
The past year has been an active one for me. Visits to Mexico and
the United States in February and October included a stay at the ‘del’
Coronado in San Diego (where Edward fi rst met Mrs Simpson), tennis
at Enchantment Resort at Boynton Canyon, Arizona, three days in Las
Vegas where technology now seems to make anything possible, the
new Hoover Dam bridge, and last but by no means least, the thrall of
the Presidential election, television debates, white tie speeches and
the excitement of Obama’s win in November.
Back home I have become a governor of OBMH our NHS mental health
foundation trust, a Board member of the Bucks & Milton Keynes Fire
Authority and have completed the IDeA Leadership Academy at Warwick
University for Health, Care & Wellbeing. The County Council is up for
re-election on 4 June so 2009 promises to be another busy year.
The achievements of our alumnae are an inspiration to the School so
do please continue to keep in touch and email us your press cuttings
as well as visit our new Website.. The success of our old girls be it in
business, the professions, research, politics or the family is all grist to
the mill in Malvern! Elisabeth Rambridge will be pleased to arrange a
visit to the school, research addresses of lost friends or supply material
from the archive. Communication is vital in an old girls’ network and
we can support your requests for news and information.
Tricia Birchley
Malvern St James print reproduced by kind permission of Brenda Barratt (©2009 ).
Limited Edition Prints available, please call 01825 733885. Further details on Page 26.
MESSAGE FROM
ROS HAYES
I am delighted to announce
that Elisabeth Rambridge
has been appointed as
School Archivist and
Old Girls’ Secretary from
January 2009. Many of you
will remember Elisabeth as
a very enthusiastic member
of the House Staff having,
at various times, worked in
The Mount, Greenslade and
as Housemistress of both
The Benhams and Hatfi eld.
However, Elisabeth’s true passion has always been History;
she read Mediaeval History at St Andrews and successfully
taught the subject for many years. More recently, Elisabeth
has organised the re-creation of the “Imperial Hotel” as part
of the Heritage Open Days Cultural Events. Her imaginative
and historically accurate displays have attracted large
numbers of visitors to the School.
At Malvern St James, we hold extensive archives of four of
the original Malvern girls’ schools: The Abbey, Lawnside,
Malvern Girls’ College and St James’s School. Each of these
schools had its own character and parent body and the
combined archives provides a wealth of fascinating material
about British social history, especially that relating to the life
of girls and young women.
I believe that it is important for our current students to
develop a respect for our rich and varied history and also
to make this excellent resource available to Old Girls and
visitors to the School. Our aim is to preserve the archive
material and develop an exciting and informative archive
display recording the history of “Girls’ Education in Malvern
from 1885 to the Present Day”.
This is an exciting stage in our new school’s development.
Now in our third academic year, we are fi rmly established
as Malvern St James and feedback from our parents in a
recent telephone survey was very positive and supportive.
Examination results remain of a high standard and we have
achieved excellence in a wide range of extra curricular
activities. But most important, we have delightful young
girls in school; they are courteous, enthusiastic, energetic
and aim high. It is a joy and privilege to work with them.
As an Old Girl, I hope that you still feel a connection with
Malvern and the time you spent at school here. Malvern has
a special place in the history of independent education and
in girls’ education specifi cally. Reunions provide a time for
you to meet together and refl ect on the friendship, fun and
common experiences you had, whichever school you attended.
I encourage you to attend the Reunion in the Summer Term so
that you can learn more about Malvern St James and see for
yourself what a special place it is. I am sure that you will fi nd
some part of the new school that you can identify with, whether
it is a dormitory, a name on a notice board or just a feeling.
I look forward to seeing you in May.