It was a pleasure to welcome back 59 Old Girls, former staff and their guests to a special celebration on 7 June.
This Golden Reunion was held for all those who had left the school 50 years ago or more, and our guests spanned leavers from 1957 to 1975, who had extraordinary tales to tell of their time at school during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, when St Helen’s was very different place to the one it is now.
Notable in numbers were certain year groups, with the Class of 1974 having the largest contingent of nine alumnae present, whilst Class of 1969 numbered eight leavers, and the Class of 1975 had five leavers attending on the day. Thank you to all those who helped rally friends along, aware as we are that the day involved long journeys for many in attendance. We were also delighted to welcome back two former members of staff, namely Mrs Joan Beeson, formerly Miss Twemlow (Head of Geography 1963-1986), and Mrs Margaret Wright, known to many of the Old Girls as Miss Blundy (Head of PE 1965-1974).
The morning commenced with a Chapel service, led by the School Chaplain Rev Karen Hyde, at which Mrs Beeson went up for a reading whilst alumnae Mrs Diana May (nee Cobban) and Mrs Ruth Hall (nee Dobson) led some of the prayers during the service. This was followed by refreshments in Old School Hall, where friends and acquaintances were reunited after many years. The Headmistress, Mrs Rebecca Dougall, called the assembled into the newer hall known as the Yolande Paterson Hall, or YPH for short, for a brief address, where she spoke of the numerous changes the School had undergone in the intervening years and highlighted the vast shift in attitudes and expectations within schools, whilst emphasising the ongoing importance of single-sex education for girls.
A group photograph was taken on the steps outside Old School Hall and then the prefects, in their traditional boaters, led the guests on small group tours around school to view the older parts as well as the newer buildings which make up the School today. One alumna later made the following remark: ‘All very different from the 60s!’ A particular favourite during the tour was the visit to the Archives, where whole school photographs from the 1960s and 1970s were on display – enabling our guests to test their memories by identifying themselves and their friends as girls some 50+ years before – and also on show were a selection of photographs and school magazines from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Following the tours, the guests were guided back to the Atrium for a delicious two-course lunch. A guest later observed: ‘We enjoyed the lunch in the old refectory, and all agreed it was a great improvement on school lunches of old!’
As those gathered recollected their school experiences, both good and bad, it was heartwarming to see the lasting friendships and strong connections that were made during their time at school. The noise level and smiles across the tables told a story of a group who were pleased to have returned to the School not just to see one another, but also to have the opportunity to reminisce, as well as marvel, and in some cases breathe a sigh of relief, at the many changes since their departure decades before.
It was a privilege to host so many alumnae all at their Golden Reunion, and we look forward to seeing many of them at the next gathering which is planned for 2030. We thank all our guests for making the effort to join us for this special occasion.
