Newsletter 2016

NEWSLETTER 2016

The following members attend the Reunion: Johanna Albin; Susan Aridor (Addis); Judith Atkinson (Botterill); Paula Boyes (Kilner); Jane Cockerill (Leather); Elizabeth Conolly-Smith (Nicholls); Susan Cowburn (Read); Sister Anne Marie Crowley; Margaret Devonshire; Marilyn Douglas (Crossfield); Jacinta Dudding (Speight); Angela Elliott (Banks); Liz Fenby (Dyson); Dawn Fixter (Howell); Charlotte Gledhill (Link); Margaret Good (Hood); Tessa Harrison (Reeves); Marjorie Hawkins (Marshall); Barbara Hudghton (Marshall); Val Lakin (Johnstone); Susan Leedham; Jean McGill (Lewington); Rona McKechnie (Penrose); Sister Monica McWiggin; Angela Normandale (Hawkswell); Ann Reed (Baxter); Pat Richardson (Flather); Susan Richardson; Tina Sell (Harris); Pamela Shaw-Johnston (Shaw); Pat Smithson (Hutchcroft); Pamela Stephenson (Temple); Christine Whitehead (Wilkes);

The following members who were unable to attend sent their best wishes for a lovely weekend: Diana Freeborn (Majdalaney); Susan Lynch (Jagger); Monica Richardson;  Ruth Jopling; Pauline Barber (Evans); Jennifer Simpson (Milner); Clare Smith; Sandra Lee (Scruton); Sandra Gardner (Mortimer); Sheila Jenkinson; June Marriott (Lovel); Sue Christie (Wood); Jean Tennant (Atkin);

Tanis duparc (Barnard) Tanis says she would love to come to the reunion, but she doesn’t go very far these days, is afraid she’s too old! With best wishes for a happy day..

Sheila Gibson (Clubley) Isn’t able to attend, but wishes everyone well and will be thinking of us all.  She says that Jimmy and her are both well, she had a hip replacement and is doing really well.  It is marvellous what they can do these days.  Jimmy is still clear of the cancer which is great.  She sends her best to all her old classmates.

Pam Barrett (Heath) Thank you very much for the invitation to the 2016 reunion, once again I am not able to travel to Filey this year, but hope you all have a fantastic time , I will be thinking about you. Please remember me to anyone who remembers me!! All the best.

Sally Durrans (Crees) - Very much regrets that she will not be able to join us as she will be in Australia attending her youngest niece’s wedding. She says, please give my good wishes to all who remember me, and  I hope you all have a wonderful reunion.

Molly Shepherd (Law). Molly’s daughter, Mary wrote: “ I am writing on behalf of my mum.    As you know she is unable to attend the re-unions now but I will give you an update for those who remember her! She is now 98 and celebrates her next birthday in October.  She is still living in a care home in Newcastle upon Tyne close to my sister and brother. I try to visit her every fortnight from here in East Yorkshire.  She is very frail,  but quite content and does not suffer any pain or discomfort.  Her memory is fading but I will take your letter up to her and see how much she remembers, I am going on Saturday. Regards to all the Old Girls!!! and enjoy your weekend. .Best wishes Mary and Molly”.

Jo Goss (Hutchinson) wrote: Regrettably, I will have to give my apologies as it is simply logistically impossible for me to get there. Please give my best wishes to everyone and I hope you have a lovely day. With warmest best wishes.

Sheila Lupton (Plews) As usual I will not be at the Re-Union but please remember me to anyone who still  remembers me!!  I am  at the same address and enjoy getting the Newsletter each year.  I must say I don’t know all the names I read about these days but it is interesting to hear the news.  Just for information I have two daughters and a son, now all in their 50’s and 6 grandchildren.  I was divorced in 1977.  The girls live in the south so I am up and down to see them and my son lives locally.  I have stopped playing golf and walking these days much to my annoyance but otherwise in reasonable health playing quite a lot of bridge and getting out and about.

 Greer Montgomery (Garton) wrote: Thank you very much for sending the information about the Annual Re-union the weekend of 2nd/3rd April 2016. Unfortunately I have other commitments that weekend but I wish you a happy weekend, good food and lots of fun with old friends. Please pass on my very best wishes to all who remember me. For many years, even though I sent on 'new addresses' the newsletters went to the wrong home. They have managed to catch up with me. The pigeons must be fitted with Satnav!!!! Now with email I will be able to read update news about the Old Girls. Jean and I keep in touch and Clare Smith sends a Christmas card otherwise schooldays are a distant memory. Have a great weekend. Best wishes

Jean  McGill (Lewington) has been having an exciting time – she was chosen through a WI ballot to attend a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. Jean says: Four local members went by coach for the day. 5000 WI members attended, dressed in their finery. It was quite breezy and the pollen made us sneeze!  Four Royals were there, the Duchess of Cornwall , Sophie Wessex, Princess Alexandra & the Duchess of Gloucester, all very "eye catching" and chatting to members. Refreshments were dainty & delicious and yes, we had cucumber sandwiches! Even went back for more.!! A real privilege to be  there. Time to find our coach but first a photo call with a friendly police man (see Jean’s photographs on the website). My added joy was seeing my son at a service station on the way back. He was on his way to London I was on my way back .We had no idea we would meet but he saw all the ladies getting off the coach and thought ‘My Mum will be on that.’!!! Jean wonders if  any other  Old Girls  had the opportunity to  attend?  She has also been on a trip to Iceland recently and says it was amazing, she loved it!

I’m sorry to report that three Old Girls died this year:

Fiona Passingham (Walker) I had a message from Fiona’s son to say that his mother had passed away.

Shirley Penfold = Valerie Swallow (Steer) wrote to let us know that Shirley had died. Valerie wrote that she will not be attending any future meetings but will be thinking of us all.

Susan Hughes (Taylor) died on 16th January 2016. Rosalie Maddy (Askew) wrote that she was deeply saddened by Susan’s death. She went to her funeral in Harpole (Northants), the village where Susan lived, and said it was a very sad and moving occasion. Susan and Rosalie were in the same class throughout their time in Filey Convent – Rosalie started in the Kindergarten in 1951 and Susan joined two years later. They were in the same Sunday School and Rosalie can remember Susan coming up to her and saying “You go to the Convent school, don’t you? I’m joining your class”. They were about six at the time!

Rosalie’s Swiss daughter-in-law was expecting her baby around the time of the Reunion, so Rosalie and her husband and family were going to Switzerland the week after the baby was due. She sent her love and best wishes to all the Sisters and Old Girls, and hoped we have a lovely weekend – she would be thinking of us.

Pat Hicklenton (Townsley) wrote: ‘It is with great regret that I can no longer make the journey to Filey. Sally (Wilkinson) and I have so enjoyed these gatherings, our time at the Convent during the War years was a very happy experience.  The past fifteen years or thereabouts we have  met up with friends old and new and it has been a highlight in our “social calendar” !! I shall look forward to reading the Newsletter when it becomes available, and in the meantime I send my very good wishes to you all, and I hope the sun shines !!’

Janet Dale – Message from Tony Gash in Cleethorpes: ‘Having seen about your Reunion in this month’s SAGA I was wondering if you know of an old girl whose maiden name was Janet Dale. She used to live in Hunmanby, as did I, and she used to attend the Convent in the late 1940's /early 50's If you know of her could you please let me know her name now and maybe her email address, or give her mine and let her decide if she wants to make contact.’

Jennifer Carr (nee Stockdill) wrote ‘I will not be attending as on that date I will be in India with my husband, celebrating our Golden Wedding Anniversary.  I hope you all have a great weekend.’

Anne French (Nicholls) – unable to attend this year as she will be travelling for five months in the USA. (Many thanks to Anne and her husband for keeping the website up to date; hope you have a great holiday).

Eunice Moore (Waring) – It’s still too far away for Eunice to travel to Filey for the Reunion, but she says she loves reading the report and news of the ‘Old Girls’, especially those at school in 1943-49. She is still in touch with Pat Collier, Barbara Bateman (Bleasdale) and Monica Richardson, and her cousins Winefride Boyle (Stone) and Margaret Sintes (Stone). She sends best wishes to all, and hopes we have a wonderful weekend.

Mary Norman (Beardsley) says she will be on the high seas on the way up to the Arctic Circle, hopefully to see the Northern Lights. However, she will be thinking of us and hopes we have a lovely weekend. She often gets out her old photo album and the memories come flooding back of her school days at the Convent, which were so happy. Mary had three weeks in Madeira in October with friends who have a time share there. As she used to spend three months a year there when her husband was alive it was nice to catch up with the many friends they made over the years. At Christmas she was lucky enough to be taken to Barbados by her daughter and son in law; grandchildren and son in law’s parents went too, so it was a lovely family gathering in the sun. She still keeps in touch at Christmas with Tessa Harrison (Reeves), Clare Westmacott (Scheerer) and Anne Fulera (Windebank) who lives in Spain, which she says is pretty good after 60 odd years!

Mary Outwaite (Maplesden) – is sorry she is unable to attend the Reunion this year as she will be at a wedding that weekend - she loves to meet everyone and catch up on all the news. She sends her love and best wishes and says that it is wonderful that we still have an active association

Bunty (Vera) Collicott – wrote a lovely long letter in September last year, catching up on all her news - She says that the past 2½ years have been really traumatic, having been widowed in 2013. However, despite becoming bionic thrice over, and learning to live alone, she’s fine and as J M Barrie said “God gave us memories that we may have roses in December”. (Those of us who have heard the speech that Sister Clare gave when she announced that she was leaving Filey will remember that these are the same words that she quoted then).

Bunty says that she had been watching a series on the TV about the blitz on our cities in WWII, the time she spent most of her childhood at the Convent. She moved from Bridlington to Hunmanby when war broke out, as Hull was being heavily bombed and as the Spitfires chased them away they emptied their surplus before fleeing. She can remember clearly being in the Odeon Cinema with another friend aged 10, when the planes tried to sink HMS Bridlington, which was in the harbour nearby. Ironically the film was “San Francisco” and at the exact time of the earthquake the bombs fell. At first everyone thought it was the film but then panic set in, and if it hadn’t been for a young matelot from the ship, who had come ashore, standing on his seat and shouting “Sit down -?-?-? (words we had never heard!!!!), two young 10 year olds would have been trampled underfoot! Fortunately the ship was not hit, but I remember my mother was frantic with worry, as it was the first time she had allowed me to go out alone! Three more years of many more scares, and nights spent in our Anderson shelter in the garden, and my ‘little’ sister, Wendy, joined me in the Convent Kindergarten for a few months. At 16, near the end of the War, she contracted meningitis and the Sisters and the whole school kept her in their prayers. She had been in the middle of her School Certificate exams, so missed them and shortly afterwards Wendy almost died with pneumonia. This was when her parents decided the climate was too cold, and they moved south. She joined the Wrens as an M/T Driver and married a naval man and Wendy became a teacher and before retiring had nearly 30 years at a primary school as Head Teacher. Neither of them has been blessed with children, and now, both widowed, they see each other as often as they can. They are both still driving, but time is creeping on for Bunty at nearing 88 years. She lives on the Isle of Wight and says that life on the island is like the England she remembers just before the War. (Thank you so much, Bunty, for your fascinating reminiscences, , I’m sure other Old Girls will find it as interesting as I did).

Barbara Bateman (Bleasdale) – wrote that there are still quite a few members that she remembers. She only wishes she could join us; when she received the invitation her immediate reaction was “if only”. She is still in touch with Eunice Moore (Waring), and Pat Collier. Johanna Albin she remembers well, and the Albin family and shop. She says that Sister Clare used to accompany them to the Albin shop to purchase their sweets, which in the late 40s were obtained only with sweet ration coupons. She has only happy memories of her days at the Convent and remembers them so well. She sends her regards to anybody that remembers her. She is sure we will all have a splendid weekend and prays the sun shines on us all.

Pat Collier – is very sorry she won’t be able to come to the reunion, but it is rather a long way now for her to travel from Cornwall. She is still fit and well, which she appreciates when she sees what others are going through. Sadly she doesn’t have her dog any more but she still makes herself go out for walks in the pleasant rural countryside, although it is no match for the lovely North Yorks Moors or the Lake District. Pat will be thinking of us all on the day and sends her best wishes.

Pam Jones (Winship) – says that once again she will not be able to be there as it is the day that she meets up with her grandsons before they return to Sheffield University. She says that it is amazing to think that the Old Girls’ Association is still flourishing after all these years. Pam was the Secretary/Treasurer when it was started with the first meeting, many, many years ago, and she sends all her best wishes and hope we have a great meeting. She is going to have another knee operation shortly – best wishes for a speedy recover from that, Pam.

Christine Hayes (Scott) – is so disappointed not to be able to be with us. It is her partner’s 80^th birthday that weekend and his daughters said to keep that weekend free; she didn’t associate it with the Old Girls’ weekend – obviously Easter is very early this year. She is sure it will be a lovely family ‘get-together’, but will miss her annual trip to Filey. Christine has sent some photos to be published on the website, and says it’s amazing what you find in one of those ‘old age sorting out’ expeditions! She sends her love to everyone and hopes we have a fabulous day.

Vivienne Carr – I had a message from Vivienne’s brother, Gerald, to say that Vivienne is now living in a care home.                                                   

Sally Brown (Wilson) has been suffering from a back problem and has just started a session of exercises for it at the Hydrotherapy pool at Harrogate hospital, and under the circumstances a round trip of a hundred and thirty miles would be perhaps not advisable. She hopes we all have a lovely day/weekend, and will be thinking of us.

Judith Ogilvie (Powell) wrote: Sadly I won't be able to attend as needed for grandchildren duty but I live in hope of getting there another time. I have moved house since last year and unfortunately lost my Mother at age 95.  My grandchildren are growing up fast and life is very full.  I do hope everyone enjoys the weekend and send my best wishes.

Suzy Tezcan (Greenwood) got in touch by email – she and her sister Paula, who was injured in a car accident in 1972, would like to contact friends they were at school with around 1958-66 ish.

Susan Leedham would like to get in touch with Jacqueline Benson.

Pam Shaw Johnston (Shaw) wrote that she is very busy with voluntary work at the local library in West Ayton,  the National Trust, the Woodland Trust and helps with Riding for the Disabled. She recently joined a choir and is enjoying their many performances – the next one being in Filey in May! She is also kept busy in her village with concerts, a poetry group, the Gardening Club etc., and in her ‘spare’ time she helps fundraise for three charities (who said retirement was relaxing!?). Pam now has two small grandchildren, Ava and Dylan, and is thrilled to be a Granny (despite still feeling 25!). She sadly lost her last five relatives in 2015 – all the more reason to live what’s left of life to the full! She would love to hear from schoolmates and still meet with the ‘Fogies’, five of her classmates, for lunch every few months, and says it’s great to get together.   

We heard some good news in May about Margaret Devonshire: Margaret has been on kidney dialysis for some time now, waiting for a kidney transplant, and I’m pleased to say that she has now had the transplant, and is doing well. I’m sure you’ll all join me in sending our good wishes for a speedy recovery.