Autumn 2020 Old Palace Alumnae News Welcome from the Committee difficult for many of us in these year but, unfortunately, this was strange times, but I hope that this beyond our control. Since March, newsletter will provide you with some the school has been working hard to cheer. In the last few weeks, several organise virtual events, such as the articles have been submitted by school’s Easter and Founder’s Day contributors that attended school at services. Both the school and alumnae similar times and may well remember were able to share in these events, each other. This brings home to me and you can see further details below. that this publication provides a small We all look forward to the time when but valuable connection between we can visit the school for ‘real’ events, many of us. but until then we hope to be able to enjoy more virtual events. I would really like to thank all of Dear Members, the many contributors and you will I would like to encourage you all to see that there are some compelling send me your news, whether one Welcome to this Autumn edition of articles from our members. It is paragraph or one page. However the ‘News’. I hope that this finds you always so interesting to hear what short your item, we are always well and managing to adapt to the each other have been getting up interested to hear what you have ‘new normal’. to in recent times. There is also an been up to, or which old friends you This is the second edition of the year, article that looks back at the very have met up with. So, stay in touch and I hope to continue to produce full and glamorous life of an alumna, and look forward to seeing you in the two newsletters each year from now who sadly passed away this year, not too distant future, on. Particularly at the moment, when where you can see images of the girls’ it is difficult to meet up with friends, uniform and school productions, that Katy Beck or attend events, I am hoping that will allow you to reminisce. Newsletter Editor these newsletters will help us all It is with regret we had to cancel to stay in touch. It will have been several alumnae events earlier this [email protected] Contents Keeping the OPA members connected, especially in Cover: these uncertain times, is Phoebe, Year 8, made this beautiful drawing of very important to the OPA Committee. We do this the iconic Old Palace green door by hosting various events throughout the year and Welcome from the Committee: 2-3 hopefully we will be back on track sometime next year. News from our Alumnae: 3-10 Meanwhile, Katy Beck has edited a lovely Autumn edition of the Remembering Alumnae passed: 11 Newsletter, with the help of Nicola Berry and Jackie Jones News from the School: and my thanks go to them. Articles from Around the Palace 12-14 My very best wishes go to you all and your families and I wish to extend my thanks to the School and the Committee for all Events Round-up: 15-16 their hard work and support throughout what has been a very difficult and challenging year for everyone. Katherine Homatas Chair OPA 2 The Old Palace Alumnae Newsletter | Autumn 2020 A word from the Head When I last wrote for this newsletter we had to work hard in lessons and throw themselves just gone into lockdown and much like the enthusiastically into the clubs (albeit limited optimists at the start of WW1 we thought that on offer). This year, the knitting club is proving the Covid-19 situation would be over fairly very popular amongst the younger years! quickly, probably by the summer. Our staff have been superb in the face of these As I write this in October, we continue to face challenges, especially becoming experts in the challenges presented by Covid-19 and are online teaching in an incredibly short space likely to do so well into the spring. However, as of time. Things are tough for everyone, but in you can imagine, the Old Palace spirit is alive the history of the school I am sure there have and well amongst our students who not only been more tricky things to deal with, so we responded so well to remote learning for the move into winter ready to face the challenges summer term, but have started this term with ahead as a united and ever-strong Old Palace great positivity. community. Face coverings are ‘de-rigeur’ around the school and no-one is ever far away from a Jane Burton bottle of hand sanitiser, but the girls continue Head A lifetime of friendship September 1949 and I stepped nervously into Class 3A2 – my first day at Old Palace. All the wall/window seats had been taken so I was placed in a centre row, fairly near the Teacher – the lovely Miss Clayton. Names of some of the other new girls were Sandra Muggridge (to be elected Form Captain), Rita Arnold, Maxine Sutton, Jean Boakes, Maureen Mace, Margaret West, Jill Goodborn, Eleanor Docking, Valerie French, Brenda Clark, Sylvia Smith, Christine Brown, April Thomas and Pamela Hudson. A few had already been at School for a year in 3B. From these I recognised Jill who I had been at Nursery School with! Fast forward 71 years and I still have contact with several of these “Old Girls”. Thanks to the OPA I have been able to maintain contact. Pam and I were both in Anselm and loved all sports – she will proudly recall that we were the only two who could vault over the “horse” in Gym lessons! Life has taken its twists and turns but we have always remained in close contact – to this day Pam and I speak regularly and I keep in touch with Jill, meeting for lunch with her sister, Carol, who was also at Old Palace. We have always enjoyed seeing each other at the annual OPA Reunions. We have been to each other’s weddings, attended our children’s weddings and now have the joy of sharing photos of our grandchildren. Due to distance we don’t meet as much as we would like but the bond of friendship is always there. Pam has always threatened to write to the newspapers telling them about our friendship which, thanks a great deal to Old Palace, has lasted such a long time. I thought I would write to you! Celebrating Pam’s 80th Birthday – she always jokes that she is Maureen Bunn much younger than me - 8 months! (née Collins) 1949-56 The Old Palace Alumnae Newsletter | Autumn 2020 3 News from our Alumnae Bronwen Williams - A life on the stage Bronwen Williams, Sylvia Mann, Jane Swinyard, Christine Parfect, Gill Clear, Anthea Winterton and Althea Tindale at a Reunion Lunch in 2018. Bronwen, born in May 1940, was the never slackened her pace. She took touring company Intercontinental middle one of three sisters, daughters the whole part, the long speeches Entertainment for five tours visiting of a Welsh father who sang in the (the ‘puffing lessons’, if mishandled Hong Kong, the Far East, the middle chorus at Covent Garden, and a mother could be so tedious!) and the quips in East and Europe performing in Blithe who was a teacher. She showed early her very accomplished stride. And yet Spirit, A Bedful of Foreigners, and promise as a performer, entertaining there were highlights; one magnificent Stepping Out. Another tour was with her sisters with stories and her excellent Eighteenth Century bow, the story of Barry Cryer and Willy Rushton. ear for accents. the officer and the lady in St. James’s, She appeared in films such as Under and of course the sight of his (her) At Old Palace her talents as both an Milkwood and Poor Little Rich Girl. delighted face through the smoke and actor and her fine singing voice were She wrote songs and talks for Start the fire of the sea battle. quickly recognised and she played the Week and Stop the Week. She also did title part in Iolanthe, at the tender age After school, and studying drama she television roles including in Bergerac, of just 13, then Bunthorne in Patience, had a long and successful career on Cabaret (including at the Ritz) and Ko-Ko in The Mikado and Mr Puff in The stage, screen and radio. In the West End voiceovers. Critic. one role was that of Henrietta in Robert Later, work was more difficult to and Elizabeth, a musical about Robert The review for The Critic in the school come by and she took bed and Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, starring magazine read: breakfast guests in her lovely and Keith Mitchell. She had extensive spacious London flat, bought in better Bronwen Williams’ Puff was a delight. repertory experience in many theatres times. Many guests were officials From the first huge wink of her across the country, playing everything at nearby Lords. Her last role was in wonderfully expressive eyes to the final from Shakespeare to Sondheim and The Mousetrap when several of her notes of the Rule Britannia finale, she Ayckbourn. She joined Derek Nimmo’s Iolanthe curtain call. Bronwen is centre left (with long dark hair,) next to the Lord Chancellor played by Jane Rogans, who was Head Girl at the time. 4 The Old Palace Alumnae Newsletter | Autumn 2020 News from our Alumnae classmates from Old Palace went to see her.