ST MARY’S DSG
OLD GIRLS’ ASSOCIATION
NEWSLETTER
MAY 2008
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF
ST MARY’S DSG OLD GIRLS’ ASSOCIATION
2008 Reunion calls again and there are some exciting promises coming to fruition. Our 50th Anniversary Old Girls from 1958 have been working hard on a spectacular Reunion. The 40s, 30s, 20s and 10s also have exciting plans afoot. It is always a memorable time for us and we hope that as many of you as possible will join us.
This year will be a special Reunion for the Old Girls’ Association as we will be celebrating our seventy-fifth anniversary. So many changes have taken place at our grand old School, which is why we urge you to come and share it all with us.
Jeanette van der Breggen has, as always been a star about keeping us in touch with one another and the School. We encourage anyone who lives in Pretoria who would like to be nominated onto the OG’s Committee to please submit your names and details to Jeanette for consideration at the AGM.
The School’s PRO team will be on hand for conducted tours after the Lunch.
A full report of the OG’s activities during the year will be made at the Reunion.
Please join us and renew old acquaintances and share happy and amusing memories.
Best wishes to you all
God bless
Di Gibbs (Penrose 1957)
President St Mary’s DSG Old Girls’ Association
We have pleasure in inviting you to attend
REUNION 2008
SATURDAY, 12 JULY
10:00 Tea and Registration (in the courtyard outside chapel)
10:30 Chapel Service
12:00 Pre-lunch drinks (in courtyard between hall and south wing)
12:30 Lunch and AGM
14:30 Tour of the School
Please RSVP to Jeanette van der Breggen:
Postal address: 74 Marian Road, Lynnwood Glen, Pretoria, 0081
Email:
Tel: 012 348 5287
Cell: 083 469 3886 (Before 20 June 2008)
There will be a charge of R60.00 per person for lunch and drinks, which can be paid at Registration.
Notice is also hereby given of the AGM of the Association, which will be held during lunch. Any matters to be placed on the agenda should please also be referred to Jeanette van der Breggen.
Notice is hereby given that, at the AGM of the Association to be held on 12 July 2008, a proposal will be tabled to amend the Constitution of the Association with respect to the financial year of the Association to move this from 1 May to 30 April of the following year to 1 January to 31 December each year, to commence from 1 January 2009. The reason for this amendment is to have the financial year of the Association run concurrently with that of the school as the audits of both will henceforth be done together.
The proposal involves an amendment to Clause 13 of the Constitution which currently reads as follows:
“Official Year of the Association:
13 The official year, as well as the financial year, of the Association shall commence on the 1st of May each year and end on 30th of April each year.”
It is proposed that this paragraph be amended as follows:
“Official Year of the Association:
13 The official year, as well as the financial year, of the Association shall commence on the 1 January each year and end on 31 December each year.”
NEWS FROM FAR AND WIDE
1946 June Bracey (Gyngell)
Thanks for the very interesting newsletter. I am anchored here in Somerset West and see nobody. What a wonderful life some of the girls have, being overseas and travelling around.
I have lost contact with the only Old Girl I know in Somerset West Joan Mary (Nothard)
1947 Mairead Williams (Mcdonald)
In trying to set up the 60 years on for the ‘47 Matrics, I had a nice letter from the middle Angus daughter, Rosemary Creswell, to which she appended the following:
"My family details: Rosemary Cresswell (Angus) now a great-grandmother lives comfortably and happily in her cottage, Unit 79, Marmanet Retirement Village, 248 Bergriver Rd, Terenure, Kempton Park. Tel 011 976 9179. My daughter, Mariana, and her family, and my son, Johan, andhis family, live just a few minutes away from me. My eldest son is domiciledat Silver Lakes, outside Pretoria. I have five granddaughters in Gauteng and my only grandson David, lives in Christchurch, NZ. My three little grandsons are also in Kempton Park. So you see it’s a very family orientated life that I lead. I am an active member of the local Methodist Church."
1951 Jeanette Eve (van der Riet)
I should also like you to include a bit about the late Sally Sampson (1950) in the next newsletter. I've adapted a few excerpts from the eulogy I delivered at her funeral in the Grahamstown Cathedral.
Sarah 'Sally' Mary Sampson (1950) died on 25 November 2007 after a short illness. Sally was an unusual person, completely unselfconscious and not always aware that her high volume questions about personal matters might cause embarrassment! But she cared deeply about people: her family (including her three sisters, Georgina, Caroline and Hattie who all attended St Mary's); her friends and acquaintances; the many folk who looked after her in recent years. Sally had a sharp mind and sense of humour, an amazing memory for detail, a somewhat eccentric form of graciousness and a generosity that knew few bounds.
From an early age Sally was afflicted by retinitis pigmentosa - RP - a degenerative eye disease. That and an increasingly severe hearing problem made life very difficult, but Sally soldiered on valiantly.
One of the legacies from her education by the CSMV Sisters at St Mary's DSG was her devotion to the church. She was word perfect in many of the collects and always knew where we were in the church's calendar. When regular attendance became difficult because of physical frailty, she would always make an effort, with the help of friends, to get to the cathedral on feast days.
Sally had a BA degree and a diploma in librarianship from Rhodes University. She was an ardent collector of books and, in her hey-day, published articles in magazines, newspapers and journals, which exemplified her sharp observation, meticulous historical research and splendid turn of phrase.
Sally lived in Grahamstown for more than half of her 74 years, and our little city is not the same without her and the special DSG flavour she brought to it.
1953 Susan Fenton (Entwistle)
For your information, I am still living in Mossel Bay - have been here for nearly four years, but my future plans are somewhat unsettled as my husband Keith died in December 2006. Please do continue to send me news of our beloved School and I hope that I will be able to attend one of the reunions in the next couple of years.
1954 Merriel Lane (Nimmo)
Perhaps Islay has told you that Elizabeth (Perrot) Coleman has died - she went to New Zealand and had lung problems and then went back to England where a lung tumour was discovered. Apparently she was waiting for chemo when she suddenly died - possible a stroke.
1958 Virginia Newton (Dugmore)
After leaving school I went to Johannesburg College of Education and trained as a primary school teacher. Pat Van der Valk and I were roommates for the three years. We have maintained our friendship since then. I taught for about 37 years in Pretoria and Johannesburg. The last 25 of those years were at Bryneven Primary in Bryanston where I became Head of Guidance. I loved teaching and would probably follow the same pattern if I had my life over again.
After retiring at the end of 2005, I spent several months Caring in the UK. I found that looking after two very dear old ladies in Sherston and Brockham was an interesting change from teaching. Living in those quaint English villages was almost like being on retreat. The pace was slow and the atmosphere relaxed. I combined these work stints with three trips to the States.
Trevor and I had three children who brought us great joy. Sadly Trevor passed away in 1992 before any of our children were married. I now have 5½ grandchildren. My youngest daughter Megan is having her second little one in April in Seattle where she and Travis live. Needless to say I am planning another visit to the States before our reunion.
I think that it is wonderful that so many of us are going to meet for our 50th anniversary and am so looking forward to seeing you all again.
1959 Verity Murray (Leith)
I look forward to attending Annual Old Girls Reunion next year for our 50th.
1962 Ann Vonk (Jonas)
We, my husband, Jan, and I have been living in Hout Bay since retirement in 1998. I have now given up riding and play a lot of tennis instead. Hout Bay is (still) small enough to have a good community inter-action which we find really great. My son is married to Kim (Meyer) 1992 and they have two sons.
I notice that there is no correspondence from anyone from ‘my’ year. A few of us had a get together a couple of years ago – Colleen Smith (von Pittius), Penny Simpson, Jeanne (Pistorius) and Denise from 1993 (van Schaik). A great time was had by all. Gilly Shreeve (Kossuth) lives a block away from us. As our daughter lives in England, I keep up with Monica Kenny (Grant Mackenzie) most years – she is just fine. Jill Castle (Fleming) now lives in south western France.
Most winters we head north to see our daughter and her growing family in England. For the last ten years we have then headed off to our yacht which we moor in different marinas every year. At present Chispa is in Pula, northern Croatia. We have a website www.sy-chispa.co.za which you may enjoy looking at.
1962 Dianne Martin
I have had a wonderful time with my dear old school friend, Celeste Black, (Wagner), in Charlotte, North Carolinathis past week. She and I were at school at DSG, and although she wasfive years behind me at school, we remember one anotherwell. We used to catch the same school busfrom Arcadia in the 60s, and I also remember her from the prep room, as we were both day girls, who stayedfor games in the afternoons. We met on line about a year anda half ago, and she has so wanted me to come and visit her. We have talked so much about our old school days and remembered so many things about DSG, even though we have not seen one another for over 40 years!!I have been here a week, and fly back tonight to Dallas, TX, where I live. I have loved this part of the USA, and could gladly retire here. Charlotte and North Carolina have so much to offer, yet do not have the hectic pace of the bigger cities. We went up into the mountains for two days, where Celeste’s husband, Steve's family live, and we travelled all along the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains, and saw the most magnificent sights and views. All the mountain laurel busheswere in bloom, and they were a sight to behold!! We visited with Steve's three sisters and their families- they were so hospitable, and it was fun meeting with them. We saw some famous sights - Cold Mountain - where the story of the movie takes place, the Biltmore Mansion - the magnificent estate of the Van der Bilts, and so much more on the road up and back,and through the mountains. People in Charlotte are so hospitable and kind, and Celeste, Steve, and her friends have really shown me true southern hospitality. We have been out almost every night, and people have been so wonderful to me. One of her friends, Pat , is a tour guide, so she took us on a tour of Charlotte, and to the Hezekiah Alexander house, (an 18th century early settler to Charlotte from Virginia,) and also the Charlotte History Museum and the Mint Museum- the city was named after England's George 111's wife , Charlotte of Mecklenburg. All the streets in downtown Charlotte have theroyal crown on them - theystillacknowledge the old British royal emblem. I also found out that alluvial gold was first discovered in Charlotte in the early 1800's, before it was panned out, and the find was made in California. I used to work as a guideat Gold Reef City in Joannesburg for many years prior to leaving South Africa - so I was fascinated byall this.The first USA Mint was here inCharlotte. There is so much early USA history here, and I am fascinated by it.We did not manage to get to the sea, but it isonly 3 hours away- so next time I visit, we will go to one of the seaside places and visit Raleigh and Duke University, about two hoursnorth of Charlotte. Last night we were out on their boat on Lake Norman, to watch the July 4th fireworks allalong the lake shore - it was fabulous!! I will take back with me fond memories of this area of theUSA -Charlotte reminds me so much ofPretoria - I could easily live here! The area is covered in the most magnificent trees, which I have sorely missed in Texas all these years. So I feel invigorated, and am ready to go back and work for a part of the month of July. I then leave again for San Francisco, and the Napa Valley to thewedding ofthe son of an old Pretoria and DSG friend who lives in Chicago, (she wasthere fromGrade 1- Std. 5 - Lindy Rubin, (Greenwall)) at the beginning of August. Iwillbe workingpart time for a few weeks till the end of July, before I go back to teaching Latin and Speechin late August at the high school, where I have been for the past seven years. I must alsohelp my daughterJody with all her requirements for going back for her junior yeartoTexas A and M University near Houstonin the Fall. I feel rested and have so enjoyed this week away from home - it has been a good break, and I am ready to get back - but I look forward to coming out here again. Celeste and her husband are coming to stay with us over ourChristmas break, and we will all go down to San Antonio, Texas for a few days - they are such a wonderful couple. Both of themare studying for their Masters degrees - hisin Business and hers in Education - she teaches in an elementary school in Corcorde near Charlotte. Celeste and I plan to come back to South Africa to see family, and friendsand to be inPretoria for her 40th Reunion at DSG in 2008.