26
News from Diana (Dinny) Turnbull (Wood) (1942-1955)
(continued)
The School Year was punctuated by Religious
Festivals, charitable efforts, Sports Day (end of
the summer term) and Hobbies Day. Christmas
was always eagerly anticipated and we made
paper chains, garlands and decorations. Redmile
(the Gardener) brought in a magnificent tree
for the Hall and we learned a new carol or two
but mostly relied on the firmly established
favourites which we would sing rather tentatively
in St John’s Church to which we walked in mid-
December. I think the large space and organ
accompaniment rather overwhelmed us.
Redmile who presided over the kitchen gardens
had a base near the dyke shed and I do
remember being told he had an excellent knack
of backing the winner of the Derby! Once I
remember passing over a shilling (or was it half
a crown?) to place on ‘Freebooter’ which won
and I was so excited!
Hobbies Day at the end of the Winter term was
eagerly anticipated. The more entries you put
in, the greater the benefit to your House. One
was encouraged to do anything which required
imagination, creativity, food presentation etc.
Cooking, story writing, needlework, paintings,
home-made jewellery, shell collections, stamp
collections not to mentioned recitations, drama
sketches and musical offerings. It must have
taken a lot of organising! All the classrooms were
given over to displays. In the old gym a Concert
was held. The small children played or sang first,
then the most advanced at the end. We had a
very talented pianist, Margaret Smith, who was
three years senior to me and gave a magnificent
rendering of a Chopin piece one year. I so
wanted to be able to imitate her style and
confidence.
Now approaching my eighties, I would like to
testify to the excellence of the preparation for life
which the Senior School gave us. Mrs Belgion’s
high standards, which were founded on her
strong Christian beliefs were imposed upon us
but she taught us the value of justice, of patience
and of hard work leading to self-reliance and
self-confidence. Serving the Community was her
watchword. It is as an older woman that I realise
what a very good start it was.
Honours Board
2011
HEATHER BAIN
BSc Hons IIi, Applied Psychology, University of Glamorgan
2012
HEATHER BAIN
MSc, Health Psychology, University of Glamorgan
2014
ELEANOR SWIRE
BA Hons l, English Literature, University of York
2015
HANNAH DARBY
MSc, Arable Crop Management, University of Essex
ELEANOR SWIRE
MA , Classical Languages and Literature, University of Oxford
2016
ANNE BARRATT (FROMENT) MA, Education, University of Cambridge
MICHEALA DRAZEK
LLB Hons IIi, Law, University of Leicester
AARTI PATEL
BA Hons IIi, German, University of Nottingham
