We arrived in Perth by a variety of methods: some travelled (free) on the bus from Edinburgh, some came by car from as close as Dunkeld and as far as South Lakeland, a new member from the CH staff arrived by train from Stirling, our speaker travelled by plane from Gatwick. Because of all this we had arranged to delay the start of lunch to 1.30 p.m., although this posed problems for those with buses and trains to catch later in the afternoon. The secretary had circulated the menu in advance and nearly all members had selected their choices in advance: unfortunately when we arrived it was to a different menu! Our youngest member was recruited to act as maitresse d’, as people arrived, to ascertain their new selection. The committee members meanwhile were elegantly sprawled out in the Balmoral Suite (all three of them) only to learn that the lunch was to be in the Windsor Dining Room.

We sat down at two tables mixing impressively. Members ranged from the veteran Noel de Jongh (1949) to the first-year Edinburgh student Pippa; from the retired Hertford folk Joy Holmes (1950 and staff 195–1966), Mary Maniez (1955), and Kathleen Hamilton (1936) to the Horsham girls, Mary Clare (2004) and Pippa Yorke (2006); from the retired Horsham staff – chairman Ian Atkinson (1970–1985) and secretary John Shippen (1966–2004) – to Ian Torkington who announced his intention of becoming retired in 2007; from the long-serving Stanley Amey (1955), onetime chairman, to those at their first Founder’s lunch with the section, Anthony Shaw (1941) and Graham Hollier (1969), and, in a category by himself, Governor Iain Adams (1953). We welcomed as our guests Elisabeth Shaw, Catriona de Jongh, Richard Simmonds and his aunt, Kerren Simmonds (Hertford 1966).

Kerren was our guest of honour, both as a Hertford Old Girl and the chair of CHOGA, and also as the one who persuaded the CH club to offer ‘care for life’ to all the Old Girls when the CHOGA funds were merged with those of the club. She is also a member of the advisory board of the Christ’s Hospital Association. All this she described with great clarity, wry humour, and cheerful optimism. She had also been keeping in touch with Miss West. What will stick in most members minds however was her collection of ‘Houseyana’ from decorated kiff-bowl to Marker’s medal, and her graphic descriptions of the various almost unbelievable combinations of girls’ attire and the regulations which went with them. Equally impressive were the postcards and pictures of the Hertford School with their uncanny similarity to the brother-foundation at West Horsham. Of the clandestine links between the two schools, discretion forbids me to quote further. Indeed, after such revelations, all we could do was ask Noel to lead the singing of the Votum (and/or Carmen), which was most professionally performed, and run for the buses and trains.

Top