PRESIDENT ’S
R E P ORT
N o v e m be r , 2 0 1 4
Another year has flown past, I am not sure whether it’s the aging process or simply the pace at which we are moving that makes each year go faster.
SAORA has had a very successful year. Despite the weather, our
111th birthday celebration in
March was a wonderful, happy day. It was so heart-warming
Philippa Crichton - President this year to have some of the youngest Old Girls and two of the oldest Old Girls in attendance.
There were 29 Old Girls who were only 5 years out of school, and we were so privileged to host June Smith and Rosemary Atmore, who matriculated in 1939, 75 Years On. It was inspirational to see the tenacity of the 75 Years On ladies and the eagerness of the 5 Years On girls, showing us that, as an Old Roedeanian, you will always share a wonderful camaraderie and cohesion.
It was also an honour to pay tribute to the families that have been attending Roedean for four generations, one of which was present - June Smith, Pam Durant, Nicky Aylward (20 Years
On), and her daughter, Pippa, who is currently in St Margaret’s.
Nicky announced that a prize would be awarded in honour of their class-mate, Sarah Christianson, who died tragically in a car accident. The recipient of the Sarah Christianson Memorial Prize must demonstrate the qualities which were so evident in Sarah
Christianson, who epitomised “Living a Life of Significance”.
The recipient will be nominated by her peers on the basis of the following qualities:
• Upholding the Roedean values of truth, honour, freedom, and courtesy; • Demonstrating effective leadership skills, coupled with unaffected humility;
It was a pleasure welcoming Moira Golden as our new Alumni
Officer from the beginning of Term 2. Moira has embraced the job, and is ensuring that SAORA is running very smoothly.
Our Networking Breakfast with Lauren Beukes, was a resounding success and thanks go to Sam Peck for her efficient organisation of this event. Unfortunately, owing to work commitments, Sam has resigned from the committee, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sam for everything she has done for the committee. We hope she will be back one day.
Varsity Orientation and the Welcome to Matrics 2014 was held on 16 July. It was an excellent idea to combine the two events, and we had very good attendance. Thank you to Anthea and
Catherine for a job well done. Next year we are going to invite the Ante-Matrics as well, as many Matrics have already made up their minds about which university to attend, so this event will be more beneficial to the Grade 11s.
The Matrics enjoyed the Welcome Event, although not as many parents attended this year. We hope this will be a compulsory event in 2015.
We are so proud of our Uniform shop, which has increased in size, and has had a complete ‘facelift’ during the August holidays.
We were under extreme time pressure, but, thanks to our very efficient contractor, and to Carel, the shop was successfully completed in the time frame and now looks professional and inviting. Our “Kupped” cappuccino trailer continues to support the community and we thank all of those who serve such fine coffee for being so accommodating. It is a pleasure to have them on board with us.
Unfortunately, we had to cancel the annual Heritage
Tea in Cape Town this year. We are hoping to host it again next year. It is not a fund-raising event - it was created as a networking opportunity at which we get all the Cape Town Old Girls together.
• Having a strong sense of self, and the courage of her convictions;
• Showing empathy and exhibiting a warm and welcoming acceptance of others;
• Encouraging others, through exhibiting her energy and passion for life.
There was great excitement when Nina Lang was awarded this prize on Speech Night.
We hosted our first croquet event this year for St Margaret’s. It was an enormous success and we look forward to it as an annual event on the
