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For
some
years
now
we
have
thought
that
the
Old
Girls'
Association
could
assist
the
School
in
its
marketing
campaign
by
asking
some
Old
Girls
to
write
up a
little
bit
about
their
lives
and
their
successful
careers
which
would
reflect
on
the
good
education
they
initially
received
at
Ashford
School.
Finally
this
idea
has
been
taken
up
by
the
current
Head
who
asked
Carolyn
to
get
some
profiles
from
suitable
girls,
which
could
be
framed
and
put
along
Coronation
corridor
for
prospective
parents
to
read
as
they
get
taken
round
the
School.
The
Good
Schools
Guide
visited
Ashford
in
October
and
expressed
a
desire
for
exactly
this
type
of
thing
for
their
current
publication.
The
same
day
that
Mr
Buchanan
told
Carolyn
about
this
she
managed
to
persuade
our
first
two
"victims"
to
come
up
with
something
overnight,
which
they
of
course
did.
We
think
you
will
be
as
impressed
by
what
they
are
doing
in
their
so-called
retirement
as
you
will
be
with
what
they
did
in
their
working
lives.
Carolyn
will
be
requesting
other
Old
Girls
to
do
the
same
thing
as
time
goes
on..
The
Rogues'
Gallery
can
be
added
to
bit
by
bit,
so
if
you
have
a
school
friend
who
has
had
an
unusual
or
exceptionally
successful
career,
please
ask
her
to
contact
Carolyn.
Remember,
the
objective
of
this
exercise
is
to
highlight
what
girls
have
gone
on
to
do
after
their
initial
education
at
Ashford
School.
This
may
just
tip
the
balance
when
parents
are
trying
to
decide
which
of
the
schools
they
have
visited
will
prove
to
be
the
best
investment
for
their
daughter.
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| Susan Littledale (Nightingale) |
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After leaving Ashford School in 1960 I attended the Sorbonne University as a student on the 'Cours de Civilisation Francaise'. This course, aimed specifically at foreign students, gave me a grounding in French that has been invaluable throughout my subsequent career. I then returned to the UK to attend the University of St Andrews in Scotland where I received an MA in Economics and Political Science in 1966. It was my interest in these subjects that led me to a career in news journalism at the BBC which lasted for 25 years. I joined the World at One programme on BBC Radio Four - presented by the now legendary William Hardcastle - as a junior staff member. Over the years my career as a producer took me through a number of programme departments including From Our Own Correspondent, The World Tonight, and The Today Programme. My work also took me on a number of foreign assignments, the most memorable of which were two trips to South Africa in the years immediately before and after Nelson Mandela became President. Throughout the nineteen-nineties until my retirement in 1998 I was a duty editor on the PM Programme, taking responsibility for all the programme's output on the days when I was on duty.
After my early retirement I moved into the voluntary sector, taking on a number of freelance jobs before training as an adviser at a Citizens Advice Bureau operating in the High Court. Called the Royal Courts of Justice Advice Bureau, it was set up to give advice to litigants in person who are unable to afford legal representation in the court. Since August this year I have been employed as a part-time Money Adviser giving debt advice to vulnerable clients under the government's financial inclusion programme.
Since 1998 I have also taken a particular interest in various aspects of the legal system and in 2003 received a Diploma in Criminology (with Distinction) from Birkbeck College at the University of London. This informed my work as a Trustee of Cranstoun Drug Services - a voluntary organisation which provides specialist services for people in prison and the community to tackle the harm caused by drugs.
In my spare time I have a ceramics studio where I find my relaxation making functional pottery and porcelain jewellery.
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Valerie
Arends
(Val
Davies,
Nightingale) |
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It was said, "there is something about an Ashford girl".
In the 1950's, the school was not an academic hothouse. But according to our beloved Headmistress, Miss Brake, 'Cherub' to all, we could do anything to which we set our minds, mainly nursing, teaching or occasionally, for those who hated blood and children, one might "go to the Foreign office".(visions of Miss Moneypenny)
With her passion for all things French, Cherub inspired me to go for my first job as a bi-lingual secretary to the Comte de Dion, Chairman of Courvoisier Cognac.
The year in France led me to New York and Pan American Airways (Pan Am). After 20 years of married life in New York, I returned to England and found myself looking for a job. And what luck! For ten years I worked for Hawaiian Holidays, then the Hawaii Visitors Bureau asked me to open their first tourist office in Europe.
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Several years later, the Australians asked me to open a tourist office for the State of Victoria and I remained there for 8 years, handling a million dollar marketing campaign for the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
In 1993 I was national chairman of the Association of Women Travel Executives and following that, the UK representative to the International Federation of Women's Travel Organisations.
Now retired, I have become involved in local politics. I am on the Executive Board of the Kensington & Chelsea Conservative Association and was elected in 2006 to the Members Council of Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. A new project opening up is assisting women to become prospective Members of Parliament.
On the family side my husband and I did encourage our 3 sons to strive for academic excellence. They did more than well, graduating from Oxford (2), Cambridge, UCL and Harvard Law School. Cherub would have been pleased.
| Carolyn Chamberlain (Carolyn Nelms, Nightingale) |
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I was lucky to start at Ashford early enough (Summer 1953) to have had Cherub as my first Headmistress (Miss Brake). Apart from all her other well-known and well-documented attributes I can remember her as being very fair, nearly always saying “I don’t see why not” whenever a parent requested something out of the ordinary (taking their daughter out of School on a Wednesday because that was the only day possible). Don’t forget many boarders were what was termed “abroads” then, so parents in the Colonial Service, for instance, had to see their children when they could, not when it suited School. It was a mainly boarding school then with only two “day bug” houses Chaucer Merchants and Chaucer Pilgrims and five boarding houses. Apart from lessons and sport, rarely the twain met. I was in Nightingale with Miss Webb and Matty. |
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Miss
Nightingale
was
my
next
and
last
Headmistress,
a
person
I
got
to
know
and
love
many
years
later
when
I
became
Hon.
Secretary
of
the
Old
Girls’
Association.
Many
of
my
contemporaries
must
have
doubted
the
suitability
of
this
“honour”
as I
was
one
of
the
naughtiest
girls
at
School,
getting
23
stripes
one
term
and
being
on
double
dusters
for
my
sins.
One
friend
said
years
later
when
we
met
up
at
Founders’
Day
“You
knitted
so
many
dusters
they
couldn’t
sell
them
all
at
Barnardo’s
Day”.
I
was
well
educated
by
dedicated
spinster
ladies
and
shall
always
appreciate
their
perseverance.
After
A
levels
I
attended
the
Sorbonne
University
(during
the
Algerian
Crisis,
a
dangerous
year
to
be
in
Paris
but
an
exciting
one).
Then,
after
a
year
in
Italy
learning
Italian
I
spent
the
next
four
years
at
the
Ecole
D’Interprètes
at
Geneva
University
and
have
been
a
linguist
ever
since,
ending
up
working
for
the
Police
and
Courts
in
Kent
and
London
as
an
interpreter.
Most
eye-opening
and
rewarding.
Concurrently
I
worked
free-lance
as
an
industrial
market
research
consultant,
interviewing
industrialists
and
businessmen
in
Italian
and
French
and
writing
the
reports
in
English.
Of
course
I
interviewed
in
English
too,
in
the
UK
and
US
mainly.
The
beauty
of
my
life
has
been
that
I
had
a
most
interesting
career
but
that
I
did
not
work
during
my
children’s
school
holidays.
I
sent
my
daughter
Alexandra
to
Ashford,
and
Henry
went
to
King’s
Canterbury.
They
are
now
both
pursuing
excellent
careers
of
their
own,
so
the
financial
stress
was
worth
it
after
all.
(I
came
across
an
old
bill
when
sorting
out
my
father’s
affairs
of
£75
for
a
term’s
boarding
fees……makes
you
think!)
My
husband
was
Vice
Principal
of
Mid
Kent
College
for
a
lot
of
the
children’s
school
years,
(originally
a
history
lecturer)
and
had
lots
of
enjoyable
conversations
with
Miss
Earlam
about
how
History
teaching
and
the
exam
syllabus
had
changed
over
the
years...And
the
French
staff
always
asked
me
to
request
the
English
staff
to
do
more
grammar
with
the
girls…..I
used
to
comment
that
French
was
difficult
because
it
was
the
first
time
they
had
encountered
any
form
of
grammatical
construction.
Mary
Simpson,
Mrs
Stevens,
now
the
O.G.A.
President
first
got
me
involved
in
the
Old
Girls’
Association
when
we
moved
back
to
Kent.
She
was
Hon.
Secretary
then,
and
her
last
daughter
was
leaving
Ashford,
as
mine
was
just
starting.
She
said
that
my
life
as a
parent
would
be
greatly
enhanced
by
being
part
of
the
Association,
and
she
was
right.
How
clever
she
was
to
thus
hand
the
mantle
on
to
me!
Like
everything
else,
lots
has
changed
both
with
the
School
and
with
the
Association
to
keep
up
with
the
times.
But
I
hope
Cherub
is
looking
down
from
her
cloud
with
approval.
Perhaps
I
can
end
by
saying
that
in
the
village
where
I
now
live
in
S.W.
France
there
is
an
ex-Kent
farmer
who
knew
Ashford
School
and
its
staff
well
in
the
‘40s
and
‘50s.
A
young
Englishman
helping
him
renovate
his
house
was
being
a
bit
“diffident”,
and
Dick
said
“The
trouble
with
Jeremy
is,
he
didn’t
go
to
Ashford
School”.
I
think
this
sums
it
up
very
nicely.
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