OLD GIRLS WOULDN'T HAVE MISSED IT FOR THE WORLD
There were tears of joy and sadness on Saturday as 400 old girls from the now defunct Batley Girls' Grammar School held their centenary celebration at Batley Boys' Grammar School.
Ranging in age from 91 to 38, they travelled the globe to join the celebrations, greeting each other with whoops of delight as they met friends they had not seen in decades.
The open day was arranged by the Old Girls' Association and took months of planning to ensure as many former pupils and teachers could make it.
The planning paid off and former pupils turned up from South America, North America, Europe and South Africa and the UK for a day of reminiscing.
Wendy Storey is chairwoman of the Old Girls' Association, which planned the event and organises a re-union each year.
She said on Monday that she was still on cloud nine after a weekend that had seen old friends reunited, former team mates remembering victories on the sporting field and girls bringing their former teachers up to date on their careers.
"We started organising it at the beginning of the year, which is just as well because there was a lot to be done," said Ann Poyner, who had been instrumental in collecting many of the items of memorabilia on display.
"As the girls arrived we directed them around the school to where we had set up displays of photos, sports equipment, desks, uniforms and other memorabilia relating to their specific time at Batley Girls' Grammar," said Ann.
"It gave many girls a common link and helped them get in touch with people they specifically knew rather than just former old girls who may not have been at school with them."
Secretary of the Old Girls' Association, Margaret Chew, took things further than most and pulled on her old 60s style uniform.
"It was one of the more modern uniforms introduced when Miss Briggs became head in 1957. It was cherry, rather than navy and featured a beret with a tassel, which denoted that Margaret had been a prefect," said Wendy.
But Margaret wasn't the only person paying homage to the old uniforms.
Lunch was planned and prepared by ex-pupil Margaret James, who is now in charge of catering at Batley Boys' Grammar School. Along with her assistants for the day they all wore the aprons they had sewn as young girls.
"And many of the girls turned up with their old school sashes that had their French names sewn on, which we wore to French lessons," said Wendy.
The main hall at the Grammar School was a step back in time for the old girls with the lectern and an old chair made by the mouse man of Kilburn.
"We didn't realise at the time how expensive it was but all the desks and chairs were made by Robert Thompson in North Yorkshire. When the school closed in 1981 some of the items were sent to Howden Clough Girls' School and we managed to get a chair and lectern back for the reunion," Wendy said.
It wasn't just a great start in education the former pupils mused on at the weekend.
"Many of our girls met their future husbands through socials we had with the boys from the neighbouring Boys' Grammar School, including Brian Battye, head at the boys' school," Ann said.
"He made a speech at the official welcome and brought his wife, Thelma, a former pupil, plus his sister and two of his cousins, also ex-pupils, so it was a real family affair," Wendy added.
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To commemorate the centenary, ex-pupil Susan Wolstenholme wrote a brief history of the school making special mention to the oldest attendee on Saturday, Dorothy Laycock, who was one of the school's earliest pupils in 1920.
"At 91 she was the oldest old girl there, but we also had another three from the 1920s, and 16 from the 1930s, along with 15 ex-teachers, which proves how determined some ex-pupils were to come along," said Wendy.
"We even managed to get the daughter of our former Old Girls' Association president, Dorothy Cook, who died earlier this year two weeks after her 100th birthday.
"It was very special seeing so many ex-pupils but also a little sad because we are a disappearing breed.
"I made a special appeal to some of the ex-girls in their 30s and 40s to continue the Association after we are gone so that there is still the common bond we all felt we had," said Wendy.
"We always felt special as girls who had passed the scholarship to go to the Girls' School and took that bond with us into the world wherever it was," she said.
"Many former pupils have gone on to great things, for example Diane Thompson, who couldn't make it, but is the boss of the Lottery company, Camelot.
"There are countless others who have gone on to contribute to society as teachers, doctors, lawyers and nurses, and all of us know we have that great start at Batley Girls' Grammar School to thank," she said.
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Weather for Batley
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
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Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
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