19
Issue 54 – October 2015 – QUEEN MARGARET CALLING
The day began with a flow of Old Girls returning to school.
This year we saw a group from the 1991 cohort (the year
which they were Year 9/3rd Form) celebrating 20 years
since completing school. The 1975 cohort gathered together, some
traveling across the ditch for the occasion and an extensive number
of the 1985 cohort. On top of this seventeen Old Girls from the 1955
cohort who were celebrating 60 years!
Throughout the weekend everyone would agree Margaret Black,
who was this year’s oldest returning Old Girl, inspired us all. Having
attended the College from 1929 through to 1940 she had many
stories to share.
As always, with this special weekend the College gathered to
honour notable Old Girls, selected by the Old Girls’ Association
Committee. The recently deceased Dr Rae Weston was honoured for
her Services to Acadaemia and Business and Stephanie de Montalk
was honoured for Services to Literature.
Dr Weston was the first woman professor to be appointed
to a Chair at Massey University and the first woman Professor of
Banking and Management at Massey University. She was a well-
known academic in Australia with a lengthy list of publications and
held a number of Directorships in both New Zealand and Australia.
Stephanie de Montalk is an author of a number of books, a
biography and several collections of poems, one of which Animals
Indoors won the NZSA Jessie Mackay Award at the 2001 New
Zealand Montana Book Awards. She was the Victoria University
of Wellington’s writer in residence in 2005 and completed her PhD
in Creative Writing in 2013. More recently, Stephanie was awarded
the 2015 Nigel Cox Award this year for her latest book How Does It
Hurt?
Accepting her award, Stephanie spoke about how friendships are
created, particularly between school friends.
“I move from my opium couch to the computer with my sheet
of handwritten notes, and am reminded that school friendships tend
Over 70 Old Girls returned to reflect and
remember their time spent at College with
tours, netball and yummy lunches at this year’s
annual Reunion Weekend.
School Friendships
to be fun friendships, and the chances are that those with whom we
were once in tune may, in the future, in a line from the School Song,
be ‘lost to the paths and the friendships of youth’.”
“At the same time, I acknowledge the underlying durability
of many of these early connections, and the pleasure we take in
regularly re-awakening and celebrating them at gatherings, such as
Old Girls’ Reunions: in which respect the strength and certainty of
the shared Queen Margaret College experience, with its tradition of
excellence and its legacies of history and allegiance, unfailingly bring
everyone––no matter how loosely linked––together as friends.”
On that note everyone then gathered for a delicious lunch,
supplied by an Old Girls’ business, Word of Mouth and to watch the
traditional Old Girls versus Year 13 Netball match. Once again the
Year 13 squad won. Better luck next year Old Girls!
That evening a new event, Friday 5s, was added by Old Girls’
President, Lynne Speight. This was a free event hosted by the Old
Girls’ Association Committee and gave everyone the opportunity to
gather for drinks and nibbles in the Old Hall before heading out for
their group dinners.
On Saturday the Committee held its annual AGM, where they
were pleased to welcome new members, Catherine McIntyre and
Jane Ball, who is the new Treasurer. This was followed with the
Seniors Lunch, catered by another Old Girls’ business, Café Classic.
Carol Craymer, Rosemary Ballantyne, Stephanie de Montalk
and Lynne Speight