Snippets from a Miscellany of Memories

When I began to reminisce on this blog, I had no clear plan about what I would include. There was so much I could have said about the schools, and the major changes in education over my career, but I did not set out to write my memoirs, and that has not changed!

As I have been sharing memories, other special moments have come to mind. Each month, I’ll add a new snippet below, which may stir your memories.

The Antiques No-show
With the help of Dunedin Antiques, the School held an antiques valuation fundraising evening, which attracted a very large crowd. As a member of staff, I decided to join in by bringing along a very old chair for consideration, and I was delighted when I saw that it was one of 15 items selected for display on the stage.

As the expert went through the other 14 pieces, it appeared to me that the valuation estimates were increasing each time, so surely my chair, the very last item was something very special (and very valuable). However, my hopes were soon dashed, as the expert began to speak. He cautioned people not to get carried away by something very old because usually it was one of many copies, and not worth much more than firewood. My chair apparently was a perfect example!

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A visit from Richard Branson
On a rare visit to Scotland, Richard Branson spent over an hour chatting with children of all ages who encountered the same kinds of dyslexic challenges he had faced. He told them they were fortunate to be in school at a time when their challenges were recognised and addressed. In his day as a boarder at Stowe, he had been seen as a problem, so he had rebelled, and was eventually asked to leave. However, he was delighted to tell us that his headmaster had recognised his entrepreneurial talents, he predicted that the then 15-year-old Richard would either end up as a millionaire or in jail. Richard laughingly told us he had been proved correct on both fronts! We felt very privileged that someone with as little time as Richard Branson had spent an hour in our Junior School. The children who shared the time with him were both mesmerised and inspired.