Swots of '61 back at school

Otago Girls' High School class of 1961 reunion co-ordinator Catherine Brown (left) and former...
Otago Girls' High School class of 1961 reunion co-ordinator Catherine Brown (left) and former class prefect Rhonda Pritchard with their classmates during the meet and greet last night. Photo by Jane Dawber.
While the girls from the 3S class of 1961 were expected to be swots, often they stretched the rules, testing the grace and strength of the teachers at Otago Girls' High School to their limits.

Needless to say, it made for interesting conversation when many of the girls met last night to celebrate their 50-year reunion.

In an introduction, class prefect Rhonda Pritchard (nee Dickson) said the girls were regularly reminded by their Latin teacher Miss Henderson that they were pupils at the first public girls' high school in New Zealand.

"The school had produced the first woman lawyer and first woman doctor [in New Zealand]. There was pride in its academic tradition and we were expected to follow this lead."

Despite the high jinks, 14 of the class grew into careers in teaching; seven in nursing, midwifery, medical technology; four in social work, psychology or probation; while others ended up in libraries, law, commerce, the arts, information technology, real estate, management, recruitment, career consultancy or academic research.

Of the 48 in the class, reunion co-ordinator and class member Catherine Brown (nee Masters) said she was able to track down 42 former classmates - 32 of which were attending the reunion.

Some of the class members were now living as far away as Australia and the United States.

"Email made it easy to contact them. I got in touch with the people I had kept in touch with over the years, and they in turn contacted people that they had kept in touch with.

"Forty-two out of 48 is pretty good, 50 years later.

"I think it was easier than it would have been to do the 1961 reunion of an Otago Boys' High School class.

"Girls tend to keep in touch better. I'm trying not to make gross generalisations, but most would think it is true."

The reunion began with a meet and greet in the school library last night, and will continue this morning with some shopping in the George St malls, a bus tour around Dunedin and a dinner at the Dunedin Club.

The weekend will conclude tomorrow with a tour of the school, followed by a morning tea.

- john.lewis@odt.co.nz

 

 

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