Grace Burke (now Webber) was at the school in the late 60s/early 70s and she has sent a fantastic cutting from the Basingstoke Gazette dated 3rd July 1970

Grace says “There are a lot of names in the cutting which may jog memories and if I make reasonable assumptions, re, part sharing and the groups of birds…me!..imps, sugar plums and fairies then I think the whole school was involved, so there were around 170 pupils then.

The cutting appeared in The Basingstoke Gazette on July 3rd 1970. I am the the one at the far right of the picture and I remember this…how sad is that! I was a bird. My name at the time was Grace Burke and I was 8 years 2 months old. I started at the school Easter 1967, just before my 5th birthday and left when we moved out of the area in July 1971.

In addition my brother was also at the school for a couple of terms, Jan 1971 until July 1971. His name is David H.J. Burke.

Unfortunately due to my tender years I dont have any other names and am not in touch with any of my fellow pupils.

I do however remember these little snippets, which I think indicate that the property was undergoing some work at the time.

• I hid some money in a pile of sand and couldn’t find it again!!
• There was a roped of area by the main building with a notice saying “Care, Falling Slates”….I remember it because I thought it said Care, Falling Snakes!!!.. I was little!

”

The cast list taken from the article is as follows:

• Sister Mary John
• Mrs V Murphy (piano)
• Bridget Burden (Hansel)
• Kathleen Gorman (Gretel)
• Sally Anne Deane (pedlar)
• Pippa Wyville (pedlar)
• Clare O’Boyle (witch)
• Susan Fogg (step mother/angel)
• Brendan Hickey (father)
• Mary Johnson (fairy queen)
• Graham Reason (prince)
• Gillian Brimcombe (?)
• Susanne ? (?)
• Julie Purdue (tap dancing)
• Fiona Murphy (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy)

Diane Errey has been in touch to correct my spelling of her name and to point out that the girl we had as Imogen Stockbridge was in fact her sister Teresa Errey. She has also provided a photo of the two of them taken probably around 1959

Some information on life after school: Philippa Billington went on to Winchester College of Art, as did Celia Ayton and Gizella Kemeter. Philippa later became a model for Vogue. Debbie Billington tragically died, with her fiance, in a plane crash many years ago aged about 22. Mary Henessey died from cancer some years ago.

She says that Christine Hookings has been mis-identified as Sandra Rivett on the 60/61 photo.

Finally she thinks that No. 4 on the 1962 photo from Nuala is definitely not Philippa - Phil towered over all of us at 6 feet! I think it may well be Ethel Reilly but can’t be certain.