The annual subscription remains at £4.00 Since the offer of 5% discount for members who pay by Standing Order there has been an increase in the number who choose to pay by this method. Such an order can be made payable at whichever time of the year suite the member.

Remember your donation to the Christmas Hamper can be put on the same cheque or Standing Order form as your subscription. A copy of a Standing Order Form can be found at the back of this newsletter, to facilitate matters for you. Subs are due by the end of the current year.

FROM NOW ON SUBSCRIPTIONS SHOULD BE PAID TO THE NEW TREASURER CHRISTINE BROCKLEHURST (PLACE). Her address is at the back of the newsletter.

A short history of the Convent was produced to celebrate the year 2000. Many of you will have bought a copy. We now have several left and as the expenses of the publication have been covered we would be happy to give a copy to anybody who would like one.

Just send a stamped addressed envelope 9x6 1/2 in. / 229x162mm, which is the size of the envelope in which your newsletter is sent The postage is a 1st or 2nd class stamp.

As it is not possible for overseas members to send postage just let us know and we will send by surface mail, which should be 60p;

Send to:-

Marv Brooks. 26 Queensland Road. Boscombe. Bournemouth. Dorset BH5 2AB.

Please let me know by 30th June, if possible, as any remaining copies will be taken to the Reunion on 4th July.

NEWS OF PAST PUPILS.

I am sure that many of you turn to this section of the newsletter straight away. News of friends is, after all, the reason for the existence of the Association. Of course we can only print such information if you supply it so keep your snippets coming, just a few lines is most welcome.

SUE TRUBACIK (BISHOP) sent a few lines with her subscription, she met ELIZABETH CANNING and they are hoping to attend the reunion in July. We are glad that you enjoy the newsletter, Sue.

LINDA BULL (FREEMAN) found the website, which she read with great interest. Linda was a boarder from the Summer of 1966 to Summer 1968, her parents , younger sister and brothers returned from Singapore that year. Linda was 11 years old when she began at the Convent.

She remembers RUTH COSGROVE, ADELINA FORTE, SUSAN WATHAM, GERALDINE ZUPAN, "CARROTS" AND CHRISTINA BRYSTRONOWSKI.

Also KATIE BOARD, NICKY FLETCHER, KAREN MACNAMARA, MICHAELA AND CATRIONA.

Linda left at the end of the Summer Term 1968 and went to Merrow Grange, Guilford, Surrey. She remembers her Convent schooldays with affection.

She wrote,
"To begin with I was rather overwhelmed with being a Catholic boarder. It was very different from being a day pupil in Singapore, where we started school a little earlier and finished earlier and went swimming every day. The Convent & grounds were so beautiful. I remember going to early Mass, beautiful Benediction, playing tennis after breakfast, going for walks in 'crocodile formation' along the cliffs.

I also remember wonderful Gilbert & Sullivan productions."

Linda came to Boscombe recently and saw the College, she explained her situation and was allowed to have a look round

GLADYS ARCHER, who was a member of staff during the last 10 years at the Convent, keeps in touch with JEAN WALSH (HUGHES).

Gladys lives in London, she enjoys reading the newsletter and was particularly impressed by JENNY WALSH'S (JOHNSON) article about their train journey across Canada. Gladys would like to see more news sent in by our younger past pupils, those who were there during the 70s. Gladys was pleased to see, that SISTERS BERNARDINE, KATHLEEN GARROD AND ROSA CRONIN were able to attend the last reunion, we hope to see them again this year.

Mary Brooks received a 'phone call from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic asking if she would go there to speak to a reporter about the statue of St. Francis of Assist, which is in the woodland there.

It was sculpted by past pupil GILLIAN KAUFMAN (ROBOTHAM). There was much interest in what I was able to tell them; sadly the grotto of Our Lady is in ruins and no other statues remain. An article appeared in The Echo.

" A statue of St Francis of Assist is creating a great stir after it was re-discovered in the grounds of a Boscombe chiropractic clinic.The stone statue was uncovered in the wooded grounds of The Chiropractic College, formerly a convent school, in Parkwood Road.The statue of St. Francis cradling a bird stands on a pedestal, near a site of a former aviary and until recently was covered by shrubbery....

The statue was made around 50 years ago by a former pupil of the school, Gillian Robotham, a sculptress who now lives in Zimbabwe. Principal of the college, Professor Gabriel Donieavy, said that the find has inspired the college to look at new ways of returning the woodland back to its original state with the statue in pride of place. The accompanying photo showed the statue in the wood and a smaller one of the carving and crest over the main entrance."

PEGGY ROBINSON has been over from Harare, Zimbabwe, she is trying to find somewhere to live, back in the Bournemouth area. A difficult task when she will be able to bring virtually nothing with her, after spending all her adult life there as a teacher.

Having officially retired as Head of a large Girls' Secondary School some years ago Peggy is having to continue to teach in order to live, as she cannot manage on her pension due to the exorbitant cost of living. Peggy is taking a copy of the Echo article back to send to GILLIAN KAUFMAN (ROBOTHAM), who still lives in Bulawayo, we think, it is difficult for me to contact people there unless I have an e-mail address, mail tends not to arrive.

Their postage for minimum weight is Z$ 4000 to UK & Z$ 5000 to Australia etc. Two of Gillian's sculptures can be seen in Harare, one is a bronze of a pair of sable antelope and all around the Court House are the 12 signs of the Zodiac.

Peggy's sister STELLA lives in the USA, a son and his wife, who live in Belgium, came to visit Peggy in Southboume.