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It is not possible to record all visits of the year but we tried to select those of members who have not been mentioned recently or who gave news of general interest. Marguerite Earl-Fetterman (Court) gave us a great surprise when she called one Sunday afternoon during her first return visit to England with her family.
Another Past Pupil whom it was a great pleasure to see after a lapse of several years was Jacqueline Ide (Brewer) who came with Barbara Tanner (Browning) during the summer holidays. Barbara's little daughters Angela and Rosemary were most anxious to see every bit of `Mummy's School' while Jacqueline's little Madeleine was most friendly and not at all afraid of meeting so many Nuns. Mary True (Hamilton) called also with her son John, then aged 14th months, and Jean Sparrowhawk (Money) with her small daughter.
Sister Mary Godric (Kitty Coombes) stayed here for a few nights on her return from missionary work in India. We were sorry not to be able to listen to the talks on the work there, which she was preparing to give after a short rest. Jennifer Coombes is one of our most frequent visitors and we shall miss her very much if she goes away from Bournemouth after taking her S.R.N.
The wedding of Ines Conrad (Lucantoni) brought Celia Elgar, Lorna Logan and Clare Murray to Bournemouth. Clare spent one night here and entertained us with reminiscences of boarding school pranks. Paula is Nursing in London, Celia is now teaching in London and Lorna at Weymouth.
Ann Pearce (Keates) brought Karin for her second visit. She told us of the marriage during the year of Susan Godfrey and Hazel Cherrett. Claire Lucantoni (Hackett) called to introduce Nicholas, who although not quite a year old, is a real boy already. Jennifer Panther found time to renew her contact with the Staff while she was spending a holiday in Europe.
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She is enjoying her teaching post in Canada. All those who have not seen the Senior House for some years are astonished at the changes which have taken place. Deirdre McKinney, making a tour with Mother d'Alancon, could scarcely believe it was the same place especially with the proposed Library in the process of construction. Josephine Duly was most helpful in trying to make known the Holiday Retreat Week arranged here in the summer.
Her contemporaries Geraldine Nichols (Mahy) and Dorothea Turner (Horsley) together with Joan Briggs, enjoyed a thorough inspection
of the Junior School in particular, as that had been the building with which they were very familiar. Yvonne Delanoe brought baby Anne when she was only a fortnight old. Mary Martin came with them. Mary Morton (Hennessey), while staying in Boscombe, called with Geraldine (Robey-Whyte) and their families.
Anita Woodeson and Maureen McCormick called and announced their forthcoming marriages. A recent visitor was Margaret Clement who had just received her Commission in the W.R.N.S. and who is now stationed at Greenwich.
Congratulations to Myrette Ash who has qualified as a Chemist. Barbara Kell is following the same course and we have to thank her for sending the account of the Conference of the Union of Catholic Students at which she met Esme Popplewell, Maureen Donlevy and Hazel Humphreys. Anne Spicer is a regular visitor. She is now teaching at Luton. Maureen Hooper writes faithfully for the Feast of St. Stanislaus, her former House Patron. Angela Rickard, Benita Kent and Ita Hancock sent wishes for the Feast of the Cross.
Of the group of older Past Pupils who keep in close contact with the Convent, one must mention Maria Bertini who always calls when she is in Boscombe, Doris Poole, who writes from time to time, and Lorna Shadwell, who stayed here for a few days some time ago. News of Mary Pascal comes through Miss Gobell and Mary also writes.
It is good to see Mrs. Miller (J. Riddle) about again after an operation in August. May we ask prayers for Mildred Briggs who has been seriously ill in hospital for a long time and who is suffering a great deal. Marguerite Thomas planned a visit to Africa instead of to England this year. However, she met Reverend Mother Howe and some of the other Nuns who were in France this summer.
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Ronaleen Lee wrote a veritable epistle - a most interesting ten-page description of her tour of U.S.A. Her comparison of San Francisco with Los Angeles is well worth quoting. "San Francisco is a very old city, strongly influenced by both French and Spanish - a very romantic city, with bright flower stands on each corner, old-fashioned cable cars that rattle up and down the almost perpendicular hills.
It is built on 42 hills, and is a peninsula, water on three sides of the city. She was the scene of the wild days of California's Barbary Coast pirate days - of the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed over 18, 000 buildings. Here also is Alcatraz, the Island Prison, set in the middle of San Francisco Bay. This is considered the `top security' prison in the United States.
Only the worst cases are sent here. San Francisco is also the site of Mission Dolores, founded through Father Juniper Serra. This was the first building in San Francisco, set up in 1776, I believe - adjoining it is a most interesting old cemetery, with graves of people who were hanged by the `vigilanties' and of men and women who must have been the early pioneers of California people from England , Scotland, France, Ireland, even Australia - quite an intriguing place.
"We also visited China Town - filled with beautiful and curious things - old Chinese Theatres (where the price of admission decreases as the time progresses), the Chinese Bank, operated entirely by Chinese women. I even saw a woman with the Chinese bound feet. We visited the beautiful St. Mary's Church, in the heart of Chinatown - served by the Paulist Fathers.
We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge, into Matin County where we saw the tall, stately California red wood trees, some more than 350 feet high; some are over 3,000 years old. Golden Gate Park was built out of sand piles and dump areanow it is acres of pleasant gardens, including a `Shakespeare' corner, containing a specimen of every tree and plant mentioned in Shakespeare's plays.
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