Page 58 - Headingtonian Magazine 2017

THE HEADINGTONIAN 2017
FAMILY NEWS
Elizabeth Tucker
Headmistress (1982-96)
as before, with usual music- making, playing piano with a violinist friend, cello in the Enfield Chamber Orchestra, and singing in the church choir.
Church continues its link with Mozambique, where Bishop Dinis, now retired, is a member of the peace negotiating group as the rebels are still causing many problems. The government has set up a military camp in the place of the accident I was in, and the people have moved away to the nearest town, from where medical staff come and maintain the
Berta Sengulane Health Centre.
In addition to the services, prayer meetings, book club, lunch club for the elderly where our church school pupils serve us, I have this year been helping the Romanian curate with his pronunciation
of English as he had learnt his English in the USA. I continue with my eyeOpener talks on the Greeks at the British Museum, enjoying meeting people from all over the world as well as from the UK.
Family has also included sharing times with my great niece from
Cairo, and my nephew, his daughter and son at my own home or in Folkestone with my sister. I am planning a family party at my home just before New Year, when I look forward to meeting my new great, great nephew!
1953
Penelope Fairclough
(HAMILTON)
It’s been a year of contrasts for me. In February, I was invited by an old friend of my late husband to join an Antarctica Cruise on a working Russian ship that gets used for tourists during its quiet season,
just 80 passengers. We sailed
from Argentina to the Falkland Islands and on to South Georgia before visiting the Antarctic peninsula. Sea birds, penguins and seals of all sorts allowed us close to view and photograph them. Truly wonderful. I got very puffed using the ships stairs and, on my return, it was discovered that I had a severe heart problem which resulted
in an aorta valve replacement -
not to be recommended! Two months after that I had the all clear and the following week things went bad again and I had to have a pacemaker installed. Now it
is a case of trying to recover my former fitness with the help of my two springer spaniel dogs. Due
to these health issues, driving has been rather limited and I haven’t been able to get to Headingtonian events, but hopefully all will be back to normal soon!
1968
Leavers’ Reunion lunch in London, 10 November 2016
Since leaving school 48 years ago our lives have taken many and varied paths. From our shared beginning we still have much in common and greatly enjoyed each other’s company. We now look forward to our 50th reunion in 2018.
It was essential for me to be at Headingtonians’ Day in 2016 as it was 20 years since I retired. How wonderful it was to see so many current and past staff, and a large number of Headingtonians from my time at the school.
As for my life this past year,
the special event was a holiday with my sister in Sirmione on
Lake Garda, which is the Sirmio
of Catullus’ poem I read at the memorial service for my first
Head of Classics at the first school where I taught Classics. It was lovely to be in this magical place surrounded by its sparkling waters. Otherwise, my life has continued
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