1949 |
Edna Freinkel is the Headmistress of the Rebecca Ostrowiak School of Reading which her mother founded. Her life since 1958 has been dedicated towards improving the literacy level of South Africans and parent-teacher-child relationships. Edna has won numerous awards in recognition of her work, including 2008 Award for Excellence in teaching from the Department of Correctional Services, 2008 Ekuhuleni Mayoral Achievement Award for “Contribution to Cognitive Development Skills” as well as many others. |
| 1966 |
Pauline Gager is alive and well and living in Perth, Australia, but missing SA. |
| 1968 |
Brigid Abrey was in Durban early May 2010 for a family wedding. Evelyn and her husband are over from Australia and in Europe for 3 months. They spent 10 days together, a week of which was spent in Yorkshire. They also met up with Brenda Bonfa who now lives about 40 minutes away. They met up with Susan Husak née Anderson in London early in 2009. |
| 1970 |
Merle Decot née Manning is the guest liaison between the French Team Management and Pezula Hotel in Knysna during the Fifa World Cup in 2010. |
| 1973 |
Ana Carvalho returned to Mozambique after school, where she lived with her family. In 1974, they all moved to Portugal. After working for the American Embassy for many years, she was invited to start up a Portuguese company in the south of Spain and remained there for 12 years before returning to Africa. She is now Camp Manager of a Diamond Exploration Company in Western Angola and still enjoys it, with trips home every 4 months. |
| 1977 |
Rita Serfontein née Liebenberg attended St Mary’s as a boarder in 1971 and 1972 for Form 1 and 2 and then her family moved to Benoni after that. She would love to make contact with friends that remember her. She is currently living in Nelson, New Zealand. She can be contacted on serfs@extra.co.nz. |
| 1979 |
Nicky Joannides née Rochussen has lost touch with many of her school friends. After she left St Mary’s she qualified as a Chartered Accountant and lived in Johannesburg before moving to the UK. She has been living in Surrey for the past 8 years and loves it! She is married to Gavin and they have three sons, a 14 year old, a 12 year old, and a 9 year old. You may contact her on nrochussen@googlemail.com. |
| 1983 |
Gill McGaw née Troughton is happily married to Matt (20 years now) and living in Canberra, Australia. Together they lead a new church called Fusion City Church as well as both being involved in management of two different Not for Profit organisations. They have lived in Canberra for two years and in Australia for five years.They are currently celebrating their daughter’s excellent year 12 results. |
| 1985 |
Sarah Short has lived in Cape Town with her partner, Jeff, since 1992. They run their own business together. She would love to hear from any other girls from the class of ‘85, especially those living in Cape Town! sarah@develec.com. |
| 1988 |
Rebecca Fennell has a gorgeous son, Harry, aged 7 and has her own photography business which is in its first year of business, so fingers crossed all continues to go as well as it has so far! www.rebeccafennellphotography.co.uk. |
| 1989 |
Cathy Layzell donated one of her paintings for the Glitz & Glam Ball on 17th April 2010. After completing a BA Fine Art Degree at Rhodes University, she then moved to London in 1995 where she retrained in book design. At the end of 2001 she moved to the remote North Norfolk coast where she began painting full-time. In summer of 2003 she was an ‘invited resident artist’ at the painting school of Montmirail in France. She returned to South Africa in 2008 and had her debut solo show at the Irma Stern Museum in Cape Town in October 2009. |
| 1989 |
Mandy Pearson née Troughton is doing consulting, and has just had her third child. She is running a community project which includes supporting 70 orphans and a preschool of 120 children. She is also doing lots of work in the church. |
| 1989 |
Nicky Sporre née Judd is living happily in Godalming with her husband Grant when she is not travelling either for leisure or work. |
| 1989 |
Patricia O’Dwyer née Uren has recently moved back to South Africa after 13 years in the UK and loves it! |
| 1989 |
Princess Angela Buthelezi is now working as a municipal manager in Ulundi – a position that she has held since 2007. Prior to that she was working in various government departments in Durban and Pietermaritzburg. She has a 9 year old daughter, Nkeiru who is in Grade 3. She would love to get in touch with her former class mates. |
| 1990 |
Mandy Young née Schoeman is going to try and come over for their 20th year reunion, but it depends on a number of things. Her dad passed away in 2009 and her mom is thinking of selling up and moving over to the UK so it may be a good time to come and help her pack up. Also, her husband Tim is in the process of setting up on his own, and as a result everything is in the air at the moment, but it would be silly to miss it she thinks! |
| 1992 |
Melanie Innes left South Africa in 1994 to travel and work in the UK. After 10 years living in the UK, she immigrated to Australia. She has been living in Queensland for 5 years with her husband, Jack (who was her matric dance partner!) and they have 2 children aged 10 and 7. |
| 1997 |
Megan Cole née Little spent 1998 working for Anglo Platinum as a geology trainee as part of their bursary programme. She then studied Geology (Honours) at UCT from 1999 to 2002 and then moved to Mokopane in the Limpopo Province to work at Anglo Platinum’s open pit operation. She worked there for 4 years, getting masters in rock engineering part time. In 2006 she moved to Johannesburg to their head office and now manages research projects for Anglo Platinum. |
| 1999 |
Candice Gray née du Sart is a Certified Auditory Verbal Therapist Qualification from the AG Bell Academy of Listening and Spoken Language in Canada and she and her husband are moving to Perth, Australia in January 2010. |
| 2000 |
Deanne Roberts née Steenhuisen is currently living in Cape Town and working at Mars Africa as a Channel Manager. |
| 2000 |
Julia Wallis completed her medical degree (MBChB) at UCT in 2007. Subsequently she did her two years of internship at Baragwanath hospital and she is now completing her year of community service. 2001 Lauren Hawkesworth took a gap year after high school to decide what career path she wanted to follow. “When I was working, travelling, and visiting family in Ireland in 2002 I met some consecrated women who had completely dedicated their lives to God. To make a long story short this is where I knew God was calling me: to give my life completely to him as a missionary.” She came back to South Africa and left the following 2003 and has been in the United States ever since because that is where their English speaking college is. Both Angie and Carolyn followed and thus three old girls of St Mary’s are in the USA! |
| 2004 |
Andrea Osborne came 4th in South Africa’s final board exams for Auditors and Chartered Accountants. She is currently doing her articles with KPMG in Cape Town. |
| 2005 |
Charlene Simangaliso Ngwane was involved in a car accident in the beginning of 2006, sustaining serious injury. It was a tragic time for her but she persevered and continued to enroll into University in the same year. In 2007 Charlene entered Miss UKZN and won, she then went on to become second princess for Miss Mzansi Higher Education in 2008. Later that year she won Miss SA University and represented South Africa at the World Miss University competition. She was placed in the top 5 and awarded with Miss Vitality Title, and was also UN Peace Emissary for South Africa. |
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