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Last summer,
Norm Martin
went on a 10-day tour of
England with one of the choirs of which he is a member ‒
Pax Christi Chorale. Not only does Norm sing in the choir,
he was also the primary organizer of the tour that was
enjoyed by half of its members (50 people). He writes:
“We visited Windsor, Stratford-upon-Avon, where we
performed in Holy Trinity Church by Shakespeare’s grave;
and Oxford, where we sang evensong in Queen’s College
chapel. We also had the opportunity to perform in some
major churches, such as Coventry Cathedral, Worcester
Cathedral and Great Malvern Priory. In Gloucester
Cathedral, we sang both morning and evening services.
More intimate visits included singing at both Edward
Elgar’s birthplace and his grave and in the parlour of
Gustav Holst’s birthplace.
“Probably the most moving for us was at the composer
Hubert Parry’s estate, where the owner allowed us private
entry to Parry’s music room. Next to Parry’s piano, we
sang a piece that he had composed in that very room.
We also had many non-musical excursions, including
tours of Birmingham, Cheltenham and Bath and visits
to Cadbury World (I’ve never seen so much chocolate…)
the Coventry Transport Museum (… nor so many vintage
cars!), Windsor Castle, a Royal Shakespeare Company
production of Hamlet and the Malvern Hills, where we
took a daylong hike.
“After the official tour ended, I stayed on to rent a
car and explore the area west of Birmingham around
Telford, which was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution.
It contains many fascinating museums and, on the
River Severn, you can still walk across the world’s first
iron bridge. Driving back south, I visited Wells ‒ whose
cathedral has perhaps the most spectacular façade
in England ‒ and Lacock Abbey where, in 1839, Henry
Fox Talbot took the first photograph in Britain. I ended
my personal tour in London, where I spent four days.
Highlights there included a day at the RAF Museum and
the Museum of London, a performance of The Taming of
the Shrew at the Globe Theatre, and dinner at the Royal
Automobile Club as the guest of Irene and Gerry Courage,
parents of former Havergal students Jennifer and Laura.
And now I’m making plans to return in 2018!”
Dale Matthews
, a former member of the support staff,
died in December after being diagnosed with pancreatic
cancer the previous February. Typical of Dale, she did not
want to burden her Havergal friends with the knowledge
of her illness, so the news of her death came as a great
shock to all who had known her. A celebration of her
life was held in Kingston in April. We will remember her
generosity, her lovely sense of humour, her optimism
and, of course, her recipes.
Vicky Morris
(co-head physical and health education)
and her husband were skiing in Whistler, B.C. and they
saw
Pat Garrow
(physical education), who was there
for the whole season. They had a wonderful day on the
mountain together as Pat is a terrific guide who knows
the mountain well. While in Alberta, they stopped in at
a small town called Mountain House, where they met up
with Vicky’s university friend
Jill Bennett
1970 and her
husband Jeff. They run a B&B and dogsledding operation
and Vicky and George had a terrific time with them. Jill
would be delighted to welcome any Old Girls who are
travelling in the area.
Vicky and George also went to Portland, Maine in
February to meet the second child, a daughter, of their
son Geordie Morris and his wife Caroline Kennedy. In
April, they were in New York where Caitlin Morris 2002
and her husband Corey Gleason added a second child to
their family ‒ a girl ‒ so both families now have a boy
and a girl!
Pat Parisi
(head of social sciences) is working as a
consultant to St. Michael’s Choir School and is the
mother of two very busy Crescent School boys (Grades
7 and 9).
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