The Annual OGA Lunch One hundred and forty old girls from nine decades of the school’s history, including four pairs of sisters, one pair of sisters-in-law, four mother-and-daughter combinations, and fifteen former staff from the 1940s onwards, attended the OGA Annual Lunch on 6th March. Old girls had travelled from as far afield as the U.A.E, the U.S.A. and Italy, chiefly to hear our guest speaker, Miss Heather Wallace.

On arrival at school, guests were provided with coffee in the dining room, after which they were free to wander around their old haunts, or join one of the guided tours, taking in of course the wonderful new Creative Arts Centre en route. Following the OGA Annual General Meeting and pre lunch drinks, the guests assembled in the hall for an excellent buffet lunch provided by Mrs. Dudley and her team, ably assisted by a polished and charming group of sixth formers.

Before lunch, Headmistress Mrs. Surber gave a short speech welcoming the guests, and especially our guest speaker, and introducing the newly-appointed Alumnae Relations Manager, Ron Gellért-Binnie. OGA Secretary Mrs. Polly Beidas gave a vote of thanks and toast to the school, acknowledging the roles played by her committee, the school’s headmistress, Alumnae Relations office, catering department, caretakers and sixth formers, in making the day’s event so successful, and thanking everyone for their attendance. She then introduced the guest of honour, Miss Wallace. Polly explained that the day’s KHS reunion was also a reunion for the Mary Datchelor School of Camden, South London, three of whose old girls were on the top table. These were Mrs. Caroline Russell (OGA Vice-President) and Mrs. Edna Wells (former modern languages teacher), and one of Mary Datchelor’s splendid head girls, Heather Wallace, whom KHS was lucky enough to have on its own staff for thirty years.

Canon Heather Wallace, known to generations of King’s High girls as Miss Wallace, taught Music at KHS between 1958 and 1988. We stood again in the school hall, beside those with whom we had spent our formative years. Miss Wallace’s hugely entertaining speech referenced Tommy Cooper, Enneagram, Google, encounters with Warwick School old boys in the outback, her memories of former KHS colleagues, nuns' undergarments, her poignant tales of childhood in wartime, and her post-KHS career at Coventry Cathedral. She also had some sage advice for those of us whose schooldays are several decades behind us: choose friends from all age groups, or you will have nothing to talk about except the colour of your respective pills! Miss Wallace spoke of her surprise in girlhood to learn that teachers had Christian names; perhaps they were human after all.

She spoke of an unorthodox marriage proposal by a bearded, kilt wearing, bagpipe playing American, an unfortunate encounter with a bottle of whisky, and urged those without families to embrace their own communities, whether they be schools, churches or choirs, in the wake of the decline of village life. Perhaps the most reassuring thing of all was that Miss Wallace hadn’t changed a bit in 22 years. After the speech, a raffle in aid of OGA funds was drawn.

The day concluded with Alumnae Relations Manager Ron Gellért-Binnie playing Jerusalem with the guests in full voice. Despite having the words provided, none of us needed them even after many years away from school. Following the Annual Lunch, a bouquet of flowers was sent to Miss Wallace with the OGA’s love and thanks.