Page 74 - Old Ratcliffian Magazine 2019

RATCLIFFE’S PAST RATCLIFFE’S FIRST GIRLS REUNITE 40 YEARS ON

It has now been 40 years since the fi rst ever cohort of girls graduated from Ratcliffe College has now been 40 years since the fi rst ever cohort of girls graduated from Ratcliffe College
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in the Class of 1979, having joined the all-boys boarding school in September 1977 as
part of the Sixth Form. With Joan Beaver (née Crook) being the fi rst housemistress
for the girls, the nine ‘originals’, according to the 1978 Ratcliffi an magazine, were
Teresa Flower, Francesca Della-Porta, Antonia Hollingsworth, Moira Roche, Mary-Anne
Pilkington, Anne De Graeve, Catherine Dodson, Henrietta van Heesewijk and Jane
Hayes (pictured, right). Bernadette Buhl-Nielsen joined the group after Christmas, so
the group then became 10.
Joan said: “I was the fi rst girls’ housemistress, from 1977 to 1980. Those three years were
quite a challenge, not only for me, but also for the girls in my charge, of whom I have
quite a challenge, not only for me, but also for the girls in my charge, of whom I have
very fond memories.” Joan originally joined Ratcliffe as a French teacher, but she soon
very fond memories.” Joan originally joined Ratcliffe as a French teacher, but she soon
became fully involved in the life of the School. Her talents seemed endless, from her love
of music and singing in the choir to her ability to create curtains – everywhere – where there
of music and singing in the choir to her ability to create curtains – everywhere – where there
had previously been none! Joan married John Beaver (pictured together, right) in 1980 and
had previously been none! Joan married John Beaver (pictured together, right) in 1980 and
went on to be the fi rst in charge of the brand-new Junior Department in 1984. She continued
as the night supervisor for the girls in boarding – something she enjoyed very much.
Fr Baxter’s (38) rep ort, taken from the 1978 Ratcliffi an magazine, read: “Undoubtedly, the
biggest change this past year has been the arrival of the girls. Although the Leicester Mercury
announced last September the ‘downfall of another male bastion’, the capitulation was, in
fact, extremely peaceful, thanks to the quiet confi dence of Mrs Crook and the good sense of
the girls. We are extremely fortunate in having such a pleasant and mature group of girls this fi rst
the girls. We are extremely fortunate in having such a pleasant and mature group of girls this fi rst
year, which could have been a diffi cult one. I am sure they must have faced some moments of discouragement, but they have never
shown it, and their presence has certainly added a different quality to the Sixth Form.” Fr Baxter was asked by several parents at the
time how long this “experiment” would last, with him always making it clear that it was never an experiment, but a matter of “fi rm policy”.
In the 2017 edition of The Old Ratcliffi an, Anne De Graeve recalled how all of the girls underwent an interview, with 12 in total making the
grade (two of which did not take up their places). She said: “It was a shock for many of us, as we’d mostly been at all-girl convent schools
around the country, where some of us had been classmates. Many of the boys hadn’t had girls in their classes since junior school, and
the staff, too, were predominantly Rosminian priests and brothers, or male lay staff, who were not used to teaching girls.” Teresa Flower
added: “As the fi rst girls, we lived by the Latin motto, ‘veni, vidi, vici’, which translates as ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’. It wasn’t the easiest
of times, that’s for sure.” Steve Clark (79) said: “From a boy’s perspective at that time, my own refl ections are that the girls were a very
positive addition to the School, and this has been borne out by time. It has also reinforced the explanation for the Class of 1979 being
regarded as a strong OR year group at reunions since then.”

With it being the 40th anniversary of their graduation, eight out of the original ten girls met up for dinner in London in June, during
which, Bernadette Buhl-Nielsen “dialled in” from Denmark, so that she could join the celebrations. The only person who was missing was
Jane Hayes, who has moved to New Zealand and is not in contact with the Association. Anne said: “For some of us, it was the fi rst time
that we had seen each other since 1979. Seven were confi rmed for supper, but during the evening, Francesca Della-Porta joined us in
time for a drink and a catch up, and we managed a brief conversation with Bernadette, so nine out of ten of the originals were there!”

74 The Old Ratcliffi an 2019