Sue Hall (née Watts)

   

I still can’t believe that we left school 50 years ago.  The day we left we all signed our straw hats and changed their appearance somewhat, I still have mine.  Jill Edge and I were crying as we went home, and I remember feeling empty – what was going to happen now?  I also remember being a disappointment to Dr McPherson.  I had the grades but didn’t want to go to University.  I trained as a secretary to get a job I could do anywhere because I wanted to travel.  I emigrated to South Africa (for 6 months), came home and shared a flat in Bristol for a while with Caroline Adams, got married, and lived in Germany for three years as my husband was in the RAF. When we moved back to the UK, I worked at the University of Southampton until my son arrived.  He enabled me to discover integrated medicine, and dyslexia.   Living in Otterbourne, just outside Winchester we did the ‘The Good Life’ thing with pigs, sheep, chickens and a vegetable garden together with tennis, gundog training and golf.

  

We all emigrated to Canada 20 years ago, where I learned to ski, downhill and cross country, I volunteered at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, and hike with my two Labradors nearly every day. I have a new passion, and a new goal.  I lawn bowl and am determined to play for my province, British Columbia, as I’m a comparative youngster in this sport, so plenty of time to improve!

For the past 20 years I have been working with adults and children who have dyslexia.  Ironically, three years ago, I published my book about dyslexia, Fish Don’t Climb Trees, despite the fact that reading still sends me to sleep, and the editing took a long time!

   

So back to TH... I started in Form 1, above is a photo with Miss Taylor in Form 3.  I loved the woods, and making houses out of pine needles and wished I was a boarder because they got sticky buns at break.  I remember extra reading lessons in the domestic science room, that I hated Math and was just as shocked as my teacher when I passed Math O Level.  I loved Geography with Miss Henderson, I loved History with Miss Overton and I always marvelled at the number of peep toe shoes Miss Whyte had that were exactly the same style, just different colours.

  

I remember a visit to Canford for the Debating Society – and how we all howled with laughter when a vertically challenged young man announced “I would like to expand” and yet I can’t remember what I had for breakfast?  I remember, when the 1st TH girls team played the 2nd Canford boys team at cricket, and being of a similar vertical challenge, that the cricket pads did not bend where my knees bent, which made running challenging.  I loved learning Scottish and ballroom dances during wet playtimes.  I do feel blessed to have been to TH … and hope to get back for a visit one day!  In the meantime, if any of you visit the west coast of Canada, please come and stay!