President’s Blog 8 May 2013
Well we are now into Term 2 of the School Year and our AGM is coming up on Monday 10 June. We hope to see many of you there for a fun social occasion and to enjoy hot soup and rolls and refreshments. Please come to ensure we have a quorum of 30 for this important OGA meeting. This is where you get to tell us how you want your Association to be run. If you would like to stand for the Committee at the AGM email oga@eggs.school.nz and we will send you a nomination form.
We had some very successful events for Old Girls in Term 1 including the Sports Centre Open Day, our Annual Morning Tea and the 1943 70 years on and 1953 60 years on reunions.
We also held a High Tea to get to know our current Year 9 and 10 students and their mothers and Old Girls relatives as they will be our Year 13s and our first group of new Old Girls in the year of the Schools 100th Jubilee in 2017.
We are finalising the timing of our Annual Dinner/Cocktail function in August or September as we want to make sure this does not clash with the Patrons Luncheon being planned for the Sports
Complex Capital Campaign.
Decade reunions are now in the planning for 1973 third formers 40 years on for 7 and 8 September and 1983 third formers 30 years on for 21 September. We still need a sub-committee to organise 1963 third formers 50 years on reunion.
If you are on facebook remember to ‘like’ our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/EGGSOGA as this is proving to be a good way to communicate with some of our members.
Julie Goodyer - President
President´s Blog - 11 February 2013
Well 2013 is already into its second month and tonight we have our first OGA Committee meeting of the year. Our main events this year will be the Annual Morning Tea on 10 April, our AGM on 10 June and our Annual Dinner/Cocktail function in August or September.
We also have our decade reunions in the planning for those third formers who started School in the years ending 1943, 53, 63, 73, and 83. We need helpers from each year group to make these reunions come to fruition. The 1943 and 1953 reunions will be a luncheon in the Hostel dining room following the Annual Morning Tea.
One exciting function that we have in the planning is a High Tea to meet and welcome those Old Girls who are parents of our Year 10 and Year 9 students at EGGS. This year’s Year 9 students will be the Year 13 students in the School’s 100th Jubilee year in 2017 so they will have an important role as School leaders in the Jubilee year.
On behalf of the OG committee we wish you all a successful year in 2013 and hope to see you at some of our functions. If you are on facebook then ‘like’ our facebook page at htttp://www.facebook.com/EGGSOGA
Julie Goodyer - President
President’s Blog - 1 October 2012
The School’s 95th Anniversary year is racing by and already planning is underway for the Graduation Dinner for Year 13 leavers. The last 4 months have been busy ones for the OGA. We held our AGM in June where we served hot soup and rolls and enjoyed a 95th Anniversary cake supplied by City Cakes. Our Founders Awards Cocktail Function on 29 August celebrated the achievements of three outstanding former students Jeanette Fitzsimmons - Politics, Susy Pryde – Cycling, and Karen Walker – Fashion Design and Business.
This popular function also celebrated the School’s 95th Anniversary using cupcakes for the Anniversary cake in keeping with our canapé theme for the cocktail function. Hot on the heels of Founders Awards was a reunion of the 1992 7th formers celebrating 20 years since 7th form. This was the first reunion held in the new Sports Centre and Year 12 student Grace Kok made a Spring themed 95th Anniversary cake to celebrate this event. We have also had reunions in London (in July hosted by Brenda Perry) and New York (in September) combined with the Auckland University Alumni & Friends Function. This has been a great achievement for our 95th Anniversary year. September 10 saw a Potluck Committee dinner to thank all of those who support the committee.
The next big event for the school is the EGGS Race Day at Ellerslie Racecourse on Saturday 27 October from 11.00am and we are planning a significant OG presence so if you would like to be on an OG table get in contact with us at oga@eggs.school.nz.
The year will finish on a high note with our Gala Graduation Dinner on 4 December – again an opportunity for an OG table so email us if you would like to be part of this event. Finally, I will host a reunion of Dunedin based OGs on Friday 7 December while I am Dunedin with the Epsom running team. So if you haven’t been to any of our functions this year there are still plenty of opportunities to catch up. Hope to see you.
President´s blog - 14 May 2012
Can it really be 3 months since my last blog? We have had delicious cakes with several different groups now to celebrate the School’s 95th Anniversary and last week my goal of setting up an early meeting between the key stakeholders to start planning the 100th Jubilee was achieved. If anyone can help with ideas, time, skills or in any other way in the lead up to and running of this significant event for EGGS please contact me to register your interest. We are about to make a break through with our social media presence now that Old Girl and social media expert Marilynn McLaughlin has agreed to assist the OGA with its online presence. So please “like” our Epsom Girls Grammar School Old Girls Association Incorporated “page” if you are online on facebook. Also connect to our “Linked In” EGGS Alumnae Group. Our AGM is on Monday 11 June at 7pm and we need 30 members for a quorum. So come and join us for midwinter soup and rolls, refreshments and another birthday cake as we continue celebrating 95 years since Epsom was established.
President's blog - 7 February 2012
Happy New Year and best wishes for a successful 2012. This year is the 95th Anniversary of the School, so we are now only 5 years out from our 100th Anniversary in 2017. Graduation Dinner on 30 November 2011 was a glittering affair. We can be proud of our latest group of “new” Old Girls. I also had an enjoyable evening with a group of Wellington based former EGGS students who came along to the Gather Cafe and Bar on 9 December 2011 to reconnect and share memories of their time at EGGS. Some of those who attended will be having decade reunions this year or next. Always there are interesting stories to tell about their time at EGGS. I wish you all a successful and prosperous 2012 and look forward to meeting some of you at our reunions and functions this year.
President´s blog - 11 November 2011
This is a fitting day to write my blog as I am told it will be many years before we next get a date with all the same numerals like 11/11/11. The last 2 months have flown by with OGA activities keeping me and the Committee very busy. Founders Dinner in September was a great success. The Hall looked magical decorated with blue and yellow helium balloons and the acceptance speeches from our recipients were inspiring. I’ve also been to 2 of our branch functions – the Bay of Plenty Branch luncheon in Papamoa in early October and the Franklin Branch dinner in Pukekohe in early November. It is great to get out there and meet our members from out of Auckland. I am hoping to have a function with Wellington members on 9 December when I go to Wellington with the School and my daughters on a running trip. Senior Prize giving was held last week before the senior girls went off for study leave and exams. The accomplishments of our current students are amazing. It was a privilege to present the Year 13 Special Awards on behalf of the OGA at prize giving. This will be my last blog before Christmas. We still have the Graduation Dinner for Year 13 leavers at the end of November and a pot luck dinner for our Committee in December. If I don’t see you at either of those functions I wish you a safe, relaxing and enjoyable Christmas and New Year.
President´s blog - 12 September 2011
It has been nearly 3 months since I’ve updated this blog – July and August were busy with the 1970/71 reunion preparation which was my 3rd form reunion and it was a great event. Preparations are now in the final stages for our Annual Dinner to be held in the School Hall and I am delighted that we are again awarding Founder’s Awards after a break since the 90th Jubilee dinner in 2007. I hope to see some of you there.
We are also undertaking a database check of the postal addresses for those who receive our newsletter by post as we think a lot of these newsletters get posted to the addresses students had when they were at school and probably go in the rubbish bin rather than being returned to us ‘gone no address’. If you can help check some addresses in your area contact us on
oga@eggs.school.nz and we will send you a page of names to check for us.
I notice that I am often receiving comments from past students of all ages who no longer want to be referred to as Old Girls. I would like to get a conversation going about whether the OGA should change the name of the Association to an Alumni Association. This could be something to consider for the 100th Jubilee in 2017. We are in the process of setting up a 100th Jubilee Committee to look ahead and choose dates and make a venue booking for the dinner for the 100th Jubilee so that we get the venue we want. If you would like to help on the 100th Jubilee Committee or in any area of the organisation for the Jubilee closer to the time please register your interest by emailing the oga email address above.
President´s blog - 27 June 2011
I am now in my second year as President so surely there can be no more surprises. We have 2 new Committee members. They are Sally Blyth and Margi Leech. Sally has 2 sons at Auckland Grammar. She has just had 2 outfits accepted for the Wearable Arts Show in Wellington in August. Margi has a daughter at EGGS and a daughter at Baradene. Welcome Sally and Margi. We were again successful in meeting the new quorum requirements for our AGM. We had 36 attend so in the end we had 6 to spare! So thank you all for supporting the Association. It was great to see some different faces this time as well. I had a lovely afternoon with 7 of our Christchurch members on my way through to Ashburton with the School cross country team. Our Christchurch Old Girls are putting on a brave face but the continual earthquakes are wearying for them. We are now very close to the opening of Stage 1 of the new Sports Centre and then it will be full on with preparation for our Founders Awards dinner. We have had to change the date to 21 September to fit in with the School calendar.
President’s blog – 20 May 2011
Well, 2011 is almost half over and our AGM is on 13 June so it is time to review the year, write reports and finalise accounts and for me to reflect on my first year as President. It has been a huge learning curve becoming President of the Old Girls Association after only one year on the Committee but it has also been a very rewarding year. The highlight has been meeting so many former students and past staff of EGGS from all walks of life including our former Prime Minister Helen Clark and the Governor General Sir Arnand Satyanand and Lady Susan Satyanand. I have had amazing support from the Committee (especially the immediate past President Ro Bellamy). I have also appreciated the support and liaison with Old Girls Brenda Perry and Carolyn Guthrie in the Development Office, the Senior Management Team at the School and all you ‘Old Girls’ and former staff out there who have supported our meetings and functions and without whom there wouldn’t be an Epsom Girls Old Girls Association.