Latest - Ex-North Pointer, Jimmy Pyke, who is a regular guest attendee at our London reunions, has just returned from Darjeeling.  He paid a courtesy call on Mount Hermon and was invited to tea by the Principal, Mr. George Fernandez.  He said the school is now looking very impressive! (29/03/2008).

New Members:

A warm welcome to new member Barry Morrow who was in MHS 1950-57 and finished his schooling in North Point the following year.

Recent contacts - Brian Parker with his reminisces of books he received as prizes on Speech Day during his school year (1947); Frank Jacobs who is visiting Darjeeling and Mount Hermon, where his mother Elizabeth Badel attended in 1935-45;  Thinley Dem from Bhutan (MHS 1972-82), Sheila Ingram whose mother Margaret Pierce-Jones attended Mount Hermon School from approximately 1932 to 1950 and would like to hear from any "oldies" who might remember her; Kitty Katzell (formerly Mildred Engberg) in school from 1926-34; Pratab Singh Rai (MHS 11954-67) who lives in Darjeeling and who is a regular visitor to OMHSA and other Mount Hermon websites;  

We have  had contact with a charming young lady, Susan Eason, from the USA, who came across our website.  She contacted me as she is interested in hearing from any of our older members who may remember her great-great-grandaunt, Carolyn Stahl, who was Principal of Queen's Hill and Mount Hermon between 1918 - 1928 (See History of MHS page).  She has recently visited the old school, traveling half-way across the world, just to see the place where her "Aunt Josie" worked.  She has sent me a lot of early photographs of both Queen's Hill and the newer Mount Hermon School, which had just been built, (1925) as the photographs clearly show building materials scattered about, from her Aunt Josie's collection.  I have intermingled these photographs in the appropriate parts of the Photo Gallery, and have marked them as from the "Stahl Collection."  These photographs Susan kindly sent me have survived the years (about eighty) pretty well, though some editing was necessary.  The pages that have been updated with her pictures are: History of MHS,  and in the Photo Gallery - Old School, School Staff and Older Darjeeling.

She kindly sent me these photographs taken on her visit to the school in April 2007.

Reunion 2007

Our Reunion Lunch at the Bombay Brasserie, London on Saturday May 26th was a great success.  There were 17 of us altogether, including guests, and those who attended were  Fazle Khundkar, Menno Ziessen, Liz Ellis, Dianne Bonny & husband, Shantha Arulanantham, Elizabeth Goold, Cindy Wharrie, Joy Broad, Tariq Rahman & little daughter, James Sinclair and two guests, Terry Martin - author of "The Iron Sherpa" a book about Darjeeling and the DH Railway,  Fabien Raymondaud (Guest) and Hazel Craig Hon. Secretary OMHSA.

On 19th December 2007, Just before Christmas, there was a mini-reunion (courtesy Jimmy Pyke) at the Shikara Indian Restaurant in Chelsea Cloisters, London,  with some old North Pointers and MHS Classmates of 1954-55 - Barry Morrow, Menno Ziessen and James Sinclair.  Photographs of the event have been published on the "Look At Them Now" page in the Photo Gallery.

Sad News:

It is with great sadness that we received news in January 2008 from Wini Schultz Daussman,  that her school friend and OMHSA Member, Mary Ann Melchert (Hostetler) MHS 1933-43, sadly passed away in November 2006.  Also It is with great sadness that we heard news of the demise of Jeroo Gilder on April 1st 2006.  Both will be sadly missed.

We also received this tribute to Joyce Thorne (Ezekiel) who died last year.  This was written by her life-long friend, Joy Abrahams (Callow):

"I have been asked to write an obituary for Kitty Joyce Thorne, nee Ezekiel, to some of us - Zeek, and I consider it a privilege to do so.

Joyce, her younger sister Muriel, and Reggie, her beloved brother, all attended Mount Hermon, as had other members of her family of a previous generation. She was,quite simply, my best and oldest friend. With her passing a link to my youthful self ends, for we were friends from our teens. I believe she was born in Akyab, the eldest sister to Muriel and Reggie. The family left India and settled in London, and Joyce attended the Guildhall School of Music, taking the Teachers Degree. At some stage soon after she worked as a Secretary of the Jewish Post, an Orthodox Jewish Newspaper. During the holidays we spent most of the time together, her parents, Esther and Albert, accepted me into their family. When my mother followed me to London, it was natural that she stayed with the Ezekiels at their North London home.

We lost touch for a while, and came together again in maturity, and picked up our friendship where we had let it drop. Music was central to her, and by spending much time together in the music rooms, she taught me to enjoy it. My memory is of Joyce at the piano, playing . Our lives were enriched by her accompanying us through assembly, orchestra (with John, Bernard and others,) and of course the end of year gatherings "Going Home Songs" were very special to us all. Of all the people I know, Joyce was the one person who could,(and would!) talk to anyone. She had the ability to get others to talk to her, she had a genuine interest in people. So when we heard that dear Gladys Gorst (Gorstie!) was in an old peoples home, but would love to attend the reunion, it was of course Joyce who got her there!

She never changed, the friends she made, remained friends for the rest of her life. She was a woman of contradictions, she liked and studied classical music, went to concerts frequently, yet she played jazz and took courses in the summer studying jazz. She was both restless and dutiful and supportive - all in this one person. She remained a believing Jew yet She was a woman of contradictions, she liked and studied classical music, went to concerts frequently, yet she played jazz and took courses in the summer studying jazz. She was both restless and dutiful and supportive - all in this one person. She remained a believing Jew yet She carried out the power of love. She met and married Ken, who was totally devoted to her, Beckie came along, who , in turn, had George, and Ella who was born last year, and Joyce was delighted to see them. Last year I visited her on a whim, and found her looking unwell, but she was about to go on a cruise to the Mediterranean. She became unwell there, and on return she was diagnosed as having a cancer. She wished to die at home, and her beloved Ken saw to it that she did so.  Anthony and I visited her a few days before she died, she was conscious and we talked, and I quoted what I could remember of Psalm 120, and then I said that "Old Walls" said it all for us "I'll keep your memory long in my heart"..and I said goodbye."