Heritage display at Garden Party
Happily we were able to gather together again for Garden Party in 2022. The Heritage Archive was on show in one of the Colonnade classrooms. A corner was created to capture a classroom c1916, with blackboard and easel, wall charts, teachers’ desk and slates. The popular photo booth was also back with fun pictures using props such as the tam-o’-shanter, vintage tennis rackets and blazer replicas.
A slide show of class photos through the decades and pictures of the colonnade classrooms from the past used for art classes and sewing captured attention. The scavenger hunt and activity book created by Duke of Edinburgh Archive volunteers proved popular with younger visitors.
A display of small treasures from the Archives included:
- The glass perfume bottle, embossed with ‘Yardley Perfume 1770’, which was discovered during work on Agriculture Plot in September, 2020. The bottle appears to be from c.1915.
- Belonging to one of Pymble Ladies’ College principals, a memo book was once the cherished possession of Principal Dorothy Knox. From a front page declaring this item “Her book!” to the meticulously scribed names and addresses of alumni and staff met at Pymble Ladies’ College events, this memo book is a clear reflection of Miss Knox’s eye for detail and interest in the Pymble community that extended far beyond her time as principal.
- The school pocket, donated by one of Pymble Ladies’ College’s founding students, is inscribed with the years 1916, 1917, and 1918. The navy wool with gold thread embroidered crest and lettering has held up well over the last 100 plus years.
- At the end of the school year, students who have shown excellence in various aspects of their study are often rewarded with a prize that reflects their area of success. The pocket-sized bible, awarded to Heather Field for scripture in 1925, is testament to the endurance of this prize-giving tradition at Pymble Ladies’ College, and the long-held practice of acknowledging and celebrating student achievement.
