Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

Page 20 text:

The nialerial lor tliis Hcdion wuh {gained f rom variouK hOurcoH old r ; or l«, school maffaziiioH (piibliHhed Kiiice 19|{ij and piclun-s loujid in trunks and boxes in th(; hasenu nl. would lik ; to lhatik Mrs. Louis I) ?Hrisay ' nee Ethel Dohell), our old(!sl livinji j raduale, a Ixjarder in who frranled us an interview duririfr whi h she ffav(; an inlereslinji pielurr- of tlir; s(;h l as it was. We are also very gralelid for tin; lin-lyj e ol ihe orifiinal hoarders, reproduced on these pa es wilh llie help ol Dr. .J. S. Marsliall, and Mrs. .Sauer (Max Sauer Studios), wliich Mrs. DeBrisay donated to the school in honour of its seventy-fifth anniversary. 1962 was a very proud and happy year for Trafalgar, for on October 21st she celebrated her 75th birthday, a record equalled by few private schools in Canada. In honour of the anniversary, Monday morning, October 22nd, was declared a holiday, while in the afternoon there was a special service at the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, followed by a birthday party at school. The girls, smartly dressed in uniform, with camel hair or dark coats and navy berets, walked from school to the church. The Special Choir processed into church from t he Narthex, followed by Dr. Herbert and Dr. Berlis. During the service, the Scripture lesson, St. Matthew, (Chapter 7, verses 21-29, was read by Dr. Foster. The choir sang Beethoven ' s (Creation ' s Hymn for the anthem, while the Prefects took up the offering, which went to the Scholarship Fund. Dr. Berlis gave a most interesting sermon, entitled Trafalgar Remembers . In this he mentioned Trafalgar ' s illustrious line of Headmistresses, and the important historical events which have taken j)lac(5 during her seventy-five years. On returning to school, the Staff, parents, and friends of the school had lea downstairs in the House, lea being poured by the Prefects ' mothers and served by [h ; l r( fe(-ts. There were two beautifully decorated cakes with the Trafalgar eresi repntdueed in icing. The resi of the school had a birthday party in lh gym where Margaret Collins, the youngest child in the school, and Alherline and Margaret Alsehel, Sixth Formers who have been at Trafalgar since; Preparatory, blew oiil the candles on (he cake. I l» I

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Miss Fairley, the Principal, who arrived after Christmas, brought discipline and order to the previovisly far too free and easy life of the school, and laid the foundations on which Trafalgar was so successfully built. She worked hard to make Trafalgar a good school, and her pupils both loved and respected her. She had a great effect on the characters of the girls whom she taught, and they remembered her with affection and admiration. Early students remember — When Trafalgar was founded, life in Montreal was completely different from what it is today. The surrounding land was almost country, with large estates with spacious grounds. There were no cars, and the girls were not allowed out on the streets without a chaperone. The school itself was an innova- tion and there were very few pupils. — there was boarders ' walk, much the same as today, but with considerably fewer girls. In the first school magazine (1918) the first boarder to arrive in 1887 recalls going on walks alone for a month accompanied only by a teacher, and living in the house in solitary splendour, waiting anxiously for the arrival of the second boarder. — also remembered were two daughters of a missionary in the Caribbean, who had only one coat between them, so that only one at a time could go out in the winter. — after Miss Fairley ' s arrival. Scripture lessons were held every Sunday, with one girl reading a passage out of the Bible each week. Everyone wanted to choose the 117th psalm (two short verses) but no one quite dared. — ■ short plays and concerts were put on by the girls in the coach-house, and they were much enjoyed, despite the frequent lack of audience. — early students remember many things, serious and funny, but their strongest memories are of Miss Fairley, and what she did for them and for the school. THE ORIGINAL TRAFALGAR GIRLS Back Row: Miss Labatt, Norah Morris, Florence Botterell Middle Row: Florence Trenholme, Lizzie Shewan, Lena Labatt, Effie Baker Front: Ethel Dobell [17]

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Inside the school entrance hung a huge pair of drawings of the Trafalgar girl, one in the original dress, the other in the present-day tunic. The central staircase was brightened with an imposing collection of this year ' s art work. Mrs. Gabor also arranged an exhibition of photographs taken during Trafalgar ' s seventy-five years, including a tin-type of the very first class. On the backs of the class and athletic pictures, pencils and paper were attached, and thus many Old Girls, returning to Trafalgar for the celebration, were able to recognize themselves and their school-friends, and to sign their names. It is a great honour to attend Trafalgar, which has so long and important a history, and her 75th birthday will be a wonderful memory for all of us. Claire Marshall, Arts VI, Fairley House AROUND SCHOOL IN 1962-63 [19]