Author, Jan McCarthy

The Winding Path

Jan McCarthy (alumna 1968-1975)

When I left school in 1975 bound for uni, it was the Glam Rock era. It's a shame I don't have a photo of me from that year. I wore shiny blue eye-shadow and granny glasses, had my hair Afro permed, and wore platform shoes and satin trousers we called loons! It was a hopeful time. Britain had joined the EU in 1973, and we school leavers were sure we were all guaranteed a glittering career that would last until we retired at 60.

These past decades have seen so much change and uncertainty, but my message to you is this: there is always hope, whatever life throws at you - and there is always something good you can do. My teachers never gave up on me, and so I've learnt that too: never to give up.

Maybe because they arouse such warm feelings in me, my memories of your great school are as fresh as ever. It was Stourbridge Girls' High School back then. We wore little grey felt hats, and a strict uniform that included a very stiff blazer with a pear tree badge on the breast pocket. I felt so proud, trying on my uniform at the shop in Stourbridge town centre!

At the start of the Autumn Term, we had to kneel on a mat in the hall to make sure our navy skirts touched the floor all the way round. But we didn't mind. We had passed the 11+ exam and won a place at SGHS, the most prestigious girls' school for miles around.

Of course, most of our teachers were women. It's a true saying that you never forget your teachers. Mine were mostly single, older women who had dedicated their lives to helping us girls on the road to success. They believed in us, and their passion and determination rubbed off.

Teachers teach, but they also help build your character. Even though I'm in my sixties, I still have the same mindset those amazing women gave me: to do my best and, when life closes a door, to go push on a different one till it opens. I remember all their names: Miss Scarratt, Miss Wilde, Mrs. Best... and in particular Dr. Mavis Beal our Headmistress, who was there to help whenever I had a free lesson. She helped me pass the entrance exams that took me to St. Hilda's College, Oxford. In 1975, there weren't many state school girls at Oxford. In fact, not many girls at all. I think the ratio of girls to boys was something like 2:7. I'm glad things have changed and it's more equal now.

When I chose my 'A' levels, I was torn between Music and Modern Foreign Languages, but settled for French and German. Languages open doors, and I thought I would probably become a translator/interpreter and go to live in Geneva or Brussels. But when I graduated, I went into tourism and commerce instead. I guess I was a bit scared to make the leap across the North Sea!

My school friends said I was a typical Gemini. Astrology isn't something I believe in, but I think the label stuck, because I've worked in lots of different careers – including teaching – and moved around a lot too. I even spent a couple of years in West Africa, setting up a training school for local community leaders.

For the past decade I've been writing, and getting my short fiction and poetry published. I've been an Age UK Digital Champion, bringing IT to older folks, and created a community garden on a sheltered housing scheme. I've also been learning how to look after an allotment with my husband Terry, a retired chef, and creating textile art. I have four children and five grandchildren, all in love with life and its exciting – and scary - possibilities.

I began to develop osteoarthritis in my thirties, and it's reduced my mobility for the past fifteen years, but as I said before there's always something good to do. SGHS – Redhill High – has such a long and proud tradition. You are all part of that, and I hope that like me you have found your burning passion for life, and that the winding path of your life is as adventurous as mine.

My very best wishes for the future,

 Jan

The photos below are of some of my teachers, and of an SGHS reunion I attended, probably the best part of a decade ago.