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Iya Santos
Colin Scowen
Annette Sherry
Jo Smith
Charlotte Spinney

From: Colin Scowen (Genée Theatre stage crew) Received 8 January 2010
Hi,
Just a quick email to say thank you for taking the time to put the Bush Davies website together. Although I was not a student at the school it did have an effect on the direction my life took (nearly died a couple of times, diving with stingrays whilst working on a Caribbean cruise ship, amongst other things).
I have some very fond memories of crewing shows at the Adeline Genée in the last three years before Bush Davies closed, starting with Annie, which, if memory serves, was autumn 1986.
Just looking at the material you have on the site stimulated memories of things and people that had drifted to the back of my memories.
Andy Newell, Neil Kelly, Steve Nield, Bill Dennis, Geoff Wheel, Scotty, Rob, and others.
The side of a ship, used in the opening scene of The King & I, (built by Worthing college,) that was only in the show for about 2 minutes, but that took 8 people to fly out.
Pulling all nighters to get the stage ready for a show, and sleeping under sets of stage blacks at the back of the auditorium.
I can honestly say that I would have had a life much more ordinary than I have had, if it hadn't been for crewing there.
Well, you know how sometimes you can look back over your life and say to yourself, ‘If I had taken that other job instead of this one, then I would probably be a manager by now' or similar sort of ‘if only' scenarios. Well, I have had a number of those type of defining choices. But, when I look at the ‘what if I hadn't become involved at the Genée', I really can't see anything special. I expect that I would have found a reasonable job, in an office somewhere, maybe gone on to higher education earlier than I did, but, that's as much as I can see. Starting in the theatre was the reason that I was reading The Stage when I saw an advert for a croupier course, which was how I ended up on a cruise ship, which is where I found my interest in engineering which took me to university, which took me to Canada etc etc.
Unfortunately, I haven't any pictures of the times there, except for those that your site conjured from the back of my mind.
Regards,
Colin Scowen
Resident Design Engineer
Black & Decker (Czech) s.r.o., Trmice c.p.873, 400 04 Trmice. Czech Republic
Tel: +42 0475 319266 email: colin.scowen@blackdecker.com
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E-mail from: Annette Sherry  received 9 June 2009 (Ed. Annette was a daygirl whose mother was one of the stalwarts of the wardrobe department for many years - the seamstresses
Subject: memories 1970 - 1976

Good memories of school days.  Grey hats in winter and white gloves in  summer.

The day girls used to have to eat in a separate room from the borders and clear the prefects' table this happily changed later.

Memories of watching the seniors (Pippa Wilde, Cherry Gillespie, Jenny Mills) performing to the good the bad and the ugly choreography by the late Margaret Mayer in the hall.

Getting a bruise in tap class from wearing a heavy cross necklace.

Going to Lorraine's tuckbox and eating salty dutch liquorice.

Dancing with Miranda Atkin in a pas de trois by Joy Camden but having my photo taken of the same piece with Belinda Wickstead.

Joy Camden saying "we thought you'd do well dear but we didn't think you'd do that well!" when I achieved honours for my grade 4 ballet exam .

Miss Bush making me cry in syllabus classes (you had to hang out of  the window so that she didn't see you) and telling me to "be careful  Sherry!" when I was practicing 'the splits'.

A big thank you to the late Biddy Espinosa for getting me into the royal ballet school.

Sarah who was the only girl tall enough to turn the clock forward when Miss Camden wasn't looking.

Locking Miss Haines (the art teacher) out of the classroom.  She used to say, "There's no need to sneeze", and she constantly told off Sandra Easby for chewing gum or at least smelling of peppermint.

Burning your tights on the old stoves in the classroom.

Letting the smelly stray dog in through the classroom window.

Curtseying to Miss Bush as you passed her and saying "Miss Bush".

'Tatty' Townroe and Linda Gonzales coming home for tea and spending Katie Izzard's sister's luncheon vouchers in East Grinstead before a late evening class.

Walking home with Kimmie Garnett at the end of term and buying a bottle of cream soda on the way.

I could go on for pages.

Great to be able to think about those days again.

Annette Connolly (nee Sherry)  annettybob@aol.com
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From Charlotte Spinneycharlie@e-dance.net
Hi!

Great website.

My name was Charlotte Spinney (now Charlotte Armitage) when I was at  Bush.  I started in Jan 85 and left after 3rd form in 1988 - got out  just before the closure thanks to a severe back injury.

I was best friends with Scott Davies - and still am 24 yrs later!

I am now working as a free lance dance practitioner in Sheffield and  also performing too!

I have 2 gorgeous children called Finn and Eve and a fab husband  called Joe, who I met at Middlesex University in 1992 whilst doing a  Performance Arts Degree.

Do you have, or know, where I can get a copy of the Grand Defile  music? I'd love it!  (Ed. see website - Bush Telegraph)

Charlotte x
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From: Iya Santos  iya.delossantos@gmail.com

Hello,

My name is Iya de los Santos, and I am writing from Manila, Philippines. I was a student at Bush Davies for half a term in the summer of 1988 and would have returned in the fall of 1989 had the school not closed down. While I only spent six weeks there as a first-year, I have many fond memories of my time at Bush, and thanks to Facebook am now back in touch with many old schoolmates, particularly those who joined me at Elmhurst in 1989.

I wrote about my Bush experience on my blog, and once I've found the photographs, will post them on the Bush Davies page on Facebook. How wonderful that the website is up and running.

http://storiesfromstepford.blogspot.com/2008/07/down-memory-lane-1.html

With very best wishes.
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E-mail from Jo Smith dated 9 May, 2009
Great to see a website dedicated to Bush Davies.

Many fond memories of the place......

Jo Smith (1985-1988)
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