Bequest Stories
Tony & Sue Morrison (Bragg, 1960)
Watch a bequest story from Tony and Sue in this video.
I see the Legacy as a good opportunity for us to give back to the School that has given us so much.
Diana Jenkins
Many students have been helped by Diana Jenkins (1934). Her Bequest in 2010 was inspired by her personal story as the recipient of support to attend Frensham.
Diana Jenkins was a much-loved Old Girl, Fellowship Committee representative, Company Member and Frensham teacher. She lived her life by the philosophy that we must make a positive difference to the community we serve, and we must have a strong commitment to equity and inclusion.
Coming to Frensham in the 1930s Diana was determined that her life would be lived as instructed by Winifred West, a lifelong role model, to ‘In Love Serve One Another’.
After school she moved to the UK. When global hostilities erupted, Diana wanted to fight for freedom, and so volunteered to monitor European broadcasts during WWII. It was exhausting and exacting, but Diana loved the contribution she was making.
It was Diana’s Frensham education that gave her the strength and underpinning to take on these tasks during times of great stress and despair—and succeed.
Following the war, Diana broke new ground in the world of commerce, training staff in the use of textiles, such as the revolutionary new product—nylon! She is almost certainly one of the first Frensham girls to have gone into business on the managerial side.
In 1961 Diana became Headmistress of the Middle School. Her wider view of the world after the War experience provided an extraordinary education for Frensham girls at that time. Diana was also the driving force behind the fundraising for Clubbe Hall.
Moving back to the UK she became Secretary of London Fellowship and remained involved with Fellowship there for nearly 50 years.
Diana used whatever resources she had, to help improve the world. She was exceptionally good at getting herself and others involved in issues that mattered, and doing things that hadn’t been done before.
After her death, Diana made a Bequest to support the enrolment of children who could not afford to stay at Frensham.
When women thrive, their families and communities thrive, and that is reflected in stronger societies. Diana’s Frensham friendships, and the heart to give, have turned into something incredible.
Diana Jenkins with Felicity Cavill (1975) at Frensham Fellowship AGM, June 2010
Hilda Jamieson
By choosing to leave a Bequest, Hilda Jamieson’s gift to the Frensham Schools community is now perpetuated way beyond her lifetime, and her legacy lives on in the lives of Frensham girls today.
Hilda Jamieson was a graduate in Science at the University of Sydney in 1923, when this discipline attracted few women. Hilda had a strong conviction that: Those who had received the opportunity for higher education should return, in their vocational and voluntary work, the advantages they had received.
Hilda came to Frensham in 1927 to teach Mathematics, although her versatility and enthusiasm extended into most areas of school life. In particular, her passion for horses and riding was shared by the girls.
Hilda was an intrepid adventurer, and at the height of summer in 1930 she set off from Frensham with another teacher and two Old Girls, riding horses to Jenolan Caves and back. The four women showed great courage and determination while grappling with the extremes of a heatwave.
Beyond her teaching career: From 1942 Hilda was a Company Member; she was Secretary of the Frensham Fellowship Committee; in 1953 a Committee was formed with Miss Jamieson as Secretary, to arrange for the opening of Gib Gate; and, in 1955, Hilda was Gib Gate’s first Nominee Governor.
Hilda died on 7 June 1984 and provided $13,000 to the School (about $40,000 in today’s terms) through a gift in her Will.
In accepting her Bequest, it was decided that Hilda’s gift should be a lasting one—utilised in a way that complemented her grit, her love of the outdoors, and her determination to give back. Accordingly, Jamieson Weekends began in 1986, when some of Hilda’s gift was used to buy camping equipment.
Hilda’s life story was the inspiration for the Jamieson Programme we know today—established in 2007 to challenge students to strive to meet expectations well beyond core educational outcomes—now a defining and ever-evolving approach to life at Frensham Schools.
