Mrs. Victoria. S. Kisarale, Former Headmitress

“You must always seek God’s wisdom at all times in order to avoid doing anything out of guilt, pressure or obligation.” Those are the last words Ann Cutler told me when I was about to board the train from Farnham to London.

My Visit To Farnham

I had travelled to Farnham, in July 2015, to spend a day with Sheelagh Warren and Ann Cutler a.k.a(AC). I always make it point to spend a day with them whenever I go to United Kingdom(UK). I never knew then that this would be the last time I was to see her alive. On each visit, I would chronicle my story right from the time when I last visited them! I would answer numerous questions because, they wanted to know how well I was keeping the GHS forte. During my tenure as Head teacher, I made it a point to send Sheelagh and Ann a copy of the End of Term report to the Board of Governors(BoG) because it always captured the major activities, achievements and challenges encountered during the term.

Her Love for Dogs

I still recall how AC did a lot of groundwork to ensure that ‘Scallywag’ the last dog she owned at GHS got safely shipped to UK! Every Old Girl who was at GHS during the time Ann Cutler was there, would mention the name of the dog Ann would have at the time. When I joined Senior One in 1973, the name of her dog then was ‘Heidi’ Ann loved dogs. One time she told me that stray or mistreated dogs strangely found their way to her door! The last I heard, there was this dog which ferried ten puppies to her door!

The Bursaries for Girls

Ann played a very big role of raising funds to pay fees for girls whose parents had financial constraints. She had compassion for those in need. There is a very big number of girls who can give testimony to that. When Ann left, she continued sending me money for the same cause. About 7 years ago, she relinquished that responsibility and put me in direct contact with Christopher J Padfield who would directly wire the money to the school account.

Birthdates

Ann knew the birthdates of all the children’s staff members and continued to send birthday cards to each one of them. I would also receive a birthday card, albeit late, owing to the ‘snail mail.’ Ann used to receive a lot of mail because she also used to write and send numerous letters and cards.

Conclusion

The words of wisdom that Ann imparted to me, especially during my tenure as Head teacher of GHS, still sit with me. She always spoke the truth that resonated from her soul. This is because Ann always stayed in God’s lane and urged all of us to do the same.

Fare Thee Well, Ann Cutler.