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July 2008
ABSOLUTELY CREATIVELY WELLINGTON AMBASSADOR
Ruth Pretty was deeply honoured by Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast at the 2008 Gold Awards when presented with the new Absolutely Creatively Wellington Ambassador Award. The theme for the 2008 Awards was the hospitality industry and the contribution it makes to Wellington’s vibrancy as a city.
Sponsored by the Wellington City Council, Kerry Prendergast said the awards "recognise an individual in our region who gives true meaning to the words creativity and innovation, and momentum to our city’s vision, both nationally and internationally.
"As an individual, Ruth has demonstrated creativity and innovation through her services to hospitality, with international exposure for herself and for Wellington”.
MAY 2008
JUBILEE REPORT
MAY 2008
After months of organisation, the Wellington Girls College 125th Jubilee has been and gone and the excited chatter of hundreds of women died down. It was a fun event for me, both as an "old girl" (although I hate that description) and catering for the welcoming function, big Saturday night dinner and the Sunday farewell lunch. Avenues Event Management did a good job pulling everything together, with the voluntary organising committee.
I like the energy of the current students and the large range of different nationalities now at the school.
It was sad that long-time headmistress Betty Fraser died the week before the Jubilee. The new principal Julia Davidson is very approachable, with a wide range of interests - in fact she even comes to cooking classes!
The Jubilee dinner was a big event for all, and in designing the menu we went for "tried and true” dishes to cater for all age groups. My sister Chrissy Hill designed and made the dinner table settings, with Harriet Tobias from Juliette Florist. Everyone loved the old school tie napkin rings even though we hated them in the old days!
Chrissy was MC and had everyone going with a lively quiz about the school and its history, based on Margot Schwass’s Jubilee book. She put me on the spot by asking me to say a few words and for some reason my role as Toad of Toad Hall as a Drama Club stalwart came to mind. I confessed that my green tights didn’t fit, with the crutch slipping inexorably towards my knees, making it hard to concentrate on my performance! At some deep level I believe you never really feel any different from when you were a little girl.
View Menus from Wellington Girls College 125th Jubilee (PDF):
Welcome Reception
Jubilee Gala Dinner
Farewell Luncheon
WELLINGTON GIRLS' COLLEGE 125TH JUBILEEJANUARY 2008 NEWSLETTER
As Easter 2008 is now only just over the horizon, I am really looking forward to the WCG Jubilee. Not only will I be able to catch up with "old" faces I probably haven’t seen for a couple of decades but I am having fun creating menus for the range of Jubilee events we are catering. New Zealand is such a young country that it’s quite an achievement for a school – especially a girls’ school – to achieve 125 years of success.
Congratulations to Barbara Easther, from Brooklyn in Wellington who won a free cooking class when they registered to attend the Jubilee. Registrations are going well and organisers are standing by for a last minute surge as people decide that yes they do want to come and see how everyone else is.
I was delighted to meet the school’s new Principal Julia Davidson, who came to one of our Christmas classes. She’s very much a modern principal and will take the school forward positively over the next few years. Maybe not 125 years though! Read more in the WCG January newsletter here.
CAKE TAKES TOP AWARD
We are immensely proud to announce that Ruth’s Christmas Cake was awarded Best in Show at the Royal New Zealand Show 2007 Kiwi Christmas Cake Competition in Christchurch in November 2007, after winning a Gold Medal in the Commercial Cake Section. This adds to previous accolades, like being named ‘Best Christmas Cake’ by the New Zealand Herald Viva section. Most importantly, our customers give us such generous feedback. The cake is rich, moist and traditional and everyone seems to love it. Click here to buy.
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