Quarry Bay Leavers, Summer 1951

I can't resist the challenge. Some faces are partly obscured, but in the middle row I think you have Christopher Burt, Vera Vargassoff, (unknown), Leonie White, Paul Balaam. Don't recall the others. Christopher was a Stanley Camp baby; his mother, Olive, became headmistress at QBS 

I'm sure that the blond boy in the front (books in his right hand) is Vera Vargassoff's brother, Nick. He was a couple of years younger than Vera :) 

It could well be Nick, but he did not go to KGV until 1954 at the earliest.

I wondered from the start whether this really was a "school-leavers" group. Obviously prize-winners of some sort. Presumably the year is correct.

Christopher and Vera went to KGV Feb 1953. There was a changeover that year from calendar year to UK school year, when KGV adopted the London GCE. The next KGV intake (including me, QBS 1947-53) thus occurred in Sept 1953.

Nick was at least 1 year behind me at both QBS and KGV. 

Regards - Geoff Wellstead

Hi Geoff

I think you're right in that the group was for prize winners rather than school leavers, as those girls in the front row look pretty young to be heading off to KGV :)

The Vargassoffs were good friends of my parents - not only were they neighbours living below us in Morrison Hill Road, but also my folks came to HK via Shanghai, being White Russians too.

I went to KGV in 1958 and think Vera was almost finished at the time, and Nick was around for a few more years but I think the Vargassoffs emigrated to Australia once he finished U6.

Do you have any contact with either of them these days?  If you do, please remember me to them!

Thanks  :D

Nona

Nona -

I do not have any contact, but I noticed Nick still quite active in the KGV Alumni association when I was browsing some years ago, if you care to look that up.

- Geoff