News from Kirsten Lees


I was tempted to come to the reunion in July last year – and if an intended trip to the UK had eventuated, I would certainly have made the familiar trek to Birmingham New Street, then the bus out to the campus to be part of the 20th year celebration. I left Birmingham on the last day of exams, I think, and haven’t been back since. I have been busy though. Life-after-Brum started with a fabulous year in Barcelona teaching, then I was lured to Australia where we have family, for a three month trip that lasted for a number of years. I worked as a researcher for Penguin books out here, and then did a lot of publishing work, mainly educational. In 1994 I had my first book published – a history book – and I returned to the UK to work in New Media and Management Consultancy. It was all great fun, but not a lot to do with Voltaire & co. although I may have dropped a few lines from Sartre in the pub after a couple of pints, from time to time.

In 1998/9 I did a Masters in Business at London Business School and learned that people who could quote 17th century French philosophers could also do accounting and gamble money on the stock market. The insight into the business world – the international business community – was an eye opener, and as much a cultural challenge to me as learning a new language has ever been.

In 1999 I married Mark in South Africa (well, why not?) and lured him out to Aus on an extended honeymoon. Eight years, three children and a hefty mortgage later we are still here. I have recently published ‘Let go of my leg: how to get the working life you want out of children’ in the UK with Prentice Hall. It ain’t bad, as these things go, and is being translated in other European languages which is great – but please may they not ask me to do the translations! I work for myself, writing, speaking and cleaning up after children. I will be in the UK in July and August this year – can’t wait. My website is http://www.kirstenlees.com and I also have a blog http://www.letgoofmyleg.blogspot.com if you are interested.

News from Dawn SheridanI've thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the photos and reading everyone's news. I really regret, in the end, not having been able to come on the day of the reunion.

I now live in a village called Chaponost just outside Lyon with Marc (Hervé and I divorced in 1999), Liza (15) and Claire (13).

After a year as a lectrice after leaving Brum, and two years with Laura Ashley in France (trainee, and then shop manageress), I worked for a French supermarket chain as their Head of Merchandising. (I had to read up the definition in a book the day before I started the job as I wasn't sure why they'd hired me.) Six months later the MD took a liking to me and made me Head of PR (for him) and Head of Communication.

I escaped from his grasp nine months later when Liza was born and decided to stop work and concentrate on being a mum. After getting roped into doing sales for my then-husband Hervé's dad's company, I upset all the French side of the family in 1994 by handing in my notice just after Claire was born. In 1995 I set up as a freelance translator, not knowing how to type, but pretty confident in my capacity to work in French and English and - despite my initial one finger typing skills - managed to get enough work, and pluck up the courage to tell an agency that I also did interpreting (not true at the time).

I now work pretty much full-time as a conference interpreter, which is a job I absolutely adore. It's freelance so I get to choose when, where and who I work for, and, in France, strangely enough, there are hardly ever any conferences or meetings during the school holidays. I sometimes translate into French for the TV channel Euronews. (My dad reckons that World War III may occur due to my getting the wrong end of the stick when George Bush makes a speech).

If any of you drive through Lyon and feel like popping in for a drink or afternoon tea, we're just fifteen minutes from the last exit before Fourvières tunnel (n° 36 I think).