Liz Joseph
Every so often in life you come across a real Welsh beauty ! Liz has been a delight for the many of us fortunate to work alongside her , here at Sevenoaks . Joining as Head of Girls ’ Games , from Cranbrook School in 2001 , she wasted no time in sharing her passion and energy for all things sport and rapidly transformed the girls ’ side of the department to where it is today .
To give a flavour of the enormous development thanks to Liz ’ s vision , there were just five hockey teams when she arrived . Much to her dismay the Lower Astro had been delayed in completion , giving just the Top Astro for training and match playing for the Games programme . This wasn ’ t just for hockey , but also for netball , as this was before the arrival of the Sennocke Centre and Duke ’ s Meadow courts .
Undeterred , Liz would stoically load her trusty minibus with a team at a time and thought nothing of driving them all over the county ( and sometimes beyond ) to get the fixtures they so very much deserved .
As any trip leader will appreciate , taking students away can be a stressful time . Liz has accompanied many trips , but notably run four different hockey tours for over 30 students at a time to South Africa . Many Old Sennockians cite their tour as ‘ the best trip they ever went on ’, in their time at school as the unique blend of sport , friendship and travel unites all involved . One trip highlight for Liz has to be the moment she discovered she had left all staff and student passports in the hotel safe , as they arrived in Calais on the way home from Holland ! Liz ’ s calm manner saw the group safely home and the passports securely couriered back to school .
A fine hockey , golf , and tennis player herself , Liz has been instrumental to the success of the PE department throughout her time . Alongside the delivery of a dynamic curriculum , her desire to grow girls ’ sport sees us regularly field over 25 teams for hockey . Her initial target for each age group to reach
quarter finals has been completely surpassed with many reaching national finals over the years . Her contribution to the netball programme has been second to none , and her cricket knowledge ( from husband David and OS son Rhys ) complements her guidance of Summer term sports .
Liz ’ s wisdom and expertise have also been a huge value to many Year 7 pupils as they arrive at Sevenoaks each year and find Mrs Joseph as their tutor . A beautiful combination of warmth and motherly guidance , along with her clear expectation of standards , has seen many nervous pupils though those daunting first few weeks of settling into life at Sevenoaks . With her encouragement they began to flourish and embrace every opportunity thrown their way . Many will have thanked ‘ Mumma J ’ and raised a glass at their respective Leavers ’ Ball each year , as she proudly smiled at all they have each achieved in their time at Sevenoaks .
So , as her colleagues and friends , it is entirely appropriate that we are able to smile with gratitude at all that Liz has given us during her 19 years at Sevenoaks . With Covid-19 bringing a bizarre end to her time at school , the upside is that her IT skills rapidly and significantly improved as she taught her final term remotely . Who would have thought … least of all Liz ! We will greatly miss her fine Welsh humour ( and Welsh cakes on St David ’ s Day ) and her humility as she has been an absolute gem to work for and with . We wish her and David much love and good wishes , as together they embark on an exciting new chapter of life , no doubt full of fantastic adventures , down in Devon .
Here ’ s to you Liz , you ’ ve been fabulous ! Cath Nicholson
148 VALETE