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Laurels News: Celebrating 70 Years of Love
09 April 2025
We are excited to bring you celebratory news of one of our longstanding EHS Laurels (formally Old Girl) Gillian Mary Whittaker (née Bird) and her husband Geoffrey.
Gillian (95) and Geoffrey (94) will mark an incredible milestone on 30 April 2025—their Platinum Wedding Anniversary!
The couple first met as teenagers while carol singing and quickly became sweethearts. Gillian attended Edgbaston High School from 1935 to 1946 and later returned to teach in Westbourne from 1977 to 1986, maintaining a lifelong connection with the school.
Geoffrey joined the Royal Artillery at just 15 and later served in Korea—often called the ‘Forgotten War.’ During his postings abroad, Gillian eagerly awaited his letters and still treasures a suitcase full of them. Her younger sister Judy, also an EHS pupil, was once reprimanded for repeatedly writing "Geoffrey Whittaker" in her exercise book. “Who IS this Geoffrey Whittaker?” a teacher demanded!
The couple married in 1955 at St. Peter’s Church, Harborne, and soon after, Geoffrey was posted to Germany, where they lived for a couple of years before returning to the UK. In 1958, they settled in a three-bedroom house on the picturesque Moorpool Heritage Estate in Harborne, Birmingham, just before welcoming their first daughter, Caroline. Their second daughter, Julie, was born in 1960, and both girls followed in their mother’s footsteps by attending EHS.
After 66 years in the same home, Gillian and Geoffrey made the difficult decision last July to downsize, moving to a bungalow near Caroline in the charming seaside town of Penarth, South Glamorgan. Sorting through a lifetime of memories was no easy task, with cupboards and attic spaces revealing long-forgotten treasures, including school uniforms, photographs, and memorabilia, many of which were donated to the EHS Archive. Gillian, however, held onto her lacrosse and hockey sticks!
Their new home required extensive refurbishment, but their wartime resilience saw them through, and they finally moved in just before Christmas 2024. Described by many as "amazing," they remain active and independent, with Gillian still preparing lunch every day at 1 o’clock sharp.
Posted by: The Laurels Association
