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<< Here is an e-mail from a Brereton Hall resident. The
story of the ghost was quite interesting. >>
Dear Bruce,
I came across your Brereton reunion pages whilst checking to see
if the Brereton Hall School for Girls website had had any work done
to it. Alas nothing done on the old girls site but what a pleasant
surprise your site was. I have to commend you on your excellent
pictures. It sure brings back a whole host of memories of the Hall.
It appears your reunion was very well attended. And that the weather
seemed beautiful and sunny.
The Hall has gone through quite a few cosmetic changes but it still
stirs many many many memories. My sisters and I attended the Hall
during the mid to late 70’s during that time our parents were
living in Ghana in West Africa. I had attended boarding school in
Johannesburg in the early 70’s, but when it came to boarding
school Brereton was the best. So many hiding places. My favourite
alone place was in the turret room on the 2nd floor but the most
fun was to be had down in the “dungeons” under the headmistress’
study (that would be the sitting room in the front at the side where
St. Oswald’s Church is. We spent hours searching for the tunnel
that would lead us to the church graveyard and then…freedom.
Trust me we spent many hours searching for it… we were doomed
to be trapped until end of term. We had such vivid imaginations.
We saw the Grey Lady ghost on a couple of occasions when we were
in Rossetti dorm (front side peaked roof room opposite side to the
church) and we heard the crying child while were in Van Gogh (back
side peaked roof room opposite to the church). I am not really one
to believe in ghosts but Brereton Hall had more than its share.
I was thinking that it’s a shame that the Brereton crest,
with the bears head is different from the crest that was used for
the school. Ours was an embroidered crest with the schools main
building on it and the words “Loyalty Binds Me” along
the bottom. The reason I say it’s a shame is I wished I had
kept my blazer or at least removed the crest, that is my greatest
disappointment. I wish I knew some way to replace it. And there
is no where here in BC to track a replacement down; actually I suppose
they are nearly irreplaceable.
Oh well enough tramping through the halls of time. I just wanted
to tell you how much I enjoyed your reunion website.
I hope you have another reunion and I hope that you have twice
the turnout.
Thank you for letting me ramble on, maybe next time you are at
the Hall you can go searching for the tunnel or if you listen very
hard in the middle of the night you too can see the Grey Lady.
As one of the lines in Brereton school song says, “And though
we scatter far and wide, our roots will still be here.”
Take care,
Erica A. Brannon (nee Nurse)
A proud former resident of Brereton Hall
Source: Used by permission from Erica
Brannon.
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