Flow Communications

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Thursday, 26 September, was a red-letter day for Flow client St Mary’s School: it marked the launch of the history of Johannesburg’s oldest school, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year.

It was an important occasion for Flow, too: we had taken care of the publication of the book, including the design, editing and the drafting of dozens of interviews with former and current pupils, teachers and parents. It was an unusual task – we don’t often publish books – but one that produced a result of which we are all exceptionally proud.

St Mary’s history teacher Pauline Grainger had, over the past few years, painstakingly put together the manuscript around which the book was designed. It was not an easy task for her, especially regarding the school’s early years, because there are no surviving old girls (of course) and due to a paucity of reference material. St Mary’s was not particularly good at keeping records – to the extent that it was impossible to even discern the full name of one of the earlier headmistresses.

Flow’s team – project managers Roshni Nana and Ros Caboz, designer George Xafis, writer Christine Marot and editor Willem Steenkamp – spent months working on the book, poring over the manuscript, agonising over design elements, and working and reworking parts.

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George refined the design to reflect the school’s various eras, and created a look that was clean and engaging throughout – from the pixellated, monochrome early days to the modern, full-colour St Mary’s. Willem edited and re-edited the manuscript several times, a process that took days at a time. Both got to immerse themselves in the fascinating Barnett collection, the most comprehensive photographic record of early Johannesburg that is owned by The Star newspaper, for illustrations.

Christine, working from our Durban office, extracted illuminating (and often very amusing) anecdotes and recollections from men and women associated with St Mary’s, including several well-known South Africans. In fact, it’s safe to assert that thanks to Christine, a few mysteries and hitherto unsolved crimes may finally have been cleared up …

“A few common threads emerged during the interviews, irrespective of age. Although some six decades separated the youngest interviewee from the oldest, a fierce passion for St Mary’s was equally tangible, and remained undiminished despite the passing of years. Another commonality was the St Mary’s post-school support structure. St Mary’s girls are prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to help one of their own, simply because it’s the St Mary’s way,” says Christine.

“The third most-impressive shared value, which came up in almost every interview, was the manner in which St Mary’s provided a platform for every girl to excel in her own unique way, a mindset summed up in the oft-used quote: ‘Be the best you can be.’”

In the process the book grew, and grew some more, ending up as 280-page tome filled with the overarching story of one of Johannesburg’s most prestigious schools, the many human stories of the girls who received their education there, and of the dedicated teachers who gave it to them.

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At the book’s elegant launch, attended by numerous old girls and catered by the current girls, headmistress Deanne King said there had been concern that the book would not be completed in time for the school’s anniversary, adding happily: “Well, it is.”

She expressed gratitude to Pauline for the “time, energy and care” she had poured into the book, and said it had been “a privilege” to work with Flow on the project.

But while we were as pleased as Deanne and Pauline with the final product, the acid test was the reaction of the greater St Mary’s community. And they loved it, snapping up the copies on offer. Pauline spent a great deal of the evening signing them, too.

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Clutching three copies of the book, Sue King, who taught English at St Mary’s for 34 years, said: “It looks absolutely fantastic. I’m delighted to have this book.”

Actress and St Mary’s old girl Fiona Ramsay said: “I love the book ... it captures the history of Johannesburg, and intertwines it with the history of the school.”

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