Where are they now? The first 6 pupils

The first picture taken at Folly Farm in 1972, with Christine Polyblank and the first class at the school.

The Class of 1974…

Immunology in Germany

Oliver von Stein

Oliver lives in Sweden with his wife Petra. He has 3 children: Julian 16, Jan 12 and Isabel 8. He studied Bio-Chemistry at Liverpool University, Pharmacology at Southampton, then studied for a PhD in Molecular Genetics at the Institute of Genetics in Karlsruhe, Germany. For some time he held a postdoctoral position at the Centre of Genomics and Bioinformatics at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, before working as a project leader of Expression Profiling at MediGene AG, Munich, Germany. In 2001, together with 2 colleagues, Oliver founded InDex Pharmaceutical, an immunology focused Biopharmaceutical Company dedicated to discovering and developing treatments exclusively for steroid resistant diseases such as ulcerative colitis. Their prime product, ‘Kappaproct’ is in Phase III of its clinical trials, and if successful, will then be ready to launch. Oliver is very happy with his life and work.

Gold & Diamond Eggs in Denmark

Philip von Stein

Philip lives in Denmark with his Danish wife Tanja and their 2 sons, Lucas (17) and Marius (14). Philip studied Goldsmithing – first in Epsom, then for 2 years in Southampton, followed by 4 years in Denmark. He is the top jeweller for Claus Antonsen, Odensee, Denmark. For the last 8 years he has made the famous ‘Paske Aeg‘ (Easter Egg) of which there is only one made each year. It is about the size of a blackbird’s egg, made entirely of gold and diamonds, and is sold to the first person who comes into the shop on a particular day. These eggs have been made by Claus Antonsen for 29yrs and it is an honour for Philip to be asked repeatedly to design and make them. He has had excellent publicity for his work which is much sought after. Philip is very happy, loves Denmark, his family and friends.

Nursing & Contemporary Crafts in England

Andrea Routledge (nee Hoffmann)

“I studied nursing at Winchester. Soon after, I married Matthew who I had met at Michael Hall Upper School. I then worked at Hillingdon Hospital (West London) for 9 years during which time Hannah (18), then Jonathan (16) were born. For a while I stayed at home with the children, also doing voluntary work with various organisations. When the family moved to Wendover (Bucks) I returned to nursing part time. In 2010 I decided on a complete change of direction, first obtaining a Diploma in Art and Design, and I am now at Bucks New University studying for a BA Degree in 3D Contemporary Craft and Product (Glass, Ceramic, Metal work and Jewellery). I am finding studying again very exciting and am loving the creative hands on aspects; all the form and colour work we did at school comes back to me now!”

Architecture in Australia

Alex Hoffmann

“After completing my schooling at Michael Hall (Steiner School) I spent a truly formative gap year working on a cattle farm in Namibia. Following this, I studied Architecture at the University for the Creative Arts in Canterbury graduating joint top of my year in 1994.  For the next 8 years I worked for two London practices including Sheppard Robson, during which time I was lucky enough to meet Ali who I married.  Ali had two young children, Harvey and Madeleine, and I joined her living in a village on the Essex-Suffolk borders. We were blessed with a daughter Sophia in 2003 to complete our family.  In 2003 I also started, with a great friend from Uni, my own business, Clavadetscher Hoffmann Architects.  My time running my own practice was exciting and rewarding as I was able to give back to the Camphill Community by designing Hawthorn House at Camphill in Thornage. In 2008 an opportunity arose to move to Australia and we moved north of Brisbane in Queensland.  We are an integral part of a great community, living on top of a mountain range in Mapleton, on the Sunshine Coast.  I work for Hassell Architects, commuting to Brisbane each day, where I am fortunate to work on city building projects such as Springfield Central Railway Station and Moreton Bay Rail Link. The children are growing fast (17,14 & 9) and life can whizz by, but my grounded upbringing, passion for design and architecture, of artistic flair combined with pragmatic reality, begun during my early school years, remains as strong and as vivid as ever.”

In Business in London

Natasha Kelly (nee Brobby)

Natasha lives and works in London. Having successfully completed her Fashion design & technology studies, she moved to London and began her career in the Fashion Industry, where she has worked for such prominent designers as Nicole Fahri, Donna Karan, Wunderkind and now Michael Kors – a luxury Global Fashion Brand, where she is the Director of European Retail Operations. She travels extensively throughout Europe setting up and opening new stores – 12 last year! She is responsible for the Operations of a 50 million pound business which is set to double in the next year. Her retail experience has included establishing fashion brands in the UK in 4-wall-retailing, from building site through to a fully operational store. In addition she has forged collaborations between established designers such as Donna Karan & young graduate design students, creating an exciting crossover between high street retailing & new design talent. She has four children: Tehya (16), Tallullah (11), Amelie (5) and Gabriel (4). She also takes an active interest in the arts, enjoying Galleries, Opera & Theatre, and is an avid amateur Photographer.  Update Sep 2017 – Natasha recently founded a specialist tea company, TIOSK, based in Broadway Market E8 and online.

Fit and Well in Sussex

Sulaika Weihs (nee Brobby)

“I live in Sussex with my partner Mark, and I have three boys…the oldest, Louis (22) who left home almost two years ago is doing very well as a sales manager. My middle son, Liam (15), is currently in the middle of his GCSE’s and is doing exceptionally well. My youngest son, Lucas (6), is enjoying school very much. Most of my adult life has been spent bringing up my boys, although I did work for several years managing a large ethnic furniture import business. Finding now that I have more time on my hands, and having always been interested in sport and fitness, I recently completed my training in ‘Power Plate’, have set up a small business and teach one to one classes from home. We are fortunate to live in the Ashdown Forest and, having an energetic dog, we spend time most days walking in the forest, which we all love.”