LADY Mary Peters surprised Lurgan College students and staff

LADY Mary Peters surprised Lurgan College students and staff in more ways than one when she called unexpectedly at the school for a fund-raising sports day and cheque presentation in aid of her charity Trust. 

Who knew Northern Ireland’s original Olympic Golden Girl was once, briefly, on the teaching staff of the Lurgan seat of learning?

Not the sixth form students who welcomed Lady Mary back to the school, unannounced.

Nor even headmaster Kyle McCallan who was once a recipient of Mary Peters Trust funding on his way to an Ireland international cricket career.

Lady Mary surprised her hosts by telling them: “I was on placement here, as part of my teacher training, from Stranmillis College in 1959.”

Kyle replied: “We had absolutely no idea of the connection which, perhaps, explains why Lady Mary has been so supportive of the College and our events down the years.

“We then assumed Mary had taught PE and had another surprise when she revealed she took the domestic science, or cookery, class of the day.”

History records that Mary’s career took a different path as she left teaching for full time athletics, going on to famously win her 1972 Olympic pentathlon gold medal at Munich.

That led to the formation of her Mary Peters Trust, this year celebrating its 50^th anniversary of providing financial support to young sportsmen and women striving to follow in her footsteps.

Students at her old school helped out in their own way by organising a sports day at the College with proceeds going to the Trust.

A superb sum of £1184 was raised and as Lady Mary accepted the cheque and met with the students, she remarked: “It lifts my sprits no end to see, many generations on from my gold medal success, that young people still recognise the force for good in sport – in the case of the College here by raising funds to help my Trust support other young people in turn.

“We are very grateful to them. They are a credit to their school, their families and, above all, themselves.”