The Dame Allan’s 1705 Magazine
In Memoriam: Sandra J Rickaby (1954-2025)
Sandra J Rickaby – a tribute to her legacy as a lifelong school friend, family friend, teacher and work colleague
Where to start? Well as suggested by Mary Poppins - ‘let’s start at the very beginning’. I first met Sandra at Gosforth Grammar School at the impressionable age of eleven. We became friends because we had something in common – something that we shared throughout our whole lives. We loved giggling. It was no surprise then that the first time I ever saw Sandra, she was giggling. I remember thinking, I want to be her friend, she looks as though she would be ‘fun’ and so this marked the beginning of a long, treasured friendship that spanned decades and two families. It became increasingly obvious throughout our school days that Sandra was a gifted sportswoman. Whilst she excelled in all sports, her exceptional ability lay in hockey. She played first team hockey when she was only fourteen, progressing onto and captaining the U18 Northumberland County team, culminating in her selection as both player and captain of the U18 North of England team. As a player, I would say Sandra was most akin to David Beckham with her ability to orchestrate the game from mid-field with great strategic insight. Not only did she have advanced physical skills but also the intelligence to understand how and when to use them. The similarity to Beckham does not end there. Beckham has always been described as a team player who always looked to pass the ball before shooting, a player who always played for the team and not for himself. Whoever wrote those words could also be describing Sandra. It was all of these qualities that led to her selection for the U18 England hockey team, thus achieving her first England ‘cap’. She was the pride of our PE teacher, our school, our County and the North of England. Despite the many accolades and huge successes, Sandra remained as she always had been – ‘down to earth’, a typical fun loving, giggler who was simply our friend.
Unsurprisingly, Sandra’s chosen career path was to train as a PE teacher. Not only did her prowess as a sportswoman continue, but this was the beginning of a career that would produce a teacher who was ‘inspirational, nurturing and gifted at developing exceptional sporting talent. Sandra’s role as Head of PE and her growing reputation as an outstanding hockey coach at a neighbouring independent school meant that once she returned to teaching after maternity leave she was highly sought after - especially by Dame Allan’s! Sandra was appointed to the PE department and was to become my work colleague. Here, we were reunited at school as teachers, no longer as pupils. They were really happy times, full of laughter, especially when we reverted to our schooldays selves. The PE department at Dame Allan’s thrived under Sandra’s leadership. She understood that leadership was not about a position or title but based upon whether or not people were willing to follow. She believed in the importance of leading by example, by working collaboratively within a team built upon mutual respect and trust. As a result of this ethos Sandra led a happy, forward thinking, successful department. Not only did her staff flourish but so too did the teams achieving success across all sports at county, regional and national levels. Additionally, she organised or facilitated her staff in their organisation of many trips and tours that travelled locally, nationally and internationally. She knew that these opportunities were going to provide lifelong memories and experiences for all involved.
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