Rylee Gardener Captivates as Sarah Catherine at Annual Tea Celebration
Welcome to my world: Sarah Catherine (played by Rylee Gardener, far right) and Kayla Dowling (who played Sarah Catherine previously) welcome guests to seventeenth century Bermuda at Mitchell House on May 20.
June 14, 2012 — On Sunday May 20th, the third annual Sarah Catherine Tea was held at the St. George’s Historical Society Museum, Mitchell House. It was hosted by Trudy Snaith, Executive Director of the Executive School of Protocol. The Bermudian Girl celebration has continued since 2009 with Kayla Dowling of Saltus Grammar School playing the part of Sarah Catherine (a Bermudian girl experiencing life during the 1600s); however, on Sunday, young Rylee Gardener of Somersfield Academy took on the role.
With sixteen girls in attendance at this year’s event, things kicked off with a tour of Mitchell House, where the girls were able to examine and ask questions about the furniture, clothes, toys, and other items used by families during the time period when Sarah Catherine lived. This was an exciting experience for those who had never been to visit the museum before. Girls like Zene and Amirh Wade from West Pembroke Primary expressed their enjoyment of learning about how different life was in the past.
Once the tour had come to an end, tea time began. The girls were able to sit and drink berry tea from delicate tea cups in their fancy Sunday best, while munching on cakes, sandwiches, and coconut cookies made by Sarah Catherine herself. There was a question-and-answer session with Sarah Catherine, where she answered questions like “did you wear a uniform?” and “what types of games did you play?” Other activities included fun games, like one that the girls played with flower-printed cards, in order to help get to know one another a little better. In addition, the girls were all ears and sipped their tea as Kayla Dowling read an excerpt from the Bermudian Girl series.
After tea was finished, the fun didn’t stop. The guests of the Bermudian Girl celebration were captivated while watching Ronnie Chameau skilfully craft a beautiful handmade banana leaf doll, complete with a hat and parasol. Mrs. Chameau (who has even made a doll for the Queen) had attended the tea before and was happy to present the finished doll to Eliza Olander. Eliza had been waiting anxiously every year, and her name was finally drawn as the lucky girl to take her own doll home.
By the end of the event, the girls were still buzzing. Seven-year-old Kaitlyn Ward from Saltus told how much she enjoyed herself and liked meeting new people. Rylee Gardener, who portrayed Sarah Catherine, explained that she had had fun during her first time as Sarah Catherine, and when asked, said that she wasn’t even nervous beforehand. All in all, it was clear that everyone in attendance at this year’s Sarah Catherine Tea Party had a great time, thanks to all the hard work and help that went into making it another success. Also, all the money generated from the tea’s ticket sales was given to the St George’s Foundation and the St George’s Historical Society. Trudy Snaith (author of the Bermudian Girl Book series) explained that by doing this, a sense of philanthropy can be established in children, and that having the event annually “exposes more girls to the love of history, St George’s, and to making friends.”
Originally published in The Royal Gazette