THE ARCH OLD REPTONIAN NEWSLETTER October I2008 ssue Nº 313
Hamer J E Boot (School 1995) Football Club
Martin G Grayshon (Cross 1961) Yorkshire Louise P Howarth (Garden 1996) London
President Elect: Richard A. Hutton (Hall 1956) Vice President: Robert A Holroyd Headmaster
Thomas Richard Pepper (Hall 1949) Midlands
Chairman: James M. Ross (Hall 1968)
PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY 2008
Nicholas Peter Le Poidevin (Cross 1964) Law Society
This year's AGM and Annual Dinner will be held on Saturday 15th November, at the Army & Navy Club, 36 Pall Mall, London. A booking form is enclosed and if you would like any other information please call us in the OR Office on 01283 559320, or email or@repton.org.uk
Adam M Sinclair (Latham 1978) Appointed 2006 Paul A W indridge (Priory 1969) Appointed 2006 John F M Walker (Hall 1946 and ex Staff) Life Member
James T Leavesley (New 1975) Appointed 2005 John F R Hird (Priory 1960) Appointed 2005 Peter H Neil (Priory 1975) Appointed 2006
Sanjiv Basu (Orchard 1989) Fives
Simon J Obor n (Orchard 1989) Appointed 2005
Treasurer: John S. Wallis (Latham 1971) Gover nors’
Anthony E Bishop (Priory 1972) Golf Club
Charles Michael Keep (Orchard 1969 & Staff) Hockey Club
W illiam Henry Summ (New 1958) Masonic Lodge
Francis W S Russell (Orchard 1969) Pilgrims
Representative: Robert M. Kirkland (Orchard 1959) Secretary: Mike Stones (Staff) Committee members
Cathy Twigg, Staff Marketing & Development Director Carole Blackshaw (‘70) BA, Nicola Callow 2009) is 13th March 2009 I hope you have all had a good summer despite the lack of sunshine! Over this time many of our present Reptonians will have received important exam results, especially at GCSE and A level No doubt, many of you will have seen our overall rating in the notorious “League Tables” If not, you will be pleased to know that the A level results, in particular, were excellent with 53 9% achieving “A” grades and just over 85% of candidates achieving A or B grades These results almost matched the record results of last year but were achieved by a year group which entered the school with an overall lower academic level I think this demonstrates the value of the achievement; not only of those pupils, but also the quality and dedication of the teaching staff In terms of academic intake, we are a broader church, so to speak, than many of the other well known public schools I was interested to hear from the Headmaster that, whilst its performance compares well with other similar schools, Repton’s academic entrance requirements are often lower, even considerably so, depending on the circumstances of a particular year Given the final results, this is perhaps a better indicator of Repton’s real achievements as a school It is the start of a new school year and with it we can look forward to November and our Annual Dinner, which this year is in London at the Army & Navy Club in St James’ Square on Saturday, 15th November at 6 30pm Dinner is preceded by the Annual General Meeting of the Society at 5 30pm to which you are all most welcome This is a lovely venue in the fashionable West End, just two minutes from Piccadilly It should be a great evening A form for application of tickets is enclosed with this issue I do hope that as many ORs as possible will attend; we would love to see you and need your support You will recall that in my Spring letter I stressed the importance of raising Repton’s profile in the South and particularly in London, the capital The Dinner will be the perfect opportunity to see old friends and build new contacts I hope that you will all actively encourage increased fellowship and support amongst Old Reptonians of all ages I very much look forward to seeing you on the 15th November W ith every good wish, Carole Blackshaw Carole with James Ross (H’68)
FRAeS The Old Reptonian Society 1 High Street, Repton Derbyshire DE65 6GD Tel: 01283 559320 Fax: 01283 559250 Email: or@repton.org.uk Website: www.orsociety.com School Website: www repton org uk Editorial Team: Mike Stones and
Nicola M Obor n (Garden 1991), Staff Appointed 2007
DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES for the next Edition (May
Richard C E Lowther (Brook 1985) Tennis Club
OR AGM AND DINNER
President: Miss Carole J Blackshaw (1970)
Elected
Sarah R E Taylor (Field 1998) Appointed 2008 Ex Officio Members
Simon D Armstrong (Cross 1963) Lancs & Cheshire
OFFICERS OF THE OLD REPTONIAN SOCIETY 2008
NOVEMBER 2008 1st Sale of Work Boys’ 1st XI v Cambridge United 2nd Brass, woodwind and percussion competition, Music School, 2 30 pm 4th Boys’ 1st XI v Wolverhampton GS (a) 8th Girls’ 1st XI v Uppingham (a) 13th School Play: ‘On the Razzle’ by Tom Stoppard, 400 Hall, 7 30 pm
18th Boys’ 1st XI v Manchester GS Girls’ 1st XI v Loughborough HS 22nd Boys’ 1st XI v Bolton Girls’ 1st XI v Bromsgrove 26th Subscription Concert: Kenneth Page Foundation Concert Music School, 7 45 pm
DIARY OF EVENTS 2008
DECEMBER 2008 8th & 9th Christmas Band Concert, Pears School, 8 00 pm 17th February 2009 Drinks in the City 6th June 2009 - Gaudy (1)
Those of you who know me will not be surprised that it is the sporting results that have caught my eye To hold four national hockey titles and the Twenty/20 cricket trophy must surpass all other schools, coupled with many individual honours Not least that of Charlotte Craddock being the youngest ever member of GB women’s Olympic hockey squad Reptonians continue to play sport with the same determination, standards and verve of previous generations and it remains a great pleasure to watch and support
9th A Celebration of National Poetry Day in words and music, Library, 9 05 pm 10th 26th Half Term 28th OR Yorkshire Dinner 29th Subscription Concert: A Celebration of the Life & Works of Ralph Vaughan W illiams, Music School, 7 45 pm 30th Girls’ 1st XI v Dean Close (a)
CHAIRMAN OF THE SOCIETY 2008 James Ross (H’68)
OCTOBER 2008 4th Boys’ 1st XI v Kimbolton (a) Girls’ 1st XI v Worksop 7th Boys’ 1st XI ISFA Cup 2nd Round
28th Repton Lecture: Paul Deegan, “An Ice Odyssey” , 400 Hall, 7 30 pm 29th Boys’ 1st XI v Shrewsbury (a) Girls’ 1st XI v Trent (a) 30th Repton School Music Society Concert, Mozart's Requiem, Pears School, 7 30 pm
Any thoughts of an anti climax after the 450th celebrations of 2007 can be dispelled by the magnificent achievements of pupils throughout the School in the past year Exam results continue to improve and impress and make excellent reading in the press A tribute to the Headmaster and Staff
This year, as you will see from notifications, we are experimenting by holding the Annual Dinner in London This will be a retur n after approximately twenty years The School with the advent of Repton Dubai is developing an inter national reputation and it is important that we maintain our presence nationally The OR Society is particularly keen to ensure that links in London are strengthened and I therefore encourage you to attend and bring your Reptonian contemporaries with you to make for a successful and enjoyable evening James Ross
The Senior Literary Society presents Two Comedies by Anton Chekhov, Studio Theatre, 7 30 pm 8th The Senior Literary Society presents Two Comedies by Anton Chekhov, Studio Theatre, 7 30 pm
NOVEMBER 2008 14th School Play: ‘On the Razzle’ by Tom Stoppard, 400 Hall, 7 30 pm 15th Boys’ 1st XI v Grange School Play: ‘On the Razzle’ by Tom Stoppard, 400 Hall, 7 30 pm OR Society AGM, 6 00 pm followed by OR Society Annual Dinner, 7 30 pm (Army & Navy Club, London)
Criticism Simon Coakley (N'94) has been awarded a Doctorate in Computational Systems Biology from the University of Sheffield Eli Ankutse and Chris Beastall (both L'95) have started a business called "Niven and Joshua" selling male grooming products Their web site can be seen on www nivenandjoshua co uk Katherine Rybinski (F’02) graduated from the University of Leeds with a First in Geography During her time at university she became an accomplished skydiver with achievements including representing Great Britain in the European Skydiving Finals and taking gold in the Rookie Class Katherine is now working as a graduate trainee accountant with KPMG in Leeds Reverend Canon Geoffrey Osbor ne Marshall (M’61), previously Rector of Wrexham in the Diocese of St Asaph, has become the Dean of Brecon Canon Marshall trained for the priesthood at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, and was previously Canon Residentiary and Sub Dean of Derby Cathedral He and his wife Hazel moved to Brecon over the summer and Canon Marshall was installed as Dean on Saturday 13th September 2008
Simon Baily Gibson (H’65) (father of Karl) lives in Manila, Philippines where he works for the Asian Development Bank
Susannah Fish (nee Umbers) (A’78), Assistant Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, received a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, June 2008 Owen Dacey (S’97) has gained a training contract with London based firm of solicitors, Kennedys He began in September 2008, and hopes to qualify in March 2010
OLD REPTONIANS’ NEWS
Russ Elliott (M’93) now works in Institutional Sales for Evergreen Investments in Charlotte, NC He has just obtained Series 7 and 63 Securities licences and started an MBA at the University of North Carolina (2)
Johanna Green (G’91) is working as a GP in Surrey Tom Bennett (N’86) has been awarded a First Class Honours Degree in English Language and English Literature by the Open University After achieving a B Sc Hons Degree in Sports Science, he taught PE in Madrid for 7 years and is now teaching English in Houston, Texas Frank Russell (O’69) (front row in shirt and tie) was the Tour Manager for the MCC Tour to Denmark in July 2008
Brigadier Robert Hall (O’52) was elected Chairman of W iltshire County Council in May 2008 Mike Rawlins (P’66) and his bridge partner came Runners Up in the Final of the 2007/2008 National Bridge Pairs Championship Stuart Anselm (C’84), after lear ning to shoot during his years at Repton, has now been named as Captain for Great Britain's F T/R rifle team for the upcoming World Championships in 2009 The event is to be hosted for the first time at Bisley Ross Whiteley (N’05) made his debut for Derbyshire CCC on 8th September, albeit in a losing cause against Glamorgan Ross made a run a ball 24 with the bat, including a huge six over long off! He went on to make his 1st class debut in the last Championship match of the season
On top of still being the Chief Pilot of Sloane Helicopters Mallorca, Jonny Greenall (O’89) has now been appointed as a Helicopter Flight Examiner by the Civil Aviation Authority Surrey County Cricket Club have announced that 2009 will see long serving wicket keeper Jonathan Batty (L’90) granted a benefit in honour of his outstanding service to the club He has been a regular behind the stumps since he joined Surrey in 1997 and was handed his county cap in 2001
Sam Brewster (C’99) took a 1st in Theology at Cambridge and was also awarded the University Prize for New Testament
Acting ORs: All on TV on the same evening, from Jan Harding: First it was Tom Chambers from New House in Holby City he plays the part of Sam Strachan on BBC1 from 8 9pm followed by George Rainsford from Mitre House in Waking the Dead with Trevor Eve George played the part of Luke Boyd, son of Mr Boyd (Trevor Eve!) This was also on BBC1 9 10pm Following this on ITV1 was Nick Bur ns from New House who played the part of Martin in the comedy Benidorm Tom and Nick are now 31 years old and George is 26 Karl Baily Gibson (L’00) recently graduated from Northwood University (USA) and Hotel Institute, Montreux, Switzerland with Bachelors in Business Administration (Honors); Dual Major in Business Management & Hotel, Restaurant and Resort Management Karl lives in Lausanne, Switzerland
Jessica Ellen Titcumb (G’02), daughter of Lee & Nicolette T itcumb, married Mr Robert W illiam Murphy, son of Robert and Kathleen Murphy of Philadelphia on May 17th 2008 Both Jessica and Robert are currently studying at St Andrews University in Scotland Rick Dewhirst (N95) and Kim Dewhirst (nee Buck) (F97) married on 4th August 2007 in Driffield, East Yorkshire Their honeymoon was enjoyed in Tahiti and Bora Bora ORs attending were Adam Dewhirst (N), Joe Dewhirst (N), Ben Dewhirst (N96), Sandy Farquharson (N97), Elisabeth Jopson (F), Heidi Myles (F97), Jasmin Smith (F97), Jenny Thor nhill (F97), Lucy Gardner (A97), Lucy Womersley (A), Mike Rippon (S), Sarah Bullock (A97), and Sophie Hill (F)
(3) MARRIAGES
Richard Bradbury (O’81) married Celia (née Jackson) on 24th May 2008 at St James’s Church, Birstwith, Harrogate, North Yorkshire and the reception was held at Grosvenor House School, Birstwith In the photo are (left to right): Tim Ingles (O’81), William Parsons (O’81), Tim Betteridge (O’81), Richard and Celia, with Bridesmaids Carolyn Jackson and Becky Bear Other Old Reptonians present at the wedding were Brian Bradbury (O’46) and Kate Kassar (née Ingles) (A’87) David O’Gram (N’91) married Miss Kate Hudson on 7th June 2008, at the Church of St Mary, Bar nes, followed by a Reception at Ham House, Richmond Paul Tate (N’91) was Best Man Ushers were James O’Gram (N’89), Alex Kington (N’91), Alexis Twigg (N’91), and James Clarke (M’90) Other ORs that attended were Giles Chaplin (N’91), James Ellis (N’91), Simon Gill (N’91) and Rob Fish (H’91)
Joseph Dewhirst (N’92) married Katie W ilson on 14th July 2007 at Boynton in East Yorkshire ORs in attendance were brothers Adam (N’90), Ben (N’96) and Rick (N’95) Dewhirst as well as Ed Freer (B’92) and Rich Brownlee (P’95). (4)
George Gilman (H’92) married Lady Rose W indsor on 19th July 2008 at the Queen’s Chapel in St James’ Palace, London ORs attending were Best Man Tim Phillips ( H’92), Andrew Shanks ( H’92), Edward Blomfield (N’92), Ed Parkin (O’89), Kathryn Phillips (G’93), Hannah Matthews (G’94), Tom Gilman (H’89), and Amelia Gilman (F’02)
WBIRTHS EDDINGS
ENGAGEMENTS
Rob Overend (N’90 ) is engaged to Victoria Cooper Gemma L Wheatley (A’92) is engaged to Dr Graham N Barker Jen Peers (nee Hadwen) (G’91) and husband Andy had a girl, Sophie Jessica, bor n November 1st 2007 Mary Tate (A’93) and Mark Elliott (Foremarke ’90) have had a girl, Poppy Mae Audrey Elliott, bor n on 8th November 2007 Joey Ascott (C’85) and his wife Kim (who were married 13th October 2006) have had a son, who they have named Archie Bruce Ascott, bor n January 13th 2008
Joseph Dewhirst (N’92) and his wife Katie would like to announce the birth of their son, Jack, pictured here, right, with his proud parents Stuart Anselm (C84) and Yvonne W ilcock are pleased to announce a further addition to their family with a daughter, Samantha Eva, bor n on 2nd May 2008 (her mum's birthday!) A sister for Heather May
Victoria Matthewman (G'94) married Alan Myles on the 4th January 2008 at Dor noch Cathedral, Highlands Attending were Lucy Dalby (Foremarke '89), Luke Fletcher (M'97), Jennifer Hill (A'94), Jennifer Kenning (G'94), Usher Chris Matthewman (B'92), Jo Phillips (A'94) and Antonia Wimbush (A'94)
Matthew (B’81) and Ruth Shaw (G’92) are delighted to announce (rather belatedly!) the arrival of Emily Martha Shaw on 19th Dec 2007
Oliver Pepper (B ‘90) and his wife Rachel became the proud and happy parents of a daughter, Amelie, on 26th January 2008
Nick Hadwen (B’85), now Director of Strings at Wycombe Abbey, is to be married next April at the Ballachulish Hotel, Ballachulish, Glencoe His fiancée, Miss Shona Gillies, comes from Stor naway and they met whilst Nick was teaching in Fort W illiam
Nicholas J Pooler (M'97) to Margaret I Strong (G'97) Wedding to take place on 21 February 2009 at Our Lady and St Cadoc Church, Kidwelly Simon Gill (N’90) to Lucy W ilson Their wedding will take place on May 30th 2009, near Shrewsbury Johanna Green (G’91) is engaged to Mr Calum McBur ney from New Zealand Claire Haseldine (G'91) is engaged to W illiam Presland and will be married in the Repton School Chapel in August 2009
The Next Gaudy - June 6th 2009
Thanks to those 220 ORs who joined us for this year's Gaudy on June 7th 2008, for ORs who entered the School in or prior to 1950, and also between 1971 and 1984 All enjoyed a lovely day, meeting up with many old friends We were quite lucky with the weather, just a little rain whilst we were listening to the excellent School Jazz Band and having drinks in the Garth A beautiful buffet lunch was provided in Pears School, washed down with some fine wine, after which the Headmaster, Robert Holroyd, gave a speech ORs were then guided around the school by current pupils, ending up in their old houses for tea
If you became a Repton School pupil in any of the years below you will be invited to attend the next Gaudy. Official invites will be sent nearer the time but please save the date in your diaries.
Many then enjoyed the sun watching the School 1st XI play Uppingham on the Square
OR EVENTS (5) GAUDY June 6th 2008
Years of Entry 1951 1961 & 1984 1994, in addition any ORs that joined Sixth Form between 1995 and 1997.
BRANCHES
REPTON PILGRIMS CC (6) Tony Houghton, who has lived in Canada since 1975, has kindly offered to be the overseas link for Easter n Ontario and Quebec, and he can be contacted by email: dtbears@kingston net
On April 19th 2008, there was a gathering of seven ORs and their wives in Canada, enjoyed dinner at the W illow Place Inn, Hudson, Quebec Province Hudson is a lovely village about 30 miles west of Montreal, overlooking the Ottawa River where it broadens into the “Lac des Deux Montagnes” Some of the group stayed over night, meeting for lunch the following day This is the third year the group has met, and they have already begun to plan next year’s meeting, to be held at the Auberge du Moulin, in Wakefield, near Ottawa They plan to get together in April or May 2009
v Lincolnshire Gentlemen's CC (Gents 252-4; Pilgrims 105 - LOST) Three sides were raised and the players did their bit The first game was against a strong Lincolnshire Gentlemen's side who took on a very young Pilgrims side that consisted of current Under 15s and Under 16s and we thank them for playing The Gents batted first and rattled up 252 for the loss of 4 wickets Cosford bowled a tight spell of 5 overs for 4 runs! In reply the Pilgrims were skittled for 102 Many batsmen made good starts but most got out to rash shots, Clemson top scored with 34 v The Gentlemen of Staffordshire (Pilgrims 227-6; Gents All out 133WIN) A better day for the Pilgrims with a stronger side Luke Harvey opened up with 61 and was well supported by Blackwell (41) and Wall (51) The Gents' tail wagged but they were all out for 133 T ight bowling from Blackwell (2 17), W igan (3 16) and Lamb (2 17) was the reason for victory v Warwickshire Imps (Imps 224 8, Pilgrims 186-9 -DRAW) A good rain affected game Imps batted first and declared on a competitive 227 James Blackwell again bowled well taking 3 38 and Eldred had the remarkable figures of 15 overs 1 12! The Pilgrims reply was halted by rain but the captains agreed to extend the game by an hour The Pilgrims took up the challenge, Stevens making 55 and Jacques 53 Quarshie contributed a hard hitting unbeaten 22 but in the end we had to settle for a draw Mike Stones has decided regretfully that after running the Week for more than 12 years that it is time for a younger face to take up the reins This will be a huge hole to fill and I would be delighted to hear from anyone who might like to take on the overall management The idea for next year is that each game should have its own manager whose responsibility will be to raise a side for that game; obviously in close co operation with the other managers James Blackwell has already volunteered to run a game and I would like to hear from others Our thanks to Mike and also to Mike Kettle who has prepared his last wicket at Repton; another great loss Thanks also to the caterers, all the groundsmen, scorers and especially Frank Watson for allowing us to have a roof over our heads and ensuring the pavilion was clean and ready for use each day Frank Russell Repton Pilgrims CC +44 (0)1753 885968 (B) +44 (0)1753 884030 (H) +44 (0)7710 066804 (Mob) +44 (0)1753 891486 (Fax) Web: www reptonpilgrims com
EASTERN ONTARIO and QUEBEC, CANADA Pictured from left to right, standing, are Julian Swann (M ’50), Ian Lauchlan (N ’45), Martin Dawes (H ’68), Jeno Kohner (L’47), Tony Houghton (L’51), Robin MacDonald (N’47), and (sitting) Jim Griffiths (O’65)
OF THE SOCIETY
However, those who I was meant to ‘pass up’ to had all resigned! In fact, so low did we have to go down the constitutional order of precedence that equal seniority was shared by several Thence, for the first time in the Union’s history, the person who was to share the coveted position of President with such esteemed predecessors as John Maynard Keynes was decided by lot (A student newspaper later poetically reported that the lucky name was picked out of a bowler hat, but in fact, all we had to hand at the time was a waste paper bin!)
It had been an enjoyable and rewarding experience and I was sad that that would be my last day in the role But did Sir Richard have an offer to lift my spirits with a double 0 position? Well that would be classified information
A key occasion of the term is the President’s Debate which is, as you would guess, meant to reflect the leanings of the President I was lucky enough to play 1st team university hockey, otherwise known as a Blue at Cambridge, and so I titled my debate “This House would rather have a Blue than a First” However, calamity struck when one of the opposition speakers, Arthur Smith, had to drop out on the day of the event Thankfully though, I could rely on another Old Reptonian at Cambridge to step up to the mark David Eldred Evans Being a three time scholar in his three years at Cambridge, there could have been no one more appropriate to speak against me Unfortunately, he lived up rather too well to his accolades as his cleverly constructed argument was a little to much for my ‘sport is fun’ tack! And that pretty much brings me up to my final meeting with the Chairman of the Trustees I presented my report and, when asked, said that some of my highlights were having dinner with Stephen Hawking, discussing politics with Iain Duncan Smith, shaking hands with the President of Iraq, and getting business advice from Easyjet Stelios (That said though, the real highlight was kissing Abi T itmuss!)
For me to take up the presidency of that term would have meant I’d need to forego on the next term’s presidency and so, not wanting all my preparation to go to waste, I passed up on the position
at events until the close of polls on election day at 9pm It took eight hours for the retur ning officers to count all the votes, but by 5am I was pleased to be announced the President for Easter 2008 Officers at the Union are elected two terms in advance so as to allow for a term of preparation, but that’s not to say my ‘elect’ term passed without event
A vote of no confidence was then taken to the polls and was carried convincingly More surprisingly, though, the then President and Treasurer had decided to publicly back the Vice President before the announcement of the poll result And so, the Union was suddenly without the three most senior positions in the society
A key way to set the tone of the term at the Union is through the termcard which is distributed to every member I wanted to cut a different impression for my term and so one of my first acts as President was to ask Quentin Blake whether he wouldn’t mind illustrating it for me: “If Mr Dahl was an Old Reptonian, then I’d be happy to oblige for another” Great!
Eleven years later, sitting in the wood panelled study of the former Head of the British Secret Intelligence Services (MI6) for the last time, I wondered whether Sir Richard Dearlove (or C, as he was known by the Prime Minister) might just offer me that double 0 status It was my last meeting as President of the Cambridge Union Society with the now Chairman of the Trustees and I figured this would be my last ditch hope at being James Bond!
(7) OR PROFILES: ELLIOT BISHTON (L’99)
Next, I wanted to alter the tone of the term through the substance and so invited comedians like Rob Brydon to give a bit of a show and set a series of debates which were perhaps more lighthearted than previous ones but still, I like to emphasise, touching significant issues “This House regards Jordan as a feminist icon” was such a motion and former Repton gover nor Edwina Currie caused a stir when she leaned over the despatch box and made several rather scandalous accusations at Abi T itmuss, complete with actions and all
On February 4 The Daily Mail ran a headline “Battle over Cambridge” and The T imes wasn’t far wrong when they wrote that, “Oldest debating society talks itself to the brink of closure” The reason for these headlines was a Members’ Business Meeting where a discussed motion became so controversial that the proposer, who just happened to be the Union Vice President, crossed the floor and delivered the opposer a right hook
THE ARCH trivia: Elliot is in fact the second Old Reptonian to be President of the Cambridge Union Society The first was Michael Ramsay (Lent, 1926), who went on to become Archbishop of Canterbury When in a history lesson at Foremarke, the teacher, Mr Hawtree, asked, “Who is this country’s greatest hero?” Knowing the answer, my hand shot up: “James Bond” Despite Mr Hawtree not quite agreeing, my childhood enthusiasm for the seemingly glamorous world of the double 0 agent was not dinted
Having been asked by THE ARCH, here’s a brief piece about how I ended up at that meeting Before I go further, I should perhaps settle any confusion about what the Cambridge Union Society is As it is rather difficult to explain, we are in fact entirely separate from the Students’ Union at Cambridge whereby students are enrolled by default and without cost; instead, students have to proactively choose to become a member of the Union Society and pay a sign on fee Thankfully, this doesn’t put too many off and we have 85,000 lifelong members, with 5,000 currently still at Cambridge Our 200 year history is built on the principles of free speech and debate, for which we invite diverse speakers such as President Reagan, who was the first to sign our current guestbook, to Abi T itmuss, who was the last speaker I hosted as President and currently the last one to have signed that same book I first properly got involved with the Union at the beginning of my second year at Cambridge which, as it goes, is fairly late I figured that if I managed to climb the greasy pole without faltering, then I might just be in with a shot for the top job before I left university By the end of my second year I was, luckily, on track and was beginning my campaign for the big position I seemed to have the upper hand on publicity That was until one mor ning when I tur ned on the radio to hear my main rival on the Today programme, ahead of us hosting Colonel Gaddafi and never relented from the knocking on students’ doors, the distributing of manifestos, the telephoning, and the ‘hacking’ at events until the close of polls on election day at 9pm It took ‘hacking’
I decided that I would don some ripped jeans, lear n a bit about engines and, much to my mother’s dismay, lear n how to stall and recover a plane, well theoretically, at 3000ft
So on Sunday 9th March 2008, I suddenly found myself at Ormond Beach Aviation in Florida, the so called “Sunshine State” After a brief introduction to my mostly male fellow students, with whom I would be living in a goldfish bowl (akin to the “Big Brother House”) for the next five weeks, it was time for fingerprinting at the local police station and a medical with a US air medical examiner Police Officer Walter Melton was kind enough to show me the entire Holly Hill police force arsenal whilst regaling me with heroic stories of his crime prevention escapades Oddly, he even insisted that I try on his police uniform As you can see, I did not go the full monty but I do feel that some of his legendary skills have rubbed off on me
(8) OR PROFILES: LOUISE HOWARTH (G’96) More than just fancy flying!...
From day one the going was incredibly intense Interspersed with the first days of flying lessons, which were understandably nerve wracking (but also exhilarating), I revised for and took the seven ground exams aircraft general, aircraft performance, communications, air law, navigation, meteorology and human performance The workings of carburettors, crank shafts, cylinders and spark plugs were, as the entirely male contingent were all too keen to remind me, all fairly new to me and lear ning engine maintenance was certainly a world away from my life as a lawyer back in London After 18 hours' flying experience, it was time to “go solo” and fly the plane alone My first solo flight was a short distance and not for very long Nevertheless, my heart was pounding and the adrenalin was running high Thankfully I retur ned safely to park the aircraft and was met by my fellow students and instructors to rounds of applause I’m told (admittedly by the male contingent) that the tradition is to rip your shirt off once the solo has been completed Being the only female student on site, however, I had received quite enough attention already so decided a simple regal wave would suffice Ormond Beach Aviation Louise and instructor Frankie “Iceman” Guarino at Ormond Beach Aviation Louise after a solo flight with her instructors The US Air examiner’s surgery ‘PRIVATE PILOT’S LICENCE: “It takes a lot more than just fancy flying! by Louise Howarth (G’96) United Airlines Flight no 0919, which arrived in Orlando Inter national Airport on Sunday 9 March 2008, was the last time I boarded a flight before I could call myself a pilot From this point onwards, aeroplanes and airports would never be the same again OK, so I cannot fly a jumbo jet (but I reckon I could give it a shot) and I cannot describe myself as a “naval aviator” bound for Top Gun but I can now fly “fixed wing, single propeller” Cessnas in “VFR” conditions (which basically means just about perfect weather) This equates to approximately 1 5 days per year in the United Kingdom (if you’re lucky) so, given that I need to undertake 12 hours’ flying time every two years to maintain my private pilot’s licence, I need to finish this article quickly while I can still call myself a pilot! Back at Repton, aged 16, I first developed a taste for flying when I jumped into a Bulldog acrobatic plane and performed loop the loop and barrel rolls over Highgrove as part of the RAF cadet scheme Having completed my law degree in 2004 and an obligatory year at law school, I started my life as a City lawyer at Allen & Overy in March 2006 Fast forward two years and I have now qualified as a litigation associate (and have also moved to Morgan Lewis Bockius, a US law firm located next to St Paul’s Cathedral) After qualification, I had a much needed six week break after a very tough, but enjoyable, three month secondment to Allen & Overy's Paris office This six week break offered me a gilt edged opportunity to fulfil an ambition so, instead of following the herd to Mexico,
The medical examination took place at Spruce Creek, an elite (but slightly bizarre) community complete with its own runway, which is also an old haunt of John Travolta (before his plane was deemed too large for the runway) The doctor held his surgery inside his hangar (as you do) which appended his house Who needs a house and garage when you can have house, garage, swimming pool and hangar?
It was a fantastic feeling and any stress or exhaustion from the previous 5 weeks melted in that moment I had just one night left to celebrate with my new friends before retur ning to London After the intensity of the goldfish bowl that was Ormond Beach Aviation, the Spring Break festivities of Daytona Beach, previously only seen from the air, provided very welcome relief, and I won’t deny that the American cheer leaders were more than pleased to entertain my wannabe aviator colleagues View over Daytona Beach
I’ll thank my navigation training and my Duke of Edinburgh Gold skills for that but I am not ashamed to admit that I do intend to purchase a GPS system for future forays
I am now back in London thoroughly enjoying my new associate position but the memories and the friends I made at Ormond Beach remain with me The flying skills may require some brushing up every now and then but I am very proud to say (just in case you hadn’t noticed) that I am now a pilot (9) After going solo, my flying hours increased dramatically and it was now a race against time to finish the course within the six week period Surprisingly, the key limiting factor tur ned out to be the weather (the “Sunshine State” failing to live up to its name) By this time, I had mastered the flight controls and now had more time to focus on radio communications, route planning and navigation My confidence was also growing rapidly but, while I was tempted to request a “fly by” the tower in true “Top Gun” style, visits to other airports and being reminded that I was flying the smallest, slowest and oldest plane in the sky quickly put me back in my place For example, I was diverted away from Jacksonville airport because a certain George W Bush was visiting Don’t they know who I am?! My Cessna is a match for “Air Force One” any day of the week! I was also told to taxi around St Augustine airport so that I would not be too close to a Gover nment Military Plane while its occupant was escorted in armoured vehicles (Harrumph!) These trips were always fun and I was even asked at St Augustine airport if I would like to co pilot a G5 private jet (for a Russian oligarch) that was heading to Miami During the practice cross country flights, I will be the first to admit that there were moments, while I was taking in the views over the swampy Florida terrain, when I was, shall we say, “temporarily unaware of my exact location” By spotting familiar landmarks on the ground and by timing each leg of my jour ney to the pre chosen check points along the way, I was, however, quickly able to get back on track
The flight controls
View over Daytona Beach
After completing the radio telephony test, night rating and completing a trip to three different airports and having my airmanship graded at each of these airports, I was finally a confident and competent student pilot All that stood between me and my licence was the final skills test with Ken, the examiner However, following a solid week of bad weather, tense decisions had to be made as to whether to change the flight home and miss the ski trip I was supposed be attending or risk not passing the practical exams for which I had worked so hard As the weather deteriorated and flight prices rose, I bit the bullet and bought a new flight home a week later than anticipated Fortunately, my stars were shining and at 6am on 14th April 2008 with the sun rising, I found myself at the flight school checking my plane, filling it with fuel and checking the winds at 3000ft to complete my flight plan for my practical skills test route At 8am (after yet another delay) we finally set off The test itself was relatively simple and involved demonstrating control of the aeroplane, radio communications and navigation In particular, I had to divert the plane, demonstrate 45 degree tur ns, stall the plane (yes that means falling out of the sky directly towards the ground then recovering), practice engine failure procedures and fly with my eyes covered so that I could only use the instruments rather than the view outside After landing and taxiing away from the runway, Ken shook my hand and congratulated me on having achieved my PPL All smiles with the examiners following the skills test Bill (left), Ken the examiner (right)
OR PROFILES: LOUISE HOWARTH (G’96) More than just fancy flying!... continued
Celebrating with the rest of the house after gaining the PPL
Why did Roald Dahl's BFG inspire you to make ‘Solar’ what gave you the spark to do it? Why choose that idea to work from? “It was a quirk of fate really Whilst I was at university, my friend Ian Wharton and I were brainstorming ideas for a short film we wanted to make, and Ian fell ill It was whilst ill that he noticed a copy of Roald Dahl’s BFG he kept in this room, which is where the idea of doing a short about giants first came from We pooled our ideas together and decided to go with it ”
Could you explain what it felt like to have your film picked out ahead of hundreds of other entrants by judges from companies such as Pixar and Sony? “We were just happy to be short listed The Escape Awards are high profile awards in the digital animation industry They are judged by senior decision makers within some of the world’s leading animation companies, such as Sony and Pixar, who all voted online for their favourite The winner wasn’t announced until the day the awards were presented at the Tate Moder n, so with the judges all present, you could tell who your competitors were they were the nervous students in the cor ner I couldn’t have wished to have my work voted on by a higher calibre of people and we were up against some really talented young animators, so to come out on top was just amazing ” What was it like receiving an award from such a respected former film producer like Lord David Puttnam at the Tate Moder n? “It was a bit of a blur Lord Puttnam was the producer of Chariots of Fire, and for such a celebrated film producer to take the time to chat to us afterwards and wish us well was a really nice touch ”
Ed and Ian receive their award Character in the film ‘Solar’
Scene from ‘Solar’
Has winning this award opened any new doors for you? “We certainly made a huge number of contacts which we hope will prove useful in the future It was a great networking opportunity ” What do you plan to do next? “Make another short! I just want to prove to myself that I can do it again ” What advice would you give to budding animators just starting out? “Follow your passion and don’t be afraid to experiment The 10 minutes you spend after class trying to work something out can make all the difference to how you understand something and can really make you stand out Following your passion means lear ning from other people, having an attention to detail and being bold enough to try new things and then perfect them Above all, enjoy it!”
In May 2008, OR Ed Shires won a top national award in digital animation for his short film ‘Solar’, which he co created with his university colleague Ian Wharton. Additionally, they won the Royal Television Society National Undergraduate Animation Award for 2007.
(10) OR PROFILES: ED SHIRES (S’99)
The following interview was carried out with Ed, which initially appeared on the Repton School website: How would you describe your career path so far? “Whilst at Repton I supplemented my A levels by teaching myself Photoshop in my own time, to give myself the skills and design portfolio I needed to get into my university of choice At Cumbria Institute of the Arts I studied Multimedia Design & Digital Animation, and in my final year I created ‘Solar’ as a join project with my friend Ian Wharton whilst completing a major piece of project work and a dissertation! I now work for a London Post Production House called ‘The Mill’, which won an Oscar for the special effects in the film Gladiator So whilst my career path seems conventional on the face of it, I feel it was the extra things I did for myself which have helped me on my way, as well as being a lot of fun ”
Entered in the student category of the Escape Awards, Solar, a four and a half minute animation inspired by Roald Dahl’s BFG, was picked from hundreds of entrants by judges from world renowned companies such as Pixar and Sony, a feat not lost on Dominic Davenport, chief executive of Escape Studios, the company behind the awards: “Achieving this accolade now establishes them as some of the UK’s hottest design talent We have very high hopes for what they do next and expect to see them pushing the boundaries of digital animation again very soon ”
My wife was already a municipal councillor and of course I was always giving her advice! She ended up saying “get yourself elected and do it yourself!” That’s what I did and as a French national was elected mayor in 1995 Not everyone was happy; they still remembered the Earl of Arundel’s treacherous demolition of the castle in 1434!
The first week I became mayor I was called up by a little old lady of 90 who wanted me to ask her brother who is 94 for the right to be buried in the family vault Why me? She said that she had an argument with her brother and that they were not talking to each other I replied that they would surely get over the problem She then informed me that they hadn’t been speaking for 65 years!!
W ith the help of my father in law we set up a restaurant which he ran for 11 years The setting was extraordinary, beside the River Sarthe near a weir and a lovely old stone bridge overlooked by an 11th century Norman church and the remains of a castle once occupied by W illiam the Conqueror, but demolished at the end of the Hundred years War by the Earl of Arundel Although life in the restaurant was hard work the village had a lot to offer It was really a time warp Imagine a Cotswold stone village as it had probably been 200 years before That was it Poaching was rife, fish, rabbits, wild boar Only the women worked whilst the men drank their heritage away, Calvados, cider Life changed little over the next two decades In 1993 life was vaguely disturbed by the first European elections that I can remember being interested in However I was informed that I was not eligible to vote I didn't have French nationality, so couldn't vote in France and didn't reside in the UK so I couldn’t vote there either! As a true European I was pretty angry so I applied for French nationality which was officialised in 1995, in time for municipal elections in the commune
Generally, the subjects are problems between families or neighbours, for instance, squabbles of all sorts, from hedges to inheritance you name it he does it all and has to sort it out He is the mediator
PROFILES:
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OR KEN TATHAM (C’59), French Mayor
A French mayor has enormous power, as first magistrate he is chief of police and registrar, dealing with births, deaths and marriages He performs weddings, he and the councillors decide what rates and taxes should be paid, look after the repairs of the local roads, church, buildings and security But that is only the official side of being a mayor His major role in small rural communities is that of confidant Nowadays there are no longer curates, schoolteachers, doctors or notaries in the commune Some people go to the mayor to pour their hearts out Only he is prepared to listen and it's free!
So after a couple of visits and some thick black coffee laced with calvados the problem was sorted But to the day they died they never spoke to each other The same week an enormous boulder fell off the cliff on to the road and blocked it Unfortunately the owner, yet another old lady didn’t want to pay for any work and I had to deal with the insurance agents, I blocked off the road, got a farmer to protect the area with straw bales, got the fire brigade and their ladder to dislodge the other dangerous rocks and we cleared the problem The same weekend I did my first wedding Was every week going to be like this one? I hadn’t catered for as much implication I remember one Christmas Eve sitting down to dinner with my wife, my boys and their wives and grandchildren The phone rang An inhabitant told me that somebody’s stonewall had fallen onto the main road completely blocking it Unable to drum up any official help all the family spent the next three hours removing the stone and rubble from the road by hand Job done, we sat down again to our meal!! A typical event in a local mayor’s life But you do get a lot of pleasure out of it although you have to be used to receiving a lot of criticism and never any compliments Although you might appear to be more of a social worker than anything else, the French do treat their mayors with a lot of respect and would have difficulty doing without them Being a mayor has given me the opportunity to meet two French presidents and, as the only British mayor France has seen, meet the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in the Louvres Palace in Paris for the centenary celebration of the Entente Cordiale and to be invited to the London Guildhall by the Lord Mayor of London to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy I was even awarded the most prestigious award the “Marianne d’Or” together with three different French Prime Ministers, past and present, for being a truly European mayor I was elected mayor third time round in March of this year probably for the last time round, age obliges, meaning that I have been elected three times running over a span of 19 years Vive la France! Vive la Grande Bretagne! Little did I imagine when I left Repton in 1963, that I would spend most of my life in France Having opted out of university, much to my parents’ horror, I worked my way around Europe for a couple of years ending up in Spain where I met my future wife Christiane, a French girl To cut a long story short, in November 1967 we were married in the little village of 140 inhabitants where we still live today I was immediately attracted to the French way of life The French think they're all philosophers, eter nally long discussions around the dinner table, good food, drink Heaven! Having lived for a couple of years in Paris through the 1968 student riots and six months in South Africa, Christiane and I decided to move to the country with our new bor n son Christopher to Saint Céneri le Gérei
A J Stanley left Repton in 1872 to go up to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he continued to play 'soccer' but did not gain his 'blue' that is, the award of colours for playing in the Varsity game against Oxford After graduating from Cambridge he enjoyed a long career on the Stock Exchange in London, but continued to play football for pleasure He first nailed his colours to the then leading association side Clapham Rovers, and for a time in the late 1870s was the club's secretary He appeared for Clapham Rovers at inside right in the 1879 Cup Final against Old Etonians, when the Rovers were defeated 1 0 But a year later in the 1880 Cup Final he emerged with a winners' medal on this occasion Clapham Rovers overcame Oxford University by the same single goal margin He also played football for the Old Reptonians, Upton Park and London W ith an FA Cup winners' medal already in hand, he had a shot at another emerging sport lawn tennis
Evidently Arthur John Stanley was a 'belt and braces' man to the very end He may not be the most celebrated Old Reptonian of all time, but no other can match either his unique sporting double or splendidly quirky last will and testament Whilst OR Society Chairman, James Ross was “trawling through the inter net” he came across the amusing article below and kindly sent it in to be shared via The Arch. From www youandyesteryear co uk
OR ARTHUR STANLEY (H’66), “Please don’t bury me alive!”
A growing category in our 'Famous Residents' section embraces those who spent their school days in Derbyshire Here Peter Seddon puts the sporting 'Old Reptonian' Arthur Stanley under the spotlight and reveals some curious trivia connected to his accomplishments both in life and in death! Hands up who has heard of Arthur Stanley! If you have just raised an arm you must surely be either a relative or an ardent sports buff for in common with many of his long expired ilk, Arthur Stanley's star doesn't shine quite as brightly today as it once did in his Victorian heyday Yet this Old Reptonian holds a sporting record thought to be unique the only man to gain both an FA Cup W inners' medal and to appear in a tennis final at the W imbledon Championships Arthur John Stanley was bor n in Paddington, London, on 26 June 1853 He was sent by his parents to Repton School, Derbyshire, where during the late 1860s he was first introduced to the then infant sport of association football it had been 'bor n' in 1863 via the formation of the Football Association He soon acquired a proficiency at the burgeoning game and was a member of the Repton First XI in 1871 He was also a fine cricketer, and in the same year a member of the Repton XI We are sorry to say that Sarah Stuart has left her job at Repton School for a promotion elsewhere Although Sarah only worked for the OR Society and Foundation for a matter of a few months, she did create a very positive impression and was most influential in her production of the last issue of The Arch We will miss her and wish her well in the future
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PROFILES:
OR SOCIETY STAFF LEAVER
The now world famous W imbledon Championships had been inaugurated in 1877, and in both 1885 and 1886 Arthur Stanley reached the Mens' Doubles Final in partnership with C E Farrer
The pair were beaten on each occasion by the celebrated Renshaw twins 'W illie' and Er nest in three sets in 1885 and in four sets in 1886 Despite those reversals Stanley and Farrer were evidently accomplished players, for gaining even a single set from the Renshaws was quite an achievement Thereafter, by now in his thirties, Arthur Stanley faded from the sporting scene, but lived a long life He died aged 82 at 53 Lancaster Gate, Hyde Park, London, on 16 July 1935 He left an estate valued at £18,491 and issued some unusual instructions to his survivors In his will he displays the not uncommon contemporary fear of being buried alive and goes to extreme lengths to prevent this he said: 'I direct that before burial my death shall be certified and confirmed by a qualified medical practitioner, and that he shall also sever my jugular vein'!
His next appointment, in command of RAF Benson, was a post which also carried the role of Deputy Captain of the Queens Flight Adam’s final tour was as Military and Air Attaché in Madrid another language to be lear nt and the result: a Diploma with Distinction from the University of Westminster “W ise by name wise by nature one of the kindest, gentlest human beings I have ever known” So said Sarah Warburton, Adam’s lady clerk at Buckingham Palace, when he was Private Secretary to the young Princes, Andrew and Edward The son of a distinguished Member of Parliament, Lt Colonel Roy W ise, and his wife Cassandra, Adam was educated at Repton between 1956 & 1961 After Repton, Adam was seduced away from his studies at Oxford by its University Air Squadron Academia’s loss was to be the Air Force’s and indeed the country’s gain, for Adam went on to enjoy a most distinguished and unusual, indeed unique, career He carried his tall frame slightly stooped with a purposeful stride, positively exuding authority, and spoke in the cultured style of an Edwardian gentleman He achieved something exceptional at Cranwell an exter nal degree in economics and military history from London University this while coping with all other demands of the three year Cranwell course, not least lear ning to fly He went on to join Number 46 Squadron, flying Andovers and then to Singapore as ADC to the Commander in Chief Far East Air Force A three year exchange tour with the Federal German Air Force, flying Transals was followed by a spell at the Officer Cadet School at Henlow W ith promotion to Squadron Leader came command of the Universities of Wales’ Air Squadron He is remembered by a former Squadron member as great fun and very charismatic Then came the Appointment, by appointment so to speak, which Adam remembered with the greatest fondest He was the perfect Equerry to Her Majesty The Queen, and the presence, at Adam’s Thanksgiving Service, of the Master of the Queen’s Household and representatives of their Royal Highnesses the Dukes of York and Wessex, speaks volumes for the very high esteem in which he was held at the Palace In his role, Adam was supremely reliable, eter nally calm, unquestioningly loyal, always amiable and with an engaging (13)
Adam’s next appointment was Command of London University Air Squadron, but such was the very high esteem in which he was held in the Palace that he was asked also to serve as Private Secretary to the two young Princes Despite the formidable challenge, he tur ned in a class performance, although there was occasional confusion on the Squadron One student, unaware of the Boss’s other job, answered a call from Prince Andrew with, “and I’m Father Christmas”, much to Adam’s amusement Cranwell came next, and with promotion to Group Captain, Adam found himself running the University Air Squadrons
OBITUARIES Group Captain
Comments from other attachés included: honest, steadfast, unflappable, a formidable intellect, a dogged determination, especially to perfect his Spanish, and a wonderful raconteur Anecdotes about his time in the Palace were fascinating, yet never was there a single indiscretion or breach of trust, nor was there any unkindness in his humour Through all this and indeed through his entire career, I have the clear impression of a man of determination and steel, yet the gentleman in Adam ensured these attributes were applied with the utmost sensitivity
On retirement Adam first applied to run the Joint Services Sailing Centre at Gosport Called for interview, he faced the board The post had always been dark blue, and half way through, Adam was making far too good an impression for the liking of one board member, who delivered what he thought would be the killer blow “The applicant must have served on board a Navy ship; have you?” Adam’s response, “will the Royal Yacht do?”, almost won the day, but not quite Instead he joined the Officer’s Association in Pall Mall as an Employment Consultant, living in his flat in Pimlico during the week It was not a life style much to his liking, but he had school fees to pay, and he did enjoy the job, so redundancy in 2005 was a bitter pill Nevertheless, it did allow him to spend more time at home with his lovely wife, his children, Cassandra and Alexander, and Staffordshire bull terrier Woozle I need hardly say he adored his children, although he did confide to Jilly that he would far prefer it if children arrived vacuum wrapped aged six He passed on to them the love of sailing and the sea, and saw them into adulthood In stature, in manner, in humour, in knowledge, in unequalled discretion, in loyalty, in determination, in compassion, for he was always true to his friends, especially those in need, Adam had few equals Extracts from a tribute by Simon Bostock ADAM NUGENT WISE LVO MBE (M’56)
smile, Adam has been described by Sir Blair Stewart W ilson, Deputy Master of the Household at the time, and with us here to day, as ‘dead steady’ Adam was known both in the Palace and on board the Royal Yacht as ‘master mind’, such was his fund of general knowledge Adam showed his usual commendable good taste and wisdom when he decided to court his future wife Jilly, also employed at the Palace He did so discreetly without causing embarrassment or difficulties within the Royal Household, and on completion of his tour, they were married in the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace with the reception in the State Rooms Their honeymoon was spent sailing around the W indward Islands on a boat chartered from St Lucia Adam was an accomplished sailor, and in what spare time he had, he skippered the Joint Services Sailing Centre’s Nicholson 55s, introducing many a novice to the thrills of sailing He also crossed the Atlantic in 1988, with a relative and a crew of 5, sailing from the Canaries to Barbados in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers
OBITUARIES
When he stopped playing cricket at the age of 53, his love of the game led him into umpiring, and he continued to officiate almost until the end of his life
A tall and imposing man one cannot imagine him having any trouble from Australian “sledgers” he was a highly respected figure, so much so that he was awarded the Australian Sporting Achievers Award for services to umpiring in 2005 He loved his occasional visits to Repton, and younger ORs will remember him umpiring in the Pilgrim Week and in other Pilgrims matches inevitably wearing his Australian “umpiring kit” He made a special trip to attend the 450th Anniversary celebrations in 2007 Richard will be much missed by his many Repton friends and he gave to the 1982 Pilgrims tourists an experience which none of us will ever forget A fine, long innings was played by Richard Parsons, an esteemed member of Centurions, Australia.
Having been pro chancellor and visiting professor of Chemical Engineering at Strathclyde University in the mid 1980s, Morris was senior pro chancellor and chairman of council from 1986 to 1995 of Loughborough University He also chaired the gover nors of Repton School the first non Old Reptonian to do so
(14) OBITUARIES R.O. PARSONS (O‘35)
Sir Richard Morris despite a lack of scientific grounding, was swiftly spotted by Sir Alan W ilson, an eminent scientist who had joined the Courtaulds board after the war Recognised as a leader of the emergent British plastics industry, he became Courtaulds' youngest main board director in 1967, and was also chairman of British Celanese Morris gradually developed a portfolio of other interests and in 1978 left Courtaulds to become deputy chairman of the National Enterprise Board which was, in its tur n, the Callaghan gover nment's vehicle for intervention, most famously in British Leyland and Rolls Royce It was through the NEB's interest in a relatively small North Sea services business that Morris came to the attention of the American bosses of Brown & Root (now part of Halliburton) where he was chairman of the UK arm until 1992 Morris was appointed CBE in 1985 and knighted in 1992 He remained active in business and public life long beyond retirement age From 1996 he was chairman of Independent Power Corp and from 1997 was chairman of M40 Trains, the operator of Chilter n Railways
His own Repton career was cut short when he had to retur n to Australia to help in the family firm, but he was in the cricket 2nd XI and was active for New House in most sports He came back to England to join the Royal Artillery in 1941, reaching the rank of captain, and was involved in the Military Gover nment of Germany after the end of the war
Back in Australia he built a successful career as a Stock and Share broker on the Mebour ne Stock Exchange
At his home in Derbyshire, Morris found time to keep sheep, plant thousands of trees and grow his own fruit and vegetables He also built up, and greatly enjoyed, a very extensive wine cellar He married Marion Sinclair in 1958; they had two sons and a daughter Extracts from the Daily Telegraph
The news that Richard Parsons has died in Australia, aged 87, will particularly sadden those who took part in the memorable visit to Melbour ne by The Repton Pilgrims in 1982 Thirty cricketers, officials and supporters spent nearly a month over Christmas and New Year, playing twelve matches and attending the Boxing Day Ashes Test (won by England by 3 runs) The tour was Richard’s idea and he planned everything down to the last detail accommodation, catering, fixtures, entertainment and much of this he also very generously and quietly subsidised He was given the title of “The Convenor” and organised everything with great care and forethought so that when some of us were on a beach on Phillip Island on Christmas Eve wondering if anyone had a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine, some one said that Richard would undoubtedly soon appear from the sandhills bearing one, such was his ability to anticipate and see to our needs
Sir Richard Morris, who died on July 1 aged 82, was a charismatic and versatile industrial leader whose experience ranged from plastics at Courtaulds to North Sea oil installations for the engineers Brown & Root, the handling of nuclear waste as chairman of UK Nirex, and the running of Chilter n Railways
James Richard Samuel Morris, always known as Dick, was bor n at Hampstead on 25 Nov 1925, the son of a banker; his mother's family were shipbuilders As a boy, Dick was a chorister at All Saints, Langham Place He was educated at Ardingly College and thereafter embarked on medical training, but found it was not for him He joined the Welsh Guards in 1944 and was commissioned, serving in Palestine and being promoted captain After demobilisation, Morris joined Courtaulds, where his potential,
A true gentleman, cricket lover, and friend to all
The most important role Gover nors have to perform is to select a new Headmaster and when Graham Jones retired in 2003 after sixteen years in post Dick was instrumental in conducting the Selection Committee, firstly in London at his beloved Athenaeum Club and finally at Repton with the entire Board present T ime has already proved that the final selection of one of the youngest applicants with no previous experience as a Headmaster was a judicious one as Repton’s academic results have continued to improve, the School’s sporting traditions have been strengthened through the winning of a range of UK titles and numbers have risen to an all time record in spite of the national and inter national economic situation Although five years into retirement from Chairmanship he retained a keen interest in all things to do with the School right to the end and he will be greatly missed at Repton and in all places where his wide sphere of influence extended Edward Wilkinson (C’46) Sir Richard Morris’s influence on Repton Affairs 1987 to 2003. Sir Richard Morris, who died on 1st July this year aged 82, was appointed a Repton Gover nor in 1987 at a time when the School numbers were 563 He became Chairman of the Gover ning Body in June 1997, the first non Reptonian to hold this office When he retired and was dined out in December 2003 he was presented with an illuminating globe which took pride of place in his study At that time school numbers had risen to 583 and they have continued to rise ever since to today’s level of 640 Much has been written of Dick Morris’s career starting with his time as a boy chorister at All Saints, Langham Place and thereafter at Ardingly College and Birmingham University, and I don’t intend to repeat what has appeared in many places, including The T imes and The Daily Telegraph, not to mention my own account which was published in The Reptonian in July 2004 following his retirement as Chairman of Gover nors In all these obituaries his passion for education stood out like a beacon, not only through his Chairmanship of Gover nors at Repton but also through his appointment as Senior Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council at Loughborough University to name but two of many appointments he held concer ned with professional education in particular Earlier he had led a campaign to save S Anselm’s School at Bakewell by taking it from a family ownership to being managed by a Trust resulting it in being a very successful Independent Preparatory School to this day He served his ‘apprenticeship’ as a gover nor under the Chairmanship of Air Marshal Sir Charles Pringle and from 1993 to 1997 Nicholas W ilson before becoming Chairman himself in 1997 W ith a wealth of experience from his many appointments in industry he brought another dimension to the Board and both Chairmen he served under (15)
OBITUARIES
Other major projects which were started or completed in this time included the building of Field House, the extension and redevelopment of the Art School, new all weather hockey pitches at Repton and Foremarke, the addition of the Studio Theatre to the 400 Hall, and the conversion of The Mitre into the fourth girls’ House Apart from controlling the activities of the board his working relationship with the Headmaster and through him the senior management team ensured that Repton’s status in the independent sector grew year by year as a result of the many aspects of the schools’ activities, both at Repton and Foremarke as well as he always regarded and considered the schools to be ‘a seamless garment’ So far as extra mural activities were concer ned both Dick and Marion were ever present and latterly when his London based workload eased he made himself available from Friday to Monday at Repton for whatever was needed from concerts, drama and Chapel Services
Sir Richard Morris continued were delighted to have a Derbyshire resident able to give so much time to Repton affairs in spite of his still busy life elsewhere as he usually headed back to his beloved Breadsall Village at the weekend
right through to sporting activities His interest in both Loughborough University and Repton led to his founding, and generously funding, a scholarship to aid deserving pupils going from Repton to this prestigious University and his relationship with the then Vice Chancellor brought the expertise of Sir David Wallace to Repton as a Gover nor
When he became Chairman of the Board of Gover nors in 1997 he soon injected his own style into proceedings and when he thought the discussion had gone on long enough he would roll a metaphorical hand grenade down the table which quickly brought matters to a conclusion in accordance with his wishes, despite, of course, having let most have their say! He stated at the outset that he aimed to leave Repton’s finances in a good state but would encourage development within affordable limits and to this end the ‘Forth Bridge’ moder nisation of boarding houses continued and such major projects as the Swimming Pool and Sports Hall were completed and his personal contact with the chairman of the constructing company ensured that we got value for money for the pool at the end of the day
Throughout his time as Chairman, and across the whole spectrum of affairs that face a Gover ning Body, Dick was never afraid to meet problems head on and lead the Board to reaching a decision, which, in time, usually proved to have been the right one
TRB Collins (M’43) who died in May 2008, broke a long standing record of C B Fry’s for one of his athletic performances in 1946/47 He was a fine medium/long distance runner from memory (Edward W email 16 5 08) Others Sir James Richard Samuel Morris (Ex Gover nor) died June 2008
Respected figures from the cricketing world visited Repton in April to pay respects to one of the School’s most illustrious alumni, C B Fry, in a rededication ceremony of his grave given by the vicar of Repton, Rev Peter Paine, on the same day that the MCC played the School’s 1st XI MCC Chairman Charles Fry, former English cricketer Richard Hutton and BBC cricket scorer and statistician Bill Frindall, Repton Pilgrims President David Carr and the Headmaster of Repton School, Robert Holroyd, were among the distinguished guests who gathered for the ceremony held to rededicate the grave of a historic player that John Arlott, BBC cricket broadcaster, described as “perhaps the most variously gifted Englishman of any age ”
As a pupil at Repton, one of his most frequently recounted stories was that his only ever coach in athletics was his Repton housemaster Mr Arthur Forman It is perhaps not surprising, therefore, that when he died his ashes were interred at Repton Parish Church, in the shadow of the School’s Priory building and near the grave of Arthur Forman Chairman of the Gover nors and grandson of C B Jonathan Fry decided that the very simple headstone on the grave should be made more fitting of one of Repton’s most distinguished sons This has now been done, with the new stone carrying the simple but powerful words: “1872 C B Fry 1956 Cricketer, Scholar, Athlete, Author The Ultimate All Rounder ”
Mitre 1954 P M Mott May 2008
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Priory 1930 Canon Russell Robert 20th April 2008
1943 George Michael (Mickey) Bridge 23rd May 2008
1935 Richard Parsons 17th April 2008
1956 Adam W ise 14th February 2008
Brook 1953 Nigel Sharp 1st June 2008 Orchard
Dominick E W Spencer, Ex Teacher Foremarke
Speaking at the ceremony Jonathan Fry said: “The previous dedication to my grandfather was minimal and for years the family has been saying we must do something about it He is one of the School’s most distinguished alumni and we are delighted to be able to honour him in this way ”
1943 Olive J P Sykes 12th August 2008
Eleanor Jadwat, Matron of Cross and Garden 1995 2003, died 12th November 2007
C B FRY Remembered
Cross 1947 John Edward (Ted) Griffith 14th June 2008
New 1953 John Mellors 16th March 2008
DEATH ANNOUNCEMENTS
1943 TRB Collins 10th May 2008
Hall 1933 John G Rodger 28th May 2008
Robert and Penny Holroyd before take off
Steel we have seen aplenty this year at Repton in a whole variety of contexts The academics go forward strongly, with the most encouraging headline statistics significant in so far as they illustrate how many Reptonians are fulfilling their potential, and lear ning that vital lesson in life, that our motivation is every bit as important as our ability We have shown steel in our games too, the girls winning a fourth national hockey title in succession, against sides just as talented but not nearly as well prepared as we were (hats off to the coaches, Messers Jones and Clague and to the inspirational captain, Georgie Twigg) And talking of national title winning performances, how gratifying it was to see the boys match the girls every inch of the way as The XI became national Twenty20 Cricket Champions, beating Dulwich in a splendid final at John Paul Getty’s Wormsley Manor ground just twenty four hours after Speeches! This was a golden Repton day The boys had come through a tough draw, beating strong Trent, Rugby, Shrewsbury and King’s Taunton sides in their way to the final and despite the mighty striking of sixes by Charles Sindrey, Richard Lawrence and Tom Cosford, at the conclusion of our innings I wondered if our 140 was going to be enough I need not have worried The boys’ performance in the field was one of the best I have ever seen, Tom Eldred’s and Luke Lacey’s match winning spells being matched by superb fielding both close to the wicket and in the deep Indeed the sixty run winning margin was no less than this side deserved! Forgive me a little indulgence but, as I left the ground in James Leavesley’s, (N ’75), helicopter, to hover over Repton some fifty minutes later and see the whole campus spread out in brilliant evening sunlight, I felt proud to be Headmaster of this very special School And this national Twenty20 victory was but one example of the success of a fine side that has played the traditional game just as well, winning ten out of fifteen games under the splendid leadership of Tom Poynton Tom was superbly supported by Hamza Siddique who amassed an aggregate of 806 runs at an average of 80 6 including a magnificent 207* against Wolverhampton Grammar School, thereby surpassing John Howell’s record which had stood since 1914 How important it is for the boys and girls to see that they can emulate the great achievements of Repton’s past by making history in the moder n age too! Dear ORs, As ever in the October edition of The Arch, I am grateful for this opportunity of bringing you up to date with the School’s latest progress and our plans for the future I hope you may find it useful to read my thoughts in conjunction with the attached List of Achievements which records a range of notable goals attained by current Reptonians over the course of the past year The list is by no means exhaustive, but recognises the major accomplishments of the last twelve months and, I believe, gives you a flavour of what is happening at the School at the moment I hope it will also allow me to range a little more freely in sharing with you what I believe to be the opportunities and challenges facing the School as we move onwards from our 450th Anniversary Tuesday 29th April 2008 was a special day for Repton Three generations of the Fry family were joined by a notable range of ORs and luminaries from the cricketing world in a ceremony to celebrate the rededication of the great CB’s grave Jonathan Fry, (H’51), current Chairman of Gover nors, had chosen four simple words to describe the achievements of his legendary grandfather, ‘Cricketer, Scholar, Athlete, Author’, a timely reminder to us all in this age of hyperbole Afterwards, over lunch in The Hall, John Walker, (H ’46), suggested in typically generous fashion that it might be appreciated if I proposed a toast to Archie, son of Giles and Lucy Brealy and CB’s great grandson Indeed it was a Repton moment to savour! Later that day, watching from the most heavenly of perches that is the Pavilion Balcony as the School bravely overhauled the MCC’s target of 186, I found myself chatting to Richard Hutton, (H ’56), President Elect of the Old Reptonian Society for 2009 ‘What was it’ I asked Richard, ‘that he had lear ned from his cricketing days on the square?’ ‘Well one thing they taught me’ said Richard succinctly (and surprisingly!)’, ‘was how to lose in the right way ’ That struck me as significant, especially coming from a future England player who had no doubt done vastly more winning than losing on the Square as he accumulated a string of spectacular hundreds in his time here Richard’s comment got me thinking that for all the emphasis in today’s society on the quantifiable and the measurable, schools should ultimately be in the business of nurturing that which cannot easily be measured, namely those values, such as the ability to lose with dignity and win with humility, which will stand pupils in good stead for the rest of their lives Put another way, one of the great challenges for schools in general today, and for independent schools such as Repton in particular, is the need to stand up and assert the primacy of qualities over qualifications, not that the two, of course, should be in competition with each other and important as the latter undoubtedly are Qualities such as steel, nerve, sensitivity, vision and leadership and not the ‘gung ho’ variety fostered in so called ‘leadership seminars’ but the wise, creative, inclusive strain that is bor n of years of good parenting, good teaching and an ambitious approach to taking the first class opportunities that are on offer in a place such as this (17)
LETTER FROM THE HEADMASTER, ROBERT HOLROYD
LETTER FROM THE HEADMASTER continued the official opening of the School in January As I write, the Senior School has just opened its doors and combined numbers across the junior and senior departments now stand at more than a thousand Whilst this is extremely healthy and indicative of the quality of teaching that has been evident in the School’s first year, the challenges that now await us include the maintenance of the highest standards across the board to ensure the combined standing of Repton’s name and the development of strong, practical links between the two Schools that will ensure the relationship is a vibrant one that means something to the pupils W ith this in mind, Mr Owen is now working hard on developing an Inter national Perspectives Conference here at Repton together with the creation of a workable and effective exchange programme and the use of the latest ICT to enable real time lesson and lecture transfer to enhance the academic programmes at both ends I hope that as many ORs as possible will visit the School and get the same thrill as I did on walking through the “Arch in the Gulf” and seeing Dubai Reptonians in the Repton uniform working and playing happily together!
It is not my intention here to duplicate detail that has, I hope, already been clearly explained, but rather to share with you something of wider thinking behind the plan As we go forward, you will have observed that two of its key strands are the transformation of 400 Hall into 450 Hall and the creation of the Science Priory, projects which are, by any standards, major undertakings Some of you may well ask the question ‘Why build now?’, especially in view of the current economic situation and it is, of course, a question which the Gover nors have deliberated long and hard The answer lies in firstly the fact that unlike many schools in the sector, our own finances
Retur ning to the final quality I referred to earlier, that of leadership, rarely have I seen it better illustrated than in the contribution made by this year’s outgoing Head Prefects, Tamsin Rees Jones and Charles Sindrey Popular, but not afraid to incur unpopularity when necessary, and without an ounce of cynicism in either of them, they have set an outstanding example of leadership to the whole community and have shown that the development of lasting qualities as well as first class qualifications is very much alive at the School I recently enjoyed re reading Michael Ramsey’s 1957 Sermon (Terminal Letter 211) preached at the occasion of the 400th Anniversary Commemoration Service In it he describes the jour ney of the pilgrim who goes, in the words of the Psalmist, from ‘strength to strength ’ Ramsey argues that the individual’s jour ney is paralleled by that of the institution, which also needs to rejuvenate itself as the major landmarks are reached I feel confident that Archbishop Ramsey would have seen the development of Christian qualities in our pupils as a true sign of an institution going from ‘strength to strength’, but whilst these personal virtues are of course, the most precious legacy we can bequeath future generations, neither must we be shy of measuring our achievement in terms of the physical capital we leave for the Reptonians of tomorrow It is with this in mind that the Gover nors and I recently set out our vision for the future of the School in the leaflet that you will all by now have received, ‘450 Onwards ’
So plenty of examples of steel in the games And as for nerve, what better example could you wish to see in a young person than Rosemary Stefanuik’s sparkling editorship of The Reptonian she and her team, guided expertly by Jon Hill, have challenged, extended and informed their readership, producing what is in my view one of the outstanding magazines in the sector
Sensitivity aplenty has been in evidence in the inspirational way in which John Bowley has revived the tradition of choral music making at Repton those of you who witnessed John’s conducting of the Bob Chilcott commission at the 450th Commemoration Day will be eagerly anticipating his next venture, the revival of MusSoc in a November performance of Mozart’s Requiem and the commissioning of a piece to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Chapel in 2009 How good it is to hear Reptonians singing heartily in Chapel in the tradition of Mervyn W illiams and Michael Salter and how beautiful to hear the Choir enhancing our worship with their energy and refined harmonies So often in a school, vision comes in the way pupils are inspired to look out beyond the walls of the institution itself to the wider world beyond Two key examples come to mind when assessing the achievements of the past twelve months
Let us hope that all parties can work sensibly together for the good of the community as a whole
The first is the way in which Reptonians continue to tackle their charitable obligations with real appetite and attack In some schools such activities come second to qualifications Not here This year over £30,000 was raised through Sale of Work, and to sit in the pupil led committee meeting on how the money is allocated to local and national charities is one of the highlights of my annual calendar And this magnificent effort was followed by the raising of more than £11,000 in the Lent Charity Appeal to fund two classrooms in Karimba Primary School, Kenya We greatly look forward to a group of Reptonians going out to Karimba next year to see the progress of the project and help with the teaching of local youngsters Indeed this effort, and (thanks to the generous donations of many of you to the Foundation), the continued ability of the School to fund a significant number of bursary assisted places, shows how integral an institution such as Repton is to the charitable framework of its wider community, and how gover nments of whatever colour would tinker with the foundations at their peril No doubt you will have read about this matter in the press, where it has been given extensive recent coverage My judgement, for the reasons stated above, is that Repton is well placed to withstand the scrutiny of the Charity Commissioners and that fee levels, and thereby the long term future of the School, will not be adversely affected by the political ambitions of central gover nment
Just as it is central to the Repton philosophy to encourage our pupils to look out to the world beyond the Arch within the UK, I think it is an important part of the Reptonian education to develop in each pupil here a sense that they will one day live and work in a global employment market The creation of Repton Dubai has been an important element in the development of this philosophy, and we now excitedly await (18)
LETTER FROM THE HEADMASTER continued more than a teaching block, (how I hate that word!), seeking instead to inspire in young Reptonians a sense of social responsibility through the understanding of the issues that will be key to the well being of generations in years to come Importantly, both facilities will be used by the majority, if not all, Reptonians as well as having a strong community focus 450 Hall will be home to a range of initiatives involving schoolchildren from the county as well as our own pupils and the Science Priory will become a centre for the teaching of science across the region I hope this rationale appeals to your love of the place as well as the sense of ambition for Repton that I know all of you cherish The plans are demanding, and we will unquestionably need the support (although not, of course, necessarily unquestioning), of the whole community to bring them off I will finish, if I may, by retur ning to the question of values It strikes me that the pressures placed on today’s young put the quality of mental fight at a premium ‘Twas ever thus’, you may say, but the combination of the relentless demands imposed upon he young by today’s league table, qualifications based culture and the blandishments of the consumer society (all sorts of material goods available to too many too soon) constitutes a particular danger In W illiam Blake’s poem ‘Jerusalem’, sung with such gusto by generations of Reptonians, the poet concludes with the words: ‘I will not cease from mental fight Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand, T ill we have built Jerusalem In England’s green and pleasant land ’
That mental fight is now even more relevant than when Blake wrote the poem Growing up has never been easy As the norms of decent behaviour fritter at the edges, growing up becomes harder One of the reasons why Repton has flourished is that it has stood firm on certain issues Absolutes can be dangerous but we are absolute for generosity and kindness towards others as opposed to bullying and all other forms of violence; absolute for trust and honesty as opposed to deceit and absolute against drugs which are the greatest scourge of the young How to be a decent moral person and at the same time remain both competitive and successful in worldly terms is not easy Such integrity always demands mental toughness across a lifetime and without integrity there is little chance of building much of value, let alone anything green and pleasant The years at Repton should be part of the training and I hope in that sentiment you will hear an echo across the years Penny joins me in sending you and your families warmest good wishes for the year ahead Yours sincerely, Robert Holroyd, MA Headmaster (19) are strong, with pupil numbers having grown by 20% since 2003 and the Gover nors having financed the £10m already spent on capital projects during the same period from the School’s own resources and without any borrowing Whilst we may, of course, need to be flexible over the timings of our new ventures, this foundation nonetheless gives us the confidence to see the next five years as a time to be bold and strengthen our hand in the market Schools and especially Repton, are ultimately about people, but buildings and facilities do matter I am a great believer that they stimulate pupils, are important to parents and they are indicative of a school’s educational vision In particular, I believe passionately that good architecture inspires the young to lear n, not necessarily in a way that they can articulate at the time but in a manner that will subconsciously influence them and develop patter ns of taste and discrimination that will set a tone for their adult lives Thus we seek in these buildings to inspire and provide a twenty first century legacy that will stand comparison with that bequeathed by earlier generations You may have read in the press of the need for the independent sector to shift towards the ‘low fat’ model and Chris Woodhead Her Majesty’s former Chief Inspector of Schools, has even spoken of the ‘fripperies’ of the private sector, especially boarding schools such as ours It will not surprise you to lear n that I disagree with his view Whilst change must be wise, creative and prudently managed, schools such as Repton stand out over the ‘low fat’ model precisely because they teach well and provide a range of opportunity that goes beyond the narrow need to achieve good examination results Thus the new plans for 450 Hall will stimulate the kind of confidence in the young that only treading the boards in an inspiring setting can bring And the Science Priory will be
• 21 pupils have completed their Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, despite last summer's expedition having to be postponed because of torrential rain Sophie Griffiths (U6F), Andrew Keep (U6L), Emily Summerton (U6G) and Samantha Gibbons (U6F) have completed the Gold Award
• The editorial team of The Reptonian, led by Rosemary Stefaniuk (U6M), was responsible for the publication of one of the best school magazines in the sector
• Abbey won the House Unison competition Field House won the Harmony competition with a fantastic arrangement of April Showers by Annie Collett (U6F)
• The refurbishments of the Music School and the Chapel organ have commenced
• The Girls’ Under 18 Hockey team won the National Championships for the fourth year running The Girls’ Under 16 Hockey team were runners up in the National Plate competition
• Hannah Dunford (5G) and Christopher War ner (5N) have been awarded Arkright Scholarships
• Despite being one of the youngest competitors present, Jesse Guiliani (5L) won a double victory in the Burton on Trent Vocal Competition held during Lent term
• Highlights of the Subscription Concert series were the Schubert Ensemble, O Dou and The Brook Street Band
• Georgina Twigg (U6F) is the England Under 18 Hockey Captain
• Andrew Keep (U6L) has been awarded a place on the prestigious Deloitte Scholars’ Scheme for his gap year
• Drama: The School Play, ‘Twelfth Night’ , was performed in the round in Pears School in November The Junior School Play was ‘Animal Farm’ JMGL produced Tom Stoppard’s ‘Dirty Linen and New found land’ in Repton and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, August 2007 (20)
• The School Orchestra, Concert Band and Jazz Band played throughout the year In the Michaelmas concert the orchestra performed Saint Saens’s Danse Macabre, Schubert’s Symphony No5, 1st movement and, accompanied by the Chapel Choir, Monteverdi’s Beatus Vir and Berlioz’s L’Adieu
• Charlotte Craddock (L6A) has been selected for the GB Olympic Hockey team and played in Beijing this summer
• In October, the history of Repton was presented in a Son et Lumière produced by JHB and JMGL The show ran for four nights and involved over 100 pupils Original music was written by JAR and NJF and the script was by IWM and PJS
• The Opera Society took trips to L'elisir d'amore, Madama Butterfly, and A Midsummer Night's Dream
• A number of Repton pupils have been awarded places on the competitive Gifted and Talented courses run by Villiers Park: Rebecca Parrish (U6A) (Words for Music); Melanie Harrison (U6A) (English Literature); Charlotte Aston (U6G) (The World in Crisis?); Roanna Mottershead (U6A) (History of Urban Britain); Gemma Beardsall (U6A) (Classical Studies: New Approaches to Old Ideas); Aaron Burgess Smith (L6C) (Religion and Philosophy: What is Truth?); Georgina Chamberlain (L6A) (Geographical Imaginations); Aaron Paxton (L6C) (Mathematics: Chaos or Clear Cut?) and Hannah Watson (L6M) (Criminal Issues)
• Sale of Work raised £30,000 which was donated to 70 local, national and inter national charities
• In the 2008 exter nal public examinations, the boys and girls achieved 54 2% As and 85 1% A/Bs at A level
REPTON SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES IN 2007/2008
• Saskia Matthews (L6G) was selected to represent the UK on the prestigious ‘People to People Programme’ in August 2008 Saskia will spend a week at Stanford University where she will join a Future Leaders Summit focusing on Law
• Twelve Reptonians took the English Speaking Board’s Grade 8 Advanced Certificate in Spoken English; all achieved either 'merit plus' or 'distinction'
• The Art Department hosted exhibitions by our A level and GCSE candidates
• In November, the world renowned King’s Singers delivered a memorable day of music at Repton, with an engaging and lively singing workshop for prep school children and the Reptiles in the after noon, and a finely polished concert performance in the evening
• Many visitors came to the School to speak Among the lecturers to the Upper Sixth this year were The Right Hon, Nick Raynsford, MP (OR), Sir Nigel Rudd and Rachel Elnaugh
• At AS level, pupils achieved 39 2% As and 67 5% A/Bs, and in their GCSEs 30 3% A*s and 60 3 % A*/As
• The whole School sang an excerpt of Faure’s Requiem on Remembrance Sunday
• The Lent Term Charity Cabaret involved 150 pupils performing over four nights to a total audience of 1,200 It raised over £10,000 for the Lewa Educational Trust
• Rebecca Parrish (U6A) achieved her Diploma ABRSM
• Pavel Shaynoga (L6C) has recently been awarded a place at the Senior Physics Challenge 2008 run by the Physics Department at Cambridge University; he is the first Repton pupil to do so
des Bergers
• The Girls’ Under 18 and Under 16 Netball teams won their county tour nament and the Under 14s were runners up For the first time, Repton teams at Under 18, Under 16 and Under 14 represented Derbyshire at the Midlands tour nament: the Under 18s were the most successful, finishing fourth (losing by one goal to the eventual winners)
• The Girls’ Under 18 Tennis team reached the National Finals of the Aberdare Cup
• School Golf captain John Jones (L6L) has been invited to play for the Shropshire Men’s team after winning the Shropshire and Herefordshire Union Junior County Championship
• In 2008 the 1st XI cricketers won the National Independent Schools’ Twenty/20 competition The senior boys also had a successful tour of Grenada in December 2007
• The Girls’ Football team narrowly lost out in extra time in the semi final of the National ISFA Girls’ Cup Sophie Griffiths (U6F) and Lucy Setterington (3A) both played for the ISFA Girls’ representative team in the Under 18 and Under 16 age groups respectively
2008 Our Lower Sixth achieved 39 2% A grades and 67 5% A/B grades in their AS examinations in 2008 and thus have laid the foundations for some impressive A level results in a year’s time At GCSE we once again saw an increase in the percentage of GCSEs awarded an A*, with 30 3% of the examinations sat by O Block pupils gaining the top grade, compared with 28 4% last year Eleanor Holroyd (F) and Robert Keep (L) achieved A* grades in every one of the ten examinations that they sat, and a further twenty four candidates achieved an A* or A in every subject T im Owen Deputy Head (Academic) We were delighted with our examination results this year at both A level and GCSE The Upper Sixth had been set a hard challenge to break 85% A/B grades at A level for the second consecutive year They responded superbly and in the end achieved 54 2% A grades and 85 1% A/B grades The year group had been encouraged to aim high in its selection of universities and courses, and these results meant that the vast majority were able to accept places at their first choice Fifteen pupils achieved four or more A grades, most notably Rosemary Stefaniuk (M) who passed seven A levels, all at grade A Rosemary was awarded maximum marks in all six A level modules in Physics and Melanie Harrison (A) achieved the same feat in English Literature (21)
• Sarah Parkin (5F) reached the last thirty for selection to the Olympic Women’s Handball team
• Our swimmers have had an excellent year The annual Bridge to Bridge Race in Burton saw victories in the boys’ junior and senior team events; James Dickinson (U6O) and Lauren Brain (U6G) won their respective individual titles Lauren Brain (U6G) and Kate McCallin (L6A) won Derbyshire County titles in their individual age group events However the greatest successes were at the National Independent School Relays: all four teams reached their respective finals, itself an unprecedented success Our senior girls were placed seventh nationally in the medley and fifth in the freestyle relay The EXAMINATION RESULTS
REPTON SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES continued
• The School won the Independent School of the Year award and the Female Student of the Year award went to Charlotte Craddock (A) in the Daily Telegraph's ‘School Sport Matters’ Awards.
• Michael Stones (U6O) has gained his UKCC Level 2 cricket coaching award after passing a course this winter, making him one of the youngest coaches at this level in the country
• To date, the Girls’ 1st Tennis team is unbeaten
• Tom Poynton (U6S) made his County Championship and Twenty/20 debut for Derbyshire1st XI in 2007 He joins three other Repton cricketers from the last two years (Chris Paget, Paul Borrington and Ross Whiteley) who have been given professional contracts by Derbyshire for the 2008 season and beyond
• Craig Whitfield (3O) was selected to represent England in the European Youth Chess Championships in Croatia
• Verity Stephens (U6A) was selected to represent Great Britain at Judo in its Under 20 side in a three day inter national competition in Belgium where she finished a creditable 7th out of 50
• Peter Perera (U6L) continues to win national honours in the sailing world
boys’ team came second in the 400m freestyle relay final and then won the Dunelm Cup (the medley relay)
• Our athletes rounded off a very successful season with outstanding performances at the County Championships in June Thirteen of the eighteen competitors won medals, including gold medals for the following: Senior 100m, David Jones (U6L); Senior Triple Jump, Luke Carlile (L6L); Senior 800m, Georgie Chamberlain (L6A); Senior Long Jump, Aoife Broderick (L6A); Senior Discus, Alex Hall (L6M) and Intermediate Shot Putt, James Perera (5P)
Luckily for us, our superiors well understand this reliance on The Grubber, and they have included our well loved retreat in their development plan I have to say, I find this aspect of the plan by far the most exciting That is not to say, however, that the planned extension and refurbishment of The Grubber has not met with some resistance After all, when somebody tries to change something which is loved just the way it is, it is understandable if people are slightly doubtful, if not aggressive I well remember the uproar caused by the introduction of the ‘cheese and bacon melt’ Things were not the same for weeks, until we realised that cheese and bacon melts are in fact little pieces of Heaven, which go into the microwave and magically reappear, well melted (22)
Although, I would like to add at this stage, to reassure you, that the Grubber obsession is, in fact, a healthy one, since it is not, actually, all about the food I will not lie; there are very few people who can resist a hot sausage roll come break time When, after three lessons, the stresses and strains of academic life have all become too much, the offer of the ultimate comfort food for just 55p is very difficult to resist My own love for Grubber sausage rolls (some have gone as far as to label it an addiction) was, in fact, one of the deciding factors in my recent switch to vegetarianism, and, after three months, it still only takes one look at one of them on somebody else’s plate to have me regretting the choice Roast dinners are easy; bacon sandwiches I can handle; but a Grubber sausage roll would tempt an animal rights activist, and possibly even Linda McCartney Is it really surprising that such easy access to an irresistible snacking experience is so pleasing to 600 growing teenagers? Yes, The Grubber does food, and it does it well, and that is important, but I don’t think it is what’s most important of all Firstly, The Grubber is ours It is a place for pupils, where we can be pupils As long as you are well mannered, don’t push into the queue and clear up your plates before you leave, The Grubber ladies, Repton’s own superheroes, won’t tell you off or throw you out They’ll even give you a free sausage roll on your birthday, if you’re really nice There are very rarely
There is no denying, however, despite any quick cover up, that the former, more spontaneous answer is the more honest It’s the answer on the tip of your tongue, the one you swallow and replace with something more impressive, because, after all, who wants to come to a school where the pupils value their ‘tuck shop’ above all else? “Repton Your child will leave us older, wiser and morbidly obese ”
SCHOOL NEWS THE GRUBBER
The School’s tuck shop has provided Repton pupils with snacks and a place to meet ever since it’s opening This summer The Grubber has had a complete refurbishment and to celebrate we have included an article by current pupil Hannah Watson (M), as well as photographs both new and old, capturing the essence of this important part of school life!
When we break up for the holidays, there isn’t much I miss about Repton, but, I will admit, there are two things I find it difficult to live without The first one is my friends, and the second, more importantly, is The Grubber Many a time I’ve sat on a beach in some exotic location halfway through August and, as my watch hits 11:00, muttered with a sigh to anybody who’d listen, ‘Grubber time ’ , only to realise, seconds later, with a painful jolt, that I’m thousands of miles away from the longed for building and my chances of a sausage roll are slim to well, none, actually The Grubber; Many, me included, would argue that if one wanted to illustrate life at Repton, this would be the place to head for Situated at the heart of the school, in between the Physics and Biology departments, and far more important than either, The Grubber plays a crucial role in the life of the majority of Reptonians When asked by a prospective parent, pupil or pedagogue, “What is it you like best about the school?”, we will, of course, come out with a range of impressive answers including, perhaps, “The House”, “The sport”, “My maths teacher”, but one member of the group will always proudly cry out “The Grubber!!” This is usually hastily followed by a rather embarrassed, “No, no, I’m joking It’s the House, obviously, or the sport, yes, definitely the sport no, actually, I’ve decided! It’s my maths teacher, he’s inspirational!”
teachers in The Grubber; they generally leave us to get on with it So you can relax, unwind, shout and scream Spice Girls songs if you really want to, and nobody really cares The Grubber is our refuge School doesn’t come into it, unless you count finishing off the odd essay at break, which, of course, rarely ever happens When bored of an after noon, it is the only place to head to, for company and cookies You can guarantee The Grubber won’t be empty, and, if the cookies have run out, you’ll cope; it’s just nice to be there, really In winter, it’s warm and the hot chocolate flows, and in summer, The Grubber seems to extend outside onto The Paddock, where one can lie and watch cricket and consume ridiculous numbers of ice lollies without feeling guilty, because they aren’t exactly real food are they? And so The Grubber is a sanctuary, an escape from the hectic pace that is Repton, and I really do not know how we would survive without it
included projected, filmed scenes and also had a great deal for the large ‘chorus’ of hypnotised school pupils to do It was also pleasing to see our Drama Scholars in starring roles; Sarah Cotterill (A), Blair Dunlop (S), Charlie Pass (L) and Ben Donovan (S) In June 2008 the Junior Play was Animal Farm, presented as an ensemble piece on a virtually bare 400 Hall stage
What it is vital to remember, however, is that it is not the building, the benches, the number of tables, which are important What really matters is what our Grubber stands for, and that is not about to change Tradition will outlast a new coat of paint, and, just like the famous bacon and cheese melt, the new Grubber will soon become integrated into our daily lives, and rest close to our hearts, to be loved, cherished and valued above all else Hannah Watson (M)
The last two issues of The Arch have featured the major dramatic events of the school, the Son et Lumière and two stunning Charity Cabarets However, of course, there has been much more going on, both in academic and production terms The GCSE and A Level courses continue to go from strength to strength and it is normal now for the majority of A Level candidates to be scoring more than 90% for their practical examinations There have been many theatre trips, including one to see Moon Landing at Derby Playhouse, which featured Alexa Chapman (F), in a supporting role The traditional Drama Duologue Competition is increasingly popular, its quality enhanced by the fact that we now have four years of Scholars and Exhibitioners at Repton
Pears School Set in the round in the middle of the floor, framed by trussing and tiered seating, the approach was simple and effective The only set was a bench, enabling scenes to be established by some fantastic lighting and sound and allowing the audience to focus on Shakespeare’s language and the comic action The style was moder n, with Olivia and Orsino presented as rival Mallorcan hotel owners Outstanding performances came from Piers Radclyffe (P) as Sir Toby, John Price (S) as Malvolio, Mel Harrison (A) as Olivia and James Corran (L) as Orsino In addition there is plenty going on, around the framework of a major production each term This term there is even a production of some Chekhov short plays by the Senior Literary Society And, of course, the theatres will be spectacularly revamped in the near future; these are exciting times for Repton’s Drama (23) School Play On the Razzle by Tom Stoppard 13th, 14th, 15th November 7 30pm 400 Hall The Lent Term Charity Cabaret 12th, 13th, 14th March 7.30pm 400 Hall Enquiries to theatres@repton.org.uk
The Repton School Play retur ned in November 2007 JMGL, with textual support from JCS, took a very fresh interpretation of Twelfth Night into The problem is, in both cases, that what The Grubber is really all about is tradition
Again many juniors were fully involved, the script having been divided up amongst them Mark Harrison (L), Josh Benn (S) and Charlotte Stones (F) were impressive as the leading pigs, Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer To add to the experience, the audience was able to have a drink and look at two gorgeous piglets which visited the theatre for the last week of term, as well as taking home eggs from Highfields Happy Hens, each egg stamped with ‘Good luck Animal Farm’!
SCHOOL NEWS THE GRUBBER CONTINUED
In terms of large scale events, the School Play is now a fixture in November and the Junior School Play has replaced the Arts Festival at the end of June So, in June 2007 sixty pupils from A and B Block presented The Demon Headmaster, a slick, polished and ambitious show The production
SCHOOL NEWS DRAMA DEPARTMENT
This is equally applicable today, when a B Blocker who dares to sit at the U6 table faces an immediate death sentence, as it has been for every generation of Reptonian, right back to when The Grubber included a smoking room, whose removal, I am certain, faced just as much opposition as today’s changes are
This brilliant performance was a fitting way to end a great season which had seen the boys win 17 matches in all cricket and also to mark Mike Kettle’s last season with the side after 30 years as groundsman/coach Poynton has led the side superbly but every member of the 14 man squad has played a significant part in the campaign at some stage and this was, ultimately, a team effort Siddiques’s 806 runs at an average of 80 6 (excluding Twenty20) was a magnificent effort Frank Watson (24)
SCHOOL NEWS CRICKET 2008 skipper Tom Poynton (S) recording a catch and 3 stumpings An away quarter final at Shrewsbury was played on a balmy June evening before a big, partisan crowd The home side raced to 31 without loss of 5 overs but thereafter brilliant Repton out cricket saw them manage only 118 9, a total we passed for the loss of 3 wickets (Siddique 44*, Charlie Sindrey (C) 42) before leaving the field to a deafening silence! Our semi final visitors were King’s Taunton who had to be taken seriously as they had eliminated the mighty Millfield from the competition In front of another big crowd the visitors were 76 1 after 10 overs and threatening mayhem, but once again the Repton bowling and out cricket (Wood 4 23) were superb and the eventual Taunton total was just 127 Repton cantered to victory in 16 5 overs (Siddique 57*, Sindrey 35) The day after beating the Repton Pilgrims by 3 wickets in the annual Speech Day game we travelled to JP Getty’s wonderful Wormsley Estate for the Twenty20 National Final against the holders, Dulwich College Dulwich won the toss and chose to field, and there was an early setback when Siddique, whose runs had been a major part in the side’s progress to the final, was bowled in the first over by the pacy Betts However, all seemed well as Poynton and the hard hitting Sindrey took the score to 80 after 10 overs without further loss The introduction of medium pacer, Paton, changed the game significantly, though, and Repton
Having been on a very successful tour to Grenada in the Christmas Holidays much was expected of the 1st XI of 2008 and it is pleasing to report that they did not fail to deliver Though the season got off to a sluggish start with dull draws against unambitious opponents in the first two matches a succession of victories followed against Malver n, MCC, Oakham and Derbyshire U17s W ith innings of 92, 131*, 56 and 83* in these four wins, Hanmza Siddique (S) was signalling his early intentions Meanwhile the annual Twenty20 campaign which had seen us reach the National quarter final in 2006 and the semi final in 2007 had begun, and we had progressed through our group stage thanks to a thrilling finale against Trent College After escaping with a draw at rainy Shrewsbury, the team despatched Derby Friars by 8 wickets, Uppingham by 76 runs and Denstone by 6 wickets In the final week of term, with a few ‘squad’ players involved there were further victories over Wolverhampton Grammar School, KES Birmingham and Repton Pilgrims, and the season’s one defeat in a lacklustre performance against RGS Worcester The game against Wolverhampton saw Siddique break John Howell’s 94 year old all time Repton record for the highest individual score as he made a marvellous 207* in Repton’s 50 over total of 306 4 Throughout this period the Twenty20 rollercoaster had been at full throttle A powerful Rugby side left Repton having suffered their first defeat in any form of cricket when, despite recording only 123 4 in difficult conditions the Repton side managed to dismiss the visitors for just 109 with Matt Wood (L) and Tom Cosford (L) taking 7 of the wickets and plunged to 94 5 after 14 overs Some tremendous hitting by Richard Lawrence (P) (33* off 19 balls) and Cosford then saw the score to an eventual 143 8 as the innings closed Though this was not a huge total on a very quick scoring ground, given the quality of Repton’s out cricket in previous rounds it was not without confidence that the side went into the second half of the game The holders, too, lost an early wicket as Ranatunga chipped Luke Lacey to mid on and with left arm spinner, Tom Eldred (P), producing a superb spell of 4 0 17 3 and Luke Lacey (C) 4 0 21 3 the Dulwich innings was soon in tatters at 39 6 Wood, the side’s most effective Twenty/20 bowler, contributed 3 19, Josh Moore (L) grabbed a wicket and three catches and Poynton delivered one of his trademark leg side stumpings as Repton cantered to victory, dismissing Dulwich for just 87 in 13 3 overs
Paul Beecroft 7 Ar nside Close Twyford, Berkshire RG10 9BS Tel: 0118 934 1572 Email: raptorlife@aol com
SCHOOL NEWS - CHARLOTTE MAKES HISTORY IN BEJING
I am very pleased to be able to inform you that the portrait of Repton’s former Headmaster, the Rev Michael Clarke has now been almost completed by Director of Art, Jeremy Bour non It is an impressive piece of work and was commissioned by the Headmaster following a successful campaign organised by John Reddington Those who donated to the portrait will, I am sure, be pleased with the fruit of Jeremy’s labours It is intended that the portrait will hang in a suitable place within the school and that all Old Reptonians will have a chance to view it when they visit the school in the future
Upper Sixth former, Charlotte Craddock (A), made hockey history this year by becoming the youngest ever member of the GB women’s Olympic hockey squad
Dear ORs, I am writing the biography of George Lowe, CNZM OBE, who taught at Repton in the early sixties, albeit he was on leave for much of the time whilst a member of some expedition or other! I should very much like to make contact with any former staff or pupils who knew him and would be willing to relate what they know of him If you can help, please telephone me on 02380 293767 or email astill tony@gmail com Tony Astill Dear ORs, My colleague, Paul Beecroft, and I are researching the life of Robert Heberden Barber who was a Repton boy in the early 1930’s RHB entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in 1934 after leaving Repton, attained the rank of Major, and was killed at Sword Beach shortly after the D Day landing He was a noted falconer, and an author of a small book on the sport Paul and I would love to know if any classmates would be willing to talk with us about RHB’s days at Repton We would dearly love to hear from anyone who might remember RHB Peter B. Devers, Archives of Falconry Peter B Devers P O Box 1424 Millbrook, New York 12545 USA Tel: 845 238 1770 Email: tierfalc@aol com
MS But she fought her way back to fitness and form to be able to take her place in the GB senior women’s team at the Beijing Olympics
SCHOOL NEWS PORTRAIT OF REV. MICHAEL CLARKE
Jeremy Bour non comments; “Being full time Head of the Art Department doesn’t allow me the opportunity to paint on a regular basis but starting with the portrait in July, I was fortunate enough to then be able to spend the summer painting in France on the strength of having been awarded this commission
Painting a portrait of a Headmaster from a previous century was never going to be an easy matter, but I have been greatly helped in this by the many illuminating conversations I’ve had with people about Reverend Clarke, which I believe has helped me gain an insight and understanding of him while I have been painting ”
The Repton First XI member’s place in the squad had looked in doubt when she was forced to leave the Great Britain Women's Hockey Squad tour of Australia in February this year with two stress fractures in her lower back (25) CAN YOU HELP?
Charlotte Craddock played well throughout the competition and the women’s captain, Kate Walsh, commented “Charlotte is an outstanding talent She is a great contender and it’s great to have her as part of the team”
As a great organiser and facilitator, he was an inspired choice as editor of the School Newsletter, and he oversaw the production of five excellent issues These skills have been further employed in the past couple of years, when he has been responsible for the School’s Charitable Audit, as well as serving as Master i/c of both Community Service and Sale of Work He has also been a Gover nor at Repton Primary School since 2007 All of these areas require an individual of outstanding calibre and commitment, and JHF has been very successful in all of these undertakings
DMN
As Assistant Lay Chaplain, he has provided two chaplains with invaluable help and, when the Reverend Gosney left in 2005, he organised all of the services in the Michaelmas Term until the arrival of AJW These services included those for new pupils, Harvest Festival, and Christmas three major events that he spent much time and thought in planning, and few will forget his attention to detail and undoubted flair for design Like many, he joined a gym with the very best of intentions, but his excursions to pump iron were relegated from a weekly to a monthly occurrence, and it is surely only the addition of a dog to the Fox household that has ensured a regular exercise regime However, JHF has not spent his spare time shying away from sporting endeavour: in his first year at Repton, he helped out with CCF, and has been involved in the Duke of Edinburgh and the athletics programmes for the past 3 years That he has taken on so much, and done so with no fuss or self aggrandisement, is testimony to his good nature and charm His persona can sometimes best be likened to an absent minded vicar at an Edwardian tea party, and his wind up gramophone, antique clocks, tales of the Raj and penchant for dance music of the ’30s add considerably to the sum of the man Yet, for all of this, he has a thoroughly moder n outlook on life, and
FAREWELL TO STAFF term
Deborah Newman became a member of the Repton Common Room in 2003, after four years at Foremarke Hall, where she had been Director of Pastoral Care which she combined seamlessly with the teaching of Physical Education and Personal, Social and Health Education Foremarke’s loss was undoubtedly our gain, when she moved up to Repton in order to join husband David and sons James and Tom, to open Repton’s fourth girls’ boarding house, The Mitre Formally a boys’ house, The Mitre had been shut for a year and given a much needed make over It was opened by Lady Carole Blackshaw, with Deborah and David at the helm, and thirty six girls, nearly all of whom were new to the school Starting a boarding house from scratch certainly presented many challenges, particularly when fielding an inter house hockey team that involved putting virtually every junior girl on the pitch, regardless of whether they had played the game before However, under Deborah’s leadership, The Mitre quickly became a force to be reckoned with, which was memorably demonstrated by their second placed rendition of ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ in the House Unison, despite being only half the size of some of the other Houses A year later, and with a full complement of girls, The Mitre continued to thrive, oozing is that rarest of things a gentleman His unflagging cheerfulness has brightened the whole school for the past four years, and the place will be considerably duller without him PJS (26) JHF As he leaves to become Head of Religious Studies at Dulwich College, many of us left behind will miss the now familiar sight of Jon Fox being taken for a walk by Gunner, and it is a testimony to his pet’s dogged determination that his master was forcibly tugged all the way to Newton Solney and back on a daily basis Although the exercise was undoubtedly welcome, it can in no way be said that JHF has led a sedentary lifestyle in the last four years
As the first free standing Head of Religious Studies, he was instrumental in the introduction of new syllabi, and his tenure was the first in which a full A level was offered in this subject This innovation has evidently proved a resounding success, as the number of pupils studying at A level has risen from 14 to 50 since 2004 Whichever year he has been teaching, he has brought to each class his customary enthusiasm and verve, and there will be few pupils who have not been inspired by his lessons He has been Boarding Tutor in The Orchard since his arrival, and, in 2006, produced the house play Ernie’s Incredible ’Illucinations His first thespian foray at Repton had been the Junior School play two years previously, when he had helped to stage John Godber’s inexplicably popular Teechers
His unique phrasing and special understanding of the English Language led many to draw comparisons with W illiam Topaz McGonagall, and his finer efforts have moved grown men to tears
This was followed by a highly entertaining production of The Last Resort for New House and Mitre In 2006, he accompanied the Rep Theatre Company to the Edinburgh Festival Elsewhere in the Arts, JHF made a name for himself as a report writer of considerable note and his pigeonhole was rarely less than half full at the end of
FAREWELL TO STAFF propelling the 1st VII through to the East Midlands Finals for the last two consecutive years Off the netball court and outside of the House, Deborah is a true Reptonian in the very best sense She will reliably throw herself whole heartedly into any endeavour, which was aptly demonstrated when she dressed up as The Mitre’s chef Trish on ‘Wear What You Dare’ day Her theatrical side was also revealed during last year’s performance of Pedants, during which she enthusiastically twirled an umbrella with (some) degree of dexterity in the Jazz Ballet’s version of ‘It’s Raining Men’ Deborah is passionate about her holidays in the sun and, if she is unable to jet off to the Caribbean, she will happily content herself with catching a few rays in the garden She is less passionate about her cooking and is the only person I know whose oven has broken down from lack of use Having to cook for herself next year may come as something of a shock In September, Deborah will take up her new position as Vice Principal of Fulneck School In addition to leading the Senior Management Team and working closely with the Head of Junior School, Deborah will be responsible for the academic progress and pastoral care of four hundred pupils Having been a member of Deborah’s Mitre family for four years, I have been incredibly fortunate to have worked so closely with such an inspirational and dedicated Housemistress and member of staff For Deborah, the welfare and happiness of both pupils and colleagues are at the heart of a successful school These are the principles that I know she will carry with her next year, as she seeks to establish an environment where every individual can prosper and fulfil their potential Fulneck are gaining not just an outstanding teacher, but a leader who is principled, strong minded and yet undeniably caring Her sense of humour, astuteness and sincerity will be deeply missed by the Mitre girls, by the pupils she has taught and by the Common Room We wish her every success NJC NJK Nigel Kew arrived at Repton in 1987, and his outstandingly committed tutoring in New House soon identified him as no run of the mill new recruit In fact, he threw himself whole heartedly into so many aspects of the life of the school that listing them might make the reader feel dizzy Hold on to your seats! In sport he coached football (many years with NGB on the 1st XI) and cricket (with PNB on the U14s) throughout his time at Repton, and he also umpired hockey in the Lent Term He accompanied football tours to Florida and Valencia He regularly tur ned out for the staff team on the football field, thus allowing sweepstakes on the number of minutes it would be before he limped off His fine tenor voice graced Chapel Choir and Mus Soc , with whom he went on school tours to Venice and Florence He helped MRAL direct two Junior Plays in 1988 and 1989, before they embarked on a run of seven outstandingly successful School Plays from 1990 to 1996
Given the continued very full part he played as a non resident tutor of New House, it was no surprise when he was asked to become the resident tutor in The Hall (now School House), and he tackled that role with his by now familiar combination of care for the individual as well as attention to detail in organisation In the classroom, NJK taught mainly German, and did so with a quiet sense of dedication, which strongly endeared him to successive generations of Repton Germanists, who consistently achieved outstanding results under his astute and sensitive tuition Despite (wrongly) (27) volumes of house spirit from every cor ner Deborah’s unrelenting support and encouragement for every single girl who has crossed The Mitre threshold has helped them develop the confidence to excel in all aspects of School life Mitre talent has regularly shone on the stage, in the Music School and, more recently, through a gutsy team performance in the Steeplechase, resulting in wins at both Junior and Senior Level However, whilst these successes are to be cherished, it is Deborah’s uncompromising willingness to devote her time and energy to the Mitre girls when they have needed her most, that we will remember her for As a Housemistress, Deborah has continually advocated the importance of honesty and integrity within a boarding environment, and the girls have come to respect her frankness, knowing she will always bestow a carefully considered and candid opinion Although being a housemistress has been Deborah’s defining role within the Repton community, it has been far from her only contribution Together with RET, she has been responsible for establishing a comprehensive PHSE programme that can be delivered to the Junior year groups through tutors, whilst she expertly covers the more sensitive issues within the A Block curriculum Her kindness and experience in this field continues to be invaluable to Foremarke, where she has remained their Independent Listener As a member of the PE department at Repton, she has taught both GCSE and AS/A2 PE Her enthusiasm for her sport has inspired her students to both academic excellence in the classroom and good sportsmanship on the pitch Deborah has also been reluctant to neglect her extra curricular sport In 2003, she initially took on the organisation and management of the swimming, helping to introduce the first Caroline Tyler inter house swimming relays and taking swimming teams to the Schools’ National Relay Finals When JMR later assumed this role, Deborah was able to concentrate on netball, supporting NMO and taking on the coaching of first the U16s and then the 1st VII Her tactical understanding of the game has been instrumental in
NJF After studying at the Birmingham Conservatoire in the early eighties, where he also met his wife to be and fine cellist in her own right, Terina, Nic Firth started his career as a freelance musician and founder member of the nationally recognised Cambrian Brass Quintet He was also in demand as a hor n player for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Da Camera, The Melachrino Strings and the East of England Orchestra, in addition to his theatre work with Birmingham Rep Nic came to Repton in 1985, therefore, equipped with a reputation for excellence and a wealth of professional experience when he accepted the position of Director of Brass and, in 2006, further promotion to Head of Instrumental Music During his time at Repton, Nic has been a continual source of inspiration to his pupils and a role model to all those involved in his ensemble work Indeed, a distinguished group of ORs invited Nic to act as guest conductor to the Glebe Symphonic W inds and to then stay on as their director, guiding them to two silver and two gold medals in the National BASBWE Finals Nic is usually associated with developing the programme for brass and band concerts, but he also stamped his mark on Repton as one of the pioneers of the Charity Cabaret In the early days of ‘the Cab’, when pupils retur ned to school after the half term exeat at 8 o’clock on the Wednesday evening, Nic would work tirelessly and single handedly to audition all the hopefuls on the Thursday after noon, stay up into the early hours arranging all the music, to then rehearse the acts on the Friday after noon and have the show ready for the first performance that very same evening in Pears School That was, of course, in between setting the stage, planning the programme and organising the sound and lighting When did he find time to sleep? He didn’t, trust me! In 2001, Nic took over as director of Concert Band, sensitively maintaining the traditional elements, whilst at the same time adding new compositions and large scale film scores to the programmes, moving the band into a new era with the inclusion of visual effects and dramatic presentations Audiences have witnessed scenes of ballet dancing in Romeo and Juliet, ear piercing screams and traffic lights in Congestion Charge, and who could forget the dramatic presentations of Phantom of the Opera and swashbuckling sword fights in Pirates of the Caribbean? The success of Jazz Band’s contribution to the 2004 tour to Italy led Nic immediately to invite the band to perform a short supporting slot at the Band Concert, realising a vision and creating a formula that made this concert another of the School’s premier and most popular yearly events He also saw the potential and flexibility of Concert Band when he reworked Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue to provide a platform for MAS in 2005, and then again in 2007 to prepare for the concert given on Commemoration Day by the inter nationally renowned pianist and OR, Alvin Moisey; a truly educational experience Nic’s reputation and influence were crucial factors in maintaining strong links with the many ORs who have, in retur n for the experience Nic gave them, given up their time and energy to support a number of the School’s ensembles at a moment's notice He will be fondly remembered by pupils both past and present through his involvement in tours to South Africa (1997) and Italy (2004); as master in charge of the CCF band; for his conducting skills in school productions of Cabaret and Oh What a Lovely War; his original compositions for four Latin plays a monumental creative feat; and his most recent original music for the School’s 450th Anniversary Son et Lumière celebrations, for which he also produced a magnificent (28) claiming virtual ignorance in French, his unstintingly high standards of professionalism meant that, when called upon, he also taught that subject with real distinction, latterly becoming the first Repton teacher in living memory to secure a 100% pass rate with Set 6 (of 6) in O Block, and, in his final year, even making a cameo appearance as co teacher of an AS Level French group Invariably unassuming about his achievements as a pedagogue, the fact remains that the Moder n Languages Department is losing in NJK a linguist of rare efficacy and sophistication, a teacher who genuinely cared about the pupils in his lessons, and a colleague who showed unquestioning loyalty to the Department throughout his time at Repton He was also prepared to give up his time during Michaelmas half terms to take members of O Block on language trips to Köln, staying in Youth Hostels He became Housemaster of New House in 1996 and, during his 11 year stewardship, he consistently struck that difficult balance of making sure that each individual felt valued, while he guided and organised the whole into the successful enterprise it became He never took his responsibilities lightly, always thinking long and hard about the difficult decisions that come with the territory The New House boys certainly appreciated his dedication
These many and varied term time commitments left little time for much else, so it was no surprise that NJK would sing ‘Whenever I can, I jet off for a tan…’ in Pedants His idea of bliss remains a pool and a good book under a sunny sky We all hope that this will be possible on a more regular basis as he takes on the role of Head of Boarding at Repton Dubai AFM & TBB
FAREWELL TO STAFF
FAREWELL TO STAFF small streets of Montacachini Alto (the restaurant owner happily waving him on as he left a trail of crystal in his wake) Great musician he may be; driver he is not! Ask him to recount the story of the bollard he reversed into in Arrezo, or that of the ‘brand new’ Smart car he retur ned to Europa Goldcar hire at Palma airport after he reversed it into a lamp post And so we say a sad farewell to gifted musicians, but, at the same time, wishing Nic and Terina the very best for the future, as Nic takes up the challenges presented by his new position as Director of Music at Repton Dubai RF NGB Noel Bennett arrived at Repton in 1984, having previously taught at Rugby, and, in the subsequent twenty four years, whilst sport has been the major area of his involvement, he has, in fact, contributed massively to so many other aspects of school life, and, as a schoolmaster, has helped countless Reptonians to overcome whatever problems may have faced them at various times Noel was appointed as Head of Physical Education At the time, there was essentially no PE department and just four lessons of PE on the timetable In the years that followed, GCSE, AS and A2 courses were introduced, such that today there are sixty lessons Major projects such as the construction of the Swimming Pool Complex and Sports Hall, plus some refurbishment of the Gym were undertaken during these years, in which NGB played an important role As a House Tutor, he served for four years in School House, eleven in The Garden and five in The Mitre His wife, Judy, was in charge of the Girls’ wing at Foremarke for four years, during which time they obviously lived outside Repton village In his role as house tutor, NBG gave major service to Repton pupils He was always approachable, kind, willing to listen and capable of understanding the problems of young people These qualities remain just as true of him today as they always have been He was Stage Manager for the four yearly staff production of Sir John Port’s Pedants on six occasions, a task to which he always brought a remarkably relaxed manner and even found time to sing the odd verse about himself at the appropriate moment in the show He was also the compère for many years in the Charity Cabaret often a difficult task, and yet somehow he never seemed ruffled, despite occasional attempts by members of the audience to put him off! He invariably performed a song with audience participation and, this year, signed off with a rendition of ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’ on the final night He was a talented sportsman himself Earlier in his career he taught in New Zealand and, whilst there, played for Invercargill City in the NZ Souther n League and representative cricket for Easter n Southland Back at Repton, he played several memorable innings for staff cricket teams on the Square and was an accomplished performer in squash, basketball, badminton, table tennis and tennis Later in his sporting career at Repton he took up the triathlon a gruelling event, yet one in which he became good enough to participate in the British Championship, and was at one point ranked 19th nationally as a veteran His contribution to School sport is impressive He was Master i/c Football for twenty two years Four times in eight years his 1st XI teams reached the semi finals of the ISFA Cup Twice they were beaten by better teams; twice they were beaten on penalty shoot outs, the latter being something of a curse on Repton teams In NGB’s time, Repton won the (29) orchestral arrangement of ‘Dear Lord and Father’ Not content to let his final year pass by quietly, Nic wove his Mercian brass and drum composition into Bach’s Toccata to create a thematic link between the Son et Lumière and the 2007 Christmas Band concert monks included! and then again for the CCF’s Guard of Honour when he invited the Son et Lumière drum tattoo to perform RF’s Military March as an interlude in the first movement of the Vaughan W illiams suite Squash, the Parker 100, the Staff Steeplechase (where he came third!) and cycling have kept Nic fighting fit Indeed, it was during one of our Mallorcan cycle rides (the origin of some of our joint projects) that I asked Nic if he had any anecdotes He replied drily that he hadn’t, but that he would like his headstone to read, ‘If I only had a brain!’ a quotation from the Wizard of Oz I believe that Nic was referring to the common notion that the intellectual faculties of musicians are missing; we are often not taken seriously and must continually strive to prove ourselves otherwise I for one can vouch that his faculties are well in order and that Nic Firth is not only a first class musician, but also a man with a truly remarkable vision, capacity for planning, and a man (for the most part) with a fully functional brain! I have had the privilege of a close and fruitful working relationship with Nic during the course of the last fifteen years, ear ning the tag ‘Batman and Robin’ you can decide who’s who! I would therefore like to take this opportunity to personally thank Nic for all his help and support, and for being both a loyal colleague and a warm friend I will greatly miss his dedication and professionalism during many hours of fine music making, and I will cherish with fondness the many hours spent planning events, travelling in a van across Italy during the Music tour of 2004, unwittingly wearing each other’s DJs only to realise during that evening’s performance, and witnessing him systematically destroy outdoor seating and tables one warm Italian evening as he negotiated the tour van round the
What exactly has your job at Repton involved? My official title is Head Groundsman and Cricket Professional As the former I am responsible for all the grounds within the school I have a team of 5 men working for me and we look after all the sports fields, the tennis courts, artificial cricket nets and hockey pitches, at times school house garden clearances and even tree felling! These days there is so much paper work involved with risk assessments and Health and Safety considerations As cricket coach my role is determined by the Master i/c Cricket who allocates coaching responsibilities to me I mostly work with the 1st XI but my role has expanded enormously over the years and, of course, now involves winter coaching just about the whole of the school year Tell me a little about the cricket tours that you have been on with Repton over the years I went to Barbados with you and the 1st XI, Mike, and my great memory of that is, of course, reaching the final of the Sir Gary Sobers Inter national Schools Tour nament where we were unlucky to lose on run rate in a rain affected game I don’t believe that any English school has done as well in it as Repton since then There have been lots of other really good trips Kenya, Holland, Goa, Sri Lanka, Grenada In their own way they have all been great I suppose the best one in recent times, all things considered, the quality of the cricket, culture, grounds, etc has been the tour to Sri Lanka
MS : How long have you worked at Repton School, Mike ? MKK: Over 30 years And before that what did you do? From 1962 to 1970 I was a professional cricketer with Northants CCC When I retired from that after a while we went back to Rhodesia (Editor’s note: where Mike played cricket for Rhodesia along with players such as Mike Proctor and Duncan Fletcher) When we came back to England I did various things including selling insurance I was the man from the Pru!
MKK
A few personal anecdotes I recall with amusement Some years ago I was refereeing a Staff vs Boys football match and blew for a foul against NGB He tur ned around and said, politely, “I never commit fouls ” (He was not booked for dissent!) On another occasion, when refereeing a match against St Bede’s on the Square, with Repton narrowly ahead I noticed NGB doing a Sir Alex Ferguson impression on the touchline, pointing frantically at his watch When the ball next went out of play, I edged over to where he was stationed to be told, “Do you realise that this half has already lasted 56 minutes and we have a Cup game coming up?” My watch had stopped! Finally, Noel often used to say that it would be great, occasionally, to have an after noon free from sport, yet, when that did happen, he never knew what to do with himself and would end up swimming, or playing badminton or something similar Dedicated staff members such as Noel are vital to schools like Repton Although changes are inevitable, many pupils also like the continuity of service that colleagues like NGB provide He and Judy will depart for their house in Wales with the best wishes of the Repton community and with grateful thanks for all they have done for Repton School RST (30) Public Schools’ Six a side Tour nament and the County U19 Cup The team of 1999 had the extraordinary match record of Played 18, Won 18 an outstanding achievement at any level As a coach, he seemed to have the ability, often, to weld a comparatively modest set of players into a successful side He was also Master i/c Athletics for twenty years, during which time he founded the Parker 100 and the James Kropacsy Relays events now well established in the Repton Calendar In 1989, both the Senior and Junior teams won all twenty one of their matches He also ran the Cross Country for a number of years, and coached various hockey teams and, more recently, the tennis teams Under the CCF umbrella, he was in charge of Canoeing for some twenty years, in which capacity he was a regular attendee at CCF Annual Camp English had always been NGB’s second subject and he taught GCE and then GCSE for a number of years Realising that there was a real need to help pupils ,
FAREWELL TO STAFF with ‘Specific Lear ning Difficulties’, in 1992 3 he embarked on a course at Nottingham University to gain a Diploma in Specific Difficulties, and became the School’s SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co ordinator) This catalogue of achievements conveys only part of the story of a man who was clearly dedicated to his profession At times, inevitably, pupils let him down, as can be the case, and he then found it difficult to hide his disappointment, because he cared In sport, he was extremely competitive, but always fair; he played by the rules and would never countenance any underhand tactic or any form of cheating
FAREWELL TO STAFF Interview by Mike Stones
MS: Melody, what exactly has your work for Repton School entailed? MK: I first worked in the old Music School for the Pellows, helping them look after the Sixth Form girls Then when they moved to The Abbey I worked for them there in the kitchen, also preparing the meals one day a week on cook’s day off Later I became receptionist in the Bursar’s office, a job which I have done for 25 years, the last couple of which I have been based in The Lodge My role is different here and I suppose I meet many more pupils and parents when they come to visit the school I have loved my job over the years and would not change things one bit! What have been the memorable moments? So many Mike working with the lovely people in the Bursary and making special friendships over the years, meeting and helping teaching staff, Parents and visitors Watching the pupils grow up and come back after they have left is really nice It’s like being part of one big family the Repton family! Do any amusing moments spring to mind? Helping Mike put the covers on The Square in the pouring rain at 10 o’clock at night dressed in my pyjamas! It brings a smile to our faces to think of it now! MS: What have been your most memorable moments over the years of Repton cricket? MKK: Chris Adams comes to mind immediately and his 150 not out away to Oundle in only his second 1st XI game as a 16 year old Their Master in Charge just could not believe it! Then there is Scott Chilman taking over 100 wickets for Repton 1st XI Only this year has come one of the best memories of all and that is winning the Independent Schools Twenty/20 tour nament That was a great team performance and in a season when Hamza Siddique broke John Howell’s batting record of the highest individual innings for the school 1st team It was a great way to finish Do any amusing incidents come to mind? I remember a match at Cheltenham when you were running the cricket, Mike, and Richard Pyne scored a few runs as a tail ender to help us out of trouble, only to get himself out caught on the boundary On retur ning to the pavilion he was quite pleased with his innings until you rightly tore him a strip off good and proper for getting out when we needed the runs We can all look back and laugh about it now for we won the game in thrilling fashion by 3 runs I’ll bet Richard remembers it well! Repton is not the same now as when I started, naturally so The school is bigger, very business like and everyone seems busier in their jobs The growth of Repton Enterprises and all the holiday courses has put an added dimension to the demands on the ground staff Yet in many ways Repton is still a great place to be I have thoroughly enjoyed working here and have many, many tremendous memories What about your plans for the future? Melody and I plan to live locally We hope to come and watch cricket at Repton for a few years to come There are so many nice parents and good friends that we have made over the years that we hope to be able to spend a bit more time with them on the boundary side
Mike Stones After conducting these interviews, I asked Mike to come up with 11 players who would make up the best side in his time at Repton an extremely difficult task! In the event he spent many an hour considering the relative merits of different players and this is the side that he has chosen It represents a balanced cricket team to play all forms of the moder n game I hope that it does not offend anyone but instead gives rise to much discussion 1. C.J. Adams 2. P.M. Borrington 3 L T Harvey 4. C.D. Page 5 T Poynton (capt w/k) 6. R.A. Whiteley 7 C E Wall 8. J.W. Stevenson 9. S.K. Chilman 10. R.W.A. Pyne 11. E.G. Prince
(31) FAREWELL TO STAFF Mike, I feel sure that there are lots and lots of Old Reptonians who owe you a debt of gratitude and it would be remiss of me not to thank you on their behalf for all that you have done at Repton and to wish you and Melody a very long and happy retirement What have been the highlights for you? Mike coming 2nd in the ‘Groundsman of the Year’ Award I was so proud of him I’ve not regretted one single day at Repton Never have I come into work and not wanted to be here I’ve always looked forward to it and enjoyed being part of the School The fantastic cricket tours that I have been on hold lovely memories I remember feeling so proud of the Repton cricketers as they all lined up at the airport dressed in their tour blazers, looking so smart I’m sure that Repton will miss you, Melody, just as you will miss the school and the people You have been an ever cheerful, most helpful and efficient receptionist and many people will recall you as the first person who greeted them at the school being so friendly. All Old Reptonians would join me in wishing you and Mike every happiness in your future retirement.
PIGEON POST LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, The photo of the Gym display in the last issue (below, right) was when Petty Officer W ilcox came to Repton and I was in the Gym Team I have a mounted copy I was sorry to see the death of Richard Binks in The Arch He was T ip Fag of No 5 Study my last term when I was study holder We met at OR Day in Repton a couple of years ago He told me that he approached Sunday study inspection with trepidation I suppose I was the same when I was a Fag Study holders and Bozers were always finding fault somewhere Malcolm Sowdon (N’51) Dear Editor, Dr Dean’s letter in Issue 312 speaks of “Easter T imes”, surely a bad misprint for “Easter Lines” To quote the old Rule Book: “In Lent Term, Easter Lines are set below the Upper School to be lear nt by heart and said at the end of term They may not be set before half term and may not exceed 200 lines in the Middle School or 100 lines in the Lower School ” Blocks A, B and C were then the equivalents of today’s O, A and B, and, as far as I remember, A Block was the Middle School and B and C the Lower I only had to do them once: I remember Isaiah 55, “Ho, everyone that thirsteth” (my form master was a clergyman, the Rev G W H Moule) and I think there were also chunks of Chaucer and Shakespeare, both School Certificate set books I can’t remember what the penalty for not lear ning them properly was, nor do I know when they were dropped
Dear Editor, Reference three pictures, page 5 current Newsletter No 312 My guess re the picture on the left is that it is the Foremarke dining room going back quite a few years? I was there 1948 until 1953 then Priory, but this is how I remember it Also the age of the boys shown suggests pre Repton? The adults in the picture I don't recognise and don't know if the dining room is the same now as was? Probably not!! We ate there and wrote our letters home from those tables I have recently had mine retur ned, 60 years after the event, from the family estate, much to my embarrassment!!! Never much of an essayist obviously!! Michael Holliday (P’53) Letters/Emails received in response to ‘From the Archives, May 2008’
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Dear Editor, As an old Preptonian, the first two photos bring back lots of memories The first one is of the dining room in about 1960, I guess Is it Miss Tagliss, the matron in the white dress? Food could be pretty awful T ins of spaghetti in tomato sauce were a speciality for Sunday tea, prepared by one of the kitchen staff known by the boys as "Slimy Jim", if I recall correctly The middle picture is of one of the "bedders" on the middle floor, I think at Foremarke during the rest half hour immediately after lunch Can you see the horizontal bars across the window to stop us escaping? The masters would have died of heart attacks if they knew how many people climbed on to the roof at night, down the fire escapes and went for a smoke in the woods on a summer night (Or perhaps they did know, but chose to ignore) Regards, James Porter (Foremarke 1954 59 Repton 59 64) Dear Editor, The two pictures on the left must I think be of the prep school (probably when at Foremarke) probably around early 1950s Reasons for saying so are: (i) the boys are too young for Repton, (ii) the outfits are exactly as I was dressed at my prep school late 1940s/early 50s, (iii) the ‘bedder’ is too grand a room for a Repton school house unless it be in the old part of the Hall The gymnastics on the Square are plainly Speech Day, when they used to take place in the middle of the Corps ceremonial parade I have a dim recollection that in my time they changed from doing it in flannels to doing it in shorts If so this would probably be before 1957 Roger Cooke (O’53) Dear Editor, On page 5 the first two photos are from Foremarke c 1965 The master facing is Sam R yan who died when H M of Red House prep school in the north east The next photo is of Ford Bedder, that was, now the library First boy on the right was called Proctor, I think Tom Davies (Foremarke 1960 1985)
On another point: this is the third year in succession that there has been no report on School Football J F M Walker (H’46 & Ex Staff)
Dear Editor The picture below is of the School Gym Team performing on the square on Speechday 1947, and I am the one sticking my tummy out in the centre! I attach the Team Photograph (see below) for that year which gives the names of all 14 of us taking part under the tutelage of Sgt Cocker who is shown, together with the Master in charge, Mr Cummings Tony Aspinall (C’45)
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