Nº 324 S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e Annual Dinner Page 15 Drinks in the City Page 16 C h e f s ’ N i g h t O u t P a g e 2 3 THE ARCH OLD REPTONIAN NEWSLETTER
Representative: Robert M Kirkland (Orchard 1959)
Edward T Sloane (Priory 1997) M Guy Levesley (Hall 1975)
John F M Walker (Hall 1946 and
Midlands
for his commitment and support as representative for the Yorkshire branch of the Society Officer s of The Old Reptonian Society 2014 Welcome to The Arch
Chairman: Nick R S Smith (Brook 1969)
Treasurer: John S Wallis (Latham 1971)
Appointed 2009
Anthony E Bishop (Priory 1972)
Sarah R E Taylor (Field
The Old Reptonian Society The Hall, Repton School Repton, Derbyshire DE65 6FH Tel 01283 559320 Email: jcobb@repton org uk / or@repton org uk Website: www orsociety com School website: www repton org uk Editorial Team: Nigel Kew & Jan Cobb Front Cover: Steeplechase 2014 Back Cover: OR German Reunion 2014 DEADLINE for articles for the next edition (Autumn 2014) is August 31st 2014 2
Hockey
President: John Ballinger (Priory 1959)
Nicky Samra (New 2002) Football Club
P re s i d e n t o f T h e S o c i e t y Jo h n B a l l i n g e r ( P ’ 5 9 )
Old Reptonian Society Officer: Jan Cobb (Staff) Elected Committee Members
In February we celebrated the annual OR Drinks in the City at the East India Club in London, and I was delighted with the tur n out of more than 150 boisterous Reptonians of all ages That evening I mentioned a new initiative to hold a similar occasion later this year with a ‘sporting’ flavour You can read more about it in this Arch, and I hope you tur n up in numbers for what promises to be a great evening
Cathy Twigg (Staff) & Martin Grayshon (C’61)
Simon D Armstrong (Cross 1963) Lancs & Cheshire Sanjiv Basu (Orchard 1989)
Governors’
Finally, on behalf of all ORs, my thanks go to our Chairman, Committee and the Office at Repton for all their dedicated work in keeping the OR Society so vibrant
ex Staff) Life Member Ex Officio Members
John F R Hird ( Priory 1960) Lodge
Masonic
1998) Appointed 2008
Golf Society
I hope to see many of you during the year on different occasions, and particularly at our Annual Dinner in Repton on 8th November
Although Repton has changed a great deal since my time there, it is quite apparent that this has been an evolution designed to maintain our position in the top flight of education This change has been achieved without in any way losing what I referred to at Drinks in the City as the character and ‘spirit’ of Repton I still sense this same spirit that has existed as long as I can remember, amongst the younger ORs that I meet
Fives
In March I attended the Repton Pilgrims dinner The Pilgrims have been in better shape in the past, but I am delighted that new plans are in hand to encourage OR Cricket and ensure we remain a strong force in the Cricketer Cup
Appointed 2013 J
Nicholas P Le Poidevin (Cross 1964) Law Society
Marketing
Development Director The Society would like to extend sincere thanks to
Secretary: Nigel Kew (Staff)
Sarah E Fear ns (Field 2001) Appointed 2013
I am both delighted and proud to be your President for 2014 and intend to be present at as many OR events as possible throughout the year My first ‘duty’ was on January 6th in a Sydney bar after play in the 5th Ashes Test Match of a disastrous tour, when the previous OR Secretary, Mike Stones, needed some cheering up! I hope it is not ‘unfashionable’ to admit to having enjoyed your school days, but I certainly did! I think I knew from the moment I arrived at Foremarke Hall that Repton and I were going to get on! During those years in the early 60’s I forged friendships that endure to this day A recent 50th Anniversary reunion of the 1963 1st XI Football team brought back wonderful memories (report in this edition of the Arch) But it wasn’t just the time at school that I have cause to be grateful to Repton for From the North of England I came to London very soon after leaving school and, through my Repton connection, was able to build an enjoyable life playing OR soccer, Pilgrim cricket and an increasing amount of OR golf sometimes too much for my wife’s liking! I particularly remember the friendship and kindness shown to me by older ORs in those early days, and hope I have been able to encourage my share of younger Reptonians who have found their way to London over the years
1996) Appointed 2007
Vice President: Robert A Holroyd (Headmaster)
Benjamin D E Dewhirst (New 1996) Mike Keep (Orchard 1969 & Staff) Club
Yorkshire
Jamie Robert Muirhead (Cross 2009) Club
Tennis
Louise Trayhur n (Garden
Thomas R Pepper (Hall 1949)
C h a i r m a n o f T h e S o c i e t y N i c k S m i t h ( B ’ 6 9 ) School Calendar of Events
3 MAY 2014 6 Boys’ 1st XI v MCC, 11 30 am Girls’ 1st VI v Rugby School 7 National U16 Boys’ Hockey Final, Cannock Subscription Concert Society AGM, 6 30 pm followed by House Music Individual Award Final, Music School, 7 30 pm 8 Boys Tennis v Warwick 1st VI, 2nd, 3rd (a) dep 2 00 pm Repton Strings Day with The Carducci Quartet Music School, 9 30 am 5 00 pm Informal Concert, Music School, 9 05 pm 10 Public Schools Masonic Lodges gathering Boys’ 1st XI v Shrewsbury (a) Girls’ 1st VI v Oakham (a) 17 Boys’ 1st XI v Uppingham,(a), dep 11 30 am Girls’ 1st VI, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, U16A v Uppingham, 2 15 pm 18 Prep Schools’ Tennis Tour nament 22 Informal Concert, Music School, 9 05 pm 23 Half Term begins, 4 30 pm JUNE 2014 4 The Donald Carr Trophy: Prep Schools Cricket Tour nament 7 Boys’ 1st XI v Worksop, (a), dep 9 20 am 12 Informal Concert, Music School, 9 05 pm 14 OR Society Gaudy Boys’ 1st XI v Nottingham High School, 11 30 am 15 Coffee Concert, Beldam Hall, 11 15 am 18 Boys’ 1st XI, 2nd XI v KES Birmingham Subscription Concert: Bella Tromba, Music School, 7 45 pm 19 Boys 1st VI Tennis v Trent, 2 30 pm 21 Boys’ 1st XI v Trent, dep 9 55 am 22 Gold Arts Award concert, Christopher Hill, Beldam Hall, 6 30 pm 23 Junior School Play, 400 Hall, 7 30 pm 1st XI v Derbyshire U17, 11 30 am (2 day game) 24 Junior School Play, 400 Hall, 7 30 pm 1st XI v Derbyshire U17, 11 30am (2 day game) 25 Boys’ 1st XI/Derbyshire Academy XI v England Women 11 30 am 26 Scholars’ Concert, Beldam Hall, 6 30 pm 28 Speech Day Speeches, 10 15 am Speech Day Concert, Pears School, 11 30 am Boys’ 1st XI v Repton Pilgrims, 11 00 am Term ends 2 30 pm Leavers’ Ball, The Paddock, 6 45 pm
Every copy of The Arch highlights the ingenuity and enterprise of ORs across numerous disciplines and in various parts of the world It makes for fascinating reading and your stories are always gratefully received Of course sooner or later most of us settle down into some sort of routine and as the years pass it can be easy to lose touch with old friends One of the aims of the Society is to enable ORs to stay in contact and I hope that many of you will do so by attending one of the functions we hold during the year Nowadays there is also the opportunity to keep in contact through social media and the newest addition to this is our OR Society Twitter account You can also follow the School, School sport and the OR Football Club on Twitter along with, it seems, a number of ORs of differing vintages! Repton has always been well known for its sporting prowess and this continues with the unprecedented success of several of our recent leavers in representing the women’s GB and other inter national hockey teams Along with those who play football and cricket professionally, they keep up the proud tradition of sporting excellence at the highest levels However, it is very important to recognise that many of us are simply enthusiasts who enjoy the opportunity to play sport and socialise with friends To that end I know that our Sports Clubs are always keen to welcome new members, whether you were a star of the 1st XI or a keen player for your House
To continue with the sporting theme I should like to commend two initiatives which, I hope, will receive your support First, I am delighted to report that there is a ‘new’ OR Tennis Society, which has already attracted a large number of members, with a view to once again fielding a team in the Public Schools D’Aber non Cup as well as playing some social tennis Second, there is an idea initiated by members of the OR Football Club and supported by the other Sports Clubs to hold a ‘Celebration of Repton Sport’ event later this year The idea is for all those who enjoy sport to get together for an evening on a social basis with, perhaps, some special guests, and in the hope that it may become another regular occasion I really hope that lots of you will come along and have a great night out Do look out for further details about the tennis and celebration evening
Our President this year is John Ballinger, who will be well known to a number of you I am delighted that John has taken on this role as he has been a wonderful supporter of OR activities for many years and I know he will derive great pleasure from attending our events As you receive this edition of The Arch the Summer Term will be underway Repton in the summer is a lovely place to visit and if you are in the area or passing through you will be made very welcome A lot of work goes into producing The Arch so thank you for reading it and for your continued support
The
Foremarke Dubai and Repton
we
to hold an OR function in
of numerous ORs who live and work in the Middle East who still use their UK address for communication with the School and OR office If this applies to you, and to ensure we have a complete list, it would be helpful if you would notify the OR Office of your Gulf contact details, preferably in the form of an email address Please respond to: jcobb@repton org uk For thcoming Events 2014 4
We
The annual ORFC matches against the School 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th XIs will take place on Saturday August 30th SPORTS ‘DRINKS’ IN OCTOBER
Join us for the launch of "Drinks in the City with a sporting flavour" at Queens Club on Thursday October 16th 2014 and hear the incredible story of how six Old Reptonians took part in a women's hockey inter national between England and Germany in Autumn 2013 To launch what we intend make an annual event, we hope very much to have joining us the six Old Reptonians who played that day and made Repton very proud We shall be holding a question and answer session with them so that they can tell us their story Old Reptonians have always enjoyed their sport, both at school and afterwards The amazing success of sport at Repton over recent years has inspired us to organise this event to celebrate Repton sport Whilst this event recognises the sporting talent that is emerging from the school, achieving success across all sports, it is the lifelong friendship that sport engenders amongst ORs which is the real legacy This is an opportunity for all those ORs who play sport or who are interested in sport to meet up at The President’s Room at Queens Club in Baron's Court, west London, to have a great evening together Plans for the event are well under way, and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible as we add what we hope will be another well supported and fun Old Reptonian event Contact:jcobb@repton org uk Further details, when available, will be posted on the web page: http://www repton org uk/ forthcoming or events
The 2014 AGM and annual dinner will be held on November 8th at Repton School We have kept the cost of the tickets the same as last year at £43 per person, and £33 for persons who left the school in 2004 or later, which includes pre dinner drinks and a three course meal with wine and port Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday November 8th at 6pm in The High Chamber If you are bringing a spouse or partner, they will be more than welcome to relax in the Undercroft whilst the meeting is in progress Dubai, Abu Dhabi hope stage Dubai know
at some
AGENDA 1 Welcome & Apologies 2 Approval of minutes from Annual General Meeting November 14th 2013 3 Matters Arising from meeting on November 14th 2013 4 Presidents Report 5 Chairman’s Report 6 Secretary’s Report 7 Rule Changes 8 Treasurer’s Report 9 Future Events 10 Election of Officers 11 Any Other Business 12 Date of next AGM DUBAI W ith the continued development of Repton
AGM AND ANNUAL DINNER
OR LODGE Repton is to host the centenary celebrations with a reception for members of Lodges associated with many public schools on May 10th 2014 2014 GAUDY June 14th is the date for this year’s Gaudy We are looking forward to welcoming all ORs and their guests who joined the school in the years pre 1958, 1972 1984 and Sixth Formers 1985, 1986, 1987 You should by now have received your invitations Numbers are restricted to 220 in Pears School, so early booking is advisable OR FOOTBALL vs REPTON PUPILS
Emma Smith (F’02) gained a 1st class Degree of Master of Architecture at Liverpool University in July 2013 She has also received a RIBA President’s Medal Part 2 Nomination and was awarded the Charles Reilly Medal & Prize for Review of thesis designs as presented in project drawings in the final examination Edward Wilkinson (C’46) watched the Derbyshire vs Worcestershire cricket match in the remarkable Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi and talked to ORs on the pre season tour, Tom Poynton (S’06) and Paul Borrington (S’04) for Derbyshire, and Ross Whiteley (N’05), now of Worcestershire They were all enjoying the experience and Ross scored 55 against his previous teammates in the first T20 game
OR News: Snippets 5
John F M Walker (H’46), St Endoc Golf Club Newlsetter reports: ‘John Walker beat Seve Ballesteros record!’ John had a hole in one on the church course on the 8th hole on Monday 25th November, whilst playing in the Ser nior’s Monday Swindle By all accounts this was a very fine shot The ball landed on the green and rolled gently up the cup and plopped in for John’s 5th ace of his career For all of his achievements and trick shots, Seve never had a hole in one)
The School is hoping to claim a record of six former pupils all receiving Inter national caps in the same match The GB Ladies’ hockey team played a three match series in Germany Susie Gilbert (F'02) and Georgie Twigg (F'03) were joined by previously uncapped players Ellie Watton (M'05), Shona McCallin (A' 08) and Jo Leigh (G'09), whilst former pupil Charlotte Stapenhorst (A'11) received her first cap for Germany Nick Gardner (O’00) regularly features on the daily list of the Top 20 Most Viewed Musicians in the country on YouTube, and has featured on both BBC radio and CNN His YouTube cover of Someone Like You has had 1 5 million hits He has signed with Inter scope Records which is part of Universal and has been out in the United States recording his debut album He will be joining American musician and singer song writer Gavin DeGraw on his US tour in Spring 2014 Steven Greenall (C’87), Gareth Haines (O’82), Matthew Pope (L’85), who forged their musical skills whilst at Repton, have been collaborating on an award winning music product the first plastic trombone, pBone, and its successor, pTrumpet Developed and manufactured by Warwick Music Group, and led by its directors Steven and Matt, these innovative instruments are sold by one of the UK's leading music retailers, Normans Musical Instruments, whose managing director is Gareth Haines The pBone is now the world’s best selling trombone with the pTrumpet launching in May 2014 Picture (L to R): Steven,Gareth and Matthew John Leavesley (N’82) is High Sherriff designate for Staffordshire for 2015 Tori Murphy (A’93) and Melanie Porter (A’94), along with designers from all over the world, exhibited at the Autumn 2013 London Design Festival After leaving Repton, Tori did an MA in Textiles at the Royal College of Art and now creates homewares in fabrics woven in the UK (www torimurphy com), whilst Melanie went to Central Saint Martins and now specialises in handknitted home fur nishings and fur niture (www melanieporter co uk) James Piper (B’89) has been teaching since he left Repton, firstly at the Dragon School, Oxford and, since 2011, as Deputy Headmaster at Bilton Grange School, Rugby He has recently been appointed as Headmaster of The Perse Prep School, Cambridge and will take up this post in September 2014 George Rainsford (M’96) has joined the main cast of Casualty as Dr Ethan Hardy Alexander Rose (C’92) has been appointed by the Cabinet Office as the UK’s ‘Seconded National Expert’ on State Aid Law, and will be working within the European Commission in Brussels on State Aid law issues
Andrew Egerton Smith (M’56) has been awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2013 for services to emergency health care through East Anglia Jack Fookes (S’03) is now Researcher/Developer for Children's Television, BBC Scotland Hockey News
Lucy Setterington (A’07) and Ellie Sharples (M’08) were awarded Gold D of E at St James’s Palace in the presence of the Duke of Edinburgh himself During the proceedings the Duke asked Ellie which school she had attended and she proudly replied 'Repton School sir' to which the Duke said 'yes Repton very good'!
Tim Wilkinson (C’75) has been appointed Chairman of Bell Pottinger Middle East T im will continue to be based in Dubai and will focus on senior client relationships and counsel and seeking new business opportunities across the wider MENA region Georgie Twigg (F’03) and Susie Gilbert (F’02) won Bronze medals in the World League Finals in Argentina
6
Bethan Bournon (A'99) to Myles Pearson (P'99) on 4th April 2014
James Fisher (S’94) to Johanne Jennings The marriage will take place on July 18th 2015 Brett Stevenson (S’97) to Amy Hazel on August 17th 2013 in Sorrento, Italy The marriage will take place on July 4th 2014
Julia Faulks (née Gladwin) (A’90) and Stephen are delighted to announce the birth of a second son, Thomas David Alexander on January 11th 2011
Bir ths Engagements
Dr. Sophie Weber (née Bauer) (F 02) and Valentin are delighted to announce the birth of their daughter, Philomena, bor n on October 4th 2013 in Frankfurt, Germany
John Syed (B’83) and Marini are delighted to announce the birth of their son Angelo on May 10th 2013 in Jakarta Alex Harrison (H’95) and Barbara, are delighted to announce the birth of a daughter, Audrey Olivia, on August 19th 2013 Alexander Rose (C’92) and Laura are delighted to announce the birth of their son, Harry Kasper, on September 19th 2013
Dr. Sophie Bauer (F 02) married Valentin Weber on May 11th 2013 in Eppstein, Germany ORs attending were Marie Therese Bauer (F´05) and Constantin Bauer (L‘09) Will Bucknall (S'98) married Robina Stewart on August 10th 2013 at Repton School Chapel They were married by the School Chaplain Adam Watkinson The reception was held on the Paddock ORs in attendance were: Tom Mills (O’98), Nick Cashmore (P’98), Seb Cavill (O’98), Euan Corbett (P’01), Clayton Penny (P’97), Issy Bucknall (A’99), Mike Roberts (B’95), Emma Roberts (A’99), Martin Jones (C’97) Also in the picture are, Tom Naylor (Staff) Freddie Naylor (Foremarke), Amelie Naylor (Foremarke), T im Whiteman (Ex Staff) Sam Gardner (O’93) married Charlotte Richards on April 27th 2013 at Hilltop, Prestbury, Cheshire ORs in attendance were: Joe Gardner (O’95), Rupert Nichols (Foremarke Hall), Tom Goodall (N’93), Oliver Bertram(N’93), Sam Armstrong (O’08), Amy Armstrong (F’05), Sarah Nichols( née Bracegirdle) (A’94), Nick Jones (N’95), Tim Hill (O’98), Peter Garton (S’93), Jeremy Wright (N’93), Camille Dollamore (née Sutherland) (G’97), Andrew Dollamore (N’93), Poppy Lloyd Davies (A’99), Lucy Womersley (A’00), Jess Womersley (A’02), Nick Gardner (O’00), Rosie Gardner (A’00), Lucy Gardner (A’97), Lydia Wilkinson (F’99), Jemma Dwyer (A’02), Emma Roberts (A’99), Ire Hassan Odukale (L’03), Giles Lang (N’96), Edward Shires (S’99), Emily Smith (F’06), Frances Thacker (F’04), Alistair Riley (P’97)
Weddings 7
NEW Dr Norman Glenn Lambert (N’48) on December 17th 2013
Richard Wade Johnson (M’57) on October 10th 2013
MITRE Charles Roger James (M’42) on December 9th 2012
PRIORY Jeremy David Hewlett Parker (P’48) on January 4th 2014
ORCHARD Derek Edward Auden (O’37) on February 20th 2014 John Walton (O’48) on September 8th 2013
In the early hours of D Day on June 6, 1944 Kenneth’s landing craft got lost en route to Normandy and landed at Brighton beach to the surprise of an early mor ning dog walker McAlpine said later it was the type of comical error that never got into the history books His unit was involved in heavy fighting when they finally landed at Juno beach and went on to capture the strongpoint at Langrune sur Mer where the commandos remained on security duties after suffering 50 per cent casualties For the remainder of the summer campaign Kenneths no 3 section took part in a number of small fiercely fought actions In a widely praised account of life and death as a commando he described how he retained his sanity by carrying a wind up gramophone with him and playing the songs of Bing Crosby whenever there was a lull in the fighting In November 1944 he had to abandon his record player when 48 Commando took part in the assault on the island fortress of Walcheren in the Scheldt estuary 48 Commando was disbanded at the end of the war Kenneth rarely spoke of his wartime service and became a wine merchant after the war Late in life he wrote his memoir, We Died With Our Boots Clean He recalls his time as the youngest Royal Marine commando and the horrors and occasional humour of the post D Day campaign He died on October 29th 2013 JMC Wesson (H’40) recalls: Kenneth and I were in the Hall together, he being two years my senior I also left Repton aged 17 to volunteer as a private rifleman My brother and I have had several recent encounters with Kenneth He was an amusing and remarkable man
BROOK Charles Arthur Richardson (B’58) on December 28th 2013
Rupert John Everard (M’57) on February 12th 2014
Joseph Malcolm Hadfield (O’50) on July 30th 2013 Peter Burden Collins (O’62) on January 6th 2014
FORMER STAFF Raymond Henry Dunt, (1969 1987) former Head of Biology on March 30th 2013
Death Notifications & Obituar ies
LATHAM Ronald Gerald Jupp (L’38) in August 2013 in Brazil Sunil Sikka (L’65) on February 21st 2014 in Bolton, USA Ke n n e t h S c o t t M c A l p i n e ( H ’ 3 8 )
CROSS Richard Reeves Taylor (C’35) in November 2012 David Samuel Park (C’49) on 20th October 2013 John McConville (C’58) on June 7th 2013 John was father to three daughters and one son Two are ORs, Jake (C’96) and Christobel (F’98) John was a considerable sportsman and was active in OR Football and Golf as well as having been elected a Pilgrim HALL Dr John Davenport (H’32) in August 2013 John Max Cropper (Hoyle) (H’47) on March 18th 2014 John was a School Prefect and a great sportsman for the School Franklyn Michael Garvey (H’53) on January 13th 2014
Kenneth McAlpine ran away from school at the age of 17 in 1943, to join the recently formed Royal Marine commandos He was initially tur ned down and taken home by his father He was eventually accepted by 48 (Royal Marines) Commando based in Deal and sent for training at Achnacarry in Scotland Kenneth was 6ft 4in tall at the time and the Royal Marines clearly felt his height outweighed any doubts about his youth, though he was still only 17 and so legally underage
8
Peter’s son Mark (O’78) writes: My father sadly died on 21st November 2013 Bor n in Southport, he attended Terra Nova prep school before going to Repton in 1941 He was in the Mitre, when it was a boys’ house, leaving in 1946 Repton was to remain an integral part of his life, through business, sport, parenthood, and as an Old Reptonian He regularly retur ned to Repton with the Liverpool Ramblers Football Club, for whom he kept goal for many years, and later became President During this time he played in the same side as David W ilkinson, who would later be my Housemaster in the Orchard
Ke n n e t h V iv i a n R o s e C B E , F R S L ( O ’ 3 9 ) 15th November 1924 28th January 2014 Kenneth Rose (O’39) died on 28th January 2014, aged 89 He was bor n in Bradford, the son of a GP, and arrived in Repton on a scholarship at the outbreak of the Second World War He became the editor of The Reptonian in 1941 possibly an unconscious anticipation of his future career and won a scholarship to New College, Oxford, in 1942 where he read Moder n History He took the war shortened Part One the following year, was then commissioned in the Welsh Guards and was soon seconded to GHQ Liaison Regiment (known as Phantom) He retur ned to Oxford after the War and graduated in 1947 From Oxford he went to Eton to teach History and five years later joined the “Peterborough” column of the Daily Telegraph, moving to The Sunday Telegraph to write “Albany at Large” , the social diary, for almost forty years Kenneth had “an unrivalled reputation as a chronicler of the Establishment” but he was also a “fine historian, combining insight and scholarship with an attractive prose style ” He was always scrupulously fair in his judgment He wrote practically every day of his life, notably in a private jour nal which he started at Oxford (it is said as a result of the influence of Tony Benn who was a contemporary of his at New College) and continued throughout his life The jour nal is to be published in due course and in view of his friendship with the Queen Mother and Edward VIII it is expected that it will contain revealing insights into the events of the last century It is bound to be of value to historians in the future His biography of King George V (1983) won the Wolfson award for history and the Whitbread and Yorkshire Post awards for biography His other subjects included Lord Curzon, Victor Rothschild and W illiam Harvey (the discoverer of the circulation of blood) Another, though lesser, “royal” book was “Kings, Queens and Courtiers” which he published in 1985
I first met Kenneth when I was chairman of the Gover nors I collected him from Derby station on a number of occasions and once, as we crossed the Trent bridge and the parish church came into view, he told me how, when he was writing the life of Lord Curzon, he would travel up to Kedleston at the weekend to work on Lord Curzon’s papers As he approached Derby he would always try to catch a glimpse of “the needle spire [of the parish church] in whose shadow Reptonians have lived for centuries ” On one of his visits he, Graham Jones, and I walked round the School grounds together and he mentioned that he would like to give something to the School of “cultural value ” It was some years later before this was followed up and the idea of a sculpture to go in front of the 400 Hall was mooted Robert Holroyd and I visited him in his flat in Kensington with a number of small maquettes prepared by young sculptors and happily Kenneth was as taken as the Headmaster and I were with Matthew Lane Sanderson’s “Dancing Figures ” The Gover nors approved, the commission was duly placed and the finished sculpture of course now stands in front of the 400 Hall, the representation of the boy and girl being a celebration of Repton's co educational status I had promised to drive Kenneth up to Repton in the summer of 2013 for an informal unveiling of the sculpture but unfortunately his health was already deteriorating and he was not well enough to make the jour ney A number of photographs were sent to him, but sadly he never saw the finished sculpture in situ
On hearing the sad news in November via the ORFC network and Facebook page, many ORFC players sent very kind e mails, and there was one from the grandson of his Religious Studies teacher at Repton, the Reverend C G C Proctor, which would have meant a lot to him J H Proctor (O’76) wrote: He was always so generous towards ORs of all generations Knowing so much about sport & sportsmen he was never short of a kind word or smile when appropriate Having witnessed a shocking howler he also knew when silence really was golden, and was happy to provide the pint that would start to ease one's angst
By his own admission he was not a frequent visitor to Repton after he left, most of his visits being to talk to School societies He did however write a small piece about his time at Repton, “One Boy’s War 1939 1942” , which, so far as I know, has never been published Written in his polished prose, it contains deliciously
Kenneth had been suffering from cancer for a number of years but he died in hospital after a fall in his flat Nicholas Wilson (L’49) 9 Pe t e r H S m i t h ( M ’ 4 1 )
The Liverpool Ramblers was a major part of his life as a player, supporter or officer, and he set up the Easter Festival in 1956, to which the Old Reptonian Football Club were regular visitors in the 70s & 80s, and which is still going strong some 58 years later He was known to many ORs whilst following the fortunes of the ORFC from the late 80s to 2003
frank pen portraits of a number of members of the staff at the time, including the Headmaster of his day, Michael Clarke, and Ber nard Thomas (who years later was my Housemaster in Latham) and a frank, unvar nished picture of life at Repton in the early years of the Second World War He concluded that, having taught at Eton and visited a dozen other public schools, the education Repton gave him could scarcely have been bettered He added that sometimes he “felt a little glow of nostalgia for [his] school days” but that generally he preferred them to remain a distant prospect! Nevertheless he was a generous donor to the various appeals made to Old Reptonians during his long life
Sam Swerling (B’53) writes: My dear brother Graham died on Christmas Eve 2013 after a short illness bravely bor ne He entered Repton (Brook House) in the summer of 1944, during Crommelin Brown’s stewardship as Housemaster and at a time when wartime conditions of austerity and rationing, as everywhere, pertained Unlike most new boys Graham had already made up his mind what career he would follow, He was to be a farmer, having loved his experience of working on the land in Great Missenden, Bucks, during his prep school holidays
D
A Commemoration of Graham’s life took place on 28th March 2014 at the family Buckinghamshire farm, attended by more than 300 people This much loved man is sorely missed by his wife of 54 years Dumpy, 4 children; Simon, Jane, Joanna and Guy, his 9 grandchildren, 4 sisters and brother, and indeed all who knew him av i d A l e x a n d e r R i c h a rd W i l l i a m s ( M ’ 4 9 )
At Repton he was a very good games player, gaining a hockey teamer and a ‘hopeful’ and ‘forty’ at football and cricket He also boxed for the school and was a fine runner On leaving Repton he attended the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester after national service and spent many years in farm management before acquiring his own farm in 1959 His two sons joined him and continue to farm the same land Graham worked fourteen hours a day throughout his life, but still found the time and energy to play and organise hockey fixtures, including numerous OR matches He represented Hertfordshire at hockey for many years and his elder son Simon proved to be an outstanding player, good enough to play for England under 19s Graham was an enthusiastic OR Apart from playing every year for many years at the annual school vs OR hockey match, he attended Gaudies, Speech Day, School plays (particularly during my own years at Repton) and in later years the annual Drinks in the City in London He made lifelong friends from his time at the school, most notably Tom Ringer (B’43), a Norfolk farmer, and John Hume (M’45), his best man
David passed away peacefully after a brave battle with cancer, on 9th March 2014 David was formally a proud member of Mitre House and his huge passion for the game of cricket remained with him for many years After Repton he went to St John's College Cambridge, for whom he also played cricket, before taking up a position at Strathallan School in the heart of Perthshire where he remained until he retired at the age of 60
As well as being head of the Economics Department he also served two terms as a Housemaster, a challenge which he relished with a passion He was a kind and peaceful man who kept in touch with the school as well as the Repton Pilgrims, right up until recently His wife Kay lives in Dunning, a short distance from Strathallan School, and his son Richard & his family are based in Bath, W iltshire Richard W illiams (son)
Obituar ies 10 G r a h a m D a n i e l S we r l i n g ( B ’ 4 4 )
I think it’s fair to say that Gerald was an unobtrusive schoolboy, by which I mean that he fitted in He was regarded as a reliable and popular member of the community, with a fair talent for football (as a defender) and for cricket (as a bowler) He was naturally drawn to the central ethic of the school, which was that round ball games were the most important thing in life I am sure he was helped in this direction by the fact that he was taught by Guy W illatt, who took summer terms off to captain Derbyshire cricket And so it was at school that he developed his three main interests in English literature, cricket and football but not necessarily in that order Leaving Repton in 1955, he was awarded a national service commission in the Sherwood Foresters, and as Second Lieutenant Mortimer was posted to Sennelager in West Germany, where so far as I am aware he spent the remainder of his service
He had already obtained a place at Oxford University, to read English at what was then the newest college, St Catherine’s Society, and duly won an honours degree in 1960 During his long vacations, Gerald managed to get a temporary job in the Sports Department of the Derby Telegraph, an experience which he greatly enjoyed, and where he made some lifelong friends However, looking for a career, he was naturally drawn to the world where he had both skills and contacts, and found that his understanding of literature and games were the passport to the teaching profession His first position was at Yarlet Hall prep school in Staffordshire, then at Heversham Grammar School in Lancashire (where Guy W illatt was now Headmaster), and third at Richmond School in North Yorkshire, where he became Head of English In all three schools Gerald assisted with football and cricket, and at Heversham he was also responsible for a colony of boarders and was in effect a Housemaster
Clive Bate (L’48) writes: I first met Gerald in 1945 I was 10, he was 9 We were both at Repton Preparatory School, which in those days was located in Repton village Another boy who joined at the same time was Andrew Forrest (C’50), whose father was editor of the then Derby Evening Telegraph In due course Gerald and I both went on to Repton and were in the same House, although never in the same form
Gerald’s career had two quite distinct phases, but you could hardly call it a game of two halves: Ten years as a teacher and forty something as a sports writer His obituaries say quite correctly that he started work at the Derby Evening Telegraph in July 1970 I can tell you that it was on the 27th of that month, and that it was his 34th birthday Reflect on the significance of the decision he made at that time: I believe he was on the threshold of an outstanding career as a teacher To be head of a department in a good secondary school at 33 was not exactly a signal to jump ship But he did it, and you all know with what results It is clear that he knew the risks he ran In his first book, Champions Again written in 1975, you will find the dedication “To those whose encouragement helped me to change horses ” I am absolutely certain that he never looked back
We kept in touch throughout the years and valued the close friendships with others from our schooldays After he retired, and no longer had to work on New Year’s Day, Gerald was one of four old friends from Repton who would meet to celebrate New Year’s Eve Three years ago he came to our reunion for the last time, after which he found the jour neys to the south too much for him Last month we, the three surviving couples, heard the sad news on the last day of the year and were at least able to honour his memory with a toast of farewell Gerald was a kind and generous man He was always good company, and a superb raconteur There is no doubt that Gerald became an outstanding reporter, with an economical writing style and a passionate concer n for truth and fair ness From an early age he possessed an uncanny ability to read a game of football and an equal understanding of the arts of cricket He also acquired a most perceptive insight into the business that sport had become He coupled these talents with a flair for bringing individual players to life He even found time to write his autobiography entitled Are the Fixtures Out? So I believe he was more than a fine jour nalist He could have made a name for himself with a national newspaper or on TV indeed he frequently did have a match report in The T imes but he chose to devote himself to Derbyshire, where he had lived for virtually the whole of his life And so, for those of us who have been at all involved with Derby during the last fifty years, he was our historian And now he is gone, and we who are left can be grateful for the man he was and for the words he wrote
Jo h n G e r a l d M o r t i m e r ( L’ 5 0 )
11
Obituar ies 12
A n d rew A t k i n s ( L’ 7
At the same time she was co authoring (with a thriller writer client, Brian Freeman) The Agency, a novel based in the world of London publishing, which came out in the US in 2009 In the same year she embarked on voluntary work, co ordinating three of the Conservative Party’s “Project Maja” social action ventures overseas, beginning in Bosnia in 2009, going on to Bangladesh in 2011 and finishing in January of this year at a Syrian refugee camp in Turkey She was also a trustee of the charity Give Us T ime which offers holidays to military personnel retur ning from Afghanistan
A T imes headline described her as the “Woman who will bring a sparkle to the party”, but her glamorous look was often of the edgy, leather biker jacket kind, and when Eric Ollerenshaw, now MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, first met her, he thought: “She doesn’t look very Conservative to me ” His doubts soon vanished as she threw herself into the work
He was a big fan of F1 and was a member of The Old Reptonian Masons Lodge He married Debbie twenty five years ago, and they were able to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary in July They have a son, Charlie, and daughter Sophie He is also survived by his cousins Russell (M’93) and Paul (M’90) Elliott Andrew died on August 27th 2013 after a 6 month battle with gastric cancer
7 )
Among her other overseas projects was the Busoga Trust, which provides clean water sources in Uganda In her memory, the Gunn family has plans for a school or clinic in Africa, as well as a literary prize in her name She was married to Nick Pople, who works in financial services He and their son Jack, now 10, and her parents and sisters survive her She died of a brain haemorrhage while on holiday in Switzerland, on February 20th, 2014, aged 45 Sourced from The Times Newspaper
Robert Bond (P’68) “Ali was a highly respected literary agent whom I had the joy of knowing and working with She represented many high profile authors and was a pleasure to work with” A sportsman, Andrew enjoyed tennis, golf and skiing and was a member of the Ridgefield Tennis Club and North Salem Golf Club
Running her own agency allowed Ali to undertake a one day a week consultancy for the Conservative Party In the run up to the 2010 general election, she became head of features and lifestyle media at Tory campaign headquarters Her job was to provide senior Tories, and parliamentary candidates, with opportunities to appear in a broader than usual range of newspapers, magazines and TV programmes
Ali Gunn did not just negotiate lucrative book deals for her clients Her clients became her friends, just as many of her friends became her clients, and she would habitually spring to their defence if need be Most famously, perhaps, she rode to the rescue of Carol Thatcher in 2009 when the daughter of the former prime minister was sacked from the BBC’s One Show over an alleged racist remark off air in 2009 Ali’s generous spirit reached out to colleagues of all kinds and was one reason of many why, at any gathering, people were drawn to her Her wit and bonhomie also played their part As Jonathan Lloyd, a former colleague (now chairman) at the literary agent Curtis Brown, said: “She was a force of nature and a bringer of fun and joy, and her enthusiasm for books and people was infectious It was impossible to have a row with her It always ended not in tears but in laughter ” At gatherings Ali would be found at the centre of an Ab Fab style haze of laughter, drink and (whenever legally possible) cigarette smoke, but beneath the glamour and party going there lurked a vulnerability of which close friends and family were aware Alison was bor n in 1968, she attended Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls in Elstree and then came to Repton She went to Bristol University to read Politics and then took an MA in war studies
A l i G u n n ( A ’ 8 5 )
Andrew attended Foremarke before joining Latham House in 1977 He was bor n in Derby, and a life long Derby County supporter He emigrated to the USA and had been a resident of Ridgefield He was an intermodal asset trader, and a managing director of Quest Capital Group, LLC of Norwalk, CT
More recently, he was one of the major players behind the launch of East Midlands Inter net Radio, where his final work was a production called ‘Secrets’, described as an edgier style of Downton Abbey Having always loved music, he also had his own Sunday after noon show of Jazz and Blues As a great supporter of new talent he gave up a lot of his free time in order to help budding musicians James also captained a team called the Repton Reprobates for the BBC ‘Eggheads’ programme which will be broadcast in the Autumn James retur ned to Repton in 2003 living at Brook End entering fully into the life of the village St Wystan’s Church was packed for the celebration of his life James died in the prime of his life, and will be sadly missed Ben Hughes (M’89)
After Repton Isobel spent time in France as an au pair and working for Eurocamp During this time she sent regular correspondence home to friends detailing her hilarious observations and experiences It’s a credit to her excellent letter writing skills that many of us still have these letters today After her gap year Isobel headed back up north to Manchester University where she completed her degree and later settled there working as a management trainer in a call centre It was in 1998 however that Isobel was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and being fiercely independent she continued to live and work in Manchester before finding it a struggle and she then moved to Paignton in Devon to be closer to her family
Ja m e s Pa u l D aw n ( B ’ 8 9 )
Throughout her illness Isobel was able to live independently in Paignton in her own flat and she continued to be passionate about writing and in particular raising awareness about Multiple Sclerosis and disability issues, having a number of articles published Sadly in January this year Isobel lost her battle with this terrible disease at the age of just 45 She died at home with dignity, as she had wished, surrounded by her family and carers She is survived by her father and brothers
13
A large number of Old Reptonians have been touched by the news of Isobel's premature death As one friend put it: “she was an indelible part of our teenage years ” Isobel was keen to support research into Multiple Sclerosis and we felt it fitting to raise funds for the MS Society in her memory If you wish to donate you can do so here: www justgiving com/isobelkendrew 6th September 1975 10th February 2014 James came from Hartshor ne, went to the village primary school and then to Foremarke as a weekly boarder when he was 10, moving on to Repton School as a member of Brook House and then to Sheffield Hallam where he read Business and Marketing On graduating he worked with his father Peter in their HR and specialist recruitment business becoming a Director and taking over the running of the business in 2009 A good sportsman, he captained both Repton and the Norther n Independent Schools at football, had a final trial for the FA School of Excellence at Lilleshall and won his school colours for hockey, fives and cricket as a solid middle order batsmen and wicketkeeper Sadly, his football career was cut short by a knee injury Whatever was happening at school Dawny was usually in the thick of it and he would recount tales, often in the Red Lion, of going to FA Cup Finals at Wembley, meeting Brian Clough in the trophy room at Forest and sitting on Mohammad Ali’s knee whilst his father, who was a football referee, explained the off side rule He loved travel, holidaying in Barbados, Los Angeles, Australia for the Ashes and many more, but perhaps his most spectacular was a road trip, in true ‘Top Gear’ style covering 3,000 miles driving all over Europe in 11 days with his best friend Richard Kerry (O’85) Hot air ballooning, scuba diving, driving racing cars, camel riding, or simply taking his Norfolk terrier Stella for an early mor ning walk on the beach at Brancaster, James was up for them all He took up golf, became a member of Branston Golf Club, played for the ORs and quickly saw his handicap reduce by 5 shots Whether it was watching a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game, Derby County win promotion to the Premiership, surfing on Crane beach in Barbados, playing in a football match for the Bull’s Head when he managed to be on the pitch for all of 30 seconds, not touch the ball and end up on crutches, James was never far from the action!
Having moved down from Macclesfield, Isobel quickly adapted to Abbey life, managing to fit in, yet retain her individual and edgy style Isobel embraced school life as a boarder making many lifelong friends, and her strong personality and sharp wit meant she was always great company to be with She was a lover of art and music, sang in the chapel choir, and enjoyed the close community the school offered She covered the walls of her room in the vibrant colours of Matisse and fashion pages of magazines, and played an eclectic mix of music from the B52s to Brian Ferry to Edith Piaf The influence she had on her peers, together with her calm and mature nature, led her to be the natural choice for a school prefect
I s o b e l Ke n d rew ( A ’ 8 5 ) Leonie Tapley (A’85), Juliet Hume (née Parsons) (A’85) and Charlotte Lusty (née Jenkins) (A’85), remember: Isobel's two year spell at Repton started in the Michaelmas Term 1985, along with around 60 girls looked after by the Pellows
The funeral was attended by myself, with my wife Pam, J M Chick (P’48) and R Hedley Jones (B’51)
John Edwards (L’83): “I am very saddened to hear the news Her practical and pastoral support was central to all Lathamites and it was difficult not to be touched by her invariable good humour and fondness My life in Latham from 1983 1988 was made all the brighter by her cockney tones, which endeared here greatly to my Londoner (and one time nurse) mother ”
Former Lathamites remember Joan with fondness: J F M Walker (H’46) and former Latham Housemaster: Joan Beasley was Latham's Housekeeper and Matron for all but the first two terms of my Housemastership She filled both roles with complete dedication and efficiency and was loved and respected by both the boys and the domestic staff The boys may have found amusement in her two most favoured remedies aspirin gargle and witch hazel but she was in fact very shrewd and knowledgeable and if boys were ill or injured they knew that they would be well cared for There were very few domestic alarms because the staff were happy to work for her and knew that she would always look after their interests There was one occasion when our cook deserted us in mid term, but with help of cooks from other Houses who provided prepared meals, members of our own domestic staff and even the Headmaster's wife, Meg Gammell, who cooked fish and chips for Friday lunches, the rest of the term passed by calmly enough, with Joan herself daily cooking the boys' tea She and the Hall Matron, Elsie Bowen, became great friends and in retirement lived in flats in the same Derby building Joan said that her time at Repton was the happiest of her life, and the boys in the House certainly benefited from her cheerful and caring nature and from her interest in and support for their activities As for me, I will always be grateful for her sheer competence in her dual role which relieved me of so many of the worries that beset Housemasters
Obituar ies
Jo a n B e a s l ey : Fo r m e r L a t h a m M a t ro
David Stewart (L’77): “I have very fond memories of Joan, she was even kind enough to sew in zips into the (budget) bondage trousers I was brave enough to wear at the height of the punk movement, without protest or criticism!”
Repton was lucky to have such a brilliant teacher even for so short a time and many surely are the ORs whose love of History was inspired by Kim Taylor
Born August 4th 1922, died July 20th 2013 Governor 1970 1972 and 1977 1987. John Frankland (H’48) writes: Kim was bor n in Calcutta in 1922 as his father owned an advertising agency there He was sent to boarding school in England aged 6, and when his father died just 3 years later school effectively became home Aged 10 he followed his elder brother to Sevenoaks where he excelled academically and in sport, becoming Head of School and captain of boxing and rugby He was about to sit the Oxford entrance examination when WW2 broke out Sent back to India he began teaching at St Paul’s School, Darjeeling, remaining there until 1942 when he was commissioned into the Indian Army Retur ning to civilian life Kim went back to St Paul’s for a further year before working his passage to England He went up to New College, Oxford, where he gained a boxing Blue and graduated with a first class degree in History Kim taught History for four years and left, aged 32, to become Headmaster of Sevenoaks In the History VI th of those years B W Thomas (Head of History and Housemaster of Latham) taught European History and the new arrival English History The contrast between their styles was stark! Whereas ‘Birdy’ Tom rattled us through the intrigues of Cardinal Richelieu and the military adventures of the Thirty Years War, exhorting us at all times in our essays to “stick to the facts”, Kim Taylor took great pains to explain to us the social consequence of political and military events (e g the divisive effect on families of the English Civil War) Kim left Repton in 1954 to become Headmaster of his old school, Sevenoaks He was the youngest Headmaster of a public school at the time He transformed the school, introducing a Voluntary Service Unit (the first of its kind) amongst many other innovations His ideas were described in his book “Experiments in Education at Sevenoaks” (1965) and were copied by many other schools
Joan died on March 10th 2014
In retirement he cared for his wife Suzanne during a long illness, and after her death moved to Chicester where he spent the last happy eight years of his life He was a volunteer at the cathedral welcoming visitors as a magisterially robed door keeper
His career continued to flourish after his fourteen years at Sevenoaks He became director of the Nuffield Foundation’s “Recourses for Lear ning” project, then Principal Administrator of the Centre for Education Resources and Innovation at the OECD in Paris This was followed by appointment as Head of Education Programming at the Independent Broadcasting Authority in London After five years in television, he ended his career as a director of the Gulbenkian Foundation, the London based Anglo Portuguese Charity dedicated to social welfare, education and the arts His connection with public schools was maintained by his service as gover nor of both Repton and Sevenoaks during the 1970s and 1980s
n 1 9 7 7 - 1 9 8 9
David Hopkinson (L’77): “She was a very caring and helpful person And she did a good job as a stand in chef for a term!”
14 L e n C l ive Tay l o r ( K i m ) : Fo r m e r s t a f f 1 9 5 0 1 9 5 4
Robin Snook (L’76): “I was very sorry to hear the news of Joan Beasley’s passing away I remember Joan with great fondness Not just for her unwavering faith in witch hazel for bruises sustained on the football or hockey pitches, but also for her very caring and protective nature towards her boys, of which I was the beneficiary on more than one occasion, and particularly one time when I was unwell for shall we say self inflicted reasons ”
Saturday, November 16th, was the date of the annual OR Dinner in Repton W ith the permission of the Headmaster and Head of Science, the Society decided to use the opportunity to showcase the magnificent, newly opened Science Priory Thus Head of Physics, Sam Mitchell, gave a tour of the building for any who wished to wonder why science could not have been like that in their day, and this was followed by the AGM in the Kan Library at the top of the building and the Drinks Reception in the Atrium Only then did the 120 ORs and guests pass through the Arch to Pears School for the Dinner itself As a delicious meal neared its conclusion the outgoing President, Mr Ian Payne, and the Headmaster made speeches, and then a number withdrew to the Red Lion, for old times’ sake It was a pleasure to see the wide range of ORs who attended, the oldest having started at the school in 1946, the youngest in the early years of this Millennium, and from the convivial atmosphere all evening it seemed that the occasion was much enjoyed It would thus be lovely to see even more of you there this year, an occasion we have managed to coincide with a very special Remembrance Sunday, the centenary of the start of the First World War NJK
A n n u a l D i n n e r
More photographs can be seen on: www reptonschool /Annual Dinner2013 OR Events 15
It was also a pleasure to see the Headmaster and his wife in attendance, giving those present a chance to hear a round up of the School’s life The President of the Society also spoke, highlighting the unique spirit of the Old Reptonian As ever, the occasion was masterminded with wonderful efficiency by Jan Cobb (OR Assistant Secretary) and Cathy Twigg (Marketing and Development Director) There was a great atmosphere in the room, as everyone really seemed to be enjoying the opportunities the occasion presented, underlining the importance of the event in the Old Reptonian calendar NJK More photographs can be seen on: www reptonschool co uk/Drinks in the city2014
OR Events
The 2014 Drinks in the City event took place on Tuesday, February 25th, and what a splendid evening it tur ned out to be For a third year we retur ned to the East India Club in St James’ Square and again the grandeur of the establishment combined with the central location proved ideal Whilst we did not quite match the record numbers from last year, around 150 ORs and guests made their way to the elegant function room The spread of ages was considerable, the oldest present having joined the school two thirds of a century before the youngest! As well as catching up with each other’s news, ORs were also able to reminisce with the nine staff who were able to escape the village, Sarah Tennant (Deputy Head, Pastoral), T im Owen (Deputy Head, Academic), Russell Embery (Head of Classics), Jon Hill (English), Kim McCallum (Moder n Languages), Jeremy Bour non (Director of Art), Melissa Blain (Moder n Languages and Careers), Adam Watkinson (School Chaplain), and Nigel Kew (OR Secretary), as well as four former members of staff
16 D r i n k s i n t h e C i t y
OR Reunions O R G e r m a n R e u n i o n Andrew Stockman (H’67) writes:It was a very well organised and attended occasion and we all enjoyed it very much, a credit to Beate Erdmann (A’99) who, having done the hard work, had to miss it because she was still in the Azores More photographs can be seen on: www repton org uk/German Reunion 2013 17
50th Anniversary Reunion of the 1963 Repton School Football 1st XI held in Repton on Saturday 30th November 2013
OR Reunions
Present: J A Ballinger (P’59) Goalkeeper; D C Stokes (P’59) Right Back; A C Borrett (B’09) Left Half; J L Hutton (H’59) Centre Half; D F Hings (P’59) Left W ing; J Marshall (P’60) Inside Left; C M Gordon (H’59) Inside Right; L M L Barnwell (O’57) Coach Absent: R G Bradley (O’59) Left Back; J H Furniss (L’59) Right Half; J D Harrison (B’60) (Dec’d) Centre Forward; T M Ardern (H’59) (Dec’d) Right W ing; C S Cheshire (Dec’d) Manager Of those unable to attend, three were unfortunately no longer living, the where abouts and status of John Fur niss (the Captain) were unknown, and Richard Bradley was unable to travel because of health problems
The day began with some pre match bonding in the Bull’s Head with old photographs and other memorabilia much in evidence
Nostalgic goodbyes the following mor ning “See you in 10 years’ time?” Who knows?
18 Fo o t b a l l 1 s t X I 1 9 6 3
A macabre moment occurred when it was discovered that one of the other spectators was none other than David Harrison’s younger brother Paul, himself an OR and no mean player in his day, and who, having no prior knowledge that a reunion was taking place, was attending because one of his friends had a son in the Shrewsbury side What a coincidence! After the match, tea was taken in the Pavilion and there was some disappointment that the Team board for 1963 was no longer in evidence A trip to the Red Lion was clearly called for in order to drown our sorrows
MATCH REPORT
The grand finale was a sumptuous dinner in a private room at the Blenheim House Hotel in Etwall and, prior to retiring for the night, Mike Bar nwell was prevailed upon to read out, to much hilarity, the “Characters of the XI” , of which he was the author, published in the Games Supplement of the Michaelmas Term 1963 edition of the “Reptonian”
A very big thank you to John Ballinger who did most of the organisation (with help from the OR office in Repton) Postscript: At the time of the events described above, it was thought that John Fur niss was no longer living However, since then it has been discovered that he is in fact alive and well and living in the Cayman Islands
After months of detailed planning and research, eight hearty Old Reptonians converged on Repton to mark the 50th Anniversary of the 1963 Repton Football 1st XI, one of the most successful sides in the school’s history
Front row (l to r): D C Stokes, C M Gordon, A C Borrett Middle row (l to r): J L Hutton, D F Hings, J A Ballinger, L M L Barnwell Back row: J Marshall
Fortunately, the beer in the Red Lion has improved somewhat since the 1960s and it wasn’t long before the reminiscences started flowing
The squad then repaired to the Square to watch the School’s current 1st XI play Shrewsbury It was an entertaining game, but ended in a 1 1 draw Repton had a number of chances which the assembled company thought David Harrison would almost certainly have put away
It was great to see two new members of the ten man squad this year; Neal Rushton (P’94) and Sean Pearson (P’96) who were selected by team captain Pete Forster (N’87) and past captain Richard Hodgkinson (M’81), following a trial held in March at Lindrick
Left to right: N A L Rushton (P’94), R O Holdsworth (C’92), P D M Carr (H’72), J G W Wood (L’78), F K Andrews (O’66), J A Ballinger (P’59), P A M Anselm (C’86), R G Hodgkinson (M’81), P E Forster (N’87), A E Bishop (P’72), D I Pepper (H’53), G West (C’45), M J Priestley (C’81) and R Fry (N’60) 19
O R G o l f i n g S o c i e t y : H a l f o rd H ew i t t 2 0 1 4
Branches of the Society
The next three years will be captained by Philip Carr, a seasoned campaigner in his second term of office Philip will be holding an autumn trial for any Old Reptonians with a golf handicap of less than 5, who are not current members of the ORGS
This was the last year of captaincy for Pete Forster To say there have been other pressures on his time would be a massive understatement; during his three year term of office, while working as an anaesthetist, he has acquired a wife (who happens to be a full time surgeon) two children and a house renovation project in Bath Despite all that, he has done a stirling job and will doubtless be a regular team member as his golf continues to shine
Please contact tonybishop@reptongolf com if you want to be included
It is never easy taking one’s place against sixty three other ten man teams in the oldest, amateur, scratch, foursomes tour nament However, both new boys have sporting pedigree Sean Pearson's brother Myles (P’99) is a Hewitt team veteran and will doubtless be picked to play again next year when his reversion to amateur golf is complete Neal Rushton is a past captain of OR football Despite limited experience of links golf and only two practice days getting to grips with the magnitude of Royal St George's, the debutants played together as a pair and had a win in the first round, as Repton beat Blundells 3 2 Sadly the euphoria was short lived as the team suffered an unlikely 4 1 loss to Mill Hill in the second round Team Pairings were: 1) P A M Anselm (C’86) and M J Priestley (C’81) 2) J G W Wood (L‘78) and P E Forster (N’87) 3) R G Hodgkinson (M’81) and P D M Carr (H’72) 4) R Pearson (P’96) and N A L Rushton (P’94) (debutants) 5) F K Andrews (O’66) and R O Holdsworth (C’92) Neal Rushden's parents made the jour ney from St Neots and were a welcome addition to the Repton supporters More are always welcome
R e p t o n P i l g r i m s C r i c ke t C l u b
Both Frank and James were very fine cricketers and have been stalwarts of the Pilgrims for a long time They both judge that the time is right for change and that the Club now needs a new generation to pick up from them As we close in on our centenary there is a great opportunity for younger Pilgrims to come forward with fresh ideas and thinking in order to build on the foundations and goodwill already in place
Frank Russell (left) with Nick Walford (right) James Ross
Nicky Samra (N’02)
Branches of the Society Fo o t b a l l ORFC 2014 ROUND UP
The home form this year has been terrific, having not lost at Merchant Taylor’s all season The best performance came against league leaders (by a massive 20 points), King's College, W imbledon, who admitted they were lucky to salvage a draw All six defeats have come on the road this year to teams that really shouldn't have caused the ORs any real problems Unfortunately for the ORs, the desire to play attractive football hasn't always proved effective It is evident from the +1 goal difference that the games have been closely fought all season long and the ORs can't help but feel that the lack of a natural goal scorer has cost them dearly on a number of occasions It would be fair to say there haven’t been any star performers this season; everyone has chipped in throughout and it has been a real team effort Well done to all involved and to anyone in the London area keen to join us, please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing captain@oldreptonianfc com
In addition to recognising Frank we also need to pass on our thanks to James Ross (H’68) who has stood down after several years as Fixture Secretary Never an easy role, James arranged our fixtures with a variety of clubs and, whether they were longstanding traditional opposition or newcomers to our fixture list, he always ensured that arrangements were fully understood Indeed he was adept at explaining, in the nicest possible way, what a treat it is to have a fixture with the Pilgrims and, in particular, to play at Repton
Chairman Nick Smith (B’69) writes: After 26 years as Hon Secretary of the Pilgrims Frank Russell (O’69) has stood down following the Club’s AGM in March He was only the fourth Pilgrim since the founding of the Club in 1921 to have held the post, a remarkable fact and one that can rarely have been matched by any similar club His predecessor, David Carr, who was Frank’s Godfather, had been in post for thirty three years, so between them they held the position for nearly sixty years Frank took over at a time when it was already becoming harder to raise sides for Pilgrims’ fixtures, not only for mid week matches but also for the South Coast Tour and Week at Repton Although eventually we could not keep the one off fixtures going, Frank continued to run the Tour for several years and the Week is still held at Repton in early July It is very much thanks to his efforts that Pilgrims cricket has continued to give pleasure to many generations of Repton cricketers Balls, scorebook and umpires were nearly always present at our matches as, usually, was the flag Fixture cards were produced and posted, dinners and meetings organised, minutes written and distributed The odd panic over a non existent pen or loss of names for election was handled with amusement and good grace Even the occasional schoolmasterly correction of a misspelling or grammatical error was met with a cheerful smile He was after all particularly well tutored! It is of note that Frank also ran the Cricketer Cup for several years and, although we did not win the competition during that time, it was good to know that a Pilgrim was in charge Those of us who hold the Pilgrims dear are very grateful to Frank for all he has done I know that he will continue to be a great supporter and I hope that future generations, whilst shaping the Club’s structure for continued success, will seek his advice and guidance where needed
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This year has seen a number of new members join the Old Reptonian Football Club and put on the silky blue and yellow shirts for the first time The team has had over 20 different players feature this season which is a great sign for the future as the boys look to grow and re establish the club as one of the top teams in the Arthurian League and Dunn Cup DUNN CUP: This year the ORs managed to reach the Quarter Finals after defeating Old Harrovians (3 2) and Old Berkhamstedians (8 2) Their exit was at the hands of a very useful Lancing Old Boys' side, whose accurate shooting punished some lacklustre defending A late comeback looked on the cards, but the ORs could only halve the four goal deficit as the game ended 4 2 This was a marked improvement on last year’s first round exit, but those who reached the 2012 final are keen to get there again LEAGUE After gaining promotion into Division 1 of the Arthurian League, the aim was to finish in the top half of the table, avoiding relegation at all costs W ith three games remaining the ORs find themselves in a relegation battle with 6 other teams, despite sitting in 4th place
The Memorial Shrine commemorates the 3,225 Freemasons killed in the war The casket in the foreground, with gilt figures at each cor ner representing the fighting services, was designed by Walter Gilbert (who also designed the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace) It contains the memorial roll The stained glass window behind depicts Peace through Sacrifice with the Angel of Peace carrying a model of the tower of the building Although ORs were amongst those killed in the war, none belonged to the Lodge Members of the Lodge will reflect on this as they look back to all that the Lodge has meant to its members, and the School, over the last 100 years and what they hope it will be able to offer in the years to come
Since I published a request for OR tennis players to get in touch in the last edition of The Arch, there has been a great response and I am really excited about the future of the OR Tennis Society We are hoping to field a team to play the current school team in the summer
Te n n i s Future looks strong for the OR Tennis Society
By the time you are reading this we will have held the first tennis and social event at Repton on April 6th 2014 We submitted a team for this year’s D’Aber non Cup, the inter school competition for Public School old boys, which myself and Alex Grocott (S’10), having played and won the qualifier, have successfully made it through to the next round We are also hoping to be seeded in the Quarter FInals The competition, which ORs have won on four previous occasions, the latest of which was 1999, and with the finals held every year at SW19, come with no small amount of prestige If you are an OR Tennis player, I would love to hear from you Please send me an email at: muirheadjamie@gmail com Jamie Muirhead (C’09)
O R L o d g e
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War While ceremonies and exhibitions in this country and across Europe focus on the significance of what followed for individuals, for nations, and for the wider world, events over recent months in Central Europe serve as a reminder that history does not stand still
By tradition the Festival provides an opportunity for the hosting Lodge to make a donation to the School, and this year the Old Reptonian Lodge is looking to assist with the renovation work on the War Memorial in the Garth When Masonic Lodges are founded they receive a Charter or Warrant, and as they reach the point of celebrating their 100th year they receive an Anniversary Warrant to mark the occasion The Warrant for the Old Reptonian Lodge will be presented to the Lodge in a ceremony that will take place at Freemasons’ Hall in London on the 18th June John Pagella (L’57)
21
What has this to do with the Old Reptonian Lodge? The answer will be immediately apparent to readers of the regular articles about the OR Lodge which now appear in The Arch The Lodge was founded 100 years ago in 1914 It too does not stand still, and over the coming months it will mark its centenary with events in Repton and at Freemasons’ Hall in London, which was built in memory of the many Freemasons who died in the Great War
The Lodge is a member of the Public Schools Lodges’ Council, and with great foresight it managed to secure the privilege of hosting the 2014 Annual Festival at Repton On the 10th May members from Lodges associated with many of the country’s most famous public schools will travel to Repton to meet and enjoy what we hope will be ‘Repton in Spring’ By kind permission of the Headmaster a reception will be held in the Science Priory followed by entertainment in the 400 Hall and lunch in Pears School
Who? What? Where? When?
Rick Scott (P’69) recalls GILES ELLIS BARKER 1956
1992
I first met Giles in September 1969 at Repton School, where we were both ‘new boys’ We were equally obsessed with climbing and quickly became partners in crime He already had a comprehensive knowledge of the history and traditions of British climbing This was due in part to an apprenticeship he was serving with Freddie Jones, an experienced and veteran climber from his home town of Rotherham He also had the type of brain that retains facts and information, leading to him following History as an academic route The school climbing club was run by a hugely tolerant John Fishley We were well drilled in rope techniques and belaying on the stairs of the ‘Old Mitre’ before being let loose on the crags Once we had proved our competence, we were generally left to get on with climbing without interference We spent idyllic days at the Roaches, Black Rocks and Froggatt, as well as favourite limestone venues like Ravensdale, Stoney and Beeston Tor But the Mecca as far as Giles was concer ned was Stanage Edge and our gritstone apprenticeship had to involve gaining an intimate knowledge of its idiosyncrasies Above all else what we most looked forward to were Welsh weekends We would travel up the A5 on a Friday night in the back of a three ton Corps truck and stop for chips in Llangollen Hanging out of the back on newly acquired Whillan’s har nesses or trying to climb onto the canvas roof without being seen by JF were popular games We stayed in a dilapidated old chapel near Dolwyddelan owned by Denstone College and not far from Carreg Alltrem, which we visited early on These weekends were often attended by Sgt Major Paul, who tried to sound like a classic sergeant major, but was too kind hearted to really pull it off He woke us in the mor nings with shouts of “make a move” and a mean brew of tea, strong enough to stand a teaspoon up in When organised trips were not available we would take matters into our own hands On an after noon we could cycle three miles to Carvers Rocks On a Saturday or Sunday, we sometimes cycled further, 18 miles to Whitwick Quarry in Leicestershire These jaunts were highly illegal and we got in trouble once when I let slip to my Housemaster that we had hitched to Dovedale on our own Letters were duly written to our parents and Giles was aghast that I had dropped us in it “Appalling!” was his signature response It was during the eighties that Giles started caving, mainly due to elbow injuries that prevented him from climbing Initially, he was a member of the South Wales and Morgnnwg Caving Clubs, but when he moved north to take up a post with the training department of Manchester University he joined the Red Rose Cave and Pothole Club Always a keen photographer, he naturally progressed to cave photography, too His dedication and bloody minded determination led to excellent results with awards in the BCRA Photo Salon and two Red Rose competitions He also had a full page spread on cave photography published in ‘Amateur Photographer’ magazine He loved speleology and the underground environment and was not prepared to compromise his experience by rushing too much Unfortunately, it was Giles’ love of cave photography that lead to his death It happened in August 1992 after a long photo through trip from Torca de Azpilicueta to Cueva Cubio de la Reñada in Norther n Spain Giles found that his voluminous camera tub wouldn’t fit down the small phreatic tube which led to the lower exit passages Having told the other two to go on, Giles attempted to navigate through another route to meet them and it was here that he had his fatal fall The Red Rose CPC and Morgannwg CC have annually, since 1993, presented the Giles Barker Award in his memory This prestigious national award is presented at the British Caving Association National Conference to a person connected with any aspect of cave photography in recognition of his or her excellence and contributions to the field Giles had begun a project to write a history of Peak District rock climbing and this has been recently completed by Phil Kelly, Graham Hoey and others The book is called Peak Rock and can be previewed on Amazon
22 C l i m b i n g a n d C av i n g R e m e m b e r i n g G i l e s B a r ke r ( C ’ 6 9 )
Chefs’ Night Out is a concept that started back in 2010 by two Welsh businessmen as a new and unique way to fundraise for Tŷ Hafan children’s hospice
What makes Chefs’ Night Out stand out from other charity dinners is that it is a dinner with a difference as guests don’t know until the evening which chef will be cooking their food and what style of food they will be eating; it could be anything from innovative Indian cooking to fine French cuisine The organisers invite only the highest calibre chefs with some of the biggest supporters including well known Michelin starred chefs Roger Jones, Richard Davies, and highly acclaimed Stephen Terry No matter who you get cooking your dinner, you are sure to receive an unforgettable meal Guests find out whose food they will be eating when the chefs pick out their table from the draw during the champagne reception, just half an hour before they are seated However, the event isn’t only about the gourmet cuisine rustled up by the chefs Following the dinner there is also the excitement of the exclusive auction where guests get the chance to bid for a chef to cook a dinner for ten in their own home
The increased profile of the event in the culinary world has also attracted a whole new group of chefs who are willing to travel from far and wide to show their support These include the world famous Anton Edelman (Head Chef of the Savoy for 25 years), the two Michelin star holder Michael W ignall, the Michelin star and Four AA rosette Head Chef of the Atlantic hotel in Jersey Mark Jordan (of Saturday Kitchen fame), Sian Wyn Owen from the iconic River Café and award winning chef Juan Galvez who generously flew in from the Marbella Club hotel to add a new Mediterranean flavour to the event The events have been such a success and become so popular that Chefs’ Night Out has expanded to create a less expensive ‘pop up’ series offering guests a smaller version of the main event and can be hosted by restaurants all over Wales
The Pop Up series only began in 2012 but has so far included a launch in The Park House Club in Cardiff and two Pop Ups at The Grove, Narberth They are great for bringing Chefs’ Night Out to a wider audience across Wales and David and Huw hope to create many more to continue to introduce more people to both Chefs’ Night Out and the important work of Tŷ Hafan
The auction is an enormously important part of the dinner It was during the auction for the first Chefs’ Night Out that any fundraising hopes David and Huw had for the event were completely blown out of the water Bids came in as high as £16,000 per chef culminating in a staggering £100,000 being raised for Tŷ Hafan Since 2010 there have been three dinners with each raising over £100,000 for the charity
23 C h e f s ’ N i g h t O u t D av i d L o o s e m o re ( N ’ 9 0 )
David and his friend Huw Edwards started the concept of Chefs’ Night Out having been inspired by a similar event held annually in London called ‘Who’s cooking dinner?’ This event is organised by Chris Corbin the man who tur ned The Ivy, Le Caprice, J Sheekey and The Wolseley into London’s hottest eateries and gathers some of the best known chefs in the country to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity David and Huw set up a meeting with Chris to get some more information and words of advice for their own event W ith his blessing, they set about creating a similar gala dinner in Cardiff that would bring fifteen of the country’s top chefs together in one kitchen for a night of outstanding cuisine
The reason behind the creation of Chefs’ Night Out in aid of Tŷ Hafan is a matter very close to David’s heart Isabella Loosemore was diagnosed at eight months old with a rare brain disorder and David and his wife Ruth were soon referred to Tŷ Hafan children’s hospice Today Bella loves spending time at Tŷ Hafan where the wonderful staff care for all her needs and provide a sanctuary full of love and warmth Speaking about the hospice David said, “I had been to lots of different fundraisers for Tŷ Hafan but I had never visited the hospice until we went there with Isabella and her grandparents It was not what I expected at all I thought it would be like a hospital; instead it is more like a home from home It is a place where we can all spend time together or Isabella can stay there while we get away for a bit and we know that she is being well looked after The helpers are amazing and Isabella loves it there ” Tŷ Hafan was established in 1999 and since then has helped over 550 families who live the dreadful reality that their children with life limiting conditions may not reach the age of 18 Children suffer from various conditions, such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Cystic Fibrosis and Cerebral Palsy Some children are diagnosed at birth; others receive no diagnosis or at some point the decision may be made to stop treatment Tŷ Hafan costs over £3 million a year just to stay open and, with less than 5% gover nment backing, it relies heavily on its supporters to raise a large proportion of their funds This huge target is what encouraged David and Huw to create Chefs’ Night Out and although Bella is the inspiration behind its creation, they are keen for the event to expand and continue to provide the support needed to help hundreds more children like her To find out more about Chefs’ Night Out visit www chefsnightout co uk or please get in touch info@chefsnightout co uk or 0845 644 8774
S i m o n B a i l y G i b s o n ( H ’ 6 5 ) D i s a s t e r a t C a l u n a s a n C re e k Fa r m
The full force of the quake was projected southwest towards the coastal municipality of Loon and surrounding towns Clearly, our part of the island had taken the brunt of it while our island capital Tagbilaran City and the tourist island of Panglao were largely spared Never theless Bohol was brought to a grinding halt The quake flattened over 20,000 houses and caused $100s of millions of infrastructural damage and loss of life Along with most local folk, we spent the next couple of weeks under canvas while the aftershocks were at their most severe W ith no power nor running water and our deep water well collapsed, we depended on rainwater harvested from the roof of our badly damaged home
A village home destroyed by the quake
Before the quake
This was an especially frightening scenario for those of us in the already quake shattered areas of Bohol The mayor ordered evacuation but where should we all go? We went to stay with good friends on slightly higher ground The four us huddled together and sipped rum while the palm trees swayed and the rain beat down It was a surreal experience as the ground still shook from after shocks Truly, with no power and no light, it felt like the end of the world was upon us
Villagers camping out in the rice fields Life can change in a flash For us it took less than a minute
One week later it started to rain as tropical depression “W ilma” took hold W ith homes destroyed or at best damaged, most folk were afraid to move back in doors for fear of further damage from the numerous and sometimes terrifying aftershocks W ilma caused widespread flooding and misery for those already reeling from the quake And then, as if Bohol needed to be punished again so soon, we heard news of a typhoon heading directly at us “Yolanda” was gathering strength off shore and upgraded from super typhoon to monster typhoon to one of the most powerful ever
Miraculously, Yolanda veered north shortly before landfall Bohol was spared her full fury whilst the world watched in horror at the cataclysmic damage unleashed on Tacloban City and the islands of Samar and Leyte
It was a beautiful sunny mor ning on 15th October 2013 at Calunasan Creek Farm We’d been up early planning the day’s activities when all of a sudden our home started to shake I recall a deep rumble before the ensuing mayhem took hold The building shook violently for what seemed like an age causing ceilings to collapse, windows to blow out, and walls to crack and crumble as our belongings and all that we had built in the preceding 6 months crashed around us Such is the frightening power unleashed by a 7 2 mag quake Trapped under the debris on the upper terrace, I could hear my wife’s voice screaming “where are you?” as I too wondered where she was Flor was trapped in the bathroom unable to escape We were helped out of the house, badly shaken but miraculously unhurt apart from minor cuts and bruises Word quickly spread from the village that the sea had receded and a tsunami was feared We followed villagers up the hill behind the farm where we gathered next to a church and a group of homes mostly destroyed As the ground continued to rumble and shake with each after shock, they roared “bwah bwah bwah” to ward off the evil spirits Everyone in shock, children crying, dogs howling, no one knew what would happen next The tsunami never came, for we later lear ned the epicentre was inland and some 25 kilometres to the east of us near Sagbayan, a town that suffered severe damage
Who? What? Where? When? 24
Now we are raising our sights and aiming higher still I am looking to raise £26,000 in sponsorship funds one thousand pounds per mile! so that projects such as those above can be sustained and multiplied In particular we are seeking to fund the construction of two guesthouses/conference centres in Kericho and Narok (on the tourist route to the Maasai Mara Safari Park) that will in tur n generate revenue and further resources to help the poorest of the poor Every single pound makes a difference and will go directly to our Kenyan partners £100 makes a great deal of difference! £1000 sponsors me for a whole mile! I would be so grateful, and more importantly, countless young and vulnerable lives will be touched for good www justgiving com/tim grew or text TIMG99 and the amount (eg £50) to 70070
Aside from the personal challenge, my main motivation for doing so is to raise vital funds for projects I am involved in, in a very poor part of rural Kenya I had the privilege of helping start a partnership between Trinity Church and a number of churches in the Kericho area of wester n Kenya five years ago It's a region the size of Wales that is among the most impoverished in the country, facing huge struggles on a daily basis Since 2008 we have been able to support many initiatives that have brought benefit to highly disadvantaged communities projects to harvest rainwater in a region wracked by drought; IT infrastructure to improve vulnerable communications; mobile health clinics to help tackle HIV, female genital mutilation and infant mortality rates; small business start ups, such as a doll making enterprise; new schools and churches; most recently, a children's centre in Transmara where over 250 children are now sponsored and given better life chances through good nutrition, training and health provision
For a deeply religious society such as Bohol, it is sad to see practically every place of worship either collapsed or rendered unsafe, particularly the historic churches built so long ago by the Spanish But, in our view, worse than this is the destruction of homes of folk for whom rebuilding is but a dream After the sacks of rice and packaged noodles had been handed out, duly stamped with the names of politicians ever keen to attract votes, it quickly became apparent local and federal authorities would do little or nothing to help local folk rebuild their homes And so B’s Bohol Earthquake Charity was bor n We have since been overwhelmed by the astonishing response from friends and family worldwide Our simple little charity has received donations exceeding Php 1 35 million (USD 30,248) enabling us to provide assistance for the purchase of building materials for over 65 homes Every little bit helps If we can do a whole lot of little bits together we’ll help rebuild a village We are continuing with our work in 2014 and if anyone would like to donate please contact us at Calunasan Creek Farm on bailygibson@gmail com Meanwhile, life moves on after the rebuilding of our own shattered home, we’re looking forward to a good mango harvest Sorting the mango crop 25 u n t h e L o n d o n a r a t h o n
T i m G rew ( O ’ 7 8 ) M i d l i f e M a d n e s s ; R
M
In a moment of midlife madness I decided to run in the London Marathon this year on April 13th
Who? What? Where? When? Repton Memor ies 26 Alfred Cheng (O’75) has kindly sent in a copy of the May 1977 School Orchestra Concert Do any ORs have photographs of the Orchestra in that year? We would be delighted to feature them in The Arch Ed M i ke S t o n e s ( f o r m e r S t a f f & O R S e c re t a r y ) B u m p i n g i n t o O R s ‘ d ow n u n d e r ’ We had a fantastic time in Australia, despite the results of the cricket matches Both Melbour ne and Sydney are tremendous places to visit We also managed a day in the Blue Mountains and saw wildlife such as koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, emus and penguins Another highlight of the holiday was a short stay in Hong Kong where we spent a wonderful evening in company with 5 of our former Priory boys We met at The Seventh Son, a new restaurant run by Daniel Chui (P’87) and were treated to a fabulous meal On another occasion in Sydney we met John Ballinger (P’59) In Melbour ne I bumped into Jonathan Fry (H’51) as I walked round at lunchtime and on the way to the ground by chance saw Martin Grayshon (C’61) That makes quite a few ORs! Back row, from left: Daniel Chui, Gerald Sze (P’91), Terry Cheung (P’87), Stanley Chau (P’98) and Kelvin Sun (P’90)
27 OR Publications
Enquiries@rscm com James Leavesley (N’82) has written his debut novel Fragile Boundaries Set in London and Amman, this novel asks whether love and ambition can overcome the boundaries marked by birthplace and background http://www goodreads com /book/show/19376696 fragile boundaries
Author Peter Seddon has uncovered a distinct Repton strand running throughout the club’s formative years Both the club’s founder, W illiam Morley, and his co founder son W illiam Thomas Morley were Repton residents Another son, Haydn Morley (Home B), the club’s first signed up player and captain, was an OR, as was the scorer of its historic first goal Benjamin Ward Spilsbury (Home B), later an England inter national Several other ORs also tur ned out for the ‘Chocolate and Blue’ their colours before black and white among them two cricketing talents Percy Exham (WJ) and A H J Cochrane (WJ) ‘Pat’ Exham also taught at Repton, as did Derby County’s centre forward J B T Chevallier, an Old Etonian Repton also sits indelibly in the Rams’ illustrious history for another reason: on the school field on Tuesday 28th October 1884 the Repton Xl graciously allowed Derby County to secure its first ever win In blustery conditions Repton’s Mathematics master Chevallier shamelessly sported the Derby colours, reserving no sentiment for ‘his boys’ in joyfully bagging a brace of goals which helped Derby to a 3 2 victory All of the Repton links are revealed in a fascinating ‘Who’s Who’ section of the 100 or so players who appeared for Derby in their first four seasons, most of whom were previously unknown in the club’s documented history, as the period had never before been fully researched Fittingly a lasting connection is also cemented in the book’s foreword by OR Gerald Mortimer, penned shortly before his death Gerald’s valued verdict: ‘an important addition to the annals of Derby County ’ Providing a vivid evocation of Victoria sport and society ‘The Men Who Made The Rams’ is a 158 page paperback with over 100 archive photographs http://www amazon co uk/The Men Who Made Rams/dp/1905891776 or this publisher's link http://www soccer mistral co uk/books/rams
Sir Nicholas Barrington (H’47) has written two books of memoirs, which were launched in Cambridge and London “Envoy” covers his diplomatic career from the day he joined the Foreign Office until the day he left The final chapter is on the invasion of Iraq He served in a variety of posts, including places now very much in the news such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Egypt He was acting No 2 Private Secretary to two British Foreign Ministers: Michael Stewart (Labour) and Sir Alec Douglas Home (Conservative) and ran the G7 Economic Summit for Mrs Thatcher Sir Nicholas’ second book “Nicholas meets Barrington” is more personal and covers his family background, education, including a chapter on Repton, National Service and Cambridge He describes what it was like living overseas and the local culture His activities after retirement include culture and travel, and sketching and amateur dramatics, the latter both fostered at Repton The books can be found on www ibtauris com Sir Nicholas Barrington Sir Nicholas Barrington with Benazir Bhutto Sir Nicholas Barrington with Margaret Thatcher Sir Nicholas Barrington with the late Princess of Wales Martin How (H’45) has published Gospel Colours 3 This is the latest addition to his collection of organ works written to reflect the various moods and occasions of the Gospel Readings Martin has spent most of his career with the Royal School of Church Music, training and motivating young singers In this capacity he initiated and developed the RSCM Chorister Training Scheme, and inaugurated the RSCM Souther n Cathedral Singers, a group broadcast frequently on BBC Radio's Choral Evensong from Canterbury Cathedral and elsewhere
Martin was awarded the MBE for 'Services to Church Music' in the 1993 New Years Honours List
O R s S t a r i n T h e R a m s ’ E a r l y S t o r y
htm Peter Seddon, author of ‘The Men Who Made The Rams’
A new book about the formation and early rise of Derby County Football Club has revealed the key part played by both Repton School and village residents in setting the celebrated club on its way to football fame ‘The Men Who Made The Rams’ Origins and Who’s Who of Derby County Football Club 1884 1888’ relates in highly entertaining style how the team came into being in May 1884, then against all the odds was elected one of only twelve founder members of the Football league just four years later
ORs in Pr int
School News 28
The noise of the 4000 tonne presses and automation of the robotic welding machines producing the car bodies impressed the whole group This was Design and Technology at its very best with processes being observed that cannot be repeated in the classroom
On a beautifully sunny weekend in Durham, six students (Tom Hunter, Maud Davies, Alasdair Hastewell, Hannah Robertson, Maxim Hibbs and Sammy Allsop) competed in the world’s largest schools’ debating competition (with over 100 teams competing) Over the course of two days the teams took part in five different debates ranging from ‘This House would take the children of the Amish into care’, to ‘This House believes that emerging democracies should ban political parties that are based on religious or ethnic lines’; all of the motions were extremely challenging, especially considering that Repton is only coming to the end of its first year of competitive debating The highlight from the opening rounds came at 9pm on Saturday when the teams debated the motion, ‘This House believes that wester n security agencies should use all means necessary to obtain and publish humiliating information that undermines the credibility of extremists’ Each pair won their respective debate which gave them great encouragement for the next mor ning After round five the break was announced and, assuming that we hadn’t qualified, we were looking forward to a pub lunch and a debrief When the name ‘Repton C’ popped up on screen the shock and excitement were very visible! Hannah and Alasdair had qualified for the Novice Semi Finals the first time a Repton team has ever won through Now supported by the rest of the team, the pair comfortably won their semi final, arguing passionately about setting in schools, and progressed to the Novice Final, hosted in the iconic Debating Chambers in Durham The motion was ‘This House would allow video cameras in courtrooms’ and they were due to oppose Both speeches were exceptional As the announcement of the winners was made, the judge told the expectant crowd that there was a 4 3 split in the voting The winners, he told us, were Opening Opposition aka Alasdair and Hannah! To win a competition like this shows how far the society has come over the last year The whole group were magnificent all weekend and, while only two of them came away with a trophy, they wouldn’t have got there without the support of the other four (and indeed the other forty debaters back in Repton) This bodes extremely well for the future of the society and we hope to bring more glory for the school next year! NC
Repton Success at the Durham Schools’ Debating Competition 2014
D e b a t i n g S o c i e t y
A group of Design and Technology pupils were invited to visit Toyota UK, Bur naston as part of the company's 'SEE INSIDE MANUFACTURING' week W ith very little experience of real world engineering activity, the group's first impression was of how big the Bur naston facility is in terms of buildings and the area of land on which the factory is located Following an intro duction to the company and what is produced in the factory the group were fitted with safety equipment and boarded the buggy to tour the Press and Weld area
Later in the visit the group took part in a team exercise, competing against each other to see who could produce the most correctly assembled hose components The group had to simulate assembly workers, quality control and management personnel and, in a ten minute exercise, one group assembled 39 correct components, a number which impressed the supervising Toyota staff!
D e s i g n & Te c h n o l og y
The visit concluded with a question and answer session with some informative careers advice offered by the senior Toyota staff The trip has stimulated much discussion in the school and many thanks to Mr Nick Freeman and his colleagues for organising the event IS
CMK 29
In the first year of the Law Society its co founders, Jaime Carr (A’11) and Brooke Hadeed (A’09), and indeed all of its members, had very good reason to be thankful to the OR community for providing inspirational talks which provided real insights into many aspects of the legal profession Thus, in addition to hearing from Sally Wollaston, they greatly benefited from sitting at the feet of Robert Bond (P’68), Catherine Bexson (G’92) and Richard Furniss (H’80) and John Das (H’79) Old Reptonians have once again been extraordinarily generous with their time this year, so as the current secretaries we would like, on behalf of all members, to thank Jess Stewart (A’07), Eve Oppenheimer (M’03), Claire Burtwistle (G’98) and Nick Williams (M’91) and his wife Rebecca for addressing the Society on a wide variety of subjects The last two meetings were held jointly with the Politics Society and additionally a joint meeting was held with the Hampshire Society which enabled us to hear Sandy Steel, Lecturer in Law at King’s College London, talking about the philosophy of law Thus we would also like to thank Miss Davison, Mrs Parish and Mr Plowright for helping to make the Society so successful
Last but not least, the fact that Anna Andreeva (F) and Lydia Fitzsimons (F) have both been accepted for the Cambridge Sixth Form Law Conference, and that Catherine French (A’88) and Emma Hammond (A’87) have agreed to speak, bodes well for the continuing success of the Law Society next year Jake Bullock (P) and Maddy Whitten (M)
E c o n o m i c s S o c i e t y
The Ferguson Society is the newly named Mathematical Society The Society is named after Donald Ferguson who was a master here between 1928 and 1940 and who subsequently went on to be the last of the great paper and pencil Pi calculators before electronic devices took over The Society was launched with a formal talk on infinity and the varying magnitudes of infinity PVG L aw S o c i e t y
Fe rg u s o n S o c i e t y
The Economics Society has had a busy time with a number of activities Professor Wyn Morgan from Nottingham University opend the year with a lecture on “Commodity Prices” Outside the school we were fortunate to be able to visit COTT Beverages in Kegworth (pictured) and were treated to a tour of what is the largest beverage factory in Europe Later in the summer term all Lower Sixth economists will be visiting the Thor ntons chocolate factory at Alfreton and will get a taste (!) of what a multinational business looks like, along with the challenges it faces
The second motion, to which we became the opposition, was the idea that intelligence was more important than beauty Each team had but fifteen minutes to prepare their ideas, and this proved to be a very engaging and controversial argument from both sides, before we emerged victorious The finalists were decided on the basis of points scored throughout the two debates Again in the final we were selected as the opposition to the idea that it is more preferable to be a man than a woman, yet with only five minutes to bring together an argument! W ith a whole team of girls (Groby School) proposing, and a majority of boys opposing, this definitely conjured laughter from the audience as each sex battled controversially against themselves! Happily, after careful deliberation from the judges, we were declared winners Our achievement was made possible by the fantastic support from the MFL depart ment, of which we are all extremely proud Our prize was a day trip to London with a number of other A level linguists to visit Europe House in Westminster to gain insight into European politics There was also time to enjoy an after noon of sight seeing in the capital, including a fascinating tour of the Palace of Westminister Max W ilson (S) M F L
Just as “Big Bulgaria” was trisected in 1878 into a sovereign Bulgaria in the north, a nominally Turkish but semi autonomous Easter n Rumelia in the centre and Macedonia, which retur ned to direct Turkish rule in the south, so the Temple Society has been trisected into its O, A and B block constituents The latter “Balkanization” was undertaken so that the numbers involved more closely approximated to the optimal number for discussion, whilst it was also felt that members would more probably offer papers and engage in debate with their peers than with members of other year groups
At the end of November four Repton L6 linguists took part in a regional debating day, ‘The War of the Words’, held at Ratcliffe College, competing against seven other schools In preparation for the first round we put in a lot of hard work to formulate as airtight an argument as possible to take to the floor and hopefully win over the audience and panel of judges This first topic was the only motion known in advance and therefore the only debate in which the two teams would have time to gather background information and carefully structure their roles and objectives Here, against Nottingham High School for Girls, we proposed the motion that the voting age in France should be lowered to sixteen Although met with a well read and cogent opposition, Repton emerged the winners and proceeded to the semi finals 30 Te m p l e S o c i e t y
School News
There have certainly been many lively and well informed discussions arising from thought provoking papers, including Alice Earwicker (A) on the death penalty; Laura Bramall (A) and Amelia Stewart (A) on Human Rights; T illy Bartlett (A) and Daniel Hudson (O) on the Harry Potter world view; Tom Croghan (C) and Roddy Freeman (C) on the hypocrisy of the US critique of the Assad regime given its historic role in Vietnam; Maxim Hibbs (S) and George Newstead (S) on the ethics of Game of Thrones; and Sophie W ilbraham (G) on moral questions raised by films ranging from ‘Saving Private R yan’ to ‘The Dark Knight Rises’
Notwithstanding the suggestion that Temple Society be re named The Friends of Mr Plowright, it will presently stick with its rather unwieldy revamped nomenclature of O Block Temple Society etc , for, just like Easter n Rumelia and the rest, the name is immaterial (for all bar pedants) compared with the scope each offers for self expression JP
Before lunch and the second round of the competition, Mrs Sally Fagan gave an informative and inspirational talk on public speaking and all its technicalities, which proved very useful for the following debates in which very little preparation time was allocated, for the express purpose of challenging and pushing us and the other schools to formulate ideas quickly and concisely with the hope of again defeating our opponents
The most noteworthy aspect of the 2012 13 cohort of Silver D of E participants was, quite simply, how astonishingly successful they were: 12 groups completed the Assessed Expedition, and a scarcely credible 31 have already achieved their Award more than the previous three years combined! This was, let it be noted, all in the context of some significant obstacles, which this group of O Blockers overcame with considerable finesse and character
D u ke o f E d i n b u rg h Awa rd
Some groups, of course, attacked the whole enterprise as though carrying three days’ camping equipment for 15 miles across a wind swept moor was the sort of thing, in normal circumstances, they would do before breakfast At least as admirable, however, were those groups who overcame challenges on the walk Please excuse the moder n coinage, but D of E Expeditions are very much a series of “jour neys” in more than just a literal sense: if I ever see a group of Reptonians more soaked through, bedraggled and dispirited than the unalloyedly Immortal Group 1 were on the banquettes of Ye Olde Rock Inn, Upper Hulme, I shall have spent a very long time indeed in the hills And yet, 20 minutes and a few hot chocolates later, the very same girls were demanding to be led out onto the wilds of the Roaches, and ran up the first hill singing Libera Me in zero visibility and horizontal snow Elsewhere, groups grew in their teamwork, leadership and interactions: it can take a considerable amount of emotional intelligence to crawl into a sopping tent with two or three peers after a 12 hour cold and wet day, the last two of which have been spent trying to fend off the predations of the most aggressive midges in the wester n hemisphere That the groups all gelled into coherent units, achieving their goals, and doing it in such good spirits speaks volumes about their ingenuousness, humanity and selflessness, without which history tells us it simply is not possible to complete an Expedition at all, let alone one on which one can reflect with pride and satisfaction And, in the final analysis, that’s what it’s all about The Gold D of E Expeditions this year ran with an unaccustomed smoothness: the micro navigation day on Kinder Scout, with five inches of ice in the ponds on the plateau and the blanket bog frozen solid, had offered hope of rather greater challenges than the groups were accorded on their retur n to the Dark Peak at the end of Easter Holiday Regrettably, the weather tur ned out to be really rather clement, the temperature just about perfect for trekking warm enough to be bearable without any risk of walkers overheating The rain stayed away, and the promised gales, shamefully, failed to show us their true colours What, then, was to be the defining characteristic of this expedition season, to sear it into our memories? The answer emerged almost immediately we alighted in Kirkby Stephen, in the Norther n Yorkshire Dales, for the Assessed Expeditions: the groups showed edifying and exemplary teamwork in preparing for the meetings with their assessors, preparing and clearing up meals and looking after the Hostel itself Everything from the charms of the market town, to the acclimatising walks in the Upper Eden Valley, to the planning of their menus, to card games in the converted chapel’s minstrels’ gallery, to the monsoon that raged for most of the Saturday after noon, was embraced with a sanguine ésprit de corps that spoke volumes of these Reptonians’ desire to make the most of their time in a part of world whose beauty, and the opportunities it accorded them, they patently valued CSD m Repton came runner up out of ten teams in the Scoop Languages and Jour nalism event where they had to produce a front page for a new Spanish newspaper as well as negotiate advertising space and present their work to the judges before creating a tweet and a poster for their newspaper supplement
31 S c o o p Jo u r n a l i s
Excellent communication and teamwork from L6 pupils Elliott Bock (N), Charly Keen (M), Harry Marshall (S), Mimi Swaby (G) and Max W ilson (S) were complemented by impressive language skills and the ability to work under pressure and to a tight deadline SJL
School News 32
Fo o t b a l l It has been another fabulous season for the 1st XI For the second successive season we remained unbeaten against our major regular season rivals and ended up with a season record of P:30 W:23 D:4 L:3 F:133 A:28 As you can see from the record, scoring goals has been at the heart of our success this season No Repton 1st XI has ever scored anything like as many goals in a season as our dynamic front line of Jack O’Callaghan (S), Marcus Clague (C) and R yan Binns (C) scored 64 goals between them However, we have scored goals throughout the team with a further three players getting into double figures, including Stephen Kosmala (O) who scored 19 goals from the centre of defence
The regional nature of the ESFA Cup means that we tend to get drawn against perennial favourites Thomas Telford in round 5 or 6, should we get that far After a poor effort against them last year, we took them on again and produced a fantastic performance to lose 1 2 against a team stacked with talent that went on to win the tour nament and retain the trophy In my view it was one of our best performances of the season in the way we stuck to our task and eventually unlocked them by pressing on their weakness It took a fantastic goal 5 minutes from time to knock us out In the Norther n League, which we won last year, we made superb progress A 4 0 win over Wolverhampton and a great 3 1 away win at Manchester Grammar School had put us top of the league Although we didn’t play our best in the big game against Shrewsbury, a 1 1 draw kept us in pole position As we moved into the Lent Term a 5 2 victory over St Bede’s and a 3 1 win away at Cheadle Hulme cemented our position We wrapped up the title and retained the trophy with a superb 9 0 victory over Oldham Hulme in the final game of the season on The Square At the time of writing we are awaiting details of the Derbyshire County Final as we look to win back the trophy we last won two years ago The team has been superbly captained by R yan Binns (C), who has been a fabulous servant in the maroon for three years The Derbyshire Final will be his 71st appearance which, I think, is a record number (certainly since the time when only O Block and above could play) Jack O’Callaghan (S) won Player of the Year, the team surely being influenced by his haul of 36 goals Only John Wood (L’78) and Matt Gooderick (C’97) have scored more goals in a 1st XI season, so he is truly in good company R yan, Jack, Stephen Kosmala (O) and Lewis Ratcliffe (L) all represented the ISFA U18 team this season; a team that was regarded as the best for many seasons It was a huge source of pride to see so many Reptonians included Further down the year groups we have had significant success and the future looks very bright The U14A team had the best record in years, winning 15 out of their 19 games This included a fabulous run to the ESFA Small Schools Cup Quarter Final, once again losing to the eventual winners As we approach the Summer Term they are in the Staffordshire County Final and the Burton & District Final It would be nice for the boys to lift some silverware in their first year The U15A side is a team with immense promise They reached the last 8 of the Investec ISFA Cup, including an epic win over Brentwood in what was a re run of the 2010 final They also have a Burton & District Final next term Players from both teams, as well as the O Block and Lower Sixth, enjoyed an excellent tour of Madrid in the Michaelmas half term, playing three matches and training with coaches from both Real and Atletico Madrid Our Girls’ team has gone from strength to strength this year under the guidance of Matt W ilson They finished runners up in the Midlands League and reached the Semi Final of the ISFA Cup, losing an epic tie 1 2 in extra time after a trip down to the much fancied King’s Taunton We also had four girls representing the Midlands team in the ISFA Regional Tour nament at Charterhouse In the House Matches it was Orchard who took the Senior trophy with a fine win in a quality final against The Cross The Cross did manage to comfortably take the Junior House Match title though School House retained the Reserve House title, whilst School also won the Senior League title in a gripping final against Latham Priory won the Junior League title and there was a new name on the Noel Bennett Trophy for the O & A block Sixes, as School won for the first time The prospects for next season look strong We are certainly losing some key players, but the remaining Lower Sixth will be increasingly influential and we’ve managed to regularly use several O Blockers this year, who will form the basis of the team for the next couple of years W ith some exciting A Blockers coming through and, hopefully, a few quality additions into Lower Sixth next year, we will once again be one of the teams to beat MMC
The first half of Michaelmas saw us start the season strongly with a thumping 7 2 away win at King’s Chester and a 3 1 victory over Charterhouse We produced a great performance in a 1 1 away draw at Bradfield, who went on to reach the Boodles ISFA Cup final We also managed to draw 0 0 with Millfield, who went on to become the first team to retain the Boodles title Looking back, it is easy to view such results and ask “what might have been?” However, I prefer to take heart from the fact that we are now consistently in the mix for every trophy we enter We are, once again, seen as one of the strongest football schools in ISFA, which is exactly where I feel we should be One of the low points of the season was an eventful Boodles ISFA Cup clash away at Westminster We didn’t play our best, but we certainly didn’t feel we had the rub of the green with some unfortunate decisions That said, we responded very well to the disappointment, which is all you can do sometimes
The 1st XI Girls, captained by Georgie Whitehouse (M), won the National Outdoor T itle for the eighth time in the past ten years and the National Indoor T itle for the fifth consecutive year Erica Sanders (G) sealed the Outdoor victory, scoring a fine late goal in the 4 0 defeat of Kingston Grammar School in the National Final after another victory by the same score against Dean Close who had beaten us in the Final last season 33
The Boys 1st XI, U16 and U14 sides have all reached the last eight in their respective National Competitions; the U14s and U16s go on to play at their National Finals at Cannock in May The 1st XI performed superbly at the National Indoor Finals, falling at the semi final stage to eventual winners Whitgift, and were also unfortunate to be defeated on penalties at the National Outdoor quarter final stage Luke Tandy's (N) goal in the Midland U14 Final clinched the U14s' place at Cannock and their first victory at this event since 1998, whilst our U16s will aim to retain the National title that we currently hold The boys hockey teams, from 1st XI to the U14Cs, have won the Overall Midland League this year amassing points against Bromsgrove, Oundle, Oakham, Rugby, Uppingham, Bedford and Trent, and this meant a double as the girls were also victorious last term We currently have Erica Sanders (G), Flora Peel (F), Liv Hopkisson (A), Andrew Oxburgh (O), Aaron Hibell (O), Ben Clague (P), Ollie Rogerson (C), Esme Burge (G) and Amelia Tarrant (M) all representing their respective National teams in the coming months, whilst three other pupils have also gained National Assessments recently Dan Darby (L) and Jacob Bullock (P) gained an U21 England Assessment and James Sookias (S) has ear ned an U15 England Assessment After a successful day last year, we are running OR Hockey on Sunday June 22nd this year As last year, we can accommodate all ages and abilities and hope that many of you will join us for the hockey at 2pm and some refreshments afterwards If you would like to get involved, please let Martin Jones know on mlj@repton org uk<mailto:mlj@repton org uk> We had roughly fifty players last year and hope to better that number this time around MLJ
The U16 girls won the first National title of the term in January, coming from two nil behind to beat Kent College 3 2 in a tense National Indoor Final Esme Burge (4G) scored the winning goal in the most exciting possible circumstances, with the very last touch of the game
H o c key
The Lent Term has been yet another successful one for our hockey teams with three National T itles won and a large amount of individual success for both pupils and ORs Earlier in the year, Great Britain played Germany in a Senior women's Inter national match and six Reptonians took part a record which no other school can claim to have ever bettered Georgie Twigg and Susie Gilbert are now experienced Inter nationals, but Ellie Watton, Joanna Leigh and Shona McCallin have also all made good starts to their Inter national careers, whilst Charlotte Stapenhorst was on the score sheet for Germany We wish them all well in preparations for Rio
School News 34
The finals were held at Bolton Arena and the top 4 schools from the nation battled it out over 3 days Repton finished 4th overall which was a fantastic achievement with over 650 schools originally entered into the competition JWR
This year’s ORs vs The School golf match saw a welcome expansion as the staff golf society The Rags attended for the first time Once again the fixture was kindly hosted by the prestigious Little Aston golf club There was a pleasing range of ages and the matches were played in a great spirit on what proved to be one of the better days of the summer Prizes were awarded to the successful boys in a variety of categories The school’s golfers reached the regional finals of the HMC foursomes and ISGA matchplay tour naments this year, missing out narrowly on a trip to Car noustie in the latter event, and also acquitted themselves well at The Shire Trophy in June RGE After only competing for 3 years, Jessica Richardson (G) has gained her green belt with two black tabs and is one tab away from being a junior black belt She has won many medals including a Gold in the Judo National Championships, Gold in the Midlands Championships and a Silver medal in the British Schools National Championships
Jessica is a member of the National Squad and is aiming for the Commonwealth and Olympic games JPM Te n n i s
G o l f Ju d o Our under 15s boys team reached the National schools finals for the first time in Repton history The team, comprised of: Dominic Lea (S), Joe Cook (C), James Finnigan (N), Roddy Freeman (C) and W illiam Davies (O), won through 4 rounds of qualifying to get through to the regional finals There they went on to beat Northampton school for boys followed by Warwick school which booked their place in the National Finals
Dear Editor I just thought you might like the image taken just before Christmas at sunset Quite impressive I feel, especially as it’s taken with only a current point and shoot type camera, not a fancy top of the range SLR I shall try and get one with an equally dramatic sky of the new science block and old gym Tim Gilliver (L’91) Dear Sir I was most interested to view the ‘Orchard House’ photo contained in the autumn issue I resided at the Mitre under the watchful eye of HHD from 1949 to 1951 when I departed for the Antipodes where I have remained I recall Major Fisher as OC of the Cadet Corps I still have my J T C beret badge TLT was my Headmaster Dick Sale endeavoured to introduce me to English grammar and prose with mixed success As a matter of interest his father had taught my father at Shrewsbury in the nineteen twenties I recall Mr Maw for a number of reasons; particularly his tumultuous entry into the classroom and his habit of igniting gunpowder with a lighted Bunsen bur ner In particular I recall him expelling me from the swimming facility for deliberately splashing him when I dived into the pool An allegation I still deny May I say, even though I departed Repton some 60 years ago, I gain a deal of enjoyment from The Arch and take pride in the School’s success Yours sincerely Brian Roberts (M’51) Dear Editor This is just to thank all concer ned for the latest copy of The Arch, in particular page 11 The photograph of Catherine and me, flanking Michael Kwok Wang Li, and on the same line as that of Richard Fraser Darling and his Russian wife, has fortified me in my determination to keep shaven! We couldn't help but notice how much more cheerful current Old Reptonians seem to look as far as the photographic record goes than our counterparts of 1948 (on Page 47), with narry a smile back then lighting up an expression Was T L Thomas, the Headmaster whose name was still spoken of in awed tones in the 1960s, about to emulate the example of Dr Keate of Etonian flogging fame? Yours sincerely, Justin Glass (H'63) Dear Editor
Part of her ‘strategy’ was tennis with Abbots Bromley and Mike’s photograph records the first such encounter on a Sunday after noon After tennis, we entertained the girls to tea on the lawn at The Orchard; we were then instructed to show the girls round the school and to meet up at The Arch at a given time This all went well until Arthur (Tom) Trinder arrived back the last to arrive hand in hand with the Abbots Bromley captain!
Pigeon Post
The Editor I refer to Mike Roff ’s letter and photograph in Pigeon Post in your issue 323 regarding tennis with Abbots Bromley
It was, I think, 1950 or ’51 that Peggy Thomas (TLT’s wife) decided that it was time that we boys knew about girls!! She arranged a Prefects and Upper Vl th form dance for us about then, to which sisters were not allowed to partner their brothers!
More recent generations might like to observe how formally we were expected to dress for such occasions John Richardson (H’47) Dear Sirs On page 44 of the last edition of The Arch there is a photo of the choir sent in by Andrew W illiamson (N’59) He asked for gaps to be filled in The small chap immediately behind him is myself I was in the Orchard and so did not have far to go for the photo As some of our bedders overlooked the chapel, we were often entertained to majestic and triple forte late night voluntaries played by Mervyn W illiams
Kind regards, Roger Dillon (O’60)
You kindly mentioned the Military Vehicle show I arranged at Thoresby Hall in the summer in a previous edition of the OR Terminal Letter Please see the photos which may be of interest My jeep is finished in the markings of a regiment local to Repton the 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry The tank which belongs to a friend is in Sherwood Foresters markings again a relatively local regiment I really should have joined Frank Hill’s REME Section in the CCF it would have paid dividends in retrospect but at least my experience of how to blanco webbing has come back into use over forty years since it was last used We’re doing it all again next year this time for 2 days on 5/6th July so if any ORs with military vehicles want to join us, please contact me at simon king@talktalk net Simon King (O’69) 35
There was no comment from the Repton staff about this, but we were advised by TLT subsequently that his opposite number at Abbots Bromley was singularly unamused and had ordained that there was to be no contact between the two schools for the next five years! Was this the first attempt to introduce girls to Repton? If so, we should, perhaps, credit Peggy Thomas for the initiative which was to revolutionise Repton’s future?
Kenneth Herbert Jones 1946
Crossword 4 Down: "Independent school in Derbyshire whose motto is "the gate is free from blame" I confess I didn't lear n that in the year I was there Best regards, Art Schankler (P'72)
Dear Sirs I was amused to see the attendee in the photograph of the OR Dinner 1947/48 identified as Mr Maw (Chemistry) He bears a remarkable resemblance to my father George Muir Philip who was in the Cross House probably from 1924 I attach a picture taken from the history of the House of Edward Stanford Ltd of their board in 1947, my father is the figure on the right I do enjoy receiving The Arch and thank you for the hard work that goes into its production I didn’t follow my father into map publishing and printing but have had some experience of publishing having been non executive chairman of Royal Horticultural Society Publishing for a few years before I was allowed to chair their Shows Committee Kindest regards Dougal Philip (C’66) Dear Editor Just a short note to congratulate you on The Arch 2013 and the Archives Great pictures; full of news The alma mater seems to be on a roll! I was especially impressed with the photo of the very large chapel choir (Mervyn would celebrate!), the inspiring account of the jour ney to Dreamlands, and the Bar nes Squad I lear ned to shoot straight at Repton, and that training soon ear ned me a double marksman for rifle and machine gun in the Rifle Brigade I enjoyed photo spotting at the ‘47/’48 OR dinner I think I recognize Reynolds and Cartwright from the Hall, left and centre from Mr Maw and Humphrey Fisher (Latham), Geoffrey Fisher's fourth son sitting opposite the RAF officer at the front table Keep the ball rolling! Stephen Unwin (H'41) Dear Editor I thought other ORs might be interested to know that the book “Public Schools and the Great War, The Generation Lost” by Anthony Seldon and David Walsh has several references to Repton in www pen and sword co uk/Public Schools and The Great War Best Regards Justin Wood (M’76) Erratum The photograph of the Chapel Choir 1959/1960 The text should read Ian Scott (N’59) not Philip Scott, please accept our apologies for any misunderstanding
James Grandridge Parker 1949
THE CROSS
Michael Anthony Ransom Harrison 1951 Brian Andrew Sellers 1951 Jonathan Ramsey George Watson 1951
We have a long list of ORs with whom we have lost contact Below is the list from The Cross The full list is available on the OR website http://www.repton.org.uk/keep in touch. If you are in contact with anyone on the list, perhaps you would like to ask them if they would like to receive copies of The Arch and correspondence from us They can email, post, or fill in the form on the web page with their current details
Harold Bruce Ritchie 1946
First Name / Surname Year First Name / Surname Year First Name / Surname Year
Christopher Ward W islon 1947 Graham Douglas Gordon 1948 Francis Colin Forbes Valentine 1948
Nicolas Heber Robert Bracewell 1949
Laurence W illiam Howie Fleming 1945 T imothy Raymond Carr 1946 Alaick Gordon Blacklin Cook 1946
Roger Anthony Lukins Down 1951
John Charles Robin Close 1947 John Thor nley Newall 1947 Brian Roy Tristram Smith 1947 Richard David Whitehead 1947
David John Lennox Hall 1952 Michael Anthony Martin 1954 Robin Andrew Pearson 1954
Dear Sirs You might be interested to know that Repton was the answer to a clue in this weekend's Financial T imes Polymath
Michael Barry 1947 Thomas Michael Booth 1947
36 Pigeon Post Lost Contacts
Donald Lawrence Rogers 1949 Norman Christopher Griffith 1950 Christopher Edmund Manley Lamb 1950
W illiam Britt 1966
John
Charles Montague Beale 1969
George Proctor 1967
Ver ner Coulson 1962
Peter
Patrick
Richard
Chee Heng Yeong 1969 Nicolas John Shepley Bridge 1970 Nicholas Mark Ellis 1970 Shehab Manavi 1970 Jeremy Nicholas Dolphin 1971 David Thomas Ar nold 1973 Colin W illiam Ivory 1973 Stuart Thomas Redfear n 1973 Ian Frederick Scott 1973 Robert Michael Corden 1974 Roger Charles Jaffrey Dunt 1974 Paul Francis Edmond 1974 Nicholas Granville Walker 1974 S B Becher 1975 Michael P Burton Prateley 1975 I S Fensone 1975 Jonathan Guy Fenton 1975 A S Keane 1975 N C F Nicholson 1975 Michael Craig Perkins 1975 Joe J W ilford 1975 T imothy R Barlow 1976 Peter E Kohnstam 1976 T Raven 1977 H Verheyen 1977 Robert G H W ilkins 1977 Richard A Bordoli 1979 Rupert C H Ferard 1979 J Ledger 1979 Michael I Weitzner 1979 T imothy M F Catherall 1980 Andrew R Hall 1980 Mark J Hollowood 1980 Matthew I Harrison 1981 Robert Corden 1982 Rupert J Wood 1982 Alan Huw Powell 1983 Joseph Ezaz 1984 Adam R Millard 1984 Roger H Mitchell 1984 James E Snooks 1984 Stuart Joey Ascott 1985 Richard Ellis 1985 Mark A Hurst 1985 Nicholas H H Scott 1985 Nicholas J Batchelor 1986 Adrian C Clark 1986 Benjamin Marsden 1986 Matthew C Blay 1987 Jonathan H D Heathcote 1987 James E J Battrick 1988 Simon Clark 1988 Thomas E Lee 1988 Roger St Vincent Pickard 1988 R James Ar nold 1989 James Fryer 1989 Ashley Beattie 1990 Ashley Chambers 1990 Stewart A Craig 1990 Adam G Holdsworth 1990 James W Callender 1991 Thomas M Jordan 1991 Ralph F Frohlich 1992 Richard O Holdsworth 1992 J L lake 1992 Oliver James Walker 1992 Thomas E Bunnell 1993 Edward T Passmore 1993 Benjamin J War ner 1993 Christopher John Smale 1994 Alex J Frawley 1995 Sherman K Kwok 1995 Bobby Hui 1997 Samuel T Y Lam 1997 Alistair G Lar ne 1998 T imothy Peter Smith 1998 Samuel Paul W illiam Brewster 1999 Alexander John Scott 1999 Aneesh Sehmbi 1999 Jing Xu 1999 Andrew James Steer 2000 Eddie T W Chan 2002 Nicholas D C McIvor 2002 Matthew Nicholas Drage 2003 Laurence I Scott 2003 Liam R T ivey 2003 Alexander Samuel Harry Ashton 2005 Alexandr Alexabdrivuch Savenko 2005 Jones T idy 2010 First Name / Surname Year First Name / Surname Year First Name / Surname Year 37 Lost Contacts
Thorlief Blacklock Chapman 1960
Stuart
Charles
John
Richard Miles Loasby 1968
Keith
Andrew Cock 1956
Stuart Sutton 1956
David
Roger
Ronald
Hans
John
Gerard
David
Ian
Hugh Payne 1955
John
Charles
Richard Goodwin 1959
Fenton 1960
Adrian Senior 1968 Er nesto Emilio Villasenor 1968
Paul McGirr 1956
George Ellis 1967 Aladdin Manavi 1967
W illiam Burton 1963
Nicholas Blake 1964
Michael Etchells Cox 1969
Mack Rose 1964
Geoffrey Robinson 1963
Jepsen 1963
Christopher
Barry Grant 1955
Alistair James Gale 1956
Parmley Graham 1969 Jonathan Mark Hallam 1969
Nicholas
Christopher
James
Richard
Lynford Sears 1967
George Steele 1956
John
John
John
Wallace Gallaudet 1965
Michael
Edward Christopher Tomley 1960
Charles
CROSS HOUSE continued
Roger
Philip Lawrence Clayton 1963
Nigel
Alexander Hardy 1968 Graham John Taylor Hewson 1968 Jeremy Peter Taylor Hewson 1968
Norman Brooks 1968
John Ball 1966
Roger
David Sagar 1961
Thomas Haig Glover 1964
David
John
Richard Cicurel 1965
Christopher
David Madeley Evans 1958
John
Robin
Charles
John Bate 1956
David Corcos 1962
Mark
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reddington@yahoo co uk frank@happygardener com au nataliewynne@hotmail com simon@afps net au vanessatwigg@optusnet com au notharyy@gmail com aseandirectory@hotmail com dtbears@kingston net kamilalam@gmail com dlaing@endeavourfinancial com richard@edacen com miss@matty dk mark dudley3@gmail com hechle@wananchi com drhuwrolfe@gmail com kadiliissaar@gmail com noelsmit@ jyu fi james bar nett@wanadoo fr jim@chapmans de beate erdmann@hotmail com niemeyf@netvigator com dgkpoon@gmail com jj9749@gmail com info@juliedaniels com violino7@hotmail com tcmwilkinson@hotmail com oehayes@googlemail com or overseas link morocco@outlook com r s hedley@xtra co nz iydikko@hotmail com davidlle@online no paulbleckly@yahoo co uk juliastevet@gmail com lizzietebbs@hotmail co uk traceywasher@me com richard coventry@rcc com sg ryanbrews@gmail com peter@cookingbear co za mshsmith@btinter net com luke@atg com jdw@fidentiis com infor2@sloanemallorca com aaneville@outlook com charles@cjaresantanylaw com jom salakshana@trs co th ostickc@gmail com omarhadeed@hotmail com charlesjohn neil@gmail com sandyfarquharson@hotmail,com jroy@uab edu mverheyen@comcast net MnJJOLLEY@aol com eahuson@gmail com robert perks@baxter com andyh@totallybrilliant com andreas graham@verizon net ajedgar@me com james kirtland@gmail com russelliott@gmail com djbalchan@aol com shaheenladhani@gmail com mrhuson@mindspring com james@ellcorentals com bracmed@candw ky gsharp@cwjamaica com hadthomas@aol com chibale s@yahoo com +43 650 9686865 0409 544100 + 61 738 083 249 +61 892 997 7363 +1 780 483 5442 + 61 394 121 206 +44 758 044 6038 855 163 780 39 +1 780 483 5442 +1 613 547 6551 (647) 861 4254 + 56 221 688 18181820 07855 237 559 + 357 254 341 65 + 45 355 564 90 +25 678 380 5022 +00 280 4415 + 358 142 601 224 + 33 546 949 925 +49 175 565 8903 + 0049 620 115 807 + 852 287 381 18 +852 968 803 15 + 91 226 676 1676 + 39 058 323 675 + 81 803 002 7170 0092 3028560151 ++212 (0)6 50 39 14 76 + 0064 927 765 77 +234 809 944 4545 + 47 515 71930 +63 917 540 4057 00351 289 398 694/ 01892 523 033 +974 553 040 64 +974 662 725 E4442 00966 543843671 +65 96393097 +27 766 170 098 +27 022 492 2009 +34 662 143 442 Mob +34 654 328 577 + 00 349 141 534 15 00 34 639 702 411 +41 79 607 42 60 + 255 272 565 329 + 66 233 190 53 & +661 819 2717 +99 818 169 E61825 001 868 632 2140 + 971 506 550 92 + 1 205 934 1757 +415 203 9225 + 1 520 529 9562 +415 203 9225 +0 847 270 4354 +1 863 858 4000 +1 917 475 1059 +1 917 558 1079 704 526 7846 + 001 937 322 2040 +1 281 850 4292 + 1 206 328 6112 + 246 256 4637 & +246 434 7395 + 1 876 986 2870 +967 711 437 124 0978 214 362 (zain network) add inter national dialling codes New '01 Priory '71 Brook '42 Orchard '53 Abbey '95 Orchard '90 Abbey '76 Mitre '82 Brook '45 Orchard '46 Latham '51 Mitre '88 Latham '70 Latham '70 Field '97 Hall '61 Abbey '91 Priory '91 Hall '50 Hall '52 Garden '09 Priory '66 Hall '57 Hall '83 Abbey '99 Mitre '01 Latham '66 Hall '85 New '93 Brook '83 Abbey '89 Abbey '96 Cross '75 Brook '91 Latham '78 Hall '66 New '83 Orchard '63 Cross '67 Orchard '46 Cross '76 Abbey '92 Abbey '88 Brook '73 Mitre '00 Latham '57 Orchard '78 Orchard '87 Mitre '82 Orchard '89 Hall '69 Orchard '83 Mitre '86 Orchard '75 Priory '99 Priory '65 New '97 Abbey '86 Cross '77 Orchard '47 Hall '70 New '71 Brook '68 Mitre '83 Orchard '90 Orchard '88 Mitre '93 Orchard '71 Cross '89 Hall ' 72 Mitre '68 Hall '64 Priory '54 Latham '73 Mitre '95 Below is a full list of those ORs who have volunteered to be ‘Overseas Links’ We are very grateful to those who have volunteered, but there are many gaps in the list of countries If you would be willing to act as an Overseas Link in a country not already covered, please contact Nigel Kew/Jan Cobb at: or@repton org uk or jcobb@repton org uk Over seas Links 38
Please email the office: jcobb@repton.org.uk or or@repton org uk Or telephone: 01283 559320 Or write to us at: The Old Reptonian Society The Hall, Repton School Repton, Derbyshire DE65 6FH In the OR Office we are keen to ensure that we keep our records updated for all ORs To this end we would be grateful if you could contact us if any of your details change, such as address, email, telephone numbers etc. We are also delighted to hear your ‘good news’ such as engagements, marriages, births, qualifications gained, new jobs etc We will only publish such information in The Arch with your agreement Would you prefer to read The Arch on line and not receive a paper copy? Please advise us if this is the case Old Reptonians can now keep in contact with the OR office and fellow ORs via Facebook go to www facebook com/ORSociety and click ‘Like’ Miscellaneous: Pint Glass Crested Tankard Half Pint Glass Crested Tankard Large Glass Crested Goblet Crested Red W ine Glass Glass Crested Paper Weight Crested Cuff Links Crested Key Rings Brass Buttons Repton cards Repton Postcards Large Teddy Bear Repton Cricket Caps Leisure Socks Mug Repton China Coin Tray 450th Anniversary Book Repton To The End Repton Register 2007 Book Repton Register 2007 CD OR Ties: Silk Smooth Silk non crease Bow T ie OR House/Sports Ties: Brook House The Hall The Priory School House New House Latham House The Orchard The Mitre The Cross OR Football OR Hockey OR Golf (striped) Cambridge Pilgrims T ie House Scarves: The Priory School House New House Latham House The Orchard The Mitre (Girls) Cross The Abbey Field House The Garden Banded white sweaters (long sleeved and sleeveless) Umbrellas: Large golf umbrella All items are available from the Repton School Shop, The Paddock, Repton, which can be contacted for price details and to place your order on: Tel. 01283 559323, or by email: shop@repton.org.uk New silk ties for Old Reptonians for all of the Houses are now available 39 Your Contact Details Repton School Shop - Memorabilia We would like to send invitations to our events out electronically. If you do not currently receive emails from us, please email jcobb@repton org uk
The Old Reptonian Society The Hall, Repton School Repton, Derbyshire DE65 6FH Tel 01283 559320 Email: jcobb@repton org uk / or@repton org uk Website: www orsociety com O R G e r m a n R e u n i o n 2 0 1 4
