Floreat Cheltonia 2015

FLOREAT

15 T HE CHE LTO NIAN A SS OCI AT I ON & SOC IE T Y MAGAZINE J A NUARY 201 5 – ISSU E NUMBE R E IGHT

CHELTONIA

19 THE PROMENADE, CHELTENHAM, GLOUCESTERSHIRE GL50 1LP TEL 01242 522 821 WWW.MARTIN-AND-CO.COM INFO@MARTIN-AND-CO.COM

introduCtion

A very warm welcome to the 8th issue of Floreat Cheltonia. You may notice the format has slightly changed. The ‘new look’ is based on feedback received from you and we hope that you enjoy this revitalised edition, which I believe, retains the spirit of the Association & Society.

THE CHELTONIAN ASSOCIATION & SOCIETY MAGAZINE ISSUE EIGHT – JANUARY 2015

Cheltonian assoCiation steering group Committee Honorary President Peter Brettell OC (BH, 1971) & Past Parent

Rebecca Creed Association Manager College & Prep Parent Non-Executive Co-Opted Members Debbie Anderes Current Prep Staff Member

Paul Arengo-Jones OC (BH, 1962) & CET Chairman Peter Badham OC (Th, 1965) & President of the Cheltonian Society Darren Brown OC (L, 1984)

Bean Chapman OC (NH, 1993)

Finally I would like to welcome Sebastian Bullock to the team. I’m sure many of you will know Seb from his tenure as Housemaster of Boyne House; he will be putting this experience to great use as he organises Careers and Networking events. He is also still hard at work teaching Economics and heading up the World War One Commemoration Programme.

Once again, welcome to Floreat Cheltonia. Enjoy the read and do please feedback any comments to Rebecca at r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nick Byrd OC (BH, 1971) & Past Parent

In 2014 our social media presence rose with increased activity on Facebook and LinkedIn. Please do keep in touch with fellow Association members in between events! You can find our groups by searching for The Cheltonian Association & Society on both sites.

OC SPORTS

Lawrence Anderson OC (Th, 1959)

This September saw the launch of College’s World War One Commemoration Programme with a Literature Festival event in Chapel – a review of this event can be found on page 36. For more information on the Commemoration Programme please see pages 34 & 35.

Simon Collyer-Bristow OC (BH, 1977) & Past Parent Lucy Gray Current Pupil (U6th, A) Rob Mace OC (NH, 2004)

Peter Brettell (BH, 1971) Honorary President

Helen McEvoy Past Parent

CONTENTS CHELTENHAM NEWS

1 - 16

17 - 33

FEATURES

34 - 53

Malcolm Sloan Hon OC & OC Administrator

OC SPORTS

54 - 56

Julian Snell OC (L, 1976) & Past Parent

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Helen Stubbs Current Parent

For Committee Member contact information, please see the Association & Society website www.cheltonianassociation.com

OC SOCIETY MERCHANdISE

OC SOCIETY

EVENTS

James McWilliam OC (S, 2009)

FEATURES

Executive Members Christiane Dickens Development Director

EVENTS

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The Association has been busy this year with the usual diary of events with a few additions. As always, they endeavour to introduce new events that appeal to all sections of the membership; we hope that the informal drinks in London each term, the Ballet at The Royal Opera House in February and the termly University student drinks will be popular additions.

As you may know Cheltenham Racecourse is undergoing a ‘face-lift’; part of this process results in a smaller number of private marquees available. We are delighted that we are still able to offer College at the Races, in our events calendar, as we were fortunate enough once again to have been allocated a marquee.

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letter from the headmaster The last calendar year has been as full as ever and I can only hope to touch upon the breadth of academic achievement, extra-curricular activity, community events and facilities development that have taken place. It has been wonderful to speak with members of the Association & Society at various events and share in the sense of pride that surrounds our College community.

Over 3,540 OCs served in the First World War; of those, 675 made the ultimate sacrifice. This year, the College community launched a programme of events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War. Events included war poetry recitals; the musical, Oh! What a Lovely War; and a concert of words and music in collaboration with the Cheltenham Literature Festival, celebrating the poetry of Wilfred Owen. Following an extremely moving, yet damp, Armistice Day Service that brought together staff and pupils from The Prep and College, we were delighted to open our doors and showcase our First World War Exhibition. The exhibition was the first in a series of annual exhibitions to be held during the centennial years of the First World War. This year’s exhibition focused on the run up to war and the events that took place from the outbreak of war on 4 August until 11 November 1914. Included in the exhibition was work completed by the current Fourth Form in preparation for a Third Form trip to the First World War battlefields in France and Belgium. During the course of their research, pupils located many of the graves of the OCs who lost their lives. Finally, I must mention an extremely significant and proud moment for our CCF; they were chosen to march past the Cenotaph as part of the Remembrance Parade, representing the CCF Association and over 250 CCFs around the country.

Looking back to the summer, academically, we took stock of some excellent A Level and GCSE results; a testament to the

COLLEGE NEWS

Academic Back to the Future?

I have chosen this title for the academic review of College’s year because this is what our Sixth Form students are faced with over the next three years, following the coalition government’s reforms of A Level. In recent times, A Level exams have been split evenly between Lower and Upper Sixth, spreading the pain and offering students a chance to re-sit examinations that haven’t gone ac2

hard work and dedication of both our pupils and teachers. At A Level we saw an improvement on previous years; 17% of all A Levels were at the top A* grade (up from 10% last year) and just under half of all grades awarded were A* or A which was a fantastic achievement for our Upper Sixth leavers. Three quarters left College to pursue academic enrichment at elite UK universities or leading international destinations.

Despite a national picture of falling grades, at GCSE our pupils performed better than ever before. More than a third of the entire year group achieved 5 A*s or more and two-thirds of all grades were at A* or A. I felt particularly proud of those who had made huge progress during the Fifth Form, achieving results beyond their initial expectations; a clear academic response to our ethos and mission encouraging pupils ‘to be the best they can be’ in all spheres of life.

Following the successful development of a now full Westal, this year we turned our attention to our Science facilities. After an intense period of renovation during the summer period, pupils returned in September to a newly refurbished state-of-the-art Science Centre. In just 9 weeks over £2.5 million of work was completed to create 15 university standard laboratories, ICT and resource areas. This was a much needed revival of what had become an outdated building and we are immensely grateful for all the support and donations that made this project possible; we now have a truly inspirational working environment that will transform each and every student’s experience of practical science.

These are exciting and buoyant times and I look forward to speaking with many of you at College or Association & Society events in the coming year.

With all good wishes

Dr Alex Peterken Headmaster, Cheltenham College

cording to plan. However, for the next generation, there will be a return to the terminal exams at the end of the two-year Sixth Form that most readers of Floreat will have experienced themselves. There are advantages to this change, of course. There will be more time in the Lower Sixth to think about educating the whole person, rather than just preparing students for AS, and the Cricket Club will no doubt benefit from a reduced number of summer exams! However, even more now rides on the Summer Term of the Upper Sixth and College has already done a lot of thinking on how it can help students to achieve the right balance between study and personal development.

Summer Term 2014 saw College’s best ever GCSE results, beating the bumper crop from 2009. This was no great surprise to staff, as the year group had impressed them ever since arriving in Third Form. Peer pressure was extremely positive, with many pupils who had never necessarily seen themselves as ‘top’ academics working harder than they ever thought themselves capable of during the final six months leading up to exams.

36% of GCSEs were A*, and two-thirds at A* or A. In addition, 39 pupils (over one third of the year group) achieved 5 A* grades or more. A Level results were slightly better than those of the previous year, with an impressive 17% at the top A* grade. Higher

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I have written previously in Floreat of College’s flourishing intellectual life outside the classroom. Evenings continue to be extremely busy, with a hugely dedicated Common Room seizing every opportunity to offer pupils stimulating extension activities, lectures and discussion in every subject area.

Debating has found once again its rightful place in College life, under the leadership of Miss Jane Brodigan, and I am writing just as College’s senior team Katie Stanton (L6th, A), and Antonia Stuckey (L6th, Q) have defeated all the local schools for the second year in a row to proceed to the Regional Finals of the English Speaking Union Mace competition.

Also an inter-house debating competition started in Autumn 2014 with over 50 pupils using the ‘Model United Nations’ format.

I would urge Floreat readers to keep an eye on the exhibitions of pupils’ work that are on display these days throughout the year. Miss Juliet Wallace-Mason, Head of Art, has created the White Gallery within Thirlestaine House, so that pupils of all ages have the chance to display their work, whether it be pencil drawings as part of the national initiative, The Big Draw, substantial pieces of A Level and GCSE coursework, or a Collegewide photography competition. Pupils have so many outlets now for independent work.

The Headmaster’s Project for all Third Formers, produces entries in every format and medium imaginable, and this year was on the topic of ‘Conflict and Memory’ to fit in with College’s Great War commemorations.

Tiffany Wong (4th Form, Cha) emerged victorious in Spring 2014, and the fourth version of the annual Sixth Form Independent Project (the Hutton Prize) has just been won

by William Moss (U6th, Xt) for his ‘Introduction to Bitcoin’.

NEWS

Education outcomes for Cheltonians continue to be excellent, with three-quarters gaining places at Russell Group universities.

Art This year we welcomed our first ‘Temporary Artist-in-Residence’, a young Textile designer called Victoria Young-Jamieson, who worked with all the students, making a real impression on them with her exciting use of mixed media processes and techniques. The work produced by our Art Scholars and Exhibitioners in response to her visit culminated in an exhibition in TLG and The White Gallery. The Fifth Form visited the Ashmolean and Pitt River’s in Oxford and this year there was a joint Art Department and Art History Department trip to Paris for a group of Fifth and Sixth Form pupils.

College hosted The Academic Dean of Savannah College of Art and Design, Steve Aishman, speaking on ‘STEM + Art/Design’, explaining how the boundary between Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and Art/Design is fast eroding. We held two exhibitions for Third Form: the annual ‘Headmaster’s Independent Project’ on ‘Memory and Conflict’ and another of artwork inspired by a poem from the First World War. This year, The Rotunda Art Library has had a face-lift and is now a hub for discussion and research, being renamed as the ‘Collab-

orative Learning Centre’. The Ceramics area has been refurbished, a new printmaking facility has been built within one of the studios and a full upgrade has been made on our printmaking press which was used by our second ‘Temporary Artist-in-Residence’, Linn O’Carroll, who arrived in September to teach our students more diverse printing techniques as well as working on a project called ‘Curious Finds for Curious Minds’.

Juliet Wallace-Mason Head of Art

Drama

I am often asked if College is becoming ‘more academic’. This is certainly an exaggeration. Cheltonians have such an amazing range of talents, and we will always value these, as a first-class education is about so much more than merely three A Level grades. However, it is true that there are more intellectual opportunities in College than before, and these allow ambitious pupils to think more broadly about their academic pursuits, so that they leave us with interests that will hopefully remain with them for the rest of their lives.

It was an exciting year for Extra-Curricular Drama at College. In early December 2013 Little Shop of Horrors, the first musical at College for years, was staged. The sold out production showcased the abilities of our most talented Upper College students with particularly notable performances from our two leads Ben Ketley (U6th, NH), playing the hapless hero Seymour, and Francesca Ball (U6th, Cha), as the blonde bombshell Audrey, both of whom met the untimely end, being eaten alive by the plant. This success was followed by a hilarious and energetic performance, by the pupils of Queen’s and Christowe, of 29 Steps, a spoof of 1920’s spy thrillers. The production highlighted everything that is important about House play traditions with pupils of all ages and abilities working together, under the excellent leadership of Upper Sixth directors.

During the process they learn about producing great drama, the importance of teamwork, House spirit and pride.

Duncan Byrne Deputy Head (Academic)

In March we staged our annual charity Variety Show. This year saw the most

diverse selection of acts yet, ranging from ballet to hip hop and classical violin to renditions of modern pop songs. It was another sold out event raising a great deal for the Bradet School in Romania and the Gogar Primary School in Kenya.

The Lower College production has traditionally been seen as an opportunity for our younger pupils to gain experience on the stage and build confidence as performers. This year we produced our first entirely original piece of drama with over 40 of our Third and Fourth Form spending three months work-shopping and exploring Belloc’s children’s book Cautionary Tales.

Sian McBride Director of Drama 3

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English Literacy is an acute contemporary preoccupation. In schools across the land, teachers have for some years been asking each other: ‘Why don’t children read as much as they did in previous generations?’ It is an important, far-reaching question pertaining to an important, far-reaching issue, the answer to which is complicated and nuanced. Whilst recently marking a 13+ entrance paper, I came across the following, beautifully laconic, take on the situation: ‘In history, young people didn’t have anything better to do in leisure time so they read; now that we have TVs, DVDs, phones, computers, iPads etc., young people don’t.’

The English Department remains undaunted in the face of such towering adversity, however. As a team, we hold fast to two key beliefs: firstly, that our collective passion for literature is infectious, that,

paired with expert teaching practices and top-quality co-curricular activities, it speaks to young minds – inspires and excites – in a way that screens cannot and never will.

Secondly, that literature is intensely relevant; that it has the capacity to tell us about ourselves and our society in an extremely powerful way, and which makes it intrinsically fascinating. In combination, the former and the latter can engender in girls and boys a lifelong love of reading.

Ultimately, though, whilst we take great pride in the quality with which we prepare students to excel, results are not really what it is all about for us. Undoubtedly, the most rewarding aspect of our jobs is passing on that love of literature safe in the knowledge that the screens have not beaten the books just yet.

Tim Brewis Head of English

Science College achieved our best ever GCSE Science results last year along with extremely pleasing A Level results.

All Fourth Form Biology pupils entered the National Biology Challenge, a competition organised by the Society of Biology and taken by over 32,000 in the UK. College received in excess of 100 awards and Alexander Thorpe (5th Form, BH) attained a place in the top 40 of the country.

Students again took part in the Biology, Chemistry and Physics Olympiad with outstanding success. For the first time, Lower Sixth Chemistry students took part in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge.

The Upper Sixth Biology students spent a weekend in Dorset undertaking rocky shore and sand dune ecology studies. The Lower Sixth students attended a DNA and Genetics Conference in London. Those students studying Physics have visited the Culham Centre for Fusion and the Diamond Light Source in Didcot.

The Chemistry Department held its first very successful Open Labs event and this will be repeated in 2015. The March lecture to mark Science and Engineering week was given by Dr Trevor Howe of Janssen Research and Development who spoke on the theme of epigenetics.

Fourth Form pupils attended a GCSE Live Science Conference in Oxford, whilst Third Form pupils visited the Big Bang Exhibition in Birmingham.

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College hosted the first Science Careers Networking Evening in September for Upper College students interested in reading a degree in Science and exposing the students to the extensive array of potential careers available in the sciences.

The highlight of the year was the Science Department trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in October 2014. 31 students and 4 staff spent 10 days exploring Quito and 6 of the islands in the Galapagos Archipelago. The islands lived up to their reputation of being one of the most beautiful places on earth; students got to see many of the islands’ famous fauna and were able to view marine iguanas, giant tortoises and bluefooted boobies at close quarters.

We continue to be dedicated to providing our pupils and students with a rich, stimulating and relevant scientific experience.

Isabella Mech Head of Science

Sports Badminton As a result of a far more structured training programme we have seen significant improvements in all our players. At the time of writing, the club has just experienced its first victory over Abingdon for 11 years. We also won the Gloucestershire Women's Singles Competition.

Cricket A successful pre-season against St Peter’s York ushered in another full season of 64 fixtures for 13 sides which saw an overall win ratio for the club at 41%. With a young side featuring two Fourth Formers and only four from the Upper Sixth it was always going to be a challenging season. But despite this we won 7 and lost 6. The addition of girls’ cricket to the sporting calendar, back by popular demand, was a real boom for cricket at College and Clifton were to succumb to the quality of the girls in a 20/20 fixture.

Golf Significant highlights this year have been winning the South West region of the HMC Foursomes to qualify for the National Final at Luffenham Heath (an open qualifying course) in July and making the Regional Final of the ISGA (Independent Schools’ Golf Association) competition, losing narrowly to Abingdon. During the year College won 11 and lost 4 matches. Again the golfing year started with the OCs’ Annual Meeting at Denham Golf Club in September. Colours this year were awarded to Harry Brothwood (L, 2014) and Doug McEvoy (OJ & S, 2014). A special goodbye to the McEvoys, who have enjoyed a long-term relationship with College Golf. Other significant achievements: Harrison Ottley Woodd (4th Form, S) made the South West England Under 16 squad and Joss Edwards (5th Form, H) made the Gloucestershire Under 16 team.

Hockey The Boys’ 1st XI secured wins over Pangbourne and Marlborough in a very competitive ISHL League. Other achievements in the ISHL were the 3rd XI who came 3rd and the

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young team. Shooting Master Tom Adams won the Schools’ Staff competition one last time before his retirement. OC Seth Dowley (L, 2013) toured to South Africa with GB U19 over Easter. Chris Bowring travelled to Canada as a member of the British Cadet Rifle Team (The Athelings) along with Jon Cload (Current Staff Member) as the Commandant and Sarah Proudlove as Adjutant.

The Girls’ 1st XI managed wins over Bradfield, King’s Taunton and Wellington College. Hattie Bevan (U6th, A) was chosen for the ASSE programme for England Hockey at U18 level and the Junior Colts A team had a fantastic season winning 10 out of their 11 games and scoring 55 goals in the process. All teams qualified for the West Finals with the U16s reaching the quarter-finals.

The Polo Club College retained the SUPA National Arena Championship title for the third year running beating Wellington College in the final on penalties. College girls entered 4 teams into the SUPA Girls’ Arena Championships and won 2 of the divisions. In the summer, the first team competed in the HPA School League and won their qualifying matches against Stowe and Sherborne convincingly to reach the final against Eton. Unfortunately the match was cancelled and the title not decided. The College Polo Day took place at Longdole Polo Club where The Prep played Summer Fields, the OCs played the Hackett British Army Team and College played Stowe, with the home teams winning 2 of the 3 matches.

Rackets College celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the reopening of the court. We pushed the top seeds and eventual winners, Eton, to the very edge at Queen’s, losing 3-4. The Public Schools’ Singles competitions saw only Josh Dell (L6th, H) progress into the last 8 and Cis Thomasson (A, 2014) was our only girl to win rounds in the Open Singles competition.

Rowing Good progress continued at the Boat Club during the season. Numbers remain high with 140 rowers in the club, including a record number of girls for a second consecutive year. The VIII performed well to finish 8th in 1st VIIIs at the Schools Head of the River. They qualified for the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley for the second year in a row. The boys came through a very challenging qualification race and drew Dulwich College. They rowed into a potentially winning position, leading by 3/4 length at Fawley, before showing a little inexperience to be rowed down through the enclosures. Morgan Williams (U6th, H) became the Boat Club’s first international oarsman since 2006 when he represented Wales at the Home Countries Regatta.

Squash Our Senior Boys’ 1st V progressed through both group and knock-out stages to finish the Spring Term with qualification for the National Schools’ Trophy Finals Day. The team played three matches during the day at the National Squash Centre in Manchester. College finished the day with a great win against RGS High Wycombe to take 3rd place overall.

The Spring Term was very encouraging for our Girls’ U19 team, with wins against Marlborough and St Edwards, Oxford.

The Girls’ 1st VIII continued to set new standards as the their side of the club expands.

They won well at Gloucester and stepped into a IV+ at National Schools producing their best performance of the season to finish an agonising 0.12s short of being the first ever College girls crew to reach a final at that event. They finished the season losing to a very good Canadian crew in the first round of the Henley Women’s Regatta.

Rugby In 2014, the U18s made it through to the quarter-finals of Rosslyn park National 7s losing narrowly to Cranleigh 21-14. The U16s made it through to the last 32 losing to eventual winners QEGS Wakefield 26-28. After a successful pre-season tour to South Africa, where College won 3 out of the 5 games, the 1st XV went on to have a reasonable season, with highlights being a 16-3 win over Sherborne School and a 34-27 win over Radley College. The Yearlings A only lost one game this season and our U15 As are into the 6th round of the Natwest Cup competition. On an individual front, congratulations to Angus Thomson (3rd Form, NH) who made it in to the Lambs U15 national squad. This follows Paddy Tarleton (NH, 2014) who made it in to the Lambs U18 National Squad that toured Zimbabwe earlier in 2014. Oliver Thorley (U6th, BH) represented England U18s on their tour of Cape Town, South Africa.

Shooting July 2014 was the Schools’ Meeting at Bisley.

Captain Chris Bowring (S, 2014) put every shot into the V-bull to beat 550 other cadets and win the Wellington Cup. College came 15th out of 38 teams in the Ashburton Shield, a promising performance for such a

Swimming The girls were finalists in the Aldenham Cup Freestyle Relay at the National Schools’ Swimming Competition, held at the Aquatics Centre in Olympic Park London, where they came 6th, narrowly missing out on a medal by just 0.6 seconds. They were also reserve finalists for the Medley Competition. The girls went on to become Cheltenham and District Champions, winning every race at the event.

Against Gloucester City Swimming Club, we exacted revenge by winning this year and we were also pleased to see the reintroduction of a fixture against Dean Close this term.

Tennis This was a transitional year for Boys’ Tennis at 1st VI level, with the side comprised entirely of players from the Lower Sixth and below. Three matches resulted in nail biting 5-4 losses (Radley, Kingswood and Monmouth), but the boys will have emerged with greater experience of match play and hardened resolve for the 2015 season. The 2nd VI recorded a win over St Edward’s, Oxford and the Colts continue to develop well under coach, Chris Warner.

The Girls’ 1st VI played with great enthusiasm, buoyed by a successful pre-season tour to the Algarve. Three consecutive wins against Cheltenham Ladies' College, St Edward’s Oxford and Bloxham gave the squad confidence. The U15A VI endured a challenging start to the term, but continued their convincing run of form from last year, winning five matches in all.

Karl Cook Director of Sport 5

NEWS

2nds won their respective league through scoring 25 goals in their 7 fixtures of which they lost only one game.

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a refurbished science Building, an amazing ‘display’ and some Very Bad Chemistry Jokes

By John Champion (Bursar & Secretary to Council) Did you hear the one about oxygen and potassium? Apparently they went out on a date together… it was OK! If that went straight over your head, don’t worry, you’re in good company. It will probably make more sense though, once you have had an opportunity to visit the amazing Periodic Table of the Elements display that we are planning to install as the dramatic centre-piece to the entrance of the newly refurbished Science building.

The display, the first of its kind in the UK, will be a world-apart from the dull, dogeared paper poster of atomic symbols and numbers that I recall, very vaguely, from my own school days. This will be an enthralling mix of bespoke, craftsmanbuilt furniture (measuring a whopping 10 feet by 7 feet) and cutting-edge electronic interactivity housing an amazing collection of sample elements and reallife examples of their uses.

But I suppose you might be forgiven for asking why we’ve refurbished the Science Building at all (after all, it’s not that old) and why we’re now investing even more in this Periodic Table display?

Well the answer to the first of those questions is easy, and if you’ve visited the Science building in recent years you’ll understand what I’m about to say. Yes, it’s one of our ‘younger’ buildings, much of it dating from the early 1980s. But apart from relative youth it had little else going for it… certainly not good looks! Not only had the exterior become grimy and generally unloved looking, but inside the roof leaked like a sieve, the heating and ventilation was appalling, the lighting was worse and the whole place said nothing positive at all about our serious commitment to excellence in the teaching and learning of Science. It was, quite simply, a bad learning environment.

But that’s all in the past now. With a £2.5m refurbishment nearing completion we can boast a 15 laboratory, University standard science teaching facility to rival just about any of our competitors. With a completely new roof, every door and window replaced, a stone-cleaned exterior, new heating and ventilation throughout and, most importantly, brilliantly fitted and furnished laboratories, the Science building is now a facility to be proud of. And of course it does now say something very positive about our commitment to the teaching and learning of Science.

Views of the old Science labs 6

Changes to the Science building roof

The stone-cleaned exterior

A brighter interior

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Apart from the (very important) fact that the display will be a tremendous teaching aid, it will add further emphasis to the statement we’re making with the refurbishment about how seriously we take the sciences.

Without the opportunity to see one of these displays ‘in the flesh’ it’s difficult to express just how powerful that additional emphasis will be. But to give you a flavour, when De Pauw University in the United States unveiled theirs, here’s what the press had to say (and by the way, Theodore Gray, along with Max Whitby is one of the two scientists behind these fantastic displays and author of ‘The Elements – A Visual Exploration of every known atom in the Universe’): ‘Theodore Gray likes to say, probably only half jokingly, that anything worth doing is worth overdoing. So the gleaming display case replicating the Periodic Table of the Elements, sitting at the top of the pristine staircase in the new wing of the Percy L. Julian Science and Mathematics Center at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., should really come as no surprise.

And yet, it’s so big. Wall-sized in fact.

And each of the elements looks so good, illuminated by tiny, bright light-emitting diode spotlights, generally with a sample in its natural state and an example of a real-life product containing the material.

The elements that stand still, anyway.

NEWS

Which brings me to the answer to the second question. Why invest in the Periodic Table display?

Those that quickly dissipate are properly represented by mini portraits of the scientists they’re named for, Nobel Prizewinning chemist Glenn Seaborg for seaborgium and the like.

The noble gases light up glass receptacles in the shape of their symbols on the Periodic Table, showing clearly why neon signs, not helium or krypton, ended up brightening the windows of taverns everywhere.

There are calcium sea shells, copper wiring, a silicon wafer from which computer chips get stamped.

“This is certainly more impressive than I ever imagined,” DePauw chemistry Professor Bridget Gourley, who came up with the idea, said recently as she gazed at the display. Then again, she didn’t know Theo Gray, Max Whitby and their colleagues when all this started.’

So our display, just like the one in Indiana, will be an impressive piece. It will be a wonderful talking-point with prospective parents, it will be a focus for visits by other schools, it will pay big dividends in the teaching and understanding of Science and it will, quite simply, be something for College to be very, very proud of, for many years to come.

In fact we’re so sure the display will become something that College is widely known for we’re offering the opportunity to be directly associated with it by ‘buying’ or ‘sponsoring’ individual elements at £250 each – of course the funds raised will go directly to the Science refurbishment, which has only been possible due to the tremendous generosity

Elements from the new Periodic Table display

of others like you. You can’t sponsor Californium (Cf) because I’ve already ‘bagged’ that (put it down to a couple of fantastic holidays on the West Coast!) and I understand the Headmaster has invested in Hydrogen (Number 1, what else!), so that’s gone too.

But if you’d like your name to be directly associated with this wonderful installation then do please contact Christiane Dickens, Development Director, there are plenty of elements left to choose from. In fact I hear that Oxygen (O) and Potassium (K) may have separated and be looking for new partners. Unless of course the rumours are true and oxygen has now run off with magnesium – OMg! But you can’t always believe what you hear from the elements, they make up everything! n

Views of the new Science labs 7

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Valetes Tom Adams Physics Teacher 1981-2014

Arriving in 1981 as a fresh-faced and enthusiastic Physics teacher and now, after 99 terms at College, Tom gracefully retires as a fresh-faced and still enthusiastic Physics teacher . . . and much more. As Head of Physics, Tom performed with distinction for nearly 30 years. In those years, the Department thrived with excellent public exam results, many Oxbridge successes and the introduction of state-of-the-art teaching equipment – in those earlier years, the Physics Department led the way in using computers in teaching and learning.

Furthermore, the scientific triumvirate of Adams, Barry Wild (staff, 1982-2010) and Chris Rouan (staff, 1980-2011) survived together for the best part of 30 years at College.

As was clear at his leaving dinner, Barry & Chris could not have wished for a better colleague. Physics is a difficult subject and Tom’s combination of patience, clarity of thought, good organisation and enthusiasm not only inspired countless generations of Cheltonians, but also countless Departmental meetings.

Tom ‘Bisley’ Adams manned the engine of College shooting through a period of unparalleled success. From the moment he joined forces with College shooting in 1981, his experience as captain of Uppingham School, then Oxford, and a few years in charge at Kimbolton School, together with his steady and clear-minded temperament, were the foundations for very effective and successful coaching.

Tom also ran the Naval Section of the CCF. Indeed it was Tom, together with Contingent Commander, Ian Wright (staff, 1976-2009), who persuaded Richard Morgan (Headmaster, 1978-1990) to bring the CCF back into compulsory membership for the Fourth Form, thus laying the groundwork for the CCF to grow to where it is today. All in a day’s work for Tom …

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Sara Boulton Teacher Cheltenham Prep 2002-2014

We wish Jenny and Tom a very long and happy retirement – a chance to spend quality time with their two ‘boys’ and a chance to get to grips with those little projects one just knows Tom has up his sleeve. Enjoy your 100th term.

John Baker D & T Teacher Cheltenham Prep 1986-2014 A Year 8 pupil, guiding a prospective parent around The Prep, informed his guest that when it came to the teachers, John Baker was, ‘an absolute legend’. ‘I know,’ replied the visitor, ‘I thought so too when he taught me’. His legendary status at the Prep is not just the result of the dedication of a passionate and skilled professional, but his innate ability to communicate with children, ensuring that generations have had the opportunity to acquire skills and express themselves creatively within and beyond the CDT room.

John’s contributions to the extra-curricular life of the school have included clay pigeon shooting and Model Boat Club.

John was also key in a whole school anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of Trafalgar, where his knowledge of naval history was realised in a memorable tableau on the school field featuring full costume, naval signal flags and scale models of cannons firing.

As well as his teaching responsibilities, John has made invaluable contributions to the life of the Boarding House in his role as Assistant Housemaster and, for a short spell, as Housemaster. Pupils recount with affection the tales of Mr Baker’s dorm duty nights, especially the bedtime stories.

Many ex pupils, parents and colleagues will return to The Prep in the hopes of finding ‘Mr Baker’ in his room to find that the cartoon left pinned to the door tells them that he has headed homeward to pursue his talents for watercolour painting, gardening and antique collecting full time.

After many years in Kingfishers, teaching Year 1 and Year 2, Sara has stepped down from her class teacher role to spend more time with her family. Sara originally came to the Prep to cover a class for a term and then never looked back! Her passion for everything artistic has greatly enhanced, not only our Art Curriculum, but also our plays and productions where her talent as choreographer came to the fore.

Sara also ran the much loved and oversubscribed Art and Crafts Club in Kingfishers, where there was, literally, many a sticky moment – especially in the lead up to Christmas. Most of all, Sara will be missed by those children who were lucky enough to be in her class and who benefited from the outstanding pastoral care that was Sara’s special gift. Sara took pride in developing the ‘whole child’ and made it her priority to understand all of her pupils and help develop them into confident, enquiring and happy learners.

Gordon Busbridge Director of Music 1994-2014 Gordon has been synonymous with music at Cheltenham for 20 years. He is a musician of the very highest calibre, an inspiring teacher, a great Head of Music and a significant figure within the musical tradition of independent schools. But he is also something more: akin to a blood donor, Gordon has given a 20-year transfusion of enthusiasm and energy to College and its pupils. Thanks to the amazing and attractive force of his personality, music at College is not a mere subject, but a lifestyle choice. Gordon’s indefatigable effervescence and wholeness of heart together form a creative influence propelling pupils and staff alike.

Gordon has presided over a dazzling record of high-flying achievements at A Level and GCSE, and he has delivered scintillating lessons to the Third Form who, over the

Floreat 2015

In addition, he organised trips to concerts and the opera, contributed to Variety Shows and nurtured hymn singing of unparalleled magnitude. Most of all, there is the legendary Friday congregational practice with shirt-coloured verses, north and south in alternatim and even the deafening ‘wrath’ of silent chariots! His musicianship and warm personality are central to the happy memories that pupils from the last two decades cherish.

Fiona Busbridge Teacher Cheltenham Prep 1994-2014 Fiona Busbridge joined The Junior in 1994. Over the next 20 years she dedicated herself to teaching, both in generalised class teaching in Lower School and, latterly, as a Year 6 English tutor as well.

Fiona’s love of History often shone through in her lessons, as children experienced being archaeologists firsthand digging up artefacts painstakingly hidden in the grounds behind Lower School, behaved like Vikings ransacking other classrooms or discovered the merits of King Alfred.

Fiona’s skills with a needle were frequently put to good use in the annual pantomime, where costumes would be created from scratch or up-cycled from previous years.

Another love of hers was music, in any form. On the first assembly of the year, children would turn, in amazement, to hear her beautiful voice hit the high notes whilst the rest of the staff appeared merely groaners around her. She was often dashing off to some opera performance in London or on a choir tour with College. It is fantastic that, now she has retired, she is able to continue passing on her love of teaching to children in Leh, India.

Ann King Senior Medical Sister 2000-2014 Ann was appointed to a part-time nurse position in September 2000.

She came with a wealth of nursing experience having been a Sister in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a number of years and a General Practice Nurse for over three years. A few weeks before her first term started, the Senior College nurse resigned, and Ann’s past experience made her the obvious candidate for the senior nurse role, a role to which she devoted enormous energy and time. The College Medical Centre was still in its infancy in 2000, and the Medical Centre we know today owes much to her.

There were only two nurses in September 2000 – Ann and Liz Fisher. Ann has overseen the expansion to five nurses, plus administrative support. In addition, Ann’s contacts in ICU and beyond enabled her to pull together teams of highly-qualified sports first-aiders, primarily to support the rugby matches.

Ann’s standards have always been high.

Head injuries, neck injuries, sick children or staff, all had the highest quality care from Ann and her team. Her reputation was such that experienced doctors on pitchside were relieved when Ann took charge.

The many medical policies and protocols that College staff, parents and pupils will have encountered, were written following hours of research by Ann. Many of them were in place long before the inspectors came calling! She was frequently found working late at the Medical Centre, but she rarely missed her evening gym sessions.

And then a return home for a well-earned glass of red wine!

Derek Maddock Head of History Cheltenham Prep 1980-2014 It would be fair to say, Derek nurtured a love for History throughout his career. He not only encouraged children to learn more about the past but he could often be heard discussing the intricacies of historic events

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years, have benefited greatly from frequent Handelian interludes on the harpsichord as well as learning about Paul Simon’s Graceland. For them and the rest of the school’s musicians, Gordon has offered an enormous range of high-level opportunities for singing, playing and touring: Chapel choir, chamber choir, chamber orchestra, school orchestra, jazz band, quartets, chamber groups and barbershop to name the leading lights.

in the staffroom. For many, History simply came to life under Derek’s tutelage.

Derek came to The Junior in 1980 and for many years led the Sports Department. As his career progressed, he became Head of the History Department and also Head of Middle School. Derek watched us develop from an all boys to a co-educational school, he thrived on being part of our exciting, busy environment and loved to be part of everything we did. Many children recall his pantomime appearances with tremendous affection, his trips often had a waiting list of staff wishing to accompany him and his assemblies caused us all to reflect.

Derek’s commitment to kinaesthetic learning meant his classes involved regular dramatic recreations of events that shaped history. Indeed, Derek has been seen charging the barricades in classrooms, firing a trebuchet at the Headmaster’s study and cooking up a World War II storm in the dining hall. Derek now looks forward to a rest! We will undoubtedly miss his “joie de vivre” and wish him well.

Kim Parsley Teacher Cheltenham Prep 1987-2014 When Kim first arrived in Cheltenham in 1987, The Junior was very different from now: a school for 7 – 13 year boys, most of whom were boarders. In addition to his role as Head of Science and Master of Cricket, Kim became fully involved with boarding life, and embraced all opportunities to be part of the school’s community. He lived on site for 16 years, oversaw the initiation of Kingfishers and the school going Co-Ed, and steered the path to the allencompassing and flexible education for 3 – 13 year old Girls and Boys that The Prep is now able to offer. Kim’s promotion to Director of Studies and then to Assistant Head displayed his academic and leadership strengths.

Kim is in every sense of the word a “people person”. He had the responsibility for planning the timetable for many years, and for ensuring that all pupils and staff were in the right place at the right time – not an easy job. He instigated and planned many sporting trips abroad and the annual Preseason Cricket training in Spain. The links 9

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Valetes (continued) that he established with Queen Elizabeth College in Guernsey (for our pupils to visit the island for hockey) have been maintained for an incredible 26 years!

Undoubtedly, Kim’s true passions in life are cricket and his family. Which would come first may be a matter of debate! He certainly had a very soft spot for cricket stats and data: his filing cabinets were full of lists of former pupils and their cricket performance; and he even wrote a book 150 not out to celebrate the many years of cricket at the Junior.

He met his wife, Alayne, Head of Art at The Junior, when she arrived at the school to assist in the art room, and his three children, Madeleine, Guy and Tilly, are all former pupils of The Prep and College. Kim is now developing his expertise as an ISI inspector, running firework displays and photography, and spending time with his family. Though sadly missed, many know that, in Kim, they have a lifelong friend.

Angelina Sim Music Secretary 2002-2014 Angelina joined College as the Music Department Secretary in September 2002 and immediately became an excellent administrator and friend to all the full-time staff and visiting teachers. As well as working tirelessly preparing the concert programmes, pupils’ database and accounts, she still found time to keep everybody up to the mark for deadlines and planning ahead! Despite her busy schedule she would always find time to listen to anyone’s concerns and help to smooth over any problems. She liaised well with all the pupils, whether it be with lesson times, room allocation or helping them to find their way.

She was brilliant in helping to organise all the Music staff socials and researching the best venues for the annual Christmas meal – always a great success because of her careful planning and organisation. We will all miss her cheerfulness and humour, and we wish her and her family the very best for the future.

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Annemarie Wilson Secretary to Deputy Head 1998 - 2014 After a secretarial career in the Foreign Office working in Oman, Afghanistan, East Berlin, Algiers and Washington, Annemarie found herself working in the Headmaster’s office at College in 1998 alongside Pauline Lake, the Headmaster’s PA. With her discretion and knowing the need for complete confidentiality, she could not have been better suited!

After seven years in the Headmaster’s office, it was Charles Runacres, the Director of Studies, who gained Annemarie as his secretary for three years.

That was followed in 2008 by a move to the Deputy Head’s office where her hard work, high standards, professionalism and utter discretion has been much appreciated by Alex Peterken (20082010), Karen Davies (2010-2013) and then Crispin Dawson.

Annemarie has given College 16 years of outstanding and loyal service and one can only describe her as one of College’s unsung heroes. We all wish her a long and very happy retirement.

Sebastian Bullock Boyne House Housemaster 2002-2014 Farewell Boyne House On the 7th of June, over 100 people of all ages gathered in the Boyne House garden, with one thing in common; Boyne House and more importantly Sebastian Bullock and his family. Since September 2002 he worked relentlessly to foster a united community with a strong family ethos at its heart. Under his leadership, Boyne House evolved to be an environment where mutual respect was able to thrive with cross-yeargroup friendship throughout.

With every year of Sebastian’s tenure either represented by Brooksmithites, parents or staff there was constant murmur of stories past; whether it was

yomping up Pen-Y-Fan, lying in a puddle paint-balling, learning the lines for a Katherine MacInnes’ play or the trials and tribulations of the annual Goals competition they all were tales of what made Boyne House its unique self.

The evening concluded with speeches from Sebastian, Ed Kirby (BH, 2005 & Past Staff Member) and Charlie McKegney (Current Staff Member) where the family felt the generosity from all the parents and OCs; including an Owl styled weather vane, a footstool upholstered in the Boyne House rugby shirt, a commissioned painting of the house and presents for the children (Xander, Jago and Claudie). We all wish Seb and his family the very best of luck in the next chapter of their life in their new house over in Uley and the new challenges that College will no doubt send his way!

Simon Conner Hazelwell Housemaster 2008-2014 Farewell Hazelwell Speech day was an opportunity for the pupils and parents to say thank you to Simon and Christina Conner for their time in Hazelwell. The parents organised a collection and the boys made a film about Simon. Due to poor weather, the House drinks were inside. Sam Baker (Head of House, H, 2014) said a few words about the Conners' time in the House before presenting them with a television for their new home.

Simon was blown away with the generosity to say the least. After unwrapping it he responded with his thanks to the pupils, parents and staff for their support during his time in the House.

He also let it slip that teaching had been his choice of vocation since the age of 13 and that Housemastering had been his aim since age of 20.

After the speeches, the House moved into the common room where a film was played in which Hazelwell boys talked about their main memories of Mr Conner.

A common theme was his laugh and his singing in the morning. They were 100% in agreement though that if they were to bump into him in the future it would most likely be in the pub. n

Floreat 2015

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letter from the headmaster, Cheltenham prep Having completed my first year at The Prep, I reflect on all of the positive moments which we have enjoyed as a School community. The staff and pupils have worked tirelessly to uphold the ethos and culture of Cheltenham College Preparatory School and we continue to stress the importance of preparing our pupils for life beyond preparatory education.

The greatest number of our pupils will progress to College, but for some this may not be the right choice. We have a new Registrar at The Prep, Ms Jennifer Bailey, and she brings with her a wealth of experience and knowledge of the local, national and international markets which further

PREP NEWS

Academic The year began with some excellent results in the 11+ Academic Scholarships. Anabelle Wells (Y7) and Anna Forde (Y7) gained full Academic Scholarships and William Bradley (Y7) and George Hardy (Y7) gained Academic Exhibitions. Matilda Parsley (OCP*) and Peter Marstrand (Y7) were also rewarded for excellence in one of the papers sat as part of the scholarship process. In the Spring Term, Year 8 took on the challenge of the 13+ Academic Scholarship examinations. Robert Caesar (3rd Form, S), Isabelle Kemp (3rd Form, A) and Charlie Meecham-Jones (3rd Form, Xt) had their achievements recognised as part of All Round Scholarships and Ellie Davies (3rd Form, Q) was awarded the Lord James of Hereford Scholarship for the top overall academic performance in these papers. All of these pupils continued to embody the essence of The Prep School education: academic excellence plus outstanding contributions to music, art, drama and sport.

The June Common Entrance season also yielded strong results with many pupils gaining a string of A grades. Pupils won places at Marlborough College, Harrow School, The Cheltenham Ladies’ College as well as Cheltenham College. Edward Shaw (3rd Form, L) scored the top percentage in Spanish and was rewarded with a prize from College.

strengthens our offer at The Prep. Following the re-brand last year, which has been well received, we continue to market the school as one of the leading preparatory schools in the UK. We are proud of our heritage and excited about our future and following a recent review The Good Schools’ Guide concurs with our vision. The Prep will begin a major period of development in the coming months, bringing the school and the curriculum in line with 21st Century teaching and facilities, whilst continuing to maintain the school's heritage and history.

With so much to look forward to, the atmosphere at The Prep is positive and enthusiastic and I look forward to leading the school through this exciting period of development.

Jonathan Whybrow Headmaster, Cheltenham College Preparatory School

Staff have focused their energies on ensuring that lessons are planned effectively to cater for pupils’ needs and ensuring that support is provided and opportunities to stretch and challenge are offered. ‘Differentiation’ has been a key phrase for all staff and they have learnt a great deal about it from each other during INSET and peer observation. It is crucial that staff continue to strive to improve their own practice and to accept that none of us have ‘cracked it’, even after a decade or more ‘at the chalk face’. The person teaching in the classroom across the corridor often holds the key to helping with this selfimprovement and this ‘Open Door’ approach continues to be encouraged.

This openness has also been extended further to parents this year. Our evenings on ‘How We Teach’ and various Open Mornings have offered parents a glimpse into what happens after drop off and to provide guidance on how we teach key concepts and how parents can support at home. This ‘triangular’ relationship is vital in helping every child make progress; only when pupil, teacher and parent are working together will potential be realised in the classroom.

After our first full year as a prep school it is so pleasing to sense the atmosphere of academic purpose in the school. However, this focus on academics must continue to go alongside what is crucial to Cheltenham College Prep School: to provide an all-round education and to value talents and interests beyond the academic. Maintaining this balance will become our focus for the coming terms as the school moves forward.

Vicky Jenkins Deputy Head (Academic)

Art In Art we have covered a vast array of genres and mediums this year, from Banksy to William Morris, Matisse to commemorations for the First World War. Paint, print and ceramics are just three of the mediums featured. In March we had our now annual collaboration with Drama and Music, an evening known as ‘Arts Alive!’ showcasing the 13+ scholars work. On a family trip to London at Half Term we visited The Imperial War Museum, a highlight being the First World War paintings not seen together in one place before. This was followed by a visit to The Tower to see the poppies which had inspired our own Remembrance project, making 675 ceramic poppies recognising the fallen from Cheltenham College.

We also hosted local Primary schools this year offering a Print workshop for Year 5 pupils.

Work from this and other Prep School work was then exhibited alongside that of College students and professional printmakers in The White Gallery. Prep School children also took part in both The Cheltenham Schools’ in Art and SATIPS National Art Exhibitions.

Alayne Parsley Head of Art

* (OCP) Old Cheltonian Prep 11

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Boarding

every Tuesday – this is very popular!

We have also been running regular dog walking, music and art clubs.

A really enjoyable and successful first year for the new Boarding Team at The Prep was rounded off beautifully when the House and our staff received glowing feedback and the highest possible endorsement from the ISI inspectors following their long awaited interim inspection.

As the inspectors pointed out, it is the people that make the House and Boarding has been further strengthened with some superb new appointments. We have also been blessed with no less than five of the finest overseas Gap Students, all of whom are popular with the Boarders and have made a positive impact on House life. Increasing the number of Gap Students to five has allowed us to run a raft of new activities and games and to provide an even greater level of pastoral support, through our Boarder Mentoring programme.

Last year the House benefitted from an extensive programme of refurbishment, re-furnishing and re-decoration. Over the summer the improvements continued to the House and its facilities to further increase the comfort for our Boarders and to give the House a lovely smart new look. In House we ensure there is always plenty to do.

After tea and when prep is completed the boarders enjoy activities such as farming club, games in the barn, ball sports club, ‘fun swim’ and we have secured exclusive use of the school's brilliant inflatable ‘pirate ship’

Boys’ Sport From nationally recognised achievements from our elite players through to the biweekly bravery of every one of the teams that represent The Prep – I am immensely proud. Since the last edition of Floreat The Prep’s cricket has really hit new heights, ending the Summer Term as the Gloucester County U13 Champions. We currently have vast numbers involved in the County and District programmes as well. Hockey continues to flourish and we have high hopes of IAPS success from our 1st VII this year.

The rugby season is coming to a close and we have again had a strong year winning some great matches and picking up the Dean Close 7s title en-route. Again the school is proving a production line to the Gloucester Academy as another four Cheltenham Prep Boys took places in the DPP squads. At the time of writing the Colts B and C teams are both within a week of unbeaten seasons, hopefully they will hold their nerve to the end.

In the last twelve months we have had tours in cricket, hockey, football and two in rugby – from Barcelona to Oxford, Cheltenham Prep is well known and well regarded. We have also reciprocated and hosted tours from South Africa, Guernsey and Brighton, building links and making friendships.

We aim to start every child off with a solid foundation and to that end we have now included fixtures as well as a full Year 2 Games 12

We have a headline activity planned every Sunday. In addition to the old favourites we have enjoyed some exciting new events; we have been Go-karting, to European Cup Rugby at Kingsholm, on a High Ropes Tree Top Adventure, Rock Climbing, a visit to Drayton Manor, Ice skating and have even hosted the Everyman Theatre company for our very own Pantomime Workshop and House Panto.

We are always keen to showcase the House and we extend a warm welcome to any member of the College and Prep community who would like to arrange a visit to meet the Boarders.

Bob and Faye Wells Boarding Houseparents at a standard that was beyond their years and were rewarded with an unbeaten season. Our annual Year 6 mixed hockey and netball tour to Guernsey was once again a huge success.

programme. The intention for this programme is not winning or losing, but to educate children how matches and sportsmanship work before Year 3. Boys’ Sport at Cheltenham Prep has always been a strong name on the national circuit and this is down to the team efforts every week.

Duncan Simpson Head of Boys’ Sport

Girls’ Sport For the first time Cheltenham Prep qualified for National Finals in Netball. The U11A team travelled to Rodean School in Brighton for this huge, high profile event in a beautiful setting on the sea front. Several Upper School girls were selected for Satellite development squads, a real step up and I am sure they will benefit from this training. In Lower School, our U8 team (now Year 4) played some excellent netball

During the Summer Term the girls were offered a plethora of sporting opportunities – tennis, rounders, athletics and cricket. The Upper School girls had a pre-season training camp in Spain. Our ethos in the summer is all about experience and enjoyment and we are well into the process of really developing tennis. Our girls’ cricket team came second in The Lady Taverners before convincingly winning the Gloucestershire Kwik Cricket tournament. We also had a number of Year 8s represent the school at the District Athletics Championships.

During the Autumn Term our focus has again turned to hockey and in addition to their regular fixtures the girls in Upper School went on tour in October to Holland.

They were coached by Dutch coaches, played matches against their Dutch counterparts and watched a professional fixture. Our U9 and U10 teams won the first Cheltenham Prep Invitational Tournament where we had 32 teams competing. We celebrated the end of the season with a Staff v Year 8 match which was played in excellent spirits and despite a gallant effort by the staff team, the pupils stole the show with a 1-0 victory.

Stacy Ramsay Head of Girls’ Sport

FLOREAT 2015

Kingfishers

Kingfishers “I have been excited all yesterday afternoon and all night Mrs Buttress!” Sophia age 6. This was a comment made by a Year 2 child who had been chosen to show prospective parents around Kingfishers for our Open Morning. The best advocates for our school are our boys and girls and asking them to ‘step up’ in this way builds personal self esteem and strengthens our Pre-Prep community as a whole.

Our parents continue to come to lunch once per term, enjoy our excellent food and are impressed by their young children who display good manners, are courteous and delightful lunch guests. Our open afternoons provided opportunities for the children to showcase their efforts and talk Mums and Dads through displays and topic work. Of the many events and evenings the ‘How We Teach’ evening was perhaps the most popular. Parents became pupils for the evening and enjoyed Maths, Handwriting and Phonics lessons.

It was a pleasure to welcome back faces from the past and see former teachers and pupils at our 21st Birthday party; the boys and girls were treated to a circus entertainer and a bouncy castle, cake, badges and balloons, whilst parents enjoyed a garden party and the Kingfishers inaugural art exhibition.

Rachael Buttress Head of Kingfishers

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Lower School The children and staff in Lower School have enjoyed another busy and productive year.

Enrichment continues to be a very popular weekly lesson, as children enjoy the breadth of the curriculum delivered through cooking and textiles, ICT, and this year thinking skills activities have been included. Reading is a main focus for this academic year; children are in small ability groups and regularly read a variety of texts with staff. Year 4 will finish their ‘Reading Around the World’ challenge with a food tasting afternoon during the last week of term, whilst Year 3 will be having a chocolate party to finish their ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ initiative.

Parents were invited to a ‘How We Teach’ evening, which was a huge success. They were shown current teaching practice and how best to support their child at home, in the core subjects. Pupils remain confident, conscientious and happy, and are always a pleasure to teach.

Debbie Isaachsen Head of Lower School

Middle School Learning together continues to be a fundamental part of how we develop in Middle School. Researching, planning, using key words and presenting information are just a few of the daily skills we practise and enjoy.

Of course, getting it right the first time is not always possible but we endeavour to learn from all our experiences, advise each other constructively and regularly celebrate achievement together. Year 5 and 6 children have also thrived from the extra-curricular challenges presented during after-school activities. It has been rewarding to observe

Lower School

Middle School

Upper School our children attend a wide range of activities including Archery, Dance and Orchestra to name a few.

Deborah Bond Director of Middle School

Upper School In Upper School, we have continued to build on the fundamental principles of excellent pastoral and academic focus throughout 2014. Our long-term aim remains the same: to prepare children for life beyond The Prep School, building on their potential in all spheres of life, so that they can face that next step in to Senior School with confidence and purpose.

In a school of almost 400 pupils we are teaching around 327 music lessons every week and our schedule of varied events is ever expanding. We hold regular informal concerts in the beautiful Lake House, our choirs sing for our weekly Chapel services in addition to other concerts, and our major Christmas and Summer concerts offer all of our ensembles the chance to perform to large audiences.

of choral works, including The Reluctant Dragon by John Rutter, our Chapel Choir performed at Bristol Cathedral for evensong, and we have hosted many workshops including ‘Beat-Boxing’, ‘Rap’ and ‘Junk Percussion’. Over the festive period we have many pantomimes and nativities and our major production of the year, in collaboration with the drama department was Oliver Twist. Rest assured, music is most certainly flourishing here at The Prep!

Some of the highlights of the year have been the Year 7 trip to London; this is a great opportunity for all Year 7 pupils, both new and established, to make new friends and form new friendship groups as they begin life in Upper School. We also enjoyed a visit to The Globe Theatre, London, for a fun drama workshop, before sightseeing around Hampton Court. We have revitalised the programme for Year 8, as they finish their summer examinations. The new programme was designed to encapsulate the key elements of moving onto Senior School, promoting leadership skills and self-reliance with excursions to Bude as well as many local attractions.

Back in May we joined the College Choral Society to perform an eclectic programme

Kit Perona-Wright Director of Music

Sarah Reid Director of Upper School

Music

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New Appointments

Jennifer Bailey Registrar, Cheltenham Prep

mountain biking trails and sporting scene the area offers.

After graduating from Loughborough University, Jennifer travelled and enjoyed temporary work assignments for a few years, living in London, Israel, Italy and outback Australia. Her work history spans sales, marketing, business development and PA roles as well as teaching English to non-native speakers.

Jennifer joins us from Malvern St James Girls' School where she has held the positions of Registrar / Head of Admissions, as well as interim External Communications for the School.

Originally from Worcestershire, Jennifer first moved to Cheltenham 14 years ago and loves the Lido,

Dickon Baird Head of History, Cheltenham Prep Dickon Baird joined The Prep as Head of History in September 2014. He joins from The New Beacon, a Prep School just outside Sevenoaks, where he worked for two years as a History and English teacher, as well as Sports Coach and a Boarding Tutor. This is Dickon’s third spell in Cheltenham and second time living in Waterfield Close! Dickon grew up in Prep Schools as both his parents were (and still are…) ‘in the profession’. His father, Simon Baird, is a former member of The Junior Staff.

Jonathan Mace Head of Business Studies

Photography by Andy Banks

Jonathan joined the College in September as Head of Business Studies having moved up from Warminster School where he was a senior boys’ Housemaster and Head of Economics & Business Studies.

Having graduated from Durham University with an Economics degree he took up a post at St Edward’s Oxford. He caught the boarding school bug through his role as a resident tutor and Economics teacher. He moved on to teach at 14

During her five years at the School, the student roll increased 35%. Jennifer is delighted to have joined the Cheltenham College team and is looking forward to welcoming lots of families to the Prep!

On leaving school he worked at Windlesham House School as a Junior Teacher, confirming his desire to work in education, before completing his BA in Medieval History and Ancient History at Cardiff University.

After leaving Cardiff, Dickon worked as an Assistant Tutor at Junior King’s School Canterbury before embarking on his teacher training qualification, while working at the school, through Canterbury Christ Church University. Dickon is joined in Cheltenham by his wife Lucy, who is working as an LSW at The Prep.

Warwick School and Malvern College before moving to Warminster School in 2009.

Throughout his teaching career Jonathan has been involved in the sporting side of school life running rugby, hockey, cricket and golf teams. He has also written two Economics textbooks; the first of which focused upon market failures in the UK economy and the second an IB Economics revision guide.

In his spare time Jonathan is an avid watcher of sport, particularly rugby, and enjoys a competitive game of golf. He also enjoys cryptic crosswords and getting lost in a good book.

Floreat 2015

Graham joins College as the Head of Economics, coming from Marlborough College where he taught Economics and Politics for three years. He completed his Economics degree from Jesus College, Cambridge University in 2003, did his PGCE in 2004 and completed his PhD in Microeconomic Theory from the University of Bath in 2011, from where he has experience of teaching

David Mckee Director of Music David was educated at Oakham School and Exeter University. He has sung with many prestigious choirs in his career, including Truro Cathedral, Exeter Cathedral, St. Peter’s Church Eaton Square, Westminster Abbey, St George’s Chapel Windsor Castle, St Paul’s Cathedral and Norwich Cathedral Choirs.

As a conductor he has directed various groups, including the Wesley Singers, Carshalton Choral Society, Norwich Cathedral Consort and the Sheringham and Cromer Choral Society, including performances of Verdi’s Requiem, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, Brahms’ Requiem, Strauss’ Four Last Songs Tallis Spem in Alium,

Jane Moore Secretary to Deputy Head (Pastoral) Originally from Scotland, Jane attended Pates Grammar School. After A levels in art subjects she worked as an analyst at GCHQ for several years.

She spent most of the following twenty years working mainly from home, managing the office side of the family business and raising three sons.

She served as a Governor at Leckhampton C E primary school for eight years, chairing the Staffing and Curriculum committee. Having attended the Literature Festival since her school days, Jane was

Christina Reeves Head of Early Years Foundation Stage, Cheltenham Prep Christina Reeves was born in Shrewsbury but brought up in the Welsh countryside. She began her career working as a nanny to two children in Gloucestershire. In 1994 she joined Cheltenham College Junior School as a Teaching Assistant in Kingfishers. Then known as Miss Morris, she also lived in the boarding house. Initially looking after the Lower School Boarders and then the very first girl boarder that came to the school. Alongside her various duties, she succeeded in gaining her

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Graham Mallard Head of Economics

university students. Graham continues to research and write in the fields of Behavioural and Public Economics and he is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Bath. At Marlborough his role involved helping to oversee the International Baccalaureate, being a Higher Education and UCAS advisor, assisting the Master in Charge of Polo and being a Boarding House tutor: the latter two of these he continues at College. Graham is a keen horse-rider and he lives in Corsham with his wife Fay and their two cats.

Bach Mass in B minor, Mozart Requiem, Bach’s St John and Matthew Passions and Handel’s Messiah.

David began his teaching career at Brighton and Hove High School, moving to Notre Dame High School in Norwich and subsequently Gresham’s School, prior to becoming Director of Music at Milton Abbey School. He was responsible for founding and directing the Choral Society and setting up their International Music Festival and Summer School, now in its third year. He is in increasing demand as a baritone soloist and ensemble singer and enjoys a varied lifestyle of conducting, composing, singing and teaching across the UK. David moves to Cheltenham with his wife Sarah and their son Charles who has just started in Reception at the Prep School. given a part time position there. Over the last few years she has had many entertaining (and sometimes challenging) drives, to and from London with speakers from the Literature Festival.

In addition she managed the VIP rooms for both the Science and Literature Festivals.

In 2013, she was appointed as part time Accounts Assistant at College and in 2014 she stepped into the full time role as Secretary to the Deputy Head (Pastoral). She is a member of two book groups, one serious, the other for slackers and she swims at the Lido during the season. degree and teaching qualifications. She has always loved working with children of all ages but found that she has a particular affinity with the youngest. She ran the nursery at Cheltenham College Junior School and taught Year 1 in Kingfishers, before leaving to take up a post as Head of Early Years at Kitebrook House. During this exciting phase in her life many things happened, including cycling from John O’ Groats to Lands End on behalf of The British Heart Foundation, and becoming Mrs Reeves! She has now rejoined the staff at Cheltenham College Preparatory School and is looking forward to developing her role as Head of Early Years.

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Cheltenham neWs

James Coull Housemaster of Hazelwell James was educated at Millfield where he developed a lifelong passion for sport and fitness. He then spent two years working in France before completing a Joint Honours Degree in French and Spanish in London, followed by a PGCE at Homerton College, Cambridge. He taught at Norwich School and Blundell's in Tiverton and joined the MFL department at College in 2008. He has been in charge of The Third Form Challenge as well as Head of Athletics.

James is married to Charlotte who was Housemistress of a girls’ boarding house at the Ladies’ College for the six years prior to the move to Hazelwell. They have two girls, Freya and Ruby. He says, “It is a privilege and honour to be taking

on the running of Hazelwell. It is a happy house where the boys respect one another and work together with a strong sense of community. There is a fabulous team of tutors and matrons.

Charlotte and I are looking forward to building on the strengths of the house to ensure a bright future for each of the individuals in our care.”

Richard Penny Housemaster of Boyne House

Photography by Andy Banks

Richard joined College in September 2011 as Head of Geography and Contingent Commander of the Combined Cadet Force. Educated at Exeter School and Swansea University, as an Army Scholar, he read Geography before commissioning into the Queen's Royal Hussars in 1999. During his 10 years in the Army, Richard served in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan and also represented the Army at kayaking and the Royal Armoured Corps at biathlon.

Upon leaving the Army he worked briefly in intelligence consultancy before completing his PGCE and teaching at Malvern College and Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls. Richard is a keen sportsman, runner, mountaineer and triathlete with a particular interest in field sports. He became Housemaster of Boyne House in September 2014. He is supported by his wife Tamaryn, a Latin and Classics teacher at College, daughter Jemima (5), and son Jasper (3) who are both at Cheltenham Prep.

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Annette Poulain Housemistress of Chandos Prior to starting at College, Annette taught at a range of schools which has given her the opportunity to enrich her teaching. She joins from The Leys School in Cambridge where she was Head of Girls Games, i/c Netball and Athletics as well has being part of one of the Boarding House staff.

Annette gained vast experience in pastoral care through Head of Year, Head of Department and boarding house responsibilities. She has spent

time competing in the 100m & 400m hurdles for a national league team, Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, as well as competing for regional Netball teams.

Annette is married to Mark, their son Josh is in Y6 and their twin daughters Lilly & Evie are in Y4.

She says “I thoroughly look forward to building on the already solid foundations of Chandos and becoming involved in College life and community. My goal is to ensure all of the girls are happy and content and that they feel Chandos is an extension of their home.”

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Cheltenham Races – Champion Day Tuesday 11th March

EVENTS

Current Parents Kate Dymoke & Julia Jamieson-Black

Alex (L, 1992) & Chelsea Hayes

Bridget Jepson (Hon OC)

Lynn Rowland (Xt, 1962) & Christiane Dickens (Development Director)

Sara & Michael Shipway (Th, 1971)

Past Parent Elizabeth Charley & Malcolm Sloan (OC Administrator)

Past Parents Cynthia & George Dowty

Yvonne Miller, Current Parent Brian Key & Katharine Cookson

Past Parent Mrs Noble & Jamie Noble (NH, 1983)

Current Parents Philip (H, 1985) & Kate Moorsom

Current Parents Jane & Ben Winfrey and Anne & Leigh Neal

Robert MacDonald, John (President of Council) & Christine Horan

Julie Russ & Martin Smith (Ch, 1972)

Current Prep Parents Graeme & Anita Brister

Jonathan Ashworth (Xt, 1981)

David Noble (NH, 1981)

Haydn Fentum (L, 1987), Trevor Davies (Past Staff Member) & Lynn Rowland (Xt, 1962)

Photography by Andy Banks

David (L, 1964) & Linda Fermont

Moira Evans, Peter Atkinson (Xt, 1959), Henny Peterken, Current Parent Sarah Philip Evans & John Penrose Burt & Past Parent Trish Smart

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TITLE

r e n n i D d n a s p o h Works at College DATE

STARRING

Tim Bevan

1st May 2014

S

SCRIPTWRITER

oody Rankin W d n a b ra o Z ward Simon Sole, Ed

How An OC Film Producer Reached The Top Report by Simon Sole (L, 1976) In May this year I joined over 60 other guests for a fascinating dinner with OC and film producer Tim Bevan (H, 1976), founder of Working Title Films. Tim had been at College all day to run a number of workshops with Lower and Upper College.

I find all this very impressive. Firstly, Tim is a modest guy with a pretty amazing record of achievement in a sector where the market is brutal, risks are high and one bad film can wipe out the benefit of five good ones. The really remarkable thing about Tim’s record, which was clear from his show reel on the night, is that his company has made, as I recall, 93 successful films, most of which you will have heard of (e.g.

Four Weddings and a Funeral, Les Miserables, etc.). Indeed a very solid record that only few big Hollywood studios can match. Working Title films clearly both excite the public and make money, i.e.

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money and medals. He spoke candidly after dinner about some of the stars he works with, including a story on how Richard Curtis sent him the script of Four Weddings after he had sent Richard a cheque for royalties for a previous film, which Richard was not expecting.

Not a conventional career In my opinion the film world, indeed all creative jobs, are an area where there is a particular need to encourage young entrants. It is not a conventional career and creatives are too often discouraged by being told they need a ‘back up’ plan; planning for failure from the outset.

Lawyers and accountants are given no such advice despite a high failure rate!

The other exciting thing about film, which Tim touched on, is how technology has made film making more accessible to new entrants. A camera that 10 years ago cost £100,000 now costs just under £5,000. Furthermore, there are so many new digital skills and disciplines that a

young OC can aspire to be the best in the world at a very young age simply because these jobs and skills did not exist five years ago. But as Tim also made clear in his talk, the early years are often hard and uncertain. It was a wonderful evening and a great opportunity to meet one of College’s leading entrepreneurs. I also enjoyed hearing what had inspired the pupils during the day.

OCs insight This type of event is a great way of helping young OCs to gain an insight into different professions. This was the third of its kind – the first year Jack Davenport (BH, 1991) inspired budding actors, last year MP and author Sir Alan Haselhurst (H, 1956) gave an insight into politics and writing and this year Tim Bevan covered film-making and business. I hope the Cheltonian Association & Society continue to arrange these events which help to give pupils advice and an insight into different professions, thus helping

FLOREAT 2015

them to understand the world they are entering and enabling them to make the right choices. I hope we will see many more successful OCs from different professions support College in this way.

I’m so pleased I had the opportunity to meet Tim Bevan, a wonderful event. n

A Raw Sense of Professionalism Report by Edward Zorab, son of David Zorab (BH, 1967)

An Inspirational Visit And Great Work Experience Report by Woody Rankin (H, 2014) Upon hearing that one of the leading producers in the film industry, Tim Bevan, an OC, was coming to give a talk at Cheltenham College – I couldn’t believe my luck! The day came, and sure enough, the man himself delivered a very casual and intimate session which started with him telling us about his job, his achievements, and how he ended up where he is. This was followed by an open question and answer session in which everyone was able to get his or her burning questions answered. I confidently speak for one and all when I say that it was an unbelievable privilege and hugely rewarding.

Genuine and unassuming Following the session, Mr Bevan came to revisit his old house, and mine – Hazelwell. Being an aspiring vessel of the film industry and having the chance to converse with him in a more personal environment gave me a huge amount of clarity. It was instantly obvious how genuine and unassuming Mr Bevan is.

After a good hour and a half of chatting, and a quick tour of the house, Mr Bevan had to leave Hazelwell to attend the dinner. However, just before he departed, he approached me and offered two weeks work experience at his company –

Lucy Shackell (Q, 2014), Darcey Edwards (U6th, Q), Sam Baker (H, 2014), Lizzie Stack (We, 2014) and Tim Bevan

Working Title Films, the UK’s leading production company and a hugely respected enterprise.

An enriching experience The time at Working Title was fascinating, enthralling, but most importantly – enriching. It was amazing to get an insight of the process of the industry and how an idea from the right mind can end up twenty metres in front of us on a seventy-foot screen. I met many inspiring and devoted people and the highlight had to be that I was surrounded by others that were passionate about the same cause as me! I was asked back for another week some months later, and after it had finished, I left with nothing other than pure aspiration. I want to thank Tim Bevan for the opportunities he provided and for being a true inspiration, and The Association & Society for organising his visit. n

Photography by Andy Banks

The evening provided an in-depth look at the history of what is a thriving and prosperous contemporary production company. And also an equally engaging story of a man, who like so many of us, struggled to find his place in the world after leaving school. Mr. Bevan clearly demonstrated that through the use of ingenuity, hard work, and a bit of luck, anything is possible. Tim responded informatively and honestly to the questions, the answers to which articulated the raw sense of professionalism within his working environment. From comedic anecdotes about Richard Curtis, to celebratory discussions of Joel and Ethan Coen, it was refreshing to see a producer who is still so passionate and complimentary about the creative individuals with whom he chooses to work.

All in all, a fantastic evening, with Tim delivering consistently intellectual answers and a wide array of company to match. n

Cameron Logan (BH, U6th) and Tim Bevan

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EVENTS

Jonathan and Julie Whybrow

EVENTS

Cheltenham College Polo Invitation Day Saturday 31st May Report by Peter Morris (Polo Day commentator and Friend of College) There are some polo fixtures that not only attract the crowds but also reflect what polo can be at its best which is a mixture of skills and fun. The annual Cheltenham Polo Day is one of those occasions drawing partisan spectators to support the mostly young players in what is for some of them their first taste of the big occasion.

This year’s fixtures took place at the picturesque venue of Longdole Polo Club near Birdlip in the Cotswolds. It was its usual mixture of interested parents and spectators who came along to watch some very enthusiastic young players who could go on to be the stars of the future. The day was generously sponsored by Savills who have been associated with this event since 2012. Together with guests they set up camp near the half way line and set out a sumptuous picnic.

The first match was between Cheltenham College Prep School and Summer Fields, contesting for the Poulton Cup, generously donated by the Ephson family. The Cheltenham team included Izzy England and Zac Beim, both coming from poloplaying families and keen to keep up the family tradition, Felicity Townend and Kaela Wilson. The avuncular figure of Dan Banks kept the game flowing and the ponies showed as much enthusiasm as their riders.

The game ended with Summer Fields running out 3-0 winners. They received the Poulton Cup generously from the not so Old Cheltonian Ludo Ephson (H, 2011).

There were some great skills on show but it was decided that the prize for the Most Valuable Player went to Billy Hawkins-Byass from Summer Fields. The players also received something to remember the day from RJ Polo who sponsored this first game.

The next of the three games was Cheltenham College v Stowe School. They were playing for the Polo Trophy which, to add to the glamour of the day, was presented by Bond girl and current parent, Fiona Fullerton. The game was played over four chukkas and each was fiercely contested. The College side was made up

of three Hazelwell players, Tom, Ollie and Jack Severn who had a combined handicap of 2 goals and ably supported by George White (Xt). Their experience proved too much for the Stowe team and after four exciting chukkas they won 11-6.

Stowe’s Jasper Upton was awarded the Most Valuable Player prize for his efforts.

The crowd just had time to settle before the climax of the day , the OCs versus the Hackett British Army Polo Team made up of past and serving soldiers with a total handicap of 8. The OCs fielded a seven goal handicap team combining a mixture of youth in Rich Hine (H, 2011) and Ludo Ephson (H, 2011) and the maturity of exEngland rugby player Tom Beim (S, 1994) and Will Hine (H, 1986). The match was keenly contested and despite the brave defence from the Army team against some strong attacks orchestrated by Tom Beim, the OCs won 5-3.

The commitment by both sides was a fitting finale to a great day’s polo. Fiona Fullerton presented the Old Cheltonian Polo Cup to the OC team captain and the Most Valuable Player to Colonel Nick Hunter from the Hackett British Army Team. So another Cheltenham Polo Day drew to a close and the crowds went home satisfied. n

Photography by Andy Banks

The weather always plays a key role in outdoor sport in the UK. In fact there are times when the weather is talked about more than the sport but not on this occasion. It couldn’t be described as a balmy June afternoon but it stayed dry and the ground staff at Longdole produced a perfect surface. The programme was as in previous years three matches and it was clear that a great deal of effort had been put in by the respective students, their

coaches and their parents. And so the tension built.

(Above) THE POLO TROPHY: Stowe School Team; Christian Swaab (Savills), Past Parent Fiona Fullerton, Chris Jarrett (Savills), Cheltenham College: Tom Severn (5th Form, H), George White (Xt, 2014), Jack Severn (H, 2014) and Ollie Severn (U6th, H) 20

(Top right) THE POULTON CUP: Summer Fields Team; Ludo Ephson (H, 2011), Felicity Townend (Y6), Izzie England (Y6), Zac Beim (Y6) and Kaela Wilson (Y8)

(Bottom right) THE OLD CHELTONIAN CUP: The Hackett British Army Polo Team; Past Parent Fiona Fullerton, OCs Will Hine (H, 1986), Tom Beim (S, 1994), Zac Beim (Y6), Charlie Cannon Hine (Y7), Rich Hine (H, 2011) and Ludo Ephson (H, 2011)

FLOREAT 2015

EVENTS

Photography by Andy Banks

With thanks to our sponsors Savills

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EVENTS

Leavers’ Day and Ball

1

Saturday June 28th

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3

5

6

7

8

9

10

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12

4 1 Abdul Bello (L), Joel Kim (L) and Tom Adams 2 Adrian Montagu (H), Jack Severn (H) and Sam Baker (H) 3 Ciss Thomasson (A), Julia Mackness (A) and Megan McRobert (A) 4 Boo Bruce-Smith (U6th, Q), Polly Smart (Q), Maisy King (Q), Lucy Shackell (Q) and Catriona Brown (U6th, Q) 5 Felix Chess (Xt), Lynn Rowland (Xt, 1962), Maisy King (Q), Nicole Vanner (Q) and Will MacDonald (H) 6 David, Amelia (Cha) and Jane Orchard-Smith 7 Ed Blackburn (L), Tom Lushington (L), Sami Weyers (L), Ed Song (L) and Callum Brand (L) 8 Lizzie Uttley (Q) and Emma Pimlott (Q) 9 Clement Leung, Megan Leung (Ch), Tobi Ade-Odiachi (We) and Margaret Tsang 10 Luke Corbett (Xt), Felix Chess (Xt), Paddy Tarleton (NH), Percy Bodington (BH) and Will GoodrickClark (L) 11 Alex Peterken and Flossie FreemanInglis (A) 12 Lucy Shackell (Q), Billie Portsmouth (Q), Rosa Schofield (A) and Polly Smart (Q)

Photography by Andy Banks

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Midnight at the Leavers’ Ball 1

3 The Survivors at 6am 4

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6

7

8

1 Lizzie Uttley (Q), Stephen Abraham (NH) and Elliott Lau (BH) 2 Saskia Blumer (Cha) and Gabi Goff (Cha) 3 Elliott Lau (BH), Abdul Bello (L), Elliott Patrick (BH) and Alexey Gordeev (BH) 4 Alison Goff, Marcus Goff, Bertie ScottHopkins (H) and Gabi Goff (Cha) 5 Amelia Orchard-Smith (Cha) and Mary Plint

9 6 Tobi Ade-Odiachi (We), Sue Jackson (Current Staff Member) and Cessie Cox (We) 7 Harry Pratt (H), Rowan Roff-Stanion (H), Declan Carrington (NH), Woody Rankin (H), Oli Rankin, Nicolas Schreyeck (BH), Abi Coley (Current Prep Staff Member), Rebecca Evans and Jane McQuitty (Current Staff Member)

10 8 The Southwood table 9 Harry Pratt (H), Luke Corbett (Xt), Paddy Tarleton (NH) and Jack Parker (L) 10 Connie Johnson (Q), Tom Pennick (L), Alex Morgan (BH), Cessie Cox (We) and Philippa Froud (We)

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EVENTS

2

EVENTS

The Carnival Ball

Friday 27th June

Thank you to all those who supported this event, we are delighted to have raised around ÂŁ15,000 for the 2014 College chosen charity, SANE, and The Cheltenham College Charitable Trust.

Kindly sponsored by

Current Prep Parent Alison & Gabriella Goff (Cha)

Christiane Dickens (Development Director) & Katherine Cox (Cha, 1996 & Member of The College Council)

Current Parents Janice & Christopher Knudsen

Prep & College Parents Chris & Susan Hardy

Prep & College Parents Pippa & Dave Carson

Current Parents Kate & Simon Dymoke and Julia Jamieson-Black

Current Parents Jeff & Sara Meecham-Jones

Tropicalia Band Dancers

Past & Current Parents - Philip Bond, Laurence Robinson, Ronan Hughes, Mark Smith (Th, 1972), Charlie Henty. (FR L-R) Andrea Robinson, Deborah Bond, Paula Hughes, Penny Henty & Clare Gibbard

Past Parents Sarah Adams, Helen Lovatt, Guy Beresford, Tania Hitchins, Jane Beresford & Lone Grove

Current Prep Parents Andy & Alex Young, Debz Critchley, Julia & Jonathan Mawdesley-Thomas and James Critchley

Photography by Andy Banks

Current Prep Parents Aren & Felicity GriďŹƒths and Melike & Andreas Fibiger

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Past Parents Nick & Lesley Nunn and Robert & Karen MacDonald

!

By Justine Barnes (Current College & Prep Parent)

EVENTS

I was slightly unsure as to whether the London drinks were strictly for Old Cheltonians, so as a current parent of two girls (3rd form and Yr 8 Prep), I set off to St James’s without expectation of knowing any other attendees. As a somewhat ‘weekend’ parent (I work in London during the week, so often miss out on College social activities), it was enjoyable to ďŹ nd around 30 Association & Society members attended, a mix of old Cheltonians (instantly recognisable from the ties), current parents and staff. It was also an excellent opportunity to informally meet Simon Conner, Head of 3rd form and other parents and to share our (albeit scant) knowledge of the social life of an elusive 3rd former!

I would encourage all London-based Cheltenham College parents and pupils, both former and present, to come along to the next London drinks or event (26th Feb, Grapeshots, E1 7LJ). It’s a good opportunity for those who aren’t based in Cheltenham to meet some of the staff in a less formal setting and to stay connected to the College community as a whole. I

By Dominic Farilie (Th, 1976) It was August 2014 when the invitation arrived – The Scotland Lunch. Coloured in blue and looking very much like a Scottish saltire, the invitation could have been to a pre-referendum gathering by the Scottish National Party. But no, this invitation was not (quite) that serious or political. Instead it was an invitation to enjoy the company of other OCs and their partners at a lunch on a Friday and in Edinburgh.

OC gatherings in Scotland are infrequent.

Having lived in Scotland almost continuously since leaving University in 1980, this was only the third OC gathering of which I had been aware. The ďŹ rst was entirely unarranged and informal and a complete coincidence. It occurred about 6 years ago when I first met Malcolm Hutton (Ch, 1959) on a sporting day in Aberdeenshire. I think it is fair to say that we were both surprised when we uncovered another OC at the same event – and we celebrated at this ad-hoc gathering of three OCs in Scotland like no other event any of us had been to before.

The second gathering never really got off the ground. About four years ago the invitations went out to a lunch, but before the deadline for replying, the event had been cancelled due to lack of interest.

This third event – The Scotland Lunch – was different. Malcolm Hutton had organised it all in its entirety and he succeeded in bringing together a total of 22 OCs and their partners. Some of us had travelled great distances (as is the norm for anyone living in Scotland). I was one of the ďŹ rst to arrive at the Royal Scots Club in Edinburgh’s New Town.

As we all know, the distinctive black and cerise striped OC tie is a real give-away.

They started arriving and were easy to spot.

There were a few who claimed that they had left their ties in other locations, like in London where OC events are probably more frequent. OCs had travelled from Oban, Berwick on Tweed, Aberdeenshire, Angus, The Borders, Edinburgh and The West. Of them all I knew Malcolm Hutton and Andrew Goburn (H, 1978). Andrew and I ďŹ rst met at a Loretto School event a few years earlier when we were both seen

sporting our pink and cerise OC ties, Andrew’s having seen a few more curries than my own.

Drinks and chat downstairs and then lunch in a private dining room on the ďŹ rst oor overlooking the Firth of Forth. There were a wide range of ages present, the youngest left college in 1996, and the oldest... well he must have left college a few years before that. Malcolm Sloan was the perfect host – he seemed to know us all and recounted stories of misdemeanours from a number of former pupils present. How amazing – does he keep a record of all this kind of thing in the archives at College, or is it really his memory? Some of the OCs, especially Nick Bidulph (Xt, 1977) and Tom Kelman (BH, 1978), had obviously learned a lot in their time at College and gave Malcolm back as good as he was giving out!

And then it was all over. Middle of the afternoon and there were homes or other places to go to. Malcolm and Cathy decided to spend a bit more time in Edinburgh before travelling back to Cheltenham. Let’s hope it is not another 34 years before there is another Scotland Lunch. I 25

eVenTS

The Brewin Dolphin cricket Festival Sunday 27th July Report by Christopher Tanner (BH, 2001) During my five years in Boyne House the only cricket I played was that of the ‘yard’ variety. The game never grabbed me as such, but the opportunity of returning to College – some 13 years after leaving – for a one day game, proved to be a superb day out. My father and I booked three places in The Association & Society Marquee for the match between Gloucestershire and Northants as a gift for my uncle, who is a huge cricket fan and involved at Henley CC and Berkshire.

My journey since leaving College has certainly been a busy one, mainly dominated by sport. After being a part of the 30-person College charity cycle to Romania in the summer of 2001, a brief trial with Northampton Saints Rugby followed before I spent some time in the United States with Alastair Orr (L, 2001) where I won an American Football kicking scholarship. I had always been a keen rugby player (too much time spent kicking in front of Chapel than on academic studies) and various kicking competitions in the UK soon created a window of opportunity across the pond. However,

As a Town fan, it was a tremendous opportunity and during my 11 years with the club I worked under a raft of managers and staff, including Dennis Wise, Gus Poyet and Paolo Di Canio (PDC). Quite a challenge! At one time the club drafted in Sir William Patey (once British ambassador to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq) but even his negotiating skills weren't enough to tighten the leash on PDC. There were some extraordinary times, with highs and lows; the unpredictable nature of the job was one of the consistent themes.

I chose to leave Swindon in the summer of 2013 having had only eight free Saturdays per year during my time there, so it was time to redress the work/life balance and to make time for a return to rugby – which I still enjoy with Fairford RFC. So, a return to Cheltenham with members of my family on a superb summer's morning was a splendid way to continue the unwinding exercise! The journey along the A417 brought back memories of trips back and forth to College, although this time wasn't a Sunday night dash back for Chapel. The parking provided was excellent and after a short stroll, the College Marquee lay in wait. After a welcome from Rebecca Creed, we headed outside to take in the view and to secure some pitchside

Photography by Andy Banks

Current Prep Parents Jeremy (NH, 1972) & Germaine Hitchins & Past Parents Tania & Stephen (NH, 1965) Hitchins

after landing a media role at Swindon Town Football Club in the interim and after a swift promotion to Media & Communications Manager, I opted to remain in professional sport (albeit behind the scenes) with Swindon.

Primrose & Tim Unwin (NH, 1952)

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Peter Wilson (Xt, 1961), Kyle Stovold (S, 2006 & Past Staff Member) & Lynn Rowland (Xt, 1962)

Di Brain, Chris Brain (H, 1958), John Maxwell (L, 1960) & Craig Parkinson

Henry Peters (BH, 1960), Adele Peters, Frank & Jane Cowen

seats. The one thing I have learned to appreciate over the years is the simply stunning surroundings that College is set in. The views, from all angles, are breathtaking and there can be few more stunning locations for school sport.

Thankfully for my father and I, my uncle was able to provide a detailed insight with something of a running commentary during the cricket. The marquee environment gave the added option of being able to network across to the handily placed cash bar inside the tent or wander off to chat with former teachers and friends.

A catch up with Karl Cook, Housemaster of Leconfield during my years, proved a great opportunity to fill in the gaps of the last decade or so. The achievements and successes of several former classmates were discussed as well as other anecdotes from all things Cheltenham back in the late nineties.

The break for lunch soon followed and what a fine spread! The choice, quality and – for those who know me – quantity of the offering was top-notch; certainly a step up from the Dining Hall circa 1996. Further cricket was passed under the gaze of more intense sunshine which preceded a sumptuous afternoon tea.

All in all it was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon, despite defeat for Gloucestershire. I have already been in contact with several members of the class of 2001 to organise a table for the 2015 event. n

FLOREAT 2015

EVENTS

Dave Thompson, Past Parent David Mace, Mike Samuel & Charles Stevens

Barry de Silva (L, 2004) & Past Parent Lanil de Silva

Past Staff Member & Past Parent Janet Turner, Henry Turner, Simon Turner (W, 1986) & Clare Powney

Sandra Spackman & Past Parent Sheila Lewer

Richard Carey (Xt, 1957) & Robin Kershaw (Xt, 1957)

Jack Avery (NH, 2007) and family

Bridget Jepson (Hon OC)

Kate & Trish Champion, Lexi Straker-Nesbit (A, 2007), Past Parents Julie Straker-Nesbit & Christine Horan

Current Parent Adam Styler, Tom Styler (3rd Form, H) & Tom Shaw (Y4)

Current Parents Kate & Phil Moorsom (H, 1985)

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EVENTS

25th Anniversary Reunion Saturday 6th September

1989, 1979 & 1974 Reunion – Report by Emlyn Rees (H, 1989) Twenty-five years seems a long time even now. But in 1989, when our year group left school, it seemed an impossible amount of time, as impossible, say, as a black American President, the existence of smart phones, or Marlboro Lights costing nearly ten quid a pack.

Our whole lives stretched out ahead of us like an infinite motorway, and we set off at high speed, the first of the gap year – or ‘Gap Yah’, as my daughter now says – travellers, getting jobs straight out of school to fund our adventures in India, Thailand and Nepal, places so incredibly exotic back then, but accessible via any package holiday brochure now. But the years did pass. And fast. Guns N’ Roses, Blackadder and sun dried tomatoes gave way to Nirvana, Friends and pesto, which in turn got swept aside by Pharell, The X Factor, and artisan bread. And we changed too. Hair got longer, then shorter, or in some cases vanished altogether.

Moustaches and beards appeared. Some entered the City, or became lawyers, entrepreneurs, teachers, vets, scientists, artists, and a whole host of other things.

Some got married. Some had kids. But all of

us, no matter what we ended up doing, stepped up a generation, probably without even noticing it. And then College called us back. That impossible 25 years, it was up.

Perhaps thanks to the advances in technology and social media, the class of ‘1989 has been better at keeping in touch, not just with College, but with each other.

We had Twitter and Facebook and email to help, and of course Malcolm Sloan to act as Chief Whip and ensure there was no shirking in the ranks.

College life This was to be the biggest College reunion yet, and for those able to arrive early enough, the day began with a rugby match, in which College pleasingly beat a supersized Rugby School XV at their own game by a tantalising, well-deserved point.

Several of the 1989 team present on the touchline were quick to put this down to their own vocal encouragement and nuanced, albeit bellowed, tactical advice.

But the credit must go to the boys. Tours of the various boarding houses followed. I’d not set foot in Cheltenham since leaving. It had become a curiosity for me, a part of my

Andrea Yandle, Sarah Wrixson, Lea Beaumont & John Beaumont (H, 1979)

Jenny Levin, Naomi Wakelin, John Wakelin (NH, 1989) & Chris Stratton (L, 1989)

Stephen Oxley (H, 1974), Charles Anthony (BH, 1974) & Peter Badham (Th, 1964)

Clare Charlton (Cha, 1989), Fiona Jerman (Cha, 1989) & Jo Harrod (Cha, 1989)

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Guests arriving at the reunion...

life that was frozen, encased in deep ice, which I didn’t want to crack, in case by seeing it through fresh eyes I might erase the original memories altogether. And so it was with some trepidation that I entered Hazelwell with a few other Greenites and our wives.

The cliché about places seeming smaller when you return didn’t hold true. My old boarding house remained a labyrinth of sweat rooms, shacks and studies, and instead of the new paint job and extension eclipsing and wiping away my years there as I had feared, so much remained the same that my memories were rather brought vividly back to life: gauntlets, yard runs, sides, gatings, snowball fights – aspects of College life then that might seem positively If... like to the students in residence now.

The modern day Greenites we met were a bright, happy and confident lot, and it was good to meet the new Housemaster and his wife too – although discovering that people in such elevated positions were born in the same year as ourselves was something of an accelerated aging experience in itself.

Fortified by a few pints of Flowers in the Queen’s Hotel bar, The Winchester, The Beehive, and various other favoured old haunts, our year, along with old boys from 1979 and 1974 then reassembled in The Chatfeild-Roberts Library. It was oddly easy

Matt Hall (L, 1989), Nikki Cutts, Malcolm Sloan (OC Administrator) & Tim Cutts (BH, 1989)

FLOREAT 2015

to recognise one another. We all looked older, of course. But it was funny how little people had really changed.

Dr Peterken, the current Headmaster, welcomed us with champagne and a short introductory speech, in which he referred to some notable achievements from our past. He was not the only Headmaster in attendance, however. Our own ‘Pot’, Richard Morgan, stood surveying us all with the same steely glint in his eyes and, rather frighteningly, remembering many of our names – purely for good reasons, we hoped.

There were other familiar faces from the Common Room too, including David Levin (who also didn’t seem remotely smaller or diminished by the passing of time), Barry Wild, Charles Wright, Robin BadhamThornhill, Karl Cook and Hazelwell’s finest, Trevor Davies, who thankfully hadn’t changed one bit. It was great to catch up with them all, even if you did need to remind yourself constantly to address them by their first names and not ‘Sir’.

Dinner Next up was dinner, a raucous, echoing affair. Post Harry Potter, it’s impossible to look at College now without thinking of Hogwarts, and nowhere is this more true than the cavernously vaulted dining room. I was half expecting Bruce Gardiner (NH, 1989) to whip out the Sorting Hat when he stood up to make his speech. He spoke not just as an old boy, but as a current College parent, and extremely eloquent he was too, especially for someone more frequently seen putting the fear of God into opposing front rows during the winter of 1989.

Malcolm Sloan then read out a very entertaining letter, written by Richard Morgan to the parents of a certain member of our year in attendance, explaining in forensic and highly amusing detail why his presence at College could no longer be tolerated.

Rupert Savage (Xt, 1989), James Peters (H, 1989), Alex Oldfield (NH, 1989), Damian Phillips (Xt, 1989) & Emlyn Rees (H, 1989)

1989 Chandos Ladies, Fiona Jerman, Alison Towers, Hayley James, Sarah Dyer, Ailsa Chapman, Michelle Maddocks , Melody Curtoys & Emily Tarrant

Barry Wild (Past Staff Member), Fiona Wild, Trevor Davies (Past Staff Member), Anne Davies, Rosemary Rowland & Lynn Rowland (Xt, 1962)

Mike Cooke (NH, 1989), John Barter (NH, 1989), Ed Dickinson (H, 1989) & Alex Peterken (Headmaster)

Robin Badham-Thornhill (H, 1973 & Past Staff Member), Nick Brett (Xt, 1989), Piers Thornewill (BH, 1989) & Ollie Haynes (BH, 1989)

Will Meere (NH, 1989), Matt Hall (L, 1989), David Harmston (L, 1989), John Barter (NH, 1989), Matt Rees (NH, 1989) & Ollie Haynes (BH, 1989)

Richard, to his credit, told a similar story himself about an old boy he’d had a similar encounter with, only then to meet him several years later on a train. The lessons learned? People change over time, rivalries diminish, but no one ever really forgets.

I have to admit that my memory of events becomes somewhat hazy from here onwards – a result, no doubt, of too much rich food. The night ended some time in the morning at the bar in the Queen’s Hotel. Old friendships had been renewed.

The past had been toasted. And whoever we’d been back then – sportos, geeks, waistoids, dweebies (to paraphrase from the classic 80s movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) – we’d all also shown that we were now someone else, someone new, men and women who’d been launched into adult life

by College, and had grown.

As the next course arrived, stories continued to flow along with the wine, and the Hogwarts-like atmosphere worked its magic: the years slipped away, until looking across the dining room at so many familiar faces from the past – and, admittedly, with a little help from the dim lighting – it was almost possible to imagine for a moment that none of us had ever really left at all.

A final treat awaited us after dinner, when we were invited into the hallowed grounds of the Common Room bar, where I found myself, along with a few others, acting as bar staff to what appeared to be an insatiably thirsty and wide-awake crowd.

The next 25 years still seems impossible to contemplate. I hope we all make it – just as hearty and healthy – to 2039. I can’t help thinking, however, that perhaps someone should organise another reunion a little bit sooner? Or maybe, like NASA, we should just aim for the next one to take place not at College, but on Mars? n 29

EVENTS

... and enjoying the excellent dinner

EVENTS

Supporting The Eve Appeal

ChriSTmaS Fair aT ChElTENham CollEgE

Photography by Andy Banks

23rd November 2014

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Kindly sponsored by Savills

FLOREAT 2015

Fauré’s Requiem

Music for the Remembrance of the Fallen

Following the very moving Remembrance Sunday service in the morning, those of us who attended the afternoon concert in the majestic setting of College Chapel were treated to a truly moving and fitting collection of music for remembrance.

Choral music has long been a strong custom in College’s magnificent Chapel and David McKee, the new Director of Music, has quickly established himself as one who will continue this wonderful tradition.

The concert opened with the glorious The Souls of the Righteous by Geraint Lewis, which we had heard in the morning. This uplifting, yet relatively unknown, work is full of light and shade; starting with tranquillity, rising through a moving crescendo to reach an emotional high, finally returning to a calm serenity. If you are unfamiliar with this piece you must seek it out. The choir clearly felt the emotion of the music and delivered a very moving performance, worthy of this lovely piece.

EVENTS

Report by Chris Smyth (Current Council Member and Past Parent)

Photography by Andy Banks

9th November 2014

We then heard For the Fallen by Mark Blatchly, Crossing the Bar by Sir Hubert Parry and For the Fallen by Douglas Guest, each of which the choir performed with accuracy as well as feeling.

The centrepiece was Gabriel Fauré’s hugely popular requiem. He composed this piece shortly after the death of his father and this may have contributed to the emotion which the work can evoke.

It’s a much-loved work and covers all the emotions one would expect to hear in a Requiem: sorrow, fear, anguish, serenity, rejoicing and finally restful peace.

Musically, in terms of the actual notes to be sung, the piece is not especially hard but it is a particularly tough challenge to perform it well enough to bring out the emotion – and the choir rose to that challenge, seemingly with ease, bringing out all the shades of light and dark that this wonderful work deserves.

They sang with precision, as well as with good balance and blend. The soloists also deserve particular credit: Frederick Foster (5th Form, NH) in the majestic Offertoire, Taya Sellers (L6th, We) in the serene Pie Jesu and Louis Taylor-Baggs (U6th, S) in the quietly menacing Libera Me. We were also treated to Christine Cheng’s (U6th, We) violin solo from the balcony. Being placed so far from the immediate reach of the choir and conductor was a risk, but a risk which paid off; the violin solo passages had an ethereal feeling which suited the mood of the whole piece, particularly for the final moments of the Sanctus. I have heard it said that the true test of a performance is whether one can reflect and say it was uplifting: I’m confident that those who were fortunate enough to have experienced this collection of music for Remembrance Sunday would agree that it was both uplifting and moving as well as a fitting tribute to those who fell. n

Carol Service

Photography by Andy Banks

12th December 2014

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EVENTS

Cheltonian Association & Society Events The 2015 Calendar 4th February A Ballet at The Royal Opera House, Onegin

Enjoy John Cranko’s adaptation of Puskhini’s verse-novel, set to music by Tchaikovsky at The Royal Opera House, Convent Garden. Guests will also enjoy a private back stage tour and drinks in a private dining room on arrival and in both intervals. The programme starts at 6.00pm, full details on our website.

Price: £145. Only a small number of tickets available, please book early to avoid disappointment. To book, please call 01242 265694 for card payments.

12th February University Student Drinks in Bristol

For those OCs studying in Bristol, Sebastian Bullock and Malcolm Sloan will be in Pitcher & Piano, (V Shed, Canons Road, BS1 5UH) from 6.30pm. They are looking forward to buying you a drink or two, would be great to see you.

26th February Informal London Drinks

Join us from 6pm at Grapeshots, 2/3 Artillery Passage, E1 7LJ. We look forward to seeing you.

5th March University Student Drinks in Exeter

For those OCs studying in Exeter, Sebastian Bullock and Malcolm Sloan will be in The Imperial, (The North Road, EX4 4AH) from 6.30pm. They are looking forward to buying you a drink or two.

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12th March Cheltenham At The Races

Bring along family and friends to enjoy a day at the National Hunt Festival. Use the Association & Society’s private marquee with cash bar as your base for the day.

Tickets are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Price: £110 for Non Racecourse Members, £40 for Racecourse Members or those who already have their Racecourse tickets and £8 Parking. To Book Tickets: Please call 01242 265694.

7th May University Student Drinks in Oxford

For those OCs studying in Oxford, Sebastian Bullock and Malcolm Sloan will be in The Head of The River, (Foll Bridge, St Aldates, OX1 4LB) from 6.30pm. They are looking forward to buying you a drink or two, would be great to see you.

16th May The Southwest Luncheon

13th-15th March OC Rackets

All OC rackets players welcome to participate and all welcome to spectate. If you would like to take part or need further details, please contact Charlie Liverton, charlie.liverton@neptune-im.co.uk or Karl Cook, k.cook@cheltenhamcollege.org

14th March Boys’ OC Hockey Day

All OC boy hockey players welcome to participate, and all welcome to spectate. If you would like to take part, contact Rob Mace, robdmace@hotmail.com or Gwyn Williams, g.williams@cheltenhamcollege.org

30th April University Student Drinks in Manchester

For those OCs studying in Manchester, Sebastian Bullock and Malcolm Sloan will be in the Kro Bar, (325 Oxford Road, Chorlton on Medlock, M13 9PG) from 6.30pm. They are looking forward to buying you a drink or two.

Once again Ian Moody (Ch, 1946) opens the doors to his home, Queen Anne House, Lympstone, Devon, to all those living in the Southwest. This annual event will run as per previous years, guests are asked to bring a plate of sandwiches or contribution to a buffet luncheon and pay £5 per head for drinks. Invitations will be sent out early 2015. Please contact Ian if you would like to attend, 01395 263189 or ian@moody2.eclipse.co.uk

30th May Polo Invitation Day

The annual Polo Invitation Day is taking place at Longdole Polo Club, Birdlip on the second Saturday of half term. Bring along a picnic, family and friends and enjoy the three exciting matches, Cheltenham Prep v Summer Fields, Cheltenham College v Stowe and the Old Cheltonians v the Old Etonians. Invitations will be sent out early 2015. Price £10pp (free to u12s). Please call 01242 265694 for card payments, invitations to follow.

FLOREAT 2015

5th June Warwickshire Reunion

11th June Informal London Drinks

Join us from 6pm at Tom’s Terrace, Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA. We look forward to seeing you.

26th June The Gatsby Ball

Supporting the Cheltenham College Charitable Trust and The Royal British Legion, the Charity Ball will take place in a Marquee on College Field. Save the date and put a table together (10 or 12) for this unmissable event. Invitations will be sent out early 2015. Price: £100pp before 28th February, £110pp from 1st March, to book tickets call 01242 265694 for card payments. Invitations to be sent out shortly.

Please contact Christiane Dickens if you are interested in sponsoring this event or donating auction items. Christiane can be contacted on 01242 706815 or c.dickens@cheltenhamcollege.org

1st July Henley Regatta

A great opportunity to attend this quintessentially English event. There are limited spaces available and tickets are either £60, to include Steward Enclosure passes or £30 without. Invitations will be sent out shortly.

To register your interest, please contact Rebecca, r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org

A T20 with Gloucestershire v Kent. Ticket price is £50pp (£40 for under 16s) and includes entrance to the festival, lunch and afternoon tea. Invitations will be sent out shortly. To register your interest, contact Rebecca, r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org

19th September Rugby Day

Come and support the 1st XV in their first home match against Sherborne.

There will be a cash bar available pitch side during the match and tea in the Dining Hall at 4.30pm.

Invitations to follow, for further information please contact Rebecca Creed, r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org

The Hugh Reeves Society Legators’ Luncheon

Enjoy lunch at College followed by the first home game of the Rugby season. Please contact Christiane Dickens, c.dickens@cheltenhamcollege.org for further information. Invitations to follow.

Past Staff Members’ Luncheon

The inaugural past staff reunion comprises of lunch at College followed by the first home rugby game of the season. Contact Rebecca, r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org for more information. Invitations to follow.

Year Group Anniversaries

This year’s reunion is for those who left the Junior School or College in 1980 & 1990.

Invitations to follow, contact Malcolm Sloan, m.sloan@cheltenhamcollege.org for further information.

October Hong Kong Drinks

22nd November The Christmas Fair

With over 75 stalls offering an amazing array of treasures this is a must for all those looking for unique Christmas presents or to treat themselves. Price: £5pp. Tickets are available in advance or on the door, those purchasing tickets in advance will receive a complimentary glass of ‘Fizz’. Invitations will be sent out in the Autumn. Please note entrance is via main Reception.

11th December Christmas Carol Service

Invitations will be sent out in the Autumn.

General College Events Art 16th – 29th January Art Exhibition

An exhibition celebrating the creativity of staff from across the Prep School and College.

For further information on Art events at College, contact Juliet Wallace-Mason, j.wallace-mason@cheltenhamcollege.org

Music 26th January Orchestral Concert

The concert will be held in Big Classical, 7.30pm – 9.30pm

1st March St John Passion

Performed by the Chamber Choir in Chapel, 6.00pm – 8.00pm

Details to be confirmed and invitations will follow, for further information please contact c.dickens@cheltenhamcollege.org

8th October Informal London Drinks

Join us from 6pm at The Running Horse, 40 Davies St, W1K 5JE. We look forward to seeing you.

19th June Orchestral Concert

The concert will be held at Pittville Pump Rooms, Cheltenham, 7.30pm – 9.30pm For further information on music events at College, please contact Rhiannon Schofield, r.schofield@cheltenhamcollege.org

Drama

For information on Drama events at College, please contact Sian McBride, s.mcbride@cheltenhamcollege.org 33

EVENTS

Once again Ian McFarlane (L, 1946) and Bryan Harrison (H, 1957) are organising a reunion in Stratford-Upon-Avon. The evening will include a boat trip on the river and dinner, tickets are likely to be in the region of £20 per person. Invitations will be sent to those living in Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands. If you would like more information or would like to attend, please contact Ian on mcfarir@btinternet.com or Bryan on bbh@bryanharrison.co.uk

12th July The Brewin Dolphin Cricket Festival

Features

First World War Centenary Commemorations College Remembers Report by Sebastian Bullock (Deputy Development Director and First World War Steering Group Chairman) Throughout the centenary of the First World War, College is aiming to commemorate and honour the lives lost, as well as remember those who served and survived. In addition, the various events and trips being organised are a way of bringing into focus for current Cheltonians that pivotal period in history. The following pieces are a brief review of what has taken place so far, alongside an outline of plans for the year ahead. Please do also visit the College website for further details, images and film footage.

3rd Form Battlefields Trip 10th –14th October and Old Cheltonian Centenary Project

By Jo Doidge-Harrison (Head of History) Fourth Form College pupils were tasked with locating the graves of all 675 OCs who lost their lives in what was called at the time, the ‘Great War for Civilisation’. The Third Form then continued the project with some going on the Battlefields Trip to roll out the project across Flanders carrying out acts of remembrance.

We have now honoured and remembered 140 of the 675 OCs who lost their lives. We have visited the resting place of Captain Teddy Watson-Smyth (NH, 1936), at Mory Street in St. Leger, also at Cabaret Rouge, a beautiful cemetery in France, Isaac Newton Woodiwiss (BH, 1914), who died aged just 18, flying behind enemy lines. Four other OCs are buried at Cabaret Rouge, one of whom is Corporal Walter North (H, 1901) of Caius Col-

The Tower of London Poppies

By Rebecca Creed (Association Manager) The Cheltonian Association & Society purchased twenty ceramic poppies at the Tower of London to represent all the houses that were in existence during the First World War. Members of the team visited the Tower on 9th October to pay their respects and see the poppies being planted. A video was made and can be seen on the Association’s website www.cheltonianassociation.com/thetower

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lege, Cambridge. He lies next to his friend Private Green; both died aged 34. Their service numbers are sequential: they must have signed up for the same regiment together, fought alongside each other and died on the same day – and now they're buried together.

At the Menin Gate we remembered Second Lieutenant William Grieve (Ch, 1904) and laid a wreath for our 44 OCs missing somewhere in the Ypres Salient. At Thiepval, the massive Memorial to the missing of the Somme, we located the Reverend Francis Tuke (DB, 1886) a Chaplain who died carrying water to wounded men in Bernafay Wood. Francis is remembered here along with 27 other Cheltonians. We laid a wreath out in No Man’s Land at Redan Ridge No.2 cemetery, for Edward Matthey (Xt, 1911), who died in the big push on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1st July 1916.

Finally we came to Captain Edward Urquhart (S, 1895), 37 years old, of the Black Watch regiment. We ended our trip here at Boezinghe as it brought us back to the start of the war,

We also made a dedication to remember the 675 Old Cheltonians who paid the ultimate price. With our strong military heritage, we felt it was important that College was a part of this national act of remembrance. n

to October 1914, when Edward was killed.

He might be alone, but Southwood placed a wreath upon his grave, marking him most definitely ‘not forgotten’. n

Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph – 9th November

By Richard Penny (Contingent Commander & Boyne House Housemaster) A detachment of 28 Army, Navy and RAF cadets from Cheltenham College CCF were privileged to take part in the Remembrance Day Cenotaph March Past. In preparation, Captain Tom Hendriksen (Xt, 2004) of the Grenadier Guards brought the World Drill Champion to College in order to put our recruits through their paces. We were welcomed to Wellington Barracks by Col Hugh Bodington, Welsh Guards (Chief of Staff London District and father of Percy (BH, 2014), Humphrey (U6th, BH) and Romilly (3rd Form, A) for a brief historical overview of the significance of Horseguards. It was wonderful to be part of such a historical event and the cadets were exemplary in their conduct and turn out. They left London with a huge sense of pride and the memory of a lifetime. n

FLOREAT 2015

Centenary Exhibition 9th – 14th November

the families of those who lost a son in the war.

• A set of medals, including an OBE, that belonged to Charles Herbert Pigg (S, 1906; Staff, 1909-1940, except when serving in the First World War; Housemaster of Cheltondale, 1922-1934).

By Christine Leighton (College Archivist) Old Cheltonians go to War – 3,540 served, but 675 gave more

Remembrance Day at College 11th November

By Dominic Faulkner (Director of Extracurricular) It is a rare occasion when the College community steps outside the magnificent surroundings of Chapel for a service, but the legacy of over a thousand lives lost in two World Wars is a powerful one. The number is very close to the current number of pupils across both schools and it seemed fitting for us to assemble on 11th November as a whole College community. We were far too many to fit inside Chapel and so in blustery conditions we gathered on Chapel Lawn with the Chaplain leading the service from the West door.

The stark reality of those who gave their lives quickly became apparent. Of course it was not just the scale of the sacrifice in the war years, but the assembled pupils reminded us all that it was young lives full of potential that

was later exhumed and reburied in New Irish Farm Cemetery.

• There were two OCs related to artists, notably George James (H, 1898), was the grandson of John Everett Millais, and Colin MacKenzie (Latter & Clauss, 1910) was the great nephew of Sir Edwin Landseer.

On occasion we began to unravel quite complex webs of connections. For example, when researching three naval deaths we discovered that: • Donald MacDonald (Teighmore & S, 1903) drowned when HMS Hawke was torpedoed by U-9.

• That same U-Boat also torpedoed HMS Aboukir, killing Alan Robertson (Teighmore, 1910) our youngest OC to die, aged only 15. n

We have been fortunate that the community has been very generous in lending artefacts or allowing us to scan old letters and photographs: • For the first time we were able to read one of the poignant letters Reginald Waterfield (Principal, 1899-1919) wrote to

If anyone has any papers or photographs relating to OCs, or any First World War artefacts that they would be willing to lend for future Exhibitions, do let me know. Similarly, if you would like to be one of the project volunteers, please get in touch, archives@cheltenhamcollege.org

were so cruelly cut short. The service was accompanied by a small Colour Party, a brass ensemble and a joint Schools’ choir. The Last Post was played by Luke Knudsen (5th Form, NH) from College and Abby Whybrow (Yr8) from the Prep before the moving final hymn ‘I vow to thee my country’. n

Alrewas National Memorial Arboretum

Oh! What A Lovely War

By Sian McBride (Director of Drama) Oh! What A Lovely War was a natural choice for the main production at College in this the year which commemorates the beginning of WW1 and one of the darkest periods in modern history. Each member of the cast was asked to play at least five separate roles from an English soldier in the trenches to a German commanding officer. It offered them a unique opportunity to learn about history in an exciting and innovative way. The production uses popular songs of the time and black humour, to criticise the manner in which the Allies’ eventual victory was won and the terrible price that was paid by so many on both sides. n Many thanks to members of the First World War Steering Group: Mr S Bullock, Rev A Dunning, Mr D Faulkner, Mr R Penny, Miss J Doidge-Harrison, Mrs C Leighton & Mrs F Tierney.

Cheltenham College is the only school that has its own memorial at the Alrewas National Memorial Arboretum. The Lectern Board to the right of the memorial was kindly donated by Dr Bridget Jepson (Hon OC) the niece of Desmond Scott (OJ & H, 1914) who was killed in action in 1916 at Pozieres.

On Sunday 5th October 2014, the current 3rd Form joined a CCF detachment and paraded the College Colours at a Memorial Service along with Cheltonian Association & Society members. n

First World War Centenary 2015 Forthcoming Events Spring/Summer Term Centenary plaque unveiling, tree planting and ceramic poppy display.

Autumn Term Cheltenham Literature Festival event Centenary Exhibition in the Library History department trip to Gallipoli G.A.S – a newly commissioned play based around Old Cheltonian G.R.D Moor (BH, 1914) VC, MC (bar).

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FEATURES

The first of our annual exhibitions commemorating the centenary of the First World War, was displayed in the Library from 9th to 14th November. It was fascinating to research the 67 Old Cheltonians who died in the opening months of the War from 4th August to 11th November 1914. The Exhibition included displays based on information unearthed. Here are a few such nuggets: • OC Nevil Macready (NH, 1880) appointed Fabian Ware to start what became the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

• Edward Urquhart (S, 1895), a lone First World War soldier buried in Boezinge churchyard, used to have a compatriot alongside him − Lt Charles Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother’s cousin, whose body

Features

the times & the sunday times Cheltenham Festival Wilfred Owen: Poetry and Music of the Great War saturday 11th October 2014 Report by Sebastian Bullock (Deputy Development Director) This event was the centrepiece of the College’s First World War Centenary programme. Both sponsored and hosted

by College, this was also a unique event within the Cheltenham Literature Festival.

By this date 100 years ago, already 30 OCs had lost their lives, of the 675 by the end of the War: it was an opportunity both to remember and commemorate those OCs. With the College Chapel in candlelight and filled to capacity, the choir singing from the balcony and College students reading from Owen’s works, this was both a moving and memorable evening. Professor Tim Kendall from the University of Exeter led us in reflecting not simply on the First World War, but also upon Owen’s experience of it, as documented in his poetry and letters.

The evening offered time to reflect upon the terror, the suffering and the waste,

The Headmaster opened the event, before taking his place in the choir, with the following words: “Cheltenham College is extremely proud to support the Cheltenham Literature Festival … interwoven with Professor Kendall’s address will be readings of Owen’s writing

by College pupils, and specially selected pieces sung by the College Choir. Of these, one is particularly poignant; composed by OC Ruth Matthews, aged just 19, especially for this evening’s event, ‘In Memoriam’ sets to music extracts from the First World War diary written by her fellow Old Cheltonian, Captain Sydney Trevenen (DB, 1911), MC, who died at the Western Front on 10th June 1918”. n

Photography by Andy Banks

Eric Robinson (U6th, S), Harry Byrne (5th Form, Xt), Isabelle Winstanley (L6th, Q) & Sophie Caws (U6th, Q)

along with the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity and the strange beauty of comradeship in battle.

Luke Knudsen (5th Form, NH) 36

Professor Tim Kendall

Ruth Matthews (A, 2014)

In Memoriam Composition for the College at the times & sunday times Cheltenham Literature Festival

By Ruth Matthews (A, 2014) For me, the composition process is highly complex, involving both structured ideas as well as intangible inspiration. The piece In Memoriam is in four sections, each characterised by a different language – the languages of the men involved in the play G.A.S. I started writing with the intention of each section sounding like traditional vocal music from each country, as though the men were singing for comfort. I thus researched Turkish and Afghan music, with an already sound knowledge of English and German music. Using some of these ideas, I drew on inspiration from the diary entries used in the poem on a variety of scales. I used individual words, for example ‘firework’ in the first line, to influence the music on a small scale, in this case where the melody rises, with dissonance underneath, followed by a resolution – a firework in musical terms. I also used the underlying emotions of the whole text. This was particularly in the Afghan section, by consequence the most emotionally draining to write, in which I try to portray the sense of longing to incorporate parts of the melody from all sections, to give the feeling of men singing to each other across boundaries, so I decided to develop a male solo to unite all of these. n

FEatuREs

Playing Rugby for College and England Interview with OJ and OC Dan Hearn Dan Hearn (OJ & NH, 1959), played rugby for England but was paralysed following a tackle on Ian MacRae in a Midland and Home Counties match against the All Blacks, at Welford Road, Leicester in 1967. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, he has enjoyed a very full life. Here he talks to the captain of the XV, Ollie Thorley (U6th, BH), ahead of the England v All Blacks game in November 2014.

What do you remember of playing rugby at Cheltenham College?

In my day at College it was compulsory to watch the 1st XV and so the whole of College would attend in uniform, wearing mortarboards. When the College scored the supporters would in unison throw their mortarboards skywards, a never forgotten sight. The Gloucestershire Echo used to produce a match report for every game. I was a member of the unbeaten 1957 College XV. What was the key match of the season?

It was always the game against Rugby School. Of course that was where the game started and Cheltenham College v Rugby is the oldest school fixture in the world. The touring teams like the All Blacks or Springboks would go to Rugby School for a training session on the famous Close.

What did you do after leaving College?

I went to Trinity College, Dublin, and then on to St Edmund Hall, Oxford, to do my Cert Ed. Whilst there, I was awarded a Rugby Blue in 1964.

Can you tell us about the build-up to the Midland and Home Counties game?

It was the Saturday before the England game and I was due to play in both matches. This was thought to be a practice session ahead of the game at Twickenham the following weekend. I was to mark Ian MacRae in the England game. I knew that he ran at you so I said to myself I will hit him right at the very beginning of the game 38

and we’ll call it a truce until the International! I was lined up in a centre partnership with Bob Lloyd another Old Cheltonian, (L, 1961). I was nervous leading up to the game but then I always suffered pre-match nerves. The aura around the All Blacks was as big as it is today. They were the best side in the world and were terribly physical. In our hearts we knew we were unlikely to beat them but if we did… I met my father, Dr Dan Hearn (NH, 1924), before the game.

I said “Dad, I’m really nervous” and maybe I wasn’t quite as focused as usual.

How has the injury affected you?

I was extremely fortunate really. I was already teaching Economics & Politics at Haileybury and the Master insisted that I continue to teach, which I did. I was lucky in a sense as in those days it was more talk than chalk! If you are positive you can overcome most things. I’m that kind of guy I suppose, which is lucky. The pupils were terrific with me and I really enjoyed teach-

On Dan’s suggestion, Ian MacRae and his wife, Marilyn, visited College in the week running up to England versus the All Blacks in November 2014. Ian was in Cheltenham speaking at a dinner to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of a game between Cheltenham Rugby Club and the All Blacks – it transpired that Marilyn’s grandfather had been a member of that All Blacks team.

Top: Dan Hearn (NH, 1959) Above: Ian MacRae (Former All Black and President of The NZ RFU) & Dan Hearn

ing. Although I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone, my injury has given me many opportunities that might not have been there otherwise. My contact with rugby has never diminished and I’ve travelled all over the world with the sport.

During my period of coaching the XV at Haileybury, we had some very good teams, one of which enjoyed an unbeaten season.

One individual I coached went on to captain Cambridge from the centre and played for England, whilst another went on to play for Harlequins, in the back row and England. Both were great leaders and a terrific asset to their teams. It’s difficult to lose when you’ve got that sort of quality in the team. I suppose a sign of a good coach is when you haven’t got the best raw mate-

FLOREat 2015

rial and yet you produce a better side than the talent suggests. Anybody can coach a good player.

Who do you follow in rugby now?

I am actually half Irish and now live in Cork so it has to be Munster.

FEATURES

Do you think the change from amateur rugby to professional rugby has been a good thing?

In my time when playing for a high calibre team, you’d have your day-job and then you’d meet for two training sessions a week with your club. If you were playing an International match you’d meet up on a Thursday and leave on the Sunday. There was often no such thing as a coach, generally the Captain ran the training session.

The contrast with today is significant, players are more professional, fitter stronger, faster and more skilled. I do worry about the size of the guys and the hits are so powerful it makes me wince when I watch it. I do wonder what some of these professional players are going to look like in their 50s!

France V England Match, 26th February 1966 (Left to right): C McFadyean (Moseley and England) , Dan Hearn (Bedford and England), KF Savage (Northampton and England), Claude Lacaze (Angouleme and France)

And in terms of players?

All Blacks’ Richie McCaw. He really is incredible. I understand he played through most of the World Cup with a broken bone in his foot. He was in terrible pain but carried on. Overall though I’m interested in the players with a good ‘ticker’ who do everything to ensure that they don’t let the side down.

Do you have a mantra as a coach?

Team ethic is everything. The way a team takes the positives from a defeat is often more important than winning.

And that is well illustrated by the All Blacks?

Indeed. I have kept in touch with Ian MacRae who is now the President of the New Zealand RFU and when the All Blacks came to Ireland last season we were invited to stay with them. The professionalism of every aspect of All Blacks life is extremely impressive, whether it is behaviour in the hotel or on the training ground. It’s often frustrating to watch them grind out yet another win, but it is because of this that they have to be role models for the game. n Right middle: Ollie Thorley (U6th, BH) & Ian MacRae (Former All Black & President of The NZ RFU) Right bottom: Ian MacRae & Humphrey Bodington (U6th, BH) by the plaque commemorating the Acton brothers bringing the game of rugby from Rugby to Cheltenham 39

FEatuREs

him. He wore decent but ill-fitting clothes; he ran a network of agents, mostly women, who occupied all his waking hours. He ‘welfared’ them, paid their parking tickets, bought them bottles of their favourite drinks, remembered their birthdays and their foibles.

He had agents everywhere.

To the young le Carré he was a mentor. So much so that he not only adopted Bingham as the professional half of his fictional hero George Smiley but even took his nom de plume from the nickname that he awarded Bingham: ‘le Carré’ – ‘the square’ in French.

The biographer Michael Jago profiles the OC and leading British spymaster John Bingham (Ch, 1927), the 7th Baron Clanmorris of Newbrook, on whom John Le Carré largely based his fictional hero George Smiley.

Binghams went to Eton. At least they did until the end of the 19th century. By the time that John Michael Ward Bingham (b.

1908 - and known as Jack) came of publicschool age his father, the 6th Baron Clanmorris of Newbrook, had squandered his family fortune and a family whip-round was required to meet the fees of a less expensive school.

So John Bingham came to Cheltenham. A quiet, solitary boy, in his own words ‘not particularly good at anything’, he treated his public school as one more thing to be endured. He made friends, failed to excel at sports (as he suffered from a severe squint), had no ambitions for the sixth form or for a place at university.

CONFIDENTIAL

Bingham posed as an Abwehr officer to entrap Nazi spies in Britain 40

When he exerted himself he did well, coming first in English in his class through one academic year. But the exertions were rare. He spent four undistinguished years, neither happy nor unhappy, an affable lad who would succeed to an impecunious barony and, it was generally supposed, do something in the Colonial Service.

Twenty years later John Bingham was a hero of the British Security Service with five years of courageous exploits behind him. He had posed as an Abwehr officer to entrap Nazi spies in Britain; he had successfully unmasked Rogeiro Menezes and Irma Stapleton, both of whom were tried and convicted; he had sifted sheep from goats as fifth columnists poured into England after the fall of France. He had acquired and developed the essential quality of a secret agent – the ability to move unnoticed among his fellows, to be, as his young colleague David Cornwell described him, a ‘forgettable man’.

A mentor When David Cornwell – soon to be better known as John le Carré – joined MI5 in 1958 Bingham had acquired a reputation as a master interrogator, an agent runner of inspired ability, all of whose agents adored

For by the 1950s Bingham was very much a square. A pre-war man, a devoted patriot, suspicious of new-fangled trends and devices, he projected to the younger generation of security officers an outdated ethical certainty in an morally shifting world. Smiley might be a brilliant agent-runner but he was unequal to the challenges of the late 20th century; he was ‘clinging to standards long abandoned by the world around him’.

To make ends meet after the war Bingham had begun a new career as a crime writer, interested more in the ‘whydunnit’ than the ‘whodunnit’. He had written five books and was completing his sixth by the time Cornwell joined MI5. When a friendship developed between the two security officers Bingham introduced Cornwell to his agent Peter Watt and his publisher Victor Gollancz.

Gollancz was to publish le Carre’s first three books, including his resounding success, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.

It was this book that first caused Bingham concern that le Carré was courting danger in portraying British Intelligence in morally ambiguous colours. His concern was heightened when two years later The Looking Glass War was released. Whilst le Carré was, in Bingham’s view, breaking house rules in writing thus about the Service, the fact remained that he was achieving considerable literary – and financial – success. It was the latter that particularly pained Bingham’s wife Madeleine.

CONFIDENTIAL

He ran a network of agents, mostly women... He had agents everywhere

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The urge to compete Now Madeleine urged Bingham to compete, to write a spy novel, as the genre was clearly lucrative. After some hesitation, in 1966 Bingham published The Double Agent, a spy novel that, curiously, reveals nothing of British Intelligence but is savagely descriptive of Soviet methods. The book sold well but already Bingham had been irrevocably eclipsed by his younger colleague. Tragically, Bingham was never to repeat his early literary success.

Knowing by then that John Bingham had been one of two men who contributed to the fictional George Smiley (for le Carré had revealed this in a 1999 radio interview), I rushed to Google to find a biography of Bingham. None existed. A curious idea took shape in my mind: I would write one. John Bingham’s son, Simon, the 8th Baron Clanmorris, guided me to the Howard Gotlieb Archival Center at Boston University, to whom he had donated his father’s papers.

After a glorious week, trawling through the life of John Bingham and his friendship with le Carré, stimulated by discreet references to his wartime work, I was hooked. The laconic, retiring, ‘forgettable man’ was an eminently

John and Madeleine Bingham on their wedding day in 1936

He never hinted at the hair-raising assignments he had handled worthy subject. Bingham and Smiley fused in my mind as I traced Smiley’s rise in lockstep with the decline of his original.

For as Smiley flourished in the public eye, John Bingham was writing less well. Urged

by Madeleine to create an attractive and marketable character – a Smiley or an Inspector Morse – Bingham strove to recreate his early success, but his age and a battering post-war stint in MI5 had drained him. Between 1968 and 1982 Bingham wrote his last eight books, only one of which achieved the felicity of touch of his earlier work. The third book in a planned trilogy eluded him after three extensive rewrites. It was a tragic end to his career.

For over twenty years the name of John Bingham gently slipped into obscurity until in March 2014 the release of classified papers to The National Archives thrust him back into the public eye, not as a writer but as a wartime agent runner. His exploits under the nom de guerre of ‘John King’ became known and Jack Bingham received for the first time the recognition he deserved – in his higher calling as an unsung hero of the war years.

The discreet references that I had unearthed in Boston were pale copies of a magnificent original. John Bingham had been true to his principles for over forty years since the Second World War; he had never betrayed his Service, never hinted at the hair-raising assignments he had handled. That he believed le Carré to have been less discreet had undermined their friendship; it was a supposed indiscretion that Bingham never understood.

The war was a watershed Late in life, as he regarded the course of events in Britain, he must have wondered if his efforts had been worthwhile. In the very period that he strove to check malign outside influences on Britain, his country seemed to be doing a perfectly good job of destroying itself from within. The twelve months from March 1984 had witnessed a form of civil war in Britain as the National Union of Mineworkers went on strike for a year. The Prime Minister echoed the

thoughts of many in the country when she declared, ‘We had to fight the enemy without in the Falklands. We always have to be aware of the enemy within, which is much more difficult to fight and more dangerous to liberty.’ This was not an isolated event but the latest in a series of crises that had plagued Britain since 1945. For Bingham, the war was a watershed. Moreover, he would have argued, things had since gone steadily downhill.

The lurch to the Left and systematic nationalisation of industries in the 1940s, the spy scandals and decline of British influence in the 1950s, the prostitution of his hometown as ‘Swinging London’ in the 1960s, the industrial crises of the 1970s, for several years of which Britain was governed by a Prime Minister about whom there were strong suspicions that he was a KGB spy – all these prompted him to question the efficacy of the ethical positions he had espoused.

His retirement had been delayed three times.

Although committed to the work, he would have been insensitive or super-human if he had not asked himself if he and his colleagues were actually doing any good for a country that appeared bent on self-immolation. In 1985 he regarded the country he loved almost brought to a standstill by a crippling labour dispute. Increasingly polarised, increasingly materialistic, increasingly disdainful of ‘old’ values, Bingham’s Britain had changed profoundly – and the destructive forces seemed to come not from Berlin, not from Moscow, but from within.

In more ways than one the diffident Cheltenham new boy of 1923 had become the very model of George Smiley. n Michael Jago read Ancient History and Philosophy at University College, Oxford before settling in the USA in 1980. For fifteen years he ran an educational travel business, focusing on the battlefields of Western Europe.

Previously a publisher and editor of a number of journals, he now specialises in biography. He lives in both Chicago and South-West France.

The man who was George Smiley - The Life of John Bingham (ISBN 978-184954-513-6) was published in 2013

by Biteback Publishing and his latest book, Clement Attlee: The Inevitable Prime Minister (ISBN 978-1-84954-6836) was released by Biteback in May 2014 – both books are currently available for purchase.

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FEATURES

That success flowed from his first two books – My Name is Michael Sibley (1951) and Five Roundabouts to Heaven (1952) – arguably his finest crime novels. I read them both avidly as a teenager, remembering them for half a century as only a young reader can. When, in 2011, I saw recent editions of them for sale in a second-hand bookshop in Springfield, Illinois, I bought them and reread them with the eagerness of an older man rediscovering his youth. They had lost none of their appeal.

CONFIDENTIAL

Features

OC Birthday reunion

Richard Carey (OJ & Xt, 1957)

Jeremy Taylor (OJ & Xt, 1958)

Report by Jeremy Taylor (OJ & Xt, 1958)

9th august 2014

Martin Rees, (Xt, 1958)

Robin Kershaw (Xt, 1957)

Challenges for immediate rematches go on until well after midnight, croquet by torchlight is a serious business!

There is a group of five OC contemporaries (mainly Christowe) with birthdays close together in August. We have held birthday gatherings each year for well over 30 years. This year we celebrated our 75th birthdays. It seems a frighteningly short time ago since we held our 50th at the Inverlochy Castle in Scotland. The celebrations usually last over three days with a fair amount of extravagant feasting.

The participants are always Richard Carey 10th August (OJ & Xt, 1957), Robin Kershaw a youngster by a few months (Xt, 1957), Martin Rees 7th August (Xt, 1958), Jeremy Mermagen 14th August (OJ & NH, 1957) and myself 12th August.

The venue for our 75th was offered by Martin Rees at his eldest son’s awardwinning small hotel, The Old Rectory, in Exmoor National Park.

Most years, depending on venue, there is major competition in the form of games – croquet is the challenge of choice – as our side-steps are a bit laboured these days!

A Christowe towel purchased from the Association provided the perfect backdrop to our photograph. We included Muglistonite, Mermagen, as a ‘guest,’ on

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Jeremy Mermagen (OJ & NH, 1957)

the strict understanding that at no point should he actually touch the towel.

Every year the wives have to put up with the same old stories and arguments founded in the 1950s. More often than not they include raking over particular rugby house matches closely fought between Newick and Christowe. Of course mostly how Christowe won by a large margin!

We will continue our yearly gatherings as long as we are mentally and physically able. Any applications for participation by civilised OC contemporaries will be given serious consideration – it obviously helps if you are a Boyceite, born in August and able to handle the pace! Please do get in touch – jeremy@veryfast.biz n

FLOREAT 2015

1815

From the Battle of Waterloo to the Playing Fields of Cheltenham

The Duke of Wellington is often quoted as saying ‘the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton’. Here Jill Barlow, College Archivist, explains another historic link – between Waterloo and Cheltenham College.

‘I do not remember that it rained on the morning of the 18th [June 1815] but it was damp and gloomy and we were glad once more to crowd round the fire’.

When the regiment was suddenly ordered to advance and be prepared to engage they had to move hastily with only a biscuit for breakfast.

Harcourt’s clearest impression of the day is of the grand charge of the French Cavalry: ‘Down they rushed on our squares, in one immense mass, but our men were firm and received them with tremendous volleys, generally reserving their fire until they were very near.’

Again and again the French were repulsed and as they retreated: ‘our artillery rushed to the front and poured in a destructive fire, our light cavalry at the same time taking the opportunity of making some destructive charges’.

His regiment suffered many losses to musket and grapeshot until eventually: ‘we were ordered to form four deep and found ourselves on the left of the Guards, cheering and advancing rapidly to the front.’

They did not, however, continue the advance and found they had to spend the night in the field: ‘in the midst of the dreadful results of the past tremendous conflict’.

Cold, hungry and exhausted and forced to spend the night amongst the dead and dying they can hardly have found much energy to celebrate a momentous victory.

The jacket that Harcourt wore at Waterloo, now in the History Library

FEATURES

Magna Carta, 1215 and the Battle of Agincourt, 1415, seem to have no direct link to College, but for Waterloo, 1815, there is indeed a connection – one of our founders fought there and the jacket he wore is in the History Library. We also have in the Archives Simon Harcourt’s handwritten journal with his memories of the battle where he served with the 69th Foot. His account begins:

George Simon Harcourt-Ainslie was born in 1797. He was a nephew of Earl Harcourt and in 1823 received permission to discontinue the surname Ainslie and be known as Harcourt only. (London Gazette, 15 February 1823). In 1839 he moved to Cheltenham with his six sons and suggested to his friend Captain Iredell the

Simon Harcourt (above), one of the founders of Cheltenham College

establishment of a Proprietary School.

The first meeting to discuss the idea was held in Harcourt’s house in Montpellier Villas and the project ‘commended itself to the approval of all right-thinking minds, by whom it was warmly supported as especially calculated to promote the prosperity of the Town and confer a substantial benefit upon very many of the families then resident in the place’. (Cheltenham Looker-On, 9 January 1869) Simon Harcourt as Honorary Secretary and Captain Iredell as Registrar successfully organised the establishment of Cheltenham College in Bayshill Terrace in 1841. George and William Harcourt were among the first pupils to be admitted.

However, the whole Harcourt family moved to Bedford in March 1842, leaving Cheltenham even before the new College buildings were completed in Bath Road. n

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Features

the Great escape A tribute to OC Flight Lieutenant Edward Gordon Brettell, DFC (BH, 1934), who died in the Great Escape, by Andrew Brettell (BH, 1983).

On 23rd March, 2014, Lt. Cdr. Jeremy Brettell, RN (BH, 1997) and I flew from London to Berlin, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of arguably one of the most ingenious and ultimately tragic events of the Second World War, one which, 19 years later, was immortalised in a Hollywood blockbuster. In reality, one of the characters depicted in the film had been at College and was the first cousin of my father, Major Ian Brettell, MC (OJ & BH, 1931) and Jeremy’s grandfather, Major Donald Brettell (BH, 1939), both of whom had also been serving their country at the same time.

Whilst I can almost guarantee that anybody reading this will have seen the film to which I have alluded, I am less convinced that many people will know at this stage about what or whom I am referring. To my shame, and despite my close family connection, even whilst I was at College, I was, myself, unaware of the event that took place on the night of 24th March, 1944.

Much has been written about the exploits of my first cousin, once removed, but it is particularly appropriate that I should want to pay tribute to a very courageous member of my family in the same year that

Top row: Two photos of Gordon Brettell.

Bottom right: With his younger brother Terence (BH, 1938).

Above: Part of the memorial above the tunnel at Zagan. Names of escapees that were shot are in black, those that survived are in blue.

the lives of many other Old Cheltonians who fought in the First World War are being remembered.

Jeremy and I had been invited by Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Poland and the British Defence Attaché to attend a ceremony to commemorate The Great Escape, which had taken place at Stalag Luft III in Sagan (now Zagan, Poland) in the province of Lower Silesia, Nazi Germany, 100 miles south-east of Berlin.

More importantly, we were there to commemorate the short, but actionpacked, life of Flt. Lt. Edward “Gordon” Brettell, DFC (BH, 1934). Although Jeremy had researched Gordon’s life in impressive detail prior to our trip, I will not have room here to mention more than a few facts about him, suffice to say, we would be happy to share the documents in our possession with anybody who might be interested.

Andrew Brettell (BH, 1983) and Jeremy Brettell (BH, 1997) standing in front of a drawing of Edward Gordon Brettell

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Having studied at Cambridge and been an amateur racing driver of some distinction before the War, Gordon volunteered to join the RAF and became a spitfire pilot, flying 111 successful sorties and earning the DFC before being shot down over Brest in September 1942. After being treated for his

extensive injuries in Paris, he was sent to Stalag Luft III, from where he made several unsuccessful escape attempts before The Great Escape. He was instrumental in the escape effort as a skilful forger of German documents.

Of the 81 escapees, 50, including Gordon, were shot by the Gestapo on the direct orders of Hitler. As his younger brother, Terence (BH, 1938), later said, his ‘indestructible’ brother could not be proof against cold-blooded murder.

The commemoration earlier this year was attended by dignitaries and relatives of the escapees from all over the world and took place on a cold, wet and distinctly eerie morning at the exit of the tunnel, with even the planned fly-past having to be cancelled.

However, it was not difficult to imagine the events that had taken place 70 years earlier, despite little remaining of the camp and with the trees having grown back in what is effectively a forest.

Sadly, Gordon only lived a few days past his 29th birthday. His story is probably worthy of another Hollywood film, but for the time being, Jeremy and I were happy to have the opportunity to pay our respects to a very brave Old Cheltonian. n

FLOREAT 2015

Cheltenham College Dinner at Lord’s Monday 15th September

By Malcolm Sloan (OC Administrator) We are very grateful to John ChatfeildRoberts (L, 1980) for hosting a dinner for a group of his contemporary OCs.

All in all an excellent evening with many old acquaintances renewed. And once again a big thank you to John ChatfeildRoberts for his organisation of the dinner and his continuing support of College. n

John Chatfeild-Roberts (L, 1980) and Andrew Strauss

FEATURES

The evening began with a champagne reception, followed by a very wellorganised tour of Lord’s which included the Long Room, the Committee Room, the England dressing room as well as the Museum with the original Ashes urn on display. Not only did we have an excellent guide but we were also accompanied by Andrew Strauss who delighted us with tales from his time playing for Middlesex and England.

down-to-earth man who dealt with difficult questions with humour but still got his message across. He even admitted that he did not enjoy the Radley 1st XI match at College in 1993 when Michael Cauldron (W, 1993) and Dominic Hewson (S, 1993) both scored centuries before lunch!

We then sat down for an excellent meal with John welcoming all his guests. Dr Peterken gave an update on recent developments at College and plans for the future.

After dinner, guests were entertained by Andrew Strauss who shared his views on leadership and people management. He also spoke about how experiences and techniques in sport can be usefully translated across into the world of business and other spheres. He came across as a very

Arthur De Haast (L, 1975), Mark Glowrey (L, 1981), David Harper (L, 1982), John Chatfeild-Roberts (L, 1980), Charles Bennett (H, 1980) and Robert McWilliam (Ch, 1980)

The Ashes

Alex Peterken (Headmaster), Charles Bennett (H, 1980) and David Harper (L, 1982)

The world-famous Lord’s Pavilion, containing the Long Room

Arthur De Haast (L, 1975), Simon Sole (L, 1978), Alex Peterken, Andrew Strauss and Charles Bennett (H, 1980) 45

Features

HOUSEMASTERS

southwood 1877-1887 Rev T WolseleyLewis

1887-1889 AS Davis

Report by Tim Pearce (Past Housemaster of Southwood)

1889-1907 AA Bourne

1907-1913 H Latter

There was no central feeding and the boys went home for lunch or brought it with them. Fairly early on, this led to the creation of the Private Boarding Houses, where mem-

Among the original boarding houses in the Bath Road, was No.1 Bath Villas, about five hundred yards down the road towards the High Street. Not as old as Boyne House or

Images supplied by College Archives

The history of Southwood has always had to do with numbers and the state of the economy. In the early days of the College, there were always day-boys, some of whom lived within walking distance and others came in on their ponies, which were tethered along the railings in the Bath Road.

bers of the staff took in a few boys when the two main boarding houses were full. One of the PBHs was Keynshambury in the High Street, which was Thomas Southwood’s private house. Southwood (1810-1885) was one of the most important figures in the School’s early success. Affectionately nicknamed ‘Gutty’. he was appointed as Head of Military in 1843 and remained in post for 36 years under six different Principals.

1914-1915 CE Wright

1923-1936 AG Bishop

1936-1939 SE Baker

Newick it was opened in response to the rising numbers in 1852. The first Housemaster from 1852-77 was the Revd Henry Price, a Welshman from Jesus College, Oxford, who was followed in 1877 by another Welshman from Jesus, The Revd Thomas WolseleyLewis. Before he came to College, he had been Headmaster of Llanwrst Grammar School in North Wales. He renamed the house Garth Garmon, which is one of the townships of Llanwrst. It is around this time that the names of the Housemasters provide the identity of their boarders as Boyceites and so forth, so members of Garth Garmon came to be known as Lewisites. The boarders

Top (l to r): Southwood House First XV 1904; Wilson 1984. Bottom (l to r): Southwood House 1927; Thirlestaine Day Boy Cross Country Team 1959

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Rev. Southwood

1984-1991 N Lowton

1991-1995 T Pearce

in Keynshambury actually got to be known as Guttites!

Lewis retired as Housemaster in 1887 and was succeeded for two years only by Arthur Davis. The next Housemaster was Alfred Bourne, a scholar of St John’s College, Cambridge, who was Senior Mathematical Master in the Classics Department from 1889 to his retirement in 1907. Thomas Southwood had died in 1885 and the house had been renamed in his honour. Under Bourne it enjoyed success in Cricket and Rugby.

When the Junior School opened in its new buildings in 1909, the building currently occupied by Newick House became available and the boys from Southwood moved there.

With numbers dropping during the war, in 1915, Newick also moved into it from the old building opposite Thirlestaine House in the Bath Road and the name Southwood was temporarily lost.

Meanwhile, there had been some developments in the organisation of the Day Boys.

For Games purposes they had, since at least 1866, been divided into A and B groups, roughly corresponding to their home locations East or West of the College. PBH boys played in a third C group. Principal James was the first to appoint Day Boy Housemasters and for two terms in1889, the houses were called Pittville (East) and Lansdown (West) though these names did not stick. It cannot have been easy to build up much sense of house spirit as the ‘Houses’ had no location other than classrooms and even

1995-1997 J Eminson

1997-2001 P Trythall

these were the ‘temporary’ accommodation built in 1926 alongside the CCF sheds and Rifle Range on the corner of the Bath Road adjacent to Boyne House. The first day boy Housemasters are not recorded.

The East Day Boy Housemasters up to 1939 were RM Towers (1907-25), OC JS Bond (L, 1905) (1925-1933) and SH Stevens (19331939). West Day Boy Housemasters were OC HV Page (Xt, 1882), a considerable sportsman who played cricket, hockey and rugby for Gloucestershire (1896-1922), and AB LloydBaker (1923-1938). With dropping numbers, the houses were combined under KH Vignoles in 1939, but after he was called up, EC Lamplugh ran the house until 1945, when Vignoles took over the single house again.

2001-2012 B Lambert

2012 M Coley

house in Thirlestaine House, which the College had acquired after the war. In 1975, Day Boy numbers were rising steadily and the decision was taken to divide the house once again. The rooms in Thirlestaine House were converted to a new Art School, and the day boys moved into accommodation further east in Thirlestaine Road. David Ashcroft vacated what was then known as College House, which was renamed Southwood, with Colin Auger as Housemaster, and a new building by the Junior School was put up for the second house, to be known as Wilson House in memory of EA Wilson, who had died with Scott in Antarctica in 1912.

The name Southwood had re-appeared in 1923, when, with numbers increasing once again, there was a need for another Boarding House. A building in Lypiatt Road was bought and AG Bishop became Housemaster until 1936. The most distinguished Lewisite of all, the Nobel prize-winning novelist, Patrick White, was in the house from 1925-1929. Then yet again, a war intervened.

SE Baker succeeded Bishop in 1936, but in 1939 the house was closed and sold.

Auger ran Southwood until 1984, when Nicholas Lowton took over and when he was elevated to Hazelwell, Tim Pearce ran the house from 1991-1995. Wilson House was started under Jack Ralphs for three years, and then taken over by John Wheeler in 1979 until 1982 and Lindsey North until 1989.

Once again, the numbers game came into effect in the mid nineties. With falling boarding numbers, College offered a halfway house between day and boarding and some boys switched attachment to the boarding houses where they stayed until the end of evening prep.

Keith Vignoles, who was also in charge of the CCF, ran the single day house until 1957, when it was taken over by Edwin Calvert until 1969 and then by Jack Ralphs until 1975. In 1959, it was renamed Thirlestaine as for the first time, proper day-rooms and changing rooms had been created for the

This led to the most recent decision to revert to one day-boy house. When Tim Pearce retired from Southwood, John Eminson, who had succeeded Lindsey North in Wilson House, took over the combined unit of some 150 boys. Southwood remains the single boys’ day house today. n 47

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1975-1984 C Auger

FEaTuREs

The Record-Breaking McEvoys Report by Peter McEvoy (Past Parent) My wife Helen and I were very proud to receive a lovely painting from the Headmaster when we met with him at the end of the last school year. We were particularly proud to receive the painting in acknowledgement of our family having achieved a longevity record at the school by having at least one child there continuously for just short of 25 years. In total we put 4 through.

If we were to say that if we knew then, at the start of the record breaking journey, what we know now we may not have embarked on it, you would get exactly the wrong idea! It is true that the cost of educating children at a world class school like Cheltenham College has gone through the roof. It was always costly but it is now extremely expensive. There are good sound reasons for this, mainly the cost of regulation, but at the end and looking back we can honestly say it was worth it. If that conclusion seems at odds with the initial statement of doubt then please let me explain. In its most simplistic form I think most of us educate our children in order to try to give them the best opportunity for a happy and prosperous life. I am keen to avoid any complacency or to appear smug at this point but looking at our children now and how they have progressed since leaving Cheltenham College, I am satisfied that we did the right thing.

Education It is not as though this was immediately obvious at all times. Our children did not, it seemed to us, make best use of the fantastic facilities available at College. They did not really seem to push themselves academically either. Much of our 25 years seemed to be taken up clapping while other people's children were awarded prizes or sporting honours. Mary won the Textiles Prize in 2004 and Douglas won the golf at the Junior and some archery, Cameron captained the golf team to success in the West of England Championships and Richard was always successful in his sporting activities, but that was about it.

And yet something was being bred into them. It was a confidence, sometimes impossible to distinguish from a cockiness, that saw them leave College with their 48

heads held high and the ability to commit to a pursuit, be it academic or otherwise, that seemed stronger than many of their peers who did not have the same educational privileges.

Background As both Helen and I were Grammar School educated we were not initially too familiar with the rhythm or style of Public school life. “What exactly is an exeat?” However, we jumped in with both feet. We recently found some of Douglas’s diaries from Kingfishers. Conscious of our image in this new rarified environment we had given him strict instructions. Do not put that you had a McDonalds for tea again. In fact don’t call it tea, call it supper but still don’t mention McDonalds. That kind of thing.

Well, looking through the diaries it is quite evident that we were hopelessly unsuccessful in keeping our 4 year old on message. What a delight it must have been for the teachers to have access to all this information, literally coming from the mouths of babes.

I got very involved in watching all the sports teams. I relived my own school experiences of turning up for rugby matches for the junior school only to see that the opposition had several players who looked about 18. Actually, College had a very big lad for his age in the very first match in which Cameron, our oldest, played. Our team knew this lad was a bit immobile and no threat at all and his real talents lay in music. However, the opposition did not realise this and they trembled when they saw the size of him.

Inevitably the ball went to our specimen straight from the kick off. He was able to advance at little more than walking pace to

score with the occasional half attempt at a tackle being brushed off. A parent for the opposition denied that his son, the full back and last line of defence, had said “good luck with the conversion” as our man walked slowly past him.

We thought we were very clever moving to just outside the exclusion zone whereby we did not have to attend Chapel every Sunday. However, the downside was the 25 mile round trip done twice a day for 18 years amounting to around 200,000 miles.

We wonder if it might not have been easier just to go to Chapel.

Fondness Cameron qualified as a solicitor and is now an in house lawyer for a large American corporation based in London.

Richard, our second, also works in London.

He got a Masters in Horticulture and now uses that managing a media company connected to the Accountancy world (!).

Mary worked for the Royal family doing the rounds of Buckingham Palace, Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral. She married an Officer and now works within the army based in Germany. Our youngest, the record breaker, has gone to Birmingham University to study law. He has taken to the party scene with gusto but has convinced us that his work is not suffering. They are all doing well. The confidence has not been eroded by exposure to the real world, in fact it seems to come into its own more and more. It is also extremely gratifying that they all hold a fondness for College that does not dim with passing time. Perhaps that is as good a test as any.

We sit here as empty nesters. Who are we kidding that we might not do it again, we wish we were just starting out. Cameron has just had his first child, Jasper. If he was to go to Cheltenham College we would be thrilled. I wonder whether we might get another award? n

Left: Richard McEvoy (OJ & S, 2003), Cameron McEvoy (OJ & S, 2000), Douglas McEvoy (OJ & S, 2014) and Mary Edwards (OJ & Q, 2008) Middle: Helen McEvoy (Past Parent) & Mary Edwards (OJ & Q, 2008) Right: Richard McEvoy (OJ & S, 2003), Peter McEvoy (Past Parent), Cameron McEvoy (OJ & S, 2000), Douglas McEvoy (S, 2014) and Dan McEvoy (Past Grandfather).

FLOREAT 2015

Life After College

By Ed Shaw (OJ & L, 2000) After leaving College, I went travelling in Central America, Kenya and Europe before studying Sport and Exercise Science at Lincoln University. College had cultivated my passion and aptitude for sport, and then university gave me a deeper understanding.

After graduating, I did some more travelling through Europe and the South Pacific then got a gym-based job that enabled me to further my growing passion for biomechanics, anatomy and physiology.

I have worked almost ten years in the private health and fitness industry now, and every day is an exciting new challenge. In 2008, with a business partner, I opened a private health club, Cotswolds Health and Fitness, in Bourton-on-the-Water. We concentrate on rehabilitation and specialise in clients with both acute and chronic injuries and conditions. We provide a perfect environment for clients to repair and rebuild.

According to the Neurological Alliance Manifesto there are now 8 million people in England with neurological conditions, approximately 120,000 of these cases alone are Parkinson’s disease. The outlook is perceived by patients and the healthcare community as being fairly bleak, given that there is currently no cure and the medicated route has only limited effectiveness. Coordinated Therapies offers a new, movement based therapy for neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.

Recently we have started offering Coordinated Therapies for those clients who are afflicted by neurological conditions.

I have worked almost ten years in the private health and fitness industry now, and every day is an exciting new challenge ”

Coordinated Therapies is a unique treatment process for neurological conditions including Parkinson’s disease, stroke, Cerebral Palsy and spinal cord injuries. This therapy provides an option for patients to partake in a movement based learning therapy that compliments traditional treatments for such conditions. With many of these neurological conditions, it is less of a ‘cure’, but more of a need to ‘control’ and this is what Coordinated Therapies does.

Movement patterns In 2012 we were approached by an OC with a congenital neurological condition, who was interested in using our facilities and expertise to undergo an intense rehabilitation process. The process, Coordination Dynamics Therapy (CDT), was devised by Professor Schalow, who is based in Switzerland and specialises in Neurophysiology. This process works on the principle that the human nervous system can be repaired by a series of coordinated movement patterns.

The OC in question was prepared to commit a whole 12 months to this programme, which would involve up to six hours a day, six days a week, of repetitive, coordinated movements. Being told that the level of intensity and time involved, could bring per-

manent changes to his damaged nervous system, we began the anticipated year of training. The relentless training brought great results; the patient improved in many physiological and biomechanical ways, including gait, muscle tone, balance, confidence and coordination.

During this treatment process, I took time out to visit the inventors of the therapy devices, and the therapists who have developed it over 30 years in Switzerland. Most importantly, this trip showed me that most individuals can reap the benefits of this therapy with a less intense timetable than we had seen previously. There were patients with strokes, Parkinson's, MS and many more conditions/injuries that were improving after just a few weeks, spending about 3 to 4 hours per week on the therapy – the same timescales that most people spend in the gym doing traditional workouts. I was excited about bringing this back to the UK and offering the therapy to the whole country.

Valid option We are the only organisation in the UK that offers this specific therapy, so we feel responsible for making it a valid option for all who are affected by neurological conditions.

We hope that the future will see this type of therapy as a mainstay in rehabilitative services, allowing such conditions to be controlled from the early stages of onset. For now however, we provide a service that can be utilised by the whole of the UK and assures great support for the patient, the families and the healthcare system. n For further information, visit the website www.cotswoldlife.co.uk 49

FEATURES

Repair injuries I have to admit, a gym-based job was not my first choice, however the results that people gain from your work is very enticing. I began to see individuals repair injuries, complete physical challenges and rehabilitate from serious health issues – this was what kept me wanting to learn more.

“

FEATuREs

From College to ‘Period Features’

is something that I truly love, delight in, and hopefully will thrive in. Seeing College friends now, they are not surprised that my journey has brought me to London and property, particularly as they recall me flicking through Country Life magazines during textile lessons rather than reluctantly taking a seat behind a sewing machine.

By Laura Watts (A, 2009) You know you have experienced something very special when you are able to sit in a pub five years after leaving school and discuss cherished memories of your time there. I am lucky to think so highly of my school and I feel particularly smug when I think of all the educational debauchery that I participated in ranging from the week of CCF camp in 4th form at Walsall all the way up to the three-week Nepal expedition in L6th, trekking through the Himalayas and white water rafting along the Kali Gandaki river.

Being a spectacularly indecisive person with an acute case of ‘I will do the opposite of what you tell me to do’, I finished College having successfully completed the expected Science A levels and duration of work experience for both the medicine and veterinary fields, and embarked on a gap year travelling through South America.

With my re-takes firmly taken care of, and, finally, surprisingly, achieving four A Levels, I found myself trawling the streets of Man-

A 20-Year Progress Report

By Anthony Holt (Xt, 1994) How quickly twenty years go by and call it twenty-five from my first day at Cheltenham when I rolled up to Christowe.

My overriding memories apart from the considerable good College did me, has to be the characters I encountered and friendships that I made and still have. More humorous anecdotes include arriving on day one in the dormitory to meet ‘JM’ lying on his allocated bed as a 13 year-old reading the Financial Times and welcoming me with the words “all right old chap”!

chester where I further astonished myself by graduating with a BA (Hons) in Ancient History from the University of Manchester.

Skills From here I went even further afield from medicine and veterinary and voyaged into the depths of managing and launching a gastro pub in 2013, whereupon I promptly realised that looking after 16 year old girls was absolute hell when you are 6 years older than them, and the skills you learnt as ‘Head of House’ were equivalent to trying to put your hair in a bun when you have scissors for fingers. Nigh impossible!

With my four year journey completed I began working for Knight Frank where I am about to celebrate my one year work anniversary. I worked hard and within two months of joining the company I was promoted. Swimming with the property sharks Limited Commission as a Cornet with the Queen’s Royal Hussars which saw me going to Sandhurst and then joining the regiment in Fallingbostel, Germany. Upon my arrival at Wessex Barracks on the Saturday, I was told that my room’s previous occupant had been called to Bosnia at short notice and that I had to pack his copious belongings and personal effects that took a day and a half to pack, only to be told on the Sunday afternoon that he had only gone to London for the week-end and that I had two hours to unpack his belongings and get the room back to its original state!

As the years progressed, the same JM with his ever increasing smoking fines would ask Malcolm Sloan (then Christowe Housemaster) whether he would like to be paid in tens or twenties!

Cresta run What an experience aged 18. Leading a troop, Guard mounting ceremony, inspecting prisoners and their cells, representing the regiment and army on the Cresta run and a month-long exercise on the Canadian Prairie live firing Challenger 2 tanks.

Encouraged by College, before taking up a place at Oxford University, I was lucky enough to be awarded a Short Service

Gap year over, Regular Commission offered (and declined), I attended St Catherine’s College, Oxford to read

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In my final year of College I stood at the front of Chapel and did a reading at the end of term Carol Service – it was the same reading that my Grandpa, David Cooper (L, 1951), had done at the same service when he was Head of Leconfield nearly 60 years ago. At the end of the reading I returned to my seat whereupon I was told that it was the same seat that my Grandpa sat in his final year. Very sadly, he now has dementia but I hope that he remembers events like that as affectionately as I do. I strongly believe that it is the people that make College what it is, be it a friend, Housemistress or master, parents or the catering staff; but it is fundamentally the teachers that encourage your creativity and confidence.

For me, one such person was Mr Durston, and I do hope that he is still acting out the ‘real-time evolution of a dinosaur into a chicken’ with accompanying animal calls over in Kenya. n

Geography. A wonderful three years, more interesting characters, strong friendships forged and summers spent living out of my Land Rover, windsurfing in Tarifa and Morocco.

With no firm plan as to what I wanted to do after University, I joined the Schroders graduate scheme and was to become SFA Registered as a Securities Representative for the Financing & Structured Products Division of J. Henry Schroder & Co. Limited. I focused on treasury, becoming an associate member of the Association of Corporate Treasures specialising in credit for Schroders Private Bank where I was primarily involved in both onshore and offshore private banking in a variety of jurisdictions.

FLOREAT 2015

Travelling Around

By Graeme Bull (H, 2004) spent making certain that I could get away and work abroad. After graduating, I decided to spend a year travelling before returning to focus on a career. This one year journey turned into a 2 ½ year adventure, with various experiences including roles as a dive instructor on Caribbean islands, gutting fish in Raglan, New Zealand, and living with a shaman in the Bolivian Amazon.

The next four years were spent working towards my degree, which also involved living in Spain for a year as part of the course. Every holiday during this time was

Itineraries Returning to the UK in 2011 for my brother’s wedding, I decided to follow a career in the travel industry. In Cheltenham, I found a role as a Travel Co-ordinator within Abercrombie & Kent, a Luxury Tour Operator in the travel world, where we brought clients from abroad to Europe and organised their itineraries. From there I progressed to assisting and creating our Islands & Retreats Team, specialising in the Indian Ocean and Caribbean. This role covered product and sales and cemented

Thus evolved a move to Guernsey in the Channel Islands to run (and now co-own) a Trust Company specialising in Trust and Company administration for HNW and UNHW (high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals) as well as corporate clients. Work has included administering investments for over 15,000 investors on behalf of a hedge fund group, acting as family office to a number of prominent families and entrepreneurs, facilitating significant corporate acquisitions, acting as Trustee and sitting on the boards of various asset holding and trading companies.

clude participating in the 275km Jungle Marathon in 2008 (voted by CNN as the world’s toughest footrace through primary jungle and river crossings with anacondas, caiman and piranha, 40 degree heat and 99% humidity). My team of 5 raised over US$250k for the Rainbow Trust and Headway Guernsey in the process. Other highlights include riding a motorbike to Timbuktu, walking up Kilimanjaro, climbing numerous European peaks and Hvanndalschnjukur in Iceland where I fell down several crevasses and being chased by a bull elephant whilst on horseback safari in the Maasai Mara!

Changing legislation, increased and more technical regulation all add to the challenge of day-to-day life but College prepared me well for this and I owe a very large debt of gratitude not only to my parents but to College and Malcolm and Cathy Sloan in particular.

I could go on but I am limited to 500 words which I am already well over.

Whilst I would like to think I would have experienced a lot of what I have written regardless of what school I went to, I have a sneaky suspicion I owe more to College than I probably even realise. Not least are the core values that it promoted in me being, amongst others, good attitude, appreciation for others, strong work ethic and perhaps most importantly of all, a good sense of humour. Thank you, College. n

Jungle Marathon Not that it has been all work. Guernsey life is fantastic – cliffs to run on before work, boating, great seafood, fresh air and no serious commute! Off island highlights in-

A&K’s reputation as forerunner within the fly and flop market, involving “work trips” to Mauritius, the Maldives and various islands in the Caribbean. From here I was asked to join Abercrombie & Kent’s Private Travel Team as a World Specialist followed by promotion to Senior Travel Consultant.

As Senior Consultant I looked after 74 highlevel clients including Celebrities and VIPs, building a loyal relationship and exceeding their expectations on any trip they went on round the world. This involved organising dinner parties at the Tower of London to chartering luxury private yachts to cruise the Amazon. The benefit of this is that it has allowed me to have incredible experiences including sailing down the Yangtze in China, camping in the Sahara desert, following James Bond’s footsteps to the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, India, as well as my personal favourite, test driving Land Rovers for Abercrombie & Kent’s new Land Rover Adventure itineraries.

Settled I now am settled in my role of Product Manager for Latin America, Arctic and Antarctica, which involves contracting suppliers and finding new areas and experiences to offer our clients. Current highlights include looking at 4X4 luxury self drives in the wilds of Patagonia, private jet cycle trips around South America and flying clients to visit the incredible white continent, Antarctica.

A highlight of the year was being selected as one of ‘The Travel Leaders of Tomorrow’ and Travel Trade Gazette’s Top 30 under 30 in Travel. Abercrombie & Kent has provided me the opportunity to swap my backpack and sleeping on ferry boats to staying at some of the best hotels in the world, as well as experiencing different cultures and destinations that many people never get the opportunity to appreciate. n 51

FEATURES

Having moved abroad with my family before the age of one, it is no surprise different cultures and destinations fascinated me early on in life. Much of my time in Cheltenham was spent interacting with those around me, learning about the places that people came from and the lives that were lived outside of College. By the time I left Cheltenham in the summer of 2004 I had already lived in numerous countries throughout Latin America and Africa, and had been given opportunities to work in Safari Parks and charities around the globe. The next three months before university I went inter-railing throughout Europe, visiting cities on the mainland continent, then the inevitable student life began at Swansea University where I studied International Business Management with Spanish.

FEATuREs

2014 Biology Challenge

By Alexander Thorpe (5th Form, BH) The Biology Challenge is an annual competition run by the Society of Biology that is entered by students across the country and to an extent, residents in foreign countries as well.

The competition comprises two online tests that contain both topics covered by the curriculum studied by students in school such as the variety of living organisms and the skeleton, as well as those not covered in any syllabi, or the questions may go into more depth on a certain topic than would necessarily have been studied. In these instances it is necessary to use logic and derivation to attempt to understand the meaning of certain words and thereby work out the answers to such questions. The majority of the questions were multiple

choice and were designed to test knowledge but also to stimulate enthusiasm for the subject and for the natural world. At College, pupils in the 3rd and 4th Forms entered the competition, with pupils gaining 24 bronze awards, 21 silver awards and 15 gold awards – a total of 60 awards.

Awards ceremony Of the 32,500 entrants this year I was placed in the top 40 and was thus invited to attend an awards ceremony at the Royal Society in London on the 26th of June. The ceremony comprised a

What You sow You Will Reap

Carman started playing badminton at the age of seven. When asked about her previous training before her secondary education, she recalled, “Training was very intense, especially during Primary 5 and 6 (equivalent to Prep School). I had training everyday including weekends and public holidays (bank holidays). The only time when there was no training was during

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The whole process was a great experience and I was very proud to do so well. The competition has prompted me to take a greater interest in Biology and the huge variety of fields, each of them fascinating in their own way, that the subject encompasses, in particular the uses and physiology of stem cells and neuroscience. n won the Adults Ladies’ Singles session.

She also took part in the Adults Mixed Singles session on the same day where she played with the College badminton coach, Mr Griffith, in four matches. “ The Mixed Singles session was particularly tough for me. There were a lot of experienced and skilled players”, she recounted. They lost 2-1.

Karina Lai (L6th, Cha) interviews Carman Ma (L6th, Cha) on her badminton success.

In early October 2014, one of College’s students won first place in the Gloucestershire Badminton Competition in the Ladies’ Singles category. She is Carman Ma, an international student from Hong Kong. Following her sister and brother who both went off to study abroad in England, Carman applied to College with the will to broaden her horizon. “I wasn’t entirely ready to leave Hong Kong, having had to leave my dog Bobo behind,” she explained.

lecture, an awards ceremony and afternoon tea. The lecture was given by guest speaker Professor Alice Roberts from the University of Birmingham and was based on her book of the same title – ‘The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being: Evolution and the Making of Us’. I found the lecture fascinating and was particularly amazed by the common patterns in the evolution of different species and how our development is in some ways very similar to that in previous evolutionary stages. It was a fascinating insight into the process of evolution and the significance of certain stages in evolution such as that of the Cambrian Period.

Chinese New Year and during my examinations!”

Following her secondary education where Carman studied at The Diocesan Girls’ School, she became the team captain of her school’s badminton team. However, she stopped participating in competitions.

“I think it was because I had a lot of achievements in the past that I had a fear of losing.” But Carman never stopped playing badminton. “I still had training sessions every week. My coaches were crucial to my badminton life. They helped me maintain my skills.” When being asked to describe badminton as a sport, Carman said, “Badminton is a sport that needs investment of time, sweat and hard work.”

During the competition in October, Carman put through four matches and

Although both Mr Griffith and Carman were injured due to physical exertion, the competition was “a valuable experience for me,” Carman concluded. “Given the fact that it was an open competition with adults. I witnessed how people originating from different places have different ways of playing badminton.”

Now Carman is part of the regional County Team and from time to time she will be representing Gloucestershire in national competitions. “I now have training sessions during games every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I have to sacrifice some of my free time but I think it’s worth it. Badminton has made my life more fruitful and has given me the opportunity to meet a lot of people.”

Lastly she expressed her gratitude towards College for providing her with the opportunity to broaden her horizon in the world of badminton. n

FLOREAT 2015

Hong Kong OCs Boat Trip 9th August 2014

Sherlock Ng (L, 2000) describes the OC summer trip to Lamma Island which he helped to organise.

Lamma Island is one of the outlying islands in Hong Kong surrounded by green hills and beautiful bays; since it is less well known than other islands, for some it was their first visit. The island has a small fishing village tucked away from the city and is renowned for its fresh seafood. Sok Kwu Wan bustles with a long string of seafood restaurants, even more charming is the evening when each establishment tries to outshine its neighbours with bright fluorescent lighting displays and marvellous aromas of freshly-cooked fish, prawns, lobsters, molluscs and many others. We had an amazing seafood lunch in one of the restaurants and had a great time catching up with each other.

Back row: Felix Li (Xt, 1999), TK Sit (H, 1995), Harry Ching (NH, 2002), Ryan Chung (Xt, 1995), Spark So (Xt, 1998) Second row down: Terry Yip (L, 2013), Dick Wong (Xt, 2010), Janet Fong (Cha, 2012) Third row down: Henry Chan (NH, 2008), Calvin Yau (L, 2013), Douglas HIl (L, 2012), Megan Leung (Cha, 2014), Ernest HIl (L, 2014), Max Au (L, 2012), Terrence Shum (Cha, 2013), John Lam (U6th, H), Sam Au-Yeung (Xt, 2014) Front row: Leon Leong, Ruby, Maggie Li (Cha, 2010), Carrie Chan (We, 2012), Sherlock Ng (L, 2000), Sonja, Charles Wong (Xt, 2010) & Derek Shum (NH, 2012)

After lunch, we set off to Mo Tat Wan for water sports. Many accepted the challenge to jump off the boat from the second deck and some (especially those who were in the swimming team) swam to the shore from the boat. Apart from the main boat, we also hired a speedboat for wakeboarding and banana boating. Many of the sporty OCs gave it a try and it was definitely an unforgettable experience. For those who preferred to chill and relax, less energy-consuming options were sunbathing, chatting and playing card games. After approximately four hours, everyone returned to the main boat and we were ready to head back to the pier.

Time for a break Everyone was shattered after several hours of activities and as the sun started going down, it was the perfect time to listen to some music accompanied by refreshments and to enjoy the sea breeze at the front of the boat. As OCs, we had hymn singing from our collective memories. So during our way back to the pier, we all sang wellknown hymns (Jerusalem and Come My Way are must-sings) out loud while enjoying the marvellous sunset view in the middle of the sea. Although some of the OCs graduated nearly a decade before, they still remembered the melodies and lyrics!

When we caught the perfect glow of the

setting sun, we took a lot of photos together to mark the end of a great day.

This summer’s 2014 HK OC gathering was a great success. Therefore, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Charles Wong (Xt, 2010), who sent invitations; Ivan Yuen (H, 1986), who unfortunately couldn’t make the trip, for the refreshments; Spark So (Xt, 1998), Felix Li (Xt, 1999), TK Sit (H, 1995) and Ryan Chung (Xt, 1995) for the amazing seafood lunch.

Thank you also to the OC participants from Leconfield, Hazelwell, Christowe, Newick, Chandos and Westal (who were making a debut), I hope to see all of you again next year. With the support of the Association, we look forward to organising more events in the coming years. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Ivan on ivan.yuen@mspshing.com or myself on sherlockng@gmail.com n

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FEATURES

Since leaving College, I have always thought about organising gatherings and activities for Old Cheltonians in Hong Kong to keep in contact, and most importantly to support each other as a community.

After the last OC drinks in July 2014, we took advantage of the fantastic Summer weather in Hong Kong to plan a boat trip to Lamma Island. On the day, we went on board at around midday in Central and headed to our first destination – Sok Kwu Wan on Lamma Island. Since this boat trip was the first Hong Kong OC gathering for some of the participants, not everyone was familiar with each other; so the long journey to the island was a good time for OCs to introduce themselves and served as an ice-breaker between the younger and the older OCs.

OC SPORTS

OC Hockey

By Gwyn Williams (Current Staff Member)

Boys’ Day

8th February 2014 2nd XI 1 – OCs 3

•

1st XI 3 – OCs 0

Around 14 OCs returned to College for the OC Boys’ Hockey Day, the weather conditions were not the most favourable with the wind and rain pummelling the players and astro. It was great to see the boys re-

Girls’ Day

27th September 2014 1st XI 0 – OCs 2

After a hugely successful House Pots competition where every girl who plays hockey in College represented their house, the OCs returned to play their annual fixture with the current 1st XI. Pip Mitchell (A, 2008) did a marvellous job in getting the girls back as many were otherwise engaged at Tori

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turn and also to hear that they are all still actively playing at their various Universities.

The experience of the team showed through in their first match and soon the OCs raced to a two-goal advantage with some tidy finishing from Hugo Snell (L, 2010) and Harry Hitchins (NH, 2011). Although the 2nds did get a goal back, an extremely good solo effort from Alex Ross (Xt, 2011) put the game beyond the reach of the College 2nds. A short rest and the OCs took to the field against a first XI that had yet to fire on all cylinders and were indeed in the mood to rectify previous defeats in their ISHL games and play the game at a high intensity. The XI did go a goal up early in the first half and for the majority of the game both teams

had efforts but both goalkeepers kept their opposing forwards at bay. It was not until the final phases of the game that two short corners produced a two-goal brace and the XI secured a win.

Martin’s (Cha, 2007) wedding that day. There was a sizeable crowd present which added to the atmosphere; it is always great to have spectator support at events like these.

Bea Reeve-Tucker (A, 2011) scored the two goals that ensured the OC XI secured a 2-0 win. After the game everyone returned to Ashmead on the kind invitation of Mrs Cutts for drinks and nibbles before departing into the late night adventure that is Cheltenham!

Polly North (A, 2011) slotted back into her goal net as if she had never left the ‘Cotswold Astro’ and marshalled her troops ably to deny the College XI any chance of a goal. Emma Pullon (Q, 2006) who had just returned from playing a National League game for Cheltenham Hockey Club and

After the games, both players, staff and OCs dried out in the comforts of the newly converted reception room at Southwood with food and drink whilst watching the rugby.

From all those involved our thanks go to Matt Coley (Southwood Housemaster) and his wife Abi for hosting all. After two successful days for both OC boys and girls the plan is to host a mixed day sometime next season, so keep an eye out for dates and details. n

All the OC girls who attended are still playing hockey at either club or University level, which is a great testament to their commitment and love of the game. n

FLOREAT 2015

OC Rackets Weekend 2014

By Karl Cook (Director of Sport) A most successful 14th Old Cheltonian Rackets weekend took place over the weekend prior to race week, and a host of top class players produced a spectacle to savour. Having had our 25th Anniversary earlier in the year, and getting to the final of the National Old Boys’ Competition (the Noel Bruce Cup – see picture, right), we welcomed back a number of fine players.

Runners Up in the National Old Boys Cup (The Noel Bruce): left to right: Nick James (BH, 2006) and Ben Snell (L, 2002), with Charlie Liverton (S, 1992) of Neptune Investments presenting the Cup.

The competition was won by Felix Clarke (S, 2010) and Christian Portz in a relatively one sided battle with veterans of the OC competitions, Alex Coldicott (BH, 2002) and Steve Tulley. The game of the competition was probably the semi-final against the College Pair of Adrian Montagu (H, 2014) and Josh Dell (L6th, H). The weekend

itself saw 16 pairs start – OCs partnered up with a non-OC and both a Plate and Main Doubles competition took place. The Plate competition, won by Charlie Cooper (L, 2006) and Richard Offord had its moments of grace(!), but ensured that the court remained busy throughout the weekend. Always well supported, the Old

Cheltonian Rackets Black Tie Dinner was held at College on Saturday night attracting once again some 50 guests. A huge thank you, as ever, must go to our professional Mark Briers (Current Staff Member) for his quiet industry in ensuring that the weekend remains one of the most popular on the rackets circuit. n

OC SPORTS

OC Cricket

By George Brooksbank (L, 1999) OC cricket moves from strength to strength and continues to build a formidable squad of players. The XI reached the Quarter-Finals of the Cricketer Cup for the fourth time in the past five seasons.

A huge victory over Old Cholmeleians in the first round with the OCs amassing 342-5 (Chris Sandbach (NH, 2004) 132, George Sandbach (NH, 2011) 70 and Guy Brothwood (L, 2012) 60 in their 50 overs before bowling them out for 80 (Johnny Law (NH, 2011) 416). A comfortable win in the 2nd round over Old Harrovians; batting first and scoring 2029 (George Sandbach 59, James Shackleton (NH, 2007) 40*) on a tricky wicket before bowling them out for 132.

The Quarter Final against Old Cranleighans was arguably one of the best games of cricket the tournament has seen.

Cranleigh won the toss and opted to bat, losing early wickets to Anthony Kay (Xt, 2008) (4-44) and James Shackleton (2-42), falling to 66-4 off 21 overs. Stuart Meaker (England and Surrey) came out to bat at 6 and steadied the ship, scoring 74 off 83 balls,

OCCC X1 2014: Back row (l to r): Guy Mitchell (NH, 2011), Alex Mason (H, 2011), James Shackleton (NH, 2007), Johnny Law (NH, 2011), George Sandbach (NH, 2011), Guy Brothwood (L, 2012), Mark Briers (Current Staff Member) and Kyle Stovold (S, 2006 & Past Staff Member) Front row (l to r): Ben Ringrose, (L, 2013), Chris Sandbach (NH, 2004), George Brooksbank (L, 1999), Tom Richardson (XT, 1998 & Current Staff Member), Alex Duncliffe-Vines (NH, 2013)

taking Cranleigh to 246-8 in their allotted 50 overs. Despite Meaker bowling a devastatingly quick spell, the OCs never looked in doubt chasing; 190-3 off 40 overs leaving 57 required from the last 10 overs with 7 wickets in hand. They fell agonisingly short (2 runs) of the target, finishing up 2448 (Chris Sandbach 57, Ben Ringrose (L, 2013) 50, John Mills (NH, 2006) 49 from 33 balls and Ollie Soames (BH, 2014) 31 from 24 balls).

Cranleigh went on to win the tournament. n 55

OC SPORTS

OC Golf Society

By Simon Collyer-Bristow (BH, 1977 & Past Parent) The Old Cheltonian Golf Society had another very busy year in 2014, but the year will be mainly remembered for the loss of one of the Society's leading administrators, Mike Andrews-Jones (OJ & Xt, 1946). This followed on from last year’s loss of John Miller (OJ & Ch, 1958). Mike was the OCGS Hon Sec and Treasurer for many decades and literally kept the OCGS operating during lulls in activity. When he had retired from playing golf Mike still attended all the major OCGS matches, popping up on various parts of the course and being fully involved in all 19th hole activities. A full obituary appeared in the 2014 Floreat Obituary supplement.

The OCGS is open to Old Cheltonian golfers of all standards and both sexes and has a large number of elite and friendly matches and participates in all the major Old Boys’ Public School events. Membership numbers 120 players from 19 years old through to some in their 70s and the OCGS subsidises younger golfers who represent the Society in order to encourage younger members. The major internal Festival occurs in the Autumn at Denham GC. Matches are played on some of Britain’s finest courses and the emphasis is well balanced between excelling in elite scratch singles and pairs competitions and enjoying the camaraderie of golf in more social and relaxed handicapped matches against other Old Boy’s Societies.

“ Matches are played on some of Britain’s finest courses and the emphasis is well balanced between excelling in elite scratch singles and pairs competitions and enjoying the camaraderie of golf in more social and relaxed handicapped matches against other Old Boys’ Societies ”

Martin Rees (Xt, 1958), Edward Coomber (BH, 1965), Henry Rees (Xt, 1959), Robert Macleod Smith (Ch, 1965), Colin Marsh (NH, 1955), Tim Stannard (L, 1959), Alistair Thomson (L, 1967) & Richard Kennett (Ch, 1968)

Results in 2014 were mixed but with promising signs of some good new younger golfers coming through. As always the dates and the cost of some of these matches put off some people and we are addressing these issues to try and include as many players as possible in future. Notable mention must go to Henry Rees’s (Xt, 1959) OCGS team winning the Edward Harris Cup for the Welsh Public Schools’ Old Boys at Cotswold Hills GC in early October.

The winning team was Martin Rees, Edward Coomber, Henry Rees, Robert Macleod Smith, Colin Marsh, Tim Stannard, Alistair Thomson and Richard Kennett. OCGS have never won this trophy before and were also hosting the tournament for the first time.

OCGS also came a very creditable 3rd in Public Schools Midlands tournament at Little Aston GC. OCGS were knocked out in the first round of the Halford-Hewitt and Grafton Morrish and the second round of the Mellin after

tough draws. Matches were won against the Old Marlburians, Old Wellingtonians and Old Shirburnians with losses to Loretto, Medical GS and Old Decanians. The annual match versus College was lost by the OCs. Pleasingly the 8-man OCGS side was made up of younger OCs with the oldest player, George Brooksbank (L, 1999), just 32. The OCGS also played the OC Cricketers in a friendly at Coombe Hill which ironically the cricketers won!!

The Autumn Festival at Denham GC saw some magnificent silverware go mainly to Henry Keeling (Xt, 2006) with Edward Coombe (BH, 1965) and James Baker (Ch, 1979) winning the rest. This was followed by the AGM. Next season sees another full fixture list of 18 events running from February through till November. All details on the OCGS are available via the Cheltonian Association & Society website. n

View of the two-tiered 15th green at Denham Golf Club 56

FLOREAT 2015

Announcements Charlie Hutton (S, 2005) married Abigail

Marriages

Lyle in Chapel on 5th April 2014.

Natalie Gough

(Cha, 2000) married Philipp Rotermund on 28th August 2013, in Chapel.

Julius Heusgen (BH, 2000) and Dorothea LichtenauerBabace (Cha, 2000) attended.

Charles Waters

(OJ & BH, 2002) and Jen Greenham were married by the Rev. Nicholas Lowton (Past Staff Member) in Chapel on 29th March 2014.

Tiffany Ischinger

(Cha, 2005) married Maximilian EberIschinger on 5th July 2014. Nina Ischinger (Cha, 2001), Nuran Aliyev (H, 2005), Bridie Bischoff (Cha, 2005), Julie-Marie Fried (Cha, 2004), Henrietta Harford (Cha, 2001) Katerina Pahlson-MĂśller (Cha, 2005) and James Pickard (BH, 2004) attended.

Hugo Busbridge

(BH, 2004) married Ruth Lau in Chapel on 26th July 2014.

Births Andrew Schuman (S, 1986) and his wife Sophie are pleased to announce the birth of their son Ivo, born on 9th July 2009 and their daughter Ottilie, born on 15th September 2011.

Simon (L, 1998) and Becky Cowley

Nina Ischinger (Cha, 2001) and her partner, Gernot Harl, are pleased to announce the birth of their daughters, Lilo Teresa on 22nd August 2011 and Emma Louise on 24th June 2014.

Jamie Wood (Xt, 1991) and his wife

Kasia are pleased to announce the birth of their son Alexander Jack Findlay, born on 17th September 2014.

Jonathan Goodale (NH, 2001) and his wife Katherine are pleased to announce the birth of their son Jack Thomas Franklin, born on 9th October 2014.

William Molesworth (H, 1978) and his

wife Natalia are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Elizabeth Galina Anne, born on 25th October 2014.

(H, 2004) and Joey Dukes were married by the Rev. Nicholas Lowton (Past Staff Member) in Chapel on 2nd August 2014. George Harford (H, 2004) and Graeme Bull (H, 2004) were ushers.

George Watts

(H, 2004) married

Olivia Howard

(Cha, 2004) on 19th July at Cripps Barn in Bibury.

Freddy Tuppen (L, 2004) was Best Man and Olly Snell (L, 2004) was an usher. Frances Howard (Cha, 2006) was a bridesmaid and Amanda Buckley (Cha, 2000) and Jessica Smith (Cha, 2000) both did a reading.

(S, 2007) married Kate Macpherson on Saturday 23rd August in The Abbey Church, Waltham Abbey.

Bruce Bailey (S, 2007) and Adam Hughes (S, 2007) were two of the six ushers. Lara Bogie (Q, 2007), Alice Elliott (Q, 2007), Alice Todd (nee King Q, 2007), Julia Foster (Q, 2007), Emily Derbishire (OJ), Alexander Cox (BH, 2007) and Alexander Ffinch (Current Staff Member) attended.

Victoria Martin

(Cha, 2007) married Alister Hirst on 27th September at St John the Baptist Church, Hannington. Lucy Martin (Cha, 2009), Angela Whayman (Cha, 2007) & Katherine White (Cha, 2007) were bridesmaids. Murray Abel, (Xt, 2007) drove the bride to the church and Blair Abel (Cha, 2009), Hen Jerram (Cha, 2007), Georgina Davies (Cha, 2007), Lexi StrakerNesbitt (A, 2007), Natacha Kay (A, 2007), Natasha Poole (Cha, 2007) and Rachel White (Cha, 2009) attended.

Tom Richardson

(Xt, 1998 & Current Staff Member) married Katie O’Callaghan on 18th October at All Saints Church, Surrey. Jonny Hill (Xt, 1998) and John Richards (Xt, 1998) were ushers.

Congratulations to all from The Cheltonian Association & Society!

Please let us know of any announcements for the 2016 issue of Floreat and be sure to send us your wedding photographs.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

(nee Grote Cha, 1997) are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Amber Rose, born on 3rd January 2014.

Tom Layton

Richard Brain

OC SOCiETy

Message from the President of The Cheltonian Society It has been a great pleasure to meet so many OCs at various Association and Society gatherings and events over the last twelve months and to hear their recollections of their time at College and of their abiding interest as College evolved into the 21st Century under its purposeful leadership and management.

The OC Sports Clubs have been active as always and enjoyed success. The cricketers again reached the quarter finals in the Cricketer Cup to lose to the Old Cranleighans who went on to win the competition.

Cheltonian Society executive Committee AP Arengo-Jones (BH, 1962) PFD Badham (Th, 1965) President RF Badham-Thornhill (H, 1973) PS Hammerson (L, 1962) SL Mathers (Cha, 1996) CN Peace (H, 1960) EL Rowland (Xt, 1962) D Stewart (H, 1978) A Straker-Nesbitt (A, 2007) MGP Swiney (NH, 1969) CWS Waters (BH, 2002) M Sloan (OC Administrator)

ex-officio Members

I am delighted that Robin BadhamThornhill (H, 1973) was elected President Designate at the AGM in September and will take over from me as President after the AGM on 19th September 2015. Robin will be well known to many of you as he also taught at College and was Housemaster of Boyne House from 1985 to 1993.

Awards The Society, in conjunction with the Trustees of the Cheltonian Endowment Trust, were pleased to make Travel Awards (to the L6th) to enable:

C Dickens (Development Director) R Creed (Cheltonian Association Manager)

• Imogen Barnes (Q) to travel to Kilimanjaro to work in an orphanage and teach in a primary school.

Trustees of the CeT

• Caitlin Christopher (A) to gain work experience in a hospital in Ghana.

A P Arengo-Jones (BH, 1962) Chairman PFD Badham (Th, 1965) HE Burgoyne (Cha, 1987) RAR Davidson (BH, 1967) Treasurer NP McCanlis (BH, 1966) GL Prain (Ch, 1959) EL Rowland (Xt, 1962) CB Stevens (Ch, 1964) MGP Swinney (NH, 1969)

Annual General Meeting NOTICe is hereby given that the 2015 Annual General Meeting of the Cheltonian Society will be held in the Cricket Pavilion at Cheltenham College on Saturday 19th September at 11.30am. Please refer to the Cheltonian Association and Society website for the Agenda in due course.

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• Tom Dowley (L) to hike from Lausanne to Geneva where he toured CERN (Conseil Europeén pour la Recherche Nucléaire).

• Lucy Gray (A) to teach English and Mathematics at Shamrock School in Nepal.

• Christian Johnston (L) to attend a four day residential Nanotechnology course at Leeds University.

• Cosimo Khairy (Xt) to travel to Ghana to teach in an orphanage.

As postage is increasingly expensive and impractical it would be most helpful if you could let Malcolm Sloan, the OC Administrator, have your email address, if we do not have it already.

Rebecca Creed and her colleagues in the Association Office and Malcolm Sloan put in a lot of hard work and I cannot thank them enough. Also, I am greatly indebted to the executive committee whose extensive range of interests and experience contributes so much.

Please do not hesitate to contact either Malcolm Sloan, 01242 265664, m.sloan@cheltenhamcollege.org or myself on 01242 680219, peterbadham382@btinternet.com Peter Badham (Th, 1965)

The Cheltonian Endowment Trust The Cheltonian Endowment Trust (CET), formerly the Cheltonian Trust Endowment Fund, was formed in 1917 for the purpose of acquiring donations, subscriptions and legacies and then applying the income for the benefit of Cheltenham College. This fund was merged in 2005 with the Cheltonian Society Fund and the Sir John Dill Fund to make a larger and more effective charitable fund.

The fund is an independent Trust run by a board of Old Cheltonians. The fund is professionally managed. The income is used primarily to assist families who find themselves in a situation where, without our support, they would otherwise have to withdraw their children from College.

In addition, the CET funds Travel Awards for L6th pupils and also a number of prizes. Furthermore, when sufficient funds are available, the Trust provides other assistance to College.

We are always looking for support, both for OCs to become trustees and for financial contributions. To find out more, please get in touch with me through Malcolm Sloan, the OC Administrator.

Paul Arengo-Jones, Chairman (BH, 1962)

FLOREAT 2015

A Lifetime Opportunity Caitlin Christopher (U6th, A) describes her visit to Ghana.

Working at the LA General Hospital in Accra has been, by far, the most educational, emotional and valuable experience of my life so far. Although my 16 days in Ghana flew past faster than I could imagine, I managed to fill my time with many life changing opportunities, primarily working on a delivery ward. Not even having tests for possible malaria, suffering severe food poisoning or BBC news headlines about the Ebola virus was going to stop me.

My placement began at 8.00am in LA General Hospital and finished at noon.

Every morning I would get up at 5.45am, shower outside using a bucket of rain water, have breakfast with plenty of Imodium, and leave by 6.30am to join the manic morning rush hour. Travelling through the city centre on my own was, at first, an extremely daunting experience, but within the first week I began to enjoy it more, and learnt directions to various places. The public transport is mainly shared taxis, which cost about two Cedi per person, or 0.34 pence, or the trotro, which can only be described as an oversized African version of a tuck tuck. It is like a small people carrier which holds at least 20 people, with aisle seats that fold down to fill every possible space! There is a man who sits at the rear window called the ‘Mate’ who gives a hand direction while shouting out the name of the final destination. For example, to get home I would need Teshie Nungua, but the Mate would just shout ‘Nungua! Nungua!

Nungua!’ while shaking his hand from side to side with his palm facing down.

On my placement, I kept a journal every day of all the little things that interested me, what I saw and did. In the first week, I worked at an outreach clinic with a nurse

called Elizabeth. We weighed and vaccinated at least ten babies every day, outside on a makeshift table. This could not have been hygienic, as we were between a road and main sewage line, and all the sewage in Ghana flows along the roadside where a pavement would normally be.

For my second week, I moved into the main hospital and worked on the Gynaecology & Labour ward. I had the most amazing experience working there. I talked to the mothers, cuddled their babies and asked them many questions to record comparable data. English is the first language there, but I also learnt some Ga, one of the tribal tongues. Each morning, I would ask the women ‘Ete Sen’ and they would respond with ‘Aye’ which means ‘how are you’ and ‘I’m ok’. On my penultimate day, I had the privilege of witnessing and helping a woman in labour.

Here is an extract from my journal which describes it.

‘Today was completely magical. I went up to the labour ward to help the head nurse.

She allowed me to take some photos of the ward and main operating theatres.

She then asked me if I would like to step into the delivery room. I quite literally had the shock of my life as soon as I walked in.

I’m not sure if it was purely the initial shock of what I saw, or just the fact that I was on the top floor of a large building exposed to the midday sun at 35°C. Either way, I felt a sort of panic hot flush. After a minute, I began to adjust to the situation I had been thrown into. I was in the room

now, so there was no turning back.

Initially, I thought the mother was having a breech birth, which means her baby is born feet first. But, then I saw some hair the toes were actually fingers!’

And at 11.52 am, 8 minutes before the end of my shift, a beautiful, perfectly healthy, tiny baby girl was born. At some points of the birth I felt quite scared and helpless because of the shouting between the midwives and mother. I learnt that this screaming is a spiritual remedy and is supposed to ward off evil during the birth to ensure the child’s passage into life is safe. The midwives almost psych up the mothers and encourage them to focus on their singing and shouting, which also helps distract them from the pain. Still to this day, it is one of the most beautiful things I’ve experienced.

I also came across miscarriage in Africa, which couldn’t be dealt with more differently to the UK. I had to fill out 50 questions of a Stillbirth Clinical Audit Form, which interrogates the mother about the stillbirth and asks her lessons learnt from the situation. As you can imagine, this made me feel very emotional and helpless, as I’m sure it would anyone. However, this just highlights the harsh reality of some cultures in the world, and this was my insight to the Ghanaian way. n

59

OC SOCIETy

I am very grateful to the Cheltonian Endowment Trust for the travel award.

To anyone at College thinking of applying, I strongly recommend that you do. I have had an experience better than I could have wished for, met some incredible people, been a part of many new and fascinating things. I have met many new faces and made new friends, and now have some unforgettable memories.

AssOciATiOn MERchAndisE

To order by post: Send a cheque payable to ‘Cheltenham College Services’ to Rebecca Creed, Association Manager, Cheltenham College, Bath Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL53 7LD. To order by phone: Call 01242 265694 with card details.

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Clothing & Accessories 1. Flip Flops £2.50 Prep sizes, 3, 5 & 7 1 SS Sizes, 5, 7 & 10 2. Rugby Shirts £20 Ladies M & L 5 Mens S, M & L 3. Socks £7 Size 4-7 4. Ladies’ Boxer Shorts £5 S (26’) & M (28’) 5. Silver Cufflinks £70 6. Prep Cufflinks £30 7. Small Umbrella £15 8. Large Umbrella £20 9. Girls’ House Friendship Bracelets £12 10. House Towels £18 11. Pewter Trinket Box £8 12. Chrome Key ring £10 13. Polo Belt £28 14. OC Tie £10* 14 15. Self Tie Silk Bow Tie £15* 16. Pre-Tied Silk Bow Tie £15* 17. Ladies’ OC Silk scarf £10* 18. OC Woollen Scarf £20* * OCs Only

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3 7

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Stationery, Books & CDs 19 19. Sheaffer Fountain Pen & Pencil Full Set £35 20. Fountain Pen only £25 21. Paperweight £8 22. Then & Now by Tim Pearce £8 23. Cheltenham College Chapel by Nicholas Lowton £8 24. Celebr08! By Tim Pearce £10 25. Then & Now and Celebr08! £15 26 26. College Chapel Choir 2007 CD £2.50 27. College Chapel Choir 1999 CD £2.50 28. Coeperut Loqui Chamber Coir CD 2009 £8 29. Salve Puerule CD £5

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18 17 15

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Michael Aubery £95 (inc p&p) 19” x 22” mounted

Ian Weatherhead Limited edition prints (300), choice of: Birds Eye View of Cheltenham, Chapel Interior, Rugby At The Prep, Cricket Festival, Leavers’ Ball, Rugby, Dining Hall Framed £189 (p&p £15 – UK only) Print Only £120 (p&p £6 – UK only) Frame Choice: Silver, Natural Ash, Gold Ian Weatherhead Pack of Notelets £10

Ken Messer Watercolour Prints Limited edition prints (250), choice of: View Over Chapel & Library Cheltenham College – The Main Building Print Only £8

College Cards £1.90 Pack of College Cards (choice of 6) £10

Please note there is a one-off charge of £2.95 per order for UK postage and packaging. Overseas postage cost will vary.

This excludes College prints which are charged as indicated.

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Robin Temple (BH, 1944) Nice to see in the last edition that Coll XV beat Radley. I played against them in 1944, as tight head prop and one of my enduring memories is of Radley’s captain playing opposite to me and indulging in what would now be classed as illegal scrimmaging! And I have borne a grudge against them ever since! Silly isn’t it!

Floreat is now quite a read! Interesti ng to see the wide range of activities that the boys and girls get up to these days !

Chris Wood (L, 1968) I really enjoyed the article on Jonathan Williams in Floreat 14. I followed him to Leconfield some 10 years later and having subsequently had a lifetime's (dilettante) involvement with motor racing, I have always been aware of him, a fascinating and illustrious figure in the sport... but somewhat mysterious given his life on the continent.

John Dagley-Morris (OJ & DB, 195 8) It was with sadness that I read of the death of Gordon Wallace -Hadrill , or Wally-H as we called him. It was he in the Lower Sixth and Mike Morgan in the Upper Sixth who skilfully man aged to concert a dreary episode of date crunching for O level history into an absorbing two years of fascinat ion for the subject for A level.

He was rarely parted from his favo urite pipe and I well remember his eye s wide with satisfaction when he found it on his desk left behind betwee n lessons in the New Block. A fine man and a fine teacher.

Cheltonian Association & Society Cheltenham College Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7LD 01242 265694 r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org www.cheltenhamcollege.org Editor: Rebecca Creed, Association Manager

Diana Grassie ng to me the Thank you for forwardi Obituary the d an t copy of Florea husband John my ich wh in nt suppleme was most It .

Grassie’s entry appears and me to rs hte ug pleasing for our da ries of his mo me od go ld read. John he tter of ma was a time at College and it Old in te ipa regret his ability to partic his by sed mi pro com Boy activities was h alt he of te sta d an y ilit severe disab over so many years.

Barney Richards (Ch, 1952) It was great to receive the latest copy of Floreat. It gets better each time and the only depressing aspect is read ing the obituaries of my contemporarie s – only four this time! Still they are inte resting and time does not stand still.

And it is good to read how wel l College is doing in these challenging tim es. I was delighted to see that amo ngst the photographs from the House Reu nions at the HAC – another excellent event – was one of my son David and mys elf.

Many thanks.

Parents) Carolyn & Carl Hoyer (Past dedication and e lov the Floreat reveals oved school. the Alumni have for the bel ns for his pla g Our son is already makin son, to enrol!

Joanne Patterson (Cu rrent Parent) Congratulations on a spectacular edition of the Floreat.

It is a pleasure to read from beginning to end. The quality of the articles is excellent.

ast Parent) Philippe Verelst (P ost enjoyable m e th r Thank you fo I remember in Floreat magazines. e e of wisdom at th particular the advic st be e 14 issue. ‘Th top of p48 in the 20 eams come true is dr ur yo way to make Valery. to wake up’ – Paul t deeply true! It bu d ar rw tfo Straigh ous ‘il n’y a fam e reminds me of th ve puisse render un rê qu’une chose qui ’ er. ou ch d’é peur impossible: c’est la e ion would be ‘Ther lat ns tra A . lho P.Coe uld wo why a dream is only one reason the fear of failure.’ it’s e, not come tru Encouraging!

Dan Hearn (NH, 1959) How kind of you to send the latest edition of ‘Floreat Cheltonia’ . I enjoy it. It has a positive ‘spin’ (wrong wo rd!) and puts College at the forefront of your competitors. You have an exc ellent product to sell and it’s good for the public to read of polo, racquet s and the cricket week.

Please continue to keep me

informed.

Tony Atkinson (NH, 1946) on the I would like to congratulate you the Old in ting wri lity qua h hig style and at my rse Cheltonian magazine. Of cou . It is rest inte of age the obituaries are nces of erie exp the d rea very pleasing to girls the see to glad I'm s. ent the stud life of playing a significant part in the the College.

Bill Offer (L, 1958) I was very happy to see the ‘An s)’ Extraordinary Reunion (after 55 year to s seem le artic the feature in Floreat, ady I have had a good response and alre have had some interesting emails.

Phil Keith-Roach (Ch, 19 61) Thanks for another excelle nt production – a very interesting one again.

Sir Alan Haselhurst (H, 1956) Thank you for the latest edition of ‘Floreat Cheltonia’. Apart from enjoying this impressive publication, I am grateful for the souvenir of my visit which it contains.

Patrick McCanlis (BH, 19 66) Congratulations on ano ther first class edition! It really is an inv igorating read, so full of enthusiasm of all the good & positive activities & devel opments going on at College. At long last you are succeeding in stoking up the latent enthusiasm & loyalty of OCs! Well done.

Flourish is also an excelle nt addition to Floreat & far better as a separate item.

As above you are really beginning to get through & I do hope you are bringing home the bacon !