From the Head
Dear Old Edwardians,
As another academic year unfolds at King Edward’s with all of the glorious bustle which seems to mark every single term here at school, I find myself increasingly struck by the extraordinary threads that connect our past, present, and future. Walking through our historic corridors each day, I see not just today’s eager faces but am reminded of the generations of remarkable individuals who have passed through these same spaces – you, our cherished Old Edwardians, who continue to be such an integral part of the KES story.
It is this profound sense of continuity and community that has inspired our latest and most exciting initiative. Today, I am delighted to announce the launch of our new KES Alumni Hub, a digital space created specifically to celebrate and strengthen the bonds that make our Old Edwardian community so special. Time and again, I hear heartwarming stories of OEs supporting one another, maintaining decadeslong friendships, and carrying forward the values that King Edward’s instilled in them. These stories reinforce my firm belief that King Edward’s is not merely a school for your formative years, but truly a school for life.
What excites me most about the Hub is its potential to create meaningful connections between our past pupils and our current generation of Edwardians. Through this platform, you can directly impact the lives of today’s pupils in numerous ways. Whether through offering career mentoring, providing work experience opportunities, sharing your professional insights through our speaker programme, or supporting our bursary fund – your experience and support can be transformative. Our current pupils are eager to learn from
Join us on our networking and social media channels.
The School has an active Linkedin networking group and KES alumni Facebook page. Join us to keep in touch with other alumni and friends and hear news on school activities and reunions.
Where are you now?
Have you recently moved or changed your email address? In order to continue hearing about alumni activities relevant to your year groups and receive your free copy of the magazine, please notify us of any changes to your contact details, particularly if you think we may not have an email address for you.
your journey, and your success stories can inspire them to aim higher and dream bigger.
The Hub makes it easier than ever to give back to the school community that helped shape your own journey. You can browse upcoming school events, register for mentoring opportunities, or explore ways to support our bursary programme, which continues to open doors for talented young people who might otherwise miss out on a King Edward’s education. Every contribution, whether of time, experience, or resources, helps to ensure that the opportunities you enjoyed are available to future generations.
As I look through this edition of the magazine, I am struck by the incredible achievements of our alumni across every field of endeavour. These stories remind us that the King Edward’s experience extends far beyond the classroom, creating lasting bonds and shared values that continue to shape lives long after leaving our gates. The Alumni Hub will allow us to share and celebrate these stories more widely than ever before, creating a living archive of the Old Edwardian experience.
While the platform itself is impressive, its true value will come from your participation. I warmly encourage you to register for a profile and begin exploring all that the Hub has to offer. Share your stories, reconnect with old friends, and most importantly, consider how you might support the next generation of Edwardians. Your feedback will be invaluable as we continue to develop and enhance the platform in the years ahead.
King Edward’s has always been more than just a school –it’s a community that spans generations, united by shared experiences and values. The Alumni Hub represents the next chapter in this ongoing story, one where the achievements of the past can directly inspire and support the aspirations of the future. I look forward to seeing this digital community flourish through your engagement and support.
Neal Parker Head
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The easiest way to amend your contact preferences or to unsubscribe is via our new KES Alumni Hub (alumni.kes.school) which you can read all about on pages 4 & 5 of this edition of the magazine. Alternatively, you can email edwardians@kes.hants.sch.uk stating your full name and date of birth.
News from the School
Hockey astroturf replaced
This summer saw the installation of a new astroturf (affectionately now known as Smurf Turf) at our Hill Lane site. Players of all levels have been using it in lessons and for matches. The improved surface enhances their playing experience, supports skill development and has already elevated girls’ hockey. The girls’ sides have begun the season by winning the County Championship at U12, U13, U16 and U18 level.
KES becomes Beacon School for Gender Action
The School has worked closely alongside Gender Action this year maintaining our pupils’ high expectations of best practice in gender equality in education and opportunity. In partnering with Gender Action, we have grown our focus to include academic engagement of girls in Physics at A Level and the pupil voice across the School. In July 2024 King Edward’s became a Beacon School with Gender Action - only the second school in the country to achieve this level. After his visit in July, Clive Belgeonne, Gender Action Consultant, reflected “Gender equity really does seem part of your overall commitment to EDI. Talks with governors, parents, staff and pupils showed it is very much part of your ethos.”
The Allen Grant Trophy
The House competition was a long and hard-fought one last year that went down to the wire but, for the first time in living memory, it was Watts who emerged victorious to end Reynolds’ long run as champions and raise aloft the Allen Grant Trophy in 2024. Well done Watts!
Welcome to the KES Alumni Hub
We are delighted to announce the official launch of our brand new KES Alumni Hub. The Hub provides you - our OE community - with a fabulous interactive online platform. You can easily reconnect with former classmates, book on to OE events, read updates about other alumni, tell us your news, offer help with careers advice and mentoring, lend your support to our fundraising initiatives and so much more. Powered by leading alumni software company ToucanTech, we invite you to create a profile today and start exploring the site.
Log on at alumni.kes.school
Read news about your alumni community
Book your place at alumni events
View our event galleries
Raise your hand to volunteer Learn
Help us by Volunteering
Members of our OE community are already volunteering their time to help current KES pupils; by delivering inspirational talks, attending events or by joining online sector specific career panels. Several alumni attended this year’s KES Careers Fair to offer their advice and guidance to current pupils considering their career options and next steps. We are extremely grateful to all those who have already helped out.
Hearing about the experiences of former pupils is invaluable to younger students and many of you may recall attending similar sessions when you were at school. Whether you would be willing to share your story about professional experiences and achievements, your GAP year, university applications, writing personal statements, what it’s really like to work within a particular industry, or anything else, we would be delighted to hear from you. The easiest way to do this is to sign up to the KES Alumni Hub at alumni. kes.school. In the volunteering section, you can indicate the ways in which you would like to help and our Careers Team will get in touch when a good opportunity arises.
Staff Retirements
Chris Giles
At Easter, we bade farewell to Mr Giles, who retired after 42 years at KES. During this time he has been a valued member of the Classics Department, both as a teacher and Head of Department. Those whom he has taught will agree that Mr Giles has been more than a teacher: he has been a truly individual educator. Generations of pupils have fond memories not only of his Classics lessons, which he brought to life with his powerful personality (and with the help of Messrs. Holmes and Potter) but also of his calmness, kindness and respect. Chris has also been the venerable leader of the Cactus Club and Scamp Club. He previously ran the Charities programme for many years and has been an invaluable member of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. He will be missed by staff and pupils alike for his quirky sense of humour and fun. Ave atque vale, optime magistrorum.
Sue Quinn
Mrs Quinn joined King Edward’s 13 years ago as a teacher of economics. At the heart of her teaching is a patient, caring approach, focused on ensuring her students can both enjoy the subject and maximise their outcome. She has contributed to many co-curricular activities including Young Enterprise and, more latterly, Tycoon. As a member of the teacher training team, she has provided excellent support for trainees over recent years. Sue has been an Upper and Lower School tutor and an assistant at Cookery Club, enthusiastically encouraging many pupils to cook and bake. She has been as a safe pair of hands on many Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, coached a netball team and accompanied the first school trip to Morocco. Sue is great company, has a great sense of humour and will be missed by us all.
Ray Maher
Mr Maher joined the School in 2005, taking up the role of Bursar. His first day of employment at KES coincided with our first day of owning Wellington Sports Ground. He has fulfilled his role with courage and steadfastness, leading the business operations of the School, but never losing sight of its purpose in educating young people. He has, at times, had to make difficult decisions and hold difficult but honest conversations but, throughout, he has always stood up to this responsibility. He has always done his job with compassion and a determination to do what is right and just. A risk manager who works like a Trojan, Ray’s resilience and determination was never tested more than during the extraordinary years of COVID. Ray takes a great pride in his team and their evolution over the years. The Finance Office and Professional Services Staff have risen to every challenge alongside Ray and have developed their own significant skills under his leadership. A man with a deeply held faith that drives him to seek to live a kind, gentle and faithful life, the School will be poorer for his absence and we thank him for his many years of dedicated service.
Reunions
This year we have added some brand new events to the KES alumni social calendar. Following feedback from a number of OEs that you would like to have the opportunity to attend more events outside of your specific year group reunions, we are pleased to introduce a Christmas drinks evening in December and an exciting new OE Sports Festival event next June. Both are open to all OEs of any year group. Alongside these, we will be holding a 10 year reunion for the Class of 2014, a 50 year reunion for the Classes of 75 & 76, there will another Former Heads of School and Deputies dinner in May and the chance to meet for drinks at a London venue in the Spring.
You can find out more details by signing up to the KES Alumni Hub at alumni.kes.school where you can book tickets and register your interest. We will also send out further information by email nearer to the relevant dates.
Poole Veterans’ Reunion
Amongst our alumni community are those who attended the School during the Second World War and were evacuated to Poole Grammar School. A group of these former evacuees met in the Summer Term for an informal lunch here at KES. There were many anecdotes about billets, favourite teachers and classroom high jinx during their school years. We feel very privileged that they still choose to return to visit us at KES after all these years.
Forthcoming Reunions
10 Year Reunion: Class of 2014 22nd November 2024 7.30-10.30pm at KES
Christmas Drinks: All invited 12th December 2024 6.30-8.30pm at KES
Former Heads of School and Deputies’ Dinner 16th May 2025 7.00-10.00pm at KES
London Drinks: All invited Date & Venue tbc
OE Sport Festival: All invited 28th June 2025 10.00am-7.00pm at KES
Annual former staff lunch
A host of recent and not-so-recent faces joined us in October as former retired staff gathered together for their annual lunch.
Who do you recognise?
KES Lecture Series
Following the success of last year’s sessions, featuring renowned speakers and experts from diverse fields from sailing to nanotechnology, history and politics, we are excited to announce our 24/25 lineup. We are pleased to invite members of our OE community to join us for any sessions of interest. Lectures are free and can be booked via ticketsource. https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/keslectureseries
23rd January, 7pm:
Mark Frame – “From Tech Geek to Surgical Innovator: My Journey to Knee Surgeon”
Be inspired by Mark Frame, a consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon at University Hospital Southampton, as he shares his remarkable journey from tech enthusiast to pioneering knee surgeon. Discover how Mark’s innovative use of technology, including 3D printing, has revolutionized surgical preparation and made significant contributions to the NHS. Learn about his global career, which has taken him from Texas to the Western Isles of Scotland. This is a must-attend event for anyone interested in the intersection of technology and medicine.
27th March, 7pm:
Pete Jones – “The Stormy Blast: The Stories Behind the KES Pupils who went to War”
In 2013, former KES teacher Peter Jones embarked on a mission to uncover and share the poignant histories of our school’s past pupils who went to war. His book, “The Stormy Blast,” is a heartfelt tribute to these brave individuals. Through their personal stories, Peter brings to life the incredible journeys of KES students who transitioned from the familiar school grounds to the battlefields of Europe. Join us to gain a deeper understanding of their sacrifices and the profound impact on the KES community. Copies of the book will be available for purchase on the night.
KES receives transformational gift for bursary holders’ extra costs.
We are delighted to announce a £285,000 gift from the Frank Misselbrook Foundation, the latest chapter in the Trust’s longstanding support of King Edward’s.
This generous gift will establish an endowment to fund extra costs for new 100% bursary award holders from the 2025-26 academic year onwards. At KES, we are proud to play our part in increasing opportunities for young people in our city by providing several full and partial bursaries each year. However, up until now, bursary award holders have only received financial
assistance with the fee itself.
Thanks to this generous support from the Frank Misselbrook Foundation, new pupils who are awarded a 100% bursary will also be eligible to receive funding for school uniforms, essential technology for learning, lunches, travel and a school trips allowance. All of these costs are vital to the everyday KES experience, and this gift will ensure that all pupils receive similar opportunities regardless of their financial background.
How a bursary has helped me
Emily Pike (KES 13-20)
My name is Emily and I am halfway through my Veterinary Science degree at the University of Surrey. I am so grateful to be where I am now and I know that I have developed the skills and perseverance to face any challenges that come my way.
I came to KES on a bursary between 2013-2020, which was brilliant for me. I ended up studying Biology, Chemistry and Maths at A Level, which set me up perfectly for my degree. I was also involved in lots of cocurricular activities like the Charities Commission, Tap Dance and Street Dance, which I loved being part of. I made friends for life at KES and, to this day, we still meet up as much as our now busy lives allow.
I know that many alumni and supporters donate to fund bursaries like mine – so I’d like to say thank you. There is a huge amount of untapped potential amongst young people in Southampton, and KES is a place where that can be cultivated. I grew up fairly close to the School but would never have been able to attend if it wasn’t for a bursary. KES has been a huge part in shaping the person I am today and my path could have looked very different otherwise.
One of the best things about KES was that everyone is treated as an individual – there’s no one size fits all approach. I developed great working relationships with teachers, who helped me to grow in my knowledge and confidence to face challenges. I’ve taken this into my Veterinary degree, where the strong communication skills I developed at KES have been crucial, as on a dayto-day basis I meet so many people with different needs.
Aged 11, it is so hard to know which is the right school for you. With the benefit of hindsight, I’m so glad my parents took the opportunity for me to attend KES. I’d encourage any parents/guardians of a young person with a passion for learning and co-curricular activities to apply for a bursary. My interests were science and dance, and KES helped nurture and develop those, but yours might be different. That’s one of the best things about KES – there is such a wide variety of opportunities and a place for you whatever your interests are. If even a small part of you thinks you can do this (and I hope you know that you ARE capable), KES can be the place to help you grow.
I could talk about my personal experience of KES for pages and pages but walking around the School recently and looking at some of its history on show, I had the sense that every pupil including myself is part of something really special. I’m so glad to have studied at KES for seven years and to know that those memories will stretch on far longer.
Harry Savage (KES 12-17)
Harry Savage is currently the champion of Series 88 (aired from July to December 2023) of the well-known and popular TV show Countdown. He appeared 11 times in total, playing eight preliminary games in August and returning for the series finals in December.
Harry’s love of the programme began during Sixth Form but it was not until a couple of years later that his university friends convinced him to apply for a place on the show. Filming took place in the studios at Salford Quays where typically five episodes are filmed in one day. Harry’s final preliminary game proved to be his best statistics-wise, and also his highest-scoring game. He scored a whopping 130 points, spotting some obscure words such as radiomen and caponier. However, the fact that Harry is currently reading Biology at Hertford College, Oxford (where he is in his 4th year studying fossil corals as part of his Master’s project) also proved useful with other biology-related words including woodsia (a shrub), ocreate (a shape of leaf), bowhead (a type of whale), ceratopid (a dinosaur), pimeleas (plants), saurian (dinosaur-like creatures) and hortensia (a flower) all gaining valuable points.
Winning the series finals in December earns Harry the title of Champion of series 88. Whilst his TV appearances are finished for now, it is highly likely he will be invited back for a champion-of-champions tournament in a couple of years’ time.
Harry says: “I enjoyed my time on Countdown. Colin Murray, the main presenter, was great and always very encouraging to all the contestants. It was good to meet Rachel Riley and Susie Dent too, but they were both kept busy with full outfit changes between each episode. It’s surprising how busy it is on the studio floor – there’s a lot of pressure to get everything filmed as soon as possible but it was a unique experience.”
Changing the Future for Refugee Youth
Since September, I have been working with Alsama Project, an NGO headquartered in Beirut’s Shatila Refugee Camp. Alsama is dedicated to transforming the educational landscape for refugee youth in Lebanon who have been denied formal schooling. Through its non-formal education centres, it offers life-changing opportunities to hundreds of teenagers who the traditional education system would otherwise overlook.
At the heart of Alsama’s mission is the belief that education is imperative to empower and uplift everyone –no matter your background. Currently, over 880 students are enrolled across four centres, most of whom are teens who’ve experienced years of disrupted schooling. Given their volatile and disruptive backgrounds, 95% of Alsama teens have no prior formal education, starting out with us as illiterate and/or innumerate, potential victims of child marriage or child labour. In under five months, they thrive, achieving literacy and numeracy, and are eager for more. This year, Alsama faced its biggest challenge yet. Heavy bombardments in Beirut massively disrupted our operations, forcing us to temporarily close. Many of our students had to leave their homes. Staff too.
Nevertheless, Alsama’s top-year students remain ready for the next stage. Despite their academic growth, these students lack access to a formal, globally recognised certificate—an essential step if they want to move forward. To address this need, Alsama has developed the G12++, a certification designed specifically for refugee youth.
The G12++ is the world’s first exam-based qualification created for displaced youth, providing a pathway for students whose education has been interrupted. Developed with support from Oxford MeasurEd, Cambridge Assessment, and the University of Leicester, the G12++ aims to assess both core academic skills and essential life skills like problem-solving, communication, and adaptability. It’s rigorous yet accessible, designed to
give students a recognised credential that reflects their true capabilities.
My background at KES taught me the importance of a nurturing educational environment—one that encourages students to exceed their expectations, develop their interests, and grow emotionally. KES is all about fostering resilience, curiosity, developing the confidence to pursue goals—values that I see reflected in Alsama’s approach.
As part of Alsama’s Strategy and Development team, I’m involved in supporting the growth of the G12++. We’re currently planning to beta-test the exam with around 200 students from NGOs globally, working towards international accreditation to ensure that universities and employers globally will recognise the G12++. We’re also exploring digital formats, so it can be accessed by students in even the most hard-to-reach refugee camps.
The ambition is for the G12++ to become a global standard for refugee youth by 2040, providing a pathway to higher education and employment for displaced students worldwide.
Working alongside the Alsama team has been humbling, and it’s a privilege to witness the transformative power of education. The students’ determination and resilience are reminders that, given the right tools, every young person can reach their full potential, no matter their background.
If you’ve been inspired by what you have read and would like to learn about how you could support Alsama, I would love to speak to you. There are various ways to get involved, including internship opportunities and making a donation at https://alsamaproject.com/donations/. Please send me an email at g12@alsamaproject.com.
Thank you for reading, and for believing in the potential of young people who have already overcome so much.
Even years later, memories of the opportunities that a KES education opened up for our alumni remain strong. Andrew Sandilands was Head of School in 1969 and progressed to Trinity College, Cambridge after completing his studies at KES. After a successful university teaching career in Spain, Andrew is now retired and lives near Barcelona. He recollects just one of his memories of his time spent at Cambridge.
“I was attracted to the Backs by the sound of bagpipes. Cambridge is far from Scotland and it is not often you have the opportunity to admire a clansman in full ceremonial dress, playing a solemn tune on his bagpipes as he stands on the punt platform. The surroundings –weeping willow, the quiet waters, the stern but majestic college buildings – all lent a particularly impressive backdrop to this man with kilt and sporran, legs planted astride on the back of the punt, presumably charming the ears of his no less charming female passengers and lady punter. This idyllic scene changed in a flash.
Weeping willows have a habit of concealing thick branches between their innocent-looking fronds. To this danger, add to the fact that the bagpiper was facing his pretty audience including the punter and not the tree in question. Either charmed by his playing or helpless with laughter at the sight which now confronted us, the punter was unable to extricate the punt from between the hanging fronds of the willow tree, much to the embarrassment of the fine brave clansman as he battled with this unexpected interruption of his performance. For a few moments, there seems to be a truce and the Scotsman in all his tartan teetered on the bring of the platform. Nevertheless, nature won. With a desperate leap, the clansman did what most people try to do on these occasions when equilibrium is lost. He attempted to hang on to the nearest branch. Unfortunately, what was strong enough to sweep the player off his feet was
not sturdy enough to support the weight of a corpulent serious-looking middle-aged clansman. With a last lament from his pipes, the Scotsman sank, slowly but surely into the muddy waters of the Cam.
Shortly afterwards, the day of our punt joust with Oxford arrived. Preparations had been carefully made over numerous pints in The Anchor! Tactics had been discussed and jousters had been coached. Of course, on the actual day, everything turned out completely differently.
Punt jousts have always been part and parcel of ‘The Dampers’, the Cambridge University club for people who have fallen into the Cam fully clothed and unintentionally. The highpoint of this traditional activity was the annual joust with sister society at Oxford ‘The Charon Club’.
A punt joust consists of two punts, two jousters with jousting sticks (shortened punt poles with sponges to cover one end) and two punters. Jousts at Cambridge usually took place on the Backs in front of King’s. The punts would separate and, from a suitable distance, would turn and approach each other. On each platform stood the jouster. The idea was to thrust your jousting stick at the enemy and push him/her off the other punt platform in the Cam waters much to the amusement and applause of the summer tourists watching.
It is surprising how style can vary in jousting. While the men prodded with at their quarry, the girls swung their short sticks at each other. The final ploy of the loser was normally to try and pull the foe in with him or her as they fell off. Other tactics included pulling the opponent’s jousting stick so that they, still gripping the stick, tottered undignifiedly into the Backs. It was all part of our summer madness!” Andrew Sandilands (KES 65-69)
Obituaries
Robert James ‘Jim’ Anderson (KES 45-48) passed away at home in September at the age of 93. After attending KES, Jim gained his wings in the RAF during National Service. He went on to pursue his passion for architecture and town planning at the University of Liverpool, earning qualifications that would guide his professional journey. In 1957, Jim married Elva, and together they embarked on a life filled with adventure. His career took him to various countries, including Ghana, Sarawak, and Swaziland, where he worked on significant planning projects that impacted communities. Upon returning to Southampton in 1969, Jim became a vital member of the local government, ultimately serving as Deputy City Planner for Southampton City Council until his retirement in 1993. He was instrumental in the early development of Western Esplanade and West Quay. Jim took great pride in his family’s connection to KES, with his daughter, Derien, and grandson, Russell, also graduating from the school. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, whose warmth and wisdom will be deeply missed.
Martin Baker (Former KES Deputy Head) passed away earlier this year.
Richard Antony Board (KES 57-65) passed away on 29th January following a short battle against pancreatic cancer. Richard was born in Southampton to Barbara and Peter on the 16th of May
1946. The eldest of four children, his step grandfather was Robert Richard Sandford who taught Mathematics at King Edward’s. A keen runner, Richard represented Lake House and the School and, whilst at KES, he met his wife, Sue, with whom he had two daughters, Nicky and Sarah. Graduating with a degree from Birmingham University in Mineral Engineering, he went immediately to work at Fuller’s Earth in Surrey. However, a complete change in direction led to a career in retail with Littlewoods as a fashion buyer. During this time, Richard regularly moved at short notice, including time spent in Norfolk, Edinburgh, Bingley and Formby. After sadly losing his wife Sue to breast cancer, he later married Vicky and moved to Weston Turville in Buckinghamshire where they had two boys, Peter and James. Their final move was to Macclesfield where the family lived until his recent passing. Richard had a particular passion for Speedway which started when he lived in Southampton in the 1960s. A kind man, with a strong moral compass and a warming smile, he is dearly missed by his family and friends.
Roger Mark Allan Farrow (KES 57-65) passed away on 31 January 2024. His family would like to thank those OEs who sent flowers to the funeral.
Michael George Hayes (KES 54-61) passed away in August 2024.
Christopher John Herbert (KES 46-55) passed away earlier this year.
Richard William Augustine Messenger (KES 59-67) passed away on 16 October 2023 at the age of 75. He was born in Croydon before moving with his family to Southampton. After leaving school he was awarded an open scholarship in Natural Science at Queen’s College Oxford. Here he made a loyal group of lifelong friends with a shared interest in science and a passion for steam trains. After graduating in 1971 he completed a PGCE at the University of Leeds and went on to teach Chemistry at Bancroft School in Essex, Brighton College and Edghill College in Bideford before working as a laboratory technician at Sholing School in Southampton. In 2011 he was given a long service award by the City Mayor for 25 years working with Southampton City Council. In retirement he volunteered for the Watercress Line Heritage Railway in Alresford and enjoyed spending time with his friends pursuing his joint interests of steam trains and photography. He is fondly remembered by his family, former work colleagues and his many friends.
Anthony Michael Sweed (KES 49-54) passed away in August this year aged 86.
Donald Milsom (KES 47-55) and (staff member 61-96) died in August 2024 age 88. As a pupil, Don was a talented hockey player in the 1st XI team, a 1st XV rugby player, a member of the athletics team and sang in the choir. A prefect in the Sixth form, Don won a scholarship to Southampton University graduating with Special Honours in Physics. He also played in the University 1st XI hockey team for three years. Completing his teacher training in 1959, he taught at Taunton’s College and Bishop Wordsworth School
Snippets
Maddy Wright (OE 14-21) is starting her final year reading History at Queens’ College, Cambridge. A talented historian, Maddy ranked 1st in her year in her Part I exams last summer, topping Tripos. This term, she delivered an excellent and insightful talk on the 19th Century British World to the Senior Historical Society, providing a fascinating overview of its different cities from India to Australia,
before joining KES in 1961. Over the years he was Head of Careers, Senior House Master of Capon House and Head of Physics. He coached the 1st XI Hockey Team for many years, set up the Sixth Form Science workshops and was involved in the Photographic Society. Outside of KES, Don was President of the Old Edwardians in 1994 and an O Level Maths examiner. He played the organ at Emery Down Church for nearly 70 years and enjoyed travelling, playing golf and watching Hampshire cricket. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Mark Tilson (KES 69-74) passed away unexpectedly recently at home aged just 66.
Christopher Charles Wood (KES 52-60) died on 11 August 2024, aged 82, after a short illness. The son of a railway worker and a bookshop assistant, he joined KES from Central Junior School. While at KES he founded an Astronomical Society and was editor of Sotoniensis. He proceeded to Keble College, Oxford to read Geography and, whilst there, he took up hockey, becoming a 1st team regular. Thereafter,
hockey played a major part in his life and he represented the 1st XI for Cheam and Chichester and his county. In 1965, Chris married his wife, Lesley Browne, a former pupil of St Anne’s Convent School. After gaining his degree, he joined IBM where he enjoyed a diverse career over a 30 year period based in UK, East Africa and Paris. In particular, he developed skills in managing large programming projects and large data centres. In 1994 he took early retirement and becoming a self-employed ‘troubleshooter and interim IT manager’, undertaking diverse contracts as far afield as Hong Kong. In 2001 he retired fully becoming very involved in the community in and around Chichester. He was Chair of a cancer charity and of a local parish council and a founder and a key organiser of the annual Chichester Real Ale & Jazz Festival. Chris is survived by his three children and two grandchildren.
and how Britain sought to impose its influence through architecture. Afterwards, Maddy kindly offered her advice to our 2024 Oxbridge applicants as to how they might prepare effectively.
Georgie Clay-Smith (KES 16-21) joined us this term to speak about her journey at Rolls-Royce, her marketing degree, and her experiences at the University of Liverpool, with members of our KES Business Society.
Sylvi Pickering (KES 20-22) and Aaron Henderson (KES 15-22) were invited to Buckingham Palace this summer to collect their gold Duke of Edinburgh awards.
Ben Carter (KES 12-19) attended the Birmingham Conservatoire after leaving KES. A talented saxophonist, he returned to school earlier this year to deliver an inspiring talk to our Music Scholars and Captains. Ben spoke about the entrance process to Conservatoires and the benefits of a performance degree over a more classic university one. Ben also spoke about the process of recently recording his first album and getting started in the music industry.
Will Penrose (KES 17-19) made his international debut playing hockey for Wales this summer winning 4-1 against Scotland.
Alice McNicholas (KES 10-17) will be designing the costumes for the Spring Awakening 15th Anniversary concert at The Victoria Palace Theatre next year.
Ellie Jones (KES 05-12) recently delivered a keynote speaker presentation at the Neurodivergence in the Workplace conference run by Policy Insight Wales. She spoke about staff neurodiversity support networks, specifically iThink, the network within her workplace at the Intellectual Property Office, focussing on the practical/logistical aspects of the network, the benefits both to individuals within the network and to the organisation as a whole. Ellie took over as co-chair of iThink at the start of the year.
Georgie Bellan (KES 01-08) has launched her own interior design business, Georgie Bellan Interiors. A dream of Georgie’s for a long time, and based in South London, she can’t wait to bring creative and stylish design solutions to homes and spaces across the capital.
Instagram: @georgiabellaninteriors
Ishani Pabari (KES 06-11) got married this summer with a further four KES alumniKiah Ashford-Stow (KES 06-13), Rebekah Holubinka (KES 06-11), Devini Pabari (KES 03-10) and Josie Lloyd-Papworth (KES 06-09) - amongst her bridesmaids.
Liz Hatherley née Moores (KES 94-01) is currently working with King Edward’s on an important internal school project aimed at shaping our vision and values, to build a future of KES together, 2-18. Liz comes to us with a wealth of experience having worked for more than 20 years within the field of brand and marketing strategic planning. Her previous roles have included working with well-known brands such as Waitrose, Campari, the BBC, Mars, Petcare and Friends of the Earth.
Dr Michael Ford (KES 55-63) read Psychology at Manchester University and later gained his doctorate at Leeds. He trained as an educational and child psychologist working in Lancashire and Oxfordshire before becoming Principal Educational Psychologist for Solihull MBC. Later he worked for the Ministry of Defence in Germany as an area psychologist for the northwest sector and completed his career in Cheshire. Concurrently Michael acted as a university tutor involved in the training of educational psychologists (Manchester, Birmingham and East Anglia). At school Michael was renowned for his chess exploits, winning the Southampton Boys’
Championship three times and the South of England Boys’ Championship in 1959. Michael went on to captain Manchester University’s first team in the Manchester League, later playing top board for Droylsden then Bury, and successively representing Hampshire, Cheshire and Lancashire. Now retired, Michael sits on various committees at three local hospitals as a Lay Representative.
Anthony Young (KES 53-61) also known as ‘APY’, studied civil engineering at Leeds University upon leaving KES. After several years’ postgraduate work he joined Salford University before moving to the new Passenger Transport Executive in Manchester. One of his primary roles was to develop the new Tram system for Greater Manchester, now the largest in the UK. He then became an independent tramway consultant working on schemes in Britain and overseas. His autobiography ‘The Tramcar will Return’ was published this year and describes the decline and abandonment of first generation tramways (including Southampton) and the second generation tramways, of which Manchester was the first.
Alan Sussex (KES 46-51) completed a five year apprenticeship at VickersArmstrong (Supermarine) Ltd at Hursley House, near Winchester upon leaving school. Following completion, he received a scholarship to study at The College of Aeronautics, Cranfield, where he specialised in aerodynamics with aircraft design (structures) as a second. After Cranfield, he rejoined V-A (Supermarine) Ltd working on the TSR2 project which led to a move to Weybridge Surrey in late 1958. In 1963, Alan moved to Kingston Technical College as a lecturer on their CNAA degree in Aircraft Engineering, remaining there until 1971 becoming a senior lecturer. He then joined British Gas and, after holding various positions, retired in November 1993 as an Assistant Director. A highlight was the winning of the MacRobert Award in 1995 for the development of the Ultrasonic gas meter by British Gas and Gill R&D. Alan’s retirement is full and active and involves lots of family time, travel (including a world trip) and many visits to the Black Mountains of Wales and the Brecon Beacons.