The Vigornian December 2007

vigornian

The annual magazine of The King’s School, 2007

The Vigornian 2007

Editor: Peter Iddon

Design & Typesetting: John Roslington

Photography: Special thanks to Tom Bader, Richard Corbett (Drama), Simon Cuthbertson, Nicki Essenhigh, Lorri Guy (front cover), Stan Meadows, Jean Vivian and John Wheeler

OV News: Mike Page

Front cover: A scene from the Fourth Form production of The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe Back and inside covers: 1899 Vigornian, recently donated to the School Archive

vigornian

Staff 2006-2007

Headmaster T.H. Keyes, M.A. Second Master (Deputy Head) A.K.J. Macnaughton, M.A. Second Deputy Miss S.E. Hincks, M.A. Director of Studies R.C.Baum, M.A.

S.R. Davies, Cert.Ed.

M.J. Roberts, B.Sc.

J.M. Roslington, B.Sc., C.Sci., M.I.I.T.T.

B. Griffiths, B.Tech. (Careers)

Mrs C.F. Roslington, B.A.

R.A. Fleming, B.A.

D.P. Iddon, B.A.

S. Le Marchand, B.A.

R.N.G. Stone, M.A.

R.P. Mason, B.A.

M.R. Gill, B.Sc., M.A., M.Sc.

Mrs N.R. Wilson Cert.Ed.

S.M. Bain, B.Sc., M.Sc.

M.D. Rudge, B.A.

J.T. Wheeler, B.Sc., C.Chem., M.R.S.C.

D.G. Willmer, M.Sc., PhD.

P.T. Gwilliam, B.A., M.Phil.

Mrs K. Appleby, B.A.

Mrs C.M. Cox, M.A., M.Sc.

R.J. Davis, B.A.

Mrs L.M. Ghaye, B.Ed., M.A.

J.L. Owen, B.A.

C.A. Gallantree-Smith, B.A.

Mrs E.R. Hand, B.A.

T.R. Sharp, M.A.

Mrs C. Painter, B.A.

Mrs S.H. Le Marchand, B.A.

Mrs F.L. Short, B.A.

M.C. Poole, B.Sc., PhD.

*Mrs C.R. Horacek, M.A.

Mrs T.D. Marskell, Cert.Ed.

Mrs P.A. Edwards, B.A., M.Sc.

*Mrs J.P. Maxwell-Stewart, B.A.

Revd M.R. Dorsett, B.A., M.Th., PhD., Cert.Theol.(Chaplain)

Mrs N. Essenhigh B.Sc.

R.P. Geary, B.Sc., C.Chem., M.R.S.C.

A.A.D. Gillgrass, B.A.

S.C. Cuthbertson, B.A.

C.T. Haywood, B.A.

A.W. Longley, B.A.

S.M. Atkins, B.A.

*Mrs J.D. Clark, B.Ed.

Mrs M.M. Longley, B.Ed.

Piers Harris (S)

Jack Herriot (Cr)

George Clarke (Os)

Tom Longley (Cr)

James Bartholomew (Cr)

Mrs J. C. Vivian, Cert.Ed.

I.C. Robinson, B.Sc.

Miss J. Cooke, B.A.

Mrs C.E. Battrum, B.A.

D.J. Haddock M.A., D.Phil.

A.J.M. Maund, M.A.

C.W.S. Wilson, B.A.

R.A. Ball, M.A.

Mrs A. Hines, B.Sc

D.A. Jones, M.Th

J.J. Mason, B.Sc

Mrs N. Sears, B.A.

C. Atkinson, B.Sc.

Mrs L.L. Guy, B.A.

R.J. James, B.Sc., PhD.

Mrs R.A. Worth, B.Sc.

E.I. Lummas, B.A.

*Mrs L. Martyn-Smith, B.Soc.Sc.

M.D. Parkin, M.A. PhD.

Mrs R.M. Rutter, B.A.

T.D.H. Smith, B.A.

*Mrs K.G. Adam, B.A.

Miss S-K Millar, B.Ed.

*Miss A-M Simpson, B.Sc.

Mrs S.K. Stone, B.Eng.

Mrs E. Allen-Back, M.A.

Miss R. Birtwhistle, B.A.

J.D. Manthorp, B.A.

Mrs L.E. Haddock, B.Sc.

*Mrs D.J. Salkeld, B.Sc.

Mrs E. Shepherd, M.A.

B. Wang, M.A.

Mrs S.C. Bradley, B.A.

Mrs L. Brighton, B.Ed.

Miss E. Gittings, B.A.

A.J. Knowles, B.Sc.

*M.J. Newby, B.Ed.

D.N.M. Orr, B.A.

Miss S.A. West, B.A.

Music:

D.E. Brookshaw, B.Mus., F.R.C.O.

Mrs V.J. Gunter, G.T.C.L., L.T.C.L.

G.M. Gunter, G.T.C.L, L.T.C.L.

*C.J.B. Allsop, B.A., M.A.

School Monitors

Helen Jones (K) – Head of School

George Kitchen (W) – Deputy Head of School

Elizabeth Owen (Ch) – Deputy Head of School

Christopher Lack (Os)

Stephen Poole (Ch)

Nick Baxter (S)

Sophie Le Marchand (Cl)

Rebecca Busher (Cr)

The King’s Junior Schools

King’s St. Albans

Head: R.T. Bellfield, B.Ed.

Deputy: W. Toleman, B.A.

*J.T. Walton, Cert.Ed., F.R.G.S.

Mrs A.D. Walton, Cert.Ed.

*Mrs L. Jackson, M.A.

Mrs R. Reeves, M.Ed.

D. Mews, B.A., B.Sc.

Mrs C. Woodcock, B.A.

Mrs B. Wilson B.A.

*Mrs N. Cain, B.A.

Mrs K.J. Kear-Wood, B.Sc.

*Mrs J. Pitts, B.Ed.

*Mrs M.A. Keyes, M.A.

D. Braithwaite, B.Ed

Miss S. Davies, B.A.

Mrs R. Duke, B.A.

Mrs A. Hind B.Sc.

Miss H. Murray B.Mus.

J. Bailey B.Ed.

King’s Hawford:

Head: J.M. Turner, B.Ed, Dip. Ed, A.C.P.

Deputy: A.C. Hymer, B.A., M.A.

M.R.J. Dawes, B.Sc

*Mrs J. Bayliss, B.Sc.

Miss K. Champion, B.A. R.B. Cook, B.Sc.

*R. Forrester-Walker

Mrs C Knight, B.Ed

*Mrs J. Purser, B.A., M.A.

Mrs C. Rawnsley, B.A.

Mrs J. Redman, B.Ed.

Mrs S. Roscoe, Cert.Ed.

*Mrs J.M. Tune, B.Sc.

*Mrs G.M. Wales, B.A. J. Whitmore, B.A.

*Miss E. Winscom, B.A.

Mrs D. Goodayle B.A.

Mrs L. Cross B.Sc.

Pre-Prep:

Mrs P.M. Bradley, B.Ed.

Mrs J.N. Willis, B.A. Ed.

Mrs L. Baxter, B.Sc.

Mrs J. Farmer, B.Ed.

Mrs C.A. Griffin, B.A.

Mrs J Wilson, B.Ed.

Mrs G. Riley, B.Sc.

Sarah Copsey (Ch)

Catherine Sides (K)

Samantha Perry (Br)

Sarah Cowburn (Cl)

Clare Pitts-Tucker (K)

School Notes

It is interesting but not surprising that the challenges that face independent schools seem to change each year. When I started at King’s in 1998, the Assisted Places Scheme which had cushioned independent schools for nineteen years was just about to end. We all feared that we would have to tighten our belts, make staff redundant and accept a steady decline (the word “downsize” had not yet been invented) in numbers to a new realistically viable size. And yet we continued to grow steadily to the point where we have now reached a desirable maximum. Other schools, however, have not been so lucky and one need only consider the number of school closures and mergers in our own region to be aware of this.

Next, as Old Labour stalwarts flexed their muscles, came serious concerns that independent schools would lose their charitable status. We then went through an uncertain period when it looked as if A levels were going to be abolished or devalued. It was at this point that a number of schools, particularly in the London area, moved over to the International Baccalaureate. I will not try to explain here why this would not make sense for King’s. Catch me and ask me sometime if you want! Next came massive investment in the salaries of maintained school teachers and in the facilities of the state sector which, it was claimed, would remove much of what seemed to make it worth paying extra for independent schooling, but the old adage held true that throwing money at a problem does not necessarily solve it.

Then there was much talk of positive discrimination in favour of maintained school pupils applying to the best universities at the expense of those who were at fee-paying schools, but the universities resolutely protected their integrity and independence and the politicians have backed off. Now, all the talk is of independent schools meeting public benefit tests and justifying their

charitable status by partnerships with maintained schools, the provision of bursaries and the sharing of their facilities. The really annoying thing about this is that King’s had long been doing these things anyway not because we were told to but because we thought it was right! Throughout these years, we have invested steadily in improvements to the learning and recreational environment of the school, and in the salaries of the highly committed staff here, and have, year by year, simply tried to do better still all those things that we already did well. It is an unavoidable problem faced by all independent schools that annual fee increases exceed inflation and we see it as our reciprocal responsibility to try to make sure both that such increases are kept as low as possible and that we offer really good value for the money that you pay.

Why would I spend time spinning this tale of the eventful voyage of the Good Ship King’s over waters stirred up by the successive squalls of the Blair/Brown years? Because (and I hope I do not speak too soon) those waters now look rather calmer and because we feel under no pressure to justify or defend our independent status any more. We are delighted that we have, with the generous help of many OVs, made significant progress in the last year in the provision of bursaries. Gifts and pledges to the King’s School Development trust over the last five years have exceeded £3,000,000. The OV network is stronger

than it has ever been and it has been a great pleasure to see OVs renewing their connection with the school and with each other in ever increasing numbers. I believe more strongly than ever that one of the best things about a King’s education is that it tends to provide a network of really good friends for life. I am also pleased that we are establishing better and better relations with local maintained schools and with the Local Educational Authorities. As for sharing of facilities with the community, once we have been enabled to develop our two recently purchased pubs (exciting plans are taking shape) we will be able to do even more in this area.

As for recent developments, the new library has been a huge success and has even won two national awards. And we now have a splendid new Art Department. All this means that we have effected significant improvement to every teaching building in the school in the last eight years and can now, for a while, focus on improvements to our sporting facilities.

I have deliberately said little of our pupils since most of the rest of this magazine is devoted to their achievements. I hope you will be left in no doubt that they continue to make the very best of the opportunities on offer here and to show that the great strength of this school lies in the excellent rapport that they have with their teachers in the many and varied challenges that lessons and activities offer.

T.H.K.

Stewart DavieS

We reproduce here MJR’s address to the Common Room at the end of the summer term. We are gathered here this afternoon to celebrate the thirty seven years’ service that Stewart has given to the King’s School. In fact he is in third place in the all-time list of recent times behind just Tim Hickson and Keith Bridges.

Stewart’s acquaintance with the School began more like forty-seven years ago when he was a chorister at Hereford Cathedral School. In those days the choristers of each Cathedral used to board at one of the three schools during the Three Choirs Festival and on such an occasion Stuart was staying at St. Alban’s. Unfortunately the then Head of St Alban’s, Wilf Thomas, took exception to Stewart’s behaviour and beat him. Stuart has the distinction of being beaten by a future colleague.

Stewart’s musical and acting ability has seen him participate in every school pantomime, usually as the ‘dame’, and who could possibly forget the self-penned song he used to sing to all and sundry after he had had a few beers: to the uninitiated it was called ‘Teenage Cremation’.

counties we represented, but it enabled us to pull in good players from all over the place. On one occasion Stewart’s opposite number was being particularly niggly. Stewart, ever the one for a sharp riposte, asked him to kindly refrain from being a ‘prat’ as he was missing church to play in the match!

Stewart’s roles in his time at King’s have been remarkable. I will attempt to list them but I have no doubt that I

He is also of course an ‘officer and a gentleman’ having run the CCF for many a year and he also has an encyclopedic knowledge of most of the Officers’ Messes in both this country and abroad.

He was a fine athlete and rugby player. He played rugby for Worcester in the early seventies and came to his senses later and played for Pershore. He also turned out regularly for the Three Counties Schoolmasters XV. This team was a Sunday morning fun side although we were not entirely sure which three

BoB Fleming

Bob Fleming retired after twenty seven years’ service to King’s School. His contributions were varied but he was foremost a teacher and biologist and though this may seem self-evident, it is worth emphasising his skills in encouraging pupils to think, his love of scientific problem-solving and of the natural world.

could easily miss a few … teacher of Biology, teacher of Chemistry, Careers master, Colonelin-Chief of the CCF, founding

House Tutor of Kittermaster, master in charge of athletics, rugby coach, football referee, town crier of St John’s, pantomime dame. And probably his finest moments, master-in-charge of minibuses and College Hall sound technician.

Stewart, you have given us a great deal of pleasure over the years - you have always had a smile on your face and had a few stories to tell – you have always been positive about everything, even when George was leading us all up the garden path. You have never taken yourself too seriously and will I am sure always be a welcome visitor in the Common Room. All the best for a long and happy retirement.

Bob was appointed in 1980 after experience in the brewing industry and teaching in a comprehensive school. His practical abilities, enthusiasm and qualities as a team player made a major contribution to building the Biology Department into a large successful one, scientifically the equal of Physics and Chemistry.

Bob was also the kind of all-rounder so essential if a school community is to prosper; rowing, boarders’ weekend activities (a real call on ingenuity!) and folk-singing (I hope mention of this isn’t an embarrassment). His and his wife Mary’s commitment to the development of education in its widest sense was exemplified when together they cared for their young charges in Castle House – one felt that in their hands boarding was a secure, stimulating and enjoyable experience.

Later in his career at King’s Bob took on the role of Head of Department, though he was always happier in the classroom/ laboratory than in departmental meetings with the inevitable emphasis on targets and assessment. (These drove his predecessor to early retirement and the racecourse!) I will particularly remember Bob surrounded by departmental colleagues, sixth-form students and his family at the Old Chapel – stoking the camp fire, leading a song, explaining some genetics and even digging the latrine; I started by stressing his SERVICE!

Bob Allum Head of Biology 1980 - 1997

nicky wilSon

Taking up the challenge of teaching Girls’ Games in the predominantly male environment that was King’s School in the 1980s must have seemed a daunting prospect for a young female teacher, but it was one to which Nicky rose admirably. Co-education was introduced in the Sixth Form at King’s in 1971 and thirteen years later in 1984 Nicky joined the staff on a part time basis and spent the next seven years establishing her own ethos for Girls’ sport in readiness for when the school went fully co-educational. This ethos, of getting the best out of every pupil whatever their age or ability, would span her next twenty three years as Head of Girls’ Games, and is one that is popular with both pupils and staff alike. In 1991 the first twenty five Lower Fourth girls entered the school and Girls’ Games began to flourish under Nicky’s energetic and imaginative teaching; we now find that King’s has two international sportswomen and hundreds of girls taking part in competitive sport both in and out of school.

Nicky was more than a talented games player (she is still scoring goals in the Worcester league), and the school has benefited greatly from her energy and tremendous enthusiasm as a teacher and her patience and dedication as a coach. It was her passion for netball and her ability to produce match winning teams, year in year out, that has placed King’s as the leading netball school in the County. The highlight of her coaching career was in 2004 when the Under 19 squad made it through to the National Netball Finals in Manchester; a well deserved zenith to her outstanding career. She also had a very successful tour to Australia with MRG and the senior squad. But it was not just the top athletes that interested her, Nicky put as much care and enthusiasm into

teaching the St Alban’s pupils, both boys and girls, as she did coaching the 1st VII netball squad and showed similar delight in their achievements.

An area of great pride and pleasure for Nicky was her work as a Lower Fourth Form Mistress. She carried out this role with distinction and the utmost professionalism for sixteen years. Nicky simply wanted the best for her pupils and through her genuine care at the start of their King’s careers many boys and girls went on to achieve more than they or their parents would have believed possible. Nicky really did care for all her pupils and instilled in them a confidence to have a go and make the most of their abilities and opportunities. It was fine to make mistakes and try again. Thus, it was most fitting that her form was able to give her a great send-off in our final assembly. She was asked to relax in a throne as they gave a run through of her career at King’s. An impromptu standing ovation said all we felt for Nicky. It wasn’t just what she did but the wonderful way

off to another team practice. She was always keen to involve herself in staff activities and her enthusiasm in the Common Room for whatever venture was coming up has been irreplaceable.

Nicky’s contribution to the school has been enormous in so many areas, not just in her lessons and as a form tutor; she has been a caring and good friend to many of the staff during her time at King’s. I will miss her giggles in the Common Room, those colourful tennis skirts, ‘Nicky’s Notes’ and her company on the many matches, trips and tournaments. We all wish her and Roger every happiness in their retirement together.

M.M.L.

malcolm gill

she did it that we shall miss and find hard to replace.

Apart from her work on the netball court, in the swimming pool, aerobics studio, gym and classroom, Nicky also had the time and energy to don a pair of tights and rush off to the staff panto rehearsal, choir practice or Dance Showcase. While the rest of the staff were taking a few minutes’ rest at the end of a day, Nicky would be racing

Malcolm arrived at King’s in 1985 and during his twenty two year innings he made a huge impact on the school, his pupils and the Common Room. He has been inspirational in the classroom, an outstanding Games coach and a dedicated tutor: fourteen years as Fourth Form Master and seven years in Wulstan House. Former pupils always speak fondly of his quirky ways whilst some former colleagues remember him for his ability to simultaneously bring humour and chaos to staff meetings! Having MRG in your group on staff training days was always good fun; trying to run the meeting was a very different matter! He coupled directness with humour and was great at making pupils, staff and parents feel at ease. He is entirely genuine and has always had the best interests of others at heart.

Without doubt he is an outstanding geographer who has given so much to the department. His love of the subject is clear and his knowledge is extensive. Although there was the occasion when he agreed to help out with a camp in Castleton in the Peak District. Needing to meet the group there, he took the train but on his arrival he became very confused as no one was there to meet him.

He soon discovered he was in the wrong Castleton: only forty miles out and the wrong county! MRG’s lessons were never dull. He has a real passion for geography and regularly he engaged, interested, and motivated pupils of all ages and ability. His former classes speak fondly of him: “You’re the best, sir; thank you for making geography fun; I will miss your jokes and your pun on words”. He has not been frightened of change and has enjoyed getting to grips with new technology in his teaching, often by learning from his classes. He balanced new ideas with traditional ones and this was characterised by his classroom which had a roller board – half the panels white for the data projector and half black for chalk.

A particular strength of Malcolm’s was his passion for fieldwork: he was always terrific company on fieldtrips and was popular with the pupils too. His engaging tales to describe the geomorphology of the Gower coastline or the power of alpine glaciers have helped, interested and motivated a generation of geographers. (As I write this I have just received a postcard addressed to the Upper Sixth explaining the coastal features of his travels). Amongst other things MRG pioneered the Australian Exchange Programme. After a fabulous year fitting in well with eccentric Australians, he returned to the UK to find some serious flood damage to his house. So the Gill family became boarders in Choir House. This gave him a new excuse to immerse himself in school life again. And that is what he has done throughout his career at King’s. Aside from the countless geography trips, ski trips, sports tours and many other trips he has dedicated huge hours of his time to rugby and cricket week after week. His “Gill’s Skills” have been a particular highlight and are fondly remembered by former Under 13s.

The Common Room will miss Malcolm. He is KSW through and through. He has been a terrific teacher, a great colleague and true friend. We all wish him and Ursula all the best as they begin a new and exciting chapter of their lives.

S.C.C.

claire Horacek

I first encountered Claire when I was teaching at the City of London School for Girls and she was a PGCE student. It was obvious that here was someone who had a great future in teaching. I was therefore delighted when, a few years later, she applied to become a full- time art teacher at King’s. In the intervening years she had won a scholarship to study at the Academy of Fine Art in Prague where she met her future husband Petr, a talented painter and illustrator.

Claire worked in the Art Department for thirteen years, much of it as a full-time teacher but at other times in a part-time capacity as the demands of her young family, and that of her own art work, increased. Whatever her role however, she worked with unflagging

commitment and effectiveness, encouraging and supporting a wide range of pupils from the talented to the artistically challenged. She had a remarkable talent for bringing the best out in pupils enabling hundreds of GCSE and A level pupils to produce art work of a standard that they probably thought impossible at the start of their course.

I will personally miss Claire very much since, in addition to her teaching prowess, she was a fine conversationalist with topics ranging from comparative olive oil tasting, to gardening, to novels and plays, contemporary art and not a little gossip! Others in the department will miss her for her gentle ways, her support and her no nonsense approach to life.

As if all these attributes were not enough, Claire was also an accomplished musician who supported the Music Department by singing in the choir and performing with the chamber orchestra. Her cello continuo playing at a school performance of the Bach St .John Passion was memorable, being both sensitive and musical.

The decision for Claire to strike out as full-time freelance artist came after much soul- searching but perhaps at a time when, as we moved into our new art school, there was a sense of the end of one era and the start of a new. There is no doubt that Claire created a legacy of inspirational teaching and good practice which others will build upon in the future. There is a large number of former pupils who, having gone on to art school and university, owe much to Claire who gave them the confidence to start on a road of creativity and personal fulfilment. She will be much missed.

aliStair macnaugHton

Alistair joined King’s as Second Master at a time when our country at large was increasingly falling under the political control of a Scottish mafia. He therefore,

E.R.H.

not surprisingly, felt emboldened by a confident voice in his ear telling him that it was his mission as one of the master race to show us English (and the odd Welshman) how things were done. Efforts by his departmental colleagues to ask the West Lothian Question (“Should a Scot have the right to express a point of view on English Literature at a Departmental Meeting”) naturally failed in the face of his reasonable claim that his experience at Sherborne and Charterhouse qualified him as an honorary Englishman.

I have to say he richly earned that honour and many other plaudits during his five years with us. He came to us from Stewart’s Melville College in Edinburgh where he had been Head of English. It was clearly a place that was fiercely wellorganised and had an almost puritanical work ethic since Alistair proceeded to give us five years of extraordinarily energetic, creative and dedicated service. His ability as a public speaker, characterised by self-effacing charm, a gift for choosing the right expression and by a debater’s instinct for holding the attention of an audience was equally effective in College Hall assemblies and in the more intimate setting of presiding over a Burns Night supper. Anyone who followed Tim Hickson as Second Master was following someone for whom the College Hall stage was almost a natural habitat, but Alistair had no trouble in developing his own mastery of the building. His confessional assembly talks about his early golf or novel-writing exploits (among others) will not be quickly forgotten. His “Macnaughton interviews” are similarly memorable for he had a natural ease in questioning that brought the very best out of guest speakers, one or two of whom tested these skills to the limit.

In his day to day work, he combined efficiency with infectious enthusiasm, a determination to find the best solution to any problem, a deep concern for the wellbeing of pupils and staff here and a keen mind that enabled us to take the school forward in many important ways by improving its structures and systems. He was daily out and about and concerned to make sure that the school was functioning

smoothly, and that the monitors and his colleagues felt well supported in their various duties. He was always ready to take over a duty or cover a lesson for an absent teacher. In these and so many other ways, he was prepared to roll up his sleeves and loosen his tie (and occasionally needed reminding to reverse these actions!) and take on the most mundane of tasks alongside the more exalted responsibilities of a Deputy Head if only to show that the finer detail was important and that the most compelling model of leadership has a strong element of service.

This natural streak of humility, however, could not conceal the many things that he did exceptionally well, including training young debaters to compete at the highest level nationally (he always said that debating in Scottish schools was not far removed from a blood sport), encouraging young entrepreneurs through the Young Enterprise Scheme, helping to organize poetry evenings or supporting the work of the Charity Committee. The Parents Committee would readily admit his crucial role as an intermediary between them and the rest of the school when it came to organizing a school fete or running a parents’ ball.

JonatHan mantHorp

Jonathan joined the DT department from Dean Close Prep School in January 2006. He brought with him a relaxed and friendly attitude which quickly enabled him to fit into the

Alistair may see it as a minor triumph for the Celtic Fringe (Northern Branch) that in the year that he moved on from Worcester to the Headship of The King’s School in Gloucester, a Scottish Economist ousted Elgar and Worcester Cathedral from the £20 note! We have no doubt that he will, in the best way possible, cause a stir in his new cathedral city. He has been a very good friend to many here and a most loyal colleague. We have no doubt that he will prove to be a very good Headmaster and we offer him, Becky, James, Daniel and Rosanna our best wishes for their new life a few leagues down the M5.

T.H.K.

department. His background and wide range of experiences from working in juvenile prisons in America to renovating old buildings in France ensured he was always a source of interesting anecdotes and stories. Jonathan has a natural ability to fire the imaginations of children and young adults and this is largely because he hasn’t forgotten how they think. It’s a skill that enables him to relate to students of all ages and backgrounds and I know that there is a large cohort that is very sad to see him go. It didn’t take long for us, in the department, to realise that Jonathan was going to be a man on a mission. He’s always looking for the next bit of interest and excitement and I’m sure his plans for the years ahead will provide him with plenty of thrills. I wish him and Jacq the best of luck for the adventures ahead and look forward to hearing their news.

C.W.S.W. reBecca BirtwHiStle

On finding ourselves in need of emergency cover for an ill colleague, someone in the Art Department suggested that we should contact Rebecca Birtwhistle, a former pupil, to see if she was available to help. Rebecca had been one of our star pupils who had gone on to read Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, The University of

Oxford. She was available and, more over, an initial few weeks turned into months and finally into three years!

During that time she achieved an astonishing amount, undertaking a part-time teacher training course whilst continuing in her full-time post at King’s and completing her NQT year to become a fully qualified teacher. She had a punishing schedule of work for her college course but it never once compromised her performance in the studios or prevented her from being fully committed to the department’s extensive extra-curricular programme. She was incredibly wellorganised

Quite how she found the time I’m not sure, but Rebecca also found love whilst at King’s. We are delighted that she and Toby Smith are engaged and we wish them well with their new life in Taunton. I hope that it is not too long before Rebecca returns to teaching since she is, with out doubt, a highly talented and effective art teacher. A great number of pupils and staff will miss her energy, drive, good humour and efficiency.

E.R.H.

toBy SmitH

A former colleague of mine, before he became a schoolmaster, worked in the manufacture of shoes. He offered the following advice

and produced exemplary lesson preparation materials and notes for her pupils. Her charges, both in the Art department and in Creighton House, received close individual attention and professional support and guidance which enabled them to make the most of their talents. She was good at keeping the wayward on track and was an excellent role model for pupils.

It is not only the Art Department, however, which has reason to be grateful to Rebecca. She was an excellent teacher of girls’ games, supporting training, matches and tours. She helped with D of E expeditions, attended Lower Remove camps, accompanied Modern Foreign Language trips and trained with the Himalayan Club. I am delighted that she was able to participate in the trek to Peru this summer, a well-deserved reward for her unstinting support of so many aspects of King’s extra-curricular life.

He also brought with him the huge enthusiasm and inventiveness that is needed to teach a language to those who do not have it as their mother tongue.

Toby is a fine example of the concept of Renaissance Man: hugely well-read, interested in a wide range of matters cultural, including music, the fine arts and film, he was also involved in the more physical aspects of the school’s life, particularly Hockey and Outdoor Pursuits. In every area of school life in which he was involved, Toby showed enormous commitment and an unfailing optimism. Whether singing with the Choir or exhorting reluctant walkers to attain the next ridge, he led by the finest of examples.

to me, when staffing a department in another school, “What you need in any department is a ‘lad’”. In a factory, the ‘lad’ does the work that no one else wants or is prepared to do, is sent to fetch and carry, is there to learn the craft. It was with this advice still in mind that Toby Smith was appointed to the department here at King’s. The considerable contribution that he made to the life of the department and the wider life of the school is proof that not awl my former colleague said was cobblers.

Toby Smith was no ordinary ‘lad’, however. After Cambridge, his first teaching was of English as a Foreign Language, particularly in the mean streets of Moscow and the beautiful boulevards of Paris. This background in Language and Linguistics was of particular value in his teaching at King’s, offering a further dimension to the department’s expertise.

In the Department, his lessons were always fast paced and dynamic (…did he ever sit at his desk?) There was always the sense of considerable intellectual drive, but also real understanding for those who were finding aspects more difficult – another product of his work with EFL, I suspect. His major additional contributions were with the Fourth Form newspaper, “Stepping Fourth”, as well as forays into a Sixth Form equivalent, and the “Poetry and…” events, which he ran in his own inimitable style. He also played a major role in the first Arvon Foundation Creative Writing Course, where he proved himself no mean writer in his own right.

Toby also contributed a huge amount as an Assistant Tutor in Chappel House, where his genuine interest in the welfare and enthusiasms of his charges – particularly their musical endeavours – was of great support to them. Giving up time for others was never an issue with Toby, even if at times he seemed to work by a different clock from others.

The healthy body to encompass this healthy mind was exercised by his work coaching Hockey and masterminding the Bronze D of E scheme, the latter always a logistical challenge, particularly when the numbers rose to over seventy.

Toby also assisted with other expeditions, in this country and abroad, including a memorable trip to Ladak, where his quiet confidence, bred of facing the dark backstreets of the Russian capital, saw the group through many a challenge.

Toby had a great deal to offer to our knowledge of the “craft” of teaching and the fact that he has been appointed to lead his own department at King’s, Taunton is recognition of the fact that he has certainly mastered the craft himself. We shall miss his sage comments, extensive knowledge and delightful enthusiasm for everything he does; we wish him every success.

A.J.M.M.

SaraH-kate millar

Sarah-Kate, or Skate, as she is universally known, joined King’s to fill the post of Head of Rowing. It was clear

from the outset that in many ways she was likely to break the mould of previous heads of rowing, being female, a New Zealander, and most unusually, a quietlyspoken and unassuming character. It was a combination that a number of pupils and coaches spent some time adjusting to! Although it was always understood that

Skate was in many respects just ‘passing through’ in her travels, it soon became apparent that she had her own clear agenda for taking the Club forward and we were indeed fortunate to have her here for three years before she moved on.

In her first year Skate demonstrated her undoubted talent as a coach, principally with the Boys’ First Eight that enjoyed a season competing at a very high level. Amongst this talented group she was very highly regarded indeed as someone able to take them on to new levels technically. Skate’s main focus was more and more the welfare of the whole club during her tenure, and while she undoubtedly faced difficulties here, it was her determination to build a club from the base upwards that has meant that she has left us with a healthy legacy.

One of my abiding memories of Skate will be her phenomenal skill and confidence in towing the Boat Club trailer. For those unaccustomed to this duty, it is difficult to convey the anxiety produced in mere mortals when towing a vehicle that exceeds in length many articulated lorries, and which carries tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of equipment. She never ceased to amaze with her reversing skills and even parallel parking. On one occasion, which I hesitate to relate, in sheer desperation, when once again the playground car park was rendered inaccessible, she correctly judged that the trailer would fit beneath the arch of the Edgar Tower, and that the rising bollard would stay down while she drove over it. It was, I suspect, the trailerdriving equivalent of performing a barrelroll through Tower Bridge, in a transport aircraft! Skate did it with ease.

As a Kiwi through and through, after three years Skate felt it was time for her to move on again, this time back in the direction of her beloved New Zealand, to take up a post as lecturer at a university in Auckland. In keeping with her spirit of adventure, the return journey will take in working as a park ranger in South Africa. We wish her and Charlotte a safe return and hope that she is able to maintain her connection with King’s from such a distance.

T.R.S.

Eleven teachers have joined the Common Room at the start of this Autumn term.

Ollivia Beveridge has joined the PE department as Head of Netball. Originally from Tasmania, she gained a bachelor Human Movement/ Health Education/ Secondary Education Degree in Sydney before moving back to Tasmania for a few years to gain some teaching experience. In 2003 she started travelling and ended up in the UK living and working and still travelling to ‘broaden her horizons and life opportunities’. Previous teaching posts in England have been at Kingston Grammar School and Lady Eleanor Holles School, teaching primary and secondary PE, coaching netball and also teaching some RE and Geography. Outside teaching Ollivia loves to travel, having spent time in Europe, America , Canada, Africa and Central America. Other hobbies and sports include playing and coaching netball and being involved in outdoor activities such as water skiing, snow skiing, hiking and camping.

Jim Chalmers has arrived as the school’s new Head of Rowing. From Tasmania, Australia, Jim studied Applied Science at university and then moved into industry as a manager in a large agricultural company, returning to university to build a career around his passion, rowing. He studied Human Movement, with Sports Science, Health and Education and then moved into teaching and coaching rowing, relocating eventually to England in a position as Director of Rowing at The Windsor Boys’ School. Jim subsequently took up a position with Great Britain Rowing as a coach working with new talented athletes through to international representatives. He will also teach Biology and PE here and included in his list of interests are road cycling, triathlon, skiing and sports massage.

Richard Chapman is the school’s new Second Deputy. A degree in Economics and Statistics from Bristol was followed by a graduate job as a trainee manager at Marks and Spencers. The realisation that this job choice left a lot to be desired led to a PGCE in Secondary Maths at Warwick. He has taught at

ThE ViGOrNiAN

Warwick School for the last nine years, the last five as Head of Sixth Form and last eight as coach of the 1st XV. The highlight there was winning the Daily Mail Cup at Twickenham earlier this year. A Liverpool supporter, Richard is married with two young children and he is interested in many sports, especially cricket and rugby, playing for Birmingham and Solihull rugby club when younger. Before his children were born he enjoyed travelling and is particularly fond of France.

Alan Deichen has arrived to teach Design and Technology. Alan spent two years gaining a bench joinery NVQ to give him a firm knowledge base to support his teaching career, then gaining a number of A levels at Cirencester College before moving to Cardiff to study a degree in Product Design at UWIC. He has taught Design and Technology in Cirencester, Cardiff and Dursley, but now calls Worcester home. He enjoys many different pastimes, including building audio equipment, visiting interesting places, making short films and tinkering with his beloved MX5.

The Art department has welcomed Richard Gilbert, whose previous teaching positions have been at Cheltenham College and Wellington College. Richard undertook postgraduate study in Fine Art at Chelsea School of Art, London and has been a freelance artist since 1986 with work held in public and private collections in the United Kingdom and abroad. Recent one-person exhibitions include Getting Ahead at Dean Close School, Cheltenham in 2007; an exhibition of large sculptures of heads entitled Fourteen at St. Martin’s, the Bullring, Birmingham in 2007 and at Worcester Cathedral during Lent 2006. Richard is married with two children, lives in Herefordshire and his interests include surfing, festivals, gallery-going and travel.

Nathaniel Fowles is the school’s new Artist-in-Residence. Nathaniel will be spending approximately half the week operating as a teacher in the Art Department and the other half developing his own work. He has moved to Worcester from London and draws

upon the city, among many other things, for inspiration. His paintings ‘depict fragments of stories - frozen narratives with an ambiguous prelude and uncertain conclusion that are played out against different backdrops’. An exhibition of his work will be held in the school in November with a second one planned for the New Year. Along with establishing projects that the whole school will be involved in, he will be running a film and video making club, a ‘drop-in’ session for keen artists and is involved with the school’s Boat Club.

The Modern Languages department welcomes Susanne Hirner. Susanne studied for a degree in Business Studies, English Literature and Spanish at the University of Bayreuth in Germany and the University of Liverpool before deciding to become a languages teacher and completing a PGCE in German and Spanish at Bristol. Her main interests are travelling and languages; she has travelled extensively around Europe, spent ten months learning English and working as an au pair in Australia and New Zealand and she would love to travel there again. Susanne enjoys ‘reading a good book’, watching foreign films at the cinema and swimming.

Lauren Lawson-Pratt returns to King’s (this time as a teacher) to join the Biology and Chemistry departments. After completing a Biological Science degree at Oxford University and gaining two Blues for rowing she moved back to Worcester for a year to teach at King’s Hawford. It was only a brief return to the Midlands, as she then moved up to Glasgow to work for the Scottish Eagles Ice Hockey team, and shortly afterwards for the Scottish Rocks basketball team where she worked within a large number of schools and communities offering sport as a diversionary activity to disillusioned youth throughout Scotland and the Western Isles. She then moved from Glasgow to Australia in search of wine and sun, and found both whilst working in events and marketing for a winery in the Hunter Valley. Lauren then moved back to the UK and to London to work for a Skills Council,

working closely with schools and universities. She is expecting to be very busy here, both in the labs and on the river!

Claire Lea joins the Geography department. Educated at Repton, Claire studied Environmental Science (BSc) at Leeds University. She remained in Yorkshire to complete a PGCE and worked at St. Aidan’s Church of England High School for two years. After a move back to Worcestershire to be closer to friends and family Claire worked at a challenging Redditch school which gained her valuable teaching experience. She is a keen horse-woman and skier and looks forward to coaching netball and hockey at King’s.

The History department welcomes Jo Mosley. Jo studied for a BA in History at Durham University before completing her MPhil in European Studies at Queens’ College, Cambridge. Voluntary work for various youth sailing charities on her year out led to an interest in teaching, and Jo completed her teacher training through Exeter University while working as a housemistress in a Devon boarding school. A passion for sport and outdoor pursuits (particularly sailing, football and hockey) have led her to become involved in many aspects of extra-curricular life at King’s, including hockey coaching and CCF. Jo also looks forward to joining the Chappel House staff.

Lucy Walmsley has joined the English department at King’s this year. Having spent an enjoyable five years teaching at The Licensed Victuallers’ School in Ascot, she is now pleased to be back in the Midlands. Lucy was educated at Bromsgrove School and then at Bristol University, where she gained a BA in English Literature and an MA in Medieval Studies. She then undertook her teacher training part-time through Reading University during her first teaching post. Her interests include reading, going to the theatre, playing very mediocre tennis and spending time with her husband and cat.

JCM

CLUBS & ACtivitieS

Combined Cadet Force

The CCF has once again increased in numbers - now with well over a hundred cadets on the books! It is evident that the training on offer has been well received by the cadets over the last few years, especially if they make the effort to attend many of the varied activities that take place during the school year.

a fact to which the photos pay testimony! Due to an unforeseen clash of dates it was necessary to send our orienteers straight out to the Brigade Orienteering Competition from the exercise area - they did look very strange with half ‘cammed’ up faces! This year there was a reversal of fortunes with the boys’ team winning the Gold medal, which was fully justified since we had the top two male cadets in

the end of November we took 45 cadets to the Tamworth Snowdome for an hour’s sledging and the next day we used the indoor range at School to complete our weapon training with the recruits and provide them with their first live firing experience.

In the Spring term, we took the cadets to Tyddesley Wood Ranges on a bright and fresh day - the range was showing

went onto to meet with some considerable success in the Brigade Competition held at Swynnerton. About a week later we introduced our new recruits to the rigours of living in the field through their first exercise called Basic Basha, once again held at Swynnerton Training Area - we had a record turnout with 72 cadets taking part - something of an admin nightmare and we have to confess one recruit’s kit failed to make it out on the area (sorry!). Everybody had a great time -

fine it was rather ‘fresh’ and we all had to wrap up warmly. The very next day our intrepid orienteers set off for Warcop (near Carlisle) to take part in the National Cadet Orienteering Championships for the first time in the school’s history. Once again they had a very successful time with the boys only just being pipped at the post for the Gold medal, although Cadet Duncan Leeson was the individual Gold medal winner and Cpl Cara Evans was awarded the individual Silver medal. At

day’s shoot - practising their zeroing and

they realised the weapon’s capabilities. With this preparation under their belt, the March and Shoot team acquitted themselves well in the District Competition on Swynnerton Training Area later on in the term. A Cadre exercise was also run in March to present our more experienced cadets with some challenging tasks - it was designed to develop leadership skills in those cadets who were vying for promotion. At the same time we ran a second exercise for the

‘Basic Basha’

first year cadets in order to prepare them for the Summer Camp, where their skills would be put to the test.

Although the weather was decidedly inclement just before half term with heavy snowfalls all over Worcestershire, we bravely set out for the Royal Artillery Adventure Training Centre at Capel Curig in North Wales for a week’s adventure training. Once again the staff at the centre produced a very comprehensive training programme, and this year the new venue boasted a full cookhouse which provided a tantalising range of delights every day. The cadets were split into three groups and they went though a round-robin of different activities. As ever the general favourite was the mining - they appeared to enjoy dressing in boiler suits complete with helmet and miner’s head-lamp. The group entered the mine then navigated their way through a series of climbs and descents, as well as tight spaces and decidedly wet spaces before emerging to the dank Welsh weather. This year kayaking and climbing took place at HMS Indefatigable on the Isle of Anglesey, so much of the time was spent honing the necessary skills for each discipline. Around the centre itself there is a vast range of hills and mountains with spectacular views over the Welsh hillside - so every

Mountain biking also took place over the nearby area - although it was necessary to rotate the staff through this activity due to them becoming a little saddle-sore (some

group made the most of the opportunity to go for a walk, although Cdt BrookesLewis seemed to prefer falling over!

cadets to Easter Camp at RAF Valley, once again on the Isle of Anglesey, and the cadets performed particularly well with J/Cpl James Greenwood being awarded the prize as Top Cadet, which was a flight in a Hawk Jet Fighter - something he will never forget. In addition J/Cpl Ellie Nicholls led her Section to victory in the inter-section competition - this was quite an achievement.

During the Summer term, the RAF

cadets took their Part One, Two and Three examinations, and all passed. The Army Section recruits completed most aspects of their Army Proficiency Certificate and should receive their Red Stars before too long next year. This year we spent a day at Tyddesley Wood Range at the beginning of the Summer term to prepare and zero the L98 rifle to those cadets who were selected to compete in the District Skill at Arms Meeting; this proved to be very effective with the team achieving their highest overall place for the last few years.

The Contingent Dinner Night was reintroduced this year: 72 cadets, officers, SNCOs and guests spent a lovely evening at The Fownes Hotel with the evening conducted with the formality accorded a military occasion. Everyone looked fantastic dressed up to the nines in dinner jackets and gowns, and they seemed to enjoy the customs befitting this type of event. We also took the opportunity to dine out Capt Mike Rudge who has left the Contingent after many years of service - we would like to wish him the best. Awards were also made to the Best New Cadet, Cdt Katie Davis, and the Most Improved Cadet, Cpl Matt Faulkner, both proving to be popular choices. Due to pressure of academic work the RAF Section has had fewer Air Experience Flying Days this year, although most of the Section have been able to fly at least once which is pleasing since the numbers have swelled to over 60. A select few have also managed go gliding at RAF Little Rissington, and over the course of the year no less than five senior cadets have completed their Gliding Scholarships with four of them going solo. In the first week of the summer holiday, a party of eleven cadets and Major Davies set off to spend a week at RAF Spadeadam, near Carlisle - the programme organised by Sgt Pearman was excellent and all the cadets had a fantastic time. Halfway through the week they met up with the OC (Major Featherstone) and the SSI at RAF Boulmer for a range day. Over the course of the same week the rest of the Contingent spent a week on the Central CCF Camp at Wathgill Training Camp, near Catterick. A full and varied programme was in place

Adventure training

Range Day

‘Basic Basha’

with the activities including an outdoor activity day, a Signals Package, Military Skills training (including an overnight phase), Command Tasks, a Range day, and a trip to the local bowling alley. This year we were joined by some OVs - JUO Tom Rutter-Hamilton, O/Cdt Jones, R and O/Cdt Jones, W - their help was invaluable as the camp proved to be one of the toughest ever, especially with a big hill to climb to see the cadets, and they ran around organising everyone very effectively. Both camps did, however, end on rather a wet note as a result of the severe flooding in the county which led to both sets of transport being affected. The cadets coming back from Catterick fared better than those coming back from RAF Spadeadam as they had the `super-driver’ who bravely tackled the floods when noone else was prepared to do so to get up to them! Even though we were all aware of the problems we still arrived back at school with our jaws dropping open after passing one abandoned car after another. As ever the success of this year’s training is largely due to the commitment of the officers, SSI, and CSM Helen Jones to whom we have bid a sad farewell; however we have welcomed two new officers in the fold, Officer Cadets Moseley and Jones, R.

A.J.M.M./N.E.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award

On Monday 5th November 2007 I entered St James’s Palace. Words cannot describe what it is like inside as it is just so beautiful. We listened to music being played by the band of the Irish Guards before entering the Banqueting Hall where we sat down.

However leading up to this point there had been a huge amount of work not only by myself but also by school, without whom I would never have been sitting there in St. James’s Palace. For the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award I had to undertake five sections. The first three took place over a number of months in the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth. For my physical recreation I took up kayaking in the school pool with Mr Grinnell and we also went on a lake trip. I had the opportunity to do some teaching to some

of the younger students in these sessions because I had already done some kayaking previously and in the process achieved my B.C.U. 2 star award. My skill, which was one of the most enjoyable sections, was Archives with Mrs Roslington, where we undertook a number of requests from OVs and their families, for which we had to research in the school archive. As well we catalogued a number of items into the archive and produced a number of displays for various school functions.

However the most rewarding section was the Nunnery Wood Primary School scheme, where a number of students from King’s went to help the pupils in their academic work and reading. We always received a welcoming reception and the pupils would look forward to us coming every week. We really got to see the pupils improve in many aspects of their work but also in their communications skills with “older pupils” with whom on a normal basis they would not get the contact. Hopefully it should stand them in good stead when they enter a senior school.

I think I would be able to complete the final expedition especially after the fact that I had had cryptosporidiosis and had hardly eaten anything for the previous week. However through grit and determination and a fantastic team we all managed to complete it. Looking back on it now, despite some bits of it – mainly the hills − being horrible, the jokes with friends and laughs along it all made it such a good experience. The best part of all is the feeling that you have completed it.

the Bronze Award expedition

For my residential section I spent a week at the Frank Chapman Outdoor Education centre in the depths of the Wyre Forest, with fifty pupils from primary school in Great Barr. Most of these kids had never been in the countryside so it was a very new experience for many of them. To be able to act as an independent intermediate from the centre staff was brilliant as it allowed me informally to help the children in their learning to get the most out of their week at the centre. The teachers from the school were also great company.

The most mentally and physically demanding section however was the expedition and the various training expeditions that led up to it. Never did

So after all that background, here I am sitting in St. James’s Palace waiting for the Earl of Wessex to enter, with a huge buzz not just among us but also our parents. We had Phil Brown, Midlands Regional Director of the award, as our Master of Ceremonies. Think of a less ebullient version of Lenny Henry who was very sincere and incredibly inspiring about the award and what we had done to get here. The Earl of Wessex came and spoke to us in our small groups. I discussed my kayaking experiences with him and how I am continuing it at university. We then went on to have our awards presented to us by Louise Minchin a BBC News 24 presenter who again gave us a real sense of achievement about the award and for sticking it out all the way through the hard times.

I would encourage anyone to take up the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and stick with it all the way through to their

On

Gold Award because it is so rewarding when you get it, and it is only then when you actually realise just how much you have put in to get there, and how the whole experience will help you and others so much in future years.

Tom Cox

Climbing Club

The Climbing Club met throughout the year, giving new and experienced climbers the opportunity of conquering the various routes on our own wall as well as the challenge of technically harder routes at nearby specialist climbing centres. Younger climbers have learnt safe belaying and new climbing techniques whilst established climbers have enjoyed the challenge of improving their grade. Pupils of both abilities and all ages have worked well together showing technical progress and improved self-confidence.

S.C.C.

Community Service

The interest in Community Service continues to grow. Over the past twelve months there have been more people than ever taking part in some form of Community Service, whether as part of D of E, Key Skills or for purely altruistic reasons.

The Nunnery Wood Reading Scheme attracts a good number of keen participants with a mini-bus full of pupils visiting the school every Friday lunch time. The pupils at Nunnery Wood have been enthusiastic about our help there this year.

The Key Skills course with the Upper Sixth went to Hallow and Powick Schools last year and are currently visiting St. Clement’s and Stanley Road Schools.

The undoubted enthusiasm of our pupils has been shown to a large extent by the help with decorating and gardening work. Chief among those helping are James Harris, Ian Roberts, Andrew Wilson, Andrew Chaloner and Jonjo McArdle. Currently, we have about twelve who are willing to help and their assistance is most welcome. There will be more about their help in next year’s edition of The Vigornian.

For whatever their reasons our young people choose to help, this assistance is most welcome and is to be encouraged as it allows them to develop skills and to help others who appreciate what we can do.

Finally, a big thank you must be given to those members of staff who have given of their time and skills most willingly over the past year – RPG, RPM, CTH, JCV, NS, DJH, NF, DEB, AJMM, RAF, DGW, MJN and MCP.

C.A.G-S.

Debating

The debating society – a lasting legacy of AKJM – has continued to flourish on Tuesday afternoons, extending into the summer term this year by popular demand. The two highlights were the junior and senior house debating competitions, won by Wulstan and Choir respectively (for the second year running). On a wider front, we entered the usual kaleidoscope of inter-school competitions. At the junior level there is the ESU public speaking competition, where a chairman (Cat Burt) introduces the speaker from another team, a questioner (Tim Rogers) grills that speaker with questions, and our own speaker (Lucy Boynett) makes a speech on which she is questioned (on the topic “Our prisons are far too comfortable”). Despite Lucy and Tim being the winning Wulstan junior debating team, we didn’t make it through to the second round. The other junior event is the Taylor Trophy, which is a traditional debate à la Mace for those below the sixth form. Tim Rogers again, this time with Rory Johnson, argued in the first round against the public funding of single-faith schools, but although they were very convincing they did not convince the adjudicators.

The seniors mostly got further in their competitions – though not in the Mace itself, despite Simon Maxwell-Stewart and Chris Lack’s valiant defence of Britain’s nuclear deterrent. Chris also competed in the Midland Debating Competition (same format, but no “points of information”), where with partners varying between Sarah Copsey (first round) and Tim Rogers he made it as far as the semi-finals before the judges strangely failed to be convinced by their argument that war is always futile; Chris did, however, win a special prize for his individual performance. Malvern Rotary run a rather different kind of public competition, where three individuals from each school make separate speeches: Ariel Swyer (gasguzzling cars), Lucy Boynett (counterproductive ASBOs) and Catherine Sides (UCAS doing social engineering on the quiet) all spoke strongly and entertainingly. Meanwhile the old firm

Lower Remove Camps

of Sarah Copsey and Liz Owen, Choir House winners of the senior house competition, reunited in the Cambridge Union version of “parliamentary debating” (which resembles parliamentary debating not one jot!), but had to be content with one round. For the Oxford Union version we entered two teams in a different combination: Sarah and Lucy Boynett argued well but didn’t make the finals, whereas Liz teamed up with Chris Lack and did. So in Oxford the latter two competed against the best debating teams in country at the hallowed Oxford Union: of the eighty teams taking part we came nineteenth, and Chris personally came twentieth out of the one hundred and sixty individual speakers – both quite outstanding achievements.

R.N.G.S.

Quizzes

There was plenty of young talent on show in the junior version of Schools Challenge, where our team from the Lower and Upper Fourths – various permutations of Alex Morgan, Peter Shepherd, George De Cothi, George Preece and Andrew Lovelock – claimed fourth place in the West Midland region. They will be needed to replace the highly successful senior team as its members eventually pass on to higher things. For the fourth year running the latter won the Severn Region, then beat Monmouth School in the inter-regional round and so arrived at the National Finals as one of the top eight quiz teams in the country. One member, Michael Cairns-Terry, had been in all four teams, and he was joined by veteran Gareth Ceredig in the senior half and by Upper Removes Jed Brookes-Lewis and Josh Holland. We were unlucky to be drawn against the eventual winners, Westminster, in the first round, but won the first match in the Plate competition for first-round losers. That’s as far as we got, but it makes us the sixth in the land! Josh had, however, savoured victory a few weeks earlier, as for the first time his house, Bright, triumphed gloriously in the inter-house competition.

R.N.G.S.

King’s Archive

A lively group of Upper Sixth (Amy Kavanagh, Liz Owen, Tom Cox, Kate Smith and David Lewis) and hardworking Lower Sixth (Emily Phillips, Lucy Clayton-Smith, Harriet Jeffery, Charlie Banks, Ashley Werner de Sondberg, George Austin-Cliff and Frances Phillips) kept up the sterling work of our school archive with good humour and dedication. Others came and went, but all and sundry turned up to the social highlight of the year, the Christmas picnic.

Displays were produced for the OV Dinner in September and the Archive Exhibition Room in Number 12 was

questioning the family myths. However, we felt very satisfied in finding out a great deal about M.R. Ainslie, a boarder in Castle House who left in 1926 to go to Sandhurst and later to join the British Army in India where he died

on display for the Open Mornings. The exhibition for the grand opening of the Library in the Long Gallery was a compilation of text and photographs of the libraries at King’s, the 1888 School House and the beautifully bound school prizes both from the time of headmaster, W.E. Bolland, 1879 - 96. Later in the year, these were replaced by ‘King’s in the 1940s’ and the tragic story of the sinking of the SS Lancastrian, the greatest maritime disaster in British history, hushed up by Winston Churchill in 1940, featuring her Assistant Steward, William Porter O.V (Castle House boarder 1919 - 1927 ) who went down with the liner as she took part in the evacuation of British troops from west coast of France.

One of the most satisfactory jobs of the archive is to fill the gaps in family histories, but it is also hard sometimes

were able to provide cricketing and rugby exploits from Vigornians and miraculously two photographs. As always, we have had many donations of photographs and memoirs from OVs, filling the gaps in our history of the twentieth century. However, it was a member of the public who sent the earliest, a photograph of his father on his pony, wearing his brand new school cap in 1911. By coincidence, A.L.Molyneux (1915 - 19) lived with his family at Hawford Lodge which is now one of our junior schools. In the summer, Patience Bagenal (widow of John Bagenal, School House boarder, 1929 - 1934) visited School Gardens which her father in law, Hope Bagenal, had designed for the headmaster, Cuthbert Creighton, in the late 1920s. Very generously, Creighton presented the gardens to the school in memory of his wife. The sight of the vandalised fountain was a sadness, but at the date of writing, it is repaired and almost ready to have the statue of the river nymph, Sabrina, replaced on top of her pedestal. Undoubtedly the most exciting event

The Meet at Hawford Lodge, early twentieth century

A.L.Molyneux, aged 11, in 1912

this year was the trip in the spring term to the Royal Library at Windsor Castle organised extremely kindly for the Upper Sixth archivists and others by the former governor Mrs Susan Shaw, who volunteers repair work there. We saw a completely fascinating collection of books and artefacts associated with the royal family over the centuries.

C.F.R.

Charity Committee

The Sixth Form Charity Committee is now very well established and successful. Last year was our best yet, when again we focused primarily on the school’s involvement with the local community, whilst also managing to raise a substantial amount for various charities.

For the first time each year group had their own Home Clothes day, with the Fourth Forms paying £1 to wear their jeans to school and the Removes and Fifth Form raising money for Shelter on their pre-Christmas Red and Green day. The Sixth Form again participated in Breast Cancer Awareness Week with their own Pink Day and in keeping with the pink theme, pink cakes and carnations were made available to the whole school.

The annual Old Folk’s Christmas Party was once again a resounding success,

thoroughly enjoyed by eighty people from local homes and sheltered housing. After an afternoon of exceptional entertainment in the theatre performed by the pupils, our guests were shown into the dining hall for a delicious Christmas tea and rousing carol singing. A visit by Father Christmas with presents for everyone rounded off a truly memorable time.

A record number of Fourth Formers attended the annual Fourth Form Disco in February which took place in College Hall. This wonderful old building was rocked to its foundations by the all singing all dancing disco and laser lights! Everyone made a big effort to dress up and there were prizes for the best movers and groovers. The money raised went to the Fourth Form choice of charity, being The Air Ambulance.

All members of the committee look forward to the summer term and the Manor Park Garden Party which really is one of the most rewarding events that we organise. King’s has now established a strong link with Manor Park Special School due to the regular visits made by members of the Sixth Form. The theme for the party was ‘The Beach’ and what a beach it turned out to be. The School Gardens were transformed into the ultimate beach party where the children enjoyed face painting, water guns, bouncy castles, music, a paddling pool and a splendid Punch

and Judy show. What with a barbecue and ice creams, all that was missing were the donkey rides (there is always next year)! Already this term the Committee is planning new and exciting ventures whilst looking forward to organising all the old favourites. None of this would be possible without all the hard work put in by its Sixth Form members and the dedicated staff who help.

Fundraising for Malawi

Madonna and a Blue Peter Appeal may have got Malawi into the headlines in 2006, but School House got involved first! A chance meeting with a dynamic young man about to spend three months during his gap year helping out at a poor school over there, gave School House the inspiration for our charitable focus. We had been looking to raise money for a project with a ‘human face’, not merely a large organisation. John Budding, the young man concerned, was kind enough to come from his Leicestershire home to speak to the House about what he was planning to do. Suitably inspired, we promised to raise £700. John went off to Malawi and we set to to raise the money. Initially, everyone made a donation of £1, but this was swiftly followed by a hugely successful cake stall, which raised £200300 in twenty minutes! Some individual

Manor Park garden party

‘Pink Day’

Old Folk’s Christmas party

members of the House did sponsored silences or reads or collected change in a bottle and before we knew it we had raised the £700. We sent the money out to John, who returned in the Spring to explain how the money had been spent. He gave a very good talk and showed interesting photos but what really amazed us was how far the money had gone. A mere £500 had refurbished the school, restocked it with stationery, helped to start a music room and even repaired the Headmaster’s bike so that he could get to school! This then left £200 of which they appeared to have no need. The ever-resourceful John, took it to a local orphanage where it was used to pay the wages of a parttime member of staff for a year and to set up a chicken coop and twenty chickens. The eggs would provide a much needed boost to the children’s diet and some could be sold to purchase feed, to enable the project to be self-financing. Not a little awed by the difference we had made in the lives of so many children after relatively little effort on our part, we decided to continue to raise money for Malawi for five years. Seeing how different other children’s lives can

be has had a profound effect on some of our pupils and researching a country in Africa has certainly broadened their horizons. Our next project is to raise money for life-changing orthopaedic operations for children at a hospital run

by a British administrator in Blantyre, near where John worked. JJM organised a very well-supported House t-shirt sale in the spring, raising more than £500. This is an excellent start to our 2007 fundraising. All donations are welcome (made payable to the School House Malawi Fund). Please watch this space for further developments!

J.M-S.

This year’s King’s herald with Editor Sophie Le marchand was another superb paper, all done in one day, complete with supplement.

J.M.R.

News from the Mathematics Department

Pupils of all ages took part in the three Mathematical Challenges, organised by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust. King’s pupils performed well in these gaining numerous gold, silver and bronze certificates. In the Intermediate Challenge, ten pupils qualified for the European Kangaroo. This is a more advanced challenge taken by pupils across Europe and beyond! Jonjo McArdle, Duncan Leeson and Jed Brookes Lewis also qualified for the prestigious Intermediate Olympiad, putting them in the top four hundred pupils in the country. Both Jonjo and Duncan achieved certificates of merit. In the Junior Maths Challenge, Olivia Wilkinson qualified for the Junior Olympiad. We are awaiting results.

At the beginning of the summer term, four pupils from the Upper Fourth and Lower Remove (Lauren Davies, Peter Johnson, Robert Cowburn and Kate Shore) represented King’s in the regional final of the Maths Team Challenge held at Wycliffe College. After the first three rounds King’s were in the lead. The final relay round was a closely fought contest with King’s being narrowly beaten into second place by Cheltenham College. The team just missed out on a trip to London for the national final, where we were placed thirteenth last year.

In the Autumn and Spring terms, we once again held inter-form Maths team challenges, loosely based on the national competition, as well as the inaugural Inter-House team challenge. This was a similar format but with more practical activities included.

The final of the annual Inter House Countdown competition was between Oswald and Wulstan. Scoring was very tight, with both teams neck a neck all the way, until after all eight rounds the points were level. Even a mathematical conundrum could not separate the teams, with an extra numbers round being brought into play. Wulstan were finally victorious for the second time.

Young Enterprise

Having to fill out an application to join an activity always comes as a shock to some of the Lower Sixth and this year was no exception. As usual, we had a lot of very high quality applications and we easily filled all forty five places and still had a long waiting list. We ended up with three very good companies.

Pose

This company produced mugs with designs printed on them. These sold well as you could also choose to have your own designs on them. They also raised a lot of finance by making a tea towel for which the Fourth Form pupils drew themselves and their teachers (some more flattering than others!). They won the prize for best marketing at the Spring Fair in the Guildhall.

Stryde

Stryde produced a range of handmade Christmas socks catering for children through to adults, being richly decorated with embroidery and ornamentation. The name boards for doors were introduced ready for the Spring Fair in Worcester and proved very popular. The company ended the year sharing a healthy profit amongst them.

Vision

Fantasy Football League

Two of the members of Vision are studying AS photography and the group capitalised on their talents, producing photographs of the Worcestershire area, even managing to get some aerial shots. These photographs have been very popular and have sold well. The company was extremely well organised and had an excellent Finance Director, Kate Williams, who won the award for Best Finance Director in South Worcestershire. The company got as far as the Strategic Final, picking up several prizes along the way, and were also asked to represent the West Midlands at the European Trade Fair in Bucharest, Romania. This was the first time a trip from King’s had been to this country and it was certainly an interesting experience.

J.C.V.

Seventy six teams battled it out to become winners of The King’s School Fantasy Football League this season. Lee Jackson took the honours of School Champion and Upper Remove winner with his team ‘I have won the skool’. The runner-up place and Lower Remove winner was Robbie Pringle and his team ‘minxbusters’, whilst third place and Upper Sixth winner was claimed by ‘barcodes’ managed by Mark Adams. Lee’s team finished in the top 0.5% in the country where over 110,000 teams took part. The other year group winners were Tom Hopkins’ ‘Tom’s Team F.C.’ in the Lower Fourth; David Jubb’s ‘The Cheesers NO 2’ in the Upper Fourth; and JCV’s ‘Rob’s Rovers ‘06’ from the staff. This year also saw pupils from St.

Alban’s competing. The winners here were William Davies’ ‘The Wolves Warriors’ in Year 5 and Liam Jessup’s ‘JJ’S FC’ in Year 6. The FA Cup competition was won by James Pearson from Year 5 in St. Alban’s and his team ‘Jaguars’ whilst the Latecomers League winner was ‘Roughley Rangers’ managed by Michael Roughley of the Lower Fourth.

Engineering Education Scheme

Many students leave King’s and go on to study engineering at university without ever getting their hands dirty on a real engineering problem. The principle behind the EES is to give Sixth Form students a good idea of what engineering is all about by giving them a real puzzle to solve. The scheme is a national one and the West Midlands is the largest region with over seventy schools taking part. It has run for over twenty five years but this is only the second time that a team from King’s has taken part. Each team of four

is linked to a local company who come up with the problem that will be worked on for the next six months.

Last year the team comprised Amy Haddock, Michael Cairns-Terry, Tom Wood and Lewis Chung. They were linked with Monosol AF which manufactures water soluble films on the Hartlebury Trading Estate.

The problem was how to recover heat from the moist and contaminated air that is extracted from the factory in large quantities as part of the polymer cooling process. The heat loss causes the factory

The Finance Award for Vision’s Kate Williams

Pose receive the Marketing Award

Vision at the Spring Fair

The team testing their sensors at Monosol AF

May Day Charity Walk

it was back to the path along the side of the river Severn for the biennial Charity Walk, a pleasant twelve-mile amble starting at Upon upon Severn following the Severn Way back to school. Both Junior Schools took part, completing a shortened route which began at Severn Stoke. An estimated two thousand pupils, parents and teachers and family pets took part and an impressive £30,000 was collected in sponsorship money and donations. Of this, 50% was split equally between Worcester’s two hospices, St richard’s and Acorns and the Cathedral Appeal. The remaining £15,000 was distributed between charities chosen by pupils from the eight houses, the Fourth Forms and hawford and St Alban’s.

This was the eighth walk of its kind and, since the first one along the length of malvern hills in 1991, nearly £15,000 has been raised for charity. it’s back to the malverns in 2009!

to become too cold at certain times which affects the product as well as the comfort of the workers. The team came up with several speculative ideas before deciding that a sensible first step would be to devise a sensing system which monitored the heat flow and predicted when a problem would arise. During the residential workshop at Birmingham University they researched and sourced the required temperature, humidity and air speed sensors and started to link them to a dynamic spreadsheet that would model the heat flow.

Over the next few weeks the system was tested on site and the team produced a report which they presented to the company’s management team including the Chief Executive who had flown in from USA. Their solution was well received and with this positive response behind them they went to the scheme’s Celebration and Assessment Day at the NEC in high spirits. Once again their presentation impressed the judges and they scored well in the marking. More importantly though they had experienced engineering at the sharp end and gained some valuable experience before going on to continue their studies. They had researched, planned, implemented and presented a real solution to a real problem and on the way found out a lot more about what engineering is really about.

The Library

awards including a Worcester City design award, and recently the national “Wood Awards” prizes for best small project, and innovation. We are realising the versatility of the space as we go along. The Long Gallery has become not only a display area, but the venue for charity cake sales as well, and many evening and weekend events including two “Old Vigornian” reunions have begun by having prefunction drinks there. Author visits have included a visit by Joanne Harris, and we will soon be visited by Tim Pears. In January 2008 King’s is hosting a national conference for school librarians on library design and remodelling.

We have a lot to offer, as many King’s School pupils have already discovered.

Pauline Baum

rules are too complicated to explain here. Junior surgeons with rubber arms, keyhole surgery, a baby sims machine and acupuncture will all be part of our forthcoming Healthcare Conference. This is the department’s major new initiative and will be hosted by King’s on Friday, 9th November. Local schools have been invited to the one day event which will include speakers on the admissions process and medicine in the 21st century, as well as workshops on midwifery, physiotherapy, general practice, surgery and mental health.

Pyrotechnics and herpetology have been two of the more unusual requests for work experience, so if you are a firework expert or a snake charmer and you are reading this, please do get in touch.

Last year, a record number of students spent the week in London on their work placements, arranging their own accommodation as well as the logistics of the daily commute. Eve magazine, MTV, the Foreign Desk at The Sunday Times and

Here we are, one year on, and it’s hard to believe that a year has passed since the official opening of the new Library performed by Roger McGough last October at the end of “Words Alive! Week. Moving the Library into the centre of the school site has been a huge success in terms of increasing the number of pupils using the Library, and also departmental use. Morning breaks and long breaks are very busy, and the pupil counter regularly tops two hundred during that very busy time between 1.40 – 2.20 p.m. That doesn’t include the pupils visiting the lower floor! The Sixth Form in particular continue to relish having such a pleasant place to study. The design of the Library has attracted local and national attention and has won several

Careers

One year on, and the Careers Department is firmly entrenched in its new offices in the library building. Record numbers of students continue to visit with enquiries about university applications, subject choices, gap years and work experience.

A one day affair for the first time, our annual Industry Conference was a great success, so much so that all the advisors (many of them joining us for the first time), have all volunteered to return next year. The new note pad challenge was particularly popular, as was the co optition game, a noisy negotiating exercise whose

Fulham Football Club were some of the placements on offer. Nearer to home, other students worked in law firms, special needs schools, with conservations groups, in hospitals, research laboratories and in architects’ offices.

Our thanks go to parents and OVs who either offered help with work experience or volunteered to return to school to talk about their careers. Town planning, physiotherapy, a Year in Industry and actuarial work have been some of the topics covered in our programme of informal lunchtime talks.

Helen Isaacs

I.C.R.

Katie Baum and Roger McGough at the opening of the new Library Conrad Clarke practising his welding skills

tRAveL

Ecuador

The journey to Quito in Ecuador, via Amsterdam, Bonaire and Guayquil, was long and rather tedious and the level of excitement and expectation amongst members of the 2007 Ecuador Expedition Team was waning until the very last leg of the flight. As the plane neared its destination the clouds disappeared and the magnificent vista of the Avenue of Volcanoes appeared to define our final flightpath. The myriad of volcanoes stretching far below us was awesome and set the tone for the whole expedition. For a group of eleven Lower Sixth formers this marked the starting point of a four-week journey through the South American country Ecuador. The expedition was student led, meaning that all arrangements and organisation were done by the group with the support of an adult leader team, and included a tremendous range of different and awe-inspiring experiences.

Arrival in a new country is always exciting. A whole range of new sights, sounds and smells bombard the weary traveller as the early journeys through this new country are completed. On

out some project work. The journey went well and after several hours we arrived in the small village of Aglomeradas where the group successfully negotiated with local pick-up drivers an exciting open-back ride to the village where we were welcomed by El Presidente Luis who discussed the aims of the project with the group. The local women helped with the cooking of food throughout our stay and the chicken head soup they produced on our first day helped to break us in to the local rural cuisine. The contribution of Lewis Chung and Edwin Elmhirst in creating some culinary masterpieces can’t be underestimated.

During our six-day stay at the school everyone worked hard fixing desks, chairs, painting classrooms and many other tasks. To add an extra dimension to the task all materials and food were bought from local suppliers, none of whom spoke any English, but could not have been any more helpful or supportive of our efforts. We were very fortunate to be able to visit the Desfile del Chagra, a cowboy festival, in the town of Machachi. This was an extraordinary spectacle involving demonstration of cowboys skills by many of the local hacienda staff. The local leather hat sellers did a roaring trade as the King’s School Chagras decided to kit themselves out for the paramo.

At the end of our time in San Ramon the group had accomplished many tasks. The material of the school had been improved a good amount, but more importantly the groups had gained a great deal of experience of working and living with people of another culture. They had learned a massive amount and made some very good friends – especially Laura Copsey who was always in demand with the local children ‘Donde Laura?’.

arrival in Quito, the diversity of the country was immediately evident, as the towering peaks of many majestic volcanoes, some still active, contrasted with the hustle and bustle of a large capital city. It was a great challenge for the group to make all of the necessary arrangements for the project and expedition phases while adjusting to a new culture as well as the altitude. It was soon obvious that apparently simple tasks can become difficult and time consuming in a foreign land without meticulous planning. The search for methylated spirits became something of an epic event as many shops were visited before the local ferreteria was finally discovered just around the corner from our hostel.

The following day we caught the local bus and travelled to the Escuela Cuenca, San Ramon, in the shadow of Cotopaxi to carry

It was with pride and sadness that we left the community behind to head for our trek around through the Cotopaxi National Park. The Escuela Cuenca Presidente had arranged a magnificent bus to transport the group to the park gate where we were to meet Sixto, our guide. Through many miscommunications with the language we then proceeded to drive around quite a lot as neither El Presidente or his friend the bus driver actually knew where the gate was. Eventually the bus was abandoned and alternative transport was found, as Conrad Clarke came to the rescue with his mixture of Spanish, English and perseverance. The journey to the first campsite went very smoothly and late afternoon saw the group firmly established in a rapidly cooling camp at 3600m in the shadow of Cotopaxi.

The next day saw the group progress along the side of Cotopaxi to a small chagra cowboy encampment at the base of

the extinct volcano Ruminahui, our target for this trek phase of the expedition. The chagras were not at home but they had kindly allowed us to use the protective facilities afforded by their mountain base. Early the following morning, after a substantial breakfast, the long pull up the hill was begun. A large cave was the first suggested camp site but it was rather wet and we did not wish to displace the rather large owl that seemed fully at home there. The final campsite turned out to be in a quite fantastic situation flanked by the volcanoes Cotopaxi and Ruminahui. The views were extraordinary, particularly those of the great mass of the slumbering volcanic massive backed by the Milky Way of stars during the very cold night. Early next morning the whole team departed for the summit led by Sixto. The going was slow as the steep grassy slopes were gradually replaced by even steeper scree and loose rock. Eventually, after a massive effort everyone reached the summit ridge, a place that seemed to resemble Mars more than anywhere on Earth. From this lofty perch views across the Paramo were amazing particularly of the nearby giant. As always on these occasions there was time for a short rest and some photos before beginning the tricky descent back to our campsite. Mid-afternoon saw the group back in camp enjoying some well deserved rest before the final day’s walk out to the Hacienda Porvenir that lay ahead the next day. Overall, the views were tremendous and the wilderness experience was something else. We even witnessed several eruptions of Tungharua, fortunately at a safe distance.

The Hacienda was a working ranch and provided the group with a relaxing few days after the exertions of the expedition. There is little doubt that riding across the Paramo fully decked out in poncho and chaps was one of the highlights of the trip.

Fully relaxed and feeling proud of our achievements we travelled back to Quito and found time to visit the equator at Mitad del Mundo before re-stocking for a visit to Tena in the rain forest. It seemed at one point that the team would never get to the jungles as a massive landslide had removed the road. Fortunately a bus swap enabled the eight hour journey to be completed. During the few very active days spent exploring the jungle the group climbed waterfalls, met poisonous banana snakes, relaxed in hammocks and spent an exhilarating day rafting down a big river. On the journey back to Quito along the newly repaired road a few relaxing hours were spent lounging in a hot spa.

An overnight stay in Quito was followed by a ten hour bus journey across country to Puerto Lopez on the coast. Only one whole day was spent on a somewhat overcast coast before another long trip back to Quito but whale watching on the boat journey to Isla del Plata, the poor man’s Galapagos and home to blue footed boobies, was an extraordinary experience. The views of the humpbacks were amazing, with some of them

coming to within several feet of the boats.

Back in Quito once again the group found time to explore the old parts of the city and travel to the famous markets of Ottovalo to buy souvenirs, in the company of our guide Sixto, before leaving the great country of Ecuador. This was a great way to complete the expedition.

All in all, the trip was a fantastic and very varied experience. There is no doubt that all who took part will have gained a great deal of experience in organising and taking part in this type of travel, which will stand them in good stead for the future.

J.T.W.

Himalayan Club Goes West

This summer the Himalayan Club broke with tradition and title. Twenty-one students, five teachers and two doctors spent a month in Peru. With just an overnight stop in Lima, we travelled north to Huaraz, the scene of a devastating earthquake, which flattened the city in 1970. The rebuilt city is functional but lacks all the colonial splendour of the past. We spent three days in Huaraz, acclimatising to the altitude, going on day walks into the

Cordillera Blanca, which gave us a taste of what to expect when we started the trek proper. Whilst in Huaraz we visited the Piccolo Restaurant on two or three occasions. On one of them, as I walked through, a voice rang out, ‘You can’t get away from King’s Himalayan Club!’ I turned, mystified by such a remark. There, sitting at a table was a couple, who, it turned out, regularly attend the lectures I organise in The John Moore Theatre. You can imagine their relief when they discovered they were not trekking our route!

Having acclimatised we travelled to the Cordillera Huayhuash (pronounced ‘why wash’) where we set out on a high altitude 200km circuit, crossing nine passes with a combined height gain of 7,500m in two weeks. Each day provided us with awe-inspiring scenery. The fact that we were walking a circuit meant we saw each mountain from many, equally majestic angles. Every day was splendid, but some were especially memorable. We spent two nights at Carhuaccocha, camping by the lake shore on the eastern side of the cordillera. As the sun rose in the morning, the mountains turned a brilliant orange and were reflected in the still waters of the lake. Later in the trek we visited the scene of Joe Simpson’s dramatic accident on Suila Grande in 1985, which was retold brilliantly in, ‘Touching the Void’. There, the mountains are particularly awesome and bring to life the events of that adventure; the determination of one man to survive the death threatening circumstances and harsh environment which surrounded him. Finally, on the west side we watched the crew prepare a pachamanca; an Inca style oven in the ground. The sun was setting, casting its glow on the mountains, yet flurries of snow were swirling around. We enjoyed a delicious traditional Peruvian feast. The mountains of the Huayhuash are truly stunning, enhanced by turquoise blue lakes and tumbling glaciers. But we didn’t just go there to trek in beautiful scenery. We also travelled to the remote mountain village of Soqma, near Cusco, to spend time on a community project. Prior to departure, the students had raised money for the village school, to buy building materials for the renovation of a derelict classroom. We also collected bags of educational equipment and toys, including some knitted teddies, kindly provided by ‘Teddies for Tragedies’. Whilst there, the boys became the workforce, labouring side by side with the men from the village, digging out the earth floor, laying stone foundations and plastering, Peruvian style. Meanwhile the girls experienced the kitchen crafts with the women of the village, helping to produce a meal for twelve families and ourselves in incredibly basic conditions. The girls also experienced the skills of spinning alpaca wool, dying it, using natural vegetable dyes from plants around the village, and weaving. Each girl made a beautiful, authentic Peruvian doll, by the end of the day. In keeping with the King’s ethos of equality, roles were reversed and the boys experienced the kitchen and the girls put their hands to plastering. It proved to be a memorable few days of cultural exchanges and there were

hugs all round as we bid farewell to the villagers. This was the first time that visitors to Peru had spent time in Soqma, supporting a community project and the locals were extremely grateful. Our final destination was Machu Picchu; the magnificent Inca ruins. They are perched high on a ridge, surrounded by jagged mountains, which are covered with impenetrable forest. As we sat one morning and watched the sunrise, over this jewel, we reflected on the past month; every day had been fantastic and many vowed to return.

J.T.Wa and A.D.W.

Geography trip to the Alps

Thirty one Upper Remove geographers and five staff left Worcester in early August bound for the French Alps. With the necessary paper work completed and all the bookings made, the journey is normally quite straight forward involving an overnight coach tour. How wrong I was when the day of our departure coincided with the worst floods in recent times, only to be compounded by one member of our party forgetting her passport! After four hours and only fifty miles into our journey we began to make better progress much to the delight of the driver and many of the pupils who were beginning to tire of my explanations of river erosion illustrated on the hard shoulder of the motorway. The ferry was a welcome break from the coach despite our evening meal comprising eggs and bacon at midnight. Some pupils, though, had better ideas than to eat: the first copies of the latest Harry Potter were released for sale.

Our destination was Le Bettex, a small winter resort above St Gervais in the Haute Alps. Our hotel offered spectacular views of the Mt Blanc Massif and served as a base for the next few days. A busy programme comprising field visits, follow-up work,

draw a field sketch took us to the majestic Mer de Glace. Here the party identified further glacial features and were able to appreciate the incredible scale of the flowing ice while enjoying a well-deserved ice cream. Once the necessary follow-up work had been completed and dinner enjoyed, an exciting evening at the St Gervais ice-skating rink allowed pupils to experience the hardness of ice first hand!

The following day we set off for Annecy taking in a visit to Les Gorges du Fier en route where a dramatic suspended walkway led us through the deep limestone gorge. In the afternoon we investigated Annecy’s growth and changing function as well as finding time to browse the shops and enjoy a crepe or two. A trip to St Gervais by cable car the next day allowed the group to buy souvenirs and stock up on snacks for the return journey. A bouncy castle style climbing wall was greatly enjoyed by some whilst others were equally content relaxing in the sun.

I would very much like to thank DNO, CML, RJJ and AMS for their great support, and to give due credit to the pupils for their excellent approach. Their positive attitude and good company helped significantly in the success of the trip.

use and quickly appreciated the hardship of the traditional agriculture. A visit to the Beaufort Cheese Co-operative helped illustrate the changes to the alpine economy and gave pupils an insight into ways physical factors can be overcome. In the afternoon a cost-benefit analysis of the Roselend Barrage was carried out before stopping at Les Saisies to study the impacts of tourism. The evening involved a healthy mix of work and some competitive Ten-pin Bowling.

The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly the study of glaciation high above the Chamonix Valley. Although one or two found the cable car ride to the Plan de l’Aguille (2310m) rather scary, the views were highly impressive and gave the perfect setting for a lesson on glacier formation. A gentle three hour walk pausing for lunch, to take in another lesson, or to

Sixth Form German Trip to Berlin

After a long first term back at school, four days in Berlin sounded like a well earned break. However, the four days the seventeen of us spent there were conducted at a demanding pace! Museums, historic sites, shopping, theatre and cinema visits were all packed into our short schedule. Nevertheless, the trip was interesting, fun and many times better than I had expected.

Being at the centre of the Second World War, Berlin has become an interesting mix of surviving historical buildings and modern developments. In my opinion this has been done well, as it does not seem disjointed, although you are never sure what is around the corner. Some of the sites we visited included the famous Reichstag, with its new dome, designed by Norman Foster, and the Brandenburg Gate, (or Tor, for those who are linguists).

Around the city, you are constantly reminded of Berlin’s history, with pieces of the Berlin Wall springing up unexpectedly. There are also many memorials, some which are unusual in design, but as powerful in message.

However, the whole trip was not taken up just by a history lesson and you will be glad to know we did practise some German, as Sixth Form linguists. As well as giving small talks to our class-mates on a certain area or building of Berlin, which we had researched earlier, we watched James Bond in German and visited an Improvisational Theatre. Being honest, a lot of it was difficult to understand, but it didn’t stop one of us, no names mentioned, having a go and taking part. And what entertainment it created!

Getting around Berlin was an excitement in itself, with trains, underground, trams, buses and even horse and carriage all available to us. Transport, unlike in Britain, is amazingly on time, but nevertheless just as confusing, especially if you manage to misplace your ticket! One of our many excursions by the underground included visiting the Berlin Olympic Stadium. This

S.C.C.

included a backstage look at the giant players’ jacuzzi, as well as the testing of the VIP seats, and although the tour was conducted in German, an amazing amount was understood.

After our fifteen hour days, we were glad to find the hostel was much better than expected. Although some of the decoration was rather ‘interesting’, it was clean, modern and comfortable with pool table, table football and bar.

We all agreed the trip was a great success and the many Weihnacht (Christmas) Markets also provided an opportunity to practise our German on the locals, as well as an excuse to do a bit of last minute shopping!

Kate Williams

German exchange trips

Cologne

It was a rather chill early morning on the last day of the Spring term when a group of forty two Upper Remove pupils boarded a coach bound for Germany. About half of the group was headed for Köln (Cologne) as they were taking part in a German exchange with the Heinrich Heine Gymnasium, and the remainder were on an exchange with a school in Kleve.

After being waved off by their parents, the pupils quickly settled down for their long journey through the “tunnel”, northern France, Holland and then into Germany. As we approached the German border, the realisation that they were actually going to be in a Germanonly speaking environment for at least the weekend started to dawn on a number of faces. However, the excitement of being away without their parents seemed to hold greater sway and consequently, the Kleve group disembarked happily into a welcoming crowd of families. The Köln pupils had another few hours’ travel before they arrived at their destination.

system into the centre of Köln to get a guided tour of the centre in German and to visit the imposing cathedral, “der Dom”, which sits on the banks of the Rhine. The guide informed us that the allied bombers used the twin spires as a landmark in their raids along the Rhine and as a consequence the building was not damaged in the war, although the surrounding area was largely destroyed. This has been painstakingly reconstructed and is now a beautiful area in which to have a coffee or beer whilst watching the ebb and flow of people through the streets and squares. The pupils had to be back at school for 1.30pm, which is the normal finishing time for the school. Although starting at 8 am seemed quite demanding, our pupils felt very much in favour of this sort of daily routine as it gave them a lot of scope for making use of time away from school.

Tuesday and Thursday mornings were spent in the school. Half of the time was spent extending and revising German with RAB, with the remainder being in lessons with German pupils in subjects such as Maths, Chemistry, English

and German.

There was a sense of happy relief from the pupils as they met up with their families to spend the weekend immersed in all things German and Kölsch (culture of Köln).

I last spoke German in the pre-Thatcher era and found it incredibly tiring listening to and speaking it, even in quite short bursts. I felt great sympathy for our pupils over the weekend. Monday morning came round quickly and gave us our first sight of the school in daylight. It came as no surprise to learn that it had been used as bunkers that had been well renovated, but still had a very utilitarian feel. Fortunately its pupils were a great contrast!

The King’s pupils were escorted on the very efficient tram

The pupils particularly enjoyed this insight into German schooling. A treasure trail of Köln had been organised for us on the Tuesday afternoon which challenged the groups of exchange students to ask for information from a number of places.

A personal favourite was the trip to the Marksburg, a splendid, fifteenth century castle with stunning views up and down the Rhine. It has been carefully restored and we were treated to an excellent tour which brought to life the castle as it was used in the middle ages with vivid detail that particularly appealed to our pupils. The return train journey afforded us some time in Koblenz at the confluence of two of the great rivers of Germany, the Rhine and Mosel. The delay of the train from Koblenz to Köln demonstrated how much the pupils’ confidence and language skills had improved over five days. They rang their host families, explained the situation and chatted for a while to discuss what

Cologne Cathedral

At Marksburg

they might do later in the evening.

By the time we met at school for the last time on Friday, a significant number of pupils were “sold” on Köln and living in suburbs which had excellent transport links to a lively city centre in which they felt very safe. They had been looked after very well by their host families and had made good friends with their exchange partner and others. A number of extra visits between exchange families had been planned so it was not surprising that there was quite an emotional departure onto the coach. The pupils agreed that it had been an excellent visit and that it had made a big difference to their appreciation of the German language and the country. I wholeheartedly concurred.

Kleve

time in Münster to get lunch and go shopping, discovering that German shops are a lot more expensive than in England.

The German children also organised some trips for us and we really enjoyed going bowling and swimming together. It was fun to all meet up together out of school. It also meant that we got to know more German people than just our partners and we all made lots more friends in Germany.

On the other nights we met in small groups and we’d get

C.E.B.

Last year’s German exchange was definitely one of the language department’s highlights. There were two groups; one went to Köln and my own to Kleve. We spent six days in Germany

staying with a family, and two days travelling. On the trip out we watched lots of movies and one student wasted a lot of his money on a ridiculous looking pair of sunglasses.

When we arrived we were all a bit scared, but came away having had a great time and made some good friends.

For two of the days we spent the morning in school with our German partners before going into Kleve for the afternoon. In Kleve we met the deputy mayor who greeted us formally, and we had our photo printed in their local paper.

We had two trips organised through the schools, one to Köln and one to Münster. In Köln we went up the Cathedral tower and looked down on the city below. The view was awesome. In Münster we went to see a famous animated clock that took five minutes to operate when it struck twelve. We also had free

pizza or play

badminton. This was a lot better than just staying in with the family all the time, as it gave us a chance to see some English people as well as other Germans. It really helped calm our nerves at the start and gave us a chance to practise speaking German more naturally.

At the end of the trip we had a better understanding of German culture and slightly better German accents. More importantly we met some great people and made lasting friends. Since our visit we have also had the return exchange and most of us are still talking over MSN or text.

Madrid

Last February a party of seventeen pupils from the Upper Remove to the Upper Sixth visited Madrid.

Though the group was made up of a variety of ages they all mixed well together. The small hostel where we stayed, near the Puerta del Sol, was very close to the centre and was well within easy walking distance of the main shops.

We visited a number of sites both within the city itself and a little beyond. The Sunday morning market, El Rastro, is very famous and some of the pupils bought some accessories there. The language lesson proved interesting as it turned out to be not so difficult as the pupils had imagined as they said it suited their

Alex Pike

The Kleve group

In the Real Madrid F.C. Press Centre

various needs. The visit to El Escorial, the renowned palace built by Philip II, gave us the opportunity to see something of the countryside outside the capital.

The highlight for many on the trip was the visit to the stadium of Real Madrid and in particular the visit to the trophy room. We were given the opportunity to sit in the press gallery and to go onto the hallowed green pitch.

My thanks go to SEH for accompanying the trip.

Rome - Sixth Form Art trip

C.A.G-S.

During the February half term twenty four A level Art students enjoyed four days discovering the artistic treasures of Rome. The group stayed in the beautiful Villa Palazzola set high in the Alban hills overlooking Lake Albano on the outskirts of Rome. The six hundred year old villa, which is now owned by the English college, proved to be a most tranquil antidote to the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Our time in Rome was divided between visiting art galleries and seeing some of the most breathtaking architecture this ancient city has to offer. The busy itinerary included trips to the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the ruins of the Roman Forum, all of which provided perfect subject matter for the students to fill their sketchbooks. We also had the chance to see some of the most important pieces of art man has ever produced, the highlight of which was undoubtedly Michelangelo’s painting in the Sistine Chapel. The morning of the final day gave us all an experience we will never forget as we were lucky enough to obtain tickets for a Papal Audience. The trip proved to be most enjoyable and very valuable for the students, many of whom used the information they collected in Rome to inspire their A Level examination work.

C.H./R.B./T.D.H.S.

French Exchanges to Reims

Sixth Form

Seven French students arrived from Reims by train in February for a week of language and cultural immersion in Worcestershire. They enjoyed visits to the mayor and the cathedral, as well as shopping in Birmingham but the highlight seemed to be the fun they enjoyed as a group on the Malvern Hills. Having successfully hosted our guests, six Lower Sixth students, along with two members of staff, made the eight-hour train journey back to Reims, ‘la cité des rois et du champagne’, situated two hours south east of Paris. We were welcomed ‘à la française’ with a party in the wine cellar of a large champagne house!

With the families at the weekend we enjoyed the cinema, concerts, gigs and good food whilst, during the week, most of us were accommodated in the boarding school. A stark contrast was noticed between the food at home and at school! Having visited the spectacular cathedral and the town hall, where we had a celebratory drink with the mayor, we made our way to the ‘Maison Taittinger’ producer of the world renowned Taittinger Champagne, but were extremely disappointed at not being allowed to taste the drink for ourselves. Other activities included shopping in Reims and a day in Paris, where we climbed the Eiffel Tower, walked along the Seine, visited the ‘Conciergerie’ and especially enjoyed a guided tour of the Paris sewers (smells included in the entrance ticket).

All the host families noticed a huge improvement in our French over the week (or at least said they did)! We all came back inspired and encouraged to work even harder at improving our language for our exams.

George AustinCliff and Colette Brown

The Bernabeu stadium

Sixth Form Art students in Rome

Upper Remove

Twenty seven Upper Remove students and four staff set off early on Friday morning, eager to get to Reims and start practising their French. Three and a half hours spent in a very small service station just outside Chatham while our coach underwent emergency repairs did nothing to dampen enthusiasm. We finally arrived in Reims and all went our separate ways with our families. Monday morning saw us assembling in the car park of Sacré Coeur School, regaling each other with stories of our weekend activities. Everyone seemed to have survived without too many problems. During the week we spent time in class, visited Reims Cathedral, did a whistle stop tour of Paris (11 o’clock – must be the Eiffel Tower, 12 o’clock - must be Notre Dame!), had a tour of a Champagne House (tasting for the adults only), saw the impressive Council Chambers and Marriage Room, spoke as much French as we could and, very importantly, made lots of new friends. My thanks go to CP, JMS and Alasdair Maxwell-Stewart for their excellent company and their help in making sure everything ran smoothly.

Fourth Forms to Parc Astérix

We left Worcester very early one Saturday morning – far too early for most of the parents who had to get to school by 5.45! After the first half an hour it was a quiet trip with most of the children sleeping or quietly listening to music. We had an uneventful trip down to Paris from Calais, made all the more enjoyable by having a coach driver who was full of wonderful ‘factoids’ which kept staff and students alike amused and informed. “Did you know that…?” Hotel rooms were sorted out and on arrival, we made ourselves at home before a good meal in the dining room of the hotel next door. We enjoyed it but I am not so sure how the few ordinary diners felt about sharing their meal with thirty five English students! Team games, organised by SKM, took up the time before bed and most of us were grateful to fall into our rooms and get a good night’s sleep before tackling the rigours of the next day.

The next morning dawned and fortunately the weather was lovely – not too hot but sunny and warm. The day was spent by the children queuing up for as many rides as they could between check in times, and by the staff (well certainly avoiding as many rides as possible. Staff blushes were saved by the enthusiasm of JMS and SKM! After dinner, it was a whistle stop tour of Paris by night, again with our wonderfully knowledgeable driver, and a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Tired but happy we eventually got to bed at around midnight. The return journey to Worcester was just as uneventful as the outward one, and the children all returned safe and sound to the welcoming arms of their parents. My thanks go to JMS, RPG and SKM who were great company and who, I am sure, enjoyed the trip as much as the children.

K.A.

Upper Removes in Reims

The Parc Astérix party

First World War Battlefield Trip

On the day I sat down to write this year’s report on the History Department’s battlefield trip for the Lower Removes, I saw the first poppies on sale in preparation for Remembrance Day. The observation acted as a reminder to me that our annual pilgrimage to northern France and Belgium remains itself as much an act of remembrance as a trip of a more conventional, educational nature. The particular association of the First World War with Armistice Day commemorations even today continues to shape much of our response to the event.

It is difficult to remain detached from the episode as a historical event when the unimaginable scale of the slaughter is brought home through so many headstones in so many cemeteries, but again this year we tried to keep the human angle of everything much to the fore.

At Thiepval on the Somme, the names of more than seventy two thousand men are inscribed on the imposing memorial standing over forty five metres high and visible as a landmark for miles around. When one remembers that these names are only those of men for whom there is no known grave, and come from just the Somme sector alone, it could be easy to forget the personal tragedy that each name represents. Here therefore, we gave pupils the names of a handful of individuals that they had to find on one of the sixteen piers on the monument, before we revealed their common link. In this case all were Old Vigornians, most, as are ninety per cent of the names inscribed, killed during the infamous battle in 1916. Since the headmaster at the time of the war, Canon Chappel, wrote a brief appreciation of all these young men in the Vigornian when news arrived of their death, we were able to gain some kind of impression of the different personalities and situations of just a very tiny selection of those killed. In doing so we were introduced to the gentle engineer, James Wagstaff, who must have been in his mid thirties at the time of his death. We also met the twice-wounded John Cockey who had enlisted at the outbreak of war, aged twenty one, along with so many others. And finally we discovered too that members of the teaching staff were amongst those killed, such as Bede Fenton, who had been instrumental in establishing the school’s OTC before the war.

activities with a very pleasing level of interest, particularly when given practical tasks to carry out, and it was clear that their curiosity about the events of the war was enhanced by visiting this and other sites. We stayed again in Bethune this year, allowing a full day’s visit to each of the Ypres and Somme sectors, with their special significance for the British Army. The work we undertook covered issues such as the causes of the heavy losses on all sides during the war, the developing tactics employed by both sides in their search for the elusive ‘breakthrough’, the use of execution as a punishment for desertion and other military crimes, the contribution to the war of colonial troops and how the commemoration of fallen soldiers varied between nations after the war. As such our programme remains challenging and varied, combining visits to museums, battlefield sites and cemeteries, where often we undertook some form of fieldwork in smaller groups. Pupils also appreciated the opportunity to do some shopping in Arras on one afternoon and to take part enthusiastically in many of PTG’s specially-adapted ‘Tourhotel sports’ during the evenings. We had a chance to practise some of them again on home soil near Windsor when the coach broke down on the M4 during our return.

As ever my thanks to my colleagues in the History Department, PTG, CFR, NS, as well as to JLO need to be recorded for their help with background research, their leading of groups and their good company.

T.R.S.

Italy

This year’s Italy trip had a very exciting itinerary with Pompeii, Vesuvius, Capri and much more. Mr Stone, Dr James, Mrs Allen-Back and Mr and Mrs Gill brought a large group of eager pupils to the West Coast of Italy. We were staying in a modest hotel near the centre of Sorrento, about two hours’ drive from Naples.

Unfortunately on the first day (Tuesday) Mr Stone could not be with us as he had a migraine. The rest of the group spent the day in Pompeii where we visited the tombs, the amphitheatre, the baths and many of the houses. Unfortunately some of the wellknown houses such as the house of the Vettii were closed, but there were still many things to see.

The forty pupils we had with us this year took part in such

Fortunately by Wednesday morning Mr Stone was well and we went to see a flat volcano called Solfatara. This volcano really

French WWI cemetery at Notre Dame de Lorette

lived up to its name and the whole group were overwhelmed by the stink of the sulphur. Then we went to see Pozzuoli, an amphitheatre which contained holding places for the wild animals which the gladiators would fight in the amphitheatre. After Pozzuoli we visited the Cave of the Sibyl at Cumae. This cave was home to an oracle in Roman times and, according to myth, once held a passage to the underworld in it. Then we went to the Naples Museum which contained many fascinating

Thursday was one of the most anticipated days. We were going up to the rim of the mighty Vesuvius which towered above the Neapolitan skyline. It was amazingly high and very windy. Vesuvius was a highlight of the trip for many members of the group. We also visited Herculaneum, a town which survived better than Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted.

On the Friday we took a ferry over to Capri to see the villa of Tiberius near the top of the island. This was a day enjoyed by all, even though there was quite a bit of walking involved which did not go down too well with one or two of the less active members of the group. That evening a few members of the group, myself included, went with three of the members of staff to watch the Good Friday march through the centre of Sorrento. It was a very dark and rather sinister spectacle, and was an experience for all who came and certainly not one that we’ll forget.

On Saturday we drove down the Amalfi coast, visiting Amalfi on the way to seeing two Greek temples at Paestum. The Amalfi coast was very beautiful but the road was very twisty and as a result many of the group felt quite ill. The temples at Paestum are three of the few remaining Greek temples in Italy, and one is unique as it has nine pillars at the front – very unusual in Greek temples.

On the last day a couple members of the group went to the local church to celebrate Easter Day at a special mass. Once they

had returned from mass, the whole group set out to see Pompeii for a second time so that we could see some of the buildings which had been closed previously. We saw the House of Mysteries, the battlements and the plaster bodies. (These plaster creations are the result of filling the hole left by an incinerated Pompeian with plaster, which shows the position in which it died.)

The trip was a great success and was enjoyed by all who went. I would to like to thank, on behalf of us all, Mr Stone, Dr James, Mrs Allen-Back and Mr and Mrs Gill, without whom this trip would never have happened.

Senior Skiing

Once again the Senior Ski Trip was a resounding success. Thirty five pupils and three staff travelled to the California, Nevada border to ski in Heavenly, Lake Tahoe. The trip went just before Christmas and despite some of the runs being closed due to limited snow, the majority was in superb condition offering excellent fun for skiers of all levels. American Ski School was excellent and the resort was very efficiently run. Everyone enjoyed an improvement in their skiing as the week went on despite the frequent stops to admire the stunning views over the Lake and the Nevada desert. The group was good fun and enjoyed the evening entertainment which often hinged around a more than large meal at one of a range of eateries catering for the American appetite! The trip drew to a close with a coach

Sam Greenwood

The amphitheatre at Pozzuoli

The top group!

Shall we ski into California or Nevada?

California to San Francisco where we boarded the plane for home. Another superb trip.

C.W.S.W.

Junior Skiing

After two successful trips to Italy the juniors went to Saalbach in Austria. Fifty five pupils from the Removes and the Upper Fourths went with six staff during February half term. Leading up to the trip we were a little concerned about the lack of snow throughout Europe but luckily it came just in time to provide excellent conditions. The quality of the instructors was evident by the progressions made by the pupils but also by the numerous tears at the end of the week!

The group was one of the best I have taken on a trip, working well between year groups and injecting good humour throughout. This was helped by the quality of the staff and their hard work through the week.

J.J.M .

Jaw, jaw, not war, war

“Don’t mention the war!” This may have been Basil Fawlty’s tactic for handling his German guests, but for a select group of King’s students, talking about WWII and trying to absolve its effects was very much part of the plan.

Along with our twin school from Magdeburg in eastern Germany the group travelled to Ysselsteyn in the southern Netherlands, site of one of the largest German WWII burial grounds. It was with the express aim of discussing war and its effects, furthering Anglo-German understanding and learning more about the history of the war from a continental European viewpoint that we ventured forth.

Seeing 32,000 war graves at Ysselsteyn very much brings home the scale of the loss of life during the war. Students from both schools spent time cleaning 1500 grave markers, contemplating the few details displayed on the crosses as they worked - a task calling for great character from all concerned, staff and students alike. Other activities included a harrowing talk

from an Auschwitz survivor, a visit to the War and Resistance museum at Overloon and experiencing the horror of an exemplar concentration camp at Vught. Our final destination was two hours at the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam.

Much needed light relief came in the form of cycling, Center Parcs and camp fires for the pyromaniacs on which we roasted bananas stuffed with Mars Bars, a new experience for the German students.

It seems odd to describe such a trip as a success - no trophies were won, no peaks conquered, yet there can be no doubt that all those who took part, came away with an altered sense of the cost of victory, a more developed character and an enhanced perspective on European relations.

St Lucia 1st XI cricket tour

Fifteen boys, three members of staff and our very own ‘barmy army’ of parents and siblings took off to St Lucia for a much anticipated twelve day tour. From the moment we stepped off the plane, the heat explosion that greeted us made us realise how tough a task it would be to play in such testing conditions. This proved the case as our first game at Gros Islet saw us come up against our strongest opposition. Having been set a testing 235 to win we batted bravely to reach 220 all out with the ability to cope in the heat proving the difference between the two sides.

Time for a break

Team-building fun with the Magdeburg students

Sam Greenwood cleaning a war grave

Our second match saw us travel to the opposite end of the island where the famous Piton mountains stood. The St Lucian beer was named after these mountains but Jonathan Inglis thought that the naming process had been the other way around, much to the amusement of the rest of the squad! The pitch itself was full of roaming goats and the wicket could hardly be distinguished. Set a very achievable target of 140 to win we managed to collapse to 130 all out after a solid opening stand from James Yelland and Inglis.

The day off that followed saw us relaxing at the beach with some entertaining banana boating and an afternoon snorkelling in the delightfully turquoise, clear waters. This day off helped to lift spirits for the third game of the tour at Vieux Fort where a good batting and bowling display saw us ease to a comfortable victory with Richard Winwood’s spectacular catch being the highlight. Our deep sea fishing trip the next day was anticipated with varying feelings. Unfortunately the young Fifth Form boat had barely made it out of the bay before they had to turn around due to various states of sea sickness!

Our fourth game was a very tense affair as we tried to defend our total of 195. With the game seemingly slipping away from us, the ‘barmy army’, led by the loud and ‘tuneful’ voice of young Jessica Longley, found their voice to inspire a great comeback. We clinched victory by three runs in the final over of the match, much to the relief of the boys as we knew an infamous Gillgrass ‘telling off’ would otherwise greet us in the changing room! The following afternoon was the most memorable of the tour as we indulged in a little St Lucia culture at the annual carnival. Never have I seen such extraordinary sights as the streets were lined with colourful outfits and ladies dancing somewhat excitedly in front of our astonished eyes! Nor have I ever seen Mr Gill look so mesmerised or Mr Iddon so flushed! An experience that will certainly be talked about for years to come.

Our fifth game saw us continue our good vein of form with us comfortably defeating the swashbuckling but somewhat loose opposition. However, I did witness some of the largest sixes I have ever seen as many deliveries from Liam Gwynne, Kit Smith and myself disappeared into the graveyard on the opposite side of the road.

Our final day off saw us take a fantastic cruise around this beautiful volcanic island. The sighting of three different pods of dolphins playing in the waters was simply sensational as many even jumped over our feet that were dangling overboard. We sailed right beneath the Pitons and also got off the boat for a walk inside the dormant volcano.

The final game saw us lucky enough to play at the Beausejour stadium which is where England played their World Cup group matches. This was an incredibly impressive place and we made the most of our opportunity to play here comfortably winning by nine wickets with captain Tom Longley ending his school career with a fine unbeaten half century. Other half centuries on tour were scored by Steve Poole, Oli Meadows and myself. Liam Gwynne picked up the only five wicket haul. Tom captained the side well all year and will be missed after three excellent years in the side.

Canada

Girls’ Hockey Tour

Many thanks must go to Mr Iddon, Mr Gillgrass and Mr Gill for all the hard work they put into this brilliant tour and for being a big part of a tremendously close group of people. In particular we thank Mr Gill for his relentless enthusiasm and good humour as he has been a huge part of King’s cricket for the last twenty one years and will be sorely missed. Finally many thanks to the ‘barmy army’ for their endless provision of water and support and in particular to Dr Inglis who ensured that we were all feeling fit in the searing heat.

Tom Gwynne

On the 12th July twenty four hockey players and three members of staff met at the school bus bay and set off to Vancouver, Canada for our much anticipated hockey tour. After a ten hour flight we were greeted by sunshine and great hospitality. After an evening of rest we were up early the next day for a training session with Bindi Kullar, an international player for Canada. The water-based astro was fantastic to play on and a great way of cooling off! We still had to contend with the heat in our first game on day two against the Surrey Sharks. The A squad had a fantastic game, winning 6 – 0 and setting the standard for the rest of the tour. The B squad had a much tougher challenge and were let down by fitness, losing 4-0. Later that same afternoon all

players and Mrs Clark took part in a seven-a-side tournament, in the middle of which we had to perform our dance piece from the Dance Showcase. What must they have thought of us?

The day off that followed allowed for a boat trip over to Granville Island, shopping, more shopping and despite the grey weather, a trip to the beach. I think most of us spent too much money and we still had ten days of the tour to go.

the water.

Match three was by far the biggest challenge of all. The As had to dig deep right up to the final whistle against a side who were the local Under 18 division one champions and whose goalkeeper left very little room to get a ball past! The Bs found it equally tough going and despite a draw and a loss spirits remained high. We left Victoria and all the rabbits and headed back to Vancouver, via a white water rafting excursion; I have never been so scared or excited by an activity before.

We travelled over to Vancouver Island, where we stayed at Victoria University amongst the wild rabbits. Match two of the tour was another easy victory for the A team, 4 - 0 but once again the Bs found it tough going against an A squad, but their game showed good solidarity and all players persisted through the torrential rain. It was a shame to lose 1 – 4. We followed this match with a whale watching trip, and for many people this was one of the highlights of the tour as we saw a family of killer whales in the wild, and even saw one in breach position out of

Our final match saw the A team continue in good form and the ‘second string’ played the best they had all tour, much to the delight and cheerleading

of Mrs. Goodayle on the side line. The final victories of the tour were celebrated with some last minute shopping for those of us who had any money left and a farewell lunch.

Nicola Wilkinson was awarded the first team player of the tour and Lydia Harper the second team player awards. Lucy Senior was the highest goal scorer although she and Nicky Wilkinson fought this out in the final match. I would like to thank Miss Cooke for arranging the tour, getting us our kit, and making the whole experience really enjoyable. Thanks also to Mrs Clark and Mrs Goodayle for coaching the teams and coming away with us!

Rosie Pennell

SpoR t

Rugby

1st XV

Results

Played 18 Won 12 dRaWn 1 lost 5

Blundell’s (A)

KES Birmingham (A)

Solihull (H)

KES Camphill (A)

Chase HS (A) (Daily Mail)

KES Stratford

Won 32 - 13

Won 3 - 0

Lost 8 - 17

Won 34 - 19

Won 52 - 6

Won 41 - 8

King’s Taunton (H) Won 14 - 6

High School Dublin (A)

De la Salle Dublin (A)

Monmouth

Solihull (A) (Daily Mail)

King Henry’s Coventry (H)

Won 22 - 3

Won 38 - 0

Won 19 - 12

Lost 25 - 32

Won 41 - 19

Hereford Cathedral School (H) Drew 14 – 14

Bristol GS (A)

RGS Worcester

Bishop Vesey’s (H)

Old Swinford (A)

Warwick (A)

In many respects a successful season as a workmanlike squad produced a number of strong performances despite being hit by a number of injuries to key players. The benefits of a reasonably large pack was shown in a number of matches, most noticeably in the games at Blundell’s and Bristol where our opponents were starved of the ball. The best rugby of the term was produced at Monmouth where a combination of good handling and incisive running gave King’s a record away win in this fixture. Unfortunately in the really key games the absence of a genuine match winner proved critical. At Old Swinford, and in the two games versus Solihull, King’s were able to gain plenty of possession but lacked the necessary finishing ability to produce ultimate success. Against a very powerful RGS team King’s made the fatal error of believing that they had done enough to secure a draw only to be undone by an injury time run from the half way line which should have been cut off at source. Given that eleven of the team at Sixways had been in the side which had lost by sixty five points to their RGS counterparts in the Under 15s this was a brave effort but one which was not quite good enough.

Won 31 - 0

Lost 6 - 11

Won 17 - 14

Lost 15 - 21

Lost 0 - 38

Only against Warwick did the team show a lack of determination, their minds seemingly focused more on the forthcoming Christmas festivities than on the match. The loss of the captain Dom Wood for nearly all the season as a result of a severe knee injury sustained during the Camphill game was a major setback, as was the shoulder injury suffered by fellow flanker Jack England against Coventry which ruled him out for four months. The back row, up to then one of the most effective units in the team, never regained its vitality despite the sterling efforts of Richard Lee and Jack Herriot, both of whom were excellent attacking players, but struggled a little without the defensive back up provided by Wood and England. In the front five Matt Humphreys made outstanding progress as hooker and thoroughly deserved to win the Preston Shield for Most Improved Player whilst

the emergence of Chris Goodreds and Josh Tomlinson as first team regulars was most heartening, given that throughout most of their school careers they had been members of the B team. Charles Lloyd Jones was a strong and reliable second row player, who always gave his all whether it be on the training ground or in the match. He has the capability to play club rugby at a good level although to play in the back row he will have to concentrate on improving his handling skills. Jake Underwood gained in confidence as the year went on and showed himself to have the healthy knack of scoring tries usually from a range of two to three metres but occasionally from nearer the five

him emerge as a genuine attacking force as the term went on. In his leadership role he was given excellent support by Jeff Ballard both on and off the pitch. Three Ballard brothers have played for the First XV during my time as Coach and they have all given a great deal to rugby at King’s. Jeff was the only one to play in the backs and despite suggestions he should considered a career further forward he remained at centre for the

season largely because the extra year meant he was that much stronger. Andy Hughes is an elusive runner who now needs to concentrate on improving his pace off the mark whilst Freddie adopted a more direct confrontational approach which on its day could prove every effective.

As a group they were one of the most amicable and good natured teams I have coached: this in itself might explain why at the critical moments in the season they lacked the ruthless streak so essential for success.

The backs were small in stature and as a result relied on their pace and ball skills to try to outwit larger opponents. For the cutting edge they relied heavily on Matt Marskell whose ability to enter the line at pace from full back was responsible for many of our best moments. His season ending ankle injury sustained in a North Midlands game just two days before the RGS match was a cruel blow and one which proved critical in the derby game where a hastily rearranged back line never quite gelled. Tom Longley, who played most of the season at fly-half, took over the captaincy from Dom Wood and led by example rather than by word of mouth. He is a talented runner and a fully committed defender and it was nice to see

whole season, his habit of scoring important tries enabling him to delay the inevitable for a little longer. On the wing Ed Jones had a purple patch in the middle of the season but was not quite so prolific after half-term once the grounds became softer. Tom Gwynne was the chief goal kicker and in open play continued to show himself to be a neat and balanced runner and a tenacious tackler although occasionally his lack of size proved an insurmountable handicap. At scrum-half Liam Gwynne had an encouraging first season. He needs to work on the speed of his pass but he has a sharp break and towards the end of the term he began to develop an efficient kicking game. The tenure of the last place left in the three-quarters was hotly disputed between Andy and Freddie Hughes with the latter player getting the vote towards the end of the

prospect of improving on this team’s record in the near future does not look that rosy. For the first time ever three of the best players in the Under 16 year group left in the summer and the attraction of the Worcester Academy is making it difficult not just to keep our most able sportsmen but also to attract talented rugby players from the county. The availability of bursary funding should make it possible for King’s to compete with the leading rugby schools in the Midlands, but will it happen ?

My thanks to my fellow coaches SMB and RJD for their total support throughout the season. P.T.G.

Sevens

Sevens, a game traditionally associated with speed and handling skills, is seen at its best in warm weather on dry but well grassed pitches with an appreciative crowd able to assuage their thirst with occasional trips to the beer tent. Unfortunately none of these

metres mark.

conditions occurred in the 2007 Sevens season with numerous competitions being cancelled because of flooding, snow and other climatic

being sustained by Bovril rather than Bank’s Bitter. Only in the last two weeks of term did the weather relent enabling the King’s Tournament at Droitwich, and the National Tournament at Wimbledon, to produce matches worthy of the name of Sevens.

hazards whilst those which did take place were won by teams whose attritional qualities would have gone down well on the battlefields of World War One. Spectators were few and far between, those that did venture out

The First Seven trained hard in the swamps located somewhere beyond the ‘Cabbage Patch’ but never really carried sufficient firepower either in the forwards or backs to threaten the major teams. At Brecon the team performed well up to the quarter-final stage when a fairly indifferent show against the hosts ended our interest. Sadly the Marches was reduced to near farce and as a result of incessant heavy rain the only thing King’s learnt from the tournament was that we do not seem very proficient in the art of scuba diving. At the North we played our best rugby of the term and won our group in style but

on the main Birkenhead Park pitch we were exposed by the power and pace of Ellesmere, a team who only a few years ago would not have been considered a major force in the region. Our own competition at Droitwich saw us

just pipped in a thrilling plate final against Warwick, 21-19, but in the final training session before Rosslyn Park we lost our one quick player when Ed Jones ran into Richard Lee’s elbow and departed for hospital. Even without Ed we should have qualified for the final stages but a shaky opening saw us just lose our opening match to Magdalen College School and although we then went on to win our next three matches in style the damage had been done. Tom Longley was easily our most impressive player, ably backed up by Jeff Ballard and Richard Lee, but the absence of Dom Wood and Matt Marskell for the whole term meant we were always a couple of players light.

The junior teams suffered badly from the weather with Warwick being cancelled for the second year running, most of the Solihull tournaments having to be called off, and the King’s Under 15 event also being a victim of the floods. The Under 16s showed up well at Blundell’s where they reached the final but at the National Sevens they were unable to reproduce their best form and ended up coming second in their group.

My thanks to all the staff who gave up many hours to train their squads often to find that the competitions could not take place. I cannot believe that 2008 can be as wet.

P.T.G.

2nd XV

It was a season of highs and lows where a strong bunch of forwards was often dominant in games but the backs, whilst able to score with ease against weaker opposition (Hereford Cathedral, Rendcomb and King Henry’s Coventry being prime instances), were often dreadfully exposed against stronger opponents. It is indicative that our leading try scorers and those who scored in the harder games were forwards. James Ward, Chris Goodreds, Lawrence Szymanski, Olly Jenkins and Luke Armitage all went over and the leading scorer for the season was the strong running (but lazy training) hooker, James Riley who went over six times. Credit should also go to Tom Battrum who scored the team’s first try of the season in a heavy defeat to Blundell’s; this provided one of the season’s more amusing moments when he came up with a rallying cry of ‘Come on Grammar!’.

High points must be victories away at KES Birmingham and Bristol (each traditionally strong opponents) and although we lost, we did well against Solihull, where they scored two fortuitous breakaway tries, and in a tense defeat at Monmouth (17 – 14) where we showed great tenacity to win the second half. Low points would have to be losing at Stratford where we were 12 -0 up with five

minutes to play and a woeful display against Warwick; admittedly it was the last day of term but it was as poor a performance by a second team that I have witnessed.

The boys were generally good trainers and an extremely pleasant bunch to work with and therein lies one of the team’s flaws; I think that many of them were simply too nice and whilst many of them have the potential to go on and represent the first team next year (and some did so this year), they needed show greater steel more consistently. It was there, but only in patches.

R.J.D.

Under 16 XV

Having lost two of our best players to the 1st XV at the start of the season we were forced to play people in new positions and weren’t really sure what to expect. However, we were pleasantly surprised and the season got off to a bright start, with us playing an exciting brand of rugby and collecting some good wins along the way. Unfortunately by mid-season we had lost even more players, some more moving up to the 1st XV and a number of others being injured. At one stage we had eight players unavailable for selection. Jack Everton deserves particular mention for coping well in an unfamiliar position, after the loss of Liam Gwynne and Harry Cronin, and Will Harris and Ed Hartley also stood out. The team battled hard but, despite still showing glimpses of promising play, inevitably results began to suffer. However, we did manage to finish with a good win against RGS Worcester.

C.A.

Sevens

The Sevens season began very well with a long trip down to Blundell’s. The team played very well, progressing through a large group, winning all their games. After just edging a close fought encounter in the semi-final, they faced the hosts in the final. Unfortunately, despite a valiant effort, a few small mistakes cost us the match. However, overall the boys were pleased with their efforts. Reaching the final in their first run out of the season was no mean feat. Jake Lock and Jack JeavonsFellows looked powerful in the forwards, with Matt Marskell and Will Harris sharp in the backs. However, it really was a great squad performance in which everyone played their part.

Disappointingly, bad weather put paid to our other warm up tournaments and we headed off to the National Schools Sevens Tournament without much match

practice. In the group we showed flashes of promise, gaining some good victories in the process and we ended the day with a ‘winner takes all’ clash against Plymouth College. We had beaten them in the group stages at Blundell’s in a closely fought match and knew that we would have a tough game on our hands. Unfortunately, a few basic errors, and a disputed decision about whether they had stepped into touch before scoring one of their tries, saw us bow out of the event sooner than we would have liked. Hopefully the experiences gained will stand the boys in good stead for the coming season and I hope to see a number of them pushing for places in the First Seven squad next year.

After all their hard work through the season the squad were rewarded with a day trip at the start of the Christmas holidays. The boys had a great day, enjoying paintballing, tobogganing and indoor skydiving.

Under 15 XV

Points for 574

Points against 190 W: 13 L: 4

Despite a difficult start to the season, where we lost three out of five games, the Under 15s progressed very well as a team. Under good leadership from Rhodri Dawes and Henry Walthier, the team as a whole developed into a well balanced unit. As a squad they worked hard to improve their individual skills and fitness although some were able to push themselves harder than others with the latter. The team had some strong ball carriers which gave them good options going forward. This was reflected in the number of tries scored with Seb Jamous, George Webster

C.A.

C.A.

and Dawes all in double figures. Although relatively small, the pack was dynamic and had a number of good ball handlers who linked well with the backs. The rucking game and support play of the team improved greatly through the season which allowed for good continuity in their play.

The Sevens season was short but reasonably successful. Due to cancellations the team only had the Solihull tournament to work towards. We made a good start scoring some well worked tries. As we progressed through the tournament the boys’ commitment and work rate helped them through to the final. Unfortunately after an impressive display we lost with the last play of the game to a strong Old Swinford team.

J.J.M.

Under 14 XV

The season started with a very hard match against Blundells. It was the first Saturday of term and the boys came up against a team with size and pre-season training on their side. It takes a superhuman effort to come back from a big defeat in the first week but that is exactly what the boys did. I could never fault their effort and drive and was really pleased with the determined approach they had all season. We battled, week in week out against sides that were twice our size and while confidence was sometimes bruised, never felt we could not win any of our games. The season played out with a fairly equal ratio of wins to losses. Jonny Tye and Mike Serafini were big hitters throughout the season and James Doorbar, Ed Harris and Joe Grisdale developed as hard running backs. Tom Cluett made a valuable impact and David Brazier captained and led by example. It was a very enjoyable season which ended in a fantastic and comprehensive away victory over RGS Worcester.

C.W.S.W.

Under 13 XV

This was a very enjoyable season during which plenty of progress was made in all areas of the boys’ development. We were always amazed at the numbers who came to practice and by the genuine enthusiasm that was displayed throughout the season. After the initial shock of failing to get hold of the oval thing in our first game against KES Birmingham, there were a number of very close games against Solihull, Abberley Hall and Camp Hill, before a couple of easy victories over Stratford and Aston. The best team we came across all year were Warwick, but their ability to develop a narrow type of game plan will be tested in the coming years and it wouldn’t surprise me if this set of boys gets much closer to them. After half term we played by far our strongest rugby with comprehensive fifty point victories

over Aston, Old Swinford and RGS Worcester. The most memorable game was a seventeen point each draw with Bristol GS, who scored with the last play of the game. They had defeated Millfield the week before which is a good indication of how far the team had developed during the term.

The team was inspirationally led by Harry Nuttall who scored over twenty five tries during the season, mostly from prop! The forwards were very fit and good ball handlers, rarely coming off second best against anybody, and they gave the backs an excellent supply of first and second phase ball. Behind the scrum there was plenty of talent with William Tressider showing the greatest improvement

This outstanding record can be put down to the fact that each member of the team possessed pace, a good level of handling ability, tenacity and, most unusually for King’s Under 12 rugby teams, intelligence. There was even a smattering of King’s Scholars.

As usual (thanks again, PTG) there was strong opposition for the first two games in Warwick and Monmouth, but the team put on a scintillating display of running rugby against Warwick, demolishing them 27-0 (when will this happen again at any level?) and although Monmouth proved to be good, a 19-15 victory was well deserved at the final whistle. These two opening games set the tone for the rest of the term, as King Edward’s Aston,

and Sam

Waltier being the crucial link in the chain. There is plenty of talent in this particular year group and I hope they can continue to develop and enjoy their rugby.

A.A.D.G.

Under 12 XV

The regular reader(s) of this annual report will remember that a favourite opener of mine (usually an excuse for only a moderate season) is “a good big’un will always beat a good littl’un.”

However this was most certainly not the case this season as the side, containing a lot of “littl’uns” and not one real “big’un”, won all fourteen of its matches.

Hereford Cathedral, King Edward’s Five Ways, Bishop Vesey’s and Bristol Grammar were all put to the sword in some highly entertaining performances of ‘total’ rugby. The final match of the Autumn term was against an unbeaten RGS Worcester side and after a tense and scoreless first half King’s pulled away with three well taken tries to maintain their impressive record.

The six Spring term games continued in the same vein - Monmouth were crushed this time although we were worried by Oldswinford - and the team moved towards its final game at Warwick, who were clearly out for revenge for their October embarrassment. A close and exciting encounter finished in

a two tries to one victory and an unbeaten season.

The side was remarkably injury-free (only seventeen players were used throughout the season) and this consistency contributed towards an impressive understanding between players.

The following were regulars: Ben Airdrie, Alex Spring, Jonathan Bywater, Sam Raybone, Dan Crossland, Will Cusack, Jake Hudson, Jack Jeavons-Fellows, George de Cothi, George Fairlie, George Preece, David Serafini, Alistair Hunt, Richard Clive, Jamie Forsyth and Jack O’Sullivan.

After a tentative start the B XV started to come into its own and won most its games, including a storming victory against WRGS. Such was the depth of talent in the year group that a C XV played four games and we also managed to field a D team on one occasion.

My thanks to RJJ for his good company, organisational skills and patience (even after a season such as this, mine was beginning to wear a bit thin by the end.)

D.P.I.

was high and we expected to do well in the league. Ultimately, however, the season proved to be both disappointing and frustrating in equal measure.

The first XI did manage to go through the entire season and only lose one home fixture, an impressive statistic until you realise that, because of the flooding, they were only able to play one home fixture all season. 2007 will be remembered as the year we lost to the floods as the water hampered most of our training sessions as well as our Saturday fixtures. We usually expect some disruption at the beginning of January, but to have games affected well into the second half of term is

to practice if we were to make any progress. Our season finally got started away at Malvern. This was probably the toughest of our first three fixtures but in a very keenly contested game we won 3-1 thanks to two goals from Ed Jones and one from Tom Gwynne. The victory was hard earned but well deserved and gave the team confidence that we had finally organised ourselves into a team that could play some decent football. Injuries, however, meant that we were only able to field two Upper Sixth players in our next game and we came back down to earth with a heavy defeat to an impressive Marlborough side. Our second, and what turned out to be our final victory of the season, was against Uppingham in a very similar game to the win at Malvern; two hard working and evenly matched teams, separated by two outstanding goals from Ed Jones. This victory was perfect preparation for the local derby against RGS Worcester. This is usually a very passionate occasion played at a high tempo but this year, after a cagey forty minutes both teams came in at half time with the scores 0-0. We were confident we could build on our solid first half performance and were determined

Football

1st XI

For the 2007 season the first XI would be competing in the newly formed Mercian Independent Schools’ Football League. This league would see us playing many of our traditional opponents, as well as introducing us to some teams for the first time. The league is divided into a northern and a southern section, with the winners of each section meeting each other in a final to decide the overall winner. After the success achieved in 2006 confidence

unprecedented. Conditions were so bad that we played the first two fixtures without been able to have a proper practice. Unsurprisingly, both of these games, away at Loughborough and Bromsgrove, ended in defeat. Traditionally we give a good account of ourselves against these teams but this year, despite plenty of hard work and effort on the pitch, lack of preparation could not be disguised and we went down 4-2 and 2-1 respectively. There were occasional glimmers of hope in these games, and we knew we had good individual players, but our organisation on the pitch was poor. We were in desperate need of some time

to take the game to opposition in the second half. Two minutes after the restart, however, we found ourselves a goal down. Despite this setback we had time to regroup and we worked hard to get back into the game. With twenty minutes remaining the ball fell to our leading scorer, Ed Jones who, for a split second found himself unmarked twelve yards from goal. He has won us many games in the last three years by finishing chances far more difficult than this and with great composure he slotted the ball past the ‘keeper. Unfortunately, the ball also slid past the far post. The chance had gone and with it so had the game. RGS went on to win

2-0, courtesy of a late penalty and we were left to turn our attention to our remaining fixtures. The final three matches of the season saw the quality of our football improve game by game and we began to play to the standard we expect from a King’s side. But it is fitting that in such a frustrating season all three matches ended in defeat by an odd goal. Our most impressive performance came in our final game away at Clifton College and showed just what we would have been capable of if we had been able to prepare a little more thoroughly at the start of the season. There were times in the first half when we outplayed the opposition with some outstanding attacking football, swift passing and tough tackling. The second half was more evenly matched and despite our impressive display we ended a luckless season with another luckless defeat.

There were good individual performances from a number of players through the season and we will be losing some Upper Sixth formers who have made significant contributions to the first XI over the last three years. Joe O’Connor captained the team this year and proved to be one of our most skilful players. Not only did he enjoy running at the opposition with the ball he often dominated the midfield with his brave tackling. Our leading scorer for the season, Ed Jones, will be difficult to replace. His power, pace and skill have caused problems for every defender he has faced and he has scored some outstanding goals. No one has enjoyed the game and wanted to win more than keeper Jonathan Inglis. He didn’t put a foot wrong in our successful 2006 season, and looked even more dependable this year as he made a number of spectacular saves. Of the players we will be retaining Tom Gwynne once again proved to be our most valuable, whether he was playing up front and scoring the goals or creating chances in midfield.

Football has remained a very popular sport with the boys and hopes are high for next year. We will be able to field a similar defence to this year, we have a number of players who have gained valuable experience in the midfield and we have some skilful Fifth Formers coming through. We only hope that we will be more fortunate with the flood waters and have the opportunity to prepare ourselves a little more thoroughly.

J.T.W./C.H.

2nd XI

The second XI had a reasonably good season, winning more than half of its fixtures. The first game, against Loughborough, was full of drama and excitement. Loughborough’s two early goals suggested that it was going to be a harrowing afternoon for the away side.

However, the course of the game took a sharp turn when skipper Freddie Hughes scored a stunning thirty-yard volley. King’s had to twice come from behind and eventually clinched a 4-3 victory with the help of more goals from Oliver Meadows and Liam Gwynne. It was a rather unexpected victory for us considering the team had hardly played together before.

The highlight of the season has to be the game against a very impressive WRGS side. At the start of the match, RGS constantly threatened our defence and we were indebted to goalkeeper Sean Robinson’s several brilliant saves to keep the score line level. The second half started with a new vigour from King’s who achieved the majority of the possession. The chance eventually fell to winger Liam

Gwynne, who lurked at the far post and slid home an eightieth minute winner. This victory was based on good team work which had been gradually strengthened throughout the season. Overall I was pleased with the boys’ performances and particularly the attitude and commitment they demonstrated throughout the season. I am confident the experience and knowledge they gained on and off the pitch will contribute to their future development.

B.W.

had a good appreciation of the way the game should be played.

Under 15 XI

The team played well all season. Everyone in the squad was comfortable on the ball and

The first outing was impressive: we beat Bromsgrove 7-0, and the score didn’t flatter us. Dave Lewis scored three, Rhodri Dawes two, and Jack Hesketh and Ollie Greenhill (the captain) also got on the scoresheet. Lewis and Dawes were skilful, fast and strong and were a serious threat against all opposition. Greenhill showed amazing stamina, getting up and down the right hand side from start to finish, every game. I thought I offered an astute bit of coaching, something I’d picked up from Ruud Gullitt on the telly, when I told him while refereeing a game that he should pace himself, because there was a second half as well and he’d be dead by half time. But he completely ignored me, just as he does in Chappel House, and proved me wrong by keeping going throughout. I’ve told him how well I’m expecting him to do in the House Cross Country. Hesketh became an important member of the team by the end of the season when he learnt to adopt the holding role, following instructions always to stay behind the ball. I think it was Josh Crow who asked what he should do when we had a goal kick. We lost our next game against Marlborough but I’m claiming a win. We would have won if eight of the first team hadn’t gone down with flu. We could only field a team of ten vertical players, and some of them coughed and spluttered all afternoon. They lent us a sub, and he played a blinder, but we went down 2-1. Harry Iddon was our scorer: our regular right back, he came up for corners to add to the aerial threat, and found himself in the right place at the right time. His was one of the best goal celebrations of the season. Seriously, I do believe that if we had been at full strength we would have been comfortable winners. Against Wolverhampton Grammar in the next match we were not the better team: often our strongest opponents, they were impressive again, but we matched them in a very tight game until we conceded a soft goal and a second right at the end when we were pressing for an equaliser. We were back to winning ways against Wellingborough. Here it was good to have Stanier back in the team: he’d been injured at the start of the season, and his return brought some extra nous to the midfield and a cultured left foot. Richard Barker also missed much of the season through illness, and we missed his pace and skill. Joe Hale, in central midfield, was man of the match for me against Wellingborough, as he often was during the season. He is big, strong, fast, skilful, athletic and competitive; so quite good really. Like many of this team, he will go straight into the

Firsts next year.

Our defence was strong and solid. Iddon at right back was strong and dependable, and his relative lack of pace was never really exposed because he reads the game astutely. Ilija Rasovic at left back was excellent. Good in the air, quick, willing to put his foot in, naturally left footed but with a good right foot, too, keen to go forward but quick enough and fit enough always to get back, he was very effective indeed. Tom Fardon and Richard Lombay were two rocks in central defence and complemented each other well: Ferdinand and Vidic. It was a source of great confidence for the rest of the team to know that the back four operated as a unit and knew what they were doing. George Webster was first choice keeper. He is of course completely bonkers, but also fantastically brave and agile and with good hands, until one got broken. Ruari SmithCooper took over and did a good job.

We also won our last match of the season against Clifton, and deservedly so. Joe Hale scored our two goals, both of them beauties, in the 2-1 win. The match against WRGS hadn’t happened. We’d trained hard all week, practised the set pieces, the players had been shielded from the press, we’d sorted the players’ suits, recorded the team song and we went off to the team hotel the night before the match … and then woke up on the Saturday to a foot of snow. The opposition was not enthusiastic about arranging another time for the match. So that was another win.

Josh Crow featured for the A team and always did a good job, but he was happier captaining the Bs, for whom Airdrie, Campion, Ben Fardon, Hartley, Hickey, Loader, Oxley, Patel, Roberts and Titmuss featured prominently. It was a good sign of the year’s strength in depth that the Bs played two matches, beating Bromsgrove 9-1 and Wellingborough 10-0.

It was a pleasure to work with such a talented and friendly bunch of boys.

S.Le M.

Under 14 XI

Played 6, Won 4, Lost 2

After a disappointing start, largely due to a lack of practice opportunities, this side proved themselves to be both committed and talented. The first two games were lost by a single goal despite King’s dominating large passages of play in both and creating numerous, unconverted, chances. Alan Frost was always a threat with his neat skills on the wing, and Joe Grisdale was unlucky with several excellent efforts from long range.

Hard work during practice paid off in the next game, a 3-0 victory at Malvern College

with Frost finishing well twice after good inter-play. Things really clicked into place in our fourth game with King’s scoring five well constructed team goals, Lambros Pardale running the show in midfield. Our next game was our best. Against a strong and very physical Clifton College side we were under considerable pressure for a large part of the game, but excellent defending and pacey counter attacking resulted in a superb 4-1 victory. The centre-half pairing of Tom Cluett and Michael Hedges was impressive all season, but this will be a performance they will probably remember for a long time. The season finished with two more victories, including a 2-0 victory against an experienced Chase HS side; Dan Flamank made two excellent saves to complete his third clean sheet of the season. This was one of the best all-round sides seen at this level for quite a while. The captain Cluett led the team superbly with a series of mature and dominating performances, whilst Antony Fahy learnt quickly in his new role as lone striker, and ended up as highest scorer with four goals (as well as a significant number of bruises!).

M.C.P.

The Boat Club

‘Water, water, every where, nor any drop to row on’ is how it is tempting to remember the season just ended. It was certainly a year when, more than any other within recent memory, the Club’s main activity has been persistently disrupted by flooding, culminating in the extraordinary weather of July which put paid to most of the National Championships in Nottingham, and even to the Club’s return to Worcester for twenty-four hours. Between

January and July, in only one month did the water fail to rise above the tow path, and that month was April, largely taken up with the Easter break. It is testament to the resourcefulness of the coaches and the determination and loyalty of the pupils that so many managed to carry on training when frustration and ‘making the best of a bad job’ was too often all that could be hoped for. At times it seemed like the sporting life of the school had been turned upside down, with boats being towed to the playing fields for outings.

It was at least a year when the Club could take very great satisfaction in the notable achievements of two pupils at the school. It was a great excitement to be able to follow the fortunes of Sarah Cowburn and Andrew Finlay who were both selected to represent Great Britain at the FISA World Rowing Junior Championships held during this summer in Beijing, which was for both athletes a fantastic experience. Although the Men’s Eight, in which Andrew was racing, had a disappointing heat, his crew were comfortable winners in the ‘B’ final where they came in ahead of Russia. Sarah’s selection to race in the Women’s Single Scull was itself a great achievement, but she went on to perform brilliantly, with the highlight being her first place in her semi-final. In the final again she sculled superbly, but was disappointed to be just outside the medal positions in fourth place. It is a measure of her performance though that this result is the best ever achieved in this event by a Great Britain sculler. We hope that both Andrew and Sarah’s successes, along with those of Zac Purchase on the senior world sculling scene, can continue to inspire newcomers to the sport at King’s.

The main strength of the Club

in terms of numbers over the past year has been in the J16 and J15 age groups, which we hope will lay the basis for some good years to come at J18 level in the next year or two. This is certainly the case amongst the girls, with the J16 girls being a particularly committed and talented group, not to say easily identifiable in their bright pink T shirts. For much of the year they trained and raced as an Eight, in which their most notable success came at the Inter-regional Championships held at Holme Pierrepoint where they were first to cross the line. Further wins at Ghent Regatta over the Easter holidays as part of the annual rowing camp were another highlight, as was the bronze medal won by a coxless Four of Katherine Rollins, Lucy Boynett, Annie Walden and Emma Robertson at both the National Schools and the National Championships.

It is particularly encouraging that in the next year or two, this group will be joined by the large squad of J15 girls that is still very active in the club. This group showed much early promise with wins for Izzi Bateson, Beth Sears and Grace Wright and in doubles and singles at Worcester Small Boats Head. There were also wins for a Coxed Four at Birmingham, but this squad suffered as much as any from the conditions in the summer. Of the six events they were scheduled to enter, three were cancelled and one was so affected by the weather as to be a virtual washout. Moreover, attempts to make the transition between sculling and sweep-oar rowing were seriously hampered by the lack of suitable conditions for any very effective technical training. It is generally recognized that this group of girls has great potential, and it is our hope that they will have a better chance to prove it during the present season.

On the boys’ side of the Club, the small number of seniors meant that some amalgamation with the J16s was the best way of getting settled crew boats. Here a coxless Quad of Tom Bywater, Richard Pain and Edward MacKenzie was joined by J16 Hugh Brooks to form the top boat, racing at Ghent and the National Schools’ Regatta. Although they did not manage any notable success on the larger scale they were certainly a force at any local or regional event. Beneath them was a larger and often very committed group of J15 boys who made the transition to sweep-oar rowing in an Eight on occasion, but whose best result was perhaps a bronze medal at Ghent in a coxed Quad.

It was reassuring this year again to welcome to the Club a large number of Lower Remove boys and girls, eager to take up the sport for

the first time. Naturally enough the weather impeded their progress, particularly in the summer term, but it did not dampen their enthusiasm. One notable success of the season was the four-day camp organized at the start of the Easter holiday at Peterborough City Rowing Club. The 1000-metre lake here is an ideal place to make some real advances in technique after the dark winter months, and the particularly warm and settled weather during our stay provided the perfect opportunity to make the transition to sculling in singles and doubles in a controlled environment. In this both our girls and boys benefited from the sessions that Bill Needham ran in the school swimming pool on Thursday afternoons during the winter, which allowed these J14s to learn something of the feel of a small boat very early on in their experience of the sport. Despite the frustrations of the summer term, valuable experience of racing was gained at both Birmingham and Shrewsbury regattas, and the boys’ Octuple and the girls coxed Quad both won bronze medals in the final of their events on their return to Peterborough for the Junior 14 Regatta at

the end of June. That, we hope, will whet their appetite for next year. It is an inevitable but sad business at the end of a season to say farewells both to some pupils and also this year to two particularly valuable servants of the Club. Charles Illing has been a key figure in the coaching of Lower Remove boys and girls for a number of years. Alluding to Charles’s military career, Bill Needham in his speech at the Boat Club Dinner described Charles as the kind of man you would want to go into battle with. On a personal note, I know that coaching our large numbers of J14s will be a very different and rather more daunting prospect without Charles’ resourceful and unflappable presence beside me. He will be very greatly missed.

We have also had to say farewell to our Head of Rowing, Sarah-Kate Millar, better known to her colleagues and pupils alike as Skate. Her contribution during her stay here is dealt with more fully elsewhere in this magazine, but it was a real pleasure to work with her. In addition to her undoubted ability as a coach, I shall remember Skate as someone of great dignity and patience, who reached decisions after much thought about what was in the best interests of the pupils in her care. The Club wishes her and Charlotte well on their circuitous return to New Zealand.

T.R.S. (with apologies to Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

Training on the lake at Peterborough

J16 Coxed Four at Holme Pierrepoint

Athletics

Senior

As in previous years we didn’t always have our best athletes available, owing to pressures from other sports. Despite this, we still managed our usual practices at Nunnery Wood and the school fields each week, which were attended by a core group of committed pupils (up to about forty-five at times).

The pupils did themselves proud, with twenty-eight of them qualifying for the County Championships by coming either first or second in their respective events at the District Championships.

We had thirteen District Champions and three County Champions:

Rosie Pennell Triple Jump (U19 Girls)

Rory Johnson 1500m (U17 Boys)

Lydia Harper Shot (U15 Girls)

Rory also advanced the School Record in the process, beating a time that had lasted since 1967!

C.A.

Senior Sports Day

On a very wet Thursday afternoon before half term the whole of the Senior School was transported up to the Nunnery Wood Track for our annual Sports Day. Despite a few complaints (mostly from wet and bedraggled members of staff) the afternoon went very well and the majority of pupils appeared to enjoy themselves. In the end, the result was very close, with the winning team not being certain until the final event.

1st Kittermaster 355pts

2nd Creighton 350pts

3rd Choir 336pts

Despite the far from ideal conditions, there were a few new records set.

Catherine Dawson was the first, setting a

new record in the Intermediate Girls’ High Jump, clearing 1m 32cm. In the Senior Girls’ Triple Jump Rosie Pennell set a new record only to see it broken in the Junior Girls’ competition by Harriet Morris. She set the new mark at 9m 83cm.

C.A.

Fourth Form

This year we began with matches against RGS and Hereford Cathedral School, with the Upper Fourths having the best showings,

winning

Sondberg in the High Jump

We didn’t have any County Champions this year but did manage a creditable six Bronze medals. These were Freya Hodgetts in the100m and relay, James Law, who was third in the Long Jump (missing out on second by just a few centimetres) and third in the boys’ relay, Harry Nuttall, who was also part of that relay team and Elliot Werner-de-Sondberg who achieved a Bronze in the High Jump (despite being injured).

Fourth Form Sports Day

In the Lower Fourths competition L4B won a very close competition, edging out L4D by just three points. In the Upper Fourths

competition U4E came top.

New Records

Lower IV Girls

Alice Wright 1500m 5min 52 sec

Upper IV Boys

both the boys’ and girls’ events.

These matches were good warm-ups for the District Championships. Here, the athletes did themselves proud, with four of them qualifying for the County Championships by winning their events, becoming District Champions in the process. A further five also qualified by finishing in second place or by having the best times in the District.

A particular mention should go to James Law and Harry Nuttall. James won both the 100m and the Long Jump, whilst Harry won the Shot and came joint first in the 200m.

The other District Champions were David Jubb in the 1500m and Elliot Werner-de-

Harry Nuttall Shot 12m 80cm

Lower IV

Victor Ludorum

David Serafini 3 individual wins and the anchor leg in the winning relay team

Victrix Ludorum

Francesca Morgan 2 individual wins

Upper IV

Victor Ludorum

Harry Nuttall 2 individual wins and a School Record in the Shot

Victrix Ludorum

Freya Hodgetts 3 individual wins and the anchor leg in the winning relay team

C.A.

Cricket

1st XI

All looked promising: as enthusiastic a bunch of players as I can remember; batting, bowling and keeping talent; and an end of season tour to St. Lucia. As always the English weather proceeded to put a dampener on things with virtually every meaningful game after half term wiped out by the floods. It was extremely difficult for the players to maintain both form and focus, and particularly disappointing for the three Upper Sixth players for whom it was the end of King’s careers. Despite the problems, each of the leavers - captain Tom Longley, Stephen Poole and Sophie Le Marchand - made significant contributions to the season. The two boys both made over 500 runs coming in at one and three, whilst Sophie opened in the longer games and kept wicket superbly throughout the season. Tom took the role of captain in his stride and made an excellent job of it. Rarely flustered, he showed a deep understanding of the game and fostered a superb attitude within the team.

It all started so well. April and May were lovely and we set off with an excellent seven wicket victory over Bristol GS and an annihalation of King Henry’s, Coventry. Aspirations were high and although we lost our next game narrowly against Solihull, another easy victory over Dean Close by nine wickets the next day restored spirits. Further comprehensive wins over Wolverhampton GS and Old Swinford maintained the momentum, only for the monsoons to appear after half term. DPI worked tirelessly to arrange alternative venues for the numerous fixtures that make up the last three weeks of term, but even when we did find a ground the rain came again to ruin the two tour games against St. Peter’s, Adelaide and Victoria College. The

Record: Played 20, Won 10, Drawn 2, Lost 8, Abandoned 7 Averages

weather did relent to allow us to beat the OVs, who on paper had a very strong team, but that was the last meaningful fixture of the pre-tour season.

On the batting front the player who progressed the most was definitely Liam Gwynne. He scored over five hundred runs coming in at five in the longer games and opening in the shorter version. He is already an influential performer for us and with two seasons still to come he could easily develop into our MVP. Last season’s top scorer Tom Bryant failed to recapture his free flowing style, but he has another year in which to remind us of his undoubted talent. Opportunities for the

lower order were few, but mention must go to Matt Humphries who scored over three hundred runs coming in at eight, and this included some crucial knocks. We had a huge amount of depth to our bowling, which made the captain’s job easy and placed a lot of pressure on the bowlers who knew that if they didn’t perform they were unlikely to get another opportunity that game. Although he did not always get the wickets he deserved, Tom Gwynne was our best and most consistent bowler, and his net return of 32 wickets was still an excellent effort. The new ball was shared between Matt Marskell and Sean Robinson, both Fifth Formers, but with very different styles. Matt is a ‘hit the deck’ left armer whilst Sean relies on his height and a nagging length. Although Matt won’t be here next year I have great hopes for Sean who could develop into a genuinely quick opening bowler. The skipper and James Yelland bowled some decent spells, but there were a lot of overs still to be shared out between the spinners. The discovery of the year was Lower Remove Tom Bird who changed from bowling medium pace to left

arm orthodox over the winter. He has a natural action, turns the ball and is keen to learn. If he continues to develop he will take a lot of wickets over the coming years. Liam Gwynne bowled his leg spin with varying degrees of success, but on his day, as when we were on tour, he will win a game for us. With only four leavers from the side there is plenty of experience and quality to take forward into next season. If the River Severn remains within its allotted course we should prove an exciting team to watch and a very difficult team to beat. My thanks as always go to DPI who this year, more than any, proved an invaluable organiser, and to Phil for his unrelenting efforts with the pitches.

A.A.D.G.

2nd XI

The antediluvian phase of the season saw us win two-thirds of our matches (four out of six), with promising performances from a number of the team. Jonathan Inglis, who opened the batting and so was guaranteed a bat even in the games where we overwhelmed the opposition, proved almost impossible to dislodge, and his average – thanks to four not outs – was a healthy 99.5. His one bowling spell, too, brought two wickets for two runs! His opening partner was usually Hugh Thomas, captain for the second year running (a vote of confidence!), who in the first three games, at least, led with solid scores, including 84 against Wolverhampton GS. The captain also, less predictably, made a big impact with the ball, often opening the bowling and taking nine wickets in the five games he played. Another bowler who always took wickets, but was probably underbowled, was Tom Byrne: 8-52 were his season’s excellent figures; and the other main strike bowler was Kit Smith, who proved his all-round ability by scoring 99 runs in his three innings. There were odd bursts from others – 54 from Oli Meadows against Solihull, a spell of 3-6 by Helen Bellfield – and some worthy plugging away by Richard Winwood as opening bowler with six wickets in total. Whether any of these performances would have developed into consistency in the second half of the season we shall never know!

Under 15 XI

R.N.G.S.

This team had an exceptionally successful season, winning all of their Saturday and Thursday matches, and losing only once, in the final of the county Twenty20 competition to a Prince Henry’s side full of county players. The most pleasing aspect of this success was the fact that all players made genuinely vital contributions at some stage. We were in trouble early on in the first match

at Bristol Grammar, but then an unbroken 125 run sixth wicket partnership between Dave Lewis (61) and Emmie Le Marchand (46) helped us to 200 from our 35 overs. We were rather complacent in the field and the bowling was wayward, and we allowed them to get perilously close; it was only Oli Bath who managed to stem the flow of runs and he took 4 key wickets. But we’d started with a win. There was another run fest at Wolverhampton Grammar. They were feeling pretty comfortable at tea, having posted 200. But the outfield was quick and the boundaries short, and we knew it was gettable. Our batsmen exploded into action, Oli Bath punishing anything even fractionally wide, short or over-pitched with pure, clean hitting. Richard Barker announced his arrival at the crease by hitting two of the first four deliveries he faced out of the ground, losing the ball with the first and causing a long delay while it was looked for, only to lose it again three balls later, much to the consternation of their umpire who wasn’t feeling great anyway as it looked as though the 200 he’d been very happy with at tea wasn’t going to be enough. Dave Lewis came to the crease at the fall of Bath, carrying on from where he’d left off at Bristol, but this time hitting the ball even vaster

distances. I can’t remember exactly when, but at one stage in the season Lewis had scored 170 runs and not been dismissed! Anyway, we knocked off the 200 against Wolverhampton with six or so overs to spare. Bishop Vesey’s were beaten thanks largely to an untroubled 70 from Dawes, and next we beat Solihull and Hereford Cathedral, when the top 4 chased down their 162 and 102 with some ease. The Bromsgrove match was washed out, and the Warwick game was abandoned, but not until we had reduced them to 90 for 8, with 3 wickets for Le Marchand and 2 for Iddon.

Richard Hartley was a dangerous opening bowler, generating a lot of pace off a very short run-up, and he did a lot of damage against Pershore High School, taking 4 for 17 as they were dismissed for 59, and Hiten Patel became one of the most effective bowlers, miserly until he became tired and with the ability to wobble the ball around and take wickets. Chris Drew bowled some useful spells, as did Dave Lewis, and Rhodri Dawes took loads of wickets in the second half of the season with his off-spin. The game against WRGS was a very exciting affair. We took to the field with only 10 players: Oli Bath had got lost on the walk from King’s to Flagge Meadow. Tidy bowling kept their batsmen in check, Harry Iddon

being especially economical and also taking vital wickets. He was on the spot and getting useful movement off the seam. He was also captaining the team with calm authority, having developed a lot of confidence as the season had developed. We ended up having to chase 125 off 30 overs to win. We got off to a flier, Oli Bath, who’d managed to find his way to the crease, forcing powerfully through the

batted for the A team all season, played the most perfect of off drives for four, followed immediately by a wonderfully timed flick off his hip past square leg for another boundary. And we’d won! I was as excited as, well, as the members of the team. I think I asked Ilija if he would marry me, which of course I shouldn’t have done because I’m already married.

The last match of the season was against King’s Gloucester. We batted first,

covers off the back foot, and Henry Waltier playing the most beautiful of straight drives. I was standing at square leg thinking this was looking good. But then we lost lots of wickets and our run rate slowed and it was looking decidedly dodgy. A very unlikely seventh wicket partnership of 37 between Jolyon Hale and Emmie Le Marchand got us tantalisingly close, but it still wasn’t looking good. If only Dawes had been fit and playing, I thought, instead of watching from the boundary. We were eight wickets down, and couldn’t seem to score a run, but we were only fifteen runs short. Then, we scrambled a quick single, and one of their fielders threw the ball, the keeper missed it and it rolled gently into the keeper’s helmet sitting on the grass twenty yards behind him. An extra five runs! Can there ever have been a more important, match-changing moment in the history of sport? Before we knew it, Ilija Rasovic, new at the crease, and not having

Iddon and Dawes looking very comfortable indeed and scoring freely. Iddon reached a 50, his innings including two beautifully struck straight sixes in addition to good shots all round the ground. When he was out, all of the attention was on Dawes: would he have time to get his 100? He punished anything loose with brutal authority. He found himself on 99 and at the non-striker’s end with two balls left, and Henry Waltier on strike. Henry’s job obviously was to push a single and give Rhodri the last ball of the innings. The penultimate ball was sent down and Henry tried to heave it over square leg. He didn’t make any contact. Disaster! Fortunately, the umpire (me) had called a wide, and quite rightly, honestly! Still two balls left: the century is still on. Next ball, Henry plays a sensational cover drive, probably the most beautiful thing he will ever offer to the world, and it is going to scream to the boundary and he will be on strike for the last ball of the innings. What must be going through Rhodri’s mind? But their extra cover makes a blinding, impossible stop, and the batsmen are able to scamper a single and leave Dawes on strike. He only needed the one chance he had! It was a special way to end what had been a special season.

Under 14 XI

Only two defeats were suffered this season, one in the opening game of the season against Bristol Grammar School, after a naïve batting performance, and the second in the semi-

S. Le M. CA

final of the Lord’s Taverners Cup on a poor artificial wicket. In between these defeats, a strong and varied bowling attack supported by some enthusiastic fielding proved too much for most opposition batting line-ups. Antony Fahy invariably bowled straight and aggressively in his first spell, and ended up leading wicket taker; against Bromsgrove School he took

five for eleven, including a fine hat-trick. The batting order looked long on paper, but the major disappointment was that no-one went on to score a fifty. Jack Ellis and Tom Mills batted attractively at the top of the order, but gave it away a number of times in the twenties and thirties. David Brazier, with a top score of 47 not

out, was our most determined batsman, whilst James Doorbar played several important and fluent innings in low scoring matches. Brazier and Fahy shared the captaincy, and did very well. They quickly learnt from their mistakes, and their highly competitive attitudes seemed to rub off on the rest of the team.

M.C.P./J.J.M.

Under 13 XI

The team had a very successful season, despite a poor start losing two matches it ought to have won. One was against Bristol G.S. and the other, in the Midlands Cup Competition, against the Shropshire champions Birchfield School. The boys soon overcame their disappointment and got into their stride with a good run of six wins including a memorable one over RGS Worcester by eight wickets in the quarter-final of the County cup.

Due to heavy rain we were unable to play Malvern College in the semi-final but they conceded and we went through to play Hanley Castle in the final. We lost a few early wickets but 46 from Joe Fowles and an exciting 45 from Adam Loader including two sixes got us to the very sound score of 141 off the allotted twenty five overs.

Some excellent seam bowling from Angus Steele who took four wickets and tight bowling by Rupert Monkhouse, Ben O’Hickey and Alex Osborne saw us through to win the match by sixty eight runs.

The B team had a disrupted year as a combination of rain and the inability of some schools to find a team reduced their season to merely playing only one of their six fixtures; it was against Solihull whom they defeated by seventy runs. Harrison Nuttall skittled them out and it became quite evident that his pace and place deserved to be in the A team, which he was for the remainder of the season.

Joe Fowles was a knowledgeable and positive captain of the A team. He was also our leading batsman with an average of 48 runs and he took most wickets (ten). Ben O’Hickey came second in the batting averages with 28 and Adam Loader third, but he will be remembered for those big hitting sixes and wobbly deliveries. George Hodgetts will score more runs as he has much ability, but he suffered from a continuing foot injury. George Kitching topped the bowling figures, Alex Osbourne also notched up eight wickets and Sam Maitland looked equally impressive with the ball in his hands and as a batsman in the last game of the season against King’s Gloucester scoring an impressive 39. Rupert Monkhouse, Joe Pantling and Doug Arnot performed well as our spinners and took

crucial wickets at important times. Finding a wicket –keeper capable of taking each delivery cleanly proved difficult, but Jake Wells, Joe Richmond and Eliot Jones worked hard throughout the season at their glove work and nimbleness behind the stumps which paid dividends.

This squad of players is a very talented one. Not only can they score runs, but they can also bowl sides out. I just hope that our summer season has not disappeared, being swept up like everything else by the ever faster rhythm of human existence where no pause can ever be granted.

M.R.G. / A.W.L.

Under 12 XI

In common with many other sides, our cricket was heavily affected by the weather. The County Cup Competition could not be finished before some schools broke up and it was a shame that this promising team suffered so many fixtures which were lost to the weather.

Of seven completed matches the A team managed to win six and only lost to RGS Worcester. The team was ably led by Alistair Hunt who was the outstanding player both with bat and ball. He was supported by every team member at various times during the season. Most memorable were Alex Spring’s 68 against Solihull, George Fairlie’s 33 in the same match and some excellent late order hitting by George Jeavons-Fellows, Niels Emmerson and some intelligent accumulation by George de Cothi and Will Cusack at various times.

The overall quality of the fielding was very high for a team of this age and whenever a substitute played, his fielding was invariably excellent. Greg Shine bowled well during the season with the new ball and troubled most batsmen and the team was blessed with a wide range of bowlers, ranging from left-armers to leg-spinners. Tom Evans improved behind the stumps during the season and Toby Sitch made some excellent contributions particularly with the ball, but everyone played their part in a successful season.

The boys were all keen to improve their skills and technique at practice, but as ever, the main problem is always a lack of patience when batting. There are not many Kevin Pietersons in Under 12 school teams!

Playing record: Played 8 Won 6 Lost 1 Abandoned 1

The B team also played several matches but the team suffered from a lack of depth in the batting. Nevertheless all the players tried hard and made good progress.

J.L.O./R.J.D.

Girls’ Games

It feels very strange to be writing my last entry in The Vigornian after so many years of contributing to the sports’ columns. My journey through King’s has been one of excitement, challenges, peaks and troughs, but at all times sheer delight! The journey began in 1984 when I was employed to help with Sixth Form Games on Wednesday afternoons, and three years later I was invited to take over the running of the girls’ games programme and create fixtures for Sixth Form girls to play netball, hockey, tennis and rounders. This continued until King’s went fully coeducational, and in 1991 I was employed full time, and was put into the privileged position of setting up a Girls’ Games Department, and started to initiate the moves which led to the Department which exists today. New changing rooms were built to take account of the needs of girls in the school, a uniform had to be planned, and fixture lists and training programmes set in place. It was a time of quick growth, but it was important to me to set sound standards on which to build. I was given an office from which to work (the present ball store in the sports hall) and was later transferred to a much more ‘palatial’ office upstairs, which has been our base ever since.

From the start I loved the astoundingly beautiful scenery I found myself teaching in, the other side of the river. Since those early days I have never taken the sports grounds for granted, and still take time to stare, and remind myself of the privilege it is to work in such surroundings. The only thing I would add if my dreams could come true, is the addition of an Astroturf pitch! The groundsmen have done an amazing job in maintaining such a troublesome area of land, and have coped with flooding, drought, and everything in between, with a cheerful spirit and wonderful good humour, for which I thank them sincerely. Our fields really are the envy of many.

When I am asked what I will miss most as I retire from my post as Head of Girls’ Games, it will be ‘the people’. The pupils at school have been a constant source of enlightenment for me, and over the years I have seen girls develop from young, often nervous, children, through their teenage troubles to become what I can only describe as a credit to King’s. I have made many friends among the pupils over the years and feel honoured to have worked with such a talented group, particularly those who have put their time and effort into training and playing for the squads, and who have in many cases developed into outstanding sportswomen. My greatest delight is when I hear of the

numerous OVs who continue to enjoy their sport long after leaving school, as I regard my role as a PE and Games teacher is to instil a love of fresh air and exercise, as well as skilful and fair-minded team play. I have also felt a sympathetic regard for those who find sport anything but pleasant! These poor souls have had to put up with my non-stop enthusiasm, even when the last thing they feel like is being outside on a cold wet afternoon. I thank those girls for their forbearance, and hope that one day they might choose to go out for a walk, rather than stay indoors and veg out!

I could not leave without mentioning my colleagues who have given me the most tremendous backing over the years, always positive, and constantly coming up with new ideas and initiatives to improve what we provide and further our aims. I have been blessed with a group of talented and extremely hard working staff who have given everything, for the good of the pupils. My heartfelt thanks go to the past and present members of the Girls’ Games Department, who ceased to be just colleagues and became wonderful friends.

N.R.W.

Hockey

1st X1

Another fantastic season! We played 18, won 17 and drew 1. In total we scored 103 goals and conceded only 15. The squad were brilliant; they had lots of fun and at the same time competed to a very high level. Sophie Le Marchand was yet again our top goal scorer with thirty five goals and Lucy Senior was second with fourteen.

By far our best fixture this season was against Bromsgrove. They always give us a hard match and with their fantastic facilities it is amazing that we can compete against them. In the first half they overpowered us and scored two goals but at the beginning of the second half we came back strongly, managing to equalize with them. This was a very well deserved result for the effort the girls put into this match.

Rebecca Busher was the first eleven captain this year, well supported by her two vicecaptains, Helen Bellfield and Rosie Pennell. Rebecca was an excellent captain, being well organised and enthusiastic all season.

J.D.C.

2nd XI

The girls enjoyed playing in this team, captained by Tara Owen. They showed great determination and worked hard to build a strong team. The team spirit was really good and united girls from the top three years of the school. They took a few games to find their feet but worked hard on their fitness, which was often a factor as they sometimes came up against strong Under 16 sides.

Fixture Result

Goalscorers

Chase HS Lost 5-2 S Howard 2

Malvern College Won 3-1 G Williams 2, S Howard

Warwick Lost 6-0

KEC Stourbridge Drawn 1-1 R Turner

King Edward’s HS Lost 3-1 S Watkins Hereford Cathedral Won 2-1 S Howard, P Dawson

King’s Gloucester Won 4-0 S Howard 3, C Tamblyn

Warwick Lost 3-0

Cheltenham Ladies Drawn 1-1 S Howard

Prince Henry’s Won 3-2 S Howard Malvern St James Won 2-0

Sophy Howard was top goal scorer and Lucy Smith performed brilliantly in goal. A measure of the team’s improvement was they coped with a very strong Warwick side reducing the margin of defeat greatly second time round.

The Under 16 squad, which forms only for tournaments, qualified for the County finals but struggled against Bromsgrove and Prince Henry’s to come fifth place in the county.

F.L.S.

Under 15 XI

The squad started the season off very well, considering they lost two of their key players, as both Emmie Le Marchand and Hayley Turner were picked to play for the 1st XI. The team had to put up with many positional changes but the girls pulled together and

seemed to find the right formula. We managed to beat both the Chase High School and Malvern College 3-0 in our first two matches, and later in the season we came across tougher opposition and lost to both Warwick and Hereford Cathedral School. Probably our best playing performance was against King Edward’s Birmingham. We may well have lost the game 2-0 but the standard of playing was excellent and so was the determination of the girls. They were superb company all season and it was good to see so many improve - to mention a few, Catherine Davies, Louise

Gwilliam, Issy Anstey, Laura Stansfeld and Vicky Heath. Lucy Spring stepped up in attack and Lizzie Baxter, Sophie Dee and Zennija Clements made up a strong defence.

T.D.M.

Under 14 XI

This squad trained hard in large numbers and worked well to hone their skills.

They were one of the most successful sides this season as they boasted the title of County Champions. They performed particularly well, coming back from 2-0 down to draw with Malvern College and they tried very hard against an amazing Warwick side who they were to meet later in the Midlands tournament.

Fixture Result Goal Scorers

Chase HS Won 3-1 L Harper 2, K Wreghitt

Malvern College Drawn 2-2 L Harper, H Morris

Warwick Lost 9-1

K Wreghitt

King Edward’s HS Won 2-1 L Harper, L Scales

Hereford Cathedral Lost 2-1

J Meikle

Cheltenham Ladies Won 1-0 L Harper

They won the first County round beating Dodderhill and drawing with Malvern College. At the finals they lost narrowly to Bromsgrove, letting in a soft goal at the end. They took the lead over Prince Henry’s with a superb penalty corner by Jessie Meikle. Our regular defender Amie Stilliard scored to beat the Chase and so King’s went through to the Midlands finals on points.

Tournaments Result Goal Scorers

Dodderhill Won 8 -0 L Harper 3, K Wreghitt 2, J Meikle, A Richardson, B Dee

Malvern College Draw 1-1 J Meikle

Bromsgrove Lost 1-0

Prince Henry’s Won 1-0 J Meikle

Chase HS Won 1-0 A Stilliard

Warwick Draw 1-1 L Scales

King Edward’s Lichfield Lost 2-0

ThE ViGOrNiAN

Oundle Lost 2-0

William Brookes School Lost 1-0

King’s had a tough draw and played Warwick first. We played extremely well linking our passes and defending well in key areas of the pitch. Lucy Scales scored in a goal mouth scuffle after good pressure. However, Warwick soon responded. We were a little slow to get back into it after a break and King Edward’s Lichfield punished our sloppy marking. We were very determined against Oundle and played some excellent hockey and we managed to disrupt their patterns of play. We managed to contain them but they scored after a short corner in the dying minutes of the game. We were determined to win our last game but did not manage it. We attacked strongly but could not find the back of the net. One lucky break from the opposition sealed our fate. We gained valuable experience from playing at a high level tournament and were no means out classed at any point.

Under 13 XI

The final tournament was a wonderful display of skills and game awareness and it was wonderful to see how much all of the girls had improved during the season and that Olivia Davies actually could score! Lilly Hallett and Niki Monk were very strong in attack and Grace Caldicott, Francesca Claridge and Ellie Clements were outstanding in defence. The two most improved players were Hannah Wynn and Jeannie Gibson. County Honours were awarded to Grace Caldicott, Niki Monk and Ellie Clements.

T.D.M.

Under 12 XI

F.L.S.

The squad had a good season showing much improvement in their hockey skills and general reading of the game in both seven and eleven a side games.

At the beginning of term we played the RGS Worcester in a 7 a side game and went down 3-2, but the girls soon bounced back and performed well at Cheltenham Ladies’ College. Playing on a full astro-turf the girls played some good open hockey once they had woken up from the coach journey.

We then went on to play in the County 7 a side tournament at Bromsgrove. We got into the semi-finals and played WRGS, the game finishing in a 0-0 draw so it went to penalty strokes and we lost 3-2.

The 11 a side District Tournament was our final match, in which we came second in our section by beating Bredon Middle and gaining 0-0 draws against The Chase and WRGS .

We had over twenty-five girls training for the team this year. They trained through all types of weather and showed great commitment in all the practices. Their fixture list was very disappointing with only four matches actually being played. However this did not diminish their enthusiasm and every girl took part in these fixtures. Our results were mixed; we beat Nunnery Wood early in the year and then played mini tournaments against RGS Worcester and Hereford Cathedral School which resulted in some very close scores and then our final fixture was against Bromsgrove who were very strong and came away clear winners.

J.D.C.

Netball

1st VII

This was clearly going to be a very good year for senior netball, with a group of talented, skilful and experienced players coming together to form a new squad. Under the captaincy of Sophie Le Marchand who

has high expectations of herself and others, and with the added benefit of Sammi Perry helping with the coaching, the squad went from strength to strength. A Worcester League Club, Headliners, provided the first chance of competition, giving the squad the opportunity to iron out the creases before the Under 18 County Tournament which followed soon afterwards. The squad played with concentration and determination, winning every single game, beating Alice Ottley 13-3 in the semi-finals and then securing a well deserved 17-4 victory over Bromsgrove in the final, to put them through to the West Midlands tournament in January. Intense and structured training followed to prepare the players for this crucial event, as the squad had their sights set upon the Nationals. On 20th January the West Midlands took place, and despite Sammi being unable to play due to an England Netball commitment, the squad performed very well indeed through the first round, beating Hereford Cathedral School, KEHS, King Edward’s Lichfield, Wrekin, and King Edward’s, Stourbridge and drawing with King Edward’s Warwick. The next hurdle to cross was the semi-final, in order to get into the final and thereby gain a place in the coveted National Tournament. The match was against Stoke Sixth Form College, and try as they might, our players could not match the excellence of this dynamic and powerful team. Sadly we returned home, terribly disappointed, but in the knowledge that every girl had put her heart and soul into every move they made, and could not have done more.

An exciting and varied fixture list gave the squad some strong opposition in inter school matches, with pleasing wins over Worcester Sixth Form College, KEHS, Old Swinford, King Edward’s Five Ways, King Edward’s Stourbridge, King’s High Warwick, Hereford Cathedral School and Dean Close. We found that teams from Bablake, Malvern College, and Shrewsbury High School stretched the squad, and made the girls even more determined in their following matches. The season ended with an amazing Charity Fancy Dress Netball match between the staff and the Upper Sixth girls, during which we raised £100 for the girls’ Canada Hockey Tour, and had a great deal of fun at the same time! At final assembly full colours were re-awarded to Sophie Le Marchand, Stephanie Doolittle and Alice Hershman and awarded to Sammi Perry, Sarah Lewis, Tara Owen, Nicky Wilkinson, Hattie Bevan and Lucy Clayton. My sincere thanks go to every member of this superb squad, for their unfailing enthusiasm throughout the season, and their

total commitment to the sport and to me. Particular thanks go to Sophie Le Marchand and Sammi Perry for their valuable help in raising this squad to such a high level. I have loved coaching this side, and wish the girls every success and happiness as they continue their netball in school, at university and beyond. I also extend my very best wishes to Sammi as she furthers her netball career through the ranks of the England teams, and I look forward to seeing her play in the full England National team in due course.

N.R.W.

2nd VII

After the Christmas break, the girls returned focused and ready for action, and stormed the game against Hereford Cathedral School 23-8. Lizzie Woodhouse was instrumental in securing this excellent result, having moved from defence to attack, and was shooting with reliable accuracy. The success continued against Wrekin with a 22-16 result, unfortunately followed by two losses, to Dean Close and Shrewsbury High School. The final game of the season was against Malvern College, which King’s dominated from start to finish, allowing Malvern to score only one goal compared to thirty three from King’s!

Under 16

Netball training began in September, with a lively and enthusiastic group of Upper and Lower Sixth year girls trialling hard for a place in the squad. Grace Williams was selected captain of this side, and led the group with energy and sensitivity. Matches started after half term with a tough game against Bromsgrove, and although we did not win, the experience was valuable as the squad then went on to a pleasing victory over Worcester Sixth Form College. Everyone had started to play well, and as a cohesive group, with strong defence in JJ Bowles and Lizzie Woodhouse, and a strong centre court from Helen Bellfield, Emily McNally, Amy Ponsford, Jenny Corbett and Sarah Fardon. Old Swinford posed no problems for this side as they won 12-8, with some accurate shooting from Olivia Salmon and Alice Campion, supported by Steph Rosoman, but then found King Edward’s Stourbridge just too strong.

Grace Williams and Helen Bellfield were awarded half colours at the end of the season, and all the squad members deserve recognition for their consistently hard work over the two terms. They have been a delightful group to work with and have great potential for the future. I am sure the Lower Sixth girls will be eager to try for places in the 1st VII when they return in September. I wish all the girls every success, and hope they continue to enjoy

their netball for many years to come. I would also like to thank DJS for her help in umpiring this side in matches, and for her unfailing support throughout the winter.

N.R.W.

This was a very successful season for the Under 16 team. With only eight girls in the squad there was no room for injuries or absences. The District tournament was a good warm up for the season where they won all their matches, going onto the next round. In the County round we called up Louise Gwilliam and Beth Perry from the Under 15s to bolster the centre court and defence. Here we played a very tight series of matches and made the final against South Bromsgrove High School. This was a new style of dynamic play that we were not used to but we picked our game up in the second half and came a creditable second which put us through to the West Midlands Regional Finals in January. We knew this tournament would be tough and with only two wins out of seven we were placed fourth in the group. The remainder of the season was successful with a string of wins followed by a rather punishing loss against Shrewsbury High School but this is a most versatile team with all players competent in most areas of the court and I am sure they will be assets to senior teams over the next few years.

M.M.L.

Under 15

The Under 15 squads this season were a most sociable group of girls. When it came down to training the players fell into two distinct groups. The girls that listened, concentrated on task and executed drills to a high standard were the A squad and the girls who enjoyed a chat and had fun in all the practices were the B squad.

The A team had a very successful year with memorable wins over Dean Close and Hereford Cathedral School. They brought enthusiasm and new ideas to training sessions, and would work tirelessly to improve their game. Under pressure they were tenacious, none more so than in the match against Dean Close who were not used to losing; King’s were the victors here, 19 goals to 8. In an effort to go further afield for tougher competition we had our first fixture against Shrewsbury High School, and after a tour of Shropshire we eventually made it on to court where we went down 7 goals to 9. The season finished with a narrow loss

against Bromsgrove 22 goals to 26, but this team knows exactly what is expected from it next year if it intends to reverse these last two results.

The B team went from strength to strength, and apart from a few heavy losses early in the season, they were not deterred from giving their all in every match. The win over Hereford Cathedral School, 17 goals to 12 was a highlight for the girls and I know they will all be back next year for more of the same.

M.M.L.

Under 14

The squad were very competitive and enjoyed the challenges of a closely contested match. They were never afraid of hard work during training and continued to improve the standard of their game throughout the season. The girls thrived when under pressure and this was clearly evident when up against Shrewsbury High School; this game was the only win from a block fixture. The team captained, by Katie Wreghitt, sailed through the District Tournament early in the season, with some convincing wins against AO, the Convent, and WRGS. Jessie Meikle, a new member of the squad this season, added greater scope in the centre court, which was much needed when Beth Jeavons was out of action for the second half of the season due to a knee injury. Katie Wreghitt proved how versatile she is in defence or as a shooter although preferring to play centre court. Organised by King’s, the County Tournament could not have come at a worse time with key players missing due to injury and illness and it was the only occasion when I saw the team without their usual sense of determination. Nevertheless they won three games and had a crucial draw against Bromsgrove to reach the semi final, where they were knocked out by the eventual winners. This is a squad with a lot of potential, who are keen to work hard and learn from each game they play and I wish them every success.

Under 13

An enthusiastic group of thirty six girls attended training on Tuesday evenings after their games session. They were very much a squad of genuine netball enthusiasts, although for most of the girls it lies in the game itself rather than the challenges of fitness, training and practice drills. It took a while for this group to settle, and their game lacked maturity at the beginning of the season with losses to Hereford Cathedral School and Bromsgrove. But the turning point for the A team came in a tough match against

team.

The highlight of the season had to be winning the Under 13 District Tournament with some convincing wins against St Mary’s Convent, Christopher Whitehead School and a very strong Nunnery Wood team.

Cheltenham College. They were 0 - 6 down after the first quarter, but all of a sudden the focus and the determination to play organised and skilled netball led to a superb game, losing narrowly by two goals despite having the lead by one goal going into the final quarter. But more importantly it gave hope for a successful rest of season.

Under 12

J.C.

Both the A and B team improved, thanks to individual squad coaching from LEH and Mrs Kim Armitage who took responsibility for the B team increasing in self confidence and providing both squads with a much needed victory. In the A team Niki Monk found her form and did extremely well throughout the season, helping the Under 14s out on numerous occasions. Lily Hallett proved to be a calming influence in the centre court, largely dominated by two very keen and enthusiastic players, Grace Caldicott and Sophia CariniMorgan, both of whom have gone on to play club netball. The B team proved to have some key players vying for positions in the A team. Anna Humphries and Poppy Bramford proved to be invaluable in a match against WRGS A

Early in the season we had a fixture against Alice Ottley, for A, B and C teams, and all the girls who come to training on a Friday night got a game. All three teams won which was an excellent start to the season. We also had winning games over St Nicholas, Pinvin, Pate’s and KEHS, which was a particularly good match, winning 21 – 13. Next we met the very tough opposition of Bablake, which we knew would be a difficult game to win. We matched them through most of the game, but unfortunately Bablake ran away with the game in the final stages of the match.

We then played against WRGS, and once again took three large squads to give everyone a chance to play, and while the A and C teams lost, the B team won with a narrow one-goal margin. The final match of the Autumn term was a B team game against King’s High, Warwick which turned out to be a difficult game but the team played very well.

The Spring term began with a return fixture

J.C.

Under 16 squad

against WRGS for all three squads. Every one had a chance to play, and the B team did best winning 7 – 6 in a close and exciting game. The B team then had a very equal game against King’s High, and the A team took part in the Bromsgrove Invitation Tournament, where we won three matches, drew one and lost one, but it was not enough to take us through to the semis and finals. One more King’s goal anywhere in the tournament would have put us through! We soon picked up our spirits and played great games against Hereford Cathedral School, with wins for the A and B squads, but then came up against the strong Shrewsbury High School – a new fixture for King’s. They were too strong for us, but we never gave up till the final whistle. The final fixture of the season for the A squad was the District tournament, in which we ended up runners up. A few days later, our B and C teams took on Alice Ottley A and B teams. The last fixture of the term was for the B team in the B team District tournament, when they played in freezing temperatures, a storm force gale and snow! They also were runners up

Well done to all the Under 12 girls who have participated in this season of netball, and thanks also to EG for her help in coaching this squad.

N.R.W.

Tennis

Tennis is a popular sport in the Sixth Form for boys and girls, and the first match of the season was for A and B girls’ squads against Dean Close. Charlie Mills and Natalie Winwood did particularly well by winning two of their three rubbers, but the overall result was a wake up call to most! This was followed by a much better mixed match against Hereford Cathedral School. Claire Tamblyn and Alec Mabbott, and Nicky Wilkinson and Laurence Szymanski performed well. This was a much more positive result, but the girls then came up against very strong opposition in Malvern St James, but must have learnt from their experience, as they went into the match against Hereford Cathedral School determined to do better. The 12 sets to 0 win was a testament to their improved standard of play, accuracy and consistency. We soon met Malvern St James again, but this time with a mixed VI, and had a really exciting tussle, with Claire and Alec, and Alice Hershman and Joe O’Connor both winning two of their three rubbers. The final match of the season was a mixed VIII against Malvern College, which was played in constant rain, but our players remained undaunted! The Senior Girls’ Doubles tournament was won by Claire Tamblyn and Alice Hershman for

the third time. The Senior Mixed Doubles Tournament was won by Claire Tamblyn and Alec Mabbott and the Senior Boys’ Tournament was won by Alec Mabbott and George Kitchen. The Under 16 County Doubles took place in June, with Charlie Mills, Natalie Winwood and Lucy Coomer and Issy Hershman representing King’s. Lucy and Issy very nearly made it into the final.

At the end of the season the Girls’ Games outing to Wimbledon was a fitting reward for some of the Upper Sixth girls who have shown outstanding commitment to the girls’ winter and summer teams throughout their schooling, and were lucky enough to have a break in the rain to see five hours of wonderful tennis on

The girls did well to beat Hereford Cathedral School in very challenging conditions. Kate and Sophie won two and lost one as did Issy and Becky.

Under 14

An enthusiastic group of girls trained and played regularly. Early on they struggled against a strong Dean Close side but went on to play some great tennis against the AO. They did not win but improved their overall consistency. Their final match was against Hereford Cathedral School. Rachael Brand and Georgia Duddy won one and lost two as did Lydia Harper and Lucy Scales. Jessie Meikle, Bea Dee and Sarah Conway were also some of the key team players.

Thank you to all those who have played for our senior tennis teams this season, and I hope you will continue to enjoy the sport for many years to come.

N.R.W.

Under 15

This team comprised of a very committed bunch of girls who trained enthusiastically. They worked hard and achieved a well deserved win over Dean Close. All pairs lost to the first pair who were incredibly strong, but all the remaining sets were won by King’s. Issy Anstey and Lucy Spring played well together throughout. Kate Lofthouse and Sophie Dee found their form and Becky Marshall and Sarah Conway won 6-5, 6-3. They had a very close contest against the AO and lost 5-4 in sets. Some very good tennis was on display, Kate Lofthouse and Emily Kite winning all their matches. Becky and Ellie Soper played extremely well too.

Under 12

Over thirty girls attended tennis club on a Friday afternoon after games during the summer term. It was wonderful to see so many enjoying the game and wanting to develop their skills. Due to the weather we only managed to play three matches, beating Malvern St. James convincingly on a very hot afternoon, drawing with Hereford Cathedral on a very stormy day and finally beating Alice Ottley at the end of term. Squad members were Aliza Dee, Lydia Trow, Georgia Ormandy, Becky Brunt, Alice Wright, Jess Longley, Issy Brand, Meg Vincent, Isobel Lole and Molly Farmiloe.

The Singles Tournament was won by Aliza Dee, runner –up was Georgia Ormandy and third and fourth places went to Alice Wright and Isobelle Brand. This was a great event during which the standard played by the girls was the highest I have seen for a long time at this age group.

T.D.M.

Court One and Centre Court.

Rounders

Under 14

A large number of girls trained regularly and played a number of matches. One highlight was a match against St. Mary’s which the girls won 16 and a half to 11 and a half. Beth Jeavons and Lucy Scales played exceptionally well in this match, displaying all round skills.

Under 13

Many girls trained with great enthusiasm and the A team won all of its matches. The B team only lost one match. The A team’s strength was in its fielding but Jean Gibson and Olivia Davies were the top scorers along with Niki Monk who scored ten rounders against St. Mary’s. The main strength in the B team was the very good communication between the girls but especially between Back Stop and First Post.

Under 12

Rain, rain, and yet more rain summarises this season of rounders! The term began very well indeed with thirty Lower Fourth girls attending Rounders Club on Thursdays after school. It was soon clear that the standard of this year group was going to be very high, with some excellent long throwers and secure catchers, and the batting was outstanding! The first match of the season was eagerly awaited against WRGS. Unfortunately they could only provide one team, so our A team looked forward to their first competition. Both teams were skilled, and highly competitive, but King’s fielded first and although they made some mistakes they only allowed RGS to score 12 ½ rounders, and when King’s batted they scored 16. The second innings was just as good, with RGS scoring a further 6 ½ to King’s 8 ½, giving a convincing win to King’s of 24 ½ to 19. Francesca Morgan caught four girls out and Becky Brunt caught three. Georgina Ormandy was the highest scorer scoring 4 ½ rounders, with Jessica Longley also hitting the ball very solidly and accurately. Elise Bue was of great value as Bowler, bowling hard flat balls. This set the tone for the term, and we could not wait for the rest of the fixtures, but with cancellations by opponents and dreadful weather conditions, only one more match could be played, which was A, B and C against The Chase, on a rare dry day in June. The A team continued to perform very well indeed and won 21 ½ - 14 ½. The B team thoroughly enjoyed their first and only match, and as the game progressed became more and more confident, with both their batting and fielding. Although they lost 16 ½ to 21 ½ there were some pleasing performances, including the excellent

partnership which was formed between Olivia Clayton at Backstop and Aliza Dee at 2nd Post. The C team was a very successful squad, winning their game 11 to 9. Particular mention should go to Georgie Lole for her performance at 2nd Post. All the players in the three teams impressed by their backing up and quick sharp fielding, and it was a great pity that no other matches could be played this year.

Thank you to SCB for her help in coaching and umpiring these teams.

Basketball

A number of dedicated players turned up regularly for the practice sessions through the season and significant improvement was made. The Under 12s took part in a club tournament against a number of local sides and won, as the only team not to lose a game. It is interesting to note that this side contained more girls than boys, showing that the girls have been a real strength this year. The Most Valuable Player awards at this level went to Elise Bue and Alistair Hunt, whilst the Most Improved Player awards were presented to Amy Geary and George Butcher.

The older age groups took part in a number of friendly matches this season which allowed

Full Colours for his dedication to practice and the development of the younger players. The highlight of the season was a closely fought match between the Staff and the School on King’s Day. The lead changed hands several times and was level with just 10 seconds left on the clock. With the Staff in possession of the ball from the half way line, there was time for just one last play. MJN, in his first outing for the staff side, scooped up a speculative shot with one second remaining – it rolled round the hoop and dropped through to give the Staff a narrow victory by just two points, 65 -63. The School side were left in shock - the Staff team maintained they had it all under control – better luck next time. Thanks as always go to Muff Murfin for his good humour and sound guidance. He rarely misses a practice session and has coached a number of matches this season.

Fencing

are the best represented at practice sessions and they contain a number of strong players. Hiten Patel was presented with the Most Valuable Player Award along with Tom Mills of the Lower Remove, whilst the Most Improved Players were Ritesh Patel and Ruari Smith-Cooper. Tom Dunlop and Michael Cairns-Terry were both awarded Half Colours, whilst Amin Saied in his final year was given

With so many committed fencers at our club sessions, we were able to welcome only a small number of new beginners at the start of this year. All took quickly to learning the foil and some even attended the opening competition of the year at RGS Worcester. This was a highly successful day’s fencing with our senior team winning the foil section. Some of our more advanced fencers have gone on to compete in the Leon Paul Junior Series and other national competitions with Andrew Chung, James Elderfield and Alex Humfress acquiring national rankings in their respective weapons. Other members of the club have passed a variety of achievement awards and enjoyed attending the Christmas and Easter courses run by Professor Northam who coaches at King’s. As she leaves us, a special word of thanks must go to Charlotte Cameron who has assisted with coaching this year’s beginners. It is entirely fitting that she was awarded with the British Academy of Fencing’s initial coaching award in June.

D.A.J.

R.P.G.

A senior practice

School Drama Productions

Oklahoma!

Fifth and Sixth Form, 5th, 6th and 7th December 2006, John moore Theatre

For their Christmas production with the Fifth and Sixth Form SLeM and SHLeM chose the classic musical Oklahoma! For a school with such a strong reputation for staging first rate musical productions, it is perhaps surprising that King’s has never staged Oklahoma! before. It is not only generally regarded as one of the best musicals of the last century, it is in many ways one of the most significant in the development of American musical theatre in its use of dramatic form, the depth of the characterisations and the choice of social and historical context. There are also some great and highly memorable numbers including such classics as Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, The Surrey With the Fringe On Top, I Cain’t Say No, People Will Say We’re In Love, Out Of My Dreams and of course the title song. Veering in the flick of an eye from light comedy to tragedy and back again, it is certainly one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s best shows, with the marvellous score, great characters and gripping storyline ensuring its enduring popularity.

SLeM and SHLeM once again did a great job in staging this production and bringing together a large and talented cast. The great thing about this show for a school production is that it offers not just one or two but half a dozen great leading roles and there were some superb principal performances here. These included those of Alice Walter who was great fun as Aunt Eller, Alex Crawford whose fine singing and acting in the role of Curly made him every bit the leading man, and Iska Lupton as Laurey; a large part of the comedy was provided by George Clarke (Will Parker), Charlotte Ireland (a highly deserving winner of this year’s Cobb Prize for Extracurricular Drama for her portrayal of Ado Annie) and Joey Roberts (Ali Hakim); whilst George Watson demonstrated what a versatile performer

Charlotte Ireland and Iska Lupton (Laurey)

Joey Roberts (Ali Hakim) and Charlotte Ireland (Ado Annie)

A scene from ‘Oklahoma’

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Fourth Forms, 20th and 21st June 2007, John moore Theatre

Every part in ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ was fiercely contested

he is in his fine portrayal of the tortured and ultimately tragic loner Judd Fry, whose unrequited desire for Laurey leads ultimately to his demise. Most people know George as a fantastic singer and more recently as a comedy performer, but this role allowed him to demonstrate his ability as a serious actor also.

The music and choreography were in the more than capable hands of DEB and TDM respectively, and the lively and energetic chorus numbers were particularly effective and enjoyable. Chris Crosswell’s set and lighting as usual made the production look both colourful and highly professional. A huge ‘Bravo!’ to all involved!

S.M.A.

with nearly eighty Fourth Formers auditioning. Those who were cast worked tremendously hard rehearsing three, four and sometimes five times a week, but the final shows were certainly worth it. Our set was truly magical with falling snow, real trees, a twelve foot lamp-post, a rotating wardrobe and the White Witch’s ice clad sleigh drawn by three Narnian animals. Together with the fabulous costumes, hard working back stage crew and creative make-up, the whole production looked extremely professional. The acting of all the cast was outstanding, making the audience laugh, cry and sit on the edge of their seats as the final battle scene was absolutely spellbinding. Congratulations to all involved on a theatrical spectacle which will be talked about for many years to come.

Grimm Tales

removes Drama Club, 4th and 5th July 2007

The stage adaptation of selections of Grimm fairy tales by the poet Carol Ann Duffy and the theatre director Tim Supple, first performed at London’s Young Vic Theatre, have proved particularly popular with schools and youth theatres.

L.L.G.

The White Witch’s sleigh

George Watson as Judd Fry

Alice Walter (Aunt Eller)

The cast of ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’

The great thing about them is their flexibility: any combination of tales can be staged, so a programme can be made to suit almost any casting requirements; and the style of interpretation and performance can vary enormously also. This production by the Removes was intended to be performed as a delightful summer evening’s entertainment outdoors; however,

White. The tales were linked by the Brothers Grimm themselves in the form of wonderfully un-p.c. German stereotypes performed by George O’Connor and Alec Burt who also wrote the scripts for their interludes, though much was ad-libbed outrageously

as a result of one of the wettest summers in living memory, the production was moved almost at the last minute to the John Moore Theatre stage where it worked very well. The Upper Removes performed two less familiar tales, A Riddling Tale and The Mouse, the Bird and the Sausage whilst the Lower Removes performed the better-known Little Red-Cap, The Hare and The Hedgehog, The Musicians of Bremen, Rumpelstiltskin and Snow

on the night. In addition the Upper Removes devised and performed a short curtain-raiser And They Lived Unhappily Ever After…, which amusingly revealed relationship problems between wellknown fairy tale heroines and their princes! I would like to thank to Mr DJ Andrews for his help with running the Removes Club this year, and to Chris Crosswell for all his help with the staging of the production.

S.M.A.

Text in Performance

AS Unit 2 (L6) Examination Plays, 1st, 2nd and 3rd may 2007, John moore Theatre In May Lower Sixth Drama and Theatre Studies students presented their AS Unit 1 examination productions. As a result of having a particularly large group of AS students this year we had to stage no fewer than four plays in two days. This

put particular pressure on SAW and me as we had to direct two plays each, but particularly Chris Crosswell, who had to oversee the technical and design requirements of all four. Nevertheless we were particularly pleased with the very high standard achieved by the students in all of these very challenging contemporary plays.

The plays were presented in two double bills over two nights, and then all four plays were performed on one day for the visiting examiner. The first double bill, directed by SAW comprised an evening of work by two of the most exciting contemporary female writers who have worked in British theatre during the last decade, Sarah Kane and April de Angelis. 4.48 Psychosis was Sarah Kane’s last play before her suicide in 1999 at the age of 29. It uses a poetic style of theatre to explore a psychotic mind. This play was performed on a strikingly abstract and highly professional set designed by Lara Vafiadis. Witty and astute, The Positive Hour by April de Angelis teasingly questions

Scenes from ‘Grimm Tales’

4.48 Psychosis

the place of liberal values in a world of post-New Man, anonymous sex and the crumbling nuclear family.

The second double bill of plays, set in the 1960s and 1970s respectively, cast a critical eye on society’s treatment of young people in the recent past. These productions, directed by SMA, set out to question the extent to which things have improved. Be My Baby is set in a Mother and Baby Home in 1964 and follows the fortune of four girls who have been sent there to have their babies before having to

give them up for adoption. In Gotcha, a classic of 1970s theatre, a resentful schoolleaver holds three of his teachers hostage by threatening to throw a lit cigarette into the petrol tank of a motor bike. This violent, gripping and disturbing view of education was famously broadcast on television in the seventies as a BBC1 ‘Play for Today’. For this production we were very kindly lent a magnificent Triumph motorcycle by a local dealer.

S.M.A.

Drama Trips to London

The highlight of the year for most drama students is their annual overnight trip to London. The Fifth Form trip took place the first weekend in February as a welcome treat immediately following ‘mocks’ and took a very similar form to previous trips in recent years, leaving Friday morning and returning on Saturday evening. Firstly we scared the students to death with a performance of The Woman in Black on the Friday evening preceded by a workshop on the play; then on the Saturday morning the students participated in a workshop relating to Blood Brothers followed by a backstage theatre tour and then a matinee performance of

Blood Brothers before returning to Worcester on the Saturday evening. There were some slight differences in the itinerary this time: we couldn’t do the tour of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane as we usually do on this trip because it was the “get-in and fit-up” (theatrical terms!) for the musical version of Lord of the Rings which was about to open; therefore we did the tour of the National Theatre which we usually do on the Sixth Form trip instead.

Some changes for the better concerned the two workshops: our Woman in Black workshop had always been at the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden, but sadly that marvellous facility is currently closed.

This time, however, the students were lucky enough to take part in a workshop actually on the set of The Woman in Black at the Fortune Theatre. This was a very special privilege, and our tour guide and good friend Allan Stronach from London Theatre Tours did a great job of making the workshop both informative and lots of fun, without giving away too much of the plot for those who had never seen the play or read the book before! Our Blood Brothers workshop always takes place at the famous Pineapple Studios, led by a leading member of the West End cast, and this year was no exception. This time, however, because we had our largest group to date, we had two cast members for the price of one, each leading a workshop with half our group. It was great seeing our two workshop leaders perform in the show at the Phoenix Theatre a few hours later as we all felt we knew them well by this point. I have seen countless performances of Blood Brothers now over the years, but this one was possibly the best I’d seen, and to top it all we had great seats at the front of the stalls right in front of the stage. Our Sixth Form trip at Easter was longer this time: instead of the usual overnight trip we stayed for three nights and had the best part of four days in London. This was partly to compensate our Sixth Form drama students as we were unable to offer our American Exchange trip this year. Having the extra time in London enabled us to see four productions instead of the usual two or three, and to enjoy extra activities such as a boat trip along the Thames. As we were blessed with beautifully fine Easter weather for most of our stay this was a particularly enjoyable activity. We also fitted in a National Theatre tour, leaving us plenty of free time to shop, visit galleries and so on.

Be My Baby

The Positive Hour

ThE ViGOrNiAN

The first production we saw was the musical Cabaret. This stunning new version of the stage show (directed by the brilliant Worcester-educated director and my former Swan Youth Theatre colleague Rufus Norris) has proved quite controversial, mainly because of several instances of nudity. This is presumably intended to emphasise the decadence of 1930s Berlin, but finally provides a chilling reference to the concentration camps that were to follow. The cast featured several well-known stars including James Defuss and the wonderful Sheila Hancock, and one up-and-coming one, namely one Alistair Brookshaw OV! It was fantastic seeing Alistair in his first West End role, and to have the chance to chat to him over supper before the show and again over a drink in the hotel bar afterwards. He did a great job both in the Ensemble and singing his solo number Tomorrow Belongs to Me as the Nazi Youth. Alistair also got to play the trumpet quite a bit in the show. It was particularly nice to hear at one point proud dad DEB turn to one of the sixth formers and whisper, “ I bought him that trumpet when he was nine years old” (ah, bless!).

As well as Cabaret we saw three plays during the week, all of them brilliant in their own different ways. On Wednesday we saw the much-hyped revival of Peter Shaffer’s 1970s classic Equus. The production featured yet more nudity, but this alone did not raise our eyebrows so much as the fact that Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, was one of the two performers in the nude scene.

On Thursday we saw two plays. First was a matinee performance at the National Theatre of a revival of a contemporary classic, Martin Crimp’s Attempts On Her Life. This experimental production of a highly unorthodox and original play (there is no plot and the lines in the script are not allocated to any particular character) used a wide range of multimedia devices and was performed on a stage stripped back to the brick walls. It left some in our party totally bewildered; others found it to be the most stimulating, exciting, surprising and enjoyable production we saw all week.

Our final performance of the evening was Alan Bennett’s multiaward winning play The History Boys (in which Richard Griffiths had previously won much acclaim in both the original stage cast and the subsequent film adapatation). What is generally regarded as Bennett’s best play to date is funny, sad, clever, moving, thought-provoking and hugely entertaining. It was also superbly staged and acted. The performance we saw was another highlight in a totally enjoyable and exciting week.

I would like to thank all the students who came away with us to London this year for being such good company and for being such good ambassadors for King’s whilst we were away. I would also like to say a particularly big “thank you” to both SAW and DEB for their company and support on these exciting forays into Theatreland.

S.M.A.

Dance

This was a busy year for dancers at King’s. It started off with the formation of the King’s Dance Company by SAW (see report below).

The school hosted a ‘Dance Day’ when three professional choreographers took various groups to create a ‘Dance in a Day’. Three

‘2-faced’ working with Fourth Formers

Dance Showcase

very different styles were portrayed and working with professional dancers was a great experience. SAW also made a film in the Library with a group of dancers, which was shown at the beginning of the Dance Showcase.

The Upper Fourth had workshops with the dance company ‘2-faced’, a young dynamic company who came into school for the day, performing their work to the pupils in the morning and then taking each form for a work shop later that day. The whole day was a great success, with some pupils realising they had a natural flair for the ‘Breakdance’ moves they were shown, some of which were performed at the Dance Showcase.

Once again this was a great success. Over one hundred and seventy pupils participated, with Year 6 pupils from Hawford alongside pupils from each year group within the senior school.

The idea of the Showcase is to provide a platform for pupils to show their work from both curriculum and club work, where such a variety of dance is introduced and developed throughout the year. There were many outstanding performances during the evening and it would be hard to pick out one in particular, but I don’t think any of us will forget the Fifth Form boys performing ‘Swan Lake’ in their tutus. A lot of staff wanted to get in on the action too, performing in school uniform to the T-Rex hit ‘I Like To Boogie’. It’s a few years since some of the staff have worn uniforms but it’s amazing how quickly they reverted to being adolescents.

All in all the pupils enjoyed themselves and the audience had a great evening’s entertainment, from Bollywood to breakdancing, contemporary to comedy, a variety of energetic dance styles was seen over the two evening performances.

TDM and SAW wish to thank all of the pupils for their hard work and enthusiasm during the year and look forward to next year, when we hope to host the Independent Schools Dance Festival. I think I can safely say that dance at King’s is thriving as the variety and standard of dance continues to improve.

T.D.M.

King’s Dance Company

King’s Dance Company formed in September 2006, and consisted of a group of eight dancers who had auditioned and successfully gained places. They rehearsed every week and during school holidays to produce complex and theatrical dances choreographed by SAW. During the year, they performed at a Worcestershire Schools Dance Platform and at Dudley Concert Hall (to an audience of over 1,000 people!), as well as in the Dance

Showcase, The Christmas Show and DADA Society Performance. When auditions were held in June 2007, over sixty students attended auditions, and now the company is working on new repertoire with a company of nineteen dancers. Recently, the company participated in a workshop with, and watched a performance of, Motionhouse Dance Theatre.

S.A.W.

Fourth Form Dance

The Lower Fourth Dance Club performed in a ‘Spies and Robbers’ dance-drama for performances throughout the year. Incorporating theatrical dancing, lift work and props, the Lower Fourths proved themselves as hard-working and committed dancers!

The Upper Fourth Dance Club consisted of a group of skilled and dynamic dancers in a jazz choreography to Peggy Lee’s Fever using chairs! The group performed at a Worcestershire School’s platform as well as various in-school performances.

S.A.W.

Music

It was a term that promised to be unusual in its ordering of musical events, but the Autumn 2006 term began with something of a surprise for the school’s musicians when they discovered that a music-loving resident of Rainbow Hill Terrace had won a concert from the school! This was to be one of seven very successful

concerts, small and large, held during the term; fifteen musicians and a clavinova were squeezed into a room with panoramic views of the city to give an unexpected, yet excellent, miniature Keys Concert to a select dinner party audience.

The real Keys Society Concerts had more than a touch of the surreal about them. The first was the wonderful, memorable Gala Keys Society Concert held during Words Alive Week to celebrate the opening of the new library. OV musicians from the past fifty years returned to the school to take part in

a concert whose central highlight was a performance of much of Walton’s Façade in its original chamber version. Conductor Nicholas Cleobury (OV 1958 – 68) inspired a taut and consistently imaginative performance from the group of pupils (George Austen-Cliff, Aaron Prewer Jenkinson, Heather Uren and Gareth Ceredig) and staff (VJG, Richard Percy, Elizabeth Rozelaar and Frank Stubbs) who played Walton’s demanding music. OVs Barney Burnham, David Sandon, Peter Hewitt and Andrew Reekes were joined by THK, DEB and CJBA in providing virtuoso delivery of Edith Sitwell’s tongue-twisting poetry. Pupils past and present opened the concert with the Thunder and Lightning Polka by J. Strauss II and a galaxy of soloists, Shulah Oliver (OV), John Bowley (OV) Heather Uren, Tom Dupernex (OV), Peter Holder and Gareth Ceredig gave individual performances. The Keys Society Choir sang Robert Spearing’s demanding, specially commissioned Wings…Dreams for choir, piano, prepared piano and cello. The concert ended with a stirring performance of Milton’s poem, Blest Pair of Sirens, in its choral setting by Parry. This concert, the brainchild of the Headmaster and Nicholas Cleobury, could not have happened without the untiring efforts of Carol Bawden and Virginia Iles and was saved at the very last minute by Chris Crosswell’s provision of an effective sound system for Facade!

College Hall was so heavily booked that the Christmas Keys Society Concert had to be held in St. George’s Church, Barbourne. In the event this proved to be an atmospheric and acoustically successful venue for a splendid concert organized by Gareth Ceredig and Heather Uren. Through the year Gareth proved to be the most able of conductors, on this occasion ably guiding the choir through the intricacies of Walton’s Missa Brevis.

The House Music Competition was held earlier than usual to make way for the Gala Keys Concert and it was to the Houses’ credit that they were able to produce such good singing in

so little time. Martin Schellenberg, Director of Music at Abberley Hall, was our adjudicator, awarding first place to Chappel for their performance of Proud. In the morning Peter Holder (piano) and Heather Uren (‘cello) were joint winners of the Senior Solo Competition and Jack Hamilton (violin) won the Junior

of an Andante by William Boyce and Two Russian Folksongs by Liadov. Wind Band, conducted by Elizabeth Rozelaar played a taxing, large-scale medley arrangement from Bernstein’s West Side Story. For the third year running, First Orchestra responded magnificently to the challenge of playing one of the A Level Music set works, Weber’s Overture Der Freischütz. Chamber Orchestra then played GMG’s own arrangements of five of Shostakovitch’s 24 Preludes. The concert ended with arrangements of four popular pieces, What a wonderful World, El Condor Pasa, Do you hear what I hear and Orpheus in the Underground, sung by the School Choir.

At the end of term many of the school’s singers and musicians took part in the theatre production of Oklahoma. A full review appears elsewhere in the magazine.

The Carol Service, held in the cathedral on 12th December, featured performances by the School Choir of Jacob’s Ladder (OV), Elizabeth

Later in the week there was an opportunity for a capacity audience to hear the four top House songs and a good number of the winning solo items in the annual Winners’ Concert.

The Autumn School Concert provided a showcase for all of the school’s large ensembles. Second Orchestra, conducted by GMG, gave forthright performances

Poston’s Jesus

Christ the Apple Tree, John Rutter’s arrangement of Quittez, pasteurs and A Babe is Born by William Mathias. The Cathedral Choristers sang John Gardner’s Tomorrow shall be my Dancing Day and the Keys Choir sang Kenneth Leighton’s Coventry Carol.

playing Dance Trios by Terence Greaves and a newly formed Lower Sixth String Quartet playing the famous Notturno from Borodin’s 2nd String Quartet. Central to the concert was a dazzling performance of Bach’s B minor

The first major concert of the Spring term was the St. Clement’s Church Concert held on Saturday, 24th February. Gareth Ceredig conducted the choir in works by Gabrieli, Lassus, Wood and Mathias. Soloists included Lucy Boynett singing Thiman’s Lonely as a Cloud, Harry Geeves playing movements from Bach’s unaccompanied Violin Partita in E major, Lizzie Grew playing the Largo from Shostakovitch’s D minor Cello Sonata, Jolyon Loy singing Gurney’s Sleep and Imogen Schofield singing Mozart’s Non so piú. Also heard were the Clarinet Ensemble playing Kurt Weill arrangements, the Flute Ensemble

Suite for flute and strings by Elizabeth Fane, accompanied by the Chamber Orchestra. Mention should especially be made of Peter Holder’s outstanding and frequent piano accompaniments. No matter what the concert, Peter has always risen effortlessly and willingly to the challenge of learning the most difficult of accompaniments at a moment’s notice and then delivering them with the greatest of sensitivity to his vocal or instrumental partner.

The Spring term School Concert began with Second Orchestra playing a Waltz in B flat by Dvorak, conducted

by GMG. Wind Band, under Elizabeth Rozelaar’s leadership, gave an entertaining performance of H. Walter’s Hootenanny (a Folk Festival for Band). First Orchestra, taking advantage of a profusion of able ‘cellists, then gave a stirring performance of Rossini’s William Tell Overture. Elizabeth Fane reprised her role in Bach’s 2nd Suite in B minor with even greater success than at St. Clement’s. The choral contribution began in splendid seriousness with G. Gabrieli’s Jubilate Deo and Omnes de Saba by O. Lassus; the tone changed with an arrangement by Lizzie Grew of Feed the Birds and Shenandoah. The concert ended riotously with Peter Gritton’s enjoyable arrangement of Chick, Chick, Chicken! The Summer School Concert, held earlier than ever on May 18th, was a triumph for all performers, but especially First Orchestra who learnt the accompaniment to Kabalevsky’s G minor Cello Concerto with just four rehearsals before the concert day. We were very pleased that Heather Uren was able to give such a dazzling, virtuoso performance of the solo part, considering that recurring back problems had prevented her playing the cello since the beginning of the year. She and fellow leaver, Elizabeth Fane were also part of the Senior Flute Ensemble who gave a superb performance of David Mitcham’s Suite, conducted by Alison Uren. Chamber Orchestra gave fine performances of two greatly contrasted pieces – Arvo Pärt’s Summa and a movement from a Divertimento in D major by Mozart. Our final leaver to be given a starring role was Gareth Ceredig, who, for once, was able to use his percussion playing abilities to the full in school. Over the past seven years Gareth has been almost more likely to have been

seen as a horn player, piano accompanist or, latterly, a conductor in school concerts rather than displaying the gifts that won him a principal’s place in this year’s NYO! Bob Chilcott’s Making of the Drum, an atmospheric and rhythmically challenging choral work, based on the composer’s receiving of a drum specially made for him in Uganda, was superbly sung by the School Choir accompanied by Gareth’s shimmering marimba playing. Vocal soloists were Hannah Lucas and James Greenwood. To end the concert the School Choir, with soloist, Heather Uren, gave a superb performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. Gareth handled the difficult percussion part with the greatest ease and we were delighted to welcome Vicky Lester (harp) to the school to provide the remainder of the accompaniment with CJBA (organ).

The Fourth Form Music Competition and Winners’ Concert were held in the second half of term after a great deal of work from pupils and staff alike had gone into creating choirs and ensembles out all of the twelve Fourth Forms. Song winners this year were L4D singing Whistle for the Choir and U4C who sang Mamma Mia. L4B and U4C were Ensemble winners with Bernstein’s Tonight and the Muppet Show Theme respectively. Aaron Prewer Jenkinson (saxophone) and Grace Caldicott (voice) were joint Upper Fourth Solo winners with Harriet Duddy (voice) and Laura Pykett (piano) sharing first place in the Lower Fourth. Overall form winners were L4B and U4C. It was a delight to welcome Lynne Lindner, Director of Music at the new Malvern St. James, to be our excellent and unflappable adjudicator.

On the day in between the competition and Winners Concert, GMG and his hard-working support staff ran a very successful Orchestral Workshop for around ninety young players from King’s St. Alban’s, King’s Hawford and Years 7 to 9 from the senior school. The day ended with a concert in the John Moore Theatre featuring the large orchestra and the numerous groups that had rehearsed during the day. This and the regular Young Performers Concerts, all organized by GMG, continue to prove invaluable for

nurturing our younger players and singers as they develop their performing skills.

The final Keys Society Concert was held on Tuesday 10th July. There was an impressively large programme of solos and ensembles to which leavers and continuing pupils contributed in equal measure. We have been very privileged to have great support over the years from Charlie Cameron, Elizabeth Fane, Heather Uren and George Watson, all of whom performed solos at this concert. We wish them and Gareth Ceredig, this year’s Key’s Society Choir conductor, every success in the future. Elgar’s great anthem, Give unto the Lord, with Peter Holder’s excellent organ accompaniment, was the glorious conclusion to a memorable concertl.

The next day, in the King’s Day service, Gareth conducted the full School Choir in Let the People Praise Thee, O God, written by William Mathias for the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Diana Spencer. The choir also sang Wesley’s anthem, Blessed be the God and Father, with soprano solos from Heather Uren and Charlie Cameron.

It was a splendid culmination to their several years’ membership of the NYO that saw Heather Uren (‘cello) and Gareth Ceredig (percussion) become section leaders this year. It was especially gratifying to see Heather able to return to the orchestra after missing the Easter concerts and to have many

fine views of them both playing in the televised Promenade Concert in August. Congratulations to them and to Allan Clayton (OV) who, as a postgraduate student on the Royal Academy of Music’s opera course, has just won their highest annual student award, the Queen Mother’s Medal. By the time of this article’s publication he will also have sung the title role in Britten’s Albert Herring at Glyndebourne!

D.E.B.

Art

This has been a challenging year for the Art Department whilst it coped with operating from three different sites whilst the new Art School was built. This did not thwart our ambition, however, and a great deal was achieved. A large number of Upper Sixth Fine Art students gained places at art schools including, The London College of Fashion, Chelsea and St. Martin’s, Falmouth, Farnham, Canterbury, Bournemouth,

St Ives

Bath and Bristol. All received praise for presenting portfolios of distinction.

The very best work from the previous year’s A Level Fine Art students was exhibited in Malvern Festival Theatre between September and January. Stunning textiles from this year’s GCSE pupils were exhibited in the John Moore Theatre Gallery and AS students exhibited largescale tonal drawings in

the Dean’s Chapel, Worcester Cathedral. The latter exhibition formed part of our contribution to the national ‘Big Draw Day’ in October. On the day itself, one hundred and sixty pupils, parents and teachers from the King’s Foundation completed a fifty metre drawing of the school. This was later sent to a partner school in China, who undertook a similar task. Our efforts were judged to be the best from amongst 1400 events held across the country and we were thrilled to receive an award from Quentin Blake at a ceremony held at the British Museum in April. Next year we plan to visit our partner school in China with a group of Sixth Form pupils. It is marvellous that drawing can be used as the catalyst for international cooperation and the sharing of creativity.

There were four professional exhibitions in the Theatre Gallery and, during the summer term, a young sculptress, Helaina Sharpley, joined us as an artist-in residence. She was a delight to work with; her gritty Yorkshire humour galvanising pupils into action and inspiring Fourth

Formers to create intricate wire sculptures. There were two five-day residential trips to the artists’ colony in St. Ives, Cornwall during the October half term for GCSE pupils and, during the February half term, A Level students visited Rome. The year culminated with GCSE and AS exhibitions in Worcester Cathedral and the A2 exhibition in the unusual setting of Edgar Tower. The latter exhibition made full use of the nooks and crannies of the tower and contained, for the first time, film and video as well as the usual range of ambitious painting, drawing and textiles. Our pupils achieved excellent results

Words Alive!

The Words Alive! Festival took place in early October and culminated in the opening of the new library. Following on from the previous year’s Arts Alive! Festival the intention was to involve a large number of pupils, staff, parents and visitors in a wide range of stimulating literary-inspired activities.

The week opened with a family art workshop led by professional artist Kevan Hopson who encouraged participants to produce ‘art books’ about their family. Nicholas Parsons presented a highly entertaining portrait of the nonsensical genius Edward Lear in the John Moore Theatre and artist Sally MacCabe mounted an exhibition of St. Ives inspired paintings, all of which contained words, in the John Moore Theatre Gallery.

Pupils worked with poet-in-residence Dean Parkin, illustrator-in- residence Peter Kent and story teller John Harris. There was a

at GCSE, AS and A2.

Four A Level pupils each recorded 100% having gained full marks at both AS and A2.

During the summer holiday we had the thrill of moving into our purpose built art school. The award-winning architect John Christophers of Associated Architects was sensitive to our needs and created a brilliant design which fused our old Porcelain accommodation with a new three storey structure. He has created light and space which should prove a joy to work in.

E.R.H.

lecture by the Shakespeare scholar Catherine Alexander, a poetry evening, a wine tasting, a film evening and the inaugural performance by the new student-led DADA Society. On the final Saturday morning one hundred and sixty took part in the Big Draw event and, in the afternoon, the library was opened by the popular Liverpool poet Roger McGough. An enthusiastic audience was also treated to a wonderfully entertaining

THK, Roger McGough and Donald Howell at the opening of the Library

Big Draw Day

reading of his poetry in the John Moore Theatre.

The festival finally came to a close with a Gala Keys Society Concert in College Hall involving current and former members of the school. The internationally known conductor Nicholas Cleobury directed a performance of Walton’s Façade and the Keys Society Choir performed a difficult and challenging new commission by composer Robert Spearing.

It was a vibrant and action-packed week which certainly fulfilled its aim of uniting large numbers of the school community in creative literary-inspired activities. The festival was deemed a great success and provided a stimulating and fitting prelude to the opening of our magnificent new library.

E.R.H.

Design and Technology

It is never easy to visualise, step by step, the process of manufacture before it’s begun. That is, however, a requirement of both GCSE and A level students during the preparation for translating their ideas into reality. If any department needs to keep up with advances in technology, it’s us and as the department embraces new ideas the opportunity for helping students to develop their creative skills is ever greater.

Of course phrases such as ‘taking one’s ideas from the drawing board’ have almost lost their relevance in today’s DT department as drawing boards have been replaced by CAD (Computer Aided Design). In addition to CAD, students use 3D modelling software enabling them to create virtual designs which can be ‘spun’ on screen, allowing them to be observed and analysed from all angles. Some consider this to be doing away with the more traditional skills. On the contrary, we continue to teach and encourage the use of traditional skills whilst teaching students a bit about what they’ll meet in industry.

The students follow their computer

modelling with time spent in the workshop creating models with resistant materials such as styrofoam, plywood, balsa and acrylic. This process helps the students to see through the manufacture stage before they start it and avoid many of the pitfalls that would have been otherwise difficult to avoid. Modelling is one of the many steps that help our students create work of such a high standard.

Notable projects at GCSE include an Ash Games Box by Hugh Brooks. Hugh managed to create this very well made outcome from a quite complicated design. William Harris made an Othello board with storage for playing pieces and cards. He displayed his skill and accuracy in a variety of materials. Jonathan Fane designed and made a pair of nesting tables. Its design and the use of birch plywood made this a contemporary twist on a traditional idea.

The AS students were given the theme of lighting for their coursework. This surprisingly broad theme led to a huge variety of outcomes. Andy Hughes created a high quality coffee table with lighting. It consisted of laminated plywood and glass. The flex for the lighting is laminated into the plywood. Luke Armitage made an impressive desk light from a variety of wood, metal and plastic.

It is no surprise that the A2 students rose to the challenge and created some very accomplished pieces of work. Tom Bellfield made a lounging chair with suspension in the back rest whilst Alec Mabbott, who also made a chair, aimed his at all ages. His product was designed to be suitable for adults to sit at a kitchen table, but which with a few simple adjustments can be quickly transformed to suit a small child. Both the seat and the back rest can be moved in the direction of the table top.

This year has seen students overcoming lots of challenges in their project work. Once again, in almost every case, the final outcome displays high levels of skill, attention to detail and a real enjoyment of the subject matter. Another very successful year!

C.W.S.W.

A selection of A level and GCSE DT projects

King’s HAWFORD

We were very pleased to welcome Jim and Geraldine Turner and their family to Hawford at the start of the year. JT soon settled in and established himself as an innovative Headmaster, ready to embrace everything that makes Hawford special whilst successfully introducing new ideas and initiatives as well. It wasn’t long before the flag was raised, the National Anthem sung at the start of the week and Sunderland AFC mentioned every now and then in the staffroom (and in assemblies).

Danielle Goodayle returned as Head of Girls’ Games and Laura Cross joined the staff as Maths Co-ordinator and Year 5 Form Teacher.

Academically we had another very successful year, with all the children in Year 6 passing the Entrance Examination into the Senior School. Well deserved congratulations went to Thomas Dunn-Massey and Hannah Jeavons who gained academic scholarships. It was very rewarding to see Hawford children performing so strongly in the examination and gaining excellent results overall in English and Mathematics.

The official opening of the new buildings took place in late September. It was a pleasure to invite back to Worcester Dr. Stephen Darlington, a distinguished musician and former King’s pupil to declare the new music facility and

classrooms open and to approve the highly successful landscaping project at the heart of the school.

Informal concerts were held throughout the year allowing our younger pupils to perform for the first time whilst also providing an audience for the more accomplished players and those preparing for examinations. The number of children taking instrumental lessons continued to grow and the new department should enable the expansion of the school’s performance and artistic provision.

For the first time in many years, parents were invited to our Harvest festivals, with a terrific response from parents to the invitation. An evening of music and dance was held towards the end of the first term and a little later the Early Years and Pre-Prep Christmas productions, which attracted large audiences and set everyone in festive mood. However this year the staff (under JT’s gentle persuasion!) performed their own pantomime for the children. The Cobb windows were carefully blacked out in case anyone else tried to take a peek but this lighthearted initiative proved such fun it seems likely to become an annual event!

Many children from Years 3 to 6 took part in HMS Pinafore, which played to a full house each evening in the last week of the Spring term. In the summer, boys and girls from Years 5 and 6 were thrilled to take part in the

Dance Showcase at the Senior School and gave an enthusiastic performance of their space dance.

Carnival came to Hawford at the end of the year and as well as teacher led workshops there was a wonderful day of music making with “Caliche”, a group of musicians from South America followed by a grand finale with pupils, staff and parents dancing through the marquee.

Sport and Outdoor Education continued to play a central role in the school. Although it was a tough year for the Under 11s rugby team, no side managed to totally dominate us and there were some positive results. We hosted our first Rugby Sevens tournament in March. Nine teams joined in the fun and a good time was had by all on a balmy spring afternoon in front of our guest for the day, John Dawes, former captain of the British Lions.

The girls excelled themselves at both hockey and netball. The highlight of the year came in reaching the IAPS Netball Finals and eventually coming fourth nationally at Under 11. Numerous trips, outings and activities have taken place and by the end all the children from Year 2 upwards had experienced at least one overnight camp.

Other special events included the Evacuation Day, designed to bring home to the children schooling during the war years. Energetic but hugely enjoyable Pancake Day Races were also held for the first time. This year’s Science Festival took the theme of Space. In addition to a wide range of cross curricular activities we had a planetarium in school, lectures on space travel and a whole school visit to the National Space Centre. Our French day proved extremely popular, particularly the boules competition and café!

Two authors also came to school this year. Andrew Cope, author of the Spy Dog series, and Peter J. Murray, author of the Mokee Joe books.

Every child from Kindergarten upwards took part in a class assembly to which parents were also invited. Themes ranged from Chinese New Year to ‘Our Hidden Talents’. However Year 6 topped the bill in the very last assembly when they returned to the school as adults and recounted their memories of Hawford. Needless to say a few members of staff were featured too!

One of the most successful special events was Grandparents’ Day. The weather was glorious and our visitors were able to enjoy their buffet lunch in the gardens as well as being entertained by the children and a Punch and Judy show.

Old Hawfordians Day provided the opportunity for past pupils to look back and remember as well as see the new developments that have taken place in recent years. Douglas and Mary Ann Garrard and Malcolm Darling were special guests together with three members of the very first class in 1955. Election of the children’s charities took place in the autumn term. Just under £1700 was raised through a series of events and the sponsored walk. In addition, Andrew EvansFisher (Year 4) helped organise a disco to raise funds for the Birmingham Children’s Hospital and this raised £798 to help fund their renal unit.

As the year closed we said goodbye to a number of staff, all of whom had contributed significantly to the school. Mr Whitmore, who had worked so hard to establish our excellent outward bounds programme as well as being involved in our drama productions, moved on, as did Miss Winscom, our music teacher. We thanked Miss Winscom for her work with our musicians as we did Mrs Purser, who retired after helping so many children in her support lessons. Mrs Wales, our art teacher, also retired and we offered her our best wishes.

King’s St. Alban’s

Congratulations to the children in Year 6 who all passed the Entrance Examination and gained places in the Senior School. Academic scholarships were awarded to Sam Allen, Robert Ellis, Sheba McFarlane and Nat Swyer. Charlotte Collins was awarded a music scholarship and Emma Butterworth gained the rare distinction of a joint academic and music award. It is always gratifying to see the preparation by the staff and the children’s hard work paying dividends.

In the school office, Caroline Robjohns left us and Tammy Pearman moved over from the Senior School as her replacement. She will share the secretarial duties with Anita Bellfield our registrar.

Beryl Wilson was welcomed back to Year 3 after her sabbatical in Ethiopia, while Michael O’Kane returned to his native Perth, Australia via Earls Court, London.

Sharon Davies left at Easter to take a job promoting the attractions of her native Swansea. Her Year 5 class was taken over by Alex Hind who moved from Year 4. Our new Year 4 teacher is Jonathan Bailey, who will also be taking over the running of boys’ games.

time basis.

At the end of the academic year Beryl Wilson retired. She had been teaching at King’s St.Alban’s for seventeen years, since joining the foundation from Springfield School. Beryl is a talented musician and her ability to bring the best out of fledgling wind instrument players in the Junior School’s windband was a highlight of many school concerts. She also encouraged children to undertake the cycling proficiency award, which she taught for many years on the playground on Saturday mornings. Beryl will be missed for her kindness, good humour and her particular skills with Year Three

cricket fixtures during the summer term.

There were, nonetheless, a number of individual performances of note. Frances Taylor won a place in the Worcestershire Under 13 hockey team and the Midlands Under 13 squad despite being only 11. Barney and Alfie Sears and Patrick Harrington all played county cricket. Charlie Norton was ranked as Worcestershire’s number one tennis player in his age group.

A particular team highlight was the cross country event at St Richard’s School. St. Richard’s is situated in the “high country” to the west of Bromyard; we do most of our practice on the flood plain which is our playing fields. This came as a bit of a shock to one of our Year 6 girls who asked Bill Toleman, “What’s that Sir?”

“It’s a hill Frances.”

“What do I do with that?”

Helen Murray joined the staff on a permanent basis, teaching music throughout the school, having been temporarily engaged to cover for Vanessa Gunter. She also got married during the year and is now Mrs Helen Haggarty.

Vanessa and Katrina Kear-Wood continued to make progress in their fights with post viral infections. Happily both were able to begin some one to one teaching for short periods of time; however, it is still uncertain when they will be able to return to work on a full

children during their first nervous days as members of the King’s School.

Although there was a vast array of sporting opportunity available during the year, an unprecedented number of fixtures was lost to bad weather and flooding. Among the casualties were Sports Day, The Warwick Rugby Sevens, The Parents vs Pupils Rounders Match and nearly all the rounders and

“You run up it……”

Looks can be worth a great many words……

The members of the Year 6 team that afternoon, who worked incredibly hard in revolting conditions and supported each other with great humour, were: Frances Taylor, Poppy Doorbar, Holly Hudson, Corah Lewis, Emma Butterworth, Charlotte Collins, William Clarke, Patrick Harrington, Reuben Walker, Edward Weston, William Underwood and Severin Naraine.

A muddier group

of children can rarely have been seen representing King’s.

Informal concerts on Friday afternoons in the chapel, run by Graham Gunter and Helen Haggarty, gave many children the opportunity to display their music talents in front of an audience. These events gently ease the children into the art of performance without too much pressure.

out by bird ‘flu which swept through the area recently. The money we raised, £2081, was more than enough to buy a new flock. We are hoping the surplus might help them to diversify their activities!

Other beneficiaries of the children’s money raising ingenuity were The Maggs Day Centre, Action Aid, The Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children and the RNLI. Pip Rowland had the bright idea of an Inter House copper coin trail competition to raise money for a leprosy charity in India – this proved to be highly successful and £355.75

When they come to the more formal school concerts and exams they are able to approach them with a greater degree of confidence. The Orchestra Workshop organised by the Music Department stretches the more able and gives them the chance to perform with pupils from Hawford and the Senior School.

Chris Allsop, the Cathedral’s assistant choirmaster, has started a chamber choir for Year 6 boys to provide them with a suitable challenge. Jack Furber was selected to play in the National Children’s Orchestra as a Percussionist. David Hui became a member of the County Youth Orchestra.

The School Walk was the main charitable focus this year. Half of the money raised by King’s St. Alban’s was divided between Acorns Children’s Hospice and St. Richard’s Hospice. There was also a smaller donation to the Cathedral Appeal. The rest of the money collected was given to a Romanian orphanage near Siret, with which the school has developed close ties through Beryl Wilson. A few years ago, we bought some chickens to enable the orphanage to become more self-sufficient through selling eggs etc. Sadly the flock was wiped

was donated – all in coppers.

The Creative Connexions performance this year placed creativity firmly in the hands of the pupils. The idea was that they should not be painting by numbers, but becoming composers, choreographers, lyricists and artists in their own right. It was the end product of their creative journeys in art, dance, drama and music spread over two terms of work in these subjects. Every child was involved in the creation and performance of this whole school arts project.

Year 3 depicted the Curse of

Tutankhamen. They told the story of discovering a tomb in their dance and used the story of Howard Carter to inspire their musical composition. In art they recreated King Narmar’s sarcophagus and made Tutankhamen death masks from plaster of paris.

Year 4 looked at classical dance traditions and the role dance has had in telling stories throughout history. They concentrated on developing characters and the use of props. In art they made traditional Indian story boxes and in music, composed an accompaniment to their performance of the story of Rama and Sita.

Year 5 concentrated on rhythm, coordination and fluidity and inspired by video material from Riverdance, produced a Celtic Ceilidh of their own. During art lessons the children produced repeat Celtic patterns which were used as a digital backdrop for their performance. Year 6 focused on climate change - the causes, effects and possible solutions. They produced a complex dance, concentrating particularly on how to put across a serious issue through this medium. Year 6 also worked with a professional composer to produce lyrics and music for a finale song.

Individual success in the arts was achieved by Jack Guy, sight reading, and Felicity Holehouse, flute, at the Worcester

competitive Arts Festival. The King’s St. Alban’s Flute Choir made up of Frances Taylor, Poppy Doorbar, Holly Hudson, Corah Lewis, Ellie Roberts, Briony Milner, Georgia Tucker and Felicity Holehouse won their section for the second year running.

OV NOTES

Reunion Weekend 21st, 22nd and 23rd September.

Friday - OV Golf

The competitors were: Andrew Longley, Russ Mason, David Mendham (all Honorary OVs), Harry Howell (45-50), Derek Taylor (46-54), Geoff Bennett (50-55), Rob Blakeway (48-55), Alec Mackie (47-56), Dave Phillips (50-56), Tony Halford (52-61), Graham Robertson (5261), Gordon Cox (56-63), Stuart Knee (60-67), John Fardon (65-75), Nicholas Sproson (7176), Colin Cole (67-77), Nick Fairlie (72-77), Andrew Robinson (67-77), Ian Smith (73-78), Mark Hanson (72-79), Nick Hodgetts (74-79), Richard Underwood (68-79), Philip Kay (78-80), Stuart Preece (75-81), Peter Osborne (81-83), Gareth Wilding (78-85), George Blakeway (7686), Richard Wilkes (76-86), Duncan Hughes (84-91), Rupert Thomas (83-92), James Bader (84-94), Gary Murphy (87-94), Tim Whitehouse (86-94), and Tom Guest (90-97).

In keeping with the trend of recent years, a Blakeway was among the winning fourball.

George Blakeway - along with his teammates Duncan Hughes, Gareth Wilding and Andrew Longley - held off some stern challenges to win narrowly the Stableford competition with a total of 90 points, while Stuart Knee returned the winning individual scorecard.

Saturday - Reunion Day

A feature of all Reunions over the years has been groups of contemporaries coming together. In more recent times, and particularly since the founding of the FDO, with the administrative support it is able to offer, reunion groups have flourished and 2007 produced a large crop of year and era reunions, all celebrating a significant anniversary:

Tredennyke (John Brushfield)

Kittermaster Era (Hugh Scurfield)

40 Years (Brendan Boyle)

The 1970s (Paul Thompson, David Kirrage, Susie Scholes (née Cheshire))

25 Years (Niall McNevin, Steve McOwan, Rupert Parsons, Martin White)

20 Years (Caroline Horrigan and Andrew Underwood)

OV COMMITTEE 2007-08

President: Ian Smith (Cr 73-78)

Chairman: Roy Padden (Cl 45-52)

Headmaster: Timothy H Keyes (Hon OV)

Vice-Presidents: Gareth O’Hara (Ch 81-84)

Caroline Horrigan (Co 85-87)

Hon Secretary: Michael Page (Cr 60-65)

Hon Treasurer: John Potter (Cl 55-62)

Hon Soc Secretary: Andrew Underwood (S 77-88)

Asst Soc Secretary: Richard Underwood (Ch 68-79)

Member Emeritus: Alec Mackie (Cl 47-56)

Hon Auditor: John Wagstaff (DB 52-61)

OVCC Representative: Richard Wilkes (W 76-86)

Ordinary Members: Julia [Simcock] Annable (Co 85-87)

James Mills (Cr 80-87)

Philip Mackie (Cl 73-84)

Elizabeth [Alexander] Charman (Co 88-90)

Rebecca [Day] Wynn (Co 81-84)

David Rosewarne (Cl 76-83)

15 Years (Suzie Gilhooly and Rupert Thomas).

• Beaumont (W 81-83), Tom Denlegh-Maxwell (Cl 97-04), Patrick Mckinnon (O 96-03), Seb Pearce (Ch 90-00), James Scott (O 90-01) and current pupils Andrew Finlay and Ed Mackenzie.

The Dining Hall was the first assembly point for many; lapel badges were issued at the door so that those who had not met in 30, 40 or more years could pretend they had recognised one another instantly! As with previous reunions, the relaxed dress code, informal atmosphere, and ability to move around freely in the Dining Hall allowed the social cohesion and camaraderie of schooldays to surface again quickly, and animated exchanges were soon in evidence.

With old friendships re-established, OVs were guided round the School, to look at everything that was new and different, yet all of it contained within a setting or framework that try as hard as it might, retained an air of familiarity. The Library continues to impress, with material and learning facilities available to the pupils of today at which the old guard could only marvel. Jo Rippier (Cr 47-53) read from his collection of short stories “Moments in Time” in the Library during the afternoon. – and some older OVs will have recognised the individuals on whom characters in the stories are based! This was followed by tea and homemade cakes.

Earlier in the afternoon, Bob Hinds, Hon OV, had organised a Rowing Great with Peter

OV accounts of the Reunion are to be found in Connect

The AGM

The 2007 AGM was held in the Chappel Memorial Room. Partners and guests of those attending the Meeting were invited to attend a reception, in the Long Gallery of the Library. Twenty three members assembled for the AGM, with Tony Halford taking the Chair. All stood in silent respect for a few moments after the names of seventeen OVs, whose deaths had been reported to the Club during the year, had been read out. There was one Apology for Absence, and the Minutes of the 2006 AGM, copies of which were available to all at the meeting, were accepted. The Hon Treasurer, John Potter, who had been co-opted to the post following the sudden death of Mick Stokes, was elected formally [proposed, Roy Padden; seconded, Ian Smith]. He gave a detailed report of the Club’s finances; the overall picture was good, with a surplus of income over expenditure and an increase

in reserves. Moves were in hand with Penny Hope of the Bursar’s Office to bring about a change in the way deferred income was treated in the Accounts. This would take some time to bring about, but once completed would give a clearer picture of the Club’s finances. The Committee had accepted his recommendation, at the annual review of the subscription, that no change was necessary. He thanked John Wagstaff and Penny Hope for their help. The 2006 Accounts were adopted [proposed, Alec Mackie; seconded, Derek Taylor].

Ian Smith (Cr 73-78) was elected President, 2007-8 [proposed, Tony Halford; seconded, Roy Padden] and took over the Chair; Tony Halford stepped down and left the room to receive his guests in the Long Gallery. There were no other elections, but there were vacancies to fill and the Committee could coopt as any opportunities arose, as had been agreed at the 2006 AGM. Under AOB, Hugh Scurfield addressed the meeting, as he had in 2005 and 2006, reinforcing the message that OVs could do much to help King’s by supporting the Development Trust. Currently the School was supporting students with 71 bursaries of varying amounts. That was good, but there was room for improvement as the School continued to develop.

David Mills wanted recognition of the debt that the School and Club owed to the late Tim Garden (Lord Garden) who had been instrumental in the success of the London Dinner, and had done much more, some of it unrecorded, to support King’s in the 45 years since he had left. All present agreed with David’s sentiments.

Ian Smith thanked Tony Halford, the Committee, those who had organised the Golf, and the Headmaster for their work and support. He closed the Meeting at 6.51pm.

The Reunion Dinner

Over 180 members and guests gathered in College Hall to celebrate another reunion in the atmosphere familiar to all OVs, even after many years. Diners entered to see that the Hall had been prepared for the occasion, by Club volunteers, members of the Foundation Office and by Cara Roslington with her Archive team. After a short interval, giving most time enough to pin on a lapel identity badge, purchase drinks, locate their table places and find friends, Tony Halford welcomed everyone

and the Dinner commenced with Grace, said by the Dean of Worcester, Peter Atkinson. Guests of the President were the Headmaster, Tim Keyes and Mrs Mary Anne Keyes, The Dean (Hon OV), Donald Howell (OV), Chairman of the Governors and Mrs Pat Howell, Digby Wall, President of the Old Elizabethans’ Association and Mrs Susan Wall, John Roslington (Hon OV)

and Mrs Caroline Roslington (Hon OV), Paul Thompson (Hon OV), and representing the School, Emma Hirons and Ed Mackenzie, joint Heads of School. Ian Smith, President Elect, 2008-9, proposed the Toast of the School and in reply, the Headmaster was able to report another successful year: the School had a high standing in academic achievement and had an enviable record for involvement and success in all sport and extra-curricular activity. The Library had received awards as a building of excellence, but perhaps more importantly it had been taken to by the students with enthusiasm as a learning facility, and would be of inestimable value to future generations. Tim Keyes went on to say the charitable status of Independent Schools was now open to scrutiny, and it was important that such schools must not be seen to be the exclusive preserve of the better off; they had to open their gates to the wider community. One important way to do that was to offer bursary places to children of parents of limited means. King’s had made major progress in that direction, with some 70 bursaries currently in place. This was, in part due to support from Old Vigornians, and he encouraged OVs to continue with that support. He was pleased to report a gift for this purpose from Michael Baker (OV) of £1,000,000, which with the

addition of Gift Aid, would swell the Fund from which bursaries were drawn considerably. He thanked Michael for such a generous donation. He also highlighted the Fellowship Bursary scheme through which OVs can group together to help support bursaries. Since its launch the scheme had raised over £100,000 and next year two groups would be able to support new bursaries. He reiterated what an important element this scheme was in the present strategy for bursary provision.

Tony Halford invited diners to support the raffle by placing a donation in the envelopes which were on tables for that purpose. Receipts were to be shared equally between the President’s chosen charity, St Richard’s Hospice, and the Mike Stevens Fund. The Mike Stevens Fund was set up as the result of a legacy Mike left to the School. The purpose of the bequest is to enable individual pupils, who might not otherwise be able to do so, to participate in the extra-curricular activities of the school. Mike was a member of King’s staff from 1979 – 2001, the first House Tutor of Oswald House from 1984-1999, and Master in charge of the Old Chapel from the early 1980s to 1999.

Lionel Graves (Ca 37-44) was the recipient of the Chappel Memorial Award 2007, presented to the most senior Old Vigornian present at the Dinner. Brian Papps (Cr 40-44) was a close contender but a month younger than Lionel Graves.

The President thanked members of the FDO, Richard Underwood, Caroline Roslington, and all others who had contributed in one way or another to making the evening a success. After the meal diners were free to mingle, and also take in the Archive presentation on the Dais, with much of its emphasis covering the times of the reunion year and era groups present.

Sunday - The Cathedral Service

OVs and guests assembled in the Cathedral, along with regular worshippers, for the 10.30am Cathedral Eucharist Service. The Preacher was the Dean, whose sermon picked up on themes from the earlier Readings

King’s Day 2007

(Amos 8.4-7 and 1 Timothy 2.1-7) given by OV President, Ian Smith.

The service was followed by a Reception, hosted by the Headmaster in the New Library, which gave OVs one last chance to enjoy each other’s company before another Reunion Weekend drew to a close.

OV Cricket Club

The Old Vigornians’ cricket season ended in disaster. For the first time in the club’s history we were relegated. What makes it especially hard to bear is that with a month to go we were in the top half of the table, and that we weren’t in a relegation place at any point during the season until the final hour of the very last game. However that defeat has inspired a number of changes within the club, which it’s hoped, will lead to promotion straight back into Division Three of the Worcestershire League next season.

The floods have already been well documented elsewhere in this issue of the Vigornian. The last time they affected cricket in the summer was 1969. I have some home cine film showing my father, Alec Mackie, and John Haywood next to the pitches which were under water during that year’s May Bank Holiday. This year it meant that the OVs only played three games at home at New Road. Luckily we were able to switch almost all of our home matches to King’s Hawford. That means we owe a tremendous debt of thanks to the groundsman there, Andy Callow, and of course the Head, Jim Turner. Nonetheless the disruption, the numerous cancellations and abandonments, led to a strangely disjointed season. It was easily the worst, in terms of results, that I can remember.

But as usual there were numerous high points, and much that leads me to be optimistic about the future. In the bad old days when games were longer and the cricket was dull, it was an extremely rare event to see batsmen scoring centuries. There were seven this season. Paul Judge scored two, including the highest individual score this season of 140. James Parry made a brilliant 131 not out when he carried his bat against Stourport . Tom Squire scored 128 not out, his maiden century for the club. Adam Howard made 108 in only his second innings. Steve Poole scored his first ever century - on debut - against Tewkesbury at New Road. And the last person to achieve this feat, Anthony Gillgrass, scored

exactly 100 in one of his two outings for the OVs this season. Not surprisingly Paul Judge was the leading run scorer, with Arti Fiaz and James Bader not far behind.

You may have thought that that means it was a bad year for the bowlers. The damp and warm weather made for perfect conditions

shoulders above the other young players (though not literally). He played 10 games, during which his batting and bowling impressed everyone who saw him. His seven overs of leg spin that conceded just 20 runs against one of the best sides in the League, Romsley and Hunnington, on debut, led to

for swing bowling. Duncan Hughes had the best figures of the season, 7 for 57, against Old Halesonians. James Bader took a brilliant 6 for 23 against Hagley. It even meant that I (Phil Mackie) picked up a couple of five-wicket hauls, and ended up the leading wicket taker for the season with 41. James Underwood was the pick of the club’s spinners, and had the third best analysis of the season, 6 for 50 away at Kidderminster.

Tom Weston, Liam Fahy, Will Smith , Leighton Freeman and Osman Fiaz all made invaluable contributions through the season with bat or ball, and in Will Smith’s case, both. They also showed a great deal of commitment to the club, which was very much appreciated by the old guard.

This season our oldest player was Andrew Judd, who captained the school first XI in 1966, and is still one of the best fielders in the club. Our youngest was just 12. So there are regular players in the club from several generations, playing and socialising with each other.

Another positive note was the arrival of several young players. Three from the Lower Fourth made impressive starts. Alex Spring and George Preece look to have enormous potential. Niels Emmerson stood head and

him being given a standing ovation as he left the pitch. Other schoolboys, Anthony Fahy, Tom Bird, Tom and Liam Gwynne, Tom Bryant, Will Lucas, Harry Iddon and Rhodri Dawes, all appeared for the club during the season.

It’s because of the arrival of the younger players, that Tom Weston and Liam Fahy, have volunteered to take over the running of the First XI in 2008. The oldies like myself, James Bader, Dave Mendham, Paul Judge, Matt Richardson and Dan Wheeler will be there to help them.

It’s the Old Vigornian Cricket Club’s 60th anniversary next season and to celebrate this anniversary there will be an OVCC match on Sunday 21st September as part of the September 2008 OV reunion weekend. This match will be played on the Worcestershire County Cricket ground against staff and pupils. It would be great to see as many former players at this match as possible so do let me know if you are interested in attending. We are also always in need of more players. So any OVs out there, or schoolboys and girls or their parents, please contact me if you’d like to get involved in the club.

Phil Mackie (Cl 73-84)

Keith hitchcock’s First Xi in the early 1950s

OV Football Club

Havinh put our ‘difficult first season’ behind us, the Old Vigornians Football Club appears to be going from strength to strength in the 2007-08 campaign.

The newly-formed club, which was set up by Paul Judge and Tom Guest in the summer of 2006, struggled to make an impact in Worcester and District League Division Four - the lowest tier of Sunday football in the city - during their maiden season.

We lost 13 games in a row in our first year together, but gradually started to play as a team and managed to end the season third from bottom - not bad given the poor start we had endured!

However, with a year’s experience behind us, players finding their best positions and an influx of several key players, the team is hopeful of securing promotion this year.

The major turn-around in fortunes for the OVs is down to much better organisation and preparation. For our second season, we actually prepared with friendly matches as well as taking part in pre-season training, which has been excellently co-ordinated by Sundeep Sehijpal.

Judge, the team’s manager, puts in a great deal of time and effort to ensure we have somewhere to play and enough players available - as well as no small amount of admin - and this has been rewarded by a flying start to the current campaign. Unfortunately, as with our cricketing counter-parts, we have been hit by the recent floods and are not able to play any games at our Slingpool Walk home ground this season.

Despite a poor performance and a 4-0 defeat in the second game of this season, the OVs have won all of their other games and are, as I write this, four points clear at the top of the table with eight wins from their nine games.

Some difficult games remain this term, but we are hopeful of building on our good start to the season and winning promotion in just the second year we have been together.

The team is made up of a wide range of ages and a great team spirit has already developed in the camp. In keeping with King’s tradition, we are closely-linked to the Farriers Arms, who sponsor the team, and even put on a healthy feast of sausage and chips after our home games. The younger players, such as Joe

O’Connor, Jeff Ballard, Tom Squire, Alex Cross, OJ Matthew, Mike Wilesmith and Luke Turner, have mixed in well with the older heads, including Richard Wilkes, Tim Race, Arti Fiaz, Rich Galloway and Dan Kendrick. There have also been big contributions from non-OVs Danny Kearney, James Cartwright, Jim Reece and Sunny Sehijpal among others.

The highlights of the year so far include a 140 drubbing of newcomers Junction Six as well as important victories over fellow title rivals Anchor (twice) and Wessie.

Currently, we are also the highest scorers in the whole Worcester League, having hit the back of the net no less than 40 times in nine matches, while conceding just 14.

Here’s hoping the side play as well for the rest of the season as we have done for the first part.

The Old Vigornians Football Club train at the King’s School sports hall on Thursdays from 7pm until 8pm and anyone keen on getting involved is more than welcome to come along. We play our matches on Sunday mornings (10.30pm kick-off) at various pitches in and around Worcester and supporters (our fan base isn’t great so far!) are always more than welcome. For more information about OVFC, e-mail me at guesty35@hotmail.com

Tom Guest S 90-97

BIRTHS

Elizabeth [Alexander] Charman (Co 88-90) Elizabeth is having a break from teaching while looking after a thundering great toddler and baby number two, Marcus (9lb 6oz), born on 4th October. The snap shows the Charman men having good paternity-leave time together. She is toying with the idea of an academic project but has yet to come up with something which has not yet been done – but which is not obscure to the point of total trivia.

Dan Cowton (O 82-89) “I am now married to Julia after being together for almost 15 years. We have a son called Archie, who was born in August 2007, and live in Monmouth where we are both teachers (Information Technology and Geography respectively). Rowing continues to be a major passion for us. We both coach at Monmouth Comprehensive School and I am proud to have been heavily involved with the Wales team in recent years.”

Abigail [Thomas] East (E 89-91) Jon and Abigail East had a little girl, Lucy Megan, on New Year’s Day 2007. Lucy weighed in at 6lbs 12oz and is doing really well. They live in Thames Ditton, Surrey.

Alison [Wright] Marlow (Co 85-87) Alison and Keith are delighted to announce the birth of their son David James at 02:45 on Monday 29 January 2007, weighing in at 7lb 6oz. David was christened on their first wedding anniversary, Sunday 22 April 2007. Alison’s brother Chris (K 80-89) was godfather. The picture is of the Marlow family celebrating David’s ‘half’ birthday on 29 July 2007. General news: “I announced in last year’s Vigornian that we were expecting to move house before David’s arrival. Unfortunately that fell through but hopefully by the time you read this, we will finally have moved, following our third attempt to buy a house! I’m enjoying being a mum and have decided to take a break from my career in university management to be with David. I continue to sing and really enjoy my membership of the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus.

I brought Keith and David along to the OV weekend this year, to mark 20 years since I left King’s. We all enjoyed looking round the school and were particularly impressed with the new library.”

Gillian [Atherley] Osborne (Co 89-91) Patrick and I are delighted to announce the news of the birth of our first son Charles Adam Osborne on 24th January 2007.

Abigail East

ENGAGEMENTS

Caroline Horrigan (Co 85-87) “Following a romantic proposal in a cold and wet tent, I am engaged to Andrzej Krolikowski, and we are tying the knot in April 2008.”

MARRIAGES

Daniel J [Hankins] Andrews (S 92-99) Dan celebrated his Civil Partnership with Kevin M Andrews on Friday 8th June 2007 at the Worcester Whitehouse Hotel, after six years together – now started a family with the arrival of a beagle puppy, Bentley, at the end of June. He is still working at King’s, and is now manager of the IT and AV Support Team.

Adam Doyle (K 90-00) Adam married Melina Gisler in St Paul’s Church, Monte Carlo, Monaco on September 16th 2006. The reception took place at the Hotel Hermitage, Monaco. Alex Lee (B 90-00) was the Best Man.

Rebecca Garrod (Co 91-93) and Ian Waters (O 86-91) “We married in April 2006 - and, as you can see from the photograph, there were a lot of OVs with us. Leigh Stote (Cl) was the best man and Mike Gupwell (S) was an usher. The bridesmaids were Vicki Hartley [née Kite], Caroline Findlay and Fran Kellet (all Co) (as well as my sister - not a King’s girl!). The bride was ably delivered to the church by Lee Griffin (Cl) and also there were Sam Fisher [née Butler] (Co), Camilla Bordewich (E), George Blackburn [née Bentley-Walls] (Co), Kate Williamson [née Maiden] (Co), Nick Oliver (Cr) , Nick Judd (B), Chloe Hackett (Co), Pete Clasen (Cl) and Tom Newitt (Cl). Lots of us!” In terms

of a CV - Rebecca is working currently for the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), looking at regional science, technology and innovation policy.

Alex Garwood-Gowers (W 88-99) Alex was married in Bellagio, Italy in July to Trudie Anson (she is not an OV). My best man was James Doel (Ch 89-99).

David Griffiths (W 89-96) “Caroyln Tesselment and I moved to NYC, NY together in January 2005 and were married at Clandon Park, near Guildford, UK, on 15th December 2005.

Caroline Horrigan

Alison Marlow

Gillian Osborne

Sue Clements

Dan Andrews

Adam Doyle

Guests included Andrew Rankin (H – 97), Marc Barnes, best man (H – 96), Jailan Griffiths (née Habbab), David Griffiths (W– 96), Carolyn Tesselment, John Griffiths, Dan Ford (W– 96), Tom Wyse, David Rankin, Andrew and Priya Tromans, Rijan Slater, Ben Shuttes, Peter Singleton, James Campion, Gregg Murfin, Scott Moorhead. Seems a long time ago now.

Bruce Haines (Cr 84-89) Bruce and Annabel Rooker were married at Rodmarton, Gloucestershire on 14 April, 2007. They met as art students for a year in Cheltenham, and a decade later reconvened during Millennium celebrations! Other ex-King’s students who attended were Kirsten Wrigley; and there in spirit was David Tyack, absent as he became a father for the second time that very same day, and couldn’t make it in the end! In October 2006 Bruce also opened a commercial art gallery called ‘Ancient and Modern’ and celebrated recently its first anniversary.

Paul Hardwick (B 85-92) “Finally I got married this summer in the South of France, a great event at which several OVs attended and played key roles: Alistair Crompton was our wedding photographer, Oliver Birch (Lerna) was our music DJ, Jonty Stacey was an Usher, Russell McGettigan was our Videographer and Steve Maule-ffinch was my Best Man. My wife, formerly Samantha Bird and I met randomly 9 years ago whilst travelling in New Zealand and fell in love.”

Rob Honan (Cr 90-94) Married Lisa Fear on Saturday 23 June 2007. Best Man was Michael Honan (Cr) and the Ushers included Tom Bawden (W), Robert Sandford (O) and Matthew Hayward (Ch).

William Howell (Cr 92-99) Married Catharine Ann Etheridge at St Bartholomew’s Church, Quorn, Leicestershire, on 18th November 2006. Best man was Andrew Busby (Ch 9599). Ushers included James Howell (Cr 77-84), John Howell (B 77-84) and Thomas Howell (Cr 87-92).

Chris Janes (Cr 90-00) On May 19th married Michelle Stokes at St Petroc’s Church, Bodmin, Cornwall. The wedding was attended by Ben Williams (-00), Alex Gratland (-00), Julian Arnold (-00), Chris (-00), Rob Janes(-95), Matt Janes (-05); Dan Griffiths (-00) and other OVs.

Tim Johnson (W 83-90) Victoria (née Zolkiewka) and Tim Johnson were married on 19th August 2006 at The Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church in Reading. Tim is a project manager working in South West London. They live in Camberley.

Louis Lau (H 90-97) Louis married Fiona Ng on Monday 5th February 2007 at Church of St Teresa, Singapore. Receptions were held at Singapore, Hong Kong and Leeds. Other OVs present included Peter Lau (H 92-98) and W S Lau (Ch 90-97). Louis and Fiona are now living in London; they would welcome contact with other OVs, louis_cy_lau@yahoo.co.uk

Alex Garwood-Gowers

Hannah Gordon

Rebecca Garrod

ThE ViGOrNiAN

Richard Mutter (Ch 91-01) On 26th May 2007, married Collette Williams at Christ Church in Malvern. Present were: - Julian Marsh (Cl 8191), William Norbury (Ch 81-92), Matthew Spiers (H 86-91), Rachael [née Draper] Spiers (Co 90-92), James Bader (O 84-94), Jon Lamberton (W 86-92).

Gareth O’Hara (Ch 81-94) I finally got married on 4th August 2007 to Helen Truelove at Rowton Castle Shrewsbury. The wedding was attended by Jim Hodgson, Mike Morgan and Sue Pinnick, all OVs.

Rose Panter (S 91-98) and Brendan RolleRowan (S 93-98) Brendan Rolle-Rowan married Rose Panter on 2nd June 2007 at St John-in-Bedwardine Church, Worcester. Zoe Witowski (Cr 91-98) and Lauren Lawson-Pratt (Ch 91-98) were bridesmaids. Other OV guests included Rose’s brother Ben Panter (Ch 90-97), Brendan’s sister Kijika Rolle-Rowan (94-96), Rebecca Birtwhistle (Ch 91-98), Toby Smith (Staff 03-07), Debra Parker (O 91-98), Ben Cox (O 91-98) and Olly Roberts (S 93-98). The honeymoon was in Andalucia and Mallorca. Brendan is a Solicitor and Rose works in Regeneration in London.

Clare Skinner (Co 89-91) Having lived in Cambridge for many years and travelled in India and New Zealand Clare married Tim Proctor [brother of Sarah (Co 89-91)] in 2004. We have one son Angus who was born in 2006 and another one on the way in Feb 08. Currently we live in West Yorkshire and are relocating to the USA in Autumn 07.

Simon Spencer (S 86-92) In 2006 I got married to Jenny in our parish church at Chudleigh and we continue to enjoy Devon life together. My brother Tim was Best Man and he lives now in Southampton with his wife Beccy ; he works as an IT consultant for Hampshire County Council. After King’s, I went on to achieve a BA Hons in Leisure Management, working in the leisure industry in France for a number of years running large Holiday Parks before returning to the UK and joining Bourne Leisure. Since then, I have gone from strength to strength in this industry, changed companies and work now for a prestigious Holiday Home park operator called The Haulfryn Group Ltd, as sales manager at Finlake in Devon .(www. haulfryn.co.uk).

Rachael Stokes (Cr 94-96) Married Nick Harrop on 6 October 2007 at All Saints Church in Worcester. The reception took place at Grafton Manor, Bromsgrove. OVs in

attendance were: Anna Stokes, Best Woman (Cr 97-99), Alex Jeffrey, Usher (Cr 85-95), Gavin Lovesey (S 88-95), Elizabeth Ilsley (O 94-96), Bryony Thorneycroft (O 94-96), Peter Jennings (B 97-99) and Adrian Jennings (B 94-96). Shulah Oliver (K 93-00) played violin at the reception.

Hannah Watts (K 91-98) Married James Gordon on 5th May 2007, at Emmanuel Church, South Croydon – she is now Hannah Gordon. They met at Cardiff University in 2000. Sister Alice Watts, also an OV, was one of the bridesmaids.

Jonathan Wheal (Os 91-98) “It will, I am sure, come as no surprise to anyone who has kept in contact since leaving King’s that Kirsten and I, who met on our very first day at Wadham College in 1998, got married on 8th April this year at St. Philip’s Church, Joppa, in Edinburgh, Kirsten’s home town, where we live now. We were joined on this happy occasion by a number of friends from King’s.

DEATHS and OBITUARIES

CH Yeomans (DB 27-29)

Hilton Bracey (Ch 27-31)

Arthur Philip Shrimpton (Ca 26-32)

Norman Tyrell (DB 28-32)

Cecil Langley (H 29-34)

Father J F Lister (DB 25-35)

Stanley Norman Hackwood (Ca 34-37)

Michael Orchard (Ca 35-37)

Derrick Dencer (DB 32-38)

J H Richardson (H 37-38)

The Reverend Keith Wedgwood (S 35-39)

T Bowles (Ca 37-40)

Frederick Weil (Ca 39-40)

John Dennis Shephard (DB 35-41)

John McKerrow (S 36-41)

Tony Burgess (DB 43-44)

Michael E Adlington (Cl 43-45)

Adrian Tyrrell(DB 41-46)

J Malpass (DB 43-49)

Raymond Godsall (DB 42-50)

Keith Hitchcock (S 47-51)

Walter Patrick Thorn (Cr 46-58)

The Lord [Timothy] Garden (Cr 52-62)

Alistair Watson (W 59-62)

Andrew Jenkinson (W 55-64)

Charles Headeach S 62-67.

Peter Houlbrooke (Ch 62-67)

Keith Wightman (Ch 74-79)

Mark Clifford (Ch 74-80)

Richard Malpas (Hon OV 83-00)

tHe lorD [ timotHy] garDen (cr 52-62)

Air Marshal Professor The Lord Garden KCB 23 April 1944 – 9 August 2007 (St Albans 1952-54, Creighton 1954-62)

It is a rare distinction for an Old Vigornian to be accorded a lengthy and detailed obituary in both The Times and The Daily Telegraph. But Tim Garden was a rare man whose achievements, in a life tragically cut short by cancer at the age of 63, were extraordinary. In the long

Canal barge trip undertaken by intrepid members of School House in April 1964. It was taken just after the rudder had fallen off. Nigel Bax is holding all that was retrieved, the rest was on the bottom of the canal.

l-r: John V Parsons (S 61-65), Mr Wyatt (Boatowner), Charles Headeach (S 62-67), Jimmy Comyn (S 59-66) and Nigel Bax (S 59-66). Photograph sent in by David Thomas (S 56-66) .

history of The King’s School Worcester he must surely be considered as one of its most distinguished former pupils.

Tim entered King’s as a day-boy member of St Alban’s House in 1952 and left the school, and Creighton House, in 1962 to go up to St Catherine’s College Oxford where he took a degree in Physics. In a contribution to the OV Notes in the The Vigornian of 2004 he wrote:

“Passing the Eleven Plus ensured that I could move effortlessly into the senior school with the costs now covered by the local authority. Those days of the Direct Grant gave extraordinary opportunities to those of us from families of modest means. If pupils divide into achievers either on the sports field or in the classroom, I was certainly in the second category. My education singularly failed to promote any interest in sport, and that indifference has been a lifelong feature. The excitement of discovery in the classroom was a different matter…”

During his time at King’s Tim was a founder member of a new RAF section formed as part of the Combined Cadet Force. Later, as a member of this section, he won a flying scholarship and obtained a private pilot’s licence before he had passed his driving test. In his last term he took part in an International Air Cadet Exchange and returned from the USA having shaken hands with President John F Kennedy. He was determined to pursue a career as a pilot in the RAF.

At Oxford he continued his flying in the University Air Squadron and met his wifeto-be Sue. They were married as he finished his officer training. Their first tour was in Germany where Tim flew Canberras and where both his daughters were born. Back in the UK he became an RAF flying instructor and then spent a year at the Army Staff College. After a spell at the MOD he became commander of a Vulcan nuclear bomber squadron in Lincolnshire and then took an International Relations postgraduate degree course at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He was subsequently appointed Director of Defence Studies, a role in which he was tasked to travel the world generating new thinking in defence matters. In 1985 he was made station commander of the RAF’s largest helicopter base at Odiham, Hampshire, flying both Pumas and Chinooks.

In June 1986 the Chapter of Worcester Cathedral appointed Tim Garden as one of

their nominee governors of The King’s School, a role which he fulfilled until July 1995. As Chairman I always admired the courteous, but forthright and carefully thought-out way he would put his arguments and views in our meetings (even though I would occasionally dare to disagree with him!). Tim was very generous in giving his old school so much of

his time at a period in his career which must have been of great importance to him. His fellow governors benefited greatly from his wisdom and wide experience. Later the school enjoyed his generosity and advice again when we set up the Foundation Development Office and Tim became a Patron of the 2001 Development Appeal. He was always a strong supporter of the OV Club and throughout his life tried to attend its AGMs when his diary allowed; at these meetings he could often be heard submitting an innovative (and sometimes provocative) proposal under Any Other Business.

From 1987 to 1994 Tim Garden held four different senior posts at the MOD including assistant chief of the air staff and assistant chief of the defence staff. His work was recognised by a knighthood in 1994. He was promoted to Air Marshal and then became head of the Royal College of Defence Studies. In 1996, at the age of 52, he decided to retire from the RAF and became Director of the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House. And as he explained in his contribution to The Vigornian of 2004: “After a lifetime of being a non-political public servant, I immersed

myself in Liberal Democrat party politics”. He pursued a new career in journalism, academic research and politics and was increasingly seen and heard in the media commenting on international security matters. In 2004 he was created a life peer and made Liberal Democrat Party spokesman on defence in the House of Lords.

Tim Garden was a man of formidable intellect. In 2000 he was appointed Visiting Professor at the Centre for Defence Studies at King’s College London, and in 2004 as Wells Professor at Indiana University. He published two books and numerous articles and papers on defence issues.

He will be greatly missed by all of his colleagues and friends in many walks of life. He was a most loyal supporter of The King’s School from the day he first arrived as a pupil. All at King’s who had the privilege of knowing him during those years will join me in sending deepest sympathy to his widow Sue and his family.

Donald Howell School 1953-1961 Chairman of Governors

peter HoulBrooke (cH 62-67)

Peter died in February 2000. He lived in Exmouth and practised as a solicitor there and in Sidmouth and Torquay. He played bridge to a high standard, was active in various amateur dramatic societies and enjoyed long distance walking. His brother Ralph Houlbrooke (Ca 5761) who retired from the History Department at Reading University in 2006, would be pleased to hear from anybody who has memories of Peter on r.a.houlbrooke@reading.ac.uk.

lt colonel keitH HitcHcock (S 47-51)

Keith died in June 2007 after a long battle with the debilitating disease Emphysema. He was at King’s from 1947-51, in School House and a keen sportsman. He left and joined the Army, being commissioned into the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. He spent 29 years as a regular officer with the Light Infantry and the Royal Greenjackets. His career culminating with command of the KLSI, Chief Staff Officer of the MOD’s Military Assistance Office and finally Academy Chief Instructor, Sandhurst. In 1982 he was recruited as a Queen’s Messenger and his last job was as Director of the Army Sport Control Board. Keith’s enthusiasm, even passion, for sport at King’s was carried on

through to his years in the Army, playing a wide range of sports, all at a high level: hockey, rugby, cricket, polo, sprinting, high hurdles, long jump, squash, tennis and basketball. He also played golf and was an accomplished fly fisherman and shooter; and he held a flat racing jockey’s licence. From 1987-98 he was Secretary of the Army Sport Control Council

as well as being Secretary of the Combined Services Sport Board, responsibilities which took him on tour to many parts of the World. Ill health forced early retirement, and for ten years he battled with the advance of emphysema, but throughout he never lost his enthusiasm for life or his wicked sense of humour; life with Keith was never dull! It was standing room only at his funeral as friends and colleagues from the Army and other walks of life came to pay their respects to someone who had given so much of himself, and whom all held in high esteem. He was aged 72. [Vicky Hitchcock – Widow].

F.r logan, Hon ov (StaFF 47-80)

Fred was a master at King’s from 1947 to 1980. During this time he was Head of Biology, master in charge of rugby football and the first housemaster of Wulstan House. In his retirement he also served as a Trustee of the School Fund.

He was a mixture of a very private man and a good public performer. He had once been a “crooner” with the college band in his

university days.

Many of his former pupils sent tributes to him and remember him as a stern but inspirational teacher with a disconcerting habit of tugging at his ear lobe when he was riled – a useful warning for many!

Sarah Payne (Co 77-79) wrote;

“For me he was THE teacher who influenced my life. He was always kind and supportive and without his help and encouragement I’d never have had the courage to go for Oxbridge entrance. He had a deep love of nature and once came to watch the salmon that come every year to spawn in the river that runs through my parents’ garden in Tenbury Wells. He was as thrilled as a schoolboy watching the fish struggling up stream in the shallow water. It’s hard to express just how much I feel I owe to Fred. I loved the way he taught us”

He cared for and about education, the boys and later girls that he taught, and what could be achieved by those who took the trouble to engage in the education process. He never lost sight of that boy from a coal mining family from the rough end of the valleys, had seen what education had done for him, and always marvelled at what he had seen in his life whether it was advances in Biology or the demise of Welsh Rugby. (Nigel Logan – Son)

ricHarD malpaS (Hon ov )

Stanley norman HackwooD (ca 34-37)

Norman endeared himself to so many in the OV Club: Over the last years of his life he was usually quite obviously the oldest OV present at the Reunion, having kept faith with his Old School for almost 70 years, and yet he managed to be ‘just Norman’ mixing with the company of OVs nearly 60 years his junior as easily as those closer to his vintage. I am grateful to members of his family, Philip, Peter, Jane and Vicky for allowing the Club to use the Tribute delivered at the funeral service by Norman’s nephew, Iain Tully, as an obituary.

Richard died on 4th March 2007. He was the Oxford University representative on the King’s governing body from July 1983 to April 2000. He was a philosophy don at Hertford College and stepped down as a governor when he retired from his Oxford post. He was a keen and talented amateur astronomer. Richard leaves a wife, Margaret, two daughters (Mary and Anna) and John, his son. “Richard was a very quiet, modest and charming man who once invited me to attend dinner at Hertford as his guest, a most memorable evening. He insisted I stayed overnight in his college rooms while he went home to his cottage in Witney”. [Donald Howell, OV – friend and colleague on the Board of Governors].

Norman was born near Manchester, and moved to Glasgow at the age of 4, where his father worked for Cadburys. After primary school he moved to Worcester as a boarder, first of all in the Cathedral Choir School and later Castle House. He enjoyed his time at King’s although he did say facilities were sparse and discipline harsh in those days. Norman followed his father into Cadburys, starting shortly after leaving King’s in the Cost Accounts Department at Bournville. That was soon interrupted by the War: Norman volunteered and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Marines. Soon a 1st Lt he was posted to Egypt. His unit was responsible for coastal anti-aircraft batteries and by early 1942 he was a Captain. From Egypt the regiment moved to Ceylon, to defend the airdrome at Trinko Malee. It was here that a bullet grazed his head and went on to kill the companion right alongside him, and episode that remained as an unsettling memory for the rest of his life. But at the time

MJP

there was little time for grief and by 1943 he was in India training troops for the Burma campaign.

By early 1944 he had been posted back to the UK and it was at that time he met Stella, who was appointed as his chauffeur. Their romance began to blossom, but was interrupted as he

of the docks and harbour. It was here he was promoted again, to the rank of Major. He served his country well, and was mentioned in Despatches for Distinguished Service; he was eventually demobbed in late 1945 and returned to work at Cadbury’s, for a short time in the cocoa plantations of Ghana, and then in August 1948 as a sales representative. Around this time he contracted TB of the

support the D-Day landings. They married in October 1944 while he was on short term leave, and then he was posted back to France, moving on to Antwerp to help in the defence

spine and was hospitalised regularly over a period of three years. By now with a family of four, Norman and Stella continued to live in Bournville throughout the 50s, but in 1961 moved the short distance to Alvechurch where they both continued to indulge in their passion for music (the piano) and for Norman golf and for Stella tennis. The other passion was of course the family, which was eventually to widen to include 5 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

He retired from Cadbury’s in 1980, and then took up several voluntary positions over the

years. Sadly, Stella died in 1995. Although Norman’s own health began to deteriorate over the last 18 months of his life, he never lost his enthusiasm for life, or his gentle sense of humour, nor was heard to complain. He will be remembered for the true and kind gentleman he was. [Iain Tully – Nephew].

1940s

Geoffrey Paterson (Ca 44-46) I was a boarder in Castle House from 1944 to 1946. After working as an architect in Oxford I emigrated to the United States in 1956, and spent time in Philadelphia and Phoenix before moving to Hawaii in 1961. I have had my own practice here since 1968, and am still designing houses here in the islands. Aloha!

JC Rose (S 43-48)

Clifford spent the first half of 2006 in the RSC production of Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’, directed by Dominic Cooke, first in Stratford then at the Gielgud Theatre, London. He played the part of Francis Nurse. This production went on to win two Olivier Awards. For the greater part of 2007 he has played the part of Pope Paul VI in ‘The Last Confession’, a play covering the story of the power struggle within the Vatican in 1978. It premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre and then transferred to the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. Clifford is also to be seen in the new series of ‘Foyle’s war’, broadcast on ITV1: he plays the part of a somewhat subversive Bishop, based loosely on George Bell, Bishop of Chichester during World War II.

1950s

David Mills (H 48-53) : “Bees in the Church at St Cassian’s Church Chaddesley Corbett

For many years there has been a colony of bees living between the outside roof and the ceiling of the Chancel. The entrance to the ‘hive’ was through a number of holes in the shape of a cross above the East window. Up until last year they had never caused any problems in the church – apart from some honey dripping down the wall and the mullions of the East window behind the altar!

However, in 2005 something changed: from July onwards, we kept finding dead and crawling bees in front of the altar and as far as the chancel steps. The church cleaners were sweeping up well over 100 bees every week, so something had to be done. Members of the congregation were asking if the bees could be

Rob Honan (top), Paul Hardwick (r), Chris Janes (l)

removed from the chancel roof – obviously they weren’t beekeepers!!

Hereford and Worcester radio heard about the story and I was interviewed by their reporter on site. BBC Midlands TV picked up the story and arranged to come to film an interview for Midlands News. On the day they wanted to come, I was unavailable, so I arranged for Alan Bishop (a close friend) to do the interview instead. This turned out to be an excellent choice because Alan put on his magnifying glasses, inspected the bees and quickly spotted Varroa mites on the crawling bees. This made an interesting interview for television and confirmed what we had feared.

Coincidentally, the church was having repairs to the stonework carried out at the same time, and we arranged with the builder for scaffolding to be put up so that we could gain access to the colony via the roof. Very kindly, two of my beekeeping compatriots, Justus Klaar and John Gowar agreed with great trepidation, to investigate. When they climbed on the roof and looked in, there were no bees to be seen! Since the autumn, the colony had died out and there wasn’t even any sign of large numbers of dead bees.

There was however a large amount of comb and a significant amount of sealed honey!

Justus and John cleared as much comb as they could and then the builder put gauze over the holes before replacing the tiles.

The photographs of the comb made it look anything but appetising, but John extracted 32lbs of honey and rendered a sizeable cake of wax. Then Justus’s daughter, Lizzy, very kindly produced a label which incorporated a photo of St. Cassian’s Church and the honey was snapped up very quickly at the church fete in August 2006.”

the FDO with an updated address for his good friend David Exall recently. They passed through Choir House and the School together, and have been life long friends. David was at Dereck’s 60th and 70th birthdays, and toasted him at both. “We probably regret these invitations to speak, but it brought back many memories. His 70th next – if I’m invited!! As

you may know, David was a senior member of WCCC, and might well have gone on to be Chairman had he stayed in the area.”

Dereck continues to practice as a solicitor, based in Redditch.

Richard Hume (S 53-54) The only news I have is that the Yank who visited King’s from 53 to 54, played in the 1st XV at wing under School House Master Dan McTurk, and rowed at #2 in the 1st IV under the guidance of Bob Carlyle (who taught me how to row between the end of the Rugger fixtures and the beginning of the Rowing fixtures) is still alive and kicking. I remember fondly all my friends and wish only that Fatty Robinson would turn up one of these days. He is the one friend with whom we all lost contact. Frank Shouler, my best friend still after all these years, and Captain of our Rugby side, and Eddie Rippier, stroke of our IV, are old friends whom I have visited most recently. Kindest regards to all who remember me, and best wishes to all King’s School men and women, boys and girls.

You will have surmised from the article above that one of David’s hobbies is beekeeping. He was in charge of organising the annual Midland and South Western Counties Convention of Beekeepers (at Worcester University in 2006) and was pleased to invite as one of his principal speakers Dr Nicola Bradbear (Ch 71-73). Nicola runs an organisation, Bees for Development, based in the UK, dedicated to furthering the craft of beekeeping in the Third World. Nicola travels widely and she is recognised internationally for the important work she is doing. MJP

Dereck Taylor (DB 46-54) Dereck supplied

Basil Parsons (Ca 51-55) After 43 years in the shipping industry I retired in 2002 to become a volunteer tour guide at the New Zealand National Maritime Museum. I also joined the crew of a preserved coal-fired steam tug operating excursions around Auckland Harbour in the summer months. An appreciation of historical architecture learned from Dan McTurk remains among my interests even though I have been living in New Zealand for more than half my life. I remain in contact with a small number of my contemporaries and look forward each year to receiving The Vigornian.

Peter A D Brown (H 49-56)

Some thoughts on 50 years ago

In 1955-56 Ronald Kittermaster was Headmaster with 540 boys in the School. Though day pupils contributed much to the life of the School, it was the boarders who were the dominating force in the ethos and culture of King’s in the middle of the last century.

Head Boy was RogerThorn, who distinguished himself in athletics, in particular by recording the best performance over One Mile and the Half Mile, records which remain unbeaten to this day. He further distinguished himself academically by obtaining a state scholarship in modern languages and an Open Exhibition to Exeter College, Oxford. He is ‘mentioned in dispatches’ in Michael Craze’s book King’s School Worcester 1541 -1971, where his

Louis Lau (above), Tim Johnson (below)

running achievements on leaving school are well recorded, including winning the Oxford v. Cambridge Mile, running against Herb Elliott, and winning an Oxford Blue for Athletics and Cross-country. He says he owes much to the enthusiasm and meticulous administration of ‘Jasper’ Cash, the master i/c Athletics.

Other sports also thrived. David Westgate led a strong 1st XI Cricket team, and boys were scrambling to join the Boat Club as its three top crews were excelling themselves on the water under the outstanding coaching of Messrs Knight and Frisby.

In 1955 the Third IV was the first such crew to win its Maidens and was the first Third IV to be awarded First IV Caps. In 1956 the First IV won all its official fixtures and regattas, and regained the Henley Public Schools Cup after an interval of 4 years, previously having been won in 1952, and for the first time at Marlow regatta in 1951. Sadly one member of this crew has since died but the rest of the crew (Peter Brown, Robin Anderson, Howard Vale and Lance Stimson) are in touch with each other. Robin was a keen photographer at school and recently he has donated to the Archive some historical pictures he found in his Australian attic, including one of Roger Thorn breaking the mile record!

Instead of Speech Day, the summer of 1956 saw a grand garden fete to raise money for the fund established to raise the capital for the construction of the Winslow building, the first to be named after an OV. The major financier of this project was the National Industrial Fund, but this would not pay for the building until it had been completed! Furthermore it made a condition that the building be started before the end of 1956. The School succeeded in raising the necessary £12,000 towards the total cost of £35,000 - a formidable sum of money in those days - and the building was completed in 1957.

Dr Michael Claxton (DB 48-56) In May I was elected to The Roll of Fellows of The Australian Medical Association for many years of service to my craft group, anaesthesia, and to the Association. It is a great honour as only 810 new fellows are elected each year from a member base of 28,000. In the photograph of the ceremony I am wearing the robe of a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and my good friend, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, that of the Federal President of The Australian Medical Association.

Ronald’s younger brothers went on to open the Junior School of Framlingham College. Meanwhile, the premises in Barbourne Terrace were from then on used for a newlyformed Senior House at King’s, with L.M. Bailey as Housemaster. In some cases, as often happens after Prep School, contact was lost with those boys who went on to other Senior Schools, which included Clifton, Epsom, Bromsgrove and Aldenham. However some old Tredennyke School boys had kept in touch into adult life, and so it was that informal discussions between John Brushfield, John Robins, Richard Canin and Roger Thorn led to a proposal to hold a Prep School reunion in 2007, within the framework of the OV Reunion weekend, to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the school’s closure. It was then realised that old boys of Tredennyke Senior House might also be interested in joining in; it was decided to have a dummy run, and this took the form of a London Lunch attended by 15 alumni of Tredennyke School and House at the Oxford

Roger Thorn (Cr 48-56)

When Tredennyke School in Barbourne Terrace closed as a feeder Prep School for King’s in December 1947, many of the younger boys who had not yet taken Common Entrance for the Senior School were offered fee-paying places at King’s based on their Headmaster’s recommendation. Their Headmaster; David Kittermaster, one of

and Cambridge Club on 1st November 2006. This was a great success, where some had not seen each other for 60 years, and yet the ease with which they all picked up the threads encouraged the steering group to proceed with their plans for the Worcester reunion in September 2007. There were two Tredennyke Tables in College Hall on that occasion. Special

Dr Michael Claxton (DB 48-56) was elected to The Roll of Fellows of The Australian Medical Association

Tredennyke Reunion Lunch

mention should be made of the hard work put in by John Brushfield in pulling together an impressive volume of archive material: an amazing achievement given the lapse of time.

David Gregory (S 50-58) I have recently returned from Ethiopia where I was advising the local food industry, I’m in contact and work with Brian Smith(Ch 52-61), we are currently planning food assistance work in Kyrgyzstan. I still mentor in Literacy and Numeracy at a local prison and am a Lead Volunteer in Learning and Skills for COC (www.crisis.org.uk). And in my spare time I sail the Deben and screen print in Sudbury. dgassociates@onetel.com.

Andrew Jameson (Cr 51-58) : An Englishman at Russian National Unity Day, Saturday 4 November 2006

Russian National Unity Day is a new holiday, founded only in 2005. Its function is partly to replace the October Revolution celebrations, but probably the Germanophile Vladimir Putin’s main inspiration is the Day of German Unity (3rd October), just as the recently introduced Russian Federation Council resembles the German Bundesrat.

My surprise was complete when the Russian Embassy in London invited me to attend this event (air fare paid) in late 2006. The main invitees were Russians from previous waves of emigration, Russians who uphold Russian culture abroad and at home, and academics of all nationalities who teach Russian worldwide. While (mostly) undeserving of this honour myself, I was invited because I am a member of the Mapryal (International Association of Russian Teachers) Presidium.

Unity Day demonstrations had been promised both by Russian nationalists and by Russian anti-fascists, but, apparently, there were no serious disturbances. The celebration took place in the Grand Kremlin Palace. Ascending a long red carpeted stair to the state rooms we first entered a narrow anteroom with malachite pillars, with portraits of Russian princes and Tsars from Rurik to Nicholas II. This opened into St Andrew’s Hall, a vast free space decorated in white and gold with huge chandeliers.

After assembling we moved from St Andrew’s Hall into St George’s Hall to be seated at tables. The hall held about 30 tables and at least 300 guests. I found myself between a French émigré and the director of a Russian theatre in Lithuania, on a central table close to the President. My Mapryal

colleague Renate Belenchikova, a German native, discovered she was seated next to Mr Putin. Although she wouldn’t comment on their conversation later, except to say that his German was excellent, we did see the two laughing together during the dinner, so she was not too intimidated. I was impressed by the lack of pomp and ceremony, or heavy security.

At two o’clock Mr Putin entered from St Andrew’s Hall, gave a speech of welcome and thanked us all for our work in disseminating Russian language and culture. Unity Day celebrates the moment in 1612 when invaders were expelled and Russia’s “Time of Troubles” ended. In an innocent yet revealing phrase, Mr Putin praised Minin and Pozharsky’s “national home guard that put an end to the troubles and returned law and order to our land”. Does Mr Putin see himself as doing the same? He also made the first announcement that 2007 is to be the “Year of the Russian Language”. The speech is available at www.kremlin.ru in Russian and English with audio and video downloads.

By the time Mr Putin took his seat at the centre table, we were beginning to feel that it was time to eat, but instead a concert began. The new wonder pianist Denis Matsuev played with bravura, two singers sang Russian “romances” and a Russian folk group performed, made up of former pupils of the Russian Lycée St Georges (where I once attended a course) in Meudon, just outside Paris.

The food we were served was the best Russia could offer, and it was first class. There were five glasses by each plate: water, fruit juice, red and white wine and vodka. Each was topped up as we drank. On our plates were portions of nine fine Russian zakuski, among them: zander stuffed with smoked salmon, beluga, reindeer with juniper berries, syomga with cranberry sauce and pine nuts. The main dish was venison with honeyed apples and raspberry sauce. Dessert was rich cowberry pie with cream ice and berry sauce. As the dinner drew to a close I witnessed a remarkable phenomenon: When Mr Putin rose to leave at four o’clock,

Richard Mutter (top), Rose Panter (middle), Simon Spencer (below)

first isolated individuals, then more and more surrounded him and engaged him in talk. Prominent among them were two orthodox Jews and a Muslim imam. It took the President at least 15 minutes to walk to the door, surrounded by a crowd of people anxious to have a word. The Russian tradition of petitioning the “little father-tsar” is still alive. At this point security men did appear and kept a watchful eye.

The following day in the VIP departure lounge I spoke with Count Sheremetyev, who reported his mixed feelings at attending a function in a building to which his ancestors would have had access by right. In another moment of historical irony, at Reading station on my way back to Malvern I met a Russian in his 40s from Lithuania, now homeless and abandoned by the friends who had brought him to Britain. He felt ashamed to return to face his mother, having come to seek his fortune with no English and few technical skills. We discussed various practical ideas, but whether the British system was able to help him, I shall never know.

1960s

Anthony Culyer (Ca 57-61) Tony Culyer will be returning to England in October to resume a part-time post at the University of York in the Centre for Health Economics. He will also hold a part-time chair in Health Policy and System Design at the University of Toronto. He will be continuing to chair the Research Advisory Committee of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in London and to

chair the Office of Health Economics, also in London, and to act as a panel member for the Home Office Economics Panel. In Toronto, he chairs the Research Council of the Workplace safety and Insurance Board and Advises the Ministry of Health, the Canada Health Council, and Cancer Care Ontario.

John Myatt (Ca 54-61) The following is reproduced from an article in the Mail on Sunday magazine, Weekend, August 2007 by Clare Campbell.

After graduating from Art College and struggling to make a living as an artist, I moved down to London and worked for a record company for several years. I met and married my ex-wife Anita, and we settled back in Staffordshire . However after the births of our children, Amy in 1985 and Sam in 1986 she left home.

After winning custody of the children, I got a job teaching for two days a week so that I could spend the rest of my time looking after them. At first it was complete chaos. I could barely change a nappy and, having always been a selfish, irresponsible man, the idea of coping with the needs of two dependent little people was utterly terrifying. I surprised myself by the huge effort I put into becoming a responsible parent, and in spite of all the difficulties, I adored my children. I still remember how happy I was playing, bathing and taking care of them. It was one of the happiest times of my life.

By now I was desperate for money, so I placed an advert in Private Eye magazine to see if anyone would be interested in commissioning me to produce copies of famous paintings. One of my contacts was John Drewe who, over the next few years, became one of my most valued, and frequent, customers. I still remember the night he called me and said, “How would you like to make £12,500?” He said he had taken one of my paintings, a reproduction of a small cubist work by Albert Gleizes, to Christie’s and – believing it to be genuine – they had valued it at £25,000.

I realised that to take the money would be wrong but under the circumstances the temptation was too strong to resist.

A few weeks later, John came to the house and handed me a brown envelope full of cash. For me, this was a life-changing amount of money. I should have stopped then and there.

I decided at first to turn down the offer of

more. I thought to myself that I had got away with it once, but I shouldn’t risk doing it again. But when John came back and said that other auction houses were accepting my paintings as genuine I found it incredible that my fakes were convincing the experts, particularily as they were painted in household emulsion paint.

For the next six years, after putting the children to bed, I would produce one painting after another, including copies of Picasso, Giacometti and the British painter Ben Nicholson. Often it would take me no more than a couple of hours to complete each piece. I was worried about what would happen if I was found out.

Then, in 1995, John Drewe left his commonlaw wife and, having discovered incriminating evidence against him, she went to the police. Several months later there was a knock on my door. I was just about to put the children to the school bus so told them the police were probably building inspectors. At the police station, I quickly realised that they had so much information on us that there was no point in denying what had happened, I answered all their questions, and was released on bail.

In spite of all my fears, there was a sense of relief to have finally owned up to my crime. When the case finally came to trial in 1998, John got six years and I got a year. The moment at which I heard the judge say “Take him down”, was the worst of my life. I wondered desperately what would happen to the children. I felt terribly guilty, realising that, while trying to do the best for them, I had let them down in the worst way possible. Fortunately they were away at boarding school during the four months I ended up serving in prison.

It was a horrendous, life-changing experience. I would be kept awake by men screaming as they tried to come off drink or drugs. But I also met some very kind people too, which helped to make my time there less unpleasant.

Returning home to the children after my release, I was very worried about how I was going to earn a living. Early the next morning the telephone rang. It was the police officer who had arrested me and, to my surprise, he asked if I would be willing to paint a portrait of his family. Within a few weeks I’d received commissions from several barristers on

Rachael Stokes

Jonathan Wheal’s wedding (l-r) : Stefan Agopsowic (Cl 91-98), Ceredig Cattanach-Chell (W 87-98), Jonathan Edwards (S 92-98), Jonathan Wheal (O 91-98), Kirsten Donaldson Wheal, Jonathan Hartwright (O 91-98), David Cox (O 88-98), Robert Chaundy (Cl 88-98) and Tom Mawby (Cl 93-98).”

the case, too. This enabled me to set up a legitimate business and to get my life back in order. I married Rosemary in 2001 and we live quietly in a renovated farmhouse in Staffordshire.

Not long ago I was contacted by Hollywood producers Jay Weston and Fred Levinson, who want to turn my life into a film starring George Clooney and Clive Owen. And, in the past few months, writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais have been working on the script. I still find it hard to believe the bizarre twists and turns my life has taken, and how at last it all seems to have ended happily for me.

John is presenting a series of ten television programmes called ‘Mastering the Art’ on Sky Arts Channel 267 starting on November 7th 2007. www.johnmyatt.com

Jan Brown (formerly Ian Brown) (Ca 62-65) Yet again I have just enjoyed watching Lindsay Anderson’s iconic 1968 film “ …If”, which as it invariably does, prompts many treasured memories of King’s. Those of you fortunate enough to have been there during the 60s will, if you have seen the film, be able to put many names to the characters portrayed in this insightful view of public school life. Was Anderson an OV? Recently on a rare visit to England, I showed my lovely Japanese wife the window of my old study in Castle House, sadly no longer the sporty boarding house it once was; the Castle House Annexe where many a plot was hatched to overthrow the

Establishment; the spot where the fives courts used to be (Do any of you remember that morning when a mini minor was found inside court No.2?) and Edgar Tower where the very devout and traditional Mr. N.E. Dilks vainly tried to teach the Lower Removes how to spell (Onomatopoeia, o..e..i..a show me my way!) I never forgot that.

Well, I have a soft spot for the good old days and as this may well be my last chance to reestablish contact before heading back home to Japan and Australia, I often wonder what happened to my former school mates. During my visit to Worcester, I picked up a copy of the newsletter and was pleased to see a couple of articles by contemporaries of mine, even one from 1960s’ Castle House.

I am still in touch with Nigel Dimmick, formerly of Creighton House, more recently Castle House, but where are Nick Taylor, Malcolm Brook, Mark Young and James Pettifer? I happened upon a volume on Greek History by Mr. Pettifer in a Sydney bookshop. Looking to the radio, both here and overseas, I often hear the extraordinary talents of Stephen and Nicholas Cleobury and although our lives took very different paths, I am proud to think that they too were contemporaries of mine. Of course there are those that make headlines for other reasons.

I left King’s after the Upper Fifth to pursue ‘A’ levels elsewhere and have since had a very eventful life with few regrets and look back

on my time at King’s Worcester, with genuine affection.

If anyone is interested to exchange memories, stories, views or ideas, I can be contacted by e-mail at jancnbrown@hotmail.com

GA Mulcahy (Cl 59-65) Graeme (or Gam as most of his contemporaries will remember him) contacted the Club in August to let us know that after teaching until 1991 he had run a small cleaning franchise for some years before selling up and taking early retirement, his two daughters having left home. He is now travelling and living extensively by boat: “We crossed the Atlantic to Trinidad in January and then north to the US to avoid the hurricane season and visit our daughter in New York.” He does not have a UK postal address, but anyone wanting to make contact can do so by e-mail. This goes over a very slow radio link, so messages need to be short, no greater than 5kB in size and without attachments. The address is mppe2@sailmail.com . Graeme sends his best wishes to all.

Stephen Cleobury (Ch 58-67) Stephen Cleobury is now Conductor Emeritus of the BBC Singers, and will begin a second two-year term as President of the Royal College of Organists in 2008. At the end of September 2007 he will have completed 25 years as Director of Music at King’s College, Cambridge.

John Vardon (H 62-67) It was with great regret that I was unable to attend this year’s OV reunion. I did meet a number of former members of the Hostel for the centenary celebrations a few years ago. I would be delighted if any OVs contacted me. Some biographical details: I am married with two children (one boy, one girl) both in their twenties. After Southampton University (BSc and PhD) I worked successively in the power boiler and oil industries; for the last twenty years I have worked in pipeline operations, latterly as Chief Executive, and I am looking forward to retiring in 2008.

Peter Webster (Cr 57-67) After 40 years of dealing in commercial property in central London I am taking a consultancy in Norfolk from the New Year. Both my daughters work and live in London, and my rock band is also here, so I will be back up on a regular basis.

Peter Dane (Ch 64-68) A raucous celebration at The O’Connor Don in Marylebone was held to celebrate 60 years of the life of Nigel Charles “ Dwarf “ Garland Choir 60-66, yes he

had an extra year to do his ‘O’ levels as in his own words, “ I was very thick”. Supported by other Choir lifers who felt the tickle of Joe Curle’s bamboo, brother Peter and Squadron Leader Chris Haynes, who once warmed my nether regions in his capacity as Head of House for an utterly trivial offence. The bash was organised by “day bug” George Phillips, a now portly ex incumbent of Bright House. Censored photographs are available which naturally bear no resemblance whatsoever to old school photos. Living in God’s County, Dorset, with wife and three very expensive kids. Still running London Print and Design after 35 years and delighted to be producing this very fine tome.

1970s

Dave Anscombe (W 65-72) Currently working as a Senior Consultant for FrazerNash (now an engineering consultancy), after previously serving as Engineering Manager

designing armoured vehicles for Alvis (another ex car manufacturer). Still driving the Morgan three-wheeler I had when at King’s and can regularly be seen driving it around the Worcester/Malvern area on club events when I am not further afield competing in trials and rallies. Living in Stourbridge and happy to hear from any of my contemporaries. (anscombe@wollaston80.freeserve.co.uk).

Peter Hardyman (Cl 65-72) : King’s School Worcester O.V. and Parents Tibet Trek 2007. Soon after the 2005 Mera Peak trek reunion John Walton suggested a trip to Tibet, in 2007, before the anticipated impact of the new railway from Beijing to Lhasa. Alec Le

Sueur, 5 years a manager of the Chinese Holiday Inn Hotel in Lhasa, helped John launch the venture with an intriguing, humorous presentation at School. Days and weekends in Shropshire and at the Old Chapel, with curries and wine, bonded the 2007 group. At the end of the Easter Term we set off from Worcester via Heathrow. Two nights in Kathmandu, already familiar to many, allowed visits to the thriving Sapta Gandaki School and the Hope Centre Orphanage projects that the King’s School Nepal Trust supports. Fine weather for the flight over the snowy Himalaya to the brown Tibetan plain gave amazing photo opportunities. En route from the airport to Lhasa, Steve showed his skill by hurling a stone-weighted prayer silk to lodge high on a Buddha carved in a roadside rockface. We spent 4 interesting days acclimatising to altitude in Lhasa. We visited the flagship Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple, the Dalai Lamas’ Norbulingka Palaces and saw the monks debating at the Sera Monastery. A hill walk took us close to a sky burial site with its vultures. We explored the streets and markets of old Lhasa, where stallholders and children were desperate to sell goods. The railway has

already been completed and rapid changes are taking place. A modern Chinese shopping street has been created West of the Barkhor. We were conscious that many topics of conversation were off-limits. Our 7 Toyota Landcruisers arrived at the Dhood Gu Hotel and we set off Westward from colourful Lhasa along the Freedom Highway. After 2 days travel and 2 nights in Chinese hotels (the first bright inside with primary colours and the second more Spartan) we turned South off the Highway. At the top of the Pang La pass, on the road the Chinese built for their 1960 Everest expedition, we stopped to admire and photograph an unrivalled panorama of the giants Makalu, Lhotse, Everest and Cho Oyu. Beyond the village of Kharte we met our Nepali crew, and spent our first night under canvas. A day walk up the valley took us through the sloping streets and fields of Tensing Norgay’s Village. His nephew showed us photos of his family. The yaks and yak men arrived next morning, and we set off on trek enthusiastically. Steady progress was followed by disappointment on the second day. As we climbed toward the Shao La pass late-lying snow, knee deep for the yaks, halted them. Reluctantly we turned back and camped, and the next day we were back in Kharte. Our leaders Kamal and Dorje created an interesting “Plan B”; to trek North West from Kharte, reversing the 1921 Everest Reconnaissance route. There was much less snow in the rain

Chris Janes wedding (l-r): Ben Williams (-00), Alex Gratland (-00), Julian Arnold (-00), Chris (-00), Rob Janes(-95), Matt Janes (-05); Dan Griffiths (-00) not pictured.

shadow North of the mountain watershed. As we left, we presented toys and gifts to Kharte School. Groups of extremely persistent village children then followed us for most of the day. Although there are some motor vehicles and horse-drawn trailers, transport of goods and people depends primarily on yaks, horseback and simply walking. The male trekkers were mobbed by a female road mending gang who tried to hold us back by seizing our arms! On the third day we crossed the snow covered Doya La pass where the mountains to North and South are a dramatic contrast to each other, as remarked in 1921. We rejoined our Landcruisers and Chinese stores truck, which took us on to camp next to the Rongbuk Monastery. The mist cleared overnight, so we enjoyed a magnificent Easter Day’s journey to the Everest North Base Camp and back, on foot or in part by pony and trap. Base Camp was crowded with several expeditions’ groups of tents. We found fossil ammonites on the valley floor. Our group photos have the North Face behind us. After a splendid open air breakfast in front of Everest the camp was packed up. We set off in the Landcruisers, North to the Freedom Highway and Tingri. There Nic organised cricket for all, and reported considerable talents among the crew. The Tibetan drivers demonstrated their skill with a biblical style stone slingshot. There was one last chance for a day walk, before Nyalam. A group including Rick and Peter planned a horseshoe ridge walk above our camp. We ran out of time, but planted and photographed the union flag at our high point. Never underestimate height, distance and altitude in the Himalaya! The long, steep descent through the Bhote Kosi Gorge to return to the Kathmandu valley was one of many highlights. The river has cut down to expose the inclined strata, and the vegetation increases dramatically as altitude is lost. Road gangs were busy repairing and improving the precarious road after the winter. It was a relief to walk over the Friendship Bridge to Nepal, where discussion could be freer. Two nights in Kathmandu gave us a chance to relax and explore, before the flight home. We thank our leaders Kamal and Dorje, our cook Prem, the Nepali staff, the Tibetan yak team and Landcruiser drivers, John (with his TinTin themed awards for faux-pas) and Angela Walton; also all 28 trekkers for their company and good humour during a wonderfully

varied journey from which all returned safe and sound. Himalayan trekking is highly recommended! Steve Crowcroft (1970), Peter Hardyman (1972), Rick Knowles (1976) and Nic Sproson (1976).

Nigel Gregory (W 70-75) I left Ghana in 2005 and am now posted back at the group head office of SGS Societe Generale de Surveillance SA., in Geneva. Married to Yoke-Lin (Ellerslie 72-75). Married in Hong Kong in 1985. We met

club and FDO were pleased to put him back in touch with Alan. In a later contact he revealed that the life long enthusiasm for history that Alan had instilled in him had resulted in the writing of a book entitled The Most Ungrateful Englishman. The title comes from a comment made by Richard II about Adam Easton, whom Andy would describe as, “quite simply the most important Englishman that most people have never heard of…” Adam Easton

at a sixth form school dance – the Undercroft has a great deal to answer for!!. We have two boys. William (18) who has just left Winchester and starts at Exeter College, Oxford in October to read Biochemistry, and Giles (13) who has just left The Elms School in Colwall and starts at Malvern College in September.

Paul Hughes (B 67-75) I’m still General Manager of the BBC Symphony Orchestra (since 1999) but am taking a 4-month sabbatical Sept-Dec during which time I shall be travelling to the USA and Australia, and then working at the Royal Opera House, London.

Andrew Lee (W 69-78) Andy contacted the OV Club some time ago and wanted to get in touch with his old History teacher, Alan Stacey. At the time he did not say why, but the

rose to be the senior cardinal of the Catholic Church, and in a career spent mostly at the Vatican played a significant role in shaping the history of England. Andy’s 5 years of meticulous research took him across Europe and even into the Vatican’s Archivo Segreto so that the result would be a definitive work. Its ISBN is 1-903333-24-5. The forward contains an acknowledgement to Alan Stacey, and Andy was pleased to present Alan with a complementary copy.

Andy is the first to admit he is not a professional historian, and actually earns his living as a director of a number of IT companies in the Cambridge Technology Cluster.

Stewart Mills (S 69-78), OBE Stewart attended King’s from 1969 till 1978 first at St Albans under Wilf Thomas then to Castle House

The photo shows Andrew Rankin (H – 97), Marc Barnes, best man (H – 96), Jailan Griffiths (née Habbab), David Griffiths (W– 96), Carolyn Tesselment, John Griffiths, Dan Ford (W– 96).

under Michael Points with David Annett as Headmaster. He rowed and played rugby and was in the Combined Cadet Force. This gave him a taste for the Army, and immediately after leaving school he joined the Light Infantry at Shrewsbury; after basic training he gained a place at Sandhurst, and passed out as a 2nd Lt in 1979. Since then, following tours of duty in Germany, Northern Ireland and Bosnia, during which time he was Adjutant of his battalion, he was promoted to the rank of Lt Colonel. He was given command of the unit at Chilwell, Nottingham, and was in charge of the training of the reservists, who were then sent to places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. He also de-briefed them on their return. It was for his work during this posting that he has been awarded an O.B.E.

In 1984 he married Peta, and he has three children, Philippa, who is now in her third year at Nottingham Trent University, on a Fashion and Textile Management course, Charlotte 18 and William 14. At present he is attached to the Officer Career Development Unit in Glasgow.

1980s

Frances Rauland (née Parsons) (Co 79-81)

After many years of teaching French and ESL, I joined the United States State Dept in 2005 so that I could have the same career path as my husband. We have spent the last 2 years in Frankfurt, Germany-- his 6th posting overseas, and my first as an employee, rather than trailing spouse. Our daughter will graduate

and are moving to Cairo in January. I am about to publish my first photography book in KL. I’d like to organise a class of ‘83 reunion at the September 2008 OV Dinner. Anyone interested can contact me for details on katenorthphotos@gmail.com or thru my website www.katenorth.com. I look forward to the reunion.

Peter Hughes (O 76-85) Peter is living in

Last year he came back to King’s for the first time in many years, and was amazed at the transformation of his old house, Castle, into the Music centre, and also the other major redevelopments around the Green. He wishes to be remembered to any of his contemporaries.

Romano Subiotto (Ca 74-79) Has been appointed a Member of the Court of Arbitration of Sport, which is located in Lausanne Switzerland. It is the last court of appeal for issues relating to sport (both disciplinary (e.g., doping) and commercial (e.g., sponsorship)) where the parties have decided to opt for the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court (as opposed to relying on national civil courts).

attended but had to leave early so he and his wife could

from Frankfurt International School in June 2008, and as empty nesters, we are looking forward to some exciting assignments when we leave here Summer 2008.

Paul Turner (W 77-82) Spent seven years in the Home Office (1990-97) dealing with a range of issues, including the Northern Ireland peace process. Moved to Department for International Development (DFID) and worked for five years in Balkans, including as head of UK Government aid programme in Kosovo. Currently based in Brussels working in European Commission with responsibility for aid programmes in Afghanistan, travelling to Afghanistan periodically.

Kate [née North] Phillips (Co 81-83) Rick

Winnipeg, Canada with wife Margaret, sons Sam and Robert, and dog Nike. He has just finished medical school at the ripe age of 40, and embarked on a five-year residency in neurology. In their copious free time Margaret and Peter are building a cabin on Lake Winnipeg, and trying to remember how to sail. Email: peterhughes@shaw.ca

Jon Pearn (H 80-85) It’s been a rather busy 12 months! We had a number 2 in the UK top 40 last November with “Bodyrox - yeah yeah” staying in the chart for 16 weeks. Then in Feb 2007 we were nominated for best dance record at the international dance music awards in Miami. In April we were nominated for best dance video in the Australian MTV video awards in Sydney.

Tim Johnson’s wedding. l-r: Carys Thurlby [née Williams], Miles Badger, Richard Thurlby, Vanessa Allsup, Dave Thurlby, Groom, Andrew Dobson, Dave Jones (next to his girlfriend Holly Ashley) and a pseudo-OV Ann Thurlby (who used to teach at St. Alban’s and is still there). Matt Gwilliam also

put their daughter Hannah to bed!

ThE ViGOrNiAN

But the one that really came as a shock was a nomination for an Ivor Novello award in the best contemporary song category. We were up against Amy Winehouse and Hot Chip. Unfortunately we ended up losing to Amy Winehouse but just being nominated for such a prestigious award was quite enough for me. The winners are here http://www.theivors. britishacademy.com/awards.html

This summer I’ve been touring all over the place and never seem to be at home, just this weekend coming I’m playing in Ireland, Italy, London and then Ibiza!

Sue [née Young] Dereham (Co 85-87) I am still living in Fownhope, Herefordshire with my husband and two small girls, not working for financial gain, but very involved in running the local playgroup and other village activities. Quite enough to keep me busy – but probably not terribly interesting for any one else!

Simon Britton-Tyler (Cr 83-88) I graduated in Industrial Information Technology and

attained a Post Graduate degree in Law. After a number of Operational roles I am Regional Director; Europe, Middle East and Africa for IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group). I still live locally with my partner Susan and love keeping up to date with the Old Vigornian news, although I have been a bit lazy about sending in details and attending reunions. Email address – simon.tyler@ihg.com

Jim Burfield (O 81-88) Currently still living in Cork in Ireland working as a Senior Analyst for a major Irish bank. Married to Sandra with two small boys - James aged four and Luke aged three. Still playing cricket (forCork Harlequins CC) and in my position as club secretary would like to extend an invitation to any team thinking of a tour to Ireland to pay us a visit. Worcester Police CC visited us last season!

Email jburfield@eircom.net.

James Underwood (S 83-88) The only news I have is that myself and family have just moved house in Worcester. Also, my nephew William

Underwood will be joined in St.Alban’s by his brother Matthew, ensuring that a fourth generation of Underwoods at King’s is well established!

Edward Bolton (K 79-89) I am now living in Banstead, Surrey, married to Michelle, with two young daughters – Holly (3) and Zara (1). I am Managing Director of OCS Transport Services, a provider of specialist support services to the aviation and rail sectors throughout the UK.

Susan Clements (Co 87-89) I have set up my own Media Consultancy business ( Mark, my partner already had a TV Production company!! ). Working for various media owners at present but also 7 months pregnant with our second, due in January. Lucien, our first, will be two in December.

Robert Dow (Cl 84-89) I had a daughter called Daisy in August last year, and I continue to work at the Dragon School in Oxford, as a Housemaster, Head of Rugby and teacher of Latin.

If you’re leaving school or university, chances are you might be wondering where the future will take you. With a vast array of career paths, training and opportunities, the Army will offer you the best chance to showcase your skills. For more details, go to armyjobs.mod.uk

Be Proud to Make a Difference.

1990s

Damian Warburton (Cr 85-90) I am Senior Lecturer of Law, University of the West of England, Bristol and I am happy to advise younger OVs coming to UWE to read their degree. damian.warburton@uwe.ac.uk

Simon Bailey (Cr 80-91) Still living in Windsor working for Syngenta as an IS Business Analyst. Engaged to be married to Jeanette in Cornwall Sept 2008 (we’ve been together for 10 years!). Our daughter Zara starts school this September, and we are expecting number 2 child end of December. We play hockey for Thames Valley Hockey Club, based in Chertsey and would welcome any OV hockey players to come along and join in! I spend a lot of time gardening and have a very productive allotment. Still in touch with Rob Essex, Dan Biddle, Rory Griffin, Beverley Gough, Helen Owen, Morag Vockins. Recently cruised up the Severn from Worcester for mum’s 70th birthday and caught up with some old haunts. My brother James (Old Vigornian too 84-93) lives in Windsor with his wife Selina, and they are only 5 minutes away from us!

Toby Moody (K 80-91) Continuing as lead TV commentator on Moto Grand Prix for Eurosport and as lead reporter on motor sport industry leading website, www.autosport. com/motogp. Hosting Pan European launches for manufacturers, both two and four wheeled. Driving single seater car at hill climbs – even won my class at Shelsley Walsh this year!

Howard Stanton (S 84-91) I am working in Malaysia again, and I am the operations Manager of a brand new six star development (Kudat Riviera), Sabah, East Malaysia (Borneo). I have been there for three months and am enjoying it very much; good to be back amongst the good people of Malaysia and tasting their great food. Still involved with the Kabaddi, I will be refereeing at the Asian Indoor games, Macau, at the end of October. Just moved into a big three bedroom gaff, if anyone fancies a holiday out that way they would be most welcome. Bumped into Jon Lumsdon (O 80-90) when he was on honeymoon in Sabah!

Nick Vaughan (O 84-91) I live now in Bristol and continue to practise as an associate architect for a well established local firm. Having reached a positive live-work life balance, I spend much of my time training and competing in triathlons around the south

of England, in the sea and on land. Last winter I enjoyed my first extended ski tour into the Les Ecrins in the French Alps and look forward to many more.

Jonathan Hulme (Cr 85-92) Jonathan Hulme and his wife, Lorna, moved to the greener suburbs of Birmingham and now live in Knowle – life outside the M42! He is a senior specialist registrar in anaesthesia and critical care in Birmingham and has taken a year out of his rotation to complete his advanced training in critical care medicine. At the University of Birmingham he is an honorary lecturer in anaesthesia and critical care and an honorary personal tutor.

He continues to be involved in pre-hospital care, as a member of the West Midlands immediate care medical team, a volunteer doctor for the West Midlands Ambulance Service, providing advanced clinical care at

the M42 is well worth experiencing, Jon and Lorna enjoy keeping fit, good food and wine and developing the Knowle and Dorridge social club…

William Norbury (Ch 81-92) Having spent the last two and a half years in paediatric burn care in the US and Mexico, I am returning to the UK to continue working as a Burns and Plastic Surgeon at Morriston Hospital in Wales.

Rachel Baseley (K 92-94) I am working as a private client solicitor in Sheffield. I passed the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners’ Diploma in December 2006 and was promoted to Associate in the firm Wake Smith in May 2007.

Mike Brookes (B 85-95) I thought you might appreciate a recent photograph of my sister, Capt Emily Brookes RAMC (Ch 95-97) meeting the Head of the Army during operations in Afghanistan.

the roadside and flies with the County Air Ambulance as a HEMS (helicopter emergency medical service) doctor. He is an executive council member of the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS) and as chair of the conference subgroup, hosted the recent successful annual conference in the Midlands.

When not at work, having managed to persuade several friends that life outside

Neil Gillibrand (Ch 89-95) Neil e-mailed near the end of 2006: “I am travelling up to the area this weekend (works Christmas event in Cheltenham) and would like to show my wife around the School grounds on Saturday afternoon. As an ex-student, who has not been back since leaving in December 1995, it would be a wonderful opportunity to see how the school has changed in that time. It will be strange not to see groups of unruly boarders

Capt Emily Brookes RAMC

skulking around the place on a Saturday morning! I would like to know if taking a walk around the school grounds would be permissible, or if there are certain areas that are out of bounds to the public?” Neil was put in contact with the Headmaster, and Tim Keyes e-mailed to say he was welcome to visit, and would do his best to be available to show him round.

Captain Ross Haines (Cl/Ch 95) and Captain Adam Smith (Cl 98) - The photo shows us in Lashker Gah, Afghanistan. We have been working closely over the last few months in the 3 Commando Brigade Info Exploitation battlegroup.

Anthony Cross (O 90-96) I’m writing with the good news that on Saturday 3rd February 2007 I got engaged to Nadia Huxham and she is a data manager at the Weston Park Cancer Research Centre in Sheffield. We’ve been together for two and a quarter years.

Thomas Davies (B 90-97) Thomas completed a DPhil in International Relations at Magdalen College, Oxford, in 2006, with a thesis that was awarded the British International History Group Prize. Having spent the last two years as a Research Fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford, Dr Davies is starting a new job as Lecturer in International Politics at City University, London, from September 2007. His first book ‘The Possibilities of Transnational Activism’ will be published in October 2007.

Eleanor Doodey (B 95-97) I am living currently in West Yorkshire working as lead teacher of vocal studies for Kirklees music school. I am also a concert singer. I was married to Mark Carmichael in December 2003, and we are expecting our first child January 3rd.

please come in my direction! There seem to be a few OVs working in the Estate Agency world.... Will Kerton working in Worcester, James Shaw in Henley on Thames and me in Oxford, all working for Knight Frank.

Georgia Burford (K 97-99) I have been teaching for 3 yrs in a London primary school and am now just about to go to Malawi with VSO to work as an Education Advisor. Hope

Captain Adam Smith (Cl 98) - Light Dragoons and Captain Ross Haines (Cl/Ch 95) - 29 Commando Royal Artillery

to keep in touch with the OV news on line!

Hannah Jones (O 95-97) I am going to be running the New York marathon on 4th November 2007. I am also raising money for the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer. My sister, Claire Jones [also an OV (92-94)] will be coming to support me in New York, along with my parents. I am running the marathon with a friend, who is unfortunately not an OV – but she could be as she is friends with all my school friends!

Harry Gladwin (W 98-98) I have moved from North Yorkshire where I was selling farms and estates, back to Oxfordshire where I am selling Country Houses (now for Knight Frank in Oxford).... so if anyone wants to buy a house,

Allan Clayton (H 91-99), tenor, will make his debuts for Opera North, as Lampwick in Jonathan Dove’s new opera Pinocchio, and for Glyndebourne Festival Opera as Albert Herring in the 2007-2008 season. He will also give performances with the Classical Opera Company, Britten Sinfonia, RLPO, the Orchestra of Opera North, and recitals in Aberdeen and at the Wigmore Hall. He was awarded ‘The Queen’s Commendation for Excellence 2007’.

2000s

Sammi Perry (Br 00-07) Sammi has recently been selected to represent Team Bath in the Netball Super League. This is the country’s

highest standard of netball, bar international matches, and is supported and frequently shown on Sky TV. Also selected for the team is the school’s new teacher in charge of netball, Ollivia Beveridge.

Katie Potter (Cl 95-02) Currently I am working as a Senior Recruitment Consultant for NES Americas, the US branch of NES Group, a technical recruitment agency that this year won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and as part of the overseas expansion, I’m relocating permanently to Houston in September this year. I’m going to be based in the flagship office working on Oil and Gas technical recruitment for our clients worldwide.

Happy to be a point of contact for any OVs/current pupils wanting information on visiting/working in the States.

Mark Southam (K 91-02) I have left my previous employers to set up my own company based out of Honolulu, Hawaii. I would welcome any assistance that puts me in touch with other OVs within the USA. The company itself is to run high level business events and publish quarterly journals following the latest trends in the IT industry. Currently I am building an elite IT gathering for executives within the banking industry looking to map out synergy for future IT adoption etc.

Honorary OVs

Sqn. Ldr. Arthur Aldridge DFC and Bar, (Hon OV, Staff 54-80) Arthur was the founder of the RAF section of the CCF at KSW.

A long-standing exponent of the Beaufort, Arthur flew operations from the UK, Malta and over the Indian Ocean. He describes what the type was like to fly in the thick of battle.

“My first anti-shipping strike, in December 1941, was a low-level bombing attack on the Madrid off the coast of Holland. The tactics were to fly at 50ft above the sea to avoid radar detection and then attack at mast height with an 11sec delay set on the bombs.

Other operational sorties included searching for U-boats, attacking French ports such as Lorient and St Nazaire and dropping mines in the approaches to the harbours. For this and for the torpedo role the Beaufort was extremely stable and in many ways a very suitable aircraft. It was also able to survive a considerable amount of damage. There were many examples of Beauforts returning to base severely crippled and either landing normally

or making a belly landing.

After converting on to Beauforts at the OTUs, the crews were given torpedo training at Abbotsinch and undertook dummy torpedo attacks on the Firth of Clyde. The torpedo had to be dropped when the aircraft was flying straight and level at 140kt and at a height of 60-80ft, and at a distance from the target of less then 1,000yd, preferably

turning away or turning into the torpedoes to “comb” them. This may have contributed to the Beaufort’s lack of success during the Channel Dash, combined with the flak and the enemy fighters, and the fact that we had to attack in ones or twos.

During the Channel Dash I was flying in almost nil visibility and suddenly came into the clear to see the Gneisenau in front of me. I

800. When the torpedo was dropped, because of the impetus given it by the aircraft, it flew through the air for 250yd, then travelled through the water at a preset depth for 350yd at 40kt for it to arm. This meant that the torpedo should not be dropped within 600yd of the target. In the face of intense flak this was unlikely to happen!

Estimating the distance from the target was not easy, especially if the ship was a battle cruiser, as the size of the ships gave the pilots the impression that they were nearer the target then they really were. In addition the speed of the ship had to be estimated in order to calculate how far ahead of the ship to aim. Also if the torpedo was dropped at too great a distance the ship would find it easier to take evasive action by

torpedo.

In one respect the torpedo training at Abbotsinch was flawed, in that the dummy torpedo attacks were made on the beam of the ship at 90º, when an angle nearer 45º from slightly ahead of the ship, intercepting it with converging speeds, would have been more effective. It was this tactic which I found to be successful later in the Mediterranean. For instance, the torpedo I dropped against the leading cruiser of the Italian fleet steaming south to intercept the Malta relief convoy from Alexandria in June 1942, struck the bow of the cruiser and I had not aimed off very much, as I had the impression that the ships were not steaming at full speed.

An example of when not to aim off was when the ship I was aiming at, the Reichenfels, in a convoy off the African coast, was taking avoiding action by turning away, so no deflection was required. I aimed at the bow of the ship at shorter range and the torpedo hit the target. I then received first-hand experience of how a Beaufort behaves when damaged. I banked steeply to turn away and was hit by four cannon shells, one of which put one of the ailerons out of action. By opening the throttles I brought the Beaufort under control and we flew back to Malta with only one aileron functioning.”

released the torpedo and missed, an example of the wrong angle in relation to the ship and possibly at the wrong distance, as I was deceived by the size of the ship and saw it suddenly when emerging from the murk. The distance from the Gneisenau was confirmed by German and British records as 1000 yards, the correct distance when I dropped the

Donald Anderton Hon OV (58-88) I am still living in the house I bought for my retirement in St. Peter’s. Rather stiff of leg these days but I still get about a bit. I see John Turner, Keith Bridges, Alan Stacey and Michael Young here and there: KSW for instance!

Brian Dickson Hon OV (60-67) In 2005 we moved to Ludlow from our Abberley cottage which some OVs will remember so as to be nearer the shops and public transport. I still take occasional services in the Ludlow area. I keep in touch with Donald Anderton with whom I worked in the Scouts and with a number of OVs. Barney Bell (Cl 59-67) has a Parish near to Ludlow.

Durham University OV reunion

Bristol and Bath Univerisities OV reunion

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Knight

5 College Street, Worcester WR1 2LU

Tel: 01905 723438

Email: will.kerton@knightfrank.com

Will Kerton OV

Frank

UNIVERSITY PLACES AWARDED IN 2007

Name INstItutIoN

subject

mark Adams Newcastle University mechanical Engineering

Tom Amphlett University of Wales, Bangor Conservation and Forest Ecosystems

Emma Baldry Loughborough University Drama

Ashley Bath Nottingham Trent University Business

Nicholas Baxter University of reading Agriculture

Helen Bellfield homerton College, University of Cambridge Natural Sciences

Thomas Bellfield University of Sheffield Architecture

Alicia Bennett University College, London history

Joseph Bond University of Leeds Product Design

rebecca Busher University of Nottingham medicine

Louie Cardone-Noott imperial College, University of London Physics

Samantha Caulfield Cardiff University Business management

Gareth Ceredig Cardiff University music

Ben Chatfield University of Sheffield Journalism Studies

Thomas Chilman Cardiff University Civil Engineering

George Clark University College, London Classics

Jonathan Cook royal Agricultural College Agriculture

Sarah Copsey University College, London English

Jenni Corbett Swansea institute Design for Advertising

Thomas Cox Aston University Pharmacy

Jonathan Cranton Oxford Brookes University Business and management

Victoria Crowe Cardiff University medicine

michael Coxford Lancaster University history

Portia Davis University of Sheffield Landscape Architecture

Stephanie Doolittle royal Agricultural College rural Land management

Katherine Drew Lancaster University history

Darach Duffy University of Nottingham Classical Civilisation

Alexander Elder University of Wales, Swansea Classical Civilisation

James Ellingworth University of Edinburgh German

Elizabeth Fane University of Bristol Geography

Toby Fellows University of reading Building Construction

Joshua Fitzgerald University of Sheffield mechanical Engineering

Charlotte Flothman St hilda’s College, Oxford University modern Languages

Gemma Geary University of Leicester Chemistry

Anjali Gondhalekar University of Birmingham medicine

Chris Goodreds Sheffield Hallam University Business & marketing

Name INstItutIoN

subject

Piers harris University of Durham Law

Jack herriot University of Nottingham Geography

Alice hershman Oxford Brookes University Cities - Environment, Design & Development

Simon holpin University of manchester mechanical Engineering

James hughes Cardiff University modern history

Freddie hughes Oxford Brookes University Architecture

Laurence hughes imperial College, University of London Chemistry

matthew humphreys University of Nottingham Architecture

henry iles Aston University marketing

James iles St Catherine’s College, Oxford University Biological Sciences

Simon insley University of Nottingham Physiotheraphy

Alexander Jackson University of Sussex history & Film Studies

James Jefferson-Loveday University of Southampton Geography

helen Jones University of Edinburgh English Language & Linguistics

Oliver Jones University of Durham Environmental Geoscience

Amy Kavanagh University of Leeds history

George Kitchen Newcastle University Dentistry

Christopher Lack University College, Oxford University Philosophy, Politics & Economics

Toby Lamb University of Exeter Business Economics

Sophie Le marchand Somerville College, Oxford University Classical Archeology & Ancient history

Daniel Leach University of manchester medicine

David Lewis University of Wales, Swansea Law & German

Sarah Lewis University of Sheffield management

Thomas Longley University of Durham Natural Sciences

rose Loy royal Agricultural College Property Agency & marketing

Lorcan Lynch Leeds metropolitan University Business & management

Alec mabbott University of Nottingham Architecture

Freya marskell Leeds metropolitan University Childhood Studies

Paul martin University of manchester Architecture

richard martin University of Nottingham Biochemistry

Simon maxwell-Stewart St Anne’s College, Oxford University Physics

Craig mcBride University of Liverpool Engineering with Product Design

Georgia menhinick University of Bristol history

Sally moore University of reading rural resource management

Sophie Nelson University of Bristol Veterinary Pathogenesis

Joseph O’Connor University of the West of England, Bristol Business in Property

Elizabeth Owen Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge Philosophy

Name INstItutIoN

subject

Tara Owen University of Wales, Swansea international Business management

Samantha Perry University of Bath international management & German

David Phillips University of Portsmouth Property Development

Clare Pitts-Tucker University of Southampton Environmental Sciences

James Pole University of manchester Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychology

Stephen Poole University of Nottingham medicine

Emma Popple University of Southampton Accounting

James Porter University of Leeds Social Policy & Sociology

rosie Potter University of Liverpool Classical Studies

James ranson University of Loughborough Sports Technology

John richardson Corpus Christi College, University. of Cambridge mathematics

Danielle riley University of manchester French & Spanish

Daisy robinson Keele University Criminology with Social Science

James round University of Leeds New media

James rowe University of Durham Biology

Sarah rozelaar The London College of Fashion Fashion

Amin Saied imperial College, University of London mathematics

Eleanor Salmon Cardiff University Architecture

Sally Shepherd University of Loughborough Accounting & Financial management

Joseph Shrubb Leeds metropolitan University Film & moving image Productions

Catherine Sides Trinity College, Oxford University English & Spanish

William Simner University of Wales, Aberystwyth Computer Graphics

Gemma Stanier University of Sheffield Psychology

Claire Tamblyn University of Nottingham Veterinary medicine

Lycia Terry University of Portsmouth interior Design

hugh Thomas University of Warwick management

Joshua Thomas University of Brighton Architecture

Joshua Tomlinson University of Bristol Engineering Design

Laura Towey University of Durham Law

heather Uren Christ Church, Oxford University music

George Watson University of the West of England, Bristol Animation

William Webberley Cardiff University Computing & mathematics

Bethany Westwood University of Exeter Biological Sciences

Oliver Weaton Goldsmiths College, University of London Sociology

Grace Williams University of the West of England, Bristol marketing

Jemima Williams University of Edinburgh Geography

rachael Wrafter St hilda’s College, Oxford University Law