Netherhall News 60th Anniversary Edition

1952 - 2012 NETHERHALL NEWS SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

JUNE 2012

CONTENTS W

e are delighted to bring you this special edition of Netherhall News celebrating these sixty years of the hall’s life. This magazine takes us through some of the key figures and moments since the house first opened its doors in 1952 at the encouragement of the Founder of Opus Dei, St Josemaría Escrivá.

Articles in this edition will tell us how Netherhall began, how its buildings were acquired, how new ones were constructed. They will tell us about the faith which inspired such efforts. We’ll learn about generous benefactors who have supported the hall. We’ll read the testimonies of former hall directors about their time in Netherhall and their accounts of the many colourful characters who have walked its corridors.

We will learn about truly inspiring former residents who have gone on to make such an impact in their native countries, like Denis Chang, promoting the rule of law in Hong Kong; In Keun Lee, helping to change the face of Seoul in Korea; or Ilyas Khan here in Britain who heads an international charity for the disabled.

But Netherhall is not just a springboard for achievement. It is primarily a ‘home’ and a ‘family’, as Her Majesty the Queen Mother so rightly put it at the opening of the Phase I buildings in 1966. Her speech, quoted in full in these pages, captured so aptly the hall’s atmosphere: a place of ‘mutual respect and support’, and a home from which to venture out with confidence and to return to with ‘joy and relief ’.

It has been an honour for us to work on this magazine and we have done so in the conviction that Netherhall 1952-2012 has been a special history worth the telling. We hope you enjoy the tale and are yourselves inspired by the story it recounts.

The Netherhall News editors: Luke Wilkinson, Zubin Mistry and Fr Joe Evans.

Contributors: Dominic Bardill, Archan Boonyanan, Peter Brown, Javier Castañon, Fr Robert Farrell, Dr Andrew Hegarty, Peter Herbert, Simon Jared, Sergio Maresca, Fr Bernard Marsh, Jim Mirabal, James Newman, Arnil Paras, Neil Pickering, Fr Stephen Reynolds, Andrei Serban, Prakarsh Singh, Mgr Richard Stork.

With thanks to: Miguel Rojo for photography and design support.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors concerned and do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of Netherhall News, of Netherhall House or of Opus Dei.

2 e NETHERHALL 60TH

Editorial On making connection

p.4

Solid as a Rock Good foundations

p.6

The Play’s the Thing House theatre

p.26

p.36 Anyway!

Life lesson in one word p.39 Freedom to Find Truth The spirit of Netherhall Funny Angles Architecture in a day

p.46

Unfinished Business The story of Phase II

p.48

p.50 Neighbours in Need A decade of social projects p.66 Carrots and Sticks ECONOMICS OF Netherhall life Home away from Home Family values

p.67

Telling Netherhall’s Tale P.68 How the mag got its spots Lives Remembered

p.70

THE HISTORY WE SHARED

P.74

THROUGH THE DECADES

199The0 Fifties · From1975conception to birth p.10

1952

195 the Queen2Mother p.19 The Sixties · tea with 2 201 The Seventies · Remembering the real founder p.30

2 5 19

1980 The Eighties · Trips and quips p.42 960 1 1986 The Nineties · Life after Netherhall p.52 4 6 9 1

001 2 The Noughties · Fifty not out p.60

19

4 8 9 1

70

19The7Present Day · Plus ça change p.721996 2012 0 1969 THE MANY FACES OF NETHERHALL the HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER P.14

THE URBAN PLANNER P.34

THE PHILOSOPHER P.56

THE PHILANTHROPIST P.24

THE HEALTH CAMPAIGNER P.44

THE FILM DIRECTOR P.58

NETHERHALL 60TH e 3

EDITORIAL

On bunkum and making connection: Zubin Mistry realises that every year is a year of anniversaries; but some mean more than others.

I

almost started this piece with a claim that 2012 is the year of anniversaries. But, of course, that’s bunkum. As any historian will tell you (if not in these exact words), stuff tends to happen in most years, even the dullest ones. In fact and despite a famous BBC radio broadcast which announced solemnly on 18 April 1932, ‘There is no news’, stuff tends to happen more or less every day. Somewhere down the line, one subset of the newer stuff that happens includes commemorating the older stuff that has happened in the past.

Thus, 2020, rather like 2012, will also be the year of anniversaries. Curiously, nestled between the centenary of the birth of the League of Nations (1920) and the quincentenary of Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage to the Pacific Ocean (1520) will be the bicentenary of the coining of the term ‘bunkum’.

In 1820, American congressman Felix Walker, who represented a certain Buncombe County in North Carolina, stood to address the House of Representatives on the subject of slavery in the midst of fierce and intractable debate. As he rambled on interminably, some of his colleagues urged him to sit back down. Walker insisted that he had to speak ‘for Buncombe’.

Unfortunately for him, a new word was soon coined to denote, initially, over-the-top political oratory and, eventually, nonsense. Walker’s misfortune is our good fortune, for without his bombastic speechifying we might not have been able to debunk ideas such as, 2012 is the year of anniversaries, or at least not quite in those terms.

To mention all of this is not to posture as a Scrooge of centenaries (a reference, by the way, to the bicentenary of Charles Dickens’ birth in 1812). It is, in part, a reminder that anniversaries, whether intimately personal or conspicuously public, are not natural events but the products of human reckoning.

Indeed, constellations of anniversaries would look rather different in alternative calendrical systems. Historical memory is not altogether passive. We choose to commemorate. From weddings, births and deaths to coronations, elections and revolutions, anniversaries tell us as much about the present that commemorates as the past that is commemorated.

None of this is to argue that the shadow of the past does not fall on 2012 in intriguing ways. Fifty years ago, Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, the former Nazi Adolf Eichmann was hanged after his trial in Israel, and various countries, from Jamaica to Algeria, gained their independence. It has been forty years since the Munich Olympics, thirty years since the Falklands War, twenty years since the Maastricht Treaty and ten years since the opening of the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. What ties these disparate anniversaries together is another one, coinciding with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and it’s a good bet that readers will be familiar with it. All of these

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What the Dickens! If he were still alive, Charles would be celebrating his 200th birthday as Netherhall celebrates it’s 60th

momentous events, together with the profound changes in political, economic and social life which they symbolise, occurred after the opening of Netherhall House sixty years ago in 1952. The residence has changed dramatically, from the Victorian buildings in Netherhall Gardens to the modern building complex completed in the 1990s, but it has also remained remarkably constant while around it the world revolves: from boom to bust, from declarations of war to peace treaties, from one election cycle to another.

In political terms, Netherhall came into existence during Winston Churchill’s second stint as prime minister and has grown during the offices of twelve further prime ministers since. Alternatively, in football terms, the residence was around before a young Pele took the football world by storm in 1958 and had been long established by the time England recorded their sole international triumph in 1966 (an achievement which does not, in all honesty, look likely to be matched in a few weeks’ time).

In this special edition of Netherhall News, the pages that follow mark this anniversary. The articles illuminate different periods and personalities in the House’s history, and offer individual, even idiosyncratic, perspectives on the communal experience of living at Netherhall. There are recollections about each decade from the 1950s to the present day, personal reminiscences, profiles of alumni and fond memories of some who are no longer with us. The perspectives are varied: from the difficulties of fundraising to the frustrations of planning permission, from the shared experience of house plays and get-togethers (a daily custom since the 1970s) to belated confessions of bending the rules ever so slightly, from the frenetic preparations for the Queen Mother’s visit in 1966 to the more

“

Historical memory is not altogether passive. We choose to commemorate. From weddings, births and deaths to coronations, elections and revolutions, anniversaries tell us as much about the present that commemorates as the past that is commemorated.

”

Right: We were delighted to receive this letter of congratulations from our fellow celebrant Her Majesty Queen ELizabeth II

familiar rhythms of everyday hall life, from the potted history of the early days to the potted history of this very publication.

Though readers can judge for themselves, it is worth highlighting two threads which run through the variety of perspective. First, Netherhall is distinctly international. The early days saw strong links to Spain and various Commonwealth nations. But over the past six decades, the house has forged connections of one sort or another with every continent. Even if Antarctica hasn’t exactly been the most abundant source of students, at least it has been visited by my colleague Luke Wilkinson, who describes his trip there in a past issue of Netherhall News. Even here connection has been established. The real point I am making is that Netherhall is all about making connection – between cultures, ideas, peoples and continents.

Second, Netherhall is a strange place. I mean that quite literally in that it is not quite like other halls of residence, from the ‘funny angles’ of the newest buildings to the aforementioned get-togethers. One of my earliest impressions was confusion while running the gauntlet of locked doors during the morning cleaning runs. But, slowly, this gave way to a sense of trust epitomised by the lack of locks on the doors to students’ rooms. There is an openness in the house and a real fondness for it which is palpable among many alumni, a fondness to which the pages that follow will attest.

Zubin Mistry (2005-6) has copy-edited the magazine since it started and is currently a researcher in history.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 5

BUILDING ON GOOD FOUNDATIONS

Neil Pickering is convinced that the struggles to make Netherhall what it is today have all been worthwhile.

O

n 1st November 1993, 27 years to the day after Her Majesty the Queen Mother opened the Phase I buildings, it was fitting that the laying of the foundation stone for the Phase II works was officiated by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, for Netherhall has been the home for thousands of Commonwealth students over several decades, many of whom have gone onto prominent positions in their home countries.

We’ll read about some of them, such as Denis Chang, in this edition. One also recalls Sailosi Kepa who became Lord Chancellor of Fiji and led the Fijian rugby team: he is the originator of the ‘Paddle’ which bedecks the main lounge, a gift to Netherhall when his nephew became a resident.

One could list many other distinguished former Netherhall residents, including ambassadors and even the Prime Minister of Mongolia, Sükhbaataryn Batbold.

A good number have now passed on to the next life, including three former directors, Fr Michael Richards, John Henry and Fr Philip Sherrington, who now, appropriately, rest in the same grave in Gunnersbury Cemetery. But their legacy remains as does our appreciation for their lives.

Likewise, in the spirit of St Josemaría, I cannot state too strongly how much we value those many former residents (the large majority) who may not have achieved fame or social status, but who, inspired by their time in the hall, have become excellent family men and have made discreet but significant contributions to the world by doing their work well in a spirit of service to society. Netherhall is all about forming such unsung heroes.

A lot of water may have passed under the bridge and each year it is understandable that new residents can take

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Above: Chief Emeka Anyaoku lays the foundation stone of the Phase II works

for granted the first-class facilities which Netherhall offers: gone are the days when one shared a room with three other students in old Victorian buildings with creaky floors.

But as the history of Netherhall is written, the struggles involved – to acquire the buildings in 1952, to build in the mid-1960s, and the decade-long fight from 1984-94 to get permissions and financing to replace rickety old buildings with new ones – will all be seen to have been worthwhile. New students each year will be amongst the leaders of the future and hopefully they will look back on their days at Netherhall as ones which gave them a welcome home as they started their adult lives.

Each anniversary we have celebrated – the 25th, 50th and now 60th ones – has nationally been overshadowed by the

same celebrations of the long reign of the Queen. But more intimately the deep effect on our lives has been the friendship and support of Netherhall received both by home and overseas students over these six decades. And Netherhall has been the springboard for brave men to undertake or contribute to other initiatives in far-off lands: Fr Stephen Lee now heads Opus Dei in East Asia; Peter Herbert, director 1988-97, is, as we will read, headmaster of a large secondary school in Hong Kong; Jojo Mariano, also featured in these pages, is president of a major university in the Philippines; Freddie Long was for decades the State Legislative Assembly member for Johor State, Malaysia; Gopala Menon was Singaporean Ambassador to Turkey and Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

“

Many former residents may not have achieved fame or social status, but have become excellent family men and made discreet but significant contributions to the world

”

Above: Felix Ta, Neil Pickering, Louis Ta at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney Below: Neil in his time as Secretary with (l-r) Felix Ta, Ken Koh & Dominic Richardot

NETHERHALL 60TH e 7

BUILDING ON GOOD FOUNDATIONS The hope expressed by the Queen Mother – ‘May all who live and work here be inspired to make some contribution to the societies in which they live, in whatever part of the world their chosen careers may lead them’ – has become a reality as we look back over the near half a century since Her Royal Highness spoke of that desire.

Each year the Hong Kong reunion brings together residents who remember the Queen Mother’s speech right up to the present day. The same holds true in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Mexico. Closer to home we have also started an annual reunion in Paris.

For other countries, where there may only be an occasional visit, it is heartening to experience the warm reception given and to hear former residents recount their tales of Netherhall life. That word ‘family’ used by Her Majesty comes up again and again. Residents feel the need to bring friends and brothers to share their life in the hall, and now fathers feel the same.

Perhaps one example will serve to illustrate this: in Australia a brief stopover helped me reunite with Louis and Felix Ta, both from Vietnam. Louis had been in Netherhall from 1970-74 and in 1974 Felix started his many years in the residence. Overlapping for only a short period, Felix came to me a week before Louis’ departure to request that he could move into the room which his brother had occupied since the beginning of the 1970s; of course this was gladly accepted and room 405 effectively became the ‘Ta’ room for the whole decade!

Many former residents want to reserve a place for their sons. This of course has already been taking place in several instances. Jason Harel, arrived at Netherhall over a quarter of a century after his father Jean-Marc, who sadly passed away on 12th May 2011, had been a resident here. Jason stayed with us for numerous years! Last year we had Juan Sosa in the hall, following in the footsteps of his father Antonio from El Salvador.

Maybe it will not be long before we see the grandsons. It has not yet happened but between the 60th and 75th anniversaries this seems bound to take place. There may even be people who

8 e NETHERHALL 60TH

Above (from l-r): Reynaldo Garcia, Louis Ta, Hamid Abachi, Sohan Tandhi, Hassan Mostafavi

were around at the beginnings of the Netherhall family back in the 1950s who will get to see three generations of hall residents!

Whenever former residents return, they can be guaranteed a warm welcome and certain that they will find the same homely atmosphere they once experienced when they were about to launch out into all corners of the world.

Neil Pickering lived in Netherhall in the 1960s, returned as Secretary in the 1970s and became Director of Netherhall Educational Association in 1976.

He is currently Chairman of NEA and the hall’s international ambassador.

A lot of water may have passed under the bridge and each year it is understandable that new residents can take for granted the first-class facilities which Netherhall offers: gone are the days when one shared a room with three other students in old Victorian buildings with creaky floors.

Left (from l-r): Peter Brown, Marilyn Harel, Jason Harel, Neil Pickering, Jean-Marc Harel Middle left: a reunion in Tokyo Middle right: The Duchess of Kent opening the Phase II works on 30th May 1995.

Bottom: The class of ‘67 reunited at the 60th Anniversary celebrations in May 2012.

From l-r: Stephen de la Bedoyere, Dilip Gajjar, Quentin Chases, Anoop Radia, Augustine Boon, Kevin Dalton, Ben Whyte, Neil Pickering

APPEAL We hope you enjoy reading this special edition of Netherhall News. Please support us so this wonderful story can continue.

We need to install a new goods lift and combination cooker in Lakefield, which provides the hall’s catering. The hall’s dining room is also in great need of upgrading. To this end, we need to raise over £150,000. Can you help? Donations of £2,000 and £1,000 would be particularly welcome but all offerings would be grateful received. Please contact Peter Brown on peterb@nh.netherhall.org.uk for more information on this or other ways to support the hall (eg standing orders, bursaries to finance less well-off students, etc).

NETHERHALL 60TH e 9

Through the decades...

THE FIFTIES

Mgr Dick Stork tells the story of Netherhall’s conception and birth

1961: St Josemaría (centre) examining the plans for Netherhall. From l-r: Santos Amer, Pepe Sellars, (Fr) Dick Stork, St Josemaría, (Fr) Stephen Reynolds, Pablo Bofil, Mgr Cormac Burke.

10 e NETHERHALL 60TH

L

ike a baby, it took some nine months for Netherhall House to come to fruition from the time it was first conceived. The earliest news we received of its ‘conception’ came in a letter dated 28 July 1951, written by Juan Antonio Galarraga, whom we called John, then a research student at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It was John who had brought Opus Dei to Britain in 1946. During a quick trip to Rome he wrote enthusiastically telling us the plans which St Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei, had for a students’ residence in London.

We – the first Opus Dei members in Britain – were living in a flat at Rutland Court near Knightsbridge, and had a number of good friends mainly among Catholic students at the University of London, thanks to the then Catholic Chaplain of the university, Fr Gordon Wheeler.

During the 1940s, at the encouragement of St Josemaría, his spiritual sons in Opus Dei had set up halls of residence in a number of university towns in Spain to provide a homely atmosphere where students could find the necessary facilities for an all round human and spiritual formation as well as the right conditions for study. In Italy and Portugal residences had already been established.

The months October to December were spent hunting for a suitable house.

There were many on the market, and, compared to the high prices that would prevail later, relatively cheap. But none of us had a well-paid job or many contacts.

In the meantime Fr Wheeler (soon to become Monsignor) was so pleased to hear of our intention to start a residence that he sent us some prospective residents for that first term even though we had no premises as yet!

There was one property called ‘The Firs’ which seemed the most suitable for a time. It was on Spaniards Road (between Jack Straw’s Castle and Spaniard’s Inn), north of Hampstead Heath. The owner was in Kenya and negotiations were awk-

NETHERHALL 60TH e 11

THE FIFTIES ward. Furthermore, it was not all that well communicated, and there had recently been a murder on a bus route from Golders Green to Highgate which had given the area a slightly tarnished reputation.

But by early January 1952 the possibility of acquiring No.18 Netherhall Gardens, together with its annexe called The Cottage, was on the cards. We not only managed to persuade the owner, a certain Mr Neville, to offer No.18, but we also convinced the Abbey National to give us a 100% mortgage! Of course this left us a heavy burden of debt for various years but the faith in God which St Josemaría had inspired in us led us to undertake this bold endeavour confident that the money would come: ‘Spend what you ought, though you owe all you spend’, he taught us. Later, with summer course fees, and other loans and donations obtained mainly by the efforts of Fr John Galarraga (by now a priest), repayments were not such a burden.

On 10th February a letter came from Fr Joe Madurga in Rome, in which the Founder of Opus Dei added a few lines: ‘I am so glad with this house in London!

You’ll see how things turn out well’.

On Friday 4th April, Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, just before Holy Week, we moved into Netherhall House. The house was very cold because it had not been heated for some time. There were one or two electric heaters which we used economically and moved around, but one was specially reserved for a top floor room which was set up as an oratory. It was Fr Joe L. Navarro who said the first Mass on Saturday 5th April. The actual contract was not signed until the 16th!

Michael Richards – the first ever English member of Opus Dei – was also Netherhall’s first director (until he left for Rome in 1956 to study for the priesthood) and he had things well organised. From the beginning, the residence welcomed a number of overseas students. These included a more mature research student from Japan, Augustine (Kinichiro) Saito, who would later be the first person to welcome Fr Joe Madurga in Tokyo airport when Opus Dei started in Japan. There was also Michael Brito Mutunayagan, a Tamil Catholic from what was then Ceylon, studying civil en-

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Number 18 Netherhall Gardens pictured in early 1952

gineering at Northampton Engineering College. Both stayed on for the next year.

It was in the first complete academic year 1952-53 that the students put on a production of The Monkey’s Paw, based on W.W. Jacobs’ horror story, each contributing with his own skills to the lighting, production, and acting. Residents that year included Neil Clarke, who was studying law at King’s College. He later rose to be head of the Coal Board in the 1990s. He has since died and his obituary appeared in The Times. A Spanish resident, Agustin Leon Ara, who was studying violin at the Royal Academy of Music, would practise in the top-floor bathroom, which had reasonable acoustics and was out of the way. He later married the daughter of Joaquín Rodrigo and in 1994 founded the Joaquín Rodrigo Chamber Orchestra of which he was the concert master and conductor.

Early in the summer of 1953 the archdiocese of Westminster made a very generous offer of No.16 Netherhall Gardens (a property adjoining No.18 and which it owned) at a very reasonable price and provided a mortgage to acquire it. The offer was gratefully accepted.

Apart from larger premises, it meant better sporting facilities as the house now had a tennis court. This also permitted students to bond in all sorts of ways: not least by helping to demolish the wall between No.16 and No.18 (!) but also through football and rugby matches on

a level plot of land now roughly covered by the present auditorium.

In the midst of much joy, there were moments of grief too. These included learning of the death of Anthony Moorehouse, who arrived in 1953 to study Food Technology, and who was kidnapped and killed in Egypt in 1956 while serving as a young commissioned officer during the Suez Crisis.

It was when Saint Josemaría started coming to England for the Summer (between 1958 and 1962) that the project for improving Netherhall as a residence and its domestic administration took shape, with the guiding hand of the Founder exercising gentle pressure but leaving the full responsibility on the directors of Opus Dei in Great Britain. Plans were made for constructing a purpose built residence and an adjoining training centre for women who would look after the catering and cleaning of the students’ residence.

On Tuesday 5th August 1958 St Josemaría said Mass for the first time in England in a house near Hampstead Heath where he was staying. That same morning, he showed his great love for and interest in Netherhall. It seems that at first he had just wished to be driven past the front of the residence without going in.

But having stopped at the corner of Nutley Terrace and Netherhall Gardens, he asked to stop outside the front door of No.18 for a moment. Then, characteristically, he got out of the car and walked

“

The project born in 1952 has now reached the ripe old age of 60, and this is what we celebrate.

”

A group photo from the 1950s. (Fr) Dick is just to the right of the painting, with (Fr) Michael Richards on his left.

Fr John Galarraga is on the far right.

up the stairs leading to the entrance. I was then the hall director. When I was told he had come, I went down to greet him, meeting him as he was coming out of the oratory. I led him upstairs, explaining that the domestic staff was doing the cleaning beyond the curtains on the landing. He was pleased to hear that we were giving them the necessary space and independence for them to do their work without us being in the way, a practice which is lived out in every Opus Dei house.

When St Josemaría came down the stairs to leave, he noticed a tapestry depicting a walled city, inscribed with the legend often used by him and which became the hall’s motto: frater qui adjuvatur a fratre quasi civitas firma (a brother who is helped by his brother is like a walled city). It had recently been woven and hung up, and still looked quite ‘new’. With his customary practical sense he suggested sending it back to the ladies who had made it so that they could pour coffee over it and trample on it to make it look older! This we did. It is still hanging there in the new 18 Netherhall Gardens. It is not the same one as the version which now presides over the hall’s lounge.

There is a photograph taken in July 1961 in which the Founder is surrounded by some of us as we look at the plans that had been made for the first part of construction. Eventually the 1960s wing was built between October 1964 and the summer of 1966. The Queen Mother came to inaugurate it along with the Chancellor of London University, as Fr Robert Farrell recounts below.

The second part of the building project took a long time to materialise for a number of reasons, although Saint Josemaría was always encouraging us right up to his death in 1975. When his successor, Mgr Alvaro del Portillo, visited in the summer of 1980, he urged us to finish what the Founder had asked us to do and it was in 1995 that the final site of Netherhall took what is now its present form. A student who stayed in Netherhall in the early 1980s was amused to discover recently on the Netherhall website that what was called the new wing in his time is now the old one!

The project born in 1952 has now reached the ripe old age of 60, and this is what we celebrate, giving thanks to God for its existence. May it prosper for many years to come!

Mgr Richard Stork was Director of Netherhall from 1956-61.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 13

A HIGHER GROUND FOR HIGHER BEGINNINGS

14 e NETHERHALL 60TH

Denis Chang on how his Netherhall days prepared him for a lifelong career promoting human rights in Hong Kong and how he is learning about ‘soft power’ from his grandson

D

enis Chang CBE, QC, SC, JP has a zeal for ‘justice’ (in its broadest sense) which goes back to his days at secondary school. It was there, he says, that he not only learned the Latin that helped him get into law school at the University of Bristol but was also introduced by his teachers (the Christian Brothers) to the Catholic Church’s ‘best-kept secret’, namely Catholic Social Teaching.

His interest in law and justice developed into what he describes as ‘a quiet passion’ during his stay in the UK, including the long hours spent in Netherhall working with friends on a student law journal, Fiat Justitia (Let there be Justice). ‘It all began in a meeting room in the basement of Netherhall, where we met and worked on it,’ Denis recalls as he looks at the photos of the young editors in action.

Photo: Hong Kong skyline at night

NETHERHALL 60TH e 15

A HIGHER GROUND FOR HIGHER BEGINNINGS Since his time in Netherhall (when the late Dr John HenPeople’s Congress in Peking to reverse the CFA’s interpretation ry was director) and his call to the Bar in the UK as well as of the Basic Law’, because while Hong Kong is supposed to in Hong Kong, Denis has ascended through the ranks of his have the power of ‘final adjudication’, Peking enjoys the power fellow barristers in Hong Kong, becoming Chairman of the of ‘supreme interpretation’.

Hong Kong Bar Association from 1984-87 after he had ‘tak‘You see,’ explains Denis, ‘it’s like the system that prevails en silk’ (i.e. appointed Queen’s Counsel) in in my own house. I’m supposed to have the 1982. He was also elected to the 19-member right of final adjudication; my good wife, My two year-old Executive Committee of the Basic Law Conhowever, retains the right of supreme intersultative Committee set up by the central aupretation and that’s non-negotiable!’ He is grandson knows, thorities in Peking to assist in the drafting of referring to Agnes, his dear wife of over without having to ut- here the new ‘mini-constitution’ (‘the Basic Law’) forty years. ‘Without her, I wouldn’t be where ter a word, where the I’m today. I’d have long ago disappeared over for post-handover Hong Kong.

Then from 1993-97 he worked alongside balance of power lies; some precipice somewhere. Recently, howChris (now Lord) Patten as a member of Hong she has chosen to cede her sovereignty his is what you would ever, Kong’s Executive Council when the latter was to our grandson Alex. I can’t complain – the call ‘soft’ power governor during the period of transition from little two-and-a-half year old is just awesome!

British to Chinese rule following the signing He knows, without having to utter a word, of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. ‘I was where the balance of power lies; his is what lucky’, he says, ‘to be given the chance of being more than just you would call ‘soft’ power. I suspect, however, that he truly a passive witness to what could be said to be a defining mofeels he is surrounded by love’. ment in modern history, although I honestly can’t say that the But are ‘human rights’ all about ‘soft’ power and has love role I played was anything other than a very modest one inanything to do with them? ‘Well, yes and no. It all depends deed’. Denis has always stressed the need to have constructive on how you understand human rights and how you go about dialogue with mainland officials and counterparts even when asserting or advocating them’, says Denis. ‘People can get very the going seems hard. ‘I think’, he remarks, ‘the hardest bit is militant about human rights both in the international arena as to be both practical and yet principled although I find that the well as in the domestic forum. I consider myself to be a human principled solution is often the most practical one.’ rights advocate and I stand on the side of those who believe His learning curve, he says, was steep, for the enterprise that rights-talk without empowerment has little meaning in of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ – under which Hong Kong ‘this real harsh world’ but I do not see human rights in extreme would become a Special Administrative Region of the People’s individualistic terms that always puts the ‘I’ at the centre of Republic of China with a ‘high degree of autonomy’ whilst the moral universe.’ retaining its ‘separate’ capitalist system and lifestyle – was a ‘I see human rights in relational terms. I’m interested in novel and untried one. As Denis observes: ‘You would need to the ‘human’ in ‘human rights’ just as much as in the ‘rights’ resolve difficult problems that exist at the heart as well as at the side of the equation. It is the dignity of the human person, interface between the two systems. The Comby nature a relational being, which is at the mon Law has been put in a most uncommon of human rights. I’m afraid that I see human rights foundation setting. The task of preserving what is best in many ‘Western’ countries some human in relational terms. rights, e.g. the right to privacy, have been without ‘locking Hong Kong in a reliquary’ has never been an easy one.’ He is quick to I’m interested in the used to trump even rights as fundamental as add, however, that he has never been numright to life. Ironically, this is even done ‘human’ in ‘human the bered among the doomsayers: ‘I find pessiin the name of human dignity itself. It is so mism dull. I tend to be cautiously optimistic.’ rights’ just as much as easy to forget that ‘natural’ rights cannot be Indeed, since the handover, Denis – who in the ‘rights’ side of divorced from the ‘natural’ moral law and has for years been chairman of the prestigthat human rights, including human dignity, the equation ious Hong Kong Law Journal – has continued are intimately linked with integral human to be involved in doing something, ‘however development’. modest’, to develop the jurisprudence of ‘One ‘It is not just about power,’ he continCountry, Two Systems’ and advance the Rule of Law and huues. ‘It is essentially about justice in all its dimensions. It also man rights whilst continuing his private practice as head of a engages the responsibility that comes with freedom. As Emleading set of chambers in Hong Kong. manuel Levinas puts it: ‘But even if you are free, you are not The constitutional or public law cases he was involved in the absolute beginning. You come after many things and many as counsel include the landmark decision in the Ng Ka Ling people. You are not just free; you are bound to others beyond right-of-abode litigation which he won before the Court of Fiyour freedom. You are responsible for all. Your liberty is also nal Appeal. ‘Well, the Hong Kong Government, fearing a masfraternity.’’ sive influx of people claiming right of abode in Hong Kong, But did Denis’ experience of life at Netherhall have anythen promptly got the Standing Committee of the National thing to do with all these core values? ‘Believe it or not, quite

16 e NETHERHALL 60TH

Some of the Fiat Justitia editors in action, including Cecil Abraham (centre) and Foong Meng Chek (right)

Standing (l-r): Neil Pickering, Vincent Ang, Houshang Zaheri, Louis Ugarte, Carlos Gonzales Seated: (l-r): Guzman, Ian Carlson

a lot!’ he answers. He has always kept in touch with Netherhall throughout all these years and regards, with gratitude, his stay and the friendships he made there as hugely formative, helping him to nurture that love of justice and spirit of social service which would remain with him for life. Perched on a natural elevation above Finchley Road, he remembers Netherhall as a ‘higher ground for higher beginnings’ and ‘a home away from home’, two terms which Denis thinks apply particularly well to the hall.

Even now, Denis still cherishes his time at Netherhall as the setting for many a unique moment of his youth.

‘I was here from 1967 for over a year,’ he says with a nostalgic smile, ‘while I was studying for the Bar as a member of Lincoln’s Inn after gaining my first degree in Bristol on a Shell Scholarship’.

Indeed, most aspiring barristers must at some point come to London to receive vocational training, and Lincoln’s Inn is certainly fitting for a convert to Ca-

NETHERHALL 60TH e 17

A HIGHER GROUND FOR HIGHER BEGINNINGS tholicism like Denis whose intellectual and spiritual mentors include that great lawyer-martyr, Saint Thomas More.

A portrait of Thomas More now hangs in a prominent place in Denis’ set of Chambers. His daughter Veronica’s wedding party in England was held in the Old Hall of Lincoln’s Inn (where Thomas More used to have his offices).

It was the first time, Denis says, that a Chinese dinner had taken place there.

‘So the Man for All Seasons became a Man for All Seasonings’, he jokes.

Why did Denis choose Netherhall?

‘I don’t quite remember, actually’, he remarks. That is no surprise. It seems rather that some guiding hand chose him for Netherhall, where he, like so many others with a dream and a vision, was able to thrive. The journal, Fiat Justitia, started with Malaysian friends like Mah Weng Kwai, was an expression of this vision.

When asked what Netherhall’s greatest gift to him has been, he answers without hesitation that it is the three ‘F’s – Faith, Family and Friends.

Faith. Denis was formally baptised as a Catholic only two years before coming to Britain. The Christian life he found at Netherhall certainly gave him an environment for him to grow in his faith. Denis playfully says, ‘When I cannot sleep, I don’t count sheep. I count on the Shepherd.’ The unique atmosphere of peace Denis found at Netherhall has helped him to find peace in God throughout his life, even in the midst of enormous professional stress.

Family. Denis distinctly remembers Netherhall as resembling a huge and loving family, ‘like the mother Church which bonds together people from all walks of life’. The hall’s communal way of living has had a huge effect on people, not least on Denis. He has many fond memories indeed, particularly that of Dr Daz, another former resident: ‘He was an incredibly intelligent person, who spent every spare moment writing summations. We used to play chess together after dinner every evening.’ Just like family.

‘Of course, I always lost… except for our very last game. But I suspect he deliberately let me win that one!’

Friends. The rapports built and friendships made have all developed into

18 e NETHERHALL 60TH

Denis and Agnes Chang (seated, centre) preside over a reunion of Netherhall alumni in Hong Kong

lifelong ties, even though Denis had to move on and depart from Netherhall like everyone else. As Denis looks through the vintage photo albums, he points out each of the beaming young faces (some of whom have already passed on to the ‘better side’).

I was lucky to be given the chance of being more than just a passive witness to what could be said to be a defining moment in modern history ‘There’s Ian Carlson!’ (who became a well-respected judge in Hong Kong and is very much alive). ‘And there’s the Lord Chancellor of Fiji, who passed away… and of course Dr John Henry, who back in 2007 stopped his car by the roadside in London to respond to yet another ur-

gent long-distance call from me in Hong Kong for advice when Agnes was seriously ill as a result of a botched-up ‘routine’ operation; that was barely a week before we received the sad news that John Henry had unexpectedly died. Agnes fully recovered shortly afterwards and we are both eternally grateful to John Henry for all the help he gave in saving her life.’

To this day, Denis gathers with Netherhall’s alumni every October/November back in Hong Kong. Words can hardly express, Denis stresses, how Netherhall was much more than a place to live. It is very dear to his heart, ‘a place’, he says, ‘where you find Christian values, where people are respected as persons and where you can find the warmth of a family, not simply the things of the head but also of the heart, not just the things of the mind but also of the spirit; these are the things you find in Netherhall.’

The dignity of each and every person is thus not just a cliché or mantra that you recite. In Netherhall, as Denis puts it, ‘you personally experience what it means to be someone who has both a name and a face, one who is truly respected and loved as a person. It goes beyond the language of rights to that of unconditional gift’.

Through the decades...

THE SIXTIES

Fr Stephen Reynolds tells a story of great faith, some sleepless nights, and a racehorse called Ribero.

H

aving come to know Opus Dei during my university studies in Oxford, my first contact with Netherhall was teaching English there to foreign students during the summer vacations of 1961 and 1962. The hall then consisted of Nos.16 and 18 Netherhall Gardens, with spacious grounds including a tennis court, football pitch and volleyball court.

They were very enjoyable summers, made particularly special for me by the presence in London of St Josemaría Escrivá. He visited Netherhall on many occasions during those summer months and we had several get-togethers with him. It was during one of these meetings that he told us of plans to expand the residence by constructing new buildings in the gardens of Nos.16 and 18, and he showed us the plans. His great enthusiasm for the project was striking and contagious, but at the time it seemed to me to be very ambitious – if only from the point of view of financing such a project.

Little did I realise that two years later I would find myself involved with fundraising for it, as secretary to the Netherhall House Development Committee, a body made up of ‘big names’ from industry, politics (MPs from all the main parties), academia and trade unions, all of them keen to support this project to expand Netherhall’s capacity. With the backing of this committee we succeeded in getting a grant of £75,000 from the British Council under the government’s Overseas Student Welfare Expansion Programme, a scheme aimed at improving conditions for overseas students who were arriving in Britain in ever-increasing numbers.

We also secured a long-term loan of £275,000 from the then London County Council (LCC). This was judged sufficient to complete the building but left us with the task of repaying the capital and interest on the loan – approximately £19,500 (over £250,000 in today’s money) a year for the next 60 years! No mean task, especially as halls of residence for

Lester Piggott riding Ribero

students do not generate huge income.

The first step was to ask relatives and friends for covenanted donations. This prompted some very generous donations and, surprisingly, some of the most generous came from the less well-off. However, this still left a large sum to raise. We did have some success with donations from businesses and charitable trusts, but not enough. Fr Cormac Burke, regional vicar of Opus Dei and later chaplain of Netherhall, made a trip to the USA, where he had spent four years after his ordination, to see if he could raise money there.

The turning point came when he met the Engelhard family. Charles Engelhard was the millionaire head of Engelhard Industries. His wife Jane was a supporter of many charitable causes in the USA and elsewhere. She visited Netherhall House on one of her trips to London (where the family kept a permanent suite in Grosvenor House) and promised to help. But convincing her husband to make a substantial donation was not that simple –

presumably because she frequently asked him to give money to charitable causes.

But her opportunity came when her husband’s famous racehorse, Ribero, was due to run in the 1968 St Leger Stakes, ridden by Lester Piggott. If Ribero were to win it, Charles would likely be in a generous mood. The big day arrived and I recall a group of us watching the race on television. None of us had any knowledge of or interest in horse-racing, but we sat glued to the box. When Ribero, who took an early lead, was rapidly losing ground to the chasing horse in the final straight, we were sitting on the edge of our seats and roaring our support for him. He just managed to win by a head.

That night, so Jane told us later, Charles was so delighted that he promised her a gift of $20,000. She accepted on condition that the sum be given to Netherhall – and so it was that we secured the largest single donation.

Since the Netherhall House Development Committee members were too busy to give much of their time to rais-

NETHERHALL 60TH e 19

THE SIXTIES ing funds, we set up an informal group of younger enthusiastic professionals to help us. Denis Ryan (a former resident who had worked for BP) and Charles Tindal (working in the City) were the main movers, and they gathered together some of their friends from among the Chelsea set. They came up with the idea of holding an annual charitable ball in London. It ran for three years, the first being in the banqueting hall of Derry and Toms, a department store in High Street Kensington, which had an attractive roof garden. The next two were held in the Criterion in Piccadilly. On average some 250 people attended and we raised about £500 each time. The balls were great fun, and helped to publicise Netherhall and make many new friends.

From Rome St Josemaría followed every step of the project very closely.

When we wrote to tell him of the imminent start of the building works, he sent back a note saying, ‘Deo Gratias! (Thanks be to God!) 17-VI-64’.

Once the new buildings had been completed, we wanted to have an official opening. Who could we get to do it?

Someone suggested we ask the Queen.

This was considered too ambitious and even impossible. But we remembered that Sir Philip de Zulueta, who had been private secretary to Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and was a member of the Netherhall House Development Committee, was a close friend of one of Her Majesty’s equerries. Why not ask him to approach his friend? He very willingly obliged, and came back with the answer that it would be more appropriate to invite the Queen Mother, since she was not only Chancellor of London University but also took a great interest in the welfare of overseas students. This was a shrewd idea, and soon we got the fantastic news that Her Majesty had accepted.

The official opening was a great occasion, the Queen Mother as gracious and charming as ever. She toured the buildings – both Netherhall and Lakefield – meeting the residents and viewing an exhibition illustrating the work done in the residence, and then delivered an excellent speech to a packed auditorium filled with distinguished guests. This was followed by afternoon tea in the dining room,

20 e NETHERHALL 60TH

“

The first step was to ask relatives and friends for covenanted donations... surprisingly, some of the most generous came from the less well-off.

”

where we arranged for Her Majesty to sit ‘alone’ at a table with six residents, each one from a different country. She was delighted with this and proceeded to act, in her own words, as ‘mother’, pouring out the tea and offering them cakes and sandwiches. They were immediately put at ease by her naturalness and warmth, and chatted away until it was time for her to go. She actually overstayed the time allotted for the visit as she was feeling very much at home and took some persuading to leave by her equerry, Capt.

Sir Alistair Aird.

Despite all our efforts, it took a long time for us to repay the loans, and we had to resort to re-scheduling repayment of the LCC loan as well as asking for further ones. At the advice of a professional fund raising firm, we set up a trust made up exclusively of businessmen and bankers, hoping it would prove more effective in raising funds than the existing Development Committee which was much more broadly based and thought to be less persuasive in getting money from industry and the City. It did help in many ways. I recall going cap in hand with Joseph Sellers to ask our local bank manager for yet another loan, when we were already overdrawn well beyond the limit he had set.

It was a desperate move at a critical moment. He was about to refuse when Joseph told him about the newly formed Trust and showed him the list of trustees.

Top of the list was Sir George Bolton, a trustee of the Bank of England. That did the trick and without further ado he granted us what we asked for. Our lawyers, who were becoming quite concerned at our financial situation, were amazed at our ‘escape’ on this occasion and our ability to get loan after loan.

A special word of thanks must in justice go to two men who have helped Netherhall enormously. The first is Sir Bernard Audley, who supported us through thick and thin. A leading businessman, he was for many years chairman of the Netherhall Development Committee and the Netherhall House Trust. Although not a Catholic, he valued greatly the human values behind Netherhall and his faith in the project never wavered. He had a particular con-

“ Above: the construction of Phase 1 in full swing Left: (Fr) Ramon Dodero, architect of Phase 1, towards the beginning of construction in 1965 Centre: Sir Bernard Audley (1924-2008) Bottom: the finished product seen from behind

Our lawyers, concerned at our financial situation, were amazed at our ability to get loan after loan

”

cern for the welfare of students and believed that Netherhall’s approach was the best way to help them. As he said in 1995: ‘Netherhall is founded on a vision of Christian principles of tolerance and of understanding between people of different creeds and classes, traditions and cultures; and that is what you find in action in Netherhall’.

The second person deserving particular mention is George Taylor. He had a highly distinguished war record as a secret service officer but in his humility he hardly ever spoke of it. A very devout Catholic, he was without doubt one of our greatest supporters. He considered himself part of the Netherhall and even Opus Dei family – without being a member – and it was his friends who made up most of the Netherhall House Trust.

We were ready to take these risks because we were convinced that Netherhall was a project pleasing to God. Encouraged by St Josemaría’s faith in providence we knew that with hard work, a bit of daring and a lot of prayer the money would come, even if we had to sweat before it did!

Fr Stephen Reynolds was Director of Netherhall from 1970-74.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 21

THE SIXTIES Right: the Queen Mother chats to residents at the opening of the Phase 1 buildings in 1966. Fr Robert is to her right.

Opposite: other scenes from Her Majesty’s visit to Netherhall.

Fr Robert Farrell relives the frenetic preparations for a distinguished visitor in 1966

When the Queen Mum came to tea

T

he Queen Mother was coming the next day. The conference hall was not ready. The new building had just been ‘finished’ but the hall had not been carpeted and was covered with cement dust, and this was where the speeches were going to be delivered.

The man who was to lay the carpets had assured us that he would come at midnight. He did and got down to work right away. The carpets were laid and now we faced the task of removing the dust from the hundred or so black plastic covered seats.

All hands on deck. Lots of water and effort, and the job seemed done. But when the seats dried they were white! We had to wash them again - three times in all. By now it was about 4am and time for a bit of sleep. All the residents deserved a break.

The Queen Mother was received with due solemnity but she put everyone at ease with her charming manner. Her equerry, Capt. Sir Alistair Aird, had come the previous week to go over the various arrangements and insisted that we kept to the strict timetable which was printed out. After the speeches we all filed into the dining room for refreshments. The Queen Mother had tea at a separate table with some of the students.

22 e NETHERHALL 60TH

Just her and the students - no ladies-in-waiting. Because the time had overrun I approached the equerry who told me not to worry. When she was ready to go she would put her gloves on the table and her lady-in-waiting would then go over to her. I then spent my time with the 200 or so guests. However the equerry then came to me because the Queen Mother was not budging. A few minutes later the gloves appeared.

I asked her about the delay. She said that she was having a very interesting conversation. One of the very nice young students had asked her why she did not sell all the paintings in the royal collection and give the money to the poor. She said that on such a principle the buyer should do the same and so on until you would end up burning the pictures, which would not be very nice. Besides they were part of the national heritage, available for the public to see.

After a lot of preparation, with everyone helping out, the day went very smoothly. It was a fitting end to a lot of hard work but it was also a new beginning. We thank God for giving St Josemaría the vision to encourage the setting up of Netherhall House in those early years, with young men of all races and religions living in harmony. Long may that spirit continue.

Fr Robert Farrell was Director of Netherhall from 1965-67.

“

A home is a sure base from which it is possible to venture into the world, without fear of being lost in the wilderness

”

The Queen Mother’s speech at the opening of Phase I 1st November 1966

I

t is often said that we live in an age of challenge, and I find it inspiring to visit Netherhall House today, because this new building exemplifies the successful acceptance of such a challenge.

Despite all that the modern state provides by way of social service, there are still vital needs for which we must rely on private initiative if they are to be properly met. One such need is for residential accommodation for university students, especially those from overseas.

As Chancellor of the University of London, this need is a thing specially near to my heart. For London, with its unrivalled academic facilities, is a magnet which few can resist, and students flock here from all corners of the earth. Unfortunately, large cities can be unfriendly and inhospitable places until you get to know their ways. It is therefore particularly important that students who come here for the first time should find a home where they are sure of a welcome.

Mr. Audley has used the words ‘home’ and ‘family’ when speaking of Netherhall House, and this seems to express a vital element of your work here. The word ‘family’ immediately brings to mind the mutual respect and support, the sharing of interest and responsibilities, and the friendliness, which typify family life and which are indispensable to student life at its best. A home is a sure base from which it is possible to venture into the world, without fear of being lost in the wilderness - the base to which it is a joy and relief to return, and from which have grown the beliefs and standards which remain throughout one’s life. I cannot imagine a better place to foster such standards than Netherhall House, which is based on Christian traditions - above all on the tradition of service.

I am delighted to hear that those who enjoy the splendid facilities of this Centre are fully aware that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and are trying to share their talents and skills with those less fortunate than themselves. May all who live and work here be inspired to make some contribution to the societies in which they live, in whatever part of the world their chosen careers may lead them. In confident hope for the future of this enterprise, I have now much pleasure in declaring Netherhall House open.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 23

THE ROOTS OF CHARITY I

lyas Khan has already been interviewed for Netherhall News and the fact he merits a second mention is testimony to his importance as a former resident.

Ilyas grew up in the town of Accrington in Lancashire and that’s what his name is probably most associated with given his strong link with the town’s football club Accrington Stanley. Over the past twenty years he has spent more than £2 million on the club, including the footing of an unpaid £250,000 tax bill. After saving the club from bankruptcy in 2009 he became chairman in March 2011 to help however he could.

Although there have been some episodes of racial abuse at the club, there seems to be a true appreciation of Ilyas among Accrington Stanley’s followers. He acknowledges there is a long way to go yet, but explains it is a far cry from his childhood there in the 1970s, when he felt ashamed to bring his mother to a game when she was wearing traditional dress.

In spite of all of this, he claims, ‘I cannot adequately express in words the feeling and passion I have for the club and the town.’ It is therefore evidently a great loss to the team and the town that last month (May 2012) he stepped down as

24 e NETHERHALL 60TH

James Newman profiles a philanthropist and former resident who has never forgotten where he came from

chairman of the club, but he left saying, ‘I [am] honoured to have been able to help. I am now simply pleased that I have fulfilled exactly those objectives set out three years ago.’ It is a testament to him that he shows such loyalty to his roots and heritage, and that he still supports, not only nominally but financially as well, a club in which there are members who would disown him for his race.

His humble beginnings are key to Ilyas’ identity. The son of a bus driver, he grew up in Accrington during the 1970s and whilst contemplating a career in the armed services studied at SOAS, and lived in Netherhall in 1980-81. He then went on to become a merchant banker working for Schroders before moving to Hong Kong in 1989 and starting up his own business as well as founding the first ever school there for autistic children.

Born into an Islamic Kashmiri family, it was a big step for him when he converted from Islam to Catholicism, a step in which, he says, his time at Netherhall was very influential. He told the Catholic Register that he did not consider converting whilst here, but seeing ‘living examples of a wonderfully spiritual faith’ in Netherhall bred in him a devotion to prayer.

“

The real success of this charity comes not only from a genuine desire to help those most in need, but more specifically from the uniquely efficient use of money enabled by the business mind of its chairman.

”

During his time in Hong Kong, the appeal of the Church grew and eventually he saw the Catholic faith as his calling.

This has not always been an easy path given the hostile views of some who resent his conversion. Yet despite this, he does not pay them much attention and refuses to let his life be ‘governed by fear or undue caution.’

Throughout his life, Ilyas has tried to give something back to the community. Among the foremost of his charitable ventures is his patronage of Leonard Cheshire Disability, one of the largest charities in the country, of which he is now the chairman. Given that the founder Leonard Cheshire was from Lancashire, it is fitting that a philanthropist with such a strong and fond affiliation to his home there should become the helmsman of this flagship organisation.

The charity now has more than 30,000 volunteers in over 50 countries, continuing the legacy first started by the then Group Captain in 1948 as a response to how the Second World War had affected him. Currently operating over 105 day centres, Leonard Cheshire Disability is the largest charity for the disabled worldwide. It provides services to the most and least developed countries across the globe, helping in whichever way best benefits a specific country’s needs.

In more developed nations it supports government initiatives for the disabled, from work placements and skill development, to hobbies and social care. In less developed countries the charity focuses more on the provision of basic care including schools for the disabled. In Spain, Leonard Cheshire Disability is the first choice for disabled care.

The real success of this charity comes not only from a genuine desire to help those most in need, but more specifically from the uniquely efficient use of money enabled by the business mind of its chairman. Of every £1 given to them, 91p is spent on the frontline, an achievement which almost

Group Captain Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire

no other charity can compete with. It is this knowledge and assurance that the money finds its way to the right places that inspires such big donations from individual benefactors and corporations alike. Ilyas fully understands the importance of transparency and efficiency in these matters to encourage the continued funding that the charity receives.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2009, Ilyas was asked what he brought to the position of Chairman of Leonard Cheshire. He responded, first, energy and then enthusiasm and belief in the cause are likewise needed to keep up and ahead. He also admits that from his background in banking he is fortunate enough to have a network of useful contacts from Hong Kong to New York, beneficial for everything from publicity to fundraising. He wants to build up the organisation for the next twenty five years, using money from hedge funds and Indian and Chinese enterprises.

When asked what made him return to the UK after two decades in Hong Kong, his response (in the same interview) was simple: ‘The pull of raising a family here. I’m from Lancashire; I think we owe it to the younger Muslim kids not to lose a new generation.’ This shows that in a career spanning the globe, being involved in business and charity alike, as a millionaire entrepreneur and heading up the £1 billion Leonard Cheshire charity, he still feels in contact with his roots and proud to call Lancashire his home.

It is a reminder to all of us that whatever we may achieve in life, where we have come from is important, as is loyalty to that which has been good to us. Ilyas Khan exemplifies this and has frequently professed the beneficial influence that Netherhall and Catholicism have had on his life.

James Newman is in his fourth year studying Medicine at Queen Mary’s College, London. It is his first year in Netherhall.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 25

Play’s the thing

The

A veteran of Netherhall theatre, Archan Boonyanan reveals how house plays have fostered a sense of community 26 e NETHERHALL 60TH

I

n his book Year-Round Royal Ceremonies, King Rama V of Thailand observed that a birthday should be marked and celebrated. As a person’s life comes again to a full circle without serious incidents in that year, it can be an occasion to gain merit by offering food to monks as well as doing good for the better of society. For Netherhall House, the opportunities for doing good are not limited to its 60th birthday. As a research student who lived in the house’s laptop room more than in an office or library at university, I had enough time on my hands to come up with some plausible ways to do so.

Meeting with one of the directors is the first time that students looking for a place to stay can see and share goodness with others. This chat opens to the prospective resident some of the possibilities for sharing which life in the hall offers.

While each student has a unique agenda to pursue his own dream, my own experience was that it is the well-organised events like productions of plays by the Netherhall House Theatre Company that help to bring residents together as a community. Personal meaning and identity can also be positively developed by working with others.

It was probably the management’s ability to match the extensive contributions required by a play to the various types of skills from among the pool of talented residents that made Netherhall’s productions a success. The four (4!) productions that I was involved with as a producer and set designer were The Real Inspector

Opposite (from l-r): David Wyatt, Pablo Hinojo, Philipp Wirtz & Joshua Kassanis in The Government Inspector (2008) This page top: The cast of The Real Inspector Hound (2004).

Standing (from l-r): Andy Hughes, Peter Brown, Archan Boonyanan, Oskari Juurikkala, Dilip Bassi, Damien Morley.

Seated (l-r): Stephen Jones, Dhiren Suares, Robert Devlin, Mark Children, Adrian D’Oliveira. Prostrate: Charlie Strinati This page middle: Archan Boonyanan, Alfredo Meneses, Stephen Termini This page bottom: A Christmas Carol (2001) with Richard Sear as Scrooge, Pedro Fortuny & Ed Holloway as Ghost of Christmas past

NETHERHALL 60TH e 27

“

Even though producing and working on a play set was initially just for fun, a few productions later I realised that involvement in the play had developed a new personal meaning for me.

”

Mrs Devlin applies make-up to Jean Raphael Lapluye as he gets into character as Scrooge’s old flame Belle in A Christmas Carol (2001)

Hound in 2004, A Christmas Carol in 2007, The Government Inspector in 2008 and The Imaginary Invalid in 2010. I saw, as Peter Brown clearly put it in Netherhall News March 2010, that people from different places were voluntarily bossed around for something worthwhile. It was not only the play that slowly took shape to tell a story by creating representational illusion. A feeling of community on both the acting and production sides was also quickly developed in those intensive six weeks from casting and set design to the final night. Collaboration in buying some stage props or putting up a set piece was an opportunity to learn about people’s characters and to deal with their hidden flaws and talents. I recall to this day a trip to a fancy dress shop in Cambridge Circus with a theatre aficionado looking for a hairpiece for Lady Muldoon!

Even though producing and working on a play set was initially just for fun, a few productions later I realised that involvement in the play had developed a new personal meaning for me. Conveniently scheduled to suit my rather lonely quest for a research degree, all the play-related missions became more than just pastime activities. Audition, casting, early read-through sessions, rehearsals and set building were opportunities to better understand and manage my relationship with other like-minded cast and crew,

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Now that it has been built, Archan and his team try to figure out how to get the set for The Government Inspector through the doors of the auditorium! From l-r: Archan Boonyanan, Kevin Gouder, Kamil Oliesjuk, Jorge Aguirre, Pablo Cobreros

former residents who came to lend their hands and a few other specialists too.

As a result of progressive negotiation of meaning, our sense of self-identity also developed. In my case, better recognising my position as producer and the associated expectation significantly helped me to deal more effectively with any difficulties in living and studying in a foreign land.

I believe the audience as well as people behind the scenes were equally entertained and even educated by our plays. Moreover, the experience of being involved with Netherhall productions, nice signed posters on the auditorium entrance wall aside, confirm my personal belief that the complexity of people’s connections deserves to be recognised as the key to

Netherhall News

a bi-monthly basi Bobchinsky thl magazine i Above: Pablo Hinojo sporting a very handsome moustache in The Government Inspector (2008)

a mission’s success. Younger generations should be further encouraged to work together practically as a team to learn and develop their full potential.

Below: Joshua Kassanis (Dobchinsky) and Sam Brawn (The Mayor) await with fear the inspector’s arrival London, January 2009 Issue 26

Even though my current line of work as a lecturer and researcher in the Faculty of Architecture and Planning in Thailand’s Thammasat University is focussed on different and highly specific areas, one of the topical issues in the built environment industry is how teamwork can improve results. My hope is that I can pass on the lessons I learned from my time in Netherhall to encourage my students to further strengthen relationships and restore harmony in our highly divisive society.

So, come on, Mr. Brown, what about our next play? Or (given the theme of this article): Please, sir, can we have some more!

Archan Boonyanan is a university lecturer in his native Thailand. He was a resident at Netherhall from 1996-98 and from 2003-10

You better not shout, cry or poutNETHERHALL 60TH The Government Inspector is coming to town

e 29

Through the decades...

THE SEVENTIES

The middle of the decade saw the passing of St. Josemaría, Jim Mirabal remembers

A group photo from the 1970s including five Netherhall Directors.

(From l-r): John Henry, Fr Dick Stork, (Fr) Robert Farrell, (Fr) Bernard Marsh, Jim Mirabal, Fr Philip Sherrington.

I

was (a very young!) director of Netherhall between 1974 and 1977. This was naturally a wonderful experience which I remember fondly, if sometimes inaccurately, due to the experience of meeting so many residents and visitors to the house.

My time included that very special year when the Founder of Opus Dei died. I am sure that in the years since then many of us have come to the conclusion that we never appreciated at the time what it meant to have lived through a period in which he was guiding the activities of Opus Dei. We knew the Father was a wonderful person and Netherhall House was the way it was because of him. He was living in Rome, he cared for us, and we were able to visit him during those marvellous Rome trips each Easter which had started in 1968. But of course we, or certainly I, didn’t really appreciate what we had.

So, of course, I do remember the day, 26th June 1975. It had been a normal

30 e NETHERHALL 60TH

sort of day in the house. That evening Matthew, a school friend of mine (also like me celebrating his 60th birthday this year) came to dinner. I was called to the phone, smiled and thought to myself, ‘What now?’ On the line was Clive Ashby a former resident, then in Spain. ‘Have you heard the news about the Father?’

In those days communication, even electronic, was slow and unreliable. St Josemaría had died around midday. That afternoon messages had been sent out around the world but, as unbelievable as it may seem today, it was only in the late evening that I received the confirmed message from the regional directors of Opus Dei: ‘... now is the time to be faithful!’

A few days later Netherhall’s International Summer Course started with its usual classes, cultural visits and gettogethers – indeed, along with regular sports, the International Summer Course became a regular point in the yearly cycle. The life of the house however was also full of visitors coming for memorial

Masses, to pay tribute and also asking people to write down what they remembered of St Josemaría so that nothing would be lost which could be used if the Church were to decide to open the process for his canonisation.

The Netherhall website says that St Josemaría ‘personally encouraged the setting up of [the house] after several summers spent in Britain.’ I have always thought that this was a massive understatement as so many aspects of Netherhall and other centres came from him.

He once wrote: ‘You should behave as if it all depended on you: whether the atmosphere in your place of work is to be one of hard work, cheerfulness, presence of God.’ That a priest should mention the last point is hardly surprising – but Netherhall is a living demonstration of the first two. The cleanliness, attention to detail, companionship and birthday celebrations were practical suggestions of his. Those of us involved with the running of the House know the atmosphere

“

The cleanliness, attention to detail, companionship and birthday celebrations were practical suggestions of St Josemaría.

Those of us involved with the running of the House know the atmosphere was not something we invented but something we learned from him

”

Residents in the lounge of Netherhall in the late 1970s.

(From l-r): Santi Eguidazu (RIP), Javier Castañon, Jack Valero

NETHERHALL 60TH e 31

THE SEVENTIES Right: Sailosi Kepa & Godfrey Kassim Owango (both are now deceased) Below: On a walk during a reading party at Wickendon Manor in April 1971 (From l-r): Atul Radia, Godfrey Owango, Bashir Virgi

was not something we invented but something we learned from him.

St JosemarĂ­a also spoke of filling the world with pieces of paper talking about the love of God, brotherhood and sharing experiences. He may not have imagined it would be done as it is done today with the electronic dissemination of Netherhall News but the dream has certainly come true.

What other things do I remember?

Whilst I was at Netherhall, there were a large number of residents from Commonwealth countries. This has changed now as local university provision has developed. We had regular meetings with the British Council who had sponsored the 1960s building project. Some names which my poor memory allows me to recall include Lars Nilsen, Louis and Felix Ta, Gerardo Camera, Augustine Boon, Thomas Poh, Bruce from Iran with the flash car, and Hamid Abachi.

One notable moment came in 1976 when Professor John Henry had his kidney transplant operation. For years he had to have overnight dialysis using equipment installed in his bedroom. Miraculously, a perfect-match kidney became available which enabled him to live another thirty years of moderately normal life as a key Netherhall (and media) personality.

Jim Mirabal was Director of Netherhall from 1974-77. He is now Secretary of the Netherhall Educational Association.

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Below (l-r, from centre): Felix Ta, John Henry, (Fr) Michael Chan.

Fr Bernard Marsh writes in: “I was in Netherhall in the early 1970s as a resident, and then I was director from autumn 1977 until September 1983. During that time I recall the death of Fr Michael Richards, who had himself been a hall director before his ordination as a priest. After that he was Catholic Chaplain at Bangor University for numerous years.

Upon his death, his body was kept in wake overnight in the residence, which was very moving. We also celebrated the hall’s 25th anniversary, which did much to promote a good spirit of service and involvement among the residents of the time. It was in that period that we started daily get-togethers - which was what really made things start to buzz a bit (even if they were not very well organised!).”

Below: Residents celebrating Netherhall’s 25th Anniversary. (From l-r): Alfonso Bonilla, (Fr) Bernard Marsh, Jim Mirabal, Jojo Mariano, Wency Faria

NETHERHALL 60TH e 33

THE MAN’S GOT SEOUL How a former Netherhall resident transformed an eyesore into a must-see and made his city a better place to live in. Simon Jared reports.

U

ntil In Keun Lee got to work on it, the Cheonggye overpass was a huge, ugly highway which carried around 170,000 vehicles a day and was becoming increasingly polluted. Built between 1958 and 1977 to cover the Cheong Gye Cheon river, it was quite simply an eye-sore.

But between 2003 and 2005 Dr Lee, as Deputy Mayor of Seoul, oversaw a major project to remove the overpass and transform the area into one which enhances the beauty of the South Korean capital. The aim was to restore the river and the surrounding area, which was suffering from a drop in the population and employment rate. The results have been spectacular. It has now become a pleasant place to meet and stroll, thus improving the quality of life for the city’s population, and assisting the economy particularly through an increase in tourism.

The project has received praise from various American cities for its ecological success, even though this was not the project’s primary purpose. ‘The ecological benefits were not our intention,’ he explains. ‘Our intention was to get rid of the overpass and to reduce traffic; the ecology was a bi-product, a result.’ Since the renovations, however, the fish species

34 e NETHERHALL 60TH

diversity has quadrupled and the insect species diversity has increased six-fold. There has also been a considerable decrease in noise pollution, and the removal of the overpass has created a wind channel which helps in reducing the temperature of the surrounding area.

The enormous project involved a staggering 40,000 meetings (that is, once the decision had been made to undertake it) and a total cost of $386m. The project was funded by the city council and initially drew criticism from the Seoul media which argued that removing the Cheonggye overpass would clog up the surrounding streets because of the sheer number of cars which used it daily.

But as Dr Lee explains: ‘We invested a lot into public transport, in particular the underground trains and the buses.

Also it has made the area a lot friendlier for pedestrians, so the traffic has not really been a problem.’

In Keun Lee first came to Netherhall in 1985 to begin studying for a PhD in Civil Engineering at City University, London. His two years spent living in the house – room 213, as he nostalgically recalls – still provide fond memories:

The Cheon Gye Cheon river area before (left) and after (right) the $386m redevelopment overseen by In Keun Lee.

‘One thing I cannot forget is a tour to the continent in September 1986 organised by Andrew Hegarty. I was the only foreigner among the British. We visited Brussels, Louvain, Strasbourg, Salzburg and Vienna for two weeks. We attended the inauguration of the Archbishop of Vienna and were invited to a reception hosted by Austrian President, Kurt Waldheim.

We had packed lunches in the Viennese woods with bottles of wine.’

He describes his time at Netherhall as ‘the best time of my life.’

Dr Lee was also a regular visitor to the hall during another two-year period living in North Finchley with his wife, Theresa, who was studying at the Royal Academy of Music and On the Netherhall front steps. (From l-r): Andrew Hegarty, Pravin Thevathasan, (Fr) Paul Diaper, Nick Thomas, In Keun Lee. who would sometimes accompany the organ at Easter and Christmas Mass in their parish church.

The years spent studying for his PhD, awarded in 1991, have served Dr Lee well throughout a remarkable career with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Major positions he has held include Director for Subway Planning and Design, Director for Engineering Review, Director for Urban Planning of Seoul, as well as his role overseeing the above-mentioned Cheong Gye Cheon Restoration Project.

He retired from his position in the government at the end of 2011, marking 32 years in public service, and now holds a Visiting Professorship at the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Seoul.

During a visit to London in 2009 to receive a prestigious civil engineering award, Netherhall was an obligatory port of call for him (and the colleagues he brought with him!). During his visit he found time both to reminisce with and tease hall director Peter Brown who had been just another resident like him back in the 1980s. Indeed, perhaps it is because he is such a human person himself that Dr In-Keun Lee has been able to make Seoul a more human place.

Simon Jared (2009-11) is studying for a Master’s in Shakespeare Studies at King’s College London and Shakespeare’s Globe.

“

The area has now become a pleasant place to meet and stroll, thus improving the quality of life for the city’s population, and assisting the economy particularly through an increase in tourism

NETHERHALL 60TH e 35

36 e NETHERHALL 60TH

The Thunder from down-under, Sergio Maresca, explains what he learned from life at Netherhall in his own inimitable style.

Dear Netherhall, Congratulations from Australia on your 60th Anniversary celebrations. I am just one of your thousands of former residents whose life was irreversibly changed for the better by being exposed to ‘The Netherhall Experience!’

Before you, I was a wild rebel without a cause.

After you, I became a Wild Rebel With A Cause!

My ‘cause’ became the passion to build an oasis in the middle of the big desert, the world of big business where each day you either do lunch, or you are lunch!

I won’t single out any of the ‘very special coaches’ and former residents who took me ‘off the bench’ and ‘accepted’ me to ‘play’ on the team,

NETHERHALL 60TH e 37

whether it was allowing me to stay in Netherhall in the first place, or Sunday morning soccer matches on Hampstead Heath, or satirical revues in the downstairs lounge, or consistently giving me very wise counsel, when I was ‘lost and confused and out-of-control!’ To name their names and what each ‘very special coach’ did for me would take a book.

An even bigger book would recount some of the escapades that some of the more rebellious of us residents got up to, scaling walls and climbing back into the residence in the middle of the night! And one day, it will be another of my books!

From l-r: Hassan Mostafavi, unknown, Angelo Strinati, Anu Patel & Sergio with his trademark pin-stripe, even then!

So What Did You Teach Me, Netherhall?

The answer is that you managed to teach me, ANYWAY! in spite of my at times intellectual arrogance and disruptive behaviour!

‘Please Explain!’ I hear the reader say.

Well, I will!

The Good you do today will probably be forgotten tomorrow. Do good, ANYWAY! What may have taken you years and years to build, whether a relationship, a child, or a business, can suddenly be destroyed overnight.

Build, ANYWAY! Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank, ANYWAY! When you know that your body is the Temple of The Holy Spirit, and you keep saying no to sexual promiscuity and drug taking, then some of your peers will ridicule you, and make you feel very uncomfortable. Keep saying no to sexual promiscuity and drug taking, ANYWAY!

Ever the (serious) joker. Sergio in his Netherhall days.

It was only between you and God!

If you forgive and love people when they hurt and betray you, then you run the risk that some of them may take advantage of your kindness.

Never again allow them to take advantage of your kindness and love and forgive them ANYWAY!

Interpret the word ‘God’ in the way that you feel the most comfortable.

Give the world the best you’ve got, and you’ll probably get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you’ve got, ANYWAY!

And now that you’ve heard it!

Go and do it! Before it’s too late!!

Because you see – in the final analysis, my friend, It never was between you and them, ANYWAY!

Sergio Carlo Maresca (1969-74) is an internationally acclaimed motivational speaker. He has been a keen supporter and generous critic of Netherhall News since its inception.

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And all those people who say that it can’t be done should now get out of the way of those of us who are already doing it!

TAKING THE RISK OF FREEDOM Chaplain Fr Joseph Evans argues that seeking truth through open discussion is at the heart of the Netherhall experience.

L

ast February, British cabinet minister and co-chairman of the Conservative Party Baroness Sayeeda Warsi addressed the Vatican’s Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in a speech of extraordinary significance for a whole series of reasons. The Baroness was leading a government delegation to Rome to mark the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Britain and the Holy See, and gave this landmark address to the Academy, a body which trains the Catholic Church’s diplomats.

Warsi, a Muslim herself and minister of a country ever more affected by the secularisation sweeping across the European continent, affirmed clearly that ‘Europe needs to become more confident in its Christianity’. At a time when any religious believer claiming to hold the truth risks being labelled as a fanatic, Warsi insisted: ‘People need to feel stronger in their religious identities, more confident in their beliefs. In practice this means individuals not diluting their faith, and nations not denying their religious heritage’.

Warsi complained of ‘suspicion of faith in our continent, where signs of religion cannot be displayed or worn in government buildings, where states won’t fund faith schools, and where faith is sidelined, marginalised and downgraded’. This stems from a ‘basic misconception: that somehow to create equality and space for minority faiths and cultures we need to erase our majority religious heritage’. The minister argued, however, that ‘the societies we are, the cultures we’ve created, the values we hold and the things we fight for’ all stem from ‘centuries of Christianity’. Quoting the Pope, she talked of the ‘unrenounceable Christian roots of [our] culture and civilisation’. And she concluded this idea with a beautiful comparison: ‘You cannot and should not erase these Christian foundations from the evolution of our nations any more than you can or should erase the spires from our landscapes’. She spoke out against both the dumbing down of religious belief in the name of inter-religious dialogue and the efforts by ‘secularist intolerance’ to push faith out of the public domain.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 39

Yet confidence in one’s faith, the Baroness insisted, should not lead to intolerance towards others and their convictions. Rather, she argued, it is only such confidence – standing secure in one’s beliefs, not watering them down – which makes true openness of heart and mind possible. ‘Being sure of who you are,’ she told the aspiring diplomats, ‘is the only way in which you will be more accommodating of others (…) True confidence has the power to guarantee openness, because only when you’re content in your own identity, only when you realise that the ‘Other’ does not jeopardise who you are, can you truly accept and not merely tolerate the presence of difference’. Or to put it in my own words, only when you stand secure on the rock of truth do you have the firmness and balance to support others.

If I quote the Baroness here it is because I believe so much of what she said in that speech applies so perfectly to life at Netherhall, which, confident in its Catholicism (and for this reason), has always been fully and joyfully open to people of all creeds or none.

This is what we have been trying to live ever since the hall first opened in 1952, for this is the spirit we learnt from the Founder of Opus Dei, St Josemaría Escrivá. It is also what Pope Benedict XVI has been insisting on from the beginning of his pontificate. Affirming truth is the friend and foundation, not the enemy, of community life. Escrivá would speak to non-Catholics, with his Aragonese bluntness but also his Spanish warmth and wit, as he did once to a Methodist woman in Brazil in 1974: ‘My daughter, I will ask Our Lord to grant you my faith because – and don’t get angry with me – yours is not the true one. I would lay down my life a hundred times to defend the freedom of your conscience; so we would be great friends if I lived here. But, of course, I fully believe that I am in possession of the true faith; if not, I wouldn’t go about dressed in this ‘umbrella’ ’ (a joking reference to the cassock he was wearing).

To which Pope Benedict would surely add that the conviction of the truth of one’s faith has to be based, certainly, on prayer and lived experience of it, but also on reason, on study, on the rigorous and determined pursuit of truth, with the full exercise of the intellect and openness to philosophy, theology and also the human

40 e NETHERHALL 60TH

“

Pushing others too hard towards God is in fact a failure to appreciate His power, as if somehow you have to do what God alone cannot.

”

sciences. Without this, to go back to my example, one does not stand on rock – with both firm footing and flexibility to offer others a warm embrace – but one becomes rigidly rock-like, as do fundamentalists, petrified in one’s ignorance and the weak grasp of a few poorly assimilated half-truths. Or, at the other extreme and to change the metaphor, one ends up a leaf tossed around by the fashionable ideologies of the day.

As the Holy Father said, and the Baroness quoted him, in that historic speech in Westminster Hall, here in Britain in September 2010, ‘the world of secular rationality and the world of religious belief (…) need one another and should not be

afraid to enter into a profound and ongoing dialogue, for the good of our civilisation’. It is the dialogue between faith and reason.

Residents who have passed through Netherhall over the years have always found in it that same open dialogue, whether they be Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, or even nonbelievers. The hall is up-front in its Catholicism, convinced of its truth, but determined never to impose this on others, sensitive to the values and ideas students bring with them, whatever their religious background. Hence Netherhall has become a true melting-pot for intellectual and cultural exchange, but also a space where young people can learn from, and be inspired by, the lived-out faith of others – even those of other creeds. This is not to say that all expressions of religious belief are necessarily true, but commitment, love and piety impress in whatever way they are expressed. Furthermore, differences can be respected and discussed and thus become themselves further pathways to explore the truth.

More than asking why Netherhall takes the risk of freedom, the question is really why Netherhall must take it. The answer is two-fold and includes a principal reason and a secondary one. The principal one is that God took, and continues to take, this very same risk. From the dawn of history God has issued an invitation of love to mankind, inviting a free response, because He wants love, not mere submission, sons and friends, not slaves. Sometimes, perhaps often, religious leaders, Catholics too, have forgotten this but St Josemaría never did.

And this leads us to the secondary reason: freedom has always been essential to the spirit which Escrivá received from God so it has to be essential to the spirit of Netherhall. We are unashamedly open in our desire for the young people in our hall to respond to God, but people can only respond to Him freely. For some of you reading this, the hall oratory was a key space in your time with us. You went there often to re-focus, to find peace, to seek answers and meaning in God. For others among you, perhaps the only time you set foot in the oratory was when you were first shown around the residence.

God was present in the hall but each one was left free to search for Him – or not – in his own way.

The Netherhall group during the Pope’s visit to Britain in September 2010

In her Vatican speech, Warsi described faith ‘as a river that changes its appearance according to the bed on which it flows, the river reflecting the colour and the texture of the bed’. What gave her confidence to practise her faith as a British Muslim ‘was that my country – the bed over which the river of my faith flowed – had a strong Christian identity’. I think many young men have found in Netherhall a Catholic riverbed over which their own faith could comfortably flow.

There’s a story famous in Opus Dei lore of a father who took his son to apply to stay at one of the first ever student residences founded by St Josemaría. The father explained that he had brought the boy there for Escrivá to ‘control’ him, youth being a difficult period. Rather than agreeing, the Founder of Opus Dei answered bluntly that he must have come to the wrong house because in this one nobody ‘controlled’ anybody, and he concluded by giving the poor, bemused man a lecture on the importance of freedom!

Some people associate fanaticism and the coerciveness which accompanies it with an excess of faith, but to me these seem rather symptoms of a lack of it.

Pushing others too hard towards God is in fact a failure to appreciate His power, as if somehow you have to do what God alone cannot. I would say rather, if you

believe in God, you believe in the action of God. Certainly, a Christian will feel an inner need to witness to the joy he or she has found in Christ. At Netherhall we have never been shy to talk of God and to share our belief that Jesus truly is the one Saviour of the world. But the seed of faith is planted in others through prayer, example, the witness of joy, and yes, calm conversation with those interested. This has always been our approach in Netherhall. Coercion is not our way. The nervous anxiety to proselytise – understood in its negative sense – which one sees in some religious believers is in fact a failure to understand that, as St Paul put it, ‘neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth’. At Netherhall we plant seeds but we must leave it to the Lord to make them bear fruit.

Elsewhere in this edition, Fr Dick talks of St Josemaría’s very practical suggestion to the first directors of Netherhall to ask the domestic staff deliberately to trample on and pour coffee over an early wall-hanging they had made for the residence to make it look older and more used. That hanging contained the words which are Netherhall’s motto, ‘Frater qui adiuvatur a fratre, quasi civitas firma’ (a brother helped by a brother is like a walled city). It was the wallhanging which needed trampling on, not the brothers – the hall residents – it

referred to. Indeed, the Founder of Opus Dei would encourage his spiritual children to lay themselves down like a carpet (metaphorically, of course) so that others could tread softly. By the grace of God, those Opus Dei members associated with Netherhall over the years have tried to do just that and this has contributed to Netherhall’s unique atmosphere, making it truly a home away from home.

Let me finish with a final anecdote, also related to our Founder. At the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 the saint returned to Madrid. As soon as he could he went to visit the Ferraz residence, the first students’ residence he had opened.

Bombing had reduced it to rubble. The only thing he found there, very well preserved, was the framed parchment of the text of some words of Jesus which had been hung in that house. They were the Mandatum Novum, the New Commandment given to us by Our Lord calling on us to love one another as He had loved us. Escrivá later laid down that the words of this commandment should preside over every library or study room in every Opus Dei centre. The saint understood that what really makes a home are not bricks and mortar but love of God and others.

Netherhall will continue to be Netherhall as long as we follow that Commandment.

Please pray we always do.

Fr Joseph Evans has been Netherhall Chaplain since 2002.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 41

Through the decades...

THE EIGHTIES

A

ndrew Hegarty’s memories of his first few weeks at Netherhall’s helm are intimately linked to the house’s boiler room. He had just taken over from Bernard Marsh who stayed on a while to show him the ropes but seemed naturally – as a good engineer – to gravitate to this area whenever he could, obliging Andrew to descend to the depths of the earth to hunt him out for advice. As an historian and classicist it was not his natural habitat…

But more than boilers, Andrew remembers people, some of whom remain particularly engraved in his mind. He recalls, among those from overseas, Mark Yeo, a Singaporean then in London (and Netherhall) doing Bar exams. Mark is now Executive Council Member of the Paris Gallery Dubai, the leading luxury retailer in the Middle East with over 40 outlets across the region. He keeps in touch with the Netherhall family via Neil Pickering.

Then there was Ali Rahman, a particularly warm and friendly Pakistani Muslim, who made a real effort to make newcomers welcome. Andrew also remembers a number of memorable Korean and Greek residents.

A strong British contingent in those years included Matthew Vaughton, Nick Ash, (the very political) Philip Groves, William Nolan (now Senior Tutor of Robinson College, Cambridge), and David Morris, a Scot doing advanced work in speech therapy. (David has gone on to co-found Chatting Independently, a charity to help disabled people who also use communication aid systems.)

The Hegarty years were also marked by various interesting academic visitors of a more mature age including Professors Joon Eng Chua from Singapore and Carlos Bastero from Spain. (The latter went on to be from 1993 to 2008 Head of the School of Engineering in San Sebastian, an initiative which is a corporate undertaking of Opus Dei.) In this category there was also Jacob Kaimenyi from Kenya and his compatriot David Sperling who was working for a PhD. in

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Boilers, Brussels and the ebullient Bill Boardman are among Andrew Hegarty’s recollections from his time as director

“

After the European parliament we went to see the real Europe: Aachen and Vienna

”

African history at SOAS. He had been founding Principal at Strathmore College in Nairobi, Kenya, the first multiracial school in the country, and also an initiative promoted by Opus Dei members. He was subsequently very much involved in Strathmore University, which developed out of the school. He is currently Research Professor and Senior Research Fellow in the Strathmore Governance Centre.

Andrew’s time was also marked by some leading guest speakers from the world of industry and finance, some of whom became hall patrons. These included Sir Michael Caine (now deceased but Chairman then of the Booker food company); Sir Robert Clark (Chairman then of Hill Samuel Merchant Bank); and Sir Trevor Holdsworth (Chairman, GKN

Dr Andrew Hegarty with Joey Poh

Mark Yeo with Carlo Talacchi

Engineering company, also now deceased).

Another feature of those years was the unavoidable shrinking in numbers as 18 Netherhall Gardens gradually became unusable due to structural instability and subsidence: by the end of Andrew’s period as director capacity was down to around 50. At this time too, therefore, the first steps were taken to seek planning permission for new buildings and to start fundraising. When Andrew stepped down as Director he remained heavily involved, alongside Neil Pickering, in these two endeavours. He recalls with gratitude two of our then local councillors, Ron King and Kathleen Mainds, who were particularly supportive.

An especially fond memory for Andrew was the 1986 summer trip to ‘see Europe’, which began with Brussels and

Netherhall residents from Andrew’s time on roof garden. Seated & visible (from l-r): Jacob Kaimenyi, Bill Boardman, Paul Horrigan James Avery, Stephen Boyes, Carlo Talacchi.

Standing (from l-r): Richard Jan, Mark Yeo, Christian Imark, Edward Chiang, John Black

From l-r: Andrew Gilbert, David Exon, Nick Ash

Dr Andrew Hegarty was Director of Netherhall from 1983-88.

He is currently Director of the Thomas More Institute, which is housed in part of the Phase II building complex

Strasbourg to benefit from an EEC grant. The Strasbourg leg involved attending a session of the European Parliament and then ‘a slap-up lunch at a local restaurant paid for ultimately out of our taxes’, Andrew quips, ever the Euro-sceptic. With these formalities out of the way, he says, ‘We went to see the real Europe’: Aachen (with the cathedral-burial place of Charlemagne) and Vienna (where part of the programme was a student conference addressed by Cardinal Koenig).

Andrew recalls fondly the ‘Bill Boardman fan club’, with Luis Zaldua and Willy Wilkinson as founder members – guaranteed to laugh manically at all Bill’s jokes. Willy is now Principal Lecturer at the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics at the University of Brighton.

Final words of appreciation from Andrew go out to Arthur Gibson, our maintenance manager at the time, and the formidable but much-loved and respected Bursar, Val Morrissey.

Edwin Lambert looked after our garden ably supported by his wife who was equally gifted with green fingers – she would come in to work when Edwin was sick. All are now deceased.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 43

CAMPUS HERO

T

he University of Nairobi is the largest in Kenya and among the top ten universities in Africa. Its history dates back to 1956, but it became an independent institution in 1970 when the University of East Africa split up. It currently boasts a student body of over twenty thousand. And a former Netherhall resident is to a good extent responsible for them all.

I phoned the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs and father of five, Professor Jacob Kaimenyi, to seek an insight into the university, his life and the role that Netherhall played in it.

During the academic year 1985-6 he was studying in London and residing in Netherhall, which, at the time, was directed by, ‘…a tall man [who] smoked a lot - he’s probably dead now.’ I was pleased to inform Professor Kaimenyi that Andrew Hegarty is very much alive.

In his thirties at the time, Jacob had under his belt a Bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery from the University of Nairobi and a Masters in Dental Surgery from the University of Mangalore in India. He was also a consultant Periodontologist and Senior Dental Officer in the Kenyatta National Hospital.

Given his already broad educational background, being elected to a Medical Fellowship in St. Guy’s Hospital and therefore studying in London allowed him to expand his cultural and educational horizons further still.

Upon asking him about his time here, the first thing he

44 e NETHERHALL 60TH

James Newman speaks to a man on a mission

said, and with real affection in his voice, was, ‘I have great memories of Netherhall, really great memories,’ with a particular highlight being high tea – something we are pleased to still have with us today. Other great memories of his time here are still relived, including the roster of public speakers who grace our doors on Monday nights, demonstrating how fortuitous it is to hear from world experts in their field in such an intimate and familiar setting.

Of course, some things have changed. We have lost the tradition of ‘Cultural Moments’ during get-togethers when, in former years, overseas residents would bring back cultural snippets of their homeland for the hall to enjoy. We are told that these often involved a colourful array of singing and even dancing. Perhaps this custom should be unearthed again for our delectation.

Professor Kaimenyi also told me about the national make-up of the residents during the 1980s. With a laugh he explained, ‘Italian, lots of Italians – oh, and Spanish too.’

Although this demographic is familiar to current residents, we must remember that at the time he was the only African studying here – a large step to make, not only in distance, culture and educational styles, but also race. This was illustrated when in London one day he was asked if – as a black man – he knew the price of bananas in Africa; a question that found only amusement with him. He finds it hard to imagine a place in London where he would have fitted in better than

Above: Jacob (left) in his time at Netherhall sitting with Mark Yeo on the roof garden Left: Jacob (centre) with his university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (left) and Kenya’s Attorney General Prof. Githu Muigai

Netherhall with its colourful mosaic of students.

Living in such a diverse environment taught him a number of practical skills for later life, the first of which is how to deal with people of different ages and backgrounds. Now holding a position revolving heavily around interaction with patients, students and colleagues, he thanks Netherhall for having helped develop his understanding of different peoples. Living in such close proximity with them was an ideal impetus to branch out from any comfort zone that may have existed, and yes, at time it taught him patience and temperance too.

Along with this, Netherhall life also instilled in him some discipline. Although married at the time, as a man who enjoyed the occasional late night having a curfew at first presented a problem. But he says that the small idiosyncrasies of Netherhall taught him self-control and he is thankful for it.

Touching on his past, Professor Kaimenyi informed me that he had always wanted to be a dentist. This was mainly because of the shortage of dentists in Kenya, a shortage which still persists to this day. He also joked that it was because he wanted to be called Dr, and the dentistry course was a year shorter than medicine!

Jocularity aside, he is a man who genuinely has the future of not only the Kenyan health system but also its whole education system at heart. There are currently only 800 dentists in the whole of Kenya, a country with a population of 45 million. To help counter this shortage he has recently helped to

open the Dental Teaching Faculty – a new university.

There are many challenges to be overcome in Kenya, from the imbalance of supply and demand to the historic lack of funding for university education and Professor Kaimenyi is part of the solution. Having identified the main problems, work between the government and healthcare professionals has a clear course and the benefits can already be seen. Today there is an enormous drive for funding in the fields of medicine and dentistry, and there have never been as many training programmes or positions available for students of any and all ages. There’s no better time than now for overseas students to come and experience a truly different university to those in Europe. With world class facilities and increased government funding, the University of Nairobi stands to increase its output of clinicians and researchers – Professor Kaimenyi would encourage students from Europe to look at the opportunities on offer and start to see studying in Africa as a viable option and a beneficial career step.

As a final note, I asked him if there’s anything he struggles with at the moment. He responded that, having patience with people is sometimes difficult when you’re a busy man, but says he only has to look back at the example he saw of people at Netherhall to quell any impatient thoughts. He urges us all to recognise the importance of patience and temperance at all stages of life – to accept people how they are and learn to live with them, because it only gets harder as life goes on.

He is a man who has succeeded in a great number of spheres, from academic life to family, and stands as an example to all, especially to current Netherhall residents, to whom he promises to come back and give a talk. Unfortunately though, he jokes, in spite of his clinical experience and achievement, he still doesn’t know the price of bananas in Africa.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 45

IT’S NOT FAIR! T

his happened on 9th January. Never mind which year, it was 9th January. I remember this well for two reasons.

Firstly, because at breakfast, everyone was talking about how they were going to celebrate the birthday of St Josemaría that year and I had to go to the office to work. At that time my office was in Orme Court, Bayswater, next door to where most of the directors of NEA (Netherhall Educational Association) lived, so it was very convenient to have ‘The Client’ next door. This meant that there was a constant coming and going between the two houses.

The work I was doing was the new Netherhall or to be more precise, Phase II of Netherhall House. I had been working for some time on this project. We had lost the first planning appeal. I was working quite passionately whilst, like many others, I was praying very hard that we could find the way to get the wretched planning permission. I would sometimes ask St Josemaría how on earth he wanted the project to be.

I was trying my best to apply all that I was learning at the Architectural Association School. I say ‘learning’ because I have learned and am learning as a teacher a lot more than as a student. I was trying not to just to provide so many bedrooms etc but I wanted to construct a very practical building of high architectural quality. The building would have to resolve some fairly tricky technical questions as well as being as useful as possible. But it was a question of doing all that and making it unique.

The biggest problem by far was obtaining planning permission. It was hard work but we did not lack the humour to keep us going. We even invented a number of expressions in order to keep our spirits up. Neil Pickering, for example coined the title, ‘Victorian Revival’. I used to say that the local authority wanted ‘invisible architecture’, which is in fact what we did in the end: we managed to hide the new architecture behind facades which were replicas of the old buildings and below ground level so that it could not be seen from the street.

The technical problems were, amongst others, how to build on top of a tunnel which is so old that there are no reliable records to ascertain how far beneath ground level the crown is. Without knowing this we could not use piled foundations. The problem of the foundations was resolved by digging deeper and removing the amount of clay equivalent in weight to that of the buildings that we were putting in its place, so the poor old tunnel would not know the difference.

The deeper dig meant that we could put all the facilities that Phase II needed under street level, which also had the advantage of not being visible from the street. This proved to be quite difficult because those facilities, including the extra common rooms, had to receive natural light in such a way that they would not feel as if they were basements.

In the AA School of Architecture I had been working on an idea that I called ‘Itinerant Viewpoint’ which is a way to

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Javier Castañon explains how Netherhall Phase II came together in a day and why the ‘funny angles’ are no laughing matter

make the building lead the visitor from one part to another by exciting his or her curiosity, an idea I wanted to apply to the building project.

Anyway, with all these ideas in my mind, that memorable 9th January I went to work. These were the last days of the drawing board. I have to say that my recollection is that I was finding the task of working out a design that would reconcile all these ideas very hard-going.

However, the moment I got down to work I forgot all my troubles. And that’s the second reason why I remember it was 9th January, because that day everything started to ‘fit’.

Was it that the ideas had been maturing in my mind and all it needed was that final push, or was it that St Josemaría got a present from God for us on his birthday? I cannot tell. What is a fact is that it was all fitting in beautifully: all those ‘funny angles’ (if an angle is not 90 degrees it is funny) began to ‘fit’ admirably. In fact those funny angles in the central area are the reason why it all works.

I was working very fast and very well when the phone rang. As I have said, some of the NEA directors lived next door, so very often I would be invited to lunch there. I an-

“

I was trying my best to apply all that I was learning at the Architectural Association School.

I say ‘learning’ because I have learned and am learning as a teacher a lot more than as a student.

The Phase II central area gloriously finished (above) and under construction (below).

swered the phone and it was indeed one of them. ‘Are you coming or not?’, he said. ‘I am coming…!’, I replied. When I got to the dining room I found them having afternoon tea.

Looking at my watch I realised then that I had been working non-stop from 9am to 4pm. I thought he was ringing to remind me it was time for lunch!

The central area was conceived as a three legged stool: if you lock one door it can become part of the school; if you open the other one and lock another it becomes part of Netherhall; if you lock both it can be used independently from both the school and Netherhall House and work as a conference centre. But that is still to come. In the meantime the central area has been used as a language school, and more recently as the headquarters of the Thomas More Institute.

They are not bad neighbours, really. They have learned to put up with, among other things, our rehearsing in the auditorium on one side of them, and our having meals in the roof garden right on top of them.

There you have it: I bet that nobody knew that Phase II was designed in a day! That’s why I have given this little story the title ‘It’s not fair!’ I don’t mean that it was not fair that I had to work while everyone in Netherhall was celebrating.

What I mean is that when you pray it all works for the better.

It’s not simply justice: you get more than you deserve!

Javier Castañon has his own architectural practice, Castanon Associates (www.castanon.co.uk) and is Head of Technical Studies at The Architectural Association School of Architecture. He has been a Netherhall resident on and off since 1973.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 47

‘NETHERHALL IS NOT FINISHED...’

How the wrong question was the catalyst for the right answer; Neil Pickering tells the definitive story of Phase II.

1966

The first stage of Netherhall was now completed and duly inaugurated by the Queen Mother. Over £400,000 had been spent of largely borrowed money and another £200,000 loan was potentially available to enable us to complete the project, the so-called Phase II which was of a similar design to Phase I and would provide nearly double the capacity. As time went by, however, and even the interest payments on the Greater London Council loan proved almost insurmountable, it became evident that the grand finale would have to wait.

In 1980, don Alvaro, the successor to the Founder of Opus Dei, spent a summer in London and in August led a memorable get-together in Netherhall’s main lounge. One of those attending made the mistake of saying ‘now that Netherhall is finished, what else would you like to see happening?’ (or words to that effect).

I recall thinking that this was probably not the right question to ask, and, sure enough, the immediate response was ‘Netherhall is not finished….’

This was the beginning of a very long process of re-studying Phase II; architectural preferences had ‘moved on’ and there was little chance of merely replicating the 1960s style buildings which had been accepted in the middle of that decade. Not to speak of funding when there were many other calls on NEA’s limited resources. Indeed, it was in early 1981 when I visited the bank manager to ask for the first overdraft facility. His initial response was ‘but you only have £18 in the account!’ As a rather green recruit at that stage, I had to resort to logic and replied, ‘if we had any more we wouldn’t be asking you for an overdraft!’ The bank manager then told us the story of how in 1952 he had been a clerk in the bank when those from Netherhall had visited it to ask for a loan to purchase the buildings. With the combination of his happy

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The Duchess of Kent on a tour of the new buildings.

“

The bank manager’s response was ‘but you only have £18 in the account!’ As a rather green recruit, I replied, ‘if we had any more we wouldn’t be asking you for an overdraft!’

memories, the good work he saw being done and a certain sense of humour, he agreed and we were able to survive for the moment.

Then in 1984 serious repairs were needed on the No.18 Victorian building. These repairs unearthed even more serious structural problems and a visit by the engineers led to the building being condemned as uninhabitable. This was a serious blow as the numbers – and thus income – in Netherhall were halved (and overheads never seem to decrease) so

”

there was an immediate operating deficit.

For the general public, everyone wondered what 1984 would bring, reflecting on the book 1984 by Hampstead writer George Orwell, but on the local level, the area around Netherhall was declared a ‘conservation area’. This made planning issues much more complicated and, for Netherhall, a huge problem as demolition of buildings in a conservation area needs special Local Authority consent.

1986 came, a planning submission which involved selling part of the land

Bishop Javier Echevarría, the Prelate of Opus Dei, being shown the finished works on his 1994 visit to England

for flats and using the proceeds to meet the cost of works to complete the residence failed. Some were glad, as it would have been a great pity to lose land ‘selling the family silver’.

Two years later, another scheme, another failure, defeated also on appeal in a three-day hearing in Camden Town Hall.

By the end of the decade, however, we were becoming experts on planning and one Friday we took a mountain of boxes with the plans, much to the consternation of the clerk in the Local Authority offices: a rather complex collection of schemes A, B, C, D, with duplicates which probably confused everyone.

What we really wanted was Scheme E (!) i.e. to get the existing uses (including the school on the corner) but in new buildings. After numerous tussles with the Local Authority, including a successful five-day appeal, they could only throw in the towel, and we were given all the permissions we wanted. This was 1991.

The only problem was – you guessed it – we didn’t have any money. Those who can remember as far back as two

decades ago will recall that Britain was going through one of its cyclical depressions and banks were very wary about loaning money to anyone. At that time, an article appeared in the Financial Times about a school in Abercorn Road, Maida Vale, which had made use of a Business Expansion Scheme whereby money was loaned with tax incentives to investors in order to kick-start different enterprises.

At that stage there was a £0.5m cap on the investment, but soon afterwards it was extended to £5m and broadened to include housing, including student housing. This was our chance.

One sentence cannot do justice to the amount of work needed to get it all off the ground, but NEA managed not only to get their bankers to guarantee the returns on the investment to the individuals who joined the scheme, but it was also reported in the Financial Times. A £5m launch sold within five days! So the following month we launched another one of £5m with the same result (this one being used as collateral for the first).

We had the money to build, though

we would have to repay all the investors in five years. But this five years enabled us to bring Netherhall back into the black and complete the school which would generate income to help break the back of the mortgage. Alongside this we were meeting contractors and because of the recession they were giving good prices as there was little work about.

The project was completed in late 1994/early 1995 and it cost not a penny more than we had planned! And we are talking in figures of over £6m. At times it was all hair-raising (or hair-losing!) but looking back it was all so worthwhile, even if the debts will not be completely paid off until 2018. And then came the time for celebrations with the charity concert at Wigmore Hall and the royal opening by the Duchess of Kent, both in late May 1995.

It was all very much a team-effort, with everyone 100% involved. It is a joy to see the result and the sound base which the new buildings have provided and will continue to provide Netherhall House for decades, or centuries, to come.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 49

Fr Joe Evans describes how much good a decade of Netherhall social service projects has done for poor communities and student volunteers alike

ENRICHED BY THE POOR N

etherhall has been organising voluntary service projects in developing countries or for needy communities since 2002. The projects began as a specific response to the hall’s 50th anniversary and for the first five years we went to Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in Central America. As one little girl put it so beautifully in a speech during the farewell ceremony for one project: ‘You have not just sent us money from afar. You have come out to visit us and to share with us in our need.’

For those five years we dug many latrines in rural communities in the area around Diriamba, some 30 miles from the country’s capital, Managua.

The project also had a medical side to it as young doctors went out with us.

One year Kevin Mulligan gave free dental treatment to all-comers in a hospital in Diriamba. With a limited supply of drugs and antiquated equipment, he managed to treat some 150 patients in two weeks and pulled out an incredible number of teeth. In subsequent trips Mordi Muorah, a paediatrician, treated many sick children.

Meanwhile the rest of the group, as mentioned above, dug latrines which,

50 e NETHERHALL 60TH

it must be stressed, is a good deal more than a mere hole in the ground (a hole, by the way, which has to be over three metres deep). It is hardly romantic work but as Kevin the dentist pointed out, one latrine, for its prevention of disease, is a far more effective contribution to health than all the drugs you could throw at the local people.

Have you ever thought what a family of eight (the typical size in that area) does without any form of toilet, however primitive? Suffice to say that gastric problems were frequent and one cause was that people used river water to drink, the same river that was also used as an ad hoc loo.

In 2007 the project location was changed and, invited by Andres Merino, a former hall secretary who had gone to South Africa to help start Opus Dei there, a Netherhall contingent carried out a project not far from Johannesburg – more latrines, 25 of them this time.

Andres had been the leader and organiser of the first few Nicaragua projects until his departure for Africa. Alvaro Tintoré, Andres’ successor at Netherhall, then took over and has organised all our projects ever since.

The South Africa project gave the par-

ticipants a real insight into this wonderful country, with all its contradictions.

As Dom Burbidge wrote in a Netherhall News article about that trip, ‘South Africa is like two different worlds which often meet but rarely on good terms. One is worried, friendly, yet dangerous, and above all, struggling to get by. The other can be seen on holiday advertisements in buses and trains. We went to the former and came back without a care for the latter.’

And he added poignantly: ‘People sometimes ask me: ‘Was it hard?’ Yes, it was hard. Meeting groups of villagers who had been promised our help knowing that we could not satisfy all their pressing needs was tough. And digging through the dry mud of Africa with pickaxe and shovel was rough. But it was the sharing of smiles, jokes and songs that was really hard. Hard to leave.’

Local people were surprised by this group of young men. As one local lady commented: ‘It is not at all usual that you have people coming from abroad to build toilets.’ Somebody even asked them how much they were being paid, totally unaware that the students themselves had paid to go on the project by

fundraising for the trip in the UK as we do each year!

From 2008-2009 we carried out projects in Thailand and in so doing discovered the hardships faced by Burmese immigrants in this country. The 210 pupils at All Saints Thandiaw school in Mae Sot, where we worked in 2008, had one thing in common: they were all illegal immigrants, albeit usually tolerated by the local authorities. Whether they were actually born in Thailand (the minority) or whether they had crossed the border from Burma, fleeing with or sent by their parents, their status was irregular and their condition precarious.

An especially moving moment was a visit to a United Nations refugee centre with over 200,000 people. It was a bamboo city where people live in constant insecurity, never knowing when their turn would come, if ever, to receive the card allowing them to emigrate to a host nation.

We went to Thailand to help an inspirational French priest, Fr Olivier Prodhomme, of the Paris Missionary Society, who has dedicated his life to helping Burmese people by founding numerous educational initiatives for them. In both 2008 and 2009 we financed and built kindergarten blocks in his schools.

Seeing the joy and resilience of people in their hardship was a profoundly moving experience for us. ‘How could people suffering such hardship be so cheerful?’ we asked ourselves.

The 2010 project went to Cambodia to discover how this nation is rising from the ashes after its Khmer Rouge nightmare of the 1970s when some 1.5 million people, according to conservative estimates, were killed over a four year period under the tyrant Pol Pot. We went out to help build a medical centre for a missionary priest, Fr Hernan Pinilla, near the town of Pursat. Fr Hernan, a Colombian doing outstanding work with poor people in this deprived rural area, has started an initiative called CROAP (Centre for the Research of Optimal Agricultural Practices, and also Khmer for ‘seed’). CROAP teaches agricultural skills to local people and so helps them improve their situation in what is not the most fertile of regions. Many people come from other areas and were resettled here and given land after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. As a result the older folk in the area still remember the Pol Pot years and bear the emotional scars.

We wanted to help the locals build a

Above: Building a new classroom block for St Peter’s School during the 2009 work camp in Thailand.

Left: Viran Gunasekera adds the finishing touches to a latrine in Diriamba, Nicaragua in 2006 Opposite: Frank Fields with local children in Nicaragua 2006

All are simple projects which make a real difference to people’s lives and we could see for ourselves that all the money raised really goes to those who need it. health clinic where a doctor could receive the many patients seeking medical attention. The clinic gradually took shape throughout the work camp. The majority of week one was spent clearing rocks from the building site and digging a latrine, but as time progressed we moved onto cement mixing and brick-laying.

We were all humbled by the work ethic of our Cambodian colleagues, who tolerated with a smile our vain efforts to keep up to speed!

One Sunday we visited a nearby ‘floating village’, a place which adequately lives up to its nickname. It was a remarkable place, with houses, shops and even a church propped up on stilts along a vast body of water. Its inhabitants are largely Vietnamese, almost all without legal status but tolerated by the Cambodian government. Initially they came over as ‘boat people’, i.e. refugees, fleeing

troubles in their own land. But their children and grandchildren have continued their lives and, indeed, numbers in the village still increase today as fishermen make the long journey from Vietnam looking for the abundant shoals the lake offers.

Another day we were also able to visit the majestic Ankor Wat, which is arguably Asia’s greatest landmark, an enormous temple complex with a rich Buddhist/Hindu history dating back to the 12th century.

Guided by local engineers and skilled craftsmen, the unskilled hands of university students have over the years managed to build kindergarten blocks, construct a small medical centre, sink a well and dig numerous latrines. All are simple projects which make a real difference to people’s lives and we could see for ourselves that all the money raised really goes to those who need it.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 51

Through the decades...

THE NINETIES

Peter Herbert on abseiling through life in and after Netherhall

(From l-r): Kai Eberspaecher, Michael Lowenthal, Arrigo Triulzi, Peter Herbert, Arnaud Fournier

I

arrived in London in the summer of 1986 and it really feels like a century ago. Netherhall was different from anything else I had experienced but I quickly adapted. Having lived abroad for so long helped me fit into to such an international environment and the residents were very friendly, so I quickly felt at home.

Like many other former residents I especially recall the Sunday morning football matches at Primrose Hill. I did not realize it at the time but after living in Spain and Hong Kong, I now know such easy access to a grass football pitch is a real luxury. More extreme sports included abseiling down the back façade of the main block which we did one March as

52 e NETHERHALL 60TH

a fund-raising activity with Capt. Henry Morgan or sliding down Parliament Hill on dining room trays during the snowy season. Everyone enjoyed Desert Island Discs and food supplied occasionally at international get-togethers.

One resident from my time who has gone on to greater things is SĂźkhbaataryn Batbold, the current Prime Minister of Mongolia. During his time in Netherhall, staff from his embassy gave us a great get-together about Mongolia with recipes for cooking goat with rice and videos of one of their national sports: contortionism, a kind of extreme gymnastics.

During those years the Netherhall renovation project was finally carried out. The process had begun in 1984

when the old Netherhall buildings had to close down, so a lot of my time was spent living on a campus, half of which was completely decrepit. Abandoning the buildings led to them becoming accommodation for squatters through the spring and summer of 1993. That same year the buildings were finally demolished and we spent the following year living on a building site; even so, it was better than living with squatters. Soon after the project came to an end in the winter of 1994, we lost the regional vicar of Opus Dei in Great Britain, Mgr Philip Sherrington, at the age of 51. As I am now approaching 60, I can appreciate how young he was when he was killed in a climbing accident in early 1995.

Left: Roland Da Silva takes the plunge under the careful eye of Captain Morgan. A youthful (Fr) Joe Evans looks on with trepidation!

Bottom left: the great entertainer Gustavo Ron in full swing Bottom right: Another poor soul grinning with terror half way down the (old) new block.

“

More extreme sports included abseiling down the back façade of the main block with Capt Henry Morgan

”

NETHERHALL 60TH e 53

THE NINETIES Is there life after Netherhall? I could not imagine what I would do after ten years there. Certainly I never even dreamt that I would move to China.

Living and making friends with people from so many different countries was a great experience and in some ways a very helpful preparation for coming to China. We had few mainland students in my time, only one as I remember. However, there were a considerable number of law students from Malaysia and Singapore who taught me many things about Chinese culture including, I realize now, insults in both Cantonese and Hokkien.

The week when all the overseas Chinese students caught chicken pox together, shortly before their finals, stands out in my memory.

I arrived in Hong Kong in September 1996, one year before its return to the motherland. I started attending Cantonese classes immediately upon arrival.

Learning Chinese is an eight hours a day job that takes two years minimum and, after 16 years, I feel I still have a long way to go although I can at least read the newspapers and speak more or less.

My original plan was to go to Guangzhou to work in a joint project with the University of Guangzhou.

However, it was not to be. I remained in Hong Kong for five years, visiting mainland China only rarely. My task in Hong Kong was to help set up the school in which I am now writing this article: Tak Sun Secondary School. As Hong Kong even today still retains its British administrative culture, I had some small advantage. The school started in September 2000 with 500 students and 40 staff; it now has almost 1,000 students and 100 staff, and enjoys a good reputation locally.

My Netherhall experience stood me in good stead for 2001-10 when I left Hong Kong to go even further east to Taiwan in order to help at the university residence in Taipei. I was able to introduce a few Netherhall customs in the hall but never achieved my goal of establishing Desert Island Discs. I was also able to work at the university in the nine years I was there and finished a PhD at the same time – definitely the most difficult thing I have ever done. Once I graduated it

54 e NETHERHALL 60TH

Above: An excursion to the North York Moors (from l-r): a friend of Nick Thomas (not a resident), Nick Thomas, Santiago Ortuzar, Fr Gerard Sheehan, Damian Keegan, Sebastian Huergo Right: Arrigo Triulzi celebrating his birthday in true Netherhall style Below right: Adam Walker and Habib Aslam on stage during a house show

was back to Hong Kong to take over as school principal at Tak Sun in December 2010. My Cantonese has long since rusted away but I am able to communicate with staff and students using English or Mandarin which amuses them somewhat as the Cantonese are notorious throughout China for their bad Mandarin.

I am also responsible for visiting the cooperators, friends and members of Opus Dei in South China. So after 16 years I have come full circle and now make regular trips to Guangzhou to visit the professors of Jung Shan and Guangzhou universities, who were involved with our project there in the 1990s when they were university students. China never ceases to amaze and fascinate foreigners including myself so I feel fortunate that I have been able to witness her development over the last two decades.

Even so, I know that if I were to return to Netherhall at this very moment, things would be more or less the same as when I left except for the new faces. I wish Netherhall a happy 60th birthday and hope that everyone enjoys the celebrations.

Peter Herbert was Director of Netherhall from 1988-96.

Top left: Kai Eberspaecher keeps Stephen Royan (left) and Hiroyuki Ikemoto (right) under control.

Top right: An excursion to the Lake District with (back row l-r): Szymon Peszat, Alexander Carteau, Fernando Bielza.

(Front row l-r): Alejandro Rubio, Gonzalo Martinez, Pat Kelly, Antonio Lozano, Juan Miguel Ordaz.

Middle left: Derek Awyoung (left) and Srinatha Siripurapu (right) hold aloft Asif Ahmed Middle right: Chris Rouse and Carlos Frazao Above: A trip to Frome in Somerset. (Standing l-r): Juan Manuel Restrepo, Alberto Heras, Richard Winstanley, Thomas Colin, Peter Brown, Takahiro Sekine, Guillaume Carteau, Ben Molony, John Langley (Kneeling l-r): Claudio Signore, Juan Valdes, Ulrich de Prins Right: Former Netherhall bursar Val Morrissey (left) with a friend.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 55

A leading Asian academic tells Arnil Paras how his experience at Netherhall helped form his vision of the university’s mission of service to society.

‘THINK DEVELOPMENT’ N

ot quite philosopher king, but yes, philosopher President … that’s Jojo Mariano, a former Netherhall resident who has risen to be one of the Philippines’ most prominent educators. As President of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), Jojo (Jose Maria for official use) is determined that this institution play a leading role in the service of his nation, and makes no bones that his time at Netherhall has in good measure inspired this vision. ‘My Netherhall experience,’ he muses, ever the philosopher, ‘… I wonder where I and, I dare to say, all here would be without

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having experienced in flesh and blood the catholicity of human nature, as I did during my five years stay in Netherhall House’.

Jojo came to London to do a Master’s of Science in mathematics at King’s College London, but he stayed on while continuing his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Navarra, in Pamplona, Spain, where he also taught taught mathematical economics.

A dedicated academic, Dr. Mariano witnessed and helped the UA&P expand from a single building in the 1990s to a bustling campus entering the 21st cen-

tury. He became university President in November 2000.

Like Netherhall, the UA&P is a corporate undertaking of Opus Dei and for Jojo its mission is ‘to contribute as a university and in fidelity to the legacy of St Josemaría Escrivá to the integral human development of the peoples of Asia and the Pacific’. Put more simply, like Netherhall, the UA&P is all about service and the formation of people. Jojo sees the university extending outside of the Philippines to serve the whole South-East Asian region.

He has three very specific goals for his university: ‘excellence, partnerships, and internationalisation’. And he stresses they are specific. ‘As vision statements go, excellence alone fails to persuade anyone.

To my mind, two commitments save ours from being hackneyed.’ The first, he says, is expressed by the phrase: ‘… in areas not already served by other institutions of learning’. The UA&P tries to fill very specific niches in the Asian education market: for example, ‘excellence not just in business education but in business economics education, not just in communications but in integrated marketing communications, not just in corporate social responsibility (CSR) but in 3G (third generation) CSR, and so on.’

3G CSR is something which really matters to the UA&P. This jumble of acronyms may not mean much to the layperson but it expresses a real social commitment. What it is saying is that the promotion of development and social responsibility are not things which can be factored in at the end, almost as an after-thought, but priorities which businesses should seek to integrate within their strategy right from the start. In simple terms, the UA&P tries to teach its students not just to ‘think profit’ but also to ‘think development’.

In this, insists Jojo, ‘the UA&P is determined to continue being first – first, that is, to see a real need, and first to be of service.’

The second commitment is to oneon-one mentoring, whereby students can have real, personal contact with their professors: this is reflected in a deliberately low student-teacher ratio of less than 15:1. But it also includes – radically – mentoring for faculty members too to help them explore new fields of research and teaching. The university has committed itself to ‘a yearly intake of 100 scholars (20% of student population) to raise and maintain standards, and to keep us on our toes (including financially speaking!).’

For Jojo, the goal of partnerships ‘means coming to grips with the challenge of fusing a genuine desire to learn from the world of work and the professions with no less genuine determination to win that world over to our cause. It means curricula constructed through continuous and systematic input from the professions and then properly weighed with a deep Christian dimen-

Top (from l-r): Charles Gamo, Jojo Mariano, Neil Pickering, Toddy Fermin, Hiro Ikemoto, Ferdi Fider Bottom: Jojo Mariano (left) with Peter Heng

sion – this in part is how we can blaze trails.’

It includes ‘advocacy on mainstream issues, joint projects with industry, and especially CSR projects directed to those most in need in our society, to extend our reach beyond the lecture hall’. Again, it’s all about promoting integral human development. ‘I know that’s a mouthful,’ jokes Jojo, ‘but we’re following Catholic social doctrine here, particularly Pope Benedict’s Caritas in Veritate’. That a university could be so up-front about its Christian mission might cause scandal in Europe, but Jojo is happy to affirm it.

The goal of internationalisation is not primarily about attracting more foreign faculty or students. ‘Rather,’ says Jojo, ‘attention is on developing international content in our research and curricula, and on preparing students for an international (at least Asia-Pacific) job market.’

It was his Netherhall experience which gave Jojo his deepest and most positive experience of ‘internationality’, not just as a sociological fact but also as a positive value. From Netherhall he learnt

how differences of faith and culture can be respected and lead to dialogue and mutual appreciation. He remembers fondly ‘late night conversations on the variety of religious persuasions and the universal right to religious freedom that was observed with such sensitivity and delicacy by everyone in the hall; the multiplicity of cultural temperaments and the unifying atmosphere of gettogethers where difference was not only respected but sought; and the assortment of national delicacies that was surreptitiously put together (house rules prohibited cooking in the rooms) and passed around for midnight snacks.’

It’s an amusing thought – and one which current residents might appreciate – that one of this university president’s warmest recollections of his time at Netherhall involves breaking house regulations – albeit in the name of international understanding!

Arnil Paras is studying for a PhD in Development Studies at the LSE. He is in his second year at Netherhall.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 57

ACTION!

Netherhall cinephile Andrei Serban talks film with a former resident who is passionate about people’s lives

S

panish alumnus Gustavo Ron is such a busy film director that I barely managed to catch him for a quick phone conversation after his trips to Cannes and Los Angeles. He generously found a few moments to speak to me in the midst of various business meetings and making time to be with his beloved wife Kiruca and his adored children Gimena and Gustavito. I had little time and I had to make the questions count. So I began with the basics.

When did you live at Netherhall and what brought you to London?

I first came to London in 1994 when I got accepted into the London Film School, where I specialized in scriptwriting and directing. So I was a Netherhall resident for the next three years, between 1994 and 1997.

How was your experience at the London Film School?

It was incredible! I enjoyed it very much because we did not go into theory too much and instead focused on actually making films. I think this was a great way for me to experiment with my filmmaking skills and actually discover what I wanted to do later on, learning through experience rather than theory.

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Did you meet any famous directors or were you particularly influenced by any of your professors?

Michael Mann was always around giving lectures and Mike Leigh was the head of the department, as I think is still the case now. Alan Bernstein was then a huge influence on me and probably the professor to whom I owe most of my technical skills. I received a lot of support in terms of film resources and moral backup in most of my initial artistic endeavors at the time, largely consisting of short films and a final film project as my thesis.

Can you tell us a little more about your filmmaking? What films are you most proud of, what style have you developed throughout your career?

My experience in England (and especially London) clearly influenced my film career. I want to make films about ordinary people, easily accessible for a large audience, beyond any regional or cultural particularities. If anything, multiculturalism is a huge thing in my films and that comes from my London experience. For anyone interested in my work, I would suggest Mia Sarah and Way to Live Forever. I will let these works speak for themselves so no further comment.

“

I want to make films about ordinary people, easily accessible for a large audience, beyond any regional or cultural particularities

Opposite: Gustavo in the driving seat on the set of Mia Sarah, and (below) with actor Fernando Fernán Gómez

You say your films are more for the universal public, concerned with entertainment first of all. Would you say you are a genre director or have you experimented with different styles?

I am absolutely not the experimental type. Again, my films are for the general audience and based on emotion rather than intellectual gratification. I think it is important to communicate a story easily understandable for everyone. So yes, I do work within the confines of genre codes for that purpose. At the same time, I am not limited to one genre alone, as I have ventured beyond one particular style. At the moment, for example, I am in the pre-production stages of a psychological thriller.

Who would you name, then, as some of your favorite directors?

John Ford and Frank Capra out of the classics. From some of the more recent filmmakers, I appreciate Clint Eastwood. He is a great director!

So how does Netherhall fit into all of this? I know people here are more than willing to get involved in film projects and similar ventures. Did you get any help from Netherhall?

Yes, definitely! Actually, in a lot of my films you can notice ex-Netherhall residents in the background as extras.

I guess you made a lot of family-friendly films, then. Can you name a few people from Netherhall whom you were particularly close to?

”

Well, back then the administration was different. Peter Brown was just a resident, in-and-out of the office for different reasons than the ones he has now, mostly behavioural misconduct (!). Peter Herbert was the director and Fr Gerard was the chaplain. Michael Lowenthal, secretary at the time, was a particularly big help for my filming at Netherhall – he even helped me build a prop for one of my films, from rusty tools we could find in the garage. This ended up playing the part of an electric 1970s looking generator in one of my films, courtesy of Netherhall. Among the residents I was a very close friend of Nicholas Ostler, whom I still keep in touch with.

So what are your plans for the future now? You mentioned working on a psychological thriller…

Yes, that’s why I went to Cannes for – to get funding for my next film! Without giving away too many spoilers, suffice it to say it will be a complex psychological thriller playing with a lot of different interior emotions and will mostly be aimed at an English-speaking audience. Any further information is confidential at this point.

Gustavo, thank you so much for your time! Should we expect a visit from you at Netherhall any time soon?

Thank you, it was great talking to you and yes I will be coming to Netherhall in mid-late June!

Andrei Serban is finishing his degree in Film Studies at King’s College London. He is in his second year at Netherhall.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 59

Through the decades...

THE NOUGHTIES

After more than a decade in the driving seat, Peter Brown brings things up to the present day.

O

n 6th September 1996 Fr Gerard Sheehan (Netherhall’s Chaplain at the time) and I drove Peter Herbert to Heathrow airport so that he could catch his flight to Hong Kong. Peter had been at Netherhall as assistant director and then director for some 10 years and I distinctly recall Fr Gerard asking me in the car, ‘so do you think you’ll do 10 years?’ Looking back, all I can say is that time passes very quickly, but I certainly had no notion that I would still be at Netherhall’s helm over 15 years later.

My time as director has been the relatively ‘uneventful period’ in the history of the house, at least architecturally. The 1950s were the start up years, the 1960s had the construction of the new block, the 1980s saw the closure of the old No.18 building and a fifty per cent reduction in capacity, and the 1990s were dominated by the construction of Netherhall’s final phase. Since 1995 there have been refurbishments and upgrades (such as those to the oratory and auditorium) but all the changes have been minor compared with what went before. One might say that the years from 2000-10 have been the years when Netherhall has been able to get on with normal life. And in some ways that is what Opus Dei is all about, so it’s not such a bad thing!

I have frequently been asked, ‘Did you not find it hard to switch from being a solicitor to running a student residence?’ My answer has always been that in your early 30s being the director is a great job. I had far more scope to do the things I enjoy doing than I would ever have had in a solicitor’s office.

One exception to this was cricket.

Once I became director, cricket every weekend became impossible. I loved playing cricket and spent much of the summers of my youth playing (not very well) or practising in the nets for hours on end. As assistant director of Netherhall from 1993 to 1996 I had arranged something like ten cricket fixtures a year against a whole range of opposition: The White Lion in St Albans (home

60 e NETHERHALL 60TH

Netherhall’s cricketing heydey. Peter (seated, far left) with the squad, including a future Netherhall resident and the dreaded Zumma Mohiuddin (seated, second from right)

and away), Salesian College staff (always away), Whittington Hospital, Goodenough College and Greyshott CC, among others. Peter Herbert was very indulgent and didn’t seem to bat an eyelid when I slipped off for the day to lead the Netherhall cricket team. As director, the number of fixtures slipped and eventually competitive cricket disappeared from the list of Netherhall activities.

Cricket is one way of introducing some of the wonderful residents that have passed through the House in the last few years. Zumma Mohiuddin (1993-94) was, quite simply, the fastest bowler I have ever seen in the flesh, let alone played with. He was studying for a Masters at King’s College and his Netherhall application form bore the wonderful news that he had already played Lancashire League cricket for three years. Zumma transformed the Netherhall cricket team.

Whenever he played I was confident that no matter how poorly we batted, Zumma could always bowl the opposition out for fewer runs. Wonderful days!

Unlike their director, Netherhall residents also impress with their musical skill. As kids, my sisters and I were occasionally taken on our summer holidays in sunny Bridlington to hear the late, great band leader Joe Loss playing Glen Miller.

Old Joe would always end his performances by urging the North Yorkshire folk dancing away before him to remember that ‘live music is best and needs to be supported’. How seriously his message was taken by the Yorkshire folks present I don’t know but in my spell as director of Netherhall I have learnt that he was absolutely right. Although the plug was pulled on my own piano lessons with (the deaf ) Sr Gregorious when I was 11 (my mother said I was hopeless), I recognise that the years in which organists, pianists, violinists, singers or rock bands have numbered amongst the residents have had an extra dimension. I am aware that long before my arrival there have been talented musicians in the house.

Back in the 1970s, for example, Peter Bradley-Fulgoni was a resident for sev-

“

I don’t think I could manage a year without musicians

The Trio Satz, with (l-r): Ignacia Abalos, Ricard Rovirosa, Oscar Alabau

eral years. He is now an acclaimed concert pianist as well as Head of Music at Shrewsbury School. But in my 15 years as director there have been many great musicians amongst the residents.

Although not a music student as such, Gustavo Ron (1995-97) is the first of many musicians that come to mind.

Now a filmmaker, Gustavo arrived in Peter Herbert’s time but was still here (studying film) after I became director.

In addition to being a born entertainer he was amongst the most charismatic and generous residents I have known. He would frequently sit in the smoke-filled coffee lounge (no bans back then!), play the guitar and sing for as long as he was supplied cigarettes and beer.

2003-4 also stands out. That year brought together Steve Termini from Texas (2002-4) on the piano and tenor Alfredo Menses (2003-4) who, apart from giving wonderful performances for the residents, would from time to time perform for the occupants of a local old people’s home. Alfredo stood out for the

” Ricard Rovirosa and Joao Bettencourt

NETHERHALL 60TH e 61

THE NOUGHTIES sheer joy that singing gave him and, in consequence, us. I accompanied them as a spectator on a number of occasions and I’ve never seen so many old ladies in tears at the same time. But in 2010-11 we were spoilt. João Bettencourt (2006-12), Ricard Rovirosa (2007-) and Ben Schoeman (2009-11) on piano, Oscar Alabau (2007-11) on cello, Juan Pablo Luna (2009-) on violin and Tony Robinson (2008-11) on the drums made it a very special musical year. I now don’t think I could manage a year without musicians.

The Netherhall House Recital Series has also made a tremendous contribution to the musical culture of the house in the last 15 years. Sebastian Millett, a cellist and supporter of the house, had the idea in the mid 1990s. He felt that a chamber music recital series would be of cultural benefit to the residents and would allow a greater number of people to come into contact with Netherhall, especially neighbours. Sebastian himself performed and also arranged for recent London music school graduates to do likewise. Before long the Netherhall recital series, with the generous assistance of the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust, had taken shape and chamber music recitals were taking place twice a term.

The series has featured a mix of our own students together with young professional musicians such as Natalie Clein (former BBC young musician of the year), Charles Owen (now a teacher at the Guildhall school of music) and the (now famous) Wihan String Quartet.

Amongst the more embarrassing moments I have had in Netherhall was forgetting one of my three lines whilst performing in the Netherhall production of The Imaginary Invalid in 2010.

My brief acting career (16 lines spread generously over six plays) has taught me that to put on good drama takes a huge amount of skill, work and commitment.

Perhaps because of this, a greater mark has been left on residents by their stay in the house in those years when a play has been performed than in those when we didn’t quite manage to put something on. Those who participate or contribute, in whatever form, carry the memory for a long while. Since Ed Holloway, Robert Devlin, Graham Stevenson and Chris

62 e NETHERHALL 60TH

Top: Richard Sear and Robert Devlin celebrating the opening night of A Christmas Carol (2001) Bottom: a tradition from Netherhall’s earliest days, the guest speaker series now boasts an impressive track record

Griffiths put on Rosencrantz and Gildentern are Dead in 2001 there have been seven plays, each with its own stresses, highs, lows and sense of achievement.

Richard Sear (1998-99, 2001-3) and then Sam Brawn (2008-11) and Paul Schira (2009-11) were extraordinarily talented lead actors. Archan Boonyanan (various between 1996 and 2008) was the consummate producer. The master of the trade however was Robert Devlin.

Bertie directed, produced and acted in most of the plays we have put on and I will forever remember his (literally) hysterical performance as Lady Muldoon in

The Real Inspector Hound.

I have long thought that Michael Parkinson had one of the best jobs in the world and I confess to a touch of envy. It seemed to me that Parkinson was paid to sit and chat to (usually) interesting people. Netherhall’s weekly guest speaker series is almost as much fun and has been a tremendous privilege. I’ve had the great fortune to have dinner with and listen to short talks by a wealth of fascinating people from cabinet ministers to Premiership footballers. It’s always interesting, of course, to meet high profile individuals and these are the better attended talks.

Above: the cast of Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead (2001). Standing (from l-r): Adam Pierson, Chris Griffiths, Alejandro Moreno, Brian Dorminy, Aidan McKeague, Dilip Bassi, Wladimiro Volpones, Juan Carlos Zuleta, Ed Holloway.

Seated (from l-r): Jevon Holder, Graham Stevenson, Robert Devlin, Eugene Low But if I were to choose a favourite Right: Pat Perry surveys the land from the roof of the old block

from the scores of speakers over the last 15 years I think I would look amongst the many historians that we have hosted.

Professional historians know how to tell a good tale and, by and large, one can be sure that they will tell the story well. Last year, for example, Dominic Lieven (at the time, head of the International History department at LSE) came and spoke to us about Napoleon’s retreat from Russia. He broke all the rules (guests are supposed to talk for 30 minutes and allow 30 minutes for questions) and for 55 minutes told the tale as well as any great raconteur could. I am indebted to many residents who have brought their tutors, lecturers or advisors to speak here over the years, none more so perhaps than Philipp Wirtz (2007-current). Through Philipp’s enthusiasm we have now had what seems to be most of the SOAS history department to speak here!

A more recent creative development has been this magazine. It began in 2005

“

My brief acting career (16 lines spread generously over six plays) has taught me that to put on good drama takes a huge amount of skill, work and commitment.

as the initiative of Fr Joe Evans, chaplain since 2002 and former journalist (and who continues to maintain an active interest in the magazine). It was brought to life by the dedication of Kevin Gouder (2004-10) and Zubin Mistry (2005-6) and now, managed by Luke Wilkinson (2007-9) and still edited by Zubin, it goes out to over one thousand people every two months with a mixture of Netherhall news, opinions and reports.

In addition to those already mentioned, a few notable residents have left

NETHERHALL 60TH e 63

THE NOUGHTIES

Above: enjoying an ‘educational’ trip to Spain in 2009. From l-r: Frank Pells, Paul-Francois Schira, Michael Burbeck, Alistair Darby, Luke Wilkinson, Pablo Hinojo, David Wyatt, Aaron Taylor Below: Alvaro Tintore (right), the understated secretary, enjoys una cerveza with Miguel Lim

their mark on the house in these years not just by their contribution but also by the sheer length of their stay. John Langley (1997-2008) was here for over a decade and will be remembered by a generation of residents. Amongst his achievements, John took Netherhall into the computer age. He was part of a team including Arrigo Triulzi (19922001) and Pietro Rosario (1996-8) who built from scratch and installed the first Netherhall computing system (Michael Lowenthal, Secretary of Netherhall 1992-9, claims he managed the entire project!). In the six years he was at Netherhall, Prakarsh Singh (2005-11) did his utmost to convert every resident into an economist, such was his enthusiasm for what he perceived to be the benefits that would be brought to the world by proper economic analysis of every decision.

In truth, Netherhall is a fairly easy place to manage, though September and October are hard. It takes a month or so for new residents to settle in and understand how the house operates but once people have found their feet things are not that hard to run. There are several reasons for this. The contribution

64 e NETHERHALL 60TH

Above: Pablo Hinojo taking time out to entertain children during the Thailand work camp (2009) Below (from top): Chima Okezue, Yoichi Miyazaki, Pearson Madara and Paul Kalenzi, Bart Dunlea and Pat Perry, Fumitaka Nakamura and Carmelo Provenzano

of Lakefield is a key factor. Lakefield has provided all the domestic services to Netherhall since it opened. The knowledge that everything on that front will be provided well, professionally and with enormous generosity and dedication is a great relief to the directors. But the easy management is also due in great part to the wonderful external permanent staff that work here and have worked here: Bart Dunlea and Pat Perry.

Bart has been overseeing Netherhall’s finances for nearly a decade. In his own quiet manner he keeps everything in order and nothing slips past him. There are no loose ends and every item of income and expenditure is filed away in the correct place. It all makes life so much easier.

Nearly twenty years ago a certain Mr Patrick Perry (one time Teddy Boy) came to work on the site. Pat worked for one of the many subcontractors engaged on the new development in 1993.

Javier Castañon (Netherhall’s architect) recognised in Pat a diligent worker and, with apparent innocence, asked him if he knew of anyone who might like to be the maintenance manager of the buildings once the project was completed. A few

days later (as Javi had hoped) Pat said he would like the job himself. And so Pat was poached from the subcontractor and has held the material structure of the buildings together ever since. I have come to the conclusion that Pat is a part-time magician. I know of no other way to explain his ability to fix things that are broken. Everything he does is done well and in good spirit. What we would have done without him over the last 20 years I really don’t know.

It wouldn’t be right to conclude this brief survey of the last 15 years without mentioning the secretaries and assistant directors who have worked here at some time or other in this period. They are the concrete foundations (excuse the metaphor) upon which the house sits. A variety of quite amazing people have done the jobs that Pablo Hinojo and Alvaro Tintore now do so well. As is the way in Opus Dei, each of them has come along, done the job and then moved on to wherever he was needed next. I’ve had some very special people to work with.

If I were to identify one ‘special’ moment that stands out in the last decade it would be the death in May 2007 of John Henry – ‘chief ’, as he was affectionately known, the term with which he so often addressed others. John was the director here for part of the 1960s and 1970s and had gone on to a successful medical career, becoming Professor of Accident and Emergency medicine at St Mary’s Hospital. He was a tremendously popular man about whom it can be truly said that he lived his life in the service of others. In between BBC broadcasts, Ali G shows and diagnosing which poisons had been used on former KGB officers, he would regularly drop into the office here and ask, ‘Anything I can do for you, chief?’ Those who knew him, and that includes a large number of former residents and friends of Netherhall, will surely agree that John encapsulated what St Josemaría wanted Netherhall to be and to do.

Peter Brown lived in Netherhall as a student in the 1980s. After five years practising as a solicitor for law firm Allen & Overy and Royal Insurance, he became director in September 1996.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 65

CARROTS & STICKS

Prakarsh Singh explains how he spent 18 days of his life walking Netherhall’s long corridor.

J

ust as trees grow taller when fed with sunlight and water. As children become healthier when well nourished. As countries experience economic growth through investment. As eggs hatch into soaring doves given enough warmth. So Netherhall makes men out of boys by moulding character and experience. And it does so through a model of self and group-based learning.

The self-learning takes place in the quietness of the library (not the laptop room) and in the solitary walks through the long corridor. Walking through the long corridor is no mean feat (or, for that matter, feet). I was in Netherhall for six years and if it takes three minutes to walk through it, I have spent exactly 18 days of my life walking through the long corridor. In this period of learning, imagination leaped and colours of the utopian world were painted in the walls of my mind. Similarly, having to vacate our rooms at 10:20am (and not at 10:25 because then you need to run before the main door gets locked) instills a Japanese punctuality concept of ‘just in time’.

Having our rooms cleaned on a daily basis is a luxury - and perhaps now that I have left, I should say that forcing residents to clean their rooms (through Alvaro) might be more efficient! Netherhall would gain a good deal by maximizing cleanliness and self-discipline at no cost even though there may be unanticipated effects such as clothes thrown under a bed covered with a quilt that hides a rarely cleaned bedsheet, too many books for display and friends discouraged from entering lest they leave behind the remains from biscuits (or in the case of Rohan Merchant, a current and much loved Indian resident who receives copious supplies of food from home, the entire imported weekly food factory from India). Netherhall should also have a cold-shower week when it saves electricity used for heating water, to mention nothing of incentivising a reading of that critic of hot baths, Marcus Aurelius. The unintended consequence might be that

66 e NETHERHALL 60TH

Prakarsh Singh (right) with Aditya Singh (2008-10) on Flask Walk in Hampstead

some residents bathe themselves in deodorant to cover up for their weak will.

However, that would have the positive unintended consequence of saving water too, provided that they do not over-compensate later.

To understand the group-based learning model, we first need to understand why people save often at little or no interest. The main reason that people give is ‘to keep the money away from themselves as otherwise they will be tempted to spend it.’ In the group-based model, it is like a ROSCA, which is an acronym for Rotating Savings and Credit Association. Members of a ROSCA put money into a pot at the beginning of the year, then the pot goes from member to member depending upon each one’s needs.

Just as ROSCAs require trust between members and solve self-control problems because of the group element, Netherhall too develops trust and removes psychological biases. Often, I have left my wallet in the library or even at the reception.

But it has always been safe (and not just because there wasn’t much money inside).

If you steal, remember that someone in Netherhall will always know. There was an incident when Alvaro tracked down a kindle thief in the residence like Sherlock Holmes by matching the personal websites of residents with the changing expenditure patterns for that kindle. This one-off incident was just that – a one-off.

Netherhall is the safest pace in London.

But the incident or, more, its uniqueness is a reminder of what, I think, makes Netherhall a safe and happy place. There is an incentive to trust each other and a disincentive to break that trust. Through this economic approach of carrots and sticks, students develop discipline to lead a principled life of consequences.

In this way, through reinforcing mechanisms of self and group learning, Netherhall makes people fly (sometimes, all the way to rural villages of Massachusetts)!

After many years of self and group learning in Nutley Terrace, Prakarsh Singh (200511) has now progressed to become Assistant Professor of Economics at Amherst College, Massachusetts.

“

He remembers how kindly he was treated by the directors and the residents, who welcomed everyone with equal warmth no matter their religion or nationality

From l-r: John Henry, Freddie Long, Neil Pickering, Atul Radia, Anoop Radia

FAMILY VALUES Simon Jared hears from a former resident who still remembers a cultural festival he organised in Netherhall, and the kindness and trust he found here

A

noop Radia was a resident in Netherhall house from 1967-72, arriving a year after Her Majesty the Queen Mother opened the ‘new block’ (which has since become known as the ‘old block’). As a Hindu of Indian origin coming from Uganda it is perhaps difficult to see how he learnt about Netherhall in the days before the internet. He explained how he had to apply in person to the student accommodation service and was then sent to Netherhall House where he was interviewed by the then assistant director.

In the 1960s, as is still the case, it was not cheap for parents to send their children to a foreign country to study, so Anoop’s intentions were always to come to London in order to gain qualifications. But there was also a concern for safety; although London was, even then, a cosmopolitan city, there were still areas where racism persisted and Anoop remembers foreign colleagues and friends of his finding it difficult living in other parts of the city. But Netherhall was

then, like now, a safe place where Anoop and his parents knew he could live and study without such concerns.

His memories of Netherhall are of a place that felt more like an extended family than a hall of residence. He remembers how kindly he was treated by the directors and the residents, who welcomed everyone with equal warmth no matter their religion or nationality. This family atmosphere was a real ‘eye-opener’ for him. He came to realise that the strong principles which were a part of his upbringing were not at odds with Netherhall but, rather, blended well and contributed to his being at home here. This, he says, was not the case for some of his friends or colleagues living elsewhere in student digs; they simply did not enjoy the same atmosphere.

It was simple things, Anoop remembers, that helped him and other foreign residents feel at home in Netherhall, like the vegetarian dinners (and sometimes ‘late dinners’) and the directors always asking if these were adequate (which of course they were).

”

Another part of Netherhall life which Anoop enjoyed was the sharing of cultures, which he says was something of genuine interest to residents. For example, together with other Hindu and Asian residents, he once organised a cultural festival which was enjoyed by all of the residents, and included an Indian music recital.

Anoop’s abiding memory of Netherhall is of a ‘family home’ that was ‘stress free’, where the directors went out of their way to make it feel so. He recalls a period when political problems in Uganda made it very difficult for his parents to send him the rent money for three months of his stay. But the then director, the late John Henry, trusted him and made it possible for him to stay here during that time, demonstrating a confidence and kindness which some of his friends did not receive elsewhere.

After his stay in Netherhall Anoop could not return to Uganda due to the continued political unrest, so he settled in London where his family joined him, and set up an import/export business which sells wedding stationary (www. arteastcreations.co.uk). He now lives in Harrow, in north-west London, with his family. Even though it has been 40 years since Anoop stayed here he is still in contact with other residents and with Netherhall itself, and is very much looking forward to attending the 60th anniversary celebrations.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 67

upon the Scimitar of Scillagast, sadistically mispronouncing it for added effect.

Daphne du Maurier and Andre Dubus. In both cases, the films were not servile, but they were inspired by and respectful of the

TELLING NETHERHALL’S TALE Zubin Mistry recalls the late nights and highlights of the house chronicle in its early history.

E

ven though, as the photograph opposite shows, there were printed precursors to this publication, Netherhall News in its present incarnation began in 2005. Peter Brown approached me, then a student about to start an MA, with the idea of a monthly newsletter featuring alumni news and announcements. A key change from earlier undertakings was technological. If printing costs money, email is priceless.

The first edition went out in October 2005. Aesthetically, it was a monochrome monstrosity. It took the form of an uninspiring Word document emailed as an attachment, which, contrary to appearances, took as big an effort to put together as it presumably did to motivate oneself to read through. Peter forwarded me the initial feedback which dripped through.

Some politely commended the idea (and tactfully opted not to dwell on the execution). One former resident, Sergio Maresca, was rather more direct in a message which contained a number of frank and forthright four-letter words. Initially bruised, little was I to know that this antipodean alumnus, the so-called ‘Thunder from Down Under’, would prove to be the magazine’s most enthusiastic source of encouragement in the coming years.

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The aim was to send the magazine out on the first day of each month and every deadline saw a frenetic rush to write up and get the publication out on time: not quite midnight blitzes – the internet cut off at 12pm – but dangerously nocturnal finales all the same. These early days were not without mistakes. Not just typos, but bigger blunders. Nonetheless, with encouragement and help (and essential goading), the newsletter slowly grew in confidence and execution of substance, if not of style: the appearance and format didn’t exactly inspire former residents to read or current residents to write.

The crucial change came in the summer of 2006, when a studious resident from Malta, Kevin Gouder, was brought on board. There was a new division of labour. I was the ‘content editor’, who would write or edit all the text, and Kevin was the ‘managing editor’, who set the text to pages with pictures. The result was a revolutionary, rather than evolutionary, leap. September 2006 was the first issue of this new era, a work of technicolour glory and pictorial craft.

The larva had become a butterfly! The newsletter evolved into a magazine and changed (thankfully!) into a more man-

ageable bi-monthly format.

The working pattern soon changed too. Living not too far from Netherhall, I continued to cover many guest speakers, though alumni news became the responsibility of Peter and Kevin. But the late night pushes were still hard to avoid.

As current residents slowly began to contribute more items, a welcome development, I was foolishly surprised to learn that many of these students held deadlines in about as high a regard as I had in my most wayward student days. Their tardy submissions only added to our nocturnal labours: reparation indeed for my youthful sloth! On one occasion, Kevin and I toiled in the computer room from dusk until dawn in order to meet a deadline, and I caught the first train home. If memory serves, Kevin went back to his laboratory to carry on with his research later that day. I just collapsed into bed.

Kevin’s formal role, ‘managing editor’, risks downplaying his Herculean effort. In practice, Kevin put together the entire magazine from scratch out of the dribs and drabs fed to him every couple of months – not evenly spaced, for with predictable regularity the long drought always gave way to a flash flood of submissions in the final week or so. The

Left: An early edition of Netherhall News unveiled at an American reunion in the 1990s. From l-r: Rick Allen, Jose Manuel Restreppo, Rolando Ossowski, Gurpreet Brar, Aidan Morley Opposite: Zubin hard at work to meet another Netherhall News deadline

‘content editor’, whose job might have included setting an example, was as big a culprit as any.

Over the years, current and former residents began to contribute increasingly, both in guest speaker articles and opinion pieces. To name and thank them all would turn this into an unreadable roll-call, but it would be amiss not to mention a few filtered through my imperfect memory. Some are noticeable for their quality and interest: for example, Philip Wirtz on the historian’s craft, Max Majewski on the mythology of the superhero and Dominic Burbidge on his experience of fieldwork in East Africa, to mention nothing of impressive recent contributions by Andrew Duncan, Jonny Parreno, Andrei Serban, Aaron Taylor and James Somerville-Meikle. Joao Bettencourt and, latterly, James Osborn have tackled the world of sports in their Athlete’s Foot columns, while Prasanjeet Kumar and his successor Andrew Osborn have astutely observed Sunday night Desert Island Discs.

But pride of place must go to two contributors whose quality of output was matched by quantity. Prakarsh Singh, who writes in this edition, provided many punchy pieces in a hybrid genre of his own making: economic wit. He is eminently readable, and not just for an economist. And Chima Okezue has contributed numerous thought-provoking and well-researched pieces on a wide range of political, social and economic subjects, though especially related to Africa. His brilliant analysis of the Arab Spring in North Africa is but one example of many articles which would have

been at home in more august publications than our own.

When in 2009, after almost three years of insomniacal hours, painstaking professionalism, good grace and wit, Kevin finally retired from the magazine in order to concentrate on his PhD, it was one of the merry band of contributors, Luke Wilkinson, who took over his

‘Contributors hold a range of attitudes to editorial forays into their efforts: to use an economic analogy, some are laissez-faire and others are rather more protectionist.’ role. Since then, the magazine has undergone further stylistic evolutions of Luke’s devising and he has continued to contribute pieces on a range of subjects from theatre to the environment (and sometimes both within the same article). His enthusiasm is palpable – the idea for this edition owes as much to him as to anyone else – and he managed to combine his considerable efforts on the magazine with studying for an Master’s in Applied Theatre, running a café at his church, and putting on runs of shows in Edinburgh. Like Kevin, I have gotten to know Luke in the peculiar twilight of late night rushes to meet deadlines and it has been nothing short of a delight. (My overrid-

ing regret is that we didn’t feature a Hello magazine style spread when he got married last autumn, partly in revenge for the not exactly flattering photographs of me which have appeared in these pages over the years).

As Luke, too, moved further from Netherhall, and it became increasingly difficult for us to cover guest speakers and gently bully articles out of residents, we needed an inside man. Simon Jared, another contributor who has brought his love and learning of Shakespeare to these pages, served as ‘in-house correspondent’, entrusted with the sometimes tricky task of chasing up fellow residents for pieces.

In the last year, Dominic Bardill, another contributor who has racked up several pieces, has inherited this invaluable role.

The increasing number of contributors is, in part, down to their labours.

My time as ‘content editor’ has given me a prism through which both to view and to convey Netherhall life. The host of guest speakers, politicians from across the political spectrum, journalists, eminent historians, top lawyers and wily economists among others, reflect the ferment of intellectual life at the hall. I have grown to relish the practice of editing and my schooling in this art, above all,

by Fr Joe. Contributors hold a range of attitudes to editorial forays into their efforts: to use an economic analogy, some are laissez-faire and others are rather more protectionist.

In a final shock revelation…some articles have prompted protracted diplomatic wrangling between editor and writer – all of which, I hope, have ended in permanent peace treaties. But all contributors, former and current residents, laissez-faire types and protectionists alike, have contributed to my own development, in both textual skills and temperament, in more ways than they may realise. Beneath the appearance of the magazine, then, lies a complex web of collaborative energy which leaves space for individual growth – and this may be the most important way in which Netherhall News reflects the house in which it is frenetically, but also enjoyably, assembled each issue.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 69

LIVES REMEMBERED PROFESSOR JOHN HENRY (1939-2007)

T

he life of Professor John Henry, a former Netherhall director who died on 8th May 2007 aged 68, was a shining example of how Christian faith can be the inspiration for an outstanding professional career, following the spirit of Opus Dei. Though weakened by the need for regular dialysis, he was a popular director of Netherhall from 1967-70 before returning to his career in medicine and rising to the heights of his profession.

John was one of the world’s leading experts on drugs and brought his expertise to bear in some of the major poison cases of our time. He was always available to answer media enquiries and his ability to explain complex concepts in a simple way made him, as one article put it, ‘Britain’s best-known toxicologist’. With all this he was extremely modest and self-effacing.

Professor Henry joined Opus Dei at the age of 20 when he was a medical student, committing himself to a celibate vocation as a numerary within the Prelature. In 1972, the then young John Henry was able to meet St Josemaría. At that time, the then Dr Henry was on dialysis and contemplating a future kidney transplant. The future saint prayed fervently that a suitable kidney could be found for him. Escrivá died in June 1975 and in May 1976 a kidney became available meeting John Henry’s needs after he had prayed to the saint for his intercession.

This kidney was to give John another 31 years of active life.

As a man of deep Christian faith John had a profound effect on the lives of other people. He spoke naturally and freely about God to professional colleagues and students and sought to draw them all closer to Christ, without in any way seeking to impose his faith on others. His easy, even casual manner endeared him to everyone. He was consistently friendly in his treatment of all, addressing people of every rank with the humorous title ‘Chief ’.

Testimonies of the weeks in hospital before his death recall how supernaturally and generously he bore his final illness. One afternoon when he was in special pain, he was heard repeating frequently ‘Jesus, this is for you’. He was good at word-play and a great punster (provoking amused groans from his hearers) and he also put this to use in his spiritual life, for his relationship with Christ was as cheerful as the rest of his existence. During his final stay in hospital, hearing that he would need a drug called ‘Buscopan’, he turned to the person visiting him, who happened to be Spanish, and said in the language of his friend: ‘Busco pan del cielo’.

The Spanish words ‘busco pan’ mean ‘I seek bread’, and John Henry’s addition ‘del cielo’ (‘from heaven’) were an allusion to the heavenly bread, the Eucharist, which had been his lifelong inspiration.

Mgr PHILIP SHERRINGTON (1943-1995)

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orn in Middlesbrough in 1943, Fr Philip met Opus Dei while studying physics at Manchester University. During John Henry’s sickness, he was acting director of Netherhall in the period 1968-70, shortly before his ordination as a priest. After spending some time in Rome working with St Josemaría Escrivá, he returned to London in 1976 to be Regional Vicar of Opus Dei for Great Britain, a post he held until his death in a tragic climbing accident in 1995.

In the words of Bishop Gordon Wheeler, Fr Philip stood out for ‘his calm and affable nature: very gentle, highly civilised, and utterly committed to his special calling in the life of the Church. He was always a very pleasant companion and had a great sense of humour.’ He had, Bishop Gordon adds, ‘a great love for God and His Church, and for the Blessed Virgin.’

Bishop Javier Echevarría, the Prelate of Opus Dei, came especially from Rome to preside at his funeral. ‘Philip’s love for his country,’ he said, ‘led him to work tirelessly to spread the ideal of Opus Dei throughout Great Britain.’

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MICHAEL FARMER (1944-2011)

F

Michael Farmer (second from left) with some of his contemporaries in Netherhall

ormer Netherhall resident Judge Michael Farmer died on 9th April 2011 aged 66.

Described by fellow judge Derek Halbert as the ‘best legal mind in Wales’, Michael took silk in 1995 after two decades of legal practice and served as a judge on the Welsh circuit from 2001. One of the small number of judges fluent in Welsh, Farmer worked tirelessly to ensure that those involved in legal proceedings could conduct cases in the language.

Fr Bernard Marsh recalls: ‘Mike was a real character in Netherhall. Doing his Bar Finals, he was a few years older than most of us. His direct manner instilled a certain fear and respect for him among his fellow residents, already presaging, perhaps, his figure at the Bar. But behind the hard exterior was a heart of gold. Those who got to know him better would find a warm and benevolent man, ready to be a deep and loyal friend.’

He is survived by his wife, Olwen, and two children, both of whom practise the law at their father’s old chambers.

JEAN MARC HAREL (1945-2011)

J

ean Marc was one of the first residents at the beginning of the era of expansion of Netherhall when the Queen Mother opened what was then called the ‘new wing’ on 1st November 1966. He was one of the first Mauritians to stay at Netherhall. In spite of it being the ‘swinging 60s’ with student riots all over Europe in 1968, Jean Marc was known for spending much of his time in the study-room.

With all his application, he was to do very well. He returned to Mauritius and joined accountancy group De Chazal Du Mée, becoming joint managing partner in 1981. He also later ventured into hotels and educational activities, never being daunted by any risks involved. As the Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam publicly noted, Jean Marc was vital in developing financial services on the island. In Ramgoolam’s words, ‘Jean Marc has always been sensitive to people’s grief in a world where business and finance seem to be distinct from human distress...He will be remembered as a man who was particularly attentive to poverty’.

In the 1990s, Jean Marc re-visited Netherhall to bring his son Jason, who was to far outstrip his father in terms of how long he stayed at Netherhall – over six years.

Jean Marc came to London to receive treatment but died here in hospital at the age of 66 on 13th May 2011. Upon hearing of his death, Prime Minister Ramgoolam said that Jean Marc was a ‘kind-hearted man who promoted Mauritian expertise abroad and contributed to the development of the country,’ adding, ‘Mauritius has lost a true patriot and a great man.’ Fittingly, his funeral took place in the Church of St.Thomas More, Swiss Cottage, the church entrusted to Opus Dei and looked after by priests from Netherhall; a church which, in the 1960s, Jean Marc would have attended from time to time when he was staying at Netherhall.

He is survived by his wife Marilyn, and his children Jason, Marc and Nathalie.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 71

Through the decades...

PLUS ÇA CHANGE...

Teaching in Palestine, working on an organic farm, and helping people get used to zero gravity experience...what current residents are up to this summer. Dominic Bardill reports.

A

s the end of term and thus the finale of this academic year hastily approaches, many residents will be departing from Netherhall into new and interesting ventures. Just as the alumni who have graced the hallways of Netherhall in the past have gone on to hold prestigious positions, or to have unpredictable and exciting experiences, so too numerous current residents must soon fly the nest and make their way in the big wide world. Others, who will remain with us for a longer period of time, are also embarking on a wide range of summer projects.

James Somerville-Meikle, proud to be a Brit, studied History and Politics at the University of Warwick prior to coming to Netherhall. Currently he is finishing his Masters degree in Middle East Politics at SOAS before heading to Palestine to work with Project Hope in Nablus, the West Bank. He will be teaching English in schools, homes and refugee camps in the West Bank and other Palestinian areas, a very valuable and honourable way to spend one’s summer indeed!

Our Portuguese pianist, João Bettencourt, who is currently finishing his Masters in Piano at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is Netherhall’s longest staying resident, has already played concerts all year round in Portugal and England to name but a few of the countries he has visited.

In the summer, João will play even more and then will be commencing his PhD at an institution yet to be confirmed. Our fingers are crossed that his fingers will take him further than he has already ventured. Fellow Guildhall Masters student Ricard Rovirosa is travelling every bit as much but in his great modesty refused to allow me to interview him!

One of our resident Italians, Paolo Salza, a second year Masters student at ESCP Europe, will take up an intern-

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Above (from l-r): Simone Crimella, Alvaro Camacho, Ali Bashamak, Cyrus Mwangi, Paulo Salza

ship during the summer with the leading investment bank Goldman Sachs. Paolo will be working as a banking analyst in accounting, which will no doubt provide him with plenty of experience for a future career in the banking and finance sector. He then hopes to go to Paris for the third year of his Masters after studying in Turin for his first year and in London this year (presumably his favourite one!)

Another Italian resident, Giovanni Braghieri, who is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at UCL, will be spending the summer volunteering on an organic farm in Portugal through the organisation WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms). From fixing solar panels to using recycled materials and building insulation and clothes driers, Giovanni will be working six hours a day, six days a week in 30 degree heat – no sweat! Giovanni will also be submitting a paper on Exoskeleton, his innovative idea to help people with spinal

problems. In October he begins a PhD at Cambridge University, as do fellow Italian Fabio Fiorelli (see below) and Chilean Carlo Rossi, the latter in philosophy.

By far the most stereotypical Roman of all, Simone Crimella also has plans for the summer. No, he is not going to work in a pizzeria, but rather for Island Universe LTD, a small company with big ideas. Simone informs us that Island Universe collaborates with Virgin Galactic, the company developing tourist-style space travel opportunities under Sir Richard Branson. Simone will be working on a project that involves looking at how to make the experience user-, or better said, customer-friendly during the five minutes of zero gravity experience.

Simone has no problem expressing himself and doesn’t hesitate to make his feelings clear on Netherhall life: ‘In Netherhall I have found great friends and met very intelligent and interesting people. The house is full of positive energy, and I really think everyone gets inspired

Above (from l-r): Jose Pedro Aninat, Fernando Jorge Marina, Joao Bettencourt, Pablo Llorens Left (from top): Rohan Merchant with Raffy Rodriguez, Netherhall’s own Frank Sinatra Charles Pigott, James Somerville-Meikle, Fabio Fiorelli

by living with almost 100 students from all over the world!’ Simone is about to finish his second year studying Product Design at London South Bank University and also hopes to collaborate with his university professor to do a research orientated internship through his university.

One of our next-generation philosophers, Raffy Rodriguez is currently at King’s College studying for his Masters in Philosophy. Raffy, from Malaysia, will be passing on his knowledge and wisdom in Netherhall too, as he teaches children English during a portion of his summer break.

Chemical Engineering Masters student Fabio Fiorelli, yet another Italian achiever, will be travelling to Ghana to help build a water reserve and purification system. He will be embarking on a new venture in the academic year too, since, as said above, he proceeds to Cambridge to do a PhD in Materials Engineering.

Thomas Sloan, a Brit in denial and USA enthusiast, is training at King’s College to be a nurse with the NHS. He will be spending his summer on an internship program at a Catholic hospital in St John’s Wood, not too far from Netherhall. Thomas will be getting experience in theatre nursing, which will help him to save the lives of many in the future.

Slovak patriot Jan Povala is due to visit India to embark on an interesting internship programme. He will be working with an organisation called Infosys, a business technology consultancy and IT firm. This will certainly complement his studies in Computer Science at Imperial, where he is in his first year. Speaking of India, Chemistry student, carbon fanatic and India’s number one propagandist

Rohan Merchant will be travelling to the USA for the summer having secured himself a prestigious internship at the Scripps Research Institute, California.

Cyrus Mwangi, studying Aerospace Engineering at Queen Mary, will be keeping safe the thousands of visitors who are flocking to London for the Olympics from late July. The young BritishKenyan has cunningly found a way to be paid to watch this historic event, namely as part of the security personnel for the competition.

Andrew Duncan will be going from politics to the classroom when he leaves his internship with Paul Murphy MP to join the Teach First programme in late June.

There are countless other high achievers at Netherhall who cannot all be included but will nonetheless be flying in all directions come the summer break, from which they will return after adventures in countries far and wide. There is a huge mix of computer scientists, philosophers, teachers, performers and even those who are heading for a career in business, finance, the military or medicine. Those who are away only temporarily will surely miss the beautiful English weather. Those who leave Netherhall and the UK definitively may not return for a tan in the near future but they depart with our warmest wishes – and prayers – for their future.

Dominic Bardill is in his third and final year studying for a BA in Drama and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths College. He will then work with the Brompton Oratory for some of the summer, before completing his final tests for entry into the Household Cavalry as a Trooper and Combat Medical Technician with Helicopter licence.

NETHERHALL 60TH e 73

Left: Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 Above: President John F Kennedy who was assassinated in 1963 Right: Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon 1969 Below right: Student riots throughout Europe, May 1968 OTHER EVENTS: THE 1956 SUEZ CRISIS, DE-COLONISATION, THE COLD WAR, ASCENT OF MOUNT EVEREST

THE HISTORY WE SHARED Some major world events and personalities 1952-2012 LEFT: THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL 1962-65 RIGHT: PROTESTS AGAINST THE VIETNAM WAR 1955-1975 BELOW LEFT: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR (1929-1968) & THE AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT BELOW: THE BEATLES

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FAR LEFT: POPE JOHN PAUL II 1978-2005 LEFT: THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL 1989 & THE SUBSEQUENT COLLAPSE OF COMMUNISM BELOW LEFT: THE NORTHERN IRISH PEACE AGREEMENT 1998 BELOW RIGHT: MARGARET THATCHER & NELSON MANDELA

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: THE 2004 SOUTH ASIAN TSUNAMI, THE TECHNOLOGICAL ERA, MOTHER TERESA, THE RISE OF CHINA AND INDIA, THE 9/11 ATTACKS. OTHER EVENTS INCLUDE: WATERGATE, THE AIDS EPIDEMIC, THE INVASION OF IRAQ, RWANDAN AND BOSNIAN GENOCIDES, THE RISE OF Deng Xiaoping and the demise of Maoism, the European Union and European decline, THE EMERGENCE OF POLITICAL ISLAM & THE FALL OF DICTATORSHIPS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, post-Modernism, genetics and the human genome project, the World Youth Days

NETHERHALL 60TH e 75

ad multos annos!