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Editor and Alumni Manager
Joe Roberts jr@oakham.rutland.sch.uk
Managing Editor
Rachel Fairweather rf2@oakham.rutland.sch.uk
Director of External Relations
Samantha Rowntree sr@oakham.rutland.sch.uk
Art Director
Sam Bowles sam@stencil-agency.co.uk
Designers Vicky Elwick vicky@stencil-agency.co.uk
Kate Kusztal kate@stencil-agency.co.uk
Ariana Marrin-Cleal ariana@stencil-agency.co.uk
Contributing authors: Aurore Guillomot-Bonnefond (Archivist) Emily Howett (Communications Manager) Charlotte Woodward (Development Assistant)
It’s been quite a year, and when last I wrote, Covid had just struck down our Christmas drinks. In 2022, we escaped with only one Covid postponement, and saw a return of reunions, summer drinks, and various other gatherings and events. We hope 2023 will bring more of the same and allow us all to continue to reconnect.
I would like to say some thank-yous to everyone who has helped me and the OO Club throughout the last year.
Charlotte, whose assistance to the OO Club is invaluable, running our social media and just generally being of great help whenever I need her — I couldn’t do it without you!
Sam, whose counsel and support has been immense and makes College House a pretty great place to work.
Aurore, our brilliant Archivist, who is always an incredible font of knowledge and immense help whenever I come-acalling, searching for an old photo or magazine excerpt. I hope you will enjoy Aurore and Charlotte’s collaboration on the Archives A to Z feature on pages 13–17.
Emily and her marketeers, Zoe and Louise, who are always incredibly kind, supportive and do so much to help us downstairs folk out.
Jono, who finally stepped away from the OO Club after nearly three decades in the role — the OO Club will never be able to thank you enough for all that you have done, and I know that I will miss having your endless knowledge at my beck and call. See page 29.
Jonathan, who has stepped into Jono’s vast shoes, and who it has already been a pleasure to work with and get to know better. (Be sure to check out Jonathan’s profile on pages 18–19.)
David, thank you for your continued support as the President. (And I’m very sorry that when we finally got your dinner, you couldn’t be there!)
Vicky, Lou, Gerry and the Catering Team, who have been so amazing for all our events, and can always be relied upon to do a sterling job.
And last, but certainly not least, Rachel. To say, there
is no magazine without Rachel is the understatement of the year. I’m certain to have driven her crazy with missed deadlines, but her kindness and patience are immeasurable, and she has dragged me kicking and screaming across the line. I hope you all will enjoy the fruits of her labour!
This edition of the magazine includes a feature on a number of OOs working in or around the climate crisis (pages 20–25) — especially timely given the most recent UN Climate Report and COP27 — as well as all your memories, news, reunions and much more!
The OO Club Committee is meeting to set the schedule for the 2023 events after this goes to print, so I cannot say turn to page x, but please do visit our new website, www.oakhamianconnection.com, where we will be posting all our news and events going forward — to find out more, see opposite.
And if you would like to come back to the School and visit outside of an event, you are always welcome — please be sure to drop me a line in advance and someone will be happy to take you round.
I hope to see you all very soon; until then, please keep in touch. Quasi Cursores, Joe
Weddings galore, plus Foundation news and news of OOs pursuing careers in theatre and the arts, representing club and country in sports, and pushing the boundaries for charity.
1584 Society member Dr Ken-Soon Tan talks about the life-changing opportunities that his Oakham education gave him and why he supports bursaries.
Formal and informal reunions from the past year, plus the OO Club waves farewell and says thank you to Jon ‘Jono’ Wills.
Remembering and reflecting on our time with Queen Elizabeth II during her two unforgettable visits to Oakham.
OO Death Notices and lives remembered.
AsHeadmaster of Oakham School,
I have the great privilege of connecting with many different communities and supporters of the School. Whether it’s meeting prospective families, communicating with current pupils and parents, welcoming former pupils to the School, working with our Donors, collaborating with Trustees, and staff past and present, it is great to see the love and support that people show Oakham School on a daily basis.
The Foundation and OO Club play a hugely important role in maintaining friendships and connections, and critically, whether it’s to help facilitate a work experience placement to a current pupil, or raise money for Bursaries, Capital Projects or smaller Foundation Projects, their purpose is to positively impact life at Oakham School.
Any donation, however big or small, makes a difference. We are grateful for the support from Old Oakhamians and parents. Alongside more significant donations, we welcome smaller, regular contributions; we would love you to get involved and help us make a difference. This year the Foundation is funding three life-changing bursaries and three smaller-scale projects to enhance pupil life; seating and games in the ‘Out Back’ garden in Lower School, more recyclable benches and a wellbeing space. Read more on page 8.
Thanks to the incredible support of the Wilson Foundation who donated £240,000, we now have floodlights on both astro pitches. This fantastic gift has significantly improved our facilities for hockey, tennis and netball and allows us to play more matches. Perhaps most critically, it has also made a meaningful difference for our pupils and for members of our local community, who can now play sports and games on the pitches in the evening.
Floodlights on the astros
Whilst we need financial support, equally important are the offers of support “in kind”. I hope many of you have seen and will sign up to our new website to reconnect with friends and make the most of the networking and mentoring that keep OOs connected and supporting each other and future generations.
If you feel you can help by donating or offering your support with work experience, networking or mentoring, please sign up to the Oakhamian Connection or call us; we will be delighted to hear from you.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy this edition of The Old Oakhamian.
With best wishes, Henry
Keep up to date with the latest news from your old School oakham.rutland.sch.uk/news-events/news
The Foundation and OO Club play a hugely important role in maintaining friendships and connections.
GEORGE GILLHAM (‘91) married Helen Metcalfe at Marylebone Registry Office on Thursday 8 September 2022. George is a Partner at Fieldfisher LLP and heads their Contentious Tax team. Helen is a Consultant at Russell Reynolds Associates specialising in CEO recruitment.
EMILY HEALEY (’06) married Stephen Wallace at the Oakham School Chapel on 3 June 2022. The bridesmaids included several OOs: Tiffany Healey (‘17), Holly Healey (‘19), and Tuesday Healey (‘17) and the Chief Bridesmaid was Kirsty Charters (‘06).
Other OOs in attendance were the Bride’s uncle Stephen Hardy (’80), the Bride’s mother Susan Healey (née Hardy) (’79), Malcolm Hardy (Honorary OO) and David Morgan (Honorary OO).
HANNAH
(’12) married FABIAN TAYLOR (’08) on 18 June 2022 in the Lake District. There were lots of OOs present, including: five bridesmaids – Kate Mullinger (’12), Niamh O’Driscoll (’12), Isabel Scruby (’12) and Isabelle Bevan (’12) – the best man, Charlie Trembath (’08), and the Groom’s brother, Sebastian Taylor (’02).
GEORGE DAVIDSON (‘10) married Pandora Bibby on 13 August 2022 on 22 May 2021.
MITCHELL
KOREN GURNEY (née Randell), (’11) writes: ‘Two of my classmates, MIRIAM LOCHMÜLLER and NIKOLAUS MEYDING (‘11), married at the start of September at the Johanneskirche Stuttgart, Germany. They met in Sixth Form at Oakham. They were legally married last year and couldn’t have many guests due to Covid restrictions, however, they finally got the wedding day they had planned for this year. The reception was held at the Steinbachof in Vaihingen an der Enz, with a fabulous meal, fireworks and dancing which carried on until 5.30am the next morning! A few OOs were in Germany to celebrate, including a couple of us who had travelled from the UK to be there with them. We had the most fabulous day watching two dear friends celebrate their marriage!’
HARRIET FLATHER (’12) married Oliver Gaunt at Oakham School Chapel on 15 October 2022. Harriet writes: ‘One of our bridesmaids was Lizzie Robertson (’12) and OO William Fox played the organ for us.’
EMILY WRAGG (’10) married Chris Oliver on 13 August 2022, after postponing due to Covid. The ceremony and reception were held at Stapleford Park and “the day itself was perfect despite 35-degree heat!”
Earlier in the year, at 11.22pm on 8 January 2022, Emily and Chris welcomed Alfie Thomas Oliver to the world.
Photo credit: Gemma Randall Photography
BILLIE GEORGINA KNOWLES (‘15)
After last year’s success of holding a lunch for our Legacy and 1584 Society members at the School before watching the 1st XV rugby team in action, we opted this year for a musical approach.
When considering this year’s Foundation Projects, we looked at how an award could further enhance pupils’ lives at School. We had 12 incredible applications and the Foundation was delighted to facilitate three of them. Thank you to parents and Old Oakhamians who donated to make these projects, put forward by teaching and support staff, possible.
▀ Housemistress of Hambleton Sarah Angove and her Senior Tutor Alexis Dachtler have been awarded a grant to create a wellbeing space for all four Middle School Day Houses at Schanschieffs. This will provide a place for pupils to go when they need additional ongoing support, to build selfconfidence, reduce anxious feelings, and empower them.
During the Summer Term, the School held its first full Speech Day and Lower School Prize Giving celebrations since 2019. Both days were filled with parents, siblings, grandparents celebrating their children’s achievements. For both occasions the Foundation had a tent that celebrated 50 years of co-education with our decades banners out in full display, highlighting how co-education has transformed Oakham throughout the years.
We had an old blazer from the 1930s, a co-education quiz with the chances of winning an Oakham School bundle that included the famous Oakham School Monopoly. 50 Years of co-education wordsearches were created for our Lower School Prize Giving, which were enjoyed by all, including Senior Deputy Head Mr Mayhew – who even found a couple of extra words.
There was also a chance to purchase a Monopoly by making a donation to the Foundation and over the two Prize Giving days we raised over £300.
On Thursday 22 September, members of both societies joined us for pre-dinner drinks and dinner at the Wisteria Hotel in Oakham before walking over to the School Chapel to watch ‘A Life in Musicals’, a concert by Katie Hall (’08) and her co-star and friend, Earl Carpenter. Katie and Earl sang various songs from West-End Musicals with the Chamber Choir also appearing as guest performers.
It was a lovely evening, giving us a chance to thank those who generously donate to the Foundation.
On Friday 23 September the Foundation held an afternoon tea for parents of Lower School Pupils. It was lovely to see so many parents as well as meeting many new faces. Headmaster Henry Price introduced the Foundation and the role that philanthropy plays at Oakham School, as well as outlining how recent generous gifts have helped to enhance the lives of our current pupils.
We are looking forward to welcoming parents back for the opening of the enhanced ‘Out Back’ area at Lower School when it is completed.
▀ As the School strives to be more sustainable, further recyclable benches have been purchased to be placed around the School. Thank you to our Domestic Operations Manager, Deirdre MacDonald for building upon our outdoor spaces where pupils and staff can relax.
▀ Housemaster of Peterborough House, Malcolm Fairweather, has been awarded a grant of £3,000, which will be used towards enhancing the ‘Out Back’ area behind Peterborough House, by adding on to the gazebo that was gifted in a previous year by the Foundation for all of Lower School to enjoy.
The annual Foundation Project Fund helps smaller projects come to life and enriches the pupils’ experience further both inside and outside the classroom. These smaller scale projects are supported by Old Oakhamians and the parent community. If you have any ideas for a Foundation Project, please get in touch by emailing foundation@ oakham.rutland.sch.uk or if you would like to donate to a future project, please scan the QR code.
JACK LEE (‘15) was a finalist at the Kathleen Ferrier Awards in 2021, which earned him an invitation to join the Vienna State Opera’s Young Artist Programme, which he began in September.
ALLY AMBROSE (’15) starred as Jess in the Off-West-End production of My Mental Breakdown, which was written, directed and produced by fellow OO Max Kingdom (Parrott, ’12).
LOUISE DOUGHTY (’81) has written and executive produced the new BBC mini-series Crossfire, starring Keeley Hawes. A novelist by trade, Crossfire is Louise’s first drama for television, although her seventh novel, Apple Tree Yard, was previously adapted for the small screen.
CLO FARMER (‘19) and CALEB IGHOFOSE (‘21) have begun their studies at two world-renowned drama schools – Clo is at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and Caleb has joined RADA, both studying BA Acting courses.
KATIE HALL (‘08), fresh off the back of a stint as Fantine with the Les Misérables UK & Ireland tour, has been touring her new show with Earl Carpenter, Up Close and Personal – A Life in Musicals. An intimate, behindthe-scenes look at life on the stage. Katie and Earl came to Oakham on 22 September, and were supported by Peter Davis and the School’s Chamber Choir (read more about it on page 26).
RICHARD HOPE (’71) can be seen playing the role of Dr Reginald Murray in Netflix drama 1899
MATTHEW MACFADYEN (’92) had an excellent 2022 Awards season, winning an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Tom Wambsgans in HBO’s Succession. Matthew also had a starring role in the film Operation Mincemeat, playing Ewen Montagu, alongside Colin Firth.
SARAH MOSS (’04) returned to the West End as Miss Casewell in The Mousetrap, finishing her run in May, before a stint in the play, Madhouse, featuring David Harbour and Bill Pullman. Sarah has recently been abroad filming an episode of FBI International
ELAINE WATT (’07) starred in An Evil Thing by Sarah-May Simpson at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Elaine writes, ‘The Progressive Players Gateshead had an extremely positive first ever run at the Fringe Festival with some excellent feedback from audiences - and are looking ahead to new opportunities and plan to return to the Fringe in 2023.’
An Evil Thing has been nominated for the Derek Jacobi Playwriting Award 2023.
JOE WOODHOUSE (‘04) has released a vegetarian cookbook, Your Daily Veg: Modern, fuss-free vegetarian food. Joe’s book and recipes were featured in the February edition of the Observer Food Monthly
ALAN WALTERS (’74) continues to work as a photojournalist – a role he has fulfilled for more than 30 years. Also known to Oakham School as our photographer for the last two Leavers’ Balls, Alan has moved away from news photography to concentrate on social documentary photo essays and exhibitions, with subjects including relative poverty (ongoing) and the lives of refugees in nearby towns (complete).
In October 2022 Alan held a display of images entitled ‘Moments of Peace’ at Stamford Arts centre, juxtaposing the lives of Ukrainian refugees in and around Samford with the harsh reality of the lives they left behind.
ELISABETH RILEY (NÉE O’KANE (’01) has written and illustrated a children’s book, The Saltwater Fairies, which is available at a number of independent bookshops, including Walkers of Oakham.
Image Above left to right: Laura Astin (Adult Multirole as Mrs Cawley in this scene), Kathryn Sergison (Betty King), Elaine Watt (Peggy Clark).
Photo credit: Emma Brown
▀ Alex Goode (‘06) had a successful return to Premiership Rugby following his loan period to Japan, playing 28 times for Saracens in the 2021–22 season, including in the Premiership Final, which they narrowly lost to Leicester Tigers. Alex made a record 339th appearance for Saracens on 30 October 2022.
▀ Harry Glynn (’20) made his senior debut for La Rochelle in the Top 14, scoring two first-half tries on his debut to help La Rochelle defeat Perpignan 43-8.
▀ Charlie Titcombe (‘20) was selected to play for England Students against France, scoring the winning penalty from 50m. Charlie made his professional debut for side Worcester Warriors in September.
▀ In the U20 Six Nations, Jed Gelderbloom (’21) made his debut for Scotland and Jacob Cusick (’21) made his debut for England. Jed is currently playing for Edinburgh and Jacob is playing for Leicester Tigers.
▀ Jack van Poortvliet (‘19), following a remarkable season with Premiership Champions Leicester Tigers, made his senior debut for England on their tour to Australia. Jack came off the bench to score in the first match of the series, before making his first international start in the second game, in which England beat Australia 25-17 to tie up the series 1-1. England Rugby named Jack their Player of the Match. Jack came off the bench in the third and deciding match of the tour to help England win 21-17. Jack was selected for the 2022 Autumn Internationals, scoring a try 29 seconds after coming off the bench against Argentina in the first Test.
▀ Hamish Watson (’10) made his 50th International appearance for Scotland on Saturday 9 July against Argentina, and also captained Scotland for the first time during the third game on tour. Hamish was selected for the Autumn Internationals.
▀ Sam Costelow (’19) made 18 appearances for Scarlets in the 2021-22 season, finishing with 102 points. Sam signed a new contract with Scarlets in April and has had an excellent beginning to the 2022-23 season. His good form led to his selection for the Wales team in the Autumn Internationals, making his debut off the bench against New Zealand at the Principality Stadium.
▀ Fred Davies (’17) finished his university career at Newcastle as BUCS all-time leading try-scorer, with 30 tries, and has signed a two-year contract with the Bristol Bears, making his professional debut in September 2022.
▀ Greta Mason (‘15) is the British Under-25 eventing champion, having won the national title in the British Horse Feeds under-25 class at Bramham Horse Trials in June, with her horse Cooley for Sure.
▀ Alex Brundle (‘08) is racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Inter Europol Competition in the LMP2 class. Alex raced at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, where he and his team finished 13th in their class and 17th overall.
▀ Jonathan Knew (’80) writes in: ‘How about this for an unusual bit of OO news: Having taken up gymnastics at the age of 44, now some 16 years ago, I entered the British Gymnastics Championships over the 2022 August Bank Holiday and arguably became a British Champion at the age of 60! I do however need to inject some truth and realism into that outrageous statement of spin. I was in the over 45 years old Novice group and came top out of a group of 3 in the high bar event. Overall I came third, ie last, but still got a bronze medal after six disciplines.’
▀ Stuart Broad (‘04) has moved to 566 wickets, surpassing Glenn McGrath (563) to 5th on the all-time wicket takers list and 2nd behind only Jimmy Anderson of the pace bowlers. Stuart made a triumphant return to international cricket as a new-look England swept New Zealand 3-0 before beating India at Edgbaston and then winning the series against South Africa 2-1. Stuart also helped Notts win promotion to the 1st Division, returning from England duty to play in their final match against Durham, taking 5 wickets on the way to victory.
▀ Lyndon James (‘17) was an integral part of the Notts team which won the 2nd Division of the County Championship. Lyndon scored his maiden first-class hundred against Durham at Chester-le-Street in April. He made 164*, his highest first-class score, in the final match of the season (also against Durham) to help ensure Notts were promoted. Lyndon was also selected for the First Class Counties XI to play against New Zealand, scoring 52 in the first innings. Lyndon recently signed a four-year contract extension, committing himself to Notts for the foreseeable future.
▀ Josh Cobb (‘08) had a fine season for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, with four scores over 50 in their 2022 Vitality Blast campaign. Josh captained the Welsh Fire for The Hundred.
this QR code to view the Oakham School Sports Hall of Fame.Above: Jack van Poortvliet after his England debut with Ben Lewin (’19) Below: Hamish Watson playing for Scotland Right: Sam Costelow in action for Scarlets
In September 2022, Michael O’Driscoll (’15) and Oren Patel-Champion (’15) summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, at 5895m, raising over £5,000 for the youth mental health charity YoungMinds.
After five days of trekking in Peru on the UAL (University of the Arts London) Trek, Sacha Burlison (’21) summitted Machu Picchu, raising £3,740.38 and £585.00 gift aid for the Marie Curie Charity.
Andrew Jarvis (‘12) completed a three-day endurance event starting in Snowdonia and finishing in Oxford. Day 1 included a hike up Snowdon and a 135km cycle. Next up was a 30k run and 70 more kilometres
on the bike. After an ice bath and more refuelling, day three combined 110k on two wheels and 10km run culminating at Oxford Quins Rugby Club. They raised £2,000 for the Doddie Weir Foundation.
▀ David Firmin (‘95) swam across the English Channel for mental health charity, Mind, raising over £4,000.
▀ James Dickens (‘90) rode Land End’s to John O’Groats in support of Macmillan Cancer Support. James rode with three friends, including cancer survivor Andrew King, and they completed the 950-mile ride in 10 days, raising over £39,000 in the process.
Clockwise from top left: Andrew Jarvis (’12)
Michael O’Driscoll (‘15) and Oren Patel Champion (’15)
Sacha Burlison (’21) James Dickens (’90) and co. David Firmin (’95)
▀ Matt Ramshaw (‘18) made his international hockey debut for the England senior men’s team, scoring twice on his debut against France in the FIH Pro League on 21 May. Fellow OO, Alex Stadler (‘15), has also been playing in the FIH for Germany as their first-choice goalkeeper.
▀ Maddie Pearce (’17), was awarded the VC Gold Award by the Vice Chancellor at Loughborough University after her 100th appearance for Loughborough. Maddie has signed with Premier League side Holcombe, where she joins her fellow classmate Alice Huddlestone (’17).
▀ Other OOs playing in the Premier League include Lucas Ward (’17) who plays for Oxted, Ben Collinson (’21) for Beeston, Becca Malyon (’21) for Loughborough Students, and Kathryn Lane (’13) was playing for Clifton Robinsons in the 2021–2022 season.
▀ In the National League Annie Dalton (’15) plays for Wimbledon, Caitlin Jeffries (’11), Alice Page (’11), Kitty Bridgwood (’12), Steph Hale (’13), and Oakham School staff member Katie Long play for Leicester City Hockey Club.
▀ Imogen Ainsworth (‘19) is writing for The Hockey Paper and The Rugby Paper as a journalist.
Written by Brian Needham (Hon OO)
On Saturday 15 October 2022 a group of Old Oakhamians gathered at The Drovers Inn at Inverarnan in Scotland. Nothing much surprising about a group of OOs meeting at a public house, one might think, but this was before opening time and they had gathered, together with other friends, to support Stephen Wilson (‘82), son of Patrick (PCW) and Marjorie Wilson, in his attempt on his last Munro. For those ignorant of such matters, a Munro is a mountain in Scotland of over 3,000 feet (914.4m) and there are 282 of them, from the far north (Ben Hope in Sutherland) to the far south (Ben Lomond in the Trossachs National Park), from the Cuillins on Skye in the west and as far east as Mount Keen near Braemar. Over 7,000 mountaineers are “compleatists” having climbed them all,
three of whom are OOs (but there may be others unknown to this author). Denis Ethelbert O'Neill Johnson (‘29) was the first, to be followed by Andrew Watkin (‘73) and now Steve Wilson. It is worth recording that Steve (with his son Tom) was one of the party that accompanied Andrew on his last Munro, along with Tim Young (‘77), sadly now deceased. (Please read his obituary on page 39.) Stephen had climbed his first Munro (without knowing what such things were) in 1982 when he accompanied this author and Alasdair Thorpe (‘79) up Ben More Assynt via Conival, so it was tremendous that Alasdair could join in this last ascent with the author and Stephen’s parents (Patrick and Marjorie), all Honorary OOs, forming the Base Camp support group. OO Nigel Sardeson (’82) had climbed a few of the Munros with his schoolfriend Stephen and it was fitting that he joined in the ascent of Beinn Chabhair.
Maddie Pearce (’17) Matt Ramshaw (’18) (middle) Left: Stephen Wilson (third from the left) and friends (including Andrew Watkin, Alasdair Thorpe and Nigel Sardeson) at the summit of his final Munro. It was a “typical” Scottish day with no view whatsoever from the summit. There was an enjoyable convivial that evening to celebrate the success!Far left: Peterborough House photo, 1989. Ken is in the front row, second from left.
Left: Ken and his wife, Rachel.
Below: Ken playing violin in Chapel, 1989.
Dr Ken-Soon Tan (‘94) talks to Charlotte Woodward about the fortunate sequence of events that led to him joining Oakham School on a bursary, the lifechanging opportunities that his education here gave him, and why he now supports The Oakham School Foundation.
DrKen-Soon Tan is Director of Renal Medicine at Logan Hospital in Brisbane, Senior Lecturer in Medicine at the University of Queensland, and a clinician scientist. Ken left Oakham in 1994 to study Medicine at the University of Cambridge. After graduation, he worked briefly in the UK before returning to Australia to complete his training as a kidney specialist and clinical pharmacologist. This included a memorable stint in Central Australia, based at Alice Springs Hospital, where he also assisted with Flying Doctor retrievals. In 2007 he moved to Brisbane where he has been ever since.
It was a lucky coincidence that I ended up at Oakham. Whilst taking the Royal School Music exams in Malaysia, my examiner was kind enough to recommend me to a couple of his former colleagues, one of whom was Graham Smallbone, the Headmaster of Oakham at the time. An impromptu audition for a Music Scholarship was arranged and a recording sent back to the UK. It still seems amazing that on the basis of this I was awarded a Music Scholarship. Further support followed in the form of a (Jerwood Foundation) bursary and then a Form 6 (Jerwood Foundation) Academic Scholarship, which meant that my
final two years at Oakham were free. My luck with financial support did not end when I left Oakham. Through his friend who was by now a fellow at Gonville and Caius College, the late great Rod Smith persuaded the then college Admissions Tutor to organise two valuable bursaries to help with my university costs.
The support was incredible when I was at Oakham. People always went out of their way to help and encourage you and you learnt to take up all of the opportunities offered to you. Oakham gave me this sense that you can just go for things, even if the odds seem against you. That was the sort of can-do attitude that the School cultivated; it’s the sense of grasping an opportunity and just going for it. And I learnt that sometimes the results really will surprise you. Oakham instilled that in me and it’s still with me today.
I’m very invested in supporting bursaries and scholarships. It’s impressive to see what the Foundation has achieved, especially with its offering of bursaries and it means a lot to me to see this as I know it will offer pupils the same “leg-up” I was privileged to receive. I like to think that people should try and give back where they can. We as a family all do our part and donate to what we believe in; as such, I am committed to supporting the Foundation and I’m proud to be part of the 1584 Society.
Oakham School helped me to develop a good social conscience. The jobs that I’ve done have generally been in areas where there’s a high amount of social disadvantage. Growing up at Oakham School, with its focus on charity and community, helped me to develop a real sense of empathy and compassion. The School has always had a good social conscience and I know that this is something that is instilled in students today.
During my time at Oakham, my greatest sporting feat was “running” around most of Rutland Water in aid of charity. One Leave-out weekend, Rod and Dave Smith persuaded a small group of “Chapmans stayers” to take part in a charity walk around Rutland Water organised by RAF North Luffenham. As the youngest member of the group, it was widely anticipated that I would fall behind. It was a surprise to all (not least me) when I ended up being the first member of the group to cross the finish line! I did pay the price as I was unable to walk for most of the next week, although to compensate, I got to attend a fancy lunch at the RAF base. Expectations were high when I subsequently did cross-country during the Easter term. I regret to say that I never lived up to any of them!
I still like to keep up with OOs and School news. I would have loved to watch Jack van Poortvliet (‘19) when England played in Brisbane this summer, but I wasn’t able to get tickets. I also recently saw the events Oakham did for Pride; that moved me quite a bit and it was really nice to see the School supporting the event.
Some schools are all academic or sporty, but Oakham has always been more balanced. I think the 50:50 gender split helps to develop your emotional intelligence. When I went to university it was so obvious which students had been to a single sex school and who had been to a co-educational school by how comfortably they could talk to other people. That’s what I’ve always admired about the School.
For more information about bursaries at Oakham School and the 1584 Society, visit oakhamianconnection.com/supportus
In 1966, the School’s Shooting 1st VI, captained by Chris Frame, went to Bisley and won the Ashburton Shield for the first time in its history. To celebrate this achievement, it was decided to name the new dining hall the ‘Ashburton Hall’, although it was more commonly referred to as ‘The Trough’. Some may remember that this building stood where the Merton now is, next to the current ‘Ashburton building’, then known as the ‘Haywood building’ (see H for Haywood). The Ashburton Hall was in use from 1966 to 1987. It was finally taken down in 1989. A is also for Ancaster, Athletics, Art, Activities, A-levels.
John Buchanan, Headmaster from 1959 to 1977, is the man behind the decision to become co-educational and when he retired, the Girls’ House ‘Orchard Close’, which had opened in January 1975, was renamed ‘Buchanans’ in summer 1977.
B is also for Barrow, Barraclough, Battlefields, Big Band, Bursaries, Biology, Boarding, Business.
Top left: The Ashburton Hall (left) next to the Haywoods building (right) in the 1960s
Bottom left: Lunch in the Ashburton Hall in the 1960s
The OO Club and Aurore, the School Archivist, have teamed up to share some of the stories behind the people and places that have shaped Oakham School. Written by Aurore Guillomot-Bonnefond and Charlotte Woodward
In 1910 Georgian-style Junior House was built. Its first Housemaster was Frank Chapman. Junior House was a Junior School that included a Boarding House and classrooms for the youngest boys. In 1960 and after much extension work and refurbishment, the House was renamed ‘Chapmans’ in memory of the first Housemaster. It became a fully-fledged Senior House two years later. C is also for Clipsham, Chapel, Chapel Close, Choir, College House, CCF, Cricket, CONGO, Computer Science, Cross Country, Co-Education, Classics, Citizenship, Chemistry.
Current Oakhamians who know the playing fields in the centre of campus as ‘Donkey’ might be surprised to hear that their official name is ‘Doncaster Close’. Those fields were purchased by the then Headmaster, Dr John Doncaster. An Old Oakhamian himself (1790), Dr Doncaster became the third OO to serve as Headmaster and he became one of the most famous. His headmastership lasted from 1808 to 1846.
D is also for Deanscroft, DofE, Design and Technology, Drama, Decem.
Fives is one of the oldest games played at the School. The first interhouse competition was recorded in 1907 and the first inter-school matches took place a year later. A co-educational sport at Oakham, fixtures still take place against rival schools to this day.
F is also for Farside, Football, Fencing, Foundation, Fun Run, French, Freddie Groome Enterprise.
Top left: The Junior House, c.1920
Top right: The House gardens, c.1975
Bottom: The first Junior House boys in 1910. Frank Chapman is seated in the middle, next to his wife, wearing the flowery hat, and his son Percy is sat on the far right, holding a trophy
Need we say more? Part of the annual ritual of the School year, when public exams were cancelled in 2020, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Oakham devised its own assessments and Bridging Courses to give pupils a sense of completion of their studies and to prepare them for life beyond School.
E is also for Expeditions, English, Evensongs.
Top left: Oxford and Cambridge Greek paper, date unknown
Top right: Summer exams in the Ashburton Hall, 1988
Right: Fives team in 2018
Left: Fives team in 1966
Haywoods is a Boys’ Boarding House, built in 1989, on Kilburn Road. It welcomed the Deanscroft boys when their House was converted
into Stevens for girls. It was named after Colonel Tom Haywood, who had been a Trustee of Oakham School from 1963 to 1970. Colonel Haywood was High Sheriff of Rutland in 1952 and was awarded an OBE for services to agriculture in 1962. Whilst a Trustee to the School, he was serving as Lord Lieutenant of Rutland (19631974). Another building bore his name before then, though. The Haywood building, opened in September 1965, and housed the Geography and Modern Languages Departments. This building was renamed ‘Ashburton’ when the name passed on to the Boarding House (see A for Ashburton). Another Haywood figure played an important part in the School’s history – John Haywood. He was a Cricket Master from 1904 to 1924, with an interval from 1915 to 1919 when John served in the First World War. He eventually came back to the School between 1946 and 1954. H is also for Hockey, Hambleton, Hodge Wing/Hodges/Rev Edward Vere Hodge.
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I is also for… Independence, Iceland, Italian, IB Diploma and MYP, International Relations.
‘Jerwoods’ is our Lower School campus and was named after OO John Michael Jerwood (‘35), whose generosity to the School helped to build many of our campus’s iconic buildings, including the Jerwood School of Design, the Smallbone Library, as well as the Lower School site. The new campus on Burley Road was opened in 1974. Three generations of Jerwood sons studied at Oakham School. At the turn of the 20th century, five brothers were at Oakham: Henry (1898), Edward (1902), Frank (1905), John Hugh (1909), and Bernard (1911).
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Frank is the School’s first Olympian, winning a Bronze medal with the Rowing Eight at the 1908 London Olympics. He served the School as Chaplain from 1914 until he retired in 1937, and was the first Housemaster of Wharflands (1920–1937). He was also Captain in the OTC. His son, Harold Peter (’27), went on to captain the Leicester Tigers in the 1947–1948 season. His brother John Hugh was killed in the First World War on 21 March 1918 at St Quentin. He was the father of John Michael. The last Jerwood to come to Oakham School was Peter Henry (’64), Frank’s grandson.
J is also for Johnsons/Archdeacon Robert Johnson, Japan.
The history of lacrosse at the School is a fragmented one. The sport was played regularly from 1976 to 1980. It was only firmly re-established as a girls’ game thanks to the efforts of Mrs Sarah Gomm in 1994. It is one of the most contested interhouse competitions and Rushebrookes, current reigning champions, hold the most victories in this discipline!
L is also for Lincoln, Latin, Lunchtime Music concerts, Littles/Tony Little, Leavers’ Ball.
Left: The Outdoor Pool,1960s
Below: G.A. Cherry diving in the Swimming Sports Competition, 1951
Before the completion of the Sports Hall and its indoor swimming pool in 1975, the pupils ‘enjoyed’ the pleasures of the outdoor pool. Opened as part of the Tercentenary celebrations in 1884, it was built “in a field below the Cricket ground”; it was 80ft long, 30ft wide and with a depth of between 3 and 6 ft. Further extension followed in May 1934 and a filter was installed to purify and sterilize. The refurbished pool was opened on 23 June 1934 by the Olympic diver Pete Desjardin. In summer 1954, a “tubular steel diving platform” alongside the wooden diving board was installed”.
P is also for Peterborough House, Eric Pickering-Clarke, Pavilion, Politics, Physics, Psychology.
‘Who is the man in the painting in the entrance of the Merton building?’ Well, the simple answer is, ‘Thomas Merton’. Thomas Merton was educated at Oakham School from 1929 to 1932. He played rugby in the 1st XV in 1932 and was a School Prefect. Merton was ordained in 1949. The teachings of the Trappist Monk are still followed and studied avidly today. The ‘Merton’ building stands on the site of the old Ashburton Dining Hall and the opening ceremony took place on 26 November 1991. M is also for Mehra Faculty of Science, Music, Matron, Modern Foreign Languages.
Rugby at Oakham has enjoyed a long and illustrious history. The first rugby season ever recorded at Oakham School was in 18921893. The team was then captained by TA Watson. The first time the 1st XV were undefeated was in 1953, under the leadership of their captain, BAF Smith (’54). The 1971 team won for the first time against Uppingham. Oakham School won the Daily Mail cup twice, in 2002 and 2003. Rugby Sevens is always a highlight of the Spring Term and in 2022, our U18 team were runners-up in the Vase Competition at Rosslyn Park. R is also for Rushebrookes/Robert Rushbrooke, Round House, Remembrance, Red Book.
The Rugby 1st XV, 1895
Left: The 1997 Lacrosse team
Bottom right: A Lacrosse team in the 1990s
Walter Lee Sargant, affectionately known as ‘Tom’ by his pupils, was Headmaster from 1902 to 1929. He led the School through the difficult times of the First World War. Having purchased the field by the cemetery (Farside) around 1916–1917, he ‘initiated cultivation [...] in aid of food production. We boys worked on planting potatoes and cabbages, and a few cultivated small plots on which they could grow their own lettuces and radishes’ (extract from the sketchbook of OO Felix Bayley). Sargant retired in 1929 and lived in the house he had built, Orchard Close, best known nowadays as Buchanans House! His name is ever present on our campus today. The Sargants Laboratory were opened on 16 May 1959 and the Junior Day Boys’ House of Sargants was created in 1960. They moved from Hodge Wing to their new Junior House on the Jerwoods campus in 1974. S is also for Sanatorium, Schanschieffs site/Simon Schanschieff, School Council, School House, Service Weekend, Speech Day, Sports Day, Sports Hall, Smallbone Library/ Graham Smallbone, Rod Smith, Squash, Steeplechase, Stevens/Michael Stevens.
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Old Oakhamian Lynn Wilson (‘57) became a Trustee (1983-1996) and a benefactor of Oakham School. Several sporting facilities bear his name. The Springfields playing fields on Ashwell Road were acquired in the early 2000s. They were then renamed ‘Wilsons Fields’ in honour of Lynn Wilson who had also funded the construction of a pavilion on the fields. The official opening ceremony took place on 16 May 2005. Today, the Wilson Fields are used by our rugby players and cricketers and are the venue of the Christmas Fun Run and the Tom Grant Festival of Football, amongst other
OO Terence Treanor (’47) followed in the footsteps of another Old Boy, Frank Jerwood, when he came back to Oakham School to serve as School Chaplain between 1966 and 1978. Up to his retirement in 1994, Rev Treanor fulfilled a vast number of roles at School. He became the first Housemaster of Talbots (1973-1974) and of Lincoln (1974-1989), and was a Tutor in Stevens (1989-1994). He taught Religious Education from 1966 and was named first Head of R.E. in 1979, a position he held until 1994. He is closely associated with the Old Oakhamian community as he was the Honorary Secretary of the OO Club from 1967 to 1994. However, the time of retirement did not mean his breaking the ties with his school. Terence Treanor accepted the role of the first School Archivist in 1994, until 2005. T is also for Talbots/G. Talbot Griffith, Tennis, Trustees, Tom Grant Football Festival, Trips.
interhouse competitions. Did you also know that the WA stood for ‘Wilson Auditorium’? Part of the Mehra Faculty of Science, this modern and university-like auditorium was opened in 2011. Lynn Wilson is also remembered on Farside where he helped build the first ‘all weather sporturf hockey pitch’, opened on 31 January 1991. W is also for Wharflands, Water Polo, War Memorials.
Rev Terence Treanor, c.1975
The three battles of Ypres, Belgium were some of the bloodiest and deadliest battles of the First World War.
Oakham School remembers 12 Old Boys who fought and fell at Ypres.
Roll of Honour:
John Ernest North Albrecht (2 August 1917)
Geoffrey Carew Barber (25 April 1915)
Robert Charlton (9 August 1915)
Alfred Cecil English (30 December 1917)
Charles Horace Grey (20 September 1917)
Frederick Howard Jackson (28 October 1914)
Leonard Arthur Kingham (10 August 1917)
Orde Murray-Browne (12 June 1916)
Geoffrey Lancelot Porter (24 April 1915)
Horace Leslie Cunningham Ravenhill (24 April 1915)
Paul Meredith Steeds (12 October 1917)
Herbert Alfred Vincent Wait (2 December 1917)
Geoffrey Porter and Horace Ravenhill had both emigrated to Canada where they worked as farmers. They enlisted together on the same day, in the 7th Battalion, Canadian Infantry. They tragically died on the same day at the Battle of St Julien during the Second Battle of Ypres.
From the left: John Albrecht in the Rugby 1st XV, 1914
Leonard Kingham (back) and Herbert Wait in the Cricket 1st XI, 1915. Both Kingham and Wait were in
Junior House in 1910 (see C for Chapmans)
© IWM HU 113298
Oakham School has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember; as the son of Michael and Mary Stevens, who were a part of Oakham since the 1950s, I have many fond memories of life in my early years spent in and around the School.
In the 1960s as a family we moved into Chapmans. Although it was many years ago, I can still recall milk churns and deliveries of food in the early hours when food was prepared individually by each House and if I got lucky, I joined the boys for breakfast. I also remember a very special day for Oakham in 1967 when in my best coat and sporting a very short haircut I got to join others waving flags frantically to welcome her HM Queen Elizabeth knowing we all needed to be on our best behaviour.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that the first girls joined us at a time when John Buchanan was at the helm as Headmaster. The Stevens family moved into Orchard Close, along with the builders… this certainly was an interesting time for my parents, balancing their own family, a new extended family of girls and an ongoing building site!
I joined Oakham School as a pupil in 1974, in the early years of co-education. Oakham was at the forefront of education then just as it is today – a forward-thinking and high achieving school, with teachers always striving to be the best they possibly can be in supporting young people at one of the most important parts of their lives. This was despite a time when the country was experiencing various economic difficulties, including strikes and power cuts; I can even remember having an injection in the School Sanitorium by candlelight during one power cut – never would this happen today!
I enjoyed many happy years in Johnsons House, embraced the role as a House Prefect, before moving on to School House. Opportunities in sport resulted in me playing for the 1st XV and in 1977 touring Japan and Hong Kong. Another sporting highlight was being ninth man in the shooting team in 1975 when we won the Ashburton Shield. Shooting is very much a team sport, and I was lucky enough to have been coached to a very high standard resulting in me being made captain in 1978/9.
So much has changed over time with the buildings and how things are done, which is how it should be…progress. I, like other Old Oakhamians, have many good memories of the old life at Oakham School; learning to swim in the outdoor pool at the end of Cemetery Road, watching House plays and concerts in the Barraclough on very uncomfortable chairs! Standing on duck boards watching the 1st XV when the pitch was at the far end of Doncaster Close, cricket with the old, thatched pavilion and the CCF band parading on Doncaster Close.
When it came to my time to leave Oakham, there was a strong feeling that I and my fellow pupils were well prepared for life after School. I still hold that belief of Oakham today; that with a wide curriculum, co-education, and the enormous opportunities available at the School, Oakhamians are blessed with the social skills, practical approach to life, confidence, and resilience needed to take on the next chapter of their lives. Our Old Oakhamians have achieved so much, and I regularly read with pride the many successes and outstanding achievements of those who enjoyed what Oakham offered them – a strong foundation for life.
My life after Oakham included a long and stimulating career in the Insurance Industry, working in various UK locations and more recently in London. For a number of years, I continued to play for various rugby clubs, including Oakham Town. Today I remain a keen Leicester Tigers and Nottingham Forest supporter, avidly follow Notts Cricket and when time allows, enjoy my time rowing for Nottingham Rowing Club at West Bridgford. Between us, my partner and I have four children, well to be more accurate, young adults, living and working in London and who make us very proud.
My roots are firmly in Oakham. I have a strong affinity to Oakham and Oakham School with lots of fond memories and I was delighted to have been asked to take over the baton from Jono Wills to become your new Chairman. It is a hard act to follow as he is a true Oakham legend. As an OO who has held numerous positions in the School, his knowledge of Oakham and of Oakhamians is second to none, but something I will work hard to build on.
I feel privileged taking on this role. The OO Club has a great history and whilst it is important to recognise and celebrate this and its achievements, I want to better understand the expectations of OOs going forward, our involvement with the School and how the OO Club needs to evolve and change moving forward. I very much look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the coming months to hear your views, however, I appreciate some of you now live and work outside the UK, therefore, please do not hesitate to reach out to me to share your valuable thoughts.
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Jonathan at Bisley with Col. H S Cox and his wife, Nora; Jonathan as part of the Japan 1977 tour team; Jonathan playing ruby at Oakham; Jonathan in Japan.
I was delighted to have been asked to take over the baton from Jono Wills to become your new Chairman. It is a hard act to follow as he is a true Oakham legend.
We have spoken to Jessica Ferrow, Tamsin Ellis (who attended COP26), Andrew Brown and Will Gamble — four OOs who are working in different areas of sustainability, either as their primary job, in Jessica’s case, or making a difference in their chosen fields in the case of Tamsin, Andrew and Will.
Speaking with these OOs has made it clear that there is no monolith of opinion on how best to tackle this crisis, but that there is something to be done by everyone, both at a systems and business level, and also at a personal level.
There are, no doubt, many other OOs working to make a difference, and by highlighting these four, we do not mean to diminish all the hard work that others are doing! We hope you find these conversations, edited for length and clarity, thought-provoking and informative.
Jessica Ferrow (’04) is the co-founder and director of the climate impact agency, Twelve.
Growing up in Indonesia awakened Jessica to sustainability issues, a passion she has carried throughout her life. After studying Law & French at Leeds University and realising that a future in law was not for her, Jessica embarked on a career in sustainability and environmental action.
A temp agency in Bristol got her a 3-month administration role with Natural England, which provided a foot in the door to the world of sustainability. Various roles in the industry in Bristol followed suit and she worked her way into the niche of sustainability communications. After a brief stint in a London agency, Jessica decided it was time to try self-employment and returned to Bristol to become a freelance consultant.
After a few years of working solo she met her now co-founder Ellie Austin and they launched Twelve in 2018 – the year global scientists sounded the alarm and said global society has until 2030 to reverse catastrophic climate change. Twelve now works with a wide range of household name brands (including Pukka, Unilever, Depop, eBay, Finisterre and Edgard & Cooper) to help them respond meaningfully to the climate and ecological crisis. This includes helping these businesses with sustainability strategies, greenwash-free communications and achieving the much-coveted B Corp certification.
The climate crisis is an issue which affects us all – and as the UN Climate Change Conferences highlight the imminent crisis we all face, it seemed especially timely to speak to some OOs who are doing their part to make a difference.
Twelve helps companies navigate their way through the climate crisis. A company might come to us and say, “We know climate change is a problem, we know we need to do something, but we don’t know what - help us!” So we’ll be their guide on the road to climate action. We’ll look into what they’re doing as a company, identify emissions hotspots and help them set ambitious targets and take meaningful action. You can think of us like a critical friend; we’ll help companies, but we’ll also challenge them - and be honest about whether they’re doing enough.
We work with lots of wonderful, purpose-driven brands – who make everything from pet food to baby food and herbal tea, clothing and even mattresses. We help them take actionnot just on carbon and climate - but also on other pressing sustainability issues like packaging, human rights and supply chains. This can involve anything from training senior leadership teams to finding new ways to engage employees in the green agenda. It’s one of those jobs where no two days are the same and I love it!
The B Corp certification is a hallmark for ethical and sustainable businesses. It takes a deep dive into every aspect of an organisation and awards points across five categories: governance, environment, community, workers and customers.
It’s a very popular certification and many well-known and loved sustainable brands carry it - like Ben & Jerry’s, Pukka Herbs,
Patagonia, Finisterre and The Body Shop to name a few. The idea is that business can be a force for good in the world, and this certification is a way of showing that as well as making a profit, a company is making a positive impact.
Ellie and I are both trained B Leaders, which means we’re qualified to take companies through the B Corp process - which isn’t for the faint hearted! It’s incredibly thorough and gets into the real finer details of how a company is run. It often takes companies well over a year to gain certification – and involves making lots of little changes to their business model and providing vast amounts of evidence - and we’re with them every step of the way.
People come to me all the time and ask, ‘how do I get a career in sustainability?’, and my answer to them is to start where you are. Whatever you’re doing, you can put a sustainability lens on it. Graphic designers can make the choice to only work with brands making a positive impact, architects can prioritise using sustainable materials, people working in advertising take a stand against selling people things they don’t need. Even artists and musicians have a large role to play in helping people emotionally connect with the challenges in society (indeed they always have). I’m seeing a lot of young people entering the workforce and saying that they only want to work for B
Corps and other purpose-led businesses because they want to know that their work is making a positive difference.
I believe it’s about changing mindsets. Once people realise that business can be about a lot more than just making money it really opens up a world of possibility. When I was leaving school it seemed like the only way to work on climate issues was by going into government or charity work. And while those are much-needed and valid career paths – it’s no longer the only option. There are some amazing businesses out there really making a difference to everything from food waste to plastic pollution AND making a profit at the same time. Capitalism has historically been responsible for much of the destruction of our biosphere but as a system it’s so entrenched in our society it’s probably here to stay for now. B Corps are showing a way to make capitalism work for everyone, rather than just trashing our planet to make a small number of rich people even richer.
We can’t let perfection get in the way of progress. Every tonne of carbon not emitted means a better future for everyone. There are some truly troubling reports coming out from climate scientists today about the state of our planet. It’s not just about ice caps and polar bears but all ecosystems and people and societies too. People everywhere are already being impacted – just look at the heatwaves we experienced this summer and the floods and fires around the world. The burden is increasingly being borne by those with less privilege and now, young people are increasingly suffering from eco-anxiety, which is not something myself or my peers had to confront when we were at school.
In all of this, it’s important not to lose hope, and instead find ways to take action where we can. If we only focus on the extremes or doing things perfectly, then we won’t win this thing. People think that climate change is either win or lose, and that’s not true. Every tonne of carbon dioxide that doesn’t get emitted into the atmosphere is a win. That’s why I’ve dedicated my career to trying to make a difference. As well as feeling like we’re on the right side of history, it certainly makes life interesting. I work with brilliant people every day and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
People think that climate change is either win or lose, and that’s not true. Every tonne of carbon dioxide that doesn’t get emitted into the atmosphere is a win. That’s why I’ve dedicated my career to trying to make a difference.
DrEllis is an avid campaigner in raising awareness of the climate emergency in healthcare, and how healthcare professionals can benefit the NHS, patients and the planet. Tamsin’s work as an associate at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare led to her attending COP26 in 2021 as an official observer. Tamsin also co-chairs the national Greener Practice group, and has been featured in the British Medical Journal. She also appeared on the BBC Radio 4 programme Four Thought, where she discussed the link between health and the environment and finding ‘double wins’ which are good for both her patients and the environment.
When did you start to focus on greener practices?
I was partway through my GP training when I got involved. At the time there was a lot of media coverage on the climate emergency and I became concerned about the devastating consequences of a warming planet. At the same time I was also learning about the impact on health and healthcare, as well as how healthcare (as the largest public sector emitter) is contributing to the problem. I started to get involved in various organisations and it’s built up from there.
What kind of changes do you think need to be made to make healthcare more sustainable?
I think when people first think about the environment, they talk about recycling, but by the time something has gone in the bin, it’s almost too late. In sustainable healthcare we are focusing on prevention and reducing disease. As GPs we can be effective by having continuity of care and a person-centred approach where we know our patients.
If we reduce unnecessary testing, unnecessary referrals and improve overall community-based care, then we will reduce the amount of emissions in healthcare.
In terms of healthcare waste and plastics, I also believe that we need to rethink what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. For example, effective hand washing is appropriate and just as effective as wearing gloves when it comes to most of the things we are doing in GP. The pandemic meant that we are increasing unnecessary glove use.
In terms of the hotspot for emissions in primary care the highest by far is prescribing. So I’ve been working
Dr Tamsin Ellis (’09) is a GP, based in London, who qualified in August 2020 after studying Medicine at the University of Birmingham.
around overprescribing. People often visit the GP surgery and want to come away with a prescription; this may be appropriate but currently we are overprescribing. There is something around the quality of the conversations and consulting that you’re having and recognising that not everything can be fixed by a prescription and, if anything, can be harmful.
I also think there are elements of the climate movement that aren’t for individuals to fix; it’s up to the pharmaceutical companies to procure differently and for politicians to review policy. It’s a systemsbased level shift in how we procure goods and services that will change that.
What are the challenges in terms of trying to convince other doctors to bring in greener practices?
On the whole, I have found in primary care there is a huge amount of energy behind
this. People really care and believe in it. What’s really helped us is that Greener NHS was set up in October 2020, which has mandated us to get to net zero.
The other thing we’re saying is a) this isn’t an additional role for GPs. This should be embedded into what we’re doing already and b) this is about making health care better for patients. This is about optimizing people’s conditions, and listening to patients and co-producing with patients. There are lots of the things we are trying to do that overlap with inequalities work such as reviewing people living in fuel poverty or areas with high air pollution. There are things that are win-win, and potentially money-saving as well. If you explore with people about sustainability and sustainable healthcare, once people understand, they’re normally keen to support.
On the other side the NHS is a huge organisation; it’s quite difficult and complex to understand all the funding streams and commissioning. I started a fellowship which has been really helpful to understand it better, but I think some people do think ‘we’ve been trying to do this for years’ or there is a degree of pushback when we are so pressured already.
How has Covid contributed to sustainable healthcare?
Doing remote consulting was very difficult, because when you’re learning to be a GP, a lot of that is risk management and it’s been really hard to risk manage over the phone. I’m happy that we’re going back to more face-to-face consulting, but on a sustainability level we’re asking for patient choice and to have a mixture of telephone/ video/face-to-face. I really like the fact that our text messaging services are much better or telemedicine for dermatology for example, is much better. This has helped patients and reduced paper waste.
On the other side, during Covid it’s been really difficult in general practice, and healthcare overall is under a huge amount of pressure. The demand has gone up, as have wait times. Plus the huge plastic waste from single use and masks, etc.
From a healthcare perspective, I often talk about things in terms of ‘bottom up, top down’. So from the bottom up, there are amazing GPs working in primary care, working on community gardens and community projects which have huge positive benefits.
The top-down stuff needs to be more from a policy level. I recently went to the Mayor of London’s Air Pollution Summit, where the big changes are getting made around air pollution. But in order for that to happen, you need the grassroots actions happening at the same time so that people believe in the changes and that the behaviour change is happening on the ground.
It’s about making informed choices. It might be that someone knowing about their asthma and inhalers, as well as the inhaler being more environmentally friendly, can improve care whilst reducing emissions.
As a doctor seeing patients, what would you say is the most important thing that we can do to improve our lives in an eco-friendly way?
The most important things are what the patient cares about and what may be beneficial to their health. There’s also evidence to suggest that a doctor having a conversation with patients about physical activity and getting out into green spaces does make a difference. For example, in a long-term condition review, patients are asked to make a goal for the next year. With a diabetic patient I used to ask, “How much do you want to bring your sugars down by?” Now I have a conversation where I ask what matters to them, I ask about their lives and how that impacts their diabetes. Actually encouraging the patient to think about their health as part of a wider picture of how their life is looking or what their quality of life is like. Their sugars will probably come down as a by-product because they’re getting active or improving relationships. So much of health is created outside of the consulting room.
People really care and believe in it. What’s really helped us is that Greener NHS was set up in October 2020, which has mandated us to get to net zero.
After studying for an Engineering Degree at Nottingham University and some time spent travelling in Australia and New Zealand, Andrew returned to the family farm in Rutland and got involved in local life. These activities have ranged from playing rugby for Oakham Town, Chairman of the Squash Club, sitting on different committees, High Sheriff of Rutland, Regional Chairman of the National Farmers Union, and even winning the stand-up comedy competition at the Leicester Comedy Festival.
What conservation schemes have you been involved in?
I’ve been involved in various different schemes since 1995. We planted a community woodland back in 2004 with the help of local Scout groups and school kids. The trees are nearly 30 foot high now!
I’ve recently become involved with a new conservation scheme, which involves putting in bird seeds, pollen and nectar and all that sort of stuff. Brilliant for the birds and the bees here. However, this involves me taking half my farm out of production. If that lost production has got to be made up by importing grain from somewhere where they’re knocking rainforests down, that’s not great. And it will be lower standards because our
standards here are among the highest in the world. All you’ve done is export your conservation issues elsewhere in the world.
How do you balance the need for conservation with self-sufficiency and production?
You need to stack all your conservation measures onto the least productive parts. Take out the worst bits, such as the corners that were awkward to get into, the bits that were very wet, or had slip problems or big weed infestations. Then concentrate on growing as much as you can on the rest and incentivising us to grow as much as we can.
You don’t want to destroy your soils, because that’s your main asset. Farmers not only provide relatively cheap, at least until recently, abundant food grown to very high environmental and welfare standards, they also give you the soil, the air and the water and the view. If the land isn’t farmed, the view will change quite quickly; it will turn to scrub and brambles, and you’ll get a lot of crows and pigeons and foxes and not much else. Masses of eco systems rely utterly on farming.
Someone said one cow, for instance, supports three times its own weight in insects. That’s an enormous number of insects. They keep the grass down. And then certain insects
like it that short and certain birds do that eat insects. It’s what’s called a trophic cascade; it’s interrelated.
Good agricultural practices and good conservation go hand-in-hand, but you’ve still got to be able to feed 70 million people.
Is it possible to have sustainable farming in this country?
Yes. if you’re extensively grazing sheep or cattle, I think that’s entirely sustainable. 70% of the farmland is farmed; of that land 70% can only grow rough grass, it’s the other 30% that grows crops. 70% of our farmland is grass, because that’s what we grow best. We’re really good at growing grass because of the maritime climate and it rains. Extensive livestock in this country, I think, is very, very sustainable, because they’re eating stuff that grows out of the ground. Humans can’t eat the grass, so the best way to utilise that grass is to put it through a third party – sheep, cattle, goats – to turn it into meat-based protein that we can then eat. What isn’t sustainable is importing meat from massive feedlots like they have in America. It’s very economical in terms of area, but there’s no ecosystem being supported by it, and everything has to be carted to and from them.
Andrew Brown (‘82) is a farmer and environmental lawyer. He is a passionate advocate for the need to balance conservation with food production.
InSeptember 2022 Will Gamble ('05) and his firm, WillGamble/ Architects, won a 2022 RIBA National Award for their project, The Parchment Works; an extension on a Grade II listed Victorian house, which incorporates the ruined walls of an historic parchment factory. On their way to picking up the national award, the project also won a number of regional awards, including the RIBA East Midlands Award 2022, RIBA East Midlands Conservation Award 2022 and RIBA East Midlands Small Project of the Year Award 2022.
Will describes his company as "a designled studio in Barnes, London, that focuses on residential architecture and interiors with a particular interest in working with existing buildings where we create contemporary interventions that complement and enhance our historic environment. We encourage the use of natural materials where possible and believe that the best form of sustainability is inventive re-use.”
“This
buildings to provide new uses and meet modern day standards. We love how contemporary architecture can be integrated into our heritage assets so that they complement one another and continue to be enjoyed for future generations.”
The RIBA East Midlands jury panel described The Parchment Works as "a delightful extension to a grade II listed double-fronted Victorian house. The formal street frontage gives no clues to a garden extension that is full of surprises, with indoor and outdoor rooms that enjoy the tectonic richness of the ruined walls of an historic parchment factory and designated scheduled monument”.
"The architect has combined the inventive re-use of existing structures with reclaimed and up-cycled materials to create an exemplar of conservation practice, and the jury were delighted to give this project a regional award."
Justin Adams ('89) was awarded an OBE in The Queen’s Jubilee Honours for his work supporting COP26, and as the former Executive Director of Tropical Rainforest Alliance. In April Justin joined Just Climate, Al Gore's climate solutions fund as their Head of Partnerships. Just Climate aims to have a transformational climate impact and to be the catalyst for further action and investment, as well as serving as a model and collaborative partner to others.
At the Global Offshore Wind Awards 2022, former Head Girl Nellie Maxim (’15) was Highly Commended in the Aspiring Leader category, in recognition of her work for Mainstream Renewable Power, a pure-play renewable energy company, specialising in wind and solar developments. Her fellow OO, Mary Henderson (’14), was also nominated in the same category for her work with integrated energy company, Kent.
presents really exciting design challenges as we retrofit our historic
Other OOs who are working to make the world more sustainable and gaining awards for their efforts include Justin Adams (‘89), and Nellie Maxim (‘15).
been delighted to welcome some familiar faces on campus over the past year. From inspiring pupil talks to sporting masterclasses, not to mention a spot of competition judging and an outstanding concert, we are so pleased to see OOs return to their former School to share their knowledge and talents with current pupils...
Written by Rachel Fairweather
In September 2022 business owner Cillian Brugha (‘07) gave an Introduction to Business talk to a group of Form 6 Business students as they began their journey through the A-level or BTEC Business Programmes.
In December 2021 Gina Tyler (’21) spoke to linguists about studying languages at university. She was followed by Charlotte Wilson (’20) in September 2022, who spoke about the improved skills and employability provided by studying a language to a high level.
Old Oakhamians from the world of stage and screen and the medical community returned to their former school to film two episodes of the lecture series Oakham Talks and talk about issues relating to their field of work. In the first episode ‘A Peek Behind the Curtain’, former pupils Richard Hope (‘71) and Sarah Moss (‘04) talk to Old Oakhamian President David Gilman (’89) about their time at Oakham School and subsequent careers in the world of TV and theatre.
In the second episode, ‘Medicine and Me’, Old Oakhamians Dr Navin Leanage (‘07), Surgeon Lt Issy Guy (’14), and medical students Adrian Patenge (’15) and Jemima Ball (’18) share their experiences of working in the world of medicine in conversation with Biology Teacher Dr Andrew Nicoll.
To watch both episodes, scan the QR code.
We have
Katie Hall (’08) returned to Oakham with her fellow West End star, Earl Carpenter (Phantom of the Opera) for a fabulous evening concert on Thursday 22 September in a packed Chapel. They offered a delighted audience a whistle-stop tour of both songs and stories covering their “life in musicals”, blending amusing anecdotes of stage mishaps and audition calamities with first-class performances of famous songs from a wide range of shows, accompanied on the piano by Oakham’s Director of Music, Peter Davis.
Felicity Milton (’05), currently a Global Senior Director for Adidas, came back to the School to oversee and judge a design competition for prospective pupils (and their parents) in the Design Technology Department.
Wasps Rugby player Sam Wolstenholme (‘17) came back in the autumn of 2021 to offer some Premiership Rugby coaching to our Rugby teams and Premiership Hockey player Ben Collinson (‘21) also returned to deliver a hockey masterclass. In the Summer Term, Worcestershire batsman Tom Fell (’12) joined the senior cricketers in the nets to offer some coaching on their batting.
On 7 May 2022, the OO Club hosted its first Upper School Networking Dinner – welcoming back a dozen OOs who were joined by 40 pupils from the Sixth Form for drinks followed by dinner. This was the first iteration of an event with current pupils and OOs, giving them a chance to connect, discuss their career paths and share a meal.
One of the pupils who attended, Isa, said, “It was so enjoyable and very interesting and a great opportunity for which I am very grateful to have participated in.”
“Sitting next to Ben, he has given me such amazing tips and advice for future architecture career opportunities and showed me how many possible paths there are while being extremely encouraging.”
It was a successful test balloon for an evening which we hope will become a staple of the academic year for Upper School pupils and OOs alike – and we have already held our second evening!
On 14 October, we welcomed 18 OOs back to campus for our second Upper School Networking Evening. The OOs were joined by 60 pupils for a lovely evening of good food, drink and conversation in the Barraclough. The evening began with pre-dinner drinks and mingling, before being
seated for dinner. Before dinner began, the Headmaster thanked the OOs for coming back and sharing their advice and wisdom, and congratulated the pupils on taking a leap and attending an event of this nature, imploring them to make use of the resource on offer and see every conversation as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Between the main course and dessert, the current pupils were asked to switch tables to ensure that they had multiple conversations with people of different backgrounds, careers and interests.
It was an excellent evening and a chance for our future OOs to meet some of their predecessors to share stories, hopes and aspirations, and above all, to get to know those who have already walked the paths they are about to embark upon. I look forward to seeing how this event continues to grow, and maybe we’ll see some of those current pupils who attended come back as OOs to share their knowledge in the not-too-distant future. The OO Club and the School wish to express our deepest gratitude to those OOs who came back, as well as the many OOs who sent their apologies and well-wishes for the events. It is our intention to make this an annual event, so keep an eye on the Events page of our new Oakhamian Connection website for next year’s event.
Current and former pupils sharing stories, hopes, and career aspirations at the October Networking Dinner
Jon Wills came to Oakham as a boy in 1968, boarding first in Deanscroft and then following in his father’s footsteps to School House in 1972/73, which had recently become a Seventh Form House. A talented sportsman, he played 1st team rugby, hockey and cricket, as well as playing hockey for Lincolnshire, captaining them a record 50 times.
In gratitude for his decades of service, the OO Club held its Late Summer Drinks on Friday 23 September in honour of our retiring Chairman, Jono Wills.
It was a chance for OOs and Honorary OOs of all ages to say thank you to a man who has touched thousands of lives as Chairman of the OO Club, teacher, coach, Housemaster, colleague, and friend.
Jon is succeeded by Jonathan Stevens (’79), who thanked him in a moving speech, where he expressed his gratitude on behalf of the OO Club, as well as their own shared history and friendship as stalwarts of the Oakham School community. Jono himself spoke, sharing some stories of his time as Chairman and thanking all for coming.
The OO Club will undoubtedly miss his presence as its fearless leader and champion, but Jono reassured those present that the Club is in safe hands with Jonathan as its new Chairman.
There was a message book for Jono at the drinks reception – if you were unable to make the event but would like to leave a message of thanks for Jono, please email ooclub@oakham.rutland.sch.uk
He returned as a teacher in 1980, and at Oakham he stayed until 2018, creating a legacy unmatched in its depth and diversity. He taught Sport and Geography, ran the cricket programme for 15 years and coached rugby, hockey, and tennis; he was a House Tutor in Peterborough House, before becoming Housemaster in Lincoln House in 1989 with his wife, Kim. They moved to Haywoods House in 1997, and then rounded it off with five years in School House from 2001 to 2006 —17 years in total spent as a Housemaster of girls and boys and in the Lower, Middle and Upper School. Not finished with filling his CV, Jono worked as Registrar for five years, and then finally as the inaugural School Archivist.
Jono’s commitment to the OO Club is unparalleled, and it was in 1994 that another legendary OO and Oakham Schoolmaster, Terence Treanor, passed on the torch to him as Honorary Secretary and Chairman, a post which Jono filled admirably for 28 years. During his tenure as OO Club Chairman, Jono organised and attended countless OO events, reunions, dinners, and funerals, and brought his unique charm and warmth to each and every one of them.
We in College House will certainly miss his drop-in visits and the wealth of knowledge and respect that he brings with him.
The 85th annual meeting of the Old Oakhamians Golf Society (OOGS) was held at Luffenham Heath Golf Club on 28 May 2022. The weather was warm and sunny and the course was in excellent condition. The morning round witnessed competition for the Bogey Trophy and also Short Holes Trophy. Following the AGM (where forthcoming fixtures were discussed) and lunch, the afternoon round included the
Medal, Scratch, Stableford, Jug and Driver, and Scruby Trophies. Several excellent scores were recorded and competition was close. Tom Duck (‘97) had an excellent round of 67, playing off a handicap of 0.
Teams took part in the Centenary Trophy at Luffenham, The Grafton Morrish qualifier at Gog Magog and the Silver Tassie ladies at The Berkshire. Results were all close but sadly no trophies were won.
The Old Oakhamian Masonic Lodge continues to be one of the most regular and widely supported sections running under the Old Oakhamian banner. We meet four times a year, usually the second Saturday in March, May, October and December, starting at 5.30pm and finishing by 8pm or around 10pm for those staying for a meal and drinks at our festive board. Lodge meetings and the festive board take place within the School grounds.
One thing that distinguishes the Old Oakhamian Lodge from many others is the fact that it is an old school lodge. This means that the bonds among Brethren are even stronger; originally all members either attended the School or were masters at the School. However, some years ago membership was widened to include not just Old Oakhamians, but to others who had a close relationship with the School, specifically fathers or sons of Old Oakhamians.
We began our summer events with a 10-year reunion for the Class of 2011 at the start of July. The group made the absolute most of their evening and lovely weather, walking around the School to establish what has changed over the past 10 years, once again eating Barraclough food and finally sneaking upstairs to the staff common room – somewhere they had always wanted to have a wander around! It was a fabulous evening, if a little hot, and everyone enjoyed catching up and chatting among their classmates and friends.
We also held two 5-year reunions in mid-July; one for the Class of 2017 and a slightly delayed reunion for the Class of 2015, who have waited patiently since 2020. Both evenings consisted of drinks and canapés being consumed while former classmates caught up with what they have all been up to during the last five (and seven) years since they left Oakham.
It was lovely to see all these OOs return to campus over the summer, with the weather matching the delightful evenings.
At our meeting in May 2022, David Waddy (‘57) handed the Master’s gavel to Geoff Peters. Unusually, David had been Master of the Lodge for four years as meetings did not take place during the majority of the Covid pandemic. Geoff is the first Master of the Lodge not to have attended Oakham School, but he follows in the footsteps of his late father, Henry Peters (‘53), who was a member for many years and Master in 1982.
Meetings were originally held in the Barraclough Hall, before moving to the Old Hall in School House. The School continues to provide support and has recently provided alternative accommodation in the barn adjoining the Odd House; a new venue for our October meeting.
Feel free to contact us if you are an existing Freemason or have an interest in joining the Lodge. You will be made most welcome.
Contact details and more information about the Old Oakhamian Lodge can be found on the website: Old Oakhamian Lodge No.8033 –Leicestershire freemasons, a masonic lodge
The Class of 2015 Reunion
Charlotte Woodward
OOs from the Class of 1990, Mark Rowsell, Gyles Bailey, Dan O’Kane and Duncan Edwards, celebrated their 50ths this year by returning to their D of E stomping ground in Lochinver and ascending Suilven and Stac Pollaidh.
Dan O’Kane (‘90) writes: ‘Thanks to Oakham for giving us this life-long love of the hills. We’ve also been meeting up to walk the Peaks or Yorkshire Dales every February for over 15 years or more, with Jeremy Simmonds and John Moseley also regular attenders.’
The OO Club held its first London event since Covid with the long-awaited President’s Dinner, which took place at the Washington Mayfair Hotel on Curzon Street on 11 June 2022. The President, David Gilman (’89), who very graciously stayed on as President throughout the pandemic, was sadly unable to attend his own dinner due to medical issues. He was still able to give his speech, complete with a video, joining via Zoom and projected to the guests.
The Headmaster also spoke, sharing news from the School and thanking the gathered OOs for their continued support and advocacy of Oakham.
We welcomed over 80 OOs, who were greeted with a prosecco cocktail upon arrival, before heading to the dining room for a buffet dinner and the speeches. After the dinner, many returned to the hotel bar to continue the festivities late into the night.
It was a great pleasure to welcome OOs of several generations, the oldest having left in 1963 and the youngest a group of 2017 leavers, and a great turnout of three tables from the class of 1989, as well as tables from 1976–78, 1989 and 1990.
With David unable to attend, and his successor as yet unannounced, the handover of the Presidency did not take place – we hope it will happen in the near future, so keep an eye out in the upcoming OO Newsletter.
The 1972 winning VIII reunited at Bisley in July to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the School’s second Ashburton win. (Sadly Covid got the better of Jim Chanot but we have photoshopped him in.)
It was also the 35th anniversary of the 1988 (and last) win and Matt Button, Mark Astbury, Harry Baines and David Turner made it from that year. Thanks to some shrewd negotiation by the 1988 crew, we managed to “borrow” the shield for our photos before it was needed for prize-giving! We fielded four teams in the Veterans matches, organised as ever by Chris Clarkson and Peter Molesworth, and enjoyed a BBQ hosted by Ginny Measures.
Other OOs who made it on the day included: Rick Shouler (‘95), Jon Root (‘77), Chris Miller (‘72), Chris Clarkson (‘70), Adam Chidlow (‘21), Joe Anderson (‘01), Emily Anderson (‘04) (née Cole-Hawkins), Liz Strickland (‘74) (née Clark) and Anita Pepper (‘74) (née Mainstone).
Above: The 1972 team and recreated in 2022 -
As a School community, we were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.
Written by Emily Howett, Communications ManagerDuring the period of mourning, pupils and staff honoured and remembered Her Majesty with Chapel services and moments of reflection and silence.
The Queen Elizabeth Theatre (QET) provided a poignant setting for a condolence book, where the School community were invited to write messages of thanks and gratitude for The Queen’s service.
Displayed alongside the condolence book was a floral tribute that had been chosen and arranged specifically to feature some of The Queen’s favourite flowers. These included Lily of the Vale, pink Queen Elizabeth II roses, and a thistle, representing the national flower of Scotland, where she passed away.
A prayer on the death of Her Majesty The Queen and a photo of when she visited the School were also on display in the QET, as well as across the Houses and key areas of the School.
United in loss and celebration, this historic time will be remembered as a period where the School came together in grief to remember, respect and honour the great Queen Elizabeth II.
Above: The book of condolence in the QET
Right: One of the Services of Rememberance held in the Chapel
We were fortunate enough to welcome The Queen to our School twice during her reign.
The Queen’s first visit was in summer 1967, where 3,000 pupils from schools across Rutland gathered on the Doncaster Close playing fields to greet her and the Duke of Edinburgh. The Oakham School Concert Band played the national anthem, and the Royal Standard was broken at the cricket pavilion’s flag post.
Her Majesty then revisited Oakham School in November 1984, as we celebrated our Quatercentenary. Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, the royal couple spent the morning at the School, where they were given a tour around the Old Hall, the Biology Wing and Buchanans House. The Queen opened our much-loved Queen Elizabeth Theatre, and pupils performed a short 15-minute play in her honour.
Paul Joseph’s (’86) memories of when The Queen Visited Oakham for its Quatercentenary in 1984
‘In November 1984, I was in the first term of the 6th form. We put on a short play in the QE Theatre which also included music composed and directed by Mike Knight, who was head of Woodwind.
Mr Knight had included in his composition parts for a Double Bass. Unfortunately, there was no Double Bass player either available or, frankly, sufficiently misguided to undertake the task of playing it before HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. I played the violin, then to Grade 7 standard, a matter of which Mr Knight was fully aware, he also being the Senior Tutor of Chapmans, which was my Middle School House. He “decided” that I should transfer my string playing skills, such as they were, to the Double Bass, forthwith, and he saw no particular difficulty in that task. Gerald Botteley, Head of Strings, generously took on the task of teaching me, rather quickly, because there was not much time. I had two lessons.
I then performed on the Double Bass, for the first and only time in my life, with some bewilderment, both from me, and from everyone else in the pit, who were not used to me playing anything other than the violin. I am sure that all of them would have preferred that I had kept to my usual instrument. Mercifully, Her Majesty declined to pass any comment on any of the strange noises which emanated from me during the course of the play.’
Brian Welford’s (Hon OO) memories of when Queen Visited Oakham for its Quatercentenary in 1984
‘The Queen arrived through the School House Quad accompanied by the Head Boy, Miles Linney and The Duke of Edinburgh walking with the Head Girl, Vanessa Bailey.
They were shown around Round House, the first purpose-built Girls’ Boarding House where they went on to plant a tree in what is now the Bunny Guinness Garden.
A small show was performed in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre before lunch in the Ashburton Hall, where The Queen sat with the Heads of School.
The most memorable moment of the visit was during lunch where The Queen chatted to all those on her table before putting her handbag on the table to powder her nose.
The evening ended with a Ball to celebrate The Queen’s visit to Oakham School.’
Lord John Cope (‘55) wrote to the OO Club in February with this memory: “The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee conjured up a memory of February 1952 when I was 14 years old. One morning our history lesson with the great Bob Duesbury was interrupted and we were all led outside to the Market Place. Near the Butter Cross a high platform had been made by piling the dais used in several classrooms. When we, with those from other classrooms and some assorted citizens were assembled, a most impressive figure appeared. He was an imposing officer of great height in
a Guards greatcoat with polished buttons and peaked cap with a sword and spurs clinking as he walked. I now assume he was the High Sheriff of Rutland. In a voice accustomed to command he read out to the county town the sonorous words of the Proclamation of the death of the King and the Accession of Queen Elizabeth II. He concluded with words we heard for the first time in our lives: “God Save The Queen”. We all took up the cry. We felt we had lived history.
Next day I recall a newspaper picture of some aged Chelsea Pensioners reading the paper. Their medals showed they had fought for King and Country in at least the two world wars. The caption, recalling the old musical hall song, said “We are ‘Soldiers of the Queen’ once more”.”
With Oakham’s connections being deeply embedded in the town, pupils and staff also supported the Rutland Proclamation of King Charles III with music.
Hundreds gathered at Oakham Castle in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday 11 September as the ceremony declared the accession of King Charles III.
The event was attended by our Director of Music, Peter Davis, with the School’s brass ensemble, whose music added greatly to the occasion. Old Oakhamian and former CCF cadet Alex Pound (’22), performing his final duty of the year as Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet for Rutland, was also in attendance.
MARTIN BUCKINGHAM (‘69 )
17 June 1952 – 12 November 2022
An obituary will follow in the next edition of the Old Oakhamian magazine.
ANNE BULL (WIFE OF FORMER HEADMASTER RICHARD BULL )
DIED SEPTEMBER 2022
An obituary will follow in the next edition of the Old Oakhamian magazine.
MUN WAI LEE (’83)
30 November 1963 – July 2022
RICHARD POLLARD (’59)
26 April 1941 – July 2022
JOHN RICHARD TOWNS (’65)
4 February 1947 – 30 September 2022
PAM/FRAUNIE WALKER (FORMER MEMBER OF STAFF AND PARENT)
Died 22 May 2022, aged 80 years
If anyone wishes to contact the families to express their condolences, please get in touch at ooclub@oakham.rutland.sch.uk
24 July 1936 – 27 October 2021
Written by the Bagley family
Mary was a scholar of St Paul’s School London, who gained an MA in Natural Sciences at Newnham College, Cambridge. After two years in industry, she came to Oakham in 1960, accompanying her husband John, and although expecting her first child, was soon employed by J.D. Buchanan to help with science teaching.
They first lived in the old vicarage next to the Chapel. As a ‘master’s wife’ she was involved by default in the life of the School and, as soon as her three children were old enough, she became involved in the development of Oakham School in many ways.
In 1974, John became the Housemaster of Johnsons and in the role of helping the day boys, Mary encouraged meetings with the parents to sound out their opinions and founded the Johnsons Parents Association. One of the results of this collaboration was the setting up of a shop for second-hand textbooks and school uniform which evolved over time into the School Shop.
In 1975 she was given the task of re-organising the School’s Memorial Library which involved discussion with heads of departments about what stock should be available. She built up a collection of some 15,000 books and was in charge until a fulltime librarian was engaged after the move to the new building. She was very well read in all subjects (her personal library at home was over 1,000 volumes). She encouraged and helped all pupils from nervous first formers to A-level students. She also invented the system of half-term assessments.
Doncaster Close
Coming from a scouting family she helped John with the Oakham School Scout Troop – attending the annual summer camps which John continued to run after F.G. Hiscocks retired. Bringing along their young family, the babies were bathed in washing up bowls. Her three children, David (‘79), Jeremy (‘81) and Alison (‘84) were educated at Oakham. The admission of girls led her to found a Girl Guide Company as an alternative to CCF. With the assistance of Julie K Harris the Guides flourished. Indeed, Mary became very
involved with Guiding in Rutland and was made a District Commissioner. Mary helped organise an annual Christmas tea party for pensioners and helped at the annual Oakham School Medical Conference. In the role of House Tutor to the senior girls, she made sure that the uniform was suitable for all ages and eventually, all Seventh Formers were allowed to wear sensible non uniform (as she was at St Paul’s.) She was recruited into a careers team which included JOK and MJT where she gave careers advice and interpreted the results of ISCO tests in order to help pupils with their A-level choices. She introduced students to the UCCA form and honed their technique. Having been a Senior Tutor to Round House, she was put into the role of Housemistress when Peter Tyler died suddenly in April 1992. John and Mary of course had to live in. Mary spent much of her life working for the School from 1960 onwards but was only officially a member of staff for the final few years. John retired in 1992, Mary stayed on until 1995. But she had not finished working as Richard Davies implored her to help him start a branch of the U3A in Rutland. Their efforts resulted in the success and growth of Rutland U3A which, from a low point of 26 members now has over 500 on its books. She took her turn as Secretary and Chairman and led a French Group for over 20 years. (French because most of her holidays had been in France and she was fluent in this language.) She also studied Italian, German, Portuguese and Spanish to make visits to these countries more interesting. She always put her family first and this denied her the more important roles which she could have played. But her many tutees will acknowledge her careful guidance and wise counsel and remember her with affection. She was very proud of her six grandchildren. She died at home in Oakham on 27 October 2021 after a long illness that she bore with a stoic attitude and absolute patience. John cared for her devotedly until her death. Read Honorary OO Kate Haddon’s (née Williamson) tribute to Mary in Lives Remembered on page 40.
H. CHEVERTON (’06)
5 February 1988 – 4 May 2022
Written by H’s mother, Sian
During the years at Oakham, from Lower 1 to Seventh Form, he was known as Hannah.
In 2018, Hannah decided to become Hugo, a transformation which gave him some peace after years of gender dysphoria. He became an outspoken advocate on transgender issues, but at the same time a gentle teacher on the complexities of TG life, and forgiving mentor when we forgot or muddled pronouns. Now after his death, we are missing both Hannah & Hugo, so I will refer to ‘H’. This obituary could be full of H’s achievements; academic high-flier at School, leader (briefly) of the School Orchestra, Gold DofE Award holder, first class Biology degree graduate, teacher of English as a Foreign Language, qualified sports coach, Teach First graduate, conservation worker at Rutland Water and in Singapore, and latterly, ambulance technician, union rep and peer-to-peer supporter for the East Midlands Ambulance Service.
But most of us will remember H for more important qualities: the quirky sense of humour, a willingness to support friends in trouble, the passionate campaigner on green issues, lover of wildlife, advocate of social justice, fearless cyclist and the slightly alarming bender of rules. The memories and tributes on his website, the full church at his funeral and the long double line of green uniformed ambulance comrades that provided his guard of honour all testify to H’s capacity to inspire affection and admiration.
Throughout H’s short life there were demons – gender dysphoria, anorexia at School which progressed to a chronic eating disorder, the early loss of his beloved father (John Cheverton, Head of Biology at Oakham School), depression, and a late diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder. He fought these with humour and academic insight, and a determined independence. His sudden death is still officially unexplained, but we believe it was suicide.
Written by Michael’s son, Paul (’78)
Michael was born in 1929 at Long Buckby Northamptonshire, the son of a country doctor whose wife was a daughter of Dr Ernest Watson, a solicitor in the firm of Watson & Everitt of Norwich and who was the first captain of Eaton Golf Club which was founded in 1910.
Michael was sent as a boarder to Oakham School in Rutland at the very young age of seven and a half, along with his elder brother, Luke, who was nine. Because of this early start he was at Oakham for 11 years which must be something of a record. By all accounts he enjoyed School very much and played rugby and hockey for the School 1st teams. He was also Head Prefect for his last two years and, when he left School in 1947, he was called up to do National Service prior to taking up a place at Keble College, Oxford. He found National Service in the army was well worthwhile and during that time he had a wonderful experience of visiting Petra and other Jordanian sites which were completely underdeveloped – no cafes or hotels and still very primitive. It would be a further 40 years before he returned with Marion for two visits. He was posted back to Egypt for a short period before being demobbed and took up his place at Keble College in 1949 where he spent the next three years; he played rugby and squash and in his second year he was secretary of the junior common room.
In August 1952 he was articled to Bill Carter at Hill & Perks in The Close in Norwich. That firm had taken over his grandfather’s firm when he retired in the late 1940s. Michael remained with the firm for the whole of his working life, qualifying as a solicitor in 1955 and becoming a partner in 1959.
In the early 1980s he became the senior partner of the firm which grew year on year and later merged with another firm, becoming Daynes Hill & Perks with some 30 or more partners.
Michael stepped down as senior partner of Daynes Hill & Perks in about 1990 and was near retirement when he was appointed by the Home Secretary to what was then called the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board which gave him the chance of retiring from the solicitors’ firm and from the Council of the Law Society. Also in the 1990s he was appointed Undersheriff of Norfolk and he served six High Sheriffs.
In October 1959 he married Marion and always enjoyed gardening and getting his hands dirty planting, weeding and mowing the grass in each of the different houses where they lived together.
Michael had a sabbatical in 1981 when he and Marion went to New Zealand for a long trip, seeing a little of Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok on that tour. Some years later they went to South Africa and separately Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe when they drove themselves which was quite an adventure!
Much of their time in retirement has been spent walking in their beloved Norfolk and further afield.
Michael enjoyed sport and he played rugby for Norwich until about 1959 when a back problem forced him to retire. More recently he took up the game of bowls, joining the Victoria Club in Norwich.
Michael very much enjoyed the presence of his family. His eldest grandson, Michael, first stayed alone at Albemarle Road when he was less than two years old and Andrew, his younger brother, similarly. The mantra of fresh air and exercise was instilled into us at an early age and the grandchildren knew that, when staying with their grandparents, they would get plenty of exercise whatever the weather!
We will all miss him immensely.
19 Feburary 1932 – 12 December 2020
Written by Michael’s daughter, Teresa Scott Michael was born in The King’s Head, Oakham, the only child of Sam and Betty Ecob. Being brought up in a pub, he was a sociable lad who loved the countryside and being involved in the community.
After being awarded a scholarship he became a day boy at Oakham School,1943-1950. In 1950, he was one of the first students to attend Brooksby Hall Farm Institute.
As a young man he was known as a keen rugby player, he also went on to become a well-known and respected referee, coach and sports journalist.
He began his rugby career playing for Oakham School’s 2nd XV and played for Oakham Club in its first game of the post war period. Subsequently he played for Brooksby, Melton Mowbray and Hinckley. When he returned to play at Oakham in his early twenties, he also became the club’s Team Secretary and then Hon. Secretary, helping to build and promote the club’s good reputation. He thoroughly embraced this time, enjoying the sports and social activities and became a fully qualified referee, all this while working on a farm, before becoming a fertilizer consultant, with Lincoln Fertilizer, a new and interesting career he enjoyed for the next 30 years. It was during this busy time that he met and married Margaret Parkin and it was
in Oakham they started their family life; they were married for 43 years.
From an early age Michael had shown an interest in gardening and horticulture; this was the start of a lifelong passion. While continuing with his gardening after moving to Shrewsbury in Shropshire, he made friends with a neighbour, the late broadcaster Percy Thrower, who he came to consider the greatest gardener he ever met.
Continuing with his refereeing and also enjoying a spell as a sports reporter, he refereed his first county game at Northampton, going on to referee numerous matches for other top Midland clubs.
Doncaster CloseWhen he was made redundant in 1986 Michael took the plunge and became a professional gardener. Drawing from his past rich experience of gardens visited and gardeners met, he had the chance to stretch himself as creative manager of three large private gardens in the West Midlands. His good reputation in gardening and horticulture saw his appearance on television for a popular show and earned him an invitation to visit the prestigious Oppenheimer at Brenthurst Garden in South Africa, which always remained his favourite garden.
He became President of the Stourport Horticultural Society and for 20 years was Chairman of Astley Horticultural Society, sharing his enthusiasm for gardening, organising and judging at Horticultural shows
and Towns in Bloom competitions. Yet it was still one of his great pleasures in life to return to Rutland to referee and it was here in 1993 at Oakham Rugby Club Sevens, after half a century of rugby he retired his whistle and hung up his boots. His three children and five grandchildren have all been inspired by his love of nature and gardening; his eldest son and daughter both became gardeners, with his youngest son becoming a well-known Landscape Architect in the UK and then in New Zealand. After Margaret’s death, while still living in Worcestershire, he met and married Audrey who shared his enthusiasm for gardening and travel.
When widowed for a second time and having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, he moved back to Northborough to spend his final years near his family and friends, continuing with gardening until illness stopped him. When the new cricket pavilion at Oakham School was opened in 2014 Michael, who had always been proud to be an Oakhamian, attended wearing his original School blazer, only slight alterations were required! Oakham School shaped who Michael was and what he did in his life. He will be remembered fondly by the many lives he touched as a bright, caring man with a great sense of humour and a great love of life, a true gentleman of Rutland “Parva Componere Magnis”.
MARTIN FREEMAN (‘52)
Died age 87, on 19 July 2022
Martin’s brother John (’56) writes: ‘I regret to inform you of the recent death of my elder brother Martin Freeman at the age of 87 following a long illness. He represented the School in the 1st teams of both the rugby and cricket sides. On leaving School he qualified as a charted accountant and in due course became a local partner in the firm of Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co, later incorporated into KPMG. He leaves a wife, three children and four grandchildren.’
3 May 1962 – 25 September 2022
Written by Reda’s siblings Majda, Najib & Fouad
Who remembers the teachers’ chairs and tables on top of the Ashburton Hall roof one breakfast morning? Well, it can finally be revealed that Reda Hashem was one of the protagonists of this School prank. Were the culprits ever exposed? You may have to ask the remaining Wharflands crew!
Reda arrived at Oakham, aged 12, with his older brother Najib and younger siblings Majda and Fouad, having had to leave Lebanon at the start of the civil war in 1975. He spent a happy childhood in
Lebanon and spoke very little English upon his arrival at Oakham, but his fun-loving personality allowed him to integrate himself fully into School life. Reda had many lifelong friends who remember him fondly as a cheeky character who lifted their mood whenever they met and was always generous with his time. Reda enjoyed the Combined Cadet Force which probably helped him during his military service in France. He would shower us with stories from his year of training, such as swapping his rations of cigarettes for toilet paper and learning how to shoot a heavy machine gun. He loved pottery and working with his hands. He even bought a 3D printer and learnt how to design special boxes and lids that he would gift his friends. He loved to photograph and took his Nikon camera everywhere and loved sharing special moments with everyone. His hobbies included cooking, driving and boating. He always dreamt of sailing around the world. Reda never lost his joie de vivre or his sense of humour. During Covid, whilst applying for a new passport, the consular officer asked Reda to present a recent passport photograph, of exactly what he looked like. Two days later Reda turned up with a photograph of his face covered up with a mask. The officer was embarrassed and thought Reda was totally serious when presenting him with such a photo. He strung the officer along before handing over a correct passport photograph. To this day the officer remembers the gag fondly and will recount the anecdote to whomever wishes to hear it.
After completing a business degree in England, Reda returned to Abu Dhabi and started work as a foreign exchange dealer. After a few years he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps by starting a business in the building sector. Over the last thirty years Reda observed the great improvements that took place in Abu Dhabi, making the city the thriving metropolis it is today. Reda was well known for his photography and was welcomed at a couple of royal palaces where
he took and shared many photos.
Reda married Christine in 1997 after a brief courtship and lived happily in Abu Dhabi. He and his wife raised three boys, William, Victor and Alexandre. One must also mention their beloved dog Coco. The family spent their time between Abu Dhabi in the winter and the mountains of the Lebanon in the summer, where they relaxed with extended family and friends.
Reda will be sorely missed by his mum Vera and his wife Christine and the boys. The youngest, Alexandre, only 18 years old, recently commented: “I wish dad had lived for another ten years, but at least I got to know him really well and saw what a fine person he was. And that is good enough!” We will all miss you Reda. RIP.
24 April 1930 – March 2022
Written by Peter Gray
Peter passed away at the age of 91, just a few weeks short of his 92nd birthday. He was Computer Technician at Oakham in the 80s and 90s and was fondly known as ‘Shep’ (get down Shep!) or Captain Birdseye. He was a great friend of mine right up to his demise and we met regularly to put the world to rights. We shared many interests including computers, gadgets, Rutland Society of St George and good beer. His sparkling wit and repartee were famous throughout the School and he never had a bad word to say about anybody.
31 December 1938 – 23 September 2022
Written by Mary’s daughter, Karen Slack Mary Slack (née Ching), who taught French at Oakham School in the 1970s and 1980s, passed away in Jersey on 23 September 2022, aged 83, after an illness borne with great dignity.
Mary was born in Jersey in the Channel Islands on New Year’s Eve 1938 and she was just 20 months old when the family was evacuated to England because of the Nazi invasion and occupation of Jersey. She returned to the Island in 1945 and went to the Girls’ Collegiate School and then to the Girls’ College where she became the Head Girl and presented a bouquet of flowers to the late Queen Elizabeth II on Her Majesty’s visit to the Island in 1957. She also represented Jersey at tennis. She was in her element
at the school, happy on the sports field and successful in the classroom in every subject, except… French! A bit of extra effort, an inspiring teacher, exchange visits to France and the influence of the mother of her exchange partner who introduced her to French culture and the Opera in Paris and Mary went on to do an Honours Degree in French at Southampton University, where she had the great pleasure of attending lectures by John Cruickshank, a world authority on the works of Albert Camus.
Mary’s first teaching job was at Brockenhurst Grammar School in the New Forest. At the first staff meeting in 1961, her eyes alighted on a young sports master and it was a ‘coup de foudre’! John and Mary were married 15 months after their first meeting at St Andrew’s Church in Jersey by the Reverend Quarrie, who was somewhat surprised that Mary would not promise to obey! Mary
recalled standing at the altar with John and him uttering the words ‘all my worldly goods I thee endow’ and she knew that this amounted to a tent, a Trangia stove and some camping pots and pans.
Although Mary did not promise to obey John, she did, however, promise to cherish and to follow him wherever his career led them, which was ultimately to Oakham.
Mary and John’s daughter, Karen, was born in 1968 and two years later, to the day, their son, Ian, was born. Mary got a part-time job teaching French at Oakham School, which soon became full-time, with special responsibility for the Oxbridge hopefuls. She helped with the girls’ tennis and organised the girls’ badminton. It was a happy time and Mary found her life fulfilling, seeing her pupils progress in her favourite subject.
Mary and John had always hoped to retire to Jersey and, in 1990, they were able to return to the Island as John had taken early retirement and Mary had been offered a job at de la Salle College where she spent the last eight years of her career teaching French and Spanish.
Retirement in Jersey and the three months spent at La Hoglais in Brittany in their French cottage was quite special. Mary and John really enjoyed their holidays at their French cottage and had lovely times with many friends (from Oakham and further afield) and family, who stayed with them or just did a detour to drop in for lunch with them. There are many fond memories of games of pétanque and palet and good food and drink shared with loved ones.
Mary leaves behind her darling husband, John, daughter Karen, son Ian, daughterin-law Victoria and her four beloved grandchildren, Jess, Milly, Jacob and Annabelle, for whom she was a much loved ‘Mamy’.
3 December 1943 – 3 April 2022
Written by Ian’s brother, Andrew Smith
At School Ian was a keen shot and was chosen for the England team one year. He left to go to Harper Adams and carried on farming until he had an unfortunate accident in 1970 which left him in a wheelchair. Hie enthusiasm for life remained and he took up archery. His good shooting eye helped and he represented England in both Commonwealth and Paralympic Games (1980), winning Gold and Silver medals. Other interests included watching Rugby at Welford Road and persuading Twickenham to provide wheelchair spectator space!
In later life he became involved with the Rotarians and cruising round the world. Lynda, his wife, will miss him.
1946 – 2022
Written by Brian Needham
Geoffrey joined the School, after previous experience at Rugby, to teach Mathematics, having taken his degrees from Balliol College, Oxford. After a dozen years at the chalkface, he was thrust into the Head of Department role by the sad death of his predecessor, Dr John Higgo, in the summer vacation of 1993. He was a formidable mathematician, his doctoral thesis being in the field of Group Theory that had applications not only in Mathematics but also in Physics and Chemistry. Nevertheless he was an admirable teacher of his subject to pupils of all abilities. He was a quiet and somewhat introspective man, preferring the shadows to the limelight and never imposing his ideas on others outside those of his departmental colleagues where he had the reputation of being much of a traditionalist in his approach to his subject but one ready to offer sound advice and with the ability to solve all the most obscure questions posed by examination boards.
To colleagues outside of his department, Geoffrey was known for two other areas of School life – running the successful boys’ swimming teams from 1986 almost to the end of his teaching career and being the right-hand-man of his wife, Wendy, in encouraging the School to involve itself in community service, championing environmental concerns and recycling well before it was fashionable so to do.
5 April 1959 – 1
Written by Brian Needham Tim Young entered the School in Wharflands’ Third Form in September 1972. He was Head of House in 1975-76 and a Decem in School House in 1976-77. He was a keen sportsman, a supporter rather than a player of ball games, but came to the fore when running; he captained the cross country squad and ran the 1500m in the athletics team. That fitness took him through Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards with some ease and he was a fine member of the British School Exploring Society (BSES)’s six-week expedition to North Iceland in 1977. His three A grades at A-level (Economics, History and Geography) secured him a place at Durham University to read Geography and after taking BSc he embarked on a PGCE, having represented the University at both cross country and athletics (and in the soccer 3rd XI!).
Tim volunteered to assist in the supervision and assessment of the School’s Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme for many years after leaving School where his careful attention to the needs of the participants and his own mountaineering skills were much appreciated by his old teacher.
He led the Geomorphology science group on the BSES expedition to Central Iceland in 1981 and on the 1983 expedition to East Greenland. He was the Regional Co-ordinator for the Young Explorers Trust.
His first teaching post was at Sedburgh, where he was a residential House Tutor teaching Geography at O and A-level. In 1986 he moved to George Watson’s College in Edinburgh and again was teaching Geography. His extra-curricular experience in helping with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme was a bonus to the school and after a couple of school terms, it was clear he was the right person to take over running the scheme, which he did in 1991.
It is estimated that he was responsible for putting around 2,000 youngsters through the Award, devoting much of his spare time and holidays, supported by a team of volunteers who did so out of a sense of loyalty to him. For a quiet and unassuming colleague, Tim had a remarkable ability to inspire loyalty of the highest order. Tim rejoiced in the fact that at least two students who completed the Award under his guidance went on to run the Award during their own teaching careers in other schools.
In 1990 he led a small expedition to Iceland for George Watson’s on a walking and field expedition. One of the members of the party described his approach: “His selfless, quiet and natural leadership meant that
we thoroughly enjoyed the trip and I still have fond memories of my time in Iceland’, while another member described him as an inspiration and turning point in his life. He took opportunities for mountain climbing during his career at George Watson’s and, amongst others, completed 17 Munros in Scotland with OO Andrew Watkin (’73), including Andrew’s last Munro when they were accompanied by Stephen Wilson (’82) and Stephen’s son, Thomas.
He was President of the Old Oakhamian Club in 1986–87 and was often to be found supporting his old school’s events, popping up at Twickenham when the School won the Daily Mail Cup and at Lord’s when Broad was destroying the opposition. Sadly, he had but a short retirement with his partner, Elaine, dying aged 62 on Friday 1 April 2022. Many pupils will be grateful for the care and attention he gave them, in and out of the classroom.
Tom left Oakham in 1948 to go to Wadham College, Oxford. He then joined the family solicitors practice in Colne, Lancashire. He married Sheila Marsden and had one daughter who survives him. Tom was interested in antiques, especially silver and researching our family. He was always great fun to spend time with.
After leaving Oakham, Bill did National Service in the army. He then joined his grandfather’s family leather business in Worcester. In the 1960s he returned to Colne and ran his own stationery business. He married firstly Joan Marsden and secondly Muriel Regun who predeceased him. He is survived by two sons and two daughters from his first marriage. Bill was a regular and committed church attender and a keen freemason. He was a larger-than-life figure and very much a people person. He always wore his OO tie on special occasions.
Towards the end of the Summer Term, Oakham School entrepreneurs held their first marketplace event selling products they had created to staff and pupils as part of a business-led activity set up in memory of Freddie Groome (’13) in recognition of his love of business.
The Freddie Groome Enterprise Challenge is an activity for Form 6 pupils funded by Freddie’s family that allows current Oakhamians the opportunity to thrive in the world of enterprise and ensures Freddie’s legacy lives on at the School. Pupils created their own businesses and then came up with ideas for a product to sell and then market to the School. At the marketplace event, the products on sale included jewellery, fidget spinner pens and sticky ceiling balls, all of which were very popular with their target market. 12 more pupils have signed up for the Freddie Groome Enterprise Challenge for the 2022–2023 year and we look forward to seeing their stalls and business ideas next summer.
Three years after Simon Schanschieff (‘57) sadly passed away, the Schanschieff family and Oakham friends including former Trustees, Headmasters, staff and OOs, celebrated the life of Simon with a beautiful thanksgiving service on Sunday 1 May 2022. The service was held in the School Chapel, followed by a tree planting and blessing by Tony Little and Alex Aldous. The tree is planted at the Schanschieff site of the Day Houses that was opened in 1997 on the site of the former Catmose Vale Hospital, to honour Simon’s 21 years as the Chair of Trustees. A lunch was then held at BAF Smith Pavilion and the day ended with a Schanschieff family team playing cricket v Mosquitos alongside Schanschieff Girls v Current Girls’ 1st cricket team. It was a fitting day of celebration for the life of Simon and his long association and significant contribution to the School
Mary Bagley was valued by Oakhamians for her encyclopaedic knowledge of careers and courses at universities and colleges. She not only founded the second-hand shop and the nursery school, but invented the system of half-term assessments and kept girls out of ties.
In 1975 Mary was also appointed Tutor to 24 Sixth Form boarders who were to be amongst the first girls taken into the School after the decision to go co-ed. She was to oversee their integration into what had until then been an entirely male domain.
An enthusiastic and sympathetic teacher, Mary gave much thought and invention to ways of stimulating scientific interest in Lower 1 and the Junior School. A champion of the underdog and the individual, she declined to squash and mould, preferring to lead and guide.
Born of a generation when girls were brought up to be wives and mothers, Mary put husband and family first. This did not prevent her from being a staunch supporter of the role of women in Oakham School, and she lobbied consistently for the appointment of more women to positions of authority and responsibility.
Mary remained refreshingly diverted by the activities and eccentricities of students and staff and the establishment itself. Life at Oakham was “quite a lark”.
OO) Written by Kate Haddon (née Williamson) (Hon OO) Pupils selling their products at the marketplace event as part of the Freddie Groome Enterprise Challenge