OKS Magazine - Spring 2023

STOriES FrOM CALAiS

Jemima Compton on her work with refugee charity Care4Calais

KnigHT in JErUSALEM

Carey Knight writes about performing life-cycle events and being a rabbi

JOUrnEY inTO pOLiTiCS

Norman Marshall is a Labour councillor for South Balham

Cover: Nicholas

Lyons (LN/BR

1972-77) and Felicity

Lyons (SH 1975-77)

From the OKS Office

In february, the OKS Office moved into the Old Grange building. Our new office has a fantastic view of the Shirley Hall and Cathedral and we enjoyed watching the beautiful magnolia tree bloom during the spring months.

Last term, we started to hold some in-person King’s Talks in the Schoolroom and Gateway Chamber. Mark Simpson KC on being a solicitor, John Campbell OBE on Richard Haldane, Simon Roberts on social anthropology and Samantha Hardingham on architecture. These talks were attended by pupils, mainly sixth formers, who asked engaging questions and enjoyed chatting with the speakers afterwards. We also heard from Isobelle Ford online – a recording of her talk on refugee

From the OKS President

My fellow oks, a warm welcome to this Spring 2023 issue. Before highlighting some of the special features it contains, I would like to draw you attention to a recent article in the Daily Telegraph (available to read online) in which David Gower, our most celebrated Cricketing OKS, reflects with affection and humour on his time at King’s.

Amongst the Magazine’s features are a piece on the recent appointment of Nick Lyons as the Lord Mayor of London. Our warmest best wishes and congratulations go to him and Felicity. Chris Pickering describes his life in the wild northern island of Hokkaido, Japan, where he now runs two successful companies in the ski resort of Niseko. And the well known actor Oliver Ford Davies talks of his recently published memoir: An Actor’s Life in 12 Productions. Also of special note is the new initiative by our Association to mount a Careers Fair, providing an opportunity

entrepreneurship is available on the OKS YouTube channel.

This October, we are excited to hold the first OKS Careers Fair in London on Thursday 26 October. It will be a great opportunity to network with OKS employers and their companies. If you would like to take part in the fair and share your advice and experience as an exhibitor, please contact me via email. We would love to hear from OKS in a range of different sectors.

Molly Burgess

to connect pupils and OKS with OKS employers, which will be launched on Thursday 26 October.

By now, many of you will have seen the video clip launching the new Charter Awards Scheme, which will provide bursaries of 110% of fees to pupils of talent from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, who will be selected in partnership with the Springboard Foundation. We have already had some generous donations from OKS to the Charter Awards Fund, for which we are most grateful. Our aim is to have a steady pool of 50 of these pupils in the School by 2041.

Wishing you all the very best for the summer and the remainder of 2023.

David Peters

Photo: Gerald Sharp Photography

From the Head

It’s hard to believe that it is already March and that the next set of public exams are just beginning to loom above the horizon. The end of last term saw the school musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, and this was followed up by a superb showcase of dance and drama earlier this term. We have had some wonderful concerts, from informal ones on Fridays at 5.15pm to concerts by the Chamber Orchestra and Concert Band whilst the Crypt Choir performed Mozart’s Requiem in Reims, followed up with a performance back home in the Cathedral.

We have continued to enjoy success in a number of sports, although the fencers have had a particularly good term so far, with plenty of medals in the South East Youth Championships and the boys winning gold in the U15 and U11 Epée competitions at the British Schools Team Championships.

A number of our pupils are still recovering from the mental impact of the pandemic and our pastoral teams are working tremendously hard. Against the backdrop of rapidly increasing costs, the catering and estates teams have continued to work wonders. We are aiming to be more environmentally friendly, be that creating ‘wild areas’ to support varied wildlife around the gardens, creating a new garden and pond at the International College, or growing the fleet of electric vehicles used by the School.

The new science building will finally be ready for the start of the summer term and it will be an exciting moment for everyone, even if landscaping and the refurbishment of the final labs in the Parry Hall are still to be done. It really is a spectacular project and we are looking forward to showing it off.

In this issue

8, 14, 18 & 22 Features: Calais, Jerusalem, Labour and the Lord Mayor of London

4 news from King’s: Earthquake response, science and Jesus Christ Superstar

6 Development news: Meet Jenny Grant

13 Events: Reports from our recent events

16 OKS Overseas: From Japan to California

20 partnerships: An array of activities

24 OKS Update: News of OKS worldwide

32 Unknown OKS: Oscar Baker

34 Lives remembered: Obituaries

46 Sport: Golf, rugby and rowing

We want to hear your news and so do your fellow OKS.

Fill in the form on the address sheet or contact Molly Burgess

telephone 01227 595669 email oks@kings-school.co.uk website www.oks.org.uk

facebook.com/groups/oksassociation twitter.com/OKSAssociation linkedin.com/groups/35681 instagram.com/oksassociation

Liz Worthington

The OKS Magazine is produced by an editorial committee chaired by Felicity Lyons (SH 1975-77). The Executive Editor is Molly Burgess (OKS Coordinator) who is assisted by Associate Editor Stephen Woodley (CR 196998), Peter Henderson (School Archivist, CR 1969-) and Susan Tingle (Deputy Director of Development). Unless otherwise credited, photographs are by Matt McArdle, the contributors, or from the school archives. The magazine is designed by Nick Ebdon (nickebdon.co.uk).

News from King’s

CHAriTY DinnEr AnD EArTHQUAKE rESpOnSE

On Saturday 19 November a dinner with a Rwandan themed menu was held at the Birley’s Pavilion in aid of the Charity of the Term, Rwanda Action. The King’s Swingers entertained and there were talks from the former and current CEOs of Rwanda Action. The Captain of School Will Gaffney led question and answer sessions with Rob Key, managing director of England Men’s Cricket, and Tom Chaplin, lead singer of Keane. The dinner and auction raised £20,000.

In February the Turkey and Syria earthquake brought an immediate response, headed by Melisa Erol, teacher of Art and Design at the International College. Within four days King’s, JKS and the IC filled 90 black sacks, 40 laundry bags and additional boxes with

clothing, blankets, medicines, sanitary products and nappies as well as tents and sleeping bags.

MUSiC, DrAMA AnD DAnCE

For the Autumn Concert in November the Symphony Orchestra performed a stirring programme from Rossini’s William Tell: Overture, via Fauré, Borodin, Delibes and Tchaikovsky, to Copland’s Hoe Down. The Concert can be seen and heard on the Music website: kings-musicschool.co.uk. The musical in December was Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Rebekah Francis. A cast of over 70 relished the 1970s ‘glam rock’ setting and style.

A Midnight Menagerie was the title given to the Drama and Dance Showcase in February. In a cabaret-style setting in the Malthouse the performers presented a sequence of numbers

inspired by Shakespeare, Emily Brontë, Bram Stoker, Noël Coward, Lorca, Philip Pullman and others. The ever sophisticated Chamber Concert, also in February, opened with Fauré’s Dolly Suite, continued with a ‘Suite Française’ confection from Fauré, Satie, Rameau, Trenet and Hahn, and ended with Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye. Mozart’s Requiem in Reims and then in Canterbury Cathedral rounded off the Lent Term.

TALKS

‘Smashing up the Cathedral’ was the engaging title of a talk by Professor Jackie Eales under the aegis of the Historical Association. Richard Culmer (KS 1609-13) and his assault on stained glass windows featured prominently in her discussion of iconoclasm in Canterbury in the 16th and 17th centuries. The latest OKS King’s Talk was by Isobelle Ford (CY 2008-10) on the more constructive theme of ‘Social Entrepreneurship for Refugees’. She is Community Manager at TERN (The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network).

In March the Science Department hosted a celebration of the Young Scientists Journal with an evening featuring a quartet of speakers. Ghazwan Butrous, Professor of Cardiopulmonary Sciences at the University of Kent, and Christina Astin (Common Room 2000-20), former Head of Science, were founders of the Journal, and they were joined by Doreen McVeigh (Common Room 2017- ), deep-sea submersible researcher and shark expert, and Vaneesha Gibbons, molecular geneticist and quality management specialist for the NHS.

SCiEnCE

The new science building has been completed and looks very impressive. Physics will be taught there from the start of the Summer Term. The pavement alongside it is also finished and the resurfacing of the roadway will be undertaken during the summer holidays. The Mint Yard is being cleared of the builders’ cabins so that relandscaping can also take place in the summer. The upgrading of laboratories in the Parry block should be completed by the autumn half term. This spectacular addition to the School’s facilities has been well worth waiting for.

Photos, clockwise from top-left: Jesus Christ Superstar; YSJ speakers (left to right): Vaneesha Gibbons, Doreen McVeigh, Christina Astin; Andrew = sports day + microphone; minibus of supplies for Turkey and Syria

pArTnErSHipS

Partnerships Week in November highlighted the post-pandemic resumption of links with local primary schools. The ‘Saturday Smarties’ science outreach programme provides three sessions in a laboratory, starting with (amongst other topics) the eyeball, prisms and light. The music scheme ‘Sounding Out’ was relaunched last year and now involves five schools. For more on partnerships, see page 20.

FrOM THE COMMOn rOOM

Andrew McFall was due to retire this summer, but left at the February half term on grounds of ill health. He had spent just over 32 years on the staff as, variously, teacher of maths, head of activities and ‘the voice’ of King’s. His successor as President of the Common Room is James Outram. James Wilper has been confirmed as Housemaster of Luxmoore. And Peter Roberts, who retired as Headmaster last summer, became Head of Ampleforth College in January.

nEWS FrOM King’S

Meet the new Director of Development and Alumni

Jenny Grant joined the Development and Alumni Office in August 2022. In her role, she helps to build and maintain relationships that help support King’s in the long term.

TELL ME A LiTTLE ABOUT YOUr BACKgrOUnD BEFOrE King’S

I’ve worked in Alumni and Development roles for the last 10 years. Before King’s I was at the University of Kent, and before that at The Duke of York’s Royal Military School. Prior to that I lived for five years in Sydney, Australia where I worked in marketing for Unilever and was particularly involved in the Ben and Jerry’s brand. My life at the time revolved around sun, sea, sand and ice cream –oh, and three children, one of whom has now returned to Sydney for his degree.

I’ve also lived in New York and Germany, and am currently doing a Masters degree in Philanthropy, so life is never dull.

WHAT ATTrACTED YOU TO King’S?

Being a part of such an amazing and prestigious School in this unique location in the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral – it’s really not hard to see the attraction! King’s has got a great reputation and everyone is very friendly. It’s wonderful to be able to take even a small role in securing the School’s long-term future (and the School lunches aren’t half bad either!)

WHAT iS DEVELOpMEnT AnD

WHY iS iT iMpOrTAnT?

Development is all about building and maintaining relationships, facilitating connections that will help support King’s for the long term. A large part of it is, of course, about financial donations – true philanthropy

can change the lives of both giver and receiver. These donations are important because they can help fund a wide range of projects that wouldn’t otherwise be possible, can improve the learning environment and resources for our pupils, and can increase access for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Development isn’t just about money though –it’s about solving challenges and inequalities through generosity of time and expertise too, donations of which can be just as valuable.

WHAT ArE YOU CUrrEnTLY FUnDrAiSing FOr?

We’ve currently got a big focus on fundraising for transformational bursaries through the Charter Awards. If we achieve our goals, children from the widest range of backgrounds will be able to receive the education that so many OKS have enjoyed, an education that might well change their lives. I’m hugely passionate about widening access and promoting social mobility, and I hope many OKS, parents and friends will feel the same way.

We’re also fundraising for Sounding Out, a Saturday morning music centre at King’s which provides an instrumental learning programme for pupils from local state primary schools, another fantastic cause. Legacies are, of course, a huge area of focus too.

HOW CAn i SUppOrT King’S?

Please get in touch – I’d love to talk to you! Any help you can give us, however small, is very much appreciated. Or take a look at our website: kings-school.co.uk/supportus

I look forward to meeting many more of you at upcoming events.

Above: Jenny Grant

Right: Pupils from partnership schools taking part in Sounding Out lessons

Sounding Out

Supported by king’s and a wide network of benefactors, the goal is simple: to break down the barriers and gift the opportunity of music to the widest catchment possible. To do this, Sounding Out offers high quality opportunities to pupils from state funded primary schools, providing them with the benefit of expertise and resources. This helps them to learn, perform and create music, without the barrier of cost.

Currently around 20 pupils take part in the Sounding Out programme, each given a trumpet or violin to use in a weekly 45-minute group lesson and to take home, supplemented by an hour of musical activities including games, singing and samba.

• If you would like to support Sounding Out, please visit kings-school.co.uk/soundingout

THE OKS & DEVELOpMEnT OFFiCE HAS MOVED!

Our office is now located in the Old Grange building and has a glorious view of The Shirley Hall and Cathedral.

We are happy to show OKS around the School and their houses.

To arrange your tour, please visit oks.org.uk/visits or email oks@ kings-school.co.uk

An interview with the Lord Mayor of London

WG I’d like to take you back to King’s. How did you find your time here?

LM Coming from JKS, I had a nice group of friends to start with. My first term was as a day boy in Lattergate, then I joined Marlowe. When my parents moved back to Ireland I had to go into a boarding house. I went to Linacre because it was sporty. I went to Riversleigh, a waiting house, as a monitor and then we acquired St Augustine’s and created two new houses, Broughton and Tradescant. Mike Hodgson, the housemaster of Riversleigh, was to be housemaster in Broughton and he asked me to be his first head of house. So I had one term in Lattergate, five terms in Marlowe, four terms in Linacre, two terms in Riversleigh and three terms in Broughton. So I went to five houses!

Of course the best of it was that the School started to admit girls when I was there. There were about five girls in my first year, but by the time I got to 6a there were about 30 and one of them, Felicity Lyons (née Parker SH 1975-77), I started going out with. She is now my wife.

WG That’s an amazing story. What are some of the key skills that you think King’s gave you for your career and life?

LM When I was Captain of School, you had to make announcements every day at the end of assembly. That was a big thing – you had a lot of responsibility and pupils had real leadership roles. You learned a lot about how to get people to do things, not by forcing them, but by persuading them. When you got into the sixth form you had a very different relationship with members of staff and they treated you like an adult. That was an important part of growing up. All of this, I think, contributed to equipping you with good social and communication skills that enabled you to prosper at university, if that was where you chose to go. At King’s, you got into the habit of not being afraid to lead and I think that is the single most important thing that I have taken with me through my life.

WG You studied at Cambridge and after that, you began your career in the City. How did you find the transition from university to the world of work?

Current Captain of School Will Gaffney (SH) interviews former Captain of School Nicholas Lyons (LN/BR 1972-77) about his role as the 694th Lord Mayor of London.

Left: Lord Mayor Nicholas Lyons

Photo: Gerald Sharp Photography

LM At university, I thought that I wanted to be a diplomat or an academic. After leaving Cambridge, I worked as a political research assistant, and also did an internship in the Commission of the European Union. That was great fun, but I realised doing those jobs that I didn’t want to be a bureaucrat or an academic.

I applied to lots of banks in the City and was offered several jobs. Various contemporaries from Cambridge said if you can get onto the Morgan Guaranty Trust Company’s training programme in New York, that’s the top. I applied in March and they offered me a place for September. I didn’t want to hang around and asked if there was a programme starting sooner. There was. I said that I’d like to go on that programme but I was told I couldn’t so I said “in that case I’ll have to accept an offer from Bankers Trust Company.” They called me later that day and told me to come in tomorrow to sign my contract. The job offer from Banker’s Trust hadn’t quite landed, but it taught me something about negotiation! I ended up being a corporate financier advising companies on mergers and acquisitions, which is all about negotiating transactions.

WG What do you think are some of the biggest changes in the City you’ve seen over your career?

LM London has become more international. In the early 1980s London was still dominated by the

big British banks, merchant banks, insurers and fund managers. Then we had the Big Bang in 1986 when the Americans bought a lot of the British merchant banks, Deutsche Bank bought Morgan Grenfell and one of the Swiss banks bought Warburgs. That cemented London as the major global financial centre in our time zone. We have this huge natural advantage of sitting equally between North America and Asia – we’re right in the middle.

The second thing I would say is that businesses, but particularly financial services, have understood that they must have a societal purpose. Back in the 80s, the City was a place where people did whatever they needed to do to succeed and to make money. The quality of regulation has improved no end since then, and especially since 2008, transforming the City in terms of its governance structure and its ethics. I think now that British financial service companies have the strongest governance in the world.

We care deeply not just about our customers, but also about our employees. And we must because they’re the future of our businesses. So, we listen carefully to your generation as you join firms in the City and we hear the priorities that you have around environmental awareness, amongst other things. We need to reach out to people who have previously felt the City is not for them and to break glass ceilings.

I think those are the two big differences. It’s the internationalisation and multiculturalism that’s really given us the opportunity to establish London as a global financial centre and it’s the ethical underpin that’s critical for us to be sustainable.

WG You were made Sheriff of the City of London before becoming Lord Mayor. Can you tell me more about what being a Sheriff involves?

LM The fascinating thing about being Sheriff is that historically it’s a judicial role. Sheriffs of the City of London are based for their year at the Old Bailey. There are 18 courts, 14 permanent judges and a number of visiting judges. The two Sheriffs each have an apartment in the Old Bailey and one of us entertains the judges to lunch every day.

These judges are amazing: the crème de la crème

Left: Nicholas Lyons with Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

Right: Nicholas speaking at the London Government Dinner

of the criminal justice system. The Old Bailey deals with homicide and terrorism cases, so they are dealing with horrific situations day in, day out. What we do is provide them with a very civilised lunch. We process down to the judges’ dining room and have wonderful conversations around the table. The judges are always happy to talk about the cases that they’re hearing. At 1:55pm, the Sheriff rises and goes to the door, which is the signal to the judges that it’s time for them to return to their courts. It was a wonderful opportunity and a privilege for me, to learn more about how our criminal justice system works. As Sheriff you also attend a lot of civic events with the Lord Mayor, so you get to see them in action. It’s your trial period as a potential Lord Mayor. I was in a lucky position as I had been asked to be Lord Mayor immediately after finishing as Sheriff.

WG As Lord Mayor your theme is “Financing our Future”. Can you explain more about what this involves?

LM Around 18 months before you become Lord Mayor, you work out what your mayoral theme is going to be. So, I thought, there are a number of areas where we have not done a great job as a country and we need significant change, in order for the UK to be fit for purpose as a growing economy. We’ve underinvested in infrastructure, I’m afraid, for far too long. We’re a country rich in history and

reputation, but in terms of our financial resources, we’ve ended up over-borrowing.

We had a leveraged balance sheet when COVID struck, and then of course we had everybody going into furlough. That was hugely expensive, and the government funded it. Then we were hit by the energy crisis. That’s three exogenous shocks and the response of the government of the day, in every case, was to borrow money and pay the bill. We got to a point in September when Kwasi Kwarteng and Liz Truss were in charge and they tried that one time too many. The bond market said enough.

That all happened a long time after I came up with the idea of “Financing our Future”. The idea is that the private sector needs to be mobilised to do much more. We cannot just rely on government to develop an industrial strategy and invest in the infrastructure that we need to make us more energy efficient. For example, we haven’t built storage capacity for water or for natural gas. We’ve done a good job on wind energy, but we haven’t been able to store the electricity from that. That became clear when Russia invaded Ukraine. So, I thought, how do we mobilise the private sector to lend more into these very important areas? There are two massive pots of money in any country’s economy. One is real estate, and the other is pensions. It’s difficult to monetize the value of real estate that’s owned by lots of individuals. Ultimately, they’re living in it. But their pensions are big pots of investable cash which can be deployed in the right sort of assets if they have the right motivation to do so. We need to deploy these assets in a more intelligent way and make sure that our long-term savings organisations can provide the capital funding to support the growth in infrastructure.

Green and sustainable finance is another big part of it. There are a lot of very big sovereign wealth funds around the world who are redeploying the profits they’ve made from the hydrocarbon economy. They’re investing hugely in renewable technologies, and they’ve got more capital to deploy. But we have a role, and the skills, in the City of London and in the UK to provide thought leadership.

The next area of “Financing our Future” is the growth economy. We’ve got four of the best ten universities in the world. We’ve got great

entrepreneurs. We’ve got a project that’s being led by Sir Patrick Vallance on science and technology, aiming to make the UK a science superpower. We have developed a string of great early stage companies in the tech, fintech, biotech and life science areas and we can fund these as start-ups through our venture capital industry.

We’re creating these fantastic businesses with huge value, and I want to use the defined contribution pensions pots to put more money into a Future Growth Fund. The £50 billion fund would be managed by an investment board and invest in these early stage companies as they scale up. So when you come out of your university with your brilliant idea and want to start your company, you not only get the venture capital straight there, but you have a Future Growth Fund that says we’re really here to support you for the long term. These businesses then have the chance to grow and stay in the UK. They create jobs and we get into a virtuous circle of being what Rishi Sunak calls the Silicon Valley of the UK. I had the opportunity to speak about this in my Lord Mayor’s Banquet speech whilst Rishi was sitting next to me!

WG I want to finish with the charitable aspect of your role. This year, the Lord Mayor’s Appeal is supporting MQ Mental Health Research, the Duke of Edinburgh Award and National Numeracy. How did you go about choosing these charities and how do you plan to support them?

LM I’m delighted to have an opportunity to talk about this. The Lord Mayor’s Appeal supports three charities. When you become Lord Mayor, you introduce a new charity and it stays on for three years. The oldest one then drops off.

I have introduced National Numeracy because I think this is an essential building block of the future of the UK. If we’re talking about “Financing our Future”, people must understand finances. You can’t do that if you don’t have basic numeracy. We’re not even talking about GCSE or A Level maths here. We’re talking about confidence with numbers. National Numeracy is a charity that works with young people and adults who struggle with numeracy. It’s an online training programme and the project that we’re funding is to get 500 champions of numeracy to go into places of work

and help direct people towards the training. The project is called ‘Every Londoner Counts’. We are using the idea as a pilot project and, if it works, it will be rolled out in other cities. 48% of adults in this country have the numeracy level of a primary school child. When you look at Greater London, that goes up from 48% to 58% and women are disproportionately disadvantaged. The other area we want to look at is financial inclusion. Those people who are currently not served by the financial services industry fall outside the safety net. I’m hosting a conference in April where we will look at numeracy, financial literacy, and financial inclusion. It will include academics, charities, citizens’ advice bodies, large banks and fintech companies. There are many initiatives in this area, but we need to look at it collectively and decide what is the best practice. We also need to think about how we can introduce financial literacy into the curriculum for primary school children.

WG Thank you so much for talking to me today, it has been an honour.

LM I talk about financing our future, but it’s really your future and you’re the ones who will take this on. What I would like to have achieved during my year as Lord Mayor is to have planted some important flags. That will mean we can go forward with a lot more confidence and ambition so that people can be proud to be a part of what is a great country.

Above: Nicholas with First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon Opposite page, top to bottom: OKS guests at the Cavalry and Guards Club; the OKS Christmas drinks choir; OKS guests at the Sway Bar

OKS Christmas Drinks

Sophie Lark (WL 2009-14) reports on OKS Christmas Drinks on Thursday 1 December.

Over 150 oks attended a Christmas drinks reception, hosted in the prestigious Cavalry and Guards Club in London. It was a lovely evening, filled with OKS from all generations from 1956 through to 2022. It was a great opportunity to see some old faces as well as to make some new contacts; with very familiar friends from my school year, people in my boarding house, members of the Common Room and, in my case, an opportunity to see OKS family members and their friends.

The evening was filled with delicious canapés and drinks, backed with beautiful carol singing from an OKS choir. It reminded us of all the fun of getting together with friends in a special place, particularly when it’s not been possible to hold such events for the last two Christmases.

London Reunion: Leavers from 2000-2022

Molly Burgess (OKS Coordinator) reports on the OKS reunion in London.

Rescheduled from november 2022 due to train strikes, the OKS Reunion for Leavers from 20002022 took place on Thursday 12 January at the Sway Bar in Covent Garden. Over 80 OKS filled the room and enjoyed free drinks and nibbles, with thanks to the OKS Association. Many OKS were seen reminiscing with Catherine Shearer (Broughton Housemistress 2010-18) and Amanda Young (Walpole Housemistress 2011-23) over a glass of wine. We look forward to seeing everyone at the next OKS reunion!

Stories from Calais

Care4Calais is a volunteer-run refugee charity working with refugees in the UK, France and Belgium. Jemima Compton (LX 2010-15) spent much of the pandemic volunteering in Calais and is now a Legal Access Caseworker.

Volunteers describe Calais as a place where you can witness the best and worst sides of humanity. I first went during the Pandemic to volunteer in refugee camps and was in for a life-changing and eye-opening experience. Working in the camps was often heart-warming. You hear people’s stories about their lives before Calais, working as doctors in wars, as translators for the UN or guides for the British army – there were some impressive CVs. They also told me about how they were husbands and fathers with pictures of their families at home whom they missed dearly. Their stories of why they had to leave their homes were terrifying. Somebody’s entire family sent for the army to kill him because he was gay in Pakistan. A man’s father in Nigeria was the head of a cult who had murdered the rest of his family, and he was next. Men from Eritrea had escaped mandatory military service which can last a lifetime. The list was endless. I learnt so much about conflict, inequality and terror around the world, which makes life unliveable and dangerous for all those seeking asylum.

The Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité (CRS) are a special branch of the French police who deal with riots and are on a two-week rotation in Calais so that they can’t create relationships with the refugees. The way they treat refugees and volunteers is nothing less than inhumane and unfair. They exist to terrorise and make life as difficult as possible for refugees. They confiscate their belongings, evict them, taking them as far as the Spanish border, dumping them in the middle of nowhere, they create trenches and chop down woodland in Calais to make pitching a tent or gaining privacy under trees impossible. Each time I go to Calais, the landscape becomes more and more dismal, muddy and barren as fields, parks and forests have been destroyed by the police. They intimidate volunteers. I was once stopped in my car for no reason, a group of 15 policemen surrounded me, individually checking all my documents, after 30 minutes the 15 of them could finally confirm that I had done nothing wrong and they let me go. This was what shocked me most about Calais. I knew I was going to learn about conflict in the refugees’ home country but I didn’t realise what

I’ve learnt how the asylum system in the UK is broken

heartless cruelty was going on by the French police which is funded by the UK government.

I wanted to learn more about migration, leading me to do a Masters in Global Development and Migration at the University of Sussex. Following that I now work with the Care4Calais UK team where I help asylum seekers get legal aid for their asylum claim. We also help people enrol in schools, get medical help, clothes and other necessities their weekly £40 allowance doesn’t afford them. I’ve learnt how the asylum system in the UK is broken, disorganised, massively backlogged and exhausting for anyone involved in it. The detention centres people are housed in (often for far too long) have been reported extensively to be unfit (search Napier Barracks or Manston) and hotels people are housed in would be OK if it was for a short period of time, but the absence of having a kitchen harms people’s wellbeing as it takes away independence, not being able to cook for themselves. In fact, the hotel system creates an environment where asylum seekers have to be dependent on the state. Many

Photos, clockwise from top-left: police in Calais; Refugee Community Kitchen volunteers; graffiti at a camp reading ‘the problem is borders, no more war’; Calais beach

Photos: Refugee Community Kitchen

of them want to live in their own accommodation or with friends/family – if they do this, it harms their asylum application and can lead to them being deported. The backlog of cases in the asylum system means that it can take people years until their refugee status is granted, even though they are totally deserving of it. Waiting endlessly for their asylum claim to be processed in hotels has led to high rates of depression and anxiety amongst asylum seekers. Although doctors and aid workers can supply a band-aid for asylum seekers’ problems, the root of the cause can only be resolved by changes in government policy.

If you’re interested in learning more about the situation visit care4calais.org

Having studied and worked in this field, people ask me what is the solution because we can’t take everyone in. The solution is plain and simple: allow people to claim asylum for the UK abroad just like the government did with Ukraine. The government says that the smugglers are the root of the problem but they only exist because no safe routes to the UK exist. The most effective way to get rid of smugglers is by creating safe routes.

Surfing the World’s Deepest Powder Snow Life in Niseko, Japan

Chris Pickering (MT 1993-98) describes life in the wild northern island of Hokkaido, Japan, where he runs two successful companies in the international ski resort of Niseko.

Japan is almost as far as you can get from Canterbury (much to my parents’ dismay) but this is the place I have called home for the best part of the last two decades. After initially moving in 2004 to teach at an international school, I worked for Deloitte in their Tokyo office before quitting the corporate world in 2013 and moving up to Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. Famed for its seafood, farming and wide-open nature, I moved to become general manager of a property management company in the ski resort of Niseko.

I built the company up from 18 full-time and 40 seasonal staff to 200 full-time and 600 seasonal staff by the time the pandemic hit. The company grew into running hotels, we started a ski

school (which became Asia’s largest), ski rental, restaurants, spa, magazines, taxis and even our own clothing brand. It was exciting, stressful and rewarding in equal measure but it really was nonstop. During that period Niseko, which is easily the most popular ski resort in Asia, continued to grow at a breakneck pace. Being fluent in Japanese I was privileged to be a part of the top team in the resort, working with locals and international investors to try to create the best experiences for tourists, staff and property owners alike.

It felt pretty much like an unbreakable wave, until Covid hit. Niseko is massively reliant on the international ski market in winter so when Japan closed their borders and kept them shut for almost three years it was devastating for the area. Personally I parted ways with the company and took six months to decompress – mainly on the golf course. I then decided to start two companies, Jogen Consulting and Uchi. In Jogen I provide advice across all aspects of tourism, real estate and development in Hokkaido, helping everyone from local companies to international hotel chains. It’s been incredibly rewarding to put my years of experience here into action to help people avoid mistakes and create special projects or drive their own companies forward. Uchi started as a pet project, a resort real estate

portal that works to provide users a one-stop site where they can search for their dream property here in Japan. It’s gone from nothing to the biggest multi-listing site in Japan in only 18 months so has kept me busier than I expected.

I have finally found that nice balance between work and life. My wife and I completed our own home in the forest in late 2020 and welcomed our son to the world the next summer. I get plenty of time with him, as well as my two boys from my previous marriage, and we all enjoy the neverending snow in winter (15 metres on average) as well as the glorious summers. A mixture of

My Author Journey

Shyla Melwani (WL 2007-12) is an author, yoga teacher and heath educator living in San Francisco, California.

Living in san Francisco exposed me to a new world. It kindled and nourished me in many ways, which led to personal growth as I adapted to new environments, friends, and trends. That city, bold, beautiful and healthconscious, ignited my passion for physical and mental well-being. My passion for health grew in California but stemmed from my own story of fighting a 30% survival rate with nephrotic syndrome at the age of one.

As I grew, I realised that my body needed to be optimised on a cellular level after heavy doses of medication throughout my childhood. Through yoga, healthy habits, and a positive mindset, I managed to flip the script of my life and heal my body. This led me to publish my first book, Euphoric Living, and help spread the good message of healing. At times, these significant life changes and new-found passions in my world put me in an awkward phase where my old self was gone, but my new self wasn’t fully born yet. I was undergoing a challenging transformation. But from a

skiing, ultra-trail running, golf and eating the incredibly fresh Japanese food help to keep me busy when I’m not working – and help to burn off some of the Japanese beer calories.

I can’t really believe it’s now 25 years since I finished at King’s and I’ve definitely squeezed a lot into that time. When I look out of the window at Mount Yotei in the morning, I really do feel extremely fortunate to live in this incredible place with a wonderful family and some great friends. Given I left King’s without ever having skied on real snow it’s hard to imagine how I ended up where I am, but I’m sure glad I did.

higher perspective, being challenged is good as it requires you to go inward to seek the answers you need. So, I practised writing every day as my contribution to serving humanity.

Incredibly, through my commitment to this daily practice of writing and meditation, my mission and calling became crystal clear in a short time: encouraging people to look after themselves more. So, I wrote a book suitable for all humankind, hoping to continue and fortify conversations about mental well-being and selfcare because self-care is the new healthcare.

This book inspires people to make long-lasting changes to their well-being and our world, and I hope you will happily share it with others to help them heal and grow. Hopefully, you will take home the message that to heal our planet and heal others, you need only look after yourself more because you are the key to saving the world! Can we spread this superior knowledge as far and as wide as entertainment?

All that said, the new trend is taking personal development too seriously, which takes the fun out of everyday life. I believe the most loving act possible is having a laugh and being yourself – in fact, be so YOU that you can enhance the world. And then, make this wisdom go viral.

Above: NisekoHirafu resort at night, Mount Yotei; Chris Pickering running the Mount Fuji Trail.

Right: Shyla Melwani

A View from the Grass Roots

Norman Marshall (LX 1972-76) describes his journey into politics and what it’s like to be a Labour councillor for the South Balham Ward of the London Borough of Wandsworth.

Awakenings, political or otherwise, come in different guises. Mine was prosaic: a South London by-election in 2016, when I voted Labour for the first time, for no very clear reason that I can now recall. It was only when Rosena Allin-Khan held then somewhat marginal Tooting (she has since increased the Labour majority a lot) that I realised that this was the first parliamentary election in my life that my chosen candidate had won. The penny dropped: in the UK, at least, you must pick which of Conservative or Labour you want to see in power and do something, however small, to help them get it. Along the way you may make some degree of change to the kind of party they are just by being there, and none at all if you are not. So I joined the Labour Party, and offered to deliver a few leaflets locally. In a series of political twists and turns of engrossing interest not even to my children, in the early hours of May 6th this year I was one of 35 Labour candidates jumping for joy with our supporters as we won back Wandsworth Council after 44 years of Tory rule.

Now, a few months later, I have been kindly invited to write this article by Stephen Woodley: the best among many fine teachers at King’s by whom I was fortunate to be taught; one of the most decent and likeable human beings to draw breath; and a Conservative to the very bone. There are many in his party like him, and not a few members of my own party for whom I could not say quite as much, but nevertheless it is the Labour Party that I support.

With every respect to the perennially minority parties for their persistence in opposition, in the UK a General Election still only offers real power to either the Conservatives or to Labour. Choosing between them is not difficult. For all the enormous complexity of setting and enacting policy, it all comes down to whether (in the words of a recent prime minister) you believe in growing the pie or sharing the pie. Both have valid arguments in their favour and are supported by idealistic and intelligent members of society. Before you read another word, you know already where you stand on that, and can easily guess where I do.

We must learn to live within our planetary means

As Thomas Piketty shows so comprehensively in his rather pessimistic Capital in the TwentyFirst Century, there is a natural tendency across all eras and societies not only for the pie to grow but for bakery owners to get more and more of it than mere wage-earning bakers. Whatever the misgivings of individual members, en masse Conservatives believe two things: that a bigger pie is by definition better, and that inequality is a fair price to pay for growth, so long as the poor do not actually get poorer. The rich man in his castle and the poor man at his gate are an ordained part of all things bright and beautiful. Two further books are all you need to start to change your mind on both of these propositions: The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, and Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth. Wilkinson and Pickett show in near actuarial detail how even the rich in less economically equal societies are worse off than their fellows in more egalitarian ones: richer, but more prone to alcoholism, depression, obesity, suicide and so on. Raworth meanwhile demolishes the received wisdom that a bigger economy will always be better and GDP growth is the only star we

Photos, clockwise from top-left: Norman Marshall at work; Norman cooking; Norman pointing at his name on election day; Norman, Sadiq Khan and Labour Councillor Clare Fraser.

need to sail by to get there. The planet is too small and fragile, too close already to a tipping point of no return, to continue with that fond mantra. We must learn to live within our planetary means, and to do that we have to share more equally – which comes more naturally to socialists (as a whole).

Since May I started making those small changes happen as best I may. In the first few months of our term I have (chairing a very supportive and nonpartisan committee) seen the £3bn pension fund for 40,000 past and present council employees move a few small notches further towards a greener spread of investments; helped some of the residents in my ward find their way through the system to get what help is available from willing, able, but very overstretched local government officials; explained to others why what they hope for is not going to be possible, but perhaps at least left them feeling listened to; and kept kicking the can a few paces down the road to make the Labour Party in Wandsworth an even more electable group. It’s not going to sell many copies of a political memoir, but it feels like heading in the right direction.

Making a Difference in the Community

Joe Swash, the new Partnerships Coordinator at King’s, explains how local primary and secondary pupils benefit from partnership activities.

The role of partnerships at King’s is to facilitate wide and diverse access to the unique education provided at the school for the public benefit. We do this by working closely with our partner schools and through a variety of approaches. These include opening up our excellent facilities to local schools and community groups; fundraising for various charities and making charitable donations; and offering educational experiences to local pupils that they might not otherwise access. We also provide free training to teachers and leaders and provide pupils at King’s with opportunities to volunteer and assist within the community.

The King’s School is a founding and active member of East Kent Schools Together (EKST), the partnership cluster of seven state secondary schools, three independent schools and Canterbury Christ Church University. When pupils and staff collaborate across schools, by sharing resources and exchanging experiences, there can be huge mutual benefits, especially for disadvantaged children. EKST is an initiative where each school contributes and draws from the partnership on an equal footing for the benefit of all.

This academic year, we are focused on re-launching flagship activities that were halted because of the pandemic and creating new programmes.

SATUrDAY SMArTiES

Aimed at primary school pupils from local state partner schools, we offer a fun science programme where pupils can experience laboratories and practise experiments. Topics include forensic science, the eyeball, prisms and light. The sessions are led by King’s staff and pupil

volunteers and more than 20 primary schools have signed up to participate this year.

CATHEDrAL HiSTOrY TOUrS

Led by our partnerships team, we now run weekly visits to the Cathedral (and King’s) with primary classes, covering a historical and religious timeline of two thousand years as well as the incredible architecture and artworks inside. In March alone around 100 pupils enjoyed this experience. Similarly, pupils can also visit the King’s School Library and for many, it is often their first ever library experience.

FOSSiL EXpEriEnCE

We run fortnightly sessions in our Geology lab to introduce pupils to the subject and give them a chance to examine real fossils. This is one of our most popular activities and we have had fantastic feedback from pupils. One pupil from Pilgrims’

These are just a few of the many activities and opportunities that we offer to partnership schools.

If you are interested in finding out more about partnerships at King’s, or would like to help out, please email me: ejs@ kings-school.co.uk

Dr Geoff Nelson (Chemistry Teacher)

Way Primary School described being in the Geology lab as a ‘dream come true’.

King’S TALKS

This year so far, we have welcomed over 70 pupils from local schools to King’s Talks. Most recently, we hosted a panel discussion led by Lord Rowan Williams (former Archbishop of Canterbury) on Dutch diarist Etty Hillesum. We also provide guided tours of our catering facilities for those working towards catering qualifications. These tours are led by our catering team who share guidance and advice on the career and the different pathways into it.

SOUnDing OUT

This is a classical music programme for pupils from five partner primaries (St John’s Church of England Primary School, St. Thomas’ Catholic Primary School, Pilgrims’ Way Primary School, St Stephen’s Junior School and Wincheap Foundation Primary School). Pupils attend fullyfunded lessons (violin/trumpet), masterclasses

and concerts, and perform their own first concert at King’s on a Saturday morning in December.

MALTHOUSE THEATrE DrAMA EXpEriEnCES

This year we have been able to provide two days of drama workshops to local state secondary schools. Recently we invited around 80 pupils to the Malthouse to help develop their devising and improv skills. Pupils are able to make use of all the facilities in the theatre including lighting.

MiniLYMpiCS

We are looking forward to bringing back one of our largest events, the ‘Minilympics,’ which reaches over 100 primary pupils in a single day. Pupils get the opportunity to make use of the facilities at Birley’s and enjoy a variety of sports such as spikeball, cricket, hockey and fitness sessions. This event is a joint activity with Canterbury Christ Church University and King’s, with pupils from local secondary schools joining in to assist as volunteers.

Photos, clockwise, from top-left: visiting the school library; minilympics;

demonstrating; Saturday Smarties

Knight in Jerusalem

Carey Knight (BR 1987-89), also known as Rabbi Miriam Berkowitz, describes her life from the Cloisters at King’s to Jerusalem.

Igrew up in Montreal where high school ends after grade 11, came to King’s for a year advised by the British Consul in Montreal, and loved it so much I stayed for two. My hobbies at King’s were debate, orchestra, acting and sport –they thought a Canadian could be goalie for the field hockey team, even though I did not know any of the rules! It was also the only time in my life I have had a group of friends instead of individual ones: Toby Young, Luke Williams, Jon Walsh, Jonathan Ibbott, Emma Colquhoun, Kate Knight, Niall O’Connor and the Watson brothers plus roommates Katharine James, Maja Löfdahl and Jacquetta Gray and buddies Kathryn Thomas and Leila Jemmett.

Thanks to an essay written in the Cloisters, I was accepted to Harvard and did a BA in International Relations, specializing in Soviet Union and Middle East. After visiting Israel for the first time in 1991 I fell in love with it and decided to move here. I did an MA and was ordained as a Conservative rabbi in Jerusalem, then moved to

NY after marrying an American in Israel. I was Assistant Rabbi at Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan for three years, then spent seven years in Boca Raton, Florida as an adult educator and mother. I did not much enjoy the Florida vibe but was proud to publish a book, Taking the Plunge: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to the Mikveh, about the purification ritual of immersion in water, and help create The Lovell Haggadah. After returning to Israel in 2008, I spent ten years as Founding Director of Kashouvot: Center for Spiritual Care in Israel, pioneering chaplaincy in hospitals and nursing homes and providing spiritual care in English, French, Hebrew, Russian and Arabic at the St. Louis French Hospital.

After that became all administration with no time for patient care, I passed the reins to my co-founder and sought another challenge. It is quite unusual to be a female rabbi in Israel, and chaplaincy is still not an official profession, so I had to create my own path. I perform weddings and bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies, helping families choose a setting that matches their style:

For me, faith has always been less important than actions

a beach, national park, Massada, ancient harbor in Caesaria or the most popular, the egalitarian section of the Western Wall (Kotel). We study together, then the child reads from the Torah scroll and leads some prayers, and I include the family and guests in a weekday morning service with song, explanations and an artistic certificate to remember the day. I also teach Jewish Studies and Pastoral Care online for several US colleges/ seminaries and do freelance writing and editing, locally and remotely.

While Judaism is rooted in connection with God as the underpinning for commitment to an observant life, most liberal Jews are more motivated by tradition, community and living a life of good deeds. Ideas about God may range from a vague role as Creator to a sense of gratitude when things go well, but people seem less concerned about the tenets propounded by Maimonides — for example reward and punishment, God as an omniscient and all-powerful force, or even a personal guide for every-day decisions.

Above: Carey leading a Bar and Bat Mitzvah in the Roman Cardo

Below: Kate Weiss (left) and Carey

I was attracted to Jewish observance for its song, its rich tradition of learning, the rituals and obligations which I felt led to creation of caring communities and more disciplined, altruistic people. For me, faith has always been less important than actions, and recently I feel even closer to the emerging group of “spiritual but not religious” as outlined in James Fowler’s fascinating book Stages of Faith.

Recently I joined a startup whose cutting-edge water purification device H2OReady, using deep UVLED optical technology, can bring safe drinking water to developing countries, disaster relief areas and off-grid locations. It meets 4 USDs and the team is top of the field. The product is in the final stages of R & D and building partnerships for manufacturing and distribution.

I am happily divorced (6 years) after 20 years of marriage. My hobbies include pottery, dancing, hiking and walking in the Peace Forest across the street from my home. Israel is great (food, weather, down-to earth people, history, nature, cycle of the Jewish year) but a bit too intense, and I may move when the kids finish high school and army.

King’s was influential in several ways: continuing my love of learning (especially with the brilliant and eccentric Mr Henderson); deepening my affinity for sacred song and ritual; and giving me the independence to dream. I still appreciate the beauty of the historic campus and rose gardens, the wry British sense of humour, theatre trips to London, a midterm hike to Hadrian’s Wall, Mr. Vye’s political campaign and the hospitality of the Young family in Somerset. I hope to reconnect with old and new OKS friends and invite you to visit!

1940s

Nick Davies, son of Michael Davies (GR 193943), has kindly sent us a copy of The Grange Newsletter of 1943, filling a gap in the Archives. This includes a poem on the Grange Monitors: ‘Davies is our Head of House / He’s really got no cause to grouse / For of the flicks and French Café / He is a fair habitué’.

1950s

Oliver Ford Davies (LN 1952-57) sends this update: “In November 2022 I published a memoir An Actor’s Life in 12 Productions. The first chosen production was a Linacre House play in December 1956 of Chekhov’s The Seagull which I acted in and directed. The actor playing Dorn was Robert Horton (LN 1952-57), later Chairman of BP and Railtrack, knighted in 1997.”

Michael Hill (LX 1950-52) attributes his long business history and entrepreneurial confidence to his time as a cathedral chorister and his involvement in rugby and cricket at King’s. In 1971 he established a small business which grew from just three employees to over a thousand in 1979 when sold to Michael Ashcroft, now Lord Ashcroft, for whom he worked for a few years as CEO for his multifaceted business interests in the Midlands.

Michael says: “In 1980 I purchased a villa in Spain and my wife, Muriel, got involved in the sale of property in Spain. A considerable amount of travel was necessary, and this prompted us to purchase a travel agency as a support to our business interests. This also allowed the opportunity to feed my active interest in cricket, arranging cricket tours – which I sometimes managed and escorted. I also designed and escorted safari holidays to Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. In successive years I took groups up Kilimanjaro and then Mount Meru. This was all a sideline to business interests in Spain and the French Alps! Despite stepping away from overseas property

fifteen years ago, I have remained active by setting up and running a family business with a portfolio of commercial property which in due course our two daughters will manage.”

Howard Rawlinson (LN 1955-60) remembers the Linacre House play, The Long and the Short and the Tall, in 1960 well. “I played Bamforth, the Terence Stamp role. I had to get the script cleared by Humphrey Osmond (housemaster). He was a little concerned and did many cuts as the language was a little tough! We learnt and performed with the original text and the school loved it. The following morning, I was summoned to Fred’s office. I went straight to see him with some trepidation expecting to be hauled over the coals because of the bad language in the play but he said: “Congratulations on a great production… you must put it on as part of King’s Week later in the year.” Those years at King’s and immediately after were the foundation of my life.”

Julian Harston (WL 1956-60) has recently celebrated his 80th birthday and is living in Belgrade with his wife, Marina. Julian writes: “I have five grandchildren – three in Belgrade and two in Hamburg. I retired as an Assistant Secretary-General in United Nations Peacekeeping after twenty years in the Foreign

Office. In the UN I was Head of Mission in two Peacekeeping Missions (Haiti and Western Sahara) and deputy in one (Bosnia). Since retirement, I’ve spent ten years mentoring, lecturing, and writing. This took me to Africa, Canada, Scandinavia, Germany, France, Latvia, and of course the Balkans. I have many happy memories of King’s, particularly of Fred Shirley and housemaster John Wilson.’’

David Wardrop (LN 1956-61) feels he has at least decorated, if not changed, the face of London. A long-time supporter of the United Nations, he had sought somewhere to name after the UN as in other capital cities but not London, host to its inaugural meeting in 1946. Having targeted the lawn facing Westminster Abbey, the QE2 Centre and Methodist Central Hall, the original venue, negotiations with government led to the naming of United Nations Green on 10 January 2021, the 75th anniversary of the first meeting.

David says: “As I was the one who alerted Google Maps, it assumes I am the ‘owner’, dutifully reporting each month’s virtual visits, 800k in October 2022. My friends now call me Squire, a title I accept with unassuming modesty, so very Linacre.” David was awarded an MBE for his services to the United Nations and its institutions in January 2022.

A website devoted to the career of the late Gareth Thomas (LX 1958-63) is now accessible: gareththomas-actor.com. There is a section on his time at King’s, with photographs, programmes and press cuttings from his scrapbook – especially relating to his performance as Henry IV in King’s Week 1963.

Inspired by the ‘King’s Goes to Moscow’ feature in the Autumn 2022 magazine, James Ensor (LN 1957-62) wrote in to add his own reminiscences of the trip. James writes: “The trip was organised by monitors from various houses who delegated the work to juniors. Linacre’s task was to re-fit the retired East Kent coach, so I wrote to the CEO of Dunlop to beg for coach tyres. Much to my surprise, these duly arrived. The coach performed well – someone wrote our route on the side. Despite this most people took us for Germans. In Poland, an onlooker said “Liebe

Polen?” – “Do you like Poland?” in German. Someone took this to mean Liverpool and shook his head – which led to us being pelted by rocks.

In Moscow and Leningrad people ignored us. Secret police were everywhere but very few tourists. You would be stopped on the train or for crossing the street at the wrong point. But the KGB had been well drilled and flashing a British passport made them retreat, without a word. Although better dressed than local youths, I suspect that we were seen as boys from another Soviet republic. Our clothes were in much demand; I sold a pullover knitted for me by my mother for an exorbitant price.

This memorable trip changed my life. After a Soviet cigarette, I never again smoked. Nor did I get so drunk on Polish vodka. I never returned to Russia but became a life-long fan of Poles – much later working on EU projects in Poland. This trip opened up a world of travel.”

1960s

Photos, clockwise from top-left: Oliver Ford Davies’ memoir; John Campbell and his wife Shellard outside Meister Omers; Julian Harston

In November, John Campbell OBE (MO 196065) delivered a King’s Talk on Richard Haldane – a forgotten figure in British politics. Haldane has long been an inspiration to John, who has recently written a biography recognising his

many achievements. Former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, reviewed the book calling it ‘a labour of love’ where ‘Haldane is rescued from “the condescension of posterity” and his rightful place in history is secured.’

John’s talk was attended by current pupils studying history and politics and a recording of the talk is available on the OKS YouTube.

Adrian Risdon (GL 1962-66) has co-published a series of illustrated articles about the blind poet John Heath-Stubbs OBE in his local newspaper The Southern Daily Echo. The articles describe Adrian first meeting John in 1976 and attending literary parties over the years. Since John’s death in 2006, Adrian has devoted a large portion of his time to promoting John’s poetry. He firmly believed John to be “the best Poet Laureate England never had.”

Jonathan Wheatley (MO 1964-69) played chairman of the Inquiry in Grenfell: System Failure at London’s Tabernacle, Playground and Marylebone theatres in March. Based entirely on the words of those involved in the final phase of the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry, this play interrogates why the testing regime failed to warn of danger, why government regulations ignored the dangers and politicians’ lack of oversight. The play, by Richard Norton-Taylor (WL 1957-63), is their tenth collaboration in a run of ‘tribunal’ plays edited by Richard.

Robert Raffety (SH 1966-71) writes: “I retired in 2021 from working in private practice, latterly at JLL, where Andrew Hynard (LX 1973-76) was UK Chairman. Before that I was a founder shareholder and chairman of a company which proposed to remove UK / Continental HGVs off the UK motorways and onto rail, thus extending the benefits of Eurotunnel. The project had the support of Kent County Council and the North of UK but failed to attract adequate support in Parliament. In its early days, we benefited from advice from the late Robert Horton (LN 1952-57)

As a member of the Company of Pikemen and Musketeers, I paraded for the recent Proclamation in the City of London which the Lord Mayor, Nicholas Lyons (LN/BR 1972-77),

attended as Sheriff. Hopefully we may have a role as his escort at the Coronation. As a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers I am continuing a connection with the City of London. Recently, I have been in touch with my wife’s cousin, Robert Gibbs (GL 1980-84).”

Michael de Styrcea (WL 1967-72) has generously given the School two nineteenth century pictures. The first, billed as ‘circle of David Cox (1783-1859)’ is a view of the Cathedral, from Harbledown, with a characterful rural scene in the foreground. The second, illustrated here, is of the Almonry building, home of the School from the 1560s to the 1860s. It is by James Bourne (1773-1854) and is very similar to the familiar etching ‘from a Drawing by F.W. L. Stockdale after a Sketch by W. Woolnoth’.

Alan Holford-Walker (LX 1967-72) writes: “Eight years ago I found wonderful military bullion embroiderers in India. Many fantastic projects later they have just completed the first KSC crest. Hand embroidery at this level is a dying art –

Photos, clockwise from top-left: Robert Raffety, Nicholas Lyons and Felicity Lyons; James Bourne’s illustration of the Almonry building; Stephen Barlow and Joanna Lumley’s podcast

literally: Covid was unkind. With our help we can support the craftsmen and their families. Help the progression of a stunning art form, one that provided Her Majesty’s Body Guard with two gifts for our late Queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee. An informal Welfare Fund will provide support to families whose breadwinner cannot earn.” For more information, please contact Alan via the OKS Office.

In January 2023, Stephen Barlow (GR 1968-72) and his wife, Joanna Lumley, released a new podcast called ‘Joanna & The Maestro’. The pair welcome listeners into their home for a personal, fascinating and funny journey into their shared love of classical music. The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms.

In April 2022, Luke Randall (SH 196971) retired from the scientific civil service, having worked as a microbiologist for nearly 50 years

in different roles. Amongst other things, in early retirement Luke is volunteering as a hospital visitor and is soon to start a chaplaincy course.

1970s

On a bitterly cold day in December, warmed by hot mulled wine and nibbles, Graham Garbis (LN/MR 1972-76), Guy Allan (LN 1972-77) and Mark van Blommestein (LN 1973-76) celebrated 50 years of continuous friendship since meeting at King’s.

The day of celebration began at the top of the St. Augustine’s Tower (kindly arranged by Susan Tingle), followed by a riverside lunch in Canterbury, a walk around the school, tea and concluding with attendance at a drinks reception and the excellent performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Malthouse Theatre.

All now retired, the trio became chartered surveyors and Guy and Mark married sisters, Graham acting as Best Man to Mark. They attribute their long friendship and special bond to a love of real ale, cars and motorcycles, property in all its guises and a shared, dry, sense of humour!

In October, taking advantage of Yakesun Wing’s (SH/TR 1972-77) visit from California, Andy Tracy, Francis Reid, Mike Nicholas (all SH 1972-77) and Yak met in London for a casual lunch. Yak had just returned from a brief trip to France with Sarah Gurr (née Smith, SH 1974-76) and the next day met up with Sally-Ann Edlin (née Ardouin, SH 1975-77) in Canterbury.

Adam Wakeley (SH 1978-83) sends this update: “I started my business (The Ethical Fruit Company) 20 years ago. If you ever buy organic fruit from any of the main supermarkets or box schemes, then it’s likely it was either imported or grown by us. My business thrived and depended on a wonderful migrant work force, so when

we foolishly voted in Brexit, I decided to sell up which I did a couple of years ago. I now spend my time as a non-exec helping start-ups as well as racing and riding off-road motorbikes around the world. I spend most of my time living in Stratford-upon-Avon and Spain.”

1980s

Andrew Harding (GR 1980-85) has been reporting for BBC News in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. He has been visiting members of a frontline Ukrainian tank unit engaging Russian forces near the contested towns of Bakhmut and Soledar. Andrew is normally based in Johannesburg and is the BBC Africa Correspondent.

Richard Hooper (Common Room 1980-2008) is now in his 51st year of classroom teaching. He is currently teaching in Somerset.

Nicolas Papachristidis (SH 1981-86) shares this anecdote: “I was travelling back to the US and

Photos, clockwise from top-left: Graham Garbis, Guy Allan and Mark van Blommestein; Andy Tracy, Yakesun Wing, Francis Reid and Mike Nicholas; Jessica Barnes’ latest book; Andy Ruffell’s debut novel

was held up in security at Heathrow T3, only for a man to interrupt my body search and ask me if I was Nicolas Papa. I said, “Oh my goodness, Omar Madha (SH 1981-86) as he lives and breathes!” It had been some 35-odd years since we had last laid eyes on each other and yet we both recognised each other instantly. We bounded up together into the lounge and spent the most wonderful couple of hours catching up over several glasses of wine. Nothing seemed to have changed but everything had in reality. He’s a sought-after film director in Hollywood and seemed to be up to his eyeballs in Netflix projects. He was interested in my transition from a shipbroker of 30 years into a wilderness-trained medic and volunteer. My wife Allison and I are working on a project for youth leadership and climate change which is beginning to take shape with a focus on children’s outreach and sustainability. “Now is the time to give back”, I said to him, and he agreed. A most serendipitous of meetings in the grind of intercontinental travel.”

Andy Ruffell (BR 1988-93) sends this update: “After winning the Hachette Children’s Novel Award in 2021, my first book, Lily Grim and the City of Undone, will be published on May 11th. It’s a dark, gothic mystery adventure set in a city that almost certainly takes some of its DNA from the narrower streets of Canterbury like Mercery Lane. That said, Undone is a much less pretty and significantly more dangerous city than Canterbury!”

1990s

Corvin Roman (SH 1990-93) sends this update: “After leaving King’s to go to school in Paris, I then studied Hispanic and Business at University of London. I went on to work for two global insurance brokers before setting up and managing my own Lloyds insurance brokership with focus on financial lines in emerging markets. I am married to a former Colombian colleague and we have two children and live in London. I am still practising ceramics skills picked up in Canterbury.”

Richard Peat (MO 1992-97) has sent us a copy of Faces in the Mist – a CD of his choral music performed by the Chapel Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge and the Girl Choristers of Ely Cathedral, directed by Sarah MacDonald. It includes ‘Sanctorum Cantuarienses’ (2018), a reimagination of two pieces commissioned by the School in 1997 (Paul Pollak’s adaptation from Bede) and 2009 (celebrating Anselm), alongside a third, ‘Turbulent Priest’, relating to the murder of Becket. Richard says: “My love of choral music undoubtedly stems from singing regular services in the cathedral while a pupil, and the musical opportunities offered by the school had a profound and lasting impact.”

Jessica Barnes (JR 199496) is an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina. In September 2022 she published Staple Security: Bread and Wheat in Egypt. Egyptians often say that bread is life and many rely on cheap bread subsidised by the government. With rich ethnographic detail, the book explores the world of cultivating wheat, trading grain and baking, buying and eating bread. The book is available on the Duke University Press website.

Ben Browning (MT 1994-96) is the Executive Producer of Harry & Meghan – the controversial Netflix documentary about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s courtship and exit from royal life.

Ed Vainker OBE (MR 1994-99) has been invited to meet with Kate, Princess of Wales, at Windsor Castle. Kate launched the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021 which raises awareness of the impact of the early years of childhood. Along with seven other experts in early childhood development, Ed will provide strategic advice and oversight to Kate’s foundation’s work.

2000s

Eleanor Hoppe (JR 2005-09) married Matthew Armes at Somerley House in the New Forest on 11 June 2022. Isobel Hoppe (JR 2009-12) was Chief Bridesmaid and Thomas Hoppe (WL 1972-77), Father of the Bride. OKS guests included Victoria Elliott (BR 2004-09), Emmy Clode (HH 200409) and Charlotte Colvin (LX 2004-09).

Lizzie Purvis (BY 2005-07) sends this update: “Since graduating from Newcastle University in 2010, I have been working in the education sector, first at a primary school in Chelsea, London, then, following my PGCE at the IoE UCL, working in secondary education as an English teacher. I have recently been appointed Head of English for September 2023 at Christ’s Hospital in West Sussex, where I have been working as a teacher since January 2016 and more recently also as an Assistant Houseparent in one of the boys’ boarding houses since September 2018.”

Left: Eleanor, Isobel and Thomas Hoppe

Right: Sarah Brown

Viral sea shanty supergroup, The Wellermen, released their first album in February 2023. Jonny Stewart (GL 2005-10) is one of four members and sings bass. The group celebrated 11.3 million streams on Spotify in 2022.

Following earlier tips from the likes of BBC 6 Music, Line of Best Fit, Notion and Radio 1/1Xtra, London-based artist Pollena aka Sarah Brown (BR 2007-09) returns with her debut EP Rising. Rising reveals a fresh and rejuvenated sound for Pollena that melds together elements of neosoul, house and RnB.

Alexandra Pye Leonard (BR 2007-12) has completed her PhD in Geology from Arizona State University in the USA. Alexandra’s dissertation focused on the evolution of the Himalaya in the Annapurna region of central Nepal over the last 23 million years. She is now studying the temporal distribution of impact events on the Moon as a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at ASU and married Joel Leonard in Arizona on 28 January 2023.

Edward Kendall (TR 2008-11) is the co-founder of a tutoring agency called Curro Tutors. The inspiration was Tolkien’s mentor and tutor, affectionately known as Uncle Curro, who was able to unlock the future writer’s potential so that he could be the celebrated writer he is today. Curro Tutors aim to provide the same tutoring and mentorship to their students so that they can also fulfil their potential. Visit: currotutors.com

2010s

Tommie Trelawny-Vernon (LN 2011-16) is a journalist, YouTuber and documentary maker. In November 2022, Tommie released his debut investigative podcast The Interruption. The podcast is about an incident in 1977 when a mysterious voice broke onto television sets across the South of England. The speaker introduced themself as “Vrillon of the Ashtar Galactic Command” and had control of the airwaves for six minutes. In the podcast, Tommie reveals to the world the hoaxer who was behind it.

Tommie says: “A big theme in this podcast is religion – particularly New Age spirituality. This interest in theology began in those sixth-form classes with my RS teacher Alanna Fraser (LX/ MT 1991-96). The work I currently do involves making religious studies accessible to a wider audience, particularly on my YouTube Channel, hochelaga, which is getting close to one million subscribers. It’s a nice thought that all this began with one really good teacher.” You can listen to The Interruption on Apple.

A portrait of Millie Knight (MR 2012-17) by Dene Leigh was commissioned by The Beaney, Canterbury’s Museum and Art Gallery, as part of their ‘Mirror, Mirror’ exhibition mounted in conjunction with the National Portrait Gallery. She was one of three “publicly nominated local heroes” chosen to “reflect on the gaps, omissions and forgotten histories in Canterbury’s historic collection”. OKS figured prominently in the show, from William Harvey to Michael Morpurgo and from John Tradescant the younger to Mark Deller, as well as others with KSC connections.

Left: Alexandra Pye Leonard and husband Joel Right: Tommie Trelawny-Vernon and his podcast producer

Oscar

Baker:

Translator from the Swedish

Oscar baker entered King’s in February 1834. He was a King’s Scholar and evidently a clever boy, wining prizes in each year – for classics in 1834 and 1835, for mathematics in 1836 and 1838, and a form prize in 1837. He also performed at Speeches, from Seneca’s Medea in 1837 and from the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodus in 1838.

Oscar’s father was Sir Thomas Baker (1771-1845), a career naval officer whose family came from Walmer, and his grandfather was John Baker, who had been at King’s from 1757 to 1763. A midshipman at the age of eight Thomas later served at Copenhagen and in the Trafalgar campaign and eventually retired as a Knight Commander of the Bath and a Vice Admiral. He married Sofia Augusta, daughter of the Swedish Count Erik Ruuth. Oscar, their youngest son, was born in Paris in 1822 (according to the School entry book) or 1823 (according to the parish register) and baptised at Walmer in 1825.

Oscar left school in September 1838 – “went to Sweden” noted the entry book – and when still a

teenager he published two books of translations from Esaias Tegnér (1782-1846), a professor and bishop as well as a poet. Axel, and Svea appeared in 1840. Axel, set in the time of Charles XII, was printed with the Swedish opposite Baker’s version, which was not exactly line for line and did not always replicate the rhyme scheme. There were occasional footnotes, mainly explaining the names. Svea, a short piece, was just a verse translation.

The Saga of Frithiof in 1841 was perhaps the best known of all Swedish works and this was not the first English version. Baker provided a long introduction, largely quoting from Samuel Laing’s recently published Journal of a Residence in Norway. He also added often very full notes after most of the 24 cantos.

Family difficulties dogged Oscar’s early years. His parents separated. His eldest brother Eric was sentenced to imprisonment in 1834 after running up huge debts through his gambling and extravagant lifestyle – a case fully reported

in the press. By 1844 his father was in an asylum undergoing widely publicised treatment for insanity and he died in 1845.

Under the will Oscar inherited a share in the family property in Walmer with his brother Horace, but Horace, who was a naval officer, died in 1848. Oscar may well have been back in England at this time as his History of the Antiquities of Sandwich and Richborough in Kent appeared in 1848. The author claimed “no merit beyond condensation from previous authorities”, in particular the 1788/92 Collections for an History of Sandwich in Kent of William Boys (a King’s School parent), but the book was enlivened by Oscar’s own illustrations.

Thereafter Oscar disappears almost entirely from the record. It would seem that he returned

Above: decorated initial S (for Sandwich) in Baker’s History of the Antiquities of Sandwich.

to Sweden. His mother lived on until 1871 and his sister Elisabet Augusta, who had married her cousin Count Carl Erik Piper in 1836 when she was just fifteen, was a court official and ended up as senior lady-in-waiting to Queen Sophia in 1872.

There are only occasional references to Oscar in the British press. In 1860 he reported from Dalby, near Malmö, to The Field on ‘Migratory birds in Sweden’ with details of the arrival of birds of passage for 1850 to 1859 and for 1860. He was also listed as a member of Naval Courts of Enquiry at Stockholm in the 1870s. He died at Dalby in 1877.

Ian Osborn

(MO 1943-48)

Ian Michael Osborn died on 17 October 2022, aged 93. His son, Nigel (MO 1972-74), sent this tribute.

Ian michael osborn was born on 15 August 1929 in Wembley, England. He was a member of Meister Omers (as later was his brother Richard), initially in Cornwall during WWII. Ian represented King’s as Captain of Boxing, as a wing forward in the 1st XV rugby, at tennis, at cricket and in the Choir. He was a School Monitor and in the Army Cadet Corps.

After leaving King’s, Ian briefly worked as a farmer in Kent, before emigrating to Kenya in 1952 to continue farming. In 1957 he met (Valerie) Jane Atkinson and the two married in 1958. Ian later joined the Kenya Regiment and fought in the Mau Mau uprising. After the war and after winning his battle with polio he was promoted through the ranks to become the managing director of Burroughs Wellcome in East Africa until 1973, when he and his family returned to England.

Ian then returned to school to earn his MBA,

after which he worked as a freelance lecturer in International Marketing & Finance for a number of blue-chip companies and educational establishments including BP, London School of Economics, Hatfield Polytechnic and Ashridge Management College before retiring in 1992. He lived a long, active and fruitful life and had many attributes. He could perfectly hum along to any melody, would always ‘choose to be happy’ and he was nationally ranked at Bridge.

Ian passed away peacefully in his sleep while humming along to Al Jolson. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Jane, and their three children Nigel, Patrick and Alison as well as eight grandchildren: Rees, Erin, Sophie, Erika, Alec, Kieren, Elise and Chloe. We all miss this incredible man.

In the words of Al Jolson from the song When I leave this World Behind, “I leave a precious will when I must say goodbye – I leave the sunshine to the flowers, I leave the springtime to the trees, and to the old folks, I leave the memories of a baby on their knees. I leave the nighttime to the dreamers, I leave the songbirds to the blind, I leave the moon to those in love … when I leave the world behind.”

Tony Towell

(WL 1945-48)

Anthony Philip Towell MC died on 14 January 2033 aged 91.

Tony towell was the son of a Canterbury hairdresser. He was a Cathedral chorister before joining King’s in May 1945 when the School was still in Cornwall. He played some hockey and rugby and was a corporal in the JTC.

Leaving school at 17, he joined the Army as a private and then went to Sandhurst. Commissioned into the Royal Norfolk Regiment, he was sent to Korea in 1951. There he was in charge of a fighting patrol in May 1952. The leading section suffered severe casualties, and he made several attempts to recover casualties and especially to find Lieutenant Wormald, the section’s officer. For his “great leadership and the highest standards of courage, endurance and initiative” he was awarded the Military Cross.

He left the Army in 1957 and joined Shell. He was posted to Hong Kong, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia and the United States. On leaving Shell he continued to work in the oil and gas industry. He eventually moved to New York, Florida and finally London.

There was an obituary in the Daily Telegraph of 2 February and his detailed reminiscences about schooldays and army life can be heard on the Imperial War Museum website as part of their oral history collection.

Peter Blackburn

(WL 1946-52)

Peter Coupe Blackburn died peacefully on 13 July 2022, aged 88. His family sent this tribute.

Peter was a member of Walpole House and was known for his strong sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship. He was

Left: Ian Osborn in the King’s 1947 boxing team (Ian is centre, front row, with the boxing gloves)

Below: Peter Blackburn

a member of the school’s hockey, cricket and boxing teams, earning his colours for an outstanding performance in a bout against Tonbridge. He also displayed a talent for the dramatic arts, receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of Gertrude in the school’s production of Hamlet. King’s meant a great deal to Peter, who loved his school with a passion, and it was a touchstone that he revisited throughout his long life.

After leaving King’s, Peter went on to have a successful career in the City of London, working in Marine Insurance. He was also active in local Conservative politics, which led, in the mid-1970s, to him starting a second career as a political agent, initially in Essex, then in Wiltshire, relocating there in the early 1980s. His next adventure was as a recruiter for the Federation of Small Businesses for many years. He believed passionately in what it stood for, and the role was perfectly suited to him.

Peter remained an enthusiastic cricketer and hockey player. He also held various leadership roles, serving as President of Wiltshire Hockey and Chair of the disciplinary committee. His passion for local transport led him to become involved with various groups, such as Melksham Transport Users Group. He was made honorary life president when his health caused him to step down.

Peter will be remembered as a kind, generous, and deeply loyal OKS, an optimist who always had a warm smile and a good word for everyone he met. His fun-loving, positive nature and public-spirited voluntary contributions to political, social and community interests will be greatly missed.

He married Margaret in 1958; sadly she passed away recently. He will be greatly missed by his sons, grandchildren, and the entire OKS community. May he rest in peace.

Donald Taylor

(GR 1947-52)

Donald Hedley Taylor died on 1 January 2023. His daughter Jen Taylor Friedman sent this tribute.

My father joined the King’s School from Slough Grammar School in 1947. He hated games, but enjoyed the signals section of the CCF, which led to the construction of a two-way radio set in his Grange study with a short-wave aerial. National Service was in the Army 195355, in the REME, working on radar. The skills he learned there – plumbing and electrical, amongst others – served him well for decades afterward. He ever after expressed subversive glee in having taken a practical route and avoided officership.

He went up to Queen’s College Oxford in 1955, initially to read Physics but then changing to Physiology and Psychology. He became a psychologist – first working in road research, testing questions like ‘do transverse lines on the road alter drivers’ perceptions of their speed?’ (Yes, they do, that’s why we now have them.) He then went into private practice and did a lot of work in maritime disasters (both counselling

survivors, and in situation analysis to prevent future accidents).

He developed a love of singing and performed parlour songs into the last months of his life. He passed away after a losing battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Julie and ex-wife Jill, and his five children.

Jeremy Davies

(GR/LN 1948-54)

Father Jeremy Ponsonby Meredyth Davies died on 5 November 2022 aged 87.

Jeremy davies started in The Grange and after a term as a monitor in Lardergate waiting house he joined the new Linacre House in 1953. He was a house monitor and full back in the 1st XV.

He went to St Edmund Hall, Oxford to study English. On graduating in 1957 he initially worked in an advertising agency and as an air steward, before going to St Bartholomew’s Hospital in 1961, qualifying in 1967. He spent time in mission stations in Africa, then as a house surgeon at Redhill.

Meanwhile he had converted to Roman Catholicism in 1966 and decided to become a priest. He was a seminarian at the Pontifical Beda College, Rome (1970-74) and was ordained. He was one of the team of chaplains at Westminster Cathedral (1974-76) and then assistant priest at St Mary’s, Cadogan Street, Chelsea (1976-79) and at St James’s, Spanish Place (1979-97). He was parish priest at Puckeridge and Old Hall Green, Hertfordshire (1997-2005).

In 1987 he was appointed Exorcist of the Archdiocese of Westminster by Cardinal Hume and later helped found the International Association of Exorcists. He was also actively involved in the Pro-Life Movement. Forthright and compassionate, he travelled around the country and the world to speak and to comfort.

Left: Donald Taylor

Right: Wyndham Freyer

Wyndham Freyer

(LX 1948-53)

Charles Wyndham Freyer died on 10 February 2016, aged 82. His daughter, Caroline Johnson, sent this tribute.

Wyndham was a King’s Scholar and became a school monitor and a sergeant in the CCF. He put in regular appearances in house plays and penny readings and was Old Gobbo in The Merchant of Venice. “Clever and versatile” said Canon Shirley in his leaver’s notes and Wyndham left with an open scholarship to Lincoln College, Oxford, which he took up in 1956 after serving in the Royal Engineers in Suez and Cyprus.

While reading Modern History at Oxford, he met his wife, Suzanne, who was visiting England from Brazil. They married in India in 1960, after Wyndham had joined J.L. Morison Son & Jones, a Guinness subsidiary, and they lived in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Pakistan before settling in Hampshire to raise their two children. In 1977, Wyndham joined Guinness Retail, becoming managing director of Guinness Overseas in 1979 and proving typically modest when they won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise (International Trade). In 1984, Wyndham became CEO of Malawi’s Press Corporation for ten years until his retirement.

Thereafter, he and Susi enjoyed living in London and the Cotswolds, loved spending time with their children and six grandchildren, and he remained a great reader and raconteur, with a love for the works of P.G. Wodehouse, cricket and rugby. Wyndham is enormously missed by his family and many friends for his wisdom and humour, his calmness and sense of fairness, and his great generosity and enjoyment of life.

Colonel John Hamilton (GR 1951-54)

Anthony John Hamilton died on 11 March 2019, aged 81. With thanks to Robert Raffety (SH 196671) who alerted us to the tribute in the Journal of the Honorable Artillery Company, from which we print extracts.

John was a doctor and consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist as well as a full Colonel in the RAMC. He was an Officer of the Order of St. John and President of the Highbury St. John’s Ambulance Service. John was educated at The King’s School, Canterbury where he joined the CCF, becoming a corporal. He went on to do his National Service in the RAF, serving as an Air Wireless Fitter from 1955 to 1957. He trained as a doctor at St George’s Hospital, London. From 1957 to 1961 he was part of the Army Emergency Reserve before joining the Honorable Artillery Company.

In 1973 he was posted as Captain in the RAMC, serving in 211 and 219 RAMC (V) Field Hospitals. He then moved to 257 General Hospital RAMC (V) as a Lieutenant Colonel before being promoted to full Colonel and Commanding Officer in 1993. With the RAMC he did nearly 30 camps, many with BAOR in Germany but others in Denmark, Hong Kong and Belize and, after he had retired from the NHS, full time reserve service tours in Bosnia and Cyprus.

In addition to his medical career and reserve military cadet service, John indulged in exotic foreign travel with his great friend and fellow doctor, anaesthetist Rakesh Gupta, with whom he planned to visit every country in the world but, sadly, only made it to 128 of them. The legacy? A battered suitcase plastered with labels, evidence he lived life to the full.

His funeral at St Christopher’s Church, Luton, was attended by many HAC, RAMC, City Volunteer Officers Club members and medical friends. The Company of Pikemen and Musketeers provided a bearer party, drumbeater, bugler and organist for his service. This showed the affection in which he was held.

Roger Browne

(GR 1953-59)

Roger Browne died on 22 December 2022, aged 82. His daughter sent this tribute.

Roger was born in Leicester on the 18 May in 1940. He boarded at King’s and went on to Trinity College Dublin to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He initially worked for his father’s medical instrument business in Leicester before embarking on a career in the NHS which took him to Kent, Surrey and eventually Bath. He retired from his final post at Bath University in 2005, afterwards enjoying retirement by dividing his time between the family homes in Bath and Devon.

My father had many hobbies and interests, from rowing, horse riding, nature, languages, and photography. Many of these were fostered at King’s and continued throughout his life. The most notable one of all was his love of music. It was at King’s that he first learned to play the trumpet, earning himself, I’m told, the nickname ‘Gaby’ – a reference to the angel Gabriel. He and

Jazz fifties style: left to right Christopher Bayston, David Farrant, Roger Browne and Steve Docksey

a few friends started a jazz society, which still runs at the school today. One of my earliest memories is the sound of his trumpet around the house. Until mobility issues in later life and increasing dementia prevented him, my dad was a member of several bands, playing throughout the West Country and beyond, often several times a week. He never learnt to read music and only ever played by ear, playing any genre perfectly with barely a rehearsal.

You couldn’t rely on him for mundane practical tasks. He struggled with the basics of the coffee machine, yet he could recall lines of Shakespeare and the most obscure historical facts and dates. He became a committed Christian in later life and when he retired, he taught himself Hebrew so he could read the Old Testament in its original language. He was also a fantastic craftsman, making pieces of furniture from wood – all to his own unique design. He had an eye for colour and design, taking beautiful photographs, many of which are displayed in the house. As an avid gardener, he would carefully curate the front and back of the house with an array of flora and fauna every year, only giving up his large vegetable patch when mobility problems and the local deer won against him.

His absence is felt strongly: his music, his flowers and the sound of his voice saying cheerily ‘There’s tea in the pot’. However, in the end Dad was ready to go. The last time he played trumpet was with a friend at home, exactly a year to his death. We will all miss his gentle presence greatly, but I’m reminded that ultimately, as a great poet once wrote, ‘What will survive of us is love.’

He leaves behind his wife of 55 years, Margaret, three children and four grandchildren.

John Stuart Lowings

(SH 1957-62)

John Stuart Lowings died suddenly in the summer of 2022, aged 78. His widow has sent this obituary. John was a member of the Legacy Club and we are grateful for his support.

John’s funeral fell on the hottest day in our history, but St Mary’s, Great Chart, was packed. People came to pay tribute to the much-loved English gentleman. Distinguished, kind, devoted to the community, tower of strength for many, with a childlike interest in life and a sense of beauty of nature. His grave overlooks the North Downs, denoting John’s intimate connection with East Kent in life and death: he died when watching an online service from Canterbury Cathedral.

John spent the first year of his life in Hitchin where his parents went to escape the Blitz. After the war, they settled in Broadstairs where he enjoyed cycling, shrimping and coastal walks. A solicitor’s son, John was the first in his family to go to a public school and university.

At school he was known for his cheery smile, being serious and studious, interested equally in history, maths and languages and good with his hands. Book binding and carpentry workshops were among his fondest school memories. A little shelf he skillfully made then is still in our kitchen, home to Ordnance Survey maps. John affectionately reminisced about school outings and being taken to the roof of the Cathedral to admire the breathtaking views. He never saw being ‘naughty’ as a sign of a free spirit, and quiet as boring; he preferred to steer clear of mischief. He chose law for his career path, fascinated by logic and order, not just to follow in his father’s footsteps. John surprised his masters when at 16, encouraged by an Oxford don, a family friend, he prepared for an early university entrance on his own in the Library and won a full scholarship to Trinity, Oxford.

After five years in London at Lawrence Graham, first as their articled clerk, John joined Hallett’s & Co in Ashford, Kent, where he eventually became

Partner and stayed for the rest of his professional life. He prided himself on being a prolific ‘GP’ solicitor, popular with local clients from all walks of life, charming, efficient, diligent, and an error-free professional. No job was too big or too small for him: he was equally keen to make wills, wind up estates, and supervise conveyancing of a varying complexity, from bedsits to enormous plots for the Channel Tunnel.

John helped local communities, in Smarden as St Michael’s Warden, and in Smarden Parish Council, a member for twenty years and Chairman for fifteen. A qualified NHS health walk leader, John met his wife, an academic, in a walking group. In 2012, he became Lay Reader and Preacher in Smarden and Biddenden benefice, his sermons and talks are still remembered. In Great Chart, John supported the Janus Project in aid of St Mary’s Church.

He collected atlases, East Kent books and maps, loved classical music, gardening and walking, particularly long-distance walking holidays at home and abroad.

Later in life John completed Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biblical Studies at King’s College, London. He was planning to embark on a PhD project and was enthusiastically working on his proposal.

Andrew Polmear (MR 1958-63)

Dr Andrew Fraser Polmear died on 20 September 2022, aged 77. His wife Margaret sent this tribute.

Born in aylesbury to Nicholas, later Director of Education for Canterbury, and Margaret (née Dick), Andrew grew up in Whitstable and was a Chorister and subsequently Senior Chorister at Canterbury Cathedral before being awarded a music scholarship to The King’s School. In 1963 he was awarded a Parker scholarship to read History at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge but, while there, asked to

switch to the Medical Tripos despite having no science A levels. The College agreed on condition Andrew went down for a year and obtained A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. This he did at Canterbury Technical College. He qualified in 1971 and went on to have a distinguished medical career both as practitioner and teacher.

After junior jobs at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Southampton General Hospital, St James’, Balham and St George’s, London, where he had done his medical training, he spent three years 1974-77 in Hong Kong helping to set up the Medical Department in the newly built United Christian Hospital in what was then the refugee area of Kwun Tong.

On his return to the UK, he qualified as a GP and practised in Hove for almost 20 years before moving to the University of Sussex to set up the Academic Unit of Primary Care, one of the building blocks of the Brighton and Sussex Medical School. For this work, and unusually for a GP, he was awarded the FRCP but lost the right to use the title when he refused to continue to pay the annual fee! He remained at Sussex until his retirement. He was co-author with Alex Khot, one of his former GP trainees, of six editions of the highly acclaimed Practical General Practice and wrote a second book Evidence-Based Diagnosis in Primary Care: Practical Solutions to Common Problems which was First Prize Winner, Primary Care Category in the BMA Book Awards 2009.

Beyond medicine, Andrew, who never lost his love of music, or history for that matter, was an accomplished cellist and played in a string quartet and piano trio until just weeks before he died of metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma. He was involved in the setting up of Strings

Attached, the Brighton and Hove chamber music society, and wrote about both music and wine for local publications.

He was an energetic walker who loved the South Downs, an avid traveller and keen gardener, especially in the Languedoc where he and his wife of more than fifty years had a home for over thirty. They had no children.

Andrew is survived by his wife Margaret, his older brother Jeremy (MR 1957-62), and younger sister Caroline.

David Darroch

(MR 1963-68)

David Gordon Darroch died on 22 June 2022, aged 72. His family sent this tribute.

David was born in Australia and started his schooldays at Milner Court in 1957. The school was very conveniently situated for him as it was almost opposite his parents’ house, Bridge House in the village of Sturry. At that time his Australian father, Lieut. Commander David Gordon Darroch, was serving in the Royal Navy and in post in Malta. He was very keen for his son to follow in his footsteps as he had himself attended King’s School Parramatta, Sydney.

He was not a very academic pupil but through sports and drama contributed much to the school life. He remembered having many friends and the highlight of his time was when Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother came in June 1957 to open the new assembly Hall and in the line-up of the junior boys, he was the first she talked to. David joined the senior school in the summer of 1963 where he developed his love for sport and notably cricket and rugby. In the sixth form he became School Monitor and Head of Marlowe House.

He left education and invested a lot of time in playing cricket and rugby at St Lawrence and Highland Court Cricket Club and at Canterbury Rugby Club. In 1975 he had his best and record

Left: Andrew Polmear

bowling performance for the Kent League (9-38), still standing today. He made deep and long lasting friendships at school, on the cricket pitch and rugby ground.

Eventually he had to move to London and start taking life seriously. He got a job as a shipbroker in the City and became a member of the Baltic Exchange. The challenge of work and a growing family meant that he could not do his weekly trip to St Lawrence and he decided to join his local cricket club, Bickley Park. First he played and then became very supportive of his sons who were playing there as well. He was President of the Club in 1999-2001. He very much enjoyed his yearly games at Lord’s or rugby matches at Twickenham with his dear friends and sons.

David was a Kent man with old-fashioned values and a great sense of humour, and once he retired he went back to where he had spent his childhood. It is a testament to his popularity that so many friends attended his wake at St. Lawrence Cricket Club.

Neil Scott (Common Room 1963-69)

Neil Scott died on 12 October 2022, aged 94. His family sent this tribute.

Born in bolton in 1928, Neil spent an active youth sailing, rowing, fishing and hiking around the Isle of Man. He attended King William’s College on the island, then was conscripted into the Royal Air Force. Always a man of wry, understated humour, asked what he did in the RAF, his reply was “played six-a-side hockey in the hangars”.

Following the RAF, Neil attended Keble College at Oxford University from 1950 to 1953 where he studied chemistry and won numerous rowing cups for Keble. He then taught chemistry and coached rowing at The King’s School, Canterbury from 1953 to 1969. At King’s Neil met and married his wife, Jill. Seeking new adventures, Neil moved with his young family

Above left: David Darroch

Above right: Neil Scott

to Quebec in 1969 to teach at Stanstead. A year later, he was recruited by the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut, to teach chemistry. While at Hotchkiss Neil also started the sailing programme, and later coached girls’ varsity field hockey, both teams winning championships in short order.

Neil arranged a year-long teaching exchange in New Zealand in 1986, where he and Jill enjoyed camping, playing golf, and travelling around the islands as much as the teaching. He retired from Hotchkiss in 1993 and happily spent more time based in Lakeville, but out on the water whenever possible with his wife, children and grandchildren.

Neil was a long-time volunteer for Reading for the Blind and used his science expertise while on the Salisbury Town Sewer Commission. As a 50year member, Neil firmly believed in the mission of the Rotary Club, to provide service to others. His special interest was serving on Rotary’s Scholarship Committee, following his lifelong love of working with students.

Neil is survived by his wife Jill, son David (Kari MacKay), daughter Carol (MR/GL 1977-78), grandchildren Harry, Alex, Philip and Spencer, and his brother Ian. He is predeceased by his daughter Kathryn and brother Geoff. We all miss him greatly.

Richard Yonge

(WL 1970-75)

Richard Paul Yonge died on 10 August 2021 at the age of 64.

Richard joined king’s from Carn Brea School, Bromley. He played a very full part in the life of the School. A Music Scholar, he sang, played viola in the Orchestra, and the ‘early’ works of Richard Yonge featured in a lunchtime concert. He was stroke of the 1st VIII in 1974 and 1975. He also acted and appeared as the Carpenter alongside James Macbain’s Walrus in a performance of Alice. “Many talents and

some sophistication” said Peter Newell in his leaver’s note.

He initially went to University College, London to study Medicine and then to Oxford Polytechnic (later Oxford Brookes University), earning a BSc in Human Biology. His thesis on ‘Some factors affecting respiration in man – the entrainment of breathing during rhythmic exercise’ drew on his rowing experience.

He then moved down the hill to Oxford University for a DPhil on exercise physiology. He won three Blues in Boat Race winning crews (1981, 1982 and 1983), won the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley with an Oxford and Thames Tradesmen crew in 1981, and was President of the OUBC in 1983.

He also found time to play the viola in the University Orchestra. From 1983 to 1987 he was a research physiologist based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, investigating the biochemistry and physiology of muscle contraction in patients with heart disease, kidney disease and other degenerative disorders, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

He moved into consultancy, initially in London and then in Boston, Massachusetts, before settling in San Francisco with his own firm, Yonge and Associates, in 1992. This involved, among other things, helping business executives improve their communication skills, as well as dealing with the effects of sedentary lifestyles on degenerative diseases and the management of long-term health. His own experiences as an athlete and latterly as a brain tumour survivor (he called it ‘George’) were put to good use.

He was an enthusiastic member of the Bohemian Club (‘companions in artistic fellowship’) and actively involved in its poetry and play readings and its orchestra. From 2015 he was also a research physiologist at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.

His last illness was difficult. A series of seizures required brain surgery in 2020 and a postoperative stroke left him weak on one side. He died, just 64, in 2021, leaving a widow, Nancy.

James Burnett

(WL 1978-83)

James Daniel Julius Burnett died on 19 December 2022, aged 58. His friend Patrick Booth-Clibborn (SH 1979-83) sent this tribute.

James joined king’s in 1978. He was a Walpole man and I met him when I joined a term later. He was a good friend straight away, with curly hair, a huge smile and an enormous sense of fun. Unusually for a King’s boy, his family lived in North Yorkshire and that was where his heart truly belonged. Jamie was a wonderful piper and I will never forget his lament on Remembrance Sunday. Astute and academic, he was always up for a dare and a challenge and to this day is remembered for having climbed to the top of Bell Harry on the outside (the hard way) in the early hours of Commemoration Day.

However, he soon decided to become lawabiding, studying Italian at London University

followed by a conversion course at Birmingham to qualify as a solicitor. At Birmingham, in 1990 he met Shaheen, the love of his life. After a short spell working first in London, then in Northampton, they returned to the family home in Yorkshire where he greatly enjoyed the outdoor life, walking with his enormous Irish wolfhound and riding with the local hunt. He retired from being a solicitor in March 2021 and took up working at home with the horses and on his farm, which he loved. He had a particular passion for wildflowers and wilding. Jamie was a family man through and through, being greatly loved and adored by his truly charming parents, who lived nearby, and his wonderful sister, Henny.

James died suddenly whilst out walking his dogs. He was married to Shaheen for 29 years and they had two children, Isobel and Daniel. He was immensely proud of his beautiful wife and children and thrived in his role as husband and father. A true gentleman who will be greatly missed.

Above left: 1st VIII 1974 (Richard Yonge is seated second from the right)

Above right: James Burnett

David Draffin (BR 1979-83)

David William Draffin died on 23 August 2022, aged 57. His mother sent this tribute.

David joined king’s from Tormore School. He was a house monitor, played for the 5th XV rugby, the 1st XI football and captained the 3rd XI cricket, demolishing Dulwich by taking 7 for 19. He was a very good actor, from The Curse of the Werewolf to an appearance in the Broughton House play as Angelique: “maintaining his voice at a fearsome pitch and his visage revoltingly contorted”. He was also keen on music and ran his own disco “in impressive style”. On leaving King’s, David attended Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology and having obtained his degree, he decided to have a year backpacking. He fell in love with Queensland, Australia where he spent the rest of his life. He married an Australian and had a daughter, Tahlia.

Steve Bailey

(JKS Common Room 2000-11)

Steve Bailey died in February 2022. Malcolm Harris (JKS Common Room 1995-2011) sent this tribute.

September 2000 saw the arrival in the JKS staffroom of Steve Bailey, the new Head of Geography. He had big sports shoes to fill, following on from Phil Turner. Steve took the performances of our football teams, in particular, to new heights, including reaching the final of the IAPS tournament with an undefeated U13 team. He also led cricket teams, a golf team and contributed routinely to athletics events, especially as Head of Cockas for Sports Day. He even played for the staff versus children sports matches on occasion, resulting in some rather comical anecdotes.

He was, however, principally brought in to modernise and revitalise the Geography

Above left: David Draffin

Above right: Steve Bailey

Right: Robert Scott

Department, a task he performed quickly and unobtrusively, adding some of his own particular interests, such as a weather station on the school roof and trips to the Downs above Folkestone. His pupils really appreciated his enthusiasm and relatable knowledge.

He was invaluable in staff meetings when a calm, sensible opinion was needed. His selflessness is legendary. He spent hours ferrying team members around Kent whenever they were in need. An extremely popular member of staff, his enthusiasm was infectious. At curry nights, pub quizzes or staff golfing competitions (yes, he organised a staff golf society), his deliciously dry sense of humour, fund of jokes, library of bizarre tales and secret sources of salacious gossip kept his companions enthralled.

His retirement in 2011 came far too early. He had so much more energy which he needed to expend. This he put to good use on the golf courses of Spain, around Marbella, where he moved with his wife, Ana Tarazona (JKS Common Room 2002-16). And then a year ago, in February, he was cruelly taken from us, straight after finishing another golf competition with another trophy, leaving behind his two daughters, Kim Barrett née Bailey (MR 2000-05) and Emma Bailey (MR 2004-09), his two stepdaughters and his two young grandchildren. He is missed beyond measure.

Robert Scott Memorial Service

Robert Scott’s memorial service took place on Thursday 6 October 2022. The King’s School Crypt Choir was joined by many OKS musicians, and directed by Christopher Tinker (Common Room 1972-80). Anthony Dawson recited “At the still point of the turning world”, an extract from T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, and Peter White and Stephen Davies paid tributes to Robert. Andrew Maynard (WL 1972-76) writes.

The main focus of the service was music. It was obvious from the beginning of the 45 minute rehearsal that this was going to be a special occasion: the sound was full-blooded, the preparation thorough, the ensemble and tuning first-rate. The sixthformer James Bennett sang beautifully as soloist in Stanford’s Nunc Dimittis in G.

DEATHS

David Gallyer (MO 1963-68)

24 November 2022

• Michael Davidson (SH 1949-53)

18 July 2022

• Sarah McGuire (Matron 1990-99)

20 September 2022

At the centre were two works by Robert: the Largo Sostenuto from his first string quartet (2003) and his four-part anthem Let my due feet never fail (2007). The words are from Milton’s Il Penseroso, lines 155-166 and 175-176 (the end of the poem), and I recommend that readers look up this text, as they reflect Robert’s love of the cathedral and of choral music.

Gabriel Jackson set an anthem with the same words (first performed 2013) but I have not been able to find any setting written before 2007. It is at least possible that RPS chose the text himself. The music is intensely English, reminiscent perhaps of Parry’s Songs of Farewell; the tone and colour meditative, though the middle section is brighter. It brought Robert back to us as nothing else could have done.

Boat Club Dinner 2023

The annual KSC & Pilgrims Boat Club Dinner took place on Saturday 14 January, rescheduled from September 2022. Last year’s Captain of Boats, Fatima Mansoor (LX 2017-22), delivered this speech.

When i joined the Boat Club in the Shells, I had never rowed before. I just thought I’d try something new. But I didn’t learn easily. It took me about two terms before I properly clocked how to row in the right direction and in that time had my fair share of mishaps. I fell out of an uncapsizable playboat; I capsized a single while pushing it off the pontoon and then capsized it again when I got back in. But from that point onwards rowing has been it for me.

One of the fondest memories was going to Bruges for races. Once we had to row through a massive storm. It was pouring rain, the waves were high and the wind was strong, but we all pulled

together as a team while bailing water out of the boat. We were drenched and cold and ended up playing card games the rest of the day. But next day we raced, and the sense of accomplishment and pride in ourselves was unforgettable.

During my King’s rowing career I’ve been in two eights. The pandemic hit when I was in the fifth form and the whole crew was in lockdown with the essentials: an erg. We ended up doing a few virtual regattas which resulted in a few wins. It wasn’t the same as rowing, but it allowed us to stay connected with the sport while being cooped inside.

What truly made my year as Captain so special were the emotional experiences we shared together. You always remember that first race in a boat that makes you feel this could actually go somewhere; the feeling of crossing the finish line knowing that everyone gave it 100% regardless of the result; the sense of accomplishment when setting a new personal best; the tears of joy after a hard-fought battle. And let’s not forget the tears of frustration after not doing as well as we

wanted but hey, at least we’re consistent with our emotions!

What truly sets rowers apart is our resilience, both physical and mental. The ability to push through the pain, to keep going when our bodies want to give up, and to stay focused and composed under pressure. And I can assure you, there were plenty of times that I doubted myself, but my crewmates (with our “crewnity”); the support of the coaches; and the mental strength I had developed through rowing helped me to keep going. There is one erg that has always stuck in my mind. It was a 30 minute test and I was on a complete ‘fly and die’. I was so ready to get off but Mr Williamson sat by me and he said, “Fatima, if you get off that erg your mind will get used to quitting and it’ll get harder and harder to finish those ergs because your mind knows there’s always that way out”. So I finished it. That lesson has always helped me whenever I’m facing something that feels impossible.

So, remember that rowing is not just about physical strength, the wattage, the 2k splits… It’s about the resilience, determination, and hard work. But also about having fun and enjoying that journey with your teammates. It’s about developing that strong mental state that helps us to push through the tough times and to overcome any challenges that come our way in and out the boat. Let’s raise a glass to the memories we’ve made, the lessons we’ve learned, and the bonds we’ve formed. Here’s to another great year of rowing, good times and continued success for our Club. Cheers!

Golf in the Gulf

Three OKS golfers who have been friends for 30 years proudly displayed the OKS crest whilst playing golf in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in January this year. Edward Butler (SH 1992-97) reports.

Christopher o’neil-dunne (SH 1992-97) and I travelled out to visit Stephen Bushnell (GL 1992-97) to play golf in the Middle East. The trip had been planned for many months and Chris and I were itching to go over to see Stephen who has lived in Dubai for the last six years with his wife and two children.

On arriving the weather was decidedly overcast and we had to endure some abnormally chilly conditions for the first two rounds at Arabian Ranches and The Els Club in Dubai. We consoled ourselves with the fact that it was still warmer than being in the UK and we were able to wear shorts and polo shirts in January!

There was a mini-monsoon with heavy rain coming down after the second round of golf which people in the region said only happens once a year at most. We then set off to Abu Dhabi where we played the Abu Dhabi Golf Club and the prestigious Yas Links which were both in perfect shape having recently hosted professional events in 2023.

As can be seen from the photos, we had some bespoke headcovers made by Babouche Golf with the OKS crest, which we think look fantastic.

Being the local, Stephen played the best on tour and was very consistent shooting a magnificent 77 at Abu Dhabi GC. All told it was a great trip away for us three friends who first played golf together at King’s over 30 years ago and have all represented the OKS in the Halford Hewitt. If any OKS in Dubai would like to get in touch to organise a game with Stephen he can be contacted via LinkedIn.

Left: King’s rowers at Westbere.

Above, left to right: Christopher O’NeilDunne, Edward Butler and Stephen Bushnell.

Below: Custom OKS golf head covers.

Celebrating 150 years of Rugby at King’s

Charlie Watson (CY 2013-18) reports on the OKS Rugby Event on 10 December 2022.

Thirty of oks’s finest went head-to-head in a thrilling game to honour 150 years of rugby at King’s. The first half was dominated by the Blue team and, after a spilt ball by the Maroon team, Tomas Edgar’s sharp reactions rewarded him with the first try of the match. The Maroons were simply “still on the bus”, and quick thinking caught them out a second time as Ethan Hunt took off down the blind side of a scrum. Held up just short, Jack Mills’ pick-and-go was blasted over by Andy Hyatt. Two tries to nil to the Blue team.

The Blues capitalised on the momentum and after a deep kick, a dogged chase by Jamie Crocker and Kay Minkiewicz led to the Maroons fumbling the ball on their own line. An 8-pick off the subsequent scrum by Minkiewicz, and a Carlos Spencer-esque offload led to Will Sturges dotting the ball over in the corner. Three unanswered tries by the Blues at half time.

The Maroon team came out of the blocks in the second half, and after a nifty change of direction by Arthur Chilcott, Ned Linforth was put in for the Maroons’ first try, despite a heroic defensive effort from Tom Whitmore. The magic continued from Chilcott, with a delicate chip which was hacked on by Matt Barker to provide the Maroons’

Above: OKS rugby players in action.

Below: The blue and maroon teams.

second try. The resurgence was completed by a third try from Nathan Bonsu who dazzled with some electric feet and leg drive to power over the line. All square at three tries apiece.

Perhaps still basking at their comeback, the Maroons then failed to gather the kick-off, and a strong carry by Minkiewicz, combined with a triple ruck effort by Crocker, allowed Hunt to score from close, edging the Blues back in the lead. But the Maroons then fought back with a try from Kyan Cherwayko, following a brutish hand-off.

With moments to go, and four tries apiece, the Blues were camped on the Maroon 22m line, struggling to break through. Minkiewicz finally found a chink in the armour and after a huge carry and silky offload to Mills, Hunt delivered the killer blow with a quintessential scrum half snipe to score the match winner. Five tries to the Blue team, four tries to the Maroon team.

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