MY RADLEY

Ahallmark of Radley is our strong sense of community spirit, part of which is rooted in the constancy and purpose of our staff. More than 500 people work at Radley, many of whom go about their jobs to a very high standard but away from the spotlight. My Radley was designed to change this and give people who work tirelessly to ensure the smooth operation of the College for our boys, the recognition they deserve.

The first edition of My Radley featured Pat Clarke, our longest-serving employee, being interviewed by Iain Campbell, himself a veteran of 25 years. Pat was 16 when he arrived at the College in 1966. After discovering a lack of vacancies at Abingdon School he was directed to Radley, where long-serving Head Groundsman Harold Smithson was looking for a new colleague. Pat spoke to Iain with great affection for the College, about his time under four Head Groundsmen and five Wardens and the boys who don’t seem so very different to the ones he encountered when he arrived. Iain commented that Pat was “one of many very committed College employees who quietly get on with their jobs to a very high standard — allowing things to function smoothly.”

Inspired by Iain’s interview, we set about looking for those operational staff who did just that – beginning with someone who literally works behind the scenes — Lianne Oakley-Rowland, who has been Radley’s Costume Designer extraordinaire since 2005. Lianne described the creative process of designing costumes with huge passion, the productions she was most proud of and, tellingly, what she felt was a key aspect of her role: “It’s important to me to ensure all cast members are happy with what they’re wearing because fundamentally I’m their advocate. I need them to feel confident to perform on stage in front of hundreds of people.”

Part of the value of My Radley is this glimpse into the roles of our colleagues, as well as a greater understanding of their life away from work: Lianne spoke of juggling her life as mum to her oneyear-old son with long hours on production nights. When we interviewed Hazel Gearing, Reprographics Assistant, she spoke with pride of her four sons who all raced for Radley at Henley Royal Regatta; Sarah Barrett, Domestic Cleaner in B Social spoke movingly of her brain tumour diagnosis, the importance of her supportive colleagues in B Social and coming to work to maintain a sense of normality in her life. It’s been fascinating to find out more from Head of Exams, Jo Bailey, about her desire to “make the atmosphere around exams more supportive”, Jon Buzzard about the changes the IT team have seen since he joined in 1981, Tom Lubski on his responsibilities taking receipt of the Catering Department’s daily deliveries, and Di Stone on watching boys go from “timid Shells to confident 6.2s” from her perspective as a nurse in the Medical Centre. Recently we have come full circle, interviewing Iain Campbell himself on life as a don, living at Radley and bringing up his family here.

As part of the project, everyone featured has been photographed professionally in their work environment, which has resulted in a wonderful documentation of their personalities as well as their day-to-day life at the College. My Radley has brought out the innate regard for Radley amongst staff involved and we hope it has helped to increase mutual understanding and respect within the staff community. It’s not easy to put yourself ‘out there’ in this manner, but we are grateful to all those who have been involved so far in this rewarding project.