Radley Newsletter 02

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Radley N E W S L E T T E R

Reflections on the 2006 Boat Race | The View From The New Pavilion The Shell Normandy Trip | Radley Achievements and Activities in 2005/6 The Sixth Form Lecture Programme

By Tom Parker OR (Pilgrims’ and H Social)

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om Parker rowed in an exceptional Radley 1st VIII in 2001, when the crew reached the final of the Princess Elizabeth Cup for School VIIIs at Henley.

He went on to row for Oxford Brookes and for Great Britain, winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in the VIII. The Boat Race in 2006 which he describes here was a titanic struggle in rough conditions; the strength and will-power of the Oxford crew in the end broke the resistance of the favoured Cambridge crew.

The only glamour or delight that is derived from the Boat Race experience is in abundance for those few hours between winning and waking up the following morning with a sore head; the rest of it is relentless training around the ruthless demands for essays from tutors. We trained very hard and there were times when I went through days driven only by the desire to win when the body and mind was under stress the like of which I had

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never experienced. The work is a constant niggle for the Boat Race athlete, it is everpresent and, more often than not, one is invariably behind! In previous years I have always taken this with a pinch of salt.

Knowing how hard the Blues train I had presumed that the work must be kept on the back burner. I had images of the odd sympathetic nod from an interested tutor if you were to wearily shake your head amid murmurings of unhelpful tide tables or long morning ergo sessions. This, however, is far from the case. You will be met with little sympathy if you come up with excuses for the tardy essay.

April the 2nd this year made it clear why we had trained so hard; the unique feeling of the last couple of hundred metres in very heavy conditions and with Cambridge 6 lengths adrift, knowing that you are about to be victorious, makes it all worth while over and over again. So what are the emotions that pulsate through your

body when you cross the line victorious in the Boat Race? The answers I have given have echoed the stereotype that is associated with this fairly unique position.

I usually utter phrases such as ‘amazing’, ‘incredible’, ‘something I will never forget’, which are of course true, but what about the initial emotion, the very first thing I thought about. Now that I sit and write about it for the first time it is clear what I was thinking; it was disbelief, that we had actually done what I had been dreaming about for the last six months. I suppose the feeling of disbelief came from how comprehensively we had beaten Cambridge; how an elite crew had fallen so hard due to the pressure we put on them right from the start. As a Blue Boat athlete you cannot spend any time on what it is you should feel or do if you cross the line first; all focus is put into what you have to do before that time to give yourself the best possible chance of

being in that position. But having won so emphatically against the favourites in one of the most recognised sporting events in the British calendar might permit one a small trace of disbelief.

From a personal point of view I can base this feeling on the fact that despite rowing for Britain in the World Championships, this race was the first event I have won which contains athletes of a world class standard. My confidence in my abilities was by no means backed up with the plethora of victories that has dominated the big names in rowing throughout the Pinsent-Redgrave era.

That night at the Boat Race Ball feelings of disbelief started to sift away, numerous congratulations coupled with riotous celebrations clarified what it was that the nine of us had achieved that day and from then on it has been ‘amazing, incredible and something I will never forget’.

Front Cover: Tom Parker celebrates Oxford’s victory in the 2006 Boat Race (Getty Images) Insert: The 2001 1st VIII with Tom rowing at number 5

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the view from

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t is rather extraordinary that for a school which takes its sport so seriously there had never been proper changing facilities for our opposition teams – until last year, that is. And in responding to a pressing need the architects managed to create a spectacular bonus, a low, round building by the Silk Hall with a circular viewing gallery, on top of the 8 changing rooms, where tea is served to parents and visitors on match days. The view is panoramic, and the focus shifts with the seasons. So bitter and wet was it for the last few rugby Bigside matches of the 2005 season that the less hardy watched the 1st XV defeat Marlborough and Bedford from comfortable warmth above the dead-

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ball line, cup of tea in hand. Long suffering Hockey supporters were sometimes driven indoors whilst the 1st and 2nd XIs compiled impressive seasons on the new Astroturf.

But the facility’s real versatility is seen in the summer term: cricketing visitors can escape chill May winds and watch the 1st XI on Bigside and the 2nd XI on Secondside while tennis supporters on the other side of the gallery watch the school tennis VIs attempt to match the recent feats of Alex Hackett (Downsend, H Social) and Tom Dance (Dragon, H Social), last summer’s unbeaten 1st pair. Through the trees beyond the tennis courts is the Radford track; the start of the 100 metres is crystal clear

below the spectators but a line of plane trees inconveniently obscures the finish line. No doubt there will be a long debate between conservationists and Athletics enthusiasts about their future….

Not every year does Radley produce an Andrew Strauss OR (Caldicott, B Social), Jamie Dalrymple OR (Ashfold, H Social), Ben Hutton OR (Holmewood House, B Social) or Robin Martin-Jenkins OR (Cranleigh Prep, B Social) on the cricket field, a Richard MacDowel (Bilton Grange, G Social) at Hockey or Chris Sheasby (Caldicott, F Social) at Rugby – but the hope is to provide future spectators with an agreeable environment the better to enjoy competitive games the year round.

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the shell

Normandy trip

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by Dr Jim Summerly, History Don

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he bus travelled slower and slower.

We were now at walking pace on the Cherbourg ring road. The hydraulic fluid was leaking out of the gear box and the driver found the range of gears he could engage was disappearing. The video played on. Finally the driver turned to me and said, ‘that’s it.’ I got out of the bus and flagged down the first car I saw with a British number plate. They took me down to the ferry terminal where the other bus was waiting, oblivious to our problem (those long gone days before mobile phones.). The coach at the terminal put its boys aboard the ship as foot passengers and went back for my coach’s passengers who had unloaded and were waiting by the side of the road. Thirty minutes later we were all aboard the ship. That was Normandy III – quite a long time ago and probably the largest single problem we have ever had. This year was Normandy XV – one of the quiet ones.

The Normandy trip was conceived back in 1988 as a means of showing Shell boys something of the realities of warfare during World War II. It would give a focus to the departmental teaching on World War II and it would give the boys the experience of travelling in France. The idea was that evocative sites such as the Pointe du Hoc, where the Texas Rangers scaled a cliff to secure the sites of naval guns that overlooked Utah and Omaha beaches, would be interspersed with cemeteries, museums and the beaches themselves. The reconnaissance trips were done in 1989 and looking back at the photographs it is clear the whole area has been transformed for tourism during the last eighteen years. Videos on the coaches would provide the images of 1944 and impose them on the imaginations of the Shells and the whole trip would be given a commentary and a context by the teaching dons.

Apart from two years when we visited the World War I battlefields, there has been a Shell trip to Normandy every year since 1990.

If there is a lull in cocoa back in the Socials any History don knows the space can be filled with a Normandy anecdote. If the boys’ memory of Shell History becomes indistinct in time they almost always recall quite a lot about the Normandy landings and some have revisited the sites with their parents. The Bayeux tapestry has always been visited and though some of the early trips probably established record times for viewing the embroidery I learned to put myself at the front and defy any boy to go around more quickly than me.

We must have taken about 1800 Radleians to Normandy over the years. And we have brought almost all of them back – though in 1997 one boy had his appendix removed.

What can you do with 125 Shells in Caen on a Saturday night? About 60% of Normandys have included a trip to the Fair where dodgem cars, go karts and endless varieties of spinning rides combined with burgers and candy floss have produced a fair amount of vomit over the years, and revealed quite surprising skills amongst my colleagues.

Inevitably, perhaps, it is the stories of problems and semi-disasters that come to mind when recalling the Normandy Trip. The boys probably tell rather different stories but what they do not usually talk about is the feeling they get from their presence on the coast of memories. I can remember minutes of silence at the Hermanville Cemetery or at Omaha but the boys will have their own minutes of peace contemplating war. Omaha and Utah beaches were often for us the scenes of huge football matches but just as often boys would turn their eyes to the sea and wonder. Perhaps they wondered later when they saw the extraordinary first twenty minutes of ‘Saving Private Ryan’.

They must have wondered when they saw the gravestones with the Kipling epitaph, “A Soldier, Known unto God.”

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Radley Achievemen ACADEMIC 4The summer 2006 A level results were good; 84% of grades were at either A or B, slightly down on the previous year’s 87% record but very satisfactory nonetheless.

In Latin, Greek, German, Spanish, Music, Design Technology and Theatre Studies all candidates achieved either an A or a B. Hamish Anderson (Cothill, B) and Matt Atkins (Rokeby School, F) were placed in Edexcel Product Design’s top 10 (out of 3024) candidates.

4Declamations – judged by Andrew Trotman, former Radley don, now Warden of St Edward’s Oxford – was of a very high standard. The competition winners were: Frederick Moynan (6.2, Belhaven Hill, B); Jake Cheetham (6.1, Summer Fields, A); George Leeming (5, Summer Fields, A); Freddie Tapner (R, Ludgrove, F); Benjamin Hatt (S, Lockers Park, H).

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4Many visiting speakers have come to Radley this year, for example: David Cameron (Leader of the Opposition); Evan Harris MP; Peter Riddell; Andrew Gordon; 4The GCSE results were by some margin Professor Jim Norton; Tom Shakespeare OR; the best ever with an extraordinary 88% of Professor Gary Sheffield; Professor Jeremy grades achieved being at either A* or A. All Black; Anthony Worrall-Thompson; Clive 1224 papers were passed; indeed only 26 Stafford-Smith OR. The biologists welcomed papers were C grade. In a host of impressive Professor Nick Rawlins, Dr Martin Speight performances perhaps English Language and Professor Sir Richard Gardner. with 115 out of 125 candidates achieving A* or 4Rob King, Head of Chemistry, has A deserves special mention. Alexander Rose written the Chemistry sections of (Thomas’s, C) and Theodore Withworth (Aldro, C) were placed in AQA Spanish’s top the AQA and Edexcel new GCSE Science courses for Harper 5 candidates (out of 35112 candidates) and Rory Stallibrass (Milbourne Lodge, C) was in Collins. Nick Weaver, Head the top 10 (out of 23164) for Edexcel English. of Physics, was runner-up in the Salters Horner A level 4Perhaps Radley’s proudest academic Physics Teacher of the Year. performance of the summer was from an Iain Campbell has been old boy, David Lloyd (Bramcote, A), who commissioned to write gained the top First in Natural Sciences on ‘The Classical World at Cambridge, in itself the top and most and Heavy Metal’ in a competitive Science course in British German Study of British universities.

Heavy Metal.

4Radley’s Geography Department ran the 4Alex Chadwick web-based Metlink International Weather (Cothill, H), Seb Lomas project for over 400 schools world wide to (Crosfields, H), Jamie exchange weather data. We also helped to Bromfield (Cothill, A) and host the U.K. Raincatch 2005 project.

Tobin Chew (Moulsford, 4The Economics Department entered a D) have worked with the team for the National Interest Rate Challenge RAF to design a system to and came 2nd in the southern area. test the laden flying capacity of the Puma helicopter.

4Asa Bennett (Dragon, C) was placed 3rd in the Oxford Area Classical Association 4The 6.2 Conference with St Reading Competition.

Helen’s in November was one of the best: controversial, engaging 4Ed Martineau (Dragon, H) and Tom and with a high standard of debate, McPhail (Dragon, H) won through to the finals of the National Debating Competition. ‘Changing the World, Making a Difference’ had two outstanding talks, 4Matt Atkins (Rokeby, F) and Tobin Chew Julian Filochowski on Third World Poverty (Moulsford, D) are both Arkwright and James Mawdesley on North Korea.

Scholars in Design Technology.

4Adrian Pascu (Wirral Grammar, B) was highly 4The Radley College Chronicle, the new commended in both The Times Stephen Spender school newspaper, is written and edited prize for poetry and translation, and Foyle’s Young largely by the boys and has continued to Poet of the Year. flourish in its second year with a mix of reviews, opinion pieces and gentle satire.

14 issues have been published thus far.

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ts and Activities in

/

ACTIVITIES

ARTS

4Radley’s revamped Wednesday Afternoon 4This year has seen the inauguration of the New Activity Programme continues to broaden Theatre. The Haddon Cup was held in the Old boys’ horizons, be it to introduce new skills, Gym in October. Late November saw a fitting awaken new enthusiasms, or cultivate an opening of the New Theatre with ‘School for awareness of the importance of helping others.

Scandal’, a tour de force, directed by David The 5th Form has been helping patients at the Edwards. The theatre has subsequently been well Nuffield Hospital, organising weekly concert used for Social plays and culture evenings; last parties for the elderly and infirm, and teaching term Ed. Chalk (Cothill, C) wrote and directed and helping in primary schools.

‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, a colourful and professional production. Rupert Lazarus 4Boys have also run, climbed, cycled, swum for (Moulsford, B) and Rory Stallibrass (Milbourne Charities. A total of over £60,000 has been Lodge, C) have won places with the National raised. Patrick Chambers (Cothill, B) raised Youth Theatre. over £2500 for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

4229 Blood donations were given by boys and Radley adults this year.

4There has been a wide range of expeditions and visits: Art Historians went to China, 6.1 boys to Romania to run an orphanage holiday club, Hispanists to Cuba, Paris exchange with Lycée St. Geneviève, 40 musicians performed in Venice in February, the Bigside squad worked hard near Verona, the Shells invaded Normandy. Most satisfying have been frequent favourable comments from total strangers on the manners and behaviour of the boys.

4A number of boys achieved Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards in 2005/6: Michael Richards (St. Ronan’s, H), Hugo Codrington (Elstree, E), Henry Thompson-Ashby (Twyford, A), James Brown (Elstree, A), Charles Twallin (Cheam, A), Charles Quigley (Elstree, A), Fred Macnamara (Summer Fields, E), Tom Cabot (Sunningdale, E), Ali Holmes (Caldicott, G), Harry Nicholls (Cothill, A) and Oliver Hunter (Farleigh, C). Freddie Bolton (Summer Fields, G) and George Pitcher (Cothill, B) won the Young Citizen’s Award, and Hugh Taylor (Cothill, H), Freddie Ackrill (Bilton Grange, B) and Toby Burgess (Elstree, D) were awarded the ‘Millennium Volunteer Award’ for service to the Community.

4David Pumphrey (Northcote Lodge, B) and Jamie Bromfield (Cothill, A) won Army Scholarships.

4It has been a busy year for Music. Trafalgar’s 200th Anniversary was marked by a spectacular performance of the Choral Society’s Nelson Mass in Chapel; the Gloria was sung by the whole school, which lifted the roof. Senior boys celebrated later with a Nelsonic feast of heroic proportions. The Scholars’ Concert, Wharton Piano Prize, Ferguson Singing Prize and Hudson String Prize were all of a high standard, and this term’s Warden’s Music in the Theatre was a great success. So too was the Venice trip with 40 musicians, performing in – amongst other venues – St Mark’s. We have a rich vein of pianists at present: at the Oxford Music Festival Jonny Williams (Westbourne House, H), Jamie Brown (Caldicott, D) and Greg Williams (Norman Court, C) took 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the U18 Piano Recital class, and Jonny and Greg also won the Abingdon Concerto Competition. The Chapel Choir has had a good year; the 16 or so choristers from local primary schools are a real addition to its sound. Many of them sang the May Morning Madrigals from Mansion Roof, directed by Luke Bartlett. In the Associated Board exams, George Nye (Dragon, E) achieved a Grade 8 Distinction in Singing, Jonny Williams (Westbourne House, H) Grade 8 Distinction on Piano, Greg Williams (Norman Court, C) and Arthur Sawbridge (Hall Grove, E) Grade 8 Distinction for Violin. The Ferguson Singing Competition was won by Robert Crabtree (Christ Church Cathedral School, E); the Hudson String Prize by Arthur Sawbridge (Hall Grove, E) and Myles Watkiss (KCS Wimbledon, H); the Gunn Cup (Woodwind) by Francis ForbesEdwards (St. Piran’s, C); the Gunn Cup (Brass)

by Jamie Hepburn (Sandroyd, D); the Wharton Piano by Greg Williams (Norman Court, C); the Guitar Prizes went to Michael Little (Dragon, A) (Acoustic/Classical); Pelham Groom (Summer Fields, E) (Electric) and Tom Dance (Dragon, H) and Nick Holland (Moulsford, B) (Original Composition). Jonny Williams (Westbourne House, H) won the Organ Prize.

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Radley Achievements and Activities in / 4In Sailing Sam Petty (Dragon, D) won the squad (a rare moment indeed for 2 players Laser fleet race in the National Schools from the same school to be in the same 4The most impressive fact about Radley Sailing Association Championship at England team), a young 1st XI cricket had its sport is its depth: 21 XVs regularly play Farmoor, and the Prism Trophy in the moments this summer with good wins over rugby matches in the Michaelmas term, BSDRA Midlands Fleet Championship.

Winchester and St Edward’s. Two Radleians, 24 XIs of Hockey and Soccer on a Lent Thaddeus Cooper (Summer Fields, D) and 4The Golf team had a good year with the Term Saturday, whilst at the same time Jack Tyrwhitt-Drake (Highfield, E), scored side winning 8, losing 4 and drawing 2 rowing VIIIs prepare for Spring Heads 100’s for the 2nd XI. The Colts XI under The school matches. In the West Sussex Trophy of the River and Rackets, Cross Country, tutelage of Simon Dalrymple OR (Ashfold, the team (Callum MacQueen (Westbourne Squash and Golf teams perform on minor H) has been successful, and the Midgets year House, A), Tom McPhail (Dragon, H), Tom games days. With a roll of 630 boys the group as a whole has been strong, Midgets Atkinson (Elstree, G) and Harry Nicholls majority represent the school; and unlike a 1st XI beating both Eton and Harrow. It is not (Cothill, A)) played very well to come 2nd number of other larger schools, all fixtures often that a Midget cricketer scores back to out of 22 schools. Tom McPhail retained the were fulfilled during the World Cup.... back centuries, as Henry Verrill (Moulsford, Torrance Trophy at Royal St George’s this 4The 1st XV had a good season, and the 42-15 G) did. summer. victory over Marlborough, and the 20-12 4It was not a notably strong 1st VIII this year, 4The Fencing team, Duncan Browne win at Wellington were highlights. The but J16 VIII won the Reading and Wycliffe (Sussex House, F), Philip Råge (Sussex Captain, Charlie Oakes (Brambletye, G), Heads and the Reading Amateur title, and House, C) and Fred Ahern (Sussex House, played for the Southern Schools XV. All the J15.1 VIII gained silver and J15.2 VIII gold F) won the Southern Region under 18 Team senior XVs were strong (4th XV notably at the National Schools regatta. J15.1 won Foil Championship. so) and the Colts 1st XV developed into an at Reading Town Regatta. Tom Parker OR 4In Athletics William Stinton (Sandroyd, excellent unit. Once again Hockey at Radley (Pilgrims’ and H Social) won bronze with B) (U17 Javelin and Shot), Ollie Hunter had a really good year; the 1st XI won or the G.B. heavyweight VIII at the World (Farleigh, C) (U20 Hurdles) and Ed Bartondrew all but 2 games, the 2nd XI lost just Championships and was part of the Oxford White (Oratory Prep, D) (U20 Triple Jump) once, other senior sides were strong, and VIII which won the Boat Race in March. were County Champions.

Midgets 1st and 5th XI, Colts 2nd and 3rd 4The Steeplechase winners were Jamie XIs were unbeaten.

4Henry Arundel (Ludgrove, F) has raced Bromfield (Cothill, A) (Senior); Archie Vey for the Fortec Racing Team in the British 4Whilst Andrew Strauss OR (Caldicott, B) (Farleigh, B) (Inter); Xan Wood (Dragon, Formula BMW Championship. captained England and Jamie Dalrymple E) (Junior), with A Social winning the OR (Ashfold, H) joined him in the one day overall title.

SPORT

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the

Sixth Form Lecture Programme

F

some common misconceptions of World War One, Field Marshal Lord Bramall on being a young officer in Normandy, June 6th 1944, and General Sir Mike Jackson on a more recent war in Kosovo. And to make boys think about morality and ethics we have had Peter Garratt from LIFE on abortion, Tom Shakespeare OR on genetic manipulation and selection, and Marianne Talbot on moral relativism.

Equally important has been the aim to give boys an understanding of business and the economy. Since 1994 they have heard from Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England; Professor John Quelch of the Harvard Business School; Bridget Rosewall (one of the government’s economic advisers); Professor Jim Norton on technological advancement; Johnnie Boden on founding a mail-order business; Eric Nicoli on adapting EMI to radical shifts in music technology; Rupert Lowe OR on running a football club (Southampton); and Peter Bazalgette on reality TV. The Lecture cycle has also been a means to broadening cultural horizons. Sessions on music have ranged from popular musicals (Sir Tim Rice on his career), to biographical (Hilary du Pré talking on her sister Jacqueline) and to lecture recitals (sung

by Ann Murray, parent and opera diva and Andrew Kennedy, former Radley don and recently winner of the Leider prize at the Cardiff singer of the year competition). There have been equally memorable lectures on art and design, from talks by Gavin Stamp, Sandy Nairne OR and Richard Cork, to more practical demonstrations of a designer’s oeuvre from Dick Powell of Seymour Powell. We’ve had writers (a poetry reading by Old Radleian Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, and readings from the Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman), wine critics (most notably, Jancis Robinson, conducting a communal wine taste for 120 boys) and a celebrity cook, Anthony Worrall-Thompson.

Finally, we recognize how much the boys are inspired by listening to tales of human endeavour.

We’ve heard from three successful conquerors of Everest (including the youngest, Bear Grylls, and the first British woman, Rebecca Stephens); from successful Olympians, for example Matthew Pinsent; from sports journalists like Clare Balding and Simon Hughes, and sports lawyers, the doyen of whom is Michael Beloff QC, recently retired President of Trinity, Oxford, who has spoken twice at Radley.

We are hugely grateful to all the speakers who sacrifice their time to come to Radley; their efforts have been, and will continue to be, greatly appreciated, not least because their stories, their message, are not incorporated in A level syllabuses. And we hope that only a very few will emulate the nameless politician who rang when barely three miles from the school to ask ‘what exactly am I speaking on today?’ In the end the MP for Henley improvised very well in the time available….

Getty Images

or the past dozen years Radley’s 6.2 has attended successive series of weekly lectures in the Michaelmas and Lent Terms given by distinguished visiting speakers. They have been an important element in Radleians’ education, designed to inform, stimulate and provoke. Across the years it seems that they have succeeded in their aim; many speakers have commented on the quality, directness and perception of the questions, and many Radleians have, in their turn, affirmed that the lectures have left a real mark on them. For example, Gena Turgel came ten years ago, a concentration camp survivor from Auschwitz and Belsen, and her testimony had a profound effect on all who heard her; Clive Stafford-Smith OR, death-row lawyer, only this year overturned many comfortable assumptions when he challenged boys to engage with the treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, in an impassioned lecture; and Colonel Mark Cook so moved his audience about the conditions in post-war Bosnia that it raised £38,000 for his charity Hope and Homes for Children.

We have entertained enough front-line politicians to people a whole government: a Prime Minister, John Major, who was as engaging and enthusiastic on cricket as he was on the condition of politics post1997; two foreign secretaries, Lords Howe and Hurd, a Lord Chancellor (Lord Falconer), two Tory leaders in the Lords (Viscount Cranborne and Lord Strathclyde) and a Labour leader (Lord Richard); a Speaker of the House of Commons, Lord Weatherill (a truly delightful, witty raconteur, and a real favourite with his audience); a Conservative Party Leader, rehearsing for us six days before he launched his now famous Party Conference bid for the top – David Cameron; a Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt. Hon. Andrew Smith MP; and a maverick entertainer with a razorsharp mind, Boris Johnson MP. Alternative political messages were articulated particularly brilliantly

by Jonathan Porritt (Friends of the Earth) and Sir Crispin Tickell, again on the importance of the environment.

Quite as informative, often quite as articulate as the statesmen have been the political journalists we’ve hosted: Melanie Phillips was impassioned in her attack on ‘All Must Have Prizes’, a prevailing ethic of rewarding mediocrity; Peter Hitchens was terrifying in his vision of creeping statism; Yasmin AlibhaiBrown icily angry over Iraq; Andrew Marr, David Aaronovitch and Fergal Keane all cerebral and witty on aspects of Britishness and Identity; and Libby Purves and Peter Riddell (a regular) have brought us the incisiveness of their Times columns.

For an overview which seeks to make sense for the boys of what has happened in the past we’ve had some notable historians: Viscount Norwich on the importance of saving Venice, Andrew Roberts on counter-factual history, Niall Ferguson whose ‘Pity of War’ revised

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r a dl e i a n s

Hector Bevan (Shell) LUDGROVE AND G SOCIAL

A

fter leaving Ludgrove I had huge expectations for Radley and it has lived up to them. I really enjoy my sport but I knew that my work would have to come first and I knew that Radley would help me to find the right balance between the classroom and the sports field.

The rugby term was great fun despite my team’s lack of wins (Midgets 2). This did not stop the team enjoying themselves. We all have to play rugby, which for me was great. I really enjoyed it and also having this compulsory sport means that you have one less decision to make in your very hectic first couple of weeks at Radley. The Lent term brought on the new

challenge of sculling which I was keen to try, as hockey and cricket had never been my strong points. Having sculled as a Wednesday option in the Michalmas term I saw that it could be great fun particularly as I have not capsized so far! The rowing in the Lent term was cold and I prefered the warm weather and regattas in the summer.

Having taken a scholarship in March 2005 (JP Couzens Scholar) I did feel a little academic pressure and after five months without huge volumes of work I felt ready to go. I was very happy to find the first couple of weeks a gentle build-up to what I would find to be a challenging load but I soon got used to it. The workload at my prep school was certainly much lower than what I now know to be the Radley norm.

Being a Shell boy at Radley is great, and I think it will get even better in years to come.

There is so much to get used to in your first term and in the first few weeks you are given a taster of all the activities in a round robin. This gave a little taster to a huge array of sports and activities for people to get involved in. Music lessons are also fun and I have been very fortunate to have the same teacher from my prep school teaching me here. There are a huge variety of instruments to be played and you will come across people who play several instruments.

One of the highlights in the first term in the Shell is the Haddon Cup. Unfortunately the new Theatre was not open but then we had the honour of being the last performers in the Old Gym. It was great fun and although every year in G had won it in the Shells D Social narrowly beat us.

Overall life at Radley has treated me well and I am looking forward to my Remove year.

Edward Martineau (Senior Prefect) DRAGON AND H SOCIAL

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henever the name Radley comes up in conversation with an adult I’m meeting for the first time the question invariably seems to be either ‘do you row?’ or ‘are you a rugby player?’ Humbly, I am forced to concede that I have never indulged in the former, and that my abilities in the latter would perhaps have been better left untried; a recent venture onto the pitch for a tame contest of inter-social rugby resulted in a knee injury that kept me out for the rest of the season.

Thankfully, however, I have found other means to occupy my time. Since arriving at Radley acting has been a huge passion of mine, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to get involved in three school productions that I will never forget. The sheer variety made each special in different ways, starting with the musical Cabaret in the fifth form, then moving on to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the 6.1, and ending with Sheridan’s Restoration comedy, School For Scandal.

Cabaret was great fun, incorporating a group of Downe House students as the Kit Kat Klub girls which obviously added to the glamour, as well as having an orchestra onstage - a sensational feeling as you sung the numbers, albeit in lycra and fishnets at certain points (I regret to say that my mother still has photo evidence). In fact, A Midsummer Night’s Dream forced me into equally unfortunate attire, being set in modern day costume; some are made to be tattooed and topless - not me.

In both Cabaret and A Midsummer Night’s Dream I was double cast with another boy, named Lawrence Grant, in the year above.

This was an inevitably double-edged sword.

On the one hand I was glad to have the company, 12

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since both Emcee and Oberon were fairly solitary roles. On the other hand it was agony having to watch the other actor playing the role on his nights. It was made easier, though, by the fact that we were so dissimilar; he was a thin, blond would-be rock star; I was a brown haired student with an affinity for Latin. Despite the underlying hope that the other would develop a sudden bout of flu in the final week leading up to the performance, it was a largely positive, and mainly productive, experience working together.

I was delighted nevertheless to be single cast in the final production of School For Scandal. Indeed, the whole play was particularly significant to me for a number of reasons; it was the opening of the new theatre; it was my final school play; I was getting to act alongside a number of 6.2 actors who I’d never been in scenes with before; it was an all boys production rather than being done with Downe House girls as the previous two; my character, Sir Joseph Surface, was a devious, two-faced scoundrel – huge fun to play; and the director, due to the current head of drama being on maternity leave, was my housemaster – a man with a voice so booming that it would rival Brian Blessed’s. Furthermore, the new theatre was a fantastic place to act, making the show feel so much more professional for the sheer ambience.

I would have to admit that almost all of my hobbies have really revolved around public speaking. Debating has also been a source of pleasure over the past few years, and perhaps the greatest source of annoyance as well. I don’t feel that I’m a particularly bad loser in most arenas but if I lose in a debate a subsequent sulk emerges that would rival Eeyore at his birthday party.

In the 6.2 I was lucky enough to become Senior Prefect, a role that, I have to confess,

I very much enjoyed. I no doubt over-indulged my argumentative side as well as the attempted gravitas of the chapel readings, but it has been really interesting trying to mediate between the boys and dons, which I would see as the main importance of the job.

When you come close to leaving Radley the things you will and won’t miss become unmistakeably apparent. For the most part I feel ready to move on to university. However, seeing the audition sheet go up for next year’s production of A few good men did spark a tinge of envy. The new theatre really has opened up the possibilities for the school drama, and not being a part of that is perhaps one small source of regret.

I would hate for this article to sound like some false sycophantic rant about how wonderful Radley is. It’s obviously entirely dependent on each person. The one common feature I imagine all of us would identify as having acquired after five years, however, is the ability not to take ourselves too seriously. The all boys’ boarding school experience seems to have been all about realising the archaisms and eccentricities of the system, and appreciating them. I would hope that I don’t take myself too seriously. After the ridiculous costumes and hairstyles (which I’m frequently reminded of) it would certainly be hard to.

Website: www.radley.org.uk . Admissions enquiries: 01235 543174 . admissions@radley.org.uk