The Ronian - Issue 52 - Autumn 2012 by Saint Ronan's School

The Ronian ISSUE 52 - Autumn 2012

Inside:

Paradise Farm • Forest School • Dining Room Refurbishment • Hood

w w w. s a i n t r o n a n s . c o . u k

The Headmaster writes...

Dr Anthony Clare, the Irish psychiatrist, suggested that to achieve happiness in life you need two key elements. Firstly, a passion or enthusiasm – everyone must have something they enjoy doing. Secondly, you need to be ‘a leaf on a tree’ – an individual and yet, at the same time, part of a bigger

Scenes from the Autumn Term

community. I hope that in reading this Ronian you will get a sense of the happiness that pervades the School. The children have so many opportunities to find something that ignites their passion and enthusiasm. They also enjoy sharing these within the wider school community. I am often struck by the wonderful team spirit and the joy children have in the achievement of others, as much as themselves. 2012 has been a remarkable year for the nation as a whole. 2013 will be a special year for Saint Ronan’s as we celebrate the School’s 130th Jubilee. Happy Christmas.

Our magnificent Christmas tree

In this issue...

The House Shout competition was won by Tongswood

Senior Rugby trip to Twickenham

Friends of Saint Ronan’s

Hannah wins Scholarship to Purcell

Taking the Next Step

A whole new eating experience

Learning through play in our Forest School

Changes in the Maths Department

Friday afternoon programme

Mums and toddlers make music in the Nursery

Valete - Stephen Springthorpe

New trustee joins the board

“Action et Lumiere”

Precision cutting in the DT dept

Forging new relationships in the community

Paradise Farm

Autumn Term Prizes

Green Team claim Eco-Schools awards

Boarders say goodbye Tilly, Hello Holly

What a magical Feast

Images from the Art Department

A day of Languages

Nursery & Pre-Prep Nativities

Alumni

16-17

Sport

18-20

Coming up... Spring Term FOR meeting

10th Jan

Class 4 trip to Rye

15th Jan

Cruise Information Evening

17th Jan

Midway Mosque Trips

The Autumn Fayre

Thomas Harris Piano Recital

25th Jan

FOR 70’s Party

26th Jan

Annual Art Exhibition

1st Feb

Children’s Burns Night

7th Feb

Ski Trip Information Evening

13th Feb

Woodwind Concert

15th Feb

Half Term FOR meeting Clsas 3 & 4 Performance Poetry Upper & Remove Exams

Hot Chocolate replaced ices for cold winter Fridays

23rd/24th Jan

15th - 25th Feb 26th Feb 1st Mar 4th - 7th Mar

Informal Concert

8th Mar

The Brodie Shield

9th Mar

ABRSM Exams

11th/12th Mar

FOR Quiz Night

15th Mar

‘Oliver’

20th/21st Mar

Senior Rugby Squads visit Twickenham On a cold November Saturday morning the Upper and

As we pulled up to the stadium (the minute we saw the

Remove boys met at school to set off to London to see

stadium there was the echo of WOW!! EPIC), we confronted

England take on Fiji at Twickenham.

Mr Fagg (an ex-Saint Ronan’s teacher and rugby enthusiast).

Harry TV wrote this report of the trip: We all arrived at school excited and rearing to go.

After short hellos he was appointed a group leader for this trip. We walked up to the stadium, buying our match plans and “reflink” (a device connecting you to the commentator). When we first sat down we noticed the camera that went round

Triple-checking we had our hats, gloves, coats and bags and guided by Mr. Fox, Mr. Andrew and Ritchie we loaded into the

putting you on TV. We endlessly tried to get on TV by shouting “Come on England” in vain.

buses. After a journey that seemed endless (not aided by the fact we were almost squealing in excitement) we saw a large orange sign

After excellent pre-match entertainment the rugby started. We won 54-12, a glorious victory. We were then told by the

saying Twickenham. From that moment on

commentator that there were 81,000 people in the stadium

we knew we would never forget this.

- pretty amazing! We went back in the buses and all had a good snooze.

Friends of Saint Ronan’s prepare for 130th Anniversary Ball As ever we are hugely grateful to the Friends of Saint Ronan’s (FOR) for their support. This term they have bottled and sold apple juice, despite a dearth of apples across the county! They have tempted us all at Bonfire Night with candy floss, doughnuts, toffee apples, popcorn and mulled wine. They also recruited over a hundred senior relatives to the best-attended Grandparents Tea to date and happily welcomed new faces at the various Parents’ Breakfasts. Having recently purchased a kiln for the Art Department, some artificial golf greens for the Sports Department and a stage apron for the Great Space, FOR’s coffers are a bit low so various events are planned. Next term there is a 70’s Night - ‘Studio 54’ - on Saturday 26th January; a Restaurant evening on Friday 8th March and a Quiz Night on Friday 15th March. Looking further ahead, they are planning a Ball on Saturday 12th October to celebrate the School’s 130th anniversary, so please keep this date free. The fireworks on Bonfire Night were spectacular

Hannah wins Scholarship to Purcell School for Music We were delighted to hear that Hannah Pearson has earned a scholarship to the world-renowned Purcell School in Hertfordshire. Hannah only started studying singing 3 years ago but has already reached Grade 6. In less than two years she has also reached Grade 7 standard on the trumpet and has taken up the harp. Hannah plays principal trumpet in both the school orchestra and brass band and sings in the school’s Chamber Choir and Chapel Choir. The Purcell School is a specialist centre for young musicians. Famous ex-pupils include the violinist Jack Liebeck, cellist Robert Cohen and oboist Nicholas Daniel. Places at the school are highly prized and Hannah had to complete a

music staff have nurtured her talents throughout the last 3

demanding audition process, performing all three instruments

exciting years. We look forward to following her progress in

and completing a variety of written tasks.

the next stage of her musical journey.”

Mrs Hill said “We are all so proud of Hannah. She is a lovely

Hannah will take up her place as a Purcell School boarder in

girl and has worked incredibly hard for this. Our dedicated

January 2013 and we wish her every success for the future.

Taking the Next Step: eleven senior schools visit Saint Ronan’s We were delighted to welcome eleven senior schools to our Next Steps afternoon. The schools that attended were: Battle Abbey, Benenden, Cranbrook, Eastbourne College, Eton, King’s Canterbury, Kent College Pembury, Lancing College, Sevenoaks, Sutton Valence and Tonbridge. The Great Space was an excellent venue for this informal event. Parents, as ever, were hugely supportive and the room was packed with people asking questions and enjoying the “High Tea” provided by Laura and her team. A huge thank you to all involved. One senior member of staff from one of the Schools attending wrote:

Congratulations New Mums!

I was kept very busy throughout the session & it was both a pleasure & an interest to meet so many of your parents. It was

Congratulations to staff members Natalie Hinchliffe, Alex

extremely worthwhile to encounter, at first hand, such a range

King and Sarah Denman who have all given birth.

of parental curiosity, questions, areas of interest/concern etc so thank you again for giving us the opportunity to meet your parents. Next Steps afternoons are held every two to three years.

Natalie is the proud mum of Toby while Alex had a baby girl named Libby. Sarah had a baby boy. Congratulations to all the mums (and dads!).

Dining ‘al fresco’ proves popular whatever the temperature!

A whole new eating experience It sometimes happens that a “Sacred Cow” turns out to be not so sacred after all, and this is what happened to our tradition of family service. The children had been saying at “Kiddy Council” for some time that they wanted more choice (less mushrooms, more salad) and the way to achieve this was to introduce a new counter system. With some sighs this was trialled at the end of the Summer term and it was clear from the outset that this was going to be a great success. The refurbished Dining Room with its new outside eating area. The children enjoy the choice of food, they enjoy the choice of who they sit with and enjoy a much more relaxed and pleasurable eating experience. The new dining room refurbishment is fresh, clean and fun with its beach hut blue and outside decking (no, it is far too cold to go outside today!) The digital signage outside the dining room has useful notices and a not so useful “Mr P’s Joke of the Day”. The Prefects are more involved with checking people in and the staff make a point of sitting and talking to the children. All in all a great move!

The salad bar is a storming success.

Learning through playing in our Forest School Where else would you find Bertie, Stanley and Walter being pushed, pulled and dragged by willing children from Nursery and Pre-prep, across playing fields and through huge amounts of mud, but at Saint Ronanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s? These characters (a robust trolley, tool box and water container) are an important part of Forest School, and help ferry water, tools and the necessary hot chocolate kit backwards and forwards from our site in Tongswood. Forest School is a Scandinavian idea from the1950s which proved to be such a success that it was brought to Britain in the mid-1990s. Saint Ronanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Forest School began in September of this year and is already a popular and valuable part of the curriculum for children from Nursery to Year 2. Forest Schools allow the children to have fun outdoors, while learning about the world, themselves and how to look after these most important things. Children learn constantly, without even realising it. They learn at their own pace, in their own style and are given the freedom to explore. An informal chat over a cup of hot chocolate and a biscuit to dunk brings the session to a close with a chance to reflect on the time spent in the woods. We go to Forest School in all weathers, except in high winds, and consider the variety of weather we experience to be a benefit and a learning tool. A recent heavy and prolonged period of rainfall gave us rivers to investigate, drips to catch and harvest, dams and shelters to build. What tales will the snow and ice bring I wonder?

Changes in the Maths Department

A varied programme for Friday afternoons

Robert Hill will assume the

In the Prep School we have enjoyed a rich programme of

running of the Department in

‘Friday Gatherings’. Lectures have included talks by Alan

January and will be joined by

Knight, Chief Executive of the International Animal Rescue

Lizz Peacock. After graduation

Charity; Dr Dineli Charlesworth on the aftermath of the Boxing

with a First Class Degree in

Day tsunami on Sri Lanka; Peter Pyemont on the History of

Mathematics and Applied

Christmas and Adrian Caddy on the History of Archery.

Statistics from Oxford Brookes, Tongswood won a hotly-contested House Shout, adjudicated

Lizz studied for her PGCE at

by David Force from Eastbourne College; and we all sat and

Newcastle University. Post-

listened with pride and excitement to the individual

University, she worked at Benenden School for six years before moving to Sevenoaks School for three years, and then back to Benenden in 2004, where she has remained ever since. She has an excellent reputation as a dynamic teacher and is very passionate about her subject. Although Lizz will be joining in January she will only work for half the week (50%) during the Spring Term, spending the other half at Benenden to fulfil her contractual obligations. In the Summer Term, however,

performances of the children on the eve of their ABRSM grading exams. Four evensongs were held: the Dedication Service; the Harvest Festival; the Armistice Service, and, the following week, Sir Frank Sanderson’s (Chairman of the Burwash branch of the Royal British Legion) reflections on the sacrifices made during the two World Wars. The final Friday Gathering of the term brought together the whole community at St Laurence’s for the Carol Service.

she will be with us full time. To cover the shortfall in the Spring Term, we are delighted to welcome back Alistair Truelove. Alistair is an experienced Maths teacher, whose son Alexander was at Saint Ronan’s before he left in

Adrian Caddy talked to us about the history of Archery. Archery will join the extras programme in the Spring.

2010. Alistair will work full time in the Spring Term and therefore there will be a considerable overlap between the two teachers, allowing a smooth takeover and some even more individual attention for Stephen’s groups.

Grandparents’ Afternoon Tea

rm Trips Autumn Te

a 4 to Matild Classes 3 & m a h en to Twick site Rugby trip s g in st attle of Ha d rl Upper to B o W esterday’s rd Year 1 to Y a ey in iddenden V x Class 3 to B u ce erstmon Upper to H eld p at Mayfi o Art worksh lington el W t Day a ip sh er d ea Trips Junior L raphy Field g eo G e v o x Rem erstmonceu Year 2 to H day le b m ind Ense W ’s d n u m lington St Ed shop at Wel rk o W l a tr useum Orches aidstone M Year 2 to M nic outing ic P Bear’s y d ed T n o Recepti

Mums and Toddlers make music in the Nursery Toddler music started this September. It is for children from as young as a year up to the Term before they start in the Nursery. We get together every Thursday morning for a play and a time to sing, dance and play instruments, with the children being encouraged to enjoy and express themselves to the music in their own way. We asked some of the Mums why they came to Toddler Music each week. Here are some of their comments:“Our youngest is desperate to be at Nursery with his older brother, so singing is a great way for him to feel involved and get to know the teachers and

well as his interaction with the other children in the class.”

other children before he is able to start next year. I think it is also important for him to participate in group activities and ‘structured time’. It is also good for me to meet the other mum’s and child-minders as this is a big part of school life.”

“It’s our weekly baby social! By far the most lovely music group I have ever been to. Our child talks about going all week. So good to get used to the nursery and make some little friends prior to starting.”

“Our child loves joining in with all his friends at music and we have discovered that his speech has improved massively as

If you would like to come along after Christmas we do have spaces for next term.

Valete - Stephen Springthorpe

New Trustee joins the Board

Stephen Springthorpe joined Saint Ronan’s as Head of Maths

Mrs Julie Lowe has been co-

in September 2006 and leaves at the end of this term to teach

opted onto the Board of

at the Al Khor International School in Doha (Qatar).

Trustees and will serve on the Curriculum Committee. Mrs

He brought considerable experience and professionalism to the role and has overseen a marked improvement in the attainment of the children in Year 8.

Lowe brings considerable skills and experience in Nursery and Pre-Prep education. She is not only the Head of the Pre-Prep at

Last summer 70% of all our CE

Junior King’s but also the Chair

candidates achieved A*- B. We

of the Professional Association

wish him all good things for the future and thank him for all he has done for the School.

of Pre-Prep (PAPP) Heads and an Early Years Lead Inspector for the Independent School Inspectorate. Furthermore she was our ‘settings improvement advisor’ for the LEA when the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum was first introduced nationally in 2008 so ‘hits the ground running’.

“Action et Lumière” - Remove French Play Remove took a trip to the Queen’s Hall at Cranbrook School to

This year our House Play was ‘Hood.’ Pupils from Selden and

see “Action et Lumière”, a play in French. Here are the

Pembroke performed in what proved to an entertaining show

comments of some of the children:

set in various locations in Sherwood Forest and Loxley Manor. The plot itself had a few twists, not least with the appearance of Dick Whittington and Widow Twanky who were looking for Bo Peep’s sheep. Widow Twanky, fearing to return and confess the loss of the sheep to the vicious Gangsta Peep, eventually found happiness in Sherwood in the form of the delightfully hissable Will Booth-Clibborn as the Sherriff, whilst thigh-slapping Dick Whittington proposed to an ecstatic Lady Marian. Robin Hood did battle with the Sheriff’s guards and the SAS Man (yes, this was Robin Hood with a difference) and eventually found his own happy ending with Sprigget, one of

“The lights dimmed to begin with a video of the making of a

his outlaw recruits.

film. Then on the screen it said Cannes Festival! It showed lots of actors and actresses”.....”they were making a film called

There was plenty of booing and ‘it’s behind you’ shenanigans

King Kong in Paris but they did not have enough money so

as the children worked with the audience across the footlights.

they needed actors to improvise and the Eiffel Tower was

After a running debate throughout the play about the

replaced by a ladder” - Finbar Shanahan.

seriousness of the show and its acTORS, our Narrator, played by Millie Butler-Gallie, was finally forced to concede that the

“I think the play was really good and even though I didn’t

show was indeed a pantomime and not a play after all. (Oh no

understand bits of it, their actions meant that I could follow the

she wasn’t! Oh yes she was..!)

plot. The play was funny, especially when people from Saint Ronan’s got asked to say something.” - Tia Curtis.

With an imaginative musical accompaniment composed by Mr Witham and performed by the pupils, with musical references

“I thought this play was good but the vocabulary was a bit too

ranging from ‘Star Wars’ to ‘Rocky’, the show went with a

stretched for me. I did learn some new words and it was a

swing. Many thanks to Mr Clarke and to Ritchie for doing

good experience.” - Allana Russell.

sound and lights; to Karen Stickney and her team of parent helpers for painting the set; to the front of house and backstage teams and to Emma Morrell for the costumes.

Precision cutting by laser in the Design and Technology dept Just before the term ended Mr Bennett took delivery of the latest device to equip the Deisgn and Technology department. The laser cutter can cut or engrave plastics, wood, fabrics, metals and other materials with a precision measured in microns. First, a design is created on computer and then it is transferred to the cutter, into which the material is laid, after which the laser gets to work. Mrs Stickney in the Art Department is also keen to try out the machine, particularly making use of its fabric cutting abilities. She was also taken with the acryllic off-cuts which, to the rest of us, were waste, but to Mrs Stickney were art in the making!

Forging new relationships in the Community Class 3 have been at the forefront of our community programme this term. After the closure of Bowles Lodge we instigated new relationships with four charities in the village, delivering Harvest Festival goods and socialising with the elderly residents. Two of these establishments were so impressed by our children that we were invited back to do some carol singing. From here we will forge strong relationships. Boys from Class 3 were also involved in planting 100 trees for the Woodland Trust on land just outside Cranbrook. Eighteen pupils from Sandhurst Primary continue to join us for Games on a Friday and now also benefit from Mr Bennett’s teaching and his DT workshop. Pupils on both sides gain a

guidance of the Student Council, and raised over £1500 for

great deal from this interaction.

Children in Need, International Animal Rescue, RNLI, the Blue

Financially we have supported many charities, through the

Cross and the Royal British Legion.

Two new litters arrive during the Autumn The farm continues to thrive and we saw the birth of two litters of piglets in early Autumn. Over the Summer holidays we acquired a supply of overalls and boots, new hand-wash basins, tonnes of hard-core (laid down to prevent last year’s winter bog!) and a pond for the ducks. We built a larger chicken coop, financed with money raised by the farmers themselves. Once again the sale of Saint Ronan’s pork in September was a great success, with demand outstripping supply and many comments about our free-range pork being of the highest quality and taste. As ever the children have got stuck in to the daily routine and I

Looking forwards to next term, I hope that we will have more

was impressed by the way our young farmers passed on their

pork for sale if the weaners have not been sold. We will also

enthusiasm and knowledge to classes from the Pre-Prep.

look at taking on some pregnant ewes and a beehive or two!

Autumn Term Prizes Senior Prefects Head Prefect

F. Plugge

Second Prefect

H. Eva

1925 Cup for most improved

E. Wilmoth

Half Colours

J. Curtis, A. Bunting, T. Gadd, H. Roberts, J. McDonald, Z. Barker, Z. Thompson,

House Captains Bicton

A. Russell

Pembroke

J. Pryke

Selden

E. Dawlings

Tongswood

J. Hamilton

Headmaster’s Special Prizes E. De Winton, E. Moug, C. Redmayne, H. Cage, D. Willson Term’s Effort

N. Easton Full Colours

A. Butler-Gallie, O. Miles, J. Pryke, W. Honychurch

Hockey Prizes St John Cup for best U13

C. Chatterton

Most improved U13

G. Crawley, H. Eva

U11 player of the season

D. Holden-Crauford

Most improved U11 player

I. Bolton-Ferrett

Half Colours

F. Black, C. Chatterton,

Remove

H. Pearson

Upper

M. King

E. Dawlings, S. Knatchbull,

Midway

A. Hsuan

I. Macdonald

Shell

I. Black

Class 4

T. Tweedie

Class 3

G. Bartleet, E. Marsh

Full Colours

T. Curtis, H. Eva, E. Freeman

Cross Country Prizes Half Colours

S. Lund, O. Chatterton, M. Shaw, M. Dale

Exams - Best Average Remove

A. Butler-Gallie

Upper

A. Butler-Gallie

Midway

Z. Thompson

Shell

J. Hamilton

Class 4

T. Tweedie

School Prizes School Colours

E. Freeman

Harris Cup

L. Goodacre

Roxburgh Prize

H. Pearson

Music & Perfoming Arts Prizes

Full Colours

H. Eva, F. Plugge, O. Miles, A. Wooff

House and Form Prizes Senior Form

Upper DB

Junior Form

3 RB

House Cup

Pembroke

Bicton Prize

A. Russell

Pembroke Prize

A. Butler-Gallie

Selden Prize

F. Joarder-White

Tongswood Prize

H. Pearson

Sight Reading

M. Shaw, O. Macdonald

Remove GV

G. Kennedy

Acting Cup

W. Booth-Clibborn

Remove KK

E. Freeman

Public Speaking

A. Russell

Upper DB

H. Trelawny-Vernon

Saint Ronan’s Music Scholars

F. Campbell-Wilson,

Upper BC

M. King

P. Prince, C. Chatterton

Upper LL

W. Honychurch

Midway PG

E. Sayers

Midway IP

J. Verschuur

Shell VC

I. Black

Shell RH

O. De Winton

Shell SC

J. Dale

4 RVS

H. Whiteley

J. Pryke

4 EM

M. Sanderson

Fielding Cup for most improved O. Dent

4 AW

M. Spence

U11 Player of the Season

3 RB

F. Neill

Miscellaneous Prizes Classroom Decoration

4 AW, Upper DB

Campbell-Longley Prize

H. Franklin, M. Dale

General Knowledge

Bicton

Football Prizes Weston Cup for best 1st XI

Z. Barker

Green Team claim Eco-Schools Bronze and Silver! The Green Team has been hard at work this term finding ways to improve the school and the daily routine to make us more environmentally friendly. So far we have had the help of the whole school to make this work. We achieved Bronze status by doing the following things: Continuing to promote the use of the school minibus service. Installing a weather monitoring system. Developing the use of the farm and making a pleasant home

The following activities helped us earn Silver status :

for our animals.

Buying water hippos for use in our toilets to save water.

Clearing the pond and building a viewing deck.

Encouraging the recycling of every material where possible.

Having our bins around the grounds emptied regularly.

Taking part in the big switch off in November.

Having a healthy alternative at lunch.

Performing assemblies to inform pupils and staff.

Having a whole school competition to come up with a motto to help us be more environmentally friendly.

We are now working towards our next goal: to achieve Green status!

Boarders say Goodbye Tilly, Hello Holly

What a magical Feast!

With heavy hearts we had to say good bye to Tilly Randle as she headed back to Zimbabwe for Christmas before going to university in South Africa. However we are delighted to welcome Holly Kerr back to school and are delighted that she is helping out with the boarding along with ‘Me Julie’. Here is her 10 second interview: Magnum or Solero Sun or snow The traditional Christmas Feast in the Great Space was

Slippers or Flip flops

another night to remember. About 300 were seated for a Thriller or Romance One Direction or Little Mix

spectacular formal dinner with crackers, jokes, turkey…and Holly models the new Saint Ronan’s umbrella

chocolate gateau instead of Christmas pudding. After the meal we were all entertained by the most amazing

Tea or Coffee

magician, Maximilian Somerset, of Sorcerer’s Apprentice Lions or Tigers

fame! Emma Marsh managed to “create” a live goldfish from a her drawing of one and Jaz Macdonald’s playing card

Skyfall or Casino Royal

appeared on the foot of a chicken which miraculously Wizard of Oz or Joseph

appeared out of a sealed bag. Incredible.

Daffodils or Roses

To finish, the children enjoyed Ronan’s Style, a skit on Holly in 2007!

Gangnam. The less said the better!!

Images from the Art Department

The theme in the Art Department this term has been ‘Winter’. Techniques we’ve used have included ceramics, water colours, needle felting and mosaics. These artworks, clockwise from top left, are by: Annabelle Taylor, Harry TV, 3RB, Henry Jones.

Mountain Biking Club

The new mountain biking club is creating many new trails through Tongswood. Each week they meet with Mr Bright and Phil from Quench Cycles in Bedgebury to test their skills.

A day of languages We celebrated languages from across the world on Wednesday 26th of September.

Millionaire’ language quiz. During morning break the children wearing special badges had to teach numbers or songs in their second language to any willing learner (prizes increased the incentive!)

Year 4 started the assembly by singing a South African song that Mrs. Hill‘s grandma had sung. Shell SC exchanged greetings in 15 different languages and Class 3 sang songs from around the world.

We had a selection of Mandarin with Hannah Bluck, Swedish with Sabina Macneish, Dutch with Juliette Vershuur, German with Anik Moore, French songs with Jamie and Caspar Cubitt and Louis Carnell, and Japanese numbers with Hannah

At the end everyone participated in our ‘Who Wants To Be A

Pearson.

Nursery and Pre-Prep celebrate the Nativity ‘Christmas can’t begin until you have watched children

‘It’s a party’ ended with a rousing celebration, accompanied by

perform a Nativity,’ commented a delighted grandparent

Viktor Van Den Berghe on the drum once the flock of beautiful

leaving the Great Space on the last day of term.

angels had handed out invitations to all the guests. The sheep

The children in the Nursery and Reception had just performed ‘Robin’s Christmas Sing-a-Long’ in which Suriya Ramyead excelled as the robin. She hopped around meeting carol singers dressed in the colours of the rainbow, a marching band playing their instruments, twinkling stars, Father Christmas with his rotund reindeers and finally Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. If that was not enough to usher in the spirit of Christmas, the School Brass band played carols whilst the scenery changed and on came the performers from Years

arrived wearing headphones because the shepherds snored! The kings bought gifts and looked splendid and regal throughout. Mary (Rosie Stickney) had the most terrible backache from travelling on the donkey (Sebastian Clarke) and Joseph (Tom Hall) recovered from the shock of becoming a father in time to knock on all the inn doors whilst the cheeky innkeepers, led by Joseph Fuller, performed a line dance! The audiences’ applause at the end confirmed their delight and enjoyment as they left the school full of Christmas cheer.

1 and 2 with their interpretation of the Nativity.

Obituaries It is with much sadness that we report the death of Major David Archibald, OR 1935-41. We were reminded recently Major Archibald landed his small yacht on the island of North Rona in 1997 when he was cruising off the Outer Hebrides. He took several photos of the Chapels or cells that Saint Ronan built for himself and his sister and, in doing so, surprised a pair of nesting fulmars! Landing on the island is extremely difficult and the Headmaster awarded Major Archibald his school colours tie

The island of North Rona

for seamanship and gallantry. Our thoughts are with Major Archibaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife and family.

William Handford, who has died aged 78, was an old boy of Saint Ronanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School as well as of Lancing College. A chartered surveyor by trade, who spent his entire career with the same firm, William was also a keen carpenter, boat lover and regular churchgoer. Born in Shoreham, Sussex, William was the one of four children and the only boy. After Lancing College he served in the army as a National Serviceman and was posted to Hong Kong, a formative experience. After leaving the army, William joined the firm Rumball and Edwards (still flourishing now as Rumball Sedgwick), a surveying firm and estate agency. He himself qualified as a chartered surveyor. He met Judith and they married. They had two sons, Matthew and then Richard. William became a partner in the firm and eventually the guiding light of the business where he worked for several decades. And then, sadly and prematurely, Judith died in June 1995. This was a massive and unexpected blow that hit William hard

William Handford

after so many years of marriage. In business, as in his personal life, William was always polite and sometimes reserved; in many ways an old-fashioned,

Keeping in Touch

archetypal English gentleman. William met and married Ruth. Having retired, he spent happy times with her getting to know her family and friends. They

Please e-mail any Old Ronian news or changes of address to

both enjoyed travelling and often went to the Dales, which William loved. He is survived by Ruth, as well as Matthew and Richard.

alumni@saintronans.co.uk

Notable Alumni: Airey Neave, DSO, OBE, MC The war hero and conservative politician Airey Neave was born on 23rd January 1916 and attended Saint Ronan’s from 1924-29 before progressing to Eton and Oxford. He saw active service in WWII with the Royal Artillery but was wounded and captured near Calais on the retreat to Dunkirk in May 1940. In May 1942, after several escape attempts, he was transferred to Oflag IV-C, the officer-only POW Camp at the notorious Colditz Castle. In June 1942 he escaped and is famed for being the first British officer to have made a ‘home run’ from Colditz. After the war he went into politics and was elected a conservative MP in 1950. He supported Margeret Thatcher’s challenge to Edward Heath as the party leader in 1975 and was later appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He was assasinated by a car bomb on 30th March 1979, shortly before Margaret Thatcher was elected as the country’s first female Prime Minister. His murder shocked the nation and the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh both

Airey Neave

attended his funeral.

Saint Ronan’s Roll of Honour published online

Service of Remembrance for Harris brothers to be held

A complete list of old boys killed in either the Boer War or the

The Harris brothers, Stanley and Walter (Dick), who died in

two World Wars is now published on the Alumni pages of the

1926 and 1957 respectively, are buried in the churchyard of All

school’s website and form the start of a digital archive.

Saints Tilbury, near Farnham in Surrey. Following recent reunions of the older generation of alumni at The Tower of

A total of one hundred and thirty old boys saw active service in the First World War. Thirty of these were killed (a proportion of just under 1 in 4). Twenty five were awarded military distinctions; a list which included seven DSOs and ten MCs.

London and at Bicton Park in Devon, arrangements have been made to hold a brief Service of Remembrance for these two outstanding Headmasters at 11:30am on Wednesday 20th March in the church at Tilford. It will be led by Henry Stapleton

We do not have a full list of the number who fought in the

and will be followed by lunch in a private room at the nearby

Second World War, however forty were known to have been

Mill at Elstead; a delightful former water mill with ample

killed. A total of eighty one distinctions were won, of which

parking.

there were fifteen DSOs, thirteen MCs, & seven DFCs.

All members of the Harris family will be warmly welcome, as

This is a remarkable record of service, of which we are justly

will former staff and alumni and their wives. The occasion will

proud.

be administered by Gospatric Home whose telephone number is 01494 488 268 and whose email is gos@lilyfarm.co.uk. Full information, directions and cost of the lunch will be emailed to as many alumni and relatives as possible in advance. Do contact Gos directly if you are interested.

Sport Saint Ronan’s Cross Country Report

Harriet and Freya race into third place at IAPS Regatta

Miss Bennett ran the Cross Country this year again and her endless enthusiasm and bounce rubbed off on the children, who trained hard and were rewarded with some good team and individual performances. The first race of the season saw the junior runners head off to Dulwich Prep. In a packed afternoon of racing, Lily Stuart (Year 3) came 3rd, Rebecca Redmayne (Year 2) came 7th and Archie MacLeod (Year 3) came 8th, thus setting the standard for the season ahead. The Brenchley Relay, hosted once again at Saint Ronan’s, saw both the girls and boys teams finish in 5th place before heading off to the Thomas Trophy at Sevenoaks Prep. Our top runners were Daisy Dent (Year 4) who came 9th; Wilf

Harriet and Freya with the Saint Ronan’s ensign

Wyatt (Year 4) who came 8th; Archie Butler-Gallie (Year 7) who came 7th and Hannah Eva (Year 8) who came 4th. The

Harriet and I missed a day of school to go to Oxford to take

team of the day were the U9 girls, who came 3rd out of eleven

part in the IAPS Inland Sailing Regatta at the beginning of

teams.

November. We had to sail a Pico for this event. We had only

Hannah Eva then followed up this impressive run by winning

sailed one of these once before and had not raced together.

the Dobson Trophy at Claremont Prep. We had an impressive

We raced two races before lunch and were in second place

amount of runners in the top ten (eleven in total); but this may

overall. In the afternoon the wind dropped off and in the last

have been helped by the fact that three schools could not

race there was one point between 2nd and 3rd places.

attend because of traffic problems!

Unfortunately we were beaten and came 3rd overall. We were still really happy about our result and we also got the prize for

The final race of the season was organised by Sevenoaks

the 1st Girls.

School at Knowle Park for the U13s. In the Girls race, 218 runners started, making up 46 teams. Hannah Eva was again

By Freya Black

on top form and she managed to finish in a very impressive

Following her success winning the English Nationals for the

5th place. The rest of the girls fought their way around a

South East Team (and coming first in her class), Freya is

tough course and the team finished 17th. The Boys race was

representing Great Britain in the Ireland Nationals next year.

equally impressive, with 272 runners and 59 teams. With a

Well done!

team hit by injury, Archie Butler-Gaille ran superbly to finish in an impressive 29th place. Miss Bennett was delighted with the performances of the other runners and the team finished in a very respectable 30th place. Well done to all the runners representing the School this term.

Don’t Forget... Weekly match reports for the teams are posted on the Extranet.

Sport Saint Ronanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Hockey season ends on a high

A and B netball teams matched

Twenty nine hockey matches were played in the first half of

The U9A and B teams both had impressive seasons and

the term and although only eight victories were achieved, the

statistics were identical, with each achieving six wins and a

girls saw each match as a new challenge. By the end of the

draw out of their eight matches. They only lost one match,

short season, it all came together when five out of the six

each time by just one goal. All sixteen girls have worked very

teams won their final fixture against Claremont.

hard and with great enthusiasm throughout the term and should be very pleased with their performances. Well done to

Charlie Chatterton deserves congratulations for being nominated as Player of the Season and Millie Butler-Gallie for

Emily Cooper and Lily Simpson who were Players of the Season.

being the only girl to score a hat-trick. One of the highlights was the coaching day at Eastbourne College when our U12

The U8A team have had an excellent first term, scoring 27

1st squad enjoyed a day of intensive training, followed by a

goals and conceding 17 in their seven matches; with three

mini-tournament against the other Kent and Sussex schools

wins, one draw and three losses. The defeats were

present.

tantalisingly close and by just a single goal! Player of the Season for the U8A team was Grace Easton.

Notable players for the U11 teams were Ella Hayden-Tubbs (who captained the A team) and Daisy Holden-Crauford, the

The U9C/U8B combination enjoyed seven matches and

most tenacious player for the U11s this season.

although goals and victories were elusive, much fun was had competing against other schools.

The term finished with the hugely enjoyable Interhouse tournaments. Bicton emerged as winners of the Middles and

The Junior Interhouse Netball Tournament was won by Bicton.

Pembroke deservedly won the Seniors.

Sport Saint Ronan’s

The Colts As

Colts teams enjoy a successful season The results from the Colts teams have dominated football talk at Saint Ronan’s this season. The Cavaliers and Dragons both won all their matches, many in real style because their exciting attacking football resulted in plenty of goals. The Colts A and Buccaneers were equally impressive and it was the manner in which all the teams played that pleased the coaches. All players tried to get the ball down and to play simple football, passing and moving; an approach which will benefit them enormously as they get older. The senior teams found it a little more difficult against some The First XI

good opposition. In the 1st XI Jamie Pryke, Oscar Miles and Archie Butler-Gallie deserve a special mention, working Team

Played

Won

Drew

Lost

Colts A

Colts B

At the other end of the school, the U9 and U8 pupils tried to

Colts C

mirror the style of play at Colts level. This led to some exciting

Colts D

matches with some well-worked goals.

Colts E

Colts F

tirelessly to win the ball and to create scoring opportunities. Will Honychurch grew in confidence, leading the forward line, and scored some good goals.