The Ronian issue 61 autumn 2015 by Saint Ronan's School

The Ronian ISSUE 61 - Autumn 2015

Inside:

Nativities • Michaelmas Concert • House Shout • Alumni

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

The Headmaster writes...

Despite the storms, Autumn 2015 has been a good term for Saint Ronan’s. The new children and staff have settled in quickly and the weeks found their rhythm before we knew it. ‘Perseverance’ has been the theme this term. The children, athletes, musicians, artists, fund-raisers, parent helpers, dancers, actors, engineers, gardeners, farmers, fencers, cooks, cleaners, governors and teachers have all shown ‘stickability’, producing much to make us proud. 2015 saw many improvements: the arrival of the fibre-optic link, the first full season on the Astro, the re-surfacing and enlargement of the car parks, the Hobbit House, restoration work to the mansion and the arrival of Boris the Landrover. Looking forward on our wish-list for development is the restoration of the Long Drawing Room, which will become a ‘state of the art’ Library. We will relocate Art to the Powerhouse, to sit alongside DT. This will link the two departments and give both more room. Science will also be able to expand into the current Art Room, creating a Junior Science Lab. We are also looking at woodland classrooms, to develop our ‘eco’ status and replace the ones given up to accommodate the new Library. We are running waiting lists in almost every year group for September 2016. This is an enviable position to be in and a measure of the progress made in recent years. This demand will allow us to consolidate our position as the Prep School of choice in the Weald and to invest in the exciting future of this magical place. I am constantly reminded how lucky we are. We have a talented and committed Common Room and our new staff have all already made positive contributions. The children are happy, busy and enthused, and this is regularly commented on by visitors. Thanks to you, too, for baking cakes, making goodies, brewing mulled wine, manning stalls, stuffing envelopes and making costumes for your children. We understand how important the task is that you have assigned to us; thank you for making it so pleasurable! The Carol Service at St George’s Benenden was a fitting way to bring the term to a close. Emma and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. William Trelawny-Vernon, Headmaster

Liv, Alice and Ruby were the winn

In this issue...

Saint Ronan’s at Christmas, by Ollie de Winton

Showing Perserverence

Upper History trip to Battle Abbey

Next Steps

House Shout

Eastbourne Public Speaking

Superheroes raise money for charity

Travelling across Europe at Michaelmas

This term in Tongswood

Class 3 at Biddenden Vineyard

Great vibe at inaugural Jazz Day

Pre-Prep Science Day

Pedigree cattle return to Tongswood

An Old Ronian writes...

Autumn Term lectures

King’s Strings Day

Armistice Day: Remembering Old Ronians

Grandparents’ Tea

Father Iori: visiting Chaplain

Lively Nativities

Benenden Model United Nations

Prizes

Sport

18-20

Coming up... Next Term

ers of the X Factor competition

Term begins

7th January

FOR meeting

12th January

Class 4 French Tea at the George, Rye

19th January

Reception trip to Pizza Express

26th January

Shell trip to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

26th January

Naples information evening

26th January

Prep School Jazz Concert

29th January

Year 1 trip to Hawkhurst

1st Feburary

FOR Burns Night

6th February

Half term begins

12th February

Half term ends

22nd February

FOR meeting

23rd February

Eastbourne Strings Day Year 2 trip to Bodiam Castle

2nd March

FOR Quiz Night

4th March

The Brodie Shield

5th March

Prep School Parents E-Safety talk

8th March

‘Into the Woods’

The Feast also featured some staff Ex Facto

1st March

16th, 17th March

Midway trip to Rochester & Chatham

18th March

NPP Easter Bonnet Parade

24th March

Term ends

24th March

rs...!

Showing PERSERVERANCE

Upper History: field trip to Battle Abbey Anticipating that a trip to “where it all happened” would be helpful in their studies, all of Upper visited Battle Abbey, the

Our Character Trait for the term

site of the Battle of Hastings. The museum was the first stop. The replicas of Norman and Saxon armour, swords, axes and bows impressed us. Their weight, awkwardness and probable ineffectiveness, especially the Saxons shields – deemed too short for real protection – all fascinated. A games-style display of the campaigns and route marches in 1066 gave a good impression of the distances that Harold marched with his men to deal, first, with Tostig and Hardrada in Yorkshire and, then, back again for William in Sussex. The video, narrated by

In Forest School, Levi perservered for over 20 minutes...

Richard Starkey, is extremely good and worth the museum visit on its own. We then went on to Battle Abbey itself, into the hands of a monk of the Abbey (aka James Dennett, Battle Abbey School’s Registrar). The history of the building and some impressive art works interested the pupils but their energies were now flagging. Fortunately, the school had laid on a sumptuous mid-morning break session in the Library, which was much appreciated.

...to light a fire with a flint

During the last four terms at Saint Ronan’s we have been running an ‘Intellectual Character’ program. During a group meeting the staff came up with six character traits they thought were important for the pupils to develop, not only to help them become balanced young people but also to equip them for learning challenges at Saint Ronan’s and beyond. The traits we chose are Curiosity, Empathy, Awareness, Perseverance, Imagination and Co-operation. We finally went to oversee the battle site itself. Here, the true This term we focused on Perseverance, running testing

value of the trip was revealed. The relatively small size of the

challenges based on Eton scholarship questions (whose ex-

site, the not especially steep hill and the continued existence

head Tonly Little had much to say about developing character

of swamp and damp on what was the Norman left flank were

in his recent book). We encouraged those taking part to have

all clear to see. It really did become possible for the mind’s

a go and to keep going until they found a solution. If we can

eye to visualise the battle on the very terrain where it was

instil this trait it in our pupils, it will serve them well throughout

fought.

their lives. In the Spring we turn our attention to Imagination.......

The children who attended Drama After School Club with Chrissie Yates this term proudly performed a scene from Peter Pan.

Eleven Senior School visit for Next Steps

OR ‘Wet Bobs’ It was a good year on the water for Old Ronians this year. Alex Lindsay stroked the Eton VIII at Henley, represented GB at the Junior World Champs in Rio and won a rowing scholarship to Yale. Also at Henley were Robbie Boswell, who captained the Winchester

Our Next Steps Afternoon was held in the Great Space before the Fireworks display. We tend to hold such events every other year and were fortunate this year to have a number of senior representatives (including three Headmasters) from a range of good schools, namely: Battle Abbey, Benenden, Cranbrook, Eastbourne, Eton, Harrow, King’s Canterbury, Lancing, Mayfield, Sevenoaks, Sutton Valence and Tonbridge. It started at 3pm and finished with a flourish as the first fireworks went off on Bonfire Night at 6pm.

VIII, and Tommie TV who

We were delighted that so many parents attended and, without exception, the representatives

rowed at 7 in the King’s VIII.

of the schools said how much they had enjoyed meeting Saint Ronan’s parents.

Robbie and Tommie were later selected for England

Mr TV is very keen to see any Year 5 parents he hasn’t already seen to discuss Next Steps. Please do book an appointment via Amanda early in the New Year.

and raced In the IV- (Tommie) and IV+ (Robbie) and together in the VIII at the Home Countries, in late July in a very wet Scotland.

A very Gallic House Shout

Eastbourne Public Speaking This competition involved several schools in the area, each of which fielded two teams. The children were tasked with choosing their own themes (as a team) and preparing speeches. Our Midway teams chose the wonderfully diverse subjects of ‘Worries’ (Allegra Woods, Bea Martin and Grace Easton) and ‘James Bond’ (Alice Wormington, Caitlin Milborne and Miles Peacock).

The first half of term ended with the rousing strains of the House Shout: under the guidance of our genial host, Mr Fox,

The competition was held in Eastbourne

each house presented a programme consisting of a song, a

College’s stunning auditorium which

hymn and a solo item. The song theme of ‘Europe’ did not, in

provided a very impressive setting for the

the end, take us very far from the mouth of the channel tunnel

children’s speeches.

and there was consequently a distinctly Gallic flavour to the programme, ranging from the urbane sophistication of Charles Trenet to the rebellious vigour of Les Miserables, encompassing Edith Piaf’s heart-rending regrets and the trilingual complexities of ‘Seven Seconds’ en route.

Both or our teams acquitted themselves extremely well and were commended by the judges for their confident delivery and interesting subject matter. Miles won an award for a particularly well-constructed

The solo items, beautifully presented by Luc Doane, Felix

concluding speech. Credit too to Caitlin

Connell, Joe Dale and Miles Peacock, were all exceptional,

whose impersonation of George Lazenby’s

presenting a real challenge for the adjudicator Nicholas

James Bond almost brought the house

Castell, director of music of Walthamstow Hall School.

down!

In the end the silverware went to Tongswood for a very

It was a terrific event and a valuable

polished and energetic presentation, but with so much hard

experience for all our brave competitors.

work, enthusiasm and musicality on display from all houses, it was a very close call.

Superheroes raise funds for Charities Having raised over £10,000 for charity last year, the pressure is on to raise as much or more this year! Fundraising started with the Autumn Fayre, a slightly soggy occasion, but in classic Saint Ronan’s style the plans were thrown out of the window and stalls popped up on every inch of available tarmac! We raised a total of £1973 that morning (approximately £1 every 4 seconds)! The Student Council asked for this money to be donated to Macmillian, the Royal Marsden and Celia’s Children, a small South African charity supporting fostered children. from a brigade of Iron Men to a company of Wonder Women, Later in the term saw Children in Need, with a cake sale and

and they raised £940 in total. Thanks to everyone's generosity,

dressing up as a ‘superhero’. The children didn’t disappoint,

we are now well on our way to matching last year’s total.

The term in... TONGSWOOD Each house takes a turn to showcase what they’ve been up during the course of a term. The House Shout competition formed the focus of the early part of term. Friday afternoons were spent practising our songs and enjoying lollies in the sunshine outside. We chose, ‘Do you hear the people sing?’ from ‘Les Miserables’ as our European-inspired song. ‘I vow to thee my country’ proved to be a great choice as our hymn, especially as our rehearsals

Travelling across Europe at Michaelmas

overlapped with the Rugby World Cup, and we heard a number of renditions in stadiums around the U.K. Our congratulations go to House

The Michaelmas Concert took place on Friday 13th November

captain Luc Doane, who

to a packed audience of pupils, parents and guests. The Saint

performed ‘Pie Jesu’ requiem’

Ronan’s Orchestra presented three contrasting items,

for our solo entry. It was a

beginning with Jean Joseph Mouret’s Fanfare-Rondeau; the

superb performance and

orchestra captured most effectively the style and splendour of

enjoyed by all. The standard

the Ancien Regime with their attention to the subtle twists of

of the competition was

melody and dynamics in the music. From eighteenth-century

extremely high and the

Paris we travelled to nineteenth-century Vienna, and given

adjudicator praised all the Houses on a fantastic job. However

that the splendour of the Great Space has about it more than

it was Tongswood that came out top! What a great start to the

a hint of the Musikverein, that great Viennese concert hall, for

year.

a moment we were transported to a glittering masked ball through the music of the famous Emperor Waltz by Johann Strauss the Younger. The final item from the orchestra was an arrangement of Good King Wenceslas, in which the audience

House assemblies gave us the chance to explore themes of perseverance and friendship and we learnt never to give up and to always be kind. We also met the new Class 3 Tongswood members and they fitted in straight away.

took up the roles of the eponymous king and his page by singing along in fine style.

There have been many impressive accomplishments this term: Rosie Honychurch was selected for the Kent County

The Intermediate Strings, bedecked in golden crowns under the direction of Jane Dawson, played a very polished Fanfare by Corrette, and the Senior Strings, directed by Sophie Williamson, conjured up the heat and sunshine of Mexico with a spirited performance of some Mariachi music. As if this

Choir, Arthur Braxton was awarded his green belt in judo, Harry Morrell was top goal-scorer for the Colts football side and Chloe Lee represented Team GB at the Canicross European Championships in Scotland (to mention a few)! What a diverse and talented group we have in Tongswood.

wasn’t enough, the newly-formed and Santa be-hatted Jazz Band made its concert debut with a foot-tapping rendition of

In school, Alex Peck and Angus Hay top-scored with 20 shows

the theme tune to the BBC Film Programme. For such young

each and this should encourage all our members to improve in

children to achieve such an impressive standard in so few

this field next term.

weeks of a new school year is a marvellous testament to the hard work put in by them and by their dedicated team of

Mr Gibbon, Head of Tongswood.

instrumental teachers – Bravo!

Class 3 at Biddenden Vineyard

Great vibe at inaugural Jazz day

On Tuesday 3rd November, Class 3 went to Biddenden Vineyards. We went on a minibus and on the minibus there was a lot of noise. When we got there we met a man called Malcolm. He gave a fantastic tour around, then he told us a little bit of history. In 1953 they had amazing apple trees but sadly there was an incredibly big hurricane and it blew down all the apple trees so they decided to get rid of all of them. They didn’t grow them again because they had done too much work anyway. In 1969 they started the vineyard and they did more work than they had done before.

The very foundations of the Great Space trembled as the massed bands of Holmewood House, Dulwich College Prep and Saint Ronan’s joined forces for our inaugural Jazz Day on October 1st. Some forty children assembled for a day of intense rehearsing – punctuated by plenty of eating, drinking and fresh air in the Forest School – leading to a concert at the end of the afternoon. The first tentative read-through of the four numbers rapidly evolved into an ever more confident and stylish rendition as the day progressed, thanks in no small part to the expert attentions of Steve Hollamby, Rob Leake and Adam Tanner from Saint Ronan’s music department, who led sectionals for brass, woodwind and the rhythm section. Next we had a look at the grape trees. They looked like soldiers marching in a parade. Malcolm told us that the grapes could break your back teeth. If rabbits have leftover food in their mouths, they nibble the bottom of the trees. It is like a toothbrush to them. Then Malcolm showed us the apple press. It squashed the

The concert was attended by a large and supportive audience, whose toes could not resist tapping to classics such as ‘Run Rabbit Run’, ‘I’ve been working on the railroad’ and ‘I wish I knew how it felt to be free’. The children did a magnificent job in absorbing so much music so well in such a short time marvellous!

apples and turned them into pulp and apple juice. All the skins of the apples are given to pigs and cows. Then you put bottles on a conveyor belt and the juice got put in and then they got labelled. After that, Malcolm showed us some wine and apple juice and they were in vats. Finally Malcolm showed us the tasting room and we tasted Early Windsor and Cox and Bramley and pear juice. Then we went back to school and wrote about it. By Ned Taggart and Alex Peck.

Don’t forget to keep up to date with all the goings on at school through our social media chanels. Both our Facebook pages and Twitter feed have proved extremely popular since their launch last Spring. We’re now working on a new website which will integrate more closely with our social content.

/saintronans

@saintronans

Shining a light on Science: Pre-Prep Science Day This year's Science day had the theme of ‘Light’. As ever, various classes from the Prep School helped the Science Team deliver sessions to the Pre-Prep, including looking at and trying to make stained glass windows; measuring the light intensity in different places in the grounds; looking at objects through different filters; chromatography and universal indicator. We also invited a visiting scientist to demonstrate how different materials burn. This was timed well for Bonfire night: the children put various materials into the Bunsen burner flame and were excited to see different coloured sparks. They were all closely supervised and wore goggles but nevertheless had great fun. What shall we think of for next year?

Pedigree Cattle return to Tongswood

Charles Gunther of Oxo fame owned the Tongswood Estate

Lancashire in 1911. The painting (above left) was produced by

from 1903 until his death in 1932. The family finally sold up in

Charles Gunther’s late grandson, also called Charles, and was

1945 and the house was bought by the third Headmaster, WB

taken from a black and white slide which had been gifted to

Harris, as a new site for Saint Ronan’s. Mr Gunther bred

the School’s archives.

pedigree bulls on the estate which were shipped to Argentina to improve the quality of the cattle.

Over a hundred years later, pedigree cattle have returned to graze the Tongswood pastures - in the form of Fred and

‘Tongswood Bampton’ is a pedigree beef shorthorn from the

Wilma!

Tongswood herd. It won the Derby Bull Cup at the Bury Show,

An Old Ronian writes...

Autumn term lectures

My name is Louisa Bulow and I am a former Head Girl of Saint

This term we had three school lectures during the Friday

Ronan's (Spring Term 2009).

evening gathering. Back when we approached the event with optimism, the fraternal team of Peter and Chris Pyemont gave

I would like to share the story of how Saint Ronan's helped me begin the journey I am on.

a talk on the Rugby World Cup. This not only covered the sporting side of the event, but also showed how sport can be a

What I have achieved since leaving Saint Ronan's makes me

strong unifying force in society by examining the effect of the

very proud. The school and the people there who helped me

event on South Africa as they rejoined the wider sporting

become the person I am will always have a special place in

world.

my heart.

David Force then gave us a fascinating talk on medieval and

In the past few years I have

renaissance instruments, not only talking us through their

taken on many challenges,

development (and how their quite amazing designs worked)

such as climbing through

but also demonstrating them so well that we were transported

mountains in Morocco,

back to the time of their use.

volunteering in Thailand, working regularly at a local special needs Sixth Form and finally becoming Head of House and Deputy Head Girl at St

Finally Jo Questier from the Dog’s Trust visited us, with her furry friend Paddy the puppy, and gave an afternoon of workshops, first to small groups of Classes 3 and 4 and then to the whole School. These covered responsible dog ownership and safety around dogs.

Leonards Mayfield School. I genuinely feel that I would not have taken on any of these challenges had it not been for the encouragement and

King’s Strings Day

guidance of Saint Ronan's. It gave me the drive I have to take on new challenges, stemming from one of the greatest days of my life – the Brodie Shield. I am the first and only girl ever to have won the Brodie Shield and of course this is something I say with enormous pride. However I believe this is something that can and, I hope will, be done again! I will never forget the feeling I had that day and it has made me try and reach the same height in everything I do! I'm now taking on my biggest challenge yet - The Inca Trek. This August I will travel to Peru for two weeks to climb Machu Pichu in aid of the Epilepsy Society (a charity that means a lot to me). My aim is to raise the huge sum of £3000 before I go and I need your help!

On 6th October the Senior Strings Ensemble headed off into the rising sun to enjoy a day of music at King’s Canterbury. There they joined forces with some six other schools to form a gigantic string orchestra, tackling works by Sibelius, John

Saint Ronan's is a massive family and like no other school I

Williams and Schubert. Ruairi Pringle found himself leading a

know of. So I ask if you would very kindly make a donation to

cello section the size of which could not be equalled by any

this amazing charity and help me to succeed by completing

London orchestra, and the overall impact of the ensemble in

the Inca Trek this summer for the Epilepsy Society!

the resonant acoustic of the Shirley Hall was most impressive. Despite all the top tips the children picked up during the day,

I am extremely grateful for your help! Thank you. https://www.justgiving.com/Louisa-Bulow

one suspects that it was the lunchtime demonstration by Bellatrix, champion beatboxer extraordinaire, that made the greatest impression!

Armistice Day Service: Remembering Old Ronians

In the Chapel courtyard we have a bench with a plaque that

yard between the two. Ten yards from the finish Skinner forced

reads:’ J.S. E.S.S. 1930-1936’. We have since discovered who

himself to the front and Jessiman seemed to waver, but in the

these people were: two brothers, John and Edward Skinner,

last five yards came again splendidly and they breasted the

both at Saint Ronan’s in the 1930s. John was the older,

tape dead together. It was a grand race and when one

winning the Shooting Prize in 1933 and gaining his colours for

remembers there was a stiff breeze against them for the 170

Football, as well as being well-liked and working hard. He

yards of the straight to be only two-fifths outside the record

went to Eton and then up to Oxford, where he was President

was a very fine performance.

of the Boat Club. By 1943 he was a Second Lieutenant in India, well-respected and able, but happened to be part of the force intercepting the Japanese in Burma when he was killed in action on 13th March 1945.

After Eton, Edward joined the Coldstream Guards. On 3rd September, the allies began the invasion of the Italian mainland from Sicily. Edward Skinner was killed in action, defending a post he was ordered to hold at all costs.

Edward Skinner, John’s younger brother, attended Saint Ronan’s from 1932 to 1936. He loved games but was not so keen on work. For example, in the St Ronan’s Magazine for April 1934, a quick summary of Form 1B’s progress states:

Mary Skinner was the young sister of these two brothers. When Edward ran in the dead-heat race, he was 11 and Mary was 9. She may be in the photo and was almost certainly in the crowd that sunny day. Only ten years later, her two older

‘1b were a good Class and, if the standard was not

brothers had died in action in World War II. Yet Mary herself

very high, worked well. O’Brien and Skinner, mi. were the

lived until 2001, for another 56 years. She must have thought

most disappointing and find it most difficult to keep going

of her brothers innumerable times, bitterly regretting the loss

steadily. The rest all did well.’

of their lives and the time she had not been able to spend with them.

Despite his supposed deficits, Edward went on to Eton. Before he left, he took part in a celebrated race on Sports Day.

Any death in war is a tragic loss – not only of the life itself but for everyone who knew the person. So, during the

220 Yards (Junior).—1, Jessiman and Skinner. Dead heat. Time 32 2/5 secs. This was a magnificent race.

Remembrance season, we come together to give thanks to those who gave up their lives for our freedom and peace.

Practically the whole way down the straight there was not a

Grandparents come to tea

Visiting Chaplain, Father Iori

Mr Force, Mr TV and Father Iori

This term we have been blessed by the arrival of Father Iori to take our Chapel Services. Father Iori is the husband of Mrs Price, the Headmistress of Benenden School. This is a busy role in itself but if you add to this his ‘day’ job as a serving Army Chaplain, it’s a wonder he has time to be our visiting Chaplain too. However he does, with much charm and We were delighted to welcome over 200 guests to the

enthusiasm.

Grandparents’ Tea. After being given a sticker to denote that

This term he has paced the Chapel in a Darth Vader helmet

they were VIGPs (Very Important Grand Parents) they were

and cape, telling us the story of Daniel, and defrosted a

given a tour of the School and traditional high tea when the

Neanderthal’s brain with the help of Mr TV in a pink apron. We

children waited on them with lovely cakes and sang to them.

have learned about being brave and standing up for the things

We even had a Kazoo choir from the Year 3 children.

you believe in; we remembered the Paris fatalities with lighted

An enormous thank you to Amanda and to Katie and her team for arranging the tea. Thank you also to Mrs Hill and Mr Force for bringing out the musical brilliance of the children. A tour de force!

candles and divided up the world’s resources between the nations. Above all, Father Iori’s message has been the importance of being kind to one another. Our Armistice Service was taken by Mr Synge and Ollie de Winton took a whole service on her favourite hymn, ‘Lord of the Dance’. Dr K talked about his poem, ‘Shooting Star’ and Mr Bryan gave a talk on the Wisdom of Solomon. Mr Clark,

Selden were the winners of the House Swimming Gala, held at the Weald Sports Centre.

Headmaster of Battle Abbey, gave an Evensong on the Rugby World Cup (accompanied by Luc Doane singing ‘World in Union’). The Chapel Choir has grown in size and sung beautifully, delighting Mr Force with its versatility and professionalism. Mrs Silverlock (Karen Stickney’s mother) is mending the ancient Armistice Altar Front and a busy band of helpers has made sure that the Chapel is spick and span. This term has been a fantastic team effort.

Lively Nativities! The N&PP children delighted us with two versions of the

Next up was the YearLis 1 and 2 classes performing Jesus’

Nativity. The Nursery and Reception classes performed a

Christmas Party. The innkeeper and his wife settled down to

delightful story about ‘Tinsel’, a Christmas tree fairy. Tinsel

sleep after a hectic day but a stream of visitors kept arriving,

gets the Frosties, Toys and Sandy Squirrel to help her

asking for Mary and Joseph. 'Round the back!' the innkeeper

decorate a beautiful but lonely fir tree. Inevitably someone

shouted, grumpily! Eventually, desperate for sleep, he went to

asks why we decorate things at Christmas and the story of the

see what all the fuss was about. But when he saw the

special baby boy is sung by the cast. As usual with our

newborn baby Jesus, the innkeeper softened and joined the

younger cast it is the funny ‘asides’ which make it endearing -

celebrations. Solo performances, group songs and brilliant

the unravelling of a toy’s skirt, a perpetually-spinning shepherd

acting provided lively entertainment for the end of term. Well

and a Frostie doing his own little sing-along.

done to the children and teachers in the Pre-Prep.

BMUNVIII This is not a new language we have started teaching at Saint Ronan’s, but an acronym for the 8th Benenden Model United Nations conference, an annual event in which pupils are UN delegates for a day and find out how the organisation works. This year we sent 6 pupils: Ollie Skeet, Caspar Cubitt and JP Shaw represented Argentina and Matilda Clarke, Fraser McConachie and Anik Moore Zimbabwe. After a short general assembly the pupils split up into committee, where they were on their own. All had to present their country’s position on the topic being debated and many took the floor in subsequent debates, asking searching questions and making interesting points.

The team came home with a host of accolades: Fraser was voted cutest delegate for the second year running, JP the hottest male delegate, Ollie the one most likely to be in the UN

Special mention must go to indefatigable debaters Ollie and

when grown up and Dr. k best dressed (!). Ollie’s debating

Fraser who kept their respective committees on their toes

was officially highly commended, which is fantastic at this

throughout, as well as JP, who wrote his own resolution.

level.

S. S. Harris (HM 1909-26)

W.B. Harris (HM 1926-58)

Stanley Harris (SSH) was born in July 1881 and, in 1909, at the age of just 28, acquired the (still quite small) school from the Reverend Crick. He did so with the financial assistance of his father and thus became the school’s second Headmaster.

Lord Davidson (OR 1943-48) emailed us this picture with a covering note saying that he'd 'just found this wonderful car, with Harry, my Father driving and my Grandfather (Sir James Makenzie Davidson, X-Ray pioneer). It must be about 1907, when he bought this 70HP Berliet which he then gave to the Red Cross and it spent the War behind the Italian Front with W.G. Grace

an X-Ray Unit. Looking at their caps, they must have been at Westminster at the time, rather than Pembroke. Probably

After coming down from Cambridge in 1904, SSH started his

taken either in the New Forest or Haddo in Aberdeenshire'.

teaching career at Saint Ronan’s. He continued to play amateur football for his club (Corinthian Casuals), and for

Harry can also be seen in the centre of this family group from

England, winning six full international caps and captaining the

the School's archives. His elder brother Stanley (Headmaster

side in 1906. He was also an accomplished cricketer and was

1909-26) is seated far right, alongside the small terrier.

asked (as an amateur) to captain Sussex but declined. He even played against the legendry W.G. Grace. Restoration work on family photograph albums reveal that Stanley was also a friend of A.A. Milne, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh. Alan Milne had been with SSH at Westminster and they had both gone up to Cambridge together. Undoubtedly SSH would have known AA Milne’s son, Christopher Robin. Stanley Harris died of skin cancer in 1926, leaving the school to his brother Dick, always known as ‘Harry’ to the boys.

WBH centre with cap; SSH far right with terrier

Headmasters give it both barrels

A remarkable feature of Saint Ronan’s is that all four

the Navy and joined the Army, retiring when he got married.

headmasters, since Dick Harris (3rd HM) died in 1958, had doubled-barrelled surnames. Some have quipped that it’s a prerequisite for the job! Recent family research by Dr Chabros, Dick and his brother Stanley Harris’ great-niece (Stanley was HM from 1909-1926; Dick from 1926-58) suggests that they too were double-barrelled (Poulett-Harris). So the quirky Saint Ronan’s tradition has been maintained for over a century! Dr Chabros takes up the story…. Charles was born in 1791, the son of John, 4th Earl Poulett (pronounced Pawlett) and John’s sister-in-law’s cousin, Sarah Harris. He was brought up by his kind and loving father and

He and his 16 year old Dutch American bride went on to have nine children, none of whom went to school. He educated them himself at home, evidently well, for his sons gained high honours at Cambridge and four of his children, including George (father of Sir Alexander Harris) went on to become Headmasters or Headmistresses of successful schools. We do not know his reasons for teaching them at home, but it seems certain that his chief concern was the cruelty prevalent in Victorian schools. He loved his children dearly and had seen too much brutality in the Navy to risk exposing them to it.

entered the Royal Navy as a midshipman at the tender age of

The young Sir Alexander hero-worshipped his colourful

12.

grandfather and it is clear from the way he brought up his own

At 14 he received his first command at the Battle of Trafalgar. So many prizes were taken that every officer had to take

children, including Stanley and Dick, that he shared his grandfather’s love and respect for children.

command of a ship, even including the midshipmen. However

Stanley’s vision of a cruelty-free school, which would simply

his ship was attached by Spanish privateers and was captured

be an extension of the child’s own home, thus has its roots in

after a fierce engagement.

the experiences of a child in the Napoleonic wars, though he

Charles spent the next year – the happiest of his life, he said – as a prisoner on parole in Spain, being made much of by the

must also have been influenced by the Christian ideals of his mentor, Mr Crick.

Spanish ladies, who were captivated by the handsome blonde

For the details of Charles’ life I am indebted to my cousin

child officer.

Roderick Cunningham.

In the Navy the midshipmen were kindly treated, and Charles

Krystyna M A Chabros

often dined at Lord Nelson’s table, but he was so appalled by

Great-granddaughter of Sir Alexander Harris

the brutality with which the officers treated the men that he left

November 2015

Autumn Term Prizes Senior Prefects

House and Form Prizes

Head Prefect

A. Clapp

Senior Form

Midway IP

Second Prefects

D. Gorman, C.Stewart

Junior Form

3 RF

House Cup

Pembroke

Heads of Houses Bicton

M. Clarke

Bicton Prize

C. Godden

Pembroke

J. Crombie

Pembroke Prize

A. Williams

Selden

E. Hastilow

Selden Prize

J. Jordan

Tongswood

O. Hancock

Tongswood Prize

R. Honychurch

School Appointments

Form Tutors’ Prizes

Captain of Boys’ Hockey

J. Crombie

Remove EG

B. Hall

Captain of Lacrosse

M. Clarke

Remove KK

D. Gorman

Remove PG

R. Faulkner

Upper DB

L. Hudson

Upper BC

C. Redmayne

Upper JG

J. Groom

Midway SC

A. Codd

Headmaster’s Special Prizes H. Carnell, R. Campbell, J. Fuller, H. Gutteridge, Ben Bonner-Davies, E. Brady, J. Mason Most Shows Remove

R. Faulkner, D. Gorman

Midway LL

S. Wood

Upper

B. Lambert

Midway IP

J. Whiteley

Midway

M. Peacock

Shell RVS

A. Geens

Shell

R. Redmayne

Shell LS

W. Harrison

Class 4

M. Eriksson

Shell NH

P. Connell

Class 3

A. Rasalingham, E. Taggart

4 DG

M. Brady

4 RT

M. Featherstone

4 EM

R. MacLeay

3 RF

M. Davidson-Houston

3 EGJ

T. Triggs

3 TT

C. Eriksson

Best Exam Average

Term’s Effort

Remove

F. McConachie

O. Skeet

Upper

T. Tweedie

Midway

J. Whiteley

M. Peacock

Shell

E. Shimmin

A. Geens

Class 4

D. McEvoy Gould

Class 3

A. Rasalingham

School Prizes Sight Reading

R. Woodhouse

Debating

O. Skeet

Harris Cup

O. de Winton

Football Prizes U13 Player of the Season

B. Hall

U13 Most Improved

C. Godden

U11 Player of the Season

H. Morrell

U11 Most Improved

F. Neill

Girls’ Hockey Prizes U13 Player of the Season

I. Bolton-Ferrett

U13 Most Improved

H. Van Buer

U11 Player of the Season

C. Milborne

U11 Most Improved

G. Price, A. Wormington

The Hobbit House hosted a special visitor to the Nursery and Pre-Prep on the last day of term!

Farewell, Mr Snell Christopher Snell handed in his Governors’ badge this term

successful Headmaster so we are imagining that he did!

after 13 years of selfless work for the School. As well as being a Ronian Governor for 13 years at Saint An old friend to Saint Ronan’s, Chris joined the School in 1949

Ronan’s, Chris has done other things to keep him busy,

under the aegis of the legendary

notably being a Member MCC for

Headmaster W B Harris. As a

50 years; Life member and Vice-

child, Chris excelled on the sports

President of Sussex CCC; the

pitch and WBH wrote that he was

Patron for Sussex Young Cricketers

the ‘…only man to have captained

and President of the Sussex

an unbeaten cricket and soccer

Martlets. He has also been a Vice-

side and is a rugger colour. He is

President of Brighton College; a

our best punt-returner and also a

Governor at two other schools and

good spot kick – a good pass giver

a Friend of the Theatre Royal in

and……his deception is good.’ Chris also excelled musically

Brighton.

and made what must have been one of the first Prep School piano recordings in 1955. Academically gifted, Chris went on to Winchester, where his passion for sport in general, and Cricket in particular, continued. In 1955 he won Public School Rackets with his partner the Nawab of Pataudi (Mansur Ali Khan), who has been described as India’s greatest cricket captain (he played in the same team as him at Winchester).

To celebrate and thank Chris for his service to Saint Ronan’s, we gave him a lovely lunch and a very Ronian gift. A teak basket was made when Saint Ronan’s was founded in the 1880s. Albert, our signwriter, decorated it in the same manner as Chris’s own entries on our honours boards and we filled it with ‘Ronian’ things: Lady Vass’s prayer book and crested fleece, glasses and notebook. We also gave him Ronan the

Chris’ grandfather founded Mowden Prep, now Lancing Junior

Ronian teddy bear for good measure.

in Hove, and Chris took on the Headship in 1973, having already taught at Summerfields in Oxford. He retired from there in 2002 and we hope that he took a little bit of the Saint Ronan’s way with him to Mowden. He was a hugely

We can’t thank Chris enough for all his help. He has guided, encouraged and served with modesty, expertise, diplomacy and panache!

Welcome, Mr Bennie Simon Bennie joins the Governing Body in January and will

Looking for a change of career, Simon read English Literature

serve alongside three other Trustees on

at the University of Surrey as a mature

the Curriculum Committee, which meets

student and completed a PGCE at the

termly at School.

Roehampton Institute. He has since worked as an English teacher and

Simon is a Saint Ronan’s old boy (19731978) and his daughters Rose and Phoebe attended the School. His first career was working in the pop music business in a variety of roles, including concert promotion, band management and running a nightclub. Highlights included promoting Billy Joel at the Wembley Arena and Eric Clapton at Dingwalls.

Housemaster at The Oratory school and at Dulwich College. He currently works at Benenden school as the Assistant Head of Boarding and Housemaster of Elms. His interests include trialling muddy vintage cars; overseeing the management of Rydal Mount, the Lake District home of the poet William Wordsworth; performing with his old school band and directing plays.

Sport Saint Ronan’s Striding to succeed

Friendly Fencing Fixtures

The Saint Ronan’s Cross Country squad has enjoyed a very

Numbers for the fencing extra have continued to grow and we

successful start to the season, the Senior Boys establishing

were able to give every one of the 12 fencers in the senior

the school firmly amongst our competitors in the West Kent

group a chance to fence in one of the friendly fixtures. Our

area.

third ‘outing’ was the first round of the South-East Inter-School Championships.

Competing at six events over the course of the term, the U13 boys have run up an impressive string of placings: 2nd in the

The season started well with both A and B teams cutting a

Brenchley Relays; 1st at the Thomas Trophy; 2nd at the IAPS

wide swathe through MHS’s defences and winning both

Regionals and 1st at the Dobson. With the U11 boys finishing

matches very convincingly. We didn’t fare so well against

3rd at the Dobson and taking Silver at the Kent Junior

Solefield, traditionally a strong opponent, and both teams lost,

Championships, we have plenty of potential coming through

though very close and honourably.

the ranks. In the Championships the A team were able to win all three Although runners such as James Crawley, James Crombie,

matches against Hilden Grange, MHS and the Ronian B team;

Carlos Nieto-Parr, George Kidd, Archie MacLeod, Kaspar

the B team unfortunately did not win a single match, but fought

Bottle, Lizzie Wooff, Lily Stewart and Hope Rutter provide the

ferociously and scored some beautiful points.

inspiration, it takes at least four to cross the line to establish a position from which we can contend. Credit must be given therefore, to all those who attend regular training sessions, who compete with tenacity and who are instrumental in the

Although all fenced well and to the best of their abilities, a few names stand out: Kate Lazarides for unwavering enthusiasm and grit, Luc Doane for excellent lightness of touch, Bertie Lambert for reliability and injury-beset Emma Beart for holding

success of the squad.

her own in the As, as well as John-Paul Shaw for continuous We now look forward to competing at Somerhill, Northbourne

support. A special well done to first-time fencers: Amelie

Park, Kent College, Hilden Grange, and The Nationals at

Geens, Harry Morrell and Oliver Parker.

Malvern College in the Spring Term. Well done everybody!

Sports Newsletter Don’t forget our weekly Sport Saint Ronan’s Newsletter. Check the Extranet for back issues.

Sport Saint Ronan’s

Astro makes it’s mark - best Hockey season yet The U10-U13 girls first season on the new Astro has been their best yet. The difference the surface has made to our training and preparation for matches has been invaluable and

Under 8 & 9 Netball

we would like to thank, once again, all those who supported

Lower down the school the girls have been busy improving

the appeal. Since working on the new Astro the girls’

their netball skills. The U8s have had a brilliant season,

confidence and match play has come on in leaps and bounds

with the As winning 4 of their 6 matches and the Bs

and it has been wonderful to watch the teams flourish. Out of

remaining unbeaten. The U9s have had a frustrating time,

the 55 matches played, the girls won or drew 33 and scored

not quite managing to gel in their teams and stick to the

76 goals.

game plan adopted in training. However the girls have real potential and I am confident that this will emerge as they

The U12As were a formidable side this year, only losing one of

mature.

their matches and the U11Cs have improved enormously and remain unbeaten. The U11A team also had a fruitful season and progressed through their group stages at the EGHA U11

Girls’ Kent County Cricket

tournament to win the quarter finals of the Plate. Sadly they

Congratulations to Jemima Spence and Grace Easton who

lost in the semi-finals, but it was still a great achievement.

have qualified for the girls Kent County side, and Poppy

Results aside, the biggest compliment we can pay the girls is

Barker who made it through to the final stage of the country

how well they played together, supporting each other and

trials. All three girls successfully progressed through a

clearly enjoying their hockey. Ultimately that’s what it’s all

series of special high performance courses in order to

about. It is therefore difficult to pick out individual

reach this point of the selection process. A fantastic

performances when so many have played a valuable part in

achievement with so many girls competing for places. Very

their teams’ success.

well done to you all.

Sport Saint Ronan’s

Football season draws to a close The boys continue in their quest for ‘Total Football’ and we

before dispatching Handcross Park in the quarter final (2-1 in

have seen some very entertaining matches, wonderful goals,

a tight match). Unfortunately in the semi-final we came up

impressive individual skills and good team work. It is not easy

against a very good Lingfield Notre Dame side. After going 0-2

to teach boys of Prep School age to play from the back, keep

down we managed to pull one goal back, via a great long

possession and to pass and move, so they do make mistakes

range strike, but the opposition hung on for victory.

and concede goals. However in the long run they will be much better prepared for football at their senior schools and

Well played to every boy who has represented the school this season.

beyond. The 1st XI, led by Barney Hall (selected for Brighton and Hove Albion Development Centre), came up against some strong sides. They kept the ball well but could not be quite decisive enough in the final third to get the goals their possession deserved. The 2nd XI played a very attacking game and, with their wingers involved a lot, managed to create plenty of shooting chances, with many ending up in the back of the net. The Colts A also enjoyed a good season and saved their best performances for the IAPS South East Tournament. After winning their group they went on to beat MHS in the last 16,

One hundred years ago