The official journal of the Dunstonian Association
Welcome from the Chair the Capital Radio annual disco, held for a few years in the late 1970s, will evoke vivid memories among my contemporaries! Despite being unable to organise physical events during the last few months, your Committee has remained busy, exploring ways of bringing to life the extraordinary amount of archive material in our possession.
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n what has been a challenging and frustrating year to date, many of us have had a little time on our hands to dig out our photograph albums and memorabilia and indulge in some good old fashioned nostalgia. As a historian brought up under the guidance of “ROD” Hughes and Peter Thompson, your Chair has certainly found a certain comfort in doing so, when faced with an ever-changing present and an uncertain future. There is therefore a generous sprinkling of “looking back” in this edition of The Notes, ranging from a description of what happened when the College opened its doors on 2 October 1888, to a history of lacrosse at St Dunstan’s, to a topic that never fails to stir the passions - the history of the house shields. From a personal point of view, I am sure that Iain Macdowall’s piece on
As a first step, we have decided to digitalise the Chronicle and make every edition available on our online platform, SDConnect. This task will take a few years to complete but in the first instance, all editions of the Chronicle since 1960 will soon be published, so please look out for further information in the regular newsletters on how to access this material. If by chance you do not receive the newsletter, please contact the Dunstonian office at dunstonians@stdunstans.org.uk
something one read about or watched being done”. This pioneering spirit remains visible with the development of the new Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths facility (”STEM”) as well as the new Sixth Form Centre and Junior School. As the Headmaster explains in this edition, the creation of “The Plaza”, is under way, while it is hoped that the final phase - the extension of sporting facilities including re-siting of the Fives courts - will start before too long. We are determined to carry on providing a first class education for future Dunstonians and ensure that CM Stuart’s pioneering spirit lives on. On page 38 you will find more details about the future developments and, should you feel able to do so, how Dunstonians can contribute to their funding.
Life, however, is not just about looking back. There is a constant evolution in education and this has always been the case at St Dunstan’s. For those of you who have to hand a copy of L.F. Morris’s “A History of St Dunstan’s College”, you will find the following under his chapter on C.M Stuart (Headmaster 1888 to 1922):
May I take this opportunity to thank the Committee and, in particular, Isabelle Blake-James and Iain Macdowall, for their unstinting efforts over the last year and to wish you and your families a happy and peaceful, if rather different, festive season.
“The idea that pupils should actively participate in all school work appealed to Stuart, who always urged that science was something that one did and not
David Edwards (’83)
Albam Exorna!
Chair of The Dunstonian Association
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