Old Birkfeldian Christmas 2017
Dear Old Birkfeldians, As I write, we are in the midst of preparing for the season of Advent including our Prep School nativity plays and our annual People in Need Campaign, started over 40 years ago by Mr Hockley. With the Chapel currently being out of use, the College’s Carol Service was to be held this year at St Mary’s Church in Hadleigh – until snow intervened. Fortunately, the church was available to host an abridged service for us the following day. Please note that we are unfortunately not able to host the annual Christmas Eve Mass. Through our assemblies and ‘Thoughts for the Week’, we have been exploring the meaning of Advent and Christmas and how this meaning relates to the world in which we all live today. We focused this year on those without shelter and homes, including refugees across the globe. We are currently looking at all aspects of the School, its facilities and one or two applications for the school estates. Regarding our Chapel, the College has sought further specialist support due to its complex
In From the Editor I would like to introduce myself as the Events and Alumni Co-ordinator here at the College. My role is wide-ranging, but includes organising summer balls and our prestigious annual Rugby Festival. I have three children at the College: Oscar in the senior school, and Bonnie and Joe in the Prep. We, as a family, love being part of the community at St Joseph’s College. Over the past 11 years as a parent, I have enjoyed watching my children flourish and grow with St Joseph’s. Meeting many of you at this year’s Rugby Festival was a pleasure. It was lovely to see Jonathan George and his team from SportsMed East look after the players so well and Sym Wakefield from Syms Panty sharing his jams. I hope to get a chance to meet more of you at some point in the near future. St Joseph’s is and always has been a family, bolstered by the constant support and buzzing involvement of our College alumni. Many of our events held here at the school are a great way to catch up with old pals who you may not otherwise get to see regularly. The College aims to develop and strengthen the Old Birkfeldian community, building on current ties with alumni.
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structure and is awaiting further information from architects and surveyors. A range of options is currently being considered, to ensure the best value for the School. Consultation will take place with stakeholders, when the final feedback has been received. Once a way forward has been established, a timescale will be shared. In the interim, whole School gatherings have taken place in the Sports Hall to mark the start of the academic year, Harvest Festival, Rugby Festival and Remembrance. Weekly assemblies continue for different year groups in separate locations, to ensure the School’s core values and messages are shared and embedded, as well as providing opportunities to celebrate students’ wideranging achievements. The Christmas Term has been jam-packed with so many opportunities for our students – their achievements and involvement have been a delight to observe. A small sample of just some of the term’s highlights are included in the College’s Christmas Newsletter which you can find on our website at www.stjos.co.uk.
term. A special mention must go to Mr Nigel Chandler, who is retiring after an incredible 38 years of loyal service and teaching History at St Joseph’s. We wish Nigel a long and happy retirement – he will be greatly missed. Mr Patterson has chosen to take a new direction with his career and as such will finish in his current role as Director of Student Recruitment at the end of this term. We wish Mark well with his new endeavours and thank him for his many valued contributions to St Joseph’s. Have a happy, peaceful and blessed Christmas; we look forward to hearing from and meeting with you in the New Year.
As ever, the College says good-bye to a number of staff at the end of an academic
Mrs Danielle Clarke Principal
Our Birkfield Society has benefited through a fabulous entourage of Old Birkfeldians returning to the College to deliver talks on their life post-St Joseph’s and their schooldays at the College. Some of this term’s speakers included James Webb, Richard Casely, Luke Cerely, Oliver Lilburn and Nicolas Wildman.
If you have an interesting story or old photos that you would like to share with us please get in touch. I would love to hear from you.
I have been amazed by the number of Old Birkeldians I have met in and around Suffolk since starting my alumni role. I find it fascinating hearing stories of how their careers have developed. I am looking forward to exploring the archive room. It would be remiss of me not to mention another addition to the College’s team this year – OB Ewan Kingdon – who has aided me in producing this newsletter. Ewan left in the summer of 2017 and swiftly returned as a social media marketing intern. In his time at the College he played 1st team Rugby and Cricket, performed In the College musical and was head of the Birkfield Society. Alas for us, Ewan’s return is short lived as he flies to New Zealand after Christmas to team up with former Sports teacher, Chris Morel, to complete his gap year playing Rugby before he goes on to the University of East Anglia to study Marketing and Management. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
Please register with us at OB@stjos.co.uk or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I would like to wish Jo Davey all the best in her career and thank her for all the hard work and effort she put in to rebuild the Old Birkfeldian community. Old Birkfeldian merchandise is also available at www.coes.co.uk I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Lucy Bolton Events and Alumni Coordinator
It has been a successful first term of sport for the girls throughout the whole school with pupils competing in Netball, Hockey, Football, Volleyball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Squash and Swimming. One special highlight is the U19 Netball team, who have qualified in 2nd place in the County tournament, therefore they now play in the regional finals in January. They are also competing in the British Colleges Netball League where they are currently in third position.
News from our community St Joseph's College turned out in full force and high spirits for a sponsored walk to raise money for the Osiligi Obaya School in Kenya. The celebrations continued back in front of Birkfield House with a balloon launch to mark the school's 80th anniversary. All St Joseph’s students and the majority of teaching staff took part in a non-uniform day and a sponsored walk to raise money for the Osiligi Primary School in Olepolos, Kenya. The fantastic sum of £7,908.96 has been collected to date. Following this, a group of Maasai warriors visited us. They performed for our Sixth Form assembly, followed by a tour of the school and a second performance at the Prep School. They held two sales of Maasai beadwork in aid of the local community in Olepolos. At the request of the Osiligi Obaya School’s head teacher, a significant part of the sponsorship money has been spent on 15 new Chromebooks and these were handed over to the Maasai Warriors to take back with them.
Oliver Lilburn OB explained to our students how his resilience and positive outlook to life had helped him bounce back from a serious stroke in 2011 at St Joseph’s and how he had since taught himself to walk and talk again... before going on to achieve a degree in Marketing and a good job in the City. He amused his audience by sharing Rocky's advice to his young son: “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it…" But Oli didn't let it; he's a bit of Stallone and delivered a truly inspirational lunchtime lecture!
Our senior school pupils have been busy rehearsing for the School of Rock. Tickets are available on the Dance East website. Performances are from the 31 January.
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What they did next In this edition we have concentrated on three Old Birkfeldians who were involved in this year’s St Joseph’s College National Schools Rugby Festival. Many of you are involved in one way or another… from taking part in the Friday night matches to supporting the College’s 1st XV. Duncan and his company FIS Windows sponsored the festival. Brandon and his photographers from Epic Action Imagery took the most amazing action shots and Jonathan, aka Afi organised all the first aid and medical care, Here’s what they did next…
drying machinery offers an environmentally friendly alternative to cremation or burial. The Cryomation process solves land shortages for burial and emissions from cremation. Whilst working on Cryomation, Duncan also launched FIS Windows Ltd, for which he is still a director. He continued his active involvement with St Joseph’s College when FIS Windows kindly sponsored this year’s Rugby Festival. In March 2010 Duncan became Chairman of Biomation Ltd, working on delivering a super absorbing slow release fertilizer known as ‘Aquagrain’, suitable for arid land and especially sandy soils, including deserts. The product soaks up water to 30 times its mass and slowly releases the water and nutrient directly to the plant root, allowing less irrigation and less fertilizer.
Duncan Foster Duncan Foster joined St Joseph’s College in 1979 and left in 1984 after Senior school. Uncertain of what he wanted to do, he knew at least that he wanted to be successful. Duncan believes his experience at St Joseph’s and his great friends from school – whom he still sees regularly – helped him work his way through a somewhat shaky start, to become a highly successful businessman with a loving family supporting him. From 1987 to 1989, Duncan ran his own building and groundworks company, but he fell victim to the recession, eventually declaring himself bankrupt. He says he learnt more from this experience than any other. In 1992, he paired up with his brother and bought his first property with help from a bank. After fully refurbishing and selling this property he found he had caught the bug, and over the next 14 years built up a substantial property rental portfolio whilst completing numerous property developments to sell on. Meanwhile, his brother grew the computer consultancy division of their company in London. In 2006, Duncan bought his brother out, in a deal that left his brother with the computer consultancy, and Duncan with the property division. In 2006 Duncan became chairman of Cryomation Ltd. Cryomation researches and develops freeze drying techniques to destroy pathogens in human and animal remains. The company’s freeze-
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Both Biomation and Cryomation were re-structured under a new parent company called Incinerator Replacement Technology Ltd (IRTL), which successfully registered under the Government’s Enterprise Allowance Scheme, allowing new investors to get involved tax efficiently. Duncan has a number of companies investing in property development, including Woodbridge Properties (Suffolk), Erland Properties (Wales), The Follies (Ipswich), Foster Ventures LLP and Foster Dawson LLP, just to mention a few. Over the years Duncan has dedicated huge amounts of time and investment into research for Cryomation & Biomation, which he has enjoyed so much it has become a slight obsession! He states that it is not necessarily about making money now, but leaving a legacy for future generations. His intention is to build a global recessionproof company in order that he can give most of the profits to good causes. Humbled by his schooling and work ethic, he feels he does not need to alter his lifestyle and would rather try to help others out of poverty. He also quickly states that the company is yet to make £1, so his dreams still require a lot of hard work and investment. One of his fondest memories of school was setting light to Mr Twist’s trousers when he stood in for his chemistry teacher. The end result was to be slippered, but the laughter outweighed the pain. We would like to wish Duncan the best of luck and look forward to hearing how the research progresses.
Brandon Griffiths Since leaving St Joseph's College I went on to University of Hertfordshire where I got a 1st class Degree in Photography and since graduating I have been working for myself as a full time photographer and videographer. I have been privileged to photograph sport around the world, following big events and tournaments, most notably the 2015 Rugby World Cup. St Jo’s gave me a fantastic grounding for my future career, giving me the confidence to pursue my dream as a photographer and filmaker. The support network and friends I still have from SJC is incredible and certainly one of the best parts about the College. It is an honour to be able to come back and photograph the rugby festival each year; it is one of my yearly highlights and I hope this will continue in the future!
Jonathan George Jonathan (Afi!) attended St Joseph's College from 1982-1993, following which he spent his gap year working at the school as a Boarding assistant and assisting in the coaching of rugby and cricket. Jonathan graduated from Brunel University in 1997 with an honours degree in Physiotherapy and went on to complete his Masters at the University of Hertfordshire in 2007. As well as being Head Physiotherapist at QPR Football Club for several years, Jonathan has worked in both the public and private sector with a specialist interest in musculoskeletal and sports disorders. He is now co-owner of Sportsmed East, a multidisciplinary musculoskeletal and sports medicine company based in Ipswich. The company employs over 20 clinicians, including orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists, osteopaths, podiatrists and sports therapists, and has multiple satellite clinics throughout Suffolk.
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Then and now Rob Belini After leaving School, I managed to get a degree in Chemistry from London University. I spent some time looking for research jobs and when I managed to get one I found out I did not like it. Too much “yes sir, no sir”. I then went to St Mary’s teacher training. What else could a chemistry graduate do who can’t do research? I continued to sail and play rugby for my college (Westfield) but stopped after graduating. Photography, which I took up in the 5th form (hence all the pictures), is still an interest, especially underwater. I skied a lot and played squash until I damaged a cartilage playing pool, so that put an end to those sports. My first job was in Lambeth (London) teaching Chemistry, and here I managed to get to the exalted position of Head of Science. I enjoyed being at the school but commuting to London from Hemel Hempstead became too much, so I decided to teach near home. It was a bit of a cultural shock: most of the kids were white and I had to wear a shirt and tie. (I drew the line at wearing a suit.) Being dyslexic, I discovered that computers had a thing called a word processor AND a spelling checker. When an IT job came up in the School, I was asked if I could take over. I did for two reasons. The first being a new challenge and secondly health and safety in Science was taking some of the fun out of the subject. I retired nine years ago thinking I would do a little supply but my local Catholic school employed me and has not let me go. I leave and then get a phone call asking if I can come back and help.
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Teaching leaves little time to do anything for oneself, but while not working I enjoy scuba diving and finding old photographs to digitise. I think I hold the school record for the number of times anyone has taken English O-level: six times and failed! I go to Italy often in summer for as long as possible with my wife, who is an art historian, and my son, who is a layabout! I make it a point of trying to get to at least one day rock festival a year. Hyde Park is a good venue as living in Hemel Hempstead it is a quick train journey to London.
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Rugby festival Well Deserved Win for Brighton in Fabulous Festival A windy, but thankfully dry, weekend greeted the players and spectators of the 31st St Joseph’s College National Schools Rugby Festival. Teams travelled from across the United Kingdom to attend the tournament that continues to attract the top rugby playing schools – the high standard of play continues to entertain and indeed recent ‘Player of the Tournament’ winners such as Zach Mercer and Marcus Smith have both gone on to be included in full England training camps. This year was no different, with all the usual suspects in attendance and last year’s losing finalist Brighton College returning as favourites. This proved to be the case as they performed relentlessly in attack and defence, emerging as the deserved winners of the De La Salle Trophy. QEGS Wakefield played well all weekend and can consider themselves unlucky not to have been competing for the Trophy on day two, but no doubt winning the Plate competition was of some consolation. St Joseph’s College enjoyed a great start to the competition, winning three out of three on Day One. Expectations were high, but unfortunately, we were on the wrong end of the results in two closely contested games against Merchiston Castle School and RGS Newcastle. The final game of the group was against eventual finalists Millfield School and the home crowd and players were delighted to finish on a high note with a win. The tournament continues to go from strength to strength: the live online match feeds and commentary, the university representatives, Premiership academy scouts, the Old Boys’ and Girls’ matches, the standard of officiating, the catering and hospitality etc. None of this would be possible without the hard work and organisation
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that goes on behind the scenes during the weekend and for months beforehand. Thank you to all those who contributed to ensure that the St Joseph’s College National Schools Rugby Festival continues to be one of the sporting highlights of the school rugby calendar. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Mark Patterson. After 14 years’ of service at the school he is heading for pastures new. Whether as a PE teacher, 1st team coach or Director of Sport he has been heavily immersed in many of our Festivals and I know all those who have come into contact with him greatly appreciate all that he has done to help make the event as special as it has been during all his years of involvement. Ben Clements Head of Rugby
Jonathan George
Hockey Match In the annual Old Birkfeldians v 1st XI hockey match on the Friday evening before the rugby festival, the teams lined up fairly evenly. The Old Birkfeldians had a strong squad with many staff members, past students and parents playing. The pace of the game was fast from the beginning and the current girls had most of the possession. The game ended with a 2-0 win to the 1st XI but on friendly terms!
Over 23s v Under 23s ‘Festival Opener’ Friday 20 October 2017 The annual Friday night Over 23s v Under 23s OBs’ match for the Michael Davey Jerusalem Cup this year saw a thrilling (and as always physical and fun!) game, which the Overs edged 17-15. Managed this year by the evergreen Travis Kenny and captained by the rampaging Ben Hockley, they managed to beat their younger counterparts by a single Ollie Crosby conversation with each team scoring three tries. The Overs, tries were scored by Sam Mann and two for Adam O’Leary with 2005 Player of the Festival Crosby keeping a cool head under pressure to add the winning conversation. The U23s were captained by Ash Clark and contained three sets of brothers to add to the Hale brothers, namely the Clarks, Stanways and McGinns. Their three try scorers were Luke Cerley, Toby Oxley and Ross Taylor. The now annual large crowd were treated to some excellent rugby (and pints!) under the lights at the College as all the players enjoyed another match on the pitch they all graced so well as students – some more recently than others! As always, the match was played very competitively with every tackle, carry and yard gained well-earned but yet with a fantastic spirit and smiles on everyone’s faces throughout. The only time we all grimaced in unison was when Jack Hale broke his nose; however, a heroic effort from Old Boy and medic Josh Todd put it back to straight with aplomb from what can only be described as a C shape! The way the incident was handled by all concerned, none more so than Jack, summed up the wonderful evening and the black eyes he sported throughout the weekend made for a very good chatting point. The teams were as below: Over 23s Ben Hockley (C) Travis Kenny Jolyon James Jack Potter Shaun Allen Matt Bowman Josh Hembry Oli Gozzett Sam Mann Jona Crisp Ollie Crosby Jack Eldon Jack Hale Tommy Hale Jon Williams Adam O’Leary Nino Musilino Chaz Hayes-Burt Sam Power
Under 23s Ash Clark (C) Ryan Clark Narry Mcginn Callum McGinn Max Stanway Nick Stanway Blair Cunningham Ethan Hughes Luke Cerley Ewan Kingdon Albie Sayer Ross Taylor Will Tillett Joe Lilburn Alex Harvey
Ruth Nutt returned to the College, after being a Gap teacher here at St Joseph’s last year. Georgie Lilburn is currently a sports teacher at St Jo’s and Old Birkfeldian. Pictured with them are friends Connie Ngai and Jo Davey. Jo did a wonderful job helping set up for the Festival and this year was able to enjoy the weekend's activities.
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Do you remember? Nigel Chandler What’s your happiest memory? Many, of course. One stands out. I had a lovely A level history class about 8 years ago. We all got on very well and they were well-motivated and high achieving students. I really looked forward to the lessons and they enjoyed the anecdotes. They invited myself and my partner Sylvia to the May Ball that year. They made her very welcome and we all danced together and really enjoyed the evening. They could not have been warmer and friendlier.
Why do you love St Jo’s? I think I’ve appreciated the company of the students and my colleagues more and more in recent years. I look forward to the holidays of course, but I do miss the daily activity and the banter after a while. Sister Carmel, the former chaplain here, once said in a school assembly that it is good to be a
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leaf on a tree. That resonated with me and I took it to mean that it is good to be part of a community or group. This has been a good community to be a part of and I will miss that. Most of the students here also seem to enjoy history and it’s gratifying that they and their parents tell me so. We have 3 GCSE sets this year in Year 10 and that is gratifying.
Any embarrassing stories? Yes, in my early career Ipswich Town FC, then managed by Bobby Robson, were one of the best teams in the country. I usually stood with my mates on the terrace in the Churchmans end but a neighbour lent me his season ticket in the seats for a Friday night game against Spurs. One of our players was brought down in the penalty area and I leapt to my feet screaming for a penalty, which was not awarded. When I taught a lesson on the Monday a lad called Simon Catterick in what is now Year 9 said, “Sir, I gather you didn’t think much of
the referee Friday night. Justin Stamp of 3L was sitting five rows behind you.” I told him it was my twin brother.
Favourite school event and why? I never played rugby at school but I do enjoy the Festival and it’s amazing how it has grown. Teaching at a rugby playing school I have learnt more about the game and enjoy the matches, especially when we are winning. I especially enjoy seeing former students and colleagues who return to the school each year to watch it.
Teachers and their service Dr Jennifer Stimson Head of Sixth Form
being persuaded to stay on for a PhD that focused on choice theory, dipping heavily into the field of behavioural economics.
I was born in New Zealand and spent my early years surrounded by rugby obsessed Kiwis. Perhaps then it is unsurprising, that after one welcoming first term at St Joseph’s, I already feel so at home.
Whilst working on my PhD I also began working for my department as both a researcher and then lecturer. I taught on MSc, MBA and PhD programmes, specialising in quantitative modelling techniques and demand management, as well as supervising a diverse range of thesis students. I enjoyed the opportunity to volunteer on a university outreach programme and the rewarding experience of supporting some enthusiastic sixth formers in Milton Keynes tempted me into school teaching. After returning to studying to gain my secondary PGCE at the Institute of Education, I went on to teach Economics, Business Studies and Politics in London and Colchester, most recently working as Assistant Head at Colchester Royal Grammar School, where I led the large Sixth Form. I have developed particular expertise in
After this early life Down Under, I spent most of my school years at Bedford High School. I have fond memories of my time there and feel grateful for the strong foundations that the school gave me. As a sixth former, my original plan to read Law at university was diverted by the discovery of Economics, and I later headed off to the University of Liverpool to read Economics and Economic History. It was at university that I really developed a taste for learning and ended up staying in education rather longer than originally intended. I moved to specialise in transport economics on an MSc programme at Cranfield School of Management, before
supporting UK and international university applications, including successful Oxbridge applications and US Ivy league applications, and have provided support to other sixth form heads across Essex. Outside of school I enjoy dabbling in local politics, for some years representing my local ward on Ipswich Borough Council. However, after my husband and I adopted two gorgeous daughters, I now have a much more appealing demand on my time. At weekends, I am most likely to be found with my family stomping around the local countryside in an attempt to distract my children from the latest My Little Pony movie or attempting to learn the guitar.
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Dates for the Diary... School production, School of Rock, Dance East 31 – 2 February ......................................................................................... Bread, Sourdough and Yeast workshop 27 January ......................................................................................... Men in the Kitchen/Beginners 24 February ......................................................................................... Prep School Music Competition 8 March, 2:00pm ......................................................................................... Rugby Festival Sponsor and Friends Evening 14 March, 6:30pm ......................................................................................... Art Scholars Exhibition, all day 16 March
Spring Concert 21 March, 6:00pm ......................................................................................... Fashion Reboot 23 March, 6:30pm ......................................................................................... Moroccan workshop 24 March ......................................................................................... Modern British Gastro 28 April ......................................................................................... Summer Spanish Tapas 19 May ......................................................................................... St Joseph’s College Summer Ball, The Cookhouse 30 June
St Joseph’s College
You are warmly invited to attend our Business Sponsors’ Evening on Wednesday 14 March, 2018
you to learn This informal occasion will allow ortunities more about exciting sponsorship opp tival and reflect on this year’s Rugby Fes
RSVP
festival@stjos.co.uk/01473 690281
d pm and a light buffet will be serve The bar will be open from 6.30
www.festival.stjos.co.uk
Please contact events@stjos.co.uk for more information If you would like to advertise your company or business here at the college then please contact festival@stjos.co.uk for more information.
You are all invited to the St Joseph’s College Summer Ball on the 30th June at The Cookhouse, Ipswich.