Christmas
Dear Old Birkfeldian
One of the many joys of leading a school is the palpable sense of excitement at this time of year linked to the festive period.
The Christmas Term also brings occasions and moments of togetherness, including with you as alumni through your connections and presence. Our students have enjoyed and benefitted significantly from learning about your different careers, successes and life experiences through your continued support of our Friday Visiting Speakers’ programme. Please do contact Mr David Kemsley, our Student Futures Advisor (d.kemsley@stjos.co.uk), if you are interested in helping here.
It was a joy to see so many of you once again in attendance at our National Schools Rugby Festival. This event continues to be a fabulous occasion to catch up with so many of you, and for you to do the same with one another, both socially and professionally. We very much look forward to seeing you next year, over the weekend of 17-19 October.
Through the involvement of Mr Anthony O’Riordan, the College’s Director of Business Development & Operations, we are hugely excited to be moving forward with improved and more regular connections with the College’s alumni. It was fabulous to catch up with a good number of Old Birkfeldians at November’s drinks event at All Bar One, Moorgate. If you have ideas about how the College can connect better, differently, more regularlyplease kindly make contact with Mr O’Riordan (a.oriordan@stjos.co.uk)
Another London event is already planned – for 5 March 2025, venue to be decided. And, very exciting to report, our first Giving Day will take place two weeks later. Keep your eyes peeled for email and social media updates Wishing you and your families a peaceful and joyful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
Mrs Danielle Clarke Principal
Meet the Team
Alumni are very important to schools like ours. They represent tradition and continuity. Ours are inspiring ambassadors of what can be achieved with a St Joseph’s education as a basis. They are potential mentors, sponsors and supporters of the students who come after them.
We value our alumni and have been working hard to improve our ‘offering’ to them, ensuring newsletters are regularly sent, the database is updated and reunion events organised.
Current St Jo’s parent and former Director of Sport Anthony O’Riordan, now Director of Business Development & Operations, is leading the revamp, adding a rugby man’s heft to the programme. As well as spearheading the events, Ant has launched the Cornerstone and Halo funds to put St Joseph’s College Development on a sound footing. www.stjos.co.uk/giving/
Lindy Rodwell, Communications Officer, edits the OB newsletters and posts on the OB social media platforms. She is working to bring order to the College archive and dreams of it being readily accessible and even digitised! Email or call Lindy with your stories and any requests to be put back in contact with old school friends.
Former St Jo’s parent David Kemsley, Futures Advisor, makes use of 25 years’ experience running various human resources and recruitment businesses in the UK and abroad, to help our GCSE-level and Sixth Form students as they make important decisions about their futures. Dave is a networker par excellence. Don’t be surprised if he invites you to address current students or for guidance in fields where you are the experts.
You will find us all at obs@stjos.co.uk
Irish Weave Their Magic Across the Festival Weekend
The 38th Annual St Joseph’s College National Schools Rugby Festival will go down as one of the most remarkable in its history, writes Angus Savage (NextGenXV: www.nextgenxv.com @nextgenxv)
For the first time, the event opened on a Friday thanks to the new U15 Festival, which saw the group stages take place ahead of the finals on Saturday 19 October, when the U18 competition got underway.
Dublin’s St Michael’s College became the first ever U15 champions, and from the outset of the U18 competition it became clear that a potential double was on – and a bit of Festival history; no Irish side had won the Festival since their great rivals Blackrock College in 2000.
Irish, and in particular Leinster, schools’ rugby has had a huge amount of positive press in recent years
and it quickly became apparent why as St Michael’s set the tournament alight with a series of brilliant performances built on a structure and an intensity unparalleled by anything on this side of the Irish Sea as they stormed to victory.
That is not to say that others did not impress, and there was a real feather in the cap for Scottish school rugby too with Strathallan School knocking reigning champions Kirkham Grammar School into the Bowl late on the opening day.
Kirkham responded superbly - going through the second day unbeaten to secure the Bowl title, with Denstone
College taking home the Shield competition.
Eight-time St Joseph’s Festival champions, Millfield School meanwhile took home the Plate competition after an intense final with Hampton School, which saw one of the great moments of the weekend at its conclusion as both sides joined together arm in arm at the end.
In the De La Salle Trophy competition Brighton College gave St Michael’s the toughest test of all, but eventually lost their semi-final and finished up fourth behind an impressive Wellington College side, who had lost their semi-final to RGS High Wycombe.
For RGS, the 1999 champions, it was an impressive second final in a row. However, there was little that they could do in the final against a St Michael’s College side that was simply a class above the field, typified by their captain Dylan McNeice and the Nick Duncombe Player of the Tournament, Evan Black.
There was joy for the hosts, too, in St Joseph’s College claiming the Try of the Tournament through second row Jack Lawrence after two days in which the Suffolk side impressed in the face of stern opposition to finish seventh overall.
Thirty-eight years on, the St Joseph’s Festival remains one of the jewels in the crown of the schools’ rugby calendar, and with the success of the new U15 Festival as well, it looks set to only get bigger and better again.
Event organiser, Mrs Lucy Self, added, ‘Collaboration is always key to a successful Festival and the College wishes to thank all sponsors – including headline sponsor NSX - and the entire St Jo’s community (staff, governors, students, parents and friends) for getting behind it.’
Friends Reunited and New Bonds Forged
Three opportunities for Old Birkfeldians to get together and have fun were available during this year’s Rugby Festival weekend in October: the old boys’ and old girls’ sports matches, our relaunch reunion and the OB Lounge, which was open throughout the Festival.
We were delighted that people made their way back to the school for our first reunion of its kind. This was an entirely new venture for us and a steep learning curve. Some of you let us know you were so happy to be back together again, you are already planning a really big get-together for next year.
You also told us we were friendly, that the school appeared to be flourishing and that you would particularly welcome getting together with those of your own age group. Thank you for that. On the debit side, you told us we need better signage, a formal welcome and possibly name badges. You told us you would value tours of the school and displays of archival materials.
Our database of OBs is continuing to grow - now well over 900 - and all OBs are urged to register (easily and at no charge) here https://www.stjos.co.uk/community/old-birkfeldians/ We are aware many of our old boys and old girls have private networks of their school friends - some dating back over decades. You are our best advocates and we would love to hear from groups of you who might like to come back to St Jo’s for an informal meet up - perhaps a tour.
It is now all systems go to embed a programme of regular reunion events and gradually tailor them to specific age groups, locations and occupations. We value all feedback and suggestions - these events are for you and we want to organise relevant and attractive get-togethers that you will enjoy. Send us your views obs@stjos.co.uk
The OB Lounge was located in Birkfield House and offered an area to relax when the tension of watching the rugby matches became too great. There was a display to view, refreshments throughout the day and old school magazines and yearbooks to browse. Once again, please let us know what else you would like to see in the Lounge next year.
Many thanks to Mr Dominic Briffa OB, Head of Year 11, for conducting an impromptu tour of the Chapel for some of our visitors. It is a building well remembered and well loved by OBs and as current custodians we are proud to show it off.
Not just there to socialise and enjoy the sport, OBs Tony Williams and Grant Whitehead brought their expertise as medics to the Rugby Festival, as members of the SportsMed East team. Former representatives of the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines, the pair offered a reassuring presence on the sideline.
Conversation Flowed at Buzzing Moorgate Drinks Event
Our programme of reunions is gathering pace. We thoroughly enjoyed our jaunt down to London to meet up with OBs after hours at All Bar One, Moorgate. Danielle Clarke (Principal), Sacha Cinnamond (Deputy Principal), Gina Rowlands (Vice Principal), Sarah Edwards (Director of Marketing), Dianne Searle (Head of Prep School), Anthony O’Riordan (Director of Business Development), Katherine SimpsonJacobs (Head of Sixth Form) and Lindy Rodwell (your Editor) were delighted to catch up with those who have more recently fled the nest and to make the acquaintance of those whose time at the school came in the 1980s and 1990s.
Thank you to all who joined us. Please save the date of 5 March 2025 for our next London gathering. Venue to be advertised.
Helo* again!
Fleet Air Arm pilot smashes show and tell
Having left St Joseph’s College in the summer of 1976, John Connell joined the Royal Navy at BRNC Dartmouth that autumn. He served as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm for 22 years before joining Shell Aircraft, then BG Group, engaged in worldwide oil/gas exploration aviation safety activities. Now retired, he lives in Cornwall.
In clearing his parents’ house in Ipswich a few years ago, he found a collection of photos and school documents in the attic and has sent us the 1974-75 Rugby 1st XV with names (‘plus the superb Mr George and sporty Brother Benet’).
John still has his ‘rugby shirt, which has been in the wars literally and figuratively in the ensuing 48 years!’
He continued, ‘I have not been in touch with any of the squad, apart from Chris Lea who for many years was Headmaster of a local Primary School, near us in Truro until his retirement.’
The two group photographs he sent show Oakhill Athletics squad with a Trophy (1967-ish) and a St Jo’s Cricket XI circa 1974, probably in the 5th form.
‘On a RN Careers mission I landed an 814 Squadron Sea King helicopter on the 1st XV rugby field in early February 1997 and showed pupils around it. Children also came up from the Prep School.
From my time at school, Mr Hockley, John the Lab Assistant and Mr Wilcox came over to the helicopter and chatted. They couldn’t believe that I remembered them and their names without introduction, but they created lasting memories. We coincided the visit with a flypast over HMS Grafton, steaming up the Orwell, and a visit to RHS Holbrook, where one of my crew went to school.
‘Coincidentally, in the mid-1980s I was a pilot in the Royal Navy Sharks Helicopter Display team, when I met a fellow runner from that same Oakhill team at an Air Show: Rick Allison, who was the leader of the RAF Falcons Parachute display team. He is centre row, far left, I am centre row second from the right.’
*Helo: term applied to all naval helicopters (from the standard message abbreviation HELO)
Convent School, Girls’ School, Co-Ed with St Jo’s
Long before there was an equivalent Catholic school for boys in Ipswich, little girls were catered for at the School of Jesus and Mary. The Order of Jesus and Mary had been founded in 1815 in France by Saint Claudine Thévenet, after whom a room in Birkfield House is named.
Thévenet had witnessed the horrors of the French Revolution. Having seen two of her brothers executed, she became inspired to pledge her life to God. The Sisters of Jesus and Mary dedicated themselves to the care and education of ‘poor and desolate children’.
Their work spread across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and New Zealand. In 1860 a group of six sisters travelled to England. They disguised their calling in plain clothes as there was considerable anti-Catholic prejudice at that time.
Mother St Xavier and the five sisters formed a day school on Albion Hill (now Woodbridge Road) in the house adjacent to the church. In 1861 they founded an
orphanage and in the following year they began to take boarders. The school prospered.
As The School of Jesus and Mary 1860-1996 records, the convent was said to occupy ‘a most healthy position’ with ‘lofty, well-ventilated classrooms.’ By the mid-1930s ‘the whole school has been heated by radiators in place of the old, inadequate system.’
Ministry of Education inspectors in the 1950s said of the school, ‘A very high standard of orderliness and cleanliness apparent throughout the building in both the teaching and boarding establishments. This can
hardly fail to have a lasting effect for good on all the pupils.’
Furthermore, ‘The best measure of the success of the school is the girls it produces. They are responsive, natural, friendly and hardworking.’
The Birkfield Magazine record, ‘In September 1968 the school will welcome some Sixth Form girls from the Convent of Jesus and Mary accompanied by a nun. It is difficult to provide adequate facilities for a small group of science students in a sixth form, so Bro Director has agreed to let the Convent girls join our scientists. We hope that both groups will profit from the venture. Although it seems to be fashionable to boast of such integration in Catholic schools, the news has caused only a minor stir among the boys; but perhaps it is not without significance that only two boys from one of the present fifth forms expressed an interest in studying English in the Sixth next year.’
(See Jane Emm’s account on Page )
By the beginning of the 1970s, the Sixth Form closed as a separate unit, and a joint arrangement with St Joseph’s College saw
several of them – with a few staff members –spending much of their day at Birkfield.
The Sisters of Jesus and Mary withdrew from the direct running of the school in 1975 in favour of a new Trust, made up of parents, friends and supporters. The Order was well represented on the Governing Board, which now included officials of both the Anglican and Catholic diocese.
Life carried on but by 1995 the proposed merger with St Joseph’s College and Birkfield was well in hand.
Pioneer
We hear from one of the quartet of schoolgirls who led the way
My name was Jane Czech, and I was an Upper Sixth pupil in the very first cohort to arrive at Birkfield from the Convent in September 1968.
There were just four of us in the Upper Sixth group. I don’t remember how many girls were in the Lower Sixth, but a similar number, I think. We were accompanied by two of the nuns, Sister Genevieve and Sister Louise. We were all studying sciences and maths, as initially the merger was only for sixth formers studying these subjects.
We were assigned a cottage in the school grounds where we spent our break times and free lessons. On Wednesdays when the boys had sports, we used to return to the convent for the afternoon for general subjects and had the chance to catch up with the friends we’d left behind.
For both sets of pupils it was, I imagine, the first time in our secondary education we had been in mixed classes and initially it probably took a bit of getting used to on both sides. But it was definitely a good experience and probably a very good thing for all of us, easing us into the next stage of our education and life in general!
I was doing A-levels in physics, chemistry and pure maths and I remember our teachers very well, including Brother Bernard; I kept in touch with him for very many years.
It was certainly a very different experience at St Joseph’s compared to the convent. I remember the labs being so much better equipped than we had been used to and the science A-level classes were much larger, going from just three or four pupils to well over twenty. No doubt these were some of the main factors that led to the decision to merge the classes for these subjects. We definitely benefited from this – the range of experiments we undertook, especially in physics, was exceptional. In fact, some of these were repeated in my first year as an undergraduate, while most other students were encountering them for the first time.
Starting at St Joseph’s in the Upper Sixth, with mock exams early in the new year and A-levels not too far ahead, the year passed very quickly for us. I’m pleased to say all four of us passed and went on
to university. I certainly believe we gained a great deal from the excellent teaching in the Sixth Form and from the experience as a whole.
I studied physics at Lancaster University and graduated in 1972. Moving to London, I initially worked in information science but then decided to train as a teacher and went on to teach science and maths for several years.
In March 1979 my husband Chris and I were married in the beautiful chapel at St Joseph’s with the school choir leading the singing for us. I’m pretty certain we were the very first couple to be married there!
Alongside family life and bringing up our four children I continued in teaching for a few years but then did a masters in health studies and went into public health / health promotion. Then for the last 10 years of my working life I moved into the voluntary sector as chief executive of a local charity.
After retirement in 2010, I embarked on a major project aiming to translate my Polish father’s lengthy wartime diaries. Very sadly, just 18 months later my husband died and, with our youngest daughter just starting A-levels, this all took a back seat. Around 2015 I returned to the project but soon realised that my rudimentary knowledge of Polish wasn’t going to get me far. So, with an ‘empty nest’ I decided to enrol myself at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków (where my father had studied medicine) for a year’s course in Polish Language and Culture. I had an amazing year in that beautiful city, studying with (mostly very young!) students from all over the world.
Still not entirely fluent, but considerably better equipped, I returned home and only fairly recently finished translating my father’s very interesting and moving experiences in WW2 and his journey across Europe. I am now on my final edit before testing the water to see if there is any chance of getting this published. It has certainly taken over my life in the last few years!
Three ‘old girls’: Jane’s mother Juliet (far left), who was at the Convent in the 1930s and ‘40s, her sister Charlotte (far right) and Jane herself, along with her mother-in-law, Mary!
I have lived in the North Midlands now for over 30 years, but still have some links with Ipswich. My sister, Charlotte Charles, who started at St. Joseph’s a few years after me, still lives in the town and keeps me up to date with news. From time to time I used to go to the Old Girls’ reunions, latterly at the convent in Felixstowe, where the nuns were based when the convent in Woodbridge Rd closed. Unfortunately, like so many other things the reunions ceased with the pandemic. When I last went to one in 2018, Sister Genevieve and Sister Louise were there, both in their late 90s, but sadly both have since died.
I still keep in touch with just one of the St. Joseph’s students, Piers Wood – and guess who tied all those tin cans to our car after our wedding! Our families have remained friends over the years and in fact we each became godparent to one of the other’s children.
I do look back on my secondary school years with fondness and gratitude. I think the convent was very forward looking in many ways and under the leadership of Sister Judith Mary as headmistress we were given many opportunities and really encouraged to think clearly about what we wanted to achieve and importantly, to believe we could achieve it. It was not a very large school though and resources were probably quite limited, so the merger with St Joseph’s was a great decision and I feel very fortunate to have been part of this.
Jane Emms
As a footnote I would like to add that if anyone is interested in reading about my father’s journey, I have a blog which includes some extracts from his diaries which you would be very welcome to look at: www. lifeintranslation1939.com
Get Ahead, Get a Hat!
Mrs Judith Richardson very kindly sent her Convent of Jesus and Mary hats for the St Joseph’s College archives.
In the group photo from July 1968, Judith is in the middle of the front row. She believes Nicola Cocksedge is back row, second from left, and Tina Hansford (?) is front row, extreme left.
Judith remains in touch with another school friend from those days, Laura Keeble, who still lives in Ipswich.
‘I can’t find any school documents from CJM but think I started there in 1968 and stayed there till after my 11+, but I was a year ahead and started at Northgate Grammar School when I was 10 in September 1974. Before CJM I went to a nursery school in Crofton Road,’ she writes.
Judith went on, ‘I remember Sister Anne and Sister Mildred very well and going for an interview with one of the head nuns in the big old house. It was quite strict! I recall the clean corridors with the black and white tiles, the playground and the beautiful grounds and woods on the outskirts, the tall monkey puzzle trees and going to services in the chapel.
‘We would go to St Jo’s, which is where I did my lifesaving course. I remember diving down to the bottom of the pool in pyjamas to get the brick! I remember hours of practising for the 11+ papers and getting a good start in my education, particularly French.’
She went from the Covent of Jesus and Mary to Northgate. After completing her O and A-levels, she moved to Dorset to study a BSc in Catering Administration and then followed a career in HR (which was called Personnel at the time).
‘I travelled around the south with work and then spent 10 years working in London as an HR and Office Manager for a finance company. I left there in 2016, have spent some time working for the NHS in a medical practice and am now happily retired in the New Forest.’
With fond memories
Judith Richardson, September 2024
‘St
Joseph’s College taught me I could achieve anything…’
The
creative force that is Louella Daniels OB
During my time at St Jo’s, I participated in everything I could—from netball and hockey to pet assemblies, the Jungle Book musical, school trips and colour runs. I loved the variety of each day and how the supportive environment helped me to thrive and become my best self.
After achieving strong GCSE results, I pursued A-levels in Photography, Textiles and Health & Social Care at Suffolk One. I left with excellent grades and continued my studies at Norwich University of the Arts, earning a degree in Fashion Communication and Promotion. This was where I discovered my passion for social media and digital marketing.
In the summer of 2022, I graduated with a First-Class degree and returned to Suffolk to start my own company. Now, I work full-time as a freelance social media manager, working with a diverse range of clients from around the
world. I am incredibly proud of the brand I am building and look forward to expanding it further.
I was fortunate to form a wonderful group of friends at St Jo’s; even though we’ve pursued different career paths, we still regularly catch-up and cherish our memories.
Reflecting on my journey, I realise how far I’ve come from the nervous nine-year-old starting in Mrs. Searle’s class. St Joseph’s College taught me from a young age that I could achieve anything I set my mind to and to ‘be my best’. This foundation of confidence and self-belief has been crucial in shaping the person I am today.
If you or someone you know needs Social Media Management get in contact with me @louellaviolet on Instagram
Letters to the Editor
Patrick Atkinson OB, who was born in 1940, writes from his home in Great Yarmouth
‘I am delighted to hear from you and to know I am once more a member of the Birkfeldians. I have been in contact with Terry Wilson, and he is in contact with David Seabourn. I was in contact with Brian Burke and Adrian Homan, who died in New Zealand over a year ago now. I am still in contact with his wife, Nanette. Also, with Conrad Mienal. It seems so sad so many of the boys of my age are passing away.
‘I think it was in 4b when I joined St Joseph’s in 1951. My Dad had passed away in 1950. He had his own motorcycle business from 1927. My mother held the business together. I had a brother and two sisters. We sold the business to Mike Hailwood’s family and then built other ones, selling one to Mann Egertons in 1962 and building the next, then buying the commercial vehicle centre from Mann Egertons which also had river frontage in Great Yarmouth, we bought and sold other properties too.’
Patrick had to retire in 1993 to look after his sister, who was unwell.
He recalled, ‘I did have a great time really at St Joseph’s in the New Wing.’ He said this was despite being subject to nightmares after the death of his father. He said Brother Michael was particularly kind. The two met up again when Patrick was an adult and Bro Michael had married and moved to Glastonbury.
Prayers requested for the late John Michael Smith OB
I am sorry to inform you of the death of my husband, John Michael Smith, on June 21 at the grand age of 90. We had been married for 61 years on June 1. Our son Mark was also a boarder at St Joseph’s.
John was always so pleased to be kept up to date with the news from St Joseph’s and often reminisced about his time there, especially about Bam (Brother Alan) and the other Brothers who taught him till he left in 1950.
We often heard about the withered apple and watery cocoa for supper! A favourite tale was everyone being hauled out of bed and thrown out onto the lawn in the middle of the night because Bob Gammy had sewn up the Brother’s pyjamas.
One Saturday the boys decided to go to St Pancras in Ipswich for weekly confession; they thought the penances dished out would be less severe than those at the College. Wrong! Each boy got a decade of the rosary to every station of the cross. So many happy memories from his very happy time there.
Could I ask that the College remember him in prayers. Thank you.
Warmest regards, Carol Smith
Life is a Cabaret!
Our Arts Week Cabaret was an outstanding success, with students, past and present, and staff delivering wonderful performances. Among the stars were OBs Dominic Briffa, Wilfred Kemsley and Ethan Willetts. Wilf and Ethan were back in town ready to open at The Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, where they were appearing in a CTC production of Beauty and The Beast. Wilf played the Beast and Ethan played LeFou.
Having completed his school studies during COVID in 2020 and after a GAP year, Wilfred progressed to Bristol University, where he gained a 2:1 in History in 2024. During his time at university, he continued all the many extra activities he enjoyed at St Jo’s, including musical theatre, drama, acapella and being one of the lead vocalists in the University Jazz Band. He also takes a university singing group to The Edinburgh Festival each year. When not on stage, he played First XV rugby at Bristol.
Wilfred loved the grounding St Joseph’s College gave him and is always keen to return to the College, both to perform in the summer term and to provide commentary - as he did all weekend for the recent St Joseph’s College Rugby Festival live-stream. He is now back in Bristol, studying for an MA in Film and Television.
Ethan completed his studies at St Jo’s in 2022 and then progressed to Reading University to study Film and Television. He was a huge asset to the Performing Arts while at St Joseph’s, singing, acting, dancing and generally getting thoroughly immersed in all that was offered here.
He has continued his love for performing at university, where he is now president of the Music Society and thoroughly involved in much of what the university produces within the Performing Arts.
Dom’s musical talents are also well known and while he may be a teacher of Biology and Head of Year 11 during the day, he is a suave and sophisticated chanteur come evening. He honed those talents during his school-days at St Joseph’s.
‘It was then, as it is now, a school that took sport seriously, but I gravitated towards the Music Department, ultimately leading the orchestra and performing on stage in a number of shows,’ he said. ‘The Birkfield Society, the debating club, was also a big part of my Sixth Form, with debates, visits and visiting speakers all part of the programme that was organised entirely by us, the students. It was then, as it is now, a thriving community where the range of opportunities for personal development was endless, and I am immensely grateful for the start in life the College gave me.’
Were you assisted by a Bursary or Scholarship?
Bursaries and scholarships allow many more children access to the excellence of a St Joseph’s College education than their family circumstances might otherwise allow. Over the decades, financial help of this kind has been both thoroughly deserved and richly rewarded in terms of outcomes.
As we approach our first Giving Day - on St Joseph’s Day, 19 March 2025 – we would love to hear from Old Birkfeldians whose time at the school was supported by a bursary and/or scholarship and who might be willing to share their story of what the help meant to them, particularly in achieving career goals or life ambitions.
All stories will be treated in confidence and material only used with express permission. Please contact Lindy Rodwell (l.rodwell@stjos.co.uk) if you would consider helping us in this way.
The official OB Rugby Shirt has landed
He wears it well and you can too! Thank you to Stephane Lambert OB, on our front cover, for modelling the new OB rugby shirt so well for us. Designed by St Joseph’s College sportswear partner, STC Teamwear, the shirt is available in long and short sleeve options.
To pre-order yours, visit: https://stc-stores.com/collections/sjc-alumni