OS Newsletter - July 2012

July 2012

N0. 58

OLD SUTTONIANS

NEWSLETTER OS Interviews Malcolm Parkinson MBE (1961 L) Over fifty years ago I arrived at Holdgate House, run by Rev. Nichols, to start my education at Sutton Valence following in the footsteps of my brother Ian Parkinson (1958 L).

In this issue:

Reunions Page 5

Duxford Reunion Page 8

After a term I moved onto Valence House which was superbly positioned close to pubs, shops, the payphone and crucially the delightful village girls.

I started my second year in Lambes House which apart from being fairly medieval with a huge noisy dining hall and enormous cold barnlike dormitories, was characterised by an independent, confident spirit and a certainty that Lambes was quite simply the best.

Life at School in the early 60’s was full of promise, freedom, excitement at the changing world punctuated by the occasional scare such as the Cuban Missile Crisis that had us all glued to the radio.

We had some fine teachers, lots of characters, some inspiring war heroes, not least The Reverend Nichols with his M.C. Most of the teachers had done noteworthy things and gained much experience before coming to Sutton Valence. They encouraged us to recognise what the world had to offer and inspired me to go out for myself, which I did by joining the Merchant Navy as a trainee navigation officer. During my time at

Marriages Page 32 Regional Reunions House Focus Old photographs OS News School News

Page 8 Page 14 Page 16 Page 20 Page 40

Continued on page 2

Information A member of the United Westminster Schools’ Foundation Registered Charity No. 309267 Founded in 1576 by William Lambe

Old Suttonians Newsletter July 2012

For information about Sutton Valence School, please contact:

• the Admissions Office at Sutton Valence on 01622 845206 or email enquiries@svs.org.uk • Sutton Valence Preparatory School on 01622 842117 or email enquiries@svprep.svs.org.uk 1

Old Suttonians Newsletter Continued from front page sea I was almost shipwrecked in the Atlantic, shot at in Egypt and Aden, lionized in India as we delivered life-saving rice to the starving population.

After two years at sea I went into business, firstly in advertising and then into retailing. I joined up with some friends who had started a small hardware chain as the first Marketing Director and we created Europe’s most successful D.I.Y. company B&Q. Subsequently, I went

on to run, as Chief Executive, Woolworths, who had bought B&Q. I started up an un-successful garden centre business, chaired or sat on the boards of over 40 private and public companies and as a Governor helped develop Capel Manor College into Britain’s foremost horticultural college. For this task I have just been awarded an MBE.

and determination to succeed, to realise that anything is possible if you apply yourself and don’t mind who takes the credit.

I look back fifty years with fondness, sadness that I have lost touch with many but happy I still see lots of Old Suttonians and recognise in them much of what I got from the School.

Sutton Valence nurtured my spirit of independence, gave me the confidence

Katie Gornall (2001 V) Switch on the BBC’s World television service wherever you are on the planet this year, and you – and 300 million other people – are quite likely to see ex-SVS Head of School Katie Gornall presenting the sports news.

While many students headed for the bar after tutorials, Katie instead applied for work experience at radio and TV stations, and was taken on for a three-week stint at BBC Radio 5live Sport, gaining valuable experience from watching established sports presenters such as Alan Green and Jacqui Oatley.

Having successfully applied for an MA course in radio production at Sunderland University, Katie then got taken on

by BBC Newcastle – “I was given the number of Nick Barnes, their Sunderland commentator, who invited me to

come and meet the sports team there. I just kept going in every afternoon”, she said. “I wanted to be part of it all, and sheer persistence was paying off”.

Katie was soon making herself useful – “to be honest, I’d do anything from answering the phone to broadcasting the traffic and travel bulletins. By simply sticking around, I was getting more experience and opportunities”.

She was also gaining a reputation as a reliable and enthusiastic reporter, and when BBC Northeast’s regional TV pro-

For Katie, 29, it marks the latest stage in a broadcasting career which has taken her from student radio to international television.

It’s perhaps no surprise that sports journalism attracted Katie (1994 2001 V), because she represented the School’s first teams at netball, which she captained, hockey, tennis, rounders and shooting.

Her academic leanings were towards science, and she won a place at Durham University to study natural sciences.

However, it was the university’s radio station, rather than the labs, which most appealed to Katie, and she began to learn the basics of broadcasting.

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Katie interviewing ‘Match of the Day’ pundit and former England and Newcastle star Alan Shearer

July 2012

gramme ‘Look North’ had a sports desk vacancy, Katie got the job.

From modest roles, such as compiling the soccer scores, Katie was soon sufficiently trusted to go out with a cameraman and file sports reports for ‘Look North’.

North’, but then came an opportunity to join BBC’s network TV sports desk in Salford, which is responsible for compiling reports to be broadcast across the network, including the rolling BBC News 24 service, and the BBC World TV channel.

Although she’d already interviewed stars such as Jonny Wilkinson and Evander Holyfield for radio, reporting for TV – including the occasional live broadcast – might have been daunting to many journalists.

“Going from regional TV, where we had a peak audience of around 400,000 to BBC World, which goes into around 300 million homes, is quite a jump”, says Katie. “But whenever I’m on camera, I try not think about those enormous viewing figures – I tell myself I’m just chatting to my Nana!”

“To be honest, I’ve always been pretty laid-back, so appearing on camera didn’t faze me too much”, says Katie. “And I really enjoyed interviewing Newcastle FC heroes such as Alan Shearer and Kevin Keegan, and being absorbed in the total passion that a club like that generates”.

Every broadcaster occasionally has tricky experiences, and Katie is no exception. “I was once sent to interview an Ethiopian athlete who didn’t speak a word of English”, she recalls. “But somehow we got through it…….

Last year, Katie co-presented a programme on the Olympics for ‘Look

Richard Ward (1983 W) An OS enjoying a consistently high media profile is Richard Ward (1980-83), one of Britain’s most successful hairdressers, with a London salon looking after more than 1,000 clients a week.

It’s been a remarkable rise for Richard, culminating last year when he and his team were involved in the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middle-

“I love the unpredictability of journalism. For instance, I came in one day to be told I was interviewing Carl Froch,

who had just won the IBF world supermiddleweight boxing title. My family and I are big boxing fans and the day before we'd all been raving about his fight.

It was incredible to then be sitting down with him to talk about it first-hand."

This summer, Katie is also scheduled to realise her dream of being involved in the coverage of the Olympics, working alongside medal winners-turned-broadcasters such as Steve Cram.

This will also give her the opportunity of coming back to Kent to visit her illustrator father Mike Gornall and younger brother Sam, also an Old Suttonian, living in Egerton.

Katie says “I’m not hugely ambitious”.

Ambitious or not, her rapid rise up the sports broadcasting ladder is testament to her talent and enthusiasm. And, as she says, “being really persistent”!

Interview by Richard Harvey (Cornwallis ’63)

ton – the bride’s demi-chignon was styled by James Pryce supported by Richard, while Richard’s team also styled the hair of the bridal party.

This is all a very long way from life at SVS, which Richard looks back on with fondness. He was a keen sportsman, playing hockey for the first X1 and Kent under-15s, and also represented the School at rugby and cricket.

Academically, he excelled at graphic art, English and history, and he recalls “there was plenty of laughter and some amazing sporting opportunities. I made some great mates who I’m still friends with now”.

Not long after leaving SVS, Richard moved to London and began his career as an apprentice with celebrity hairdresser Daniel Galvin before he and his wife Hellen bought a bankrupt salon behind Harrods in 1992.

Nominated six times as Hairdresser of

the Year in the British Hairdressing Awards and winner of the Celebrity Hairdresser of the Year, Richard’s biggest business decision came in 1995 when he made a £1.5 million investment in the Richard Ward Salon and Metro-

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

spa – which provides a variety of hair and beauty treatments – in Duke of York Square, just off Sloane Square, London SW3. Today, the salon employs a staff of 75.

Richard’s reputation and profile is partly due to his gift for publicity – he features regularly in publications from Vogue to Harper’s Bazaar, the Sunday Times to the Daily Mail, Grazia to OK!.

He was also a regular on Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine’s TV makeover programmes, and is now the resident hairdresser for the Lorraine breakfast show.

Richard’s success has also led him into education and charitable work. He is a co-founder of HAIRaising, which raises funds for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, and is involved in training projects for up-and-coming hairdressers.

Interview by Richard Harvey (Cornwallis ’63)

The Suttonian and the Old Suttonian Newsletter We hope you will already know from previous letters that the OSA intends to stop sending out The Suttonian magazine to OS, as a matter of routine. We have received suggestions from OS that they would prefer that the cost of sending such a weighty publication was put to better use and that much of the content, whilst interesting, has little relevance to them. So, in an effort to make communications to you more engaging and interesting, the Old Suttonian

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Newsletter will be expanded with new articles, contributions from OS and a précis of the news and highlights of life at School. Anyone wishing to continue receiving The Suttonian will be given the opportunity to do so, and we are also working to make it available through the OS webpages as a digital book.

ian pages at the top of the page on the main title bar.

Emails

Are you able to help with work experience or mentoring?

More and more OS are preferring to receive letters, newsletters etc by email; not only is this more convenient for them, but also enables the Development Office and the OSA to contain our costs.

If you have received this newsletter by post and would prefer to receive it online, please send in your email address to Rebecca Riggs at riggsr@svs.org.uk.

After the summer issue, Sutton Views will only be sent by email as a link to a digital book, unless you have requested otherwise, but it is also available online through www.svs.org.uk.

In order to give our pupils and Old Suttonians the opportunity to compete effectively for the more highly regarded university places, or to get a first foot on the employment ladder, the School considers it most important that a young person gains work experience. However, they need the contacts to be able to do this. Sutton Valence Sixth Form pupils and other younger Old Suttonians could greatly benefit from the network of Old Suttonians employment knowledge and experience, whether it is providing work shadowing or sound advice in the form of mentorship.

LinkedIn We are in touch with over 530 Old Suttonians through the website www.linkedIn.com. This site will enable you to network with your peers, contact other OS in your industry and beyond, or catch up on news. To become part of the group you need to register on the site, if you haven’t already, then ‘request’ to join the group Old Suttonians.

You will also see that we have seven subgroups for OS in United Arab Emirates, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, USA and Germany.

OS Webpages More information on events and communications can also be found through the School’s website: www.svs.org.uk.

You will find the link to the Old Sutton-

Careers Networking

If you are in a position to offer work shadowing to a Sutton Valence pupil or another Old Suttonian, please complete the relevant section of the database update form or email Rebecca Riggs on riggsr@svs.org.uk or telephone 01622 845258 specifying your profession or area of expertise. Any contact made will be made through the School only.

Awards 2011/12 Atchison Bequest Hannah Kitchen (2011 Cl) Tom Oldfield (2011 L) Bennett-Hunting Memorial David Booer (2011 M) Cristina Paca (2011 S) Catherine Robinson (2011 H) Joel Smith (2011 G)

July 2012

Reunions 1950s Reunion

Photograph from left David Harverson (1956 M), Christopher Quinton (1958 L), Tony Ruffell (1958 M) and Jeremy Wall (1954 M)

In June 2011, over 65 Old Suttonians attended the 1950s reunion at the School. A small group of OS played golf in the morning at The Ridge. Neville Sarony (1958 M) provided the entertainment by re-creating the School song and playing on the piano. We are very grateful to Jeremy Wall (1954 M) for the organisation.

Photograph from left Gerald Clapp (1953 M), Michael Beaman (1952 W and Ex-Staff), Brian Norman (1954 W), Mark Grundy (1955 W), John Evans (1953 W), Barbara Bartlett and Michael Bartlett (1954 W)

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

Oldest and Boldest reunion In October 2011, the Oldest and Boldest reunion was attended by over 60 OS. Old Suttonian ties were presented to Robert Furniss (1937 W) and Bernard Tipples (1937 M).

Both joined the School in 1932.

Douglas Horner (1962 M) gave the response to the Headmaster.

Photograph from left, Robert Furniss (1937 W), Bruce Grindlay (Headmaster SVS), Bernard Tipples (1937 M)

Old Suttonians, Australia Reunion (Perth) In February 2012, six Old Suttonians based in Perth met up in Fremantle. They had a fun evening and, at 26°C, the weather was also kind. We are grateful to John Smith (1965 W) for organising the get-together.

The group are planning to meet again in central Perth.

If any other OS in the Perth region would like to be involved, please contact The Rev’d John F Smith by email: jhnf.smith@googlemail.com.

From left, Mrs Lorraine Smith, Geoffrey Jacob (1945 M), Mrs Millar, Alan Boyd (1988 W), Alan Boyd partner, Martin Bennett (1982 W), Andrew Millar (1983 W), Clare McDonnell (née Hubbard) (1987 V), Mr McDonnell.

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July 2012

London Reunions On 17th January 2012, over 60 Old Suttonians attended an informal get-together in London at the Brigade, Tooley Street (www.thebrigade.co.uk). The event was a great success and will hopefully become a regular addition to the OS calendar of events. Our appreciation goes to Nicholas Bills (1992 W) for organising the venue.

On 20th April 2012, Old Suttonians met up in The Old Star, Westminster, London.

From left, Amelia Acott (nĂŠe Merricks) (2004 S), Peter Hunt (2004 W), Clare Hindmarsh (2004 H), George Blake (2004 Cl), Philippa Scott (2004 H), William Selway (2004 G)

From left, Samer Taki (1980 W), Doug Mather (1974 M), Nicholas Bills (1992 W), David Pickard (Hon Sec OSA), Neil Richards (1967 F), Alan Whitewright (1974 W), Anthony Moony (1977 C), Rebecca Riggs (Development Office).

The next London reunion will be on Tuesday 9th October 2012.

For details, please contact Charlotte Bills - charlottebasham@btinternet.com.

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

Old Suttonians, Hong Kong Reunion In May 2012, 22 Old Suttonians met in the Hong Kong Club for the first reunion of OS in Hong Kong. We are very grateful to Neville Sarony (1958 M) for organising this. If any other OS in Hong Kong would like to be involved in the next reunion, please contact Neville Sarony by email: saronyqc@gmail.com.

of you responded to the call. Those who, for whatever reason, were unable to join us really missed out!

Neville writes:“I think we all agree that the OS Hong Kong Reunion was a great success and I really enjoyed meeting everyone. The enthusiasm for maintaining our bonds was tremendous and I greatly appreciate the fact that so many

We have an offer of a Junk from Stephen Bottomley (1972 W), a BBQ from Dan Shepherd (1994 B), so we can work on these. The idea of a pre-Christmas dinner met with universal approval.

We need to make a reservation now if

But now we are assured that there will be future occasions and opportunities, we can all do our best to press gang the less enthusiastic.

we are to ensure getting the right sort of venue. I suggest that we look at an early December date so as to get the largest numbers, and also a Friday or Saturday.

I propose we look at 7th or 8th December and 14th or 15th December. Will you please let me know as soon as possible which of these dates would be most convenient for you? We also need to decide whether we want to include spouses or keep it exclusively O.S. Please reply on these questions as swiftly as possible so that we get a consensus that we can then plan around.�

Regional Reunion Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire In May 2012, 70 Old Suttonians, family and friends, met at the IWM Duxford for the second regional reunion. Richard Ashton (1986 M), Director and Executive VP of the museum kindly hosted the event and provided four very knowledgeable guides, who greatly enhanced the visit for everyone.

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copyright IWM

July 2012

Richard Ashton (1986 M), Duxford, copywright IWM

William Lambe Dinner In May 2012, Old Suttonians met for dinner in the Headmaster’s House for the annual William Lambe Society Dinner. We would very much like to hear from any OS who may have made a provision (of any kind) for the School in their wills, so that we may include them in the next invitation to dinner.

Please contact: Helen Knott, Development Manager knotth@svs.org.uk 01622 845271

Old Suttonians at Duxford

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

Old Suttonians meet up in a war zone At the beginning of the conflict in Libya, back in February 2011, Ben Brown and I (Issam Hajjaji) made contact via email.

He was at the Libyan border in Tunisia reporting for the BBC. I provided news of the capital, Tripoli, where I lived. We had thought that the regime will fall in the first week and would meet here.

Events, however, took a different turn when Gaddafi released his mercenaries on the towns and managed to quell the uprising in all the towns from Tripoli to the Tunisian border. Foreign correspondent presence was severely restricted and Ben could not enter Libya. In addition, internet was cut off.

We had a very difficult next six months with widespread arrests, intense security, food and petrol shortages. Injured demonstrators were being picked up at the hospitals, so relatives started treating their injured at home. This included a large number from the area of Suk El Juma, east of Tripoli, where my family is originally from. I set up a rudimentary clinic in my home to treat bleeding, shock, wound disinfection and for suturing. Those with more severe injuries could not be sent to hospital and several

died. Further, I could not openly advertise my services, lest I end up in jail.

Word about the clinic was spread by family members and a code was used on telephone to tell me a casualty was on

his way. Things quietened down in the middle months, then picked up again when Tripoli rose again.

Internet was restored when the town was liberated. Ben managed to get in to Libya and we met after 34 years! He did a couple of live interviews with me on BBC World and News Channel. I took him round Tripoli. He talked to young rebels from my family and took a photograph of Gaddafi’s camel, used for milk, which is now residing in my aunt Aisha’s garden.

It was a pleasure to see Ben again (in person) and to help an Old Suttonian.

We talked about schooldays in the 1970s and who is still alive of our masters. OS are all over the world and I’m sure would help other OS even if they were at different time periods at the school.

Prof Issam M Hajjaji MA FRCP FRCPE (1977 M) Tripoli, Libya 6.9.2011

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July 2012

The opening of TC’s, 28th September 2011 in memory of Tom Chastain (1955 W) A legacy from an Old Suttonian has meant that the old tuck shop could be renovated into a café to rival any on the high street.

Development Manager, Helen Knott, said, “Tom Chastain attended Sutton Valence for only one year, in 1954, coming here from the USA as an ESU student. The many happy memories of his friends and his experiences here remained with him when he returned to Florida. In TC’s we have been able to create a calm, comfortable space where Sixth Formers can relax and socialise over newspapers and a cup of coffee. It

will be a lasting tribute to Tom and his generous gift to the School."

The café is furnished with leather sofas and co-ordinating bistro tables and chairs, with art by school pupils on the walls. The state-of-the-art coffee machine grinds fresh beans to make anything from expresso to latte. Although staffed by the school catering department, the students help run the café and what is on offer.

“The café is packed every break time”, says Marcus Newman, Head of School.

“We are very lucky to have such a great

place to meet our friends.”

The opening ceremony was performed

by John Evans (1953 W), President of the Old Suttonians Association, who remembered TC's when it was the Tuck Shop.

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

Inventor of the Banoffi Pie Nigel Mackenzie (1962 C) When we first opened The Hungry Monk Restaurant we changed the menu every day and the greatest problem was thinking of puddings. One day one of our waitresses came back from the West Country where she had been shown that if you boiled condensed milk for long enough – about 3 hours – it turned into some wonderful soft toffee.

I had a meeting with our Head Chef to discuss this discovery. We racked our brains for what we could do with this delicious substance. Suddenly it occurred to me that it would be heavenly with Bananas and Cream. He then went on to make a pie with exactly those ingredients, a thick layer of the toffee mixture, then bananas sliced longways and then a thick layer of whipped cream with a dash of coffee in it. By the time he had finished making it we were just about to open for business and we hadn’t thought of a name for it. I said well as a temporary name we would call it Banoffee Pie being simply a portmanteau name of banana, coffee and toffee. That is what it went on as the first night. Of course everybody asked all evening what it was and raved about it and we quickly realised that it was about the most delicious pudding we had ever made.

It therefore remained on the menu almost every night for weeks. The recipe remained a secret for about a year and a half and then we produced our second cookbook. The Deeper Secrets of The Hungry Monk, in which we gave the full recipe. This book sold about 100,000 all round the English speaking world and it largely because of that that Banoffi (current spelling) is now the most popular named pudding in the world along with Tiramisu and Tarte Tatin.

What we never gave a thought to was registering the trade mark of the name or copywriting the pudding. It quickly went in to public ownership (and the Oxford Dictionary) and we lost the op12

portunity to protect it legally. It has been the only pudding that we have never been able to take off the menu for 40 years and now that we have closed for

business we are being inundated with emails and letters from people round the world with fond memories of their first slice of Banoffi Pie.

Old Suttonians in the Catering Industry Peter Baker (1971 F) Managing Director, Maple Leaf Bakery UK: www.mapleleaf.com Andrew Doree (1984 W) Proprietor and Chef of The Royal Oak, South Brent, Devon: www.oakonline.net Timothy Field (1994 W) Sous Chef, Corinthia Hotels: www.corinthia.com Gordon Griffin (1999 L) Assistant Manager of Blink Restaurants, Canada: www.blinkcalgary.com

Flic Roberts (née Lynes) (1996 V) has 12 years of food innovation experience as a product developer for two of the UK’s leading food retailers, and more recently as the owner of Pinkpeppercorn Food Development; a small independent consultancy providing food development expertise to its clients, across the product development lifecycle, from concept to consumer. In addition, she also has a commercial buying and product packaging background and won industry awards for the products she has developed. www.pinkpeppercorn.co.uk.

July 2012

Rory Slater (1994 W) Executive Assistant Manager, Food and Beverage, The Ritz-Carlton Beijing www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/beijing_financial.

Susan Stagg (nĂŠe West) (1994 V) is now Group Catering Manager at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

Food and Drink writing and publishing

Anthony Froggatt (1966 L) retired in 2007 as CEO of the Brewing Group, Scottish and Newcastle plc.

Niels Sherry (1981 W) Managing Director at Sarment Ltd: www.thesherrywinecompany.com

Robin Jones (1971 L) Sales Manager at Laytons Wine Merchants. www.laytons.co.uk

Nigel Sinclair (1973 C) Director of Wychwood Wines: www.wychwoodwines.co.uk

Eric Miller (1964 L) Founded both Chaddsford Winery and Benmarl Vineyard and now works as a consultant for winery projects. Eric has published his

Harry Willett (1989 W) Landlord of The Black Horse, Monks Horton: www.thebestpubintheparish.com

Ghillie James (nĂŠe Studd) (1993 V) worked for five years as Food Editor of Sainsbury's Magazine. Author of Fresh from the Freezer (2011) and Jam, Jelly and Relish (2010) which has, to date, sold approx 70,000 copies. She now writes a regular column for Food and Travel Magazine from her home in Singapore and is midway through writing her third book which will be published Spring 2013. Books are sold through www.amazon.co.uk

OS Brewing and Wine Industry J Bruce Wilkinson (1967 M) Owner of Burton Bridge Brewery, Staffordshire. www.burtonbridgebrewery.co.uk Robert Dockerty (1960 M) Director with Guy Beckett (1980 W), Marketing Manager of Larkins Brewery Ltd, Chiddingstone, Kent.

Richard Girling (1989 M) Fine Wine Sales Manager at John E Fells & Sons Ltd. www.fells.co.uk Richard Green (1983 F) and James Green (1986 F) Owners of the Whitstable Brewery. www.hotelcontinental.co.uk Edward Kentish-Barnes (1995 M) Brewing Manager and Neil Jardine (1986 M) Director of Take Home and Export at Greene King Plc. www.greeneking.co.uk

first wine book. The book, Vintner's Apprentice is widely available online and through book shops in the US and UK. Gordon Milligan (1977 C) Swan on the Green, West Peckham. Micro brewery: www.swan-on-the-green.co.uk

Are there any more of you out there?

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

House Focus - Cornwallis

Top row from left Trevor R Goulden, Sandy Cairns, Timothy J Eames, Quentin W Tweedie, David V Hole, Victor E Bentley, Guy S Farrow, Christopher MacDonald Gerald P Mann, Roger J Penfold, Derek E Strange, Richard J Harvey, Raymond B Tyerman, Richard I Midmer, David J Molyneux, Graham M Squires, Andrew C Baldwin, Mark P Stone Christopher A Pearson, Roger J Fryer, Jonathan J Simpson, David J Allaway, Michael G F Hudson, Michael G Moore, ?, Richard D C Willis?, Charles C Coller?, James Thompson Martin Sealey, Colin G Hosmer, Christopher J Woods, Paul Medway, Roderick D Bankier, Clive N Langrick, Peter D Basser, Christopher B Wheeler, David M Harber, Philip J Hewitt Peter Milovsoroff, Frederick A B Clement, Nigel A Mackenzie, Peter A Hunt, Brian Vibert, Mr Fairbank, Mrs Goodwin, Robert J Nella, Miles M Shepherd, Nigel R Collins, Simon J Lyne James D Leonard, ? , John R Harris, Mike P Strange, John J Krivine, Richard I Brooks, James H F Daly, John A B Wise, Peter J French Names in italics, sadly deceased

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July 2012

Boarding has been an essential part of the Sutton Valence School ethos for longer than anyone can remember.

(Wellington) tie and a warm reception followed. He still didn’t let them near us!”

This year marks three anniversaries in our boarding history – 100 years since the opening of the houses we now know as Westminster and St Margaret’s, 50 years since Cornwallis was built, and 25 since the opening of Sutton (our only boarding house for girls).

Sandy Cairns (1964 C) – “Most of us in the house photo first tested the boarding waters by dipping our toes into the venerable facilities provided in one of the older boarding houses before making the choice to throw our lot in with the shiny new creation.

The School invited former pupils to celebrate these boarding milestones at a hog roast and drinks party at the beginning of July.

“Although many will have had strong attachments and affection for their former house, perhaps it was that sense of personal choice, even more than the newness of it all, that gave Cornwallis a distinct character and identity of its own from the word go.

Members of the first intake at Cornwallis were asked to share their memories with The Old Suttonians Newsletter: John Cox (1963 C) (American exchange student) – “Cornwallis was not at all what I expected from a school founded in the 16th century!

“Red blankets, little central heating but the first heated towel racks I had ever seen. Beautiful gardens…….

“Extremely friendly (but curious) housemates, a matron who graciously sewed name tapes into my school uniform….and leading the house in the school singing competition (which we didn’t win). She also helped me fix a pair of school trousers to fit over the cast on my leg which I broke playing rugby.

“Mr Fairbank, our housemaster, was the classic example of an ex-British army officer and treated me probably better than I deserved.

“One memory that does stick in my mind: one day a rather tired automobile pulled into the Cornwallis parking lot, and two shaggy young men emerged and walked towards the house.

“Mr Fairbank would have none of this, as he wanted, I assume, to protect us, and headed directly towards them to fend them off. He pulled up very short however, when he noted that one of them was wearing his own school

“I'm sure that, along with me, many will be thinking of Michael Fairbank as the 50th anniversary is celebrated. There could have been no better person to set a new house on the road to success than its first housemaster.

“Michael and Susan brought more than a whiff of civilisation, urbanity, culture and good sense to the scene, strong enough even to overcome the adolescent propensity to disregard all these things - and even the ghastly ‘niff’ of Vesta curries and chow mein which were the snacks of choice for the privileged who had access to the show kitchens!

Happy days.”

Richard Harvey (1963 C) – “It was no surprise that an American like John Cox was unimpressed with the modest central heating in Cornwallis, but it was one of the prime reasons I defected from Westminster!

“After three years enduring chilly nights in Westminster’s dorms (all windows open, at all times), I thought a little winter warmth atop Sutton Valence hill wouldn’t go amiss, and so I became one of the first intake to Cornwallis.

“There were other attractions too – individual study booths in the senior dayroom, and comfortably equipped shows.

“I only felt mildly traitorous, and was

soon caught up in the fiercely partisan house spirit, championed by head of house Peter Hunt, and evidenced by Cornwallis doing better-then-expected in inter-house competitions.

“And Michael Fairbank encouraged us all, whatever our limitations, to maximise our talents. He also helped civilise the older boys, by inviting prefects to delicious dinner parties beautifully prepared by his wife Susan. We were allowed a glass of cider, and it was the first time I’d tried profiteroles!”

David Hole (1963 C) - Most of us had been in other houses, however we all became a member of Cornwallis from the very start. We seemed to have a lot of boys with very special personalities that gave the house an immediate character all of its own.

“There was never a feeling of being the ‘new house’; it felt as though the house had been around for years, except that everything was very shiny and new.

“Over the years I shared shows with Tim Eames, Fred Clement and, in my last year, Quentin Tweedie, who introduced me to Elvis; little did I know that I would later spend many years working in Memphis where the knowledge would prove useful. ”I will always value and remember the kindness and leadership of Michael Fairbank, who truly cared for all the boys under his care.

“Looking at that first year photograph of Cornwallis reminds me of the passage of time, especially when looking at the list of those who have passed away. To me, they will always be young and healthy.

“No one will ever have the opportunity that I had to spend my last school days with such a great bunch of boys, and be the first to call Cornwallis home.”

Richard Mant (1961 M) – “I had a small hand in helping Cornwallis in its infancy.

I used to look after the first Cornwallis

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

boys when they were based in the Sanatorium in Summer Term 1961.

for me it was not a chore, and I found it an interesting experience.

“I used to go down to the Sani in the evening, have a chat with the boys, see them into bed, lights out etc. I suppose it was one of my duties as a prefect, but

“I was also well aware of the responsibilities attached to this duty, and felt it was a rather special thing to be asked to do. Perhaps I should have realised then

that I was cut out to be a schoolmaster in the years to come, but I didn't, and careers guidance of any sort was in its infancy in those days.”

Old photographs Shooting Team 1962

In the photograph, Robert Coutts is flanked by team captain Company Quartermaster Sergeant Frostick (1963 L) and Corporal Rutter (1963 L). Lynden-Bell (1965 L) is seated on the far left and in the back row Christopher Beglin (1963 L) is third from right and David Luget (1963 L) is far right.

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July 2012

Cross Country Team 1941

In the photograph, top from left James Dunsmuir (1942 W), Richard H Wylie (1943 W), Jack Carter (1944 W), John F Bongard (1942 W), Alan M Sloan (1943 W). Front from left Ralph D Bentley (1942 W), Edward V Beaton (1941 M) and Robin J Burns (1941 M).

Sutton Valence School’s Olympians 1920 – 2012 Six Old Suttonians have competed in the modern Olympics, first held in Athens in 1896. The first competed in the Games of 1920 and the most recent has competed in 2008. One of these was at the Winter Games, in 1980. Two more Old Suttonians were selected for the

Winter Games in 1940 but these were cancelled because of World War II. A further one has represented us as an administrator.

Edgar D Mountain (1919 W) was the first. He competed in the Games of 1920

in Antwerp, finishing fourth in the final of the 800m and also in 1924 in the ‘Chariots of Fire’ Olympics, Paris.

He was a brilliant junior who finished fourth in the 1920 Olympic 800 metres final (aged 19) with a new UK junior

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

record of 1:54.6. On his return from Antwerp, he matched his Olympic performance by winning the Surrey AC 880 yards Club Championship in 1:55.4. A Cambridge blue, he won the 880 yards against Oxford in 1921-22, having finished second in 1920-21. He was at his best in Stockholm in September 1921 when he set a new world best for 500 metres. In his second Olympics he was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 800 yards in 1924 and this effectively ended his athletic career. He began his working career in the British Museum, but in 1927 migrated to South Africa, joining the Geology Department of Rhodes University, becoming the Professor in 1930, a post he held until retirement in 1969. He was President of the Geological Society of South Africa and during a distinguished career as a geologist, he discovered several new minerals, one of which, Mountainite, bears his name. He died in April 1985 aged 84.

Sydney C Wooderson MBE (1933 W) was an athletics icon in the late 1930s and 40s and an inspiration to Gordon Bannister, who was the first to run the mile in under 4 minutes. He competed in the Games of 1936 in Berlin despite a severe injury to his ankle. He was an odds-on favourite to win, but the injury ruined his chances. His nickname in Athletics circles was ‘The mighty atom’ – a reflection of his diminutive stature, but immense power. He inspired a whole generation of English runners and Bannister, perhaps the most famous of those, says this of him: “He was a modest man, bespectacled, wearing a Blackheath Harriers vest and running with a rather restricted arm action but absolutely strong. He dominated British middle distance running from his days as a schoolboy until in his 40s.”

He held a large number of records during his career, most noticeably the World’s 800 metres, 880 yards and the Mile. On retirement he had run the seven fastest miles by a British runner and 15 of the world’s fastest – remarkable. Away from the athletics field he was a solicitor. He opened the School’s Sports Hall, named in his memory, the

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year before he died, in December 2006, aged 92.

selection was for the GB Bobsled team in Helsinki in 1940.

Jack R C Gannon CBE MVO (1901) was a soldier and a horseman. As a young man he was a famous Polo player obtaining a handicap of 7 in that sport; today those with a handicap of 5 or more are usually professional players. He was Chef d’équipe of the GB Polo team and manager of the Equestrian Team for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He was born in India and after starting out with the South Staffs. Regiment in 1902 he transferred to the Indian Army in which he served with great distinction throughout the war in Europe and later Afghanistan. During his time in India he regularly played first class cricket for one of the regions of that country and on return to the UK he often played for the MCC against a variety of opponents.

After the Army he served as Manager and Secretary of the Hurlingham Club, but in 1939 was recalled to the colours and served as Military Secretary to Lord Allanbrooke and later Field Marshal Montgomery. He retired in 1949 with the rank of Brigadier. During his service in India he had been a major force in organising the tour of that country by the Prince of Wales in 1921. It was for this that he received his MVO. After WWII he spent most of his time working with Lord Cowdray re-establishing Polo and became its major administrator. He died, aged 97, in 1980.

He was just beginning to make a name for himself, both academically and sportingly, in this School when his career ended abruptly after a high spirited, riotous jape came to the attention of the Headmaster. According to Collins, along with a couple of others: “We had raided one of the adjacent allotment sheds and made a pile of apples and eggs. We were firing at it with the owner’s 12 bore shotgun when, unfortunately, he appeared.” Any irregular exploits remained undetected in his new school (Dulwich), for which he represented at Shooting and as a member of the 1st XV Rugby. He became the Captain of Athletics and was a School Prefect there. He went on to become a surgeon in the Navy and afterwards a very good dentist. Somewhere along the line he changed his name to Roy Dunstan. He remained all through his eventful life a man of rare and valuable wit, the use of which occasionally landed him in hot water. He died in June 1996.

The two athletes selected for the abandoned 1940 Winter Games in Helsinki were: Thomas H Clarke (1937 M), who was to have competed in Helsinki in 1940 in skiing events. Unfortunately, nothing is known by us of his life beyond these walls. His time at the School was short and he left in the Fourth Form at a young enough age so as not to figure in the annals of that time, and once he left he did not make any real attempt to keep in touch with us.

Rodney H Collins aka Roy Dunstan (1938 DB/F) represented GB in the 440 yards hurdles in 1939, but his Olympic

Peter V L Marchant (1938 M) competed in the games of 1948 in London (Bisley).

He was a record holder in pistol shooting and regularly competed for GB for several years thereafter.

Peter's event was the 50 metre free pistol consisting of a team of three. In those less regulated days (before pistol shooting was ‘outlawed’ in this country) one was allowed to keep firearms at home and he built his own pistol range on the farm for practice. On the outbreak of WWII a perforated eardrum meant he was unfit for active service, so he became a Bomb Disposal Officer instead.

After the war he returned to the family business of farming and over the years built it up into a thriving concern, whilst at the same time diversifying into demolition work and explosives distribution.

He spent much time with the boys of the School Shooting team, both in rifle and pistol and during the period of his help, the School won the Gale and Polden Pistol Trophy several times. In 1976 he migrated to South Africa and took

July 2012

employment with the South Africa Explosives Company. However, sadly within 18 months he was struck down by cancer and died in September 1977.

Paul R Anderson OBE (1952 W) is our medallist. He competed in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico (Acapulco) as a sailor in the 5.5 metre class alongside Robin Aisher and Adrian Jardine.

After National Service, during which time he managed to play a lot of OS and club cricket as well as playing rugby for the Harlequins and Surrey, he was invited to sail ‘big boats’. He prepared for, then raced in, the Americas Cup between 1959 and 1964. He was on board ‘Sovereign’, as captain under Sir Peter Scott, in the year she made the unsuccessful attempt to bring the trophy back to this country. The experience was most useful when he teamed up with Aisher and Jardine for the four-year plan to represent GB in the Olympics in Mexico in the 5.5 metre class. They were successful in their qualifying and went to Mexico. Heavy winds in the first two of the seven-race series put them at a disadvantage, but they steadily climbed through the ranks; the last race began poorly for them, but they made a storming finish and managed to secure the Bronze medal. Anderson continued to race yachts with Aisher, successfully, at Cowes, and also became Life Chairman of Harlequin Old Players Association.

He retained his links with the Olympic movement, being a founder member of the British Olympics Association, and Chairman of that body from 2004 – 2007. He has recently retired from the post of Director General of the Special Olympics for W. Europe and is currently Vice President of Special Olympics GB. Neil W N Townshend (1973 F) competed in the Luge event in Lake Placid, USA in 1980. He was an all-rounder at School, but a failed Under 19 Southern Counties rugby trial persuaded him to follow up a radio interview he heard on the way home, about the sport of Luge.

Having hitchhiked to Austria in response to the radio interview a trial on the ice proved successful and a new

sports career started. Neil writes: “When I heard about Luge on the radio I telephoned around and managed to find out that a small team of four new sliders had been chosen to go to an event in Kufstein in Austria. After a lot of persistence it was finally agreed I could go out and join them. I could neither afford to get out there nor the cost of a hotel, so I hitchhiked from King’s College London (where I was a medical student) to Kufstein and persuaded one of the team to let me kip on the floor. I was given an old sled whilst the new team members had smart new ones. Little did they know at the time that the new sleds they had were much harder to drive until they were set up properly, whilst my little old one was perfect. I went on to beat them all and win a trophy for the top foreigner in the race.”

He went to the Olympics as British and North American Champion and it was felt he had a good chance for a medal, but needed to be consistent in his times to achieve that goal. The East Europeans were more consistent, and faster.

Neil retained his strong interest in sport.

He became vice-chairman of The British Olympic Committee. Competing at this level gave Neil an intro into the world of sport’s administration and sports medicine administration and he was lucky enough to have a great career in the voluntary sports administration world. He worked his way up to becoming the Vice Chair of the British Olympic Association (BOA), the Chief Medical Officer for the International Luge Federation and the Chair of the UK National Sports Medicine Institute.

Olympic experience he competed with the England team in the World Cup and in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. They finished fourth in both tournaments.

Ashley has more than 60 caps for England and more than 40 for Great Britain.

At School, he showed enormous talent as a wicket keeper-batsman for the 1st XI and of course played 1st XI hockey for several years. Out of School he began his career with East Grinstead Hockey Club, making the 1st team in 2003, at the age of 16! He moved to Holland in 2008 where he played professionally for the club side HGC. Recently he has returned to East Grinstead and is delighted to be part of the 2012 Olympics, after all the hard work he has put in. "I'm very happy to be selected for the Olympics," he said. "Ever since we played the Test Event in front of a home crowd it's been very exciting to imagine how great the home support will be this summer. It has been a long, long few years of training and many highs and lows during that period, but I'm feeling very confident about our chances over the summer.” We wish him luck!

Ashley S Jackson (2005 M), described once as ‘the David Beckham of Hockey’ and in the Daily Telegraph in April 2012 as ‘the best hockey player in the world’, competed at the Beijing Olympics in China in 2008. The GB team came fifth.

He made a big impact on the English Hockey scene from an early age. Now, aged 24, he has a European Gold medal under his belt and was named International Hockey Federation’s ‘Young Player of the Year’ in 2009. After the

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

News of Old Suttonians ANDERSON, George (1983 W) Continues to work with his wife Judi in family business (independent financial advice). Has 2 children, Rebecca and Robert. He keeps reasonably fit and very involved in the local church.

BAILEY, John (1956 M) Sadly my wife Rosemary died in October 2001 but now have a lovely partner Jane who shares my interests in painting and pottery. We are enjoying our life together in rural Gloucestershire where I have my studio and from where I run my watercolour painting courses here and abroad. I have a big exhibition of paintings and pottery each year in November at the studio in aid of Cancer Research.

Raised nearly £6000. My website: www.johnbaileyart.com.

BAKER, Alexander (2010 W) Spent a year as the Club Manager at the British Embassy in Kuwait and is now at the University of Dundee studying for an MA in American History with Business Economics.

BANCE, Nigel (1966 C) Is now working as a writer, journalist/publisher.

BARTLETT, Brian (1959 F) Is now retired and living in Essex and Devon.

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BEADON, Colin (1948 L) Colin wrote to us to tell us that he is very well and fit. He is mentioned on google, as Colin Leslie Beadon as he writes odds and ends. You can also catch him on Skype under his skype name ‘Theywillbeadon’.

BEGLIN, Chris (1963 L)

work and has progressed to his current situation - internet, web design, data conversion and web site maintenance (even though now ''semi-retired"!). His last company folded and he went back to working for himself in 1997- more R & D, then transition to intranet work.

Having relocated to Pennsylvania U.S.A in 2000, to remarry, Chris continues to follow his computer work. He is fortunate to (by chance) have a son live only 24 miles away - along with three grandchildren. His daughter still lives in Hertford, UK and there he also has two grandchildren.

Chris still follows the old School's progress over time however and greatly appreciates getting the news periodically.

After leaving SVS he gained a diploma in Osteopathy from the British School of Osteopathy (DO. MRO.). He practised as an Osteopath from 1967 to 1974 as DO. MRO. (which ceased due to his own back trouble!). Chris was Clinic Superintendent at the British School of Osteopathy from mid-1975 to mid-1977. He also had a short term fill in job in audio-visual equipment, early 1975 until mid-1975 and short term work for 6/12 as night station manager, Capital Radio, London, from mid-1974 to the end of 1974. He started his own business involving engineering and electronics, late 1977. In 1992 - 1995 he gained a 2.1 Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering/Systems from Plymouth University and Chris worked from 1995 until approximately 1997 with a Plymouth company as R & D engineer, using his BEng Systems degree.

Since 1997, he has continued intranet

BEST, David (1980 F) David is Director of a computer software company, Proquis Ltd. BICKLEY, Jeffrey (1987 W) Jeffrey is Managing Director of insurance brokers – Bickley Insurance Services Ltd. Married to Fiona since 1990 and has two children Ellen (16) and Joshua (13).

BOWCOCK, Timothy (1984 C) Timothy found himself on our missing list and re-established contact. He has lived in Melbourne, Australia for the last 20 years and is married with an eight year old daughter. Tim works for a bulk shipping/operating company called Maestro Shipping.

BRIGGS (née Manchett), Emma (2002 H) Worked at NatWest Bank for 1 year, then for father’s business for two. Had

July 2012

a year off to focus on golf and handicap came down to 5. Married to Lee in 2006 and son, Harrison born in December 2010. Is still in contact with Amy Fowler (2003 L), Greg Forde (2001 L) and Susan Talbot (2001 V). Amy has a little boy and Susan is expecting twins.

BUCK, Bill (ex-staff) After 14 years at SVS, involved with rugby, cricket and hockey, I am now coaching the Prep School 1st XV of King’s College, Cambridge and living near Saffron Walden.

BURNS, Robin (1941 M) In March 2011, Robin returned to the School from Canada for a visit with his daughter.

CAMPEY, Richard (1974 F) Is now Managing Director of “The One Shop Nature Shop” and has recently reconnected with Richard Underhill (1974 F). Richard is married with one child aged 9.

CANDY, Michael (1952 W) When Michael Candy recently received a copy of one of the school choir CDs it brought back happy memories of playing the organ in the chapel.

And for those who think the series of SVS choir CDs are a recent development, Michael said that three recordings were made in 1949, although the wax was so flimsy that a spin on his old wind up, horn gramophone nearly proved terminal!

Michael’s schooldays experiences playing the chapel organ led him to a lifetime’s interest in the instrument, and he’s even built a theatre pipe organ at his home (which he’s appropriately named ‘Sound of Music’) in Hemel Hempstead.

CAPON, Edmund (1958 L) Dr Edmund Capon AM OBE, retired in December 2011. Before this time, Edmund was Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales since November 1978 following his arrival from London where, for the previous five years, he held the position of Assistant Keeper, Far Eastern Section, Victoria and Albert Museum.

He attained a Master of Philosophy Degree in Chinese Art and Archaeology (including language) from London University’s Department of Oriental and African Studies with his thesis entitled: The Inter-dependence of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture in Bronze and Stone from AD386 to 581, and is a recognised world expert in his particular field.

In October 2003 opened the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ rebuilt Asian galleries and in May 2011 opened new and refurbished modern and contemporary galleries, which included dedicated display space for the Kaldor Family collection.

Mr Capon is a Conjoint Professor in the School of Languages and Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, UNSW; is on the Board of the St James Ethics Committee; has written extensively on the arts of China; written and presented a three-part ABCTV-China Central Television co-produced documentary entitled Meishu: Travels in Chinese Art which has been distributed worldwide; developed the AGNSW as a centre for Asian art display and educa-

tion; created the Gallery’s highly successful Foundation, a Capital fund, to acquire works for the Collection; has curated exhibitions encompassing Asian, European and Australian art; has written extensively on Chinese art & archaeology and on the work of artists such as Jeffrey Smart, Caravaggio and Giacometti.

His most recent publication is a collection of essays entitled I Blame Duchamp: My Life’s Adventures in Art which was launched in November 2009

by Penguin Australia.

He is an avid Chelsea supporter and was Chairman of Sydney Football Club 2006-2007.

He was awarded the Doctor of Letters honoris causa from UNSW in 2000 and from Macquarie University in 2010 and he has been honoured by the governments of Britain, France, Italy and Australia for his contribution to art and culture.

CARTER, W Brian (Croix de Guerre) (1941 M) I gave up my small watch repair business in 2010 and now restore antique clocks. I wrote several books, one Saved by the Bomb. In 1990, I retired from being a marine surveyor and in 1978 I sold Buckden Marina and gave up standing as a County Councillor. In 1970, I was awarded the 1970 Countryside Award for an outstanding contribution to the countryside, presented to me by the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1964, Buckden Marina, which I had built, was officially opened. This was an offspring from a small boatyard that I started in 1949. I was demobbed in 1946, having been the Skipper of a heavy craft in the Japanese Campaign. This followed my craft being destroyed on the Normandy

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

beaches after 7 landings, having landed on D-Day. I met Higgins who was on a rocket ship, also 3 school friends from my prep school. I was commissioned in 1943 and under training met Mr Miller our Physics Master who was teaching us navigation. The training was hard and I had to serve on a heavy cruiser for a short time in order to get the necessary experience before training for a commission. I had previously served as a dispatch rider in the home guard on a pedal cycle and did a short apprenticeship as a watch maker when I left school.

CHANCE, Veronique (1986 V) Veronique ran in the London Marathon in April 2012. She is now a freelance lecturer in Computer Art (Moving Images) in London. Her Great Orbital Ultra Run (part of her Art Work sponsored by The Arts Council and presented in an exhibition at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery, Greenwich) involved filming what was in front of her as she ran round the inside of the M25 Motorway. This was completed in nine stages (an average of 16 miles a day per stage) with the film beamed into the gallery whilst she was running.

CLIFTON (née Dudley-Smith), Jessica (2002 S) Jessica is a community staff nurse working with North Wokingham and Winnersh health visiting team.

CLIFTON-HOLT (née Nesfield), Laura (1999 V) Laura is now living in Aldington and in touch with many Old Suttonians. She is a Chartered Surveyor and married to Alan.

COOK, Neville (1963 L) Neville recently re-established contact and is now living in Switzerland.

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CRADDOCK, Timothy (1984 F) Joined Network Rail in 2011. He was previously with RBS for 10 years as HR Director for two divisions. He lives in Bromley, married to Jo, and has 2 sons, Alex (aged 8) and Eddie (aged 6).

DOVETON-GERTY, Chris (1955 L)

CRAWFORD, Kenneth (1957 F) Has finally retired from Dental Surgery and now living in Hartlip.

DENNING, James (1959 W) Tim Shaw (Day Boy and Founders, 1960) joined Jim Denning (Day Boy and Westminster, 1959) for the latter's 70th Birthday celebration at the Woolley Grange Hotel, Bradford on Avon on 14th January 2012. Tim Shaw is retired from an electrical engineering career in the Royal Navy and Balfour Beatty. Jim Denning is retired from architecture in both local authority and private practice.

They were class mates at SVS in September 1952 in Form 2 under A G Foulkes (Master) who also started there that term.

Tim and his wife Cilla celebrated their Ruby wedding anniversary at the National Liberal Club in 2011. Tim and Jim, Cilla and Marguerite meet from time to time for lunch at different venues between their homes at Woking and Trowbridge.

Jim thought the above may be of interest to any of their contemporaries who might have been in Form 2 with them in 1952.

DHUL, Rahil (2005 M) Rahil has recently graduated from the University of Sheffield with a BA Hons in Economics. He is currently undergoing work experience at Citigroup with the aim of finding a graduate job in the near future.

Chris has published his first novel, ‘The Spanish Dream’. It is a suspense/thriller based on his personal experiences and those of his many friends who were tempted by buying a property in Spain. The book may be purchased through www.amazon.co.uk.

DUFFELL, Andrew (1995 M) Has been appointed President and CEO of the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University.

EDWARDS, John (1988 F) John is working for ICAP, the world’s largest interdealer broker, based in London. He manages a sales team and runs the Electronic Broking Division for fixed income in Europe, Middle East and Asia.

EVENDEN, Simon (1981 F) Retired from Boxley Tyres on medical grounds in September 2011 and sold the business. Now he is working for Fine and Country, Cranbrook and Simon Miller Estate Agents. He married Emma in 2003. They have a daughter Jolyon Evenden born August 2009 who will be joining SVS Prep School in Autumn 2012.

FILMER, Paul (1988 W) Went to University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and studied Agricultural Biochemistry and Nutrition gaining a 2:1. For the past 6 years he has been

July 2012

running his own IT business and working as an IT contractor primarily for Hewlett Packard in network design and installation. Previously he worked for the government in London also in the IT Field. He married Sue in South Africa (2002) and has 2 children Katie (8 ½ years) and Abigail (4 years). Currently he lives in the Cotswolds. He also does a bit of photography (weddings and portraits) on the side.

in New York he went on to work with various consumer goods companies in marketing and general management roles in various parts of the world until retiring in late 2007 as CEO of the Brewing Group, Scottish and Newcastle plc.

Tony now lives in his home city of Sydney in Australia with his wife and keeps himself reasonably busy sitting on the Boards of various Australian based international businesses.

The article ‘Lambes House Focus’ in the previous newsletter stirred some old memories for Tony and he wishes all (well, maybe not all!) his old schoolmates of that era well.

GIBSON, Norman (1949 W) Norman is now retired after managing The Angel Hotel in Midhurst for 18 years. He has 3 children and 6 grandchildren. All are engaged to be married with the exception of one.

FOX, Laurence (1993 M) Laurence is working for American NASDAQ Strategic Advisory firm in the Benelux and Dacu markets. He keeps fit playing tennis, roller hockey and skiing. He now speaks fluent Portuguese.

Married to Nadja and his daughter, Isabela was born in 2007.

FROGGATT, Tony (1966 L) Tony joined the school from Australia where he had briefly attended Geelong Grammar before his father's job relocated him to the UK. He has many memories of his three years at SVS, (mostly good!)

After gaining a Law degree at Queen Mary College, London University and an MBA at Columbia Business School

GOLD, Stuart (1970 W) Stuart wrote in after the article about himself and John Broad was featured in the last Suttonian.

I thought I would post this really interesting email that I received from John Broad who, like me, went to Sutton Valence School in Kent; albeit a good 30 years before I did. He left Sutton Valence in 1940 due to threatened invasion and travel difficulties and was later called up and plunged into a more interesting and dramatic era than my generation can remember. At Sutton Valence he witnessed the crater of a bomb that fell very near the school and when he finally left school he joined the British Army and was landed in Normandy on D-Day 1944 where he received minor wounds before returning

four days later to England. As you will read below he spent time in Ghana in the British Army in 1947. Over to John…

Reading of your wonderful work in Ghana I am full of admiration that someone is helping the curse of plastic trash. The world is a frightening place when one sees pictures of the vast accumulation of plastic brought together by wind and currents and floating mid Pacific. At least we are all becoming more aware of the problem and we have our hessian carry bags and reuse the Tesco plastic bags at each shopping trip, doing our little bit to help.

However the thought of Ghana brought to mind a wonderful 18 month spell 1945/46 serving with the RWAFF, Gold Coast Regiment. Posted to Accra my face didn’t fit in with the stuffy highly formal colonial regimental life and I was soon on a troopship to Egypt where I joined 18th. Infantry Garrison Company providing around the clock guards for ordnance depots, fuel stores and so on around Alexandria. It was there that I met Bentley (42) when we played cricket on opposing teams and he was the only Old Suttonian that I have (knowingly) met.

Late in ‘47 the company returned to Takoradi and then to Kumasi by train. It was from there that myself and another officer set out with three or four 3 tonners full of excited demobbed soldiers to deliver them to their home villages in the Northern Territories. Arriving at each village the scene was always of such joy that I really don’t think that they ever expected to see their son at home with them again. If we had accepted the hospitality offered we should still be there I think.

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

All best wishes, weren’t we lucky to attend such a great school. Sorry to have bored you with my memories but such is old age!!

John Broad (1940 M) GRIEVE, David (1968 W) After leaving SVS I had took further courses at Catford College and worked briefly for Barclays Bank before going to St John's College Durham, where I met my future wife, Jane Pierssené, niece of the late Edward Pierssené, a former master at the School who very sadly had taken his own life. Her cousin, the Revd Jeremy Pierssené, was a regular visitor to School during my years through his work with Lymington Camps. Jane and I married in 1976, the year of my Ordination. I served in three northern Dioceses before retiring on health grounds in 1989. Jane was herself ordained in 2001, and has three rural parishes in Teesdale, Co Durham, where we live and is also a Canon of the Cathedral. We have three grown up children and a granddaughter.

I continue to serve in ministry as health allows, and also write poetry which is both published and self-published.

GRIMSHAW, Ian (1968 C) Head of School

After spending time as an insurance broker in Lloyds and as a management trainee in RHM, Ian joined Montgomery Exhibitions in 1974 and spent much of his early career taking groups of British exhibitors to fairs throughout

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Europe and the US and promoting the company’s interests throughout Eastern Europe.

In 1978 he was appointed General Manager of Arabian Exhibition Management, a joint venture based in Bahrain, where he set up a programme of international exhibitions. Two years later he was seconded to the Dallasbased Society of Petroleum Engineers where he helped organise events in Houston and Beijing, China.

An exhibition director of the Zimbabwe company, Ian organised two Rural Development Technology Exhibitions in Bulawayo in the early 80’s, while back in the UK he was awarded Young Businessman of the Year in a competition sponsored by The Builder Magazine and the Association of Building and Construction Manufacturers.

Much of the later 80’s were spent in the US as director responsible for sixteen show titles held in six States. This led to an eight year posting to Los Angeles where, as resident director, he organised ART/LA, the International Contemporary Art Fair and several international wine fairs in New York.

On returning to London, Ian became director of operations for events held at the NEC and Olympia. Before taking early retirement, he spent time researching shows in India and, as a consultant, is presently working on The India Art Fair, in New Delhi.

Ian is a Liveryman of the City of London and was elected Master of the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers in 2009.

GÜLDENBERG, Oliver (2000 M) Studied Law at the University of Bonn

and is now a lawyer in an office in Duisberg.

De HARLEZ, Grégoire (2005 W) Grégoire is creating and organising events in his home such as fairs, parades and theme restaurant. Last year, he organised the 250th anniversary of propriety in Belgium. To keep in touch with his events go to www.espacedeulin.be or on Facebook – Château de Deulin.

HARRISON, Nigel (1970 M) Retired 3 years ago after 26 years as a GP in Cambridge. Nigel now indulges himself in a feast of golf, travel and cooking. His only current OS contacts are his brother Gavin (1963 M) currently in New Zealand and Gerald Steeden (1968 M). Married to Frances with 2 children, Guy and Erica.

HENDERSON, Lee (1983 L) Currently runs an IT business 4Productions Ltd and Project Director of Everest Recovery 2014 www.everestrecovery.com. Lee has two children Harry (aged 9) and Martha (aged 2).

HICKS, Christopher (1991 F) Christopher found himself on the missing list and contacted us. His career has led him down the rural surveying route and is a Rural Practice Chartered Surveyor (MRICS) and a partner of Fisher German LLP based in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. Christopher’s main work area is Land Agency and manages farming estates both in England and Northern Ireland. He is married to Alex, a garden designer and they have two children, Oliver who is eight and Theo who is four months old.

HIGH, Desmond (1973 F) Desmond High receiving Sky Sports Coaches Award from commentator David Lloyd during the Fourth Test be-

July 2012

tween England and India at The Kia Oval, having been nominated by Kent Cricket Board, in the Outstanding Contribution and Services to Coaching.

qualified as a chartered accountant in 1974. Much later in life, in 2003, I was awarded an MBA through the Open University.

My wife Elizabeth is Australian. We married in Sydney in 1976 and have spent 7 years living there. We have a daughter, Josephine, now aged 33.

HINE, Ruth (Ex-staff 2000-2007)

I have worked since 1974 in both UK and Australia, for The Financial Times, for Standard Chartered Bank, Lloyds' of London, and then since 1993 as Finance Director of two Christian charities: Tearfund and OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship), both evangelical, both interdenominational, both operating worldwide.

I became a Christian in 1980 through the ministry of the Rev Dick Lucas at St Helens Church Bishopsgate in the City of London. Dick Lucas preached at SVS in the 1960's at the invitation of the then chaplain, Rev David Gibson.

Ruth is living in the Sultanate of Oman, working at The British School Muscat, which her two children Peter (10) and Susannah (7) attend. It has been five years since she left Sutton Valence where she worked in the Geography Department and she still has the Year Book out on her coffee table in Oman for friends to look through, especially as a lot of people choose the boarding option once their children reach secondary school age.

HINGSTON, Stephen (1966 W) After leaving Westminster in 1966, I

OMF was formerly the China Inland Mission, founded by Hudson Taylor in 1865. In 1950 the new communist government expelled all the CIM missionaries, who then regrouped as OMF and began the work of taking the gospel to the other countries of East Asia, all of which had large Chinese minorities.

During my period of service at OMF I travelled widely in Asia, visiting the headquarters in Singapore each year.

Partly due to the foundation work of CIM, the church in China now numbers at least 70 million, making it the largest Protestant church in the world.

I now serve at St Michaels Church, Blackheath Park London SE3 where I preach and lead services.

I am very thankful for some of the val-

ues given to me by SVS: independence of spirit, perseverance, and "my trust is in God alone".

HOLE, John (1953 M) We have regained contact with JJ Hole (1953 M). He has been an avid steam enthusiast for many years and has done sterling work for the Brede Engine Society (involved with the magnificent pumping engines located in that village).

Recently he has published a book concerning the engines and machinery of HMS Belfast, that tourist attraction on the Thames. He spent most of his time after school sailing as an engineer on BP Tankers. After he paid off his last ship he took up work in Shipping Registry, inspecting ships’ engines etc. for safety certificates.

HOLLINS, David (1984 C) Lives in Tunbridge Wells, working in Retail and married to Laura with 2 girls, Isabella and Madeline. He keeps in touch with John Miller (1987 C) and David Critchley (1981 C).

HOLLOWAY, Christopher (1950 M) We're just back from a cruise on the Queen Victoria, during which we visited Tenerife and took a tour to see Mount Teide, some 12,000 feet high. Near the top, I fell to chatting with a very Pleasant Young Man on the same tour, and the conversation went: Me: "So where are you from?"

PYM: "Kent" Me: "Ah, what part?"

PYM: "You won't know it. a small village called Biddenden" Me: "I do. I went to school at Sutton Valence" PYM: "So did I" Thus Chris Holloway (1950 M) caught up with Andrew Wingham (1997 L) in a

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

rather unusual setting, and enjoyed a great chat all the way down! There must be many such examples in the course of time, but this was a first for me.

HOLMES, Nicholas (2010 W) Nicholas is currently in his second year at Teesside University studying performance for live and recorded media, which is essentially acting and presenting for TV and Film. He has recently been accepted into the New York Film Academy on the acting for film course which starts in July 2013 for 10 weeks.

He is currently involved in filming for 2 independent short films and a drama of his own as well as helping to run film and acting workshops for children.

Nicholas has also been accepted as a model for DK modelling agency.

HOVELL, Dickon (1958 L) On leaving Sutton Valence, I worked for a year on a farm in Sussex. Greedy alcoholic boss, however I volunteered for everything, and spent six weeks working with the thatcher, and a marvellous six months with an old stockman (well into his seventies). No one else wanted to work with him, but after two weeks of biting my tongue I got on very well with the old man and learnt much.

When I went to look him up a year later I found that he had emigrated to Australia to be with his son! For me, University of Reading to read Agriculture.

Excellent time. Shot small bore for uni, rowed (badly), debates and Pres of Union. That (last activity) taught me how to manage a committee. Spent one summer vacation working on a farm in France, and one hitch-hiking round North America. Thence to University of Leeds – worked (three years) on use of whole body counting (K40) to estimate body composition, and discovered pigs contained Cs137 (Soviet bomb tests).

York boat club where oarsmanship im-

26

proved from ‘chronic’ to ‘individual style’. From Leeds to Aberdeen (1967) and Rowett Research Institute where I achieved a PhD (energy metabolism in ruminants), and a failed marriage. Appointed to permanent staff, and worked on early weaning of pigs. Continued some rowing and learnt to fly gliders.

Two years leave of absence (1978 – 1980) to work with T.R. Preston in Dominican Republic on feeding sugar cane to ruminants. Learnt bad spanish and something of just how much I didn’t know about ruminant nutrition and developing countries (much well intentioned bad aid and bad advice is given).

I also learnt a great respect for the dignity and style of some very poor people.

Visited Trinidad, Jamaica and Cuba on work related things. Back to Rowett and working on protein requirements and appetite of ruminants. Started part time teaching University of Aberdeen, and spent time in Mexico at Autonomous University of Yucatan (Merida) – at one stage almost commuting. Also trips to Canada, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe – work related. 1980 bought small farm (36 ha) on Deeside near the small town of Banchory (about 30km from Aberdeen) where I now live. Now all I do is let the grazing and admire the views. Even though the imigrant English are known as ‘white settlers’ I have fantastic neighbours – both local and white settler. Left Rowett for full time at University of Aberdeen which work progressively tailed off (last student last year). Now fully retired - apart from paper refereeing and developing theories on ‘Life, The Universe and Everything’ – so be warned as to the latter which are imposed on friends when I sense the slightest opening. Retirement I define as ‘More time to do your own thing, annoy friends, mount hobby horses and hold forth to the young’.

Sadly I have reconfigured corporally,

and my brain has sunk to my navel.

HUGHES, Gary (1973 F) Invites you to an exhibition of his and Alison Hughes work on Thursday, August 23rd (14.00-19.00), then to Wednesday, August 29th 2012 (10.00-19.00) at: The Salt House Gallery, Norway Square, St. Ives, TR26 1NB The exhibition will include a range of new work comprising acrylic grey-tone stippling on canvas, landscapes in watercolour, sketches /drawings and a comprehensive field of hand crafted jewellery complimented by floral watercolours. There will be a large selection of items for sale at very reasonable prices.

HUNT, Ian (1983 W) Has worked for Founding Management Group, Trioptima (Risk Management Services) since 2002. Ian played competitive rugby until 32, then retired to sample marathon running and these days some triathlon to keep fit. He still plays tennis and enjoys regular matches with his wife and two children, Sherri, Toby and Millie (15 and 13). Both younger cousins, Robert and P J Hunt also attended the School and had a great time. Ian would love to hear from other OS. HURRELL, Tom (2010 G) Tom is currently studying Business and Management at the University of Reading.

JAMES, Ghillie (née Studd) (1993 V) Ghillie has now moved to Singapore with her husband Andrew’s job with Citibank. She has two children William (4) and Jemima (2) and has written her second cookery book “Fresh from the Freezer” which is being sold worldwide.

Her early book “Jam, Jelly and Relish”

July 2012

came out in June 2010 and is midway through writing her third book which will be published Spring 2013.

JONES, Ian (1991 M) Ian now works for De Vere Hotels and Venues as Director of Group Sales.

KENTISH-BARNES, John (1992 M) Currently Area Director of Finance for Four Seasons Hotel London of Park Lane.

is the Hon Treasurer of The League of Friends of Odiham College Hospital and Winchester and Portsmouth Branch of The Rayer Book Society.

Guildford Cathedral.

MARSHMAN, John (1975 L) John found himself on our missing list and got in touch. He is now living in the US.

In 2011, he was invited by the leading architectural publishing house, Papadakis, to write a book revolving round his work in Oxford: The Stones of Oxford, Conjectures on a Cockleshell. (published July 2011).

MELVIN, John (1953 W)

John has written several books about architecture.

KLINGEMANN, Nikolaj (1995 M) Nikolaj is now an Engineer working for BMW Group Munich.

LANE, William (1978 W) William is now living in Surrey. He established a global company in 2010. He is now Executive Vice President for Gorilla Corp.

LEAHY, Aled (2004 H) Currently two thirds of the way through an Open University History degree. Aled joined HSBC straight after finishing A Levels and is now Assistant Branch Manager in a Leeds branch.

LUK, Shirley Hiu Ying (2001 S) After leaving SVS, she studied Cosmetic Science at the London College of Fashion. Shirley is now married. One son born 2010 and a daughter born in 2011.

MACKLIN, Richard (1963 W) Worked as a Chartered Surveyor from 1969 to 2011. He has now retired from full time work and is beginning to come to terms with being an OAP! He hopes to catch up with old school chums at the Middle Aged Spread reunion this year.

MARCHANT, Michael (1949 M) Retired as Bursar, The Leys School, Cambridge in 1990. Currently, Michael

John has spent 40 years in private practice, practising as John Melvin Architects and Town Planners. He has won many architectural awards: from the Oxford Preservation Trust (2010), Royal Fine Arts Commission (Building of the Year Award), RIBA, Civic Trust and others. His most recent work has been for Wadham College Oxford and obtained a planning consent for a £2M extension to the Holywell Music Room, of which he has completed Phase I. John’s practice has been equally in the fields of new build and of conservation. Housing and urbanism has been a strong interest.

For many years on the Bishop of London’s Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches, and was recently Chairman of the Fabric Committee at

John Melvin in the studio of Dick Reid, the sculptor of the Millennium Lion Project in Burford, which John designed and was unveiled by HRH The Prince of Wales.

Eton Observed (1998) and Whichford and Ascott Observed (2008), both architectural analyses, with town planning commentary were published by Wysdom Press. A monograph, John Melvin: Selected Buildings and Projects was published by Zwemmer’s (1995).

Awarded the Sargant Fellowship at The British School at Rome in 1996, and an exhibition of his paintings, Remembering Rome, was subsequently held at

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

The Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture.

Other exhibitions of his paintings have included Etruscan Places, exhibited at the Architectural Association (2002) and the University of St Andrews (2003); and also Roma, exhibited at the Stone Gallery in 2003.

The practice continues, concentrating on private client commissions and town planning consultancy.

John has been married to Julia for 37 years, and has two children: Lucy and Charles. Lucy is a professional violinist and Charles is solicitor.

MEMMOTT, Richard (1963 L) Richard took voluntary redundancy in 1995 and joined a small company which finds lost assets and the people to whom they belong. Played a lot of sport, mainly hockey and ran OS hockey for a few years and captained Sevenoaks HC 1st XI and veterans when they won National Knock-out over 50’s in 1999. He now plays golf but retains connection with the hockey club via Vice-Presidency.

MILLER, Eric (1964 L)

Only recent news is that he is leaving day to day operations at the Chaddsford Winery to write his first wine book (the Vintner's Apprentice, Quarry Books).

Eric is thinking about the next wine

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book and doing a little consulting and a lot of travel. One son still lives in London but other 3 are scattered so London is only one stop between many vineyards, beaches and kids.

MILMINE CBE, Douglas (1939 W) Retired to Eastbourne in 1986, before then he was Anglican Bishop in Paraguay 1973-86, missionary in Chile, Archdeacon of Chile, Bolivia and Rome.

Douglas served in the RAF from 194145 as a Flying instructor in training command (POW 1943-45 Stalag Luft 3). He married in 1945 to Rosaline and has 3 sons, 1 daughter and grandchildren.

Appointed CBE in 1983.

MORGAN, Nick (1993 W) Started up a business in 1996 promoting various nightclubs in Birmingham City Centre straight from University and went onto form a company in 2000 offering full service agency services such as Press Relations, Marketing, Design and Event Management. Nick ended working with various music clients such as the McKenzie Group now better known as the 02 Academy chain. This then led to looking after localised PR and Marketing for Vfestival and various other leisure sector clients. He then setup a corporate division and since has expanded into Europe with small offices in both Paris and Barcelona. Nick states that the environment is still very tough and the goal in 2012 is to look at collaborations with like-minded companies particularly in London where they have more and more clients. In the last couple of years Nick was fortunate to be acknowledged by Insider Magazine and won International Entrepreneur of the Year and by an organisation called Birmingham Young Professional of the Year winning Entrepreneur of the year.

Nick states: “However neither would be possible without the amazing team be-

hind me and more credit goes to them.

(This sounds like some ridiculous Oscar speech for which I apologise and move swiftly on). I purchased a flat in East London last April and now spend half the week in the great city with the intention of servicing existing London clients and additionally trying to gain more in the Capital.”

“As an aside, I and my business partner setup and operated a bar called Poppy Red in Birmingham and 5 years ago sold out to our partner after three years and then bought two larger pubs in the suburbs (Hare and Hounds, Kings Heath and Bulls Head, Moseley) which we recently sold with a successful exit.

However, not a sector I would revisit in the short term as we were blessed with good fortune on all three occasions. It is one of the most competitive business sectors and customer loyalty is very fickle. Personally, I remain unmarried and no kids to date.”

OLDFIELD, Tom (2011 L) Loughborough University has presented some unexpected challenges to Tom as he states that it is a drastically different environment to the cocoon of Sutton Valence. That said, Tom says that things are all in all going well in that he is doing well academically and playing American Football for arguably the best team in the country. The swimming is of too high a standard for Tom realistically to compete, with the majority of the top teams being made up of Olympic hopefuls. However, the fact that the entire GB Olympic team will be based on campus from next month will doubtlessly provide some good celebrity spotting for him. He is now looking to join the Scuba Diving society to qualify as an instructor and to finding a way to resume his Spanish which he has been unable to do as part of his degree.

July 2012

PACA, Christina (2011 S)

Cristina with Ian Kay (1941 M)

The British Psychological Society has awarded Cristina Paca a prize as the topperforming Psychology A Level and Scottish Higher candidate in the UK. The prize consists of the British Science Association Student Bursary to attend the Festival of Science, a copy of the Society's Book of the Year, a year's free student membership of the Society and a certificate. Cristina, who came to the School from Romania in 2009 as an HMC Scholar, has recently gone up to St Catherine's College, Cambridge to read Politics, Psychology and Sociology.

We send our congratulations and wish her every success.

PACKARD, Trey (1999 M) Trey recently re-established contact.

He is living in the US with his wife, Caroline, and has recently welcomed a son (see births).

PARKIN (née Sisley), Emily (1995 V) Is working as a Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist for Medway Community Healthcare. She is married to Neil with daughter, Sophia Elizabeth, born 2008.

PARKINSON, F A Ian (1958 L) Was an Articled Clerk – accountancy firm for five years, then was in the Royal Navy as an Aviator and Ships Captain.

He became a Management Consultant and Dutch Honorary Consul and a

Trustee Charity, Tribunal Chairman.

Since 2009, he is Deputy Lieutenant Kincardineshire. He is married to Ann with 3 children and 6 grandchildren.

PATEL, Deepak (1989 C) Deepak has contacted us recently. He is happily married to Jal and has two daughters. He supplies beer throughout Tanzania, both from local breweries and from imports through his affiliation with Diageo UK. PAYN, John (1956 M) John will be touring in the West Country in 2012.

REVEST (née Le Grys), Phillipa (1995 V) Phillipa is currently working as Producer at The Creative Partnership in London. They specialise in film trailers and home entertainment marketing and she co-heads the Home Entertainment department. Her clients include Sony and 20th Century Fox. She helped run the release of Avatar across Cinema and Home Entertainment, the biggest film marketing campaign of all time! Phillipa lives in Muswell Hill with her husband Olivier (see Marriages) and has an 8 year old step-daughter called Alice.

De PINNA, Peter (1956 W) Is Hon Secretary of Public Schools Old Boys Golf Association since 1970 (Grafton Morrish) and Hon Secretary (full time) for Piltdown Golf Club.

RICHARDS, Ben (2007 M) In August 2011, with two friends, cycled 1164 miles from Bournemouth to Copenhagen raising £1050 for the Stroke Association. He is now working freelance in web and graphic design.

PRICE, Richard (1962 L) Thinking about retirement having been a solicitor, a barrister and now a judge – a career in law spanning 40 years; one of the first solicitor Assistant Recorders (part time judges) to be appointed (in 1985) and so have been sitting as a judge part and full time for over a quarter of a century. Richard has been married for 40 years and has 3 children and 3 grandchildren.

ROPER, John (1950 M) John worked for 27 years as an independent retail stationer trading from premises in the centre of Deal that still trades as ‘John Roper’ and retired 1996.

A member of the Independent Monitoring Board at Dover Immigration Removal Centre for 16 years. In December 2011, completes 6 years as Chairman.

Voluntary but Home Office appointment.

PYE, John (1941 M) John had a brief career in RAF until V J Day put a stop to that. Returned to farming, finally working for the Milk Marketing Board. He bought Alderholt Mill in 1976, restoring it to working again, together with a craft centre and sold it in 1996 upon second retirement.

He is engaged in voluntary activities, particularly church and singing (choral) as a hobby.

SCOTT, Andrew (1971 F) It has been 41 years since Andrew captained 1St XV and won 9 games out of 12, drew 1 and lost 2; his coaches were Bob Chance and John McCormick.

During that season he played for Kent, London and finally England Schools v France at Leeds in April 1971.

They won 16-6. Andrew’s England Schools cap is in Lambe’s.

The School’s best win was at Dover

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

College when they won 17- 13 with only 13 players, two were injured and there were no subs in those days, the Dover Headmaster was furious which they enjoyed greatly. Andrew ended up at scrum half which for a number 8 was not easy. SVS kept going blind (sorry Rugby expression) so their backs never saw it for the whole second half. Andrew can remember the game so vividly after all these years. SVS celebrations at the final whistle only made the Dover HM more angry; they had reached half term unbeaten. SVS lost to Hurstpierpoint and Emanuel in the second half of term as they badly missed one of the players, a fast winger who had broken his wrist at Dover. Andrew saw him at SV in March 2011, at the OS dinner and was told by him that the game against Dover was his last, he played hockey after that.

His name is Nigel Swaffer (1971 F).

After that, to Loughborough and then Wasps whom he still supports.

(Big Steak, Wacky Warehouse etc).

After a brief period in Consultancy he joined Cogent - a Marketing and Advertising Agency and Consultancy based in Meriden. In 2000 he left Cogent following a heart attack and ran his own consultancy business until a further heart attack in 2006, when it was definitely time to slow down! Finally he retired in 2009, and now devotes his time to playing the guitar nearly competently (was taught my first chords by Gavin [GBL] Harrison,1967 M), photography and most recently, model railways. Further signs of senility and/or second childhood will follow! More seriously, Philip has written Brief Histories of Britain and Ireland, targeted at adults who now wish that they'd paid more attention in History Lessons at school.

Two members of that school team are still good friends (prop, Peter Baker (1971 F), former Head of School and fly half, Tony Sheridan (1971 F) and they meet up from time to time.

DE SOULTRAIT, Arthur (1997 W)

SHELDON, Philip (1967 M) Left Oxford 1971 and immediately joined RHM. He was promoted reasonably rapidly through a series of Marketing, Sales and Strategic Development/Planning roles but left in 1983 to join a consultancy, before being offered the role of Marketing Director of Bass Plc. This took Philip, wife and daughter to the Midlands (King's Bromley near Lichfield) where he was in charge of about a dozen Beer Brands, including Carling Black Label ('I Bet He Drinks ..........' Ad campaign) and Tennents. In 1990 he moved from Bass to Allied Breweries and from Beer Brands to Pubs, principally branded food outlets

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SLATER, Rory (1994 W) Currently works in Hotel Management for 5 star hotels, in London.

advantage. He applied for an internship abroad with a small company in America. Within a week after he had taken up his job, he was informed that the company was in fact going bankrupt.

He had brought a selection of ties with him over from France with which had planned to raise money for his return ticket. He realised it was maybe already time to give this idea a chance and set off walking the streets, selling his ties from door to door.

Eight years after these first steps in North Carolina, Vicomte A is now a total look brand which aims at offering men, women and children the opportunity to be elegant differently thanks to quality products. The colourful and irreverent brand is now present on three continents with almost 400 outlets: 25 official stores (St Tropez, Megève, Deauville, Paris, Bordeaux,...) multibrands and corners in department stores. Strong of a 14 million Euros turnover for 2011, the objective for Vicomte A in 2012 is to break into new markets thanks to new outlets (especially in Asia, Middle-East and USA) and new accessories collections. www.vicomte-a.com

SWARBRICK, David (1979 W) David has recently bought a plantation near Kandy in Sir Lanka. If there are any Sri Lankan Old Suttonians, do get in touch through Rebecca Riggs (riggsr@svs.org.uk).

Arthur fell into the world of fashion quite by chance in 2004, when he turned a seemingly unfortunate incident to his

THORNHILL, Christopher (1968 L) Christopher graduated as a civil engineer then took up serious hockey to divisional level, but the career went a bit

July 2012

on hold when he married and moved abroad in 1979. Over the next 30 years he only had around 6 years in UK. Now based in Denmark working for Siemens Wind power travelling around the world and playing over 60s divisional and international hockey again. His division, the East, are national champions this year and will play in world cup in Oxford, late August.

THORNHILL, Geoffrey (1939 W) Geoffrey was in the RAF as Aircrew Navigator from 1941-1946. Coastal Command India and Sir Lanka from 1943-1945. He has 2 sons, 1 daughter and 6 grandchildren.

VEDROVÁ, Sabine (2008 S) Sabine is currently studying for a Master’s degree in International Relations at the University of Cambridge.

WELLS, Martin (1977 M) Currently Head of Operations for The Personal Finance Society, London and is married to Gaynor with 2 boys (Sam aged 12 and Jack aged 8). He climbed Mount McKinley, Alaska, the highest mountain in North America in 2001.

WEST, Richard (1964 L) Richard is now retired and is Chairman of Hertfordshire Hockey Association.

WHITE, Richard (1957 W) Married to Susan and has 3 children Sirien, Erina, Christopher and 4 beautiful grandchildren. Richard’s father was J W White who was at SVS and Head Boy in 1923/24 and a friend of A F S Cotton and E A “Tubby” Craven. He keeps in touch with J C Johnson (1956 W) regularly.

WINTER, Jonathan (1956 L) Jonathan retired as Dean of Woolwich for non-stipendiary ministries in 2000 and about to “downsize” (before falling “downstairs”) after 45 years here. Married for 48 years with 3 children and 7 grandchildren.

WITT, Michael (1976 W) Currently in 16th year working for British Airways as a pilot B777 on long haul, having spent the first 12 years as short haul captain B737 Gatwick. Previously he served for 2 years Air UK and 5 years at Dan-Air. Before becoming a pilot he spent 7 years with Dolland and Aitchison as an Optometrist. Michael is in regular contact with Philip Hoad and Ian Palmer (both 1976 W) and has 2 children Lawrence aged 18 and Laura aged 15.

girl, Lauren Madison Dyke.

EVERETT on 27th December 2010, to Paul Everett (1999 F) and Kate Everett, a girl, Isabelle Honey Everett.

GILLIES on 8th October 2011, to Alexander Gillies and Kirsty Gillies (née Johnston) (1999 H), a boy, Euan Alexander Gillies.

DE HAAN on 11th June 2011, to Bonno De Haan and Elodie De Haan (née Marquais) (ex-staff 2008), a girl, Fleur Josephine De Haan.

Births BAILEY on 28th March 2011, to Nicholas Heitz and Elizabeth Heitz (née Bailey) (1997 S), a boy, Sebastian Alexander Heitz.

MARTIN on 2nd November 2010, to John Martin and Sally Martin (née Pagonakis) (1996 V), a girl, sister to Megan.

BARRETT on 7th January 2012, to Roy Barrett and Clare Barrett (née Parkinson) (1999 H). a girl, Isabella Barrett.

NEWCOMB on 28th January 2010, to Toby Newcomb (1988 M) and Rachel Newcomb, a boy, William David Moncrieff Newcomb.

CLARKE in December 2011. To Jonathan Clarke and Katherine Clarke (née New) (1993 V), a girl, Eloise Ruth Clarke. Sister to Rory James Clarke born March 2009.

PACKARD on 13th November 2010, to Trey Packard (1999 M) and Caroline, a boy, William Harrison Packard.

COCKBURN on 19th April 2011, to James Cockburn (2004 G) and Sophie Lawrence, a boy, Frederick James.

DYKE on 17th May 2010, to Simon Dyke (1991 F) and Catherine Dyke, a

PRATTEN on 7th July 2011, to Ben Pratten (1998 M) and Louisa Pratten, a boy, Edison Charles Pratten.

PROTZEL on 23rd October 2011, to Philipp Protzel (2003 W), a boy, Emilian Philipp.

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

SLATER on 12 August 2011, to Rory Slater (1994 W) and Nadine Slater, a girl, Lexie. Sister to Leah.

L), Ian Betts (1982 L), Piers Roberts (2003 W) and Elizabeth Mannington (2004 Cl).

THEOBALD on 24th May 2011, to Spencer Theobald (1999 M) and Alexandra Theobald (née Pugh) (2001 V), a boy, Montgomery James Theobald. He was baptised by Father Paul Kish in the School Chapel. His godparents are Dominic Cresswell (1999 F), James Coltella (2001 F) and Sarah Hosmer (2001 V).

Marriages in the fountain at Trafalgar Square ACOTT-MERRICKS on 3rd September 2011. Andrew Acott to Amelia Merricks (2004 S) at Ickelsham Church, East Sussex.

LEAHY-BURTON on 27th January 2012. Aled Leahy (2004 L) to Kimberley Burton.

COLLINGS-MARSH in August 2011.

Chris Collings to Natalie Marsh (2004 S).

LONG-WYATT on 26th August 2011.

Dr Alexander Long (1997 L) to Jessica Wyatt.

FERLEY-COCKBURN on 7th July 2011. Rob Ferley (2000 W) to Emma Cockburn (2002 H) at Elvey Farm, Pluckley. Among the guests were Jason Rungassamy (2002 F), Marco Nardini (2000 W) and Robbie Joseph (2001 W).

MACDONALD-RAMOS on 29th November 2011. Henry Macdonald (1958 W) to Maria-Jenny Ramos. Henry’s brother Bruce (1961 W) was Best Man.

GILLIES-JOHNSTON in June 2010.

Alexander Gillies to Kirsty Johnston (1999 H). Guests included Steven Johnston (2001 M) and Christy Best (1999 S).

KILBY-PIEDOT on 3rd September 2011. David Kilby to Elizabeth Piedot (2000 V) at Broomfield Church. Guests in attendance included Old Suttonians: Holly Fletcher (2000 V), Abigail Hancock (2000 H), Ginnie Minter (2002 S), Frederique Posnette (2000 H), Tom Morgan (1999 L), Chris Morgan (1991

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NEWCOMB-MOORE in May 2011.

Toby Newcomb (1988 M) to Rachel Moore.

REVEST-LE GRYS in July 2011.

Olivier Revest to Phillipa Le Grys (1995 V). Married on a beautiful beach on the Greek Island of Skopelos. Fiona Wight (1995 V) served as Maid of Honour.

Photograph taken on their return in the fountain at Trafalgar Square, London.

SLEEMAN-MOORE on 24th September 2012. Ben Sleeman to Sophie Moore (2001 V). Sophie met Ben at University.

The photograph from left to right:

July 2012

Front row kneeling down are Sarah Hosmer (2001 V), Emma Scott (née Mehrabian) (2001 V), Sophie Rouse (1996 C) and Paul Phillips (2001 L). Sophie Moore (2001 V), Standing are Steven Johnston (2001 M), James Coltella (2001 F), Andrew Lyon (2001 F), Charlotte Lyon (née Foreman) (2001 S), Katie Gornall (2001 V), Sophie Moore (2001 V), Alexandra Theobald (née Pugh) (2001 V), Spencer Theobald (1999 M), Catherine Birch (2001 V), Alexa Phillips (née Carmichael) (2001 V), Edward Boyle (2001 F), Monica Grigg (née Khanna) (2001 V).

SWINDELLS-SELWAY on 30th July 2011. Sam Swindells to Hannah Selway (2002 V) in Frittenden Church and was given away by her brother William Selway (2004 G).

WHITEMAN-SCOTT in August 2009.

Steve Whiteman to Nicola Scott (1997 S) in Cyprus. Church ceremony followed

by BBQ on the beach. Nicola met Steve in November 2004 in Florence whilst running a marathon.

WOODCOCK-KAPTA on 28th September 2011. Ben Woodcock (1996 F) Head of School to Sara Kapta on Forsyth Island, New Zealand. The ceremony was attended by a few close friends. A reception dinner was held on 12th November in Houston, Texas, USA where we have lived for the past 6 years.

They are now relocating to Calgary, Canada.

Deaths ALLEN, Michael (1948 M), died on 4th October 2011. Mike Allen came to the School when he was evacuated to this part of Kent from his home in South London during the war. He excelled in athletics, particularly sprinting, and immediately after the war he went as a volunteer to help in the organisation of The London Olympics of 1948. He helped Bannister in his training for the 4 minute mile, as did others who had been at the School. Mike went into the Army as a career soldier. After Sandhurst, he joined the Royal Signals, spending much time in Catterick and the Far East, in which latter theatre he fought Malay terrorists. After this followed tours in the Near East, Soloman Islands and Canberra and Washington. He was in Vietnam at the height of the war there.

Major Allen moved on to work for SHAPE in Belgium and, once retired from the Army in 1985 he worked at Catterick Garrison in a retired officer post. He was also very active in local affairs, especially in the village church, St Anne’s, for which he organised fetes with military precision and an eye for detail. He was very active in politics representing, as councillor, his parish, and Richmondshire district as a Conservative. He sat on the North Yorkshire County Council, specialising in transport matters.

John Newell (1948 M) and Trevor Grice (1948 M), contemporaries of Mike’s at Sutton Valence, attended his funeral along with very many friends and his surviving children. His wife and eldest son pre-deceased him.

ARGLES, G Robert (1957 F), Robert Argles died at home in East Sutton in April 2012 after a long and courageous

fight against pancreatic cancer.

He was born in Jamaica in 1938, moved to Devon when he was 7 years old and transferred to Kent in 1952. He joined the ranks of the day boys at Sutton Valence at that time and after a very successful career here he gained an exhibition to Oxford. After national service and a short sojourn in the navy, he obtained a second degree in Law in London and was called to the bar and thence to chambers in Lincoln’s Inn. During this time his family established themselves in the Three Suttons and it was in East Sutton that Robert made his home some 25 years ago.

Despite a busy law practice Robert was always ready to give much of his time to ‘local matters’. He was active in church circles and was churchwarden at the time of his death. His political interests led him to be the treasurer of the local constituency party and also the election agent for Hugh Robertson in the elections of 2005 and 2010.

Highly efficient, extremely conscientious, a very modest gentle man, Robert’s contribution to the life of the Three Suttons was immense.

BALL, Frank ‘Pill’ (Master 19561985), Frank Roskell, 'Pill', aged 90, died gently of old age on 16th February 2012 in Norfolk, and born 22nd August 1921 in Newton-le-Willows.

He was an all-action all-rounder, being (among other things) physicist, swimmer, rugby player, water colourist, Commando and school teacher (Sutton Valence School, Kent and before that at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Blackburn). Throughout his career at Sutton Valence he was always very considerate to the pupils he taught. Gener-

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ations of boys in Holdgate will remember his care as Housemaster very fondly and most were seriously infected by his massive enthusiasm for knowledge and his enormous appetite for competitive activities. As Housemaster, Pill was ably supported by his wife, Mary, who unfortunately, pre-deceased him.

Holdgate 1965 Back row - Peter Vester (1968 C), Chris Hooker (1969 M), Michael Wigg (1968 W), Gerald Talbot (1970 L), Howard Miller (1969 L) Middle row - Paul Thomas (1969 C), Iain Crump (1967 C), ‘Pill’, Roger Molyneux (1969 C), Simon Caro (1969 C) Front Row - Stephen Jolley (1971 C), Bharat Oza (1971 C), Julian Abbott (1971 C) BOORMAN, Edwin (Ex-Governor), died on 15th March 2012.

Edwin Boorman, a distinguished newspaper proprietor, charity supporter and Sutton Valence School Governor died earlier this year after a short illness.

Edwin served as a Governor of the School from 1976 to 2001, when he also became national president of the Newspaper Society, and chaired the School’s finance committee from 1997 to 2001.

he did much work for several national charities. David was one of our OS who was a Liveryman of the City of London.

He was a Cooper. The Coopers are unique in that they have a Society and the Wardens are voted in by the Society.

David was Under Warden and Court Member in 1994 and the Upper Warden in 1995.

Edwin was also instrumental in the successful effort to secure the future of Underhill Preparatory School in 1978, which was going through a period of financial difficulty. He chaired the committee, which also included the current School Chairman of Governors Bryan Baughan, which restored stability. Underhill subsequently become Sutton Valence Prep School.

DUCKER, Michael (1951 DB), died in March 2012. Michael left the School, after O levels in 1951. His school career had included sports participation, but not in the ones he loved. Rallying! He joined the Kent County Council and worked there faithfully and long, ending as Senior man in the Rights of Way Office. His leisure time was spent in driving and navigating in Car Rallying – and organising events.

Educated at Rydal School and Queen’s College, Cambridge, Edwin was involved with several Kent charities, including Royal British Legion Industries, St John Ambulance and Kent Air Ambulance.

He leaves a widow, Janine, a son Henry – who attended SVS – and four daughters from a previous marriage one of whom, Geraldine, succeeded him as chairman of the Kent Messenger Group.

BURMESTER, Kenneth (1939 M), died in 2009.

COLLET, David (1954 W), died peacefully at home on 4th August 2011.

After David left SVS he did National Service in the Royal Navy for a couple of years and he was an active member of the RNR for many years after that, reaching the rank of Lt Commander, receiving the RD (The RN Reserve Decoration). His working career was mainly in Marketing for Unilever, Reckitt and Colman and finally Guinness. After that

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FURNEAUX, Colin (1956 M), died in July 2011. After obtaining his B.Sc in Agriculture at Wye, and National Service which saw him spending time in Nigeria, Colin worked for Nestle in Sweden where he met his wife Barbro. They returned to the UK and settled in Crowborough and had a daughter Caroline.

Colin worked for Cadbury Schweppes and subsequently set up his own business trading in food raw materials. He enjoyed a long and active retirement.

GODDARD, Peter (Ex-Staff), died on 6th May 2012.

GOLD, Leon (1968 W), died on 5th April 2012.

GORE, George (1943 F), died in November 2011.

GRAFTON CBE FRICS FIArb, Peter (1933 M) (Ex-Governor), died on 20th May 2012. Peter Grafton was one of the very oldest members of the OS commu-

July 2012

nity having been at the School from 1929-1933. He contributed much as a schoolboy but his greatest involvement came later as an active member of the OSA and by membership, then chairmanship, of the Governing body of this School. Peter was a Chartered Surveyor, indeed he was member of the court of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors and he also gave much of his time to his industry’s strategic committees. According to one contemporary ‘He was a real glutton for work; no wonder he got the CBE’.

Peter was by no means a dull boy because of his dedication to work. He had an intelligent, active fun-filled brain. I expect this was part of his make up; let us remember that it was his twin, older by 20 minutes, Jimmy, who helped to write the scripts for the Goon Show above the family pub in Victoria. His first thought on leaving School was to go up to University to be a doctor, but he was deflected into the Surveying profession by a sailing companion who persuaded him to become his pupil. No sooner had he qualified than he was called up in the Queen’s Westminster Rifles. His first task was to set up an internment camp. After being commissioned in the Dorsetshire regiment he found himself defending Wyke Regis against possible invasion. He transferred to the Royal Engineers and spent the later part of the war in the Cocos islands laying an airstrip for a final assault on Singapore, but that was pre-empted by the dropping of the first atomic bomb.

After the war he joined GD Walford and Partners and became their Senior Partner and influential member of RICs affairs. He became their 97th president in 1978-9.

Peter’s main interests were Rugby Union, politics and Golf. Standing as a

Liberal, against Harold MacMillan, in the 1950 election, he broke his leg playing rugby half-way through the campaign and had to finish it running up and down the streets canvassing on crutches!

It will in the realm of golf that he is more remembered. He was founder Chairman of the Public Schools’ Old Boys’ Golfing Society and co-donor of their prestigious trophy ‘The Grafton Morrish Trophy’.

Like his brother, he did have literary skill, as can be seen below: The Curse of Pleonasm (a reaction to the oft-recurring verbal redundancies heard on radio and TV) Well, look – you know – I mean – you see It, sort of, - um – occurs to me That, somehow, I might – kind of – say What I am hoping to convey.

That’s if – you know – you’re happy to Accept that what I’m telling you Is – sort of – worth you waiting for, While I still search my mental store For words, which tell you what I mean; That’s if you’re patient still and keen To know if what I had in mind To say can (if the words I find) Be well and quite concisely said, Expressing what was in my head.

Alas, the effort’s far too great For my untidy mental state; So, therefore – um – I’m in a mess Through using words so meaningless As ‘um’ and ‘ah’ and ‘look’ and ‘well’.

I mean – I think – O what the hell!

HEARN, Peter (1947 W) died on 28th September 2011. Brother of Robin Hearn (1945 W) Head of School.

Peter distinguished himself at an early age as an outstanding all-rounder. After Sutton Valence, where he was Head Boy and captain of Cricket, he went to Trin-

ity College, Dublin where he won a scholarship to read Experimental Science. He completed degrees in that subject and also in Law. He was invited to join Wood Gundy in Toronto and he became a Senior Vice President and Investment Advisor.

Deeply committed to hospital services he was appointed chairman of Hillcrest Hospital and Treasurer of Blue Cross.

He brought with him to the table of these institutions a fascination with economic affairs and a relaxed and contemplative philosophy together with an encyclopaedic knowledge that made him ideally suited to leadership in these institutions.

HOVEY, Michael (1946 W), died on 25th April 2012.

KAY, David (1938 W), died on 17th July 2011. Brother of Ian Kay (1941 M).

KEMSLEY, Gordon (1943 M), died on 27th October 2011. Scion of a wellknown Kentish farming family, Gordon attended the School during the second war and made a strong contribution to its corporate life in difficult times. His main love was cricket, representing the School in his last two years here. Of course that was much less important than doing well in the ‘house match’, and his contribution in 1943 may well have been his crowning glory.

His greatest achievement must have been in his last term as one of the principle architects of the win in the cricket house match against Westminster. (You need to understand that the rivalry and intensity of this match - the need to win and get bragging rights - was manifestly more important to the boys than mere success for a School team.) In this match, played over two days and with

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both sides having two innings it was his early wicket-taking in both the innings of Westminster that contributed to their restricted score - he had despatched their best batters. For his own contribution with the bat it was he who gave, again in both innings, a really sound start to his Margaret's side enabling a comfortable win by 3 wickets. The pleasure must have been all the greater because there is no doubt that the betting money would have been heavily on Westminster before the match began.

After leaving the School, Gordon played for the OS Cricket team and was particularly proud of having taken the wicket of Mark Benson (1977 M) on the two times he played against him.

LONSDALE, John (1945 M), died on 6th February 2012. John Lonsdale (1945 M) died 6th Feb. John Lonsdale (1945 M) epitomised all that was good about those that have been taught at this School. John was here but briefly during the latter part of the War. On leaving he followed his love of Electrical Engineering and became C.Eng. MIEE. He worked in senior positions for a variety of industrial concerns in the Dorset area throughout his life and gave a lot of his leisure time to politics and sport. In his younger days he was Chairman of Sussex Young Conservatives and a member of the National YC Committee; some sixty years after he left these walls he was still playing (and coaching) croquet.

He gave his time and effort to ‘University of the Third Age’ as a lecturer and was busily involved with the aid efforts of St Peter’s Church, Bournemouth.

LURCOCK, Maurice John (1964 F), died in 1987, of cancer. He was living in Leiden in Holland at the time and his ashes are buried in Sassenheim.

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MABERLY, Dion Jonathan MB BS; FRCP; FRACP (1956 F),

died on 10th February 2012. Having trained at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, Jonathan (or Dr Maberly) spent a year in Washington DC as a medical intern followed by two and a half years in pathology and chest medicine in New Zealand, gaining his MRACP whilst there. On his return to the UK he worked at St Thomas’, Hammersmith and Middlesex hospitals during which time he attained his MRCP. In 1974 he was appointed Consultant Physician specialising in chest medicine at Airedale General Hospital, West Yorkshire, where he worked until his retirement in 1996. In late 1970 2 members of the American Clinical Ecology group were invited to give a seminar at the Royal College of Physician and Jonathan was convinced that their approach to chronic ill health was the way forward. Essentially it was asking why people were sick, what was precipitating their medical problems, rather than attempting to treat /mask the symptoms.

Having long felt there was some sort of outside trigger in childhood asthma from his work in Auckland, NZ, Jonathan quietly used these methods in his practice from then on with increasing success. Inevitably, as his practice grew, he had patients who were too complicated to treat adequately as out patients. In 1985 he opened the first

purpose built, environmentally controlled allergy assessment unit in the world in Steeton, West Yorkshire. It was a well appointed, 12 bedded facility with an inhalant and chemically free environment run by highly trained, dedicated staff. Giving people back the control for their well-being proved very positive for many and the overall success rate for the chronically sick patients who were seen proved to be remarkably high, when a study was done in the early 90’s.

A pioneer who was years ahead of his time he was considered an eccentric by many for using methods which today are much more widely accepted.

He had been interested in allergy since the 1960’s and was an early member of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, serving as a committee member. He was a long-standing member of the British Society for Allergy, Environmental and Nutritional Medicine, and a past president. On his retirement he received the inaugural Maberly Medal which the Society created to recognise outstanding contributions to Environmental Medicine Jonathan Maberly has been described as many things; empathic, gentle, charismatic, innovative, dedicated, but he always remained unaware of the full extent of his life’s work. With the unwavering support of his wife it is not an exaggeration to say that he made a huge contribution to change in the way society now regards its health in relationship to its environment. A man of many interests, with a sharp, enquiring mind he was a member of a rare breed; quiet and unassuming, but with an unshakable integrity and strength which enabled his to achieve much against great odds.

He emigrated to Australia in 2001 and the sun he loved so much. He spent a

July 2012

very happy period of his life ‘Down Under’ together with his family who have all settled there.

PERCIVAL, John (1943 M), died in January 2012.

PILBEAM, Julie, (Ex-staff SVPS), died on 4th February 2012. Julie sadly passed away following her long battle with cancer. Julie joined the Prep School in November 2003 and retired October 2011.

POPAY, Marjorie (Ex-staff 19721989),

died in July 2011. Born in Dublin in 1934 but educated in Kent, Marjorie went, after obtaining a good degree in maths at London University, first into the RAF, thence to Marconi Avionics where she became PA to the head of the guided weapons department. She was a first class engineer, specialising in Radar. She left this establishment and raised a family with her husband David.

Marjorie came to Sutton Valence in 1972. She was a pioneer – being the very first female teacher in the School. We had benefitted from the efforts of the

gentler sex before, but only on a temporary basis while regular male teachers fought in the two World Wars. Marjorie was not alone, however, for after one year she had Barbara Piper to keep her company in those early days of a male dominated Common Room.

when Director of marketing development at Conono. Not content with the ease of retirement he set up a Conferencing Company. He represented the UK in the European Liquified as Petroleum Association, becoming its president.

She was an outstanding teacher of Mathematics and many generations of OS will remember her exacting standards but nevertheless understanding and sympathetic tactics in putting across her subject to them. She was supposed to be part-time, but from a very early stage her dedication to her teaching and the fact that she was prepared to take so much care over her pupils meant she was, in practice, full-time. She introduced computing to the School and she built the department with tremendous enthusiasm.

SMITH, Keith (Ex-staff 1968-1991 and Housemaster St Margaret’s 197077) Keith joined us as Head of Biology in 1968 and made a deep and lasting impact on many of his pupils. He had a very effective method of making his topic more easily remembered by use of anecdotes and quality acting skills. Noone who ever witnessed it could forget his impression of the evolution of the plant ovary using only one hand, and his tale of George, the tapeworm (introduced to several dinner parties by his host) was equally remembered. This is to identify just a couple of his many varied stories, but his contribution and story-telling was not confined to the laboratory. His ‘performances’ in Chapel could be riveting; when given advance notice that he was conducting the service, expectations of a thought-provoking but unusual and entertaining address were high – and usually realised.

Marjorie left us in 1989, but rather than spend the autumn of her life in relaxed activity she took on the mantle of ‘advisor in IT to the KCC’ and did much in that organisation to help them come to terms with a ‘new age’ before her eventual retirement. Even then she was not content to be at rest. Her energy and massively inquisitive mind saw her using her skills in a number of projects. We shall miss her energy and her charm and understanding.

POTTER, Kenneth (1931 DB), died on 8th March 2012. After school Kenneth spent some time on his father’s fruit farm before deciding on a career in engineering and qualified as CEng., MIMechE and then volunteered for the TA. When war broke out he was posted to the Middle East and Burma and rose rapidly through the ranks of REME to become Lieutenant Colonel. After the war he began a long and successful career in the oil industry, retiring in 1980

Keith was a complete all-rounder. He became very involved in games and in both Rugby and Cricket his support of the master in charge was always welcome. He was always very proud, and protective, of the teams he ran. He often told the tale that he was sorely tempted to ‘hide’ the talent of some of his second team lads from the gaze of the master in charge, lest they be elevated; he was convinced they would not enjoy life in a more pressured environment. He was very active in the CCF, indeed he was its commanding officer for two years, and he was also a very well-regarded House-

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master of his beloved St Margaret’s. He was a forceful member of the careers advice team at the School – and this was not confined just to the pupils, many of his colleagues felt the benefit of his advice when it came to thinking about the future shape of their careers.

SOLOMON, Michael (1945 W), died on 28th March 2012.

STANDEN, John (1939 W) died in 2009.

TIPPLES, Peter (1939 M) Peter was born the middle of three brothers, all of whom came to Sutton Valence. He modestly said that he was never much good at academic studies but he was very proud of his ability at sport. After the war, in which he saw service in France, Belgium and Holland he returned to farming in Kent. He took an active role in the NFU and the Marden Fruit Show. He represented the area on the Hops Marketing Board and was proud to be an Honorary Life Vice president of the Weald of Kent Ploughing Match Society. His column for the last 24 years in ‘South East Farmer’ magazine was often amusing and always thoughtful and relevant.

Peter also gave himself generously to service in the local community. He served on Marden Parish Council and was a governor of Marden Primary School. He was also a Trustee for a small charity ‘The Allen and Maplesden Trust’ in Marden.

Sport continued to be a major love of his life and he served Marden for well over 25 years as fixture secretary to the Russetts Hockey Club, captain of Marden Cricket Club and the first Chairman of the combined clubs from 1960-81.

Field sports were another passion and

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he was Chairman of the Ashford Valley Hunt and regularly, and successfully, entered his horses in various point-to-point meetings.

• • •

OSA AGM and Dinner After the reappointment of the officers of the committee a new committee member, Amelia Shaw (1995 V), was elected. Your committee members for 2012 – 2013 are: President E John Evans (1953 W) Chairman Desmond High (1973 F) Honorary Secretary David Pickard (Master 1977-2001) Honorary Treasurer Tim Weedon (1976 L) Hon Dinner Secretary Rupert Humphrey (1978 L) Members Nigel Swaffer (1971 F) Catherine Mills (née Day, 1995 V) Philip Higgins (1970 F) Jon Evans (1992 F) Amelia Shaw (1995 V), Charlotte Bills (née Basham, 1992 S) Mrs N J Ellis (née Aviss, 1991 V) After reports from the Dinner Secretary and David Bunker on sporting activities, the Honorary Secretary reported at some length on membership issues, including a statement from Desmond High. An extract of which appears here: During the last year the OSA committee has given significant thought to the future structure and direction of the OSA. This has arisen as a result of a number of factors, but particularly:

• The closer working relationship and sharing of resources with the School Development Office; • The increasing use of social media, allowing members of the OSA to be more directly linked, and for the OSA to communicate more effectively and cheaply with members; • Concern about the low take up of “traditional” events, which clearly only appeal to a very small minority (eg the Annual Dinner); • Seeing how similar organisations are evolving.

It is a work in progress at present, but at the core is the OSA becoming a facilitator, encouraging individuals and interest groups to develop their own activities and events, and, where necessary, financially priming the pump. Examples already include the Cricket Tour to Somerset last summer, when the OSA met the (modest) accommodation costs for the Under 25s, and the OSA gathering in London in January this year, when the OSA covered the welcome drink and room hire.

After the reports, 91 sat down to the meal, slightly fewer than last year, but a number that is above average for the last few years. We ran our own bar and many thanks to the Chiddingstone Brewery who donated some ale for our cause.

Hugh Robertson proved to be an excellent speaker and we shall seek to continue to search for speakers for future dinners. Our guests included Olympians Paul Anderson (1952 W) and Neil Townshend (1973 F) and prospective Olympian Susannah Townsend (2007 G); unfortunately, Ashley Jackson (2005 M) was unable to attend, but we were proud that the Daily Telegraph have dubbed him (possibly) ‘the finest

July 2012

Hockey player in the World’. David Bunker (1954 M) was presented with a claret jug at the dinner as a token of his magnificent service to the OS over many years.

Report on OS Cricket 2011 Bit of a change this year with a short tour to Somerset immediately prior to the August “Week”, plus the revival of the fixture against the Mote meant a fixture card of 10 games in 12 days, as well as the School match.

That match was extremely close. An excellent OS declaration ended up with both sides batting for 53 overs. Ben Leale-Green led the charge for the School with an outstanding 97 and the School needed 10 runs from the final over with four wickets in hand. Fortunately for the OS Sam Courtly was on target, taking two wickets and only conceding five runs, leaving honours even.

The short tour, excellently organised

by Richard Bradstock, was great fun. A T20 match on the Wednesday evening left North Curry ending up only 6 short of their target. Then heavy overnight rain meant the fixture against former Brewer’s Cup rivals Old Tauntonians was called off by 10am.

In a 40 over match at Wembdon on the Friday we lost wickets to the first two balls of the match, and then 91-7 after 20 overs. Fortunately Chris Vernon and James Vincent then added 130 to take us to respectability. Wembdon only really had one useful batsman (who scored 82 of their runs) and we won at a canter in 28 overs.

Then back to Kent for the “Week”.

Before the start of play against the Scorpions, Nigel Wheeler, their cofounder, presented the School and the OS with an inscribed bell for use on Upper to signal the start of play. David Bunker then had great fun putting it into immediate and deafening use.

We reduced them to 18-4 but had not reckoned with a former Zimbabawe Test player who batted immaculately for 106 and then took 5-36 with canny off spin, to give Scorpions a 90 run win.

The Roffensians match is usually close, but this time we found them rather under strength. In a 45 over match we made a respectable 238-9 with 74 from Chris Vernon but Roffensians were never in the chase and succumbed to 98 all out off only 26 overs.

Likewise Marden. This game seems to go with home advantage, and Marden strugged to 125 in 36 overs, against a “mature” OS bowling attack including the venerable Richards (4 wickets), Richard Fetherston and James Sandbrook–Price. OS reached 130-1 in a mere 13.4 overs with Bradders scoring 65 out of 83 in 10 overs followed by 34no from Tim Watts to make it a very early trip to the Swan.

wasn’t enough to contain a rampaging Bradders. His contribution was a modest 103 out of 159 when he was out.

Another sticky start against Peter Davies XI. 15-3 and then 75-7 but Mike Coles and Jack Field reprised the Vernon-Vincent show from tour and added 121, taking advantage of a modest fielding side to achieve respectability. Most of the Davies batsmen made a start but OS chipped away at the wickets.

We continue our recent winning streak against Dragons. Our 181 didn’t really seem enough but we had no shortage of bowling and Messrs Field, Griffin, Stileman, Coles and the Dooley brothers all picked up wickets to see us to a 74 run victory.

On the support side the same team of Philip Higgins (umpiring) Dan Hammond (scoring), Kathy & Lorna High (catering) and Ian Avery and team (ground) made sure that everything ran smoothly and our continuing thanks to them.

Desmond High October 2011

On the Thursday, after a 73 year gap we played the Mote again. We made 243 off 40 overs with Bradders again scoring heavily. Mote fell 30 short but were always well behind the required rate. And as with Phil Heine earlier in the week, Alan Barr (a regular Mote player) made a welcome reappearance in our ranks.

Blair Hart pulled the masterstroke of recruiting Bradders to play for his All Stars side. Ben Leale-Green scored a fine first century for the OS but our 234

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

2011 results in summary. Won 7, Lost 2, Drawn 1 26 June

OS 242-7 dec

SVS 239-8

Match drawn

3 August

OS 157 - 5 (20 overs) (S Higgins 37*, J Parrett 34*)

North Curry 151 all out C Vernon 3-15)

Won by 6 runs

4 August

OS v Taunton School OB

5 August

OS 232 (J Vincent 56*, Vernon 53)

Wembdon 131

Won by 101 runs

6 August

Scorpions 243-7 (35 overs)

OS 153

Lost by 90 runs

7 August

OS 238-9 (45 overs) (C Vernon 74)

Old Roffensians 98 (J Field 324)

Won by 140 runs

8 August

Marden 125 (Richards 4-22)

OS 130-1 (Bradstock 65)

Won by 9 wickets

11 August

OS 243-8 (40 overs) (Bradstock 89)

The Mote 213-8 Vernon 3-8, M Day 3-31)

Won by 30 runs

OS 234 (B Leale-Green 114)

Blair Hart All Stars XI 236-3 (Bradstock 103)

Lost by 7 wickets

OS 244-8 (40 overs) (M Coles 90*, Field 67)

P Davies XI 197-7

Won by 47 runs

OS 181

Dragons 107 (P Stileman 3-16, R Dooley 3-7)

Won by 74 runs

12 August 13 August 14 August

News from the School Development Office News I concluded last year’s news by saying that this year promised to be just as exciting as 2010 -2011. It has, and in many ways even more so!

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No play possible

Despite the strictures of the economic climate that have prevailed all year, Old Suttonians, parents and staff have supported the Annual Fund to such an extent that we have again surpassed our target of £20,000. It is testament to the belief in what is done here at Sutton Valence that so many have felt able to support the School in this way. Over the summer the Refectory will be redecorated and the updated Honours Boards will be hung. At the Prep School, next year’s productions will benefit from new microphones and loudspeakers to enhance the audience experience in the Bates Hall.

Whilst reaching a fund raising target is very satisfying, for me the most rewarding part of our work is that which reflects the strength of the ties that extend throughout the wider School community. I have been delighted time and again this year by the enthusiastic response of individual Old Suttonians to our requests to help current pupils with work experience, mentoring and other support. The level and range of experience and ability in that body is truly amazing, as is your willingness to help the current generation on their own path to success.

July 2012

This year nearly 300 OS have attended a variety of reunions, both here in the UK and abroad. LinkedIn and Facebook are proving useful tools for both networking and the passing on of information to Old Suttonians groups. There are currently 537 OS on LinkedIn, with more joining every week.

Unable to travel abroad to see Old Suttonians, we have established a volunteer in Hong Kong and two in Australia.

They have graciously organised reunions of some 70 alumni between them, with our administrative support. We are hoping to extend further to China and the USA in the near future.

Closer to home 62 OS, families and friends met at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford in May. We were fortunate to be hosted by Richard Ashton (St Margaret’s ’86), the museum’s Director and Executive VP, who went out of his way to make the day special. We were toured around the museum by four of his volunteer guides, who took great delight in showing us the extensive collection. Fortified by a superb lunch, OS spent the afternoon at their leisure watching the flying aircraft and visiting those areas they had missed in the morning.

In May, despite the not so sunny weather, Grandparents had a wonderful day with their grandchildren, touring the School and then sitting down to lunch.

Many were kind enough to write and say how impressed they were with the School and its pupils.

The programme of reunions and events is developing for next year and we have several exciting initiatives in the pipeline for young and older Old Suttonians alike.

Helen Knott Development Manager

Extract from the Headmaster’s Report: Speech Day 2012 “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Mr Chairman, honoured guests, Governors, ladies and gentlemen, pupils, in the year that marks the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens, it seems appropriate that the first words of my speech should be his and not mine.

They are the opening to his novel A Tale of Two Cities, and some of the most famous words he ever wrote. Why are they so memorable? Probably because they don’t make sense. As a nation, we are fascinated by contradictions. From childhood, we love nonsense poems (In the land of the Bumbley Boo, The People are red white and blue, They never blow noses, Or ever wear clothses, What a sensible thing to do!) – there is something in the human spirit, it seems, that is drawn to things that don’t quite make sense – like government policy for instance – especially when it comes to education!

Where do I begin?

Linear GCSEs from September, or O Levels and a return to CSEs? Proposed from 2013, an end to A level January modules, one resit only per A level subject, an end to the two plus two split of L6th and U6th modules, a review of the 50/50 AS / A2 balance and even questions over the future of AS Level in its

entirety. I could go on…. in fact, I will: The proposed funding block in the state system for the study of extra A levels and other qualifications – on the back of Michael Gove saying at the recent Brighton College education conference that it is “morally indefensible” that so many top jobs are held by those with an independent education. To then propose that those aspirational and talented students in the state sector, capable of competing with the independent sector’s pupils and their opportunities, will not be funded for any additional stretch is madness. It not only reinforces my belief that education should not be an area to be meddled with by everchanging governments and government policy, but also underlines the fact that this government is seriously to be found lacking in its joined up thinking when it comes to education.

As an independent school, we are very conscious of the financial commitment parents make to the School, and providing excellence in all areas and good value for money are very real motivators for us as we go about our work.

None of what your children achieve here would be possible if it wasn’t for your unswerving support in the background, and I am conscious of what a loyal and committed parent body we have here at Sutton Valence, and the Governors, my staff and I are very grateful for that.

It may appear to be a contradiction in terms, but at Sutton Valence a C grade can be just as impressive as an A* grade.

The concept of value added, exceeding

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

potential, whatever that potential and in whatever discipline, is at the core of all we strive to achieve and I am delighted that we do it so well.

Three years ago the Assistant Head Academic, Mr Clarke, told me that he believed that our target of 60% A*-B grades at A Level would be achievable in the medium term. I am very pleased to report that last August we surpassed this with 61% A*-B grades. This means that over a five year period we have increased the percentage achieving these top grades by 50%!

Students who were in the A set as they progressed through the School achieved 95% A*-B grades, which clearly demonstrates that we serve our gifted students well. These raw statistics inevitably obscure individual success and special mention must go to David Booer and Cristina Paca who gained places at Cambridge to read Mathematics and Psychology respectively. These were not the only excellent results as seven other members of last year’s Upper Sixth were awarded straight A* and A grades.

What is even more encouraging is that our value added at A Level shows that through the hard work of the pupils and the support and teaching of the School, we added on average 0.7 of a grade per pupil per subject this year, which continues the high value added we have achieved over the past three years. This will never result in all of our pupils achieving A* and B grades, but it does show that the vast majority of each cohort is academically doing better here than they would have done were they to have been educated elsewhere. If this means that a student has improved a D grade prediction to a C grade come results day, then this achievement is just as impressive as an A grade student achieving an A*.

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The situation with our GCSEs was very similar to the A level results. Pupils at the top end did particularly well with nearly 10% of the year group achieving ten or more A* to A grades. Overall, this year’s GCSE cohort managed to maintain our near 40% A* and A grades. In this year group, the top set gained 88% A* to A grades and we managed to increase the overall number of A* grades awarded by four percentile points and the value added to around 0.65 of a grade per pupil per subject.

So who knows what the government’s next U turn or contradictory statement might be, but let’s hope that it does not damage the excellent work the pupils and the School are able to do in working hard to exceed potential.

The greatest strengths of Sutton Valence are the community and the relationships between staff and pupils.

This year we have re-introduced a properly functioning House system supported by vertical tutor groups. Whilst doing this we have also highlighted the first two years of the School as a separate entity allowing them greater nurturing, increased scrutiny, with higher standards and expectations being instilled from a younger age.

I believe that the more pockets of small and supportive communities one can create within a community, the greater the overall support and care each individual will receive. Without question, Sutton Valence is a supportive and tolerant community and one that values the individuals of which it is comprised. Rather than trying to make us all the same, which can only result in diminishing our diversity and compromising the strength of our community, Sutton Valence celebrates differences and delights in individuality.

There is no doubt that sports teams, music ensembles and drama groups create such pockets of support and minicommunities within the whole; as do many academic departments (particularly at A level), the CCF and the co-curricular programme. The addition of Houses and vertical tutor groups adds to the levels of care and support we provide and I am pleased with how many good things have emerged during this initial transition year.

Change is never easy and there will always be pros and cons to anything, but the pros of the new system definitely outweigh the cons. Pupils and staff tell me that they enjoy the vertical tutor groups and stronger relationships across the whole school are being forged with excellent examples of role modeling and peer support cropping up in every House. A burgeoning sense of house identity and pride is emerging and the new House competition programme has allowed all sorts of new competitions to be started, different talents recognised and older traditions resurrected.

July 2012

In recognition of the importance of our House competition, the Chairman of the Governors and Mrs Baughan have presented to the School “The Baughan House Cup” for the winning house across all disciplines that form part of our annual competition. Having added in today’s sports day results, I can announce to you now that in fourth place is Lambe’s, third place is Founder’s, second is Clothworkers’ and therefore the winning house is Holdgate.

At confirmation last Sunday, the first reading was the story of David and Goliath and I found myself pondering on how apt this biblical story is to our school and the many larger schools we face on a weekly basis in our sports fixtures. Our sporting achievements belie our size and clearly demonstrate the talent and dedication of so many of our pupils in this arena.

This year saw the Girls Rugby 7s squad crowned County Champions. In Hockey, the Girls 1st XI enjoyed a 73% win rate and the School teams were County Semi-Finalists at U14, 16 and 18 age groups. Undefeated seasons were enjoyed by the U12A and B squads. In Netball the U12s won the Weald of Kent tournament and the mighty U15s only lost one match whilst winning the Benenden tournament. The 1st VII reached the semi-finals in the County Tournament and also had superb wins against King’s Canterbury and Cranbrook. The 1st Rounders team has remained unbeaten all season and the U15 Girls Tennis team has only lost one match.

In Boys sport, the 1st XV Rugby team recorded its first winning season in four years and several players were selected to represent Kent. In Hockey, the Boys

1st XI enjoyed a 67% win rate whilst the U15C, U14C, U13B and U12B squads all basked in undefeated glory. In Cricket, after an exciting start to the year with a fantastic tour to Cape Town in February, the season has been severely disrupted due to the awful weather. The teams have all progressed nicely and some very good cricketers have emerged in the younger years with Abdulla Adil scoring the School’s first century of the season for the U14s against King’s Canterbury and Thomas Lazarides taking 6 wickets for 21 for the U13s against St Michael’s Otford.

Individual mentions must also go to Anna Baker, who has been selected for the U16 England Hockey team a year early, Emily Royer, who is the Kent Girls Golf Champion and Peter Bannister who continues to work towards his place in the 2016 Olympic GB Canoeing squad. Peter is also fortunate enough to be running a leg of the Olympic Torch relay in Harrietsham.

It is frequently said of Sutton Valence that we are a small school that punches far above its weight and nowhere is this more evident than in our co-curricular programme.

For me the highlight of the year was the School’s production of Sweet Charity. Music continues to go from strength to strength with the Chapel Choir performing Vivaldi’s Gloria with choir, soloists and orchestra all from the School. The string groups tackle ever more exciting and challenging repertoire, including Mozart’s 29th and Haydn’s Farewell symphonies, the Holberg Suite and the ravishingly beautiful slow movement from Elgar’s Serenade for Strings. During the Easter Holidays the Jazz Band performed in Paris at the Jardin de Luxembourg and in Euro Dis-

ney to several hundred people, resulting in an invitation to perform in next year’s European Jazz Festival.

We took part in the United Westminster Schools’ Foundation Concert at Christ Church Spitalfields, when our Chamber Choir and the String Trio performed. And over the year the Music Department, spearheaded by the Girls’ Choir’s rendition of the ‘Military Wives Song’, has raised over £2,500 for various charities.

Whilst on the topic of charitable giving, I am very proud of how conscious the School is of the need for charity in so many guises and I am delighted to announce that through our various charity fund- raising events this year we have managed to raise £16,000 to date and counting.

Our CCF is also heavily involved in charitable work and I am proud of their attitude and dedication. I also rather bask in their achievements and successes! This year the shooting team has won so many trophies that my reception has been adorned by more silverware than the Tower of London and special mention must go to Thomas Latham, Anthony Bromley and Harry Percival for their individual successes.

Our Signals Team came fourth in the national competition at Blandford and also in the NRN Easter Bunny competition. Andrew Thomas was awarded the Howell Trophy for best cadet signaler as well as being honoured with the Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet of the Year award.

Alexander Allsebrook, Hugh Gower and James Aburn were all awarded Gliding Scholarships and their Silver Wings, whilst James was also selected for the Air Cadets National Concert Band.

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Old Suttonians Newsletter

The British Legion awarded our CCF the Peter Davies Memorial Shield for its contribution to the Legion and also presented James Marriott with an individual award in recognition of his service over many years.

Much of our Duke of Edinburgh activity happens through and alongside the CCF and this year we have nearly a third of the School registered on the DofE programme and, thus far, we have amassed 17 Gold, 24 Silver and 48 Bronze awards.

The Schoolmaster, Thomas Gradgrind, in Charles Dickens's Hard Times famously said: "Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.

Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them.

This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children.

Stick to Facts, sir!"

Of course our staff teach facts, but they also do so much more. We are blessed with a dedicated and caring staff, who are prepared to go far beyond the obvious remit of their jobs, purely because they care for all in their charge.

But, of course, every year we have to say good bye to some.

Mr Walsh has had two bites of the cherry here at SV as he finished in 2003 to go back to university, but we liked him so much we re-employed him in 2008. He has taught Junior Science and Biology and been a very effective Head of year, tutor, member of the CCF and, of late, heavily involved in charitable

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events. He is off to teach in the United Arab Emirates, but before he goes he is leading 13 Lower Sixth Form boys on a charity cycle ride from North Foreland in Kent to Land’s End via Sutton Valence, Brighton, Southampton, Dorchester, Exeter and Truro. The group is raising funds for Blind Veterans UK. Miss Halleron joined us in 2007 and quickly became involved in so many areas of school life that she has nearly made herself indispensable. She teaches Physics, has been a much-loved tutor at Beresford, involved herself in every sport going and has been an excellent influence in the Army Section of the CCF. She leaves us to follow her Wanderlust and teach in Dubai.

After three years with us improving and consolidating the success of our RS department and running Critical Thinking, Mr Heath leaves to join the staff of Wimbledon High School. His dedication and intelligence will be sorely missed, especially by the Sixth Form and he leaves St Margaret’s as a tutor with their best wishes.

Miss Peerless has only officially been with us for one year, but she has made a big impact during this short time. She is a talented French and Spanish teacher and a caring and popular tutor. We will miss her and hope that our paths cross again before too long.

Miss Pena has been an excellent Actor in Residence this year but her one year contract has come to an end, so she is off to be a house parent at the Arts School in Tring and to train to become a qualified teacher.

Our two temporary teachers, Miss Cheema and Mr Ashby finish their time with us and we thank them for all they

have done stepping into the breach and wish them well as they move on to pastures new.

We are sad to be losing Mr Stubbings who is moving to Canterbury and assisting at The King’s School, so he can continue to push for a place on the U21 National Hockey squad.

Mrs Jane Gerrard – the much-loved day matron of Sutton House is leaving us to spend the year undertaking volunteer work in South Africa, Thailand and Cambodia working in an animal sanctuary, a school and an orphanage.

Another important pastoral staffing change, though not a farewell, is that Mrs Stanford is retiring from being Housemistress of Sutton House after 11 years of dedicated service. She is adored by the girls in the House and has coped brilliantly with juggling the demands of her day job in the Preparatory School with her evening commitments in the boarding life of the School.

Well, what a year it’s been! Full of industry, enjoyment and adventure and as we gear down to a well-earned rest and the chance to recharge our batteries, I end as I began with a quote from Charles Dickens: “Please sir, I want some more?” – but I’m happy to wait until September!

Thank you for listening.