My Trinity 2021 by trinityschoolcroydon

Trinity

ISSUE 3 SUMMER 2021

My MAGAZINE FOR FORMER

PUPILS, STAFF AND FRIENDS

MEDICS ON THE FRONT LINE TONY BRITTEN: COMPOSER, CONDUCTOR, FILMMAKER & WRITER FOR THE LOVE OF CARS

OLIVER BERTHOUD: THE MAN BEHIND THE HEADMASTER

Celebrating 10 years of

GIRLS AT TRINITY

Alumni news

Trinity

Ian Watmore chairs ECB

Welcome Dear alumni, former staff and friends of Trinity I hope you enjoy reading this latest edition of My Trinity magazine Our lead story celebrates 10 years of girls at Trinity. Undoubtedly, having a co-educational Sixth Form has enriched our school community enormously over the past decade. A mixed Sixth Form certainly introduces our students to new perspectives and experiences and helps them learn to live together as intellectual and social equals. I firmly believe our holistic approach, which puts the personal, emotional and physical well-being of our students first, benefits their academic and co-curricular learning, and enables them to mature into resilient and well-rounded individuals. The past year has had its challenges, but I am delighted with the way in which our staff and students have responded to the changes in their way of teaching and learning, both in and beyond the classroom. Our sports staff have continued training programmes throughout the pandemic, finding innovative ways to keep our students fit for their return to competitive sport. Our Art department has been thrilled by the quality of art produced over the past year and since students returned to school in March. We have also enjoyed wonderful virtual music and drama performances throughout. Staff responded magnificently to the demands of a new way of working, becoming extremely proficient in teaching online, and this has spurred other innovations and greater sharing of good practice. Hybrid teaching has provided children who have needed to self-isolate with a much better experience as they continue with their learning from home or abroad. Live screening of events has been very successful and has enabled extended family to join in. Remote parent seminars are attracting double the attendance of previous live events and virtual parents’ evenings have been extremely well received, with parents being able to participate from overseas for the first time. The movements and events sparked by the murders of George Floyd and Sarah Everard have given us many opportunities across our community to discuss, and to act

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on, discrimination. Our students and staff want to play their part in addressing racism and sexism, starting in our own community, and we want our students to become people who are confident to see and tackle prejudice, at and beyond, Trinity. A new student and staff committee for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion has been set up to lead us in this long-term work, and the appetite for change among our students is most encouraging. As we went to press this time last year, we were about to host our very first Giving Day in support of our Trinity Bursary Fund. Over a 36-hour period, we shared archive footage of videos and photographs as people gave to the Fund. We raised a massive £115,000 through the generosity of our school community, which surpassed all expectations. As well as addressing our main goal of raising funds for bursaries additional to those funded by the John Whitgift Foundation, our current parent base donated over £50,000 to supplement the emergency funding measures already pledged by the Foundation to help those hardest hit by the pandemic through bereavement, illness, unemployment or business failure. My sincere thanks go to everyone who contributed to this wonderful initiative organised by our Development team. Thanks to their work and the generosity of over 500 donors, we will be able to provide an extra £200,000 in additional bursary support in 2021-22. We are cautiously returning to our programme of events for our alumni and friends of the school, and I look forward to seeing many of you over the coming year. With my best wishes

Alasdair Kennedy, Headmaster

Listening to the online learning is a joy. The interactions between the students and their teachers demonstrates the care and compassion they have for the students. The interactive lessons that the kids are thoroughly enjoying reinforce my belief in how lucky we are to be part of the Trinity Community and how supportive Trinity Parent the school is to these lucky children.

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Alumnus, Ian Watmore, has been appointed Chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board. Ian, who left Trinity in 1976, has enjoyed a successful career as a businessman with most of the last 20 years in the Civil Service where he worked for three Prime Ministers. Speaking to The Cricketer magazine, Ian said: “I feel privileged to be given this opportunity to help a sport that I care passionately about. All my life, I’ve seen the power of sport to unite communities.”

Elliott BernardCooper Congratulations to 2015 leaver, Elliott BernardCooper, for being awarded the ‘Patient Contributor of the Year Award’ by the Royal College of Psychiatry for sharing his lived experience of Asperger’s syndrome, and the impact his disorder has had on his life and family, through a series of talks. His regular talks to medical students have been well received and have empowered others to share their own experiences.

Paul Cleal and the Premier League Alumnus Paul Cleal OBE, who left Trinity in 1984, is widely recognised for his work promoting diversity in business. Paul has been working hard with the Premier League’s “No Room for Racism” Action Plan, which outlines a series of commitments aimed at creating greater access to opportunities and career progression for Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups in football, and actions to eradicate racial prejudice.

Air ViceMarshall Paul Godfrey OBE Congratulations to alumnus Paul Godfrey OBE, who left in 1990. He has as been appointed Commander of United Kingdom Space Command and promoted to Air Vice Marshall in the RAF. A fighter pilot, Paul has served in conflicts in Bosnia, Iraq and Syria and has flown Harrier jump jets, Spitfires, the Typhoon; and was one of the first British pilots to fly the US Air Force's F16 CJ.

My Trinity magazine is published by the Alumni and Development Team at Trinity School and is edited by Melodie Johnson, Head of Alumni Relations.

Contents 3 Alumni in the news 4

School news

Ten years of girls at Trinity

Where are our alumnae now?

10 Alumni in the spotlight 12

Medics on the front Line

14 T ony Britten: composer, conductor, filmmaker & writer 16 Alumni making music 18 For the love of cars 20 Fast forward to the future 22 Oliver Berthoud: Headmaster 1952-1972 24 Trinity Bursary Fund 26 Destination of 2020 Leavers 28 Our events 30 In memoriam 31 The Trinity Club 34 Memory lane 35 Alumni & Development Team 36 Dates for your diary

Comments and suggestions for content, or requests for copies of photographs can be sent to Melodie by email: maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk or by post, addressed to Melodie Johnson, Alumni Office, Trinity School, Shirley Park Croydon CR9 7AT

Front cover: Jessica O’Sullivan, Trinity School’s first Head Girl

direct line 020 8662 5159

www.trinity-school.org/alumni

School news Joe scores a century It is wonderful to see our young cricketers back on the pitch – not least, Joe Bradshaw, who recently scored 105 runs in an U14s match against Hampton. PE teacher and cricket specialist Freddie Gabbitas said Joe’s performance was ‘‘One of the best schoolboy innings I have ever seen.”

Joe Bradshaw

Return of girls’ sport With sport returning to schools, it’s good to see our Sixth Form girls enjoyed getting back on the courts and pitches.

Gabriel signs for Crystal Palace Third year student, Gabriel BonsuAmako, has signed a two-year contract at Crystal Palace. This amazing achievement is a testament to his hard work and commitment both on and off the field. Gabriel joined Trinity in the First Form and has been part of the Sports Scholarship Programme, which is designed to give scholars the best chance of success in their sporting journey.

Rugby returns with competitive matches Our rugby players have been training hard over the course of the past year and it was great to see a number of our students return to competitive matches. Special recognition goes to Harrison Friday, who has played at scrum-half for Esher’s 1st XV and George Papa, who was rewarded with an appearance for Harlequins U17 Academy against Northampton Saints at Premiership ground, Franklin Gardens.

Gabriel Bonsu-Amako

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alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Run for Malawi

Members of Trinity Boys Choir and Trinity Girls Choir returned to the famous Abbey Road Studios to record a soundtrack for Disney. The choir enjoyed a live link to Florida throughout the three-hour session, with the producer guiding the singers through the various musical cues from the other side of the Atlantic. Upper Sixth student Eloïse Demay ended up taking a leading role by singing many of the solo sections.

Staff, students and their families took part in a fun fundraising challenge to cover the distance to Malawi by running, walking, or cycling a cumulative total of 7,346 miles - the distance to our partner school in Chipwepwete. In fact, the combined final distances clocked up 11,811 miles and £2,000!

Joe selected for England Hockey U18s Sixth Form student, Joe Cotton, has been selected for the England U18 Hockey squad. Nick Giles, Head of Hockey at Trinity, and recently announced as one of England Hockey’s U16 coaches said: “Joe is an outstanding role model to younger pupils at Trinity: his approach in both games and training sessions is fantastic and his work ethic, both on and off pitch, is exemplary.”

Back to Abbey Road

Sixth former Zoe Makele and Kate Beresford Miller adding pledges to the tree

Tree of pledges Head of Religious Studies, Kate Beresford-Miller, came up with the idea of marking National Stephen Lawrence Day by asking the school community to make individual pledges for changes they might make to bring about a more equal and caring society. These pledges were displayed on a tree made by teacher Tim Chesters as a visual representation of our school’s commitment to change.

Eloïse Demay (in white cowboy hat) at our Upper Sixth Fun Sports Day where students attend in fancy dress

Students of Trinity School, Malawi

Lower Sixth Neuron task Eager to learn golf With golf in high demand at Trinity, observers will often see the lower astroturf at Trinity transformed into a driving range as our budding young golfers improve their understanding of the game. Head of Golf, Jamie O’Connor said: “One of our Junior Form students has demonstrated outstanding progression, leading to the acquisition of a golf swing that would make anyone envious!”

Trinity’s Lower Sixth Psychology students were tasked to make a model of a neuron ( nerve cells that process and transmit messages in the nervous system through electrical and chemical signals) using household objects alone. The results were impressive, with students arranging fruit, bottle tops, flowers, coins, beads and noodles in creative ways to represent dendrites, axons, nuclei and more.

TED Talk finals

Tree of Pledges

Testing … Testing

Six Second Form students recently competed in the culmination of an inter-form competition that had been running since January. Talks were given on a broad range of topics from ‘Space Mining’ and ‘The Brain’, to ‘What does climate change really mean?’ in front of staff and other students. All finalists performed incredibly well in the face of a large audience and panel of three judges.

Testing every member of our school community before returning to face-to-face education in March was a major operation, with everyone applauding the well-organised process set up in the Underground.

Jamie O’Connor, Head of Golf

Model of a neuron

TED Talk finalists Covid-19 testing

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

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Celebrating 10 Years

of girls at Trinity

September 2021 marks the significant moment in the school’s history when girls joined our Sixth Form for the first time. Melodie caught up with former Headmaster Mark Bishop and Chair of Governors, Lord Barwell, who were in charge of the decision-making process at the time. At what point in your headship did you consider a co-educational Sixth Form would benefit the school? "After my first year at Trinity, I began to realise that if we were to really thrive, we had to have something that made us more distinct from the two schools we were often compared with – Whitgift and Dulwich. We knew we were different in terms of size, atmosphere

and ethos, but I became convinced that this wasn’t sufficient. Equally, each year we were losing some really good boys after GCSEs because they wanted to join co-educational Sixth Forms at places like Alleyn’s and Caterham, so I felt we had to make a significant and, at the time, radical change. Clearly, from the first idea, it then took several years of planning and intricate discussions with various stakeholders to bring it to fruition." Were the governors receptive ? "The biggest challenge was trying to get all the Whitgift Foundation on board. In surveys, Trinity staff and parents were well over 90% in favour and, needless the say, the boys were extremely keen on the idea. But the Heads of the other two schools and some governors weren’t in favour. The Old Palace Head was understandably concerned, but was incredibly professional and rational in all our discussions. The Whitgift Head was not keen for reasons which, at first, I didn’t really understand. It turned out that Dr Barnett had wanted Whitgift to take girls and so wasn’t delighted that we had made the first move.

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The first cohort of girls joining us in 2011

At the time Gavin (now Lord) Barwell was the Chair of the Trinity Committee and he couldn’t have been more supportive or helpful in navigating through the various committees and political manoeuvres, whilst Ian Harley, who was at the time Chair of the Foundation, was also an enormous help." Were you surprised at the number of applications from girls? "I was surprised, delighted and mightily relieved at the number of applications. To have gone through all the work to get agreement to then find that hardly any girls wanted to come would have been heart-breaking." What was the reasoning behind all-girl tutor groups? "As part of our preparations for the arrival of girls, we sent senior staff to visit other schools that had recently taken similar steps, and one of these had gone for allgirl tutor groups. My initial response when I heard this was negative as I had assumed that we must have mixed tutor groups but I was eventually persuaded, if I remember rightly, by Sara Ward, to change course and it turned out to be exactly the right move." Did the performance of the girls exceed your expectations? "There is absolutely no question that the first group of girls were the reason that the move to a co-educational Sixth Form was a success. They were bright, talented and they had real courage. It cannot have been easy moving from often smaller girls’ schools to a school full of 800 boys but they adjusted superbly to being at Trinity. One of our biggest concerns about the move was would it change

our fundamental atmosphere and ethos, which is what most pupils, parents and teachers really liked about the school. I honestly think that the nature of the school didn’t change, but the girls broadened our horizons, added to the intellectual, sporting and cultural life of the school and just made it a far more ‘normal’ environment for both boys and girls before they go off to what will, of course, be co-educational universities." When asked about the move to a co-educational Sixth Form, Lord Barwell, alumnus, who left Trinity in 1990, said: "I was very lucky during my time as Chair of the Governors to work with Mark Bishop, who was an outstanding Headmaster. We agreed that we needed to do something to further differentiate Trinity from its competitors and to address the fact that some talented boys were leaving at 16 because they wanted to go to a co-educational Sixth Form. But as well as these pressures to change, I felt very strongly that it was the right thing to do. Once we had made the decision, my job for which I guess I was well qualified was to navigate the politics of the Whitgift Foundation and get their sign off. It's probably the single decision we took during my time as a governor of which I am most proud. Trinity today is a more

successful, better school than it was in the late 2000s and the admission of girls into the Sixth Form is a big part of that change and very much something to celebrate." Sara Ward, Head of Upper School at the time, was there at the forefront when the girls started: “As soon as I was appointed, Mark Bishop told me that the decision had been taken to welcome girls into the Sixth Form at Trinity from 2011. Already excited about my new job, this was the icing on the cake for me. Throughout my teaching career, I have always enjoyed the vibrancy of the co-educational Sixth Form classroom and the contributions of the capable, creative and impressive young women I have taught. I was thrilled, therefore, to find myself working with a team of enthusiastic people to create the right physical environment in the form of a new Sixth Form Centre and – more importantly – the right academic and pastoral environment in which our new girls would thrive. What a great experience this was. I am delighted but not at all surprised to continue to see the wonderful contributions of our girls to all aspects of school life over the past 10 years – what a privilege this has been!”

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Head of Sixth Form Antonia Geldeard (right) with Sixth Form students

Current Deputy Head and Head of Sixth Form, Antonia Geldeard said: “A co-educational Sixth Form is undoubtedly an attraction when parents are looking at Trinity for their child, whether it is the parents of boys joining us further down the school, or students applying to study A levels with us. A diverse Sixth Form reflects real life and prepares our young people for university and beyond. Many of the girls who join us are brilliant mathematicians, physicists and chemists as well as those who choose to pursue the arts and humanities here. Our talented alumnae have gone on to read a vast range of subjects at university including Medicine, Engineering and PPE. This breadth and equality of opportunity crosses genders and develops our students within and beyond the classroom."

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Where are our alumnae now? Donna has been enjoying catching up with some of our alumnae to see where they headed after two years in the Sixth Form at Trinity. We share their news here.

JESSICA O’SULLIVAN

When asked what the best piece of advice she would give to Sixth Formers today, she said: “Never be afraid to admit you don’t understand something, or that you need help. Also, enjoy your time at school – you will never get to be with your friends every day, all day, again. Just enjoy! You’ll miss it when you are older.”

ELEANOR LEWIS 2015 leaver Eleanor studied Chemistry, Maths and Music at A Level and completed an extended project as well as AS Biology. She went on to read Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham, followed by a Science PGCE and a Masters’ in Education, both at Cambridge. Eleanor has been working with young people since she graduated and is now a Chemistry teacher. Donna asked her what the best piece of advice she had been given at Trinity. “Sara Ward once told me 'You can’t fix everything.' At the time I was panicky about being able to control things and help as many people as I could! But now I’m a teacher, I totally understand what she means.” And what advice would she give her 18-year-old self? “Try to live in the moment a little more. Most of the things I worried about actually turned out fine, so try to enjoy your time at school and don’t spend time worrying about the future.”

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LUCY ELLIS-KEELER Lucy, who left Trinity in 2015, read Philosophy at the University of Bristol having taken A Levels in English Literature, Religious Studies and History.

Jessica was our first Head Girl at Trinity having joined our Sixth Form in 2011. She went on to read Modern and Medieval Languages (French and Spanish) at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, finding time to take History and Portuguese modules as well. Jessica works as a Commercial Manager at Sky, having started there on a graduate scheme in 2018. Donna asked her whether the skills she learned as Head Girl helped her in her career. “I acquired leadership and teamwork skills working in partnership with Ejaaz Ahamadeen, the Head Boy, dividing and conquering the tasks we were given. I also developed my presenting, public speaking and time management skills – all of which are invaluable in my role today.”

DEESHA GANGULI

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

She is now a Compliance and Operational Risk Officer at Bank of America for EMEA, based in London, having started her career at the bank on an internship in 2017. Bank of America have supported her in working to achieve her Capital Markets qualification from the Chartered Institute of Security and Investments (CISI). Lucy supports multiple lines of business to manage Compliance and Operational Risk exposure, looking at policy, laws, rules and regulations, as well as risks posed by people, processes, external events and systems. Lucy is heavily involved in Bank of America’s partnership with the Vital Voices Mentoring Walk initiative which matches emerging female talent with senior mentors, offering guidance, career advice and support, born out of their own experiences. Having won two awards consecutively, within the bank’s prestigious employee recognition schemes, Lucy has progressed quickly and is an inspiration to young graduates interested in banking careers. “Choosing to study at Trinity transformed my sense of confidence and totally realigned my ambitions once I believed I could achieve anything I set my mind to. The school has a fantastic culture. It encouraged me to use my initiative to pursue my interests both academic and extra-curricular, and provided an incredibly positive and collaborative environment to grow and learn in. Learning from teachers passionate about their subject, who truly understand how to achieve great results but also learn how to think outside the curriculum was so valuable.”

We left the last word to one of our current Lower Sixth students.

Deesha was our sixth Head Girl for the academic year 2017-18. She is in her final year as an undergraduate at Warwick University reading Politics and International Studies.

ELLA SULLIVANMARTIN

Deesha said: “I did Politics, Economics and Geography at A Level and absolutely loved them all! Something that stands out about my time at Trinity is the fantastic range of opportunities and experiences students can get involved in, which helped me develop other interests outside academics.”

Ella is in our Lower Sixth where she is studying A level Psychology, English, Religious Studies and Art.

Deesha is working hard on her dissertation on ‘Celebrity Culture in International Development’ and has very kindly volunteered to come back over the summer to assist the Alumni Department.

SHREYA GANGULI Shreya was Head Girl for 2018-19 and is currently in her second year at the University of Edinburgh, studying History and Politics having gained A Levels in History, Politics and Religious Studies at Trinity. She told Donna she is really missing all her classes and teachers!

“I came to Trinity following a great experience at an all-girls school, where I really enjoyed learning. However, since joining Trinity, I noticed that the mixed classroom presents a more open and diverse discussion between us as students. The co-educational environment certainly generates a range of views, with everyone welcome and willing to contribute. I noticed very quickly that the classroom environment improved my confidence to express myself, as I was given the chance to justify my views and debate with my peers. I feel that I have developed a better understanding of the content being studied and improved my academic capability alongside this. Without the environment at Trinity, I don’t think I would have developed this level of confidence and ability to speak coherently in and out of the classroom.”

Shreya said: “There are lots of things that stand out from when I was at Trinity, but I especially enjoyed being in an environment that was so positive and supportive. There were so many wonderful opportunities and people when I was at Trinity, and I feel very grateful for my time there.” Shreya starts a year abroad at the University of Oslo, Norway, this August.

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

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Alumni in the spotlight Alisdair Kitchen, filmmaker

Paul Murdin’s star turn

Alisdair has been blessed with wonderful mentors over the years starting with teachers at Trinity including Andrew Truella and Neil Goble (with whom he had organ lessons), piano teacher Nigel Clayton, and Latin teacher Simon Marshall who had a penchant for German songs and introduced Alisdair to Schubert’s Harfenspieler.

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We were delighted to hear that 2010 leaver, Temi Ladega has accepted an invitation from the Headmaster to be our guest speaker at Prizegiving in July.

Astronomer, broadcaster and commentator for the BBC and CNN, Professor Paul Murdin OBE ‘Zoomed’ back to Trinity to give a talk on Black Holes to our Physics Society. Lower Sixth students Aman de Silva and Mahdeia Hidary recalled the virtual visit by our distinguished alumnus who left Trinity in 1960:

We were delighted to hear 2001 leaver, Alisdair, has been awarded a grant from the Genesis Foundation for a series of short films. The Foundation supports “outstanding freelance talent in the creative sector across the UK”, with over 30 leading figures from the Arts on its Advisory Council including Barbara Broccoli and Benedict Cumberbatch. Alisdair is currently working on a film version of Phaedra - “Getting opera singers used to being on camera is a challenge!” He also works with art galleries, is Director of Digital Programmes at the Rye Arts Festival, resident filmmaker at the National Opera Studio and offers high quality audition and publicity videography. His work has featured on Classic FM, OperaVision and The Arts Channel.

Temi Ladega for Prizegiving

Alisdair has fond memories of the great Jonathan Miller, who gave him support and inspiration until his death a couple of years ago. “The connection came through Professor Robert Winton at the Royal College of Music. I told him I would love to chat to Jonathan Miller and he gave me his address. I prepared a postcard and went to Miller’s house to deliver it personally. Jonathan was not in, but he telephoned a couple of weeks later and invited me over for a chat. We got on famously and, thereafter, I would arrive for a monthly visit.” You can read a full interview with Alisdair in the Resources section of My Trinity at www.mytrinity.org.uk. www.alisdairkitchen.com

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

“After telling us about his career, Professor Murdin plunged into the theory of gravity, with a special focus on black holes. The professor outlined his part in the discovery of the very first black hole, Cygnus X-1. His observations of a binary star system showed that one object was a blue supergiant star and the other a strong X-ray source. His team calculated that the large X-ray source was radiating from a very small point, confirming it to be a black hole. This discovery was the first major evidence of the existence of black holes and marked the beginning of physicists’ experimental observation of these cosmic beasts."

With thanks to Paul for a fascinating talk!

Temi is a Vice-President at J P Morgan having started his career there as an analyst in their Emerging Markets & Asia Pacific team. His current role as a sector specialist covers the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Consumer and Retail industry. Temi provides advice to institutional investors looking at the sector and facilitates IPOs and other corporate activities, as well as managing risk. Away from his desk, Temi supports JP Morgan’s

EMEA campus recruitment and Diversity and Inclusion efforts. Temi is currently studying for an MBA parttime and also finds time to mentor others through J P Morgan and other initiatives he has spearheaded. When we asked Temi what advice he would give his 18 year-old self, he said:

“Be passionate, be authentic, work hard, hold on to faith and don’t give in to fear.”

Henry Aldridge’s LA project Congratulations to 2017 leaver, Henry Aldridge, who came second in an architecture competition organised by the Los Angeles Mayor’s office to redevelop a site previously occupied by the house of film director Josef von Sternberg. The other winners of the competition were experienced architects and designers with most working in teams. Henry worked on his own! Henry attained a First Class Honours degree in Architecture from Cambridge and is currently gaining practical work experience with Cooke Fawcett Architects. He will then return to university for a two-year Master’s course (MArch) which is generally followed by a further year of practical training and a final qualifying exam.

Henry used 3D virtual reality technology in his ultimate presentation at university, prompting his lecturers at Cambridge to invite him back to teach students how to use Enscape3d softtware. You can see his final project and the 3D technology (best seen via a smartphone for the full experience) by searching for Henry Aldridge ‘Stables for the Interregnum’ – there is a QR code for use on a smartphone 13 minutes into the presentation.

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Medics on the front line management roles including Clinical Director on two occasions and is currently an Associate Medical Director. He has also been on the Council of the British Heart Rhythm Society for the last eight years and is currently its President, having taken up this role in October 2020.

Alumnus Alistair Slade gave us a perspective on how the COVID pandemic has impacted on his ways of working in the last year, at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro. After leaving Trinity in 1977, Alistair trained in Medicine at Cambridge University and the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, graduating in 1984. Shortly after qualifying, he met his wife to be, Sara a Middlesex nurse. They have now been together 36 years, and have four grown up children. “I have very fond memories of Trinity, which prepared me very well academically for medical school. I suspect I drifted toward medicine because that is what people who were good at science did. I have had no regrets about my career choice and indeed, it has been a privilege to be a Cardiologist over the past 30 years or so, and witness the huge strides in drug treatment and interventions that have taken place.” After training in and around London, Alistair undertook specific cardiology training at the Brompton Hospital and St George's Hospital, before becoming Consultant Cardiologist in Truro in 1996. He has undertaken several trust

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“The COVID pandemic has been extremely challenging for healthcare. Although the Southwest has probably been the best place in England to live and work during the pandemic, it has still been incredibly disruptive and challenging to deliver acute healthcare. In the first wave we saw a marked drop in the usual type of patients that cardiologists see, including those with suspected heart attacks. This was noticed all over the world, but eventually these patients began to come back to hospital to receive their urgent treatment. We were placed on surge rotas, focusing on inpatient management, with most other activities suspended. Our team briefly looked after a ward of COVID patients as well as our own cardiac patients. Over the summer, we began to

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recover, but it became clear that a further surge was imminent, and indeed, this has proven to be far more significant in terms of numbers, impact and duration. Our hospital has again been luckier than many in terms of numbers of patients admitted, but we have still admitted more than twice the number that we saw earlier in 2020. Nationally, it is clear that planned procedures will take many months, if not years, to recover previous waiting positions and, of course, there is the on-going uncertainty of how COVID will develop. Vaccination is the key and I was fortunate enough to be jabbed early on in the process as a key worker at high risk because of age and BMI. I continue to have to work in very full PPE, which limits the time I can spend in patient-facing work. It has certainly been an interesting experience to have worked during such a pandemic and, although beyond the standard NHS retirement age, it just does not seem the right time to walk away from the front line.”

2007 leaver and medic Matt Beal is flying high Matt left Trinity in 2007 after finishing his A Levels, having been one of the few students to have taken a ‘mini-gap year’ between GCSEs and A Levels. Before going on to read Medicine at the University of East Anglia, where he also graduated as Master of Clinical Education (Distinction), Matt was heavily involved backstage in the Trinity Drama productions and with the Mitre Players, taking a second post A-level gap year to work as a technical assistant at the school. Matt attributes his hardworking attitude, focus and ability to cope under pressure to his time spent doing extra-curricular drama at Trinity and looks especially fondly on the care and support given to him to pursue his interests, even where this may have made his schoolwork suffer!

In 2017, Matt began his postgraduate training in Anaesthesia, concentrating on the Acute Care Specialities (Anaesthesia, Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine), with a view to subspeciality training in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine. When the COVID pandemic hit the UK, Matt was deployed on the Intensive Care Unit in Poole, Dorset, initially leading the training of nonICU staff who would form the emergency intubation teams, before working hands-on covering the COVID intensive care units. Matt is currently working as an EPIC Fellow in North Wales, providing pre-hospital critical care on the Wales Air Ambulance, dividing the rest of his time between the Intensive Care Unit and the Emergency Department. He said “Being on the front line during the pandemic has been emotionally, physically and mentally challenging, but it has been such a privilege to have the knowledge and skills to make a difference for those who have needed it.”

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Alumna Sophie Winter, who left Trinity in 2013 to read Medicine at Liverpool University told us about how the pandemic impacted on her training. "I finished my F1 (Foundation doctor) year at Medway Hospital in the summer of 2020. In the first wave, trainee rotations were changed and I ended up working on a Geriatric ward for longer than planned due to increasing hospital admissions. However, I learnt a lot and enjoyed my time there. Since August, I’ve been working as an F2 doctor at East Surrey Hospital which has been great so far. I worked in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and then briefly moved to general practice, but in January was again redeployed to work on the medical wards at the hospital. I will shortly be moving on to my A&E rotation. I am hoping to take a year out of training next year to go travelling and to apply for specialty training, possibly in Anaesthetics. Despite its challenges I feel grateful to have been able to work throughout the pandemic, and although my rotations were different to the initial plan, I learnt a lot and enjoyed them very much. In December, I was able to administer some of the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine at my GP practice which was an exciting moment - finally there is a light at the end of the tunnel!"

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Tony Britten Composer, conductor, filmmaker and writer Music has been in Tony’s bones since he was a young boy: encouraged to learn the piano by an aunt at the age of eight; he started composing very early in life. Tony, a graduate of the Royal College of Music, left Trinity in 1973 and embarked upon a successful career as a film, television & theatre composer and conductor. When asked about his time at Trinity, Tony said “It was wonderful to be one of the founder members of the Trinity Boys’ Choir. I was a good boy treble and it was thrilling to have the opportunity to sing at amazing venues such as the Royal Opera House, where I played Yniold in Pierre Boulez’s acclaimed Pelleas et Melisande. In fact, you could say that my career has been on a downward spiral ever since! I loved music and acting, but I was not the best at settling into academic work.” These days, Tony takes great pleasure in undertaking massive research projects for his films, making use of the British library and travelling around the country as he explores his subject matter.

“If, when I was a schoolboy, you had told me I would be doing such deep, serious research, I would have laughed in your face!” Among his many credits, Tony’s work includes orchestrating and conducting the legendary National Theatre production of Guys and Dolls, conducting the film Robocop and composing the scores for many television dramas and films. He wrote the contemporary English libretti and chamber music orchestrations for ten ‘mainstream’ operas for his company Music Theatre London (MTL), including Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro which was turned into a highly-praised three-part series for BBC2.

In 1999, having taken over directorial duties at MTL, Tony turned his attention to film making, his first production being Bohème - a radical, funny and touching version of Puccini’s opera, recorded in English and set in a disused flour mill. Tony went on to make many more films, including a drama documentary about his namesake: Benjamin Britten – Peace and Conflict. The film charts composer Benjamin Britten’s life and works and highlights the pacificism nurtured in him as a pupil at Gresham’s School in Norfolk, which became a prevailing influence on the composer. Tony is very proud of the film: “Britten’s centenary was approaching and I conducted a significant amount of research into the project, including several stints at the Red House in Aldeburgh and work with the Head of History at Gresham’s.” Tony researched verbatim conversations from back copies of school magazines and unpublished entries from Britten’s diaries. The young actor who played Britten as a boy, Alex Lawther, went on to become a notable film star (he played the young Alan Turing in The Imitation Game). Tony is delighted he gave Alex his first film role. Incredibly, Benjamin Britten – Peace and Conflict sold all around the world apart from the UK. Fortunately for us, the film is available on The Arts Channel and on DVD.

Tony launched The Arts Channel in June 2020, having identified a gap in the market. He hopes the new channel will become the “curator for the curious” as he seeks to acquire and co-produce films and series about music and the arts from around the world. The Arts Channel aims to deliver work across all arts genres that would otherwise not be aired in the UK. When asked why certain films do not make it to television, Tony said: “It is difficult to get new work commissioned on mainstream TV in the UK unless you feature a well-known presenter and it is of a specific length. In the Sixties, Hugh Weldon told Ken Russell to go out and make something for the Monitor programme, but not to spend much. Russell came back with some of the best films about composers ever made, including Delius – Song of Summer.” Tony wants to commission new and exciting projects from film makers who do not have the opportunity to experience the apprenticeships that previous generations benefitted from at the BBC. “It’s what drives me. The technology is getting better and better and the equipment is there, you just need the will and expertise. There are no boundaries anymore.” Tony is delighted Trinity School has taken out a subscription to The Arts Channel:

“I hope The Arts Channel will give young people at the school access to material they would not otherwise see. I like to think learning about the arts at the school will be enhanced through what’s on offer.”

Tony believes there will be a real sea change in the artistic landscape post COVID. “As with sporting events, people will have sorely missed going to the theatre, live music performances and the cinema. People will be aching to flock back and will appreciate the arts all the more having been deprived of the opportunity for so long.”

Tony Britten at his workstation

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Tony in the audience at our Celebrity Organ Recital

Tony is perhaps best-known for having composed the Champions League Anthem, commissioned by UEFA in 1992. UEFA wanted an anthem that reflected the best in football at a time when the beautiful game was attracting bad press sparked by hooliganism. Having prepared a playlist of classical anthems to get a feel for what UEFA wanted, Tony came up with this now iconic piece of music. Tony recorded the anthem at a studio in Islington with the choir from the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The anthem has captivated players and fans alike across Europe’s football stadiums. It is said to have motivated Messi and inspired Ronaldo to sing along. Bayern Munich’s captain Steffan Effenberg is reported to have said that whenever he hears the music, the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. Tony said: “To be honest, at the time, we had no idea how big it would become, and now with CBS Sport acquiring the Champions League rights for the States, it's set to become even more popular worldwide” We asked Tony whether UEFA ever requested changes to the Anthem: “Every so often UEFA

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look to rebrand, but not so the Champions League Anthem – they have been told that it is their single strongest branding - as important as the colour red is to Coca-Cola. We tried messing around with it, and even produced a funk version, which worked really well. We sent it to the broadcasters and they agreed it was great, but they decided they would stick to the original.” Tony is incredibly impressed with the facilities available in the music department at Trinity: “When I was at Trinity, there were six windowless practice rooms, including the Director of Music, David Squibb’s office and a music room for choir rehearsals. What Trinity has now is mind-boggling following the refurbishment of ‘Big School’ to become Trinity Concert Hall and a whole new building devoted to music that most universities would be insanely jealous of.” Tony can often be found at Trinity School: “I was delighted when the Headmaster gave me the honour of presenting the prizes at Prize Giving in 2019 – that makes me a serious alumnus, right?” www.tonybritten.co.uk www.theartschannel.online

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Alumni making music

We are incredibly lucky to have state-of-the-art facilities in the music department at Trinity today. We hope many students will follow in the footsteps of these prestigious musicians who have a vast range of musical credits to their names.

Andrew Skeet Andrew Skeet is a composer, arranger and conductor and is the piano player in Neil Hannon’s orchestral pop band The Divine Comedy. He has orchestrated and conducted a vast array of major studio film scores and high-profile TV series as well as composing his own scores for series on Netflix, Amazon, CNN and the BBC. Whilst at Trinity, Andrew sang with the Trinity Boys Choir at Glyndebourne and the National Theatre. On leaving the school in 1987, he studied Music at the University of East Anglia and then at the Royal College of Music. From the 1990s, he worked as an arranger with diverse pop artists such as George Michael, Sinead O’Connor and Suede before moving into film and TV composition and orchestration. Andrew released his first solo album Finding Time in 2015 on the Sony Classics label. His recent film and TV credits include arranging and conducting Seasons III and IV of The Crown, Enola Holmes, Steve Jobs, Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, BBC’s Dynasties with David Attenborough, with another Attenborough Green Planet series currently in production and composing Great Escapists on Amazon Prime and The Surgeon’s Cut on Netflix.

Matt (right) pictured with Andrew Skee t

Matt Nicholson Award winning composer and 1999 Trinity leaver Matt Nicholson scores commercials, film and television from his studios in Lisbon and New York. His versatility has been his signature over the years, from singing with the Trinity Boys Choir at the ENO to playing drums at Glastonbury, French horn with symphony orchestras and winning chamber music competitions playing the piano. He also played the organ whilst at Trinity. Matt said: “I most likely would not have a career in music if it wasn't for the inspirational lessons I received from David de Warrenne and Jim Warburton at Trinity de Warrenne was truly a one-in-a-million, a total rock star music teacher. Stuart Robertson taught us how synths and tape machines worked – a huge part of the working music business and a practical element often ignored in academic spheres.”

Andrew Barnabas Andrew Barnabas clearly has great fun whilst composing, evidenced by the photograph below with co-composing partner, Paul Arnold. Classically trained, Andrew wrote his first musical score for a video game when he was just 17.

Andrew has an on-going relationship with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and more recently, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Decca Records. Credits include new arrangements for all 25 James Bond themes and the Greatest Video Game Music 1&2 which achieved top 20 Billboard 100 success in the US. When asked about his time at school, Andrew said: “When I was at the school my happiest times were all connected to the music department. If I’m feeling under pressure these days on a recording session, maybe working with a big orchestra and the clock ticking, I just remember that I’ve been doing this sort of thing since I was 11 years old at the school and apart from thinking “blimey that’s a long time ago”, I draw a lot of strength from it. Plus, I’m always early because I can still hear David Squibb insisting that professional musicians are never ever late! (They are sometimes by the way, but admittedly not often).”

Matt has recorded with some of the world’s top orchestras and has created hundreds of published works for Universal, Position, Ninja Tune, Cavendish, Felt, Reptide, Elias and Audio Network. Credits for commercials include Ford, FIFA, Verizon, L’Oreal, Renault, Nokia, Mazda, Visa and Dove as well as trailers for The Crown and Green Book. Matt also co-wrote the new audio branding for American Airlines. His numerous TV credits include Channel 4’s 7 Year Switch, BBC2’s The Pilgrimage and a raft of other programmes including Tutankhamun, Rescue Dog to Super Dog and Married at First Sight.

Barnabus Paul Arnold and Andrew

Andrew, who left Trinity in 1989, sang with the Trinity Boys Choir, played oboe in the concert band and spent his free time at school learning how to programme computers. Andrew’s passion for music and computer programming led to his career taking off in the new field of computer game music. He was the first in-house composer for Cambridge based developer Millennium Interactive, writing scores for games such as Creatures and Frogger. Paul Arnold joined him, Sony bought the studio and they ran the sound

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The Giles Stanley Management website captures his capabilities: “He has an exceptional talent for capturing emotional sensitivity in precise detail through his work, and his diligence and commitment give him an unfaltering professional integrity.” www.mattnicholson.tv www.imdb.com/name/nm5727421

department together, thereafter writing and producing scores for PlayStation games including the MediEvil series. The BAFTAnominated duo were among the first games composers to record a full orchestra and chorus, starting with Sony’s Primal. Twenty years ago, Andrew and Paul set up their own studio 'Bob & Barn' - their games industry pseudonyms. They work with a global network of musicians, studios, engineers, conductors and music editors to help realise their madcap musical ideas, working on features, television shows and games. Their TV credits include The King is Dead, Armchair Detectives and Dead Pixels and films such as The Hatton Garden Job. Andrew and Paul were recently asked to re-record the soundtrack for the PS4 remake of MediEvil. Andrew said: “This time round, we had the budget for a full orchestra and the technology to make it interactive.” The result is stunning. A documentary featuring Bob & Barn about the re-make of MediEvil can be found on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn1d_6v-AWk www.bobandbarn.com

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For the love of cars Archivist and alumnus Laurie King talks to two of our alumni about their obsession with classic cars

Peter Watts LEFT 1965 Peter has owned and restored a succession of classic cars over the years: “I acquired my first car early in January 1965, soon after passing my driving test. It was a 1935 Morris 8 2-Door Saloon with black roof, bonnet top and wings, and dark red body sides. It had a 3-speed gearbox and a 918cc side-valve engine." "I drove it up to Leeds University in October 1965 where I was to study civil engineering. There was no M25 and the only part of the M1 that was open by then was between Watford and Rugby, so my route from Croydon was rather a tortuous one. Allowing for refreshment breaks and hold-ups through London and towns, the 200-plus mile journey took nearly nine hours!" Laurie asked Peter what motoring was like back in the Sixties. “There were no MoT tests until 1960, and many of the cars on the road were rolling death traps. A friend of my father ran a pre-war Austin 7 and, before Peter with 1949 Au stin Sheerline

setting off, a rope was stretched across the laps of the driver and front-seat passenger, with the ends tied to the interior door handles to stop the doors flying open as the body flexed whilst underway! Even when the MoT test was introduced, it only covered brakes, lights and steering, which left quite a few horrors still on the road. One of the masters who joined the staff at Trinity in the early 1960s, had an Austin 7 with a rusted chassis that was patched up with Dexion Slotted Angle, of the sort that was designed for industrial shelving units!” One of Peter’s early restoration projects was a rare 1939 Singer 9 Roadster he acquired for the princely sum of £10. The car had been languishing in the garage of a friend’s house. More recently, he has completed a massive project on a 1949 Austin Sheerline saloon, having discovered it in a lean-to on a farm in 2011. The car was in a sorry state and home to several families of mice, but Peter has lovingly restored it to its former glory. “It is a beautiful car with a massive 4 litre, 6- cylinder engine developed from the pre-war Austin lorry engine.”

Mike Hodson LEFT 1978 Mike has always been interested in making things and discovering how machines work. He left school with A Levels in Physics, Maths and Chemistry and went on to study Electrical Engineering at Southampton University. "Like many other hard-up students, we had to be self-sufficient with our transport at the time. I owned a succession of mostly unreliable motorbikes and cars, which meant spending many hours underneath them covered in oil. This developed into a love for vehicle maintenance which has lasted all my life. One of the first interesting cars I managed to acquire (for a knock-down price!) was a 1971 Lotus Europa in the iconic JPS black-and-gold colour scheme. It was a terribly unreliable car, which spent much more time off the road than on. But when it worked, it was an absolute revelation to drive. So much so, that when a job vacancy came up at Lotus Engineering in Norwich, I went up there to work on sports car electronics.

systems. My time at Lotus in the 1980s was inspiring but, because my specialism was electronics, I rarely got the chance to be involved with the manufacturing side of cars. The answer was to buy a Caterham Seven as a kit of parts to self-build. I cannot recommend this experience highly enough: anyone who is interested in car design, and how the different parts of a car work together, should definitely give this a try. It is not particularly difficult, and you do not need many special tools. But as a learning exercise in engineering and the physics of car dynamics, it is absolutely first class … and a complete blast to drive!” Over the years, Mike has acquired several British classics including a 1975 Jenson Interceptor Mk. III, a 1981 Lotus Esprit Turbo “Essex” Edition and a GT40 Mk.1, 50th Anniversary Edition – the car that won the Le Mans 24hr race in both 1968 and 1969. “With the pandemic hopefully in retreat, I am very much hoping to make use of all these cars during the summer months.”

At Lotus, many of the projects we undertook were on new concepts and prototypes. We were developing in-car electronics systems that today are commonplace, but at the time were revolutionary: adaptive suspension, noise cancellation, electronic stability control, and digital entertainment

So, what is Peter driving now? “I drive a 2014 Jaguar XF Sportbrake, and I also own a 1999 Ford Ranger 4 x 4 pick-up.” And the Singer Roadster? “I eventually got the car back on the road in about 1982 and since then, it has been used continuously, at least in the summers!”

Peter's Singer Roadster

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No more restorations then, Peter? “Well … while the Sheerline was in the paint shop, there was this lovely 1934 Singer 1½ litre Sports Saloon for sale and work is already underway…”

Mike's 1975 Jenson Interceptor

What about the future Mike? “The car industry is facing a period of fundamental structural change, probably the largest in its 135-year history. Most important is the move away from fossil fuel engines to alternative power sources, but there is also a growing trend towards more technology integration, culminating in the so-called ‘Level 5’ fully autonomous vehicle. For students interested in pursuing a career in technology, these challenges provide an opportunity for great innovation in the automotive sector. Car design is no longer simply the province of mechanical engineers; the industry employs physicists, chemists, electronic engineers and software designers, and most recently machine learning and AI specialists to create the products of the future. More than ever, this means our schools and universities need to be creating a new generation of students skilled in all scientific disciplines; there will be many rewarding career opportunities waiting for these people.”

Read more! We could not possibly do justice to Mike and Peter’s incredible work on classic cars in the magazine. Please go to our networking site My Trinity at www.mytrinity.org.uk, ‘Resources’ then ‘Features’ for more on their amazing cars!

Mike's GT40 MK.1 50th Anniversary Edition

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Fast forward to the future... We take a look at engineering in the 21st century with alumni at the forefront of technology today Anthony Mikellides, who left in 2004, is Programme Leader, Sports Series, at McLaren Automotive Ltd What does your role at McLaren involve? " I have worked at McLaren Automotive for just over seven years, having previously worked at Lotus Cars and then Aston Martin Lagonda. I work within the Product Development area of the business and my deliverables predominantly revolve around cost, timing and quality. As a Programme Leader, I have to ensure the team are kept on the right path and find myself working cross-functionally. At the concept phase, there’s a lot of interaction with the Marketing and Design team. We then involve the engineering teams to help develop designs into tangible components, followed by engineering the physical parts, engaging with suppliers and tooling components for our test prototype vehicles. Normally a vehicle project will go through three or more build phases as components and designs are refined or improved. Throughout the whole process, it’s my job to ensure all aspects align in a systematic

way and it’s effectively our responsibility to deliver the vehicle to market in the specified timeframe." What have been the highlights during your time at McLaren? "My proudest moment thus far has to be the success of the 600LT Coupe and Spider models. A two-year project that I led with a very small team, delivering an awardwinning car. It was particularly special to me because the car was awarded EVO Car of the Year 2018; an amazing achievement and with very fond memories. It also included some travel highlights to both Budapest and Arizona to launch both models to the world press!" How has auto engineering advanced in recent years? "Climate change and the impact vehicles have on the environment has been a huge influence in recent years with many manufacturers investing in hybrid or fully electric technology platforms for their vehicles. At McLaren we pioneered the use of hybridisation to enhance the performance of our cars; since then, we have further developed these systems to serve our more core vehicle lines, namely Artura, so that it is more capable of being driven as a fully electric vehicle as well as enhancing performance of the vehicle on track."

What do you drive? " I currently drive a BMW 4-Series Coupe – very practical to cover the mileage to and from Woking. I also have my late father’s 1986 Renault 5 Turbo that I inherited and have maintained, restoring it over the past few years. I’m also fortunate enough to be able to drive the cars that I work on as part of the development process – so my neighbours have seen quite a variety of cars parked on my drive over the years!" What would your dream car be and why? "Aston Martin DB5 – it’s probably the most iconic car in the world. I was introduced to it via my dad and the James Bond films. It stills makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I’m around one." Can you sum up your time at Trinity in three words? "Friends for life! I have very fond memories of Trinity and the proof is within the strong friendships built during my time there, which are still very much there today."

My proudest moment thus far has to be the success of the 600LT Coupe and Spider models

Tom Dell, who left Trinity in 2008, is Lead Software Engineer at D-Orbit in Milan What does your role at D-Orbit involve? "In my role as a Lead Flight Software Engineer, I am responsible as technical owner for a variety of software development that is deployed in our spacecraft. Our engineering group has technical teams covering all aspects of space design, so this means that my day-to-day job involves developing embedded software for our in-house hardware platforms. We support many software deliverables to cover the different stages of the avionics development and prototyping. As an embedded software developer, this presents an interesting challenge as you typically need to design and test software against very early versions of hardware that are not fully aligned (or even close) to the final avionics used in space. Aside from pure software development, my role also involves maintaining our team infrastructure, such as build servers and other cloud-based tools." Can you tell us a bit about what D-Orbit does? "D-Orbit is a New Space company with solutions covering the entire lifecycle of a space mission, including mission analysis and design, engineering, manufacturing, integration, testing, launch, and end-of-life decommissioning. We have launch and deployment services that can be tailored to the customer’s needs, from the launch procurement of a single spacecraft using standard deployment strategies to the precise deployment of a full constellation with the “ION CubeSat Carrier”, a free-flying dispenser developed and operated by us.

The ION CubeSat Carrier can host any combination of CubeSats with a total volume of up to 48U and release them individually into distinct orbital slots, enabling deployment schemes previously unavailable to spacecraft with no independent propulsion."

“I can trace all my interests, both work -– based and hobbies, to experiences that I gained whilst at Trinity. “ You also worked for McLaren. Have the skills you gained there transferred well to D-Orbit? "Changing industries during your career can be challenging, but thankfully the experience and skills gained at McLaren were a great asset here. Many technologies from the automotive and motorsports world are transferable to the space domain. For example, you will find CAN bus (Controller Area Network), a communications network which is used on every Formula 1 car, is often integrated into the data handling of satellites as well." What have been the highlights during your time at D-Orbit so far? "Watching the first telemetry data arrive from a spacecraft running software you

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have designed is a moment I’ll never forget. It is the culmination of many months of effort (and a few sleepless nights)!" What was your time at Trinity like? " I can trace all my interests, both work – based and hobbies, to experiences that I gained whilst at Trinity. To name a few; Electronics at A Level, squash club, CCF RAF, photography, the electric car racing team, and percussion lessons. I feel so lucky to have attended a place that offered me those varied opportunities." Tom has this advice for alumni thinking about their careers after life at Trinity and beyond “Career development is as much a process of discovery as it is one of careful planning. So, do your research, but also look for opportunities in the unexpected and take a chance.”

Oliver Berthoud

The Man behind the Headmaster

Under Oliver’s Headship, the academic attainment of students began to soar, with state scholarships to university more than tripling and the size of the Sixth Form growing rapidly each year.

Oliver Berthoud, British by birth but descended from a Swiss family, was Headmaster of Trinity School for twenty years from 1952 to 1972, until his untimely death in service, at the age of 61. Oliver Berthoud, like composer Benjamin Britten (featured in Tony’s article on page 14), attended Gresham’s School in Holt, Norfolk, where he and Britten became friends. Oliver went on to gain a First in Modern Languages at St John’s College, Oxford and started his teaching career in 1932 at Campbell College, Belfast. In 1934, Oliver and his wife went to work at Repton School teaching Modern Languages. Oliver Berthoud’s career took a rapid about turn when war broke out and he was called up to serve. Being a highly qualified linguist fluent in French and German set him on a path of working with an inter-service unit under the Foreign Office as a senior military intelligence officer. His service took him to the USA and ultimately Nuremberg, where he was the senior Army observer. For much of the war (and sworn to secrecy) Oliver Berthoud worked at Bletchley Park in one of the outer huts. As messages were decoded, they were passed to him to read and translate. Jane Berthoud, his widow, recalled Oliver talking about how they relayed messages between the huts, especially when the weather was poor, “The huts at Bletchley were set slightly apart, maybe four feet, and there was a small ‘tunnel’ linking Oliver’s hut to the next. The ‘tunnel’ was used to push notes through using a broom handle.” After the war, Oliver Berthoud returned to teaching and became Headmaster at Harvey Grammar School in Folkestone in 1946 before being appointed Headmaster at Trinity in 1952. It is true to say that Berthoud transformed our school during his headmastership.

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As well as excelling in academia, Oliver Berthoud was enthusiastic about the cultural development of his students. He was passionate about music - playing viola in the Croydon Symphony Orchestra, singing with the choir and enjoying playing chamber music with friends.

An article in the Easter 1962 edition of the school magazine summed up the incredible amount of change that came about during the first ten years of his tenure, not least the change of name from Whitgift Middle School to At home in Sh Trinity School of irley John Whitgift, adopted in 1954. ‘Trinity’ was chosen to reflect Archbishop John Whitgift’s association with Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was Master for ten years until 1577. A vigorous effort by Oliver Berthoud boosted a slow campaign started by Horace Clayton, to raise funds for a new organ, and by November 1954, a brand new instrument had been installed and dedicated in Big School. Oliver Berthoud recognised that the school at North End was in dire need of extra space and he instigated the construction of the East Main entrance at the back of the school in 1954 to create a new Biology Laboratory, Form Room and Common Room that were opened two years later.

In 1957, new House names were introduced with Red becoming Trinity (School) House, Yellow became Pembroke, Blue became Worcester and Green, Canterbury, all of which reflected the posts held by the school’s founder, Archbishop John Whitgift.

Sporting activities at Trinity were extended during his time to include hockey in 1954, followed by badminton, water polo and shooting. All boys were encouraged to join the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) and other extra-curricular activities more than doubled.

His biggest project by far was announced in 1959. The school would be relocating to Shirley Park with work expected to finish by 1964. The original building at North End had been designed to accommodate fewer than 200 pupils and by this stage, the school was endeavouring to accommodate 640 boys. The project at Shirley Park was ‘completed’ in time for the start of the autumn term in 1965, although there were many obstacles to overcome post completion. Oliver was a family man, described in his obituary as someone ‘who loved truly and deeply’. Having tragically lost his first wife Celia, to cancer, he found love again with Jane Moody, whom he married in 1970. Jane continued to work at Trinity until she retired. Laurie and Melodie are delighted to be in touch with Jane Berthoud and one of Oliver’s daughters, Diana, who shared the photographs in this article with us. Alumni who attended the school at Shirley Park must surely recognise the corridor where the photograph was taken of Oliver with his dog, Matt. The original flooring laid down in 1965 survives today, still looking freshly laid after 56 years! Oliver Berthoud – a truly remarkable man.

Oliver and Jane in

their garden in

Oxted circa 19 70

“ He was a practical, clearthinking man who knew his boys individually and collectively; he knew their social and academic needs, background and opportunities against the wider educational trends of the times.” “ I shall remember him above all for his integrity and his compassion.” “ His humour was spontaneous and unforced, apt and always un-barbed, gentle and relaxed” “ His memory for detail was quite incredible and his ability to recall names and records of old boys was always a cause of admiration.” “ His deep concern for others, his flawless integrity, his sincerity, the warmth of his humanity – for all these and more, we shall ever be grateful.”

nce tary Intellige houd in Mili rt Be er liv O Major

The accolades summed up a man who was greatly admired by staff, student and governors.

Work then commenced on the demolition of the old fives courts which had been decimated during the war and a brand new Chemistry block and Gymnasium were erected in their place.

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Tributes flowed in when Oliver Berthoud tragically died in office in 1972:

Our research has uncovered a vast amount of material from alumni contributions and our archives which will be shared in a much larger article on our engagement website My Trinity at www.mytrinity.org.uk later this year.

Oliver Be rthoud w ith his d og Matt at Trinity School

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Trinity Bursary Fund Gifting a legacy David Young, Director of Development, talks about the positive response to our bursary initiatives. "We have been delighted with the response to our fundraising campaign in support of the Trinity Bursary Fund with nearly 500 people making a gift in the last year. This means that, this September, we will have an extra 14 students on bursaries of 90% or more that have been funded solely by donations from within the Trinity community. In Croydon, as elsewhere, the pandemic has widened the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots”. We want to disrupt this pattern of structural inequality, offering opportunity and achievement through our bursary programme. The presence in our school of the Trinity Bursary Fund students, and the many others whose bursaries are funded directly by the John Whitgift Foundation

is of huge importance in ensuring that Trinity remains accessible, grounded and inclusive. And, for these children, the chance to learn at Trinity changes their lives forever. We are thrilled to have thirteen of our young alumni returning to Trinity this summer for our fundraising telephone campaign. Their reason for wanting to take part was unanimous - perhaps summed by one of them here: “I was only able to attend the school due to the generosity of the bursary fund. My brother and I brother absolutely flourished at Trinity and I am proud to say I would not be studying at the LSE without that support. It will be an honour to talk to donors about how life-changing their pledges truly are.” The campaign team is really excited about talking to alumni and parents, thanking those who have given, updating them on progress, and asking others to help reach our Headmaster’s ambition of enabling one in every five students to be supported by a bursary award. If everyone they called were to make a regular gift at an affordable level, we would reach that milestone with ease."

To learn more about the Trinity Bursary Fund or to make a donation, please go to our dedicated website www.trinitygives.org.uk or contact David Young at dty@trinity.croydon.sch.uk Every penny of your gift will go directly to fund new bursaries at Trinity and to changing the lives and empowering young people who will make an enormous difference to our school and then to the world beyond when they leave us. Thank you.

We are planning ahead...way ahead! In addition to extending a helping hand to those children who are already looking forward to joining our school, we want to ensure that Trinity can support and grow our bursary programme for the long term. The simplest, and best way for many donors to support the Bursary Fund is by leaving a legacy to the school in their wills. Launched this year, the 450 Pledge campaign is a long term initiative in which we are asking 450 alumni to pledge to support Trinity through their Wills by the 450th anniversary of the Foundation in 2046. There is no need for supporters to

formalise their intentions immediately, just to make a simple written pledge (via email or letter) to support Trinity the next time they come to revise their wills. In just three short months since the launch of this campaign, the number of alumni who have promised to leave a gift to Trinity to benefit others after their death has doubled. All 450 Legacy Pledgers are recognised in our Annual Report on Giving and automatically become members of the school’s Mitre Society. For more information, please contact David Young or go to the Trinity Gives website at www.trinitygives.org.uk.

Lasting legacy of John Starling

John Starling, right, with Laurie at the reception following the re-dedication of our war memorial

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Alistair Johnston, 1970

Our Director of Music, David Swinson, said: “It will be wonderful to be able to offer our bursary students the opportunity to participate in the life-changing experience of learning a musical instrument.”

We were deeply touched and honoured to learn that John Starling, who left in 1953, has left an incredibly generous bequest in his will to “be used or invested by the music department of Trinity School for the purposes of either tuition or for the purchase of instruments for use by pupils whose parents cannot afford to provide these."

“I loved my time at Trinity under Oliver Berthoud and made many friends, some of whom I still see today. I’m delighted that new generations of pupils are being given such a great start in life. Thinking in centuries, rather than years, must be in our minds when we consider the future of the school. Small though our individual legacies may be, their collective impact underpins the Trinity of today and will provide for the Trinity of the future.”

John, who sadly died last August, was a very popular and engaged alumnus of Trinity and visited frequently throughout the year. He was always there to support us whenever we were celebrating the richness of school life, from our annual art exhibitions to music and sporting events, as well as the Founder’s Day Supper. He will be greatly missed by us all but will live on through his generous legacy.

OMWRFC 1964-5 - John Starling, back row, 4th from left

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

www.mytrinity.org.uk

Destination of 2020 leavers Name

Destination

Subject

Name

Destination

Subject

Rohit Abraham

Oxford

Materials Science

Benjamin Flanagan

Cardiff

Business Management

Safeera Ahmed

Edinburgh

Philosophy & Psychology

Rami Gebrial

Warwick

Biomedical Science

William Albuquerque

Manchester

Computer Science Matthew Gilbert

Matthew Aldridge

Cambridge

Engineering

University of the West of England

Quantity Surveying & Commercial Management

Cameron Baiden

UCL

English

Georgina Gill

Exeter

Psychology

Josephine Baker

Nottingham

Environmental Science

Kaeshan Goberdhan

Leeds

Cassius Banton

Birmingham

Political Science & Philosophy

Krista Goodwin

Carrig Barke-Asuni

Exeter

Psychology

Francesco Bernardini

Leeds

Mechanical Engineering

Name

Destination

Subject

Name

Destination

Subject

Pierre Lanaspre

Oxford

Physics

Abishek Sabesan

City, University of London

Computer Science

Harry Lees

Leeds or Birmingham

Psychology*

Isabella Saggar

Leeds

Economics & Finance

Samuel Leeves

Exeter

Law

Jeevan Saggu

Kent

Economics

Jack Linscer

Warwick

Management & Finance

Matilda Salway

Leeds

Geography

Christopher Lipczynski

Exeter

History

Teshan Seneviratne

UCL

Architecture

Fred Little

GAP year

Andreas Serafeimidis

Leeds

International Relations

Ying Kei Lo

Cambridge

Mihir Shah

Bath

Mechanical Engineering with Manufacturing & Management

Benjamin Sharpe

Warwick

Law

Durham

History

Mathematics

Tayla Lock

Bath

Chemical Engineering

Jonathan Long

Cambridge

Natural Sciences

Jack Lowndes

Ravensbourne

Art Foundation

Accounting & Finance

Herb Macpherson

Bristol

Chemistry

Iona Sherwood-Rogers

Birmingham

Geography

Alex MacTavish

Southampton

Civil Engineering

Amir Shivdasani

Southampton

Acoustical Engineering*

Vidyut Goyal

KCL

Biochemistry

Philosophy, Politics & Economics

Economics

Warwick

Nottingham

Adam Mahmood

Pavle Simic

Alexander Green

Bristol

Psychology with Innovation

James Greenway

Birmingham

Materials Science & Engineering

Andrew Sinclair-Knopp Jack Skinner

Oxford

History*

Imogen Smith

Bristol

Medicine

Joseph Smith

Coventry

Biological & Forensic Sciences

Roman Southcombe

Bath

Mechanical Engineering

Lauren Stewart

Bath

Biomedical Sciences

Charlotte Stimson

Bath

Politics & Economics

Sidhanth Sureshkumar

Imperial College London

Computing - Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning*

Tudor Tacu

Warwick

Law

Shyam Malhotra

Liverpool

Business Economics

Jessica Man

Warwick

Chemistry

Oscar McFall

Leeds

International Relations*

Joshua Migliardi-Jones

Leeds

Mechanical Engineering*

Valarie Moro

Bath

Biology

Yanish Bickley

City, University of London

Civil Engineering

Catherine Birch

Oxford

History

Phoebe Blackler

Manchester

Psychology

Matthew Bond

Exeter

Exercise & Sport Sciences

Jake Bond

Sheffield

General Engineering

Aarushi Borkar

Southampton

Aerospace Electronic Engineering

Alfie James Harvey-Shipp

UCL

Law

Ossian Bracegirdle

Southampton

Medicine

Zachary Haynes

Southampton

Film*

Anna Bradescu

Georgia Tech (USA)

Mathematics

Samuel Heape

Leeds

Economics & Politics

Alfred Nicol

University of the Arts, London

Film Practice

Jack Broughton

Leeds

Geography

Benedict Hill

Southampton

Social Sciences

Manchester

Physics

Diploma in 3D Design & Architecture

Aidan Noronha

Marlowe Cadiz

University of the Arts London (Central St.Martin's)

Social Sciences

Nottingham

UCL

Philosophy

Oxford

KCL

James Taylor

Isaac Hilsley

Francis Oben

Robin Campbell

Philosophy, Politics & Economics

Modern Languages with Business

Leo Ogden

City, University of London

Business Management

Christian Cavell

Nottingham

Mechanical Engineering

Oscar Hogan

St Andrews

Geography

Olamide Ogunnaike

Cambridge

Law

Sibesan Thamilchelvam

City, University of London

Economics

Hugo Charuy

Durham

Law

Harry Hone

Exeter

Civil Engineering

Annie Hurwitz

Exeter

Neuroscience

Modern Languages & Economics

Dental Surgery

Dentistry

Warwick

Liverpool

KCL

Ayooluwa Onabolu

Jonathan Thompson

Angela Chen

James Thompson

Loughborough

Sport & Exercise Science*

Alex Connaghton

Nottingham

Sport & Exercise Science

Bournemouth

Joshua Palmer

Durham

KCL

Medicine

Brighton

Modern European Languages & History

Sebastian Thorpe

Business Management with Finance

Business & Management (Economics)

Martha Tyler

Kent

Law & Criminology

William Passman

Nottingham Trent

Criminology

Rahil Pattani

Kent

Accounting & Finance

Natalie Upton

Warwick

Keean Patel

Kent

Accounting & Finance

Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics & Economics (MORSE)

Swansea

English Literature

Loughborough

Product Design & Technology*

Alfred Velasco

Hari Patel

Daniel Vickars

Liverpool

Medicine

Katherine Peard

St Andrews

Geography & International Relations

Archie Warren

GAP year

Marcus Warrilow

Sussex

Ella Weaks

GAP year

Matthew West

Nottingham

Medicine

Matthew Westray

Leeds

Theoretical Physics

Josh Wicking

Leeds

Business Management

Thomas Wilcox

Loughborough

International Business

Joshua Wyllie

Loughborough

Business Economics & Finance

Luke Yeulett

Nottingham

Architecture

Alex Zaborniak

Bristol

Economics

Massimo Costa

Andrew Harewood

Royal College of Music

Piano

Alexander Harper

Cambridge

Natural Sciences

Finn Harris

Georgia Jackson

Loughborough

Commercial Management & Quantity Surveying

Jessica Crawford

Loughborough

Psychology

Mayoori Jeganmogan

Thomas Cribbens

Leeds

Physics

Nicholas Johnsen

Cambridge

Natural Sciences

Joshua Crispin

Bath

Business

Elaine Jones

Surrey

Actor-Musician

Lucas Crossman

Cambridge

Edinburgh

Asian & Middle Eastern Studies*

Stephanie Joubanian

Leeds

Sociology & Politics

Languages, Cultures & Linguistics

Brett Morton

Exeter

Law

Thomas Mullen

Bristol

Electrical & Electronic Engineering

Gabriel Crozier

UCL

Law

Rutuja Kale

Sheffield

Medicine

Abby Davison

Leeds

Economics & Geography

Michael Kemp

York

Biology

Rufus Perkins

Nottingham

Geography*

Maximilian de Bellaigue

Bristol

English & French

Jamie Kennedy

Bath or Birmingham

Politics & Economics*

Alexandra Persinaru

Manchester

Psychology

Joshua Kenney

Oxford

Music

Alex Popa Florea

Imperial College London

Computing

Phoebe Dennis

Cardiff

Physiotherapy*

Yusuf Khan

Nottingham Trent

Law*

Isobel Pugh

Exeter

Modern Languages

Jacques Doe

University of the West of England

Business & Management

Aman Khera

Southampton

Economics

Louis Quarendon

Nottingham

Mechanical Engineering

Matthew Doherty

Durham

Geography

Marco King

University of the West of England

Business & Management*

Trinity Ramsden-Board

Warwick

Philosophy, Politics & Economics

Adam Eastlake

Birmingham

Liberal Arts & Sciences Harry Kouzos

Benjamin Fairman

Bath

Chemistry with Management

The London Institute of Banking & Finance

Finance, Investment & Risk

Louis Labrosse

Leeds

Chinese (Modern)

Stella Fisher

Nottingham

Pharmacy

Xavier Lally

York

History & Economics

Elizabeth Fitzpatrick

Oxford

Music

Isabelle Lambert

Warwick

Liberal Arts

Isaac Flanagan

Cambridge

Mathematics

www.mytrinity.org.uk

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Ritvik Rathore

Edinburgh

Philosophy & Economics

Erwan Regy

Southampton

Electronic Engineering

Eliott Richards

Queen Mary, University of London

Medicine

Rahul Rodrigues

Bath

Mechanical Engineering

Philosophy

*2021 entry

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

www.mytrinity.org.uk

Our events We have missed seeing our alumni and friends over the past year, but we are hoping our Golf Day, held on the 25th May, will have been the start a measured return to networking, music, sport and reunions. Please see the outside back cover for a diary of events planned for the next 12 months.

Save the Date!

Trinity Golf Day

Everyone is invited to our new Trinity Day on Saturday 2nd July 2022 where we will be celebrating all that is great about the school from Sport to Drama, Art to Music in one major event.

Laurie King organised a fantastic Golf Day at Shirley Park Golf Club on Tuesday 25th May 2021. We were restricted on numbers and groups had to be socially distanced, but it did not dampen anyone’s enthusiasm for our first face-to-face event in a while.

Those alumni who have missed Decade Reunions in 2020 and 2021 will be brought together in special designated areas at this event where we will reunite the classes of 1960 to 62, 1970 to 72, 1980 to 82, 1990 to 92, 2000 to 2002 and 2010 to 2012.

The individual winner on the day was staff member and alumnus Jim Hammond, who left Trinity in 1974. The runner-up was our Head of Golf, Jamie O’Connor, with 1997 Trinity leaver Dan Blake taking third place and The Trinity Hockey Club winning the team prize.

Remembrance Service Our Remembrance Service at our War Memorial was relayed virtually on Wednesday 11th November 2020. Upper Sixth former Eloïse Demay, pictured, played the Last Post and Reveille beautifully, with our CCF cadets laying wreaths at our memorial. Each of the metal poppies planted around the memorial represents an alumni life lost.

Jim Hammond

Laurie had lined up some great prizes and a wonderful time was had by all. Alumnus and Chair of Governors, David Seymour said: “Congratulations on a very successful Golf Day - I am so pleased that the weather stayed fine. The stragglers i.e. the Reigate contingent got caught in a shower on the 17th (where We will be we collectively played our best golf!) hosting next but otherwise it was excellent golfing year’s Golf Day weather. Many thanks for all you did on Tuesday to make this happen - very much appreciated by all my team.” 24th May 2022.

Virtual events We were able to host some events virtually over the last year. We organised our first ever All Souls’ Day Service on Monday 2nd November 2020 to remember those people lost from our community over the previous 12 months. The Chaplain to the John Whitgift Foundation and Priest in Charge at Croydon Minster, the Rev Canon Dr Andrew Bishop, presided over the service from the chapel at the John Whitgift Foundation Almshouses in Croydon.

A recording of our virtual Carol Service in December is still available via the school’s main website at www.trinity-school.org. Just go to News and Events, choose Events, filter results by topic and select Music.

Alumni talks

We are delighted when our alumni return to Trinity to speak to students in person or over Zoom at our various clubs and societies. Recent talks have included:

L-R Golfers Andy Reeves (left ’86), David Boxall (left ’82), Headmaster Al Kennedy and Andy Hunt (left ’82)

Our Fourth-Year students thoroughly enjoyed a talk by alumnus, computer programmer and game designer, Ewan Lamont who left Trinity in 1995. The CEO of an award-winning, multiplayer, multi-platform games developer, Ewan’s company has produced games for PC, Switch and mobile. Ewan delved into the technology which drives the multi-player games industry as well as new technologies he’s working on and what we can expect going forward. It was a very popular topic with the youngsters.

Rithik Hari, who lef t in 2018, gave an inspiration al talk to our Philosophy So ciety entitled ‘Absurdism and Al bert Camus – Existentialism and the Meaning of Life’. Kate Beresfo rd-Miller, our Head of Religious Studies said: "Rithik was excelle nt! He showed total confidence an d mastery of his topic, Existen tialism. He was passionate, int eresting and knowledgeable th roughout and really helped to giv e the students a taste of what lie s beyond school in the world of acad emic study."

CEO of the Scottish Professional Football League, Neil Doncaster, who left in 1988, holds one of the toughest jobs in football and is constantly under fire in the media. Neil talked to students about how to manage conflict, maintain personal integrity and develop resilience in the face of difficult challenges.

As the magazine went to press last year, Donna had just hosted a wonderful virtual Q & A session with Trinity alumna and Team GB sprinter, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, who shared memories of her time at Trinity, her training schedule during the pandemic and her preparation for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics - an event she has been working towards for the last 10 years. Imani-Lara also spoke about the positive impact the teaching staff made during her time at Trinity and her decision to study Psychology at King's College London. We will be watching out for Imani-Lara at the Olympics!

Fancy speaking to our students? The school runs a huge number of clubs and societies and they are always looking out for interesting speakers. Do let one of us know if you would like to share your expertise by emailing:

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk.

www.mytrinity.org.uk

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

www.mytrinity.org.uk

The Trinity Club

In memoriam Sadly, we lost some dear friends from our Trinity community over the past year. They have been very much in our thoughts and we remember some of them here. Jay Benedict, parent 2007-2015 Those who knew actor Jay will know how much he contributed to the school, along with his wife Phoebe, when their boys Freddie and Leo were students at the school.

Derek Cooper, left 1954 Derek was a great Old Mid-Whitgiftian with connections to the Hockey, Cricket and Rugby Clubs as well as The Mitre Players.

Vic Devereax, left 1952 Vic used to play rugby and cricket for the ‘Mids’, and more recently joined the golf society. He was at the cutting edge of digitalisation at the BBC during the 70s and 80s.

Lionel Fry, left 1951 Lionel was considered one of the most notable dermatologists of his generation. As well as running a busy department, Lionel pioneered and led a research unit at St Mary’s Hospital in London.

Tom Grundy, staff 1973 – 1994 Tom was an extremely popular teacher at the school and remained firm friends with colleague Alan Youngs, who also passed away recently. Tributes poured in when his passing was announced.

John Haybittle, left 1940 John’s eulogy described him as “a joyful, ebullient, noisy, clever, quick-witted and funny man."

Brian Hollands, left 1947 Awarded an MBE in 2000 for the New Year’s Honours List for services to St Christophers and schools, Brian continued his charitable works for many years and was also presented with the Mayor of Croydon’s Life-time Contribution award in 2017.

Frank Knowles, left 1981 Friend and Trinity alumnus Geoff Woodhouse said: “I will always remember Frank’s extraordinary talent, his sense of fun and his humility."

Mike Macey, left 1963 Mike was a rugby player and became a keen member of the squash and badminton club. An accountant, Mike was TMWA Treasurer for six years and held the post of Vice-President.

Tony Mundy, left 1947 Tony will be remembered as a man who loved life. Before he died, Tony contributed a great deal to our ongoing project about the school during the time he was a student.

Emmett McGowan, staff Emmett was a much-valued member of our IT department and is sorely missed by everyone in our school community.

Don Pettit, left 1944 Don loved his rugby – he was an excellent hooker and one of the youngest at school to be awarded colours for two years in a row. He went on to play for the ‘Old Mids’, where he became captain in 1955.

Stewart Philp, staff 1961 – 1973 Stewart was Head of Spanish at Trinity and also taught French and Portuguese as well as some Russian to Sixth Form pupils. He also played a significant role in rugby and cricket coaching at the school. “A true gentleman with a great sense of humour”.

Chris Piper, left 1976 Alumnus Richard Woodman, a close friend of Chris for 50 years described him as “Kind, compassionate, thoughtful and reliable, Chris made a huge contribution to everything he was involved with and had a lasting impact on everyone who knew him.”

Malcolm Scoular, left 1969 Malcolm’s passions were the railways and music. He had encyclopaedic knowledge of all things musical and could listen to any piece of music on the radio and immediately identify the composer and name of the piece.

John Starling, left 1953 John was a popular and engaged alumnus whose love of art, music, sport and the school regularly drew him to many of our events here. His goddaughter Nicky Chambers described him as “a very handsome, generous and charming man with a sharp wit.”

John Waller, staff John taught Mathematics at Trinity for twenty years before retiring in 2010. Described as incredibly patient, calm and generous, John also coached weightlifting, which he spent many a year developing at the school.

Alan Youngs, staff 1967 – 1994 Alan was Head of English at Trinity and ran the library for many years. An inspirational teacher, he spent hours producing schemes of work, reading packs and notes for the benefit of his students and colleagues.

We send our condolences to the family and friends of the following alumni who we also said goodbye to over the last year:

Our former students’ social and sports club is delighted to have opened its doors again to its members. We asked alumni and friends of the various activities on offer what belonging to the club means to them.

CRICKET

HOCKEY

Richard Piggin, TMWCC

Nick Cook, TMWHC

Richard, who left Trinity in 2001, has been playing for the club since he was 11 years old. “Belonging to the club means sharing a lot of amazing times with a group of people who love playing, watching and talking about cricket. I have played against a lot of other clubs, and none comes close to being as friendly and fun as those at the Cricket club. We have one of the nicest cricket grounds in Surrey and it is a perfect place to spend a Saturday, watching cricket on a hot summer’s day, with families playing outside the clubhouse. There have been so many highlights - the two years I played in promotion-winning teams - the tours and the “insomniacs” match that started at first light and went on until the evening. I’ve played in games with hat tricks, a game when someone took nine wickets and many where a player has scored 100, all of which have been retold and retold over a drink in the evening.” A match that really stood out for Richard was a few years ago when former England cricketer, Mark Butcher, who left Trinity in 1988, turned out for a match against the Old Whitgiftians. “Batting with him, with Ex-Pakistan cricketer Saqlain Mustaq bowling for the opposition was a surreal experience. Needless to say, Mark scored a hundred.” Come and play! email: enquiry@tmwcc.co.uk www.tmwcc.co.uk

“I was already well ensconced at the Cricket Club by the time a well-rehearsed drill was practised at my first Cricket Club dinner as a 14-year-old. "We're short tomorrow in the 6th team, it's just on the grass outside, doesn't matter if you're any good or not." Despite protesting that I had only just taken up Hockey at Trinity and I could barely hold a stick – given I'm as lefthanded as you can be and, inconveniently, the sport is played the other way around – my words fell on deaf ears. I slowly progressed through the teams, starting out as a forward with limited ability on the ball but with an eye for goal and helped by the fact that, at the lower levels, I was significantly quicker than most of the opponents who were at least treble my age. After university, I returned to play in the 1s under the leadership of Jack Hannon, who quickly saw an opportunity to hand over the captaincy. It’s been an enjoyable three seasons leading the side. Jack, and former captain Chris Clark, had done an excellent job rebuilding the club after a few seasons of hard graft. Highlights along the way have been winning the Surrey Cup a couple of years back against all the odds, farcical umpiring decisions (don’t get me started), superb goals and having to try to persuade our forward line to track back. With a nationwide league restructure by England Hockey next season, we find ourselves only three leagues off National League and looking to progress even further. For those of you who find yourselves innocently hanging around the bar at Lime Meadow Avenue, expect a call up anytime.” Interested in playing hockey? email Chairman Sanjay Bowry: sanjay.bowry@btinternet.com www.tsssc.co.uk/hockey

• Kevin Carleton-Reeves, left 1960

Obituaries on My Trinity Full obituaries and tributes can be found on our alumni engagement platform, My Trinity at www.mytrinity.org.uk Please go to the Resources area via the left hand menu.

• Geoffrey Dellar, left 1942 • Samuel Howes, left 2016 • David Marshall, left 1953 • John Parker, left 1947 • Brian Price, left 1957 • Malcolm Simmonds, left 1948 • Mike Street, left 1953

www.mytrinity.org.uk

RUGBY

GOLF

Krishna Lall, Trinity RFC

Jez Glynne Jones, Trinity Golf Society

2019 leaver, and former Head Boy, Krishna Lall, first started going to training at Trinity RFC on Thursday evenings after the lockdown began to ease this year, at the end of March.

Jez, who left the school in 1980, founded the Trinity Golf Society with 1979 leaver Bob Steadman in 1990.

He said: “The atmosphere at the club is fantastic, there’s a real sense of community and everyone has been very welcoming. The social side has been something I’ve enjoyed – it’s been great to meet some new people, both fellow alumni of the school and also other players at the club. I am very much looking to continue playing at the club next season. I’m going into my final year at University in September, but I do hope to make it down to play regularly for weekend matches and the occasional training session. Despite university and exams, I’ve managed to go to training sessions almost every week since I started. I’m looking forward to playing some more over the next couple of months, both training and hopefully a couple of matches too. Usually, I play as a flanker or No.8 but I’ve found myself on the wing a couple of times at the club! I would encourage everyone who enjoys rugby to come down and get involved. It’s a great way to stay connected with other alumni and meet some new faces and most importantly play a high level of rugby.” Would you like to join us? email: info@trinityrfc.com www.TrinityRFC.com

www.mytrinity.org.uk

The society fosters friendships, fun and some competitive golf among alumni and friends. Jez said: “The society is a great opportunity for meeting up with former students of the school and good friends of theirs.” We asked whether he has a favourite golf course and why. “Yes, Purley Downs, where my parents were members and I have been a member (on and off) since I was seven years old. Away from the UK, I would say Seignosse on the French Atlantic coast, a few miles north of Biarritz. A stunning golf course in a beautiful part of the world with many happy memories.” When asked about the highlights during the 30 years Jez has been playing society matches, he cited the Luke Foster Trophy, which he won with alumnus Paul Varcoe who left in 1981. “Partly as a result of winning it, but mainly because of the fond memories it brings back of our late society member, Grant Adley. Oh, and the time my dear friend Peter Lloyd loaded my golf bag with stones …” The social aspect of belonging to the society involves “A significant amount of mickey-taking with a sprinkling of fine ales and red wine.” Sounds like fun? “If you are thinking of joining, please stop thinking and take action. It’s great fun and no-one, as far as I know, bites!” Find out more about the Golf Society Email: Laurie King at lck@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

MUSIC

AMATEUR DRAMATICS

David Barry, Acoustic Folk and Blues Club

Ziggi Szafranski, The Mitre Players “Whatever I do and wherever I go, I know that I’ll always have a home with the Mitre Players. I can be a part of the community without needing to do shows all the time and I’ve found friendships that I truly cherish, with people I probably wouldn’t have met without being a member. The Mitres has a huge history and a dynasty of its own, but whether you’re new or have been involved from the beginning, you feel a part of it all. There’s a real sense of family.” We asked Ziggi what the highlights have been over the years: “Whilst I have fond memories of every production I’ve been in, managing to learn to get around on stilts for an entire rehearsal period and show week for Big Fish without falling flat on my ... well that was a definite highlight! Also, Dick Barton, Special Agent was utterly hilarious on so many levels. There was a scene at the start of the second act which took place in a cabaret bar. There were supposed to be four women scantily clad in underwear singing and seducing the audience, but we only had two women in the cast. Not for the first (or the last!) time, I was drafted in to appear onstage in slinky negligee with bright red lips and a full beard! The shows are great, the people are great, there’s drinking and laughing and lots to do both onstage and backstage. Come along and see a show, drop into the Club on a rehearsal night and get involved - I promise you won’t regret it!” Fancy getting involved? email: Diane Jones: secretary@mitreplayers.org.uk www.mitreplayers.org.uk

David lives around the corner from the clubhouse and first visited the Folk and Blues club in 2014. Members started meeting in the snug at the clubhouse, but now fill the main hall. “The club is extremely welcoming and friendly and anyone who turns up can perform. Neil and Chris arrange the performers and number of songs and with the help of Sandy, they do a fantastic job, seamlessly organising the PA system and overseeing the changeover of acts. I can’t say I’ve ever had a bad evening at the club. There is a wide range of genres and expertise from enthusiastic amateurs to professional entertainers. We have even had clog dancers, Irish dancing and monologues! During the pandemic, I have been running the club on Zoom. We regularly have around 17 performers and hosting these meetings online means players can join in from further afield including Yorkshire to the South Coast and the West of Ireland. The demand was such that a second Zoom session was introduced and we now operate every Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon.” Want to make music? www.limemeadowacousticfolkandbluesclub.co.uk

The Trinity Club, Lime Meadow Avenue, Sanderstead CR2 9AS

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

www.mytrinity.org.uk

Memory Lane

The Team The Alumni and Development Team is delighted to be back at school, working together in person again and being able to interact with the wider school community.

Response to our request for memories from the 1940s, 50s and 60s has been wonderful with so many stories being sent in.

We have our very own alumni engagement platform My Trinity, where you can network with fellow alumni, seek and give careers advice, find or offer to be a mentor, see our forthcoming events, view photographs, post job vacancies at your company - from full time positions to internships and volunteering roles and read the latest news from the team.

Col Mike Bennett OBE, who left in 1958, shared these hilarious pranks with us: “Len Monk had a gigantic collection of stuffed birds and one day, while he was writing on the board, someone started taking the stuffed birds out of the cupboard and putting one on each desk, so that when he eventually turned round, we were all underneath our desks and he was actually talking to a whole class of stuffed birds.” “The Headmaster’s car, which was a very smart Rover, was advertised in the local paper, the Croydon Advertiser, at a ridiculously low price, with his home number. He was pestered constantly through the weekend by potential buyers.” “On another occasion the groundsman’s roller was sold to a scrap merchant and the school had to buy it back.” We are looking forward to collating everyone’s reminiscences into a publication covering this this era. It is not too late to send in your memories of your time at school - please contact Melodie – her details can be found opposite.

The Team from L-R Laurie, Jason, Donna, Melodie, Nathan and David

I P Waters We love this photograph of Mathematics teacher Ian Waters, sent in by 1960 leaver, Terry Johnson. Several alumni have pointed out the humorous side of his name.

Time capsule buried 1996 Does anyone know anything about the time capsule that was buried close to the library steps in 1996 to mark the 400th anniversary of the John Whitgift Foundation? We have just unearthed the capsule and would love to know the background story behind it.

BROWSE OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE Did you know we have an extensive online archive where you can browse photographs, school publications, school lists, films and much more? To access the site, go to trinityschool-archive.daisy.websds.net User name: guest

Founder’s Day Parade Dave Jordan, who left in 1965, sent in this photograph of naval cadets in the foreground marching from the school, to the 1963 Founder’s Day service at the Parish Church (now Croydon Minster). Those of you old enough will remember the menswear store to the left of the school’s entrance in North End. Dave Jordan is in the centre of the front row, with Art teacher Lieutenant Duncan leading.

www.mytrinity.org.uk

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Join our online community, My Trinity

Password: trinity

Au Revoir Class of 2021 It was lovely to be able to speak to our Upper Sixth leavers at their last assembly. 2021 leavers have been able to celebrate properly this year with their sports afternoon attired in fancy dress, a fun-filled afternoon following their last assembly and their forthcoming Graduation Evening and Graduation Ball. We wish them all the best and look forward to keeping in touch with them.

You can also read interviews with alumni, the latest editions of school and alumni magazines, extended articles and much more under our Resources section and advertise your company in our free Business Directory.,

How to register Just sign up to My Trinity using your LinkedIn or Facebook log in, or register with your email address. You can tailor your profile by offering as much or as little support to others as you want. Register now at www.mytrinity.org.uk

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Upper Sixth leavers at their sports afternoon where each form group is invited to choose a theme for their form’s fancy dress.

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How to get in touch with us: David Young Director of Development, email: dty@trinity.croydon.sch.uk direct line: 020 8662 5162

Donna Lewis Alumni Relations Officer email: alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk direct line: 020 8662 5155

Jason Court Development Manager email: jtc@trinity.croydon.sch.uk direct line: 020 8662 5147

Laurie King Archivist and Alumni Relations email: lck@trinity.croydon.sch.uk telephone -Tues: 020 8656 9541 ext 747

Melodie Johnson Head of Alumni Relations email: maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk direct line Tues-Thurs: 020 8662 5159

Nathan Lee Choon Data Analyst email: nlc@trinity.croydon.sch.uk tel: 020 8656 9541 ext 266

linkedin.com/in/trinityalumni twitter.com/TrinitySchAlumn instagram.com/trinityschoolalumni

Trinity School Shirley Park Croydon CR9 7AT

020 8656 9541 www.mytrinity.org.uk

Dates for your diary We are really looking forward to seeing our alumni face to face again! We have some fabulous events lined up over the next academic year so do come and join us.

ber 2021 Monday 6th Septem rs Reception for Dono ters or pp We thank our su

Thursday 10th March 2022 Trinity London Drinks Networking Even t The Savile Club

Tuesday 24th May 2022 Trinity Golf D ay Shirley Park G olf Club

Trinity School

Saturday 1 1th Septem ber 2021 Festival of Rugby We celebra te the retu rn of rugb with a seri y es of matc h es featurin current stu g dents, alum ni, staff and Trinity RFC Trinity Sch ool

1 ber 202 Novem d n 2 y a Tuesd rvice ’ Day Se All Souls uses event Almsho e h Virtual t t a l e Chape From th

er 2021 8th Decemb Wednesday and Carols ine Lessons Festival of N stive carols Join us for fe ster Croydon Min

Thursday 16th Dec ember 20 Under 25 21 s Christm a s Drinks Back from Universit y Party Trinity Sc hool

c 2 – date tb March 202 cert Spring Con ng lumni to si a We invite ol Trinity Scho

Friday 25th March 2022 Founder’s D ay Supper Organised b y The Trinity Club Trinity Scho ol

April 2022 Saturday 2nd ion Alumnae Reun years of girls Celebrating 10 t Hall Trinity Concer Saturda y 23rd A pril 2022 Evenson g with T ri nity Cho We invit risters e alumn i to sing Bath Abb ey

www.mytrinity.org.uk

in their Will

Saturday 2nd Ju ly 2022 Trinity Day Celebrating our wonderful scho ol plus reunions fo r the Classes of 1960-2, 1970-2 , 1980-2, 1990-2 , 2000-2 Trinity School

OON ! COMING S 6 & 2017 2015, 201 Classes of Reunion ity Club by The Trin d re so n o p S ool Trinity Sch

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All events are subject to restrictions in place at the time and dates may be subject to change. To find out more about our events and more, please register with our alumni networking platform My Trinity at www.mytrinity.org.uk or contact a member of our team.

Wednesday 1st June 2022 Mitre Society Lunch a gift We thank supporters leaving

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

My Trinity 2021

Articles inside

Alumni in the news

Where are our alumnae now?

For the love of cars

School news

Medics on the front Line

Ten years of girls at Trinity

Alumni making music