Issue 47 2019/2020
WELCOME TO THE 2019/2020 EDITION OF OU A Message from Sir Charles Dunstone (LH 78)
OU is the annual magazine for former pupils of Uppingham School.
I am delighted to introduce the 47th edition of the OU Magazine.
We also send out an annual e-Newsletter in the Spring – please ensure your email address is up-to-date by emailing ou@uppingham.co.uk.
Each year, our Magazine offers fascinating insights into the exploits and successes of our alumni community, and this edition is no exception. Hopefully there will be something amongst the features for everyone to enjoy reading, from shared experiences of life as a medic, to intrepid OUs cycling the length of South America or an article celebrating 50 years of the iconic film Midnight Cowboy. It is a great pleasure to be part of the Entrepreneurs feature in this year’s issue. Having spent my whole adult life building and growing businesses, I have learnt a lot about the challenges and rewards of being an entrepreneur. Persistence, adaptability and hard work are the foundations that all successful business owners embody and ‘try again’ is often the best advice I can offer. There are so many OUs making waves in business and the Magazine is a great place to showcase their successes.
Uppingham School, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9QE Tel: +44 (0)1572 820616 Email: ou@uppingham.co.uk www.olduppinghamian.co.uk If you are receiving multiple copies of the OU Magazine to your household and would prefer only one copy, please let us know.
The OU Magazine is a true celebration of our alumni-body, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have. Issue 47 2019/20 20
This year’s front cover features two remarkable OUs, Rupert Clark (Fgh 09) and James Cotton (B 09), who cycled the length of South America to raise money for four amazing charities. Read all about their incredible journey on page 18.
Contents
22 2 Welcome
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MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER
T
he Old Uppinghamian community continues to thrive and it has been my pleasure to attend OU events all over the world these past 12 months. We are fortunate to enjoy such a strong alumni organisation where former pupils actively prize spending time with each other and see the inherent value in keeping long-standing friendships strong by coming together in person. Over the past several years, we have been working hard to establish a global network of OUs that will support and help each other professionally and personally – whatever their stage of life. I have visibly seen the positive effect OUs can have when they take the time to guide the decisions of current pupils as they navigate their way through university, work and the complexities of modern life. Not all our pupils are from ‘connected’ or advantaged backgrounds and for those young people who come to Uppingham through our bursary programmes, your support and advice are especially important. If you have not done so already, please can I urge you to sign up to our OU network on LinkedIn, see page 63 for more details. With a new school website launching in January 2020, it will be much easier for OUs to stay in touch with what is happening at Uppingham and we hope that you will take advantage of the new multi-media channels that will be available in our brave new high-tech world. It has been energising to be part of the School this past year. Presently, the community feels empowered, positive, forward-looking, happy and ambitious. As you know, providing an outstanding broad and stimulating education is the essence of Uppingham. Outside of the classroom I am pleased to say that both girls’ and boys’ sports are in a very good place, whilst Andrew Kennedy (F 90) has made an inspired start as our new Director of Music.
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Welcome Who What Where Announcements Toe2Top of South America OU Moviemakers In Memoriam
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Dr Richard Maloney and Tracey Maloney at the 2019 London Dinner
Amongst all our many initiatives, we have to meet the challenge of modernising our boarding accommodation and will begin a substantial programme of building this year. The OU Office will keep you up-to-date with what is happening, and we hope that many of you will return to visit and see the emerging transformation for yourselves. As ever, our OU team will be organising a full programme of events during the coming year and I hope we will see as many of you as possible at those occasions. The OU community is extraordinarily strong and your support, on so many levels, is always valued and never taken for granted. Dr Richard Maloney
Staff Remembered Transforming the Lives of African Orphans OUs in Medicine OU Entrepreneurs
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Music News Clubs & Societies Choirs Amid London’s Gangs School for Life
Bursaries and Beyond Events
Welcome
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FROM THE OU TEAM
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he new term this September marked a momentous anniversary for Richard Boston (B 56), commonly known as ‘Tricky’ or ‘Dicky B’, who has now spent 50 years at Uppingham. He arrived initially as a pupil and then, after a brief break in the 1960s, he re-emerged as a Geology master, then Housemaster of Brooklands, and latterly is still in charge of the Sixth Form bar and a tutor in School House. Our congratulations to him from all those who have crossed his path through the years, whether at the School or the hundreds of OU events he has attended as Secretary of the OU Association.
Onto the main event! It never ceases to amaze us, when compiling the OU Magazine, the incredible volume of adventures, fundraising pursuits, awards and fabulous stories that we hear about. This issue is no exception, we hope there’s something for everyone to enjoy reading and take inspiration from – our enormous thanks to everyone who has contributed.
It’s been another great year for OU events and wonderful to meet up with so many of you, whether at the London Dinner, where we returned to the spectacular Mandarin Oriental (and danced until the early hours at Tramp), or the many regional and international events from Norfolk to New York. Over 10% of our OU population have attended one or more events this year, which is fantastic, and we hope to encourage even more of you to get together with friends either socially or at networking events over the coming year. Our OU team is growing so do look out for some new faces when we next see you.
OU AMBASSADORS
We are always looking for new ideas to bring our alumni together and look to you to help shape our operations in the future. You will find a questionnaire enclosed with this year’s Magazine and we would love to have your thoughts. We have a broad and diverse community and hope that a full cross-section of OUs will take part to enable us to grow our operations in the right direction.
Members: Nicholas Burgess (B 68), Mike Higgs (Fgh 69), David Gavins (LH 73), Richard Levell (H 74), Peter Doleman (C 76), Jim Reddy (Hf 89), Claire Neaves (J 91), Emma Way (J 91), Emma Cannings (L 93), Tom Higgs (C 00) and Becky Wilson (Fd 05)
Jo Franklin (OU Manager and Editor) on behalf of the team.
We are hugely grateful to all of the overseas ambassadors for their assistance as points of contact for OUs visiting a country or requiring advice. A full list is available on the OU website. OU COMMITTEE 2019/20 Chairman: The Headmaster Secretary: Richard Boston (B 56)
If any OU would like to join the committee and help guide our events and activities, please contact Jo Franklin.
Richard Boston, Jo Franklin and Patrick Mulvihill
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Welcome
Who What Where 1930s Dr Anthony Foreman (WB 39) turned 93 on Christmas Eve 2018. He started at Uppingham as World War II broke out in September 1939 and Sam Kendall was his Housemaster in West Bank at the time. He has very fond memories of the School which gave him a secure home when his father was serving overseas during the War.
1940s Peter Jackson (SH 40), now 91, lives in Suffolk with his wife Ann of 65 years. Following War service (Sappers), two years at Emmanuel, Cambridge, reading Law, he went on to work as a Solicitor in Private Practice in 1953, then on to management positions in the Milk Marketing Board (England and Wales Dairy Farmers Cooperative) in 1967. Peter chanced his luck initially, getting a job in Surrey rather than joining his father’s family firm in Hull, and he’s thankful that everything fell into place since then. After retirement in 1987, he immediately became Executive Director of British Food and Farming and was awarded a CBE in 1990. Throughout his life, Peter has also been involved with the Public Schools Old Boys Lawn Tennis Association, holding positions up to President. From 1977 to 1989 he was on the Committee of the All England Club, Wimbledon. He continues to this day as a Vice President of the All England Club and The Farmers Club.
We are pleased to report that after 129 years, the base, column and Celtic Cross covering Edward Thring’s grave has been cleaned. Our thanks to Basil Frost (M 45) who organised the work. Edward Thring died on Saturday 22nd October 1887, and his funeral took place in Chapel on Thursday 27th October 1887. The obituary notice from The Rutland, Oundle and Stamford Post on the following day reported “Business in Uppingham was entirely suspended; every house appeared to have drawn blinds, the humblest cottage in the more out-of-the-way parts of the town, even showing this outward token of mourning. People lined the whole route to the churchyard, the pathways being packed. At the churchyard some 2000 people were assembled. Nearly every head was uncovered notwithstanding the pouring rain.”
Dr John Godrich (WB 44) has published his post-war memories of life at Uppingham from 1944 to 1949. As a West Bank pupil, under Sam Kendall, at the end of John Wolfenden’s headship, life was very different to today’s experience. John’s recollections offer a fascinating insight from his time at the School with personal stories and amusing incidents, accompanied by photographs and sketches. Available on DVD directly from John for just £10.00 (including p&p), please email johngodrich30@gmail.com to obtain a copy.
The Celtic Cross, erected circa 1890.
where Oliver Cromwell and Samuel Pepys spent their school days. Peter would be delighted to welcome any OUs who would like to visit, he can be contacted at pj@peterjohnsonfineart.com. For over 20 years, Scotland’s Horse Whisperer, Peter Neilson (SH 53) has successfully healed hundreds of horses worldwide utilising different techniques. His book Nod Whispers tells the story of how he healed his horse ‘Nod’ who was mentally traumatised. Peter has also written other books on his experiences and his work has featured on the BBC, Channel 4 and Border TV.
1950s Peter Johnson (Hf 50) became President of the Cromwell Museum Trust in November 2018, having been Chairman for the previous three years. The Museum is in the Cambridgeshire town of Huntingdon and located in the old grammar school
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Who What Where In recognition of his work as statistician, author and commentator on TV and radio, Peter Matthews (C 58) was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, on 13th October 2018. Peter has also been editor of the International Athletics Annual since 1984. Simon Taylor (LH 58) has been immersed in motor sport for nearly 50 years as a journalist, commentator, publisher and historian, devising and launching car magazines such as What Car? and Classic & Sports Car. He was BBC Radio’s voice of motor racing for more than 20 years, reporting on Formula 1 from all over the world. He is the author of several books on car and motor racing history, and his most recent work, published in June, is a two-volume masterpiece that paints an evocative picture of a period of motor racing that marked the beginnings of Britain’s prowess in the sport. John, George and the HWMs provides the racing history and stories of the individual cars and men who raced. Always run on a shoestring, HWM’s single seaters achieved great results in flying the flag with mainly British drivers, most notably young Stirling Moss. The book is available from Evro Publishing.
Nick Marden (Hf 63) was appointed a Lieutenant of the Victorian Order in the New Year’s Honours List 2019 following his retirement after almost eight years as Private Secretary to HRH The Duke of Kent. Prior to that Nick had spent 37 years in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office with postings to Cyprus, Poland, France and Israel. Nick Mountford (L 64) would like to say hello to his OU friends whom he hasn’t seen since his school days! Nick and his wife celebrated their Ruby wedding anniversary last year. John Holmwood (C 65) is director of a manufacturing and export company, John P Whitten Holmwood SL, based in Irun, in the Spanish Basque Country. It’s a family company with two main divisions, wine exports and interior products, working with top quality Spanish wineries and manufacturers.
1960s Patrick Mulvihill went out to Lebanon in April at the invitation of Abboudi Hoss (Hf 62) and was delighted to also catch up with Tom Young (M 86) while he was enjoying the wonderful city of Beirut. Those who know Abboudi from his Highfield days and beyond will be familiar with the story of the Lebanese boy who turned up at Uppingham in the early 60s and thrived with the help of his housemaster Peter Lloyd and wife Mary. Abboudi never forgot the experiences of his formative days at Uppingham and is keen to develop links between Uppingham and his birthplace. Tom Young has been based in Beirut for more than 10 years and is passionate about the city’s heritage and architecture. He studies the history of abandoned buildings in Lebanon, many of them a reminder of the country’s civil war, and creates paintings based on old photographs, stories and their surrounding environment. His exhibitions, held in the abandoned buildings, are free of charge and include community events to help stir public interest in their history. Tom also teaches art classes to refugee children and orphans to show how art can be used to revive memories and history in derelict buildings. For more details of Tom’s work, visit www.tomyoung.com.
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Above: Abboudi Hoss, Patrick Mulvihill and Tom Young Below: Tom Young with his work
Tim Dumenil (SH 66) was appointed Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers in September. The Company is one of the oldest of the 110 City of London Livery Companies and can trace its roots back to 975 AD. A unique ceremony of delivering a boar’s head to the new Lord Mayor after he takes office at Mansion House is held in November, symbolic of a payment for rent on a piece of land supplied to the Butchers by the Lord Mayor in 1343. Michael Taylor (LH 68) and his wife Clare have celebrated the 30th anniversary of their East London multidisciplinary design consultancy, Equinox Partners, founded in November 1988. During his career, Michael has been involved with design consultancy work on a wide variety of projects, including the design and installation of the Olympic Celebration Wall at Excel in London’s Docklands to acknowledge the venue’s significant contribution to the 2012 London Olympics. Michael is always happy to meet OUs over a coffee in the City and invite them to join him on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ designworksforyou/.
1970s James Cundall (C 70), chief executive of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for services to the entertainment industry. Over the last 25 years, James has produced shows around the world that have been seen by millions of people. Richard Spencer (WB 70) has been working as a Contracts Manager in the oil and gas offshore industry for nearly 40 years, the last five of which have been based in Singapore. His time there has come to an end and he moved to Paris for a new assignment in August.
Congratulations to Mike Sharrock (L 72) who took up the role of Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association (BPA) in January. Mike held a 30-year international business career with BP, which included roles as Oil Director Vietnam, Retail Director Netherlands and Managing Director Benelux. He led BP’s tier 1 partnership with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Since leaving BP, Mike has been working as a qualified executive coach with leading institutions and businesses including the International Paralympic Committee. The Festschrift by Anthony Trace QC (WB 72) provides a fitting tribute to the late Jeff Abbott, long-serving member of staff from 1962 to 1988 and Housemaster of West Bank from 1968 to 1983. It includes contributions from former members of Uppingham staff including the late Gordon Braddy and the late David Gaine, as well as OUs and distinguished friends. From immaculately polished shoes, his spidery handwritten letters, lessons in ‘the Dell’, quotes from Alice in Wonderland, his respect for all things Roman and his longlasting friendships and humour, the book provides a wonderful array of personal accounts and memories. First edition copies have sold out and only limited copies of the second edition are available and they are selling fast. They can be obtained from the OU Office priced at £20.00 each (plus £5.00 UK p&p). Anthony has funded the book and all proceeds will go to the Uppingham Foundation.
Warmest congratulations to the 690th Lord Mayor of London, Charles Bowman (WD 75), who was knighted in the Queen’s birthday honours list for 2019, for services to Trust in Business, International Trade and the City of London. Sir Charles was a great supporter of Uppingham during his term as Lord Mayor and many OUs will have fond memories of the London Dinner at Mansion House which he helped to facilitate. It was reported in The Telegraph this summer that Foyle’s War was voted TV’s most-missed show of the 21st century in a survey carried out by the Radio Times. The ITV show ran from 2002 to 2015 and starred Tim McMullan (SH 76) as Arthur Valentine. David Ross (C 78), Founder Patron of Nevill Holt Opera, opened a stunning new opera house to festival audiences in June 2018. The beautiful 400-seat theatre has since won three RIBA East Midlands Awards, including the coveted Building of the Year 2019. It also scooped up a prestigious RIBA National Award, given to buildings across the UK recognised as being significant contributions to architecture. The new theatre provides an outstanding and permanent home for Nevill Holt Opera and was dubbed an ‘indisputable triumph’ by The Telegraph. Congratulations to Toby Butterfield (F 79) who was named in the ‘Best Lawyers in America List 2020’. The lawyers named are recognised by their peers and clients in the legal industry for their professional excellence and, for the 2020 Edition, 8.3 million votes were analysed, which resulted in the inclusion of more than 62,000 lawyers, approximately 5% of lawyers in private practice in the United States.
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1980s In June Jonny Jarrett (B 80) and Philip Turner (B 81) took part in a charity row from Cour to Roshven, Scotland, in a skiff called ‘Apollo’, raising money to help build a community gym in memory of the son of a fellow ex-Scots Guardsman. Battling against the Scottish weather, with little sun, wet, windy and cold conditions, the team rowed 100 miles, averaging around seven and a half hours per day. The row culminated in being piped into shore by the Scots Guards as they reached their final destination. Their endeavours have raised over £101,000 towards the project and the team hope the new facility will be the best boxing gym in the UK. For more information on the project see www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hugh-nickerson.
Chris Boyes (B 83), Nick Jackson (WD 83) and Richard Boston (B 56) had a fantastic night seeing Hugh Jackman: The Man. The Music. The Show at the O2 in June and were delighted to meet up with the star backstage afterwards. Hugh spent a term at Uppingham in 1987, assisting with the teaching of English and Drama. He was also a junior tutor in Brooklands and has kept in touch with Richard Boston ever since. Below: Richard Boston, Hugh Jackman, Chris Boyes and Nick Jackson
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Dominic Brownlow’s (SH 83) first novel The Naseby Horses will be published in December. The plot focuses around a seventeen-year-old, Simon, whose sister Charlotte is missing. Set in a lonely and mysterious Fenland village, Simon is told about the local curse of the Naseby Horses and he’s convinced it has something to do with Charlotte’s disappearance. Long-listed for the Bath Novel Award 2017, the story draws on philosophy, science, and the natural world, and is a moving exploration of the bond between a brother and sister; of love; and of the meaning of life itself. Phil Spencer (L 83) has had a busy year presenting History of Britain in 100 Homes for Channel 4 and the ever-popular Love it or List it with Kirstie Allsopp, now in its fourth series. John Harrison (Fgh 84) is the Creative Director at Gieves and Hawkes, Savile Row. Since Uppingham his life has been in men’s fashion; from small brands to large, Hong Kong to NYC. For many years he ran his own design consultancy, specialising in brand building, DNA mapping and generation shift, working alongside design teams to adjust, challenge and re-position the offer. He lives in Guildford, with his wife Anne-Marie and three children. John commented, “The School’s great asset was support, for me with the arts – it was generous, inspiring, and surprising at times.” Johnny Hon (H 85) enjoyed great success with his horse ‘Global Spectrum’ at the prestigious HH The Amir’s Sword Festival at Qatar Racing and Equestrian’s Al Rayyan racetrack in February. The race draws some of the world’s finest thoroughbred and Arabian horses and Global Spectrum won his race – the Al Biddah Mile (Class 1: QA Group 2), becoming the only British horse to secure victory in this 27-race meeting. Johnny’s thanks go to his trainer and good friend, Gay Kelleway, who has proved beyond doubt that Global Spectrum can be the best; and to his stable jockey, Gérald Mossé, who brilliantly rode to victory. Robert Thorogood’s (F 85) eighth series of Death in Paradise was aired on BBC One in January, more details are available on BBC iPlayer. In May Tom Barton (WB 87) ran the Test Way, a 46.5-mile route starting in Berkshire and finishing at the coast in Hampshire. It was a challenge to complete the route in a day but he did it, supported by friends and family all the way. Tom raised over £1,000 for Lepra, in aid of their vital work in India and Bangladesh. The charity has since welcomed him as its first ever ‘Challenge Ambassador’, to raise awareness and encourage potential fundraisers to support this worthy cause.
Phil Rees (WB 87) will be running a series of ultra-marathons over 2020 to raise money for CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) having lost a friend to suicide. The first will take place in January, the Peddars Way Ultra in East Anglia, running from the Suffolk border to the North Norfolk Coast. See www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/projectzero for more details and to offer support. This summer Nicholas Hesse (L 88) successfully completed the National Three Peaks Challenge, climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. The total walking distance was 23 miles and the total ascent is 3,064 metres with a driving distance of 462 miles to get to each location. Nicholas raised funds for the charity ‘Julia’s House’, the Dorset & Wiltshire Children’s Hospice charity. Elliot Cowan (M/L 89) starred as Henry VII in the British-American historical television series The Spanish Princess released in May. Based on novels by Philippa Gregory, the period drama follows the early years of Catherine of Aragon, who went on to become Henry VIII’s first wife. Fans of the BBC’s Peaky Blinders may also have spotted Elliot as the journalist Michael Levitt in the episode entitled ‘Black Tuesday’ aired at the start of the latest season. Gareth Morris (LH 89) moved to New Zealand with his family four years ago and is Director of Project Management at Foster Moore, an IT company specialising in company registration software. Earlier this year, he completed the Tarawera 100 Mile Endurance Run in 23 hours 33 minutes, finishing 14th out of 130 starters. Ed Stafford (WB 89) was on our TV screens in March in the Channel 4 documentary 60 Days on the Streets. He spent 60 winter days and nights on the streets of Manchester, London and Glasgow, with no money and no shelter, filming himself, to get a first-hand view of Britain’s growing homelessness crisis. In June Ed announced a new show Man Woman Child Wild which will hit the screens this Autumn on Discovery Channel. Ed, his wife Laura and son Ranulph were dropped off on an island near Sumatra for a month to see whether, as a family, they could survive, and possibly thrive.
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Over 40,000 runners traversed the 26-mile course for this year’s London Marathon on 28th April. There were lots of OUs taking part including: Chris Kelsey (WB 91), Jenny Turpin (née Moy, J 95), Barney Tinsley (C 98), Toby Cope (WB 05), Henry Bowles (M 06), Georgie Field (J 07), Alex Campbell (Fgh 12) and Tom Parkes (B 12) all raising valuable funds for charitable causes. Clockwise from top left: Chris Kelsey (WB 91); Toby Cope (WB 05); Barney Tinsley (C 98) and Jenny Turpin (née Moy, J 95)
We are delighted to support OUs raising money for charitable causes through the OU Charity Fund, email ou@uppingham.co.uk for details.
1990s In February 2018, Caroline Gasper (née Hudson, Fd 91) became a six star finisher when she completed the Tokyo Marathon, having previously completed the other world marathon majors – London (five times), New York, Boston, Chicago and Berlin. She also ran her first ultramarathon, The Druids Challenge, in November 2018, which was 89 miles over three days. She raised over £2,000 for The Dogs Trust in the process. Over the August bank holiday Richard Groome (Hf 91) finished third in one of the world’s hardest triathlons, the gruelling 515km Ultraman UK held in beautiful Snowdonia. The weather was awful with strong winds and heavy rain however, Richard finished the three-day event in 38 hours 18 minutes, swimming 10km, cycling 410km and running 85km and a total ascent of over 7000m.
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Alex Lees (Fgh 92) and Ed Watts (Hf 92) ran the Great North Run in September in honour of Ed Ammon (F 95) who died in April this year after a brave battle with Leukaemia. Ed passionately followed lots of sports but particularly loved cricket so, in tribute, the team ran in full cricket gear: pads, gloves, box, and bat! An incredibly tough challenge but for the worthy cause of raising funds for Anthony Nolan Trust, who do incredible work in all aspects of the battle against blood cancer and other blood disorders. www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/alex-lees4.
‘Team Ed Ammon’ with Ed Watts third from left and Alex Lees on right
Sam Riley (M 93) has starred in a number of blockbuster movies in recent years, including Disney’s Maleficent; Happy New Year, Colin Burstead and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to name just a few. In his latest film Sometimes Always Never, released in June, he stars alongside Bill Nighy in a heartfelt, offbeat comedy-drama, written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and deemed ‘a distinct, articulate pleasure’ by the Guardian. Tomas Studenik (M 93) was nominated this summer to be the Czech Republic Esquire Man 2019 in the Business category. The results are expected at the end of November so we’ll keep you posted. Helen Walker (née Mortimer, J 93) is a qualified Conservation Architect with over 10 years’ experience, currently working for Purcell Architects as Cluster Lead on the £330m Manchester Town Hall refurbishment project. The 1870s Grade I-listed building will be repaired, refurbished and partially restored to safeguard it for current and future generations and improve public access ready to re-open in 2024.
As one of the Senior Architects on the project, Helen has been entrusted with the internal restoration and repair proposals for the ‘Very High Significance’ spaces such as the Great Hall, and the highly decorative state rooms. Manchester’s Town Hall, is at the very heart of the city, it’s a much-loved landmark and an incredibly exciting project to be involved with.
Lingerie Designer Igor Pacemski (LH 94) was a European scholar at Uppingham for one year, and thoroughly enjoyed his time in Lorne House. He read Chemistry at university and then did a Masters in Polymer Science at the University of London, but fashion was his calling. He was headhunted for a role at Coco de Mer and by 2003 was a seasoned lingerie buyer. In 2005, after a stint in the city, he decided to be a lingerie designer. At the time, he was the only man in a prominent creative role in a largely female industry and, to this day, remains one of the few. Over the years, his collection has been stocked globally in the likes of Harvey Nichols, Figleaves, Urban Outfitters and Topshop. The decline in British manufacturing made it impossible to successfully run a fashion line so, in 2014, he left London and settled in Sofia in Bulgaria, where he became a partner in a lingerie and swimwear factory. Five years on and the business is booming, with a new line added to the portfolio, Noblesse Oblige, and concentrating on the American market with creative roles for the likes of Ralph Lauren and Rachel Zoe. Igor lives in Sofia with his partner and two cats; he can generally be found on a plane between Europe, LA, NYC, Hawaii and Tokyo.
Photo credit: Manchester City Council
Piers Mudd (B 94) relocated to Barbados four years ago and co-founded an investment company that now has a number of projects around the Caribbean. They are currently focused on Guyana, a short hop from Barbados, where recent offshore oil and gas discoveries have begun to demand major onshore infrastructure and logistics services. Piers has also recently reengaged with his love of art, something he’d forgotten about since the days of GCSE art in the Leonardo Centre, now successfully selling marine-themed print work of varying types locally and in the UK. To get in touch email piersmudd@yahoo.co.uk.
In March, Tom Watson (C 95) took on the 2019 Chain Reaction Victoria Cycle Challenge, from Sydney to Melbourne, covering 1,000 kilometres of tough cycling over seven peaks in seven days. Tom raised funds for major children’s charities in Victoria.
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Who What Where Since Ben Branson (B 96) launched the non-alchoholic spirit Seedlip in 2015, he’s achieved enormous success. It can now be requested in Michelin-starred restaurants, bars and hotels; it’s stocked in all major supermarkets and from January this year has been served on board all Virgin Atlantic flights, with Seedlip cocktails also available in their clubhouse lounges. If you’d like to make your own Seedlip cocktails, Ben has produced ‘The Seedlip Cocktail Book’ which offers an exclusive collection of Seedlip’s finest cocktails as well as insight into their ethos, technique and ingredients. Will Lawson (Fgh 96) was the BBC Director for an episode of the David Attenborough documentary Dynasties, the natural history landmark series for 2018, which featured the lives of emperor penguins in Antarctica. Will, and a film crew of three people, spent more than 350 days on location to capture the remarkable footage. As director, he made the tough decision to carry out a rescue of a large number of penguins who were trapped in a ravine with their chicks following a particularly bad storm. By intervening in their fate, Will broke normal film-making protocols but his actions saved the lives of the penguins. It was an incredibly heart-warming and emotional episode which brought Will some great publicity after the show. Alexandra Stewart (née Stephens, J 96) had her first children’s book published by Bloomsbury earlier this year. Everest, The Remarkable Story of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay explores how two unlikely heroes – a beekeeper and a former yak herder – overcame death-defying odds to become the first men to climb onto the roof of the world. The book was published in time to mark the centenary of Edmund Hillary’s birth and has a foreword by the explorer and Everest veteran, Ranulph Fiennes. Whilst researching the book, Alex received invaluable help from two OUs, including mountaineer, writer and journalist, Ed Douglas (B 79), who has written a brilliant and painstakingly researched biography of Tenzing Norgay; and Jen Turpin (née Moy, J 95) who introduced Alex to the celebrated British climber, Jake Meyer. Jake made headlines in 2005 when he became the youngest Briton ever to have climbed Everest.
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After leaving Uppingham, Alex studied Modern History at Oxford before becoming a journalist. She subsequently worked in Government as a speechwriter and parliamentary liaison officer. Her love of writing and history was nurtured at Uppingham where she was taught by the inimitable Rev. Megahey, Dr Boston, Dr Waddell and Casey! The book is available online and in Waterstones and there are more in the pipeline. Nicola Clarke (Fd 98) launched MY BLACK DOG in January this year, an online community platform that supports people with enduring mental illness. It allows users to chat to volunteers: all of whom have struggled with their own mental health. MY BLACK DOG also provides a resource for blogs, articles, links to counsellors and alternative therapies – anything and everything to make living with mental illness, that little bit easier. After reading the last issue of the OU Magazine, Nicola contacted Alexander Fahie (F 02) who founded Ethical Angel and featured in our article on OU Entrepreneurs. Together they have teamed up to bring volunteers to MY BLACK DOG and raise awareness for the cause. For more information, see www.myblackdog.co. In April, some intrepid OUs tackled the Marathon Des Sables, an ultra-run in the Sahara Desert. The all-OU team ‘Desert Dambusters’ completed the epic challenge with Tom Hounsfield (C 99), Henry Foster (C 99) and Will Heneage (LH 99) raising over £15,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund. Sammy Scane (WD 12) and Felix Rotter (WD 13) also took part in the race to raise money for the Adam Cole Foundation.
Left: Henry Foster (C 99), Will Heneage (LH 99) and Tom Hounsfield (C 99) Right: Felix Rotter (WD 13) and Sammy Scane (WD 12)
Jamie Sharrock (M 99) and his wife Camilla, both former Uppingham staff, moved to Norfolk this summer to take up new positions at Gresham’s. Jamie has become Housemaster of the boys’ boarding house, Woodlands, and Camilla as Head of English. We wish them both luck in the next chapter of their careers.
2000s After a stint in corporate finance, Duncan DarrochThompson (C 00) entered the world of management consulting. Three years in that industry taught him much about breaking down problems, analysing markets and strategies and formulating sustainable and long-lasting solutions to complex issues. He decided to use that experience to dive into the world of public healthcare, as he’d worked on a number of consulting cases during his career. Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is known for hiring people from the private sector and combining their business skills with the technical expertise of clinical and public health experts to design financially sustainable solutions to global health problems. Almost three years later, Duncan is Manager in the Global Tuberculosis Team for CHAI and is managing two projects; one that is rolling out a new tuberculosis preventative regime in Cambodia, India, Kenya and Zimbabwe, and the other is CHAI’s reengagement with China, aiming to help the government tackle the growing problem of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Working remotely, and splitting his time between Shanghai and Hong Kong, Duncan spends three to four months a year travelling to the countries he manages, as well as exploring new areas for the CHAI TB team to expand into. In January this year, Tom Ray (Hf 00) and his wife Laura, a midwife, created YogiBirth, an online education-based yoga programme to support mental, physical and emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and parenthood. Their vision is a world where no woman, or their partner, fears birth.
Offered to both pregnant women and businesses, YogiBirth empowers women with information and practices to help them approach birth and parenthood feeling confident, informed and calm. www.yogibirth.com David Roper (B 00) and Niko Fischer (B 03) are creating their own niche in the marketing industry with the aptly named Old Boys Agency. With a dynamic approach to brand identity, web development and marketing strategy, their output connects with consumers on a more meaningful level to make brands relevant to their audiences. Founded in 2013, with offices in Shrewsbury and London, the Old Boys pride themselves on working with clients from startups to corporates on both local and international levels. David said: “We like to challenge ourselves with a diverse range of clients, industries, and of course budgets – often a fresh perspective helps a brand to escape the status quo associated with their industry.” Fellow OU Tim Dale (LH 01) commissioned Old Boys to create a new brand identity and website for his Worcester-based property agency Dale Properties.
After being fairly unsporty at Uppingham, Tim Webster (M 00) took up endurance sports a few years ago and, after several years competing, he represented the GB Age Group team in Triathlon, Cycling and Aquathlon at the European and World Championships and recently completed the Norseman Extreme Triathlon, which is regarded by many as the toughest ‘Iron Distance’ triathlon in the world. It consists of a 2.4-mile swim in an icy Norwegian Fjord, a 112-mile bike ride over five mountain passes and a 26.2-mile marathon up to the top of 1,880m Mount Gaustatoppen. He was overjoyed to finish 17th overall and was the first British athlete in the standard race, finishing in 12 hours 25 minutes. Tim commented: “The process was so smooth, they just understood my business and what I was trying to achieve. Dale Properties now stands out from even my largest local competitors.” Never ones for sitting still, David and Niko developed a series of Softwareas-a-Service products, boasting Shopify apps and bespoke development projects such as social media tool ShareKit.io. Their local brand Shropshire Media & Print is an integrated marketing agency and print company which supports local businesses in the West Midlands and provides printing and print management, from sets of business stationery through to direct mail campaign fulfilment. www.oldboys.co.uk
Who What Where 13
In May, Chris Palfreyman (LH 01) competed at the Pontevedra Long-distance ITU Triathlon World Championships in Spain. It was a huge privilege for him to be racing against local hero Javier Gomez, the London Olympic Silver medallist in the Triathlon (wedged between the two Brownlee Brothers). Chris was in GB colours and was the 3rd British runner home in his age group, coming 24th overall out of around 900 starters. In October 2019, Chris also fulfilled a lifelong ambition to compete in the iconic Ironman World Championships, held in Kona, Hawaii. The results weren’t received before we went to press but are available on the OU website. Chris is UK Director for Amantani which supports the rights of indigenous children and young people in the Peruvian Andes and celebrated its tenth anniversary in December. Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Spokes (Fd 01) has had great success over the past 12 months with ‘My Friend Charlie’ an innovative offline solution for the modern online dating industry, now operating in London and Bristol. The business has gained significant traction with over 2000 users and aims to expand its presence into four additional UK cities. www.myfriendcharlie.co.uk After working closely with the royal family for more than 10 years, the Duchess of Cambridge’s stylist Natasha Archer (Sa 01) was named in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours and made a member of the Royal Victorian Order.
14 Who What Where
Having left Uppingham in 2008, James Ferguson (Fgh 03) completed a degree in Real Estate from Reading University; but racing has always been in his blood and instead of going into the city to work in property, he joined Sir Mark Prescott in Newmarket to work an apprenticeship as his pupil assistant, while riding as an amateur jump jockey. After assistant roles for Charlie Appleby, Brian Meehan and, most recently, Jessica Harrington in Ireland, as well as the experience of having worked internationally at the higher level, James has now set up his own training business, James Ferguson Racing. Having returned to his roots, he obtained the lease on St Gatien Stables in Newmarket, a historic yard only 200 yards from the famous Warren Hill gallops. James says: “Having a family that has been involved in the racing and bloodstock business for over 30 years, we believe we have the skillset to focus on welfare, fitness and strategic race planning in order to give the business the best possible chance of success.” If you are interested in being involved in the yard, whether for racehorse ownership yourself or simply spending a morning on the famous Newmarket gallops to see how a racing yard is run, please feel free to contact James at james@jamesfergusonracing.com.
In 2017 Sarah Haggie (Fd 03) set up an events and catering company ‘Doggart & Squash’, having previously owned a company called Squash Catering. Doggart & Squash cater for a range of events across the country, including special birthdays and weddings. See www.doggartandsquash.com.
Charlie Jardine (Fgh 04) was included in the 4th annual Forbes 30 under 30 Social Entrepreneurs and Big Money polls in February this year. He’s the founder of EO Charging which has raised over $17m in private equity capital to become one of Europe’s leaders in manufacturing electric vehicle charging stations. The UK-manufactured chargers have been exported to over 30 countries including Norway, India and Australia. Charlie is featured in our article on OU Entrepreneurs, see page 45 for more details. Tom Moxon (WB 06), Harry Watkins (Fgh 08), Milo Linney (F 12) and Joss Linney (F 08) were selected from independent schools around the country to represent the Lambs RFC’s first ever Senior 7’s Team for the Sparkle 7’s Rugby tournament, hosted at Felsted School on 8th September. It was a thrilling spectacle of rugby, going down to the wire, with the Lambs team winning the final in extra time. The team’s chosen charity is the Charlie Watkins Foundation, promoting mental health awareness. They were kindly sponsored by Jim Beaty (F 12), whose company JBBT sells robust multi-tool farm trailers.
their only previous visit. We often have the pleasure of seeing people’s faces light up from the smallest of gestures. George would be delighted to welcome OUs to The Wolseley; please do ask for him if you are visiting. On 9th August George Cox (F 09) was commissioned into the Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeth’s Own). On leaving school George had no plans to join the Army, but it was always something in the back of his mind and he would be pleased to share his experiences with anyone considering a career in the armed forces. This summer Rory Ngah (WB 09) participated in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s internship scheme. Officially chartered in 1917, the CWGC acts as the guardian of the nation’s fallen from both World Wars, carefully tending to the graves and memorials of over 1.7 million men in over 23,000 locations worldwide. Based primarily at the Thiepval Memorial, which commemorates those who fell in the Somme sector, amongst them 24 OUs, Rory was employed as a guide, helping visitors to find their loved ones and sharing information on the Commission’s work.
L to R: Tom Moxon (WB 06), Milo Linney (F 12), Jim Beaty (F 12), Harry Watkins (Fgh 08) and Joss Linney (F 08)
George Talbot (B 06) is Senior Maître D’ at The Wolseley, one of London’s most respected and iconic café-restaurants; he joined the team in February 2018. George commented: “Hospitality was never my intended career path, and the role of maître d’hôtel was completely unknown to me when I went for an interview on a friend’s suggestion! It has however, been the ideal solution to not wanting to sit behind a desk. Highlights come from making people’s experiences special with just the little touches, such as remembering a person’s name from
2010s Sinéad Coley (Sa 12) is on a search for real tennis players for a handicapped doubles tournament ‘The Cattermull Cup’, played in January every year at Middlesex University Real Tennis Club. Matches are arranged between former pupils representing their old schools and, as the Uppingham representative, Sinéad would like to organise the first ever OU team for the 2020 competition. If you play Real Tennis and would like to represent Uppingham, please contact her at sineadcoley@btinternet.com, she looks forward to hearing from you.
Who What Where 15
Who What Where Issy Lewis (J 13) left Uppingham to pursue her passion in videography and went to college to study Creative Media Production, graduating early to go into a full-time internship in Milton Keynes as a marketer and videographer, inspiring her to start her own business. All was going well, but her dream was to move to America, having been born in Boston, MA, and later living in Minnesota for a year, she always wanted to move back. In June, this was to come true. An opportunity to stay with friends in Colorado came out of the blue and Issy booked a flight, moving 4,600 miles away with limited funds and no job to go to. Within a very short time, Issy has become established as Videographer and Photographer for a company in Castle Rock, CO. At just 19, through determination and a few lucky breaks along the way, Issy has pathed her way to an exciting new life in the US and hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams too. Jemima Oakey (L 14) has just entered her final year at Durham University studying Combined Honours in Social Sciences. She spent the summer working in the Middle East on a three-month internship with the NGO, EcoPeace Middle East. The organisation is dedicated to peacebuilding in the region through community-based environmental projects, raising awareness of transboundary water scarcity issues and influencing water management policies on a national and regional level. Jemima independently sourced the internship and travelled solo across the region, learning more about the complexities of the Israel-Palestine conflict and challenges faced in conflict negotiations that you cannot learn inside the lecture hall. The experience of challenging her preconceptions and analysing water security through this perspective was very rewarding. She hopes to specialise in security and political risk analysis. If you’d like to hear more on Jemima’s experiences, please contact her via LinkedIn.
Would you like to share your news with the OU community? Email ou@uppingham.co.uk, we’d love to hear from you.
16 Who What Where
Announcements OU couple Angus Hunter Smart (Fgh 91) and Emily Milford (Fd 97) were married on 5th October 2019 in Northumberland. Chris Leonard (M 95) and his wife Nicole are delighted to announce the arrival of Isabella Skye Leonard, born on 23rd May 2019. Jono Daniel (Fgh 99) married Amanda Hudson at Rockley Manor, Marlborough, on 22nd June 2019. Lots of OUs were there to celebrate with them including Oliver Ward (Fgh 99), Tim Wright (Fgh 99), Harry Judd (F 99), Nick Thorley (F 99), Jamie Sharrock (M 99), Tom Warren (Hf 01), Emily Compton (née Shires, L 02), Alice Lake (née Walker, L 02) and Georgina Haughton (née Collett, J 03). Ollie Nias (F 99) married Jess Morris on 27th October 2018. Charles Mager (WB 99) married Amice Beaumont at St Peter’s Church on the island of Sark in July 2018, with the reception at La Seigneurie. Chris Bingham (WB 99) was the best man and many OU friends were present.
L to R: Matt Mills (WB 02), Chris Bingham (WB 99), William Tutte (WB 00), Charles Mager (WB 99), Benjamin Yates (WB 99), Matthew Clasper (WD 99) and Harry Lund (M 99).
Sophie Peers (Fd 99) married Jean-Charles Stiquel in West Wratting in Cambridgeshire on the 2nd June 2018. Jean-Charles is a French wine importer and is pleased to offer a 10% discount to OUs up to the end of December. See lamijac.com and use the code UPPINGHAM19. James Thomas (SH 00) married Zein Al-Sharaf Kurdi on 7th July 2018 at Kinross House. A pre-wedding celebration was held the evening before at The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
L to R: Hugo Peers (Hf 99), Sally Lafferty (née Ogilvy, J 99), George Teare (C 96), Sarah Wilkinson (née Hazleman, J 99), Sophie Stiquel (née Peers, Fd 99), Joshua Wilkinson (SH 99), Rosie Wanigasekera (née Lightfoot, J 99), Alexander Ward (Hf 96) and Zack Wilkinson (SH 99)
L to R: Scott Crosby (Fgh 00), Donald Fothergill (B 74), James Thomas (SH 00), Tim Barber-Lomax (C 00) and Duncan Darroch-Thompson (C 00)
Fiona Slominska (Fd 99) married Neil Colville on 25th August at Gretna Green, witnessed by their immediate family and their young son Alastair who was Neil’s best man. Celebrations were held the following weekend with family and friends, with many OUs present. Arabella Hayter (J 00) married Matthew Buckley at St James’ Church, Newbottle in Northamptonshire on 6th July 2019.
L to R – all J 00: Helen Lightfoot (née Smith), Claire Antoniou (née Hills), Katie Daynes (née Henry), Arabella Buckley (née Hayter), Anna Levantis (née Reid), Emma Wills, Kat Wheatley (née Atherton)
Fenella Cuthbert (L 09) and Henry Bell (M 05) were married on 4th May at St Columba’s Church in Belgravia, London, with a reception at the Cavalry and Guards Club after. A number of OUs attended and took part on the day including Ben Southall (LH 05) as best man and Tom Bell (M 09) and Jamie Cuthbert (C/WD 04) as ushers. Jankee Patel (L 09), Laura McGregor (L 08) and Katie Pearson (L 09) were bridesmaids.
Peter Shum (M 05) and his bride Stella were married on 4th October at the Intercontinental Hong Kong with a host of OUs in attendance.
Tom Higgs (C 00) and his wife Issy were pleased to welcome Beatrice Rose Higgs into the world on 25th June 2019. L to R: Jason Tang (LH 09), Steph Chan (C 09), Ronald Tam (WB 10), Kai Man Fok (M 02), Nathan Louey (M 01), Stella Shum, Peter Shum (M 05), Cheryl Shum (J 09), Annie Chau (NH 04), Christian Li (WB 05), Yuk-Fai Lau (WB 04) and Leon Chan (WD 10)
Announcements 17
18 Feature
TOE2TOP Rupert ‘Roo’ Clark (Fgh 09) and James Cotton’s (B 09) South American Bike Ride On the 26th January, Roo and James set off with the goal of biking the length of South America in as little time as possible to raise money for four amazing charities. They started their journey in Ushuaia, Argentina, the most southern town in the world and finished in Cartagena, a beautiful coastal city on the north coast of Colombia. The route involved 7,579 miles / 12,126 kms of road, track, salt and sand, across six different countries. They managed to complete the challenge in a total of 129 days taking only 11 of those days to rest. We are delighted that Roo and James have shared some of their experiences from their adventure…
Feature 19
We managed to raise a total of £30,000, which we are unbelievably proud of. We can’t thank everyone enough who sent us messages and sponsored us along the way.”
What were the highlights?
Tough times?
There were so many highlights that it’s impossible to choose just one, or even a few: The whole trip was a never-ending highlight!
There were obvious moments when we found ourselves asking: “Really? Can’t we just stop for the day, have a day off, have a lie in, let our bottoms recover somewhat?” The fact that we cycled into the night on 56 occasions and only had 11 days off the bike I think shows how much we were forced to push to finish on time. These were some of the hardest moments of our lives.
Three moments stood out above the rest: • Our first encounter with The Andes – cycling from sea level to 3,800m between Santiago and Mendoza over the Cristo Redentor Pass; an incredible road full of snaking hairpin bends, surrounded by huge mountains. The last 10km was a traffic-free dirt-road paradise. The closest we’ve ever felt to being able to fly! • Despite being warned against travelling through the Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia), the largest salt flats in the world, we knew this would be one of our main highlights. When we made it through five miles of salty water and reached the crisp white salt, it was honestly the best feeling in the world! We didn’t see another soul for 24 hours and were lucky enough to camp on what felt like the surface of the moon! • Our whole time in Colombia, and our welcoming party on the finish line in Cartagena, was incredible: awesome food, so much greenery, endless misty mountains, tasty coffee for 10p, the nicest people in the world, who would endlessly stop to ask us questions and give us support, and our surprise welcoming party in the heart of Old Town Cartagena.
20 Feature
Whilst cycling the length of South America was a huge personal challenge for both of us and something we will remember for the rest of our lives, there were some extremely difficult times, both physically and mentally. However, the knowledge that we were peddling for four amazing causes – The Charlie Watkins Foundation, The Air Ambulance, War Child and SANDS made all of those difficult times so rewarding. We managed to raise a total of £30,000, which we are unbelievably proud of. We can’t thank everyone enough who sent us messages and sponsored us along the way. The support really did amaze us. When we finally reached areas with wifi and checked our charity page we couldn’t believe how generous people had been; it was the best feeling in the world knowing that what we did managed to raise both awareness and money for four charities very close to our hearts. To find out more head to www.toe2top.co.uk.
Feature 21
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of an Iconic Movie I
n May 1969, 50 years ago, John Schlesinger’s (WB 39) movie Midnight Cowboy hit the cinemas and the British director quickly claimed a place in the top ranks of big-name filmmakers.
Midnight Cowboy is centred around a male hustler (Jon Voight) who seeks fame and fortune in New York, and his unlikely, heartbreaking relationship with a hapless con man (Dustin Hoffman). The film earned John Schlesinger directing honours with an Oscar for Best Director in 1970 (the only OU in history to receive the award) alongside two more Academy Awards: Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay and a whole host of other industry accolades too, overall receiving 27 wins and 15 nominations. At the time of production, the film represented a core touchstone of a New Hollywood, focusing on the disenfranchised with gritty reality and sexual frankness. Schlesinger was quoted as saying later in his career: “I like stirring it up every now and again, I’m sick and tired of just ‘entertainment’.” At its core, the story of Midnight Cowboy is one of friendship, loyalty and trust in the most unlikely circumstances. The characters are thrown together by sheer bad luck and rely on each other for survival within the harsh landscape of New York in the late 60s. In 1994, the film was deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. If you haven’t seen Midnight Cowboy, it’s well worth watching and will stay in your memory long after others have evaporated. During his long career, John Schlesinger worked in radio and television, directing BBC documentaries and acting. He became a leading member of the British “New Wave” in the 60s, tackling social themes in films like A Kind of Loving and Billy Liar. Some of his best-known works include Sunday, Bloody Sunday, The Day of the Locust, Marathon Man and The Falcon and the Snowman. Between film assignments, he also directed theatre, opera and several television productions, including An Englishman Abroad, A Question of Attribution and the satirical Cold Comfort Farm. Schlesinger was admired by many who worked with him for tackling difficult themes and capturing essential truths about human behaviour. He received a CBE in the 1970 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services to film and in January 2003 was awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. He died in July 2003, aged 77.
22 Feature
I like stirring it up every now and again, I’m sick and tired of just ‘entertainment’.”
Far right, in the dark coat is John Schlesinger, with Nick Roeg next to him in the pale coat, on location filming Far From The Madding Crowd, 1967. Photo credit: Rick Spurway
Rick Spurway (Fgh 62), film producer and director, met John Schlesinger when he came to Uppingham in 1965 to deliver a fascinating presentation about his career. He told us… “I had already decided to become a filmmaker, and Schlesinger kindly gave me time to discuss various ways into the business. On his advice, and with the support of Warwick Metcalfe, I went to the highly-regarded film school at Bournemouth & Poole College of Art. While at the film school, Schlesinger invited me to spend time observing the production of Far From The Madding Crowd, which was filmed nearby in rural Dorset. It was an incredible privilege to not only watch Schlesinger in action, but to be invited to private parties with his actors – including Julie Christie, Peter Finch, Alan Bates and Terence Stamp. During this time I befriended Schlesinger’s cameraman, Nick Roeg, who went on to direct significant movies himself. Later, Roeg employed me for a few months as his personal assistant. The location shoot of Far From The Madding Crowd was an extremely useful experience which provided me with great encouragement to find my own place in the film business. Schlesinger was as much at home making documentaries as movies for the big screen. He began his career in BBC Television working alongside the young Alan Whicker. Here Schlesinger directed short documentaries for the Tonight programme, one of which was about the end of term at Uppingham. It included scenes of pupils lighting up their pipes as the School train departed Uppingham station for London. Anyhow, Schlesinger told me that making documentaries had been a great start for him, and he suggested I should consider television myself. Which I did. Within four years of leaving Uppingham I edited my first full-length documentary for Alan Whicker. Schlesinger personally congratulated me for the success I had achieved through his recommendations.
A few years later, I interviewed Schlesinger at his home in Kensington, London, for a video about his life that was presented at the Uppingham Quatercentenery in 1984. He told me that he did not have a happy time at Uppingham. While in West Bank he was not a great achiever, particularly at sport, and he was mocked by his fellow housemates. As a result, I am not surprised that many of his films are about losing and failing in life. Yet, despite this, Schlesinger told me that while at Uppingham he developed a great interest in music and art, which helped him enormously to find himself. In particular, he recognised a personal talent for acting, which was revealed by his Uppingham drama teacher, ‘Cud’ Wright, who also encouraged his pupils to watch classic movies of the time. Looking back, I can honestly say that through John Schlesinger’s kindness and generosity, I received all the support and encouragement I needed to become firmly established as a documentary filmmaker working at the BBC and Channel 4 in the UK, and now within my own production company. Schlesinger was a great inspiration for me, and I urge all OUs to consider offering their own support and encouragement to existing pupils at Uppingham.”
Rick Spurway 1971, editing an Alan Whicker documentary
Feature 23
OU Moviemakers Rick Spurway (Fgh 62) Our enormous thanks to Rick for sharing his memories of John Schlesinger. His latest project has been commissioned by up-market Spanish travel company Madrid & Beyond to produce a series of films for North American viewers to promote high-end vacations in Spain and Portugal. As part of his research, Rick spent three months travelling across Spain and Portugal interviewing a range of artisans, yacht-skippers, sheep farmers and singers, not to mention Elena Arzak, voted the best female chef in the world, at her 3-Michelin star restaurant in San Sebastian. This proved a fascinating and indeed life-changing experience for Rick as he will soon be moving from Transylvania to Spain to set up home. A 40-minute documentary of his journey around Spain, with a soundtrack by Rupert Egerton-Smith (M 86), will feature on US travel channels in 2020. If this wasn’t enough, Rick is also producing a documentary on a newly discovered Roman gold mine near Vienna which will feature on Austrian TV. Whilst researching the project, Rick discovered several Roman coins and a small amount of gold, though rather than buying a house in Spain with his finds, he dutifully passed them to the archaeologists!
John Fleet (Fgh 96) Churchill and the Movie Mogul John has written and directed a documentary showing how Britain’s greatest wartime leader and its finest film producer changed the course of history. Churchill was mad about films, arguably more so than any other politician in history, but the true extent of his use of them as a political tool has not been previously explored.
Gregory Nice (LH 02) Love Have I Known
In 1934, one of Britain’s most celebrated film producers, Alexander Korda, signed up Churchill as a screenwriter and historical advisor, and a unique collaboration began.
In our last issue we featured Love Have I Known, a short film produced and directed by Gregory Nice, with scenes filmed at Uppingham. The final cut was finished in June this year and was subsequently accepted into some great film festivals over the summer. We are delighted to report that the film picked up the award of ‘Best Historical Drama’ at the New Renaissance Festival in London and has received a further nomination at the Norwich Film Festival, a BAFTA and BIFA shortlisted festival. We look forward to hearing more news soon.
Churchill provided script notes for Korda’s productions and also penned an epic screenplay. When War broke out, their collaboration became of extraordinary importance. Korda was sent on a spy mission to Hollywood with the aim of bringing America into the War with spectacular results. Using previously undiscovered documents, John’s film explores the mission and their friendship. The documentary was shown on BBC Four in September and will be available on DVD shortly, for more information see www.januarypictures.com.
Julian ‘Doug’ Hancock (C 84) on Native American Ranchers Award-winning cinematographer and documentary director, Doug Hancock’s latest project has taken him into the heart of Native America. Our American Rodeo is a documentary project exploring Native American rodeo, from the deserts of Arizona, through the Great Plains of Dakota and up to the ‘Ninaistako’ mountain in Montana. Filming started in September, in the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, with the Oglala Sioux and Navajo nations, followed by shoots in Montana with the Blackfeet nation. The project will culminate in a feature length film depicting modern rural life on the Reservations. ouramericanrodeo.com
Harry Lightfoot (Fgh 98) has written the scores to some major Hollywood advertising campaigns, including the trailers for Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. He also composed the trailer for Marvel’s Avengers Endgame, the highest grossing movie of all time, which was released in April 2019. The trailer also broke the records as the most viewed film trailer ever, with a staggering 289 million views in just 24 hours! Photo credit: Ray Santoleri
And finally, another anniversary… we remember Boris Karloff (F 1903) 50 years on from his death. Possibly the biggest OU film star, William Henry Pratt was born in Camberwell in 1887 but went on to fame and fortune as Boris Karloff. Boris became an icon of horror cinema and is most closely identified with the general public’s perception of the “monster” from the classic Mary Shelley book, Frankenstein. Before his big break, Karloff featured in countless supporting roles and often had to work as a truck driver to put food on the table. However, his breakthrough came in the groundbreaking film Frankenstein (1931) followed by Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). He also was Imhotep in The Mummy (1932). He never resented being typecast as a horror star, instead, he felt that it was a blessing. Thanks to a long and successful career in both films and on American TV, Karloff was honoured by being awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He never forgot his roots and after moving to California in his 30s, Karloff helped to set up the Hollywood Cricket Club. Perhaps his schooldays spent playing cricket on The Upper prepared him as he featured in a starstudded team with Errol Flynn, Cary Grant and Basil Rathbone. Renowned as a refined, kind and warm-hearted gentleman, with a sincere affection for children and their welfare. He never forgot his time at Uppingham and, in 1957, on the American version of This is Your Life, he was reunited with an old school friend Geoffrey Taylor (F 1902). Karloff passed away, aged 81, on 2nd February 1969 from emphysema. He was cremated at Guildford Crematorium, Godalming, Surrey.
Feature 25
In Memoriam We are sorry to announce news of OUs who have passed away. Our condolences to their families and friends. David Riley*
(M 36)
Jan 2019
Peter ‘Sands’ Johnson
(B 49)
Mar 2017
Henry Tetlow
(M 37)
Jan 2019
David Manning
(H 49)
Apr 2019
Alan Vaughan*
(H 37)
Nov 2016
Michael Miller*
(WD 49)
Mar 2019
John Bray
(C 38)
Dec 2018
Martin Riddle
(SH 49)
Jun 2019
Richard Griffiths*
(LH 39)
Jan 2019
Henry Tattersall
(C 49)
Sep 2019
David Cross
(M 40)
Jan 2019
Jon Carter
(Hf 51)
Aug 2019
Edward ‘Philip’ James*
(WB 40)
Jul 2018
John Vartan
(LH 51)
Apr 2019
David Boyd
(WB 41)
Aug 2019
John Baker
(WD 52)
Jun 2017
Kenneth Fisher*
(F 41)
Oct 2018
Richard Copley-Smith
(WD 52)
May 2019
Peter Reynolds
(C 41)
Jan 2019
Thomas Davidson
(Hf 52)
Jan 2019
Sir Peter Cazalet*
(M 42)
May 2019
Quintin Stewart*
(C 53)
May 2018
George ‘Barry’ Davies
(WB 42)
Mar 2019
Robin Carlyle*
(LH 54)
Jan 2018
John Faber
(LH 42)
Sep 2018
Peter Watson
(SH 54)
Nov 2018
John Hopewell*
(B 42)
Jan 2019
Richard Beharrell
(WB 55)
Dec 2017
John McMeeking
(WB 42)
Feb 2019
Allan Jeans
(SH 55)
Feb 2019
William Reynolds
(SH 42)
Nov 2018
Geoffrey Turner*
(C 55)
Oct 2018
John Bailey
(WD 43)
May 2019
George ‘Frazer’ Williams*
(LH 55)
Dec 2018
Peter Gillott
(C 43)
2019
Paul Woddis*
(H 55)
Feb 2019
Martin Oliver
(SH 43)
Nov 2018
Richard King
(C 56)
Aug 2019
John ‘Stephen’ Knox
(L 44)
May 2019
Stephen Watson
(LH 56)
Aug 2019
David Davies
(WB 45)
Apr 2019
Roger Welch
(H 56)
Feb 2019
Richard ‘Murray’ Fox
(LH 45)
Oct 2018
Thomas ‘Martin’ Blaiklock*
(F 57)
Apr 2019
Nevile Reid
(B 45)
Mar 2019
Bryan Taylor
(LH 57)
Sep 2018
Ian Sharples*
(Hf 45)
Jan 2019
Peter Ticehurst
(H 57)
Oct 2019
Malcolm ‘Mick’ Brackenbury
(B 46)
Mar 2019
Adrian Bromley*
(H 58)
Nov 2018
Archie Crawford
(WD 47)
Oct 2018
Ken Rushton
(M 58)
Feb 2019
Cecil Latham
(B 47)
Feb 2019
Millin ‘Mike’ Selby
(Hf 58)
Nov 2018
David Lee
(C 47)
Aug 2019
John Benham
(Hf 62)
Oct 2019
Michael Averdieck
(F 48)
Jul 2019
Peter Unsworth*
(F 63)
Aug 2019
Colin Frost
(M 48)
Jun 2019
James Bloor
(F 64)
Jul 2019
John ‘Stuart’ Grundy
(B 48)
Jun 2019
Peter Elliott
(C 70)
Sept 2019
Robin Raw
(L 48)
Jul 2019
Leonie Jameson*
(Fd 75)
Mar 2019
Robin Singer
(Fgh 48)
Nov 2018
Julian Rutherford
(C 76)
Jun 2019
Nicholas Sladden
(B 48)
Sep 2019
Niall Glatzel
(Hf 83)
Apr 2019
Neil Travers
(Hf 48)
Jan 2019
Joe Threlfall
(F 93)
Jan 2019
Michael Brown
(L 49)
Dec 2018
Edward ‘Ed’ Ammon
(F 95)
Apr 2019
Peter Gammon*
(WD 49)
Mar 2019
Amelia Roberts*
(L 13)
Dec 2018
* We are pleased to include obituaries supplied by family members or friends of the deceased.
26 In Memoriam
Obituaries David Riley (M 36) By his son Andrew (M 67) Rather than submit an obituary, the following is an extract from the eulogy I gave at my father’s funeral on the reason a state-educated working man sent his two boys to Uppingham! “My grandfather, David’s father, was educated at Hanson Grammar School, Bradford, and served in the West Yorkshire Regiment in Northern France in 1918. He was so impressed with officers in another regiment that he enquired about their education. He made a promise to himself that if circumstances allowed him to pay for private education for any children he might have, he would choose Uppingham.” This started a tradition of family members attending Uppingham and all in Meadhurst. There followed Michael Riley (M 41), David’s younger brother, and Michael’s sons Peter (M 69) and Christopher ‘John’ (M 74), myself Andrew (M 67) and two of my sons Sam (M 93) and George (M 94). Alan Vaughan (H 37) By his wife Frances Alan was born in 1923 and died on 10th November 2016 in hospital at Hawkhurst, Kent; we had been married for 61 years. It was 1937 when Alan went to Uppingham, a year late as, owing to TB, he had spent the earlier year in Switzerland, which was medically recommended at that time with the fresh mountain air believed to be an effective cure. From Uppingham he went up to New College, Oxford, but after just one year, he joined up with the Inniskillings (Northern Ireland Regiment) and was sent to Africa. His highlight was that he successfully climbed to the summit of Kilimanjaro. When the War was over, he returned to New College to complete his law degree. He went on to be a clerk in a Gray’s Inn firm of solicitors. After that he wanted to move to the country where he joined his brother Ralph (H 33) who was already established at a firm in Kent.
Alan is survived by his wife Frances with whom he enjoyed sailing, going to the opera and holidaying throughout their years together, he is greatly missed. Richard Griffiths (LH 39) By his son Nigel (LH 65) Richard Millward Griffiths died on 26th January 2019 at the age of 93. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in November and stoically lived on seeing friends and family until a week before he passed away. Born in Calcutta in June 1925, he started at the Dragon School in 1932, leaving for Uppingham in 1939 under PF Saunders in Lorne House. From Uppingham he went on to join the Fleet Air Arm in 1943, training as a fighter pilot. He served in the Far East, ending the War at The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAR) in Arbroath, Scotland, before going on to Oxford University in 1947 reading modern languages (French). He married Jean Pearson in December 1948 and, until the mid-1980s, continued service in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). His career started with Unilever, with postings in Paris and Brussels before returning to the UK with Wall’s Ice Cream. He then worked as Managing Director for Canada Dry UK and became the main board Personnel Director at Bass Charrington. He later became Marketing Director at Associated Biscuits until 1980 when he was appointed Southern Regional Director for the CBI where he worked until he retired in 1990. Throughout his life he retained interest in the Dragon School, Uppingham, the RNVR, Fleet Air Arm and his family. He was widowed in 2006 and during retirement was actively involved in community work. He is survived by his son Nigel (LH 65) and daughters, Susan and Claire, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Edward ‘Philip’ James (WB 40) By his son-in-law, Richard Wilson Philip was born in June 1926 in Southampton to Ena and Henry James. In 1940 Philip was sent to Uppingham, he was a Praepostor, sang in the School choir, played fives and won his colours for rugby. He disliked cross-country running, and in those days he would opt out and help in the gardens and fields to “Dig for Victory”. His first taste of military life was as an under officer in the School cadet force. He went on to serve in the School Local Defence Volunteers which later became the Home Guard. Conscription was not only for military service, one in three conscripts were sent down the mines as Bevan Boys. In 1943, not wanting to chance spending the War mining coal, Philip volunteered for the Army. He was sent for primary training to the Scots Guards camp at Lanark in Scotland and then on to Wakefield with the Royal Artillery. Having completed training, Philip was commissioned as Second Lieutenant and posted to the Far East where he served with the Royal Artillery fighting Japanesebacked insurgents. During his War service he received a shrapnel injury to his leg. The metal was not extracted and this always warranted explanation later in life at airport security checks. By Christmas 1947 Philip, now a Captain, was serving with 26th Field Regiment RA at Kuala Lumpur. In 1948, Philip applied for a peacetime commission but was not successful and so returned to England. Having been demobbed, he returned home to his parents in Dorset. In the Spring of 1949, he became a Chartered Land Agent and Chartered Surveyor, securing a six-month trial with Captain Rawlence of the Estate Office, West Borough, Wimborne.
Obituaries 27
Obituaries
While studying, Philip joined the Territorial Army serving with the Queen’s Own Dorset Yeomanry. He went on to command the regiment until it was disbanded in February 1967 and worked tirelessly for the Old Comrades’ Association of the QODY for many years. In 1957, Philip purchased the Chislet and Rawlence Land Agents. On retirement in 1990, Philip sold the company and was retained on a consultancy basis. Retirement was not to be a time of rest as he immersed himself in various voluntary work and applied himself fully to the Old Comrades’ Association. In 1997 the Dorset Yeomanry was re-raised as “A” Squadron, Royal Wessex Yeomanry. The Squadron were grateful to Philip’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the history of the QODY which became part of the new Squadron’s heritage. Philip passed away on 21st July 2018 and is survived by his wife Yvonne, his two children and four grandchildren. Kenneth Fisher (F 41) By his son John My father passed away in October 2018 after a sevenyear struggle with Alzheimer’s. He was born in 1927 in Dalton-in-Furness and, after early education at the Craig Prep School in Windermere, he started in Fircroft in May 1941. Despite the War, he had an enlightening and enjoyable four years at Uppingham. Ken had a very distinguished sporting career at school, university and beyond, representing the School at hockey, cricket and rugby and he was Captain of House and Deputy Head of School. In 1948, after a short period of National Service, he went up to St John’s College, Cambridge, to read Law and then did his articles in London, with Messrs Boxhall and Boxhall, before returning to Cumbria to join his father’s legal practice, WC Kendall and Fisher.
28 Obituaries
As well as running a successful practice until his retirement in 1991, Ken was a popular character in the community and held Chair, Trustee, Tribunal and President posts in various charities and schools and the Barrow branch of the St George’s Society. He had a great sense of humour and lived life to the full. The family home was Glenside House, Ulverston, and all his Fisher grandchildren experienced and benefited from their time at Uppingham: Victoria (L 02); Amelia (L 07); Lydia (L 09) and Henry (Fgh 08). Sir Peter Cazalet (M 42) Sir Peter Cazalet, who died in May aged 90, was a shipping man who rose to be deputy chairman of BP and to hold a broad portfolio of other corporate and public appointments. A team player in the collegiate mode of BP in his era, he combined a large, genial presence with firm leadership when needed. The eldest son of a naval officer, Peter came to Uppingham in 1942, winning the second scholarship. It was ultimately his mother’s decision to send him to the School as his father, at the time a Captain (later Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Cazalet), was away on active service at sea. Peter thrived academically and was appointed Captain of the School, before being awarded a scholarship to Magdalene College, Cambridge, in 1947, where he read Geography. Ruled out of National Service by weak eyesight, he began his career on the drycargo side of shipping and was a broker on the Baltic Exchange before joining BP in 1959. He rose to become general manager of the tanker subsidiary in 1968, establishing friendly relations with shipowners such as Aristotle Onassis and Y K Pao for whom BP was a major customer; Cazalet’s vivacious wife Jane was deployed to launch several new tankers. Next he was regional coordinator for Australasia and the Far East, before moving to the US.
His reputation as a safe pair of hands was made as president of BP North America and director of its subsidiary Standard Oil of Ohio from 1972 to 1975, leading negotiations – fraught with political beartraps – for the completion of the Trans-Alaska pipeline from the Prudhoe Bay field, which would produce more than 12 billion barrels of oil. Back in London and promoted in 1981 to chairman of BP Oil International, he argued on public platforms for the “maximum efficient rate” of exploitation of Britain’s North Sea energy assets, rather than (as favoured in parts of Whitehall) a slower rate designed to maintain national sufficiency for longer. As deputy chairman of the group from 1986 to 1989, he was the company’s respected face in the City during the difficult £7 billion sale of the Treasury’s residual BP shareholding which coincided with the Black Monday market crash in October 1987. He was knighted in 1989. Peter was also a non-executive director of De La Rue, the banknote printers, and the P & O shipping company. After BP he was chairman of APV, a manufacturer of process equipment for the food and chemical industries, which he steered towards takeover by Siebe, and deputy chairman of the engineering group GKN. He was also the first chairman of Hakluyt & Co, a corporate intelligence firm founded by former MI6 operatives, and returned to the shipping world as chairman of Seascope. Well-networked in Whitehall, Peter was entrusted with the sensitive role of chairing the Armed Forces Pay Review Board and was also a member of the Top Salaries Review Board. He was a trustee of the Wellcome Trust, honorary secretary of King George’s Fund for Sailors, president of the China Britain Trade Group, vice president of the Middle East Association and master of the Tallow Chandlers’ Company in 1991-92.
Peter was a long-serving Trustee of Uppingham from 1976 to 1994. He was a strong supporter of the School, contributing generously to appeals over many years, and a regular attendee at OU events until very recently. He was followed at Uppingham by his brothers Raymond (M 44), Adrian (M 49) and Julian (M 61), his son William (LH 81), his niece Fleur (L 05) and grandchildren Tom (M 00), George (M 02), Eloise (NH 05) and Hugo (M 07). Peter is survived by his three sons. His wife, Jane, who he married in 1957, died last year. John Hopewell (B 42) By his son Adam (L 73) John Hopewell died on 31st January this year, aged 90. He remembered fondly his years at Uppingham particularly being taught by Bryan Matthews (SH 30). Enjoying his CCF and shooting, he enlisted to complete his National Service before taking up his place at Oxford. Sadly, during his time in Palestine, he contracted TB and never returned to academia. He began working in the family furniture business, Hopewells Furnishers in Nottingham in 1949, becoming Managing Director and then Chairman before retiring in his late 70s, although keeping an active interest in the business. He was an early pioneer in the importing of Scandinavian design into post-war Britain, originally by rail. As a passionate believer in good, modern design, he remembered the excitement of the Festival of Britain, the Brussels World Fair and seeing for the first time, the Charles Eames Lounge Chair in the 1950s, and he finally bought one for himself 20 years ago. He served on various trade boards, and as a director of Green Group Furniture and was a founder member of Furniture Traders.
Ian Sharples (Hf 45) By his wife Liz After leaving Uppingham, Ian went on to Harper Adams Agricultural College, where he decided to specialise in poultry farming. He had a farm near Ruthin in North Wales, where he grew crops, but the main part of the farm was producing eggs. He lived a very full life, being area representative for the NFU for 55 years and appointed to various boards. He was a magistrate for 22 years and also a tax inspector. He had three children, two step-children, and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His last few years were dogged by serious illnesses which he bore with his usual good humour. After discharge from the cancer hospital, he spent his last 19 months bedridden in his own home. With a great view of the garden, he could direct operations from his bed! He passed away on 12th January 2019 and is survived by his wife Liz and their family. Sam Bemrose (SH 49) and Christopher Holmes-Smith (L 49) By Roger Murray (C 49) I noticed in the ‘In Memoriam’ section of the last issue that Sam Bemrose (SH 49) and Christopher HolmesSmith (L 49) had both sadly died within four months of each other in the past year. They should not pass away without proper acknowledgement and remembrance. They were surely two of Uppingham’s ‘Rugby Greats’ who were an essential pairing for the XV of 1953 and the victorious seven-a-side team of April 1954. They rank alongside other ‘greats’ from the days when Uppingham Rugby was truly famous. Chris, who also played for the English Schoolboys, was Captain of the XV coached by David Emms, who won all of their matches except for an unfortunate slip-up at Rugby School by 8 points to 10. In those days, all of the national papers
reported regularly and at length on public school matches. Hence the headlines read: “Uppingham are renowned this season for their strong and balanced outsides”; “Sedbergh were outplayed (16-0)”; “Uppingham have killing pace.” Chris at fly half was the general and tactician of the side with Sam at the centre of the tough powerhouse. The School had only won the Rosslyn Park Public School 7s once before in 1946. After 1954, when 70 schools competed, it has never happened again although the tournament endures. Coached by that popular war hero master, Stuart Taylor, the 7’s team was built around Chris and Sam. Outside them was the fast, Scottish winger, Russel Meek (L 49) and at scrum half, a nippy John Seddon (B 50). That was enough, the forwards simply had to win them enough ball. The headlines now read “Uppingham the best all round side”; “Sam gets stitched in time” (he had sustained a head wound against Clifton, the favourites in the semi-final necessitating five stitches) “The calm generalship of Holmes-Smith and the strong running of Bemrose beats Rydal 10-3 in the schools final.” Sam went on to a career in the Royal Marines where he played for the Navy, Devonport Services, The Combined Service and Northumberland. I believe Chris went out to Asia after school, probably leaving serious rugby behind. I salute them both. Peter Gammon (WD 49) Peter died peacefully at home on 27th March 2019, aged 83 years. ‘PG’, as he was affectionately referred by many, took over the running of Trevose Golf & Country Club in 1960, and over the next 50 or more years, dedicated his life to developing the Club. Peter’s larger than life character, sense of fun and immense kindness will be greatly missed by all those that knew him. He was the much-loved husband of Carolyn, father of Tania, Anthony, Nicholas and Christopher (Billy), and a beloved grandfather.
Obituaries 29
Obituaries
Michael Miller (WD 49) Michael Miller of Bethesda, Maryland, died peacefully on 28th February 2019. At Uppingham he was in West Deyne and became lifelong friends with Basil Frost (M 45) and Michael Marchbank (WD 45). He was a graduate of Yale University, and in later life attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Michael married Edith ‘Skippy’ Reigel Miller in 1955. He was in the Yale ROTC program and on graduation from college, he and Skippy travelled to Colorado Springs where he served from 1955 to 1957 in the US Army as a Lieutenant of Artillery. Michael pursued a career in real estate investment but had numerous other interests. He was an avid sailor, winning numerous races and cups. He was an enthusiastic member of the Society of the Cincinnati (where he rose to serve as Secretary General) and the Society of Colonial Wars. Michael was predeceased by his wife but survived by his children Eliza, Michael Jr, Severn, Richard ‘Dutch’ and Edith and by many beloved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Michael is remembered by his good friend Basil Frost (M 45): “When he joined West Deyne, Mike entered completely into the way of school life. He was in the Special Choir, was a Polly, played all the games and incredibly, for an American, he became the scorer for the 1st XI. He was a complete anglophile stating that the world should be ruled by the King and Winston Churchill! His affection for Uppingham lasted a lifetime, he was a generous donor and was a frequent visitor over the years, often seeing his godsons Jonathan Frost (M 81) and Charles ‘Jamie’ Boston (WD 82). Mike was a man of exceptional good manners, gentle humour and of firm Christian beliefs. He was the perfect example to his countrymen for our ‘special relationship’.”
30 Obituaries
Quintin Stewart (C 53) By Glen Barclay, for the Keepers of the Quaich Quintin Stewart joined the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) as its first Head of Legal in 1974, having previously been a partner in the Scottish legal firm of Simpson & Marwick. Up to that time the legal protection of Scotch Whisky worldwide had been handled by the Trademarks Department of The Distillers Company (DCL), the largest member of the SWA. While the work carried out by DCL lawyers had been ground-breaking and effective, it was recognised that the SWA needed its own legal department, independent of any of its members. Quintin gradually built up and trained the SWA legal team and developed the protection of Scotch Whisky in new markets where unfair competition problems occurred. He played a large part in developing the SWA into the effective trade association it became. At first meeting he appeared quiet and measured, but he had a great sense of humour and hidden talents, reflected in his communications which were highly entertaining through his way with words. He was also a good trombonist and a member of the Really Terrible Orchestra, founded by the celebrated author Alexander McCall Smith. The Orchestra was far from terrible, and their annual London show was always a sell-out. Quintin is survived by his wife Rosemary. Robin Carlyle (LH 54) By his wife Elaine Robin enjoyed his schooldays at Uppingham. He was from the Manchester area where his family had a large and successful construction company. In the sixties, Robin moved to Edinburgh where he founded his own
company and, with his determined and optimistic nature, he became involved in the fledgling oil scene in the North Sea, becoming a key supplier to several of the larger oil companies with rigs there. Later he was heavily involved in the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and became Chairman of the local Conservative Association in East Lothian. Much loved by his wife, two step-children and three step-grandsons, Robin died at home. He was a real gentleman in every sense of the word and is greatly missed. Geoffrey Turner (C 55) By his wife Petra Boekstal and John Russell Geoffrey passed away in October 2018 after a long illness, he was an expert and authority on the palace architecture of the Neo-Assyrian empire. Born in 1941 in Leicestershire, Geoffrey went to Uppingham in 1955 and always expressed his happiness about his education; especially studying Greek and Latin and making a nice piece of furniture, for which he received the first prize. In 2017, Geoffrey sent his schoolboy diaries, examination papers and school reports back to the school archive. He received a BA in 1964 in Hebrew and Assyrian Studies at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies, with additional studies in the Ancient History of Egypt and the Near East and Mesopotamian Archaeology. During his undergraduate years he enjoyed collecting unusual objects such as Roman coins, old pistols and antique books, and remained a collector his entire life. He continued his graduate studies at the Institute of Archaeology, London University, earning an MPhil in Archaeology in 1967. While preparing his thesis, Geoffrey spent 15 months working in Baghdad and Northern Iraq with the British School of Archaeology, participating in excavations at Tell al-Rimah.
Geoffrey published a series of important articles based on his excavations and research in Iraq, some of which were published in Iraq (the journal of The British Institute for the Study of Iraq) and by the British Museum. During the last 15 years, Geoffrey examined a great amount of original field notes, plans, notebooks, diaries and letters of Sir Henry Layard, Sir Henry Rawlinson and Sir Stratford Canning who were involved in the excavations at Nineveh. Those who have tried to read the often appalling handwriting in pencil and ink of these original documents will fully understand what Geoffrey accomplished. Geoffrey will be remembered for his wit and smile, gentle voice, proper dress (always in a suit), good manners, friendliness and great generosity. He was old-fashioned, with no interest in automobiles or modern inventions and he never touched a computer. One of his few concessions to modern life was his typewriter, a tool he disliked and only used to prepare the final versions of his handwritten manuscripts – a process he characterised as “four to six weeks of a continuous bad temper”. He wrote, “A pot of ink and an old-fashioned quill are far better.” Geoffrey’s latest manuscript was ready when he died and the book will be published this year by Brill University Press: ‘The British Museum’s Excavations at Nineveh 1846-1855’. Geoffrey is survived by his wife Petra Boekstal, his two adorable beagles Daisy and Milly, and a body of scholarly work that has tremendously enriched ancient Near Eastern studies. George ‘Frazer’ Williams (LH 55) By his wife Ann Frazer died on 28th December 2018, aged 76. At Uppingham, music competitions, the Special Choir and hockey played a more significant part than academic achievement. However, he matriculated into Trinity College, Dublin, where he met, and later married, Ann and gained a medal for oratory, represented the university at hockey and graduated with an MA.
Two years at Cuddesdon Theological College followed, before ordination and curacies in Bradford and Shrewsbury. For six years he had two parishes in Shropshire and was officiating chaplain to RAF Shawbury. Twenty-seven years in parishes in the Black Country followed, and he retired in 2007 as Rural Dean and a Prebendary of Lichfield Cathedral, after 40 years’ ministry. Retirement in Shrewsbury brought a return to choral singing and part-time ministry. Throughout his life as a priest, he belonged to the same Cuddesdon cell group as Anthony Russell (M 56). Paul Woddis (H 55) By his sister Carole
Paul was born in Nottingham, the eldest child of psychiatrist Keith Woddis and Dorice. He made many friends at Uppingham including one who was to prove to be his staunchest, lifelong friend, Robin Grove-White (WB 54). To anyone who knew Paul in his early years, he cut an extraordinarily handsome and charismatic figure. A passionate, lifelong enthusiast of classical music, his knowledge was deep, as was his love of languages, especially French and Spanish. He also spoke Italian and German. Following Uppingham and after a short sabbatical in Brussels, he gained an Exhibition to Oxford (Brasenose, 1959-63) where he read Modern Languages and gained a 2nd class degree (although he always felt he would have gained a First had his viva been on his beloved Proust rather than Balzac, of whom he was less enamoured!). It was at Oxford where he met his beautiful wife, Helena Wills. They married in May 1963 and, later that year, Paul joined one of Britain’s leading multi-nationals, Reckitt & Colman, as a graduate trainee. He spent 18 years with the company, all overseas, first as Marketing Director in Venezuela (Valencia and Caracas) and then Argentina (Buenos Aires) during the period of unrest under the Military Junta. In December 1976, he returned to Europe as CEO in France.
Working abroad offered rich experiences. He was especially devoted to France and in Argentina became an enthusiastic tango dancer! Rugby and horse racing were also abiding interests, the latter since schooldays when he began to study stock and breeding in which he became an expert. Eventually leaving Reckitt & Colman in 1981, he joined Cussons UK as Managing Director in their Cheshire offices. Later he performed the same duties for Sanofi Winthrop and retired as the outgoing Chairman when they became Elf Sanofi. Paul and Helena settled in Weybridge, Surrey, before finally moving to Suffolk in 2011 where he died on 15th February 2019 at The Orwell Care Home in Ipswich, aged 78. He will be much missed by his many friends who knew and loved him for his energy, his humour, his international and intellectual breadth and his generosity of spirit. He is survived by his wife, Helena, his children Justin (C 78), Hugo (C 79) and Katharine (J 88); his five grandchildren and by his sister, Carole. Thomas ‘Martin’ Blaiklock (F 57) By his wife Lesley Born in Newcastle in November 1943, Martin was the son of a doctor. He followed his older brother Michael (F 51) to Uppingham in 1956, enjoying his time in Fircroft, under the kindly eye of housemaster Corry Cavell and his wife, Mary. As well as the academic life, Martin took every opportunity to participate in sporting activities, most notably hockey, tennis and cricket. In 1962 he went up to Keble College, Oxford, as an Exhibitioner in Chemistry, afterwards working for a few years for Royal Dutch Shell before concluding that petrochemicals was not for him. He returned to academia, taking an MBA at Manchester Business School. This led him into the world of merchant banking and projects, working for Kleinwort Benson, The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking
Obituaries 31
Corporation (HSBC) and The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). His working life took him throughout Europe, South East Asia, the Middle East and South America and for four years he lived in Caracas, Venezuela, leaving him with a lifelong passion for Latin American culture and Spanish. In 1995 Martin became an independent consultant on project finance, until illness intervened in February of this year. In addition, he taught project finance in over 40 countries. Martin married the cellist, Lesley Shrigley Jones, in 1981 and they had two children. Music was a thread which ran through Martin’s life, sparked by the concerts at Uppingham, and he was never happier than when listening to music. Always a keen sportsman, he latterly developed his talents as a hockey umpire. Martin succumbed to pancreatic cancer on 2nd April, a final battle fought with courage, humour and wisdom. The distinctions of his banking career was marked by an obituary in the Financial Times. Adrian Bromley (H 58) By Bruce Macmillan (H 59) Adrian Bromley, 1963 with The Bromley Cup for Two Miles, The Overs Sports Champion Cup and The One Mile Cup
Adrian died on the 25th November 2018 after a long battle against myloma; he was the son of Adrian C W Bromley (H 32). Adrian had an enjoyable and successful time at Uppingham. He became a School Polly and House Captain of The Hall and was an outstanding sportsman. Although not particularly tall or heavy, he was an aggressive lock forward in the 1st XV. However, it was his running ability that stood out – being a stalwart of the cross-country VIII in 1962 and 1963.
32 Obituaries
Together with William Fulton (C 58), they dominated the inter-school competitions. Adrian’s preference was middle distance on the track and he captained the athletics team in 1962 and 1963 winning the Mile Cup in both years and also leading The Hall to win the Medley Relay in 1961 and 1962. On leaving Uppingham, Adrian went first to Lampeter then Keele University, from where he graduated in 1970 with a First Class Honours Degree in English and French. He immediately started to work for ICI where he remained for his entire working life. He spent time in various divisions of what was then a diverse company and lived in Germany and Brazil. His final post was CEO of Chemicals and Polymers until his retirement in 1998. In 1968 Adrian married Shelagh, the sister of Bruce Macmillan (H 59). They had three children: Paul, Andrew and Catherine. The marriage was dissolved in 1990. On his retirement, Adrian went to live in France, where he married Christianne Touya, who shared Adrian’s interest in international travel, cycling, art (which they studied together at the Sorbonne) and French cuisine. Throughout all his varied life and career, Adrian kept in touch with several of his friends from Uppingham, by whom he will be greatly missed as he will by all his family and many other friends and colleagues. Peter Unsworth (F 63) By Dennis Watson (M 76) Peter was a versatile all-rounder at school who made many lasting friends. Contemporaries still recall the concert in Hall by his four-piece rock band and his virtuoso drum solo which ‘raised the roof ’. On leaving school Peter trained and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor and practised at the family firm, George Unsworth and Son, in Manchester for over 40 years. He was an accomplished golfer and a lifelong member of Royal Birkdale Golf Club. He was also a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. Peter played in the OUGS Halford Hewitt team
between 1974 and 1997 and also played in the Grafton Morrish and Queen Elizabeth trophies. He was Captain of RBGC in 1987, served on many R&A committees and boards and was Captain of the OUGS in 2013. Later the same year he became Chairman of the R&A Championship Committee. In this latter capacity he organised many championships including Opens at Royal Liverpool, St Andrews and Royal Troon and was instrumental in the return of The Open to Royal Portrush this year for the first time since 1951. His love and huge knowledge of golf were complemented by his unflappable temperament and innovative thinking. His advice was much sought after, down to his approachability, his wisdom and his joie de vivre. Throughout all this he was supported by his wife Sandra. They shared a love of many things including the theatre and entertaining. Those who found themselves seated near him at the OU London Dinner always enjoyed the evening the more for having been in his company. In late 2017 Peter learnt he had been diagnosed with cancer. He was goodhumoured throughout and attended as many functions and events as he could. Although he was unable to attend the Open at Royal Portrush this summer he followed play closely from his home in Birkdale. Sandra survives him as do his children, Natalie and Guy. His many friends came from far and wide for his Thanksgiving Service on the 23rd September. It was a day of immense sadness, but which was tempered by the joy of having known him. How he will be missed. Leonie Jameson (Fd 75) By Anthony Trace (WB 72) Every now and then a person is born who changes one’s life: Leonie was such a person. Leonie lit up any room that she entered. She had an infectious laugh. She was charming. She was beautiful. She was a shining light and leaves us in a darker world. I miss her deeply.
I first met her at Uppingham, founded, as is well-known, as long ago as 1584 by Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth 1. I think that Queen Elizabeth 1 would have approved of Leonie, both ladies being vibrant, humorous and surrounded by many admirers. Leonie was one of the first girls at Uppingham, joining Fairfield in 1975. All the boys immediately wanted to be in Leonie’s circle, and Leo (as we used to call her) was very much the centre of attention. I have many memories of those happy days, but I think my favourite memory was when a group of us bunked off school during A Levels and, following the membership of Eoin Slavin (WB 75) of The Pooh Sticks Society, we went down to the river, getting right into the river, following our Pooh Sticks. Can one imagine doing that today?! I had Ancient History A Level the next day, which I did with terrible sunburn. Leonie looked stunning that day – she was a classic “English Rose”. From Uppingham, it was inevitable, given her academic qualities and her other talents, that she would go up to Cambridge University – she was a very strong intellectual and it was fitting that she went to King’s College, which had strong connections with many famous intellectuals in the past. Leonie fitted right in from the start and entered into Cambridge life with gusto: she was a great thinker; she made intellectual conversation; and she socialised widely. I was lucky enough to be included in her inner circle and I well remember toasting crumpets on the open gas fire in her room. It was all very much a case of “The Glittering Prizes”. She was one of the Cambridge greats, and Cambridge has lost one of its brightest alumni. She had a great gift for friendship and love. She gave of herself to all her family and friends, and we shall always hold a part of her in our hearts. In later life, Leonie went on to be a very talented, and distinguished, film producer, working primarily in television documentaries for all of the UK’s major channels. Programmes included Royals and Reptiles, which she also directed, Sleaze, The Bible: A History and Web of Lies.
Leonie bore her debilitating illness with dignity and fortitude. She died peacefully at home on 13th March 2019, surrounded by family and friends. Amelia Roberts (L 13) By her father Hamish Amelia Florence Astley Roberts was born in July 1997. She was the middle sister to Lily (L 11) and Kitty (L 16) and granddaughter of Timothy Roberts (WB 46). Amelia joined Uppingham, as did both her sisters, for the Sixth Form. The decision to go to a boarding school was an exciting one and Amelia embraced the opportunity with gusto, quickly getting stuck into school life and, from the security of The Lodge, she made many friends. She got involved with theatre productions backstage, politics trips to Washington DC, the Chapel Choir, including a tour of Asia, and the Lacrosse team where she ended up with the captaincy of the School XII. She loved her singing and lacrosse, taking her passion for the latter with her to university where she was also Team Captain. She completed her gold Duke of Edinburgh award whilst at the School and packed a huge amount into her life at Uppingham, all whilst studying for her A levels. In her gap year she took herself to the jungles of Borneo with Raleigh International where she helped erect solar panels for a village and build a suspension bridge across a ravine. She was really proud that she didn’t have a bath for three months!
Her arrival at Uppingham coincided with the diagnosis of epilepsy. The School were incredibly supportive as we all (in conjunction with her medical team) attempted to bring her fits under control with the use of drugs. Stephan and Kyi Müller were house parents of The Lodge whilst she was in the Lower Sixth, handing over to Alex and Kate BoydWilliams for the Upper Sixth. As a family, we thank them all for the love and support they gave Amelia as she tried to get to grips with her condition. Amelia wasn’t embarrassed about her condition, and never complained, despite the drugs greatly affecting her ability to concentrate. Amelia managed to secure a place at Portsmouth University studying Criminology. Whilst at university she kept in touch with her Uppingham friends despite great distances between their respective universities. She was a happy, plucky, selfless girl of whom we were immensely proud. She was greatly loved by many and clearly had an effect on anyone she met. People loved trying to keep up with her as she rambled through a long story that could have been told in a quarter of the time! She died suddenly at home on 20th December 2018. We are thankful that she didn’t suffer and was with her family. Amelia left her brain to the Epilepsy Society for research. In Amelia’s memory, the family are raising money for the Epilepsy Society via JustGiving; search ‘In Amelia’s memory’ for details.
Amelia was a very funny, kind, gentle, passionate and hard-working girl. She mixed with everyone and avoided cliques. She had a penchant for dressing up in fancy dress costumes at parties, the more outrageous the outfit the better.
We are immensely grateful to those OUs who have remembered the School in their will. Their support will provide opportunities for less-advantaged children to attend Uppingham and further improve our facilities. If you are considering leaving a legacy to Uppingham, please email Amy Hayward-Paine at ahp@uppingham.co.uk.
Obituaries 33
Staff Remembered Geoff Frowde
By Stephen Fry (F 70)
Geoff Frowde at the London OU Dinner in 1997
It might seem strange for an old boy to write a glowing eulogy for a housemaster who once expelled him from house and school, but while I would fight anyone for the title of most annoying, intolerable and troublesome Old Uppinghamian in postwar history, I would never for a second claim that Uppingham School and G C Frowde of Fircroft in particular, were anything other than forbearing, patient, understanding and close to saintly in their treatment of me.
Geoff Frowde passed away peacefully in hospital just before Easter. He was a member of the Common Room from 1953 to 1988 and a much respected and admired Housemaster of Fircroft from 1962 to 1977. A Londoner by birth, Geoff arrived in Uppingham in 1953 by way of Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, the Royal Artillery, where he won the Sword of Honour at the Gunner OCTU (Officer Cadet Training Units) and Merton College, Oxford, where he read Modern History and represented his college at rugby, cricket and tennis. After a term’s teaching practice at Uppingham, he was appointed as a permanent member of staff for the following September. Over the next 35 years – a span interrupted only by a Fulbright Scholarship to America in 1956 and a sabbatical world tour in 1982 – his teaching career covered everything from School Certificate to GCSE and Henry V to Harold Wilson. Geoff served in the CCF for 14 years and, as it’s commanding officer for four, achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He took regular groups on adventure training and CCF parties to the ski slopes of Scotland and Norway. He supervised cricket leagues for many years and was a stalwart of Common Room tennis and theatre. He produced three staff plays and well over 100 editions of the Uppingham Magazine over a period of 31 years. In 1957, Geoff married Liz and they had three children, Alastair (LH 75), Tessa (Fd 79) and Jeremy (LH 80). The couple ran Fircroft for 15 years and both worked immensely hard to establish a happy house, with a no-nonsense, cheerful and optimistic approach, often accompanied in the classroom by his beloved dogs, first Jester, then Punch.
34 Staff Remembered
Geoffrey Frowde was filled with qualities which are perhaps these days undervalued and seem more than ever in short supply. He was honourable, modest, unassuming, gentle and unostentatious. He ran Fircroft with fatherly kindliness. When I arrived in 1970 it was still an all-male world where servants waited on the boys at mealtimes, junior boys fagged and house pollies administered corporal punishment. I know, it sounds positively Victorian. But there again, plenty of the boys grew their hair as long as they possibly could, played Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin as loud as they could, smoked behind the fives courts as often as they could, attempted to befriend village girls as assiduously as they could, drank beer in pubs as greedily as they could and in all ways presented Geoffrey with ‘Problems’.
Howell Griffiths Howell Griffiths, member of the Common Room from 1959 to 1968 and Housemaster of West Bank 1966 to 1968, died on 13th September 2019. He joined Uppingham after working as a Personnel Manager for ICI, he’d read Economics and Law at Cambridge, an uncommon background for a School master but both were to be strengths in his academic contribution. Another motive behind his appointment was that he should take over from David Emms as Master in Charge of Rugby. He was passionate about the sport, he won his Blue at wing three-quarter at Cambridge and played for Swansea, the Glamorgan County XV and Rosslyn Park. His first year of coaching saw the Colts XV with an unbroken record – and the same thing happened in 1961 in his second year running the 1st XV. In all, he ran the Rugby for seven seasons from 1960-66. In 1966, Howell was appointed Housemaster of West Bank, succeeding Ted Kendall’s 32 years of tenure there. Although only remaining for two years, he left a firm impression on the house.
Michael Holman
Such 60s and 70s youth folly sometimes bewildered, often amused and occasionally distressed him, and he dealt with such infractions as generously as he could. The only thing for which he had zero tolerance was bullying. There was absolutely none that I knew of at Fircroft in my two and half action-packed years there, but there was a rumour of an incident some time before I came: Frowde’s explosive fury with the bully had apparently been a thing to strike terror in the heart of all who witnessed it.
We are sorry to report that Michael Holman passed away on Monday 23rd September, aged 82. Michael was the School’s organist and member of the Music Department from 1966-1994.
Geoffrey and his wife Elizabeth put more effort into pastoral care than into discipline and put a higher value on the happiness of the boys in their charge than on their academic results. I cannot speak about him in the form-room, for he never had the horrible experience of teaching me, but I know that he was a superb historian whose keen intellectual mind was always at the service of his grateful pupils. I never heard of anyone – boy, master or muggle – who had a bad word to say for him. Vale domine, farewell Geoffrey and thank you.
Charlie Menzies, our former Head Porter, passed away in July. He would have been a familiar face to many OUs, a dedicated and characterful member of staff whom many will remember fondly. Charlie retired from the School less than four years ago. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Heather, former Matron of Meadhurst, and their family.
Charlie Menzies
Gordon Braddy After joining Uppingham as a young man in 1956, Gordon became an inspirational English master as well as Housemaster of Constables from 1964 until 1979. On leaving the School he remained in Uppingham in his latter years and saw a regular stream of his former pupils who were always delighted to spend time with him. Gordon passed away in June after a lengthy illness, and the tributes to him flooded in. By Tim Montagon (an excerpt from the eulogy at Gordon’s funeral) After attending Taunton School, Gordon was offered a place at Oxford but, before starting his degree, he was called up to the Royal Navy. At this time, Hitler was on the back foot but undefeated, and the Admiralty thought that Gordon might be able to help out. While plying a foggy course from Portsmouth to Southampton, Sub Lt Braddy lost sight of the ships ahead of him in the flotilla – thus giving rise to a signal as notorious in naval annals as Nelson’s is famous. “Follow me,” the Aldis flashed at the ships behind on Gordon’s instruction, “I know a short cut!” The cliffs at Ventnor have never been quite the same. Having no wish to prolong the war, the Admiralty hastened Gordon’s departure to St John’s College, Oxford, where Gordon gained a degree in History. After a brief stint teaching at a Prep School. Gordon moved on to experience a short spell teaching in Australia. Asked by an antipodean colleague the purpose of his stay, Gordon – in the unique way he had of endearing himself to colleagues everywhere – replied: “It does a human being good,” he said, “to spend two years in the wilderness.” Then came news from a former Taunton contemporary. There was a vacancy, wrote Bill Pickering, at Uppingham, which Gordon would fit. Arriving as a teacher of History, Gordon shortly manipulated those twin qualities that are the very essence of every public school headmaster, tyranny and whimsy, to emerge from Martin Lloyd’s study as a teacher of English – much to the astounded consternation of the then head of English.
We are delighted to share some excerpts from some of the many tributes received after Gordon’s passing. Further recollections are available to read on the OU website. Gordon in 1999
1977 – Lise and Gordon Braddy
Under the perhaps unamused but bronzed gaze of Queen Victoria, Gordon’s lessons were original, imaginative and inspirational. Macbeth was a favourite play and Gordon a talented director of plays. Twelfth Night, Othello, All My Sons also figured in his extensive repertory, helping to develop a few into actors and in others a lifelong love of the theatre. Gordon was himself, however, a totally useless actor. So, “What on earth in the 1960s was he doing on an acting course which also included a very beautiful Norwegian actress there to improve her English?”, we might well want to ask ourselves – or perhaps not! The ensuing partnership undoubtedly enhanced Gordon’s housemastering in Constables. Lise’s visits between starring roles on the Scandinavian stage added lightness and glamour to the cultivation of sensibilities, art and civilisation that Gordon worked so hard on and so successfully. In 1979 Gordon and Uppingham School and Gordon and Lise parted ways, but for the rest of his life the links in either direction were never entirely severed. It was Socrates who said “an unexamined life is not worth living” and Gordon’s life was entirely worth living. For he was probably at his most stimulating when encouraging us to question what it is to be human, what our place is within humanity. Such encouragement will, I suspect, be his lasting legacy. The rest of us can, with affection, picture Gordon in his deckchair, a glass of wine at his side, enjoying what he would call his “sense of place”, where the lawn sweeps down to the little brook behind his house as the evening shadows lengthen.
Guy Zitter (C 67) Gordon was a remarkable and caring Housemaster. His patience and humour were tested to the limit, and I remain indebted to him for all of his efforts on my behalf. A significant part of my life, and any success within it, is down to him.” Patrick Barlow (Fgh 60) The plays were the thing. His plays saved my life. We were liberated through his plays and his love affair with theatre. When we rehearsed with Gordon, all life’s woes were forgotten. He was my hero.”
Nicholas Lumley (Hf 68) Very sad news, he was an inspirational teacher and probably one of the reasons I am a professional actor.” Nick Hannah (C 64) The boys were in awe of Gordon’s intellect and his awesome ability as a teacher who did not suffer fools gladly but was always kind and gentle. I think he embodied all that was good about that time, encouraging my generation to question the status quo and be free. RIP.”
Staff Remembered 35
THE MANGO TREE TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF AFRICAN ORPHANS By Willie Fulton (C 58)
I
n June 2003, I retired as a trustee of the School, having served for the previous 16 years. I realised that, at that time, rather more than half the School had not been born when I had first become a trustee. But the other reason was that I needed to create some time in order to establish our new fledgling charity, The Mango Tree Orphan Support Programme.
My wife, Gail, and I had worked as VSOs in Tanzania in the late 1960s. We had come to love the country and knew that we wanted to return later in our lives to give something back, as we had learned so much from our VSO experience. Through my involvement with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, I became very aware of the devastating effects of the HIV/Aids pandemic, which was gripping much of sub-Saharan Africa in the 1990s. It was time to act, as the traditional African extended family networks could no longer cope. With the encouragement and support of our step-nephew, Bob Dowson (LH 87), we started, having identified an area of very high HIV prevalence in Kyela in the south-west of the country. As I retired from the trustee body, the School very generously offered to support our work by establishing The Mango Tree as the School’s core charity. At that stage, we had hardly raised a bean! In that first year, the School raised about £39k and sent a team of students to help build our centre in Tanzania, led by Nic Merrett and Jerry Rudman. In subsequent years, Nic led a further three expeditions to Tanzania and Kenya, which included climbs of Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru. In 2006, we started a second communitybased orphan project in western Kenya, close to the shore of Lake Victoria in an area with the highest HIV rate in the country. The trustee body of The Mango Tree has always had a strong Uppinghamian
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membership. Bob Dowson was one of our founding trustees and was soon joined by Paddy Moser (WD 91), who was our treasurer for many years. Nic Merrett also came onto the board. More recently Ben Rudman (WD 90) and Giles Harrison (WD 87) have become trustees. But the really astonishing part of our association with Uppingham has been the magnificent financial support, which several generations of students, parents, staff, family and friends of the School have provided for us over the last 16 years. Each boarding house has an annual target to raise £750 for us and this has been more than achieved with an average of £24.4k per annum being raised by the School over this time. In addition, we have had some exceptionally generous OUs, who together have donated over £1.65 million in sums both large and small. This makes the total raised, so far, from Uppingham sources to be just over £2 million. We are really most grateful, as this represents just over a quarter of all the funds we have raised in the UK over this period. This has enabled us to educate over 25,000 young people in Tanzania and Kenya. Many did not qualify for secondary school, but still had an education, which they would not otherwise have received. Several thousand continued into secondary school and over two thousand have continued into tertiary education. We have produced several doctors (with one now specialising), nurses, dentists, civil and electrical engineers, accountants, lawyers, bankers, an actuary, architects and many hundreds of teachers. We have also trained many thousands in other much-needed vocational skills from masons, carpenters, motor mechanics, drivers and welders to hairdressers, tailors, hotel management staff and caterers. The Mango Tree is an extended family and many of our qualified alumni are contributing back into The Mango Tree as donors. In 2012, we completed the building of a vocational training college in Kyela at a total cost of £1.25 million, largely thanks to the
Orphans at a secondary school in Tanzania
Willie Fulton (C 58)
This has enabled us to educate over 25,000 young people in Tanzania and Kenya...”
generosity of the Samworth family, who have also supported our current venture, which is the building of a girls’ boarding secondary school in Kenya. We expect this will open in January 2021. Over 3,000 Uppinghamians have helped us raise the money and have gained an understanding of this dreadful human catastrophe. Over 50 boys and girls have visited our projects, either on school parties or as GAP year or undergraduate volunteers. We hope that this association will continue and develop further as the new girls’ school will create more opportunities for these placements.
Electrical engineering students
The Mango Tree has never been about giving hand-outs, but we have always been about working with these communities to help them help themselves. So we have been giving them hand-ups! HIV is still a major problem in the areas where we are working, but, thanks to readily accessible anti-retroviral drugs, parents remain living so very few orphans are now being created. Therefore, we are gradually reducing our levels of support in these communities, but we still have about 3,000 students, who we will see through to the end of their education over the coming 12 years. In order to achieve this, we will require to raise an additional £450k over the next five years. This will mark a significant milestone for The Mango Tree and the completion of its core work. The Mango Tree has transformed the lives of very many thousands of orphans, who were otherwise destined for a life of poverty as subsistence farmers. But none of this would have been achieved without the magnificent support of so many boys, girls, parents, friends, staff and OUs for which we remain very, very grateful. It is a truly remarkable achievement for the Uppingham community to have played such a pivotal role in transforming so many lives. Thank you Uppingham. www.themangotree.org
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Stories from OUs in Medicine T
aking on a career in medicine is a huge commitment, it takes around 10 years to train as a GP (including medical school) and an additional five to eight years training in a chosen specialty. With an ageing population and increasing pressure on the NHS to meet the diverse needs of people in existing and future communities, we talked to some OU doctors about their experiences to get an insight into one of the most demanding professions out there.
Most of medicine is about being human and compassionate, as well as being able to communicate and work well under pressure in a team.”
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Katie Miller (Fd 03): First Year Registrar A science enthusiast from an early age, you could say Katie has medicine in her blood. With two parents as doctors, she says it was almost inevitable that she would follow in their footsteps. Katie is currently a first-year registrar in general surgery, working in the East of England region. She graduated from the University of Nottingham just over five years ago and spent two years in the South West for foundation training, followed by two years of core surgical training at Bedford Hospital. It is the diversity of the discipline which appealed to Katie and is perhaps why she chose to specialise in general surgery – one of the two largest surgical specialties in the UK (the other one being trauma and orthopaedics). General surgery is a wide-ranging surgical specialty which requires broad knowledge and skills to perform surgery, often in emergency situations. It is also where you’ll find 31% of the country’s consultant surgeons. “Medicine is a wonderful and unique career with such a diverse range of specialties to choose from, as well as the opportunity to combine your clinical work with roles in education, research or management,” says Katie. “Work at times can, however, be challenging and stressful, so deciding whether medicine is for you is an extremely important step. I spent a lot of time talking with my parents about the different pros and cons of the job, as well as spending some invaluable work experience at hospitals around the region to sample a flavour of the day-to-day work of a medic.” Regular workshop sessions with Mr de Wet and Dr Bodily during her time at Uppingham helped Katie to prepare for the application and interview process for medical school.
Harriet Morton (Fd 03): Teaching West African doctors Harriet, who has just finished her basic anaesthetic and intensive care training, had a similar experience, thanking Mr de Wet for reading her personal statement a dozen times and helping her with interview practice. Instead of starting her first year as a registrar, Harriet is taking some time out from her training to work abroad. She will spend three months in Senegal to facilitate the implementation of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Safe Surgical Checklist, which was developed to decrease errors and adverse events, and increase teamwork and communication in surgery. The WHO’s aim is for safe and affordable surgery to be available to everyone worldwide. Harriet will be able to put her training into practice, teaching doctors in the West African country, and improving safety for everyone having surgery. After this, she is going to Costa Rica with Raleigh International as one of their Medics/Project Managers for three months. There, she will be looking after 18 to 25-year-olds doing community development, sustainability projects and trekking in the Costa Rican jungle. “I will at some point return to the North East of England and finish my anaesthetics training,” she says. “The aim with these roles in the meantime is to develop personally and professionally, and to build up experience that will stand me in good stead for a career in medicine and anaesthesia in remote and austere environments, whether that is in the humanitarian field or the expedition world.” It was the opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives which first attracted Harriet to the discipline. Whilst she admits that real life differs from the medical TV dramas she was fond of growing up, she says the reality is even better.
“Most of medicine is about being human and compassionate, as well as being able to communicate and work well under pressure in a team. I’ve chosen anaesthesia as a career because I am a bit of a nerd and love how much science is used right in front of you every day, but it is also the biggest team-working environment and is incredibly diverse, varied and fun.” With the country’s changing demography to an increasingly elderly population and patient expectations creating a rapid trend towards more personalised and community-based healthcare, there are mounting challenges facing the NHS. Harriet has only been in the profession for seven years and has already noticed huge differences even in that time frame. There is a shortage of nursing staff, difficulties in primary care have a big knock-on effect to practice in hospitals, and the ageing population presents more complex patients often suffering from multiple health complaints (co-morbidities). This, she says, has also cast a spotlight on the wellbeing of the staff. “I think we’ve started recognising the importance of looking after our own health and wellbeing, to allow us to continue caring for other people’s. Although there is often talk in the media about the low morale of the NHS, we also take one day at a time and treat what is in front of us. We forge close relations with our co-workers and don’t lose sight of the bigger picture, remembering that even on our worst day we will have still affected someone’s life in a positive way.” Medicine is a career which offers broad options. From specialised hospital-based disciplines, such as cardiothoracic surgery and neurosurgery, through specialties with less direct patient involvement like pathology and radiology, to those where direct doctor-patient interaction is key – psychiatry and general practice.
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Annie Broadhurst (J 00), Clinical Perfusion Scientist and Rana Sayeed (LH 80), Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Rana Sayeed (LH 80): Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon Rana believes that there is a suitable career for everyone. “Whatever your personality, interests or aptitude, even though studying, training and working in medicine is challenging and demanding, the doctor-patient relationship remains deeply rewarding and is worth the effort,” he says. Since 2007, Rana has been a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the Oxford Heart Centre. He explains, “Cardiothoracic surgery involves the surgical treatment of diseases of the heart and lungs – most commonly coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, and lung cancer.” Rana’s area of focus is on the heart. He describes cardiothoracic surgery as ‘busy’ and ‘complex’ and believes the life-anddeath nature of the discipline has protected them somewhat from the most severe funding cuts. “Nonetheless, we are working close to the capacity of the service – intensive care and ward beds, nurses to maintain safe staffing levels, and junior doctors to cover their weekly rota – and our elective patients, waiting for surgery with angina
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and breathlessness, suffer the consequences with cancelled or postponed operations and longer waiting lists,” he says. Like Katie, Rana grew up in a medical family, with his father working as a GP in Leicester for 40 years. For as long as he can remember, he knew he would become a doctor. During his time at Uppingham, it was Mr Sellick whose guidance shaped Rana’s interest in biology. “He taught me to write essays,” Rana recalls. “Biology was the only science A level in which essays were still required and good essay-writing technique was important for medical school exams in those days. “My housemaster, David Gaine, suggested that I should apply to Cambridge and kindly took me to see the Admissions Tutor at Caius, his alma mater; fortunately Caius was also one of the best colleges to study medicine and I enjoyed a formative three years there, before three clinical years at Oxford.” It was by chance that Rana found his calling in cardiothoracic surgery, with an early interest in orthopaedic surgery. “Two years after graduation from medical school, I spent six months as a senior house officer at the unit where I now work, working under two extremely talented cardiac
surgeons,” he remembers. “During a fateful week that October, I decided to pursue a career in the discipline and propose to my then girlfriend, now wife of 25 years!” Life as a cardiac surgeon is certainly busy and varied for Rana, focused on complex heart operations including coronary artery bypass grafting for angina, valve repairs or replacements for leaking or narrowed valves. “Even though I usually operate on two full days every week, I only treat four patients weekly and have few in-patients under my care. The rest of my week is spent dealing with almost endless admin, daily ward rounds, and in the outpatient clinic, seeing new referrals for surgery and follow-ups six weeks after an operation. “I also have a weekly clinic at Oxford and a monthly clinic at Cheltenham. I supervise and teach my registrar and occasionally teach medical students from Oxford and elsewhere. I work very closely with another OU, Annie Broadhurst (J 00) at the Oxford Heart Centre. Annie is a Clinical Perfusion Scientist (or perfusionist). A perfusionist operates the heart-lung (cardiopulmonary bypass) machine that takes over the work of the heart and lungs during heart surgery allowing the surgeon to operate on an arrested heart.
Medicine is a wonderful and unique career with such a diverse range of specialties to choose from, as well as the opportunity to combine your clinical work with roles in education, research or management.”
Modern heart surgery would not be possible without the heart-lung machine to support the patient’s circulation during the procedure. Away from the hospital, Rana is also involved in surgical training and examinations. He is a member of the Specialty Advisory Committee that is responsible for the training of heart and lung surgeons. He is also chair of the Intercollegiate Specialty Board that sets the final exam that all heart and lung surgeons must pass towards the end of their training before becoming eligible to become a consultant. Professor Ava Kwong (Fd 88): first female council member at the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong As a leading breast surgeon and the first female council member at the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong, Ava similarly leads a busy and influential life. After leaving Uppingham in 1988, she gained her medical science degree from St Andrew’s University, and completed her medical degree at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College, London, followed by further studies at Stanford University, USA, and the University of Hong Kong. Her PhD thesis explored breast cancer genetics in the Chinese population, and this has
remained her area of focus, seeking to understand why many Asian women with breast and ovarian cancer are younger than Caucasian women and the discovery of Chinese specific founder mutations which led to her various awards. Ava founded the Hong Kong Hereditary Breast Cancer Family Registry in 2007, to support underprivileged families in Hong Kong with genetic testing for families at risk of breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. The Registry also supports drug treatment which is specific for mutation carriers and high risk screening programmes to aim for earlier diagnosis of breast cancer which will translate to better prognosis. Earlier this year, Ava became the first female full clinical professor in surgery in
Hong Kong, she serves on a number of cancer-related committees at the Health Bureau, for the Government of Hong Kong, participating in decisions on breast screening, cancer genetics and cancer research; and in November this year, she will be receiving The Uccio Querci della Rovere Award from BASO-The Association for Cancer Surgery. If you are working in the medical profession and would like to share your story, please contact us at ou@uppingham.co.uk. If you would like any guidance on becoming a medic, please also feel free to get in touch.
Our thanks to the contributors to this feature… From L-R: Harriet Morton (Fd 03); Katie Miller (Fd 03); Ava Kwong (Fd 88) with Mr Daniel Yu, her endowed sponsor and to Annie Broadhurst (J 00) and Rana Sayeed (LH 80) pictured above
Feature 41
MAKING WAVES IN BUSINESS A FEATURE ON OU ENTREPRENEURS – PART II Our last issue of OU featured a series of articles on entrepreneurs making waves in business and we are delighted to showcase more amazing companies set up by OUs who are paving the way to success by following their passions. Headed up by Sir Charles Dunstone (LH 78), Executive Chairman of TalkTalk Telecom, former chairman of the electronics retailer, Dixons Carphone, and knighted for services to industry and philanthropy in 2012, we interviewed Sir Charles who was pleased to share his insights into life as an entrepreneur. Are people born entrepreneurial or can it be learned? I think it is something you have to have an instinct for. The most important qualities are being rebellious, inquisitive and determined. As a dyslexic, my inability to concentrate on one thing very long is also very helpful. Having a good idea often seems like the easy bit, but how do you take a good idea and make it commercially successful? You have to really believe in it, be incredibly persistent in fighting for it, but adaptable enough to change and modify it along the way. What are the secrets of attracting investment and growing businesses? Make sure you always try to work with the minimum possible investment. Every pound you take, dilutes your ownership and, if you are not careful, you’ll end up doing all the work for the benefit of others. Have you made mistakes in business; how did you learn from them? You never stop making mistakes, hopefully you get slightly more things right than wrong. If you’re not making any mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough. How do you motivate yourself and your employees to strive for success? Everyone has to believe in the mission and enjoy being part of the team. What are you working on now that really excites you? Most exciting are the young businesses that we are incubating to scale. Exciting ideas and passionate people running them. What’s the one thing you would say to someone who wanted to open and grow their own business? Do you really want it? It’s incredibly hard work and often lonely. It takes your entire life over. You have to be totally committed to the mission.
42 OU Entrepreneurs
I think it is something you have to have an instinct for. The most important qualities are being rebellious, inquisitive and determined.”
OU Entrepreneurs 43
MAKING WAVES IN BUSINESS A FEATURE ON OU ENTREPRENEURS – PART II
Guild Ashley Friedlein (C 85) has founded two businesses from scratch. The first, Econsultancy, started in 1999 and was sold to Centaur Media plc in 2012. Econsultancy advises marketing professionals on digital marketing. His second business, Guild, went live at the end of 2018 and is a messaging app for professional groups, networks and communities – think ‘WhatsApp for business’.
International Private Finance (IPF) In 2008, Fiona Watts (J 96) founded International Private Finance (IPF) with a clear vision of becoming the leading international mortgage brokerage within five years. She achieved that in just two.
Ashley says: “My passion is around learning and curiosity. Specifically, as applied to one’s profession as opposed to just socially or as a hobby. We spend so much of our lives at work that I believe we should try and find something that we care about, that we want to get better at, where we’re keen to learn and share our expertise with others. This makes work more fulfilling and enjoyable.” His business Guild took around three years to conceive, design and build. It now has almost 70 customers and thousands of users. Their client base is mostly in professional membership organisations, B2B media organisations, professional services (law, accountancy, finance, property, architecture, agencies, consultancies, etc.) and education. All areas where high value contacts, trusted connections, expertise and knowledge sharing are important, and their operations are taking on the WhatsApp giant. “It’s actually against WhatsApp’s terms of service to use it for professional purposes though it happens a lot,” says Ashley. “WhatsApp is not compliant with privacy regulation like GDPR and there will soon be ads as well as integration with Messenger and Instagram. There are also no profiles in WhatsApp, like you get in LinkedIn, so it is hard to know whose company you are keeping. All in all, we think WhatsApp is not fit for purpose for professional use. But it is a big competitor to take on!” By the end of this year, Ashley estimates that Guild will have more than 10,000 users, and by the end of next year, over 100,000. Ashley’s advice for those starting out? “Unless you feel compelled to do it, then you probably shouldn’t. Being an entrepreneur is tough so unless you’re totally committed then you almost certainly won’t make it. If you can, you should also have at least one co-founder and you should have complementary, not similar, skills, e.g. technology and sales.”
Permanent Radius Point LLC permanentradiuspont.com
44 OU Entrepreneurs
IPF works with over 50 international retail and private banks, and brokers loans from €100,000 to €55 million. Fiona offers the rare opportunity for language graduates to work in a financial environment and she is also passionate about female entrepreneurship. IPF is 98% female, bucking the trend in the male-dominated financial services sector. The company has been instrumental in making the industry more transparent for the consumer, helped banks offer finance in new countries and set up new products, as well as making the overseas finance application process more secure and rigorous. “I have learnt that a business is constantly evolving, and new challenges are always arising,” says Fiona. “Being bold and brave with how you react to these challenges is often what generates the biggest successes, but you also need to give your mind space to come up with solutions, as forced ones are rarely as good.” It was her two years at Uppingham, which helped Fiona realise that anything is possible, fostering her desire to lead, rather than follow. “I aim to provide an environment for people to shine and grow, which is exactly what I saw the School do with the girls it took on board in the Sixth Form. I want people to leave IPF confident of their strengths and believing they can achieve anything they put their minds to.”
John Sutton (Hf 50) has had a lifetime of inventing and even at School was known for his ability to make things, particularly the building of model aeroplanes, including a Stinson Voyager, which he used to fly on The Middle. His latest invention ‘Permanent Radius Point LLC’ provides precision and accuracy
during the construction of athletics tracks. The product was originally designed for the Olympic Stadium in London and has since been installed at other racetracks. Permanent Radius Point provides pin-point accuracy, ensuring that the event markings comply with the strict tolerances specified by the IAAF.
O&3 www.oand3.com In 2018, Thomas Kerfoot (C 98) and his two elder sisters, Jennifer and Eleanor, founded O&3, supplying natural ingredients to the cosmetic industry. They produce a wide variety of oils, butters, waxes and natural exfoliants for global cosmetic brands including Lush, Body Shop and L’Oréal, as well as small start-up cosmetic brands. They make a lot of their own products, and travel to very remote parts of the world – the Brazilian Amazon, Ghana, Indonesia and Morocco – to source the finest and most functional natural ingredients. Oil is in the blood – their entrepreneurial parents made their names in the industry with The Kerfoot Group, focused on selling oils to the food manufacturing industry. Thomas and his sisters took over the business on their parents’ retirement and managed the acquisition process with a major French corporate in 2015. Post-sale they had the luxury of time to really decide what they wanted to do next and building something of their own was very much on the agenda. The team started O&3 in April 2018 in an old grain warehouse, with six employees and an aggressive first year target of £1million in sales. Fast forward one year and they celebrated their first birthday with 30 colleagues, sites in the UK, Poland and USA and sales of close to £6 million.
The team had a very well-structured plan, three minds with three different skillsets and a lot of drive and determination to make their business a success. Year two will bring more plans, more risk and equally as aggressive budgets including expanding their online product range via their new brand www.makersingredients.com which launched in April. Thomas puts a lot of his success down to what he learnt at Uppingham – he remembers thinking and planning out his path whilst at School, wanting to create something of his own rather than following the ‘traditional’ corporate path. “One thing was for sure – Uppingham gave me the platform to enable this to happen, and not just academically, it was the small things that all added value and developed me into who I am today. As a consistent struggler in the classroom, my determination and drive to achieve never failed – I have learnt that building your own path in business really is possible!”
EO Founded by Charlie Jardine (Fgh 04) in 2015, EO Charging designs and manufactures electronic vehicle charging stations and smart software for homes, fleets and destinations. Having previously worked at another UK-based charger manufacturer, Charlie was frustrated by the unreliability of existing infrastructure and set up EO with a pledge to make charging simple and reliable. After 12 months of development in a barn on his grandfather’s farm in Suffolk (an old pig shed to be precise) the company’s first EV charger was produced – the EO Basic. Within months EO secured numerous orders and the company looked to expand across the UK. Next came the EO Genius, a modular and scalable smart charger designed to support the electrification of fleets, apartments and destinations. The success of the EO Genius quickly positioned the company as a leader in the fleet charging space. In parallel to the development of commercial electric vehicle chargers, EO began to extensively research the home charging market. In 2018, EO launched the EO Mini and EO Mini Pro – the smallest electric vehicle chargers on the market. The EO Mini was created in response to consumer feedback that homeowners wanted a discreet charging unit for the side of their house. To date, EO Charging has made over 15,000 electric vehicle chargers and operates in over 30 countries around the world including the United Kingdom, Norway, Australia and India.
OU Entrepreneurs 45
Bear Jam Productions www.bearjam.co.uk James Hilditch (LH 98) is the founder and Creative Director of Bear Jam Productions, a video production company based in London. Bear Jam specialise in creating video content for businesses and brands. In the six years since launching, they have worked with some of the UK’s most prestigious advertising and PR agencies and brands including Netflix, Nike, Knight Frank and John Lewis. Not to mention a couple of OUs. After graduating from the University of Reading with a Real Estate and Planning degree, James worked in the property industry becoming a chartered surveyor. Noticing the growing demand for video content, particularly in the context of online and digital advertising, James’s passion for filmmaking became an opportunity to escape the city and Bear Jam Productions was born – in his bedroom.
Arcus Helicopters www.arcus-heli.com After leaving university in 2014, Jamie Ferrand (Fgh 06) became a commercial helicopter pilot within a year, and a flight instructor six months later. Not long after completing his flight instructor rating, Jamie left his full-time role as a commercial pilot and flight instructor, jumping at the opportunity to create something of his own. In August 2017, Jamie and two partners started Arcus Helicopters, providing flight training and charter services. In just three weeks, they renovated a hangar, offices and three helipads at Nottingham Airport, and brought together a fleet of six aircraft.
In the early days, James would trawl social media looking for work and opportunities to grow his portfolio. Before long he was booking meetings and working with top advertising agencies. James now employs a team of producers and editors. While his time is focused on running the business, James still loves to get behind the camera on shoots for Bear Jam’s wide range of new and existing clients. Whether it’s helping a new business launch on a crowdfunding site or a FTSE 100 company promoting their brand, James loves the challenge of working with the client to produce something creative and visually stunning that also communicates the message in accordance with the client’s brief. If you or your business needs some help producing video James would love to hear from you – james@bearjam.co.uk.
Arcus saw a gap in the market to create a social club atmosphere. They bring together both students and pilots to enjoy events, whilst also providing high-quality flight training, to enhance safety for both recreational and career pilots. In 2018, they expanded and linked up further with another local helicopter operator to offer luxury A to B charter services to destinations including London’s Battersea Heliport, various hotels, most racecourses and customer’s private houses UK-wide and into Europe. This year Arcus will be expanding further, increasing their fleet size by adding more training aircraft to cope with the student demand. They are also renovating their hangar to add a new lecture room for courses and ground school, and they are now involved with aircraft sales and purchases, tailoring customers’ requirements to match the right helicopter. “Arcus Helicopters offers so much more than just flight training,” says Jamie. “Learning to fly should be an enjoyable and fun experience both in the air and on the ground. We offer help for all students with their exams whilst gaining their licence and offer safety seminars and advice for licence holders. We also organise social events involving a group of people and aircraft. We hope to continue to grow and expand our customer reach, whilst maintaining our high customer satisfaction levels.”
46 OU Entrepreneurs
Photo credit: Laura Radford (Sa 01)
Bursaries and Beyond In last year’s magazine we featured two OUs fresh from leaving school who had been funded with Foundation support through their time at Uppingham. Kamil Bujel (Hf 16) and Rebecca Lin (L 16) have since been in touch to update us on what has happened to them in the meantime and we are delighted to share the news with you.
Kamil wrote: “I'm pleased to say that from October this year, I'll be starting a four year MEng Joint Maths and Computing (JMC) course at Imperial College London. At the same time, I'm planning to continue working for GOGOVAN as a Data Scientist and utilise my learnings to grow myself in that role and also drive our team even further. After a gap year in Asia, I definitely fell in love with this place and the people and cannot wait to go back, hopefully as soon as possible. I am also extremely grateful for GOGOVAN and the incredible journey they allowed me to embark on. I am very pleased to be joining Imperial to do one of the most unique courses out there, which is supposed to make me both a full-tier Mathematician and Computer Scientist (i.e. a Data Scientist). The interview experience persuaded me that this place is indeed the best fit for me and I can't wait to start.” Rebecca wrote: “I was fortunate to spend three months living near the forested mountains of the Thai-Burmese border. I volunteered with the Karen Hilltribes Trust, with gracious acknowledgement to the Friends of Uppingham who made my wildly wonderful travels possible. I did not ‘find myself ’ so to speak but I found a
home away from home where contentment derives from mere kindness, clean water and a classroom; where I could engage with a fascinating culture many miles removed from England’s green and pleasant lands. I also spent half of the year working as a tutor for children with learning difficulties or from severely disadvantaged backgrounds at a state secondary school in Leicester (in fact my previous school before joining Uppingham). I’ve given ESOL lessons to migrants and refugees in the city and organised events to raise money for small, effective causes. I’ve realised that to check my privilege or make a substantial impact, I needn’t look further than my own doorstep – the very community I know and understand. I have recently become manager of a free online programme – Comms4Change – that offers expert guidance on branding, pitching and communications for young social entrepreneurs confronting issues within their communities.” To find out about the programme visit www.thebettertomorrowmovement.com/ comms-for-change-program. Rebecca has also begun further studies in International Development and Anthropology at the University of Sussex.
This year has propelled me into better understanding my career aspirations and personal goals, so I look forward to seeing the ways in which opportunities will continue to unfold, as I begin my studies...” Rebecca Lin (L 16)
Each year the support of OUs and parents helps inspirational young men and women like Kamil and Rebecca to have the lifechanging opportunity of studying at Uppingham. If you would like to contribute towards future beneficiaries, please contact Vin Gaten at vg2@uppingham.co.uk.
Bursaries and Beyond 47
EVENTS
Laura Seward-Smith (J 04), Rachel Sutton (J 07), Ellie Wilding (J 07), George Jones (WB 04), Verity Hunter (J 07), Kathryn Leonard (J 04) and Katie Fieldman (J 04)
Barbara Matthews (SH 73) and Tim Barber-Lomax (C 00)
London Dinner Held at the Mandarin Oriental in March 2019.
James (LH 77), Michael (LH 49), Laura (Sa 04) and George Christopherson (LH 81)
Kitty Chan (Fd 08) and Georgie Johnson (L 07)
Charles Pineles (M 61), Julian Cazalet (M 61) and Neil Kennedy (Hf 59) John Crawshaw (Fgh 51) with his granddaughter Thea Crawshaw (L 08) and Tim Gittins (Fgh 77)
Annie-May Johnson (L 10), Amelia Dudley (Fd 07) and Becky Wilson (Fd 05)
Julia Noble (NH 03), Nicky Bushnell (NH 05), Robert Eustace (WB 05), Izzy Curtis (NH 06) and Megan Davies (NH 04)
48 Events
Azeez Al-Humaidhi (B 10), Edward Beddows (M 10), James Cole (B 10) and Inigo Grose (B 10)
Fionah Matthew (nĂŠe Butler) and Vanessa Buxton (both Fd 78)
New York Din
ner
Held at the Uni versity Club in Our enormous November. thanks to Sarah W oo dberry (Fd 82) for organising a fabulous evenin g.
Back: Christopher Bond (C 95), Benn Kay (WB 95), James Rogers (WD 98), Nick Southern (SH 98) and Daniel Wright (SH 98). Front: Rupert Rickard (C 95), Amy Burton (L 98) and George Ross (Fgh 95)
Scott Crosby (Fgh 00) and James Thomas (SH 00)
Francesca Esses, Minty Jerram, Ella Joel and Venetia Martin (all L 11)
Back L to R: Gr eg Sohns (LH 67 ), Averill Babson Justin Woddis (C , Eoin Slavin (W 78), Lauren Fritsc B 75), h, Richard Bosto Caroline Jones n (B 56), Jo Frank (J 00),Tommy Ca rr (SH 96), Saski lin, and Marcus Calna a Barlow (J 06) n (SH 03). Front: Simon Prosser Sarah Woodberr (F 72), y (Fd 82) and Br ooks Ticzon (LH 03). A small group of OUs also met for lunch at The Ha in Boston, Massa rvard Faculty Cl chusetts including ub Keith Taylor (F 46 (C 51), Pandora Hess (NH 05) an ), John Martindale d Richard Bosto n (B 56).
Military and Remembrance Lunch A memorable day held in November, commemorating the centenary of the end of World War I.
Amy Davies (nĂŠe Rudman, L 98) and Andrew Bruce (M 81)
Toby Bennett (LH 01), Marguerite Nice, Gregory Nice (LH 02) and Patricia Bennett
Carole and Andrew Welch (H 62)
Events 49
Nottingham Drink Held in May at the La
ce Market Hotel.
Philip ‘Trev’ Baker (Fgh 77), Richard Boston (B 56) and Johnny Vaughan (LH 79)
Tom Eastwood (B 88) , Susie Culloty (née Sam worth, Fd 91) and David Edward (W D 88)
Norfolk Dinner
Nick Fryer (M 76), Mark Sutcliffe (LH 76), Colin Hargreaves (LH 76) and Lisa Jessell (née Thomas, Fd 79)
Robin Schall (C 45), our oldest guest attending, who came all the way from Australia with his son Richard
Sam Thomas (WD 99) , Giles Davis (WD 99)
and Philip Pruden (F
Tilly Fuller (née Watson, J 96), Alex Lyles (née Keeling, J 96), Andrew Jenkins (B 91), Hattie Goodley (née Broadhead, Fd 96) and Jo Arkwright (née Netscher, Fd 96)
James Couse (SH 76), Mark Pepper (LH 76) Giles Brand (M 77) and Richard Shepherdson (L 76)
50 Events
Ian and Sophia Kersha w (née Monteith, Fd
Andrew Cunningham (F 56)
01)
and Tim Richardson
(L 83)
75)
s
Casey O’Hanrahan and Fred Wilson (SH 77)
Speech Day & Founder’s Day
Magdalena & Richard Level (H 74) and Joy Richardson (Former Trustee)
At Uppingham in May.
Tish & Geoffrey Alderson (B 55) and Simon Boston (B 51)
John White (M 69), Christopher Richardson and Barbara Matthews (SH 73)
Sophie (L 09), Debby, Hugh (B 57) and Alex (C 09) Illingworth
Serving Grenadier Guards’ Dinner Held at the Cavalry and Guards Club, Piccadilly in July.
James Brown (SH 99), Robbie Thompson (LH 03), Richard Boston (B 56), Ted Bennet (M 07) and Richard Phillips (B 04)
Events 51
th 1984 Leavers 30 Anniversary Party (WB 84) and Organised by David Tinney er, Piccadilly. Tig er held in September at Tig
Chris Noon (SH 65), Mark Sanderson (SH 69), Gordon Wood (SH 66) and Ian Sanderson (SH 67)
Over 60s Lunch September 2019 at the Cavalry and Guards Club.
Charles Pineles (M 61), John Beven (M 62) and Julian Cazalet (M 61) Simon Greenly (F 58) and Neil Henderson (F 67)
el van Zyl (nĂŠe Park, Fd 87), David Tinney (WB 84), Rach erworth (F 84) and Butt Julian 87), (Fd Jo Muirhead nd behi 84) (B Will Andrews
Michael Harrison (WD 57), Colin Cork (WD 57) and Michael Pares (WD 57) an-Whur Moore (C 84), Richard Gull James Woodcock (F 84),Tom 84) (SH ta Miya ro (L 84) and Kota
ie erworth (F 84), Katie Mackenz Nick May (M 84), Julian Butt Paul Sidhu (M 84) and 84) (SH ig Gre y Jonn (nĂŠe Cecil, J 87),
52 Events
Clive Burton (WB 54) and David Scott (WD 58)
Gordon Nurse (Fgh 63), Edward Sarkis (Fgh 69) and John Sarkis (Fgh 70)
Mark Glatman (L 69), John Pearson (WB 69), Andrew Dallas (WD 69), Sam Blyth (L 69), Nick Hutton (L 69) and Nick Robinson (L 69)
50th Anniversary Celebration Held on the exact date in September 50 years on from starting at Uppingham, Mark Glatman (L 69) celebrated a very special anniversary with friends and former staff at the School.
It’s great to see OUs getting together for their own reunion events...
60th Anniversary for OUs of The Lodge 1959
Lorne House Reunion November 2018.
A celebratory lunch was held in June at the Royal Thames Yacht Club.
L to R: David Douglas-Morris, Hugh Firth, Dinty Leach, Peter Jennings, David Downes, Richard Fletcher, Anthony Goddard and Nigel Brown (all L 59)
39 Years on from Uppingham OU friends from 1979 celebrate in London with their partners.
All LH, L to R: Chris Jewitt (65), Nick Longford (66), Steve Kemp (65), Craig Paull (66) and Robert Carr (66)
Back row, L to R: Jonathan Reynolds (F 79), Chris Braddock (F 79), Sketch Carter (SH 79) and Jamie Greig (SH 79) Front, L to R: Frank Toone (SH 79), Rob Riddle (SH 79) and Chris Harris (SH 79)
Events 53
A New Chapter for Uppingham Music Andrew Kennedy (F 90) is appointed as Uppingham’s Director of Music Over the past 150 years Uppingham has enjoyed a very strong reputation for music – a reputation earned by design. When our visionary Victorian Headmaster Edward Thring appointed Paul David in 1865 to be the School’s first ever Director of Music, he sought out the very best. Thring consulted England’s foremost musician of the time, William Sterndale Bennett, and asked him to scour Europe for the most suitable person to lead Uppingham’s nascent music programme. Sterndale Bennett found Paul David in Leipzig and, perhaps surprisingly given Paul David’s reputation and talent, persuaded a musician of international renown to leave Germany for Rutland to develop Uppingham’s music. As we now know, not only was Paul David’s appointment an unqualified – and pioneering – success, but so began a tradition of musical excellence at Uppingham that persists to this very day. We are delighted that from September 2019, Andrew Kennedy became Uppingham’s Director of Music, and is set to lead Uppingham’s music through the 2020s. Andrew’s vision, energy, insight, humanity and charm made him the perfect appointment. Andrew is steeped in Uppingham. He was a music scholar in Fircroft, and left Uppingham to be a Choral Scholar at King's College, Cambridge. Andrew’s further study at the Royal College of Music saw him win The Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rose Bowl awarded to the most outstanding student of the year. In 2002, Andrew won a place on the Vilar Young Artists three-year programme at the Royal Opera House which, after performing many solo principal roles, launched his internationally distinguished professional music career. In that career, Andrew has won numerous prizes and awards including the 2005 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Rosenblatt Recital Prize, a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, and the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artists’ Award in 2006. Andrew has held numerous roles in education. He was Head of Singing at Westminster School for four years, where he conducted and trained the School choirs and prepared pupils for entry to universities and conservatoires. He has also been the Assistant Director of Music and Director of the Chapel Choir at Girton College, Cambridge, and an external examiner for the Faculty of Music at Cambridge University. Andrew’s energy and charisma are legendary; the School is delighted to have appointed a Director of Music of such distinction to lead Uppingham’s music through the next decade.
In June 2020, a musical event will be held to celebrate two former influencers of Uppingham Music and to rename the Old Music School ‘The Sterndale-Bennett’ and the New Music School ‘The Douglas Guest’ in recognition of their incredible legacies. More information will follow as plans for the occasion evolve.
54 Music News
CLUBS & SOCIETIES OU Fives The revival of Eton Fives at Uppingham continues to gain momentum with more and more OUs getting involved with opportunities to play and attending the annual Fives Dinner. Supporters of Fives and the wider School community were delighted to receive news that in February this year, Uppingham pupils set a new world record in the sport. In the early hours of Saturday 9th February 2019, four Uppingham pupils gathered on a dark, windy and cold morning to start the world record attempt for the longest continuous game of Fives. The record had been set by Uppingham pupils 30 years previously, when they played for 38 hours, but this was soon broken by Shrewsbury pupils at 40 hours. Zara (J 14) and Archie (F) Tweed (children of Mary Tweed (née
Fulton, J 88) and grandchildren of Willie Fulton (C 58)), Charlotte Bowman (Fd 14) (daughter of Sir Charles Bowman (WD 75)) and Blair Morton (SH) were all hoping to create history by going for longer, and at 4.00am they got under way. The first few hours, albeit cold, were plain sailing, spirits were high. As Saturday lessons came to an end, the crowd in the Fives courts started to build, with pupils and staff arriving to cheer on the four players. One of the aims of the attempt was to promote Fives at Uppingham and to encourage more people to get involved and open Fives up to the broader community. This was certainly achieved over the weekend with lots of pupils and staff keenly giving Fives a go in the adjacent courts to the record bid. OUs and parents also got involved, playing and offering their support. As the players clocked up more and more hours, the strain of the challenge began to show. With midnight approaching; the crowds disappeared to fall into bed and the players were left with the solace of night, undoubtedly the toughest part of the challenge. But they kept going and with a new dawn came crowds of pupils, returning after Sunday chapel with morale-boosting
singalongs and encouragement, getting the players through another long day. As evening fell again, the tiredness was almost overwhelming, the fatigue and pressure was almost too much to bear but, they had made it through 38 hours, so had just over two hours to go to surpass the record. With the news that the team was heading towards a triumphant finish spreading around the School campus, the courts again became packed with supporters. The singing reached new heights and almost raised the roof. With 30 seconds to go, chants of “Fives is coming home” echoed around the courts. The countdown began. The buzz was electrifying... “5,4,3,2,1” ... they’d done it and exceeded the previous record by two minutes! Applause deafened the courts and the players embraced one another. Tears of joy and relief hit them. The chanting began again. This time the crowds sang “We are the Champions”. This awesome foursome had become heroes; what a tremendous achievement. If you are interested in hearing about opportunities to play Fives and join a network of Fives players, email ou@uppingham.co.uk to receive further details.
Fives World Record Breakers
OU Masonic Lodge By Adrian Lewthwaite (M 76), Secretary of the OU Lodge Sadly I have to begin my review of the year with news of the death of our oldest member, Sir Peter Cazalet (M 42). Peter was a Member of the Lodge from 1953, twice Master of the Lodge, including in 2006 when the Public Schools Lodges Festival was held at Uppingham. He was a distinguished mason and a Grand Officer, who provided huge support for the Lodge and the School as a Trustee from 1976 – 1994. Peter’s obituary can be found on page 28. In this update I would like to let OUs know that our Lodge is keen to actively promote women’s freemasonry, along with our fellow lodges of public schools. In 2018, Highgate School held a party for 200 at their school to which they invited several female freemasons who delivered a talk on women’s freemasonry. The OU Lodge will be pleased to welcome female OUs to our dinners. The Lodge had a successful and fun year, the highlight being the well-attended meeting and dinner at the School in June. We were also delighted to announce our sponsorship of one of the Speech Day Prizes – the OU Lodge Prize for Community Services Initiatives – and we continue to support the School with donations towards bursaries.
OU CrossCountry OUs will be raising a team for the annual cross-country fixture taking place at Uppingham in March. If you’d like to give it a try – all standards welcome, male and female – please contact Iain Wakefield (WB 82) at iain.wakefield@btinternet.com or 07831 122799 for more details. Clubs & Societies 55
OU Shoot
OU Sailing
The annual OU shoot took place at Gilman’s Farm, Wing, Rutland on 21st November 2018, with the statutory riotous dinner the night before at Don Paddy’s in Uppingham, where their supplies of Fleurie were successfully demolished. Any OUs interested in hearing about next year’s OU shoot should contact Julian Tolhurst at julian.tolhurst@apatchy.co.uk.
Report by Phil Riley (WB 70)
L to R: Mark Wheeler (B 85), Neil Kennedy (Hf 59), Myles Bray (M 86), Will Streeter (Hf 86), Andrew Philpott (M 84), Simon Bray (Fgh 86), David Tinney (WB 84) and Nick Burgess (B 68).
What turned out to be a winning combination of experience, racing nous, old hands and new blood saw the Uppingham team take the Charterhouse Bowl for fleet racing at the 2018 Arrow Trophy event which took place on 13th and 14th October at Cowes, Isle of Wight. David Gavins (LH 73) assembled an excellent crew which saw the dynamic duo of Henry Arnold (F 01) and Vincent Barrelet (Fgh 10) on helm and tactics respectively. John Tildesley (WB 72) was the man on the main, with two Arrow newbies – Nick Walker and Phil Riley (both WB 70) joining forces in the cockpit with Thea Crawshaw (L 05), who added her team racing skills to the mix. Simon Ward (F 75) was the man on the
The Uppingham Rovers Cricket Club By Chris Bennett-Baggs (WB 02) In a wonderful summer of cricket led by the success of England in the World Cup finishing with an exciting Ashes series, it’s a hard task to turn people’s attention to the thrilling 2019 tour of the Uppingham Rovers which took place from 7th to 12th July. Fortunately for the reader, the Rovers tour never ceases to amaze those that go on it as the stories and drama, on and off the field, as per every year since its beginnings some two hundred years ago, rival that of the summer that will be remembered as the year England won the World Cup 2019. This year we had over 40 Uppingham Rovers, players and patrons for the annual dinner at the Hydro Hotel where stories of new and legends of old were shared between Rovers that left the School recently to those who left in the 50s. The Uppingham Rovers played six matches, winning three and losing three. Notable performances included successfully beating Felsted Robins in the first round of the Cricketer Cup, with a quality 87 from Shiv Thakor (Fgh 07). Later in the summer two Rovers, Sam Charlton (M 12) and Freddie Tucker (B 10), scored memorable 100s. As I write this, the summer of cricket may still have a twist and turn to play with the Ashes final showdown still to come. If, however, cricket has already captured your imagination and given you the itch to scratch in 2020, please reach out to the Uppingham Rovers for further details on how to join the club by emailing uppinghamrovercc@gmail.com. Match results are available on the OU website.
Uppingham Veterans Rifle Club By Emma Cannings (L 95) Before I get carried away with the wonderful successes of the Uppingham Veterans Rifle Club over the past year, I am aware that some people reading this may not actually know what we do! A quick summary of our sport is as follows: we compete at distances from 300 to 1000 yards in the Fullbore Rifle discipline. We use highly accurate, single-shot, bolt-action rifles with iron sights (i.e. while the
Right arm over. An excellent victory on The Upper against Felsted
Winners of the Rifle Clubs Competition – John Webster (C 70), Chris Watson (M 92), Simon Belither (L 71) and Emma Cannings (L 95)
to racing on Saturday permitted a leisurely breakfast – both first-time experiences according to the Arrow veterans.
‘piano’ – aka the pit – with George Gavins (LH 04) and Nikki Mallett (Fd 75) keeping an eye on mast and foredeck and doubling up in the cockpit when required. A record Arrow entry saw 26 independent schools take to the central Solent for two days of one-design racing in frequently challenging conditions. With mid-October gales blowing dogs off chains for the late Friday crossing from Port Solent to the event venue in Cowes, and then continuing through Saturday, getting around the racecourse in one piece was the first order of business. This was something Charterhouse and Cheltenham spectacularly failed to achieve, with a collision in the pre-start of the very first
race putting the former out of the event for good and burdening the latter with a race disqualification. After three races, Uppingham just missed out on going through to the match-racing on the second day by the narrowest of margins – level on points with fourth place Dulwich, a team we had beaten in two of the races, but demoted on the countback system. In any event, a second and a first in the two fleet races on the Sunday again secured Uppingham the Charterhouse Bowl in a repeat of 2016. The weekend’s strong winds at least enabled most of the crew to enjoy a Friday night Cowes curry, and a postponed start
sensible person may think a telescope would be helpful, the best optical assistance that some of us have is a pair of shooting glasses!) and we fire in the prone position (i.e. lying down). We have an annual match against the School in the mini-range at Uppingham. This year, whilst I am sad to report that UVRC lost against the pupils, I am pleased on how this reflects that shooting at the School is back on the up. Every July we convene at the vast range complex in Bisley and this year it was the 150th Imperial Meeting. It was fantastic to be able to field four teams in the Veterans Match, and, with a little more coercing, we hope to include more next year. The A Team managed a respectable 3rd; the Simon Pattinson Trophy was won by Ben Bullard (WB 96) with a stunning 50.7 in
As a first-timer, and on a personal note, a huge thank you to David for pulling it all together, and to everyone for making it the fun event it was. The psychological scars of seeing David’s and John’s solo dancing will have healed by next year – so top-4 for sure in 2019! David Gavins (LH 73) would love to hear from any OU sailors – novice or expert – to add to the crew pool for both the Arrow and Belvedere sailing regattas. Contact david.gavins@btinternet.com to get involved.
This year’s Arrow Trophy competition took place on 12th and 13th October. Due to Magazine deadlines we are unable to publish the results here, but a full report is available to read on the OU website.
The Queen’s Finalists on Bisley’s 900-yard range
the D Team; and the Donegall Badge went to Reg Curtis (F 76). In other team matches, the UVRC comprising John Webster (C 70), Simon Belither (L 71), Chris Watson (M 92) and Emma Cannings (L 95) were victorious in the Rifle Clubs competition. We achieved 2nd place in the Bank of England and Belgian, and 3rd place in the Marlingham. As individual shooters, the standard was extremely high, so much so that it is hard to summarise. Across the individual and aggregate competitions, members of the UVRC made the prize lists no less than 202 occasions. Notable achievements came from Chris Watson, winning the St George’s Final, and from Simon Belither winning both the Prince of Wales and the X Class Fulton Pairs. In addition to the winner, we had four other shooters in the St George’s Final;
Simon Belither, Reg Curtis, Simon Osmond (WB 85) and Freddie Grounds (WB 89). We also had five valiant shooters in the Queen’s Final; Chris Watson, Simon Belither, James Watson (L 88), Emma Cannings and John Webster. In the Grand Aggregate, we had the following individuals placed in the top 50: Chris Watson 7th, and Simon Belither 25th. England won the National Match, with James Watson among their ranks, and Chris Watson represented Wales for the National Match, the Mackinnon and the America Match. Simon Belither continued his strong team management record as Vice-Captain of the victorious England Team for the America Match. The club continues to go from strength to strength and ensures that Uppingham is known by all at the highest level of this international sport.
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OU Golfing Society By Alan Thomas (H 62) Captain’s Meeting and AGM Eddie Allingham (H 81), a regular player in scratch team events and OUGS Captain for 2018, held his Captain’s Meeting in October at Stapleford Park Country House Hotel. Twenty-seven OU golfers attended the weekend, accompanied by 11 spouses/partners. The Captain, who owns a craft beer and gin business, ‘Leatherbritches Brewery’, ensured everyone was well ‘refreshed’ for the weekend and the weather smiled on the golfers. On the Saturday, Archie Warman (M 06) won the top prize with a 2 under par gross score off a handicap of 5, Stuart Lloyd (WD 74) picked up two trophies and the other winners were Peter Crocombe (B 03), Henry Short (Hf 07), Justin Colver (Fgh 06) and Derek Bunting (B 45). On Sunday, the Christopherson Rosebowls were won by Ewen Wilson (M 85) and Henry Hughes (M 06). At the AGM, Chris Flather (M 67) was confirmed as Captain for 2019 and will be followed by Simon Moffatt (H 74) in 2020, subject to confirmation at the next AGM. David Downes (L 59) continued as President. Chris Flather’s Captain’s meeting has been set for Ilkley Golf Club over the weekend of 12th to 13th October 2019.
Scratch Team News Halford Hewitt – In cold and windy conditions, the OU team of Ewen Wilson (M 85), Damian Pitts (Hf 91), Sam Debenham (C 90), Eddie Allingham (H 81), Henry Short (Hf 07), Andy Hancock (WD 08), Chris Flather (M 67), Nick Freeman (L 70), Chris Gotla (H 68) and James Gunton (SH 97) had a comfortable 4½-½ win over Gresham’s at Royal St Georges in the first round, but lost 4-1 to Watson’s in the second round. Bernard Darwin – Back down to earth after winning in 2017 and reaching the final in 2018! The team, comprising Chris Flather (M 67), Lloyd Wigglesworth (C 72), Mark Proffitt (H 76), Nick Freeman (L 70), Stuart Lloyd (WD 74) and Sir Charles Bowman (WD 75), did not master the tricky Woking greens as well as their opponents, Marlborough, and succumbed 1-2 in round 1. In the Senior Darwin, the OU team of Tim Dickson (SH 67), Chris Flather (M 67), David Pattrick (F 65), Jim Girling (WB 65), David Downes (L 59) and Jimmy Musson (B 63) overwhelmed Harrow 3-0 in the first round but lost 2-1 to Charterhouse, in the second round. Grafton Morrish – In the 2018 Finals, Uppingham had wins against Westminster, The Leys and Radley, but were beaten 3-0 by Millfield in the semi-finals. In the 2019 qualifying round, the OU team, comprising Damian Pitts (Hf 91), Eddie Allingham (H 81), David Pattrick (F 65), Ewen Wilson (M 85), Chris Gotla (H 68) and Andy Hancock (WD 08), playing at Gog Magog, achieved the second best team score (90 points) in qualifying for the 2019 Finals at Brancaster in October. Queen Elizabeth Coronation – At Royal Burgess Golfing Society in Edinburgh, the 2018 OU team of Sam Debenham (C 90), Edward Allingham (H 81), Ewen Wilson (M 85), Damian Pitts (Hf 91), Henry Short (Hf 07) and Peter Crocombe (B 03) beat Royal High, Glenalmond, Perth Academicals and Glasgow High along the way, but lost to Stewarts Melville in the final.
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OUGS President, David Downes (L 59), presenting the Eagle trophy to Tim Dickson (SH 67) at Royal Wimbledon GC
OUGS Eagles
At the AGM, a group of younger participants suggested a Sunday get together in London and, with help from Tim Dickson (SH 74) and Royal Wimbledon GC, the OUGS Eagles (as in Pars, Birdies and Eagles) were born. The inaugural meeting took place on 30th June, comprising 12 under 30s with handicaps ranging from low single figures up to 18. The lunch was superb, the course in fine condition, the weather very hot and sunny and the event was such a success that RWGC has offered to host the OU Eagles again on Sunday 28th June 2020. An eagle statue has been donated, which will be mounted and played for in future OUGS Eagles events.
Area Meetings and Matches The scratch teams make the headlines, but most OUGS golf revolves around friendly matches against other schools and regional OUGS meetings with a strong social bias. The Society has a fixture list of 36 events at wonderful courses around the UK, open to OU golfers of all abilities. Area meeting and match highlights so far this year: • The Northern Public Schools meeting at Woodhall Spa was won by Giggleswick. • The main team prize at the Midlands Public Schools meeting at Little Aston was won by Shrewsbury, with Uppingham around the middle of the pack. John Hudson (WB 65) and Nick Mitchell (WD 70) were runners-up for the Repton-Uppingham Salvers in the afternoon. • The OUGS West Midlands meeting at Little Aston was won by Peter Crocombe (B 03) with a fabulous score of 43 points. John Hudson (WB 65) was runner-up. • The OUGS Merseyside meeting, played at Caldy, was won by Peter Marsh (M 81) on 37 points, with Martin Walker (L 67) runner-up. • The South won the OUGS Inter-Regional competition at Lindrick in July. • The London Area meeting at Piltdown was won by new member Ted Walpole (Hf 70), beating his identical twin brother, David (B 70) into 2nd place on count-back. • OUGS teams had wins against the old boys of Eastbourne, Giggleswick, St Pauls, Rugby, Dulwich (Old Alleynians) and against the School. • There were losses against Repton, Nottingham, Sedburgh, The Leys, Oundle and Piltdown GC. The matches against Loretto, Ampleforth and the Uppingham Rovers were halved.
Ian Coutts-Wood (L 64), Hugh Smith (WB 64) and Mark Dumenil (SH 65) at Piltdown
Serial “Big Event” Captain? Tour to Borth and Wales Reflecting the historical links between Uppingham School and Borth, OUGS has periodic matches against Borth & Ynyslas GC, which has a fine Harry Colt links course overlooking Cardigan Bay. In April 2019, in near gale conditions, the match was halved. A convivial dinner in the clubhouse topped off an enjoyable event and plans were laid for a return match at Luffenham Heath in 2021. The OU team went on to play Aberdovey, Conwy, and Royal St David’s in progressively improving weather, making for an excellent tour.
Writer, journalist and Editor of Golf Quarterly, Tim Dickson (SH 67) is much in demand as Golf Club Captain when there is a big event to navigate. After leading Royal Wimbledon GC through its 150th anniversary celebration year, Tim has been elected Captain of Royal St George’s GC for 2020, when it will host the 149th Open Championship. Tim was due to be Captain of OUGS in 2020 but cannot do both, so Simon Moffatt (H 74) has stepped up.
Calling all OU golfers The OU Golf Society (OUGS) holds inter-school matches and regional events at great golf courses near you every year. All ages and handicap levels welcome. Annual sub just £10. To join, please call the OUGS Secretary, Martin Walker (L 67) on 01143 487005 or email him at martin.walker53@sky.com. Stuart Lloyd (WD 74), Martyn Lindrea (F 54), David Hopkins (WD 60) and Tom Hayes (SH 74) at Aberdovey
More details at www.olduppinghamian.co.uk > Societies > Golf Society.
Clubs & Societies 59
60 Feature
Choirs Amid London’s Gangs By Jeremy Martin (LH 96)
T
he no man’s land between Brixton, Camberwell and Kennington, is one of London’s toughest places to grow up. Two teenagers were killed last summer – one shot, one stabbed – by members of rival gangs. Child poverty in these postcodes is higher than in 95% of the country. It is also Ground Zero of the Windrush scandal; many locals descended from migrants live in fear of family members being detained and deported by the immigration authorities. I moved to the area in 2008, shortly after starting work at the Bank of England. Despite its troubles, I’ve never found a community so warm, vibrant and fun. At its centre is the local Anglican Church, St John the Divine Kennington. The local residents, largely from Caribbean, African and Latin American family backgrounds, gather here each Sunday amid clouds of incense for Mass. Rum and fried chicken circulate liberally afterwards. Youth projects, lunch-clubs and homeless shelters are hosted, and every week over 80 children now sing choral music familiar to any Uppingham chapel-goer. After a few drinks one Sunday 10 years ago, a formidable Nigerian matriarch convinced me to join the church council. A new vicar arrived shortly afterwards – Fr Mark Williams, a keen young musician. Since then, expanding the church’s youth work has been a priority. As a former chorister myself, I was particularly aware of the life-changing potential of music to improve academic engagement, broaden horizons, and create social mobility. After two years of consulting widely we decided to start two choirs – a boys’ choir and a girls’ choir. (Experience showed that a mixed children’s choir often became a girls’ choir only – and even more so where there is little tradition of boys singing.)
Feature 61
The parish of St John the Divine Kennington
Choristers punting in Cambridge
On the way to rehearsal in St John’s College Cambridge
Summer School rehearsal
We appointed a Director of Children’s Choirs, Ben Clark, and he visited local primary schools, leading singing workshops to spark interest, and inviting the children to audition. These choirs now have over 50 members from the local estates. They rehearse every week after school, and sing for Mass and Evensong in church, as well as for concerts. Last year they performed in Britten’s War Requiem, at the Cadogan Hall – a colossal and inspiring work that I will always remember performing with Uppingham’s Concert Choir. Each summer we run a six-day residential course for them at St John’s College, Cambridge (where I was a chorister), during which they rehearse intensively, and sing for services in the college chapel and nearby cathedrals (Peterborough, St Albans and St Edmundsbury, so far). Rehearsal times are punctuated with sports, sightseeing and learning about university life.
62 Feature
The summer residential plays a major role in widening the educational horizons of our children. They now feel at home among the ancient buildings of Cambridge University – sadly a rare feeling among inner-city state school children. They naturally ask such questions as “What do I have to do to get into Cambridge” and “What’s it like to study here?”. As members of the boys’ and girls’ choirs started to reach secondary school age – the prime age for recruitment to gangs – we started an additional choir for them to graduate into. This has grown rapidly, and now has 30 members. They also have an annual residential, and this May, they sang for the Ascension Day Eucharist at Norwich Cathedral, where Ashley Grote (Hf 95) is Master of Music. Last year, we started a scheme to teach the organ to five teenagers, with initial
funding from St John’s College, Cambridge. They are taught by Jeremiah Stephenson, a highly qualified young recitalist, and have participated in a residential course for young organists at Oundle School, at which Cathy Lamb (née Langston, J 99) is one of the tutors. All of these projects are expanding fast as more local children see their friends and siblings taking part and want to be included. We are keen to accommodate this, and are looking for sustainable ways to fund expansion. A high-quality classical music education is rarely accessible to children living in poverty. We hope this exception will equip our children to gain choral and organ scholarships at top universities such as Cambridge and Oxford, and thus take their places alongside a distinguished line of Uppinghamian musicians.
SCHOOL
FOR LIFE
Our features on OU Medics and Entrepreneurs in this issue exemplify the wealth of expertise and ingenuity amongst our community across many different professions. We are incredibly grateful to all those who have given advice to School leavers and recent graduates looking for help in their chosen industries over the past 12 months. The opportunity to have a chat with an experienced OU from our 8,000-strong network is invaluable and can really make a difference to those starting a career. Through the professional networking platform LinkedIn, we are looking to build on the support we are able to offer. The OU network is growing – with over 1,350 members now part of the group. If you haven’t joined us yet, please sign up. It is a great place to network with OUs, ask for advice, share news about your business and offer information on job vacancies that might be of interest to the community. Please ensure you list Uppingham School in your education details (choose the icon with the School crest) so we can identify you as a former pupil. And if you’re looking for advice in a particular field, you can search OU alumni using the Uppingham School page. Contact the OU team if you need advice on making the most of the resource. Join the OU network, make connections, offer your assistance, ask for help…you never know where conversations and opportunities will lead.
Networking Events We hope you can join us at a Property Drinks event in May; more details will be provided once plans are under way. We have held successful networking events for industries such as Finance, Law and Property in the past and are always open to suggestions if you think there would be demand for an event in your industry, please contact the OU team ou@uppingham.co.uk.
School for Life 63
Friday 28th February 2020 At the
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Knightsbridge
Includes:
Pre-dinner drink Three course meal Half a bottle of wine Tickets are available from Jo Franklin 01572 820616 jsf@uppingham.co.uk £95.00 per person (£75.00 for OUs aged 29 and under) (All tickets are subsidised by the OU Association)
Tables can accommodate 10-12 guests, please contact Jo asap if you’d like to reserve a table for your friends.
Other forthcoming events for 2020 We will be running events throughout 2020 and will share details via social media and the OU website as plans evolve.
Birmingham Drinks Property Drinks
The Hall Reunion Musicians Event
Middle East Dinner
Hong Kong Dinner
Speech Day & Founder’s Day
Reunions in Germany
Over 60s Lunch