Greyhound THE
Lest we forget: Charterhouse marks the Armistice centenary
OC News: Reunions, Founder’s Dinner, sports results and Societies updates
THE MAGAZINE FOR CHARTERHOUSE
The culture of the possible: why pupil-led learning is such a positive influence Issue 2
Lest we forget: Charterhouse marks the Armistice centenary
OC News: Reunions, Founder’s Dinner, sports results and Societies updates
The culture of the possible: why pupil-led learning is such a positive influence
THE MAGAZINE FOR CHARTERHOUSE
Issue 2
THE
Greyhound
Hello and welcome Welcome to the 2019 edition of The Greyhound, the Charterhouse magazine, in which we provide a range of insights into the incredibly wide variety of activities which have taken place throughout our OC community and at the School during the last twelve months. We are most grateful for all of your comments and feedback on last year’s edition and have been delighted that so many of you have enjoyed the breadth of stories we have been able to share. We are very lucky to have such a vibrant community who contribute so much to ensure that a lifelong connection is maintained with one another, and also with the School. Thank you.
Charterhouse Godalming GU7 2DX Telephone: 01483 291761 Website: www.charterhouse.org.uk Email: foundation@charterhouse.org.uk The Greyhound magazine is published on behalf of Charterhouse by White Light Media. Editors Vicki Bradley & Sinead Dowley Writer Fraser Allen Design Eric Campbell Cover Jason Bye Photography All portraits by Anthony Upton unless stated otherwise. White Light Media 54 Timber Bush, Edinburgh EH6 6QH www.whitelightmedia.co.uk The Greyhound has been printed on environmentally responsible paper, manufactured from well-managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood.
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The Greyhound will be published each spring and replaces The OC, to provide a digest of Old Carthusian and School news in order to keep our whole community updated. Alongside this, the School will continue to produce The Carthusian in the summer, which contains the complete pupil journal of record for the previous academic year. The Carthusian will be available online for all OCs to enjoy and in print for those individuals who have previously requested to receive a copy. One of the changes you’ll have noticed this year is the changing of the magazine’s name from C’house to The Greyhound. Having listened to your comments, we have opted for a name which better reflects the Carthusian spirit which our community shares so proudly. The following pages include a wide variety of articles which we hope offer something for everyone, providing a window into the lives of our OCs, the activities of the OC Club and the tremendous work taking place here at the School. As mentioned above, we welcome your continued feedback.
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Inside 4 Lest we forget
Tributes to the Charterhouse OCs who lost their lives in the Great War
6 From the archives
Charterhouse 100 years ago
8 Food, glorious food!
The extraordinary tale of what we used to eat – and drink
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6
10 From where I stand Chaplain Clive Case
12 OC news
Round-up of reunions, Founder’s Day Dinner, plus OCMLS, OCAS, tennis and water polo
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20 The biggest day of my career
Peter Roper-Curzon on playing the organ at last year’s Royal Wedding
22 OC news
Horse racing, cricket, golf and yachting
26 OC football round-up
50
A year of dramatic Cup triumphs
28 OC originals
Peter May – cricketer extraordinaire
30 OC profiles
Invictus Games medic Sarah Rollins and shooting prodigy Caius Patel
32 Aspire update
38 Communities and partnerships Branching out to support the Surrey community
40 Beak profile
46 Scholar’s essay
John Reeve stares deep into space
Developing our curriculum
Steve Hearn reflects on life as Housemaster of Robinites
48 School news
34 Rising stars
42 School news
50 School news
Lisa Weigand on helping pupils in South Africa, and Rupert Peacock on his talent for music
All the action from the St Andrew’s Ball, Artifex and careers round-up
Highlights of the sporting year
Charterhouse Farm
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Lest we forget Following last autumn’s incredibly poignant centenary commemorations, we reflect on how Charterhouse has remembered those lost in the Great War
F
irst World War commemorations came to a crescendo at Charterhouse last autumn with the Armistice centenary on the 11th hour of the 11th day of November 2018. Along with paying our respects to the millions who lost their lives, we specifically remembered the 698 OCs who died during or after the 1914–1918 conflict as a result of their war service. Our intention was to engage the whole School community (pupils, parents, staff, OCs and friends) in a meaningful commemoration that honoured the sacrifice of these OCs, without glorifying war and without turning the event into a celebration of our own actions. Charterhouse Memorial Chapel stands as the School’s ultimate monument to all of them – so how to create a meaningful statement of remembrance from today’s generation of Carthusians? Honouring Old Carthusians We started in September 2014 by launching an ambitious project to visit the grave of every OC killed in the First World War. The CCF kick-started the project by visiting 30 cemeteries in the Ypres area, and OCs and parents quickly offered to visit graves in their own localities. We needed volunteers to visit sites not only in France, Belgium and the UK but also in locations as far-flung as Pakistan, South Africa, Russia, Canada and the Middle East. Reaching nearly 700 graves seemed like an impossible target and yet all but 30 (mainly in war zones) have now been visited. More than 100 visitors have been involved, and along the way they have been helped and encouraged by numerous kind people. Grit and determination
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have ensured we reached further parts of the globe. For example, Tom Pinnegar (S11) spent last summer traversing the Balkans by public transport in search of OC graves. Anil Hemnani (S89) and friends made several attempts to reach the Zaria Memorial before the Nigerian army finally allowed them access to leave a tribute to Captain CPL Marwood (G1903). Meanwhile, Tom Drew (S89) fitted in visits to OC graves in Pakistan around his duties as British High Commissioner. Closer to home, Team England (Carthusian parents Laetitia and Marcus Vere) travelled the length and breadth of the country to complete the
Left: The crosses placed by pupils outside the Chapel alongside the metal silhouettes of Carthusian cadets
Top row: Menin Gate memorial, Arthur Brickwood’s grave (G1913); Middle row: Arras Memorial, Henry Yates’ grave (L1883); Bottom row: Oswald Wreford-Brown’s grave (G1896), Edward Evans’ grave (S1909)
last UK grave visits in time for the 11th November commemorations. A Charterhouse group, including relatives of OC war casualties and our Carthusiasts, teamed up with Lloyd’s of London Motor Club for a war graves tour in May 2018, completing visits to all unvisited graves in Northern France and Belgium and culminating at the Menin Gate, where the School’s Chamber Choir sang at the Last Post Ceremony. Remembering their sacrifice Behind every grave lies a personal story and a family left grieving for their loss. In addition to visiting the graves, we have discovered much more about the
Useful Links F Charterhouse Memorial Website http://charterhousewarmemorial.org.uk F Interactive database and map of OC grave locations http://oc.pearsonchisman.com
individual OCs who died. Photographs of each grave have been published on a new memorial website, together with biographies and resources from the School archive. Notes compiled by Eric Webb (S68) formed the basis of the biographies, but a lot more work has gone on behind the scenes to locate lost graves and facilitate visits. Tom Pearson-Chisman (W89) provided invaluable support, both in compiling an interactive database and maps of OC grave locations and in coordinating group visits. Many visitors left small wooden crosses designed by our DT department at gravesides, and this has led to several heart-warming letters from families who have subsequently visited and been delighted to find that the School also honours their relatives’ sacrifice. Behind School walls, 687 of those who died in the First World War are named on commemorative panels at the west end of Chapel, but there are omissions, particularly amongst those who died later of injuries sustained during the war. Rather than squeeze extra names onto the panels, a wall tablet was installed in Chapel’s north-west porch in 2014 to acknowledge these others collectively. More names have been discovered whilst researching for the new memorial website, bringing the total up to 698. Annually, there is a service of commemoration in Charterhouse Memorial Chapel on Armistice Day, but for the 2018 centenary two services were held to allow space for parents and OCs to attend. Pupils representing each House placed one cross in the ground outside Chapel for every OC who died, creating a visual image of the shockingly high number of casualties from Charterhouse. Martyn Humphries (DT Technician) created three metal silhouettes of Carthusian cadets, inspired by a 1912 drawing of the Officers Training Corps marching past Founder’s Court, unaware that in just two years they would be facing genuine warfare and destruction on a scale never seen before. The silhouettes were displayed outside Chapel, in Founder’s Court and on Oak. The preachers on 11th November were Mr Ed Poynter (Housemaster of Weekites) and Mr John Troy (BH), both of whom have served in the Armed Forces. They each spoke movingly about their personal experiences of warfare and the role of remembrance in discouraging future bloodshed. (Their sermons will be published in the next edition of The Carthusian.) b
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
Charterhouse
I
n reflecting on the Charterhouse of 1919, it would not be unreasonable to describe the School as looking like ‘another world’ from the one our pupils experience today; however, upon closer inspection, our buildings and unique language provide reassuring echoes of the past.
Accommodation One hundred years ago pupil accommodation differed greatly from the comforts that students enjoy today. “The dormitories were long narrow rooms with small wooden cubicles.” The cubicles contained just a bed, locker and a chair. Students were permitted one hot tosh (bath) a week with unlimited water. Hashes In the hashroom, the School followed its own syllabus rather than a national
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programme, offering a limited curriculum with a great emphasis on Classics and far less Mathematics, Science and Modern Languages than today. The boys destined for careers in the Army studied in the ‘C Form’ (hence the name of today’s ‘C Block’), taking more Mathematics, French or German, Modern History, Geography and Science than the other boys while being excused from Greek and advanced Latin.
Physical education Sports were an integral part of the Charterhouse experience, and success at Charterhouse in 1919 often depended on sporting prowess as much as on academic achievement. All pupils had to do 15 minutes of physical drill in their Houses during Quarter and used the rest of the time to prepare their next lessons.
100 Years Ago… In an age before easy travel, inter-House competitions were particularly important. The top sportsmen were invited to join the School Fire Brigade (which had its own fire engine and uniforms) and trained once a week to put out fires! Homework As the day drew to a close, the Under School boys prepared their ‘banco’ (homework) in their Boarding House Long Room (common room), supervised by the House monitors. Housemasters had little to do with discipline in the Houses, only emerging from private side for lunch and evening prayers before bed. Instead, the monitors maintained order and could cane misbehaving pupils. The youngest boys had to run errands, tidy up, and wait on the monitors at meal times.
The full boarding experience Free time was an enjoyable break from hashes and sport, providing an opportunity to explore one’s interests and passions. Every House had its own library, with books and newspapers – an important facility in an age before television, computer games and the internet. Overall, the Charterhouse of 1919 reflected a tougher, but less complex society. The School was preparing pupils to be the leaders and administrators of the British Empire and to be willing, in the event of war, to lay down their lives. While the Carthusians of 1919 may have endorsed our core values of responsibility, perseverance and moral courage, our emphasis on open-mindedness and kindness may have puzzled them. Going forward, we hope to carry with us the wisdom of the past in order to shape our future. b
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T
oday’s pupils are well fed by Charterhouse’s caterers, Elior, with a varied and nutritious menu, plenty of choice for vegetarians and vegans, and special provision for those with allergies. From OQ2019 the Central Dining Room (CDR) will be converted to an open plan layout rather than separate house rooms, allowing wider opportunities for socialising and enabling the caterers to offer even more choice. It has not always been so! London The earliest Gownboy pupils at Charterhouse in London during the 17th and 18th centuries existed on a monotonous diet of bread, meat, cheese and beer! The scholars were woken at 5am and had two hours of early School before stopping for breakfast at 8am, consisting of bread, cheese and beer.1 Water supplies were unreliable and water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery were an ever-present threat, so weak ‘small beer’ was a safer option than water. Dinner was the main meal, eaten at some point between midday and 3pm, including either beef, mutton, pork or veal, with fish on Fridays. John Wesley (G1713-1720), founder of the Methodist Church, complained that for his first four years at Charterhouse he survived on dry bread, and not much of that, because the older boys stole his meat. Supper at 7pm consisted of yet more bread, cheese and beer. Boys who were hungry between meals could ask for a snack, known as a ‘beevor’, of bread and milk at the Buttery. William MacPherson, writing in 1824 as a 12-year-old new boy in a boarding house run privately by Mr Watkinson, recorded a slightly better diet: “We have hot rolls and butter and milk and water to breakfast (tea three times a week). We have roast to dinner, soup and plum pudding twice a week and hot milk and plain bread to supper.”2 However, there is no mention of fresh fruit or vegetables. A set of rules for Day Boys, printed in the 1820s, states that “the bringing in of provisions etc. for boarders is strictly
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forbidden”,3 suggesting that the boarders craved more variety and quantity in their diet. Alfred Saunders (V 1867–1871) wrote regularly to his sister Aggy, often including pleas for cheese, jam, cakes, biscuits, plum pudding, figs and oranges. There was a small tuckshop, open for just two hours twice a week, in a basement room under the schoolroom and this sold a limited range of ‘catpies’, sausage rolls, fruit tarts, bathbuns, penny buns and abernethies.4 Godalming The School moved to Godalming in 1872 and eight more Boarding Houses were soon added to the original three, each privately owned by the Housemaster and run as a business concern. The quality and quantity of food varied, depending on the budget set by the Housemaster and the abilities of each House cook.
6.45am The day began with a hastily snatched ‘dog-biscuit’ and glass of milk (for those who got up in time) before hurrying out of House for Chapel at 7.30am. 7.45am Straight on to first hash – no stopping for breakfast! 8.30am Breakfast for Under School, consisting of bread, butter and tea. Boys could bring their own jam (kept in tuck boxes), and other items, such as ham, sausages, eggs and porridge, were provided by the House Butler and added to each boy’s ‘Home-Bill’. 9am Breakfast for Upper School. Monitors were waited on by junior boys, known as ‘fags’. 1.15pm (1.30pm in summer) The main meal of the day, dinner, consisted of meat and vegetables, followed by either pudding or soup or cheese. Beer continued to be offered with meals
Food, Glorious Food! Charterhouse Food Then and Now
1) Gerald S Davies, Charterhouse in London (publ. John Murray, London, 1921). 2) ChArc.0206, Letter from MacPherson, 1824. 3) ChArc.0377. 4) Davies, p288. 5) AH Tod, Charterhouse (publ. Bell & Sons, London, 1900).
and for School matches, but by 1900 beer had fallen out of favour, with the boys preferring lemonade.5 The School tuckshop, then and now, provides extra treats for those unable to survive hunger pangs between meals. The name ‘Crown’ originates from the London Charterhouse, where a large crown painted on a wall denoted the finishing point for games of hoop racing. The first tuckshop at Charterhouse in Godalming was in the building now known as the Peter May Pavilion; it was known as Crown and had a large metal crown hung above it like a pub sign. When the tuckshop moved to its current location in 1974, the name (and the crown) went with it. 6.30pm Home-Bill for Under School. This meal was cooked to order by the House Butler, usually simple food such as bacon and eggs. The cost was listed
on a separate tab for each boy, which was sent home to the parents at the end of term, hence the name ‘Home-Bill’. 7pm Home-Bill for the Upper School, with the Under School again waiting on the Monitors.
9pm The day ended with Adsum and House prayers led by the Housemaster before the Under School went to bed. The Upper School could stay up until lights out at 10.30pm and were offered a supper of bread, cheese and beer. b
Scholars’ Grace
Before Dinner. LORD, bless to us these thy good creatures, which thy bounteous liberality hath provided for us, and mercifully grant that we, by them being healthfully nourished, may be better enabled to perform all things pleasing and acceptable in thy sight, through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. Amen. After Dinner. WE render unto thee, O LORD, our most humble and hearty thanks, for these, and all thy other mercies, especially for this present refreshment, which thy bounteous liberality hath provided for us; and mercifully grant, that we by them being healthfully nourished, may be better enabled to perform all things pleasing and acceptable in thy sight, through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. Amen.
Etchings of lunch, breakfast and the tuckshop at Charterhouse
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FROM WHERE I STAND A profile on Clive Case
Charterhouse is nothing without compassion, kindness and love, explains our cross-country loving Senior Chaplain, Clive Case by Fraser Allen
Everything money can’t buy T
he Reverend Clive Case (BH10–) was perched upon his bicycle when he first approached the entrance of Charterhouse in the summer of 2011. “I clearly remember being struck by what an amazing place it was,” he says. “And I regularly remind myself of that. It’s not just the beauty of our surroundings but the immense privilege we have to be here – and I encourage pupils to make the most of it while they can. I don’t want them to leave with any regrets.” Clive’s path to Charterhouse began in Corfu, during a holiday from his role teaching Religious Studies at Truro School. It was on the Greek island that he heard his application to train as a Church of England priest had been accepted. “I received the call while my wife-to-be and I were visiting a mountain-top monastery,” he beams. “It was clearly meant to be.” A warm, affable character, regularly seen walking at a steady clip around the campus, Clive is one of the best-known faces at Charterhouse. “When I first arrived, the chaplaincy was very much about the Chapel, but now we’re much more involved in pastoral care,” he says. “Part of that means being visible and approachable. Sometimes, pupils are referred to us by Housemasters but, on other occasions, it’s simply a matter of spotting them around the School, drawing up beside them and asking if they want to have a chat.”
Charterhouse has always attracted pupils from a wide variety of cultures and faiths, and Clive regards that as an attractive part of the School’s diversity. He is there to help anyone, whatever their background or beliefs. While Charterhouse is a Christian School, belief is not forced on anyone, says Clive. He’s also able to help with difficult issues that may feel off limits to other teachers, such as bereavement. The Chapel is not the only hub of Christian activity at Charterhouse – there is also a Christian Union and a Bible Studies group. “Christian faith in the School can be pigeon-holed to the chaplaincy but the Christian Union is run by members of the Maths department,” says Clive. “That’s great because it shows that the Christian faith is not just about guys with bits of plastic around their necks. “Our philosophy is about showing compassion, kindness and love to members of our community and beyond,” adds Clive. “Some of my contemporaries might ask how I can justify working in a School where people want for nothing, but I think that the boys and girls in this School are as much in need as those who aren’t in Public Schools. They may feel they have everything that money can buy but we don’t want them to miss out on a deeper spiritual life and the opportunity to use their influence for good.” b
Quickfire What sort of pupil were you? I loved sport, drama and music and didn’t always do myself justice academically. Who inspires you? Yesterday, a Fourth Former who had only recently joined Charterhouse said he wanted to speak to the whole School in Chapel. That was brave. What keeps you awake at night? Very little, other than the thought that I might not have anything to say in Chapel. Favourite place in the world? Wherever my wife and my children are. What do you do for fun? Whisper it, I don’t get football. But I love cross-country and athletics.
Clive photographed inside the Memorial Chapel at Charterhouse
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OC NEWS It’s been a busy year for our OCs, including nine House Association gatherings, various activities held by our Clubs and Societies as well as Gaudies for 10-year, 25-year and 50-year leavers, and a rather wet OC Day at Charterhouse. We would like to thank all our Clubs and Societies for everything they do to bring our community together HOUSE ASSOCIATIONS Nine House Association gatherings were held across various locations over the past year with many taking a more relaxed approach to getting together. OR The first to be held was by the Old Robinites Association, who smashed their attendance record with 109 OR coming together at the East India Club on Tuesday 11 September, where they were joined by the Headmaster. OS On Thursday 13 September, the Old Saunderites Association held its annual dinner at Luc’s Brasserie in London. Max Carter (S83), the Old Saunderites President, explains: “The restaurant, in a historic building in Leadenhall Market in the City of London, produced an excellent three-course set menu with a number of interesting choices, with a half bottle of wine, all for the bargain price of £40 per head. A total of 43
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Old Saunderites attended the dinner, ranging from recent leavers to at least one octogenarian. The more casual approach to the dinner (it being the first year that this annual dinner did not have a black tie dress code) was appreciated by almost all of the diners, and the very affordable price tag went down almost as well as the food and wine. The House was represented by Suzanne Allen who was accompanied by her husband Simon. Mrs Allen delivered a very informative update of life in Saunderites and its many recent sporting, academic and artistic successes.” OW The Old Weekites also opted for a more informal style event with drinks held at The Footman, Mayfair, on 19 September, which attracted a good turnout from various years. OB The Old Bodeites held their annual dinner at the Café Below in St Mary-le-Bow Church on Cheapside, London, on 9 October. Chris Ames (B71) comments: “The café is located in the crypt below the church, which was founded around 1080, rebuilt after the Great Fire of London in 1666 by Sir Christopher Wren, then destroyed again in 1941 by the Luftwaffe and rebuilt again. The church has no known Carthusian connections; however, it is famous
because a true London Cockney must be born within earshot of Bow Bells and as far as I am aware there are no Carthusian Cockneys. “Twenty-two people attended the dinner, including five boys from Bodeites and the Bodeites Housemaster Tasos Aidonis. Three generations of Hendersons attended – Charles (B58), Ian (B89) and Edward (B18) – and the oldest Old Bodeite to attend was Richard Wills from 1954. “Before dinner there was Champagne and seasonal amusebouche in the main hall, followed by a four-course dinner in the crypt where one old member expressed concern that he was seated above someone’s grave. Seated at two tables, a great time was had by all, judging by the Champagne and wine consumption at one and a half bottles per head. The dinner was followed by a majority of the participants continuing on to the pub next to the church, before trying to find their way home!” Og The Old Duckites decided to come back to Charterhouse, holding their dinner on Saturday 13 October in Duckites itself. James Slater (g85), Old Duckites Honorary Secretary, gives us an overview of their dinner: “Approximately 35 Old Duckites attended what proved to be a warm-hearted and lively gathering, striking a perfect note between the formal and informal. The evening was all the more enjoyable given the scheduling of a last-minute, Schoolwide power-cut that threatened to cancel proceedings. However, timely interventions by the Foundation Office and the Housemaster, Phil Langman (BH08–), enabled the evening to go ahead. “James Wyatt (g83), the tireless
EVENTS REUNIONS DINNERS SPORTS PROFILES President of the Society, played his usual essential role in organising but was unable to attend due to a long-standing family commitment. James Slater (g85), the Secretary, gave the annual speech in his place. In particular, James S noted the sad passing of Lady Marriott, widow of the former Housemaster Sir John Marriott (BH45–85), and also the recent, and extraordinary, achievement of Duckite Dmitry Tertychnyy, in climbing Mount Everest. “Of particular note was the attendance of Martin Thompson, who left Charterhouse in 1958, giving the occasion a strong sense of tradition and reflecting fidelity to both School and House over the decades. The Society looks forward to the dinner this year, which will most likely take place in London.” OH On Thursday 1 November, the Old Hodgsonites also held their dinner at Luc’s Brasserie. Old Hodgsonites Chairman, Neil Harding (H78), reflects on their dinner: “In a break with tradition, the 55th Old Hodgsonites Association Annual Meeting and Dinner was a more informal occasion, held at Luc’s
REUNIONS
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50-Year Reunion An august group of those that left in – 1968 – 1968 met on Old LEAVERS Carthusian Day on Saturday 22 September. The gods were not kind but a true spirit of adventure and bonhomie prevailed, in
Brasserie in Leadenhall Market, rather than being a black tie event in a West End Club or The Charterhouse as has been the case in previous years, the aim being to provide a less expensive event. Turnout was particularly strong from the younger generations and, judging by the level of chatter, many old friendships were renewed. “The usual AGM formalities included a short moment on Old Hodgsonites who passed away during the year, one of whom, Sir William McAlpine (H52), is perhaps best known for his ‘rescue’ in 1973 of the Flying Scotsman from the San Francisco dockyard where it was stranded after its owner fell into financial difficulties. The Association voted in a new Hon Secretary, Luke Titmuss (H15), and awarded the customary Fourth Form Old Hodgsonite Archive Prize for the best project on a member of the
the pouring rain, and a good time was had by all that I saw. About 20 of us met for a prearranged lunch (very good food) in the Saunders room after an introduction, by the Headmaster, in the marquee on Founder’s Court. The lunchtime sport was to recognise anyone after all these years. To my surprise, some faces were very much
House who died in the Great War. The Housemaster also gave his usual update on goings-on at the House and the recently elected President, Simon Robinson (H73), also gave a short speech. The venue for the 2019 AGM and dinner will be decided shortly – the scales are finely balanced between reverting to a black tie dinner and the less formal/expensive option. Members are invited to submit their views to the Chairman!” OD Old Daviesites held a dinner on 12 November at the Hurlingham Club, where Daviesites Housemaster, Jon Tully (BH05–), enlightened the room of 46 Old Daviesites on the future plans of Charterhouse. OG On 22 November, the Gownboy Association enjoyed a black tie dinner at the beautiful East India Club, where they were also entertained by guest speaker Jeremy Levison (G69) with stories regarding some of his high-profile divorce cases. OL The last House Association event of the year was held by the Old Lockites at the Caledonian Club on 28 November 2018, with 40 Old Lockites coming together.
the same (mine included, I am told) but others totally alien. As ever, however, the very typical ability of the Carthusian to get on with anyone came forth and many a tale was told. One such person, as it turned out a Maths Beak, looked the same as he did 54 years ago, and I thought he was 60 then!! We talked briefly of the SMP project which he had pioneered.
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OC NEWS
“As is probably the case with most reunions, old friendships were re-kindled, stories were shared and one or two drinks consumed”
Who remembers the Venn diagram? There was sad news of some OCs who hadn’t made it through 50 years and others that were not able to make the event. A tour of the new Science block was arranged (very impressive) with a goodbye back in the marquee (more food) where there were other ‘old’ faces and more chat. There was finally a well-attended and splendidly musical Chapel service. This was fun and well organised. My thanks to those that trouble to put these things together and to which we do no more than ‘rock up’. Malcolm Bell (R68)
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1993 Leavers On 20 September 2018, a group of – 1993 – 1993 leavers got LEAVERS together in London to celebrate 25 years since leaving Charterhouse. It was an incredibly successful event with more than 70 attending and much fun had by all. Dom Denison-Pender (G93) reflects on his time at Charterhouse and rekindling old friendships. “What makes a great school? The answer will no doubt vary
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The 1993 Leavers enjoyed an evening of catching up with old friends well into the late hours
from person to person, generation to generation. As somebody who has ‘stress tested’ a number of educational centres of excellence and finished with two and half years at Charterhouse, my answer is simple: it is the felicity with which its pupils live the experience. I found Charterhouse to be an extremely happy place, which is a huge credit to all involved with the School. “25 years on, the first major get-together took place for the class of 1993, and I was delighted to see that the wonderful spirit that characterised our year and our School was still very much alive. Thanks to the unbelievably tenacious and industrious efforts of Catty Stroud (G93) and her team, the event actually took place. This fabulous party took an enormous amount of hard work. The organising committee, made up mostly of OC93 girls, had to take plenty of advice but very little heavy lifting from the boys. Social media only served to exacerbate the problem when the boys helpfully responded to the WhatsApp invitation with mass banter. Once straight answers were
coerced out of the unruly, 71 OCs gathered from all over the world in central London on 20 September 2018. The 44 absentees were sorely missed with most not attending due to travel constraints. “As is probably the case with most reunions, old friendships were rekindled, stories were shared and one or two drinks consumed. The party peloton broke up at around 1am but a couple of front runners apparently made it through to dawn. 1993 is a group that continues to enjoy life and each other’s company just as we did at School. I was particularly struck by the number of times I heard the words ‘time of our lives’ (or to that effect) and that is because for many of us, including myself, they probably were. A happy bunch indeed.” Dom Denison-Pender (G93)
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10-Year Reunion In June 2018, our 2008 leavers came – 2018 – together in Fulham LEAVERS to catch up 10 years after leaving Chartehouse. Our thanks to Ant Beddows (G08) for co-ordinating.
EVENTS | REUNIONS | DINNERS | SPORTS | PROFILES
OLD CARTHUSIAN MEDIA & LITERARY SOCIETY The OCMLS had a busy year last year, with three events, two of them with guest speakers and one a networking drinks. We kicked off the year with drinks at 68 & Boston, a cocktail bar in London’s Soho, with around 25 attendees from across the years and Houses. Our presenter was David Hancock (S96), scriptwriter for hit TV series, The Crown. His informing and fascinating presentation took us from the Gorbals area of Glasgow, giving us the background to and then showing us, one of the most famous TV commercials ever – the Sony Bravia ad (if you haven’t seen it, I urge you to). As a runner, David’s job was to somehow manage to persuade the gangs that controlled the estates to allow film crews in to cover the condemned buildings in paint! His career then took him to ITV via hit shows like Taggart and Rebus, before founding a production company which produced and exhibited award-winning short films at festivals. His big break came when Peter Morgan, writer of Frost/ Nixon, The Queen and The Last King
of Scotland, hired him as a script executive and began asking him to write first short speeches, then longer scenes and finally full episodes of The Crown for Netflix. David is now one of the main scriptwriters for The Crown, which moves into its next stage with a new, older queen, played by Olivia Colman. We kept with the same venue for our informal summer networking drinks in June, which again attracted a good mix of years and Houses – and sexes. The event was informal, a chance to chat and network over a few drinks and nibbles. Our main event of the year is a dinner, which took place for the second year running in Beaufort House in Chelsea, with 22 attendees including two members of the alumni team – Vicki Bradley and
Sinead Dowley – and the new Head of English at Charterhouse, Will Gaisford. Our guest speaker was Josh Bullock (S03), co-founder and until early 2017, co-editor of the international print magazine, So It Goes. He was also head of its video production arm So It Goes Films. Josh’s latest projects include a documentary, Gaucho, which he wrote and produced, and a documentary series for a major broadcaster on disappearing sub-cultures called The Last of the Last. Josh took us on a fascinating journey through his career, via print journalism to film making, through juke joints and the last of the Bluesmen in the Deep South of the United States, to the plains of Patagonia and where he is now directing a film about evangelical Christian belief and tornadoes in the Deep South. We all left feeling more knowledgeable and inspired. Our events this year will be in late March/early April (before Easter); towards the end of CQ and in midNovember (exact dates and speakers to be confirmed). Adam Coulter (S87) F The OCMLS is open to all OCs in media (print, TV, radio, online), literature, film, publishing, poetry and drama. For more details contact Adam Coulter (S87) on ocmediaandliterarysociety@gmail.com
A still from the famous Sony Bravia TV commercial
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OC NEWS
Nodder of Tonbridge over 3 very competitive sets, 6–5, 5–6, 6–4. They went on to lose to James AchesonGray (V89) and Adam Dolman (V99) of Charterhouse in the other semi-final. The final was expected to be very tight with Eton starting as narrow favourites as their top player Jamie Giddens is now one of the leading amateurs in the country and he plays a huge amount. His partner Harry Eddis is also known to be an excellent doubles player. However, we were able to come from 4–2 in both sets to claim the win, largely as a result of some extremely solid play from the back of the court from Adam and the occasional volley up the front from me. James Acheson-Gray (V89) and Adam Dolman (V99)
HENRY LEAF (REAL TENNIS) The Henry Leaf is the Real Tennis equivalent of the Arthur Dunn Cup (football) or the Halford Hewitt (golf ), in both of which the OCs have a very good record. It was previously just for public schools but was opened up about 15 years ago to allow any school to enter, and it is open to both professionals and amateurs. It was first played for in 1922. Charterhouse has been the most successful school of the last 20 years and this was our 10th win since 1995. The 2018 Henry Leaf was played at the Queen’s Club over 22 and 23 September. This was the first time the tournament had been played in September, having previously always been hosted in March. Whether it was the date change or just circumstance, there were certain notable absentees from this year’s tournament, with the likes of Wellington, the Oratory, Canford, St Paul’s, Manchester and Harrow all
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failing to get a side out. However, we still managed to get eight good pairs to slug it out over the weekend and it was great to see new additions George Johnson and Charlie Hudson representing Merchant Taylor’s, and a young Radley pair of Harry Foreman and Ben Yorston playing for the first time. With a staggered draw, Saturday saw a straight shoot out to see who would progress to the quarter finals. Johnson and Hudson of Merchant Taylor’s managed to pip a very tight encounter against a Charterhouse pair of Alex Rozier-Pamplin (R10) and Gus Giddins (W14) 6–5 in the third set, before losing to the young duo from Radley. Foreman and Yorston went on to lose a very close match against Dom Wright (G01) and Tim Drayson (V94), who in turn were beaten by a strong Eton pairing of Jamie Giddens and Harry Eddis in a very high-quality and entertaining semi-final. In the other half of the draw, Freddy Dixon and Chris Krueger of Warwick managed to overcome Ed Hyde and George
OLD CARTHUSIAN ART SOCIETY The Old Carthusian Art Society (OCAS) has had another flourishing year with various successful outings and events and the inaugural presentation of the new OCAS Prize. The OCAS Prize is awarded to the most promising of the Second Year Specialists, and was judged in the Spring while the specialists were showing their Pre-University work at Studio. Whilst honourable mentions went to Luis Enriquez
The Society held a visit to the studios of Henry Moore Award winning sculptor Paul Vanstone and glass sculptor Danny Lane
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(g18) for his fine multimedia work and to Jil Sinnes (S18) for her witty and mordant film piece, the inaugural award went to Millie Vacher (V18), who received a prize of £200 for a beautiful series of abstract ceramics based on observations of Roman architecture. In 2018, The Society also held a life drawing class and a variety of events, including a trip to the Folkestone Triennial, a coach tour of contemporary art galleries in East London (ending with a curry), and a visit to the studios of Henry Moore Award-winning sculptor Paul Vanstone and glass sculptor Danny Lane followed by a barbecue surrounded by the furnaces and
giant glass and metal creations in Danny’s studio. This year’s events will include the OCAS Winter Feast in March and the Biennial OCAS Exhibition, open to all OCAS members, which will be held in the Autumn. Further gallery visits and workshops are also in planning. The Society welcomes all OC art lovers and artists. To join The Society, please email Peter Burgess (g80) via ocas@hotmail.co.uk or visit Charterhouse Connect. Rob Dunt (B89)
OC WATER POLO OC Day 2018 saw a good turnout of OC water polo players for
their annual match against the Carthusians. Twelve experienced players, full of vim, stronger and looming larger than when they were at School, turned up to take on the current pupils. Tom McKay (P09) who plays for Croydon Amphibians, interchanged with Peter Mason (S07) in goal. Alex Reeve-Tucker (g08) was first to score within the first minute of play followed by a goal from Mike Fatsis (P10), another from Martin Cox (g76), Jack Marriott (H08) then two more from Alex in the first quarter. Charterhouse boys were left scoreless in both the first and second quarters. Rob Law (P14) was first to score in the second quarter followed by three more goals from Mike and another from Alex to give the OCs an 11–0 lead. Dimitri Stamatiou (S02), Max Lawson (S08), Jack and Alex all scored in the third quarter with Charterhouse scoring their goal in the last 15 seconds. Strength, experience and confidence saw the OCs race away in the last quarter with four goals from Mike, Will Law (P10), Martin Cox and Max Lawson, one each. Alex Klein (B13) and Hugo Millington-Drake (S08) also played. Final score, OCs 24 vs Charterhouse 3. The players enjoyed ‘high tea’ in the marquee afterwards and are now trying to play some matches against other ‘old boys’ Schools. Ellery McGowan (BH03–)
OC ELITE SPORTS OC Fencing James Russell (W17) was selected to represent England at the Junior Commonwealth Fencing Championships in July. OC Cricket George Barlow (V18) and Prince Singh (P18) represented their Surrey age group at cricket.
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OC NEWS
Our lasting tribute to Thomas Sutton Each year, a Founder’s Day Dinner is held to give thanks to Thomas Sutton, our Founder. In London, Old Carthusians gather in the Great Hall at The Charterhouse but London is not the only city in the world that marks the occasion, with dinners also having been held in Sydney Australia, Ontario Canada and Hong Kong during 2018 LONDON, ENGLAND Founder’s Day Dinner evokes memories of end of term ‘Founder’s Feasts’ so it didn’t take too much arm twisting from an Old Carthusian of my era to get me to attend. Yet another excuse at the beginning of the festive season to see some fond, familiar faces in nostalgic, Greyhound-crested surroundings. Little attention had I given to the significance of the day, for little did I know of it. When we made a visit to ‘Old Charterhouse’ as butter-wouldn’t-melt yearlings, the Beak’s goal was to educate us on the School’s history. I am ashamed to confess that I did not that day give my full attention. The excitement of a first school trip, what with the promise of packed lunches, distracted me away from the significance of what was ‘Old Charterhouse’, or more recently ‘The Charterhouse’ to call it by its now proper name. Times change. Now as a freshly elected Founder’s Day Steward (no less!), it is a part of my role to share my recent delighted discovery of the history of the feast, an event that is one of the School’s finest, and certainly oldest, traditions.
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Cast your thoughts to the remarkable bronze statue that sits proudly afore Gownboys: Thomas Sutton. Some 408 years ago, Sutton, one of England’s wealthiest men, chose to donate his enormous wealth to the cause of establishing “a hospital for pensioners and a school for boys”. Alas, that same year, 1611, he would pass away having likely
From The Charterhouse:
seen only plans and an acquired plot (an ex-Carthusian monastery dating from the 14th century) for his vision. It was some 16 years after Sutton’s passing, just as the fruits of his vision were being realised, that Charterhouse’s first graduates reflected gratefully along with the then Master and a celebration was declared. Initially solely a solemn church service, it was soon decided that a banquet should follow. The church service remains as was: formal, and faithful to tradition. The food, I can attest, is not to be sniffed at. It is plain to see that the menu has greatly evolved from 1726 when the starters of pullets (young hens), tongues (miscellaneous) and udders were all on offer. The speaker in 2018 took the form of a warmly welcomed returning member of Brooke Hall and newly appointed Headmaster, Dr Alex Peterken. As coincidence would have it, Dr Peterken was in fact the aforementioned Beak that took us on the Fourth Form trip 20 years prior (and I’m pleased to say I paid slightly more attention this time round). ‘Carmen Carthusianum’ is an ongoing torture at Founder’s Dinners. Somehow this Latin lyrical School song, unknown nearly to all, has been a mainstay of the programme since it somehow knocked ‘Auld Lang Syne’ off its post in 1928. The School’s Choir
On Founder’s Day Carthusians give thanks to Thomas Sutton and his inspired act of charity by joining Brothers of The Charterhouse to dine in the Great Hall. Those who come may remember that people have been dining there since the time of the Tudors. Indeed, Elizabeth I will have done so while she stayed in the mansion over the first five days of her reign. All of us who are associated with the charity can be proud of that we are part of the history of this extraordinary place and grateful that the governors of the charity have maintained the estate so well while continuing to provide for the original recipients – the School and the Alms House.
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has understandably on occasion drawn a line of refusal to perform this over the years, leaving it to unassisted diners to have a go alone. It goes to show though that Founder’s Day Dinner’s traditions do stand the test of time; indeed, the Dinner’s annual recurrence has been broken only by two World Wars and the passing of a Queen (Adelaide). Today’s occasion is a comfortable black tie event in good company. The shared experience of Charterhouse certainly allows plenty to discuss, laugh and, for recent graduates, to network about. Seating is accommodating to allow logical groupings to be together be it by vintage, by house, or by request. A handful of the Brothers of The Charterhouse elect to join and bring the venue to life with their real-life tales of the place. December 2018 was sold out, so when the Dinner comes around this year we would urge you to book your place in good time to avoid disappointment. From the fairly hefty document on the History of the Dinner that I was handed as a new Steward, there are one or two interesting moments that I would like to highlight and share: • In 1787 it was recorded that between the 39 diners, 35 bottles of claret, 17 of Madeira, 13 of sherry, 40 of port, and 2 each of rum and brandy were consumed. Unrecorded, but inferred, sore heads were had. • Notable Stewards over time include Sir Robert Peel (not a Carthusian, yet a governor and former Prime Minister); numerous dukes, earls, lords, excellencies, archbishops; the founder of the Baden-Powell Scouts’ Association; William Beveridge, the founder of National Insurance; and, by no means least, yours truly. Thomas Foulger (g04)
An international celebration ONTARIO, CANADA John Knowles (w57) gathered fellow OCs on Wednesday 5 December at the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club. The evening began with a few speeches including a written greeting from the Headmaster, Dr Alex Peterken. Before dinner, the Charterhouse Grace was recited (from memory) by John Lightbody (G58), and a sumptuous dinner was enjoyed by all.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Stuart Clark (H72) did a fantastic job bringing together OCs in Sydney on 5 December, a few hours ahead of the dinner at The Charterhouse. Stuart commented on the evening: “December is the end of the year in Australia for pretty well everything. Schools and universities end the year in December, people have started to head off to their summer break and those who are still in Sydney face the end of year/ Christmas parties and functions. Come the week before Christmas everything is winding down until
the week after Australia Day (26 January). So this year, we had a few of our regulars in the UK visiting family, others already on vacation and yet others attending School presentation nights or Christmas events. Due to this we may move the dinner for 2019. That said, the 14 who attended had an excellent time in the Private Dining Room at the Australian Club. The Headmaster’s message was greatly appreciated and those of us who had visited the School or The Charterhouse recently were able to add a little colour and context. We had a good cross-section of ages and Houses and the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all.”
HONG KONG On 16 November 2018 OCs, parents and friends of Charterhouse joined the Headmaster for Charterhouse’s annual Founder’s Day Dinner in Hong Kong, hosted at Cipriani. Alex Peterken was able to share the School’s exciting plans for the future with the 95 guests. All guests enjoyed an excellent meal and the opportunity to reminisce with friends.
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OC PROFILE
Peter Roper-Curzon (S96)
“I have played at three weddings for the Ferguson Family. They wanted me to play some of my own compositions for the wedding, but they couldn’t fit a piano into St George’s Chapel. They had to settle for Andrea Bocelli instead!” F THE MUSICIAN TO THE ROYALS
Organist and concert pianist Peter Roper-Curzon (S96) reflects on performing at the wedding of his second cousin Princess Eugenie, the Queen’s granddaughter, and Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. I met with Sarah Ferguson, Princess Eugenie and Jack in January 2018 to discuss options. I went through all the usual wedding choices but they wanted something completely different, which is often the case for weddings these days. It was my version of Bach’s BWV – Fantasia in G major that appealed to them. My first task was to cut this 12-minute-long piece to precisely 90 seconds without anyone noticing! I had to compose several possible ways of doing it and send them off to James Vivian (Head of Music at St George’s), who fortunately was happy with my first draft. As we were leading up to the day I don’t think I have ever been so nervous. The day before the wedding we did a realtime rehearsal with alternative royals; I believe Prince Charles was enacted by a woman! It was nerve-wracking as I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it did. When we arrived at our accommodation the night before, we showed our B&B hosts the directions we were given to get to the secret location the following morning and they advised us that they knew a better route. It became apparent that they thought we wanted to watch the wedding from outside the chapel, until my wife pointed out that I was actually performing at the wedding. On the big day, I was supposed to arrive early for a rehearsal but I nearly didn’t make it in. Security was on high alert and, as I approached the Chapel, I realised I didn’t have the correct pass with me. The policeman guarding the north transept doors stopped me. I told him that I was the organist for the wedding and he replied: “I’m not saying that you aren’t, but I’m not able to let you pass.” So I waited patiently until I noticed a different policeman guarding the same door. I flashed my wristband and diverted him from checking its validity by asking if had he seen Andrea Bocelli as I needed to rehearse with him (which never
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happened of course). Thankfully he allowed me in without further questioning. The wedding itself couldn’t have gone more smoothly (from my point of view anyway). After playing the chief organ solo pieces just as the Queen arrived to a fanfare, I then played two further solo pieces, the first being the third movement of Bach’s first Trio Sonata followed by ‘Rhosymedre’ by Vaughan Williams (R1887). The bride then arrived to the next fanfare and my heart started to beat faster as I got myself ready. It was then I was told that 3.5 million people were watching, not particularly helpful at the time! My ‘Wedding March’ is an easy piece to play, but not necessarily when under pressure.
Peter with his wife Victoria outside Windsor Castle
JONATHAN BRADY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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“The bride then arrived to the next fanfare and my heart started to beat faster as I got myself ready. It was then I was told that 3.5 million people were watching, not particularly helpful at the time!” When it was finished I was so relieved but it wasn’t quite over for me yet, as I accompanied Andrea Bocelli singing ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Panis Angelicus’. Bocelli is not an easy man to follow and we hadn’t been able to rehearse prior to this, but having since listened to a recording on YouTube I think it came over rather well. It was amazing to be part of something of this nature. The whole wedding was organised with military precision and I feel that my career so far had built up to this moment. One error and everything could fall apart but sheer experience helps you deal with this. It was a wonderful experience and one I was very willing to be part of. I’m also hoping that the ‘March’ cropped to 90 seconds version can be used for a lot more brides. b
Above: Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank walk back down the aisle at the end of their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle; Right: The Order of Service from the ceremony
BIOGRAPHY Peter began his musical career as a chorister at Salisbury Cathedral followed by his time as a music scholar at Charterhouse, culminating in becoming a piano finalist in the 1996 Young Musician of the Year competition. After Charterhouse, Peter was Organ Scholar of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and read Music. He then became Director of Music for St John’s Notting Hill and then organist at St Peter’s, Bournemouth. As both a concert pianist and organist, Peter began composing in 2005. His works include a ballet, several short piano pieces and two requiem masses, which were commissioned and composed in 2013. Peter remembers his time at Charterhouse fondly: “Time there seemed to pass extremely quickly and it was because I had such a wonderful time. There was a fine balance between work and leisure, alongside the opportunity to focus on piano and organ. Any successes I’ve had, I attribute to the teaching I have enjoyed throughout my education.” Peter continues as a working musician available for events on request.
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DWPRATT RACING PHOTOGRAPHY
OC NEWS
OC Racing Society going strong Jonners Henwood-Ross (D02) takes us on a gallop through a busy year for our horse racing enthusiasts
I
t’s been a fantastic couple of years for the Old Carthusian Racing Society (OCRS). Since our initial success with Niceonefrankie, who won the prestigious Grade 3 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup at Cheltenham, syndicates comprised of OCRS members have acquired two more horses. The first of these is a big 6-yearold gelding called Shivermetimbers, trained by Venetia Williams. ‘Shivers’, as he is affectionately known, made the perfect debut in March 2017 winning a ‘bumper’ (flat race for future jumps horses) at Warwick. He was subsequently favourite for his hurdling debut but unseated Grand National-winning jockey, Liam Treadwell, at the very first flight. Since this minor blip, he has run respectably, although he seems to have a mind of his own when it comes to racing! We’re very much looking
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forward to seeing him progress from hurdles to fences where we think he will have a bright future. The second and most recent of these equine acquisitions, also trained by Venetia, is a stunning chestnut mare who was appropriately named Lady Chartreuse by part owners Scarlett and Tony Geen (W58). She is only a youngster and recently improved from a modest start to finish a fantastic second in a Novices’ Hurdle at Lingfield. We think moving into handicaps and a step up in trip will unlock plenty of improvement and, fingers crossed, ‘Lady C’ will be in the winners’ enclosure soon. Many thanks to Brian Lenaghan (L57) for all of his efforts in organising the syndicates. The OCRS is not just about owning horses, however, and the social aspect of the society is continually
growing. Our most recent annual dinner, held the week after the Cheltenham Festival, was a relatively casual occasion in a private dining room in Wimbledon. Much fun was had by all and our Chairman, Peter Nathan (H47), entertained us with fantastic tales from his time spent in (and out of) the saddle. The most recent OCRS event was a tour of five-time champion trainer Nicky Henderson’s yard at Seven Barrows, Lambourn. The opportunity to visit such a historic yard and meet some of the equine superstars living there did not disappoint. By chance, a special gallop had been organised for a visiting film crew with Buveur D’Air and Might Bite (part owned by Chris Price (S71)). It’s not every day you get to see a dual Champion Hurdle winner and a King George winner flying across the Berkshire countryside together! Breakfast afterwards and a trip to Newbury races armed with the tips garnered earlier made this a really memorable day for all in attendance. The future holds plenty in store for the OCRS. As well as having two horses in training to follow we also have the annual dinner and AGM, which will be held in late March and, as always, will feature much wine, great company and a wellknown racing figure as guest speaker. We have a gathering at Sandown in the pipeline and, in May, members will be invited to visit a flat yard followed by lunch and a trip to Newmarket races. The OCRS welcomes new members no matter whether you are involved or just have a passing interest in racing so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can contact us by emailing the Foundation Office or by visiting our page on Charterhouse Connect where you can also keep up to date with OC Racing Society horses, news and events. b
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Howzat? A
Charterhouse Friars update
20 runs short of their target. A great omen for round one, we thought! It was Radley away and the visiting Friars were greeted with what looked like a lovely batting surface, under admittedly grey skies. Without hesitation, we decided to bat and quickly found ourselves on the back foot with the ball moving laterally both in the air and off the playing surface. On debut, opener Will Melhuish (S17) alongside senior pro James Hamblin (G96) managed to steady the ship and had seen us to 50–2 until a moment of extreme bad luck saw Melhuish run out at the non-striker’s end, with the Radley seamer deflecting a Hamblin straight drive back onto the stumps. This was the beginning of the end, so to speak: Friars – 113 all out. A valiant defence in the field followed and, at 30–3 with exEngland international Dalrymple dismissed first ball for a duck, the impossible looked possible.
Anthony Wreford takes helm at MCC
PATRICK EAGER
fter a busy winter and the announcement of a new Cricketer Cup Captain in Simon Hollingsworth (L02), the Friars’ cricketing summer got under way amidst an air of excited anticipation. Having showed well during the previous summer, both aspirations and expectations were running high. After a highly successful season opening dinner at the Queen’s Club to commemorate legendary Friars Anthony Allom (W57) and John Victor (W73), the opening fixture of the summer was unsurprisingly called off just weeks after the final instalment of the ‘Beast from the East’. Our first fixtures proper were against an extremely strong School XI boasting a three-pronged pace attack, with admittedly rather a lot more pace than was expected. Despite two attritional bowling displays from the Friars, and in particular Jimmy Hawkings (R17) on debut, we were no match for the well-drilled outfit, having been set rather sub-par scores on both occasions. The Friars’ next engagement, the weekend before the first round proper, was against the Flashmen, an extremely handy wandering side with their roots in Zimbabwe. Wobbling in the first innings with the bat, we were forced to rely on a captain’s innings from Simon Hollingsworth (L02) who, left stranded at one end in the 60s, managed to see us through to a near par score of 160. Our response in the field was exceptional, the whole bowling attack and fielding unit combined superbly to bowl out our opposition
Unfortunately, we fell just short as the Radley lower middle order completed the run chase with five wickets in hand. It was very much a nearly day with lots of positives and even more ‘what ifs’. Certainly cause for optimism for 2019 though, particularly considering the Friars’ efforts in the field. The following seven Sunday fixtures that followed yielded limited success for the Friars. The lone victory coming against the Wanderers, spear-headed by a young and exciting bowling attack, was the only cause for celebration. A particularly accurate spell of spin bowling from Tom Hurley (S15) proved the difference between the two sides on the day. That said, once again more than 40 OCs represented the Friars in 2018, playing their cricket in true Carthusian spirit, enjoying their day out on Maniacs even when the results didn’t land in our favour. Special thanks must go to Fuzzy Barker (B91), Sue Schofield, Lee Marshallsay, Robin Burns and the committee for all the work that’s put in behind the scenes. b Ben Ryder-Smith (L06)
Congratulations to Anthony Wreford (L70) who from 1 October 2018 became President of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Anthony played cricket for MCC, Esher and the Charterhouse Friars. He held the bowling record in the Surrey Championship League and is the leading wicket taker for Charterhouse in the Cricketer Cup. He led the drive for women to become eligible for MCC membership (achieved 1998) and his presidency coincides with the election to MCC of over 160 female non-playing members. With a World Cup, an Ashes series and the inaugural Test Match against Ireland, 2019, it will be an incredible summer for English Cricket. • We’ll be looking back on Anthony’s experiences in the third issue of The Greyhound.
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OC NEWS
Fore!
An update from the OC Golfing Society
T
he second hosting of the Under 25 vs Over 25 match at the Berkshire took place on a glorious day in August with different formats over 36 holes on the Red and Blue courses. We had a good mix of active and new players to OC golf. Next year, Charlie Thomas (W14) and Gus Giddins (W14) will be jointly running the U25s and Jeremy Wauters (V09) the Over 25s. If you’ve not played OC golf before, this is a great way to get started at two of the best courses in the south of England, so please get in touch: (Charlie 07758 801151), (Gus 07519 031340), (Jeremy 07884 491483). Back in April, we reached the quarter final of the Halford Hewitt under the astute captaincy of Karl Frearson (W83), beating Bedford, Stoneyhurst and Cheltenham before defeat to a strong Ampleforth team that included one of England’s top amateurs (David Haig). They went on to the final but were again beaten, as in 2017, this time by Winchester. Jumbo Royds (W78) and Gus Giddins (W14) – on debut – combined for an impressive four points from four, notable also for Jumbo’s return to the competition after a 20-year absence – surely a Hewitt record. The rest of the team was Richard Allen (B84), Mark Benka (W91), Richard Caldwell (G95), Julian Hill (W79), Andy Hollingsworth (L98), Ryan McKinnia (L07), Barnaby Mote (V91), Jack Ryder-Smith (g11), Simon Stilwell (g95) and Jeremy Wauters (V09).
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Above: Jeremy Wauters tees off at Grafton Morrish. Left: The Captain and Max Williams with the Wreford Brown Foursomes Cup
Mark Benka (W91) takes over as Captain for 2019. Twenty-four members played a very sunny Spring meeting in May, with the AGM and annual dinner at Royal St George’s. The competition winners were Mark Ramsay (S74), Michael Robinson (H68), Stuart Donnan (L75), Jumbo Royds, Ian Harvey-Samuel (H83) and Peter Sedgwick (S71). At the start of June, Royal Wimbledon hosts one of the more unusual events in the public school
golf calendar: a putting tournament on their vast, undulating practice green. Over four evenings, 32 teams of 4 players attempt to qualify for the finals (2 teams go through each day) and simultaneously avoid the banana skin of last place and three years’ relegation. Having made it through qualifying, we fell well behind the two leading schools until a minor collapse within sight of the finishing line enabled us to get into a tie for first place and thrust Simon Stilwell (G95; Captain) into a sudden-death play-off against Epsom’s Captain, Jeremy Morgan. Epsom went first and holed a rapid, right-to-left 15 footer, which Simon narrowly missed in reply – runnersup was nonetheless a decent effort. The other putters were Ryan McKinnia, Barnaby Mote and Jack Ryder-Smith. In July we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Halford Hewitt
EVENTS | REUNIONS | DINNERS | SPORTS | PROFILES
course. Twenty-four members – including some who, back in 1987, donated to help finance the construction – took part in a competition which was won by Malcolm Bradley (G74), Richard Martin (G78) and Charlie Thomas (W14). Donald Steel, who designed the course, commented on how well it’s been developed and maintained. After a win in the event in 2016 and a good run to the semi-finals in 2017, expectations were high in the Bernard Darwin, but after beating Rugby in the first round we then lost to Eton. The team was Michael Robinson (H68; Captain), Mark Ramsay (S74), Jumbo Royds, Anthony Wreford (L70), Julian Hill and Nigel Gray (H74). Malcolm Bradley takes over as Captain in 2019. In the Senior Darwin, we thrashed Westminster in the first round and crept past Eton in the second with the Captain, Roddy Gamble (H61) and Chris Spencer-Phillips (V63) winning the deciding match on the 19th. We then succumbed to eventual winners Repton in the semis. Michael Robinson, Anthony Wreford, Nick Moore (R67) and John Pearmund (B71) made up the team. John Pearmund takes over as Captain in 2019. In the Veteran Darwin, our two pairs Tony Clement-Brown (B59) & Michael O’Brien (V53) and David Comer (H58) & Michael Langford (L59) came in short of the winning pair from Malvern. John Gill (W62) takes over in 2019. Thirty-three members played in the Autumn meeting at the Berkshire. The competition winners were Jeremy Wauters, Ben RyderSmith (L06), Ian Harvey-Samuel, Michael Robinson (H68) and Max Williams (V04) with Malcolm Bradley winning the Gold Medal for the best combined Spring and Autumn scores. In the Kenya Cup matchplay knock-out competition played throughout the summer,
Max Williams defeated Peter Baxter (S02) in the final by one hole. September saw a team mixing not enough youth and rather too much experience attempt to snatch the Queen Elizabeth trophy at Barnton in Edinburgh from under the noses of the Scottish schools. After a strong opener against Strathallan, we came unstuck against Gordonians 2–1 with the deciding game going to the 17th green. In a year seemingly for comebacks, Patric Foley-Brickley (S77) played his first representative OC golf for 10 years. The rest of the team was Barnaby Mote (Captain), Christian Ayres (G91), Mark Benka, Julian Hill and Charlie Thomas with support from Andrew Forgan. Simon Stilwell, captaining the Grafton Morrish for the first time, had high hopes after an exceptional score that won the London qualifying round in May and took a strong team to Norfolk for the finals. Unfortunately, the draw was tough and we lost narrowly to a powerful Birkenhead team – twice winners in recent years and with an aggregate handicap of around +5 – with all three matches going down the 18th. The team was Gus Giddins, Andy Hollingsworth, Barnaby Mote, Charlie Thomas and Jeremy Wauters. Mark Benka won the Oxford & Cambridge Golfing Society’s main event, the President’s Putter, at Rye on 6 January 2019. It’s the second time Mark has won it. The 2019 Spring meeting will be at Royal Cinque Ports in May and as usual back at the Berkshire for the Autumn meeting in early September. If you are interested in getting involved in any of our events, please contact John Pearmund, pearmundocgs@btinternet.com. To join our WhatsApp group, send a text with your name to Barnaby Mote at +44 (0)7740 703675. b Barnaby Mote (V91) and John Pearmund (B71)
OC Yacht Club casts anchor
F
ollowing a rousing AGM at Brooke Hall in March, the Club was reinvigorated for the year ahead. By April, we were back on the water, competing by invitation in the Royal Thames YC where we were placed a respectable 5th in their J/80 fleet for the Belvedere Cup. The following month we organised a commemoration on HMS Victory of the 250th anniversary of the birth of OC sailor and Nelson’s chaplain at Trafalgar, the Rev Dr Alexander Scott. In June, we entered 10 yachts into the Round the Island Race. The Cecil Donne Cup was won by Jonathan Rolls (W64), while the Beaumont Bowl, for all OCYC yachts, was won by Peter Dickson (L63). He achieved first in class and third overall out of 614 in the ISC rating. In August, we had a lovely crossChannel excursion to Guernsey. Finally, in November Bessie’s 460th Gallop was contested in gale conditions. The Rum Keg was awarded to John Skipper (B82), a narrow winner just ahead of Issy Britton (G13), the Club’s Rear Commodore. Overall, it was a fantastic year, and we look forward to upcoming events. b
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OC FOOTBALL
More Cup triumphs for OC footballers Matt Bailey (V00), Chairman of the Old Carthusian Football Club, reports on the 2017–18 season, including highlights such as the dramatic Arthur Dunn Cup triumph
T
he 2017–18 was a season of mixed success for the Old Carthusian Footballers. The 2nd and 3rd XIs fought hard, but didn’t have much luck in what became a transitional season, with many familiar faces hanging up the boots and a new crop of players bedding in. The 1st XI had one major goal for the year, that being to secure a very elusive ‘external’ Cup. Having fallen short in two AFA Senior Cup Finals and one London Old Boys Cup Final in recent seasons, this was the last assault for Jamie Cameron as Captain of the team. It was fitting that the talisman was the scorer in the 1–0 win in the Final of the 2018 London Old Boys Cup, our first senior external trophy for many, many seasons. Following on from this victory, the 1st XI also secured a place in the Final of the Arthur Dunn Cup (our 9th final
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The OC 1st XI team
in the last 13 years). In a stunning game, where the OCs came back from 2–0 and 3–1 down, the OCs forced penalties with the score at 3–3 after extra time. Calm as ever, the team scored all five spot kicks to claim yet another Dunn victory. With so much focus and energy on the Cups, the League form suffered just enough to be edged out by a resurgent Forest team. The OCFC has now won 43 trophies in the last 13 years, an era of dominance including 9 Arthur Dunn Cups, 9 Premier Leagues, 8 Second Divisions, 6 Junior League Cups, 1 London Old Boys Senior Cup, 1 London Old Boys Junior Cup and 1 Derrick Moore Veterans Cup. At time of writing I’m delighted to report that all three regular XIs are thriving under new leadership, with the 1st XI and 2nd XI top of their leagues; and the Veterans XI look set up for
future success with an influx of players. More success is in sight for 2019. The ongoing future of the Club is dependent on attracting OC footballers to come and join us. We remain openarmed to newcomers and encourage anyone with a passion for the game to get in touch. In the last year, we have put over 100 OCs onto the pitch. Following growing interest from recent leavers in 2019, the hope is that the Club will launch its first women’s team. My thanks, as always, to the committee, captains, players, supporters, Alumni Fund contributors, School football coaches and groundsmen. As a collective, we have been the standard-bearers for football at our level for a long time. b F For more information, please email Matt via thechairmanocfc@gmail.com
EVENTS | REUNIONS | DINNERS | SPORTS | PROFILES
Pictures from the Arthur Dunn Cup Final, courtesy of David Baulkham
Cup Results LOB SENIOR CUP: 7 April 2018 F Old Hamptonians 0–1 Old Carthusians 27 January 2018 F Clapham Old Xaverians 1–4 Old Carthusians 6 January 2018 F Old Minchendenians 0–2 Old Carthusians 4 November 2017 F Old Tenisonians 1–2 Old Carthusians 7 October 2017 F Economicals 0–3 Old Carthusians
DUNN CUP: 21 April 2018 F Old Tonbridgians 3–3 (Pen 3–5) Old Carthusians 10 March 2018 F Old Foresters 1–2 Old Carthusians 10 February 2018 F Old Carthusians 4–1 Old Alleynians AFC 9 December 2017 F Old Carthusians 1–0 Old Bradfieldians 21 October 2017 F Old Radleians 1–9 Old Carthusians
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OC ORIGINALS Cricketing legend Peter May, Saunderites, 1942–1947
Peter May
The Charterhouse Cricket 1st XI in 1947 with Peter May, front row, centre
There is a story told at Charterhouse that Peter May (S47) hit a ball from the wicket on Green over the top of Verites. Whilst this legend is almost certainly apocryphal, it illustrates the importance of Peter as the greatest cricketer produced by Charterhouse, one of the great cricketing public schools
P
eter Barker Howard May was born on 29 December 1929, the first son of Thomas and Emily May. Peter arrived at Charterhouse in OQ1942, aged 12, and was quickly identified by Bob Arrowsmith, Master in Charge of Cricket, as a rising star. Peter duly joined the Cricket 1st XI in CQ1944 and made his first century for the School against Harrow, scoring 108 in 90 minutes. During his four years in
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the 1st XI, he totalled 1,794 runs and made 8 centuries. In his final year at Charterhouse, he made 183 not out against Eton and successive hundreds at Lords, firstly for the southern schools against the Rest, then for the public schools against the combined services, with an innings of 146. Beyond Charterhouse After Charterhouse, cricket had to be put to one side while May did his national service as a writer in the Royal Navy. In
October 1949 he went up to Pembroke College, Cambridge, to read history and economics. In addition to his studies, he played for Cambridge University Cricket Club (1950–1952) and Cambridge University Football Club (1949–1952). He won Cambridge blues not only for cricket and football but also for Eton Fives. He made 9 centuries for Cambridge, starting with an innings of 227 against Hampshire, and in 1951 he scored 138 against South Africa at Headingly. Between 1951 and 1961, Peter played for England and was given the captaincy in 1955, aged just 25. He led the England team 41 times, with 20 wins, 10 losses and 11 draws. He experienced the elation of winning the Ashes in 1956 and the despondency of losing them in Australia in 1958/1959. Peter’s highest innings was 285 not out for England against the West Indies
EVENTS | REUNIONS | DINNERS | SPORTS | PROFILES
An extract from the Cricketer Cup, reporting on a seven-wicket victory against Harrow Wanderers
at Edgbaston in 1957. He came in to bat when England were nearly 300 behind and Sonny Ramadhin’s bowling was seemingly unstoppable, but, in a phenomenal partnership with Colin Cowdrey, he batted for nearly 10 hours.
Hanging up his bat Peter retired from test cricket in 1961 aged just 32, and retired from all firstclass cricket two years later, after which he focused on his career as an insurance broker and family life with his wife, Virginia, and four daughters. He was a Test selector from 1965 and chairman of selectors from 1982–1985. Sadly, Peter died from a brain tumour in December 1994; however, he is still widely recognised as the finest English batsman of the second half of the 20th century. It is fitting that the Charterhouse 1st XI pavilion has been renamed as the Peter May Pavilion in recent years. An unassuming, shy man, there was nothing in his demeanour off the field to suggest that he was a world-class sportsman, but at the crease, his cover drive, blending elegance, unhurried fluency of movement and power, was glorious to behold. b
PETER MAY CAREER IN NUMBERS
66
51
41
85
England caps
Times captaining England
Batting average
First-class hundreds
27,592 First-class runs
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Sarah Rollins
OC PROFILE
F THE GOLD MEDALLIST DOCTOR
Military doctor Sarah Rollins (V94) is enjoying a varied and fulfilling career, with one of the highlights so far being selected as one of the two Team UK doctors at the Invictus Games in Sydney last year. What have you been up to in your career to date? I’m a GP practising Sport and Exercise Medicine in the British Military. After leaving the Army as a doctor in 2009 I began work at the Regional Rehabilitation Unit in Aldershot (which looks after tri-service personnel who are injured through operational/military training or sports injuries). I retired from elite sport in 2013 when I was in the GB Orienteering Team, during which time I won a Gold relay medal at the World University Orienteering Championships.
“I can’t tell you how emotional it was to watch the athletes overcome their physical and mental disabilities. These are normal people doing amazing things after the biggest setbacks. They’re an example to us all and I was proud to work with them”
What is the Invictus Games? The Invictus Games is an international sports event for wounded, injured or sick armed personnel. It is different to the Paralympics as it also involves people that may not have any physical injuries but suffer from psychological disorders. It was an amazing experience for me and the fact that I am ex-Army made it all the more special. You had a strange experience on the first day of the Games? We certainly did. On the day of the opening ceremony there was an almighty thunder storm, with forked lightning over Sydney Harbour Bridge, so the start time was delayed. The opening ceremony was outside the Opera House and we went by ferry but ended up stuck in Sydney Harbour and the thunder sounded like bombs. Some of the athletes on the boat have PTSD, and people were singing to try and block out the noise and putting ear plugs in. It was very intense for about an hour and a half as we were trying to keep people calm in this little ferry. It was a slightly surreal experience to say the least. Fortunately, as well as myself, we had a great medical team on board to help. Hopefully it went better after that? The whole experience of the Invictus Games was wonderful. I can’t tell you how emotional it was to watch the athletes overcome their physical and mental disabilities. These are normal people doing amazing
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things after the biggest setbacks. They’re an example to us all and I was proud to work with them. One of the most famous Team UK members is Mark Ormrod, the first surviving triple amputee ever. He was going for gold this year and succeeded twice. On the morning of one of the swimming events, one of the Australian team wanted to swim the 50-metre breast stroke but there was nobody else in that category so the race couldn’t go ahead. Mark was approached to take part. He had never swum breast stroke before but decided to have a go – and he won! He did say it was a bit messy and he swallowed half the pool. All the winners and losers get cheered though; there is a true team spirit. b
EVENTS | REUNIONS | DINNERS | SPORTS | PROFILES
During his time at Charterhouse, Caius Patel (B18) rose through the ranks to become a star cadet and Captain of Shooting and last year he was placed second in the ‘Youth Sports Personality of the Year’ for the Sport Godalming Awards. Now, having left School, he is currently studying Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at the University of Bristol and is still passionate about shooting. Caius started his shooting career in the Charterhouse CCF RN section in April 2014 and left in July 2018. During his tenure, he reached the rank of Chief Petty Officer and captained the shooting team to multiple victories. We talk to Caius about his time at Charterhouse and his bright future. How was your time at Charterhouse? I loved every bit of Charterhouse especially my House, Bodeites. House life is amazing. It helps you understand the importance of relationships with other people as well as having a lot of fun. It is very social but also like a big family where you support each other. How did you become involved in shooting? I started shooting in the Fourths. Our ‘Round Robin’ shooting stands out to me as the moment I fell in love with it. I was not a good shooter at first but I pushed myself to keep beating my last score. Mid-way through the Fourths I entered Shooting trials and it took off from there, developing more in the Fifth when I had more time to practise. I enjoyed it so much and wanted to do well so I practised whenever I could. In the 1YS and 2YS years something clicked and my scores improved. I was training twice a week. In the years previously I was doing a lot more sports but in the 1YS and 2YS I had a lot more control of my time and could concentrate on shooting. I then became Captain in the 1YS. When you are leading people you need to lead by example, so I pushed myself to say, “If I can do it you can do it too.” This pushed us as a team; we were a good team and other Schools knew it and they started to dread competing against us. I really enjoyed watching the team progress and felt like we were all achieving something together. This gave us confidence that I continue to carry through life. It proved to us all that if you work hard, you can get there. And is shooting in your future? Currently, there is no shooting team at Bristol – this is my next challenge: to get a team started! I want to compete against other universities. If I keep at it, I may
“Caius was unusual from the beginning because he didn’t ‘specialise’. He shot every rifle and every discipline, from air rifle through small-bore to cadet service rifle and full-bore target rifles, he loved it and it showed. He was also unusual in that he was made Captain of Shooting in his 1YS year – this prestigious position is not usually awarded until the final year at School. He excelled as Captain and led by example; he was dedicated to his coaches, his team and his sport. The team’s success benefited from Caius’s guidance, leadership and coaching. He was a kind Captain who had the right level of authority and the boys respected him for this. This in turn enabled the team to grow, get better and win even more shooting trophies. We have 24 this year for air rifle, small-bore, service rifle and target rifle – the most since I started here 17 years ago, and probably the most ever. I have never seen a cadet self-coach themselves to a straight 50 out of 50 as Caius did in his final shooting match at Bisley this year. A truly fantastic finish to a great cadet career.”
Caius Patel
F THE SHARP SHOOTER
Verna Burrell-Taylor MBE, Captain, Adjutant Charterhouse CCF, Master of Shooting
try out for the Commonwealth Games and, who knows, maybe the Olympics! I enjoy all the different rifles and all aspects of shooting and I will definitely join the OC Shooting Club once I have settled in at university. Finally, what advice would you give someone who was about to start at Charterhouse? Explore everything. Get out of your comfort zone and try everything out. That is when you get the best out of this place: when you try everything and don’t set yourself barriers. You meet new people and enjoy something you didn’t even know existed. Take all the opportunities that are available to you. b
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ASPIRE UPDATE
At the
vanguard of education
The Charterhouse ‘Aspire’ programme is focused on developing the best coeducation to our students. Exciting curriculum changes will help to develop independence in their learning 32 E The Greyhound
T
he first issue of the Charterhouse magazine described our exciting ‘Aspire’ programme – a far-reaching and ambitious plan that aims to put Charterhouse in the vanguard of education, leading the debate as the firstchoice coeducational boarding school in the country. There are many strands to this plan that together will bring an exciting period of modernisation, transformation and innovation to the School. There is already an enormous amount going on, and 2019
sees the introduction of changes to several key aspects of life at Charterhouse. Foremost in this are developments in our academic offering. Developing resilient leaders What we believe contributes to a top-class education has been changing subtly over recent years, to reflect feedback from universities and employers. They are looking for lifelong learners who relish a challenge, are self-directed in their learning, collaborative in their approach and who are resilient in response to setbacks. They want individuals that have experiences
The new building completed in Autumn 2018
The Sixth Form curriculum is exciting, academically rigorous and intellectually stimulating, and designed to help pupils move smoothly from School to university that extend beyond exams, in areas such as technology, computer science, community engagement, entrepreneurship, communication skills and leadership. We will be making small adaptations to the way that Technology and Computer Science is taught and developed in the Under School from September. There will be an increased emphasis on developing digital literacy and introducing computational skills, developing logical thinking, problem-solving and information processing skills. One lesson per week of ‘Informatics’ will take place in the Fourth Form and Computer Science will be introduced at IGCSE.
A flexible syllabus
The more significant changes will take effect for Specialists. The Sixth Form curriculum is exciting, academically rigorous and intellectually stimulating, and designed to help pupils move smoothly from School to university and stand out in an increasingly crowded field. The curriculum has always been, and remains, rigorously academic; our developments are designed to ensure that it is also relevant and distinctive. For those who pursue the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), the change will be minimal, with only small variations to the options offered next year. This programme continues to offer a broad syllabus and includes the extended essay and the popular creativity, activity and service programme.
For those choosing the A Level/Pre-U route, we are moving to a predominantly A Level pathway, where we will make the most of the UK’s most recently updated, linear examination programme. The Pre-U qualification has been a real success at Charterhouse and was introduced more than a decade ago in response to growing concern about A Level courses that involved constant examinations across the whole of the Sixth Form, modular courses and evidence of reducing academic rigour. This is no longer the case; A Levels are now examined at the end of the two years and recently have been substantially overhauled. For most subjects (although not all), a return to A Levels is now the preferred route, one favoured by more than 98% of school leavers. We anticipate that most pupils will study three A Levels, plus an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) worth half an A level. Additionally they may take a series of electives, non-examined enrichment courses, in a variety of subjects designed to stretch thinking and broaden horizons. Some pupils will prefer to study four A Levels and this option is available where appropriate, although without the Electives programme. Extended Project Qualification The EPQ is a course of study over the first year of the Sixth Form that allows pupils to engage in study on a topic of their choice, and develop valuable research, analysis and project skills. Part of this course is taught, and part of it based on individual
study, research and reflection. It leads to a qualification at the end of the First Year Specialists, and before UCAS applications are submitted (often meaning universities provide grade offers which benefit pupils). Electives Electives, taught over two Quarters, are designed to provide enrichment and variety and offer interdisciplinary study. They will stretch pupils and provide a rich counterpoint to the greater specialism of A Levels. Options could be drawn from business skills, entrepreneurship, the arts, philosophy, science or technology depending on interests. Our Philosophy of Learning These are exciting changes for our pupils, who will enjoy a blend of traditional hashroom tuition, encouragement to develop independence in their learning and intellectual curiosity, and the opportunities to experiment and follow their own interests. Academic leadership too is developed – with opportunities for pupils to lead discussions, invent and develop ideas, deliver lectures or invite visiting speakers to further their learning. This starts early at Charterhouse and has always been part of our philosophy of learning. Exam results remain an enormous part of academic attainment, but these developments in the curriculum offer greater focus on skills and character development, something that Charterhouse has been doing for a long time, and will continue to value. b
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RISING STARS A profile on Lisa Weigand, 2YS Weekite
A trip to South Africa illuminated Lisa Weigand’s passion for fairness and opportunity, inspiring fresh impetus for the Charterhouse charity committee by Fraser Allen
S
he’s a keen footballer and a multi-linguist who plans to train as a lawyer, but Lisa Weigand’s eyes burn brightest when you ask her about community outreach. “We’re all human and we all breathe the same air, yet some people aren’t as lucky as we are at Charterhouse,” she says. “It’s easy for us to forget that normal life can be very different for others.” It’s this awareness that motivated Lisa to become a key figure in the School’s charity committee and take part in last year’s outreach trip to South Africa, which had a profound effect on her. “I’m half German and half Chinese and I’ve moved around in different cultures and societies,” she says. “When I lived in Germany and went to an international school, there was a divide between pupils from wealthy local families, and pupils from abroad whose school fees were being paid by their parents’ employers. That division felt wrong. Then in South Africa, there was a huge divide between the rich and the poor, and between races.” The week-long South Africa trip focused
on the 15 Charterhouse pupils leading classes at a secondary school and two primary schools run by the African charity Mellon Educate. “Instead of teaching in a lecture style, we thought it would be better to get everyone involved,” she says. “So, at the secondary school, we created a trade game with paper and scissors that everyone got really enthusiastic about. “We also led English reading and storytelling with the little ones, while discussing renewable and sustainable energy with the older ones. It’s a big topic in South Africa as a lot of the people we met don’t have access to electricity – some of them don’t even have a light at their house to do their homework. We brought solar torch kits to the classroom so that they could make their own torches to take home.” Lisa’s father works in the energy industry and so the trip brought together several strands that mean something important to her, inspiring her to keep pushing for fairness of opportunities in the world. “The purpose of the trip was to make us realise that we can do more than just contribute money, we can do something
“ We’re all human…”
meaningful. The students in South Africa really appreciated it. They were so grateful and we were grateful to them for being so kind. We have so many opportunities and privileges here and we need to work harder at the School to bring some of those opportunities to others.” Lisa will continue to work at that challenge with the School’s charity committee, through regular fun initiatives to raise money and getting behind worthwhile causes. For instance, when the committee chose to support The Survivors Trust before Christmas, it held a Chapel service featuring volunteers reading testimonials from people who had suffered sexual abuse. “We had to think carefully about how to address the issue in a way that wouldn’t make people feel uncomfortable or would tempt others to make fun of it,” she says. “I think it worked well. We showed it’s an issue that can affect anyone.” With Lisa planning to set off to university to study law later this year, she hopes to embark on a career defined by her passion for opportunity, fairness and kindness. b
Lisa photographed outside the Sports Pavillion building at Charterhouse
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RISING STARS Rupert Peacock, 2YS Gownboys
From classical solos and French horn recitals to event technology, dancing to Muse and helping children from a south London primary, Rupert Peacock loves the way Charterhouse broadens his musical horizons
Rupert photographed in Founder’s Court at Charterhouse
by Fraser Allen
More than finding his voice
W
hen a young Rupert Peacock started singing around the house, his parents realised his voice was something out of the ordinary. It wasn’t long before he was successfully auditioning to join the choir of Kings College, Cambridge. “I was pushed into it,” he laughs. “My parents are both singers so they thought I had a nice voice, even though my musicality was terrible. I was born with the ability to sing but I had a lot to learn.” Rupert then joined Charterhouse with a scholarship, swiftly switching to bass as his voice dropped. “I went straight into the deep end,” he says. “I joined every single choir in the School, plus the orchestra and two wind groups. Apart from singing, I also play the French horn and the piano.”
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Music has defined Rupert’s time at Charterhouse and he’s grown into a key volunteer behind Artifex, the arts festival organised by Mark Begbie and held at the School every June. “My parents encouraged me to make the most of every opportunity. When I was in Fourth Form, we received an email saying that the play for the year was Grease and they needed help with tech, no experience required. I said, ‘Sure, count me in!’ I loved it.” He’s continued to grow this tech knowledge and put it to good use in Artifex 2018. Artifex has grown rapidly and featured around 120 events last year. “It fills every minute of spare time that week, as there’s always something on, such as a musical performance or a TED-style lecture,” says Rupert. “But I was so happy to help out again this year that I stayed at School rather than going on leave for my GCSEs.
It’s all I talk about outside School and my friends elsewhere think it’s incredible.” It has also given Rupert the chance to reveal a different musical side. “I’m a big fan of the band Muse so that’s what I sang when I performed last year. It was way out of my comfort zone. I’m used to classical solos rather than loud rock but it was a buzz. A lot of people at the shows sing quietly, whereas I was able to run around the stage – I even went into the audience!” The Artifex excursion into event technology, which probably wouldn’t have happened without Mr Begbie’s call for help, is something that has fired Rupert’s imagination. “I want to go to university and read music,” he says. “But I’ve also had some work experience at o2 in London which has really got my mind thinking about careers in technology.” Rupert tries to embrace as many aspects of School life as possible. During the summer holidays he was involved in a project that saw 30 pupils from Shaftesbury Park primary school in south London spend a week at Charterhouse.“It was really lovely,” says Rupert. “We went to their school to meet them first and see them in their home environment, and everyone was so enthusiastic. The whole experience was really humbling for me and it was exciting to see the children’s ambition and belief.” b Rupert was recently interviewed by the BBC about his solos for the Christmas Carols service at King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. Watch the video on the News page of the Charterhouse website.
SCHOOL NEWS F COMMUNITY WORKS
Working with other schools at home and abroad is building a powerful and empathetic generation of decision makers and leaders among Charterhouse pupils
Charterhouse pupils leading co-curricular activities at Green Oak primary
Embracing the world around us
“C
harterhouse isn’t just here to provide an excellent education leading into the next exciting phase in our pupils’ lives,” says Ben Cahill-Nicholls, Director of Community and Partnerships. “We’re here to help them decide what sort of human beings they want to be and what kind of contribution they want to make to the world.” That is Ben’s overarching ethos for the School’s outreach work, including a strong and growing relationship with local state secondary school, Broadwater. This developed last year, with Broadwater Year 11s shadowing a group of Charterhouse 13s to get a feel for Sixth Form life and think about the next stage of their education. It also helped the Charterhouse pupils appraise what they’ve been studying and reinforce their learning in their minds. In addition, teachers from Charterhouse and Broadwater
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have been meeting to share best practice and develop fresh thinking about what children need most from their teachers. “We’re all learning a lot from working together, and we’re working to grow this each term. To date our focus has been on academic environment, staff development and preparing for higher education – important areas for both schools – but we’d like to expand into the co-curriculum and peer mentoring as well.” One of the Carthusians involved in the project is Ilaria Bressi, a Second Year Specialist in Robinites, and she believes it brings big benefits to both pupils. “I really appreciated the enthusiasm of my shadow Nina during all the lessons and her questions regarding the School, both from an academic and a co-curricular point of view. I found having a shadow very useful, and during the hashes we had the opportunity to share and discuss the content and
reach a more in-depth understanding of the issues raised.” Also highly appreciative is Kieran Nash, who left Charterhouse in 2016 having studied in the Sixth Form at Fletcherites, and having previously attended Broadwater. “Despite being only on different sides of Farncombe, the two schools have largely remained separate,” he says. “Yet, as a former student of both, I know first-hand how much they can benefit one another. Charterhouse is one of the largest employers in the area – a large proportion of the local neighbourhood has a connection to it. And as Charterhouse phases into becoming a fully coeducational school, sporting events, for instance, can begin to occur between the schools, which will not only bring them together but the local wider community too. There are farreaching benefits which I sincerely hope both schools grasp.” Along with work in the Surrey area, Charterhouse has also been making
a positive impact abroad. The School is currently partnered with the South African charity Mellon Educate, for which Carthusians have raised over £20,000. Last August, 15 Carthusians spent a week teaching in three Mellon schools in Khayelitsha, in Western Cape. “I think they all found the trip very moving,” says Ben. “We were careful not to fall prey to ‘volun-tourism’. Instead we focused on doing impactful work. We took resources that we knew the schools could use long after the Carthusians had left. “One of the most important lessons for many of the pupils was the reality of segregation there. They were asking if someone who was white could come to the school we were teaching at. The teacher answered them honestly, explaining that while the law had changed, the reality of segregation had not. One of the blessings of Charterhouse is the diversity. I think some of the pupils came away with a new-found
“One of the blessings of Charterhouse is the diversity. I think some of the pupils came away with a new-found appreciation of our community”
Broadwater Headmaster Lizzi Matthews and Alex Peterken sign the Broadwater and Charterhouse Educational Partnership
appreciation of our community.” Along with partnerships with peers, Charterhouse students are also given the opportunity to work with younger pupils, with Charterhouse students providing teaching input to Green Oak, a local primary school, every week. “Having older pupils teach the younger Green Oak pupils is really fun for both parties,” says Ben. “It also gives Carthusians a valuable opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills.” With so many ongoing projects, Ben is appreciative of the supportive, enthusiastic people around him. “My colleagues are exceptional people who are really excited to get involved,” he says. “I feel very optimistic for our future. Getting students to think critically about the issues facing our society means we develop better decision makers, better managers and more informed adults – a stronger generation of leaders.” b
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“ It’s the little things you say…” Stepping down as Robinites Housemaster will be an emotional experience for the charismatic and popular Steve Hearn by Fraser Allen
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hen a young physics teacher called Steve Hearn arrived at Charterhouse in 1985, he wondered if he’d made a blunder. The state-educated Londoner was initially bemused by boarding school culture and Godalming seemed a rather sleepy backwater compared with life in the big city. Thirty-four years on, those doubts feel very distant. And when Steve steps down as Robinites Housemaster after 11 years this summer, it will probably get a little emotional. While he will continue to teach physics, he knows that leaving
the Housemaster role will create a void in his life. “Housemastering is the most challenging, rewarding job I’ve done,” he says. “And I’m having to prepare myself for life without it. I know it will be difficult as I’ll be watching boys in the house, some of whom I’ve known for four years, and it won’t be my responsibility to help them any more. That doesn’t mean I won’t talk with them, but I’ll need to interact rather than intervene.” Physics graduate Steve began his career working for Kodak in London before landing a job in Italy with a research
BEAK PROFILE Housemaster Steve Hearn
company. However, he quickly realised that long stints in the lab weren’t for him. Whilst passionate about physics, he was also a ‘people person’ and wanted a job that combined both elements. Life as a teacher was beckoning. Steve returned to London and, despite not having teaching qualifications, was able to find work as a supply teacher, his contagious enthusiasm no doubt a selling point. And then he was offered the role at Charterhouse. Possibly noting his initial uncertainty, two colleagues in the physics department, Dr Kingsley Jenkins and Brian Freake, took him under their wings. “They were inspirational,” says Steve. “Two very different characters but they both took the time out to bring me on. It was such a different school then. No mobile phones, no computers and more free time. I gathered a group of kids around me and we studied electronics two times a week. That was brand new at the time.” One of them went on to Cornell University and Steve caught up with him a year or so ago. “He said that the one thing he remembers doing at Charterhouse was those electronics lessons with me in the afternoon. He wanted a copy of the book that we used as he’s teaching his son electronics now so I gave him mine. That’s why people stay in teaching. It’s those special moments.” While Steve’s love of physics has endured, he also loves the pastoral side of teaching. “We’re all humans and when the students arrive in the morning, you can tell which ones are down in the dumps and need a little extra care,” he says. “I’ve always found that challenge exciting.” It’s that empathetic side to Steve that made him a natural Housemaster, taking over at Robinites in 2008 – a decision that pleased a previous Housemaster, Hugh Gammell (BH78–16). “Steve has a great rapport with the boys and girls, encour-
ages them in everything they do and has a sensible approach to discipline, which promotes responsibility and self-control rather than imposing authority from above,” says Hugh. “He has the ability to find the best in everyone and whoever takes over will inherit a House with a strong sense of identity and a notably positive ethos.” But you don’t get those results without a lot of hard work. Steve is typically up at 6am for admin, then makes sure everyone is wide awake with a little friendly door-banging at 6.45am.
“We’re all humans and when the students arrive in the morning, you can tell which ones are down in the dumps and need a little extra care. I’ve always found that challenge exciting” By 8.30am, everyone’s ready for School and Steve will chat to the matron about any issues in the house – “it could be medical, emotional, who’s broken the snooker cue, etc.” There are typically 66–68 students in Robinites, with a small proportion of girls (who sleep in a separate part of the campus) – although it will return to all boys next year. After a day of teaching, sports and admin, Steve then tours the house making sure everything is okay. A tutor will be in charge in the evening but the Housemaster is often interrupted if anything needs dealing with and, at 10.30pm, he returns
to ensure everyone is in bed by 11pm. “I came to housemastering late on in my career, which, in many ways, was a good thing,” he says. “I had 20-odd years of experience with teaching and a good insight into how teenagers behave, which is often determined by relationships with their peers and parents.” Robinites feels like a natural home to Steve, who pinpoints its ethos as “quirky, independent and very supportive”. And the Robinites Association dinner is a big annual highlight for him. “When you get up to address them you can feel the warmth from those that know you,” he says. “For some of them, I knew I was making a difference at the time but, for others, it’s the little things you say to them that don’t seem significant at the time but have a lasting positive impact.” Having evenings and weekends freed up will allow Steve to make more football trips to his beloved Queens Park Rangers FC and possibly prepare for another tilt at the London Marathon – he’s already run it three times. There will also be the opportunity to carry out renovation work on a French holiday home and, together with his wife Hazel, he is keen on overseas exploration. Having visited Argentina, they’ve developed a taste for South America and are now setting their compasses for Peru, Chile and Brazil. But of course, Steve will still be busy at Charterhouse. As well as continuing teaching, he is supervising Charterhouse’s accreditation for School-Centred Initial Teacher Training for maths and physics. “I’m keen to share the experiences I’ve had as a physics teacher with younger people coming through,” he says. “To do otherwise would seem like an awful waste of a resource. I’m not saying I’m the best teacher in the world, far from it – I’m still learning. But I know a lot about what to do and what not to do, and I can help people with that. b
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SCHOOL NEWS F ST ANDREWS BALL
Revellers take to the dance floor for an energetic reel at the 23rd annual St Andrew's Ball
Step we gaily Ladies and gentlemen, take your partners for a whistlestop spin around the St Andrew's Ball dance floor, guided by Robert Bogdan ‘RAB’ (BH 75–15) 42 E The Greyhound
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all decked out with tartan, a pair of decorated Christmas trees standing proudly on stage, and George Buchanan’s band warming up the atmosphere – the last Saturday of OQ now features the highlight of OQ: the 23rd annual St Andrew's Ball. The formula, honed since 1993, is well tested. An elegant gathering of students, Beaks, ex-Beaks, OCs and even parents assembled in Hall to fill in their dance cards ready for the fray. They were all eager to dash the White Sergeant, count to the Eightsome and prance along with the Duke of Perth. After all this exercise, the troops retreated to their tables, arranged under the balcony, for dinner. But no sooner was the first course dispatched when the band struck up with the fast and furious Postie’s Jig and the more sedate Mhairi’s Wedding followed on.
After dinner, the reeling progressed with the Gay Gordons, another fine way of mixing the dancers. By now, the sets formed up with ease and the dancers continued with the normal array of reels climaxing with the ever-popular Reel of the 51st. George Buchanan’s band adapted beautifully to the event and jazzed up the encores with other catchy tunes to speed up the swinging and spinning. The evening was rounded off with the Queen and 'Auld Lang Syne'. All credit to Louise Batty (BH05–) who, with support from Jim Freeman (BH95–), has inspired a new generation of Carthusians to enjoy an evening of spectacular fun; hopefully they will spread the word and recruit for next year. We now muster over a thousand OCs who learnt their steps in Hall and it is always a joy to meet them, in ballrooms around the country and beyond, honing the skills that they learnt at School. b
Mark Begbie, recently named as one of the top 25 influencers in the independent school sector, explains why pupil-led learning is such a positive influence Why do we run Artifex? We need to make sure that as many pupils as possible are involved in and experience creativity. There are many reasons for this but a key one is that the job market is changing, and creativity is a more important commodity than ever. In the age of machine learning and AI, Artifex is key to this, bringing people together when exams are over and they want to enjoy the Summer with purpose. It drives creativity and puts people together from different years and parts of the School. Colleagues that pupils may take for granted – for example Grounds, Laundry, Domestics – all need to be engaged when they organise an event. So it exposes pupils to the realities of how an organisation works. That experience is invaluable. Where do you get inspiration from for the ideas? It isn’t me! Sometimes I will throw in an idea that I’ve seen because I’ve studied other festivals but pretty much all of them come from the pupils as well as occasionally from other staff. We aim to create a ‘culture of the possible’. Most schools would come up with a reason why pupils can’t do what they want, but our response is, "What can I do to make this happen?" The pupils struggle with this at first as they are expecting a ‘no’. Instead, we’re creating an atmosphere of possibilities – they come with an idea and need to figure out what to do to make it work. They then see an event from the inception to its close.
They go through all the experiences of forming and planning and then executing, but also evaluating afterwards what could have gone better and that is such a great learning experience. Is pupil-led learning encouraged in the curriculum? Pupil-led learning, when pupils take charge of the process of education, happens under teacher guidance, but the direction comes from the pupils. It develops skills such as confidence, presentation, strategy, planning and creativity; all those things that are going to be useful to them in life. There are pockets of pupil-led learning across the School. I have done two years of film-making projects with my Fourths – in the first year we covered Islam and then AI and ethics in the second year. I gave them a number of directions that they could take and they all had to make a documentary film. I wanted them to go out there and
speak to experts so they wrote letters and ended up filming interviews with Jeremy Bowen, the Ambassador of Jordan and the Ambassador of Indonesia. And with the AI project, we went to Oxford to interview academics and to the BBC to interview Rory Cellan-Jones, and it was all their work. It gives them a sense of the possible. People leadership is a core part of the co-curriculum and can already be seen in various quarters. In the CCF, we have non-commissioned officers leading younger pupils on activities every week; leadership is key in the DofE; and in sport, we have pupil leaders running coaching sessions with younger pupils. It’s also happening in the societies, where the vast majority are pupil-run. What next? I’m still doing a lot of the logistics for Artifex but I would like pupils to do more of that and take control of the programme itself to gain experience of how a big festival runs. I would also like to work more on the evaluation side, reviewing how well they have done and how they can reflect on the learning experiences they have had. Lots of possibilities. b
Pupils take part in the inter-house karting, Artifex 2018
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SCHOOL NEWS F ARTIFEX
The culture of the possible
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(I)GCSEs
EXAM RESULTS
Pre-U
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oday’s Carthusians will enter a challenging and uncertain world. The Higher Education and Careers department is determined to make sure that Carthusians are as aware as possible of the challenges that face them and to provide the skills necessary to flourish in the world of work. Careers advice is much less to do with the kind of job you might go into and more about educating pupils to be flexible, openminded and willing to learn new skills as well as how to network and connect with employers. We have introduced a number of initiatives and are looking to facilitate more. Our Year 10 pupils set aside normal lessons for two days during the Summer term to learn about a number of different careers, the future of the job market and how to put a CV together. Expert speakers were invited to talk to groups of pupils about careers in law, the medical profession, business, engineering, finance and media, and pupils were given the opportunity to complete tasks relating to those professions and ask lots of questions. This is often the first opportunity for many to network with adults and starts the process of thinking about life beyond Charterhouse. Part of 2018’s programme included a business challenge where groups of pupils decided on the location of a music festival and worked out how it could make money. There was also a series of talks covering personal branding and communication, the impact of technology on the future workplace, how to research jobs
57%
14
of subjects taken were graded at A*
pupils this year gained straight A* grades
92%
54
of Cambridge Pre-U examinations were awarded Distinction or Merit grades
pupils achieved Distinctions (or their A Level equivalent) in all subjects taken
16 achieved the equivalent of A level A* grades in all their subjects
IB Diploma
SCHOOL NEWS F CAREERS AND EXAMS
Exams and career guidance round-up
53%
of candidates gained 36 points or more (out of 45) (i.e. 80% or more)
and write a CV and an introduction to the Sixth Form Curriculum at Charterhouse. As a Specialist, pupils have further opportunities to network and explore careers through a variety of different events. 2018 saw 60 pupils attend a Careers Insight session with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), being an introduction to the firm and its different practice areas. The session gave our pupils invaluable information on PwC’s work experience and school leaver opportunities, including
apprenticeships and graduate programmes. Later in the year Specialists undertook a career speed networking event, kindly supported by parents and friends of the School. Thirty professionals from various backgrounds such as law, finance, business consultancy, media and even terrorism insurance spent time with the pupils explaining their backgrounds and industry. Thank you to all of our volunteers who help with these events. Parents and OCs play a key role in educating
our pupils, and the department is keen to involve as many volunteers as possible. Please do contact Foundation or Careers if you would like to get involved. Studying abroad ollowing national trends, an increasing number of Carthusians are now applying to universities in the USA (either exclusively or alongside applications to the UK). The number of pupils who have been offered places at US universities has doubled in the last two years and pupils have accepted places at UC Berkeley, Boston, Cornell, Columbia, NYU, USC, Pennsylvania and Wellesley College. New York University proved to be the most popular. Additionally,
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“I was impressed with the quality of the students that sat in front of me” Charterhouse parent who took part in the career speed networking event
two pupils were accepted to both Bocconi, Milan, and Hong Kong University. We continue to enhance the support we provide to Carthusians applying for US university applications, given the additional requirements that are needed. In order to manage this process, Dr Lori Reynolds joined the Higher Education team in September 2018 to support these applications and work towards successful outcomes for candidates. She holds a PhD in English and has taught at university level. In addition to her role at Charterhouse, she is a Senior Tutor and Applications Consultant at UES Education, where she has worked for the past four years providing private tutoring and application support for students.
PREFERRED STUDY MOST POPULAR CHOICE OF UNIVERSITY FOR 2018 ENTRY: • Bristol • Exeter • UCL • Imperial • Durham MOST POPULAR CHOICE OF DEGREE SUBJECT 2018: • Business Studies/History • Engineering • Economics • Physical Science
Keep that OC feeling at university ith just a few taps of our smartphones we can access hundreds of our friends through WhatsApp, Facebook Chat and Snapchat meaning we never miss out on a joke, pub session or gossip. University, for many, is the peak of one’s social life with all your friends living within a stone’s throw and everything seems so convenient. However, these factors combined mean that, once our network of friends is established and comfortable, we might rarely put ourselves out there to make new friends or join the dots with people with whom we actually have so much in common. This is particularly true with fellow students in different year groups who, in previous years we may have shared the crease on Maniacs, debated against in Hall or been chased out of Gownboys’ Garden with – but years later, the extent of the relationship consists of a brief “Hey!” when crossing paths in the library café. To reverse this trend, and ensure that the mutual bond of Charterhouse is very much kept alive amongst OCs whilst at university,
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we are setting up a University Reps Committee, whereby many of the main universities that OCs go to will have a rep who will arrange events so everyone can stay in touch and in those first years at uni will have an established network of OCs to walk straight into. This is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, the rep can act as an ambassador for the uni for those Second Year Specialists still at School looking to apply and wanting the inside track and advice on halls, colleges or courses etc. Secondly, it will mean relationships remain active and continue to grow, not falling into a distant Facebook friendship. In addition, it will be a good chance for those in different years to get tips on flats and module choices or even just another excuse to socialise with a different group of friends. If you would like to get in touch with any of them, please contact the Foundation Office. Durham • George Bristowe (W16) • Oliver Taylor (D16) Cambridge • Gus Montgomery (W17) Nottingham • Ben Jackson (B16) Edinburgh • Cameron Marshall (S16) St Andrews • Katie Hastings (P15) • Ben Gardner (F17) KCL • Jessica Turner (F16) Leeds • Lottie Wright (F17) Exeter • William Tennent (R15) Bristol • Emma Loubser (L17) Imperial College • Matteo Bonsignore (F17) b F Young OC Committee: Fay Dalby (R03), Gus Giddins (W14) and Charlie Thomas (W14) Charlie Thomas (W14)
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SCHOLAR’S ESSAY
Is space exploration Winner of the Scholar’s essay competition 2018, John Reeve, 2YS Robinite, gazes into the possible future of human life beyond Planet Earth “For all its material advantages, the sedentary life has left us edgy, unfulfilled. Even after 400 generations in villages and cities, we haven’t forgotten. The open road still softly calls, like a nearly forgotten song of childhood.” Carl Sagan – A Pale Blue Dot, 1994
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s Sagan superbly describes in A Pale Blue Dot, humanity has long been driven to explore. Our curiosity is one of the defining characteristics that has separated us from other species; we are all born with an innate desire to know more, to see further, to bring answers to the unknown. But in our modern age of satellite photography, the Earth’s surface is fully explored. Our next challenge is far greater; the exploration of our solar system, and ultimately beyond to other star systems within our galaxy. But many would argue this to be a fruitless endeavour, wasting millions of pounds on something that seems insignificant to a layman back on Earth. In the early days of space exploration, there was an immediate incentive to delve beyond Earth’s atmosphere: technological improvements. Even the first satellite ever launched, Sputnik, was able to provide scientific insight; variations in its radio signals were used to study electron distribution in the upper ionosphere. Satellites developed since have been used for monitoring weather systems, studying environmental changes and map-making. Research undertaken in space has led to the development of things that could not have been produced on Earth’s surface; these include LASIK, the technology used to track eye movements during laser-eye surgery. The most notable example of space exploration
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was the six-manned Apollo Moon landings from 1969 to 1972. Twelve men walked on our nearest extra-planetary body, and no one has since. The reason for this is simply that there is little incentive to launch another set of manned Moon missions. The Apollo Program served as a political statement, asserting the US as technologically dominant over the Soviets in terms of space technology. Another set of missions would not be as politically significant as these initial landings and the golden age of space exploration appears to be over. Considering how most space exploration has been driven by political gain and scientific curiosity, it seems hard to argue otherwise. But this is considering only short-term benefits – in the long term, space
John Reeve is a Robinite (Second Year Specialist). “I have always been fascinated by space exploration,” he says. “Science fiction has painted various pictures as to how humanity may one day begin to explore the stars, and in this essay, I attempted to see how much these ideas differ from reality.”
a waste of money?
IMAGE: ALAMY
A wide-angle view of planet Earth, annotated with an arrow, from under the rings of Saturn captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, 19 July 2013
exploration will be vital to humanity’s survival. One such way is through becoming a multiplanetary species; currently, all humans live on one planet, Earth. In Earth’s history there have been six extinction events that have been classified as major. The most famous of these, the K-T extinction event that led to the extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs, killed off around 75% of all species. The most destructive, the Permian-Triassic extinction event, caused the extinction of as high as 95% of all species of life on Earth. These events are often caused by large volcanic eruptions, or by impacts from extra-terrestrial bodies such as asteroids or comets, although other stellar events are theorised to have caused extinctions;
gamma ray bursts (intense beams of light released during the formation of black holes) and supernovae have been considered as causes for mass extinctions in the past. Past data shows extinctions to occur at intervals of around 26 million years; and while the last extinction occurred only around two million years ago, that is no cause for complacency. A major extinction event could occur at any time without prior knowledge – gamma ray bursts are impossible to detect before they reach Earth, since they travel at the speed of light, and meteor impacts are likely to remain undetected until it’s too late to effectively prepare. An event like this is certainly possible, and while humanity may survive in small, remote populations, our level of technological and societal progression would be long forgotten. By all living on a single planet, we’re putting all of our eggs in one basket. The solution to this would be to set up a colony on another world. NASA has plans to begin progress towards a mission to Mars sometime in the 2030s, but they have made propositions like these before, and with their declining budget, it does not seem likely. Since they are funded by the US government, it is all too easy to attack these plans by demanding more work to be done to counteract climate change and human destruction of the environment. However, a privately owned space organisation may be able to reach Mars first – SpaceX has been making dramatic improvements in spaceflight, pioneering the first rocket with a fully reusable first stage, the Falcon 9, which performed the first vertical landing of an orbital rocket in December 2015. Elon Musk, the company’s CEO and owner, gave a talk in 2017 outlining a proposition to set up a colony on Mars by 2024. Musk’s aim is for the flight to cost as little as $200,000; propellant is to be produced by processing water (found on Mars as ice) and CO2 from the atmosphere. The goal is not to set up a research facility, but a permanent city. What makes this proposition so tantalising is that unlike NASA, SpaceX is not a government funded organisation; their funding does not deprive the funding of another organisation. If they fail to generate sufficient profit from their rocket launches, then it is the company’s money that is wasted – not that of a country. b
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SCHOOL NEWS F SPORTS ROUND-UP
Here at Charterhouse, pupils participate in a wide range of sports at every level. From competitive inter-school sports programmes to inter-House competitions, here is just a sample of our sporting achievements
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ver the past 12 months, sport at Charterhouse has continued to flourish. There have been notable performances in a range of sports as teams have reached the latter stages of national competitions, and pupils have also enjoyed individual successes in a range of events. What’s new in the coming months? Our Sports Performance Programme is developing well with sports scholars and performance athletes enjoying the benefits of early morning strength and conditioning sessions, on-site physiotherapy triage, mental skills workshops and 1:1 specialist mentoring from skilled members of the sports department. Plans for coeducation continue at pace with partnerships fostered with Surrey Storm Netball and Surrey Stars Cricket for expert coaching provision; developments proposed to changing facilities at the Peter May Pavilion; enhancement to the Prom tennis courts; and new floodlit
outdoor netball courts at the Queen’s Sports Centre. As all the reports highlight, it’s an exciting time for Charterhouse Sport.
CRICKET This was an exceptional season for the boys’ 1st XI who broke the record for most wins in a season. By the time the squad reached the HMC National T20 Schools Finals, Prince Singh (P) was already the highest wicket-taker in a season for two centuries. The U15As reached the Surrey Schools T20 knockout cup semi-final, while the U16As enjoyed an unbeaten season. In all, Charterhouse teams have played well over 100 matches, winning over 40% of these, which is an achievement not to be
TOP 100
Charterhouse has been named as a
CRICKETING SCHOOL
in The Cricketer Good Schools Guide
underestimated throughout a busy summer term. In December, The Cricketer published its Good Schools Guide in which the magazine named Charterhouse as one of its top 100 cricketing schools. After an exhaustive selection process and fierce competition, Charterhouse was hand-picked from more than 350 academic institutions. Each school was judged on the quality of facilities, commitment to cricket in the curriculum and breadth of fixture programmes.
ATHLETICS There were notable performances by Charterhouse athletes representing Waverley at the Surrey Schools’ Athletics Championships in early June. Hameed Belo-Osagie (G) finished second in the 200m junior boys’ final and Maisie Pennant (V) finished third in the 400m senior girls’ final. The senior boys performed well, with Henry Rowland (W) finishing third in the long jump, Thoran Landers (D) second in the triple jump, Rob Parham (B) winning the javelin and Alex O’Callaghan-Brown (R) finishing second in the 400m final. Alex O’Callaghan-Brown was also a member of the Blackheath and Bromley Harriers team that represented GB in Spain at the European Champion Clubs Cup (ECCC).
FOOTBALL Following the appointment of new Director of Football Simon Hayward, the School has played more than 160 matches across OQ18 with over 360 pupils representing 23 teams. The Boys’ 1st team has enjoyed notable wins including against Bede’s, Hampton and Whitgift. They reached the semi-final of the ISFA Plate National 6s, and in the Boodles ISFA Cup, the squad reached the last 16 stage.
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unbeaten for the first month of the season and ended up winning 20 out of 24 matches played. The U15 pair of Henry Wilkinson (W) and James Dovell (L) made it to the final of the Phillips Cup in the Independent Schools Championships at Eton.
HOCKEY
Elsewhere, the 4th XI, U16Bs and U14As have all enjoyed standout playing records across the Quarter. The Girls’ football squad ended the Quarter having won six out of eight of their inter-school fixtures as well as reaching the quarter-final of the ISFA National 7-a-side tournament held at Charterhouse.
The Boys’ U16s indoor hockey squad qualified for the South Final for the very first time whilst a squad of 29 boys and 4 staff toured Cape Town on the summer hockey tour to South Africa. Following on from their resounding success in the South Indoor Hockey Finals in December, Charterhouse 1st XI Hockey Captains Raphael Boulanger and Elliot Clarke played in the England Hockey National Indoor Clubs Championships with Guildford Hockey Club Under 18 Boys in January and ran out gold medal winners, with Guildford HC retaining the national indoor title for another year.
SQUASH
In golf, the squad consisting of Captain Will Briggs (V), Tor Olafsson (L) and Max Joyston-Bechal (W) were runners-up at the ISGA National Plate Final in June, whilst this season’s squad reached the Area final of the ISGA match play competition.
The 1st V have performed exceptionally well in OQ18, defeating nine different schools in all competitions, finishing second in their National Schools group. The U16s showed much promise by topping their National Schools group with the U14 team also performing well in the National Schools with wins over Whitgift and Lancing.
TENNIS
SKIING
School teams played almost 120 matches across CQ18 in what was a notable season on the court. There was the continuation of mixed doubles matches, with the girls also fielding three sides during the Quarter. Thirty boys and girls attended the pre-season camp at the Mallorca Tennis Academy in April. The Senior Boys’ teams were
Max Fairfull (H) and Emile Jurgens
GOLF
(S) have been selected for the Senior ESSKIA National Schools’ Association U19 and U16 ski training squads. Charlie Timms (D) competed in the 2019 U16 French Freeride Junior World Tour event held in Chamonix in late January.
SHOOTING The shooting teams are coming to the end of an extremely successful year, having won over 24 national shooting and cadet Commonwealth trophies; 16 of which were at the Schools’ Meeting held at Bisley. The team won the Cadet Skill at Arms competition at Pirbright again, whilst Charlie Howard (G) represented the School in the British Shooting Target Sprint Nationals Final held in Bristol. Henry Waldern (V) was selected to represent England in the British Schools Small-bore Rifle Association National Match. b
ACHIEVEMENTS Jonty Postlewhite (V) was part of a successful tour to Sri Lanka with U14s London Schools Cricket Association. Ross Richardson (F) was selected as part of the Surrey CCC Academy winter training squad. Dare Balogun (L) and Sam Thomas (W) were selected for the U17 and U16 ISFA National South squads. Isla Horscroft (F) was selected to attend the U18 ISFA Girls Representative Squad camp in December. Toby Slater (S) and Hugh Hutchinson (B) won the Fives Southern Schools Tournament in November.
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SCHOOL NEWS F CHARTERHOUSE FARM
Left: Pupils inspect the hives on Charterhouse Farm. Below: The plaque on the newly donated shed
Down on the farm Charterhouse Farm is back, with a flock of chickens and a bike of bees. And, as Charterhouse pupil Lydia Fernandez (g) explains, goats will be next
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he Charterhouse Farm society may be embarking on only its second year but we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved. As a pupil-led society, founded by OCs Nils Raber (B18), Jay Porter (R18) and Max Vallance (G18), not only do we care for our chickens and bees but we’re also an enterprise, selling our eggs and hopefully, next year, Charterhouse honey. The society has already had a profoundly positive effect on all its members, who have been taking on fresh responsibilities and developing new skills. As Jay puts it, “We hope that for generations to come, the farm will help to teach pupils about the environment, how they can actively help to sustain animal lives, and how animals and insects also help to sustain ours.” Charterhouse originally set up a farm during World War Two with pupils growing potatoes and other
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vegetables, as well as keeping pigs, to enhance the School’s rations. A notable alumnus of the original farm is Jim Prior (S45) who went on to become Minister for Agriculture under Ted Heath’s Government. By the 1950s, the farm consisted of Jersey cows, pigs, chickens, ponies, goats, rabbits and a range of crops. However, the farm shrank as School buildings spread, and it closed down in 1997. We believe that the subsequent revival of the farm has had a
positive effect on the whole School community – and we have learnt a lot. Last academic year, we undertook a beekeeping theory course delivered by the Surrey Beekeeping Association, helping us to become able apiarists. After we had constructed and weatherproofed the hives, our bees finally settled into their new home last year. It was a difficult first summer for us as rookie beekeepers, but we produced a small but delicious crop of honey as a reward for our efforts. Working with animals is a challenge as they require a lot of attention, and we work closely as a team to ensure that our chickens receive the best care. They’re visited at least two times a day and a general clear-out of the coop happens once a week. During the holidays, we’ve had excellent support from the wider Charterhouse community, with chicken-keepers from the IT department, ground staff, QSC and house matrons as well as the Second Master stepping into the breach. As part of the farm, the Gownboys garden has been rejuvenated, its original layout reinstated with drystone walls and a vegetable patch. We’re very thankful to the Raber and Vallance families who kindly donated a new shed to the society, where the eggs are sorted and other equipment is kept. Our next step is to replace the fencing around the remaining area and build a shelter for our next project, which is goats. However, this will be expensive and we’re hoping for plenty of support from the Charterhouse community. b F Follow our journey on Instagram: @charterhouse_farm
OBITUARIES
Deaths notified since 2018 With sadness, Charterhouse reports the passing of the following Old Carthusians, notified since April 2018. OCs are listed chronologically according to their year of leaving. An online resource is now available on the Charterhouse website to read all obituaries that have been shared with the School from 2016 to date: www.charterhouse.org.uk/foundation/obituaries
1930s G39 MACAUSLAN, Dr Alan aged 97 on 25 May 2018 P39 STROYAN, Dr Henry aged 98 on 5 October 2018
1940s S42 PAYNE, Donald aged 95 on 22 August 2018 D42 NEILD, Robert aged 94 on 18 December 2018 B43 BAGNALL SMITH, J Anthony aged 92 on 23 March 2018 G43 MASEFIELD, William aged 92 on 1 May 2018 D43 WHITTLE, Andrew aged 92 on 12 February 2019 S43 CAVE-BROWNE, Patrick aged 93 on 20 February 2019 H44 HILL, Dr Anthony aged 92 in 2018 B45 ADDEY, A Robin aged 91 on 14 October 2018 G46 STUART-SMITH, Anthony aged 89 in 2018 D46 MAVROLEON, Nicolas aged 89 on 3 July 2018 W47 SHOTTER, John aged 88 on 9 July 2018 R47 MEYER, G Anthony aged 89 on 14 November 2018 V47 PERRIN, John aged 89 in January 2019 D47 BUTCHER, Dr Richard aged 89 on 6 February 2019 L48 FIDGEON, Dr Terence aged 87 on 16 March 2017 D48 JANES, Michael aged 88 on 5 February 2018 H48 CROSS, The Revd John aged 87 on 31 October 2018 D48 DE YONG, David aged 87 on 25 December 2018 H49 DICKSON, Dr Michael aged 85 on 28 March 2018 W49 SPENCE, James aged 88 in August 2018 H49 FATHERS, Anthony aged 87 on 7 January 2019 V49 ROLSTON, George aged 86 on 15 January 2019
1950s S50 CHATTERTON, Richard aged 84 in 2017 V50 CRADDOCK, Ian aged 85 on 10 July 2017 R50 HARVEY, Maurice aged 85 on 7 February 2018 S50 PARRY, Christopher aged 86 on 27 January 2019 g51 VARCOE, Myles aged 84 on 6 April 2017 g52 SOLOMON, RS Clive aged 83 on 5 February 2018 D52 PRATT, John aged 84 on 17 June 2018 H52 HODSON, Christopher aged 84 on 17 September 2018 D53 TUCK, Lt Cdr RN Adrian aged 79 on 4 September 2016
H53 W54 H54 B55 R56 L57 W57 V57 g57 S59 V59
WATLING, Brian aged 83 on 30 November 2018 GILL, Alan aged 80 on 23 February 2018 DUFFIELD, Richard aged 81 on 2 April 2018 BOORD, Antony aged 79 on 22 March 2018 HUGHESDON, Michael aged 78 on 29 June 2018 BURROWS, DC ‘Kit’ aged 78 on 15 October 2017 BINGHAM, The Hon Hugh aged 79 in July 2018 HANSELL, Anthony aged 80 on 29 September 2018 LUND, John aged 77 on 29 December 2018 SOMMER, Michael aged 76 in July 2018 TOOKEY, John aged 77 on 11 September 2018
1960s D60 ECKERSLEY, Toby aged 76 on 28 April 2018 G60 DUNN, Major Patrick aged 76 in June 2018 L60 WILLCOCKS, Michael aged 76 on 25 September 2018 H60 BRUCE-JONES, Tom aged 77 on 23 January 2019 V61 POOL, Timothy aged 75 on 5 February 2019 D62 EDGE, John aged 74 on 7 July 2018 G62 SIMSON, Peregrine aged 74 on 13 December 2018 V63 DUNNILL, Dr Richard aged 71 in 2017 S63 PICKWOAD, Michael aged 73 on 27 August 2018 W65 EYLES, Nicholas aged 71 on 8 January 2019 D66 KIRKE-SMITH, David aged 71 on 11 January 2019 V66 BALL, Richard aged 71 on 6 February 2019 W69 TURNBULL Charles aged 66, on 28 January 2018
1980s G83 DURNFORD, Philip aged 54 on 18 January 2019 G84 PURVIS, Richard aged 52 on 12 January 2019 G89 CONN, Oliver aged 47 on 7 December 2018
1990s W98 WILSON, Tom aged 37 in July 2018
2000s L05 SMITH, Alexander aged 30 in January 2018
BROOKE HALL GARDINER, PDR aged 91 on 5 February 2019, Brooke Hall 52-67, Housemaster of Gownboys OQ65-CQ67
The Greyhound E 51
Charterhouse School Godalming GU7 2DX Telephone: 01483 291761 Website: www.charterhouse.org.uk Email: foundation@charterhouse.org.uk
We would like to remind you of all the wonderful Clubs and Societies that are available to OCs. If you would like more information, please contact the Foundation Office at foundation@charterhouse.org.uk; or if you would like to become a member of any of them, please visit Charterhouse Connect, www.charterhouseconnect.org.uk. • Charterhouse Friars Cricket • OC Art Society • OC Badminton • OC Basketball • OC Cross Country Club • OC Fencing Club • OC Fives Club • OC Football • OC Golfing Society • OC Hockey Club
• OC Lacrosse Club • OC Lawn Tennis Club • OC Livery Association • OC Marines • OC Media and Literary Society • OC Motorcycle Club • OC Property Club • OC Racing Society • OC Racquets Club • OC Real Tennis Club
• OC Rifle Club • OC Rowing Club • OC Russia and CIS • OC Scottish Dancing Club • OC Squash • OC Swimming and Water Polo • OC Technology Society • OC Yacht Club • Old Carthusiasts Society