Gravetye Manor is wholly inspired by its magnificent grounds. The kitchen garden is the source and inspiration for its Michelin-starred cooking, served in a beautiful glass fronted dining room. The hotel’s 17 luxurious bedrooms and suites reflect and look onto the historic flower beds, meadows and orchards, creating a seamless blend between inside and out. www.gravetyemanor.co.uk
Gravetye Manor Hotel & Restaurant, Vowels Lane, West Hoathly, Sussex, RH19 4LJ Tel: 01342 810 567 info@gravetyemanor.co.uk
Worth Society Life
Society Events
2023 London Carol Service
2024 Worthians in Property Lunch – Mark Hayhurst B’00
2024 Hong Kong Gathering
2024 Careers Networking Evening – Pia Middleton StM’21
2024 Madrid Gathering – Howard Brookman G’93
2024 Worth Society Summer Party
2024 50 & 60 Year Reunions
Class of 1993 30 Year Reunion – Sebastian Bailey R’93
Class of 1994 30 Year Reunion – Ben Nickell B’94
Class of 2004 20 Year Reunion – Dan Drummond B’04
Class of 2014 10 Year Reunion – Alex Davis-White B’14
Clubs
Football – Andy Taylor
Rugby – James Kemp F’14
Hockey – Charlotte Baker StA’17
Netball – Ellen Brownings StA’18
Golf – Matthew Wood B‘77
Music – Edward Dean
Debating – Alexander Stewart-Clark R’79
Life and Times of Worthians
My 25 year odyssey with Meniere’s Syndrome –Damian Chunilal R’86
45 Restaurant Review
Ixchel – King’s Road, London SW3 – Mary Lou Burge
Life and Times of Worthians
continued
46 Book Reviews
Become a Successful First-Time CEO
By David Roche StB’79
Reviewed by James Heneage B’77
Big Mouth
By Matt Preston C’79
Reviewed by Nick Hiley B’79
The Australian Ark By Andrew Caillard C’78
Reviewed by Mark Reynier C’80
49 Caught on Camera
54 Announcements
56 News in Brief
60 Obituaries
Robin Gowlland WPS’46
Count Zygmunt Tyszkiewicz CMG WPS’47
Nicholas Wynne G’64
Michael Scholl R’66
Nicholas Bacon R’69
Martin Blake
The Old Place
66 Rest in Peace Fr Stephen
70 News from the Abbey – Kelly O’Hara, Assistant to the Abbot of Worth
73 A year in the life of the School & Message from the Head Master – Stuart McPherson
76 A happy retirement to André Gushurst-Moore
78 School Staff – Autumn 2023-Summer 2024
80 Worth School Careers Fair 2024 – Mary Lou Burge
81 Development Update – Anna MacMahon, Head of Development
82 University Destinations 2024
Advertisers
We would like to extend our grateful thanks to this year’s advertisers:
Gravetye Manor
Hydes Cyder
Worth Lettings
Worth School
Worth Society Committee
Charlotte Baker StA’17 - Hockey Mobile: 07799 695216 Email: charlotte@theoaktree.net
Abbot Mark Barrett Office: 01342 710340 Email: jmbarrett@worth.org.uk
Mary Lou Burge – Worth Society Manager Office: 01342 710241 Email: worthsociety@worth.org.uk
Mark Collini StB’89 Office: 020 7783 4941 Email: markcollini@yahoo.co.uk
Matthew Doggett F’07 Office: 01342 715245 Email: mdoggett@worth.org.uk
Jeremy Fletcher G’72 – Chair Mobile: 07785 288570 Email: jfletcher@worth.org.uk
Maddy Ilsley StM’10 Mobile: 07952 481636 Email: maddyilsley@hotmail.co.uk
Anna MacMahon – Head of Development Office: 01342 711586 Email: amacmahon@worth.org.uk
Stuart McPherson – Head Master Office: 01342 710222 Email: smcpherson@worth.org.uk
Gordon Pearce – Deputy Head External Office: 01342 710258 Email: gpearce@worth.org.uk
Daniel Pring R’03 Mobile: 07865 064439 Email: danielpring@ymail.com
Duncan Pring Email: pringduncan@gmail.com
Tim Riley G’18 Mobile: 07979 498552 Email: timothyriley2000@gmail.com
Andrew Taylor – Football Mobile: 07749 657073 Email: agtaylor44@gmail.com
News from the Worth Society Hub
It has been a time of great highs and deep lows for the Society this year. We had never imagined that we would start the year having to say goodbye to Fr Stephen, his funeral in February drawing the biggest number of alumni back to Worth in many years. It was an appropriate farewell for a much-loved former teacher, housemaster, Head Master, Abbot and chaplain, amongst many other roles, and you can read our tribute to him on page 66
As a community we have always known how strong our network is and in recent years the support for our young alumni has been nothing short of remarkable. Nonetheless it was a wonderful surprise to be recognised in September as The Week magazine’s Best of the Best Independent School for Great Alumni Mentoring. An enormous thank you to all our career mentors for their help in achieving this award, of which we should all be incredibly proud. The Worth Society Committee met in October to celebrate our success and to talk through plans and ideas for future events and activities.
Our key annual events continue to build traction and we are thrilled to have record bookings for our London Carol Service at Farm Street Church, Mayfair, in December and have rebooked HMS President for 11th June 2025 for another summer gathering – we look forward to seeing many of you there!
Our Clubs continue to grow, now with the addition of an OW Debating Society and an annual match against the School, with many alumni attending further debates as judges; an OW Music Society with alumni singers performing at key events and joining the Worth Abbey Choir on tour (Venice this year, Paris next!); and a newly formed Padel Tennis Club in the making. We have also had our first OW Theatre Outing to see Katharine Farmer StC’11 direct a London play. Do please get in touch if you would like help to organise a reunion, activity or professional networking event.
We are always delighted to welcome former pupils and staff back to Worth, even if just for a cup of tea and a tour. We were thrilled to have quite a few OWs and their families join us for the School’s Welcome Festival at the start of the autumn term, cheering along the various sporting fixtures and joining in the fun on the Austin Oval - do try and join us next year. There are increasing opportunities to return to events in the Abbey Church, particularly this year as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of its consecration in July 2025. We are currently planning an alumni-focused retreat and encourage you to join a community pilgrimage to Vezelay in France in October 2025, a beautiful Benedictine basilica that featured in last year’s issue.
Worth Connecting, our networking platform, is where you find all our latest news & information, event details, Mentoring programme, Worthian Business Directory, have a look at some archive photos, buy your OW merchandise or just link to old school friends. If you haven’t already registered please do so at www.worthconnecting.org.uk
This issue is crammed full of events and activities from across the Worth Community over the year, demonstrating what a wonderfully vibrant Society we are lucky to be a part of.
Mary Lou Burge, Worth Society Manager
Worth Society Chair, Jerry Fletcher, and Mary Lou Burge celebrating the Great Alumni Mentoring award
Committee Members: Kitty Gibson, Mary Lou Burge and Charlotte Baker at the Worth Society stand at the School’s Welcome Festival in September 2024
2023 London Carol Service
After several years at St Patrick’s on Soho Square, we have found a new home for an annual Carol Service at the beautiful Church of the Immaculate Conception in Farm Street, Mayfair. On 5th December 2023 nearly 200 OWs gathered with their families for this lovely event at the start of the Advent season.
The evening began with a mulled wine and mince pie reception served by the Worth Events team in the smart panelled Arrupe Hall adjacent to the church just off Mount Street. It was fantastic to see such a great collection of alumni, young and not so young, getting to know each other. With vocal chords then sufficiently warmed, everyone processed into the church for an hour of wonderful music, interlaced with traditional readings.
Worth’s Director of Music, Edward Dean, conducted our very own impressive alumni choir, also joined by some of the Farm Street Singers, who sang Bethlehem Down by Peter Warlock and the all-important Sussex Carol by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and supported the congregation in singing all the traditional favourites. We were also very privileged to be accompanied by David Graham, Farm Street’s internationally acclaimed organist.
We look forward to seeing many more OWs at this very magical event in the years to come.
Jerry Fletcher G’72 and Louise Moon StM’12 were amongst the readers
2024 Worthians in Property Lunch
2024 Hong Kong Gathering
On 17th October 2024 a group of alumni joined some current and prospective parents at the impressive Soho House in Hong Kong providing an opportunity to let everyone know about recent developments at the School over drinks and canapés.
The following attended the 2024 Hong Kong Gathering:
Robert Carroll R’71
Nick Bodnar-Horvath B’72
Helen Bodnar-Horvath
Alex Gazzi R’04
Arnold Lee R’14
Gordon Li B’15
Alvin Tang ’15
Vincent Li ’16
Lizzie Coyne, Worth School Marketing Manager
Jo Everett, Worth School Registrar
Gordon Pearce, Deputy Head, External
The following attended the Worthians in Property Lunch:
Robert Vasquez G’70
Alexander Stewart-Clark R’79 – Challenge Properties
Mark Hayhurst B’00 – Your Eco
Ed Cooper StB’00 – Howard Kennedy
Jos Seligman StB’01 – Mayfair Capital
Robert Rooney G’01 – BNP Paribas
Philip Symonds B’01 – Work Argyll
Phil Butterworth G’01 - CBRE
Charles Slevin B’02 – Urban Vision
Jonathan Smyth StB’02 - Savills
Giles Heather F’03 – Line Sight
Nick Rush R’03 – Yoo Capital
Tom Cottrell StB’04 - Gardiner
Alex Gazzi R’04 – Fairbain Cap
Roger Greaves StB’04 – BNP Paribas
Mark Breen B’05 – Capilon Hotels
Freddie Little B’06 – Featherstone
Tom Marsden F’06 – Appley Properties
Ed Wiggins C’06 – CBRE
Francesco Manzi R’07 – Bellman London
Elaine Tatum StA’12 – Intermediate Capital Group
Run as a fairly casual event in the past, this year’s lunch saw a massive increase in interest and attendance thanks to some great promotion by the Society. Hosted at Brooks’s Club, St James’s, on 18th January 2024, the event was aimed at OWs who work within the Property sector (Law, Development, Asset Management, Projects, Funding, etc) to meet up and network. If you would like to be added to the Property network and interested in attending our next lunch, please drop me a line at: mark.hayhurst@yourecouk.com
Mark Hayhurst B’00
Gordon Li B’15, Alex Gazzi R’04. Lizzie Coyne and current parent Mrs Lai
2024 Careers Networking Evening
As a second-year university student facing the struggle, which I’m sure many of us do, of “What do I actually want to do after this?”, I thought the Worth Society Careers Networking Event o n 9th April 2024 would be a perfect way to find some inspiration, as well as meeting other Worthians who were once in my position. Some Worthian friends had similar thoughts so we attended together in support of each other, but events like this hosted by the Worth Society are always so welcoming that I needn’t have worried about feeling singled out.
When we arrived everyone was mingling and chatting over canapés and the atmosphere was very inviting. Upon registration we had completed a form where we could
We welcomed the following young Worthians to our 2024 Careers Networking Evening:
Bea Chappell SM’23, Eden Cortesi-Hennell StM’23, Edoardo Di Segni R’23, Carlos Tortorici G’23, Zoe Blake-James StM’21, Emma Leach StM’21, Tilly Little StM’21, Pia Middleton StM’21, Ted Fuller G’20, Charlie Barakat F’19, Zara Eijkman StM’19, Cami Olcott StM’19, Ellen Brownings StA’18, Peter Cloudsley B’17, Stuart Sinclair G’17, Danielle Horney StA’16, Tighe Martin Hindson C’16, Thomas Roundhill G’16, Hugo Altendorf F’15, Aless Hermitage StM’15, Fergus Ryan B’15, Federica Williamson StM’15, Polina Zotova StM’15
We welcomed the following careers advisors to our 2024 Careers Networking Evening:
Nick Barnett G’73 Jewellery Design
Keron Steele C’76 TV Sound Director/Audio and Dubbing Mixer/ Re-recording Engineer
Tighe Martin Hindson C’16 Data Management Consulting
Thomas Roundhill G’16
Construction/Engineering/Railways
Dan Hermele –Patent/High Tech Law
Sarah McMenemy Illustrator/Publishing
Mary Lou Burge
Worth Society Manager
Matt Doggett F’07 Head of Sixth Form, Worth School
Lindsey Shoebridge Events Co-ordinator, Worth School
note various career interests, and so Mary Lou Burge came to us all individually to introduce us to the people we’d been matched up with. I met some lovely people who informed me of their personal routes into their respective fields, and gave me information on internships, adapting my CV and other such useful resources. I was personally interested in public policy, journalism, data resourcing and other such areas and so I was given the opportunity to talk to people who worked in public affairs, government relations, PR and for news outlets. I also really appreciated the fact that I could mingle with people in other fields of work that I had never considered, and learn more about them, such as sound directing and jewellery design.
During the evening there was an engaging speech given by James Chaplin R’96, who runs Vacancy Soft, the UK’s leading labour market data provider, who gave an insight into how the UK economy may develop over the next 5 years or so.
Due to the central location of the event in London, my friends and I were able to reconnect and regroup afterwards over dinner and talk about what we had learned – another great benefit to these events. I can’t recommend these career events highly enough, and the opportunities they bring - so thank you again to the Worth Society.
Pia Middleton StM’21
2024 Madrid Gathering
Iwas both intrigued and delighted to receive news that Worth Society had planned a reception for Worthians in Madrid on 12th September 2024. Having recently taken up a position at work which requires travel to Spain, I saw this as an excellent opportunity to reconnect with the Society and make some new friends in the region. I was not disappointed.
So it was, more than 50 people from across the Worthian network came together at the beautiful Palacio De Los Duques Hotel for an evening reception on the Montmarte Restaurant Terrace. During the reception, Head Master, Stuart McPherson, gave a short speech and shared updates on events at Worth and how the School has evolved in recent years. As someone who left Worth more than 30 years ago, I was delighted to hear that the School continues to move forward and yet despite these advances, the “character” of Worth remains as strong as ever.
Over the course of the evening, it was good to connect with Worthians from across the years, compare notes and discover mutual connections. I had the added
The following attended the 2024 Madrid Gathering:
Jonathan Stordy StB’81
Sarah Stordy
Howard Brookman G’93
Eduardo Collar Olaso StB’09
Roberto Ayllon Escudero StB’10
Chris Gyere R’10
Luis Huete StB’10
Harry Killoughery R’12
Ciaran McCarthy F’13
Juan Alsonso-Jaudenes Saenz de Cabezon StB’21
Ethan Cunha F’21
Luis Martinez Rios ‘21
Nuria Francisca Moya Martinez StM’21
Lourdes Alonso-Jaudenes StM‘23
Ludo Ferrario B’23
Alexandre Liaudet ’23
Victoire Clavel StM’24
Carly Ey Garcia StM’24
Beltran de Maria R’24
Frances Hollings
Jeremy & Christine Dowling
Stuart McPherson, Head Master
Gordon Pearce, Deputy Head, External
Jo Everett, Worth School Registrar
pleasure of my stepfather attending the reception, retired teacher Jeremy Dowling. It was lovely to see so many former pupils share their warmth and fondness for his Maths classes!
As is so often the case, the evening flashed by – a testament to the success of the event. On behalf of all those who attended, sincere thanks to all involved in organising this reception and I for one, can’t wait to do it all again next year. Hasta luego!
2024 Worth Society Summer Party
Following the success of our first Summer Party in London in 2023 and having found such a fantastic venue in the Royal Naval base of HMS President, situated right by Tower Bridge, we returned on 5th June 2024.
Attendees were a wonderful mix of ages, covering nearly all the decades of the School’s history, along with many former staff. Several OWs, such as Peter SheridanJohnson C’67 and Tony Tyler C’73 who live overseas were back in the UK for a summer trip and were able to join us. Newly retired Gervase Matron, Janine Forbes-Kiely, thoroughly enjoyed the first Society event she had been able to attend, and Head Master, Stuart McPherson, and Worth Society Chair, Jerry Fletcher, updated everyone on all the news from, and future plans for, the School.
Philip Lundberg, Simon Coughlin & Richard Brown
Jerry Fletcher spoke about the latest news and developments at Worth
Janine Forbes-Kiely, Andy Taylor & Nikki Webb
Georges Abousleiman, Peter Webb, Oliver Fletcher & Gigi Gonzalez Beronda
Roger Bennett & George Daly
Despite the slightly cooler June weather than last year, many headed for the Apron Deck with a drink to catchup with classmates and watch all the busy activity on the Thames.
Worth Catering excelled themselves once again, providing a delicious array of summer salads, an incredible cheeseboard, strawberry tarts and endless summer berries, washed down with a tasting of Philip Lundberg’s C’80 new Hydes Cyder.
Thank you to all those who came along and we look forward to returning to HMS President again in 2025 and seeing many more OWs joining us.
The following alumni attended the 2024 Summer Party:
Terence Delaney G‘64
Chris Dobson StB‘66
Peter Sheridan-Johnson C‘67
Tim Belson R‘69
John Watson StB’70
Richard Mitchell StB‘71
Jerry Fletcher G‘72
Tony Tyler C‘73
Anthony Ringrose-Voase C’77
Simon Coughlin R’80
Philip Lundberg ‘C80
Richard Brown C‘81
Matthew Brown C‘82
Neil Laughton C‘82
Olly Morris R’82
Donal Quigley R‘82
John Shepherd B‘82
Roger Bennett R‘83
Ed Hooper C’84
Damian Chunilal R’86
Mark Collini StB’89
Simon Jalie C‘02
Rupert Dewey C’02
Robert Butterworth StB’06 Lt
Matt Doggett F’07
Anastassia Dimmek StM’11
Nick Gandy R’11
James Ferguson C‘14
Oliver Fletcher C‘14
Peter Webb C‘14
Georges Abousleiman F‘15
Aless Hermitage StM‘15
Ellie Chad StM‘15
Adam Amer B‘17
Peter Cloudsley B’17
Gigi Gonzalez Beronda B’18
Samuel Akwenuke G’20
Adrian Koe
Former Staff:
Liam Bauress
George Daly
Angela Daly
Jeremy Dowling
Janine Forbes-Kiely
Abbot Christopher Jamison
Duncan Pring
Ditas Pring
Andy Taylor
Current Staff:
Mary Lou Burge – Worth Society Manager
Anna MacMahon – Head of Development
Stuart McPherson – Head Master
Kelly O’Hara – Assistant to the Abbot
Gordon Pearce – Deputy Head, External
Lindsey Shoebridge – Events Co-ordinator
Nikki Webb – St Mary’s Matron
Events
Tony Tyler, Gordon Pearce & Tim Belson
Gigi Gonzalez Beronda, Samuel Akwenuke & Peter Cloudsley
Kathy & Terry Delaney with Kelly O'Hara
Duncan & Ditas Pring with Tony Tyler
The wonderful summer buffet courtesy of Worth Catering
Abbot Christopher Jamison
The Class of 1964 60 Year & The Class of 1974 50 Year Reunions
The following from the Class of 1964 attended the 60 Year Reunion:
Jeremy Best C’64
Rodney Bligh C’64
Sir John Chisholm G’64
Gareth Dancer R’64
Terence Delaney G’64
Vincent Ellis Brown R’64
Chris Frederick C’64
Mike Gilpin G’64
Patrick Nivelles R’64
Simon Slaughter R’64
Paul Dobson R’65
On 21st June 2024 we hosted the first 60-year reunion at Worth for the Class of 1964 leavers, the first cohort of the Senior School from when it began in 1959, along with the annual 50-year reunion gathering, this year for the Class of 1974. We were also joined by a few Prep School Worthians who had missed the reunion event in 2023 and were keen to see how the School has evolved over the years.
The day began with coffee in the Barlow Room, a room that has held many guises over the years, with Fr Kevin joining us to the delight of those assembled. All then set off on a tour of the campus, guided by the newly appointed Head Boy and Head Girl to see what has and hasn’t changed over the years which triggered ‘a
whirl of reminiscence’. The tour ended in the Abbey Church, allowing our guests to spend 10 minutes in quiet reflection with the Monastic Community at Midday Prayer. Then it was back to the Whitehead Room, their old Assembly Room, for a 3-course served lunch and the chance to chat with former staff Ian Bonner, Mike Margrett, Martin Powys-Lybb, and Keith and Gilly Owers.
Before heading home, many felt they wished to visit the Monks’ Cemetery, which was a poignant closure to quite an emotional day, prompting one guest to say how special it was “to remember very fondly those buried there who I am so grateful to for their friendship, tuition and guidance and instilling in me a strong set of values and faith that has stood me in such good stead throughout my adult life”
The following from the Class of 1974 attended the 50 Year Reunion:
Shaun de Burgh StB’74
David Doyle B’74
Simon Cope R’74
Richard D’Alton B’74
Patrick Holdich G’74
Sebastian Holmes StB’74
Steve Hutchings StB’74
John Katzaros R’74
Alistair MacKenzie B’74
Mark Madsen C’74
Gerard McHugh C’74
Paul O’Brien R’74
Dominic Quennell C’74
Jeremy Sandle G’74
Piers Wauchope StB’75
Other Guests/Former/ Current Staff:
Abbot Mark Barrett
Mary Lou Burge
Ian Bonner
Fr Luke Jolly
Anna MacMahon
Mike Margrett
Stuart McPherson
Fr Kevin Taggart
Keith Owers
Gilly Owers
Gordon Pearce
Martin Powys-Lybb
Matthew Brown C’82
Michael Callender WPS‘52
Nicholas Asprey WPS’59
Dennis Hall WPS‘59
The Class of 1964
Class of 1993 30 Year Reunion
The alumni of 1993 gathered at The Antelope in Chelsea on 23rd February 2024 to celebrate 30 years of life at large. You’ll see from the group photo that, like fine wine, we’ve aged handsomely— though some of us may have been left to mature a little longer in the barrel.
While a few more laugh lines have appeared, the wit and camaraderie remain as sharp as ever. The night was a joyful blend of friendships, great memories, and plenty of laughter. It was wonderful that Abbot Christopher Jamison, Liam Bauress, and Fr Luke Jolly joined our merry-making.
Here's to the next 30!
Sebastian Bailey R'93
The following attended the Class of 1993 30 Year Reunion:
James Abbott
James Albert
Seb Bailey
Justin Bramley
James Byrne
Crispin Dawson
Livio di Mascio
Greg Harris
Felix Hoddinott
Andrew Hodgson
Ben Holloway
Christian Jamison
Will Loden
Ben Nelson
Theo Ricketts
Guy Robinson
Shaun Tibbatts
Alex Walton
Martin Whittaker
Liam Bauress
Abbot Christopher Jamison
Fr Luke Jolly
Class of 1994 30 Year Reunion
Iwas thrilled to be able to get such a great crowd together for our 30 Year Reunion which took place on the evening of 15th June 2024 at The White Horse pub on Parsons Green. It was testament to the strength of fellowship of the 1994 Worth cohort that so many international travellers joined us from far and wide. It was superb to catch up with all the old faces, some of which are perhaps a little hairier than before but just as full of smiles and laughter as ever. Drinks and buffet food were served in the Saddle Room and the conversation flowed effortlessly as old friendships were re-kindled and great memories shared. We were delighted to welcome former Worth staff members Liam Bauress, Jeremy Dowling, Alan Mitchell and Nick Robinson to join in the festivities. There was talk of the reunion becoming an annual event, so watch this space!
Ben Nickell B'94
The following attended the Class of 1994 30 Year Reunion:
Andy
Rob
Dave
Rick
Francesco
Alvaro
Dan
Mike
Dean Hurley
Patrick
James
Paul McCormack
Angus Milne Home
Paul Moran
Dave Newbery
Ben Nickell
Will Pollen
Christian Shelton
James Southon
Matthew Sullivan
Liam Bauress
Jeremy Dowling
Alan Mitchell
Nick Robinson
Class of 2004 20 Year Reunion
Having spent the longest time at Worth in my year (1995-2004), I felt it was my duty to get on board and organise our 20-year school reunion…what really happened was I bumped into Andy Taylor at an alumni event at the Gibraltar Yacht Club and he bullied me into it!
Seriously though, these milestone events can completely pass you by (such as life) or you can take action and get something organised that will hopefully live long in people’s memory. It certainly wasn't easy trying to contact people I hadn't spoken to for 20 years, but if you use petty things like that as excuses then nothing will happen.
18 holes on Bletchingley Golf Course on 28th June 2024 was the first of a weekend of events. Move over LIV and the PGA, this was the finest set of 16 golfers you’re ever likely to see! Eagles, Albatrosses and Holes in Ones there were not, but reminiscing about all the fun times at Worth and catching up were rolling in. We had Livio and Lorenzo Belpassi and Dan Brown fly in from Canada, Miami, and
New York respectively. Maxi Schmidt from Germany, Matthias Pitkowitz from Sao Paulo to name a few, plus me, who lives 2-minute walk away!
Next up that evening we headed to Ixchel (see page 45 for restaurant review) on the King’s Road where Alex Gazzi treated us to an outstanding Mexican culinary experience. There were enough Margaritas to sink a battle ship, but we weren't complaining. We had 40, yes 40, old boys plus 3 very brave teachers in James Williams, Jeremy Dowling and Andy Taylor. It was truly amazing that after all that organisation (I set the date in October 2023) we all came together for such an incredibly fun evening. I could mention a ‘little’ trip to Raffles Club after... but then that would be telling.
Then it was Saturday. Feeling pretty dusty we headed back to where it all began. It was great to be back at Worth and see how it has and hasn't changed in the whopping 20 years we hadn't been there. From the clock tower to the Spencer Building to the Abbey. We even managed to
The Class of 2004 5-a-side Football Team
get a team together for the 5-a-side Football Tournament taking place that day. We certainly boosted the rows of spectators!
Being back at Worth brought some fabulous memories, and some poignant ones. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. With boys, some thousands of miles from home, in new and strange surroundings we had to come together and be strong - a band of brothers that all had one thing in common; to leave Worth better and stronger to head into the big wide world. We have all done that, and will continue to do so, because that's what Worthians do!
Thanks to all who travelled far and wide to help make the weekend a truly memorable experience. Mary Lou deserves an extra special mention for helping me organise it all, so thank you. It goes to show it doesn't have to be 20 years before we all catch up again, we can do so anytime, anywhere. Class of 2004, out!
Dan Drummond B’04
The following attended the Class of 2004 20 Year Reunion:
Gerald Anaman
Richard Anderton
James Bannister
Francis Bartleet
Livio Belpassi
Lorenzo Belpassi
Charles Bellm
Boris Bohrer-Bilowitzki
Fred Bradley
Daniel Brown
Jamie Bruce
Will Burrett
Thomas Butter
Adam Chidell
Mark Corbyn
Thomas Cottrell
Dan Drummond
James Furlonge
Alexander Gazzi
David Gill
Roger Greaves
Freddie Holmes
Oliver Ingram
Darren Jones
Marcus Lee
Jack Merrick
Michael Montgomery
Henry Morgan
Jon Newton
Matthias Pitkowitz
Alex Podbury
Alex Pollen
Mike Solomon
Lewis Stagnetto
Richard Stephens
Paul Stych
Charlie Sunnucks
Ed Wansbrough
Elliot Webber
Andrew Welsh
Zakk Williams
Jeremy Dowling
Andy Taylor
James Williams
The 20 Year Reunion Golfers
Celebrating with dinner & drinks at Ixchel
Class of 2014 10 Year Reunion
Our 10-year reunion was a delightful trip down memory lane, held at the Duke of Sussex pub in Waterloo on 28th September 2024. The late September evening of blue skies permitted everyone to gather outside before moving to a private room. The evening was filled with laughter, nostalgia, and a few surprises as former classmates, now in their late 20s, gathered to reminisce about their time at Worth and catch up on the past decade.
It was amusing to see how some people had changed - a few receding hairlines, wedding rings (and even a few parents!) - and how others had stayed the same. A highlight of the evening was the presence of Julian Williams, former housemaster of Butler House, and Bruce Morrison, the current housemaster. Their attendance added a special touch to the proceedings,
as they shared anecdotes and updates about Worth. As Bruce said, "not better nor worse, it's just different!" It was touching to see the lengths to which some people had gone to attend the reunion. Former students travelled from far and wide, including Grimsby, Northern Ireland, and the south coast, to be part of the occasion. The effort everyone made to come together was a testament to the lasting impact of their time at Worth.
As the evening progressed, the teachers wisely decided to head back to Worth, leaving their former students to continue the party. We moved on to a rooftop bar, where the celebrations carried on into the night. It was a night to remember, and many attendees expressed hopes of staying in touch and seeing each other again in the near future. Many thanks to all involved!
Alex Davis-White B’14
The following attended the Class of 2014 10 Year Reunion:
Toby Amott
Angus Bonner
Kit Brown
Alex Blake
Andrew Chan
David Corr
Alex Davis-White
Jasper Elwes
Seb Fairweather
James Ferguson
Marcus Fletcher
Alasdair Gordon-Macleod
James Kemp
Peter McGrath
Fergus Murphy-Hunt
Charlie Parker
Emily Richardson
William Russell
Ismail Sami
George Shaw
Piers Spencer
Sam Steers
Ashley Thomas
Football
2023-2024 Season Report
OW 1st XI vs Worth School 1st XI
Despite the soggiest winter on record and the Worth Playing Fields under water, we were determined not to cancel our annual football fixture for the Henry Surtees Memorial Cup, and so on 17th March 2024 the OW 1st XI met the School 1st XI on the Astropitch instead. It was a lively match, despite the School team having played 5 games away in 9 days, and one of our key players, Joseph Rivers F'10, damaging his achilles, but the strength of the OW team was evident from the start and culminated in a 3-2 win with the deciding goal being scored just before the last whistle. This was the first win for the alumni team since this match was first played in 2010, so a very proud moment for all, but particularly team captain, Harry Woodman F'10, who enthusiastically received the cup from Head Master, Stuart McPherson.
We were also delighted to have Henry Surtees' sister, Edwina, joining us for the afternoon who also unveiled a new memorial to her late brother Henry C’09 in The Pitstop café here at the School at the post-match tea.
The 2024 1st XI OW Team
Edwina Surtees unveiled a new memorial to Henry Surtees C’09 in The Pitstop
5-a-side Football Tournament
It was another fantastic afternoon of sport at Worth on 29th June 2024 for our annual 5-a-side football tournament, with 6 alumni teams and 2 Worth staff teams. Team Billy's Boys, captained by Will Speake F'22, won the 'H' trophy which was presented to them by Leonora Martell-Surtees. A big thank you also to our refs for the day; Alan, Mitchell and Robin Moss who supported me.
Team Woodman
Harry Woodman F’10 C
Ollie Rivers G’14
Oliver Fletcher C’14
Tim Long B’11
Harry Luff C’10
Tom Taverner R’07
Go Hard or Go Home
Peter McBrien B’23 C
Kit Clarke G‘23
Richard Cole C‘23
Efosa Idiaghe StB‘23
Joe Martin G‘23
Team Lochie Little
Lochie Little StB’23 C
Farwell Old Boys
George Valentine F’21 C
Oliver Goodridge-McHugh F‘20
Giles Killoughery R‘20
Benny Smith F‘20
Jack Underwood F‘21
Josh Webb F‘21
Class of 2004 Team
Dan Drummond B’04 C
Gerald Anaman B‘04
James Bannister C‘04
Jamie Bruce R‘04
Olly Ingram B‘04
Max Schmidt StB‘04 Football 2023-2024 Season Report continued
Marko Wirya-Sepulveda B‘23
Hugo de Vito C‘23
Mudiwa Dube C‘23
AK Udofia G‘23
Uncle Billy’s Boys
Will Speake F‘22 C
Oscar Chessells F‘22
Will Ritchie F‘22
Chris Ritchie F‘22
Caleb Tanner F‘22
Roger Greaves StB‘04
Henry Morgan G‘04
Matthias Pitkowitz StB‘04
Team Uncle Billy’s Boys
Will Speake receives the H trophy from Leonora Martell-Surtees
Another great turnout for the annual 5-a-side Tournament in June
2024 Season Report
The second AGM of the Old Worthians Football Club was held on 18th August 2024 at The Cat Inn, West Hoathly. Committee members in attendance were Harry Woodman F’10, Ollie Rivers G’14, Tim Long B’11, Oli Fletcher C’14 and myself, and we reviewed the season; the positives, the negatives and our targets for the season ahead.
The positives first; last year Worth Society agreed to fund the 6-a-side football team in the South London league.
I am happy to report that our team won their division. This joined the win of the Henry Surtees Memorial Cup by our 1st XI team for the first time, beating the School 1st XI.
Our annual 5-a-side tournament at the end of June was another great success, this year as it coincided with the 20 year reunion. The Class of 2004, their wives and their children, helped to swell the numbers of players and spectators. The weekend worked so well we are planning to use it as a template for future 20 year reunions.
With both Edwina and Leonora Surtees coming to Worth to present the trophies this year we are delighted that the Surtees family continue to support the School and OW football.
The negatives last season were largely due to the wettest Spring on record, which rather spoilt the friendly fixtures this year. The matches against Worth Staff and The Old Gregorians were cancelled and the usual OW Veterans match, against the Reigate Priory Vets, failed to take place. Hopefully, weather permitting, we will be able to play these matches next season, as well as a new Younger v Older fixture.
So, to the future, which is positive. Our last 11-a-side friendly match ended with a 4-1 away win against Wimbledon Sports Club. Charlie Weston F’17 was man of the match and may well be our centre forward for next season. Lastly, next season is rather exciting as we have been given permission by The FA to play in The Arthurian League for public schools. Before the Old Worthians 1st XI were given accreditation, Harry
Woodman had to complete a large amount of paperwork and he, Ollie Rivers and myself all had to complete The FA Safeguarding course. I’m pleased to report that we are now all badged up and that we’ll be able to compete in this prestigious competition for the first-time next year.
All the Georgie Best
Andy Taylor
Winning our 6-a-side South London League in February
Harry Woodman was thrilled to receive the Henry Surtees Memorial Cup for the first time from the Head Master
2023-2024 Season Report
The 2023/24 season was one to remember with the team creating history in Bristol winning the Papa John’s Counties 3 trophy, which spanned the whole of the South of England, whilst also managing to finish 4th in an extremely competitive Surrey 3 league.
The season started as many seasons do by taking September to get into our stride. An opening day victory against London Exiles (54-33) was followed by two disappointing defeats to Met Police and Bec Old Boys. In hindsight, these were the two sides to get promoted so it
is unsurprising that, at that early point in the season, we were not quite ready to compete.
Into October, where new signings Freddie Barrell and Oli Duncombe were making their presence known in the back row, the WOBS got the momentum going. An 80-29 victory against Old Wellingtonians was followed by a gruelling 29-24 win away to London Economicals. Old Johnians have, on a number of occasions, proved to be our ‘bogey’ team and this next game only added fuel to the fire. Playing on their ‘club’ day at St John’s Leatherhead, a fired up Johnians side took a 4 try early lead. Despite a valiant effort to get back in the game we were unable to gain parity, eventually losing 36-19. Routine wins followed vs Old Emmanuel and London Media.
As so often with this time of year, December struck, as did injuries and those fair-weather players went into hibernation. A comfortable win vs Effingham and Leatherhead was sandwiched in-between two bruising encounters vs Old Georgians (10-5) and Met Police (3424) which both led to defeat. To celebrate what had been a relatively successful start to the season (6 wins and 5 defeats), we descended yet again on the Roundhouse for a fantastic rendition of some classic Christmas carols.
2024 would mark our most successful run in recent history. With 14 games post-Christmas, we would only taste defeat twice and run in 89 tries to the delight of our faithful fans. First game back and the league leaders, Bec Old Boys, were in town. WOBS ground out one of their most remarkable victories winning 22-21, brutally knocking back endless onslaughts from Bec’s sizeable pack. Notable mentions go to vice-captain Barney Elwes, who always leads the charge in defence, and the stalwart Curtis ‘the Farmer’ Widmer, who will do whatever is asked from his captain.
Wins against Wellington, Emmanuel, London Media and Economicals ensured we were pushing the top 3 teams in the league all the way to the end of the season. Despite narrow defeats to Old Johnians (again!) and Old Georgians (again!!), we finished the season on the up with wins against Effingham and Leatherhead and London Exiles. We were ready to embark on our first cup run in years with lots of confidence behind us.
Winning the Papa John’s Counties 3 trophy in May
Unfortunately, the thankless task of raising a team, when everyone is away, almost resulted in me throwing in the towel. However, my team should have known, having not cancelled one game all season despite a number of other teams' best efforts, that I normally have a few aces up my sleeve. By Friday night 14 warriors had made themselves available for the lengthy journey down to Hastings (deep Kent). Whilst most of the side met on the train (hungover), spirits were not dampened. Our new 9/10 axis (Jack Hearn and the captain's cousin Toby Purvis) was in full flow and we blew away a sizeable Hastings and Bexhill side 42-21 much to the disgust of the home supporters.
The cup run had begun and no one was ready for it to end. The boys rallied and availability started pouring in with the prospect of playing at Twickenham (it was actually Bristol).
WOBS fronted up to defeat a strong Thamesians side before travelling down to New Ash Green (Kent) to rack
up an 87-5 win. Our biggest test came in the semi-final against a youthful Royston side who somehow had a more expansive, fast and chaotic game plan than we did. However, experience showed and we were too good in the end coming out 53-32 winners. This cup run was dominated by George Eaves, who received man of the match awards against every team we played. His ability to run the ball back from full back gave us such an attacking platform and his security in defence and under the highball meant everyone knew we had the support we needed behind us.
The day arrived. Finals day in Bristol. The 11am kickoff meant a 7am meet at Paddington for the boys and numerous supporters. The sun was shining and life was good as a full squad prepared to face Widden Old Boys (Gloucester) in what was to be termed 'The WOBs Derby'. However, there was only one team winning that day and we proved to be far too strong. With the scores close at half time, we took the second half by storm silencing their large fanbase to run in try after try towards glory.
The Younger vs Older Teams at the Glenn Robertson Memorial Game at Worth in September
Eventually, the final whistle blew and we entered blissful delirium after dispatching the WOB pretenders 53-14.
It was a truly remarkable run of victories, but more so than that, the sense of spirit and belief amongst this side is as good as it ever has been in my 10 years at the Club. It is a true honour to captain this group of players and I am very excited to see what can come off the back of this. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are a keen rugby player. If this season was anything to go by, you will not regret joining such a fantastic rugby club. As ever, my work is done in service to Desmond Calnan and the Club is fully behind him and his family in what has been such a difficult time for them. UTWs
James Kemp F’14, Captain WOBS RFC
Remember this is your Club for all Worthians, and we always need new players. Everyone is welcome – even if you can’t commit to a full season. If you’re interested in playing, please contact one of the following:
James Kemp (Captain): 07577 199607
Nick Elvidge (Treasurer): 07784 255775
Desmond Calnan (Chairman): 07475 609128 or 01372 386511
Christian Killoughery (Secretary): 07702 911185
Dominic Robinson (Fixtures): 07917 044214
On 7th September 2024, our annual Younger vs Older match took place back at Worth as part of the Afternoon of Worthian Sport. There was a good showing this year with a mix of regulars, new players and recent leavers. The match was played with good intensity providing the regulars with excellent preparation for the league campaign. The teams traded early blows with some dominant defence from the Olders. Fresh off the back of the recent cup victory, the Olders started to play their fluent offloading game with new prop Gabriel O'Brien at the heart of this. Stalwarts, Dom Robinson, Barney Elwes and Tim Chandler, led from the front with a very strong defensive display and Raph Gruber caused all sorts of problems out back.
After a difficult first half for the Youngers, they came back strongly after half time scoring a number of tries for themselves. Some powerful running from Daniel Aghedo-Jacob tested the Olders defence and provided some good go forward. The Youngers were valiantly led by Giles Killoughery in a typically bruising display in the second row. Despite a strong showing in the second half the Youngers could not bridge the gap. Another win for the Olders with a convincing 53-21 victory. We then all headed down to the Austin Oval for the prizegiving and to join in the School's Welcome Festival with a few beers.
The Glenn Robertson Memorial Game
Captain James Kemp receives The Glenn Roberton Memorial Trophy from the Head Master
The following played in the 2024 match:
Charlotte Baker StA’17
Chloe Pullen StC’17
Natalie Riley StM’17
Claudie Cooper StC’20
Hockey
7Hermione Ashbee StC’21
Amber Buggins StA’21
Meggie McLoughlin StA’23
Clara Anderson StA’23
th September 2024 marked another Old Worthian vs Worth School 1st Team Hockey match, as part of the Afternoon of Worthian Sport. The current Worth girls had a full squad and two goalies who kindly helped increase our squad size, enabling us to have rotating subs (and with 4 quarters being played this was very much well received!).
The first quarter saw us off to a great start, with multiple passes being made to stretch the pitch. However, the School 1st Team scored the first goal, but we fought back and evened the score by the end of the first quarter. Over the next two quarters, it was back and forth with both teams playing fiercely, not wanting to lose the upper hand. We knew we would have to push to make the most of every opportunity we had. The third quarter left the current Worth Girls up by one goal difference, however, not to be defeated, we managed to keep the ball away from their attacking D in the final quarter and
Gigi Dunbar Johnson StM’24
Emma Wood StA’24
Captain Charlotte Baker receives the new hockey trophy from the Head Master
continued to keep our eyes on scoring another goal. We had the upper hand going into the final quarter with some excellent attacking and defensive skills which saw us scoring the final winning goal.
After a gruelling 45-minute play, I am pleased to say that we won with a score of 10-9 and the OW girls are back on their winning streak. Goals were scored by Gigi, Meggie, Claudie, Clara and Amber. It was a lovely day seeing new and familiar faces. Well done to everyone that played and thank you to all the supporters for coming along and showing that Worth spirit!
If you are interested in hearing more about Old Worthian Hockey please contact worthsociety@worth.org.uk or myself (charlotte@theoaktree.net). For the latest news and fixture dates, join the Worth Society Hockey Club at www.worthconnecting.org.uk/clubs
Charlotte Baker StA’17
The following played in the 2024 match:
Netball
On 7th September 2024, a spirited group of alumnae gathered on the familiar school courts for the much-anticipated annual Netball game. Whilst the clouds threatened rain, the court luckily stayed dry as we took on Worth’s current students. With a full team this year, we were relieved to have some subs on the bench – much appreciated given our slightly reduced fitness levels since leaving Worth – and we spanned an impressive age range, including three sets of siblings – the Rileys, Brownings and Glovers.
The game got off to a strong start for the alumni, with Beattie Brownings St’24 and Nia Wells ‘17 securing some early goals. Gigi DJ StM’24 and Chloe Pullan StC’17 kept the pace going with some quick moves around centre court whilst Brooke Benwell StA’17 and Natalie Riley StM’17 maintained a strong defence. However, the student team soon found their rhythm and kept the score close. In the third quarter, the students pulled away with a series of sharp, well-timed shots and solid defensive play.
Despite the alumnae's best efforts, the school team managed to secure a 16-9 victory by the final whistle. Both teams played with great spirit, and the match was closely contested throughout, with plenty of excitement and support from the side lines. Afterward, players and supporters headed to the School’s Welcome Festival on the Austin Oval for some well-earned food and drink and the prize giving, with the Head Master accepting the new trophy on behalf of the School team.
A big thank you to everyone who participated and cheered on the teams! We can't wait to see what happens at next year’s game.
If you would like to get involved with OW Netball, including playing in a London league, please contact me at: ellenbrownings@me.com and join the Netball Club at www.worthconnecting.org.uk/clubs
Ayear of change for Old Worthian Golf with Ken Ross G’65 stepping down after 28 magnificent years.
Three days before the match against Old Gregorians, in April 2024 at Royal Ashdown, we were struggling for a team, but some last-minute calls brought forward an eight of courage and quality. A terrific match ensued, tied at two-all come lunchtime, with the prospect of an afternoon thriller to come. In the end, Worth triumphed by a single match. The winning pair perfectly expressed what OW Golf is all about. It combined the languid elegance of Stephen Bamford StB’68 with the coiled power of Ollie Rivers F’14 Almost half a century between them but both committed to Worthian golfing glory.
In May the Club had a great game against a team of current Worth pupils at Royal Ashdown Forest with four singles matches played in Stableford format. The students were chaperoned by Worth Director of Sport, David Burton, and Olympian Hockey Legend, Calum Giles. We agreed a team stableford and a very close match ensued.
Meeting
A sensational Worthian debut for Ollie Maude F’17 with 38 points helped the Worthians to a narrow victory of 135-129. Juan, James, Toby and ‘Ocean’ proved excellent company and excellent golfers. I have to admit to being seriously impressed, I really don't recall being that good company at 14-17 (as I'm sure anyone in my year would testify).
May also saw a six-man team at Knole Park for the Grafton Morrish, captained by OW golfing legend George Ross G’95, and featuring a very welcome debut for Tom Orssten G’19 Despite narrowly failing to qualify, the team stayed for lunch to celebrate what might have been...
July saw the Russell Bowl at Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club - Worthians were defending the trophy but were narrowly pipped by Ampleforth on the day. Although this was a terrific team effort there were particularly noteworthy performances by the Match Captain, John Shepherd B’82, as well as Paul Moran G’94 and Niall Keelaghan B’01.
September heralded the second match against the School. Having turned up with four on the previous occasion, the School team numbered eight and were clearly looking to get one over on the Worthians... and they did! The forecast was appalling but, after a Roast Beef lunch, the boys were very keen to get on with it and we were remarkably lucky with the weather. Worth did extremely well in the HMC Conference Foursomes and were subject to some unfortunate machinations which prevented them from playing in the finals. There was some serious golfing talent on display which bodes extremely well for our Grafton Morrish and Russell Bowl sides of the future.
If the major success of the year were the matches against the School (and many thanks to David Burton, Director of Sport) then the end of the year was all about a ‘Golden Oldie’. James Ambrose G’75, perhaps better known as something of a Subbuteo legend, triumphed in the mud of Dale Hill in the Autumn Meeting held in October. Non deficere as James would undoubtedly say.
For anybody interested in playing with us please email me at matthewwood11@btinternet.com
Matthew Wood B’77
James Ambrose triumphed at the Autumn
The OW Music Society is gathering pace with some wonderful opportunities to be involved with music at Worth, London and venues around the world!
There was a great gathering of former choristers and former staff to form an impressive alumni choir for Worth Society's London Advent Carol Service at the beautiful Church of the Immaculate Conception in Farm Street, Mayfair on 5th December 2023. Many traditional favourites were sung along with the congregation and despite little time for joint practice, the choir beautifully
sang Bethlehem Down by Peter Warlock and the allimportant Sussex Carol by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
At the beginning of August, a number of alumni, Worth School parents, teachers and Worth Abbey congregation members made a tour to Venice to sing Mass at St Mark's Basilica – and also to give concerts at the impressive Benedictine monastery just over the Grand Canal from St Mark's Square (San Giorgio Maggiore) and on the island of Murano, world famous for its coloured glassware. A tour to Paris is planned for summer 2025 so do get in touch if you would like to be involved.
Also looking ahead to next year, we are planning a ’Come and Sing’ Day on Saturday 1st March 2025 in the Abbey Church where we will prepare Vivaldi's Gloria for a performance that afternoon. This will be good practice for the gathering of another Worth community choir for the special Mass on 12th July 2025 to mark the 50th anniversary of consecration of the Abbey Church.
Edward Dean, Worth Abbey’s Director of Music
Leading the congregation at the Society’s London Carol Service
Ready to sing in St Mark’s Basilica in Venice
Debating
The Inaugral Alumni vs School Debate
My journey to the first alumni vs School debate evening, on 1st December 2023, was rather trying. Winter: freezing. Friday: busy. Trains: delayed. Dinner: missed. Late, hungry and apologetic I convinced myself that hunger would be a benefit on the public stage, something strong orators from Enoch Powell to Tony Blair proclaimed.
I rather liked the idea of being on stage and holding the microphone, influencing the expectant student audience with some wonderful words of exhortation, leadership and inspiration. Indeed, most of us enjoy the sound of our own voice after all – even better at one’s old school, decades later and in our old Assembly Room!
My fellow alumni debaters greeted me on arrival; Daniel Aghedo-Jacob G’23, Genevieve Bailey StA’23 and Matt Doggett F’07. I was the eldest in the wood panelled Whitehead Room that acted as a backdrop to so many assemblies as a boy. The judging panel was also made up of fellow OWs including accomplished barristers James Maxwell-Scott KC R’89 and Oliver Pateman F’13, and Oxford scholar, Simon Florek StB’23. Between us we represented five decades of the School.
Once settled, the unexpected motion for Worth School was announced with a few gasps: ‘This house believes that once an individual’s assets reach half a billion pounds any assets in excess of that must be sequestered by the state’.
Who had to defend it? None other than the alumni team. If I had known I would have to support this motion, I would not have come!! This had gone from bad to worse.
As Old Worthians - some far newer than others - we were pitted against a team of very competent members of the School’s Debating Society. The student debaters included Nicholas, Olivia, Tom and Charlotte - terrifying teenagers purely because they excelled as debaters. We slung objections, rebuffed and interrupted each other's pertinent questions between weirdly professional deliberations. They really were exceptional – delivering magnificent pontifications, yet so fresh in age. And yet with an extra fifty years to add to their’s with grey hair to prove it, my family call my own pontifications “bombastic rants”!! Surely not?
So why did we Old Worthians do it? Why all the effort, travelling, amassing of people from other ends of the country to pitch against four students – for just ninety minutes? Was it just for a moment of glee for whoever would win? Or might it actually be about something else... did we really go for students who are trying to learn the art of public speaking?
In truth, a Worth debate encourages and stimulates a generation, future leaders of major corporations, organisations or politics. A Worth debate gives students the confidence to stand in front of people, debate robustly and defend their opinions. It is at Worth that they can learn to defend the truth - like Cato did before he was beaten up by Julius Caesar’s hired gangs! However, in a more civilized world what better place for the gift of debating to be birthed than on the parquet floor in front of the Head Master, dignitaries and students of Worth School? Yes, in spite of the M25 delays, wet weather, road closures, train delays, wrong turnings and missing dinner, none of these gripes mattered. That evening, at least, we may have assisted some of Worth’s present generation to be in a better position for future leadership for this wonderful nation of ours.
Alexander Stewart-Clark R’79
OW Judges; James Maxwell-Scott, Oliver Pateman & Simon Florek
OW Debaters; Daniel Aghedo-Jacob, Alexander Stewart-Clark, Matt Doggett & Genevieve Bailey
Worth School Inter-house Debating Final
Worth School's annual celebration of debating came to a conclusion with the final of the Inter-House Debating Cup Competition being played out in front of a salubrious alumni judging panel on 1st March 2024.
All 10 Houses at Worth had taken part in the competition which culminated in two girls’ Houses, St Anne’s and St Mary’s, going through to the final which took place in the Performing Arts Centre.
The judging panel consisted of Edward Henry KC C'80, who has been representing sub-postmasters in the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry, current governor Gavin
Hamilton-Deeley R'72, his son and former Head Boy Harry Hamilton-Deeley R'18 and recent leaver Murdo Dutton F'22, the last two of whom were very active in debating during their time at Worth.
The motion was on the topical subject of "This house believes that 20% VAT should be added to private school fees". St Anne’s succeeded in opposing the motion, but St Mary’s arguments made it an excellent final. A big thank you to our alumni judges for taking part!
OW Judges; Gavin Hamilton-Deeley, Murdo Dutton, Harry Hamilton-Deeley & Edward Henry KC
The Global Action Awards
The Global Action Awards (GAA) were established in 2000 by Worth Society to offer grants to Worthians proposing to spend an extended period of time in unpaid work for the good of others.
To date, a total of £35,780 has been awarded to those who have participated in voluntary work for good causes around the globe.
At the start of 2024 Henry Wright F’23 headed to Canada with charity ‘Youth with a Mission’ having been awarded £2,000 for his Global Action Award. The first three months focused on personal growth, through faith, and engaging in local outreach programmes in Vancouver. He then went to Japan for 2 months where he was involved with youth ministries, working with the elderly, building and maintenance projects and teaching English.
In June this year Henry returned to Worth to share his GAA experience with Worth Sixth Form students as part of a presentation by the Society.
As a reminder, applications are reviewed and awarded by the Worth Society Committee which consists of the Chair of Worth Society, Worth School's Head Master, alumni and current and former staff who meet at Worth each term.
If you interested in finding out more contact Mary Lou Burge, Worth Society Manager, at worthsociety@worth.org.uk or call her on 01342 710241
GAAs Awarded since 2014
2024 Henry Wright F’23 – ‘Youth with a Mission’ in Canada & Japan
£2,000
2023 Melissa Torkizadeh StC’17 – Medical Elective in Nepal £1,900
2022 Pia Middleton StM’21 – Volunteer Initiative Nepal £900
2020 Will Harries R’15 – ICS in Tanzania £1,700
2019 Sophie Enoizi StA’18 – Operation Raleigh in Costa Rica £1,000
Frances Oesterlin StM’15 – The Hope Agency in Cambodia £500
2017 Edward Bridge StB’11 – Medical Elective at The Western Regional Hospital, Belize and volunteering with ‘La Choza Chula’, Guatemala £1,000
Andrew Morris R’06 – Medical Elective at Ananthapuri Hospital, Kerala, India £1,500
2016 Antonia Foldes StM’11 – TECHO in Colombia £2,100
2015 Peter Webb C’14 – Manquehue Movement in Chile £1,000
Benjamin Booker B’13 – Puericultorio JAVA Orphanage in Peru £500
Beatrice Lewers StA’13 – Puericultorio JAVA Orphanage in Peru £500
Stephen Free C’15 – VSO & ICS in Tanzania £500
2014 Merrick Winter F’13 – teaching English with Global Vision International in India and Nepal £500
Charlie Bridge StB’09 – teaching English with TASK Brasil in Rio de Janeiro £500
Thomas Harrison StB’92 – founding Fusion Enterprise Music & Drama Group for adults with learning disabilities £150
GAA - Youth with a Mission in Canada & Japan
In early January 2024, after a few months of work and fundraising, I travelled to the Canadian city of Vancouver to start my Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth With A Mission. I had several reasons for wanting to do overseas work during my gap year; starting with a desire to take some time off academic work and to grow in my relationship with God. One verse which stands strong in my mind is Luke 12:48, ‘To whom much is given, much will be expected’, and having been in receipt of a privileged upbringing and excellent education, I wanted my gap year to be an opportunity to live out part of my faith through serving others. The aim of the Worth Society’s Global Action Award, to allow students to travel and serve abroad, was something that my DTS was very focused on, and so the Award was very appropriate and I was delighted to have been granted one.
I was immediately blessed to find that I was with an amazing group of 7 fellow students who, much like at Worth, hailed from across the globe. Having Spanish and French-speaking students was a fantastic opportunity for me to improve my speaking skills before going on to study Modern Languages as part of my degree at university. Over the first twelve weeks of the course we had some excellent speakers come to our base to teach various topics during the mornings, and in the afternoons we found multiple opportunities to serve the local community. It was particularly interesting to volunteer at a foodbank in central Vancouver, providing for local families and hearing stories of how a vastly foreign population has made its way to Canada over the past few decades.
One unexpected aspect of working here however was the very high rate of homelessness in the city, concentrated in such a small area. The legalisation of drugs was a big eye opener to a way of life so detrimental to society and not at all as prevalent or not as obvious back home. Whilst
volunteering at an international students’ club, I met a fellow worker called John who recounted his time living as a drug addict on the streets of Vancouver. I couldn’t quite comprehend how the government could apparently neglect such a dire social issue, but was told that while the government does provide some aid to the homeless, often it is not taken. John explained that it was normal for people to feel unworthy of the help, and that with daily hot meals from foodbanks and with other charities, many had little motivation to get off the streets. Thinking about my aspirations, for my university degree and for my career, and seeing people living in completely different conditions with no such hopes for the future, was all rather shocking.
The homelessness crisis in Vancover is very apparent
During my DTS in Canada
At the beginning of April we flew out to Japan for our outreach phase, starting in a small village near the city of Nagano in the north, where we were involved in giving English lessons at a local school and university. There was not so much to do during the first two weeks which I partly put down to some difficulty on the part of our charity, but generally some very good experiences were had.
In mid-April we travelled further south to Mikazuki, a small village in Hyogo prefecture about two hour’s drive from the major city of Osaka. Similar to our last location, Mikazuki was extremely rural. The nature of being in such a secluded area was both a blessing and a setback; we got a more authentic experience of what living in the middle of the Japanese countryside was like, but as could be expected, communication was difficult with our limited Japanese. Luckily, we had a few leaders who spoke the language and often speaking is not as important as actions! Our time here was made up mainly of maintenance work on the base where we were staying, and our team organising gatherings at the base and working with the local school kids. We spent afternoons playing baseball in the village and even set up a sports day in a local town.
I would say our most productive time was whilst staying at Jesus Café House in southern Osaka, working alongside the church in many of their ministries. We were very lucky to be able to staff preschool classes which the church runs on weekdays, and to work with a charity called ‘Milk House’, a government funded Christian club for kids and young adults with disabilities. The church also holds English-learning cafés most weeks, which we took a hand in running - an amazing opportunity to get to know many
GAA - Youth with a Mission in Canada & Japan
Staying at the Jesus House Café in Osaka
A trip to Kada with my host family
Repairing a roof in Japan
Japanese people in the local community and to help them with their language skills. We also spent an afternoon in a nursing home in central Osaka doing a music and testimony afternoon followed by some conversation with some of the residents, many of whom spoke English. I was amazed by the overwhelming manners and hospitality displayed by the Japanese people, an example of which was asking directions from someone in Osaka, who then walked ten minutes out of their way to show us where we should be going!
During our time in Osaka our team was given two days off, so a friend and I were able to go to a few local attractions with our host family. The first was a trip to Kada, a sea town in Wakayama prefecture, where we experienced some traditional Japanese local food and went up into the hills for a spectacular view over the bay towards the outer islands. The day before we left we also went to the ancient city of Nara, the capital of Japan during the 8th century, which boasts the world’s largest structure made entirely of wood, and a free-roaming deer population. It was hard to leave Japan, but we left with memories of an unforgettable few months spent living as Japanese,
benefiting from the generosity of our hosts, and doing what we could to serve in the communities we encountered.
Overall, my DTS was an interesting experience. I gained many benefits from my time away, not least a growth in confidence and perspective which I am sure has left me better equipped for starting university. And yet, as was probably inevitably the case, not every aspect of this time was easy or enjoyable, but I believe those situations which were challenging played a great part in shaping my character for the better. I would recommend taking a gap year to travel, not least for the wider understanding that it can provide about society and different cultures which will be invaluable as you head on to the next step of work or study. The cost of volunteering abroad is often a prohibiting factor in making the decision to go, but this is where the Global Action Award comes in; an amazing opportunity allowing Worthians to travel to the ends of the world to reach people living in completely different condition from us, and to serve those in need.
Henry Wright F’23
Entertaining the children at Milk House in Osaka
Teaching English at a university in Nagano, northern Japan
On top of the world, again, with Neil Laughton C’82
I knew that getting a new Guinness World Record for the highest bike ride from the summit of the 95th highest mountain in the world wouldn’t be a cake walk but I had seriously underestimated just how tough it would turn out to be.
Ayear before COVID I discovered that the existing record had been set at 7,211m on a Tibetan mountain in 2009. I decided to try and better it and asked my trusty Nepalese Sherpa friends Nima and Tsering if they knew of a Himalayan peak that was a little higher but not too steep so that I could give the record a try.
They identified Putha Huinchuli, a 7,246m peak in the NW Dolpo region of Nepal. During 2021, Tsering went to recce the route to Base Camp and observe the summit slopes from there. His report was cautiously optimistic and he also advised me that there was a school in the last village where we could stay but which had pretty basic accommodation. He said that the classrooms did not even have lighting let alone insulation, furniture or computers. So in the year’s build up to our autumn 2022 expedition, I raised £7K that funded a solar panel installation and bought a number of laptops for the school.
Unfortunately, as soon as my expedition team arrived, storm clouds delivered 10 days of constant rain and deep powder snow on the upper slopes rendering progress impossible. We flew home defeated without even setting foot at Base Camp.
The cost of this expedition in such a remote location is not an inconsiderable amount and it would have been quite easy to argue it was not worth the risk to have another go. But I had summited Mt Everest on my third attempt and my expedition to set the world’s highest dinner party had taken two attempts so it was probably inevitable that I would strike again. I planned for another try in 2023 but fate played its hand. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had surgery within a few months of the diagnosis.
Making a decent recovery I began planning a return to the mountain for September 2024 with a brand new team, most of whom had been on more than one of my many previous expeditions so I could count on them being good team mates.
I received generous sponsorships from Sussex based firms, plus bikes on loan from Brompton and Moulton. Two IT companies helped me raise the funds I’d promised the Tenzing Norgay School in the village of Kakgot. The first of my underestimations was the distance and severity of the approach march to Base Camp. Approximately 75km in distance, the route followed steep river valleys from 2,000m to 5,000m elevation. It was
The teams relaxing in our Base Camp tents
On top of the world, again, with Neil Laughton C’82 continued
“Comparable to walking up Ben Nevis twice, every day, for 10 days, with a bike strapped to your back”
brutal terrain and was comparable to walking up Ben Nevis (the UK’s tallest mountain) twice, every day, for 10 days, with a bike strapped to your back. This drained the energy reserves of us all.
Once at Base Camp, we got a day’s rest and the Sherpa’s conducted a puja ceremony to ask the Gods for our safe passage. Then it was a series of big climbing steps to Camp 1 at 5,400m, situated on a visibly moving glacier moraine and then onto Camp 2 at 6,200m on a plateau of snow. Having dropped our bikes at our highest campsite, we descended to Base Camp for a final day’s rest before our summit push.
I shared a tent with Tim. He produced a chess board and we conducted a game that we believe will be verified by Guinness World Records as the highest elevation board game ever played. He won with Check Mate after 25 minutes. I’d not played since school days.
The plan was for an alpine start commencing at 1am. I dozed fitfully and just after 12:30am, with a howling gale outside that whipped against the canvas of our tents, shouts of an hour’s delay to departure rang out. We slid back into our sleeping bags gratefully. At 2am the conditions seemed exactly the same if not a little worse but Nima Sherpa appeared fully kitted up and ready to leave at the entrance to our tent. Action Stations! We dressed for the summit in record time, attached ourselves to alpine ropes in two teams and headed off up the hill
with head torches scanning the way three feet ahead. We had a vertical kilometre to climb and it was going to be a very long slog as the snow conditions were heavy going.
At 60 years old, I began to wonder if I was strong enough to do this. I’d been unable to train properly (apart from some acclimatisation training at The Altitude Centre) due to my recent cancer surgery and was suffering a chest infection that two rounds of antibiotics had failed to cure. Doubts entered my normally optimistic mind but I tried to banish them by getting busy and concentrating on my leadership responsibilities.
On my rope was Da Rinzi Sherpa. Each step he took his boots broke through the snow 8-10 inches down. I followed his line and footprints but as I weighed more and was carrying an 8kg Brompton folding bike, my weight ensured I sank a further half a foot deeper on each step. It was excruciatingly slow and exhausting work. It was my second underestimation. I had assumed that at 7,000m, the snow at this cold, high elevation would be more compact. Nima Sherpa followed behind me, carrying a mountain bike and hardly said a word.
As dawn approached, our team was making steady progress. I had seen the headlights of the second rope team during the night below us but now in daylight I could not see my colleagues. At approximately 6,450m, they had collectively decided enough was enough, turned around and headed back down.
Our puja ceremony, asking the Gods for our safe passage
I was determined to complete the mission (a throwback to my Army Special Forces background), desperate not to have to consider a third expedition and curious to see the view from the summit. We plodded on and then on some more. There were a number of false summits, where you think you can see the top but then another ridge, another high point is spotted. This always delivered a proverbial punch to the gut. How much more punishment could we endure?
Finally, we stood on top of a large dome of snow with 360 degree views of the surrounding peaks including Mt Dhaulagiri, the 7th highest mountain in the world. Da Rinzi Sherpa started taking photos of Nima and me as we prepared for our cycle ride off the summit.
This proved to be troublesome because surprisingly, unlike most high altitude peaks I’d climbed, there was quite deep snow all around us. Cycling was going to be tricky! I consoled myself with the thought that the first bicycle invented and patented (by a German in 1814) was pedal-less and required the cyclist to use their feet for propulsion. We pretty much did the same for more than the required 20 metres needed for a new Guinness World Record.
My third and final underestimation came as we commenced our descent. We’d spent the best part of an hour on and around the summit, messing about on our bikes. Maybe I’d started to suffer altitude sickness but as soon as we began our journey home, my chest
contracted, I could only grab short, rapid and shallow lungfuls of air. Ten steps downhill and I ground to a halt, gasping for breath. It was rather alarming but wasn’t getting worse so the three of us descended painfully slowly back towards Camp 2. Day turned to night again as I fought to breath properly.
I was fortunate to have the support of my two Sherpa friends who stayed patient, guiding and encouraging me to keep moving. Eventually, we reached Camp 2, six hours slower than it should have taken and I was given some supplementary oxygen to help me to breath. At 3am, I slipped into my tent at Camp 1. Summit day had been a 24 hour round trip and I was utterly exhausted.
There was an emotional team reunion at Base Camp the following day followed by a celebration in the evening with cake, cigars and whisky. Between fits of coughing, I slept well.
My colleagues described me as a ‘zombie’ during our four day hike off the mountain. It would take ten days before I would begin to feel myself again. This challenge had turned out to be one of the toughest tests of my life.
Neil Laughton C’82
At the summit with Nima Sherpa
In the footsteps of David Livingstone
We have previously featured Dr Daniel Grace F’05 for his work as a GP during the Covid crisis, as well as his role as an event and expedition doctor, but perhaps most famously for his work with Virtual Doctors, an organisation providing telemedical advice to rural clinics and hospitals in Zambia and Malawi via smartphone. In autumn 2024 Daniel led a pioneering expedition to revisit David Livingstone's historic expeditions, whilst investigating contemporary disease epidemiology and the challenges associated with healthcare accessibility in Zambia. He was named the O'Hea Explorer of the Year by the Scientific Exploration Society in recognition of this project.
The Livingstone Revisited 2024 Expedition was an exciting multidisciplinary project that linked telemedicine, historical adventure and education to explore some of the challenges in accessing healthcare in Zambia. Working alongside the Ministry of Health, our 3,500km journey aimed to onboard new clinics to the Virtual Doctors telemedicine platform whilst also providing solar lighting and charging capabilities to rural health posts.
When planning the expedition, it was important that we had some core sustainable education outcomes. From historical case data from the Virtual Doctors telemedicine platform, we knew that many clinicians had
Daniel with the SES flag at Victoria Falls
“Service and dedication to improving the lives of others is something that is obviously well aligned to the values I developed whilst at Worth.”
requested advice on snakebites and trauma. We therefore proactively targeted these areas, running workshops using a ‘train the trainer’ model to cascade knowledge into rural communities.
Arriving in Lusaka in September, we set off up the Great North Road, past the corridor of the DRC to Chitambo. The hospital in Chitambo was set up by the descendants of David Livingstone, and it was here that we ran our first trauma training session. This session was a fascinating bidirectional learning experience, and we heard first-hand about the challenges in managing road traffic collisions and animal attacks with often limited resources and equipment. We ran similar trauma training sessions in 3 different provinces and have plans to develop online resources and further extend this project across Zambia. Over the course of our journey, we distributed solar lanterns to help support the Ministry of Health in delivering sustainable energy to clinics. These lanterns will help clinicians and wards combat the challenges posed by power rationing. Many clinics only get power for a few hours each day and the ability to safely examine patients and deliver babies using solar lanterns will have a profound impact on their ability to deliver safe patient care.
We worked with Snake Safety Zambia and On Call Africa to host a snakebite training session deep in rural Zimba. This session targeted a mixture of community volunteers and healthcare workers and will be particularly valuable as Zambia heads into the rainy season when there is often a surge in snakebite cases.
Over the 3 weeks of the expedition we visited 20 healthcare facilities, ranging from district hospitals to rural clinics. We were delighted to onboard 68 new clinicians onto the Virtual Doctors platform, as well as being able to reconnect and engage with our existing users. This will empower healthcare within remote and rural clinics enabling them to connect with doctors in the UK and within Zambia for remote diagnosis and treatment advice. During the expedition we heard incredible stories from the field, from both clinicians and stakeholders, and this has inspired us to push forward with even more plans for the future. To find out more about this project, to get involved with the Virtual Doctors or to donate, you can visit www.virtualdoctors.org or www.livingstonerevisited.com
Dr Daniel Grace F’05
Running Trauma training at Kakumbi clinic
Our Expedition Vehicle Outside Game Rural Health Clinic
Demonstrating one of the solar lanterns whilst onboarding a new clinician
The symbolism & meaning of the Icon of the Christ of San Damiano in Assisi
Assisi is a beautifully preserved medieval town, dramatically perched on a hill above gorgeous Umbrian countryside. It was also home to St Francis and his close collaborator St Clare of, well, Assisi. One of the greatest highlights of a week I spent there last summer was the famous Cross (more accurately, Icon) of San Damiano.
The church of San Damiano is a pleasant half-hour walk down from the old town centre through absurdly picturesque olive groves. St Francis was passing by in 1205 when he felt moved to go inside and pray. Famously, a voice came from the 1.9-metre-high wooden icon hanging above the altar and told him to, ‘Go, repair my house, which, as you see, is falling into ruin.’ He raised money for bricks, rebuilt San Damiano’s and added to it the first convent of the Order of St Clare. He then continued with his more figurative church-building mission.
The icon was painted in the twelfth century by (or influenced by) Syrian monks and is based on the Gospel of John. In the eastern tradition, things were painted less to please the eye or show how they looked than we are used to in the West and more to represent their meaning. Eastern icons should not be viewed like pictures; they should be read. This icon does not represent what a man on a cross looks or feels like. Instead, it uses symbols to tell a story and explain its meaning. For example, there is no crown of thorns but, instead, a crown of light (or glory) around the head of Jesus, represented by the golden colour. Inside the crown, we see part of the cross. The cross inside a crown of glory summarises this icon and Christ’s life: humiliation turned to exaltation.
The icon is largely about the struggle between darkness and light. The background colours inside the frame are red, symbolising light and love, and black, symbolising sin and faithlessness. The red nearly has the black surrounded and fills a greater area. So, the light is winning, but victory is not yet complete, and God’s plan is still unfolding.
The border of the icon is formed by seashells, whose beauty and endurance made them symbols of eternal Heaven. Everything inside this boundary is the Kingdom of God. The border is not complete but remains open at the bottom, which means Heaven is not yet finished, and there is an entrance!
Entering through the open part of Heaven’s wall at the base of the cross are several figures representing mortal souls. (Only two are still visible because of generations kissing the icon.) Right at the bottom is a rock, symbolising St Peter and the Church.
Christ’s vestment is a priestly garment of linen and gold, a reference to Old Testament priests, including King David, who made blood sacrifices to God. Jesus, a descendent of David, is also a priest, but of a different kind. The Lamb of God has replaced animal sacrifices, and the New Covenant replaces the old.
Jesus’ eyes are disproportionately large, not from any technical failing on the part of the artist but to symbolise that he sees everything, including God the Father (Jn 14:9) and each of us, his sheep (Jn 10:3,14).
The Lamb of God’s blood – the blood of the New Covenant – flows from his hands, and six angels are admiring this sight. Below his arms are five figures standing against a golden background, God’s children of the light (Jn 12:36) bathing in Christ’s salvation: Mary, Mother of God; John, the favourite disciple; Mary Magdalene; Mary, Mother of James; and the centurion/imperial official (Lk 7:1-10/ Jn 4:46-53). It is significant that these figures are all the same size and, therefore, equally important; salvation is the same for all by God’s grace and does not depend on earthly status or personal holiness.
The two smaller figures below, staring sternly at Jesus, represent those responsible for his death; one is Jewish, the other Roman. Both are of the same size (significance), meaning that Jews and heathens were equally responsible. More importantly, however, they are both small. Mortals didn’t really cause his death at all; we don’t have that authority. Jesus made the decision and sacrificed himself willingly (Jn 10:18).
The ‘text’ of the icon’s meaning does not run from left to right or top to bottom, as we are used to, but from the inside to the outside. The story begins in the middle –Christ died on the cross and rose in glory to establish the New Covenant. Since then, and as a result (below), we mortals have had the Church and the hope of Heaven, and (above) the Holy Trinity has been reunited in Heaven.
The full-size icon
The medallion at the top shows Jesus entering Heaven. He has a victorious smile and holds a cross which is now gold – a kingly sceptre and the instrument of his victory. He is clothed in regal gold and red and is greeted by a jubilant crowd of angels wearing his colours.
Right at the top is a hand: God the Father. No mortal has ever seen the Father directly, only through the creation and the blessings of his hand and through Christ.
There are three drawings on Jesus’ body, faintly drawn because they are inside him, not on the surface. On his chest is a (to us) right-facing head – God the Father – on his forehead a descending dove – God the Holy Spirit –and on his belly another head inside an eternal circle – God the Son (or at least the ‘pre-existing fact of his own bodily existence’ … sheesh!). The entire Holy Trinity therefore resides in Jesus’ bodily form, and he is the living temple (Jn 2:19).
To summarise the entire icon, ‘Father, may they be one in us (human figures entering from below), as you are in me (head on breast) and I am in you (head in circle on belly), so that the world may believe it was you (hand at the top) who sent me (face of Jesus)’ (Jn 17:21) to die on the cross and rise in glory (crown of light) to establish the New Covenant for the forgiveness of original sin (white and gold priestly vestment), the resurrection of the dead (figures rising from the rock – Church – below) and the life of the world to come (medallion above). Amen!
All the left-hemisphere stuff melts away, however, as one sits in front of the original icon, which now hangs at St Clare’s Basilica in the centre of Assisi. There is a tangible spiritual power there, and I can heartily recommend a visit to Assisi to anyone who hasn’t yet been.
Justin Weisweiller C’85
View from San Damiano through the olive groves and up to Assisi
The original icon where it now hangs in the right-side (St George's) chapel at the Basilica of St Clare in Assisi, where she is buried
A typical street view inside Assisi
My 25 year odyssey with Meniere’s Syndrome
This is my story. I decided to write about my journey in case it helps others suffering from this or any other rare disease.
I am in my mid-50s and fit. For the past 25 years I have suffered from Meniere’s syndrome, an incurable rare disease. I had no pre-existing medical conditions and otherwise had suffered from nothing abnormal aside from frequent ear infections as a child which were treated with the standard antibiotics of the era.
I presented with all the classic symptoms, acute vestibular dysfunction, vertigo and extreme sickness. Over time I became profoundly deaf and lost the ability to discriminate speech.
The vertigo was horrendous. Its onset was sudden, without any notice or prior sign. I had the first attack whilst on a flight, the absolute worst place to be. The attacks resulted in my suffering from nystagmus; a sense that all was spinning around me, worsening if I made any slight movement of my head. My balance system became disconnected from what I was seeing and I would suffer extreme and prolonged bouts of vomiting. This would last for 2-4 hours and the only way to relieve it was to lie down in a washroom in the recovery position, eyes closed, head resting on the bare floor or in a toilet bowl throwing up. This usually happened when I was in the office. Very humiliating! Afterwards I would be extremely tired and would need to sleep for a few hours, and then all would be fine until the next one came. At its worst I suffered from these attacks every 2 weeks. I also occasionally suffered from drop attacks where I would suddenly and without warning feel as though I was being violently pushed. I would immediately fall to the ground unless I could catch myself in the split second before. Fortunately, these occurred very infrequently and I was never injured.
I was fortunate to have some medical knowledge, thanks to Peter Freeland’s outstanding Biology teaching at Worth, but quickly came to the conclusion that those with academic and research backgrounds understood this condition best and could give me the best advice. I had exhaustive testing over many years in the UK and US. Too lengthy to list here but I tried it all, mainstream and nonmainstream. The diagnosis ultimately differed but the management was the same. Meniere’s syndrome in the US, sensorineural hearing loss of indeterminate, possibly genetic origin in the UK. Nothing could be done to reverse the symptoms, only to manage them through medication, lifestyle and diet to try to reduce the frequency of the
vertigo. This would hopefully extend the life of my natural hearing as the condition eventually causes deafness as the function of the inner ear becomes destroyed.
Over time the vertigo did diminish, but what I could not prevent was the onset of deafness and the progressive inability to discriminate speech. It’s the hearing equivalent of being able to distinguish light and dark but not being able to see shapes. By the end I was profoundly deaf. Hearing aids could not help me. It was very hard as I was an active, engaged person that had a successful career in finance. My career ended prematurely. I felt like an injured athlete being forced to retire in his prime.
I became more introverted, irritable, withdrawn, depressed and frustrated as I searched for a solution. I knew that I was in a dark place, but it was worse than I thought. I could not participate in social activities by the end. I just couldn’t hear! It was hardest of all on my wife and family. So I prayed. And read. And I searched for a way out. And then it all suddenly changed. I began to accept my fate. I otherwise had a great life and never stopped living it despite having this. Having seen the best people I understood that I could do nothing about this, so I redirected my energies to adapting and living with it. And then a miracle happened…
I decided to have cochlear implant surgery first on one side and then, a few months ago, on the second side. A medical device slightly larger than a 10p coin has been implanted in both sides of my head and wired into my cochlear. This, together with the sound processors I wear externally, allows me to bypass my natural hearing and hear bionically. The device is a thing of absolute wonder. My hearing has been largely restored, the vertigo largely gone and I have got my life back.
I dedicate this to all those that are suffering from this or any other debilitating illness through no fault of their own. Particularly when it causes you to lose something that you deeply value. Where the end might not be in sight or cure not at hand, learn to live with it and try and accept and enjoy the life you still have. Have hope - things can improve as they did in my case - and accept that one’s suffering can make one a better, more rounded, empathetic person. Sometimes I think I gained so much from going through all this, even though I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
Damian Chunilal R’86
A graph of Damian’s hearing 3 months post-op –a vast improvement!
Damian post-op
Ixchel, 33H King’s Road, London SW3
Ixchel is the Mayan goddess of the Moon, and thanks to the hospitality of founder Alex Gazzi R’04 and the wonderful staff at this recently opened Mexicaninspired eatery, Anna and I were certainly made to feel goddess-like as we were taken on a foodie adventure like never before.
As you walk in off the busy King’s Road you are greeted by a super smart oasis of white washed walls, brightly coloured sofas, banquettes and cushions with low slung wicker lighting, and a soft funky soundtrack to put you in authentic mood. During the evenings this place takes on more of a smart club vibe, with a thumping sound system to match, but being a weekday lunchtime, things were a little more sedate.
Thanks to the creativity of chef Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez, Ixchel will take you to new heights in your Mexican dining experience. Ximena, who hails from Mexico City itself, told us that she cooks the food she has always known and loved, but this was another level entirely to my usual fajitas! Her dishes are mini works of art, using a wonderful range of ingredients and spices, and served ‘tapas’ style to allow diners to share and sample as many flavours as possible.
In the efficient care of our charming waitress, Mook, we began with a nice thick deep green guacamole with long corn tortilla chips, an ample bowl for two, followed by the smoked pasilla chilli pork rib, which fell of the bone, and yellowfin tuna tostada, the most beautiful looking dish garnished with flower petals; light and refreshing with the addition of the granny smith apple, after the chilli kick of the pork.
We then moved onto quesadillas; a squash, portobello mushroom and swiss chard veggie version, and a short rib with smoky adobo, molcajete sauce and pineapple salsa. Both completely moorish, but for me the highlight was the ensenada taco, a lovely piece of battered white fish with a refreshing pickled cucumber salad but a massive punch from the scotch bonnet crema. On the side we had a slow cooked tuna salad with lettuce, seasonal veg and cashew dressing - a glorious mixture of fresh produceand the crispiest crispy potatoes served with a salsa verde. You might wonder how after all that we had room for dessert, but with some familiar puds being given a Mexican twist, we decided to worry about waistlines later and carry on in the name of research. And so out came Ximena’s take on our very own bread and butter pudding, brulee achiote spiced bread, served with banana ice cream in a puddle of haba tonka crème anglaise; a gorgeous crispy wheel and ice cream sandwich; and slices of Mexican mango with homemade chamoy (pickled fruit sauce), lime sorbet, and tajin, a blend of mild chilli, lime and sea salt. Three plates of heavenly light deliciousness.
A wide, tiled, rope-handled staircase takes you down to a private space that can host up to 90 people standing – perfect for a Worthian decade reunion – with its own private bar. If cocktails are your thing, then this place is definitely worth a visit with some bespoke additions to the classics, such as the ‘Ixchel Negroni’ with melon and honey infused Campari.
By now your taste buds should be crying out for a visit to this culinary gem! Go, it won’t disappoint! www.ixchellondon.com
Mary Lou Burge, Worth Society Manager
Anna MacMahon & Mary Lou Burge enjoying the delights of Ixchel
Become a Successful First-Time CEO
By David Roche StB’79 Rethink Press 2024
Iwas at Worth with David Roche and his middle brother, Chris, who was a close friend. David later became the CEO of Borders UK, a bookshop chain with a turnover back then of £220 million and staff of some 2,000. This book provides invaluable insight into what he learnt from the role and how that may help others.
As it happens, I was CEO of another bookshop chain in competition with Borders at the time, so know how challenging things were back then. The book market was in a whirl with new competition from Amazon, the supermarkets and e-readers creating the storm. The high street sector was consolidating fast and jobs were being lost. It was not an easy time to be running a chain of bookshops.
What Roche’s book does is provide a no-nonsense guide to how to deal with the inevitable challenges that always meet a first-time CEO, whether they be those that Roche confronted or the annoying colleague who thinks they could do a better job. He even covers the experience of ‘Imposter Syndrome’, using the brilliantly funny Guy Goma interview as an example (well worth a watch on YouTube). When he tells us that ‘two out of five CEOs fail in their first eighteen months’, we may wonder why it’s not more.
What makes this book stand out is its human dimension. Leadership is about understanding peoples’ motivations as much as insecurities, about when to ask more of them or perhaps less. Strategy is important but it’s people that make things happen. As Roche tells us, 83% of those CEOs who fail in their first eighteen months do so because they can’t build successful relationships. At HMV, Waterstones, then Borders, Roche was famous for clever delegation to teams that wanted to excel for him. For Roche, that meant also ensuring that their commitment to work was matched by commitment to family. He quotes Richard Branson’s simple mantra: “The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated”. It clearly worked for Roche as Borders UK turned from loss to profit under his watch.
The other stand-out feature of the book is its straightforwardness. Like so much in life, good business management comes down to common sense, and this is how Roche manages (quite funnily sometimes) to present his recipe for success. I found the ‘Keynote takeaway’ paragraph that ends each chapter helpful, as were his ten ‘to-dos’ for the new CEO listed in the final chapter.
This is a great book and should be read by anyone facing the daunting challenge of becoming a first-time CEO.
James Heneage B’77
Writer, literary festival entrepreneur and Founder of the Ottakar’s bookshop chain.
Big Mouth
By Matt Preston C’79
Viking Australia 2024
Matt Preston C'79 was always a larger than life character, so it shouldn’t surprise us he played that role on Australian TV to perfection. As the frontman for MasterChef Australia, flanked by his more diminutive co-stars Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris, Matt was notable both for his relative size and his flamboyant appearance. The three of them judged the show for 11 years, becoming household names along the way not just in Australia but around the world, and earning them an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. The roots of this date back to his childhood, as Matt explains in his autobiography Big Mouth
As much as Big Mouth is a detailed record of Matt’s journey toward TV fame and fortune, occupying a large part of the book, it is also a surprisingly interesting account of growing up in 1970s-80s Britain. Matt was not just a Londoner in his formative years, he grew up in Fulham which was far rougher than it is today. Nonetheless, Matt’s childhood instilled in him a deep affection for Chelsea FC (the Shed End) and the cultural trappings of 1970s Britain. With his ‘horrifying ability to remember details and events’ he rattles off his early influences such as The Avengers which provided the names of the family’s cats, Dr Who which gave him a lifelong love of velvet and frock coats, and foods like fish fingers, chicken livers, top of the milk, Angel Delight, Heinz salad cream, and World Cup Willie nougat bars. Those of us around his age (ahem) will read this book and have our own memories rekindled.
One of the overriding themes is the importance of his family, chaotic or otherwise, and particularly his mother Jennifer who awakened his love of food. His mother’s everyday menus have all featured in Matt’s many published cookbooks. Although Jennifer had an outsized influence on Matt, the early and tragic loss of his brother William, and a complicated set of father-figures, meant that Matt was essentially surrounded by strong and loving women for most of his life. That he ends the book with the eulogy he gave Jennifer at her funeral, really speaks volumes.
Of particular interest to this audience, but probably of less interest to his half million Instagram followers, is the section on ‘a boarding school run by Benedictine monks’. There’s no shortage of theatrics in Matt’s reminiscence of his days at Worth. In fact, he has a lot of fun playing with readers’ ideas of an English boarding school. He calls out the dubious practice at Worth back then of a Friday CAFOD starvation lunch which drove boys to take their
bread from breakfast to be later ‘fried with pilfered pats of butter on camp stoves in their dorms and topped with cans of baked beans’. Thankfully, school food has since much improved.
Pleasingly, Matt mentions the wonderful Andrew Bertie as well as the recently deceased ‘other favourite teacher, a rotund ranger of a monk’ and equally wonderful Fr Stephen Ortiger. Stevie’s report card was prophetic, “he can be good when he wants to be”! For the initiated Matt also tucks in a hidden reference to another famous Worth boy, Harry Enfield, if you can find it. Recollections may vary about Matt’s rugby prowess, but thanks to Worth’s financial stringencies in the late 1970s there were no team photos taken and the one he publishes was therefore the Colts. Nonetheless, the records do show he was captain of the School’s 2nd XV.
After Worth, Matt’s interest in music and clothing grew even more and he fully embraced the Punk movement. It was also the beginning of his journalism where he started a Fanzine in Fulham. The confidence he had in his critical knowledge of Indie music was inspiring, and typically entrepreneurial. That really was the start of his career in journalism and TV, and yet he started it by himself; these days he’d have a vlog or a podcast. This carried through to his university days where food, fashion, and music combined to mould the finished Preston product. Matt’s parents had a cottage on the sea wall at Whitstable, an unknown and deprived town on the Kent coast. Today, it is celebrated once again for its oysters and chic quasi-Nantucket style. As landlord, Matt’s roommates were long suffering, having to put up with his epic level of untidiness. Partly in compensation, and because he loved to do it, Matt would cook the house a huge Sunday breakfast to chase away the hangovers and fortify us all for the week ahead. That’s when Matt started to experiment with food dyes, but as he admits, blue mashed potatoes just didn’t really work.
After a few years working as a journalist in London he followed his heart down under. His success as a food critic led him to be the Senior Editor of Delicious and Taste magazines, and the author of several best-selling cookbooks before landing the role of judge on MasterChef Australia. The majority of the book, as it ought to be, is a self-deprecating account of his journey through the 11 series of the show, its ups and downs, their relationship with the contestants and famous guest chefs, and the growth of their recognition internationally. Big Mouth is an enjoyable read for friends, family and all foodies wherever you are.
Nick Hiley B’79
The Australian Ark
By Andrew Caillard C’78
Reviewed by Mark Reynier C’80
One summer’s evening in 1975, it must have been June as the azaleas were out, my father and I drove down Worth’s front drive for a preCommon Entrance interview at the School. We parked in the Front Quad and stood nervously getting our bearings when a rather tall, gangly student approached and asked if he could help as we looked rather lost - he kindly then guided us to the Bursar’s office. That’s the first time I met the author, Chapmanite and Master of Wine, Andrew Caillard, and he made quite an impression.
17 years in the writing, Caillard’s magnum opus The Australian Ark is the ultimate history of Australia’s wine industry. The first thing one notices about this work of Biblical proportions is it weighs the same as a case of Shiraz, for the narrative runs to half a million words on 1,762 pages over three volumes. Worth contemporaries might be somewhat surprised at this literary success bearing in mind Caillard’s ‘E’ in A Level History. Yet, thanks to Fr Bernard, an enthusiasm in storytelling and essay writing was firmly established back then.
After emigrating to Australia in 1982 with the basic Wine & Spirit Education Trust certificate under his belt, Caillard enrolled at the pioneering Roseworthy Agricultural College and, having graduated, became one of those rare things, a Master of Wine, winning the Madame Lily Bollinger Medal for excellence in wine tasting in 1993. I like to think it was those Vintner Society evenings given by my father during the late seventies that perhaps stimulated his taste buds. It has to have been the best career talk ever if that was the case.
In 2004 Andrew co-founded wine auctioneer Langton’s, which quickly became the nexus of quality wine. He has written for publications in Australia, the UK and the US and authored many wine books including The Rewards of Patience, A Travel Through Time, Classification of Australian Wine, Imagining Coonawarra, and The Essence of Dreams He also co-authored student reference books Australian Wine and A Taste of the World of Wine with scientists Dr Patrick Land, Dr Peter Dry and Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago. In addition, he has written several Langton’s wine guides and contributed to various editions including Academie du Vin Library’s On Bordeaux and In Vino Veritas. In 2011 Caillard received the “Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award” and was inducted as a ”Baron of the Barossa”. In 2022 he was awarded New South Wales “Legend of the Vine” in recognition of his contribution to the Australian Wine Industry.
Surrounded by bottles of living history, knowing their stories and the people who made them, Caillard has the extensive expertise to present these stories here. The Ark, already the recipient of an OIV Award and the President’s Award from the Organisation International de la Vigne et du Vin, consists of three books:
Volume 1 – 1788 to 1900 – explores the beginnings of winemaking in New South Wales and the development of the colonial wine industry. The first golden age of the Australian wine industry was inextricably linked to the fortunes of the British Empire. It was during this time that grape varieties such as Shiraz and Grenache started to dominate. The total destruction of European vineyards by Phylloxera, the aphid-like pest, led to a massive expansion of colonial wine into export markets.
Volume 2 – 1901 to 1982 – examines the development of the modern industry, challenges of two world wars, post war ambitions, and technical advances. The aftermath of the First World War led to the Export Bounty Act (1924) which promoted fortified wines and the country’s reputation took a battering with many people ‘poohpoohing Australian table wine’. With Emu Burgundy, Welsh Claret and Kanga Rouge - yes two of these were huge commercial successes - Aussie wine would take years to recover. But science and technology led to Max Schubert’s game-changing Grange Hermitage. The catalyst was the pioneering Roseworthy College with California’s Davis University (check out the Netflix film Bottleshock) that showed the world - and the French - how to make modern wine. We have a lot to thank them for.
Volume 3 – 1983 to 2023 – is more personal, here we have living memories, mirroring the author’s life in Australia, arriving in 1982 three years after leaving Worth. This will no doubt be the most thumbed through of the trio. Caillard quotes wine guru Robert Hesketh’s memoirs, in particular the drinks trade job qualifications (to which I can attest) defined as: ‘The range of knowledge needed to succeed in the wine game is daunting; you will have to become a long-term planner, a financier of wisdom and foresight, a taster of discernment and a marketeer without peer. Another European language or two would be a great help. You will need to understand geology, climate, horticulture, viticulture, microbiology, biochemistry, and fermentation. You will need to understand the fashion business, the luxury goods business and the tourist industry. And don’t forget you will need the constitution of an ox and a genius of a liver. If all this suggests there are easier ways to make a living I’m certain of it. It’s doubtful, however, if there are many other occupations that can give such a splendid life of diversity and entertainment. It doesn’t make for boredom.’ The Australian Ark is about ambition, courage and generations of effort to build an industry of great value, quality and meaning. Caillard’s aim was to relate that here is a work that is easy to read, Australian in outlook, yet not too academic nor with endless footnotes, but with plenty of images, maps and illustrations. What he has achieved is a testament to Australian wine as much as to Andrew’s superbly productive career. Fr Bernard would have been very proud.
Michael Reynier C’80 Founder & CEO of Waterford Whisky & Renegade Rum Distilleries
Caught on Camera
Aidan Atkinson A’15 playing the role of the Prince in Cendrillon at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin where he is studying for a post-graduate degree
Dominic Strickland C’81, Greg Pickard StB’81, Giles Hamilton B’82, Piers Jennings StB’80, Bob Mannix StB’81, Martin Hunt StB’81 & Justin Mould StB’81 met up for a Christmas lunch at Boodles in December
BA pilot Connor Thornton-Clark B'14 and Piers Spencer B'14 at Worth in October to talk to students about the World of Aviation, joined here by Alex Fielder '14
Ben Wintour B’09 was at 10 Downing Street in April receiving a ‘Point of Light’ award from the Prime Minister for his work with his charity Steel Warriors
Andy Taylor, Marcus and Oli Fletcher and Harry Woodman enjoying the England v Greece game at Wembley in October
A suitably attired Dave Carter C'94 ran the Hare & Hounds Alumni Race for Worth in September coming 10th in his age group. Hoping to getting a team together next year!
Charlie Haynes G’84 is living the dream having given up his IT career to become a ski instructor
Caught on Camera
continued
Jack Harrison G’00 having lunch at the Malibu Pier in LA with Nick Smyth StB’00 and his kids during a late summer holiday visit
Edwina & Leonora Surtees joined us for lunch at Worth in May and unveiled a new memorial to their late brother Henry C’09 in the Pitstop Café
Award-winning architect, Je Ahn R’02, was celebrating in May having won a Gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show for the Wateraid Garden which he co-designed with landscape designer Tom Massey
Gordon Li B’15 popped into Worth from Hong Kong in September to say hello to his former Housemaster, Julian Williams
James Maxwell-Scott R’89 walked the 138 miles of the ancient Pilgrims Way from Winchester Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral to raise money for four different legal charities in July
Giles Hamilton B’82 celebrating Joe Hurley’s C’82 60th birthday in April on the Isle of Wight
Peter Juo B’90 visited Worth with his family in August and enjoyed catching up with Fr Luke
John Bennett R ‘81 and John Tyskiewicz G‘79 meeting up in Corfu this summer to swap Worth war stories!
The School was extremely grateful to Justin Bramley C’93 who made a large donation of books to the Library this Spring
Jerry Fletcher G’72, Hugh Bett B’73 and Michael Spencer B’73 met up with Mary Renouf StB’75 at the Garrick Club in July
A gathering of OW ladies got together for a theatre outing in October to see 23.5 Hours, a play by Carey Crim, directed by our very own Katharine Farmer StA’11
Now in his 80th year, Kevin Dwyer WPS’58 (back row 1st on left) continues to enjoy playing music with the Cork Light Orchestra, caught here promoting 'Culture Night 2024' a Nationwide event organised by the Arts Council of Ireland
Jules Staveley StB’99 came to Worth in January to give a Spencer Lecture to students about his fascinating career with his Brand Experience company
Jim Piddock B’74 and Tony Tyler C’73 meeting up after 50 years in Provence where they both have homes
Caught on Camera continued
John Bennett R’81, David Redmond-Roche StB’79 & Mark Birrell G’77 enjoying post-prandial drinks at Lord’s this summer
Simon Crane StB’70, Anthony Mould StB’73, Chris Coffin G’73, Hugh Bett B’73, Paul Cattermull StB’73, Mary Lou Burge, Andrew Robinson B’73, Martin Green C’77, Alex Scott-Barrett StB’73, Bobby BodnarHorvath B’74, Dominic Quennell C’74, Christian Rooney StB’84 & Jerry Fletcher G’72 joined Michael Spencer B’73 at his London offices for his annual Worth lunch in April
Micheal Haran R’87 was proud to exhibit some of his work at the Biennale in Florence
Tom Bellinger StB'22 was in Paris in May as part of a group of Coldstream Guards chosen for a historic moment as UK and French troops swapped roles for the daily Changing of the Guard ceremony
Dr Alistair McKenzie B’74 linked up with his former science teacher, Peter Freeland, in Peter’s garden in June
Santiago Saquis B’12, who had been a Chilean exchange student in 2007, brought his wife to visit Worth again in November
Will Watkins R’10 continued a long family tradition and was inducted into the Worshipful Company of Vintners… and went to China to launch Miniso's first sales booth at Comic Con
Nicholas de Piro WPS’54 discovered this photo of him with his cousin Stephen Borg WPS’54 (right) on a trip out from Worth to Brighton with his aunt, Stephen’s mother, in the 1950s
James Metcalf R‘12, Louise Moon StM‘12, Charlotte Cotterell StA’12 & friends at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in September
A reunion of Prep School Worthies in Oxford who all first met at Tower House in 1956; Nicholas Mellish, Chris Dobson, Keith Rose, Patrick Holcroft, Jim Sherry, Martin Whinney, Arthur Denaro & George Higgins. Martin Greene also made it, but not when the camera appeared!
Alasdair Prescott G’91 & Tim Franks G’91 joined other former pupils of Ampleforth, Downside & Stonyhurst Schools for a ‘WADS’ alumni dinner in Lisbon in April
Owen Jones C’17 was ‘incredibly proud’ to be recognised with a King’s Scout Award at Windsor Castle in April
Philip Mould StB’78 with Fiona Bruce filming the latest series of Fake or Fortune? at the Hard Rock Café, which he last visited as a 17-year-old on a day trip from Worth
Tony Tyler C’73, Stephen Murphy B’72, Chris Quennell C’72 & Andrew Robinson B’73 meeting up in Paris in July for the Olympic Men’s Rugby Sevens Finals at the Stade de France
Announcements
Engagements
Kitty Gibson StA’12 to Tom Simmons on 28th July 2024 on Towan Beach, Roseland Peninsula, Cornwall
Ciaran Stordy StB’12 to Clodagh Corry on 17th September 2024 on the Greek island of Paros
Isabel Pollard StM’13 to Charlie Morrison on 25th May 2024 at Rhossili Bay, Wales
Marriages
Florian Heiss StB’08 to Dr Bettina Muckenthaler on 6th July 2024 in Diessen am Ammersee, Germany
Gregory Tuck R’08 to Clara Pérez Minones on 31st May 2024, in A Coruna, Spain.
Katharine Farmer StA’11 to Nick-Raj Birdi on 16th December 2023 at The Fireworks Factory, Woolwich, London
Alicia Buckley StM’13 to Dominic Wood on 14th September 2024 at St Mary’s Church, Fairford
Patrick Grady C’13 to Alexandra Elizabeth Smith on 1st June 2024 in Assisi, Italy
Alicia Buckley with her father Sean G'83
Kitty Gibson & Tom Simmons
Gregory & Clara Tuck
Alexandra & Patrick Grady with Pope Francis
Bettina & Florian Heiss
Births
Alex Kenney B’97 and Jackie, a son, George, on 22nd May 2024, a brother for Rosie
William Harrison StB’01 and Amber, a daughter, Sophie Jane Rosa, on 14th July 2024, a sister for Louis & Max
Keith Huang B’06 and Jenny, a son, Bruce, on 5th January 2024
Luke MacWilliam R’07 and Louise, a son, Hamish Aubrey, on 15th June 2024
Hannah Nottage StC’11 and William, a daughter, Poppy, on 1st September 2023
Sam Caulton-Poynder F’13 and Emily, a son, Tobias James, on 21st November 2023
Distinctions
Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP WPS’58 was created a Cardinal by Pope Francis.
Major General Arthur Denaro CBE DL WPS’61 was appointed as an Extra Equerry to HM The King
Mickey Morrissey R’78 was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Gloucestershire
Edward Henry KC C’80 was named Barrister of the Year 2024 at the Legal 500 Business Awards
Deaths
Martin Blake on 2nd June 2024, aged 95
Robin Gowlland WPS’46 on 21st May 2024, aged 91
Count Zygmunt Tyszkiewicz CMG WPS’47 on 9th December 2023, aged 90
Dom Stephen Ortiger OSB WPS’53 on 27th January 2024, aged 83
Stephen Borg WPS’54 on 16th June 2024, aged 82
Nicholas Wynne G’64 on 6th December 2023, aged 77
Michael Scholl R’66 on 25th June 2024, aged 76
James Pavry WPS'63, on 9th October 2024, aged 74
Nicholas Bacon R’69 on 17th December 2024, aged 72
Tim Wheeler G’75 on 1st April 2024, aged 66
George Kenney
The Huang Family
Hannah Nottage & Poppy
Mickey Morrissey (on left)
Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP
The Caulton-Poynder Family
Edward Henry KC
Major General Arthur Denaro
News in Brief
Worth Prep School
Nicholas de Piro WPS’54 with news from Malta. David Arrigo WPS’56 and also my cousin Stephen Borg WPS’54 have both passed away. Among other activities Stephen and I were prefects at Tower House at the end of our stay at Worth before moving on to Downside. Although often homesick, I have memories of very dedicated monks and teachers who tried so hard to improve our minds and give us the example and the enthusiasm to live not only for ourselves but also for others. I am so happy that I came to Worth.
David Pit WPS’55 Now 78 years old, have lived in Iceland for the last 59 years and have been married to the same lady for 58 years. Came back to Worth once many years ago with my wife and met up with Fr Edward and was amazed that he remembered my name immediately. I must have been a bad boy or something.
Jim Sherry WPS’61 On 25 September, a gathering of former Worth Prep School pupils took place at the Trout pub, near Oxford (see Caught on Camera). Present were Nick Mellish WPS’61, Chris Dobson StB’66, Keith Rose WPS’61, Patrick Holcroft WPS’61, Martin Whinney WPS’61, Arthur Denaro WPS’61, George Higgins WPS’61, Martin Roundell Greene WPS’61 and myself. Sadly, we missed Mike Scholl R’66 (see Obituaries) who had been with us last year, RIP. If there is anyone out there of similar vintage, please get in touch before we meet up again next year.
Worth School
1960s
Sebastian Fairweather G’67 Barbara and I continue to decline gracefully in retirement in Cornwall. I still do some work, when I am not looking at the view from my office window. If anyone would like to sample the delights of South Cornwall click on the link to our holiday cottage in the village: www.foxcottagemylor.com
John MacWilliam StB’67 Having reached the canonical age limit of 75 for diocesan bishops, is now waiting for the Holy Father to appoint my successor as bishop in the Algerian Sahara. Hoping thereafter to be able to attend occasional Worthian events.
1970s
Patrick Heren StB’71 I’ve written a new book, The Golden Thread - The Life and Gifts of Miss Frances Ellis - published by Gracewing. Miss Frances Ellis, 1846-1930, was a wealthy heiress and Catholic convert who gave away her fortune to build churches, hospitals, schools and convents. About 40 churches owe their existence to her. Most of her largesse was given to the Diocese of Southwark and the Daughters of the Cross of Liege between 1900 and 1920. She sought no recognition for her charity, though she was at times thanked by Pope Pius X, Cardinal Bourne and Bishop Amigo. After her death she was largely forgotten by the Church, though there remains to this day a residual memory, especially in south London, of the “Ellis boxes”, that is the typically plain and functional churches she endowed. I came across her name many years ago while writing the centenary history of one of those churches, and felt there was a story there. I started researching that story and came across a large cache of her letters preserved by the Daughters of the Cross. They revealed a lively, humorous and intelligent character, interested in people and concerned to live her life in accordance with the teachings of Jesus. The Golden Thread will, I hope, ensure that she is remembered by future generations of Catholics.
Christopher Morson G’71 now retired and spending 'ill-gotten gains' and wife Charm, share their time between the mountains of Colorado and the azure seas of Dauin, Negros, Philippines. 2 boys, 3 cats and 4 dogs.
Tony Tyler C’73, Stephen Murphy B’72, Chris Quennell C’72 & Andrew Robinson B’73 met up in Paris in July for the Olympic Men’s Rugby Sevens Finals at the Stade de France (see Caught on Camera). Tony lives in Hong Kong, Stephen in Dublin, Chris in Victoria, Australia, and Andrew in La Ciotat, France.
Jim Piddock B’74 Met up with Tony Tyler C’73 who was a year above me at Worth and has a house in Provence a couple of hours drive from mine (see Caught on Camera). Although we performed in a school revue together in 1972, I hadn’t seen him in over 50 years. It was wonderful to catch up and share our (very different) life stories over lunch and I’m sure we’ll get together again next summer when we’re back in Provence.
Julian Hughes R’78 Have co-edited a book with Baroness Ilora Finlay, The Reality of Assisted Dying: Understanding the Issues published by Open University Press. Normally I’d try to avoid trying to flog my books to friends and colleagues.
On this occasion, however, I’m breaking this rule for two reasons. First, it’s easier to advertise when you’ve (only) edited the book: it’s full of really interesting chapters written by experts from all over the place. Secondly, the cause is good – we need to lift the level of debate on this important issue and not allow it to be dominated by celebrities who tend to rely on the sole argument that people should have choice. There’s a discount code (OPENUP20) which gets you 20% off. If you have a library, perhaps they’d like a copy! Only other significant news is that we’ve gained three grandchildren since the start of the year; we now have seven.
Philip Mould StB’78 I have a gallery on Pall Mall with a team of nine, specialising in 500 years of British art. Old boys sometimes stop by to say hello, which is one of the perks of having a shopfront that bears your name. I am currently working on the 13th series of a BBC1 show I helped found called Fake or Fortune? Last week I bought my first tractor, a 1940's Ferguson, which I’ll use to help seed an ancient meadow where I live in the Cotswolds. I have a wife, Catherine, a son, Oliver, and two whippets—gallery dogs whom I’ve tried, so far unsuccessfully, to turn into art lovers.
Jonathan Stordy StB’79 Retired in our beloved Madrid after 30 years working in the drinks industry. Keeping my hand in with two non-exec roles supporting two Spanish companies. Time to travel with Sarah at last who is thankfully back to full health and play some more golf! Published a short book, Don’t be an Idiot: Six Simple Keys to Grow your People, on Amazon last year to share a passion for creating positive work environments. All royalties going to Centrepoint UK and their amazing work for the homeless. £1,200 raised so far, so any Amazon clicks hugely appreciated!
1980s
Philip Lundberg C’80 Our Hydes Cyder continues to grow and is now available in pubs and restaurants in Hampshire & London in bottles & kegs. We are excited to announce that we have just launched our low alcohol version in both bottles and kegs as well. 10% discount to Worthians on our website https://hydescyder.com/ using the one-time discount code ‘redapple’ (see ad on page 31).
John Bennett R ‘81 and John Tyskiewicz G ‘79 met up in Corfu with their families this summer and swapped Worth war stories (see Caught on Camera)!
Roger Bennett R’83 Otherwise known as Tal Profs, recently completed filming for Garbage Rex (Dir. Steve Hunyi, 2024) in Barcelona, while my short comedy film One Night Stand (Dir. Felix Sutton, 2022) was selected for screening at The Funny Life Film Festival in October in London.
Charlie Haynes G’84 After 30 years behind a desk building IT and financial services businesses, I’ve been able to retire to become a ski instructor (see Caught on Camera).
Paddy Morrissey R’84 JoJo and I are still living in Monks Eleigh near Hadleigh, Suffolk. I am still working with Sheffield Haworth (a leading International Executive Search firm), nearly 32 years since starting the business! Happy to hear from any Worthians that might need advice on their career in financial services. JoJo continues to help stroke victims weekly at SAS (Success After Stroke, in Sudbury). Will, our eldest, is looking at securing a role in broking in the Insurance world. Freddie, our youngest, graduated in International Relations from York University this summer and has started in sales as an asset manager. A highlight this year was attending the 50th year reunion of the OMV at Our Lady of Victories in High Street Kensington, an amazing, happy day.
Bill Hurst R’86 Still trying to make a living as an actor. I played Santa on The Polar Express in Norfolk last year and then went off to France to play Sir Toby Belch in 12th Night, for The Footsbarn Travelling Theatre Company. Performing at the International Shakespeare Festival. Have done France and Romania and Verona before a return to France and London in November.
Drew Davy G’87 Completed my first Ironman in October 2023 and achieved a qualifying time for the GB age group team. Competed in the European Long Distance Triathlon Championships in September 2024 representing GB and finished 4th in Europe with a time of 10hrs 37mins.
Micheal Haran R’87 Had a solo exhibition of paintings and prints in Mayfair in July. Otherwise apart from being in the studio a lot I’m raising my son who has just turned 11. I’m applying for various artist funding and hopefully something will land.
Anthony Morris G’87 Been working in financial markets since 1995 and on research into Number Theory since 2010. This lead to the release of my book, The Numerical Universe, (available from Amazon) which proposes a ground-breaking cosmology founded in the perennial
philosophy: namely that the universe is based on Number Geometry and Music. In early 2019, while consulting for a post quantum encryption company in California, was invited to present my work to the Dalai Lama's number 2 which led to an extraordinary trip to India in the October to meet with his Holiness at his palace in Dharamsala for what turned out to be 4 1/2 hour discussion over a long lunch. www.thenumericaluniverse.com for more information. Now running an R&D incubator, A.U.M. (Applied Universal Mathematics) to commercialise transformational technologies based on breakthroughs in Number Theory with application in financial markets, data analytics, machine learning and biochemistry.
James Maxwell-Scott R’89 Between 1st to 11th July, I walked the 138 miles of the ancient Pilgrims Way from Winchester Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral to raise money for four different legal charities (see Caught on Camera).
1990s
Al Ferraro G’91 known as ‘fuzzy’ when at Worth. Whilst still doing clinical work within Nephrology (i.e. Dialysis & Kidney Transplant medicine etc), now also Clinical Director for Integrated Care at Nottingham Hospitals. That means accountability for two other departments: Healthcare of the Elderly (including our inpatient Frailty services), and the Stroke Service (including expanding the regional service for Mechanical Thrombectomy). On a related note, our eldest son seems suitably indoctrinated into a similar career... he’s been offered a place at Newcastle Medical School for 2025.
Alex Kenney B’ 97 Continue to live down the road from Worth in Haywards Heath and go up to London a couple of days a week for work. It has been good to be able to meet up with some old school friends in person over the last year and I got some great support from them when I was ill with cancer for a while (now fine). My wife Jackie and I had our second child, George, in May, a younger brother for Rosie.
Ollie Barnett StB ’98 Currently Head of Private Banking at Weatherbys Private Bank. Two other Old Boys work with me as bankers - Anthony Rawlinson StB’82 and George Furber C’05. Still living in Cobham with wife, Rachel, and children Lottie (10) and Archie (7). Kids activities taking up most of our spare time - mainly drama and hockey (Lottie)
and football and rugby (Archie)! Brother Sam Barnett C‘97 also lives in Cobham with his family (including his 2 little boys) and is also in banking (MD at Jeffries). Sadly mum, Carol, died in September 2024 after a shockingly fast deterioration. Many of our contemporaries will remember her as a fantastic and energetic Chair of the Friends of Worth for many years, putting on some very memorable events in aid of the school. Dad, Stuart, is just down the road from us so we are able to spend plenty of time with him.
2000s
Jack Harrison G’00 Recently moved from Hong Kong to Shanghai to build out our office here. I haven’t located any Worth boys here yet, so let me know if you are based here! I had a great late summer holiday staying with Nick Smyth StB’00 and my Goddaughter Lyla in LA (see Caught on Camera).
William Harrison StB’01 Amber and I are pleased to announce the birth of Sophie Jane Rosa Harrison. Born on Sunday 14th July (Bastille Day) at 22:20, weighing 8lb 3oz. Parishioners Jenny and Graham Harrison’s eleventh grandchild and sister to Louis & Max.
Chris Lamb R’01 It’s been lovely to have made a couple of visits to Worth over the last year both for the Easter vigil and for the baptism of children of fellow Worthians (Paddy Scott & Phil Doyne-Ditmas, both B’ 01). It was great to show my children the Abbey, parts of the School (including the Patrick Lamb Centre) and catch up with old friends. Isabel and I have Joseph, 15, Martha, 12 and Tom, 4 - Joseph is at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial and Martha at Sacred Heart, Hammersmith. I am still in journalism and covering the Vatican and everything Pope Francis related for CNN.
Hugh Bonn G’02 I’m publishing a book this year called In Through the Reef. The bones of which are set in a circumnavigation around the world on a budget cruising yacht. The book is about the adventure of crossing oceans but also a story of faith and a light-hearted testimony about Jesus. I am sure some of my peers will enjoy reading it!
Mark Corbyn R'04 Under the guise of my Filipino catering business, The Adobros, was recently awarded Great Taste 1-Stars for two of our signature products: the Bibingka coconut rice cakes, and the Atchara green papaya
pickle. With Great Taste being one of the biggest food and drink award and certification schemes in the world, understandably quite happy.
Daniel Grace F’05 After 18 months of planning, I completed the Livingstone Revisited Expedition in October 2024 with a multidisciplinary team of explorers. On our overlanding journey we travelled over 200kms through Zambia during which the team onboarded clinics to the Virtual Doctors platform and ran trauma training sessions as part of a larger trauma training program within Zambia. We also ran sessions on the management of snakebite, and distributed solar lanterns to rural healthcare facilities. This was all done in partnership with the Zambian Ministry of Health. I was also honoured to receive the O’Hea Scientific Exploration Society award which played a key role in enabling this expedition. Read more about my expedition on page 40.
2010s
Andrew Pring R'10 After two years working for NATO in Gloucester, during what might be described as a rather focusing period, I moved down the road in July 2024 to Bristol. I am elated to be back in the city I studied my degree in and where, whilst dipping my toe in the UOTC, I made the rather excellent decision to join the Army. Rather propitiously (I hope), it is where I have also decided to leave, and seek pastures new! I shall be taking up civilian employment in London in August 2025, likely in professional services. Having represented the Army at Worth's careers fair for sixth formers earlier this year, I would be delighted to commend an Army career and share the experience of a whirlwind nine years of service. Likewise, I will be most grateful to draw upon the collective wisdom amongst Worthians as I transition to civilian life!
Will Watkins R’10 It’s been a very mixed couple of years, including an unexpected career break in 2023, but I'm pleased to say that I currently work at a fast-growing retail company called Miniso as an Assistant Merchandiser, which has opened exciting new experiences for me, including getting to travel to China and select the next product ranges, along with being involved with Miniso's first sales booth at Comic Con! Also, this year I was inducted into the Worshipful Company of Vintners as a Freeman, continuing a longstanding family tradition, although we still have no idea how it began (see Caught on Camera)!
Beau McCarthy StB’12 I’m a director and co-founder of The Wiggle Wonderland, a Travelling Arts Pavillion, a timber-framed, open-air gallery that can be adapted to display the works of artists and communities in different locations. From hosting live performances to workshops, each install of the pavilion evolves and is shaped by people and place, and collaboration and co-creation are core to the project.
Ciaran Stordy StB’12 Now script editor on EastEnders at the BBC, after spells at ITV, Sky and Tiger Aspect, and got engaged to Clodagh in September.
Anna Stordy StM’15 3 years into Amazon UK and now Account Manager driving sales for 160 customers through advertising solutions. Loving her work for Glamazon LGBTQ community.
2020s
Kitan Ojo R’21 Currently studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Exeter. Extremely honoured to have been placed eighth in the Powerlist Magazine Top 150 Future Leaders for 2024-25; featuring the UK’s most outstanding African and African Caribbean students and new graduates. During my first year at university, I signed a part-time contract with Harlequins Rugby Football Club before rupturing both Achilles tendons, but the injury made me focus on other aspects of university life. I’ve subsequently gone on to play for Houston SaberCats in the States and in Australia with Palmyra Rugby Club in Perth. As a student ambassador for the OddBalls Foundation, I’ve given 21 speeches at 10 local schools to raise awareness of testicular cancer and helped to organise My OddBalls sports apparel for the university rugby club and was awarded Ambassador of the Month in January. Although still exploring career options, I’ve recently completed a Harvard Business School online course in entrepreneurship essentials.
Robin Anthony Blantyre Gowlland WPS ’46
6th September 1932 - 21st May 2024
Robin started his education at the Oratory (Reading) and came to Worth Prep School in 1941 where he was then evacuated to Downside. The accommodation was in the ‘Worth Block’ at the time only just built and which consisted of dormitories of triple bunk beds. Robin was at Downside on 15th May, 1943, the day of the air crash in 1943 which killed 9 pupils.
Aged 14, Robin went to the Royal Naval College Dartmouth and later the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He retired from the Navy aged 30 in 1962 and then went to IMD Business School in Lausanne from which he graduated with a Diploma. Since the course was similar to the first year of the Harvard MBA program, he was given credit for the first year and went straight into the second year at Harvard.
Robin went on to set up the UK office of Egon Zehnder, a leading international management consulting and executive search firm, leaving as Chairman and joining BGL International. But Robin also committed a great deal of his life to youth work being a crucial figure in the Downside Fisher Youth Club. He was not only very heavily involved with the original Downside Settlement, but also raised vast sums of money during the compulsory purchase and transfer from 38 Fair Street, an old tea warehouse near Tower Bridge, to the new club premises which have been in full use since 1974. DFYC has subsequently been through various phases of refurbishment and Robin was always involved. Abbot Christopher Jamison said recently of Robin, “You need Heat and Light to achieve things, Robin was the Fire!”
Robin was very competitive, not giving any quarter in squash or badminton, and allegedly winning every time. He would invest in friends’ projects, even if some of the projects were only vaguely viable. His generosity was legendary. After a DFYC sporting event he entertained
15 to a slap-up meal. He took a whole team to the USA for a Boxing tournament giving them all some ‘pocket money’ and another group to Monte Carlo where they visited the Casino.
Robin died in Poland on 21st May 2024. He had left a note that the Abbot of Worth was to be contacted in the event of his death. His Requiem Mass was held at Worth on 24th June 2024 and celebrated by Fr Paul from Worth and Fr James from Downside and attended by many friends and colleagues from the various aspects of his life. As per his wishes, Robin’s ashes are buried in the Quiet Garden at Worth.
Adrian Koe
Count Zygmunt Tyszkiewicz CMG WPS ‘47
4th February 1934 – 9th December 2023
Zygmunt Tyszkiewicz, or Tish, was born in Warsaw in 1934. His father was killed in an air crash prior to the invasion of Poland and, as Germany entered the country, his mother, née (Princess) Anna Maria Janina Radziwiłł, took her three children on a dangerous and circuitous route to England. In spite of this rough start in life, Tish accepted life and worked hard to carve out many exceptional achievements. Thanks to a generous benefactor, he became a pupil at Worth Prep School from September 1944 to July 1947.
Tish’s memories of his days at Worth remained very clear as he recalled, “In 1945, the war was over and Worth went back to its Sussex home, which had been occupied by the Army and was still in a bit of a mess. We even found unused bullets and other wartime rubbish in remote corners of the stable block, which held some 20 horses and ponies. At weekends Dom Victor Farwell would take us for long, wonderful rides through the Cowdray Woods adjoining Worth and would tell us many secrets including how to catch pheasants. As a brilliant story-teller he also spun us thrilling tales that members of a gang were active in the Worth area, using the pond and woods to develop weapons such as miniature torpedoes. Instead of scouting, we were sent to remote areas of the forest to seek out the gang and foil their dastardly plots”.
After leaving Downside for Cambridge (1951–56), Tish spent the summer painting in Spain, not pictures but houses, in order to earn money and improve his Spanish for a degree in Modern Languages. In 1956, as a naturalised British citizen, he served as an officer in the XII Royal Lancers. Later in life, he commented that the leadership skills learned as an army officer served him well throughout his working life.
In 1958 he embarked on a highly successful and distinguished career with Shell. He began by handling
their affairs in Venezuela, Cote D’Ivoire, Republic du Benin and went on to become General Manager of Shell and BP Tanzania. After assignments in France and Holland he was promoted to Managing Director of Shell companies in Greece, where he became involved in the politics of business, twice being elected President of the Greek Oil Industry.
Tish’s son John G’79 (also known as Tish) attended Worth from 1974-79 at around this time.
After retiring in 1985, he took up the post of Secretary General of UNICE (Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe), a post he occupied for 12 years. Whilst in post he created cohesion among the great diversity of UNICE members and made the organisation heard, understood and often supported by European Union institutions. In recognition of his service, he was given the following awards: Companion in the British Order of St Michael and St George (CMG); Knight in the Order of Dannebrog, Denmark; and Commander in the Order of Leopold, Belgium. He was also appointed a Knight of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Order of Malta, and awarded the Order Pro Merito Melitensi. Additionally, he was made an Honorary Doctor and Honorary Professor of Business Management at the University of Aberdeen.
Upon retirement from UNICE in 1998, Tish was appointed Executive President of the Lanckoronski Foundation, a charity founded by his aunt, Countess Karolina Lanckoronska, to whom he had a strong bond until her death aged 104. The charity’s aim was to preserve and enhance Polish culture. Countess Lanckoronska had written a book in 1964 about her wartime experiences, reviewed by The Sunday Times under the title Those Who Trespass Against Us: One Woman's War Against the Nazis This memoir, told the story of the suffering of the Polish people and the dismemberment of their nation. An ardent patriot and devout Christian, Countess Karolina was also Poland’s first woman professor of Art History. She could have escaped to Switzerland when the Russians overran eastern Poland in 1939, but she chose to stay with her students, joined the Polish underground resistance - the ZWZ - and witnessed the mass deportation of Poles to slave labour in Russia, amid scenes of bestial cruelty.
Tish finally retired to Cambridge and owned a home in Corfu, but in recent years, the effects of the stroke he suffered a decade before became worse and his mobility was greatly affected. He died peacefully surrounded by family just 2 months shy of his 90th birthday.
John Quin-Harkin WPS ‘47
Simon Nicholas Wynne G’64
6th August 1946 – 6th December 2023
Born in Walmer, Deal in Kent, the family moved to Caterham in 1953 where Nicholas had a wonderful childhood. His sister wrote, ‘There is nothing in this world that can prepare you for the sudden death of a loved one, especially your only sibling. Being with him was always the highlight of my day. When Nicholas was 7 and I was 4, our Mother told him his responsibility was to take care of his little sister on the school bus and he took his job seriously. Some older boys also rode the bus with us and took great delight in tormenting the younger kids, especially the girls. The bullying went on for a few days, but when they started on me, pulling my pigtails and calling me rude names, Nicholas wasn’t going to stand for that and knocked the main bully off his seat and threw his school cap out of the window. Nicholas gained a black eye and a bloody nose, but that was my brother… no one was going to mess with his little sister.’
Eventually Nicholas was sent off to boarding school in Sussex and his sister missed him terribly and was excited to have him home for the holidays. The family home was surrounded by three acres of gorgeous lawns and woodland, a summer house, and a small swimming pool. Cousins spent the summers with them and they would build campfires in the woods and stay out until all hours of the night huddled around the fire roasting sausages and listening to the fantastic tales Nicholas had to tell of his adventures at boarding school where he rode horses, learned to fence, and joined the boy scouts. He was a
marvellous storyteller and prone to a good amount of embellishment but his young audience sucked up every word as the gospel truth and begged for more.
Nicholas eventually worked in London, in foreign exchange. He married Sally in 1970 and they had two children, Dominic, born in Canterbury, and daughter, Jessica, born in Bahrain where he was in banking for 3 years and then Dubai for 4 years. Weekends were spent diving on old shipwrecks with friends. He had some dangerous experiences - putting his diving mask on and being stung in the mouth by a jellyfish which had settled in it, which caused his throat to swell up and whisky to be heavily administered. He also learnt to run on water once when a sea snake started pursuing him.
In his sixties, Nicholas went to Kingston University and earned degrees in French and English. He was an amazingly positive man and he used to laugh a great deal and was constantly singing around the house; he had a deep and beautiful voice which was often remarked upon by strangers. He was straightforward and people knew where they were with him. He would talk to everyone with whom he came into contact when he went out and often challenged people about their faith or told them about the Saviour, encouraging them to think about where they would spend eternity. He didn’t care what people thought of him but was determined to follow his Creator and be the best he could, in which he succeeded. He was a thoughtful man of deep inner kindness with a powerfully strong love for his family. He prayed daily for them and for the people he had met or was involved with.
Nicholas had a stroke in 2004, which took away 40% of his eyesight and he had tremendous body pain. Despite this he fought his way back and learnt to read again and mastered much modern technology. His greatest enjoyments had been walking, camping, map reading and driving, particularly off-roading. He would go off on his own to Wales and walk for miles. When these interests were no longer possible, he went back to a former hobby, rejoining the local gun club. He became a good shot which gave him a sense of achievement and he was respected by the very caring men there, who helped him understand the mechanics of any new equipment he bought. He always missed driving but was a good back seat driver. He never lost his sense of direction even when he couldn’t understand the signposts; he always knew where he was.
Acts 4:12: Salvation is found in no one else…
Sally Wynne
Michael William Scholl R’66
16th May 1948 - 25th June 2024
Mike’s grandfather Frank, the brother of the original Dr Scholl (of footwear fame) came to England from the United States before the second world war, and Mike’s father, Bill, was born in London. Bill went up to Cambridge but was in the States when Pearl Harbour was bombed and America came into the War. Bill joined the US Army and saw action in the South Pacific and the Philippines.
After the war, Bill and his new bride, Barbara, were sent back to the UK to set up the Scholl footwear company in Europe and settled in Hertfordshire where Mike was born. A local convent in Hoddesdon provided the growing family’s early education before each of the children were sent off to board in Sussex.
Mike came to the Prep School at Worth in 1958, having had a year at Balcombe Place School, which he hated. Together with others in his year, in 1961, Mike moved seamlessly into the new Senior School and joined its third year in the newly formed Rutherford under the housemaster-ship of Fr Bernard Moss. Mike excelled in maths and sciences and enjoyed the debating society. In his final year, he joined the Worth Lourdes Pilgrimage. He was the first of four brothers to attend Worth, along with Peter R’69 (RIP), Paul R’72 and Tony R’74, and his two sisters, Mary and Helen (RIP) were sent to Mayfield.
Mike left Worth in 1966 and took up a place at Sussex University reading Maths and Physics. After graduating, and in order to prepare him for a more corporate lifestyle, Mike joined Peats (KPMG), but accountancy was not to be his life. After some months, through a family connection, he got a job as cowman at a farm near the family home which led him to be asked to move to Portugal to manage an experimental rose farm. Here Mike met Jane, who already had a daughter, Julia (RIP), and in due course they married. The experiment with horticulture came to an abrupt end with a serious motor accident which led to Mike being flown back home and operated on in the Middlesex Hospital in London.
Perhaps Mike’s father used this as an opportunity to get him back into corporate life as he accepted an offer to join the Scholl company in Europe, first in Brussels and then in Paris where Mike and Jane’s two daughters Caroline and Louise were born. Mike and Jane’s expat life enabled them to take up horse-riding and windsurfing. After some years the company was taken over and Mike was made redundant. The family (now with a horse in tow) moved to Berkshire where Mike got a job with the Newbury Showground, where he was variously treasurer, chairman
and show judge. Here he also pursued his love of riding and joined the Berks and Bucks Draghounds and served as Master for a year.
Mike kept up his connection with the Scholl Company for some years as a trustee of the international charitable Scholl Foundation, approving grants for many good causes and requiring frequent trips to the US. Jane meanwhile, as well as motherly duties, pursued her love of ballet and set up the West Berkshire Ballet School which has taught and encouraged hundreds of children in ballet over the years. Mike supported Jane in this enterprise, managing the administration and always acting as Santa in the Christmas production. The classes took place in the village hall of which he also became the manager/ caretaker.
In later years, Mike recommenced playing golf that he’d first played on the course at Worth and, as well as playing with old school friends Mike Boyd (RIP) and myself, played in club competitions at his local course. Mike was also an enthusiastic cyclist, celebrating his 70th birthday with a wee 70 mile cycle ride from Newbury to Bristol. Other cycle adventures included touring the Bordeaux wine region and cycling the length of the Outer Hebrides. Mike also became an energetic gardener mainly concentrating on his productive vegetable patch.
Mike sadly died shortly after his 76th birthday, on 25th June 2024. He had received a diagnosis of brain cancer in January, a secondary of a melanoma he had been treated for in the previous year. Mike was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and our thoughts and prayers are with Jane, Caroline and Louise and their children. May he rest in peace.
Chris Dobson StB’66
Nicholas Paul Bacon R’69
20th April 1951 – 17th December 2023
Nicholas was one of seven children, with three brothers and three sisters. It was a happy and traditional childhood spent in Sussex and Kent. Nick had had a dismal time when he went away to prep school and Worth worked hard to give him back his confidence.
He was quite childlike in the simplicity of his faith but did tend to veer towards the enjoyment of agnostic festivals; although that may have been to shock others! I trust that he is now in the arms of Our Lord, who will undoubtedly have more success in guiding him than even the monks –for whom he had the greatest respect!
There were certainly highlights to his time at Worth. It introduced him to photography, at which he excelled, judo, statistics and an extensive knowledge of somewhat bawdy rugby songs with which he used to entertain his younger sister when chauffeuring and chaperoning her to parties.
Nick used to turn up unannounced at The Convent of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Billingshurst (later Sotheby’s out of Town branch) where he charmed the nuns into providing him with sustenance and extracting his sister from whatever school commitment she had.
His interest in Rock Music lasted all his life and, when younger, he met many of its performers who went on to great fame. His store of reminiscences was vast. His practical skills were a reflection of generations of engineers in the family, and his ability to manage others was legendary. He expected high standards in any work he was supervising, yet was compassionate to those who were genuinely not able. He loved to cook and garden, often sharing his joy of those pleasures in long, late night telephone conversations.
He had a wide range of friends, from all walks of life, to whom he was extremely loyal. His acts of kindness did him huge credit. Although life had some distressingly unpleasant turns for him, he remained one of the kindest
of people; always totally supportive of those who also found themselves in difficulties and he was fiercely protective of those he loved. He was immensely proud of his son and daughter and of their children.
Nick did not achieve in the conventional sense. He was not an academic, eminent professional, the Chair of a company or the founder of a charity, but it was character rather than temporal success that shone through. We miss him, but feel confident that he is now in a better place where even poor decisions cannot lead to further hurt. May his human weaknesses and sins be forgiven and angels have led him into Paradise.
Jane Dickens née Bacon
Martin Amyas Arnold Blake
19th July 1928 – 2nd June 2024
Martin was born in Crewkerne, the youngest of four sons of Humphrey and Amy Blake. Although he had many happy memories of his childhood – riding lessons, boat trips on the River Parrot, his prep school St Dunstan’s in Burnham on Sea - there is no doubt that the tragic death of his eldest brother David, who died very quickly and unexpectedly of meningitis aged 15, when Martin was just 4, would have cast a sad shadow over the family.
Following St Dunstan’s, Martin went to Radley College, and then Oxford University, where he studied French and History at Worcester College. Interspersed with his studies, Martin enjoyed his National Service with the Somerset Light Infantry, being posted to Greece in the late 1940s, working in the Adjutant’s office in Thessalonika. Back in civil life, Martin followed a vocation into teaching, with his first job at All Hallows School in Somerset. In 1961 he moved to Worth, beginning a 26-year career there teaching French. Through mutual friends, he met Liz Hartley, and they married in 1963, being blessed with three children, Joanna, David and Peter, and later four grandchildren, Rory, Ann, Monica and Fergal.
Martin was a keen and active member of staff at Worth, happily taking on many extra-curricular duties in addition to teaching. Martin is well remembered for the numerous trips he led around northern France, assisted by fellow teachers or novices from the monastery. Invariably these would involve camping in the gardens of various French friends, including a luxurious chateau belonging to a distinguished French duke. The itinerary would also include a series of monasteries and cathedrals. Some of these trips became legendary for the high-jinx and adventures that ensued, as one might expect when young lads are let off the leash in a foreign land! Martin also enjoyed instructing Worth boys in squash, tennis and shooting practice. He also played an active role in several
musicals, including Salad Days and even the Dracula Spectacular, a school production that was perhaps rather less to his own taste!
Upon retirement Martin moved to Glastonbury and was amazingly busy, travelling frequently to visit friends and family in the UK and abroad, as well as leading several pilgrimages to Fatima in Portugal. Long distance trips to Thailand, Mexico, India and Ghana didn’t daunt him, and he enjoyed numerous shorter trips around Europe. He was a keen follower of the local beagle pack and helped with tree planting and conservation work, including chairing the Wells branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England for several years. Continuing his interest in French, he ran conversation classes. Martin had a lifelong love of classical music, playing the French horn in orchestra and singing tenor with the Weald Choral Society in Sussex and subsequently the Cantilena choir in Glastonbury.
It was at Oxford that Martin converted to Catholicism, beginning a life-long devotion to the faith. He built up an incredible network of friends and contacts through his religious interests that persisted to the end of his life. He spent much time translating Catholic doctrinal documents and pamphlets between English and French, as well as writing a book on the life of Marthe Robin, campaigning for her to be beatified. His ambition was to bring Foyer de Charité Catholic retreat centres to Britain, coordinating a newsletter and organising a number of activities together, and he was very heavily involved for many years with the MSM, also known as the Knights of Our Lady.
In 2011, at the age of 83 and after 24 years living in Glastonbury, Martin moved to Henley on Thames, to be close to his daughter Jo and her family. Despite slowing down a bit, he remained strongly independent and made many new friends there, while keeping up with old. Following in his fathers’ footsteps, he became a social member of the Leander Club, the famous rowing club based in Henley, and loved the Henley Royal Regatta, particularly when Radley did well in the racing! He drove down annually to Somerset and the Wye Valley well into his late 80s. Growing increasingly frail over the last couple of years, he was well looked after in his final 18 months in a care home run by a very kind Catholic family just outside Henley, whilst still enjoying regular trips out to concerts, particularly enjoying those his grandchildren played in, and visiting his favourite places such as the Maltster’s pub and the Chocolate Café. Noting Martin’s gift for words, the Tower House team always asked him to lead the residents in saying Grace before their communal meals. In late May Martin sadly fell seriously ill with acute appendicitis and died on the 2nd June.
The Blake Family
Rt Rev Dom Stephen Ortiger
21st February 1940 – 27th January 2024
Worth Prep School 1947-1953, Downside (Smythe) 1953-1957, Housemaster St Bede's, Head Master of Worth School 1983-1993, Abbot of Worth 1994-2002, Chaplain of St Mary's House 2008-2016.
Richard Ortiger was born in Delhi in 1940, the son of Joseph, an engineer on the Indian Railways, and Eileen (née Owen-Brown), a teacher. Aged 7, he set sail for Liverpool to start prep school at Worth. He won a scholarship to Downside in 1953 and in 1958 a place at Emmanuel College Cambridge to study History. Whilst there, he became Secretary and President of the Catholic Fisher Society. After Cambridge he entered the Monastery at Worth as a novice, taking the name of Stephen.
A rather wonderful story from this period of Stephen’s life is about the day of Churchill's funeral which took place at St Paul's Cathedral in January 1965. He happened to be in London and decided to wander over and take a look. This was probably the most security-conscious part of the UK at that time with the area containing many VIPs. Stephen found a good viewing spot, until somebody spotted him. It was the Abbot of Downside on his way into the Cathedral. The Abbot started chatting and stated, "We
can sit together". The two of them wandered into St Paul's as the Abbot flashed his invitation. Stephen thought the inspiration for the assassin in The Godfather III came from that. "Like nuns, monks are invisible", he said.
After his initial training he spent time at the Catholic University of Fribourg in Switzerland studying Church History and became proficient in German. He was ordained a priest on 16th December 1967.
His teaching career then began, and by all accounts he was a wonderful History teacher. One former pupil remembered, “His lessons were fascinating, although we could never see him through the fog of pipe smoke”. “The unpleasantness with Henry VIII” was his take on the Reformation. According to Stephen, Charlemagne, “travelled extensively around Europe, met many interesting people and usually killed them”. A former Butler boy recalls how they viewed St Bede’s as their main competition, but there was always great respect for the House, in very large part because Stephen was its Head.
In 1983 Stephen became Head Master, a position he held for 10 years. During this time, he encouraged students to join Worth’s Voluntary Service, with visits to day centres
Photo courtesy of Jessica Coffin StM’10
for the elderly or to those with disabilities or learning difficulties, and homeless shelters in Brighton. He also supported the staging of edgy plays, such as Romero in the Abbey Church. As George Daly, a teacher from the time who remained a close friend, recalls, “In the era when Stephen was a teacher, housemaster and Head Master, Worth was a magical place to be. Following on from his hero Abbot Victor Farwell, Stephen was the beating heart of Worth’s wonderful vision; to harmonise the best of the contemplative stillness of the monastic desert and the energetic dynamism of a real educational hub, to create a place which was genuinely a school of the Lord’s service”. As Head he also gave teaching staff the freedom to grow and create, George adds, “Like a pilot he knew that a light touch on the controls can make a big difference to the flight path”.
During his sabbatical before being elected Abbot, he learnt to fly in California and a lifelong wish became reality when he gained a private pilot’s licence at the age of 64. With the help of friends, he would hire two-seater planes and head to the Isle of Wight for a pub lunch.
After being elected Abbot of Worth it was Fr Stephen’s wish that the Abbey’s ministry be more accessible to people from many different settings, and so he founded a ‘Centre for Spirituality’, which has grown into the Abbey’s current, and successful, Retreat Centre, St Bruno's. His guidance was sought by many Catholic schools and religious communities who were facing difficult times.
On his retirement as Abbot in 2002, Stephen went back to Cambridge to be Assistant Chaplain at Fisher House for 3 and a half years. He returned to Worth to take up the position of Diocesan Episcopal Vicar, liaising with all the religious orders working in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, training lay chaplains in Catholic schools in Surrey and Sussex. He was also a regular addition to the A&B diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes which he very much loved being a part of.
In 2008, with the first intake of girls into the School’s Sixth Form at Worth, Fr Stephen was made Chaplain of the newly formed St Mary’s House. Upon her appointment as Housemistress, he wrote to Caroline Brown to introduce himself, “My interests, in no particular order: God, people, flying, photography, PG Wodehouse, Winnie the Pooh, Tolkien, Jung, spirituality, words”. He hadn’t included chocolate, which should definitely have also been on the list.
Ordination in 1967
An elephant ride on Speech Day when Head Master in the 1980’s
A life-long wish becoming reality with a pilot’s iicence
The start of his Benedictine journey, at Worth in 1948
During the 1980s Stephen had appeared on Mastermind, choosing PG Wodehouse as his specialist subject, and his love of all things related to Winne-the-Pooh saw him secure tickets to a sold-out V&A exhibition dedicated to his favourite bear which he attended with fellow fan Bishop Richard Moth.
His chaplaincy in St Mary’s House was a particularly happy role for him within the School and created a whole new generation of adoring alumni. As Jess Coffin, the School’s first Head Girl, said in her tribute to Stephen on the day of his funeral, “It takes a rather special 70 year-old man, who has spent all his life living with and teaching men, to become a chaplain to a group of 16 year old girls. But then Fr Stephen was an extra special man. His warmth, wit and wisdom gave the ‘men in black’ a very human face.”
Caroline Brown also recalls that he had a habit of making you feel that you were the most important person in his world and believes that everyone he knew or had contact with was also made to feel that way.
His ‘Thought for the Day’ was something he started as Housemaster in St Bede’s but which he continued to send out to a vast following until a few days before his death. One favourite was “Sudden prayers make God jump”. He also did a series of podcasts towards the end of his life, the last of which was a tribute to Abbot Victor Farwell, his hero to whom Stephen dedicated many hours to writing a book about, that was left unfinished.
Fr Stephen was a big draw at any Worth Society event, as for so many in our community he had educated them, married them, baptised their children and buried their parents. He never seemed to age, prompting one attendee at a reunion to declare that he was ‘preserved in aspic’.
In 2019 he helped out with a large parish on Bexhill-onSea, and the following year became priest in charge of Our Lady Star of the Sea in East Preston. This was a role by the seaside which he thoroughly enjoyed, being a parish priest like Father Brown. He said that after being a battery hen in the monastery he enjoyed being a free-range chicken. But sadly, this role was to be his last.
Whenever it was time for Stephen to leave somewhere, his parting phrase was often, “I must dash, the Pope is on the phone”, a position he joked about aspiring to. He had a few dislikes, one was roots vegetables - a leftover from schooldays. He wasn’t keen on hot weather or sun
Celebrating his golden Jubilee in 2017
Elected Abbot in 1994
With the girls of St Mary’s House at their 10 Year Reunion in 2020
so always wore his recognisable canvas hat. He also didn’t enjoy late nights, and would often say he was ‘playing the age card’ and would slip away without drawing attention to himself.
Fr Stephen died peacefully amongst his monastic brethren on 27th January 2024. He had been diagnosed with terminal cancer only two weeks prior to this, and the disease advanced very quickly. During his final days, Fr Stephen was generously supported by the outpouring of love and messages of support that came in from his friends and former pupils. His last message to us was, “Please keep me in your prayers. I have always believed in and relied on the inexhaustible mercy and love of God, now and always.”
His Funeral Mass took place at Worth Abbey on 17th February and was attended by over 1,000 people and subsequently watched on livestream by several thousand more. You can read the Homily given by Abbot Mark Barrett on the resources page of our networking platform, worthconnecting.org.uk
How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh)
A retreat bursary fund exists to enable individuals and small groups who might struggle to afford the costs of residential retreats to access the opportunities on offer. This fund has now been renamed in Fr Stephen’s memory.
Fr Stephen recorded several podcasts about his thoughts on life and on Worth in conversations with George Daly. If anyone wants to hear Stephen’s voice and thoughts, these podcasts can be listened to here: (https//georgedaly49.podbeam.com)
The Abbey Church filled to capacity for Stephen’s funeral in February
Meeting the Pope in 2018
News from the Abbey
The monks of Worth Abbey are giving thanks to God as they celebrate the 50th anniversary year of the Abbey Church at Worth.
Their celebrations began on the 12th October 2024, the Solemnity of Our Lady Help of Christians, the patronal feast of Worth and the year will end with the celebration of the Feast of the Dedication of the Abbey Church on Saturday 12th July 2025. Between the two celebrations there will be a series of anniversary events.
News from the Novitiate
Over the last couple of years Fr David, in his role as Vocations Promoter, has been in contact with several men discerning their sense of calling to monastic life. The community has welcomed them for stays in the guest wing. One man has completed, and another is undertaking a two-month Aspirancy within the monastery. In this extended discernment period, they follow the pattern of monastic life and Fr David, Fr Martin and Fr Luke along with Edward Dean (Abbey Music Director) provide teaching and guidance. The first Aspirant has now been accepted into the Postulancy, the first official stage in the process of entering the monastery which usually lasts 6 months. Fr Luke is the Postulant and Novice Master. It has been some years since the monastery has received Postulants and Novices, so this is a very encouraging time for them.
News from Worth Abbey Pilgrims
Worth Abbey Pilgrims continue to run their popular annual program of events that reflect the monastic liturgical calendar, including Lent talks, an Easter celebration, a summer event, participation in the High Weald Walking Festival, an All Souls Mass, Advent talks, and the muchloved Advent Carol Service. They support various Abbey events and initiatives through a dedicated network of volunteers, keeping their three hundred members updated and inviting them to participate.
Pilgrims enhances the Abbey’s mission through four key aspects: Welcome, Worship, Wisdom, and Witness. They extend a warm welcome to both old friends and new acquaintances, centring their activities around the Abbey Church. They prioritise talks and reflections during Lent and Advent, providing a deeper understanding of the Benedictine way of life.
Visit www.worthabbey.net for more information on all events and activities. Worth Abbey Pilgrims greatly appreciate the unique beauty and tranquillity of the Worth Abbey Estate. Through their events they offer visitors a chance to explore and reconnect with the estate's serene setting, perfect for walking, reflection, and connecting with nature. Worth Abbey Pilgrims will support the 50th Anniversary Year of the Abbey Church of our Lady Help of Christians.
News from Monks in The City, Brighton
Benedictine monasteries around the world are often situated on hilltops, surrounded by tranquil settings and breathtaking views. Worth Abbey, founded on September 30, 1933, was no exception, perched on a high ridge in beautiful surroundings of the Sussex Weald. However, in 2019, the Worth community felt a calling to establish a small monastery in the city and to share their community charism in an urban setting. Consequently three monks moved to Brighton to establish the Monks in the City community.
For the past two years the community has been settled at St John the Baptist’s church in the Catholic parish of East Brighton where they support the pastoral mission of the parish. A year ago they launched a programme to share their community life and prayer more broadly. This initiative extends beyond the Catholic parish, reaching other churches and denominations across Brighton, passers-by, the enquirer and the seeker. In today’s urban landscape, many individuals experience isolation and a sense of something missing in their lives, the Monks in the City community offer spiritual nourishment and hope.
The Worth community now offers a dual monastery model: Worth Abbey in the countryside, a place of peace and retreat, and Monks in the City, ministering and witnessing among the people of Brighton. The presence in Brighton offers an opportunity to introduce more people to Worth Abbey's retreat Centre, St Bruno's, and Worth Abbey Pilgrims events, the Brighton community serving as a gateway to the tranquillity and spiritual nourishment of Worth.
News from the Worth Abbey Choir
At the beginning of August, the Abbey Choir went on tour to Venice to sing Mass at St Mark's Basilica; it also gave concerts at the impressive Benedictine monastery just over the Grand Canal from St Mark's Square (San Giorgio Maggiore) and on the island of Murano, world famous for its coloured glassware.
The formal part of the tour began with a trip to the church of San Zaccaria, which contains the relics of both Saint Zachariah (father of Saint John the Baptist and author of the Benedictus canticle sung every morning at Worth as a part of Lauds) and Saint Athanasius the Great (known as the author of the Athanasian Creed, amongst other things). They were privileged to have Fr David Jarmy with them, who offered many great insights to those assembled. Further visits included trips to the church of
The monks of Worth in 2024
The three Brighton Monks: Fr Aidan, Br Anthony & Fr Gabriel
The Worth Abbey Choir singing in Murano
Santa Maria della Salute and the burial place of both Titian and Claudio Monteverdi – Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.
With around forty singers and a further twenty accompanying guests, there was a great sense of occasion and achievement. This tour brought together Worth School parents, teachers, alumni, Worth Abbey congregation members, and a number of singers based in and around London. As a guest who often sings with Westminster Cathedral Choir put it, "singing the music of Gabrieli in St Mark's Basilica – it doesn't get better than that!".
In addition to Gabrieli's eight-part Jubilate Deo the choir sang pieces by Maurice Duruflé, Pearsall (his eight-part Tu es Petrus) and Rachmaninoff (excerpts from the 'All-Night Vigil') amongst others. Dom Thomas Symons' haunting Ave Maria enjoyed its Italian premiere during the concert at San Giorgio Maggiore where a moving performance of it was honoured with great applause.
Kelly O'Hara, Assistant to the Abbot of Worth
A Worth
Community
Pilgrimage
to Vézelay, France 26th-30th October 2025
Following Christopher Kelly’s StB’78 feature in The Blue Paper last year about Vézelay, the Benedictine Abbey and world heritage site in France, the Worth Community have decided to organise a trip there from 26th-30th October 2025
Just a couple of hours South East of Paris, the opportunity to visit and encounter this place of deep spiritual beauty together is a wonderful prospect. The trip will involve independent travel and accommodation, although a range of recommended options will be available.
During the 3 day visit, Christopher will guide us around the Abbey itself with its beautiful architecture and symbolic use of light, and organise visits to the other numerous sites of interest in the area.
To register your interest and for further information please email Vezelay@worth.org.uk by 31st March 2025. More information can be found at: https://vezelay-visiteur.com/en/
Worth Abbey Pilgrim’s hospitality
A spiritual walk to the Quiet Garden
A year in the life of the School
Worth’s six values (Humility, Service, Worship, Silence, Stewardship and Community) are deeply embedded in everyday life here at Worth, and the spirit of the Welcome Festival which launched the school year in September in 2023 was no exception. A day baked in sun began with Family Mass before progressing to the festival itself which was accompanied by a feast of Old Worthian sport.
Any school year begins with new faces and changes but this year Worth’s bag of ‘new’ was notable. The newly-
confirmed Deputy Head (Academic), Dr Daniel Coughlan, introduced a new approach to academic life, the School linked up with The Wellbeing Hub to provide an extensive resource of wellbeing support and advice for students and parents, a new Head of Boarding role was created and the School’s new Head of Hockey was double Olympian Calum Giles.
There was also a new Sixth Form film released, a very slick professional production and a significant tool for Worth to retain and grow numbers despite the coming changes,
Members of the Windrush Generation came to Worth to speak as part of Black History Month
The School year began with the Welcome Festival on the Austin Oval
A year in the life of the School continued
while Tatler magazine’s annual review described Worth as “a future facing school”.
Inspiring talks and lectures have always been a part of Worth life and October brought two members of the Windrush Generation to the School to talk to students. Head of Cricket Raj Chaudhuri was named Sports Person
of the Year in The Bengal’s Pride Awards and two students spent half term volunteering in Uganda.
In November Head of Sixth Form and alumni Matt Doggett F’07 was featured in an excellent article in Absolutely Education magazine talking about Worth’s ‘moral compass’ which guides young people through education. A Worth team won the Youth Speaks debating competition, the School was named in The Cricketer magazine’s Top 100 Schools for a sixth year in succession, the girls of St Catherine’s won the House Shout music competition, boys in Rutherford took their fundraising for Movember past the £10,000 mark in four years while West End director Sam Hiller came to Worth to work with our students ahead of the excellent senior school production of Les Misérables in December.
Sam Hiller, resident director of Les Misérables in the West End, came to Worth to pass on tips ahead of the School’s production of the show
The Senior School production of Les Misérables was the most ambitious show the School has ever performed
1st XV rugby player Felix Bateman-Champain made his England
U18 debut in the Six Nations Festival
The year finished with a first alumni debate held at the School, a splendid Christmas Carol service and senior school ski trip to Austria.
The passing of former Head Master Fr Stephen cast a shadow over the start of the new year but the outpouring of grief was more celebratory, in typical Worth style. As life resumed again, a French debating team performed superbly at a London schools’ event, a Year 12 student reached the final of the British Brain Bee neuroscience competition, Rutherford won House Drama before following that up by winning House Bands – and the overall House Music title – in February while the Junior School pupils excelled in their performance of Frozen.
In March, there was an all-girls House Debating final won by St Anne’s, the Chamber Choir sang evensong at Chichester Cathedral, there were excellent Scholars and Ensembles concerts, a Sixth Form trip to CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, and our rugby teams impressed at the National Schools Sevens including the girls.
Debating has been growing enormously in the last few years and March also saw our Senior Debating Society win the Hartland International Debating Competition contested online.
Sport is another growing strength: a Worth equestrian team qualified for the Royal Windsor Horse Show while 1st XV rugby player Felix Bateman-Champain made his England U18 debut in the Six Nations Festival in Italy.
Drama is also an important area of Worth life. In April there was a hugely enjoyable Drama Scholars’ performance of Blue Stockings while Year 8 pupil Oakley Tancred won the prestigious ‘Terry Mills Young Singer of the Year’ award at the annual Vanessa Awards.
May began with 1st XI cricketers Jack Gorton and Fraser Brearley sharing a school record opening partnership of 270, 90 Year 12 students completed the Worth Leadership Formation course from which prefects are now chosen, Years 9 and 10 pupils went on a First World War battlefields trip to Belgium, GlastonBede’s was reintroduced, teachers beat students in a charity debate, the golf team reached the regional final of the HMC Foursomes Competition and Worth Musician of the Year was won by a drummer who rocked it.
The Worth equestrian team qualified for the National Schools Equestrian Championships
Rutherford won the overall House Music competition and also triumphed in House Drama
St Anne’s claimed the Inter-House Debating final
Baroness Sheila Hollins was the guest speaker on Speech Day
Fourteen records were broken at Sports Day, Baroness Sheila Hollins was the guest speaker at Speech Day and another entertaining speaker came in June when David Cannon, Worth parent and the world’s leading golf photographer, delivered a Spencer Lecture before presenting the Worth Photo of the Year awards.
As the school year came to a close, middle school students impressed with their production Electra, the Blessed Sacrament Procession (formerly called Corpus Christi Procession) was held for the first time since 2017, two more equestrian teams qualified for the nationals (making it four in total), a first ever boys’ lacrosse interschool match took place with Worth winning and a first ever red carpet Drama Awards evening was held.
The year finished with activities week, including a trip to Seville and Worth in the Community Day, the Worth community said goodbye to retiring Second Master André Gushurst-Moore and the annual Year 13 Leavers’ Ball took place.
A happy retirement to André Gushurst-Moore
This year the School said a fond farewell to André Gushurst-Moore, who is retiring after 10 years as Second Master at Worth. Asked about the special memories of Worth that he will take with him into retirement, he said, “I’ll always think about the privilege of having worked with so many wonderful staff, pupils, parents and monks. Also, to be part of this quite remarkable community in such a beautiful part of Sussex has been very special.”
André, who arrived at Worth in April 2014, is looking forward to spending more time writing – having published two books already – cycling around Norfolk and spending more time with his family. We wish him the very best of luck.
The Year 13 Leavers’ Ball was an evening to remember
The Blessed Sacrament Procession (formerly called Corpus Christi Procession) was re-introduced
A Message from the Head Master
In what has been an eventful year, we have had much to celebrate. All of us in the Worth community share in the exciting news that we were recently judged Boarding School of the Year – testament to the unique spirit of the School, closely aligned with our six deeplyembedded values that guide and motivate us – as well as winner of Best Alumni Mentoring, reflecting the strength of the relationships and support systems that you, the terrific Worth Society, provides.
As wonderful as it is to receive external recognition in the way of awards, it is safe to say that the devotion of our vibrant alumni community is extraordinary and has long been admired. Your engagement, whether through mentoring, networking or simply staying connected, continues to influence and inspire our Year 13s as well as those who have now left and remain part of our extended family.
When I look back on the remarkable range of Worth Society occasions and events, one of the standout moments for me was the Summer Party aboard HMS President. What a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with former pupils, celebrating their journeys and successes against the buzzing backdrop of London’s Tower Bridge.
I have also enjoyed welcoming many of you back to Worth for events such as the start of year ‘Welcome Festival’ and various reunions, such as the 50 & 60 Year Reunion celebrations in June. It is always very moving to witness generations of students and former students come together to share their experiences and champion one another.
The first-ever Alumni vs School Debate was a particular highlight of mine. This passionate and thought-provoking event was made even more special with the return of alumni who graciously served as debate judges, including Barrister of the Year, Edward Henry KC. Additionally, I had the honour of presenting alumni trophies across a range of sports such as football, rugby, hockey and netball –how pleasing to see that the love of sport, with more than a drop of healthy competitiveness, is still deeply ingrained in so many of you.
The broad and international make-up of our alumni network provides endless opportunities and adventures for all; every Worthian can count on friends across the world. These enduring friendships were demonstrated at events such as the Madrid gathering in September
and the Hong Kong event in October, bringing together a wonderfully diverse group of former students from across the years who continue to live out the School’s values far and wide.
For those who haven’t visited Worth in a while, please do. On campus, you will feel the familiar welcome and warmth as well as noticing that our facilities continue to expand and improve. We are thrilled with the progress of the new science building which is scheduled to open in the Spring, and we look forward to the next stage of development which includes an all-weather pitch and athletics track.
We are thankful that the School is in a position to continue these plans. As you will know, the independent sector faces a challenging year ahead as it navigates the impact of two recent tax changes. However, we have been working to achieve a sustainable plan to ensure stability for the School and that the quality of the education we provide will not be compromised. Furthermore, it is important that we continue to invest in those areas we want to improve so we can embrace the future positively and confidently.
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of this year, including our Friends of Worth Parent Association, our families old and new, and of course the continued work of the Worth Society, whose unwavering commitment to this community is nothing short of inspiring.
Stuart McPherson
School Staff –
Autumn 2023-Summer 2024
Mr André Gushurst-Moore, MA, Second Master
Mr Stuart McPherson, MA, Head Master
Mr André Gushurst-Moore, MA, Second Master
Dr Daniel Coughlan, BA, MA, PhD, Interim Deputy Head (Academic)
Mr Gordon Pearce, MA, Deputy Head (External)
Mr Julian Williams, BSc, MA, Dip TESL, Deputy Head (Co-Curricular and Partnerships)
Mr Mark Macdonald, BSc, Assistant Head (Pastoral)
Mr Matthew Doggett, MA, MSc, Assistant Head (Sixth Form)
Mrs Sarah Flint, BA, Assistant Head (Head of Middle School)
Mr Daniel Harris, Director of Mission
Mr Anthony Moore, MA (Oxon), MBA (INSEAD), Interim Chief Operating Officer
Miss Sarai Adams, LLB, MA, English
Mr Paul Ambridge, BA, Physics
Mr Roger Appleton, BA, French
Mrs Esme Mustian Atkinson, BA, Librarian
Mr Garry Backshell, BSc (Hons), MSc, Physics
Mrs Frances Baily, BSc, MSc, Physics (Head of Department)
Mrs Andrea Beadle, BA, MA, German (Subject Leader)
Mrs Sophie Belloul, BA, French (Subject Leader)
Mrs Sarah Bennett, Examinations Officer
Mr Jonathan Bindloss, BA, MA, Religious Studies (Head of Department), Theory of Knowledge
Mr Stuart Blackhurst, HND, Head of Digital Strategy
Mr Lewis Brito-Babapulle, MA, Director of Music
Mrs Bethany Browning, MA, Mathematics
Mr William Burch, MSc, Maths
Mrs Caroline Burton, MSc, Biology, St Anne’s Housemistress
Mr David Burton, BEd, Director of Sport
Mrs Lucinda Button, BA, Art & Design
Mrs Katie Camp, BA, Art
Mrs Olivia Carter, BSc, Mathematics, Assistant to Head of Sixth Form (A Level)
Mr Raj Chaudhuri, BCom, ECB Level 4, Master in charge of Cricket
Mr Paul Cheeseman, BA, Design and Technology
Miss Sarah Clarke, BA, History (Head of Department)
Mrs Dawn Clubb, BA, MA, English (Head of Department)
Mr James Coleman, BA, Religious Studies, Assistant to Head of Sixth Form (IB)
St Mary’s Middles Prefect: Fiammetta Faure Romanelli
Austin House Prefects: Billy Goodridge-McHugh, Camilla Ash
2024 Worth School Careers Fair
Students in Year 12 were given the opportunity to think about life beyond Worth when the School hosted its annual Careers Fair on 24th June 2024.
A wide range of speakers including alumni, Worth parents and external professionals delivered inspiring talks on careers including the RAF, events and marketing, medicine, law, banking and entrepreneurship.
John Smythe R’70 started his own change consultancy business and was able to share his years of experience of being an entrepreneur and author. Chris McCourt B’83 is a Barrister specialising in family law and professional negligence and talked about some of his most interesting cases. Ted Fuller G’20 came along to talk about a new Asset Management Internship Programme that he himself has been involved with. Kitty Gibson StA’12 covered marketing and spoke about her role in the international
Events Management Industry. Andrew Pring R’10 has had nearly 15 years of army life and talked about the variety of roles and training that has provided. Neil Laughton C’82 is always a fascinating speaker with his long list of adventures and world records, but is also an inspiring entrepreneur, a route many students are now interested in. Justin Bramley C’93 talked about his career in Banking, some of which has been overseas. James Chaplin R’96, founder of the UK’s leading labour market data provider, ended the day with a fascinating talk on ‘The Future of Work: How to stay ahead of the AI Tsunami’.
We are hugely grateful to all who took part and look forward to hosting more alumni in various careers at the 2025 event.
Chris McCourt, Justin Bramley, Ted Fuller, a representative from the RAF, Andrew Pring, Kitty Gibson & former parent James Ritchie
Development Update Investing in Worth’s Heart and Soul
Since our foundation, the generosity of our community has been vital to Worth School’s development. Over recent years, support from parents and alumni has enabled us to make significant improvements – including introducing the Spencer Building (a new Sixth Form Centre and library), upgrading our gym, and installing a virtual golf studio. These enhancements are more than physical upgrades; they are investments in the heart and soul of our School, fostering an environment where students can thrive, discover their passions, and nurture their talents.
This summer has seen work start on a £2.5 million Science department extension which will continue to enhance our special site, improving the experience of students today and in future generations.
Looking forward, our vision is focused on three pillars: reimagining our approach to sports, investing in science,
and making vital improvements to Worth Abbey Church. We will be conducting a focused fundraising effort over the coming years with the aim of securing significant investment in these priorities. Our Annual Fund forms a core part of our strategy.
We will be sharing further information about our Annual Fund and wider Heart and Soul Campaign in the coming months. Additional information about the Annual Fund is available at: https://worthschool.org.uk/how-give/ Contact: development@worth.org.uk
Anna MacMahon Head of Development
An artist’s impression of the new science labs
University Destinations 2024
Student University Course
Clara Anderson* Exeter History & Modern Languages
Camilla Ash University of South Carolina, USA Pyschology
Veronika Austin Greenwich Architecture
Genevieve Bailey* Exeter Philosophy & Politics
Tom Bailey Reading International Business & Management
Ferdinand Barth Maastricht Business Engineering
Paola Bauli King's College London Psychology
Lara Bellinger Exeter Neuroscience
Faolan Benedict University of Washington Engineering
Laura Bertazzoni Reading International Business & Management
Sebastian Bentley* Newcastle Finance & Economics
Ben Bigwood* Durham Physics
Jason Boateng Central Lancashire Medicine
Thomas Brooks Regent's University London Business & Entrepreneurship
Samuel Broom Reading Architectural Engineering
Thomas Broughton Southampton Politics & International Relations
Douglas Chan Reading Finance
Victoire Clavel IE Madrid Business
Nicholas Da Gama-Rose York Philosophy, Politics & Economics
Tobias Davey* Bath Intl Management & Modern Languages
Beltran de Maria Alvarez IE Madrid Buisness Admin, Management & Law
Henri de Pampelonne EDHEC Business School, France BBA - Global Business Track
Jamie de Serpa Pimentel* Reading MFL & Business
Cassiano Dias Azedo City, University of London International Political Economy
Annabelle Delissen Universita degli Studi Torino Global Law & Transnational Legal Studies
Mudiwa Dube* Royal Holloway Law
Carlota Ey Garcia IE Madrid Behaviour & Social Sciences
Fiammetta Faure
Romanelli IE Madrid Business
Ludovico Ferrario* IE Madrid Business
Johanna Franke Munich Management & Chemistry
Edoardo Gambino Amsterdam Economics
Alice Gasparrini LUISS University Rome Economics & Business
Albert Gerada Edinburgh Arabic & Politics
Jack Gorton Loughborough Sport & Exercise Science
Naomi Goundry Newcastle Geography
Dylan Hall Elon University, USA Bachelor of Arts
Helena Hall Bleackley UCL Psychology
Thomas Haller York PPE
Matthew Hatchwell Kent Politics & International Relations
Maya Hatter Loughborough Psychology with Criminology
Thomas Heap Sheffield Architecture & Landscape
Freya Hennessey Imperial College London Chemical Engineering
Federico Maggi Bocconi University of Economics Business & Economics
Stephan Matthews King's College London Philosophy
George Melik* Amsterdam Econometrics & Data Science
Artemus Maynard Royal Agricultural Rural Land Management
Isabelle Mcloughlin Plymouth Acting
Isaac Millar-Smith Purdue, Indiana, USA Aerospace Engineeering
Isla Murphy SOAS University of London International Relations & Global Development
Theo Norfolk-Thompson York English
Ruby O'Donnell Aberdeen Biological Sciences
Maximilian Ost WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Mngmt, Germany Management
Dhruv Patel Reading Real Estate
Samuel Phelan* Newcastle Architecture
Lapo Piccinini University of the Arts London Ceramic Design
Andes Poon Southampton Criminology & Psychology
Lucie Price Nottingham English & Philosophy
Murphy Rebeiro Roehampton Games Design
Sinead Rebeiro* Reading Politics & International Relations
Jack Scanlon* Oxford Brookes International Business Management
Lawrence Smith Bangor Psychology
Jan Sosnowski Delft University of Technology Aerospace Engineering
Anna Southon* Salford Costume Design
Matthew Stevens Bangor Medicine
Adrien Vanderschueren ESCP Business School London Business
Lars Vandingenen Maastricht Computer Science
Kassian von Luelsdorff Maastricht Business & Economics
Digby Ward University for the Creative Arts Comic & Concept Art
Isabella White* Brunel Geography
Marko Wirya Sepulveda* Lancaster Business Management
Henry Wright* Durham Modern Lanugages & Cultures
Yanna Zegers Catania Medicine
Cian Zitzelsberger Westminster International Business
*2023 Leaver
Based on information available at time of going to press
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Education with Heart and Soul in Sussex’s glorious countryside 35 minutes by train from central London
A Worth education is a journey in itself including first rate academic learning, the chance to befriend students from all over the world and a broad co-curricular programme.
