The 2018 Magazine
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Worth Society Events, Life and Times of Worthians, and News from The Old Place
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Contents Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
04 Chairman’s 2018 Report Jeremy Fletcher G’72
35 Meet Anthony McGrath StB’68 – Gardener Extraordinaire
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A Message from Mary Lou Burge Worth Society Committee
38 Relative Values – Sebastian Bailey R’93 & Genevieve Bailey (St Anne’s)
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Worth Society Events 2017 Worthians Hong Kong Dinner – Jack Harrison G’00
39 When it comes to the crunch… Let’s chat to Gareth Maguire B’97
2017 London Carol Service – Charlotte Cotterell StA’12
42 Iceland: A trek across the Highland Interior – Jack Udale B’11 & Chris Napleton C’11
2018 St Benedict’s Day Mass & Supper – Jonathan Wilkins C’70
EDUCATION WITH HEART & SOUL
OPEN DAYS 2019 2 February | 16 March
2018 Careers Networking Evening – Ashley Thomas StB’14
1980s Decade Reunion Dinner – Chris Hunt StB’85
Class of 1997 20 Year Reunion – Dominic Clarke C’97
Class of 1977 40 Year Reunion – James Madsen C’77
Class of 2008 10 Year Reunion – Giles Sacarello StB’08
Class of 1998 20 Year Reunion – Oliver Barnett StB’98
Class of 1988 30 Year Reunion – Tom Garrigan G’88
Class of 1968 50 Year Reunion – Martin Milmo G’68
45 My Boyhood Dream Come True – Tristan Duke StB’02 48 Worth’s Youngest Entrepreneur – Maahan Mirnezami R’16 50 Book Reviews The Wisdom of Love in the Song of Songs by Stefan Reynolds G’89 Reviewed by Fr Stephen Ortiger The Secret Surfer by Iain Gately C’81 Reviewed by Paul Miller (English Teacher 1980-2003)
10th Anniversary of Girls at Worth Dinner – Jessica Coffin StM’10
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Worthians Caught on Camera
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Announcements
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Worth Careers Fair 2018 Dr Duncan Pring, Head of Careers
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News in Brief
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Work Experience Cameron Pring R’16 – McX Expeditions
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Obituaries Paul Haslam C’63 – Jane Haslam & Terry Delaney G’64
Niccolo Infante B’96 – Larry Elwes G’96
Frances Oesterlin StM’15 – Keating Chambers
Jenny Hamblin StM’17 – Disney
Anthony Renouf – Art Master 1961-1980 – The Renouf Family
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Global Action Awards 2018 Overview: Mary Lou Burge
Tricia Taylor – French Teacher 1999-2016 – The Taylor Family
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Worthians Sport Rugby – Desmond Calnan R’69
Cricket – Matt Donegan StB’11
Golf – Ken Ross G’65
Squash – Matt Doggett F’07
Netball – Tess Ryan StM’11
Real Tennis – Tom Carew-Hunt StB’02
The Old Place 66 A Message from the Head Master Stuart McPherson 68 A Fond Farewell to Michael Oakley 70 Rest in Peace Fr Charles 72 Worthian becomes Chair of Governors 72 Development Office Update Anna MacMahon 73 Worthians – The Second Generation 74 University Destinations 2018
Worth Society Directors: Nicholas Barnett, Fr Mark Barrett, Mark Collini, Jeremy Fletcher, Michael Gabriel Worth Society is a not-for-profit limited company (number 06506005)
The Worthians Charitable Trust Patron: Fr Luke Jolly, The Abbot of Worth Trustees: Nicholas Barnett, Fr Mark Barrett, Jeremy Fletcher
“This school has everything going for it” The Good Schools Guide 2017
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www.worthschool.org.uk
The Worthians Charitable Trust (registered charity number 1084948)
Advertisers We would like to extend our grateful thanks to this year’s advertisers: Worth School, Farleigh School, Worth Estates, Copthorne Prep School
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Go to www.worthsociety.org.uk for latest news event information and to update your contact details
Chairman’s 2018 Report
Message from Mary Lou Burge
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am delighted to be able to report that your Society and its Community continues to thrive. Even the most cursory glance through this year's issue of the The Blue Paper attests to this vibrancy and highlights probably one of the busiest years ever for Society events. It is heartening, given all the thought and behind the scenes effort that goes into these events, to see the number of attendees increasing year on year at such gatherings, particularly at our annual London Carol Service which is now a firm fixture in many Worthians' pre-Christmas calendars. Continuing our theme of decade-wide events, this year saw an extensive gathering from the 1980s with one of the largest reunions of former staff the Society has ever hosted. Next up will be the 1990s decade in May 2019 with, we hope, another great turn-out. Also to be applauded are all the successes of our various sporting clubs this year. Fixture lists are a particularly useful way of drawing alumni together on a regular basis around a common purpose. In that context, I am particularly pleased to see the success of the Women of Worth Netball Team in their London League. The Committee put their whole-hearted support behind this initiative and helped financially to get it off the ground. We would encourage any Worthian keen to get a new sporting or other alumni activity organised to get in touch with their ideas. We are very open to supporting further such initiatives. Next year our focus will turn to the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the start of the Senior School. We are in the process of planning some exciting new events both in London and back at Worth and encourage as many of you as possible to join in – more information to follow in due course! Much has changed at ‘The Old Place’ and Stuart McPherson, the Head Master, is keen to welcome Worthians back to take a look. The Monastic Community holds a special place in the hearts of many Worthians, particularly those from the first cohorts. This was particularly evident following the passing of dear Fr Charles, a much loved former teacher and friend to many who came out in large numbers to say their personal farewells at his funeral in July. He will be hugely missed by us all. I am also pleased to report that, under Stuart McPherson and his senior leadership team, the School continues to do exceptionally well and this academic year sees it at record pupil numbers. Of course, the inevitable implied growth for the Society brings its own opportunities but
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t has been another fantastic year of gathering Worthians together as you will read about in the following pages. We’ve had some wonderful large events such as the London Mass & Meatball Supper, our Careers Networking Evening, the 1980s Decade Dinner, and getting the first cohort of girls back to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their arrival at Worth. The decade reunions have also been incredibly well attended indicating just how keen Worthians are to keep in touch with each other and the Worth Community as a whole. It’s also lovely to hear that our London Carol Service now marks the start of the Christmas season for so many Worthians. In this global age many Worthians are continually on the move. This makes it even more important to remember to keep us up-todate with your contact details so that we can keep you informed of events in your part of the world where you can link up with fellow alumni. The year ahead will bring some exciting new events – many of them international – so do please keep in touch!
With more and more young Worthians contacting us for careers support we are keen to develop a dedicated pool of professionals in a range of different industries that are happy to be contacted to offer work experience, or just give advice and mentoring. If you are happy to be involved do please get in touch. The Worthians Group on LinkedIn is a great platform for connecting with others, so do link to us if you haven’t already. We are incredibly excited to have got a Worthian Girls Netball Team off the ground this year playing in a London league. Their first season was a great success which they will no doubt build on in the years to come. Our other sporting clubs are also always looking for more members, so whatever your level of talent, don’t be afraid to get involved. Finally, an enormous thank you to all those I have reached out to for help this year – I am hugely grateful. As always, it has also been a pleasure to meet many of you at various events over the last 12 months and I hope to meet many more of you in 2019. Mary Lou Burge, Worth Society Manager
Jerry Fletcher and Mary Lou Burge
also challenges. Responding to the ever increasing and changing demand for the Society's services requires more resources, both financial and human, where we are particularly stretched. Your Committee is looking carefully at how best to respond to these challenges but it is already obvious that the tighter the co-ordination with the School, the more effective we will be. To this end, Mary Lou is already working more closely with her relevant counterparts in the School on a day to day basis. This should enable us to do more and offer the Worthian Community not only additional events and networking opportunities but also chances to support the School in its future development in a number of different ways. We also now want to liaise more closely with the Development Office where Anna MacMahon, will be leading the development initiatives that emanate from the School’s unfolding strategic plan. Initiatives on all of the above are at any early stage, so watch this space for further news.
Worth Society Committee
We have some new and exciting times ahead and look forward to you joining us as we celebrate the past, present and future of Worth’s journey.
Jeremy Fletcher G’72 – Chairman, Director & Trustee Office: 020 7070 6611 Email: jeremy.fletcher@kewcapital.com
Jeremy Fletcher G’72
Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
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Nick Barnett G’73 – Director, Trustee Office: 020 7404 4022 Email: nick.barnett@hotmail.co.uk
Michael Gabriel C’85 – Director Office: 01892 619888 Email: michael@greenlizardhomes.co.uk
Tess Ryan StM’11 - Netball Mobile: 07840 098323 Email: tessryan10@hotmail.co.uk
Fr Mark Barrett – Director, Trustee Office: 01342 710340 Email: jmbarrett@worth.org.uk
Maddy Ilsley StM’10 Mobile: 07952 481636 Email: maddyilsley@hotmail.co.uk
Fr Kevin Taggart Office: 01342 710338 Email: ktaggart@worth.org.uk
Mary Lou Burge – Worth Society Manager Office: 01342 710241 Email: worthsociety@worth.org.uk
Stuart McPherson – Head Master Office: 01342 710222 Email: smcpherson@worth.org.uk
Andrew Taylor – Football Email: agtaylor44@gmail.com
Mark Collini StB’89 – Director Office: 020 7783 4941 Email: markcollini@yahoo.co.uk
Ben Oakley F’08 - Music Mobile: 07973 899330 Email: bartoakley@outlook.com
Matthew Doggett F’07 – Squash Email: mdoggett@worth.org.uk
Daniel Pring R’03 Mobile: 07865 064439 Email: danielpring@ymail.com Duncan Pring – Careers Office: 01342 710239 Email: dpring@worth.org.uk
Worthians Golfing Society Ken Ross G’65 Home: 01323 733499 Email: kandbaway@googlemail.com Worthians Rugby Club Desmond Calnan R’69 Mobile: 07535 939582 Email: dcalnan@tecres.net Worthians Cricket Matt Donegan StB’11 Email: donegan.matthew@googlemail.com
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The following Worthians and guests attended the 2017 Hong Kong Dinner:
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ong Kong is probably the strongest international ‘outpost’ for Worth School. Not only has it competed with the likes of Malta and Gibraltar with the regular high quota of pupils, but it is also a place that Worthians regularly travel to. For anyone leaving the School in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Tyler household on The Peak at Mount Cameron Road was an integral stopover on the backpacker route, especially during the world-famous Rugby Sevens. Therefore it was no surprise that we had over twelve old boys come along for the dinner on 21st October 2017 at the late Sir David Tang’s infamous China Club. We were fortunate to have the discretion of one of his splendid private dining rooms, equipped with its own bathroom, with a full-sized bath (just in case). It did bring back memories of those one or two bathrooms that I think used to exist in the Main House at School. Gordon Pearce, Deputy Head Marketing & Admissions, represented the School and hosted the dinner. Despite not being a Worth boy, Gordon has a contagious passion for Worth and was happy to update the attendees on developments at the School whilst he fielded a constant flow of questions, which seemed to focus on the location
Quinton Choi G’03 Osvaldo Kwan StB’03 Brandon Chau StB’03 Vallois Choi B’05 Keith Huang B’06 Matthew Kwong R’10 Christoph Roggemann StB’10
Contemporary Catholic Co-educational 3-13
of one’s old House given the amount of astonishing development that has taken place at the School. Gordon proudly claimed that “this is our time” as he explained why he believed Worth is now the leading Roman Catholic School in the United Kingdom. For those of us with good friends at Ampleforth and Downside, we enjoyed his confident (yet with the trademark Worth humility) position on the competitive edge of the School.
Day & Boarding
After dinner, as what has apparently become somewhat of a tradition, we retreated to the balcony for cigars overlooking the financial centre of Hong Kong. Brandon Chau then kindly led a smaller committed group of whisky drinkers to his private bar just below Lan Kwai Fung. Overall, it was a great evening, but one feels that next year we should aim to double the attendance given the connection between the School and this amazing City. I would encourage any of you based in Asia to come over for the night in the autumn and spread the word to the wider Worth community including family members. I hope we might even have a female Worthian join us one day soon! Jack Harrison G’00 (Head Boy ‘99)
Open Morning
Saturday 16th March 2019
Register at opendays@farleighschool.com
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Red Rice, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 7PW
@FarleighSchool 7
REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 1157842
2017 Hong Kong Dinner
Gordon Pearce Nick Bodnar-Horvath C’72 Helen Bodnar-Horvath John Bowden R’74 Marc McAlister G’98 Jack Harrison G’00 Mark Chan B’03
Worth Society Merchandise, perfect for Christmas presents!
Worthians joined the School Choir
Mary Lou Burge ready to greet Worthians
2017 London Christmas Carol Service
Events
Tucked away in the cobbled streets of Soho, St Patrick’s Church provided a secret escape from the last minute shoppers bustling around Oxford Street. When we arrived, the choir were rehearsing, directed by Michael Oakley for the last time before his retirement; it served as a reminder of how quickly time had passed since I left Worth in 2012. Immediately I was greeted by the friendly faces of the Worth Community and filled with a sense of familiarity and contentment. After the service, it was downstairs for mulled wine and endless nibbles with the usual hospitality that the Worth Community is notorious for. The London Carol Service continues to highlight that Worth is not only a place of education, but a lifelong community. Charlotte Cotterell StA’12
Micky Morrissey, Fr Kevin, Jo-Jo & Paddy Morrissey
The beautiful church of St Patrick’s Soho Square
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Stuart McPherson
Charlotte Cotterell
Another great gathering of Worthian girls and Fr Stephen
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t’s Christmas! For many this involves time off work, gifts to give and receive, eating as much as you like (often more than you like!), an atmosphere of goodwill and cheer, endless Christmas markets and mulled wine... you get the idea! It is easy to see how we can become engrossed in the material aspect of Christmas, as we often feel too busy and stressed just to stop and reflect. For me, the annual Worth Society London Christmas Carol Service on 6th December 2017, was the perfect opportunity to do just this after a busy day of work: an evening to catch up with both old and new pupils, parents, teachers and members of the monastic community.
We welcomed the following young Worthians to our Careers Networking Evening:
2018 St Benedict’s Day Mass & Supper
2018 Careers Networking Evening
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n the 22nd March 2018 Worthians gathered for a rather lovely mass said by Fr Mark Barrett at St Mary Moorfield’s Church on Eldon Street in the City of London to commemorate the passing of St Benedict. The date was very significant, if one were to calculate in Gregorian Days, the amount of days elapsed between St Benedict’s passing, which Wikipedia tells us is 543 or 547 AD, that would have been some 537,292 days prior. The gathering hymn, beautifully performed by Worthian voices and accompanied by Worth Abbey organist, D’Arcy Trinkwon, reminded me of being back at Worth again.
Fr Mark at the beautiful altar of St Mary Moorfields
Jenny Hamblin, Anastasia Martin Hindson & Brooke Benwell
Then came the first reading from Genesis 32:23-33, which was most thought provoking. Coincidentally, not long after, I was at the Tate Britain Museum where I found an amazing sculpture in alabaster, made by Jacob Epstein, called Jacob and the Angel (1940) which depicts exactly the same subject of the liturgy at the mass on St Benedict’s day. The explanation at the end of the reading says that the “Children of Israel do not eat the sciatic muscle that is on the hip socket”, while the description at the museum says that it “represents the struggle of European Jews during the Second World War”.
hen thinking of Worth Society, I had always thought that their events were, more often than not, based on year group reunions or sporting fixtures. However, their Careers Networking Evening provided a unique experience for me and other young Worthians who have just left school or university, and provided an opportunity to interact with those who are leaders in their respective fields.
2018 was attended by a diverse range of professionals, ranging from finance and design to law and marketing. This diversity enabled those who had recently left Worth to see the vast career opportunities that are open to them, whereas those who had recently left university were able to form contacts who may be beneficial in the years to come. This event was enjoyed by all who attended and would recommend it to all Worthians in the future.
The event, hosted at The Happenstance wine bar in Paternoster Square on 27th March
Ashley Thomas StB’14
We welcomed the following Worthian Professionals to our Careers Networking Evening:
Fergus Ryan, Maahan Mirnezami & Peter Vangelatos
I think that after the proper education one receives at Worth, it would be fair to say that the main objective of our journey in this life, would surely be to follow St Benedict’s example, and sincerely strive to discover that infinite connection with our Father, after deciphering the ‘codes’ presented in scriptures and art.
The delicious Belpassi Bros meatballs and pasta
Elikem Logan G’16 Maahan Mirnezami R’16 Brooke Benwell StA’17 Peter Cloudsley G’17 Patrik Kulik G’17 Jenny Hamblin StM’17 Anastasia Martin Hindson StC’17
After mass we gathered in the parish hall below the Church to enjoy ‘non-sciatic muscle’ meatballs and Italian pasta prepared by the Worthian Belpassi Bros, irrigated with good wine and interesting conversation.
Nick Butterworth G’76 – Chief Executive, Jackson Stops Staff
Chris Kelly StB’08 – Senior Chartered Accountant, Wilton Group
Luke Elwes G’79 – Artist
Nick Elvidge C’11 – Bank of England Analyst
Drew Davy G’87 – Coach & Transformation Director, Leading Outcomes
Niamh Fogarty StM’11 – FTI Consulting Strategic Communications
Greg Harris StB’93 – Mapfre Global Risks
Dominic Robinson B’11 – OC&C Consulting
Sam Barnett C’97 – Corporate Broking at HSBC
Ben O’Donnell R’11 – Product Manager, Love Home Swap
Ollie Barnett StB’98 – Weatherbys Bank
Tess Ryan – Vaughan Interior Design
James Longman B’05 – ABC News
Sandy Hills R’13 – Cripps LLP
Max Watson F’05 – Neuberger Berman
Thomas Poynder F’13 – Lloyds of London
Angus Lam R’06 – Senior Economist, HIS Markit
Mary Lou Burge – Worth Society Manager
James Henwood C’07 – Deutsche Bank
Duncan Pring – Head of Careers, Worth School
Florian Schacker B’07 – Ince & Co (Shipping Law/Marine Insurance)
Ed Schneider – Worth’s Development Director
Elikem Logan, Nick Butterworth & Ashley Thomas
Jonathan Wilkins C’70 The Epstein sculpture at Tate Britain
Ashley Thomas, Tom Poynder, Markie Poole & Sandy Hills
Alda Andreotti & Michael Oakley
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Patrik Kulik & Peter Cloudsley
Tess Ryan, Dominic Robinson & Drew Davy
The Oakley Boys
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Markie Poole StB’13 Joseph Jefferys C’13 Ashley Thomas B’14 Peter Vagelatos R’14 Emma Harris StM’15 Emily Hollings StM’15 Fergus Ryan B’15 Roy Green StB’16
1980s Decade Reunion Dinner Events
The 1980s Decade Reunion Dinner, held on May 24th 2018 at the very elegant Cavalry and Guards Club in London, added a couple of extra dimensions to the usual gathering. There would have been many who wouldn’t have known others at either end of the decade, many who may not have been able to spark the flame of recognition, especially for those younger than themselves, and many who would have been shocked at how the terrifying prefect of yore had both shrunk in height and become a gentleman to boot. However, in true Worth tradition and no matter who you first encountered, as soon as you walked in and received the first flute of English Sparkling, it was immediately obvious that this was going to be a night of convivial reminiscence.
Skyping Peebles Wheeler StB’88 in British Columbia
What really made the evening so special however, was the presence of so many old staff and teachers. The drinks offered ahead of dinner allowed much mingling and a chance to remind former staff as to who we all were. The seating arrangement at dinner was organised so that two or three former staff were on each table, which also consisted of old boys from two contiguous years. This meant free flowing conversation and a chance to really
engage, particularly with former staff who in many cases we hadn’t seen since we each left school some 30 years ago. Suffice it to say, the presence of four Abbots, three of whom were ex-Head Masters, ensured a far more pious, fevered and conscientious grace was said by the assembly than many of us would have been used to. However, even that small prayer may have helped to remind many that not only do we have our school years in common but also the influence of the Order of St Benedict in our early lives. A splendid dinner of potted shrimps, beef Wellington with dauphinoise potatoes and summer pudding with clotted cream, was followed by what was perhaps the highlight of the evening, a very fine speech by Fr Stephen. Fr Stephen started off reminding us all that, relatively speaking, we were very much the new boys in the public school firmament at the time of our attendance and that perhaps our amenities may have been considered rather ‘modest’ back in the 1980s. The Gruesomes, The Nissan Huts, the need for George Daly to teach in gumboots and other such things were gleefully recalled by the assembled crowd suggesting that memories of those times were in fact very happy indeed. Now that I am a current parent and can regularly see what a magnificent institution the School has now become, when listening to Fr Stephen reminisce of times past in such a way, I can finally begin to understand why our mothers seemed
Philip Lundberg & Martin Hunt
Nick Hooper & Justin Mould
rather more perturbed than we were when they dropped us off for the start of term back in those distant days.
the 1980’s reunion just held, and the Worth Society in general, must continue to nurture.
Fr Stephen highlighted the need for the School to live within the means it had back then and what that then meant for the spirit of the place. As he put it, Worth was blessed with the richest resource of all which was ‘great people’. As years went by appeals went well, amenities were built but most importantly the generosity of spirit, good naturedness, versatility and creativity for which Worthians are still very much known for, continued to be nurtured and forged through this time.
So, in order to sum up the night, a final quote from Fr Stephen paraphrasing St Benedict – “it’s all about the people; if you get the God bit right and the people bit right everything else will be alright”.
Fr Stephen also highlighted the energy, ability and generosity of the staff he worked with and which we all knew well – Keith Owers spent 40 years at the School, Roger Stokes over 30 and so on and so forth. When talking about why such great and inspirational staff stayed so long at the School, he identified the ‘quality’ of the community and the invigorating nature of building the School into what it is today. For those working and teaching in the 1980s, it must be a real source of satisfaction to see what the School has now become. This 1980s event was an excellent gathering - post prandial drinks and cigars were had (although some still carried that hunted look of worry that Keith Owers would catch them in the act), after-parties sprang up, Bobby Acworth provided splendid photographs, and Mary Lou’s organisation was impeccable. It is to she that we offer our special and heartfelt thanks for organising such a great evening out. When we consider the value and enjoyment of this event and others like it, perhaps it is best to turn to Fr Stephen for a concluding thought or two - that aside from his vocation, the greatest gift he has received was the personal relationships and networks that he has developed over the 57 years he has been a part of Worth. It is this bringing together of past, present and future members of the Worth Community that dinners such as
Jeremy Dowling, Mark Jenner & Keith Owers
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John Bennett, Paul Miller & Edward Robinson
George Daly
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oing to a school reunion always creates a pleasurable sense of anticipation, at least for this old boy – it’s always a great pleasure to see old friends, renew long lost acquaintances and to just enjoy the warmth and fellowship which can only come from having shared past experiences.
John Shepherd & Crispin Hayhoe
Chris Hunt StB’85
The following Worthians and guests attended the 1980s Decade Reunion Dinner: Piers Jennings StB’80 Philip Lundberg C’80 Bobby Acworth StB’81 Andrew Bernard C’81 John Bennett R’81 Andrew Clutterbuck G’81 Benedict Elwes G’81 HB Nicholas Hooper C’81 Martin Hunt StB’81 Mark Jenner C’81 Justin Mould StB’81 Gregory Pickard StB’81 Jonathan Stordy StB’81 Henry Thornton B’81 Matthew Brown C’82 Tom Ellis C’82 John Ford B’82 Giles Hamilton B’82 Crispin Hayhoe StB’82 James Middleton B’82 Nicholas Moore B’82 John Shepherd B’82 Donal Quigley R’82 Anthony Barnard C’83 HB Sean Buckley G’83 Benjamin Drummond R’83 Marcus Elwes G’83 Mark Johnson C’83 Dominic Latham-Koenig B’83 Guy Montgomery C’83 Justin Van der Lande StB’83 Adrian Whyatt StB’83 Angus Hamilton B’84 Edward Hooper C’84 Patrick Morrissey R’84 David Robinson B’84
Justin van der Lande & Adrian Whyatt
Chris Rooney StB’84 Edward Horgan C’85 Chris Hunt StB’85 Dominic Sharkey R’85 Matthew Stone StB’85 Damian Chunilal R’86 HB Matthew Clayton C’86 Andrew Griffith C’86 Tom Willett G’86 Dominic Bruning StB’89 Mark Collini StB’89 Nicholas Gilodi-Johnson StB’89 Jonathan Hook B’89 HB Andrew Jamison StB’89 Rafal Kaniewski R’89 James Maxwell-Scott R’89 Simon McMenemy R’89 Edward Robinson B’89 Daniel Wilkinson StB’89 Liam Bauress James Cockburn Fr James Cutts George Daly Jeremy Dowling Evonne Gubbins Abbot Christopher Jamison Michelle Mannveille Paul Miller Fr Stephen Ortiger Keith Owers Nick Robinson StB’75 Roger Stokes Fr Kevin Taggart Abbot Luke Jolly C’71 Stuart McPherson Mary Lou Burge
Abbot Luke & Mark Johnson
Giles Hamilton & Greg Pickard
Michelle Mannveille & Liam Bauress
Andrew Clutterbuck
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An update on Development at Worth
Class of 1997 20 Year Reunion
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spent seven years of my life boarding at Worth School and to this day they rate up there amongst the best years of my life. To this day, some of my closest friends are my school friends and therefore I am forever thankful to have had the privilege to go to Worth, arriving a small, timid, shy boy and leaving an excited, confident man (kind of…) about to start the next chapter of his life. With this in mind, it was an easy decision when I was asked to organise our 20 year reunion. I soon remembered though that we were at that time one of the largest year groups to have ever graced Worth - nearly 80 in number – so tracking down all the chaps would not be an easy task. Would everyone be keen? It’s fair to say that life at Worth was not for everyone, whether you were keen on sports, one of the smokers, book worms etc… Everyone certainly did have different experiences and therefore it was not surprising that some folk, whilst happy to have been contacted, politely declined. The vast majority were keen and were also scattered all across the globe with Head Boy, Raimundo Morales, living in Chile and others living in far off glamorous places such as Australia, New York, the Caribbean, Monaco and for me, West Sussex!!
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It was easy in the end, I was still in touch with a healthy number of school friends and with the power of social media it became relatively easy to track our old clan down with a little help from Worth Society. Names which had not come off my tongue since 1997 soon became reacquainted and it was lovely to have the personal encounters with everyone whilst getting back in touch and hearing how everyone was. I was taken aback when many agreed to come over from overseas, especially Raimundo who had not been back to the UK since leaving in 1997 and this set the tone for all to make the effort.
In Many Ways the Perfect Venue If you are looking for a venue to host a special party, hire sports facilities or hold a business seminar, our stunning location, facilities and dedicated support staff will provide everything you need.
So on the day itself, 21st October 2017, at the chosen venue, Balls Brothers in London Victoria, the first to arrive was non-other that the famous Jeremy Dowling, looking great and now semi-retired. We chewed the fat over a quick beer and soon the bar became just like the 6th Form Centre all over again, although this time the clientele were a little fatter and with a little less hair, but the banter was free flowing. Bear hugs all round for friends not seen in many years, others seen just the other day and absolutely no awkwardness or tension as some had anticipated might be the case. It was truly one of the best days of 2017 for
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me and everyone was in fantastic form. The alcohol was he first year of the new Worth School and Abbey day also the launch ofthe theClass Worth The following The Worthians andsaw guests attended ofBursary Appeal free flowing and all theDevelopment former staff who attended, Bobby Programme is off to a good start. and the establishment of the 1933 Society which will 1997 20 Year Reunion: Acworth C’81, Jeremy Dowling, Nick the Robinson StB’75,and Sebthe Abbot we Working with Head Master who are kind enough to remember the Gareth Maguire Bobby Acworth recognise all those Watts and Fr Stephen were all finefunds spirits. Thank you so have begun to in raise in support of bursaries and in Millward their wills. More information on this John Jeremy DowlingSchool and Abbey Moore subsidised places in the Open Cloister. will follow in theDavid coming months. much to them for making the effort to come along. Worth wantsFrtoStephen Ortiger Raimundo Morales Robinson reach out to those in need who would most benefitNick from There are also a number of possible capital projects under Brian O’Donovan Seb Watts The Class of 1997, a vintage say, butwhatever a all the Schoolyear and some Abbeymight have to offer their Danny O’Tooleis working closely with the consideration and my office bunch of brothers I will remain in touch with till the day I financial circumstances. Parryand the Abbey Chapter to help shape James BlachfordGovernors of theNick School Jason Recordon die. Head Boy Raimundo capped the night off with a toast We have recently hosted a lunch for over 60 formerThomas pupils Blake James the future of Worth through the solicitation of gifts. Both the Simon Recordon Dom Clarke to those who could not make it and totheir Charlie Sacarello of the Prep School and spouses in the Whitehead School and the Abbey depend on the generosity of Worthians Ed Simpson Philip Clyde-Smith were welcomed by from the Head Master and the of Worth RIP, our forever Room. famousThey friend who was stolen us the Vincent Slevin for the 21st century. Rob Cotterell to realise their vision Lucian Sumpter Cullen and taken onbeen toursinofthe thethick School. AfterBarry lunch summer we leftAbbot school. Hewere would have The Development Office continues to work closely with James Tibbatts there wasand an we emotional speech by Nicholas De Piro,Benedict Duke of that reunion for sure miss him dearly. Joeattending Thompsonevents and getting to know as Stephen Ebbett the Worth Society, reminiscing about his time at Worth and thanking the School Vasquez There are many events planned Tom Frackowiakmany WorthiansNick as possible. and Abbey for their generosity. The day ended withAlex a visit to Roll on 25 years!!!! Ed Walshe Kenney for the coming year and I look forward to attending and thoseLynton-Jones the Abbey Cemetery providing an opportunity for all Tom Wild Richard continuing to spread the word about Development at Worth. Dominic Clarke C’97 Francis Wood Jonny Mac who wished to pay their respects to their former teachers. Edward Schneider, Director of Development
Throughout the year Worth School’s facilities are available to hire, primarily during the school holidays, but, depending on the nature of the event, term-time lettings can sometimes be accommodated. In addition, Worth Abbey’s ‘The Open Cloister’ gives you the opportunity to leave the hustle and bustle of life behind and the chance to rest, refresh and reflect in our purpose-built retreat centre. You are invited to attend our day or residential retreats which are run by members of our Monastic Community and Lay Collaborators. If you would like to find out more about Worth Abbey Projects, please call us on 01342 710318 or email lettings@worth.org.uk or visit www.worth.co.uk
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Worth Society Life
Life and Times 15 of Worthians
The Old Place
The following Worthians and guests attended the Class of 1977 40 Year Reunion: Bobby Acworth Fr Stephen Ortiger Keith Owers Martin Powys-Lybbe Fr Kevin Taggart Andrew Agnew Gerry Ambrose Paul Behard Michael Berkeley
Class of 1977 40 Year Reunion
Mike Bernard Chris Bishop Niel Bisset James Blake Mark Breen Neil Clayton Dermot Flood David Forster Matthew Gilliat-Smith
Martin Green Francis Hobbs Ian Horsfall Tim Hutchings Louis Jebb James Madsen Hugh Maguire Simon McCarthy Stephen Minch
Stephen Mitchell Tony Morrongiello Dominic Pasqua Simon Pringle Patrick Sadd Ian Tait Patrick Tilbury Ewan Ward-Thomas Andrew Wingfield
Matthew Wood Peter Worrall Jaime Zobel
Events
Events Gerry Ambrose & Tim Hutchings
Andrew Wingfield, Louis Jebb & James Madsen
P
re Christmas drinks at the Duke of Boots (Wellington) has been a fairly regular occurrence for Old Boys from the 1972 intake to Worth Senior School over the years and it occurred again in December 2016. A motley crew of about fifteen turned up and there was the usual exchange of more recent news, grandchildren for some, long distance bicycle rides for others, and the retelling of stories from the ‘good old days’. As always the view was expressed that it would be good to catch up with many others from the year if only it could be arranged and, because it was late in the evening and more than a few pints had been consumed, a plan was hatched for arranging a more formal get together for the following year. Due to the fact that I had recently retired, or possibly had more to drink than others, I was nominated (duped?) to lead the endeavour.
Steven Mitchell & Matthew Wood
Jaime Zobel & Fr Stephen
Cavalry & Guards Club, which has been a successful venue for many Worth reunions.
but on the whole there was a feeling that we had not really changed that much. Aspersions were cast about Dermot Flood (Chapman), Tim Hutchings (St Bedes) and Tony Morrongiello (Chapman) who did not seem to have changed in appearance at all – shades of Dorian Gray?
We initially thought we were looking at 76 Old Boys to round up, which started to feel a daunting task. We had 31 without any contact details but also quickly discovered that many of those for whom we had details for were now out of date. Everyone was tasked with searching address books, Facebook, LinkedIn and any other sources they could think of to find those M.I.A (missing in action). Remarkably, in the end we only had 11 Old Boys M.I.A from the Year Group and had tracked down and contacted 68 Old Boys in total. (Yes, we found an extra 3 Old Boys along the way!)
In the cold light of day it didn’t seem such a bad idea and as a Year Group many of us had kept in contact, so we thought it shouldn’t be too difficult to reach out and find people. We had an old email contact list from Matthew Wood (Butler), who had organised a successful reunion in 2006 as a starting point and Worth Society also provided assistance.
We had some notable successes: such as finding Nick Magrath (St Bedes) who had left in 1974 going back to Brazil; Bobby Bower (Gervase) in the Bahamas; Peter Barnes who would have been our year but left after Junior House, and many others who had returned or chosen to go overseas. It was actually surprising how many of us had either worked or lived elsewhere, with twenty spread across Australia (2), Bahamas, Brazil, France (2), Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand (2), the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain (2), Switzerland and the USA (3).
We needed to decide a date, never an easy thing with many different views. In the end 11th November 2017 was decided upon as it was before the Christmas social mayhem and a good time for those overseas to plan a ‘coincidental’ business trip to London or tell their wives that they would do some pre-Christmas shopping! It was also fitting being Remembrance Day. A venue was an easier decision as Andrew Wingfield (St Bedes) quickly stepped up to the plate and kindly offered to host at the
On the evening itself we had 34 able to attend. As always there were many who would have liked to have been there but could not make it mainly due to being overseas and others with unbreakable work or family commitments, which included parties in New York and St Lucia - obviously being preferable to meeting old school mates in London! There was much noting of greying/ thinning hair, many of us going for the Worth monk tonsure look, and ‘prosperous’ girths being in evidence,
Tony Morrongiello, Dermot Flood, Fr Kevin & Mark Breen
We were lucky enough to have four ‘Old Masters’ with us for the evening being Frs Kevin and Stephen, Keith Owers and Martin Powys-Lybbe, who were on good form and all seemed to have aged less than us. Roger Stokes and Mike Margrett sent their very genuine regrets that they could not be with us that evening but wished everyone well. Mention should be made of those who flew in specially for the event - Gerry Ambrose (Gervase) from Malaysia, Ian Horsfall (Butler) from Saudi Arabia, Tony Morrongiello from Switzerland, Andrew Wingfield from Qatar and Jaime Zobel (St Bedes) from the Philippines, who had to leave early to catch a flight back for the dubious pleasure of Donald Trump’s visit there.
Tim Hutchings
That is not to say that there were not noble efforts for those of us who had to deal with the vagaries of UK transport infrastructure. At one stage it looked like Michael Saunders (Chapman) would have to divert a Ryan Air plane to be there and said he would turn up in his Captain’s uniform if it was necessary – luckily it was not. A good time was certainly had by all and we had to extend the bar closing time twice before calling it a day. For ease I have said ‘Old Boys’ throughout this but we had one ‘Old Girl’ in our Year Group, Tessa Wilson (née Wheeler) who would have liked to attend but had the best reason not to with her daughter’s due date for Tessa’s first grandchild being that weekend. Let’s look forward to another reunion in ten years or less. I will just remember to keep my head down when the discussion on organising it comes up again! James Madsen C’77
Matthew Gilliat-Smith & Mike Bernard
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Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
The Old Place
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The following Worthians and guests attended the Class of 2008 10 Year Reunion:
Class of 2008 10 Year Reunion
Despite those in the year group following a huge variety of paths in the intervening years people hadn’t changed too much and very quickly the group settled into the evening as if we were all back in the Cowdray Room, motoring through the complimentary wine like it was the one night of the term we were allowed to drink. It really was great to see everyone getting stuck into the evening (and the meal), reminiscing about our time back at Worth and catching up on all the years since. Of course, no Worth event can go ahead unstaffed and so we were thrilled to have Alan Mitchell, Duncan Pring and Andrew Taylor in attendance. They certainly helped keep some decorum within a group determined to enjoy themselves. We were also blessed (literally) to have in our presence from the monastic community none other than Fr Martin and Fr Kevin who were both, as usual, on very good form. After the dinner most of the boys went on to Tiger Tiger (one of London’s finest nightclubs) where plenty more fun was had, but unfortunately the story must end there…
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Achim Bonsch Alberto Velasco Alexander Kendall White Alexander Dungate Alexander White Alvaro Amenabar Andrew Furness Anthony Lamb Benedict Oakley Charles Hepburn Christopher Hallam Derek Huang Dominic Bosher Fergus Grady Fraser Moyle Frederik Brenninkmeyer Giles Sacarello Gobi Lam Gregory Tuck
Henrik Backer Jakob Gassner James Doyle James Kenward James Matthews Johann Braunewell Jonathan Whitehead Jonathan Rollo-Walker Julian Suarez Matthew Fitzsimons Matthew King Matthew Scotland Matthew Blott Oliver Scanlon Patrick Bernard Patrick Forsyth Patrick Slevin Peter Osborne Philipp Sohler Phillippe Thoemmes Richard Pannell Robin Rehm Sung (Nick) Wong Thomas Cruz
Class of 1998 20 Year Reunion
T
he 1998 leavers’ 20 year reunion was held at Balls Brothers, London Bridge, on 8th September 2018. Turn-out was very good with nearly 30 boys from the year making it. It took no time at all for people to get chatting and reminiscing on old times. What was striking was how well everyone mixed and shared stories from the last 20 years; all seemed to embrace the spirit of the evening and a super time was had by all. When Balls Brothers called time the party moved to a neighbouring bar and the festivities carried on into the night.
Of the attendees, special mention must go to Alvaro Amenabar and Alberto Velasco who were at the School for just two terms in year 9 back in 2004 but who flew in from Chile for the event. Of course those (too many to name) who came from Hong Kong, Germany and other overseas destinations deserve much recognition also. The evening was certainly made by having students from overseas!
Prize for most impressive early retirement goes to Bota McNamara, who has managed to stop working by the age of 39, much to the envy of his peers! A big thanks to Luke Windle for really helping pull the evening together and finding a great venue, Mary-Lou for helping to promote it and to the Society for their kind donation to get the party started!
Thanks again to all who made the effort, and we hope that those in the year group who couldn’t make it are able to make it to the next reunion! These events are great fun and provide everyone with the chance to keep in touch with the school’s development, but most importantly renew friendships.
The following Worthians and guests attended the Class of 1998 20 Year Reunion: Nick Robinson Simon Albert Hector Au Ollie Barnett Andrew Bayles Charlie Bullen James Burt Michael Eddleston Richard Gairdner Peter Gibbon Daniel Hughes Edward Keelaghan Luke Kenny Christopher McNamara David Micallef-Eynaud
Dermot O’Connor William Pasquali Oliver Quinn Rupert Reynolds Colin Rowton Alexander Ryan Edmund Ryan Ramon San Juan Jon Smith Cormac Stanford Hugo Terry StJohn Tyrwhitt Johnny Utah Will Walder Luke Windle
Roll on 2028 for the 30 year reunion (although I suspect there’ll be demand for something in 2023 to celebrate 25 years so that we can all see each other again sooner). Ollie Barnett StB’98
Giles Sacarello StB’08
Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
The Old Place
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Events
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O
n the hot night of 8th June 2018, at the Army and Navy Club in Pall Mall, 43 of the 2008 Leavers came together to celebrate our 10 year school reunion. These ten years have flown by and it was the first time that many of us had seen each other since leaving Worth.
Fr Martin McGee Alan Mitchell Duncan Pring Andrew Taylor Fr Kevin Taggart
Class of 1988 30 Year Reunion
Paul Aubrey-Rees Paul Anson Chris Bruning Alex Buckley Chris Burridge James Canepa Giles Coghlin Gregory Dix Charlie Dunster Seth Edwards Tom Ellis Paddy Frost Tom Garrigan Bruce Henwood Canice Hogan Simon Holmes Mathias Holzhacker Tom Hudson Jason Juden Nik Keane Jon Kelly James Little Stephen McDermott Paul McGarry Simon Mermod Emma Parfitt Jason Pavry Nick Pond Paul Radziwill Dennis Roberts Doug Sanday Dominic Shovelton Guy Stagnetto Martyn Sullivan Robert Tye Paddy van der Borgh Simon Walsh Marc Wiehe Gaye Wilmot
1988 leavers gathered en masse to meet and celebrate surviving 30 years since we left Worth. 40 old boys and 2 ever youthful girls met to eat, drink and reminisce at The Northcote pub near Clapham Junction on 7th September 2018. After a few pints everyone seemed to have worked out who everyone else was... not so easy for some, with a lot less hair than 30 years ago, and many mightier girths! We were also lucky enough to be joined by former staff Keith Owers, James Cockburn, Nick Robinson and Abbot Luke Jolly. Notable journeys included visits from Mathias Holzhacker all the way from USA, Guy Stagnetto and James Canepa from Gibraltar, Jason Pavry from Ireland and Nick Mifsud from Scotland. Nathan Steggel and Justin Pik were unable to come - but as they were both in Canberra, they did manage to meetup for their own drinking session where 6pm beers turned into 1am whiskeys, and just about kept it together enough to send us a video message of support (both now with Aussie accents!!)
Long before girls officially arrived at Worth, our year had two pioneering girls - and both Gaye Wilmot (Robertson) and Emma Parfitt (Bristow) were in attendance to ensure it wasn’t too blokey. After much drink and food had been enjoyed, we were treated to an affirming speech from our Head Boy, Giles Coghlin, reminding us that we were definitely the best year to have passed through Worth (or something to that effect!!). A special thank you goes to Worth Society for helping to co-ordinate and chase up some of the long lost boys, as well as getting the party started with a contribution behind the bar. We had our first reunion 10 years ago in 2008, and it heralded much improved lines of communication between many of us. Facebook and email certainly makes these occasions easier to organise, and we pretty much managed to track down most of the year one way or another. Hopefully we will all be around for the 40 year! Tom Garrigan G’88
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sn’t life full of the unexpected? I remember writing those time-wasting blue papers in ink - now I’m sitting with a keyboard and contributing to the very magazine fondly named after the lowest level of punishment there was 50 years ago!
The day ended with Mary Lou giving us each a doggie bag of goodies, including a magnificent sports top with the Worth symbol. It was a grand day and so good to meet up with the monks of our era and the Archdruid and his wife, all the way from Herefordshire.
On 28th June 2018 we were blessed with a baking hot day. Over coffee, a brief tour and a celebratory lunch, the familiar was mixed with the new: experiences were recounted as if from yesterday as we moved from the older part of the school facing on to the terrace and then out of the old Assembly Hall through a door that hadn’t been there before into a Narnia of change. In the glorious sunshine, we were led across what had been the grass tennis courts to the unbelievable comfort of the living quarters of the newest block and the girls’ accommodation. Old bones groaned with jealousy.
On behalf of all of us ‘68ers, our sincere thanks to all involved in making our day happen and in its seamlessness, especially to Mary Lou who organised the whole event as effortlessly as everything else she and the Society put on. Many thanks to you all. This is a day not to be missed. Martin Milmo G’68 (Head Boy ‘67)
The majestic old cedar at the top of the drive is now replaced by a younger version; there was a one-way traffic system; up to the Master’s accommodation (something familiar) past a new classroom block; a superbly-equiped Indoor Sports Hall; and finally the Sixth Form bar area in what had been an uncovered back yard. We had to make do with the Head Boy’s dayroom which was clouded with smoke and drink nowhere to be seen! A walk down Tower House Hill – the bells sounding, the clockface restored with speed bumps. All this time we were also exploring each-others’ lives and stories. Our guides tried to hurry us along as we slowed the pace filling the morning with far less nostalgia than marvel at the growth and physical changes we were seeing. A persistent cry to walk up the hallowed Main Staircase was finally answered, a typical dormitory was inspected, cleaning now done ‘by ladies who come in’.
James Cockburn Susan Davies Abbot Luke Jolly Keith Owers Nick Robinson
Then it was on to a splendid three-course lunch with suitable wines and coffee in what had been the monks’ refectory. It was preceded by the Abbot’s grace which focused minds on what has sustained Worth down the years, a total dependency on the goodness and mercy of our Creator. It shines through their eyes, in their welcoming us, in their desire to bring us all together again through this day of shared experience and friendship. We even had our own video show, a Robert Herring production from all those years ago - and what fun it was to pick out and name the faces, and to wonder. There was a scrapbook to peruse, Fr Kevin’s collection of the first of everything from 1959, including the very first ‘blue paper’.
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Events
Events
The following Worthians and guests attended the Class of 1988 30 Year Reunion:
Class of 1968 50 Year Reunion
Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
The Old Place
The following Worthians and guests attended the Class of 1968 50 Year Reunion: Fred Belcher Anne Belcher Mary Lou Burge Abbot Luke Jolly Fr Kevin Taggart Fr Stephen Ortiger Fr Richard Wilson Stephen Bamford Jerome Bertram
John Crookenden Celia Crookenden Robert Herring Anthony McGrath Martin Milmo Gill Milmo Derek Rome Penny Rome Anthony White
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10th Anniversary of Girls Dinner
As they were then, in 2008
The paths we’ve wended in the intervening years were varied: teaching, law, physio, journalism, finance, government – and even quantum physics – in the UK and beyond. But with voices the same, faces (relatively) unchanged, we slipped into easy patters of conversation, the ten years evidently insignificant after the two hugely formative years spent together.
The following Worthians and guests attended the 10th Anniversary of Girls Dinner: Alda Andreotti Caroline Brown Mary Lou Burge Gino Carminati Anne Carminati Abbot Luke Jolly Anna MacMahon Stuart McPherson Johneen McPherson Fr Stephen Ortiger Rebecca Paterson Louise Taylor
Nikki Webb Olivia BarclayHudson Fiona Bond Sophie Bowe Jessica Coffin Tara Hakverdi Charlotte Hart Anna Hocker Laura Hurley Charlotte Hutchinson
Maddy Ilsley Sophia Knight Barbara Loefflmann Zarah Manning Louisa McCarthy Charlotte Perry Tash Plummer Izzy StewartRoberts Livia Wulf Celia Young
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rs Brown stood up, pen and clipboard in hand, and registration began. Names were read out in a familiar order, ‘yes’ chanted back in familiar voices. If I had closed my eyes, we might have been back in the boarding house, on a Thursday afternoon just before Mass, a Monday morning before lessons began. Instead, 19 of the original 32 St Mary’s girls were sitting in the Cowdray Room, on 22nd September 2018 for dinner almost exactly a decade after we first arrived at Worth. We kept saying, “How could 10 years go so fast?” When we began, the girls’ ‘Ladies Dinners’ were – to the chagrin of the boys – regular occasions in the St Mary’s social
The original three - Mrs Brown, Fr Stephen and Matron (Nikki Webb, but always Matron to us) - were all there and each gave lovely speeches about the ‘pioneer year’. Fr Stephen was just as wise, Matron just as warm, Mrs Brown just as lovely as ever. Ms Patterson, Mrs Taylor and Mr Carminati had also left their new lives for the evening to take the joint trip down memory lane, and 4 of the 6 German girls had flown over to the UK especially for the reunion. The effort made by so many was evidently testament to the impact Worth had (and has) on us all.
Events
Events
calendar. We would put on our glad rags, get tipsy on one glass of wine, eat the famous Worth salmon and enjoy controlled mischief. Now all these years later, we ate seabass, sipped wine (rather than gulped) and discussed jobs, houses, and where life had taken us since we left in the summer of 2010.
Zarah Manning, Fr Stephen & Olivia Barclay-Hudson
Sophie Bowe, Charlotte Hutchinson & Anna Hocker
When the evening came to an end, it was strange not to go back to the boarding house for hot chocolate and late night chats, but instead to cars and taxis, to the adult lives we have somehow created for ourselves. Given how quickly the last ten years went, the 20-year reunion will come around far too soon I’m sure – and it’ll probably be the next time most of us have registration too. Jessica Coffin StM’10 (Head Girl ’09)
Fiona Bond, Charlotte Perry, Tash Plummer & Izzy Stewart-Roberts
Mrs Brown taking the Register
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Louisa McCarthy, Tara Hakverdi & Sophia Knight
The Holy Trinity; Nikki Webb, Fr Stephen & Caroline Brown
Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
The Old Place
Charlotte Hunt, Celia Young & Jess Coffin
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Worth Careers Fair 2018
The party week that helped my career
Charlotte Butter & Niamh Fogarty
F
or the twelfth year in a row, Worth School organised a Careers Fair for its Lower Sixth Form students, on 30th June 2018. Well over 100 students were able to participate in the event which was designed to encourage them to think about possible options beyond Worth and indeed beyond university. The format we employed was similar to previous years, with a number of outside speakers talking about their own careers to small groups of students. Each speaker made their presentation four times, so students had the opportunity to learn about life in four careers that were of interest to them. This year we also had a plenary forum at the end where students were invited to ask any general careers related questions to the speakers who formed a panel on the stage. This was a very successful idea and we hope to continue the format in future years. Once again we were indebted to Worthians who contributed two of the eleven speakers. What the Worthians lacked in quantity was more than compensated for in quality. It is on occasions such as these that one really appreciates the willingness of former pupils to give back to the place where they were educated. We were
delighted to welcome back Charlotte Butter StM’12 who spoke with great passion and clarity about journalism in today’s world. Having worked in both radio and the press, she was extremely well prepared to give advice, and her current knowledge was greatly appreciated by our students.
Faced with the prospect of another summer interjected by my father’s questions about whether I had managed to secure an internship or not, I took the plunge and engaged my efforts to find something that I felt that would vaguely interest me. After some fruitless searching across various job boards and internship websites I came up with nothing - it seems that my decision to leave my search until the last minute was, in classic Frankie style, a bad idea. Yet there was one more option I was reminded of via Facebook – the help of Worth Society.
Niamh Fogarty StM’11 was also able to provide a young person’s view and her strong views of the importance of IT in all careers were very well received. She has gained widespread experience in only a very brief time, and that gave her much greater authority in an area where many of our students lack a working understanding.
Mary Lou found me a week’s work experience at Keating Chambers in London with ex-Worth girl Maddy Ilsley StM’08, their Marketing Executive. Keating Chambers is a commercial barristers chambers specialising in various areas, particularly technology and construction. Having not done any work experience before I was rather nervous yet upon arrival I was made to feel so welcome by everyone and was excited to begin work. Throughout the week I was tasked with
After a hard morning’s talk, most of the speakers enjoyed a lunch that was I am sure even better than those which they used to enjoy in the refectory a few years ago! The feedback I received has been very positive and, as always, I am most grateful to the former students who come back to pass on their experience to the present cohort of pupils.
This summer I was able to gain work experience in a marketing role for MCX, an expedition company jointly run by Tim Davies C’10. MCX looked very exciting, as it is a very new company and I felt that my work would be great marketing experience for me as well as helping Tim market his company. Tim agreed to offer me two weeks of work, focusing on improving the firm’s social media presence, as well as helping
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proofreading the Keating Chambers legal update, a publication detailing different cases the barristers have worked on, their legal comments on interesting things going on in the news and other such topics. Doing this was a throwback to my time working on Identity magazine and it was interesting to understand more about the legal implications of cryptocurrency, which was one of the articles.
The party was held in Temple Gardens and was a truly beautiful sight to see. Falling on the day of the first England vs Belgium World Cup match the party was football themed with Eton mess and chocolate fountain stations as well as a giant screen to watch the football on, a Scalextric track (which I was embarrassingly bad at) and - my favourite - a gin tent.
Everyone at Keating made me feel so welcome and I am so grateful to them for that because often I think the hardest part of an internship, work experience or starting a new job is not the work but the fitting in. I am so grateful to Maddy and to the Society for consistently doing the most to ensure recent Worth graduates find suitable work experience and internships to help them on their professional journey - we really are lucky to have it.
Whilst it was such fun helping to set all of this up and such a pleasure to talk and network with the barristers and everyone who came to the party my time was not all fun and games. I also spent time reading over and
Frances Oesterlin StM’15
Duncan Pring, Head of Careers, Worth School
One of the best days of my life!
A Dip into Social Media Marketing Since leaving Worth I have been in regular contact with Worth Society regarding work experience. Despite going into my last year at university, I am still unsure as to what I want to do. I asked Worth Society for help with contacts in industries such as marketing, advertising and insurance as these are areas that I am keen to find out more about. I am grateful to have received offers of work experience placements from all three industries, which demonstrates the strength of the Worthian network.
helping to prepare for the annual Keating Summer Party where they invite people they have worked with in the past to network and catch up with. My job involved putting together name tags for nearly 800 people ( a great lesson in repetitive strain injury), and helping to create a crib sheet with the name and photo of everyone attending along with a small bio, arranging flowers and various other party preparations.
to create a survey working out the target audience for the MCX product. As social media is becoming increasingly important in the business world, I was tasked with working out how to market MCX through social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. I created a spreadsheet of competitor analysis, looking at numerous different wildlife and outdoor expedition companies and analysing their social media presence and deciphering what the target audiences liked. This involved analysing the content, the regularity of posts, the tone of the social media accounts and how each different company’s followers engaged with the posts. With this analysis, I helped MCX understand how to brand their social media page in accordance with the target audience and the company’s ethos. Another large project that I was given was conducting a survey for MCX to send out to its customers, to help them understand
Worth Society Life
their target audience better. In order to attract participation from their customers, I contacted many different clothing brands, with the aim of getting sponsorship that would allow MCX customers discounts and unique deals. I managed to establish a partnership with Aquapac, who offered special discounts to MCX customers as well as competition prizes. In addition to this, I was tasked with conducting interviews and writing blogs to be used as additional content to strengthen the website. The experience was fascinating and beneficial to my understanding of the marketing industry. I would still like to explore other industries, but it is certainly an area I will consider looking into post-university. I am really grateful to Worth Society for offering their help in finding these contacts, and I am also especially thankful to Tim for offering me this valuable opportunity. Cameron Pring R’16
Life and Times of Worthians
The Old Place
When I first read Chris Coxall’s R’02 article in the 2016 issue of The Blue Paper I was instantly intrigued. Working for the Walt Disney Company has always been a lifelong dream of mine and one that I will continue to pursue. I found his article mesmerising as he wrote about how he is able to travel the world whilst being involved with some of Hollywood’s biggest movies.
office. We spoke about his job and what it entails and then went to get some lunch within the studios - quite different to the Worth Refectory with things such as gourmet burgers to choose from. We spent lunch discussing our times at Worth and how things have changed over the years.
During my final year at Worth I completed the Extended Project Qualification and chose to base my topic on Walt Disney. I could not believe that I was going to be walking around the studios that I had read and watched so much about in the past year in person.
Then the real tour began. Chris and I walked around the entire Disney Studios for the rest of the afternoon where I was able to see things such as secret projects in the making, sets, etc, whilst being able to ask lots of questions about the Disney Company and what it is really like to work there. One of my favourite Disney movies, Saving Mr Banks, had lots of scenes filmed in different parts of the studio for the movie and walking past these in real life made me almost feel as though I was in the movie. Funnily enough it was the first film that Chris worked on when he began at Disney.
When I arrived at the studios everyone was extremely helpful in showing me around and pointing me in the direction of Chris’s
I was shown parts of the studio that I had dreamt of seeing and genuinely never thought I would as they are so exclusive.
After reading the article I instantly contacted Worth Society to see if there was any way in which I would be able to meet Chris and perhaps spend some work experience time with him whilst on holiday in LA, and much to my surprise last summer I was able to.
We took a trip into the animation part of the studio where every wall was decorated head to toe, and everyone’s desks were covered in characters that I almost felt like I was in the Disney store! This September I will be starting my studies at the University of Greenwich to do events management where I hope to do a placement with the Disney Company in my third year. I had previously done work experience for a week at the Disney Head Office in London but it will never compare to the day I spent with Chris. As corny as it may sound, it was quite possibly one of the best days of my life, and without Worth Society it is something that would never have happened. I would encourage students and alumni to use the Worth Society to your advantage as much as you can as you really do not know where it will lead you and who you will meet. I would like to thank both the Society and Chris for giving me this opportunity. Jenny Hamblin StM’17
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The Global Action Awards
Antonia Foldes was joined by her brother Will B’15 on her visit to Worth to talk about her GAA
The Global Action Awards
Adam’s parents; Fenella Bishop & Melly Braverman
Adam Braverman’s Memorial XV vs WOBS All Stars XV
ince its formation in 2000, The Worthians Charitable Trust (WCT) Global Action Awards (GAA) programme has awarded a total of £27,780 to Worthians.
We were delighted to welcome back one of our Global Action Awardees, Antonia Foldes StM’11, in June 2018 to give an inspiring talk to current Year 12 pupils about her volunteering project with TECHO in Colombia in 2016.
Despite several enquiries from Year 13 leavers, no awards were made this year. This is perhaps an indication that the gap year is losing popularity. It is however important to stress that the scheme is open to all Worthians at any age or stage of their lives, and we encourage Worthians to apply for a GAA and spend some time in voluntary work for the good of others and the community, either here in the UK or overseas.
If you are considering applying for a GAA, would like to donate to the GAA fund via the Worthians Charitable Trust, or just want to find out more; then do please contact me at worthsociety@worth.org.uk or take a look at the Community Support section of our website www.worthsociety.org.uk
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Worthians Rugby
Mary Lou Burge, Worth Society Manager
GAAs Awarded since 2010 2016-17 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
2015-16
Antonia Foldes (StM’11) – volunteering with TECHO in Colombia £2,100
2014-15
Peter Webb (C’14) – volunteering with the Manquehue Movement in Chile £1,000
Benjamin Booker (B’13) – volunteering with the Puericultorio JAVA Orphanage in Peru £500
Beatrice Lewers (StA’13) – volunteering with the Puericultorio JAVA Orphanage in Peru £500
Stephen Free (C’15) – working with VSO & ICS in Tanzania £500
Frances Oesterlin (StM’15) – teaching English in Cambodia £500
2013-14
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
The Adam Braverman Memorial Team and The WOBS All Stars
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omeone forgot to give the instructions to Adam Braverman’s Memorial team – as their full squad was kitted and booted and throwing the ball about well before sunrise. In contrast, the WOBS All Stars drifted in late as normal, only to discover that a couple of their key players were ‘ghosts’, and were unlikely to appear whatever the weather. And yes, the weather was set fair for the day, which was sure to be a hot one, with plenty of perspiration to come in the full 80-minute encounter.
Thomas Harrison (StB’92) – founding Fusion Enterprise Music & Drama Group for adults with learning disabilities £150 2012-13
Charlotte Bonhoure (StM’13) – working with the Manquehue Movement in Chile £750
Naomi Dring (StA’13) – volunteering for Worth Abbey’s ‘Outreach Peru’ programme in Peru £1,000
James Folger (B’10) – teaching English at schools in San Jose in Costa Rica £400
Ciaran Stordy (StB’12) – working with the Manquehue Movement in Chile £500
2011-12
Niamh Fogarty (StM’11) – volunteering with Tanzanian NGO, TanzEd £500
Xavier Geissmann (B’11) – working with the Manquehue Movement in Chile £700
Francis Dring (C’12) – volunteering with The Peru Mission in the Amazon £1,000
2010-11
Jack Clancy (F’11) – working for a remote Maasai community in Tanzania £900
Chris Napleton (C’11) – volunteering at an orphanage in Nepal £700
The Braverman team had gone for bulk in the front five with sizeable and experienced props Michael Downes, Fergus Batho & Craig Wells, and Dave Parker linking everything up at hooker, having dusted off his boots after a 20 year playing break. The second row power-supply would come from Sacha Nathan and skipper Richard Brown, and the back row looked decidedly potent with Craig Monteiro at 8 flanked by the formidable pairing of Pete Rankin and Jersey-export Harry Bonn – those four all 2005 Worth Leavers. Pretty boy halfbacks Duncan Robertson at 9 and silky Stef Humphries at 10 gave the team the link they wanted, with plenty of experience outside them in the form of Matthew Sprott and Chris Cheeseman; as well as two more 2005 Leavers, sevens specialist Mark Breen and Newark RFC’s stalwart George Russell. On the bench there was plenty of talent, and lots of spare players, including Jamie Bruce opting to don the Wooden Spoon shirt of the
2009-10 James Harrold (StB’10) – working with the Manquehue Movement in Chile £750
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Will Desmond (C’09) – working with Cross Purposes in the UK £400
Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
The Old Place
Bravs’ team rather than the blue-and-gold of the WOBS Army. In contrast again, the WOBS seemed to have some gaps in the forwards, so it was a blessing indeed that Marco Boodramsingh unexpectedly showed up to complete the front row with Giles Sacarello and Sandy Hills. Enda Parker was stolen from the Bravs team to partner Jonny Burbidge in the row; while the back row of Guy Evans, Tom Cruz and Tom Poynder looked good enough to match any team. Christian Killoughery and Rory Garratt provided the half back linkage, with a rock solid pairing of Andy Furness and James Kemp in the centres with skipper Ed Kemp at fullback. Veterans Lee Howard and Tom Calnan guarded the wings, while spectator Ed Gordon-Steward was co-opted into the team to add to the age profile of the squad, joining transfer-reserve Laurie Scanglia-Cook on the bench. Rumour has it that the average age of the WOBS squad increased by 5 and a half years simply as a result of EGS lacing-up his boots on the touchline, but what the old warrior lacked in youth he made up for in guile, enthusiasm and a robust pension plan. In the pre-match huddles both skippers (Richard Brown and Ed Kemp) exhorted their teams to play hard and fair – saying (quite independently) that Adam wouldn’t have wanted it any other way – with the result that the game started in a whirlwind of action. The early discipline
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Giles Sacarello with the ‘Spirit of WOBS Rugby’ trophy
Worthians Rugby continued
It wasn’t complacency from the WOBS, but in the second quarter the Bravs team found their rhythm, and started to apply their superior weight to break up the WOBS game. Notwithstanding this the WOBS held their ground for most of the quarter, but after losing Enda (broken nose) and then Poynder with a calf injury, the Bravs team made the breakthrough with a busting run from 10 metres out by Mike Downes getting a well-deserved try for making the hard yards down the middle all day. With that the spirits of the whole Bravs team were raised, taking their play to a higher level, and not long after, spurred by the high tempo game of Jamie Bruce having an inspired spell at fly-half, a second try was scored by the poacher scrum half Duncan unashamedly taking the glory for all the hard work from the forwards to bring the score to 17-15 to the WOBS at the turnaround. Game on. The WOBS now faced the daunting task of playing up the hill, and so needed to re-establish superiority which they managed early in the second half with another top class try. James Kemp, made a searing run down the WOBS left flank, beating several players on the way, but ten metres short of the try-line, James was smart enough to see that the covering full back Mark ‘massive calves’ Breen was going to nail him, so managed to deliver a left-footed cross-kick virtually over his own right shoulder to pitch the ball right in front of the posts. In true try-poaching spirit, Swanny was there to gather (with only the merest hint of a fumble off his knees) and dot down. The WOBS thus established a nine-point lead which would prove to be crucial to the result. Interestingly the three veterans, who had come to the game hoping for minor cameos as their contribution
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to the Memorial Celebration, found them covering the back three positions for lengthy periods, as well as a stint at number 8 for a bulked-up Lee Howard, whose powerful carries combined with trademark, sidestep were gaining more than a few yards. The stato’s in the team noted that their combined age was a remarkable 131 years (boosted by the twinkling toes and Anno Domini of EGS, now a mere 50 years old and still ever-sprightly, partly thanks to the youth-inducing properties of a diet consisting entirely of deep-fried Mars bars, haggis and Irn Bru). And those same stato’s afterwards reported the more amazing fact that the three spent a total of more than 180 minutes (out of a possible 240) on the pitch, delivering a suite of subtle plays and big hits throughout.
A Review of 2017-2018 Season
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fter narrow relegation from Surrey 2 the season before, the WOBS were looking to bounce straight back up to a league in which we firmly believe we belong. The season began with a trip to Battersea where a strong WOBS squad was too good for a decent London Media side, to deliver the perfect start to the season winning 27-10. A dominant win against Old Johnians at home continued our strong start.
Despite these brave endeavours in the WOBS camp, the momentum of the game was again shifting back to Bravs’ Boys, who soon broke back to 22-24 with a seven pointer. Once more the WOBS summoned new strength to score again with a second try from Guy Evans, ghosting over in true poacher’s style to re-establish the nine point margin of 31-22.
Next came Horley, a team we didn’t know very much about. This turned out to be one of the most important matches in our season and it came in a place where we didn’t expect it. After our two convincing wins, Captain Ed Kemp failed a late fitness test and the WOBS went into this game a little too confident. This was the smallest pitch we played on all season and probably the largest set of forwards we faced (barring Met Police) and this combination rattled the WOBS and we went down narrowly 29-21 despite a late comeback with a brace of tries in the last 10 minutes. We were back to winning ways against Merton at home, a tough team with some ‘history’ against us, and the team seemed to be back to normal after a comfortable 40-28 victory.
For the final five minutes Bravs Boys camped on the WOBS line, earning penalty after penalty as the WOBS threw themselves into the rucks and mauls. Eventually Pete Rankin who had played a Man of the Match performance, despite carrying a broken hand for most of the game, forced his way over. Soccer maestro Mark Breen casually slotted the conversion to narrow the score to 29-31, but the referee had called final play – and reluctantly could not allow the Memorial Team a final tilt at glory. ‘Final try wins it’ for an extra 5 minutes would have been a nice idea Rich, but both teams had had enough – with EGS now close to requiring actual life-support by this point - and the spectacle of a superb game played in exactly the right spirit had definitely been achieved, with fortune and Fortress Whiteley favouring the WOBS once again.
Undefeated Old Rutlishians were next and away from home our preparation was far from ideal. Late call ups to the squad included the two Cummins brothers who had convinced some gappies to have a run out. The only problem was their late arrival. Their car pulled up and 4 players spilled out (3 of whom were starting) just five minutes before kick-off. Luckily we found our stride quickly and led the game with an early try. However, perhaps due to his eagerness to impress, Tom Cummins received a yellow card for ‘slightly’ late tackle. Down to 14 men WOBS faced a strong fight back from Old Ruts, who levelled the scores by half time. The second half did not get any easier, because as soon as we had got Tom back and into his full flow we lost him for a second yellow (a very harsh decision). With our scrum struggling, to avoid injury we had to lose another man meaning we had 15 minutes to defend a 2 point lead with only 13 men. We held on after what felt like an hour to a monumental victory 23-21, sending a strong message to the rest of the teams in the league. A routine victory against Glyn followed before we travelled to the Met Police. The Met had another undefeated record that we wanted to break but we were unfortunate to go down to a tight 31-17 loss, again when coming back very strongly in the closing 15 minutes.
A great match and a fitting tribute to Adam who would have enjoyed every second of this 60 point thriller. After the game, Giles Sacarello was presented with the ‘Spirit of WOBS Rugby’ Trophy, which was accepted with some emotion by the well-deserved winner. A highly appropriate end to a fantastic afternoon in Adam’s memory. Adam’s sister Tamara movingly expressed the family’s feelings and gratitude as follows, “It was a wonderful day to come together to remember and celebrate Ads and we are so grateful for all your efforts.” The generous ‘Spirit of WOBS Rugby’ for Adam continued for the rest of the day’s activities, including a Raffle and a Charity Auction. Astoundingly, over £20,000 was raised for Adam’s nominated charities: Wooden Spoon (for children injured playing rugby) and Shallow Water Black-out Prevention.
This defeat sparked our longest winning run of the season where we comfortably defeated Croydon, Old Johnians, Horley and Merton amassing nearly 170 points. In the middle of this run came another famous away victory against our oldest enemy, Old Caterhamians. The pitch
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/adam-braverman www.shallowwaterblackoutprevention.org/ Desmond Calnan R’69 and Craig Monteiro ‘05
Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
The Old Place
was almost frozen, Caterham had supporters lined up on the side line and most of the squad were ready for a wellearned Christmas break and it certainly seemed that way at half time when the WOBS were 27-10 down. However, a fightback of the highest order, led by Player of the Season, Curtis Widmer, saw Worth come out on top 38-27 in which was probably the best half of rugby I have been involved in. Curtis seemed to leave player after player on the cold wet ground as well as a few bruised shoulders at least! After this impressive run of wins, promotion seemed a real possibility despite the relentless pace being set by Old Rutlishians and Met Police. Next was the former at home. It was clear they wanted revenge after our narrowest of victories earlier in the season and they spoiled our unbeaten home record with a comfortable 42-24 win. However, the WOBS knew we had to respond and we did by grinding out a very hard fought victory against the only undefeated side in the league, Met Police. The WOBS defended like banshees in this game against a side of large and nasty men. Our opponents did not like it, but we outplayed the best side in the league to win 22-14 and rejuvenate our promotion hopes. Routine wins against Old Glyn and Croydon followed – in the latter, we managed to pile 93 points on the rather sorry looking Croydon players. On to the big one, the penultimate game of the season, witnessed by the Vice Presidents after a hearty lunch. Worth played Old Caterhamians on what felt like the first day of summer with the conditions perfect for running and attacking rugby. This is exactly what the game produced. Both teams scored a number of exquisite tries which produced both cheers and groans from the increasingly rowdy WOBS supporters. The lead changed hands several times with both teams scenting victory. Unfortunately, at the all-important moment (the referee’s final whistle) it was Old Cats who had a very slender lead of 38-33. The WOBS took a lot of positives out of what was a damaging defeat, ending our hopes of promotion. Despite the bitter disappointment WOBS finished the season off in style thumping London Media 51-27 in a thoroughly professional performance. The WOBS can take a lot of heart and pride out of this season. We defeated every team in the league at least once showing that on our day we were the best side in the league. However, as so often is the problem, consistently getting the same players out week in and week out is something which eludes Worthians to this day. Added to that, a couple of large props would help! This truly is a remarkable Club and anyone who is interested in playing some good rugby and meet some old friends should not hesitate to join – all will be welcomed.
The following 40 Worthians represented Worthians RFC in the 2017-18 Season: Tom Calnan R’95 Giles Heather F’03 Dan Pring R’03 Jamie Bruce R’04 Craig Monteiro StB’05 Alex Williams R’06 James Henwood B’07 Sam Buckley F’09 Tom Cruz B’08 Tommy Ferguson F’08 Andy Furness F’08 Giles Sacarello StB’08 Kevin Danagher StB’09 Ed Kemp F’10 Chrstian Killoughery R’10 Alex Neville-Smith StB’10 Marco Boodramsingh C’11 Nick Elvidge C’11 Sanche de Montesquiou G’11 Tom Montgomery F’11 Dom Robinson B’11 Tom Cummins C’12 Eoin O’Connor F’12 Tom Poynder F’12 Ciaran Stordy StB’12 Ben Derbyshire C’13 Sandy Hills R’13 Angus Bonner R’14 James Kemp F’14 Hugh Murphy B’14 Fergus Murphy-Hunt F’14 Michael Ryan F’14 Dom Suckling B’14 Connor Thornton-Clark StB’14 Luke Cummins C’15 Tommy Ferguson C’15 Christy O’Brien R’15 Fergus Ryan B’15 George Suckling B’15 Will de la Haye G’16 Barney Elwes R’17 Nick Robinson
Of course, many thanks must go to Desmond Calnan who continues to run this brilliant Club with passion and determination. He is admirably supported by Giles Sacarello, whose efforts over the last few seasons have seen him win the inaugural ‘Spirit of WOBS Rugby’ award, and rise to Captain this season after Ed Kemp stands down after 3 excellent years of being a true leader on the field. James Kemp F’14
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and cohesion of the WOBS was the difference in the first quarter and they made the Bravs team pay heavily, by the simple expedient of tightening up the forward encounters until good ball was ready to go, and then attacking wide against the startled Bravs team. Within minutes Ed Kemp had touched down, followed soon after by Tom Calnan in the corner, and then a swivelling spinning try from Guy Evans – and the WOBS were suddenly in the lead 17-3 (from a Humphries penalty), and cruising. That second try was a strong contender for next season’s Pink Fluffy Cushion award – with winger Tom calling Rory at fly half to ignore his centres and kick to the right – for Tom to chase 30 metres to execute a ‘Folau-esque’ catch of the ball in the air at full speed, and then taking the defending full-back over the line with him to score in the corner. A strong Bravs defence ensured that nothing came down the middle so, with the early WOBS tries going round the outside or from kicks, there was a small measure of consolation for the Bravs team as they gathered under the sticks for the conversions.
The 2017/18 WOBS RFC Team
WOBS Summer Festival of Rugby
As with last year, James Kemp’s team took an early lead in the table with some superlative performances both in touch and contact games. However, the Fat Boys wanted to show they were not there just to make up the numbers and showed all present that wit and skill can trump youth to get an early win. Meanwhile on pitch 2 the Goats against the Young Boys was a very tightly contested game of touch on a full size pitch. It was an exhausting affair with the Goats edging the encounter with a last gasp try. After the first round of matches, the children’s programme kicked off with a tug of war. Some outstanding displays of strength were on show, and Desmond is very much hoping they will help solve the WOBS prop crisis in ten years’ time. Back on the rugby pitch and James Kemp’s team started to assert its dominance, winning all matches on their way to the final. They were joined there by the team of Tom Cruz,
2018 Season
The annual tug of war
the dark horses of the competition who had been stealthily dispatching their opponents all afternoon. It made for a fantastic final full of flash hands and carved lines, but in the end there could only be one winner, and it was the team of James Kemp that took the Silver Fox Trophy.
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he 4th annual WOBS Festival of Rugby took place on 1st September 2018, and Mother Nature was kind to us by softening up the pitches in the week, and gracing us with magnificent sunshine on the day. The tournament featured some impressive units such as the ‘Fat Boys’ team, the ‘Gotham City Goats’, and a 2018 School Leavers team amongst others all competing for the greatly coveted Silver Fox Trophy. A mix of touch and contact was played with some delightful skills on show across the board.
Worthians Cricket
Finally, some special mentions for those who helped make the day possible. Firstly, to everyone who came, players and spectators; without you all there, it would not have been such a fun day out. Secondly, thank you to the WOBS Committee for organising the day, it takes a fair amount of work to make it all possible. Thirdly, thank you very much to all those who volunteered on the day, you made the day much easier and ensured that everyone was sufficiently hydrated. Finally, thank you to the Silver Fox himself, Desmond Calnan. He puts in an incredible amount of work behind the scenes every week, and without him, the Club would struggle to get itself organised for not only the Festival, but also for the league campaign.
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he Worthians Cricket Team struggled to gain the participation required to fulfil its fixture list this season. As a result, the Worthians only fielded a team for one fixture, against the School’s 1st XI on Speech Day in May, which the Worthians won by 3 runs in a tightly contested match. The Worthians batted first and posted 106 for 6 wickets off their 20 overs. The Worthians then bowled out the School for 103 off 19.4 overs to secure a great win!
A quick last word to all those who played and are interested in playing. You are all welcome to play for the WOBS, we are always looking for new players. Let Desmond or one of the Committee know about your interest, come along to training on a Wednesday, and you’ll be pulling on the Blueand-Gold in no time. Up the WOBS!
Thanks to all those who participated. We are always looking to recruit new players of all abilities so please contact the Donegan Brothers for more information at: donegan.matthew@googlemail.com or lukedonegan95@gmail.com
Nicholas Elvidge C’11
Silver Fox Trophy Winners: (standing): Mia Ryan, Tom Poynder, Sandy (AF) Hills, Fergus Ryan, Barney Elwes, (Kneeling): James Kemp, Angus Bonner, Max Bergot
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Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
The following Worthians represented the Worthian Cricket Team during the 2018 Season: Tim Wall StB’84 William Dulley StB’08 Fraser Moyle R’08 Matthew Donegan StB’10 Christian Killoughery R’10 Dominic Baun F’12 Miles Bateson B’13 Luke Donegan StB’13 James Kemp F’14
The School 1st XI and Worthians 2018 Teams
The Old Place
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Worthians Golf
Worthians Squash
2017-2018 Season
2017-2018 Season
The 2017–2018 Season opened with the annual autumn weekend meeting held at Dale Hill Golf Club, a new venue for us. Eight members took part with Rupert Pridham G’81 carrying off the Worth Salver with a fine score of 37 Stableford points leaving Phil Davey F’04 in second place with 33 points. Nearest the pin prizes went to Rupert and Paul Moran G’94 with Phil’s brother, Patrick Davey C’01, winning a prize in the longest drive competition. The annual match against the Old Gregorians at Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club in April was keenly contested and after 36 holes of gruelling competition, not to mention an excellent lunch, a draw was declared. The Society was ably represented by Hugh Bett B’73, Dermot Flood C’77, Dominic Pasqua B’76, Simon Pickard StB’79, Joseph Rivers F’10, George Ross G’95, Sam Swadling B’07 and myself.
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n the 25th November 2017, we held the annual Worthians vs Worth students squash match. The Worthians fielded a strong team, featuring myself, Jeremy Dowling, Harry Fisher B’81, Simon Staveley C’94, and George Salimbeni F’11. The match featured some very good games, although the Worthians eventually completed a convincing victory. However there were some excellent victories for the students, including a sixth former beating his tutor!
The Dale Hill Autumn 2017 Meeting
The final event of the season was the Russell Bowl Catholic Public Schools 36 hole scratch foursomes competition held annually at Woking Golf Club in July. Hugh Bett, Phillip Davey, Peter Gottelier, Jeremy Man F’14, myself and Matthew Wood represented the Society. In the last few years Stoneyhurst have had difficulty in raising a team so this year St Georges Weybridge took their place and with a strong team had a convincing win over Worth, Ampleforth and Downside. I believe that they will take some beating in the future.
We are always keen to hear from Worthians keen to play squash in future matches so do get in touch with Mary Lou Burge at worthsociety@worth.org.uk to register your interest. Matt Doggett F’07 Matt Doggett, Jeremy Dowling and current Worth School squash players are looking forward to welcoming more Worthian players
If you are a golfer please consider this your invitation to join our Society as I feel sure that you would enjoy the golf which is played in a very social fashion allowing for all standards of play. Ken Ross G’65
Worthians Real Tennis
Email: kandbaway@gmail.com
2017-2018 Season
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In early May we took part in the annual Public Schools Grafton Morrish scratch foursomes competition at Knole Park Golf Club. This is a difficult format and again we failed to qualify for the final weekend knock out competition at Hunstanton in the autumn. To succeed in this event we need to enlist more low handicap golfers but nevertheless my thanks to Peter Gottelier R’70, Will Kelly F’02, Dominic Pasqua, Joseph Rivers, and Matthew Wood B’77 who with myself made up the team.
or those new to the game, Real Tennis is a sport that was first enjoyed in the cloisters of a 12th Century monastery – so it should chime well with Worthians. The Worthian squad have enjoyed some notable successes. Paul Cattermull StB’73 and Tom Carew Hunt StB’02 reached the Final of the Schools’ Alumni Real Tennis Competition (Handicap) in January 2018 beating Eton, Rugby, Clifton, Marlborough and Highgate in a field of over 20 public schools, but were eventually beaten by The King’s School Canterbury.
Two weeks later the Society held the 21st Spring Meeting at Moor Park Golf Club who have hosted this popular event for the last fourteen years. Twelve members participated and The Worth Rose Bowl was won by George Ross with 33 Stableford points with Simon Pickard and myself in second and third places respectively. Dominic Pasqua, George Ross and Matthew Wood carried off prizes for nearest the pin.
They are keen to hear from Worthians who would like to get involved in this ancient sport. If you are interested in finding out more then do please email Tom Carew Hunt at tomcarewhunt@gmail.com
George Ross being presented with The Worth Rose Bowl at Moor Park by his father Ken
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embers of the Worthians Golfing Society continue to take part in various events throughout the year. Membership has grown slightly but the Society needs new blood if it is to remain viable in the future. Interestingly, our society is not the only one experiencing little growth in membership which is probably part and parcel of a general trend away from golf for which many clubs in the UK are having to make financial adjustments. Nevertheless our participating members have again enjoyed the season and my thanks to them for their support.
Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
Tom Carew Hunt and Paul Cattermull (on the right) with the victorious pair from The King’s School Canterbury
The Old Place
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The following Worthians played in the 2018 Worthians Netball Season:
Worthians Netball 2018 Season
Maddy Ilsley StM’10 Hannah Nottage StM’11 Tess Ryan StM’11 Tilly Butcher StM’12 Elaine Yim StA’12 Kate Hamilton StM’13
Katie Kenward StA’13 Bea Lewers StA’13 Lizzie Narbeth StM’13 Mia Ryan StM’13 Mia Wilcox StA’15
Meet Anthony McGrath StB’68 Gardener Extraordinaire
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he Worth Girls Alumni Netball Team started their first London league this year and it has been a massive success! We’re up against 8-10 other teams during the whole season, playing one 40 minute game every Monday in Victoria starting between 6.30pm and 8pm. It is a great way to start the week and catch up with other Worth alumnae. We currently have 14 girls in our squad and would love to get more year groups involved. If you fancy a fun Monday evening (for a change!) get in touch with one of us below and we’ll see you on court! Tess Ryan: tesscsryan@gmail.com Bea Lewers: beatriceplewers@gmail.com Mia Ryan: miaryan22@gmail.com Some words from the team... “Netball is the best way to brush off the Monday blues, keep fit and catch up with friends on a regular basis”
• Left Worth in 1968 after 10 years (Prep, Chapman & St Bedes)
“So much fun playing with leavers from different year groups and getting to know everyone. We have catch ups before and after our games and are massively improving on court each game. Definitely a highlight of my week!”
• Completed a Maths degree at Surrey • Became a Chartered Accountant • Had a “very enjoyable” career in banking including Barings until its collapse in 1995
“Gets rid of my Monday blues, I love being part of a team and getting to know the girls who weren’t in my year at Worth”
• Went back to University upon retirement and completed a Doctorate in Art History at Sussex
“Who knew Mondays could be so much fun. It has been a fantastic opportunity to meet girls from different years and play netball (competitively) again. As a team we have improved so much since we started 12 weeks ago and I can’t wait to see us climbing to the top of the league soon! Thank you Tess for organising the team - the first season has been a ball!”
• Trustee and Treasurer of The Kings Fund for 7 years • Now a Trustee of The London Library • Married to Maggie and father to Pip and Tom StB’96 • Now the proud Grandfather of 4 • Has spent the last 28 years creating an idyllic garden in the heart of the Sussex countryside
We are also going to be organising non-sporting drinks and events so if you would like to hear about these make sure you’ve joined the Worthian Girls Facebook group and keep an eye out for emails with more info. Tess Ryan StM’11
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The Old Place
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Meet Anthony McGrath StB’68 Gardener Extraordinaire continued
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aving put out the call to the Class of 1968 to attend our 50 Year Reunion Lunch in June, Anthony McGrath StB’68 duly signed up but with the caveat that he may have to dash off mid-course to show people around his garden. Despite thoroughly enjoying his reconnection with some of his old chums, that was unfortunately what he subsequently had to do. Wondering what the huge attraction of his garden was and realising that he was only a short drive from Worth, I felt compelled to be nosey and asked if I could come and have a look. So on a blisteringly hot summer’s morning Fr Kevin and I arrived at Town Place, the McGrath’s gorgeous 17th Century Sussex farmhouse near Sheffield Park, for coffee and a tour. When Anthony and his lovely wife Maggie arrived in 1990 there was not much in the 3 acres except a large expanse of lawn, the old farm pond, an orchard, a sunken rose garden and a few planted beds – so pretty much a blank canvas. Despite a busy banking career in the City and early morning and late evening commutes to and from London, Anthony’s weekends were taken up with further hard graft. Both he and Maggie had grown up with parents who were keen gardeners, which partly fuelled their interest, but over 28 years they have worked together to create a garden of incredible quality, beauty and character that now has an international reputation. There is a treasure trove of planting and a story in every corner of this very English garden. The Rose Garden contains more than 400 roses of 47 different cultivars and the sunken rose garden contains more than 150 plants with some unique ramblers adorning the pergolas. The main herbaceous border is 45 metres (150 feet) long with purples and blues as the key tones with salvias and thalictrums amongst others backing onto a tapestry hedge. They were all flowering at their peak when we visited and magnificently framed the lawn. The idea for ‘The Circus’, containing yew topiary inspired by the sculptures of Henry Moore, came from one of Roy Strong’s books. Anthony met Strong a couple of years ago and having told him that he’d actually used his idea got the reply “well it is a rather good one”. One of the projects of which Anthony is most proud is growing a hornbeam ‘ruined’ Romanesque church with adjoining cloisters, called ‘Toune Priory’, that was started in 2001. (‘Toune’ or ‘Town’ is from the old English word ‘tun’ meaning farm or settlement). He and Maggie researched and planned it over a holiday one year – I did wonder whether Anthony’s Benedictine education had in some way inspired this particularly monastic folly. The original farm pond, now called ‘The Dell’ features an
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800 year old hollow oak which the McGrath’s grandchildren often use as a hiding place, despite having their very own Wendy House complete with upstairs and a slide exit!
the garden’s giant Chess Board. There were so many highlights to Town Place garden, but for me turning a corner and finding myself in front of small wooden door and the entrance into the Secret Garden topped them all; the Moroccan-inspired water feature and welcoming bench would make the perfect place to escape from the world. The intoxicating scent from the camomile path in the Herb Garden was just another unexpected delight. It really is no wonder that they have raised an incredible £13,000 for charity just this year through their open days.
The very latest addition to the garden are 3 statues; one young woman representing Music, and a schoolgirl representing Astronomy, standing either side of a classical figure representing Mathematics, albeit with a head that bears a resemblance to Toyah Willcox. Named A Modern Quadrivium, they were designed by Anthony and created in bronze-resin by a Bosnian sculptor and stand elegantly on sparkling white pebbles in front of a yew hedge, close to
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The McGrath’s passion for gardening is infectious and the “huge fun” that they get from working together on this on-going project forms the bedrock of their obvious happiness. They have created their own Eden in their back garden. Town Place Garden is open to the public on selected days of the year through the National Garden Scheme (NGS) https://www.ngs.org.uk/find-a-garden/garden/13327/ Mary Lou Burge, Worth Society Manager
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improvement in academic results, it seemed like a very natural choice.
Relative Values Sebastian Bailey attended Worth from 1985 to 1993 in Junior House and then Rutherford House. He went on to read Psychology with Cognitive Science at University College London and completed a PhD in Psychology & Education at the University of Bristol. He is a co-founder of Mind Gym which combines the best of psychology with the latest in consumer marketing. Sebastian’s daughter, Genevieve Bailey, joined Worth in 2017 and is in St Anne’s House. Sebastian My parents decided they’d had enough of me swinging from the doors at home and felt that a boarding school was better placed to channel my energy. My mother is Maltese and my father is English/French, and so they wanted a school that had a Catholic ethos and was close to London where we lived. I arrived at Worth in 1985. There were then around 360 boys at the School. Junior House was in the clock tower, the sports hall started construction a couple of years after I joined, and there was a general air of friendly incompetence. Over my time at Worth I made some life-long friends, and almost all happy memories: the energy and buzz of a sevens competition; acting in ‘Journey’s End’, chemistry experiments that purposefully ended with an explosion; the commitment of a teacher to get me through Physics ‘A’ level; the rogues’ gallery that was my Sixth Form corridor; the comedy of the inter-house music competition; the anticipation of a school dance; the warmth of an old lady I visited as part of voluntary service; laughing until I cried at a Balloon debate; the adventure of DofE expeditions; the RS lesson which piqued my interest in personality, and prompted me to explore a career as a Psychologist; and the business simulation in our Upper Sixth that gave me a glimpse of entrepreneurship. After Worth I read Psychology at University College London, and then got a job with a business psychology consultancy in London. A few years after that I co-founded Mind Gym and also moved into a flat with a friend from Worth. He played cupid when he introduced me to his unexpectedly attractive cousin, now my wife, Juliet. Two beautiful baby girls followed quickly, as did a move to the US to grow my business there. After six years stateside, Juliet decided it was time to return to the UK, and so we looked for a school for our girls. Worth has a kinship for us - plenty of Juliet’s family are Worth alumni too. The connection feels strong. With the arrival of girls and day pupils, along with a significant
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Genevieve is curious and has a love of observing and learning. After her first couple of days at the School, she came back and said, “Daddy, I like the Head Master, but he seems a bit worried.”
When it comes to the crunch…
“What makes you say that, sweetheart?”, I said. “Well Daddy, the Head Master said that everyone can be a bit apprehensive on their first day back at school. Even he is. And that’s a bit different from America where everyone is like, ‘We’re gonna have sooo much fun! We’re gonna fill everyone’s heads with best stuff EVER. High five! Woooo! Let’s go learn!’”.
Let’s chat to Gareth Maguire B’97 – Commercial Marketing Director Kellogg UK
I loved our time in the States, but it’s nice to be home. Genevieve I was born in 2005, lived in an apartment for about two years, before moving to a family home in London. It was my entire world, until disaster struck – my Dad had decided to move his job to America. This really shook my perception of the microscopic world I knew, consisting of Waitrose, primary school and Peppa pig. After moving to America when I was six, I made some great friends that I still keep in touch with now. I had always been told what an amazing place Worth was, and how it would shape my future for the better - in short, you could say I was excited to come. Finally, after making the second big change in my life, moving back to the UK, I came to the School only heard about in prophecies, Worth.
Looking back at your time at Worth what are your fondest memories? There are lots to choose from, I feel very fortunate to be able to look back at nearly all my time at Worth with fond memories. Games were clearly a highlight, I loved the ability to play and compete in almost any sport – I think I tried my hand at nearly all of them in my time there including rugby, football, cricket, basketball, fencing and track and field events. On top of the ability to indulge my favourite hobby, fishing, each Wednesday afternoon was a real bonus. If I was lucky, I used to come back to school with a few trout in my bag. I can remember one of my end of term reports stated ‘Gareth’s knowledge of Latin won’t set the Thames on fire, but he does show promise in a career as a fishmonger’! Overall my abiding memory is one of great friendships & camaraderie, a great pastoral care environment from the staff and monks alike so it felt like a home from home, and a fantastic breadth of experience from academic, sports, music, travel, drama & arts and social events.
So, you may be wondering how I could’ve been so hyped about coming. My Dad has told me so many stories, including how much fun he had, that he learnt lots and got up to a fair amount of mischief. Dad is super cool. I have so many great Worth people in my life, including my grandpa and Mum’s godfather who came to the Prep School, and my Mum’s cousins, one of whom was Head Boy at one time (Robert G’94 and Eon G’96 Carson). It makes Worth feel even more special to know that so many of the people I know and love came here, just at a different time - to think, I could be doing the same thing they were.
..and your least fondest? Staying in on a Saturday night was always a bit dull (usually my own fault for getting gated!) – but got more interesting in the sixth form when we had dances. We had a 20 year reunion recently and some folks brought photos of us at the dances… what were we thinking with our ridiculous hair and outfits? I’m surprised any of the girls wanted to come at all, we seemed to be in competition to see who could look the scruffiest.
I see quite a few old Worth boys and they’re all friendly, optimistic, hard-working, and extrovert. They also seem to have a sense of adventure and have morals. The day I started Worth, I woke up at six and couldn’t stop smiling. I was just too excited. About the people I’d meet, the things I would learn and what I could beat my Dad at. My first day was amazing, I felt at home right away. Worth week was inspiring, and really helped me meet new people. Once lessons started, my attention was grabbed by the great teachers and the funny classmates. I made some great friends and settled in nicely. This year, I’ve met so many new people, made some first-rate friends and have (I hope) made them feel welcome too.
Was there one individual who influenced you more than any other? Looking back, a few individuals pop out in my mind for having made the most impact on how I turned out – I have to specifically call out Seb Watts, a brilliant Housemaster for Butler, and one who was very popular with my year for his care and direction during our time there. It was great to see him at our 20 year reunion, and testament to his popularity how pleased everyone was to see him there
The thing I’m most looking forward to at the moment is the Worth Live Lounge, which is a singing show, along with the battle of the bands. I think it’ll be really funny and fun.
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Gareth with his favourite cereal
A big catch while fishing with son Finlay
When it comes to the crunch… continued too. In my early years Matron Sweetman, Fr Benedict and Nick Evans ran a brilliant prep school for new boarders away from home for the first time like myself. Later in school I really enjoyed spending time with Bobby Acworth who encouraged my passion for country sports. Fr Martin was a great chaplin for Butler House, a very kind and spiritual man. Last, but not least, I should call out my excellent sixth form A level teachers; Mr Denman, Dr Doggett, and Dr Fieldhouse who kept me on the rails and got me over the line!
Gareth at Worth c. 1995
What was your journey from Worth to Kelloggs? In 1997, I went up to the University of Edinburgh, where I studied Biology (but mostly played rugby and worked in a fishing tackle shop and ghillied!). I met my now wife, Genevieve, while spending a summer working in Boston Mass., USA. After university in 2001, I worked for the UN World Health Organisation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the Polio Vaccination team. It was an incredible experience, not only to see every corner of this fascinating country, but also play my part in the eradication of this terrible disease. After a year, in 2002, I took up a position with Procter & Gamble in Marketing, based in Geneva, Switzerland. I worked on laundry detergents for several years – household names like Ariel, Daz & Lenor, an incredible privilege looking back on it now to have such responsibility on big businesses at a young age, and the opportunity to work and travel internationally. We moved to Harrogate, then Dublin (where my son Finlay was born), then back to Geneva where I took up a role running Pringles crisps in Europe and the Middle East.
My daughter Cecily was born in Geneva in 2011. In 2012, Kellogg acquired the Pringles brand from P&G, and I opted to go with it, and set up the new Kellogg office in Geneva for Europe. After a year, they asked me to go to the Kellogg UK HQ in Manchester – I said yes (after asking Genevieve first of course!) – even though I’d never set foot in Manchester before in my life… All I can say is, what a great move – we love life in the North West, our youngest, Felicity, was born here in 2014, and we are fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the world with some great new friends. After stints running the snacks and cereal businesses, I’m now the Marketing Director for Kellogg UK & Ireland overseeing all our brands. Was there anything from your education at Worth that you feel particularly helped you on that journey? On reflection, I think Worth was a very social environment, with lots of interaction with people from different backgrounds and across nationalities. I think this helped me feel comfortable in new environments and countries where I was based. Of the issues facing the cereal industry, the biggest must surely be childhood obesity. What are Kelloggs doing to help reduce the amount of sugar in their products? Topical question! Yes, the increased incidence in childhood obesity is a concern for everyone, and the longer term implications it poses. We are doing a lot in this space and driving it ahead of the industry – we’ve taken bold steps, like reducing the sugar on our #1 kids cereal brand CoCo Pops by 40%, and even discontinuing the sale of high sugar Ricicles in 2018. We’ve launched new ‘no added sugar’ granola products which are selling
well, and are very careful to ensure that we don’t advertise our higher sugar products in children’s airtime. We work closely with the government and key NGOs to make sure we are moving our portfolio in the right direction nutritionally. Are you currently working on any particularly interesting new projects? One of our key projects for next year is in the area of fibre and gut health. Science is uncovering more and more linkage between the importance of a high fibre diet (best served by Bran Flakes!), and its impact on your gut microbiome, that is, the bacteria which live in the gut. Scientists now think that this microbiome is like a 6th organ, playing a key role in overall health and wellness, not only for digestion, but other physiological functions such as energy levels, mood, sleep, and weight loss. This science is gaining traction, with more consumer awareness through the media, and we are working with important influencers to make sure that Kellogg high fibre cereals are their recommended ‘go to’ option for consumers to increase their daily fibre intake. How will Brexit affect the UK cereal market?
overconsumption of the time in nearby industrial cities such as Chicago and Detroit. A billionaire by today’s standards, he gave all his money away; a 1/3 of our company shareholding is the WK Kellogg Foundation, the 7th biggest charity in North America, bequeathing US$400 million a year to good causes. A favourite part of my job is going to visit one of the 3,500 primary school breakfast clubs that we support in the UK, meeting the pupils and staff, and while its always uplifting to be there, it’s also sad to realise that without these breakfast clubs being provided, there are a lot of kids who would be going to school on an empty stomach. What’s your favourite cereal (assuming you eat it!)? Easy one. Old school; I love cornflakes, with ice cold milk, sliced banana, and honey drizzled on top. If I don’t have time, then Crunchy Nut Cornflakes. What do you do in your spare time (if you get any)? Luckily, my son really enjoys fishing too… so I have the perfect excuse to go fishing every weekend guilt free! I coach the local U9 rugby team, and the rest of my spare time is going to and from ballet with my daughters, to and from kids’ parties, and cooking for friends and family.
Right now, it’s hard to say. There’s a lot of speculation, changing day by day, on what the implications could be for a company like ours and our consumers in the UK and Ireland. The ramifications, and what we have to provision for, could be widespread; currency value changes, import and export tariffs, workforce (EU/UK factory workers, hauliers, and agricultural labourers), slowdowns at border crossings to and from the UK, and then the knock on impact that it may have on consumer confidence & spending. That said, it is what it is, and my job is to get on with planning to navigate it successfully. The reassurance for me is that not only has Kellogg been in the UK market for nearly 100 years with high quality breakfast cereals, UK consumers love their cereal (its in 96% of households every month), so I’m sure that they will continue to enjoy it after March 2019 all the same. As an employer what is Kellogg like to work for? Kellogg is a fantastic company with a rich heritage. Not many people know the story of our founder, William Keith Kellogg (such is the modest nature of my midWest colleagues), and how he formed the company. He was a vegetarian and health food pioneer, founding the company along with his sanatorium in Battle Creek Michigan in 1898, to drive a healthier alternative to the
Visiting a primary school breakfast club
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The Maguire family are now all enjoying life in Manchester
The Old Place
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Iceland: A Trek across the Highland Interior
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he first question our friends and family asked when we told them we were planning to walk across Iceland was, why? Our answer was simple: why not? Despite completing our university degrees both of us were still undecided on which path to take next. We had always jumped on any opportunity to explore the great outdoors and our social media feeds were packed with photos and articles of people escaping the day-to-day grind of normal life and travelling the world in new and wonderful ways. Without any major commitments we felt this was the ideal time to undertake something daring. The problem was we had plenty of time but not a lot of money, we needed an adventure but one that wouldn’t cost us the world. It had to be close, for inexpensive flights, and the nature of it had to be basic but still exciting. I think we both knew hiking was inevitable but there had to be another mode of transport to break the monotony. Cycling appealed but our lack of off-road bikes and the logistics of getting them to the start point turned us to something completely different: pack rafts. There appeared to be an upward trend of explorers using this mode of transport on a variety of expeditions and we too were taken in by the allure of travelling by water. Now we just had to decide where. After consulting google
maps our thoughts were drawn back to July 2008 when Mr Andrew Lavis took us on a school geography trip to Iceland. The trip took us to the most wonderful and aweinspiring sites Iceland had to offer, yet we felt we moved too fast to get a real feel for the island. So back to Iceland it was, but that school trip could never have prepared us for the magnitude of isolation and hardship we would later encounter. We began our attempt to walk and kayak from Akureyri in the north of Iceland to Vik on the southern coast on 23rd May 2017. Despite the weight we had been training with, our bags were a monstrous 40kgs and the rhetorical ‘have we bitten off more than we can chew?’ was evident in our expressions as well as the plastic buckle on Jack’s bag which pinged across the hostel floor as he strapped the beast to his back. 21kms was our daily quota if we were to keep on track to Vik. It doesn’t sound like a lot but when you’re carrying almost half your body weight, more than half in Jack’s case, it’s a Herculean task. We were as mercenary with our kit as we could be but the lion’s share of the weight, the food and the kayaks, were essential to the success of the trip.
Chris standing 4 miles from Laugafell hot springs after an 11-hour slog
thick gravel bog, followed by thunder and torrential rain over unsteady ice and snow. We lost the road frequently as it became submerged and even when we found it, it followed a treacherous route. The cold got to us, the hunger, the weight of our packs and the uncertainty of direction but what choice did we have but to push on. We made it that day to Laugafell, a natural hot spring situated miles away from the nearest inhabited town. It was a beacon of hope for us on that particular day and it didn’t disappoint. We treated ourselves to a rest day there, soothing aches and pains in the hot spring, drying all our sodden kit and repairing any injuries we sustained as best we could.
Both of us kept journals while on the trip and if ever you decide to go on an adventure I would urge you to do the same. It isn’t just for the sake of keeping a record; it becomes a cornerstone of familiarity when putting oneself through the unfamiliar. Jack’s journal read like an officer on a tour of duty while mine was like a character from a Victorian novel going through a difficult time. Comparing notes was an entertaining way to forget about the gruelling journey; because it was indeed gruelling and unrelenting in its difficulty. It took us four days to reach the Highlands, unaware we were walking up the longest fjord in Iceland – Eyjafjördur.
With all the pain and difficulty we were putting ourselves through it was very much our opinion and our hope that the kayaks would be a relief from this. In all the expeditions I’ve undertaken there has been adversity, but there is always a payoff to balance the scales. The very idea of floating down a river with the kayaks bearing all our weight sounded like paradise. From Laugafell it was two more days of hiking over unforgiving ground before we could achieve that paradise and there was plenty to test our mettle and our wits between now and then.
Every day we stopped to set up camp, broken from our efforts, but it is incredible how hot food and shelter can raise the spirits again, convincing us that things were not so bad and tomorrow might bring a more favourable leg of the journey. On average we were consuming about 1,200 calories a day and probably expending at least twice that, so hunger was an inevitable enemy we taught ourselves to cope with. Breakfast was some form of muesli or granola, dinner came in a variety of rehydrated delicacies and throughout the day we were allowed half a packet of biscuits each.
When we finally reached the river that marked the start of our kayaking we were relieved but also nervous. A lot rested on this leg of the trip and if it didn’t work out there was no back up plan. Pushing off from the shore
The first day in the Highlands, my journal reads ‘The Day from Hell’, we endured baking heat while walking through Saying goodbye to our noble steeds - somewhere in the middle of nowhere
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with all our kit strapped to the kayaks we caught the current and the river carried us briskly downstream. It was an exhilarating feeling and everything we hoped it would be, but only for a short while. The route we had chosen followed both rivers and lakes. There was the option to use another river, the Porsa, but this had many waterfalls and rapids and given our lack of experience we thought it wise to avoid it. Regardless of which route we picked the water temperature was freezing and still contained floating blocks of ice. My kayak in particular was over-loaded and constantly dipped under the water at the front making the going tough. We covered a lot of ground in a short space of time and we navigated our fair share of rapids but we were being foolish. We weren’t prepared for these temperatures and our kayaks were not designed for use on any rapids at all. As the river opened out onto the vast expanse of water at Kvislavatn Lake we felt completely dwarfed by the landscape that engulfed us. The cold was seeping into our bones and we made a line for the shore, spying a small building in the distance as our marker – the first sign of any civilisation for days. When we made it to the shore we were both convulsing from the cold that had now numbed our feet and hands and worryingly started to slow our minds as simple tasks became incredibly difficult. We had to get the tent up, get out of our wet clothes and warm up or else hypothermia
A welcome rest day at Laugafell hot springs
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A Boyhood Dream Come True Working with Aboriginal Communities
Iceland: A Trek across the Highland Interior continued might set in. We both knew this marked the beginning of the end of our trip. The kayaking, which we had idealised as the saving grace of the trip, turned out to be riddled with even more suffering and we simply had to say enough is enough. Our objective now was to get to the nearest point of civilisation, because just saying the trip was over didn’t mean we were out of the woods. We were still 70kms from the closest inhabited place. Our bags still weighed a significant amount and despite increasing our food rations we needed to take more radical action if we were going to make it out. So we left the kayaks behind. 12kgs each was shed from our packs and not an ounce of regret remained; our packs still weighed around 25kgs or
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more but it felt like we were walking on air. We covered 35kms a day for two days before flagging down the first friendly vehicle we saw once hitting smooth tarmac.
n 2012 I relocated to Perth, Western Australia, with an underlying love of that land from my childhood memories, reading books and the stories I’d been told. After relocating, I found myself working for a charity called Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA), Australasia’s largest practical conservation organisation.
In all the adventures and expeditions I have done I have rarely known defeat. There’s been hardship, adversity, doubt for certain, but never failure. I think we both thought we would be sorely disappointed with this outcome and while we were certainly not elated it has only strengthened our resolve to learn from our mistakes and to undertake greater adventures in the future.
CVA provides the opportunity for the local and wider community to engage in conservation projects across Australia; from habitat restoration, disaster recovery,
education and training, coasts, wetlands, bush, desert – CVA does it all through volunteers. CVA’s projects are funded through various levels of government, the corporate sector and philanthropic partnerships and is very much a peoples organisation; people come together to socialise, share stories, provide advice, increase physical fitness, and improve mental wellbeing. This social get-together also provides great environmental outcomes; 2017 saw a million native
Chris Napleton C’11 and Jack Udale B’11
30kms from the nearest road, Chris takes a break Infilling ‘goat track’ with native plants for erosion control management and access control at Rottnest Island
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A Boyhood Dream Come True continued
With participants in the JBAC Community Project
trees planted, 2,300 environmental surveys completed, and 1.4 tonnes of native seeds collected for propagation. During the past 6 years working with CVA, my most rewarding work and boyhood dream was supporting the preservation of Aboriginal cultures and leading and managing projects that saw Aboriginal people back on country and connected to country. Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders were Australia’s First People. One of, if not the, oldest cultures still present, at over 40,000 years old. Australia held over 300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander countries before the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet. Aboriginal people are said to be one of the first waves of early humans to have left Africa and travelled down through Asia. Custodians of the Australian land, Aboriginal people are deeply connected to the land through their culture. Natural conservationists, Aboriginal people developed a sophisticated society based around cultural lore (law), a society that worked around no currency, everything equal, a social ideal. They were by no means the ‘hunter gatherers’ as they are often depicted, but farmers of the natural world with an impressive sustainability system.
Native Revegetation and Tree Guarding, Rottnest Island
Before native nursery construction, Jarlmadangah Burru Community
Construction nearly complete, Jarlmadangah Burru Community
Aboriginal Land and Sea Council Native Title Body to skill the Noongar community to be employed as Rangers when Native Title was settled.
allowance, to undertake practical conservation land management activities across Australia from metropolitan centres to remote communities.
The State Government was amazed at the project’s success especially considering the chequered history of Rottnest Island, which affected Aboriginal communities across Western Australia. Within 6 months of the participants graduating from the program, 80% had secured employment. The graduation ceremony was attended by Wadjuk Elders and traditional foods were served – Kangaroo Stew, Damper and (my favourite) coal roasted Kangaroo Tail (skin left on).
In 2015, I was appointed as the State Green Army Coordinator managing 58 projects, 11 of which saw me managing remote programmes with the Kimberley Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (North East Western Australia), Walkatjurra Rangers (Leonora, Western Australia) and Jarlmadangah Burru Aboriginal Corporation (Kimberley, North East Western Australia). The Green Army Programme was an excellent way for remote Aboriginal communities to develop and build upon their Ranger programmes. A Ranger Team structure was either already in place, or CVA supported the development of a Ranger Programme.
The Rottnest Island Aboriginal Training Program ended in September 2013, from 2013-2018 Chevron successfully sponsored a further 15 12-week conservation programme on the mainland.
The Jarlmadangah Burru Community (JBC) is approximately 1,506 miles North East of Perth, Western Australia and approximately 157 miles East of the region’s largest town Broome. The community has a total
In 2014, CVA was awarded the Federal Government Green Army Programme to primarily engage with 17-24 year olds. This was a 20-week programme, earning an
population of around 120 people, the region is home to the Nyikina people. The Green Army projects at JBC provided paid work opportunities for community members to protect and conserve natural habitat and cultural heritage of the National Heritage listed Fitzroy River floodplain and increase the participation of remote Aboriginal communities (JBC, Looma and Camballin) in cultural and conservation activities. These projects provided cultural awareness to community members while providing natural resource management skills. Remote communities have very high unemployment rates and low opportunities for paid work or training. The JBC Green Army projects saw 3 Supervisor employed by CVA and 12 paid participants recruited. The JBC Green Army projects were challenging to manage; 1) The locality - the CVA office in Western Australia is in Perth, 2) Dirt roads being cut off due to flood waters, 3) No mobile reception and 4) Temperamental telephone connection and internet access. I was required to travel to JBC on numerous occasions driving through herds of cattle that stubbornly stood on the highway. The JBC Green Army Programme projects allowed for sustainable cultural practices to take place in seed collection and native plant propagation. JBC continues to build resource and infrastructure for the community allowing members to take part in cultural practices to develop for future generations.
In 2013, funded by a government grant, I was assigned to support the management of an Aboriginal Training Programme. The programme saw 10 Noongar men and women, predominately Wadjuk people to undertake conservation activities, mainly native revegetation on Rottnest Island – 16kms directly west off Perth in the Indian Ocean.
My engagement with Aboriginal communities through working with CVA has opened my eyes to a people who are more susceptible to suicide, domestic violence, substance abuse and discrimination. This is down to the fragmentation of their traditional culture. Luckily, there are an array of organisations that support opportunities for the Aboriginal people and government initiatives like the Green Army Programme that provided a significant opportunity for remote communities across Australia.
From 1838, Rottnest Island served as a prison for Aboriginal people across the state of Western Australia. Roughly 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys from ages 8 to 70 were imprisoned and put to work mining limestone for the Colony. The prison closed in 1931 leaving 400 Aboriginal bodies buried in unmarked graves on the island, Australia’s largest mass burial site. It is a place of sorrow for Western Australia’s Aboriginal people, the participants of the programme saw it as their duty to heal the land.
CVA and CVNZ offer opportunities for overseas volunteers to come to Australia or New Zealand to make a positive impact on the Australian and New Zealand environment with regional trips available to visit some of Australia’s and New Zealand’s most beautiful landscapes. If you would like to get involved or find out more please visit www.cva.org.au or www.cvnz.org.nz for more information.
The programme targeted Noongar people at a troubled time in their life; long-term unemployed, recently released prisoners, recovering alcoholics or drug users. The project ran 3 days a week for 12 weeks, providing practical conservation land management experience and skills with accredited training in chainsaw operation, chemical application, first aid and workplace health and safety. This programme partnered with the South West
Tristan Duke StB’02
Tristan with his Training Group
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Worth’s Youngest Entrepreneur
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The soon to be launched AVA-Connect
fter spending a wonderful time at St John’s Beaumont Preparatory School, I joined Worth in 2012. This was the start of many great achievements and challenges that have allowed me to become the enthusiastic, driven, and motivated entrepreneur I am today. After finding my feet as a boarder in Rutherford House and beginning life with my new extended family of my Housemaster Mr Cummins and my dear new friends, I started to discover what I really wanted to do with my time and what I enjoyed most. In sports I played rugby, and I have a great passion for cycling. But after the London 2012 Olympics a new sport really emerged for me, wrestling! I enrolled for training sessions and in a very short space of time I achieved medals as British and Welsh Champion repeatedly. This really boosted my stamina and was a great lesson in how much effort and patience was needed to invest in tasks to succeed, and to never give up, no matter what. Like so many, I love listening to music, but I also love making music with different packages. Back in 2013 I had
The prototype headphones under review by experts
Maahan in his ‘day job’ as a researcher in Biomedicine and medical student
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Meeting inspiring business people like Baroness Brady
Maahan’s range of ground coffees
the honour of working with Mr Oakley and Mr Matthews whilst studying Music and Music Technology for iGCSE. I became fascinated by headphone technology, how noise cancelling works, and quality of a clear sound. I began investigating what I was missing when making tracks and discovering what good sound quality should truly be defined as. Through experiments, research and studies I managed to develop a very bespoke and unique prototype headphone that has managed to successfully achieve a far superior performance than before with respect to sound quality, sound enhancement and noise isolation without the need for active noise cancelling technologies. The latest prototypes are currently under review by experts in the industry who have complimented the unique sound profile these headphones can achieve. So following on from this success I decided to establish a company, Ava Audio Ltd.
My most recent project is an exclusive telecoms and internet service, called AVA-Connect, which will provide huge savings on home and mobile devices and will be launched officially in the near future.
But my launching of new products didn’t stop there. I have subsequently worked on power banks the size of a small credit card, and started a business supplying freshly roasted 100% Arabica ground coffee, ethically sourced from around the world. This includes a coffee with big notes of raspberry jam from an incredible all-female cooperative in Peru.
Maahan Mirnezami R’16
Through all my exciting and rewarding ventures I have met many celebrities and well-known business people who have been a great support to me. But I am still very much a student, as a researcher in Biomedicine in one of the best leading research universities in London, UCL. I have also managed to accomplish my first two modules of Foundation in Medicine in a collaborative program with Harvard University, being the youngest student to have been involved in this course which has opened new doors in my academic life on a global scale. The future looks bright with a whole world of possibilities, so watch this space!
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The Secret Surfer
The Wisdom of Love in the Song of Songs
Iain Gately C’81 Head of Zeus 2018
Stefan Reynolds G’98 Hikari Press 2018
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Stefan Reynolds, currently Retreat Director at Mount Melleray Abbey, Co Waterford - invites us to think again and go further and deeper in this his latest book. A central takeaway message is that the allegory-and-symbol approach can subtly lead us into a form of dualism whereby we think of God as ‘up there’ urging us to be spiritual, while we are ‘down here’, being human and carnal; spirit is good, matter is bad, therefore a racy poem is only acceptable if we choose to treat it as a virtuous tale in disguise. By contrast, Stefan strikes a splendid blow for Christianity’s central doctrine that the Word became flesh and for our consequent belief in sacred humanity and spirit-filled matter, sex very much included; we don’t have to be philologists to spot the connection between ‘carnal’ and ‘incarnation’. We can desecrate our sacred humanity, our behaviour can become subhuman or inhuman this we know - but that does not detract from Christianity’s glorious vision of men and women as incarnate spirits, not angels, and of matter as sacred, not profane; after Christ there can be no ‘mere’ humanity; matter matters more than we could ever have guessed. What makes sexual human activity, and every other sort of human activity, sacred is the quantity and quality of love that men and women bring to it; the Beatles were right: what we need is love; this is what brings about the transfiguration. The Song of Songs is about a loving relationship expressed sexually - hooray, hurrah! - but there are multiple relationships that are expressed non-
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ain Gately has always relished a challenge. As he entered his teens, he ventured 10,000 kms from his home in Hong Kong to board at Worth. As a Sixth Former, with a crop of excellent A-Level grades already under his belt, he tackled A-Level English Literature (a subject that he had never studied before) in three terms, earning the top grade. One term later, having taken the English entrance papers, he secured a place at Cambridge – but opted to study Law, another subject of which he had no previous experience. At Cambridge he represented the University at boxing, a sport in which he had received no coaching in his secondary education. All this is relevant to his latest book, which is founded on the most recent challenge that he set himself: to ‘catch a tube’ (that is, to surf through the tunnel formed by a breaking wave) before increasing physical difficulties would render that objective impossible.
sexually - hooray again! What makes all of them, sexual or not, important is that they connect us creatively with another person or persons and we need that connection; solitary confinement is terrible. Stefan writes, ‘the value of the relationship portrayed by the Song is that is can be read at all levels: spiritual-soul friendship, physical-sexual compatibility. Neither need be divorced from the other… if the poem is a spiritual journey experienced through a couple’s deepening relationship, then it shows that spirituality is a deepening of personhood in relationship. ‘The Song’, he hopes, ‘can inspire people to be whole again’.
The title of the book may seem problematical. Perhaps it is a compromise between Joseph Conrad’s choice for his 1910 short story, The Secret Sharer, and Marvell Comic’s name for one of its super-heroes, the Silver Surfer (sharing their scansion and their s-alliteration). As ‘surfing’ is now more commonly encountered in its metaphorical rather than its literal sense, The Secret Surfer might suggest surreptitious nights visiting dubious web-sites on the internet, sooner than exhilarating days riding pounding breakers off public beaches. There seems to be nothing ‘secret’ about Gately’s pursuit per se; rather the impulse that drives him is the ‘secret’, in that it is deeply personal.
Robert Davidson tells the story of a Jewish tailor talking to a Christian friend, ‘the real difference between a Jew and a Christian is that we Jews believe in sex’. If true, this is very sad because, as Stefan points out so powerfully, those who take the Incarnation seriously cannot not believe in sex. Big thanks to Stefan for making this point so well, big thanks to him for his labour of love and for his impressive use of scripture, art, literature, Christian spirituality and psychology; biggest thanks for all to him for his choice of topic: Rabbi Akibu wrote that ‘the whole world is not worth the day on which the Song of Songs was given to Israel; for all the Scriptures are holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies.’ Stefan’s book will help us to understand this insight and make it our own.
This is not merely a book about surfing; indeed, it is perhaps not even primarily a book about surfing although there is a surfing-glossary at the back for nonaficionados. It is part travelogue (the West Country, Galicia and the Canary Islands, with references still further afield), part autobiographical narrative, part self-help manual, part spiritual adventure, part anthropological discourse, and part prose-poem delighting in natural description (particularly of the sea and coastal landscapes). If other people do not figure prominently, that is because surfing is a solitary pursuit in which not even individual waves are shared between participants. When others do appear, however, surfers and non-surfers alike are subjected to thoughtful scrutiny, although there may be a tinge of impatient misanthropy when Gately deals with those who do not share his dynamism, passions and ambitions.
Dom Stephen Ortiger
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Successfully blending such eclectic ingredients offers a further challenge. Gately finds a style well-suited to the task: literate, digressive and vivid, with a rich vein of original, striking imagery. He offers a wealth of references to surfing-authorities, while comfortably assimilating the occasional scholarly quotation or citation from literary figures, philosophers, theologians and even a Mexican revolutionary! His anecdotes are memorable and sometimes unsettling – for example, those concerning John Keats’s diet before his death and Thomas Hardy’s reaction to seeing a woman hanged. The tone of the book evolves from the lighter and wittier early pages to the rather more sombre and reflective concluding chapters as our writer, who has already suffered one debilitating hipreplacement operation, finds his other hip deteriorating rapidly, a major threat to his aspirations. These latter pages record a determined and victorious struggle against pain and infirmity: as one quest is completed, another presents itself. The fascination of Gately’s account lies in the insights that it offers into his personal psyche: his preoccupations, his motivation and his fears as his body ages and deteriorates. The philosophical and spiritual passages interspersed in the book may even imply that surfing represents the parabola of life: although the relative shallows of infancy and youth lead to the crests of mature achievement, decline inevitably follows, leaving the wave-rider washed up. These are among the ‘secrets’ that the book gradually reveals. If you enjoy the kind of humour and arcane knowledge that characterises Bill Bryson’s records of his travels around and beyond Britain; if you appreciate sensuous natural description such as that encountered in Robert Macfarlane’s observations of mountains, wild places and ancient byways; or if you fear that your life is diminishing and feel the need to ‘rage against the dying of the light’; then this could well be the book for you. It might even prove to be to this decade what Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was to the 1970s. Like a good wave, Iain Gately’s book is uplifting and exhilarating, even when the threat of ‘wipe-out’ is rapidly approaching. Paul Miller (English Teacher 1980-2003)
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Book Review
Book Review
Q
uestion: what is the Song of Songs? Answer: A third or fourth (?) century BC erotic poem which is also one of the Wisdom Books of the Jewish and Christian Bible. Further question: is it much used in Christian liturgies? Answer: no; it’s a bit fruity and anatomical and the People of God, especially the English, tend to clear their throats and gaze at invisible spots on the floor, on the rare occasions it’s read in church. Further question: why is an erotic poem part of scripture? Standard answer: it’s an allegory of Christ’s love for his Church, so it’s ok really.
Caught on Camera
On the spur of the moment on his way through Gatwick, Alex Nauta G’64 decided to visit Worth and was compensated by meeting his ex-Housemaster Fr Kevin (he apologises for interrupting your lunch!)
After 36 years as an estate agent Andrew Rome G’78 finally has a clear out!
Hugh Caillard (First Cohort WPS 1933) took the controls of a Tiger Moth again for his 90th birthday in 2017, one of several aircraft he flew during his RAF training before becoming a bomber pilot. He plans a parachute jump for his 100th
Charlie Forbes StB’09 was supported by his best men, Felix Barber StB’09 and Christopher Rayment B’09, and ushers, Daniele Manzi R’09 and Chris Adlam C’09, at his wedding in Devon in July 2018
The newly formed Women of Worth (WOW) Netball Team met up for some pre-season drinks; Elaine Yim StA’12 , Bea Lewers StA’13, Mia Wilcox StA‘15, Emily Hollings StM’15, Nina Rousell StA‘15, Mia Ryan StM’13 and Tess Ryan StM’11
Alex Rumford R’97 with his wife Sarah-Jane and sons Rufus and Ethan
Giles Hamilton B’82 and Joe Hurley C’82 in Majorca in July with their wives and Old Amplefordian mate Charles O’Brien. Still holidaying together forty years on. Journalist, Chris Lamb R’01, also joined Pope Francis on his flight to Dublin in August 2018
Bishop John MacWilliam StB’67 meeting young Christians and Muslims in his diocese in Algeria Consultant Psychiatrist, John Murphy B’78, and recent leaver, Isabella Lee StA’17, came back to Worth in March 2018 to speak at our ‘Moving On’ information event for Year 13 students
The second generation of Jenkins’ finishing at Worth! Jonathan Jenkins G’82 with his son Callum F’18 now off to study Philosophy at the University of Kent
On a recent trip back to the UK from Hong Kong Jack Harrison G’00 bumped into Eduardo Panizzo B’99 on the No14 bus, another regular at the Goat in Boots pub on the Fulham Road!
Worthian journalists Chris Lamb R’01 and James Longman B’05 join the Holy Father on the Papal flight to Myanmar in November 2017
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Tom Middlehurst R'03, Charlie Birchall R'03, Andy Keelaghan B'03, Quinton Choi G'03, & Edward Long G'03 at Giles Heather’s Wedding in April 2018
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Caught on Camera continued
Patrick Heren StB’71 and Fr Stephen catching up after 50 years
(Right) Joshua A’18 and Samuel Higgs C’16 enjoying a friendly game of chess at the East India Club
Johneen & Stuart McPherson, Michael & Kate Oakley and John & Kate Minch with Mark Spyropolous StB’99 in Rome in July 2018 whilst accompanying the School Choir on the occasion of them singing in the Sistine Chapel
Christian Killoughery R’10, Maddy Ilsley StM '10, Oli Jacobs F’10, Benedict Smith C '11, Tim B '11 & Claire Hodgkinson StM’12 & Alys Shearer got together again for a brewery tour in September 2018
Corrado di Mascio R’96, Alex Whelan C’96, Alon Gook, Chris Williams C’96, Barney de Burca R’96, Rod Aris C’96 and Joe Osgood R’96 on their annual walk in July 2018 - this year 12 miles around St Margaret’s, Dover
Ai Yoshino StB’03, Mark Chan B’03, Brandon Chau StB’03, Quinton Choi G’03, Alvin Chan R’03, Osvaldo Kwan StB’03 meeting up for dinner in Hong Kong
Oli Jacobs F’10 at Peter Gabriel’s Real World recording studio near Bath where he is now Head Engineer & Operations Manager
Michael Spencer hosted a reunion lunch in February 2018 with l to r: Anthony Mould StB’73, Christian Rooney StB’74, Alex Scott-Barrett StB’73, Simon Crane StB’70, Paul Barrett C’73, Dominic Quennell C’74, Paddy Morrissey R’74, Fr Stephen, Fr Kevin, Hugh Bett B’73, Robert Bodnar-Horvath B’74, Mike Magrath StB’73, Paul Cattermull StB’73, Chris Coffin G’73, Michael Spencer B’73 and Nick Barnett G’73
Fr Stephen joined Giles Hamilton B’82, Dominic Strickland C’81, Greg Pickard StB’81, Justin Mould StB’81, Martin Hunt StB’81, Alex Walters StB’80 and Robert Mannix StB’81 for a pre-Christmas lunch in December 2017 Martin Hunt winning the Freddie March Memorial Trophy at Goodwood Revival 2018
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Stefan Reynolds G’89 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at a ChristianBuddhist dialogue in Bodhgaya, India, in 2017. Still using the prayer beads he was given Stefan Reynolds G’89 and his brother Rupert G’98, flexing their muscles!
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Announcements
Giles & Emma Turton
The Bayles Family
Anthony & Ali Lamb
Births
Engagements
Marriages
Distinctions
Angus Hamilton B’84 and Rebecca, a daughter, Jemima, on 18th July 2018
James Keliher C’75 to Gail Massey in July 2018
Angus Hamilton B’84 to Rebecca Morrice on 21st May 2018 in Harrogate
John Jeffcock R’86 was appointed Grace & Devotion Knight of the Order of Malta (Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta)
Tom Calnan R’95 and Bonnie, a son, Milo, born on 13th September 2018, a brother for Archie Toby Rumford R’95 and Floriane, a son, Lucien, born on 17th October 2017, a brother for Edwyn Robert Cottrell R’97 and Ashley, a daughter, Rosanna Cecilia Florence, born on 12th March 2018 Andrew Bayles B’98 and Maeve, a daughter, Charlotte, on 12th December 2017, a sister for Darcey
Daniel Gurney C’99 to Dr Krysetelle Mafrina on 9th September 2018
Paul (PJ) Bailey R’95 to Jacqueline Jansen on 16th December 2017 at Brompton Oratory, London
Mike Corbyn R’01 to Isabel Cang on 21st December 2017 Ben Alonso F’04 to Rebecca Dean in January 2018 Mark Corbyn R’04 to Zyrah Jeeme Canales on 31st March 2018 Timothy Long B’11 to Claire Hodkinson StM’12 on 1st December 2017
Francis Wood B’97 to Katie Stone on 8th September 2018 in Rye
Deaths
Giles Turton F'02 to Emma Louise Gabriel on 28th July 2018 at The Church of St Andrew and St Mary, Grantchester, Cambridge
(Hugh) David Hughes G’68 in December 2017, aged 69 years
Giles Heather F’03 to Rebecca Hackett on 7th April 2018 at St Barnabas Church Ranmore, Surrey
Javier Triay B’06 and Harriet, a daughter, Tabitha, born on 22nd April 2018
Anthony Lamb R'08 to Ali Crossland on 14th July 2018 at St. Peter's, Winchester
Thomas Carew Hunt StB’02 and Sarah, a son, Frederick Charles Victor, on 9th September 2018
Charlie Forbes StB’09 to Emma Gadsden on 7th July 2018 in St Peter’s, Noss Mayo, Devon
James Condie B’02 and Kelly, a daughter, Freya Elizabeth Ivy, born on 5th January 2018
Zyrah Canales & Mark Corbyn got engaged on Kinder Tor in the Peak District
Andrew Welsh B’04 and Jessica, a son, Wilfred Henry Gordon, born on 20th January 2018
Paul Haslam C’63 on 20th March 2018, aged 71
John McSweeney StB’69 on 21st February 2018, aged 67 years Michael Peel StB’70 on 8th January 2018, aged 65 years Michael Worrall R’71 on 20th November 2017, aged 64 years Stephen Mitchell R’77 on 14th August 2018, aged 59 years Guy Plummer StB’87 on 18th January 2018, aged 49 years Niccolo Infante B’96 on 7th January 2018, aged 39 years Anthony Renouf (Art Master 1961-1980) on 6th December 2017, aged 94 years Tricia Taylor (French Teacher 1999-2016) on 11th April 2018, aged 57 years
The Rumford Family
The Cottrell Family
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Frederick Carew Hunt
Giles & Rebecca Heather with their ushers
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Emma & Charlie Forbes
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News in Brief Hugh Anthony Caillard (First cohort at Worth in 1933) Turned 91 in April. 25 years this year of living in Australia permanently; my wife Margaret-Ann being an Australian, who I met on a ship in 1956 coming back to England from Australia after 2 years with the RAAF in Queensland. I have been an Aussie for some 20 years. We celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary last year in Sydney with our 4 sons, 9 grandchildren and many other family and friends. I took to the controls of a Tiger Moth for my 90th birthday (see Caught on Camera); one of several aircraft I flew during my RAF training before becoming a bomber pilot. It all came back very quickly; barrel rolls, loop the loops. Huge fun. Flying just never leaves you. I had a good 90 minutes at the controls flying from Camden, NSW, up over the Southern Highlands, Sydney and the Northern Beaches. My sons have promised me a parachute jump for my 100th! Andrew C’78 and John R’81 continue to live in Australia as they have done for over 35 years, Richard C’73 moved to Germany last year after almost 40 years in Sydney and Perth and David R’79 continues to work and live in London, but comes out to Sydney at least once a year.
Worth School 1960s Peter Campbell C’63 Still very proud to be a founding member of Worth School 1959 to 1963. Now aged 72 and still young at heart. Composer of orchestral music; have run a private tutor company ‘Study Specialists Group' for the past 22 years and am happily married and living in Australia. Timothy Clarke G’66 reports that he was airlifted by an SAR Augusta Westland AW189 from a yacht in the Channel in June 2018 after suffering a head injury whilst sailing back from France. No permanent harm done we are relieved to hear. "Definitely wasn't on my bucket list at 70," Tim tells us. Apparently the yacht didn't come off so lightly as it was quite heavily bashed in a collision by the lifeboat that was assisting the helicopter crew transfer. Ouch! Nicholas Kadar G’66 Bicycled across the US after my 70th birthday to see what was left in the tank. 3,213 miles, 138,778 feet climbed. Saw a grizzly bear whilst descending from the Togohee pass in Wyoming. John MacWilliam StB’67 Continues his work as a missionary bishop in the Algerian Sahara. He travels extensively, both in his huge diocese and to other parts of Africa and Europe, mainly to meet the congregations
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Ben Goodger R’80 After nearly 3 decades working in law firms in England, two years ago I had the chance to become the in-house lawyer for a company based in Singapore developing drugs to treat cancer. I moved out there and I’ve been having a great time since then. If anyone from Worth is passing through, do look me up! I am in regular contact with Mark (aka Max) (aka Bopper) Walker StB’90, Ivan Macquisten B’80, Julian McCarthy StB’80, Mike Golton R’90, Simon (aka bogbrush) Allen StB’90 and Richard Williams B’80. I also see Edward Henry C’80 and Jon Scherer R’80 from time to time. And some months ago I tracked down and had a long chat with Paul Cooper StB’80 who’s now living in New Zealand.
who send their missionaries to the desert. This year he will be attending the ‘baby bishops’ course’ in Rome to learn more about the workings of the wider Church. He tries to visit the monastic community at Worth whenever he is in Britain.
1970s Tom Gordon StB’74 Married with 5 children and 5 grandchildren. Living in Dunsfold, Surrey. Running a wonderful rural wedding venue #highbillinghurstfarm Richard Breen StB’75 Alas, for my sins I have become the Chairman of the new centrist political party Renew, trying to save Britain!
Phillip Lundberg C’80 Still living between Bentley and West London. Working in Lloyds. Andy Bernard C’81 Back from the Orient after three years in Hong Kong, and hard at work in London. Not much news to report. Lots of ‘still doing’ this and ‘still doing’ that, and drawing great comfort from a Reggie Perrinsque routine. Not entirely sure how the future looks for the City (Brexit etc.) but it’s still an interesting destination every morning, heading in from the deep calm of the Oxfordshire countryside. Facing the realities of middle age with suitable grumpiness, and some unexpected eyebrow growth. Married to Catherine – now for 31 years - and still learning new things. Children now generally taller/better/ smarter than me. Dogs now generally taller/better/ smarter than me. Had a really good catch up with some familiar faces and eyebrows at the 1980’s reunion dinner (thank you Mary Lou and team). Not yet (a) publishing best-selling memoirs (b) engulfed in political scandal (c) famed as inventor of a new cocktail. One day.
James Keliher C’75 I’m planning to get married for the second time (don’t tell the monks!) to Gail and am looking towards retirement after having solicited for 40 years. So all change! Justin Brown C’78 Myanmar based since 2000. Introductions to the market with appropriate network to establish and represent. Contact: jahbrown@gmail.com Philip Mould StB’78 An art dealer based in Pall Mall greatly enjoying meadows, wildflowers and the company of his whippet. Now filming the 8th series of Fake or Fortune? for the BBC, which is based on art discovery and investigation. Andrew Rome G’78 My news is that after 36 years as an estate agent I have retired after 30 years with Knight Frank. Jonathan Stordy StB’79 Happy to reach 20 years in Madrid this August. Enjoying work at a regional brewery based in Zaragoza and Barcelona. Ciaran StB’12 working in TV production at Tiger Aspect and Anna StM’16 at Bath doing Mgt and French plus lots of rowing. Great 1980s Worth reunion evening in May with Fr Stephen reminding us all of times when Worth was short on funds but long on people. Wise words as ever and also great to see modern Worth flourishing.
Christopher Fitzwilliam-Lay StB’81 I live in Vietnam as MD of a financial company called VinaCapital. Have lived in Ho-Chi Minh City for the last 4 years, plan to return to my wife and three sons in the new year who are all at school in the UK. Jonathan Jenkins G’81 The second generation of Jenkins just finished at Worth. Callum Jenkins F’18 now off to do Philosophy at university, supposedly determined to ignore societal pressures regarding ultimate paid employment. Matthew Brown C‘82 Daughter currently at Worth Helena Liddington (St Mary's). Happily splitting time between Shaftesbury, Dorset, and London. Occasional pint in Dorset with Malachy Doran B ‘83 and Hope Elletson C‘81. Occasional meal in London with John Shepherd B‘82, John Ford B‘82, Giles Hamilton B‘82, Nick Moore B‘82 and Donal Quigley R‘82. Happy to hear from any contemporaries: matthew@brownglobalenterprises.com
1980s Paul Thompson (former staff) If were a little less far away than the Czech Republic (and/or retired, which I'm not...!) would have come to this year’s 1980s Decade Dinner. Would love to be in contact with old colleagues: pthompson.prague@gmail.com
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Giles Hamilton B’82 No change my end. Expecting to retire from the City next year after 36 years of varying degrees of failure. My son Hugo is in the same house and year at Eton (RDOC, where Stuart MacPherson spent some time) with Henry, son of Dan Wilkinson StB’89. My daughter Lexi is at St Mary’s Ascot where I see a lot of my old mates Greg Pickard StB’81 and Martin Hunt StB’81. Brother Ben B’91 is now part owner and editor of The Copenhagen Post. Matthew Brown C’82 has started an informal dining group of myself, John Ford B’82, John Shepherd B’82, Donal Quigley R’82 and Nick Moore B’82. We’ve had several terrific dinners already and would love to hear from like-minded ‘82 leavers. John Shepherd B’82 I am CEO of Trailblazers Mentoring www.trailblazersmentoring.org.uk – a charity which mentors young offenders for six months before release and then continues to support them ‘through the gate’ for up to twelve months post-release. I am interested to engage with any Worthians who are involved in the world of rehabilitation. Still keeping up with Matthew Brown C’82, Nick Moore B’82, Giles Hamilton B’82, Donal Quigley R’82 and John Ford B’82. Angus Hamilton B’84 Rebecca Morrice and I got married on 21st May in Harrogate and Jemima Hamilton was born on 18th July. Joe Hurley C’82 is her Godfather. Paddy Morrissey R’84 Still living in Suffolk with Jo-Jo my wonderful wife. Will is now 19 and starts Oxford Brookes this September and Freddie 16 has just done GCSE’s at Ampleforth. This is my 25th year since establishing Sheffield Haworth, a leading international Executive Search firm. Always happy to hear from any Worthians interested in a career in financial or professional services. Just shoot me an email morrissey@sheffieldhaworth.com Charles Rangeley-Wilson R’ 84 has written a new book, Silver Shoals – The Five Fish That Made Britain, out in October 2018. William (Bill) Hurst R’86 Actor and property developer. John Jeffcock R’86 Became a Grace & Devotion Knight of the Order of Malta (Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta). Stefan Reynolds G’89 Living in County Waterford, Ireland. Working at Mount Melleray Abbey. Writing books and Icons. Thomas Sullivan StB’89 Based currently in Madrid with my wife Mandy and our kids (Christian and Tamsin). Struggling with Spanish but easier than Zulu. Still in the mining industry but global portfolio keeps me busy.
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News in Brief
News in Brief
Worth Prep School
News in Brief continued
Mike Rigby R’90 Still living in Tunbridge Wells, married to Kate with two kids (Ollie 10, Eva 8). Work for Barclays Bank and still enjoy all sport: Youth Chair of local rugby club, RFU qualified rugby coach, play vets rugby (recently for Kent), love golf and keep on running! Dominic Stobart C’90 Living in Westchester, NY. Working as a TV producer in New York making documentaries about Sharks for Nat Geo. Three kids, American wife and a basement full of bikes. Still racing but also doing some part time officiating for USA Cycling at the Velodrome in NYC. Hamish Wilson C’92 has joined auctioneers Bonhams in Edinburgh as Senior Valuer in the Valuations department. He has also taken on the Golf Memorabilia department and is currently compiling a sale of historic golf balls and clubs. 'Four ...!' Corrado Di Mascio R’96, Alex Whelan C’96, Chris Williams C’96, Barney de Burca R’96 Rod Aris C’96 and Joe Osgood R’96 did our annual walk (see Caught on Camera). This year it was in St Margaret’s, Dover. Fantastic hot day, 12 mile walk, watched England vs Sweden, saw Ian Fleming's house and then had a meal. Wonderful day with old pals. Rob Cottrell R’97 Head of Rugby, Assistant Housemaster and Spanish teacher at St Edward’s, Oxford (aka Teddies). Arrival of our beautiful Rosanna Cecilia Florence Cottrell on 12th March! Alex Kenney B’97 I've enjoyed living down the road from Worth in Haywards Heath for the past year and a half with my wife and dog, although the daily commute to London has not been fun. It was great to catch up with some of the other '97 leavers over drinks last autumn - thanks again to those who organised the event. As well as the old school friends I manage to see semi-regularly, I've managed to bump into guys from my year, at random times and places, such as at a BBQ festival in London and while running through the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. Alex Rumford R’97 I've been in London for the past ten years working as a freelance photographer. I live with my wife, Sarah-Jane, two sons, Rufus (8) and Ethan (6) and two cats. Ollie Barnett StB’98 Living in Esher with wife, Rachel, and children, Lottie, 4 going on 24 and Archie, nearly 2 going on nearly 2. Working at Weatherbys Private Bank running a team of bankers and looking after a book of clients which gets me a pleasing amount of exposure to the world of
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Solomon C’04 in attendance, and we are getting married next May in Kent. Two of the ushers will be old friends from Worth and I’m sure there will be a few more there. I was offered my first Director of Fundraising role at a national charity based in London at the end of 2017 and was recently honoured and recognised on the Civil Society's Top 25 most Influential Fundraisers for 2018. I came in at number 12, which I never thought could happen so early in my career.
horse racing. Very much enjoyed the recent class of ‘98 20-year reunion - great fun and everyone embraced the spirit of the occasion. Andrew Bayles B’98 Maeve and I are delighted to announce the birth of our second daughter, Charlotte, on 12th December 2017. This follows a move to Geneva Switzerland where we are settling nicely. Robert Lee G’99 Promoted to partner in Jan 2018 at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, a major international law firm (lots of info on the web page) and I’m in the private funds group.
Christopher Madsen B’04 Living in Singapore with my wife Hannah and our two sons Samuel and Benjamin. Enjoying our Asian adventure. Still working with Chelsea Football Club, helping to grow the brand and commercial business across APAC.
2000s
Sam Blenkinsopp B'08 Recently founded a travel startup called Trippin - an app for travellers that don't want to be tourists. On it, you'll find a bunch of diverse, in-theknow city guides created by like-minded explorers across the world. You can also save your own travel 'playlists' of local hotspots in the app to share with friends. Find out more on www.trippin.world
Jack Harrison, G'00 Can’t believe I am just about to reach the 10 year mark in Asia. Based between Hong Kong and Taiwan, in addition to Jamie Oliver Restaurants we have recently started managing Fortnum & Mason’s business in the region. Looking forward to hosting the old boys dinner at Jamie's Causeway Bay in October!
Henry Jacobs F’14 Will be graduating from Wadham College, Oxford University with a first class degree in Oriental Studies (Chinese). I have also been offered a full scholarship to complete a Masters in Traditional Chinese Studies next year at St Cross College, Oxford University. Sam Higgs C’16 After leaving Downside after his A levels Sam is now in his last year at Exeter, reading Politics & Philosophy. He regularly serves mass at Worth Abbey when at home from university. Theodore (Ted) Piper G'17 In September 2017 I took on the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity and after four and a half days of trekking and acclimatising to the lowered levels of oxygen, I reached the summit. In total, 20 of us raised over £60,000 for the Haller Foundation. Joshua Higgs A’18 Josh has just secured his place at Lancaster to read Economics having recently left Downside. Josh is still a strong chess player having played for England since he was 11.
Charlie Forbes StB’09 Pleased to announce that I got married on 7th July 2018 in Noss Mayo, Devon, to Emma Gadsden who went to Burgess Hill School for Girls. Felix Barber StB’09 and Christopher Rayment B‘09 were best men, with Daniele Manzi R’09 and Chris Adlam C’09 as ushers!
Thomas (Tom) Carew Hunt StB’02 My news is the birth of my baby boy on 9th September 2018. He is called Frederick Charles Victor (Carew Hunt). My wife Sarah (née Johnson) and I are blissfully happy! Giles Turton F’02 Still living in Cambridge working as a rural land agent. Married Emma in July, our wedding was held in Grantchester church and afterwards at Queens College, Cambridge. Tom Carew Hunt StB'02 was my Best Man and great to have Cav Fyans F'02 over from Belfast. We were tremendously privileged that Br David Jarmy gave an inspiring address, Ben Oakley F'08 assembled and lead a phenomenal choir of ex-King's singers which Michael Oakley conducted. My unending thanks to them all for making the day so memorable.
Felix Sainsbury-Martinez C’09 Completed a Masters (MPhys) degree and a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy in Physics) at the University of Exeter, and have since moved on to working for CEA - (the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission) in Paris (specifically at their main facility on the Saclay Plateau) as an astrophysicist within a multi-disciplinary research computing group, the Maison de la Simulation (i.e. not only do I now do astrophysics, but I apply astrophysical skills to other areas, including, nuclear physics). If anybody has interest in scientific research and research computing, let me know!
Andrew Welsh B’04 My wife Jessica and I welcomed our son, Wilfred Henry Gordon Welsh, born on 20th January 2018. Quinton Choi G’03 Still in Doha, Qatar working for the government. Welcome any boys to swing by for a visit!
2010s
Mark Corybn R'04 got engaged to Zyrah Jeeme Canales on Saturday 31st March 2018, amidst the snow and fog whilst atop Kinder Tor in the Peak District.
Oli Jacobs F’10 Now Head Engineer and Operations Manager at Peter Gabriel’s Real World recording studio near Bath.
Ben Alonso F’04 I got engaged to Rebecca Dean in January in the Alpes after 11 years together! Yes I know it has been a long time coming but what's the rush these days! The stag is next year in Thailand for 10 days with Simon Westley F’04, Andy Kersey F’04 and Mike
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Arthur Russell C’12 Completed Masters in Philosophy at Edinburgh University and has been appointed Executive Officer at the Department of Housing in Whitehall.
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News in Brief
News in Brief
1990s
Paul Stephen Graham Haslam C’63
Niccolo Infante B’96
Founder Pupil 29 June 1946 to 20 March 2018
The next phase of his life involved buying and restoring a traditional farmhouse and outbuildings which had been farmed for many years but needed updating. Paul set about this task with endless energy and enthusiasm. He refurbished two smaller barns, one for his mother to live in and one for us. However, the call of the sea was never far away, and after a few years the main house was sold and funds reallocated to the building of another sailing boat ‘Rights of Man’. This time Paul had his sights set further afield and after launch plans were made to sail across the Bay of Biscay and down to the Mediterranean. For him it was the culmination of a dream - for me it was a scary prospect - however I always felt very safe with Paul and he was a patient and calm teacher. For six months we ate, slept and cooked on our floating home, calling at different ports. It was an exciting and challenging experience. With wanderlust sated, we returned to Jersey to start a new venture - a family. James was born in 1983 and Kate in 1987. Although not a natural family man, Paul embraced fatherhood with his generous spirit and free thinking and has always been immensely proud of them both. At the same time, he set up a carpentry workshop in yet another outbuilding and from small beginnings of pine furniture and hand tools, progressed to bespoke furniture and sophisticated equipment. As the business began to thrive, his energy and enthusiasm became infectious and the workforce expanded to accommodate the growing demand for his furniture. Locally, his name and reputation became the benchmark for design, quality and service and Paul Haslam Furniture became very sought after. His enquiring mind was constantly trying to improve the efficiency and viability of the business and having purchased ‘state of the art’ CNC (computer numerically controlled) machinery he worked tirelessly at writing his own programmes, because the commercially available ones didn’t allow him to do what he wanted! He subsequently became a respected innovator in this field
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and was invited to become a consultant to companies in the UK by the German manufacturer of the machines he used.
iccolo Infante (known as Nic) joined Butler House in 1991, from Cranmore Preparatory School in Surrey. His place came with a scholarship, and his school career was a tale of consistent academic excellence, musical talent, and sporting mediocrity.
His success led to more boats, but this time, motorised ones. With a few friends, a new excitement began, of diving local waters and researching wrecks of boats that had been lost. His knowledge of local waters was highly respected and he took risks that others may not have taken, secure in his navigational and practical ability. The culmination of this period was a video The Wreck of the Stella and a book, The Wrecks of the Channel Islands, in conjunction with his sea-faring and diving friend, John.
After leaving Worth in 1996, Nic took up a place at Exeter University studying Mathematics, from which he emerged with a First-Class degree with a Dean’s Commendation. He followed this up with a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science at Cambridge University. This served as a platform from which he built a highly successful career as a professional computer programmer, mainly based in London. He had working knowledge of several advanced technologies, but his principal expertise was software engineering in the language Java.
Paul loved the island and as his health deteriorated, was happy to stroll along the beaches, collecting driftwood and sea glass and watching the sea, but now from the land.
Nic was always keen to tinker with interesting software and to advance his own knowledge. He often contributed to open source projects and was a regular participant at technical workshops around London. Over the years, he worked in the technology and engineering departments of several major companies, including Baring Asset Management, Marks & Spencer, BNP Paribas, and most recently Schibsted Media. He also donated his time as a software engineer to several charities over the years.
The business carried on successfully for 30 years and Paul and I finally retired in 2016. He was quite poorly at this stage and continued to get weaker over the coming year, but never complained and was very philosophical about his future. He announced that he had ‘had a brilliant life and wouldn’t change a thing’! Jane Haslam
Nic had a tremendous talent, and a genuine passion, for computer science. At the same time, his abilities and enthusiasm extended far beyond his professional interests. A fluent speaker of English, Italian and French since childhood, in later years he added both Portuguese and Spanish to this formidable linguistic repertoire. Music too was always a big part of his life. At school, this primarily expressed itself through his classical proficiency on the oboe and piano. Later his musical interests diversified to a remarkable extent, with an increasing attraction to experimental and electronic music, including the creation of some – shall we say – striking computational compositions of his own. For a few years he became immersed in the community around the Ninja Tune record label, through which he developed several longstanding friendships.
I first met Paul at Worth as a founder member. Boarding school was a big change for me and we got on well from the start. Early memories include rifle shooting where Paul always seemed to get the highest score, particularly when he had a new high spec rifle. We all tried to get early results in ‘O’ levels with some success. In the sciences Paul was the sole success in the first year when he passed - he bought himself a text book. I seem to remember he had a new telescope when we were in the Astronomical Society. He was very interested in model making, initially from kits but moved on to make wooden model sailing boats and even galleons from scratch. He later moved on to building larger boats. He bought a 29’ Catamaran fibreglass hull from Prowts Boatyard (Canvey Island) and fitted it out himself. He asked me to sail to Jersey with him and a German friend. It was an amazing journey with storms that I will never forget.
Nic’s life was marred by assorted episodes of ill-health and bad luck, including a ferocious (but eventually victorious) battle against testicular cancer. A year after the diagnosis, the disease had spread to his brain. During the operation to have the brain-tumour removed, Nic was required to remain conscious. He found this a fascinating existential experience, and at one stage even considered making it the focus of a book. Later setbacks included a serious bus crash in South America, which left him with permanent
When I went to Bristol University Paul was working as a lab technician and we used to meet up a lot and travel around Bristol in his old Willys Jeep and further afield to Brittany and even Paris. We kept in contact most of our lives and I visited Paul in Jersey while at school and later with my family in 1979 and also for his 60th. He will always be missed.
shoulder injuries. He faced each of these incidents with astonishing equanimity, a large measure of sheer courage, and a constant eye for absurd and humorous aspects of even the darkest situations. (Years later, when a friend was in hospital waiting to have a testicle removed, Nic visited him bearing gifts of a sack of nuts and a bag of plums.) Seb Watts, his housemaster at Worth, recollected Nic as a “quiet and scholarly boy”, a view likely shared by all his teachers. When the two met again around a decade later, however, Seb described finding him “transformed… very confident and pleasantly assertive”. Certainly, as Nic grew older, he grew in expertise, experience, and self-assurance. But if the phrase ‘growing up’ suggests becoming more serious or dull, the trajectory of his character was rather in the opposite direction. Throughout his adult life Nic kept in close touch with several friends from Worth, and in July 2016 he thoroughly enjoyed his year’s 20th anniversary reunion. But his social circle grew to reflect his ever-widening interests, and he became a valued and dependable friend to many. He was never short of a recommendation for a thought-provoking book or film, and always kept an eye out for exciting new stand-up comedians, musicians, and playwrights. He was equally comfortable offering his reflections on science, psychology, or politics, as he was dressing up as a gorilla and playing the bongos at a party. Always kind, always thoughtful, Nic cared profoundly about the people around him, and frequently extended the hand of friendship to those feeling low or left out. Nic married Alex Delaney in 2013 after a six-year relationship. He had proposed on holiday in Burma, and their wedding was held in the countryside outside Florence, on a beautiful property belonging to a relation on his father’s side. All weddings are special, of course, but the magic of that night in Tuscany will live long in the memories of everyone present. It is impossible to write about Nic’s life without recording the immense impact that Alex had on it. Their years together were unquestionably his happiest, and through her, Nic’s personal confidence and contentment swelled. Nic died unexpectedly in January 2018 of a pulmonary embolism caused by a deep-vein thrombosis. He was 39. Two things are certain: he died too young, and he died happy. He is survived by his wife Alex, his mother Dee, his father Neri, his step-parents, and his wider family, and is lovingly remembered by his many friends. Larry Elwes G’96
Terence Delaney G’64
Worth Society Life
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Obituary
Obituary
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met Paul the year I arrived in Jersey whilst working as a Staff Nurse at Jersey General Hospital. Paul and his friend Barry were in the process of designing and building a 40’ wooden schooner, based on trading vessels that played the American coast around Nantucket. Paul was introduced to sailing at around 14 and was immediately smitten with being on the sea and at one with the elements. Having used the boat as a charter vessel in local waters, they went on to build a second boat of similar design enabling them both to master their own craft. I joined Paul as crew for a while as we sailed local waters and he taught me how to handle the boat, read the waves and use my common sense, an attribute that Paul possessed in bucket loads!
12 March 1978 to 7 January 2018
Anthony John More Renouf
Tricia Taylor (née Walker)
Art Master 1961-1980 20 May 1923 to 6 December 2017
Whilst at Worth he produced and directed a number of well-received school plays, possibly launching the careers of some fine actors including Robert Bathurst and Harry Enfield, who said, “He was my favourite teacher at Worth... he installed in me a lifelong passion for the history of art. I had a very happy trip with him to Florence in 1975 and whenever I am there I always take my family back to where he took us. It's rare to have an inspirational teacher like your Dad."
Vivien died too young in 2000 and eventually the French house was sold and Tony returned to Barnes where he painted well into his nineties. In his final years, he was beautifully cared for by his daughter Mary, supported by various members of his large family, dying peacefully last December.
Anthony was a passionate painter. After the Second World War, where he served in the cramped conditions of Mini Submarines and made great, lifelong friends with fellow crew members, he spent a short period working in a bank before taking the plunge and studying art at Epsom and then Brighton under British artist, Stanley Spencer, among others.
All Tony's 10 children, apart from Ursula, were educated at Worth - including his other daughters, Paula and Mary (who were among the first girls admitted to the all-boys' school in the 1970s).
Tony was married to Mary (née Burns), the mother of his 10 children, whom he met in the war. After her tragically early death in 1978, ending 33 years of marriage, he married Vivien Cuppage a widowed mother of five, with two sons at Worth. Tony then took early retirement from teaching and moved to Barnes to start a new and happy life.
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ducated at Wakefield Girls High School, Tricia developed a love of languages and travel. She went on to study French and Spanish at the International College in Cannes and at university in London, Lyon and Madrid. After a courtship of 7 years, Tricia announced her engagement on her 21st Birthday to Andrew George Taylor. They were married in July 1982 and their first son, Benjamin William George, arrived in November 1984, followed two years later by Joshua John Andrew. They made her complete. She was a very proud and doting mother who took great joy in seeing her boys grow into charming young gentlemen, who shared her love of life, travel and fun.
Over the course of nearly 20 years of painting, laughter and entertainment with liberal servings of wine, they acquired a reputation for hospitality, though his singing could drive his second wife mad (apart from his adored rendition of ‘Shenandoah’ which went down in family folklore).
Art gallerist Philip Mould, who left Worth in 1978 and has made a distinguished career dealing in portraiture, as well as appearing on TV programmes such as the BBC’s Fake or Fortune, said, “I owe my lifetime interest in art history to the teaching of your father… he inspired me to enter the field and make it my career.”
After graduating he taught in Middlesborough in the 1950s and then briefly at Whitgift school in Croydon before arriving at Worth Abbey in 1961.
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The couple acquired a home in the Loire Valley where they spent up to six months of the year, painting and entertaining their combined families and friends, including James Cockburn who succeeded Tony as Art Master at Worth, and who bought a house in the neighbouring village. They were joined by his son, Julian Renouf, and Commander Watson, a friend of Tony’s from his days in the Navy, who settled nearby.
After a short period working as a tri-lingual translator she changed career, finding her true vocation in teaching. She was able to impart her love of language to thousands of children over the next 30 years. Teaching with great enthusiasm and success in equal measure at Holmwood House Prep, The Royal Hospital School, Douai School and at Worth, where she taught all ages and abilities with great dedication for 17 years.
Last year Tricia and Andy retired in order to travel, spend time with their family and complete the restoration of their house in Provence. Trish passed away peacefully in hospital in Marseille after a short illness, she was 57. The memorial service held in the Abbey Church on the 16th June 2018 was led by Fr Kevin Taggart with music arranged by Michael Oakley. It was a beautiful service. There were readings and reflections provided by Tricia’s sisters and her brother and sister-in-law. Andrew’s final reflections about their life together, which were both humorous and poignant, were read by his brother, Adrian, and received a round of applause from the congregation of over 200 mourners. A truly memorable way to remember a very special lady. The Taylor Family
Tricia was a French graduate, not a qualified teacher; pedagogic fashion was not her forte, but her talent as a linguist, her attention to detail and her experiential journey allowed her to achieve great results, often with her low ability sets out-performing their supposed betters. She always worried about A level and GCSE results during the summer and yet they were always excellent. The value added that Tricia brought was her ability to help the individual student.
He also had 36 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. As Kelsey Grammer (Fraiser was one of Tony’s favourite comedies) declared when he came to meet him a year before he died; “Hey man, wow, you just don’t get his type anymore.” He is survived by his children: Anthony, Simon, Gerard, Ursula, Adrian, Mary, Julian, Paula, Patrick and Gregory. Also his Cuppage stepchildren: Alex, Sarah, Julian and Clarinda (Michael predeceased him).
Tricia was not only a teacher but she also had other important roles during her years at Worth School. The most important of these was her help in the boarding house. ‘Mrs T’ as she was affectionately known by the boys in Gervase Upper Sixth House, ran the tuck shop and helped in the bar, providing food to accompany the beer. She must have made literally thousands of hot dogs over the years for boarders staying in over the weekend, but much more than that was her ability to listen to boys who needed a Mum. This ability to chat with boys and their parents also proved useful when Tricia ran the School Shop, which she did for a number of years. Very few members of the Community could claim to have taught French verbs, sold toothpaste and pulled a pint all on the same day!! For a number of years Tricia also helped her
The Renouf Family
Worth Society Life
good friend Carol Miller run the School Library. So one thing is sure, if you were at Worth between 1999 and 2016 you will have met Mrs T!
Life and Times of Worthians
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Obituary
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nthony (Tony) was a popular teacher and is remembered affectionately by many former pupils. Not only did he inspire budding artists at the School, his art room also provided fun and refuge for those needing a break from studying.
French Teacher 1999 to 2016 15 May 1960 to 11 April 2018
A Message from the Head Master
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he school year began differently this year with a new initiative, Worth Week. Instead of throwing pupils straight into classes and homework, as has been the September norm for generations, pupils spent the first days of the new term immersed in forest school activities and walks along the South Downs. The aim was to focus first on building friendship and community before introducing what might be described as the more fundamental elements of education – Maths, English, Science, etc., etc. Everyone seemed to agree that this made for a very smooth and positive start to the school year, and plans are already under way for next year’s Worth Week. For the last year, Worth pupils have been helping Refugee Welcome Crawley, to provide IT and English skills classes to a group of refugees who have recently arrived in Britain and are establishing new lives in the local area. The classes take place at Worth every week during the activities afternoon and have proved very popular with the pupils.
This initiative is part of a drive to make social outreach a much more central part of the School’s activities programme, which may remind old boys and girls of the ‘social service’ activity that used to operate at Worth. Many of those activities, such as working in local charity shops and volunteering at homeless shelters or old-aged care facilities still take place every week. We have established a relationship with a primary school in Brighton - the City Academy, Whitehawk – which brings Worth pupils and younger children together for forest school activities around the estate throughout the year, and are looking to expand this kind of outreach in the coming years.
The school choir returned to Rome in July to sing in the Sistine Chapel
Girls’ football was introduced and the team began by winning four of its first five matches
day houses (St Anne’s and St Catherine’s), a boarding house (St Mary’s) and a co-educational, junior day house (Austin House) catering for the more than 250 girls at Worth.
It was a great pleasure to host a reunion of old girls at Worth in September to mark ten years of co-education at Worth. Those girls who bravely joined the School in 2008 might not recognise the Worth of today, where girls make up half the number of pupils in the Sixth Form, and about forty percent of pupils across the whole school. Any sense that they are girls in a boys’ school is now long gone, with two
Once again, a good number of Worthians went on the OMV Pilgrimage to Lourdes last summer, and we are hopeful that more current pupils will sign up for the 2019 pilgrimage after a presentation in assembly next term to highlight how great an experience the Lourdes Pilgrimage is. Pilgrimage is just one of the avenues of faith promoted in the School’s Chaplaincy, where Will Desmond C’09 and the Forerunner team continue to offer our pupils a vibrant, youth-focused place where they can explore questions of faith. You will be pleased to know that Worth School approaches its sixtieth anniversary in fine health. We hope many of you will be able to join us to celebrate this important milestone next year at a range of proposed events.
A new initiative, Worth Week, was introduced to launch the academic year. Two days of activities included a Seven Sisters walk
Stuart McPherson, Head Master, Worth School
The Senior School production of Rock of Ages was an electric and energetic show, enjoyed by many
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Worth Society Life
It was a harsh winter, but the students had plenty of fun in the snow during their leisure time
Life and Times of Worthians
The Old Place
The Classics Cup was presented by the Head Master to a Year 9 student following the third annual Classics Essay Competition
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A Fond Farewell to Michael Oakley
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his year we had to bid farewell to a much loved and respected member of the Worth Community with the retirement of Michael Oakley after 26 years as Worth’s Director of Music. A Summer Concert was held in his honour on 25th May 2018 in the Abbey Church which drew a fantastic turnout of Worthians to honour Michael and to thank him for the support, dedication and knowledge that has influenced many of them over the years. A beautiful selection of music was performed by current and former students from Michael’s years at Worth. There were several emotional speeches including one by Fr Stephen, the Head Master who employed Michael, and the grand finale of the evening was the performance of the Sir James MacMillan’s piece ‘Sing Joyfully to the Lord’, specially commissioned for Michael in honour of his service to the School and Abbey. Worthians then went on to enjoy a drinks reception to bid their own personal farewells. One of Michael’s leaving gifts was a Tribute Book to which many Worthians submitted some lovely messages:
Just some of the many Worthians who stayed on for drinks to say their personal farewells
You have brought a Midas touch to music at Worth School but have also been crucially important to music in the Abbey Church. Great musicians are not always easy to get on with, but the success of music at Worth over the last quarter of a century is a tribute both to your huge musical skills and to the gravitational pull of your personal warmth, humour and energy. What an artist, what a tour de blooming force! Fr Stephen Ortiger
Thank you Mr Oakley for opening the doors to an unlimited musical world for us; relentlessly creating and maintaining a fabulous environment that encourages teachers and students to come together to learn, grow, work, mature spiritually and have fun together; giving me the first taste of success by allowing me to perform as concerto soloist twice and teaching me how to approach success with humility. Desmond Choy StB’05
I have always felt Michael had the ability to motivate pupils to go beyond what they felt possible and deliver performances on the stage which were truly outstanding. Worth’s music has become a cornerstone to the identity of Worth as a school and much of this is down his tireless dedication. Michael Matthews B’99
Throughout my time at Worth he was always prepared to go the extra mile to help students and assist in their musical endeavours. I will always remember my time at Worth due to him and the music department. Ashley Thomas StB’14 I really admire your dedication to the Worth Choir over all these years. It was one of the highlights of my time at Worth and despite my rather poor choral skills I always felt a welcome member of the team. To this day I'm the only person who can vaguely sing the Christmas carols at our family Christmas. I have a lot to thank you for. Adam Fudakowski G’02
Were it not for Michael’s commitment and enthusiasm for music, I would probably not be working in the music industry today. Oli Jacobs F’10, Recording Engineer
Michael is a brilliant musician, a fine teacher and a great guy. He maintained high standards for the choir, mixed patience and grumpy impatience expertly and cared deeply about those of us who committed to music at the School. Worth — and all of us — were lucky to have him. Joshi Herrmann F’07 Thank you so much for giving me the confidence to take my music career forwards; I never thought that I would be studying music at university, and so much of it was down to your hard work and ability to build my confidence in performing. I am especially grateful for how you developed my singing — you gave me the confidence to sing solos in a choir that I grew up watching in admiration and ultimately is one of the things I miss the most. Cameron Pring R’16
John Minch presents Michael with the original manuscript of Sing Joyfully to the Lord, whilst Kate Oakley looks on
The Schola Cantorum was boosted by a large number of Worthians keen to sing for Michael
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I would not be the Singer or Trumpeter I am today without your help. Some of my fondest memories with you are when I sang the Pie Jesu in a wheelchair at the beginning of Year 9 and both tours to North Carolina and Rome. Lenny Rush R’16
Worth Society Life
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Rest in Peace Fr Charles Dom Charles Hallinan OSB 6 September 1926 to 25 June 2018
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r Charles has left every one of us and everyone who knew him with happy memories. As we recall our interactions, I suspect a smile is not far from our faces. We are saying farewell to someone who touched our lives with his goodness. A few years ago a Worth parishioner died suddenly in her sleep. Whilst others reacted with shock and dismay at the news of her death, Charles’s response was to say simply, “Lucky her”. While this may have been in part about the manner of the death, more profoundly it was that Charles saw death as the gateway to life – the gateway to the fullness of life with God. As we know Charles did not have a sudden death, his health had been declining since 2009. This period was marked by a lack of mobility, increasing frailty, and sometimes very painful leg ulcers. Some of his responses to this situation were rather quirky, but nevertheless he remained typically buoyant, uncomplaining, grateful for whatever kindness was offered, loving and concerned for others. Charles received wonderful care through this extended period from many people, but particularly from Br Anthony, the community’s infirmarian, and the monastery care team. Fr Charles was not always an exemplary patient. His situation brought out a streak of stubbornness that has perhaps always been part of his character. In some circumstances stubbornness can be a helpful quality, in other circumstances it can seem to be nearer to bloodymindedness. Over the years Charles has almost always showed exemplary patience, but from time to time he has seemed to dig his heels in unreasonably. I am perhaps struggling to find anything to weigh against Charles from the life that spanned nearly 92 years. Charles was born in Cardiff in 1926, the son of Charles Hallinan and Theresa Holman. Fr Charles remained proud of his Welsh roots and of his strong Irish ancestry. He was one of four children, and he described it as a very close, very Catholic family. An aunt was a Benedictine nun and another was a Poor Clare. It was in the family that Charles was introduced to the tradition of Marian spirituality. He remained devoted to Our Lady, and prayed the rosary often. Charles was educated at Worth Prep School from 1937, and then Downside from 1940. After school he joined the Rifle Brigade for his 2 years of national service, serving in
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the Middle East in 1946 and 1947. By his own admission he was not cut out for soldiering. Once he led a convoy of lorries up a cul-de-sac. And on another he was confined to barracks for a week after he returned from going to Benediction when he should have been available for fire duty.
Many will know that Charles had a huge heart for the underprivileged and those experiencing hard times – perhaps notably the homeless at Crawley Open House. Charles was initially chosen to be part of Worth’s mission to Peru. In fact he was never sent; but to his amusement his picture in authentic Peruvian dress appeared on collecting tins for years afterwards.
In September 1948 he joined the monastery at Downside, along with, among others, Frs Hugh, Bernard and Dominic. He said of this decision, “I wanted to be a priest. I never wanted to do anything else and I couldn’t imagine wanting to be anything else. I have wondered what would have happened if I had not joined the Monastery, what my children would have been like... probably awful: but I have never regretted it.’ He said his motivation was also prayer, “I wanted a life of prayer. It’s a big thing in my life. I was very influenced by a 17th century monk Augustine Baker.” Prayer was the foundation of everything. Prayer came before anything else. As St Benedict wrote, ‘Nothing is to be put before the Work of God’. Fasting and penance also kept Charles close to God.
What we can see to underlie Charles’s life was gospel and Benedictine humility. This bedrock allows the grace of the Holy Spirit to work through us. Humility ensured that for Charles God was the one and only foundation of his life. Humility meant that he took others seriously but he did not take himself seriously. You could not get annoyed with him for long. Seemingly he did not have an enemy in the world. Many have commented on his heroic patience. He accepted criticism and correction with equanimity. He was always willing to do the menial tasks and to serve others. Charles combined holiness and humanity in an unselfconscious and attractive manner. It was a touch of God. It was no contradiction that he was very keen on the latin dictum, ‘Festum in choro; festum in refectorio’ – feast in choir; feast in refectory. A major church celebration should be followed by a good festal meal, including wine. Humanity and holiness are not to be separated.
The strains of the novitiate may have led to the incident when the late vocation, Dom Hugh, driven beyond reason by the young ‘gadfly’ Dom Charles, threw him unceremoniously over a hedge in the Monastery garden. Despite these ups and downs Charles made his Solemn Profession at Downside and was ordained a priest.
Taken from Abbot Luke Jolly’s Homily at Fr Charles’s Funeral Mass at Worth Abbey on 3rd July 2018
It was in September 1957 that he became one of the nineteen Downside monks who moved permanently to Worth, as the Independent Community. Over the years Charles served in the Monastery as Guest Master, having a particular love for gentlemen of the road, as Sacristan, Novice Master, and as Subprior. He was a member of Worth’s East Dulwich Monastic House in the 1980’s. He is remembered with great affection for his time in the School. He was a teacher of History and Religious Instruction for almost 30 years. Of this role Charles said, “I wasn’t a teacher but I tried for 30 years. I found it very difficult to keep control. I went to Abbot Victor and said I shouldn’t be doing it, but he disagreed.” Later he was Assistant Housemaster and Chaplain in first Chapman House and then in St Bede’s House. As well as his involvement in the School, he was on the Worth Parish, in Turners Hill from 1962 to 1981, and also in Crawley Down and Balcombe. In all his pastoral roles he is remembered for his kindness, solicitude, fun, and prayerfulness. He had wonderful pastoral gifts as a priest, particularly as a confessor all around the diocese.
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Worthian becomes Chair of Governors of Worth School
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fter ten years of dedicated and valuable service to Worth School, Ms Alda Andreotti’s term as Chair of Governors came to an end this summer in that capacity, as well as numerous years as a Governor and Chair of the Friends of Worth before that. Her successor is Worthian Tim Pethybridge StB’70. Tim was Head Boy at Worth in 1970 and went on to Lincoln College Oxford where he graduated with a degree in Law. He started his career in stockbroking with Kitcat and Aitken before moving to Vickers da Costa where he specialized in the emerging markets of South East Asia – managing the firm’s European operations after the merger with Scrimgeour and Citicorp. Subsequently he had spells in senior management roles with Salomon Brothers and RHB Group of Malaysia before being asked to switch to private banking and take on one of the client divisions of Coutts in 2000. After the takeover by RBS he moved to
Worthians—The Second Generation: September 2018 Deutsche Bank Wealth Management and then on to Lloyds Bank where he was head of Key Clients for the Private Bank. He left Lloyds in 2012 to start a boutique business advising a select number of clients and remains a partner and consultant to the business.
We are delighted to announce that this year’s
Glenn Robertson Spirit of Rugby Trophy
Outside his professional life Tim’s main interest is education. In addition to his responsibilities at Worth, he is Co-Chair and Chair of Finance for the Paddock School in Roehampton, which is a large, maintained school specializing in very autistic children. He is also a Governor of Dulwich College (where he sits on the Finance and Development Committees), a Trustee of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he is Chair of the Investment Committee, and a member of the Skinners Guild Investment Committee. Married to Olivia, he enjoys spending time with his family at their homes in London and Cornwall.
was awarded to Andrew Riley G’18 and the
Glenn Robertson Sporting Promise Trophy was awarded to current student Benedict Smith Many congratulations to you both!
Development News
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he Development Office has had a changing of the guard recently. I’d like to introduce myself as the new Head of Development. I’ve spent most of my career in education as both a teacher and primary school principal and moved into development in the past few years. I’ve attended a handful of Worthian and school events so far and have felt the strong sense of community and connection to the School. I’m looking forward to meeting many more members of this warm and inviting community over the coming months at upcoming and future events.
Did you leave Worth between 2012 and 2018? Were you doing your DofE Gold Award and never quite got round to finishing? It may not be too late...
We would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have pledged a legacy and made a contribution to the bursary fund. Your support is very much appreciated. Simply put, bursaries have the power to transform lives. If you would like to join us in changing lives or to know more about either of these campaigns, please get in touch with me on development@worth.org.uk
If you want to find out if you could still receive your Award (and go to St James’s Palace to have it presented) please contact the School DofE Manager, Julian Williams, at jtwilliams@worth.org.uk
The Development Office supports the strategic vision and plan of the School. There are some exciting projects in the pipeline and we hope that the community will come together and support Worth’s journey into the future.
Pupil Surname
Current Year
House
Father’s/Relative’s Name (House/Year Left)
Genevieve
9
St Anne’s
Sebastian R’93
Miranda
7
Austin
Sebastian R’93
Byrne
Henry
10
Austin
Nephew of Edward Sherlock StB’85
Gabriel
Samuel
11
Austin
Michael C’85
Gerada
Frederik
9
Gervase
Charles R’90
Halffter
Toby
12
St Bede’s
Nephew of Jaime StB’77 & Fernando Zobel StB’78
Hunt
Thomas
11
St Bede’s
Chris StB’85
Liddington
Helena
10
St Mary’s
Stepfather Matthew Brown C’82
Little
Matilda
11
St Mary’s
Roderick G’90
Little
Lochlan
9
St Bede’s
Roderick G’90
Owen
William
10
Gervase
Nephew of Alex G’88 & Justin G’91 Duckworth
Pack
Frederick
12
Chapman
Nephew of Laurence G’83 & Benedict G’97 Kennedy
Pavry
William
11
St Bede’s
Justin StB’91
Simpson
Charles
12
St Bede’s
Nephew of Alistair StB’95 & William StB’96 Lockhart
Bailey Bailey
Christian Name
to do
Worthians Children currently registered to join Worth Pupil Surname
Christian Name
Proposed Start Date
Year Group
Father’s/Relative’s Name (House/Year Left)
Archer-Perkins
Georgina
2022
9
Richard C’66
Archer-Perkins
Olivia
2028
9
Richard C’66
De Nassau
Gabriel
2020
9
Louis
Gage Llado
Nicholas
2019
12
Pedro
Harris
Barnaby
2025
9
Roderick G’90
Harris
Eliza
2023
9
Nephew of Alex G’88 & Justin G’91 Duckworth
Kelly
Sophie
2020
12
David StB’91
Main
Callum
2019
12
Kevin StB’76
Store
Poppy
2019
9
Eamonn C’86
Anna MacMahon, Head of Development
Two campaigns have recently been launched, The Legacy Campaign and the Worth School Bursary Fund Campaign.
72
Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
The Old Place
73
Worthians - Year 13 University Destinations 2018 Pupil
University
Course
Pupil
University
Course
Katie Abbott
Nottingham
English
Angus Lurcott
Cardiff
Applied Software Engineering
Alessia Macari
Richmond, The American International University in London
International Business Management
Amaya Malmalabaduge
Liverpool
BioMedical Sciences
Marco Abousleiman
Sussex
Law and Business
Ade Adewunmi
Coventry
Civil Engineering
Igor Appelboom
Wake Forest University, North Computer Science Carolina, USA
Banji Bajomo
Sheffield
Accounting and Financial Management
Niamh Marshall
Birmingham
Human Neuroscience
Troy Mason-Roe
Winchester
Physiotheraphy
William Mersh
Oxford Brookes
Information Technology for Business
Charlotte Baker*
Sussex
Psychology
Charles Bamber
Birmingham
Environmental Science
Eli Barrott
Birmingham
International Law and Globalisation
Elizabeth Montagu
Bath
Business Administration
Giuseppe Moscarello
Oxford Brookes
Foundation Course
Arturo Moya
Tecnun School of Engineering Industrial Design and Product (Universidad de Navarra), San Development Engineering Sebastian
Dominik Nagel
Queen Mary
Tom Bentley
Oxford Brookes
Business and Management
Harry Bhattacharyya
Sheffield
Politics Physics with Astrophysics
Charles Blades
York
Sasha Bogdanenko
London South Bank University Architecture
Rosie Boggis
Quest Professional Business School, London
Geography with Business Management
Jane Neave*
Birmingham
Psychology
Elizabeth O'Reilly
UEA
English Literature with Creative Writing
Lucas Palazuelos
Francisco de Vitoria University, International Relations Madrid (bilingual)
Jan-Ralph Brenninkmeijer Erasmus University, Rotterdam Economics and Business Economics
Stephanie Pfiffner
Goldsmiths
Management and Entrepeneurship
Katherine Piper
York
Human Geography and Environment
Holly Booth
Liverpool
Tobias Braxton
Australian National University, Natural Sciences Canberra (from February 2019)
Geography
Emily Brookes
Bath Spa
Creative Music Technology
William Broster
University of York
Electronic Engineering
Matthew Broughton
Cardiff
Geography
Ellen Brownings
York
Accounting, Business Finance and Management (ABFM)
Zackary Pratt*
Arts University Bournemouth Commercial Photography
Chloe Pullan*
Exeter
History
Hannah Quinn
Edinburgh Heriot-Watt
Geography, Society and Environment
Niall Quinn
Bristol UWE via Rolls Royce Degree Apprenticeship
Aerospace Engineering
Giacomo Raimondi
University of Amsterdam
Economics and Business Economics
Pierre Bruton
UEA
Economics
Ella Cavaliero*
Bath Spa
Commercial Music
Pablo Cerdo
Queen Mary
Economics, Finance and Management
Kenneth Chong
Leeds
Actuarial Mathematics
Beltran Ramirez
Nottingham Trent
Civil Engineering
Leeds
Environment and Business
Oxford Brookes
Planning and Property Development
Jazmine Clemens
Edinburgh
Sociology and Politics
Matthew Redferne
Eva Cordeschi
Leeds Beckett
Filmmaking
William Ridge
Gigi De Jesus
Private College
Foundation Course Engineering
Maya Roberts
Nottingham
Pharmacy
David Desaur
UCL
Neuroscience
Thomas Roberts
Exeter
Economics and Finance
Robert Donegan*
Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester
Agriculture and Farm Management
Laura Russell
Edinburgh Napier
Accounting with Corporate Finance
James Dunn*
Arts University Bournemouth Fashion Branding & Communication
Alexander Salters
Exeter
Law
Giles Salters
Kent
Actuarial Science
Barnaby Elwes*
Exeter
Politics, Philosophy & Economics
Aleks Gabov
Cardiff
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
James Gibbons
Leicester
Finance and Banking
Anya Gorringe
Nottingham
Mechanical Engineering
Christopher Taylor
Bath
Accounting and Finance
Oliver Taylor
UEA
Economics
Juan Sevilla
King's London
Maths and Philosophy
Nessa Shoesmith
Exeter
English
William Siebert*
Exeter
History and International Relations
Michal Graczyk
Cambridge
Medicine
Frederick Greenslade
Oxford Brookes
Real Estate Management
Daniel Tighe
Exeter
Computer Science
Portsmouth
Mechnical Engineering
University of Houston
Geoscience and PetroTechnology
Rory Guion
Edinburgh University
History
Gonzalo Treunen
Saskia Harris*
University of West England
Geography
Roelle Tulalian
Callum Jenkins
Kent
Philosophy
Duncan Jennings
Coventry
Automotive Engineering
Sara Knurowska
Warwick
Psychology and Global Sustainable Development
Vikram Kohli
Brunel
Politics and History w/ Professional Development
Max Landesz
University of California Santa Cruz
Business Economics
Pedro Larrea
ICADE – Universidad Pontificia Business Administration de Comillas
Xiaobo Liu
University of Sussex
Business Studies
William Logan*
Cambridge School of Art (Anglia Ruskin)
Fine Art
74
Tom van Asselt
Exeter
Philosophy
Natalia Villanueva
Enderun Colleges, Manila, Philippines
Business Administration
James Whitlock
Durham
Natural Sciences
Lex Wills
Manchester
Engineering w/ Foundation Year
Arcturus Yung
Bristol
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
Archer Zhang
Coventry
Interior and Architecture Design (from Jan 2019)
*Denotes 2017 Leaver
Please note: these details were correct at time of going to press
Wear your Worth Society Colours!
Ties @ £25.00 each, choice of: • 100% smooth silk with Worth cross and crown motif embroidered onto a navy background • 100% smooth silk, navy blue and gold striped tie • 100% reppe silk, navy blue and gold striped tie Enamel Cufflinks, each pair comes in its own presentation box and is available in either a chain-link or T-bar fitting • Chain-link @ £35.00 per pair • T-bar @ £30.00 per pair
Sterling Silver Charm @ £35.00, engraved with the Worth crown and cross motif, has a sterling silver lobster claw fitting for attachment. Hallmarked on the reverse and comes in its own navy blue presentation box Socks @ £10.00, 100% cotton striped in Worthian colours, choice of: • Gentlemen’s, short (size 6-12) • Ladies’, long (size 3-7))
Visit the Merchandise section of the Worth Society website at www.worthsociety.org.uk and purchase items safely and securely using PayPal.
Worth Society Life
Life and Times of Worthians
The Old Place
75
An independent day and boarding prep school for boys and girls aged between 2-13 years, offering an excellent all round education and with a nursery open 48 weeks a year.
“Boarding at Copthorne Prep has given my children opportunities in all areas that they never had at their last school” (Year 8 Parent, 2018)
Busy at school during the week and home for the weekends - the best of both worlds!
• Escorted train to/from London Victoria on Friday and Sunday • 7 miles from Gatwick Airport • Excellent pastoral care and boarding • Average of 60% of Year 8 leavers awarded scholarships to over 20+ top senior schools including Worth School
“You are never alone when you are boarding, it is just so much fun!” (Current Year 7 boarder)
NURSERY . PRE-PREP . PREP . DAY . BOARDING 01342 712311 . www.copthorneprep.co.uk
“Your wonderful school has been a second home to our whole family, and one in which we have all been so happy”. (Year 8 Parent, 2018)