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July 2012
N0. 58
OLD SUTTONIANS
NEWSLETTER
OS Interviews
Malcolm Parkinson MBE (1961 L)
Over fifty years ago I
arrived at Holdgate
House, run by Rev.
Nichols, to start my
education at Sutton
Valence following in
the footsteps of my
brother Ian Parkinson
(1958 L).
In this issue:
Reunions Page 5
Duxford Reunion Page 8
After a term I moved onto Valence
House which was superbly positioned
close to pubs, shops, the payphone and
crucially the delightful village girls.
I started my second year in Lambes
House which apart from being fairly medieval with a huge noisy dining hall and
enormous cold barnlike dormitories,
was characterised by an independent,
confident spirit and a certainty that
Lambes was quite simply the best.
Life at School in the early 60’s was full
of promise, freedom, excitement at the
changing world punctuated by the occasional scare such as the Cuban Missile
Crisis that had us all glued to the radio.
We had some fine teachers, lots of
characters, some inspiring war heroes,
not least The Reverend Nichols with his
M.C. Most of the teachers had done
noteworthy things and gained much experience before coming to Sutton Valence. They encouraged us to recognise
what the world had to offer and inspired
me to go out for myself, which I did by
joining the Merchant Navy as a trainee
navigation officer. During my time at
Marriages Page 32
Regional Reunions
House Focus
Old photographs
OS News
School News
Page 8
Page 14
Page 16
Page 20
Page 40
Continued on page 2
Information
A member of the United
Westminster Schools’ Foundation
Registered Charity No. 309267
Founded in 1576 by William Lambe
Old Suttonians Newsletter July 2012
For information about Sutton Valence School, please contact:
• the Admissions Office at Sutton Valence on 01622 845206 or email enquiries@svs.org.uk
• Sutton Valence Preparatory School on 01622 842117 or email enquiries@svprep.svs.org.uk
1
Old Suttonians Newsletter
Continued from front page
sea I was almost shipwrecked in the Atlantic, shot at in Egypt and Aden, lionized in India as we delivered life-saving
rice to the starving population.
After two years at sea I went into business, firstly in advertising and then into
retailing. I joined up with some friends
who had started a small hardware chain
as the first Marketing Director and we
created Europe’s most successful D.I.Y.
company B&Q. Subsequently, I went
on to run, as Chief Executive, Woolworths, who had bought B&Q. I started
up an un-successful garden centre business, chaired or sat on the boards of
over 40 private and public companies
and as a Governor helped develop
Capel Manor College into Britain’s foremost horticultural college. For this task
I have just been awarded an MBE.
and determination to succeed, to realise
that anything is possible if you apply
yourself and don’t mind who takes the
credit.
I look back fifty years with fondness,
sadness that I have lost touch with many
but happy I still see lots of Old Suttonians and recognise in them much of what
I got from the School.
Sutton Valence nurtured my spirit of
independence, gave me the confidence
Katie Gornall (2001 V)
Switch on the BBC’s
World television service
wherever you are on the
planet this year, and
you – and 300 million
other people – are quite
likely to see ex-SVS
Head of School Katie
Gornall presenting the
sports news.
While many students headed for the
bar after tutorials, Katie instead applied
for work experience at radio and TV stations, and was taken on for a three-week
stint at BBC Radio 5live Sport, gaining
valuable experience from watching established sports presenters such as Alan
Green and Jacqui Oatley.
Having successfully applied for an MA
course in radio production at Sunderland University, Katie then got taken on
by BBC Newcastle – “I was given the
number of Nick Barnes, their Sunderland commentator, who invited me to
come and meet the sports team there. I
just kept going in every afternoon”, she
said. “I wanted to be part of it all, and
sheer persistence was paying off”.
Katie was soon making herself useful
– “to be honest, I’d do anything from answering the phone to broadcasting the
traffic and travel bulletins. By simply
sticking around, I was getting more experience and opportunities”.
She was also gaining a reputation as a
reliable and enthusiastic reporter, and
when BBC Northeast’s regional TV pro-
For Katie, 29, it marks the latest stage
in a broadcasting career which has taken
her from student radio to international
television.
It’s perhaps no surprise that sports
journalism attracted Katie (1994 2001 V), because she represented the
School’s first teams at netball, which she
captained, hockey, tennis, rounders and
shooting.
Her academic leanings were towards
science, and she won a place at Durham
University to study natural sciences.
However, it was the university’s radio
station, rather than the labs, which most
appealed to Katie, and she began to
learn the basics of broadcasting.
2
Katie interviewing ‘Match of the Day’ pundit and former England and Newcastle star Alan Shearer
July 2012
gramme ‘Look North’ had a sports desk
vacancy, Katie got the job.
From modest roles, such as compiling
the soccer scores, Katie was soon sufficiently trusted to go out with a cameraman and file sports reports for ‘Look
North’.
North’, but then came an opportunity to
join BBC’s network TV sports desk in
Salford, which is responsible for compiling reports to be broadcast across the
network, including the rolling BBC
News 24 service, and the BBC World TV
channel.
Although she’d already interviewed
stars such as Jonny Wilkinson and Evander Holyfield for radio, reporting for TV
– including the occasional live broadcast
– might have been daunting to many
journalists.
“Going from regional TV, where we
had a peak audience of around 400,000
to BBC World, which goes into around
300 million homes, is quite a jump”, says
Katie. “But whenever I’m on camera, I
try not think about those enormous
viewing figures – I tell myself I’m just
chatting to my Nana!”
“To be honest, I’ve always been pretty
laid-back, so appearing on camera didn’t faze me too much”, says Katie. “And
I really enjoyed interviewing Newcastle
FC heroes such as Alan Shearer and
Kevin Keegan, and being absorbed in
the total passion that a club like that
generates”.
Every broadcaster occasionally has
tricky experiences, and Katie is no exception. “I was once sent to interview an
Ethiopian athlete who didn’t speak a
word of English”, she recalls. “But
somehow we got through it…….
Last year, Katie co-presented a programme on the Olympics for ‘Look
Richard Ward
(1983 W)
An OS enjoying a consistently high media
profile is Richard Ward
(1980-83), one of
Britain’s most successful hairdressers, with a
London salon looking
after more than 1,000
clients a week.
It’s been a remarkable rise for
Richard, culminating last year when he
and his team were involved in the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middle-
“I love the unpredictability of journalism. For instance, I came in one day to
be told I was interviewing Carl Froch,
who had just won the IBF world supermiddleweight boxing title. My family
and I are big boxing fans and the day before we'd all been raving about his fight.
It was incredible to then be sitting down
with him to talk about it first-hand."
This summer, Katie is also scheduled
to realise her dream of being involved in
the coverage of the Olympics, working
alongside medal winners-turned-broadcasters such as Steve Cram.
This will also give her the opportunity
of coming back to Kent to visit her illustrator father Mike Gornall and younger
brother Sam, also an Old Suttonian, living in Egerton.
Katie says “I’m not hugely ambitious”.
Ambitious or not, her rapid rise up the
sports broadcasting ladder is testament
to her talent and enthusiasm. And, as
she says, “being really persistent”!
Interview by Richard Harvey
(Cornwallis ’63)
ton – the bride’s demi-chignon was
styled by James Pryce supported by
Richard, while Richard’s team also
styled the hair of the bridal party.
This is all a very long way from life at
SVS, which Richard looks back on with
fondness. He was a keen sportsman,
playing hockey for the first X1 and Kent
under-15s, and also represented the
School at rugby and cricket.
Academically, he excelled at graphic
art, English and history, and he recalls
“there was plenty of laughter and some
amazing sporting opportunities. I made
some great mates who I’m still friends
with now”.
Not long after leaving SVS, Richard
moved to London and began his career
as an apprentice with celebrity hairdresser Daniel Galvin before he and his
wife Hellen bought a bankrupt salon behind Harrods in 1992.
Nominated six times as Hairdresser of
the Year in the British Hairdressing
Awards and winner of the Celebrity
Hairdresser of the Year, Richard’s
biggest business decision came in 1995
when he made a £1.5 million investment
in the Richard Ward Salon and Metro-
3
spa – which provides a variety of hair
and beauty treatments – in Duke of
York Square, just off Sloane Square,
London SW3. Today, the salon employs
a staff of 75.
Richard’s reputation and profile is
partly due to his gift for publicity – he
features regularly in publications from
Vogue to Harper’s Bazaar, the Sunday
Times to the Daily Mail, Grazia to OK!.
He was also a regular on Trinny
Woodall and Susannah Constantine’s
TV makeover programmes, and is now
the resident hairdresser for the Lorraine
breakfast show.
Richard’s success has also led him into
education and charitable work. He is a
co-founder of HAIRaising, which raises
funds for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, and is involved in training projects for up-and-coming
hairdressers.
Interview by Richard Harvey
(Cornwallis ’63)
The Suttonian
and the Old
Suttonian
Newsletter
We hope you will already know from
previous letters that the OSA intends to
stop sending out The Suttonian magazine to OS, as a matter of routine. We
have received suggestions from OS that
they would prefer that the cost of sending such a weighty publication was put
to better use and that much of the content, whilst interesting, has little relevance to them. So, in an effort to make
communications to you more engaging
and interesting, the Old Suttonian
4
Newsletter will be expanded with new
articles, contributions from OS and a
précis of the news and highlights of life
at School. Anyone wishing to continue
receiving The Suttonian will be given the
opportunity to do so, and we are also
working to make it available through the
OS webpages as a digital book.
ian pages at the top of the page on the
main title bar.
Emails
Are you able to help with work experience or mentoring?
More and more OS are preferring to
receive letters, newsletters etc by email;
not only is this more convenient for
them, but also enables the Development
Office and the OSA to contain our costs.
If you have received this newsletter by
post and would prefer to receive it online, please send in your email address
to Rebecca Riggs at riggsr@svs.org.uk.
After the summer issue, Sutton Views
will only be sent by email as a link to a
digital book, unless you have requested
otherwise, but it is also available online
through www.svs.org.uk.
In order to give our pupils and Old
Suttonians the opportunity to compete
effectively for the more highly regarded
university places, or to get a first foot on
the employment ladder, the School considers it most important that a young
person gains work experience. However,
they need the contacts to be able to do
this. Sutton Valence Sixth Form pupils
and other younger Old Suttonians could
greatly benefit from the network of Old
Suttonians employment knowledge and
experience, whether it is providing work
shadowing or sound advice in the form
of mentorship.
LinkedIn
We are in touch with over 530 Old
Suttonians through the website
www.linkedIn.com. This site will enable
you to network with your peers, contact
other OS in your industry and beyond,
or catch up on news. To become part of
the group you need to register on the
site, if you haven’t already, then ‘request’ to join the group Old Suttonians.
You will also see that we have seven subgroups for OS in United Arab Emirates,
China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, USA and Germany.
OS Webpages
More information on events and communications can also be found through
the School’s website: www.svs.org.uk.
You will find the link to the Old Sutton-
Careers
Networking
If you are in a position to offer work
shadowing to a Sutton Valence pupil or
another Old Suttonian, please complete
the relevant section of the database update form or email Rebecca Riggs on
riggsr@svs.org.uk or telephone 01622
845258 specifying your profession or
area of expertise. Any contact made will
be made through the School only.
Awards
2011/12
Atchison Bequest
Hannah Kitchen (2011 Cl)
Tom Oldfield (2011 L)
Bennett-Hunting Memorial
David Booer (2011 M)
Cristina Paca (2011 S)
Catherine Robinson (2011 H)
Joel Smith (2011 G)
July 2012
Reunions
1950s Reunion
Photograph from left David Harverson (1956 M), Christopher Quinton (1958 L), Tony Ruffell (1958 M) and Jeremy Wall (1954 M)
In June 2011, over 65 Old Suttonians
attended the 1950s reunion at the
School. A small group of OS played golf
in the morning at The Ridge. Neville
Sarony (1958 M) provided the entertainment by re-creating the School song
and playing on the piano. We are very
grateful to Jeremy Wall (1954 M) for the
organisation.
Photograph from left Gerald Clapp (1953 M),
Michael Beaman (1952 W and Ex-Staff),
Brian Norman (1954 W), Mark Grundy
(1955 W), John Evans (1953 W), Barbara
Bartlett and Michael Bartlett (1954 W)
5
Oldest and Boldest reunion
In October 2011, the
Oldest and Boldest reunion
was attended by over 60
OS. Old Suttonian ties
were presented to Robert
Furniss (1937 W) and
Bernard Tipples (1937 M).
Both joined the School in
1932.
Douglas Horner
(1962 M) gave the response
to the Headmaster.
Photograph from left, Robert
Furniss (1937 W), Bruce
Grindlay (Headmaster SVS),
Bernard Tipples (1937 M)
Old Suttonians, Australia Reunion (Perth)
In February 2012, six Old
Suttonians based in Perth
met up in Fremantle. They
had a fun evening and, at
26°C, the weather was also
kind. We are grateful to
John Smith (1965 W) for organising the get-together.
The group are planning to
meet again in central Perth.
If any other OS in the Perth
region would like to be involved, please contact The
Rev’d John F Smith by email:
jhnf.smith@googlemail.com.
From left, Mrs Lorraine Smith, Geoffrey Jacob (1945 M), Mrs Millar, Alan Boyd (1988 W), Alan Boyd partner,
Martin Bennett (1982 W), Andrew Millar (1983 W), Clare McDonnell (née Hubbard) (1987 V), Mr McDonnell.
6
July 2012
London Reunions
On 17th January 2012, over 60 Old
Suttonians attended an informal get-together in London at the Brigade, Tooley
Street (www.thebrigade.co.uk). The
event was a great success and will hopefully become a regular addition to the
OS calendar of events. Our appreciation goes to Nicholas Bills (1992 W) for
organising the venue.
On 20th April 2012, Old Suttonians
met up in The Old Star, Westminster,
London.
From left, Amelia Acott (née Merricks) (2004 S), Peter Hunt (2004 W), Clare Hindmarsh
(2004 H), George Blake (2004 Cl), Philippa Scott (2004 H), William Selway (2004 G)
From left, Samer Taki (1980 W), Doug Mather (1974 M), Nicholas Bills (1992 W), David Pickard (Hon Sec OSA), Neil Richards (1967 F), Alan
Whitewright (1974 W), Anthony Moony (1977 C), Rebecca Riggs (Development Office).
The next London reunion will be on Tuesday 9th October 2012.
For details, please contact Charlotte Bills - charlottebasham@btinternet.com.
7
Old Suttonians, Hong Kong Reunion
In May 2012, 22 Old Suttonians met in
the Hong Kong Club for the first reunion of OS in Hong Kong. We are very
grateful to Neville Sarony (1958 M) for
organising this. If any other OS in Hong
Kong would like to be involved in the
next reunion, please contact Neville
Sarony by email: saronyqc@gmail.com.
of you responded to the call. Those who,
for whatever reason, were unable to join
us really missed out!
Neville writes:“I think we all agree
that the OS Hong Kong Reunion was a
great success and I really enjoyed meeting everyone. The enthusiasm for maintaining our bonds was tremendous and I
greatly appreciate the fact that so many
We have an offer of a Junk from
Stephen Bottomley (1972 W), a BBQ
from Dan Shepherd (1994 B), so we can
work on these. The idea of a pre-Christmas dinner met with universal approval.
We need to make a reservation now if
But now we are assured that there will
be future occasions and opportunities,
we can all do our best to press gang the
less enthusiastic.
we are to ensure getting the right sort of
venue. I suggest that we look at an early
December date so as to get the largest
numbers, and also a Friday or Saturday.
I propose we look at 7th or 8th December and 14th or 15th December. Will
you please let me know as soon as possible which of these dates would be most
convenient for you? We also need to decide whether we want to include spouses
or keep it exclusively O.S. Please reply
on these questions as swiftly as possible
so that we get a consensus that we can
then plan around.”
Regional Reunion
Imperial War Museum
Duxford, Cambridgeshire
In May 2012, 70 Old Suttonians, family and friends, met at the IWM
Duxford for the second regional reunion. Richard Ashton (1986 M), Director and Executive VP of the museum kindly hosted the event and provided four very knowledgeable guides, who greatly enhanced the visit for
everyone.
8
copyright IWM
July 2012
Richard Ashton (1986 M), Duxford, copywright IWM
William Lambe
Dinner
In May 2012, Old Suttonians met for
dinner in the Headmaster’s House for
the annual William Lambe Society
Dinner. We would very much like to
hear from any OS who may have made
a provision (of any kind) for the School
in their wills, so that we may include
them in the next invitation to dinner.
Please contact:
Helen Knott,
Development Manager
knotth@svs.org.uk
01622 845271
Old Suttonians at Duxford
9
Old Suttonians meet up in a war zone
At the beginning of the conflict in Libya,
back in February 2011, Ben Brown and I
(Issam Hajjaji) made contact via email.
He was at the Libyan border in Tunisia
reporting for the BBC. I provided news
of the capital, Tripoli, where I lived. We
had thought that the regime will fall in
the first week and would meet here.
Events, however, took a different turn
when Gaddafi released his mercenaries
on the towns and managed to quell the
uprising in all the towns from Tripoli to
the Tunisian border. Foreign correspondent presence was severely restricted
and Ben could not enter Libya. In addition, internet was cut off.
We had a very difficult next six months
with widespread arrests, intense security, food and petrol shortages. Injured
demonstrators were being picked up at
the hospitals, so relatives started treating their injured at home. This included
a large number from the area of Suk El
Juma, east of Tripoli, where my family is
originally from. I set up a rudimentary
clinic in my home to treat bleeding,
shock, wound disinfection and for suturing. Those with more severe injuries
could not be sent to hospital and several
died. Further, I could not openly advertise my services, lest I end up in jail.
Word about the clinic was spread by
family members and a code was used on
telephone to tell me a casualty was on
his way. Things quietened down in the
middle months, then picked up again
when Tripoli rose again.
Internet was restored when the town
was liberated. Ben managed to get in to
Libya and we met after 34 years! He did
a couple of live interviews with me on
BBC World and News Channel. I took
him round Tripoli. He talked to young
rebels from my family and took a photograph of Gaddafi’s camel, used for milk,
which is now residing in my aunt Aisha’s
garden.
It was a pleasure to see Ben again (in
person) and to help an Old Suttonian.
We talked about schooldays in the 1970s
and who is still alive of our masters. OS
are all over the world and I’m sure
would help other OS even if they were
at different time periods at the school.
Prof Issam M Hajjaji MA FRCP FRCPE
(1977 M)
Tripoli, Libya 6.9.2011
10
July 2012
The opening of TC’s, 28th
September 2011 in memory
of Tom Chastain (1955 W)
A legacy from an Old Suttonian has
meant that the old tuck shop could be
renovated into a café to rival any on the
high street.
Development Manager, Helen Knott,
said, “Tom Chastain attended Sutton
Valence for only one year, in 1954, coming here from the USA as an ESU student. The many happy memories of his
friends and his experiences here remained with him when he returned to
Florida. In TC’s we have been able to
create a calm, comfortable space where
Sixth Formers can relax and socialise
over newspapers and a cup of coffee. It
will be a lasting tribute to Tom and his
generous gift to the School."
The café is furnished with leather sofas
and co-ordinating bistro tables and
chairs, with art by school pupils on the
walls. The state-of-the-art coffee machine grinds fresh beans to make anything from expresso to latte. Although
staffed by the school catering department, the students help run the café and
what is on offer.
“The café is packed every break time”,
says Marcus Newman, Head of School.
“We are very lucky to have such a great
place to meet our friends.”
The opening ceremony was performed
by John Evans (1953 W), President of
the Old Suttonians Association, who remembered TC's when it was the Tuck
Shop.
11
Inventor of the Banoffi Pie
Nigel Mackenzie (1962 C)
When we first opened The Hungry
Monk Restaurant we changed the menu
every day and the greatest problem was
thinking of puddings. One day one of
our waitresses came back from the West
Country where she had been shown that
if you boiled condensed milk for long
enough – about 3 hours – it turned into
some wonderful soft toffee.
I had a meeting with our Head Chef to
discuss this discovery. We racked our
brains for what we could do with this delicious substance. Suddenly it occurred
to me that it would be heavenly with Bananas and Cream. He then went on to
make a pie with exactly those ingredients, a thick layer of the toffee mixture,
then bananas sliced longways and then
a thick layer of whipped cream with a
dash of coffee in it. By the time he had
finished making it we were just about to
open for business and we hadn’t thought
of a name for it. I said well as a temporary name we would call it Banoffee Pie
being simply a portmanteau name of banana, coffee and toffee. That is what it
went on as the first night. Of course
everybody asked all evening what it was
and raved about it and we quickly realised that it was about the most delicious pudding we had ever made.
It therefore remained on the menu almost every night for weeks. The recipe
remained a secret for about a year and a
half and then we produced our second
cookbook. The Deeper Secrets of The
Hungry Monk, in which we gave the full
recipe. This book sold about 100,000 all
round the English speaking world and it
largely because of that that Banoffi (current spelling) is now the most popular
named pudding in the world along with
Tiramisu and Tarte Tatin.
What we never gave a thought to was
registering the trade mark of the name
or copywriting the pudding. It quickly
went in to public ownership (and the
Oxford Dictionary) and we lost the op12
portunity to protect it legally. It has
been the only pudding that we have
never been able to take off the menu for
40 years and now that we have closed for
business we are being inundated with
emails and letters from people round
the world with fond memories of their
first slice of Banoffi Pie.
Old Suttonians in the
Catering Industry
Peter Baker (1971 F) Managing Director, Maple Leaf Bakery UK:
www.mapleleaf.com
Andrew Doree (1984 W) Proprietor and
Chef of The Royal Oak, South Brent,
Devon: www.oakonline.net
Timothy Field (1994 W) Sous Chef,
Corinthia Hotels: www.corinthia.com
Gordon Griffin (1999 L) Assistant Manager of Blink Restaurants, Canada:
www.blinkcalgary.com
Flic Roberts (née Lynes) (1996 V) has 12
years of food innovation experience as a
product developer for two of the UK’s
leading food retailers, and more recently
as the owner of Pinkpeppercorn Food
Development; a small independent consultancy providing food development expertise to its clients, across the product
development lifecycle, from concept to
consumer. In addition, she also has a
commercial buying and product packaging background and won industry
awards for the products she has developed. www.pinkpeppercorn.co.uk.
July 2012
Rory Slater (1994 W) Executive Assistant Manager, Food and Beverage, The
Ritz-Carlton Beijing
www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/beijing_financial.
Susan Stagg (née West) (1994 V) is now
Group Catering Manager at Guy's and
St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.
Food and Drink writing
and publishing
Anthony Froggatt (1966 L) retired in
2007 as CEO of the Brewing Group,
Scottish and Newcastle plc.
Niels Sherry (1981 W) Managing Director at Sarment Ltd: www.thesherrywinecompany.com
Robin Jones (1971 L) Sales Manager at
Laytons Wine Merchants. www.laytons.co.uk
Nigel Sinclair (1973 C) Director of
Wychwood Wines: www.wychwoodwines.co.uk
Eric Miller (1964 L) Founded both
Chaddsford Winery and Benmarl Vineyard and now works as a consultant for
winery projects. Eric has published his
Harry Willett (1989 W) Landlord of The
Black
Horse,
Monks
Horton:
www.thebestpubintheparish.com
Ghillie James (née Studd) (1993 V)
worked for five years as Food Editor of
Sainsbury's Magazine. Author of Fresh
from the Freezer (2011) and Jam, Jelly
and Relish (2010) which has, to date,
sold approx 70,000 copies. She now
writes a regular column for Food and
Travel Magazine from her home in Singapore and is midway through writing
her third book which will be published
Spring 2013. Books are sold through
www.amazon.co.uk
OS Brewing and Wine
Industry
J Bruce Wilkinson (1967 M) Owner of
Burton Bridge Brewery, Staffordshire.
www.burtonbridgebrewery.co.uk
Robert Dockerty (1960 M) Director with
Guy Beckett (1980 W), Marketing Manager of Larkins Brewery Ltd, Chiddingstone, Kent.
Richard Girling (1989 M) Fine Wine
Sales Manager at John E Fells & Sons
Ltd. www.fells.co.uk
Richard Green (1983 F) and James
Green (1986 F) Owners of the Whitstable
Brewery.
www.hotelcontinental.co.uk
Edward Kentish-Barnes (1995 M)
Brewing Manager and Neil Jardine
(1986 M) Director of Take Home and
Export
at
Greene
King
Plc.
www.greeneking.co.uk
first wine book. The book, Vintner's
Apprentice is widely available online
and through book shops in the US and
UK.
Gordon Milligan (1977 C) Swan on the
Green, West Peckham. Micro brewery:
www.swan-on-the-green.co.uk
Are there any
more of you out
there?
13
House Focus - Cornwallis
Top row from left
Trevor R Goulden, Sandy Cairns, Timothy J Eames, Quentin W Tweedie, David V Hole, Victor E Bentley, Guy S Farrow,
Christopher MacDonald
Gerald P Mann, Roger J Penfold, Derek E Strange, Richard J Harvey, Raymond B Tyerman, Richard I Midmer, David J
Molyneux, Graham M Squires, Andrew C Baldwin, Mark P Stone
Christopher A Pearson, Roger J Fryer, Jonathan J Simpson, David J Allaway, Michael G F Hudson, Michael G Moore, ?,
Richard D C Willis?, Charles C Coller?, James Thompson
Martin Sealey, Colin G Hosmer, Christopher J Woods, Paul Medway, Roderick D Bankier, Clive N Langrick, Peter D Basser,
Christopher B Wheeler, David M Harber, Philip J Hewitt
Peter Milovsoroff, Frederick A B Clement, Nigel A Mackenzie, Peter A Hunt, Brian Vibert, Mr Fairbank, Mrs Goodwin,
Robert J Nella, Miles M Shepherd, Nigel R Collins, Simon J Lyne
James D Leonard, ? , John R Harris, Mike P Strange, John J Krivine, Richard I Brooks, James H F Daly, John A B Wise,
Peter J French
Names in italics, sadly deceased
14
July 2012
Boarding has been an essential part of
the Sutton Valence School ethos for
longer than anyone can remember.
(Wellington) tie and a warm reception
followed. He still didn’t let them near
us!”
This year marks three anniversaries in
our boarding history – 100 years since
the opening of the houses we now know
as Westminster and St Margaret’s, 50
years since Cornwallis was built, and 25
since the opening of Sutton (our only
boarding house for girls).
Sandy Cairns (1964 C) – “Most of us in
the house photo first tested the boarding waters by dipping our toes into the
venerable facilities provided in one of
the older boarding houses before making the choice to throw our lot in with
the shiny new creation.
The School invited former pupils to celebrate these boarding milestones at a
hog roast and drinks party at the beginning of July.
“Although many will have had strong attachments and affection for their former
house, perhaps it was that sense of personal choice, even more than the newness of it all, that gave Cornwallis a
distinct character and identity of its own
from the word go.
Members of the first intake at Cornwallis were asked to share their memories
with The Old Suttonians Newsletter:
John Cox (1963 C) (American exchange
student) – “Cornwallis was not at all
what I expected from a school founded
in the 16th century!
“Red blankets, little central heating but
the first heated towel racks I had ever
seen. Beautiful gardens…….
“Extremely friendly (but curious) housemates, a matron who graciously sewed
name
tapes
into
my
school
uniform….and leading the house in the
school singing competition (which we
didn’t win). She also helped me fix a pair
of school trousers to fit over the cast on
my leg which I broke playing rugby.
“Mr Fairbank, our housemaster, was the
classic example of an ex-British army officer and treated me probably better
than I deserved.
“One memory that does stick in my
mind: one day a rather tired automobile
pulled into the Cornwallis parking lot,
and two shaggy young men emerged and
walked towards the house.
“Mr Fairbank would have none of this,
as he wanted, I assume, to protect us,
and headed directly towards them to
fend them off. He pulled up very short
however, when he noted that one of
them was wearing his own school
“I'm sure that, along with me, many will
be thinking of Michael Fairbank as the
50th anniversary is celebrated. There
could have been no better person to set
a new house on the road to success than
its first housemaster.
“Michael and Susan brought more than
a whiff of civilisation, urbanity, culture
and good sense to the scene, strong
enough even to overcome the adolescent propensity to disregard all these
things - and even the ghastly ‘niff’ of
Vesta curries and chow mein which were
the snacks of choice for the privileged
who had access to the show kitchens!
Happy days.”
Richard Harvey (1963 C) – “It was no
surprise that an American like John Cox
was unimpressed with the modest central heating in Cornwallis, but it was one
of the prime reasons I defected from
Westminster!
“After three years enduring chilly nights
in Westminster’s dorms (all windows
open, at all times), I thought a little winter warmth atop Sutton Valence hill
wouldn’t go amiss, and so I became one
of the first intake to Cornwallis.
“There were other attractions too – individual study booths in the senior dayroom, and comfortably equipped shows.
“I only felt mildly traitorous, and was
soon caught up in the fiercely partisan
house spirit, championed by head of
house Peter Hunt, and evidenced by
Cornwallis doing better-then-expected
in inter-house competitions.
“And Michael Fairbank encouraged us
all, whatever our limitations, to maximise our talents. He also helped civilise
the older boys, by inviting prefects to delicious dinner parties beautifully prepared by his wife Susan. We were
allowed a glass of cider, and it was the
first time I’d tried profiteroles!”
David Hole (1963 C) - Most of us had
been in other houses, however we all became a member of Cornwallis from the
very start. We seemed to have a lot of
boys with very special personalities that
gave the house an immediate character
all of its own.
“There was never a feeling of being the
‘new house’; it felt as though the house
had been around for years, except that
everything was very shiny and new.
“Over the years I shared shows with Tim
Eames, Fred Clement and, in my last
year, Quentin Tweedie, who introduced
me to Elvis; little did I know that I would
later spend many years working in Memphis where the knowledge would prove
useful.
”I will always value and remember the
kindness and leadership of Michael Fairbank, who truly cared for all the boys
under his care.
“Looking at that first year photograph
of Cornwallis reminds me of the passage
of time, especially when looking at the
list of those who have passed away. To
me, they will always be young and
healthy.
“No one will ever have the opportunity
that I had to spend my last school days
with such a great bunch of boys, and be
the first to call Cornwallis home.”
Richard Mant (1961 M) – “I had a small
hand in helping Cornwallis in its infancy.
I used to look after the first Cornwallis
15
boys when they were based in the Sanatorium in Summer Term 1961.
for me it was not a chore, and I found it
an interesting experience.
“I used to go down to the Sani in the
evening, have a chat with the boys, see
them into bed, lights out etc. I suppose
it was one of my duties as a prefect, but
“I was also well aware of the responsibilities attached to this duty, and felt it
was a rather special thing to be asked to
do. Perhaps I should have realised then
that I was cut out to be a schoolmaster in
the years to come, but I didn't, and careers guidance of any sort was in its infancy in those days.”
Old photographs
Shooting Team 1962
In the photograph, Robert Coutts is flanked by team captain Company Quartermaster Sergeant Frostick (1963 L) and
Corporal Rutter (1963 L). Lynden-Bell (1965 L) is seated on the far left and in the back row Christopher Beglin (1963 L) is
third from right and David Luget (1963 L) is far right.
16
July 2012
Cross Country Team 1941
In the photograph, top from left James Dunsmuir (1942 W), Richard H Wylie (1943 W), Jack Carter (1944 W), John F Bongard (1942 W), Alan M Sloan (1943 W). Front from left Ralph D Bentley (1942 W), Edward V Beaton (1941 M) and Robin
J Burns (1941 M).
Sutton Valence School’s Olympians
1920 – 2012
Six Old Suttonians have competed in the
modern Olympics, first held in Athens
in 1896. The first competed in the
Games of 1920 and the most recent has
competed in 2008. One of these was at
the Winter Games, in 1980. Two more
Old Suttonians were selected for the
Winter Games in 1940 but these were
cancelled because of World War II. A
further one has represented us as an administrator.
Edgar D Mountain (1919 W) was the
first. He competed in the Games of 1920
in Antwerp, finishing fourth in the final
of the 800m and also in 1924 in the
‘Chariots of Fire’ Olympics, Paris.
He was a brilliant junior who finished
fourth in the 1920 Olympic 800 metres
final (aged 19) with a new UK junior
17
record of 1:54.6. On his return from
Antwerp, he matched his Olympic performance by winning the Surrey AC 880
yards Club Championship in 1:55.4. A
Cambridge blue, he won the 880 yards
against Oxford in 1921-22, having finished second in 1920-21. He was at his
best in Stockholm in September 1921
when he set a new world best for 500
metres. In his second Olympics he was
eliminated in the semi-finals of the 800
yards in 1924 and this effectively ended
his athletic career. He began his working career in the British Museum, but in
1927 migrated to South Africa, joining
the Geology Department of Rhodes
University, becoming the Professor in
1930, a post he held until retirement in
1969. He was President of the Geological Society of South Africa and during a
distinguished career as a geologist, he
discovered several new minerals, one of
which, Mountainite, bears his name. He
died in April 1985 aged 84.
Sydney C Wooderson MBE (1933 W)
was an athletics icon in the late 1930s
and 40s and an inspiration to Gordon
Bannister, who was the first to run the
mile in under 4 minutes. He competed
in the Games of 1936 in Berlin despite a
severe injury to his ankle. He was an
odds-on favourite to win, but the injury
ruined his chances. His nickname in
Athletics circles was ‘The mighty atom’ –
a reflection of his diminutive stature, but
immense power. He inspired a whole
generation of English runners and Bannister, perhaps the most famous of
those, says this of him: “He was a modest man, bespectacled, wearing a Blackheath Harriers vest and running with a
rather restricted arm action but absolutely strong. He dominated British
middle distance running from his days as
a schoolboy until in his 40s.”
He held a large number of records during his career, most noticeably the
World’s 800 metres, 880 yards and the
Mile. On retirement he had run the
seven fastest miles by a British runner
and 15 of the world’s fastest – remarkable. Away from the athletics field he
was a solicitor. He opened the School’s
Sports Hall, named in his memory, the
18
year before he died, in December 2006,
aged 92.
selection was for the GB Bobsled team
in Helsinki in 1940.
Jack R C Gannon CBE MVO (1901) was
a soldier and a horseman. As a young
man he was a famous Polo player obtaining a handicap of 7 in that sport;
today those with a handicap of 5 or more
are usually professional players. He was
Chef d’équipe of the GB Polo team and
manager of the Equestrian Team for the
1936 Olympics in Berlin. He was born in
India and after starting out with the
South Staffs. Regiment in 1902 he transferred to the Indian Army in which he
served with great distinction throughout
the war in Europe and later
Afghanistan. During his time in India he
regularly played first class cricket for
one of the regions of that country and on
return to the UK he often played for the
MCC against a variety of opponents.
After the Army he served as Manager
and Secretary of the Hurlingham Club,
but in 1939 was recalled to the colours
and served as Military Secretary to Lord
Allanbrooke and later Field Marshal
Montgomery. He retired in 1949 with
the rank of Brigadier. During his service
in India he had been a major force in organising the tour of that country by the
Prince of Wales in 1921. It was for this
that he received his MVO. After WWII
he spent most of his time working with
Lord Cowdray re-establishing Polo and
became its major administrator. He
died, aged 97, in 1980.
He was just beginning to make a name
for himself, both academically and
sportingly, in this School when his career
ended abruptly after a high spirited, riotous jape came to the attention of the
Headmaster. According to Collins,
along with a couple of others: “We had
raided one of the adjacent allotment
sheds and made a pile of apples and
eggs. We were firing at it with the
owner’s 12 bore shotgun when, unfortunately, he appeared.” Any irregular exploits remained undetected in his new
school (Dulwich), for which he represented at Shooting and as a member of
the 1st XV Rugby. He became the Captain of Athletics and was a School Prefect there. He went on to become a
surgeon in the Navy and afterwards a
very good dentist. Somewhere along the
line he changed his name to Roy Dunstan. He remained all through his eventful life a man of rare and valuable wit,
the use of which occasionally landed him
in hot water. He died in June 1996.
The two athletes selected for the abandoned 1940 Winter Games in Helsinki
were:
Thomas H Clarke (1937 M), who was to
have competed in Helsinki in 1940 in
skiing events. Unfortunately, nothing is
known by us of his life beyond these
walls. His time at the School was short
and he left in the Fourth Form at a
young enough age so as not to figure in
the annals of that time, and once he left
he did not make any real attempt to
keep in touch with us.
Rodney H Collins aka Roy Dunstan
(1938 DB/F) represented GB in the 440
yards hurdles in 1939, but his Olympic
Peter V L Marchant (1938 M) competed
in the games of 1948 in London (Bisley).
He was a record holder in pistol shooting and regularly competed for GB for
several years thereafter.
Peter's event was the 50 metre free pistol
consisting of a team of three. In those
less regulated days (before pistol shooting was ‘outlawed’ in this country) one
was allowed to keep firearms at home
and he built his own pistol range on the
farm for practice. On the outbreak of
WWII a perforated eardrum meant he
was unfit for active service, so he became a Bomb Disposal Officer instead.
After the war he returned to the family
business of farming and over the years
built it up into a thriving concern, whilst
at the same time diversifying into demolition work and explosives distribution.
He spent much time with the boys of the
School Shooting team, both in rifle and
pistol and during the period of his help,
the School won the Gale and Polden Pistol Trophy several times. In 1976 he migrated to South Africa and took
July 2012
employment with the South Africa Explosives Company. However, sadly
within 18 months he was struck down by
cancer and died in September 1977.
Paul R Anderson OBE (1952 W) is our
medallist. He competed in the 1968
Olympics in Mexico (Acapulco) as a
sailor in the 5.5 metre class alongside
Robin Aisher and Adrian Jardine.
After National Service, during which
time he managed to play a lot of OS and
club cricket as well as playing rugby for
the Harlequins and Surrey, he was invited to sail ‘big boats’. He prepared for,
then raced in, the Americas Cup between 1959 and 1964. He was on board
‘Sovereign’, as captain under Sir Peter
Scott, in the year she made the unsuccessful attempt to bring the trophy back
to this country. The experience was most
useful when he teamed up with Aisher
and Jardine for the four-year plan to
represent GB in the Olympics in Mexico
in the 5.5 metre class. They were successful in their qualifying and went to
Mexico. Heavy winds in the first two of
the seven-race series put them at a disadvantage, but they steadily climbed
through the ranks; the last race began
poorly for them, but they made a storming finish and managed to secure the
Bronze medal. Anderson continued to
race yachts with Aisher, successfully, at
Cowes, and also became Life Chairman
of Harlequin Old Players Association.
He retained his links with the Olympic
movement, being a founder member of
the British Olympics Association, and
Chairman of that body from 2004 –
2007. He has recently retired from the
post of Director General of the Special
Olympics for W. Europe and is currently
Vice President of Special Olympics GB.
Neil W N Townshend (1973 F) competed
in the Luge event in Lake Placid, USA
in 1980. He was an all-rounder at
School, but a failed Under 19 Southern
Counties rugby trial persuaded him to
follow up a radio interview he heard on
the way home, about the sport of Luge.
Having hitchhiked to Austria in response to the radio interview a trial on
the ice proved successful and a new
sports career started. Neil writes:
“When I heard about Luge on the radio
I telephoned around and managed to
find out that a small team of four new
sliders had been chosen to go to an
event in Kufstein in Austria. After a lot
of persistence it was finally agreed I
could go out and join them. I could neither afford to get out there nor the cost
of a hotel, so I hitchhiked from King’s
College London (where I was a medical
student) to Kufstein and persuaded one
of the team to let me kip on the floor. I
was given an old sled whilst the new
team members had smart new ones. Little did they know at the time that the
new sleds they had were much harder to
drive until they were set up properly,
whilst my little old one was perfect. I
went on to beat them all and win a trophy for the top foreigner in the race.”
He went to the Olympics as British and
North American Champion and it was
felt he had a good chance for a medal,
but needed to be consistent in his times
to achieve that goal. The East Europeans were more consistent, and faster.
Neil retained his strong interest in sport.
He became vice-chairman of The British
Olympic Committee. Competing at this
level gave Neil an intro into the world of
sport’s administration and sports medicine administration and he was lucky
enough to have a great career in the voluntary sports administration world. He
worked his way up to becoming the Vice
Chair of the British Olympic Association (BOA), the Chief Medical Officer
for the International Luge Federation
and the Chair of the UK National Sports
Medicine Institute.
Olympic experience he competed with
the England team in the World Cup and
in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi
in 2010. They finished fourth in both
tournaments.
Ashley has more than 60 caps for England and more than 40 for Great Britain.
At School, he showed enormous talent
as a wicket keeper-batsman for the 1st
XI and of course played 1st XI hockey
for several years. Out of School he
began his career with East Grinstead
Hockey Club, making the 1st team in
2003, at the age of 16! He moved to
Holland in 2008 where he played professionally for the club side HGC. Recently he has returned to East Grinstead
and is delighted to be part of the 2012
Olympics, after all the hard work he has
put in. "I'm very happy to be selected for
the Olympics," he said. "Ever since we
played the Test Event in front of a home
crowd it's been very exciting to imagine
how great the home support will be this
summer. It has been a long, long few
years of training and many highs and
lows during that period, but I'm feeling
very confident about our chances over
the summer.” We wish him luck!
Ashley S Jackson (2005 M), described
once as ‘the David Beckham of Hockey’
and in the Daily Telegraph in April 2012
as ‘the best hockey player in the world’,
competed at the Beijing Olympics in
China in 2008. The GB team came fifth.
He made a big impact on the English
Hockey scene from an early age. Now,
aged 24, he has a European Gold medal
under his belt and was named International Hockey Federation’s ‘Young
Player of the Year’ in 2009. After the
19
News of Old Suttonians
ANDERSON, George (1983 W)
Continues to work with his wife Judi
in family business (independent financial advice). Has 2 children, Rebecca
and Robert. He keeps reasonably fit
and very involved in the local church.
BAILEY, John (1956 M)
Sadly my wife Rosemary died in October 2001 but now have a lovely partner
Jane who shares my interests in painting
and pottery. We are enjoying our life together in rural Gloucestershire where I
have my studio and from where I run my
watercolour painting courses here and
abroad. I have a big exhibition of paintings and pottery each year in November
at the studio in aid of Cancer Research.
Raised nearly £6000. My website:
www.johnbaileyart.com.
BAKER, Alexander (2010 W)
Spent a year as the Club Manager at
the British Embassy in Kuwait and is
now at the University of Dundee studying for an MA in American History with
Business Economics.
BANCE, Nigel (1966 C)
Is now working as a writer, journalist/publisher.
BARTLETT, Brian (1959 F)
Is now retired and living in Essex and
Devon.
20
BEADON, Colin (1948 L)
Colin wrote to us to tell us that he is
very well and fit. He is mentioned on
google, as Colin Leslie Beadon as he
writes odds and ends. You can also
catch him on Skype under his skype
name ‘Theywillbeadon’.
BEGLIN, Chris (1963 L)
work and has progressed to his current
situation - internet, web design, data
conversion and web site maintenance
(even though now ''semi-retired"!). His
last company folded and he went back to
working for himself in 1997- more R &
D, then transition to intranet work.
Having relocated to Pennsylvania
U.S.A in 2000, to remarry, Chris continues to follow his computer work. He is
fortunate to (by chance) have a son live
only 24 miles away - along with three
grandchildren. His daughter still lives in
Hertford, UK and there he also has two
grandchildren.
Chris still follows the old School's
progress over time however and greatly
appreciates getting the news periodically.
After leaving SVS he gained a
diploma in Osteopathy from the British
School of Osteopathy (DO. MRO.). He
practised as an Osteopath from 1967 to
1974 as DO. MRO. (which ceased due
to his own back trouble!). Chris was
Clinic Superintendent at the British
School of Osteopathy from mid-1975 to
mid-1977. He also had a short term fill
in job in audio-visual equipment, early
1975 until mid-1975 and short term work
for 6/12 as night station manager, Capital Radio, London, from mid-1974 to
the end of 1974. He started his own
business involving engineering and electronics, late 1977. In 1992 - 1995 he
gained a 2.1 Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering/Systems from Plymouth University and Chris worked
from 1995 until approximately 1997 with
a Plymouth company as R & D engineer, using his BEng Systems degree.
Since 1997, he has continued intranet
BEST, David (1980 F)
David is Director of a computer software company, Proquis Ltd.
BICKLEY, Jeffrey (1987 W)
Jeffrey is Managing Director of insurance brokers – Bickley Insurance Services Ltd. Married to Fiona since 1990
and has two children Ellen (16) and
Joshua (13).
BOWCOCK, Timothy (1984 C)
Timothy found himself on our missing
list and re-established contact. He has
lived in Melbourne, Australia for the last
20 years and is married with an eight
year old daughter. Tim works for a bulk
shipping/operating company called
Maestro Shipping.
BRIGGS (née Manchett), Emma
(2002 H)
Worked at NatWest Bank for 1 year,
then for father’s business for two. Had
July 2012
a year off to focus on golf and handicap
came down to 5. Married to Lee in 2006
and son, Harrison born in December
2010. Is still in contact with Amy Fowler
(2003 L), Greg Forde (2001 L) and
Susan Talbot (2001 V). Amy has a little
boy and Susan is expecting twins.
BUCK, Bill (ex-staff)
After 14 years at SVS, involved with
rugby, cricket and hockey, I am now
coaching the Prep School 1st XV of
King’s College, Cambridge and living
near Saffron Walden.
BURNS, Robin (1941 M)
In March 2011, Robin returned to the
School from Canada for a visit with his
daughter.
CAMPEY, Richard (1974 F)
Is now Managing Director of “The
One Shop Nature Shop” and has recently reconnected with Richard Underhill (1974 F). Richard is married
with one child aged 9.
CANDY, Michael (1952 W)
When Michael Candy recently received a copy of one of the school choir
CDs it brought back happy memories of
playing the organ in the chapel.
And for those who think the series of
SVS choir CDs are a recent development, Michael said that three recordings
were made in 1949, although the wax
was so flimsy that a spin on his old wind
up, horn gramophone nearly proved terminal!
Michael’s schooldays experiences
playing the chapel organ led him to a
lifetime’s interest in the instrument, and
he’s even built a theatre pipe organ at
his home (which he’s appropriately
named ‘Sound of Music’) in Hemel
Hempstead.
CAPON, Edmund (1958 L)
Dr Edmund
Capon
AM
OBE, retired
in December
2011. Before
this time, Edmund was Director of the
Art Gallery of
New
South
Wales since November 1978 following
his arrival from London where, for the
previous five years, he held the position
of Assistant Keeper, Far Eastern Section, Victoria and Albert Museum.
He attained a Master of Philosophy
Degree in Chinese Art and Archaeology
(including language) from London University’s Department of Oriental and
African Studies with his thesis entitled:
The Inter-dependence of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture in Bronze and Stone
from AD386 to 581, and is a recognised
world expert in his particular field.
In October 2003 opened the Art
Gallery of New South Wales’ rebuilt
Asian galleries and in May 2011 opened
new and refurbished modern and contemporary galleries, which included dedicated display space for the Kaldor
Family collection.
Mr Capon is a Conjoint Professor in
the School of Languages and Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences,
UNSW; is on the Board of the St James
Ethics Committee; has written extensively on the arts of China; written and
presented a three-part ABCTV-China
Central Television co-produced documentary entitled Meishu: Travels in Chinese Art which has been distributed
worldwide; developed the AGNSW as a
centre for Asian art display and educa-
tion; created the Gallery’s highly successful Foundation, a Capital fund, to
acquire works for the Collection; has curated exhibitions encompassing Asian,
European and Australian art; has written extensively on Chinese art & archaeology and on the work of artists
such as Jeffrey Smart, Caravaggio and
Giacometti.
His most recent publication is a collection of essays entitled I Blame
Duchamp: My Life’s Adventures in Art
which was launched in November 2009
by Penguin Australia.
He is an avid Chelsea supporter and
was Chairman of Sydney Football Club
2006-2007.
He was awarded the Doctor of Letters
honoris causa from UNSW in 2000 and
from Macquarie University in 2010 and
he has been honoured by the governments of Britain, France, Italy and Australia for his contribution to art and
culture.
CARTER, W Brian (Croix de Guerre)
(1941 M)
I gave up my small watch repair business in 2010 and now restore antique
clocks. I wrote several books, one Saved
by the Bomb. In 1990, I retired from
being a marine surveyor and in 1978 I
sold Buckden Marina and gave up
standing as a County Councillor. In
1970, I was awarded the 1970 Countryside Award for an outstanding contribution to the countryside, presented to me
by the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1964,
Buckden Marina, which I had built, was
officially opened. This was an offspring
from a small boatyard that I started in
1949. I was demobbed in 1946, having
been the Skipper of a heavy craft in the
Japanese Campaign. This followed my
craft being destroyed on the Normandy
21
beaches after 7 landings, having landed
on D-Day. I met Higgins who was on a
rocket ship, also 3 school friends from
my prep school. I was commissioned in
1943 and under training met Mr Miller
our Physics Master who was teaching us
navigation. The training was hard and I
had to serve on a heavy cruiser for a
short time in order to get the necessary
experience before training for a commission. I had previously served as a dispatch rider in the home guard on a pedal
cycle and did a short apprenticeship as a
watch maker when I left school.
CHANCE, Veronique (1986 V)
Veronique ran in the London
Marathon in April 2012. She is now a
freelance lecturer in Computer Art
(Moving Images) in London. Her Great
Orbital Ultra Run (part of her Art Work
sponsored by The Arts Council and presented in an exhibition at the Stephen
Lawrence Gallery, Greenwich) involved
filming what was in front of her as she
ran round the inside of the M25 Motorway. This was completed in nine stages
(an average of 16 miles a day per stage)
with the film beamed into the gallery
whilst she was running.
CLIFTON (née Dudley-Smith), Jessica (2002 S)
Jessica is a community staff nurse
working with North Wokingham and
Winnersh health visiting team.
CLIFTON-HOLT (née Nesfield),
Laura (1999 V)
Laura is now living in Aldington and
in touch with many Old Suttonians. She
is a Chartered Surveyor and married to
Alan.
COOK, Neville (1963 L)
Neville recently re-established contact
and is now living in Switzerland.
22
CRADDOCK, Timothy (1984 F)
Joined Network Rail in 2011. He was
previously with RBS for 10 years as HR
Director for two divisions. He lives in
Bromley, married to Jo, and has 2 sons,
Alex (aged 8) and Eddie (aged 6).
DOVETON-GERTY, Chris (1955 L)
CRAWFORD, Kenneth (1957 F)
Has finally retired from Dental Surgery and now living in Hartlip.
DENNING, James (1959 W)
Tim Shaw (Day Boy and Founders,
1960) joined Jim Denning (Day Boy and
Westminster, 1959) for the latter's 70th
Birthday celebration at the Woolley
Grange Hotel, Bradford on Avon on
14th January 2012. Tim Shaw is retired
from an electrical engineering career in
the Royal Navy and Balfour Beatty. Jim
Denning is retired from architecture in
both local authority and private practice.
They were class mates at SVS in September 1952 in Form 2 under A G
Foulkes (Master) who also started there
that term.
Tim and his wife Cilla celebrated their
Ruby wedding anniversary at the National Liberal Club in 2011. Tim and
Jim, Cilla and Marguerite meet from
time to time for lunch at different venues between their homes at Woking and
Trowbridge.
Jim thought the above may be of interest to any of their contemporaries
who might have been in Form 2 with
them in 1952.
DHUL, Rahil (2005 M)
Rahil has recently graduated from the
University of Sheffield with a BA Hons
in Economics. He is currently undergoing work experience at Citigroup with
the aim of finding a graduate job in the
near future.
Chris has published his first novel,
‘The Spanish Dream’. It is a
suspense/thriller based on his personal
experiences and those of his many
friends who were tempted by buying a
property in Spain. The book may be
purchased through www.amazon.co.uk.
DUFFELL, Andrew (1995 M)
Has been appointed President and
CEO of the Research Park at Florida
Atlantic University.
EDWARDS, John (1988 F)
John is working for ICAP, the world’s
largest interdealer broker, based in London. He manages a sales team and runs
the Electronic Broking Division for
fixed income in Europe, Middle East
and Asia.
EVENDEN, Simon (1981 F)
Retired from Boxley Tyres on medical
grounds in September 2011 and sold the
business. Now he is working for Fine
and Country, Cranbrook and Simon
Miller Estate Agents. He married
Emma in 2003. They have a daughter
Jolyon Evenden born August 2009 who
will be joining SVS Prep School in Autumn 2012.
FILMER, Paul (1988 W)
Went to University of Newcastle
Upon Tyne and studied Agricultural
Biochemistry and Nutrition gaining a
2:1. For the past 6 years he has been
July 2012
running his own IT business and working as an IT contractor primarily for
Hewlett Packard in network design and
installation. Previously he worked for
the government in London also in the IT
Field. He married Sue in South Africa
(2002) and has 2 children Katie (8 ½
years) and Abigail (4 years). Currently
he lives in the Cotswolds. He also does
a bit of photography (weddings and portraits) on the side.
in New York he went on to work with
various consumer goods companies in
marketing and general management
roles in various parts of the world until
retiring in late 2007 as CEO of the
Brewing Group, Scottish and Newcastle
plc.
Tony now lives in his home city of Sydney in Australia with his wife and keeps
himself reasonably busy sitting on the
Boards of various Australian based international businesses.
The article ‘Lambes House Focus’ in
the previous newsletter stirred some old
memories for Tony and he wishes all
(well, maybe not all!) his old schoolmates of that era well.
GIBSON, Norman (1949 W)
Norman is now retired after managing
The Angel Hotel in Midhurst for 18
years. He has 3 children and 6 grandchildren. All are engaged to be married
with the exception of one.
FOX, Laurence (1993 M)
Laurence is working for American
NASDAQ Strategic Advisory firm in the
Benelux and Dacu markets. He keeps
fit playing tennis, roller hockey and skiing. He now speaks fluent Portuguese.
Married to Nadja and his daughter, Isabela was born in 2007.
FROGGATT, Tony (1966 L)
Tony joined the school from Australia
where he had briefly attended Geelong
Grammar before his father's job relocated him to the UK. He has many
memories of his three years at SVS,
(mostly good!)
After gaining a Law degree at Queen
Mary College, London University and
an MBA at Columbia Business School
GOLD, Stuart (1970 W)
Stuart wrote in after the article about
himself and John Broad was featured in
the last Suttonian.
I thought I would post this really interesting email that I received from John
Broad who, like me, went to Sutton Valence School in Kent; albeit a good 30
years before I did. He left Sutton Valence in 1940 due to threatened invasion
and travel difficulties and was later
called up and plunged into a more interesting and dramatic era than my generation can remember. At Sutton
Valence he witnessed the crater of a
bomb that fell very near the school and
when he finally left school he joined the
British Army and was landed in Normandy on D-Day 1944 where he received minor wounds before returning
four days later to England. As you will
read below he spent time in Ghana in
the British Army in 1947. Over to
John…
Reading of your wonderful work in
Ghana I am full of admiration that
someone is helping the curse of plastic
trash. The world is a frightening place
when one sees pictures of the vast accumulation of plastic brought together by
wind and currents and floating mid Pacific. At least we are all becoming more
aware of the problem and we have our
hessian carry bags and reuse the Tesco
plastic bags at each shopping trip, doing
our little bit to help.
However the thought of Ghana
brought to mind a wonderful 18 month
spell 1945/46 serving with the RWAFF,
Gold Coast Regiment. Posted to Accra
my face didn’t fit in with the stuffy highly
formal colonial regimental life and I was
soon on a troopship to Egypt where I
joined 18th. Infantry Garrison Company providing around the clock guards
for ordnance depots, fuel stores and so
on around Alexandria. It was there that
I met Bentley (42) when we played
cricket on opposing teams and he was
the only Old Suttonian that I have
(knowingly) met.
Late in ‘47 the company returned to
Takoradi and then to Kumasi by train. It
was from there that myself and another
officer set out with three or four 3 tonners full of excited demobbed soldiers to
deliver them to their home villages in
the Northern Territories. Arriving at
each village the scene was always of such
joy that I really don’t think that they ever
expected to see their son at home with
them again. If we had accepted the hospitality offered we should still be there I
think.
23
All best wishes, weren’t we lucky to attend such a great school. Sorry to have
bored you with my memories but such is
old age!!
John Broad (1940 M)
GRIEVE, David (1968 W)
After leaving SVS I had took further
courses at Catford College and worked
briefly for Barclays Bank before going to
St John's College Durham, where I met
my future wife, Jane Pierssené, niece of
the late Edward Pierssené, a former
master at the School who very sadly had
taken his own life. Her cousin, the Revd
Jeremy Pierssené, was a regular visitor
to School during my years through his
work with Lymington Camps. Jane and I
married in 1976, the year of my Ordination. I served in three northern Dioceses before retiring on health grounds in
1989. Jane was herself ordained in 2001,
and has three rural parishes in Teesdale,
Co Durham, where we live and is also a
Canon of the Cathedral. We have three
grown up children and a granddaughter.
I continue to serve in ministry as
health allows, and also write poetry
which is both published and self-published.
GRIMSHAW, Ian (1968 C) Head of
School
After spending time as an insurance
broker in Lloyds and as a management
trainee in RHM, Ian joined Montgomery Exhibitions in 1974 and spent
much of his early career taking groups
of British exhibitors to fairs throughout
24
Europe and the US and promoting the
company’s interests throughout Eastern
Europe.
In 1978 he was appointed General
Manager of Arabian Exhibition Management, a joint venture based in
Bahrain, where he set up a programme
of international exhibitions. Two years
later he was seconded to the Dallasbased Society of Petroleum Engineers
where he helped organise events in
Houston and Beijing, China.
An exhibition director of the Zimbabwe company, Ian organised two
Rural Development Technology Exhibitions in Bulawayo in the early 80’s, while
back in the UK he was awarded Young
Businessman of the Year in a competition sponsored by The Builder Magazine and the Association of Building and
Construction Manufacturers.
Much of the later 80’s were spent in
the US as director responsible for sixteen show titles held in six States. This
led to an eight year posting to Los Angeles where, as resident director, he organised ART/LA, the International
Contemporary Art Fair and several international wine fairs in New York.
On returning to London, Ian became
director of operations for events held at
the NEC and Olympia. Before taking
early retirement, he spent time researching shows in India and, as a consultant, is presently working on The
India Art Fair, in New Delhi.
Ian is a Liveryman of the City of London and was elected Master of the Worshipful Company of Tylers and
Bricklayers in 2009.
GÜLDENBERG, Oliver (2000 M)
Studied Law at the University of Bonn
and is now a lawyer in an office in Duisberg.
De HARLEZ, Grégoire (2005 W)
Grégoire is creating and organising
events in his home such as fairs, parades
and theme restaurant. Last year, he organised the 250th anniversary of propriety in Belgium. To keep in touch with
his events go to www.espacedeulin.be or
on Facebook – Château de Deulin.
HARRISON, Nigel (1970 M)
Retired 3 years ago after 26 years as a
GP in Cambridge. Nigel now indulges
himself in a feast of golf, travel and
cooking. His only current OS contacts
are his brother Gavin (1963 M) currently in New Zealand and Gerald Steeden (1968 M). Married to Frances with
2 children, Guy and Erica.
HENDERSON, Lee (1983 L)
Currently runs an IT business 4Productions Ltd and Project Director of
Everest Recovery 2014 www.everestrecovery.com. Lee has two children Harry
(aged 9) and Martha (aged 2).
HICKS, Christopher (1991 F)
Christopher found himself on the
missing list and contacted us. His career
has led him down the rural surveying
route and is a Rural Practice Chartered
Surveyor (MRICS) and a partner of
Fisher German LLP based in Market
Harborough, Leicestershire. Christopher’s main work area is Land Agency
and manages farming estates both in
England and Northern Ireland. He is
married to Alex, a garden designer and
they have two children, Oliver who is
eight and Theo who is four months old.
HIGH, Desmond (1973 F)
Desmond High receiving Sky Sports
Coaches Award from commentator
David Lloyd during the Fourth Test be-
July 2012
tween England and India at The Kia
Oval, having been nominated by Kent
Cricket Board, in the Outstanding Contribution and Services to Coaching.
qualified as a chartered accountant in
1974. Much later in life, in 2003, I was
awarded an MBA through the Open
University.
My wife Elizabeth is Australian. We
married in Sydney in 1976 and have
spent 7 years living there. We have a
daughter, Josephine, now aged 33.
HINE, Ruth (Ex-staff 2000-2007)
I have worked since 1974 in both UK
and Australia, for The Financial Times,
for Standard Chartered Bank, Lloyds' of
London, and then since 1993 as Finance
Director of two Christian charities: Tearfund and OMF (Overseas Missionary
Fellowship), both evangelical, both interdenominational, both operating
worldwide.
I became a Christian in 1980 through
the ministry of the Rev Dick Lucas at St
Helens Church Bishopsgate in the City
of London. Dick Lucas preached at SVS
in the 1960's at the invitation of the then
chaplain, Rev David Gibson.
Ruth is living in the Sultanate of
Oman, working at The British School
Muscat, which her two children Peter
(10) and Susannah (7) attend. It has
been five years since she left Sutton Valence where she worked in the Geography Department and she still has the
Year Book out on her coffee table in
Oman for friends to look through, especially as a lot of people choose the
boarding option once their children
reach secondary school age.
HINGSTON, Stephen (1966 W)
After leaving Westminster in 1966, I
OMF was formerly the China Inland
Mission, founded by Hudson Taylor in
1865. In 1950 the new communist government expelled all the CIM missionaries, who then regrouped as OMF and
began the work of taking the gospel to
the other countries of East Asia, all of
which had large Chinese minorities.
During my period of service at OMF I
travelled widely in Asia, visiting the
headquarters in Singapore each year.
Partly due to the foundation work of
CIM, the church in China now numbers
at least 70 million, making it the largest
Protestant church in the world.
I now serve at St Michaels Church,
Blackheath Park London SE3 where I
preach and lead services.
I am very thankful for some of the val-
ues given to me by SVS: independence
of spirit, perseverance, and "my trust is
in God alone".
HOLE, John (1953 M)
We have regained contact with JJ
Hole (1953 M). He has been an avid
steam enthusiast for many years and has
done sterling work for the Brede Engine
Society (involved with the magnificent
pumping engines located in that village).
Recently he has published a book concerning the engines and machinery of
HMS Belfast, that tourist attraction on
the Thames. He spent most of his time
after school sailing as an engineer on BP
Tankers. After he paid off his last ship
he took up work in Shipping Registry,
inspecting ships’ engines etc. for safety
certificates.
HOLLINS, David (1984 C)
Lives in Tunbridge Wells, working in
Retail and married to Laura with 2 girls,
Isabella and Madeline. He keeps in
touch with John Miller (1987 C) and
David Critchley (1981 C).
HOLLOWAY, Christopher (1950 M)
We're just back from a cruise on the
Queen Victoria, during which we visited
Tenerife and took a tour to see Mount
Teide, some 12,000 feet high. Near the
top, I fell to chatting with a very Pleasant
Young Man on the same tour, and the
conversation went:
Me: "So where are you from?"
PYM: "Kent"
Me: "Ah, what part?"
PYM: "You won't know it. a small village called Biddenden"
Me: "I do. I went to school at Sutton
Valence"
PYM: "So did I"
Thus Chris Holloway (1950 M) caught
up with Andrew Wingham (1997 L) in a
25
rather unusual setting, and enjoyed a
great chat all the way down! There must
be many such examples in the course of
time, but this was a first for me.
HOLMES, Nicholas (2010 W)
Nicholas is currently in his second year
at Teesside University studying performance for live and recorded media,
which is essentially acting and presenting for TV and Film. He has recently
been accepted into the New York Film
Academy on the acting for film course
which starts in July 2013 for 10 weeks.
He is currently involved in filming for 2
independent short films and a drama of
his own as well as helping to run film
and acting workshops for children.
Nicholas has also been accepted as a
model for DK modelling agency.
HOVELL, Dickon (1958 L)
On leaving Sutton Valence, I worked
for a year on a farm in Sussex. Greedy
alcoholic boss, however I volunteered
for everything, and spent six weeks
working with the thatcher, and a marvellous six months with an old stockman
(well into his seventies). No one else
wanted to work with him, but after two
weeks of biting my tongue I got on very
well with the old man and learnt much.
When I went to look him up a year later
I found that he had emigrated to Australia to be with his son! For me, University of Reading to read Agriculture.
Excellent time. Shot small bore for uni,
rowed (badly), debates and Pres of
Union. That (last activity) taught me
how to manage a committee. Spent one
summer vacation working on a farm in
France, and one hitch-hiking round
North America. Thence to University of
Leeds – worked (three years) on use of
whole body counting (K40) to estimate
body composition, and discovered pigs
contained Cs137 (Soviet bomb tests).
York boat club where oarsmanship im-
26
proved from ‘chronic’ to ‘individual
style’. From Leeds to Aberdeen (1967)
and Rowett Research Institute where I
achieved a PhD (energy metabolism in
ruminants), and a failed marriage. Appointed to permanent staff, and worked
on early weaning of pigs. Continued
some rowing and learnt to fly gliders.
Two years leave of absence (1978 –
1980) to work with T.R. Preston in Dominican Republic on feeding sugar cane
to ruminants. Learnt bad spanish and
something of just how much I didn’t
know about ruminant nutrition and developing countries (much well intentioned bad aid and bad advice is given).
I also learnt a great respect for the dignity and style of some very poor people.
Visited Trinidad, Jamaica and Cuba on
work related things. Back to Rowett and
working on protein requirements and
appetite of ruminants. Started part time
teaching University of Aberdeen, and
spent time in Mexico at Autonomous
University of Yucatan (Merida) – at one
stage almost commuting. Also trips to
Canada, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe – work related. 1980 bought
small farm (36 ha) on Deeside near the
small town of Banchory (about 30km
from Aberdeen) where I now live. Now
all I do is let the grazing and admire the
views. Even though the imigrant English are known as ‘white settlers’ I have
fantastic neighbours – both local and
white settler. Left Rowett for full time
at University of Aberdeen which work
progressively tailed off (last student last
year). Now fully retired - apart from
paper refereeing and developing theories on ‘Life, The Universe and Everything’ – so be warned as to the latter
which are imposed on friends when I
sense the slightest opening. Retirement
I define as ‘More time to do your own
thing, annoy friends, mount hobby
horses and hold forth to the young’.
Sadly I have reconfigured corporally,
and my brain has sunk to my navel.
HUGHES, Gary (1973 F)
Invites you to an exhibition of his and
Alison Hughes work on Thursday, August 23rd (14.00-19.00), then to Wednesday, August 29th 2012 (10.00-19.00) at:
The Salt House Gallery, Norway
Square, St. Ives, TR26 1NB
The exhibition will include a range of
new work comprising acrylic grey-tone
stippling on canvas, landscapes in watercolour, sketches /drawings and a comprehensive field of hand crafted
jewellery complimented by floral watercolours. There will be a large selection
of items for sale at very reasonable
prices.
HUNT, Ian (1983 W)
Has worked for Founding Management Group, Trioptima (Risk Management Services) since 2002. Ian played
competitive rugby until 32, then retired
to sample marathon running and these
days some triathlon to keep fit. He still
plays tennis and enjoys regular matches
with his wife and two children, Sherri,
Toby and Millie (15 and 13). Both
younger cousins, Robert and P J Hunt
also attended the School and had a great
time. Ian would love to hear from other
OS.
HURRELL, Tom (2010 G)
Tom is currently studying Business and
Management at the University of Reading.
JAMES, Ghillie (née Studd) (1993 V)
Ghillie has now moved to Singapore
with her husband Andrew’s job with
Citibank. She has two children William
(4) and Jemima (2) and has written her
second cookery book “Fresh from the
Freezer” which is being sold worldwide.
Her early book “Jam, Jelly and Relish”
July 2012
came out in June 2010 and is midway
through writing her third book which
will be published Spring 2013.
JONES, Ian (1991 M)
Ian now works for De Vere Hotels and
Venues as Director of Group Sales.
KENTISH-BARNES, John (1992 M)
Currently Area Director of Finance
for Four Seasons Hotel London of Park
Lane.
is the Hon Treasurer of The League of
Friends of Odiham College Hospital
and Winchester and Portsmouth Branch
of The Rayer Book Society.
Guildford Cathedral.
MARSHMAN, John (1975 L)
John found himself on our missing list
and got in touch. He is now living in the
US.
In 2011, he was invited by the leading
architectural publishing house, Papadakis, to write a book revolving round
his work in Oxford: The Stones of Oxford, Conjectures on a Cockleshell. (published July 2011).
MELVIN, John (1953 W)
John has written several books about
architecture.
KLINGEMANN, Nikolaj (1995 M)
Nikolaj is now an Engineer working
for BMW Group Munich.
LANE, William (1978 W)
William is now living in Surrey. He established a global company in 2010. He
is now Executive Vice President for Gorilla Corp.
LEAHY, Aled (2004 H)
Currently two thirds of the way
through an Open University History degree. Aled joined HSBC straight after
finishing A Levels and is now Assistant
Branch Manager in a Leeds branch.
LUK, Shirley Hiu Ying (2001 S)
After leaving SVS, she studied Cosmetic Science at the London College of
Fashion. Shirley is now married. One
son born 2010 and a daughter born in
2011.
MACKLIN, Richard (1963 W)
Worked as a Chartered Surveyor from
1969 to 2011. He has now retired from
full time work and is beginning to come
to terms with being an OAP! He hopes
to catch up with old school chums at the
Middle Aged Spread reunion this year.
MARCHANT, Michael (1949 M)
Retired as Bursar, The Leys School,
Cambridge in 1990. Currently, Michael
John has spent 40 years in private
practice, practising as John Melvin Architects and Town Planners. He has won
many architectural awards: from the Oxford Preservation Trust (2010), Royal
Fine Arts Commission (Building of the
Year Award), RIBA, Civic Trust and
others. His most recent work has been
for Wadham College Oxford and obtained a planning consent for a £2M extension to the Holywell Music Room, of
which he has completed Phase I. John’s
practice has been equally in the fields of
new build and of conservation. Housing
and urbanism has been a strong interest.
For many years on the Bishop of London’s Diocesan Advisory Committee for
the Care of Churches, and was recently
Chairman of the Fabric Committee at
John Melvin in the studio of Dick Reid,
the sculptor of the Millennium Lion Project
in Burford, which John designed and was
unveiled by HRH The Prince of Wales.
Eton Observed (1998) and Whichford
and Ascott Observed (2008), both architectural analyses, with town planning
commentary were published by Wysdom
Press. A monograph, John Melvin: Selected Buildings and Projects was published by Zwemmer’s (1995).
Awarded the Sargant Fellowship at
The British School at Rome in 1996, and
an exhibition of his paintings, Remembering Rome, was subsequently held at
27
The Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture.
Other exhibitions of his paintings have
included Etruscan Places, exhibited at
the Architectural Association (2002)
and the University of St Andrews
(2003); and also Roma, exhibited at the
Stone Gallery in 2003.
The practice continues, concentrating
on private client commissions and town
planning consultancy.
John has been married to Julia for 37
years, and has two children: Lucy and
Charles. Lucy is a professional violinist
and Charles is solicitor.
MEMMOTT, Richard (1963 L)
Richard took voluntary redundancy in
1995 and joined a small company which
finds lost assets and the people to whom
they belong. Played a lot of sport,
mainly hockey and ran OS hockey for a
few years and captained Sevenoaks HC
1st XI and veterans when they won National Knock-out over 50’s in 1999. He
now plays golf but retains connection
with the hockey club via Vice-Presidency.
MILLER, Eric (1964 L)
Only recent news is that he is leaving
day to day operations at the Chaddsford
Winery to write his first wine book (the
Vintner's Apprentice, Quarry Books).
Eric is thinking about the next wine
28
book and doing a little consulting and a
lot of travel. One son still lives in London but other 3 are scattered so London
is only one stop between many vineyards, beaches and kids.
MILMINE CBE, Douglas (1939 W)
Retired to Eastbourne in 1986, before
then he was Anglican Bishop in
Paraguay 1973-86, missionary in Chile,
Archdeacon of Chile, Bolivia and Rome.
Douglas served in the RAF from 194145 as a Flying instructor in training command (POW 1943-45 Stalag Luft 3). He
married in 1945 to Rosaline and has 3
sons, 1 daughter and grandchildren.
Appointed CBE in 1983.
MORGAN, Nick (1993 W)
Started up a business in 1996 promoting various nightclubs in Birmingham
City Centre straight from University and
went onto form a company in 2000 offering full service agency services such
as Press Relations, Marketing, Design
and Event Management. Nick ended
working with various music clients such
as the McKenzie Group now better
known as the 02 Academy chain. This
then led to looking after localised PR
and Marketing for Vfestival and various
other leisure sector clients. He then
setup a corporate division and since has
expanded into Europe with small offices
in both Paris and Barcelona. Nick states
that the environment is still very tough
and the goal in 2012 is to look at collaborations with like-minded companies
particularly in London where they have
more and more clients. In the last couple of years Nick was fortunate to be acknowledged by Insider Magazine and
won International Entrepreneur of the
Year and by an organisation called
Birmingham Young Professional of the
Year winning Entrepreneur of the year.
Nick states: “However neither would be
possible without the amazing team be-
hind me and more credit goes to them.
(This sounds like some ridiculous Oscar
speech for which I apologise and move
swiftly on). I purchased a flat in East
London last April and now spend half
the week in the great city with the intention of servicing existing London clients
and additionally trying to gain more in
the Capital.”
“As an aside, I and my business partner setup and operated a bar called
Poppy Red in Birmingham and 5 years
ago sold out to our partner after three
years and then bought two larger pubs
in the suburbs (Hare and Hounds, Kings
Heath and Bulls Head, Moseley) which
we recently sold with a successful exit.
However, not a sector I would revisit in
the short term as we were blessed with
good fortune on all three occasions. It is
one of the most competitive business
sectors and customer loyalty is very
fickle. Personally, I remain unmarried
and no kids to date.”
OLDFIELD, Tom (2011 L)
Loughborough University has presented some unexpected challenges to
Tom as he states that it is a drastically
different environment to the cocoon of
Sutton Valence. That said, Tom says that
things are all in all going well in that he
is doing well academically and playing
American Football for arguably the best
team in the country. The swimming is of
too high a standard for Tom realistically
to compete, with the majority of the top
teams being made up of Olympic hopefuls. However, the fact that the entire
GB Olympic team will be based on campus from next month will doubtlessly
provide some good celebrity spotting for
him. He is now looking to join the Scuba
Diving society to qualify as an instructor
and to finding a way to resume his Spanish which he has been unable to do as
part of his degree.
July 2012
PACA, Christina (2011 S)
Cristina with Ian Kay (1941 M)
The British Psychological Society has
awarded Cristina Paca a prize as the topperforming Psychology A Level and
Scottish Higher candidate in the UK.
The prize consists of the British Science
Association Student Bursary to attend
the Festival of Science, a copy of the Society's Book of the Year, a year's free
student membership of the Society and a
certificate. Cristina, who came to the
School from Romania in 2009 as an
HMC Scholar, has recently gone up to
St Catherine's College, Cambridge to
read Politics, Psychology and Sociology.
We send our congratulations and wish
her every success.
PACKARD, Trey (1999 M)
Trey recently re-established contact.
He is living in the US with his wife, Caroline, and has recently welcomed a son
(see births).
PARKIN (née Sisley), Emily (1995 V)
Is working as a Paediatric Speech and
Language Therapist for Medway Community Healthcare. She is married to
Neil with daughter, Sophia Elizabeth,
born 2008.
PARKINSON, F A Ian (1958 L)
Was an Articled Clerk – accountancy
firm for five years, then was in the Royal
Navy as an Aviator and Ships Captain.
He became a Management Consultant
and Dutch Honorary Consul and a
Trustee Charity, Tribunal Chairman.
Since 2009, he is Deputy Lieutenant
Kincardineshire. He is married to Ann
with 3 children and 6 grandchildren.
PATEL, Deepak (1989 C)
Deepak has contacted us recently. He
is happily married to Jal and has two
daughters. He supplies beer throughout
Tanzania, both from local breweries and
from imports through his affiliation with
Diageo UK.
PAYN, John (1956 M)
John will be touring in the West Country in 2012.
REVEST (née Le Grys), Phillipa
(1995 V)
Phillipa is currently working as Producer at The Creative Partnership in
London. They specialise in film trailers
and home entertainment marketing and
she co-heads the Home Entertainment
department. Her clients include Sony
and 20th Century Fox. She helped run
the release of Avatar across Cinema and
Home Entertainment, the biggest film
marketing campaign of all time! Phillipa
lives in Muswell Hill with her husband
Olivier (see Marriages) and has an 8
year old step-daughter called Alice.
De PINNA, Peter (1956 W)
Is Hon Secretary of Public Schools
Old Boys Golf Association since 1970
(Grafton Morrish) and Hon Secretary
(full time) for Piltdown Golf Club.
RICHARDS, Ben (2007 M)
In August 2011, with two friends, cycled 1164 miles from Bournemouth to
Copenhagen raising £1050 for the
Stroke Association. He is now working
freelance in web and graphic design.
PRICE, Richard (1962 L)
Thinking about retirement having
been a solicitor, a barrister and now a
judge – a career in law spanning 40
years; one of the first solicitor Assistant
Recorders (part time judges) to be appointed (in 1985) and so have been sitting as a judge part and full time for over
a quarter of a century. Richard has been
married for 40 years and has 3 children
and 3 grandchildren.
ROPER, John (1950 M)
John worked for 27 years as an independent retail stationer trading from
premises in the centre of Deal that still
trades as ‘John Roper’ and retired 1996.
A member of the Independent Monitoring Board at Dover Immigration Removal Centre for 16 years. In December
2011, completes 6 years as Chairman.
Voluntary but Home Office appointment.
PYE, John (1941 M)
John had a brief career in RAF until
V J Day put a stop to that. Returned to
farming, finally working for the Milk
Marketing Board. He bought Alderholt
Mill in 1976, restoring it to working
again, together with a craft centre and
sold it in 1996 upon second retirement.
He is engaged in voluntary activities,
particularly church and singing (choral)
as a hobby.
SCOTT, Andrew (1971 F)
It has been 41 years since Andrew captained 1St XV and won 9 games out of
12, drew 1 and lost 2; his coaches were
Bob Chance and John McCormick.
During that season he played for
Kent, London and finally England
Schools v France at Leeds in April 1971.
They won 16-6. Andrew’s England
Schools cap is in Lambe’s.
The School’s best win was at Dover
29
College when they won 17- 13 with only
13 players, two were injured and there
were no subs in those days, the Dover
Headmaster was furious which they enjoyed greatly. Andrew ended up at
scrum half which for a number 8 was not
easy. SVS kept going blind (sorry Rugby
expression) so their backs never saw it
for the whole second half. Andrew can
remember the game so vividly after all
these years. SVS celebrations at the
final whistle only made the Dover HM
more angry; they had reached half term
unbeaten. SVS lost to Hurstpierpoint
and Emanuel in the second half of term
as they badly missed one of the players,
a fast winger who had broken his wrist
at Dover. Andrew saw him at SV in
March 2011, at the OS dinner and was
told by him that the game against Dover
was his last, he played hockey after that.
His name is Nigel Swaffer (1971 F).
After that, to Loughborough and then
Wasps whom he still supports.
(Big Steak, Wacky Warehouse etc).
After a brief period in Consultancy he
joined Cogent - a Marketing and Advertising Agency and Consultancy based in
Meriden. In 2000 he left Cogent following a heart attack and ran his own
consultancy business until a further
heart attack in 2006, when it was definitely time to slow down! Finally he retired in 2009, and now devotes his time
to playing the guitar nearly competently
(was taught my first chords by Gavin
[GBL] Harrison,1967 M), photography
and most recently, model railways. Further signs of senility and/or second childhood will follow! More seriously, Philip
has written Brief Histories of Britain
and Ireland, targeted at adults who now
wish that they'd paid more attention in
History Lessons at school.
Two members of that school team are
still good friends (prop, Peter Baker
(1971 F), former Head of School and fly
half, Tony Sheridan (1971 F) and they
meet up from time to time.
DE SOULTRAIT, Arthur (1997 W)
SHELDON, Philip (1967 M)
Left Oxford 1971 and immediately
joined RHM. He was promoted reasonably rapidly through a series of Marketing,
Sales
and
Strategic
Development/Planning roles but left in
1983 to join a consultancy, before being
offered the role of Marketing Director
of Bass Plc. This took Philip, wife and
daughter to the Midlands (King's Bromley near Lichfield) where he was in
charge of about a dozen Beer Brands,
including Carling Black Label ('I Bet He
Drinks ..........' Ad campaign) and Tennents. In 1990 he moved from Bass to
Allied Breweries and from Beer Brands
to Pubs, principally branded food outlets
30
SLATER, Rory (1994 W)
Currently works in Hotel Management for 5 star hotels, in London.
advantage. He applied for an internship
abroad with a small company in America. Within a week after he had taken
up his job, he was informed that the
company was in fact going bankrupt.
He had brought a selection of ties with
him over from France with which had
planned to raise money for his return
ticket. He realised it was maybe already
time to give this idea a chance and set
off walking the streets, selling his ties
from door to door.
Eight years after these first steps in
North Carolina, Vicomte A is now a
total look brand which aims at offering
men, women and children the opportunity to be elegant differently thanks to
quality products. The colourful and irreverent brand is now present on three
continents with almost 400 outlets: 25
official stores (St Tropez, Megève,
Deauville, Paris, Bordeaux,...) multibrands and corners in department
stores. Strong of a 14 million Euros
turnover for 2011, the objective for Vicomte A in 2012 is to break into new
markets thanks to new outlets (especially in Asia, Middle-East and USA)
and new accessories collections. www.vicomte-a.com
SWARBRICK, David (1979 W)
David has recently bought a plantation near Kandy in Sir Lanka. If there
are any Sri Lankan Old Suttonians, do
get in touch through Rebecca Riggs (riggsr@svs.org.uk).
Arthur fell into the world of fashion
quite by chance in 2004, when he turned
a seemingly unfortunate incident to his
THORNHILL, Christopher (1968 L)
Christopher graduated as a civil engineer then took up serious hockey to divisional level, but the career went a bit
July 2012
on hold when he married and moved
abroad in 1979. Over the next 30 years
he only had around 6 years in UK.
Now based in Denmark working for
Siemens Wind power travelling around
the world and playing over 60s divisional
and international hockey again. His division, the East, are national champions
this year and will play in world cup in
Oxford, late August.
THORNHILL, Geoffrey (1939 W)
Geoffrey was in the RAF as Aircrew
Navigator from 1941-1946. Coastal
Command India and Sir Lanka from
1943-1945. He has 2 sons, 1 daughter
and 6 grandchildren.
VEDROVÁ, Sabine (2008 S)
Sabine is currently studying for a Master’s degree in International Relations at
the University of Cambridge.
WELLS, Martin (1977 M)
Currently Head of Operations for The
Personal Finance Society, London and
is married to Gaynor with 2 boys (Sam
aged 12 and Jack aged 8). He climbed
Mount McKinley, Alaska, the highest
mountain in North America in 2001.
WEST, Richard (1964 L)
Richard is now retired and is Chairman of Hertfordshire Hockey Association.
WHITE, Richard (1957 W)
Married to Susan and has 3 children
Sirien, Erina, Christopher and 4 beautiful grandchildren. Richard’s father was
J W White who was at SVS and Head
Boy in 1923/24 and a friend of A F S
Cotton and E A “Tubby” Craven. He
keeps in touch with J C Johnson (1956
W) regularly.
WINTER, Jonathan (1956 L)
Jonathan retired as Dean of Woolwich
for non-stipendiary ministries in 2000
and about to “downsize” (before falling
“downstairs”) after 45 years here. Married for 48 years with 3 children and 7
grandchildren.
WITT, Michael (1976 W)
Currently in 16th year working for
British Airways as a pilot B777 on long
haul, having spent the first 12 years as
short haul captain B737 Gatwick. Previously he served for 2 years Air UK and
5 years at Dan-Air. Before becoming a
pilot he spent 7 years with Dolland and
Aitchison as an Optometrist. Michael is
in regular contact with Philip Hoad and
Ian Palmer (both 1976 W) and has 2
children Lawrence aged 18 and Laura
aged 15.
girl, Lauren Madison Dyke.
EVERETT on 27th December 2010, to
Paul Everett (1999 F) and Kate Everett,
a girl, Isabelle Honey Everett.
GILLIES on 8th October 2011, to
Alexander Gillies and Kirsty Gillies (née
Johnston) (1999 H), a boy, Euan
Alexander Gillies.
DE HAAN on 11th June 2011, to
Bonno De Haan and Elodie De Haan
(née Marquais) (ex-staff 2008), a girl,
Fleur Josephine De Haan.
Births
BAILEY on 28th March 2011, to
Nicholas Heitz and Elizabeth Heitz (née
Bailey) (1997 S), a boy, Sebastian
Alexander Heitz.
MARTIN on 2nd November 2010, to
John Martin and Sally Martin (née Pagonakis) (1996 V), a girl, sister to Megan.
BARRETT on 7th January 2012, to
Roy Barrett and Clare Barrett (née
Parkinson) (1999 H). a girl, Isabella Barrett.
NEWCOMB on 28th January 2010, to
Toby Newcomb (1988 M) and Rachel
Newcomb, a boy, William David Moncrieff Newcomb.
CLARKE in December 2011. To
Jonathan Clarke and Katherine Clarke
(née New) (1993 V), a girl, Eloise Ruth
Clarke. Sister to Rory James Clarke
born March 2009.
PACKARD on 13th November 2010,
to Trey Packard (1999 M) and Caroline,
a boy, William Harrison Packard.
COCKBURN on 19th April 2011, to
James Cockburn (2004 G) and Sophie
Lawrence, a boy, Frederick James.
DYKE on 17th May 2010, to Simon
Dyke (1991 F) and Catherine Dyke, a
PRATTEN on 7th July 2011, to Ben
Pratten (1998 M) and Louisa Pratten, a
boy, Edison Charles Pratten.
PROTZEL on 23rd October 2011, to
Philipp Protzel (2003 W), a boy, Emilian Philipp.
31
SLATER on 12 August 2011, to Rory
Slater (1994 W) and Nadine Slater, a
girl, Lexie. Sister to Leah.
L), Ian Betts (1982 L), Piers Roberts
(2003 W) and Elizabeth Mannington
(2004 Cl).
THEOBALD on 24th May 2011, to
Spencer Theobald (1999 M) and
Alexandra Theobald (née Pugh) (2001
V), a boy, Montgomery James
Theobald. He was baptised by Father
Paul Kish in the School Chapel. His
godparents are Dominic Cresswell (1999
F), James Coltella (2001 F) and Sarah
Hosmer (2001 V).
Marriages
in the fountain at Trafalgar Square
ACOTT-MERRICKS on 3rd September 2011. Andrew Acott to Amelia Merricks (2004 S) at Ickelsham Church, East
Sussex.
LEAHY-BURTON on 27th January
2012. Aled Leahy (2004 L) to Kimberley Burton.
COLLINGS-MARSH in August 2011.
Chris Collings to Natalie Marsh (2004
S).
LONG-WYATT on 26th August 2011.
Dr Alexander Long (1997 L) to Jessica
Wyatt.
FERLEY-COCKBURN on 7th July
2011. Rob Ferley (2000 W) to Emma
Cockburn (2002 H) at Elvey Farm,
Pluckley. Among the guests were Jason
Rungassamy (2002 F), Marco Nardini
(2000 W) and Robbie Joseph (2001 W).
MACDONALD-RAMOS on 29th November 2011. Henry Macdonald (1958
W) to Maria-Jenny Ramos. Henry’s
brother Bruce (1961 W) was Best Man.
GILLIES-JOHNSTON in June 2010.
Alexander Gillies to Kirsty Johnston
(1999 H). Guests included Steven Johnston (2001 M) and Christy Best (1999 S).
KILBY-PIEDOT on 3rd September
2011. David Kilby to Elizabeth Piedot
(2000 V) at Broomfield Church. Guests
in attendance included Old Suttonians:
Holly Fletcher (2000 V), Abigail Hancock (2000 H), Ginnie Minter (2002 S),
Frederique Posnette (2000 H), Tom
Morgan (1999 L), Chris Morgan (1991
32
NEWCOMB-MOORE in May 2011.
Toby Newcomb (1988 M) to Rachel
Moore.
REVEST-LE GRYS in July 2011.
Olivier Revest to Phillipa Le Grys (1995
V). Married on a beautiful beach on the
Greek Island of Skopelos. Fiona Wight
(1995 V) served as Maid of Honour.
Photograph taken on their return in the
fountain at Trafalgar Square, London.
SLEEMAN-MOORE on 24th September 2012. Ben Sleeman to Sophie
Moore (2001 V). Sophie met Ben at
University.
The photograph from left to right:
July 2012
Front row kneeling down are Sarah Hosmer (2001 V), Emma Scott (née Mehrabian) (2001 V), Sophie Rouse (1996 C)
and Paul Phillips (2001 L). Sophie Moore
(2001 V),
Standing are Steven Johnston (2001 M),
James Coltella (2001 F), Andrew Lyon
(2001 F), Charlotte Lyon (née Foreman)
(2001 S), Katie Gornall (2001 V), Sophie
Moore (2001 V), Alexandra Theobald (née
Pugh) (2001 V), Spencer Theobald (1999
M), Catherine Birch (2001 V), Alexa
Phillips (née Carmichael) (2001 V), Edward Boyle (2001 F), Monica Grigg (née
Khanna) (2001 V).
SWINDELLS-SELWAY on 30th July
2011. Sam Swindells to Hannah Selway
(2002 V) in Frittenden Church and was
given away by her brother William Selway (2004 G).
WHITEMAN-SCOTT in August 2009.
Steve Whiteman to Nicola Scott (1997
S) in Cyprus. Church ceremony followed
by BBQ on the beach. Nicola met Steve
in November 2004 in Florence whilst
running a marathon.
WOODCOCK-KAPTA on 28th September 2011. Ben Woodcock (1996 F)
Head of School to Sara Kapta on
Forsyth Island, New Zealand. The ceremony was attended by a few close
friends. A reception dinner was held on
12th November in Houston, Texas, USA
where we have lived for the past 6 years.
They are now relocating to Calgary,
Canada.
Deaths
ALLEN, Michael (1948 M), died on
4th October 2011. Mike Allen came to
the School when he was evacuated to
this part of Kent from his home in South
London during the war. He excelled in
athletics, particularly sprinting, and immediately after the war he went as a volunteer to help in the organisation of The
London Olympics of 1948. He helped
Bannister in his training for the 4 minute
mile, as did others who had been at the
School. Mike went into the Army as a
career soldier. After Sandhurst, he
joined the Royal Signals, spending much
time in Catterick and the Far East, in
which latter theatre he fought Malay terrorists. After this followed tours in the
Near East, Soloman Islands and Canberra and Washington. He was in Vietnam at the height of the war there.
Major Allen moved on to work for
SHAPE in Belgium and, once retired
from the Army in 1985 he worked at
Catterick Garrison in a retired officer
post. He was also very active in local affairs, especially in the village church, St
Anne’s, for which he organised fetes
with military precision and an eye for
detail. He was very active in politics representing, as councillor, his parish, and
Richmondshire district as a Conservative. He sat on the North Yorkshire
County Council, specialising in transport
matters.
John Newell (1948 M) and Trevor
Grice (1948 M), contemporaries of
Mike’s at Sutton Valence, attended his
funeral along with very many friends and
his surviving children. His wife and eldest son pre-deceased him.
ARGLES, G Robert (1957 F), Robert
Argles died at home in East Sutton in
April 2012 after a long and courageous
fight against pancreatic cancer.
He was born in Jamaica in 1938,
moved to Devon when he was 7 years
old and transferred to Kent in 1952. He
joined the ranks of the day boys at Sutton Valence at that time and after a very
successful career here he gained an exhibition to Oxford. After national service and a short sojourn in the navy, he
obtained a second degree in Law in
London and was called to the bar and
thence to chambers in Lincoln’s Inn.
During this time his family established
themselves in the Three Suttons and it
was in East Sutton that Robert made his
home some 25 years ago.
Despite a busy law practice Robert
was always ready to give much of his
time to ‘local matters’. He was active in
church circles and was churchwarden at
the time of his death. His political interests led him to be the treasurer of the
local constituency party and also the
election agent for Hugh Robertson in
the elections of 2005 and 2010.
Highly efficient, extremely conscientious, a very modest gentle man,
Robert’s contribution to the life of the
Three Suttons was immense.
BALL, Frank ‘Pill’ (Master 19561985), Frank Roskell, 'Pill', aged 90, died
gently of old age on 16th February 2012
in Norfolk, and born 22nd August 1921
in Newton-le-Willows.
He was an all-action all-rounder,
being (among other things) physicist,
swimmer, rugby player, water colourist,
Commando and school teacher (Sutton
Valence School, Kent and before that at
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School,
Blackburn). Throughout his career at
Sutton Valence he was always very considerate to the pupils he taught. Gener-
33
ations of boys in Holdgate will remember his care as Housemaster very fondly
and most were seriously infected by his
massive enthusiasm for knowledge and
his enormous appetite for competitive
activities. As Housemaster, Pill was ably
supported by his wife, Mary, who unfortunately, pre-deceased him.
Holdgate 1965
Back row - Peter Vester (1968 C), Chris
Hooker (1969 M), Michael Wigg (1968
W), Gerald Talbot (1970 L), Howard
Miller (1969 L)
Middle row - Paul Thomas (1969 C),
Iain Crump (1967 C), ‘Pill’, Roger
Molyneux (1969 C), Simon Caro (1969 C)
Front Row - Stephen Jolley (1971 C),
Bharat Oza (1971 C), Julian Abbott
(1971 C)
BOORMAN, Edwin (Ex-Governor),
died on 15th March 2012.
Edwin Boorman, a distinguished
newspaper proprietor, charity supporter
and Sutton Valence School Governor
died earlier this year after a short illness.
Edwin served as a Governor of the
School from 1976 to 2001, when he also
became national president of the Newspaper Society, and chaired the School’s
finance committee from 1997 to 2001.
he did much work for several national
charities. David was one of our OS who
was a Liveryman of the City of London.
He was a Cooper. The Coopers are
unique in that they have a Society and
the Wardens are voted in by the Society.
David was Under Warden and Court
Member in 1994 and the Upper Warden
in 1995.
Edwin was also instrumental in the
successful effort to secure the future of
Underhill Preparatory School in 1978,
which was going through a period of financial difficulty. He chaired the committee, which also included the current
School Chairman of Governors Bryan
Baughan, which restored stability. Underhill subsequently become Sutton Valence Prep School.
DUCKER, Michael (1951 DB), died in
March 2012. Michael left the School,
after O levels in 1951. His school career
had included sports participation, but
not in the ones he loved. Rallying! He
joined the Kent County Council and
worked there faithfully and long, ending
as Senior man in the Rights of Way Office. His leisure time was spent in driving and navigating in Car Rallying – and
organising events.
Educated at Rydal School and
Queen’s College, Cambridge, Edwin
was involved with several Kent charities,
including Royal British Legion Industries, St John Ambulance and Kent Air
Ambulance.
He leaves a widow, Janine, a son
Henry – who attended SVS – and four
daughters from a previous marriage one
of whom, Geraldine, succeeded him as
chairman of the Kent Messenger Group.
BURMESTER, Kenneth (1939 M),
died in 2009.
COLLET, David (1954 W), died
peacefully at home on 4th August 2011.
After David left SVS he did National
Service in the Royal Navy for a couple
of years and he was an active member of
the RNR for many years after that,
reaching the rank of Lt Commander, receiving the RD (The RN Reserve Decoration). His working career was mainly
in Marketing for Unilever, Reckitt and
Colman and finally Guinness. After that
34
FURNEAUX, Colin (1956 M), died in
July 2011. After obtaining his B.Sc in
Agriculture at Wye, and National Service which saw him spending time in
Nigeria, Colin worked for Nestle in Sweden where he met his wife Barbro. They
returned to the UK and settled in Crowborough and had a daughter Caroline.
Colin worked for Cadbury Schweppes
and subsequently set up his own business trading in food raw materials. He
enjoyed a long and active retirement.
GODDARD, Peter (Ex-Staff), died on
6th May 2012.
GOLD, Leon (1968 W), died on 5th
April 2012.
GORE, George (1943 F), died in November 2011.
GRAFTON CBE FRICS FIArb, Peter
(1933 M) (Ex-Governor), died on 20th
May 2012. Peter Grafton was one of the
very oldest members of the OS commu-
July 2012
nity having been at the School from
1929-1933. He contributed much as a
schoolboy but his greatest involvement
came later as an active member of the
OSA and by membership, then chairmanship, of the Governing body of this
School. Peter was a Chartered Surveyor,
indeed he was member of the court of
the Worshipful Company of Chartered
Surveyors and he also gave much of his
time to his industry’s strategic committees. According to one contemporary
‘He was a real glutton for work; no wonder he got the CBE’.
Peter was by no means a dull boy because of his dedication to work. He had
an intelligent, active fun-filled brain. I
expect this was part of his make up; let
us remember that it was his twin, older
by 20 minutes, Jimmy, who helped to
write the scripts for the Goon Show
above the family pub in Victoria. His
first thought on leaving School was to go
up to University to be a doctor, but he
was deflected into the Surveying profession by a sailing companion who persuaded him to become his pupil. No
sooner had he qualified than he was
called up in the Queen’s Westminster
Rifles. His first task was to set up an internment camp. After being commissioned in the Dorsetshire regiment he
found himself defending Wyke Regis
against possible invasion. He transferred
to the Royal Engineers and spent the
later part of the war in the Cocos islands
laying an airstrip for a final assault on
Singapore, but that was pre-empted by
the dropping of the first atomic bomb.
After the war he joined GD Walford and
Partners and became their Senior Partner and influential member of RICs affairs. He became their 97th president in
1978-9.
Peter’s main interests were Rugby
Union, politics and Golf. Standing as a
Liberal, against Harold MacMillan, in
the 1950 election, he broke his leg playing rugby half-way through the campaign and had to finish it running up and
down the streets canvassing on crutches!
It will in the realm of golf that he is more
remembered. He was founder Chairman
of the Public Schools’ Old Boys’ Golfing
Society and co-donor of their prestigious
trophy ‘The Grafton Morrish Trophy’.
Like his brother, he did have literary
skill, as can be seen below:
The Curse of Pleonasm
(a reaction to the oft-recurring verbal
redundancies heard on radio and TV)
Well, look – you know – I mean – you
see It, sort of, - um – occurs to me
That, somehow, I might – kind of – say
What I am hoping to convey.
That’s if – you know – you’re happy to
Accept that what I’m telling you
Is – sort of – worth you waiting for,
While I still search my mental store
For words, which tell you what I mean;
That’s if you’re patient still and keen
To know if what I had in mind
To say can (if the words I find)
Be well and quite concisely said,
Expressing what was in my head.
Alas, the effort’s far too great
For my untidy mental state;
So, therefore – um – I’m in a mess
Through using words so meaningless
As ‘um’ and ‘ah’ and ‘look’ and ‘well’.
I mean – I think –
O what the hell!
HEARN, Peter (1947 W) died on 28th
September 2011. Brother of Robin
Hearn (1945 W) Head of School.
Peter distinguished himself at an early
age as an outstanding all-rounder. After
Sutton Valence, where he was Head Boy
and captain of Cricket, he went to Trin-
ity College, Dublin where he won a
scholarship to read Experimental Science. He completed degrees in that subject and also in Law. He was invited to
join Wood Gundy in Toronto and he became a Senior Vice President and Investment Advisor.
Deeply committed to hospital services
he was appointed chairman of Hillcrest
Hospital and Treasurer of Blue Cross.
He brought with him to the table of
these institutions a fascination with economic affairs and a relaxed and contemplative philosophy together with an
encyclopaedic knowledge that made him
ideally suited to leadership in these institutions.
HOVEY, Michael (1946 W), died on
25th April 2012.
KAY, David (1938 W), died on 17th
July 2011. Brother of Ian Kay (1941 M).
KEMSLEY, Gordon (1943 M), died
on 27th October 2011. Scion of a wellknown Kentish farming family, Gordon
attended the School during the second
war and made a strong contribution to
its corporate life in difficult times. His
main love was cricket, representing the
School in his last two years here. Of
course that was much less important
than doing well in the ‘house match’,
and his contribution in 1943 may well
have been his crowning glory.
His greatest achievement must have
been in his last term as one of the principle architects of the win in the cricket
house match against Westminster. (You
need to understand that the rivalry and
intensity of this match - the need to win
and get bragging rights - was manifestly
more important to the boys than mere
success for a School team.) In this
match, played over two days and with
35
both sides having two innings it was his
early wicket-taking in both the innings
of Westminster that contributed to their
restricted score - he had despatched
their best batters. For his own contribution with the bat it was he who gave,
again in both innings, a really sound
start to his Margaret's side enabling a
comfortable win by 3 wickets. The pleasure must have been all the greater because there is no doubt that the betting
money would have been heavily on
Westminster before the match began.
After leaving the School, Gordon played
for the OS Cricket team and was particularly proud of having taken the wicket
of Mark Benson (1977 M) on the two
times he played against him.
LONSDALE, John (1945 M), died on
6th February 2012. John Lonsdale (1945
M) died 6th Feb. John Lonsdale (1945
M) epitomised all that was good about
those that have been taught at this
School. John was here but briefly during
the latter part of the War. On leaving he
followed his love of Electrical Engineering and became C.Eng. MIEE. He
worked in senior positions for a variety
of industrial concerns in the Dorset area
throughout his life and gave a lot of his
leisure time to politics and sport. In his
younger days he was Chairman of Sussex Young Conservatives and a member
of the National YC Committee; some
sixty years after he left these walls he
was still playing (and coaching) croquet.
He gave his time and effort to ‘University of the Third Age’ as a lecturer and
was busily involved with the aid efforts
of St Peter’s Church, Bournemouth.
LURCOCK, Maurice John (1964 F),
died in 1987, of cancer. He was living in
Leiden in Holland at the time and his
ashes are buried in Sassenheim.
36
MABERLY, Dion Jonathan
MB BS; FRCP; FRACP (1956 F),
died on 10th February 2012. Having
trained at St Thomas’ Hospital, London,
Jonathan (or Dr Maberly) spent a year
in Washington DC as a medical intern
followed by two and a half years in
pathology and chest medicine in New
Zealand, gaining his MRACP whilst
there. On his return to the UK he
worked at St Thomas’, Hammersmith
and Middlesex hospitals during which
time he attained his MRCP. In 1974 he
was appointed Consultant Physician
specialising in chest medicine at
Airedale General Hospital, West Yorkshire, where he worked until his retirement in 1996. In late 1970 2 members
of the American Clinical Ecology group
were invited to give a seminar at the
Royal College of Physician and
Jonathan was convinced that their approach to chronic ill health was the way
forward. Essentially it was asking why
people were sick, what was precipitating
their medical problems, rather than attempting to treat /mask the symptoms.
Having long felt there was some sort of
outside trigger in childhood asthma
from his work in Auckland, NZ,
Jonathan quietly used these methods in
his practice from then on with increasing success. Inevitably, as his practice
grew, he had patients who were too
complicated to treat adequately as out
patients. In 1985 he opened the first
purpose built, environmentally controlled allergy assessment unit in the
world in Steeton, West Yorkshire. It was
a well appointed, 12 bedded facility with
an inhalant and chemically free environment run by highly trained, dedicated staff. Giving people back the
control for their well-being proved very
positive for many and the overall success
rate for the chronically sick patients who
were seen proved to be remarkably high,
when a study was done in the early 90’s.
A pioneer who was years ahead of his
time he was considered an eccentric by
many for using methods which today are
much more widely accepted.
He had been interested in allergy
since the 1960’s and was an early member of the British Society for Allergy and
Clinical Immunology, serving as a committee member. He was a long-standing
member of the British Society for Allergy, Environmental and Nutritional
Medicine, and a past president. On his
retirement he received the inaugural
Maberly Medal which the Society created to recognise outstanding contributions to Environmental Medicine
Jonathan Maberly has been described
as many things; empathic, gentle, charismatic, innovative, dedicated, but he always remained unaware of the full
extent of his life’s work. With the unwavering support of his wife it is not an exaggeration to say that he made a huge
contribution to change in the way society now regards its health in relationship
to its environment. A man of many interests, with a sharp, enquiring mind he
was a member of a rare breed; quiet and
unassuming, but with an unshakable integrity and strength which enabled his to
achieve much against great odds.
He emigrated to Australia in 2001 and
the sun he loved so much. He spent a
July 2012
very happy period of his life ‘Down
Under’ together with his family who
have all settled there.
PERCIVAL, John (1943 M), died in
January 2012.
PILBEAM, Julie, (Ex-staff SVPS),
died on 4th February 2012. Julie sadly
passed away following her long battle
with cancer. Julie joined the Prep School
in November 2003 and retired October
2011.
POPAY, Marjorie (Ex-staff 19721989),
died in July 2011. Born in Dublin in
1934 but educated in Kent, Marjorie
went, after obtaining a good degree in
maths at London University, first into
the RAF, thence to Marconi Avionics
where she became PA to the head of the
guided weapons department. She was a
first class engineer, specialising in
Radar. She left this establishment and
raised a family with her husband David.
Marjorie came to Sutton Valence in
1972. She was a pioneer – being the very
first female teacher in the School. We
had benefitted from the efforts of the
gentler sex before, but only on a temporary basis while regular male teachers
fought in the two World Wars. Marjorie
was not alone, however, for after one
year she had Barbara Piper to keep her
company in those early days of a male
dominated Common Room.
when Director of marketing development at Conono. Not content with the
ease of retirement he set up a Conferencing Company. He represented the
UK in the European Liquified as Petroleum Association, becoming its president.
She was an outstanding teacher of
Mathematics and many generations of
OS will remember her exacting standards but nevertheless understanding
and sympathetic tactics in putting across
her subject to them. She was supposed
to be part-time, but from a very early
stage her dedication to her teaching and
the fact that she was prepared to take so
much care over her pupils meant she
was, in practice, full-time. She introduced computing to the School and she
built the department with tremendous
enthusiasm.
SMITH, Keith (Ex-staff 1968-1991
and Housemaster St Margaret’s 197077)
Keith joined us as Head of Biology in
1968 and made a deep and lasting impact on many of his pupils. He had a
very effective method of making his
topic more easily remembered by use of
anecdotes and quality acting skills. Noone who ever witnessed it could forget
his impression of the evolution of the
plant ovary using only one hand, and his
tale of George, the tapeworm (introduced to several dinner parties by his
host) was equally remembered. This is
to identify just a couple of his many varied stories, but his contribution and
story-telling was not confined to the laboratory. His ‘performances’ in Chapel
could be riveting; when given advance
notice that he was conducting the service, expectations of a thought-provoking
but unusual and entertaining address
were high – and usually realised.
Marjorie left us in 1989, but rather
than spend the autumn of her life in relaxed activity she took on the mantle of
‘advisor in IT to the KCC’ and did much
in that organisation to help them come
to terms with a ‘new age’ before her
eventual retirement. Even then she was
not content to be at rest. Her energy and
massively inquisitive mind saw her using
her skills in a number of projects. We
shall miss her energy and her charm and
understanding.
POTTER, Kenneth (1931 DB), died
on 8th March 2012. After school Kenneth spent some time on his father’s
fruit farm before deciding on a career in
engineering and qualified as CEng.,
MIMechE and then volunteered for the
TA. When war broke out he was posted
to the Middle East and Burma and rose
rapidly through the ranks of REME to
become Lieutenant Colonel. After the
war he began a long and successful career in the oil industry, retiring in 1980
Keith was a complete all-rounder. He
became very involved in games and in
both Rugby and Cricket his support of
the master in charge was always welcome. He was always very proud, and
protective, of the teams he ran. He often
told the tale that he was sorely tempted
to ‘hide’ the talent of some of his second
team lads from the gaze of the master in
charge, lest they be elevated; he was
convinced they would not enjoy life in a
more pressured environment. He was
very active in the CCF, indeed he was its
commanding officer for two years, and
he was also a very well-regarded House-
37
master of his beloved St Margaret’s. He
was a forceful member of the careers advice team at the School – and this was
not confined just to the pupils, many of
his colleagues felt the benefit of his advice when it came to thinking about the
future shape of their careers.
SOLOMON, Michael (1945 W), died
on 28th March 2012.
STANDEN, John (1939 W) died in
2009.
TIPPLES, Peter (1939 M)
Peter was born the middle of three
brothers, all of whom came to Sutton
Valence. He modestly said that he was
never much good at academic studies
but he was very proud of his ability at
sport. After the war, in which he saw
service in France, Belgium and Holland
he returned to farming in Kent. He took
an active role in the NFU and the Marden Fruit Show. He represented the
area on the Hops Marketing Board and
was proud to be an Honorary Life Vice
president of the Weald of Kent Ploughing Match Society. His column for the
last 24 years in ‘South East Farmer’ magazine was often amusing and always
thoughtful and relevant.
Peter also gave himself generously to
service in the local community. He
served on Marden Parish Council and
was a governor of Marden Primary
School. He was also a Trustee for a
small charity ‘The Allen and Maplesden
Trust’ in Marden.
Sport continued to be a major love of
his life and he served Marden for well
over 25 years as fixture secretary to the
Russetts Hockey Club, captain of Marden Cricket Club and the first Chairman
of the combined clubs from 1960-81.
Field sports were another passion and
38
he was Chairman of the Ashford Valley
Hunt and regularly, and successfully, entered his horses in various point-to-point
meetings.
• • •
OSA AGM
and Dinner
After the reappointment of the officers of the committee a new committee
member, Amelia Shaw (1995 V), was
elected. Your committee members for
2012 – 2013 are:
President
E John Evans (1953 W)
Chairman
Desmond High (1973 F)
Honorary Secretary
David Pickard (Master 1977-2001)
Honorary Treasurer
Tim Weedon (1976 L)
Hon Dinner Secretary
Rupert Humphrey (1978 L)
Members
Nigel Swaffer (1971 F)
Catherine Mills (née Day, 1995 V)
Philip Higgins (1970 F)
Jon Evans (1992 F)
Amelia Shaw (1995 V),
Charlotte Bills (née Basham, 1992 S)
Mrs N J Ellis (née Aviss, 1991 V)
After reports from the Dinner Secretary and David Bunker on sporting activities, the Honorary Secretary reported
at some length on membership issues,
including a statement from Desmond
High. An extract of which appears here:
During the last year the OSA committee has given significant thought to the
future structure and direction of the
OSA. This has arisen as a result of a
number of factors, but particularly:
• The closer working relationship
and sharing of resources with the
School Development Office;
• The increasing use of social media,
allowing members of the OSA to
be more directly linked, and for the
OSA to communicate more effectively and cheaply with members;
• Concern about the low take up of
“traditional” events, which clearly
only appeal to a very small minority
(eg the Annual Dinner);
• Seeing how similar organisations
are evolving.
It is a work in progress at present, but
at the core is the OSA becoming a facilitator, encouraging individuals and interest groups to develop their own
activities and events, and, where necessary, financially priming the pump. Examples already include the Cricket Tour
to Somerset last summer, when the OSA
met the (modest) accommodation costs
for the Under 25s, and the OSA gathering in London in January this year, when
the OSA covered the welcome drink and
room hire.
After the reports, 91 sat down to the
meal, slightly fewer than last year, but a
number that is above average for the last
few years. We ran our own bar and many
thanks to the Chiddingstone Brewery
who donated some ale for our cause.
Hugh Robertson proved to be an excellent speaker and we shall seek to continue to search for speakers for future
dinners. Our guests included Olympians
Paul Anderson (1952 W) and Neil
Townshend (1973 F) and prospective
Olympian Susannah Townsend (2007
G); unfortunately, Ashley Jackson (2005
M) was unable to attend, but we were
proud that the Daily Telegraph have
dubbed him (possibly) ‘the finest
July 2012
Hockey player in the World’. David
Bunker (1954 M) was presented with a
claret jug at the dinner as a token of his
magnificent service to the OS over many
years.
Report on OS
Cricket 2011
Bit of a change this year with a short
tour to Somerset immediately prior to
the August “Week”, plus the revival of
the fixture against the Mote meant a fixture card of 10 games in 12 days, as well
as the School match.
That match was extremely close. An
excellent OS declaration ended up with
both sides batting for 53 overs. Ben
Leale-Green led the charge for the
School with an outstanding 97 and the
School needed 10 runs from the final
over with four wickets in hand. Fortunately for the OS Sam Courtly was on
target, taking two wickets and only conceding five runs, leaving honours even.
The short tour, excellently organised
by Richard Bradstock, was great fun. A
T20 match on the Wednesday evening
left North Curry ending up only 6 short
of their target. Then heavy overnight
rain meant the fixture against former
Brewer’s Cup rivals Old Tauntonians
was called off by 10am.
In a 40 over match at Wembdon on
the Friday we lost wickets to the first two
balls of the match, and then 91-7 after
20 overs. Fortunately Chris Vernon and
James Vincent then added 130 to take
us to respectability. Wembdon only really had one useful batsman (who scored
82 of their runs) and we won at a canter
in 28 overs.
Then back to Kent for the “Week”.
Before the start of play against the Scorpions, Nigel Wheeler, their cofounder,
presented the School and the OS with
an inscribed bell for use on Upper to signal the start of play. David Bunker then
had great fun putting it into immediate
and deafening use.
We reduced them to 18-4 but had not
reckoned with a former Zimbabawe Test
player who batted immaculately for 106
and then took 5-36 with canny off spin,
to give Scorpions a 90 run win.
The Roffensians match is usually
close, but this time we found them
rather under strength. In a 45 over
match we made a respectable 238-9 with
74 from Chris Vernon but Roffensians
were never in the chase and succumbed
to 98 all out off only 26 overs.
Likewise Marden. This game seems to
go with home advantage, and Marden
strugged to 125 in 36 overs, against a
“mature” OS bowling attack including
the venerable Richards (4 wickets),
Richard Fetherston and James Sandbrook–Price. OS reached 130-1 in a
mere 13.4 overs with Bradders scoring
65 out of 83 in 10 overs followed by 34no
from Tim Watts to make it a very early
trip to the Swan.
wasn’t enough to contain a rampaging
Bradders. His contribution was a modest 103 out of 159 when he was out.
Another sticky start against Peter
Davies XI. 15-3 and then 75-7 but Mike
Coles and Jack Field reprised the Vernon-Vincent show from tour and added
121, taking advantage of a modest fielding side to achieve respectability. Most
of the Davies batsmen made a start but
OS chipped away at the wickets.
We continue our recent winning
streak against Dragons. Our 181 didn’t
really seem enough but we had no shortage of bowling and Messrs Field, Griffin, Stileman, Coles and the Dooley
brothers all picked up wickets to see us
to a 74 run victory.
On the support side the same team of
Philip Higgins (umpiring) Dan Hammond (scoring), Kathy & Lorna High
(catering) and Ian Avery and team
(ground) made sure that everything ran
smoothly and our continuing thanks to
them.
Desmond High
October 2011
On the Thursday, after a 73 year gap
we played the Mote again. We made 243
off 40 overs with Bradders again scoring
heavily. Mote fell 30 short but were always well behind the required rate. And
as with Phil Heine earlier in the week,
Alan Barr (a regular Mote player) made
a welcome reappearance in our ranks.
Blair Hart pulled the masterstroke of
recruiting Bradders to play for his All
Stars side. Ben Leale-Green scored a
fine first century for the OS but our 234
39
2011 results in summary. Won 7, Lost 2, Drawn 1
26 June
OS 242-7 dec
SVS 239-8
Match drawn
3 August
OS 157 - 5 (20 overs) (S Higgins
37*, J Parrett 34*)
North Curry 151 all out C Vernon 3-15)
Won by
6 runs
4 August
OS v Taunton School OB
5 August
OS 232 (J Vincent 56*, Vernon
53)
Wembdon 131
Won by
101 runs
6 August
Scorpions 243-7 (35 overs)
OS 153
Lost by
90 runs
7 August
OS 238-9 (45 overs) (C Vernon
74)
Old Roffensians 98 (J Field 324)
Won by
140 runs
8 August
Marden 125 (Richards 4-22)
OS 130-1 (Bradstock 65)
Won by
9 wickets
11 August
OS 243-8 (40 overs) (Bradstock
89)
The Mote 213-8 Vernon 3-8, M
Day 3-31)
Won by
30 runs
OS 234 (B Leale-Green 114)
Blair Hart All Stars XI 236-3
(Bradstock 103)
Lost by 7
wickets
OS 244-8 (40 overs) (M Coles
90*, Field 67)
P Davies XI 197-7
Won by
47 runs
OS 181
Dragons 107 (P Stileman 3-16,
R Dooley 3-7)
Won by
74 runs
12 August
13 August
14 August
News from
the School
Development
Office News
I concluded last year’s news by saying
that this year promised to be just as exciting as 2010 -2011. It has, and in many
ways even more so!
40
No play
possible
Despite the strictures of the economic
climate that have prevailed all year, Old
Suttonians, parents and staff have supported the Annual Fund to such an extent that we have again surpassed our
target of £20,000. It is testament to the
belief in what is done here at Sutton Valence that so many have felt able to support the School in this way. Over the
summer the Refectory will be redecorated and the updated Honours Boards
will be hung. At the Prep School, next
year’s productions will benefit from new
microphones and loudspeakers to enhance the audience experience in the
Bates Hall.
Whilst reaching a fund raising target
is very satisfying, for me the most rewarding part of our work is that which
reflects the strength of the ties that extend throughout the wider School community. I have been delighted time and
again this year by the enthusiastic response of individual Old Suttonians to
our requests to help current pupils with
work experience, mentoring and other
support. The level and range of experience and ability in that body is truly
amazing, as is your willingness to help
the current generation on their own
path to success.
July 2012
This year nearly 300 OS have attended
a variety of reunions, both here in the
UK and abroad. LinkedIn and Facebook are proving useful tools for both
networking and the passing on of information to Old Suttonians groups. There
are currently 537 OS on LinkedIn, with
more joining every week.
Unable to travel abroad to see Old
Suttonians, we have established a volunteer in Hong Kong and two in Australia.
They have graciously organised reunions
of some 70 alumni between them, with
our administrative support. We are hoping to extend further to China and the
USA in the near future.
Closer to home 62 OS, families and
friends met at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford in May. We were fortunate to be hosted by Richard Ashton (St
Margaret’s ’86), the museum’s Director
and Executive VP, who went out of his
way to make the day special. We were
toured around the museum by four of
his volunteer guides, who took great delight in showing us the extensive collection. Fortified by a superb lunch, OS
spent the afternoon at their leisure
watching the flying aircraft and visiting
those areas they had missed in the
morning.
In May, despite the not so sunny
weather, Grandparents had a wonderful
day with their grandchildren, touring the
School and then sitting down to lunch.
Many were kind enough to write and say
how impressed they were with the
School and its pupils.
The programme of reunions and
events is developing for next year and we
have several exciting initiatives in the
pipeline for young and older Old Suttonians alike.
Helen Knott
Development Manager
Extract from the Headmaster’s
Report: Speech Day 2012
“It was the best of times, it was the
worst of times, it was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of foolishness, it was the
epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it
was the season of darkness, it was the
spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
Mr Chairman, honoured guests, Governors, ladies and gentlemen, pupils, in
the year that marks the bicentenary of
the birth of Charles Dickens, it seems
appropriate that the first words of my
speech should be his and not mine.
They are the opening to his novel A Tale
of Two Cities, and some of the most famous words he ever wrote. Why are
they so memorable? Probably because
they don’t make sense. As a nation, we
are fascinated by contradictions. From
childhood, we love nonsense poems (In
the land of the Bumbley Boo, The People are red white and blue, They never
blow noses, Or ever wear clothses, What
a sensible thing to do!) – there is something in the human spirit, it seems, that
is drawn to things that don’t quite make
sense – like government policy for instance – especially when it comes to education!
Where do I begin?
Linear GCSEs from September, or O
Levels and a return to CSEs? Proposed
from 2013, an end to A level January
modules, one resit only per A level subject, an end to the two plus two split of
L6th and U6th modules, a review of the
50/50 AS / A2 balance and even questions over the future of AS Level in its
entirety. I could go on…. in fact, I will:
The proposed funding block in the
state system for the study of extra A levels and other qualifications – on the
back of Michael Gove saying at the recent Brighton College education conference that it is “morally indefensible”
that so many top jobs are held by those
with an independent education. To then
propose that those aspirational and talented students in the state sector, capable of competing with the independent
sector’s pupils and their opportunities,
will not be funded for any additional
stretch is madness. It not only reinforces
my belief that education should not be
an area to be meddled with by everchanging governments and government
policy, but also underlines the fact that
this government is seriously to be found
lacking in its joined up thinking when it
comes to education.
As an independent school, we are
very conscious of the financial commitment parents make to the School, and
providing excellence in all areas and
good value for money are very real motivators for us as we go about our work.
None of what your children achieve here
would be possible if it wasn’t for your
unswerving support in the background,
and I am conscious of what a loyal and
committed parent body we have here at
Sutton Valence, and the Governors, my
staff and I are very grateful for that.
It may appear to be a contradiction in
terms, but at Sutton Valence a C grade
can be just as impressive as an A* grade.
The concept of value added, exceeding
41
potential, whatever that potential and in
whatever discipline, is at the core of all
we strive to achieve and I am delighted
that we do it so well.
Three years ago the Assistant Head
Academic, Mr Clarke, told me that he
believed that our target of 60% A*-B
grades at A Level would be achievable
in the medium term. I am very pleased
to report that last August we surpassed
this with 61% A*-B grades. This means
that over a five year period we have increased the percentage achieving these
top grades by 50%!
Students who were in the A set as they
progressed through the School achieved
95% A*-B grades, which clearly demonstrates that we serve our gifted students
well. These raw statistics inevitably obscure individual success and special
mention must go to David Booer and
Cristina Paca who gained places at Cambridge to read Mathematics and Psychology respectively. These were not
the only excellent results as seven other
members of last year’s Upper Sixth were
awarded straight A* and A grades.
What is even more encouraging is that
our value added at A Level shows that
through the hard work of the pupils and
the support and teaching of the School,
we added on average 0.7 of a grade per
pupil per subject this year, which continues the high value added we have
achieved over the past three years. This
will never result in all of our pupils
achieving A* and B grades, but it does
show that the vast majority of each cohort is academically doing better here
than they would have done were they to
have been educated elsewhere. If this
means that a student has improved a D
grade prediction to a C grade come results day, then this achievement is just as
impressive as an A grade student achieving an A*.
42
The situation with our GCSEs was
very similar to the A level results. Pupils
at the top end did particularly well with
nearly 10% of the year group achieving
ten or more A* to A grades. Overall,
this year’s GCSE cohort managed to
maintain our near 40% A* and A
grades. In this year group, the top set
gained 88% A* to A grades and we
managed to increase the overall number
of A* grades awarded by four percentile
points and the value added to around
0.65 of a grade per pupil per subject.
So who knows what the government’s
next U turn or contradictory statement
might be, but let’s hope that it does not
damage the excellent work the pupils
and the School are able to do in working hard to exceed potential.
The greatest strengths of Sutton
Valence are the community and the relationships between staff and pupils.
This year we have re-introduced a properly functioning House system supported by vertical tutor groups. Whilst
doing this we have also highlighted the
first two years of the School as a separate entity allowing them greater nurturing, increased scrutiny, with higher
standards and expectations being instilled from a younger age.
I believe that the more pockets of
small and supportive communities one
can create within a community, the
greater the overall support and care
each individual will receive. Without
question, Sutton Valence is a supportive
and tolerant community and one that
values the individuals of which it is comprised. Rather than trying to make us all
the same, which can only result in diminishing our diversity and compromising the strength of our community,
Sutton Valence celebrates differences
and delights in individuality.
There is no doubt that sports teams,
music ensembles and drama groups create such pockets of support and minicommunities within the whole; as do
many academic departments (particularly at A level), the CCF and the co-curricular programme. The addition of
Houses and vertical tutor groups adds to
the levels of care and support we provide and I am pleased with how many
good things have emerged during this
initial transition year.
Change is never easy and there will always be pros and cons to anything, but
the pros of the new system definitely
outweigh the cons. Pupils and staff tell
me that they enjoy the vertical tutor
groups and stronger relationships across
the whole school are being forged with
excellent examples of role modeling and
peer support cropping up in every
House. A burgeoning sense of house
identity and pride is emerging and the
new House competition programme has
allowed all sorts of new competitions to
be started, different talents recognised
and older traditions resurrected.
July 2012
In recognition of the importance of
our House competition, the Chairman
of the Governors and Mrs Baughan
have presented to the School “The
Baughan House Cup” for the winning
house across all disciplines that form
part of our annual competition. Having
added in today’s sports day results, I can
announce to you now that in fourth
place is Lambe’s, third place is
Founder’s, second is Clothworkers’ and
therefore the winning house is
Holdgate.
At confirmation last Sunday, the first
reading was the story of David and Goliath and I found myself pondering on
how apt this biblical story is to our
school and the many larger schools we
face on a weekly basis in our sports fixtures. Our sporting achievements belie
our size and clearly demonstrate the talent and dedication of so many of our
pupils in this arena.
This year saw the Girls Rugby 7s
squad crowned County Champions. In
Hockey, the Girls 1st XI enjoyed a 73%
win rate and the School teams were
County Semi-Finalists at U14, 16 and 18
age groups. Undefeated seasons were
enjoyed by the U12A and B squads. In
Netball the U12s won the Weald of Kent
tournament and the mighty U15s only
lost one match whilst winning the Benenden tournament. The 1st VII
reached the semi-finals in the County
Tournament and also had superb wins
against King’s Canterbury and Cranbrook. The 1st Rounders team has remained unbeaten all season and the U15
Girls Tennis team has only lost one
match.
In Boys sport, the 1st XV Rugby team
recorded its first winning season in four
years and several players were selected
to represent Kent. In Hockey, the Boys
1st XI enjoyed a 67% win rate whilst the
U15C, U14C, U13B and U12B squads
all basked in undefeated glory. In
Cricket, after an exciting start to the
year with a fantastic tour to Cape Town
in February, the season has been severely disrupted due to the awful
weather. The teams have all progressed
nicely and some very good cricketers
have emerged in the younger years with
Abdulla Adil scoring the School’s first
century of the season for the U14s
against King’s Canterbury and Thomas
Lazarides taking 6 wickets for 21 for the
U13s against St Michael’s Otford.
Individual mentions must also go to
Anna Baker, who has been selected for
the U16 England Hockey team a year
early, Emily Royer, who is the Kent
Girls Golf Champion and Peter Bannister who continues to work towards his
place in the 2016 Olympic GB Canoeing
squad. Peter is also fortunate enough to
be running a leg of the Olympic Torch
relay in Harrietsham.
It is frequently said of Sutton Valence
that we are a small school that punches
far above its weight and nowhere is this
more evident than in our co-curricular
programme.
For me the highlight of the year was
the School’s production of Sweet Charity. Music continues to go from strength
to strength with the Chapel Choir performing Vivaldi’s Gloria with choir,
soloists and orchestra all from the
School. The string groups tackle ever
more exciting and challenging repertoire, including Mozart’s 29th and
Haydn’s Farewell symphonies, the Holberg Suite and the ravishingly beautiful
slow movement from Elgar’s Serenade
for Strings. During the Easter Holidays
the Jazz Band performed in Paris at the
Jardin de Luxembourg and in Euro Dis-
ney to several hundred people, resulting
in an invitation to perform in next year’s
European Jazz Festival.
We took part in the United Westminster Schools’ Foundation Concert at
Christ Church Spitalfields, when our
Chamber Choir and the String Trio performed. And over the year the Music
Department, spearheaded by the Girls’
Choir’s rendition of the ‘Military Wives
Song’, has raised over £2,500 for various
charities.
Whilst on the topic of charitable giving, I am very proud of how conscious
the School is of the need for charity in
so many guises and I am delighted to announce that through our various charity
fund- raising events this year we have
managed to raise £16,000 to date and
counting.
Our CCF is also heavily involved in
charitable work and I am proud of their
attitude and dedication. I also rather
bask in their achievements and successes! This year the shooting team has
won so many trophies that my reception
has been adorned by more silverware
than the Tower of London and special
mention must go to Thomas Latham,
Anthony Bromley and Harry Percival
for their individual successes.
Our Signals Team came fourth in the
national competition at Blandford and
also in the NRN Easter Bunny competition. Andrew Thomas was awarded the
Howell Trophy for best cadet signaler as
well as being honoured with the Lord
Lieutenant’s Cadet of the Year award.
Alexander Allsebrook, Hugh Gower
and James Aburn were all awarded
Gliding Scholarships and their Silver
Wings, whilst James was also selected
for the Air Cadets National Concert Band.
43
The British Legion awarded our CCF
the Peter Davies Memorial Shield for its
contribution to the Legion and also presented James Marriott with an individual award in recognition of his service
over many years.
Much of our Duke of Edinburgh activity happens through and alongside the
CCF and this year we have nearly a third
of the School registered on the DofE
programme and, thus far, we have
amassed 17 Gold, 24 Silver and 48
Bronze awards.
The Schoolmaster, Thomas Gradgrind, in Charles Dickens's Hard Times
famously said:
"Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach
these boys and girls nothing but Facts.
Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant
nothing else, and root out everything
else. You can only form the minds of
reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing
else will ever be of any service to them.
This is the principle on which I bring up
my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children.
Stick to Facts, sir!"
Of course our staff teach facts, but
they also do so much more. We are
blessed with a dedicated and caring
staff, who are prepared to go far beyond
the obvious remit of their jobs, purely
because they care for all in their charge.
But, of course, every year we have to say
good bye to some.
Mr Walsh has had two bites of the
cherry here at SV as he finished in 2003
to go back to university, but we liked
him so much we re-employed him in
2008. He has taught Junior Science and
Biology and been a very effective Head
of year, tutor, member of the CCF and,
of late, heavily involved in charitable
44
events. He is off to teach in the United
Arab Emirates, but before he goes he is
leading 13 Lower Sixth Form boys on a
charity cycle ride from North Foreland
in Kent to Land’s End via Sutton Valence, Brighton, Southampton, Dorchester, Exeter and Truro. The group is
raising funds for Blind Veterans UK.
Miss Halleron joined us in 2007 and
quickly became involved in so many
areas of school life that she has nearly
made herself indispensable. She teaches
Physics, has been a much-loved tutor at
Beresford, involved herself in every
sport going and has been an excellent influence in the Army Section of the CCF.
She leaves us to follow her Wanderlust
and teach in Dubai.
After three years with us improving
and consolidating the success of our RS
department and running Critical Thinking, Mr Heath leaves to join the staff of
Wimbledon High School. His dedication and intelligence will be sorely
missed, especially by the Sixth Form and
he leaves St Margaret’s as a tutor with
their best wishes.
Miss Peerless has only officially been
with us for one year, but she has made a
big impact during this short time. She is
a talented French and Spanish teacher
and a caring and popular tutor. We will
miss her and hope that our paths cross
again before too long.
Miss Pena has been an excellent Actor
in Residence this year but her one year
contract has come to an end, so she is off
to be a house parent at the Arts School
in Tring and to train to become a qualified teacher.
Our two temporary teachers, Miss
Cheema and Mr Ashby finish their time
with us and we thank them for all they
have done stepping into the breach and
wish them well as they move on to pastures new.
We are sad to be losing Mr Stubbings
who is moving to Canterbury and assisting at The King’s School, so he can continue to push for a place on the U21
National Hockey squad.
Mrs Jane Gerrard – the much-loved
day matron of Sutton House is leaving
us to spend the year undertaking volunteer work in South Africa, Thailand and
Cambodia working in an animal sanctuary, a school and an orphanage.
Another important pastoral staffing
change, though not a farewell, is that
Mrs Stanford is retiring from being
Housemistress of Sutton House after 11
years of dedicated service. She is adored
by the girls in the House and has coped
brilliantly with juggling the demands of
her day job in the Preparatory School
with her evening commitments in the
boarding life of the School.
Well, what a year it’s been! Full of industry, enjoyment and adventure and as
we gear down to a well-earned rest and
the chance to recharge our batteries, I
end as I began with a quote from
Charles Dickens:
“Please sir, I want some more?” – but
I’m happy to wait until September!
Thank you for listening.

Layout 2 - Sutton Valence School

Transcription

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