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NEWS OF OLD BRUTONIANS 2004
1939
John BURNETT (N39/43) writes “I started by
being an articled pupil to an Architect in
London. I then went to the School of
Architecture at Liverpool University,
qualifying in 1950. I captained both Tennis
and Hockey teams whilst there.
I then moved to Hertfordshire, met my wife
and got married in 1953. (I got my
Hertfordshire County Hockey Cap in 1952).
We moved around the country to Bristol,
Stevenage, St Albans and then out to Little
Horkesley near Colchester, changing jobs and
designing schools, houses and hospitals - all
very interesting with different problems.
A couple of years ago, my wife died and I
moved into a maisonette in Nayland and
would be very pleased to meet any Old
Brutonians of any vintage”. John has 3
children and 6 grandchildren.
1953
Noel BURFORD (P/L53/56) writes from
Rutland that after leaving King’s he completed
two years National Service with the RAF
before moving into a career in sales and
marketing in Toys and Leisure. He is now
retired and keeps in touch with Jeremy
HEWLETT (N51/55)
Christopher LEDGER (N53/58) writes that he
is now fully retired and living in South Devon
where his interests include golf, gardening,
model engineering and amateur radio (Call
Sign G3UBL)
1954
Roger GALLANNAUGH (O54/57) has been
appointed a Governor of King’s School.
1956
Bill BUNBURY (N56/58) writes from Perth,
Western Australia where he is a Broadcaster
with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
(ABC). Bill is an award-winning radio
documentary-maker, producing and
presenting for ABC Radio National’s
‘Hindsight’. Among his awards are the 1986
United Nations Australia Peace Prize for ‘The
War Rages On: Australians in Vietnam’; the
Gold Medal for History Documentary at the
prestigious New York Radio Festival Awards in
1996 for ‘Timber for Gold: The Kalgoorlie
Woodlines’; and the inaugural NSW Premier’s
History Awards Special Prize in 1997 for the
radio commentary series ‘Unfinished
Business’. His examinations of Australian
history have also led to such books as Being
Aboriginal (with Ros Bowden); Reading Labels
on Jam Tins: Living Through Difficult Times;
Rag,Sticks and Wire: Australians in the Air
1919-90; Cyclone Tracy: Picking up the Pieces;
Rabbits and Spaghetti: Italy, Australians and
World War II; and Timber for Gold: The
Kalgoorlie Woodlines.
Bill is also a member of the Western
Australia Council for Aboriginal
Reconciliation, a board member of the
Fremantle History Museum, and has been a
frequent university guest lecturer. His father,
who was Australian born, also attended KSB
(N14/16) but died in 1970.
Jeremy PONTIN (N56/60) has recently retired.
On leaving school, he worked in property and
qualified as a chartered surveyor in 1966,
whilst in private practice in Devon, his home
county. Later he worked in Surrey and
Hampshire, where he became the County
Estates Surveyor, responsible for a department
of some hundred staff, providing valuations
and estate management professional services
for the whole county. 1993 saw his
department reorganised, whereupon he was
appointed Resident Land Steward for the
Duchy of Cornwall, responsible for the Isles of
Scilly district. In recognition of his work for
the Duchy, Jeremy was appointed MVO in the
Queen’s Birthday Honours. He is also a Fellow
of the Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors. Jeremy is married and has three
children. Sport remains a passion, and he
particularly enjoys the annual London to
Brighton cycling event, where he is joined by
his children, raising money for the Heart
Foundation. Jeremy, who keeps in touch with
quite a few of his contemporaries at School,
says that he would be happy to see, or hear
from, anyone of his vintage from School who
is living in Cornwall or visiting. As a parting
shot, he suggests that the School Shop might
consider selling baseball caps with the
School’s Dolphin and Crown emblem.
1958
Richard CANT (N58/62) writes that after
practising as a private client solicitor for 39
years he has thrown in the towel on law in
favour of Sandbanks Beach.
Tim CRONIN (N58/62) paid a visit to King’s in
September 2003.
Jonathan GOODERHAM (O&B58/62) is based
in Auckland, New Zealand where he works as
a Fine Art Dealer specialising in European and
Antipodean paintings. Jonathan is married to
Janet and has a daughter, Elizabeth.
John WINSTONE (N58/62) writes that he is in
contact with John WILLIAMS (O58/62) who is
now a grandfather and living in California.
1962
George O’GRADY (N62/66) George becomes
chief executive of the PGA European Tour at the
end of 2004. His immediate predecessor and
boss, Ken Scholfield has chosen retirement,
saying that it would have been selfish of him to
have remained in what he sees as “a highly
privileged position” when there was a man of
George’s abilities waiting in the wings. George’s
appointment had the unanimous backing of
everyone on the tournament committee and
the board of directors. On leaving Bruton,
George went to Reading University where he
captained the rugby team. After working first
for Esso and then as a stockbroker, he joined the
European tour as a tournament director in 1974.
Chief referee at the Royal Lytham and St Annes,
he was staging manager for the 1981 match at
Walton Heath. Having been appointed as
Scholfield’s deputy in 1989, he played a key role
in the growth and development of the Tour’s
television company.
1966
Neil FORD, Q.C. (B66/71) is now Head of his
Chambers - Albion Chambers, Bristol.
NEWS OF OLD BRUTONIANS
1969
Kirsten COOKE (nee Hamilton-Fairlie) (Hall
69/71) is an Associate of the Royal
Photographic Society. Kirsten specialises in
Wedding Photography and is based in Stokesub-Hamdon.
1971
David BARTON (P71/74) was awarded a
Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service
(QCVS) in the Operation TELIC honours and
awards list following the war in Iraq. He
writes “I had a staff team of about 75
personnel and we ran all the administrative
arrangements for the 46,000 strong British
Force, spread across 10 countries. We started
off in January in Kuwait and then moved into
Iraq in April 2003. Particular areas of
responsibility were all manpower
arrangements, running a large database for
the Force in the Middle East, welfare
(telephones, Internet, radio, TV, mail, papers -
over £50m budget!), the administration of
casualties and compassionate cases, mortuary
management and the administration of
Prisoners of War. I can’t remember if I told
you but I ended up as the Senior British
Liaison Officer working with the Americans in
the Prisoner of War camp outside UMM Qasr,
Iraq. We had just under 7000 Iraqi prisoners
in the camp. The operation was challenging
and rewarding but not good fun because of
the large number of people who lost their
lives or were seriously injured. However, it
was the adventure of a lifetime and all those
excellent KSB values and qualities were
remembered and put into practice throughout
the 4 months deployment. Also, what great
guys the American’s were to work with; and
they were even better allies.”
Nick BARTON (P71/77) Nick recently climbed
Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya and raised over
£10,000 in the process for children’s charity
called Whizz Kids. He is a wealth investor,
working for Bank Hoffman, and his portfolio is
East Africa.
1972
Dominic WOOD (O72/76) writes that he is in
his 26th year of work as a scientist at the
Veterinary Laboratories Agency at NEW Haw,
Weybridge (executive agency for DEFRA)
researching into BSE and Scrapie.
1973
William NEWTON (L73/75)
The following is an extract from The Daily
Telegraph of June 7th, 2003:
Memories of the Queen’s coronation Derby
will be revived today when she presents the
trophy for this year’s race at Epsom.
The Queen’s Aureole finished second in the
1953 Derby, days after she was crowned. The
public’s disappointment at the horse’s defeat
was tempered by the fact that the race was
won by Pinza, giving the jockey Sir Gordon
Richards his first Derby victory in 28 attempts.
Sir Gordon had been knighted in the
Coronation honours. His victory is
commemorated in the trophy for today’s
Vodafone Derby - a bronze sculpture of Pinza,
with Sir Gordon in the saddle.
The bronze, measuring 2ft 6ins in length,
OLD BRUTONIAN ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER 2004 21