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The Stopfordian 2011–2012
A WORD FROM THE OSA PRESIDENT
On leaving the school in the late 1950s I automatically became
an Old Stopfordian. I played Lacrosse for the Old Boys’ teams
and attended the Stopfordian Annual Ball held in the Stockport
Town Hall. More than fifty years later the title ’Old
Stopfordian’ seems apt.
Today, with technological advances and ease and speed of
communication, our school is hardly recognisable. Noticeable
differences are the far greater number of pupils and staff, the
addition of female pupils, the considerably wider curriculum
and much larger and continually expanding facilities.
I have attended almost all of the musical and theatrical
performances this year. They have been a delight to the ear
and eye and confirm the school’s reputation for excellence in
this area. Many performances are a ‘sell out’ well in advance
and I recommend them to all Old Stopfordians.
On 11 November 2011 more than one hundred former pupils
and guests joined current pupils and staff in the main Hall for
the annual Service of Remembrance and a 1930s to 1950s Old
Stopfordian reunion. In a moving dedication we learnt of the
visits of today’s pupils to the First World War battlefields and
cemeteries in Belgium and France where a wreath was laid on
behalf of the school and our association. This is an annual
event worthy of our support.
It remains for me to thank my fellow Stopfordians for their help
and guidance during the past year and record my gratitude on
the occasions when members of staff at the school have
smoothed my way. I will be followed as President by Paul Carr.
Paul has recently moved to the area from the south of England
where he was very active with the London branch of the
association for many years. Paul accepted the Presidency at
short notice and I wish him well.
Best wishes.
Tom Gare
FROM THE HELM
Hello again to all Old Stopfordians. Last year I drew your
attention to the first edition of Stopfordian News and asked you
to support the venture by letting us have information about
yourselves and your contemporaries. Well you certainly did
that and Issue 2 was packed with exciting stories not least
about Alex Kumar, Lucy Cotter, John Amaechi and Charlie
Speight.
The 1987 Quincentenary World Rugby Tour Reunion article in
that publication deserves special mention. The photograph
was a triumph. I was lucky enough to be able to welcome the
arrival of these grizzled specimens of Stopfordian manhood
(only I have the authority to say that) as they arrived in ones
and twos at school with various items of kit. The idea was for
a spot of touch rugby which in retrospect may have been a
case of hope over expectation. In any event it was a hugely
successful venture and thanks are due, in particular to Danny
Adamson and P J Mycock.
The External Relations Department is more than happy to
support ideas and initiatives of this sort and to facilitate any
Old Stop. who wants to arrange a reunion. Johnny Ormiston,
OS 1964, even suggested to me in September his wish to try
and get together the 1 st XV rugby team of that year. I wish him
well with that.
The Old Stopfordians’ Association is very keen to attract
younger members to its committee and to encourage Old
Stops. to use the resources and correspond with us and each
other. In support of that it was decided to partially fund an
Alumni Assistant to work within the External Relations Office
and in April of this year Maili Lavin, OS 2008 was appointed
to develop contacts with an emphasis on social media
websites. This initiative has been very well received and
proved to be very popular not least in Stopfordians’ reactions
to the demolition of the black and white teaching block on the
Woodsmoor site. Search on Stockport Grammar School
Facebook to find out more. The OS section of the school
website continues to give much information about the
association and the archives.
For some eighteen months now I have been searching through
the archives in order to piece together the history of the school
since the arrival of girls in 1980 and the acquisition of the
former convent buildings. The Ball brothers in their excellent
volume, published in time for the Quincentenary, make
reference to these events but more details of that period have
become available and a more in-depth examination of that
period now prefaces a summary of the considerable
achievements of the school over the past thirty two years. I am
currently engaged in extending the draft to include further
insights and views. In due course the text will be published
and I hope will add to the accounts that already exist of the
school’s distinguished history.
Elsewhere you will read notices of events during the year
celebrating 525 years of the School’s Foundation. I have
written in other publications about the tremendous
achievements in new building over recent years and it is fitting
this year that the new teaching block on the site of the junior
labs and the hall at Woodsmoor opened for business in
September. That signalled the death knell for the black and
white building that held so many memories for Stopfordians of
a particular vintage, not least the teaching style of Mr S Cross.
Ah well, time goes by. Best wishes and regards to you all out
there.
Stuart Helm
Membership Secretary and Archivist.
Old Stopfordians’ Association 129