Venta 9 - University of Winchester

venta 

The Winton Club - King Alfred’s Alumni Association Magazine 

Issue 9 - Summer 2003 

Who will represent the former 

students on the College's Board 

of Governors - You decide! 

Seven Songs in Forty-Eight Hours - 

alumnus on tour! 

Oh Sit Down! 

Class of ‘93 Reunion

Photo: Paul Close 

Welcome 

to the Summer 2003 edition of Venta! 

Our cover: Oh Sit Down! The Class of 1993 enjoying 

their Ten Year Reunion Ball at West Downs, April 2003 

Features: 

Page 3 

The Dining Hall Mural and a Planning 

Controversy 

Hampshire Houses 

It’s been another exciting six months 

at King Alfred's. The Class of ‘93 Reunion Ball 

was a great success – why not turn to page 6 

to see if you can spot old friends This was the 

first in a series of annual balls for graduates 

celebrating their tenth anniversary of leaving 

the College. Roll on next year, when it will be the 

Class of ‘94’s turn… 

A few words about important alumni matters: I 

need to draw your attention to the election of 

the former student governor. This is your 

chance to have your say, and I encourage all 

members to vote. There are two ways in which 

you can do so: either in person at the AGM or by 

freepost. Turn to page 7 to find out more about 

the three nominees. There are also two 

vacancies on the Winton Club Committee – if 

you graduated less than twenty-five years ago 

and want to get involved with alumni affairs, 

turn to page 10 to find out more. 

This issue also features two graduates who 

were at the College in the seventies. Brenda 

Darke is in Costa Rica with Latin Link, a Christian 

interdenominational mission registered as a UK 

charity, while Stephen Sanders has made a 

career in financial regulation in the city (pages 4 

and 5 respectively). There’s also news from two 

recent graduates who have made the break in 

the entertainment industry. You may have seen 

Richard ‘George’ Watts on BBC2 recently – he 

was the new-comer who organised a £30,000 

wedding without any experience in ‘The Good, 

the Bad and the Ugly’! (page 8) and CJ Johnson 

has been touring the country as co-star 

alongside Stephen Triffitt (Stars In Their Eyes 

finalist) in ‘Stephen Triffitt Celebrates Sinatra 

with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra UK’ (page 11). 

On that note, I’ll let you take a look for yourself! 

Enjoy! 

Sarah Hogan – Alumni Officer 

Page 4 

Page 6-7 

Page 8 

My Journey 

Regulars: 

Page 7 

Page 12 

Class of 1993 Reunion 

Former Student Governor: You Decide! 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 

Reunion Update 

Blast from the Past 

Contact Venta: 

The Alumni Office 

King Alfred’s 

Sparkford Road 

Winchester SO22 4NR 

T: (01962) 827386 

F: (01962) 827548 

E: alumni@wkac.ac.uk 

Photo: Hampshire Chronicle 

Can you remember the Carfax Hostel 

Gone and largely forgotten… The 

Carfax was home to some forty-five 

KAC students between 1966-1970. Ms 

Lois Haines was warden of the digs, 

which students liked for its ‘dingy 

interior’. Or perhaps the key attraction 

was the nightly entertainment in the 

hotel’s cellar… 

The Carfax Hotel got its name from the 

junction of some of the city’s principal roads. 

The word is from the Latin ‘quadrifurcus’ or 

‘four-forked’, though the crossroads is 

actually made up of six. The road to the left of 

the Carfax is Sussex Street and clockwise from 

there; Station Hill, Stockbridge Road, Andover 

Road, Swan Lane and City Road. 

The Carfax had clearly ceased to be a hotel (or 

hostel) when this picture was taken in 1971: the 

dishevelled exterior meant there were 

probably few complaints some years later when 

it was demolished to make way for the new 

Hampshire Record Office, which opened in 1993. 

No-one need have gone thirsty – licensing 

hours permitting – in this neck of the city! Within 

a stone’s throw there were four other hostelries 

– the Railway Tavern and the South Western Inn 

just up Station Hill; the Albion, still in business, 

on the corner of Stockbridge and Andover roads 

and the Eagle Hotel, at the corner of Swan Lane. 

To the top left of the picture stands the 

monolithic Tower Street car park and the HCC 

buildings, fitting monuments to the Sixties, a 

decade more happily associated with the 

vibrancy of its music and fashions than the 

bleak barrenness of its architecture!

The Dining Hall and a 

Planning Controversy 

Hampshire 

Houses 

Edward Roberts was a lecturer in the 

School of Education from 1970 until 

his retirement in 1987. Since then he 

has been an Honorary Research 

Fellow at the College and is still 

lecturing part-time. 

Edward has been researching the 

history and architecture of historic houses in 

Hampshire for over twenty years. In his recent 

publication, ‘Hampshire Houses, 1250 – 1700, 

their dating and development’, a wealth of 

historic houses are revealed: 

From left to right: Jo Storey (nee Osborne): 

impressionist, abstract coloured oils; Jo Heath 

(nee Wright): acrylics on card; Jo Lamper: 

acrylics, photos and collage; Ruth Anderson: oil 

pastels and collage; Kathryn Cooper (nee 

Lander): patchwork and quilted textiles 

In the summer of 1990, Twyford Down 

and St. Catherine’s Hill were at the 

centre of a lengthy environmental 

battle… 

Planners proposed a motorway (M3), 

that would cut through three sites of special 

scientific interest, a national park, green belt 

land and protected land, and despite massive 

opposition the scheme was ultimately pushed 

through. Protestors set up camp, some living 

up trees, on the proposed route, but after 

lengthy evictions, the site was eventually 

cleared and construction started. The new road 

is said to have saved drivers twelve 

minutes in their journey time. 

In the midst of this controversy, a group of five 

friends training to be primary school teachers 

(1987-1991) stayed on at King Alfred's at the end 

of term to paint a mural of the landmark in the 

limelight: St. Catherine’s Hill. The mural was 

commissioned by the Principal at the time, 

Reverend John Cranmer, but having enjoyed 

walks up the Hill themselves, the five young 

artists had a chance to interpret their feelings 

about the beauty spot. Jo Lamper explained 

that the mural is made up of five different 

panels, each reflecting the unique styles of the 

five artists. 

Jo Storey (nee Osborne) said that the St. 

Catherine’s Hill piece sparked off her passion 

for murals, and she has since painted four for 

friends in addition to ones at the school at 

which she works. Jo Heath (nee Wright) shared 

her surprise that their work is still on display: 

“It’s a nice feeling to know that we left our mark 

at the College!” she said. Ruth Anderson added: 

“It was great fun, and I think we all enjoyed the 

challenge of working separately yet 

consistently to create one final piece of art.” 

“And we were paid for it!!!” joked Jo Heath. 

The mural remains hanging in the Dining Hall, 

offering a ‘window’ on this beautiful local 

landmark. 

"While teaching on a part-time course on 

medieval buildings at the College in the early 

nineties, I received funding from Hampshire 

County Council to organise tree-ring dating 

(dendrochronology) to establish the dates for 

over one hundred houses in the county. As a 

result, Hampshire may have more dated 

historic buildings than any other county, each 

making an important contribution to the 

appearance of its towns and villages." 

The book is hoped to be of interest not only to 

architectural historians, architects and 

planners, but also to local historians and those 

with a love of their local environment. It is 

available from HCC Environment Dept, The 

Castle Winchester, HCC Info Centres or Oxbow 

Books www.oxbowbooks.com priced £19.95. 

Don’t forget you can now update your details online by visiting www.kingalfreds.ac.uk/alumni

Martial Rose, former Principal of King 

Alfred's, and Helen Grime, a current 

research student at the College, have 

both become involved with the life 

and work of a great actress of the 

last century, Dame Gwen Ffrangcon- 

Davies. For this issue of Venta, they 

both explain how they came to study 

this subject and how their work 

complements each other. Martial 

Rose's biography is due for 

publication this summer. 

Two King Alfred’s Researchers 

and a great actress 

Martial Rose writes: 

"In the autumn of 1939, soon after war had 

been declared, I saw a performance of ‘The 

Importance of Being Earnest’. It was a most 

polished, bewitching theatrical experience. I 

was just seventeen and had left school a few 

months earlier. Leading the cast were John 

Gielgud, Edith Evans, and Jack Hawkins. Peggy 

Ashcroft was Cecily Cardew, and the 

Honourable Gwendolen Fairfax was played by 

Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies.” 

“Sixty years later, my niece, Susan, brought me 

the archival papers of Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, 

1891-1992. There were over two thousand 

letters, thirty scrapbooks, account books, 

diaries, school reports, a birth certificate, 

cassettes, videos, and over three thousand 

photographs. This archive had passed into the 

possession of Gwen's two great-nieces, one of 

whom had been a room-mate of my niece at 

college, thirty years earlier. When Susan had 

told me earlier of the archive, I had expressed 

an interest, and to my utter surprise, within a 

week, I was presented with this treasure trove 

to sort out and, if I so wished, to write Gwen's 

biography.” 

“The first letters I opened, taking them out of 

the envelopes, noting the stamps and the 

postmarks, were from John Gielgud, Edith 

Evans, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Sybil 

Thorndike, Bernard Shaw, and Ellen Terry. Then 

I noticed a photograph of Ellen Terry, dated 

1856, when she first appeared on the English 

stage at the age of nine. It was taken by Lewis 

Carroll. My hands were trembling with 

excitement. And that was just the beginning!” 

“The book has been written and is shortly to be 

published.* It is a story about one of the most 

gifted actresses of the last century. Her gifts 

were not just for the stage, but for friendship 

and life. In telling her story I hope that I have 

been able to capture something of that rare 

spirit." 

Helen Grime adds: 

"The personal archive used by Martial Rose to 

prepare his biography is now on temporary 

deposit in the King Alfred’s Library to facilitate 

my research for an MPhil/PhD which uses a 

biographical study of Gwen Ffangcon-Davies as 

a window through which to view the wider 

picture of twentieth-century Shakespeare 

performance history. Like Martial Rose, I have 

become fascinated by Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies 

who made her debut in 1911 as a singing fairy in 

Beerbohm-Tree’s production of ‘A Midsummer 

Night’s Dream’.” 

“This inauspicious debut marked the beginning 

of a varied stage career which continued until 

1970, although she continued to work in other 

media until just before her death at the age of 

101. Her lifelong love of Shakespeare, instilled 

when she was a schoolgirl, was a significant 

aspect of her career both in this country and 

South Africa. My research project will focus on 

contextualising Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies’ 

personal story within the wider framework of 

theatre history. Particular emphasis will be 

given to her work in Shakespearean roles and 

evolving styles of Shakespearean performance 

seen during her working life. She began work 

with the last of the Victorian actor-managers 

and went on to work with some of the most 

influential figures in twentieth-century theatre, 

including John Gielgud and Peter Brook. Born 

before the invention of either radio or television 

she worked with distinction in both media." 

* Forever Juliet – The Life and Letters of Gwen 

Ffrangcon-Davies 1891-1992 by Martial Rose, 

ISBN 1 90400612 4, Price £9.50, postage free 

within the U.K. Please send a cheque to The 

Larks Press, Ordnance Farmhouse, Guist 

Bottom, Dereham NR20 5PF. 


Brenda Darke has found herself 

travelling by hovercraft down a river 

in war-torn Nicaragua, with her 15 

year old daughter taking her turn at 

the controls, and watched her son 

surf whilst standing on a tropical 

beach. She has been up 5,000 meters 

of volcanic mountain in Ecuador to 

discover a group of indigenous 

farming families in traditional dress 

worshipping against a backdrop of 

snow. She has visited the mysterious 

site of a 3,000 year old culture’s 

temple deep in the Andes, and has 

enjoyed the incredible and delicious 

hospitality of some desperately poor 

families from her local church… 

My Journey 

All of these things have formed part 

of a journey that began in 1969 when Brenda 

(then Earl) came to King Alfred’s to study 

teaching. Over thirty years later, Brenda is living 

with her husband, Ian in Costa Rica, while her 

two children, Catherine (23) and Christopher (21) 

are studying at Cambridge and Edinburgh 

respectively. Her family moved to Lima, Peru in 

1985, on Brenda and Ian joining Latin Link, 

a Christian interdenominational mission 

registered as a UK charity. Brenda writes: 

"We all began the long process of language 

learning; our children are now bilingual, whilst 

my husband and I are fluent, but still have 

accents that betray our origins. But equally 

important was our learning about a new and 

fascinating culture and making friends with 

Peruvians, whom we found to be wonderfully 

resilient, creative and courageous people." 

"The situation in Peru at that time was very 

difficult with extreme violence from The Shining 

Path (an extreme left wing group) and 

governmental forces. Whilst Catherine and 

Chris enjoyed the delights of a Peruvian 

education, I learnt to shop in the open markets, 

enjoying the exotic fruits and vegetables but 

also discovering that choice is a real luxury 

when there are shortages of even the most 

basic foods like bread and rice." 

Brenda soon became involved with a club for 

children in one of the most deprived areas of 

Lima. She found the skills she had learnt at King 

Alfred’s in special education soon came into 

play as the children were often years behind 

their chronological age: 

"Our club was attached to a church that helped 

the community to survive by running a soup 

kitchen for the children who were badly 

affected by malnutrition. The shanty town was 

set in the dismal desert surrounding the capital 

and apart from being infiltrated by terrorist 

groups it was also rife with violence and crime, 

by-products in most part of desperate poverty 

and the government’s almost total 

indifference. We aimed to give them some fun, 

add some creativity into their bleak lives and 

share God’s love and care." 

After nine years in Lima, during which Brenda’s 

family saw their house come close to being 

blown up and where their children’s schools 

used several different types of emergency drill 

(earthquake and bomb as well as fire), they 

realised it was time for a change. They 

accepted an invitation to move to Costa Rica 

where her husband could continue working in 

publishing and their children could complete 

their education under the British system. 

Brenda’s interest in people with learning 

disabilities has continued. She is now involved 

with educating church leaders and their 

congregations about people with disabilities 

and how better to include them in church life. 

"Whilst our life may sound very exotic, our daily 

routine is quite normal." Brenda said. "We live 

(and work from) a small flat in the city centre, 

go for runs in the nearby university and watch 

films at our local cinema. We have had the 

privilege of living a varied and interesting life. 

We haven't much in the way of material goods 

to show for it, so we might be seen as failures 

but it doesn't feel that way!" 

Brenda would be very interested to hear from 

people of her student generation who 

remember her. Her email address is: 

brenda@letraviva.com 


Class of ‘93 Reunion 

1993 graduates recently returned to their old stomping ground for the first in a series of Reunion Balls. 

The 'ten years on' crowd enjoyed an 

evening of catching up with old friends, eating, 

drinking and dancing in the College's listed 

building, The West Downs Performing Arts and 

Conference Centre. The event was made extra 

special by the guest appearance of The 

Shambles - a College band in the early nineties. 

Some also relived their student days by staying 

overnight in halls on campus! 

Sam Flint, BA (Hons) English and American 

Studies was one of the guests. She said: 

"Well, this has been the highlight 

of my social calendar this year! I 

was a little curious about who 

would turn up, but my main reason 

for going was to have a jolly good 

night out with some very special 

friends.” 

“Thanks to email we managed to get a table of 

ten together, leaving children, partners and 

jobs behind for a trip down memory lane. Old 

housemates and study/drinking partners have 

stayed in touch over the past decade, quite an 

achievement through life’s ups and downs." 

"As a thirty something I have well and truly 

caught the nostalgia bug. But the reunion ball 

was more than nostalgia. Hopefully it will be a 

tradition from now on, a bridge to the past but 

firmly rooted in the here and now, as friends 

update each other on recent exploits." 

"We stayed in halls, a little cell-like for my liking 

now. Imagine living in one room for a year! The 

rooms were complete with sink in cupboard, but 

none of us seemed to have the agility anymore 

to hide above the sink and jump out at the 

unsuspecting resident. Our time at King Alf’s 

was so much about practical jokes and drinking 

lots of tea." 

"We donned our best party frocks: black was 

definitely back, and we joked about the 

decidedly dodgy outfits we used to wear to 

such occasions. A good time was certainly had 

by all at West Downs, such a change to the 

vaults of The Guildhall. The campus has seen 

major development, but the informal and 

friendly atmosphere, which attracted many of 

us to Winchester, remains." 

"The Shambles, early nineties College band 

provided some music together with two 

excellent student DJ’s. Lots of red wine was 

consumed, continuing as we partied into the 

early hours back in halls. No change there, 

although the recovery time the next day was a 

little longer than the old days." 

"It’s a shame that not more of the 1993 

graduate cohort turned up. It would have been 

fun to see some old lecturers, too. But it is great 

to hear that there will be another one planned 

for next year. So, go on, be brave. You never 

know who you might bump into!" 

"Thanks to all my friends for a great night out. 

Also to the College for giving us all nostalgia 

boost. See you all at the 50-year reunion!" 

The Reunion was the first of what we hope will 

be many more reunions organised by the 

College. We hope to organise a similar event for 

those who have 'gone silver': 'Twenty-five 

years on'. We're always glad to help groups of 

students organise informal reunions for their 

class mates or particular groups, so if you want 

to organise a reunion of your own, please do not 

hesitate to get in touch! 

Other College reunions which take place on an 

annual basis include The Winton Weekend in 

February, where recent graduates return in 

their sports teams to play their current student 

counterparts. Tickets are still available for the 

July Winton Reunion, where predominantly 

pre-1980's graduates return to College 

to reminisce. 


Winton Reunion 

July 2003 

The Winton Club has held an annual 

reunion since it was founded in 1874. 

This has traditionally been in the 

month of July and in recent years it has been 

made possible by KAC, for Wintonians to stay in 

College on Friday and Saturday night. This year 

the July Reunion is being held around Saturday 

5 July. In April of this year, approximately 1,000 

Reunion circulars were sent to those who 

normally receive them. Should you not have 

received such a notice, then please contact 

The Alumni Office as soon as possible, as the 

returns must be received by Saturday 21 June 

2003. 

Plans are already 

afoot for the Class 

of 1994, whose turn 

it will be next year! 

The event will be held in the College’s 

renovated Grade II listed building, 

West Downs, on Saturday 3 April 

2004. 

The ball will begin at 7.30pm, but all 

guests are invited to a cocktail reception from 

7pm. Dinner will be followed by a disco until 

midnight. The Ball will be attended by the 

College Principal, Professor Paul Light and 

other members of staff ‘on request’! 

Tickets cost £35, but places are limited. You 

can relive your student days by staying in 

bed and breakfast accommodation on 

campus(!) or we can supply details of local B&B 

and hotel accommodation. 

Formal invitations will be sent out to all 1994 

graduates for whom we have details, but 

please spread the word amongst your friends: 

remember, we can’t send an invitation if we 

don’t have their address! We also welcome 

students from surrounding years, and if you 

would like to attend, but did not graduate in 

1994, please let us know! 

In the meantime, keep an eye out for updates 

on the reunion pages of the College website: 

http://www.kingalfreds.ac.uk/alumni 

Alternatively, contact the Alumni Office on 

(01962) 827386 or email: alumni@wkac.ac.uk 

Who will represent former students on the 

College’s Board of Governors You decide…! 

In the last edition of Venta, we called for nominations from former students who 

wished to stand for the election for the period 2003-2006. We have received the 

following three nominations and we ask that you read their individual statements 

before making your choice and completing the attached voting card. 

Elizabeth Broughton (1974-1977) 

Dear Fellow Wintonian, 

I first visited Winchester in December 1973, and 

joined the student body the year after, 

following the only course then available – 

teacher training. Even before I left in 1977, King 

Alfred’s had begun to diversify, and I have 

continued to watch it grow and change in the 

years since. 

In my time at College, I represented current 

students on the committee of The Winton Club, 

and was pleased to continue to serve on the 

committee in the years to date, including 

several in which I organised the July Reunion. In 

July 2000, I was honoured to be appointed to 

the Board of Governors as the former student 

member. 

King Alfred’s continues to foster the traditional 

values which mean so much to former 

students whilst meeting the needs of the 

students of the twenty-first century. I have 

made my career in education, and am 

currently a Headmistress in Hertfordshire 

where I am proud to foster the values 

confirmed during my years at College. I have 

brought a knowledge and understanding of 

King Alfred’s through the last three decades to 

the Board of Governors, and I would like your 

support to continue to serve for the coming 

three-year term. 

Stewart Dove (1990-1994) 

I am keen to serve as a governor of the College 

as I have the relevant experience to 

successfully represent the former students. I 

hold relevant opinions, and feel that I can 

communicate them effectively in order to 

further the discussions surrounding the 

strategic direction of the institution. 

I served as President of KAC Students’ Union in 

1994/5, and sat as a member of the Board of 

Governors during my term of office. 

I currently work as the General Manager of the 

University of Gloucestershire Students’ Union. 

I therefore have experience of representing 

students at this level, as well as currently 

working in the higher education sector within 

the UK. 

How the sector will be funded in the future is 

likely to dominate most issues. It is important 

that any governor of the College has an 

understanding of how government proposals 

will affect how the College operates, and how it 

can plan for success. 

I wish to be associated with the College again, 

and if elected, look forward to representing 

former students of the College on the Board of 

Governors. 

Lewis Richard Steer (1993-1997) 

Having originally studied Japanese & Music at 

King Alfred’s between 1993 and 1997, I have 

subsequently re-trained and worked for the 

previous two years as a Barrister. During my 

years at King Alfred’s I held various positions 

including Senior Student, Fire & Safety Officer 

for the Student Union and student 

representative for both Japanese and Music 

academic committees. 

Since graduation I have gained extensive 

theatrical appearances on stage and on 

television through my professional 

membership of Equity – British Actors 

Association. Through these occurrences, I have 

been able to gain further experience as an 

Advocate, both in theatrical and legal arenas, 

where my role as a Barrister provides requisites 

to show good communication, negotiation, 

conferencing and advocacy skills. 

My interests include outdoor pursuits, rugby, 

skiing and theatre. 

Having already shown to my peers during both 

Undergraduate & Postgraduate university 

courses that I can provide the necessary skills 

to communicate the views of the student body 

to the academic body, I believe this can be 

developed further through the role of former 

Student Governor. I have shown myself to be 

an essential part in any team that I join, and I 

believe that I have the necessary attributes for 

this role. 


Policing the city traders 

How one alumnus has made a career in financial regulation 

The infamous story of Nick Leeson 

and the crash of Barings Bank led to 

global headlines and a surge of 

interest in the regulation of financial 

institutions. 

Such curiosity is rare. The policing of the money 

markets rarely ignites the public imagination 

until it goes wrong. And another scandal leaves 

mortgages unpaid or pensioners destitute…. 

Since graduating with a degree in English and 

History, Stephen Sanders’ working life has been 

spent among the "backroom boys" of the 

financial world. He’s now enjoying a new role 

regulating the regulators. He works for the 

Royal Bank of Scotland as Head of Group 

Regulatory Risk. 

However, his student days in the mid 70’s were 

certainly not dominated by dreams of financial 

wizardry. With disarming modesty he describes 

his career as a "happy accident". More recent 

graduates may be surprised by the almostcasual 

attitude of an earlier generation. 

"I don't recall considering a 

career at all until more or less 

graduation. It was the '70s... 

things were different then..." 

"I graduated in the middle of a recession 

uncertain as to what I would (or for that matter, 

could) do for a living. A year spent as a Student 

Union official got me interested in 

administration and I wrote to every accountant 

and solicitor in the county looking for an 

opening to learn business administration. A 

regional firm of accountants gave me the 

opportunity to prove that I wasn't cut out to be 

an accountant but they did encourage and 

sponsor my studies for ICSA exams, which I 

pursued there and at Lloyd's Bank Head Office 

in the City." 

A couple of years later Stephen applied for a 

vacancy at The Stock Exchange. He didn't get 

the advertised job - but they did offer him 

another, which was to develop over the next 

five years into a financial baptism of fire. As the 

"Big Bang" took hold and the City's main 

institutions adjusted to a period of rapid political 

and economic change, Stephen became 

involved in trading system design, market 

supervision and the development of securities 

regulation. 

In 1997 Stephen joined Nat West Securities as 

Director of Compliance. Within a year that was 

sold to Bankers Trust Company...within another 

year they had sold out to Deutsche Bank where 

Stephen eventually became MD in charge of the 

regulatory compliance of the group's Global 

Equities division. 

"This is quite typical of the change, 

consolidation and volatility in the securities and 

investment banking markets. The financial 

rewards can be good, but the job security is low 

and there is no such thing as continuity, long 

term commitment or stability. In my case these 

changes have been another example of the 

"happy accident" theory in operation, 

While his career has moved onwards and 

upwards, Stephen has stayed in touch with old 

friends from King Alfred’s. Rosemary Rees 

(1977-1980, nee Steele) now a Careers 

Information Officer at the College is one such 

pal. Stephen is godfather to Rosemary’s son 

Chris and he recently returned to give a talk on 

regulation to business students at the College. 

The talk reflected on a quarter century of 

change in the economic and political climate 

and Stephen pondered the dilemma of whether 

regulation of a market economy is not a 

contradiction in terms 

"What you are trying to promote is an attitude 

and a style of behaviour. For those who 

understand that, formal rules are irrelevant; for 

those who do not, they have very little value." 

What price a degree and independence 

“My degree has helped me just by being there. 

More specifically, so much of what I do is language-dependent 

that having a degree in literate 

disciplines has been and continues to be of 

practical help.” 

“The biggest impact of being at College was the 

independence and self-sufficiency of living 175 

miles from home. I remain a big fan of young 

people having the chance to do that: it is at 

least as important as the subject you read. It is 

a big factor in the debate at the political level 

about whether we can afford higher education, 

or whether we can afford to subsidise mobility 

of access to it. In my opinion, we can and we 

should.” 

The Careers Department at King 

Alfred's really values the input of 

former students, like Stephen, in the 

Career's programme. Careers 

Information Officer, Rosemary Rees 

commented: 

"Current students appreciate the 

opportunity to speak to people who 

are now in the 'real world' - so if you 

are willing to return to King Alfred's 

to give a talk to current students 

about your career, I would love to 

hear from you." 

Rosemary can be contacted on: 

(01962) 827310 or by email: 

rosemary.rees@wkac.ac.uk 


Work Placement 

Opportunities for 

Business and 

Management Students 

Our Business Management Group 

has created an innovative new work 

experience programme. 

The Good, the Bad 

and the Ugly 

Planning a big event is a nerve-wracking experience, so most people would jump 

at the chance of letting a professional take the strain out of it. But what if there 

was a risk that person might not be the expert they first seemed 

‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ 

series (BBC2) shows three people pitching for a 

job, but only one will be telling the truth. One is 

a professional, one a failure and the other a 

newcomer. The people who are celebrating 

their big event must pick the person they think 

is best for the job and keep their fingers 

crossed for six weeks, when they finally find out 

if their choice was the good, the bad or the 

ugly, and, more importantly, if the day will be a 

success. 

Daisy and husband-to-be Gary chose George 

(Richard George Watts, BA Performing Arts, 

2000) to plan their wedding after he convinced 

them that he was ‘the Good’. In reality, 

Peregrine had organised the Beckham’s 

wedding (and was therefore ‘the Good’), Amber 

had planned her own big day disastrously (and 

was therefore ‘the Bad’) and then there was 

George. He had six weeks and £30,000 to come 

up with the goods… 

"The highlight of the whole experience for me 

was the hilarity of being picked and having to 

organise a wedding with no professional 

support whatsoever. The programme tells the 

story exactly as it was: at no point did the BBC 

step in and offer help or opinions." 

"Probably the funniest personal moment for me 

was the cake not arriving - I honestly thought I 

was going to have a break down. I was on the 

phone to Harrods an hour before the start of 

the reception begging them to bake me a cake, 

as I was convinced that Daisy would stab me 

and I would end up in A&E. My relief when the 

cake actually arrived was beyond words!" 

"I think Gary and Daisy spent most of the six 

weeks wondering whether I was the Good, the 

Bad or the Ugly… It must have been so 

stressful for them, not knowing my 

background. I have the utmost respect for 

them both for being so brave and taking on 

such a risk, although I am sure they were rather 

disappointed when they discovered they had 

turned down Posh and Becks’ wedding 

planner!" 

Following the transmission of ‘The Good, the 

Bad and the Ugly’, Richard secured a position 

with an Italian design company as an events 

planner. He said: "The performance industry is 

so difficult to break into, but if you can find a 

niche and push hard enough, it is possible to 

get involved with a whole range of projects. 

Anybody who knew me at KAC will remember 

just how blonde and disorganised I am, so that 

should give people some level of 

encouragement!" 

It certainly looks like George came ‘good’ in the 

end. 

The Group is currently looking for 

suitable organisations to employ King Alfred’s 

second year Business and Management 

students. Apart from being vitally important to 

our students’ professional development, the 

work experience programme has a number of 

benefits to you: 

• Students will have completed half of their 

business degree and will have new skills to 

use in your business. 

• Students can focus on a single project that 

other members of staff can not afford to 

spend time on. 

• When the project is complete, the student 

returns to College. There is no redeployment. 

• Students can cover for a member of staff 

taking paternity or maternity leave. 

• Your work placement student can cover for 

long-term illness. 

• Students have a range of skills including 

marketing, human resource management, IT, 

accounting and finance, business research 

and communications 

What is a work placement 

• Work placement usually lasts for twelve 

working weeks 

• They begin in February every year 

• Students are employed and earn wages 

• Students attend College to study one day 

every week 

• Students complete a Personal Development 

Diary (PDP) whilst at work 

• Terms and conditions apply 

There is flexibility in the programme. If you 

would like further information, please visit our 

website: www.wkac.ac.uk/business/we 

The website contains detailed guidance on the 

operation of the programme. 

Please contact Tim.Friesner@wkac.ac.uk if you 

would like to meet to discuss the prospect of 

employing a business and management work 

placement student. We’d be delighted to hear 

from you. 


Middle Earth 

knowledge… 

Professor Andrew Blake, Head of the School for Cultural Studies has written a 

popular beginner’s guide on J.R.R Tolkien, which coincided with the release of the 

second in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "The Two Towers". 

The book is the perfect excuse 

for brushing up on your Middle Earth 

knowledge, and looks at both ‘The Hobbit’ and 

‘The Lord of the Rings’, along with Tolkien’s life, 

work and legacy. Professor Blake recently 

discussed the book on Radio 5. 

Alumnus, Derek Mills (1950-52) once had the 

unique experience of interviewing J.R.R 

Tolkein’s son, Michael whilst working for the 

BBC as a Radio Producer. The feature interview 

was transmitted on Christmas morning in 1972, 

but Derek was contacted a few years ago by a 

film company wanting to take a look at the 

archives held at the BBC, just as the Tolkein 

phenomenon was bubbling below the surface… 

"I was first introduced to J.R.R Tolkein at King 

Alfred's, and enjoyed it thoroughly. In my first 

teaching post, I read extracts from ‘The Hobbit’ 

to my class, including the tales of Thorin 

Oakensheild being killed in battle - it had such a 

profound affect on the children, leaving half of 

them in tears!" 

"When I was given the opportunity many years 

later, to interview Michael Tolkien soon after his 

father’s death, I was thrilled. Michael had a 

reputation for not communicating, but it was a 

wonderful experience, and we talked in his 

cluttered study full of books and his father’s 

furniture until light beat us. It was a most 

unusual experience, but also my most 

satisfying piece of work ever." 

Alumnus Derek Mills who thoroughly enjoyed 

the chance to interview J R R Tolkein’s son, 

Michael. 

College of Love 

Representing Alumni 

In the last edition of Venta, we called 

for three former students who 

graduated 25 years ago or more, and 

three former students who graduated 

less than 25 years ago to stand for 

election to serve on the Committee 

of The Winton Club. Election to the 

committee formally takes place at 

the AGM on Saturday 5 July. 

As its stands (the deadline for nominations was 

16 May), we have received three nominations 

for the ‘more than 25 years ago’ category, 

namely; Howard Horstead (1953-55), Elizabeth 

Broughton (1974-77) and David Gilmore (1973- 

77), who are subject to election at the AGM. 

Simon and Diane Harold celebrated 

their twentieth anniversary of 

meeting in style, with a glass of 

champagne on exactly the same 

spot as they first met – the Student 

Union! 

Simon (Environmental Science, 1982-84) 

arranged the celebration as a complete 

surprise for Diane (nee Rawlings, Teaching, 

1982-86). He is currently a Deputy Head at 

Riders Junior School, Havant, while Diane is on 

the management team at Willows Nursery, a 

Special School in Portsmouth. 

The couple now live in Emsworth, Hampshire 

and have two children; Jodie (10) and David (8). 

However, we have only received one 

nomination for the ‘less than 25 years ago’ 

category: Alice Gem (1979-82). We are therefore 

in need of two more volunteers to step forward 

for this category. 

Are you interested in getting more involved in 

alumni affairs Did you graduate from College 

within the last twenty-five years Please 

contact The Alumni Office to find out more. 


Seven songs in 

forty-eight Hours! 

Since graduating in 2001 from Drama Theatre and Television Studies Claire 

Johnson’s (aka CJ) feet have hardly touched the ground! 

She completed a postgraduate 

course at The Royal Academy of Music last 

July, and went straight into the musical tour of 

‘Zipp!’ – a hundred musicals in ninety minutes, 

written by and starring Gyles Brandreth. The 

show moved to The Duchess Theatre, Convent 

Garden, for a three month run in the New Year. 

Convinced she would be out of work for a while, 

CJ met a producer director in The Duchess Bar 

about a week before ‘Zipp!’ was due to finish 

and landed the part of co-star alongside 

Stephen Triffitt (Stars In Their Eyes finalist) in 

‘Stephen Triffitt Celebrates Sinatra with the 

Nelson Riddle Orchestra UK’… 

"The first performance was literally the night 

after ‘Zipp!’ finished… I was given forty-eight 

hours to learn seven songs! And here I am now, 

touring the show and in a new part of the 

country every day! But the pros are that I get to 

sing with a beautiful 17-piece big band and 

perform some of my favourites (being a bit of a 

Sinatra fan!) like ‘Lady is a Tramp’ and ‘I get a 

kick out of you’" 

"I love the fact that my job 

changes on a daily basis – I am 

constantly surprised!” 

“I can’t believe that so far, in 2003, I have 

played the ingénue, the vamp and the dancer 

amongst many other roles! I have vocally 

covered material from the first ever musical 

written, ‘Floradona’ to ‘Bombay Dreams’ and 

now I’m singing old Sinatra classics! It’s great! I 

am never short of a challenge!" 

CJ believes that coming to King Alfred’s and 

turning down a three year scholarship at 

Mountview Theatre School was the best 

decision she has ever made: "It gave me time 

to focus on who I was and what else I was 

capable of – a chance to live a little and to be 

learning something of relation to my intended 

future, but entirely new." 

Now in London, following her dream, CJ explains 

that she quickly learnt the realities of show 

business: 

"I was always told how competitive this 

business was but never fully realised it until I 

had a go at it. And suddenly I was up in London 

having finished at the academy, with a flat and 

bills and I very quickly realised that this was it! 

My time to apply everything I had learnt as a 

means of entirely supporting myself." 

It is at this point that CJ became aware that 

little it matters if your family and friends think 

you can succeed if you don’t believe it, and if 

you can’t project that confidence to 

prospective employers: 

"There are countless people after the same 

thing and many of them will appear to be 

better in one way or another. You need to 

believe in having something special and unique 

and working on that. Perfecting it. It is at that 

point that you can forget about focussing on 

other’s superior talents and remember that for 

all the times you may have admired another 

performer, one will probably have admired 

you." 

King Alfred's in 

Basingstoke! 

From September 2003 King Alfred's 

will be providing university level 

education at its new site at Chute 

House, Basingstoke. 

The new Chute House Centre will 

provide a focus for higher education lifelong 

learning and bring together students who may 

not previously have considered student life, 

with those graduates who are working in the 

area and keen to return to some contact with 

it. On offer will be a variety of programmes 

including new earn-while-you-learn Foundation 

degrees, postgraduate study and short 

courses in a variety of academic disciplines 

and business-related skills. 

The initial course portfolio includes a unique 

new masters programme in Managing 

Contemporary Global Issues. It will be 

particularly relevant to students who have 

completed a good first degree in the fields of 

Management, Cultural Studies or Social 

Sciences. For further information, please visit 

the Basingstoke website: 

http://www.kingalfredsbasingstoke.ac.uk 

Principal, Professor Paul Light hopes that the 

courses on the new site will appeal to a wide 

range of potential students. He said: "We hope 

this new initiative will appeal to all kinds of 

people but especially mature learners who are 

probably already in employment and want to 

study in the day or evening. There are a 

number of ways in which we can assess and 

accredit people's prior learning and experience 

to ensure that the skills they already have are 

properly valued." 

King Alfred's hopes that the Chute House 

campus will attract up to 500 students in the 

next four or five years. If you would like to 

discuss the portfolio of courses being planned 

for Basingstoke - or to find out more about the 

project, please contact Paul Chamberlain on 

0870 357 8476 or email 

Paul.Chamberlain@wkac.ac.uk 


Blast from the Past 

Why not drop us a line to share your news for inclusion in the next edition of Venta 

1963 

Pat Brockway (nee 

Thorpe), Teaching 

From KAC, I gained much 

more than a teaching 

qualification. Amongst 

the staff, the Foysters 

set me the perfect 

example of happy family life when I shared their 

home. It’s no overstatement to say that Wilfred 

Hodgkinson moulded my life with his two 

beautiful books (written in the 1940’s), Mr 

Laverty showed me the way of contentment, 

peace and serenity; Pat Pemberton became our 

daughter’s godmother a few years before she 

was tragically killed in a road accident and John 

Jameson became our son’s godfather. A few 

years ago, too, our daughter married the 

youngest of Colin Fowkes’ sons. Their interest 

and support has remained with me and my 

family all these years for which we are very 

grateful. 

I also gained an interest in the education of 

offenders. How could I have known then that I 

would spend 27 years, just up the road, 

teaching in H.M Prison In fact, that is where I 

am still to be found today, and there are those 

who say that that is a very suitable place! My 

email address is: derek.brockway@virgin.net 

1964 

Roger Hooper, Teaching 

I've had a lucky and easy life as a teacher. After 

KAC, I spent three years as a primary teacher in 

Nottingham and Devon; I then took a contract in 

Zambia and sort of drifted into English 

Language Teaching. After Zambia, I went to the 

Solomon Islands, where I spent 13 years. I 

In Memoriam 

We are sorry to announce that the following 

members have passed away since Winter 2002: 

Mr E Carlton, 1926-1928 

Mr J E Handford, 1927-1929 

Mr H W Hayes, 1928-1930 

married there, and our three children were born 

there. I was always keen to move to Australia, 

mainly because I thought there would be a 

better future for my children and it would be 

nearer to my wife's home, Kiribati. In 1984 I 

managed to get a job in Queensland, teaching 

adult migrants and indigenous Australians. I 

retired after 16 years in that job and decided to 

become an Australian Volunteers International 

volunteer (AVI is like VSO, but some of us AVI's 

are very old!) 

I am sending this from North-east Thailand, 

where I am just completing two years as an AVI. 

I've really enjoyed my time here, and I plan to 

keep teaching overseas for a few more years - 

somewhere… I should very much like to hear 

from anyone from KAC who remembers me; my 

email is repooh99@hotmail.com 

1989 

Nicky Osborne, BA History and Drama 

I was a fairly badly behaved undergraduate, but 

I loved my time at the College and regret not 

working much harder! I scraped through with a 

third - I loved the course but seemed to equally 

love socialising! I remember three-legged pub 

crawls around The Green Man, The Old Vine, 

India Arms, The Wykeham Arms, The County 

etc. I used to very much enjoy my tutorials with 

Tom James at Medecroft – a delightful old 

building with winding stairs - and Winchester 

water meadows - great for swimming! I 

thoroughly enjoyed my student life. 

After graduating I worked in advertising for 

Time Out - London's listings magazine amongst 

other jobs, and also for an American Cable TV 

company. I now work for a Construction 

company and live in Seaford, East Sussex with 

my partner of 8 years and our two cats. I have 

Mr E F Saunders, 1928-1930 

Mr E G Kirby, 1932 - 1934 

Mr W A Vickers, 1932 – 1934 

Mr A J Guest, 1934-1936 

Mr Y H G Yole, 1935-1937 

Mr S Taylor, 1937-1939 

Mr D C Kitney, 1951-1953 

Mr K Perris, 1952-1954 

written a small historical guide for a local pub - 

and I am involved with local Am Dram - so my 

course has continued interests for me! 

My email address is: 

oslo@belvedere26.fsnet.co.uk 

2000 

Julie Creffield, BA Performing Arts 

After graduating, I worked in the new Stratford 

Circus Performing Arts Centre in the bar and 

then the box office: this was a brilliant place to 

network and keep involved in the cultural 

industries. I then got a really exciting job as a 

project leader for Immediate Theatre based in 

Hackney and was responsible for running a 

range of arts projects with some of the most 

excluded communities in the borough. 

I’ve recently moved back to work in my local 

area, Newham. My new post is Youth 

Information & Development Officer based at 

Stratford Advice Arcade. My job involves 

collating information about all of the projects, 

activities, services, events and training going 

on for young people in the local area, and with 

the help of young volunteers, I am responsible 

for creating an interactive website and a 

quarterly magazine for other young people. My 

job here marks the beginning of what I hope will 

be a very exciting and diverse career in 

Newham, largely due to my excellent training at 

King Alfred’s. 

My email address is: creffield87@hotmail.com 

Desperately seeking Louis Taylor - an Arts 

student who graduated in 1986. If you can help, 

please email Kate Tripp (nee White) on: 

tss.marham@dial.pipex.com 

Mr C M Reece, 1952-1954 

Mr M L C Caslake, 1953-1955 

Mr W J Grogan, 1953-1955 

Mr R M H Wraith, 1953-1955 

Mr K Scorey, 1959-1961 

Mr G A J Page, 1960-1963 

Mr R Scroggs, 1963-1966 

Mrs D Keay, 1968-1971

Venta 9 - University of Winchester

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