EAC Magazine - Alleyn's School

Edward AlleynSeries 7 Number 10October 2010ClubmagazineIn this issueWelcome Dr SavageChampioning scienceEdinburgh Fringe FestivalClubhouse Open DayFounder’s DayKurdish Human RightsJack HobbsCadet 150

From the PresidentC l u bIt is with mixed feelings that Iapproach the conclusion of myyear in office. The many and variedfunctions I have attended duringthe year, and the numbers offormer (and current) pupils andstaff with whom I have met, haveundoubtedly given me anenormous amount of pleasure. It istherefore saddening to realise that,following the Club’s Annual Dinner(on Saturday 20 November, only afew weeks away now), theseevents will no longer be so readilyavailable! However, in contrast tosuch melancholic emotions is themore positive thought – reinforcedby much I have seen at thesegatherings – that the friendly and inclusive spirit of the Alleyn’scommunity lives on and can be appreciated and enjoyed by allwho are willing to share it. The task, as always, particularly tothe younger and more recent leavers, is to spread the wordand encourage as many as possible to become more involvedand connected with events and activities at both the Club andthe School.The carousel of Club events has continued to transport me onits hectic journey, unabated over the past six months.From participating in dignified remembrances of the passing oflong-time former pupils to witnessing the exuberance ofyouthful recent leavers, now as professional musiciansfeaturing in performances by ‘Bowjangles’ and ‘The SwingleSingers’; from attending the wonderfully well-supported andappreciated Reunion of the Decades (former pupils meetingtogether again after 20, 30 & 40 years since leaving) towatching the Lower School production of Grimm Tales in theMichael Croft Theatre; from the pleasure, at thecharacteristically informal andconvivial meeting our GolfSociety’s 200th Meeting, ofbeing privileged to present asplendid Club blazer to Dr ColinDiggory to mark his retirementas Headmaster, to sharing inthe more formal presentation toColin of the excellent portraitof him in oils, at the farewellfunction for him hosted by theCommon Room in the splendourof Saddler’s Hall.Most recently, at the party tocelebrate the beginning of thenew academic year, I andseveral officers of the Clubwere present to meet the incomingHeadmaster, Dr Gary Savage, and to hear hisenthusiastic and optimistic hopes for the future of Alleyn’s.We are all aware of the fine legacy that he has been left –a fitting tribute to the exceptional commitment and vision ofColin – and there is every confidence for continued success tocome. We extend our warmest welcome to Gary, and to hiswife Natalie, together with our very best wishes to him for amost happy and successful time as Headmaster.n e w sIt was heartening to find an increased number of former pupilspresent at another notable occasion this year – yes, word isbeginning to get about! This was the Annual RegimentalDinner, held in June and which this year also celebrated the150th anniversary of the Cadet movement. A splendid meal,enjoyed by 120 members and guests, was followed by anabsorbing speech given by Lt Gen Sir Robert Fulton KBE,President of the CCF Association. This event served as a worthyfarewell to Col Keith Ellen who retired at the end of the Trinityterm having given four years of valuable service asCommanding Officer of the Alleyn’s School CCF; during thistime the scope of activities and participation in all servicesections has shown steady improvement, noticeably with theresurrected Corps of Drums and the NCO Cadre course.Founder’s Day was blessed with fine weather once more,resulting in a bumper turn-out of Club members – and theinevitable exhaustion of all alcoholic supplies at their favouredmeeting point in the Pimm’s Tent. Presidential duties, perhapsnot wholly unfortunately, prevented my prolonged engagementthere with those enjoying the nostalgic atmosphere andconversation with contemporaries! Many thanks to Susie andMartha from the Alumni Office, and their team of hardworkingvolunteers from the Executive Committee headed up by chairmanJohn Battle, who all worked tirelessly throughout the afternoon.Speech Day earlier that same morning had seen Sir GusO’Donnell KCB, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home CivilService, give a very amusing, and candid, address beforepresenting prizes to the many pupils who had achievedparticular success during the year. However, as Colin Diggoryhad expressed in his remarks beforehand, the whole School –including ALL pupils – could take pride in the unprecedentedsuccess achieved, across all aspects of its activities, and inparticular of the academic standards reached this summer atGCSE and A level. It came as no surprise that, at the end of thishis final Speech Day address, Colin was given anoverwhelmingly long, loud, and heartfelt round of applause byall who were present.Before closing I must mention the recent and most importantdevelopment within the Club’s 125-year long history. Our longservingand immediate past chairman, John Dunley, has reportedin several previous issues of this Magazine on the integrationprocess – a matter that may not have attracted the eagerattention of our readers! However, the successful outcome ofthis process is the sole reason we can all look forward to acontinuation of the Edward Alleyn Club, and of the facilities andservices that it has been able to provide. Acknowledgements dueto those involved have been given by John in his earlier articles,but his personal contribution to the process has goneunrecognised except by those directly concerned. I take thisopportunity of recording our sincere gratitude to John for hisimmense effort and expertise in achieving a very successfulconclusion of the process. There remains the matter offormalising the necessary changes to our constitution, to reflectthe new relationship between the Club and School, and it ishoped that proposals will soon be in place for approval by ourmembers in due course.So finally it is with grateful thanks to you all of for making myyear so memorable that I now prepare to bid a fond farewell tothe Presidency in November, when I hope to see many of youpresent at the Annual Dinner.Neil French (Cribb’s, 1954-61)2

Club constitutionC l u bFollowing on from the successful transfer of the Clubhouse andgrounds at Burbage Road to the School’s management andwith the Alumni Office at the School now so well-established,it seemed that this was the right time at which to review theEdward Alleyn Club’s constitution to reflect the role of the Cluband its officers as they are today and as we expect them toevolve. The November 2009 AGM of the Club asked that weshould look to establish a working party to address this issue.This has now met under the chairmanship of our President, NeilFrench, and has established the basis of a recommendation onhow to proceed, which has developed into a first and seconddraft of a proposed new constitution, which we hope to presentto an EGM on 8 March 2011.Essentially, with the School now the leaseholder and responsiblefor the management of the Burbage Road facilities, one of thekey roles for which the Club’s Executive Committee has,historically, been responsible has disappeared, although we stillhave a key part to play in helping to co-ordinate the Club’sconsiderable on-going use of the site, with input on its upkeep anddevelopment. Similarly, with Susie Schofield and Martha Jonesso ably keeping in touch with Club members and putting in agreat deal of the hard slog involved in pulling Club eventstogether, the Club Executive Committee’s role will, weanticipate, become increasingly a strategic one, where we worktogether with the School to develop and build on what we areable to offer to former pupils.Consequently, the key planks of the revised constitutionenvisage a streamlining of our committee-process, which willn e w sresult in the Executive Committee becoming directlyresponsible to the Club as a whole through the Annual GeneralMeeting but, at the same time, a widening of the ExecutiveCommittee-membership so that it will formally include theDirector of Development & Finance and Head of AlumniRelations as representatives of the School (they are bothalready joining meetings as co-opted members and areinvaluable). The plan is to replace the current twice yearlyCouncil meetings with two meetings of the ExecutiveCommittee, which will be widened out on one occasion toinclude members of the School’s Senior Management Team,Common Room and the Alleyn’s Association (parent-body) andon the other the full range of ‘Sections’ affiliated to the Club,so that we ensure that we continue to benefit from widespreadinput from our various stakeholders.We hope that this structure will not only meet the needs of theClub today but for the foreseeable future. It will help us tofocus much more on the more strategic aspects of what aformer pupils’ club is about and what it can do both for itsmembership and to support the School rather than thesometimes rather more mundane aspects of the day-to-daymanagement of bricks, mortar and grounds, which are now inthe hands of a professional team much better able to handlethose aspects. In the process, we hope that this will also soundlike an attractive prospect to some of those of you, who arereading this – if you feel that you might like to be involved inshaping the future of your Club (and your old School), pleasedo get in touch.David Hankin (Spurgeon’s, 1971-78)Executive Committee memberdavidhankin@btinternet.comContentsClub newsFrom the President 2Club constitution 3Reunion of the decades 4Alleyn Benevolent Fund 5Bats, balls and barbecues 5Founder’s Day 6Changing guard at 200 Club 8Piddling Pups at the Oval 810-year reunion 8Regimental dinner 9New Club website 9School newsFrom the Headmaster 10Chaplaincy lecture 11Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership 11Launch of ASEL 11Interview with Dr Gary Savage 12Seamus Conlon competition winner 13Alumnus at AJS 13Departing staff 14Buckingham Palace Garden Party 15Dulwich Foundation concert 16International Concert Series 16An Alleyn’s wedding 16Alumni newsMarley’s Christmas Carol 17Battle of Britain Young Composers’ Concert 17Festival Fringe frolics 17International Women’s Day 17Day in the Life of… Richard Barker 18Alumnus joins ICMI board of directors 19Big Bang in 3D 19Languedoc life 19Gap Year report 20In the saddle 20Kurdish Human Rights Project 21My fair Fabian! 21A link with Jack Hobbs 27Degree results 22Births, marriages & deaths 22, 23Sport 26Forthcoming events 28Editor: Susannah Schofield, Head of Alumni RelationsItems for the spring issue of the Edward Alleyn Club Magazineshould be sent to the editor at Alleyn’s School by 7 March 2011.If emailing, pictures should be sent as high-resolution jpgs.Development & Alumni Office, Alleyn’s School, Townley Road,London SE22 8SU020 8557 1466/1588 alumni@alleyns.org.ukwww.edwardalleynclub.com www.alleyns.org.ukwww.edwardalleynclub.com3

C l u bn e w sReunion of the decadesWriter Rohan Candappa (Brading’s, 1973-80)attended this summer’s Reunion of the Decadesto meet up with his class of 1980. Rohan is theauthor of many books including The Little Bookof Stress, The Little Book of Wrong Shui, andperhaps pertinent to this particular brief,Growing Old Disgracefully.I left the school thirty years ago.Going back always brings back memories. Going back in thecompany of people you haven’t seen since you departed bringsback a whole lot more.As we wandered round the school premises, guided by currentsixth formers, the questions came readily to our lips.‘Do you remember when...?’ , ‘Isn’t this where...?’ ,‘Whatever happened to...?’It was an answer I hadn’t expected. But the more I thoughtabout it, the more it was an answer I valued having. It was adifferent perspective. Maybe I valued it because one of thethings the school encouraged in me was my desire to think formyself. To consider situations from more than one viewpoint.And there was a group of ex-students returning after twentyyears. Strangely, a smaller group than the other two. But one inwhich there were far more women than men. It would havebeen good to get their views. For them the school had alwaysbeen co-educational. For us, girls were a miraculous arrival whomade us awkward, spotty boys become more mature.Though, obviously, not as mature as we liked to think we were.Teachers, of course, were also there. Teachers who I now lookedat as a 48-year-old man, and had to resist the urge to call ‘sir’.Teachers who, much to my amazement given how many studentsthey must have taught, actually remembered who we were. Orpretended to remember which, in some ways, is just as flattering.1970s 1980s 1990s‘You haven’t changed atall’ we lied to each other.But, of course, we hadchanged. How could wehave not? Thirty years is alot of water under a lot ofbridges. Less hair, morewaist. Definitely older,maybe even wiser.But then the school hadchanged too. Newbuildings, with newfacilities, ingeniouslyslotted into gaps I’d nevernoticed. And otherbuildings, ambitious bothin imagination and execution, transforming a space I had onceknown so well.Standing in a crowd, in a foyer, with a glass in my hand, while theHeadmaster welcomed us, I turned to a friend who asked ‘Do youknow where we are?’ And I smiled, and nodded, at the absurdityof drinking champagne in what had been a block of toilets.But there were other people at the reunion. Some had left theschool forty years before. Which meant they would have startedin 1963. (Between the end of the ‘Chatterley’ ban and The Beatlesfirst LP, perhaps). I wondered what they made of it all. So as welined up on the school steps to have our photo taken, I askedone of them. And he told me that he had hated his time at theschool, and that he’d only returned to lay a few ghosts.All the decadesAll in all it was amarvellous day. A day thatmade me laugh a lot.A day that made me thinka lot. And one of thethings I thought was this:Time is linear. One thinghappens, then another,then another. And as wemove forward throughtime what happened inthe past should get leftfurther and further behind.Only if the thing thathappened was important, itdoesn’t. It still existssomewhere inside us. And given the right circumstances we canonce again access it.So go back to school with your friends, long years after you allleft, and you can find yourself back at school in more waysthan you can ever imagine. Ways that are for the most partgood. Ways that can make you thankful that you went to aschool as good as Alleyn’s.I left the school thirty years ago. But it turns out the schoolhas never left me. And for that I’m grateful.The date of the next Decades Reunion – for those who were inthe (and who taught the) Alleyn’s classes of 1964-71, 1974-81,1984-91 – is on Saturday 18 June.4

C l u bn e w sAlleyn Benevolent FundFollowing the appeal in the last magazine the trustees aredelighted to report that they received enough donations fromreaders to enable the Fund to cover its deficit for the year to31st July 2010. The trustees wish to thank most warmly thosedonors who responded to that appeal.Several donations came from former pupils and others whodonated in memory of Sidney Incledon, a man who, in the wordsof one of his former charges, was ‘a one-off diamond-geezer’.The work of trying to maintain the two bursary awards inmemory of Derek Fenner and Sidney Incledon continues but withthe recent increase in School fees there is likely to be a furtherdeficit for the year to July 2011.The present Incledon bursary award ended in July 2010 and theFenner award runs from September 2009 to June 2011. Each ofthe awards allows one pupil to remain in the sixth form for thefull two years to pursue their A level courses instead of havingto leave Alleyn’s early.Despite – or perhaps because of – the straitened times we’re allexperiencing, the trustees have taken the bold step of agreeingto make the Incledon bursary award available from September2010, even though there is no guarantee that the money willbe raised in time to fund it. The knock-on effect will be thatthe trustees will have some difficulty in funding this bursaryaward for a further two years from 2012. The trustees seek£1,500 to make up that shortfall.The trustees will, therefore, welcome further support from formerpupils to enable these in memoriam bursary awards to continue.In terms of making these awards continue in perpetuity, thetrustees are grateful to the Edward Alleyn Club for its generousdonation of £9,000 (taken from the sum given it by the DulwichEstate for the surrender of the lease on the Clubhouse andgrounds) to start building up the ABF’s reserves. In addition, theFund has received a generous bequest from the estate of RussellVernon AOB. It is hoped that eventually the ABF’s reserves willfinance all future Fenner and Incledon bursary awards.If you are able to assist by making a donation please do so toeither of the undermentioned trustees:Chris Nelson,Lingcroft,Pyrford Road,West Byfleet,Surrey,KT14 6QSDennis Lomas118, Kent House Road,Beckenham,Kent,BR3 1JYBats, balls and barbecuesThe Club traditionally holds a welcome evening for new leaversat the Clubhouse to introduce its various sections in their lastyear at Alleyn’s. However, setting a date for this event hasalways proved to be a nightmare given the pressures on theUpper Sixth’s schedule of exam coursework, field days, studytrips, jobs, university interviews, not to mention the veryimportant run of 18th birthday parties to celebrate. So for thisyear’s leavers, we thought we’d experiment by holding awelcome event after they left School but before they all wenttheir separate ways to universities and Gap year itineraries.We held a Clubhouse open day and barbecue on Saturday11 September. All the different sections of the Club wererepresented and the only ‘organised’ part of the afternoon wasa couple of games of rounders, all in the name of good fun andfrivolity. It was a lovely, relaxing afternoon spent in thegrounds of the Clubhouse and amongst friends. One leaversweetly wrote in to say ‘Thank you very much for making suchan effort for us all, it was great to see everyone before we allgo our separate ways!’We hope to repeat this event for next year, perhaps extendingthe guest list to include more recent south London-based alumni.www.edwardalleynclub.com5

Founder’s DayC l u bFounder’s Day began with Speech Day in the morning atSt Barnabas’ church. It was Dr Colin Diggory’s last asHeadmaster and the Alleyn’sAssociation presented him with a bookwhich was packed with personaltributes to Colin from the Schoolcommunity. After his speech the prizewinnersand theirfamilies as well asthe teaching staffgave him a standingovation which lastedseveral minutes.Colin and his wife Suewere clearly moved bythe experience and bythe Chair of GovernorsAOB Professor theLord Ajay Kakkar’swarm tribute to all that Colin has achieved both at Alleyn’s andin his 34-year-long teaching career. This was a precursor tothose spontaneous standing ovations he was given by pupils inthe end-of-term assemblies in the final week of term.Colin said ‘I feel totally inadequate to express properly mythanks to everyone. It has been a huge privilege and a massivehonour to have been Headmaster of Alleyn’s School. Sue andI could not have been happier or more proud to be here. I wisheveryone happiness and success in the future and in particularn e w sI wish Dr Gary Savage, and his wife Natalie, every joy andsuccess in leading Alleyn’s to even greater heights. Sue andI will be cheering you all on and we will be actively followingand promoting Alleyn’s success with immense pride.’After lunch, the School opened its gates to whatfelt like hundreds and hundreds of guests.Fortunately, we were blessed not only withgloriously hot weather but with an army ofvolunteers in the Club’s Pimm’s Tent to helpquench the thirst of our parched customers. Fromwhere we in the Pimm’s Tent stood it seemed asif everyone in south London had made TownleyRoad their chosen destination for that fine, hotday. At one point there was a sea of(slowly sun-burning) faces on thefields around the tent. We had aconstant stream of visitors to theClub’s tent: the oldest (who signedthe Visitors’ Book) was at Alleyn’s in1930. There were AOBs and AOGswho hadn’t stepped through theSchool gates since they left Alleyn’sas a pupil, and it was gratifying towelcome back recent leavers. OneAOB reported that ‘I was delighted tomeet some of the (very much) older AOBs, compare notes withthem about life at Alleyns in the 1935-1960 period andcirculate amongst the current pupils and regale them with talesabout how things were in my time!’Heartfelt thanks go to our dedicated volunteers for serving behindthe bar, often well beyond their allocated time-slot! One volunteerwrote ‘it was a manic but fun hour…. I’ve never seen so manypeople visit on Founder’s Day. I think I parked in Peckham!’.In addition to Pimm’s, the Club held a stall selling merchandiseand, inside the tent, had an exhibition which explained all thevarious sections and activities of the Club. Altogether, thecombined amount raised for charitable causes on Founder’s Daywas well over £7,000. The Pimm’s Tent alone raised over £1,300for the benefit of the Alleyn Benevolent Fund.Photos: Chris LiffenHouse Captains Honours BoardsProf John Isaacs (B, 1970-76)Roper’s Housemaster Phil Gillard & Sarah Watson (R, 1979-86)You may recall that the School commissioned a set of honoursboards to list the names of all those pupils who have served asHouse Captains since the House-system began in 1907.These were unveiled at a special ceremony on Founder’s Dayand more than 60 past and current House Captains, along withtheir guests, attended the unveiling and Common Room tea.6

C l u bn e w sConsecration of the Memorial GardenOne of the most valued parts of the Alleyn’s site is the MemorialGarden, developed since the Second World War as a peacefulplace where students and staff are honoured and remembered.In order to affirm and preserve the status of the garden Dr ColinDiggory suggested that the area be consecrated. Thus in theafternoon of Founder’s Day, newly appointed School Governor,the Rt Rev Christopher Chessun, Bishop of Woolwich, theFoundation Chaplain, Canon Dianna Gwilliams, and the SchoolChaplain, the Rev Anthony Buckley, led a brief service before agathering of alumni, governors and staff who took theopportunity to remember past friends. The Chairman ofGovernors, Professor the Lord Kakkar, Lady Kakkar and theHeadmasters of Alleyn’s Senior and Junior Schools, Dr ColinDiggory and Mr Mark O’Donnell, were present.Bishop Christopher consecrated the garden and led thecommemorative prayer:‘We give thanks for those who have labouredthrough the years to make this garden a specialplace of memory and reflection…. We give thanksfor those whom we knew, whose memory is preciousto us, whose loss we still keenly feel… We givethanks for friends alongside us as we have walkedthe path of sorrow.’If you would like to visit the Memorial Garden this can bearranged through the Rev Anthony Buckley or Susie Schofield,either of whom can be contacted through the school on020 8557 1500.AOB Russell VernonAt this same ceremony, a plaque was also unveiled tocommemorate the late Russell Vernon (Roper’s, 1927-35),Architect and Surveyor to Dulwich Estate, who died in 2009.Mr Vernon, a past-President of the EAC, left generous bequeststo both the School and the Alleyn Benevolent Fund. The plaquewas unveiled by his son, Christopher, with the Vernon family inattendance. Christopher spoke briefly of his father’s longassociation with the Dulwich Estate, and of the legacy that willremain through his progressive development of thearchitectural environment in andaround Dulwich that he pursued duringthe post-war period.Club President, Neil French, also spokeat this ceremony where he recalledhow, ‘when Russell was well into hisseventies he was still regularlyattending the Club AGMs, and wasalways to be relied upon to ask apertinent question on the variousreports that were given; this was oftenof some concern to me during my stintas hon treasurer!’ Many members ofthe family, covering four generations,were present to witness the ceremony.www.edwardalleynclub.com7

C l u bn e w sRegimental DinnerIn order to coincide with the 150th anniversary of theinauguration of the cadet forces, Alleyn’s CCF pulled out all thestops to celebrate the School’s long connection with the cadetforces in the past 105 years. School archivists Neil French andRobert Holden put together an illustrated history and overview ofthe Alleyn’s cadet forces which was given to guests on the night.This year the largest number (60) of cadet-serving Old Boys andOld Girls came along to the dinner and those we spoke to wereimpressed by what they saw. Guests watched a parade by theSchool’s military band which later serenaded the guests duringthe dinner. The School’s dining room glittered with the militarysilver, the candlelight and the brass buttons of the dressuniforms of our regimental guests.The dinner was a military farewell to Dr Colin Diggory and thedinner’s guest of honour was General Sir Robert Fulton KBE,who is the President of the Combined Cadet Force Associationfor 2010. Representatives of the cadet forces from schools inthe south-east also attended to cheer the ‘passing out’ of themembers of this year’s cadet forces. The dinner was also anopportunity to thank and say farewell to Col Keith Ellen, CO ofAlleyn’s CCF, who retired at the end of the summer. As Neilwrites in his presidential introduction to the magazine (see p2),under Keith’s tenure the number of pupils participating in CCFhas grown and a greater number of staff were also encouragedto help with the CCF.The Alleyn’s CCF sustains all three service sections (army, airforce and navy) and it is one of the largest voluntarycontingents in the country, numbering some 240 cadets and12 commissioned officers. A Sergeant Staff Instructor and tenother adult members of staff assist. With impressive figuressuch as these, it was hardly surprising that, in his after dinnerspeech, Sir Robert said: ‘When the Headmaster says this is thebest CCF in the country, who am I to disagree with him?’.For those alumni interested in attending next year’s regimentaldinner, please contact School Staff Instructor, Colour SergeantScott Swalwell on 020 8557 1463.New Club websiteOver the summer, Martha Jones has been busyworking on the Club’s new website. Here she reportsthe developments so far and what is to come.The Edward Alleyn Club website has been online in its currentformat for just over two months now,and in that time we’ve had more than1,200 unique visitors from 47 countries.The alumni news and ‘Lost andWondering’ pages are proving verypopular to visitors – the ‘Lost andWondering’ page lists the names ofthose old school friends that formerpupils are trying to re-connect with.I hope that the website will get evercloser to meeting the needs of thealumni, former staff and friends ofAlleyn’s as we move forward.The website works in conjunction withthe new contact database the Schoolinvested in last year. The database hasalready proved hugely useful inco-ordinating events and communication with alumni and I amkeen to improve and add to the records we hold to make surethat our activities are as tailored and our communications asaccurate as we can make them.The website has a secure Members’ Area which gives access to asearch facility for fellow members, a user forum, photographsfrom recent events and the facility to update their records.Please be assured: the personal information provided here cannotbe viewed by non-members and the level of information which ispublished – even to other members – is entirely up to eachmember. Names, houses and years at Alleyn’s are the only fieldswhich are automatically available to view and search.Forthcoming projects with the databaseand the website will include sending outemails to our contacts giving them a username and password. I hope that as manyof you as possible will take thisopportunity to update information,upload photographs and possibly getback in touch with fellow memberswhether directly through the website,through the alumni office or throughthe ‘Lost and Wondering’ pages.If we don’t currently have your emailaddress and you have a moment tospare, please do send us an email atalumni@alleyns.org.uk so that you willbe included in our mailing. Thosemembers for whom we don’t have anemail address will be sent a personal information form so thatwe can bring all our information as up-to-date as possible.If you have any thoughts or suggestions about the website inparticular, I’d love to hear from you.www.edwardalleynclub.com9

S c h o o ln e w sThe Alleyn’s AnnualChaplaincy Lecture19 January 2011, 7.30pmWhy God hasn’t gone away.Reflections on the New AtheismWe are delighted to welcome Revd Professor Alister McGrath ofKing’s College London to give the School’s second ChaplaincyLecture. The Revd Professor McGrath is one of the world’sleading scholars on religion and science, historical theology andnatural theology, and author of over 30 books, including theinternational best-seller The Dawkins Delusion. All alumni andformer staff are most welcome to attend. There is no charge forthis event.Southwark Schools’Learning PartnershipThe Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership (SSLP) wasestablished as a Department for Education and ScienceChallenge project in 2003. Since then, nine Southwarksecondary schools: three independent (the three DulwichFoundation schools) and six state schools have co-operated in aseries of educational events and initiatives. The partnershipprovides opportunities for staff and pupils in both sectors towork together to develop innovative practice and to share andbroaden their experience to improve teaching and learning inthe participating schools.Alleyn’s has taken the lead in a number of projects this year,running two philosophy workshops, a PE afternoon and ourChaplain, the Rev Anthony Buckley, has begun to establish linkswith the chaplains of some of the state schools.Looking for something to givean Old Boy for Christmas?Alleyn’s cufflinksThe School hascommissioned a newdesign of cufflinks to raisemoney for its bursaryfunds. The t-bar enamelcufflinks display the fullAlleyn’s crest as a shield.Priced £20 per pair (+£1.30 p+p), each pair comesin its own luxury presentation box.Other present ideas are:Old Boy silk tie: £22Drama & Music: The Performing Arts atAlleyn’s £15 (+£1.50 p+p)Proceeds from the sale of all these items will go tothe School’s bursary funds.Please send your orders to: Alumni Office, Alleyn’s School,Townley Road, London SE22 8SU.Cheques should be made payable to ‘Alleyn’s School’.Launch of Alleyn’s SchoolEnterprises LimitedDuring the past year David Younghas been working on developinga commercial trading operationfor the School, letting outfacilities to outside parties forgain. This operation has nowgrown sufficiently that thetime has come to formalisethis activity and the School’snew trading subsidiary,Alleyn’s School EnterprisesLimited (ASEL), has nowbeen launched with asplendid brochure settingout the services that theSchool can offer.Our School is blessed withwonderful buildings and resources, ranging fromthe award-winning Edward Alleyn Building with its purposebuiltconference suite and outstanding Michael Croft Theatre,to the superb sports grounds at Townley Road and BurbageRoad. Our catering operation, run by Holroyd Howe, has ajustifiably excellent reputation for providing a highlyprofessional catering and entertainment service for our Schoolcommunity. Outside London, Alleyn’s has its well-equipped fieldcentre in the beautiful Peak District, suitable for a whole rangeof group activities. ASEL will hire out these sports, performanceand dining facilities and the accommodation at Buxton toexternal groups and individuals, generally outside School hoursand predominantly during the School holidays, at weekends andin the evenings.Notwithstanding the introduction of this trading operation theSchool will continue to offer its facilities to community groupsand, of course, will ensure that our pupils’ access to, andexperience of, the School’s amenities and that of Club membersto the Burbage Road site, is not hindered or compromised.David welcomes enquiries from former pupils and friends of theSchool who might be interested in holding meetings or trainingdays in our conference suite, parties or celebrations in ourdining rooms, the atrium or the Great Hall or sports fixtures atthe main School site or at the Club.If you are planning an event or seeking a location and wouldlike to discuss availability and pricing of facilities andservices, or would like to receive a copy of the lauch brochure,please contact him on 020 8299 8017 or atenterprises@alleyns.org.uk. Further details of ASEL’s servicesare on the School’s website.If you move, change your email addressor phone number, please rememberto let the Alumni Office know!Or, if you have access to the internet, you canupdate your details easily on the Club’s website.The Club has many out-of-date postaland email addresses on its recordsand we want to be up-to-date!www.edwardalleynclub.com11

S c h o o lWelcome to Dr SavageIt was with some trepidation that I steppedinto the role of interviewer of our newHeadmaster, Dr Gary Savage, a man who hasan impressive CV and who is now the School’stwelfth headmaster in its 128-year history.Gary has had a stellar career spending his firstten years teaching at Eton College where he wasfirst Head of History and then Master-in-College(House Master of the 70 King’s Scholars).He followed this in 2006 by four years atWestminster School as its Under Master, orSenior Deputy Head. At 39, he is one of theSchool’s youngest Headmasters to have beenappointed. And so it was that a whirlwind ofenergy and enthusiasm stepped into my officeand our interview began.Except it very nearly didn’t. We became sidetracked by one ofthe questions in the – admittedly tongue-in-cheek – 60-secondquestionnaire: the one which asks the interviewee to name hisor her hero. Given our debate that ensued, I suspect that thistouched one of the nerve-centres of Gary’s historical thinking ashe explained how he doesn’t really have any heroes. ‘I mistrustcults of individualism where the individual is alleged to exert somuch influence over society’. He continued that ‘reading Warand Peace clarified this for me so, if pushed, I’d probably have tonominate Tolstoy as my hero – paradoxically, as he helped me tode-bunk the very notion of heroes!’Aware that time was pressing on, we forced ourselves back to thetask in hand. I began by asking him what he knew about Alleyn’sbefore he applied for the job. ‘Some years ago I was discussingschools with a colleague of mine at Westminster. He claimed thathe knew exactly the school for me and – no word of a lie – hesaid Alleyn’s. I asked him why and he said that Alleyn’s was smartyet down-to-earth. I looked the school up and liked what I saw.When, lo and behold, I ended up becoming Headmaster ofAlleyn’s, my colleague reminded me of our conversation and triedto claim the credit! I do think he was right though: Alleyn’s andI do seem like a good fit.’Gary began his term of office as Headmaster in the summerand I asked him what his first impressions of Alleyn’s were.He remarked on its beauty: ‘It’s a beautiful site – as youapproach it over the crest of Calton Avenue it’s a stunningview. I’m really impressed by the maintenance of the fabric ofthe buildings as well as the beauty of the grounds. But best ofall is the warmth, energy and enthusiasm of the people whowork here. When Natalie and I first came into the School wewere really impressed by the pupils – they’re bright, groundedand well-mannered – they even held the door open for us!You can sense that there’s a mutual respect between pupils andstaff, which is so important in terms of getting the best out ofeveryone. It’s going to be a wonderful place to work!’And speaking of pupils, I asked Gary what he was like as a pupil –enfant terrible or model scholar? He went to a co-ed statecomprehensive – Bungay High School – in North Suffolk.Gary remembers that he was ‘very enthusiastic – I was involvedin lots of things. I played the euphonium very badly and wasSky Masterson in the school’s production of Guys and Dolls.I was very involved in lessons and contributed in class a lot.’So clearly a model scholar…n e w sIt was this love of learningthat led him to his career inteaching. ‘After doing my degreeand PhD at Sidney SussexCollege, Cambridge I wanted tocontinue in an educationalenvironment so teaching wasthe obvious choice. The job atEton was advertised and I spentthe next ten years thereteaching (and of coursecontinuing to learn) history, aswell as coaching football andcricket, running volunteering,getting involved in drama – all the things which goodindependent schools, like Alleyn’s, do so well.’We went on to talk about his new career as Headmaster andI asked him what excites him about the role. ‘As Housemaster atEton and Under Master at Westminster,’ Gary explains, ‘I gained agenuine pleasure working with people to help them make the mostof their talents and to feel fulfilled and motivated in what theywere doing. I also enjoy problem-solving and I get a real sense ofsatisfaction from this. At Alleyn’s, my door will very much be opento all. It’s wonderful being able to help someone – be they sevenor 107 – to love what they do and develop that enthusiasm.’Gary admits that he’d ‘like to continue teaching as Headmasterbut I’m aware it could be a luxury. The pulse of the school is inthe classroom. I’ve already opted to offer an enrichment coursefor Year 12 [Lower Sixth] pupils this year on aspects of theFrench Revolution, examining things like the relationshipbetween the state and individual, the use and misuse ofpropaganda, art and music, and so forth. We’ll have to see ifany pupils actually opt for it!’I asked him about his change from teaching at single sexboarding schools to a co-educational day school and he pointedout that ‘co-education is what I grew up with so I’m verycomfortable with it. You could say I’m going back to my roots. Inmy teaching career I started out at Eton (all boys) and then wentto Westminster, where two-thirds of the pupils are day pupils andwhich has a co-educational sixth form. I’m a passionate believerin co-education and I’m glad that I’ve gradually got back into fullco-ed in my career. As for the difference between a boardingschool and a day one, I imagine a key one is the intensity of the(shorter) working day – something which I think will suit me.This line of conversation segued conveniently for me to find outwhat Gary sees as some of the key challenges facing independentschools today. Immediately he replied: ‘The independent sectordoes a fantastic job and has a key role to play in the debateabout, and development of, education in the twenty-first-century.To do this effectively, we must assert our independence and ourvision of educational excellence in the face of challenges thatpoliticians, bureaucrats and others can, sometimes, throw ourway. At the same time, we should continue to develop goodcommunity links such as the Southwark Schools’ LearningPartnership [a collaboration of six state and three independentschools founded in 2003; see p11 for more details] and work toenable as many families as possible to take advantage ofeverything that wonderful schools like Alleyn’s have to offer.’Another key to a school’s success are its alumni. Gary says:‘alumni associations are pivotal to the health of a school. Anyschool that ignores its alumni risks losing its soul and identity.At Eton, for instance, we had annual gatherings of OldCollegers to play the Eton Wall Game against the current cropof scholars. (I sometimes played, but usually umpired!) This was12

S c h o o ln e w sa fun way to maintain the links across the generations – not somuch in the heat of the match, but definitely over the creamtea that invariably followed!He continued: ‘a school is essentially an organic community:alumni enrich the current pupils who in turn become alumnithemselves to enrich the next generation and so the cyclecontinues. You can’t think of a school as a static snapshot inthe here and now – there is a much bigger story at stake.I’m therefore fascinated by the Alleyn’s oral history project andlook forward to seeing it develop as we approach subsequentgenerations of old boys and girls. The positive interactionbetween alumni, current pupils and staff on the recent 1930sreunion, for instance, adds colour to the way we see our schooland locality, and should serve to inspire our current pupils witha sense of just how much is possible in a life well-lived.’So perhaps we ought to nominate Alleyn’s alumni to be ourheroes???Seamus ConlonMany congratulations to Seamus Conlon who, at the tender ageof 15, came third in the post-grade-8, under-18 category finalsof the European Piano Teachers’ Association (EPTA) NationalPiano Competition.The EPTA is a large andprestigious organisation,and the competition forthis was very strong, sothis is a considerableachievement for Seamus,who went to Manchesterfor the Finals in Maywhere he played music byGershwin and Schoenberg.Seamus also played thepiano to accompany thecongregation at AOB DesLewis’s recent memorialheld at the School.60-second questionnaireBirthday: 5 December 1970Home: DulwichFamily: Natalie and Jimmy the terrierEducation: Bungay High School, North Suffolk; SidneySussex College, CambridgeFirst job: From the age of 14-17 I spent evenings and Saturdaymornings making bull bars for 4x4s and pick-ups at a localfactoryHobbies: Improving my German; Ipswich Town Football Club;arts, travel; gentle cycling.Who would play you in a film? Natalie says Sean Bean,though I’d say Klaus Kinski.Who is your hero? No-one; or Tolstoy! (See above.)Name your ideal dinner guests: Either: the FrenchRevolutionary Committee of Public Safety or the UEFACup-winning team of Ipswich Town – or both!What do you do most often when you are bored?Boredom doesn’t come easily. I have been known to playAngry Birds on my iPhone….If you could have anything you wanted, what would itbe? That education be valued and resourced as it should befor everyone in the world.Alumnus at prize-givingHorrid Henry animatorMike Watts (Roper’s,1958-66) was theguest of honour thissummer at the Alleyn’sJunior School’s (AJS)prize-giving on 30 June.The photo shows (l-r)School GovernorTim Franey, Mike Watts& Alleyn’s Junior School Headmaster Mark O’Donnell.EDWARD ALLEYN CLUB114th ANNUAL DINNER 2010Guest speaker: Professor the Lord Kakkar MBBS (Hons), BSc, PhD, FRCSSaturday 20 November6.30pm for 7.45pmAlleyn’s SchoolTickets: £39Concessionary tickets £20 (for those who left between 2005-2010)Please complete the enclosed ticket application form to arrive no later than 12 Novemberwww.edwardalleynclub.com13

S c h o o ln e w sThe Club congratulates the following membersof staff on their promotion or retirement:Margaret HunnaballMargaret joined Alleyn’s in 2003 asa teacher of physics and soon provedherself to be an enthusiastic andinspirational teacher who possesseda natural affinity with her students.Furthermore she joined Alleyn’s withconsiderable leadership andmanagement experience so it was notsurprising that after just one year shewas appointed Deputy Director of Studies and then, in 2007,promoted to the post of Assistant Head [Director of Studies],becoming a member of the Senior Management Team.As Director of Studies she was responsible for learning andteaching throughout the School. She chaired the AcademicPolicy Committee and oversaw the School’s curriculum andtimetabling. As an expert on academic monitoring and trackingand with a special interest in the use of value-added data,Margaret was responsible for developing the use of Yellis[a system to measure the value Alleyn’s adds to each pupil] theMiddle School with enhanced ‘Alleyn’s targets’ as well asoverseeing public examinations and learning support.Despite her considerable workload in School, she has still foundtime to continue her own academic research studying atSouthampton University, gaining her MA (Ed) and undertakingfurther research into the co-curriculum. Margaret is also on thepanel of international hockey upire managers and a member ofthe international hockey rules board. She leaves us to becomeDeputy Head at King’s College School, Wimbledon: a welldeservedpromotion. She will be very greatly missed at Alleyn’sand we send her our very best wishes and warmest thanks.Colin DiggoryRoger SkidmoreRoger arrived to teach chemistry atAlleyn’s in September 1997 with twohuge, heavy bags of beautiful handpickedrock specimens and a completeset of Chemistry in Actionprogrammes on industrial processes.His gift to the department was all themore impressive because he had cometo work by train and his journey involved quite a walk at eitherend! Such energy and total dedication to the cause are twothemes which have come to define Roger in his work in somany different areas of the School during his 13 years here.Roger soon brought his previous experience of being anindustrial chemistry at Courtaulds Ltd into the classroom andused his love of geology to make the pupils (and teachers) startenjoying earth science and the chemistry of the rocks rathermore than they did on his arrival.Roger also enjoys outdoor activities and is a qualified mountainleader. He has contributed to the wider life of the school bysetting up and running a new training programme for the Silversection of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. This hasinvolved organising and overseeing training for hundreds ofpupils: there is nothing that Roger does not know abut packinga rucksack, reading the fine detail on a map or removing a tickfrom someone’s foot!Roger leaves us to start a much deserved retirement with hiswife Jill in Sutton. He is looking forward to spending a bit moretime in the garden and will be brushing up on his German andFrench language skills. He will not be allowing him to rest forlong, however, as he is intending to lead many walking holidaysin Europe with experienced walkers.Roger’s outstanding communication skills, sense of humour andgood judgement have made a real difference to so many of ushere at Alleyn’s and to what it has been possible to achieve inso many areas of the School during his time here. We will allmiss him more than we can say.Wendy CollinsRobin SuttonRobin Sutton, Head of the ArtDepartment, retired after 22 years ofservice. He came to Alleyn’s withprevious experience as Head of Art intwo London Schools. He was a studentat St Martin’s School of Art and later atthe Royal College of Art where hisstudies included art history, painting,photography, projection systems andlarge environmental installations.Robin brought a structured approach to the Art Department atAlleyn’s, ensuring pupils were given a broad range of mediaexperiences. Specialist studios teaching ceramics, painting anddrawing, photography, printing and graphics continued todevelop over the years providing pupils with firm visual andpractical skills.The Art Department has expanded and flourished under hisleadership. Robin’s painting and drawing skills in the teachingof A level Fine Art were particularly appreciated by the studentsand his philosophical discussions about concepts and issuesbehind the art expression of any era meant that students wereconstantly fascinated and intrigued by the subject.Robin was a valued sixth form tutor for 19 years at Alleyn’s.His tutees enjoyed his witty banter but more importantlyappreciated his shrewd and sensitive counsel.He will be missed greatly and we wish Robin a healthy andfulfilled retirement, continuing his engagement with thephilosophy of art, studying for a PhD, ‘playing with oak andstone’ as he would say in rebuilding and adding to his Frenchhouse. Producing art will be of continuing importance to himas, in his own words, ‘it will be a difficult habit to break’.Geoff TonkinGeoff Tonkin has given dedicated service to Alleyn’s for 22years, as an Upper School tutor, Housemaster, teacher thenHead of Drama and Theatre Studies. He worked closely withEileen Chivers, and later with Matthew Grant, their finalcollaboration being Antigone in 2003. A distinctive quality ofhis teaching is unstinting dedication to the academic andpastoral development of each student in his care. His attentionto detail, penetrating intelligence, critical sensibility and senseof fun, make him a formidable teacher. His commitment tostudents’ dedication always went far beyond the classroom inso many ways; he would always put himself out for them.His deft ability to give precisely timed, poised and penetratingadvice ensures self-reflection that encourages all students, and14

S c h o o ln e w sDulwich FoundationSchools’ ConcertThere has been a treat of a tradition forming in the last 16years in Dulwich: at the start of every other academic year, thethree Dulwich Foundation Schools give a joint concert. The topmusicians from Alleyn’s, Dulwich College and JAGS cometogether and, in just four rehearsals, they put on a concert ofan amazing standard. This year’s biennial concert took place inthe Michael Croft Theatre where families and staff from eachof the schools came along to support their musical maestrosand to launch the Foundation’s musical year.Tim Kermode, Director of Music at Alleyn’s, explains that ‘therepertoire chosen is deliberately challenging, given that a largeproportion of the musicians are grade 7 and above. It is anexciting proposition to come together for a concert so close tothe beginning of the school year and the rehearsal period isnecessarily intensive over four days. All these sessions demandgreat levels of concentration from the performers and wewould like to pay tribute to their enthusiasm and commitment.’The programme for this year’s concert was Sparke’s Portrait of aCity, Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings, Mahler’sSymphony No 1 (movements 3 & 4).Alleyn’s InternationalConcert SeriesThe School has now had five concerts in its on-going series: in2009 the Endellion Quartet, Steven Osborne (piano), Ning Kam(violin) and Carole Presland (piano), the Gould Piano Trio withRobert Plane (clarinet) and The Swingle Singers.The next two exciting concerts in the series will be:Thursday 11 November, 7.30pmOnyx Brass‘Easily the classiest brass ensemble in Britain’ BBC Music MagazineMonday 7 March, 2011, 7.30pmDante Quartet‘Playing of spellbinding atmosphere’ BBC Music MagazineTickets: £14 (£6 concessions for students and over 60)HOLLYFAIR2010Come and buy all yourChristmas presents in one place.At least 50 fabulous craft and gift Stalls - handcraftedjewellery, Christmas flowers, games &toys, leather goods, pottery and lots more.PLUSThe wonderful Father Christmas Grotto&The Famous Christmas Cafe will be openserving delicious coffee with homemade cakesand sandwiches along with mulled wine.SATURDAY 4th DECEMBER11am - 4pmAlleyn’s School, Townley Road,Dulwichin aid of the Pupil Support Fundalleynsassociation@alleyns.org.ukin aid of the Pupil Support Fundalleynsassociation@alleyns.org.ukDID YOU LEAVE ALLEYN’SIN THE LAST FIVE YEARS?There’s going to be a reunion partyfor leavers who left Alleyn’s in the lastfive years in the Christmas holidays!If you’re going to be in South Londonand fancy escaping the post-Christmasturkey curry, come along to the Clubhouseand meet up with your old mates.Tuesday 28 December, 8pmEdward Alleyn Clubhouse,Burbage Road SE24For further details please email concertseries@alleyns.org.ukor write to Alpha Hopkins, Alleyn’s School, Townley Road,London SE22 8SU.An Alleyn’s weddingCongratulations to Alleyn’s PE teacher Gavin English (Tulley’s,1989-96) and Amy Wynne (Spurgeon’s, 1999-2001) on theirmarriage. They were married in the Foundation Chapel on10 July immediately after the summer term ended. The Schoolwas transformed for the occasion into a wonderful venue forGavin and Amy’s wedding reception. Alleyn’s is clearly inGavin’s DNA as grandfather Dennis Lomas (Tulley’s, 1945-53) isa past president of the Club and three of Dennis’s children –Christopher (1975-80), David (1976-82) and Jacquelyn (1981-87) – as well as Gavin’s aunt, Diane (née Brewer, Brown’s,1979-83) came to Alleyn’s.16

A l u m n in e w sMarley’s Christmas CarolJames Hyland (né Donovan, Tyson’s, 1985-92, pictured as Marley) isreturning to Alleyn’s with his critically acclaimed one-man showA Christmas Carol – as told by Jacob Marley (deceased).Told from the perspective of Scrooge’s deceased business partner, thistheatrical adaptation promises thrills, chills and excitement.‘Hyland tells the famous miser’s story with astonishing dynamism inpalpable, eerie earnest…. It’s Hyland’s performance that revolutionises thetale…. Hyland paints the extraordinary detail of his imagination for hisaudience’s mind’s eye.He conjures a motley crew of living, breathing Dickensian Londoners,complete with their own accents, postures and quirks. His performance is alively embrace of the actor as storyteller.’ Extra! Extra!Thursday 4 November, 7pm, Michael Croft TheatreTickets £12 (£6 concessions: students and over 60)boxoffice@alleyns.org.ukParental discretion advised for children under seven.Battle of Britain Young Composers’ ConcertCongratulations to Philippa Naylor (Dutton’s, 2002-09 and CCFarmy cadet) whose work for solo piano and full orchestra waspremiered at the Battle of Britain Young Composers’ Concert atSt Clement Danes Church, the Strand, London, on 14 September2010. The Battle of Britain was the inspiration for young,British composers to write works for the memorial concertalongside established composers including Cyril Lloyd andNicholas Paul Simpson. Philippa was one of 20 composerswhose work was chosen for the event.The concert was well attended, with an audience of over 400,including serving members of the RAF. Philippa played the pianosolo of her piece, titled ‘Peace’, accompanied by an orchestra oftalented young including current Alleyn’s pupil Eloise MacDonaldon violin. Her work was the penultimate piece in the concert andreceived warm and rapturous applause. The event raised over£2,400 for the RAF Benevolent Fund and RAF Associations.Philippa is currently reading music at Selwyn College, Cambridge.Fringe frolicsNot one but three alumni were involved in the EdinburghFringe Festival this year! Liz Bacon ((Tulley’s, 1999-2006),Adam Fletcher (Spurgeon’s, 2000-07) and Hannah Tottenham(Cribb’s, 2000-07) all took productions to the Fringe in August.Liz produced a Newcastle University Theatre Society showCannes at the Fringe Festival. It was given four stars by theScotsman and its reviewer described the production as one ofthe ‘unexpected, unheralded delights’ of the Fringe.Hannah wrote and directed The Cardboard Metropolis, ‘a blackcomedy set in a warped dystopian future near you’. One bloggingreviewer on the Guardian’s wrote ‘The first time I sawThe Cardboard Metropolis I nearly fell off my seat with laughter!’Adam, who is currently in his secondyear of Law degree at BristolUniversity, performed in Edges,which went on to win an Editors’Award in the Short Productionscategory. Edges is ‘a musical with acast of six, singing aboutrelationships, coming of age, andlife in general.’ One reviewerwrote ‘Edges is a gem. The songsare melodic… with lyrics thathave you listening intently,’ andhighlighted ‘the group number“Facebook Song”,’ which ‘struckmore than a few chords with the audience andwas a highlight of the show.Inspiring ideas needed for International Women’s DayEsme Peach (Roper’s, 1989-1996) has just been appointed toco-ordinate a coalition of charities (including Oxfam, ActionAid,Women for Women, White Ribbon Alliance) and influential womenfrom the arts, business and entertainment worlds led by AnnieLennox, to make International Women’s Day in March 2011 morehigh profile in the UK. As Esme says, ‘No pressure then...’. She goeson to explain: ‘It’s a huge project with a tight timeframe so I’llprobably be under my desk in the foetal position by the end ofOctober. So, if you have any ideas as to what would inspire youpersonally to get involved in events and campaigns to mark the100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, I’d love to hearthem! And if there are any alumni working in media, arts, branding,fashion, policy, events, community development, campaigns (yup,that covers most of you), I’ll be needing your help!’You can contact Esme on esmepeach@hotmail.comwww.edwardalleynclub.com17

A l u m n in e w sRichard explained how the ABPI has to address and respond tothe needs of all its member organisations (of which there are70, ranging from multi-international companies to smallresearch outfits). If it doesn’t, it fails the industry it serves.Defending science spending Radio 4After this Richard caught up on his emails that came throughthat day – on average a whopping 200 of them! Whilst he hadbeen at these various meetings, Richard had been keeping intouch with the ABPI’s press office about Vince Cable’s speechon the coalition Government’s vision for investing in scienceand research. In this Cable asked scientists to abandon workthat is ‘neither commercially useful nor theoreticallyoutstanding’. The invitation to appear on the next day’s TodayProgramme to defend the contribution of science researchspending to future economic growth came through. So themorning we met Richard he had already been interviewed byJohn Humphries and warned the Government to ‘use a scalpeland not a hatchet’ when reviewing its spending on research.He explained how research in life sciences is a long-term twostageprocess: the first, those projects led by curiosity – such ashis own research into magnetic resonance that he carried outin the 1970s and; the second, translating those findings intodeveloping practical medicines and devices, such as MRIscanning which developed from basic research all those yearsago. The MRI scan has in turn led to another success storytoday, the discovery via MRI scans of the brains of patientswith early Alzheimer’s, that supplements of vitamin B sloweddown the shrinkage of their brains, compared to those patientswho hadn’t taken the vitamin B supplement. Researchers saythis could be the first step towards finding a way to delay theonset of Alzheimer’s.Richard enjoys his work immensely and describes it as ‘a funjob’. We talked about his time at school and he remembers howJohn Clarke, the Head of Chemistry, encouraged him inexperimental chemistry, even allowing him to work in theSchool’s laboratories after hours. He also credits the lateAlasdair Aston (see obituary, p23) for inspiring a love oflanguage and Shakespeare. ‘This excellent grounding in Englishis essential for a scientist. The stereotype of the crazy whitecoatedboffin scientist isn’t true anymore. Scientists today haveto be first and foremost excellent communicators. If youconfuse your audience, you lose them, be they politician,patient or pupil. Scientists need to be able to communicatewhat is possible in their area of expertise.’ And championingthe cause of science is clearly a whole way of life for Richard –not just for the day!ICMI board of directorsJohn Gammon (Spurgeon’s, 1951-58), now living in Canada, hasbeen elected to the board of directors of the InternationalCyanide Management Institute (ICMI). The ICMI has beenestablished to administer the International Cyanide ManagementCode for Gold Mining, and promote its adoption, evaluate itsimplementation, and manage the certification process.From 1988 until his retirement from government service in2005, John was Assistant Deputy Minister of Mines andMinerals for the Province of Ontario, Canada. He now acts aconsultant advising governments, industry, and multilateralinstitutions on policy and management matters.John holds undergraduate and PhD degrees in geology, and heundertook three years of postdoctoral research at PrincetonUniversity and the University of California at Riverside as therecipient of a Senior Visiting Fulbright Fellowship. For thefollowing twenty years, he was employed by New Jersey Zincand Falconbridge in successively senior positions in mineralexploration management.John serves on the boards of directors of several resource andmineral exploration companies, and was awarded an honorarydoctorate from Laurentian University in 2005. The OntarioGeological Survey library was re-named the ‘John B GammonGeoscience Library’ upon his retirement from government service.The Big Bang in 3DAlumnus, Dr Martin Stringer (Spurgeon’s,1990-97), is a research associate inPhysics Department of Durham University.He presented his work at the SummerScience Exhibition 2010 held in The CloreBallroom at the Royal Festival Hall.The Summer Science Exhibition was part of the Festival ofScience and Arts, which celebrated the 350th anniversary of theRoyal Society and was jointly organised with Southbank Centre.The Festival allowed visitors to ‘meet the minds behind some ofthe UK's most exciting scientific advances. From machineintelligence to green energy,’ visitors could ‘try out theinteractive exhibits and question the scientists themselves.’At the exhibition Martin talked ‘visitors through our work (andpresenting our 3D cosmology movie!)’. The film Our CosmicOrigins: Building the Milky Way showed computer simulationsof how our 13 billion-year-old Milky Way was built, startingfrom the Big Bang. Visitors experienced interactive real-timesimulations of galaxies in motion and took part indemonstrations and a quiz to understand the origin of galaxies.The film was developed by the Ogden Centre for FundamentalPhysics at Durham University.Languedoc lifePhil Hanks (Roper’s, 1952-59) wrote in to report on a leisurelyLanguedoc reunion of ‘not one but three Old Boys visiting us in ourvillage of Azille which is a few kilometres from the Canal du Midi’!The photo shows them at an evening of food, wine and musicall – Phil wonders whether ‘some might remember us?’From left to right: Phil & Sally Hanks, Alan Williams, Roy Croft,Eileen & Ray Stiles and Rosemary Croft.www.edwardalleynclub.com19

I nm e m o r i a mAlasdair Aston, 1930-2010 (1956-68)In his obituary in the Times of the21 August, Alasdair Aston is described asa ‘poet, a schools inspector andentomologist’, adding that ‘he excelled inall three roles’. Some of us whom hetaught would add that, despite excellingelsewhere, he ought to be especiallyremembered as a successful schoolmaster.Alasdair was born in 1930 to Scottishparents, though he remained throughouthis life a devoted Suffolk-man. When he was still young, hisfamily moved to Stowmarket. His school, Framlingham College,was only 18 miles from home. After National Service in thearmy, he merely crossed the county-border to become a studentat Pembroke College, Cambridge. Although a competentlinguist, at first intending to read modern languages, Alasdairwas led to study English. His aptitude for this became obviousby the fact that in 1953 he won the Chancellor’s medal forpoetry. Later too, he won the University’s Seatonian poetryprizeeight times.After teaching at Emanuel School, Alasdair came to Alleyn’s in1956, where Edward Upward was head of English. In 1967 hebecame head of the department. He was a schoolmaster with aquiet manner: not loud and demonstrative, nor cold andbookish. He coped with some of our south London ‘roughdiamonds’ with a wry humour that succeeded, unruffled, inconveying his own grasp and love of the great texts. He hadnone of the frantic activity of a showman, but workedthoughtfully and assiduously. His trademark was his everbulgingbriefcase: like his mind, full of under-statedpurpose. He could encourage budding scholars with somethingof the comradeship of an older brother. His encouragementwent beyond mere preparation for public exams; he was acivilising cultivator of minds. Alasdair was willing to read whatwe wrote and hear with patience our youthful hopes andambitions, spending hours of his own time to prepare foruniversity entrance-exams. He supervised memorable playproductions,and established Scriblerus as an adjunct to theestablished Edward Alleyn Magazine, to be a vehicle for pupils’writings. He took charge of cross-country running: fitting forone who remained a countryman at heart; here he also spenttime training promising athletes. He showed no remote otherworldlinessin his life at school, but could fill the common roomwith his hilarity, with a charitable sense of the absurdity ofsome human behaviour. Those close to him knew theinspiration that he drew from colleagues and pupils, as well asfrom friends. Alasdair left his mark beyond the School byfostering the Dulwich Poetry Group, holding memorableevenings of verse at the Crown and Greyhound. It was Alleyn’sloss that Alasdair left to become an inspector of English withthe Inner London Education Authority.From chasing crane-flies in the fields behind his home as alittle boy, he went on to be a lifelong entomologist and naturelover,joining the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society (SNS) when hewas 11. His love of nature flowed out in his poetry, withpoignant evocations of the life and sights of the Suffolkcountryside to which he returned year after year. His life had asymmetry, with a continued stream of poems, and the pursuitof butterflies; with the two streams combined in his poemspublished in Naturalists’ magazine. It is touching that his lastholiday was to his beloved Framlingham, still defying modernwanderlust by being unable to drive, still as a member of theSNS after 69 years, still savouring Suffolk’s wildlife and thechanging moods of its seasons. It was at the end of the firstweek of that holiday that Alasdair, with his loving wifePhilomena beside him, was taken with his last, brief illness.www.edwardalleynclub.comAll who knew Alasdair must mourn him; and we send oursympathy to Phil, Rosamund his daughter, and Roger his son,the grandsons, and Dorothy his first wife.Rev John Harding (Tulley’s, 1953-60)Leslie AM Brannan (1930-37)Leslie Brannan won a scholarship to the Alleyn’s, and becameSchool Captain in 1937. From Alleyn’s he studied for a BA(Hons) in Classics at King’s College, London. Leslie served duringWorld War II as an officer in the Pioneer Corps in North Africaand in the Salerno landings, attaining the rank of Major.Leslie was married to his first wife Dorrie for many years.After her passing, he married Marian and to his great delight hadtheir only daughter, Heather, in 1987, when he was 69 years old.He taught at Lichfield’s King Edward VI School for 36 years.Leslie was a senior master from 1947 to 1983 and had severalroles there, including head of classics, careers master, secretaryof the PTA and master of ceremonies for the PTA music hall.He was in charge of teachers new to the profession, served asteacher representative on the board of governors and ran theschool cadet force as a Lieutenant Colonel for 20 years.Away from his work Leslie was a very active member of theLichfield community. He became a magistrate in 1974, was aWorshipful Master of the Guild of Craftsmen and Smiths, wasco-founder of the Lichfield Tamworth Careers Office.From 1952 to 1975 chaired South East Staffordshire YouthEmployment Committee.Leslie was also a major enthusiast of music and the arts.He acted in the Lichfield Players and was chairman for severalyears. He acted and sang in Gilbert and Sullivan operas, waspresident of Lichfield Operatic Society, took the part of narratorin the first performance of John Rutter’s Lichfield Canticle in1972 and also the part of God in Britten’s Noyes Fludde.He read for the talking newspaper for the blind and was aFriend of Dr Milley’s Hospital.In his spare time Leslie was a keen photographer and woodworker,was co-founder of the society Amici D’Italia and was fluent inFrench and Italian as well as Latin and classical Greek.His wife said Leslie ‘was known around Lichfield as a perfectgent – everyone knew him that way.’Robert Bedford (Tyson’s, 1945-50)Robert Bedford died on 18 July 2010. Readers of the alumniebulletin may recall that Mr Bedford wrote in the spring withhis recollections of a school trip to the Channel Islands in the1940s in response to articles about overseas school trips whichappeared in the magazine:‘…until reading the current magazine I have never thought ofmyself as an Old Timer but, now that I am entering the firstpost-war overseas school trip saga, I suppose that I amentering myself in to that category.’He recalls that in the mid to late l940s, both the School 1st X1soccer and cricket teams (at different times of course) madetrips [over the sea] to Guernsey and Jersey. Bob remembersthem as being ‘in either 1947 and 1948 or 1948 and 1949.‘To raise money for these trips we used to arrange functions atSchool and invite girls from the local schools. We ran dances atSt Barnabas Hall – Ken Napper used to play piano and JohnPretlove, Dave Palastanga and myself sang! Can you imagine?The master in charge of the soccer trip was, I believe, Mr Le Fevre,who hailed from the Channel Islands. In charge of the cricket23

I nm e m o r i a mtrip was Geoff Charnley who lives in the Isle of Man. I still havemany photographs of the trips.‘Inviting the local girls paid off since Michael Stewart andI married two of them!’Roger Coulson (Spurgeon’s, 1953-59)Roger Coulson lived in Warlingham, Surrey, and he died inApril 2010 after an illness of six months. Roger played golf in12 meetings. His first meeting was the 33rd Meeting atSundridge Park, and his last was at the 53rd Meeting atBetchworth Park. He won the Bantick Singles KnockoutCompetition in 1977, the Guest Day Singles at Walton Heath in1978 (41st Meeting), and the Afternoon Competition at RoyalWimbledon (43rd Meeting) also in 1978. Roger was a memberat Croham Hurst Golf Club and played off a handicap of 12.Golf Society ArchivesJames Eburah, 1919-2010 (Dutton’s 1930-1935)Jim was born in Birmingham, butmoved south with his family in 1923.He attended Dulwich Hamlet JuniorSchool, before winning a scholarshipto Alleyn’s in 1930. His father died in1935 so, very reluctantly, Jim had toleave school a year early. He wasfortunate to gain a place as a traineewith the then Post Office, in itsengineering department.In 1940 he joined the Royal Signals, and in October 1942 foundhimself enjoying some Mediterranean sun with the 1st Army inAlgiers, and then in Tunisia. In 1944 he was in Italy where hewas seriously injured by a landmine. He was subsequentlyposted to the War Office where he stayed until 1947.A varied career followed in Civvy Street: PO engineering,Ministry of Transport, and finally Highways and Transport withthe then newly created Greater London Council (GLC). One ofhis responsibilities was the creation of many of London’s nowfamiliar one-way streets.He was very much a family man; married to Margaret in 1941,four children, and so far eight grandchildren; an active memberof his local church in Warlingham in Surrey, and a gentlemanof sound principles.Alan Whitten (Tyson’s, 1953-60)Sidney Giles (Brown’s, 1933-42)Sidney died aged 86 on 22 March. He was School Captain atthe time of the School’s evacuation to Rossall in the SecondWorld War. His wife, Sheila, writes: ‘I know he played a livelypart in school in what remained his two great and absorbinginterests throughout his life: theatre and music. Sidney laterwent on to play Caesar in Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra, at theMiddlesbrough Little Theatre when the theatre was opened bySir John Gieldgud in 1957. There are contributions from Sidneyin the recent Drama & Music: The Performing Arts at Alleyn’sbook. He retained a friendship with the headmaster of thattime, Ralph Allison and his wife, Rita, until their deaths.’Cyril Alfred Herring, 1915-2009 (Dutton’s, 1924-31)In his very last days, Cyril’s carersdescribed him as an old-schoolgentleman, courteous, kind andcharming to the very end. He will bemost missed not just for his sharp witand intellect but for his infinite patience,good temper and unwavering politeness.Cyril was a Londoner, born and bred inDulwich. He won a scholarship toAlleyn’s and proved a bright scholar, butsadly had no chance to continue ontouniversity, an omission he more than made up for at a laterstage. His early career was spent in and around the City,notably as a bank messenger for Thomas Cook. But his mainand abiding love was for ‘figures’, and at an early stage hepassed his exams to be an accountant. This stood him in goodstead for the rest of his career, and three years before the warhe joined Whitney Straight Aviation in Weston-super-Mare asits chief accountant.Although he learnt to fly with the RAF Reserve before the War,when he applied to join up he was told that he was more usedoing what he was already doing – running an aircraft factory(for Straight Aviation), which he continued to do throughout theWar. He also became a Lieutenant in the Home Guard, so for hischildren this was truly ‘Dad’s Army’. Most importantly, though,the day before War broke out he married his wife: as he used tojoke, from that day on there was no more peace. Four yearslater Adrian was born, and then two years later Nigel. Manyyears later, a third son, Gerard, was added to the family.In 1946 he was appointed as one of the very first employees ofthe newly formed British European Airways in west London, androse to be chief accountant ending up as financial director witha seat on the board. With the merger of BEA and BOAC in 1972he was appointed to the combined board, and as financedirector for British Airways from 1975-78, at which point heretired from a long career in aviation.When he moved back to London in 1946 he also enrolled for aneconomics degree at the London School of Economics. In spite ofthe pressures of family and work, he obtained a good degree,continued to a post-graduate qualification and even lectured fora while at the LSE. He also took further accountingqualifications, became a fellow of the Institute of Transport androse to be President of CIMA, the accountants’ professional body.He was fascinated by all forms of mechanical transport, firstmotorbikes and trialling, then cars and finally aircraft.He maintained his pilot’s licence and jointly owned a smallaircraft well into his sixties.When he retired from British Airways in 1978, he had nointention of ‘going into retirement’. First he got a post on theBritish Rail Advisory Board, and then in 1981 bought severalfranchises of Budget Rent-a-Car. The majority of thesebusinesses were sold in 1986 when he moved down to Cornwallpermanently. He kept a modest car-hire business going inPlymouth until 2002, but his main focus moved to his work asa management consultant, advising smaller businesses on howto grow and expand.He also delighted in the progress of his three sons and fourgrandchildren, and three years ago, was very proud to becomea great-grandfather for the first time.Sadly though, the years took their toll. A big blow for him waswhen he developed macular degeneration in 2000, whichmeant that he could no longer do what he most loved doing –driving, solving crosswords and poring over share investments.24

I nm e m o r i a mAt the end, the doctor wrote on his death certificate that hedied of ‘old age’. Would that we could all die as contentedlyand as at peace as Cyril, after such an immensely long, fruitfuland happy life.Gerard HerringLeslie Jones, 1912-2010 (Cribb’s, 1922-1929)Les Jones grew up in Harlescott Road,Nunhead. His schooldays at Alleyn’swere undistinguished apart from hisprowess at rifle shooting, an interest hemaintained throughout his life; in 1937he was proud to be included – as OfficerCadet LAK Jones – in ‘The King’sHundred’ at Bisley [the OTC shootingteam]. He developed a lifelongfriendship with his maths master, Mike Evans, whose son Terry,Les’s best friend at school, was tragically killed in a caraccident at an early age.At the age of 17 he went to Pitman’s College to learn the skills oftyping and shorthand (including French!), which equipped him fora post with Sherwood’s, the parliamentary agents. When the Warbegan, Les was turned down for military service on medicalgrounds, so he became an air raid warden, and in later years heloved to tell some amusing anecdotes of his experiences on dutyaround Dulwich. He met his future wife Cilla whilst lodging in hermother’s house in Woodwarde Road. But he spent most of theWar in the Gold Coast, working as payroll clerk on the AshantiGold Field. He had a narrow escape on his first voyage out toAfrica when his ship was sunk by a torpedo off the coast of SierraLeone. Once back in England he was employed in the accountsdepartment of Esso Petroleum where he stayed until he retired.Les and Cilla’s children, Ruth and Neil, were born in the 1950s and,following in their father’s footsteps, were educated at JAGS andAlleyn’s. During this time the family moved from Battersea back toDulwich, but in 1980 they settled in Twickenham where Les spentthe rest of his life. He and Cilla enjoyed exploring west London andloved travelling, mainly in Europe, but also six times to Canada.Les kept in touch with Alleyn’s via the Old Boys’ Rifle Club untilit was disbanded in 1992 owing to changes in legislation andfalling membership. Over the years he served as both matchsecretary and treasurer. Although he was by nature quite asolitary and private man, it was his fate to outlive most of hiscontemporaries and sadly he came to miss the camaraderie ofhis fellow club members such as Bob Edwards, Jim Heal, JohnnyHoe and Ray Simmons who all predeceased him.He never really got over the loss of his beloved Cilla in 1996,but he soldiered on and continued to travel in the UK withRuth as long as his health would allow; but he spent his lasttwo years in care and slipped away peacefully after a very shortillness at the ripe age of 97.Ruth JonesIn the spring, Mr Jones submitted some of his memories ofAlleyns in the 1920s for the School’s oral history project.Jonathan (Jonny) Lowe, 1961-2010 (Cribb’s, 1971-1978)Jonny died on 15 June as a result of injuries he had suffered ina cycling accident a few days earlier. He is survived by his wifeJulie, their four children Rose, Amelia, Xan and Eloise, hisparents John and Di, and his sister Nic.Jonny lived in Dulwich and Beckenham as a child. He attendedDulwich Hamlet Junior School before moving to Alleyn’s as oneof the first Saddler’s scholars. Jonnyexcelled at School. Not only was heconsistently top of the scholarship formhe also embraced the range of sportsoffered, representing the School athockey, cricket, badminton and tennis.He became a School Prefect and wasHouse Captain of Cribb’s.Jonny went up to Oriel College Oxfordto read Modern Languages in 1979. Itwas during the year abroad in his degree course that he methis future wife Julie whilst in living in Quebec. That was thestart of the most loving, enduring and successful ofrelationships. A relationship from which Jonny developed thehumanity, loyalty and generosity of spirit that his many friendshave consistently commented on since his death.After graduation Jonny joined Arthur Andersen to train as achartered accountant. On qualification he immediately movedinto the private sector and for fifteen years held seniorfinancial positions with quoted companies in a number ofsectors including technology, environmental services,advertising and printing. In 2001 he joined the private equityfirm Permira Advisors as chief financial officer. He was toremain with Permira until his death.In 1992 Jonny and his family moved from Sydenham to thelovely village of Great Bardfield in northern Essex. Many peoplethere formed the fourth of his great friendship groupsalongside those he nurtured and sustained from Alleyn’s,Oxford and Andersen’s. Showing his generosity and love of thevillage life he donated land to the parish council to establishallotments and successfully resurrected a previously closed pubin the village.In September 2009 Jonny was diagnosed as suffering from theterminal illness motor neurone disease. Apart from a fewabsolutely necessary concessions (like cancelling a heli-skiexpedition!) he used the disease as an opportunity to reemphasiseto everyone those things that were most importantto him. Significantly reducing his commitment to work hestarted an Open University degree in Mathematics andPhilosophy and organised to spend as much of his time aspossible with his family and his friends. To maintain his fitnesshe started cycling again and had enjoyed wonderful holidayscycling with Julie and friends in Vietnam, Cambodia and Cubaearlier this year.We doubt that anyone else we know lived their life as fully oras competitively as Jonny. He couldn’t sit in an airportdepartures lounge for more than a minute or two withoutproducing a pack of cards for a few competitive hands of oneof the many card games he loved. He couldn’t visit his sister inNew Zealand without organising to go bungee jumping and skydiving. He couldn’t go camping in the Dordogne withoutchallenging the local Frenchmen to a boules competition.Jonny was a proud, loving and supportive husband and father.He was a charismatic, vibrant, fun-loving, generous and loyalfriend. He will be sadly missed.His many Alleyn’s friendsRonald Stevens (Stevie) 1922-2010 (Tulley’s, 1932-39)A good innings – when, on 1 May, the ultimate umpire raisedhis finger, he walked.Greatly missed father of Andrea and Erika, grandfather, greatgrandfatherand friend of many too numerous to mention.www.edwardalleynclub.com25

S p o r t sN e w sCricketIt was a season of victories, hope, and ultimately heartbreak forthe teams in the Surrey Championship. The new 1st XI captain,Tom Bevan, was one of a legion of former Dulwich College pupilsin our teams. He led from the front, taking 53 wickets and scoring900 runs, beating the club record of 826 set by Rowan McGill(Tn 1987-94) in 1999. The professional Chris Thompson, releasedby Leicestershire, yielded a further 820 runs and the team’s elevenvictories were the most since it won promotion from the divisionbelow in 1998. A further promotion seemed inevitable, but abatting collapse in the penultimate match against Sinjuns costthe team the necessary top-two placing it deserved.The 2nd XI, conversely, battled with the threat of relegation,only being assured of survival in the final over of the season,when Chipstead were narrowly beaten and the drop was avertedby a solitary point. The 3rd XI were bolstered by an influx ofplayers following a revolt at Sinjuns, and Ajit Kumar’s 639 runsensured promotion into the top division for next year, the firsttime that any of the club’s teams will play premier leaguematches. The 4th XI could have followed suit, but for defeat bySutton in a top-of-the-table clash which closed the season.And so it was that, extraordinarily, every match played by allfour of the league teams contributed to either a promotion orrelegation contest which went right down to the wire.The cliché may be that ‘cricket was the winner’, but the fact isthat the club is flourishing in terms of activity, even though itappears that this cannot indefinitely be supported financially.This year, the league representation numbered just three AlleynOld Boys: Jim Bridgeman (S 1979-86) [283 runs] and Will Bevan(C 1993-98) [21 wickets] playing regularly in the 1st XI, andGraham Swann (S 1958-66) making a couple of appearancesfor the 2nd XI. This has to be a record low; indeed, it does seemthat the days of former pupils playing league cricket atBurbage Road are almost gone.Happily, the same cannot be said for the Adhoc XI, the club’ssocial side, run for the fourteenth consecutive year by yourreporter. The teamenjoyed its best-everyear, winning 15 of its21 matches includingall of the last six. JoeMansfield (Bn 1990-97) bowledremarkably, taking25 wickets at anaverage of under tenand including anAdhoc XI record 7 for 11 against Wibbandune. Freddie Neve(B 2002-09), Deepak Amriwala (Bn 1998-05), Mike Logan(Bn 1982-89), George Hobbs (C 2004-09), Archie Hunter(Tn 2000-07) and Martin Stringer (S 1990-97) are all namesfamiliar to many of our readers and they all took wickets.Old Boys prospered equally well with the bat. Benedict Cullen(Bn 1995-02) scored 187 runs and further runs were scored byPatrick Cullen (Bn 1998-05), Hugo Greenhalgh (B 2003-10), BenjiPortwin (Bn 1998-05), James Le Ball (B 1998-05), Scott McKinlay(R 1998-05), Chris Lilly (Tn 1996-03), Will Johnson (C 1993-97)and Ted Rosner (S 2001-06). No fewer than 17 Adhoc XI players –more than half who played – went to Alleyn’s School.The contrast between the league and friendly teams is stark.Kato Harris (Tyson’s, 1990-97)ChairmanTennisWe have had mixed success in the Surrey and SouthwarkLeagues this year. The men’s team continued to do well in theSouthwark League but the newly promoted ladies’ team foundthe higher division a tougher challenge (though the shoppingwas better!).Our Saturday morning adult coaching sessions continue to bewell attended. Our beginners/improvers session runs for anhour at 9.30am and the advanced session from 10.30am to12 noon. Section members are charged £5 a session and nonmembers£6. However, if there are too many people, memberswill be admitted to the session first.We continued the year with two more sessions of videoanalysis, one on the serve and one for the volley and lob whichwere well attended. A small dedicated band of members havecontinued with our Monday evening F4T (Fit for Tennis)sessions. Although a hard slog at the time and seemingly neverending, we are all feeling the benefit of the sessions(honestly…). If you are interested in giving it a go, we start at7.30pm and all you need is a tennis racket and plenty of water.The session is based around tennis and movement on the court,but you don’t need to be a tennis player to participate.Our other main activity this summer has been the internalsummer tournament. The finals were contested on a warm andsunny Sunday – 12 September. All matches were keenlycontested, especially in the first set and each producedentertaining long rallies. Finalists and winners are listed below.Men’s SinglesIain Glen bt Jervis Rhodes (6-4 6-1)Ladies’ DoublesJulia Simson & Diana Hamilton-Fairley btSophie Carter and Janice Fearne (7-5 6-4)Men’s DoublesIain Glen & Rob Montague btJohn Kent & Brian Everitt (7-5 6-2)Membership of the section (which runs from May) is £180 forfamilies, £115 for single and £50 for junior (up to 18).All standards are welcome. We also have an introduction fee of£25 for first year leavers of the School.If you would like any information about the section pleasecontact:Elizabeth Livingstone 020 8670 8864elivingstone184@btinternet.comLinda Lancaster 020 7274 2355.If you want information on individual or junior coaching pleasecontact Kerstin Polster on 07866 765505.See our website for more general information about theSection: www.edwardalleyntennisclub.co.uk or it can beaccessed through the main Edward Alleyn Club website.Harlequins’ contractCongratulations to Alex Ingarfield (Brown’s, 2003-10) has justsigned a full-time contract with Harlequins Rugby Club.Alex is currently studying Sports Sciences at Brunel Universityand the university is happy for him to train and play, as well ascontinue with his course.26

S p o r t sn e w sGolfThe Edward Alleyn Golf Society200th Meeting Dulwich & SydenhamThe long-awaited 200th Meeting of the Society saw the godsof weather bless us. Fifty-one enthusiastic EAGS golfers arrivedfor bacon rolls and coffee to start the day, which was followedby the morning team competition. A big welcome to JamesWareham, David Young and Jim Bridgeman, all of whom weremaking EAGS debuts. The morning competition was divided intotwo sections 1st to 12th holes, and 7th to 18th holes.The winners respectively were George Thorne, Peter Battle,Dave Cleveland, and Chris Briere-Edney (66 points), andDave Slaney, Dave Stallard, Stuart Harmer and Mike Scott(62 points). On the 8th hole the Golf Visuals Team of Alison andMichael Bargeron duly snapped and videoed, and they alsomeasured our swing speeds. No surprise that Nick Clarknotched up the fastest swing speed there.A quick turnaround with ploughman’s lunch and we were intothe afternoon singles competition for the Cutress Cup. Morekeen competition for this one with temptation presenting itselfin the form of a free bar at 8th, and nearest the pin andlongest drive competitions. This year’s Captain, Steve Bargeron,relieved of the burden of secretaryship, came home in 38 pointson countback from Mike Scott. In fact only four points coveredthe prize winning first seven!Eight of the founder members of the Golf Society (from left to right):Dennis Lomas, George Thorne, John Knight, John Etches, Andre Cutress,Roger Warren, Alan Williams, Keith Bantick.Our special presentation was on behalf of the Edward AlleynClub and the Golf Society, a retirement gift of a blazer toDr Colin Diggory and silk scarf to Mrs Sue Diggory. Colin hasbeen an unswerving supporter of the Club and Society and I amsure all members will wish him and Sue a well earned happyretirement. Colin was clearly delighted with his new blazer withits dashing scarlet lining and he looked forward to wearing iton Founder’s Day (see p2). At the dinner he described howsurprised he had been when he was invited to be the GolfSociety’s President, following in the illustrious footsteps of golflegend AOB Sir Henry Cotton. He remembers saying to the GolfSociety ‘but I don’t play golf!’. ‘Don’t worry,’ came back thequick reply, ‘neither do we!’ Colin was kind enough to donatethe wine that accompanied the evening meal and we lookforward to his continued Presidency of the Society.For further details on how to join please contact Justin Suttonon 020 8693 5002 or email: justinrsutton@hotmail.comJustin SuttonDid you know?Cricketing legend Sir Jack Hobbs sent his son toAlleyn’s in 1922?Susie Schofield was sneezing her way through Archives as part ofthe research she has been carrying out to find out what wasgoing on at Alleyn’s in the 1930s. She was investigating the kindsof professions the parents of boys held and dug out the Dutton’sregister for this period. The professions listed were many andvaried – from bus driver to banker, policeman to post office sorter,commercial traveller to cricketer! Doing a double-take at this oddprofession, Susie read the name of the pupil whose record shewas reading: Leonard Hobbs, whose father was listed as JB Hobbs.Jaw slackened, Susie couldn’t wait to quiz a cricketing buff tofind out if the prospect of this illustrious contact could be true.She emailed Richard Godfrey (Brading’s, 1967-74) whoconfirmed by return that yes, Jack Hobbs did indeed have fourchildren, Jack, Leonard, Vera and Ivor. The addresses listed onthe Dutton’s record also corresponded with those known forSir Jack (at Englewood Road and Atkins Drive). Some ofSir Jack’s sporting prowess seems to have rubbed off on youngwww.edwardalleynclub.comLeonard – he was in both the 1st XI cricket and football teams,the School’s athletics champion and its boxing lightweightchampion for 1926. He also represented the School at thePublic Schools’ Sports held at Stamford Bridge in April 1927.For those of you interested in the Alleyn’s 1930s project, Susiesoon hopes to have written up the recollections of AOBs whovisited the School on its 1930s Memories Day reunion, as wellas those 1930s AOBs who sent in written accounts.Many of the AOBs remembered their school friends who werekilled in the Second World War. Susie will include a chapter aboutthese men with details of what part they played in the War.If you remember any of these men Susie would very much like tohear from you so she can add to their biographical information.Once the 1930s report is finished, the Development & AlumniOffice will send a copy to all AOBs who were at Alleyn’s in the1930s. If you would like to receive a copy – but weren’t here inthe 1930s – please let Susie know.The date for the 1940s oral history reunion is 1 March, 2011.27

Dates for your diaryDeadline for Advent alumni ebulletin: 1 NovemberA Christmas Carol: 4 November, 7pm, MCT, Alleyn’s SchoolEAC AGM: 9 November, 8pm, ClubhouseOnyx Brass concert: 11 November, 7.30pm, MCT, Alleyn’s SchoolRemembrance Sunday: 14 November, 10.50am, Christ’s ChapelAnnual Dinner: 20 November, Alleyn’s SchoolUpper School Musical – Sondheim’s Into the Woods: 24-27 November, 7pm, MCT, Alleyn’s SchoolParky Pot Quiz: 26 November, 8pm, ClubhouseHolly Fair: 4 December, 11am-4pm, Alleyn’s SchoolChristmas reunion for recent leavers: 28 December, Clubhouse, 8pmAlleyn’s Annual Chaplaincy Lecture, 19 January 2011, 7.30pm1940s Memories Day Reunion: 1 March, 11am, Alleyn’s SchoolMagazine copy deadline: 7 MarchDante Quartet concert: 7 March, 7.30pm, MCT, Alleyn’s SchoolEAC EGM followed by EAC Council meeting: 8 March, 8pm, ClubhouseSt John’s Smith Square Concert: 2 May1971, 1981, 1991 Reunion: 18 June, 11am, Alleyn’s SchoolFoundation Commemoration Service: 1 July, Christ’s Chapel, 7pmFounder’s Day: 2 July, 2pm-4.15pmFor further information, please get in touch at:Alumni & Development Office, Alleyn’s School, Townley Road, London SE22 8SUTel: 020 8557 1466/1588 (term-time only) Email: alumni@alleyns.org.ukFor information about the Clubhouse, please get in touch with Keith Rodwell on:020 7274 4864 Email: ktr10e@btinternet.com