Dancing back to health - University of Winchester

The Winton Club - King Alfred’s Alumni Association MagazineIssue 10 - New Year 2004University Status:one step closer!Vows on CampusAlumni Wedding of the year!KingAlfred’s@BasingstokeMore insideDancing back to healthThe story of a true survivor

G ra d u a t i o n2003Our Cover: The joy of life – Pro f e s s i o n a lDancer, Hannah Young .Left: Sealed with a kiss! Nine year old Daisy Hoadcongratulates her Mum Val who graduated fromthe BA Primary Education course.Below: Staff applauding graduands as they leavethe Cathedral.ContentsFeatures3 University status update4-5 M a r raige Vows in the Presence ofAngels7 KingAlfred’s@Basingstoke: a differentkind of University8-9 Hannah’s Dance of Joy13 Major publishing deal for feistymermaid15 Hot off the Press!Regulars6 Reunion 200314 In Memory of...16 Blast from the Past!An honorary degree for an alumnus!Nearly thirty years after his first graduation, Sir Geoff Hampton returned to Winchesterto receive an Honorary Degree for his services to education. Alongside October’s 1200new graduands were a total of six "Honorary" appointments.Left: "The library wasn’t like this in my day…" Sir GeoffH a m p ton who first gra d u a ted in 1974 meets curre n tstudents Sam Armstrong and Holly Heffernan.Contact Venta:The Alumni OfficeKing Alfred’sSparkford RoadWinchester SO22 4NRT: (01962) 827193F: (01962) 827548E: alumni@wkac.ac.ukFor the first time, this year’s graduation spreadover five ceremonies – and staff lined up outsideWinchester Cathedral to applaud the newgraduands as they emerged from the West Door.Sir Geoff ’s work in helping schools succeed washighlighted in a recent edition of Venta. (You canread the full story on the web:w w w. k i n g a l f r e d s . a c . u k / a l u m n i / p u b l i c a t i o n s /ventaissue8.pdf)Below: Sir Geoff surrounded by his family and CollegePrincipal, Professor Paul Light, Dire c tor of the CominoC e n t re, José Chambers and Pro Chancellor of Southampto nU n i v e rsity, Dame Yvonne Moore sHis return to the campus where he remembers"days filled with a wonderful sense of friendshipand community," provided a nostalgic trip downm e m o ry lane and included a visit to the educationresources centre in the College library.

Celebrations as College movesnearer to University statusThere were many very happy faces around campus this summer when we heard fromthe Privy Council that after two years of intense scrutiny the College had beensuccessful in its application to gain taught Degree Awarding Powers.A very happy2004 to everyone!Welcome to any alumni who are receiving theirfirst copy of Venta. We hope you enjoy it and if youdo please encourage your friends to go online andsign up! I am constantly surprised by the timesand places I encounter former King Alf ’s students.You seem to turn up everywhere! We’re nowconsidering developing network groups foralumni working in different sectors. Please let meknow what you think of the idea or any otherways the Winton Club can work for you.3The immediate effect of this is that we can apply forUniversity College title and indeed we have alreadyapplied for the title of University CollegeWi n c h e s t e r. As you may also be aware, theG o v e rnment’s White Paper on the future of HigherEducation raises the possibility of proceeding fairlyquickly to full University title, and we have inform e dthe Privy Council that we intend to makeapplication for the title of University of Wi n c h e s t e ras soon as the opportunity is open to us.Clearly there are a number of political issuess u rrounding the matter of title and we will take oneach of those battles as they arise. However, we cannow say with confidence that our standing as aU n i v e r s i t y-level provider of high teaching qualityhas been recognised by our peers. We have got thisbecause we are worth it!who we are and what we do. In the past those ofour alumni who received degrees did so underaccreditation from the CNAA and more recentlySouthampton University. But throughout it all, wehave always felt that you were o u r graduates andit’s good that this will become a clear cut reality in afew years time.In terms of timing, no students currently inregistration will be affected by the changes. We willintroduce the use of our awarding powers forc e rtain courses (including all initial teacher trainingprogrammes) for students starting at College inautumn 2004 and for a l l students arriving in 2005.Research degrees (MPhil and PhD), will continue tobe awarded under our accreditation agreementwith Southampton University.Last year saw a number of changes at College –including the summer departure of alumni officerSarah Hogan who has embarked on a PGCEcourse at Chichester. All of us involved withalumni relations are grateful to Sarah for herwork over the past couple of years. Meanwhile,her former role is unfilled as we review theCollege’s marketing and external relationsoperation. In the interim, Jayne Sambrook Smithhas joined the team on a temporary basis andwritten much of the content for this publication.Meanwhile, there have been some huge strategicdevelopments at College. Don’t miss what thePrincipal has to say here about our taught DegreeA w a rding Powers success. Then there’s theopening of our site at Basingstoke and plentymore besides. Read on – and enjoy!Gill Lo n g m a nHead of Communications and Marketing Serv i c e sWe felt strongly that we needed the word“ U n i v e r s i t y” in our title in order to be clear aboutProfessor Paul Light, P r i n c i p a l“The greatest thing to happen to Winchester for 200 or 300 years.”That was just one reaction to the newsof King Alfred’s success as congratulationsfor the College poured in from alldirections.Professor Kate McLuskie, Deputy Vice Chancellorof Southampton University said: “This is anexcellent result, the right result and one that willallow the college to move forward into a verybright future.”Her words were echoed by the leader ofHampshire County Council, Ken Thornber whoadded: “This is a well deserved success and mycongratulations go to Paul and his staff who havew o r ked so hard to achieve this.”Barbara Bryant, chief executive of the Nort hHampshire Chamber of Commerce and Industrysaid: “The new status will be brilliant. Itconsolidates Wi n c h e s t e r’s name and gives it areason to continue to be famous. For a long whilethe city has relied on the glories of the past. This isthe greatest thing to happen to the city for two orthree hundred years!”The business community has also welcomed thenews, saying that a proposed increase in thenumber of students would bring a lot more tradeto the area. Jim Sawyer Chairman of theWinchester Chamber of Commerce said: “We’ r ethrilled to hear the College has succeeded. Thecontribution to the local economy by King Alfred’scannot be underestimated. This news can only begood for the reputation and standing of the city.Over time, businesses will see the benefit of havinglinks with the university. ”

ge Vows in the5ce of Angelsliving back in 1998. Catherine had made the bigm i s t a ke of bringing her own TV from home.“We were introduced at the Freshers’ Ball,”remembered David. “Then word spread fast thatCatherine liked football and that she had a telly.Before long, I’d made sure I’d got an invite for thenext big match! Soon we were going out.”Since leaving College, Catherine and David havebeen living in Sandhurst in Kent. David has beenworking for West London NHS Mental Health Tru s tteaching sports and education to people withsevere mental illness. After a year as a teachingassistant at two local schools, Catherine hasenrolled on a PGCE course at Reading University.When they decided to get married, it was touchand go whether they would get the licence fromthe church authorities for permission to use theChapel.for their reception and Conference Serv i c e sa d o rned the tables with orange and red gerberas tomatch the burnt orange calla lilies in Catherine’sbouquet. College catering provided the weddingbreakfast that consisted of three mouth-wateringc o u r s e s .“It was a warm, sunny day. I remember standing inthe Chapel waiting for Catherine to arrive,” smilesDavid. “Everything was perfect. The Chapel looke dfantastic and the guests were all there. Then ah o rrible thought suddenly crossed my mind - w h a tif Catherine doesn’t turn up?”But David needn’t have worried. After the customary ten minutes wait, the bride appeared lookingstunning in a strapless, ice white Maggie Sotterod r e s s .“ For once, I was speechless,” said David. “Shel o o ked gorgeous!”Above Left: The Happy Couple - Catherine andDavid with College Chaplain, Jonathan Wa t k i n s“When the letter arrived with the officialWestminster stamp it lay on the kitchen tableunopened for some while,” said Catherine.The College Chaplain has his own memories of thed a y. It was the first wedding that Jonathan had everheld at the Chapel."Then a horrible thought suddenly crossed my mind -what if Catherine doesn’t turn up?"“Neither of us wanted to be disappointed. Wecouldn’t imagine having our wedding anywheree l s e .”But all was well and soon the couple were makingpreparations for more than 70 guests to come toKing Alfred’s to help celebrate their nuptials.“It was handy being able to use the accommodationat West Downs,” she said. “Nearly 30 people stayedon campus. As you can imagine, all our friendswho’d studied at King Alfred’s loved that!”“There seemed to be a strong spiritual presence inthe church that day. As vows were exchanged theexcitement of the wedding couple and their familyand friends was almost tangible.“I couldn’t help thinking how much the newlyuncovered angels added to the proceedings,” hereflected. “Their sheer opulence seemed to add asense of heightened drama. The bride’s flowersand the colour of the bridesmaids’ dresses blendedbeautifully with the dazzling display of blues, redsand gold from the angels.The couple used the Shakespeare Room at theWest Downs Pe rf o rming Arts & Conference Centre“I would strongly welcome more alumni weddingson campus. It really was a wonderful day. ”

6Guild speaks out on EducationCONGRATULATIONS go to Rebecca Swan (BEd Biological Sciences 1987-1991) who hasbeen elected Renter Warden of the Guild of Educators.“I joined the Guild of Educators because I wantedto be part of a dynamic and thriving City of Londoninstitution,” said Rebecca. “I wanted to share anddiscuss ideas with a like-minded body of peoplewho share a commitment to the importance of theprofession and craft of education.“The modern Guild is a charitable institution thatseeks to recognise and support excellence of thec r a ft of being an educator, above education itself. ”she explained. “We have a diverse and attractiverange of events each year which encourage debateand extend our realms of knowledge.“Guilds and liveries have a valuable rôle to play inpromoting and developing their craft. Although weare presently a young Guild, having only beenfounded in May 2001, I believe we will grow to be amajor benefactor to those who call themselvese d u c a t o r s .“I feel honoured to be a part of the Guild in its earlydays and look forward to welcoming many newmembers in my position of Renter Wa r d e n .”Rebecca currently works as an EducationConsultant for museums and community projects.Her clients include the Museum of London andMuseum of Docklands as well as the University ofEast London. She is also the Chair of Governors forthe Rebecca Cheetham Nursery Education Centrein Stratford – one of the first Early ExcellenceCentres in Britain. After leaving King Alfred’s shetaught in a primary school in Tower Hamlets forfour years.Rebecca is married to Jonathan (also BEd BiologicalSciences 1987-1991). Jonathan is a director of atraining company in the City. The couple live inStratford, East London and have two sons, aged 8and 6.Fu rther details about the Guild of Educators can beobtained from the Clerk to the Guild, Keith Lawreyon kl@lawrey23.freeserve.co.uk or you can contactRebecca direct on rebecca_swan@talk21.comGuilds go back to medieval times, asorganised bodies which set andregulated standards of professionalcompetence. Craftsmen, onsuccessful completion of theirapprenticeships, became mastersrecognised by their guild. They were entitled towear a badge and clothing (a livery). Guilds andliveries by their own definition are committed tothe education and continuation of the craft theyrepresent. The Guild of Educators differs in that itrepresents the craft of the educator.Double First for Swan PrizeThe 2003 Swan Prize was awarded to two final yearstudents within the School of Education at the endof the last academic year. The award, which waspresented a few years ago by alumni Rebecca andJonathan Swan, is normally for the best dissert a t i o nacross the School. However, owing to difficulties int rying to choose the outright winner, the Collegedecided to match the prize with a second winner.The winner in the BA in Primary Education wasJennifer Dew with her essay entitled ‘To whatextent is school physical education seen by year 6girls as a positive experience?’, and thewinner in Education Studies was Karen CoxO ’ R o u r ke with her paper on ‘The Truth of Doubt:An exploration of doubt in Hegel, Kierkegaardand We i l. ’Both students graduated last October with Fi r s tClass Honours.Reunion 20032003 Alumni Reunion was held on the first weekend in July with a turnout of over 190m e m b e rs and guests.Top: (L to R) Tony Selwood, David Keyho and Keith take a tripdown memory lane while looking at photo g raphs brought byBarry White. Below: (L to R) Terry Wa i tes, Brian LeConte .Pe ter Chatte rs (standing), talking with Ken Ste v e n s o n ,H o w a rd Hors tead and John Beirne.On the Friday evening 16 members from the mid1950’s met with Peter Chatters, who had been oneof the two Physical Education lecturers of that eraand who was returning to Reunion for the first time.Also present were Martial Rose (Vice-Principal andthen Principal for a total of nineteen years), DouglasBowers (Head of Physical Education, followingFrank Blackburn’s retirement, 1956-91), EdithB l a c k b u rn (Frank’s widow) and David Blackburn(son), Joy Nolloth (née Proctor, Principal’s Secretary1953-62) and Sarah Hogan (former Alumni Officer).All enjoyed an evening helped along with anexcellent buffet and a little wine.Saturday followed the traditional pattern of HolyCommunion, Reunion Service, and luncheon withProfessor Chris Tu rner presiding and responding toJohn Steel’s toast of “King Alfred’s College and TheWinton Club” and a response from Michael Breeze(1960-63). 1960-63 also provided the preacher theReverend Canon Brian Davis and organist AndrewJones. The Annual General Meeting and an OrganRecital followed, and catering of a high standard wasfavourably received. Charles Gorvin (1926-28) waspresent with his wife and alumni joinedtogether in congratulating them on their marr i a g e .Howard HorsteadH o n o r a ry Secretary, The Winton Club

7A different kind of university…That’s what King Alfred’s has been offering the people of Basingstoke since September.In a development that marked the College’s first campus away from Winchester, theChute House Study Centre opened in the heart of the town.From Fe b ru a ry there will be the opportunity forlocal alumni to return to study as postgraduateteaching gets under way.A Masters programme in Contemporary GlobalIssues is likely to be of interest to graduates from arange of undergraduate disciplines. "The programmeis available to students who have completeda good first degree, ideally (but not exclusively)in the fields of Management, Cultural Studiesor Social Sciences.Other postgraduate courses due to start in 2004are: MSc Health Informatics; MA Pe rf o rming Art s ;Postgraduate Certificate/MA in Health and SocialCare Management.The College is renting the Grade II listed buildingfrom Basingstoke and Deane District Council for aninitial period of five years. Once a deal had beens t ruck there was a busy spring and summerfocussed on refurbishing the building, kitting it outwith state of the art IT facilities – and planning theacademic programmes.Since its September opening, the Centre has beenrunning four part-time foundation degreeprogrammes in• Management• Creative Industries• Early Childhood• Community DevelopmentThe courses have been developed in part n e r s h i pwith local employers and signal a new way ofl e a rning for people who want to study while theycontinue in employment.To mark the opening of the sate l l i te campus, nearly 500m e m b e rs of the community provided their handprints tohelp cre a te a unique piece of artwork. The intricatep h o to-mosaic (top) depicts the learning centre at ChuteH o u s e . It is one and a half metres high and set acro s st h ree canvasses.Once the handprints had been stamped in poster paintand dried, they were scanned and run through aspecialist computer pro g ramme. As the image of ChuteHouse fades across the three canvasses, the handprintsbecome more prominent, re p resenting King Alfre d ' si n tention to nurture the individual at the same time asembedding itself in the community and culture ofB a s i n g s to k e .Events in BasingstokeIn addition to its academic pro g rammes, King Alfre d ’ s ,B a s i n g s toke will be hosting a series of events over thecoming year. One of the first of these will be RussianRevelation, a mixed menu of Russian-flavoured events,which will include music, talks and seminars on aspects ofRussian culture and society. This will take place We d n e s d a y18th until Sunday 22nd Fe b r u a r y.In the summer there will be a major open airp roduction of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dre a mto be held in the grounds of Farleigh House (at the kind invitationof the Earl and Lady Portsmouth). This communityp roduction will be open to all members of the public as wellas students.Handprints provide a unique personal signature andreflect the fresh innovative approach to Higher Educationo f f e red by King Alfreds@ Basingsto k e .For further information about events,courses and the development of theBasingstoke site see:w w w. k i n g a l f re d s b a s i n g s toke.ac.uk.

8Hannah’s Dance oThe Story of a True SurviP rofessional dancer, Hannah Young turned her life around andused her own experience of cancer to help chore o g raph a movingseries of dances which are now helping to raise public aware n e s sof the disease for a number of cancer charities.Hannah had just finished the first year of a BA(Hons) course in dance studies with drama at theCollege in 2000 when she found out she hadovarian cancer.“I came home to spend the summer with myparents in Bournemouth and started a holiday jobwith an insurance company,” she said. “One night, Iw o ke up with terrible stomach cramps. But in them o rning I felt OK and so I went to work as usualand thought no more about them. However, sixweeks later, the same thing happened. But thistime, I was also violently sick all night.”Cancer was the last thing Hannah was expecting tobe diagnosed with when she was admitted to Po o l eHospital. After exploratory surgery, the operationthat followed lasted six and a half hours. In the endsurgeons were forced to remove both Hannah’sovaries as well as part of her bowel and bladder.“I remember my Dad asking the surgeon how bigmy cysts were. He said the right one was like anorange and the left one was the size of a smallm e l o n .”Months of gruelling chemotherapy followed duringwhich time Hannah insisted on keeping up with herstudies at the College.“My degree kept me going and gave me theincentive to overcome the challenge of treatment,"she said. “When I had chemo my mum would driveme to Winchester for lectures the next day.“Throughout the period I was having chemotherapyI had to inject myself three times a week with a dru gto combat fatigue. Almost everyone at College knewI had cancer and most people got used to it becausemy attitude was very matter- o f-fact and laid back.”As part of her degree in her third year, Hannahcreated a 20 minute dance piece which she called‘ Tumour Humour’ for which she was awarded afirst. The original perf o rmance was done in a dayward at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital inWi n c h e s t e r.“After that a public relations company asked me tochoreograph a 10 minute piece about fatigue tohelp launch a campaign called ‘Your NumbersCount’ to encourage cancer patients to be aware oftheir haemoglobin levels and understand the effectsof tiredness and the subsequent dangers ofa n a e m i a . ”"My degree kept me going and gave me the incentive toovercome the challenge of treatment,"For this, Hannah called upon the help of fellowgraduate Stuart Sumner (Dance Studies with Drama1999-2002) and together they perf o rmed live beforeleading cancer specialists and cancer patients at amajor cancer conference in Edinburgh.“I called this piece, ‘Fine Thanks’ because whenpeople asked me how I was, even if I was feelingabsolutely rancid that’s what I always said. It canbecome a common response when you have a longt e rm illness.“A n y w a y, my piece must have hit a chord with theaudience as some of them cried. I was surprised, Idon’t know why.“ L a t e r, Stuart and I were asked to perf o rm ‘Fi n eThanks’ for the ovarian cancer charity Ovacome.“ T h e re is life after cancer”“ To be told at any age that you have cancer isdevastating,” said Hannah. “To hear that news at 19is shocking because it is even more unexpected.Hopefully my dances will, in some small way,encourage others to meet the challenges and go onto lead normal lives.”

f Joyvor9Above: Hannah in “Fine Thanks” with alumnus StuartS u m n e r. Top right: Practising in the great outdoors! Hannahin her back garden at home in Bournemouth."There were days when all I wanted to do was sleepbecause I didn’t want to think about what was going onand how rough I felt. But there were also days when I’dfeel absolutely brilliant and I’d go out and think, ‘I’malive and everything’s so beautiful!"Now in full remission, Hannah is doing a Masters inc o n t e m p o r a ry dance at Limerick University inI r e l a n d .“I’m not sure what I’ll do when I’ve finished mystudies – I may do something with dance but I’malso quite interested in cancer awareness work andI can see myself training as a nurse some day.“I still have check-ups every three months and haveto take HRT, but apart from that I’m ok. I feelincredibly lucky to have such a supportive familyand buddies.“I’ll always have a scar and in a way I love it. It’s apositive thing because it shows what I survived.”College Pals: Graduation Day alongside friend Laura Hamon (BAHons Dance Studies withPerforming Arts).

10Half a century later…Following the Winton Reunion in July last year, Donald Smith, who was at the Collegefrom 1951-1953, sent Venta the following recollections which were inspired by his returnto King Alfred’s after a period of fifty years. Donald first came to the College fromGuernsey and remembers how difficult education was in the Channel Islands during theperiod of German occupation in the war.“Most teachers had been evacuated to themainland with the vast majority of thechildren,”explained Donald. “In our mixed school,the person who was appointed as Head teachertook on a tremendous task, with few teachers tocall on, and as the years progressed, he founds h o rtages in every t h i n g .“Our Head teacher, who is still alive today, did am a rvellous job. I am thankful to this headmasterfor having provided me with a first class education,notwithstanding all the difficulties and problemswhich came his way – and there were many!“It was incredible in the circumstances that Imanaged to gain a Credit in the Oxford SchoolLeaving Certificate which enabled me to apply formy place at King Alfred’s. For a start, it must havebeen one of the few examination papers to havetravelled from the UK to a German occupiedisland via the courtesy of an International RedCross ship.“And so, for me to join fellow student teachers atKing Alfred’s College in 1951 was quite anexperience. It was the first time I had ever left myhome in Guernsey to go to the mainland, and itwas all very exciting and fulfilling.“I took every opportunity I could whilst inWinchester to get involved in College life, and as aMethodist local preacher, I visited many countrychapels and local groups. I also joined theWinchester Scout Association and helped to run aWolf Cub Pack, and became a member of theCollege Rover Crew. As a result I made many wonde rful friends both in and out of College, and amstill in contact with some of them now.Fa t h e r - d a u g h ter alumni: Donald with Alison, back home inG u e r n s e y“When I left College in 1953, I went to teach inCosham, Po rtsmouth, for a year and then return e dto Guernsey where I remained in the teachingprofession until my retirement in 1993.”“King Alfred’s College has always been in mythoughts. In fact my daughter, Alison did herTeacher Training at the College back in 1980 – soshe’s an alumnus too! I have never forgotten whatthat place has meant for me and still does.“It was an indescribable experience to walk inthere once again after 50 years, in company withso many who had been there at the same time thatI was. May these reunions long continue andthank you so much, those of you who work sohard to make them successful."Strict Line Up for College PrefectsFred Williman helped to solve a mystery for us this autumn when the following photowas discovered in the College archives. Fred, who was a student from 1932-1934,recalls vividly:"These 16 students were called the Prefects andwere in their second year 1933-34. They wereselected by the Principal and staff, to be responsiblefor the general discipline of the College. Theyhad their own common room and had the powerto fine students for various breaches of Collegeru l e s .students had to pay a fixed sum as caution moneyand repairs to damaged college property was paidfor from this. All rooms had to be kept tidy andbeds made before Roll call at 9am. Prefects wereresponsible for conducting Roll call."In 1932-34 there were about 80 students in thefirst year and about 100 in the second year.N o rmally the course was two years long but a fewselected students could stay a third year to obtaina degree or equivalent extra qualification forexample in Music, Art, Handicraft or Hort i c u l t u r e .""The Senior Student in this photograph was EricKirby (front row middle) and his deputy wasG Cook (front row, third from left).“I was the Chapel Warden at this time (front rowthird from right) and could fine students up to2/6d for absence or persistent lateness for Chapelwhich students had to attend twice a day! Otherfines varied from 6d to several shillings, quite a lotin those days."Each prefect had responsibilities for certain dormitoriesand rooms in the College grounds. All

Turbulent times for a country at warAlthough it was some sixty years ago, Betty Venworth still remembers clearly her time spent in the Auxiliary TerritorialService which was stationed at King Alfred’s College during the Second World War.11From 1940-1946 King Alfred’s was commandeeredby the War Office andstudents were sent off to complete theirstudies elsewhere. At first the Arm yIntelligence Corps occupied the campusbut in 1942 they were replaced by theAT S .“I also remember going on parade on the terr a c eand being marched up to work in nissen huts onthe downs. As well as the day we stood outside andwatched a sky full of planes and gliders heading forFrance and praying for the men going into action.“Another vivid memory is church parade with theRifle Brigade (fastest Light Infantry step in theBritish Army!). We formed up at the back of theparade on the upper barrack square, with the bandin the front. Marching down to the town wasalright, but coming back up the hill after churchwas a nightmare. We girls had to practically run tokeep up!“One lovely picture I have in my mind is sunnySunday aft e rnoons sitting on the lawn where theDining Hall is now, writing to my soldier fiancé inthe Middle East and listening to the gramophonet a ken there by one of our number. She was fond ofG i l b e rt & Sullivan and I can still hear “Wi l l o w, titw i l l o w, tit willow”“I remember we were part of the War Office andresponsible for the organisation of the ATS. Beingrather a special establishment we received veryhigh powered visitors from time to time.“I recall once the then Princess Royal came. Atlunchtime we found we had white tablecloths onthe tables, plus Sunday lunch in the middle of theweek! In our one large recreation room in StGrimbalds radios and cushions had appeared. Wethought the visit was a very good thing. That isuntil tea time, when all the extras had disappe a r e d !”" F I R S T, as a very naïve 21 year old, I recall beingv e ry shocked at some of the graffiti left behind bythe Intelligence Corps!“I also have an abiding memory of a day in Au g u s t1942 when we were all in the Mess Hall. OurSergeant Major came in and told us that there hadbeen a raid on the French coast which had been ad i s a s t e r. Many men had been killed or injured.Badly injured men had been brought to theCounty Hospital next door and blood was urgentlyneeded. No public appeal could be made as informationabout the raid was not being released. Soan appeal was being made to the ATS in KAC .ATS at King Alfred’s 1942-1946"The future seems bright for those int raining today and I hope that the tra d i t i o n sand the atmosphere of King Alfre d ’ sCollege will inspire all who belong to it. Wefeel we shared some of its greatness byjust living there ! ”- Clarissa Ellis (here pictured in the centre of the back ro w )“Masses of us volunteered of course, and we werereleased from duty to go the hospital as required.We also helped in other directions when off duty –I know I rolled bandages; others helped in thekitchens or visited on the wards. We continued togive blood as required until after the war.You can read more about the day to day life ofan AT S member in “King Alfred’s College,W i n c h e s ter: AT S in Winchester 1942-1946” w h i c his available from the Hampshire Records Office.Fancy sharing your Collegememories with friends and familythis year?The West Downs Centre and Shakespeare Room areavailable for hire for private parties, dinners ,wedding receptions and conferences, mainly duringthe Easter and Summer holidays, with occasionalavailability on evenings and weekends.Please contact the conference office by te l e p h o n i n g01962 827322 or emailing confere n c e s @ w k a c . a c . u kfor further information.Psychology reunionM a ke a note in your diary and start spreading theword! The Psychology department is planning tohold its second reunion on or about Friday 2 Julyat the College. This will also mark the 10 yeara n n i v e r s a ry of the existence of the depart m e n t .We will be contacting you with more details in duecourse and hope as many of you as possible will beable to come. Those of you who can’t – please getin touch and let us know how you are getting on!Fu rther info from Sandie.Vining@wkac.ac.uk. Te l :01962 827302, www. w k a c . a c . u k / Ps y c h o l o g y.

12The Vikings are coming!Wessex Book Steps Back in TimeHistorian Dr Ryan Lavelle who received hisdoctorate from the College only last year has justbrought out his second book, Fo rtifications inWessex, C.800-1066 which details how King Alfredwent about protecting Wessex from the onslaughtof the Vikings. The book was written by Ryanfollowing a request by Osprey Pu b l i s h i n g .“I had already written for their magazine, T h eOsprey Military Journ a l ,” explained Ryan. “As theywere launching a new series on fortifications, theythought of me as a specialist in Anglo-Saxonh i s t o ry. I liked the thought of that!“The illustrators were excellent,” said Ryan. “Theywere very experienced in responding to whatauthors ask them to do. However, they are based inI t a l y, so contact had to be made remotely: thepublishers demand detailed references for theircolour plates, so I supplied big packs of inform a t i o n– even down to details as to what an Anglo-Saxoncow might have looked like !”Ryan published his first book, Aethelred II: King ofEngland 978-1016 over a year ago just aftercompleting his PhD at King Alfred’s."Within King Alf’s there is a small, friendly research community where ideasget batted around to great effect."“My book covers the organisation of places ins o u t h e rn England – for example Winchester andWareham in Dorset – which were fortified withditches and earthen banks around the time of KingAlfred. Many of these places went on to becomei m p o rtant towns.“I think it is sometimes interesting to be able tolook at familiar landscape in Britain throughentirely new eyes. These people were very differentfrom us – very intensely, sometimes almostsuperstitiously pious – living in very differentconditions from the modern western world, yetthey had aspects of behaviour in common with theway in which we now live.”The book is packed full of amazing colourillustrations by Donato and Sarah Spedaliere.“My last book was a fair bit longer and a little morecomplex. The new book is short e r, and I think,more to the point. My mum was happy to sit downand read it, and that’s good enough for me!”Ryan is now working as a part-time lecturer at theCollege and reflects with a smile:“I have to remember that not all my students wantto know the precise details of my PhD research inheavy academic detail. In that respect, writing as h o rter readable book has been a useful exercise!”M o re information about Ryan’s book can be found on:h t t p : / / w w w. o s p re y p u b l i s h i n g . c o m / t i t l e _ d e ta i l . p h p / t i t l e =S 6 3 9 9Magical outcome for MA thesisGraduate Anna Dale has just been given a two bookdeal with Bloomsbury Children’s Books on thestrength of her final MA submission.Her first book, which has been written for the preteenmarket, is called Whispering to Wi t c h e s and isdue out later this year. The title of the second stillremains a closely guarded secret!"I work in the children’s department of a largebookshop," says Anna. "This gives me the excuse toread lots of children’s fiction. Writing for childrenseemed the natural thing for me to do!"Whispering to Wi t c h e s is set at Christmas time andis about a boy who stumbles on a coven andbefriends a young witch. To g e t h e r, the two try toprevent a catastrophic spell from being perf o rm e d ."I certainly enjoyed my time at King Alfred’s – Idon’t think I’ve ever enjoyed education so much!"reflected Anna. "I loved being in Winchester too. Itreminded me of Canterbury where I did my firstdegree. I think I must have a penchant for historiccities!"

13Major publishing deal for feisty mermaidKelly McKain who completed her Masters Degree in Creative Writing for Children only 2years ago, has just released the first two books in her new Mermaid Rock series.The books, which are published by Scholastic for 5-7 year olds, were written by Kelly shortly afterleaving King Alfred’s.Scholastic is so positive about S p i rulina and thePi r a t e s and S p i rulina and the Haunted Shipwreckthat they have already sold the books to theAmerican market and a third Mermaid Rock book isdue out later this year.Kelly wanted to create a heroine who didn’t do asthe mermaid stereotype says she should. “Spiru l i n ahates sitting around on a rock all day, lookingp r e t t y, singing and combing her hair,” she explains.“Instead she builds things and goes on adventures.“ S p i rulina is the name of a seaweed taken as ahealth supplement,” adds Ke l l y. “It’s supposed togive you energy and vitality – many teachers andparents have since asked me if it works! I wanted acharacter name that suggested these things, andthe sea, of course!”Kelly started writing for children three years beforeM e rmaid Rock was accepted by Scholastic,although she had written fiction and poetry in thepast and worked as an advertising copywriter."I’ve got quite a bit of early writing that will neversee the light of day! The best bit of advice I can giveto those hoping to get published in the children’sm a r ket is to read a lot, find out what publishers arelooking for, get your work up to a professionalstandard and – most importantly – don’t give up.”Kelly still looks back fondly at her time at KingAlfred’s. “I very much enjoyed being part of acommunity of aspiring writers. We shared ourexperiences, our goals and books that inspired us.We also motivated each other to keep going whenwe felt disheartened and quite often this extendedinto the St James’ Ta v e rn too!“The one to one detailed help on my manuscriptsthat my supervisor gave me was very valuable tooand taught me what it was like to work with ane d i t o r. ”cope with the sheer volume. At least when they getsomething from an agent, they know it’s beenthrough at least one professional critiquing.“There are literary consultancies springing up allover the place now. It’s another link in the chain.That’s where things like the MA come in useful – ifyou put it on your covering letter, it makes agentst a ke notice, because it says you have committedtime and money to honing your craft. It says you’res e r i o u s . ”"I very much enjoyed being part of a community ofaspiring writers. We shared our experiences, our goals andbooks that inspired us."So what plans does Kelly have for the future?“I’ve just finished a crossover novel for teens/adultscalled ‘the Goddess Society’ which is about threefriends who form a society to lose their virginity. Iloved writing it and it’s just gone off to my agent sowe’ll see what happens!”More details about Kelly’s work can be found onw w w.kellymckain.co.ukKelly says her big break came when she found anagent. “I know opinion is divided about getting anagent. But right deals and contracts are gettingincreasingly complicated and, in children’spublishing, lots of big houses are closing theirdoors to unsolicited manuscripts because they can’tIllustrations by Cecilia Johansson

14King Arthur event attracts worldwide scholarsThe School of Cultural Studies will be hosting an import a n ti n t e r d i s c i p l i n a ry conference this summer entitled ( Re) CreatingThere has already been a great deal of interest from King Art h u renthusiasts from all over the world.A rt h u r.The conference is being run in collaboration with theOver sixty speakers will present their papers at West Downs I n t e rnational Medieval Congress, University of Leeds and thefrom 4th - 7th August on a dazzingly wide range of King Art h u r- j o u rnal, Studies in Medievalism. Fu rther information andrelated topics. These will include references to King Arthur asboth a modern and medieval figure, with links to Harry Po t t e rand David Beckham, as well as Te rry Gilliam and C S Lewis.details about how to register can be obtained fromA rt h u r.Conferences@wkac.ac.uk. Closing date for applications30th April.In memory of …Brian LongthorneBrian Longthorne, who died at the age of 77, was head of the music department from1968 to 1988. He was born in Leeds where he went to school and undertook his teachertraining.In 1953 he was appointed a lecturer in music atBretton Hall, a teacher-training college nearWa kefield. When, in 1958, the college presentedthe Wa kefield Mystery Plays to great acclaim, it wasBrian who set the music and conducted the choirand the instrumentalists. In 1968, Brian becamehead of the Music Department of King Alfred’sCollege and he displayed all the qualities that haddistinguished his career at Bretton Hall also takingon the role of chapel organist and choirm a s t e r.The Winton Club Reunion would always lookf o rward with particular relish to the Saturdayevening concert which Brian would organise forthem and perf o rm as a soloist. For 10 years, Brianacted as the musical director of the Wi n c h e s t e rAmateur Operatic Society, whose orchestra he soenjoyed conducting. He also served as the organistfor St Paul’s Church, Wi n c h e s t e r, where he was heldin great affection.Brian will be remembered for his many gifts whichhe shared so liberally; for the warmth of his familylife and the hospitality which he and his wife sogenerously offered to friends and students; for hish u m o u r, for his open-heartedness and for hisgentleness. He is survived by his two children, Ruthand Mark.Monica Meirion-Jones (Née Havard)Monica Meirion-Jones (née Havard) has died at the age of 84. She was a lecturer inmusic at King Alfred’s College from 1953 where she later became head of music. Sheleft in 1961 and moved to Fleet following her marriage to Gwyn Meirion-Jones, a formerstudent at KAC and one of her private piano pupils.Living ReminderAn Indian bean tree was planted justoutside St Grimbalds Court recently tocelebrate the life of alumnus, Jo Barrierwho died last January after battling formany years with multiple sclerosis.Jo studied for a BA degree in theatre, drama andtelevision at the College from 1991-1994. Fi o n aAdams, her close friend and fellow alumnus writes:“I heap many thanks on Jo - she was a very strongastute woman whose views and perceptions on lifewere not always straightforward but more oft e nthan not were strikingly accurate."A tree is a fitting tribute to the tree hugging hippyshe was!" said Fiona, who came up with the idea."Choosing King Alfred’s was a way of creating amemorial in a place where Jo had the opport u n i t yto rediscover herself. She always said she’dsuffered at school due to her dyslexia."Jo touched not only my life but many others andin this way maybe she’s still involved in College life,still looking on with that piercing gaze!"Monica was born on 8June 1919 in London, thefirst of two daughters in afamily of strong Anglicantradition. Her form a leducation was initiallyprivate until she attendedboth Chelmsford High School and Brighton andHove High School.She studied piano for three years at the RoyalCollege of Music and attained her ARCM and alsoLRAM in perf o rmance singing. She taught inschools in Hertfordshire and Kent and moved withher family to Winchester where they lived near theHospital of St Cross.In 1954 she became a full time lecturer andsubsequently Head of Music. In her eight years ofactive involvement with what was then a teachertraining college for men, she had responsibility forthose studying music, an orchestra, chapel choir,male voice choir, a madrigal group, an optionalcourse for non-music students and participated inmuch music making in and around Wi n c h e s t e r.Monica taught in various secondary schools, andthen concentrated on private pupils, teaching up tot h i rty young pupils each week for over twenty fiveyears. Until May 2003, one month short of hereighty fourth birt h d a y, she was still teaching adultp u p i l s .We have been notified of the followingalumni deaths since July:Ms J Barr i e r 1 9 9 1 - 1 9 9 4Mr F Colclough 1 9 3 5 - 1 9 3 7Mr W. F.S. Cook 1 9 2 9 - 1 9 3 1Mrs M Havard 1 9 5 3 - 1 9 6 1Mr R Garr e t t 1 9 5 3 - 1 9 5 5Mr B Longthorn e 1 9 6 8 - 1 9 8 8

15Hot off the Press!"A drama course at King Alfred’s seems to be a vocational pathwaystraight to advertising sales!" laughed Patrick Falconer recently.Patrick is now Managing Director of theI n t e rnational Herald Tribune’s UK operation and isresponsible for advertising sales in the UK, MiddleEast and Af r i c a .As well as studying for his degree in History andDrama at the College 1982-1985, Patrick was alsoVice President of the Student Union for a year.Patrick began his career at the International HeraldTribune in 1988 in the UK advertising depart m e n t ,progressing to European Director of Fi n a n c i a lA d v e rtising. He moved to Fo rtune Magazine in 1996where he was Regional Director for the UK andNetherlands. He returned to the Intern a t i o n a lHerald Tribune in 1999."Drama was such a focal point to the College,"remembers Patrick. "There were over 20 theatrecompanies at King Alfred’s. You couldn’t help butget involved.""A lot of my College friends seem to have gone onto get good jobs in the media."As well as acting, he also recalls his morememorable sporting achievements in the eighties."In those days the ratio of women to men in theCollege was seven to one," he grinned. "It was fanta s t i c !"" T h e re were over 20t h e a t re companies atKing Alfred’s. Yo ucouldn’t help but getinvolved.""Consequently any male was soon grabbed to jointhe rugby team. I remember the Union used to ru na big rugby sevens tournament. Teams used tocompete for a Mercedes hubcap that was on displaybehind the bar. The name of the winning team waswritten on it in Ti p p e x !"Patrick met his wife, Deborah Close (English andDrama 1982-1985) at the College. Deborah went onto do a PGCE at Loughborough and recentlycompleted a conversion course back at KAC. She isnow a teacher at St Pe t e r’s School in Wi n c h e s t e r.The couple have four children, Georgina (12),Philip (11), James (8) and John (6).G ra f ton Road VII’s Tournament, on the Dytche, 1984: l to rPe te Chapman, David Falconer, Chris Moyne, Paul Clayto n ,Dominic Price, Patrick Fa l c o n e rLeading roles: “Oh What a Lovely War”, Arts Centre, 1985:Patrick with Gary To w n s e n dSporting Winton Weekend 2004It's that time of year again when KAC students past and present start talking about WintonWeekend. This year the highlight of the College sporting calendar is set to take place on 20 - 22February.You can forget about the ‘thriller in Manila’, ‘therumble in the jungle’ & the ‘Old firm Darby’, as forone weekend only, the great sporting contest ofthe year takes place at the ‘Fo rtress’ at Bar End.Come Saturday 21 Fe b ru a ry, the season's fixturesare thrown out the window and forgotten. Ask i c k - o f f, tip-off, push-back approaches the onlything that matters is concentrating on your job andwinning Winton!E v e ryone knows it’s not going to be pretty, sopride, passion and determination must be at apremium.It all goes bang at 12pm with a well stocked ‘beertent’, burger van and plenty of live sport. All in all,I’m sure it will be a great spectacle of entert a i n-ment! For further details give the SU a call on01962 827418.Scott Cannie, Vice-President Activities & Serv i c e s ,KA S U

Blast from the Past!Melanie Pearson, BA Drama, Theatre and Television 1993-1996Sir Te rence Conran: One of the world’s best-knownd e s i g n e rs, re s ta u ra te u rs and re ta i l e rs .Lecture Series attractsTop DesignerFood and style guru, Sir Terence Conranwill be coming to College in the earlysummer to speak at an "Ente r p r i s eLecture" – an exciting new series whichbegan at King Alfred’s this autumn.The series opened with a popular talk from NikPowell, Executive Producer of Calendar Girls,Producer of The Crying Game. In the early 1970s,Powell set up Virgin Records with Richard Branson.He sold his 40% share in the 80’s and was recentlyappointed Director of the National Film &Television School. His lecture was entitled 'Fr o mVirgin to a Crying Game and then Back to Schoolagain..' Highlights from the talk can be read on theCollege website www.kingalfreds.ac.ukProfessor Chris Tu rn e r, Director of King Alfred’sResearch and Innovation Centre said: "The lecturesare intended to engage professionals working innew media and cultural organisations in the region.We also hope they’ll inspire our students, staff andalumni and allow everyone to benefit from theenergy and enthusiasm of people who have builtsuccessful careers in these growing "young"i n d u s t r i e s . "Alumni living in the Winchester area are welcometo attend future lectures. The next one will be inFe b ru a ry and the speaker will be Khalid Aziz –f o rmer broadcaster, businessman and charityf u n d r a i s e r.Sir Terence Conran’s visit is provisionally arr a n g e dfor Tuesday 11 May. Anyone wishing to attendeither event should register their interest with Tr i s hKe rnan, Business Development Manager anddetails will be sent to you as soon as they areavailable. Contact: 01962 827578 or email:Tr i s h . Ke rn a n @ w k a c . a c . u k .I had a real blast at King Alfred’s, and seem toremember being in a permanent dash arounddoing various jobs on various student plays(including, shudder…acting and directing- neveragain!) I made some wonderful friends – Lizzie,M a rtin and Nicko seem to be in every happym e m o ry from this time, (as of course, is my part n e rof 10 years, James); drank heroic amounts, dancedon tables, waitressed in silly outfits and sometimesgot to lectures on time…I tried a little bit of everything after leaving College– worked box office for a theatre chain (with officesin SoHo, very nice); did loads of waitressing andm a r ket research work while fending off the old ‘sowhy didn’t you want to act’ question! We even hadour own business for a while, creating customdesign dolls houses! We moved around the countrylosing touch with a few more people every move,which wasn’t the intention, and is something wewant to remedy!We’ve finally settled in Oxford and feel we can saythis is where we live and where we are going to stay.James re-trained as a computer games artist,making games for the Xbox and Playstation 2 withl i ke minded souls, and I work in educationalfundraising – raising money primarily forscholarships so that people can afford to go on tohigher education, and for accommodation so thatthey have somewhere inexpensive to stay.I don’t know how people cope with funding theirway through College in these days of no grants andpunitive loans, so I feel that I am doing somethinguseful -and it involves quite a lot of parties, so I’mstill having fun! Pa rt of my day is spent in helpingpeople get back in touch with their college friends,so I am even more embarrassed that I haven’t donethis before now!If you would like to get in touch, my email addressis melanie.pearson@ccc.ox.ac.uk. It would be goodto hear what everyone is up to!Madelaine Smith, MA Writing for Children 1999-2001During my last year at King Alfred’s I took up thechallenging post of Marketing and DevelopmentManager for the Theatre Royal in Wi n c h e s t e r. Priorto taking up my new job, the theatre had beenclosed for six years. However, in October 2001, inthe same month I graduated, the theatre wasrelaunched after a major refit involving much publi c i t y. It was a very exciting time to be involved inthe Theatre Royal.As you can imagine, my job is a very full and busyone! As well as promoting all the shows andactivities, my job includes putting togetherbrochures, developing links with local businessesand schools as well as overseeing the box offices a l e s .Before coming to Wi n c h e s t e r, I had been workingas a Buying Manager for books at the head offices ofWHSmith, School Book Fairs and Dillons. Then Imoved into marketing and worked for Wa l ke rBooks in London as Promotions Manager.Venta Needs You!D e s p e ra tely seeking …… Martin Robinson (BA (Mod)D rama etc), Lizzie Powell (BA (Mod) Drama etc), andNicko Vaughan (BA Drama Theatre and Television –all 1993 -1996. Please get in to u c h !We moved to Winchester (where my husband Andywas born and brought up) in 1998. Andy isHantsweb Manager at Hampshire County Counciland my daughter Alys, who is eight, goes to StBede’s Primary School in Wi n c h e s t e r. I rememberseeing the King Alf ’s prospectus and being verykeen to move to Winchester BECAUSE they did anMA in Writing for Children.I really enjoyed my time at KAC and would like oneday to do a PhD. Sigh... If only I could find the time!Have you got any news you want to share? Or perhaps you’ve discovered some old photos that have bro u g h tback vivid memories of your time at King Alfred’s. Either way, it’s your magazine and the Alumni Office wouldlove to hear from you. Wr i te something down now before you forget and send to alumni@wkac.ac.uk for nextsummer’s edition of Ve n ta.SJJ/11/03/867