golf - Jules Akel

32 w e l l i ng ton y e a r b oo k 2 0 07 − 2 0 0 8w e l l i ng ton y e a r b oo k 2 0 07 − 2 0 0 8 33Nonetheless it was in the theatre that had a greaterCollege-wide impact. Plays such as Translation, Not aboutHeroes and in particular his triumphant Francis will foreverremain in the College’s collective memory.Towards the end of his time at Wellington he took asabbatical in the u.s.a. to further his theatre skills. Thus,it is now no surprise that he has set up ‘The HappenstanceTheatre Company’ in Ulster; that it will be a success isbeyond doubt.t is the laugh that sticks in the memory. WhetherIit be in the classroom or the Common Room onthe playing field or Napoleon’s Retreat, his witbrought joy to many. For some, however, that wit could becastigating as he demolished the foibles of those he foundto be ‘hollow men’. In that regard his conservative imagebelied the reality.He taught History with occasional forays into thePolitics Department. In both subjects he was a master ofdetail and thereby was always held in high regard by pupilsand colleagues alike.nick diver2000–2008His organisation abilities were second to none as themany successful trips to the First World War Battle Fieldsbear witness. Upon the retirement of Richard Coleman,Nick took over the organisation of the Prize Giving onSpeech Day. Those that have witnessed these multi-mediaextravaganzas of recent years cannot but applaud his abilityto choreograph such a diverse event.He leaves Wellington to become a Head of History atKing Edward VIth School in Southampton. There, no doubt,they are already reaping the rewards of his intellectual andmanagerial abilities. I bet there is laughter too.hris Warner burst onto the scene in MichaelmasCTerm 2001 as Wellington College’s first Headof Music Technology (coupled with Head ofKeyboard).As a music technologist and a composer, he will beremembered for his writing for The Tempest (directedby Graham Nurser), his production Late Mix and hiscomposing for Merlin’s Tale. These highlighted his flexibilityas a composer and arranger. Chris is a huge fan of musicals(of good musicals I should hasten to add) and has writtenat least one. His musical directing of Little Shop of Horrorswas memorable not least for the excellent singing andchoruswork but also for his installation of a rock bandinto one of the English Classrooms and relaying the livechris warner2001–2008sound out to the theatre through loudspeakers and thenhaving his face appearing in a tv screen at the back of theauditorium—a real-life Max Headroom.Chris came to Wellington with a harmonium and tworeed organs. These quirky areas to his character and hisincredibly dry sense of humour have made him very popular.He used humour to control classes, rarely raising his voicebut invariably with every pupil on his side, listening intentlyfor the next witticism. The fact that he pretended not tosmile, gave him this uniqueness: little did the students knowthat he was trained in Psychology as well as Music.Chris leaves us to live near Ely, to work as a freelancecomposer and arranger [www.chriswarnermusic.com] andto continue piano teaching.oo often in ‘valetes’ such as this the writer usesTclichés such as ‘renaissance man’ to describetheir subject’s contribution to College life; withPhilip Crawford there is no doubt that such an attributionhas validity.philip crawford2001–2008This quiet dentist from Northern Island arrived to teachBiology in 2001 and proved in Chris Potter’s apt phrase, “tobe softly spoken but loudly professional”. That he all toobriefly became head of that department is further evidenceof his leadership qualities.fter the death of Robert Buttimore, MichaelAGetgood taught at Wellington on a temporarybasis: 2002 was to see that position in the ArtDepartment made permanent. In that admirable ‘school’he taught History of Art with authority, aplomb andexamination success. Michael was (and remains) an artistof note, his colourful, multi-layered abstracts often alludingmike getgood2002–2008to the Impressionists. But his teaching showed that hisinterests were far more eclectic. He might say of a currentluminary of the art scene ‘yes, he is doing some interestingwork’ but when one listened to one of Michael’s lecturesone realised that his learning was profound and neverconstrained by current fashion.He was also an ebullient member of Common Room