EAC Magazine - Alleyn's School

From the PresidentC l u bJust over a year and a half ago,sitting at my desk in NATO’sJoint Force Command in theNetherlands wrestling withstrategy development for theAlliance’s tricky campaign inAfghanistan, the last thingI expected was a letter fromNancy Carroll inviting me tobecome the president of theEdward Alleyn Club for 2010/11. Frankly I was amazed. Despitebeing a life member of the Club, I have not exactly been amodel ex-pupil. While I had returned once in a while forFounder’s Day and, more recently, for some highly enjoyableevents with the Combined Cadet Force, I hadn’t been to theClubhouse in Burbage Road for decades. So my emotions weremixed; extremely honoured and pleased to be asked, thoughfearful that the inevitable challenges posed by the exigencies ofmy job and the distance between my workplace and Dulwichwould make the role impossible. But somehow Nancy andSusie Schofield managed to convince me – and your committee –that, in the year of the150th anniversary of the Cadet Forces,this would be ‘the right thing to do.’ The rest, as they say, ishistory. At a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining annualdinner held in the School last November, Neil French investedme with the presidential badge of office.Returning to the school on that stormy autumnal night waswonderful. So much was the same but so much was different,exciting and new. Some of the older parts of the Schoolimmediately stimulated numerous happy memories. On theother hand, new buildings and facilities, such as the fantasticn e w sEdward Alleyn Building and its brilliant Michael Croft Theatre,generated huge pride in the knowledge that one was returningto a great School that has continued to develop and improve.But by far the most enjoyable part of that evening was theopportunity to meet with members of this year’s Upper Sixth.What a fabulous, inspiring group of young people they were.Bright, enthusiastic, inquisitive, cheerful and disarminglycourteous, they left me in no doubt at all that the values thatmy parents saw in Alleyn’s were as cherished by the school nowas they were when I was a pupil. How refreshing it was, in dayswhere metrics, league tables and statistics tend to rule ourlives, to realise that Alleyn’s still strives to bring out the best ineach and every pupil whether or not that individual isscholastically inclined. I certainly did not fit the bill of being anatural academic during my time. But I do know, at least onreflection, that the School prepared me magnificently not onlyfor life in general but also for my chosen career path in theRoyal Air Force.I pen this short note having just relocated to Brussels and yetanother new appointment (a swift calculation tells me that ithas been accompanied by my 19th house move). Travelling toAlleyn’s will hopefully be slightly easier from here although, atthe moment, the extraordinary pace of change in world eventsseems likely to conspire to keep me a touch busy. I will,however, do my very best to add value in some small wayduring my year. I shall certainly look forward to meeting asmany of you as possible, and, of course, to hosting the AnnualDinner in November in the Royal Air Force Club on Piccadilly.Until we do meet, please accept my good wishes for a fabulousand enjoyable spring and summer.Air Marshal Christopher N Harper CBE MA FCMI RAFUnited Kingdom Military Representative to NATO and the EUNATO HQ, BrusselsNew online servicefor Club membersDo you have anything to sell, promote or hire – but don’t wantto expose yourself to the vagaries of the internet? We havecreated a new forum on the members’ only area of the Club’swebsite; to find it, log-on to www.edwardalleynclub.com andvisit the ‘Forum’ page. What’s more, this service is free toregistered members.In response to members’ enquiries, we have added an areawhere registered members can upload details and images oftheir company or organisation to attract new customers andclients. If you are lucky enough to own a holiday home –but don’t want to deal with hundreds of enquiries – we havecreated ‘Holiday Homes’ where you can advertise your holidayhome for hire to fellow alumni who, being Alleyn’s people, areobviously discerning and house-trained. We have also deviseda marketplace area where you can give details of items youwish to sell, e.g. cars, musical instruments, bikes, furniture,children’s equipment.Please be assured, these notices will only be available to thosealumni and former staff who are registered users of the EdwardAlleyn Club website. And, just in case we think this might bethe wrong place for your notice, the Club reserves the right toamend copy and to remove items.Please keep in touch andupdate your details!Updating members’ contact details is an on-going process andvital if our communications are to succeed. Many of our recordsare patchy and we need readers’ help in making sure contactdetails are as accurate as possible.For readers who are former pupils, you will find in this magazine acontacts form to complete. Some of our readers do not normallyreceive a magazine but we have decided to take this opportunityto contact everyone for whom we have a postal address to invitemembers to update their details.Please could you complete the contacts form and return to us in theenclosed Freepost envelope? This will help us ensure that you receivedetails about the right event at the right time as well as allowingyou to indicate which publication/s you would like to receive andhow you would like to receive it (via post or email).Alternatively, if you have access to the internet, it would help usenormously if you could update your contact details online viathe secure members’ area of the Club’s website –www.edwardalleynclub.com If you do not have a log-in orpassword, please email Martha Jones at jonesm@alleyns.org.ukand she will gladly send you these by email.All personal information on the Edward Alleyn Club database is protectedunder the Data Protection Act. It is used exclusively to enable the School,former pupils and staff to remain in touch with each other and to improveour communications with you.2

C l u bn e w sNotice of an Extraordinary General Meetingat the Clubhouse, between 83 & 85 Burbage Road, SE24 Friday 11 November 2011, 8pmAGENDATo consider and, if thought appropriate, approve the proposed revised constitution for the Edward Alleyn Club.(An electronic copy of the proposed Constitution will be posted on the website.Any member may, though, request to receive a hard copy by post.)John Battle, ChairmanThis will be followed by the:ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGat the Clubhouse, between 83 & 85 Burbage Road, SE24 Friday 11 November 2011AGENDA1. To receive, confirm and sign the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting, held on 9 November 20102. To receive and, if approved, adopt the Annual Report of the Council for 2010-113. To receive and, if approved, adopt:a. the audited Accounts of the Clubb. the Accounts of the Alleyn Benevolent Fund4. To receive reports from Affiliated Sections5. To elect:a. the Executive Committeeb. the Councilc. the Vice Presidentd. the Auditor6. To agree dates for the AGM and Annual Dinner7. Announcements and vote of thanksApologies for absence, or nominations for the Council or Executive Committee should be sent to the Chairman, c/o Development andAlumni Office, Alleyn’s School, Townley Road, London SE22 8SU. Tel: 020 8557 1466 or email alumni@alleyns.org.ukJohn Battle, ChairmanContentsClub newsFrom the President 2New online service for members 2Club EGM & AGM 3Founder’s Day 4Test cricket reunions 4Oval reunion for 2011 4North-west of England reunion at Rossall 5Duke of Edinburgh presentation at St James’s Palace 51950 First XI football match in The Times 6Gentlemen who lunch 71990 DoE Gold expedition to Snowdonia 8Annual Dinner at the RAF Club 9Alleyn Benevolent Fund 9CCF Regimental Dinner 9School newsFrom the Headmaster 10Roper’s rumpus 10The next Alleyn’s International Concert 11Brading’s presents 11Alleyn’s in the 1930s 12England cricket greats come to Alleyn’s 131940s Memories Day 14The ifs Student Investor Challenge 15The Michael Croft Theatre 16George Monbiot’s left hook 17The Confetti-Maker 17Reunion of many anniversaries 17Green chips 17Day in the life of… Marilyn Walker 18Fives courts’ refurbishment 27Alumni newsSummer 2010 leavers’ destinations 20CCF in the 1960s 21Award-winning actress 21Michal Cwizewicz entertains at the Embassy 21Gap Year report by Emily Griffin 22London Citizens 23Everything Alice 24Sky-diving for READ International 24Births, marriages & deaths 25, 26Sport 27Future events 28Editor: Susannah Schofield, Head of Alumni RelationsItems for the autumn issue of the Edward Alleyn Club Magazineshould be sent to the editor at Alleyn’s School by 6 September 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 sFounder’s DayFounder’s Day will be held on Saturday 2 July and the Pimm’sTent will be open from 2pm to quench visitors’ thirst for fruitfilleddrink and friendship. Cornflowers will be pinned to lapelsand visitors will be entertained by the School’s music groups,stalls, cricketers and the parachute display which formallycloses the afternoon’s proceedings. Entry is free and all arewelcome to wander through the school’s grounds to inspect thesites of old haunts and discover new places.The best place, of course, will be in the Pimm’s Tent –especially behind the bar – so if you area able to help servePimm’s please let the Development and Alumni Office know.Last year, we raised an impressive £1,300 for the AlleynBenevolent Fund from proceeds in the Pimm’s Tent.Test cricket reunionsPaul Cox (Dutton’s, 1969-76), Richard Cox (Dutton’s, 1970-77), Andrew Juggins (Roper’s, 1970-77), Ken Slater (Brading’s,1970-78) and Keith Harris (Tulley’s, 1970-77) have beenmeeting up every summer for the past 19 years to attend anEngland Test Match. All of the aforementioned played cricketfor the School in the mid-1970s under the watchful eye ofColin Page (master-in-charge of cricket at that time).Pictured from left to right are Richard, a friend, Paul, Andy,Keith and Ken outside the Memsaab Restaurant in Nottinghamlast year, having watched England on their way to demolishingPakistan at Trent Bridge.This summer’s reunion will take place in Cardiff, the only Testground they have not visited since 1992. If any other Clubmembers are planning to be at the SWALEC Stadium on 31 May,please get in touch via the Development and Alumni Office.Oval reunionThe Oval reunion for AOBs who were at Alleyn’s from 1945-60has become a traditional feature in the Club’s calendar ofevents. This year, Ken Farrington (Tulley’s, 1947-56) has noblytaken on the fixture again and, armed with Micky Stewart’s(Tulley’s, 1944-51)important contacts atthe Oval, has selectedTuesday 13 Septemberas the date for thisyear’s gathering.Ken says ‘if you fancymeeting up with all yourold Alleyn’s mates tocompare creaking kneesand pension losses,please do come alongand join us’. Many of the1945-60 brigade haveregretted not coming inthe past because theythought the event wasjust for serious cricketlovers.‘Don’t tell Micky,’Ken counsels, ‘but thecricket is reallysecondary to us all having a laugh and a stagger down memorylane’. If last year’s Oval reunion was anything to go by, thereunion is a perfect opportunity to renew fond friendships andsettle old scores (in a gentlemanly, cricketing-sort of way, ofcourse!).And for those of you who are cricket-lovers, the game beingplayed on 13 September will be the second day of a four-daymatch between Surrey and Derbyshire.Tickets will be £46 and will include lunch and tea. Any proceedswill be donated to the Alzheimer’s Society. If you would likefurther details, please contact the Development and Alumni Office.4

C l u bn e w sNorth-west of England reunion at RossallThis year marks the 70th anniversary of the School’s evacuationto the ‘Eton of the North’, Rossall School in Fleetwood,Lancashire. It is also high time to hold a reunion for those60 alumni and former staff who have moved away from southeastLondon and made their base in the north-west.The reunion will be held on Saturday 9 July – a week afterFounder’s Day.Invitations to alumni who live in the north-west and thoseAOBs who went to Rossall as part of the School’s war-timeevacuation have already been sent out. We have managed tosecure the services of former School Chaplain, the Rev MartinOram (1981-88), who is now based in the north, to lead thethanksgiving service in Rossall’s Chapel for our evacuee boys.Our Rossall boys will also be given a guided tour of the Rossallsite. We will be joined by both the Headmaster, Dr Savage, andSenior Deputy Head, Mr Antony Faccinello.If you are interested in joining the reunion, please let theDevelopment and Alumni Office know by 31 May. There is nocharge to alumni for the drinks reception and dinner, but acharge of £30 will be made should you wish to bring a guest.B&B accommodation is also available in Rossall’s single-studybedrooms at a cost of £29 per night per person.Thirty guests have already accepted the invitation; if you areinterested to see who else is coming, please visit the Clubwebsite where the attendance list is uploaded and regularlyupdated. Please spread the word about the reunion to anyoneyou may know from these years.Alleyn’s goingfor goldIn February Alex De Salis (Spurgeon’s, 2003-10),Rosie Ward (Brading’s, 2003-10), Jacob Brubert(Spurgeon’s, 2001-08) and Eugene Atkinson (Brown’s,2002-09) attended St James’s Palace to receive their GoldDuke of Edinburgh Award. Also there on the day to seethem receive their Award, and to receive his own certificatefor thirty years of commitment to the Award Scheme wasRoger Skidmore. Roger retired from Alleyn’s last year butover the years he has helped hundreds of young adults toachieve their Duke of Edinburgh Awards and we weredelighted that he could be at the Palace to see His RoyalHighness Prince Philip attend the reception. Following thepresentation of the certificates by Mark Bright, formerprofessional footballer and Match of the Day 2 presenter,Roger was presented with a framed certificate for threedecades of service to the Award Scheme.The Duke of Edinburgh Scheme is still extremely strong atAlleyn’s with 81 pupils currently working towards theirGold Award, 38 pupils working to complete the Silver level,and 55 at Bronze level this year, and more pupils are nowcompleting their Gold Award either whilst they are still atAlleyn’s or during their first year of university.Richard Alldrick, the School’s Duke of EdinburghJacob Brubert, Roger Skidmore and Alex De SalisCo-ordinator, is thrilled to see so many young people stillcommitted to put themselves through the Scheme. He congratulates them all and sends words of encouragement for those who areworking to complete their Award before celebrating their 25th birthday.Alex De Salis also adds: ‘It was an incredible experience being in the Throne Room of St James’s Palace where most recentlyPrince William and Kate Middleton had had their engagement photographs taken and where so much history has happened before.Prince Philip spoke to us in small groups and congratulated us on achieving our award. I would definitely recommend to everyonewho has not yet done so to finish off their Gold Award as the presentation at St James’s Palace is a great way to complete it’.Well done once again to all the pupils involved and for the great work of the Alleyn’s staff for running such a successful andflourishing Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.www.edwardalleynclub.com5

C l u bn e w sAlleyn’s 1950 footballers buckling the armour:an Alleyn’s football match in The TimesAlan Jackson (Cribb’s, 1945-51) discovered acrumpled and discoloured cutting fromThe Times reporting a football match 60 yearsago against Brentwood. He writes in with hismemories of that game and its team members.‘Alleyn’s had buckled the armour and sounded the trumpetfor within ten minutes they had scored three goals.’The Times, 1 December, 1950It was a surprise in 1950 to learn that The Times would bereporting on the vital match with Brentwood. Prior to this fixtureit seems the last occasion the newspaper had reported uponfootball in Dulwich was two years earlier when a correspondentcovered a match between Mexico and Korea. These two teamswere engaged in a first round match at the Dulwich Hamletground during the 1948 Olympics – Korea won 5-3. There waseven a second Olympic venue in Dulwich as the cycle racingevents took place at the Herne Hill Velodrome in Burbage Road.Little can be recalled about pre-match tactic talks from themaster-in-charge of football, the late Bill Rushworth.However, I do remember being given responsibility, along withMicky Stewart, for going to the village during morning breakto buy lemons for the half-time refreshments. We stopped for ashort chat with some telephone engineers who congratulatedMicky on having signed amateur forms with Arsenal. The gameagainst Brentwood was a very exciting duel. In 1950 nosubstitutes were permitted – referees did not have yellow andred cards. No shirt-pulling or grabbing arms existed and theoffside rule was clear!The reported game was the last of the fixtures against schoolteams for the season and records indicate victories had beenachieved in the preceding months against Latymer Upper,Chigwell, Forest, Ardingly, Wellingborough and Highgate.The Alleyn’s School team of 1950 was lucky enough to be providedwith some professional coaching under a new Football Associationscheme. Our coach was Ted Gaskell, the Brentford goalkeeper,who was assisted occasionally by Johnny Paton – he had recentlytransferred from Chelsea to Brentford for a pretty high fee (inthose days) of £5,000. (The highest transfer fee in the UK was£26,500 about a year earlier.) Up until 1949-50, Brentford hadbeen in the First Division (no Premier or Championship Leagues inthose days, just simply First to Fourth Divisions). The specialisedcoaching benefitted greatly a very determined ‘Big Side Group’although we were certainly fortunate to possess three extremelytalented forwards in Ken Pater, John Pretlove and Micky Stewart.All three were selected to represent the Public Schools against aFootball Association Youth XI at Kennington Oval.Having discovered this newspaper cutting it is natural to ponderon what happened to some of the team mates involved in this6

C l u bn e w s1950 game. Interestingly, one of theBrentwood-side and two of the Alleyn’steam played first class County Cricket a fewyears later: Graham Horrex occasionallyrepresented Essex, and Micky Stewart andJohn Pretlove had significant achievementsplaying for Surrey and Kent respectivelyfor a number of years. I have not seenIan Jordan, Ken Pater or Peter Mearessince 1951 and wonder if anyone knowsanything about them after 1951?I met up with John Fletcher and his wifein Cape Town after 49 years and againsome years later in the UK. Sadly Johndied in 2008. Bob Harris and Irecognised one and other in the foyer atthe National Theatre about 30 years agoand had an opportunity to reminiscebefore the announcement of the secondact! I last saw Richard Grant atBurbage Road in 1976.John Hughes, John Davis, and Iworked for the same organisation formore than 40 years and still keep intouch. I have met Micky Stewart anumber of times throughout the yearsand more recently met John Pretloveat the Oval reunions. Prior to thatI last played cricket with him acouple of years after leaving school.In 1954, John Davis, John Hughes,Micky Stewart and I journeyed to the Elmers End Cricket Groundby 194 bus from Forest Hill and Sydenham to play for theOld Boys in an all-day fixture, and this turned out to be quitea significant match in the Club’s history. The AOBs won by10 wickets – mainly the result of an outstanding innings fromMicky who made a sparkling 177 not-out, chasing a formidabletotal of 281. Three days later he made his Surrey debut ina championship game against Gloucestershire. John Hughesand John Davis continued to play cricket for the AOBs withJohn Davis the skipper of the First X1 for many years.The AOBs’ football team had success in reaching the final ofthe Old Boy’s Cup competition throughout the ‘50s and werewinners on three occasions. John Hughes played in three finalsand John Davis in one. Micky played in the finals before hegraduated to more senior amateur football.These memories would not be complete without summaries ofthe sporting accomplishments of both Micky Stewart andJohn Pretlove – these will be included in the next edition of theEAC Magazine, along with any updates which are sent in as tothe whereabouts of the ‘lost’ football team members of 1950.Gentlemen who lunchOur loyal readers will recall that last year a group of us whowere at Alleyn’s in the 1950s lunched at Simpsons; and sofollowing on from that very successful outing the intrepid sixbecame an equally intrepid eight for another lunch, but thistime at the National Liberal Club. A splendid bastion of Britishculture, and a worthy recipient of our pensions. (Direct debitstraight to the restaurant, it’s much less painful that way!)Grateful thanks therefore to Nick Singer (Roper’s, 1953-59) forarranging for this motley crew to enter the hallowed halls, tomatron for letting us all out, and to the weather for not rainingor snowing thus allowing yet another stunning image from thecamera of David Barnes (Dutton’s, 1953-59) to capture thepost-port assembly.Gathered unto the steps are, at the rear Messrs Whitten,Gates, Williamson, Tindell, Barnes, and glowing nicely at thefront are Messrs Singer, Harding, and Hope.Our next outing is likely to be in November at the RAF Club forthe Annual Dinner.Alan Whitten (Tyson’s, 1953-60)www.edwardalleynclub.com7

C l u bn e w s1990 Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expeditionto SnowdoniaFormer Cribb’s Housemaster, Gwyn Edwards, found her Alleyn’spast revisit her when she attended a golden wedding party inMachynlleth last September. She found herself sitting next tonone other than Mrs Gwynedd Leigh, who had hosted a Duke ofEdinburgh group from Alleyn’s at her farm (Tafol Graig) inAberdyfi in 1990. Gwyn reports that, ‘Mrs Leigh and herhusband remembered the group with great affection. They havebeen hoping ever since that they would turn up again and askto camp! She liked them so much that she gave them hotoxtail soup and allowed them to have showers!!!’Never one to turn down achallenge, Mrs E has nowidentified who was in thatfondly remembered group:Christine Boyce (Roper’s,1984-91), Hannah Davies(Tulley’s, 1984-91), KatharineJenkins (Roper’s, 1984-91),Sarah Lee (Tulley’s, 1984-91),Megan O’Keefe (Tulley’s,1987-91), and VanessaPawsey (Brown’s, 1982-89).What is more, she has trackedthem all down (with a littlehelp from the Development and Alumni Office) and they haveeach reported back with an account (and photos!) of what they’vebeen up to since those care-free and blister-filled DoE days.Christine says: ‘I have vague memoriesof this trip along with other fond andoften hilarious memories of D of E.Was that when Dom had a bath??!!I’ve been living in Spain for nine yearsteaching drama and English at aninternational school and now have twokids of my own! I do hope you are welland, I must say, D of E was one of thebest things I did at school’.Hannah proved difficult to track.This is not surprising because, asHannah herself confesses, ‘I don’t even recognise myself so nowonder none of my friends could!’She confesses that ‘that personwith the funny hair and green T-shirt is me…. My hair always was –and still is – a disaster, so that’show I know.I vaguely remember the showers onthat trip and how friendly thecouple were who let these muddyteenagers into their home! Likeeveryone else, I have very fondmemories of D of E. It gave me alife-long love of camping and theoutdoors and a confidence to getaround anywhere with the help ofan ordnance survey map. I resolutely refuse to have satnav inour car!’ Unlike the others, Hannah hasn’t moved out of southeastLondon, and lives with her husband and two children, Sam,who’s four, and Iris, who’s two. Hannah works part-time as afeatures writer for various women’s magazines.Katharine is living with herhusband on a farm in Cumbria andhas two sons Ben and Joe. Sheworks part time as apsychotherapist, and is expectingher third son soon.Sarah remembers the trip:‘It vaguely rings a bell. Someoneonce gave us oxtail soup in theirhouse on a cold and wet evening.But I can’t remember where it wasand I think they may have given usa shower too. They were very nice!’Sarah is now an anaesthetist livingin Sussex.Megan writes: ‘It’s so lovely tohear from you. I definitelyremember the oxtail soup as wehad been walking through the rainand I had been saying how I wouldalways be vegetarian and wouldnever eat meat. Being met withmugs of warm soup I instantlyforgot my vegetarian principles;much to the ridicule of Vanessaand Christine and possibly Hannah Davies and Sarah Lee.’Megan is now married nowwith three children agedone, four and six years.‘We still love camping.Harry, my husband teachesthe President’s Awardwhich is the (ex-) colonialequivalent of D of E, in theinternational school wherehe works in Nairobi. I havestarted a charity to supportchildren living in the slums(www.tushinde.org.uk).With this – and the three children and being boarding parentsto twenty Year 9 and 10 students – I am kept very busy!!’Vanessa, who admits that whilst she hasn’t ‘been able to workout whether I was in the DoEgroup or not, I’m definitely inthat picture so I must havebeen!’ Vanessa is still in touchwith Megan, Sarah, Hannahand Katharine, although witheveryone living so far apartshe doesn’t manage to seethem that often. Vanessacontinues her update: ‘I’ve gotthree girls aged between sixand two and I’m living in WestLondon. I was working as alegal journalist but gave up after my second daughter was bornand I’m thinking, possibly, of teaching once they are all inschool. It has been lovely to reminisce but it worries me that Ican’t remember that trip. It has reminded me how transient8

C l u bn e w seach stage of life is. Anyway – it’s great to hear from you. I’dlove to hear any news about former and current Alleyn’steachers who I knew. I always read the alumni newsletter...’At the end of this trail Gwyn says that, ‘It has given me greatpleasure to hear from the members of this group and I gatherthat it has also spurred them on to keep in touch with eachother. The biggest bonus has been to hear from Megan and hercharity, and I am now sponsoring Mary at the Mogra School.I know too that Mr and Mrs Leigh have enjoyed hearing aboutthe girls. I’d like to say a big thank you to Christine, Hannah,Katharine, Megan, Sarah and Vanessa for their help in trackingeach other down. I must also thank Joanna Setchell, JessicaSylvester, Diana Hillier and Rebecca Todd for replying to mypleas for help. We have had some very interesting exchanges ofnews and views. I wish you and all former D of E Goldies wellfor the future.’Annual DinnerTaking advantage of our President Air MarshalHarper’s military connections, we are holdingthis year’s Edward Alleyn Club Annual Dinnerat a central London location: the Royal AirForce Club in Piccadilly. The Club is housed ina Grade 2-listed building owned by the RoyalAir Force overlooking Green Park. You will find in this magazinea ticket application form for the dinner. The capacity of theRAF Club’s ballroom is smaller than the School’s dining room sodo make sure you send in your ticket form in good time.The Annual Dinner is an excellent way to catch up with oldsparring partners, renew old friendships and compare postschoolsurvival stories. Why not gather a group of your friendstogether and make it a party? Air Marshal Harper says: ‘I amdelighted to host the 115th Annual Dinner at the RAF Club.I can promise you an evening of fine dining in a setting richwith the history, heritage and ethos of the Royal Air Force.’Alleyn Benevolent FundThe last appeal in the October 2010 magazine has borne fruit intwo ways.Firstly, the £9,000 given to the Fund from monies received fromthe Dulwich Estates together with the bequest from the estate ofRussell Vernon AOB have been invested to give a small increasein the Fund’s investment income.Secondly, a number of one-off donations have been receivedfrom former pupils and others which have helped reduce thebudgeted deficit.The trustees of the Fund are committed to maintain the twobursary awards in memory of Sidney Incledon and Derek Fennerfor at least the next two years but to do this will still requirecontinued support from former pupils.If you are able to assist with maintaining these two awardswhich enable two or more pupils to stay in the Sixth Form atAlleyn’s to finish their A levels, then please send your donationto either of the undermentioned trustees:Regimental DinnerThe Alleyn’s Regimental Dinner will be held at the School onFriday 24 June. If you were a member of the School’s OTC, JTCor CCF, please do come along. The dinner is the occasion atwhich cadet NCOs are ‘passed out’. The guest of honour this yearis our very own Club President, Air Marshal Christopher HarperCBE MA FCMI RAF. Tickets are £25 each for a three-coursedinner, or £15 for those alumni who are in full-time education.If you would like to attend, please contact our School StaffInstructor (SSI), Steven Hawkins, on hawkinssj@alleyns.org.ukor 020 8557 1463.Chris NelsonLingcroftPyrford RoadWest ByfleetSurrey KT14 6QSDennis Lomas118 Kent House RoadBeckenhamKent BR3 1JYwww.edwardalleynclub.com9

S c h o o lFrom the HeadmasterIt is a great pleasure to be writingfor the EAC Magazine towards theend of my second very happy termat Alleyn’s. Despite the sometimesbitter cold and leaden winterskies, you will be pleased to learnthat the School community hasbeen as enthused and energetic asever. There have been Houseevents including song, dance anddinner; sporting triumphs (mostrecently a rout of Dulwich Collegeat hockey!); excellent music, artand drama; and expeditions todestinations both near and far, including half-term trips toMalaga and Cologne. A slightly different but no less enjoyableoccasion was the enthronement of Christopher Chessun, who isof course an Alleyn’s Governor, as the new Bishop of Southwarkin a joyful service at Southwark Cathedral which the Chaplainand I were able to attend as representatives of the School.Central to the Alleyn’s ethos is that a busy, enrichingco-curricular life helps rather than hinders the pursuit ofacademic achievement. In this light, we are delighted to reinstatethe old magazine tradition of publishing the universitydestinationsof last year’s leavers on p20. This year’s universityapplications are also going very well, with many students havingalready gained a number of offers from which to make their finalchoice in May. These offers include 23 to Oxford and Cambridge,which is the second largest number Alleyn’s has ever receivedand – with 13 offers from Cambridge and 10 offers from Oxford –more from the Fens than the Thames Valley for the first time inseveral years. In addition to this success at UK universities, weare also delighted that one student this year has won a sportsscholarship (in hockey) to Stanford, California. We naturally wishall these excellent students every success with their A Levels asthey seek to turn these conditional offers into firm places!Meanwhile, we have been working hard to examine andinterview another record number of children applying to enterthe School at 11+, 13+ and 16+. This is always a very difficultprocess, as so many talented boys and girls apply for anecessarily limited number of places; and sometimes aheadmaster is required to make some tough decisions.But there are nice decisions to make too, including the awardof substantial bursaries to richly-deserving boys and girls whowould not otherwise be able to come to our School. I knowthat this is something which is as important to you as it is tome and the rest of the School community; and we shall beworking hard to expand further the number of bursary placesavailable over the coming years, and seeking to raise additionalfunds to enable us to do even more positive work of this kind.One of my several broad aims for the coming years is to expandthe School’s existing excellent programme of non-examinedacademic enrichment, developing an enthusiasm for scholarshipand the life of the mind which our bright, brilliant pupils aremore than ready to embrace. (I regret to inform you that theperformance of the Staff Team (of whom I was a willingdebutant) at this year’s Alleyn’s Association Quiz would suggestthat this is something which will benefit not only those wholearn, but also those who teach, in this particular corner ofSE22…) It was very good of the parents not to mention ourperformance at the subsequent Headmaster’s Lunch, which wasa hugely enjoyable and, as ever, well-attended occasion.n e w sSimilarly enjoyable was the Memories Day Reunion held atAlleyn’s this term, which saw 23 Old Boys from the 1940s takea tour of the School, enjoy an excellent lunch, and then allowthemselves to be grilled by current pupils who were eager tolearn more about the war years, evacuation to Rossall, playingfootball against Sir Stanley Matthews, and much more besides.All members will be able to read the fruits of this excellentlabour when Susie Schofield completes the colossal task oftransforming the raw interview notes into the next instalmentof the Alleyn’s Oral History, the first instalment of which –focusing on the 1930s – was published earlier this term touniversal acclaim from staff and pupils both old and new.I should like to conclude by extending my customary thanks tothe Edward Alleyn Club and especially its Officers, ExecutiveCommittee, sports sections and other officials and Councilmembers. In particular, it has been a pleasure to get to knowformer Presidents Neil French and David Hankin, newPresident Air Marshal Christopher Harper, former ChairmanJohn Dunley, current Chairman John Battle, Treasurer ChrisHeayberd, Secretary Paul Barber over these past two terms.I look forward to continuing to meet lots of Old Boys and Girlsover the coming weeks and months, perhaps on a touchline, inthe concert hall or theatre, or at what will be my first Founder’sDay on 2 July.In the meantime, thank you for all your continued interest in,and support for, your old School, which we greatly value andappreciate.Dr Gary SavageRoper’s RumpusThe Roper’s Rumpus was an evening toraise money for a milk-feeding schemeat Fukeni Primary School in NorthernTanzania. Roper’s man, Edward Fottrell(Roper’s 1993-98), is the link withFukeni. Ed visited Fukeni when he wasstudying for his masters in publichealth studies back in 2004 and hecontacted Roper’s Housemaster PaulCochrane to see if Roper’s could raise some money to helpsupport the children at Fukeni.There was a great turn-out at the Roper’s Rumpus and theevening raised £700. Parents and pupils brought a wonderfulamount of food to a social to start the rumpus. This was thenfollowed by song, dance and music by pupils from the House.It was interspersed with two games of ‘Boggle’ on the bigscreen in the Great Hall. The evening ended with somegladiator tournaments – fortunately this involved contestantsknocking large plastic plates out of each others hands with arolled-up magazine while hopping and so no blood was spilt.Ed is ‘delighted that Roper’s have adopted this cause as theirHouse charity. The energy and effort that Mr Cochrane and hispupils put into helping disadvantaged children in a small ruralvillage in Tanzania is truly wonderful and I know it means a lot tothe community in Fukeni. Roper’s are making an importantcontribution to improving the educational environment andopportunities of Fukeni and I believe members of Roper’s are alsobenefiting from learning more about life in a rural African village.’10

S c h o o ln e w sAlleyn’s International Concert SeriesGuy Johnston and Tom Poster: 22 June 7.30pmThis concert brings together a wonderful recital partnershipwith two musicians renowned for their astonishing versatilityand virtuosity, cellist Guy Johnston and pianist Tom Poster.Photo: Hanya Chlala ArenaPhoto: Hanya Chlala ArenaGuy Johnston, BBC Young Musician of the Year 2000, is one ofthe leading cellists of his generation. Since making anextraordinary debut at the BBC Proms in 2001 performingElgar’s Cello Concerto, he has become a fast-rising star playingwith leading symphony orchestras worldwide.Tom Poster is internationally recognised as a pianist ofoutstanding artistry and extraordinary versatility. Following hisFirst Prize at the Scottish International Piano Competition2007, Tom has featured regularly on BBC Radio 3 as soloist andchamber musician, and has performed in both capacities at theBBC Proms in 2008 and 2009.‘Remarkable by any standard… an exceptionally sensitivemusician’ Sunday Telegraph of Guy Johnston‘a pianist of distinction’ The Times of Tom Poster.Tickets: £14 (£6 concessions:18 and under / 60+)Web.alleyns.org.uk/internationalconcertseriesBrading’s presents…Wow! What a night – as you can see from the photographs, wewelcomed back Sky Masterson, Sarah Brown, Lord Evelyn,Billy Bigelow and Julie – aka: Rob Layton (Spurgeon’s, 1997-2001), Charlotte Smith (Dutton’s, 1995-2002), David Few(Tulley’s, 1997-2004), Adam Fletcher (Spurgeon’s, 2000-07)and Anna Sideris (Tyson’s, 1999-2006) from the marvellousshows that John Hodgkinson directed. John is retiring after15 years of service at Alleyn’s. These alumni stars of John’sproductions really excelled themselves, arriving on the nightready to perform songs from those musicals and showing theyhad lost none of their talents. Other alumni introduced thesongs and gave tributes to John.A great evening was had by all and it really was appreciated byJohn himself.David Few Ellie Wells Joseph LeesCharlotte Smith, Rob Laytonwww.edwardalleynclub.comAdam Fletcher, Anna Sideris11

S c h o o ln e w sAlleyn’s in the 1930s publishedReaders may remember that last year, Alleyn’s embarked on itsoral history project to discover the schoolboy memories of itsalumni. The project is a continuing collaboration betweenmembers of the Edward Alleyn Club and the School’s History andEnglish Departments, the Archive, as well as its pupils. We heldour first Memories Day reunion for AOBs who were at the Schoolin the 1930s and the findings of these years have now beenassembled and produced by the Development and Alumni Officeinto the report Alleyn’s in the 1930s.The report has been sent to all contributors to the project aswell as AOBs who were at Alleyn’s in the 1930s. In his letteraccompanying the report, Headmaster Dr Gary Savageremarked that ‘as an historian myself I am naturally fascinatedby the research and the window it opens onto what went onsome eighty years ago at Alleyn’s School.’The 1930s oral history project grew in scope as it developed.Dr Savage explained that by ‘burrowing into the School Archiveto find out more about the context of our AOBs’ memories, weunearthed a first-hand account of a Nuremberg rally; re-livedthe boys’ love and fascination for all things to do with speedand flight; re-visited the fear of the School’s evacuation toMaidstone; and found out what His Majesty’s School Inspectorswere writing about Alleyn’s all those years ago. Above all,we witnessed the deep sense of loyalty that our Old Boyscontinue to feel for their School.’Reactions to the report have been swift. One AOB-reader wrotein saying ‘it is a first class presentation and all the individualcontributions have been woveninto a fascinating whole.’ Andanother wrote to say ‘Thank youfor sending me the splendidbook on Alleyn’s in the 1930s. Itis one of those books that onceyou’ve picked it up it is difficultto put down again.’Alleyn’s in the 1930s makesAlleyn’s history come alive foreveryone in the wider Schoolcommunity, but above all forall our current and futurepupils. David Harley, Head ofthe History Department, is already using the report in theclassroom: ‘Alleyn’s in the 1930s is exactly what we hoped forwhen we first planned the oral history project over a year ago.The recorded memories of the 1930s by our AOBs is invaluable ingiving history AS/A level students a familiar context for that era.For example, it’s fascinating for them to read about how Alleyn’spupils took part in the Duke of York camps, an initiative topromote better relations between boys of different backgrounds.’You can download a copy of this report from the ‘Publications’section of the Club’s website. Alternatively, if you would like toreceive a hard copy, we have a limited number of printed copies:please send a cheque for £5 made payable to ‘Alleyn’s School’ tocover printing and postage costs.12

S c h o o ln e w sEngland cricket greats come tothe Michael Croft TheatreAdvance notice is given of a splendid evening’sentertainment at the Michael Croft Theatre on31 May at 7.30pmOn the eve of the Lord’s Test against the touring Sri Lankans wepresent ‘An Evening with Mark Butcher and Geoff Miller hostedby Charles Colville of Sky Sports’.Geoff Miller, who played in 34 Tests and 25One-Day Internationals (ODIs) from 1976 to1984, is Chair of Selectors at the EnglishCricket Board (ECB). He played for Derbyshirefrom 1973 to 1986, captaining the side from1978 to 1981, and returned in 1990 afterplaying for Essex between 1987 and 1989.Geoff was a correct right-handed batsmanand a reliable right-arm off-break bowler,taking 888 wickets in 283 first-class matches(1973–1990) and 278 wickets in 334 List A matches(1973–1994). He took 60 wickets in 34 Tests and 25 wickets in25 ODIs for England.Apart from cricket, Geoff’s greatest attribute was the abilityto keep his team mates amused with his hilarious dry northernhumour, which he now brings to the after dinner speakingstage from his roots in Chesterfield. ‘I’ve always thought thatboth life and the game of cricket are taken far too seriouslyand it is necessary to see the funny side on occasions.’By virtue of the sport he was in, and the life he has led,Geoff now possesses a whole host of hilarious anecdotes andstories about himself and his colleagues. Naturally, cricket isnot the only subject to be put under the microscope in hissearch for amusement.Mark Butcher played all hiscounty cricket for Surrey, for whomhe made his debut in 1992. He madehis Test debut in the first Test ofthe 1997 Ashes series atEdgebaston. His last Test match wasin December, 2004, when he hadplayed 71 Tests, making eight centuries and averaging over 34.Unusually for such an experienced Test player, Butcher neverappeared in an ODI; no current player has played more Testswithout a one-day appearance. Since his enforced retirementas a player because of recurrent knee problems, you’ll oftensee Mark in the Sky studio commentating, or hear him as anexpert summariser on Test Match Special. On top of that, heregularly makes personal appearances and provides columns fornewspapers. As one of the England team’s more colourful andlaidback personalities, Butch makes for extremely entertainingcompany: the quintessential ‘good bloke’.Charles Colville is one of the longestservants of the Sky Sports team having joinedthe broadcaster in 1990 as the senior cricketpresenter before moving to become the mainanchorman for Sky Sports in 1996.An experienced broadcast journalist, Charleswill be hosting and commentating on some ofthe best action this year. Unlike the majorityof cricket commentators, Colville never playedprofessionally (a source of amusementamongst some of his fellow TV pundits), but is instead arespected professional sports commentator. He has, however,always been an enthusiastic club cricketer, playing in the SurreyChampionship for Pyrford Cricket Club since the 1970s.An Evening With.. promises a lively evening ofinterviews, anecdotes, straight talking about the state of thegame both domestically and on the international stage.The second half of the evening will be given over to anextensive question and answer session, with prizes on offer forthe best questions from the audience.So, if you’ve a question you’re dying to ask the Chair of Selectorsor to hear more about Mark’s views on the state of an exhaustedEngland team, currently reeling from a ten-wicket defeat in thequarter finals of the World Cup, please come along with yourcricketing buddies and join us at Alleyn’s for a convivial andentertaining evening.Tickets, priced at £16, will be available via the School’s websitewww.alleyns.org.uk or can be requested onboxoffice@alleyns.org.ukEDWARD ALLEYN CLUB115th ANNUAL DINNER 2011Saturday 12 November6.30pm for 7.45pmThe Ballroom, Royal Air Force Club,Piccadilly, London W1J 7PYTickets: £45 eachPlease complete the enclosed ticketapplication form to arriveno later than 4 NovemberTen year reunionDid you leave in 2001?There’s a reunion for your class of 1994-2001at the Clubhouseon Saturday 24 September at 8pm.Please make sure the Developmentand Alumni Office has your up-to-datecontact details so an invitationcan be sent to you.www.edwardalleynclub.com13

S c h o o ln e w sThe Michael Croft Theatre:South London’s latest venueThe School is making good progress in its desire to open thewonderful Michael Croft Theatre (MCT) to audiences beyond theschool community. In addition to our hosting of local danceschools and other community groups which hire the spaceduring school holidays, since the end of November last yearthere have been on average three visiting professional theatreproductions per term. These have included experimental piecesfrom the Battersea Arts Centre, a touring production ofMacbeth (directed by AOB Dennis Lomas’s niece), a stand-upcomedy show, a staging of the life of St Francis of Assisi and avery scary interpretation of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Add tothis the excellent performances and workshops arranged by theMusic Department under the banner of the Alleyn’sInternational Concert Series and events as varied as children’sbook launches and the staged polemics of George Monbiot (seeright) and you can see that the MCT is playing host to a hugevariety of activities over and above the great swathe ofexcellent School productions and concerts overseen by theMusic and Drama Departments.Kathleen Meehan, our Events Managers, ensure that our frontof house, bar and refreshment arrangements run smoothly at alltimes. Behind the scenes the burden borne by Vivienne Thurlowand Alpha Hopkins, who mastermind the ticketing and boxoffice process, is a heavy one which we hope to make lighter inthe coming months with the introduction of a new onlinebooking and ticketing website for the theatre which will beavailable for use for all School and visiting events in the MCT.Balancing the needs of our pupils and staff with our desire toopen our gates to the wider community takes a huge teamefforton the part of the School staff which I’d like to applaudon your behalf. Peter Stormont, our Theatre Technical Manager,works wonders turning the building around betweenengagements and helping visitors plot and run their shows whileSue Chandler, Assistant Head Co-curricular, achieves the nearimpossiblein finding gaps in the busy school schedule toshoehorn visiting productions into the calendar. Sue Miles andSo if you haven’t already attended a show at the MCT, watchout for our new season’s programme and the link to the MCT’swebsite which will appear on the Club’s own site very shortly. Ilook forward to seeing you there.David YoungDirector of Development and Finance16

George Monbiot’sleft hookS c h o o lAs part of the Dulwich Festival,the Michael Croft Theatre will beopening its doors for ‘a bareknuckle battle for hearts andminds’. Direct from a string ofverbal victories, we welcome inthe red corner, the Guardian’sunbeaten intellectualheavyweight champion of freespeech, one of the UK’s foremostthinkers and environmentalists,and polemicist supreme‘Gentleman’ George Monbiot.The gloves are off for abarnstorming evening of topicaldebate in which our manMonbiot selects a hot topic forhis first half lecture and theninvites members of the audience to contest this with him.In the second half, he throws down the gauntlet to all comersand will take any subject from A to Z as the audience pit theirwits against him in bouts of verbal fisticuffs.13 May 2011, 7.30pm Tickets £10 (£8 concessions) and areavailable via www.dulwichfestival.co.ukA reunionof anniversaries!Following on from the successof our combined 20, 30 and 40-year reunionheld at the School in the summer, this yearwe have extended the invitation list to those AOBswho left Alleyn’s 50 and 60 years ago.So – if you were in the class of 1944-51,1954-61, 1964-71, 1974-81, 1984-91 –this is the reunion date for you.The reunion will be held at the Schoolon Saturday 18 June, from 11am-3pm.If you’re not sure whether you ‘qualify’for this reunion, visit the Club websitewhere we have posted ‘class lists’ for these yearsand see if you recognise any of the namesas belonging to your form.An advance notice has already been sent outto those alumni for whom we have contact details.Teachers who worked at the School during these yearsare also warmly welcome to attend.Formal invitations to alumni and staffwill be sent out shortly.Places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.As usual, the list of acceptanceswill be updated regularly, closer to the time.Please make sure you send in your RSVP by 10 June.n e w sThe Confetti MakerThe Michael Croft Theatre ishost to Frank Wurzinger inThe Confetti Maker onTuesday 24 May at 7.30pm.Frank’s first solo clown showpromises to be dangerouslyspontaneous, full of surprisesand lots of fun. The ConfettiMaker combines live music,singing, crazy dancing andbizarre puppetry as the herostrives for romance, fame and family. Suitable for eight years +.Tickets £14 (£8 concessions) and are available fromboxoffice@alleyns.org.ukGreen chipsThe School’s IT Manager and allotmentaficionado, Nick Beagin, recently hit thecountry’s billboards in a nation-wide advertisingcampaign for BUPA. Here he describes how:I was first approached by fellow staff-member, Brendan Allen,as he knew someone in an ad agency who was looking forBUPA-members with allotments for a possible photo shoot.I sent off a couple of pictures with little expectation but waspleasantly surprised when they said they would like to use meand my allotment site for an advertisement.Come the day I was a little shocked – there was aphotographer, three assistants, a stylist, a make-up/hair personand two executives complete with a Winnebago camper vanand driver. Naïvely I had thought it would just be me and aman with a camera.However, they were all very down-to-earth and professionaland made me, the complete amateur, feel very comfortable.The day went quickly considering that I spent most of itstanding in the mud, on one spot with a fixed grin on my faceand, although it was interesting to see the care and attentionthat goes into making just one image, I don’t think I’ll be givingup my day job quite yet!www.edwardalleynclub.com17

S c h o o ln e w s18A day in the life of… Marilyn WalkerMarilyn Walker joinedAlleyn’s as a teacher ofFrench and PE in September1979. Other new employeesat the time were EileenChivers (née McGann),Martin Fosten andMike Walsh. Thirty-two yearslater, Marilyn is now Directorof PE and Sport – and, as youwill read, is involved in a lotmore beside.As we were setting up for theinterview, I teased Marilyn about howmuch time she spends at Alleyn’s andasked whether she ever sees her home– for she’s always here, in the eveningsand at weekends. Marilyn grimacedand confessed to living nearby,explaining that she was determined tolive not too far from wherever sheworked because throughout hersecondary school years she had spenthours crossing the city of Birmingham every day to get toschool. Marilyn went to the King Edward VI Camp Hill, avoluntary-aided grammar school, and has only discoveredrelatively recently that her place was funded by a bursary –which perhaps explains her wholehearted support for the needto increase the number of bursaries available at Alleyn’s.Marilyn’s father died when she was six, leaving her mother andtwo younger sisters, so money was tight. She recognises thather education gave her opportunities which might not havebeen open to her otherwise. Marilyn is involved in the 11+admissions interviews as well as overseeing the assessment ofthe 11+ candidates for sports scholarships at Alleyn’s, and everyyear it is a fiendishly difficult task to decide which candidatesare the most worthy recipients – if only more scholarships orbursaries were available.Marilyn with Dr Colin Diggory at a Final AssemblySo, to Marilyn’s day…. Her working day starts at a duvetdefying6.30am. She justifies this early start by saying ‘it’s thequietest time of day in the office at School and it’s the onlytime when I can get work done without interruptions’.Like many of us, Marilyn aspires to start each day with an earlymorning swim – but it doesn’t happen as often as she wouldlike because ‘there’s too much to be done’. On this particularmorning she finished writing comments about individual 11+candidates’ performances at the sports scholarship assessmentswhich would be included in the letters sent from theAdmissions Office. She then circulated to Housemasters themost up-to-date results of the latest inter-House competitionand put up a team list for a forthcoming hockey match.From 7am (on Mondays and Fridays) members of pupils (andstaff) can come into the swimming pool and Marilyn will oftendevise swim programmes or help with individual stroke-work –or they can work on their own. This pre-breakfast swimmingsession has run for a long time – being overseen by a variety ofswimming coacheswho were alsoparents – Athole Still(son Jason), TerryDavies (daughterLissa), the father ofOlympic swimmerSharron Davies. PeterTopley (Brading’s,1938-45, daughterAbigail) ran it formany years and, afterhis death in 2000,Marilyn instigated thePresenting a sports awardPeter Topley Award in recognition of a Lower or Middle Schoolpupil’s contribution to swimming. At 8.15am there’s the LowerSchool squad which trains for half an hour – it’s timedcarefully so that pupils who come in on the Foundation coachservice can take part.The swimming pool was opened in 1967 and it is starting to lookits age. The pool gets well used by everyone from the JuniorSchool up to the Common Room, not to mention the communitygroups which use it after school hours. Marilyn has dreams ofrefurbishing the pool saying, ‘it would be great to have a viewinggallery to encourage swimming as a spectator-sport. It wouldalso allow us to host water polo galas and swimmingtournaments properly. At the moment, teams have to wait in thechanging rooms until their match is on which isn’t ideal.’After clearing the pool and sending off the register ofattendees, Marilyn then went to the Library to supervise pupilswho were on their PS (private study) period. Following the PSperiod Marilyn then went to cover a lesson in the ArtDepartment which Marilyn admits is, ‘not quite so easy for meto help them as when I am covering a language lesson’.Marilyn enjoys seeing pupils in a different setting from whereshe usually meets them. ‘I am totally lacking in artistic abilitymyself and I am frequently in awe of the creative talent of ourpupils – not just in art but music, drama and the ingenuity theyshow in putting together charity events.’At 10.15am it was morning break but this provided noopportunity to stop because she had to deal with a stream ofpupils’ enquiries about fencing, swimming and cross-countryrunning. The flow of enquiries continued when she got to herdesk, answering emails, ordering equipment, chasing up repliesfor the English Schools’ Cross-Country Championship whichwas being held the following month. Marilyn is manager of thegirls’ London team for the national Championships (as well asLSAA competitions organiser) and believes that the work shedoes is another way in which Alleyn’s contributes to thecommunity at large.

S c h o o ln e w sA DoE group, Cwmystwyth and Plymlimon Mountains,South Wales, 1990With Anne Poole and Margaret Hunnaball, DoE Bronze Qualifying trip,New Forest 2006Marilyn’s empire includes overseeing the supply of the School’ssports kit and two years ago she improved the service byintroducing an online sports supplier, which has proved hugelypopular with parents. The range of kit constantly expands inresponse to pupils’ requirements, e.g. t-bags (for those unsporting,like me, a t-bag is a baggy t-shirt made out of alightweight modern fibre that is worn by the poolside to keepthe wearer warm).After this administration, Marilyn went to teach Year 10 (age15) badminton. It was a fun lesson and the pupils took part ina tournament as it was the last lesson of the badminton block.No tidying away was necessary because there was inter-Housebadminton happening over lunch-time. Marilyn is veryenthusiastic about House competitions ‘as it allows pupils ofdifferent ages to join forces under a common goal’.With this busy schedule, lunch was had on the hoof whilstMarilyn took a party of junior and intermediate pupils toDulwich College for the Southwark Schools’ Cross CountryChampionship. Marilyn says that it is, ‘increasingly difficult toget pupils excused from lessons to take part in tournaments.Nowadays, pupils have to do more assessments in class whichcount towards their (final) exam marks, so academic workinevitably takes priority’. After handing out the certificates andmedals at the championship, Marilyn then returned to school at3.15pm to umpire some school netball matches.Once the pupil activities had finished there was anotheropportunity to catch up on emails, responding to varioushockey matters (umpiring, juniors or tournamentarrangements), the agenda for a Duke of Edinburgh meeting,the forthcoming Alleyn’s Invitation Swimming Gala (a galaMarilyn set up 20 years ago as a girls’ version of the Pre-BathCup). She was delighted to receive a message from a pastmember of her form (who was making enquiries regarding apossible sports camp for her offspring) – and asking Marilyn ifshe remembered her (she did). Marilyn feels, ‘very fortunate toreceive quite a few emails from past pupils and what has beenlovely is that I have remembered all of those who contactedme! The hardest thing is actually remembering when they left.’Once the pupil activities had finished there was a departmentalmeeting to review girls’ sport. Marilyn’s team constantly reviewwhat they do and how they can improve within the setting ofthe School curriculum and with the resources available.In addition to the PE staff, a few staff from other departmentshelp coach pupil teams. This is clearly something Marilynenjoys: ‘teaching a sport is quite different from playing it.www.edwardalleynclub.comIt’s lovely encouraging a colleague to add another string totheir teaching bow and watching that person’s confidence growin imparting sports skills to pupils. It’s hugely rewarding to see’.With 17 girls’ sports teams running, they are a much neededaddition to the PE staff.Marilyn’s day at Townley Road hadn’t yet ended. After a quicksandwich at her desk, Marilyn went to see the Middle Schoolperformance of Animal Farm: another opportunity to see hercharges in (forgive the pun) a different setting. Her day atSchool ends at 9.30pm.Overseeing hockey matters with Sue ChandlerFrom this heady race through one of Marilyn’s ‘average days’,it is quite clear why so many current and former pupils think ofher with such affection. I have spoken to many an alumnuswho names Marilyn as one of their favourite Alleyn’s teachers,regardless of their proficiency with a bat or a ball. Marilyn’s15-hour days (over the last thirty-plus years) prove howabsolute her dedication is to her job and to the pupils underher care here at Alleyn’s.Concluding our interview I comment to Marilyn that her homemust be pristine given the amount of time she spends atAlleyn’s; ‘No, it’s not,’ came Marilyn’s retort, ‘especially duringterm-time!’With thanks to Richard Alldrick and Chris Liffen for photos.19

A l u m n in e w sUniversity destinations for 2010 leaversMawutor Adabadze (T) Sport Management, LoughboroughFrederick Addison (T) History, London, Kings CollegeAaiza Ali (R) Economics and Statistics, London, University CollegeElaine Ambridge (R) Music, Royal Academy of MusicNina Anderson (C) Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical SchoolJessica Anyan-Brown (Tn) Medicine, LeicesterStephanie Aritone (R) Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, DurhamAbigail Bainbridge (Tn) Medicine, LeedsGrace Barbour (S) Mathematics, Cambridge: Pembroke CollegeLuke Baxter (Tn) Natural Sciences, Cambridge: Sidney Sussex CollegeLuke Bell (Tn) Music, ManchesterJoseph Boylan (C) English and Theatre Studies, WarwickCamille Brokenshire (Tn) Business Studies and International Relations,University of the West of ScotlandEloise Bucknor (B) French and Hispanic Studies, SheffieldEleanor Bullard (D) French, Oxford: Oriel CollegeJulia Butler (Tn) Criminology, DurhamMeera Cammell (R) Medicine, NottinghamJack Chaldecott (Bn) Theology, NottinghamNicole Cheetham (D) Experimental Psychology, Oxford: New CollegeJackson Clive (C) Zoology, London, Imperial CollegeKevin Co (R) Computing Science, GlasgowBenedict Collier-Lawlor (S) Ancient History, ManchesterEleanor Connor (T) English Language and Literature, Oxford: WadhamCollegeJoseph Cummins (Bn) Economics and Accounting, BristolSophie Dannreuther (B) French and German, Oxford: New CollegeFelix De Grey (D) Middle Eastern Studies, Cambridge: Churchill CollegeAlexandra De Salis (S) Medicine, SheffieldKamala Dodd (Tn) Fine Art, NewcastleFreya Dolby (D) English Language and Literature, LeedsBarnaby Eliot (Bn) English and French, LiverpoolMayo Faulkner (B) Physics, London, Imperial CollegeEllanah Fawcett R Social Anthropology, London: School of Economics andPolitical ScienceGrace Forbes (C) Law, Oxford: Brasenose CollegeJames Forryan (R) Medicine, LiverpoolJames Gallagher-Powell (D) Geography, DurhamBarnaby Geddes-O’Dolan (B) Classics and German, Oxford: SomervilleCollegeDavid Gleeson (Tn) Medicine, Oxford: Oriel CollegeEdward Grant (S) Mathematics, Oxford: Worcester CollegeLillie Gredley (S) Economics and Politics, EdinburghHugo Greenhalgh (B) International History and Politics, LeedsThomas Gregory (S) Architectural Studies, BathIsabel Gregory (S) Theology, DurhamEmily Griffin (D) Geography, SouthamptonNicholas Griffiths (R) Social Sciences and Science & Psychology,ManchesterElizabeth Grinnell (D) Mathematics and Computer Science, NottinghamMaximilian Gunn (B) Mathematics, SwanseaPeter Hanton (R) History, DurhamRosemary Harris (D) Biology, ManchesterAlexei Hartley (T) Architecture, Cambridge: Gonville and Caius CollegeCatherine Hayward (C) Biomedical Sciences, ManchesterMegan Hewlett (Bn) Philosophy and Theology, NottinghamDaniel Holder (C) Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, SheffieldAlice Hoskins (R) Fine Art, Glasgow School of ArtRory Houlding (S) Architecture, Glasgow School of ArtAlexander Ingarfield (Bn) Sport Sciences, BrunelRosa Irwin Clark (D) Music Theatre, FalmouthEdward Johnson (C) Veterinary Medicine, EdinburghEdward Jones (B) Biomedical Sciences, ManchesterSimon Kale (Tn) Theology, NottinghamElliot Kirby (R) Physics, ManchesterAlexandra Langley (R) Environmental Science, ManchesterElizabeth Laurence (C) Law, DurhamClare Le Voir (R) Geography, SheffieldAlexander Lee (Bn) Mechanical Engineering, BathMatthew Lewis (C) Aerospace Engineering, LiverpoolImogen Lucas (T) Law with American Studies, SussexRory Macdowall (R) Modern Languages, DurhamJulian Mack (R) Natural Sciences, Cambridge: Robinson CollegeDaniel Macswiney (B) Natural Sciences, Cambridge: Trinity Hall CollegeRebecca Macswiney (B) Politics, EdinburghEmily Malkin (C) Liberal Arts, HarvardRebecca Moore (Bn) Geography, DurhamEmma Neville-Rolfe (T) Archaeology and Anthropology, ManchesterEmily O’Kelly (B) Medicine, NewcastleGrace Onions (D) Medicine, Cambridge: St John’s CollegeAlexander Osborne (S) Product Design, BrightonArianna Panton (Tn) Theology, NottinghamMaya Peilow (Bn) Law, DurhamKate Pigden (D) English Literature, ManchesterTimothy Quicke (S) Physics with a Year in Europe, London, Imperial CollegeThomas Reilly (Bn) Natural Sciences, DurhamSophie Richardson (B) Fine Art, LancasterMadeleine Robinson (R) French and Latin, ExeterCal Robinson (R) Physics, ManchesterGabriella Russell (T) Natural Sciences, Cambridge: Churchill CollegeCharlotte Sandberg (T) History, Cambridge: Murray Edwards CollegeSaskia Selwood (S) Architecture, London, University CollegeValeria Shumaylova (C) Mathematics and Physics, St AndrewsHenry Stones (D) International Relations, DurhamThomas Straker (T) History, BristolMona Tabbara (C) English, BristolIvan Taylor (S) Study of Religion and Theology, ManchesterOliver Taylor (T) Product Design, NottinghamPoppy Terry (T) History, DurhamCalum Thompson (C) Civil Engineering, BristolMax Tottenham (C) Computing, London, Imperial CollegeJuliet Underwood (Tn) Physiotherapy, NottinghamDaniel Unwin (S) Product Design, LeedsFrederick Ward (Tn) Drama and Spanish, BristolRose Ward (B) Modern and Medieval Languages, Cambridge: RobinsonCollegeGeorge Warner (B) Product Design, LeedsJessica Webster (S) Law, DurhamAnna Weguelin (R) Classics, Cambridge: Newnham CollegeEleanor Wells (B) Fashion Design, InstitutomarangoniToby Wheeler (R) Biology, LeedsAnna Wilson (T) Psychology, NewcastleThere are some 2010 leavers who are applying to universitythis year. All information is correct at time of going to press.20

CCF in the sixtiesA l u m n iAfter reading the recent interview withAir Marshal Christopher Harper, Gwyn Phillips(Cribb’s, 1964-71) was reminded about his daysin the CCF. He sends in his own recollections ofthe CCF – which were somewhat different!I do remember lines of boys heaving on elasticated lines to tryand get the old glider off the ground, with very little success.There was a rumour, I still do not whether it is true, that oneyear the launch had been achieved and it had flown as far asDulwich Park.The most vivid memory of the early training days, apart fromlearning how to get a mirror-shine on toecaps and blanco-inggaiters, was of Eric Randall, standing up, holding a Bren Gun andfiring bursts down the range. He was probably an early role modelfor Rambo. That was the day we had gone to Bisley (I think) tolearn how to hurt your shoulder when getting to grips with a .303bolt action rifle.n e w sAfter getting Cert A, we were put into specialist units withNigel Mills and myself opting for the RA. We volunteered toman the forward observation post so, off we would trot, to theopposite side of the field, make ourselves invisible, relax, havean illicit smoke and while away the rest of the afternoon….Such was our success that we managed to persuade the CO to letus form a REME section and then volunteered to mend Eric’s oldFord Anglia. The car had badly rusted sills, which we fibreglassedsuccessfully, and then took her on a test-run. Coming round frombehind the swimming pool, we nearly ran down Mr Fanner, whowas out walking his dog. We got out of the car with sheepishexpressions and explained our important mission, to which hewaved a hand and said ‘Very good boys, carry on’.Ah, the good old days.Nowadays, Gwyn owns a shop in a Highland seaside village, andhas a yacht delivery business as a sideline. He writes a story formost of the deliveries which can be read in ‘The Story So Far’at www.spanglefish.com/yachtandboatdeliveriesGwyn is married and has four grown-up children.Award-winning actressIn addition to winning the Evening Standard‘s Best Actress Award for 2010for her performance as Joan in the National Theatre’s revival of TerenceRattigan’s After the Dance, former Club President, Nancy Carroll (Brading’s,1985-92) has won an Olivier for the same role. Nancy is thrilled and says‘this is the icing on the cake: it’s been an amazing year! Joan was a gift ofa role and the company were wonderful, a joy to share a stage with’.Whilst she was busy receiving accolades, Nancy was preparing for hernext production: the imminent arrival of a younger brother or sisterfor Nell. And as the magazine hit the press, we are delighted to reportthat on 28 March, Arthur Harry Hepworth Stone-Fewings arrived,weighing 8lbs 8ozs and, says Nancy, 'completely lovely!'.Nancy with Benedict Cumberbatchin After the DancePhoto: Johan PerssonMichal Cwizewicz entertains at the Embassywww.edwardalleynclub.comOutstanding virtuosos violinist Michal Cwizewicz (Brading’s1995-2002) and pianist John Paul Ekins delighted a large crowdof benefactors at the Polish Embassy on 18 February. Togetherthey performed at a charity concert for The Medical Aid forPoland Fund to support the Caritas Educational-RehabilitationCentre for disabled children in Sandomierz, Poland, which wasseverely hit by floods last year. Michal’s parents are both Polishand he and the whole family has great sympathy for theircompatriots’ suffering in last year’s floods.Playing before an entranced audience which included the PolishAmbassador, the luminaries of the Polish Medical Associationand (less augustly) David Young, Development Director atAlleyn’s, Michal and John Paul performed works by Mozart,Wieniawski, Elgar and Szymanowski with great passion,maturity and skill. David and his family came along to supportthe charity, with which they have a personal connection, andwere delighted to find an AOB of such talent and distinctionwas ‘the turn’ for the evening.Winner of many awards and competitions, including the RoyalCollege of Music Concerto Competition in 2010, Michal hasperformed as a concerto soloist in the UK, Spain, France, CzechRepublic and Poland in eminent venues such as La Madeleine inParis, London’s St John’s Smith Square and the Cadogan Hall.His website is www.michalcwizewicz.com21

A l u m n in e w sRaleigh InternationalEmily Griffin (Dutton’s, 2007-10) was awarded anEdward Alleyn Club Gap Year bursary to enableher to take part in a Raleigh Internationalexpedition in Borneo. She has sent in this reportwhich describes the adventures, explorations,not to mention hard graft.I always knew I wanted to travel before I went off to universityand, during my research of what to do, I came across RaleighInternational. Twelve months later, I found myself in Borneoalong with 90 other venturers (the name given to Raleighparticipants under the age of 25) on one of its ten-weekexpeditions. Raleigh is a charity that includes environmental,community and adventure projects in their expeditions.The Raleigh venturers come from all over the world and fromall different kinds of backgrounds.My ten weeks in Borneo were divided into four parts, the firstpart being a week to acclimatise and learn some skills to helpus survive in the jungle. The rest of my time was split into threeprojects: adventure, community and environmental, which eachlasted for three weeks.On our last night, we were rewarded with a home-stay in alocal house which was luxury as we had fresh food, comfychairs and beds, and the locals were such lovely people.After that, we travelled to Mamutik Island and started ourscuba-diving training. This was the relaxing part of the tenweeks: the island was so beautiful and our ‘basha’ (tent) wasright by the beach so every morning I woke up to the sound ofwaves. I had a lot of fun on this phase and am so glad I got thechance to do it.My second project was the community one where we were thefirst part of a six-week project building a gravity-water feedsystem in a village call Pakagaya, which is situated in thepoorest region of Sabah. Their water source before was a smallstagnant pond and mosquito-borne diseases were common inthe area. Pakagaya is about a three-hour trek uphill from thenearest road so bringing in all the pipes, cement, tools andequipment that we would need up there was our first task.My first project was the adventure section which consisted of12 days trekking in the rainforest, from a village calledLongpasia then seven days learning how to scuba dive on anisland just off the mainland. Trekking was physically very hardas the land was definitely not all flat and our guide’s ‘word ofthe day’ was ‘uphill’ most of the time. We had to carry all of ourkit to each camp which included our hammock and tarpaulin tosleep in, our food for the entire 12 days, and the group kit wehad to carry. Our living was very basic with us cooking Raleighrations over a fire, washing ourselves and our clothes in theriver, only having two tee-shirts and using a ‘long drop’ as therewere definitely no toilets in the jungle. We were very lucky asit did not rain for eight of the 12 days we were trekking and itonly rained once whilst we were actually trekking on the lastday – in the last half an hour – and it was torrential. In terms ofanimals, we were lucky that we didn’t see any snakes, but wedid see some massive spiders on webs that we had to walkunder. We also had quite a few leeches whilst trekking and afew of them learnt the art of sticking just their heads throughmy sock and leaving their bodies on the outside. Our aim was toget to a place called Maga Falls and we made it – it was anamazing feat and it was all down to the brilliant group I had aswe each encouraged and helped one another and they were thenicest group of people I could have asked for.The word ‘pakagaya’ literally means ‘personality hill’ and you doneed a big personality, or just be very determined, to get up itcarrying very awkward and heavy equipment. We also built thedam for the water-feed system and, although we had a lot ofproblems with it, such as natural springs turning up where wedidn’t want them, we finished it and I learnt a lot about damconstruction!As we were living in a local community it waseye-opening to see how they lived and to get to know them.22

A l u m n in e w sLondon CitizensAll of the locals were very friendly and we spent a lot of timewith them when we weren’t working. We took part in a localsports day and both our girls’ and boys’ football teams won!We also organised a sports day for the children and taughtthem English and made sure that by the time we left they allknew head, shoulders, knees and toes! This phase was very hardphysically and mentally due to having to climb the same hillday after day but I still had plenty of fun and met so manyincredible people.My last project was in the Bornean Sun Bear ConservationCentre. On this phase the best thing about it was the wildlifebecause I saw many amazing creatures. Our job was tocontinue to build a board walk and steps to go around the sunbears’ enclosure so the rangers can easily walk around thefence, see if any of the trees had broken it so they can fix itbefore any of the sun bears escaped. It was a very muddy threeweeks and by the end of it I had forgotten the colour of mywalking boots – but itwas nice to be back in alittle bit of civilisationand have a toilet atwork! I saw the sunbears which had beenrescued, saw a massivescorpion, spiders andmacaques and, as theSun Bear Centre wasright next to the orangutansanctuary, I wasable to see plenty oforang-utans! We werevery lucky to get to seelittle baby orang-utansalmost every day on ourway to work; as well asseeing a wild orang-utanabout seven metres awayfrom our jungle camp,just swinging in the treeseating. It was a once-in-a-life-time experience. Again I hadlots of fun on this project and it felt good to see the results ofour hard work at the end.I had the most wonderful ten weeks of my life in Borneo as Imet so many amazing people, had so many experiences, learntso many things and just had the time of my life: I wouldn’tswap those weeks for anything in the world. I know it is cheesybut I do believe that the experience has changed me for thebetter and that it will stay with me for the rest of my life.Emily GriffinYou may recall that Stefan Baskerville(Dutton’s, 1998-2005) was in the Day in the Lifefeature in the magazine last year. At the time,Stefan was President of the Oxford UniversityStudent Union where he represented 20,000students to the university authorities and tothe wider world. So it came as no surprise tothis editor when she saw a photograph of himin the Guardian in an article about the work hedoes for London Citizens. Stefan kindly agreedto take up his pen again for these pages….I am a professional community-organiser with London Citizens,which means I work with members of civil society institutionsfrom across London such as churches, mosques, synagogues,schools, and university departments, to train leaders and helpthem participate in the public life of the city. Having spentthree years studying the theory of politics at Oxford, LondonCitizens provides an exciting way of doing politics that focuseson real people.The principle behind what we do is that a healthy democracyrequires organised people to participate in politics to hold themarket and the state to account. We focus on developingrelationships between the different organisations in ourmembership to take action on the issues they have in common.For example, it was London Citizens who began the LivingWage campaign in 2001 when mosques and churches in EastLondon identified similar concerns about the hours theirmembers had to work to support their families. Over the tenyears of the Living Wage campaign, London Citizens’ membershave brought their power to bear on banks and employersacross the city, winning £70m in additional wages. This meansthat 10,000 families have been lifted from working poverty.The Living Wage campaign continues and I have responsibilityfor the campaign in the higher education sector – two recentvictories include King’s College London and LondonMetropolitan University. I’m also responsible for our tenmember-institutions in the City of Westminster and spend mytime meeting people, running training sessions and guidinglocal campaigns.For more information, see: www.citizensuk.orgwww.edwardalleynclub.com23

Everything AliceThe wonderland book of makesA l u m n iAlumnae, Hannah Read-Baldrey (Brading’s,1991-98), has written and illustrated a bookon how to make handicrafts and culinaryconfections inspired by the fantasticaladventures of Alice in Wonderland.Hannah says: ‘over the past few yearsthroughout the recession, the craft-markethas gained huge popularity. Shaking off itsimage as something for your granny, it hastruly become en vogue. Everything Alice, thefirst book to voice this, teaches in easy stepscreations for the stylish woman, containingincredible photography with beautiful illustrations,a book full of things you would actually go out and buy...But now you can make!’n e w sEach of the ‘make me’ projects standsalone, explains Hannah, ‘as a gorgeous itemto cherish, such as a red polka dot frillypinny you can wear whilst baking cupcakesfit for a king, exquisite beaded napkin ringswith the initials of your guests’. Alongsidethere are stunning paper-cut illustrations,gorgeous photography and snippets ofwonderland-lore making.Hannah studied Theatre Design at CentralSt Martins before embarking on a career asa props and fashion stylist. She has workedwith magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Red andCath Kidston, and regularly presents craftprojects online at Hobbycraft. Everything Aliceis her first book with co-author Christine Leech.Hannah recalls her time at Alleyn’s: ‘I had themost wonderful teachers: my art teacher and form tutor,Mr Sutton, always gave me theconfidence to embrace mycreativity, whilst my fabuloustheatre tutors Mr Tonkin andMr Grant really paved the wayfor me to take my love of thetheatre to the next level.I have been so lucky to be able tocombine the two in my career.’Everything Alice will be publishedby Quadrille Books in July andwill be available in all goodbookshops. It is now available forpre-order through Amazon.Photography: Tiffany Mumford24Alumni sky-dive to raise moneyfor READ International!On 12 March, 2011, Max Shaw (Cribb’s, 2003-08) and MeganBarbour (Spurgeon’s, 2001-08) jumped out of an aeroplane from15,000 feet, falling at 120mph for around 60 seconds, beforereleasing the parachute around cloud-level, and landing in afield in the middle of nowhere!Megan reports that ‘both of us were absolutely terrified –the thought of facing our fears and jumping out of a tinyrickety-looking plane made us feel physically sick throughout theday, but as soon as our feet had left the plane floor and we werefalling through the air, it was the most incredible feeling wehave ever had!’There was a massive reason for Megan and Max to face theirfears that day – together they raised over £1,000 for READInternational, a student-led charity which sends books andresources to schools all over East Africa. Having previouslyworked in Kenya, Megan has seen just how important this causeis and how much each child wants to learn and appreciatesabsolutely everything we can send them.Megan adds: ‘sky-diving was one of the most amazing thingseither of us had ever done, and the fact that we had raised somuch money for READ just made it even more incredible!’

I nm e m o r i a mLaurence Garrett, 1926-2010 (Junior School, 1936-40)After attending Alleyn’s Junior School, Laurence’s family movedto Ewell, Surrey, in 1940. There he transferred to Epsom CountySchool for boys, now known as Glyn Technical College. Hejoined the Royal Navy in 1943 as a boy-signaller, servingmainly in the Mediterranean area. After being demobbed in1946 he enrolled at Clarks College, Croydon, where he first methis wife. On leaving, he went to work in Imports and Exportswhere he stayed for two years.In 1950, he started training to be a psychiatric nurse, qualifyingin 1953, and working at St Ebbas Hospital, one of the five inEpsom at the time, before transferring to Long Grove with theJuvenile Unit in the early 1960s where he stayed until retiringas a charge nurse in 1989.He was a member of Epsom Methodist Church and it was at itsyouth club that he met up again with his wife whom he married in1953. His hobbies included green bowling, winning manycompetitions for Epsom Bowling Club between 1975-95.He became a greensman there and played up until 2009. He wasalso involved with the 7th Epsom (Methodist) Scout troop, beingtheir Quarter Master for many years, receiving a Medal of Merit in1995 and a Long Service Medal in 1996. He enjoyed art, attendingvarious classes after retirement, and also played whist and bridge.He leaves a wife, three daughters, five grandchildren and sixgreat-grandchildren.Mrs EM GarrettMartin O’Neill, 1958-2010(Roper’s, 1969-76)A very talented sportsman whilst atAlleyn’s, Martin excelled at bothfootball and tennis as a youngster.Whilst still at school, he won theKent County Tennis U18-title twoyears running and went on to enjoya long career in senior county teams.He was a talented tennis coach, inspiring youngsters atBromley Cricket Club, Walmer Lawn Tennis Club and East KentTennis Academy. In later years, Martin took up golf and, armedwith a handicap of three, he enjoyed many rounds, usually athis favourite Walmer & Kingsdown Golf Club on the Kent Coast,and on his annual ‘O’Neill Tour en France’.He was much-loved, and a very popular man who still hadmany close friends from his early years. He was married toJanet for 26 years and was a wonderful father to their twindaughters Danni and Kirsty. Martin died on 29 July 2010 aftera year-long battle with cancer. There was standing room onlyat St Mary’s Church in Walmer for his thanksgiving servicewhich was full of bright colour, beautiful music and personalcontributions by family and friends. He will continue to inspireall who knew him for many years to come.Janet O’NeillMartin Powell, 1928-2010 (Dutton’s, 1940-47)Martin Powell, who died on 21 December, 2010, was born inForest Hill on 4 December, 1928. He attended the local primaryschool which was evacuated to Warehorne, Kent, at the beginningof the war. On the farm he learnt to milk a cow and from a deckchair he watched the Battle of Britain. At the insistence of hiswww.edwardalleynclub.comolder, Fleet Air Arm brother, he wasmoved from there and joined Alleyn’sSchool at Rossall.It was an unexpected opportunity todevelop his musicianship under WJ ‘Puff’Smith. His first cello teacher was GraceLeslie, née Stubbs, who lived inBlackpool. He kept up a friendship withher till her death. He was on the scienceside of general education. Back inLondon he performed the Elgar andDvořák cello concertos with the school orchestra.After National Service, which included guarding the mis-namedSweet Water Canal in Egypt, he had leave and saw thePyramids, Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. He returned toLondon with a cello made by a German- prisoner-of-war inEgypt. In London he had lessons with William Pleeth.His career at the Bank of England gave him security andcongenial colleagues in civilised surroundings. During a twoyearspell at the Leeds Branch of the Bank of England hemarried Sheila (Bobby) Scarr in York whom he had first met ona Ramblers’ Association holiday in the Austrian Tyrol.His school-friend, Tony Younger, was with him.Martin and Sheila bought their first house in Wallington,Surrey, where their son and daughter were born and educated.After taking early retirement from the Bank, they moved toCambridge. Here he taught cello both privately and atSt Faith’s, the Leys and Oundle Schools. He had more time forplaying string quartets including the Hertfordshire StringQuartet with whom he gave concerts. He also coached theNational Children’s Orchestra during their holiday courses.Throughout his life he played extensively. For example, heplayed for over fifty years with the Chelsea Opera Group, manyyears with the Tallis Chamber Orchestra and, latterly, with theCambridge Sinfonietta.He also had a great appreciation of the countryside, oldbuildings and of art. He painted in oils at a Cambridge art class.Sadly, Alzheimer’s Disease gradually robbed him of his talents.He died in Edinburgh where his family now live. He leaves awife, children, two grandchildren and a very large number ofmusical friends.Sheila PowellRichard John Squires 1937–2011 (Brading’s, 1949-54)Richard, or Dick as he was affectionately known, attendedAlleyn’s School from September 1949 until he left after takinghis A levels in 1954.He enjoyed school and had a natural aptitude for learning,especially where mathematics was concerned. Dick was theHouse Captain for Athletics, not for his general sporting abilitybut because he was good at the high jump! He has writtenfondly of several members of staff who clearly stood out to him,but in particular, of Fred Goldner, who was his form master inthe Sixth Form. Fred was obviously a gifted mathematician but,more importantly, he told Dick about the actuarial profession.Dick had to negotiate with his father to stay on to do hisA levels knowing that university was out of the question.Fred told Dick that he could become an actuary without needingto go to university and did not need to be articled or to pay apremium, as was the case then for accountancy or the law.25

I nm e m o r i a mOn leaving Alleyn’s Dick took a job at North British andMercantile as a post-boy whilst enrolling in a correspondencecourseto begin his actuarial training. From there he joinedImperial Life as a trainee actuary. A year after marrying his wifeValerie he took a position with the company in Toronto andspent three years living out there. They returned to the UKwhere he took up a new position with Canada Life.Eventually, he moved to Save and Prosper where he remainedfor 20 years, becoming a member of the board. On leaving Saveand Prosper he moved as a consultant to Watson Wyatts wherehe remained until he retired. During his working life he wasinvolved in the Institute of Actuaries and wrote papers forfurther generations of actuaries to study.Dick was a keen gardener with an amazing memory for the Latinnames of numerous plants. He and Valerie took up golf togetherand were able to enjoy many holidays together exploringdifferent parts of the globe. He loved listening to music andreading. He was a true family man and always had time for hischildren and grandchildren, especially once he had retired.He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in July last year, butdespite responding well to treatment, secondaries had takenhold and, once discovered, were too severe to treat. After ashort illness he died at home, as was his wish, with his wifeand children with him.Dick was one of life’s true gentlemen and will be sorely missedby all those who had the good fortune to know him.Fiona GwynnTony Staite, 1935-2011(Dutton’s 1947-53)Tony Staite was born in October 1935,the son of an engineer. Tony had ahumble background with five of themliving in a one-bedroom flat in Brixton.Growing up in South London during thewar, Tony’s brother and sister were bothevacuated, but Tony was not sent awayand stayed in London to be with his mother, often sleeping inStockwell Underground Station during the Blitz.The key event that changed Tony’s life was when he passed the11+ and gained a free place Alleyn’s. His father, however, hadother plans and thought Tony should follow his older brother tothe local secondary modern. Tony’s father decided thatbricklaying should be Tony’s career path!Tony was forever grateful to his mother who stood up to theirfather and insisted that Tony should go to Alleyn’s. This literallychanged his life and for this Tony this was eternally thankful.At school Tony was a keen sportsman and played football for theschool First XI. He played percussion in the school orchestra andhe played timpani for the London Schools Symphony orchestra.Because the family flat was so small, Tony would do hishomework in Brixton library. When he had finished, Tony wouldspend his time playing gramophone records from the librarycollection, and it was here that he developed his life long loveof classical music.One of Tony’s friends at Alleyn’s was Martin Wales (Roper’s, 1947-55). One day, Martin invited Tony to his birthday party with thepromise that there would be real bananas to eat. This was a treatfar too exciting to miss out on in the late 1940s – even when theinvitation came with the condition that Tony would have to attendthe Crusader Bible classes run by Martin’s father, Jack Wales.It was at Crusaders that Tony became a life-long Christian.On his return from National Service in Cyprus, Tony, like manyyoung men of the time, decided not to go to university. He hadmet Christine Badcock some years before and didn’t want todelay marrying her any longer. They had three children and Tonywas a loving grandpa to five grandchildren whom he adored.Tony and Chris were married for almost forty years, the last fourof which he nursed her through her battle with breast cancer.Tony joined Lloyds Bank in 1954 and worked for them until heretired. He rose from a humble bank clerk to finish his career asan area director. Tony loved working for Lloyds Bank and dealingwith business people from all backgrounds. Without doubt, Tony’sfavourite job at the bank was when he was appointed as principalof Lloyds Bank Training Centre, a job he had always yearned for.Tony was an excellent debater and was a long time member ofthe Lloyds Bank debating team. Later on in his career he waschosen to be a judge on the panel for the final of the EnglishUniversity Debating Competition, sharing the platform withillustrious names such as Enoch Powell and Tony Benn.The single most important part of Tony’s life was his Christianfaith. Throughout his Christian life Tony was a popular and hardworking lay preacher who touched many lives. This work gaveTony great fulfillment and he preached his last sermon just fourdays before he died.In April 2000 Tony married Jayne. Their life together was full,loving and joyful.Then came the devastating news that Tony had aggressive livercancer. Tony was able to be cared for at home by his dear wifeJayne and daughter Rachel. Amazingly he suffered no pain atthe end and he died peacefully on 27 January.Tony was a truly generous man who touched the lives of somany. His departing has left a huge hole in the lives of hisfamily and friends who loved him very much. The world is left apoorer place without him, but he is now at home with his Lord.Jeremy Staite (Dutton’s, 1976-83)BirthsClaire (née Tovar, Brown’s,1993-98) and Marcus Nortonhad a baby girl, Flora Caitilin,born on 13 January 2011.MarriagesWe regret to announce the deaths of:Terry Mawhinney, former BursarJohn McAnuff (Tulley’s, 1936-43)Mark Stewart (Brown’s, 1964-71)Congratulations to KAHC hockey aces Sherradan Lee andCharlie Parnell on their marriage: a match made in hockeyheaven!Sherradan is the Captain of the ladies’ section andCharlie is the chairman of the Club.26

S p o r t sN e w sHockeyThe Edward Alleyn and King’sOld Boys and Old Girls HockeyClub, or King’s & Alleyn’s HC forshort, aims to promote the sportof hockey to past and currentpupils of both Alleyn’s School andKing’s College London (KCL),along with the teaching staff andanyone else interested in playing.We currently run four men’s and two ladies’ teams but are setto expand to five and three for the forthcoming 2011-12season. We are always on the look-out for new players: all arewelcome, both currentstudents and alumni,experienced players andcomplete beginners.Home games are playedat either Alleyn’s Schoolor King’s College SportsGround in Honor OakPark, and training isheld on Wednesdayevenings at King’sCollege Sports Ground.Men’s coaching is provided by Scotland international CallumMilne, and ladies’ by England CCC (Centrally ContractedCoaches) goal-keeping coach, Giles Dakin.The club was formed in2007 following themerger of Alleyn’s OldBoys HC and King’s OldBoys and Girls HC. We arepart of the Edward AlleynClub and continue torecruit and support newplayers from both Alleyn’sSchool and KCL. Havingnearly completed fourvery successful seasons asa combined club, withpromotions for severalteams over that time, wenow look forward to continued growth and achievement in thecoming seasons. Both ladies’ sides are set to be promoted aschampions of their leagues this year, and all of the men’s teamsare in the running to do the same. So please come and join us!For 2011-12 we are particularly on the look-outfor new ladies to join our rapidly growing sideof the club, especially goalkeepers! Our coach isa goalkeeper and can provide excellent training.There are various games (including a summer league), eventsand training sessions taking place between now and the startof next season, as well as the fourth annual KAHC six-a-sidetournament at Alleyn’s School on 20 August 2011.For more information, please contact Charlie Parnell:07771 727107/ charlie.parnell@vestrawealth.com (men) orSherradan Parnell: 07736 310768/sparnell@deloitte.co.uk(women).www.themightyoldboys.org.ukFives courtsThe refurbishment of the John Pretlove Fives Courts has nowbeen completed. The building work has enclosed the outdoorcourts and heating has been installed which is much better forboth players and spectators. It should also stop condensationwhich used sometimes to make play dangerous and damagedthe structure. Previously, Fives was a very cold sport both forplayers and spectators as it is mainly played in the Lent term.Happily, players now will no longer have to brave the Februarywinds as well as the speed of the ball. We hope theseimprovements will also encourage more girls to take up thesport and Alleyn’s will be able to offer its Fives courts fornational tournaments.The courts have also had new floors and automatic lighting putin, and the roof has been replaced. The refurbishment was madepossible by a generous donation from an alumnus as well asfunding from the School. John Pretlove (Cribb’s, 1944-51), whovisited recently to inspect the courts said, ‘I am delighted to seethe improvements to the courts and the School’s commitment tothis splendid game’. Fives at the School should also get a boostfrom the introduction from 2011 of a Fives Trophy as a Schoolprize and it continues to thrive with coaching by Ian Fuller,one of the great figures in national Fives.www.edwardalleynclub.com27

Future eventsSt John’s, Smith Square Concert: Monday 2 May [Bank Holiday], 6pmGeorge Monbiot’s Left Hook: Friday 13 May, MCT, Alleyn’s School, 7.30pmEbulletin copy deadline: 15 MayThe Confetti Maker: Tuesday 24 May, Michael Croft Theatre, 7.30pmAn evening with cricketing greats: Tuesday 31 May, Alleyn’s School, 7.30pm1951, ‘61, ‘71, ’81, ’91 Reunion: Saturday 18 June, Alleyn’s School, 11amAlleyn’s International Concert: Wednesday 22 June, Alleyn’s School, 7.30 pmCCF Regimental Dinner: Friday 24 June, Alleyn’s SchoolFoundation Commemoration Service: Friday 1 July, Christ’s Chapel, 7pmFounder’s Day: Saturday 2 July, 2pm-4.15pmRossall Reunion: Saturday 9 JulyMagazine copy deadline: 6 SeptemberClubhouse Welcome Day: Saturday 10 September, Clubhouse, 2pmOval Reunion: Tuesday 13 September, Oval Cricket GroundEAC Council: Monday 19 September, Boardroom, Alleyn’s School, 7.45pm10-year Reunion: Saturday 24 September, Clubhouse, 8pmEbulletin copy deadline: 1 NovemberEGM & AGM: Friday 11 November, Clubhouse, 8pmAnnual Dinner: Saturday 12 November, RAF Club, Piccadilly, 6.30pmRemembrance Sunday: 13 November, 10.40am (for 10.50am start), Christ’s ChapelFor further information, please get in touch at:Development and Alumni Office, Alleyn’s School, Townley Road, London SE22 8SUTel: 020 8557 1466/1588 (term-time only) Email: alumni@alleyns.org.uk