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T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 8 7
better-informed teacher than most. He
made a particular point of researching the
destinations of former friends, colleagues
and students, and would arrange to meet
with them on his travels at home and
abroad – especially if a cup of tea and a
piece of cake were on offer! I joined
Geraint on a couple of those trips – one to
Ireland and one to Switzerland – which
helped me to understand the driving forces
that helped to make him a rounded and
informed human being.
Geraint and I also organised a couple of
school trips to the Netherlands during the
Easter holidays, where we took in tulip
cultivation, Dutch flower auctions, cheesemaking,
traditional Dutch life on the
polders, Delft pottery, aspects of coast and
country, and the wonderful ‘Evoluon’
flying-saucer shaped interactive science
exhibition at Eindhoven. Oh, and a few
convivial evenings, too! And tea and cake.
In school Geraint’s contributions extended
beyond the classroom and the office,
helping to organise and participate in visits
of dignitaries, staff social events, activities
of the Parents’ Association, and much
more. His career at Stationers’ naturally
moved onward and upward, leading to his
appointment as Deputy Head for a short
period before the closure of the School in
1983.
The next phase in Geraint’s career took
him to Nower Hill High School in Pinner,
where he had the roles of Deputy Head
and Director of Finances, and teacher of
Geography, until he took early retirement
in the mid-1990s. His interest in his ‘old
school’ nevertheless remained undimmed,
and he was able to maintain active
involvement through the Old Stationers’
Association – and, of course through his
many travels, cups of tea and pieces of
cake! After moving away from London he
frequently re-appeared on OSA social and
sporting occasions, and would team up
with former colleagues and students for
social gatherings when possible. His work
as editor of The Old Stationer kept him
very much involved with happenings and
people, past and present, and the magazine
reached new heights of informed quality
and breadth during his tenure.
Following diagnosis of his illness a couple
of years ago Geraint found himself in
excellent NHS hands in Leeds, and the
treatment and support he received allowed
him to maintain his lifestyle and interests
almost to the end. I last met him for a most
enjoyable restaurant meal and reminiscencesession
in Harrogate last August, and he
Sharing the "Loving Cup" with William Alden, The Clerk at the annual dinner.
was exactly the same Geraint as I had
always known. We planned for another
get-together in the London area this
spring, but I think he knew that it would
probably not come to pass.
Geraint was a man who combined the
approach of traditional schoolmaster with
the best of the ‘modernising’ ideas, while
sensibly rejecting some of the predictably
short-lived extreme proposals that
appeared from on high occasionally. His
students received a comprehensive
awareness and understanding of his
subjects and an appreciation of the moral
values of education which will have stayed
with them through their adult lives. He
was a rare individual, and I am sure that his
approach to work and philosophy of life
are still being encouraged by the many
who were fortunate enough to share part
of their formative school years with him.
John Leeming
ge
Memories of
Geraint Pritchard
As our geography teacher Geraint had an
obsession, if that’s the correct way of
describing this, with us knowing how to
spell ‘Mississippi’. We would be regularly
cajoled by Geraint with a gleam in his eye,
into reciting as a class ‘M.I.S.S.I.S.S.I.P.P.I’
at a rapid cadence. To this day whenever I
hear mention of it, I am transported back
to his class.
Some of my very fondest memories of
Geraint are from a geography trip to
North Wales (in December 1978 I believe).
We journeyed through heavy rain and
arrived at a youth hostel in Bangor after
dark. The next morning, we were greeted
by the stunning view of a snow-covered
Snowdonia from our dormitory. However,
the weather posed Geraint with a problem,
as we had been promised a trek up
Snowdon at some stage that week. In the
meantime, he took us to his cousins’ farm
on Anglesey, and even his parents (it may
have been grandparents as my memory
fails me on this point) for tea, making us
feel so welcome. With time running out,
he decided that we should walk up the
mountain following the railway line.
Setting off at first light we spent four
hours following the line in a whiteout. On
route, Geraint pointed out various sites
people had been killed ascending the
mountain, keeping us keen to stick firmly
to the path. We arrived at the top having
seen no one en route but were surprised to
find about thirty other people there. Like
us they had a short window of time to
arrive at the summit, having had to start
the accent at first light and having to be
back at the base before dark. As we were
about to set off on the walk down, the
cloud dropped and we were bathed in
bright golden light. The peaks of the other
snow-covered mountains piercing the
cloud base and gleaming in the sunlight;
we could have been on the top of Everest.
To this day it is one of the most beautiful
and striking things I have ever seen,
probably magnified by the sensory
deprivation of the whiteout.
Geraint’s lasting legacy for me was to
giving me a love and curiosity about the
world around us and of course never
forgetting how to spell Mississippi. I went
on to read for a degree in Geography.
Chris Williams 1971-79
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