The Salopian Summer 2023

SALOPIAN CLUB NEWS 97
Rob Barber (SH 1995-97)
I have been appointed to the
Board of Atta, the African Travel
and Tourism Association. My wife
Charlotte Bennett-Diver and I also
welcomed our firstborn child, a baby
girl Rose Elizabeth Jane Zia on 19th
October 2022. We continue to live and
operate our luxury safari business in
Maun, Botswana, the gateway to the
Okavango Delta, a UNESCO world
heritage site, and as per the Old
Salopian business directory, we are
happy to extend a 10% discount to
all Old Salopians and their travelling
parties.
James Matheson (G 1992-97)
is engaged to marry Alison Lois on 8th
July 2023 in Chester.
Dominic Gill (G 1993-98)
While summer regularly brings with
it the risk of forest fires around our
home in Truckee, California (near
Lake Tahoe), this year saw the biggest
winter on record, with approximately
75 feet of snow burying our house
and production company. This is not
a complaint: while digging everything
out became tedious, I’d welcome
this every year to reverse California’s
drought conditions, and of course for
the skiing. Our four-year-old Husky
enthusiastically agrees. Between
shovelling, we have been working on
a feature-length documentary entitled
The Messengers, shedding light on four
Republican environmentalists who
are trying to work hard in their own
fields to mitigate the effects of climate
change. For too long we believe liberal
filmmakers (which include us) have
been preaching to the choir. In order
to harness the power of the entire US,
Republicans need role models in the
public domain who speak their own
dialect. Platforming those role models is
our intention with this film, which we
hope to complete and release during
the 2024 US Presidential Elections. For
more info go to
www.encompassfilms.com
Jon Pendergast (PH 1993-98)
John continues to live in Ontario
Canada with his wife, Jen, and his
two boys Sebastian (10) and Dominic
(8). Last summer, they moved out
of Toronto city and into the rolling
hills to the East. Jon leads the Sales
Engineering organization for North
and South America within a large
global software firm, and Jen is
Executive Director of a local charity.
Jon continues with his ‘extreme science’
hobbies, and at the time of writing,
he is chasing storms in the American
mid-West.
Hamish Clegg (SH 1994-99)
Hamish and William Ewart (SH
1994-99) have founded one of the first
medical cannabis companies in the UK
and we are now supplying UK patients
with much-needed medicine.
www.hilltopleaf.com
2000-09
Tom Graham (Rt 1996-01)
Tom Graham is cycling from John O’
Groats to Lands’ End in May, pedalling
up to 108 miles per day for ten
consecutive days. His team are raising
money for Parkinson’s UK, with the
total standing at just over £60,000 two
weeks before the challenge.
Edward Shorthouse (S 1996-01)
After several years of running the
training team at the National College for
Nuclear in Somerset, I have joined the
Nuclear Skills Alliance working for EDF
at the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant.
Ann is continuing her Kinesiology
practice and Eleanora is heading to
Taunton School, around the corner
from us, this September.
Chris Moore (Rb 2000-02)
I have become a Chartered
Aeronautical Engineer with the Royal
Aeronautical Society.
Patrick Higham (O 2003-08)
Our second child, Charles Patrick
Séamus Higham was born 25th
February to join our daughter Florence
Catherine Rose Higham who was
born in 2020. Florence is named after
my mother who was organ teacher
at Shrewsbury for many years and
died on Christmas Eve 2020. Charlie
takes my grandfather Séamus Ennis’
name - a celebrated Irish folk musician
and collector. Professionally I am an
Associate at DWF Law specialising in
counter insurance fraud.
Harry Phillips (G 2004-09)
After a six-year period of working in
the London luxury real estate market,
Harry has moved to South Wales where
he has taken up a key role within the
family business, Family Finance. Due to
wed his partner Alice in December later
this year, Harry remains an avid fan
of Welsh rugby and can frequently be
found at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium
on match day.
Jake Greenall (Rt 2005-10)
I am now working as General Manager
at Sun Street Hotel near Liverpool
Street, London.