Old Leightonians Magazine 2020-2022 by Leighton Park School

NEWS FOR THE OLD LEIGHTONIANS AND FRIENDS’ COMMUNITY // 2020 - 2022

Leighton Park’s Top 10 Longest Serving Teachers

HEAD LINES

As I write, there seems a fearful irony that the difficulties of the last two years seemed to be receding then being overtaken by the darkness of events in Ukraine. It seems appropriate to reflect on recent times on the Park and to share some of our news with our Old Leightonian community. I enjoy hearing news from OLs; so many of you are leading lives steeped in the values that are core to School today. We continue to aim to provide an inspiring, values-based education which focuses on each individual – equipping students to change the world. I am delighted to be able to share with you that the recent outstanding Independent Schools Inspection endorsed that aim and saw it in action. Please see Page 3 for more details. More and more families are seeking what we offer, despite the most difficult of times: the school roll is a record 524, with waiting lists for places. The last two years have presented enormous challenges for us all. The staff and students here responded magnificently to the switch to remote learning; major investment in IT over recent years paid dividends as we quickly responded. Pastoral care was crucial with staff keeping in touch one to one with their tutees each week. We also managed to continue with our co-curricular activities and an extraordinary community outreach programme. The latter and ongoing community and education partnerships has seen LP be awarded nationally in the Independent Schools Association Award for Outstanding Community Involvement for the last two years; the Safer Vision Faceshield partnership project alone generated a huge amount of media interest, supplying PPI to front-line health-workers at the start of the pandemic. The community pulled together on a number of projects supporting local families and schools.

Academic standards have continued to rise with record exam results: the Inspection Report included: “Pupils’ performance in public examinations has shown significant improvement in recent years. They are passionate and enthusiastic without ever losing sight of the inherent Quaker ‘testimonies’ principles.”

Mark Simmons: 41 years plus not out

“The depth, breadth, volume and variety of knowledge, skills and understanding seen in pupils’ learning is outstanding. As confirmed in meetings and observations, pupils are confident and secure in their knowledge which they attribute to the excellent support and guidance of their teachers and school resources.” It is undeniable however that much was lost and students in exam years faced uncertainty. Precious learning and community activities were cancelled, from House Music, the JBH Speech Competition, sports fixtures and school trips. Collect and Meetings moved online; being unable to meet was a huge loss to the community. The furlough scheme meant that the Alumni and Archives team’s work was suspended for some months. Life didn’t stand still at LP; I pay tribute to the students and staff for their tremendous resilience, and to the Board of Governors for their support. In particular, OL David Isherwood worked unstintingly with us through the most difficult of times as Chair, before handing over to Jan Digby, a continuing valued support. Improvements to the fabric of the school continued and also to teaching and learning. Fryer had a major makeover with new boarding facilities to welcome boarders back to the junior house. The much-loved 1930s cricket pavilion has been completely refurbished and improved. This was made possible in part due to OLs’ generous philanthropic donations. Grove had closed as a boarding house a few years ago; the pandemic saw the departure of the last day boarders. Grove will be reborn in 2023, loving restored, as a new Sixth Form Centre, a vital scholarly centre for the benefit of all senior students. Consultation is still ongoing about the type of overarching House structure to ensure future Leightonians will continue to benefit from a vibrant education on the Park. The future for the School is looking bright, despite the time of darkness for us all. I do hope that you and yours have ridden the last years in safety. At this point we are hoping to be able to re-start our events programme for OLs and I do look forward to meeting some of you in the months ahead. In friendship,

Matthew L S Judd Head

Mark with Simon Taylor (S1964) Knox’s son

We frequently refer to staff or OLs as “legends” but no one would dispute this title for Mark Simmons, who in April 2020 broke the Leighton Park record for teaching long service, as he started his 41st year at LP. Mark has had an enormous impact on so many students, as a teacher and then Head of PE & Sport, as Housemaster of Field, and in recent years, as Senior Master, working on pastoral care, discipline and boarding. He also has played a key role in the school’s regular outreach activities with partner organisations in Africa, in particular visiting Uganda several times with the Bujagali Trust. Not only this, but Mark has also made a name in the local cricket and rugby communities. He has just been elected Chair of Berkshire County Cricket Club. OL Neale Jackson recently wrote “I would have run through walls for him! Well persevered, Mark. What patience you must have had with us boys, you were a great leader, teacher and role model. You have been a true servant and leader within the LP community. Legend.” The history of Leighton Park is indeed full of anecdotes and memories of teachers who sparked the fire in so many young minds: these are the 10 longest serving teachers. Do you remember any of these teachers? 1 Mark Simmons 41 years+ 19802 J Knox Taylor 40 years 1929-1969 3 WH Scarborough 37 years 1902-1939 4 Frank Button 37 years 1940-1977 5 Richard Coleman 36 years 1941-1977 6 Len Stables 35 years 1940-1975 7 John Allinson 35 years 1974-2009 Archivist 2012 – 8 Ricky Schardt 35 years 1941-1946; 1949-1979 9 Keith Walshaw 34 years 1964-1998 10 Harry Stevens 33 years 1922-1955

Inspection News

I am delighted to share details of the report on Leighton Park from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) following their visit to the School in November 2021. The Chief Inspector’s report identifies that we have met all areas of regulatory compliance and gained the top category “Excellent” for both the quality of pupils’ personal development and the quality of the pupils’ academic achievement. The key findings are as follows: “The quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements is excellent. • Pupils’ performance in public examinations has shown significant improvement in recent years. • Pupils, including those with SEND/EAL, make extremely good progress from their starting points. • Pupils have very well-developed communication skills; they are articulate and confident speakers and listen and respond with notable maturity. • Pupils show extremely positive attitudes to learning and are hardworking and resilient.

From The Chair of Governors

This has been a time to remember, when the Leighton Park community has demonstrated resilience, enthusiasm and a profound sense of togetherness. I know that several of you in the Old Leightonian community have been personally touched in some way by coronavirus, and my thoughts are very much with those who have suffered loss or illness. At Leighton Park we have thrived on many fronts and I am very proud of all of our constituents, parents, families, staff and above all our students. Despite having so much to deal with on a daily basis, Matthew and his Senior

The quality of the pupils’ personal development is excellent. • Pupils have a highly developed spiritual understanding and an appreciation of the non-material aspects of life which is underpinned by the School’s Quaker values. • Pupils demonstrate extremely welldeveloped moral awareness in their behaviour and in their attitudes to others. • Pupils show an outstanding commitment to contributing to their School, including boarding, to local communities and to the wider world. • Pupils belief in the importance of respect, tolerance, equality, and kindness is strongly evident in their behaviour and relationships.” This is the first occasion that Leighton Park has gained the top category in all areas of an inspection. Furthermore, the report is exceptionally positive about every aspect of School life. This is testament to the collective commitment and dedication of the whole Leighton Park community, students, parents, staff, governors and Old Leightonians. Leighton Park is a truly remarkable school and I am tremendously pleased that the work and character of all of the community has been recognised this way. Jan Digby, Chair of Governors, comments “The board are thrilled with the outcome of the report, not least because it demonstrates the significant progress that the School has made whilst still cherishing our Quaker values”. Leadership Team have kept focused on the development of the Park. I am happy to say that the refurbishment of the Pavilion is now complete. This building is a key part of the Leighton Park heritage and has been sympathetically restored to its former glory by our in-house projects team. I would also like to acknowledge the very generous support of Old Leightonians and OLCC members who have made the works possible. We are also looking forward to the swimming pool re-opening after a lengthy closure for extensive work on the infrastructure. Preparations have begun for the School’s next major project , the conversion of Grove House to a sixth form study centre. This has been a very challenging period for everyone, but especially vulnerable groups and people in society. I am therefore delighted to see the School’s commitment to outreach and partnership working going from strength to strength. Our educational and community partnerships are a tangible way for our staff, student and families to support a variety of local initiatives. This has been recognised by the School winning the prestigious national ISA Award for Outstanding Community Involvement in 2021 and 2020 – the only time a school has won an ISA award two years running.

I am grateful to the inspectors who really took the time to understand the School and hope you’ll forgive my indulgence if I draw your attention to two excerpts that I believe really reflect this: “Pupils display excellent attitudes to learning. They are passionate and enthusiastic without ever losing sight of the inherent Quaker ‘testimonies’ principles. Pupils are supportive of each other in their learning and trusting of their teachers.” “Pupils’ development of moral understanding and taking responsibility for their own behaviour is excellent. They have a deep sense of what is right and wrong. Their behaviour everywhere in the school is exemplary.” We are in a no sense complacent. We will be working hard as a school to continue to improve, emphasising achievement with values, character, and community, and never losing sight of our forward-looking Quaker principles. We continually strive to give students the best possible experience and to equip them with the skills and values to be the change-makers of the future we know they will be. Matthew LS Judd Head

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my predecessor, David Isherwood (F2000), who stepped down as Chair and as a Governor in October 2020 having reached the maximum term of service allowed under the School’s constitution. We were privileged to have David’s guidance and wisdom on the Board for almost ten years. David was generous with the time he gave to the Leighton Park community and he leaves a very strong foundation for us to build upon. We are fortunate to have a number of Old Leightonians on the Board of governors at the School and their perspective is very welcome. At present we are looking for governors with knowledge of building projects. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact me via the Bursar’s office. Leighton Park looks to meet the challenges of the future and with the strength of our community, of which the Old Leightonians play no small part. The School is always delighted to welcome back Old Leightonians and I warmly encourage all of you to come and see for yourselves how we are doing at the Park. In friendship and with very best wishes Jan Digby

LP NEWS STAFF NEWS Karen Gracie-Langrick

New Diversity and Inclusion Officer Although common in business and government organisations, such a role is rare in independent schools. True to our Quaker heritage, Leighton Park is keen to be a pioneer in this area and as a values-led school, we want all members of our community to develop a strong appreciation for difference and equality. Matthew Judd commented: “This is a particularly important initiative for School. It is true to our Quaker foundation, seeking to promote values of respect and equality as part of who we are as a Community. I am really excited to have someone of Shaun Dellenty’s international calibre joining us to lead this important work.”

Karen joined the School as a History Teacher in 1997 and has been the Head of History, Assistant Head of the Sixth Form, International Baccalaureate Diploma Co-ordinator, Assistant Head, Curriculum and, since 2014, Deputy Head, Academic Studies. In 2020 she was appointed Head of Colchester High School. Former Head, John Dunston, writes “Karen brought passion and depth of knowledge to her History and Ancient History teaching, and a similar commitment to every post she took up at the School. Karen is an exceptional member of the profession. I was delighted to learn of her well-deserved promotion to headship, after her outstanding contribution to Leighton Park”. Former Head, Nigel Williams, adds “I worked very closely with a Karen for over 20 years; her dedication to each and every one of her students, her energy, drive and vision to improve and her commitment to the School never ceased to amaze me. She is a valuable diamond who will sparkle and inspire everywhere she goes”. Matthew Judd, Head, writes “Passionate, visionary, committed and kind, Karen never gives anything less than her best. Her values are legendary and she has sparkled as she has brought those values to the fore in championing STEAM, in engineering, dance, ethical enterprise and leadership. She loves the politics of school life but above all loves working with and for the students. That they say she is a great teacher and mentor is surely all any of us really hope for and set out to accomplish. And accomplish it she has here”. And just one of numerous messages from OLs: Helen Langwick wrote “There were a lot of fantastic teachers at LP who have made me the person I am. However, Karen gave me confidence in my academic abilities and because of her I was able to literally turn my grades around. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have GCSEs, A Levels, a degree, a masters, the job and life have now. Thank you Karen.”

Shaun brings a wealth of experience to the role, along with a national profile and numerous accolades for leading diversity and inclusion initiatives in schools. He is equally thrilled to join Leighton Park “Quaker values of respect, peace, equality and community (and the importance placed on values and character) very much align with my aspiration to nurture learning communities in which every diverse individual can be welcomed, celebrated and empowered to achieve their best, whilst making a meaningful and positive contribution to school life and wider society. I’m deeply grateful to the students who so inspired me at interview, and I look forward to meeting, listening and engaging with the whole school community as we undertake the shared journey ahead.”

Shaun will play a pivotal role in ensuring that the values of equality permeate everything we do. A Quaker approach to education believes in the inherent worth of each individual, recognising that each child has unique talents. This role will support the School to further strive for these ideals and will involve assessing and advising on aspects such as the curriculum that we teach, the way that we recruit our staff and the support that we provide to students to empower them to be free-thinking with a clear, confident self-awareness. This focus on diversity and inclusion will support our students to be effective in diverse and globally interconnected workplaces, as well as further develop our support for students to foster strong leadership behaviours, such as developing high performing teams and inclusive decision making. At its most fundamental, we want our students to really know themselves, to explore and develop their talents in a safe and supportive space, enabling them not only to succeed – but to succeed as themselves.

Staff leavers Between 2019 and 2021, we said “goodbye” to these members of the teaching team, and wish them every happiness in the future: Adam Ball - Adel Kiss - Ann Pearce (Nurse) - Chris Lockwood (Biology Technician) - Chris Routh (Librarian) - Christopher Tyer - Elaine King (Rimmer) - Ella Langer - Ella Shepard (Artist-in-Residence) - Helen McGivern (Nurse) - Jo Green - Jo-Anne Elliott - Kate Donegan - Kate Findlay - Lynne Parry - Mair Mayers - Matthew Dawes - Myles Nash - Paulo de Arruda - Peter Marshman - Premnath Samyrao - Rachael Martin - Robin Longworth - Ryan Maze Sarah Elliott - Shazia Taj - Sheila Metcalfe - Teresa Robinson (Finance) - Tim Green - Tom Rawlings.

BURSARY NEWS Bursary funds Very much at the heart of our Quaker values, our Bursary Fund enables us to help more young people to enjoy the unique and rewarding experience of a Leighton Park education. The Bursary Fund is supported by many Old Leightonians paying a monthly, quarterly or annual direct debit, as well as generous donations from legacies and other individual gifts. We are very grateful for all donations, whether they are one-off or regular gifts and regardless of size – the generosity of donors from across the School community benefits students in many different ways and touches us deeply.

We are also able to receive donations from the USA and Canada for all US tax payers via the British Schools and Universities Foundation, and for 17 European countries via Transnational Giving Europe. Further details can be found at www.leightonpark. com/the-bursary-fund-at-leighton-park. Keith Eldridge, Bursar

Leaving a gift in your Will to Leighton Park Trust is a wonderful way to make a difference to our students’ futures

We are also grateful to the Trusts and Foundations who support us. We have benefited from a number of donations this year made through OL’s family trusts and trusts with a connection to our Quaker heritage. Bursary awards can be made to those who meet the School’s entry requirements and are made after an external assessment of parental means. In some cases awards are made to relieve hardship when an existing student’s education would be at risk – for example, in the case of parental redundancy.

If you would like to know more please contact, in confidence: Alumni & Development Team. e: [email protected] t: 0118 987 9630

The Ian Austin Memorial Bursary It feels appropriate to share with you the last chapter of the story of Ian and his parents, Bryan and Janet. Bryan passed away in August 2021, finally reunited with Janet and Ian. In a powerful and heartwarming gesture of love for their only child, Bryan and Janet left the majority of their estate to the school to establish a life-changing Bursary in Ian’s name. Ian’s memory is therefore rekindled in the present day LP community, but also this gift will enable other children to grasp the opportunities from life that he had. The fund will provide up to 100% funding for a student throughout their whole time at LP. Ian tragically died in a car crash returning from a party, shortly after finishing his A Levels in 1984. He was a highly talented clarinet and saxophone player who joyfully threw himself into all aspects of school life. An oak tree in memory of Ian, has been planted near Grove in the presence of Bryan and Janet’s friends.

Last year the value of means tested bursaries exceeded £450,000. We were able to support 33 students and about half of these benefitted from fee remission of between 80% and 100%. In recent years we have also invited parents to support the Leaver’s Gift. It is a way for families of students leaving Leighton Park to show their appreciation to the School by donating their deposit to the Bursary Fund, Park sustainability or a department or house of their choice.

COMMUNITY Partnerships Update It will be no surprise to OLs to hear that community outreach is such a vibrant part of life in School: it is at the very core of our values. We were however delighted to be awarded the 2019 and 2020 Award for Outstanding Local Community Involvement by the ISA (Independent Schools Association). This is a flavour of some of the community and educational outreach going on. Whiteknights Swimming Our Year 10s work towards their Sports Leader Award by coaching Whiteknights KS2 pupils to attain the national curriculum benchmark of 10 metres unaided swimming. Meeting weekly in our pool, students and staff from both primary and secondary schools have

Reg Charity No: 309144

Would you like to support us? Scan the link to see the different ways that you can

built a fantastic programme of achievement through sport.

Loddon Primary Literacy project Other Year 10s can train to become literacy/ reading mentors and buddies. One to one reading sessions have been going on to support literacy progress. Literacy charity, ABC Reading trains the mentors preparing them to support an individual Loddon student each week. Red Balloon Teachers are supported in this programme with this school where 24 students aged 11-16 are offered therapeutic care and an education that meets their needs. We share Continuous

“The reason I support the bursary scheme is because it helps to broaden the intake and allow more students to gain the advantages that a Leighton Park education brings”. Anon Professional Development with staff and provide opportunities for co-teaching. Foundry College Pupil Referral Unit in Wokingham provides a bespoke education offering an alternative to mainstream education. A three-year plan is providing sporting and musical opportunities to vulnerable students. KS2 students have enjoyed weekly drumming and parkour sessions; work experience placements for KS4 students were given. Whitley Community Development Association January 2021’s lockdown kept us all at home but the community bonded through our Let’s Cook Together programme. Over 10 weeks a weekly video and accompanying recipe sheet was shared. WCDA facilitated the support of 26 families in need through the provision of kitchen equipment and the ingredients for each recipe. Finally, afternoon tea on the Park for 15 local heroes from the WCDA volunteer

team with our Year 10 Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) students. The videos are still available to enjoy on the LP Youtube channel. LP Donate The Parent & Staff Community (PSC) curated a generous programme of donations throughout the year liaising with WCDA to ascertain the most useful items each week. Items were either physically donated or money was given by parents and guardians for the School to fund necessary purchases. Donations of toiletries, stationery, house plants, food and even a bicycle were given to families in need identified by WCDA. Feeding Communities In partnership with the School’s caterer, Thomas Franks, and their Feeding Communities programme, the Oakview kitchen became a source of free nutritious meals for our partners at WCDA, at Foundry College and at Ridgeway Primary School. Thomas Franks staff, who would otherwise have been furloughed, provided over 250 high quality, fresh, balanced meals. Weekly donations of tasty snacks have been shared with pupils at Loddon Primary. In fundraising, the Amicus group has led students in supporting Launchpad (for the homeless), Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice, First Days and more.

Safer Vision Hub Partnership

OLS INSPIRE Speaking out It is always a joy to welcome OLs, and a particular privilege when individuals who are leading the way in their fields, have given their time to share their stories and inspire our students. In 2020, Danyal Sattar (F1983) spoke to Business and Economics students about social investment and tackling poverty and inequality. Danyal is Chief Executive Officer of The Big Issue Invest, leading the organisation’s social investment arm. He has extensive experience in providing finance and support to social enterprises and charities seeking to eradicate poverty while creating opportunities for people in the UK, having worked as Head of Social Investment with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

his 40 plus years of active involvement with Amnesty International. One of the organisation’s longest-term supporters, Dan assisted Peter Benenson and his father, Elwyn, in launching Amnesty in 1961. An artist at heart, Dan is currently Amnesty’s UK’s Creative Co-Ordinator and uses his experience to explore activism with schools through art, stories and activities. Students listened intently as he shared his wisdom and then engaged in lively discussion about the subject of human rights, activism and making a difference. In 2001, Dan was awarded an MBE for services to international human rights, was nominated a local hero, and reached the finals of the Pride of Britain Awards.

Kimberly McIntosh (R2009) came back to give the Inspiring High group some top tips about campaigning and activism. Kim is a journalist, editor and policy researcher at the Child Policy Action Group, and previously with The Runnymede Trust. Kim has a collection of essays being published in the spring 2023: she writes “black girl, no magic” is a collection of essays—covering race, class, the meritocracy myth, sex, dating, desire, friendship, the modern family. I’m really excited!”. The book can be preordered now: https://lnkd.in/dS8k_4i Dan Jones (G1959) spoke to students through “Zoom” during lockdown about

From our foreign correspondent

At the start of the pandemic, Head of DT Mark Smith founded an incredible hub partnership producing PPE for frontline keyworkers fighting Coronavirus across Berkshire. Bringing together 18 partner schools, three commercial organisations and Reading University, 39,000 face shields were created and dispatched at a time of national crisis. £28,000 was raised for materials through our GoFundMe crowd-funding site and the partnership made a difference to almost 500 organisations desperate for vital PPE. Response in the community was amazing and even attracted national television coverage from BBC One’s documentary series, ‘Ross Kemp and Britain’s Volunteer Army’.

The hot topic of the legitimacy and truth in the media provided food for thought when award winning journalist Old Leightonian Shyam Bhatia (G1968) spoke to the Sixth Form. He reminded them of the key principles of good journalism in a world of citizen journalists and asked “In an era when truth has become a marketable commodity can journalists still pride themselves as belonging to a so-called 4th Estate that’s acts as a check on the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government in a democratic society?”

Shyam’s incredible career led him to win the Foreign Reporter of the Year Award in 1993 and took him all over the Middle East. The lot of a foreign correspondent seeking the truth on the front line can be a dangerous one: he recalled being kidnapped by the Mujahiddin in Afghanistan. Other extraordinary recollections included using Yasser Arafat’s fondness of honey to give him special access, or after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, he managed to talk his way into Saddam’s palace and was offered a gold Kalashnikov. He declined the offer. An unexpected surprise for Shyam though was the arrival of his former study-mate Philip Cottle (G1968). Read Shyam’s fascinating autobiography “Bullets and Bylines: From the Frontlines of Kabul, Delhi, Damascus and Beyond”.

OLs support LP COP26 study

Mahmoud El-Darwish (R1970)

An extraordinary opportunity enabled a small group of students to attend COP26 in Glasgow in 2021. Charged with researching and meeting experts to create films on pessimism or optimism in the face of Climate Change, the group had 48 hours to listen, meet and gather information from leading voices in the field. In advance, OL experts Ayesha Tandon (G2015) and Lottie Dodwell (S2011) gave valuable advice on gathering and creating powerful content. Ayesha is a science journalist at Carbon Brief. She has an MSci in natural sciences, specialising in climate science, from the University of Exeter. Ayesha previously worked at the UK Met Office as a climate science communicator. Lottie is Senior Interpretation Developer at the Natural History Museum, recently working on the Broken Planet exhibition. Lottie previously worked at the Science Museum, after a Masters in Science Communication at Imperial College and reading Biological Sciences at Oxford. She also enabled the group to meet up with some of her colleagues from the Natural History Museum at COP26. TV reporter Will Denselow (G2007), Head of the New York desk for Feature Story News, was able to give the group some very practical tips on filming and interviewing too. He graduated from Columbia University Journalism School, after a first degree in Middle Eastern Studies and Politics at Leeds University with a year out to study at the American University of Beirut. In Glasgow, OL Julian Hodgkin met the group in the Blue Zone. Julian is a Team Assistant and was in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) delegation. Julian’s work focuses on “capacity building”, ensuring that developing countries have the capacity and ability to work with the financial and technical resources received. In a whistlestop visit, the group also met up with leading glaciologist OL Prof Peter Nienow (G1983), Chair of Glaciology at the University of Edinburgh. This proved a precious opportunity to talk to a world leader in this area, with first-hand experience of research from the world’s depleting glaciers. The school is extremely grateful to the OLs for facilitating these extraordinary opportunities for the group to meet leading thought-leaders and those working at the sharp end of combatting climate change.

Guys & Dolls A surprise for the cast with two special OL visitors watching the show one night. Nicely-Nicely, played by Taran Beavon was joined by Peter Mahmoud-Hartley (R2001) who played the same character in the LP show 20 years earlier. He wrote “It’s clear to me that dramatic and musical talent is soaring high at LP, a testament in part to Peter Scoggins, Beth Butler & Rosemary Scales, but also to the effort and commitment by the cast to stage such a skilful show. I see exciting futures and an abundance of potential in performances that wouldn’t be out of place in a current West End show. I had a huge grin on my face throughout the evening (I had forgotten how funny the script is, delivered brilliantly!), and I could barely keep my foot from twitching. Actor Nathaniel Parker (R1980) congratulated the cast: “THANK YOU for such a splendid evening. Some of those bigger dancing scenes took an awful lot of effort, concentration, timing, and enthusiasm. All of which you showed last night. Congratulations. It is always true that the background are as important as

the leads, in that if they look like they can’t be bothered or aren’t “there, in the moment” then why should we believe the rest? But you guys and gals all tried and worked your butts off (am I allowed to say that?).” Nat has been back on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the final part of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy “The Mirror and the Light”. He reprised the role of Henry VIII, for which he won an Olivier Award for in 2015 and has been nominated again in 2022.

2000 miles solo cycle Kirsty Walker (R2018) visited School to tell the students about her epic solo 2000 miles cycle ride in aid of MIND which raised £1370. Starting in Lisbon, Kirsty travelled on average about 100 kms a day, across Portugal and Spain, crossing the Pyrenees (she admitted having to get off and push at times) in to France, then to Belgium and Holland; her desperation to finish and fed up of unpacking and packing her tent and kit, led to a record 180km day ending in Amsterdam. An Architectural Engineering and Design Management student at Loughborough University, Kirsty is an endurance athlete, with her focus on Team GB. However she mused that her fitness and training in Spin classes did not equip her for the hills, wind and rain! Kirsty reflected on what she had learned from the adventure: finding inspiration in other people she met and discovering just how kind people can be, repeatedly receiving offers of meals, cakes, help with fixing her bike or directions. She also commented that when young people are under such pressure to be beautiful or the best, she discovered she was happy with herself for achieving this all alone, enjoying self-reliance. A full Leighton Park Travel Scholarship covered the costs of the trip.

JBH The JBH Speech Competition was forced by Covid to have only the second break in its long history; the other break was 1918. The decision to postpone the event until some form of audience could gather in Main Hall in summer 2021, proved to be the right one: Sixth Formers and staff participated live and enthusiastically, many people joined the broadcast too from home. Following the speeches, Jonathan Porter-Hughes, who has championed the competition for a number of years remarked “It’s good to see that 18 months without the JBH has made the audience all the hungrier.” The subject matter as topical and controversial as ever: the winner however was Grace who contended ‘Designer babies should be free on the NHS’, In 2019, we were delighted to welcome OLs Dame Alice Hudson (R1981) and Michael Binyon (R1962) to join the judging panel with University of Reading’s Prof Clare Furneaux. Other former winners and participants who joined us included Lord Quentin Davies (G1962), Dave Goss (G1994), Simon McCoy (F1994), Manu Sidhu (F2016) and Guy Smith (R1975).

EVENTS

Vintage OL Day

It seems quite another world right now, but a quick look back at a couple of events pre-lockdown.

Drinks at The Antelope

The Antelope Pub, near Sloane Square turned out to be a handy location for OLs working in central London, for some pre-Christmas drinks in 2019. It was brilliant to see OLs from across a wide range of year groups sharing stories and laughter. Star attractions were John Allinson and Mark Simmons. We do hope to repeat this event!

90’s Reunion Not to be deterred by lockdown and the cancellation of their reunion, a group from 1990 carried on with the thanks of the mighty Zoom. Thanks to Ben Sessa for sharing this with us.

Some of the most senior members of our community, and others slightly less senior enjoyed a very special “Vintage” Old Leightonians Day in October 2019. Friendships were renewed and groups enjoyed being shown round by Fryer House pupils, who equally enjoyed hearing all the stories and memories. John Allinson, Charlotte Smith (2013) and Penny Wallington presented the new book “Great Ideals Reaffirmed: Leighton Park and World War Two”. It was an extra special joy to have some guests from those days at school, and in particular, Karl Lehmann (G1939), who with his brother Hans, came to the UK as refugees prior to the war. “Susan and I were both uplifted by the experience and encouraged for the future. It is always a pleasure to return to the park but last Thursday was special. We particularly enjoyed the moving presentation about Great Ideals and the polite and helpful young pupils who showed us round the new buildings. The former reminded us of the values of the school and the latter gave us renewed hope for the future.” Andrew Moss (S1962)

Reunions rescheduled Class of 0: Saturday 18th June 2022 If you left the Upper Sixth in years ending 0, so 2010, 2000 etc. If you left after GCSE in years ending 8 though, this is your “yeargroup” so join in too. Class of 1: Saturday 1st October tbc If you left the Upper Sixth in years ending 1 so 2011, 2001 etc. If you left after GCSE in years ending 9 though, this is your “yeargroup” so join in too. Class of 2 and 3: in 2023 Please check the alumni office have your up-to-date email address, or you will miss out on the details.

Dates for your diary Saturday June 18th : “0” Reunion: if you left the Upper Sixth in 2010, 2000, 1990, 1980, 1970, 1960 or 1950 Friday 17th June:

F undraising Cricket Match in aid of Livingstone Tanzania Trust, and to celebrate the re-opening of the Cricket Pavilion

Monday June 20th tbc : JBH Speech Competition: look online for streaming details Saturday 1 October: st

“1” Reunion

Watch Vintage OL Day

ARCHIVES NEWS The wisdom of Edgar Castle

Mahmoud El-Darwish (R1970)

“Education is what remains when what has been learnt has been forgotten. “Better Thinking” seeks to set down some of those lifelong skills, attributes and values that help each of us to study and function more effectively.” writes Matthew Judd, Head. “Written in 1929 by Edgar Castle, Headmaster, it reflects his considerable experience and sincere desire to improve young minds and to enable students to thrive with reflection and a deep sense of purposeful values; an ambition still alive on the Park today.

“Better Thinking” has been unavailable for many years and deserves a new 21st century credence. Giving a little room for dated language in parts, the advice is as useful and constructive, even timely, as 90 years ago. Across the years it still has the intriguing power to help us all think better.” John Allinson, Archivist adds “Edgar Castle was undoubtedly one of Leighton Park’s most distinguished Headteachers. His widely respected intellect and erudition, together with his personal qualities of approachability and a real concern for his pupils and staff, attracted the admiration and affection of the whole school community. His powers of leadership and his personal strength and kindness were in particular evidence during the challenging period of the Second World War. Not only did he pilot the school effectively through those turbulent times but he was in the vanguard of the movement to provide a safe home and education to Jewish refugees.” On leaving Leighton Park he became Professor of Education at the University of Hull, publishing several seminal books. “Better Thinking” was one of three publications completed while he was at Leighton Park. Anne Castle, widow of Edgar’s son Paul (G1947) kindly sent us an original copy of the work, and permission to reproduce it. All new pupils are given a copy. If you would like a copy, please contact the Alumni Office; a suggested donation of £5 would cover the cost and UK postage.

War Memorial The School War Memorial outside Peckover was built to commemorate the fallen OLs of World War I, funded by the OL community. Generations of OLs have sat to talk or reflect in its garden. The helio-chronometer provides a striking and attractive feature, and is accurate in its time-keeping, once you have the knack. A loving refurbishment of the paving and the hedges along with the installation of new benches was completed during lockdown. We were delighted to be able to complete the project using funds from the former OL Club.

GREAT IDEALS 2: LEIGHTON PARK AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR By John Allinson, Charlotte Smith and Penny Wallington

“Shortly after Charlotte and I wrote ‘Great Ideals: Leighton Park and the First World War’ five years ago, we received requests to write a similar book about LP and the Second World War” writes John Allinson. “As best we can, we have researched life at Leighton Park during the war years and explored the dilemmas of those who had to make that terrible decision of whether or not to take up arms. We have also learned about those Leightonians who lost their lives in the war. Their tragic stories have been almost unbearable to read. Our research for the book soon guided us to the discovery that the school was led through the ensuing wartime years by a man of great integrity, vigour and commitment. Edgar Castle did his utmost to keep the LP ship steady, and his personal interventions in the treatment of the refugees who came to the school are particularly noteworthy. It has been an honour to research and record this period of Leighton Park’s history.” Copies are available from the Alumni Office, price £8.50, plus £2.50 UK postage. Call 0118 9879630 or email [email protected].

On the VE Day 75th anniversary in 2020, while School was still in lockdown, Matthew Judd and Eddie Falshaw, Deputy Head, read out Edgar Castle’s address from the World War II Memorial Meeting.

Cheques payable to Leighton Park Trust or payment transfer: details on request.

Honours boards new and old It is good to report the arrival of a new set of honours boards recording the names of Leighton Park Travel Scholarship winners. The names of all recipients since the award’s inception in 1926 can now be found on six boards in the main corridor of Peckover. One of our treasured collections in the Archives is that of the bound copies of the reports written by the winners on return from their travels. Over 200 Leightonians have visited dozens of countries and had countless enriching encounters and experiences, thanks to the generous financial awards they have received. The reports are unfailingly absorbing and entertaining. Travel Scholarships are still awarded at LP, but the advice to prospective applicants has been somewhat refined since the original (anonymous) donor of three £50 awards exhorted the recipients to ‘travel for as long as you can, as far as you can , living as hard as you can’.

Stansfield Boards There are three other boards further along the corridor, which bear the title ‘Pro Natura et Artificiis’. These are more commonly known as the Stansfield Boards. It is good to be able to announce that two boards which either needed repainting or repaired have now been replaced by new ones. Charles Stansfield was a teacher at LP from 1892 to 1903. When he left, he gave the Board so that the school could record the names of outstanding achievers in leisure pursuits. In the early years of the school there was an annual exhibition of leisure work, and the winner was chosen on the basis of work exhibited on that occasion. Charles Stansfield himself had been a major contributor to the extra-curricular life of the school. He was a violinist, a good cricketer and footballer, an enthusiastic botanist and a prolific essayist. He was the secretary of

Reflecting on his time as Headmaster of Leighton Park (1928 to 1948) Edgar Castle wrote of the pleasure he took in reading every Travel Scholarship report: ‘I have been impressed by their revelation of the universality of human kindliness penetrating the barriers of unfamiliar speech; by no other means could these boys have discovered this common grace underlying all differences of language and tradition’ If you had a Travel Scholarship and would like us to arrange for you to have a digitised copy of the report that we hold, we can normally have this done at about £25 plus postage. Please email [email protected] if you are interested. the very important Union Committee, which supported and oversaw most games and hobbies. The Stansfield Board was for individual achievement, and a parallel award, The Sisson Cup, went to the house which accumulated the most points in the judging of their hobby exhibits. We have some interesting documentation in the Archives that illustrates the meticulous nature of the assessments.

say that co-curricular activities have always been encouraged and valued at the school. Currently there is a real renaissance taking place in the whole area – complete with a suite of awards to recognise individual and collective achievement including the new John Dunston Award.

The activities for which Stansfield Board winners were given this prestigious award included: bookbinding, metalwork, pottery, aero-modelling, flute-playing, a study of Canada geese. Very occasionally, the award went to a group, eg the Railway Modelling group or the Jazz Band. The last entry on the board was made in 1994. The reasons for its discontinuation are rather complex, but we can certainly

The beautiful Sisson Cup

Dad, did you really…

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Gareth Whitehead (S1993) contacted us in order to settle a debate with his son about whether he used to pole-vault. Digitised copies of The Leightonian listing sports results, as well as some photos did the trick. Gareth recalls “Richard Coleman was such a huge influence on my life and still talk about him to this day. He would leave a photo and chocolate on your desk as a welcome to the ‘exclusive’ 3m club. My son will have to believe me now that I was a pole vaulter.”

OL NEWS Martin Griffiths (G1968) In May 2021 Martin was appointed The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Previously he was Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen (since 2018). Martin was adviser to three Special Envoys of the SecretaryGeneral for Syria and Deputy Head of the United Nations Supervision Mission in the Syrian Arab Republic (UNSMIS) (2012-2014). Martin wrote while still in Yemen: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Leighton Park for all it did to shape me, educate me, teach me the value of kindness, and to give me the chance of a certain kind of activism. I attended LP from 1964 to 1968. My parents, who lived abroad at that time, had ‘put me down’, as the saying goes, for Haileybury. Fortunately, after noting the feeble physique of my brother Hugh and I, they decided that the physical regime there would be too much for us; and they diverted us to Leighton Park. I thank my parents for taking pity on the feeble physiques of their children and thus sending them to a kinder place of education. We both were in Grove, in my case after a year in Fryer in the company of my dear friend James Lochhead. Brian Tomlinson was the charismatic and passionate housemaster. While we did our bit to make his life a misery of course (I recall his nickname was ‘Yobbo Tomlinson’), we sat at his feet as he let us in on the secrets of the way the world works. He was a model of that cliché: a teacher you never forget and to whom you have an unpayable debt. When we decided that the prefect system was an expression of repression and should be boycotted, we could all see that he was proud of this small act of defiance.

the charity. They did all the work and we blithely accepted this as part of the natural order. We also organised demonstrations in Reading with other schools. And I vividly remember how proud were Brian Tomlinson and John Ounsted of our efforts to disrupt traffic in Reading as a result. The Sixth Form were allowed to pass the Sunday morning in any place of worship and not only Quaker Meeting. We went to all the esoteric and also the more conventional mosques and churches and meeting places in Reading. What unites these experiences? For me now, from a great distance in time but not in passion, what is common to all is the school’s absolute emphasis on individual responsibility. This is at the heart of the Quaker religion and of the Quaker ethic. What I experienced, still so vividly fifty years later, in Leighton Park was the

I was an average student with few accomplishments. But I was a passionate activist. The Vietnam war was in full swing in those years and was the natural focus for all our anger and hope. That was not unusual. But what was unusual was the school’s response to our callow demands. We decided that the “starving in India” needed our help. Accordingly every month the school, at our request, organised a “hunger lunch”. The money saved by us eating cheese and biscuits, would go to the charity of our choice. We would feel wonderful and perhaps a small benefit accrued to charitable projects. But what was remarkable was the unstinting energy of the school to accommodate and arrange these lunches. The school calculated the (alleged) money saved which was carefully sent to

school putting this ethic into practice. The headmaster was proud of our dissension. Why? Because it was a small evidence that we were in fact thinking. And the school didn’t hesitate to change its (meal) arrangements to help us realise these first ambitions. We were not drilled in these matters. We were encouraged to drill ourselves. This essential tenet, the primacy of individual responsibility, has stayed with me this half century since. I have been lucky to work in places where it is of the highest importance and relevance. I am now entrusted with the international responsibility to end the war in Yemen. People tell me what a difficult job that must be. I look puzzled when they say this because for me it is a prize. How could any of us not be the happiest of people when given this chance? It is a privilege that cannot be earned or deserved, but certainly proudly owned.

I learned from LP, and since, a few simple things. Firstly that ‘doing the right thing’ is the highest of callings. It’s simple. It’s demanding and it’s essential. All we have to do is to do the right thing. That shouldn’t be too hard, I imagine. But it is, because the simplest demands are the most profound. Alongside this is another simplicity: Lying is a sin of the greatest consequence. Not perhaps the white lies which oil the wheels of daily life. But the real lies that are intended to deceive and to distract and to divert others. Once you lie you will never be trusted. And without trust there is no partnership. And without partnership there is no prospect of achievement. And there is a third and perhaps most important conclusion from the Quaker demand upon each of us: each and every life has the value of all lives. Saving one life is as important as saving all lives. We know this from all the major religions and we know it from the spiritual core which

unites us all. In my work it has always had a real and particular meaning. One life saved is something we can imagine. We see the family reunited, the children with parents, the prospects of peace. We find meaning in this for what we try to do for the greater good. In Yemen I was reminded of this truth. We managed to be a part of a deal to have over 1000 prisoners of war released and sent home. The Red Cross reported it was the biggest such operation during war since the Korean War. For us it was over one thousand families completely changed. Each life, perhaps in this case not saved, but certainly wonderfully changed. We were lucky to see it. But what was amazing was to witness the response across the country: people suddenly told us that they now had hope that the brutal war might end.

from the organization I had founded. There had been a fraud by one of the directors while on my watch. I suddenly found myself completely adrift and became a victim to severe depression derived from a sense of worthlessness. I got lucky and with the support of family and friends, and professional help, I recovered. The experience taught me the importance of the Quaker injunction to care first for the individual and thus for ourselves. Where does this leave me? With a direct experience of the fragility of a good life, even as I realise how privileged I am. And my privilege began with the chance decision of my parents to send me to Leighton Park.

I would also, however, like to share my failures which have been so important to me. A few years ago I was obliged to resign Gabriel Kessler (S1954): I am still alive and kicking having had the 3 jabs. Reasonably fit, retired engineer, at 85 though my wife is unwell with various ailments. I enjoy your keeping me in touch. I am proud of my 3 sons and 6 grandchildren, the oldest of which is now studying at Leeds University; by choice, I got to what was Brighton Tech, now Brighton Uni. My Duke was John Ounsted whom I met again at the last reunion to which he came, where I was able to express to him my genuine gratitude for kicking me out to Finchden Manor, run by father of John Lyward OL.

Robert Gillmor MBE (G1954) has been awarded the Society of Wildlife Artists Outstanding Contribution to Art and Nature Award, acknowledging the enormous contribution made by Robert to art and nature. Robert is a British ornithologist, artist, illustrator, author and editor. He is a founder member of the SWLA and has been its secretary, chairman and president. He has contributed to over 100 books, and in 2001 was a recipient of the RSPB Medal An enthusiastic birdwatcher at School, the Archives contains copies of Bird Group publications featuring his artwork. Robert then went to the School of Fine Art at Reading University. Aged 16 his first illustrations were published, in the magazine British Birds. He illustrated

his first book, A Study of Blackbirds while a student. Robert returned to LP as a teacher of art and craft for six years, before starting a freelance career as a wildlife artist in 1965. Robert’s talents encompass a variety of forms, line drawing, watercolour, linocuts and silk screen. Since his first book in 1958, his work has since appeared in over 100 books. Moving to Cley next the Sea in Norfolk in 1998 greatly influenced his work. He resumed making lino-cuts. Robert has served on council for the national organisations, RSPB, British Ornithologists’ Union and the British Trust for Ornithology. Robert also designed the first version of the RSPB’s beloved Avocet logo.

Correction: Roger Cadbury (G1956): We apologise for a mistake from the last newsletter: it should have read “Since retiring from helping run the food business.”

Malcolm Brahams (G1959): Since my retirement from practice as a solicitor in 2017 I’ve been very busy with our local University of the Third Age (“U3A”) in Hampstead Garden Suburb and was appointed as one of their trustees in July 2021. I’ve been running their Play Reading Group and one of their Current Affairs Groups. I am also active in their Photography in London, Wine Appreciation and French Conversation groups. Apart from all that, my nine grandchildren, all of whom live nearby, are keeping me pretty busy.

Tim Niblock (R1961) I have always felt that my life was shaped by my time at Leighton Park, and the years before it at The Downs School Colwall. Yet, looking back, who I am today seems to have so little in common with what I was then. I remember being rather shy, lacking in confidence academically (perhaps because my brother Michael always excelled), slightly antagonistic towards Quakerism, imbued with very English middle class values, generally conventional, and a Conservative. And I was convinced that a useful life ended at the age of 65. How this laid the basis for my career as an academic (continuing, in my 80th year), my Corbynite political views, becoming a Quaker, adoption of an Arab and Sudanese dimension to my identity, and my fascination in recent years with all things Chinese (political, social and cultural), is difficult to fathom. But somehow there is a link. I think perhaps the link lies in the character of the school’s ethos at that time (continuing, no doubt). It was certainly a place which could cater for diverse and sometimes weird opinions, but most important for me was the feeling it carried of students and staff being part of a global community, where different cultures and ideas were respected and treasured rather than treated as alien. As my home life had, up to this point, mainly been lived outside of the UK, I felt drawn in by this outwardlyfacing environment. Small things representing this openness to the world have remained in my memory: housemaster Len Stables encouraging us, on 1 October 1960, to celebrate Nigeria emerging as an independent state; a Sri Lankan (then Ceylonese) student telling stories in Meeting drawn from the writings of Rabindnadrath Tagore; an Iraqi student whose tortured and ultimately delighted reaction to the overthrow of the Iraqi monarchy in 1958 made me feel part of those far-off events; Donald Pitcher, the music and European History teacher, conveying his superb panoramic vision of Europe’s historical development, with the Ottoman Empire and Arabia thrown into the mix too. All this carried the message that there was an exciting and rewarding life beyond the confines of our existing horizons, and that it was there to be found, treasured and understood on its own terms. We had a duty to explore these rich and diverse vistas, and to convey our understanding of them to others, so that our own society could break out of its narrow and perhaps blinkered perspectives.

me entrapped within a framework which left no space for non-Western influences, values or perspectives. Over the three years studying politics, philosophy and economics, I do not recall any element of the course which drew on experience or ideas from the non-Western world. No doubt things are different now. After a first post graduate degree in Belgium, my PhD (at the University of Sussex) focused on Tanzania, and I then looked for an African university in which to teach. A post came up in the University of Khartoum in Sudan, where I spent 8 years, and gradually I transformed myself from an Africanist to an Arabist. Of greater importance than the academic dimension of my time in Sudan, was my marriage to my wife Rida. In Sudan marriage (as in much of the Arab world) is much more than a matter of two individuals. One marries into a family, becoming part of that other family. My identity today reflects that inclusion, and the lives of my three daughters, Sally, Kate and Becky, have also been shaped

At the time, I don’t think I appreciated the specialness of the Leighton Park ethos. It was only when I went up to Oxford that I became aware that so many of my fellowstudents, from public schools or state schools, were inhabiting a different world - one whose values and attitudes (even if they were politically radical) appeared to

by their part-Sudanese identity. My eldest grandson Jasper, even though he has only occasionally been to Sudan, also insists on this identity, and I have no doubt that my two other grandchildren, Sidney and Renee, will do so too. I feel that the rest of my life has been a natural and almost inevitable progression from there: coming back to England in 1977 and spending the years to 1993 building up programmes of Middle Eastern Politics at the University of Exeter; followed by 6 years at the University of Durham as Director of the Centre there; then back to Exeter in 1999 as Director of the newly-formed Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies for 6 years. And since then helping to develop the field of Area Studies elsewhere in the world – with an increasing focus on China, where in recent years I have been (and remain) a visiting professor at Tsinghua University. So, yes, Leighton Park and the Downs School did shape me as I am today, and I am grateful for it.

An Exacting Mistress – The Friends Ambulance Unit in WW2, Letters from the front Edited by Antony Barlow In The Leightonian magazine of December 1944, apart from the snippets on the Rugger season –‘brilliant at times and at others sheer nonsense’ – or the Astronomical Society – ‘we started building a Newtonian reflecting telescope’ – or indeed a production of Twelfth Night – ‘Pitt made a very good job of Olivia; perhaps he should now try something in trousers’ – there were many moving obituaries of those who’d died in action, reminding readers that this was still wartime. One of the obituaries was for Denys Hoyland, killed in action in Italy on September 15th that year. Denys was the father of John and William who were both in School House with me, and both sadly, now themselves dead.

Steve Pitcher (S1970 and staff): I retired from ACS International School in Cobham, Surrey in August 2021 and have moved from my Housemasters lodge in the school to a house not far from the centre of Swansea in Wales. From my bedroom and garden I can see the wide sweep of Swansea Bay and the hills and beaches of `The Gower’ which first attracted me to the area. I am still getting to know the people of the city, but I first fell in love with the area through many field trips led from LP, first under the leadership of Brian Knapp and then as Head of Geography, with colleagues John Gibson and Graham Smith. Many a 5th Former may remember fish and chips at Dick Bartons in the Mumbles before setting up tents above Three Cliffs Bay heralding a day of rivers, sea and dune studies. I know I do.

This edition also included a piece by my father, Ralph Barlow describing news of other OLs who had not joined up, but instead served as COs in the Friends Ambulance Unit alongside my father and others from School, including Michael Cadbury, Michael Crosfield, Henry Headley, Richey and Michael Mounsey, Christopher Taylor, Duncan Wood and of course, Paul Cadbury, to whom the Unit owed its existence. I have just written a book about my father’s time in the FAU based on his wartime correspondence with my mother. He describes the Unit as ‘An Exacting Mistress’, the title I have adopted for the book. His letters home from the Middle East, East Africa, India and China movingly describe the horrors of war, his doubts and uncertainties of being a CO, and his anguish of being away from his wife and two children. Letters often took months to arrive and my mother often talks of not knowing whether my father was ill, alive or even dead, as well as of the hardships of bringing up my brother and me with an absent father in wartime Britain. But there are also many moments of humour from sharing a meal with a Bedouin Chief in the desert to a boxing match between COs and the army on board a troopship. I hope this book will be of interest to all Leightonians, describing as it does, another type of wartime service, based on Quaker principles, but often fraught with as much danger as the armed forces and with its own list of casualties. Published by Quacks of York £20.00: special offer to OL £15.00 + £3.50 p&p.

Nick Guttman (R1974) Christian Aid’s former head of humanitarian Nick Guttmann has been awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list for services to humanitarian crises. Nick had worked for Christian Aid since 2001 before retiring in 2021. He has over 30 years experience in emergency response, working both in the field and in head offices in emergency response, preparedness and disaster risk reduction. He is well known for working to improve the effectiveness and accountability of humanitarian action, and championing local response. He wrote “I left in 1974, somewhat under a cloud as the then headmaster, William Spray, thought it best I left after my A levels and before the end of term! I cannot think why! I think that those who knew me and especially those who taught me when I was at school would be a little surprised about my award. I hope this encourages today’s teachers not to give up on of the rebels.” Nick was shocked to receive the award and said “It’s a tremendous honour. I could never have achieved it without all the amazing people at Christian Aid and across the globe who shared the vision of relieving the suffering of those in greatest need in a way that empowered individuals and communities to take control of their own lives and build a better future for themselves, their families and communities. In this uncertain world, now more than ever before we have to do what we can to relieve suffering wherever it occurs, listening to those affected, responding to their needs and working together for a better world.” He transformed Christian Aid’s humanitarian relief work and contributed to the whole humanitarian sector shifting its approach towards more locally-based and locallyaccountable humanitarian actions. He led Christian Aid’s response in over 50 major emergencies worldwide from earthquakes, cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons to conflict and displacement, drought and food shortages, and health crises including the global COVID-19 pandemic.

©Antony Barlow (S1959)

Tom Beakbane (R1975): The lockdown is a mental and economic shock forcing us to re-evaluate many aspects of our lives. It spurred me to start writing a book about the discoveries of frontline scientists that explain the idiosyncrasies of human behaviour and the tribal divisions that are being exposed: How to Understand Everything. Consilience: A New Way to See the World. Few have the time for nonfiction books, particularly ones that go deep, nonetheless, those who have already read the book report that it is “important” “powerful” and “ground-breaking.” It creates “neural symphonies” and helps readers understand what we are witnessing in business and the public arena. The new way of seeing enables readers to handle situations with greater self-assurance and less anxiety. If you are a parent, an educator, a consultant, a business leader or hold positions of authority it is empowering to know the realities of how people think — which is very different to how we were taught. OL Doug Hickman (R1975) commented: Tom takes us on a romp through the frontiers and some of the back-alleys of science, maths, psychology and much more...How to Understand Everything is not about what we “should” understand, but about what it is that causes us to understand things in the ways that we do. We are challenged to think not simply in terms of what we have been taught, but in terms of what we experience and to understand that experience in terms of how our bodies and our culture have evolved: a sadly necessary challenge in this age of false news, fake news, alternative facts and a general dumbing down of intellectual capacity that seems to pervade much of our society.

Friends reunited I took the first picture in the summer of ‘78 just before we all left. it suddenly caught up with us; another few days and we would disperse; I got all the folk I could find in Grove study passage and went outside “H block”. I am hopeless with cameras but it’s now a small piece of history: we all are still in touch.

L-R Andrew Belcher, Mike Jellife, Colin Frey, Shaileen Patel, Martin Nickson, Charlie Hickman, Ki Hong Chang, Mntungwa Morojele and Ian Hamilton Photo taken at the 8s reunion in 2018; with the tree planted in memory of our friend Ian Hamilton.

L-R Chris Downes, Andrew, Samir Inamdar, Mike, Shaileen, Colin, Jack Hobbs, Charlie, Ki, me, Tony Padday and Richard Harris Richard Baker (G1978) University to learn as much as he could about synthesizers (they didn’t know how to use it, but Ed did; they gave him a key).

Ed Buller (1980) is a writer, producer, engineer, programmer, and synth expert, with a track record across monumentally changing times in the music business, and working with the some of the biggest industry names. With a composer for a father, he described music and in particular synths as “pre-programmed”. Ed recalls spending hours in the Music Department with Dominic Alldis, escaping to the electronic music studio of Reading

An early adaptor of synth technology, he joined the Psychedelic Furs. However, touring with the band made him realise that he preferred to create the sound, rather than be out front performing; Ed left the Furs in 1987 to become in-house engineer at Island Records in London, learning the ropes as a producer. He worked with clients from Sly & Robbie to U2. In 1991 he set up as an independent producer and engineer; working with the likes of Slowdive, The Boo Radleys, and Spiritualized, he quickly achieved a strong reputation producing records by some of the most notable artists of the time. The first successful album that he produced was Suede’s debut album in 1993 which

peaked at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart and won the Mercury Prize. He has achieved two other number one albums (Suede’s Coming Up and White Lies’ To Lose My Life...) and a Brit awards nomination for best producer. In 1995, he worked with Flood, Gary Stout and Dave Bessell; an analog-synth heavy project that produced Node (and follow-up Node 2). In 1998, Ed moved to California to study composition and orchestration at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He also worked with legendary film score composer Hans Zimmer. He has recently worked with bands White Lies, The Courteeners, The Cheek and One Night Only, recording in Brussels, as well as Suede’s comeback album Bloodsports in 2013, and Night Thoughts in 2016.

Harriet Salisbury (F1980): Taking a long-haul approach to education, I’ve followed up my 2016 Children’s Literature MA with a PhD in Creative Writing, completed in 2021. As yet unpublished first novel soon to be followed by ditto second, otherwise still living in Hackney, writing and editing from home, loving London and life.

Thomas Penny (F1987) gave the Swarthmore Lecture 2021 at Woodbrooke on “Kinder Ground: Creating Space for Truth”. The lecture addressed Truth in the era of fake news, and drew on his 29 years’ experience working as a journalist.

Duncan Campling (1988): I was a busy tech executive, lived in beautiful stone house in America, summers with my two sons by the pool. However, in March 2018 aged 47, I had two strokes a week apart, caused by a genetically thin artery in my brain, leaving me with ‘lockedin syndrome’ where I was completely paralyzed, except to move my eyelids. I flatlined in the ambulance, and I heard the first responders declare my death! I wanted to shout, “I’M ALIVE.” and a few other words that would rightly be censored here, but I couldn’t. I was worried about being buried alive! The majority of stroke patients now recover relatively unscathed, but most locked-in syndrome patients do not. Strokes can happen at any age but are just more common in the elderly. Neurologists told my wife at the beginning, I probably would not improve, and if I did improve, it would be minor. They were wrong. Today I had can move all four limbs, and shake/nod my head. My limbs are still very weak though. The process of recovery after a stroke, is building new pathways, (aka neurons) to replace the part of your brain that has died, from bleeding. It involves a lot of therapy and repetitive movement. Recently, my core activated; the muscles in my face and tongue are weak. I can swallow and say short words, but I rely on an adapted iPad with a speech synthesizer to speak longer sentences. Social media is my new voice, and I’m very active (Twitter @dcampling). I’m writing a book of my experience recovering. Coronavirus has unfortunately disrupted my external therapy routine, as it’s an hour away. I currently live in a nursing

Duncan with Brent (11), Jason (8)

home near Philadelphia and require 24/7 medical attention. If you’re having a bad day, just think, “it could be a lot worse.” Duncan recently sent us an update: Thankfully last year was a tremendous year of progress! Initially, I was paralyzed everywhere except for my eyelids. I even lost the power of speech and eating as the muscles in my face were inactive. Since March 2021 everything is different. I’m not completely recovered, about 50%. I’m now able to walk about 200 feet with a walker and verbalize without an iPad speaking for me. I was able to walk with highly skilled physical therapists, and I trained with an exoskeleton that made me look a lot like RoboCop. Talking was achieved through endless oral motor exercises and working with a speech pathologist. Naturally, I’m hoping the progress will continue this year. Positive thoughts please. Instagram thisisduncan917

Caroline Dommen (R1983) is an independent consultant with many years’ experience in international trade, human rights, development, and environmental law and policy. She writes: “I work on sustainability issues, mostly in Geneva and occasionally in Mauritius. My work involves international policy analysis, advice and training in areas such as human rights, women’s rights and international trade. In parallel with the international activities, I have a very local activity involving community sustainability projects including initiating the creation of the first community seed library and also community gardening and composting projects.”

Nick de Wet (S1988) made a flying visit and caught up with some familiar faces. As a Housemaster at Uppingham School, he had a good chat with Head of Boarding Myles Nash too. Mark Simmons mused on the fact that someone who he had taught was now planning their retirement!

James Jackman (G1990) After a 25 year career of working with artists James now produces music and soundscapes for picture and events, including composing, arranging and producing music for documentaries, adverts, television and film. James was George Michael’s right-hand man for 20 years. As his programmer, co-producer, arranger and co-songwriter James developed and refined his music production and song-writing alongside one of the finest artists the UK has produced. James’s writing and production credits for George Michael include worldwide number one albums and singles and two sell out world tours. Regularly producing music for a number of the biggest labels in production music, James has worked with BMG Production Music, Chroma (USA), Evolution Music Media, Music For Productions (Canada), Soho Production Music and Boost Music. Recent clients include Channel 4 Films, Universal Pictures, Digitas (Pringles World Cup ad campaign) and Lifeworks.

James has worked for artists and producers across the popular, independent and visual media spectrum, writing, programming, arranging, remixing and producing music from classical, jazz, drum and bass, hip hop, house, techno, indie and mainstream pop for artists composing, programming, arranging, remixing and producing music for artists including: Paul McCartney, Phil Ramone, David Arnold The Ting Tings, Mutya Buena (Sugarbabes), The Shapeshifters, Matt Cardle, The Guillemots, Ida Corr, Karen Poole, Jimmy Screech (Root’s Manuva’s The Banana Clan) to name a few. He also has various Production music credits for TV (BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5) or the music (GM Co-write) for the film “Last Christmas”.

In April 2020 OL Simon Clemison (S1995) was appointed Head of News and Programmes for ITV’s operation in Northern Ireland. Previously a senior figure leading a number of the BBC’s regional news services, he acted as a home duty editor for the corporation’s national output. Simon relocated to Belfast to take up his role at UTV. He became a TV executive following a career on screen where he was a reporter and presenter both with the BBC and ITV. Simon has very much remained in touch with the school and was a governor until recently. This summer he joined former staff to wish former Head John Chapman a very happy 80th via Zoom. Simon said: “I remember surprising John while we were at school and he was turning 50. I think he may now finally have forgiven me for the sketches we did in which I played him! It was so lovely to be back with the legend that is John Chapman again – still an absolute inspiration to me all these years on.”

Chandi Abay (1993): I started out painting & drawing at the age of 2. I love aviation, philosophy, human emotions and science and have tried to explore all these themes in my abstract work. I’ve always been creative and even experimented with 3-dimensional art too. My main medium is acrylic with my paintings but can sometimes use mixed media such as pencil, ink and watercolours. Inspired by Salvador Dali’s work, I’ve tried to create my own hybrid style of work.

Stephen Collins (G1993): After fifteen odd years in client facing roles in finance, I became a Director of Risk Management for EY’s Transaction Advisory Services business in the UK.I finally got round to losing my pre-adolescent puppy fat last year, in a transformation that has garnered a certain amount of international attention.

Sacheen Lasmana (R1995) paid a surprise visit to School last year, from his home in Indonesia and enjoyed a trip down memory lane with Mark Simmons. Sacheen is Vice President of Cinema 21 the largest cinema chain in Indonesia. It currently has over 1,000 screens and serves more than 30 cities across the country. Nathan Haley (F1998): I’ve been holed up in the Lake District enjoying the benefits of being on furlough somewhere especially beautiful. How I got here is the culmination of 4 years hard work and dedication. On my return to the UK I decided to commit myself to a career in nature conservation and countryside management. I’ve had the privilege of working on the Pembrokeshire coast, the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, Western Lake District, Southern Lake District and Northumberland coast as a ranger for the National Trust. And as a trail ranger on the Hadrian’s Wall national trail for the Northumberland National Park. I’m now settled into a long-term position as National Trust Ranger for Eskdale and the Duddon valleys in the Lakes. The Duddon has long been my favourite of the thirteen Lake District valleys so it’s a privilege to be here working to the good of nature and wildlife.

Chris Excell (2001): we were delighted to hear from Chris that he has been appointed Chair of the Black Police Association (MetBPA), dedicated to improving the working environment of officers and staff from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds. We hope to welcome Chris to the Park to inspire our students soon.

Chris Obin (2007) was honoured to be part of the officiating team at the Europe Netball Open Challenge Competition, the first International Netball tournament held since the pandemic hit. Chris was inspired to become an umpire after a couple of years on the sidelines watching his wife play. He powered through the different training levels to qualify. He writes “The competition was held over four days in October 2021 and was contested between Gibraltar (host), Isle of Man, Malta, Switzerland and the UAE. Northern Ireland also attended the competition. UAE were the eventual winners with Isle of Man coming second following a very closely contested deciding match vs. Gibraltar in front of a raucous home crowd, which Chris umpired.” Chris personally took control of 5 matches across the weekend. Tom Bonner (R2011) married Tishura Khan (S2011). Congratulations to them both!

Kwanza Cocoa Queen

Being unable to buy reasonably priced good chocolate would upset anyone but OL Wezi Mzumara (2006) decided to solve the problem and set up a cocoa plantation. She explains “I moved back to Malawi in 2011 and set up a small PR agency which has been growing over the years. I realised being in Africa you have to have multiple streams of income in order to survive so I also started farming. It was a very hard decision as I had no clue what to farm and didn’t want to do the stereotypical maize, tobacco, beans etc. I was getting quite upset about the cost of chocolate in the shops so decided to investigate growing cocoa. It turns out in one of the border

towns in Tanzania they had just opened a cocoa processing factory.” Wezi managed to get hold of a few pods and experimented planting, which has turned into a full blown cocoa farm, due to be in full production in the next two years. Whilst trees have been growing, Wezi has been busy creating a name in Fashion PR, founding Kwanza PR. She adds “I managed to find time to create Malawi’s only fashion week, which is extremely exciting as a publicist and an avid fan of new African fashion and trends. Mzuzu Fashion Week has been running for the last 6 years.” @KwanzaCocoa remember their magnetism together in School’s production of “The Crucible”.

It’s been quite a couple of years for Phil Dunster (F2010); already an in-demand actor with many TV and film credits from “The Trouble with Maggie Cole”, “Strike Back”, “Dracula”, “Catherine the Great” and Branagh’s “Murder on the Orient Express”, “Judy” and “The Good Liar”. In 2016 Phil earned an Olivier Award nomination as Arthur in Bristol Old Vic’s “Pink Mist”. Phil has struck gold though as Jamie Tartt on Apple TV comedy “Ted Lasso”. The series won a swathe of awards, and Phil was on the red carpet at the EMMYs with some of the cast. Whilst in LA, Phil caught up with Eliza Bennett (G2010) who is currently on TV as Amanda Carrington in CW’s “Dynasty”. OLs may

During lockdown Phil worked with OL Lucy Heath (G2011) to develop a short film “Pragma” with Lucy’s production company Silver Rose Productions. We were delighted to support the project when Leighton Park was suggested as one of the film locations. “Pragma” was written by Lucy and co-produced by Phil; it asks if our romantic, intuitive approach to attraction is doomed for disappointment or perhaps a new algorithmic, rational method could actually lead to sustaining love. The Executive Producer happens to be Ted Lasso himself, actor Jason Sudeikis. Lucy’s first short film “Better” has had great success at film festivals worldwide, including winning the Best of British Short Films at the Iris Prize 2020. She has recently completing filming her latest piece “The Painter and the Poet”. We plan to hold a screening of “Pragma” at School: look out for updates.

Photo by Christian Black

Andy Palles-Clark (G2000): I’m the Conservation Manager for the Forestry Commission, responsible for all conservation work in the whole of Thetford forest; a mere 19,000 hectares of SSSI, so keeps me busy!

After obtaining a First Class (MSci) at the University of Nottingham in Zoology, Torie headed to the Institute for Molecular Biosciences. She explains “My lab specifically works on “venoms to drugs”, including anti-parasitics and epilepsy (as well as my spinal cord research). I moved to work in Professor King’s lab because I think venoms to drugs is a fantastic research area and we have a huge collection of venoms here. There are so many venomous animals (such as shrews!), and within venom there are thousands of different molecules which have all evolved over time to hit specific targets. Torie Foster (2011) has completed her PhD at the University of Queensland to determine the potential of a small protein (peptide Hi1a) from the venom of the Fraser Island Funnel web spider for treatment of spinal cord injury. The objective is to lead to a treatment that prevents damage in spinal cord injury from spreading, and in turn provide a better outcome for patients.

My biology teacher at LP pushed us to think critically without accepting a general opinion on things. That kind of ties into the field of venoms to drugs thing- it’s a little off the beaten track for most people to consider but there is increasing evidence to support it being a legit thing! The PhD was gruelling but I loved the challenge.”

Ben Dearden (F2011) returned to LP in 2021 playing Macbeth in a candlelit adaptation of the political tragedy from touring company, Bart Lee Theatre. Ben, who graduated as an actor from the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts London, said “Acting has allowed me to learn more about myself and has helped me to mature as a person, learning how to connect and engage with people.” The last time that Ben was on the Main Hall stage was in 2009, when he was one of ‘The Jets’ in School’s production of West Side Story. On playing Macbeth, he commented “Every time I’ve played him I’ve learnt a bit more about him. I can see myself sitting down for a drink with him. There’s no one way of playing a character, it’s what you interpret them to be.” Ruth Scanlon (S2013) is used to the tough life in the kitchen in a Michelin starred restaurant, but faced the intense scrutiny of the judges on “Bake Off: The Professionals” in 2020. Ruth headed up the exclusive Hurlingham Club restaurant team. She met her team-mate Laura during training at Le Cordon Bleu. Ruth made it to the series Semi-Finals, a remarkable achievement.

Johnnie Noel-Baker (S2021): Now studying Product Design at Edinburgh, I have continued climbing training full time. Back home in Greece, I focused on developing a climbing design business. I am working to achieve some of my big goals which include both competition climbing and rock climbing. My dream is still to compete in the Olympics. I have a long road ahead but I am more motivated than ever. I have started working on developing some of the more unknown climbing areas in Greece. At Christmas I starting bolting and to establish some new routes in these untouched areas which hold endless potential. I have been developing my design and making skills by selling wooden climbing related products to local climbers, custom-making most of my products to customer’s design requests. Most recently I have experimented with creating more modern style climbing holds which are now currently being tested at my home climbing gym. I would like to specialise in similar projects that can help progress the designs used for climbing training to push the sport forward.

Ruth has been dedicated to becoming a chef since leaving after GCSEs to begin training. She has worked in London and Hong Kong, in top kitchens including The Royal Oak, Angler, The Square and Hide. Ruth now has her own business The Ruby Hue, with her partner, selling the most delicious chocolates, cocktails and other treats.

Adam Stokes (S2015) studied PPE and then a Master’s in Social Science Research Methods at University of East Anglia. He is now studying for his PhD in Politics back in Reading, his project title “The LeftRight Ideological Variance of European National Independence Political Parties.”. He has his own YouTube channel PhDPolitico Discussions with interviews with politicians, academics and other experts on major political issues.

www.therubyhue.co.uk

www.johnnienoelbaker.com

OBITUARIES We remember those from our community who have passed away: Dr Gerald Smallcombe (G1940) died 01/09/2019 Hugh Shewell (G1941) died 13/10/2019 Giles Cooper (R1943) died 19/10/2020 John D Brown (Grove 1943-1948) died 5/11/2021 aged 91 Michael Prentice (S1944) died 1/7/2019 William McIlroy (S1944) died 01/03/2020 John Eversley MBE (R1945) died 12/12/2021 Dugal Campbell (R1947) died 18/01/2016, Canada John Nedderman (1948) died 14/5/2021 Dr Ronald Nedderman (1948) died 18/5/2021 Michael J Marriage (G1950) died 12/11/2020 David F King (G1950) died 1/9/2020 Peter C Morris (S1951) died 03/12/2018 Richard Merson (1953) died 26/02/2020 Julian R Hill (S1955) died 31/01/2020 Dr Anthony T Lean (S1958) died 12/3/2021 Ian Christison Sayers (G1958) died 05/4/2019 Michael J Niblock (R1959) died 01/01/2018 Christopher Watson (S1959) died 1/11/2019 Dr John B Blazé (R1960) died 19/10/2020 John Whitfield (G1961) died 4/11/2019 Roger Stables (R1961) died 23/6/2020 Richard H Payne (S1961) died 19/1/2021 Kingsley Glover (F2000) died January 2022 Yelnar Kanseit (G2014)

Prof Desmond Gareth Julian (R1943) died 26/12/2019 Desmond had a long and distinguished career in cardiology, receiving a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 1993. He was also the British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiology at the University of Newcastle between 1975 and 1986 and Medical Director of British Heart Foundation between 1987 to 1993.

Former Staff Barney Benbridge English teacher Alan Lerwill taught PE but is best known as a top long jumper, competing in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics, and winning Commonweath Gold and Bronze. Arthur Harrison George Camilleri: shortly before his death, George finally realised a lifetime ambition of having a book published.

Pat Kelly Pat was an accomplished musician in genres spanning jazz to opera and beyond. He studied at both Trinity and the Royal College of Music, performing in orchestras for some legendary conductors and artists, from Sir Adrian Boult, Sir Thomas Beecham, Sir Malcolm Sargent to Maria Callas, Fonteyn, Nureyev, Judy Garland and Sammy Davis Jr. Pat combined his love of music with a passionate energy for bringing the best out of young musicians. In 1975, he founded the Berkshire Youth Jazz Orchestra, as a place to inspire young people to play jazz. The band became one of the most well-respected youth jazz ensembles in the country. His support was instrumental in kickstarting and furthering the careers of multiple jazz musicians and arrangers. He started conducting LP’s Big Band in 1986. LP became the go-to centre for school jazz in Berkshire and the Jazz Band were invited to perform at the 2001 National Music for Youth at Queen Elizabeth Hall. In 1993 they were regional runners up in the Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Competition, losing out to the Berkshire Youth Jazz Orchestra, which most of the band also played in! Pat died 11/6/2021 and is survived by his wife Rose, and his children, Tracie, Lance, Dorian and Rebecca.

In the 1960s he was the first to propose and advocate for coronary care units, specialist care for people who have suffered a cardiac event. His work transformed care for heart patients worldwide. Whilst still a junior doctor, he developed the concept after he saw the need for heart patients to be treated on a separate ward, monitoring them continuously, with the right equipment and staff on standby for emergencies in order to increase survival rates. This included training staff in CPR, continuously monitoring patients’ electrocardiograms and having defibrillators at hand. Desmond set up Europe’s first Cardiac Care unit in Edinburgh in 1964, and the BHF funded the unit’s staff and equipment. In addition he acted as an adviser and consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) for coronary care, was President of the British Cardiac Society and Second Vice-President of the Royal College of Physicians. He was also Chairman of the British Action on Smoking and Health and Chairman of the National Heart Forum which focused on prevention of heart and circulatory disease in the UK. In recognition of his influence worldwide, Professor Julian was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal of the European Society of Cardiology in 1998 and in 2005 the American College of Cardiology’s International Service Award “acknowledging his outstanding contributions to enhancing cardiovascular care and education throughout the world”. Raymond Julian (S1969)

lubrication, friction and wear of gearing. This was to be the focus of Brian’s career for the next 35 years. At work he met Sheila; they married in 1955 and were together for 62 years. They had two daughters. At AEI, Brian was encouraged to think for himself, a watchword throughout his working life, and one possibly with origins at school. Brian recalled being taken to task by his Director who stated “I’ve been reading your recent technical report, and I can’t think why nobody has thought of doing it before!” High praise in Brian’s eyes.

Brian Alfred Shotter (S1947) died 27/9/2020 aged 91. Joining Leighton Park as a day-boarder, he later wrote that he “enjoyed five happy years in at the school. I don’t think I excelled at anything, but I was encouraged to do a wide range of activities. This, I think, was responsible for my independent way of thinking during my working life”. National Service took Brian into the Royal Air Force, where he specialised in radar, serving for much of this time with a flying boat unit near Stranraer. (Maybe his experience in the Leighton Park Sea Scout Troop was taken into account!). Initially considering a career in electronics, he applied to Associated Electrical Industries but was asked if would he be interested in research in a new laboratory investigating

Brian sought to expand his knowledge and was seconded to and eventually transferred to the British Thompson-Houston company at Rugby to work on research and gear design. Brian’s career development had been unconventional; for two years he was the Design and Development Manager for ‘Motor Gear and Engineering’ at Chadwell Heath. He was head-hunted by Westland Helicopters at Yeovil, for his experiences of new gear tooth forms, gear manufacturing and inspection, working there for 20 years until retiring in 1990. In retirement Brian continued with consultancy work, including lecturing on gear design, which included supporting a trade mission to Korea. But Brian’s life in retirement turned to other pursuits, most notably his garden, music and the church. Always an enthusiastic choral singer, he enjoyed this until Parkinson’s Disease made singing impossible. He enjoyed spending more time with his three grandchildren; it was the antics of his three greatgrandchildren that he most enjoyed in his final years.

Madge Stables died In December 2020, aged 103. Madge was the widow of Len, former Housemaster of Reckitt, Head of English and Second Master. Madge became a bereavement counsellor and helped form a branch of CRUSE in Reading. She was awarded the BEM in recognition of her work.

Christine Spray Christine was a model of kindness, graciousness, discretion, wisdom and goodness. The School was blessed to have her as a key member of the boarding community. Her role of Headmaster’s wife cannot have been easy, and one imagines she too had her fair share of the tension that is part of the headmaster’s territory. But she and Bill lived through the challenging years of the 1970s, and Christine was Bill’s rock. John Allinson

Hugh Southern (S1951) died 15/7/2019 in North Virginia. A well loved and respected cultural leader and well known for his work as Executive Director of Theater Development Fund (1968-1982). Hugh created the TKTS Booth in New York City’s Times Square. This project opened the door to reduced price tickets to theatre and dance shows for thousands in New York. He was invited to communities across the US to help duplicate this successful new approach. The TKTS Booth in Leicester Square London stems from his work. He is survived by his wife Kathy, three children and three grandchildren.

Colin Ferguson Smith (R1950) died in Birmingham on 17/12/2021. Born in Birmingham, most of his early years were spent in India, where his father worked for the Bombay Company in Calcutta. From Leighton Park he proceeded to Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, to read Law. Soon afterwards, he qualified as an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries (ACIS). His first employment was with Tangyes, the famous engineering company in Smethwick, Birmingham, founded by his Cornish ancestors on his Quaker mother’s side of the family, but the business was in terminal decline. He saw no future there and moved into stockbroking, at which he was very successful. He was a partner in a prominent Birmingham firm known at various times as Smith Keen Barnett, Smith Keen Cutler, and Smith Keen Murray. (He was not the Smith in the name.) Among Colin’s chief interests were music and history. He loved going to concerts and opera performances. He had a wide knowledge of British and European history, and was very proud of the achievements of his ancestors, including the Tangyes and, on his father’s side, the Macaulays and Smiths. Two years before his death, he completed and published a brief life of General Colin Macaulay. Colin will be much missed by his family and many friends, who will remember his lively company and entertaining conversation, his sense of humour, his keen interest in others, and his kindness and generosity.

Sir John Birch (R1953)

John credited his education at Leighton Park for influencing his diplomatic career. He knew the importance of allowing people to feel listened to, knowing this was the way to secure their co-operation.

Tom Maschler (S1951), died October 16 2020 aged 87, at his home in France. He was truly a publishing legend. His published authors included Joseph Heller, Philip Roth, Kingsley and Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie, Julian Barnes, Ian McEwan, John Fowles and Gabriel García Márquez. He had an instinct too for commissioning inspired nonfiction works such as The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris, the Human Body pop-up book (with a text by Jonathan Miller), and was the marketing brain behind the treasure-hunt book, Masquerade by Kit Williams. He was also one of the key figures credited in conceiving the idea of the Booker Prize, which launched in 1968. “The Book Bus”, an inspired charity bringing books and story-telling to parts of Africa was another of his passions. Born in Berlin in 1932 to Jewish parents who escaped to Vienna; their home confiscated by the Nazis, the family then fled to England in 1939. At Leighton Park he described himself as “above average” but a champion tennis, squash and fives player. Tom declined a place at Oxford and took off travelling, eventually becoming a production assistant at Andre Deutsch. Among other successes he talentspotted the unpublished Alan Sillitoe and “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning”. In 1957 he moved to MacGibbon & Kee; he edited an anthology of essays, seen as a manifesto of the “Angry Young Men” called Declaration. Moving to Penguin, and then on to Jonathan Cape in 1960, he remained chairman until 1988. Married twice, Tom had a son and two daughters. In later years he spent part of his time in Provence and in Mexico.

He read economics at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he became a CND activist. After National Service he joined the Foreign Office in 1960. John married Primula and they had four children: Alex, James, Melony and Henry. Caution was not a value he tried particularly hard to impart upon his children; once having taken them on camping into the northern wilds of Afghanistan, only to look out of the tent to see armed tribesmen. With the help of cigarettes and a pot of tea, he sent them on their smiling way. In 1965, having learned Romanian, he was sent to Bucharest, followed by three years in the South Asia Department of the FCO, and then his next post was Afghanistan. Three weeks after arriving, he and Primula were lying in bed, listening to what they thought were fireworks. The military music on the radio the next morning disabused them of that notion. The Shah’s cousin, Prince Daoud, had seized power. My father John Cave (R1953) passed away in June 2019.

A year at the Royal College of Defence Studies prepared him to be an adviser to the British delegation at the comprehensive nuclear test ban negotiations in Geneva, and a member of one of the negotiating groups. Between 1980 and 1983 he was in Budapest for the first time, as head of chancery, at a time when Bulgarians were trying to escape the grip of communism. Next as head of the new Eastern European Department of the FCO, his responsibility was to encourage growing movements towards democracy. His appointment in New York as UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations with ambassadorial rank saw his experience of disarmament issues to good use in the UN’s First Committee. He was honoured as CMG in 1987 and KCVO in 1993. In 1989 he was appointed Ambassador to Hungary. After retiring he became director of the British Association for Central and Eastern Europe. He was also chairman of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, and vice- chairman of University College London. A man of exceptional vigour, he looked younger than his age but for all his energy he retained the Quakerly calm instilled in him as a boy. On 9/11, he, a group of journalists and MPs were in Albania: They soon found flights were cancelled and credit cards were not working. The journalists began to panic and there was talk of hiring a speedboat to Italy. Nobody was sure how to pay for that, or for dinner, yet the mood calmed somewhat when Birch pulled out an envelope, stuffed with cash. “In my day,” he said, “ambassadors always made contingencies.” Based on The Times obituary. he became a partner in a Henley firm of accountants. I was born in 1969 and am an only child. He was later senior partner in his own firm: Cave, Harper and Co. He retired by 2000 and spent the initial years of retirement enjoying travelling with my mum; by 2013 he had become her carer as she was unwell. When she passed away in 2017, his previously under control prostate cancer, was diagnosed as having spread to his spine. He died in June of 2019, having battled cancer with courage, and never giving up.

He remained friends with Alan Blazey and Sir John Birch. John remembered Dad had won the steeplechase whilst at school, which the other boys thought was quite something! In his 20s, my Dad travelled to Australia, working there as an accountant for a couple of years, again making life-long friends. He returned and lived in London up until his early 30s working as an accountant for Price Waterhouse and then Swan Travel. He married my mother in 1967 in London, and then they moved to Wargrave, and later Henley, where

I have three children, three step children and three step grand-children; Dad enjoyed being a grandad and great grandad to my family. He always had fond memories of Leighton Park, hence, he sent me there for my sixth form. He became more liberal the older he got, which he often attributed to the Quaker values he enjoyed at school! Alan Blazey (R1953) attended his funeral, as did my friend Vivienne Herke. Sarah Evason (S1987)

Nick Ouroussoff (G1953) passed away at home in May 2020.

James Wood (G1954) died 5/4/2020 He just reached his 80th birthday in spite of suffering from ill health for some time. During his early time at Leighton Park he started to suffer from headaches and eventually he found that he could not cope with school life anymore and left LP in 1957. A cist was removed from his brain but he was then only able to undertake light work. Salvation was at hand when some years

Andrew Page recalls Nick as a tremendous sportsman, particularly in athletics and rugby. Andrew and he were well matched but “if you looked across the track, it was like watching a greyhound and a terrier. Nick was 6 foot tall with a long graceful stride while I was the small terrier running behind.” In rugby, he was initially a wing three-quarter “his eyesight wasn’t great and sometimes he dropped the ball but this was great grounding to be a formidable wingforward. Nick was furious that John Ounsted arranged his interview for Oxford at the same time as he should have been playing in a needle match against Douai; the previously unbeaten LP team lost the match. One of Nick’s highlights was winning the half-mile in a match against Eton. Andrew and Nick met up again in 1968, and after he moved to Gloucester, where Andrew also has a place, they saw each other more frequently. Andrew adds “He had a great inquiring mind, a strong inventive streak, was a brilliant engineer and just such a nice man. His sometimes diffident manner concealed his considerable knowledge”. Nick was Engineering Manager on the Unipower GT British specialist sports car that debuted at the January 1966 Racing Car Show. As well as his role in ensuring the engineering excellence of the Unipower GTs, he was also heavily involved in the production of the Quasar Unipower Cube vehicle, that was a head-turner in the late 60s. Nick went on to set up Ouroussoff Engineering based in Kew, London, where amongst other things, his engineering skills turned to robotic automation and a forerunner of a folding electric bike.

later a specialist prescribed cortisone, at last he was able to lead a normal life – able to marry and have family and became an expert in screen printing. He was always interested in aeronautics and if his life had been different he could well have worked in that industry. One thing he did try, however, was to become an exhibitor at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition! Richard Wood (G1949)

Dr Roger Schofield (S1955) died 9/4/2019

Assistant at the Cambridge Group for the new History of Population and Social Structure. He mustered a small army of amateur local historians who recorded baptisms, burials and marriages from parish registers around the country in an early crowd sourcing exercise. He played a major role in the analyses of these data, offering important and novel interpretations of the course of British population history. He was Director of the Cambridge Group from 1974 to 1994.

Roger was a social scientist, social historian, demographer and academic, known primarily as the Emeritus Director of the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure. He made a significant contribution to the development of British and international historical demography.

His books “The History of the Population of England 1541–1871” (written with Tony Wrigley) and “The History of the Population of England after Family Reunification 1580-1837” received a worldwide recognition for his contribution to the general history of England, overturning established assumptions on population growth. He was President of the British Society of Population Studies, and was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1988.

Roger received both undergraduate and PhD degrees in history from Cambridge. In 1966 he was appointed as Research John Reason (R1957) died 16/10/2019 after a long illness.

He joined Leighton Park as a day boy but was a keen contributor to many of the school activities. His interest in woodworking stood him in great stead for the many projects in later life. In his teens he undertook several long-distance cycling trips during the holidays. In the early 1950s he rode to central Dartmoor and back, from Reading, accompanied by OL Anthony Searle. They also cycled to and from central Wales. Anthony remembers John’s keenness for challenging routes, seeking out spectacular downhill runs in the Mendips and also the steepest hill in England, Porlock Hill. His academic preference for the Sciences took him to the University of Exeter, but he quickly found that this was not for him. After three years in the RAF working on and studying aircraft instruments he obtained

an apprenticeship with Smith’s Industries where he also continued his technical studies. He worked for Smiths for over 25 years, being promoted to work in Scotland then Manchester then finally at Product Support at Heathrow Airport. At this time, John also got interested in boats. Robert, his oldest son, remembers the day the Mirror dinghy kit was delivered; “Many large cardboard boxes! From then on it was full steam ahead, and all I remember is Dad ‘living’ in the garage”. When finished, he took it on holiday on the car roof - with some of the paint still wet! That dinghy also sometimes accompanied him on work trips and he took it as far as Norway and sailed it in the fjords”. After he retired he would work on the remains of a wooden folkboat , called “Hangover”. Once finished in 2002 he made many trips along the south coast and to France. Every time he moved house he made improvements; an old farm-worker’s cottage in a poor state at Mapledurham was restored, improved and doubled in size, becoming a family home for 40 years. John leaves 5 children, his 8 grandchildren, his first great grandson, his step-family and many friends, including from Reading Offshore Sailing Club and also from Henley Stroke Club.

Humphrey Dobinson MBE (S1957)

Ronald Wong (G1959) died 14/4/2020

Despite studying sciences at A level, Humphrey’s real strengths were in the arts, particularly English. He gained admission to St Peter’s Hall, Oxford to read English. Throughout his life, he maintained a parallel interest in - indeed he had a passion for, -ornithology. He was Chair of the LP Ornithology Society for two years, as well as the founder member of the Meteorological Society. Just after he left LP in the late 1950s, together with three other OLs he helped establish and later managed a Bird Observatory on the West Cork island of Cape Clear. He began writing articles and books that were highly regarded both by fellow ornithologists and indeed by those who were new to that activity. His book ‘Bird Count’ is a simple introduction to the joys of recording birds, and a whole edition of the periodical ‘British Birds’ was devoted to his study of the impact of the severe weather of the 1962/3 winter on the birds of Britain. His main career was in teaching. He began as a teacher of English but switched eventually to Special Needs. When the sad news broke of his death, many former pupils and teaching colleagues posted comments online, testifying to the enormous impact Humphrey had had on them. He was a gentle, kind, sincere and utterly dependable man who clearly transformed lives through his inspirational and encouraging teaching. A life very well lived. Adrian Silcock (S1958) died 1/11/2018

Adrian had a compassionate energy which he brought to both his family life and his career in teaching. His enthusiasm for all things sporting, musical and linguistics was

Ronald was In Grove House as was his father and his son. He distinguished himself as a sportsman, primarily in swimming but also as a gymnast and rugby player. In 1958 he swam in the National Championships at Blackpool along with David Gillett and Colin Garrett. Ronald was one of the few Roman Catholics at LP and he went off to the Catholic church, rather than Quaker Meeting. He read Law at Jesus College, Cambridge in 1960 and alongside his studies was awarded four half-blues for swimming. He graduated BA 1963; LLB 1964; MA 1967; LLM 1985. While at Cambridge he met his future wife, Jacqueline from France. They married in 1966 and had three children, twins François and Nathalie Chantal and then Chantal. François was in Grove from 1981-86 but died in February 2020 in Hong Kong. Ronald and his wife separated. Ronald became a solicitor and in 1967 returned to Hong Kong to work for three years. He then worked in Australia and in England after which he settled in France for 20 years. From 1986-91 he worked for already evident at School. A member of the outstanding 1st XV rugby team of 1957-58, he rightly fancied himself as a wicket keeper and toured later with the OLCC. He excelled in tennis and squash, representing both School and Oxford University in both. A competent violinist, Adrian seemed to know half of Gilbert and Sullivan by heart which he sang equally joyously at School, or half way up Helvellyn. Adrian was a dedicated member and sometime Chairman of the Ledbury Choir. Languages were Adrian’s passion – German, French, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Greek and Latin – taking him to Oxford to study Modern Languages at Jesus College. During teacher training, tennis brought him and Jenny together on the courts of St Hugh’s College. Such a gifted teacher, Adrian first taught English in Bavaria before posts at the Edinburgh Academy, Shrewsbury Priory and King Edward VI School, Southampton, followed by fourteen years as Head of King’s School in Macclesfield. It was appropriate

Airbus Industries in Toulouse. From 1991 – 98 he had a lot of fun with an oceangoing yacht called “Mazu”. He moved back to Hong Kong in 1998 to work for the Hong Kong-Kowloon Railway Corporation who needed a lawyer fluent in English, Chinese and French. He retired in 2004, travelled around the world for about one year with his friend Henry then settled in Bangkok with his Thai partner Tuum Singthonghorm. In 2006 in Bangkok Ronald had a cerebrovascular stroke and spent six days in a coma. For some time he appeared to be making good progress but, after a couple more strokes, slowly lost the ability to write and speak clearly. His physical condition also deteriorated and by 2011 he was effectively bedbound. After that he rarely left his flat - Bangkok streets are not designed for wheelchairs. When visited he often expressed the wish that he could die soon. One of Ronald’s best friends commented that “Ron was a marvellous listener, giving his full attention to you when he felt you needed attention … he taught me (unwittingly) how to listen, this was a fantastic heritage he left me, I am so grateful for that!” Colin Garrett (G1960)

François P P Wong (G1986) see page 27

that OL Rev James Stewart, the former Chaplain of the King’s School gave the address at the Thanksgiving Service at Ledbury Parish Church. Adrian’s unique character was partly reflected from a childhood of challenges. Born in 1939 in Singapore, his father joined the army and was taken prisoner, unusual for a Quaker pacifist and conscientious objector. Adrian, his sister and mother were evacuated on the last ship out to South Africa where they spent the War. He was involved with Quakers from being a Young Friend to a Clerk to Meeting in Edinburgh and later an Elder and Overseer. The wide range of activities and pursuits at Leighton Park stayed with him all his teaching career. He strived, particularly as a Head, that each pupil should have the opportunity to realise their potential and achieve a well-rounded education. John Carruthers (R1958)

Andrew Clark (1960) At the School’s 1929 Speech Day, the headmaster, Edgar Castle, uttered these memorable words: ‘Leighton Park will fail in its office of a Public School if it does not become a centre from which radiates a spirit of helpfulness and true charity; if it does not send forth young men who have not only the willingness, but the ability to serve where service is needed.’ Andrew Clark, who was at LP as a pupil in the 1950s and a governor for many years, indeed lived a life which was full of service in the spirt of true charity. He died aged 77.

Thomas JK Clarke (R1959) died 7/7/2020 James’ lasting legacy to Leighton Park was his work on the 1959 film, “School in a Park” which James, Tony Searle, Peter Thorpe and I produced. Not only did he direct the film and write the script (as opposed to the commentary) but he composed and conducted the music. At school, when we called the masters “Sir” and (unless we knew each other very well) called each other by our surnames, he was known as “Clarke – E” to distinguish him from another Clark. He arrived in 1955 and quickly established himself as an aesthete and a character. He was an accomplished artist and created a wonderful mural on the wall of the fourth form classroom in the style of Stanley Spencer. At the invitation of music master Donald Pitcher, he composed a new tune for the hymn “Lead Kindly Light”: with his splendid sense of irony, James christened it “Basingstoke.” Dare I mention that, using Reckitt House headed notepaper, he came very close to signing a contract to purchase a helicopter from Westland? He studied music in Paris with the composer René Leibowitz and soon became involved in television, initially writing music for Anglia TV plays but also acting as a researcher for “About Anglia.” In 1967 he moved to the BBC as a producer on “Man Alive” and contributing to “Braden’s Week” and “That’s Life.”

In the 1970s he concentrated on feature film production founding Norfolk International Pictures. Some of his productions (including “Let’s Get Laid”) might have raised a few eyebrows even in the enlightened era of John Ounsted. He was executive producer of “The Thirty-Nine Steps”. His last film was as executive producer and co-writer of “Stalker” in 2010. In later years James concentrated on music composition via his company Norfolk Music Publishing, which he founded with like-minded colleagues in 2002, creating film music and offering support to other composers and musicians. But he continued to paint - including many portraits and selfportraits. His wife Marita predeceased him and he leaves daughter Camila and sons Athelstane and Gervase. Malcolm Brahams (G1959)

Prys Edwards (S1960) who died on 16th May 2020, was an architect who chaired the Wales Tourist Board between 1984 and 1992, and then Welsh TV channel S4C between 1992 and 1998. Living in Aberystwyth, he was also a member of the boards of Wales’ historic buildings service Cadw, the British Tourism Authority and the Wales Millennium Centre. But his involvement with Urdd Gobaith Cymru, an organisation which provides a range of activities to children and young people through the medium of Welsh, was a major focus throughout his life. It was founded by his father Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards in 1922. He had lived with Parkinson’s disease for several years.

Already as a pupil at School he was highly regarded as a young man with a strong wish to help others. He was the chief organiser of the ‘Boys’ Club’ which existed to bring together young people from the local, predominantly disadvantaged, area with their rather more privileged counterparts at LP. He was delighted to win a travel scholarship and used it to visit the Middle East, partly spending time working in a home for lepers in Jordan. In the 1960s he went as an aid worker to Biafra, and then to Bangladesh, setting up relief and rehabilitation structures with a Quaker group. A few years later he was with Oxfam, working in Vietnam and faminestricken Ethiopia. In his different roles over the years, he worked on a number of projects in Africa and in India. In 1982 he began a 17-year period as General Secretary of Quaker Peace and Service, after which he led the International Association for Religious Freedom. In 2006 he became Chairman of Anti-Slavery International. That list of major responsibilities only allows us to imagine the vast amount of work that Andrew did – and that work was always underpinned by the values for which he had attracted so much respect as a pupil at LP. Those of us who knew him as a governor will always remember his quiet, principled and thoughtful approach, serving on several committees. He worked tirelessly on everything he did. As a committed pacifist and Quaker, he said and did much to guide and support the school over those years. Our sincere condolences go to Ann Noel, to Colin and Zettie, and to his grandchildren.

Graham Carter (G1964) died 25/12/2021, aged 75. Only two weeks before his death, Graham visited the school for the last time for a special ‘end of term’ lunch with his close LP friends and colleagues. It was our opportunity to honour Graham, to celebrate his many achievements and to thank him for his extraordinary, dedicated service to the school. In a very moving short speech, Graham responded with some heartfelt words about what the school meant to him and explained how its Quaker values and Meetings for Worship had affected him throughout his life. Peter Wilmers (S1967) died aged 72 Peter was a pioneer of community greening whose work helped transform the Lancashire valley of Rossendale and inspired a national movement. A creative worker for the environment, he had a rare combination of strategic vision and an ability to get things done. He read social science at Leicester University and postgraduate planning at Nottingham University. Talented and multifaceted, Peter sparkled. His legacy continues in the landscape and the people changed and inspired by his work. In 1983, Peter moved as a planner from Norfolk to Lancashire to lead Rossendale Groundwork, a not-for-profit environmental charity based on local partnerships, supported by the Countryside Commission. Peter, with energy and political skill, established the Rossendale organisation as a model of what Groundwork could achieve. Work focused on “New Landscapes” and “New Lives”. For 10 years, Groundwork was the third largest employer in the valley. Training schemes exceeded expectations; local footpaths and walls were restored; a derelict building became

Graham was the quintessential English gentleman, and described his life journey on more than one occasion as ‘the ups and downs of an English way of life’. Life did not always go smoothly for him, yet he enjoyed loving, supportive relationships with his parents, his sister Carol and his sons Edward and Tom, and he had many lasting friendships. He was a chartered accountant, and a measure of the esteem in which he was held was the number of clients who refused to accept he was retired and continued to ask him to do their annual returns! His zealous enthusiasm for cricket, walking and other leisure interests was legendary.

I am grateful to say that one of the above-mentioned friendships was with me, certainly in the last eight years of his life. We worked together in the school’s Archives, and I enjoyed his company immensely. He drew on decades of involvement with the school in so many ways – as a pupil, as an OL who held the posts of Chairman and Secretary of the OL Association for 25 years, as the organiser of the memorable House of Commons centenary dinner, as the founder member and President of the ‘home of jovial cricket’, the Old Leightonians Cricket Club – and regularly treated me to anecdotes, personal glimpses and often entertaining information about people he had met on the way. He was happy to do any archiving task asked of him, and did so with aplomb and cheerful tenacity. As good friends do, we also had many personal conversations and discovered that we had a lot in common – though I do not claim to have a phenomenal memory like Graham’s, or his deeply passionate and protective interest in tradition, or indeed many other unique skills. My friends and colleagues in the Alumni department, Penny Wallington and Geri Baker, and others too, will greatly miss our loyal, sociable and genial companion. We will cherish the memories of the fun and friendship that we shared with the one and only Graham Carter. John Allinson

a visitor centre; and 22,000 trees a year were planted. Perceptions changed with community involvement. Peter played a major role in getting ministers to support a national rollout of Groundwork. He led Groundwork’s expansion into east Lancashire and Bury in the 1990s. By 2003 Peter was managing four Groundwork organisations. He set up the UK’s first business environmental audit programme, enabling small businesses to reduce their environmental impact and costs. This led to work in Hungary and Poland and presentations across Europe, in Beijing and New York. Moving to the North West Development Agency, in 2005, he championed “green infrastructure”, proposing investment in functional green space to sit alongside other infrastructure programmes. He helped Natural England reveal and celebrate the economic benefits of nature. Peter retired in 2010. For 15 years he was a governor of Cribden House school, Rawtenstall. He actively participated on the board of Rossendale Leisure Trust and the Whitaker Museum.

We married in 1991; he is also survived by Tom (his son from a previous marriage), his grandchildren and June. Tragically his son Harry predeceased him. Sue Moores

Kojo Bentsi-Enchill (G1968) died in Accra on 13/2/2021, aged 71.

François P P Wong (G1986) died 21/02/20 (G1968)

Kojo was the only pupil of colour to start life at LP in Frensham in September 1963. By the time he arrived, he had spent a fair part of his life in the United States in the early 1960s where issues of race, colour and segregation were still much contested. His father, a lawyer and judge was Professor of Law at an American University who had effectively been exiled from Ghana. Kojo had also experienced to his great personal loss, some of the difficulties being encountered by newly independent States in post-Colonial Africa. Kojo was an outstanding pupil and an outstanding person. He excelled academically and in sports he played for the 1st XV Rugger team, was good at tennis and basketball, and pastimes such as chess. Kojo had a happiness, cheerfulness and serenity about him which endeared him to all who met him. It was no surprise when Kojo was made Head of House, and Senior Prefect. And, given how articulate Kojo was, it was no surprise that he won the JBH Speech Competition. I well remember a young Kojo, possibly still only in the Fourth Form, making an impassioned contribution to “Meeting for Worship”, in which he effectively argued against “Positive Discrimination”. Kojo made it clear that he did not want to be judged on the colour of his skin, nor did he wish society to make any concessions for the colour of his skin, but he wanted to be judged for who he was and on his own achievements. Kojo was a natural leader, and at a time when there were still precious few people

François had an infectiously mischievous sense of humour. A hilarious and delightful guy who was the life and soul of pretty much anything he did with friends. He was the unique result of Leighton Park, blended with a hint of Paris. He was talented both on and off the field, but will be most remembered for his friendship. For those who knew him, François was a dear friend. of colour in leadership roles anywhere in Britain, for us boys we took as part of our experience of LP, a straightforward acceptance that anyone, irrespective of their skin colour could lead us and excel. Kojo was offered a scholarship by the University of Cambridge, which he declined, saying that as a young Ghanaian, now that he was over 18 and therefore an adult, he saw it that he had a duty to return to Ghana to study law there and to help build the Ghana of tomorrow. He read Law at the University of Accra. However, Cambridge persisted, and Kojo did spend a single year at Magdalene College Cambridge, taking an MA in Law. In due course Kojo set up his own Law practice which was to become one of, if not the leading commercial Law firm in Accra. In so doing, Kojo made a considerable contribution to civil society in Ghana and helped the country become one of the most stable democracies and prosperous countries in Africa. Rt. Hon. Sir Tony Baldry, DL (R1968)

Julian Davis (F 1969) died 11/6/2019

In 2017, a number of us arranged a get together for our year. Guess who turned up, all the way from Hong Kong just for the event. It was a surprise as, in keeping with his habit, he kept it a secret from almost everyone – typical. We will remember his animated humour and laughter, but most of all the friendship. Goodbye old friend. Simon Essery

Saurya “Muggy” Rana (F1974). Philip Ambrose writes: My best buddy from 1964 when we were both at Hill Place School, Stow on the Wold, then at Leighton Park and Coventry University. He returned to Nepal to run various businesses including the Tata Motors franchise in Nepal, as well as heading up the India-Nepal Chamber of Commerce.

While at Leighton Park Julian showed his talent for running and art. He created a 3m-high mural which was displayed at the entrance to Field House. He went on to study graphic design at Hornsea College of Art.

He died on 28th February in hospital in Kathmandu from (non-Covid) complications following what had been a successful heart operation. R.I.P.

Aged 23 Julian emigrated to Canada settling in Vancouver. He worked in a variety of positions in different advertising agencies, becoming a talented, respected and much valued and well-liked production director. He retired in 2016 which allowed him more time for his passion for golf. Julian was a kind and gentle man who lived a rich and full life. He had a love of music and cold beer. But his real love of his life was his family. He leaves behind his wife Sheila and their three children Ryan (25), Matthew (23) and Sarah (21).

After LP, François studied at SOAS in London, where he learnt to speak Mandarin, then went on to a career with a top law firm in Hong Kong. He is survived by twin sons and a daughter.

He is sorely missed by his sister, Naomi and brother Mark Davis (F 1976). In spite of a very talented medical team, Julian died as a result of a complication from treatment for bone marrow cancer.

PAVILION RENEWED

re-built in oak including re-instating the long lost stairway to the east side.

Pavilion revival

December Visit OL Graham Carter (G1965) and former Head John Chapman were able to visit to the newly finished pavilion in December. Graham who jointly founded the Old Leightonians Cricket Club, with Martin Wigram, has been a bastion of the OLCC and is the President of the Club. He was thrilled to hear that the room downstairs will be named in his honour, to recognize his dedication, both to the School and to the cricketing community.

Undoubtedly one of the most iconic and treasured vistas across the whole of the Leighton Park grounds is the view across the main cricket square to the 1934 cricket pavilion, an important, much treasured and beautiful building sat cradled in a magnificent woodland backdrop. Although the pavilion retained much of its building heritage, the passage of time had significantly reduced its usability and décor. Although it was serviceable, the building was showing its age and needed to be brought up to modern standards to secure its longevity for future generations of cricketers and the wider Leighton Park community. Following consultation with the Old Leightonian Cricket Club, a joint project was launched to deliver a high-quality pavilion that preserved the unique fabric and history of the building. The project was supported by generous donations from the Old Leightonian community whose contribution is gratefully acknowledged. The project was overseen by the Leighton Park in-house projects team who were supported by local specialist contractors and Tony Cowling (former governor). Externally the facades of the pavilion have been fully refurbished with complete overhaul of the metal casement windows and entrance doors. The much-loved balcony has been

Work inside the pavilion has been every bit as extensive as the on the outside. There has been complete redecoration of walls and ceilings, full re-wiring and data provision plus a new heating system. A new kitchen with roller shutter is a welcome enhancement together with an accessible downstairs toilet. Upstairs the two changing rooms have been fully redecorated with as much of the 1930s styling retained as possible. Modern electric showers with privacy for changing are now in place. Current and future students will benefit enormously from this exciting project, as well as the Old Leightonian Cricket Club – enjoying a comfortable, fit for purpose pavilion that showcases Leighton Park to visitors. The refurbished pavilion is also an excellent venue for local community, children’s parties and other lettings. We are looking forward to inviting students, guests, friends, visiting teams and prospective students to share in the use of this fine building. Information about the formal opening of the pavilion will be shared with the OL community as soon as details are available. Keith Eldridge Bursar

Thank you The Pavilion Refurbishment project would not have been able to go ahead without the generous financial support and enthusiasm of a number of Old Leightonians and the OLCC.

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