Letters from the President & Chairman

(OI 1989 - 98)

When I had the honour of becoming OI President at the end of 2019, few could have imagined how life would change so dramatically in a matter of weeks. But as this journal shows, Old Ipswichians and present day pupils alike can take huge pride in the contributions they made to the national effort in the most extraordinary times.

As OI doctors and nurses risked their lives to save others, the school’s Design and Technology Department helped transform 2,200 projector slides and acetate into PPE visors for local care homes, community nurses, GPs, hospitals, dentists, pharmacies, community support groups, ambulance services and bus drivers.

The OI calendar of events was initially put on hold, but gradually the world of Zoom opened up new ways of connecting old friends, formally and informally, with the 2020 online musical President’s Event and the Burns Night Supper being particular highlights.

More recently with the restrictions lifted, we have been able to resume some traditional in-person events, including the Autumn Lunch for those who left over 50 years ago and a wonderful reunion of more than 65 former teachers.

I attended the school between 1989 and 1998 before going on to become a Choral Scholar in the Choir of King’s College Cambridge and subsequently Speechwriter to four Prime Ministers in Downing Street. In no small part, I owe my preparation for both of those extraordinary opportunities to my time at the school.

I attended the school between 1989 and 1998 before going on to become a Choral Scholar in the Choir of King’s College Cambridge and subsequently Speechwriter to four Prime Ministers in Downing Street. In no small part, I owe my preparation for both of those extraordinary opportunities to my time at the school.

The former was a product of my years in the music department, inspired by generations of brilliant teachers and fellow pupils alike. So it was wonderful to be able to reunite OI musicians from across 70 years along with president day pupils for my President’s Event as part of the 2021 Festival of Music. I am immensely indebted to the fantastic Bev Steensma and Francis Goodhand for all they did to make such a special evening possible and to the generosity of those who are creating a legacy from the evening by donating to a prize for aspiring musicians at the school.

My training for life as a writer began in earnest in the classroom of the late Steve Tidball, largely owing to my total ineptitude at his infamous “Essay or Glory” competition. For anyone unfamiliar with the rules: you have to throw a screwed up piece of paper into a bin or get an extra essay! With “Hard Work Comes First” plastered around the walls of his classroom, long before such motivation became fashionable in elite sports teams, Steve was a huge inspiration to so many of his students over the years. So it is particularly fitting to be working with several of them to establish an essay prize in his memory. As we look ahead to 2022, I hope to be able to host OIs for the London Dinner in the House of Lords, which was sadly postponed when Parliament temporarily closed to external events because of rising Covid cases. So please look out for a new date in the Spring, when we will be entertained by the Hollywood stories of OI film critic James King.

Finally, I want to thank the OI committee and everyone who has supported the club and the school throughout these challenging two years. I’m particularly grateful for the help of Chairman Iain Chesterman, and the long-standing commitment of William Coe and Sally Webber who have gone above and beyond in the service of this club for many years..

– Tim Kiddell OI Club President 2020

(OI 1973 - 84)

Well, what a year it has been! Unprecedented is the word most often used and I am loath to use it again, but it is the most appropriate for 2020 / 2021. I took on the Chairmanship of the OI Committee in January 2020 and I could not have predicted the rollercoaster ride of the last 18 months. But I like to think that none of us could.

However, very quickly we adapted: all of our events were cancelled, so no more summer lunches, reunions and dinners. Instead we turned our attention to the members of this great and thriving community to highlight what our past pupils of the School were doing in the face of adversity and how they have been called upon in the fight against Covid.

You have responded with huge support and goodwill. We had OIs across the generations, within various professions, get in touch and share how the pandemic had hit them close to home. Some in medicine, some in transport and logistics, some in the services and the hard-hit entertainment industry.

We celebrated the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, VJ Day and we remembered those OIs who have served courageously in wars around the world. We heard from those who still serve today and how their response to the pandemic had shaped the first few months of 2020.

We heard from OIs across the globe, business start-ups, adventures in foreign lands, stolen school library books and took a dive into the archive with throwback photos from 100 years ago.

Events are great: they are a chance for us to all get together and remember time spent at this great School. We are glad to be now organising some fantastic events again and hope to see as many of you at these in the future, be that in-person or virtually via Teams, webex etc.

Please stay in touch, remember that we send the e-news once a month, have Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin pages, and keep looking at the website which is constantly being updated.

Please tell us your stories since leaving school or just let us know when you have something going on. Get in touch to reconnect with lost classmates and join us at an event if you can!

With very best wishes,

– Iain Chesterman OI Club Chairman 2020

Joining Ipswich School in 2004, at just 3 years old, it is safe to say the school has been instrumental in shaping me into the person I am today. It comes as a surprise to many that until Upper Prep I was a very shy child who never spoke up in class, living in fear of getting

Caitlin left Ipswich School in 2016 and went on to study Psychology at Loughborough University. She graduated in 2020 and started working as an Events Manager for a venue in Suffolk where she plans and runs weddings and other occasional events.

In a couple of years' time Caitlin would like to return to University to gain further qualifications in Psychology and pursue a career in the field. In her spare time she enjoys playing netball, spending time with family and friends, and decorating her new house. an answer wrong or being told off by a teacher- clearly I have been making up for that quietness ever since!

It is a testament to the school that I never had the urge to move, even though my parents gave me the option, because I just knew it was the place in which I thrived and was my happiest.

Undoubtedly, some of my fondest memories and lifelong friends have been made in the 15 years I was there, but, for me, the pinnacle of my school career was being appointed Head Girl in 2019. It was the perfect opportunity to represent the school which had given me so much, and hopefully to give something back in return. Bridging the gap between the senior school and the prep was a particular role highlight, as it was something I had wanted to action for many years, having moved my way up through the school myself.

Since leaving Ipswich School, I have embarked on an undergraduate degree at Durham University, studying Combined Honours in Social Sciences (Politics, IR, Theology and Criminology), which is basically everything I am interested in rolled into one degree programme!

My aspirations after my degree are to hopefully set up my own business, as this is something I have always wanted to do. In spite of knowing the entrepreneurial path is not a smooth one, I believe it can be done with the right attitude, a good business proposition or idea and being realistic and strategic throughout. However, I am interested in many things so who knows what the future will hold. What I do know however is that the school gave me the self confidence and courage to aspire far higher than I ever could’ve dreamt of, so for that, thank you Ipswich School, I owe you an awful lot!

When we first moved to Suffolk in 2007 my mum would drive past Ipswich School saying she could picture me going there. My parents then decided to put me forward for the entrance exams as a bit of motivation to show me where I could go if I worked hard. To their and my shock I had actually got in.

With hindsight the decision we took back then ended up being one of, if not the best decision of our lives. I joined Miss Hutton’s year 7 form group before moving up into School House in year 9. After three years at the senior school I made the very easy decision of staying on for sixth form where I really started to flourish.

Playing with the second team hockey, first team cricket with my spin bowling that held the secret of never spinning, to then becoming Senior Prefect for School House in my final year. Some of my life’s fondest memories have been made at the school and its now a great privilege to see another side of the school through sitting on the OI committee.

Since leaving the school I’ve followed my passion of Real Estate undertaking a degree at Oxford Brookes University in Real Estate and Management. I’ve just finished the second year of what has been a very unusual time to have gone to university. The pandemic has put a hold on some of the key events however I’m a firm believer in what you put in is what you get out and although it’s been challenging I’ve made the best out of a bad situation.

In the future I hope to be an agent in the super prime London residential market, country homes department or managing estates abroad in a country like Italy. My dream would be to retire at 45, live on an estate in Tuscany where I could manage a vineyard and farm as well as pursuing my other passion for fine arts.

During my time on the OI committee I’m hoping to give back as much as I can, creating new events and being a useful contributor to the club as well as supporting the school and current students who are on a similar pathway as I was.

Cameron attended the senior school from 2009-2016, taking on the role of head boy in his final year. After finishing A-levels, he pursued a degree in economics at Durham University, graduating in 2019.

He joined the Bank of England after completing his degree and now works as a portfolio manager in the Bank's Foreign Exchange Division. Keen on hockey and fives at school, he continues to play both in his spare time.