Old Boltonians’ Association 1895 - 2022
OLD BOYS’ NEWS
If you would like to get in touch with any of the Old Boys featured – or any other Old Boltonian – please contact the Development Office.
Class of 1950-1959
Norman Longworth (1947-1953) After a life of travel (working in more than 40 countries), Norman retired three years ago at the age of 82 and now entertains himself, if not many others, in writing poetry, prose and music. Most recent are Tales to Tickle The Intellect (inexpensive on Amazon), Poems to Help You Think, Smile and Learn (likewise), his autobiography The Boy from the Back Streets of Bolton (reviewed in the previous edition of The Bugle) and a French version of the Tales of the Conflent called Le Conflent Sublime (more expensive). Norman stays in good health by walking the dog and running – away from Covid-19! He believes that none of this would be possible if he had not attended Bolton School so many years ago.
Douglas Slack (1952-1957) After a lifetime’s interest in cars of all shapes and sizes, Doug decided to buy a sports car while Doug and his he was still able grandson share to enjoy the a love of cars pleasures of openair motoring. Not wishing to spend the rest of his spare time in repairs or tuning etc, he was widely advised to buy a Mazda MX5; these cars are not expensive and are extremely reliable. The next step was to join the MX5 Club which has several thousand members and has active regions throughout the UK. Doug and his wife, Judith, decided to join the North West section and have enjoyed the benefit of this for some time. The club members organise Sunday and mid-week runs on a regular basis and these usually cover about 100 miles. Often there will be up to 20 cars taking part. Doug and Judith have personally organised several of these events, mainly in the Ribble, Lune and Hodder valley regions. There are also member-organised weekends and holidays of 5-6 days in England,
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Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The Slacks’ own next trip, however, is in the Cheshire/Derbyshire area in mid-May. If any Old Boltonians are interested in the MX5 experience, or would like to discuss ownership, Doug would be happy to arrange a test run in his car; he may be contacted via the Development Office.
Class of 1960-1969
Roger Dobson (1957-1966) Roger fought two Cumbria County Council by-elections in 2021, winning the second with a 71% share of the vote (increasing Liberal Democrat vote seven times). He will be standing for the new Cumberland Unitary Authority in May this year. So, three elections in 12 months! A key factor in Roger’s success has been being visible by cycling everywhere in his large rural constituency. The 1966 School mock election was excellent preparation – although he wishes there had been electric bikes in those days! Stuart Watterton (1959-1966) Stuart lacked the confidence to take advantage of all Bolton School offered. His major gripe was being refused a place at the Easter cricket school at Lilleshall; he was apparently not good enough to go, although he never knew why Ronnie Booth had formed that opinion and it has rankled ever since! On leaving School with (by his own admission) a less than stellar academic record, Stuart entered articles of clerkship with a firm of chartered accountants in Wigan. When his family moved back down south he transferred to a London firm of chartered accountants, where – much to his amazement and his parents joy – he passed his accountancy exams and qualified at 21. At this point he realised that he had eventually learnt what hard work was, was a late developer and was fulfilling his Bolton School potential. After two years working in the City,
Stuart decided that a career as a chartered accountant was not for him and he joined British American Tobacco, with whom he spent 30 fantastic years, 22 of which were overseas with postings to Central America, the Caribbean, Finland (twice), Nigeria (twice), New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia. He spent the early 1990s seeking acquisitions in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, after which he ran the company’s interests in Australasia and then Malaysia and retired, happily exhausted, in 2002. Stuart and his wife settled back in the UK in the deep countryside near Henley on Thames. They continue to travel extensively, all the time maintaining close links with their two children and grandson. Stuart often thinks of his time at Bolton and although, sadly, he has no links with any former pupils, he is immensely proud of the School and how it has progressed and prospered. He notes that the Direct Grant scheme meant his classmates came from all sorts of backgounds – and that was of as much educational value as the formal teaching. Stephen Gorski (Class of 1969) Congratulations to Steve and Jenny (née Smith, Class of 1968) who celebrated their golden wedding Three generations anniversary on of the Gorski family 29th December celebrate 2021. The pair met at School in 1967 and so it seemed fitting to invite family and friends to spend the weekend between Christmas and New Year at Patterdale Hall, the School’s outdoor pursuits centre, where a fabulous time was had by all. Over 30 guests, aged from two years to nearly 80 years old, including three generations of Old Boltonians, travelled from all corners of the country to mark the occasion. Old Boys and Old
