OMNIA Spring/Summer 2020

Inspired in Jaipur Head Boy to the Bodhi Tree Tackling Mountains Positive Social Influencers Rugby World Cup – Behind the Scenes

From Caterham to MI6 Wartime contribution honoured

The magazine for The Caterham School Society Issue 07. 2020

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OMNIA

Issue 07 Spring/Summer 2020

FROM THE EDITOR ANNIE HEBDEN One of our eldest Old Caterhamians honoured for his invaluable contribution to WW2 to some of our youngest OCs blazing a trail to a brighter future in advertising: these are just a couple of the inspiring interviews with former pupils in this issue of Omnia.

The Caterham School Society platform continues to grow and with the launch of the new app this year, it is even easier to stay connected and network with the Caterham School community.

Thank you to all those who have taken part in interviews and shared their news, stories and photographs to create this edition of Omnia. If you would like to contribute to a future edition, please do contact me.

With best wishes Annie Hebden annie.hebden@ caterhamschool.co.uk 01883 335091

CONTRIBUTORS Matt Bird (OC 2007 – 2015) Anna Biset (née Richards) (OC 2005 – 2007) Jessica Calcutt (OC 2015 – 2017) Hannah Carey (née Whiteford) (OC 1995 – 2002) Henry Chappell (OC 2012 – 2017) Rosie Craine (née May) (OC 2000 – 2007) Emma-Louise Cross Vetriano (OC 2002 – 2006) Ashvajit Dharmachari (OC 1952 – 1960) Matthew Fenton (OC 2003 – 2010) Michael Gibbins (OC 2001 – 2015) Michael Godwin (Staff 1972 – 1996) James Gooden (OC 1996 – 2007) Emma Gooden (née Fuller) (OC 2002 – 2007) Charlotte Hammond (née Stimmler) (OC 1997 – 2004) Mia Hebden (OC 2014 – 2019) Josh Higginson (OC 2003 – 2010) Lucy Higginson (née May) (OC 1998 – 2005) Marcus Hodgkinson (OC 2009 – 2016) John Holroyd-Doveton (OC 1945 – 1952) Tara Hughes (née Masilamani) (OC 2000 – 2007) Samantha Jones (née Moore) (OC 2002 – 2010) Russell Kesley (OC 1986 – 1988) Gerald Killingworth (Staff 1991 – 2012)

Kendra Leaver-Rylar (OC 2002 – 2007) Shaocheng Ma (OC 2008 – 2010) Lara Maiklem (OC 1987 – 1989) Gor Melkonyan (OC 2009 – 2015) Matt Mill (OC 2006 – 2009) Alex Moore (OC 2001 – 2008) Rory Moore (OC 2004 – 2019) Will Moy (OC 1991 – 2001) Geoff Noxon (OC 1955 – 1962) Harrison Osterfield (OC 2008 – 2012) Will Owen (OC 2006 – 2014) Riha Patel (OC 2002 – 2017) Charlotte Pearson (OC 2010 – 2017) Geoffrey Pidgeon (OC 1936 – 1940) John Ray (OC 1940 – 1946) Karin Schulte (OE 1974 – 1987) Cat Simpson (OC 2000 – 2002) Nick Simpson (OC 1997 – 2004) Rowena Spurgeon (OC 2008 – 2010) Martin Stevens (OC 1945 – 1954) Ewan Turney (OC 1993 – 1998) Zach Wallace (OC 2003 – 2009) Pippa Waterman (OC 1999 – 2014) Charles Waud (OC 1998 – 2005) Myles Waud (OC 2000 – 2007)

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Caterham School Society Join our online networking platform today Caterham School Society offers the whole Caterham School community a professional and social network.

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Connect with the huge community of Old Cats, parents and friends of the school Stay updated with news and events Benefit from this invaluable professional resource to find mentoring, work experience and career opportunities

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The Caterham School Society

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CONTENTS

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35 03 05

Welcome From the Headmaster, Ceri Jones, President of the OCA, Clive Furness, President of the CSS, Rob Davey and Chair of the PA, Sam Kensey.

Forthcoming Events Exciting forthcoming events for the whole Caterham School community.

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From Caterham to MI6

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Inspired in Jaipur

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Recent Events

OC Geoffrey Pidgeon has wartime contribution honoured.

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Head Boy to the Bodhi Tree

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Tackling Mountains

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Old Cat News

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Positive Social Influencers

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Partnerships Update

OE Karin Schulte finds great inspiration in the lives of the children of Jaipur.

A showcase of the variety of events, reunions and sports fixtures for all Caterhamians.

Designed and produced by Haime & Butler haime-butler.com

OC Ashvajit Dharmachari’s journey to enlightenment.

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OC Russell Kelsey overcomes health scare to ride the world for charity.

News from Old Caterhamians including book launches, sporting achievements, reunions, weddings and births.

Young OCs blazing a trail to a brighter future in advertising harnessing the good of social media.

Inspiring Education through United Access.

In the Archives OCs’ photos and anecdotes.

Rugby World Cup – Behind the Scenes OC Ewan Turney turns his Caterham passion into a career.

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Why Study...

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Obituaries

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Support Us

Read about a variety of university courses from OCs who are currently studying.

Giving thanks for the lives of members of Caterhamians.

Help us open our doors.

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OMNIA

Issue 07 Spring/Summer 2020

WELCOME...

FROM THE OCA PRESIDENT

WELCOME FROM THE HEADMASTER

I

t is with an enormous sense of pride in our community that we bring you this latest edition of Omnia. As with previous issues, the spotlight is cast on the difference that people within the Caterham School community are making on the world around us.

In the last few months alone Caterhamians across the generations have shown that they are making their mark locally, nationally and internationally students are fully engaged in the School’s extensive partnerships programme; OC Will Moy was extensively called upon by the media for full facts throughout the general election campaign; 2010 leaver Jansen Zhao returned to school to give the MJS Christmas Science lecture on his work harnessing Quantum Information which is helping shape the future of global computing and our cover star OC Geoffrey Pidgeon was welcomed to No.10 Downing Street having been awarded the Légion d’Honneur for his work at Bletchley Park in WWII, which included laying the wireless networks to enable D-Day communications.

One of the community’s achievements, which I am most proud of is that we welcomed two new pupils to the school as a result of the Inspiring Education bursary campaign, which we launched last year. Thank you for all the support you have given, and continue to give, to the Inspiring Education campaign. The enabling of education transforms lives – and not just of those immediate recipients but of all of us.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Omnia.

Ceri Jones Headmaster

In almost two years as your OCA President, one thing that has struck me is the almost continuous flow of good news and brave endeavours undertaken by Old Caterhamians of every generation and across so many spheres of influence. Whether in business, politics, sport or the creative arts, there is so much achieved by our community. This edition of Omnia is a product of this broad collection of good work and makes for inspiring reading.

Despite spanning so many different disciplines, what binds all of our community’s stories together is a determination to achieve the best and make a positive change. We have seen that from our elder Old Caterhamians (not least from this edition’s cover star, and all of his generation) and also from our youngest Caterhamians whose determination to make a positive change has shone through in all the entries to the OCA Innovation Award, which saw its first winners ‘Planet Eco’ in 2019.

A further common theme is the willingness to share experience and expertise in support of each other. Our regular Insight Evenings are proof of this support in action and if you haven’t already taken part in one, I encourage you to do so. Recent events have covered entrepreneurship, law and the media and lessons in resilience exampled by leading sports men and women – each event built around life lessons shared with each other.

I am very proud that these events have been shortlisted for the Times Educational Supplement ‘Best Alumni Engagement’ award.

Thank you to all of you who have supported and taken part in these events.

Clive Furness OCA President

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FROM THE CATERHAM SCHOOL SOCIETY The Society Programme has really flourished over recent months with a wide range of successful events including a visit to a Race Day at Brands Hatch, an Insight for “Entrepreneurs” in the Wells Fargo Headquarters, a second sold out Theatre Trip to the West End, a celebration Dinner at the School for Head Boys and Girls of the last 40 years and a packed out Humphreys Hall to hear broadcaster John Humphrys’ give our Bonarjee Lecture about his life and answering questions!

It has been most heartening to see all of the different elements of the Society represented at our events.

Our future programme includes a sailing day on the Isle of Wight and a meeting for USA CSS members in New York in the spring.

Do check out the new look, easy to use platform to benefit from the professional and social network that the CSS offers.

Don’t forget to download the new CSS App – it has never been easier to stay connected.

Rob Davey President, Caterham School Society

The Caterham School Society

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FROM THE PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION One of the great things about our Parents’ Association, is the way our parents support our events throughout the year and enable us to ‘keep the fun in fundraising’ for our chosen charities.

It is vitally important for us that we offer a variety of events that bring us together and it has been truly inspiring this year to see how you all respond to our fundraising efforts. We welcomed our new and existing parents to meet the PA at our Welcome Evening in September and the Wonders of Christmas evening in December, these were open invitation events to all members of the Caterham School Community to say ‘thank you’ for your support.

We hosted a truly memorable dining experience in our very own ‘Fawlty Towers’ aka Wilberforce Hall, as Basil, Sybil and Manuel entertained us whilst we enjoyed a themed three course meal created by Padraig Ahern and his catering team. At the Fireworks this year the weather was slightly kinder to our volunteers as the rain stopped in time for the fireworks countdown! So we weren’t quite as sodden by the end of the evening as last year.

The Prep School Christmas Fair 2019 was hosted for the second year running within the Senior School, as we welcomed generations of the Caterham School Community through our doors to enjoy a festive fun filled extravaganza. This rolled almost seamlessly (with only hours between the two events) into the Christmas Dinner Dance, where parents from across the school community gathered to kick off our Christmas Celebrations for 2019. In addition to this, the number of members in the 200 Club increased again this year, we smashed all previous records with our Bag2School collections and we continued to sell mulled wine at every opportunity including at the OCA Day rugby and lacrosse matches on Home Field.

It is through these events and with your support that our charities The Alexandra Sales Trust, Jigsaw South East, The 1811 Circle and of course the School all benefit from the monies that we raise – thank you we couldn’t do any of this without you.

We are looking forward to the coming year with more exciting opportunities to draw our community together and continue to have fun!

Sam Kensey Chair, Parents’ Association

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OMNIA

Issue 07 Spring/Summer 2020

Forthcoming events Spring/Summer 2020 BOOK NOW There are more events in the pipeline. Please visit the social media pages and websites below to stay up to date with CSS, OCA and PA events.

Sign up to the caterhamschoolsociety.co.uk and you will automatically receive invitations to events.

Tuesday 3 March

Friday 6 March

CSS Lecture: Checkpoint Charlie

OCA AGM & Annual Dinner

Caterham School

Following the overwhelmingly positive feedback from last year’s dinner, the OCA is delighted to confirm that the 2020 annual dinner will be held once again at the majestic Drapers’ Hall located in the heart of the City of London. Built in the 1530s, Drapers’ Hall is steeped in history and its magnificent interiors will be recognisable from films such as The King’s Speech and Goldeneye.

All Old Caterhamians are invited to join us for another fabulous evening of fine dining and catching up with friends in a stunning location.

For more information and to book tickets, please contact oldcats@caterhamschool.co.uk

30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall we welcome author Iain MacGregor whose second novel Checkpoint Charlie has received high acclaim.

For further information, please contact events@caterhamschool.co.uk We hope to see you very soon!

CSS link caterhamschoolsociety.co.uk

OCA links oldcaterhamians.com

Drapers’ Hall, London EC2

 Old Caterhamians Association  Old Caterhamians Association  @oldcaterhamians

@oldcaterhamians

PA link caterhamschool.co.uk/about/ parents-association

OCA Dinner 2019, Drapers’ Hall, London

Saturday 7 March

PA Quiz Night Caterham School A fun-filled and enlightening evening.

All welcome – why don’t you get a table together of Old Cats, staff and parents alike and pit your wits against Caterham’s finest.

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The Caterham School Society

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Friday 13 March

Tuesday 14 April

Saturday 27 June

CSS Woodland Dog Walk

OC Golfing Society Spring Meeting

CSS Sailing Day

Rye Golf Club

Join us for a wonderful day of sailing on the Solent, begin with learning the ropes and race training and culminating in three races. Suitable for both novice and experienced sailors.

Caterham School Guided walk around Old Park Woods for all members of the Caterham School community – you don’t need to bring a dog! If you are interested in joining please contact events@caterhamschool.co.uk

Sunday 15 March

OCA Spring Sports Afternoon Caterham School The Old Caterhamians’ and school sports teams go head to head in football, basketball, netball & hockey.

All welcome – come along and cheer on the teams!

Open to all golfers who are 18 handicap or lower, if you would like to join in with the fun and to find out future meeting dates, please visit oldcaterhamiansgolfingsociety.com

Port Hamble Marina, The Solent

Friday 1 May

Over 60s Living History Lunch Caterham School A chance for lunch in the Wilberforce Hall, tours of the School and afternoon tea with current Caterham pupils to share experiences of being a pupil at Caterham School and help bring history to life.

Saturday 27 June

Old Cats Pub Drinks

Tuesday 17 March

The Harrow, Caterham

CSS Insight Evening: Climate and Change

All Old Caterhamians are invited to the join the OCA Committee for drinks in the Harrow – if you are coming down early for OCA Sports Afternoon and the Reunion Lunch on Sunday, please do join us.

Royal Academy of Engineering, London SW1 An evening focussing on how environmental, social and governance could be impacted in this current climate of change.

Sunday 28 June

CSS Theatre Trip: The Watsons

OCA Summer Sports Afternoon OCA Reunion Lunch

Harold Pinter Theatre, London SW1

Caterham School

Critically acclaimed audacious rewrite of Austen’s unfinished The Watsons, by Laura Wade, who was winner of last year’s Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.

A fun-filled day for all Caterhamians and their families with a special reunion lunch for Old Caterhamians and the traditional annual Old Caterhamians versus the School Cricket Match on Home Field – we hope you can make it!

Thursday 14 May

Thursday 26 March

Sunday 17 May

St James’s Concert

PA Happy’s Circus

Piccadilly, London W1

Caterham School

Enjoy a musical evening from the School’s current musicians in the beautiful setting of Christopher Wren’s St James’s Church.

Happy’s Circus is coming to Caterham School – an all-human interactive traditional circus – fun for all the family.

Saturday 4 July

Speech Day Summer Ball Caterham School All parents, friends and alumni are welcome to join us for our annual speech day and drinks on the lawn that follow the traditional service.

Then to celebrate the end of the school year at the renowned Summer Ball.

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OMNIA

Issue 07 Spring/Summer 2020

Omnia talks to M16 veteran Geoffrey Pidgeon, 93, who can still recall the finest detail of his time at Caterham some eight decades later.

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The Caterham School Society

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YOUNGEST MEMBER OF MI6 WARTIME CONTRIBUTION HONOURED

O Geoffrey with his award and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and French Ambassador Catherine Colonna

n 28 October 2019, Geoffrey Pidgeon (OC 1936-1940) received France’s highest civil and military honour for his work with MI6 during the Second World War in setting up wireless communications for the D-Day landings.

The French Government has been awarding the Légion d’Honneur for the last five years as a way of honouring those who risked their lives to liberate France during the Second World War. The medal was presented to Geoffrey

by French Ambassador Catherine Colonna at Lancaster House, the location where the UK and France signed the Lancaster Agreement in November 2010. This comprises two treaties: defence and security, and nuclear cooperation.

Geoffrey’s time in MI6 included covert missions across the Channel and working in Winston Churchill’s ‘most secret airfield’ in Tempsford, Bedfordshire. He was part of MI6’s Section VIII, and has since written a book about his unit’s work, The Secret Wireless War. Following this honour, Geoffrey and his family were invited to a tour of Downing Street. 2019 has been quite the year for him, yet he found time to return to school and reminisce for Omnia… 

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OMNIA

Issue 07 Spring/Summer 2020

Above: The Mikado programme cover, 1937 Right: Whaddon Hall, headquarters of MI6 Section VIII

You attended Caterham School from 1936 to 1940, what brought you to Caterham School?

I won a Surrey County scholarship in May 1936. My first moments however were a little scary. I was only ten years old and was interviewed by three large men sitting across a table in the Headmaster’s office. They were all dressed in black and I had never seen masters in gowns before. Left to right were Mr Soderberg, Headmaster of the new Prep School, Dr Hall, the Headmaster and Dr Stafford the Deputy Head.

What are your favourite memories of your time at Caterham School?

Taken overall, I have very happy memories of my time at Caterham.

House Cricket matches on Wednesday afternoons in the summer, followed by a swim in the original swimming baths which were alongside the science block (now Eothen building).

All you had to do was to find fifteen others and a prefect to take responsibility!

Undoubtedly, my favourite subject was General Knowledge always taken

by Dr Hall for one period a week.

We were fully aware of the work of the Nazi Party. The Headmaster – who had earlier been the Professor of History in Rangoon – had an intense dislike of its worst evils, which were just appearing.

In the Prep School we played football but in the Main School we started rugby. Our coach was Reggie Hayward, a most likeable man. He was a talented linguist who taught us Latin, German and French. He wrote a book called Je Veux Dite that sold well in other schools. He had studied at Heidelberg University and each year we exchanged visits to play a hockey match. In 1938 their team were on the Home Field lined up in front of our first team. The whole school were expected to watch.

Dr Hall greeted each player but after the exchange of banners, the German team gave the Nazi salute!

‘Moose’ Maddock our physics master, one of my few good subjects. Several times I was rewarded with a jar of honey from his beehives.

The Headmaster and others promptly marched off and never reappeared.

Needless to say, we had no intention of playing the return match in 1939, but it would not have been possible as World War II had started in the September.

Hubert Walker was our Geography Master and was also a widely known mountaineer. He wrote, among other books, A Sketch Map Geography and was doing so during lessons in the Prep! I’m sure Heffner – sitting behind me in form 2B did one of the sketches. He was later our Form Master when we went into the Main School. Perhaps many pupils remember him not for his judicious use of the gym slipper as punishment but for producing the school’s Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas. In 1937 it was the turn of The Mikado.

I had a good voice and was considered for a place in the chorus but as most came from the Main School they were somewhat taller than me. The Headmaster played Pooh Bah (Lord High everything else) and Mr Soderberg played The Mikado. I ended up in the side chorus, off stage, but still remember some of the songs 82 years later!

My Form Master in 4B was Arthur Davies-Jones, the Senior English Master. You will know his name as he wrote the words of the

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The Caterham School Society

school song Debtors, first performed, I think, on Speech Day in 1938. The music was by Arthur Baynon one of our music masters.

I cannot leave this list of memorable masters without mentioning ‘Moose’ Maddock our physics master, one of my few good subjects. Several times I was rewarded with a jar of honey from his beehives.

How did your role with MI6 at Bletchley Park come about?

We lived in Greenhill Avenue in Caterham and our house was damaged in the air-raid on Kenley Airfield. The end of one of its runways was only two miles away.

However, in spite of attempts to camouflage the airfield – they also targeted the roundabout leading to the newly opened Caterham by-pass.

Our roof suffered from the bombs that missed the target and shrapnel.

I remember Croydon and Biggin Hill airfields were also near and part of the Battle of Britain was fought overhead. Biggin Hill was the busiest airfield during the Battle of Britain.

My mother had been a nurse in the mobile Red Cross first aid unit based in Kenley and had been called

out to the raid earlier in the week on Croydon airfield. She would not say much about it but clearly it had been a most unpleasant experience.

Father had joined MI6 in the May/June of 1940 and was working for them at Whaddon Hall, the headquarters of MI6 Section VIII (Communications). It is some five miles west of Bletchley Park and handled all its outgoing Ultra. (The term Ultra was used to convey the status of the intelligence which was considered to be above Top Secret. It consisted of information that was gathered by breaking encrypted radio communications.) So mother packed cases for us and off we went to join father in Buckinghamshire.

With the numbers at Bletchley Park growing daily in 1940 we were lucky to get a three-bedroom flat in Stony Stratford, nine miles north of Bletchley. There was no public school nearer than Stowe and that was ten miles away without a direct bus or train service. So my late younger brother Trevor (also an Old Caterhamian) and I started at nearby Wolverton Grammar School.

One of my hobbies was model making, and my proud father took 

Below: Research and Development rooms at Whaddon Hall

SLUs (Signals Liaison Units) being fitted out for use on and after D Day. Geoffrey is fourth from right but most of the others are not in MI6 (Section VIII), rather Army wireless operators who will man them.

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OMNIA

Issue 07 Spring/Summer 2020

Above: Geoffrey and the team of mobile engineers Right: Motor Gun Boat

one of my models of the Battleship HMS Nelson to Whaddon Hall to show his colleagues. Lieutenant Commander Percy Cooper of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, who was in charge of the MI6 department, making wireless sets for MI6 secret agents, suggested that if at some time I would like to work in his department, it could be arranged.

At the time my scholastic career was going nowhere and I asked my father if I could finish school and take up the offer. In 1943 I went with him to see Mr Morgan, the Headmaster, he agreed with my own assessment and so I joined MI6 (Section VIII) [Secret Intelligence Service Communications] aged only 17, the youngest member of MI6.

After a period in the workshops, I was offered the ‘job of a lifetime’ and joined a small mobile seven-man team that installed secret wireless kit in aircraft, ships, cars, wireless vans and converted ambulances. We worked on aircraft on several airfields going on tests and later on operations with our ascension – air to agent wireless. The operations were in B-25 Mitchells from RAF Hartford Bridge (now called Blackbushe) in Surrey.

Another of my favourite tasks was with the 15th MGB (motor gun boat) Flotilla based in Dartmouth. I had some fairly hairy experiences in the Channel once exacerbated by trying

to avoid a floating German mine near the notoriously treacherous rocky coast of Brittany in total darkness.

Perhaps our largest undertaking was to fit out the Mobile SLUs (Signals Liaison Units) to carry Ultra from our wireless station in Whaddon Village out to the Army Commanders on and after D-Day. For example for General Bradley’s 1st US Army, George Patton’s 3rd US Army and five or six others. For the British Generals – like Dempsey’s 21st Army Group and the Canadian Army under General Crerar.

Have you kept in touch with your colleagues from MI6?

I enjoyed a recent celebration at Hurley to mark the village’s connection with the OSS (now CIA) wartime wireless station and there are annual reunions for Bletchley Park veterans. To think that there were over 10,000 working in shifts there, including my mother as a nurse – let alone all the thousands more in the Y Service and MI6 (Section VIII).

I started writing newsletters about our work in 1997 and the list of recipients is now in many hundreds.

To begin with they were to the few men I knew, but quickly word spread that I was going to write a book about our work so now the newsletters go out to many hundreds and some clubs in the US syndicate

I had some fairly hairy experiences in the Channel once exacerbated by trying to avoid a floating German mine near the notoriously treacherous rocky coast of Brittany in total darkness.

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them, so I have no idea how many readers they have.

I am also on the Bletchley Park Historical Advisory Group and receive enquires of all kinds.

What did you do after the war?

While mother was working as a nurse in the clinic at Bletchley Park, she inherited the bathroom business in Chelsea founded by her grandfather in 1876. After the war she moved into the mansion flat above its showrooms and father left MI6 to join her.

I came home in 1947 from the SIS station in Singapore and my parents prevailed upon me to join them. The station in Whaddon Village was closing and moving to Hanslope some twelve miles away so I had no problem in leaving – after a lecture about security!

So I joined the family business that rapidly expanded and in turn my sons joined us – the fifth generation.

Sadly, father died in 1956 aged only 58, so I took over aged 30. We continued to expand and eventually had a chain of showrooms.

In the 1950s I purchased an acre of land on the corner of Harestone Hill and Grange Road in Caterham.

I designed and built two bungalows one for my family and the second for mother, father and brothers.

The Caterham School Society

The Pidgeon family are a Caterham dynasty, how did this come about?

Trevor and I were at Caterham before World War II and I wanted my sons to also learn the things that the School imparted but hopefully do better scholastically than their father! So in due time Laurence and then John were at the school.

What did Caterham ‘impart?’ I feel it is important for readers to know how I benefited from my four years at the school. I dislike saying ‘Je ne sais quois’ but here it is the best way I can express something that you gain from Caterham. Is it confidence – verve – fire – self-belief – I am not sure, but when you go out into the world you find all those qualities are applicable.

You have generously founded the Pidgeon Prize for Literature at Caterham School, what was the inspiration for this?

My late younger brother Trevor was quite brilliant – a First Class degree in French and German after studying at the Sorbonne. Two years National Service as a Lieutenant in the Intelligence Corps and then invited to join SIS where he stayed for 33 years.

He was their leading Sinologist and linguist and was at the very top of the organisation.

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On retirement he started on his life ambition to write the definitive book on the development of the tank in World War I. That led to other books about the Somme and he was a leading member of the Western Front Association.

For my part The Secret Wireless War launched at Bletchley Park has been a success and still sells, even recently in Australia. I wrote a second book about Edgar Harrison a senior colleague in MI6 (Section VIII) who was Winston Churchill’s Ultra wireless operator on many occasions. Next came Busted Flush – The Thomas Crapper Myth and My Families Five Generations in the Bathroom Industry. This was launched at the Science Museum in 2014.

So I felt I wanted to say thank you Caterham for – ‘Je ne sais quoi’ – hence the Pidgeon Prize for Literature.

The school has changed vastly since my day and apart from the great increase in numbers, merging with Eothen School was a super concept. Making Caterham co-educational brought it into the real world. Perhaps the other big change is the wide ethnicity that has so improved the School. 

Bletchley Park Veterans Reunion 2019 © Will Amlot, courtesy Bletchley Park Trust

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OMNIA

Issue 07 Spring/Summer 2020

Karin finds great inspiration in the lives of the children of Jaipur Omnia speaks to Karin Schulte (OE 1974 – 1987) about her varied career and her passion for dance and helping the street children of Asia.

What are your fondest memories of Eothen and why?

My fondest memories of school were my friends and all the experiences we shared together. I started Eothen at four years of age and stayed until 18. The majority of my friends were also at Eothen for a similar length of time, so for arguably the most formative years of my life the school and its culture had a defining impact on me. My friends were like my extended family, our parents knew each other and we still meet today, they are a wonderful grounding force.

I have fond memories of most of the teachers. Mrs Mossmann my German language teacher used to despair at my lack of interest in German grammar. I could already speak German so I didn’t see the point in learning the grammar! As I was the only student studying German A Level I got to know her very well and loved her stories about living in the Australian outback helping to manage a large cattle station.

Mrs Sykes and Miss Trehane were the unofficial school counsellors, you could go and talk to them about absolutely anything, they wouldn’t judge and gave great advice. This added so much value to my school experience and a sense of trust and honesty in teachers.

Diana Raine was a standout headmistress, admittedly as a child I found her quite daunting but now I appreciate her forward thinking and encouragement to us ‘girls’ that we could do anything we wanted, she said, very clearly, ‘if you want to be an engineer, be an engineer,’ and I think

she did instil that kind of attitude in me which was quite liberating. If I look among my school friends I see a similar kind of attitude and I think some of that must come from the school culture we experienced.

As for memories of Caterham it was the swimming pool. We would come for our weekly swimming lessons, it was always such a big deal to go swimming and I loved it.

Are there any particular characteristics or principles you developed at school which have guided you in your career?

I think the belief that being female was not a barrier to doing what you wanted. This was the environment I was surrounded by in school and I think I carried that with me. I also consider myself fortunate that for the majority of my working career I lived and worked in Asia where being a woman did not hold me back. I was firstly seen as a ‘westerner’, the gender issue I felt, was secondary.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

I have benefited from a number of career paths since University, so perhaps my experience is a little more aligned with how the younger generation are experiencing their career journey, with four or five careers in a lifetime. I didn’t plan it like that, but I moved with opportunities which also closely aligned to my love of travel and experiencing different cultures.

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Karin in Japan, 1991

When I left University I participated in the JET Programme, assisting Japanese teachers of English in Japanese schools, then I moved to Hong Kong and did a management apprenticeship in the shipping and logistics industry. After five years I moved to Australia, studied an MBA and went into investment banking.

Then I moved back to Hong Kong as a private equity fund manager before going to Singapore and working in the charity sector. I returned to the UK four years ago and am now involved with projects focusing on Gen Z and Millennials, as well as non-exec director roles.

Safe to say that I enjoy a challenge, creative thinking and transferring the skills that I have picked up across the various roles. One of my career highlights is the variety I have experienced, not just due to the different countries I’ve lived in, but also the different sectors and roles I have experienced.

You recently became involved with Rambert, a dance company. Tell me a little about your love of dance and where this came from?

I have a big passion for dance. At the age of four I started at the Maureen Brown School of Dance in Caterham, I was there until 16 dancing ballet, tap and modern. It was my childhood dream to become a dancer and I did ask if I could go to dance or stage school but my parents didn’t allow it, so I stayed at Eothen.

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I particularly liked the concept of the charity trying to generate funds for itself, to become more funding self-sufficient, as well as teaching skills that would help secure employment...

I became involved with Rambert on their Development Board as I was interested in Arts organisations. Rambert are one of the UK’s oldest dance companies and are cutting edge in terms of choreography and in taking risks, so I thought it would be a great opportunity.

You have done a lot for charity, in particular helping street-connected children. Tell me a little more about this and how you first became involved?

When I was working in Asia in the early 90s I spent three months managing a logistics operation in Saigon, Vietnam. Every morning I walked to the office and saw groups of children, some with severe disabilities asking for money. I learnt that they were being used by organised begging gangs, sadly often with parental consent, to target tourists for money. It didn’t take them long to work out that I wasn’t a tourist and the children never asked me for money, they would just join me on my walk to work, I’d teach them a little English and share some sweets.

Many years later I was living in Singapore I met an Australian lady who was helping to raise funds for a charity in Jaipur, India. My experience in Vietnam many years before made me want to try and do something to help. The charity in Jaipur ran a vocational training centre which taught craft and artisan skills. I particularly liked the concept of the charity trying to generate funds 

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The charity pay a fair wage, has high standards of training and make beautiful products

for itself, to become more funding self-sufficient, as well as teaching skills that would help secure employment.

The charity pay a fair wage, has high standards of training and make beautiful products. I acted as a business mentor and introduced them to a number of partners who are still their clients today and provide a solid source of income making ethical and sustainable collections sold internationally. Contrary to what some people may imagine, working with street-connected children has been an inspirational and uplifting experience for me. Visiting the children in Jaipur is always a delight, despite some of their tragic life experiences, the incredible power to turn their lives around is inspiring and puts a lot in my life into perspective.

You spent time working in the investment industry, what are your thoughts on the recent implosion of Neil Woodford’s investment empire. What lessons can be learned?

I think serious governance questions need to be asked regards the Woodford Investment Management Board and the role of the Financial Conduct Authority. The issue of open ended funds investing in illiquid assets, specifically the amount that can be realistically invested in such assets and how it is reported needs review and more transparency in my opinion.

People investing in funds or shares need to educate themselves and ask lots of questions. No question is a

silly question and if you aren’t getting answers to your questions, don’t invest. Investors need to take the time to read through the information and if they don’t understand it, tread with caution. It’s important to understand the risks.

There is also a great need to educate students in school on how to manage their finances. Maths means nothing if you don’t know how a mortgage is calculated or if you don’t know how compound interest on a credit card is calculated and what that means for you.

I feel there is a duty in education to make students financially aware particularly as over the next 35 years there is a huge generational wealth transfer estimated at £5.5 trillion. The wealth and shareholder power they will inherit is very large. Any school that wants its students to stay ahead of the game should be educating on these topics.

What is your advice to Caterham pupils today? How should they best prepare for what might seem like a very uncertain world.

I am sure that students at Caterham realise that they attend a great school with lots of opportunities.

We are living in a time of huge change, innovations such as the internet have changed how we socialise, work, shop, bank, to name but a few areas. Artificial intelligence will most likely bring another wave of rapid technological disruption. Climate change and sustainability is another driver of transformation in

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Change is one theme that will be constant and to deal with change schools and pupils in my view need to ensure that the skills of resilience, adaptability and strategies to cope with change and stress are learned and practised in school.

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Eothen Upper and Lower Sixth Forms “Such a small number of students – no suits required and heaven only knows what they put in the shampoo at the time but it certainly seemed to give some volume!”

areas such as energy resources, plastic usage, travel, farming, food consumption to name but a few.

Schools and students are faced with the challenge of being in education but not necessarily knowing the outcome, namely where students may end up working and what skills are required. Change is one theme that will be constant and to deal with change schools and pupils in my view need to ensure that the skills of resilience, adaptability and strategies to cope with change and stress are learned and practised in school.

One way to do this is to not only embrace all the great opportunities that Caterham can offer for the things that you like to do, such as your favourite sports and extra curricular activities. I would challenge students, at least once a term, to do something they wouldn’t normally do, to go a little out of their comfort zone and try something different and then review how it went, this can help build confidence and help prepare students in a different way for life beyond the school walls. 

Karin, Annabel Spanner and Tamsin Lloyd in the Sixth Form Common Room – “Love the fact that we got to wear jeans to school!”

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CSS INSIGHT EVENING: ENTREPRENEURSHIP TUESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2019

RECENT EVENTS

A stunning city sunset was enjoyed by Sixth Form, Old Cats and parents attending the Caterham School Society Insight Evening into Entrepreneurship and Investment. Wells Fargo’s London HQ was the jaw-dropping venue for this fantastic evening with UK leading entrepreneurs and investors imparting knowledge and encouragement to budding entrepreneurs of all ages. Jacqueline Gold CBE gave the keynote speech before the audience rotated around a panel of experts from across the School’s Old Cat and parental body. The

strength of the Caterham School community was in full action on the night. We were also delighted to welcome our partner Caterham House students from the London Academy of Excellence to the event.

Our thanks to Wells Fargo (and parent Nick Bennett) for hosting the evening, to all our speakers and to the Old Caterhamians’ Association for their sponsorship. If you would like to get involved or have a suggestion for an Insight event, please contact events@caterhamschool.co.uk.

To see more photos of these events and find out about forthcoming events: Visit: caterhamschoolsociety.co.uk oldcaterhamians.com

Follow:  Old Caterhamians Association  Old Caterhamians Association  @oldcaterhamians

@oldcaterhamians

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Elspeth Finch

The Caterham School Society

Josh Higginson (OC)

Andrew Denton (Parent)

Camilla Bowry (Parent)

Jacqueline Gold CBE

Steve Castle (Parent)

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OC GOLFING SOCIETY AUTUMN MEETING THURSDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 2019 We had a fantastic turnout for our Autumn Meeting at Hindhead Golf Club and were blessed with fine weather and a golf course in incredibly good condition. The greens were comfortably the best around at this time of year.

20 OCGS members and guests took part and the scoring was pretty good across the board.

Many congratulations to the players listed here.

By Charlie Waud

1st place 2nd place 3rd place

OC Charles Marsh OC Charlie May OC Patrick May

39 points 37 points 36 points

OCA HONG KONG REUNION FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2019 Following the popularity of last year’s reunion in Hong Kong, Old Cats enjoyed fabulous views at the L’hotel Causeway Bay Harbour View whilst sharing fond memories and anecdotes of their time at Caterham School.

CSS BRANDS HATCH TRIP SUNDAY 13 OCTOBER 2019 Current/former parents, staff and Old Cats all enjoyed a great day at Brands Hatch for the 2019 British Touring Cars Brands Hatch G.P. We were shown excellent hospitality with a welcome visit to the Sevens and Classics Showroom before moving next door to the racetrack and were then treated to superb viewing from the hospitality balcony for the three track races that made up the final day of the touring cars season. OC John Simpson told us of his experience racing the original Minis on the Brands Hatch track in the 60’s. Between races, we visited the pits to meet two track teams and the leading driver Stephen Jelly. After examining the cars up close our final visit was to the starting grid for the final race. Our thanks to Andy Noble for organising such an exceptional Race Day experience which was well supported by the CSS, including three generations of the Warren family.

By Rob Davey

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PA FAWLTY TOWERS FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER 2019 A massive thank you to all the parents, friends and staff who joined us for our sell-out Fawlty Towers Dining Experience. The evening was non-stop nostalgic laughs: from Basil losing his trousers to Manuel literally losing his loaf as bread rolls flew across the hall and Sybil enjoying the odd glass of vino.

By Sam Kensey

CSS HEADS OF SCHOOL DINNER FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2019 We were delighted to welcome back past head boys and girls of Caterham School going back to Class of 1968. Highly entertaining speeches were given from the current Heads of School, Lottie McDonald and Ben Brown in addition to former Head Boy turned staff Mathew Owen (OC 2004).

OC GOLFING SOCIETY WINTER MEETING FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2019 This was our biggest turnout yet with 44 players at Walton Heath for our Winter Meeting. After meeting for breakfast, the weather looked better than forecast and we head out onto the Old Course for 18 holes of pairs combined stableford. Unfortunately the fog came in, so for a portion of the morning, the players were playing the course pretty much blind! Needless to say the scores were still very impressive. A great way to end 2019 as the OCGS continues to go from strength to strength.

By Charles Waud

1st place Pairs OC Cameron Brown & OC Ross McInley 74 points 2nd place Pairs OC Charles Marsh & Patricia Marsh 69 points Ladies Prize Patricia Marsh 36 points Best Individual Score Matt Baggs 40 points

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OCA FIREWORKS DRINKS SATURDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2019 It was lovely to catch up with Old Cats who enjoyed a warm drink in the Leathem Room before the aweinspiring firework display.

ACDC got the fireworks party started – the track chosen specially for Head Groundsman John Dodwell who, with his team, worked so hard to enable the event

set up. Caterhamians young and old enjoyed a fun, sparkly evening keeping toasty by the fire globes with lashings of mulled wine so cheerfully supplied by the Parents’ Association. The youngest faces in the crowd lit up with the glow of luminous toys and yummy sweets from the Prep PA stalls.

OCA DAY: REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY SUNDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2019 The extended school community gathered for the traditional Remembrance Sunday service at the front of school. The service remembered Old Caterhamians who fell in the First and Second World Wars with a parade by the Combined Cadet Force. Following the service, Eric Thiman Singers (Chapel Choir) and Chamber Choir gave another outstanding performance with their annual ‘Recital of Reflection and Contemplation’ in the Wilberforce Hall.

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REMEMBRANCE DAY 2019 From far and wide they came to Caterham In fond remembrance of the honoured dead; *** And those alive who do indeed grow old Were royally provided for and fed; When grace was given in English by the Rev, A wholesome change from obscure Latin patters, With gratitude and clarity of speech: He prayed as one for whom prayer really matters!

And later, midst the dying autumn colours, Lacrosse now over, rugby held our gaze – An entertaining, strenuously fought match Cheered on by old men who’d known halcyon days When they were in their prime and dared their health To win a trophy by brute force or stealth!

And as the cold but lovely afternoon Faded, the ring of trees now clothed in gloom, Cups were presented, sandwiches and wine; Old Caterhamians now reminisced, Thought of pupils or colleagues whom they missed – Faces appearing in the mind as ghosts, Like Robert Donat’s roll-call on that day When England’s dead in France as heroes lay; Now young and old took leave of their old school, Some off to church, with much to pray about, And all thankful for those whose sacrifice Bequeathed a tranquil peace – at such a price!

So let us, till the last trump, ne’er forget Why we were here, what learned from all we met; Who knows how many will return next year?

God will decide: we’ll say our goodbyes here.

A toast to each one’s peace and health we raise, Together in a blended song of praise!

By Michael Godwin (former staff 1972 – 1996)

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OCA SPORTS AFTERNOON SUNDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2019 RUGBY President’s XV 27 v OCRFC 17 OCA President’s XV v Old Caterhamians RFC XV match report.

On a beautiful autumnal day in November, the President’s XV took on the Old Caterhamians Rugby Football Club in the annual Remembrance Sunday fixture on Home Field.

With the two minutes silence and rendition of the last post honoured, both teams took to the pitch in front of a well-voiced crowd of spectators for an entertaining and competitive game of rugby. The first ten minutes of the game were controlled by the President’s XV, with strong running from number 8 Harri Smith and second rows Sam Lloyd and William Buxton. With the increasing pressure and territory, the Presidents spread the ball wide, opening up a gap for Marcus Hodgkinson to score the opening try of the game.

As legs grew tired, the structure and fitness of the Old Caterhamians began to show, as they implemented an effective game plan in both attack and defence, limiting the chances of the President’s XV wherever they could. The handling of Nick Crombie at fly-half and hard

running of Oscar Nye and Jack Perry created holes in the defence of the President’s, which was eventually capitalised when Crombie isolated a defender and dummied his way through to score the first try for the Old Cats.

Following that, the game continued to hang in the balance, with both sides showing promise with and without the ball. Strong carries from President’s XV wing Alex Criscuolo and centre Joshua Coakes allowed for front foot ball, and hard work in the tackle and on the floor by Jacob Welsh and Tyler Norwood ensured the pressure continued to pile on the Old Caterhamians who were left chasing the game, despite scoring the final try of the game.

The final score was 27-17 to the President’s XV, with all players on both sides giving a great account of themselves on the pitch, whilst remembering the significance of the day beyond the pitch. Well played everyone, and I look forward to seeing you all again next year.

By Marcus Hodgkinson (OC 2016)

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OCA SPORTS AFTERNOON SUNDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2019 LACROSSE OCs 12 v School 8 Old Caterhamians Recent Leavers v School 1st XII match report.

The match began with the Old Cats winning a feisty centre draw between OC Pippa Lloyd and Poppy Oliver, followed by OCs Birdie and Pippa working together magnificently and scoring goals only seconds after the draw was taken. They worked quickly with no hesitations taking any opportunity they could get.

The Old Cats were looking strong at this point but the School’s Firsts still had a lot of fight left with Mai Wallace and Nell Jones charging down the pitch at every turn over. The Old Cats just couldn’t keep up and the School took possession and set up a perfect settle, using this as an opportunity to put their plays into practice.

Although with time, the Old Cats managed to catch their breath and started putting high pressure on the Firsts. Ultimately, after a fast moving and challenging match, the final score was 12-8 to the Old Cats. It was a great afternoon and lovely to play with and against old teammates once again.

By Mia Hebden (OC 2019)

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CSS BONARJEE LECTURE TUESDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2019 Legendary broadcaster John Humphrys was the guest speaker for the 2019 CSS Bonarjee Lecture held in a packed Humphreys Theatre.

The annual event triumphs free speech, free media and democracy and is held in memory of Old Caterhamian Stephen Bonarjee who established Radio 4’s Today programme in the 1950s and is known as ‘the father of modern radio’. Stephen was also a supporter of the school throughout his life.

With surprising impressions of the Queen and Margaret Thatcher combined with insightful and amusing anecdotes from decades of interviewing global leaders, John Humphrys entertained his audience for well over an hour before signing copies of his latest book.

CSS THEATRE TRIP THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2019 For the second outing of the CSS Theatre Group, former/current parents and staff were joined by friends of the school at the Phoenix Theatre in London to see the musical Come from Away. Based on the true story of the 7,000 air passengers from all over the world who were grounded in Canada in the aftermath of 9/11 and how the small Newfoundland community took the ‘come from aways’ into their lives. The musical has won four Olivier awards and it’s easy to see why. The story, combined with its original songs, had warmth, humour and most importantly, a big heart. The story managed to make the audience laugh and reduce them to tears in equal measure and was enjoyed by all those who attended.

We look forward to our next trips in the Spring Term to see Showstopper! and The Watsons.

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OCA OVER 60 CHRISTMAS LUNCH FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2019 Owing to the success of last year’s Christmas lunch, this annual event was once again held at the Lansdowne Club. Former classmates enjoyed a delicious two-course lunch whilst sharing stories and reminiscing their school days. Save the date for the next Over 60s reunion lunch, which will be held at the School on Friday 1 May. Clive Furness (OCA President) and Mark Mear (Vice-President)

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PA CHRISTMAS FAIR AND DINNER DANCE SATURDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2019 Following the hugely successful Christmas Fair which filled the daytime, our parents then enjoyed a great night out at our annual Christmas Dinner Dance with extended hours of dancing until 1.15am. As summed up by one party-goer: “it was a super evening, we had a ball. Thank you for organising”.

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MONCRIEFF JONES SOCIETY CHRISTMAS LECTURE MONDAY 9 DECEMBER 2019

PA Dinner Dance © Caterham Photography

We were thrilled to welcome OC Jansen Zhao (OC 2010) back to Caterham School for the 2019 MJS Christmas Science Lecture which focussed on Jansen’s work: The Quest of Harnessing Quantum Information.

Jansen left Caterham School to study for a Master of Physics, Theoretical and Mathematical Physics at Oxford University before completing a PhD in Quantum Computing at Singapore University of Technology and Design. Jansen is currently a Senior Researcher at ETH, Zurich.

Jansen expertly conveyed his work both to the mathematicians and physicists in our community and to those less well versed in the subjects with entertaining cartoons illustrating his points. The lecture provided an intuitive overview of the interdisciplinary research of quantum information science. Jansen provided snapshots of the latest progress of collective endeavour in harnessing quantum information processing to solve some of the most pressing problems our society has to face today.

We were honoured to welcome Jansen back – and intensely proud of all that he is achieving. It was heartening to see the audience so full of current pupils, Old Caterhamians and parents who enjoyed the evening and contributed so many interesting questions.

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From

Head Boy to the Bodhi Tree A journey to enlightenment

ASHVAJIT DHARMACHARI (OC 1952 – 1960)

Ashvajit Dharmachari, formerly known as Michael Wharton, re-visited Caterham in February to talk to pupils on Buddhism as part of our Wellbeing programme.

He is a Meditation practitioner and teacher with more than 40 years’ experience and a well-travelled lecturer and teacher of Buddha-dharma and Buddhist mindfulness.

Omnia talked to him on his life in Buddhism and his memories of Caterham.

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What first sparked your interest in Buddhism?

It was the absence of satisfying answers to my existential questions and the accompanying puzzlement that led to my search for meaning and purpose in life other than a purely hedonistic one. It wasn’t until I met Buddhists and began to practice the Dharma myself that I began to discover satisfying answers and felt happy and at ease amongst people who I realised were of like mind.

Was it difficult to adapt to a Buddhist lifestyle?

It was a gradual process, but it didn’t take me very long.

The first time I attended a question and answer session with my Buddhist teacher I was profoundly reassured that I was dealing with people who didn’t have two heads.

The teachings made complete sense to me.

As far as practice of the Dharma was concerned, it was a bit more difficult. For example, as a Buddhist you are supposed to practice non-violence or harmlessness. So that means one should be a vegetarian. The Buddha told his disciples, the full-timers who lived a homeless life and subsisted by begging, which was something regarded as worthy in those days provided you were a sincere truthseeker, that they could eat whatever was put in their bowls. There was no question of regarding meat as impure, it was a matter of practising kindness and compassion, and eating what caused the least harm to living beings. So if one has a choice, which not all people do even nowadays, one really should be a vegetarian, both out of compassion and for ecological reasons. And not incidentally, for health reasons too, except in those rare cases where for medical reasons one must have meat or fish.

At first being rather fond of my steaks, I began to realise that if I was to be a sincere Buddhist, I should give up meat. So I gave it up little by little, taking about 18 months. First red meat went, then poultry, then fish.

During that time, I learned to prepare healthy and tasty vegetarian food, and have now been completely vegetarian, apart from the occasional cheese, for 48 years, and remain in excellent health.

In terms of challenges to my practice as a Buddhist today, a significant one is that of skilful communication, even the supposedly simple one of telling the truth.

The whole idea of truth is under siege nowadays. I use Facebook regularly, allowing myself no more than half an hour a day, and you meet all sorts of people who present challenges; even amongst one’s friends, or especially amongst them! One’s views are often opposed. How do you deal with that? It’s an emotional and an intellectual challenge. The most basic challenge, however, is that of trying to live according to one’s highest values in a world of moral shallowness. We are living in difficult times politically, psychologically, emotionally, ecologically.

The challenge is to maintain real equanimity amongst all of this; to respond wisely and kindly to people who seem to be indifferent to one’s own concerns and not blame others when one fails to live up to the ideal. 

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The most rewarding aspect of my Buddhist belief and practice is simple; it’s friendship. Not that one doesn’t have friends outside of one’s own belief system and way of changing one’s life for the better, but if you are with people of like mind it is very much easier. It is possible to develop and maintain very deep friendships. Before I began to practice I had maybe a half a dozen friends, now I have hundreds.

Tell me about your time in India and Sri Lanka?

I spent many years there as a freelance wandering monk.

It was both a very interesting and disturbing time, as I was involved in what was known as the Revolution by means of Truth in India, and at the beginning of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

A number of considerations took me to those places.

I wanted to see what had happened to Buddhism since its massive shrinkage over the last few centuries, and to participate in the revival of Buddhism in India. I thought I might learn something from Sri Lankan Buddhism, though that proved not to be the case; it was bogged down in merely ethnic concerns. I also wanted to tread in the footsteps of the Buddha as a robed monk with no possessions, no worldly interests.

Be that as it may, the whole experience was new and stimulating and challenging. What left the deepest impression on me was going on pilgrimage to the places of great spiritual significance for Buddhists, such as the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, where the Buddha gained enlightenment, to Sarnath, near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, where he communicated his enlightenment to five sceptical companions, and to Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, where he passed away from mortal ken after 45 years of exemplifying and communicating his teachings to thousands of people.

My visit to Kushinagar was particularly memorable. It was a long trip by rickety bus, but the nearer I got to the pilgrimage place, the more at peace I felt. I was reflecting deeply on death, which may seem morbid, but which was actually inspiring. It helped me feel light and free; it’s the one thing of which we can all be certain! As we approached Kushinagar, everything seemed to become more and more beautiful. It was a part of the country that was at that time completely untouched by the industrial revolution. The little villages and farms and people seemed to be in complete harmony with nature. I found it very beautiful, very moving.

I don’t have any plans to return to India or Sri Lanka, but I haven’t made up my mind yet. I could perhaps help organise a pilgrimage if there was sufficient interest.

What are your memories from Caterham School and how did it influence you?

Leaving the family and going to an all-boys boarding school had a big impact on me. It was a completely new situation and I was quite nervous; I had to stand up for myself. My schoolmates had all sorts of strengths and abilities and you couldn’t be best at everything, so you had to discover your own place in a community of very competitive young people. I rather enjoyed it!

At the start of the Upper Sixth I was voted Head Boy. It was a great surprise to me and I had to pinch myself when the results came through. It wasn’t something I had sought, or ever dreamed of being. But it was a characterforming experience; I had to conquer my shyness and give talks to the Old Boys, give votes of thanks to visiting singers, speakers and magicians and so on. There were difficulties, of course. You were suddenly neither a student nor a master and had to become more of a real individual, thinking for yourself and working out how best to do

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A life in Buddhism, highlights: Buddhism and Meditation teacher and Public Speaker Triratna Buddhist Order and Community August 1972 – Present UK, India, Sri Lanka

Anagarika (freelance monk) in India and Sri Lanka Triratna Buddhist Order and Community September 1982 – Present India and Sri Lanka

Meditation Teacher Triratna Buddhist Order August 1972 – Present Affiliated to Shrewsbury Buddhist Centre

Meditation Teacher and Public Speaker in Sri Lanka Triratna Buddhist Order September 1994 – 2004 Visited Sri Lanka every year to teach meditation and Buddha-dhamma.

Ordination Team Member Triratna Buddhist Order September 1992 – 2004 Padmaloka Retreat Centre

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things. I really valued that experience. I was supposed to keep order amongst the boys when the masters weren’t present; you could use the slipper in those days. I used it just once on a rather provocative chap but didn’t think it would be effective and felt uncomfortable with the whole thing. I went to speak to the Headmaster, Mr Leathem, and he said, “Wharton if you think you can keep order without the slipper, good luck to you!” Well, I stopped using it, and at the end of the year he called me in and said he’d like to congratulate me as order in the School had never been better.

I remember many of the masters of course, they were all characters who had quite a marked effect on us. There were two who really stand out in my mind. One was an English master by the name of Mr Thomas, who was a supply teacher while the regular English master was on sabbatical. Mr Thomas was a rather extraordinary young man who inspired everybody with his love of poetry, literature and music. You felt you were dealing with an individual of real spiritual stature. He was the first master I had met whom I could regard as a mentor. Then there was Doc Maddock, the physics teacher, who was always very helpful and encouraging, he helped me construct a radio transmitter. The Headmaster Mr Leathem was very good too; kindly and sensible but firm. Everybody respected him, which was quite a feat in a school full of high-spirited boys.

What advice would you give Caterham students today as they leave school and enter adult life?

I would ask them to consider what comes first in determining their actions, the body or the mind? It is of course the mind, and so if you want to live your life happily, with some measure of direction and control, and instead of coming under the sway of popular opinion and market forces, you have to learn to calm your own mind deeply and regularly, and see what is real. This can be done through meditation, which is essentially calming and stilling the mind, and cultivating positive mental states, states of freedom and happiness.

Whether or not you are interested in Buddhism or any other religion, I would say take up something that involves working with the mind as directly as possible.

It doesn’t have to be sitting on a cushion meditating, though that is the direct method par excellence. Indirect methods such as yoga, Chi kung, the study and practice of art, reading good literature and poetry, playing and listening to music or involving yourself in a choir or orchestra are also good ways of developing positive states of mind. And more generally, practice generosity!

My days are quite full nowadays, what with meditation, keeping the house and garden in good order, reading, walking when the weather is fine, and staying in touch with friends. I often invite them home, where we might meditate, listen to music, study Buddhist texts, cook, reminisce about our experiences or go sightseeing.

It’s a simple but happy and very rewarding life. 

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Russell overcomes health scare to ride the world for charity RUSSELL KESLEY (OC 1988)

A

near-fatal health scare might have stopped many people from taking part in the 3,069 mile Race Across America in Revolve24 (RAAM) cycling event, but not OC Russell Kesley. Having made a great attempt in 2018, he is now gearing up to ride again in 2020.

Russell, who attended Caterham School from 19861988, suddenly collapsed in 2015. Hospitalised and in intensive care, he was found to have a resting heart rate of 165 and a resting blood pressure of 250/120. A diagnosis of pheochromocytoma, a rare tumour of the adrenal gland tissue, was delivered. The news was a huge shock.

Russell, a father of two girls, while training as an accountant and working in the City.

“At the time I didn’t know I was suffering from a pheo, which was insidiously impacting my health. To say I’m lucky to be here is an understatement,” said Russell.

His illness placed a lot of strain on him but, with the love and care of his wife, Sandra Roscoe, who is a doctor, and his two girls. Russell has made a full recovery.

“Cycling played a massive part in my being able to survive and also in it being discovered. If I had not just started cycling, and kept myself reasonably in shape, I would not be here today. Many thanks to Mr Lavery, my former rugby tutor, for encouraging that!”

Russell describes his entry of the RAAM 2018 event as like ‘Mallory taking on Everest’. “I was the proverbial ‘middle aged man in lycra’ at that point, looking to achieve a 3069 mile event, twice the distance of the Tour de France in half the time, riding through 45’ hot deserts and climbing over higher peaks, all just two years after coming out of intensive care.”

The six months of preparation was harsh. Training, organising a support crew, fundraising and more training all while maintaining a job.

Whilst the wheels did not come off completely, bearing in mind 50% of soloists failed to complete the race, nearly all of them on the first day, Russell made it to 1,250 miles before being pulled out.

Since then, Russell has had a nagging itch to return to RAAM and complete it. “I have re-entered RAAM2020, being allowed a continuation of my qualification as I had made it so far across, at one point I was close to pressing the top ten of the field.”

So far Russell and team have raised in excess of £65,000 for the Doddies charity, which supports research into motor neurone disease

With the return set for this year, preparation began as soon as the last ride finished. The goal has now extended beyond RAAM to bigger things. “I’ve had to attain some credibility, to do this. Talking about doing something and doing it are very different things.” His achievements have included: – riding solo from London to Rome in seven days – the Doddie500 ride between Murrayfield and Twickenham with Mark Beaumont, Rob Wainwright and Tom Leefe from (this year they will ride the other direction with ex-Scotland and England internationals helping them set off from Twickenham) – riding more than 400 miles twice in 24 hours at the National Mersey 24 TT rides, finishing 25th overall and winning gold in the veterans team event – riding 401.44 miles at Revolve24, finishing fifth and coming the best placed veteran

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We have some big goals set and hope to raise a lot of money for research into MND. Please watch this space!

If you would like more information about the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation or make a donation please visit myname5doddie.co.uk

– finishing 1st in ‘No Country for Old Men’, an ultraendurance race in Texas which is both a qualifier and a training ride So far Russell and team have raised in excess of £65,000 for the Doddies charity, which supports research into motor neurone disease, through Doddie500 and RAAM. Russell said: “It’s been a very pleasing year. Now the hard work really begins. We’re hoping to raise more money and aiming for a top five finish in RAAM2020. This would set us well on the way to raising a significant sum of money for Doddie’s Foundation.

We’ll continue to raise money for Doddie5 Foundation, and RAAM2020 will be a massive step in that direction, as is the two world records, one of which will involve being on the bike for 167 days and the other being on the bike for at most 78 days. It will involve lots of time zones and a few miles.”

Russell can point to his school years as inspiration for his sporting accomplishments. He followed his sister Alison to Caterham, she was at the school six years earlier, one of the first girls to attend it. “Academically, she was a hard act to follow.” But a certain Mr Lavery opened his eyes to the possibilities of rugby.

“Consequently, I enjoyed my time at Caterham greatly, but possibly spent more time and attention on the rugby pitch then that which my ability and academic needs warranted.” Russell also remembers the Old Cats fondly, especially Baxy, Dockery, Banger, Stocksy and Rocky.

Russell is funding his cycling himself, supported by his wife and with the backing of Portal Security. A website for donations will go live shortly, and the team are on Instagram, Strava, Facebook and Twitter. So you are able to follow this Old Cat on his journeys. 

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OLD CAT NEWS

HOCKEY OLYMPIC HOPEFUL ZACH WALLACE (OC 2003 – 2009) What a year 2019 was for Zach. Voted ‘man of the match’ for the anniversary of GB’s Olympic gold medal winning match in Seoul 1988 and the Olympic qualifying game v Malaysia to secure GB’s place at the Olympic games in Tokyo next summer.

Zach is currently the youngest member of the GB hockey squad, joining aged 18. Recently he was shortlisted as one of five worldwide hockey players as ‘Rising Star’ for the International Hockey Federation Star Awards.

CAT SIMPSON (OC 2002) In her debut wearing the GB vest, Cat ran the IAU 24 Hour World Championships in Albi, France. She covered 220.30km to finish 23 out of 147 women and came 2nd in the GB team.

The OCA would love to hear news from Old Caterhamians.

Please do contact the Alumni Office, email: oldcats@caterhamschool.co.uk tel: 01883 335091) to share your news and memories of your time at the School.

Zach’s international appearances – 2019 EuroHockey Championships – 2019 Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament – 2018 World Cup – Caps: 39 – Shirt No: 32 – Position: Midfielder

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MICHAEL GIBBINS (OC 2015) Another great year for Michael which ended with winning one of the fastest UK sports car series at some of the UK and Europe’s finest circuits, the Sports 2000 Championship with a double win at Silverstone.

WILL MOY (OC 2001) As Chief Executive of Full Fact (the UK’s independent fact checking charity which has pioneered automated fact checking) Will was certainly kept busy with 2019 election. He has led Full Fact since work began in 2008. Will has served on advisory groups for the ESRC, Ofcom, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Treasury, and regularly gives evidence to select committee and other inquiries.

Full Fact fights bad information. They are a team of independent fact checkers and campaigners who find, expose and counter done by mistruths. You can find out more and follow their latest findings at fullfact.org

RORY MOORE (OC 2019) Rory was seen on the BBC News last September speaking on how ‘MPs should learn from young people’.

As a member of the UK Youth Parliament, he reflected on Westminster politics following the stormy debate as MPs returned to Parliament after a Supreme Court decision that the suspension of Parliament was unlawful.

The UK Youth Parliament is a non-party political organisation and has 369 seats for elected members, aged 11-18.

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AUTHOR OF MUDLARKING LARA MAIKLEM (OC 1989) Mudlark (/‘mAdla;k/) noun A person who scavenges for usable debris in the mud of a river or harbour Lara Maiklem has scoured the banks of the Thames for over fifteen years, in pursuit of the objects that the river unearths: from Neolithic flints to Roman hair pins, medieval buckles to Tudor buttons, Georgian clay pipes to Victorian toys. These objects tell her about London and its lost ways of life. As she has discovered, it is often the tiniest objects that tell the greatest stories.

The book has been published in UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Following this success, Lara made many UK, US and Australian TV and Radio appearances and has written for The Spectator and The Guardian.

Favourably reviewed by numerous newspapers and publications, home and abroad, including Washington Post, New York Times, Literary Review, Wall Street Journal, Sydney Morning Herald and El Pais, amongst many others…

Mudlarking received huge critical acclaim last year as: – Sunday Times Bestseller – BBC Radio 4 Book of the Month and Book of the Year – Apple Book of the Month and Book of the Year – Observer Book of the Year – Foyles Book of the Month – Daily Express Book of the Year

Paperback due out in March 2020

‘ Maiklem’s description of the fog is worthy of Dickens or Joseph Conrad, “a great white cloud of damp river breath, tick and consuming, filling ears, curling down throats and settling on lungs.”’

Sunday Telegraph

‘ Fascinating. There is nothing that Maiklem does not know about the history of the river or the thingyness of things.’

The Guardian

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AUTHOR OF THE DEAD WORLD OF LANTHORNE GHULES GERALD KILLINGWORTH (FORMER STAFF) Gerald joined Caterham School in 1991 and was Head of English for 21 years. During that period he always managed to find time to write and he published two novels for children, Lord of the Silver Hand and Mister Misery (not autobiographical, of course), and an adult fantasy Hy Brazil, which had its launch at the School.

Gerald’s new book for children, The Dead World of Lanthorne Ghules was published at Halloween and is a spooky read for the dark winter nights.

Edwin the 12 year-old central character is forced to undertake a dangerous quest in a cold, terrifying, twilit world parallel to our own. The book was selected from 249 submitted to the Pushkin Press last year on an open submissions day.

Gerald has also nearly completed a PhD on the Elizabethan writer Robert Greene and in 1992, to mark 400 years since Greene’s death, he directed Greene’s Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay as the Caterham School play. Caterham was almost certainly the only place in the world that marked this particular anniversary.

AUTHOR OF TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IN KASHMIR: HEADMASTER ON A MISSION OC JOHN RAY OBE (OC 1946) This book contains John Ray’s personal life account as Principal of the Biscoe School in the heart of Srinagar between 1962 and 1986. Intended as ‘something to give leaving students’, it touches on people and events in a very different age. Hippies, chief ministers, bishops and Kashmiri people of every background crowd the stage, set against the background of a school extraordinary in its range of adventurous activities. Jyoti Sahi’s drawings picture the now vanished Kashmiri scene and Wajahat Habibullah’s sobering foreword recalls the narrative from stories of a time gone by to consideration of the harsh realities of the present. Anyone concerned for Kashmir, or indeed for the pressures of living across cultures in today’s identity-seeking landscape, will find much interest here.

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MAX ALESHIN (OC 2014) Max is living back in St. Petersburg after graduating from Edinburgh and has recently established a culinary school to train a new generation of Russian chefs.

OC RUSSIA GATHERING Last November Nick Mills (Housemaster, Viney) travelled to Russia and was delighted to meet up with OCs in St.Petersburg and Moscow.

Pictured in the bottom photo (left to right) are Nikita Tomilin (2015) and Artem Korytko (2017) and Gor Melkonyan (OC 2015). Gor’s wedding photo is also feature on page 47.

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OLD CATS RETURN TO SCHOOL OXBRIDGE EVENING TUESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2019

MEDICS TALK MONDAY 16 SEPTEMBER

Lucie Prego (OC 2016), Sophie Dawson (OC 2018), Amy Hill (OC 2018) and Anna Gardner (OC 2019) formed a panel of Oxbridge undergraduates so that pupils from the Fourth and Fifth Years could find out what to expect if they apply to Oxford or Cambridge Universities, and to inspire the pupils to expand their academic horizons through taking advantage of the many curricular and co-curricular opportunities at school. All of us were greatly impressed by their clarity of thought and the breadth of advice they gave, all delivered with wonderful good humour!

There are currently 62 OCs studying at Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

Dr Hannah Wright (OC 2010) and Dr Richard Wright introduced the Lower Sixth pupils to medicine.

They delivered a super insight into the work of medicine, from medical training at university, to junior doctor years and then seeing generations of family members come through a GP surgery. The talks were very well received and students were humbled by their dedication and experiences.

DEGREE APPRENTICESHIP EVENING THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2019 Alex Paul (OC 2017) and Elise Miller (OC 2018) shared their experiences and insights into Degree Apprenticeships. Alex is currently completing an apprenticeship at KPMG, and Elise is an Associate Trainee at PwC.

CAREERS EVENING THURSDAY 10 OCTOBER 2019 Nine Old Cats came back to inspire and advise the current pupils on a range of professions including careers in advertising, event management and marketing.

Left to right: Indy Chatwell (OC 2006), Harry McInley (OC 2011), Jeremy May (OC 2003), Nick Horton (OC 2015), Freddie Marryat (OC 2012), Alex Tasker (OC 2009), Rachel Milliams (OC 2015), Lauren Noble (OC 2013) and Rosie Riches (OC 2015)

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Old Cats returned to School as teachers last September Left to right: Shaocheng Ma Pippa Waterman Charlie Hammond

SHAOCHENG MA (OC 2010) Caterham School is always one of the best places in my mind. I had two years full of happiness and cheerfulness when I came to study at Caterham.

It was also the place I met my wife, so we share many good memories of school. Being back is fantastic, I enjoy every single day as a teacher here. I can inspire the next generation and they are a group of lovely kids.

There has not been much change in the infrastructure of the school, apart from the new Centre for Performing Arts. Although many teachers who taught me have left Caterham, there are a number of teachers still here, namely Ms Dawrant, Mr Mills, Mr Keyworth and Mr Todd.

They were my teachers when I was a boarder but now they have become very supportive colleagues, which made my first term as a teacher here much easier.

I have fun memories of boarding at Caterham. I enjoyed the times spent in the boarding house, studying, playing games, watching football and ordering takeaways together. I also enjoyed the lessons with fun experiments. I made many lifetime friends in Caterham, with whom I am still in touch. Overall, Caterham has a unique and special place in my heart.

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CHARLIE HAMMOND (NÉE STIMMLER) (OC 2004) Returning to Caterham School 15 years after leaving has been a strange, but wonderful time. In some regards, nothing has changed. The ethos and ideal for children to follow a holistic curriculum is ever-present – the drive for academic success never overshadowing the desire for pupils to participate in all aspects of the wider school life. Teaching Biology in the new(ish!) Davey Building in beautiful labs with walls covered with the most fascinating student projects is a real privilege. One of the biggest changes is the innovative use of technology in the pupils’ education. There is always a risk when introducing iPads within a school that these will hinder pupils’ teamwork and communication abilities, but I have seen nothing but improvement through using these in my lessons.

I have many fond memories from my time at Caterham School, whether it was performing in the school orchestra (as a lonely oboist), in many of the productions – including the amazing Dracula Spectacular, representing the school in netball, lacrosse, athletics and rounders (there weren’t as many talented pupils to select from in the early 2000s!) or just enjoying lessons with the teachers who inspired me to become a teacher myself – some of whom I now have the pleasure of working with. I loved my time at school then, and I am loving it again now! Sadly (and happily!) I am leaving at the end of the Autumn Term to have a baby, but I hope I’ll be back again soon!

PIPPA WATERMAN (OC 2014) It is great being back in the Caterham buzz. It has always had such a good atmosphere and continues to do so coming back as a member of staff. All of the pupils and staff are great to work with and give 100 per cent in everything that they do.

Having left six years ago, there isn’t too much that has changed, except the new Humphreys Hall.

Everything is very similar to how it was, including many members of staff who have been incredibly friendly and welcoming since I came back.

Some of the best memories from being at Caterham were being part of CCF and getting the opportunity to complete DofE. However, my favourite memories would definitely be being part of the sports teams and travelling to Surrey tournaments and national schools.

It is brilliant coming back and watching the same buzz amongst the girls in the build up to major competitions.

However, sometimes it is tough, and I wish I could go back and do it all again, particularly Sixth Form.

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Weddings Congratulations to the following OCs‌

t Double congratulations to Samantha Moore (OC 2010) who married Wayne Jones on 21 December 2018. Pictured here with her fellow Old Cats from Beech Hanger.

Samantha and Wayne then welcomed Freddie Jones on 18 November 2019 (see page 50).

L–R: Sasha, Alina, Laura, Sam, Kirstie, Alina, Claudia, Emily.

u Lucy May (OC 2005) and Josh Higginson (OC 2010) were married on 6 July 2019 in Catalonia, Spain surrounded by many of their Old Cat friends.

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t Nick Simpson (OC 2004) married Perdie Alder at the beautiful Château de Brametourte in Lautrèc, France on 7 September 2019. “It was so much fun! It was a full weekend so the whole thing was just perfect – everyone super relaxed and having a good time in the sun. I think the pizza night on the Friday and the pool party on Sunday book ended the wedding day perfectly so everyone was in holiday mode and wasn’t worrying about leaving. Wish we could do it all again!”

q Emma-Louise Cross Vetriano (OC 2006) married Dino George Waldren Junior in November 2019.

The ceremony was held at Pennyhill Park in Surrey. Emma is currently Celebrity Partnerships Manager at EA SPORTS and Dino is a professional international rugby player. “We will be having a honeymoon in Hawaii, after the rugby season finishes, this summer.”

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q Gor Melkonyan (OC 2015) married Anna in Yerevan, Armenia. The wedding was attended by a number of Old Cats including Egor Lyasko, Georgi Paunov and Max Aleshin.

q Matthew Fenton (OC 2010) and Rowena Spurgeon (OC 2010) married at Chiddingstone Castle on 6 July 2019.

It was a wonderful day with many Old Cats attending, including three of Rowena’s bridesmaids! Matthew and Rowena have been together since the Upper Sixth at Caterham. Matthew graduated in 2016 from The University of Birmingham with a degree in Medicine and is now a doctor in London and the South East, training towards becoming an oncologist. Rowena graduated in 2014 from The University of Leeds with a degree in French and Music and is now working for Frazer Jones in HR Recruitment in London. They have recently bought their first home together in Tonbridge.

t Tara Masilamani (OC 2007) married Edward Hughes in a civil ceremony at Chelsea Old Town Hall on 5 October 2019. “This was just a small celebration before we move to New York in January.

Ed will be moving to the New York office of Goldman Sachs and I will be taking a break from training as a gynaecologist to pursue medical research. We will be having the ‘wedding’ in Dorset on 19 December 2020.“

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t Myles Waud (OC 2007) married Hannah Graham of Rugby School on 24 August 2019. Pictured below is the grooms’ party which includes five Old Cats.

Back Row: Middle left – Myles Waud (OC 2007), middle right – Charles Waud (OC 2005) and far right – James Gooden (OC 2007) Front Row: Far left – Adam Foulds (OC 2007) and far right – Jack Farley (OC 2007)

u Hannah Whiteford (OC 2002) married James Carey at Gate Street Barn in Guildford on 26 October 2019. The service was officiated by Rick Mearkle, former Chaplain of Caterham School.

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u Matt Mill (2009) married Ellie in Rutland on 12 October 2019.

A number of OCs were there to celebrate with the happy couple.

L–R: Simon Atkins (OC 2005), Hannah Shaw (OC 2009), Izzy O’Connor (OC 2009), Nicola Shiplee (OC 2009), Rob Salem (current teacher), Lisa Mill (OC 2011)

t Alex Moore (OC 2008) married Megan at Bellingham Castle in County Louth, Ireland on 1 August 2019. Many Old Cats were there to celebrate with him (see photo below).

Back row (L–R): Alex Johnson, Jonny Cross, Toby Virno and Mark Lane.

Front row (L–R): Jim Bulley, Alex Moore, Doug Waldron and Matt Lunn.

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Births

u Kendra Leaver-Rylar (OC 2007) welcomed Aurora on 3 September 2019. Born at the Chelsea and Westminster, the obstetrician who delivered her baby was fellow Old Cat Tara Masilamani (OC 2007)!

Tara is also Aurora’s godmother, four weeks after her birth Tara got married and Kendra and Aurora attended as bridesmaid and flower girl.

p Emma Gooden (née Fuller) (OC 2007) and James Gooden (OC 2007) welcomed baby Martha Joy Gooden on 2 November 2019.

p Anna Biset (née Richards) (OC 2007) and Benjamin welcomed baby Luca William Biset on 26 April 2019.

p Samantha Jones (née Moore) (OC 2010) and Wayne welcomed Freddie Jones on 18 November 2019.

q Rosie Craine (née May) (OC 2007) and Alex celebrated the birth of Emmie Jane Craine on the 11 September 2019.

The OCA would love to hear news from Old Caterhamians.

Please do contact the Alumni Office, email: oldcats@caterhamschool.co.uk tel: 01883 335091) to share your news and memories of your time at the School.

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harrison matt

Positive

will

Social Influencers

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Harrison, Matt and Will are three Old Caterhamians with an ambition to make a difference in the world of advertising.

They have launched an agency, addvert, that works with ethical brands and forward-thinking ambassadors to build positive social campaigns, as a force for good.

Photograph: PaulaDeegan.co.uk

What is addvert?

Addvert represents a new era of influencing. By uniting progressive brands and forward-thinking ambassadors we inspire social users to consume better.

We build bespoke social campaigns + partnerships, with impact in mind. Through the donation of half of all campaign profits to charitable causes, addverts spread positivity behind the screens.

Zuckerburg said in 2016 that he intended Facebook to “bring people together, not push them apart”. A few rigged elections, a privacy scandal or two and a few hundred billion dollars in ad revenue later… We don’t trust him.

We want to set a new standard for how social can be used as a positive force for good. Uniting people against shared problems, to build a constructive dialogue about solutions. Using social media ambassadors to provoke thought, emotion and action. 

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Change the world, Our values are as follows: Positive: Purpose-led social campaigns, donating half of their profits to incredible causes. Positive content driving positive impacts.

Real: Rebuild trust and loyalty between consumers, ambassadors and the brands they represent. By transparently sharing #candid content about the products we believe in.

Different: Make the best brands stand out from the negative media and fake news that have become resident on social.

How did the idea for addvert come about?

Looking at the financial reports of Facebook we saw that they are making over $15 billion a quarter, and it was the realisation that that is through selling our time commercially.

The subtleness of advertising is becoming quite scary – Facebook is selling our time to brands, to make us buy stuff we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t even like.

Social media has become a heavily sponsored vanity contest. Constant comparison to airbrushed ideals is so unhealthy for society, especially young people. It is the current comparison > dissatisfaction > consumption cycle that is damaging us and the planet, so it has got to change.

The phenomenon was perpetuated by the rise of influencer marketing, the integration of ads into the vanity contest itself and it was often used for all the wrong reasons. Pushing so many solutions to our insecurities (insecurities we didn’t have until we compared ourselves to the sexy people selling the products) like teeth whitening, protein, make-up and now even cosmetic surgery.

There is not sufficient regulation in the space, so there needs to be a cultural shift where we, users, make the change. Using social media for good, not just a quick dopamine hit.

What is your ambition for addvert?

Change the world, one ‘like’ at a time.

We believe in everyday voting. Voting

We are not looking to become a huge agency, rather our focus is to be a catalyst for change.

To convince people to make small changes in their lives, which together create a big difference in the world.

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with what you buy and now even what you ‘like’ on social media. We can change the course of even the biggest businesses by showing them a new, more sustainable, demand for them to supply.

To encourage social influencers and ambassadors who have their own mass media channels to communicate through them positively. Empower them to make a real difference.

We are not looking to become a huge agency, rather our focus is to be a catalyst for change.

To convince people to make small changes in their lives, which together create a big difference in the world.

We are living in a time when brands are coming out with incredible solutions to everyday problems such as plastics in the ocean, deforestation, climate change and social issues such as inequality.

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What inspired you to become entrepreneurs?

Will recollected, “Experiencing the 17:30 commute home from London, where so many commuters were sighing and looked fed up – it was so draining, I realised then that I didn’t want a job that would be the same everyday. Plus, I know that I would kick myself in ten years if I didn’t try.”

Matt admitted, “I just don’t like being told what to do!” “Working for someone else, they will only ever pay you whatever they can get away with.

Corporates have a tendency to promote you and just give you a title rather than a pay rise.”

What jobs have you had prior to this?

None of us has had a salaried job before this. During university Matt earned money in the holidays doing

one ‘like’ at a time.

These problems can be corrected in the same way that they were created: small acts, carried out consistently by many. For example, we worked with a great organisation called Ecosia. They are just like Google but they plant trees with search advertising revenue.

Oh, and they respect your privacy… it is simple swaps like this that add up to change the world.

What have been the highlights for addvert so far?

Convincing Harrison to come on board as our chief ambassador.

It is early days but it has been a great journey so far – really hard work, but we are finding it rewarding and can’t think of doing anything better at the moment.

Our maiden campaign was for World AIDs Day with Doctor Care Anywhere, it was a huge success and validated our business case, giving us the confidence we needed to move forward. The campaign raised £20,627 for the MTV Staying Alive Foundation – an amazing charity doing crucial work fighting against HIV and AIDs.

local gardening jobs from putting flyers through doors and worked for a catering company for a short while.

Will gained work experience in his final year at university at a turbine company, focusing on renewable energy. Harrison’s acting career is keeping him busy, but a career in acting is not the usual 9 to 5.

What are the challenges you can be faced with as an entrepreneur?

We have already experienced plenty of ups and downs and have needed patience reaching out to lots of companies and not hearing back – everything takes longer than you expect.

You need to put yourself out there and be confident especially in our industry where we are trying to engage social influencers who are public figures, consequently initially meeting new clients was intimidating.

One of our earliest meetings was with MTV and Viacom and it was a little daunting coming face to face with TV personalities such as Jamie Lang, but it gets easier the more we do it. 

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What do you enjoy most about working for yourself?

What traits do you need to be successful as an entrepreneur?

The freedom. Although with nobody telling you to work hard, there is a danger of putting too much pressure on yourself.

It is important to learn selfcontrol. The hours are long, if the need requires we work all night.

There is always more to do and there is no one to cover if you go on holiday – it just stops. On the up side the work is varied, it is not always sitting at the computer, there is a lot of brainstorming and we can have meetings in bars or cafés, as well as borrowing office space from friends.

It is satisfying being part of the process from beginning to end, not just a cog in the machine – every bit of work you do, you see the results.

Perseverance. Life doesn’t usually happen the way you expect it to.

Positive outlook. Always keep a bounce in your step – enjoy the ups and downs – when something goes well, enjoy it and when it doesn’t try to see the positive outcome that has been learnt from that failure.

Good judgement of character.

It is important to find the right people to work with.

Personable. People do business with people. The ability to articulate ideas in a way that is meaningful/ relatable to the person or people you are talking to is invaluable.

What has been the most surprising thing to you about being an entrepreneur?

Surprised how slow corporates can be. We can build a campaign brief in one day – they have need to go through a process of approvals and can take months to come to a decision.

How do you think Caterham influenced you and your career path?

Caterham has a good mix of different types of people, we have made friends from different walks of life which has opened up our eyes to a variety of opportunities – and the possibility that your career path doesn’t necessarily have to be one thing. We appreciate how lucky we were to be at a school like Caterham, it prepared

Find out more about what they are doing at addvert.org

It is satisfying being part of the process from beginning to end, not just a cog in the machine – every bit of work you do, you see the results.

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Photograph: PaulaDeegan.co.uk

us not only for exams and university, but opportunities after as well. Will remembered, “my parents reinforced the importance of doing a job that makes you happy, rather than focusing on the wrong goal (money) and not enjoying the journey to it.”

What is your favourite memory of your time at Caterham School?

Will: “Being accepted into university was a highlight for me, as it stood for all the work over the years paying off.

And, just making great friends and laughing a lot. I also really enjoyed playing rugby for my humble captain Mr Carter.”

Matt: “Boarding was a massive part of Caterham for me, my boarding friends became a second family we are all still in touch now.

It was a unique opportunity to build close relationships with a diverse group of people. After school, we would hang out in each other’s

rooms, or have evening sessions of football and British Bulldog.”

Harrison: “I loved the lunches – always tried to get seconds of dessert!

Lining up for lunch was a high point in the day.”

The friendships – our year is a close-knit community – even those we weren’t necessarily close to during our time at school we still get together now.

What advice would you give to other Caterhamians wanting to start up their own business?

Go for it! If you are prepared to do the hard work and doing your own thing makes you happy – then being an entrepreneur will be your thing.

Even if it doesn’t quite work out, you will learn lots of invaluable lessons.

Regret is far more painful than failure – better to have tried and failed than not tried at all.

See failure as the Lego you use to build success. 

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Partnerships:

Inspiring Education through United Access

United Access is a unique collaborative project spearheaded

by Caterham School as part of Caterham’s Partnerships Programme, which ensures the School takes a leading part in supporting the wider community.

T

he United Access partnership is between four independent schools (including Caterham), six maintained academies (all of whom sit under the umbrella of United Learning), third sector providers, such as the Accelerate and Access Foundation, and undergraduate mentors from a range of Higher Education institutions. All of those involved share a common belief that education has the power to transform the lives of all children and that, as educators, we can all learn from each other.

The United Access programme has been running since 2017 and has at its core the aim of supporting bright pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to successfully apply to top ranking universities, whilst at the same time encouraging a culture of aspiration and ambition to develop in the schools they come from and amongst their peer group and their families.

The programme has some unique characteristics that sets it apart from other similar programmes focused on social mobility through education. Pupils are admitted onto the programme through competitive application in the Third Year and commit to a four-year

programme of support. Each year 18 pupils are selected from across six academies. Crucially, this programme is designed to keep these pupils in their current schools so that the impact of the intervention also creates a ripple effect of ambition and aspiration among their peers. The academies involved in the programme are The Hurlingham Academy, Totteridge Academy, Wye School, The Regis School, Lambeth Academy and Midhurst Rother College. Pupils are invited to apply by their schools based on academic potential but also key socio-economic criteria such as Ever6 FSM and first generation background.

The key elements of the programme are that the participating young people spend a week at Easter and summer on a week-long residential at one of the participating independent schools (Caterham School or Woldingham School), where they have the opportunity for extension and enrichment opportunities delivered by teachers from the participating state and independent schools. The residentials aim to promote engagement with learning and broaden horizons alongside practical advice and support on academic progress and university applications – they serve both an academic and aspirational end.

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Using undergraduate mentors to support the pupils over the course of their journey is another key element of this programme. Participants are given mentors for the residential elements of the programme where they meet face to face, but also are connected virtually through an e-mentoring platform to provide on-going support, guidance and inspiration throughout the year. In the Sixth Form, the pupils spend a week at a leading university.

In founding United Access, Caterham School and United Learning embedded the programme in their organisational structure jointly organising and delivering the programme of residentials, communicating to parents and schools and managing mentors – through this, a firm foundation for the programme has been created on which to build for the future.

Anyone who has visited one of the residential sessions can testify, the amount gained from the students is huge. The programme is underpinned by attitudinal and statistical evaluation, tracking progress against control groups. The depth of relationships, and the progress shown has made the whole experience thoroughly rewarding, with many teachers donating their time to contribute. ď Ž

United Access cohort 2019

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IN THE ARCHIVES

Capturing Caterham

By OC Geoff Noxon

T

he currency of the captured image is at an all-time high with camera-containing digital devices in most folks’ pockets. Of course, it has not always been thus, which makes Geoff Noxon’s collection of school images from the years 1955-1962, a rare treat.

Geoff was kind enough to share his photos with us and reflected on how his interest, and later his career path, began at Caterham: “Dating back to my Caterham days I have had a life-long interest in photography and worked in Ilford’s research and development all my working life, first in Essex then in Cheshire. My early Caterham photos were shot on black and white positive film.”

Geoff’s talent and passion for the captured image has endured throughout his career and retirement: “I did much work on the colour couplers for Ilford’s XP2 chromogenic monochrome film. I went to King’s College London, a venue which afforded me a grandstand view of Churchill’s funeral, my photos of which were subsequently published in London University’s newspaper.”

“When I retired I did some photography of Listed Buildings in my area for English Heritage (visit here: imagesofengland.org.uk) using film supplied by them and Nikon shift lenses, in order to keep things upright as later correction was not possible.”

Geoff’s sports photos show life in full flow on Caterham’s sports fields. Says Geoff: “My film and lens were both slow, it was my first 35mm camera. Unfortunately, I have no record of those depicted but I can tell you that the long jump used to be located adjacent to the road and at the bottom of a field leading up to Beech Hanger.

Further up the road leading to Viewpoint was a vantage point from which to view cricket on the Home Field. However, when I visited an Old Boys’ Day cricket match, my car (parked among others) on that road stopped a ball hit for six (typical of my luck)!”

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Caterham was very much a family affair for the Noxons.

Geoff reminisced: “My grandparents were posted to Cairo between WW1 and WW2” so sent their boys: F.R Noxon (my father) and his younger brother E.H Noxon to Caterham School. I (R.G. Noxon) and my only male cousin (C.F. Noxon) followed, then my eldest cousin sent her two boys (A.M. & A.C Jacobs) making a family total of six.”

Geoff’s photo of the WW2 memorial (which is located in the Leathem Foyer overlooking the Home Field) clearly shows his father’s name F.R. Noxon following his passing which is marked with a war grave in Chennai, India.

“In case my photo of the steps is no longer recognised: at the base of those steps the school buildings are to the left and the old swimming baths to the right (now the location of the Eothen Building which replaced the baths in 1995). At the top the Memorial Hall (now the Maggs Library) is to the left and the Sanatorium (now Hillside) is to the right. My late uncle E.H Noxon DFC, who was a pupil in the early 1930s, told me that in his day there was a choice of cold clean water at the start of term or warm but soup-like water at the end of term! I cannot vouch for the veracity of this or his other remark: the central cold water brass taps, over each communal wash basin, was all they had as the offset chrome hot taps had been added later!”

“The story behind that odd black and white positive film is that it was given to me by my maternal uncle who had forgotten that he had started to use it on Regents Street Christmas decorations and then wound it back to the start! This was a double exposure but I thought it worth salvaging as it was a very long exposure along the School’s main corridor, towards the Headmaster’s house. Because it was an exposure of several minutes, people walking along the corridor failed to register!”

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IN THE ARCHIVES

A Mountainous Adventure In the current era of day trips to France and Belgium and with pupils choosing from numerous expeditions both to Europe, the USA, Asia and beyond, it is perhaps hard to comprehend what the first post-war overseas trip meant to pupils, teachers and parents.

L

ess than a decade after Caterhamians’ celebrated the end of World War 2, with many OCs having been engaged with the allied forces in Europe and across the globe, forwardlooking and intrepid mood prevailed in the Harestone Valley. Plans to revive educational trips to Europe began again. The School had taken many such trips prior to the Second World War and in 1952, under expert eyes of Mr Hayward and Mr Price, planning begun once again.

OCs Martin Stevens (OC 1945-1954) and John Overy Holroyd-Doverton (OC 1945-1952) got in contact to share their memories and photographs of this first post-war trip to the towns and peaks of Switzerland.

Martin Stevens recollects setting off for this grand adventure: “On April 2, 1952 our party gathered at Victoria Station for the boat train to Dover, where we boarded our ferry to Ostend. There followed a long overnight journey to Basle. I wearily recorded in my diary, “In Basel express till 5.15am. No sleep. Breakfast at Basel Station.” (There was no thought of air travel in those days).”

There were some sacrifices to be made by boys wishing to take part in the trip, as John Overy HolroydDoveton recalls: “I sold my trainset to pay for it. We travelled by train to Basel. I remember being woken at the frontier of Luxembourg, a warning to those who live in nostalgia for a pre EC Europe. Although we were lucky to have padded seats, we had no such luck returning.

All we had was wooden seats.”

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Memories from OCs Martin Stevens and John Overy Holroyd-Doveton

John Overy Holroyd-Doveton

John Wright

L–R: R. Caston (Pog), J. Roberts-Lewis, Martin Stevens (Else), I. Cubison, P.A. Hilton (Tovey), R. Hamberg (Saus)

The view afforded from the window in the latter part of the boys’ journey made an impression for Martin Stevens who recollected: “There followed a further rail journey to Montreux through the staggeringly magnificent Swiss mountains to our hotel, the Hotel Montbrillant. Accommodation varied: four of us shared one room, and spent a lot of time together.”

“Some memories have faded, but the scenery of the Alps remains unforgotten: Rochers de Naye behind Montreux (6000’ and cold); the amazingly clear day at Champery with the Dents du Midi seen from the rack and pinion railway, dazzling bright in unbroken sunshine, a day seized on opportunely by Mr Price when he saw a bright clear morning. There were also trips to Lausanne, and to Gruyere with the famous cheese factory – which disappointingly we were not allowed to enter. There was also boating on Lake Geneva (Lac Leman), and sightseeing in Berne on our way home.”

Martin and his contemporaries’ reflections on this first post-war trip clearly show happy memories of this ambitious endeavour by the School. The contrast to the trip provision enjoyed by current day Caterhamians in this era of a regularly criss-crossed globe is noted: “Other memories include practising our French, instilled into us previously by Mr Hayward and Mr Ward (Laddie Ward), with some Swiss differences, e.g. ‘quatrevingt-dix’ became ‘neufante’. The exchange rate of the Pound with the Swiss Franc stretched us, especially too when we purchased gifts for those at home; the effect of the war was still felt here. But the way had been set for future excursions: the range of travel recorded in today’s Omnia would have staggered us.“ “Our journey home was overnight – “On Ostend express till 8.00am” I wrote. But a good crossing revived our spirits, with a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs – not thoughts of seasickness! And so to Victoria and parting for our various routes home.”

And so an English Breakfast was the cheerful conclusion for this first post war trip which set a happy and much followed precedent for School trips thereafter.

Thank you to our OCs for sharing memories of this landmark trip in the school’s history. 

L–R: ?, M.H. Osborn, G.R. Berwick (Gerry)

If you would like to submit something to the archive and/or share your own memories, please contact Annie Hebden, Alumni Officer on 01883 335091 or email: oldcats@caterhamschool.co.uk

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Ewan turns his Caterham passion into a career.

Omnia talks to Ewan Turney about his role at the Rugby World Cup and how he got there…

Ewan Turney (OC 1993 – 1998) HEAD OF MARKETING AT THE RFU

What are your fondest memories of Caterham?

Sport. I just loved the fact that I arrived as an 8-year-old and was able to throw myself into all different types of sport from football, rugby, cricket, hockey, swimming, athletics, even cross-country. I wasn’t the most outgoing, confident or assertive kid, but sport and being part of a team really helped develop that side of me.

I met my best mates at Caterham and they have remained my closest friends to this day, some 20 years later – and that includes my wife! hat impact did Caterham and its teaching staff W have on your rugby skills and continued passion for the game. Do you have any good stories from your time in the team?

Clearly rugby has become a massive part of my life and I was first introduced to the game at Caterham by Mr Smith (Richard). I can remember being over on the Beeches field and doing tackling for the first time.

I immediately absolutely loved the physicality of the game – that was the first appeal. Later it was the team spirit and the fact that it took all types of body shapes and personalities to make up the team all driving for the same purpose.

There were kids that I wouldn’t have usually been friends with that you end up building connections with and it really broadened my horizons, outlook and confidence.

We had some great teachers from Richard Smith, Pat Lavery, Daryl Paterson and Andy Furnival, who all had a

great impact on me. The passion they showed for the game even on a wet, windy, freezing afternoon on the Hill Fields shone through.

I have great memories about playing in successful teams, beating Whitgift, Reigate Grammar School and Trinity, and the honour I felt to captain the First XV. I still remember Pat Lavery walking me round the pitch to give me the news. Lavs was a brilliant character – again I’d say it was the love he had for the game and wanting us all to be a part of that and experience the best rugby had to offer. any people, might suggest that you have based M your career around your favourite things? Is this a fair comment?

Very fair. My early career was in journalism and then I transitioned into digital content and then from the corporate world into sport – combining my two passions of creating engaging content and sport.

For me, it has always been a simple equation – you spend so much time at work it’s really important to do something you enjoy. I need to have passion for what I’m doing. It makes it easier getting up in the morning and means you can put something extra into your work every day, even on the difficult ones.

I’ve been in jobs and stayed in jobs too long where I have lost that passion or found it difficult to motivate myself and that’s not a good place to be because it affects the rest of your life. Imagine calling work going to the Rugby World Cup in Japan for eight weeks!

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How did you land your role with RFU? I studied History and Politics at Warwick and left with absolutely no idea of what I would do. I kind of thought that I had a good education and a good degree so I’d just hop on a graduate scheme at some big company and it would all fall into place.

Looking back that was incredibly naïve and I’m glad that I didn’t just fall into something.

I worked for my dad’s business for a few years and then retrained as a journalist. My aim was to cover sports but I actually took a job working on a B2B publication covering pubs and the beer trade.

I worked my way up from junior reporter on a weekly magazine and several years later, the publication decided it would branch out into having a website and social media, which had previously been seen as a threat to a printed publication. No-one wanted to move from the paper to the digital side, so I put myself forward. It was a great experience as I developed new skills and had a great level of responsibility. I could see the way the industry was developing and was excited by the advent of Twitter and social media generally.

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My career would have been very different had I not made the jump from print to digital. From there, I took up a role at Unilever HQ in London, building its first in-house digital content team at a global level. That was a very different but a fantastic experience in terms of working for a global giant and the benefits of big budgets and exciting possibilities, but also could be frustrating in terms of the bureaucracy and size of the company. My favourite project there was making a mini documentary from the biggest slum area in Nairobi, Kenya, on an outreach programme Unilever was running around stopping preventable diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia through handwashing.

When I spotted the job at the RFU I immediately thought this is fantastic – it combines my passion for digital content with my passion for rugby.

Can you explain your role with RFU? I am now head of marketing at the RFU which covers quite a few aspects. Our content team produces content for and runs the website and all social media channels from Facebook to TikTok. That side of the team is made

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up of writers, video producers and social media experts.

The campaigns team run campaigns to drive ticket sales for events but also campaigns to drive participation in the game of rugby at a grassroots level. Our CRM team looks after the increasingly important area of customer data and decides who, how, when and where we communicate with segments of our audience. The brand team looks after the creative side – the look and feel of our brand and how and where it can be used. They also look after the match day experience at Twickenham from what you see around the stadium to the bands that play and half time entertainment. My role has certainly developed into a wide ranging one with plenty of challenges.

What have been your three career highlights to date?

In no particular order: Getting my first job in journalism. Awful pay but learnt a lot and realised it could be a career path.

The Rugby World Cup in Japan. A once in a lifetime experience and so nearly the perfect one.

Filming a documentary in the biggest slum area of Nairobi. A truly humbling experience to see so many happy, smiley kids when they had nothing – not even a pair of shoes on their feet.

What is the intention of the campaigns you run?

Our goal is to tell rugby’s story to the nation inspiring more people to play and support the game. The nature of our campaigns very much depends on what we are trying to achieve – it could be anything from trying to grow participation in the women’s game to a fan engagement campaign around the Rugby World Cup. Women’s sport is on the rise and we have a very successful England women’s team that we want to use to inspire young women and girls to take up the sport and give it a go. Women’s sport is a key focus for us over the coming years as this is where rugby will continue to grow.

I’m also really proud of the fan engagement campaign the team ran over the men’s Rugby World Cup called Rising Sons. We wanted to inspire the nation to get behind the team by linking the elite players back to their grassroots rugby clubs and communities. We visited all the grassroots clubs of the players and spoke to their old coaches and team mates. It was these people who announced the players into the squad – the message was that all these players started at their local club.

The second part of the campaign was to tell the team’s story – both personal and collective. For the personal, we focused on the journey of each player to the top, told in their own words. For the team story, we wanted to show the hard work, dedication, sacrifice and togetherness it takes from players and staff to compete at the highest level. We did this via a weekly YouTube series under the Rising Sons title. It was a minidocumentary each week taking fans behind the scenes and giving them unprecedented access to training, team meetings and down time with the players. We wanted to show these guys are ordinary blokes doing extraordinary things. hat was the best thing about working at the Rugby W World Cup and why?

Calling eight weeks in Japan working with a highly successful rugby team “work”! I loved every minute of it.

It was hard work but extremely rewarding. It was a special experience from start to finish and one I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.

Most of all, I’m proud of the work we executed in that period. The team on the field, despite falling one short, inspired the nation and as a result more boys and girls will pick up a rugby ball. That’s a powerful thought.

You trained as a journalist and now primarily work in digital communications. How have things changed in journalism since you started out?

When I started out print was everything and digital was almost a dirty word. The kudos was all in getting in the print publication and not online. I think the traditional print media has been slow to evolve into the digital world both in terms of content and revenue generation.

When I started it was OK just to be a writer or just a broadcast journalist. I recruit journalists to my content team and although we have specialisms in the team, I’m looking for people who can write but also have in-depth knowledge and are active on social media, who can shoot and edit video – even if via a phone.

Journalism now requires an all-round skill set and a deep understanding of the way younger generations are consuming content – they are not running out every morning to buy the Telegraph or the Daily Mail, they are immediately on their phones on Instagram. They are more likely to get their news and view of the world from brands, influencers and friends as they are from recognised news outlets – now that has both good and bad associated with it.

What’s next? Can your career get any better?

The Six Nations! Rugby moves pretty quickly so we are already planning ahead. But for me, I’m honestly not sure how or where my career will develop further. One thing I know is that I will remain in sport because it is my passion and gives me so much joy as a result. My view is if you can call your passion work, then you are on to a winner. 

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Read about a variety of university courses from OCs who are currently studying

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PSYCHOLOGY WITH FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT

By Charlotte Pearson (OC 2010 – 2017)

WHY? I have always found humans to be fascinating. The way each person thinks and behaves in response to situations is so complex yet comes across so simple. This is where my interest in psychology began, and it developed when I started studying A level Psychology – thanks to my teacher Dr Avery who sparked my curiosity further. I was particularly drawn to Forensic Psychology, which is the study of the criminal justice system and criminal behaviour. The reason why criminals behave the way they do is a question I have always wanted to investigate further. I believe better rehabilitation programmes can be developed, which would have a huge positive impact on society.

WHERE? Choosing my university was very daunting, there are so many factors to consider…Do you study somewhere with amazing academic opportunities? A great reputation for social life? Near all your friends? These were all questions I was facing.

I decided to consider which universities offered the best course for what I was interested in. While many universities are higher ranking for psychology, the University of Kent offers the best Forensic Psychology degree, due to the large number of academics it has based there. While this was scary as I knew no one, it was the best decision for me, as it has given me the opportunity to work and learn from some of the top forensic psychologists around.

ANY CLUBS/SOCIETIES? Unfortunately, this is an area I have not been able to fully embrace at university, and a piece of advice to anyone starting university would be to take full advantage of this area. Due to difficulties with my student loan, I had a part time job the whole time during my studies. This has been challenging at times, as I had to balance more than I thought I would have to at university. While a job has restricted me from doing clubs and societies, a lot of my friends are doing them and enjoy them so much, as they give you a break from study and offer you a different

group of friends. You have flat mates and course friends, but societies allow you to have another set of friends to enjoy your interests with.

WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE? Firstly, make sure you are studying a subject you know you enjoy. Yes, there are degrees with more job opportunities once you finish, but university is very challenging. No one is telling you to go to class or revise in the way that school does. Therefore, it is important to have the inner motivation to want to do the work, then even when it is hard, at least you have a genuine interest in what you are doing.

Each year gets harder, but each year I learnt that to do well I needed to do something I had not done the previous year.

Have fun but at the same time remember why you went to university. Embrace every opportunity you are given and make friends with as many people as possible, because the people you meet at university do become your family and your support network especially when you are away from home.

Finally, do not ever give up, you will face so many challenges, if you get a bad mark it is not the end of the world. All you can do is grow from it.

AFTER YOUR DEGREE? I am currently in my third year doing my dissertation.

The topic I have chosen in forensic psychology is looking at new technology to diagnose and help sexual offenders.

This has highlighted my interest in rehabilitation programmes and issues with those currently being used in the judicial system. I hope to become both a practitioner and researcher in forensic psychology. This will allow me to develop new programmes that will help offenders and prevent reoffending. For me to reach this position I will be continuing at the University of Kent to undertake a Master’s in Forensic Psychology. After this I hope to go on to complete a PhD. These combined will allow me to develop my knowledge, and enable me to make an impact in forensic psychology and ultimately in society. 

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MUSIC AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

By Henry Chappell (OC 2012 – 2017)

WHY? For a long period of time I was unsure which of my A Levels (Geography, Music or Psychology) to study at university. I settled on music because it is my passion.

I wanted to throw myself fully into my degree, and by doing a subject I loved, I would work harder for it. Being a creative subject, doing the physical ‘work’ doesn’t feel like a chore and is an enjoyable process.

WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE? Take every single opportunity you are presented with – especially in the first couple of years. The university environment is so different to any other you will experience in your life, from the people you meet to the opportunities you will have. By trying a wide range of new activities, you will undoubtedly make many friends and enjoy your time more.

WHERE? Nottingham offered the most interesting and diverse module choices for music compared to any other university, which was important to me, as I wanted to experience a broad range of modules. It is a vibrant city with lots going on; it is big enough so you don’t feel lost, but small enough so you can explore everywhere during your time.

AFTER YOUR DEGREE? I am currently applying for graduate schemes with the NHS, Civil Service and a number of consultancy firms – all of which are in either HR or General Management.

Although none of these are directly related to music the majority of jobs on offer don’t require a specific degree, so I would encourage anybody to choose a degree which they are passionate about. Nearly all degrees have transferable skills that you can showcase to potential employers, alongside any extra-curricular involvement. 

ANY CLUBS/SOCIETIES? I am in a number of societies, but the one I am most involved in is A Cappella Society, where I am Musical Director of the group RadioOctave, and Vice-President of the overall society. I joined A Cappella Society because with over 100 members, it is a large society where I could meet many like-minded people. Through the society I have met my closest friends at university.

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SPANISH AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

By Riha Patel (OC 2002 – 2017) WHY? I knew early on that I wanted to take my interest in Business further. However, having studied two languages (French and Spanish) at A Level, I didn’t want to leave my love of languages behind and believed that taking a language forward would open so many more amazing job and travel opportunities in the future. Having travelled to Spain many times, I decided to study solely Spanish, instead of both languages as I felt that giving my full attention to perfecting one language would be better for me. Therefore, I decided to combine both subjects together to get the best of both. I was drawn to this specific degree as I would be able to do a year abroad, which would allow me to fully practice my Spanish and gain work experience that would benefit me after graduation.

WHERE? When deciding on what university to go to I had no idea where to start my research as I didn’t really know what I was looking for. I went to many university open days but none of them really grabbed me. For me the location was most important when visiting each university, as after researching my degree, I found that most universities offered very similar courses. After visiting Nottingham, I was set on the fact that I wanted to go there. I loved that it is a campus university, that the city centre is so nearby, everything is so easily accessible, and that it isn’t too far away from home!

ANY CLUBS/SOCIETIES? I went to many different society taster sessions during Freshers, but slowly narrowed down to a few I went to weekly. In my first year, I regularly attended dance classes and played badminton occasionally. I would definitely recommend joining or even trying as many societies that look good to you in Freshers as it’s the best way to make friends and meet people with similar interests to you.

WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE? I recommend visiting universities before applying. It’s so easy to just apply somewhere based on advice you hear from other people, but everybody’s experiences and perspectives are personal. Also make sure you’re going to university for the right reasons, not just for the experience. Your course is the biggest part of your life at university; there is no point in going if you’re compromising on the choice of your course so take time in deciding exactly what you want to do. Finally, I would say when you get there make the most of your time because it goes so fast! Next year will be final year and I do not want to leave!

AFTER YOUR DEGREE? I am still unsure of exactly what I want to do after my degree as I still have another year and a half to go.

Currently I think I want to explore the HR and Business Development field more and potentially find a job there.

Ideally, somewhere I would be able to use Spanish in a business environment. 

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ART HISTORY AND VISUAL CULTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

By Jessica Calcutt (OC 2015 – 2017)

WHY? In all honesty, it wasn’t actually until a month before results day that I even found the course. I had originally applied to do history, but the more I thought about it the more I thought I wanted to do a subject which involved a bit more creativity – so when I found this course it ticked all the boxes.

WHERE? The moment I visited Exeter I knew it was the right place for me. I had visited other universities and although I had liked them none of them clicked, and I hadn’t felt excited about the prospect of going there. From the moment I stepped foot on Exeter’s beautiful campus, I felt at home and knew Exeter was where I wanted to be.

ANY CLUBS/SOCIETIES? Horses have always been a big part of my life, both as a hobby and competitively, so after a gap year and a break from competing I knew I wanted to get back into it and Exeter Uni Riding Club has been the perfect place to do it. Competing on BUCs teams has been a highlight of my university experience so far and I really couldn’t recommend getting involved in uni sports teams more!

WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE? My advice would be don’t settle for what you don’t feel is quite right. I realised history, although I did love it, wasn’t quite the right fit for me. Therefore even when I had finished my A Levels and had applied I kept looking for

something and I eventually came across my course – which I love. The same goes for which uni you go to, don’t settle until you’ve found the one which feels right for you.

AFTER YOUR DEGREE? This is possibly the hardest question to answer, but at the moment I’m planning on doing a Masters, ideally in Art Business and Law, and then hopefully getting involved in art dealership from there. Or maybe go travelling again, we’ll see… 

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OBITUARIES

DR BRIAN SETH-SMITH (OC 1939 – 1945)

Born 6 January 1928, Brian Seth-Smith died in Guernsey on 11 January 2019, having worked there for many years as Guernsey’s only orthopaedic surgeon.

When he first came to Guernsey in May 1960, 15 years after the German Occupation ended, there were only five surgeons and five small general practices in the islands – there are many more doctors now.

Brian was born in Croydon and grew up in Caterham, attending Caterham School as a boarder, where he remembers having extremely happy school times – in particular watching German planes flying overhead during the nights in the Second World War. He had two elder brothers, Ken and Jack, and a sister Margaret. Brian was deeply hurt by the loss of his beloved older brother Ken who was a test pilot, early in the Second World War. He qualified as a doctor in the London Hospital in Whitechapel. In the 1950s, as a surgeon serving in the RAF, he was stationed at RAF Hospital Ely in Cambridgeshire, where he cared for and accompanied polio victims in iron lungs from Europe and the Middle East. He went next to Iraq where there was a large British airfield serving the Middle and Far East and staffed with RAF officers and their families. He then travelled to Sri Lanka

where again there was a large RAF station. His skills were much needed, caring for Sri Lankans, RAF staff and their families. Indeed, as the plane touched down on the airfield, he was told he had to perform a caesarean section on the local Commander’s wife.

On returning recently to Sri Lanka he was pleased to see that the huts of his old station were standing next to Colombo airfield. He returned from Sri Lanka to work as a surgeon at the London Hospital carrying out chest and heart surgery.

From his time in the RAF he developed a variety of surgical skills that equipped him well for his work in Guernsey. Brian came to the island soon after his marriage to Jennifer O’Neill whom he met at the Royal London Hospital where she was working as a theatre nurse. He came to Guernsey because he had met a friend of his family at the Royal College of Surgeons in London who told him that Guernsey needed a surgeon. He and Jennifer intended to stay for two years – he stayed for 60.

Brian joined a GP practice headed

by Dr Sidney Heard and for some years he worked as a busy GP and as a surgeon. Being a GP meant that he quickly got to know his way around the island’s many unnamed winding country lanes, and met many of its people. He soon found that being a surgeon was not compatible with also being a GP, and he subsequently qualified to undertake both orthopaedic and urology surgery. Over the years the doctors on the island became specialised into separate specialties of gynaecology, obstetrics and anaesthetics, physicians and different branches of surgery. This led in 1992, to the creation of The Medical Specialist Group which separated specialist’s work from general practices at around the time Brian retired, thus he was not a part of the new system.

Brian served on many of the island’s hospital committees, redesigning the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, planning for the future of the Guernsey Health Service and for the care of an evolving population. He was a chair of the

British Medical Association group and later in his career he led the local branch of the British Heart Foundation creating a fundraising team of outstanding success. He also helped contribute to the high quality postoperative cardiac care that is still available in Guernsey. Brian was very much loved and highly respected by the local community. He was a very approachable and warm person who was always interested in others and in trying to better the lives of others through his work.

In 1984 Brian and Jennifer spent some months in Kenya where they worked in a rural area and in Mombasa on a doctors’ exchange which they much enjoyed. After retirement, Brian enjoyed a time working for the Guernsey Health Service as a medical assessor for those who applied for States support and continued his contributions to various charities on the island.

Brian had a long and happy retirement made enjoyable by the company of very many close friends and his family. He met up with the retired doctors once a week for lunch and medical talk, which he helped to organise. He was active in his local community and had a great love of music, sailing, DIY, gardening, politics, speaking and learning French and a wide reading interest. He had a lifelong love of flying which was engendered by his brother Ken. He was proud to have contributed so much to Guernsey’s Health Service and loved the island.

He was also proud to be a Caterham old boy and enjoyed attending school reunions meeting up with his old friends into his very late years.

Those who met Brian found him an intensely thoughtful, interested, sensitive, intelligent, gentle and warm person. He is deeply missed by those who knew and loved him.

Brian is survived by Jennifer and his two daughters Fiona and Elaine and his son James and six granddaughters. ■ Written by his wife Jennifer

caterhamschoolsociety.co.uk

The Caterham School Society

DONALD BURT (OC 1941 – 1948)

Born 8 May 1931, died 27 November 2019. Donald was very proud of his school and the excellent education he received which led him to The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, along with his great friend from Caterham, John Wildgoose. He loved talking of the weekends at school when he would set up camp in the nearby woods and tame squirrels and jackdaws. This picture is with his favourite squirrel, Josephine! He also would talk of his excitement at school of VE Day, 8 May 1945 – his 14th birthday. Following an illness (possibly too much partying), he didn’t complete his studies at Veterinary College but he remained in touch with John Wildgoose and it was at a party at the College that he met Bunty, to whom he was married for

IN MEMORIAM John Barrons (OC 1945 – 1950) Paul Charters (OC 1984 – 1994) Charles Patrick (OC 1998 – 2006) Marc Walters (OC 1962 – 1967)

61 years. He recently saw in Omnia a photo of Wildgoose, who sadly passed away in the 1970s and was composing a piece for Omnia about their time together at Caterham when he was taken ill. More recently, he was delighted to have re-established contact with another Old Caterhamian, Godfrey Crowe.

Don went on to have a long and successful career in insurance, retiring in 1993 to Suffolk by the River Deben. His hobby was sailing and he enjoyed nothing more than being on the water well into his 80s with family and friends.

He is sadly missed by his wife, four children and six grandchildren. ■ Written by his son Alastair

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OMNIA

Issue 07 Spring/Summer 2020

inspiring education

“ Great indeed are our opportunities, great also is our responsibility” William Wilberforce Founding Benefactor, Caterham School

An outstanding education has the power to transform lives – the lives of the individual child and of their family and wider community. We all benefit from this.

Members of our own community know how truly unique a Caterham School education is. Caterhamians achieve a bright future through outstanding academic and co-curricular success gained at school. Beyond these measurable

outcomes though, Caterhamians share a set of values and a common purpose which runs through the generations – built on self-confidence, self-awareness, resilience and strength, and a belief in the power of community.

Most of us could never afford to support a full bursary singlehandedly, but as a community we can. If you share our vision of making a difference through outstanding education, please consider making a donation, at any level, to the Caterham School Transformational Bursary Fund.

Ceri Jones Headmaster

The Caterham School Transformational Bursaries Appeal

Caterham School is a registered charity (no. 1109508)

Caterham School would not exist without the vision and generosity of its first benefactors. They believed that all children should be able to reach their potential no matter what their background.

caterhamschoolsociety.co.uk

The Caterham School Society

Coming to Caterham School was life-changing and character-building. It helped open my eyes to the world and gave me the confidence to feel capable in my own abilities. I didn’t know how things would work out when I arrived, but good things came from it. Hard work pays off and being at Caterham School opened many doors for me.

Former pupil and Bursary Fund recipient

If you would like more information, to make a donation or to discuss other ways to help the School, please contact Emma Collings, Development Manager: development@caterhamschool.co.uk 01883 335111

caterhamschool.co.uk/ support-us

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Caterham School Harestone Valley Road Caterham Surrey CR3 6YA caterhamschoolsociety.co.uk oldcaterhamians.com