15 FLOREAT
Peter was a man of wide interests and much enthusiasm. Former pupils have described him as a great schoolmaster, great company, a great listener and raconteur, a connoisseur and a polymath. He was noted for his courtesy, wise counsel and generosity and was much loved by a wide circle of friends and by his family. Until he lost consciousness, Peter was delighting in his surroundings and literally counting his blessings. He died as he had lived – gracefully, graciously and with calm acceptance. Peter was predeceased by his wife Hazel in 2001 and is survived by his daughter Judy and son Mark, children-in-law, five grand-children and a growing number of great-grandchildren. Charles Dickins (JS, 1950 & L, 1953) Charles Dickins died on the 22nd August 2014, aged 79. Anthony Melville Donner (NH, 1957) Anthony Donner died on the 29th of March 2011, aged 71, at his home in South Africa, after a long struggle with cancer, fought with courage and great dignity. After leaving College, he worked for his stepfather on Bunkers Hill Farm (Rothewick, near Basingstoke) and obtained his blockman’s licence. Later he became a cruise courier and travelled around the UK and Spain. He left England in November 1969 and moved to South Africa (Durban). He often told the story of how he decided to leave England – he took a world map and placed it down on a table, closed his eyes and decided that wherever he put his finger, that would be his destination. His finger pointed to Durban, South Africa! He arrived in South Africa in January 1970 and joined a Travel Agency, Musgrove and Watson, in Durban, where he worked for many years. He then left the agency and became a travel broker preparing itineraries for his own clients. Anthony also arranged tour groups and would accompany them on their tours all over the world. He was very meticulous and excelled in his job, was known for his punctuality and perfectionism. He was very outspoken and loved approaching people to start a conversation. This was how he met his wife, Bev! After retiring from the Travel business in 1993, he spent 9 months of every year from May to December in the USA (Texas and Kentucky) working on various farms (to keep busy and to meet people). In January, he would ski in Leadville, Colorado, and would return to his home in South Africa from February to April. In 1997, he sold his home in Durban and stored all of his furniture. In May 1999, he sent all of his belongings back to England to be stored until he had done enough travelling and work in the USA as he intended to retire in the UK. In April 2000, just before returning to the USA from one of his three month breaks in South Africa, he met Bev who was on holiday with her daughter, Jessica. He returned to South Africa in November 2000 and he and Bev lived in her home in Springs and were married in 2002. They moved to Zimbali Golf Estate, Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa in 2003. Needless to say, all of his belongings were returned to South Africa from UK storage. Anthony loved wildlife and nature, the beach, the ocean, sun tanning, going for long walks on the beach and driving through the Zimbali forest on the golf cart. His favourite pastime was planning holidays. He and Bev enjoyed many memorable holidays in Mauritius, UK, USA, Europe and South Africa (Phinda Game Reserve). His favourite holiday was cruising. They went on numerous cruises out of South Africa to Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles as well as various cruises from Southampton to Fjords, Sweden, Iceland and Ireland and Mediterranean cruises 5.
from Southampton to Venice. Their last cruise to the Eastern and Western Caribbean was their most memorable. Despite his failing health, he insisted on taking Bev on the Caribbean cruise he had so carefully planned months before and that she had so looked forward to. Everyone marvelled at how he was able to cope with the 3 week cruise, despite enduring a bout of bronchitis whilst on board the ship and being stuck in the terminal at Heathrow Airport for two days during a snow storm! Anthony remained active until about two weeks before his death. He is survived by his wife Bev and his stepdaughter Jessica. Andrew Gordon Elmslie (NH, 1978) Andrew Elmslie, son of K.G. Elmslie (NH, 1941) and brother of I. Elmslie (NH, 1980), died in January 2014, aged 53. It is fitting that he will be remembered at College by the Elmslie Drama Award, established by the Elmslie family, awarded at Speech Day for the most outstanding contribution by a member of Lower College to College Drama. Dr Felix Henry Gordon-Clark (JS, 1948 & Xt, 1954) Henry Gordon-Clark, brother of M.R. Gordon-Clark (JS, 1946 & Xt, 1951), died in Australia on the 28th April 2014, aged 78. He both admired and liked Harry Boutflower, his Housemaster. He laughed about the fact that Boutflower had allegedly an unexploded shell as a doorstop in his study. In schoolboy legend it became (of course) a German bomb that could have destroyed Christowe! Henry was the OC representative in Melbourne for many years. Henry was a true gentleman, one who valued friendships in the company of his fellow man. He was a keen golfer, and as a keen Historian he was only too happy to share his considerable insights. His love of History was inspired by his upbringing and his earlier surroundings. His parents’ home in Cirencester had been built 400 years earlier using stones from the Abbey, following Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries. He was proud that his forbears included four County Court Judges and two ViceChancellors of England, and he knew from an early age that he intended to follow his father’s profession as a Solicitor. On leaving College, he read Law at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he balanced his studies with other broadening pursuits such as appreciation of music, art and avid support of the College Boat Club. He travelled extensively in the long vacations, absorbing Ancient History in Sicily and Modern History on the American Civil War Battlefields. On graduating in 1957, he moved to London and commenced his Articles with Curry & Co, specialising in Tax & Estate Duty, which he found boring! He subsequently found his niche on transferring to another Law firm, Theodore Goddard, focusing in litigation, passing his final solicitor’s exams in 1960. He met Jan, an Australian, and on marrying in 1961 they moved to Jan’s home city, Melbourne, where a solicitor’s job awaited him. His focus was always on litigation, sometimes appearing in court; always the gentleman, he regarded his prime duty to be to his clients, and never swerved from the ethical beliefs he had acquired through his upbringing. When he eventually retired in 2002, he had practised continually as a solicitor for 42 years. Henry was very much a family man and he and Jan were very much involved in the local community. He was Treasurer, then