The Cliftonian (OC Edition) 2024

The Cliftonian

Forthcoming Events 2024/2025 Contents

Editorial

Having spent all of my working life as a teacher in the Upper School of Clifton College, joining in the last year of boys in 1986 and departing 36 years later in 2022, I have been lucky enough to witness some significant changes, the most important one undoubtedly being the successful transformation of a boys’ school into a flourishing and positive co-educational establishment. So many people have played their part in this: the teaching staff, support staff, parents and, not least, the students themselves who have embraced a new type of educational establishment. I joined a happy and thriving boys’ school and left an equally successful and thriving co-educational college. It has been a pleasure to work at Clifton over the years, experiencing its ups and downs, working with 5 Headmasters, becoming involved

with so many activities, tutoring in boys’ and girls’ Houses and, finally, running the English Department for a number of years. Before leaving in the summer of 2022, I had already started to experience the dubious ‘privilege’ of teaching the children of earlier pupils but, as far as I know, I hadn’t quite reached the point of teaching their grandchildren…

Sharing some of my memories at Commem 2022 reminded me of so much of the fun and variety of life at Clifton, which I have been fortunate to experience, and I know that this will continue as Clifton College goes forward into the future. It is always a pleasure when meeting OCs, though seeing the cheeky 4th former in the guise of a fully grown adult will never cease to surprise but, hopefully, my appointment as editor of this magazine will allow me even more such reunions, and I am always delighted to hear from former pupils.

My thanks for help in producing this, my first edition, go to the ever patient Lucy Nash and Jeremy Pickles in particular but also to those others who have offered sage advice. And of course, my thanks must go to Steve Priddle for his expertise in designing the finished product. As this magazine is ‘put to bed’, I am already planning next year’s edition and so would welcome input from any OCs as to what they would like to see in their magazine….

Please feel free to contact me at sclarke2@cliftoncollege.com It’s all about

Head of Alumni and Community

As one door closes, another opens and having been ‘night watchman‘ for what seems a record innings, I am excited to announce my new permanent role as Head of Alumni and Community. I look forward to meeting many new and familiar faces as we move the Society forward with (I hope) new, innovative ideas and proven old ones, in our determination to make the Society viable and ‘fit for purpose’ in the rapidly changing modern world.

Historical functions of alumni associations aimed to facilitate connections between the school and alumni, but these have been largely

overtaken by social media, making the need to evolve for current times inevitable. We hope our Careers’ initiative will lead the way with this.

Thanks as ever go to Lucy Nash for the tireless work she does for the OCS and to Nic Tu our database guru. We are delighted to welcome Sarah Clarke (1986 - 2022) to the team in the role of Editor of this magazine. Special thanks to Kate Holland-Smith and Alex Turco for their hours of attention and expertise in bringing about the proposed transfer of OCS activities to Clifton and of course, to you, the reader - my inbox is always open to comments, suggestions and ideas.

Events 2023/2024

Official opening of the Golf Cabin

We were delighted to welcome OC Alan Mann (PH 1965) and his wife, Lyndsey, to a celebration lunch in the Pavilion, before the official opening of the Golf Cabin. Clifton’s flourishing golf coaching has been boosted by Alan’s generosity in helping to install a Trackman Golf Simulator next the the Pavilion on The Close.

This ‘state of the art’ kit will enable our top golfers (and those just starting out), currently 42 with handicaps and over 100 recreational in total, to hone their skills by playing most courses in the world, with detailed analysis of stance, swing and ball strike under the tutelage of our resident golf pro, Andy Rudge,(ET 1997).

Annual Golf Day

The tried and tested formula of competitive golf at B & C Golf Club was followed by dinner in the cricket pavilion, which used to be a sedate affair, but which has morphed into a tumultuous conclusion to a most enjoyable day. Congratulations to the victors ‘Team Rose’ - James Rose, Chris Pople (not in picture), Matt Mann and Nick Cussen seen here sporting the excellent and new (limited edition) OC golf caps, available from the Grubber.

Annual Reunion Leavers 1996-2004

Another joyous occasion saw in excess of 150 OCs return to their alma mater for a day of reflection, celebration and reminiscences, culminating in the usual riotous dinner, with stragglers moving on to Clifton village before retiring after 4.30am ! OCs travelled from as far as Australia, China, South Africa to join in the celebrations.

Breakfast Clubs

The Thursday morning Breakfast Club has now become a regular fixture, proving hugely successful in bringing together OCs and parents (current and past). Recent topics have included:

Are the Arts Dying on TV? - Chris Hunt (NT 1972)

The Society of Merchant Venturers, Monopolies, Myths and Modern Service - Mike Bothamley (ET 1974)

Embarking on a home renovation project – where do you start?Nick Cryer, (former Clifton parent)

Crossing the Atlantic - Tom Foley (ST 2006)

1862 Club

Members are OCs and parents who have indicated that Clifton is a beneficiary under their will. We are indebted to those families whose loved ones have been so generous to the school, together with those members who have chosen to make their gift during their lifetime.

The May lunch in the Cricket Pavilion (hosted by the Head Master) was another lovely occasion, enhanced by a musical interlude from the music scholars.

New York

Jeremy Pickles accompanied the Head Master on a brief trip to the Big Apple, hosting a lovely dinner in the New York Yacht Club on 44th Street, kindly arranged by Graeme McEvoy (SH 1987) and Chair of the CCDT. Over 35 OCs and some partners attended.

Toronto

Richard Musson (OC Branch Secretary, Ontario), SH 1983, reported that a dozen OCs met for Spring Drinks at the Duke of York pub in Toronto on Tuesday the 7th of May.

Featured in the photo, from left to right, are:

Anthony Seaberg (ShH and HaH, 1981)

Stephen Silman (PH, 1967)

Philip Yeandle (BH, 1966)

Ian Markham (BH, 1969)

Richard Le Sueur (DH, 197

New Rowing Crafts

Thanks to the generous donation of OCs, the College has been able to buy five new rowing boats. These new boats are based on a stand-up paddle board and provide a very safe and easy-touse craft.

The new crafts will benefit our pupils as well as be used by young people from across Bristol to try rowing and make the sport more accessible. The College is pleased to be working with Active Row to achieve this, Active Row has launched a schools partnership programme including Oasis Academy Temple Quarter, Blaise High School, Soundwell Academy, Oasis Academy Temple Quarter, Bedminster Down School, Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Oasis Academy Brislington, Oasis Academy John Williams, Bridge Learning Campus, Orchard School and Bristol City Academy.

Jeremy Pickles, Head of Alumni and Community said “Clifton has a strong history of rowing and sailing. In recent years, we have been indebted to the generosity of Old Cliftonians who, (reflecting on happy experiences during their time at Clifton), have donated funds to acquire new rowing and sailing boats, a rib and outboard and Rowsup starter craft to encourage today’s pupils to take up the sport.

Mr Beever, who coaches rowing at the College, said, “I’m incredibly grateful to the Old Cliftonians for their generosity that has allowed us to expand our fleet. These craft not only will enable years 7 and 8 to join the rowing program at the College, but will also allow us to provide more opportunities for pupils and young people across Bristol to get a taste for rowing, and the pleasure of being out on the water as part of a team”.

Two Recent OCs Make Six Nations Squads

18 January 2024

We were delighted to find out that two recent OCs had been included in this year’s Six Nations squads for Wales and England.

Ioan joined Clifton College in 2017 and Immanuel in 2019.

Ioan was captain of the 1st XV rugby team in his Upper Sixth year and also played for both the 1st XI football and cricket teams. Ioan went straight from school into professional rugby with the Bristol Bears, with younger brother Jac closely following in his footsteps.

Immanuel came to Clifton not only to improve his rugby, but also for the academic environment. He was very focused on doing medicine as well as rugby, and during his time at Clifton, teachers and staff ensured both passions were equally nurtured and advanced.

Director of Rugby, Matt Salter said:

“It is wonderful to see two OC’s included in Six Nations squads. We are very proud of both Ioan and Immanuel and all the hard work and effort that they have put in. They were both brilliant pupils on and off the field and we are all very excited that our current pupils who have fledgling dreams of representing their country in any sport can see that, with hard work and application, it may just come true.”

Rugby internationals return to the College

7 May 2024

We were delighted to welcome back two Old Cliftonians to the College for a charitable evening.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (WiH 2021) and Ioan Lloyd (SH 2019), who, since leaving Clifton, have begun exciting careers playing for Exeter Chiefs and the Scarlets respectively, joined us for an evening of chat, skill tests and games.

As part of the Q&A section, Immanuel and Ioan reflected on their experience as regular starters for England and Wales at the last Six Nations Tournament, and how our sports programme gave them a strong foundation to begin their journeys.

All proceeds for the event went to the charity United Through Sport, who deliver structured sports sessions to disadvantaged young people in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Clifton’s travelling rugby squad will be working with them as part of their upcoming tour to Argentina.

Matt Salter, Director of Rugby for the College, said, “The opportunity for our current students and parents to have such a close and intimate evening with two rugby internationals and OCs was truly amazing. The messages that Ioan and Immanuel spoke of were so relevant and gave a lot for our students to reflect upon. I would like to thank both for helping us raise funds for our charity and for joining in and contributing so much to the fun had by all.”

We would like to thank Immanuel and Ioan for giving us their time to come back, and to everyone who joined us in aid of this very worthy cause.

PS: There were in fact 3 Old Cliftonians performing at the Twickenham match as Marienella Phillips (WT 2012) sang the National anthem.

“Our sports programme gave them a strong foundation to begin their journeys.”

How an Old Cliftonian got his name on the cover of over two billion books

Until the recent placing of a plaque on the site of Emmanuel Church, Clifton, it was not widely known or appreciated that Agatha Christie’s first husband was an OC. Archibald Christie was born in India to British parents in 1889 but his father died in 1900 and in 1903 his mother married William Hemsley, an Oxford graduate who was appointed to teach at Clifton in 1904 and was headmaster of the Junior School from 1908 to 1915. So, Archie and his brother Matthew, who was four years younger, were educated at Clifton. Archie was in School House and a keen member of the Clifton army cadet corps. A career in the army beckoned and he emerged as a second lieutenant in 1909, joining the Artillery. At a ball arranged for young officers to meet young ladies from the locality, Archie met Agatha Miller, aged 18, the daughter of a wealthy American who lived in Torquay. Archie was very dashing, Agatha was very beautiful and it was love at first sight and they were engaged in 1913.

They were married at Emmanuel Church, then spent the night at the Grand Hotel Torquay and Christmas Day before Archie was due back at the Front.

Agatha went back to her job as a volunteer nurse, then as a qualified apothecary, where she had acquired an extensive knowledge of poisons. She had also experimented with a murder mystery novel, choosing as her detective someone as unlike Archie as possible – an elderly and fussy little mustachioed Belgian she called Hercule Poirot, who was based on the many Belgian refugees she had encountered in her nursing work in Torquay. She finished this novel, entitled The Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1916.

In 1921 Archie embarked on a ten month world tour of the Empire to publicize the British Empire exhibition Accompanied by Agatha, it gave her first-hand knowledge of many parts of the world which she later used in her novels. The exhibition was a great success; they returned to live in Sunningdale. Archie had become a golf fanatic and he fell for a young golfer ten years his junior called Nancy Neele. He told Agatha he wanted a divorce and she had a nervous breakdown of some sort and famously ‘disappeared’ for ten days at the end of December 1926. The newspapers were convinced that Archie had killed her off, so it was a national sensation until she was discovered to be staying quite safely at a hotel in Harrogate.

The divorce went through in 1928 and Archie married Nancy, to whom he remained faithful until her death in 1957.

Agatha, of course, went on to write a total of 65 novels, 175 short stories and 25 plays. She is far and away the world’s bestselling novelist, with an estimated sale of at least 2.3 billion books (Barbara Cartland is next with a mere 600 million sales). In 1930 she married archaeologist Max Mallowan and became technically Mrs Mallowan and then Lady Mallowan after he was knighted in 1968, and then Dame Agatha in 1971. But she wrote nearly all of her works as Agatha Christie.

Copyright: Derek Winterbottom, September 2024.

Opening of Chellaram Sports Complex

September saw the community opening event to celebrate the completion and official opening of the Chellaram Sports Complex at our Sports Ground.

The project was delivered on time and to budget which is a testament to all concerned.

The Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs Peaches Golding OBE CStJ, and the Lord Mayor of Bristol, along with representatives from the Chellaram Foundation and local community groups, gathered for the official opening.Guests were also given an exclusive tour of the state of the art facilities.

The new Chellaram Sports Complex features a multi-purpose floor that accommodates:

• 3 netball courts

• 3 tennis courts

• 12 badminton courts

• 3 basketball courts

• 10 cricket lanes

Additionally, there is a bouldering wall, an indoor hockey pitch, space for touch rugby and several table tennis areas and bleacher seating for 208 spectators, along with associated facilities such as toilets, changing rooms, equipment storage, and a plant area.

It has been a great journey dating back to 2018 when the Head Master and Jeremy first met Lal Chellaram (OH 1961) at a drinks reception in Hong Kong and we are hugely indebted to his generosity.

Dr Tim Greene, Head of College said, “The Chellaram Sports Complex is a wonderful facility for the College and for the wider community. It provides multiple courts for sports including netball, tennis, basketball and badminton, and has an indoor bouldering wall along with changing room facilities and a reception space. The project was made possible by the hugely generous support of Mr Lal Chellaram, a former pupil of the College, and the Chellaram Foundation.

The sports hall has been designed to have a much-reduced energy consumption, meeting current energy efficiency and sustainability standards including BREEAM Excellent.

Careers & Business

Careers, mentoring and work experience programme

In our last issue, we highlighted our desire to create an effective careers’ advice and mentoring programme.

Careers advice (harnessing the generous advice and guidance of OCs in so many professions and vocations) is such a ‘win win’ scenario in today’s competitive job market, particularly as it is predicted most school leavers will change jobs 4 or 5 times in their lifetime.We have over 7700 OCs in 99 countries around the World and the opportunity to tap into key advice and tips in a chosen career is invaluable and a great prospect for OCs, pupils and indeed their parents.

We are delighted to report the programme is well and truly ‘up and running’ and we are setting out the path for the future of this programme.

Careers Department

The Careers and Higher Education team at Clifton College is a relatively new and exciting development. The team consists of Amy Penney (Head of Careers), Linda Nixon (International Universities Coordinator), and Darcy Tye (Careers and Work Experience Coordinator). All students across-college are able to access professional and impartial advice and guidance about pathways, during and after Clifton, as well as seek further exposure to employers and industries through work experience and insight talks. Increasingly, pupils are looking to pursue university pathways outside of the UK with applications to the US, Europe and Asia, as well as students applying via the Degree Apprenticeship route. Mrs Penney and Mrs Nixon offer individualised application support for students considering these options.

We reintroduced work experience for Year 12 students during the summer term 2024. The students are encouraged to secure their own work placement alongside offering them 1:1 support with Miss Tye. We have been able to form and connect with employers in and around the Bristol area, to make links through the community and secure future outreach collaboration. This has also included further collaboration with our OC network.

Most students across the year group were able to secure physical work placements in top industry areas of Medicine, Law, Engineering and Finance. Those students that remained in school took part in Enterprise activities hosted by the higher education institute of Glion and Les Roches, as well as accessing virtual work experience through Springpod.

We are delighted to have received positive feedback from all parties, with some pupils even continuing to access further placements over the summer break, as well as on their return into Year 13.

Linda Nixon (International Universities Coordinator~left), Amy Penney (Head of Careers~middle), & Darcy Tye (Careers and Work Experience Coordinator~right)

Feedback:

“Just thought I’d pass a quick note on in relation to the work experience and what a great initiative it proved to be. Harrison thoroughly enjoyed his three days with Temple Bright and it’s given him plenty to consider going forward. They have also provided great feedback to us on him and offered open channels for advice and guidance going forward.” – Parent

“Alice worked to an extremely professional and high level. She completed tasks well and with little supervision.” – Employer

“I just wanted to thank everyone for the amazing work experience I have had. It was truly a learning experience for me, especially about how things work in a large organisation and it has helped me learn a lot about the processes and practices within a business, which ultimately will apply to any other small or large organisation I might encounter in the future.” – Pupil

We would like to extend a huge thank you to all the organisations who welcomed our pupils for a valuable and insightful placement, and of course to our wonderful careers department for making it all possible!

Prestigious Dyson Degree Apprenticeship

Joshua Cuesta (ET) secured a place on the very competitive Dyson Degree Apprenticeship Programme, studying, at the same time as working, for a Masters in Engineering. The selection process includes several rounds of both online -and onsite- assessment and interviews, including problem-solving and technical tasks, with offers to successful candidates, which are conditional on grade thresholds. Degree apprenticeships offer an alternative route to studying for degrees at universities, the benefits of which include no student debt and a salary from Day 1, as well as incredible opportunities for workplace experience and career opportunities, after qualifying. Apprentices at Dyson are given onsite accommodation at the site in Malmesbury in Year One and live off site in subsequent years, in the same way that many students do at university; a full social programme, as well as the opportunity to join many clubs/societies, is also offered.

Joshua comments, ‘I feel so lucky to have been given this opportunity and am grateful to all that Clifton - as well as my family- gave to me to help me achieve this. The Careers’ advice at school was excellent and a particular thanks to Mrs Penney, who pointed me in the direction of the apprenticeship in the first place! It is very exciting to be learning from such experienced professionals and I am so looking forward to studying and working at Dyson’.

“Alice worked to an extremely professional and high level.”

Brian Worthington in Conversation with Tim Sullivan, 2nd March 2024

We were thrilled to welcome Tim Sullivan OC (WiH 1975), film director, screenwriter and best-selling author, to the Percival Library for a special live broadcast discussion with Brian Worthington. Brian was Head of English and taught at Clifton for over 30 years; Tim’s 2023 novel The Monk is dedicated to his former teacher who inspired Tim when he was at Clifton, and who showed confidence in Tim’s ability ‘before anyone else’. The event was organised by the Old Cliftonian Society as part of their careers programme. Over 100 people from 14 different countries watched online and a lucky few, including the Clifton College Creative Writing Group and our A Level English students, attended in person.

A free-flowing and fascinating discussion began with a reflection on a young Tim’s hopes and aspirations whilst at Clifton and later at Cambridge, and his love of and passion for the arts, rather than a career in law, which was championed by his father. When considering creativity and writing, Tim observed that “reading just shows you what’s possible” and

talked eloquently about the importance of writing in your own voice, practising your craft, taking on board feedback, and being brave enough to fail.

Tim worked has on some amazing and varied projects in the film and TV industry (The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, Jack & Sarah, My Little Pony: A New Generation, to name but a few), but chose to make the move to writing fiction, which has taken the form of the acclaimed DS Cross detective series, set in Bristol. Tim explained that he had always wanted to write a novel, had a great character in mind, and so decided to give it a go. He talked about his research into Autism Spectrum Condition, which helped to shape the character of George Cross, whose passion is the pursuit of justice and making things right. Of course, Tim’s protagonist is also inspired by the great literary detectives who came before, including Auguste Dupin, Sherlock Holmes and Poirot.

Tim spoke of his fond memories of Clifton College despite his academic career ending on a slightly sour note, though one that makes a great story and which he now terms his ‘glamorous exit.’ During his Oxbridge term in Wiseman’s House, Tim was often up studying until 2.00am. Having a study close to a fire escape gave him the perfect opportunity to help his friends out by letting them in after they’d been to the pub, eventually leading to his being caught and thrown out for being a “bad influence on the House.” A later altercation with the Marshal cemented his fate. Luckily for us, Tim didn’t hold a grudge and seemed happy to return to his old stomping ground!

Clearly inspired by Tim and Brian’s discussion, questions from pupils ranged from Tim’s stylistic influences and the difference between writing scripts and novels, to advice for aspiring film directors. Tim spoke passionately about the importance of creating great characters, the freedom to be more tangential when writing novels, and the inherently episodic nature of film and TV. He suggested that short films are the key to getting noticed in the film industry, especially if you have a unique idea and manage to get your work out into the world.

If you missed out on this wonderfully engaging event, there is still an opportunity to catch up with this interview online.

Link: https://spirolux.co.uk/ cliftoncollegestreaming/

Password: CCJP1862

“A free-flowing and fascinating discussion began with a reflection on a young Tim’s hopes and aspirations whilst at Clifton and later at Cambridge.”

Nicky Chinn OC songwriter to the stars, June 2024

In the second broadcast from the Arts chapter in our Careers and Mentoring initiative, we were delighted to welcome back to Clifton OC Nicky Chinn (PH 1962). His is a remarkable story. Leaving Clifton early (due to being diagnosed with severe mental depression), Nicky overcame all adversity to forge a songwriting career with his writing partner Mike Chapman, becoming legendary songwriters to the stars and triple Novello Awardwinners. He gave a fascinating evening of reminiscence and revelation, encompassing bands from The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Smokie,Tony Basil, Exile to Tina Turner and Mud’s 1974 Christmas number one.

It was a truly inspiring evening for our budding song-writing pupils and OCs who tuned in from around the world. If you missed the broadcast, then:

Link: https://spirolux.co.uk/inconversation-with-nicky-chinn/

Password: CCJP1862

Legal Services, London April 2024

Thank you to Ella Leonard (OH 1988), Partner of law firm Fladgate and Council Member of the College for hosting our Legal Careers’ event at their offices in Holborn, Londo. Thank you also to Duncan Lidgitt (ST 2002), General Counsel at Muzinich & Co, Tamsin Davies (WT 2011) , Associate at Morrison & Foerster and Simon Orton (PH 1988), Partner of Freshfields for sharing their career experiences in each of their unique disciplines of law.

Pre-discussion drinks were followed by a rich and varied presentation from each of the panelists and, as a collective, about their routes into the profession, the options and choices they had and the elements of the work they most enjoyed and were drawn to. Very little was left unexplored. Topics ranged from the differences between in-house and advisory, the variety of legal disciplines, from litigation to real estate, big tech to charity, compensation to work/life balance and much more besides.

Questions were posed by the broad range of under and post-graduate and fellow lawyer OCs that had come along to enjoy the drinks, nibbles, views across London and of the panelists themselves. More drinks ensued with ever more lively conversation until, ultimately, we were all encouraged to leave to allow the rooms to be prepared for the next day’s events.

We are particularly thankful to Tamsin who saw the immense value of such an initiative and volunteered to support the Legal Chapter over the next period. Watch this space for more information, updates and events. Thank you also to those that attended and made it the interactive event that it became and for the ideas for subsequent chapters and career activities.

Investment Management

Hosted in the impressive offices of Evelyn Partners, in the heart of the City of London, the Old Cliftonian Society was proud to host the first of its careers events outside of Bristol, setting the tone for many more planned for the future.

Bringing current students, OCs and Clifton parents together, we are seeking to unlock the collective value networks can bring to bear on people looking to start, continue, improve or give something back to particular career choices.

This event was focused on Investment Management with distinguished speakers Stephen Zimmerman and Ben Britz giving their perspective on the industry, its mechanics, trends and career opportunities. The individual presentations quickly turned to a lively exchange of ideas, questions across the 55 participants, on topics ranging from the best post graduate courses, the pros and cons of degrees versus apprenticeships, interview techniques, training and experiences considered most desirable. The enthusiasm in the room was infectious and the participation energising.

Digital Futures: Opportunities in Technology

On 5th March, Ed Greig (WaH) 2003, Chief Disruptor at Deloitte Digital, was kind enough to be able to host the Digital Futures: Opportunities in Technology event at the Deloitte Digital studio in London on 5th March. This was the third in a series of industry and careers events run by the OC Society to help in their mission to support Old Cliftonians on every step of their journey. There was a fantastic panel who were able to take the audience through the varied journeys they had had through the technology industry, followed by a lively Q&A and discussion, including why being drawn on by children can help you get ahead to the role of artificial intelligence in recruitment.

Now we have formed the nucleus of the community, we aim to encourage internships, mentoring, interviews and CV assistance, share news about job opportunities and industry insight. We hope this is the start of an active and productive group.

Thank you to our hosts, guest speakers, and the OC team for pulling it all together to make such a successful inaugural event. If you’re interested in the sector – then let Lucy Nash know and we’ll get you into the community.

The panel consisted of:

Katie Wray, Operations Director at CACI UK

Rochelle Thompson, Strategic Management Consultant at Deloitte

Thomas Ffiske, Editor at the Immersive Wire and Global Thought Leadership Strategist at Accenture Song

Julia Kleinsteuber-Walker, Vice President of Talent and People at the social media platform BeReal

Callum Paine, Senior Solution Specialist at Microsoft

Being a tech event, the transcript of our discussion was run through ChatGPT and it was asked to pick out the ten top points based on what was covered. This, with some light human editing, is what it suggested:

1. Growth Mindset and Pushing Boundaries

The importance of demonstrating a growth mindset and being comfortable in uncomfortable situations was discussed. It was emphasised that being upfront about lacking certain capabilities but showing the willingness to learn, can be a valuable approach in career pursuits. While experience in the industry is beneficial, being open to learning from clients and admitting when one doesn’t know something is crucial.

2. Job Descriptions and Application Trends

Job descriptions were discussed as a tool to filter applicants, with insights into the tendency for women to apply only if they meet 100% of prerequisites, whereas men might apply with only

40%. The conversation also touched on the importance of encouraging girls at a young age to see the value in technical challenges, dispelling stereotypes, and showcasing the variety of roles available within the tech industry. The use of AI to filter job descriptions for diversity and inclusion was mentioned and Google was highlighted as a company avoiding specifying the number of years of experience required.

3. Recruitment and CV Tips for Fresh Graduates

Julia provided valuable insights for fresh graduates navigating the job application process. She suggested keeping resumes concise (ideally under two pages), focusing on key achievements and projects rather than generic job descriptions, and investing time in crafting personalised cover letters as these, while time-intensive, can showcase personality and make a candidate stand out.

The significance of networking on LinkedIn was underscored, encouraging candidates to engage with recruiters, share insights, and even personalise connection requests. This proactive approach can help candidates establish a connection and potentially stand out during the application process.

4. Soft Skills in Technology

The value of soft (or human) skills, often considered challenging to find, was discussed. The dynamic nature of many tech roles, requiring adaptability and problem-solving, was highlighted, and the importance of gaining experience that pushes individuals out of their comfort zones was emphasised. Focusing on both “faking it till you make it” and “coming as you are”, it was stressed that balance is crucial in presenting oneself authentically while also showcasing confidence.

5. Passion and Creativity in Technology

Personal passion and creativity were recognized as driving forces in the tech industry, with a recommendation to focus on the problems that genuinely inspire and excite individuals. The need to balance passion with practical considerations, such as hidden user needs, was emphasised.

6. Keeping Up with Technology

Different panellists suggested various methods for staying updated on technology trends, such as podcasts, newsletters, and social media channels, with a focus on something that you enjoy, so it can sustainably become part of your routine.

7. Falling in Love with the Problem, not with the Solution

Especially in the face of rapid technological change, it was stressed that, rather than being fixated on a specific solution, being focused on falling in love with the problem at hand was desirable. Jobs are a means to an end, and understanding the core issues is crucial for finding effective solutions.

8. Concerns and Challenges

An open discussion on personal concerns and challenges in the industry was touched upon. The unpredictable nature of the tech industry, with factors like layoffs and market fluctuations, was identified as a source of anxiety. The advice given was to focus on controlling what is within one’s control and developing resilience to navigate unforeseen challenges.

9.

AI’s Impact on Jobs:

The panellists discussed the dual perspective on AI in the workplace. On one hand, there’s concern about job displacement due to automation, as seen in the example of Klarna replacing customer support roles with ChatGPT. On the other hand, AI was recognized for its potential to enhance efficiency and provide relevant data to users.

The challenges of implementing AI were highlighted, noting that many companies face difficulties in aligning their technical and cultural aspects to fully leverage AI solutions. The discussion emphasised the importance of organisational culture and strategy in navigating the impact of AI on business operations.

10. A Positive Vision

Society needs to collectively figure out what the end goal is and what “good” looks like. With potential changes in job structures and value creation, having a positive vision for the future is essential to avoid defaulting into a dystopian scenario.

A massive thank you to the panellists and all those who attended, asking probing and thoughtful questions, making for a fascinating discussion. We look forward to seeing you at the next event.

Sport

OC Football

Old Cliftonians’ Football Clubs’ season 2023/24 built well on a tricky previous campaign. Far from last season’s ‘do or die’ final game of the season to stay in Division 2, OCFC’s 23/24 campaign began well and although there was a mid-season stumble, we ended on a high, scoring 15 goals in our last 5 games and finishing a respectable joint 5th. We opened the campaign with a 3-3 draw, unluckily conceding a last minute equalising penalty but then went on to win two out of our next three games, including knocking out higher ranked opposition away at Bradley Stoke Town in the GFA Cup - OC Isaac Greenbury getting the winner. After an epic 3-3 draw in the GFA Cup, again against a higher ranked team in the shape of Woodlands (Bristol), OCFC sadly went out on penalties. Leading 3-1 in game proved to be a mystifying score line for the lads in 23/24, with the team going onto draw or lose despite getting ahead by that score-line, on three separate occasions! Mid-season proved very tricky, with bad weather calling off a lot of games on The Downs and not letting the team get a run of matches or a settled team together. However, in the new year, results and the weather improved, as new signings and a more settled squad began to flourish. A 5-0 win on a sunny final day in May was a good send off before the summer. We kept fit

across June/July by playing in the Clifton College Sports Ground 8-a-side league, again finishing mid-table.

Throughout the season, the team was again represented by a good contingent of Clifton College alumni, ranging from a debut by Toby Weale to Josh Sutherland and Rob Fairbrother making their respective 187th and 161st appearances! Louie Shaw was again a winner of End of Season silverware, picking up Most Assists and Isaac Greenbury was just pipped on the final day for Top Scorer by Connor Butler. Goal of the Season was uncontested by OC Tom Hargan. While on a break from his rugby, Tom chipped in with an exquisite

back-heeled winner from a Louie Shaw corner in a game in November (check out our Instagram page for footage!). All in all, we were represented by 13 different OC’s last season and we continue to maintain a link with the school as much as we can. For any new enquiries from OC’s staying in Bristol after A-Levels or returning OC’s from university, I encourage any footballers to get in touch. The club enjoys a good reputation within the Bristol Downs League and has a diverse mix of players from all backgrounds and ages. Anyone wishing to play can get in touch via email (oldcliftoniansfc@gmail.com) / social media (@oldcliftonians.fc) / the Old Cliftonian Society.

OC Golf

2024 has been an exciting year for both OC golf and golf at the school. The OCGS welcomed several new members this year and continues to grow.

This year marked the centenary of the Halford Hewitt competition. There were various events to celebrate this milestone, including a centenary dinner in January, a very well attended cocktail party and the display of all 64 School flags along the road outside the clubhouse at Royal Cinque Ports GC during the tournament. The Clifton flag was larger than most! We welcomed two debutants this year in Harry Kennedy and Nick Allen and also had the privilege of the current Royal St Georges Captain, David Rowe, playing for us in his 42nd Hewitt. Clifton were drawn against Framlingham at Royal St George’s in the first round. After a very hard fought game, sadly, Clifton lost the deciding match on the

18th hole, losing 3 games to 2. Nick and Harry played together and notched up their first win: well done. We proceeded to the Plate at Princes GC and had a good run, winning against Mill Hill in round one and narrowly losing in round 2, to Whitgift on the first extra hole of the deciding match.

The Grafton Morrish is played at Hunstanton and Brancaster at the end of September and we had a successful and exciting run to the quarter final before losing to the eventual winners, Loretto. In the first round, Andy Rudge and Chris Dale went 1 down after 16 and came back to win on the last. Chris Carney and Jack Mann were 5 down at the turn, but won 7 in a row to win 2/1. The second match against Malvern was eventful and a mixture of skill and error by both sides, finishing with Malvern hitting into a bunker on the last; needing 3 to win, they left it in the bunker and then missed the putt.

The first day was as hard a match as we have played in for almost 20 years in a total gale, 35 mph, gusting 50. Next day, though, was totally calm. Chris and Jack won again 2/1 and Andy and Chris were cruising 3 up with 3; it was all square down to the last where both teams hit good shots but 3 putts by Tonbridge got us through.

Loretto are an amazing side. Andy and Chris won 2/1 making a 3 on 17 but we lost the other two games. It was great to have a run though. Loretto had a big scare in the previous round going to extra holes and, if they had lost, I think we would have had a great chance to win the whole thing. It was great fun and with the young crew coming through, the future looks exciting.

The Edward Harris Cup is played at Porthcawl, also in September. Having won this in 2022, in typical Welsh weather, pouring rain, this year it was played on a beautiful day. We had a good stab at winning, coming third by just three shots.

The Bernard Darwin Competition was played in July and we can report that the OCGS had a good if unsuccessful day. We lost to Radley in the first round with Tony Taylor and Stephan Lapage losing narrowly whilst the other two foursomes battled hard but lost 3/2 and 4/3. In the afternoon, we came 4 out of 8 with Tony and Stephen again playing well.

Old Cliftonians v Old Rugbians took place in May. On a windy and, at first, wet morning at Burnham & Berrow, 5 OCs took on 6 ORs. Brothers Chris and David Pople set us up by winning their foursomes match, while Robert Skinner played a valiant single against 2 ORs, and emerged with a very laudable ½. Alasdair MacLean and Geoff Clements brought up the rear, and managed to win the last to square the game. Clifton thus retained the trophy for another year.

Old Cliftonians v Colonials. 8 OCs enjoyed a very sociable encounter at Exeter Golf and Country Club on Aug 28 against The Colonials G C. Daivid Clymo and Nick Bailey triumphed in their match, but the remaining team, Geoff Clements, Patrick Wood, Bruce Lang, John Woodgate, David Elliott and Alasdair Maclean were beaten, allowing the hosts to retain the trophy. The course was in excellent condition, and we had a sumptuous dinner afterwards, with very convivial companions, so a good day was had by all.

Everyone had a wonderful day at our annual OCGS Berkshire Day in early September. The weather was pleasant and the turnout high. Congratulations to Cup winners Andy Heywood, Ben Lockwood and Chris Baker. Well done too to our Clifton pupils for coming and joining usbefore term even started!

“Alasdair MacLean and Geoff Clements brought up the rear, and managed to win the last to square the game. Clifton thus retained the trophy for another year.”

Ryan Bresnahan

CC vs Millfield

Rugby Match

The pinnacle of many pupils’ rugby season would be the selection into their team to play in the Ryan Bresnahan memorial match on 26th September, 2023.

The Clifton A teams set the tone with each of their matches, showing how challenging and closely matched the oppositions were.

The first XV match did not disappoint; there was a superb performance from the Millfield team which set the pace and had Clifton chasing for most of the game. Opportunities for Clifton to get into the Millfield half were limited but the boys were efficient and always came away with a score. It was a game of tension, pressure and adversity and this meant all the Clifton players had to dig deep to find the energy to create the final play.

It was the 70th minute and Clifton still trailed, with movements of brilliant athleticism which did enough for the final play to create an opportunity and the boys finished with a truly magical score.

The evening was full of excitement and another outstanding spectacle of sport and apt finish, all in memory of Ryan Bresnahan.

Ryan Bresnahan CC v OC Hockey Match

The Ryan Bresnahan hockey match has been a longstanding tradition since the tragic passing of Ryan in 2010.

Ryan was an extremely talented hockey player, and the game was set up in his honour and is contested between the Clifton College XI and the OCs.

Many of the OCs taking part played with Ryan at school and come back every year to play in this match.

After a strong performance from both sides, the OCs took the win: congratulations! Until next year…

Real Tennis and Rackets

OCs have been heavily involved in real tennis in the current season.

Schools’ Alumni Tournaments kicked off in October 2023 with the Henry Leaf Real Tennis Tournament. Jonny Whitaker (ET 2012) and Henry Lidington (ST 2015) represented Clifton.They beat Wellington in the quarter-finals but lost to a strong Eton pair in the semi -finals who went onto win the competition. Congratulations to Jonny Whitaker for taking on the organisation of the Henry Leaf Competition in addition to his role as Captain of Tennis at the Queens Club .

On the club scene, OCs and those with a strong connection to the College, have been active in playing for their clubs in two of the major T & RA competitions: The Pol Roger and The Brodie competitions. On the 3rd of March, Jonnie Whitaker and Henry Mullan represented Queens in the finals of the Pol Roger against Seacourt; the latter won the day, with Queens being defeated 3/2. It was a huge achievement to reach the finals and commiserations to Jonny and Henry for not taking the trophy for the third year in a row for Queens.

In the Brodie Cup, also played on the 3rd March at the Hyde, near Bridport in Dorset, Bristol came up against a strong Radley side in the finals In the end, Radley proved too powerful, with Bristol going down 1/4. Bristol were represented by the OCs Jon Eltringham (HaH Pre 1993 ) and Bruce Newman ( WaH 1992 ), the students at the college, Archie Campbell and Elliot Walters, both in Moberley’s and Reggie Williams, the college’s rackets’ professional.

LTCC (Leamington Tennis Court Club) vs Old Cliftonians – 10th March 2024. Real Tennis

This day saw Leamington host a travelling Old Cliftonians side, with 5 matches deciding the outcome of the day.

First up was Leamington’s Nick Jamieson and Stuart Andrews, taking on Clifton’s Henry Lidington (ST 2017) and Ben Andrews (WaH 2000). Henry and Ben started strongly, winning the first set 6/3, Henry proving a very strong doubles player, being particularly impressive with his volleying. Nick and Stuart rallied in the second set, taking this one 6/4, before losing the third, 6/3. Nick and Henry stayed

on court for a singles match, Nick took the first set in tight fashion, 6/5, before an incredibly comfortable second set saw him take the win.

Ben Andrews changed allegiances for the next match, stepping up for LTCC, taking on Luke Sutor (SH 2022) - on paper, the closest match of the day. Unfortunately for Ben, it wasn’t to be, Luke playing far beyond his suggested 40 handicap, winning 6/1, 6/2 to regain the advantage for OC’s. Next, James Holden and Alastair Robson took on Luke Sutor and Miles Buckinghamshire. Luke showed his prowess here, winning the match for OC’s, 6/1, 6/1 meaning that the Old Cliftonians took an unassailable 3/1 lead on the day.To wrap up the day, we’d saved the best ‘til last, James Holden taking on Stuart Andrews. This was a real nip and tuck affair, James managing to hold on in the second set, before taking the momentum into the deciding final set, winning overall 4/6, 6/5, 6/4 in a great match.

There are some changes in OCs involved with OC real tennis . Brian Muir ( ET 1978) of Prested Hall is taking over from Jonny Whitaker as OC Real Tennis Representative and at the same time will be taking over Miles Buckinghamshire’s( OH 1963) role in organising OC matches against real tennis clubs . Thank you to Brian for taking on this role and thank you to Jonny for carrying the flag for OC Real Tennis at Queens and within the T & RA.

Lea Van Der Zwalmen (WT 2015)

On the international scene, Lea Van Der Zwalmen (WT 2015), a standout player in both rackets and real tennis, had another remarkable season . She kicked off the season by finishing as the runner-up in both the Ladies French Open Singles and Doubles. Despite another loss to the formidable Claire Fahey, Lea delivered an outstanding performance in the first set, capitalising on a slow start from Claire to reach set point. However, Claire demonstrated why she has remained undefeated since 2009, staging an incredible comeback to win 6/5, 6/2.

Lea then made history by reaching the final of the French Gold Racquet, France’s most prestigious singles amateur event, becoming the first woman to do so for a third time. Her journey then took her to Australia for the first time in January, where she competed in three real tennis tournaments in Melbourne and Hobart. Lea excelled in these events, leading the Rest of the World Team to victory in the Ladies Bathurst Cup with convincing wins in both singles and doubles. She also played in the Australian Ladies Open, where she faced Claire again in a challenging final. Despite the scoreline, Lea gained valuable experience. Lea was the only woman to enter the Australian Amateur Championships, and she was thrilled to qualify for the quarterfinals and face number one seed Kieran Booth. Her experience in Australia was so rewarding that she plans to return in January 2025 for more tennis action.

The season continued with rackets in May, as Lea aimed to defend her world singles title at the Queen’s Club, a challenge she has undertaken every two years since 2015. Since moving to Bordeaux in September 2020, Lea has had limited opportunities to play rackets, typically arriving just a few days before competitions. This year was no exception, and she faced a strong field of challengers, including Claire Fahey, who advanced through two qualifying matches.

The final match pitted Lea against Claire on the rackets court for the first time since Lea defeated Claire 3/1 in the inaugural Ladies Rackets Singles World Championships back in May 2015. Claire, who had been training hard discreetly at Radley College, started strong and took a convincing two-set lead. Lea, though lacking match practice, showed flashes of brilliance with her shots and angles. However, Claire seemed determined to claim the title. Then, the unexpected happened. At the beginning of the third set, something shifted. Lea appeared a bit deflated, but the incredible crowd support inspired her. With the encouragement of the fans, she found a new rhythm and began hitting more winning shots, causing Claire to tense up. Despite being down 12-8 in the third set, Lea managed to turn things around with a few lucky angles and the support of the crowd. She won the third set and continued her comeback by securing the fourth set, tying the match at 2-2. The fifth set was intensely competitive, with Lea gaining strength as the match progressed. The score was tied at 13 all when Lea delivered her five best serves of the match, closing out the final set 5-0. Lea’s comeback from two sets down to win the title is considered one of the greatest in women’s rackets history. Nearly a decade after first winning the title as a schoolgirl at Clifton, Lea retains her world championship status.

The rest of the season was dedicated to real tennis, with numerous competitive matches in Bordeaux and across France. When Lea is not travelling the world for rackets or real tennis, she enjoys playing squash, padel, and even pickleball for fun, all while juggling a full-time job as an IT project manager and serving as the chairwoman of the Bordeaux Real Tennis Club. If you haven’t played on the new Bordeaux real tennis court yet, feel free to contact Lea directly.

Cuttermull Cup 2024 - Real Tennis

Wednesday, 8 May 2024

Our team this year was Nick Esses (PH 1979) and Harry Swindon (SH 2014) who had won the cup previously for Clifton in 2022. Clifton made it through to the knockout 2nd phase on the Sunday, having beaten Highgate and Haileybury but lost to Winchester in a cliff hanger 6-5. In the quarter finals, we were narrowly beaten by Marlborough 8-7.

BRTC (Bristol Real Tennis Club) V

The Old Cliftonians - Real Tennis Sunday 26th May 2024

In a quiet little village in Abbots Leigh in North Somerset, there lies an unassuming rectangular building which the little BRTC gnomes call home.

On Sunday 26th May, under greying skies, this peaceful place came under siege from what I can only describe as a dastardly traitorous bunch of fiends who, at other times, call themselves members.

Others describe it as the annual BRTC v Old Cliftonians fixture.

THE PLAYERS THE TRAITORS

Guy Rawstorne Henry Lidington

Janine Mendham Peter Ashmead

Gary Mendham Miles Buckinghamshire

Elliott Watkins John Grice

Giles Watkins Tim Meunier

As the melodic sounds drifted across from the festival at Ashton Court, battle commenced with a fantastic match between Guy Rawstorne and current Club Champion Henry Lidington.

The Drum and Bass from the ‘Love Saves The Day’ festival was a fair soundtrack to the furious tennis between these two. However, love was definitely not saving the day.

4/6 6/3 meant a third set.With Guy 4/3 up in the decider, Henry, the traitor, used some very underhand tactics and drilled a forehand across court into the Hazard First Gallery and demolished Guy’s water bottle. It was clearly deliberate and very ‘UnCliftonian’ in my opinion. This obviously unsettled Guy and diminished his ability to rehydrate. So 5/5, 40 all in the decider, it was…..with Henry trying to beat better than 6. A long rally ensued, and Guy will rue his chance to leave a ball that would have won him the match….instead, the traitor was victorious.

Well played both – especially Guy…

Then and Now

History at Clifton: the 1980s-2000s

Peter Lidington: History Department 1988 - 2020, Head of Department 1994 - 2009 remembers:

History has always been a subject at the core of the Clifton curriculum. The original Victorian buildings of Big School, the Chapel, the Percival Library and School House have always contributed to the significance of History - of the College itself but also of an understanding of events and developments in the past. If you add to this the names of some of the alumni, who have made important contributions to our nation’s history, such as Francis Younghusband, Douglas Haig and William Birdwood, the legacy and endurance of History at Clifton is something that is very important.

In 1988, when I was appointed to Clifton, it was a department that was highly respected, experienced and successful. Derek Winterbottom was the Head of Department with David Goodland (the Deputy Headmaster who was retiring), Richard Bland and John Barrett, both of whom were or had been Housemasters, and a ‘youngish’ Charlie Colquhoun. It was also a department that was somewhat ‘traditional’. The new GCSE courses were just beginning and I know that my colleagues were fairly uncomfortable with the move away from ‘O’ Level and

the greater emphasis on skills rather than knowledge that the GCSE required. Add to that, teaching techniques were also very traditional. The U6th class that I took over had never been treated to the joys and benefits of a video lessonthat changed over the next two decades with the introduction of whiteboards (albeit non-interactive then) audiovisual equipment in each classroom and my reputation as the ‘Blackadder King’ for those between Years 9 and 11. The A Level results, though, had been and would continue to be very good, with many pupils going on to study History at university.

The years from 1988 to 1994 saw a huge change within the department with the arrival of Adam Sibley (from Sevenoaks) in 1991 and then Simon Tait (from the Navy Education Department) in 1994 which coincided with Derek Winterbottom’s ‘retirement’ back to the Isle of Man and his book writing. The department took on a totally new outlook. There were now four men, aged between their late 20’s and mid 30’s - all of who were involved in major sports in all 3 terms of the yearand, in the ensuing years, Charlie, Adam and Simon also became Housemasters while I became a Senior Team Leader and then Principal Examiner for OCR and CIE GCSE/IGCSE History.

The siting of the department also changed over the years. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, the classrooms were in the Coulson Centre but, in 2000, they were moved to Rooms 8 - 11 in the Cloisters, with the addition of Room 21 at the top of the Wilson Tower, with its spectacular view across the Zoo. The move to the Cloisters brought the department back to the centre and the history of the College, with commemorative boards on some of the classroom walls.

“It was a department that was highly respected, experienced and successful.”

The changed regime brought about an expansion in the variety of courses at A level and the number of pupils opting to study History, at both GCSE and A Level, also increased. At A Level, British courses now included the Tudors and Stuarts, an 18th and 19th Century course and a ‘modern’ 20th Century course, while the European/World front courses ranged from the Crusades to 15th - 17th Century European History, to Germany and Russia in the 19th and 20th Centuries, along with an American History course. At GCSE Level, a more recent move was to transfer to the Cambridge IGCSE in order to preserve the Modern World History course that had become so successful since the 1990’s.

Between 1994 and 2006 the Department remained unchanged, in terms of fulltime teachers, but with the addition of a couple of fabulous retired ‘part-timers’ - Bill Crawford and Tim Eustace - each of whom brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to the teaching of the classes that they took on. Then, in 2006 the first female member of the Department, Clare Smith, was appointed in a full-time capacity to replace those part-timers.

2008 was to prove to be a pivotal year. The tragic passing of Charlie Colquhoun opened-up an opportunity for Mark Moore to inject new blood into the Department. Nick Mills (from Charterhouse) was appointed as a new Head of Department and I was asked to form a new Politics Department while still continuing to teach History as half of my timetable. Further changes then followed with the appointment of Suzanne Spencer, on a part-time basis and Helen Skatun (from the Art Department) also helping with Y9 teaching. Then Anne Sim (now Anne John) was brought in, who went on to

succeed Nick Mills as Head of Department when he was appointed Housemaster of East Town. She has since been succeeded by Sinead Lynch, who came from Cheltenham Ladies College. Richard Hooper, previously Head of History at King’s Canterbury, joined the Department in a part-time capacity, for a number of years, while Becky Davies also joined the Department, in 2018, from King Edward’s School, Bath, to teach both History and Politics - she is now a Deputy Head at Bristol Grammar School.

Beyond the classroom, one of the most important developments, from the 1990’s onwards, was the annual Battlefields trip to France and Belgium for Y9/ Y10. This was ‘driven’ by Adam Sibley and was an experience that Simon Tait, Charlie Colquhoun, Anne John, myself and other staff members from other departments always enjoyed, especially Sarah Clarke, David Spence, Michelle Harris, Jon Hughes and John Owen. The opportunity that this trip provided for students to visit sites and understand the history of the First World War is something that will be with them forever; so many have commented about this over the ensuing years, as have their parents. The trips to Berlin, in association with the German Department, should also not be forgotten. Again, Adam was largely responsible for these, alongside Owen Lewis from the Languages Department. The regular History Society meetings remain a further indicator of the popularity and relevance of the subject.

As a department, the results at GCSE/ IGCSE/A Level have been very good over, at least, the last 35 years. Many students have achieved results beyond what would have been expected, or hoped for. There is, though, now a new regime in charge - Adam Sibley and myself have already retired and Simon Tait is going part-time with a view to retiring soon. However, I have no doubt that the History Department will continue to move forward, both in terms of development and results, over the coming years.

Tall Tales from the Battlefields Trip

Adam Sibley: Department 19912020, Joint Head of Department 1994 - 1996 remembers:

Walking through the Memorial Arch every morning and past the statue of Haig, it seemed incredible that the History Department didn’t make more of its First World War heritage. While teaching at Sevenoaks School in Kent, I had helped to start a battlefields trip thereobviously much more convenient for a hop across the Channel - and brought the template with me: a day in and around the Ypres Salient and a day exploring the Somme battlefield and, on the years we were feeling particularly adventurous, an extra day travelling down to Verdun. And so it began. The first year it was all a bit last minute with the organisation as Peter Lidington and I decided rather late that we should go and the only hostel available was on the coast and some distance from Ypres. Thereafter, we managed to book closer to the action with a roster of regular hostels: De Lork in Kemmel, Johan in Kortricht, Hotel Munchenhof in Langemark and our favourite, Dieter at De Lep, in Ypres itself and within walking distance from the Menin Gate and the main square. That first year Pete and I were also joined by Sarah Clarke, thereafter becoming an ever present on the trip armed with

her wet wipes and boiled sweets. It was certainly a feature that, over the years, we had a very loyal core of staff who were happy to come every year.

A couple of years after we started the trip, Simon Tait joined the History Department. Simon shared my interest for all things to do with the First World War and the trip became a regular and important aspect of the department year.

Over the years, we built up various Clifton connections that we could weave into our battlefield tours. For example, the Wiseman’s house cricket team from 1913, five of whom were buried in the Ypres Salient with names recorded on the Menin Gate or in various cemeteries dotted about including the housemaster

Henry Clissold. No visit to the Somme battlefield would be complete without a visit to the Devonshire Cemetery and the grave of Geoffrey Tregelles, a NorthTown boy, along with a moving reading of Into Action by Noel Hodgson, also killed on the first day of the battle and buried in the cemetery. Over the years, there were many other Clifton connections and also personal histories that students brought with them. Indeed, one of the highlights of any trip would be visits to sometimes very out of the way places off the beaten track in pursuit of these stories. In later years, we also took part in the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate with students laying a wreath in memory of the Old Cliftonians who fought and died here, often in front of a large crowd.

On one memorable occasion, we even provided a piper. The brass plaque with the inscription from our own Mem Arch in St George’s Memorial Church in Ypres was also organised by us and dedicated in a service on one of our trips.

Of course, the trips were also great fun: the fact that the same staff kept coming year after year suggests that it wasn’t just the students that enjoyed themselves!

In the days before health and safety took over, trips were always slightly anarchic, in the nicest possible way, with

the pattern being set right from the very first trip. My neighbour, who had two children who went on the trip at different times, always roared with laughter as he called it the ‘Bottlefields Trip’. And certainly when Pete, Simon, Sarah and I get together to reminisce, there is plenty of laughter. So, no names and dates but you know who you are …….. The boys trapped in the cellar of the bar in Kemmel, having run off, leaving full glasses of beer, when Simon and I came in. The boy (was it always boys?) on the window ledge two stories high

in Kortricht trying to avoid the corridor vigil and reach another room; the early evening in Bruges where we decided to let the students out into the main square for a hour - what could possibly go wrong …. The live chickens bought in the Ypres Market and brought onto the coach; confiscations too many to mention of contraband in clanking bags smuggled onto the coach or hostel, or how about the time we turned up for the first time at the hotel in Langemarck to find it had a topless disco bar attached…

Then and Now

The Percival Library

In December 1869, two years after Clifton College’s first library was set up in the Sixth Form Room, the Rev. John Percival offered to build a new library and museum along the north range of the Quad, at an estimated cost of £2,100. These buildings, designed by C.F. Hansom, were completed in 1871. After initial enthusiasm, the museum fell into a state of disorder, distinguished by ‘a faint odour of putrefaction’ (Cliftonian, 1895thank you to College Archivist Dr Charles Knighton for unearthing this olfactory gem); by 1916, all that remained were two maps of Jerusalem and a stuffed cow. In 1922, the museum finally closed and the library extended over the whole cloister. Originally, book borrowing was limited to the Sixth Form but this right extended to the whole Upper School by the 1930s.

Timeline of Key Events

1871: Completion of the Percival Library & Natural History Museum buildings

1922: Library extends over the whole cloister

1941: During World War II the US Army took up residence and the College relocated to Bude, Cornwall. The library was used by clerks preparing the loading lists for the D-Day landing craft. A library of essential books was taken to Bude and installed in the Erdiston Hotel.

1950: The Council Room became part of the library as a memorial to John Edward King (Head Master, 1910-23), with a tablet marking this set over the fireplace.

1955: New furniture provided as a memorial to C.F. Taylor (master 1912-48 and sometime librarian)

1963: New catalogue created by David S. Reed (Percival Librarian 1963-83)

2002: Refurbishment of the library, including the integration of a linked computer room to the east; design led by M.H.M. Webber (Pre: NT 1970-81), of Nichols Brown Webber.

2022: Refurbishment of the mezzanine floor to make way for a Careers and Higher Education Hub, and the computer room to create ‘The Reading Room’, a multi-use space for group work, screenings, events, (and reading!); designed by Lauren Walker, Percival Librarian (2009-present).

The Percival Library Today

In the 153 years since its inception, the Percival Library has seen many changes. Though it is still a sanctuary for the most studious of Clifton scholars, the development of group study and social spaces means that it is now a vibrant, multi-use space for all (and sometimes rather noisy, particularly on Wednesday afternoons at Dungeons & Dragons club). Although the core book collection remains important, there has been a real shift from acquisition to access. This collection is a dynamic one, adapting to meet the needs of users and to ensure that the stock is both broad and relevant in its scope. The core collection is complemented by a variety of periodicals, graphic novels and manga, an eBook and audiobook library, as well as a huge database of peer-reviewed academic journals and subject-specific digital resources.

The library is staffed by three professional librarians who also act as teaching and learning support for students and staff throughout the library’s extensive opening hours and offer research skills and information literacy training. The library staff aim to inspire a love of learning and joy in reading and, to this end, the library organises a huge range of activities, events, competitions and author visits throughout the year. The librarians take their academic and pastoral responsibilities extremely seriously and work hard to ensure that the library is a safe and welcoming space.

Percival Library Aims

To provide an inspiring, accessible and welcoming information hub for the school

To support teaching and learning throughout the curriculum and raise standards of achievement

To encourage pupils to become independent learners, building information skills and cultivating curiosity

To reflect and support the needs and interests of all library users, regardless of their beliefs, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or ability

To provide access to a wide variety of materials, creating a dynamic information environment for the digital age

To foster the enjoyment of reading in all members of the school.

Author Visits

Author visits provide vital opportunities to engage young people with literacy and to foster a love of reading and writing. We know what a difference an inspiring speaker can make and what a buzz is created in the library and beyond. Our programme of author events, which comprise high energy whole year group presentations, focused writing workshops and special Q&A sessions, are carefully curated to showcase a diverse range of speakers who appeal to a variety of literary tastes. Last academic year alone, we were thrilled to welcome ‘Queen of Teen’ thriller writer Sue

Wallman, Carnegie-shortlistee Nathanael Lessore, international sensation Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, debut novelists Tomi Oyemakinde and Jan Dunning and the phenomenal screenwriter, author (and OC) Tim Sullivan to the Percival. This term, we are incredibly excited to welcome Alex Wheatle MBE back to Clifton to celebrate Black History Month and talk about his experience of growing up in a children’s home, his involvement in the Brixton uprising and subsequent imprisonment, and how he became a prolific and celebrated writer. Wren James will also be visiting to talk about the real life science that informs their novels and about how they came to write science fiction after studying chemistry and physics at university. They will also be discussing their role as a story consultant on Netflix’s ‘Heartstopper’ series and their involvement in the Climate Fiction Writers League.

Book Award Shadowing

The Percival Librarians team up with the English Department every year to ‘shadow’ local and national book awards. In the Michaelmas Term, Year 10 classes are selected to read and review books on the Bristol Teen Book Award (BTBA) shortlist, a book prize designed to celebrate diversity in Young Adult fiction. We are delighted that the 2025 Bristol Teen Book Award will be hosted by Clifton College; the Percival’s very own Leah Shaw and Charlotte Withey are proud to be part of the BTBA working group of school librarians.

In the Summer Term, all of Year 9 shadow the novels shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, the UK’s oldest and most prestigious award in writing for young people. The challenge culminates in an inter-schools competition in which students are tasked with putting together creative presentations on why their chosen Carnegie book deserves to win the medal. The presentations are always fantastic, often using drama, dance, animation and music to convey the merits of the texts. We invite an author to judge the competition each year; historical thriller writer Matt Killeen was our special guest in 2024.

Library Clubs

Between them, the librarians run an array of clubs and activities as part of the co-curriculum, sometimes teaming up with academic staff from other departments. The Creative Writing Group, Anime & Manga Club, the Clifton Herald student newspaper, Board Game Club, Dungeons & Dragons and Pride Society are all run from the Percival. The library is also home to an incredible team of student librarians who are sure to inject some chaos into proceedings. We make sure that the student librarian team in particular are aware of the rich history of the school and of the Percival Library; we were so grateful to David Reed who gave fascinating talks to the students about his time as a librarian in the Percival, and to Dr Knighton who has given the students tours of the archives to connect them with the past. We hope that we will venture up the spiral staircase to the archives again in 2025! The existence of these clubs and activities means that student voice is always strong and there is an atmosphere of fun, creativity and inclusivity in the library.

Trips

Though we’d love to take a trip to the New York Public Library one day, our literary outings are usually a little closer to home. A favourite visit is the annual Bookshop Tour, which sees the team of student librarians put on their walking boots and trek to some of Bristol’s finest independent bookshops to choose new books for themselves and for the Percival. The Creative Writers are regular attendees at Bristol Poetry Institute’s Annual Reading and the Bath Children’s Literature Festival, at which big name writers including Simon Armitage, Malorie Blackman and David Levithan have delighted students and librarians alike. We have managed to venture as far as Oxford for a trip to the Bodleian and to Bristol’s finest Central Library for a behind-the-scenes tour, which we hope to repeat this academic year.

Events & Competitions

Though our literary programme is ever evolving, there are some much loved staples of the library calendar. These include: Shoktoberfest, a spooky candle-lit film with skulls borrowed from the Biology Department, secret spiral staircases and lots of screams(!);

the Winter Book Fair, at which we team up with a local independent bookshop to showcase the best new titles and raise money for BookTrust’s Christmas Appeal; poetry parties to mark National and World Poetry Day, with readings of original and admired poetry; events to celebrate the Moon Festival and Lunar New Year, always involving craft, creativity and literary links; the interHouse Literary Pancake Race; The Great Clifton Read-Off for all of Year 9; and a creative writing showcase at the annual Summer Arts Evening.

The Stanley Steadman Essay prize (named after a legendary Percival Librarian 1947-62) is one of our favourite literary competitions; we relish the opportunity to pore over an eclectic array of eloquent and passionate responses to our students’ favourite books. The quality is always outstanding, and choosing a winner is extremely challenging.

World Book Day is, of course, one of the highlights of the year and sees the much anticipated Staff vs Students Literature Quiz. After a gruelling qualifying round, the top student team takes on a (rather competitive) group of literary powerhouses also known as the teachers’ team at the final, with the prestigious role of quizmaster bestowed upon each year’s visiting author. World Book Day often expands into a whole week of celebrations, including ‘Everyone Reading in Chapel’, House and tutor group activities and serialised stories.

The Percival Librarians love to create eye-catching displays and Commem is the perfect time to get creative. Our literary themed displays have celebrated: fairytales (when else would we have the opportunity to make a 25ft beanstalk and suspend it from a papier-mâché cloud?); graphic novels and superheroes; ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (Flamingo Croquet, anyone?); and George Orwell’s dystopian classic (at which we transformed the Percival into the Ministry of Truth). More recently, we have collaborated with the Geography Department to raise awareness about biodiversity and climate change.

The role of a school librarian is a dynamic one and the Percival Library is constantly adapting to meet the needs of the whole school community. Being a librarian at Clifton College is never dull; there is always a new event on the horizon, initiatives in which to get involved, novel ideas from students and staff (sometimes literally) and new technology to try out. We are all excited to see how the next chapter of the Percival unfolds.

Achievements

Awards

David Rowe (OH 1977)

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his service to the Armed Forces community.

Neil Constable (WiH 1983)

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Theatre. Neil has been appointed the next Clerk/CEO to The Musicians’ Company - many congratulations.

Jonathan Willcocks (WaH 1971)

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Music.

Nigel Ashton (WiH 1970)

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for Political and Public Services.

Scholarships

Announcement: The Morehead-Cain Foundation is pleased to announce the members of its class of 2028, who will begin their undergraduate journeys at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC–Chapel Hill) in the fall of 2024.

From England, Isabel Bevan, Clifton College, Bristol

Clifton’s previous three MoreheadCain Scholars

Above is a photograph of the three Davids: Clifton’s three Morehead-Cain Scholars, David Brown (PH 1981), David Royle (DH 1973) and David Hermer (PH 1984) at the scholarship’s 55th anniversary dinner on September 26th at the English Speaking Union. This year, Izzy Bevan (HH) became Clifton’s 4th scholar - with encouragement from David Hermer’s daughter Gala who had followed in her father’s footsteps by winning the scholarship from Sevenoaks. The scholarship is one of America’s most prestigious and competitive undergraduate scholarships and not only pays for all tuition and board at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but also for four years of summer experiences. Izzy, who is planning to major in Psychology, entered the highly

competitive selection process with more than 2,000 applicants to secure a place

Morehead-Cain Scholarships are awarded to applicants that demonstrate the following key criteria: leadership, character, scholarship, and physical vigour. Notable alumni include Pulitzer Prize winning journalists and authors, members of the US Congress, diplomats, and directors of research institutions and global businesses. The scholarship is looking for undergraduate leaders who are not only going to make their mark on campus at UNC, but also go out into the wider world and have a real impact throughout their lives.

Dr Tim Greene, Head of College said “Winning a Morehead-Cain Scholarship is an immense achievement and we could not be more proud of Izzy. It involves a hugely demanding selection process but Izzy’s wide-ranging abilities and strength of character clearly shone through. I have no doubt she will make the most of this wonderful opportunity in the years to come.

OC Travel Award

JAKE NOBLE –

2023/24

After taking my GCSEs during the pandemic, my sixth form years felt more normal and I began thinking about taking a gap year before university. It started as a feeling - a desire to get out and see the world after the shackles of COVID and the rigid structure of school life. I wanted to live a little, to grow as a person, to build my confidence and to learn a little more about the world. With the help of friends and family, I thought through the options and settled on the idea of qualifying as a ski instructor and working in Canada which would give me the opportunity to travel back through the USA at the end of the season.

I chose a ski instructor intern programme with Educating Adventures (EA) at the Lake Louise resort in Alberta, Canada and the application process began in August 2022.I did well in my A levels and secured a place to study Economics at Exeter University, deferred until September 2024.

A key piece of advice from one OC had been to work as much as possible before you go, to build up a decent fund for living and travelling expenses. You have to pay for the Level 1 ski instructor course and qualification; once completed, you pay for your accommodation and they pay you for the hours worked. The pay you receive helps to cover the costs but you don’t make a surplus. You need money to buy ski equipment, ski clothing, to eat, to socialise and to travel. I therefore secured a job in the M Shed café and venue on the Bristol harbourside and worked all summer through to my departure.

I landed at Calgary airport on 16th November 2023. We spent the first 2 days in Calgary before moving to Lake Louise to undergo the Level 1 course which entitles you to instruct beginners, both adults and children. We trained for 3 weeks before taking the Level 1 assessment and being awarded the qualification.

We then embarked on the 5-month ski season as intern instructors. Our primary role was to instruct beginners, but we also earned pay through manning the ski park and the nursery slope. In a typical week, we would work 5 days and rest for 2 days. The resort operated 7 days a week and so there were always some people working and some people resting. We did our best to move shifts around so that we could work with and have days off with friends.

The Lake Louise resort was a 40 minute bus ride from Banff. The ski runs were long and wide and, unlike European ski resorts, the runs rarely felt busy. Although at certain times it felt that the main resort lodge was full, the mountain runs almost always had plenty of room and space to ski. The scenery was spectacular, and I never got used to the awesome views from the accommodation, from the bus journeys and up on the mountain.

However, the weather was brutal at times: Canada was cold. We had to buy extreme cold weather clothing, ski boot covers, heated gloves and full face coverings. My parents visited for a week in January 2024 at a time when Canada and America were suffering a polar vortex. It was -40C on the runway when they landed in Calgary and it took 4 hours to attach the plane to the terminal and get the bags out, as the hydraulic systems were frozen. That week, the temperature never got above -25C. Mind you, they did manage to enjoy the roof-top hot tub in their hotel, in -40C outside air temperature, wearing woolly hats!

The ski season in Lake Louise was life changing. I made some really good friends who I know will be life-long friends. I completed a 3-week course and qualification, learning how to instruct people. I learned how to work, how to be on time, how to look the part and how to behave professionally. I learned how to look after myself, how to cook, how to clean rooms and toilets, how to wash my clothes and how to get on with other people for a long period of time in the same confined spaces. I learned to be resilient in the face of working through extreme weather, handling difficult customers, working away from home through a long winter and how to handle the unexpected.

I flew out of Calgary and landed back at Heathrow on 9th April 2024 as my plans to travel back via America had been shelved. My maternal grandad was living with bowel cancer, so I needed to get home to see him before it was too late. Also, my paternal grandad had declined and was suffering advanced dementia. I needed to get home to visit him before he might not be able to recognise me. Although sad to have missed the opportunity to travel Route 66, it was the right thing to have done. However, I still had a summer ahead before starting at Exeter University, so I set myself a new challenge: to travel alone through South East Asia. Everyone I knew who had chosen to travel during their gap year had already gone. My only option was to set out on my own, with an outline itinerary and see where it took me. I visited Thailand, completed an Open Water scuba diving qualification, hopped around the islands, moved on to Indonesia and sailed around the Komodo maritime national park. After 4 weeks, I had to call it quits and fly home again, as my grandads were deteriorating and I would not have forgiven myself if something had happened while I was away.

Travelling alone was a whole new experience. Initially, I found it hard to make plans, to think about options, to book travel and to overcome the inevitable things that go wrong on a journey, on my own, without someone to talk things through. I faced crazy crowded cities, confusing airports, monsoon weather, missing ferries, cockroaches in the sink, ants in the bed and hustlers trying to part you from your money. However, I really enjoyed it.

I have made the most of both gap year opportunities: to have worked a 5-month season in Canada and to have solo travelled through South East Asia. The experiences have been life changing and I am looking forward to picking up the myriad challenges presented by university. I am so grateful to the Old Cliftonian Society for supporting my journey: thank you.

GB Oldies Reign in Spain

Contributed by: British Water Ski & Wakeboard

Three of Great Britain’s oldest competitive waterskiers are returning from the World Championships with three medals, including a gold.

The three were part of a small squad of eight British skiers competing at the IWWF World Over-35 Waterski Championships near Madrid in Spain, which ended on Sunday.

Jonathan Cohen (75) from Snaresbrook, East London, won gold in the slalom event in the Men’s Over-75 age category with a score that would be impressive for a waterskier decades younger. It is his first world title.

“I’m obviously extremely delighted that, after 12 years of going to the Worlds and being fourth twice, I’ve finally made it to the podium – and I’ve done it in style,” he said. “So, I’m happy and it’s good to get the nervousness behind me and to start to enjoy my skiing again after today.”

Twenty marathons in twenty days across twenty regions

Earlier in 2024, OC Alessandro Portante D’Alessandro (WaH 2018) aimed to run twenty marathons in twenty days across the twenty regions of his home country Italy, a challenge he calls Project Venti.

Alessandro spoke passionately about his project: “I have always had wild dreams, but I would put them off for one reason or another. It was either that I was not ready, I did not have the time or I lacked the money. With Project Venti, I finally took the leap and decided to go for it. I was feeling lost and lacked purpose in what I was doing with my life, so I decided to start this journey and document it as a way to reconnect with my home country and rediscover myself.”

“You prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” said Alessandro. “After months of training and organising logistics, running the marathons was the ‘easy’ part.

Throughout the project, I felt tired and sleep-deprived, my feet were sore, and my muscles were tight, but I remained highly motivated. Eventually, my body adapted to the increase in running mileage.”

Quitting was never an option for Alessandro. “Unexpected things happen, but there is a solution for everything. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am stubborn, and once I set my mind to something, I am going to do it.”

Update:

Alessandro completed this challenge in May 2024, increasing the number of marathons to 21 as he did an extra one in Rome, his birth city. He ran nearly 550 miles which equates to over 4 days of actual running, choosing to run in the early mornings which were cooler and was able to witness the beauty and grandeur of his home country. He plans to produce a documentary on his challenge.

“Quitting was never an option for Alessandro”

A Journey of Faith

by David Willington

This novel focuses on the story of 3 friends, Stefan, a Rhodes scholar, James a fellow student at Oxford University and the latter’s sister, Beth who is studying at Cambridge.

The story opens in 1912 in Oxford where Stefan and James meet and form a friendship which leads to an invitation to stay in the summer and this in turn leads to Stefan and Beth forming a strong relationship which develops into love. The latter is a keen suffragette and is unsure as to what to do with her life after finishing university, while Stefan knows he is going to become a Lutheran minister. However, because of expectations at the time, as a reservist, he first becomes Chaplain to a German regiment which is stationed in Belgium while James, who has embarked on a teaching career, is connected to the Territorial Army and is also called up once war is declared in 1914. Beth becomes an auxiliary in France, so each has to face up to the realities and horrors of war and try to navigate a course through such difficult times.

There is a vivid description of life on the Front Line for both men and Stefan ends up saving James when the latter is wounded. Both men survive the war and the novel ends with Stefan’s marriage to Beth, and James and his wife-to-be welcoming their son into the world.

This novel covers significant world events but also shows the importance of friendship and the place of faith in what is frequently a troubling world; it is an evocative and thought provoking novel, one which shows the power of faith, while detailing struggles in disturbing circumstances. As the back cover states, all three protagonists ‘must face the carnage, cost and upheaval of the war and its aftermath.’

EDIB

The EDIB work is now fully embedded in College life. All staff, children and young people understand the EDIB acronym, mission and vision.

Here is a summary of the progress made towards each strand last academic year.

To educate our community about Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging.

Mrs Maringo, our Assistant Head EDIB was actively supported by three members of staff who joined her as EDIB Leads: Laura Tennant in the Pre-pep, Ernie Tsao in the Pre and Sejal Patel in the Upper School. Together, they form the EDIB team.

To educate staff, the EDIB reading group continued to meet on a monthly basis in the Percival library. Last year, the group focused particularly on neurodiversity as there is a need to increase awareness and understanding around this topic. Staff continued to recognise the importance of education and one representative per department was chosen again to join the EDIB reading group.

To educate pupils, the EDIB team delivered a range of assemblies across the College to raise awareness around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. For instance, Miss Tennant delivered a powerful assembly about diverse families, Mrs Patel, about Black History Month and Mrs Maringo, about Stephen Lawrence’s story. Over the years, our pupils have developed an increased understanding of EDIB at Clifton.

The school’s partnership with SARI (Stand against Racism and Inequality, a charity specialised in hate crime) has been extremely useful. The SARI team delivered a range of staff training (teaching staff and HoMs) as well as a range of dropdown sessions in the Pre-prep, Prep and Upper school. All year groups have been able to benefit from the SARI interventions and learn about racism and discrimination. The partnership with SARI will be renewed for this academic year.

To celebrate the contributions of marginalised groups to history and to our contemporary society.

We truly believe that all members of our communities should be celebrated and should not feel marginalised. Last year celebrations such as Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Ramadan and Pride month were celebrated with the community.

To embrace and celebrate Diversity

The Pride celebration was once again a clear example of how our community has embraced and celebrated diversity again this year. The second EDIB Pride event was organised on 3rd May with pupils, staff and parents. All Cliftonians were invited but attendance was not compulsory. Once again, pupils, staff and parents got together to show support for LGBTQ+ communities.

We would like to extend a big thank you to all staff, pupils, volunteers and guests for coming together to make our Pride Festival such a success this year – with ice creams all round, Jamma De Samba providing the soundtrack, a fantastic and moving speech from our Pride Captain, and some amazing performances by pupils – it was an event to remember! And thanks must go to our fantastic Percival Library team for doing such a great job organising the whole event.

The annual EDIB celebration day across the three schools was a real success. The EDIB team plans to develop this event as a Cultural Day where all nationalities celebrate each other.

To give voice to all members of our community, providing them with the tools to talk about EDIB in a mature and informed way.

The EDIB committee was as strong as ever, involving pupils across the college. Once again, there were helpful conversations and discussions about current issues and new policies and legislation. Mrs Patel led conversations and worked with the EDIB group and again, there were several APP sessions which improved understanding and allowed the sharing of views. Overall, it has been another successful year.

The EDIB work this year continued to create a sense of belonging for all members of our community.

A “sense of belonging” survey was shared with all Year 9, 10 and 12 students in the Summer term. The aim of this survey was to reflect on their Sense of Belonging. The findings from this survey will be shared in the next magazine.

Conclusion from Mrs Maringo

Last year saw a decrease in EDIB-related incidents. This means that students feel safe to report incidents and know the school will take action and deal with any issues rapidly. Students know how to safely report incidents (Whisper) and they are aware of the initiatives available to educate members of our community (APP). I am pleased to say that EDIB is undoubtedly part of the school culture now and we have made significant progress last year. I am looking forward to continuing the EDIB work in the next academic year.

Death Notices and Obituaries

First Name Last Name House Year Left

David Bevan OH 1959

Kevin Bowring Former Staff *

Roger Brendon-Cook WiH 1945

Richard Cleave SH 1953

Roland Cole SH 1954

William Coleman ST 1954

Hugh Corbett WaH 1961

Nigel Coxe WiH 1948

Martin Davies Jones ST 1960

David De Pur y WiH 1950

John Dyson WiH 1959

John Evans OH 1959

Peter Firth Governor

Harry Fitch DH 1958

Jeremy George SH 1955

Donald Gibson ST 1994

Ron Gibson BH 1961

John Hamilton WiH 1935

John Hartley WaH 1955

David Hawkins WaH 1958

Sandy Hett DH 1946

John Hoole WaH 1964

Clare Hornby Governor

Pat Howe ST 1955

Michael Hunton BH 1952

Sophie Jackson HH 2009

Nick Kingsbur y WiH 1966

Michael Leek PH 1949

Jonathan Lever PH 1955

Andrew Mackay ET 1977

Sholto MacTurk OH 1964

Peter Matthews BH 1952

Patrick Mills NT 1961

David Mushlin PH 1953

Christopher Phelps WaH 1950

Robert Posner PH 1969

David Reed Former Staff

Peter Rhymes ST 1955

John Rogers NT 1950

Chris Serle ET 1961

Roger Shepherd ET 1961

Bruce Simmonds WiH 1960

Andrew Sims ST 1962

Clive Smith NT 1956

Adrian Struve OH 1993

Nick Thomas BH 1977

John Thorn Former Staff

Adrian Tibbitts BH 1961

David Trapnell ST 1946

Mark Vincent SH 1971

MacKenzie Ward SH 2020

Simon Wheeler BH 1960

Timothy Wheildon Brown BH 1943

David Whittle NT 1952

David Richard Bevan

OH 1959

David Richard Bevan died on 9th May 2024 after a distinguished career in anesthesiology and a fulfilling family life. He was born in Mountain Ash, Wales, into a medical family. His education began as a chorister at Llandaff Cathedral School, and he was one of two boys taken by the Archbishop of Wales to sing at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

At Clifton, he was Head of House and Head of School and was awarded his colours in rugby, cricket and hockey. He won a closed scholarship to Cambridge University in 1959 and went to Clare College for his first degree. He obtained his medical degree from Guy’s Hospital Medical School, London, graduating with Distinction in 1965.

His commitment to a short-term commission in the RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) did not interrupt his training in medicine, as he completed his specialty in anesthesia (FRCA) and

medicine (MRCP) at the same time. After his discharge, he was a Senior Registrar in Anesthesia at Hammersmith Hospital, then Senior Lecturer and Consultant at St Mary’s Hospital, London.

He married Deryn Walton in 1963, and they had two sons, Andrew and Simon. After their divorce, he married Joan Claire Scott, a pediatric anesthesiologist, in 1972. They had a son, Peter, and daughter, Siân. Following in the footsteps of his mentor, Professor Sir Gordon Robson, David emigrated to Canada in 1978.

David thrived in the developing specialty of anesthesiology in North America, combining clinical and administrative leadership with research into the new neuromuscular blocking agents, editorial roles and scientific publication. In 1978, he joined the staff of the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Department of Anesthesia, McGill University, in Montreal. He became Professor and Chairman of the Anesthesia Department, which attracted anesthesiologists and trainees from around the world. He was the first incumbent of the Wesley Bourne Endowed Chair and established the Harold R Griffith Endowed Chair. His submission to Canada Post to issue a commemorative stamp to honour Dr Griffith, who made the landmark introduction of curare into anesthesia fifty years earlier, was successful in 1991.

In 1992, David moved to Vancouver where he was Chief, Department of Anesthesia, Vancouver General Hospital and Professor of Anesthesia at the University of British Columbia. During this time, he expanded his reach internationally, promoting Canadian anesthesia worldwide in his roles as Editor in Chief, Canadian Journal of Anesthesia (1988-2000), Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Anesthesia Research Society (2005-2006), Chairman, Scientific

Organising Committee, World Congress, Montreal (2000) and Vice President, World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (2003-4).

David took great satisfaction from his time as Professor of Anesthesia at the University of Toronto and Chief of Anesthesia, University Health Network (2000-2006). He built on its strengths, and the department flourished in clinical and academic productivity. He supported his department members during their time in Toronto and after they left. Challenged by the chronic shortage of anesthesiologists in the Canadian healthcare system, his actions in closing operating rooms due to dangerous staffing levels were strongly opposed; however, he knew it was the right move. It eventually led to the introduction of the Anesthesia Assistants program, which has become a model for physician assistant roles in a number of disciplines.

After retirement in 2006, David enjoyed a few years in part-time clinical practice at Huntsville Memorial District Hospital, Huntsville, until 2016 when he and Joan retired to Riverbend Golf Community, London, Ontario. His interest in sports continued throughout his life, and he later added golf, ice hockey and baseball to his essential rugby and cricket. He had a love for classical music and a keen interest in historical and current world events.

He proudly followed the successes of his previous colleagues, but his joy came from his family, Andrew (Melissa Armstrong), Simon (Laurie Bevan), Peter (Lauren Patton) and Siân (Bruno Malta). His seven grandchildren, Gillian, Lindsay, Oscar, Owen, Rachel, Madeleine and Emma, were a constant source of enjoyment. He will be missed by all the family and his loss deeply felt by Joan, his wife of 51 years, closest friend and professional colleague.

“His interest in sports continued throughout his life, and he later added golf, ice hockey and baseball to his essential rugby and cricket.”

Rowland Cole

SH 1954

Rowland was born in Plymouth in 1937 and spent his childhood between Plympton and West Buckland. He started his Clifton career at Hartnells in September 1948 until 1950. He then joined School House in the Upper School in September 1950, staying until 1954. While he was at school, he especially enjoyed rowing.

He then did his 2 year National Service as an officer in the Devonshire Regiment, spending some of his time in Germany. After this, he went to Sweden for two

Nigel Coxe

WiH 1948

Nigel H. Coxe, an esteemed pianist and educator, passed away on August 10, 2024, in Amherst, Massachusetts. Born on March 31, 1932, in the suburbs of Kingston, Jamaica, Nigel’s illustrious musical career began with his education at Clifton College, Bristol, UK, where he studied under Douglas Fox. He later advanced to the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying under Harold Craxton. Nigel eventually became a professor at the Royal Academy and was honoured as a lifelong Fellow of the institution.

While still living in London, Nigel was profoundly influenced by intensive studies with the renowned Hungarian pianist Ilona Kabos, later serving as her

teaching assistant. This mentorship had a lasting impact on his life. Throughout his career, Nigel maintained an active schedule of teaching, performing, and lecturing. He appeared as a soloist with prominent orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, the London Symphony, and the Hallé Orchestra, as well as numerous recitals for the Australian Broadcasting Commission in Sydney and the BBC in London. His performances were widely recognized for their depth and sincerity. He could take the simplest piece of music and transform it into a small masterpiece, earning praise from critics, including The New York Times, which noted, “He goes to the heart of his music in modestly straightforward fashion, leading from expressive strength and shunning any sort of virtuoso exaggerations.” The Times (London) described him as “a musician’s pianist to the core.”

In addition to his performing career, Nigel served as Professor of Piano at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, from 1972 until his retirement in 1996. His tenure was marked by a deep commitment to his students and support of his colleagues, and a developing interest in certain composers resulted in critically acclaimed recordings of Virgil Thomson, Percy Grainger, Eubie Blake, and George Gershwin.

In his later years, after retiring from public performance, Nigel started a YouTube channel where he posted countless videos, continuing his lifelong dedication to making music accessible and engaging for audiences worldwide.

years to learn the timber trade as his father had a business in Plymouth. His father subsequently sold the business to Reeves Company in Totnes where he continued to follow in his father’s footsteps.

He always enjoyed his time in West Buckland, where he was able to sail and row, which he loved. He was a member of the Royal Western Yacht Club in Plymouth, and also the Bantham Sailing Club.

Rowland was the O.C. Society secretary in Devon and Cornwall from 1994 until 2010 and, in addition, was the O.C. Society secretary to the Yorkshire Branch from 1979 when he lived in Yorkshire.

Rowland was much loved by his family.

Beyond his professional achievements, Nigel was an avid chef, with a special passion for French Provençal cuisine, which he loved to share with friends. He enjoyed meeting new people from all walks of life, often striking up conversations in their own languages, and he especially loved engaging with young people, always eager to learn from them. This keen interest in the experiences of others often led to enduring friendships. Those who knew him will remember his witty and moving stories, recounting his days as a student turning pages for some of the world’s great pianists, his mandatory service in the British Army, and his many travel adventures.

Nigel is survived by his nephews Erik Coxe of Sarasota, FL; Thomas Coxe of Conyers, GA; and his niece, Michelle Detweiler of Dover, OH. In keeping with his wishes, no memorial service was held.

Nigel’s deep commitment to social justice was a guiding principle in his life. Those who wish to honour his memory can do so by making a gift in his name to Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, the American Civil Liberties Union, or the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Nigel’s legacy as a musician, educator, and friend will endure in the memories of those who had the privilege of knowing him and in the music that continues to inspire.

Martin Davies Jones

ST 1960

Martin Davies Jones was born in Campbeltown, Argyll on April 25 1942, the family moving to Bristol in 1947. He started in Matthews Town in the Pre and went via South Town Pre to South Town in the Upper School. He was particularly grateful to Phil Polack for his A Level Spanish teaching, reasoning that it had helped him secure his place at Downing College, Cambridge. At Downing, Martin was studying Law with fellow Cliftonian, John Cleese, and they shared digs together and never lost touch after graduating. John was a most solicitous friend and a great support to Martin in the later days of his illness. At irregular times but on frequent occasions he would ring from Los Angele or wherever he happened to be and have hour long conversations with Martin that left him more cheerful and happily nostalgic.

At Clifton College, Martin, as he was the first to admit, was never outstanding in the classroom but he was very good at exams, a useful gift. Studying French and Spanish at A level, Martin went on a school trip to Spain when he was 16 and this was the start of his love of a country which he visited many times, finally purchasing a flat in Alicante where he and his wife, Hilary, were supremely happy. As a teenager, Martin bought his first guitar in Spain and put his playing skills to good use when he formed a school skiffle group called The Four Nags. Martin was musical and played the trumpet as well as the guitar. He was criticised by the military bandmaster at Clifton for having ‘a dance band tone’, a comment Martin was very proud of. He was not the bandmaster’s favourite musician because he would insist on injecting jazz riffs into military

marches, a practice that used to reduce the military band musicians to helpless laughter.

He earned his qualification as a solicitor at Guildford Law school and joined Herbert Smith, a top London firm before returning to Bristol to work at Osborne Clarke. Soon a partner and then managing partner, Martin made his mark as an able lawyer with a particular flair for commercial law. He had, a colleague noted, an exceptional legal brain and was very astute. In 1988, he set up his own firm, Crawford Owen, with Gillie Skeens. Many of Martin’s former clients followed him in his new venture which was an immediate success, with the practice specialising in commercial real estate.

He married Delia Holmes in 1969 and they had two children, Louise and David. Tragedy struck when David died from an epileptic fit in 2001 but Martin had an extraordinary ability to turn the stiff upper lip into a gentle smile and everyone who heard him speak about his son shared in his grief but celebrated with him David’s life. Martin took great pride in his daughter Louise and later in the lives of her husband Adam and the grandchildren, Harry and Izzy. In 1999, Martin married Hilary who conveniently lived opposite him in West Mall. They shared many interests: investing in and managing properties, holidaying in Spain and further afield in Goa and competing with one another on the tennis court. Martin and Hilary lived a busy social life; they loved holding dinner parties and entertaining and, of course, with Hilary, Martin inherited a new family of stepchildren, Tim, Mandy and Lucy. Martin soon formed a bond with all three of them

Martin ran the London Marathon twice in a very creditable time of about three hours and his stamina was as great as his refusal to give up. On the squash court, he was known as ‘the grinder’, often beating more stylish or skilled opponents

“Martin ran the London Marathon twice in a very creditable time of about three hours and his stamina was as great as his refusal to give up.”

by his relentless chasing of every ball. He was a moving force behind the Redland Tennis and squash centre, playing league matches on the brand-new courts and only in his mid 70’s did Martin stop playing a sport he had enjoyed for 60 years, leaving a trail of exhausted and frustrated opponents in his wake.

If Martin enjoyed his family and professional life, he also had a sense of duty to the community exemplified by his membership of the Dolphin Society. He was President in 1991 and by writing scores of handwritten letters to possible donors, he raised £36,000 in his Presidential year, helping the disabled and impoverished citizens of Bristol live easier lives. He was also a supporter of young entrepreneurs, often helping fund innovative and imaginative schemes and helping them grow and prosper. A particular enthusiasm in recent years was his work for Bristol Zoo, Martin served as a trustee and then as Chairman for several years, piloting the planning application for Wild Place, now known as the Bristol Zoo project.

He fought bravely when diagnosed with prostate cancer, defying his doctor’s prognosis. ‘’It’s a bit of a bugger really’ he said, ‘The doctor said I would see 70 but not 80 but we’ll see about that!’ He defied medical opinion and lived for over fourteen years with the disease, enjoying his 70th birthday party at the Zoo and managing to walk to his 80th birthday party at The Ivy in Clifton.

Martin touched so many lives and those that knew him treasured his friendship, his humour and his warmth. Is the test of a life to have left the world a better place? If it is, Martin, who was so good at exams, passed that test too.His memorial service was held in a packed Christ Church, the attendance being a tribute to his wide circle of good friends.

David de Pury

WIH 1950

David de Pury died suddenly at home on 31 December 2023. He is survived by Pat, his widow, by their children Kate, John and James and their grandchildren Libby, Reuben, Olga, May and Alice.

David was born 1931 in Kasauli, India into a British army family. He spent his childhood and school years mostly in England. During 1939-45, the family –David, his sister Sue and their mother Nan - was separated from his father who was on active service during World War II. After the war, the family moved to a smallholding in Frittenden, Kent, where David learned how to cultivate soft fruit and began a lifelong interest in growing traditional English apple types.

David’s father Albert James encouraged a love of his Swiss heritage and the family had many memorable holidays, staying in Neuchatel and Jolimont, hiking up the Chasseral and exploring the Ile St Pierre. David kept up links with the de Pury family throughout his life, welcoming many members of all ages to stay in England and passing his love of Switzerland and the family to his children and grandchildren.

Educated at Clifton College, where he was head boy, and Queen’s College, Cambridge, David completed national service before studying for a degree in modern languages – French, German and Mandarin Chinese. He entered the British diplomatic service and worked at the embassy in Bonn, as Private Secretary to British High Commissioner (later Ambassador) Sir Frederick Hoyer Millar. During this posting, David assisted British delegations visiting on observer missions after the Nuremberg Trials. In 1957, he was posted to the embassy in Beijing as Third Secretary, but shortly afterwards in 1957, David resigned from the Diplomatic Service in protest at the British government’s actions in the Suez crisis.

After a very brief period in the City of London, he joined the Colonial Service as a District Officer in Kenya, where he met his wife Pat, then a Community Development Officer for Women in Kisumu. They married in 1958 and their three children were born during this time.

The family left Kenya when independence was declared in 1963. David entered theological college shortly afterwards and although he did not pursue a life in the church, he had a deep and sustaining faith which he shared with Pat. They were devoted and engaged Christians throughout their lives together.

There followed a period of finding a new path, which included a stint in the Hong Kong government (then British) and in industry in the UK. Encouraged by Pat, he started work for War on Want in 1971 as Field Director in India and Bangladesh. During this time, the NGO supported the Gandhian Sarva Seva Sangh, working with millions of refugees fleeing from what was then East Pakistan and soon became Bangladesh in 1971.

In 1973 David joined OXFAM, the pioneering NGO dedicated to sustainable development across the Global South. OXFAM’s ethos suited David well. He understood the importance of enabling solutions at a grassroots level, in an indigenous cultural context and dedicated himself to developing OXFAM’s work on projects in India, Cambodia (immediately after the devastation

wrought by the Khmer Rouge), subSaharan Africa and finally, in one of his most challenging posts, in Sudan.

In 1992, David was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for his work in international development with a focus on Sudan. During his time with OXFAM, David also made a significant contribution to wider-ranging research: he helped develop a disaster ‘earlywarning’ system in sub-Saharan Africa and led a report on the Arms Race and its cost to nations of the Global South. He reported for the Geneva-based International Council for Voluntary Agencies, advising on strategies to develop support infrastructure for refugees fleeing conflict and climate adversity in Africa.

After he retired to Somerset in 1991, David and Pat continued to host many international guests. David was interested in everyone and always believed the best of people he met; he was an ‘elder’ to those he’d worked with, he continued to give advice generously, drawing on his deep and varied experience. One would often find an intriguing and easy combination of people – from locals to visitors from Kolkata or Los Angeles - at their lunch table.

David was an active gardener, planting native apple and fruit trees wherever he could, and loved walking out onto Exmoor. He became increasingly interested in environmental issues and was a keen supporter of local, green politics in the UK. In later years, David and Pat moved to Kent to be near family and their small home was always crowded with their children and grandchildren, neighbours and friends. They remained active members of the community at St Dunstan’s, Cranbrook, regularly on their hands and knees, cleaning the church or climbing to the top of the bell tower to show visitors the view, well into their late eighties.

David’s funeral service was held in St Dunstan’s on a sparkling, sunny February day and the beautiful country church was packed with people: members of his close and extended family, together with friends from all periods of his remarkable life.

“In 1992, David was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for his work in international development with a focus on Sudan.”

Nicholas Henry Dyer

WaH 1955

Nicholas Dyer, from Brentwood, Essex, was a student at Clifton between 1950 and 1955. Whilst at Clifton, he was very much an all-round student, taking an interest in both arts and sports, in which he occasionally excelled, most notably in the field of boxing. But it was as an academic that he was most successful and on leaving Clifton, he studied medicine at Clare College, Cambridge. As well as devoting considerable amounts of time to his academic studies at this time, he was particularly fond of jazz and joined the New Orleans Jazzmen amongst other local bands. An occasional sportsman, he would happily turn out for the college’s 2nd teams at

cricket and rugby from time to time. Medicine demanded increasingly more of his time and both of these pursuits fell by the wayside after his graduation in 1958. Nick decided to specialise in the nascent speciality of gastroenterology and joined the research team at Barts, where he explored the medical aspects of Crohn’s disease which was at that time considered to be the prerogative of surgeons. He was commissioned by the BMJ to write review articles and then unsigned leaders on all aspects of gastroenterology which he continued for over a decade. Nick firmly believed in the principles of the NHS and became a consultant at Worcester. Here he tried to practise holistic medicine involving the whole team, as well as the GP, with each and every patient.

In retirement, he studied horticulture at Pershore College which helped him cultivate his large garden. He expanded his interest in classic jazz and also took

an increasingly large interest in art and architecture, enjoying many trips around European cities.

He married June Peacock in 1963 and they had a son and a daughter.

Ron Gibson

BH 1961

Ron’s education began at The Grange School, Hartford. Aged 8, he went to Terra Nova, Holmes Chapel, from where he won a Wall Marston scholarship to Clifton College in January 1957. He left Clifton in December, 1961 having been secretary of rugby and achieved 10 ‘O’ level passes including Russian, 3 ‘A’ level passes, and a place at Queens’ Cambridge for October 1962, to read for the Natural Sciences Tripos. He spent 3 months of 1962 in Paris at the French equivalent of I.C.I. During this time, he applied to Vickers for an Industrial Scholarship and was awarded one of the 4 available, which covered the cost of his education and accommodation

at Queens’. He played for the famous Rugby XV that won the league, rowed in the College’s 5th boat, was a member of the Kangaroo Cub, and graduated with a Class 2.2 degree specialising in Metallurgy.

He began work in October 1965 as a Research Engineer with VickersArmstrong in Newcastle and in 1968, moved to WH Howson Ltd. in Leeds, a small company, owned by Vickers, making aluminium lithographic printing plates. In September 1970, he started a one year business course at the Bradford Management Centre and came second in his year. In October 1971, he returned to Vickers as part of a group planning the integration of Algraphy, Howson’s major competitor, with Howson, resulting in Howson-Algraphy. He became Technical Manager of the R & D department, and in 1974, Assistant to the Chief Executive. He married in 1974.

In 1975, Ron went to South Africa to investigate the setting up of a factory there for the local manufacture of aluminium printing plates. A site was chosen at Pietermaritzburg, and Ron, as Managing Director of Howson-Algraphy South Africa, commissioned the design, oversaw the construction and production began in 1978.

He returned to Leeds in 1984, leaving a profitable company and in 1985, was seconded to manage Howson-Algraphy in Sweden. Later that year, he came back to UK as Business Development Director of Howson-Algraphy and in 1989 went to York as Managing Director of Vickers Instruments.

In 1990 Howson-Algraphy was bought by DuPont; sadly, the sale was to the wrong company as cultures were so different and for the first time Ron stopped enjoying going to work. By 1994 he was 50, legally entitled to draw his company pension, and DuPont were offering very favourable terms for redundancy, which he gladly accepted.

He decided he would like to repay some of his debt to society, and worked for a charitable company in south Leeds before becoming Business Advisor for Business Link in Doncaster, a government funded scheme to assist small and medium sized businesses.

He left in 1999 to become a full time retiree.

He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2023 and died in February 2024.

Sandy Hett

DH 1946

Alexander Innes Hett, of Ardingly, West Sussex, known as Sandy, passed away peacefully at Compton House Christian Nursing Home in Lindfield on 28th March aged 94. He joined Clifton as a classics scholar from the Dragon School and was a member of Dakyns’ House. He was one of the few surviving OCs from the Bude evacuation during the Second World War, when much of the boarding school decamped to the North Cornwall coast. In his penultimate year at Clifton, he won the college’s art prize which was adjudicated by the celebrated artist Clarence Whaite; following a National Service commission in the Royal Artillery, it was an award which took him first to Chelsea, then onto the Slade School of Art. Following study at the University of Bristol for his Certificate of Education, there followed a successful career as an art teacher and a lifetime of charitable endeavour. A loyal lifelong supporter of the college, he is survived by ten nephews and nieces and twenty great nephews and nieces.

Christopher Phelps

WaH 1950

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of Dr. Christopher Phelps on 21st December 2023, the much loved husband of Jennifer and father to John, Edward, and William. Christopher had a long and happy association with the college and Watson’s House in particular. For many years, he was the Oxford OC representative, hosting some memorable dinners at St. Edmund Hall. In his role as a governor, he always read the minutes and was well informed on college matters.

He went to Clifton Pre in the summer of 1940. Bristol was bombed severely in the winter of 1940 and the whole school was evacuated, the senior school going to Bude and the preparatory school going to Butcombe Court. Butcombe is a small village about 10 miles into Somerset and he and about 30 other boys were there for about four years.

He then went to Clifton preparatory school for a year and was head of house in Poole’s House. He went on to spend four more years in Clifton, doing his school certificate after one year, and, following that, doing one year classical education with Ollie Grove, the Chaplain. He then spent a year reading mathematics for a Higher School Certificate. He went into the Navy as part of National Service and spent six months in Wetherby in Yorkshire before returning to Plymouth for a further year as a writer. Following National Service, he went up to Peterhouse in Cambridge as a scholar to read mathematics, doing a fourth-year reading for the Certificate in Computer Studies. After this, he got a job with Ferranti Ltd in London and later became a fellow at Oxford University and Dean of St. Edmund Hall.

“He then went to Clifton preparatory school for a year and was head of house in Poole’s House.”

Robert Posner

PH 1969

Like many things in his life, Robert Posner’s employment at the Literary Review arose from a happy accident. In 1989, he was seen in a café in Soho by the magazine’s deputy editor Laura Cumming, now an author and The Observer’s art critic. The Literary Review was owned by the Palestinianborn publisher and parfumier Naim Attallah who had recently installed Auberon Waugh, the acerbic man of letters, as editor. Since Waugh had little commercial nous, someone was needed to run that side of the enterprise. Cumming invited Posner back to the office where he immediately hit it off with Waugh. They made an unlikely couple, sharing an irreverent sense of humour and were both in modern parlance “disrupters”.

Posner’s skills in people management came into their own shortly afterwards when, as a snub to media-dominated establishments such as the Groucho Club, Attallah set up the Academy Club as an bookish adjunct to the magazine in its offices in Beak Street and put Posner in charge of this “poor writers’ drinking club”. Because of the relaxed atmosphere and the fact that members, usually from journalism, publishing and the arts, knew each other, one wag described the place as “a dinner party with a till”. Arriving on his BMW motorbike, Posner brought order and joy to the joint enterprise and ensured the best ingredients and wines were served at the club’s tables.

In 1996 Attallah was in financial difficulties and had to sell up. The Academy temporarily closed and the Literary Review moved to new premises in nearby Lexington Street owned by restaurateur Andrew Edmunds. At that stage, after seven years in the job, Posner quit to seek new challenges, including helping his son James run a plumbing business in Yorkshire. He returned to the Literary Review in 2000 for a further fouryear stint. By that time, the Academy Club had been revived at Lexington Street, with Edmunds in charge and Posner concentrated his efforts on organising the magazine.

Robert Posner was born in 1950 at 27 Welbeck Street, Marylebone, into a Jewish family in the clothes industry. There his father, Monte, met his mother, Joan, daughter of Phyllis Taylor, a fashion designer with her eponymous label and a showroom in London’s West End. After divorce from Joan in 1957, Monte worked as a manager at the Nat Shine fashion house. He married Cora Day, a model there, and had two further sons, Simon and Adam. After boarding at Clifton College, an idealistic Posner joined the hippy trail, visiting Afghanistan in 1972. At one stage, he tried to import heroin from Italy to Switzerland, where he was arrested and jailed. He recalled his incarceration with typical humour, saying it enabled him to read widely and learn antique furniture restoration. Somewhat chastened, he decided to explore his Jewish roots on a kibbutz.

He spent four years in Kibbutz Dan in northern Israel, close to the Syrian border, where he enjoyed working on the land. There he met Nicola Maslen from Gloucestershire. After marrying her in 1977 in Cheltenham, where he was employed as a tree surgeon, he had a son, James, in 1979 and a daughter,

Naomi, the following year. Naomi is now a social worker, and James remains a plumber.

In the early 1980s, Posner moved with his young family to Bristol where he tried unsuccessfully to become a photographer. Instead, he worked variously as a Xerox salesman and office manager for an old school friend. By then, he and Nicola were drifting apart; they divorced in 1983, but remained friends. Meanwhile Posner lived for four years with Mary Delahunty (now Lam), a teacher.

In 1988, he married again — to Nancy Waltman, a researcher at Goldman Sachs. She was American and his Swiss drug bust led to difficulties in his getting a US visa. After another divorce, he married Jan Fletcher, a publisher, in 1998, but separated three years later. His daughter Naomi recalls fondly, “He wasn’t often single, but he was very monogamous. He had very intense, romantic, exciting relationships which lasted a few years.”

In 2017, while working as a builder in London, he read another advertisement, this time in Private Eye, for someone to do chores in return for living in the converted stables of a house on Skye. This was placed by Iain McGilchrist, the celebrated psychiatrist cum philosopher and the two men became good friends. Although not university trained, Posner had a fine mind. His favourite author was Norman Lewis, whose framed obituary he kept beside him. Ever adventurous, he bought a Land Rover for wild camping in Scotland and only this year, he acquired a wooden motor cruiser, the MV Rosa, built by Harland & Wolff in 1947.

His last words were “I’m just so incredibly happy.”

“Because of the relaxed atmosphere and the fact that members, usually from journalism, publishing and the arts, knew each other, one wag described the place as a dinner party with a till”

David Reed Former Staff

Alan Brown remembers:

David died in June, 2024. He was ninetyone, and for some of us, it was the end of an era.

David was the son of a Methodist minister, and he had grown up and been educated in Cornwall. In the last decade of his life, he had co-owned, with his children, a home in Cornwall where he loved to return. At the end of his school days, he won an award to Cambridgeand turned it down. Instead, he chose a librarian’s training. At Clifton, he followed Rodney Gee and was librarian of the Percival Library for many years. He had strong opinions about the Percival Library for the rest of his life. He clearly saw it as an important part of his legacy to Clifton, every bit as much as his teaching. The photograph above is located in the Percival Library where David helped with Chess Club for many years. It is an appropriate image. He cared very much about the Percival, and was protective about what he believed it stood for, namely an outstanding PublicSchool Library.

With that said, his teaching was remarkable, without doubt inspirational. He was virtually alongside me during the whole of my adult reading experience. Recently, with David, I worked out he taught me “Sons and Lovers’ in September 1964, in the U.V.

John Thorn

Former Staff

John Thorn who has died at the age of 98 was a gifted and inspiring educator. Born in Chiswick in 1925, he won a scholarship to St Paul’s and then a deferred scholarship to read history at Corpus Christi, Cambridge, before joining the Navy. After gaining a First, he then taught at Clifton College from 1949 - 1963 during the period when his Cambridge mentor, Desmond Lee, was headmaster. He ran the History Department but also taught English and in 1957, became a housemaster. In 1963, at the age of 36, he became headmaster of Repton. This 5 year period saw some clashes but also successes, but in 1968 he followed Desmond Lee and became

This was the text that welcomed me into my love for literature. Next, there was ‘Mayor of Casterbridge’ and Yeats’ Poems for A/L. But it was in 1967 when I was fortunate to be allocated David as my Oxbridge Tutor that he became that special teacher. It was in tutorials and largely in his home, that I can picture him most vividly. There is David, with his tweed jacket and constantly dismantling and “remantling” his pipe to provide him time to deliver his erudite answer.

His son James has said David knew which writers he liked; on those authors, his knowledge was encyclopaedic. And he was a natural teacher, delighting in sharing his scholarship. Thomas Hardy, Henry James, Philip Larkin, William Yeats, Edmund Blunden, Wordsworth, Evelyn Waugh - many of them outsiders with a hard or sad edge. But he ameliorated the edge because he was a kind, urbane commentator. Secondly, he had an immense vocabulary; he wove his intellectual persona around us. I have attended two University English departments, and never found an equal to David’s elegant delivery. After his death, a fellow tutee and I were invited to explore David’s home library; it felt as though we were given an insight into his mind. To me, a retired English teacher, it was an extraordinary library. David’s was an extensive English Literature Criticism collection; apart from two shelves on Mozart and Brahms, it was pure English. His authors were represented by many tomes, and they were alongside volumes on the history of criticism.

David was very happily married to Brenda. In her last years, David was a devoted home-nurse to her and in David’s last years, he was lovingly cared for by his two children, James and Claire. Theirs was a close-knit family.

David’s passing was the end of an era. He was one of two remaining members of the Clifton English Department from the mid 1960s, Tom Gover, being the other. Five years ago, in his late 80s, David resumed teaching his Oxbridge class of ’67. We tutees sat at his feet again. What a joy to listen to his teaching voice again, with its characteristic modulations. He has left a huge void behind him. David was an important friend and a wonderful teacher.

headmaster at Winchester; it was here that he was able to make his mark. He aimed to run Winchester as a progressive and tolerant school and wanted to make it more accessible through creating scholarships for boys at state schools. He supported the creation of a diverse range of subjects and championed the musical aspects of life at Winchester. He also successfully protected Winchester’s Water Meadows when these were threatened by the proposed M3 bypass.

After his retirement in 1985, he taught liberal humanist subjects at King Edward’s Southampton, and later Portsmouth Grammar School. He was a member of both the Winchester Cathedral Trust, and the Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust and his autobiography, ‘The Road to Winchester’, was published in 1989.

In 1955, he married Veronica Maconochie and as newly-weds, they lived in a small first-floor flat in Clifton by the former Bristol Zoo, becoming used to the sounds and, sometimes, sights of various animals. His wife died in 1999; their son and daughter survive him.

Chris Serle ET 1961

Christopher Richard Serle was born in Henleaze in Bristol in 1947 to parents Winnifred and Frank Serle, the latter having served in Bomber Command during the Second World War. He joined Clifton College in 1953, becoming a member of East Town, and gained a place to read Modern Languages at Trinity College, Dublin; this was where he became interested in acting. He returned to Bristol, working at the Bristol Old Vic but realised that his height of 6ft 5inches was a disadvantage and so moved into the production side in London, working for BBC Radio, before beginning to have jobs in television on programmes such as ‘Parkinson’ and ‘Dave Allen At Large’. The consumer programme ‘That’s Life’, hosted by Esther Rantzen, had run from 1973 but needed a new presenter in 1979; Chris Serle was chosen as one of the replacements and as ‘the big man’ who investigated on behalf of ‘the little man’, soon became a household name and face. ‘That’s Life’ looked at serious consumer issues but also contained

Mark Vincent

SH 1971

When one reads in a newspaper that someone has ‘died after battling a long illness’ or similar words, it is easy to dismiss them, whereas when one faces an illness oneself or knows of someone who has suffered or is suffering, the words have a stark reality with real and poignant meaning. Such was it with Mark who endured the debilitating progressive effects of multiple sclerosis for which there is no cure. What was remarkable about Mark was his resilience and selfcontainment in the face of such a terrible affliction. With Keith Bolshaw, who was light-heavy weight in the same 1973 team, I visited him two or three times a year at the Leonard Cheshire home where he spent his later years. Keith and I agreed that we gained far more from our visits than ever Mark did.

Mark attended Clifton where he boxed and then read Medicine at Pembroke College, Oxford. His academic studies took precedence over boxing and he did not box in 1974 but boxed again in 1975. He was a tenacious boxer and able to inflict punishment with both hands. His

more light hearted moments and was extremely popular. He appeared regularly from 1979 - 1983 and became instantly recognisable to the British public.

Later highlights of his television career included presenting the programme ‘Points of View’, a show called ‘Windmill’ which showcased archive clips from the BBC and ‘The Computer Programme’ among others. He was also the presenter

of Radio 4’s ‘Pick of the Week’ for 7 years. He resumed his partnership with Paul Heiney from ‘That’s Life’ for a tv series called ‘In At The Deep End’ in which they were asked to take on professional jobs with no prior experience. During this time, Chris tackled the following: becoming a racecourse bookie, a butler, an opera singer, a professional snooker player, an auctioneer at Sotheby’s, a professional photographer, yacht skipper and a driver in the Lombard RAC Rally. Watching him deal with the demands of such an eclectic mix of jobs proved extremely popular with the British public.

From 2005, he served as the honorary president of the Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service, a registered charity which provides a radio service to hospitals in Bristol and also presented BBC Radio Bristol’s ‘The Afternoon Show for many years.

He was married twice, firstly to Anna Southall with whom he had two sons, Harry and Jack and then to Ali Fraser with whom he had three children, Oliver, Katie and Grace. He died aged 81 on 16th September, 2024.

calmness in the ring was exemplary. After graduation, Mark trained at the John Radcliffe in Oxford and became a much respected and loved G.P. in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, practising until early retirement. He was rightly proud of the gifts he received from patients upon his retirement which he retained in his room together with his boxing memorabilia from his OUABC days.

His resilience during his illness was an example to us all and there were several occasions when it was thought he would succumb, to pneumonia, for example, yet he pulled through. Having gone down

in 1974, I did not meet Mark again until the alumni dinner at Pembroke in 2015, which he attended despite already being severely afflicted, supported by his son, Thomas, and his son-in-law, Danny. Thereafter Keith and I began to visit him. Mark retained and was proud of his OUABC memorabilia and it was wonderful to share memories with him. He was a stalwart supporter of OUABC throughout. He was also justly proud of his family who were always supportive of him and he shared their exploits when we visited.

He was a wonderful man and set an example to us all.

“What was remarkable about Mark was his resilience and selfcontainment in the face of such a terrible affliction.”

Lodge

Masonic Lodges tend to meet from September to April and this allows opportunities during early summer for umbrella organisations to hold events. Of particular interest to the Old Cliftonian Lodge is the Public School Lodges Council Festival. The PSLC lodges celebrate their association and fellowship with a festival which is hosted on rotation by the member lodges (generally at their associated school). It is a great opportunity for the various school lodges to showcase their schools, their history and their membership to the wider Masonic community. It is also an opportunity for wives, partners and families to get involved and share in the experience.

In the summer of 2023, Stowe School Lodge No.9002 held the PSLC festival and this was the second time they had hosted it at Stowe School, the other being in 1993. The Headmaster, Dr. Anthony Wallersteiner, was an enthusiastic supporter of the event; his brilliant speech was very well received and attendees enjoyed the wonderful house and garden tours, which, for many, were highlights of their day.

The Pro Grand Master, Jonathan Spence and the Provincial Grand Master for Buckinghamshire, John Clark, supported the event by taking the time out of their busy schedules to attend the festival. In addition, the Province of Buckinghamshire arranged for some of their classic cars, motorbikes and show team to attend the day.

A particular highlight was the attendance of the Deputy Grand Master of the Order of Freemasonry for Women, Maxine Priestly, and the rest of the ladies from

this Order. They paraded in their dress regalia and it was felt having members from the female side of freemasonry greatly added to the day. It was a first for this festival and a very welcome addition.

Historically for our November meeting, we would make our annual trip to Bristol where we would have lunch at the Alma Tavern, tea in the Newbolt room and a fraternal visit to Robert Thorne Lodge at Freemasons Hall on Park Street. Unfortunately, Robert Thorne Lodge changed the day of the week that they met and so we took this opportunity to try something different. As such, for our October meeting, we were lucky enough to be able to meet and dine at the school for our annual trip to Bristol. Our Director of Ceremonies, W.Bro Henry Peters (WaH 1980-82) owns a travelling lodge room and we set this up in the Languages café and dined in the Pavilion, together with our guests. The evening was very well received and the school’s caterers did an excellent job of looking after us.

The Brethren appreciate the connection to Bristol and the warm welcome we receive at the School and hope to make this a regular event.

Following on from this, our November meeting was a much more relaxed affair. W.Bro Colin Jaque (MH; HH; PH 1950-57) gave a talk on his recently published book ‘The Exodus Pharaoh’; he discussed his research, his hope for further study and where he thought proof might be found for his theory. He knew the subject matter very well and was kind enough to sign copies of his book for the Brethren. We also tried the new ‘home cooked’ menu style food at Freemasons Hall in Covent Garden and this change of pace was appreciated after a busy year.

At our January 2024 meeting, the Lodge made its annual fraternal visit to Globe Lodge no.23 to join them in their Installation meeting. As usual, the Brethren were made welcome during what has become a regular event in our calendar.

The Installation meeting in April 2024 saw W.Bro Tim Freeman (LS, TT, STP, ET 1972 -83) once again installed as worshipful Master. The Lodge was pleased to be able to join King’s College School Lodge for their festive board at the Army and Navy Club. A change of dining venue can sometimes backfire, but the Brethren enjoyed it so much, we will be looking to make it a regular occurrence.

The provisional dates of our meetings for the current year are: Friday 1st November 2024 which will be held at the school, Thursday 21st November 2024, Thursday 16th January 2025 and Thursday 24th April 2025 (Installation Meeting), all three of which will be held at Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London. OC Masons are always most welcome as visitors –please contact the Secretary if you would like to attend.

If you are interested in Masonry and would like further information, please contact:

The Lodge Secretary, David Peters, 4 The Woodbine, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 1JE Tel: 07709 630036; email: davidanpeters@aol.com.

Accounts

Honorary Treasurer’s Report

This report comprises two parts. First, the summary accounts of the Old Cliftonian Society. Accounts are not published elsewhere for this private members’ club. The full financial statements and Auditor’s report are available from the Old Cliftonian Society office and on the website, and a summary is outlined here.

Secondly, the summary accounts of registered charity 1113320, the Clifton College Endowment Fund. The full accounts are available from the Charity Commission website. The Trustees of the Charity are all members of the Old Cliftonian Society Executive Committee.

AC Mole was reappointed at the last Annual General Meeting as Accountants and Auditors for the financial year ending 31 December 2023 covered by this report.

OLD CLIFTONIAN SOCIETY

The Old Cliftonian Society

At the time of writing in October 2024, the Society is in its fourth term of its core activities being funded as a cost centre of Clifton College. As the Society remains an independent entity, Clifton College transfers the agreed budget to the Society, less salaries for Clifton College employees who provide the backbone of the Society’s ongoing operations. In return, the Society delivers the alumni relations and events function for Clifton College.

This is meant to be a temporary arrangement pending a definitive reimagining of the role, purpose, and funding of the Old Cliftonian Society.

These accounts reflect the transition from the old funding model. The first two terms of 2023 were funded via life membership subscription income and voluntary contributions from past and present members of the school and costs invoiced to the Society. After the year end, the Society entered into an agreement with Clifton College whereby Clifton College will pay Old Cliftonian £50,000 for the 2023/24 academic year. As this agreement was not signed before the year end, the income has not been recognised in the 2023 accounts.

OLD CLIFTONIAN SOCIETY

Balance Sheet As of 31 December 2023, 2023

The Clifton College Endowment Fund

In the 2023/24 academic year the Clifton College Endowment Fund supported financially 24 Clifton College pupils. To commemorate Clifton’s integral association with the D-Day landings for the 80th anniversary, also the Charity paid for the memorial bench at Bude to be renewed.

All applications for financial assistance should be directed to the School Finance Department. The Trustees and School work together to ensure that awards are provided to those in financial need, and in line with the stated wishes or legal requirements of financial contributors to the Charity.

Ongoing gifts are very welcome and for UK taxpayers qualify for gift aid, which increases the net value of the gift by 25%. However, legacies are the main source of new capital. Donations to Charity on death are highly effective in saving Inheritance Tax for UK domiciled individuals.

THE CLIFTON COLLEGE ENDOWMENT FUND

The Trustees would like to thank its ongoing donors as well as those who intend to leave legacies. Those who choose to remember the Clifton College Endowment Fund in their Will are welcome to be members of the 1862 club, administered via Jeremy Pickles and the Old Cliftonian Society office. Typically, there is an annual lunch in the summer term in recognition during life of the future gift on death.

In 2010 the Charity Commission authorised the Trustees to use total return accounting, which allows the Charity to use a wider range of investments with the expectation generating a greater overall return. Evelyn Partners managed the portfolio during the period of these accounts and its mandate excludes investments in areas that might be considered as harmful to the environment or society more generally.

The Trustees receive a presentation from Evelyn Partners three times per year about progress of the portfolio, which in 2023 was challenging at times. In 2024, a review of investment management arrangements has been undertaken.

Tiers of Donors

The main focus for CCDT fundraising has been for means tested bursarial support.

Many thanks to all these donors who have supported us:

Percival Benefactors

(£250k plus)

Chellaram Foundation

The Old Cliftonian Society

Joseph Cooper (NT 1931) *

Jonathan Glassberg (PH 1983)

Polack’s House Educational Trust

David Jones (BH 1955) *

John James Bristol Foundation

Mildred Tomlinson *

Michael R W Eames *

Anthony Gwilliam (NT 1948) *

Geoffrey Hardyman (OH 1950) *

Anonymous x 1

Guthrie Benefactors

(£50k – £250k)

Nick Porter (ET 1986)

Jacqueline Pullinger *

Mr D and Mrs H Stevens

Trevor Howard (DH 1932) *

Edgar Harborne (NT 1952) *

Roger Cooper (DH 1952)

Alan Morgan (NT 1969)

Isidore Grossman *

Simon Brewer (ET 1981)

Sir Hector Sants (BH 1973)

Stephen Zimmerman (PH 1967)

HSWJ Trust

Ian Lane (ST 1950)

Ann Futter Lomeli

Peter Tasker (NT 1973)

Sir Trevor Chinn (PH 1953)

Lin (NT 1954) and Judith Wilson

Michael Bailey (ET 1970)

Robin Bowie (WiH 1980)

Graeme McEvoy (SH 1987)

Lindsay Tomlinson (WiH 1969)

Anonymous x 3

Wilson Benefactors

(£10k – £50k)

John Pocock

Hugh Harper (WiH 1986) *

Christopher Trembath (ST 1980)

Marc Futter (OH 1939) *

Friends of Clifton

Tim Greene

Sir David Willcocks Music Trust Fund

Sandy Hett (DH 1946)

Granville Davis (NT 1939) *

The J&M Britton Charitable Trust

A. Frank Petrosky

Davidson Charitable Trust

Arbi Gayrabekov

Michael Brooks (NT 1951)

Halid Musayev

Bob Frampton (WiH 1942) *

David Forbes-Nixon (NT 1983)

Andrew Thornhill (NT 1962)

Simon Makinson (WaH 1976)

Tim Ross

Sir Peter Job (DH 1959)

David Jenkins (SH 1940) *

David Killick (OH 1956)

Piotr Holysz (SH 2003)

Keasbey Memorial Foundation

OC Masonic Lodge

Sir Martin Franklin (PH 1983)

Peter Greenaway (NT 1950) *

Milan Morjaria (SH 1985)

Colin Hallward (ST 1953) *

Peter George (BH 1990)

Christopher Dale (BH 1988)

Agnes Weighell *

Thomas Elliott (OH 1982)

Patrick Howe (ST 1955) *

John Barron (DH 1952) *

Rick Saunders (DH 1981)

Matthew Kemp (PH 1985)

Peter Bartrum (DH 1926) *

Kadoorie Charitable Foundation

Geoffrey Mowat (ST 1936) *

Davy Pain (SH 1936) *

David Peck (OH 1939) *

Julian Tayler *

Richard Farrimond (WaH 1965)

Neal Foster (PH 1984)

Neil Constable (WiH 1983)

John Dayer (NT 1948)

Dorota Lyszkowska-Becher (OH 1998)

Aaron Banks

Neil Jordan (ST 1987)

Adrian Palmer (SH 1967)

The Harry Crook Charitable Trust

Gillian Blakeman *

Charles Rifkind (PH 1976)

Alastair Channing (WaH 1962) *

Peter Forbes (BH 1947) *

Ore Yegenmemmedov

David Schacht (BH 1953)

Quentin Robey (WiH 1967)

Peter Bellingham (WiH 1970)

Alan Mann (PH 1965)

David Wolfson (PH 1953) *

Christopher Taylor (NT 1960)

Anonymous x 4

The Close Benefactors

(£1k – £10k)

402

The Commemoration Benefactors

(up to £1k)

2627

Some donors choose to remain anonymous and their wishes are respected.

The list shows donations received since 1st January 2000. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this list. If your name has been inadvertently omitted please accept our apologies and deepest gratitude for your support. Please contact us and we will rectify this as soon as we can.

* In Memoriam

OC Contacts & Sports Clubs

If you wanted to contact other OCs in your area, please email the OC office to be put in touch, we have Cliftonians all over the UK and across the Globe.

Here are some contacts in certain areas in the UK:

ENGLAND

Bristol Seb Hoyle sebhoyle@btinternet.com 07850 766368

Bristol Jezz Grainger jezzsterboy@yahoo.co.uk 07785345111

London AJ Rivlin

adriennerivlin@gmail.com 07823327422

Isle of Man

Derek Winterbottom derekw@manx.net 01624 670 732

Northumberland & Co Durham

David Penny davidspenny2003@yahoo.co.uk 07855 430 811

Yorkshire Christopher Gibbs christopher.gibbs@cantab.net 07886 202901

Scotland

Douglas Findlay-Shirras douglas@kinellanlodge.co.uk 07785-277387

Wales

Nick Jones

Nick.jones500@gmail.com 07968 042542

Irish Republic and Northern

Ireland

Richard Holdsworth richardholdsworth@hotmail.com +353 860 222759

OC Overseas Branches

If you are living in, moving to, or travelling around the Globe, the following OCs have offered to be a point of contact:

AUSTRALASIA

Australia - Queensland

Roger Griffiths +61 7-32662794 +61 (0)42 880 1000 grifo@optusnet.com.au

Australia – New South Wales

Piers Hogarth-Scott +61 405 151 971 piers@hogarth-scott.com

Australia – Western Australia

John Melville-Jones +61 8-64882164 john.melville-jones@uwa.edu.au

New Zealand

Clive Weston +64 21 905 565 clivejrweston@gmail.com

EUROPE

Belgium

Richard Lewis +322 767 8153 richard.lewis@telenet.be

France

Colin Yeandle +33 2 3328 1037 colalyeandle@orange.fr

Gibraltar

Bruno Callaghan +34 956 615 160 +350 200 43636 bruno@callaghaninsurance.com

The Netherlands

Charles Mander +31 652844090 charles.mander@live.com

Poland

Marcin Szala +48 693 964 717 marcin@szala.net

Russia and CIS

Boris Yaryshevskiy +79851831313 yaryshevskiy@gmail.com

Switzerland

Damian Budd +41 78 658 2469 damianbudd@hotmail.com

CENTRAL AND MIDDLE EAST

Israel

Simon Jaffa +972544986650 sjaffe@barlow.co.il

Gulf States - Qatar BeeJay Barnard-Jones beej320@gmail.com +974 33697546

INDIA

Rajeev Chaurasia (Mumbai) rajeev.chaurasia@gmail.com +919821517777

NORTH AMERICA

Canada – British Columbia

Kenneth Fok zedbadeemc@gmail.com +1 604 266 8578

Canada – Ontario/Quebec Richard Musson rjgmusson@gmail.com +1 416-557-2560

USA – New York & East Coast Graeme McEvoy mcevoygraeme@gmail.com +1 908 723 1685

USA - California - Northern Stephen Wares stephenwares@gmail.com +1 650 690 0508

USA - California - Southern Izzie Pick izziepickash@gmail.com +1 323 632 2812

USA –West States Alexander Watson alexanderwatsoninslc@gmail. com +1 385 282 3200

AFRICA

East Africa Kiuri Mburathi kiurim@gmail.com +254 726 971961 and Vivian Lagat vlagat@gmail.com +254 723 547 648

South Africa

Nigel Drury - Cape Town n.h.drury@gmail.com +27 79 165 8824 and

David Williams - Johannesburg davidwilliams.rsa@gmail.com +27 72 597 3792

SOUTH EAST ASIA

Hong Kong

Vincent Law vkmlaw@gmail.com +852 9840 0096

Japan Masa Usui usuim21@hotmail.com +81 90 12597800

Singapore Tom Streatfeild-James tomstreatfeildjames@icloud.com +65 8420 4587

South Korea

Jane Lee

janeylee16@gmail.com +852 5372 6347

Taiwan

Simon Wong no5354@hotmail.com +886 953288522

Thailand Simon Makinson simonmakinson2@gmail.com +85297393691

Old Cliftonian Society Sports Clubs 2024

Cricket Club

Jem Brooks – President 07966 264405 jbrooks@brookswm.co.uk

Ben Figueiredo – Captain (Cricketer Cup)

benfigs789@hotmail.co.uk 07377 921240

Shay Sainsbury – Cricket Week ssainsbury@cliftoncollege.com 0747028855

Cross Country Ed Greig edgreig@gmail.com 07825263408

Football Club

Jon Temperley 07977 149 553 oldcliftoniansfc@gmail.com

Hockey Club

George Cryer 07903 974585. georgecryer@me.com

Saskia Barnes 07532207157 saskia.barnes@yahoo.com

Golf Society Andy Rudge arudge2@cliftoncollege.com 0779595630

David Rowe 07766 333301 dha.rowe@btinternet.com

Rackets Club

James Telling 07817 421 985 telling9@hotmail.com

Real Tennis Club

Brian Muir brianmuir6@gmail.com 07775675701

Rugby 7s Will Watson wjw10@hotmail.co.uk 07967993351

Ollie Bowden obowden1@hotmail.co.uk 07951056575

OFFICERS

President James Isaacs

Immediate Past President Mark Eldridge

Vice Presidents Seb Hoyle Alan Bailey

Chair Kate Holland Smith

Head of Alumni and Community Jeremy Pickles

Treasurer Alex Turco

OTHER MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Rachel Morris

Simon Reece

Andy Rudge

George Harris

Matt Howard-Cairns

Ben Preston

Jez Walters

John Davies

FINANCE COMMITTEE

Simon Reece

Ben Preston

Alex Turco

Matt Howard-Cairns

John Davies

CLIFTON COLLEGE ENDOWMENT FUND

(Registered Charity No. 1113320)

TRUSTEES

All members of the Executive Committee

Assets held by OC (Clifton College) Nominees Ltd

DIRECTORS of OC (Clifton College) Nominees Ltd

Kate Holland Smith (Chair) Alex Turco (Treasurer)

Editor of the Cliftonian (OC Edition) Magazine

Sarah Clarke – Email: sclarke2@cliftoncollege.com

The Old Cliftonian Society

32 College Road Bristol BS8 3JH 0117 315 7665

Email: cliftoniansociety@cliftoncollege.com

Website: www.oc-online.co.uk

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