Valete 2016-2019

Valete The Cantuarian 2016-2019

CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019

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CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019

Editor’s Note While most of the school magazine causes joy, the valete section arouses mixed feelings. Of course, there is the melancholy of mutability: we thought our leavers would be here forever, but now they’ve gone, and their departure reminds us that we’ll be leaving one day too. There’s also wonder, even awe: how could these people have achieved so much? And humility: when we look back and assess our own time at King’s, will ours come remotely close in value to theirs? These former colleagues are the definition of goodwill. And, of course, we feel hope: hope that we can follow their example, and hope that they will lead full lives for a long time beyond these walls. But most of all, perhaps, we feel gratitude.

When we read the warm words that follow, about so many brilliant careers at King’s, we realise that those we celebrate could have done so many other things with their lives. But they chose to teach, and in helping others to realise their full potential they realised their own. And so it is the purpose of each vale, and of this valete, not just to say farewell but to give thanks.

This could not be done, of course, without the brave volunteers who signed up for some painstaking research and writing, and many of them, because of their lofty positions within the school, offered to write more than one.

It helped that the writers of these valedictory portraits were often not just colleagues of their subjects, but close friends. We are deeply grateful for all the time and effort they spent on what are some really fine examples of this unique kind of prose. For all their work, wit and warmth, much thanks.

Anthony Lyons Editor

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CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019

Geoff Cocksworth

by Headmaster, Peter Roberts

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ount Pleasant in Canterbury, Mount Sinai in Egypt and Nanshan, the green mountain in Shenzhen: they say that if you have a visitor and want to get close to God that you should climb high. Not to look down necessarily, but to look up, to be inspired and to try to connect with what is beyond the material, even if it is beautiful, as is undoubtedly the case with a fine new(ish) girls’ boarding house in St. Augustine’s ruins, but also true of the Emperor Justinian’s monastery dedicated to St. Catherine and the silky emerald tump above our new school in Shenzhen. What connects the three loci is the remarkable and fertile career of our friend and colleague, Geoff Cocksworth.

Senior Management Team and cultivating the development, growth and success of Philosophy, particularly so in the context of the excellent and challenging Pre-U syllabus during my time as Headmaster.

Even though this piece is a vale to thank a special colleague and friend for twenty-eight years of dedicated (the SMT I took on in 2011 was extremely hard-working and experienced) service to King’s, it is our good fortune, and a tribute to the quality of reinvention it spawns, that he hasn’t really left King’s, but gone to the Pearl River Delta in China as our founding Principal of King’s International. As I enjoyed a Halloween party on the roof-top garden of our beautiful school (Geoff at the heart of the party dressed as a wizard!), I reflected that the genius loci (the Canterbury shield, the gifted gap year teaching assistant, Eimear Pickstone (Jervis, 2013 – 18), and the break-out spaces for discussion-based teaching) was the same spirit as back in Canterbury.

The first of the genius loci that open this vale to Geoff (Head of Religious Studies from 1990, Director of Studies from 1999, Deputy Head (Academic) from 2012 and then International Director in 2017) was the lowestA generator of ideas, Geoff was a lying but the warmest of the member of my team who was always Cocksworth hearths. Alongside willing to take on big and difficult tasks Bernie, the most vivacious and (the foundation of the International ‘A generator of ideas, Geoff was a member of my beautiful of housemistresses College in Canterbury springs to mind), team who was always willing to take on big and with Alex, Rosie and then Eliza but intensely loyal, and someone with difficult tasks, but intensely loyal, and someone with growing up in a happy and whom one could compare the fortunes whom one could compare the fortunes of historic, if creative extended household, of historic, if unfashionable, football unfashionable, football clubs.’

Harvey House became a by-word clubs (Brighton and Hove Albion he, on the independent school circuit Stoke City me) and comparisons of the for both the aura pastoralis the Augustinian founders of the school may great cricketers of our youth (John Snow he, Sussex man to heart, and have hoped for, but also the good pursuit of every house cup or other Bob Willis me, Warwickshire being the nearest County Cricket Club to competitive prize: Mount Pleasant, a warmly happy family home in the my native Staffordshire). midst of a close-knit, home-from-home girls’ boarding house for sixty teenage girls and, by extension, for their families.

In conclusion, Geoff is fun to be with and going strong, since our new school in the fastest-growing city in the world already has over a Mount Sinai is an image for Biblical scholarship and exploration of hundred pupils! I am so glad that my role brings plenty of visits to our desert(ed) places for a famous Religious Studies Department, so ably new educational daughter, and the chance to catch up with Geoff. led by Geoff and attracting to its ranks teachers of such quality as Janice Reid and then Old Testament scholar nonpareil Anthony Phillips, the ‘It is our good fortune, and a tribute to the new Headmaster who had the vision to appoint Geoff in the first place quality of reinvention it spawns, that he hasn’t from Hampton School. Not surprisingly, the most important effect of really left King’s, but gone to the Pearl River these sparkling lessons and encouraging tuition was a wave of King’s 6a’s going on to read Theology and allied subjects at Oxford, Cambridge, Delta in China as our founding Principal of Durham and other top universities. The Department remained popular King’s International.’ and successful, Geoff continuing to teach whilst a member of the CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019

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Neil Warnick

by Stuart Ocock

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n Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd, Bathsheba Everdene declares: ‘I shall be up before you are awake; I shall be afield before you are up; and I shall have breakfasted before you are afield. In short, I shall astonish you all.’ This sounds just like Neil, as one practising that famous habit of successful people: Getting Up Very Early in the Morning. Those of us of a more owlish disposition might be dismayed to find that he has already cleared two hours of work before we even arrive at school. In fact, Neil has been just as adept at the twilight work as the rosy-fingered dawn sessions. This most matutinal of tutors seemingly has infinite time to give.

EKST partnerships with other schools. His later speciality was jobs which, on his relinquishing, required more than one colleague to replace him.

I have a huge personal debt of gratitude to Neil; it is impossible to overstate how helpful he was from the moment I arrived at King’s. It was immediately apparent that he was going to be a hell of an act to follow as Head of Department. Using the modern nomenclature, he was a leader and emphatically not a mere manager, and one always leading by example. Minutes issued before the departmental meetings actually took place was a typical RNW efficiency: knowing colleagues so well, he knew what they were going to say.

Arriving at King’s as the school turned fourteen centuries old, For many years he fulfilled a vital long ago enough that even MPHD role, making sure our departmental was only just taking up the reins in meetings kept their essential the (old) Grange, Neil assumed his therapeutic purpose – we will surely second departmental headship miss his Exocet-precision heckles. (coming from The King’s School, When Neil speaks, you listen – you’ll Rochester), after Roger Mallion probably learn something! An all-tooreturned to the back-benches. rare mix of fierce intelligence with RBMa has special affection for dollops of common sense, Neil can Neil, for it was his appointment be an academic figurehead but also that enabled Roger to step down somehow still remains accessible to from being Head of Department those for whom Mathematics is a — something he had been trying source of anxiety. With the grown-ups, to do for some years, but without he can sometimes be someone whose the opportunity to do so. He clear-eyed sense of what the right thing found it great fun working as an is to do makes him seem not to suffer ordinary member of the Maths fools, but he has probably endured a team with Neil in charge. With few of those down the years. his quick sense of humour and his ‘An all-too-rare mix of fierce intelligence with dollops incredible efficiency, working for Always realising that pupils learn of common sense, Neil can be an academic figurehead Mathematics best if they are actually him was a genuine pleasure. With but also somehow still remains accessible to those for Neil being an early bird and Roger in the lessons, Neil often flagged up whom mathematics is a source of anxiety.’ being more of a night owl, Roger the creeping number of legitimate could frequently put something school activities taking pupils away into Neil’s pigeon-hole at 1 a.m., confident that it would be looked at a from lessons – the eternal, unbalanced, game of rock-paper-scissors mere five hours later and that a reply would be in his own pigeon-hole where the academics often seem to give way to music and sport. The by the time he surfaced the next morning. battle continues. It is said that boring lessons are an ideal preparation for adult life; clearly, then, Neil was guilty of leaving pupils woefully In some schools it is thought you must have a Mathematics graduate in unprepared. He was the great encourager, magnificent at persuading charge of the department: not so, here. Not only a natural scientist but the strugglers to persevere, showing them the opportunities missed by also a born teacher, surely one of the finest Mathematics teachers of most pupils because it is ‘dressed in overalls and looks like work’. RNW this or any other generation, Neil also has found time down the years lessons were a world away from a stiff 1950s formality, with a wonderful for the manifold other aspects of schoolmastering. Indeed, in many purposeful level of pupil noise, and plenty of activity. I cannot recall in ways Neil is the complete teacher. A bare list of what he did would seventeen years ever having a pupil request a set move out; I had many not suffice, but we can try: Head of Mathematics, Head of Sixth Form wanting to go in the other direction. Pupils seemed either to like being (including Oxbridge), ‘Housemistress’ of Bailey, Head of Professional taught by Neil, or to love it.

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That extends to colleagues too, with Neil’s input on the professional development process, whether mentoring or the other myriad behind-the-scenes work that he did.

As a truly exemplary classroom practitioner, one of the Headmaster’s smarter moves was putting RNW in charge of major aspects of teaching and learning. I don’t think the egoless Neil was ever too bothered by status, and there is absolutely no side to him, but I have long seen him as effectively a part of the senior team.

Neil was a tutor in Galpin’s House for a very long time, and there he was an invaluable support, and source of advice, anecdotes, and opinions on all things KSC. Friday nights in GL were, according to Tim Waite, ‘two things Maths night for many of the sixth form, and ‘get your head down and at least pretend to work’ night, as Mr. W. runs a tight ship – on

his watch the house is quiet, and even those Galpin’s boys whom many of you struggle to get any work out of are at least slacking quietly and at their desks. It’s been a pleasure for all in Galpin’s; the boys have huge respect for him, or are scared stiff of him, probably just a good mix of the two.’

is true or not that he never originally picked up an official teaching certificate, his long and tremendous career in education has truly been an unqualified success.

So, how are we going to cope without him?

As the old proverb almost has it, for the want of a Neil, the kingdom was lost … actually this is rather wide of the mark – we are saying farewell to a ‘big beast’ colleague, not a bitpart player. As he headed out of the Mint Yard Gate for the final time, I was tempted to stand on my desk, yelling ‘O captain, my captain!’, but he would, no doubt, recoil from such an ostentatious display of recognition.

‘As he headed out of the Mint Yard Gate for the final time, I was tempted to stand on my desk, yelling ‘O captain, my captain!’, but he would, no doubt, recoil from such an ostentatious display of recognition.’

Now in his retirement Neil can enjoy a bit of a lie-in, maybe until 5 a.m. Whether the story CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019

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Linda Warnick

by Martin Miles

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efore the Palace Block came to stand empty, it already felt a hollow shell, bereft of the ubiquitous motherly presence that was Linda for nearly two decades, one way or another. If I am being vague about the time frame, it is because Linda did not emanate all at once, but slipped into the warp and weft of the department incrementally. Following her husband Neil’s appointment to run Mathematics some twenty years ago, but with Eleanor and Ben not yet pupils here, Linda made herself available to cover a series of unexpected Modern Languages gaps both at Junior King’s and in The Precincts. That she was an extremely gifted linguist, having progressed through the Lycée Français in London to an undergraduate career at Somerville College, Oxford, meant that this was no average cover teacher of German and French, even if her galley years in the Palace Block involved picking up all sorts of bits and pieces and, as Brecht might have put it, changing classrooms more often than her shoes.

communicate (with a dry sense of humour), but also the fact that she could be relied upon to deliver meticulously whatever had been agreed. Linda was a consummate professional, almost over-anxious for all to work perfectly, and therefore the first to spot a potential problem or a tricky new fiat from the Board. She was also remarkably flexible in what she could and would teach, allowing me both to set the pace and to leave to her parts of the course over which she would duly enthuse, but that left me rather more cool: Twentieth-Century German Art or the role of Germany in the European Union, anyone?

A passion for theatre, however, we could share, and Linda again went the extra mile by not only spotting, but also organising a large number of German and French theatre trips for Languages pupils. The same readiness to spend many frustrating hours on necessary (read: required) administration for what she rightly perceived to be immense pupil benefit was evident in her regular organisation of foreign trips, too, most notably the 6b trips to Berlin that she inaugurated.

Again, she commanded the tedious and bulky paperwork, leaving me to For the last twelve years she has play tourist guide. That even six weeks been a full-time stalwart of MFL, before retirement she was managing a ‘It is only when one finds the hole left in the human and she has worked particularly record 35,000 steps in just one of four fabric of the Palace Block that one quite appreciates tirelessly to promote German days’ sightseeing is remarkable, but what a huge role she quietly assumed over all those at all levels. She proved equally still more so when you bear in mind years.’ effective nurturing top A’ Level the horrendous leg injury that she had pupils through to an excellent IRP suffered a decade before, and that (that she was also happy to examine) and encouraging weak Shells to give continues to test her tenacity even more surely than the computerthe language a go, and to enjoy it. More determinedly ‘target-language- gremlin that proved so malevolent in her final years of teaching. focused’ than some of us, she blended encouragement with insistence, getting excellent IGCSE results out of not-always natural linguists. She Not that Linda was any kind of slouch with IT. She it was who, was prepared to give hours of time (especially early in the morning) characteristically, long ago set up a German Department website for to those pupils who were less able and inclined to creep less willingly pupil use and who went on to be the driving force behind The Globalist, to school, with regular clinics on offer and numerous retests doggedly a Languages publication by and for pupils. If her support for earlier pursued. Not all teenage boys appreciate a persistent maternal force, initiatives such as Kaffee und Kuchen for younger years showed however patient and supportive, but most were ultimately grateful for her commitment to German, The Globalist showed her passion for the pragmatic and imaginative approach that maximised their potential. Languages as a whole, and she steered the work of her pupil committee Her imagination and enthusiasm also regularly produced a number of with great flair to produce what Mr. Pennells has called ‘a truly authentic good linguists keen to continue to A’ Level: no mean achievement in the Languages experience to which many have contributed and from which current climate. many have benefitted. Such is the quality of the offering’, he goes on, ‘that not only have the Globalist competitions weaved their way into Sharing sets with Linda at A’ Level, and dividing a year group lower schemes of work, but it has also become the flagship Languages offering down, was a delight. It was not just her readiness to consult and for the East Kent Schools Together partnership work, with Linda bringing 8

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together pupils from across various schools to take part.’ Her effort, encouragement and ideas are stamped all over this legacy of which she can be very proud.

Linda’s influence and involvement expanded incrementally beyond as well as within the Palace Block. From the thankless task of ticking registers and supervising ‘off-games’ pupils, to organising the monthly Common Room 100-Club Draw, she has had fingers in many pies. As Common Room Secretary to three Presidents she has provided invaluable support to colleagues, picking up potential problems and giving timely reminders, along with producing minutes for AGMs and BASCOS and advising on gifts for ‘hatch, match and dispatch’. As a tutor, latterly in Carlyon

(where Eleanor and Ben were once pupils), she showed the same readiness to step into the breach willingly and without complaint as in the Palace Block, and she also showed the same pastoral commitment to pupils, especially, again, to those in need of gentle but firm encouragement.

slipped in. It is only when one finds the hole left in the human fabric of the Palace Block that one quite appreciates what a huge role she quietly assumed over all those years. And it seems that the now-forsaken Palace Block as a corporate entity has not survived without her!

We must also not forget that she spent four years in Bailey House, while Neil was the Housemaster there, supporting both him and his female charges to the hilt.

‘Before the Palace Block came to stand empty, it already felt a hollow shell, bereft of the ubiquitous motherly presence that was Linda for nearly two decades.’

Self-deprecating and self-effacing, for all her tenacity and ubiquitous involvement, Linda has typically slipped away into retirement slightly unexpectedly and in a low-key manner, following her husband just as when she

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Marc Dath

by Stuart Ocock

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think it was Goethe (famously the subject of a song by Chas ‘n’ Dave) who said: ‘Mathematicians are like Frenchmen: whatever you say to them they translate into their own language, and forthwith it is something entirely different.’ Marc, who retires after thirty-one years at King’s, arrived in 1988 to work under Roger Mallion, and Canon Anthony Phillips as HM. To this day, they both agree that one of the best day’s work that they ever did for King’s was on the day they appointed Marc Dath.

In his early years he tutored in Tradescant and ran the activities programme for a few years. As an accomplished photographer, he ran both the Photography Society and the Gough Photography Prize for many years, and plenty of his own prints appeared here in The Cantuarian. After spells as Deputy HSM in Jervis (under MWB’s mother, Victoria Browning) and the newly-formed Harvey House, Marc’s pastoral skills did not go unnoticed and in 1997 he took over as Housemaster of The Grange.

out for other HSMs, and provided advice and support when needed. He had huge input into the design of the New Grange and coped admirably with the move over to St. Augustine’s in 2007. His legacy lives on in the house, with its sense of fairness and close community among all the year groups. The Grange still has ‘drinks with Dath’, even though the man himself no longer attends.

For legion OKS and their families, Marc Dath IS The Grange.

Closing out his time here as a tutor in Walpole, Marc was also a wonderful President of Common Room for three years from 2015, operating with efficiency, integrity and discretion, always standing up for the interests of its members. Something of a fixture at Birley’s throughout his time at King’s, Marc took countless rugby and football teams, sharing his enthusiasm and expertise. Rarely one to spectate from the sidelines, right up until his retirement was happy to put a whistle in his mouth and challenge himself to keep up with play.

In the Mathematics Department we have been so privileged to see his myriad qualities, as teacher, mentor, guide, coach, father. Warm, kind, playful and gracious, with the humility that marks out the best mathematicians, he was an utterly dependable stalwart. Marc has always been passionate about his mathematics – as per Plato: ‘There needs to be a fire in the teacher, and the sheer heat will help the fire grow in the student. It’s something that’s kindled because of the proximity to the heat.’ As the young people like to say: ‘True, Dath!’

Marc was a superb housemaster and was adored by the boys. Back then The Grange, with its rabbitwarren layout, had something of a reputation as a tricky place to run, but he set about putting his personality on the house. He had ‘Sometimes mathematicians can be rather remote a full understanding that teenage figures, but as a tremendous all-round schoolmaster, boys are always going to get up to a colleague like Marc – being seen on the rugby a certain amount of mischief, but field, in the house, at any number of events, behind whatever he faced Marc always seemed to remain incredibly the wheel of a ‘bus – meant pupils came to see calm. The boys warmed to him mathematicians in a different light – almost as immediately and took great Tim Armstrong has previously quipped human beings, perhaps.’ pride in the house; it was not that at King’s ‘we pretend to teach, long before the chants of ‘Dath’s and they pretend to learn…’ but this is army’ could be heard bellowing around any house sporting event. The doubly false for what went on in Marc’s classroom. There you would Grange did not always have a reputation for being the most academic find both inspiration and perspiration; demanding high standards, of houses, but at some point Lower Master Brian Turner would tell while maintaining the entente cordiale, he was a powerful teacher. The Marc that The Grange now had the highest number of scholars of any old joke about Mathematics teachers being people who talk in other house in the school. For those boys who would listen to his advice, people’s sleep is also wide of the Marc (sorry) – his classroom was a Marc always got the very best out of them. For those who wouldn’t, he place for awakenings. Indeed, Marc has all the rigour of one with a never gave up on them, and all the boys that went through the house mathematical upbringing across the Channel, frustrated by knocking off in Marc’s time are better people for having been cared for and guided the discoveries of a giant like Newton in a fortnight of lessons with the by him. As Senior Housemaster for four years from 2010, he also looked lumpen Fifths. Marc liked not to gallop but to canter – a Canterbury pace, 10

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if you like, which guided these mathematical pilgrims to their destination. Forever exasperated by textbooks with answers in the back, he delighted in spotting the absurdly impossible questions in our A’ Level textbooks, such as in Further Mathematics topic Oblique Impacts; Marc’s effect has been much more direct, and long-lasting. There was momentum, impulse, velocity aplenty, and Newton’s Law of Dathematics states that Marc’s utterances would have an inelastic collision with the teenage brain. No recoil, only recall; Marc’s teaching really stuck in the mind. After all, making memories is what we are all about at King’s.

Marc was much more than just a teacher of Mathematics; he did so much that many of us never saw. Sometimes mathematicians can be rather remote figures, but as a tremendous all-round schoolmaster, a colleague like

Marc – being seen on the rugby field, in the house, at any number of events, behind the wheel of a ‘bus – meant pupils came to see mathematicians in a different light – almost as human beings, perhaps.

Within the Mathematics Department we miss his wit and wisdom, his bon mots (do the French have a word for that??) and his general savoir-faire; Marc brought a certain style and élan of his own, too. Some members of the department have long sought to make life more interesting via the cultivation of facial hair, but with Marc it was Movember all year round for a long time, and a good few years have elapsed since he had Phil Fox for company in the philtrum-façade stakes.

Frenchman who exemplifies all the qualities of an English gentleman.’

Others may have brought their ‘A game’, but for a properly A* department, what do you really need? Well, for the asterisk, the Gaul.

Chapeau, Professeur.

‘All the boys that went through the house in Marc’s time are better people for having been cared for and guided by him.’

It will not be the same without Marc in the Mathematics Department. As GWHH said, ‘Things have come to a pretty pass, when it is a CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019

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Andrew Pollock

by Will Bersey

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or 27 years a man from Manchester with a Cambridge degree in Geography and a love of Manchester United and Real Ale presided over the string playing at the King’s School, Canterbury. Andrew Pollock is also a long-standing member of the London Symphony Orchestra and amongst the most experienced orchestral musicians out there, and it was his time on the stage of the Barbican, the Royal Albert Hall and countless other concert halls across the world, under the baton of Bernstein, Davis, Rattle and many other great masters, that made him such a wonderful Head of Strings.

Whilst Andy was at King’s he provided unfailing support for the orchestral year, a role that includes devising programmes, selecting players, bowing parts, setting up rehearsals and, of course, sharing his wisdom in rehearsals. Andy also directed the Chamber Orchestra with enormous skill and musicianship, offering the opportunity for pupils to take on some extremely challenging repertoire.

His most memorable performances include Walton’s Façade, Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Given his incredible experience as a professional player, there was not a piece of orchestral music that he hadn’t played, enabling him to advise the music team on sensible repertoire choices, and ensure we didn’t take on anything unwise, even if it wasn’t something we wanted to hear!

Andy was also an excellent teacher of both the violin and viola (and, for a time, Shell class music). Countless pupils have gone on to gain places at the UK’s top conservatoires and many are now actively working in the music profession. He was a loyal tutor in Marlowe House, providing great pastoral care to many tutees over the year, and the Marlowe House Concert will always be remembered for the way Andy managed to pull an orchestra together, seemingly from thin air.

Andy was a hugely loyal colleague in the Music Department, who worked incredibly long hours whilst commuting to and from London. We are proud to have worked with him and delighted that he continues to teach violin with us for a few hours a week, whilst playing as a full-time member of the London Symphony Orchestra, touring the world, recording Hollywood film soundtracks and finding a little more time for his beloved walking holidays.

‘We are proud to have worked with him and delighted that he continues to teach violin for us for a few hours a week, whilst playing as a full-time member of the London Symphony Orchestra.’

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Karen Pears

by Liz Pidoux & Lisa Cousins

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aren loved her job so much that husband John was often tramping up and down waiting for her to come out of the building. This was a two-edged sword because, when she had a car, personalised number plate and all, she would go home even later. Karen hated to leave a job unfinished.

She only marched out when no more could be done, or if an appointment or family commitment made it absolutely necessary to leave something hanging till the next working day.

Karen’s office was the only room in Luxmoore that was minimalist and spotless, even after a messy day of accidents and the occasional hysterical row. Karen always marched along as fast as she could from LX to the school and back. It was as if she resented the time spent away from the house and the girls she loved.

Having said that, she loved the company of her fellow matrons and she appreciated the school food, so lunchtime in the Refectory was also a source of great enjoyment and Karen’s laughter, always so full of gusto and humour, could be heard in Green Court when she was at lunch.

Karen was genuinely interested in people.

She knew each girl in the house well – perhaps as well as, rather disconcertingly, her housemistress. She spent quality time also with her cleaners, actively appreciating their input but also making it her business to understand them privately and making allowances where necessary when there were difficulties. They appreciated her too and that was why Karen commanded the appreciation and respect of her matchless domestic team.

CEP

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fter 28 years of service to the girls (and three housemistresses) of Luxmoore House, we say a fond goodbye to Karen Pears. The fact that 200 people came to her farewell party was testament to the high regard and affection in which she was held.

Dubbed the ‘Queen of King’s’, Karen rivals many a ‘National Treasure’; she is simply a legend. I can’t think of anyone in school that

she didn’t help in some way, with advice, comfort, warm words, or simply a cup of tea.

Making everyone feel welcome in Luxmoore and being there as a friendly non-judgemental listener, what always came across was her warmth and kindness.

Six days a week, regular as clockwork, and never taking a day off, Karen started at 7.30 each morning, waking the girls and always working through lunch breaks. She was never one to watch the clock and, more often than not, had to be coaxed to her car and encouraged to leave the building each evening. Invariably, after social events, Karen was the last person to leave, often turning out the lights as she went.

By the girls, she has been described as ‘the glue that holds the house together’. Her door was always open; and she was keen to tell girls that ‘you don’t have to be ill to visit me’; ‘having a good day, having a bad day’, Mrs. Pears was always there with a sympathetic word and the best counsel, whether it concerned illness, injury or heartbreak. Putting many miles on the clock taking pupils to physio, orthodontists, hospitals or opticians in her car, Mrs. P always used that time shrewdly, spending valuable time chatting and getting to know pupils even better on the way.

A model matron, Karen epitomised all that is good about King’s pastoral care; she is a tribute to all our wonderful matrons who are important to every house. Martin Miles, who worked with her for many years on school

productions, says, ‘Karen was superb fun to work with; always able to find a solution to a costuming or make-up issue. Quite simply, she added common-sense wisdom with a twinkle!’

Karen was ‘my mate’ to Fiona Tennick, ‘Wobin’ to Liz Pidoux’s ‘Batman’ and ‘Cagney’ to my ‘Lacey’. She worked with all of us to make LX the best house it could be. She was my secret weapon when taking prospective parents on house tours – once they meet Mrs. P, they always choose Luxmoore.

Mrs. Pears will be remembered for many things, not least her ‘Pfuffing’ cushion, the way she showed girls how to dispense with a boy who had been a rat, and her Daniel Craig calendars! A person of great care, affability and support, the new ‘Mrs. Pears Patio’, dedicated in her honour, is a fitting space for contemplation and relaxation in the Luxmoore back garden.

Like many who have had the good fortune to have known Karen, I feel privileged to have worked with such an amazing colleague.

I thank her for her kindness, wisdom and friendship, and for her energy, unconditional support and understanding. I know that all the girls and families whose lives she has affected so positively will echo my sentiments.

Karen, we all wish you every happiness in your deserved retirement. May you have many wonderful adventures with your dear husband, John, and loving family.

LC

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Judith de Villiers

by Stuart Ocock

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udith joined us in September 2016 (replacing Chloe Mitchell OKS) having previously been Head of Mathematics at Dover Girls’ Grammar School, after spells teaching at Ashford School and Folkestone Academy. Her academic background at University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and later Canterbury Christ Church University meant I could give her most species of King’s mathematician to teach, from struggling Shells to Sixth Form further mathematicians.

In the classroom Judith always set high standards and demanded pupils step up and try to achieve. She quickly moved past that common new-arrival feeling of monopolising the detention systems and trained up her classes to fall into line (for the most part!). Judith was super-organised and a clear communicator in the classroom, and patient with those pupils who might never come to love Mathematics. The classroom visualiser, a device she championed, was by no means the only way she guided the pupils to see. Pupils will miss both her and her beloved canine companion, Olaf, sometimes a (diminutive) therapeutic presence in the classroom.

A considerate and valuable tutor, and a safe pair of hands in Kingsdown House, Judith sometimes found the trip back from late evening duty to her coastal home a bit of a trek in the dark winters, not least during the time of the ‘Beast from the East’ (no real snow days at King’s, of course). But you would never tell; she was always around and on-hand to help, and I certainly benefited greatly from her experience and calmness in the department. As an ex-hod she was quick to volunteer for things before being asked.

‘Pupils will miss both her and her beloved canine companion, Olaf, sometimes a (diminutive) therapeutic presence in the classroom.’

She stayed long enough for us to feel that we had got to know her, but short enough a spell that we are most regretful to see her leave. She certainly managed to pack a lot in during her time at the school. Judith gave a big lift to the growing sport of girls’ cricket, alongside coaching swimming. She helped staff the Economics trips to New York. She worked on the green committee to reduce plastic use at King’s. She did voluntary partnership teaching in other schools and looked after the visiting trainee teachers from Bilkent University, Turkey.

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In the 1980s one episode of the satirical television programme Spitting iImage contained a rather crude song: ‘I’ve Never Met a Nice South African’. Well, no one could say that within a few minutes of meeting Judith; she has been such a good colleague and friend and we will miss her greatly. After teaching in Kent schools for so long, Judith decided to head a bit further afield, and is going halfway round the world to Rugby School, Thailand. The aforementioned song has a line about finding unicorns in Burma; if she travels across to Myanmar during her next posting, I hope she will let us know if she does.

Georgina Longley

by Janet Taylor

D

r. George Longley was one of King’s treasures. Her supreme scholarship was evident from the outset, and though she was a mine of information on all things Classical, she wore her wisdom lightly and gave generously of her time to help all her pupils and colleagues. Possessing quite the most ‘can do’ attitude of anyone who has worked in the Classics Department for many a year, George was ready to tackle difficult texts, produce interesting worksheets, accompany a theatre trip, give a guided tour of Oxford or cover a lesson. George could be relied upon in any situation for she made her beloved Cicero’s ‘summum bonum’ her watchword. In fact, when faced with a challenge, George could be heard to wonder, ‘What would Cicero do now?’ In this way, inspiring the girls in Walpole, challenging EP candidates to think deeply, sharing her expertise with the Oxbridge candidates and helping many others with their university applications, she quickly made a massive impact on the whole life of the school and everybody loved her for her enthusiastic support.

But George was equally at home outside the classroom – she was a hit in the fencing hall, a doyenne of debating, much loved by children from The Spires Academy for her outreach activities – and she still had the energy to coin a witty phrase or two when presenting a talk on numismatics at a Pater Society meeting at the end of a busy day. George has a marvellous sense of humour, clearly evidenced by her punning remarks as well as her contributions to the Classics meme noticeboard. She also has a song for all occasions and the Priory landing simply hasn’t been the same without her. It’s a testament to George’s popularity with her pupils that when they made gingerbread biscuits to sustain them through one of her famous evening extra sessions, they marked her engagement with a special gingerbread woman wearing a sapphire ring.

We all enjoyed working with George and are sorry she decided to leave us so soon but she wanted to finish her book about the Greek historian, Polybius, and embark upon the next chapter of her life with Neil. We send her our very best wishes for the future, along with a Roman sestertius with the legend FEL(ICIUM) TEMP(ORUM) REPARATIO, sincerely hoping that ‘happy days are here again’.

“When faced with a challenge, George could be heard to wonder, ‘What would Cicero do now?’”

CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019

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Julie Taylor Goodman

by Peter Cordeaux

J

ulie joined the school 12 years ago when the pottery was still housed in the lovely shed which was the studio for the renowned potter Geoffrey Whiting, over in St. Augustine’s. She was well placed to continue his legacy. This location did make the Art Department one of the most disconnected departments by topography in the school but Julie never let that distance keep her away from the rest of the department even though she did have to commute to us by bicycle.

When Julie inherited the pottery she discovered a wealth of ancient glazes and chemicals going back to the dawn of alchemy. These strange powders, elements and compounds could be used to turn lead into gold but it was Julie’s skill and knowledge that allowed her to turn our students’ work into gold stars. I remember one year most of the A*s at GCSE came from her sets and that has been the baseline for most of her teaching career as an incredibly reliable teacher who can turn her hand to all areas within the department, helping, guiding and supporting our wide range of interesting students.

Because King’s was not her first teaching position, she was able to bring a huge wealth of experience to the department, from basic hand-building all the way through to Raku-firing. There were no gaps in her knowledge, just a few air bubbles.

Seven years ago the pottery moved to King Street adjacent to Blackfriars. This is when Julie was able to change from Pottery to Ceramics. It was a huge operation to move the kilns and set up a new ceramic studio but Julie was undaunted. Ceramics is now a showpiece within the department. Every year we have work from students that matches any of our illustrious alumni from Jack Kenny to Edmund de Waal. Julie’s own work sits comfortably beside them both. She chose teaching as a profession while her university contemporary, Grayson Perry, just made pots.

‘Julie has an infectious laugh with a wicked sense of humour built on years of clay sculptures made by Shell boys in their first Ceramics lessons.’

She spent time in Germany with her headmaster husband, Nick, which came in very handy when she led our exciting residential sixthform trip to Munich. Julie always worked tirelessly behind the scenes working for the good of the students and the department. There was never a complaint but I doubt many people realize how she worked on with her arthritis but the pain never held her back. An incredibly hard-working and robust teacher, she did all the technician work in the ceramic studio, often working late to keep an eye on a delicate piece of A’ Level work while it roasted in the kiln.

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When you work closely with such a talented colleague of course you respect their teaching skill, their natural ability as a ceramicist and all the support they give to the department, but it is their friendship and sense of humour you value most. Julie has an infectious laugh with a wicked sense of humour built on years of clay sculptures made

by Shell boys in their first Ceramics lessons.

She will be retiring to Dymchurch and France where she will continue to pursue her own work but she will also keep in touch with us in the future. She is someone we will miss greatly and we need to thank her for all she did for us, well over and above what you would expect from a normally contracted classroom teacher.

Eliot Hearson

by Tanya Lee

A

nother maternity leave to cover in the department... out goes a call... does anyone know a theologian or philosopher at a loose end?!

Well, yes, it turned out that Eliot Hearson had been a pupil at another establishment who was taught by both Alanna Fraser and Owen Moelwyn-Hughes and, therefore, I don’t think he really had any choice but to join us here at King’s! As so many do, he arrived to cover a couple of terms whilst he decided what to do with his life.

He stayed for almost three years. He settled in remarkably quickly. He may have appeared very relaxed to others, but he took what he did very seriously and as he gained in confidence in the classroom so his sense of fun and humour came to the fore.

His manner with the pupils was exemplary: he always understood what they were experiencing, but he challenged them all the same. He very quickly became what seems to be something of a lost gift, the ‘all-round schoolmaster’. Philosophy was his passion, but he embraced the teaching of Religious Studies, digging up his own lessons, which after all were not that far in the past! If you asked, Eliot was the first to tell you that he was not a sportsman, but that never prevented him from getting out onto the field and encouraging his team, no matter what the sport nor the time of year and the Birley’s weather. Eliot also quickly became an integral part of the debating team, willingly jumping onto a train to take a group off for another long day of debating rounds, always enthusiastic about their efforts no matter what the outcome.

Eliot was a tutor in Meister Omers where he ensured that he got to know his tutor group well, dropping in at non-duty times to make sure things were going well. Nothing was ever too much trouble for Eliot. He was always prepared to step in and he helped me out numerous times during my temporary tenure of the Head of Department role. He always went above and beyond. Many colleagues feel he’s left a gaping hole. In the department and in the common room he is very much missed.

Despite his natural talent as a schoolteacher Eliot is still searching for something.

He’s gone away to find that, or himself? I’m convinced that this is a vocational profession and that Eliot is meant to be a part of it, and to that end I believe that he isn’t gone from the profession forever...

‘If you asked, Eliot was the first to tell you that he was not a sportsman, but that never prevented him from getting out onto the field and encouraging his team, no matter what the sport nor the time of year.’

CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019

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Quini Newbury

by Begonia Garces-Ramon

Q

uini Newbury came to King’s in 1980 following her husband, Paul Newbury, former King’s teacher, Head of Spanish and Housemaster of Meister Omers. The Headmaster at the time said she could have free lunches if she gave Spanish conversation lessons in exchange. So Quini was a pioneer, one of the first few women on the King’s School staff when the school was just for boys and 95% of the staff were men. She has seen so many things and witnessed so much change she could write a book about how the school has evolved, since girls first joined the school and women started to figure prominently in the staff. She served five headmasters.

A typical Andalusian, she adapted perfectly to such a British institution. There was a framed picture of her daughter in a flamenco dress and a picture of Che Guevara in her classroom, together with all the geraniums that for years appeared in the Palace Block during the winter to keep alive a Spanish/Andalusian spirit in the building.

For a long time, she was the only Spanish assistant and had to see 80 pupils weekly on her own. An incredible and passionate Spanish assistant, she was the heart and soul of the Spanish Department which she helped to set up and raise. When she joined Meister Omers with Paul, she brought a bit of Andalucia to her back yard, and that’s also where for years she invited pupils and teachers to have paella, tortilla and sangria, always working hard to inspire in pupils a passion for Spanish.

‘The Headmaster at the time said she could have free

She was always available for her pupils (in the evenings, lunches if she gave Spanish conversation lessons in on Saturdays, on Sundays…) and always got the best out of any pupil, weak or strong. During oral exam season, exchange. So Quini was a pioneer, one of the first few what she saw as the culmination of the year’s work for women on the King’s School staff when the school was just the assistants, she always did an amazing job to keep for boys and 95% of the staff were men.’ everyone calm. She was always totally devoted to her teaching and to her pupils. Quini was an outstanding assistant and the role model for many other assistants who have In MO she had a real partnership with Paul and she was the termworked in the department in the last two decades. time mum to over 50 boys. She was deeply caring, utterly welcoming, Quini was the mover and shaker behind trips to Spain. She organized incredibly generous, utterly positive, so thoughtful, always with highly successful trips to Seville with the Removes and the 5ths and the right word or comment, and the ultimate person pupils would 6ths to Barcelona, Madrid, Salamanca, Granada, and Segovia. Then go to, to confide in her and ask for help, and she resolved issues came the Peru group with a first trip of 24 students to Lima, Machu immediately. Quini is practical, full of common sense, completely Picchu, and the Amazon (where the funniest and scariest stories resourceful, always ready to give advice and a solution. took place, from parrots pecking her on both hands to mad hikes up Huayna Picchu and the Stairs of Death), and then came the exchange She and Paul formed the most amazing duo of Hispanists and King’s with Markham College in Lima. She was a massive influence on the has been very lucky to have them. They were the perfect team that huge increase of numbers studying Spanish. She also organized the worked together, sharing the same projects, dreams and ambitions.

First XI football trip to Spain in December for many years during her Now Quini is finally going to be able to enjoy spending time with her family, travelling and doing all the things she enjoys in life. She more holidays.

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Ludmilla Waitt

by Ben Pennells

S

o much was said about Ludmilla in meetings leading up to my start at King’s that I thought I knew what to expect of the sole Russian teacher at King’s for seven years and a visiting tutor, translator and examiner for fifteen years. At the time, she was based in 88B Broad Street and was to move into the Palace Block in September 2016 to join the rest of the Modern Languages Department, while the ‘Hub’ took residence in the that.

Broad Street than deserves building.

There is no doubt that Ludmilla was a major contributing factor in the growing uptake of Russian Studies. Such was her commitment that she regularly worked late into the night planning lessons and contacting errant pupils for missed work. Her tenacity was such that a number of Russian pupils owe their university places in recent years to her refusal to let them disappear through the cracks and drift.

Indeed, both native and non-native pupils achieved stunning exam results under her lively and engaging tutelage.

I have observed many lessons but hers is the only one in which I have had a shot of vodka thrust into my hand and been told to drink – in Russian, of course!

Eyebrows were raised and smiles cracked at any mention of the wonderful Ludmilla when people understood I was to be the new Head of Modern Languages and, As a Harvey Tutor, the girls in the therefore, her line manager. house grew exceptionally fond of her Nothing could have prepared me and Jo Cook was hugely grateful for the for Ludmilla’s energy, passion work she did. Ludmilla made a striking and enthusiasm – a true force of impact through her dress and was nature – and not one to be crossed the epitome of glamour. Renowned but with the kindest of hearts. for her shoe collection, to rival any Our initial interaction involved owned by Imelda Marcos, Jo wishes her classroom move, which nearly her well now that she can finally put created an international incident her feet up, no doubt donning the as colleagues negotiated space best that Russell and Bromley have in the Palace but, soon, things to offer. Most memorable, though, settled down and Ludmilla’s base was Ludmilla’s appearance as ‘Mother ‘Nothing could have prepared me for Ludmilla’s classroom became a wonderful Christmas’ at a staff training meeting energy, passion and enthusiasm – a true force of celebration of Russian-speaking in which she danced around the stage nature.’ culture, with traditional dress and waved her magic wand whilst very modelled on mannequins, flags and maps on the walls and – presented enthusiastically trying to get a somewhat bemused Common Room to on a pedestal – the ornamental bread made for a family wedding. learn how to count in Russian. Not many of us could have carried off such a performance, but she managed it with great aplomb.

Born and brought up in Ukraine, Ludmilla was fortunate in being distanced from the effects of the Chernobyl disaster but her generosity Ludmilla will have a busy retirement, spending time with her husband of spirit meant she returned regularly to Ukraine to do anything Laurence and family, and travelling. We wish her the very best as she possible to help affected orphans and members of her own family. Her reflects on a stunning career at King’s. giving nature was also exemplified by the wonderful ‘Russian for the Community’ course which she taught over a number of years – just for love – every Tuesday evening, to sixth formers, parents and staff from ‘Ludmilla was fortunate in being distanced local schools. Her Ukrainian straight-talking was legendary and she was from the effects of the Chernobyl disaster but the ideal ‘go-to’ for helping negotiate with Russian parents and she did her generosity of spirit meant she returned many hours of work of translation, liaison and work on the school’s regularly to Ukraine to do anything possible to international plans, for which the Headmaster, International College help affected orphans and members of her own and partnerships were very grateful.

family.’

CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019

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Mike Turner

by Richard Singfiled

M

ike is a star and will be hugely missed, from field trips, to teaching, from banter to Rolo.

He was always the first in the Geography Department in the morning, and never left a stone unturned for lesson preparation – often using the latest news clip or news article to spice up his lessons. In the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Mike would revel in the physical exercise – running up and down the mountain to provide inhalers, or challenging the boys to beat him in the ice bath challenge of the genuinely freezing hotel pool. Having Mike on any trip it was always so comforting to know that all emergencies would be taken care of. On one occasion a pupil had an asthma attack in Marrakech and was without their inhaler, but Mike saved the day by thumbing a lift from a passer-by and jumping on the back of their motorbike (no helmet!!) to buy an inhaler from the nearest pharmacy. On another he helped save a rugby tour by getting all the kit and equipment out of the hotel room in a fire emergency. He also had a spellbinding and gentle manner when talking to the pupils on the roof of the mountain hotel, getting them to dream about the stars and empathise with the lives of the locals. In addition, he was a very good Craig Revel Halwood in the Morocco’s Got Talent show – loving to play the devil’s advocate and the harsh critic, with a soft heart and a cheeky grin underneath.

On field trips Mike perfected his craft of getting the pupils to think for themselves, to question, to take notes, and occasionally dropping in a red herring for fun. In particular, he would revel in the paleoclimatic sediment deposits of Poole Harbour as he would force a stick ten feet deep into the salt marsh and then enjoy pulling it out and waving the rotting odour under the noses of the pupils!

‘Mike was a true hero as he proved with his actions on a routine day in school when he saved a colleague’s life through his ability to keep calm and simply complete CPR with confidence until the ambulance crew arrived and took over.’

Mike was keen and green to the centre of his core; quite how he ended up in teaching rather than joining the Army was a mystery to most of us who knew him well. On CCF field days he was a big kid: the excitement would build in him for days and he was never happier than when commanding cadets on the training area, his wilco cando attitude and shouts of ‘follow me’ contagious. Unsurprisingly the cadets did whatever he said (unlike the staff, to his annoyance). This was true in every area of Mike’s career, whether on the sports field – coaching rugby, another of his passions, or cricket – in the classroom or on the hills supervising Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.

He will certainly be remembered for the amazing way he captured these moments on camera and put the films together for all to see; the favourite of these were the trips to Anglesey to complete adventurous training. Mike, much like Ratty from Wind in the Willows, was never happier than when he was simply messing about on the river, from raft-building to kayaking; coasteering to SUP’ing he 22

CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019

was a real water baby who could never resist the temptation to deploy his red Baywatch shorts and spin us a ditty about his Devonshire Lifeguarding days.

Let’s not forget that Mike was a true hero as he proved with his actions on a routine day in school when he saved a colleague’s life through his ability to keep calm and simply complete CPR with confidence until the ambulance crew arrived and took over. Mike was a true maverick and someone who many colleagues would happily have as wing man.

We will miss Mike hugely. He is a superb teacher, a good friend, and has been wonderfully approachable for all pupils at all times, helping mould their academic knowledge and understanding, whilst also creating superb memories that will last a lifetime. We wish him the very best for his time in Taunton, and know that we will stay in touch.

Alex Latter

by Lucy Carlyle

I

n his interview for the post of English Teacher at King’s, Alex Latter spoke effusively about his love of cricket. He reflected later that he had probably disappointed SMT in this respect, being more of an armchair enthusiast than a coach. But in truth, Alex’s appreciation of the game was often in evidence once he had taken on the role of Head of English: he saw himself primarily as a wicket-keeper, protecting his colleagues from as many strains as he could.

At its simplest, this meant that he was always likely to take more entrance exam marking than anyone else. But Alex also had a rare talent for reassurance, allaying anxiety by combining compassion with confidence and decisiveness. If this was appreciated by his department, it was perhaps even more valued by his students. He was respected and held in great affection by members of every year group, negotiating with aplomb the difficult challenge of nurturing less confident pupils whilst challenging the strongest. His success was evident not merely in examination grades, but in the burgeoning of interest among the sixth form at King’s in lyrical poetry and late modernism (his specialist areas). Most importantly, though, his approach encouraged a rigorous attitude in the department more widely, ensuring that all those teaching or studying English sought to ask the difficult questions, reading scrupulously and thinking ambitiously.

Alex dedicated untold hours to producing academic resources, offering advice and running extra classes. That fact is particularly impressive given that he was also much in demand as Deputy Housemaster at Mitchinson’s, particularly once the House had moved outside The Precincts. He sometimes joked that tinted glass would have been a welcome addition to his office, allowing him the occasional nap, but his sense of comfort at MT is best reflected by the fact that he not only initiated a table tennis tournament but participated in it (with considerable competitive spirit). He valued immeasurably his partnership with Emma Ladd, who not only provided a formidable example of firm but affectionate pastoral support but also included him in family meals each week.

The inclusiveness of colleagues was particularly valuable to Alex, whose much-missed wife and home were over a hundred miles away in Oxford. Given that difficulty, the four years he dedicated to the school are testament to the bonds he established here – whereby King’s became a place of belonging, full of people he cared for. Achievements aside, he will be missed for his occasional acts of violence against furniture, his dedication to Bob Dylan and The Fall between lessons, the quirks of his teaching style (three ‘right’s a minute, according to one fifth-former) and his willingness to be teased about all these things. It’s best to leave out of this article the various nicknames ascribed to him by fond students – enough to say that, by a variety of names, and for both his intellect and his humanity, Dr. Latter will be long remembered.

‘Achievements aside, he will missed for his occasional acts of violence against furniture, his dedication to Bob Dylan and The Fall between lessons, the quirks of his teaching style.’

CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019

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2018

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DAVID FELTON

by Martin Miles

I

t seems oddly fitting that Palace 10, that unique, museum-like, treasure-trove of an attic that was always an improbable classroom, now lies unoccupied save by large numbers of David’s books conjuring up the ghost of its equally inimitable, erudite and eclectic last occupier. To be both sui generis and uomo universale, as David is rightly perceived, is an impressive, apparently paradoxical combination, and the setting of Latin against (relatively) modern Italian there is an appropriate linguistic hint to the modernity he allies with old-fashioned scholarship.

For it was as a linguist that David first came to us in 1999. In addition to teaching French and Spanish, he examined Portuguese and was fluent in Italian. As if these four languages did not have enough classic literature, along with English, to keep anyone busy for a lifetime, he is also remarkably familiar with other literatures in translation and keen to sample the most recent works. He has proved adept at getting tickets to any film, play, concert or opera that catches his fancy, even if that means hopping on a coach or train to London, Paris, Turin or Bayreuth (inter alia). His critiques are immensely informed, perhaps (in the case of the music) thanks to his huge, much-played collection of recordings: his ability to pick up rarities on vinyl at sales is as great as his ability to magic up tickets for sold-out events. That he attended and wrote reviews for shows put on by his own house was perhaps only natural, but David also did the same for other (rival) houses, and I for one have cause to be very grateful.

experience and consummate resourcefulness all made him the ideal organiser and leader of trips, of which there were many for Art History pupils: Rome, Florence, Venice, Padua, Siena, Paris, not to mention London or Modern Languages trips. Back in the Attic, his gentle but enthusiastic and inspirational scholarship steered large numbers to high grades in examinations, as also to successful participation in the ARTiculation competition and to Cambridge History of Art places.

From my own tutees I can vouch for his ability also to inspire and support the less-obviously scholarly, enabling them to find strengths and discover skills and interests of which they had barely dreamt. David was a schoolmaster, not just a scholar. That combination was evident in every report that he wrote: each one a beautifully-crafted vignette, hitting the nail with an elegant hammer. As a tutor himself, David was highly esteemed in Linacre by both pupils and Housemaster, and before that he had served with pleasure and distinction under Pat Wakeham in Broughton. Quickwitted, excellent company in the House, he was a keen supporter of House events (down to barbecuing when necessary), but above all a fount of calm, sage advice whether for the benefit of pupil or parent.

David also had another attribute of the traditional public schoolmaster: considerable

sporting ability and enthusiasm. While able to turn his hand to such as U14A Cricket, his real forte was Cross Country, a sport of which he was ‘Master in Charge’ for many years. A marathon-runner himself – he attempted a double marathon to celebrate his 50th birthday – he led from the front, and he attracted large numbers to the sport at King’s. Age and injury finally took their toll physically, but did not diminish his enthusiasm. Fulfilling another stereotype of the schoolmaster breed, David also took on a series of ‘other roles’ over the course of his career, including such thankless tasks as Treasurer of the Common Room, co-ordinator of After-Hours information and Editor of The Cantuarian.

While it might initially seem incongruous that this cultured, gentle, modest, non-doctrinaire scholar and gentleman has also been observed indulging his linguistic powers in more demotic torrents in support of his beloved Gunners on the terraces, it should not surprise: David is a man of deep passions who enters all areas of life to the full. As I receive e-mail reports from him of operatic experiences in Paris and the remoter regions of Italy, it is evident that he is inevitably not going to sit quietly and wind down in retirement. He remains driven by the spirit of Goethe to experience and evaluate as much as he can for as long as he can. We wish him bon voyage!

Missing from this account so far have been all the museum and gallery visits, and perhaps his deepest intellectual and aesthetic passion of all: Art and its history. Deliberately so, for David himself had to wait a while before finally stepping into Hubert Pragnell’s shoes and taking over the (then) History of Art Department along with the Attic. Against national trends and the collapse of some A’ Levels, David was able to grow the department further, adding staffing as well as pupils, and successfully evolving into Pre-U Art History.

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‘The flood of tributes and thanks from pupils and parents was proof of the high regard in which she was held; they recognised she was always there for all the members of her House and her influence was profound.’

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Catherine Shearer

by Amanda Young

C

atherine Shearer joined the school as Ms. McDonogh in 2001. Born and educated in Wales, Catherine loved travelling and spent years teaching in Turkey, Botswana and Japan. At the start of her time at King’s Catherine was an English teacher and a tutor in Tradescant House. She was also persuaded to take on the role of Cantuarian Editor and was responsible for rejuvenating the magazine with a jaunty blue cover.

Catherine was a valued and brilliant member of the English Department. An inspiring teacher with a real sense of fun, she had a particular passion for Modern American Literature and her pupils spoke highly of her erudition and steady hand when preparing them for exams. She was an exceptionally good A’ Level teacher.

Bill Browning, Head of English at the time as well as HSM of School House writes, ‘When she applied to teach English at King’s, Cath was asked to teach a practice lesson in the afternoon and when the lesson began only a few pupils had turned up. As she launched herself into the career-defining test that this was, the pupils, caught out by confusion on the sports field, arrived in dribs and drabs.

Someone else might have been bothered by this: not Cath. She coped magnificently.

Somehow (I am still unsure how) she taught a full lesson without repeating herself, making a point of greeting every pupil individually without distracting the others, and pulled off what was, in effect, a triumph. I knew then that Cath would be – already was – a success.

Cath, I think, could cope with anything. But while teaching in Africa, having arranged a drama group to put on a production of Macbeth out of doors for several schools, when the witches appeared at the start of the production the audience got up and ran away. The teachers persuaded them to return.

When the play started, the audience ran away again. Shakespeare, it seems, means more in Africa than it does in the UK. Cath is tender, sensitive, imaginative, strong-willed, inspirational and bulletproof. We will miss her.’

Following a move from Tradescent to Assistant Housemistress of Walpole, Catherine worked under Jean Watson before becoming Housemistress of Broughton in 2010. As a Housemistress Catherine proved not only a wonderful teacher but with her qualities of calm, good humour and quiet strength, she created a safe and nurturing environment; under her leadership Broughton flourished.

Her girls would talk often about Mrs. Shearer’s ability to handle any crisis with absolute unflappability. The only exception to this was when a squirrel appeared in the House and ran riot, necessitating a speedy dash from Catherine to trap and remove the culprit.

Catherine’s loyalty to the Welsh nation was to be seen whenever the Broughton’s red dragon appeared at House events.

Catherine had the ability to have great empathy for her pupils and a good enough memory of her own teenage years to understand what her charges were going through. She was always there for them and the flood of tributes and thanks from pupils and parents was proof of the high regard in which she was held; they recognised she was always there for all the members of her House and her influence was profound.

As well as being a warm and organised Housemistress who always encouraged her girls to achieve their best, as Senior Housemistress Catherine was a loyal and supportive colleague and was always ready to give up her time to calm the nerves of newly appointed HSMs (including a very nervous, new, HSM of Walpole) and she has been very much missed by the HSM body since moving up to St. Edmund’s. Liz Worthington said in Catherine’s leaving speech: ‘Their gain is very much our loss.’ A comment heartily endorsed by the other staff.

One cannot write about Catherine without mentioning her running. Before coming to King’s she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and was a qualified rescue diver. She has run marathons including the London Marathon (twice) and under her leadership in Broughton the girls took part in numerous charity runs to raise funds for Demelza, a cause close to Catherine’s heart. Catherine is so well organised and physically fit, she managed to run a number of marathons during her period as Housemistress. She also had her second baby, Alfred, while running the House.

Catherine and her family – husband Ian and sons Dylan and Alfred – were an important part of the King’s community and we hope she stays in touch.

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Augusta Browne

by Marc Dath

A

ugusta came to us in January 2001 and Providentia played an enormous part in her joining us that Christmas.

Having arrived in Canterbury from South Africa, via a short detour to Abingdon, in the summer of 2000, Augusta decided that, with children going to school themselves, she was ready to teach again. In December 2000, she decided to contact this local school, King’s Canterbury, to offer her services as a teacher of Italian. Geoff Cocksworth, always on the prowl to recruit good teachers, invited her to come to the school with her CV. Arriving just on time for morning break, Augusta was taken by Geoff to the Common Room. And there, the charm offensive started... Not on Augusta’s part but on the part of the whole Modern Languages Department: tea flowed, biscuits overflowed and the two Tims, Armstrong and Jennings, together with Marçal Bruna and even Marco Liviero, surrounded her and overwhelmed her with attention and kindness.

The Department, at the time, was struggling with the timetable and an unsatisfactory arrangement of sharing sets and classes had materialised between TIJ and MB. Italian was not their main language and must have felt more like an imposition than a gift. TJA showed her round the Department, where her CV was being circulated, and by the end of the morning Geoff said he would like her to start in January. The beauty of the school and its surroundings, the friendliness of the staff and the sheer luck that had laid this post down at her feet on her first attempt was more than enough for her to acquiesce... As Augusta herself states: ‘It was a case of the right person at the right time.’

Augusta started with a timetable consisting of 3 or 4 lessons a week, but the following September she saw an increased timetable and her own classes no longer shared with other colleagues. Within a couple of years, she was on the half-timetable on which she was to remain. She organised her sets based on the pupils’ level of Italian rather than year groups and quickly moved on to teaching A’ Level. ‘Little did I know at the time that I’d be here for 18 years!’ she says. However, we must also remember that Augusta lectured in Italian at Kent University and Christ Church University at the same time as teaching at King’s!

In 2003, Tim Armstrong recalls, ‘Augusta worked quietly Augusta was away and was a very important figure in many asked to join pupils’ lives, not least those to whom she Bailey and communicated the wonderful fascination, fun has remained and civilisation of all things Italian. Her ability a loyal tutor to communicate this led to a disproportionate there ever number of her pupils going on to study since under Italian at top universities, not least Oxford the aegis of and Cambridge. But it is not only the highJulia Richards, flyers who owe her a debt of gratitude. Many Neil Warnick and lately Zoe Allen. Zoe, who pupils will have fond memories of Augusta’s also counts amongst Augusta’s pupils, wishes lessons, which will no doubt help them to say: ‘Augusta has been a loyal, generous when they travel to Italy. Augusta has never and much-loved tutor in Bailey for 16 years. been one to seek the limelight but she could She is confident and principled, and when always be relied upon to deliver top-quality she is in charge you know the girls are in safe lessons… Pupils and colleagues who have got hands. With her international background, not to know her have a lot to thank her for – she only being an Italian bella donna, but having has a lovely way of inspiring loyalty and she lived in South Africa too, she has been able will be missed... And here is an odd fact: she to provide extra support to our once told me that she was international students, who find an expert in stuffed birds in ‘Tea flowed, biscuits an ally in her and someone who Italian museums...’ Perhaps can help them come to terms overflowed and the two Tims, something for her to go back Armstrong and Jennings, with our crazy English ways. to over the coming years... together with Marçal From a personal perspective, I Bruna and even Marco will always be grateful for the Pupils don’t normally get moral support she has given asked for their opinions Liviero, surrounded her me and her sound advice and overwhelmed her with on their leaving teachers, when dealing with some tricky but Emma Ladd gives us attention and kindness.’ situations – her experience and this,’her great insight from wisdom have been invaluable. a pupil’s perspective: ‘I have Over the last two years my daughter and I have been very lucky to have Augusta as my Italian been taught GCSE Italian by Augusta and I was teacher. She is so organised, knowledgeable full of admiration for the way she handled our and structured in her teaching that it would mother/daughter spats – as a teacher she was be difficult to achieve anything less than an A* amazingly patient and at every stage we felt as at GCSE. She really puts in the time and will though we were in safe hands. We shall miss go out of her way to accommodate everyone’s her!’ needs. She has really high standards (and sets a phenomenal amount of prep!) and I have In the Modern Languages Department, Ben learnt a lot about how pupils learn, just by Pennells writes: ‘Augusta has been the King’s being in her class. She has loads of energy and Italian teacher for 18 years. Many of our drives the pace of the lesson with her lively, colleagues’ happy memories of her suggest animated delivery so it is always interesting. something of a bonne vivante. Augusta is of Augusta has been a stalwart of my Pilates course highly organised and a true professional: classes for the past 10 years and it has been she is passionate about her subject and has great to have another member of staff there unfailing energy in running and developing to keep an eye on things (as I often have mine the department, and I thank her for that. She closed).’ is wholly reliable and has single-handedly run the Italian Department during my time here. I All the pupils that have applied to read Italian know that if something needs to be done, she at Oxbridge and who have been taught A’ and will have already thought about it and done it AS level by Augusta have been offered a place. before I have thought to mention it! She will Augusta can leave King’s, head held high: she be truly missed by pupils, many of whom have has a fantastic record at A’ and AS levels. gone off to top universities, and particularly the staff that have learnt Italian with her over The strings that have pulled at her heart to go the years: Jordi, Marc, Zoe and Emma, her back to her native Milan have increased their pilates partner. Zoe was particularly grateful tension over the years and Augusta is now for Augusta’s intervention during a mid-class keen to go back home to Italy. mother and daughter feud in one of her classes but less grateful to her for teasing Zoe about ‘A ogni uccello il suo nido è bello’ e questo her nerve-racked GCSE oral performance! uccello è pronto a tornare a casa...

Augusta is a star and we will miss her greatly.’

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Graham Swindley

by Martin Franks

G

raham was a conscientious, workoriented member of staff, and by far the most knowledgeable Design & Technology teacher the current Head of Department had ever come across, both in terms of breadth, and depth, of knowledge.

He also had a prodigious memory for technical detail and this, together with his knowledge and experience, meant that he was able to talk authoritatively and passionately about engineering. He used the same talent to design (and help students design) mechanical and electrical engineering solutions that were both ambitious and clever.

Having said this, he did not have a great record with attention to dimensional accuracy: present HoDs remember agreeing with him that Graham was going to build a bespoke blast cabinet for cleaning metal components after heat-treatments, casting & welding etc. The two key requirements they agreed were that it was suitable for students, and that it must fit under the main work bench in the workshop when not in use. Graham duly designed and made the blast cabinet, with sealed doors, view windows, built-in protective gauntlets, a foillined interior, and ingeniously sloped panels to guide and collect used abrasive particles in a detachable container ready for recycling. This cabinet really looked ‘the business’. However, there were two dimensional oversights: one – it didn’t fit under the workbench; and two – the built-in gauntlets were spaced so far apart only students the same size as Graham could use it.

Graham started his teaching career in Manchester at The Sale School in 1978.

Initially employed to teach Biology (how did we not know that one when the Biology Department was a little stretched?), he was the only competent welder on the staff, so he was regularly asked to assist in the Engineering Department. He also had the slightly more dubious ability to assist in gaining access to staff vehicles, only when colleagues had mislaid their keys, of course, since over the years he had collected a wide range of car keys from the various cars he had owned or worked on.

A true polymath – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, RS and English have all been subjects Graham has taught over the years, but in 1989 he finally decided that DT was where he should focus his energy. DT and Engineering were his real passions, perhaps because it ran in his family: there are some notable engineers of international renown and pedigree on the family tree.

After a long and varied teaching experience in Engineering and CDT (as it was known a few years back), Graham was invited to assist at King’s in Sept 2006 to cover absence for the Head of Department. By 2008, he was asked to lead the department, and one of his first moves was to inform us all of a name change.

The ‘C’ from ‘CDT’ was definitely getting dropped. In this case, less was definitely more. For those of the Common Room who know Graham, they will have experienced that he never does anything by half measures, so he set about wholeheartedly reorganising the department, which, although it took a number of years, and more than his fair share of hair loss, he did finally achieve.

During his tenure, he showed remarkable tenacity and fortitude, whilst always giving of his best for the pupils. Passionate to extend engineering and to enthuse the next generation of designers and engineers, he has seen in excess of twenty Arkwright Scholars receive their awards. He has met royalty through the young engineer competitions (I’ll never forget the noise made by Will Goldsmith’s device that knocked cricket bats in, potentially saving batsmen hours of hard, manual labour).

He instigated and successfully ran the Super Speedy Car Challenge. For those who haven’t seen it, it really is quite a sight watching these tiny cars that the Shells have made whizz across the tennis courts at Birley’s. He has organised and run numerous educational industrial visits to inspire the pupils. He has also inspired and launched the engineering careers of a number of pupils. The most recent is George Edwards, who successfully launched his product after developing it at A’ Level with Graham. George’s device measures how much

gas is left in a gas bottle, and it had the bottled gas companies digging very deep into their pockets to pay George to bury his invention.

Their whole business model was based on bottled gas users over-buying their gas, for fear of it running out. Graham supported George every step of the way. George resisted the temptation to sell out and, the last time I asked Graham, the device is now being sold

by Walmart.

Being a phenomenal practitioner, Graham’s skills and dedication were formally acknowledged in 2016 when he was awarded the DT Association award for excellence, something that many aspire to but very few ever receive. For Graham, this has been a double award, as he received the same accolade in 1996. It is great to see that he hasn’t lost his edge or passion for teaching.

In 2014 he decided it was time to change the pace of his life, so he stepped down as Head of Department, but he still maintained his excellence in all areas. One might not have realised Graham had tried to slow down, such was his commitment to DT in the school.

He will be a great loss to the department and King’s, as we have come to rely on, and enjoy, his encyclopaedic knowledge, and a recall that is very often faster than typing into Google.

Graham may well be what Amazon based their original prototype of Alexa upon. Unlike Alexa, Graham is always willing to expand a topic, going above and beyond what has been asked, to fully develop one’s grasp of any given topic.

We know he will be very busy in ‘retirement’, continuing to train and certify DT teachers in the safety of machine use. We trust he will enjoy restoring his much-beloved Lagonda.

He has even mentioned that he might return from time to time, to assist in our outreach ventures. We are sure he will also find a little time to travel the country in his newlyrenovated camper van with his wife, enjoying the long-awaited freedom. Graham, we thank you for all you have done, and wish you a very long, happy and healthy future.

‘During his tenure, he showed remarkable tenacity and fortitude, whilst always giving of his best for the pupils.’

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alice donkin

by Charlotte Hayes

A

lice joined King’s as a rowing sports graduate. As a keen cox and member of the Collingwood College Boat Club at the University of Durham, she brought a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the King’s School Boat Club. Part way through her first academic year here, the Head of Chemistry caught wind of her first-class Chemistry degree and so the following September she was given a part-time teaching timetable alongside her responsibilities down at Westbere.

Alice proved to be a natural in front of a class and so the start of her third year at King’s marked the beginning of her first official year as a full-time member of academic staff. A teaching qualification swiftly followed and then NQT status. Though an excellent classroom practitioner, Alice had a stubborn streak and an innate dislike of ‘hoop jumping’ so Neil Warnick, as NQT co-ordinator, often had quite a hard time extracting the requisite paperwork from her, despite the fact her lessons were always outstanding and innovative. Her love of the glass marker and Kahoot! are legendary and she loved exploring new ways to motivate students of all abilities to achieve their full potential in Chemistry.

Alice gradually moved away from the Boat Club and became a groundbreaker down at Birley’s as the first female rugby coach ever at King’s.

With the U14s she proved to be highly skilled at introducing the boys to the basics while fostering an enthusiasm for the sport and a burning desire to win. Fiercely competitive, Alice was never happy unless there was a W next to the scoreline. She was an equally capable Netball coach and took on the challenge of the 3rd VII, turning them into one of the most successful teams in the school for three years in a row. Fair, but firm, Alice was always enormously popular with her sporting squads.

Finally, on the pastoral front, Alice started out life as a resident tutor in The Grange under Marc and Mark – Dath, then Orders – and a large piece of her heart always lay with that house, its boys and its tutor team, but her talent for supporting and encouraging students outside of the classroom and pitch was finally recognised and she became the first deputy of the new girls’ boarding house, Kingsdown, standing in for me when I went on maternity leave. In our three years working together, Alice became much more than a colleague. Close friend and confidante that she was, I knew that I could always rely on her good sense and level head to prevail.

She has now moved to Latymer Upper and the London day school scene, where she is looking forward to balancing her love of teaching with her love of the outdoors. The move will undoubtedly be successful, but she will be very much missed.

‘Her love of the glass marker and Kahoot! are legendary and she loved exploring new ways to motivate students of all abilities to achieve their full potential in Chemistry.’

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Robert Stuart

by Stuart Ocock

W

e needed to find another Mathematics teacher in July 2010 when Rob was finishing as Head of Mathematics at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Faversham, having taught for many years overseas beforehand, including at an Islamic boarding school in Malaysia, and at Hillcrest in Kenya. With this background in international schools Rob was not going to be fazed by the (at last count) sixty-one nations represented by the pupil body at King’s.

The beginning of September 2010 saw Canterbury (New Zealand) hit by an earthquake, and there were seismic shifts at King’s too. Rob arrived in the interregnum (or should that be interarchididasculum?), with Lower Master Mark Lascelles acting as HM. As the Mathematics Department has expanded in the last few years from nine to fifteen, for the most part it has all been about the arrival of the youth wing, but now it was time to welcome a true eminence grise. With his white beard Rob picked up an early, rather unimaginative, nickname of Father Christmas from a few of the pupils, but he has always been a million miles away from the grumpy, cursing Raymond Briggs character.

Here are some words for Rob as a teacher and schoolmaster, the ultimate safe pair of hands: an encourager, modest (but with plenty to be immodest about), patient, unflappable, calm, empathetic. But firm, with a rigorous approach, and bags of common sense.

Caring deeply about his charges, Rob has been so supportive, and the pupils have held him in the warmest regard. He is an embodiment of the cliché, a teacher of pupils first and Mathematics second. Some people think there are two groups of people in the world: those who believe that the world can be divided into two groups of people, and those who don’t. Rob is not one to think there are only natural mathematicians, and then the other sort. An ego-free teacher eschewing the look-at-me style in the classroom, Rob could always diffuse the spotlight onto his pupils: an educator in the original Latin meaning of drawing-out. He has always given the impression that he has infinite time to give, to both students and colleagues alike. There is a line in the Canterbury-set novel, Riddley Walker: ‘Them as counts counts moren them as dont count.’ Rob really has counted here; he has made a difference to so many. Under his tutelage pupils flourished and became independent; he gave them a licence to proceed unaided.

Having re-introduced Further Mathematics at his previous school (a subject the absence of which might seem a little puzzling in a grammar school), but also specialising in pushing the strugglers over the line, Rob has taught everything from the top sets to the bottom, from Further Mathematics to Mechanics, Statistics, Decision Mathematics.

The organisation of his lessons and slides are legendary.

Even after several years tutoring in Tradescant Rob retained an impish sense of humour. Clive James once remarked, ‘Common sense and a sense of humour are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humour is just common sense, dancing.’ Well, in this sense he has put the sprung floor of the Maurice Milner Hall to good use; while it might be a stretch to suggest the pupils danced out of his lessons, I lost count of the number of positive comments I heard about his teaching. No-one ever asked to be moved out of his sets, but I had plenty of requests to move in the other direction, or to stay with him.

As a colleague within the Mathematics Department Rob has been second-to-none.

It is always good to have such experience at close hand; after all, sometimes KJP (my deputy) is away from school and I need to ask someone how I should be running the department. For several years Rob looked after the visiting Turkish mathematicians from Bilkent University. As an assistant external examiner he brought huge experience into the department. As a setter of school examinations Rob holds a dubious record: his 2014 Remove summer two-hour paper stretched to fortytwo questions. As he ruefully observed, ‘It might be a little bit long…’

The King’s Mathematics Department is the Royston Vasey of the school: you’ll never leave (unless you retire). There have only been a couple of exceptions to this in the last quartercentury. In such a long and storied career, Rob has shown such professional and personal qualities throughout: as Stalin never actually said, ‘Quantity has a quality all of its own.’ We shall surely miss our colleague and friend; we were most fortunate to have hung onto him for so long. We wish Rob every happiness in his second retirement.

[Postscript: Rob did a little further teaching at King’s in the Autumn Term of 2019, so it might be claimed that he scored a hat-trick of retirements in the end.]

‘Caring deeply about his charges, Rob has been so supportive, and the pupils have held him in the warmest regard.’

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David Tanton

by Mark Smiley

W

hen David started at King’s in 2004, he brought with him a wealth of experience from the ‘real world’ (in his case, Engineering) that us younger teachers could only dream of.

Educated at St. John’s Cambridge, after being both Captain of Cricket and Captain of School, he became an Engineer for Perkins engines.

After a spell in France (Université de Compiègne, where he obtained the Diplome D’Ingénieur) he was back in the UK for a PhD at Cranfield and then some time at British Gas.

hear a story…?’ His ability to set Physics into real-life contexts was one of his greatest strengths.

In addition to being a committed tutor in Tradescant, Mitchinson’s and then The Grange, David was never happier than when down at Birley’s coaching cricket or bowling in the winter nets, testing the boys with his steady seam-up, away-swing deliveries. Never put off by bad weather, he once turned up for one freezing ‘Being a phenomenal cold early season session in a red and yellow ski-suit, practitioner, Graham’s with hat and gloves, to the great amusement of the skills and dedication were boys. It wasn’t just the 2nd XI that were lucky to have him around; wherever cricket was happening, David formally acknowledged would be there to lend a hand, whether Seniors or in 2016 when he Shells.

He joined King’s after a spell teaching at Rochester College. At King’s, he was well placed to share his dual loves of physics and cricket – with a little French on the side. In the classroom, he was regarded as fiercely intelligent, and one who was always passionate about was awarded the DT pushing pupils to think for themselves, encouraging Association award for them to go beyond the limitations of the exam courses, On a personal level, I am grateful for the friendship preparing themselves thoroughly for university. He excellence, something that and support shown by David, and latterly Sharon ran extension classes and gave some of his time to many aspire to but very since their marriage in 2012 (what a wonderfully individuals who were thinking of going into Physics joyous wedding that was), particularly in the way few ever receive.’ or Engineering, helping them to bridge the gaps to they tirelessly supported the Cranmer Society and the higher-level thinking skills and following up on encouraged the staff and pupils in that Christian their progress even after they had left the school. David championed endeavour. David became a committed Christian at Cambridge, with initiatives such as Isaac Physics and the Rutherford workshops, delivering that event shaping his life and teaching. No doubt this will continue sessions to other schools as well as our own pupils. He readily offered through retirement too. David was a consummate schoolmaster. As himself to do practice interviews or just to have a good old chat about able inside the classroom as outside, he is one of a rare breed of both engines. He is infamous for the stories he told, and will be remembered competent and yet self-deprecating individuals. He will be sorely missed by many with one leg on the desk stool, cricket ball (or sometimes bat) from many facets of King’s. in hand, industrial strength coffee on the side, saying ‘Do you want to

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Graham sinclair

by Geoff Cocksworth

C

Suave, intelligent, convincing, engaging, funny, a very tall man with a beautiful voice and an incredibly impressive CV, supported by a wonderful and extremely talented family, his wife Charlotte and their two sons, Toby and Charlie, Graham is also a very good man who has the ability to make everyone happy in his presence. His impact on King’s was quite simply enormous.

But that’s Graham; he never does things by halves.

Shakespeare Company, as well as diversifying into television (such as London’s Burning, Rumpole of the Bailey, The Bill, Blake’s Seven and many others) and film (Chaplin, 1992, and Circles of Deceit: Kalon, 1996), he had also worked as an inspirational Head of Drama at Notting Hill High School and The Bulmerish School (Bracknell).

Indeed, when the former Headmaster, Keith Wilkinson, and I first met him we knew this would be the case. Here was clearly someone we could not miss: a Head of Drama with both teaching and serious acting and directing experience. That first meeting was actually on the tragic occasion of the memorial service in Southwark Cathedral for Lucy Holland (HH 2003-2004), her mother, Jane, and grandmother, Audrey, whose lives were taken in 2004 by the Boxing Day Tsunami in Thailand.

So, from wretched circumstances, something (someone) very good happened upon us. Graham arrived as Head of Drama in September 2005. His impact was immediate and brilliant, initially a school production of Tom Stoppard’s 1993 play Arcadia, the play in which Graham himself had actually starred as Captain Bryce (a Trevor Nunn production), and which was described by one eminent critic as ‘the greatest play of the twentieth century’.

It was clear, therefore, that Graham would be able to tread new exciting ground for King’s.

Following Arcadia, this manifested in a series of stunning productions both in the Autumn and in King’s Week. One colleague, who has seen 39 King’s Weeks, described Graham’s Shakespeare as ‘perfect productions where the diction was always clear and the performances refreshing’. February of 2007 saw what seemed like the whole school excitedly preparing to take the city’s theatre by storm.

Barricades were erected and Graham took King’s drama into new, revolutionary, territory with a run of full houses for his production of Les Misérables at the old Marlowe Theatre.

The pure commitment and imagination of Graham, the dedication of the pupils and the sheer talent on display showed that King’s drama, as wonderful as it had been in the past, had indeed moved to a new level. King’s could fill the city’s theatre for six performances by schoolchildren who were utterly professional and extremely convincing. When you believed that this could not be surpassed, it was.

In fact, Graham’s career before King’s was glittering. Coming from an acting pedigree which had seen him perform and direct for the Royal National Theatre and the Royal

In 2012, Graham put on West Side Story, now in the new Marlowe Theatre which was again completely sold out for six performances. The energy of the production, emanating from

Graham himself, was simply mind-blowing and the film about the production remains one of the most popular on the King’s website. There were, of course, other great productions in between. Alongside those already mentioned, some that stood out for me were: Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors, Jean Anouih’s The Lark (L’Alouette), and a medieval mystery Passion play (based on a poem by Tony Harrison) in which the audience promenaded and the actors mingled throughout. Enabling and empowering schoolchildren to play Joan of Arc and Jesus of Nazareth demonstrated both Graham’s imagination and skill. It also showed the faith he had in his pupils: he trusted them and they trusted him.

In 2014, Graham relinquished his role as Head of Drama to succeed Rory Reilly as Registrar.

He loved this work. He was travelling, meeting people, and using his many skills to sell King’s. In many ways, this was easy for him because he thoroughly believed and rejoiced in everything King’s has to offer and he put his customary passion and energy into every aspect of this work.

Graham was rightly very proud of his wonderfully talented family; his sons Toby and Charlie were great examples of King’s Renaissance pupils, and his wife, Charlotte, with her own acting pedigree, was a superb teacher at Junior King’s. When he decided to leave in King’s in 2017, he left a huge legacy across the school and very big shoes to fill.

We know that he will be busy giving more of himself to theatre as well as to his family.

‘The pure commitment and imagination of Graham, the dedication of the pupils and the sheer talent on display showed that King’s drama, as wonderful as it had been in the past, had indeed moved to a new level.’

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DAVID ARNOTT

by Richard Cook

F

rom the age of 12, David became fascinated with Chemistry and, in a spare room, he set up a home laboratory.

Thanks to a local pharmacist, he was able to obtain several dangerous chemicals that should not be put into the hands of teenagers: concentrated acids, sodium, white phosphorus, bromine and benzene. Bringing bromine home on the school bus was a little fraught when it started to leak.

The department was hugely successful under David’s command. He saw the potential of having pupils fully interacting with the teacher, in days when all too many lessons just involved pupils taking notes from the board. He set up

As a head of department, he was far from dictatorial, and was always keen to garner everyone’s opinions, so that everyone fully bought into any changes. He was also incredibly supportive of those in his

a detailed set of printed notes for each year group, so that more lesson time could be spent discussing and challenging. Year after year the Chemistry Department produced fantastic results at both GCSE and A’ Level, and this was due to David’s strong leadership; he is meticulously organised and unwilling to rest on his laurels. When David took over as Head of Department he took the eminently sensible decision to scrap the practical exam and instituted internal coursework. Too many good pupils went to pieces with the stress of a practical exam and there was always the risk that they would pour away that vital solution.

The department’s results improved and the number of pupil meltdowns was reduced to zero: a real win-win if ever there was one.

department whenever any issues arose, and he would back them to the hilt. He was immensely welcoming to all new members of the department and, along with his wife Jane, regularly hosted departmental supper parties, which would involve both academic and support staff. He was also prepared to get his hands dirty, and keen to come up with ingenious practical solutions. Since the basement laboratories beneath Mitchinson’s were below ground level, they were prone to flooding. However, they didn’t flood with rainwater but with raw sewage, because the drains blocked all too frequently. Dick Barham and David were getting fed up with this and eventually a solution was found, a system of pipes and valves, and it hasn’t flooded since.

At St. Andrews University he studied Chemistry and finished with a first class honours degree. His proudest moment was in his first year when he got the class medal, having come top out of 250 students. After his second year at St. Andrews, he got a scholarship to go and study at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. After St Andrews, he went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, to study for a PhD under the supervision of Professor (later Sir) Alan Battersby. At the end of his PhD he realised he did not want to do further research in universities, or work in the pharmaceutical industry, so he stayed on at Cambridge and did a PGCE. After 10 years as a student, he was appointed as a teacher of Chemistry at King’s, starting in September 1985 in Peter Pilkington’s last year as Headmaster. There were only a few girls in the Sixth Form and he had a class of five pupils who were staying on for their 7th term in order to apply for Oxbridge. In 1990, David was promoted to Head of the Chemistry Department and he ran it for 20 years. Chris Jackson was Head of Science for much of that time and a great support. Over the 20 years, there were many curricular changes: GCSEs, Triple Science, Double Science, Modular AS and A’ Levels, AQA GCSEs then IGCSE. He oversaw and helped plan the refurbishment of C4, C5 and the prep room in 2002 and then C3, Biochem 1 and the lab next to C3, erroneously called The Harvey Room.

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In 1988 Chris Millar (Master of Studies) asked if he would take over from him as the Local Examinations Secretary (i.e. in charge of all the external examinations). When asked, ‘Why me?’ Chris said he thought that ‘the Chemistry would be right’. This was quite important since the office was a small room (which is now a study in Marlowe) and had to contain David, Chris and Barbara Leeming. The whole school administration system, including the exams, ran on a single Apple Mac computer with large floppy disks and a dot matrix printer.

As IT progressed, he was greatly assisted by Peter Watmough, who wrote all the programs.

There were no external invigilators then, so David drew up the rota for teachers by hand, which was an extremely time-consuming task.

The job was really full-time, and David did it on top of a full timetable for eight years before being succeeded, ultimately, by full-time nonteaching members of staff.

He continued as Head of Chemistry until 2010 and was also acting Head of Science for a total of four years, when Christina Astin was on maternity leave. Latterly he helped several Fifth Formers with their Crest projects and nine projects were given silver awards. Whilst Head of Science, he was in charge of the 42

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Harvey Society, resurrecting it from some low turnouts for the talks. He organised around 40 talks and a trip to Downe House (home to Charles Darwin).

Throughout his time at King’s, David was an invaluable tutor in Marlowe, first under David Reid, then Roy White, then Simon Anderson.

He took a keen interest in all his tutees and was an extremely reliable tutor. He also coached U14 and U15 rugby teams and gave up his Saturday afternoons to referee school matches for 20 years.

After 32 years, and all too aware that he was teaching children of former pupils, it seemed to be the right time to retire! The school is extremely fortunate to have benefitted from David’s all-round contribution and years of dedication. He played a hugely important part in shaping today’s Chemistry Department, and he will be much missed.

‘The school is extremely fortunate to have benefitted from David’s all-round contribution and years of dedication. He played a hugely important part in shaping today’s Chemistry Department, and he will be much missed.’

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Paul Newbury

by Marc Dath

Paul came to King’s in 1980 from Bristol University, having been recruited on the ‘Milk Round’. The then Headmaster, Canon Pilkington, interviewed Paul at the same time as Martin Miles, whose life and career would cross Paul’s on many occasions.

In 1982, Paul became a tutor in Meister Omers under Duncan Craig as Housemaster, another linguist at the head of what Paul would eventually nickname ‘the Château’.

Eventually, Paul was to undertake his PGCE course, which he passed with distinction, before taking over from Gail Bradbury, then Head of Spanish.

It was during his own time as Head of Spanish that, over a period of at least four years, Paul and his wife, Quini, started looking after boarders, definitely a sign of things to come...

From 1986 onwards, as numbers exceeded boarding places, these young ladies lived at home with them on Lady Wooton’s Green, right in front of Broughton House. They certainly prepared them well for running a House and Paul remembers these times with fondness.

Shortly after this, Quini and Paul moved to one of the Monastery Street Cottages, joining a plethora of other members of staff and their families such as the Hands, the Daths, Stephen Wainde and Pat Hopkins, then Headmaster’s Secretary.

In 2001, Keith Wilkinson approached Paul and offered him the Housemastership of Meister Omers on the retirement from the post of Martin Miles; it is at that time that Paul relinquished his Headship of the Spanish Department. In those days, that was the extent of the application process and the final binding contract was a shake of the hand!

The new Head of Spanish, Marçal Bruna, who eventually left King’s to teach at Eton, writes: ‘It was a real pleasure to work with Paul and Quini for 14 years. I will always have to thank them for having encouraged me to apply for a Spanish position in January 1997 when they convinced me that King´s was a ‘special place’. They invited me for dinner where I met 44

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some of my future colleagues and friends. The fantastic atmosphere that they managed to create in the Spanish Department at the time was unbelievable. So passionate were they about everything that they did, that it was impossible not to want to be part of such an amazing team.’

We met through football, funnily enough, in 1993. We were both Heads of Spanish and Football in our respective schools and we coached the first teams. I remember that, on the first occasion that our teams played against each other, there was a very good connection straight away. We had many things

in common: a genuine passion about teaching and we shared the same illness: football.

Paul is a crazy Liverpool fan and it is impossible to talk about him without mentioning Liverpool FC. If they perchance lost over the weekend, you could still see it in Paul’s face on Monday morning!

Paul has always been utterly professional. His sensible, wise but wry attitude was a real balm to most, on many occasions. Devoted to his teaching and to his pupils, he always obtained excellent results with apparent ease.

It is not possible to speak about Paul without mentioning Quini. They have always been the ideal couple, the perfect team. Their fine example contributed to the success, over the years, of the Spanish Department when it obtained in two consecutive years the best results for boys in the country. Under their time at King´s, they have seen the Spanish Department flourish and been responsible for

the increase of students wanting to study the subject. I was the luckiest person inheriting such an amazing department when Paul became Housemaster. They had built amazing pillars for what is today one of the best Spanish departments in the country.

My present Housemaster has started this year to learn Spanish with his wife and I was very happy to see amongst his books one called ‘¿Cómo se dice?’ by Paul Newbury. I feel that Paul has already done most of the things any man dreams to do in their lifetime: written a book; seen his team win the Champions League live in Istanbul after the most amazing comeback ever; had an amazing daughter and is now enjoying being twice a grandfather; he has a Porsche; he has had a splendid professional career in one of the best schools in the world and has retired before turning 60!’

Tim Armstrong also paid tribute to Paul, not only as an all-round schoolmaster of the highest calibre, but also as a superb classroom

practitioner. He writes: ‘The working atmosphere Paul generated in ‘the bunker’ was second to none – not least because he was exceptionally good at letting go of the reins just the right amount and just at the right time, allowing pupils to talk in Spanish, or French, not only to him, but to one another.

This approach was in fact a rather modern way of doing things in a modern languages classroom at the time, and still remains an excellent model to follow. In this, one glimpses something of the secret of Paul’s extraordinary success as a teacher – but then one must also take into account his kindness, sense of humour, modesty and fairness. My visits to Paul’s classroom to see him teach, though too few and far between, were always experiences to be cherished.’

The present Head of Modern Languages, Ben Pennells, reports: ‘There are few more experienced than Paul in the school and so much of what is offered today in the Spanish Department is thanks to his work. He has

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passion for Spanish and a true mastery of the language. He is the ‘go-to’ person for advice on all things Spanish but he also speaks French and taught it to A’ Level. His lessons remain lively, interesting and it is rare that he uses English in any of his lessons. He is highly personable and even convinced an Argentinian football star to come and coach King’s pupils for a number of years. Recently, he has been running the golf team and it is not uncommon to see him walking around school with his bag of clubs on his shoulder.’

Thinking back to the early years, Paul says: ‘How did I cope with nine years of coaching the 1st XI and running Soccer?’ And one would add: what about Quini, who had the unenviable task of washing six sets of muddy shirts every weekend? However, for those of you who know Paul well, this was the therapy he needed… Paul’s love affair with Liverpool FC dates back to the trials he had for them aged 14.

‘Paul has always been into his golf and many in the common room would have enjoyed watching the Phil Michelson of King’s stroke the ball around the course.’

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Of Paul’s involvement with The King’s School Football Club, Matt Thornby remarks: ‘My first memory of CPN was 19 years ago when he invited me to play in a 5-a-side tournament before I joined King’s. He was describing the strengths of some of our OKS opponents and within five seconds of the starting whistle, he had kicked a poor lad over the indoor wall and into the spectators. I am not sure the ball was even in sight – this was my welcome to King’s football. Paul would often re-enact 1st XI matches in his sleep which often led to him kicking Quini out of bed, shouting ‘Jonnie Hillier or ‘man on’ at the top of his voice.

This passion extended to a highly successful 12-year stint as MO Housemaster and, more recently, a most enjoyable swansong as a wonderful tutor in School House. His attention to detail and passion for the profession has made a real difference to countless pupils in the classroom, boarding house and sports field. The stories are numerous and the memories permanent – go well, Grandad.’

Richard Singfield recalls: ‘Paul was the feisty, Liverpool-supporting Head of Football when I arrived and pulled no punches in his pursuit of attractive football. He paved the way for the expansion of football into the younger year groups stepping down to let Matt Thornby take over the stress and strains of the Lent Term. Paul has always been into his golf and many in the common room would have enjoyed watching the Phil Michelson of King’s stroke the ball around the course. Latterly Paul has been Master in Charge of Golf and has done a fantastic job of building the junior

end of the club and introducing a number of new fixtures, including a jolly up to Edinburgh!

King’s and the sports department have much to thank him for and I hope he enjoys his well-earned retirement gracing the fine golf courses the country has to offer.’

When questioned about his post as Housemaster, Paul says, ‘We are all bonkers to work at King’s and the worst of the lot are the Housemasters/mistresses. It is a most rewarding job: we see the whole person, but the paperwork…’ In particular, Paul enjoyed attending all the events in which his Choir Boys were involved. As a vicar’s son, the proximity of the Cathedral has always been a bonus to living in MO and he has thoroughly enjoyed the music and the singing.

Other events and individuals will also remain etched in his memory, such as the time when a Sunday Matins preacher included in his sermon that he ‘bumped into a naked lad from MO’… Boys will always be boys, we are told, and what better proof than the bar that was found in the eaves of the house when the roof was replaced. Thankfully, Matthew Justice owned up to this in a recent OKS reunion: it dated back more than 30 years! Phew! However, dating back far more than this, this is the ghost of Odet de Coligny, which has shared MO with generations of boys and housemasters.

This old Huguenot, who died, poisoned, in the house, apparently does not like plants or mirrors… However, Paul describes him as ‘not a nasty presence but rather a benign and protective force’. ‘In fact, MO nearly killed me,’ says Paul, ‘when plaster came down from the ceiling on the side of the bed I was not.’ We can all be glad that Quini was not there either!

A further seven pieces of ceiling came down in all, but Odet was obviously vigilant…

As Marçal Bruna wrote in his concluding paragraph: ‘After so many years of hard work making students fall in love with Spanish, coaching the top football team at school, running a very successful Spanish Department as well as a great boarding House, Paul will finally now be able to enjoy spending time with the family, playing golf, driving his Porsche to Anfield whenever he wants, traveling and doing all the things he enjoys in life. Although not from “Las Palmas”, our Pablo, our “Padrino”, as he has been known in the Spanish Department, is most definitely “un hombre sincero” who has done his time (37 years!) and deserves out: “Podrán cortar todas las flores, pero no podrán detener la primavera.” (Pablo Neruda).’

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know just how much time and dedication such a role demands but he carried it off with great humour and organizational aplomb.

Stephen GRAHAM

by Nick Phyllis

W

alking behind two pupils as they made their way to St. Augustine’s the Shell asks the Fifth Former ‘What’s Mr. Graham like?’ The reply was short: ‘A legend.’ In a world where people are famous for being famous, where one can be a national, global or generational sensation in the twinkling of an eye, it is easy to take the sort of compliment delivered by that Fifth former and park it alongside all the other superlatives and exaggerations that unworthily populate the Twittersphere and pepper Facebook. But this comment is no exaggeration but a worthy description of a dedicated and accomplished schoolmaster who has built up a reputation over forty-six years.

This legend has played a part in every aspect of King’s ever since he arrived in 1971 and leaves as one its longest-serving members of staff.

He has been a resident tutor, housemaster of three houses, Director of Rowing, Master i/c Beagling, King’s Week Manager, teacher of History and inspirational tutor. He has taken to the stage in staff reviews and sung in school choirs.

As impressive as this list is it does not tell the whole story, of the humour, the care for individuals, the impact for good in the lives of so many pupils, the cheerful way in which he did things or the quiet way in which he supported so many, and did so without anyone knowing. As his deputy for several years, in our conversations since and as I prepared for this vale, I saw at first hand the selfless nature of this committed housemaster and one dedicated to the lives of others.

It was not too long into his time here that one soon saw how the epithet of legend might one day be hung around his neck. Having just arrived into the school he became a resident tutor in Meister Omers. Things were different back then: he lived in one room and shared a bathroom with the Housemaster.

He described this first experience of King’s as a baptism by fire – one can only surmise that boarding houses might have been a little noisier than now and the environment a tough one for a new master. He needed to do something to put himself on the map.

After one Matins he was having drinks with the great and the good, including Archbishop Ramsey. They got talking about how the term was going. Stephen thought how helpful would it be if the Archbishop were to come into House Prayers. Stephen asked him there and then. The Archbishop said yes. He was smuggled into the House and once the boys were assembled, in walked the Archbishop.

The boys could not believe that SJG had such clout – the legend was beginning to form.

This was not the last time that Stephen had reached out to celebrity. When the chance came to invite someone to name two new boats he conjured up a name to ensure he could have lunch with one of his favourite people. The name: ‘Absolutely Fabulous.’ As he ate lunch with Joanna Lumley the legend grew just a little more.

Throughout his time at King’s Stephen was not only fully involved in the school’s life; he was charged with creating it. As Manager of King’s Week for four years he masterminded the show case event of the school year. All

When I asked about his teaching of History over 46 years he simply said that he enjoyed it. It was a powerful few words that came from the heart, the brevity emphasizing the depth of sentiment and the sense of time happily spent. Stephen sees History as storytelling, yet that simple description of his style belies the generation of young minds he has inspired, the intellectual challenge of his lessons and a litany of one set of impressive results after another. When he first started, the only league table that existed was the number of Oxbridge scholarships a school won - by that measure Stephen was part of a truly successful team, third in the country. In 46 years of teaching he has only been inspected by an external inspector once - and the comment: ‘the History was outstanding.’ Generations of pupils, fathers and sons, can testify to the strength of his storytelling, the fun of his lessons and minds expanded. There is one independent analysis of his teaching. A police sniper was positioned outside his window in Lardergate whilst Stephen was teaching as royalty and politicians attended an enthronement. Once the dignitaries had passed and the lesson had finished the snipe popped his head through the window and said: ‘That was a very good lesson.’

Stephen has been a stalwart in King’s Rowing.

He has coached junior crews and as coach and Director of Rowing took the 1st VIII silver in the National Schools in 2002 and to the final of the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley in 1991.

His time at the helm also spawned rowers who would go on to Olympic glory.

But for all his love of history and rowing and all his other interests, he has left his biggest mark as Housemaster of Broughton, Bailey and Tradescant. As King’s adapted to coed Stephen was moved from one house to another. Undoubtedly having to leave Broughton was a wrench but it did not dull his sense of duty to the boys or the school.

And at times that was definitely stretched as he dealt with a house of 99 boys for a couple of years. Stephen gave unstintingly of his time and energy - his concern only being for the

‘Stephen sees history as storytelling, yet that simple description of his style belies the generation of young minds he has inspired, the intellectual challenge of his lessons and a litany of one set of impressive results after another.’

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welfare of those in his charge. Much of the important work of a Housemaster is done quietly, building relationships and an atmosphere where all feel they can talk to you.

Stephen did that. And as those relationships were built a crucial work was done in the lives of his young charges. All housemasters have their stories about the impact they have had in the lives of others, but this exemplifies Stephen’s. On the last day of the summer term, as Stephen stood on the Dove Cote Lawn, glass of Bollinger in hand, one of the now young men came up to say thank you and goodbye. He started to put his hand out and then hugged Stephen and said, ‘You have been the father I never had.’

One of the saddest moments of Stephen’s housemastership was the death of Rob Van Allen. Rob was a lively and hugely likeable fellow with an impish attitude to life. Whilst on holiday in Thailand he drowned. Stephen’s address at the service was remarkable - summing Rob up perfectly. In a difficult situation we all left smiling about Rob and all he had given to us in his sadly short life. Stephen has a gift for speaking, for seeing humour and truth and of course for telling stories. His whimsical way draws people in and his simple, plain approach cuts through a lot of rubbish. His realistic outlook and ability to see things from a cynic’s view kept things real and people’s feet firmly planted on terra firma. It was the perfect foundation for successful housemastering.

Stephen was not alone in all this. Throughout almost every year of his time at King’s Jan was at his side. Her support unstinting, her counsel considerable - there is no way he would have been able to be the person he was without her. Nor would the House have been the place it was without her. Jan was kindly and wise, approachable and caring, adding a dimension to the life of the house that added greatly to its reputation.

Much of what is written above is the headlines of an extraordinary contribution to the life of King’s. In itself this is a splendid legacy. But far more important than these headlines is the detail of the impact he has had in the lives of so many during his 46 years. It is the headlines that those individuals will write that are so important and represent his real legacy.

As those two boys walked back to St. A’s could they really have imagined quite what lay behind the simple description of ‘legend’ and how spot-on they were?

“On the last day of the summer term, as Stephen stood on the Dove Cote Lawn, glass of Bollinger in hand, one of the now young men came up to say thank you and goodbye. He started to put his hand out and then hugged Stephen and said, ‘You have been the father I never had.’”

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day to make the point that it is important to speak out when you notice someone behaving differently.

CHARLOTTE CORNELL

by Nick Phyllis

C

harlotte may have had an academic gown rather than a cape during her time at King’s but she certainly had superpowers. Nothing could stop her: Head of Sixth Form? Easy. A full timetable? Just doing her job. A school play to direct? Comes with the territory. Union rep? Of course. Over 150 UCAS applications to process? Done. If cramming all of the above into a year might make most teachers a little weak at the knees, it should be noted that this was just one term’s work for the ever-capable Charlotte.

Arriving as an English teacher from stints at Eton and Marlborough, pupils frequently begged to be put into Charlotte’s sets, where her inspirational teaching style – a perfect blend of fun and focus, rigour and rambunctiousness – filled pupils with confidence and fuelled their passion for the subject. As Anthony Lyons, former Head of English, recalls: ‘Well-travelled, with a wealth of life skills, such as fleecing South American louts in all-night games of poker, or saving a few bob foraging for tasty titbits on the lush Kent coast, Charlotte brought the world into her classroom. A lover of literature from Chaucer to Chekhov and Spenser to Spender, Charlotte showed genius when choosing explosive coursework text combinations that guaranteed even the least imaginative pupils would find something to say. Charlotte’s passion for drama and debating, and her expertise as a director, meant her lesson plans were never dull, since she found any excuse to get the pupils on their feet, exploring the text from within.’

A RADA-trained actress, Charlotte also devoted herself to the Drama Department, where she revealed a penchant for the deliciously dark.

Her directorial credits include Everyman, The Bacchae, Coram Boy and Dealer’s Choice.

Perhaps the most memorable of these, though, was Cyrano de Bergerac in 2013, the first play to be staged at the Malthouse, albeit prior to its reincarnation as a theatre.

Charlotte recounted having to clear pigeon corpses out of the building before rehearsals, whilst audience members huddled under rugs and blankets to ward off the perishing cold in the unheated, cavernous space. Whilst the Drama Department may have saved a fortune on fake blood since Charlotte’s departure, Rebekah Beattie, Head of Drama, comments that they have lost her ‘always beautiful productions, in which the students have been liberated and thrilled by her creative direction.

I could always count on Charlotte to produce something breath-taking, whether for King’s Week or in curricular work.’

Charlotte joined Jervis as deputy housemistress in 2009, later moving to Mitchinsons when internal promotion and a young family followed. She had a reputation as a brilliant tutor, efficient, reliable and willing to dispense practical advice based on her own extensive experience. Pupils vied to be in her tutor group, and her house assemblies were as thought-provoking as they were imaginative and ambitious. In an immersive assembly about mental health, for instance, Charlotte set up a series of anomalies in house for pupils to notice as they arrived for the

Charlotte’s pastoral and management skills were quickly recognised and she became Head of Sixth Form in 2011. She managed the role with customary panache, humour and decisiveness, whipping sixth-formers into shape while getting them to eat out of her hand. Paula Williams, Head of Careers, describes her as a ‘brilliant and kind Head of Sixth, full of bright, innovative ideas and boundless energy.’ Among Charlotte’s innovations was the introduction of the popular, house-based ‘Apprentice Challenge’ for 6bs as part of their leadership programme, based on the entrepreneurial television show of the same name. Always one to commit fully to her cause, Charlotte was fearless in sampling every product made by the teams, although perhaps she lived to regret her gungho approach when she was the only staff member brave enough to apply a strawberry face mask that brought her out in a livid rash!

Although she was born to be in the classroom, Charlotte’s alter-ego as ‘Labour Mum’ was never far from the surface. She stood as a Labour candidate in the local elections of 2015 and quietly orchestrated Rosie Duffield’s dramatic unseating of Canterbury’s longstanding Conservative MP for Canterbury in 2017. Ms Duffield recognised Charlotte’s considerable talents as a fixer of Malcolm Tucker-esque stature and asked her to be her chief of staff.

Thus she left King’s to start a Labour-intensive new career, which saw her latterly chosen as the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Dover and Deal in 2019. A superb teacher, shrewd judge of character and loyal friend, the Common Room will certainly be a drearier place without Charlotte’s mischievous wit and sound wisdom.

‘A lover of literature from Chaucer to Chekhov and Spenser to Spender, Charlotte showed genius when choosing explosive coursework text combinations that guaranteed even the least imaginative pupils would find something to say.’

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SIMON ANDERSON

S

imon arrived at King’s in September 1987 from Sir Phillip Howard School, in Bognor, his ‘landing place’ after four years teaching on Cyprus in Larnaca then Nicosia, where he discovered a taste for watermelons, feta and ‘papoutsikas’. He joined the PE and Geography Departments and became resident Tutor in Tradescant under Peter Dix. Within a year, he transferred to The Grange under Stephen Woodley and was to remain loyally attached to it, despite two subsequent changes of Housemaster (Hugh Aldridge in 1991 and Marc Dath in 1997), until 2002 when he joined Marlowe House that he was to inherit in 2006 and most successfully run until he retired.

The major part of Simon’s enormous contribution to King’s was to the Sport and PE Departments. Simon has a superb sporting pedigree, from his time at St. Brendan’s RC Boys Grammar School, where he played for the 1st XV rugby team, at number 10, and captained both the rugby and cricket teams, 54

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by Marc Dath

to competing in the National Schools hurdles final. During his time at Lancaster University, he played for the 1st XV rugby team and went on to study for a PGCE in PE at Loughborough, chasing Seb Coe round the track.

Our first Director of Sport, Roy White, also sometime Housemaster of Marlowe House, wished to make this most detailed contribution: ‘It was a pleasure to work alongside such a highly skilled, dedicated and compassionate teacher and it is hard to do justice to the prominent role he has played in the sporting life of the school. Simon came to King’s in 1987 and, once he had recovered from an ankle operation, made an immediate impact on the PE Department and Games programme. He was an invaluable deputy to me in the former until he took over the department in 1994. He was an excellent all-round PE teacher, who enjoyed seeing pupils learn and develop new skills; his lessons embodied what even today are the essentials of Activity, Enjoyment and Purpose.

Meanwhile his enthusiasm, dedication and professionalism, allied to a genuine concern for the needs of all those in the department, set a superb example to those young teachers lucky enough to serve under him. He made an enormous contribution to the Games programme over many years. A passionate and knowledgeable rugby man, he was responsible initially for the new Shell intake in the Under 14 age group, a task to which he brought patience and understanding, both for the boys and the staff working with him. In a masochistic gesture, he later moved up to the Under 15 age group, who pose a slightly different challenge compared to the younger pupils, but he was equally successful there.

It is no coincidence that some of our most successful 1st XVs received their grounding in the basics of the game from Simon. I was also fortunate that he accompanied me on many a pre-season training camp and, notably, on the first major tour to New Zealand, Australia and Fiji in 1990. In all these, not only was his coaching invaluable but perhaps even more

so was his willingness to undertake any task, no matter how menial. When he gave up coaching, he still made a vital contribution, to the last, as a referee. A knowledgeable and impartial official, he has also, perhaps more importantly, showed an awareness that school sport is not just about winning and losing but also about learning vital lessons for life. In all my time at King’s, he has probably shown the most empathy of any King’s referee, judging perfectly the mood of a game. Meanwhile, one could always rest easily in the knowledge that, under his charge, safety would be a prime consideration. In the Lent Term, he coached hockey initially, and then soccer, where he was happy to take on the task of providing meaningful but fun sessions for those not ever likely to feature in a School XI. Perhaps most under-rated, however, is the work he did when in charge of the tennis club, where he managed to square the particular circle of enabling recreational tennis for the many while not compromising on the quality of the school teams. He led the club to many, many successful seasons and probably had as good a win ratio against the old enemy, Tonbridge, as anyone. Last, but by no means least, Simon is also a superb organiser. For many years he ran Sports Day and – no matter where it found itself – it always ran smoothly. In addition to this, he understood what is needed to make such events run well and he lent a hand in any

other event, such as the swimming gala or inter-house cross-country, usually in the most understated way, often helping to clear up as one of the last to leave.’

And of Simon’s more recent contribution, Richard Singfield adds: ‘It was Simon, along with Roy, who employed me in the first place, so I have a lot to thank him for. He has been invaluable as a rugby coach and as a rugby referee for many years and we will very much miss him in the club in September. He was also always happy to run out with a football team and was head of tennis. We thank him very much for the numerous hours that he has spent coaching and teaching pupils in the department over his career and wish him the very best for his well-deserved retirement.’

In addition to his antipodean forays, Simon (usually accompanied by Gill) also took preseason training teams to the South of France, where he enjoyed the opportunity to look at interesting geographical features.

Of his impact on the teaching of Geography, Rob Sanderson writes: ‘Simon has been an absolute stalwart in the Geography Department. His ever-enthusiastic love of Geography has meant that every pupil lucky enough to be in his class has benefited from tip-top teaching. From field trips as far afield

as the Isle of Wight, Dorset, the Lake District and Whitstable (!), Simon has shown his love for the outdoors. Rain has never deterred him from walking pupils around Canterbury to study its land use, or interviewing residents of Bridge on the pavement before ducking in to Laurie Wakeham’s butchers’ shop to get a dozen sausage rolls for his class. Incredibly kind, Simon always finds time to give pupils extra lessons and one-on-one tutoring. He is the Energy and Globalisation guru and will be hugely missed in the department. With a heart as big as a lion, Simon is the first person to offer help – whether for marking CE papers or covering a colleague’s lessons. Simon will always put himself out to help others. One such example was when the department took Simon to play a round of golf at Royal St. George’s earlier this term, as part of our thanks for all that he has done in the department.

Just before we teed off, Simon reached into his bag and gave each of us a box of brand new Calloway golf balls – the day was meant to be our treat to him, but this summed him up, always the first to be generous. Needless to say, we needed all the golf balls! Simon has been a superb colleague and will always be a wonderful friend. We wish him the very best as he begins his next chapter of Global Geographical research.’

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‘Simon has always been a superb mixture of caring schoolmaster, streetwise teacher and astute counsellor.’

Finally, it is as a housemaster that Simon dedicated his time and energy in what was to be the last chapter of life at King’s. Having had the privilege and pleasure of counting Simon in my team of tutors in The Grange for many years, I had no doubt that he would be a most successful Housemaster in Marlowe, following, once again, in Roy White’s footsteps.

So, in 2006, Simon made the Precincts, and Number 4 The Forrens, his family home. Simon has always been a superb mixture of caring schoolmaster, streetwise teacher and astute counsellor. He knows his flock, what makes them tick, and has pre-empted many difficult situations, both in The Grange as a tutor and later in Marlowe as Housemaster.

Simon is far more than a colleague: he and Gill have been close friends to several members of staff. They have, over the years, enjoyed many funny moments, even some scary ones.

The first to spring to mind: a small-plane trip over mountains near Christ Church, NewZealand, during the first major rugby tour to New Zealand, Australia and Fiji in 1990, which Roy White mentioned earlier, when Gill and Simon were asked by the pilot to crank down the landing gear to land on the glacier while sending a mayday! Or renting a car to visit 56

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Sydney and being prevented from doing so by a hurricane which produced up to two feet of water in certain parts of the city. And many more stories which can be savoured later, in retirement.

In 2010, on Janice Reid’s departure, Simon became President of the Common Room.

This was in fact the second time Simon was to hold the title. The first time occurred at Lancaster University, where he was voted Athletic Union President during his final year, then took a sabbatical to become Secretary of the Students’ Union, a position he was voted into as an independent candidate with one of the largest winning margins the union had ever seen. It is a real tribute to his powers of organisation and his work ethic that he fulfilled his role of President of the Common Room fantastically well whilst being a housemaster.

Their proximity in the Forrens enabled Gill and Simon to look after many of the Common Room’s social events as they wished, often bringing in various home-cooked amusebouches to the delight of their colleagues and friends. Always the pastoral soul, Simon also watched over Revd. and Mrs. Neuman, their neighbours in the Forrens.

For Simon and Gill, King’s has been a way of life. It is while at King’s they married, in 1991, and had Rachel and Sarah, in 1992 and 1994 respectively. Rachel and Sarah joined King’s in the Sixth Form and went on to Edinburgh and Exeter Universities.

Simon and Gill have given their all to King’s and now deserve a well-earned retirement.

Some of it will be spent looking after Gill’s mum, and other pursuits will include visiting their friends, we all hope. Perhaps Simon will succeed in rekindling his love of travelling worldwide, from spending a summer working on a kibbutz in Israel, road-tripping back from Cyprus through mainland Europe, taking a sabbatical to travel to Tanzania to spend time with his brother, to rugby tours to New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, or geographical rekkies to Iceland: the wanderlust will surely return.

We wish them well on these ventures and I, for one, am looking forward to seeing more of them in holiday time.

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Fred Arviddsen

by Janice Reid

W

eaving together the different strands of Fred’s character is no easy task. The Swedish boy from Gothenburg, who first learned to speak English when his father brought him over to England to prep school in the Isle of Wight, was not a natural pick for ordination as a priest in the Church of England.

All those who are familiar with Fred, and with his Facebook posts, will also know of his wit, sense of style, elegant dress sense, happiness in his family life, engagement with equestrian and rural pursuits, love of the seascape and landscape of Kent and of the Book of Common Prayer.

As Senior Chaplain ‘Father Fred’ had a light touch, using his wit to diffuse situations relating to teenage angst and relationships, and also to engage his adolescent congregations at morning assemblies in the Shirley Hall. He knew exactly how to relate to youthful audiences having his own young family: Rupert, Ellie and Poppy.

A day or two into Fred’s first week as Senior Chaplain at King’s, the crisis of 9/11, in addition to the shock and incomprehension of all, brought great distress for those pupils whose parents were working in NYC and whose whereabouts at that time had not been established. Fred’s response was to offer space in the Memorial Chapel for comfort and support through a vigil of prayer and silent contemplation. It was a remarkable beginning to his pastoral work at King’s, and one which established his ability to find ways of communicating with pupils and staff.

During his Chaplaincy at King’s, Fred worked closely with Dean Robert, supporting him in further strengthening the bonds of common foundation between cathedral and school, and enabling these to flourish.

As a member of the Religious Studies Department, Fred brought a huge sense of fun to departmental meetings. He knew and cared about his pupils, and of course they loved Father Fred. Although initially he was not

confident about teaching at GCSE level, he did so with great success in examination results, and also in encouragement of the diffident.

Shell classes loved his lessons because he made learning exciting and fun and their engagement led to many taking the subject further.

Fred also became a key figure in equestrian pursuits and rural stewardship at King’s, giving these a significance unique in the life of the school, initiatives which steered some pupils to careers in rural affairs.

Perhaps the key to knowing the ‘real’ Fred is the truly wonderful Amelia. For Fred, this is a

marriage made in heaven. Amelia’s strength, wisdom, common sense and kindness are at the root of his happy family life, evident too during the time Amelia was Housemistress of Broughton.

At the core of Fred’s being, though, is his faith in the grace and love of Jesus, which owes much to John Wesley’s theology and to Fred’s ordination first as a Methodist Minister.

His faith has sustained him through painful cancer treatment and some very bleak days of sickness in hospital. Fred did not find Jesus; Jesus found Fred; and Fred’s belief is that this is true.

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LIZ PIDOUX

by Martin Miles

H

igh-octane, deeply talented, multifaceted and sui generis, Liz Pidoux soon proved exactly the kind of inspirational, motivational ‘character’ that a school like King’s needs on its long-term staff.

The mutual affinity had struck her as early as King’s Week 1978, which she experienced with her OKS husband John (The Grange), but it was Bill Browning who finally attracted her here from Kent College in 1998.

As I think back over what feels like an era, it is evident that Liz has in her time played many parts: a veritable Victoria Wood or Joyce Grenfell of The Precincts. First and foremost as the academic and teacher, within her highly personalised décor in F3 (sofas included), Liz inspired and cajoled both the wittiest and the witless with her detailed knowledge, crosscultural reference, empathic understanding and passionate brio. An enthusing entertainer, wearing her doctorate and meticulous preparation lightly, she chose texts and took outings that truly broadened the cultural perspective of the sharpest, happy to draw in film, foreign texts and even opera to illuminate the human condition and the nature of artistic endeavour, and to brighten up the A’ Level as preparation for university.

Her charges adored the lessons and relished the challenge, if fearful of letting her down in any of the standards set. It was characteristic that she chose to take part as a teacher in Channel 4’s ‘back-to-the 50s’ reality show That’ll Teach ‘Em, and perhaps equally so that she did not always see eye-to-eye with production objectives, later producing herself a perceptive, pedagogical, reflective article for The Telegraph. The calibre of her reflections would be no surprise to anyone who has read her immensely detailed and perceptive subject reports.

Thespian talents deployed in the classroom were a vital area of her extra-curricular contribution here, too, from performing in scatological sketches (Allo! Allo!) in staff review and on the charity catwalk (in wellies) to directing major, memorable King’s Week productions (Twelfth Night, The Taming of the 60

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Shrew, Oh! What a Lovely War! and The Little Shop of Horrors to name but a few). Being highly musical, Liz was also the ideal ‘go-to’ for Virtuosi narration of works such as Façade and Peter & The Wolf. As a fellow-believer in the value of house drama, I found working with her on Triangle shows exhilarating, just occasionally exasperating, but always great fun. From Oliver to pantomime, she rightly set, and generally achieved, school-production standards in house performances, and she was as happy improvising choreography on the hoof as dreaming up the most wonderful costumes (with the invaluable support of Matron Karen Pears).

The role of Housemistress of Luxmoore, was, of course, another that Liz played magisterially (having first graduated from the role of mater familias). As Karen put it elsewhere: ‘With her firm but fair, fun-loving and caring attitude, the girls soon became very fond of her.’ She also evoked Liz’s ‘wonderful sense of style and colour, her sense of humour and flair’, adding: ‘as the mother hen she gathered her chicks under her wings, nurturing and guiding them to fly the nest.’ Liz is quick to indicate her debt to John’s support over those six years, but we must also here acknowledge the role that Liz was simultaneously playing as wife, and increasingly as the daughter of an elderly, ailing mother. It was perhaps a further thespian triumph that kept the latter fact, along with some ill health of her own, from becoming apparent or from impinging on the (24-hour) ‘day job’.

After Luxmoore, ‘Doccy P’ kept up the pastoral commitment in a new role as a tutor to boys in Linacre, where she was loved by them for what James Outram saw as her ‘effervescent presence, supremely high standards and wicked sense of humour’.

That wicked sense of humour makes her a superb interlocutor, and to my firm knowledge a naughtily witty correspondent: her e-mails are worth opening as a break from petty routine into a world redolent of Hancock, I’m Sorry I’ll Read It Again and the Carry Ons. She can even do Polari. Her creative wit has

also been on more public display in her role as authoress, whether pastiching lyrics for The Serenade (most memorably ‘Let’s Do It’), writing pantomimes, parodies (Withering Expectations), plays (House 2, Home 0) or powder-room sketches (all for the Triangle).

Rumour has it there is a Blog and just possibly a novel. Be very afraid!

Those e-mails mean that Liz’s final, definitive departure to residences in Berlin and Coimbra is not a complete rupture, though it does have something of the nature of a wooden stake, as her last role at King’s was of course that of revenant. Not surprisingly, we found that we really could not manage without her when she first left. Now only the memory lingers in the place itself, but what memories we have!

Carry on, Liz!

‘Liz inspired and cajoled both the wittiest and the witless with her detailed knowledge, cross-cultural reference, empathic understanding and passionate brio.’

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THE CANTUARIAN Valete 2016-2019

www.kings-school.co.uk info@kings-school.co.uk +44 (0) 1227 595501 64

CANTUARIAN VALETE | 2016 - 2019