A Housemaster Speaks... Goodbye to Mr Humes... SDB One of my first acts as Housemaster in 2007 was to appoint Richard Humes to the role of Deputy Housemaster for the following year. His qualifications to move into the bachelor flat above my house were manifold: he was already an outstanding tutor in the House, he was a Head of Department, he was Director of Rugby and a coach of any number of sports teams; he was also a close friend. What he wasn't of course, was a bachelor, and it says something about his dedication to the East cause that he was prepared to leave his fiancée in London to take up the position alone and within earshot of our noisy newborn son. (He was always unfailingly polite whenever I apologised for the sleepless nights, pretending not to have noticed, or mentioning that he ‘thought he might have heard a little squawk at one point’ but that it hadn’t disturbed him in the least – characteristically generous of him.) He has carried out the role with his inimitable charm and good humour, and has been a constant source of wise advice and uncomplaining support ever since. One of his great qualities is the ability always to understand how the students will interpret various situations and decisions and he is a passionate advocate on their behalf. As a result, they rightly see him as a figure with whom they can be open, honest and truly themselves. He manages this while maintaining steely‐eyed discipline in the House, and while being a reliable and well‐organised administrator. It was no surprise that he ran the House so smoothly for two terms in my absence and the return to normal management has resulted in more than a few whispered comments about callovers not being so much fun anymore. Richard leaves us to take up the post as Director of Boarding at the Jeradong International School in Brunei, where he will finally get the chance to live with his wife Tamsin. They are extremely lucky to have him, and while we wish them both well, the place that he called home for so many years will be much poorer without him.
...and a farewell from Mr Humes I can’t express how much I have enjoyed the last seven years and how lucky I feel to have been part of East House. I would like to thank the cleaners for their endless patience, all the housestaff and tutors for their phenomenal work‐rate and fantastic sense of humour, and the matrons for knowing the answers to all the questions anyone had. I would also of course like to thank the boys for how much fun they have been, they are a great group. The spirit in East is special; I will greatly miss the place and take away many very happy memories. Good luck in the future.
Contacts Housemaster: 01483 542042 Day Warden: 01483 542037
Mr Simon Bird sdb@cranleigh.org
Mr Rob Lane rgl@cranleigh.org
Deputy Housemaster: 01483 542073 Matrons: 01483 542045
Emergency mobile held by Matron : 07596 121105
Mr Alex Forsdike apf@cranleigh.org Jen / Sue eastmatron@cranleigh.org
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say, and I’ve got to admit that it’s been great getting back into the swing of life in East after my two terms looking longingly up at the place from my cold and solitary office downstairs. The energy, humour and general silliness you encounter every time you walk in the house room door are heart‐warming and continue to make the job a real pleasure. This is, of course, the most serious of terms – with four of the five year groups sitting public exams at some point and there has been an impressively productive atmosphere in the House in the run‐up to those exams. The example set by the UVI in this regard has been superb – as it has been in every respect throughout the year. Most significantly from an academic point of view they have worked well together, encouraging each other to study when the motivation was flagging, and their leadership in the House has been among the very best that I can remember. They have also lead the way on the extra‐curricular front, winning their sections of the House Swimming and Athletics (the Cricket is yet to be played) and generally throwing themselves into the spirit of the school. A highlight for me this term was the Charity Day on the first weekend where despite the weather a bizarre assortment of fancy‐dressed students trudged round the 18km of events with cheerful grumbling about the hailstorm breaking over our heads. As a result of their efforts East has contributed significantly to the school’s sponsorship efforts in Zambia and a host of children are now getting education, food and a uniform each month… that has to be well worth it. SDB
House Swimming Competition Tom White With a depleted team due to study leave, East turned up raring to go at the swimming pool. With our main swimmers in their final year, it was their time to shine. Special mention must go to our U6th formers Oliver Froy, Ben Durston, Paul Galagher and Will Osborne who were key in both the swimming and organisation. There were some new personal bests made, alongside some very close races. Chris Kinally and Matt Ludlow provided us with some vital victories. However, the true East spirit shone through for our squadron relay. Instead of placing our best swimmers in the team, we put the people who wanted to swim for the House. There were some valiant efforts from the likes of Henry Lamont and Will Yeeles. It came down to the last few races and North were initially declared the winners. However, after a re‐count of the scores the following day it was announced that East and North had in fact tied for first place! Our support was once again a key factor to our success, with our ongoing enthusiasm pushing the less experienced swimmers towards the finish line. Well done to everyone involved, lets go for the out and out win next year!