Old Tauntonian Review
JAN 2009
Tel: (01823) 349235 Fax: (01823) 323371 Email: ots@tauntonschool.co.uk Website: http://taunton.web-intouch.com
OT WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT About three years ago, James Bowthorpe (Evans ’95) decided that he was going to try to get into medical school on a graduate entry programme. As part of this he has been volunteering at a Parkinson’s Disease research clinic at the Institute of Psychiatry in London for the last two years; a choice he is very glad to have made. The doctors that he works for (Drs John and Sylvia Dobbs) have undertaken groundbreaking research in this field. Their work shows that Parkinson’s Disease, currently considered incurable and without known cause, could be caused by an infection. During the last two years James has seen the positive effects of trials carried out at the clinic. At this point the Dobbs’ have a disease modifier that, although not a cure, is a treatment that either considerably slows or reverses symptoms of the disease. The next stage of the research is multi-disciplinary and will take place over 5 years, costing £2 million. Although the work is well respected by scientists and people in the field (the WHO European Parkinson’s Association chairperson, for example) the research is proving difficult to fund through traditional channels. Resistance to new ideas is partly to blame, as there is, says James, a slightly proprietorial attitude to the disease - the idea that it is a systemic disease and not just a ‘brain’ disease is not easily assimilated in some quarters. James has seen how effective the Dobbs’ work is to date and become increasingly frustrated with the lack of funding the work receives. Six months ago he decided that he would embark on a fund- and profile-raising campaign as part of the volunteer work he does for the research. So in April 2009 he will be attempting to break the recently set world record for cycling around the world
(you may have seen Mark Beaumont do this on the BBC). This will be combined with product sponsorship and a concerted media campaign to reach his goal of raising £1.8 million. James said: I am aiming to break the record by a considerable margin, cycling 120 miles a day over 150 days, a total of 18,000 miles raising £100 per mile. The intention is to raise this sum through small donations from a large number of people, rather than large donations from a small group. Parkinson’s Disease was discovered over 200 years ago and we are still just treating symptoms – it is time that people working on the cause of Parkinson’s are properly funded and supported in their work. James’s site, describing the challenge he is undertaking and how people can donate, is launching in January 2009 and can be found at www.globecycle.org If you would like more information you can email James directly at james@globecycle.org
A DOUBLE FIRST? Iain Large (Goodland ‘07) and Ben Bluemel (Goodland ‘06) have both been elected as President of the Junior Common Room, at Balliol College and Oriel College Oxford respectively. Ben said: Liaising with both the College and the University at a high level has been a great experience, and supervising the organisation of Fresher’s week and the forthcoming Oriel Ball has been intense but exciting. It is also excellent to
see two Presidents from the same School at one time - how many other Schools can boast about that?! Iain said: With Ben as my role model, my moral compass, and my general idol, I’m looking forward to running Oxford’s strongest and most independent JCR in 2009. There are going to be some big challenges, and a lot of hard work, but I still believe it will be more fun than my essays on the Counter-Reformation.
OTA CONSTITUTION The Constitution has recently been updated and revised by the Committee. The draft will be presented for
approval and adoption at the AGM in June. A copy of the draft will soon be available for inspection - in midJanuary - on the OT website http://taunton.web-intouch.com Ben and Iain - ‘The special Relationship’
UPDATES We are very happy to recount these remarkable success stories. All OTs are warmly and cordially invited to keep David Bridges posted with their news.
Hamish Young (School House 1990) Hamish is Head of Fine Art & Design in an Inner London Secondary School. He has worked with, amongst others, Fiona Banner for her show at Tate Britain, helping her to make giant three-dimensional full stops. He works collaboratively with Karen Bateson making sculptural drawings and their work was shown recently in ‘Drawing Inspiration’ at Abbot Hall, and the V&A holds one of their works in its collection.
John Trevaskis (Fairwater 1973)
under Professor Klesie KellyMoog, where she finished her studies with Honours. Tina said: I have attended masterclasses with Philip Langridge, Thomas Quasthoff, Brigitte Fassbaender and Gundula Janowitz, with whom I have been working regularly since 1999.
trevaskis.j@googlemail.com
Timothy Smart (Fairwater 1992)
John has recently been appointed Senior Magistrate and Acting Supreme Court Judge for the Falkland Islands. John said: My job description is very broad - I have also been appointed Coroner, Commissioner for Workmen’s Compensation and Notary Public for Ascension Island, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands and the British Antarctic Territory.
t_smart@hotmail.com
Tina Scherer (Murray 1992) post@tinascherer.de
Mark Stodgell (Goodland 1990) mark@stodgell.co.uk Mark was recently appointed IT Director at Pozzoni LLP Architects (www.pozzoni.co.uk) in Manchester. In the Summer of 2008 he was selected for the Great Britain Mountain Bike Orienteering Team and travelled to the European Championships held in Lithuania. After a solid result he is now in training for selection to next year’s world championships to be held in Israel. Mark said: I am currently looking for sponsors to help me in the coming year and therefore have set up a blog where there is further information about my exploits. www.stodgell.co.uk
The young German Soprano Tina made her stage dèbut at the Zurich Opera as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. She was engaged at the International Festival in Aix-enProvence in the summer of 2002 and in 2003 was signed by the Rhine Opera Düsseldorf. Tina moved to the Berlin Opera at the start of the 2005/2006 season. Beyond the operatic stage, Tina has made a name for herself as a concert soloist during guest appearances at the Ludwigsburg Festival (Schlossfestspiele), the Concert House Berlin, the Cologne Philharmonic, the Stuttgart Liederhalle and the Tonhalle in Düsseldorf. During her busy concert tours she also dedicates herself to the singing of Lieder, in particular the Lieder of the German romantic period. She has recorded for radio and television and made several CDs. Tina has been honoured with many prizes at international competitions, including First Prize at the Hilde-Zadek Song Contest in Vienna (2003). In November 2004 at the Federal Song Contest (Bundeswettbewerb Gesang), she was recognized with second prize in the musical theatre competition and a special prize for best voice performance. She received her musical education under the Düsseldorf tenor Werner Compes and at the music school of the University of Cologne,
Tim has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands, taking up his appointment in December 2008. Tim is a member of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service and has, until recently, been the Deputy Head of the Public Diplomacy Division in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), in London. He was previously Head of Strategic Communication and Press Secretary to the Permanent Under Secretary at the FCO and has served abroad in the British Missions in Basra, Iraq and Tel Aviv, Israel.
Andrew McCleery (Wills West 1994) andrew.mccleery@gmail.com Following an Engineering Mathematics Degree at Bristol (1994-1998), Andrew gained employment at a financial software house, Wilco International. He managed to spend eight months of the time at Wilco working in Sydney, which was a great experience. In 2002 he decided to do a second masters and studied ‘Quantitative Analysis and Financial Analysis’ - a very specialised field - at the ICMA Centre, Reading. Andrew said: Since December 2003, I have been working at JP Morgan helping to develop the models used for valuing equity derivatives. Andrew married Kavita in September 2008.
Edward Jenkins (Evans 1995) jenks48@hotmail.com August/September 2008 was a busy time for Edward. He married Sally and took up his new post of Director of Music at Wycliffe College. His wife is Director of Music at Clifton High School, Bristol.
Lisa Salter (Murray 1997) lisalter@hotmail.com Lisa is now living back in Somerset where she owns and operates a delicatessen business in Wedmore. After studying Hotel & Restaurant Management at Oxford Brookes University she worked for a few years in London hotels and then joined with a colleague as Operations Manager, setting up from scratch a delicatessen in Wandsworth, London. After two years this was expanded into a second outlet. As a member of The Fine Food Guild, Lisa has on several occasions been called upon to judge at The Great Taste Awards and World Cheese Awards. In April 2008 she accomplished her goal of owning her own business when she acquired Pumpkin Delicatessen & Cafe. Lisa said: Over the last six months I have been developing and expanding the business and extend a warm welcome to all OTs. www.pumpkinwedmore.co.uk
Amy Welch (Gloucester 1997) amywelch@mail.com After completing her PhD at the University of Leeds, Amy moved to Iowa in 2006 to take an Assistant Professor position in the Dept of Kinesiology at Iowa State University. Her research
Old Tauntonian Review focuses on the psychology of decisions about physical activity and psychophysiological responses to exercise; she also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate exercise and sport psychology courses. Amy said: “I imagine some of my old teachers might be surprised to hear about my career path! At TS I didn’t really see myself as ‘academic’ until I took Mr Todd’s sport psychology module as part of my PE ‘A’ level, which I loved. The rest, as they say, is history!” Although moving to the Midwest was admittedly not on her initial ‘to-do’ list, she is really enjoying life there and has just bought a house with her partner.
achieve our goal before finally breaking off at 4,500 feet. The replay has been seen by over 50 million people worldwide.
Jenni Tilley (Weirfield 2002) jennifer.tilley@trinity.oxford.ac.uk
Chris Cook (Evans 2002) c_cook50@hotmail.com Whilst at Loughborough University (Aeronautical Engineering) Chris joined, and later became President of, the University Skydiving Club. During his time as President, he cultivated a keen interest amongst other students and in his final year his team went on to win the UK inter-collegiate championships with Chris winning the individual student title with a record score. Since leaving University, Chris has taken some time out to hone his skydiving skills and his potential as one of the up-and-coming young skydivers has not gone unnoticed. The motor manufacturer Honda decided to promote their latest model under the legend, ‘Difficult is worth doing’ and produced a ‘live’ advert using skydivers to spell the company name H-O-N-D-A, one letter at a time. They contacted the British Parachute Association, the search began for the top 16 skydivers in the country and Chris was invited to take part. Whilst preparation was shrouded in secrecy, the first live advertisement for over 40 years to appear on British television went out on Channel 4 on Thursday 29th May. Chris said: The venue was Toledo in Spain and whilst the weather was uncharacteristically poor for practice, the sky cleared at the appropriate time and the record breaking jump was shown live to an audience of 2.5 million. From 14,000 feet we had only 62 seconds to
Jenni, an M.Eng student studying Materials Science at Trinty College, Oxford has been awarded the prestigious SET2008 Morgan Crucible Award for Best Student in Materials Science. The SET awards (Science, Engineering and Technology Student of the Year) are Britain’s most important awards for science and technology undergraduates. Her award was based on her 4th year project entitled ‘Creation of Surfaces Suitable for Immobilising Bioactive Proteins: Characteristics Affecting Immobilisation’. Jenni undertook her project at the University of Sydney and was supervised by Marcela Bilek. The judges were impressed by her breadth of knowledge which she could clearly demonstrate with enthusiasm. The award was presented by Mark Robertshaw (Morgan Crucible’s Chief Financial Officer) at a Gala Dinner and Presentation Ceremony in September at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London, attended by more than 500 students, academics and business leaders. Jenni said: The judges were impressed by my ability to look at an existing problem (How do biosensors work?) with a fresh approach, leading directly to a new insight into possible mechanisms.
Mark Warner and Sophie at a fundraising event
Sophie Wedderkopp (Besley 2005) sophiax87@hotmail.com Sophie spent two and a half months in Washington DC and
Virginia (just across the Potomac from DC) interning on two separate campaigns. The first was the ‘Hillary for President’ campaign, when she spent a few weeks writing and sending out Thank You letters to all across the country who supported her campaign for the Presidency. She was also involved in the compliance department accepting contributions to help pay off Hillary’s debt and reallocating donations from her presidential campaign to her 2012 Senate re-election campaign. Finally, she did a number of Senate runs, which involved taking documents to be signed by the Senator to her Senate Office on Capitol Hill, which was very exciting. Her second internship was longer and was for the ‘VA Victory 08’ campaign. It was run by the Democratic Party of Virginia and involved campaigning for Barack Obama, Mark Warner (Former Governor of Virginia running for a Virginia Senate seat) and the Congressional candidates in Northern Virginia. As an intern she helped the staff organise volunteers and volunteer events, attend and run canvasses (knocking on doors for votes) and phone-bank. The hours were long but it didn’t matter all that much as there was such a strong sense of commitment and urgency to get Obama and Warner elected. She met Mark Warner on a number of occasions in the office and also attended a fundraiser for him, which is where the photo was taken. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to meet Barack Obama: his schedule was announced only a day or two before he went anywhere, and when he did come to Virginia it was the South (the Republican stronghold), which she was unable to get to given very poor public transport! She was also accepted as a volunteer at the Democratic National
Convention in Denver but was unable to go as flights and accommodation were much too expensive! However, Mark Warner gave the keynote speech (the same speech Obama gave in 2004), a very prestigious spot, so alongside Hillary’s and Obama’s speeches Virginia was buzzing during the Convention week. Sophie said: It was incredibly exciting to be working on an election campaign for such a range of candidates in one of the most important swing states in the U.S Virginia has not voted Democratic in a Presidential election since 1964.
Ian Price (Goodland 2002) ian.price@london-irish.com For the past year Ian has been working at London Irish as the Club Community Rugby Coach. His main rôle is to manage and part-deliver their Schools Rugby programmes in Hampshire and Berkshire. On game days he coaches at the match day coaching clinics and organises stadium activities such as Guard of Honour and half time rugby displays on the pitch. Ian said: I’m currently working with our Elite Player Development Group, including players for the England Under 18 squad. In the new year I will take on the role of managing London Irish’s 32 Community Club Partners in Hampshire, working with Club coaches to improve standards of coaching and identifying potentially gifted players.
OT SECRETARY (NOMINATE) Prior to his retirement in 2000, Colin Humphrey (Somerset ’58) spent his life in the legal profession, finishing his career as Senior Partner of Pardoes Solicitors - a large local practice in Somerset - having specialised in Charity Law with an emphasis on the education sector. Colin said: For the last nine years of my career, I was a member of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for Somerset on the appointment of Magistrates. Retirement has meant I can now spend more time on my motor sport and gardening hobbies and I look forward to working as your OT Secretary and meeting you all at various functions around the country. colinhumphrey@netherstowey.fsbusiness.co.uk The Association is extremely grateful to John Edwards for his sterling service as Honorary Secretary over the past six years.
Old Tauntonian Review
MILAN TO NAPLES Ali Paul, Sam Hatfield and Theo England (Marshall 2008) We travelled to Italy in September to cycle 1000km between Milan and Naples. Our trip was partly funded by the Taunton School Brigstowe Travel Scholarship – for which we thank Christopher Levan (School House ‘66). We had an amazing time in Italy and have managed to raise £650 for charity (CRY - Care and Relief for the Young) so far. We were blessed with flat roads and smooth tarmac for the early section of the trip from Milan to Bologna and whilst it took a while to acclimatise, we cycled well and made the most of the flat terrain. We then headed into the Apennine mountains and were taken aback by the spectacular views, winding roads and the cool mountain air. It took the best part of a day to climb to the highest mountain pass, but descending took under two hours as we sped down into the Tuscan hills. The contrast between the green, jagged mountain landscape and the desert-like terrain of Tuscany was unbelievable. Temperatures were noticeably higher and this made cycling really tough. The ‘rolling’ hills of Tuscany seemed to roll on forever as we forged on towards Rome.
However, our efforts had paid off and we were now a day ahead of schedule. We took a day off at Lago di Bolsena – a beautiful lake north of Rome, which gave us some well-earned rest. From here we cycled our longest day at 140km, ending up in Rome. A huge thunderstorm overnight ensured we were still very wet when we arrived at the Colosseum the next morning. Having negotiated the cobbles and the traffic we left Rome for the coast, first climbing into some fairly spectacular mountains before descending onto the coastal plains. The coastal road to Naples was very dramatic, although we had to be careful not to cycle too close to the edge! We eventually reached Naples with plenty of time and the final night was spent sleeping in Naples Airport before catching a plane to Bristol (via Milan) the next morning. You can see more photos or donate money to CRY on www.justgiving.com/milan2naples Ali Paul, Sam Hatfield & Theo England
A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE!
Chris, Kevin & Nick (L-R) Tony Howe, Rupert Ellis, Chris Ainley, Gordon Brigg and John Cookman Following the 1960-69 Reunion in 2007 the OTs (pictured above) agreed to their own annual reunion in addition to attending the next 60s reunion for October 2012! This took the form of a 10 mile walk along the Mortimer Trail through the Marshes between Ludlow and
Kington. Chris said: Prior to the 2007 reunion, three of the group hadn’t spoken to each other since leaving School 45 years ago! Next year’s reunion will be in Yorkshire with at least four members of the group planning to attend the Midlands Dinner on 21 February.
FROM PIER TO THERE & BACK! Chris Welch (Wills East ’00), Kevin Lucas (Marshall ’98) and Nick Poushkine (Fairwater ’98) are pictured here at the BournemouthBoscombe Pier to Pier Swim. Kevin came 4th in the Swim and raced in the British Iron Man
at the end of September. They took part in the London triathlon in August. Chris said: We owe our love of swimming to Mr Abell who coached us magnificently when we were at TS.
THE WESTERN CLUB GOES ‘GREEN’ Annette, Jo and Judith
ACROSS THE GENERATIONS Annette Richards (née Dearden) Weirfield School 1959 and Judith Dawson (née Dowell) Weirfield School 1964 met up in Melbourne Australia recently with Annette’s daughter Jo Prendergast (née Richards) Foxcombe 1991.
Judith said: It was great to renew our childhood friendships particularly since both our fathers (John Dearden & Freddie Dowell) were colleagues at Taunton School.
The OT Western Club has donated £1,000 towards the Taunton School ‘Greenpower’ electric racing car for schools project which promotes engineering and technology as careers to those aged 9-21. Taunton School has chosen to enter the ‘Formula 24’ category for secondary schools. A carefully thought-up specification is issued along with a 24 volt electric motor and a set of 4 12 volt lead/acid batteries. Cars are designed and built within the schools with the help of teachers, co-opted outside engineers, parents and sponsoring companies. They then
Chris Levan and Jon Baker (Head of D&T) compete in a number of Greenpower-run marathon and sprint events throughout the country, using well-known motor racing circuits. Chairman Chris Levan said: This exciting initiative will allow pupils to work with Old Tauntonians who have experience in the field of engineering.
Old Tauntonian Review PRESIDENT President-Elect Vice Presidents
Trustees Hon Assoc Secretary (Nominate) Hon Assoc Treasurer Registrar Publications Secretary Recent Leavers Representative LONDON CLUB WELSH CLUB WEST WALES CLUB WESTERN CLUB SOUTHERN CLUB SCOTTISH CLUB MIDLANDS CLUB CORNISH CLUB NORTHERN CLUB EASTERN AUSTRALIA CLUB WESTERN AUSTRALIA CLUB
Julian Pike home@feinpike.co.uk Jan Nuttall jan@jannuttall.com Michael Button mikebutton@freeola.com Michael Willacy CBE willacy@mwa-consultancy.co.uk David Jenkins dlloydjenkins@btconnect.com The Headmaster headmaster@tauntonschool.co.uk (ex officio) Michael Button mikebutton@freeola.com David Jenkins dlloydjenkins@btconnect.com John Pangbourne cpangbourne@hotmail.com Colin Humphrey colinhumphrey@netherstowey.fsbusiness.co.uk Simon Smart simonseansmart@gmail.com David Bridges david.bridges@tauntonschool.co.uk John Carrington annjohn@ukonline.co.uk Fiona Guest guest_fiona@excite.com Chair: Mary Grant mary.woodgate@accenture.com Hon Sec.: Julian Pike home@feinpike.co.uk Chairman: Oliver Griffiths olgriff@hotmail.com Hon Sec.: Philip Griffiths philgriff_eqmc@yahoo.co.uk Chairman: Philip Griffiths philgriff_eqmc@yahoo.co.uk Hon Sec.: Michael Colley macolley47@hotmail.com Chairman: Chris Levan chris.levan@leybrad.co.uk Hon Sec.: David Bridges david.bridges@tauntonschool.co.uk Lunch Secretary: Chris Davis chrisdav@alderholt.freeserve.co.uk Chairman: Hon Sec.: Crona O’Shea crona_o_shea@hotmail.com Chairman: Chris Ainley chris@ainley.plus.com Hon Sec.: Keith Ingram keith.ingram99@yahoo.co.uk Chairman: Bruce Jeffares brucejeffares@talk21.com Chairman: Stephen Gullick alumni@tauntonschool.co.uk Chairman: Mark Slee markslee51@excite.com Chairman: Greg Gregory greg@highway1.com.au
FORTHCOMING EVENTS 2009 Jan. Feb.
Friday 16 Sunday 8 Saturday 21 March Saturday 7 Friday 13 May Friday 8 Saturday 9 Fri.-Sun. 15 - 17 Saturday 16 Saturday 16 June Friday 8 Fri/Sat/Sun 19/20/21 Sept. Friday 11 Sunday 13 Saturday 26 Oct. Friday 9 Nov. Wednesday 4 Friday 13 Saturday 21 Dec. Monday 7
Western Club Lunch Western Club Boat Trip Midland Club Dinner OT Annual Dinner Western Club Lunch Western Club Lunch 1847 Society Lunch French Club Wine Tasting West Wales Dinner Foundation Charity Shoot Western Club Lunch Annual Reunion Weekend
Taunton School River Exe Glebe Hotel, Barford Twickenham Stadium Taunton School Taunton School Taunton School Bordeaux Pembroke Chipping Sodbury Taunton School Taunton School
Western Club Lunch Cornish Club Lunch Western Club Dinner Western Club Lunch French Club Cocktail-Dinatoire Western Club Lunch Welsh Club Dinner Western Club Christmas Lunch
Taunton School Crantock Bay Taunton School Taunton School British Embassy - Paris Taunton School Parc Hotel, Cardiff Taunton School
CANADIAN CLUB USA (WEST) CLUB HONG KONG CLUB FRENCH CLUB SPANISH CLUB NEW ZEALAND CLUB DUBAI CLUB
Chairman: Chris Loat chris-loat@shaw.ca Chairman: Dr Alan Morgan alanmdjmary@cs.com Chairman: Sabrina Leung sabrina@chamberlain-edu.com Chairman: Edward Bryant edwardbryant@noos.fr Chairman: John Edwards jed@johnedwards.org.uk Chair: Ceri Abbott chocolate_abbott@yahoo.co.uk Chairman: Tony Forester-Bennett afb@emirates.net.ae
PRESIDENTS’ CLUB OLD TAUNTONIAN TRUST (Reg Charity No. 1060388) Charitable purposes connected with Taunton School Trustees: John Pangbourne (Principal Trustee and Treasurer) Overmonnow House, St Thomas’s Square, Monmouth, NP25 5ES Michael Button, David Jenkins Chairman: Will Osmond will@osmondandosmond.co.uk Hon Sec.: Peter Dunn peelo1@hotmail.com President: Wes Wyatt wowyatt@supanet.com Hon Sec.: Richard Jowett richardjowett@hotmail.com Chairman: David Brighton balfour@waitrose.com Hon Sec.: Dennis Webb dennis@rustywebb.plus.com
SPORTS CLUB GOLFING SOCIETY 200 CLUB OT FREEMASONARY Old Tauntonian Lodge No. 5735
Master: Brig. Robin Maddy r.maddy@ntlworld.com Secretary: John Ingram-Johnson jij@cfsca.com Taunton School Lodge No. 8215 Master: Teddy Tucker Secretary: Chris Harding harding588@btinternet.com Old Tauntonian Chapter No. 5735 Z: Derick Burlingham Johnson E: David Hughes david.c.hughes@lineone.net
OT GOLFING SOCIETY www.oldtaunoniangs.org Barry White retired as President of the Society after 26 years of unparalleled dedicated service. To mark the occasion at the AGM the new President, Wes Wyatt, presented Barry with an engraved silver picture frame with grateful thanks from generations of OT Golfers. This year the OTGS performed well in the Halford Hewitt reaching the semi final of the Plate. Perhaps this will mark a turning point in a twenty year downward trend, a trend recognised by President, Wes Wyatt who in the summer launched an appeal for funds to help promote School golf. The aim was to raise £6000 in the first year and £2000pa thereafter to assist with facilities and tuition at the School. Thanks to the great generosity of OT golfers these targets have been exceeded so we hope to see the benefits in due course work through to the OT golf. Scratch Competitions 28/29.03.09 Brent Knoll Bowl Burnham & Berrow 2-5.04.09 Halford Hewitt Deal 10.05.09 Grafton Morrish Qualifier Royal Ashdown Forest 25/27.06.09 Cyril Gray Worplesdon 24-27.09.09 Grafton Morrish Event Hunstanton Society Meetings 10.03.09 Invitation meeting Swinley Forest 26.04.09 Thone Cup Taunton & Pickeridge 17.05.09 Fairwater Cup St. George’s Hill 13.06.09 Reunion Weekend Burnham & Berrow 14.06.09 Match vs School Taunton & Pickeridge 03.07.09 Old Honitonians Royal North Devon 06.09.09 London OTs vs West OTs Royal Winchester 11.10.09 Rose Bowl Oake Manor
GRADUATION NEWS Congratulations to the following on their recent Graduation success: Mark Dickinson (Fairwater ’04) Timofey Golovin (Wills East ‘04) Li Ni Huang (Weirfield ‘05) Sam Robinson (Fairwater ’05) Elliot Corbett (Marshall ‘07)
BEng BSc BSc BSc IMI Natonal Dip
Mechanical Engineering Mathematics Economics Pharmacology Motorsport Maintenance & Repair
2:2 2:2 2:1
Newcastle St Andrew’s UCL Newcastle Bridgwater College
Old Tauntonian Review
OBITUARIES
Eric Perry Dowling (Wills East 1929-33) 22.07.15 - 21.07.08 aged 92 Eric Dowling flew 29 missions for Bomber Command in World War Two, until his plane was shot down over Germany in 1942. He was imprisoned in Poland in Stalag Luft III, famous for what later came to be called, in the 1963 film, The Great Escape. Eric was due to be one of the escapees, but never made it because the guards discovered what was happening before Eric’s turn came. (All but three of the seventy-seven escapees were recaptured, and fifty of those, all officers, were executed.) Eric played a key role in excavating the escape tunnels - hence his acquisition of the nickname ‘Digger’ - and in preparing maps and forged documents. (He could be scathing, incidentally, of the film for its historical inaccuracies: there were no Americans in Stalag Luft III at the time, and the famous Steve McQueen motorbike episode is pure fiction!) After the war Eric worked for the RAF as an air crash investigator, and later for British Aerospace in Bristol, where he worked on Concorde. He retired in 1965. He had excelled at cricket and swimming while at school, and continued to enjoy playing cricket and tennis in retirement. He was born at Glastonbury and worked for his father, a Taunton businessman selling animal foods, until he joined the RAF on the outbreak of war. Eric’s wife Marie died in 1997. He is survived by a son and a daughter.
Peter John Mountstephen (Wills East 1933-36) 29.11.19 - 13.08.08 aged 88 Peter enlisted into the Rifle Brigade Territorial Army (known as The Artist Rifles). He was discharged at the end of 1939 and was then granted Emergency Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry transferring to the Indian Army in December 1941. Whilst in India, he served under Field Marshal The Viscount Slim - later Chief of the General Staff and future
Governor General of Australia. He served in the Arakan, thence in the forward areas of India/Burma at Dimapur on the Manipur Road, on to Kohima, Imphal in Assam, and the Irrawaddy River in Burma. He was the Intelligence officer for the Kohima Garrison during the siege by the Japanese. The famous ‘Battle of The Tennis Court’ at Kohima saw the Allied and Japanese soldiers exchanging grenade and small arms fire from positions separated only by the width of the District Commissioner’s tennis court. After the war he and his wife and daughter migrated to New Zealand in 1946 and then to Australia in 1950 settling in Melbourne. He worked as a very successful insurance broker with his own business and enjoyed tennis, sailing cricket and rugby. He is survived by his four children, seven grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Jane Lee (daughter)
Nigel Fox Bassett (School House 1944-49)
restructure of the Bursarial department, and problems of morale among the teaching staff. Meanwhile he helped to lay the foundations for the School’s resurgence. During his Presidency, the International Study Centre was initiated, and a significant building programme enabled the two junior schools to combine as a co-educational preparatory school on a single site. Additionally, he led and coordinated the recruitment of Julian Whiteley as Headmaster in 1996. He retired as President in February 1997 and was later honoured with appointment as a Life Vice-President of the School in recognition of all his work for the School over many years. Nigel died of an aneurism. He is survived by Anne, and their son and daughter.
Richard Harry Hinton Dauncey (Wills East 1940-49) 21.02.31 - 07.11.08 aged 77
Nigel never lost touch with his Taunton School roots. While at school he was a prefect, a sergeant in the CCF, and a member of the 3rd XV. He won the Sixth Form Arts Prize. He moved from Taunton to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read History and Law.
St Paul said: If I speak in tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
He was President of the OTA in 1976. He and Anne were extremely active in attending OTA functions, especially the annual reunion. His Presidential Dinner was held at the Law Society, with Lord Denning, Master of the Rolls, as Guest of Honour. He was Chairman of the Sports Club for many years, taking a particular interest in cricket and hockey. Nigel joined the School Council (as it then was) in 1987, and was appointed President of the Council in 1994. He took office at a difficult time: pupil numbers were falling, with inevitable consequences for the school’s financial performance and its capital investment. Nigel also had to contend with several changes of Head in the Prep School, a
During our time as cadets, some of us had the opportunity to go on an informal visit to RAF Germany. Dickie couldn’t make it as he had an important date in Lermoos, Austria, with a certain girl who was clearly the love of his life, Judy. We met again in Cyprus in 1965 when we were both stationed there. After Cyprus and his PA job he continued with a successful career in the RAF. He was fortunate to have two command positions, first as Commanding Officer of SHAPE RAF support unit and latterly as Commanding Officer of RAF High Wycombe. After leaving the RAF, he continued his strong association with the Service by working for the RAF Benevolent Fund, where his caring nature and organisational skills were invaluable. Whilst he was leading this busy life supported so strongly by Judy, along came his family, Stephen and Joanna. Dickie loved his family dearly and was very proud of them and he was absolutely delighted when he had 2 grandsons, Thomas and Benjamin whom he adored.
01.11.29 - 26.10.08 aged 78
Nigel’s distinguished legal career culminated in his appointment as senior partner of Clifford Chance in 1990. Upon his retirement in 1993 he was appointed for eight years to the Building Societies Commission, overseeing the demutualisation of most of Britain’s biggest building societies.
metric system - don’t forget this was 1950!
As many of you know, I am no angel, but today I speak with love and affection for my dear friend Dickie and I consider it a privilege that I am allowed to speak today in celebration of his life. We go back a long way, to 14 September 1949, when we were cadets together at the RAF College. Actually because there were two Dickies in our entry, our Dickie volunteered to be called Harry and there are those here today who will remember him as such. But giving up his first name was symptomatic of the man - he was always unselfish and caring. He also showed his great sporting abilities, for he was a good allrounder. His strongest areas were hockey, which he played for High Wycombe Vets until he was 65, and Squash which he finally gave up at 70! However, I also remember him as a very fine athlete; his stylish, speedy performance over 440 yards hurdles was outstanding. Dickie was a first class cadet and had the honour of being a ‘stick man’, leading the Queen on an inspection and being cadet sergeant for our final term. Dickie was always proud of his dual nationality and he would extol certain continental advantages, like the
Dickie was a man of so many interests. He loved his old school and both Stephen and Joanna ended up at Taunton School. (All the Daunceys went to Taunton, starting with his father Arthur.) He was particularly proud when he was made President of the Old Tauntonian Association in 1984. Among his sporting and other interests, he was a very successful Chairman of High Wycombe’s Twinning Association with Kelkheim, Germany. In 2001 the Mayor and Town Twinning Committee of Kelkheim honoured Dickie with the ‘Ehrenspangen of Kelkheim’ for his enthusiastic encouragement of the many possibilities of Town Twinning between Kelkheim and High Wycombe and his ‘vision of the European Community’. This honour is rarely awarded and never before to a foreigner. In Dickie we had a man of great energy, a man who cared for his community, his country and his Service but above all for his family. The Eulogy spoken at Dickie’s funeral by Colin Pierce
David Hugh Jones (Somerset 1943-51) 19.02.34 - 19.09.08 aged 74 David Jones, one of Britain and America’s most successful (and most admired) film and
OBITUARIES play directors, died in September in Rockport, USA. His death was followed by obituaries in quality newspapers in both countries which listed his many achievements. There was a remarkable celebration of his work and life at the Mayfair Hotel Theatre in London on November 16th – organised by Harold Pinter, Melvyn Bragg and Trevor Nunn, and attended by more than a hundred actors, actresses, directors and producers.
Old Tauntonian Review not say is that he filled this rôle at the last minute and his house won! I remember him at school as good-humoured with an impressively deep voice and matching laugh, very intelligent and always willing to help someone less able. It was no surprise when he gained a First Class Honours Degree at Cambridge and was so successful afterwards. Philip Penny (Somerset ‘51)
Langrishe Go Down, the award winning TV film directed by David, was shown. The screenplay was written by Harold Pinter and starred Judi Dench, Jeremy Irons and Pinter himself. Despite being in very poor health Harold Pinter gave a tribute to David and introduced the film.
The assembled theatre personnel included Lady Antonia Fraser, Patrick Stewart, Ben Kingsley, Ian McNeice and David Suchet as well as those already mentioned. Ben Kingsley said that David was unique in that he always treated everyone as an equal, including all supporting actors and production staff. David Suchet said that what he (and other actors) loved about David was that he gave them confidence to dare to risk failure. And he spoke warmly of his days at Wellington School and his visits to Taunton School. Ian McNeice (Wills West ’69), who will be remembered for his outstanding acting performances at school, has acted in plays and films directed by David Jones, including 84 Charing Cross Road. This film stared Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins. It was the Royal Command Performance film and just before the royal party arrived TV carried an interview with Anne Bancroft on the red carpet. She said the film was made ‘on a shoestring’ and that she and Anthony Hopkins would not have appeared for any director other than David Jones. In 1995 OTs were hosted by Jay (now Sir Jay) Tidmarsh at the Merchant Venturers, Bristol. David Jones was to be the main speaker but at the last moment had emergency surgery to remove a cancerous lung which had extended to involve his heart. Nevertheless he was soon working again. His last visit to the school was in 2004 as Guest of Honour at Commemoration. He started his speech by referring to the marquee being on the same site as that on which he had been in charge of his house in the inter-house PT competition – what he did
He was a devoted family man. He and Lynn have brought up two lovely daughters, who will miss his good counsel, guidance and
sense of fun. His pride in their achievements was clear to see. Stuart displayed a drive and determination in whatever he did and I’m sure that if he had been given the chance he would have made the best of the situation he found himself in having suffered a stroke. He will be sorely missed by all his family, friends and colleagues. David Moland (School House ‘79)
Andrew Prentice - his struggle with pancreatitis (Marshall: ‘81-’87)
Melvin Bragg and Trevor Nunn had both been mentored by David and paid generous and moving tributes. Trevor Nunn attributed the pre-eminence of the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych to David and said how dismayed he was when David left. Subsequently he persuaded David to view critically his major productions in the late rehearsal stages.
all around the country and latterly out to Germany (taking German O level was worthwhile after all!). He was clearly well thought of within the Bank. He reached a senior management position in the European Consumer Finance Division of RBS and I’m sure would have gone further.
Stuart Robert Mann (School House 1969-79) 10.02.61 - 19.09.08 aged 47 Stuart’s smile was his trademark and said more about him than a thousand words. He was someone everyone was drawn to and he always had something to give. I got to know him during our time in Taunton, firstly at Thone and then Taunton School. In our last year we shared a study, along with the School House mascot, Bogaz. Stuart’s first love at school was Rugby and he was a regular pick for the 1st XV. His real talents were needed when pulling together the School House XV, who always punched above their weight. Stuart was a real team player and it wasn’t just in Rugby that his talents came to the fore. He seemed to have an extraordinary willingness to have a real go at everything at school - whether it was Ten Tors, the house singing competition, cricket, hockey, or the awful inter-house cross country competition - it was all done with amazing enthusiasm and cheerfulness. When doing these things, and many others, he showed his ability to see the funny side of everything. I never had the honour (that I remember anyway!) of being subjected to one of his practical jokes. However, his juggling was something to be seen! Another of Stuart’s strengths was his loyalty as a friend: once he was your friend he remained so. He always had an eye for what was next after school and started playing for Minehead Barbarians in the Easter terms. It was no surprise, therefore, when he decided not to go to university, and embarked on a very successful career with Nat West. He always remained close to his West Country roots, even though his job took him
Those who remember Andrew will be moved and appalled to read the book published this year, written by his mother Brenda. Brenda writes to document both Andrew’s decline into chronic pancreatitis and depression, and the prolonged struggle with some of the authorities endured by both Andrew and his parents to secure for him all the support and care they felt he needed. Pancreatitis is an extremely debilitating and painful deterioration of the pancreas. It would appear in retrospect that Andrew’s earliest symptoms appeared when he was 15 and still at school. After twenty years he has totally lost his pancreas function and endures constant pain. As the disease took hold, he lost his wife, his job, his home and, Brenda says, his self-respect. He became bankrupt. He was led into a nightmare of depression, self-harm, and suicide attempts. Throughout he had the support of his parents, who took him back to the family home. But because pancreatitis is often attributable to alcohol and drug abuse, which Brenda says did not apply in Andrew’s case, and because Andrew’s circumstances were judged not to meet all of the regulatory requirements, there ensued a harrowing struggle with professionals in social services, health and housing. Brenda has campaigned ceaselessly on Andrew’s behalf to seek for him what he and his parents regarded as fair and just treatment. The struggle to have him recognised as ‘medically vulnerable’, and therefore eligible for various kinds of support, went as far as the respective Healthcare, Local Government and Parliamentary Ombudsmen. Brenda’s efforts were largely unsuccessful. Andrew stayed with his parents until the charity Rethink housed him in the bungalow where he currently lives. Andrew’s Story was published in 2008 by Chipmunkapublishing.com (ISBN 978-1-84747-597-8). Brenda says: “I’m hoping the book will help to educate doctors, social workers and housing officers, so they will come to understand that people like Andrew really do need an awful lot of help, not condemnation”. Since the book was published, and very recently, epilepsy has been added to the list of Andrew’s afflictions. Brenda is heartened, however, that his medical support has now become much more understanding. Andrew’s brother Stephen runs the bulletin board for the small charity Pancreatitis Supporters Network www.pancreatitis.org.uk
PETER REDGROVE - The Biography Peter Redgrove (Fairwater ’45-’49) became one of the most original and prolific poets of his generation. By the time of his death in 2003 he had published more than twenty-eight volumes of poetry and ten works of fiction as well as psychological works and radio plays. Professor Neil Roberts of Sheffield University is beginning work on a biography, and is keen to hear from anybody who knew Peter, especially during his time at school. Peter’s brother David (who died tragically in an accident aged 19) was also a Tauntonian in the 1950s. If you have memories of either Peter or David that you would like to share with Professor Roberts, please contact him at the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN or by email n.j.roberts@sheffield.ac.uk
CONGRATULATIONS TO CHARLES NUTTALL, (FOXCOMBE ’70) FORMER DIRECTOR BRITISH COUNCIL COLOMBIA AND EDWARD PALFREY (GOODLAND ’69) WHO WERE BOTH AWARDED AN OBE IN THE NEW YEARS HONOURS JANUARY 2009. DUE TO LACK OF SPACE WE SHALL CARRY FORWARD TO OUR NEXT ISSUE A ROUNDUP WITH PHOTOGRAPHS OF SOME OF THE RECENT OT GATHERINGS. PHOTOS WOULD BE WELCOMED AT ots@tauntonschool.co.uk
Old Tauntonian Review
BIRTHS AIKENHEAD BATY DINWIDDY FALCON JENKINS LINDEN LINDEN LOWE LYON SMART SMITH TAPP THORNS TOWNSHEND WAKLEY WALKER WATSON
to Nicholas to Matthew to Chris to Clare (née Stephens) to Mark to Scott to Katie (née Hardiman) to Rebecca (née Hansell) to James to Dominic to Mary to Catherine (née Huxter) to Ceri (née Abbott) to Ed to Ailsa to Sophie to James
Fairwater ‘89 Evans ‘97 Goodland ‘96 Bevan ‘87 Wills West ‘89 Marshall ’01 Besley ’01 Bevan ‘91 Fairwater ‘93 Wills West ‘96 Besley ‘90 Besley ‘94 Besley ‘97 Goodland ‘92 Besley ‘90 Murray ‘92 Wills West ‘89
and Melisa and Kate and Carey and Larry and Jo and Katie and Scott and Rob and Rachael and Rochelle and Jonny and Simon and Jonathan and Vanessa and Greg and Luke and Philippa
Sasha - 26.09.08 Christian - 08.09.08 Lucy - 27.05.08 Roxanne - 04.07.08 Molly - 01.08.08 Evie - 02.12.08 Evie - 02.12.08 Stephanie - 14.09.08 Edward - 06.03.08 Scarlet - 18.06.08 Saskia - 25.08.08 Martha - 24.07.08 Jasper - 20.10.08 Molly - 20.06.08 Bede - 20.07.08 Barney - 08.05.08 Phoebe - 29.10.08
ENGAGEMENTS
Clive Watson (Wills West ’91) to Penny Smith Juliette Carrington (Jenkin ’92) to Damien McAloman
MARRIAGES ADAMS ALDER BAKER BLACKBURN CLARKE DINWIDDY ELLISON GEORGE JENKINS MacALISTAIR MANLEY McCLEERY RICHARDT TIGHE
Kate (née Woods) Julia (née Maton) Timothy Ben John Ian Caroline (née Went) Jo (née Ager) Edward Lucy (née Hasell) Simon Andrew Laura (née Greenslade) Sophie (née Lyon)
DEATHS BELLERS BOYLE BRAND CANN CHARLTON-JONES DAUNCEY DAVIES FOX BASSETT GIBSON-SMITH GLOSSOP HANCOCK HARDING HARYETT JONES JUNKER MAKINS MANN MOUNTSTEPHEN ROBINSON ROWE SIMPSON SLEIGH SUMMERS SWEET THORNE WEBB
OTA Presidential Dinner
Saturday 7 March 2009
Twickenham Stadium Guest Speakers: Mr Hugh Todd, Mr John Jameson (Wills East ‘60), Mr Richard Grant (Fairwater ‘82)
£56.00 per person £30.00 to OTs only up to the age of 25 (limited number by application on a first come only basis) Booking: No later than Saturday 14 February 2009 A list of attendees will appear on the OT Website: http://taunton.web-intouch.com Ti c kets available from: Mr David Jenkins Sandown, Grove Road, Burnham-o n -Sea, Somerset TA8 2HF
Telephone: 01278 783396 Email: dlloydjenkins@btinternet.com
Bevan ‘98 Besley ‘86 Goodland ‘02 Marshall ‘96 & Head Boy Somerset ‘51 Goodland ‘95 Besley ‘96 Bevan ‘99 Evans ‘95 Jenkin ‘96 Goodland ‘99 Wills West ‘94 Bevan ‘01 Jenkin ‘00
William Robert Norman Edward Edward Willmott David Reginald Corydon Graham Murray Richard Harry Hinton Derek Clement Nigel John Ralph John Wilson Anthony Fox John Christopher David Hugh Mary Elthilda John William Stuart Robert Peter John Derek Martin John Maxwell Hugh Anthony Robin John Paul James Brian Stanley William Henry Robert Leslie
to Luke to Chris to Amanda to Claire to Zanesh to Lisa to Alan to Chris to Sally to Angus to Sheila to Kavita to Mike to Nick
married 20.09.08 married 27.09.08 married 21.07.07 married 30.08.08 married 29.08.08 married 26.07.08 married 05.07.08 married 25.10.08 married 22.08.08 married 02.08.08 married 06.12.08 married 13.09.08 married 20.09.08 married 17.05.08
Wills East ‘44-’54 School House ‘50-54 Fairwater ‘45-’48 Senior Day Boys ‘39-’46 School House ‘44-’48 Wills East ‘40-’49, OT President 1984 Wills West ‘53-’59 School House ‘44-’49, OT President 1976 Wills East ’29-’35 Fairwater ‘32-’34 Somerset ‘49-’56 Fairwater ‘35-’39 Wills West ‘41-’47 Somerset ‘43-’51 Weirfield Staff ’70-’72 School House ‘39-’46 School House ‘69-’79 Wills West ‘33-’36 Wills West ‘33-’44 Wills West ‘36-’43 Senior Day Boys ‘31-’40 Senior Day Boys ‘38-’44 Fairwater ‘54-’58 Senior Day Boys ‘40-’41 Senior Day Boys ’29-’34 Fairwater ‘42-’47
died 23.07.08 died 22.08.08 died 20.11.07 died 25.04.08 died 21.08.08 died 07.11.08 died 26.10.08 died 21.12.08 died 20.05.07 died Aug 08 died 22.08.08 died 27.08.08 died 18.09.08 died 28.12.08 died Feb 08 died 19.09.08 died 13.08.08 died 18.10.08 died 27.08.08 died 16.09.08 died 10.09.08 died 29.10.08 died 18.07.08 died 13.12.08 died Oct 07
(No ‘tickets’ are issued - please send a S. A.E if you require confirmation of your booking)
OT WINE RELATED EVENT ~ 15th/16th/17th May 2009 We are delighted to announce that French OT member, Nick Davey, will organize (subject to sufficient interest) an OT wine related event which coincides with a special weekend of wine tasting in Bordeaux. This will allow OTs to taste wine from some of the best Chateaux in the Bordeaux Region whilst staying within walking distance of the centre of Bordeaux. Our event will commence with a Dinner (approx €30pp) on Friday 15th May in the town centre. All OT members and family are welcome. For further details please contact: Nick Davey ~ nick.davey@stryker.com. Edward Bryant ~ edwardbryant@noos.fr Wednesday 4 November 2009 Cocktail-dinatoire at the British Embassy, Paris Hosted by The British Ambassador to France Sir Peter Westmacott KCMG LVO (Foxcombe ‘68)