The 1633 – autumn 2021

Alumni Magazine of Exeter School

See our amazing new junior school playground inside

Hear how Head Louise Simpson has settled in

Issue 13 Autumn 2021

How far can a tea towel travel?

Find out here

Contents

16.

22.

6.

Introduction to Louise Simpson

8.

Goodbye Mr Griffin

9.

The Bright Futures Bursary Fund

10.

School news

14.

Mindful Chef

16.

Hurricane Dorian

18.

From one Chair to another

20.

Results are in...

22.

News of Exonians

26.

OE Grants

27.

OE Sports

28.

Tea Towel Travels

30.

Farewell Old Friends

32. Obituaries 37. Freemasons

28. i

38.

The 1633 Fund

39.

Donor Roll

We are sending this issue of The 1633 by post to all Exonians whose addresses we have except those who have specifically requested to receive copies of publications electronically. If you would like to receive future issues electronically, then please visit the ‘update contact details’ page of the alumni section of the school website.

Alternatively, telephone the Alumni Office on 01392 307080. This magazine and The Exonian can be read within the alumni news pages of the school website.

Front cover image credit: S G Haywood.

@ExeterSchoolUK Exeter School Alumni Exeter School Alumni (Old Exonians)

01392 307080 | alumni@exeterschool.org.uk Exeter School Alumni Office | Victoria Park Road | Exeter | EX2 4NS www.exeterschool.org.uk/alumni This publication is produced by Exeter School and printed by Brightsea Print Group. We welcome stories for consideration. Contributions may be edited for content and length.

Issue 13 Autumn 2021

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Welcome I am delighted to join Exeter School as your new Director of Development and Alumni Relations, and it’s a pleasure to introduce myself to so many Exonians through The 1633.

Getting to know the school has been hugely enjoyable; from my office overlooking the paddock I gain a real sense of the vibrancy, energy and pace of current activities here. I am very much looking forward to meeting many of you in the future and getting to know our engaged and supportive alumni community.

meaningful and impactful. This could be giving your time, sharing your expertise, visiting, connecting with old and new friends at our events or perhaps making a philanthropic gift. This is an exciting time for the school with a number of opportunities ahead; we are developing our bursary provision and bringing to fruition the school’s blueprint for the future by reconfiguring our site and redeveloping the science block. I know that alumni will play a key part in realising the school’s success.

I see the Alumni Office as a portal for connecting you with the school in ways that are both

Alice Holohan - Director of Development and Alumni Relations

I am very grateful to Rachael Magee, previously Director of Development and Alumni Relations, for pulling together this edition of The 1633. I would also like to thank Karen Dart who left Exeter School in October 2021 after nearly nine years in the Alumni Office. She has been a great support during my time at the school and I know she will be much missed by the alumni community. Best of luck for the future, Karen!

From the Head Welcome to this edition of The 1633. I am now in my second year as Head of Exeter School and, after a disrupted start thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is a great pleasure to be able to connect with the extended school community in this way.

Over the past academic year I have spent some time reflecting on what it means to be an Exonian. The incredible warmth and strong sense of community amongst our alumni has been so important to the school over the past year and has helped us to weather the storm of the pandemic.

You have continued to share your time and expertise generously with our pupils and provided invaluable guidance and inspiration. I know how important this will be for their future. We are also grateful to those alumni who have supported us with philanthropic gifts. Your generosity has a real impact – thank you.

Whilst the pandemic posed significant challenges for the school we have nonetheless seen the launch of a number of exciting new initiatives over the past year. Our new Exonian Lectures series is just one of our new ventures, and we are pleased so many alumni enjoyed our inaugural lecture from Robert Wigley (1972-1979). I look

forward to meeting you at one of our events in the future.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rachael Magee, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, who has now left Exeter School. We are grateful for all she has done in her time with us and wish her health, happiness and success as she moves on to pastures new.

Once an Exonian, always an Exonian!

Louise Simpson - Head of Exeter School

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Finding silver linings in the pandemic The Alumni Office reflects on the past two years

It is hard to believe that it has been two years since The 1633 last hit doormats and inboxes. The Alumni Office has greatly missed our usual programme of events, publications and visits – thank you for bearing with us. We are so grateful that you have stayed in touch and continued to support the school through volunteering your time, giving generously to important causes such as our bursary fund, and keeping us updated with your news and successes.

Recent years have seen several changes in the Alumni Office. Our Development and Alumni Assistant Marie Johns headed on to pastures new in October 2020; Director of Development and Alumni Relations Rachael Magee took up a new role in August 2021; and in October 2021 Karen Dart left the school after nearly nine years in the Alumni Office. Simon Bird provided invaluable assistance and support throughout much of 2020 and 2021, and we were delighted to welcome Lydia Veasey in a new role as External Relations Assistant in September 2021. Alice Holohan joined the team in October 2021.

Thank you to the team past and present for all their dedication and hard work in recent years.

We did not want this magazine to focus solely on the pandemic. Whilst Covid-19 has had a huge impact at Exeter School we have enjoyed many successes in spite of the challenges we have faced. However, we cannot ignore the influence the pandemic has had here over recent years. We have had to make significant changes to the way we operate with teachers adapting their syllabuses and pupils learning in new ways. We are so proud of the energy and dedication of our teaching colleagues and of the spirit and resilience of our pupils. It has certainly not been an easy ride but the pandemic has brought about some changes for the better.

Last academic year Deputy Head James Wilson looked at some positive impacts of remote learning which we wanted to share with the alumni community:

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“There is no doubt that the best place for children to learn is in school, with their friends and with all the benefits of face-to-face teaching and the increased opportunities, both within and beyond the curriculum, that schools provide. Although we hope that wholescale remote learning is a thing of the past we are keen to learn from and share our recent experiences as a school community in the belief that there is always a silver lining.

“While the general polarising effect on the wellbeing and learning outcomes of our young people due to lockdown is indisputable, and an important topic for another time, positive outcomes can be drawn from the time of Covid-19. We understand that remote learning will have been a real challenge for some individuals and, over the past year, we have added to our pastoral team to provide increased help both during lockdowns and with pupils back on site.

“One immediate impact of remote learning has been the more effective use of technology within teaching. At Exeter School we had already started our whole-school rollout of iPads for staff and pupils. This technology, used together with Google Classroom, has facilitated and streamlined the setting of work and subsequent individual feedback during remote learning with a ratcheting up of this rollout. The experience has boosted the IT skills and experience of the whole school community. Now back in school we are building on our capability and

further enhancing opportunities for collaboration, creativity, risk-taking and personalised formative feedback within the classroom. Our newly introduced online parents’ evenings have been so well received by parents that we are looking to continue them in the future.

“Some in the education sector have talked about the continued use of cheaper online learning post-lockdown. We feel strongly this should not be a legacy of Covid-19 as we greatly value the personalised and sympathetic experience of in-class teaching. We must help prepare our young people for the next stages of their lives and their future use of technology, but direct human interaction, inspiration and intervention are needed to make each pupil’s learning experience enjoyable, challenging and confidence-building.”

Covid-19 has clouded so many areas of study and work at Exeter School, but we are now looking forward to the opportunities available to us. It has been a pleasure to see pupils back in school for the autumn term and we look forward to welcoming alumni back soon.

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An introduction to Louise Simpson The first female Head in Exeter School’s history joined us in September 2020 – get to know our new leader Tell us a little bit about yourself before coming to Exeter School?

Exeter School is my third headship – and it feels a bit like coming home even though I have never worked in Devon before! I started my career as a teacher at Gresham’s, a day and boarding school in Norfolk, and it was there that I learned much about (and fell in love with) the concept of a holistic, all-round independent education and the many benefits that it could bring. My career has taken me through seven schools, each quite unique in type and ethos, with headships in a girls’ school in London and the British International School of São Paulo, St Paul’s, before heading home to the UK. Each of the schools I have worked in has taught me more about myself and about education in general, and Exeter does feel like the perfect fit. My family and I love the outdoors and living in Devon is a huge bonus. With the sea and the moors within reach we could not be happier.

What led you to become a teacher?

I sort of fell into teaching – I actually wanted to avoid it as my father was a teacher, and I was not sure that I wanted the same career as him! After a spell doing a postgraduate course in Northern Ireland I fell into a job at Gresham’s, which I imagined would be temporary before I headed off to work and travel in New Zealand.

Almost five years later I was still in Norfolk, had completed my PGCE in post with the Open University, and was hooked. Sadly, I have never made it to New Zealand!

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What drew you to Exeter School?

I think Exeter has many parallels with Gresham’s, and I feel it brings together all the things I am looking for in a school. I am passionate about developing the pupils’ character so much so that I am studying for an MA in character education at the moment. The holistic approach that we embrace here just fits the bill perfectly. Of course, we value the academic side of life at school but an Exonian is more than just a person with academic qualifications; I hope that they are good people, shaped by the many and varied opportunities that they have had at school beyond the classroom. This could be in sport, the arts, service, or CCF and all are excellently supported by our outstanding pastoral care. This is what prepares our leavers for life beyond school and allows them to flourish and contribute to society.

What have you enjoyed most so far?

Just getting to know people, I think. It has all felt a bit strange and certainly not a normal year for us all but that has not made it any less enjoyable. I think I have seen the best of the school in possibly the worst of times. The team around me are fantastic, and I have felt very welcomed and supported.

Starting a new job in the middle of a pandemic must not have been easy, what was most challenging?

I think the worst thing was moving from Brazil! We moved via Wales, Norfolk, France (where we have a home) and finally Exeter. It was all quite a challenge and bringing our beagle, Betsy, with us was

not too simple either. Luckily the teams at St Paul’s in Brazil and here at Exeter could not have been more supportive in helping us to move into High Meadow and get ourselves settled. And amazingly we did not have to quarantine at all.

What are you looking forward to over the next year ahead?

Most important is connecting with people face to face. Our speech day with alumnus Ik Iroche (1993-1995) was a brilliant opportunity to start to bring the school community together again. I look forward to getting to know our community, including alumni and parents, better and this is a focus for me in the coming year. Of course, we have lots of exciting plans for school too. Not least the integration of The New School in Exminster into the Exeter School family which means we are now a 3-18 school. So, lots to keep me busy.

What role can alumni play in supporting Exeter School?

So much! Firstly, keep in touch with us – we love to hear your news and see what you are up to – whether you are local or further afield. We have many volunteering opportunities within school, on both a one-off and regular basis, and we also invite you to support our development and fundraising efforts. We have many exciting new projects on the go and your involvement can really make a difference. Please do contact us if you would like to get involved.

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Goodbye Mr Griffin We bade farewell to our Headmaster during the Covid-19 Pandemic Headmaster for over 17 years, Mr Bob Griffin will be remembered by many of our alumni; not just by those who attended during his tenure but also by many in the alumni community before his time. Bob gave his time generously to the Alumni Office as he did to all aspects of the school. Rachael Magee said “I will always be grateful for Bob’s good humour and comradeship at so many of our events. We travelled the country from Edinburgh to Oxford, London to Bristol, and more in between, and had great fun meeting and getting to know so many different alumni.”

Bob was instrumental in the launch of Exeter School’s first fundraising campaign, the Bright Futures Bursary Fund. His passion for providing more places for deserving children and breaking down the financial barriers to an excellent education permeated through the campaign and has helped us raise over £90,000 to date.

It was with great sadness that the school was not able to mark his departure in the way we had hoped and planned, and we were sorry that there was no chance for alumni to say goodbye with so many events cancelled due to the pandemic. We hope this edition of The 1633 pays tribute to Bob and all he did for Exeter School and our alumni community.

Our recently retired Chair of Governors Mr Andrew King sums up Bob’s time at Exeter School perfectly: “[There is] the sense of community that today pervades the school; a common ethos engendered by the warm, positive and inspiring personality that made Bob Griffin a very headmasterly headmaster. He is a natural leader and a superb role model who leads by example.

“In his 17 years here he has turned Exeter into a truly co-educational school, has raised academic standards, and appointed brilliant teachers. In the words of a recent outstanding inspection report he has ‘transformed a good school into an excellent one’.

Certainly, by academic standards, one of the very best schools in the South West, but not at the expense of all those other activities that make Exeter School such a great place.”

The Bob Griffin Bursary Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Bob Griffin Bursary. Instead of a retirement gift Bob requested donations to support a bursary place. We are delighted to share that we raised an incredible sum and are now able to offer a new Bob Griffin Bursary for September 2022! This will be a sixth form bursary supporting a pupil studying a language at A Level in honour of Bob’s love of languages.

“I am deeply grateful to all those who have donated to the bursary in my name: thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Hasta siempre.”

Bob Griffin

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The future’s looking bright!

Thank you everyone who has contributed so generously to the Bright Futures Bursary Fund

Thank you to everyone who has given, it really does help change lives and no one could have put it better than one of our brilliant bursary recipients. Phoebe Solway shares her story.

What a bursary means to me…

Phoebe joined the school in the Third Form on a full school bursary. She left in 2019 and is currently at York University completing a degree in business management.

“I joined the school from a tiny village primary school.

It was a big change but the support of teachers and peers helped grow my confidence and communication skills.”

Phoebe enjoyed drama and music as well as taking part in CCF where she learnt leadership skills through working with younger cadets. She liked to perform and singing in Exeter Cathedral was a highlight of her time at school.

A bursary place has made an incredible difference to Phoebe’s life and outlook. “I love to learn, to push myself and work hard, and I know this is something Exeter School instilled in me. I owe so much to the school - without this bursary I would not be who I am now.

“This is a vital programme to help those who otherwise would not be able to go to Exeter School. I hope it continues to grow and grow.”

Bright Futures: for generations Our commitment to bursary support is long-term.

Exeter School believes no child who deserves a place should be barred from attending for financial reasons.

We want to do more to break down social barriers and provide a nurturing learning environment for children, regardless of their financial background. Ensuring that funding for bursaries is guaranteed in perpetuity is the best way to do this.

To show our commitment we have invested £402,000 to kickstart an endowed fund to support bursary places. We hope that our community supports this important cause and will continue to donate in order to grow the Bright Futures Bursary fund.

Eddie George (1977-1983) was one of our first regular donors to the bursary fund.

He said “I still feel a fond attachment to the school although I left almost 40 years ago as I enjoy lifelong friends from those years, and the education propelled me into a very good university and career that continues to benefit me even now. It gives me satisfaction to help a new generation benefit in the same way that I did.”

Eddie George (1977-1983)

Phoebe Solway (2012-2019)

Since launching the Bright Futures Bursary Fund at the end of 2019, we have raised over £90,000 thanks to donations from across our community. It has been wonderful to see parents, staff and alumni get behind this important cause.

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School news 1.

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2.

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3.

Archie Leather, right, with Andrew Butler

1. Flying high at school Lower Sixth cadets in the RAF section were delighted to get their hands on the school’s new state-of-theart flight simulator. The simulator’s high specification computer system runs the latest software and allows the cadets to fly sorties from any location in the world. This includes Exeter Airport and Boscombe Down, both used for air experience flying trips. The simulator has been a work in progress for over a year and has been much delayed due to the pandemic. Two Upper Sixth Formers, Luc and Luca, have led on the project, working alongside Sqn Ldr Smale, Fg Off Rose, Mr Saunders of the DT department, and Mr Lapenna and Mr Sprake in IT support. They have installed the software and hardware, configured the controls and designed and built the frame to resemble the cockpit of a Grob Tutor, the aircraft flown at air experience flights.

2. Dentist Dave As part of our PSHE programme Form Ones and Upper One pupils welcomed David Evennett (1954-1966) ex-governor and friend to Exeter Junior School, to come and talk to them about why we have teeth and how important it is that we look after them. ‘Dentist Dave’ fascinated the girls and boys with incredible photographs of teeth both animal and human, including baboons, elephants and even David Beckham. The pupils took away with them lots of healthy and important facts such as brushing their teeth after breakfast and before bed and avoiding sugary drinks.

3. Lifesaving alumni Two alumni working as lifeguards in Exeter have saved the life of a local photographer and are keen to spread the word about the importance of lifesaving training.

Alumni Archie Leather (2015-2020) and Alex Foster (2009-2019) resuscitated photographer Andrew Butler while on duty. They received lifesaving training while in the sixth form at Exeter School. Andrew Butler suffered a cardiac arrest after a swim and Archie was first on the scene after an alarm was raised. Archie and Alex saved Andrew’s life through compressions and the use of a defibrillator. Archie first received training while in the sixth form at Exeter School and has been working as a lifeguard for three years. He said this was the first time he had experienced such a major event.

4. Paralympian to join coach squad Paralympian David Hill has joined Exeter School to coach our competitive swimming squads this year.

David is a two-time Paralympian and British champion in swimming and triathlon, and world and European medallist in swimming. David said he felt privileged to add value to the coaching team at Exeter School and pass on his experience and knowledge to the next generation. “I’m really passionate to provide world class coaching to young local people to support their aspirations and strive to their full potential, an ethos I know Exeter School shares.” David is leading on the competitive squad, focusing on sprint work and the technical aspects such as starts, turns and relay skills.

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School news 5.

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5. Alumnus inspiring at speech day Exeter School welcomed guest of honour, alumnus and executive recruiter Ik Iroche (1993-1995) to its annual Speech Day. Ik is an experienced human capital advisor who focuses on helping clients, both organisations and individuals, achieve the optimum return on their talent, and has worked across a range of industry sectors on four continents. During the day Ik gave inspiring talks to individual year groups on turning your dreams into goals as well as diversity and inclusion and shared his own experience of joining Exeter School in the 1990s from Nigeria. For his main address Ik gave a presentation on the path that led him to Exeter School and the importance of accepting others and celebrating diversity which was greatly enjoyed by senior pupils, 2021 leavers, parents, teachers and governors.

6. Alumna shares insights with Economics students Thanks to alumna Julia Rangasamy (1985-1987), Head of Central Banking Operations at the Bank of England for joining Upper Sixth economics pupils on a Zoom meeting to discuss the role of the Bank. Since graduating from UCL with a degree in economics and economic history in 1990, Julia has been working at the Bank of England. She has performed a wide variety of roles ranging from banking supervision to risk management, including working in the area supporting financial markets operations during the financial crisis.

She provided a valuable insight into the regulatory framework in which banks have to operate – a key part of the economics syllabus – and the bodies that

are now in place to ensure financial stability. Julia also discussed how the Bank sets monetary policy and the interesting movements in the economy following the post Covid bounce.

7. Art department recognise student success The art department regularly recognises the achievements of individual pupils in the Third Form through to the Upper Sixth through the ‘Artist of the Moment’ award. Entries cover a wide range of disciplines, including drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, installation and mixed media.

One of our ‘Artists of the Moment’ is Isobel who created this wonderful work in the style of Nick Leifhbebber on her iPad using the sketchbook app.

8. New Scholarships at Exeter Exeter School is very pleased to introduce a new range of scholarships which will sit alongside the bursaries we already offer. Scholarships are available at 11+, 13+ and 16+ for current or new pupils who show excellence in art, drama, music, and sport. Academic scholarships for new pupils are awarded based on the entrance assessments results. Being a scholar enables young people to develop their talents and skills as well as offering recognition for their achievements and exceptional potential, not to mention the status of being a scholar within the school.

Photographs are for illustrative purposes only, the pupils shown are not necessarily recipients of bursaries or scholarships.

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Mindful Chef Myles Hopper (1995-2006), Giles Humphries (1997-2004) and Robert Grieg-Gran (1998-2003) on the impact their booming recipe box company, Mindful Chef, is having outside of our kitchens

When we started Mindful Chef in 2015 we always knew we wanted to be more than just another recipe box company. The name encapsulates everything we wanted the company to stand for - being mindful not only of the ingredients we use in our recipes but also of our suppliers, our team and our wider impact on the world around us.

It’s quite ambitious (some might even say mad) to believe that three lads from Devon putting some fish into a few boxes could really have a positive effect on wider society. However, over the past six years Mindful Chef has activated some amazing projects both at home and abroad that go above and beyond the daily operations of the business. So why bother?

Having all gone to school together there has always been a great sense of community at Mindful Chef. One of our values is being personal and treating everyone (suppliers, customers, team mates) as you would when speaking to your family and friends - after all our first customers were just that. We believe there’s real power in bringing a community together and using business as a force for good.

Our very first project was working with the charity One Feeds Two - for every meal our customers buy we donate a school meal to a child living in poverty.

To date Mindful Chef has now donated over 10 million school meals! Most of our meals go to children in Malawi and we were lucky enough in 2019 to visit some of the schools and children who benefit from these meals. When speaking to the teachers, Giles asked them for how many of the children would this be their only meal of the day to which the response was a staggering 60% or more.

In the UK we work very closely with partners like the Felix Project who deliver food to front-line charities, primary schools and holiday programmes. In 2020 Mindful Chef donated over 100,000kg of food - equating to more than 230,000 meals. Each Christmas we run a reverse advent calendar where customers put food

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items into their box, return it to us free of charge and we then send the box onto the Felix Project. We are so proud that in December 2020 our community donated 150,000 food items to those in need over Christmas.

Having grown up next to the coast it made sense to create an event we could really get behind on a personal level, so the Mindful Chef Coast Clean was born. Last year we had close to 2,000 local heroes help clean up nearly 400 locations across the UK including beaches, rivers, parks and woodlands. Together we collected more than 34,000L of rubbish in one day.

Then Covid-19 struck. To help others get food we set up next day delivery care boxes that people could send to those who were more vulnerable and having to isolate. We also ran a special discount for NHS workers.

More than one million meals have been purchased by the amazing NHS staff since April 2020 and this continues to rise.

So finally back to the original question - why bother?

We are a proud B Corporation - a collective of businesses across the world trying to change the way companies operate. We place equal importance on People, Planet and Profit. Here at Mindful Chef we think businesses can be a force for good and would encourage everyone to think about whether there’s anything, however small, that they can do to help make that a reality. But mainly we think all these fantastic projects are just nice things to do.

Nestlé has agreed to aquire a majority stake in Mindful Chef. Myles, Giles and Rob will continue to run the company with the additional support and capabilities of Nestlé’s world-leading food business.

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Hurricane Dorian tests community spirit Luke Hopper (1995-2002) shares his recollections of the resilience of the Bahamian community bound by disaster

Luke Hopper was Assistant Head and IB Geography teacher at Lucaya International School, Grand Bahama, when the Hurricane Dorian hit in 2019. Here, he tells us of his work as Disaster Relief Coordinator for the Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation and Project Manager for NGO Waves for Water.

When the US National Hurricane Centre forecast a potentially significant storm my young family and I chose to ride it out with close friends. Together we felt safer and better able to respond to any immediate calls for help in our surrounding area. Like many middle and lower income nations immediate rescue and relief initiatives are a local community affair.

The community created a WhatsApp group for sharing information during the storm. Through a frenzy of thousands of messages and terrifying videos, pleas for help came in from across the Abacos Islands. The hurricane had intensified to a point not previously thought possible. Horrifying images of huge storm surges sweeping over the islands filled our screens.

People had nowhere to escape and some had to scramble into trees or onto rooftops. Others were either trapped or washed away.

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We felt quite safe huddled together behind hurricane windows but had discussed and rehearsed numerous contingency plans for when the storm hit us. On the second floor lay the tools necessary to cut a hole in the roof should we become trapped in the attic by floodwaters. Outside our truck was filled with fuel, tools, first aid supplies and anything deemed necessary in a life-saving situation. We were ready should we need to make a hasty escape or help others trapped by the wind and waves.

Hurricane Dorian hit us late on Sunday night leaving heart-wrenching tales of loss and devastation in its wake. Somehow, the primary mobile company managed to maintain network connectivity throughout so people were able to communicate. As Monday drew on conditions would not abate. It was near impossible to make any safe rescue attempt, and we advised people to stay in their attics until the next morning.

Thankfully the waters never rose beyond the swimming pool in our garden, and we could focus all our efforts on helping those in desperate need. Early Tuesday morning the storm began to slowly move away. Alongside other members of the community,

we mobilized to help as many people as we could. In challenging conditions, we deployed boats and jet skis into undefined waterways that were now fifteen to twenty feet higher than regular high tide watermarks and rescued those cut off. We forded submerged roads, relaying fuel supplies to other boats and jet skis, clearing access routes along the way, and providing immediate first aid to the many who needed it.

As the winds and waves began to weaken it became clear most of the island’s infrastructure was severely impacted. Entire buildings had been destroyed. The hospital had flooded, and all of the ambulances had been inundated with saltwater. Public services were unable to cope with the sheer scale of the disaster and isolated instances of looting took place. The police had lost the majority of their response vehicles and were unable to actively patrol the damaged areas.

My personal experience also shines light on the climate crisis we find ourselves living through. The major intensification of tropical storms is now well documented, with a proven link to warming ocean temperatures as a result of human behaviours.

Ultimately, we all have choices to make which can either help or exacerbate the interwoven nature of the causes and impacts of climate destabilization.

There are so many tales of extreme sadness, hardship, heroism, friendship and love I wish I could share, but as a visitor living in the Bahamas even these could only ever reflect a fraction of this experience. The privilege of being able to help will bind our family to the Bahamas for the rest of our lives. Our experiences strengthen the proof of the collective nature of the human spirit and the strength of community when it is needed most.

Reflecting on these events nearly two years on I now come to see that they were life-defining: days that felt relentless, relief teams, NGOs, hundreds of phone calls, thousands of messages – all whilst trying to support my students. In a world where many will say we have lost our ‘community’ I would argue that Hurricane Dorian showed this spirit is still strong and burning bright.

Luke and his family have since returned to their home in Cornwall, where he owns and manages a low carbon, sustainable housebuilding company.

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From one Chair to another We said a fond farewell to Andrew King (1960-1965) as he stepped down as Chair of Governors this year after serving the school as a governor for over 20 years.

In partnership with The 1633 the brilliant pupil reporters of school magazine The Exonian sat down to chat to both the newly retired Andrew King and James Gaisford, the man to take his place.

By pupil reporter Joanna Reynolds

After your time at Exeter School, what hobbies would you like to spend more time pursuing?

Andrew King What has been the highlight of your career as governor of Exeter School?

The mere fact of being so involved in the school was good. Founders’ Day is very moving. I went to the junior school and understand how lengthy Founders’ Day can seem, but now I recognise the value of it!

What are you going to miss most about the Exeter School community?

The welcoming and friendly nature, the intelligence and the generosity and warmth of the community.

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I am a hopeless golfer! I would also like to play more tennis and read much more.

How did you feel about the school’s progress during the pandemic and lockdown?

I felt bad that pupils were missing out on the benefits of the end of their time at school. I also felt sorry for Ms Simpson, as she was beginning in this difficult time, and the rest of the staff - especially Mr Griffin missing out on a full, final year at the school. However, I feel the pupils and staff worked extremely well to overcome the challenge.

Is there anything you took for granted before the pandemic that you are looking forward to starting again?

The Christmas concert in the Cathedral and other school concerts are what I missed the most - I can’t wait for them to be back.

Andrew King (left) pictured with James Gaisford (right) and members of The Exonian team

improving the physical environment of the school.

James Gaisford What are you planning to do with the role as Chair; are there any particular changes that you would like to initiate?

A governor’s main role is to look at the overall future of the school. I am looking forward to the addition of the New School, in a separate location, and to working with the Head - Ms Simpson is bringing lots of changes in a balanced way. I am looking forward to a fresh start and the school getting back to normal.

I’m also excited to oversee the development of the site, such as having more pedestrianisation and

What characteristics of the Exeter School community do you value the most?

We strive to be ambitious academically but also have a varied life, with a rounded education - we strive for the whole piece, not just academic aspects. We aim high, but we are modest about it.

How does your financial experience as a chartered accountant support your work as a governor?

Hugely. Governors split into committees; my area of expertise is finance. We need to understand financial forecasts and leave sufficient funds. Every now and then we have a significant donor (such as with the swimming pool),

but the majority is the school’s money. We gave discounts on fees over lockdown, but we also needed to keep the school going. Teachers worked harder over lockdown.

Is there anything you took for granted before the pandemic that you are looking forward to starting again?

I missed the special occasions such as school trips, the Christmas atmosphere, sporting events and watching the development of pupils discovering their interests through music or school plays. I’m also looking forward to meeting people live! It’s hard to chat to someone without a reason nowadays, with the world of Zoom. However, I must admit there were some positives of the solitude of lockdown: I discovered East Devon through cycling, as well as stumbling upon walks I never knew about before.

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The results are in...

We share the findings of our 2021 survey At the beginning of 2021 we asked for your thoughts on the school house system. This is part of a wider project reviewing the pastoral care and support of our pupils and similar surveys have been shared with pupils and staff. 29% of alumni took part which is a huge response for a survey such as this - thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey and has helped to inform our next steps in providing excellent pastoral pupil care.

We are delighted to share some of the results. There is still much work to be done over this academic year in establishing how best to support our pupils beyond their academic needs, and we look forward to keeping you updated on developments.

We currently have 10 houses at Exeter School.

What do you think of the number of houses?

ABOUT RIGHT

TOO MANY

NOT ENOUGH

NO OPINION

385

121

21

194

Each house has between 70 and 80 pupil members.

What do you think about the size of the 10 houses?

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Do you think houses should be named after people specifically?

ABOUT RIGHT

TOO MANY

TOO FEW

NO OPINION

YES

NO

NO OPINION

487

84

88

111

412

85

273

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest value, how much to do you value the house system at Exeter School?

37.6% 33.8%

17.6%

8% 2.8%

1

2

3

4

5

What do you understand to be the role(s) of the houses at Exeter School?

0.9%

none of these

33.8%

developing leadership skills

57.5%

history/tradition

83.5%

competition

21.6%

academic support

46.1%

helping to make friends

71.9%

identity/family within the school

73.5%

pastoral care

In some boarding schools houses are gender specific. What do you think about this?

i like mixed-gender houses

71.9%

i would have preferred an all-girls house

i would have preferred an all-boys house

no opinion

0.6% 5.8%

21.5%

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News of Exonians 1.

2.

3.

4.

6.

5.

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1. Rebecca Richardson (2006-2016) Whilst studying medicine Rebecca realised that she needed something to help her retain the vast amounts of information required to pass her exams. The challenge of balancing academic work, revision and clinical placements led her to create her own unique set of revision notes full of colour, diagrams and doodles. When other students saw her notes they requested copies and this has led Rebecca to create her own business, Becky’s Notes.

She turned her notes into textbooks and what started with an initial order for 10 copies has now grown to over 400 copies sold across the UK and orders from France, Italy and the USA. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and she has now created medical emergency flashcards aimed at students and junior doctors. In spite of her busy schedule as a junior doctor Rebecca hopes to develop the business further.

Her books are in the process of being peer reviewed and officially published, and she is developing further revision resources. For more information see her website (beckysnotes.co.uk).

2. James Harrison (1992-1995) Congratulations to James Harrison, named Outstanding Achiever of the Year at the British Ex-Forces in Business Awards.

James, who currently works as EMEA Economic Value Management Lead at tech consultancy Virtual Clarity (virtualclarity.com), served for seven years as an officer in the British Army, including an operational tour in Iraq in 2003. On his win, the judges said that the combination of his commercial and charitable success in his board role secured victory for James in this competitive category. They were also impressed by his career outside the military and highlighted the range of James’s projects and achievements which he completed while keeping a foot in the charity sector as the Board Chairman of Involve Community Services.

3. Juliet Fallowfield (1997-1999) With twenty years’ communications experience across a variety of sectors, Juliet Fallowfield decided 2020 was the year to go under her own brand following an early pandemic redundancy. She has founded Fallow, Field & Mason to help small businesses become the master of their own PR function. Juliet has held senior marcom positions with the world’s leading brands such as Asprey, Burberry, CHANEL, De Beers Jewellers and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, and has a proven global network of press contacts. Along with her team Juliet coaches founders and entrepreneurs to help set up their internal press office, write press releases, find journalists and own their own PR pitch. Juliet knew she could offer PR support but quickly realised how much there was to learn about starting a company, so she decided to start a podcast series collating and curating all the advice she was being offered. Often appearing in Apple’s podcast charts ‘How To Start Up by FF&M’ is into its fourth season. It consists of twenty-minute interviews with successful entrepreneurs on what newcomers should be doing now, next or never when

starting a company, covering everything from how to find a good accountant to considering sustainability from the outset. How To Start Up is available in all major podcast directories. (fallowfieldmason.com).

4. Verity Stroud (2010-2017) After 18 months of no performances or live music owing to Covid-19, current students and alumni of the University of Manchester were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to perform Jonathan Dove’s ‘The Enchanted Pig’ at Buxton International Opera Festival in July. They sold out two of the three shows and The Stage gave them a four star review saying that the production ‘was really fun and accessible, created entirely by young artists’. It was the first of Buxton’s Platform 3 initiatives, which aims to get young people interested and involved in opera.

Verity played the Book of Fate and Old Woman as well as being part of the chorus.

5. Simon Clarke (1995-2001) Having completed Lands’ End to John O’Groats 10 years ago Simon’s father wanted to explore the Scottish islands and set about cycling the length of Scotland from Gretna to Muckle Flugga on Shetland (the most northerly point of the UK) via as many islands as possible - a journey of over 600 miles. All this at the tender age of 75. Simon volunteered to go with him. They completed the journey in June this year and raised over £4,000 for his dad’s charity Ethiopian Education Aid which supports young people through school when otherwise they might have to find work instead.

6. Archie Tamblyn (2014-2020), Finlay Johnson (20132020) and Alex Peacock (2013-2020) Archie, Finlay and Alex have been busy in Costa Rica helping to clear plastic from the beaches and rivers with the organisation MareBlu, who organise coastal clean-up expeditions. During their stay they were based in Jaco supporting a couple who have devoted their lives to ridding their local area of plastic rubbish. As part of the work they cleaned beaches and removed a build-up of plastic and rubbish at the mouth of a crocodile river, collecting and sorting all the plastic into colour groups.

They also undertook some volunteering work at a local care home.

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News of Exonians 7.

10.

9.

8.

11.

12.

13.

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7. Holly Cromwell (2012-2020) was presented with the Blue Boy award for her exceptional achievement and service to the community. During the first lockdown Holly started volunteering for the Scrubs and Face Protection Hub by making personal protective equipment and working with the communications team on social media. She also volunteered at school and cared for a friend of the family who died at the beginning of the last school year. Holly said: “It’s a weird one to win because it doesn’t feel like I’ve done anything exceptional, just help where I can, but it is nice to be celebrated for what I’ve done regardless.”

8. Tom Littler (1996-2002), artistic director at the Jermyn Theatre, has been named one of the 100 individuals who did the most to keep the theatre industry alive during 2020 by The Stage, which also awarded Jermyn Theatre their Fringe Theatre award.

A few weeks after the first lockdown in 2020, Jermyn Street was struck by a flood 5ft-deep in the theatre’s basement, destroying the workshop, archives and dressing rooms. The theatre team ran a crowdfunding campaign to raise £100,000 to repair the theatre. Tom worked on a programme of online and remote events and productions to keep audiences engaged and freelance practitioners in work. Tom also launched a cycle of 154 daily Shakespeare sonnets performed by dozens of this year’s drama school graduates.

9. Lily Alford (2013-2020) has set up her own podcast series looking at history. She launched ‘Periods: the uncomfortable history podcast’ to tackle big societal issues by understanding their historical context in Britain. “I set up Periods back in May, in the wake of the wave of the Black Lives Matter protests in the UK,” said Lily. “I wanted to create a space where I could discuss these issues through small, clear examples and explain where they have come from historically.” Episodes have looked at the Windrush scandal, representation of women in art and anti-Semitism in 1930s Britain. She is using the podcast to positively promote the benefits of a modern history degree and hopes to grow the series whilst studying history and Spanish at Selwyn College, Cambridge.

11. Emily Ackland (2008-2015) has launched The Udder Stuff to enable consumers to buy fresh milk and milkshakes from a vending machine in Devon. Dairy farmer’s daughter Emily studied food marketing at the University of Reading and, after a few years spent working in London, has now returned to her family farm near Exeter. “I realised how disconnected people were from their food and how it’s been produced,” said Emily. She has been developing The Udder Stuff since university. “I decided upon milk vending machines because what better way to connect consumers by providing such a simple product straight from the cow?

You can buy fresh milk within a day of the cows being milked.” For more information see Emily’s website (theudderstuff.co.uk).

12. Harry Trick (1996-2003) has been promoted to Partner at Michelmores. A specialist in UK and international mergers and acquisitions, and private equity/venture capital investment, he was one of six new partners. Harry has been named as a ‘Next Generation Lawyer’ and a ‘Rising Star’ in Legal 500 UK. He is also a member of Michelmores’ Legal 500 ranked emerging markets team and has particular experience of advising on impact investments in the developing markets.

13. Sarah Downs (2008-2019) has been awarded the Russell Commonwealth Medal for lifesaving after she saved a little boy while on duty as a lifeguard. Sarah was one of the first cohort to train in the new indoor swimming pool at Exeter School. She also had the incredible opportunity to share her story with the Queen via an online video call. Sarah was invited to share her experiences during an online conversation to mark 80 years since the Queen had completed her young lifesavers award.

10. Lucy Rutledge (2001-2008) has transformed her love of languages into a career which enables her to empower women to learn English. Inspired by learning languages at Exeter School, Lucy has set up an online educational website called English with Elsie. Following A Levels in English, French, German and history at Exeter School, Lucy went on to study French and German at university. She spent a year teaching English in Austria and more recently taught refugee women English and German in Greece. For over a year Lucy has been volunteering through an international women’s café in Exeter teaching English and connecting women to locals and each other in the city. For more information please see Lucy’s website (englishwithelsie. wordpress.com).

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OE Grants Natasha ffrench-Constant (2011-2013) tells us about her medical elective in Sri Lanka in 2019 In April 2019, Natasha undertook a medical elective in Galle, Sri Lanka, the final component of six years of study at the University of Bristol. The tropical diseases and different patient demographic meant Natasha was particularly drawn to Sri Lanka, along with its beauty and spectacular wildlife.

The placement was split across a range of specialities including haematology, parasitology and immunohistochemistry. There was opportunity for hands on experience volunteering on wards and in laboratories whilst witnessing tropical diseases including dengue and leprosy.

Despite many challenges to the Sri Lankan healthcare system Natasha found the doctors exceptionally kind, taking time out of their busy schedules to help her. The hospitals were different and lacked some of the resources that we are lucky enough to have in the UK, though in many ways the medicine was the same. Medical students with

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identical textbooks engaged in long ward rounds. The students were rigorously trained and regularly worked twelve-hour shifts Devastatingly for Sri Lanka the country was subjected to terrorist bombings in Colombo during Natasha’s elective. Schools and universities closed and there was an island-wide curfew resulting in her elective being cut short. She said: “It was difficult to observe such a crippling effect on the economy in a country where tourism was thriving.

I also had my first experience of a lockdown - who knew there would be many more in the following years!

“I am grateful to Exeter School for giving me an excellent education which enabled me to realise the grades and motivation required for medical school. I am very thankful for the generous OE Grant contribution towards my project.”

Natasha graduated from the University of Bristol in 2019.

OE Sports The annual cross country event took place on a beautiful July day Whilst much of our sport has been postponed and cancelled due to the pandemic cross country stood strong. The annual Old Exonian vs Exeter School vs Old Heleans Cliff Path Race took place on Saturday 10 July in glorious sunshine.

The four-mile race started from the Maer car park just behind Exmouth seafront with a slightly altered start line owing to the car park being requisitioned for a temporary covid test centre. The first part of the route involves a steep climb from sea level to the Exmouth cliff top above Marine Drive heading for the Geo-needle at Orcombe Point. This is followed by more climbing past the Geo-needle to the High Land at Orcombe, before dropping down into the maze of caravans at Sandy Bay. Here it is crucial to get a sight bearing on the chain-link fence of the military firing range before the line of sight is obscured by the caravans.

Then it is up the fiercely steep and surprisingly slippery tarmac path next to the range and down through more caravans before the endless grassy slope out of Sandy Bay. The next gateway reveals the drop to the wooded coombe, with the slightly unwelcome steps down and up and then it’s the final slog

to the summit at West Down, with the merciless heat radiating up from the parched and cracked red earth path. The last section of the climb is a breathless trundle up the steep pebble chute forming a tunnel through the thick gorse that clads the West Down hillside.

Once the summit has been reached it’s a headlong descent along the pebble and tree root strewn path which winds its way interminably down and along through scrub and pine woodland. We finish with a final sprint/stagger to the finish line at the bench across the open grass lawn of Jubilee Field above Budleigh Salterton.

Runners and walkers were met by friends and family at the finish for some gulps of water, a few cold beers and a picnic, where people were able to catch up with the news of the past year.

The afternoon concluded with the current OE race shield holders having to reluctantly allow the trophy to be presented to the OH team Captain and race winner John McCawley by OE and OH Staff Kevin ‘Chalky’ White (1953-1961).

Next year’s race will take place at 3pm on Saturday 4 June 2022.

Walkers can start earlier in order to arrive at Jubilee Field in time

for the post-race BYO picnic and presentation at around 4pm (weather permitting).

Contact the Alumni Office at alumni@exeterschool.org.uk for further information.

Many thanks to the race officials: Dave Phillips Tony Pugh Kevin White The results were: 1 John McCawley OH 31.38 2 Rees Jenkins OE 32.40 3 Mike Mewse OH 33.15 4 Stephen Hart Guest 33.55 5 Andy Worth OH 37.05 6 Sak Nayagam OE 39.43 7 Ian Bannister Guest 48.04 8 Simon Martin OH 51.02

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Tea Towel Travels Some time ago, before we had heard of lockdowns and travel restrictions, we launched a competition…

We challenged our staff, pupils and alumni to see how far away they could take a school tea towel.

The results were impressive!

We loved receiving so many photos taken all over the world from Amsterdam to Australia, Lapland to Washington. It was great fun to see Exeter School making its way around the globe. You can see a selection of the wonderful photos here.

Our OE winner was Charlie Mayall (2011-2019) who managed to get the tea towel the furthest. Charlie took our tea towel all the way to New Zealand which would have taken some beating.

Our second winner for best picture goes to Andy Miller (1986-1990) for his photograph from Alcatraz entiteld ‘From School House to Jailhouse’.

A special mention must go to our former Headmaster Bob Griffin who gave us not one but two entries in different countries!

Congratulations to our winners and well done to all who entered. #Exeterschoolteatoweltravels

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29

Farewell old friends Since the last edition of The 1633 we have had to say goodbye to a number of longstanding and much-loved teachers. We know that teachers are remembered with much fondness by their former pupils and so we are delighted to share some tributes, written by their colleagues, with you.

Manoj Chitnavis, who as a boy escaped oppression and tyranny under Idi Amin in Uganda, has had an illustrious career.

Despite the lure of the big city nothing could keep him away from education. From research lecturer, guest lecturer at an international science school in Australia, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemists to National Chair of the Association for Science Education, Manoj has been dedicated to promoting science and chemistry in particular. In his early years at Exeter Manoj ran the 2nd XI and U14 hockey teams, became Deputy Head of Sixth Form, under the ever-youthful Pete Scott, before being Head of Sixth Form himself for 12 years. He became the school’s Head of Careers, and UCAS School Advisor. All staff and pupils regard Manoj with great affection and hold him in high esteem. This is so often displayed by past pupils at Exonian dinners, too. His good humour, enjoyment in teaching, precise homework deadlines and tireless energy in helping others is what he will be remembered for. Manoj is going to be a great loss to the school, and we wish this multi-talented educator a long and very enjoyable retirement.

a staunch defender of every single one of them. After nine years as Deputy Head of Daw, he completed 17 years as Head of Crossing where he turned out to be quietly competitive on the House Challenge competition front! This should have been no surprise given his sporting background, but under his tenure he won the House Cup more times than any other house.

He leaves school on a high. He was always keen to ‘get off the beach before the tide came in’ and that is exactly what he has done.

Mike Porter

Many alumni will remember Mike as Head of School House, ably assisted by his wife, Trudy. Together they provided a truly nurturing, warm and fun termtime home and the boarders all thrived in their care.

Testament to their kindness and hard work, are the large numbers of boarders who have remained in contact with Mike and Trudy over the years. When the boarding house closed in 2000, Mike became Head of Drake House, a role that he continued for a further twenty years.

Mike Wilcock Mike started his teaching career here in 1986, employed as a French specialist with German alongside. After 10 successful years as Head of Cricket he swapped to rugby and also coached hockey. He could have coached swimming as well had time permitted! He was an extremely talented sportsman and teacher, full of boundless enthusiasm and knowledge.

Mike is very pastorally minded, and pupils have found him truly inspirational and always supportive. He was

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Mike Porter Mike Porter There can be few who have passed through Exeter School’s doors in the last four decades who have not benefitted from either Mike’s expert and enthusiastic teaching, kindness or friendship.

Yet, after 34 years of loyal and dedicated service to the whole school community, he has hung up his gown and written his last house report. We are all incredibly sad to say goodbye to such a positive, caring and, above all, modest, member of our staff.

Mike approaches everything with an exemplary passion and energy, and perhaps none more so than his three memorable school trips to Israel. He applied himself to his role in assisting with the organising of Ten Tors training with similar dedication and enthusiasm. He initiated and delivered the .b mindfulness programme in the Senior School, equipping both pupils and staff alike with invaluable, lifelong, therapeutic skills. He has been warmly welcomed to many an Exonian dinner or

event, with alumni keenly regaling their memories of Mr Porter. We bid Mike a fond farewell and wish him a happy, healthy retirement that is so richly deserved.

Jo Murrin Paula Goldsworthy joined Exeter Junior School in 1999, after coeducation meant the Third Form required a second teacher. Her love for, and ability in, maths soon found her teaching the subject throughout the school where she worked for many years with Ro Garnham, sharing mathematical ideas, methods and anecdotes and enjoying many laughs together, before being joined by Jonathan Anderson and then Jacquie Barnes in 2011.

When you ask staff about Paula the comments speak volumes: ‘so grateful for her unending support, time, expertise (and saxophone playing) when we worked on the productions together’, ‘offered much needed advice kindly and sensitively’, ‘went out of her way to make me feel welcome and reassured me I could ask her anything and she would try to help’, ‘I have frequently tapped into Paula’s knowledge about systems and protocols within the school’, ‘she encouraged me to join Choral Society and even provided me with scores from her extensive music collection!’, ‘considerable involvement over the years in residential weekends’, ‘she comes to school with a smile on her face, everyday’. We will all greatly miss Paula and her many and varied gifts and wish her good luck, good health, and much happiness in her retirement.

Jacquie Barnes Rupert Bland managed to complete a hugely impressive 101 terms, before bowing out and retiring in December 2019. Unassuming, reliable and very committed, Rupert played an integral part in the life of the school for over 30 years. He performed his role as form teacher and Head of Blake with great dedication and provided outstanding pastoral care. Added to that, he brought his creativity to the role of DT coordinator before finishing his time as history coordinator, a role he enjoyed immensely. Many alumni still remember their roles in his famous Roman battle re-enactments!

He will be best remembered for his significant contribution to the extra-curricular programme of the school throughout his time here.

For a number of years, Rupert took boys camping down to East Prawle and, after we adopted co-education in 1997, he was an invaluable member of the team on numerous residentials. He ran all the sport in the school single-handedly for 10 years - his slick organisation of Sports Day was legendary!

On a personal level, I have valued greatly Rupert’s camaraderie over the last 23 years. I am indebted to the way that he supported me when I joined the school and encouraged my passion for football and cricket. He will be sorely missed but we wish him every happiness in his retirement.

Giles Ashman Giles Ashman (19821987) Giles’s career and time spent at Exeter School has made him into the ultimate Exonian: a man who so enjoyed his time at Exeter School as a child that he decided to come back as a teacher.

Giles started his association with the school as a bright and fresh teenager back in 1982 when he joined the Lower Fifth as a boarder. Giles trained to become a teacher at Rolle College Exmouth, and re-joined Exeter School in the junior school. Giles’ passions were - and still are - football, cricket, and history.

At both U11 and U18 levels, Giles has led the school to fantastic success in football, both in terms of matches won, and in terms of players developed. In 2014 he led the U11A football team to become south west champions, and to play at Portsmouth, representing Exeter City FC in the national finals: a proud moment for a City fan. As well as football, Giles Ashman has been a leading teacher of cricket. He has coached the U14s, the second team and the U11A, producing some great teams over the years. From 1994 -2012 he was also the U11 Devon cricket coach.

As Giles has entered the halcyon years of his teaching career at Exeter School, he has developed his role with alumni. He is now games secretary and oversees hugely exciting and competitive matches between the first teams and alumni keen to show the young whippersnappers a thing or two. I know Giles will always think of himself as an old Exonian for the rest of his days.

At heart, Giles will always be an Exeter school pupil and a proud Exonian.

Richard Pidwell

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Obituaries Paul, a member of Collins House who was Deputy Head Boy and Captain of Tennis, sadly passed away in April 2021. Contemporaries will remember Paul as an exceptionally positive and good-humoured person who was both well-liked and academically gifted.

Professor Sir Paul Cosford (Collins House 1974-1981) 1963-2021

On leaving Exeter School in 1981 Paul studied Medicine at St Mary’s Medical School in London. He went on to specialise in psychiatry before pursuing a career in public health, the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. Until 2010 Paul served as Regional Director for Public Health for the East of England before moving on to Public Health England where he served as Medical Director from 2012 to 2019. In this role his responsibilities included overseeing the prevention and control of infectious diseases and environmental hazards. During his tenure Paul coordinated the response to both the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the Novichok nerve agent poisonings in Salisbury in 2018.

Having dabbled with rowing at medical school, and later golf, Paul went on to become a keen and at times fanatical cyclist. He would think nothing of riding a hundred miles or more in a training session and undertook a succession of endurance cycling challenges.

These included riding from John O’Groats to Land’s End in under a week as well as the gruelling 1,200km ‘PBP’ (Paris-Brest-Paris) self-supported bike ride. He completed this within the 90 hour time limit, even after pulling over to perform CPR on a fellow competitor who had collapsed at the roadside.

Paul was also a devotee of the iconic Brompton folding bike, using it on his daily commute and taking great delight in speeding past lycra-clad cycle couriers on the streets of London!

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Paul returned to Exeter School as guest of honour for Speech Day in September 2017 where he spoke about the lessons learned in responding to the Ebola outbreak. He also took time to talk with members of the school’s Medical Society.

A lifelong non-smoker, in 2017 Paul was diagnosed with late stage lung cancer. As a result of his illness he stepped down from his role at Public Health England in 2019 but continued to contribute as Emeritus Medical Director, frequently appearing on national media to explain the strategy for dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

He continued working throughout his illness, displaying the calm determination which characterised both his personal and professional life.

Following his diagnosis Paul contributed to the debate over assisted dying, calling for a rethink in the British Medical Journal in October last year.

In January 2021 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in recognition of his services to public health. He was also appointed Honorary Professor of Public Health at Chester University.

Paul made the final journey to his funeral on a tandem hearse accompanied by a peloton of family and friends, including Dave Sixsmith (1974-1981) and Steve Perring (19781981).

He leaves his widow, Gill, and four children.

Steve Perring

David Gale (Former staff 1971-1975) 1932-2020

David Gale passed away on 20 January 2020 while at the Denville Actors’ Care Home in Norwood, north of London. He had taught English and drama at Exeter School at the time when Robin Hone was Headmaster. His classroom was the prefab nearest Manston Terrace, now replaced by new buildings. When he left, Brian Smith took over David’s drama role and the two were good friends until Brian’s recent demise.

David was educated at the Dragon School and Rugby before studying history at Oxford and then acting at RADA. He did his national service in the Intelligence Corps, because, he said, he was too disorganised to be a regular soldier. He managed to lose a whole regiment on manoeuvres in a North African desert as his navigation skills were non-existent and he had placed stones in the sand which he thought he would remember to guide him back to base.

He worked for several years as an actor in weekly rep both in Scotland and England, learning and acting in a new play each week. After such an exhausting schedule, he went into teaching, initially at Dartington Hall and then Exeter School. After that he moved to London to lecture in drama at Goldsmiths College and lived near the college till 2019 when he moved to the Denville.

Phyllis Nelson’s life was a rich and rewarding one. She was a wartime research assistant at Woolwich Arsenal through the height of the Blitz, a housewife, mother, and school teacher in her own right.

He was a true liberal and had a profound love of Shakespeare and directed several plays at the school including Twelfth Night, organising several joint productions with the Maynard School. He instilled a love of literature and poetry in those he taught but his greatest love was the theatre. He is remembered with great affection by those who knew him thinking of his wonderful sense of humour and an infectious love of his interests.

David was an avid collector of books and his London home contained many thousands stacked from floor to ceiling. He insisted on not installing central heating but used several electric fires. One such electric fire ignited some books and the blaze destroyed the entire contents of his home. This led to his move to the Actors’ Care home where he was diagnosed with cancer.

However, whilst there he told his close family that he had never been as happy in the gentle care offered to him and they gratefully reported that he had a “good death”.

We are grateful to Mark Solon (1965-1971) and Matthew Solon (1966-1973) for sending us details for this obituary.

She was also house mistress, matron, cook, and temporary mother to literally hundreds of young boarders at Exeter School, as well as Lord Williams’s and Hutton Grammar Schools.

Phyllis Nelson 1921-2020

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Obituaries John was a keen aeromodeller as a school boy and, on leaving Exeter School, matriculated and joined de Haviland Aircraft Company.

Here he obtained his Higher National certificate in aeronautical engineering.

John Taylor (OE 1942-1951) 1934-2019

Aged 25 he joined the Royal Air Force on a short service commission of three years. After leaving the RAF he spent several years with Saunders Roe on the Isle of Wight.

The family moved to Broadstairs near Cheam – Dad had two sisters, Jill and Annette who were much older than him and whom he adored and was adored by in turn.

He went to Malvern and then to Trinity Hall, Cambridge to study modern languages. After coming down from Cambridge, he got a job teaching modern languages first at Felsted and then Lancing.

While teaching at Lancing he met our mum Lynn at a party and they married six months later in December 1963. In 1966 my sister Tasha, christened Natalie, was born and then two years later, while in Japan teaching as part of the British Consulate, I was born.

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He was also chairman of the RAF Association in Salisbury, a charitable undertaking he gave his strong support to for more than twenty years. John’s wife, Julia, predeceased him in June 2014. He leaves a son and daughter.

He then re-joined the RAF fulltime, enjoying a successful career

Our dad was born on October 6 1932 in Penarth, Wales. He was very proud of being Welsh, albeit half.

He was, as he was fond of saying at poetry readings, “born dead! – with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck!” The nurse unwrapped the cord and breathed life into him, which was just as well really as we wouldn’t be here now!

Harry Guest (Former staff 1972-1991) 1932-2021

culminating in his retirement in the rank of Wing Commander. His interests included tennis and sailing.

When they returned to England in 1972 he got a job at Exeter School and became Head of Modern Languages. He also taught Japanese both at Exeter School and at Exeter University.

He continued to write poetry and his passion for words never dulled. He continued to write right up until the end – his collection of poems Last Harvest was published in 2020 and Short Attention Span was published in 2021 and translated into French three months before he died. He also loved travelling and music.

He loved to walk and in particular on Dartmoor, Woodbury Common and the cliff path at Budleigh. Many is the time we set the world to rights on our walks together. He was a loving, generous and inspirational man, witty, intelligent and kind to all who knew him, and he will be much missed. A light has gone out in the poetry world – never to be reignited.

Nick Guest

Brian had a fairly uneventful school career. He was a mathematician (the only subject he didn’t have to revise for) but also enjoyed the CCF and taking part in music productions such as the Pirates of Penzance.

Brian Grimshaw (Daw House 1950-1956) 1939-2021

His music teacher, Mr Bradford inspired him to start a skiffle group with other school friends, including Lionel Aggett (1946-1956), Paul Snow, John Rowland, Geoff Bird (1947-1956), Patrick Philips (1951-1954) and Mike Fermore (1951-1956). They achieved some success on the radio, TV and at local talent shows along with the dance band that was formed to make some money!

He left school after passing six ‘O’ levels to start an apprenticeship as an electrical engineer at SWEB in Exeter.

His career at SWEB lasted for over 40 years and he was very well respected by all he worked with and passed on his skills and knowledge to.

His music interests were soon overtaken by his quest for speed, specifically boats. By the 1970s Brian was a key figure in powerboat racing in the UK, Brian raced boats himself and also managed the largest racing

Philip Rodd (Drake House 1979-1986) 1968-2020

team in Europe in 1979/80. As well as racing he ran his own marine engineering company in Topsham.

Boats continued to feature all through his life although they slowed down a bit as he taught his children then his grandsons to enjoy floating around.

Brian stayed in touch with Lionel Aggett (his best man at his wedding to Marian) and latterly Charles Potter (1948-1956; both avid Exeter Chiefs fans) and Ken Barrett (1952-1957) among others from his school days.

Brian’s son, Nick, followed him to Exeter School (1977–1984) and enjoyed hearing his father’s school stories (most of which have to remain secret!). Nick is now a successful wine sommelier (equivalent of a Michelin star) in the USA. He leaves a family who gave him great pride and satisfaction. He was especially delighted with the addition of two great grandchildren in 2020.

Philip joined Exeter School at the age of eight and whilst he excelled academically, with apparently minimal effort, he also found time to play basketball, hockey, cricket, golf and rugby (also seemingly effortlessly). He went on to study chemistry at Nottingham University.

Despite being taken at 51, and after a two-year illness, Philip Bruce Rodd, formerly of Crediton, achieved more in his lifetime than anyone could imagine. Philip died peacefully on February 1 2020 and was the muchloved son of Allan and Jennifer Rodd of Crediton.

Evidence of his love of travel first emerged during his gap year. At the last count he had been to more than 45 different countries. He became fluent in many languages.

He touched the hearts of countless friends and has left a legacy of friendship and happy memories across the globe.

A great lover of sport, travel and diversity, Philip achieved so much in his lifetime.

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Obituaries Jack spent a life long career as a timber merchant, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

He was married to Peggy, now deceased, for 55 years and is much loved and missed by his daughters Anne and Patricia, three granddaughters, son-in-laws and many friends.

Jack Webber (Raleigh House 1943-1949) 1931-2020

Jack had numerous happy memories of his years at Exeter School. He loved English and Latin. Although he was not quite as enthusiastic Julian passed away in September 2019 and he will be greatly missed throughout the blues world and beyond.

Julian Piper (Daw House 1958-1964) 1947-2019

Julian’s passion for blues began as a school boy at Exeter School in the early 1960s. Whilst his fellow pupils dreamed of being in the Beatles, Julian longed to live in Mississippi and play with local blues musicians.

His dream came true when he lived in Louisiana for a year as part of his studies with the University of Exeter.

Julian’s love of music saw him establish Blues South West, originally a non-profit organisation which promotes blues music in the Exeter area. Up until Julian’s death he continued to mainly promote gigs in the Exeter area at The Phoenix, The Bridge Inn and The Globe Hotel in Topsham. He was renowned for taking chances on relatively unknown acts out of love for their music.

about swimming in the freezing cold outdoor pool!

Jack maintained a life long interest in Exeter School and stayed in contact with his contemporaries including Peter Harrison (1946-1950), Bryan Wilson (1940-1948), Andrew Toop, Clive Toye (1944-1949), David Tredwin, John White (1942-1949) and Hywyn Evans (1943-1949).

Jack was perfectly described as gracious, virtuous and gentle - a true gentleman.

He regularly wrote on music for a variety of publications and his knowledge and enthusiasm led to Radio 3 commissioning him to produce a four-part radio documentary, Blues on the Bayou, in 1991. In 2016 Julian published Blues from the Bayou, a reflection on the blues scene he experienced around Baton Rouge.

Julian was involved in the release of 11 albums. Most were with his band the Junkyard Angels with whom he toured across Europe and the UK. In recent years his daughter Lucy, a professional drummer herself, had joined him on stage.

He is survived by his second wife, Catherine (née Hayman), a teacher, whom he married in 1987, and their children, Lucy and Sam. His son, Jonathan, from his first marriage, to Claire de la Bertauche, died in 2012.

We were deeply sorry to hear that the following alumni and friends of Exeter School have passed away: Ken Bovey (1940-1946), Thomas Brain (1977-1983), Peter Brown (1937-1942), Christopher Burrows (1995-1998), John Clunies-Ross (1937-1945), John E Dallen (1948-1954), Charles Dunstan (1959-1966), David (Ben) Ellis (1948-1955), Leslie Folkes (1945-1951), Edward Gigg (1949-1955), Christopher Gulley (1963-1970), Val Hibberd - former staff (1951-1965), Rita Hore – former staff (1957-1985), Colin Jacoby (1989-1994), Derek (Richard) Jenkin (1940-1947), Clifford Linton (1959-1966), Alan Mansfield (1943-1954), Stephen Nicholson (1961-1968), David Pearce (1950-1957), Roy Pidgeon (1939-1945), Charles Potter (1949-1952), Tom Reardon (1939-1947), David Robins (1951-1962), Keith Routley (1947-1958), Richard Unthank (1953-1960), Jason Victory (1980-82), Lawrence Walford (1946-1956), Peter Weeks - former staff (1982-1994), Michael West (1941-1947) Details of alumni who have passed away, including obituaries where they have been shared, can be found on our website.

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Freemasons Ben Maunder (1990-1992) shares an insight into the world of the Freemasons

Have you ever noticed the stained glass window in the Butterfield Hall that has a square and compasses sitting on a book?

This is in reference to the Old Exonian Freemasons Lodge. The 1633 caught up with its current Worshipful Master Ben Maunder to find out more.

What is Freemasonry?

It is one of the oldest social and charitable organisations in the world. It’s a system of education drawn from traditions of mediaeval stonemasons. It aims for members to become better people, for themselves and society.

What do you do?

Meetings are held five times a year, mainly to admit new members. They are welcomed over three meetings where the retelling of a story takes place. We also fundraise for worthy causes. The Old Exonian Lodge predominantly fundraises for a school bursary.

Is Freemasonry only for men?

A common misconception. It’s true that the Old Exonian Lodge is for men who are at least 21 years old.

However, there are female only lodges.

Is it true that you have to roll up your trouser leg?

What drew you to becoming a Freemason?

True – how else would we know if you have a concealed weapon?

We have a funny handshake, wear an apron, and the Chairperson is called ‘Worshipful Master’.

Freemasonry has been in my family for two generations. My father, Philip Maunder (1958-1964), is also a member.

That all sounds very secretive.

Why would you encourage others to join?

Freemasonry is often talked about as a secret society. Individuals start off not knowing anything, then are taught and what was secret is clearer.

It’s a great way to keep connected with the school and make new friends. Once you join any lodge, you are able to visit lodges all over the world.

How long has the Old Exonian Lodge been running?

What should alumni do if they want to learn more?

The Lodge was established in 1981.

They can contact our secretary Graham Lerwill (grahamlerwill@ btinternet.com) or see our website (ugle.org.uk/contact-us/interestedin-becoming-a-freemason).

Tell us about the stained glass window.

It was gifted to the school in 2006 to celebrate our 25th anniversary.

The oval logo includes three blue boys above the Rougement Castle and this is our Lodge Seal.

Above is the coat of arms of Sir Hugh Crossing and motto, ‘Gold is not the equivalent of Virtue’.

Surrounding the seal ‘The seal of the school of St John within the City of Exeter’.

Ben Maunder along with his father Philip (who previously held the Worshipful Master role) are regular visitors to the school. Philip runs his own insurance broking business and is based in Topsham.

Ben runs his own IT Consultancy business in Leeds.

What about the square and compasses sitting on top of what looks like a Bible?

It is a Bible; Freemasonry is not a religious order. Freemasonry is taught using symbols i.e. the square and compasses.

The symbols are based on stonemasons’ tools given many masons couldn’t read or write.

What does the 9000 at the bottom mean?

When a lodge is formed, it is given a number by the governing body, the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE). 9000 is the Old Exonian Lodges’ number.

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Help us go above and beyond: The 1633 Fund

Exeter School prides itself on providing excellence in the classroom and beyond through our extensive range of extra-curricular activities. We provide opportunities for our pupils to excel, be they academic, artistic, cultural or sporting.

But there are many ideas from across our school community that would further enrich the pupil experience here but fall outside of the day-today budget. Philanthropy can help make these ideas a reality.

Photography: S G Haywood

The 1633 Fund enables the school community to play a part in enhancing Exeter School and allowing us to go above and beyond. The fund is named in honour of the year the school was first established

which was made possible owing to philanthropy.

A gift of any size will make a huge difference and a regular donation provides us with a secure and predictable level of income. With The 1633 Fund you could make a gift from £1.63 to £16.33 to £163 or however much you wish to give. It will have a real impact here.

You can choose to make a gift to the general fund which will then be allocated by the school annually to worthy projects. Or you can choose to donate to a specific project. For more information see our website or contact the Alumni Office (alumni@ exeterschool.org.uk).

We were delighted to reach the fundraising total on one of our launch projects which will support the school’s investment in the new junior school playground. A new story time chair has been installed thanks to generous gifts from parents and alumni. The chair will provide a great space for more quiet reflective time in the playground and also be used by our visiting speakers alongside our outdoor classroom. Thank you to everyone who donated.

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Spot anyone you recognise?

Exeter School has a huge collection of wonderful school photographs and we need your help identifying who is in them!

If you’d like to help us please contact the Alumni Office at alumni@exeterschool.org.uk to be set up with login details for WhoZatFace. This will allow you to view photographs and tag yourself and others you know.

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