The Gordonian - Autumn 2022

GORDONIAN

Gordonians,

September saw a new School year begin after we finished the last academic year with many of us all together at Annual. On Saturday 2nd July we enjoyed the return of Annual Parade and Prize Giving which was last held with visitors and spectators in 2019. After 3 years it was fantastic to welcome parents, guests and Gordonians back to a sunny Gordon’s to witness the whole school Parade with over 500 students marching, led by our Pipes and Drums. Before the Parade we held the Gordonian Memorial Service, led by our School Chaplain, The Reverend Graham Wright, in the School Chapel where we remembered all the Gordonians deceased in the last year.

gordonians@gordons.school

‘Gordonians’ ‘Gordonians’ @Gordonians the-gordonians.org

Welcome to the Winter Edition of the Gordonian newsletter, which compliments the online Gordonian community website and our social media.

Since our last report in Spring 2022 we have held Annual Parade, a Gordonian Netball and Football Tournament and been involved with projects such as the donation of a flag to the Gordon’s Pipes and Drums from Gordonian Nigel Cousins 7218 (1968) marking the Band’s 80 th Anniversary. We have posted out Gordonian keyrings and our latest newsletter to all our Year 11 and Year 13 Leavers, wishing them every success on their next adventure and reminding them that we are here for them in the future.

On Saturday 2 nd July we welcomed Gordonians back to Annual Parade, our Gordonian Memorial Service and for an optional picnic lunch. It was wonderful to meet so many of you and we had Gordonians who had left school between 1946 and 2021. A meeting of the Gordonian Advisory Panel was held on Friday 1 July. In attendance were Paul Ivory 7937 (1980), Jonathan Bell 7918 (1980) with apologies from Rev. Denis Robinson (former School Chaplain).

Susan Meikle (School Bursar), Jennifer Taylor (Head of Finance & IT) and Sue Parkin (former Gordonian Officer) also attended.

Our Sports teams have continued to flourish. Old Gordonians FC ‘The Camels’ continue to use the School 3G pitch for their home games and our Gordonian Runners continue to impress with their success and number of races completed!

I would also like to introduce myself, Harriet Turk , your new Gordonian Officer. We said goodbye to Sue Parkin after two and a half years as she moves into a new role at another School. I have been working in the Development team at Gordon’s for the last 2 years and have been fortunate enough to meet some of you during that time and most recently at Annual earlier this year. I too am a Gordonian – a day student in Augusta house from 2005 until 2008 and the youngest of four siblings, all Gordonians, Gordon’s has been a huge part of mine and my family’s life and it is great to be continuing that.

We are looking forward to welcoming Gordonians to our Whitehall Parade on Saturday 21st January 2023 and to our reunion after in The Shades pub, just around the corner from General Gordon’s statue. It was wonderful to have so many attend last January and we do hope you can join us again early next year.

SCHOOL NEWS: GORDONIAN AWARD WINNERS:

Each year current Year 11 students are invited to apply for a Gordonian Award. They complete an application form to include external references and are then invited to an interview with the Deputy Head (Pastoral), a Gordonian and the relevant Heads of Departments for Sport or Creative Arts.

Gordonian award winners are eligible to claim expenses associated with their discipline. These are worth up to £1,000 payable over three years (Years 11, 12 & 13). This term saw current Year 11s apply and after this newsletter went to print the winners were announced – please see our website and social media for more information. Thank you to Jonathan Bell 7918, who represented Gordonians at all the interviews. Here’s an update from one of our current winners, Eleanor, who won the award for Music last year.

‘Throughout the last academic year, I participated in a music composition course at the Menuhin Music School in Cobham. With the help of teachers at the school, this course allowed me to develop my composition skills and provided me with techniques that I was able to use in my GCSE. At the end of the course, I was lucky enough to be able to perform and record my composition live with some of the students at the school. As the clarinet was the lead part, performing this with people I had never played with before taught me many skills which will be useful in the future. Furthermore, at the end of last year, I completed my ABRSM grade 5 clarinet exam in which I received a merit. Over the next year, alongside my A level pieces, I will be preparing to complete my grade 6 exam as well as my grade 5 theory.’

SCHOOL NEWS: MEMORIAL TO HM THE QUEEN

On Sunday 18 th September the School Parade, which was already scheduled, became the Gordon’s Memorial to the life of Queen Elizabeth II. Flags were flown at half mast since the announcement of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s death and on the morning of 9 th September the whole School community gathered on the Parade Square for prayers led by School Chaplain the Reverend Graham Wright. The Last Post was sounded and two minutes silence observed. The Pipes and Drums played The Lament, Flowers of the Forest. Queen Elizabeth II has been Patron of the school since her accession to the throne in 1952, continuing the unbroken line of sovereign Patrons since the school was founded in 1885.

SCHOOL NEWS: TES BOARDING SCHOOL OF THE YEAR

In June Gordon’s were announced as Winner of the Tes (Times Educational Supplement) Boarding School of the Year Award, which recognises innovation, imagination and efforts to develop children in ways that go beyond academic achievement and the league tables as well as maintained continued excellence. Gordon’s is one of eight boarding schools across the country to have been nominated. Thank you to all in our community for your support and hard work in helping to secure our Award.

Gordon’s are proud to be included in The Queen’s Green Canopy for the Jubilee tree planted outside the Chapel after the Patron’s Parade in June by two of the school’s then youngest students both born on August 31st 2010. The Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Worplesdon’ is a beautiful addition to the school grounds, particularly in the Autumn with its orange/ red leaves, and is a living legacy to The Queen, who was the School’s Patron. The girls also buried a time capsule nearby containing a science project on what scientific advances had been made during Her Majesty’s reign.

ANNUAL PARADE 2ND JULY 2022:

Gordonians met before and after our Annual Parade for a well overdue reunion. It was great to meet Gordonians from 1946 all the way through to 2021. After 3 years of waiting we were finally able to welcome Gordonians back to School to attend Parade, the Gordonian Memorial Service and for an optional picnic lunch. Students marched exceptionally and on what was also the last day of the academic year, everyone congregated on the Front Field for the 137th Annual Parade and Inspection. The Pipes and Drums were led by Drum Major Rose Roberts to ‘The Spirit of Gordon’, which was composed by four students over lockdown.

The Gordonian Memorial Service was held at 11am in the Chapel of St Edward the Confessor, led by Reverend Graham Wright, School Chaplain. We remembered all those who we have lost in the last 12 months with a particular mention to Jay Tamsitt (7311) and Christian Rowe (12318). Thank you to Paul Ivory 7937 (1980) who carried the Gordonian Colour and Paul Talbot 6835 (1964) and Julie West (former Gordonian Officer) for their Tributes. If you would like to watch the Memorial Service you can watch the recording at www.the-gordonians.org

For the second time, before Annual Parade, members of the Gordonian community came together with the Pipes and Drums for the Annual Big Blaw. A poignant moment, in the 80th anniversary year of the Pipes and Drums, it was wonderful to see Gordonians from many generations come to either watch or participate in the Big Blaw. Quite a few Gordonians had their own instruments and were able to join in and played well known tunes such as Scotland the Brave and The Green Hills of Tyrol.

It was great to display and offer trophies from past competitions and thank you to all who made a donation to take one home. We had some for inter-house swimming, shooting and basketball amongst many other highly contested competitions! 3 trophies will be kept by School; Trades, Diving and Football. Our photo board provided some great discussions with one Gordonian finding himself in an Annual Parade photo from 1962.

Thank you to Gordonian Alan Jump 6555 (1958) (pictured on the left) for donating his copy of the book ‘Khartoum - The Ultimate Imperial Adventure’ to the School’s library. It was lovely to welcome you and fellow Gordonian Eddie Ayris 6603 (1958) (pictured on the right) back to Annual this year 64 years after you both left!

Thank you to William Saker-Smith 7299 (1969) for donating your General Gordon Bust to the School.

It had been 76 years since Gordonian Daniel Simmons 5470 (1946) left Gordon Boys’ Home. Daniel, age 92, attended Annual with his daughter Anne. Daniel is holding his original School picture taken in 1943. We sadly lost Danny on 20th September but his daughter told us he loved the fuss and attention from the other Gordonians. He was so attached to Gordons as he joined when it was still Gordon Boys Home and it had become his family. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to the Gordonians. Semper Fidelis.

June 2022 Gordonians Lucy Bardoe9313 married. Michael and June 2015

and have been together ever since,

TEN TORS:

Gordonians Toby Johnson 12897 (2020) Buckingham, Lizzie Mosdell 11645 (2018) Augusta and Magnus Jackson 12315 (2020) Gravesend all took the opportunity to reunite at Ten Tors in May on Dartmoor. As well as cheering on Magnus’ younger brother who is the third sibling of the Jackson family to complete Ten Tors, they enjoyed catching up with each other and helped to support the Gordon’s teams who were participating. The Year 10 students made the event in 17 hours - the best time in 24 years! Two teams from Gordon’s joined over two thousand students for the Army’s 60th Ten Tors event over two days.

has been very helpful with my more recent enquiries. Some of you may remember the school’s small museum of Gordon relics and it was wonderful to see the tile which, it was claimed, came from the palace steps on which Gordon died in Khartoum, and is now in the Headmaster’s office. I’m currently researching Joy’s painting and the different versions of Gordon’s death which circulated after 1885. I’ve been collecting visual images and objects depicting Gordon’s death for a number of years in history books, comics, toys, etc. If any of you have any you’d like to share with me, they would be gratefully received at max.jones@manchester. ac.uk. My thanks go to the school for helping support my research’.

Congratulations to Gordonian Matthew Bekah on the Christening of their son, Isaac on Sunday April 2022. Bekah has written why they chose Gordon’s for this special

Isaac was christened ‘Isaac Robert April 2022, the day he turned 8 months old. We chose Gordon’s chapel as Isaac’s dad; Matt went to school there along with his two brothers Ian and Aaron. Matt’s mum, Maxine, also works at the school and has done for many years, so it seemed appropriate to use somewhere familiar to the family that held happy memories. The weather was lovely and it was wonderful to celebrate our boy with those closest

BAGPIPES IN THE FAMILY!

It has been wonderful to be in touch with Gary Canham about his Gordonian Grandfather Robert Thomson. Robert was a Pipe instructor at Gordon’s from at least 1954 to 1964 and Gary remembers coming to Annual as a young child and hearing his grandfather play the Pipes that day. This day is pictured below and is the moment it ignited his interest and love of bagpipes. Gary’s family then moved to Australia where he was inspired to join a local band after his grandfather visited with his bagpipes. When Robert sadly passed away, the bagpipes were passed onto Gary which he still plays today. Gary also purchased a Gordon’s Shield in memory of his grandfather which is in place at his home in Australia.

Bethany Richardson’s 10982 (2013) daughter, Eloise Harper, was christened by the Chaplain in the School Chapel on Sunday 26th June 2022, surrounded by family and friends.

STAFF VS GORDONIANS NETBALL AND FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT:

On Friday 2 nd September we held our Gordonian vs Staff Netball and Football Matches.What a brilliant evening we had! The Netball was played inside the Sports Hall and the Football on the 3G pitch outside. Despite a small shower of rain mid match the weather was warm and there was a great atmosphere.

The attendance from both Staff and Gordonians was brilliant, forming 4 football teams and this year Staff beating the Gordonians in Netball! All sport was followed by a BBQ and it was great for everyone to socialise and catch up away from the courts.

GORDONIAN CRICKET:

On 29 th August our Gordonian Cricket team played their 4th annual match against Salesian. The team have provided an update below with an amazing amount raised for Charity. Well done to everyone involved!

The 4th annual Gordonians Vs Salesian cricket match proved to be the most exciting one yet, with a thrilling finish that saw the Gordonians win by just 1 wicket! Salesians set a target of 181 to win from 30 overs, and the Gordonians chased it down with just 2 overs to spare. The star performance came from Nathaniel Brittany, who scored an unbeaten 70 to see the Camels over the line. Rob Pearman played his part by sticking around for almost 10 overs at the other end whilst Nat chased the total down single handedly. A great day and, more importantly, just north of £1,000 raised with donations going towards the Ukranian crisis.

OLD GORDONIANS FC ‘THE CAMELS’:

This season the Camels have been competing in the Aldershot & Camberley Sunday league division 3 and Jake Ayres has sent us an update from the team.

“Having had a promotion the year before, we entered the unknown with new teams along with new away days! Something the boys have looked forward to! Having signed an extra few players to strengthen the squad, we have continued our fine form on from last year. Having played 5 games (4 league and 1 county cup game) we have managed to find ourselves sitting second in the league and in the next round of the cup!! The fixtures are coming thick and fast and the boys are enjoying life on the pitch!”

Our team continue to be sponsored by Boz’s Fruit and Veg in Woking, thank you for your support. If you are interested in playing for The Camels, please get in touch via email at gordonians@gordons.school

GORDONIAN RUNNERS:

Membership applications are open to all Gordonians and their families and annual membership is currently £25 (£30 in the first year, which includes a £5 joining fee). Email gordonians@ gordons.school to find out more.

We asked our runners for an update and they have certainly been busy! Here below what they’ve been up too:

Steve Davis 7930 (1980) ‘I am trying to run a marathon or half a marathon in each country and I was due to go to Russia before COVID hit. However since restrictions have been lifted I have added Bosnia (Sept), Lithuania (also Sept), Denmark (June) Latvia (May), Ireland (April), and Cyprus (March) this year. I am off to Lisbon in October and I have Rome (March), Bratislava (April), Bucharest (May), Tirana (August) and Talinn (September) lined up for next year. So apart from Belarus and Russia, that will be Europe completed! So 25 countries done so far and six more left to go’

8077 (1982) has certainly been busy during the summer! Here is a short summary of what he has achieved this season but to read the full article written by Mark please head to the News section at www.the-gordonians.org

The Montane Summer Spine Race (19 th June)

This is a 268 mile foot race along The Pennine Way, from Edale in the Peak District, to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders and the cut-off for the event is 156 hours. The extreme heat in the day was then met with story conditions at night - trying to navigate over the highest peaks of the Northern Pennines and the Cheviots in boggy ground and in near zero visibility is tough. Mark finished in a very impressive 114 hours 30:27, in 17th place from 121 starters.

UTMB (26th August)

UTMB is a single-stage ultra marathon, which follows the route of the Tour du Mont Blanc through France, Italy and Switzerland. It has a distance of approximately 106 miles and a total elevation gain of around 32,940 ft and a cut-off time of 46 hours. The race starts and finishes in the centre of Chamonix, France and the race beings in the first night stage. Mark finished the race in 38:27:16 hours, in 693rd place and 14th in his age category. Approximately 1700 runners finished the race, from about 2795 starters.

Spartathlon (30 th September)

Having completed this race in 2019, Mark couldn’t resist a 153 mile ultramarathon between Athens and Sparta. To finish the race competitors climb the steps and kiss the foot of Leonidas. Mark finished the race in a time of 34:13:05, roughly 90 minutes quicker than 2019 and 89th from about 355 starters and 174 finishers.

Mark Bissett

REFLECTIONS OF A GORDONIAN:

Michael Healey 6481 (1958) and Andy Fry 7578 (1974) share below ‘Reflections of a Gordonian’, talking about their time at Gordon’s and what followed after their time at School.

REFLECTIONS OF A GORDONIAN –

BY MICHAEL HEALEY 6481:

I have had the honour of being given many certificates, diplomas and medals during my life, including tea with her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace, but, none of these exceeded the day that the school R.S.M – Mr Gray informed me that the Colour Sergeant Brian Caton was away and I would have to command the Sunday church parade with the school band and the pipe band. Marching past the then Commandant, Brigadier Frank Nottingham DSO. OBE. This occasion even exceeded being awarded for two years the prize of most outstanding Non Commissioned Officer. (A school record at that time). Whilst many achievements, it must be said I left Gordon School without a single academic achievement at that time.

It may be useful to have a little background information regarding the two awards in 1956/57 one was presented by the Lord Mayor of London Sir Bernard Waley-Cohen, the second award was presented by the Adjutant General to her Majesties forces.

For a matter of record a best-selling book entitled ‘Almost a Constable’ was written for charity by this Gordonian with no academic achievements.

REFLECTIONS OF A GORDONIAN –

BY ANDY FRY 7578:

I arrived at the school on a cold windy day in January 1970 after an overnight sleeper trip from Scotland with my mum. My father was in the Navy (he was on patrol in a Polaris submarine at the time) and up to that point I’d had at least 7 different primary schools. Boarding school was evitable, I guess, but at the time not welcome. I met Mr Leadbeater (the headmaster at that time) who introduced me to my ‘meeter’ Steve McGill (who remains a lifelong friend and himself the son of an Army officer). I never appreciated until later in my life just how far thinking and ahead of his time Mr Leadbeater was and how formative he was in respect of what the school and myself become. There are people and places in life that have an influence far beyond any expectation – I for one am grateful for both him and the school, although I know some of my peers have a much different perspective but that is down to your own personal experience –life is what you make it and take from it.

I initially joined Woolwich house – in those day the ‘New Bugs’ preparatory house before assignment to one of the three senior houses (China, Khartoum and Gravesend). After two terms in Woolwich, I joined China house. and eventually ended up as deputy head of house in my 5th (GCSE or in those days ‘O’ level) year Throughout my school time (including travelling for optional 6th Form to the local Camberley College Collingwood with the indescribable joy of meeting girls for the first time in real life – I remain very envious of the co-educational aspect of the school now) there were many good and bad times – they go hand in hand, but the main foundation I gained from the school was “be true to yourself”. It has stood me in good stead and is a philosophy I hope I have instilled in my daughters. The good

times were about all about friendships formed throughout my time there and the joy of sport – I’ve never been so fit (or so hungry…) as then and I subsequently went on to play a lot of squash, tennis, netball (!), swimming and hockey (for various Hastings teams) in later life – school was a wonderful underpin for a healthy lifestyle, although these days gardening, bowls, walking and swimming are more than enough. The bad times was the bullying - it happened, period – there is no escaping or denying the fact. You lived with it but didn’t have to accept or propagate it. I hoped my peers and I made a difference during our time there in trying to reduce it – certainly China was a happy house, evident in the fact we won the House Cup every year I was there – the Gryffindor of its day (although my mate at the time in Khartoum Phil Howden might beg to differ). My own personal triumph was receiving the Hockey cup from the headmaster in my 5th year as team house captain. My other joy was shooting – I was in the school team for both .22 and .303 – trips to Bisley on a regular basis meant that I could ‘skip’ those games or activities I really didn’t enjoy – like football. All in all, school prepared me – for university (a degree in Electrical Engineering from UCNW Bangor in 1979), a career (as part of a team designing specialist computers from scratch for aircraft) and most importantly, a life.

GORDON’S CAMEL STATUE:

2022 MARKS 120 YEARS SINCE THE CAMEL STATUE WAS FIRST ERECTED IN LONDON:

The statue has had an eventful history. After casting, in 1902 it was first erected in St Martin’s Place, London before being shipped to Khartoum in 1904. On its journey there, it was immersed in the Thames after a collision and was also allegedly sunk in the Nile on its way up the river to Khartoum. In 1958, shortly after Sudan became independent, the statue was shipped back to the UK and, since April 1959, has stood proudly overlooking the front field at Gordon’s.

The statue at Gordon’s is a copy of the original at Brompton Barracks, HQ of the Royal School of Military Engineering, designed by Edward Onslow Ford and cast in Frome by JW Singer and Sons, being one of their first large-scale statues (1890). This photograph is of Edward Onslow Ford working on the model of the camel for his statue.

During the summer of 2014, the statue underwent a full renovation to mend over 110 years’ worth of weather extremes, corrosion and natural erosion, which had weakened the monument over time. Thanks to the Camel Campaign Renovation Appeal, a total of £27,000 was raised so that UK Bronze could carry out the renovation work. In October 2014, a grand ‘unveiling’ took place with Guest of Honour, HRH The Earl of Wessex KG GCVO. The Camel continues to remain at the heart of Gordon’s School for years to come and is a popular location for many school photographs, including the annual Year 7s hats off after their first Parade.

REMEMBERING STEVE MONK:

On 9 th August 2022 the Gordon’s community lost a much loved former colleague and friend to many, Steve Monk (1998 –2018). Paul Curley, our current Facilities Co-ordinator at Gordon’s, has shared a tribute and some wonderful photos of Steve. “In my 20 something years of knowing Steve Monk I feel I am qualified to give a testimony to his passing as a colleague, friend and a legend.”

THE LEGEND

It is very easy in today’s life to throw about the word legend when speaking about people – in fact it is used too often. However, when linking the word with Steve Monk, it is the only description I can use. He served in the British Army for 20 years, reaching the rank of WO1. After leaving the Army, and having a short time lecturing at college, he joined us here at Gordon’s where he served a further 20 years. During this time, he touched the hearts and minds of many people, proven by the number of people in the congregation at his funeral – it literally ran into hundreds, resulting in standing room only. Steve was never one to celebrate mediocrity; he always pushed beyond excellence wherever he could. I will miss him greatly.

THE PERSONAL FRIEND

Working closely with Steve for so many years, I got to know him extremely well as a colleague and on a personal level. He was the best person I could ever go to when in crisis or needing counsel. He gave it to you straight, told you the truth and not what you wanted to hear and, I have to admit he was right every time bar none! He was a fantastic friend out of school, and we had some amazing parties and dinner parties where many members of the ‘Old Guard’ would gather and we would attempt to drink the bar dry (smile). I think it is fair to say he was the most loyal person I have ever had the honour to call my friend.

THE COLLEAGUE

In the 20 years I worked with Steve here at Gordon’s School, I found him to be a hard-working, charismatic leader; a person that put the students and staff before himself and someone who always did the right thing, at the right time, when needed for the good of others. It was great to work alongside him both in school and on the various school trips that we undertook over the two decades. He was the man that I would go to when advice or help was ever needed. He was a true professional.

GOD BLESS YOU STEVE, FROM THE GORDON’S FAMILY.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

JOSH BUCKLAND 10751 (2004 – 2009) SANDRINGHAM

What are your Fondest Memories of Gordon’s?

The adventure of being a boarder is probably my fondest memory. The slightly mad idea that you can wave goodbye to your parents on Sunday evening before spending a whole week with your friends is pretty unique and mostly brilliant fun. Made the weeks fly-by and even things like late night prep bearable. Also hugely enjoyed the sheer amount of sport we played at Gordon’s - has meant that I can now still play a (bad) combination of golf, football and cricket today.

What have you been up to since leaving School?

I went straight to the University of Warwick after finishing school where I studied PPE - it turned out with a big chunk of ex-Gordon’s school pupils that I still stay in touch with today. After University I joined the civil service in 2012, working in a range of departments including HM Treasury and in the Prime Minister’s Office in Downing Street. I decided I had just about enough of politics by 2020 and left to join a small consultancy firm, working mostly on energy and sustainability issues. Safe to say it hasn’t been a quiet few months with the global energy system at the top of the national list of issues, perhaps not seen like it since the 1970s.

What are your plans for the future?

I love running a bit of a small business and helping it grow so have no plans to move on immediately. After that I would at some point like to return to the political world and perhaps have a go at being elected myself. Safe to say the small amount of school politics we did might come in handy once again then.

What advice would you give to your 16 year old self?

Don’t fret too much about which University course you take. I opted for PPE as I wasn’t sure what to do, but it has opened lots of slightly random doors as a result. Very few of my friends who studied a specific degree have ended up in that profession and its really about choosing something you will enjoy and using your time at university (if you choose to go) to work out what you want to do next. No point stressing about it until then.

SIMON CARR

11453 (2010 – 2017) KHARTOUM

Simon, a Gordonian, has been working at Gordon’s for a while but this year has started a new role. A keen sportsman himself, he has recently completed his Master’s Degree in Physiotherapy at St Mary’s University and has given us an update from our last feature in Winter 2020.

What you do now at Gordon’s in your two roles?

I am the school’s first full-time physiotherapist dividing my time between supporting the ACE/Harlequins programme, the Sports Injury Clinic and the wider school community, both on and off the pitch. I oversee the concussion and Graduated Return to Play programme to ensure safety always comes first for all of our students. I am also a House Tutor in Buckingham - a boys’ day house.

How did you progress to that from your Sports coach role?

Whilst studying a BSc in sport science I was a sports coach at Gordon’s. At the end of my degree, I graduated when the country was on a lockdown and no jobs were available. This gave me the kick start to accept my MSc offer to study physiotherapist. Whilst studying my MSc I still worked at Gordons offering massage and providing pitch side first aid.

What advice you would give current students looking to go into a similar job or area to you?

OBITUARIES:

ERIC AXTELL 6184 (1952):

Eric’s daughter got in touch to share the very sad news that Eric passed away on 28 th March 2022 in Texas, he leaves behind 5 children. Eric went directly into the RAF after Gordon Boys’ School as a firefighter and an Aden vet. He finished 22 years later as a Corporal after earning many awards. He lived in Gillingham for a while before he emigrated to the United States in 1981. He has lived in California, Washington State, Hawaii, Las Vegas, North Carolina.

MARTIN EVERARD

6776 (1962) KHARTOUM:

We were saddened to learn that Martin passed away on 5th June 2022. He leaves behind a son, Craig (28). During his retirement years Martin had started to engage in Green Bowls which he thoroughly loved. He had led a very varied life from being an accountant, to running a courier business, selling at local markets and in his later life selling items on Amazon.

DANNY SIMMONS 5470 (1946):

Daniel (Danny) Simmons passed away on 20 th September, aged 92 years. Danny attended Annual in July 2022 and his daughter, Ann, told us he had a wonderful day and was still so attached to Gordon’s.

STEVE MONK:

It is with huge sadness that we share the news that Steve Monk passed away on 9 th August. A much-loved former member of staff.

JAMES WHITEHORN 6708 (1959):

Sadly Gordonian James has passed away. Semper Fidelis

JOYCE PARRY:

Joyce Parry passed away in Lincolnshire on 18 th September 2022, aged 102 years old. Joyce worked as the day school secretary until retirement in 1971 and celebrated her 100th Birthday during lockdown, which we shared in the Gordonian in spring 2020.

LESLIE SMITH 7443 (1973):

Leslie passed away on 29 th June. Leslie is pictured on the left here in October 2021 with fellow Gordonians; Ted (Paul) MacIntyre 7586, Gary May and Richard Beardall 7505.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

JANUARY 2023

• Friday 13 th

Business Networking Breakfast Sports Hub Café

• Saturday 21 st Whitehall Parade & Gordonian Reunion

• Sunday 22nd Guildford Cathedral Memorial Service

FEBRUARY 2023

• Friday 10 th

Business Networking Breakfast Sports Hub Café

• Sunday 26th Parade and Chapel Service

MARCH 2023

• Friday 10 th

Business Networking Breakfast Sports Hub Café

• Sunday 26th Parade and Chapel Service

JUNE 2023

• Friday 9 th

Business Networking Breakfast Sports Hub Café

• Saturday 10 th Patron’s Parade

JULY 2023

• Saturday 1 st Annual Parade & Gordonian Memorial Service

WHITEHALL PARADE AND GORDONIAN REUNION

2023:

On Saturday 21st January, led by the Pipes and Drums, Gordon’s will march through Whitehall and towards the Gordon Memorial statue in Embankment Gardens. It truly is a spectacular event to see so please do come along!

We have booked a room at the Old Shades Pub, 37 Whitehall, for afterwards for our Gordonian Reunion. All Gordonians are welcome to join, regardless of when you left or to which House you belonged. If you RSVP in advance you will get a free drink! Book via www.gordons.school/boxoffice

Did you know you can support The Gordon Foundation by shopping via AmazonSmile?

Over the last few years we have managed to raise money through supporters shopping on Amazon through the school website. Every penny of the money we have raised has gone into “The 1885 Bursary Fund”. By clicking on the AmazonSmile logo on our website you can help raise 0.5% on every eligible purchase. Please be assured, we do not receive information about individual orders or any items purchased.

MERCHANDISE!

Head to www.gordons.school/boxoffice where you can find Gordon’s Shields, Socks, Gordonian Keyrings and more!

GORDON’S SINGERS

The Gordon’s Singers meet every Tuesday evening and include a mixture of parents, staff and the local community. If you would like to join please email rstafford@gordons. schoo l

THE GORDON’S LEGACY 1885 SOCIETY

Will you consider leaving a legacy and making a difference to future generations at Gordon’s School? A bequest is one of the most welcome philanthropic gifts you can make and gives the School the opportunity to honour and thank you in your lifetime and keep your connection with Gordon’s in perpetuity.

To make us aware of your bequest, or a confidential discussion, please contact: Mrs Susan Meikle, Secretary of The Gordon Foundation smeikle@gordons. school T:01276 858084