Oa bulletin may 2015

OA BULLETIN Old Albanian Club

May 2015

The School production of Much Ado About Nothing

Visual and verbal feast

OA CLUB www.oldalbanianclub.com President Alan Philpott

01992 584862

alanjphilpott@gmail.com Secretary David Buxton

01727 840499

d.buxton@virgin.net Treasurer Brian Sullman

01582 460317 bhsullman36@btinternet.com Membership Secretary Roger Cook

01727 836877

Rogercook@btinternet.co.uk OA SPORTS RUGBY www.oarugby.com President Richard Milnes

07940 255355 richard.milnes@oarugby.com Chairman Rory Davis

07748 146521

rory.davis@oarugby.com Treasurer Mike Curtis

01727 866848 mikecurtis509@hotmail.com Secretary Peter Lipscomb

01727 760466 peter.lipscomb@oarugby.com Mini Chairman Mike Fisher

mikefisher2001@hotmail.com Junior Chairman Ian Tomlins

07867 971585 juniorchairman.oarugby@yahoo.co.uk OA Saints Chairperson Maddy Gunnell maddy.gunnell@oarugby.com FOOTBALL www.oasoccer.co.uk Club President Simon Bates & Manager 07720 383600 01442 240247 Treasurer David Hughes & Club Secretary 07890 831315 01727 769237

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Sponsorship Secretary

dh@sherrards.com David Burrows 07841 431614

CRICKET www.oacc.org.uk President Tony Dalwood 07958 522261 adalwood@yahoo.com Chairman Richard Morgan

01727 843844 richard.morgan50@btinternet.com Treasurer Denis King

01727 859552 denis.king@btinternet.co.uk Secretary Alison Finley

01727 853985 ajfinley@ntlworld.com TENNIS Membership Enquiries Sue Barnes

07970 301345

susyb52@hotmail.co.uk OTHERS Rifle & Pistol

Angling

Golf

Andrew Wilkie 01202 424190 Andrew.Wilkie@ymail.com Geoff Cannon 01727 861622 /01582 792512 cannon.morgan@btconnect.com Peter Dredge 015827 834572 pjdredge42@aol.com

OA LODGE Assistant Secretary

John Williams 01438 715679 johntwilliams@talktalk.net

SCHOOL www.st-albans.herts.sch.uk

OA COMMENT

O A C O N TA C T

OA BULLETIN MAY 2015

Editorial

Labour pains

first Labour administrations since their post-war landslide victory You don’t often see the words in 1945. We didn’t realise it at the “exciting” and “general election” time, but we were witnessing a in the same sentence. But in fundamental ideological shift in the aftermath of one of the education that would have farmost fascinating campaigns and reaching significance for St Albans unexpected results in decades, School. In 1975, the year I left to go it’s interesting to reflect on where off to university, the comprehensive the debate was won and lost. My system came in to force. Dismantling personal view is that the old grammar and Milliband and his secondary modern overly ideological We didn’t realise system forced schools and academic inner such as St Albans – clique failed to grasp it at the time, established, ironically, a fundamental and to provide a good practical truth – but we were education to poor implicitly understood scholars – to join first by Thatcher, and witnessing a the comprehensive then by Blair – is that system or become the British people fundamental independent (and are at heart both therefore exclusively middle-of-the-road fee-paying). Apart ideological shift and aspirational. Like from a few bursaries the old School motto, in education and scholarships, this medioc ria firma – effectively meant a we simply don’t do return to an education extremes to either right or left. based entirely on one’s ability to Before the extended period under pay, rather than ability to learn.

Blair and Brown, of course, Labour So instead of increasing access governments were pretty rare to a high quality education for beasts. My generation lived through bright children of lesser means, this the Wilson and Callaghan regimes had the reverse effect of stifling in fairly rapid succession during the aspiration for the upwardly mobile.

1960s and 1970s, but these were the This was to prove a microcosm of

DIARY DATES

London Drinks Party – Thursday 18th / Friday 19th June 2015 Founders’ Day – Saturday 4th July 2015 Class of 1965 Reunion – Saturday 4th July 2015 3

OA COMMENT

OA BULLETIN MAY 2015

Nick Chappin Editor Andy Chappin Design & Production Printing

President’s Notes Milliband’s failed campaign as he been described as “exceptional” in ignored the real aspirations of the a recent report by the Independent majority of voters in favour of tilting Schools Inspectorate, and continues at vague windmills that failed to to improve on every measurement resonate with the electorate’s day-to- criterion. day experience.

Returning briefly to the election You may not agree with my theme, Assistant Lodge Secretary political views, but thanks to a brave John Williams announces the generation that defeated Hitler in installation of Chris Whiteside as the Second World War, Master Elect, having I am free to express fought the last two Sadly, we are them. The recent 70th general elections as a anniversary of VE Conservative candidate. losing more and Day commemorated Elsewhere, the the ultimate sacrifices rugby club continues more of those made by hundreds to flourish – despite of thousands of the heartbreaking who attended the servicemen and relegation of the civilians – including First XV after being school before or several former pupils of docked points for the School – in order to an administrative protect our democratic during WW2, and oversight – while, freedom, for which we conversely, the cricket the list of the should all be eternally club looks forward to grateful. Sadly, we are life in a higher division recently deceased this season. losing more and more of those who attended My thanks, as continues to grow always, to all the the school before or during WW2, and the regular contributors, as list of the recently well as Claridge & Hall deceased continues to grow (see Builders who kindly sponsored this page 22). edition. I will end with my usual Similarly, you may not agree request to all readers to continue with the comprehensive education to send in their stories, anecdotes, system, but it certainly provided the memories and views, either by post springboard for decades of sustained or e-mail to me or to the School excellence for the School ever Development Office. since. As Jonathan Gillespie notes Nick Chappin (75) elsewhere, St Albans School has Editor

Herts & Beds Printing 01923 234959

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Please send your contributions to: Nick Chappin, Editor Post: 18 The Pleasance, Harpenden, Herts AL5 3NA Email: nick@chappin.co.uk

All the President’s menus n OA Club President Alan Philpott reports on a hectic social schedule and looks forward to a busy few months ahead

Perhaps I should have maintained a separate diary to enable me to keep track of the various OA activities with which I have been involved since the last edition of the Bulletin!

However, I have to rely on my memory and a trawl through my non-electronic OA President Alan Philpott pocket diary, in which I still manage to write with a fountain pen – if not the one I taken place in Birmingham by the time used at school. you read these notes. This initiative by The Presidential year starts with the the Development and Alumni office has carol service, the third I have attended been the most significant new offering in in this capacity, and always one of my the OA Calendar in the last 12 months. I favourite events. It never disappoints am delighted it has been well supported. and for me represents the There will be similar events commencement of the spread around the country in Christmas festivities. January One cannot tire the months ahead. may be considered a quiet The London Drinks Party month for the President. of visiting the at the Innholders’ Hall in However, this year we had March is an event that is well one of the new Regional Abbey. So the attended, particularly by a Dinners, this one at Trinity younger generation of OAs. College Cambridge. Some 30 invitation from The event is jointly funded OAs with partners gathered by the Development Office and enjoyed an excellent the School to and the OA Club. It is not meal in special surroundings. an evening for speeches, but We had the pleasure of the attend the Joint warm words of welcome were company of both the current given by the Headmaster and and former Headmasters Schools’ Concert your President. and their wives, which only One cannot tire of visiting added to the piquancy of was eagerly the Abbey. So the invitation the occasion. The next such from the School to attend event, that regrettably I will accepted the Joint Schools’ Concert be unable to attend, will have on 18th March was eagerly

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Tour de force: The Joint Schools’ Concert in the Abbey

Sponsor the OA Bulletin Are there any OA-run local businesses out there that would like to sponsor the next issue of the OA Bulletin?

We are very grateful to our previous sponsors Paradise Wildlife Park, Broxbourne, and Claridge and Hall Bros, Builders of Harpenden, who have sponsored the last two issues. The cost is very affordable and the revenue is used to cover the extra expense of “upgrading” the Bulletin to a glossy colour format with as many photographs as possible.

Please contact me on 07939 287573 or alanjphilpott@gmail.com if you can help.

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The view from the audience accepted. The programme was British with music by Walton and Vaughan Williams, followed after the interval by The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace by Karl Jenkins. I was unfamiliar with this magnificent work and I must commend both the School and St Albans High School for Girls on their tour de force that will remain long in the memory.

Looking forward, we come to the most active three months of the year. The events include the President’s Annual Garden Party at Woollams on Sunday 21st June, the School Leavers’ Ceremony, and Founders’ Day. Additionally this year, the very active 1965 leavers are arranging a series of events over a few days in June, and I hope those who are still standing will be able to come along to the Garden Party.

I am pleased that we have been able to

maintain this Bulletin in the new format and I am very grateful to Bruce Claridge of Claridge & Hall for his sponsorship.

The opportunity remains for sponsorship of future editions; the cost is minimal and is designed simply to cover the additional cost of the glossy printing and not to make a profit. Please contact the Editor or me if you would like to promote your business in this way – see the panel (left) for details.

It is a tricky time to write about the Sports Clubs. It’s almost the end of the rugby season, with the first XV fighting

hard to maintain their status in National League One (sadly, they didn’t quite make it – see reports on page 32, Editor) and the cricket season not yet quite underway, in which the OACC will be playing in a division higher than St Albans for the first time.

As ever, I am indebted to the committee members, especially the Hon Secretary and the Treasurer for their great support throughout the year.

Alan Philpott President, Old Albanian Club

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Headmaster’s Notes

“Exceptional” n Jonathan Gillespie reflects on an outstanding report by the Independent Schools Inspectorate and anticipates more excellent academic results as the exam season looms

It is a great pleasure to write to you with recent news of the School. When I wrote to you last Autumn, we had just been inspected but the judgements were under embargo.

The full report was published by ISI (the Independent Schools Inspectorate) in late November and has been available on its website and ours since then.

We have now put in place appropriate actions in response to the recommendations made for further improvement. One of these is a new Pupil Council formed under the aegis of the Second Master and organised on a yeargroup basis in the Middle School and a sectional basis for the Lower School and the Sixth Form by the relevant Head of Year/Section. Representatives were duly elected and the first meetings held during the Spring Term, the minutes of which were tabled at the final Senior Management Team meeting of last term. This term’s Pupil Council business will begin with feedback on the SMT’s response and actions already taken on several proposed improvements (from water fountains to late buses via Refectory queues and many stops in between!).

As part of the process of beginning to plan the future strategic development of the School, I have engaged some consultancy work from RSAcademics, the

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market-leading firm in the independent schools’ sector. The initial elements of their work were undertaken within the School during the Spring Term and the major part, a parental survey, is underway as I write.

December saw the Choir on fine form as they concluded an excellent term’s musicmaking with back-to-back Carol Services in the Abbey. A couple of weeks previously the musicians treated us to an eclectic programme at the Autumn Concert: it was a hugely enjoyable evening as was the Steinway Piano Concert in early October.

The musical highlight of the Spring Term was undoubtedly the Joint Schools’ Concert – congratulations to all who took part in this memorable evening and particularly to the Director of Music, Mr Mick Stout. At the time of writing we are looking forward to the Spring Concert next week. After the excellent performances we enjoyed last term at the Music Award Holders’ Concert and the Jazz Evening as well as at the Joint Schools’ Concert our expectations are high, and I am sure we shall not be disappointed. Individual congratulations go to Tom Dilley (organ), William Drake (clarinet), Peter Gosling

Eclectic: the Autumn Concert

Compelling: The School production of Much AdoAbout Nothing (piano), Thomas Hillman (violin) and Matthew McClafferty (voice) on their success in being selected to perform in the finals of the St Albans Young Musician of the Year Competition. Thomas Hillman achieved the further distinction of being adjudged the winner of his class.

Similarly warm congratulations go to Miss Mary Bruton and the cast and crew of Much Ado About Nothing on their great success in the final week of November. An inspired setting together with an energetic cast who understood the script (not always the case with school Shakespeare productions!), the comedic essence of the play and their respective characters and delivered demanding lines with clarity made for a compelling evening which fizzed along thanks to the visual and verbal feast that was laid before us. I was hugely impressed.

In Rugby the 1st XV recorded victories against the vast majority of our local rivals, most notably Merchant Taylors’ (28-5) and Haberdashers’ Aske’s (37-0).

Unfortunately a mounting injury toll caught up with them in the semi-final of the Hertfordshire U18 Cup against Haileybury when a significantly depleted side was unable to replicate our 28-7 victory of earlier in the term, losing a close contest by 4 points. The U14s caught the eye as the most successful year group in terms of results across all teams, but all the other age group teams recorded notable wins against strong opposition at different stages of the term. The U16s showed much promise as they prepare to make the step up to senior rugby in 2015: their 21-19 victory against Hampton was a particular highlight.

Highlights of our Netball season included a good 3rd place in the District Tournament as well as wins against Dame Alice Owen School (19-17), Sandringham School (19-9) and Verulam School (35-3).

The Cross-Country team opened their season by successfully defending the King’s Trophy on Wimbledon Common with captain Robbie Lightowler finishing

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Robbie Lightowler in action

over one minute ahead of the field to take the individual honours for the third year in succession: he is only the secondever runner to do this. After returning with victors’ shields in both the Varsity and Junior Varsity races from their trip to October’s Tri-State Championship in Washington DC, the Cross-Country Club proceeded to qualify for the finals of the English Schools’ Cup for the seventh successive year. The team then successfully defended its title at our home event – the St Albans School Relays – with Robbie continuing his great form, overturning a deficit of 56 seconds as he set out on the final leg to win by 5 seconds.

Illness and injury caused frustration for the team in the early Spring Term fixtures, but they nevertheless did well to secure second place at both the Knole Run and King Henry VIII Relays. After returning to winning ways at the Judge Cup in Richmond Park in February, the team saved its best form for the final fixture of the season, the South East Schools’ Championships at Harrow: Robbie bowed out in style, taking the individual title by twenty seconds, and together with strong performances from Adam Thorpe and Dan Myers, who were also running their final race for the School, first place was achieved by a convincing margin of more than 50 points.

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During the Spring Term the 1st XI, captained by Tim Richards, proved themselves capable of playing fluent, attacking hockey. They recorded pleasing victories against some perennially-strong hockey schools (Merchant Taylor’s, Felsted and Framlingham) and played well on the Easter tour to Belgium, but frustratingly they struggled to maintain this form against weaker sides, drawing a few fixtures they should have won. Some closefought encounters were lost, sometimes by the finest of margins. The 2nd XI had an excellent season, finishing unbeaten against other schools’ 2nd XIs, and good results and fine performances from the U15 age group gave encouraging signs of promise for senior teams in future years.

The 1st XII played some good lacrosse and improved significantly. Victories over Oakham School (11-9) and Princess Helena

The successful cross-country squad

College (10-1) and the fourth place finish in the South East Schools’ Lacrosse Festival are among the season’s highlights.

The Football Club recorded some fine results in all age groups. The 1st XI narrowly missed out on a place in the final of U18 Schools’ District Cup. The U15s went one better in reaching the final in their age group, although they were unable to secure the silverware.

In shooting the St Albans A team won the Keith Emsall Trophy (for the Hertfordshire Schools’ Small-bore Competition) for the fifth year running with a new record gun-score of 398/400. Our B team won the event for B to F teams.

Congratulations go to Aidan Collins, the captain, on being selected to shoot for England in the British Schools’ Small-bore Rifle Association’s Schools International Competition.

It was with great sadness that we learned of the untimely passing in early November of Mrs Patsy Taylor, the Sixth Form Administrator. She was a muchvalued colleague who remained her usual cheerful and positive self through her illness. She is, and will continue to be, sorely missed from our community.

Two long-serving members of staff retired at the end of the Spring Term: Miss Julia Grieveson left the Modern Languages Department after more than 20 years here, and Mrs Sue Jex handed over the reins of the School Library after more than 38 years as Librarian. Both colleagues have given outstanding service to the School, and I am sure that OAs will join me in wishing them good health and every happiness in retirement. Mrs Jex’s successor is Dr Hannah McCabe who joined us in April from her previous post in the Library

of University College, Dublin. Another new arrival after Easter was Mrs Hannah Nelson who joined the Development Office in the new part-time role of Development and Archives Assistant.

The end of this academic year brings Mr Peter Byrom’s retirement from the role of Head of Middle School. It is our good fortune that he will continue to teach Mathematics, but at the end of his thirtyyear tenure of this key pastoral role, he has our warm appreciation of his distinguished service to so many cohorts of St Albans School boys. I have appointed Miss Rebecca Baxter to succeed Mr Byrom as Head of Middle School from September.

In July we will bid farewell to the following colleagues, whose names will be familiar to some OAs, as they set out for pastures new: Miss Elizabeth Aquilina (Physics post at City of London School for Girls), Mr Valentin Pappert (German post at the International School of Lausanne), Mrs Mel Rennie (to teach part-time), Mr Ben Scott (PhD research) and Mr David Stone (to be Head of Sixth Form at Stockport Grammar School). They leave with our grateful appreciation of their work here as well as our very best wishes for their future endeavours.

I have made some changes to the School’s management structure. Mr Mark Davies’s job title is now Deputy Head Academic which replaces his former title of Director of Studies. A new senior academic role of Assistant Head – Teaching and Learning has been created: Mr Mikey Smyth joins the Senior Management Team in September in this post. Dr Jon Saunders has been appointed to the new Head of Faculty post of Data and Curriculum Manager, also from September. Both

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Mr Smyth and Dr Saunders will work closely with Mr Davies in the oversight and leadership of the academic life of the School. Mr Gareth Burger’s role on the Senior Management Team has been expanded to include responsibility for the Co-Curriculum: his job title is now Assistant Head - Co-Curriculum and Head of Third Form. Mrs Judy Robertson takes on the new role of Deputy Head of Third Form at the start of next academic year, when Mr James Lockhart will succeed Mr Smyth as Head of Biology, and Miss Laura Andrews will take over the baton of Deputy Head of Lower School from Miss Baxter.

During February Half Term St Albans School groups travelled widely: Madrid (Art), Usingen (German Exchange), Chambéry (French Exchange) and Berlin (History). The Easter holiday saw several DofE practice expeditions, the Spanish exchange to Santander, the 1st XI hockey tour to Belgium, a ski trip to Winter Park, Colorado, a golf tour to Dorset, a cricket and tennis camp (held at Woollams this year) and pre-season training at Woollams and Westminster Lodge, all of them enjoyable and successful in their different ways. In July our cricketers are heading to Sri Lanka on tour.

Reports about these and many other educational trips and visits as well as fine individual achievements can be found on the School’s website and Twitter feeds. If you are interested in keeping up to date with School news, you may find the rolling news feed featured on our new App helpful.

To download it directly to a smartphone, please go to: Apple App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/ gb/app/st-albans-school/id803989211?mt=8

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Google Play Store: https://play.google. com/store/apps/details?id=mavie. uk.stalbans&hl=en The number of applications received to join the School in September 2015 has been encouraging: we are heavily oversubscribed at all three entry points (ages 11+, 13+ and 16+) with what appears to be a particularly able cohort entering the First Form.

This coming September sees the start of a significant period of transition in respect of A levels in particular, namely the reformed qualifications introduced during Michael Gove’s tenure as Secretary of State for Education. In essence the AS qualification is being de-coupled from the A2 but will continue to exist as a standalone qualification. The new A levels will therefore examine the work from both of the Sixth Form years – many OAs may have a sense of déjà vu here! These new A levels are being introduced over a three year period with the first group of subjects being taught from this September for first examining in the summer of 2017 and the final group, which includes Mathematics, being introduced in September 2017 with the first examinations in 2019. We have decided that through this transitional period our Lower Sixth Formers will continue to take AS examinations, whether as part of the legacy or reformed specifications, to maintain consistency of experience across all the permutations of subject combinations and the advantages of being able to present good AS level marks to their chosen universities in their UCAS applications.

So we have a long and somewhat uncertain transitional period ahead of us in an age where there is significant downward pressure on examination results. I am

OA BULLETIN MAY 2015

The Hockey 1st XI on tour in Belgium

confident that the experience and expertise we have here will enable us to steer a steady course through these uncharted waters. However, depending on the outcome of the General Election, we may see further change as the Labour Party is committed to an immediate overturning of the Goveian reforms in favour of the current AS/A2 structure.

At the same time reforms are being made to GCSE examinations also, but our adoption of the International GCSE qualification in recent years will largely protect us, at least initially, from the further uncertainty caused by changes at this level. Like many independent schools our preference for the International GCSE is due to the fact that its offers a better preparation for A levels and university study, with less reliance on mechanical production of coursework and more emphasis on ‘hard learning’ and independence of thought. Sadly the Department for Education refuses to recognise the International GCSE, so don’t be surprised to see us proudly at the bottom of government league tables as our commitment to the International GCSE

means by definition that 0% of our boys achieve 5 GCSE grades at A* to C including English and Mathematics. We share that badge of honour with some of the other top academic schools in this country!

This summer’s public examination candidates – in effect all of the top three year groups in the School – are now entering the final straight, and we wish them all the very best of fortune over the coming two months. They know, however, that luck tends to favour those who have prepared the most thoroughly. As they begin their final term here, particular good wishes go to the Upper Sixth Form for success with both their A level grades and their conditional UCAS offers and for every happiness when they step out into the big, wide world in July as OAs. The coming weeks see a number of important events, including Founders’ Day, at which we look forward to welcoming OAs of all vintages back to the School. In the meantime, and to those who will be unable to be with us, this comes with very best wishes from your alma mater.

Jonathan Gillespie Headmaster

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OA Lodge

Election fever n Having delayed his candidacy by fighting two general elections, Chris Whiteside is finally installed as Master Elect of the Lodge, writes Assistant Secretary John Williams

The Lodge year will commence at the Installation meeting on Saturday 9th May when the outgoing Master of the Lodge, Richard Denney installs the Master Elect, Chris Whiteside in the Chair, after which Chris will appoint his officers for the year. Chris was initiated into the Lodge in 1996 and would have been elected Master ten years ago, in 2005, had it not coincided with the general election in which he was standing

Chris Whiteside

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as a parliamentary candidate in the Copeland constituency in West Cumbria. He similarly stood aside to fight the election in 2010, again in Copeland, but this year, having stood for election to the European Parliament for the North West region in 2014, he decided not to stand again in Copeland.

After leaving school, Chris graduated from the University of Bristol with a BSc in economics in 1983, followed by an MA also in economics at UEA. In 1985 he was recruited by British Telecom and after a wide-ranging career, is now Openreach Field Dynamics Forecasting Analyst.

Chris has always had a passion for politics and whilst living in St Albans was a member of St Albans City & District Council for Sandridge for 16 years, and held the Planning Portfolio 2001-2004. He has also been a member of the NW Herts District Health Authority, and for three years he was Chairman of the St Albans Conservative Association.

Having decided to stand for parliament, Chris was selected to fight Copeland, a seat formerly held for many years

by Jack Cunningham, and in consequence, he and his wife and children relocated from St Albans to Whitehaven to live in the constituency. Chris fought the seat again in 2010 but still without success. Elected a member of Copeland Borough Council in 2007, Chris chaired the Cumbria Area Conservatives until 2014. Settled

Chris Whiteside on the 2010 campaign trail in Keswick with David Cameron

in Cumbria, Chris joined the Sun, Square and Compasses Lodge No 119 in Cleator Moor – a very old Lodge, founded in 1768 – and subsequently served as Master. In addition to family, work, politics and Freemasonry, amazingly Chris also finds some time for music, sailing and reading!

At the Provincial meeting held last September at Freemasons’ Hall, the Lodge Assistant Director of Ceremonies, Jay Patel, was appointed an Assistant Provincial Grand Master of Hertfordshire. Jayendra Patel was born in Kampala in 1955 and moved to the UK at the age of 17 when Idi Amin expelled Jay Patel

all Asians from Uganda. After six months in a refugee camp in Suffolk, he and his parents settled in Hemel Hempstead. In 1973 he began an electronic engineering apprenticeship in the IT industry after which he joined GE Medical, working on the first CT and MRI Scanners. His job took him all over the world and whilst acquiring many other skills he became fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and competent in Italian, adding to the four other languages he speaks. In 1986 he joined his wife’s IT business, where he still works. His Masonic career began in 1990 when he was initiated into Hemelhemstede

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Tommy Hampson’s masonic apron, embossed carrying case and mourning rosettes

Lodge No. 7923 and in 2004 he joined the Old Albanian Lodge. In March 2009, Jay initiated his son Dr Kayur Patel, an Old Albanian, into the Lodge in a most moving and impeccable ceremony. His Provincial career began in 2003 when he was appointed a Provincial Assistant Director of Ceremonies, and this was followed by a number of rapid promotions in the Province. Jay was appointed an Officer of Grand Lodge in 2009.

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After the January Lodge meeting this year, a ‘White Table’ dinner was held in the School pavilion at Woollams, to welcome the new Headmaster, Jonathan Gillespie and his wife Caroline. Attended by Lodge members, their wives and girlfriends, and a number of School staff, the dinner was much enjoyed and Jonathan replied to the Toast to the School.

Recently the Lodge has received the regalia and case of Thomas

‘Tommy’ Hampson from his daughter-in-law. In 1933, aged 25 and an Assistant Master at the School, Tommy Hampson was proposed as a member of the Lodge by the Headmaster, W T ‘Bill’ Marsh, and initiated into the Lodge in March 1933. He took his third degree in November of that year with Bill Marsh taking part in the ceremony, during which he received his Master Mason’s apron, pictured left. It is thought that the black mourning rosettes were pinned over the blue rosettes as a sign of mourning, probably after the death of King George V in January 1936.

Tommy Hampson was educated at Bancroft’s School and St Catherine’s College, Oxford. He had only a passing interest in athletics until in his last year at Oxford when he was selected for the match against Cambridge, finishing an undistinguished fourth in the half-mile. However, later in the 1929 season he showed dramatic improvement and after some solid performances with the Oxford & Cambridge team in America, he was a member of the team which improved the British 4x880 yards relay record by five seconds in the international match against Germany.

After completing his education, in 1930 he became an Assistant Master at the School.

That same year, he

won the British AAA championships over 880 yards (805 metres), a title he would also claim in 1931 and 1932. Also a winner at the inaugural British Empire Games, Tommy Hampson was one of the world’s leading runners in the 800m and half-mile events.

That made him one of the top favourites for the 800m gold at the 1932 Olympics, held in Los Angeles. In the final, Hampson fought off Canadian Alex Wilson to break the

Above: Tommy Hampson on the podium, 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles Left: Hampson breaking the tape

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Tommy Hampson’s headstone, St Mary’s Shephall, Stevenage

tape in 1.49.7, a new world record, becoming the first man ever to run 800 metres in under 1 minutes and 50 seconds. He added a second Olympic medal with the British 4x400 metres relay team, which came second to the United States, then closed his track career as a member of the 4x880 yards relay team in the British Empire versus USA match in San Francisco.

In 1935, Tommy Hampson left the School to take up a post as an Education Officer in the RAF. After returning to civilian life after the war in 1945, he held appointments as a Social Welfare Officer with various

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organizations and qualified as one of the first AAA honorary senior coaches. In 1954, Hampson moved to Stevenage, and joined the Stevenage Development Corporation as Social Relations Officer. He was a Church Warden at St Mary’s, Shephall in the town, and after he died in 1965 at the young age of 57, he was buried there.

His headstone in the graveyard at St. Mary’s is adorned with the Olympic rings and Hampson Park in Stevenage was later named after him. The Lodge proposes to donate Tommy’s masonic apron, case and gloves to the School archive.

Commencing in early 2014 and

lasting until the summer of 2019, the Province of Hertfordshire has been “In Festival”, collecting for the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys. The RMTGB is the oldest of the 4 main Masonic Charities and has as its mission statement: “The relief of poverty and to advance the education of children of a Masonic family, and when funds permit, support other children in need”.

The Trust helps children and young people of all ages to overcome the barriers created by poverty, and complete their education. This support is also available for those in higher or further education or those participating in apprenticeships for practical trades. The majority of the beneficiaries attend their local state school and support for children at independent schools is usually only provided to those who are already attending the school when the distress occurs, in order to maintain the stability of their education. During the Festival Period the Lodges in Hertfordshire are asked to do everything they can to raise as much money as possible to go towards and achieve the target

set by our Provincial Grand Master.

This target of £3 million over the five years can actually be achieved if every Hertfordshire Freemason donated £8 per month for 60 months!

So far, with four years to go, the total sum amassed is £827,774, so we are very hopeful of exceeding the target!

The Lodge meets only five times a year on the second Saturdays in January, March, May and September and the first Saturday in November.

All those connected with the School, including fathers of past or present pupils are welcome to apply for membership, for which purpose the first approach should be to any Lodge member, the Assistant Secretary as below; or Nigel WoodSmith or Mark Pedroz at the School. Members of other Lodges, be they OAs, parents of past or present pupils, staff or Governors are encouraged to visit the Lodge whenever they wish, and the Secretary or Assistant Secretary will be delighted to hear from them.

John Williams Lodge Assistant Secretary johntwilliams@talktalk.net

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News

Welcome Nelson aboard n We welcome new recruit Hannah Nelson to the School Development Office

Sadly, Kate Le Seuer left her role as Joint Development Director at the end of January. After eight years of hard work setting up a Development Office and establishing the St Albans School Foundation, Kate has decided to pursue other projects and spend more time at home with her young family. Kate Gray will continue as Development Director, supported by Chris Harbour as Alumni Relations and Development Manager.

We also welcome Hannah Nelson, who has recently joined the team as Development and Archive Assistant.

She comments: “I am really looking forward to meeting OAs and hearing of their experiences at the School.

The School’s history is fascinating and I am keen to start looking at the archives we are lucky enough to possess and enabling even more OAs to have access to them.”

Hannah has previously worked for a number of national charities within the corporate and community fundraising sector. Contact Hannah directly at hnelson@st-albans.herts. sch.uk or on 01727 515 178.

Membership Secretary’s Notes

Get thinking! n Membership Secretary Roger Cook invites members of all ages to submit their stories and photos for publication in the Bulletin

Ian McMillin’s death is reported elsewhere in this Bulletin. Ian and Sheila had been my friends for more than 60 years, and my sympathies go to Alison and Duncan.

You will know that the Bulletin is available on the OA website at www. oldalbanianclub.com/publications.

I have analysed the percentage of subscribers for the hard copy

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Bulletin by school leaving year: 2000+ 1 1990+ 4 1980+ 2 1970+ 5 1960+ 22 1950+ 37 1940+ 25 1930+ 4 Total 100 There is a clear message here! A challenge: every reader could offer a short note or photograph which would be of interest to other readers.

Get thinking!

Roger Cook Membership Secretary

Old Albanian Blazers l As usual, we maintain a stock of the OA blazers in the shop at Woollams and the price is still £120.00. These are quite unique and many members wear them with pride at OA events at Woollams and away fixtures. They are also popular with members around the world and are worn as “smart casual” at many different types of occasion. The shop is open on 1st XV home match days but if you are interested and are unable to visit the shop, we can offer mail order at a UK mainland surcharge of £12.50, overseas mail cost on application.

The sizes in stock will change, of course, and we can only afford to hold a limited number of sizes but if you would like to email your jacket size and fit (short, regular, long) we will let you know if we have stock.

Where we do not have your size, we will look at adding it to the next manufacturing run.

For stock, ordering and payment details, please e-mail the Club Secretary, David Buxton, at d.buxton@virgin.net. If you already have a blazer, why not e-mail in a photo of you wearing it at an event other than those held at Woollams that we can publish in the Bulletin – especially those members overseas?

STOP PRESS: Ladies’ blazers are now available, modelled here by the President’s daughter Anna Philpott, OA.

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De Fortunis Albanorum Deaths It is with regret that the following deaths are announced: l Roy Turner (42) died on 22nd November 2014, aged 89. His friend Roger Seymour writes: “Roy left school in 1942 at the age of 16 or 17 and took up an apprenticeship at Vickers Shipbuilders in Barrowin- Furness. He became the Group Naval Architect for the various shipyards of Vickers Shipbuilders and held this post until his retirement. He was also a member of a number of industry related committees. He graduated from the University of Glasgow with a Degree in Naval Architecture and was a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects for many years. He achieved the stature of a Gold Medal winner of that Institution for a paper on the Design of Ocean-Going Liners. He had a brother, Michael Turner, who also was at St Albans School. Roy was also my immediate

superior while I was at Vickers until I left in mid-1968, and as we both had been members of the same School and the same University we had a lot in common.”

are reproduced below, by kind permission of the Monroe Courier.

l Ian McMillin (44), a stalwart of the Old Albanian Rugby Club and long-serving OA Committee member, died on Easter Sunday, 5th April 2015. An obituary written by his lifelong friend Nigel Cartwright appears below.

l Martin Crowston (70) died suddenly at home in Edinburgh on 8th Mach 2015. An obituary written by his brother Michael appears below.

l Philip Bunn (61) died on 9th January 2015.

l Samuel Clarke (09) died early in 2015.

l Alvan Olney (50) died in late 2014. l Brian Hart (51) died on 22nd December 2014. l Don Carnell (54) died on 5th May 2015 after a long battle with lung cancer. His funeral was held on 27th May at Garston Crematorium. l Christopher Kitchener (55) of Trumbull, Connecticut, died suddenly on 2nd January 2015 at the age of 77. Extracts from an obituary

l Barbara Taylor, who taught Maths at the School to the Sixth Form, died on 31st December 2014 after a severe stroke. l Dr Mike Rymer, a past Head of English and Second Master, died on 21st December 2014 after battling with a long series of illnesses.

Obituary l Ian McMillin

Winging it: Ian McMillin in action for the OA 1st XV in 1950

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I have know Ian since we were boys at St Albans school and we have been close friends ever since. He was an outstanding athlete and games player.

Having left school in 1944 and passed Metric, he joined the filmmaker Technicolor; after two years with them he joined the Seaforth Highlanders at Fort William where he played for the 1st XV.

From his time with London Scottish, he brought back to the OAs their signature song “The OAs are happy, The OAs are free; We never ever argue and seldom disagree – etc!”

He became a star winger for the OA Rugby Club and also played for Hertfordshire. From 1997-1999 he was president of the rugby club which, in 1997, won the Herts Cup for the first time beating OVs in the final.

Undoubtedly his support for the team throughout the competition contributed to their final victory.

He had a varied career in marketing and, upon retirement, enjoyed acting as Probational Officer to St Albans Crown Court.

He married Sheila Fisher, whom he met at St Peter’s Fellowship, and they had three children, both boys being educated at St Albans School.

Sadly, his son Moray died from lung cancer four years ago and his wife suffered a severe stroke and died last year.

During the last few years, Ian suffered a decline in his health during which time he was lovingly cared for by Alison and Duncan.

Cheers Mac! Nigel Cartwright

Obituary l Christopher Kitchener Christopher Kitchener died on 2nd January 2015. He is survived by his wife Diana, sister Cynthia Price of Stevenage, three children

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and 10 grandchildren. His daughter Gabrielle Kitchener predeceased him in 2009.

Christopher Kitchener was an extremely kind, generous man. He had a wonderful sense of humour and a loving heart. His bright and inquisitive mind was a wealth of technical knowledge, which he was eager to share with others.

He was an avid gardener and the ultimate do-it-yourselfer. Chris gave generously to several charities and was always willing to help those in need. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

He was born on 8th July 1937 in Barnet and attended St Albans School and Hatfield Technical College. In 1966, he brought his family to the US to work as an electrical engineer at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford where he worked as an avionics specialist on the Seahawk and Blackhawk helicopters.

Obituary l Martin Crowston Martin Crowston (70) was a keen sportsman and played cricket, hockey and rugby for the school. On leaving school he played cricket for a short time for the OAs, and while at Dundee University represented the University at hockey. Later he was to play cricket and hockey for Newbury 1st XIs. Leaving university he worked in industry finally specialising as a Health and Safety

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consultant.

A caring family man he qualified as a hockey umpire and was often to be found officiating at his daughters’ school matches in Edinburgh. A keen golfer, his participation had been curtailed in recent years to a problem with his ankle but after surgery in mid-February he was looking forward to learning to walk again and getting back to playing golf. Unfortunately, complications following the surgery resulted in his sudden death at the beginning of March 2015. He is survived by his wife Gwyneth, daughters Natalie and Charlotte and grand-daughters Freya and Ailsa.

Michael Crowston

We have procured the outer room of the East Gate which currently is devoted to the WW1 Memories.

The School Development Office now has one of its team – Hannah Nelson – who has responsibility for the archive. Nigel Woodsmith and Michael Hollins have been stalwarts in the continued development of the whole set-up.

I am still dealing with tours round the Gateway and these should be booked with the Development Office or with me direct – see below for

details. I have in the last few months had the Abbey Guides, a private group and Waltham Cross History Society to visit. The next onslaught is on Heritage Day. I am now bowing out of responsibility for the archive knowing that it is in good hands.

Any person or organisation wanting a tour should contact me on 01582 760446, e-mail mchighstead@ gmail.com or contact the School Development Office.

Mike Highstead

All fir one and one fir all

Archive, Museum and Gateway

n How an idea from OA Robin Ollington (47) has brightened up Christmas for London tourists since 1996

tree outside their own home to cheer the passing public?

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” he thought, and that evening sat down and penned a polite note to the Palace on the subject. A few days passed and he eventually received an official acknowledgement of the letter and so he thought that was that.

However shortly afterwards he received another communication, this time from HM’s Private Secretary informing him that not only had HM seen the letter, but next time he passed the Palace he would see the tree in position and thanking him for such a nice idea; and so ever since then the tree has appeared.

18 years later his phone rings and it is the BBC Saturday Live programme, who have unearthed the story and so he was invited to join the programme that Saturday to talk about it. Thinking it was over

Having been asked to look after the archive when I retired in 1996, there have been great advances in the organisation of material and the response of OAs was overwhelming – so much information came to us.

Much of this is now digitised.

The aim was to set up the museum which was done through the great support of Ian Jennings, who was the Chair of Governors at the time.

David Morgan then set about designing the layout which is as it is today, for which we are very grateful. There is a wealth of memorabilia in the museum today – and a lot to come in the future, so much is stored and still to be sorted.

In December 1996, Robin Ollington was wending his way home via Trafalgar Square where en route he passed the traditional Norwegian Christmas tree, brightly lit and surrounded by carol singers.

Reaching the end of the Mall he was confronted by the dark mass of Buckingham Palace, dimly lit and with silent sentries. Not a hint of Christmas or a cheery light, and as he walked on he thought how sad it all was; after all, this is the family that through Prince Albert introduced the tradition of the Christmas tree, now a multi-million industry. Surely they could sport a

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The response from the Palace

Ups and downs n Peter Byrom celebrates the start of his semi-retirement by participating in the gruelling ‘Raid Pyrenean’ cycle ride

Peter Byrom joined St Albans School in 1981, in order to teach Maths.

In 1985 he was appointed Head of Middle School, succeeding Mike Highstead, and he has remained in that post. As of this September he will teach part time at St Albans School, devoting much of his spare time to mountaineering, cycling and music.

In order to celebrate the beginning of his part-retirement, he intends to complete the Raid Pyrenean.

This 750km cycle ride traverses the Pyrenees, taking in some daunting and done with and coping with funny phone calls from family and friends as far as Australia who had heard it on the World Service, he settled down to obscurity once more.

However, that was not to be, for a phone call from Japan ended up with an interview in the London office of their leading newspaper and eventual appearance of the story in Japanese for the benefit of 4.8 million readers.

Surely it must have run its course? Apparently not; having heard it on the BBC, ITV News decided that they would run it as a visual story that was highly appropriate

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climbs and hair-raising descents.

As an OA you may recall similar ventures from your own School years – in fact, you may have participated – rock-climbing on the Isle of Skye or in Glencoe and Ben Nevis in mid-winter! Of course, there were also rugby and music tours, DofE and visits to Penarthur.

Peter has decided to support Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) as an added incentive to do the training and complete the route.

Many families (including Peter’s) have cause to be grateful for the dedication of paediatric doctors in our hospitals. If you are able to contribute to GOSH through https://www.justgiving.com/RAIDPYRENEAN-PRB this will encourage him on the 1400 metre ascent up to the Col du Tourmalet!

A cyclist on the Raid Pyrenean

for the season.

Thus, after a considerable amount of chat, he was persuaded to appear outside the scene of the story and talk it through. Although he was unaware when it would be shown, once again his telephone on Boxing Day told him that it had been screened that evening. The outcome of the tale is that apparently the Royal Family receive around 100,000 letters a year from the general public, so it was nice to know that this one actually got through – and he now knows what his name looks like in Japanese…

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Canadian club n As another member of the illustrious group pictured in Geoff Cannon’s Fighting Cocks photo from the 1950s featured in the last issue, OA Dick Goodspeed (51) writes from the USA

I live in Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota, USA. I remembered all the persons depicted, although some of them I have not seen for 50 years or more. In April 1968 I emigrated to Canada, leaving on a Monday after captaining the OA First XV the previous Saturday. Initially I worked for the Ontario government in Toronto. Subsequently I joined the 3M Company, and worked with them for nearly 30 years serving as Vice President for Logistics in Canada.

After 20 years in Canada I moved to head office in the States and was Director of Information Resources. I retired in 1996 and have now lived in America for 26 years.

I have always been dedicated to rugby, being Captain of OARFC for three years and Club Secretary for many years. I represented OAs on the County Committee. Once in Canada I turned to being a referee, was an A referee officiating many top games and was back-up referee and touch judge when England played Canada. I was also President of the Ontario Rugby Union and Vice President of the Canadian Rugby Union. In 1977 I received the Special Achievement Award from the Ontario Government for

Contributions to Sport and also the Queens 25th Year Accession Medal from the Canadian Government.

Since moving to the States my rugby involvement has been as a spectator. Through the wonders of satellites and online streaming on the computer I am able to watch rugby wherever it is played on the globe. I always check my computer on Saturday evenings to see how the OAs have fared and now I am able to see them play through the video feed each week.

In my days of playing in the mud and slopes of Beech Bottom I never imagined the OAs possessing such a wonderful clubhouse and grounds as Woollams. I also never imagined the OAs playing in the same league with the likes of Coventry, Fylde, Blackheath and Rosslyn Park. I am frequently reminded of my very dear friend the late David Culpitt who had the vision, with others, to advance the OAs’ sports facilities to where they are today.

My other sporting interest has been golf. I was a member of Verulam Golf Club for a couple of years and did play a little with the OA Golf Society. My prowess on the course is somewhat limited but I have been a certified Rules Official for many years. I officiate many tournaments in the summer and have been a hole captain for the US Open and PGA tournaments along with many Senior Tour events.

I was sad to read the recent obituary of Geoff Goodman. Because of the closeness of our surnames

OA BULLETIN MAY 2015

Fighting Cocks: Dick Goodspeed second on right

we sat next to each other for most, if not all, our school careers. We had got back in touch in the last few years. I sometimes wonder who else of my contemporaries are still around – I think of Bob Sharpe, Trevor Forecast, Richard Carrington, Colin Nichols, and Roger Seymour in Australia, but not many others.

My memories of my time at St Albans School are somewhat blurred but very positive. I was there in the heyday of W T Marsh watching him humiliate any one who messed up the words of the School Prayer. In his last year he attended the OARFC supper, which surprised us all. As Captain of the Club I sat next to him.

He was obviously uncomfortable with the speeches and finally walked out in protest when someone told stories about Stoker Bill. I remember Sgt Major Argent especially when he gave me ten of the best for not paying attention in a PT lesson held outside on the Abbey Green.

I also remember being in the CCF, operating a radio, treating it like a telephone, talking to my friends, only to find that my disparaging

remarks about certain masters transmitted over the ether and were not appreciated. I remember playing at Belmont field and learning to swim in the outdoor pool that was located there. I remember when the Orchard was new and we were able to collect walnuts from the trees. I too participated in the 1948 Pageant recently described by Roger Seymour.

Masters that I have fond memories of include Bob Tanner, Msr Garnier, John Willé, Joey Webb, Gordon Jarry, LG Walker, Geoffrey Pryke, Westgarth Walker, George Wishart and Ernie Nightingale. I am delighted that the school has gone from strength to strength over the years. I am glad that some traditions like the connections with the Abbey, the Carol Service, the CCF, Founders’ Day, and so on are still maintained but pleased to see new buildings and new practices being introduced. From a long distance the school seems vibrant and progressive and the academic levels being achieved are truly outstanding.

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OA Sport Woollams home of: - Old Albanian RFC - Saracens RFC training ground - Old Albanian CC - OA Tennis LTC Regular venue for representative rugby fixtures at both county and international levels

Our nationally recognised state of the art pitches and pavilion facilities are also available for: - Corporate sports and social events - Private weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and other social functions - Fundraising events for local charities www.oasport.com The place to meet, relax and have fun! www.oasport.com For more information please contact one of the events team on 01727 864 476 Or email fiona@oasport.com Woollams Playing Fields 160 Harpenden Road St. Albans Herts AL3 6BB Phone: 01727 864 476 Fax: 01727 737 644 E-mail : fiona@oasport.com OA Sport is a registered charity

OA SPORT

OA Sport Operational Board

Changes and challenges n Mike Fisher, Chair of the OA Sport Operational Board, gives us an update on recent changes and looks forward to the next 10 years at Woollams

As some of you are aware there have been and continue to be changes within OA Sport and I thought it important to update you all as to where we are and what the future holds.

Six months ago we formed an Operational Board that works closely with the Trustees and the Sports Clubs to set out and deliver the next 10 successful years at Woollams Playing Fields. It is the Board’s intention that we will now provide regular updates on the facility and future plans.

In this first communication it is very sad to report that Barbara Salsi, whom many of you will know, decided in January that she wished to progress a different career path and has now left us for pastures new. Barbara joined OA Sport many years ago and worked tirelessly for the success of the facility. She will be missed and I would like to take the opportunity to publicly thank her for her hard work and wish her every success in the future. I look forward to welcoming her back to Woollams in the near future.

Moving on I welcome Paul Watkins who started with us in

March 2015 as our new Facility and Hospitality Manager. Paul comes with a wealth of experience of sports club management and we know that he will bring this to bear at Woollams. I hope that you will all welcome him to the OA family.

Working with the existing team, Paul will assume responsibility for the day-to-day management of Woollams. He will take some time to get up to speed with the intricacies of Woollams so please work with him as he tries to understand the competing demands of the facility.

With Paul joining us Craig Tallents steps down from managing the day-to-day activities at Woollams. I am pleased to say that Craig will continue to work with the Operations Board on a strategic and project basis. Craig will work closely with Paul over the next few months to ensure a smooth handover.

The Operations Board will work closely with Paul on the continuing but difficult task of meeting the financial challenges of maintenance, repair and development of the facility which we all have come to enjoy. It is really important that we are able to continually invest as we move forward.

You might also have noticed that we are trying to involve members more in club activities at Woollams and we have seen in the past month members volunteering to help out behind the bar on match days and on Sunday mornings. We really want to expand this so that the ‘OA Volunteers’ become an integral

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part of club events at Woollams.

Watch this space as we hope to involve more volunteers in some facility improvements in the coming months.

As we transition from rugby to cricket we have one eye on the Rugby World Cup in the Autumn

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and hope that you will all experience the atmosphere at Woollams on match days if you are not travelling to see a match live.

That is enough for now, and I hope to see you at Woollams soon.

Mike Fisher Chair, OA Sport Operational Board

Rugby

Onwards and upwards n OARFC Chairman Rory Davis looks back on what has been – despite the First XV’s unfortunate relegation – a highly successful season for the club

I would like to begin by saying a huge thanks to everyone associated with the club for what I still consider to have been a highly successful season.

Of course, we are all deeply disappointed by the relegation of our First XV. To suffer such a setback because of a technicality is very hard to accept, and especially so for the players, all of whom deserve massive credit for the way they came back after losing the first eight games of the season. Both our form and attitude in the final few games are to the players eternal credit, and with a new, exciting and experienced coaching set-up already in place we can look forward with a fair degree

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of optimism to the season ahead.

It is in many ways unfortunate that a large part of the public profile of OAs is judged on the fortunes of our First XV, and not on the breadth of success that permeates every facet of the club. We can be proud of the successes achieved by our Saints, by almost every M&J age group, and not least it is a joy to report a trophy success for The Grizzlies.

I must also congratulate our Romans Second XV, who reached The Herts President’s Cup Final, only to come up against a very strong Letchworth side who took away the silverware. I am especially delighted to welcome back Sam Townsend, who returns to OAs from a spell at Verulamiums. Sam takes over as Romans coach from the start of the new season.

OA Rugby is in a strong place – we remain the largest and most diverse community sports club in the county, supported by a tremendous committee, wonderfully generous sponsors, and hundreds

of willing coaches and volunteers.

Above all, we have players who uphold the highest of sporting values, and who genuinely have fun playing the sport we all love.

I look forward to seeing you at The Club Supper, the AGM, and The Summer Ball.

Enjoy your summer holidays, and here’s to next season – onwards and upwards!

Rory Davis Chairman, OARFC

Mixed emotions n OA Rugby Communications Officer Paul Plant reflects on a bitter-sweet finish to the season as the First XV is relegated on a technicality

The final weeks of the 2014-15 season brought mixed emotions for OA Rugby, finishing with the despair of relegation for our First XV, despite registering two big 50-point winning hauls in the final two games.

An administrative error relating

to player registrations saw the club docked five points by the league, and this proved fatal in the final reckonings, with OAs finishing the season just a solitary point behind Cinderford, which saw the Forest of Dean outfit survive by the narrowest of margins. In spite of this painful and frustrating setback, the team was cheered off the pitch by a large Woollams crowd who turned up to witness a stirring performance and a big final day win against alreadyrelegated Tynedale.

Just 24 hours later it was the turn of OA Romans, our Second XV to suffer disappointment, missing out on some end-of-season silverware after coming up short against a strong, quick and well-organised Letchworth Firsts in the Herts President’s Cup Final. The match, which ended 33-16 in favour of the North Herts side, was played in front of a noisy crowd on Saracens’ artificial pitch at Allianz Park.

OAs have been positive and proactive in responding to these end-of-season setbacks, and a new

On the back foot: despite a strong finish to the season, OA 1st XV suffered relegation from National League 1

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coaching team is already in place to ensure that the club hits the ground running come the start of the new season. James Shanahan returns to the club to apply his inspirational leadership style to our First XV, while we also welcome back Sam Townsend from Verulamians to head up The Romans. The senior coaching team is completed by Harry Harrison, who will continue to nurture our future talent in the form of The Colts.

Elsewhere at OAs, our Mini & Junior section continues to grow, and we remain by far the biggest and most inclusive community sports club in the county.

Worthy of specific mention are two members of our Under 17s who have both recently achieved international honours at junior level.

Nick Isiekwe first started playing at OAs in 2010, and he has just returned from playing for England in the U18 European Championships in Toulon. Additionally, Danny Cutmore, who is already coming up for ten years at OAs, made his debut in the second row for England

Our victorious U11 Lions show off their medals and the Herts County Cup

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U17’s against France in Lyon on 11th April.

At this time of the year we are busy into the Festival circuit, with all age groups venturing to all points of the compass in search of trophies.

Our list of achievements grows from season to season, and every single age group has had something to shout about in recent weeks. Space, or lack of, prevents me from listing every single accolade, however a special mention is due to our very strong Under 11s set-up, who were able to enter two sides into the Herts County Cup Festival, which was held at Harpenden RFC on Sunday 29th March.

Our two teams, The Lions and The Sharks, met in an all-OA semi-final, and with the game tied at full-time, the match was finally settled in extra-time with The Lions crossing the whitewash in the corner and progressing to contest for the Cup. The Lions met Hitchin in the Final, going on to register a 6-0 victory and making it five triumphs in a row in the competition.

Our senior Ladies, the OA Saints, also enjoyed a tremendous season, finishing undefeated in the league and topping Championship 2 South East. In the promotion play-off at Cobham RFC a hat-trick of tries from Claire McKenna was still not enough as we agonisingly missed out by a single point to Championship 2 SW winners Wasps II. Off the field the club is in a strong position, with a settled leadership

OA BULLETIN MAY 2015

Our 201516 Senior Coaching Team faces the camera: From L-R, Harry Harrison, James “Shanners” Shanahan, and Sam Townsend

team and a sound infrastructure in place. Woollams is a captivating place to be on any Saturday or Sunday during the rugby season, while our social scene also continues to thrive and grow. We are looking forward to the forthcoming Rugby World Cup, and a number of events are planned to maximise on the publicity and excitement that will undoubtedly be generated by the

World’s third largest sporting event, after the Soccer World Cup and The Olympic Games.

To keep up to date with events and goings-on at the rugby club, please access our website at www. oarugby.com or to subscribe to the club’s monthly newsletter please email mike.osborne@oarugby.com.

Paul Plant Communications Officer, OA Rugby

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Cricket

Christmas gift n As we await the new season in a higher division, history buff David Rourke reports on his 15-year odyssey to carry on the work of Derek Christmas in documenting the illustrious history of the club

On 9th December 1980, the evening after John Lennon was shot dead in New York City, and after agonising throughout the day over whether or not to proceed with the scheduled concert, Bruce Springsteen came on stage and paid fulsome tribute. He told his audience in Philadelphia that “if it wasn’t for John Lennon, we’d all be someplace very different tonight”. The E Street Band then launched into Born to Run, and a typically-thunderous night ensued.

It’s possible to counter Springsteen’s assertion regarding the alternative whereabouts of everyone present at The Spectrum concert hall, had it not been for Lennon; after all, Springsteen himself cites the likes of Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and Otis Redding as huge influences on his life and music.

What is undeniable is Springsteen’s point regarding the impact that such giants of their profession can have on young aspirants, and this can be seen throughout life and society.

History was my favourite and best subject at St Albans School, and was the degree that I took at University College London. It wasn’t just down to inclination; after an unhappy first year with Charles

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Bloxham, the school’s History teachers consistently inspired me, their differing styles and personalities converging at a central point when it came to the content, meaning and rigours of History.

The authoritative Geoff Brown, the eccentric enthusiasts Mike Hudis and David Billingham, and the calmly-diligent Tim Martin (in my view, the best of them all) provided a superb grounding that was developed at university. The ethos was consistently preached: research thoroughly, use original source material preferably, write clearly and present the argument cogently.

The relevance and transferability of such skills is hugely underestimated, usually by those who focus on the light schedule of lectures for History students yet overlook the hours of solo research that the subject demands.

None of the above has any obvious connection to Old Albanian Cricket Club, save for MT Hudis’ unremarkable career in the Sunday 2nd XI during the 1970s, and the squad’s admiration for the thenoctogenarian Geoff Brown lapping the old King Harry ground during our evening net sessions in the late 1990s. Like many venerable sporting clubs, however, 85-year old OACC has a rich history, and a fund of anecdotes which are supported by the statistics that define cricket like few other sports. Moreover, the statistical work of an outstanding clubman and another great historian, longstanding club umpire

Club umpire and historian Derek Christmas

Derek Christmas, was something familiar to all OACC players from the mid-1960s onwards, concerned as all cricketers have been through the ages with their performances and averages.

It was my good fortune to inherit Derek’s body of work, on behalf of the club, in the late-1990s after Derek retired to Lincolnshire. Thus started a 15-year odyssey, to further Derek’s work and fully document the life and times of OACC. As a project of History and Historiography, and eventually a hobby, it’s been fascinating, and I’m almost sorry that the end is in sight now that the research is just about finished, and all that remains is to write up the findings.

My starting point was the boxes containing Derek’s work and resources; hand-written seasonal and career averages, some prose in the form of annual reports and Tour reports (the latter are heavily censored, obviously…), scrapbooks crammed full of newspaper cuttings related to OACC and Hertfordshire cricket from the mid-1960s onwards, and various other souvenirs, photographs and bric-a-brac. From the current OA Club President, Alan Philpott*, came scorebooks (some from as long ago as the club’s early seasons, in the 1930s), minute books, letters, invoices, fixture cards, contact lists for players and even a few photographs. Alan’s near-contemporary, Tim Brooker, had applied “a mathematician’s curiosity” to proceedings, and

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OA BULLETIN MAY 2015

OA SPORT

OA BULLETIN MAY 2015

OACC scoring book from 1959 worked with Derek to compile a brief history of the club in 1973, which was extant in poorlyphotocopied form among the records. An amazing amount of material had survived, almost accidentally, simply by being handed down from officers of the club to their successors, before Derek and Alan eventually collated it.

Derek’s primary interest was in compiling career figures for the club’s leading players. Hence, the careers of 1970s champions Mike Thomas, Peter Dew and David Merriott were itemised, match by match, in exercise books, while entry onto Derek’s immaculatelywritten list of those with over 2,000 1st XI runs and over 200 1st XI wickets served as a goal for OACC players. The careers of the “lesser lights” and the 2nd XI stalwarts,

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by Derek’s own admission, held less appeal to him than those of the giants. From my perspective, continuing to write out lists held little appeal to me, especially as Andrew McCree gradually mowed down most of the club records, and I felt that the careers of the “lesser lights” should be recorded. So, computerisation gradually occurred.

Every run, wicket, catch and stumping from every OACC player in every OACC match was entered into a database, after working through (and correcting where necessary) every extant scorebook, while noting along the way such extraordinary occurrences as centuries, outstanding bowling analyses, hat-tricks, high partnerships, and other trivia detailed within the scoring record.

It had to be the scorebooks, and

not just Derek’s records; David Billingham in particular preempted my university lecturers in beseeching us to use original source material for the study of History, and the practice became ingrained.

I’d spend the odd hour or evening here and there, over many years, combing through the OACC records and very gradually compiling computerised versions. After a time, I found that this was a decent way to switch off from the concerns of life, combining as it did my love of both cricket and History. There was a four-year lull, from the birth of our son in 2006 until my wife and I returned from working in Melbourne in 2010, where nothing at all happened save for the addition of recent seasons to the annals.

Impetus came during an unexpected period of unemployment in late 2011,

when a couple of weeks scouring the Herts Advertiser microfilms at St Albans Library yielded missing information regarding the post-War decade, for which few of the club scorebooks have survived. Over this winter, I finished off the final few seasons, and at last had a complete set of computerised statistics to use in the 2015 OACC Yearbook.

In one sense, all of this work has made no obvious alteration to the

Colossus: Maurice Wiggs, arguably OACC’s greatestever player

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OA SPORT

OA BULLETIN MAY 2015

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perspective of a middling, yet muchloved, cricket club and its players.

Maurice Wiggs remains OACC’s greatest-ever player, a stalwart who played in the inaugural match on 24th May 1930, and whose status as a colossus is reflected in his statistics.

The others at the head of the aggregate lists are unchanged, so no surprises emerge there.

However computerisation, and the ease with which it allows data to be filtered, means that prominence can now be given more easily to other attainments. For example, one can highlight that Alan Philpott and John Baines stand head and shoulders above all other OACC wicket-keepers, in terms of dismissals effected; that the short OACC careers of Jon Freedman and Dick Ashby reflect their immense class as sportsmen; that Julian Baines is one of the great OACC captains, his 2nd XI record reflecting both his ability and tenacious nature; and that Ian Mitchell and Denis King, men and cricketers of contrasting personalities, have excellent 2nd XI records. Socially, the essential contributions of ‘Bunny’ Ellis (founder of the eponymous ‘clubman of the year’ awards for the cricket and rugby clubs) and Jock Cameron, moderate cricketers both, came through in conversations with Nigel Cartwright, Bill Franklin and John Josling; such discoveries as these, and other vignettes that emerged during the research, will be reflected in the narrative.

When writing up and producing a history of OACC, one essential feature will be to incorporate some of Derek Christmas’s handwritten statistics into the prose, possessing as it does similar meticulous neatness as Alfred Wainwright’s guides to and sketches of the Lakeland mountains. To refer back to Springsteen’s eulogy of Lennon, it was Derek’s work and example that inspired my project, and indeed Denis King’s recent project to enter all OACC match details onto the club’s website. Updating Derek’s work has made me realise just how much time he must have expended in laying down his handwritten foundations. He was the official historian of St Albans City Football Club at the same time that he was documenting OACC, and his successor there, David Tavener, also regards Derek as a hard act to follow.

Derek died in 2009. Before then, we spoke occasionally about what I was up to, and he was very enthusiastic about it. I think that he’d approve of my developing and updating his work, and the final result. I hope that Messrs Hudis, Brown and Billingham also would; hopefully Tim Martin will give a view on that in due course.

David Rourke OA Cricket Club * The President has asked me to point out that although he may have provided scorebooks from the 1930s, he was not playing then! – Editor

OA BULLETIN MAY 2015

Tennis

Courting success n Club Secretary Sue Barnes invites readers to sample the outstanding facilities at Woollams and join the successful OA Tennis club

OA Tennis is now celebrating their 12th Anniversary in the Watford District Tennis League. We have a men’s, ladies’ and mixed team playing in the league during the summer, and OA Tennis has gained the respectability from most of the teams they play against, for our fantastic courts and their playing surface as well as the beautiful surroundings and last but not least, our fabulous tennis teas in the clubhouse after every match, voted by other clubs the best teas in the league.

We have two resident tennis coaches who organise coaching sessions, as well as coffee morning tennis. Laura, one of the coaches, is very keen to start up mini and junior tennis, as well as adult coaching on a larger scale, so if you or members of your family are interested, please let Sue Barnes know.

The floodlights are working well, and it is a treat to be able to play all year round, (according to the weather), and also under the stars.

We have already had a couple of friendly evening matches against other local clubs, play social mixed tennis on a Monday evening from

6.45pm as well as running a fun cardio session for all from 6.30pm on a Wednesday night.

Anyone interested in playing tennis at one of the best facilities in the county, whatever their standard, can contact the Club Secretary, Sue Barnes on 07970 301345, or pick up a membership form from inside the entrance of the clubhouse. We are always looking for new members to join the enthusiastic crowd that we already have and an annual adult membership, at the moment, costs £144. To see other membership charges for minis, juniors, family, coaching etc, please look at the OA website under OA Tennis.

Sue Barnes Club Secretary, OA Tennis

Golf

Clarke of the course n OA Golfing Society Secretary Peter Dredge reports on an inspired start to Tony Clarke’s captaincy during the Spring Meeting

Past Captain John Smith presided over the Annual Dinner held at Woollams and attended by 48 members and their ladies. On behalf of the members, John presented the Secretary (duly humbled) with a magnificent oil painting by T Brand of the fourth hole at Brocket Hall GC (“The waterfall”) in recognition of his services to the Society over many years.

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The Spring Meeting of the OAGS was held in favourable weather at Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands GC on 27th March. New Captain Tony Clarke commenced the proceedings, traditionally having the honour on the first tee, with a sumptuous 250 yard drive straight down the middle of the fairway. The Stableford competition was won by Messrs.

Cox, Farrar and Cooper (Simon) with, in second place Messrs.

Drakard (Rick), O’Donoghue and Cooper (Stan).

The remaining 2015 programme is as follows: l Thursday 18th June: OA Cup and Dockree Tankard at Dunstable Downs GC l Wednesday 8th July: Captain’s Away Day and Pop Rush Trophy at Harpenden GC l Friday 31st July: OA v Old Berkhamstedians at Harpenden GC l Friday 7th August: OA v Old Cholmeleians at Mid-Herts GC l Friday 14th August: OA v Old Haberdashers at Harpenden Common GC l Sunday/Tuesday 6/7/8th September: Thorpeness trip l Friday 18th September: London OB Foursomes at Highgate GC l Friday 2nd October: Briggs Goblets at Mid-Herts GC l Friday 20th November: Annual Dinner at Woollams All OAs are most welcome to attend any of these events which are always great fun and provide

an opportunity to meet up with contemporaries and old friends.

Please contact Peter Dredge on 01582 834572 or e-mail pjdredge42@aol.com Peter Dredge Secretary, OA Golfing Society

Angling

Lifting a heavy barbel n Honorary Secretary Geoff Cannon reports on the catch of the winter – a 12lb barbel landed from the River Lea in Wheathampstead

The coarse fishing season finished on 15th April and we now look forward to game fishing until the opening of the coarse season in June. Outings have been arranged to the Derbyshire Peak District, Norfolk and Ireland.

During the winter we have fished the usual venues on the River Ouse, River Lea and River Bure in Norfolk. One of our members took his grandson to River Lea at Wheathampstead where he landed a 12lb barbel, an extraordinary fish for such a small river.

The Fishwives Supper in the autumn was well attended and enjoyed by all. Unfortunately we are all getting older each year and would welcome younger members into our club. Anybody interested should contact Geoff Cannon.

Geoff Cannon Honorary Secretary