OE Link 2021

2021

THE OE NETWORK MAGAZINE

NEWS | FEATURES | CONNECTIONS | EVENTS

LAURA SAGE

LIFE AS A FARM VET DAN BATCHELDOR

BACK TO THE MOON ADRIAN SAWYER

AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING…

In this issue…

Old Edwardians’ Association, Alumni Relations and Development Office, King Edward’s School, North Road, Bath, BA2 6HU

Dudley Thomas

TEL

01225 464313 extn 257 WEBSITE

www.kesbath.com/oe

8

Contact us by email alumni@kesbath.com to:

* Arrange a visit to the School * Book tickets for OE events * Contribute news/articles for

the OElink and OE e-newsletters

* Join the OE Committee – new

members are always welcome!

* Offer careers help to the

10

12

* Make a donation to the

CHAIRMAN’S LETTER

5

SCHOOL NEWS

6

RETIRING STAFF

7

Adrian Sawyer AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING…

HEADMASTER’S VIEW

Josh Harris BRINGING BACK BEAVERS

LIFE AS A FARM VET

* Pledge a legacy to the School and join the Blake Odgers Society

18

IT’S LOCKDOWN, NOT PROHIBITION!

CHAIRMAN

Sam Lascelles 1993-2000

Leslie Redwood

SECRETARY

Claire Davies, current staff

HELPING HANDS

20

Dan Batcheldor BACK TO THE MOON

Paul Smith FRONT COVER

Bath Abbey in the evening rain ©Michael Pell Claire Davies

Caroline Curran Design

2

OElink magazine 2021

14 16 18

32 Follow the OEs:

20

22 24 26

CELEBRATING CLASSIC CARS

29

IN MEMORIAM

30

OE NEWS

32

2021 LEAVERS KEEPING IN TOUCH

36

EDITOR

DESIGN

12

Michael Pell REFLECTIONS ON AN UNEXPECTED YEAR

Dudley Thomas 1955-1964

Tessa Williams

10

Justin Birch

PRESIDENT

PROOFREADING

8

STARTER FOR TEN MEMORIES

Laura Sage

School’s Bursary Fund

Michael Pell, former staff

Sam Lascelles

Martin Boden

* Upate your contact details

OE LIAISON

4

SCHOOL’S OUT, WALKING’S IN

for OEs Online

CURRENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

OE ACTIVITY AWARD

Trevor Medhurst

* Purchase merchandise * Request log-in details

Contact us by email development@kesbath.com to:

3

Louisa Gummer Solenne Scholefield

School and other OEs

and mailing preferences

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

KESBathOEs | Follow KES:

KESBath

Top of my list is my love of music and sport, but it was the moral framework that the School gave me, and a sense of fairness and justice in particular, that went on to inform my career.”

King Edward’s School 1st XV, 1963 Back row: P Andrew, V A Biddell, C S Benzing, P S Woodford, M D Cooper, P Crofton, P M Webster, W A Williamson.

Front row: I May, D G Pestridge, B M Austen (Vice-Capt), R S Griffin (Capt), G S Fox, M W S Dawney, D L Thomas

W Dudley Thomas

President’s welcome

1955-1964

elcome to the new edition of the OElink!

Time seems to have flown by since I last wrote to you. I’ve been reflecting on the enduring interests and values I came away with when I left KES in the early 1960s. Top of my list is my love of music and sport, but it was the moral framework that the School gave me, and a sense of fairness and justice in particular, that went on to inform my career.

My school days at KES were extremely happy ones. I grew up feeling respected, encouraged and fairly treated by excellent and caring teachers. I did have a difficult time when it came to exams, although I managed to do better at A Level. For various reasons I was unable to consider applying for university. In the Upper Sixth I still had no real direction until a classmate, Stuart Conlon, suggested in the library one lunchtime that I should become a lawyer as I was always ready for a discussion. That helped me make my decision to aim for a career in law. Some 30 years later I was sitting as stipendiary magistrate at Horseferry Road Court when Stuart Conlon appeared before me, prosecuting cases for the Inland Revenue.

On leaving school I became an articled clerk in a local solicitors firm and later transferred my articles to Bath Magistrates Court, where I trained to be a legal advisor, before a short spell at Bristol Magistrates Court where I qualified to become a solicitor. In 1971 I joined a successful firm in Bristol which concentrated on criminal work, mainly for the defence. I became acquainted with the cream of the Bristol criminal fraternity but looked after many innocent people as well. After many years of hard work I transferred to the Bar in 1988, where I did both prosecution and defence work.

In 1990 I was fortunate to be appointed a metropolitan stipendiary magistrate at the Old Street Court (now sold off and a very expensive boutique hotel.) I hope over the next 17 years I dispensed

I left the Bench and returned with my own ham sandwiches, saying: “I think his need is greater than mine.” The heading in the Daily Mail the next morning read: “Beak gives nutritional discharge!

justice with fairness and compassion.

Compassion that was sometimes taken too far. In 1991 a tramp complained because I wasn’t sending him to prison, and when I asked him why he wanted to go to prison he explained that he hadn’t had a square meal for a week. I left the Bench and returned with my own ham sandwiches, saying: “I think his need is greater than mine.” The heading in the Daily Mail the next morning read: “Beak gives nutritional discharge!”

Following retirement in 2008 I was able to get back to my roots in Bath and the School by renewing my involvement with the OEs’ Association. It was a tremendous honour to be asked to become President two years ago. It is great that, despite the lockdowns over the past 18 months, there has been so much activity on the OE front due to the enthusiasm and energy of the OE Committee. Of special note is the contribution of former members of staff who are now on the Committee. Our meetings have been held virtually, using TEAMS, and I believe we will continue to make use of such technology in the future.

This provides a great opportunity for you wherever you are, far or near, to become more part of the Association than ever before. Whether it is contributing an article about your life after KES, keeping in touch with your news, or joining the Committee, we look forward to hearing from you!

Keep safe and well.

www.kesbath.com/oe

3

OE Activity Award for KES Running Club #OEintheMaking

Last November, the Old Edwardians’ Association was delighted to announce that the successful applicant for the 2020-2021 OE Activity Award was the KES Running Club. Due to the continued need for social distancing between different year groups during the last academic year, activities for some of the School’s clubs and societies were restricted, but the KES Running Club for Years 7 and 8 thrived.

The lunchtime club saw large numbers of pupils taking part in runs for their respective year groups each week, with pupils keen to take up the opportunity to improve their fitness and have fun in the fresh air!

Members of the club receive a special Running Club T-shirt after they have completed their 10th run and the luminous yellow tops stand out as the groups head out from North Road to explore the local countryside. The OE Activity Award has funded a new supply of T-shirts to motivate the growing numbers of pupils taking part in the club. To help raise awareness of the OE community among current pupils, the design also includes the OE logo and a new tagline, #OEintheMaking.

“I have made new friends from different forms.”

KENNET & AVON AVON CANAL

BATH BA RIVER AVON

KING EDWARD'S RD'S SCHOOL

SYDNEY GARDENS

“I love eating my packed lunch with my friends afterwards outside the Year 7 block.”

BATH SPA

“Getting my 10th run T-shirt was such fun.”

4

OElink magazine 2021

Chairman’s letter Sam Lascelles 1993-2000

Another important area the OE Committee has been thinking about this year is how we can protect and promote the School’s heritage.

On behalf of the Old Edwardians’ Association, my question to you is: where has your adventurous mind taken you?”

O

ne of the most enjoyable things I find when meeting fellow Old Edwardians is to learn about the path they have taken since leaving King Edward’s. It is fascinating to hear about the different journeys OEs have forged in the traditional professions and areas of work as well as in emerging new ones. I often reflect that the story, with the inevitable twists and turns, is not always the one that they or others might have predicted when they were at KES. I hope you enjoy reading the variety of articles in this issue which illustrate some of the exciting journeys OEs have taken.

Where we all end up, what work we do and how we contribute to society is testament to the skills and attitude we learnt in our former years. The breadth and reach of activities and the locations where OEs end up is something individual teachers and the wider KES community is justly proud of. It is perhaps no coincidence that the School’s marketing message is that KES is the school for adventurous minds; where will yours take you? On behalf of the Old Edwardians’ Association, my question to you is: where has your adventurous mind taken you?

I pose this question because the School will be expanding its current Careers provision for pupils significantly over

the next three to five years and is very keen to improve its understanding of the different careers that OEs are following. The world of work has changed considerably in recent decades and no doubt today’s pupils will have fruitful and fulfilling careers in roles which don’t yet exist. More news on how the School will be developing its new strategy for Careers will be shared with you in the autumn, and we hope that many of you will be keen to offer advice and insights to current pupils and other OEs. In the meantime, please get in touch to update us about what you are doing now by emailing alumni@kesbath.com.

Another important area the OE Committee has been thinking about this year is how we can protect and promote the School’s heritage. We set up a Heritage Committee to explore the opportunities and challenges of developing and managing the KES Archives, which are currently held in storage. We have drawn up a plan that focuses on three areas: 1. protecting the School’s existing historical assets for current and future generations; 2. securing the onward capture of archive information in the digital age; 3. promoting the value of our historical records to enrich life at KES and support our alumni community.

In recognition of the importance that we know OEs place on the School’s long and proud heritage, the OE Committee has agreed to provide substantial financial support. We are excited about this project and look forward to updating you as we work with the School to progress the plan. We would welcome hearing from any OEs who have professional archive skills and would be interested in getting involved.

Finally, the more observant of you will notice that we have returned to a printed copy of the OElink, as well as having a digital version available.

Feedback indicated that many of you missed the printed version last year, and we know that a printed copy also makes a refreshing change from receiving yet another email!

So, sit back and relax and enjoy another excellent edition of the OElink.

www.kesbath.com/oe

5

SCHOOL NEWS KES TEAM REACHES GLOBAL FINAL IN MATHS COMPETITION Earlier this year, four Year 12 pupils at KES reached the finals of an international maths competition. Jack Garrard, Filip Oczko, Max Smith and Carl Willis made up one of just six teams to reach the finals of the M3 Challenge. The boys competed against 535 teams from across the UK and the US. Team coach and KES maths teacher Mr Davies said: “The pupils

have powered the whole project – I was thrilled with the quality of the paper they produced.”

The boys researched the competition, organised meetings and produced their mathematical model completely independently. Filip Oczko said: “When our team entered, we had little to no modelling experience. Organising regular practice sessions improved our skills and we were able to produce a solution that we could truly be proud of.”

This year, the M3 Challenge gave teams 14 hours to mathematically model a solution to the inequality of internet access around the globe. Among other things, teams were asked to consider the needs of different people, the changing cost of connectivity and the distribution of cellular nodes.

Ordinarily, reaching the finals of the M3 Challenge includes an expenses-paid trip to New York, where students present their papers in person. For the second year running, however, judging was

held virtually due to the pandemic. Jack Garrard said: “It would have been quite the experience to travel to New York, and represent our country as well as our school, but there is always next year.”

In reaching the finals, the KES team was awarded US $1,000 in scholarship money to help fund their university tuition. First place in the M3 Challenge wins $20,000 for the top team.

Now in its 16th year, the M3 Challenge is a programme of the Philadelphiabased Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics and is sponsored by MathWorks, a leading developer of mathematical computing software. The challenge aims to inspire students to consider careers in maths, data science and computing.

“The challenge allowed us to experience the real-world application of mathematics,” Filip said. Mr Davies added: “I really feel like I’ve been watching a group of budding mathematicians develop their craft.”

Ten Hills of Bath Challenge

And so it was on Sunday 9 May that 36 KES pupils, in eight teams from Years 1012, took on the challenge to visit as many of the ten hills of Bath as possible within a six-hour time period. Points would be awarded for visiting the top of each of the hills specified, and lost for every minute late returning. Having been around the route the previous week, I had a suspicion it was going to be tough for the teams. It took me nearly five hours of running to take in all ten hills, covering a distance of 42km and climbing a height equivalent to Ben Nevis in the process. Teams were going to need to be very selective about their routes to get the maximum number of points without going over time.

On the day, every team chose a different route, some heading straight up to the nearest checkpoint on Bathampton Down, others heading off to the viewpoint on Beechen Cliff. All teams visited Solsbury Hill, and some even made it all the way out to Hanging Hill, near the Lansdown Battlefield. All the teams made it back in time with no penalty points deducted.

‘The Rose Wanderers’ were first back, having walked 35km to visit eight checkpoints, but they had their score equalled by three other teams, including

one which scored the same points but covered a shorter and more efficient route … it was all in the planning and route finding!

Everyone taking part enjoyed their day out and agreed it should become a fixture in the KES calendar.

The challenge has remained on the MapRun6 app for anyone to have a go, at any time. All you need is a phone, a map and six hours free for a (strenuous!) walk around the lovely hills of Bath – just make sure you’re not late back!”

Former Head of Biology Tim Laney, who has continued managing the Ten Tors Challenge since he retired from teaching in 2019, reports on how he devised a virtual alternative for pupils in 2021.

“With Ten Tors sadly cancelled for another year, the idea of a ‘Ten Hills of Bath Challenge’ to replace it came during a MapRun orienteering event at Bath University on Boxing Day. Why not run a ‘virtual challenge’ of some kind for KES teams? MapRun6 is a versatile smartphone app where an event organiser can upload maps and gpx data so participants can have their visits to specified locations logged and timed, perfect for a sociallydistanced Covid-19-secure event. Teams can all set off and finish at different times and have a record of their route that can easily be checked afterwards.

6

OElink magazine 2021

Retiring staff This summer, the School bid a fond farewell to four long-serving members of staff.

Left to right: Nigel Barnes (Chemistry), Alan Bougeard (Chemistry), Pamela Bougeard (French and Spanish), Sandra Moles (Examinations Officer)

¡HASTA LA VISTA, CHICOS! I didn’t expect an interview, let alone a job, when I applied to join KES in 1989. The advert asked for a French and German teacher; I wrote in, suggesting Spanish should also be on the curriculum and offering my services. I was surprised to be appointed, until it was explained to me that the thenHeadmaster co-owned a property on a Spanish-speaking island. I soon found myself teaching Spanish evening classes to parents and, of course, the Headmaster! Who knew I’d still be in the job 32 years later, and teaching the offspring of some of my early pupils?

I’ve seen many changes at KES over the years. Most of them for the better. My first Year 11 French class, of 32 enormous boys, made me wonder whether the private sector was all it was cracked up to be. Class sizes have fortunately decreased. Spanish has become the most popular language in terms of numbers; there is, happily, more than the one female toilet for the whole staff; we have a healthy balance of girls and boys across all three schools. Most importantly, the staff cryptic crossword club has grown in success and numbers!

As a teacher who started out using cassette tapes, OHPs, the Banda spirit duplicator, and having never touched a computer, I’ve had to adapt. Language teaching with digital audio files and interactive whiteboards is certainly more effective and, I hope, enjoyable for the pupils. It has been great to see so many students reach a high level in the language, continue to university and even go on to teach the subject.

Trips and exchanges have been a big part of my KES life – a couple of French exchanges to Bordeaux, 17 Pamplona exchanges and many Activities Weeks in Britain and Spain. I’ve also been lucky to have a variety of roles, and being in charge of staff development has brought other challenges and opportunities.

Working with new staff, NQTs and PGCE students has been rewarding.

I’m lucky to be able to retire while I still love the job. There’s a lot I will miss about KES, my colleagues and the pupils above all. The early mornings and taking holidays at peak times, maybe less!

Pamela Bougeard

Sandra Moles, Examinations Officer for KES for 21 years, looks back on her ever-evolving career supervising all the external exams at the School.

I’ve had a wonderful time at KES! Over the years I’ve seen the exam system evolve from linear – as in my own schooldays! – to modular (including the introduction of the AS) and back again, each change with its challenges and interest. The external regulations imposed over exams have also got tougher, bringing yet more admin and red tape. In 2020 we had an online inspection by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). The quality of the call was much reduced by the blocking effect of the reinforced steel in the walls of my office, a JCQ security requirement from previous years!

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with the young people of KES, my teaching and admin colleagues and our fantastic invigilation team, and will miss them all.

In retirement I will continue gardening, decorating, and keeping fit (for skiing) and I want to see a lot more of Britain.

I would hope to spend more time with my grandchildren if I can squeeze visits in between trips to the sea with my son and his small open boat! He may buy something larger, so I intend to take the Day Skipper course, which involves some 40 hours of study culminating in a practical and two 90-minute written exams. It will be very strange to be the examinee for a change. Wonder if there will be an Examinations Officer?!

www.kesbath.com/oe

7

Starter for ten memories

It was fantastic to see Solenne Scholefield 2012-2019 competing on the Balliol College, Oxford team on BBC TV’s University Challenge earlier this year. The competitive team made it through to an impressive place in the semi-finals, where they competed against Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Amongst the OE and KES community following the show was Louisa Gummer 1982-1983. One of the first girls admitted to the KES Sixth Form before it became officially co-ed in 1986, Louisa was also the first former KES girl to be on University Challenge when she was on the St Hilda’s College, Oxford team in the mid-1980s.

Both OEs reflect on their experiences and memories of taking part in the programme.

Above: Solenne Scholefield (second from the left) on University Challenge this year

8

OElink magazine 2021

University Challenge may look as though it’s all about the quiz and academic knowledge, but really the heart is the people.”

“We’ve all seen University Challenge on the TV and felt delighted at answering questions from the safety of the living room sofa. This year, however, I had the exciting and terrifying experience of going on the show myself, as a fresher, and trying to answer such questions under the intimidating stare of the one and only Jeremy Paxman.

We’d been through the application stages – first I’d tried out for the college team, and managed to make it in – and evidently impressed the producers at interview by hinting at our knowledge of cheese and utopian architecture. In February we found ourselves in the studio under the lights, about to introduce ourselves for the first time. Our experience didn’t end there and along the way we defeated two different Cambridge colleges, Clare and St John’s (a relief to many at Oxford) to make it to the semi-finals, against Magdalene College. This was something we never expected to do, and which makes us immensely proud.

University Challenge may look as though it’s all about the quiz and academic knowledge, but really the heart is the people. I’ve got to know my teammates really well over the past year, and I couldn’t think of a more lovely group to potentially embarrass myself on TV with. The producers are delightful, and we loved hearing their amusing information about the show and Jeremy, and chatting with them about diversity and gender on the show. (I’m really proud to have been in a gender-balanced team.)

I’ve stayed in touch with numerous other contestants via group chat, and occasionally we do pub quizzes together and have got excited when we’re on TV. I’ve gained so much from the experience – friends, knowledge, confidence, support – as well as having been praised by Jeremy Paxman. I would highly recommend trying out to any university student who is interested, as you won’t regret it.”

Solenne Scholefield

Louise Gummer (bottom right) on University Challenge in the mid-1980s

“Sitting in the packed St Hilda’s JCR, I watched the screen as the host, Bamber Gascoigne asked: ‘What do you call the scientific method of dating trees by counting their rings?’ I had no idea.

But then, the one-year-earlier version of me appeared on the same screen, pressed the buzzer and shyly answered, ‘Dendrochronology’, promptly gaining the St Hilda’s University Challenge team ten points. It had taken over a year for the series we had competed in to come to TV, but even so I was surprised I had forgotten facts like that so quickly. Clearly adrenaline in the spur of the moment can dredge up memories that then go back into hiding!

There hadn’t been much interest in competing for a place on the college team when the notice had gone up in the Porter’s Lodge. In fact only five of us had shown up to the auditions, so we played a game of Trivial Pursuit to choose which of the five would be the travelling reserve. We didn’t do a huge amount of preparation either – we videoed episodes of Mastermind and watched them back, pausing the tape to see if we knew the answers. It felt as if some of the University Challenge question setters had done the same thing because a couple of those questions actually came up in our episodes. We also asked our friends to ask us random questions, and one friend from Queen’s College who suggested ‘Who wrote a Clockwork Orange?’ was clearly psychic as that too was a question I was posed during the filming!

Our series was different from the traditional show in a couple of ways – ITV (who broadcast the programme then) had chosen to screen it across afternoon TV and the gameplay was revised. Each team recorded at least two episodes, one in the standard format and one featuring a gimmicky ‘Pass the baton’ round. We also actually sat one team

above the other – they didn’t use camera trickery to superimpose us on top of each other. After filming we were given a commemorative photo and a University Challenge pen, which still sits in the pen holder on my desk.

I hadn’t really thought about how being one of the first girls at KES meant I was the first KES girl to be on University Challenge until I saw Solenne appearing as part of the very competitive Balliol team. I am delighted to see that KES representation is still going strong!”

Louisa Gummer

Sitting in the packed St Hilda’s JCR, I watched the screen as the host, Bamber Gascoigne asked: ‘What do you call the scientific method of dating trees by counting their rings?’ www.kesbath.com/oe

9

As it was in the beginning…

Retired Police Superintendent Adrian Sawyer 1953-1960 looks back to 1953, when he joined the School in Broad Street on a scholarship, to recall cherished memories and his gratitude for the opportunities and experiences that have shaped his life.

Above: Broad Street painting by SW Tart; The Schoolroom at Broad Street

10

OElink magazine 2021

A

utumn Term ‘53 at KES began on Wednesday 16 September and my mother, a seamstress at Titley, Son and Price in Cheap Street, had taken the morning off. We walked up Broad Street, past St Michael’s Church, The Saracen’s Head and Payne’s boot and shoe shop, soon reaching the entrance to Powells’ Yard. Powells made sweets! Next building on our left was King Edward’s School and, after a peck on the cheek followed by ‘Good luck, Son’, I stepped nervously through the gates, climbed the steps and entered the centuries-old doors at the left-hand end of ‘Broad Street’.

After descending narrow stairs to the basement, I climbed the main staircase to the First Form classroom where Mr Willett, Second Master, was waiting to welcome boys from the Prep School and six or so new boys from local authority schools. Ewart Willett – ‘Pop’ Willett to the boys – was to be my Form Master and for the next five years he and Old Edwardian ‘Bill’ Burden would teach me Latin. I was amongst the cadre of new boys (‘scholarship boys’), having passed the Eleven Plus examination whilst at Widcombe School and then survived an interview with the Headmaster, the indomitable H M Porter. He taught English from Vth Form level and read Chaucer to us in medieval English, translating for us as he went.

But this was later – I must return to ‘the beginning’. I knew not a word of French or Latin and soon encountered the first conundrum in a bewildering day. ‘Pop’ Willett led the way to Big School and seated the ‘First Years’ on the front desks.

He left us in the care of Prefects – Head Boy was C R Chandler – and returned to the front hall, where he joined the waiting procession of masters. They soon entered Big School, gowns swirling, some getting caught on the vintage 1754 desks. There were prayers by HMP then Chandler rose and went to the lectern. He called the register at break-neck speed and shouts of ‘Adsum’ echoed around Big School.

Believing that the responses were the

The piano was out of bounds to the boys but, willing to take a risk during break times, Geoff Frankcom and I would rattle off one or two movements of popular Beethoven sonatas.

Clockwise: The Headmaster, H M Porter; ‘The Cooks’, CCF Summer Camp at Yoxter, 1958 (Adrian centre back row); John Ennor with Adrian and Gay Sawyer (left to right).

word ‘Absent’, I thought to myself: ‘It would be a bit of a squash if everybody was here!’

An early event was being amongst ‘23 boys in Form 1, for not learning their French vocabulary’ signed S A Brewer.

This was an entry in the Detention Book, which was kept on the windowsill in the main hall for all to see. A detention within 10 days of term starting! ‘Syd’, as he was known to the boys, knew what he was doing. (An experienced master, who taught French with a Devonshire accent, Mr Brewer later steered me through A Level French.)

My first year at KES was marked by the absence of two people – fellow pupil and now longstanding friend, John Ennor and the Chemistry master, Colonel McKee. Each had developed tuberculosis the previous year and, for 12 months, John’s name was called by the Prefect in the daily roll call – called twice, as was the custom when there was no answer the first time. During the Colonel’s absence there was a temporary Chemistry master, Mr Booth, who failed hopelessly to maintain discipline. He carried with him the leg of a chair, not with which to beat the boys but to crash down on the nearest desk in an effort to quell the noise. Bill Currie would come in and, with just a glare, silence the mob instantly. He was to become one of my heroes.

Music lessons were taken by a peripatetic music teacher, Mr Cleak, who, with moderate success, managed to get us singing whilst accompanying us on the majestic Steinway. The piano was out of bounds to the boys but, willing to take a risk during break times, Geoff Frankcom and I would rattle off one or two movements of popular Beethoven sonatas.

Geoff was the better pianist but I had my moments of musical ‘stardom’ later in school life as for several years I played the organ at Bath Abbey for Founder’s Day and was the first boy to take A Level Music at KES. Not being sporty, I loathed the run along the canal towpath to Bathampton before rugby or hockey, which left me exhausted before the game began. If chosen to run back to school, that was even worse, as laggards like me arrived when all the hot water had gone! But I have very few horror stories to share about life at KES. Most embarrassing was the reading of marks to the assembled school by HMP at the end of each term. Rarely was I high on the list of achievers, save for French where I regularly topped the list – but I was in good company. Amongst those of us languishing near the bottom of class were several who achieved remarkable careers and I have often wondered whether being able to record ‘King Edward’s School, Bath’ as our alma mater eclipsed our academic achievements.

I must conclude with ‘What happened next’, lest some might think I am still struggling along the canal towpath towards Bathampton! I had joined the CCF in Year 2, but Bill Currie’s attempts to persuade me to pursue a military career failed. (He remained a friend until his death and I cherish the memories of

visits to Oriel Cottage and tea with Bill and his wife.) I joined the Metropolitan Police in 1961 and, upon completing the statutory two years on the beat, became a Mounted Policeman, serving continuously in central London. I married a nurse from St Thomas’ Hospital, Lambeth and we have four children and five grandchildren.

Latter years in the Police Service, 36 in all, were spent in the West Country, where I held senior operational posts throughout Bristol and the County of Somerset.

I spent a short time working at the Home Office and enjoyed five final years at Force Headquarters near Portishead.

Looking back, one of my proudest moments in life must be when I nervously entered ‘Broad Street’ in September 1953.

I had fulfilled my dream of becoming a pupil at ‘KES Bath’. Not impossible but unlikely for a Widcombe schoolboy, the son of a butcher and a seamstress, coming from one of the most deprived areas of the post-war city, to become the first person in my family to remain at school beyond the age of 14. My debt to ‘KES Bath’ can never be repaid.

www.kesbath.com/oe

11

School’s out, walking’s in

Former Head of ICT, Trevor Medhurst 1997-2019 talks about his active post-retirement gap year, and how the pandemic changed his plans.

12

OElink magazine 2021

The highlight was probably drinking champagne – a leaving present from my tutor group – on the scented Mediterranean island of Corsica with fellow KES retiree Tim Laney, while our ex-colleagues were attending the first staff meeting of the new academic year.

I

had known for a long time how my retirement was to start. I had been in education all my life, from infants’ school, through to teaching for 38 years, without even a sabbatical to recharge my batteries. As a child of the ‘70s, I had my retirement anthem ready.

There was only one way to begin this new phase in my life, and that was to play Alice Cooper’s School’s Out’ full blast as I drove away from North Road for the last time.

But – now what?

A five-year plan, as I had often made in my teaching career? Certainly not, I didn’t want to be tied to a prescribed direction of travel. Now I had a blank canvas and infinite choice. As a Sixth Form tutor for many years, I encouraged numerous Year 13s to ‘bite the bullet’ and embark on their future through their UCAS application. Now it was my turn and, having no real idea, I opted for what many chose to do … a gap year. Well, why not? I had meant to take one after Sixth Form but decided to delay it until after my degree, whereupon I was fortunate enough to be offered a teaching post and felt I couldn’t turn it down. So, although delayed for 42 years, this was it – a gap year at last.

In many ways it was a typical gap year.

It included some money-raising activities, travelling, time to reflect and discover myself, meet new people and gain new skills. The skeleton of a plan would be fleshed out as the year evolved, which was typical of many a Sixth Former’s gap year, and I was enjoying ticking off all the variety intended. The highlight was probably drinking champagne – a leaving present from my tutor group – on the scented Mediterranean island of Corsica with fellow KES retiree Tim Laney, while our ex-colleagues were attending the first staff meeting of the new academic year. I was so upbeat at how things were turning out that I returned to KES to talk to the Sixth Form about my fulfilling gap year, and to encourage them to consider it as a most positive option – but probably not

wait as long as I had done! I was mulling an ‘Activities Year’ to follow the gap year when – hold on – the pandemic struck, and everything ground to a halt.

I had frequently joked with members of the school community about what was worse, a computer virus or a human one.

Well, having encountered many serious digital viruses, now it was time to face a human one. If I didn’t know it before, I realised that I am fundamentally an optimist with a desire to make the best of the circumstances that I find. Maybe this is down to being a programmer, in that you aim for perfection but accept little compromises to get the best working solution within a timed framework.

Ruth, my wife, and I both feel a sense of guilt or rather good fortune about our time in the pandemic, as our key hobbies have not been too adversely affected.

We have walked thousands of miles and I have cycled an even greater distance throughout this period. We have been content with finding routes from our doorstep. Until retirement, home was a place we travelled to and from work; now it is our ‘holiday home’. In over 35

years living here we had not appreciated all the opportunities in the local area, and we have come to see that the simple life of walking, breathing fresh air and taking in the sights has given us an inner peace and acceptance of our surroundings. We might not be enjoying the emptiness of the mountains with eagles and snow, as planned, but we are enjoying a chalk horse in the wilds of West Wiltshire. Whether watching the sky or listening to the call of the wild, our activities have made me feel human rather than just a computer geek.

I hope this period has not haunted you, but if it has just walk on, thus giving yourself time to reflect and appreciate what you have.

Until retirement, home was a place we travelled to and from work; now it is our ‘holiday home’.”

www.kesbath.com/oe

13

We are lucky to have all the strands of our community – colleagues, pupils, parents, friends, Governors and alumni – pulling in the same direction, and I have felt very strongly this past year a clear sense of that wonderful KES ethos weaving its magic as we have sought to make the School experience the best it can possibly be for everyone involved.”

Martin Boden

14

Above: Scene from Beautiful Burnout (Year 13) Below: Pupils receiving A Level results

T

he past 12 months have continued to shape a dynamic landscape for all of us. Like many organisations and institutions, schools have had to adapt and respond creatively to shifting demands and expectations, whether in the running of mass lateral flow testing programmes, the use of Teams technology for teaching, meetings, presentations, parents’ evenings and even last year’s Open Morning and entrance exam, or the creation, at relatively short notice, of a brand new framework and system for assessing and awarding GCSE and A Level grades. Throughout the last academic year, the School operated according to geographical and year

group ‘bubbling’, social distancing and bespoke arrangements for activities previously taken for granted as part of our weekly routine: eating lunch, going to assembly, playing sport, performing on stage and much, much more.

That this year’s Edwardian magazine (also available as a digital edition at www.kesbath.com) seems as replete as ever with images of joyous and engaging activity covering many different strands of the School experience is testament to the determination of so many within the KES community that – literally in a number of examples – the show simply had to go on. Where competitive fixtures were not possible (and by the Summer Term we were back playing all the major sports against some of our local rivals), we put on a full programme of after school and weekend training and internal competitions, always very enjoyable and hard fought. Although unable to mix for the usual choirs and ensembles, we organised a series of virtual performances, including a highly entertaining version of ‘KES staff do The Masked Singer’, which raised more than £6,000 for last year’s School charity, Moving Mountains. Where in a typical year we might put on three major dramatic productions, last year saw plays put on for every individual year group, including several public performances in the Summer Term. And even though we were restricted to the

Above: 1st XV v Downside School; Girls’ Hockey (Year 9); Below: Activities Week (Year 7)

UK, Activities Week went ahead with a fantastic programme of opportunities for our pupils, including a number of very successful residential trips.

In addition to everything going on outside the classroom, KES teachers and pupils threw themselves into a slightly different feeling academic journey with their usual ambition and good humour, but perhaps this year with added creativity and determination, given the circumstances.

The outstanding GCSE and A Level grades achieved by the KES exam cohorts, which saw a record-breaking 94% of our HE candidates gain entry into their first choice institution, confirms that, despite all the challenges, disruptions and uncertainties last year, our pupils were able to make excellent progress in the (sometimes virtual) classroom, as well as outside, and to emerge from an unprecedented and very difficult last 18 months with a great deal of success and, I hope, a real sense of achievement.

None of the above could have happened, of course, without a huge degree of commitment, fortitude and resolve from everyone in the King Edward’s community, nor equally without a very ample demonstration of the kind of skills and qualities to which both Dudley and Sam allude in their messages: adaptability, creativity, resilience and an adventurous spirit, but also kindness, compassion, encouragement and mutual support.

We are lucky to have all the strands of that community – colleagues, pupils, parents, friends, Governors and alumni – pulling in the same direction, and I have felt very strongly this past year a

clear sense of that wonderful KES ethos weaving its magic as we have sought to make the School experience the best it can possibly be for everyone involved.

As we start a new academic year, that landscape to which I referred remains dynamic and uncertain, but there is also much to look forward to and much to celebrate, not least a wonderful new group of colleagues and pupils, including record numbers at the Senior School.

As always, I remain incredibly grateful for the support that the OEs provide for all that we do; in particular, I share Sam’s keenness to harness the remarkable talents and experience of our alumni to help provide careers

advice and insights to the next generations of KES pupils, and I know that our new Careers Education Coordinator, Julia Rees-Roberts, is equally excited at the prospect of engaging with you in the coming months as we look to develop this hugely important aspect of School life.

It remains for me to wish you and your families all the very best, wherever you may be in the world. I hope that you have been able to stay safe and well, and I look forward – with ever increasing degrees of optimism – to seeing you again in person at some of our reunion events at School in the hopefully nottoo-distant future.

www.kesbath.com/oe

15

Bringing back beavers

Josh Harris 2009-2017 studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge and is now working for the Beaver Trust, a charity focused on reintroducing beavers to the UK. An accomplished wildlife photographer, he also presents and produces his own wildlife and science communication films.

16

OElink magazine 2021

T

he Eurasian beaver is the second largest rodent in the world and superbly adapted to an aquatic lifestyle, with webbed hind feet, transparent eyelids and a flattened tail to steer when swimming. It is a herbivore and mainly eats leaves, bark and other vegetation, such as ferns and brambles. However, what is amazing about beavers is not the biology of the animals themselves but their impact on the ecosystem around them. By engineering their environment to suit their own needs, they inadvertently create a huge diversity of niches for other species.

The extent to which they do this really is incredible. When I first visited a beaver wetland in Devon, I did not see any beavers, but wading through the swamp was still one of the most fantastic wildlife experiences ever. I was then inspired to raise money for the Beaver Trust, by running from Bath to Cambridge in four days, and have now ended up working for them.

By felling trees, building dams and lodges, and digging canals, beavers create a mosaic of wetland habitats with a huge amount of structural diversity. Ponds are great for frogs and fish, which in turn support otters and kingfishers. Bats roost in the standing dead wood and hunt through the gaps between the trees. (The beavers’ thinning out of the tree cover makes it easier for bats to hunt.) Water rails and moorhens sneak through the rushes and wet willow scrub. Owls hunt the small mammals thriving in the tangled understorey of dead wood, brambles, sedges and regenerating willow.

In addition to these species which are known to live in beaver wetlands, there are others which we can speculate were there in the past and which could make a comeback if beavers were reintroduced.

Abandoned beaver lodges may have been one of the original hibernation sites of hedgehogs, before gardens and wood piles were a thing. European tree frogs were found in Britain up until the 16th century and were probably associated with beaver wetlands. (They prefer low scrub rather than tall trees, so the coppiced wet willow woodlands which beavers create may have been perfect.) In Belgium, the comeback

I was then inspired to raise money for the Beaver Trust, by running from Bath to Cambridge in four days, and have now ended up working for them.

of beavers and the amphibian-rich ponds they create has attracted black storks, formerly not seen for hundreds of years.

As well as turbocharging biodiversity, beaver engineering can also provide many wider benefits to society. By holding back water in the headwater streams and interrupting its flow downstream, their dams can reduce the severity of flooding in the lowlands – something which is becoming more severe as our climate becomes increasingly unpredictable. At the other end of the spectrum, they can retain water in droughts where streams would otherwise dry up. In some parts of North America, beaver wetlands can even act as refugia for animals to survive wildfires, because they remain lush and unburnt as the landscape around them is incinerated.

Beaver engineering can also substantially reduce the level of agricultural pollution in streams because the slow flows cause sediment to drop out, and the huge growth of vegetation and aquatic algae removes nitrates and phosphates from the water.

Many of these benefits can be substantially increased by setting aside unfarmed buffers along rivers and streams to give beavers the space and materials to work. These buffers can intercept some of the runoff from farmland and eliminate most of the problems that beavers can cause for farming. (Crop raiding by beavers seldom occurs when the crops are more than 20 metres from the water.)

Across the landscape, a network of river buffers could form corridors for other wildlife to move along. River systems are a ready-made basis for a nature recovery network.

Ultimately, addressing the ecological crisis will require a dramatic shift in the way we use land to produce our food.

As well as turbocharging biodiversity, beaver engineering can also provide many wider benefits to society.”

However, beavers are a great option for nature recovery because they can create huge environmental benefits whilst having only a relatively small impact on food production. (This is especially true for the valleys of the South West; the East Anglian fens would be a different question.) Most problems can be solved with simple management interventions such as protecting trees, removing dams and translocating problematic individuals.

The comeback of beavers to the UK’s rivers is, in my opinion, one of the most exciting things happening in the UK at the moment. As well as having a hugely important ecological function, beavers are also just amazing creatures by themselves.

It won’t be too long before an early morning walk along the River Avon could involve a thrilling glimpse of this long-lost mammal.

For more information about the Beaver Trust, visit: www.beavertrust.org To find out about Josh’s wildlife photography and filmmaking, see www.joshuaharriswildlife.co.uk and follow him at @joshharriswild.

www.kesbath.com/oe

17

My time at KES Senior School prepared me well; I loved the academic side, especially languages, and I maintain that Latin and Greek were very useful when later learning veterinary terminology!”

Life as a farm vet Laura Sage 2006-2013 explains why she chose a career in veterinary medicine, and the challenges and rewards of her varied work as a farm vet in rural Dorset.

18

OElink magazine 2021

F

rom an early age I was determined that veterinary medicine was the career for me, being the perfect combination of working with animals and intellectual challenge. My time at KES Senior School prepared me well; I loved the academic side, especially languages, and I maintain that Latin and Greek were very useful when later learning veterinary terminology! Extra-curricular activities were also a huge part of my school life, particularly hockey and music, giving me plenty of transferable skills as well as enjoyment.

After a fun and challenging five years at the University of Bristol vet school, I moved an hour south of home to rural Dorset to embark on my career as a farm vet, where I have remained since.

The majority of my work involves looking after dairy cows, but I also see plenty of beef cattle and sheep, along with a range of smallholding species including goats, alpacas and poultry. My days can be extremely varied, with a mixture of pre-planned and emergency visits. For example, I could be ultrasound scanning cows for pregnancy and treating any fertility problems, testing cows for TB (tuberculosis), dealing with emergencies such as difficult births, treating sick animals, operating on a cow with a displaced stomach – the list is endless.

Not knowing what you might do each day (or night) is one of the most exciting aspects of my job.

Although there are plenty of James Herriot-style stories about interesting clients, gory surgeries and laughable situations, the role of a modern farm vet isn’t just about making emergency visits.

There is also technical office-based work, looking at farms’ data and advising on how to improve their herds’ health and productivity most efficiently, with animal health and welfare central to all we do.

I am also enrolled on a post-graduate qualification, the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (Cattle), with the University of Liverpool, to satisfy my academic interests whilst staying in full-time clinical work.

Some aspects of farm veterinary work are very seasonal, with spring being notoriously busy and full of ups and downs. These periods can have a huge impact on us, both physically and mentally, and there is currently a lot of discussion in the industry about mental health, given the statistics: the suicide rate of vets is three to four times that of the general population. I feel very lucky to enjoy my job, with supportive colleagues, good clients who I have got to know well and a

Although there are plenty of James Herriot-style stories about interesting clients, gory surgeries and laughable situations, the role of a modern farm vet isn’t just about making emergency visits.

brilliant support network outside work; but when there is a bad outcome, despite having done everything possible, it can be hard to deal with. Veterinary work comes with an arguably unique set of stresses, including owners’ financial constraints (and emotions) influencing treatment decisions, performing euthanasia, long hours and working solo in high-pressure situations.

Despite this, there are some moments that make it all worth it, such as treating a

severely dehydrated calf with intravenous fluids, transforming it from listless to bouncing around in a matter of hours, or ultrasound scanning a cow and declaring her ‘in calf’ (pregnant), after nursing her back to health from near-death illness a few months earlier. Calvings and lambings, including C-sections, are also immensely satisfying – the incomparable feeling of bringing new life into the world never gets old. To me, one of the most rewarding aspects of the job is getting to know our clients and their farms, working with them over time to improve herd health.

These days a veterinary degree can open doors to many careers, whether as a vet for pets, horses, farm or exotic/ zoo animals; and in areas from welfare to research, conservation, food safety or public health. I am very happy that I chose farm work as it’s a fascinating combination of treating individual animals, while also influencing the health of whole herds and playing an essential role in agriculture and food production.

www.kesbath.com/oe

19

His first target customers were his former KES classmates, who were incredibly encouraging.”

It’s lockdown, not prohibition!

Birch Gin was started by Justin Birch 1975-1986 during lockdown last year, after his other business (a recruitment company) ground to a halt overnight.

After building a vegetable plot for his wife, he still had plenty of time on his hands and, with 10 years’ experience making gin as a hobby, he decided to take a gamble and fulfil his dream.

20

OElink magazine 2021

To date, Birch Gin has sold close to 3,000 bottles and is now stocked by over 70 high-end grocers, wine merchants, restaurants and bars in the UK.”

B

irch Gin is a handsome micro-batch gin suitable for all palates and is made using the one-shot distillation method (only 2-3% of UK gins are made like this). It’s called Birch Gin as it has birch syrup as an ingredient (a botanical that provides a slightly sweet yet smoky aftertaste) and because Justin says he hasn’t got much imagination when it comes to names!

After spending several months applying for the relevant licences, sourcing suppliers, designing labels and so on, Justin launched the gin in August 2020.

His first target customers were his former KES classmates, who were incredibly encouraging. Having got together for a reunion in 2018 when most of the year turned 50, they have all stayed in touch via a WhatsApp group. It was their support and positive comments that gave Justin the confidence to properly go to market – a difficult thing to do in lockdown with the hospitality industry on its knees.

To date, Birch Gin has sold close to 3,000 bottles and is now stocked by over 70 high-end grocers, wine merchants, restaurants and bars in the UK. Online wine merchants such as Virgin Wines, along with new customers, are also signing up every week.

Produced by Justin’s company, Thos Birch Libations Company Ltd based in

Birch Gin has just won its fourth international award since its launch last August.

Wadhurst, East Sussex, Birch Gin has just won its fourth international award since its launch last August. A Silver Medal (with 88 points – just two away from Gold) in the London Spirits Competition was an excellent addition to Gold in the Women’s Wine and Spirits Awards 2021, a Silver in the Gin Masters 2021 and a Bronze Medal in the World Gin Awards.

In May 2021, Justin opened a small distillery at The Hub in Bodiam, just across the field from the famous Bodiam Castle. If OEs are in the area, he says they are very welcome to pop by and have a chat, see his two moonshine pot stills (Stockholm and Sydney) in action, enjoy a sample and have a bite to eat at The Hub. Justin’s latest addition is Birch Gin Navy Strength. This is also gaining huge praise from customers and will be entered for competitions over the coming year. He is planning more new Birch products including a new gin, a vodka, a rum and a sour mash whiskey.

If you’d like to know more about Birch Gin, you can contact Justin at jb@birchgin.com or call on 07947 684684 To read more, visit www.birchgin.com

OEs can use the discount code

KES10

should they wish to try Birch Gin.

www.kesbath.com/oe

21

Reflections on an unexpected year Former staff and OE Liaison, Michael Pell reflects on his first year of retirement.

I

n July 2020 I retired from my role as Head of Art and Photography at KES after 25 years in post.

We had just confronted the first period of lockdown and had experienced teaching remotely, gradually coming to terms with endless hours of online contact. I cannot deny that I was desperately missing the buzz and vitality of face-to-face teaching in the art studios. Retirement had of course been carefully planned and thought through, but circumstances had changed dramatically. I was facing a retirement with no travel, no hospitality options, close family isolating, shops shut, galleries and museums closed and my wife working from home! The goalposts had most definitely shifted and everyday life was going to be very different for us all.

The Headmaster often says that “nobody ever really leaves KES” and I’m delighted that I have maintained my links by being on the OE Committee and working closely with Claire Davies to help organise OE activities and encourage OEs to stay in touch with the School.

It is interesting to look back and think about the last major OE event we held – the London Dinner at the Houses of Parliament in February 2020. Nearly 150 OEs from across a wide generational

22

OElink magazine 2021

I recently held an exhibition of over 30 new paintings in central Bath, and it was fantastic to see OEs at this.”

span had experienced a wonderful social occasion, renewing and reinforcing friendships and connections. The evening even included an engaging and informative tour of the Houses of Parliament and a visit to the House of Commons Chamber.

In the following days and weeks, the seriousness of the pandemic hit home, and we entered the first period of major lockdown restrictions. To have held our last event at a location at the very centre of Government and the management of the crisis that has unfolded has certainly focused and intensified my memories of the evening.

Since then we have worked hard to maintain contacts with the OE community, launching initiatives such as Lockdown Favourites and our OE Talkabout videos. A future series of

The goalposts had most definitely shifted and everyday life was going to be very different for us all.

Clockwise: Gondola, Venice; Botantical Gardens, Bath; Canal boat, Limpley Stoke; Ellie and Lily, 2005 leavers

exciting video interviews is being planned, with us speaking to key generations and groups of OEs who are willing to share their experiences and memories. Events are also very much on the agenda for our autumn committee meeting, when we hope to begin planning and facilitating some fresh social events and gatherings as restrictions are gradually eased.

On a personal level, I am very happily settled into an extremely busy and rewarding ‘post-KES’ life. I have built a new art studio at home and paint and create most days. I recently held an exhibition of over 30 new paintings in central Bath, and it was fantastic to see OEs at this. Once travel restrictions are

lifted, I am looking forward to visiting some new locations to search for some fresh inspiration, with sketchbook and camera in hand.

I am also volunteering at the Holburne Museum in Bath and am really enjoying my days helping steward the galleries and exhibition spaces as well as talking to visitors about the art on display. Trying to stay fit is important and I am enjoying playing lots of tennis and walking our dog in the countryside around Bath. As restrictions ease, I am also planning visits to friends and family and working to stay in touch with ex-colleagues and former students.

Not quite the year I had planned but …

www.kesbath.com/oe

23

Helping Hands

CEO of Citizens Advice (CAB) for Bath and North East Somerset, Leslie Redwood 1977-1988 describes how the pandemic accelerated the charity’s plans to work with local partners to set up the Community Wellbeing Hub.

24

OElink magazine 2021

OE PROFILE FAVOURITE SCHOOL MEMORIES Joining the School in Broad Street in J1 and being inspired by the Headmaster, Mr Paterson Being taught English by Mr GrahamBrown at the Senior School

Through the ‘joined-up’ actions of The Hub, we have been able to give clients truly life-changing support.

This includes helping people with addictions (and even those living in their cars) to be housed, to receive benefits and subsequently to enter employment, as well as helping people who have needed to shield for 12 months to receive support with their food and fuel supplies.”

FURTHER EDUCATION Hospitality Management: Bournemouth University

HOBBY As a keen runner, I’ve run 60 half marathons and six London Marathons, and am training for more races in 2021, including the next London Marathon.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

I

have been working for Citizens Advice BANES since 2019 and, for some time before the pandemic, we had been talking to BANES Council, the region’s primary healthcare provider VirginCare, relevant NHS services, charities and volunteer groups about how we could combine our efforts to develop a more linked-up service for the local area. The COVID-19 pandemic provided the catalyst for us to pull this concept together and resulted in the creation of the Community Wellbeing Hub (The Hub).

As an independent charity, Citizens Advice provides free, impartial advice and information on a range of issues such as benefits, debt, housing, employment, consumer and family. The primary benefit of our involvement with The Hub was our ability to contribute to client-centred multi-disciplinary resolutions to individual needs. In short, we helped The Hub to become a one-stop shop for distressed residents. As the pandemic took hold last year we found that, instead of contacting us with quick queries, clients were presenting with far more complicated ‘root cause’ issues. By being able to work closely with our local Hub partners, it was possible to address these issues in a much more holistic way and to make a much greater long-term difference to our clients.

Through the ‘joined-up’ actions of The Hub, we have been able to give clients truly life-changing support. This includes helping people with addictions (and even

those living in their cars) to be housed, to receive benefits and subsequently to enter employment, as well as helping people who have needed to shield for 12 months to receive support with their food and fuel supplies. Working with our Hub partners, we were also able to build a business case to take to the energy redress scheme. This enabled CAB to access £100,000 of funding, which BANES matched with another £50,000, meaning we were able to distribute hundreds of energy top-up vouchers to BANES residents who needed help to reduce their gas and electricity bills. Another pressing issue is how digital poverty is affecting BANES residents. Information from The Hub is feeding into the research CAB is doing so we can help to find solutions to address this challenge.

As of April 2021, the three key partners involved in The Hub – BANES, VirginCare and third sector group, BANES 3SG – have directly helped over 12,500 families across the BANES area.

This is an incredible achievement by the nine primary organisations involved and the 2,000 community volunteers who stepped forward to help with BANES 3SG. At CAB we are proud to have been a founding charity in The Hub and aim to build on partnership working for the future. It is now confirmed that the three key partners will continue to fund The Hub until at least Spring 2022, with the aspiration that it will become an integrated healthcare system across BANES in the longer term.

Working for British Airways as cabin crew and meeting my wife. We had an amazing time working and travelling together on a married roster for 10 years, visiting over 60 countries. (This was before we had children!)

Setting up marketing initiatives and joint ventures with local businesses in Bath as Founding Director of the Bath Business Improvement District (BID) Company, such as Bath in Fashion, the Great Bath Feast and the Christmas lights switch-on with Hollywood actor, Nicholas Cage. Also setting up trade waste and recycling services for the City, which saw business recycling increase from 25% to 75%.

Promoting Bath regionally, nationally and internationally as Head of Business Development and Partnerships and latterly CEO of Visit Bath.

As CEO of CAB Banes, I’ve found huge job satisfaction in helping to serve our many clients, in addition to working with the CAB team to improve what we do. Together we have forged more partnerships, made savings and increased CAB’s turnover by 50%.

FUTURE PLANS As I write, I’ll be joining the Head Office of Citizens Advice in May 2021 to become the charity’s Strategic Lead for Welfare and Benefits. I’ll be lobbying on behalf of clients nationally and managing relationships with the Department for Work and Pensions, focusing on universal credit, pensions and disability.

www.kesbath.com/oe

25

Dan Batcheldor 1986-1997 reports on his new role working at the Kennedy Space Center to support the Artemis Program. Led by NASA, this international spaceflight programme aims to land the first female astronaut and the next male astronaut on the moon’s south pole by 2024.

26

OElink magazine 2021

A

mid-life career change during a global pandemic isn’t so worrisome when it’s to work for the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) as a senior scientist supporting NASA’s imminent return to the moon.

Until the summer of 2020 I had spent my entire career working in US academia.

However, my increasing administrative duties, the apparent direction of US higher education, and the cascading pressures facing university faculty were pushing me further away from scientific research. So, when the SURA opportunity to return directly to research presented itself, this time at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), the choice was clear.

Due to its wondrous successes in discovery and human space exploration, NASA holds a special fascination around the globe. I had been lucky enough to visit KSC as a child but, having grown up outside the US, I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would ever be able to work at the world’s most iconic launch site. Fast forward 30 years and I’m back at KSC. This time with US citizenship.

And this time helping to solve some of the challenges associated with landing the next two humans on the moon.

Despite six decades having passed since President Kennedy’s seminal speech at Rice University, many of the same motivations for the human exploration of the moon hold true now. There are still new environments to be explored, new knowledge to be gained, and both new and old spirits to be inspired. Today, however, there is a new dimension to the space race. Not only are more nations than ever exploring space, but private companies regularly compete to deliver cargo, and now humans, to low Earth orbit.

The Artemis Program, led by NASA, is the international plan for establishing a sustainable human presence at the lunar south pole. Part of that plan is to use the human landing system being developed by companies such as SpaceX. Another part of that plan is to learn how to survive using the resources found on the moon.

And the forward-looking part of the plan is in developing and testing many of the technologies that are needed before Mars can be firmly in our grasp. Each part of this plan requires a deep understanding of the lunar and Martian surfaces.

My new home at KSC is in the Swamp Works. This is a rapid innovation environment that explores new and evolving technologies, like additive

Fast forward 30 years and I’m back at KSC. This time with US citizenship. And this time helping to solve some of the challenges associated with landing the next two humans on the moon.”

manufacturing (3D printing), to reduce risk and increase astronaut capabilities.

Swamp Works supports the development of systems that will be used on the surfaces of the moon and Mars, and includes science and engineering labs that cover chemistry, physics, materials, corrosion, cryogenics, electrostatics and granular mechanics. At present my work is focused on granular mechanics (the behaviour of the lunar dust known as regolith) and imaging of the lunar surface while at the south pole.

www.kesbath.com/oe

27

CAREER BACKGROUND In my last few years at KES, I didn’t have a firm idea about what I wanted to do for a career. Having had fun in the CCF and the 6th Battalion Light Infantry Company in Bath, I had had a successful interview for Sandhurst sponsorship from what was then the Royal Gloucester, Berkshire and Wiltshire regiment.

It was a great surprise, therefore, when the results of a career questionnaire at KES concluded that my ideal career was ‘astronomer’.

Looking back now, it all seems obvious of course.

Regolith is kicked up by the engines of landers. It can clog mechanical systems, coat windows and solar panels, and it can carry electric charges as a result of interactions with the solar wind.

However, despite these issues, lunar regolith can also be used as a resource.

Swamp Works is therefore also developing technologies to robotically mine regolith and use it to manufacture structures like landing pads, roads and radiation shelters.

As the moon has no atmosphere and no significant tilt to its rotational axis, the sun creates some challenges to imaging of the surface. Sunlight on the moon remains unhindered and unrelenting throughout the year. Shadows as dark as night are in direct contrast to daytime light. And while a steady sun is excellent for solar-powered systems, to see what’s in a shadow requires imaging devices capable of dealing with extreme shifts in brightness. These issues are exacerbated at the lunar south pole where the sun is consistently skimming the horizon.

Granular mechanics and lunar imaging play a major role in developing our understanding of lunar regolith. This understanding is important because lunar regolith contains approximately five per cent water, a vital resource in space exploration. Aside from the obvious need for water to sustain human (and plant) life, water can be broken down to hydrogen and oxygen. While the use of oxygen is also obvious to sustain human

28

OElink magazine 2021

It is space exploration that opens our imaginations and ambitions to discover more, understand more, and drive for greater and greater achievements.

life, it is the recombination of hydrogen and oxygen that provides the necessary impulse for rocket engines. Water is rocket fuel and it’s mostly found in the shadows.

Space exploration is often criticised for its perceived costs in the face of the ongoing struggles humanity is facing on the ground. Such criticism distorts the truth, however. Space exploration does not detract from humanity’s struggles, it can help them. It is space exploration that advances technologies that improve our day-to-day lives. It is space exploration that helps us understand the impact our activities are having on our environment.

It is space exploration that opens our imaginations and ambitions to discover more, understand more, and drive for greater and greater achievements. And it is space exploration that I am proud to be a small part of, in the ongoing story of humanity.

This pause for thought led me to defer the military option and I applied to the few universities in the UK that offered degrees in Pure Astronomy. I ended up at the University of Hertfordshire.

The bigger surprise, after what can be politely described as a mediocre academic performance at KES, was that I repeatedly finished top of the class. I was fortunate to be selected for a oneyear internship at the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes on the Canary Islands. After graduating in 2001, I took up the offer of a PhD position, also at Hertfordshire. In 2003, I moved to the US when my PhD supervisor became Head of Physics at the Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York. After being awarded my PhD in 2004, I was lucky to land a postdoctoral position enabling me to stay in the US. After a few frantic months seeking research funding, I struck research gold with NASA funding, through the Space Telescope Science Institute, and embarked on several programmes using the Hubble Space Telescope. My career in space exploration had begun!

Celebrating classic cars Paul Smith 1977-1988 shares his passion for classic cars and celebrates the post-lockdown return of the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

E

ver since I can remember, I’ve been passionate about cars – especially exotic ones from the 1980s and 1990s. During my time at KES, these were the cars of the day! In 1993 the Goodwood estate in Sussex, a location steeped in British motor racing history, set up an annual event called ‘The Goodwood Festival of Speed’. I was lucky enough to attend one of the first events and that marked the beginning of my love affair with classic cars and historic racing. These days, as a Goodwood Road and Racing Club member, I attend all the events and have been fortunate to dine in the magnificent Goodwood House and to meet characters from the motor racing world.

This July saw the first Festival of Speed since the pandemic began and it was wonderful to be back. I drove there in

my old Aston Martin Lagonda and having been caught on camera, I now find myself on Instagram – such is the power of social media. In my day, you had to take camera film to Boots to be developed and collect it two days later! I’d highly recommend a trip to a Goodwood festival – it’s a brilliant day out, even in a modern car, and you don’t need to be a member.

Whilst classic cars are wonderful to drive, maintaining them is not for the faint-hearted. I expect to have a mechanical problem on each of my cars at least twice a year and the repair bill is never a cheap day out. That said, to drive a hand-built British or Italian sports car from the 1980s with the V12 engine howling is quite something and infinitely more enjoyable than the 2021 versions of these cars. My first car was an old Aston Martin Volante and it was forever overheating. The final straw was breaking

I’d highly recommend a trip to a Goodwood festival – it’s a brilliant day out, even in a modern car, and you don’t need to be a member.

down in Piccadilly on a busy Saturday afternoon and causing a huge traffic jam.

I swapped this for a Maserati and that was extremely entertaining, but I ended up in a ditch (oops) so I moved onto a Bentley which was superb. I then acquired a beautiful old Ferrari 412i from the 1980s along with an old Aston Martin Vantage and Vanquish, followed by a 1988 Range Rover. All these cars have such huge personalities and make you feel so alive when driving them because you need to concentrate!

Since I began driving classic cars I’ve met some fascinating people and been invited to some spectacular events. But still the simplest pleasure is bumping into fellow enthusiasts at petrol stations and chatting about cars with the same enthusiasm I had as a 1980s schoolboy!

For any advice or to chat about classic cars, please contact me at: paul.smith@touchassociates.com

www.kesbath.com/oe

29

In memoriam GRAEME ALDRIDGE At KES 1939-1940 Passed away March 2021, aged 90

ANTHONY CAPARN At KES 1941-1946 Passed away June 2021, aged 92

JEREMY HACKING At KES 1965-1969 Passed away peacefully with Frontal Temporal Dementia on 19 January 2021, aged 69 There is no question that Jeremy’s life centred on love of his family. He was an avid walker and reader, he loved the beach and swimming in the sea and came later in life to enjoy playing bridge, golfing and scuba diving. Growing up, Jeremy lived in Worcestershire, Belfast, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire,

Former staff SAM WILLIAMS At KES 1967-1995 Passed away 25 October 2020, aged 77 Sam Williams served KES for 28 years between 1967 and 1995 as Head of Art after training at Brighton Art College. He specialised in printmaking but had a range of talents as diverse as photography and pottery. Initially, the Art department at KES was housed in a wooden construction made of an exotic African hardwood which had been donated to the then St Christopher’s Junior School

by Emperor Haile Selassie. Over the years, Sam expanded his department to include a print room and pottery and was instrumental finally in a move to a much larger, purpose-built art complex. To the pupils he was Mr Cool with his trademark walrus moustache, leather jacket and corduroy trousers. Remember, in those

30

OElink magazine 2021

Hertfordshire, Devon, Somerset, Middlesex, Dorset, Bristol and London.

After articling with Howell Wade, London, he joined Coopers and Lybrand in London. From there he transferred to Coopers and Lybrand in Toronto (Canada), where he was a partner for many years. Over the years, he volunteered his time to the Froebel Foundation, the Computer Auditors Association, St Jude’s Church, Appleby College, the United Way of Oakville and the Niagara CPA Ontario Association.

As dementia stripped away much of who Jeremy was, his essential kind, good-hearted and determined nature remained, as did his loyalty, love and concern for his family, friends and colleagues. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Dede, their sons Jack (John) and JB (James), daughter-in-law Naseem Awl, grandchildren Leila and Alia, and his two brothers and their families.

Dede Hacking

days, no other member of staff dared risk straying from either a blazer or a twopiece suit. And would you believe it? Sam negotiated a trousers allowance, arguing other departments were provided with protective clothing.

I first met Sam in 1977. In those days it was de rigueur that young new staff ended up boarding with Sam in his spare attic bedroom. After all, he saw no reason why a little extra of the KES payroll shouldn’t be directed his way.

This bedroom was decorated throughout (door included) in a brown Laura Ashley wallpaper, with identical curtains, so finding your way out in the morning proved tricky. The stay in this room was short-lived because Sam, who changed houses almost as often as he changed cars, decided to move. The deal was that I would be welcome to free lodgings providing I didn’t mind sharing a room within a building site, eating takeaways and doing a lot of decorating. Thus, with plaster falling down and walls being

TERRY HARDAKER At KES 1953-1961 Passed away 18 October 2019, after a battle with cancer, aged 77 After graduating with a BA in Geography from the University of Cambridge and spending a year teaching with the VSO in India, Terry joined Oxford University Press as a cartographic editor. He then joined Cook Hammond & Kell in 1981 before starting Oxford Cartographers. He spent 23 years dedicated to cartography and his role as Associate Director, before retiring in 2004.

Terry’s love of geography and history stemmed from his teachers at King Edward’s and continued throughout his life. In later years he became a prominent amateur archaeologist and he went on many expeditions to conduct fieldwork as well as publishing books and papers on the subject. In association with the University of Liverpool, he took numerous students to Namibia to study

removed, we moved in. Sam was one of those people who could see potential and set about converting spaces to suit.

He only required the spaces to act as a gallery for his many pictures and wall hangings, and painted everything a neutral off-white. So, Sam and I spent our days at KES and our evenings decorating.

Sam ran a night school for parents and staff. Those who had any artistic leaning were encouraged to part with a few pounds (for materials, you understand) to make pots and prints. Sam could be quite caustic in his criticism and when I managed to fire my salt hood he announced it was as near to a space helmet as he had ever seen. He could also be withering if he felt something was not quite right. When a new member of staff proudly showed off his poster for the forthcoming The Caucasian Chalk Circle production featuring a triangle, there was no stopping him.

Sam helped with the ski trips abroad and his indignation when one of the boys

Palaeolithic surface archaeology. Terry was also interested in collecting and studying coins, a pursuit that began during his school days. Later in life, he published two definitive catalogues on Indian punch-marked coins. He was a Fellow of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and of the Royal Numismatic Society.

He is survived by his wife Sandie and family.

ANDREW THOMAS HYATT At KES 1956-1967 Passed away on 15 June 2021, after a long battle with cancer, aged 72

DAVID JAGO At KES 1946-1956 Passed away 14 April 2021, aged 83 David Edgar John Jago, MA Pembroke College Oxford, died at home in Eye, Cambridgeshire. His death followed a short, challenging battle with cancer fought with dignity and courage, and at peaceful prayer. David was beloved husband to Dr Judith Jago (19381995), and then to Gertraud Marianne Apfelbeck (1944–2020).

skied across his skis was only tempered when the boy next to Sam lifted his own ski to discover it had been broken in two.

The out-of-control culprit was heard crashing to a halt in the trees beyond. It was Sam who dug him out.

It was Sam who grabbed the steering wheel of the coach when the Italian driver nodded off, thus averting an accident; it was Sam who insisted the driver stop and take a break, and it was Sam who helped him down a brandy (or two) to calm their nerves. If you needed something doing, Sam was your man.

Sam was left to bring up three daughters on his own, which can’t have been easy. Eventually he met Shirley, an artist in her own right, who was a major stabilising influence. Thus began, perhaps, one of the happiest periods of Sam’s life, when he and Shirley relocated to an idyllic rural setting in France. Once again, he knocked a property into shape and then settled down to a routine of

David’s signature humour brought to life his cherished childhood memories.

His firm KES grounding and warm family upbringing shaped his high personal standards of diligent study, hard work, enthusiasm and creative thinking. He carried these attributes through post-war National Service in the Royal Artillery and on to Oxford University, the Imperial Defence College, and ultimately the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall.

By the early 1960s, personal and professional landmarks came thick and fast for David, including setting up the family’s first home with Judith in London and starting work at the Admiralty. Soon came the arrival of two children, Tom and Ruth. These were the early days of a 25-year career path that culminated as Cabinet Office Under-Secretary in the mid-1980s. The historical context – spanning 20th century milestones from the Cuban missile crisis to the Hong Kong sovereignty transfer settlement – meant exacting professional times for David.

Nonetheless, he remained the pivotal, Christian centre of gravity at the nucleus of both close and extended family.

David’s profound humanity came to the fore with his early retirement from

art and drawing in the morning and a favourite hammock in the afternoon. He even bought a moped to collect his daily baguette. Both Sam and Shirley mounted local art exhibitions and it was not long before Sam realised his paintings with a single poppy in the foreground always sold quickly. From then on poppies featured in much of Sam’s work. After a few years, a cherry tree had grown sufficiently to cast a shadow on Sam’s hammock. With typical pragmatism he cut it down, only to be visited the next day by the local ‘agriculteur’ wanting to know why his ‘arbre’ had gone missing.

It cost Sam a new tree but, as he pointed out, its new position no longer cast a shadow.

So, if you see a lone poppy in a field, remember Sam.

Mel Cunliffe, former staff

government service. By then in his mid-50s, he knew he had time and energy to care for Judith, whose cancer had become terminal. David thus took on a new professional challenge in the inspiring and rejuvenating atmosphere of Chichester Cathedral, where he worked as Communar from 1987 to 1992.

While David’s kindness and steadfast love of family and friends is deeply missed, his passion for art, theatre, opera, historical study, Arsenal FC and both Somerset and MCC cricket lives on through son Tom, daughter Ruth and his eight grandchildren Joseph, Simon, Maria, David, Annabella, Max, Samuel and Amelia. His funeral and burial next to Judith was celebrated by family and friends on 6 May 2021 at St Matthew’s, Eye.

Tom Jago MARTYN MCGINTY At KES 1955-1960 Passed away 26 October 2020, aged 76

To the pupils he was Mr Cool with his trademark walrus moustache, leather jacket and corduroy trousers.

www.kesbath.com/oe

31

To contribute news and photos for the next OELink or future OE e-newsletters, please email: alumni@kesbath.com.

It’s great to hear about what you are doing now!

Based on a true story.”

THOMAS SHEPPARD 1971

MARK DURMAN 1957 Following exciting careers in the Army and at a global security company, he is now the author of fictional thrillers, his latest launch being ADSUM Mission and Passion. Based on a true story, the compelling narrative follows the life of a young man conscripted into military service at the age of 18, who later joins the Nigerian Army and becomes immersed in combat operations in Cameroon and the Congo.

The book is published by Pegasus Elliott Mackenzie Publishers Ltd and is available online from all main booksellers.

CHRIS RAPLEY 1965 In addition to his continuing role as Professor of Climate Science at UCL and other roles, he is Chair of the European Science Foundation’s European Space Sciences Committee, and a member of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. He was also the science consultant for the three-part BBC1/PBS series about Greta Thunberg which was screened in April.

“COP26 is looming and the world needs to act.”

32

OElink magazine 2021

Like his father Peter and grandfather Bill before him, Thomas joined the Junior School in Broad Street in 1960 and continued to the Senior School, where he took part in most areas of school life.

After studying Law at UWE, he qualified as a solicitor in 1977 and was made a partner in 1980. His long career has been both as a practising lawyer and also lengthy periods in law firm management.

In 2003 he was elected Managing Partner of Thrings LLP, which he helped to grow into one of the top 100 law firms in the country, with offices across southern England. In 2013 he stood down as Managing Partner and helped Thrings establish a new specialist personal injury law firm, Novum Law, which he led as CEO until 2018. He continues to practise as a lawyer with Thrings.

Alongside his professional life, Thomas has always been actively involved with charities and not-for-profit organisations,

“I am looking forward to exploring Somerset and being able to meet and thank those who have done so much for their fellow citizens during the pandemic.”

KEITH JARRETT 1977 Was awarded an OBE in 2018 for services to Devolution and to Public Finances. He is now retired from HM Treasury after nearly 40 years’ service and runs a small book-selling business.

JONATHAN GLANZ 1978

This year Thomas was appointed as the High Sheriff of Somerset for 20212022 and took his declaration at Wells Cathedral in March.”

usually as a trustee and often as the Chair. These charities have followed his interests and include arts-based charities, such as Bath Festivals, Bath Theatre Trust and the Arnolfini in Bristol, and health charities, such as Dorothy House Hospice Care, the Royal United Hospital NHS Trust and the mental health charity RICE. Locally, he has been a parish councillor and churchwarden and spent over ten years on the Council of Management at the University of Bath. He is currently Chair of the Bath Preservation Trust, the endowment fund of the Arnolfini in Bristol and the Bath Boules Charitable Trust.

This year he was appointed as the High Sheriff of Somerset for 2021-2022 and took his declaration at Wells Cathedral in March. This year-long, non-political and independent appointment provides support for the Royal Family, the judiciary, the police and the emergency services, as well as offering encouragement to those working in the charitable and voluntary sectors. Thomas says “I am looking forward to exploring Somerset and being able to meet and thank those who have done so much for their fellow citizens during the pandemic.”

He lives in Bath with his wife Michelle and they have two adult sons. Among his spare-time interests are art, walking and gardening as well as supporting the local rugby team.

After serving 12 years on Westminster City Council, following a similar time in community politics as Chairman of the Marylebone Association, Jonathan was really looking forward to his year as Lord Mayor of the City of Westminster, and to serving as Deputy High Steward of Westminster Abbey.

As Westminster is the centre of Government and Parliament, and home to royalty, a year as its Lord Mayor would normally be extraordinarily special. Highlights would be the State Opening, Trooping the Colour, diplomatic receptions and state visits, alongside all the other activities of Westminster, from both the cultural and community side, celebrating its diversity.

Westminster Abbey, whose capacity was reduced from 2,100 to 70, but strict social distancing meant that I could not even speak to the other guests! I am hoping that there will be more opportunity to catch up as the world reopens and am thankful that, unlike others who have lost so much more to the pandemic, I am still here to tell the tale!”

However, the pandemic had other plans and when it struck in February 2020, shortly before he was due to become Lord Mayor in early May, he, like many, assumed that it would be a short-term interruption to his routine. Jonathan takes up the story: “How wrong I was, and unfortunately my Term has been completely eviscerated by the pandemic. From my virtual appointment on a Zoom meeting through to sequential cancellations of all the usual activities that would normally form part of a busy agenda of over 1,000 engagements, my Term has certainly been different. To that end, I am the first Lord Mayor of Westminster to have his Term extended (albeit only to September), but probably also the one to have undertaken the fewest engagements.

“That said, I have done my best to make the most of the situation. I have done many meetings on Zoom and Teams, including formal Council business, but also attending school plays, virtual readings, concerts and ceremonies. I have produced podcasts, video messages and social media output, to ensure that the role of Lord Mayor is not forgotten. I did manage a couple of ceremonies at

Highlights would be the State Opening, Trooping the Colour, diplomatic receptions and state visits, alongside all the other activities of Westminster, from both the cultural and community side, celebrating its diversity.” www.kesbath.com/oe

33

ANTONIA CHURCHHOUSE 2004 As well as working towards a PhD and working part-time as a Gastroenterology registrar in the NHS, she is a Clinical Lecturer in Gastroenterology at the University of Edinburgh.

She also teaches resuscitation across the UK and says: “It isn’t quite as glamorous as it looks on TV!”

DAVID BERESFORD 1985 Has written a book about his personal journey to track down the golden generation of French rugby players from the 1980s (Rives, Blanco, Sella, Garuet … 33 in total) to discover their life adventure. Brothers in Arms is part chronicle, part dialogue and part travelogue and is full of photography of the players today and the French landscape. Written out of love for France and to help raise funds for four charities, the book is available from Amazon.

XAVIER ALFORD 1995 Won a Bafta in the Single Documentary category this year for his film Locked in: Breaking the Silence (Storyville). He was also nominated for best Director in the Factual category.

VICTORIA OGDEN 2009 Is a civil servant at HM Treasury and was awarded an MBE for public service in 2019.

GIRI KESAVAN 2010 Completed his MBA at the London Business School in 2021 and is now working for the Group Product Team at Sky, in a Strategy and Product role covering Sky’s streaming products.

34

OElink magazine 2021

NAS ANDRIOPOULOS 2012 Is working as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company in London, focused on accelerating the energy transition and adoption of green hydrogen across Europe.

HANNAH ASHBY WARD 2013

© A Edmonds

Runs the UK branch of Lane Casting in London and is also the Casting Director for international projects from commercials, music videos and celebritybranded projects to short and feature films. For more info visit: www.lane-casting.com

SAMMY SULLIVAN 2016 Became the U23 National Sprint Canoe Champion in C1 200m when she competed at the national selection event in July and this performance secured her selection for the Junior/U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Portugal at the start of September. She will be competing at the World Championships in C1 200m (her main discipline) and potentially also in a new event which is the mixed C2 500m.

NIC MCKIBBIN 2016 This spring Nic and his friend Conor biked up Ralph Allen Drive in Bath 76 times a day for seven consecutive days to raise funds for charity. Their ‘Seven Everests in Seven Days Challenge’ raised over £6,500 for World Bicycle Relief and Clic Sargent.

MAX OJOMOH 2019 Signed with Bath Rugby in 2019 and was selected for the Summer Series Test Squad for England Rugby in 2021.

HOCKEY HIGHLIGHT A hockey match held on 2 May between the Welsh Hockey team and the GB Elite Development Training Squad, in preparation for Wales playing at the European Championships in June, saw KES involvement on both sides.

KES Director of Sport, David Hacker, is Assistant Coach for Wales, and in goal for Wales was Ieuan Jack Tranter (2012).

Meanwhile Toby ReynoldsCotterill (2013) and Matthew Simonds (2017) were both playing in opposition for the GB Development Squad.

Left to right: Matthew Simonds, Ieuan Jack Tranter, David Hacker, Toby Reynolds-Cotterill

www.kesbath.com/oe

35

Celebrating the class of 2021 – the newest OE recruits!

Keeping in touch!

All OEs and former staff are warmly welcomed to the worldwide community of Old Edwardians when they leave King Edward’s School.

Enjoy free life membership with great benefits: • OE e-newsletters to keep you in touch with the latest OE and School news • personal copy of the annual OElink magazine • OE Talkabouts – a new video series launched in 2021 • invitations to a varied calendar of OE and School events • links to the OE network for social and career contacts

Maintaining strong, mutually supportive links with King Edward’s School. *** Fostering an ongoing sense of community and heritage across the generations.

36

OElink magazine 2021

• OE social media: follow, like and share the word!

Visit www.kesbath.com/oe to find out how you can get involved with the OE community.

Apart from the OElink magazine which is sent by post (unless you confirm your preference for a digital copy), all our OE e-newsletters, OE Talkabouts, bulletins and event invitations are sent by email. Please contact us with any changes to your email or postal address so we can continue to send you all the latest information and ensure you are on our future mailing lists. If you know of any friends or colleagues from KES who are not receiving our emails or the OElink magazine, please encourage them to get in touch with us too.

Email alumni@kesbath.com or call 01225 464313 x 257 We are planning to restart the OE events programme in 2021-2022.

Information and invites will be sent to everyone who has joined our digital mailing list in due course.