Lockers Old Boys Newsletter - 2024

LOCKERS OLD BOYS NEWSLETTER

Editorial

Each school year brings fresh challenges and opportunities but none more so than this one, our 150th Anniversary In September numbers topped 200 for the first time which includes 40 or so in the pre–prep yet Lockers Park remains a relatively small school retaining its family atmosphere and providing opportunities for all

Over the last few years the school has shown commendable resilience and is well placed to plan the path ahead. However, with escalating costs and the threat of VAT on fees, economic challenges also lie ahead and, when it comes to capital projects, financial help from our Old Boys, as well as current and past parents, is as important as ever. Grateful alumni frequently give to their Public Schools and Universities but Prep Schools, whose need is probably greater and their role no less important, are often forgotten.

In this Newsletter there are some happy memories of the many ski trips to Zell am See, an appeal for help in tracking down contact addresses as well as an account of the Celebrations so far. It has been a real pleasure to see so many Old Boys at the Launch Event and more recently at the London Drinks Party, both of which were so well attended that there was just not enough time to get round and speak to everybody. We look forward to seeing many more of you at the forthcoming events.

Roger Stephens

Future Events

Saturday June 8th Old Boys’ Dinner

Saturday June 22nd Music Event

Sunday June 23rd Old Boys’ Day

150th CELEBRATIONS

LAUNCH EVENT

On September 16th last autumn we kick–started our Anniversary celebrations with a Drinks Party It was well attended with well over 200 present, a wonderful mix of Old Boys and past parents (the current parents had their party the night before).

The Sports Hall was suitably decorated and on display were old magazines, cups and other memorabilia. Entertainment on the piano was provided by two current pupils and Old Boys Charles Hardy and Harry Anastasiou

An address from the Headmaster was followed by short speeches from Giles Barr and Daniel Eldridge who reminisced about their time at Lockers Park and what it meant to them. All in all it was a most successful and fun evening.

150th Old Boys Golf Day

Winning team: Jake Olley, Alex Styles, Hugh McAleer and Jack Doyle with Matt Stannard as Caddy!

Headmasters past and present

DRINKS PARTY IN LONDON

On Thursday February 1st the first ever Lockers Park event in London was held in Henrietta Place, W1, an excellent venue, courtesy of CBRE. This event was also really well attended with 150 there, a splendid mix ranging from Old Boys who were in the school in the 1950s to the youngest who left in 2018

There were several distinguished Old Boys among them, the foreign office diplomat Sir William Ehrman who was a former Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and British Ambassador to China, Hugh Edmeades the well-known international auctioneer for fine art, classic cars and charity as well as for the IPL in the last 6-7 years (Indian Premiere League) and Roland Watson, currently Foreign Editor of The Times.

We were pleased to welcome previous Headmasters David Lees–Jones and Henry Wickham and also Dan Thornburn, former member of staff and now the Headmaster of Millfield Junior.

A special mention for Anthony Doggart the oldest present, for Jock Ross–Russell who came all the way down from Scotland to be with us and what an impressive turn out from the class of 2010, double figures I believe

Douglas Collins

SCHOOL NEWS

RECENT IMPROVEMENTS

The changing room has been extended to accommodate the increase in numbers and work is under way on the Sports Hall balcony converting it to a fitness suite in one half with a golf simulator in the other.

A superb climbing wall was installed over the half-term holiday.

The Boys’ Hall has a new look with all the Cups on display and a new digital screen provides useful information Taking pride of place are some of the older cups such as the Manfield Batting Cup donated to the school in memory of Neville Manfield (1905–1908) who was in the Royal Flying Corps and shot down in 1916 by the German ace Oskar Breleke

ACADEMIC

THE 2023 LEAVERS

Last June all Year 8s gained admission to their first choice Senior School which, together with the numerous scholarships won earlier in the year, completed a very satisfactory academic year.

JUNIOR MATHS CHALLENGE

As usual we had a strong entry in the Junior Maths Challenge. This is a national competition with over 300,000 entrants from Year 8 or below which tests pupil’s ability to think mathematically and creatively Well done to the 29 boys who were entered; no less than 22 were awarded certificates: 5 Gold, 12 Silver and 10 Bronze.

The Challenge Cup for Fielding was presented in1911 by T R Stoner, a member of staff, when he left to become Headmaster of a prep school in Canterbury He was killed in action near Ypres in 1918

And we must not forget the Pataudi Trophy presented every July in Prize Giving for the Best All Round Sportsman in Year 8 The Nawab of Pataudi was a gifted sportsman who was Captain of India for 40 Test Matches despite losing the sight of his right eye. His son Saif Ali khan was also a boy at Lockers and is now a famous Bollywood star

Debating Teams

The two debating teams had a special outing to the House of Commons where they had a tour and the unique experience of witnessing a House of Commons debate How much they learnt from the latter, history does not relate!

Climbing wall

The Boys’ Hall

TRIPS

SCIENTIFIC TRIP TO GENEVA

In September a 32 strong group plus 3 staff experienced an action packed few days in Geneva coinciding with the first exeat of the autumn term On arrival a guided tour of the old town of Geneva was followed by a visit to the History of Science Museum Day two took in the Observatoire Astronomique including a talk and film from enthusiastic PhD students.

An ambitious schedule on the Saturday started with a visit to the Geneva English School After some enthusiastic football between the schools it was off to CERN the world renowned LHS Hodson Collider site, then a boat trip across Lake Geneva and to round off the day a night of bowling after dinner. On the last day they had time to relax in the park and have a swim in the lake before heading home.

VICTORIAN EDUCATION

In recognition of the 150th Anniversary Years 3–5 experienced the atmosphere, curriculum and expectations of a Victorian school room (the Old Gym).

Dressed in Victorian clothes they experienced a strict school day from Mr Iron, their Master, who taught them mathematics and handwriting using slate boards and basic nib ink pens with some messy results They had to curb their natural enthusiasm, speaking out of turn was out of the question! After a ”gruel” lunch they explored the museum which had been set up on site by “History off the Page” and an afternoon workshop got them actively involved creating their own Victorian toys.

VISITS

HARRY POTTER

Year 6 Visited the Warner Bros Studios to enjoy the “Harry Potter Experience” They had a magical time seeing the incredible sets, elaborate costumes and array of props as well as having an educational workshop in which they learnt how sound effects were created

MATILIDA THE MUSICAL

Year 4 had a thrilling visit to the West End to see the musical Matilda

AUTHOR VISIT

On February 14 the school welcomed M G Leonard, the award winning best-selling author of children’s books, at the same time inviting South Hill Primary School for them to share the experience.

BOARDING NEWS

The Boarding House provides comfortable and homely surroundings far removed from those experienced by older generations. There is a diverse range of weekend activities and there is always something to look forward to from week to week because every term is punctuated with special evening events (darts evening, bingo, pockemon hunts and pancake games).

Some events such as Hallowe’en Havoc, The Dark Tower and Lockers Got Talent are now as eagerly anticipated as The Feast and have become woven into the tradition of the School. Not surprisingly day boys are frequently tempted to give boarding a go

LITTLE LOCKERS

SPORTS NEWS

Congratulations to Ethan who was the SATIPS National Skiing Champion at U13 level

Last season the U12 Cricket team reached the County Cup Final, the U9 team was unbeaten and well done to Leon who scored over 300 runs for the 1st X1

The football 1st X1 have had their best season for some years and as usual there has been a range of sporting activities and opportunities:- basketball, badminton, squash, fencing, skiing and swimming

The 1st X1 Cricket squad had a terrific tour of South Africa in February playing nine matches; winning four, losing four and with one tie

ESCAPADES IN ZELL AM SEE

For 20 years the Gasthof Schuthof in the village of Schuttdorf, a mile or so from Zell am See in Austria, played host to Lockers Park ski trips In the first year or two our rooms were in the annex to the main hotel This was interestingly located with railway lines running on either side! Thanks to three years of good behaviour we earned promotion to the main hotel. The manageress, Frau Latini, and her staff could not have been more welcoming even staying up until midnight on one occasion to provide us with steak and chips when we finally arrived following a delayed flight

Numbers usually exceeded 40 boys (57 in 1988!) with only 6/7 adults, so this was a boy orientated holiday with a clear formula Half the party were in ski school in the morning and the more accomplished skiers in the afternoon This made possible lots of “free skiing”, which the boys loved, when different slopes could be explored and full use made of the inter-connecting lift system Thanks largely to this, beginners did not stay beginners for very long and supervising adults were tested to the full often finding themselves following, rather than leading, apart from Paul Dalby of course, our ever present expert skier

Nor was there any question of adults relaxing in the evenings Supper was taken soon after six before evening entertainment; ice skating and swimming took care of two evenings, and then there was tobogganing, by far the most dangerous activity of the week, and often an unforgettable Tyrolean evening

Failing that an improvised disco A “quiet night in” saw groups moving from room to room playing dibble, dibble, spoons and various other games which left the final night for the presentation of certificates and a thank you to the ski instructors followed by a fondue evening always an entertaining experience!

Whatever the conditions the boys attacked the slopes with non-stop enthusiasm, why turn when you can go straight down! No ski holiday is without incidents and there were plenty of spectacular “wipe outs” not to mention chaotic moments on chair lifts and T bars but happily, in all these years, only one boy returned home in plaster. Some incidents stick in the memory. There was Alex Ismail, who, in falling off a ridiculously steep T bar, took with him no less than 8 adults, all rumoured to be Germans, and Nick Campbell–Lambert who, while stacking his skis outside a restaurant, brought down at least 20 other sets of skis in true domino fashion! The 1995 holiday witnessed endless snow and blizzards which led to a mass snowball fight and the sight of one boy, who will remain nameless, hurling his missiles from the roof of Hotel Lotini!

Zell am Zee certainly provided some wonderful memories and on behalf of all the staff, parents, and old boys, who accepted the challenge of a holiday with 40+ boys, I can safely say there was never a dull moment and we enjoyed every minute of it!

CAN YOU HELP

We have no up to date contact addresses for the following:-

Henry Stephenson 1968

Graham Paul 1991

Nicholas Poole 1968

Neil Hay 1992

Mark Wilson 1970

Charles and Jo Oakley 1991/’93

Anthony Brown 1969

Cedric and Rudy Domzalski1989/’94

Nicholas Ogle 1971

James Kerr 1996

Philip Norris 1973

William and Alex Soares1992/’95

Christopher Legg 1978

Rohan and Jack Wadham 1998/2000

Jake Scrivens 1980

Alex Jollivet 2003

Paul, Ian, Robert Murray- John 1978/’79/’83

Basil Vaikunthan 2003

Peter and Robert Gordon 1988/’90

Sam and Max Strivens 2000/’02

Nigel Lee 1991

Sam and Tom Cottrell 2000

RIP

Please help us to keep all our Lockers Old Boys in touch

Providing your email, postal address and mobile number means we can keep sending the Old Boys Newsletter as well as information on our 150th Celebrations.

3 ways to keep in touch email your contact details to alumni@lockerspark.co.uk

1 fill in the Old Boys form on the website www.lockerspark.co.uk

2. write into The Secretary, Lockers Park, Lockers Park Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 1TL

4

3 phone the School Office on 01442 251712

Sir David Brewer died on May 28th 2023 on his 83rd birthday. He was a boy at Lockers from 1949–1953. He joined Sedgwick Collins, a Marine Insurance Company, visiting China over 100 times He became Lord Mayor of London 2005-06 and Lord Lieutenant of Greater London from 2008–2015 receiving a Garter Knighthood from Elizabeth 11 which is a rare honour and shows the regard in which he was held.

Ian McCorquodale (Lockers Park 1947–1950) has died aged 85 He was the son of the author Dame Barbara Cartland and the half-brother of Reine Spencer the stepmother to Diana Princess of Wales He was devoted to his mother managing her career and later her estate. The 1st X1 Bowling Cup bears his name. Sadly we must also record the deaths of two Old Boys who have passed away far too young

Robert Beech (Lockers Park 1983–1988)

Robert died of a heart attack last November aged 48. From Lockers Park he passed Common Entrance to Haileybury and from there he joined his father’s firm Robert was not perhaps the greatest respecter of school rules but finished on a high when promoted to a Senior in his final term! He will always be remembered by both staff and boys as one of the real characters of the school with a great personality. His father Les was a Governor for many years. Our thoughts go out to Les, Robert’s wife, son Felix, who was a pupil at Lockers Park for a few terms, and his three daughters

James d’Housonville (nee Armitage) (Lockers Park 1984–1990)

James also died last November aged 46 with a rare form of lung cancer. James had a real presence around the school with a bubbly personality, he was Head Boy, 1st XV Captain and gained an academic scholarship to Radley From there he went to Manchester University and became a Management Consultant for Deloitte out in Hong Kong. Towards the end he was able to enjoy ticking off a number of golf courses which were on his bucket list, often in the company of Harry Nicholas his long-term friend from Lockers Park. Our thoughts and condolences go to Sophie, his sister

WOODLAND FOOD TECH SUITE

As part of the celebrations for our 150th birthday, we are continuing our investment into the school. Our major development is the Woodland Food Technology Suite, a project that has been championed by the boys.

We want to ensure our teaching and facilities retain our high standards, so that we can continue to produce excellent results by being purposefully small with boys who have an enthusiasm for life.

We rely on the generosity of our Old Boys, their families, current parents and our community to ensure the ongoing success of our school

With your gift, we help secure the future so that more boys will benefit from a Lockers Park education. Providing a solid foundation for their senior schools before going on to university, embarking on their career and contributing to improving society

There are a number of ways that you can make a gift: either through our bursaries (including the Draper Bursary which has been created as part of our 150th celebrations) or a donation. We welcome gifts of any size and every contribution is important. The easiest way to donate is by contacting our Bursar or through our website.

For 150 years boys have taken their daily meals in our panelled dining hall, and as part of our celebrations we have a limited number of dining chairs available for engraving

Whether it is for yourself, your son or as a present these chairs provide an ongoing link with the school. Each chair is carefully engraved and infilled with gold initials and surname of one individual and their years, providing a celebration of the time at Lockers Park

Chairs cost £500 each and can be ordered on the website or by emailing alumni@lockerspark.co.uk.

Use the QR code to visit the website to make a donation or order a chair