Monkton Magazine 15-16 by Monkton Combe School

Magazine News from Monkton Combe School and the Old Monktonian Club

From the Principal a picture of the huge and eclectic range of skills and interests in the School, recognising the remarkable achievements of individuals and groups at all ages, and still managing to come up with something that doesn’t run to several volumes. It has been a great pleasure getting to know people across the Monkton community and I have been struck by a number of things: the vibrancy of the children in the school, testament itself to the inspiring teachers we benefit from; the tremendous diversity of interests, activities and opportunities offered and the commitment pupils make to them; the prayerfulness of Governors, Alumni and community meaning that even when things are challenging we feel supported; and the dedicated, caring and generous parents who make untold and often unimagined sacrifices to send their children to Monkton.

“Schools are places of stories – stories of past lives, started here and lived beyond our gates.”

As I write this, with the new year now well and truly underway, I suspect I am not alone in wondering what happened to the early part of the year. And no wonder... in just one half term we saw an array of sports fixtures, leadership coaching, theatre trips, drama performances, parents’ evenings, Scottish dancing, Philosothons and an outstanding Knight Lecture from the Reverend Professor David Wilkinson, to name but a few. The Monkton term certainly keeps everyone busy.

Schools are places of stories - stories of past lives, started here and lived beyond our gates; stories of pupils currently in our care and their many successes; stories yet to be told of those who will come to Monkton in the future and shape their world in their time. Generations of past, present and future have stories to be told, have served and will serve all that Monkton stands for and have held true to beliefs formed in this very special valley and taken out into the world to be lived. I hope you enjoy reading some of those stories today.

I cannot begin to imagine what a task the editor has in trying to present

Chris Wheeler Principal 1

Contents INTRODUCTIONS

FEATURES

From the Principal From the Chair of Governors A Fond Farewell An OM Welcome

Creativity Flourishes at Monkton OM Portfolios Mindfulness at Monkton

Pioneering Pastoral Care

Give us a Push!

Loving Literacy

D-liver us from Sickness!

Looking Beyond the Horizon

The Changing Face of Exams

34 18

Drama Delights

Learning to Lead

Family Focus

Obituaries

Chris Rogers

Brian Mawer

Hudson (Cim) Thompson MBE

Michael Coates

THE OM GAZETTE

OM News, Births, Deaths and Marriages

Dates for your Diary

2 Monkton Magazine

From the Chair of Governors Stephen Baldock, Chair of Governors for the most recent years of Richard Backhouse’s tenure, commented that; “In a final letter to me, Richard expressed thanks to the Governors of 2004 for taking the risk of appointing a young housemaster with no senior leadership experience. As I look back, I congratulate Ann Holt, the then Chair, and her colleagues on their faith and wisdom.”

sustainable for the long term. He gave generously of his time to the School, marrying a lifelong expertise in education and high emotional intelligence with a deep and personal faith in all that he did. Alongside these qualities, Stephen will also be remembered for his well used range of Latin quotes and repertoire, and ability to tell jokes as part of after dinner speeches.

This is not the place to list specific achievements, whether in facilities - si monumentum requiris, circumspice - in strengthening the ethos of the School or in developing the community. Rather, we pay tribute to Richard’s personal qualities of absolute integrity, diligence and commitment. Monkton has benefited greatly from his thoughtfulness in applying his strong Christian faith in both the big picture of education and the daily (often difficult) decisions which face a Principal. His leadership has been marked by a deep understanding of education, by his strategic insight and his concern to do what is best for people. Richard’s openness and accessibility was outstanding (was his Blackberry ever turned off?), as was the clarity and perceptiveness of his presentations, whether in papers prepared for the Board or in addresses given at prizegiving.

To both these colleagues we wish Godspeed in the next stage of their lives.

In turn, Richard Backhouse found the academic wit and classical outlook on life an excellent support in Stephen as both a long serving governor and as Chair of Governors. Stephen brought a humble and servant heart to all that he did, quietly moulding and uniting governors and the leadership team to ensure that Monkton and all that it stands for is

And so, our welcome – to our new Principal Chris Wheeler, his wife Georgie and their three children, Tilly, W alter and Aggie. Chris joins us from his role as Principal at Hillcrest International School in Kenya. His ability to get alongside our young people is inspiring and his desire to engage with staff, parents, alumni and the other stakeholders that interface with Monkton is shown in all his interactions. He also brings enormous energy and a range of educational expertise in learning and teaching as well as being a strategic leader. W e are all looking forward to working with him as he takes Monkton on the next stage of its exciting journey. Welcome Chris, may your time with us here at Monkton be enjoyable and may you know God’s blessing as you lead the School. Professor Helen Langton Chair of Governors

“We are all looking forward to working with Chris Wheeler as he takes Monkton on the next stage of its exciting journey.”

A Fond Farewell By the time that this article goes to press, the Backhouse family removals lorry will have long since taken the contents of ‘Bryans’ to a distant county, and the minds of teenagers will have moved on to the pressing issues of the hour. Life moves fast in a boarding school. In years to come, Old Monktonians will scratch their heads and try to remember the name of the Principal in their day. Memories fade.

“I am hugely pleased to be an Honorary Old Monktonian, and I will continue to cherish my links with the School both as a parent and former member of the staff.” However, nothing will diminish my profound sense of gratitude to the community of the school: to Old Monktonians and both current and former parents for their support, encouragement, and help - in time and expertise, in goodwill and prayer, and in financial assistance; to current (and recent) pupils for their enthusiasm, dynamism, and potential; and to my colleagues for all the exceptional things they so routinely do to make Monkton such a great place for young people to flourish. I am delighted that Chris Wheeler has been appointed as my successor and have enjoyed getting to know him in our handover meetings. Monkton may be further from the equator than Nairobi, but the community is warm and supportive! I wish Chris, Georgie and their children every success and happiness here.

Of course, I also need to thank the Governors - those largely unseen people who give enormous amounts of their time to the School without recompense, and whose steering has been vital to the growth and development of the School. And, of course, they appointed me, aged 36 at the time, to a role which has been both rewarding and testing, and the preoccupation of most of my waking hours for 31 terms. I had little idea of the heritage or the richness of the Monkton community when I came here. I am hugely pleased to be an Honorary Old Monktonian, and I will continue to cherish my links with the School both as a parent and former member of the staff. I am also pleased that a gallery of Old Monktonians, representative of the quality and variety of directions in which each cohort of leaving pupils go, is now on display in the Old Hall. Being an Old Monktonian is to keep great company! I hope the current generation will be as ambitious to make a mark on the world - for good - as previous generations must have been. To all those who have been so supportive of the School over the last 11 years, thank you for all the opportunities for young people you have enabled: please continue to give the School your backing in its next phase. And, finally, as this particular donkey is lent to a different farm to work there, please don’t forget to thank the farmer who lent it to Monkton for a season. Richard Backhouse

An OM Welcome Since last year’s Magazine was published, there have been two significant changes at Monkton. Andrew Dawes has now arrived as Development Director and we have welcomed our new Principal, Chris Wheeler. T his does, of course, mean that Richard Backhouse has left and we wish him well at his new post, as well as thanking him for his support of OM events over the years. Richard was always ready to attend any OM events he could and was a great supporter of all that goes on in the OM office.

“We also very much enjoyed the OM golf day in July when about 20 OMs joined several staff, playing on the hottest day of the year!” This year has again seen several successful reunions. We are now into a pattern of 10 year reunions at Monkton - at this year’s gathering of 2005 leavers over 50 of us sat down to dinner - and five year reunions in London. We also very much enjoyed the OM golf day in July when about 20 OMs joined several staff, playing on the hottest day of the year! Finally, I can report that OM cricket is going very well and, in the Cricketer Trophy, after defeating a team of Tiffin Old Boys we were knocked out by a team from Ardingly in a closely fought contest. W e will be entering again this year. This year has also seen us lose one of our most loved OMs, Chris Rogers.You will find more about him later in this magazine but I want to say how humbling

it was for me and others in the school to read so many moving tributes to dear Chris. He is sorely missed. Looking forward, may I recommend to you the President’s Lunch on 16th April at a wonderful venue not far from the School. Nigel Gough has already brought some ideas to us as he embarks on his term as OM President and this venue promises to be spectacular. You will also see that we have been working hard on gathering information on all OMs who are involved in what we are calling creative industries. T his follows the opening of a new Art and Design Centre at the Senior School. We are holding a Drinks Reception in London on Thursday, 9th June at The Fentiman Arms, SW8. Do contact the OM office if you would like to attend. There is one piece of admin to tell you about; for reasons of expense, as from next year we are not going to be sending out the OM yearly events sheet in a separate mailing. Instead, it will come with The Magazine in March. However, events organised for the year will appear on the website and we would encourage OMs to check this in January / February for news of what is planned. Finally, my regular programme of visiting universities continues and I look forward to more visits in the coming months. I trust you enjoy this edition of The Magazine! Tim Dewes OM General Secretary 5

Creativity Flourishes at Monkton

We believe nurturing creativity is fundamental to educating the whole child. In this article we take a look at creativity at Monkton, with a focus on the work of some of our current pupils. Many of us associate creativity with Art, Drama and Music and, indeed, these are often the areas where the creative juices are encouraged to flow most freely and where results are most tangible. However, at Monkton we like to push the boundaries of how we view creativity: it doesn’t need to begin and end with the Arts. Pupils are very much encouraged to follow their aspirations in all areas of school life and developing a well thought out original idea that has real value or coming up with a unique solution to a seemingly unsolvable challenge can be just as creative as crafting a beautiful sculpture. 6 Monkton Magazine

Monkton Senior School’s facilities have been boosted by the opening of the new substantially extended and refurbished Basson Art and Design Technology Centre. With a large multi-purpose exhibition area and dedicated areas for print-making, textiles, photography and computer-aided design, it is envisaged that the new facility will become a hub of both technical excellence and creative inspiration. It will also function as a place where the whole community pupils, staff and parents - can gather and enjoy the creative output of the pupils in the Gallery.

The Basson Art and Design Centre

The new building will support an increase in popularity amongst Monkton pupils for creative subjects. Art and DT have always attracted a large uptake, with two thirds of recent GCSE pupils studying at least one of Art, Photography or DT. T hese pupils and those studying A Levels have enjoyed huge success, with pupils continuing their studies at Central St Martins, London College of Fashion, Goldsmiths and Bristol Old Vic. On the following pages, you can see some of the inspirational work produced by our Senior and Prep pupils.

Prep School

Creativity Flourishes at Monkton

Year 9

A Level

8 Monkton Magazine

GCSE

OM Portfolios

Photograph by Robert Viglavsky

From artists and actors to producers and tech gurus , the success of our OMs is testament to Monkton’s long-standing strength in the creative fields. Here we profile three of our many OMs who have made being creative the cornerstone of their work. T o find out about other OMs in the creative industries, take a look at the publications section of the School’s website.

Nicola Wren, Actress Nicola left Monkton after GCSEs in 2006, moving on to the School of Performing Arts in London where she achieved straight A grades for her A Levels. Although she moved on to King’s College London, she dropped out after a year, feeling the call of acting very strongly. Nicola went on to train as an actor at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama where she gained a First. What a combination – excellence in acting and academics! Nicola graduated in 2014 and came to public attention in July 2015 when she played Jenny Nicholson in the moving BBC drama A Song for Jenny, which focused on the 7/7 bombings of 2005. The drama as a whole, and Nicola’s part in it, received widespread acclaim. She also wrote and performed a one woman play, 501 Things I Do In My Bedroom at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015. The play is an exploration of identity and how social media affects our relationships. 10 Monkton Magazine

Nicola remembers her time at Monkton with much pleasure. She really appreciated the setting and, of course, the friends, several of whom she is still in close contact with. Nicola performed in several plays at school, notably The Diary of Anne Frank, in which she played the lead role whilst still only in Year 8. In fact, Nicola says some of her best friendships were with fellow cast members. As she looks back, Nicola appreciates all the different activities she was able to try at Monkton. She felt that there were opportunities for people with a huge variety of interests thanks to the eclectic mix of staff and ever improving facilities. We asked Nicola what it is about acting which has motivated her to make it her career. She replied that she has always loved making up stories and telling them. She says that acting is so

Nicola Wren playing Jenny Nicholson in the BBC drama ‘A Song For Jenny’ which brought the actress widespread acclaim.

powerful in enabling people – cast and audience alike – to access emotions which would normally lie hidden. She cites A Song for Jenny as an example of this: the tragedy led to a complex array of emotions felt by all those caught up in the 7/7 bombings - grief, anger, hurt, even guilt – and all these are uniquely there on the TV screen for all of us to experience. Nicola says that as soon as she read the script for the drama she knew it was one she would love to be involved with. When we met, Nicola was about to perform her own play 501 Things I Do In My Bedroom in London. She is also attending auditions and writing a new play.

In 2001, Jack launched a new creative agency and consultancy called FRUKT based in central London.The aim was to help a struggling entertainment industry make sense of the opportunities afforded by technology and partnerships with consumer brands. FRUKT manage global entertainment campaigns for Mastercard, American Airlines, T elefonica and O2 amongst others.The agency was also part of the team which delivered Coca-Cola’s international anthem project for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. As well as creating live events, festivals and video content with artists including Justin Timberlake, David Bowie and Gwen Stefani, Jack has also been on the juries of several prestigious creative sector awards.

Jack Horner, Creative Director Jack Horner joined Monkton for three years in the early 90s from Monkton Prep School. He remembers being very involved in drama and music, playing in bands and taking lead roles in plays. It was clear Jack had a passion for music and so in the Sixth Form he left to take a chance in the first year of intake at a brand new specialist performing arts centre called The BRIT School in South London. There he studied for a BTec and A Levels, focusing on Business Studies and Music. Jack immediately became Chair of the Student Council and recounts that qualities which had been nurtured at Monkton, such as a proactive and structured work ethic and confidence, stood him in good stead in this role. Jack continued this vocational path at the University of Westminster, where he took a BA in Commercial Music. Whilst studying, Jack released records, produced electronic music and managed

bands – all important for an industry that rewards those who ‘hustle’! He briefly taught music before joining Warner Music UK where, at just 23, he became one of the first heads of new media business. Jack was then approached to set up and front the music and entertainment division of AMX Studios where he managed digital strategy and campaigns for Iron Maiden, the Spice Girls and early web portal work for BT and many start-ups at the time. He also became the Chairman for the BT Digital Music Awards and held the position until the event ended in 2009. One band Jack managed was from Bath, The Girls, featuring another Old Monktonian, Joe Short. The band successfully released two records on Wall of Sound recordings and played several headline shows.

When we met Jack he had just left FRUKT after 15 years at the helm, during which time the company had grown to employ over 160 people across seven international offices. He was taking time out to assess his next steps; ideas so far include establishing an investment fund and consultancy focused on innovative youth culture and technology brands. Jack is in some ways an unusual product of Monkton in that, although he did not go down a typically formal route, he has become a leading figure at the forefront of music, media and entertainment. Of note was the philosophy Jack has adopted in his entrepreneurial and management approach – something he called ‘good business’ – not simply commercial success, but always being honest, open and clear, and putting the community and culture of his business at the forefront, all qualities and ideals he feels were shaped by his days at Monkton. Like many OMs, Jack is closely involved in a number of charities which helps disadvantaged young people develop their skills in the music industry. At Monkton, we often talk about the qualities which make up a typical OM and which we seek to inculcate in current pupils: integrity, ambition, confidence and sensitivity. 11

OM Portfolios

Alex Hirtzel, Artist Alex Hirtzel (née Musker) came to Monkton in 1985 for the Sixth Form. She has very happy memories of her time at Monkton, where she made a number of friends and learned the value of working hard academically. Even then, her major passion was Art and Alex remembers being taught a great deal by Head of Art Donald Gorrie, who was also her housemaster. It was at Monkton that she learnt about spatial awareness and precision drawing, two skills which have been an essential part of her personal tool kit in her subsequent career. After Monkton, Alex went to Homerton College, Cambridge to train as a teacher; she later went to Art school. During this period of her life, she spent time in the Middle East where she worked as an archaeologist in the Jordan Valley as well as being involved with the British Museum. She also married and moved to Cambridge where she still lives with 12 Monkton Magazine

her family. Alex has never stopped being creative, with printing and ceramics being her particular choice of medium. Alex has been involved in a number of different projects over the years, both in Cambridge and elsewhere. Last summer, she spent time on a Kurdish archaeological site at Ziyaret Tepe, a Syrian outpost on the River Tigris. There she was Artist-in-residence, drawing the various finds, mounting exhibitions and doing her own work based on the discoveries. When we caught up with Alex last year, she was Artist-in-residence for a project in St James Park, London. The project is a unique partnership between The Royal Parks, The National Gallery and Mall Galleries and is using the medium of art to teach the importance of pollination and how we can all play a part in welcoming bees and other pollinators into our

gardens. In addition to hosting public workshops, Alex was working with a number of local organisations including a nursery, a sixth form and a community centre. She was also exhibiting her own work in St James’s Park on the theme of bees and pollinators, including her own current projects with plant scientists. Over the past few years Alex has also been working with the Wallace Collection in London, which has amazing displays of French 18th Century paintings, furniture and porcelain, along with superb Old Master paintings and a world class armoury. Alex is passionate about Art and about making Art accessible to the young – she is involved in bringing school children from London into famous galleries and enabling them to understand and appreciate what they are seeing.

Deputy Heads, the Head of Chaplaincy, the Director of Welfare, teachers from across the curriculum and the Head of Catering.

Mindfulness at Monkton ‘Mindfulness’ is a word in vogue at the moment. Doctor’s surgeries, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence and more and more schools are talking about it, recommending it and introducing it. And so at Monkton we decided to investigate this burgeoning practice for ourselves. What we discovered was that, in fact, mindfulness speaks of something that is as old as the human race itself, something fundamental to the human condition. Mindfulness is about living in the present moment. Many of the things that blight modern lives and prevent adults and young people alike from enjoying life properly and so working to their full potential things such as anxiety, sleeplessness and depression - stem in part from the fact that many people spend a great deal of time either dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Mindfulness is about helping people to be fully aware in the present moment and to be accepting of their present experience. Mindfulness involves learning to direct our attention to our experience as it unfolds, moment by moment, with open-

minded curiosity and acceptance. Rather than worrying about what has happened or what might happen, it helps us to respond well to whatever is happening right now, whether that be good or bad. The more we looked into what mindfulness is, the more we began to feel that it could be of benefit at Monkton, both to staff and pupils. So we decided to run a mindfulness course for staff in the Senior School. We invited a qualified mindfulness trainer to give a presentation to the whole staff as part of our in service training at the beginning of the academic year, after which staff were invited to sign up for the eight week course which ran in the Michaelmas Term. In the event, 17 members of staff joined the course, including the Principal, one of the

The course was a mixture of practice and reflection using a series of simple meditation practices that focus not on emptying the mind but on paying attention to what is already in the mind, noticing thoughts and feelings but not dwelling on them or allowing them to dominate our present experience. These practices each week were both relaxing and stimulating at the same time as we reflected on them together as a group. An important part of the course was our own continuing practice at home each week, which also formed a significant part of our reflection at the sessions. The response to the course was uniformly positive. Each of us shared the common experience that, albeit in a small way, at the end of eight weeks we had developed the ability to create a bit of space in our lives in which to reflect on our present experiences, enabling us to gain a better perspective on things and so make better judgments as to how to act. Academic research at Oxford and Exeter universities increasingly suggests that mindfulness can be of great help to young people in developing a calm space out of which they can both develop as people and also learn much more effectively. We are now considering how we might bring some of these benefits to the pupils. Tim Ling

“The course was a mixture of practice and reflection using a series of simple meditation practices that focus not on emptying the mind but on paying attention to what is already in the mind.” 13

Pioneering Pastoral Care at Monkton 14 Monkton Magazine

During the Lent Term, we were delighted to welcome Sir Anthony Seldon and 44 delegates from 26 leading Prep schools from across the South of England to a conference on ‘Pastoral Proactivity’. Organised in partnership with Dr Simon and Jo Walker, founders of Mind.World, the aim of the conference was to share the enormous benefits of an innovative programme which tracks pupils’ social psychology. Above: Houseparents share their experience of AS Tracking Left: Sir Anthony Seldon opened the conference

Simon and Jo came to Monkton in 2011, at the invitation of the then Principal Richard Backhouse, as coaches-in-residence to help the School with coaching, leadership development for staff and pupils - and with putting a greater degree of psychological excellence into our work. Although we were confident that our pastoral practice was outstanding, we wanted to make it better. The Walkers have developed a programme of tracking the development of pupils’ social and emotional self-regulation. Known as AS Tracking and grounded in cognitive science research, the programme uses the imagination to elicit patterns of thinking and behaviour. It begins with an online assessment and is taken up to twice a year by pupils from the age of eight. We then look at the data, by each individual pupil, and across groups, for example boarding houses or day pupils. 15

Pioneering pastoral care at Monkton Jo Walker, co-founder of Mind.World

From Simon and Jo Walker, founders of Mind.World There is a growing recognition that the ‘road’ of childhood and adolescence is one that pupils are increasingly struggling to navigate. It is a road which is faster, wider, less boundaried and signposted than it has been for previous generations, and an increasing number of pupils are ‘crashing’. They are struggling to make wise, emotionally healthy and prosocial choices as they engage in the world around them.

Pupils with good self-regulation ‘read the road’, purposefully choosing the appropriate response for the particular situation they are in. AS Tracking (Affective - how I feel; Social how I act with other people) improves the ability of a pupil to self-regulate and successfully navigate that road. It ensures that pastoral care is proactive, targeted, evidence-based and its impact measurable To find out more about AS Tracking, take a look at http://mind.world/ education/as-tracking/

16 Monkton Magazine

The data allows us to see developing patterns of behaviour which could cause problems if not addressed. It’s a proactive approach to looking after young people which uncovers problems before they are apparent. And, it allows us to give individual action plans to pupils, houseparents, teachers, and sometimes parents, to help pupils to develop a full palette of emotional skills - to become rounded, balanced, healthy people. We wanted to share our experiences with Prep Schools in particular because Simon and Jo had seen evidence that starting psychological tracking at 13 may be too late, and that the vital years of 10 to 13 need work of this sort. We are also immensely proud of the

standard of our pastoral care and want others to benefit from our work in this area. As an independent school we are fortunate that we have the freedom to innovate in this way, and we’re delighted that this work could start to help children on a wider stage. Monkton was an early adopter of AS Tracking along with other pioneer schools including Wellington College and the Thomas’s group of London Day Schools. AS Tracking is now used in 14 of the UK’s top schools. We’ll continue to lead the way and are already developing other programmes to help pupils to develop the character that will help them to thrive long after they’ve left Monkton.

“AS Tracking has had a fantastic impact in our boarding houses. It’s enabled us to identify at a really early stage those pupils who are at risk of developing social and emotional difficulties; we know how to help them and can track their progress over the coming terms. Working proactively and strategically has significantly reduced the number of pupils in need of critical pastoral support; a claim we can evidence.” Jonathan Morley, Deputy Head Pastoral, Monkton Senior School

“One of the strengths of the programme has been to help us fine tune action plans for specific pupils, where, although the presenting issues are the same, the root causes are not.” Mairion Goodman, Houseparent

“AS Tracking allows me to be on the ‘front foot’ in my pastoral work so I can better anticipate the needs of the pupils in my care rather than simply react to them.” James Sertin, Houseparent

“AS Tracking has allowed me to support pupils with the lightest of touches yet produced some of the biggest changes. These have ranged from making mentor pairings that I would never have thought would work but also changes in rooming combinations. It has also allowed me to make adjustments in everyday conversations resulting in increased trust and improved disclosure in individuals who were struggling to articulate their feelings. ” Sean Wilkinson, Houseparent

“I was blown away by their conviction but even more, I was impressed by how articulate they were in analysing and describing their pupils. There was real insight and texture - and sophistication in those short presentations.” Above: Houseparents Sean Wilkinson and Carolyn Bevan talk about their experience of AS Tracking

A conference delegate talking about Monkton houseparents.

Words of wisdom The conference began with a riveting speech from Sir Anthony Seldon who engaged delegates with his warmth, wisdom and humour to set the tone for a day of learning and discussion focused on supporting young people in remaining balanced and happy. Sir Anthony spoke eloquently about his experiences in the world of education, and about the importance choosing to behave in a way which leads to greater collective and individual happiness. Sir Anthony later spoke to pupils in the Chapel.

“Happiness isn’t superficial, it is our deepest longing.” Anthony Seldon is a leading authority on contemporary British history and education and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham. He was formerly Master of Wellington College. He is author or editor of over 40 books on contemporary history, politics and education and is the honorary historical advisor to Downing Street.

18 Monkton Magazine

s u e v i G ! h s u P a as the greatest The Mongol Rally is billed planet and motoring adventure on the , nor car ur promises that neither yo e sam again. Big your life will ever be the ich OMs Will claims indeed but ones wh Ali Martin Lawrence-Mills (11), mell (11) (11) and Charlie Rath lowing their would happily attest to fol last summer. participation in the rally

tled on a Will, Ali and Charlie set which, in spite clapped out 1988 Nissan uttered across of inevitable problems, spl nth along the line in just over a mo apidated cars. with 200 other equally dil s are pretty “Turns out Nissan Micra travel” the boys tal en good at intercontin E MADE IT!” posted on Facebook, “W for four They raised over £2,700 ing Rhinos, charities: Cool Earth, Sav Hospice Care. Mind and Dorothy House

cipants can The rules are simple: parti vehicle, must only take a farcically small ; “The port and s up the experience saying not have any additional sup sum Ali ty. ari 0 for ch greatest must raise at least £1,00 Mongol Rally has been the an ssi Ru the of n barked on. tio em na r sti With a final de adventure we have eve m fro ve dri ’s day capes, had a ds t lan jus city of Ulan Ude, We have seen amazing le mi 0 ,00 12 the and met a, res oli ltu Ulaanbaatar in Mong a taste of many great cu ts ser de ns, could tai we un le drive crosses the mo some of the nicest peop in es tri un co 18 this all off we and grasslands of up to possibly imagine. To top set no , ver we ho y for the Europe and Asia.There is, t to raise a ton of mone go th wi s ver dri who has ving route and no back up, lea ties - thanks to everyone ari ch of se and sen only their wits, optimism donated.” s the finish line. os acr m the humour to get

Will, Ali and Charlie at the finish line

Book Week at Monkton Prep

g n i v Lo

y c a r e Lit p e r P n o t k at Mon

ite. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about r w d n a d a e r ing pupils to h c a te t re that will u o tu b a r a t te s li ju f t o o e n v is lo racy nd a At Monkton, lite en with communication skills a nts as successful learners me ildr empowering ch life, underpinning their achieve is those skills that we believe for nment. It o ir v n e on to find l d o stay with them a o e h c R s y. e ir u th q d n n e beyo dent both within and onfident learning and indepen st learners have been up to of c ur younge o s g in th lie at the hear t e th f o t just some u o b a e r o m t st year. u a o p e th r e v o y c litera in the world of

20 Monkton Magazine

The Bath Children’s Literature Festival The Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival has been running since 2007. It is one of the largest dedicated children’s book festivals in Europe and attracts some of the most prominent children’s authors and illustrators in the UK and internationally. Monkton Prep has been a major sponsor of this prestigious event since 2013. It is a great occasion because it not only celebrates children’s reading in an enjoyable, accessible and fun atmosphere but also encourages families to explore books together. The school is always keen to play its part in community events and this fabulous children’s literature festival brings together school children from Bath and the surrounding area, united in the purpose of appreciating books. The idea that reading and Did You Know... literacy should We have around be both 7,000 books in the Prep inclusive and

School library which amounts to around 30 books per pupil. The advised amount is 13 per head.

accessible is key to everything we do at Monkton Prep. What better way is there to enthuse young readers than by having access to such successful and famous authors as David Almond, Julia Donaldson, Liz Pichon, Eoin Colfer, Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Morpurgo, and Michael Rosen to name but a few.

of the best-selling How to Train Your Dragon series.

Our curious pupils confidently quizzed Cressida about her inspirations, preferences and writing techniques. They found out that she often bases her characters on people she knows, that she read a huge amount as a child and that one of her primary As our Book Week was organised to motivations to write is to ensure the coincide with the Festival this year, survival of the printed word. After the we took two year groups to two educational events, one at a Bath school, private audience, Cressida entertained a full house at The Forum with tales St Mark’s in Larkhall, and the second, of childhood summers spent on an at the Guildhall. Our pupils were uninhabited island off the coast of thrilled to be close up with a favourite Scotland and how these experiences author and delighted to be able to ask gave rise to the story of V iking dragonFrank Cottrell Boyce and Matt Brown questions after listening to them speak. whisperer, Hiccup. The pupils are already asking about next year... Finally, the icing on the cake - a private audience with a best-selling author. As a sponsor, we get behind-thescenes access to key speakers at the Pupils at Monkton Prep meet acclaimed Festival and this year our pupils were author Cressida Cowell at the Bath Children’s mesmerised by the energetic Cressida Cowell, acclaimed author and illustrator Literature Festival

Loving Literacy at Monkton Prep

Lights, Camera, Action: Year 5 visit The Guardian newspaper by Karen Dyde, Librarian and Year 5 pupils

Being invited to take four of our delightful Year 5 pupils to the The Guardian newspaper was, for a librarian, the equivalent of winning the best book prize in the Kingdom. The children’s names were picked out of a hat, the four lucky winners were totally up for the challenge and were so excited to meet such fabulously famous authors, all at once! The authors the children interviewed were Francesca Simon, Andy Stanton and Chris Riddell. They also joined some older pupils from Heartlands High School in London, who interviewed Lauren Child.

Courageously clutching their questions, the children were in conversation with their authors in a proper filming studio. No rehearsal time, no time to get nervous - quite an experience for nine-year-olds and how brilliantly they performed. The children loved meeting the authors and talking with them at length but the special lunch of massive cheeseburgers also featured quite highly in their accounts! Even budding new journalists need to feed their creative juices.

Here are some of the thoughts of the pupils: “When we got to London we walked through the streets like tourists. We rounded a corner and saw a HUGE green glass building, we walked up an escalator and sat in SUPER comfy chairs and read newspapers while we waited for the authors to come.” Matthew “I was talking to Francesca Simon the author of Horrid Henry (I had to dress up as him) and went into the studio first. I was quite scared at the time because of all the cameras on me but I soon got used to it. Matthew, Eve and Hannah interviewed different authors and when we were not being filmed we chatted with other authors and we got signatures.” Matty “My favourite part was definitely interviewing and meeting all the famous authors. I especially loved interviewing Andy Stanton because he was so funny. Before I did the interview I was really nervous but when I went in it just felt like a friendly conversation with the author and he gave me some really good advice if I ever wanted to become an author.” Eve “My day at the Guardian in London was amazing. It was soooo cool to have the chance to meet the incredible author Chris Riddell! It was also really great to meet other amazing authors and interesting to find out how Chris Riddell comes up with the ideas for characters. Most of them are based on real people. After the interview we went to the book cupboard and got lots of free books and one by each of the authors.” Hannah

22 Monkton Magazine

Did You Know... On leaving Year 2 (aged 7), the average spelling age for the children is 9.5 years and some have a reading age of 14.

Year 5 pupils at The Guardian Newspaper 23

Loving Literacy at Monkton Prep

Book Week at Monkton Pe-Prep and Prep

Monkton Prep School Book Week was authors and finally, dropping everything celebrated in style this year, with six and reading! author events across six days. Three authors - Julia Green, Gill Lewis and At the Pre-Prep, Book Week had an Sam Gayton - were invited into school. ‘arty crafty’ twist, with inspiration taken Their writing workshops and talks were from James Mayhew’s Katie stories, very popular and pupils continue Laurence Anholt’s Anholt’s Artist to refer to and be inspired and Nicholas Allan’s Picasso’s by their experiences Trousers. long after the events Did You Know... themselves. As With the Chapel The Senior Library major sponsors of adorned with dramatic runs Poetry by the Bath Children’s drapery, celebratory Heart and produces Literature Festival, bunting and the an anthology of poetry Monkton Prep was world’s most famous and short stories given privileged pieces of art collated every year. access to the Festival’s in deliciously tempting iconic Red Chair. Staff books, we enjoyed our and pupils relished the very own Monkton Preopportunity to share and Prep Gallery for a whole week. listen to stories at our popular There, Kindergarten, Reception and ‘open mic’ Red Chair storytelling event Year 1 took part in a Little Red Riding in the Library. Hood workshop expertly led by Bath’s the egg theatre. Teachers joined in by Pupils also enjoyed participating in a dressing as giant disgruntled crayons 500 word short story competition and everyone made the most of the and a re-telling competition, which opportunity to delve into a good book. involved selecting objects related to their favourite story to place in a Literary passions were further fuelled decorated envelope; dressing up as by bespoke workshops at the Holburne book characters to fundraise for charity; Museum where the children were sharing year group stories; asking encouraged to mirror figures from a questions at special audiences with Gainsborough painting or transform 24 Monkton Magazine

into apprentices of a successful artist during the 18th Century. All these new experiences, stories and perspectives fired imaginations to such an extent that everyone wrote breathtaking stories. To add to the already long list of activities, the Eco Team organised a Book Swap, generously supported by Years 3 and 4. The pièce de résistance, however, was Dress Up Friday, when children dressed up as a character from a painting or an artist. As if they had stepped out from within paintings, there were characters ranging from Magritte’s The Son of Man to ballerinas by Degas. Fortunately we shall never forget this special moment as all the children had their alter ego captured, poised with a picture frame, on camera by a professional photographer. A perfect way to remember a perfect week.

Did You Know... In 2015 80% of our pupils gained an A* or A in English at GCSE.

D-liver us from Sickness! For 20 years Sister Davina Clark or Sister D as she is affectionately known around Monkton, has been the face of the Medical Centre, the comfort blanket wrapped around the well-being of all the Senior School pupils and staff. Even now, in its shiny new environs of the Lace Building, D’s familiar and reassuring presence around the place is a reminder to all that they are in a very safe pair of hands. The Medical team, consisting of D; two additional nurses (Charlie Wills and Sally Wood); physiotherapist Chris Smith; three doctors from the Bradford-onAvon Surgery (Dr Nigel Gough, Dr Louise Paterson and Dr James Heffer); Maria Harwood, who helps with administration; and Sylvia the cleaner, moved into their new home over the summer after the building underwent a major makeover from classrooms to slick orderly consulting and treatment rooms and upstairs sick bays for poorly pupils. D’s career path has been a varied one, a very personal vocational journey. After school, she joined Barclays Bank. Her boss at the time was a Christian and invited her to church. A couple of years of questioning and searching led D to make the commitment of becoming a Christian and she started to pray about 26 Monkton Magazine

what her future could be - it clearly wasn’t in a bank! After many what could have been described as coincidental encounters with the deaf, D felt that God was calling her to start her nursing training, something she already had the qualifications to pursue; this was the ‘fit’ she was looking for - God had answered her prayers. D started her training at St Helier’s, Carshalton and continued to work there after she qualified. Following a gap year at Capenwray Bible School, she returned to the wards at St Helier’s to join the medical investigation unit, qualifying as a specialist diabetic nurse in the process, before eventually securing the post of Senior Sister. Always looking for a new challenge, D left suburbia for the Christian Mountain Centre in North Wales where she spent six years working with mainly inner city children. A return to London was followed by a six year stint as a practice nurse in Wimbledon where she also gained qualifications in asthma, counselling and a teacher training certificate for adult education.

D saw an ad for the post of nurse at Monkton in a publication called Christians in Caring Professions. The School had recently accepted a boarding pupil with a serious medical condition and D’s new role was to provide him with daily care. It was to be a life-affirming relationship and D was delighted to attend his wedding a couple of years ago. In fact, many of D’s summers are taken up travelling to OM weddings, a part of the job she would not swap! Continuous assessment and reflection comes with most jobs and for D and her team regular top-up training is required to keep abreast of new medical techniques. Every year, she runs a study day at Monkton for independent school nurses where attendance regularly reaches between 50 and 70 people. These events are invaluable and the subject matter can be anything from sports injuries to advice on international travel or mental health issues. As a First Aid trainer, D has shared her extensive knowledge with residents

“D takes a very proactive approach to healthcare and thinks it is absolutely vital that all members of the Monkton community are educated in the basics of how to respond in an emergency.” Right: A pupil practices CPR

in ‘the eight minute challenge’ to see if they could maintain CPR for eight minutes, the average response time of an ambulance.

of Monkton Combe village and the wider community, including how to use the defibrillator which is now housed outside the Lace building for easy access. In fact, the purchase of the defibrillator at both the Prep and the Senior School could not have been more timely. W ithin months of their arrival both had been used to save the life of a member of staff. D recalls the time she needed it when a member of the medical admin team had a cardiac arrest literally in front of her. Instinct and training took over and this piece of machinery calmly guided her and other members of the team through the steps needed to perform the lifesaving resuscitation. The member of staff concerned was taken to the RUH in Bath and made a full recovery.

A day in the life of D and her team is never dull. D is not just the distributor of Jelly Babies for diabetic students or the holder of inhalers for asthmatics, she reaches out to those that simply need a hug and a chat if they’re feeling a bit low - D likes to call it hot chocolate therapy! Finally, there are the school trips: D says medically qualified, single females are a very desirable commodity to take to foreign climes and she has been all over the world supporting pupils and staff Africa, America, Canada and France, to mention just a few. D feels it a privilege to spend time with Monkton pupils and staff and is often very proud of their good behaviour, especially when it is commented on by strangers.

Above: Sister D in the new Medical Centre

D takes a very proactive approach to healthcare and thinks it is absolutely vital that all members of the Monkton community are educated in the basics of

how to respond in an emergency. Every member of staff who joins Monkton undergoes first aid training, including how and when to perform CPR in line with the British Heart Foundation guidelines. Staff are offered updates in first aid regularly, with the repeat of a four hour course every three years. This year, as well as running first aid courses for Year 10 in the summer term, D led the first of what will be yearly training in a CPR Assembly. Pupils got plenty of hands-on practice and some took part

When asked what was the strangest request she had received over her time at Monkton, D thought long and hard - there was obviously a big choice “leopard skin slippers” she replied. 27

Looking Beyond The Horizon We are thrilled to be able to say a very big â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thank youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to all those who have supported the development arm of the School in a myriad of ways over many years. Thanks to the generosity of current and former parents, grandparents, alumni and friends, some extraordinary and transformative projects have been successfully launched and completed across both schools. Below is a snapshot of what has been, and is being, achieved during this academic year.

28 Monkton Magazine

Pupils visit the site of the new Pre-Prep building

“The new building will enhance teaching and learning facilities for Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep divisions of the School. Play areas, woodland and car parking are also being carefully fashioned.” Expansion and Transformation at the Prep School

There was great excitement at the Prep School as the campaign to raise funds for the new Prep School expansion and transformation officially launched in November last year. Members of the Monkton family gathered in the Law building to kick off the campaign and to hear all about the vision and practicalities of the project. The demand for places at Monkton Prep School is growing and Glenburnie does not allow us to expand comfortably or at a sufficiently high quality. T he School is not looking to compromise its commitment to small class size. T he new building will enhance teaching and learning facilities for Nursery, Pre-Prep and Prep divisions of the School. Play areas, woodland and car parking are also being carefully fashioned. Additionally, our indoor school pool and sports centre facilities have been refreshed. T he new building is scheduled to open in Autumn 2016.

The Basson Art and Design Centre, Senior School

The total project cost is £4.4 million and the School hopes to raise £1.2m through the generosity and enthusiastic support of the Monkton ‘family’. If you would like to pledge your support please contact development@monkton.org.uk or call 01225 721154. W e very much need your support, both large and small. Thank you to all those who have already partnered with the School on this ambitious and aspirational project, which will give our young people and teachers the best possible environment in which to learn, enquire and discover. T hank you also to parents and pupils who have been extremely patient in regards to the temporary car parking arrangements.

Hopefully, you enjoyed reading about our fabulous new facility earlier in this magazine. The School would like to express an enormous debt of gratitude to all donors who brought this project to such a successful and inspirational completion and, in particular, the Basson family. The formal opening of the building will take place at Prizegiving on Saturday, 25th June when the work of our talented pupils will be displayed throughout the day.

Looking Beyond The Horizon

Car Park and Pedestrianisation of Quads at the Senior School The Senior School is moving forward in providing better access and car parking facilities for all members of the school community. T he first step of this project involved successfully laying a temporary surface on Governors Field. In time the completed facility will have an attractive design with generous landscaping and tree-planting. T he fully developed car park will make drop off and pick up so much simpler and safer. It will also then allow the School to pedestrianise and landscape its two central quads, along the lines of Oxbridge colleges. We believe this will have a massively beneficial impact for all those living and working in the heart of our community and enhance the vista within this beautiful valley.

Middle East Refugee Bursary

This bursary idea was launched in September 2015 and since then the School has received pledges of over £170,000. This is, of course, a truly amazing response. We hope that, with the support of both the Boarding Schools Association and Local Authority, we will be able to proceed in offering one or two places, depending on age and whether places are for day or boarding pupils. Thank you so much to those who have had such a big heart for this idea.

SpringBoard Bursary

We currently have three 100% SpringBoard bursaries for pupils from challenging backgrounds. This is life-changing for both the pupils and our schools. We would like to say a massive thank you to members of the Monkton community who have given in commitment to these bursaries. 30 Monkton Magazine

1868 Society

The School would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to OM John Bush (55) as he steps down from the presidency of the 1868 Society and take this opportunity to announce that OM Professor Mike Keighley (62) has agreed to become the new President. The School is most grateful to all those who have made a pledge to provide for the School in their will. If you do decide to include a legacy to Monkton in your will, or have already done so, it would be very encouraging to have an indication of your support.

OM President, Professor Mike Keighley

Give As You Live

Our thanks to those families who are securely shopping at their favourite online shops through www.giveasyoulive.com/join/ monkton. With no additional cost to you, the high street store or supermarket donates a percentage of every pound you spend to Monkton Combe School. Not convinced? Then please have a careful look as all over the UK charities and schools are benefitting!

“It is very special to have the support that we do at Monkton, and this is one of the reasons that rowing is able to compete at such a high level on the national stage.”

Monkton Bluefriars

Monkton Combe School, and in particular Matt Wells (Director of Rowing), would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to the trustees and members of Bluefriars for their long-standing and unique support to school rowing. In the last two years we have had two wonderful improvements to our rowing facilities and these would not have been possible without the generosity, backing and mentoring of those actively involved in the charitable trust. T he key improvements have been the John Chaplin Boathouse at Saltford and the Bluefriars Rowing Centre, which houses 15 ergometers and the adjacent re-developed rowing tank. It is very special to have the support that we do at Monkton, and this is one of the reasons that rowing is able to compete at such a high level on the national stage.

And finally...

Thank you again for your interest, confidence and generosity in supporting Monkton, either through annual giving or in one-off gifts. T his is much valued. T he resources that you have entrusted to our stewardship allow us to invest in ambitious pupil-centred projects. Please can I encourage you to continue to stand with us as we create an environment in which Monkton can ‘look beyond the horizon’ and progress to even higher levels of excellence, recognition and achievement. On a personal note, I would like to say how much I have appreciated the opportunity to meet and get to know OMs, OCs, parents and pupils in my first few months in post. Forgive me if we haven’t yet met, but please do pop in for a coffee! Andrew Dawes Development Director 31

The Changing Face of Exams The landscape of exams seems to be constantly shifting and September last year signalled another raft of changes to GCSE qualifications. W elcomed by some, opposed by others, the new GCSEs (the first of which will be awarded in 2017) aim to be more rigorous with the majority changing back to a two year course as opposed to modular assessment. A new grading system will also be introduced, so we will bidding farewell to A/B/C and looking to the numerical grades of 1-9, with 9 being the highest grade. The administration of exams at Monkton is overseen at by Martyn Garrod who retired from teaching last year after an impressive 40 years service. Emma Shakespeare from the Development team caught up with him to talk about his time at Monkton.

Please turn over your papers!

Monkton stalwart Martyn Garrod joined the school in September 1975, replacing Latin teacher Michael Edwards to teach Geography and Maths. With PGCE in hand Martyn arrived fresh out of King’s College London and St Dunstan’s College in Catford returning to his roots after a brief sortie away from the west country to study for his degree. Martyn was attracted to Monkton because the school was able to offer him his ideal teaching post. He has been live-in tutor in Grove and Hill (when it was a Senior

Martyn Garrod retired from teaching after 40 years service.

“There are now many things that are not allowed in the exam hall including Apple watches and bilingual dictionaries.” 32 Monkton Magazine

House) before he eventually took over as Housemaster of School House in 1992, succeeding Julian Bewick. This was also the year Clarendon Girls School merged with Monkton. With the arrival of the girls, along came a young PE teacher called Miss Gollop (currently Director of Welfare Ros Garrod) who was recruited to run girls’ games. Coincidentally Ros also attended Martyn’s alma mater Trowbridge High

School, now known as John of Gaunt. So began a five year romance and in May 1997 they were married. They continued as House Parents of School House which they ran whilst living at The Croft. Two sons, Ben (currently Year 12) and Matty (currently Year 6) complete the Garrod clan. After a stint in charge of the Geography Department, Martyn took over running public examinations from Peter Bossom in January 2009 after reducing his teaching commitments. The exams team consists of Gillian Newnham, who looks after entries and results; Kirsty Aldridge and Miranda Kombert from Learning Support; Ros and Martyn. Most of the work is done in the winter months and it requires meticulous planning and detail in order to run a tight ship in the summer. The Exams Department is randomly inspected every year and, with the advancement of micro-technologies, there are now many things that are not allowed in the exam hall including Apple watches and bilingual dictionaries. Monkton is a public examination centre and has become a hub for external candidates many of whom are homeschooled. Some come from as far as Belfast to sit their exams. Martyn continues in his role as Examinations Officer on a part-time basis and staff and pupils alike are pleased to have his familiar presence about the place. He has outlasted four Headmasters/Principals and is now the only member of staff who joined under Dick Knight’s leadership. Forty years equals a Ruby anniversary, and for Martyn, 40 is a very special number; it’s the age he met Ros and an extraordinary number of years of service at Monkton!

Results Success! The most recent round of GCSE results saw records tumble, with over 40% of grades at A* and 70% at A* and A. The proportion of grades at A*, A or B was over 90%. 99% of all our GCSE grades were A*- C and all Year 11 students gained at least 5 grades at A*C including Maths and English. A Level results paint a similar picture, with more than 93% of grades at A*- C, and more than a third at A* or A. Against this backdrop, and all of our 5 Oxbridge candidates receiving offers, we are optimistic about this year’s results. 33

Drama Delights

Seniors Impress with Arabian Nights Last term, the Senior School put on a stunning production of the RSC adaptation of Arabian Nights. This was dynamic, physical group theatre at its very best and there was an incredibly high standard of acting. â&#x20AC;&#x2030;All of the cast multiple role-played and the use of costume, puppetry and music created a feast for the eye and a fluid unfolding of brilliantly choreographed dance and symbolic movement. The pupils also captured the implicit humour of the piece perfectly; the journey of the emotionally paralysed King was also meticulously mapped out and ultimately very moving. This was a wonderfully rich theatrical experience, directed by the talented and ambitious Mrs Allsop. There was a professionalism and confidence about this production that would not have been out of place in Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s West End. 34 Monkton Magazine

Year 7 and 8 Brush Up their Shakespeare! At the end of the Michaelmas term, an enthusiastic team of 50 Year 7 and 8 pupils showed us that we should all aim high when they performed a unique and entertaining abridged version of Much Ado about Nothing. Set in Leonatoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1950s style diner, with leather jackets and circular skirts aplenty, the audience was treated to dancing and singing, as well as the familiar words of The Bard. The interval allowed for some excellent devised Shakespearean quote adverts, with products such as Mild Green Fairytale Liquid, dating agency www.ShakespeareInLove.com and, for all your jousting accidents, ShakespeareLawyers4You! It was fantastic to see the commitment and development of the pupils as they performed Shakespeare with real confidence and understanding. They should all feel extremely proud and hopefully will go on to develop their love of Shakespeare.

Learning to Lead Part of our vision at Monkton is to equip our pupils with the attributes and skills to engage with the 21st century in all its complexity. Our aim is for pupils to have the discipline and social skills to work fruitfully and harmoniously under the leadership of others and, when necessary, to also have the confidence and skills to lead. Our pupils are encouraged to give service to others and are given responsibility in a variety of different ways.

House Prefect, as head of one of the many clubs or societies or taking on the mantle of captaining a sports team. At the Senior School, pupils may be a Noncommissioned Officer in the Combined Cadet Force, take part in our highly successful Duke of Edinburgh Awards activities, join the charity committee or organise a community service initiative.

At both the Prep and Senior schools there are numerous opportunities to develop leadership and organisational skills. This might be as a School or

Throughout the year, our Senior pupils also have several opportunities to meet inspirational leaders from all walks of life who we hope will enrich

36 Monkton Magazine

Charity Committee reps with gifts collected for Operation Christmas Child

Issa: “I

their understanding of the many skills involved in being an effective leader. Recently, we welcomed ex-international rugby player Lee Mears back to the School. Lee has a long-standing relationship with Monkton and will be combining his sporting experience with executive coaching to run a series of seminars throughout the term with our Sixth Formers. The seminars are designed to help pupils identify opportunities to develop leadership and other life skills beyond the classroom. To further enhance leadership opportunities, both schools have introduced distinct leadership schemes, the main elements of which are outlined below.

really like the leadership programme. It helps me to improve my own skills and is helping me to understand that there are lots of different types of people in the world, and how to respect those differences.”

Leadership at Monkton Prep School

Underpinning our innovative curriculum is the leadership programme at the Prep School, which was established six years ago with the primary aim of inculcating the notion of service to others. More specifically, the programme encourages pupils to find their place within the community and the School; to identify who, why and how they can help; and to develop an awareness of respect, responsibility, courage, resilience and compassion. Designed for pupils in Years 6, 7 and 8, the programme is delivered through a mix of training seminars and hands-on experience. At seminars, pupils learn about leadership styles and coaching through a combination of games, discussions and activities. For example, prefects might role-play different scenarios, freeze frame the action and put a younger pupil into the situation to see how they might react. Mentoring is a key part of the programme and every Year 7 and 8 pupil is a mentor to a younger pupil, meeting a minimum of three times each term to talk about how things are going and to set goals. This might be over a board game or whilst chatting about a good book. Mentors are trained not to give answers to problems, but to encourage the younger pupils to find their own solutions. It is fantastic to see the way mentors engage with our younger

Nicole: “Sometimes, younger

pupils will tell you things that they may not want to talk to their parents or teachers about. A Year 3 pupil told me she was sad because her big brother was going on a trip and she was going to miss him. I felt that I was helping by listening to her and told her the time would pass really quickly.” pupils. When they meet, it is often more than just a friendly conversation - the pupils learn to listen well, to guide and encourage and to pass on any concerns to staff. When pupils reach Year 7, they all take on roles of responsibility. Being on duty around the School with the staff or leading our worship are popular roles as is serving on the Eco or School Council. Pupils also enjoy organising events or acting as ambassadors of the School as they meet parents and visitors. In Year 8, pupils start to look ahead. Through guided peer discussion, they are encouraged to reflect on how they come across to other people, their goals and what their legacy to the School will

be when they leave. At the start of Year 8, all pupils attend a leadership morning where they take part in three leadership activities – physical, mental and one that is a mix of both. Pupils work together to think through the best courses of action; after each session they analyse what went well and what they could improve so that when they tackle the next task they can put their ideas into action.

The Senior School Leadership Award

Our Leadership Award programme in the Senior School, launched at the start of this academic year, was designed specifically for our Sixth Formers to help them understand how the skills they refine during the last phase of their education will influence their future 37

Learning to Lead

From the Blogs

Year 12 pupils’ Leadership Award blogs

“It is the ability to develop what most people would term ‘soft skills’ that distinguishes an outstanding candidate from a good one.”

education and career. In designing the programme, Leadership Award Director Rachel Glasgow conducted significant research into what qualities business leaders and universities look for in identifying outstanding candidates. Rachel explains; “My research indicated that, above all else, it is the ability to develop what most people would term ‘soft skills’ that distinguishes an outstanding candidate from a good one. Firms need young people that are resilient, good communicators and understand how to work as part of a team.” As a result, identifying and understanding attributes such as adaptability, honesty, empathy, knowledge, commitment, resilience, organisation, communication, creativity and risk-taking are key elements of Monkton’s award programme. With support and guidance from tutors, pupils choose ten activities from six possible areas of assessment, recording their progress and thoughts in personalised blogs, sometimes supplemented with photographs. The possible areas of assessment are cultural, physical, responsibility, service, academia, and vision. Some extracts of Year 12 pupils’ Leadership Award blogs are opposite. 38 Monkton Magazine

“Every week (commitment) I work in a charity shop, usually helping at the till. Often I find that people just come in to have a chat with us (communication); sometimes they donate old clothing or items and want to share the story behind those with us (empathy).” Victoria

“To play in the national tennis tournament in Scotland I had to work out how to get there (organisation). I had to forfeit going on holiday with my family (commitment) and had to explain to my family that I wanted to play in a tournament instead of going on holiday (communication). In the tournament I had to change my game to suit the game styles of different players (adaptability) and play unexpected shots (creativity). To recover from the lows where I hit a bad shot on a crucial point, I needed to show resilience.” Oliver

“Yesterday I co-led the Model United Nations session (organisation) (commitment). For this, I created a number of fun tasks so that others would enjoy the session and learn from it (creativity) (empathy). Chairing the debate required skills in public speaking as well as flexibility in adapting to the various situations (adaptability). To have led this required attendance at the committee meeting (commitment).” William “I acted in the school production, Arabian Nights (creativity) and went to rehearsals at least twice a week (commitment). I had to learn all of my lines for the play and my blocking (organisation). On stage, I have to speak very clearly and boldly to communicate clearly to the audience (communication).” Richard

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had an expedition planning route day in November. It was hard to continue concentrating for five hours straight (commitment) and I came up with an idea that if we split into two groups, route cards would get done a lot quicker (communication, organisation).â&#x20AC;? Sofya

Family Focus The Gurney-Champions The Gurney-Champions and Monkton go back a very long way. T he family’s involvement with the School spans several generations, from Matthew Gurney who ran the School farm for a number of years in the early 1900s to a younger Matthew Gurney, who left the School in 1983. The earlier Matthew Gurney had three sons: John, Theodore and Geoffrey, who were the first in a long line of Gurneys to join the School as pupils. John Gurney (25) joined Monkton Combe Junior School in 1917 and the Senior School in 1921. He was followed in the early 1920s by his brothers Geoffrey Gurney (28) and Theodore Gurney (28). John was destined for a career in the military, attending the Royal Military Academy Woolwich after he left school and rising through the ranks to retire as a Brigadier in 1955. His second career was as a school Bursar for Wadhurst College, a girls boarding school in East Sussex. Geoffrey and Theodore took a different path from their elder brother and both went to Bristol University to study Medicine. After graduating, they both became missionaries. Geoffrey travelled to Abyssinia with the Red Cross and became the founder of the Red Sea Mission Team. He also worked in Somaliland, Eritrea,Yemen and Pakistan. Theodore also spent some time in 40 Monkton Magazine

John Gurney-Champion and wife with sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren

Abyssinia followed by Burma, before returning to England. Aside from a war time interlude when he served as a Major in the US Army Medical Corp, Theodore’s primary career was focused on general practice. He did, however, take on the role of Home Secretary for The Red Sea Mission Team from 1963 to 1974. Peter Gurney (51), Theodore’s son joined the Junior School in 1944 and was followed by his brother Robert Gurney (58) in 1953. The similarities

between father and sons is striking. Like their father, both brothers studied medicine at Bristol University and spent time overseas as medical missionaries; Peter in Pakistan, Aden, Ethiopia and Eritrea and Robert in Israel, Tanzania and Kenya. On returning to the UK, Peter worked as a consultant ophthalmologist in the Midlands. He has three children and several grandchildren. Robert settled in general practice in Brixham, Devon. Edwin Gurney (28) arrived at Monkton in 1926. Little is known of

John Gurney (25)

Theodore Gurney (28)

John Gurney-Champion with sons

his life other than he was in business in Bristol.

John Gurney-Champion (39) joined Monkton in 1938 aged 15 but left a year later to join his father’s legal practice in Newport, Isle of Wight as an articled clerk. He took the Solicitors’ Interim Exam in 1940 during the Blitz and was called up for Army duty two years later in 1942. John was given compassionate leave when his father needed an operation, delaying his officer training and also requiring him to run his father’s legal practice - quite a challenge for an 18-year-old articled clerk and something which required special permission from the Law Society.

Monkton. Nicholas (79) and Dominic (85) both followed in their father’s footsteps and became solicitors. Dominic works in London as a partner at Fieldfisher and Nicholas joined the family firm and runs the Portsmouth office. Christopher (73) took a very different path and worked as a professional clown with Albion Woods Circus touring for a year in the mid 80s. He moved to Holland in 1990 and was a prize winner in the Rotterdam International Street Theatre Festival in 1991 and first prize winner in the Leiden Street Theatre Fest in 1993. He is a self-employed clown, juggler, magician and street entertainer and has written booklets and articles on the therapeutic benefits of juggling. Currently, Christopher is Head of Drama at the International School in Almere.

Members of the family are listed in the school register under Gurney, GurneyChampion and Patton. Walter Patton (31) joined the Junior School in 1927 and moved onto the Senior School the following year. Following what was developing as a family tradition, he studied medicine at Liverpool University and worked as a house surgeon and physician from 1937 to 39. During the Second World War, he worked as Surgeon Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. After the war, like many of his relatives, Walter spent the rest of his working life in general practice.

Once his father was well enough to work, John returned to the Army where his legal background was to be very useful. At the end of the war he accepted a request to join the War Crimes Courts and moved to Rangoon as British Advisory Officer to advise the Japanese defence team. The appeals he wrote were so good that it was decided he should join the prosecuting team instead! When John returned home, he passed the Solicitors’ Final Examination and formally joined the profession of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather in May 1949. At the age of 92, John is still a full-time practising solicitor with no intention of retiring. He received a letter last year from The Law Society congratulating him on his 65 years on the Roll of Solicitors.

John Gurney-Champion and wife

All three of John’s sons attended

David Patton (59) joined the Senior School in 1953 and went on to study as a vet at the London Veterinary College. Later he worked for Boots Toxicology Research Department. Finally, Matthew Gurney (83), Robert’s son and Theodore’s grandson, joined Monkton in 1982. He studied Ecology at Royal Holloway and Bedford College, followed by a BSc MSc Course in Wildlife Conservation at the University of Kent. Like so many of his relatives before him, Matthew continued the family tradition of working overseas, this time as a safari guide and wildlife consultant in Zambia and Kenya for several years. He is now settled in England with his wife and works with Blue Forest, a company which designs and builds luxury tree-houses in Europe. 41

Obituaries

Chris Rogers (1936 - 2015) Secretary of the OM Christian Union, only last year, and was still available as a wise, prayerful, deeply compassionate pastor and friend thereafter.

Chris Rogers’s death last year is a major landmark in the history of Monkton Combe School. That is not because he held a prominent position in the world’s eyes; his impact on the lives of many was of a different order and in a number of significant ways far greater. Michael Cuthbertson, Head Master of Monkton Combe School from 1990 to 2005, wrote this moving tribute to Chris. Chris first came to Monkton in September 1950 as a boy aged 14. His life then remained interwoven with the School and its community right up until his death: he gave up his last official post,

Chris would recount to friends with an engaging chuckle some of his schoolboy memories and he had a considerable gift for mimicry of some who had taught him. Those were clearly happy days. University courses and overseas service followed before his return to Monkton as a member of staff in 1967. He did not come back alone: he had married Pat in 1960. Chris would have been the first to say that all he contributed was done in partnership with Pat and would indeed have been impossible without her. ‘Tabora’, their home in Shaft Road, became a place of wisdom, support and refuge for pupils and adults alike. Chris was a Biology teacher, a muchloved Housemaster of Grange for 20 years, OM Secretary and then Assistant Chaplain before retirement came in 1996. That only proved the gateway for further service: Chaplain for a year, Houseparent of Clarendon with Pat for a term, OMCU Secretary. However, no list can begin to convey what so many valued about Chris,

“Chris and Pat shared a huge heart for people. The mender of broken things was also a mender of broken people. We shall never know how many he and Pat helped by their listening, compassion, prayer and unostentatious hospitality.” 42 Monkton Magazine

in partnership with Pat. Chris was a craftsman: I still have on my desk the small wooden cross he made for me out of an old piece of Chapel furniture; he often mended furniture for people; he once broke into our home for us after we had locked ourselves out! He was also a craftsman in his garden, with a real love for God’s creation and an enviable ability on a walk further afield to spot a badger sett or riverbank kingfisher. Chris and Pat shared a huge heart for people. The mender of broken things was also a mender of broken people. We shall never know how many he and Pat helped by their listening, compassion, prayer and unostentatious hospitality. My wife Dawn and I are so grateful to count ourselves among their number and we knew their confidentiality was absolute.

Chris Rogers as a schoolboy

Brian Mawer (1934 - 2015) Chris was totally reliable. If Chris undertook a task, one could be completely sure he would let noone down. He must have lost count of the number of OM Committee Meetings for which he handled all the multiplicity of paperwork. I feared his dependability and constant willingness to help meant he could often be ‘put upon’. He would smile wrily and hardly ever complain. Chris was indefatigable in his commitment to the OM Club. He served for an amazing 42 years on the Committee. He edited the Gazette for many years: contributions were chased up, material went to the printers, lists were updated and the magazine was circulated, all with very little fuss and as regular as clockwork. Most important of all, Chris was selfless. He would have loved to spend longer in his workshop, creating and mending. Instead he gave long hours to OM work, particularly in order to produce the regular and much appreciated prayer letter for OMs and OCs. Others came first, because he - and Pat believed that was the life to which they had been called by God. “No man is an island...; any man’s death diminishes me.” (John Donne). All of us associated with Monkton are diminished by Chris’s death - but also deeply enriched by the life and example of such a faithful servant.

Brian joined the staff at Monkton in 1977 and left in 1995, probably the longest period he spent in one place. His impact on Monkton rowing was immense, not only as a schoolmaster, consummate oarsman and coach but also as a master craftsman and boat builder. For some years he was coach of the novices and his work there was the foundation of several successful first eights. All members of the club, from senior coaches to very young beginners, had much to learn from him. Brian demanded accurate and effective oarsmanship from his crews. He often sat in the 1st VIII coaches launch but almost never interfered in any way with the coaching that was going on. Conversely, it was a pleasure and a valuable experience to sit in the launch when he was coaching as there was always so much to learn. Brian was talented in so many ways. His speciality was Chemistry but he could turn his hand to other things as well: a notice ‘Sums Taught Here’ was written above his classroom door. He decided after many years in school that he would move to the workshop on the canal becoming boatman, boathouse manager and boat builder to the school. When he took over, much of the equipment was on its last legs and without the boats which he produced, assisted in the early days by Percy Tolman and later by Adrian Gayner, the club

would not have had sufficient seats for up to 125 members. These boats covered the full range: from the top eight in the club to fibreglass sculling boats for beginners. His talents meanwhile went way beyond the school and river: he could renovate houses to a high standard whilst certain dishes in his cooking repertoire were unsurpassed. Brian was generous in so many ways, perhaps helping an individual who needed a boost or responding to an appeal or giving his time - nothing was too difficult. There was an occasion when the makeup of the top crew had to be changed in mid-season. It was a difficult decision and Brian was on hand to support the coach and captain at a morning meeting at about 5.30am. On another occasion, when training entailed the crew missing a major meal at the weekend, Brian provided not just a meal but a feast – his famous beef W ellington and lemon meringue pie! One of the many e-mails received following Brian’s death was from an Olympic gold medallist who wrote, “Brian was one of those characters who made rowing so much more interesting. W hile he did not regularly show outward emotion, he did convey a feeling of complete engagement to the crew he was coaching. He was also one of the few people remaining who had the skills and passion to create a boat with his own hands using traditional materials. Perhaps that is why he was so engaged with the crews he followed.”

Obituaries

Hudson (Cim) Thompson MBE (1922 - 2015)

Cim was born, the third of four children, in Belfast in 1922. T he family later moved to tranquil Teignmouth in South Devon. A bright student, Cim always kept fit and excelled in sports. He starred in rugby, rowed at Henley and started a judo club, becoming a black belt. He also enjoyed running, sailing, golf and squash. Cim had long associations with both Cross Keys cricket and rugby clubs. As a student in Bristol during World War II, Cim directed night rooftop

“He was a founding chairperson of the St David’s Foundation, a hospice-at-home movement which now is active in Risca and Gwent.” 44 Monkton Magazine

incendiary watches, as well as horseback patrols with his father’s mounted troop of the surrounding hills. He served with the Merchant Marine Service and became an instructor participant of unarmed combat used in commando rescue missions behind enemy lines.

Swansea and other industrial centres were required to be extended several feet. It was at least a step towards control of industrial smog. A later phone call indicated that Cim and his clinical research should take much credit for these required funnel extensions.

After leaving Monkton, living with his terminally ill mother had a profound effect on Cim, leading him to a career in Medicine. After the war, Cim established a very busy General Practice in Cross Keys, Monmouthshire. In 1979, he was promoted to Colonel in the Territorial Reserve in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He covered many events including the Investiture of Prince Charles in Caernarfon Castle in 1969. His unit’s rugged high standard of training in the 144 Parachute Field Ambulance Corps was studied with respect internationally. Cim was awarded the MBE based on both civilian and military contribution.

Some of Cim’s tenacious drive was directed into easing some of the pain at the end of people’s lives and he advocated with wholehearted vigour for palliative care at home. He was a founding chairperson of the St David’s Foundation, a hospice-at-home movement which now is active in Risca and Gwent.

Cim’s younger brother Andrew reflects on Cim’s many achievements; “Cim was always ahead and inspiring not only by age but in all other foundations of an outreaching, helpful life. I witnessed many interrupted night’s sleep for Cim during each of my periodic visits from Canada to his Cross Keys home, when he drove up rain-lashed mountain roads to answer an emergency call. Another example is when Cim shared the findings of his clinical research into respiratory illness and air pollution at an informal gathering we were both invited to at the House of Lords. Six months later, air funnel chimneys of factories in

Our mother had always hoped for Cim to become a medical missionary in China. Cim, his family pet name, stands for China Inland Mission; Hudson Taylor, his christened names, were for the founder of CIM, Dr Hudson Taylor. Although Cim was diverted from missionary life, I always believe his life of healing was directed by his inner compulsion to reach towards our mother`s hopes. His drive would have been further solidified by the Christian ethos at Monkton. Cim was a warm intelligent man full of compassion and confidence. He would wish to be remembered for his passion for his Welsh mountains and valleys through which he walked, and where he treated with dedication, gentle skilled care, love and respect for his patients.” Cim Thomson died on the 9th September 2015.

Michael Coates (1932 - 2015) Michael arrived to take up the post of Headmaster of Monkton Combe Junior School in 1969, like the present Headmaster, with a very young family. He came from Sedbergh School having taught earlier at Rugby. Michael previously studied at Clare College, Cambridge, where he read History, and at Marlborough College where he was senior prefect and captain of cricket. Fortuitously, Michael already knew Dick Knight, Head Master of the Senior School, from his Marlborough days; Dick had taught and coached Michael at cricket.

“It was during Michael’s time at Monkton that the School began its annual Wells Walk, which has raised a small fortune for Save the Children.”

Like all headmasters, Michael left his mark on the School, in part, through the buildings. He oversaw the development of a gym, an assembly hall and the Law building, filling some much needed gaps in the school facilities at the time. Law was opened by Princess Anne in 1983. Her Royal Highness was persuaded to do this because of the School’s efforts, initiated by teacher Chris Hatton, on behalf of the Save the Children Fund of which she is Patron. It was during Michael’s time at Monkton that the School began its annual Wells Walk, which has raised a substantial amount for Save the Children.

Michael’s involvement in school life was total. His games were cricket and hockey and he coached both, producing unbeaten sides. He also played the flute in the Orchestra, produced plays and, as a Lay Reader, he regularly preached and led services in Chapel. W hen Michael retired in 1984, he took up the post of Secretary of the International Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) and was at last able to have time for his real passion – fishing. Underpinning all this activity was Michael’s strong Christian faith. At the end of his first Headmaster’s Report on Prize Day in 1970, he summed up his approach saying, “Christianity provides the inspiration and touchstone for all that goes on here. It is all too possible for a boy at school to excel in so many activities and yet still be like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. But it is also possible for a boy who may achieve little or no success in any of our activities to yet take away from here the most priceless benefit of all – a life founded upon the bedrock of a personal faith in Christ.” Michael Coates died peacefully at a nursing home near Sherborne on the 15th April 2015. He was 83.

Michael managed to persuade the Science Master from Sedbergh, David Quine, to come south. David was an ornithologist with an expertise in wildfowl and Miss Easterfield’s rose garden was subsequently converted into a bird reserve, which stocked and bred rare wildfowl for the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust - and the Bishop’s moat at Wells! 45

the gazette om news – spring 2016 Are you an Old Monktonian or an Old Clarendonian? Do you have any news you’d like to share with us? Find out how to get in touch at the end of this news section. Here’s what’s on the grapevine in this issue:

Welcome When Tim Dewes approached me to succeed Emma Jane Taylor as OM President, I was immediately enthusiastic - through my roles as a pupil, parent, school doctor and even a governor’s spouse, I have seen the school flourish from many varied perspectives. However, my enthusiasm was dampened by an immediate clash of dates; a close family friend had chosen to get married in Cornwall on the same day as the 2015 President’s Lunch in Champs Hill. Not to be dissuaded, Tim quickly videoed a spontaneous interview which I believe was shown during the day. Apologies! I understand the lunch was a wonderful occasion enjoyed by a large number of OMs. Particular thanks to David and Mary Bowerman for hosting the event. I would also like to thank Emma Jane for her energy and enthusiasm during her five years as OM President. I know she brought a welcome link too for Old Clarendonians (OCs) who, of course, are now an integral part of the OM Club. I was challenged to find a venue that would attract a similarly large contingent of OMs in 2016. I think I have succeeded! As a local GP in Bradford on Avon, I am privileged to visit some fantastic and historic properties. Belcombe Court, between Winsley and Bradford on Avon, is not open to the public but by kind invitation of Paul and Caroline Weiland, we are going to have the 2016 President’s Lunch on Saturday, 16th 46 Monkton Magazine

April at this amazing venue. It has a beautifully restored tithe barn where we will have lunch before roaming the wonderful gardens. I am told the tulips will be spectacular! Please join us and even combine the trip with a visit to the school to see the new Basson Art and Design Centre and indeed the Music department – why did they wait until we all had left? My first association with Monkton was as a 13-year-old in Hill House. We were all sorry to see the house change to become a junior house and then Combe Grove sold to become the private home of Mr and Mrs Grant. They generously opened their house for old Hill boys to go back and reminisce last May as we remembered the days of drung runs, absent central heating, cold baths and toadstools on the damp walls – character building we all called it! How Monkton has changed! I hope to tempt you down memory lane in the future – not least to meet old friends from your year group. If you have any ideas or suggestions for events, please get in touch with me, Tim Dewes or Caroline Bone.

Nigel Gough (77) OM Club President

OM General News Don Hollands (46) received a British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year Honours for services to the community in Wimpole, Cambridgeshire. Don served as a Parish Councillor for 50 years and continues to be involved with the community - he is Chairman of the village hall and has been a church organist since he was 10! Don has been married to his wife Thelma for 60 years and together they have four sons, Stephen, Christopher, James and David.

*** Norman Parker (53) has written a book entitled The Genesis of Nature and the Nature of Genesis published by New Generation Publishing, which includes a page about biology at Monkton in the early 1950s.

*** John Bristow (54) and Graham Cann (55) were the masterminds behind a rugby reunion for those in teams from 1952 - 1954 (see later report). Bernard Cornwell (61) made his first foray into the world of non-fiction earlier this year with the publication of his book Waterloo:The History of Four Days,Three Armies and Three Battles. Also this year the last in the Warrior of the Storm series was released and a TV series of the books The Last Kingdom debuted on the BBC in October and was released in the US in January 2016.

***

Gordon Lowe (64) had his second book The Acid Bath Murders published in November. This tells the true story of serial killer John Haigh who, after committing five perfect murders to fund his luxury lifestyle, became careless with the sixth victim. A third book on Donald Nelson, The Black Panther, is coming out during 2016. Further details on www.gordonloweauthor.co.uk.

*** Richard Cooke (68) conducted Christmas classics with the Royal Choral Society and the Fanfare Trumpeters of the Coldstream Guards at the Royal Albert Hall in December.

*** David Preston (69) has produced the second worship album in a series of four entitled A Thousand Words of Love.

*** John Kiddle (75) became Archdeacon of Wandsworth in November last year. Prior to this, he was Canon Residentiary of St Albans Cathedral and Director of Mission.

*** Richard Wilson (85) Vicar of St Michael’s Twerton was appointed Rural Dean of Bath in Spring 2015.

*** Ben Egerton (94) lives in New Zealand working as a teacher at a large intermediate school, having taken the last year out of the classroom to complete a Masters in Creative Writing. He is still playing hockey, arguably playing better now than when he was aged 18. Ben plays for the premier grade for a club side and last year played for New Zealand in the masters (over 35s) hockey side in a test series against Australia in Melbourne. He writes, “It was a fantastic experience – wearing the black shirt and silver fern and representing New Zealand in international hockey and even scoring in the final game!”

*** Tom Price (94) is an Academic Tutor at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and an apologist for RZIM. He studied Philosophy at university and later completed an MA in Christian Apologetics. In recent years, Tom has spoken at universities and churches in

Hong Kong, Europe, South Africa, the USA and other places across the world. In the UK, he has provided teaching for major conferences such as Keswick, Spring Harvest and BMS Catalyst. He lectures for HTB School of Theology and is regularly involved in outreach alongside Oxford Inter Collegiate Christian Union and other Christian Unions. Additionally, Tom has written for various media outlets and has appeared on Premier Christian Radio’s Unbelievable? Tom was previously the Founding Editor of UCCF’s website bethinking.org. In June he spoke at TISCA national meeting on ‘Communicating with the Culture of the iGeneration’.

*** Bradley Salisbury (92) has been appointed Head of Dean Close Senior School.

*** Paul Kingsley-Smith (98) set himself a target to run a marathon a month plus four half marathons last year to raise money for Youth for Christ. He finished the year having run 54 half marathons, seven marathons, and covered a total of 2041 miles. He has since moved on from Youth for Christ to take up the position of Worship Pastor at St Paul’s Church in Salisbury.

*** Sarah Kiefer née Coates (02) had an article published on what competitive sport taught her about business success in The Guardian. It looked at the unexpected role that sport can play in improving women’s representation in business covering topics like: It’s ok to fail; learn to feel comfortable in your own skin; you have the power to drive your own success; and understanding the true value of teamwork.

*** Genevieve Bailhache-Graham (05) is a full-time athlete who trains out of Henley Rowing Club (HRC) and heads up the high performance senior rowing programme. Last year’s racing season saw her race a single scull. As a relative newcomer to sculling, Genevieve has been a sweep oar rower since she was in the 4th Form at Monkton, so sculling has been a steep learning curve for her. Last season, after spending five months

out due to a wrist injury, she fought her way back into the mix, finishing an unbeaten season with a win in the senior women’s 1x at Henley Women’s Regatta. T his was a spectacular performance as she won each race convincingly. Genevieve then went on to represent HRC at Henley Royal Regatta in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup. This is the first time that HRC have been represented in this event. With fierce competition for one of the eight places, she knocked out the Israeli single sculler who was 11th at the 2014 World Championships to secure her place, and lined up with six international scullers and one lightweight. Unfortunately, Genevieve was drawn against the current Olympic Champion Mirka Knapkova. W hilst many would be unhappy with this prospect, Genevieve was thrilled. The race was a dominating performance from Mirka, who went on to win the event in convincing style, but Genevieve proved her sculling prowess.

*** Ben Stupples (10) had an article published in the Sunday Times entitled ‘Isis effect helps spark 15% rise in hate crimes.’ He also won Young Journalist of the year at the VMG Mind Awards.

*** Leanne Pounder (11) attended Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida after completing her A Levels at Monkton. She graduated from PBA with a degree in Psychology (major) and Philosophy (minor) in December 2014. Shortly afterwards she went to South Africa for five months of Mission Discipleship Training with Operation Mobilisation. In late August, she flew from Hong Kong to Malaysia to begin a two year commitment to serve as a missionary on board the ship Logos Hope.

*** Mike Lawrence (12) has had a very busy and successful summer of top notch rowing. Mike has enjoyed success at Henley Regatta and the Strathclyde Country Park. At Henley, he got through to the semi-finals of the Diamond Sculls only to be beaten by Mahe Drysdale, the World Champion. He was then picked to row for England at the Strathclyde 47

Country Park in the single and quadruple sculls. Mike trains under Miles Forbes-Thomas at the Quintin Boat Club in West London. Mike’s rowing journey has hit a few bumps in the road and his career is a good story about resilience and perseverance. In 2011 he was dropped from the GB Junior Team when he picked up a nasty chest infection. But his determination and tenacity came through with support from Monkton Bluefriars and the University of East London. For 2016, Mike is focused on the British Rowing Championships in October, Olympic Trials and the World Student Games. He is also hoping to do some training with Olympic silver medallist Alex Partridge (99) at Molesey Boat Club. Mike’s other exciting news is that he will be in the film Stratton with Dominic Cooper, a thriller about the Special Boat Services (SBS) working alongside MI6 to prevent a terrorist attack in London. Stratton is to be directed by Simon West and produced by GFM Films and is based on a series of books by ex-SBS agent Duncan Falconer. Besides Dominic Cooper, the cast includes: Derek Jacobi, Tom Felton, Austin Stowell, Gemma Chan, Tyler Hoechlin and Thomas Kretschmann. Mike is studying Criminology at University of East London and has just been accepted into the RAF Military Police Reserves.

*** Chris Brown (14) is currently a Year 2 student at the University of Gloucestershire studying Sports Coaching and Development. When not in lectures he is an on call volunteer with the British Red Cross Emergency Response Service which provides support and help to people in crisis following events such as house fires, floods or other situations being attended by the Emergency Services. He is currently ‘the face’ of Red Cross and volunteers in a digital recruitment campaign being run by the British Red Cross on social media, radio and in the press which seeks to encourage more volunteers to come forward. Chris is also an Officer Cadet in the Royal Navy Reserve, University Royal Navy Squadron and has enjoyed recent deployments, including being Guard 48 Monkton Magazine

Ship for the Bournemouth Air days this year and Officer Training at Dartmouth. As if that was not enough to keep him busy, he is making best use of his rowing credentials in a professional capacity as a qualified Level 2 Coach, a qualification gained with support from the Monkton Bluefriars Charitable Trust. Chris is an Assistant Coach at Wycliffe near Stroud, alongside another OM Greg Flower (05) who is the current Head of Rowing there.

*** Katherine Lightbown (14) dropped in to Monkton just before returning to Pembroke College Oxford for her second year where she is currently studying Theology on a highly soughtafter scholarship. She was carrying a rather special bronze medal which she won through competing at the National Shooting Centre in Bisley, Surrey last June. Shooting for Wales, Katherine came third in the Match Rifle categories at 1000, 1100 and 1200 yards in the able-bodied Elcho Competition. This for Katherine is a remarkable achievement since she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a very young age. Katherine took up shooting just a year and a half ago and to have made this progress is quite astonishing. She admits that she did not enjoy sports whilst at school so was really thrilled to find something she was really good at on top of her academic pursuits. Katherine has a busy competition schedule ahead of her with the World Championships in April and the possibility of competing at the Paralympics in Tokyo in 2020.

*** Dan Mangles (15) had reason to celebrate last Autumn. He was awarded an Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) Diamond Jubilee Scholarship which is worth over £2,500 per year for students studying for their degrees. The criteria for these awards is at least 3 As at A Level. Dan is currently studying Engineering at Oxford University. T he scholarship also entitles him to free membership of the IET while he is still studying.

OCs Pamela Towill nee Dowley-Wise (OC 40) has written another book at the age of 90. Legs! Legs! Legs! about her life with horses. It is published under her maiden name. She has another book in the pipeline called Love Letters from a Chindit and a Lifetime of Memories.

OMs Elected to the C of E General Synod Mr James Edward Cary (93) lay candidate

*** Edward Shaw (95) for the Diocese of Bristol

*** The Venerable Dr Justine AllainChapman (OC) Archdeacon of Boston since September 2013

Honorary OM News Dr Alan Kerbey OBE (Hon OM) Development Director of Monkton Combe School between 2002 and 2014 has been appointed as a Lay Member of the Chapter of W ells Cathedral (the Cathedral’s governing body). He is also a consultant to the Genesis Trust (Bath) and the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK).

*** Norman Botton (Hon OM) and Richard Newport (Hon OM) played in the winning Somerset cricket team in the over 60s XI against Yorkshire beating them by 35 runs at Great Oakley in Northamptonshire to lift the Seevent County Championships Trophy.

*** Brian Saunders (Hon OM) Maths master 1959 - 63 is alive and well living in Lincoln. John Lechler (64) visited him last year in his Lincoln home. Brian is now 87, with Parkinson’s disease, but is largely himself a good deal of the time. Still with his slightly eccentric sense of

humour and phraseology; predictably interested in trains as any mathematician is; and married to Margaret with two daughters. A lovely Christian man, ordained shortly after leaving Monkton and now helping as a church sitter in a Lincoln C of E very near the cathedral.

*** Peter Sibley (Hon OM) was in the Bath Chronicle last November as part of the newspaper’s features on 150 years of Bath rugby. Peter is credited with introducing ‘the Bath Way’ in the sixties and starting to move the club towards Premier League status.

Special Visit Staff at Monkton Senior School were delighted to welcome members of the Imperial Family of Ethiopia to Monkton on Sunday, 19th July. Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate a best-selling author living in Germany, came with his two sisters, his brother-in-law and an array of nephews and nieces. In 1988, Prince Asfa-Wossen established the Prince Asserate Kassa Prize for Outstanding Sportsmanship in memory of his father, a prize which has since been awarded annually. He also donated a beautiful ceremonial Ethiopian Coptic Cross to the Chapel. The Prince is keen to keep his association with Monkton since his late father, the former governor and viceroy of Eritrea, Li’ul Ras Prince Asserate Kassa was an OM who attended the School from 1937 - 38. The Prince has strong ties with Bath: his great uncle was the last Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie, who lived in the city at Fairfield House between 1936 and 1941, his years in exile.

1953/54 Rugby Reunion Report by David Ives On the 1st October last year, a gathering of the past players of the 1953 and 54 XVs met at the Wheelwright’s Arms before going down to Longmead, the scene of our greatest triumph where we beat Kingswood School in 1953, the first win against that school since 1929!

It was a lovely sunny autumn day; Longmead looked in immaculate condition and we were looking forward to seeing today’s First XV play against King Edward’s School. The first thing we noticed was that the pitches had changed direction, presumably to avoid the cricket square. There was also no singing from the pavilion, unlike in our day when before each match we belted out He who would valiant be...The School made a brave showing against a superior team, managing after a poor beginning to reduce the deficit in the second half. Tea in the Old Hall followed, hosted by Andrew Dawes, Caroline Bone and Tim Dewes. Some of us avoided the unflattering ballet mirrors installed there! Our day concluded with a dinner at the Limpley Stoke Hotel. Peter Sibley, former Bath captain and member of Monkton staff, gave an excellent and witty after dinner speech. Unfortunately, our coach Charles Grimwade was unable to attend but sent his best wishes. John Bristow (54) and Graham Cann (55) had worked hard to gather a good number of their respective teams, and absent friends were toasted! Many memories were recalled and stories told.

Births Eric Dugdale (89) and his wife Brooke are pleased to announce the birth of their son Tiago Oliver, born 10th December 2015.

*** Jamie Cox (99) and Alisa née Greenlees (00) are delighted to announce the birth of a daughter Leagsaidh Jean Greenlees Cox, born 14th March 2015

*** Matt Parfitt (00) and his wife Amy welcomed the gift of a daughter Phoebe Rose Parfitt, born 6th March 2015, a sister to Layla.

*** Louise Champness née Wilsher (05) and her husband Jack were delighted to welcome their baby daughter Alessia Bea into the world on 4th December 2015. She’s completely gorgeous and growing rapidly!

***

Naomi Martin née Stafford (08) and her husband John are pleased to announce the birth of their first child, a daughter, Ottilie Alice, born 27th November 2015.

*** Louisa Usher née Nurse (97) and her husband Tom are pleased to announce the birth of their third child Sienna Catherine Rosemary Usher, born 30th March 2015 and much loved by brothers Benny (aged 5) and Kit (aged 3).

Marriages Tim Wills (90) married Marie Clark on 12th September in Wye, Kent. The wedding was attended by former Eddystone Housemaster Donald Gorrie and his wife Helen (Hon OMs), Kate Bird (90), Joe Short (90) and Christina Lewin-Smith née Gorrie (91). Joe Gorrie was photographer on the day as well as a guest!

*** Andrew Knell (00) got married to Henrietta Knell (nee Holford) on 7th November 2015 at Holy Trinity Brompton (London) followed by a reception at the Honourable Artillery Company (London). The wedding was attended by several OMs including Duncan Mills (00), Oliver Anderson (00), David Goodman (00), Marcus Knell (02), Nick Wheeler (00), Matt Parfitt (00), Arthur Dalton (00) and Liz Knell (nee Nalder, 01).

*** Robin Baddeley (04) married Ruth Richardson on 27th June 2015 at Ruth’s home in Shropshire. OMs attending were Tatiana Graham (04), Lotte Creeth (04), Nicola Wren (07), Norman Botton (Hon OM), Ian Bygraves (Hon OM) and, of course, the whole Baddeley Family. Robin is a Specialist Registrar in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at The Royal Free Hospital in London; Ruth is a surgeon in training also at The Royal Free Hospital.

*** Ben Brzezicki (05) married Hannah Mills (05) at Monkton on August 15th 2015.

*** 49

Toby Ling (09) married Hannah Tinlin at Monkton on 4th July 2015 followed by a wedding breakfast served in the Main Dining Hall.

Deaths Colin Butler OBE FRS (30) died at the age of 102 on 4th January after a short illness. He attended the School from 1927 to 1930 and went on to study Natural Sciences at Queen’s College, Cambridge where he gained a BA, PhD and MA. After graduation, he won a Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries research scholarship and went on to become superintendent of the university’s entomological field station, teaching and carrying out research on whiteflies and locusts. In 1939, he left Cambridge for Rothamsted. Colin concentrated his career on Entomology with a particular interest in bees and was one of the world’s most distinguished entomologists. His field studies of honey bees explained much of their behaviour and helped to solve pollination problems in crops. After the war, in 1946, he travelled to the US to learn about new techniques of instrumental insemination of honey bees and, on his return, he developed the techniques in collaboration with J Simpson. Together they inseminated many queen bees, including for Brother Adam, the beekeeper at Buckfast Abbey who became famous for breeding the disease-resistant Buckfast bee. Colin and his wife Jean became lifelong friends of the monk; Jean would send him a birthday cake each year. Colin was such an enthusiast for field research that he even used boats as mobile laboratories, once rowing out to sea in a fishing boat with his son on a calm evening and deploying ‘queen substance’ on a mast to see how far out they could attract drones. Colin published several books about bees, including The World of the Honeybee (1954), a classic monograph, and Bumblebees (1959) with John B Free. During the 1960s, Colin served as treasurer of the Royal Entomological Society and later as president in 1971-72. He was president of the 50 Monkton Magazine

International Union for Study of Social Insects from 1969 to 1973. A member of the National Trust Regional Committee for Devon and Cornwall, he also served as president of Cornwall Naturalists Trust and was an honorary member of the British Beekeepers’ Association. In 1970, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and awarded an OBE. After retiring from Rothamsted, Colin moved to Cornwall to enjoy his hobbies of fishing and sailing. Later, he and his wife Jean moved to a village near Cambridge to be near their family. Jean died in 2011; their son and daughter survive Colin.

*** Peter Chivers (35) died on 11th September 2015, aged 95. Peter was the youngest of three brothers who attended the school in the 1920s and 30s, the others being EJ ‘Ted’ (27) and HF ‘Fred’ (33). All three were directors of the family building company based in Devizes covering the whole of the south of England and South Wales. Peter was also uncle to WE ‘Bill’ (84). He will be sadly missed by family, friends and colleagues.

*** John Russell Brown (39) died on 25th August 2015, aged 91. A distinguished Shakespearean scholar who was also involved in practical theatre, he was a close associate of the director Peter Hall at the National Theatre for 15 years from 1973. John was the second son of Russell Alan Brown, a First World War veteran and pork butcher, and his wife, Olive (née Golding), a teacher. The family lived above the shop in Gloucester Road, Bristol with their two sons David and John. David was destined for the church and eventually became Bishop of Guildford. John left school aged 15 and joined the family business but caught the theatre bug at seaside pier shows. When World War 2 broke out in 1939, he joined the Fleet Air Arm and was transferred to Scotland, where he serviced Spitfires and luckily avoided a posting on a ship that sank with all hands on board. After the war, John attended Keble College, Oxford where he read English and tutored undergraduates in Anglo-

Saxon, supervised by JRR Tolkien. His academic career started at the Shakespeare Institute, where he was a fellow (1951-55), followed by 10 years as an English lecturer at Birmingham University becoming Professor and Head of Drama and Theatre Arts at Birmingham from 1964 to 1971. Ever active, he was professor of English at Sussex University (1971- 82). When Richard Eyre succeeded Hall at the National Theatre and appointed Nicholas Wright as his literary manager, John concentrated on his writing and was Professor of T heatre at the University of Michigan (1985-97). John’s scholarly articles in publications such as Shakespeare Survey, Critical Quarterly and the Tulane Drama Review were always worth reading. His 1957 book Shakespeare and His Comedies was one of the first to take the Comedies seriously, and his more recent editions Directors’ Shakespeare (2008) and Actors’ Shakespeare (2011) – with essays by Wells on Judi Dench and Paul Edmondson on Harriet Walter – are essential documents of the contemporary theatre. Tall, affable, industrious and encouraging – and a keen gardener – John represented the best of the scholar/ practitioner/teacher tradition he helped establish in British theatre. He is survived by his wife, Hilary (née Baker), whom he married in 1961, their three children, Jasper, Alice and Sophie, and nine grandchildren.

*** John Orr-Ewing MBE (39) passed away peacefully on 23rd August 2015. Beloved husband of the late Kathleen and father of Margie, David, Ali and Nigel and grandfather of Ruth, Esther, Lizzie and Andrew. A service of thanksgiving was held at Wye Parish Church.

*** Hudson (Cim) Thompson (39) died on the 9th September 2015. A full obituary can be found earlier in The Magazine.

*** Reginald John Fussell (40) died on 16th March 2015 at the age of 92 years.

***

Cyril Malcolm Lea-Wilson (42) (known as Malcolm) died on the 27th October 2015, aged 91. Born to Leslie and Sybil Lea-Wilson in 1924 in Uganda, Malcolm grew up on the Namutamba Tea estate established by his father, 88 km west of Kampala. As many other Lea-Wilsons would do subsequently, he followed his older brothers Kenneth and Reggie to Monkton Combe for his senior school years, which he remembered with much fondness. Earning a place at Clare College, Malcolm headed to Cambridge to read Engineering and to row in the 2nd VIII. However, his studies were somewhat cut short when he was called to join the War effort as a pilot in the RAF. Returning to the Namutamba Tea estate and dairy farm in Uganda after the war, Malcolm took on the management of the estate. Alongside the farm’s agrarian and commercial objectives, Namutamba was often a welcome rest-stop for international missionaries and evangelists including William Nagenda. In addition, Malcolm set up a chemist dispensary served by the mission hospital as well as taking over his father’s dentistry work for the estate employees. Malcolm met Barbara Heenan in 1951 and they were married later that year at Namirembe cathedral, Kampala. She supported him throughout his life both in Uganda, before being forced to leave by Idi Amin, and subsequently in the UK. Upon moving to the UK, he and Barbara were wardens of the St Helen’s Christian Conference Centre, Fairmile Court in Cobham, Surrey followed by Brunel Manor Christian Conference Centre, Torquay and subsequently at the Shaftesbury Society home in Merstham, before retiring to Poole. Malcolm was a keen jogger and sea swimmer and would combine both daily throughout much of the year. He was keen on innovative DIY and always had his penknife, string, diary and pen in his pocket. He was a huge blessing to his Poole grandchildren in particular, being so full of fun and encouragement. Hugely shaped by his faith and undoubtedly encouraged by his Christian upbringing and experience at Monkton, Malcolm touched so many people’s lives with his Godly wisdom, gentle manner and servant-hearted nature. He is survived by his wife Barbara (of 64

years), four children, 15 grandchildren, three great grandchildren with two more on the way. From the memories shared at his thanksgiving service, he was a faithful ambassador of his active Christian faith to so many people in so many places who will be greatly missed. Great comfort and delight are taken in the fact that he is with his Heavenly Father and his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

*** Eleanor Ashton (43) died on 28th December 2015. Eleanor’s connection with Monkton went back a long way. Her father, William Thompson (1904) was at the School and later became Bishop in Iran. Her husband, Thomas (Dick) Ashton (40) was also at Monkton, rowed at school and later coxed the Cambridge varsity boat to victory in 1949. Eleanor’s son, Paul (73) rowed at school and was head of School House. Her nephew Bahram Dehqani Tafti (73) was at the school a year ahead of Paul. Dick Ashton was Vicar of St Dionis, Parsons Green for many years and, with close proximity to Putney, for many years the Monkton crews stayed in the church hall for the nights around the School’s Head of the River race. Eleanor cooked momentous breakfasts for the crews, (sometimes numbering up to 40!) and was given a silver oars brooch in appreciation of her support. Eleanor was sadly to lose Paul aged 23 in 1980, a few months before Bahram died, and Dick aged 63 in 1986. She lived in Wimbledon and continued being healthy and hospitable until the week she went into hospital in mid-December. She was happily to meet her first great grandson when he was just three days old, four days before she died. Eleanor was always interested in others and delighted by their success. She had a deep love for Monkton and the history shared by the family with the School and particularly with rowing. She is greatly missed by her daughter and grandchildren as well as a wide circle of family and friends. Around 200 people celebrated her life in her church in Wimbledon on 14th January.

*** Jeffrey Ashenden (46) died peacefully on 19th August 2015 aged 86 years. Loving husband of Brenda and loving father of Simon, Jane, Sally, Mark and

Rachel. Much loved Grandpa of James, Ben, Jennifer, Harry, Tom, Ivor, Sid, Poppy and Betsy.

*** The Revd John Martin Claris Colbourn (48) died on the 15th October 2015 aged 85. He was Vicar of St Thomas’s Trowbridge (1959 - 65), St John the Evangelist, Fareham (1965 - 87), Crich (1987 - 95) and Rural Dean of Alfreton (1988 - 95).

*** Roger Shutter (52) died in January 2015.

*** Chris Rogers (55) died on 11th June 2015. A full obituary can be found earlier in The Magazine.

*** Dr Hugh Coleridge (59) died on the 6th March 2015 in Meysey Hampton of a brain tumour. Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika on 14th January 1942, he was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather to Opa, brother, uncle and much loved GP in Cirencester.

*** Julian Leach (92) died tragically in September 2015.

OC Deaths Miss Joyce Stanley OC (39) died on 15th September 2015. Born in Palestine in 1920, her father was an Irish physician, surgeon and missionary. Joyce was the first of five children.The family returned to England in 1925 and settled in a small village in Shropshire. Educated at Clarendon School in Malvern, Joyce then gained her teaching qualification through a correspondence course, rather like today’s Open University, before moving to Australia and New Zealand in the 1950s. Whilst teaching in North Island, she spent her summer holidays tramping in South Island. Those who have visited New Zealand in the past 20 to 30 years would find it difficult to appreciate that current roads were only walking trails when Joyce was there. When she tutored in Australia she also spent some time on horseback herding cattle. When Joyce returned to the UK, it was not on 51

a plane taking less than one day but by sea to Bombay and then overland. Joyce continued her teaching career in England taking a post in Barnstaple, which also allowed her to follow her other great passion, walking. She was a life member of the YHA and joined the Ramblers Association in 1958. In 1977, she became one of the founding members of the North Devon group. Her love of walking continued throughout her life and on her 90th birthday she enjoyed a three mile walk with friends in the snow. Joyce was frugal in the way that she lived, preferring to give to those who were less fortunate than herself and she supported many charities over the years. She was Deanery Synod Sec from 1977 - 1993 and Lay Chair from 1993 - 1999.

Honorary OM Deaths Michael Coates died on 15th April, 2015. A full obituary can be found earlier in The Magazine.

*** Malcolm Robson, Junior School Hockey Coach, 1979 - 1998 passed away in May 2015. Malcolm was known to generations of hockey players at Monkton Combe Junior School, where he coached hockey from 1979-1998. He coached some of the best players ever produced at Monkton, working tirelessly to ingrain the basics and to inspire youngsters with a love of hockey. He was never paid for his coaching, yet he gave up many hours to the School, including weekends. As one former pupil has commented, “Malcolm was a legend to me. Never one to mince his words, he was an incredible coach and he had just the right mix of humour and fire. He had an amazing ability to coach the basics and inspire us to practise them over and over again.”

*** Kay Trenchard former PA to the Head of Monkton Prep School died of pancreatic cancer in October 2015, aged 67. Kay was one of the longest serving members of staff at Monkton, having

worked as the Prep School Head’s PA for 25 years. Kay was a very loyal servant of the school and was greatly loved by all the staff and pupils. She was extremely efficient and was always willing to stay on well after office hours in order to see a job through to completion. She was a real character and had an infectious laugh and wonderful sense of humour; as her husband, Paul, said at her funeral, she sparkled and made those around her sparkle, too. Kay knew everything that was going on in the school; she just had the knack of gauging the pulse of the school, and was thus able to assist the three heads she worked with (Peter LeRoy, Ewen Clarke and Chris Stafford) in a very special way. Kay was a friend to all and her passing will be mourned by many. Her funeral was a wonderfully moving occasion and was well attended by many staff - past and present - who came to pay their respect to someone who was much loved by the whole community.

Brian Mawer died on 11 September, 2015. A full obituary can be found earlier in The Magazine.

*** David Quine died on the 22nd October aged 88. David was a much loved teacher at Monkton Combe Junior School from 1971 to 1984. He was Head of Science, Chaplain, naturalist, an author, and the initiative and energy behind the remarkable bird reserve at the Junior School with a series of ponds containing an array of ducks and rare species. This was featured on Johnny Morris’s Animal Magic TV programme and supplied rare ducks to Peter Scott at Slimbridge. His wife, Mary, taught at Glenburnie for the same period and also taught physics at the Junior School. He retired in 1985 on health grounds and he and Mary moved to the Lake District at that point. As a pastorally minded couple they were responsible for the junior boarders who, at that stage, lived in the dormitories on the top floor of Glenburnie. Mary was a much-loved teacher at the Pre-Prep, where the Quines also lived. 52 Monkton Magazine

Rugby Reunion 52 - 54 on Longmead Ben Egerton (94) representing New Zealand in international hockey test series

John Lechler (64) visits Brian Saunders (former staff)

Genevieve BailhacheGraham (05) winner of Senior Women’s 1x at Henley Women’s Regatta

Mike Lawrence (12)

Chris Brown (14) British Red Cross volunteer

Sienna Usher daughter of Louisa Usher nee Nurse (97)

Ottilie Alice daughter of Naomi Martin nee Stafford (08)

Alessia Bea Champness daughter of Louise Champness nĂŠe Wilsher (05)

Eric Brooke Dugdale (89) with son Tiago Oliver

Tim Wills (90) married Marie Clark, 12th September 2015

Ethiopian visit

Duncan Mills (00), Oliver Anderson (00), Andrew Knell (00), David Goodman (00), Marcus Knell (02)

2010 leavers reunion

Toby Ling (09) married Hannah Tinlin, 4th July 2015

John Orr Ewing MBE (39)

Robin Baddeley (04) married Ruth Richardson, 27th June 2015

Eleanor Ashton (OC48) with her boat

Dates for your Diary 2016 Sunday 13 March

OM Hockey and Netball Monkton Senior School

Saturday 16 April

OM President’s Lunch Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon

Friday 22 April

Lt Col West VC DSO & Bar MC Memorial Dinner

Sunday 24 April

OM Football Monkton Senior School

Saturday 7 May Open Morning

Sunday 8 May

Summer Concert Monkton Senior School Chapel

Sunday 15 May

Monkton Combe Choral Society concert Monkton Senior School Assembly Hall

Thursday 9 June

OMs in Creative Arts Reception The Fentiman Arms, London SW8

Sunday 19 June

Cricketer Trophy (first round) Monkton Senior School

Friday 24 June

Concert on Longmead Monkton Senior School

Monkton Magazine Saturday 25 June

Senior School Prizegiving and official opening of the Basson Art and Design Centre

Saturday 25 June

OM Men’s and Women’s Tennis Monkton Senior School

Saturday 18 June

Farewell to Glenburnie and St George’s Chapel Monkton Prep School

Saturday 9 July

Prep School Prizegiving

Friday 30 September 2011 Leavers Reunion London

Editors

Ali Fairhurst, Communications Officer Emma Shakespeare, Web Developer Tim Dewes, OM Club General Secretary

Photography

Thank you to all who have kindly submitted photographs for the Monkton Magazine 2016

Feedback

We would welcome your comments on this publication. Please send them to: The Editor, Monkton Magazine, Monkton Combe School, Bath, BA2 7HG or email: development@monkton.org.uk

OM News items for our website

Knight Lecture, Terry Waite CBE Monkton Senior School

Please send to: Caroline Bone, Alumni & Development Officer, Monkton Combe School, Bath, BA2 7HG or email OMs@monkton.org.uk

Saturday 8 October

Tel: +44 (0)1225 721195

Friday 7 October

Open Morning

Sunday 9 October

Super IXs Rugby Tournament Monkton Senior School

Saturday 26 November 2006 Leavers Reunion Monkton Senior School

December

OM Carol Service London Monkton Combe School Monkton Combe Bath, BA2 7HG reception@monkton.org.uk admissions@monkton.org.uk development@monkton.org.uk oms@monkton.org.uk +44 (0)1225 721102 www.monktoncombeschool.com

54 Monkton Magazine