Old Oakhamian Magazine Issue 116

A Great Innings

England cricketer Stuart Broad looks back on his time at Oakham - and reflects on the legacy of Frank Hayes p18

Critical Care

An OO’s experience nursing the Coronavirus frontline p22

From Donkey to Trough...

The Archives explore 10 pet names for places around School p28

The first girls walked the grounds of Oakham School in September 1971, so we are busy planning our celebrations to begin in September 2021.

We need your help!

We would love to hear from OOs who experienced first-hand what it was like to be at Oakham in the 70s, when the School transitioned to co-education. We are sure there are lots of memories and photographs you could share, stories you could tell us, and insights that you can offer.

So please do get in touch with us as your input will be invaluable in all that we have planned to commemorate this occasion – including special events for you all to enjoy.

Leadership

Editor & Alumni Manager

Becca Maddocks rim@oakham.rutland.sch.uk

Managing Editor

Rachel Fairweather rf2@oakham.rutland.sch.uk

Director of External

Relations

Samantha Rowntree sr@oakham.rutland.sch.uk

Art Director Sam Bowles sam@stencil-agency.co.uk

Designer Charlotte Ashley charlotte@stencil-agency.co.uk

Commercial Advertising enquiries

Becca Maddocks rim@oakham.rutland.sch.uk

Production

Dear Old Oakhamians...

Well, what a year it has been. I’m certain I speak on behalf of us all when I say, it didn’t quite go according to plan… I would like to sincerely thank you all for your part in encouraging and growing the strength of our Oakham Community, especially during this challenging time. With OO events being postponed, tours being cancelled and the School being closed, it brought us a lot of joy to see how the OO Community came together. We have all adapted to maintain a virtual world, and your ongoing support, as ever, is invaluable.

As I am writing this, it is only a month away until our OO ‘virtual’ Christmas Drinks. We are truly looking forward to seeing you all once again. Henry Price, our Headmaster, will kick off the evening with an update from the School. Henry will be followed by our current OO President, David Gilman (89), who, due to this challenging year, has agreed to stay in post for another year, to continue to support the OO Club and the wider Oakham Community. For this, we are incredibly grateful – his quick wit and radiant sense of humour (particularly – in his words – the “dad jokes”) have certainly kept us smiling!

Although we have been unable to get together in person this year, we feel the ‘virtual’ Christmas Drinks will bring focus to what is most important – an opportunity for our Alumni Community to spend time together. I am mindful that it will not be the same as our usual lively event in London, however there is certainly a silver lining – for the first time for many, we will have OOs tuning in from all over the world who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to attend!

Adaptability is the key to survival (and success), and this year, the members of the OO network have shown just how resilient you are, as you have continued to grow from strength to strength. Today, as I’m writing this, we now have 2,726 members on the OO Facebook page! It has been great to see so many photographs being posted and memories being shared – please keep them coming. On the Old Oakhamian Instagram page we now have 580 followers, which is increasing daily. Also, on the Oakham Hub, the OO network has grown to 1,365 registered members – which is fantastic to see!

So, congratulations to you all. And, if you haven’t already, please join us on the social media pages – details are below.

This year, we welcome the Class of 2020 to the OO Community, and my thoughts go out to them; their final year at Oakham ended in a very different way. For our recent leavers, and for our younger OOs who are looking to start their careers, your advice and support cannot be underestimated, particularly during such a strange and confusing time. I would encourage you to sign up to The Oakham Hub and please do let me know if you are willing to help in any way. You can find details of the Oakham Hub below.

I am sure you will have noticed that this edition has a different feel to it; we wanted to take the magazine in a new direction, offering a new look, fresh features and something that really captures our Alumni Community in all its glory. A big thank you to all our contributors and a special thank you to Honorary OO Brian Needham and Jon Wills (73) for their continued efforts. In this edition, you will find a feature on Emily Healey (06), and her experiences nursing on the frontline of Covid-19 (page 22). I was incredibly moved when talking to Emily, as she shared the challenging experiences she has faced this year. Emily spoke fondly of her time at Oakham, and I would like to share what she had to say, as it really resonated with me, and I hope it will with you too:

“I really enjoyed my time at Oakham. It’s a special place –I’ve always found it difficult to explain – it’s not just a school, there’s a real community feeling behind it.”

If you have an idea for a future feature for the magazine, or some OO News, no matter how “big” or “small” you may feel it is, please send all details to the OO Club. We would be delighted to hear from you.

As I write to you sitting at my desk in College House, it is humbling to think of it as a place that has seen so many of you pass through; both during your time at School, and when you have visited as OOs. I hope that you will consider a visit here, once social distancing is no longer a way of life.

I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas, and look forward to seeing you in 2021.

Quasi Cursores.

Becca Maddocks, Alumni Manager

@oldoakhamianclub

Search ‘Old Oakhamian Club’

The Oakham Hub: thehuboakham.com

CONTENTS

News of two births, an engagement, and one wedding; plus news of OOs in Sport and the Arts and one charity bike ride.

ALUMNI INTERVIEW

Greg

DAIRY GOOD!

How ‘mobile milkmaid’ Jess Armitage (13) is bringing organic milk to the county.

1584 SOCIETY

An interview with Peter Lawson (60) on his lifelong connection with Oakham School and a profile interview with new member Claire Bodanis (92).

FRANK & STUART

Honorary OO Frank Hayes reflects on his extraordinary career, including mentoring Oakham’s greatest cricketer.

Actor

Hicks (71) recalls how his love of theatre was nurtured at Oakham.

NURSING THE CORONAVIRUS FRONTLINE

Emily Healey (06) on her experience nursing Covid-19 patients in the ITU. 24

OO ENTREPRENEURS

Ivo Nanev (14) and Tia Naneva (17) talk about running Oakham’s Scandinavian café Fika and their plans for the future.

26

MEMORIES

OBITUARIES

OO Death Notices and lives remembered

PET NAMES

From the Beach to Out back, the Archives team explore some of the stranger nicknames for places around School.

OF OAKHAM

Mike Drew (74) and Owen Pegg (50) share their fondest School moments.

Births, Engagements & Weddings

Wedding

▀ Laura Ray (née Hollick) (10) writes:

‘Jamie and I married on Friday 21 August in Oakham – it was a smaller wedding than we planned but we managed to pull it off and had an amazing day followed by our honeymoon in Italy. My bridesmaids included 2 OOs –Stephanie Hollick, my sister (class of 2013) and Harriet Roberts (née Harriet Bland, also class of 2010)!’

Engagement

▀ Congratulations to Lottie Towell (14), on her engagement to Jonathan Milnes, which took place on Sunday 14 April 2019 at their home in Whissendine. The wedding will be held on Saturday 7 August 2021. We wish you a lifetime of happiness together.

Births

▀ Katie Chrimes (06) writes:

‘Our little girl Isla Elisabeth Jackson was born on 16 May 2020 at St George’s in Tooting, London weighing 6.8 lbs.’

▀ Vicki Rodger (née Mills) (97) gave birth to daughter, Margot, on Wednesday 22 April 2020 at Epsom Hospital; a sister to Calum, who is 4 years old.

Cycling for a great cause

▀ On 30 August 2020, James Beanland (04) and Ben Turnbull (12) raised over £4,000 after completing a cycling mission to raise funds for The Matt Hampson Foundation. Both James and Ben still play rugby locally and so decided to tour rugby clubs and grounds where they have previously played in a one-day biking bonanza. They began and completed their journey at Oakham RFC, and along the way they passed a number of clubs, including Market Harborough, Lutterworth, Leicester Tigers, Syston, Melton Mowbray and many more. Along the route they covered over 140 miles (222K), climbing 6,500+ feet

and passing 18 rugby clubs in total. Reflecting on their achievement, James and Ben said, “We are so grateful for every penny donated, every second given to support and everyone who helped make the day a success. We have made some amazing friends in the cycling, rugby and local communities. We have supported our friend and ex-team mate in his mission to Get Busy Living and defy the odds. We had an amazing time from the offset and throughout. We Did It!”

To read the full story go to the OO News pages of the website.

Music & Theatre

Sea Girls – Album release!

▀ Congratulations to Henry Camamile (12), Andrew Dawson (11), Rory Young (11) and Oli Khan (11) on the release of their new album, Open Up Your Head

If you haven’t come across their band, Sea Girls before, then head to their Instagram page @sonicseagirls or visit their website: www.seagirls.net/uk-eu and give them a listen!

Killing Eve

▀ Miranda Bowen (93) directed two episodes from Series Three of Killing Eve

Thank you to David Smith (Hon OO) for sharing this information. If you would like to, you can still watch the series on BBC iPlayer.

#SaveOurTheatres campaign

▀ A group of West End stars including Sarah Moss (04) came together recently to act in solidarity for the performing arts sector. The team at the West End Live Lounge put together their rendition of the song ‘The Show Must Go On’ by Queen as part of the #SaveOurTheatres campaign, which called on the Government to support the arts industry.

Sarah writes: ‘It’s been a

tough year for actors. I am, however, in a pantomime film of Jack & the Beanstalk that Peter Duncan (of Blue Peter fame) has created. It’s available from 4 December from pantoonline.co.uk and will be going into Everyman and Showcase cinemas from 4 and 11 December respectively. Filmed in Peter Duncan’s garden, it’s a brilliant example of how people have adapted to the loss of live theatre.’

Matt “Hambo” Hampson suffered a life-altering injury while training for England U21s and is paralysed from the neck down. The aim of the Matt Hampson Foundation is to provide advice, support, relief and/ or treatment for anyone suffering serious injury or disability which has arisen from any cause, but in particular from participation in or training for any sport, sporting activity or other form of physical education or recreation. To find out more, visit www. matthampsonfoundation.org

Photo: Luce Newman Williams

Sport

Cricket

▀ Congratulations to Tom Fell (12), who scored a century for Worcestershire in the Bob Willis Trophy. Tom finished on 110 not out as Worcestershire declared on 225-6, leaving Northants needing 265 to win. Tom was the Oakham First XI captain in 2012, and has played for Worcestershire since 2013.

▀ Congratulations to Lyndon James (17) who has signed a new two-year deal with Nottinghamshire CCC.

Rugby

▀ Five recent OOs have seen first class rugby action this season.

Cameron Jordan (18) made his Premiership debut from the bench for Gloucester Rugby in their match against Saracens in October after joining the club this summer.

Sam Costelow (19) joined The Scarlets in Wales, Harry Glynn (20) is playing for La Rochelle in France.

Sam Wolstenholme (17) was a member of the Wasps squad that reached the Premiership Final.

Jack van Poortvliet (19) made his Premiership debut in the 2019/20 season, playing five times for Leicester Tigers.

▀ Saracens full-back, Alex Goode (06), has agreed to a one-year deal to become the latest Premiership player to play in Japan’s Top League next season. In the final stint of his tenure at Saracens, Goode (06) shone in the Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster, scoring 19 points for Saracens. The game concluded Leinster 17-25 Saracens.

▀ Up in Scotland Hamish Watson (10) was selected again in the Six Nations Tournament.

Hockey

▀ Congratulations to Alex Stadler (15) who made his senior international debut for Germany this autumn against current World Champions Belgium. View the highlights here: https://twitter.com/fih_hockey/ status/1309001085970010117?s=21

▀ In August Stuart Broad (04) played for England in the second and third Test Matches against the West Indies with performances (73 runs, 16 wickets and a catch) to gain him the England Player of the Series accolade. He played in all three matches against Pakistan (the series won by England 1-0 with two very badly rain-affected draws) during which he scored 51 runs and took 13 wickets. This brings his Test Match statistics up to 143 played, 3,335 runs @ 19/.05. 514 wickets @ 27.65 and 47 catches. He is only the second English player ever to have taken over 500 wickets and is seventh in the all-time all-nation list, hoping to overtake Walsh’s 519 and even McGrath’s 563 by the end of the 2021 season.

Read more about Stuart’s record-breaking achievement and his reflections on former mentor Frank Hayes on page 21.

Clay Shooting

▀ George Cheer (16) is currently studying Agriculture at Harper Adams University but prior to this he spent a year working on the family farm and during this time concentrated on his clay pigeon shooting earning a number of international caps. At Harper Adams he is continuing with his shooting, making regular appearances in the University’s 1st IV Team.

CLAY SHOOTING ACHIEVEMENTS 2019

Competition: Held in: Ranking:

Great Britain Junior European Compak Team Greece Bronze

Great Britain Junior World Compak Team Hungary Silver

Great Britain Junior World Fitasc Team England 5th

England Junior World ESP Team America Bronze

England Junior Home International ESP Team Ireland Gold

England Junior Home International Fitasc Team England Gold

Cameron Jordan

Sam Wolstenholme

Jack van Poortvliet

Harry Glynn

Sam Costelow

Artists

Libby Armstrong

▀ Illustrator Libby Armstrong (18) set up her own business during lockdown producing characterful original paintings/ drawings/illustrations, fine art prints and greetings cards, specialising in pet portraiture.

She writes: ‘My compositions are hand-painted using a combination of watercolour and acrylic paints. I use black pen and ink to inscribe additional detail, and absolutely love the challenge of capturing each animal’s personality. Lockdown has provided me with the perfect opportunity to explore setting up this venture as I have been able to put my new-found spare time to good use by independently creating and launching my own website as well as expanding towards producing fine art prints and greetings cards of my work. I now enjoy producing a variety of commissions in addition to pet portraits and have recently released my latest collection of prints and cards that are available for purchase through my website.’

You can find Libby’s website on this link: libbyarmstrongillustrations.com/ or on Instagram @libbyarmstrongillustrations

Ella Deregowska

▀ Finding herself with plenty of time on her hands due to the lockdown, Ella Deregowska (17) decided to put her talent and passion for painting towards a valuable cause. Inspired by various fundraising activities, and spurred on by friends and family asking her for portraits, Ella started to take commissions with all proceeds going to the NHS.

Ella’s unique fundraising initiative took off; thus far she has raised over £800 for the NHS, painted 37 portraits to date and was featured in the quarterly lifestyle magazine grav.i.tas. Her favourite piece is of her friend Eddie, which is one of the earliest she painted during lockdown.

To see the rest of Ella’s fabulous artwork, visit her Instagram page @bigyikesart

John Tandberg

▀ Congratulations to John Tandberg (69), for his work on the Norwegian Rose Castle exhibition which opened in June this year.

John writes: ‘I am still a full-time woodworker and enjoy it very much. I made a minimalistic and elegant bird which shall remind people of the life of the Russian prisoners of war who worked as badly treated humans in Norway from 1942-44. You see, the Norwegians offered food and clothes to the prisoners and in return, they received small wooden objects as a “thank you”. The bird in question has a long history in Russian culture.’

The process of making the bird is explained on John's Instagram account: @johnsatelier

You can view the exhibition by clicking here: https://roseslottet.no/en

THE HISTORY OF THE BIRD

In the far North in Arkhangelsk province, there lived a hunter. Winter in the North is long and cold: snowstorm, blizzard and freezing cold. This year the winter stayed for a long time and cooled the hunter's house completely and the hunter's younger son fell ill. He was ill for a long time, got very thin and pale; neither doctors nor wise men could help him. The hunter grieved. He felt sorry for the little boy. The hunter asked his son: “What do you want?” The boy whispered: “I want to see the sun...”. And where can you get the sun in the North? The hunter was lost in thoughts, heated the furnace to warm the house. But the fire is not the sun. Suddenly the hunter noticed a splinter that was glowing in the fire. A smile lit up his face, and he knew how to help his son. The hunter was working all night. He carved a wood bird, made wood chips, decorated them with fretwork. He hung the bird above his son's bed, and the bird suddenly came to life: it began spinning and moving in the hot air that was coming from the furnace. The boy woke up, smiled and exclaimed: “Well, here is the sun!” From that day on, the child began to recover rapidly. So, miraculous power was attributed to the wood chip bird and it was called the “Holy Spirit”, the guardian of children, the symbol of family happiness.

GREG HICKS (71)

When were you at Oakham and why do you think your parents chose the School?

I joined Oakham in 1966 until 1971 – the year they brought girls into Oakham. They arrived as I was leaving – I have to admit to a quiet but resigned disappointment. My mother was from Uppingham and my father was in Bomber Command as a Flight Engineer in the Lancaster Squadron during World War II. At the end of the war he left the RAF to live and work in Leicester for the next 50 years, first as a market trader and then as a high profile Club Owner. He was one of the co-founders of the Liberal Progressive Synagogue and he and my mother were active in that history. He had little formal education, growing up in the harsh climate of London’s East End, so he was determined to provide the very best he could for his only child. He wanted a Boarding School with egalitarian but highly disciplined principles, excelling in academic standards and social awareness. Oakham was his choice and my place was confirmed, even before I was born. He hoped I would pursue a vocation perhaps in Law or the Sciences, providing the secure framework that he never grew up with. Much to his initial dismay I chose the path of theatre. I think I am one of the first few classical actors to emerge from the School.

What extra-curricular activities did you enjoy at School?

Unsurprisingly Drama! I had my first taste of performance at Preparatory school in Leicester, playing Shylock aged 11. I was presented with the Great Works of Shakespeare, by my then English teacher, as a symbol of intent for me to uphold.

The great Rod Smith, my English teacher at Oakham, nurtured this passion for the theatre - he was the catalyst for the next 40 plus years of my professional career. The last report he wrote of me encouraged me to train as a professional actor and follow my element. In the very early days of the Shakespeare Centre

Greg rehearsing for his role as Shylock

[now Old School] I was to play Malvolio. I remember being profoundly sure that this was my home, creatively and spiritually. Rod always honoured that in me and I will be forever grateful.

Did you have a favourite teacher at Oakham?

I had a love of English Literature and Rod Smith kept encouraging me. He was a proper radical and had huge vision and took great care of his students’ dreams. I remember performing Twelfth Night in Old School and just loved the theatre vibes. When I left Oakham, I secretly applied to Drama School and got a scholarship and kept in touch with Rod.

What are your favourite memories of your life at Oakham School (as a boarder)?

I was in Chapmans with Michael Stevens as my Housemaster. My grandmother lived round the corner from School and was really supportive to me. She would invite me and my friends back to her house every Sunday to feed us! It’s also where we had our first beers! I remember with such fondness when the Shakespeare Centre opened – those are my most golden memories.

What was your greatest achievement at School or a memory that you are most proud of?

I loved sports and remember the balmy summer days of playing cricket at the NCC and vividly recall catching the batsman out in a critical match. I also played rugby and have such fond memories of the friendships we made. There was a particular chap from South Africa that I was very close with. We were complete opposites; he was from a farming background and was strong and athletic and I loved Drama and English, but we still found common ground.

John Buchanan was a masterful Headmaster, deeply respected and a true pioneer for the School’s development. He had the quiet magisterial quality of an empathetic elder statesman – a rare quality. Some years after I left he came to see me perform in London with the RSC – in the now famous McKellen/Dench Macbeth performance. He wrote a letter of admiration and affirmation to me and I was profoundly touched. I am forever grateful for what he brought to my young life.

Do any other memories stand out from your time at School?

As the only Jewish boy in the School at the time, I remember not going into Chapel Services for religious reasons and finding myself sitting with another pupil who was King Faizal’s Arabian nephew who was the only Muslim in the School. Although this set us apart from the other pupils, we were united for different reasons.

How has your career developed since leaving Oakham?

I remember sitting on a bench aged 18 when I had been accepted into the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama and telling myself that I would give myself 35 years to

‘make it’ – after that I’d think of another career path, and I’m happy to say that I haven’t needed to switch paths! I am fortunate enough that I’ve now reached a point in my career where roles are given to me.

I am currently working on a rather outlandish project in Spain, where I live with my wife; a reinvention of The Merchant of Venice, a bi-lingual version of the play where I am playing the same role of Shylock at 66 that I undertook aged 11. It’s certainly experimental and I hope it’s a success. I would love to return to Oakham at some point and see how much the campus has changed.

What advice would you give to an Oakhamian on leaving Oakham School?

Endeavour to cultivate patience and the idea of a long arc of focus for your chosen path. When I began as an actor I felt myself to be an apprentice. Perhaps I still do. Everything is instant now. We live in a world of ‘scrollers’, where even to read a book is compromised by the frantic avalanche of information, mostly surface. I believe the art of reading, or listening to a play with profound attention is a vital political act that takes time and patience to cultivate.....a long time.

How has Covid-19 affected your journey?

Just before Covid-19 shadowed our lives, I was preparing to do Death in Venice as a monologue at the Arcola Theatre, London... provocative, haunting and I feel, deeply important as an expression of the exquisitely painful conundrum of being alive. We never got there, obviously, perhaps later next year, if live theatre still exists...

During the lull I went to Venice for the first time in my life – just to smell the timeless dark alleys and silent gondolas – to retrace the steps of Aschenbach in Mann’s novel.

As I sat on the beach at the Lido, in a solitary deckchair as in the film, I thought also of my schooldays; how rich, how complex, how tortured and how promising. How fortunate I was to receive all that Oakham had to offer. And how my mournful but beautiful time in Venice could only have been possible by the tracks laid in my formative years.”

Written by Antonia Scott (92)

Rod Smith kept encouraging me. He was a proper radical and had huge vision and took great care of his students’ dreams.

I sat on the beach at the Lido, in a solitary deckchair as in the film, I thought also of my schooldays; how rich, how complex, how tortured and how promising.

Greg rehearsing the first ever production in the Shakespeare Centre in 1969

Greg Hicks and Jon Tarlton

DAIRY GOOD!

Getting up at 3.00am to milk the herd is a far cry from Jess Armitage’s (13) original plan to work in London as an events planner, but the call of the land proved too strong. Jess has now applied the knowledge gained in her Business Management degree to found the sustainable milk business PrOganics. Becca Maddocks caught up with Jess to talk about her plans to bring locally produced milk to the Rutland community.

I had no intention of going into Agriculture at all. I studied Business Management at Reading University, but being really great friends with the Reading Agriculture students and also living with and educating Londoners who had no idea about Agriculture at all, or the countryside, my passion for Agriculture and its importance really grew.

On my placement year I decided to go to Australia and New Zealand and work for Agri businesses that are adding value. I worked for the largest chilli producer and grower in Australasia. From there I went to the Barossa Valley, outside of Adelaide, and worked in a farm shop, which was owned by a lady called Maggie Beer, who is essentially the Aussie version of Mary Berry, which was really cool. After spending several weeks working on two organic dairy farms, one in Australia and one on the South Island, I went to the North Island

to work for an organic dairy company that was doing milk vending machines and that’s where I got the idea from to do the same over here.

After finishing university, I was the young stock manager for the family business, so I did everything from looking after the calves when they were born, until they were weaned off. I’m still working for the family business now, milking cows and actually seeing those babies milking now, which is really cool. I’m now Assistant Herd Manager at Glebe Farm in Oakham, just at the top of the hill –so I’ve not gone far.

My cows are so chill. They just come in from the field, they amble into the parlour, they’re getting milked, they have a little bit of cake – well, rolled oats and a little bit of concentrate, but we call it cake. They stroll out, back into the field, looking over Rutland Water – which they don’t even notice because they are that chilled. I’m always telling them – “Girls, you’ve got the best view in Rutland.” They’re just so great. Yes you have to get up early and milk them, and in the winter it’s bigger – you still have to feed them, skip them out and make the beds, but it’s not a lot of responsibility. They’re pretty self-sufficient. And, baby calves are the sweetest things ever.

In August 2019, I launched PrOganic. What I do is I process the milk that we produce here on the farm – organic,

pasteurised, un-homogenised milk. I start the process early doors and then take it out to my customers. There’s one vending machine at Gates Farm Shop – that’s where we launched on 16 August 2019. Six months after that, I was approached by the Eco-village in Market Harborough to have another vending machine there, which was fab! I was averaging around 75 – 85 litres of milk sold a day in the first month.

At first people were drawn in by the big reusable glass bottles that we use to sell the milk. You as a customer come up to the vending machine and buy your bottle for £2. That bottle is then yours, and you then come back to refill your milk bottle from the vending machine. Then they tasted the milk and loved that it is proper milk – people would say to me “oh my goodness, I haven’t tasted milk like this in years… I can’t believe you’re the farmer!” It was great.

The big challenge for the business from Coronavirus was the drop in milk sales. Apart from my housemates moving out to isolate with their families, life didn’t really change for me. The cows still had to be milked – you still get up. We were lucky to have such a lovely summer. When I wasn’t selling that much milk, and I was still getting up, and I was bringing milk home on a return, it did take its toll. I did have wobbles, but then I stopped and told myself, “actually Jess, you’re 25 years old, you’ve launched a business. It’s still going after the first year, even with Covid, keep going.”

Two positives to come out of Covid-19 are that I took on three new suppliers and we are now producing and selling organic eggs from the chickens I bought during lockdown. We’re supplying Café Ventoux at Tugby, Waterloo Cottage Farm Shop, which is over the other side of Market Harborough, and really recently, I’ve started supplying The Waffle Bowl which is an Oakham-based company. They use our eggs in their ice cream too.

We’re also producing organic cheddar cheese and I’m hoping to start producing cream and butter soon. I’m just trying to do my bit to support the local community –Back British and all that jazz!

I have bought a delivery van that I’m going to get branded up with cow print and I’m going to market myself as the

‘Mobile Milkmaid’. I’m going to go out and visit farmer’s markets, do village runs. A bit like the fish and chip van, but selling milk, eggs, cream and cheese. Hopefully some really lovely coffees as well.

In the next two years I hope to get PrOganic to a place where I can employ maybe one or two people and firm up the business structure; sell milk, cream, cheese, eggs and perhaps organic oats on board. You can come to the van and get a PrOganic porridge pot. I’m stepping back from the farm now and my brother is taking my place as Assistant Herd Manager. We have Angus Beef animals on the farm too, so we’re hoping to do our own organic, grass fed, free range beef box scheme.

With PrOganic, we’re wanting to create a brand that is organic and sustainable.

Where people can learn about organic food and the importance of British agriculture and what we are doing as British agriculturalists to support and maintain this green and pleasant land. In the UK, we have the highest agricultural standards of anywhere in the world and we’ve got to shout and rave about it.

‘It’s scary but keep going’ would be my advice to younger OOs who are looking to start their own business. You’ve got to have your passion, you’ve got to have your drive. Things are bound to go wrong, but you’ve just got to persevere. You’ve got to be flexible and adaptable. It’s hard work, but totally worth doing. If it’s something you absolutely love doing and are passionate about, then go for it. If you don’t love it, then it’s going to be really difficult.

I’m always telling (my cows)

– “Girls, you’ve got the best view in Rutland.”

AN OAKHAMIAN LIFE

In Conversation with Peter Lawson (60),

Peter in 1950, aged 8

Peter back centre, with Pearson and Parkhouse in front, 1957

CCF annual inspection 1957 with Michael Stevens

To say Peter Lawson (60) embodies the Oakham School spirit might well be an understatement. He first arrived at Oakham School in 1950 at the tender age of eight years old and has remained deeply involved ever since; first as a pupil, then as a parent, then a Trustee, then Chairman of the Trustees. 70 years on since his arrival at Oakham School, he’s been appointed as our newest 1584 Society President.

These experiences, in his words, have given him a total love for Oakham School, so he was a natural choice to succeed our outgoing Society President, Katherine Sharp (98). Appointed in February, Peter’s tenure as President hasn’t followed the course that we had anticipated, so we are delighted that he has agreed to continue as President for another year. Here’s hoping that 2021 will offer more opportunities for this devoted servant of Oakham School to lead the 1584 Society.

How did your lifelong affiliation with Oakham begin?

I came to Oakham from a tiny Dame School. Just a dozen of us. The School seemed enormous to a timid eight year old (yes, we took in 8 year olds then). After a miserable first Roll Call by Bob Duesbury in Old School and a dreary run round the Burley Triangle, it rained throughout my first week (May 1950). But things only got better after that. Very soon, I felt that Oakham was where I belonged.

What was your time at Oakham like? This was obviously pre-girls, but what else stands out to you now that students today might find hard to believe?

I enjoyed Oakham and was proud of it. We had no computers, the swimming pool was open air, a ditch ran across Far Side, but it was invigorating and fun. Music was my area, leading the orchestra and winning the House Music Competition for Day Boys. I thoroughly enjoyed that. Another high point was representing the School at Buckingham Palace for the Centenary Parade of the CCF in 1960.

How else has the School changed since you first arrived?

My strongest feeling is that the core values of Oakham have changed very little: work hard, show respect, encourage others, and be optimistic. Since my time, Oakham has grown threefold: it has embraced both sexes, brought in IB, and acquired a huge range of buildings and facilities. Oakham is now proud of a magnificent Library, Science Faculty and Design Technology Department. The “Oakham Learner” has replaced rote learning. History is no longer taught just in date order. That said, my own lifelong love of history came from Bertie Bowes’ sheer enthusiasm in the 1950s. I remember his wonderful quote “After his victories, the legions all lined up and said ‘Jolly good show, Caesar’”.

How did your time at Oakham prepare you for life beyond its walls? Oakham gave me confidence. For a small town lad in Oakham, everything beyond the county boundary was scary, but what I had learned at Oakham prepared me for a wonderfully varied career ranging from making soap in Port Sunlight to managing the computer systems across the world for Pfizer, based in New York. Every assignment needs professional ability and networking, and Oakham gave me both the intellectual and human skills I needed for that.

What makes Oakham School so special to you that always keeps you coming back?

My roots have always been in Oakham – both School and town. It was the School that gave me the confidence and self-assurance to succeed, and to enjoy every assignment I undertook during my life, and I think it has done the same for my sons. I was immensely proud when Oakham invited me to become a Trustee and later to chair the Trustee body. Every time I set foot on the campus, it feels welcoming, and I feel welcomed.

An Oakhamian of any period feels a oneness with an Oakhamian of another period. It’s hinted at in that we all went to Chapel, and we all played sport on Doncaster Close. But I think it’s the way we sang the hymns, or the way we turned out on the field together that hints at the special community which affects many Oakhamians throughout their lives.

Why do you think it’s important for members of the Oakham community to donate or give back in other ways to the School? Those of us who went to the School have become the people we are today because of it. If your children went to the School, they are who they have become in part because of it. You can’t put a price on that, but I hope many of us will recognise what the School has done for us in practical ways or financially. That will help ensure that the Oakham from which we so much benefited will be there, flourishing, for our children, grandchildren and later generations.

In this rather strange and stressful time, how important is the support network that Oakham offers – both to its current and former pupils?

The simple answer is that it’s critical; and I know Oakhamians will all do whatever they can to support one another.

Do you have any goals for your time as 1584 Society President?

My time as 1584 Society President will be special because it will be in the immediate aftermath of Coronavirus. It will be a time when the whole world is putting itself back together and my goal will be quite simply to work with everyone to be sure that the Oakham we love is where it ought to be within that reconstruction.

Written by Joe Roberts, Development Assistant

Oakham gave me confidence – what I had learned at Oakham prepared me for a wonderfully varied career

Peter as Chair of Trustees at the unveiling of the sculpture Net Form 2

1584 Society Member Profile: CLAIRE BODANIS (92) (NÉE WINDSOR)

Development Assistant Joe Roberts talks to one of the 1584 Society’s newest members about life at Oakham, her career since leaving School and the reasons why she has chosen to become a regular donor to her former school.

Quick-witted and straight talking, even over the phone it’s easy to see why Claire Bodanis has been so successful, particularly at convincing major companies to trust her with their significant governance documents. That success has been hard won; Claire’s freelance career began with a part-time three-month contract in the early 2000s, doing internal comms for Tate & Lyle. From that initial contract, she has built her company, Falcon Windsor, into a leading corporate reporting and communications agency in London.

In 2019, the Chartered Governance Institute commissioned her to write a book, “basically a how-to-do-it” on corporate reporting, effectively crowning her the ‘UK’s leading authority on corporate reporting’ – “the best free marketing gift, ever.”

The commission came at the perfect time, “every day was a stress and I wasn’t enjoying it. So I hired an MD to run the company”, and took a step back to focus on the book. Trust me, I’m listed: why the annual report matters and how to do it well was published in June in the midst of Lockdown 1 (“a bit frustrating because we couldn’t have a jolly big party for the launch – although we did a pretty good Zoom effort instead!) and has been described as a “master class for everyone involved” by Dr Gerry Murphy, Chairman of Tate & Lyle and Burberry.

Claire came to Oakham at the age of 10, a year younger than the rest of her peers, from Botswana, where her father was stationed as a veterinarian working for the British government. Oakham was one of the few schools that was “very well set up for overseas kids back then, when there weren’t nearly so many of them”, and so on the recommendation of family friends they came to look at the school. Oakham allowed her natural independence to flourish - “I spoke with my parents once a term!” - particularly flying around the world as a child, first to Botswana and later Peru.

Speech Day Claire (left) with Cate O’Kane

I’m not giving money to the School to build another building or get more kit, I’m giving it to the School to enable it to give that fantastic education to others.

She was, by her own admission, more academic than anything else, but she did enjoy music, playing the piano and in the orchestra. “I wasn’t sporty at all. I did fencing, although my commitment to it may have had more to do with my pash for the fencing captain!”

On leaving Oakham, Claire had planned to take a gap year to catch up with her own age group, before studying AngloSaxon, Norse and Celtic at Cambridge University. But after missing out on an A in History, she abandoned her gap year plans to re-sit the exam, thanks to her history teachers, Nick Davenport and Roger Sweet, giving her free tuition. “I would come up on a Monday morning on the train from London, hand in my essay that I had done the previous week, they would mark it over lunchtime and then I would do a tutorial with them. I’ll be forever grateful for their generosity.”

After her undergraduate degree at Girton College, Claire went on to do an MPhil on the Venerable Bede – a topic which, rather surprisingly, still features in her corporate reporting career – this time at Corpus Christi College.

Then came the crucial decision – what did she want to do with her life? “I realised I didn’t want to do a PhD, I didn’t want to be an academic... and I didn’t want to be a lawyer or merchant banker or any of the classic Oxbridge career options.” So Claire got a temp job, “rocking around Cambridge doing market research, often approaching people with clipboards in the streets”, which included a brief stint as a tester for McVitie’s new caramel chocolate digestive.

After a while, she “decided [she] had better get a proper job, so joined a tech start-up in Cambridge” and it was there that she got interested in corporate communications and design. She finally left Cambridge, and got a job with a small corporate graphic design agency in London, which led to a big agency which did corporate reporting – which is what she does to this day.

After a few years, Claire ventured out on her own, after a client-cumfriend suggested she go freelance and offered her that initial Tate & Lyle contract. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Claire recently joined the 1584 Society, choosing to direct her donations to support SpringBoard Bursaries. “I got a huge amount out of Oakham. Access to a good education is so valuable. Widening access to university is pointless if we don’t widen access to education earlier on. Otherwise disadvantaged kids are doomed to failure at higher education.”

Claire’s reasons for directing her funds to the School’s Bursary appeal are simple. “I’m not giving money to the School to build another building or get more kit, I’m giving it to the School to enable it to give that fantastic education to others.”

“And it’s really in children’s best interest to go to a mixed school. The danger for middle-class and rich children is that they live in this little bubble, particularly if they’ve been to private school all their lives, and have no idea of the real value of things… it’s good for children to learn early on that they’re very lucky and shouldn’t feel entitled.”

Help us to nurture a diverse and talented community of learners.

As part of our commitment to ensure that our world-class education is available to all, regardless of circumstance, Oakham School currently provides means-tested fee support to 66 students, including two fully funded SpringBoard Bursary

pupils. Our goal over the next five years is to increase fee-assistance to over 100 pupils, and the number of fully-funded places to 18. Support a life-changing bursary and enrich not just the pupil who receives it, but the School and community as a whole. To find out more, contact the Development Team: foundation@oakham.rutland.sch.uk

Rutland Water after A -levels

(Left to right): Eddie Tavner, Clare Lucas, Hani Qushair, Claire, Matt Hansard, Beth Wake

Leavers’ Service

(Left to right): James Kelly, Claire, Matt Hansard, Kate Foyster, Beth Wake

FROM CRICKET PITCH TO CLASSROOM

Oakham School legend Frank Hayes reflects on his extraordinary

As a blond Lancashireeight-year-old lad ‘saved the game’ when the local opposing (senior) cricket team couldn’t bowl him out, it set Frank Hayes on an interesting journey. One that took him from Preston, to playing for his country. Then saw him move into teaching Physics and coaching cricket – most notably to another young blond player, Stuart Broad, who subsequently became one of the world’s best.

career, including mentoring the School’s greatest ever cricketer

nyone who was taught or coached by Frank Hayes, or worked alongside him at Oakham, knows that he has garnered far too many stories along this interesting journey to recount or do justice here. They will, no doubt, all make their way into the book he has begun to write since he retired after 20 years of teaching at Oakham. But it is all these many stories and experiences of his life, both on and off the cricket pitch, that formed the basis for his coaching, tutoring and teaching. “In Physics you can talk about forces and kinetic energy from when you kick the ball,” says Frank who was, by his own reckoning, “much better at football than cricket” but was put on a different path when his father sent him to a school that focused on rugby rather than football (although after he finished university he was still asked to play semi-professionally). In his tutorial sessions he tried to make the key messages relevant – including mentioning his experiences of seeing the consequences of drugs misuse first-hand at some all-star parties during his playing days in the 70s and 80s. He also frequently used his personal contact with Crista Cullen, Stuart Broad and many other famous sportsmen and sportswomen from Oakham and beyond that he had met, to highlight key attributes or concepts. Not because he was name-dropping – but because he knew the value of inspiring pupils. All with his ultimate goal – to help them to achieve their talents and maintain a good work ethic. “I’ve always taught the way I wanted to teach,” says Frank. “You can’t spoon feed children; it’s one of my pet hates - the input must come from them. They must put the hard yards in themselves.”

It’s always the stories rather than the numbers that Frank is interested in –although the numbers do make exceptionally good reading. He captained Lancashire teams from the age of 15 onwards and when he was 16 he scored a 100 batting in the Rose Bowl

to win a game for his local club side. He was the recipient of the collection – one pound, 17 shillings and threepence – which was secured in his Lancashire boys cap and he later bought celebratory drinks for the team in the local establishment (in those days it would have bought 75 pints of best bitter). However it was the 106 not out that he made unbeaten in his first test appearance – securing his spot as the 13th man to score a century on his debut for England – that made his name. He played in another 8 tests, 6 international one day games, before captaining Lancashire for 3 years and retiring from cricket in 1984. From a man who said “never, ever was I going to teach” following this retirement from professional cricket, he began coaching the U15s at Mere Cricket Club in Cheshire – which, thanks to the early success of his U15 team playing 12 and winning 12, he began to enjoy a lot more than owning and running a wine bar. It was his wife, Gill, who told him to apply for a teaching post – an original choice of Brentwood School changed to Felsted where he taught for 10 years prior to Gill, again, telling him to apply for the new role of Director of Cricket at Oakham. His own description of joining Oakham is, yet another, great story. “I had never heard of Oakham before – it had no cricket reputation – I hadn’t noted their name in cricketing circles. But we were going past Rutland Water and I thought this didn’t look a bad spot after all. It was a nice little town and when I saw the School and its facilities, I thought ‘Flippin heck this is fantastic’.” He joined Davie Steele, who was the cricket professional at Oakham at the time and the two became a formidable partnership. “On the first time in the nets I could not believe the talent that was here – it was ridiculous,” says Frank. One of these talents was a young Stuart Broad who joined Oakham in the same year. It is one of his

favourite memories of his time at the School – “Throwing Stuart balls for the first time.” It was a most rewarding period of my life and I’m extremely proud of enhancing the cricket reputation of the School, not least, securing the first Eton and Harrow fixtures. He recalls Eton arriving for their first game on the last Thursday of term, “I can see them walking across the pitch. The Master in Charge had a boater on and he said ‘what kind of a place is this, what a wicket, good grief, 55 overs’. I told him we’re not playing overs cricket – we play proper cricket here!. We chased 250 and won with three balls to spare. What a memory that is! Although we don’t play them now, the record states that we’ve won 5 of the 9 games – so we are still on top!”

England v West Indies

The Oval, 1973. A landmark moment as Frank Hayes is congratulated on reaching his maiden Test century.

Proud days: Frank with a young Stuart Broad outside the old pavilion on the School’s main square.

He also recalls a game against Harrow, “We played away – we got off the coach and David Steele went straight out the wicket. It was just a bit damp and we decided in no uncertain terms we’d bowl. Steele and I enjoyed looking at the scene – we enjoyed a cup of tea and a biscuit – whilst the captain was running the practice session. That’s what it was all about – the guys, themselves running and organising their own game – not overcoached by stereotyping coaches. We bowled them out for around 150 – Broad took 3 for 20 and stuffed Harrow out of sight – winning by 7 or 8 wickets. Stuart had a field day and finished with 75 not out. The Harrow cricket professional was magnanimous in

defeat saying – ‘that’s the best schoolboy cricket team I’ve seen in my life’.”

And this is Frank’s tour-de-force during his time at Oakham – his unwavering belief in not overcoaching. As he says; “don’t take me the wrong way; we could show and demonstrate to the boys any skill in the book, but we, also, told stories, encouraging players to find their own success, through their own love of the game and their own hard work. All the players that come though Oakham have their own mind; they aren’t stereotypes or robots. Of course, we help them develop and mentor them – but when they stride out on the pitch, they are themselves – it’s the soul of the player that you see, not the soul of the coach.”

Stuart’s wrist position was a thing of beauty. I remember saying to [David] Steele –we have some good bowlers who are older than him – but he has to play in the first team.

Frank Hayes

An Old Trafford great...

Success with the White Rose led to nine Test caps and six ODIs for England. Batting with another Lancashire great, Farokh Engineer.

Not overcoaching...

Frank recalls his ‘chats and conversations’ with Stuart Broad

“I threw balls at him when he was 12 and he was different – he timed the ball beautifully. David Steele and I were the first to recognise him as a bowler – he opened batting for county at a young age and did not bowl. His action was repeatable and his wrist position was a thing of beauty. I remember saying to Steele – we have some good bowlers who are older than him – but he has to play in the first team. He joined the first team, as a bowler, when he was 14 and became less of a onearmed bowler with the practice before gradually becoming a great all-round player.”

“He was fanatically keen,” recalls Frank. “On one occasion, when he was 15, I said to them all, ‘now listen lads – we can give you options, show you what to do – but next time I see you I want you to show me something you’ve worked out for yourself’. The very next day, the 15-year-old Broad excitedly found me before assembly, and said ‘if I put my fingers close together on the seam of the ball, I can bowl a yard quicker’. We gave him options and stories and he took them away and developed them for himself.”

“When he was 16, I threw him balls in the indoor nets. I threw him 12 balls and he missed 6 of them. ‘What did you think about that?’ – he said to me – ‘I wasn’t very good. My hips are out of alignment, my hands are wrong and I’m falling over’. ‘Broady’, I said to him, ‘you can get that right out of your brain – all that stuff about your alignment, and the rest! You’ve got voices in the brain, lad! I threw you the same 12 balls when you were 12, and you hit them all for four. Now just look at this little red ball and hit it. If you think about all that other stuff, I’ll never threw you any balls again.’ I threw him another 12 balls and he hit them for 4.”

“After being hit over the pavilion at Felsted School, he once said ‘they tell me at the county that I should bowl a shorter length’. David Steele told him, ‘You can bowl that stuff for the county, but you don’t bowl like that for Oakham, you bowl to hit the top of off stump!’

“The lad was in love with the game – he listened to advice but sifted it. What you see now is the boy himself – he’s his own man.”

headlines

Stuart Broad continues to make the back pages of newspapers locally and around the world...

Stuart remembers... being at School and under the guidance of Frank Hayes

▀ Can you remember the first time the pair of you met? I was at Oakham from the age of 12, but I’m really not sure what age I would have been on our first meeting. My guess is that it would have happened on either a Tuesday or Thursday night, during winter indoor training. These were optional sessions, so only the keenest cricketers were there. I remember it feeling very serious. I think David (Steele) would have been there too, as they were pretty inseparable. I’m not sure I got to hear one of the famous cricketing stories at that time, but I definitely got to hear a lot of them after.

▀ What do you feel you learned most from him? Frank was a very influential part of my cricketing upbringing. Not necessarily in terms of teaching technique, but definitely in him passing on his love for the game. He was always encouraging and supportive, and you could definitely tell that he was very much a free spirit. I’m guessing that the modern era might have suited his style of batting even better than when he played. I think he offered everything you would want from a school coach, in that he passed his passion on to us. Frank remains a big believer in cricketers finding their own way to be successful. I don’t think we lost many games on his watch. Even to the point of relishing when the more famous schools – the likes of Eton College or Harrow - came to play us. Oakham was a bit of a fortress.

▀ How do you remember your time at Oakham generally? A particularly happy time, I’d say. None of my memories are of sitting in a classroom – although it must have happened! I got the chance to try all manner of sports. I played hockey, some not especially high standard rugby - even tried rowing for a period when I was injured – as well as a lot of squash. There was lots of opportunity to participate, but it always felt competitive. And there was very much an attitude of if you got your work done, then being in the cricket nets for a bit of extra training wasn’t frowned upon. My sister Gemma was two years above me, and I remember both of us enjoying the experience.

Making history!

This summer Stuart Broad (04) firmly secured his place as one of the world’s finest cricketers after taking his 500th wicket in Test Cricket on the fifth and final day of the third Test of the 2020 series against the West Indies.  He is only the seventh bowler, and fourth seam bowler, to have achieved this feat in the game’s history. Impressively, he is also the second youngest, aged just 34, to have reached this extraordinary tally.    Stuart began his cricketing career aged 11 at Oakham. He fondly recalled his time at the School when he returned to give an inspiring Q&A session with pupils, saying, “I did all my learning here at Oakham, as well as in the back garden at home.”  During his post-match interview he paid tribute to his coaches – including former Director of Cricket, Frank Hayes, who taught him both on the pitch and in the Science Laboratory.  During his visit to the School, he described how Mr Hayes had advised him to “not make it too complicated, and to break it all down to its simplest form” –great advice which has certainly paid off years down the line!

After leaving Oakham School, Stuart’s rise to one of England’s most successful cricketers began when he joined Leicestershire CCC, before moving to his current club, Nottinghamshire CCC. He made his debut for England against Sri Lanka in 2007, where he took his first Test wicket. 13 years and 500 wickets later, he was England’s Man of the Match and Series, taking 16 wickets to help beat the West Indies, and securing his place as one of cricket’s greats.

Nursing the Coronavirus frontline

Emily Healey (06) is the lead gynae theatre practitioner at Peterborough City Hospital but in March 2020 she was reassigned to help nurse Covid-19 patients in the ITU. We caught up with her to find out about her experience nursing on the Coronavirus front line.

At the start of January, we were warned that if the virus was going to spread in the UK as it had in China, we might be needed to support the ITU. A theatre nurse’s work is very different to that of an intensive care nurse; we don’t deal with monitors, we deal with instruments, positing and operating. We had an afternoon of training and waited for the first cases to arrive. The first case came to Peterborough in the middle of March and then it gradually trickled, resulting in a big wallop of cases toward the end of March/first week of April, which had a big impact. We very much had areas of stepping – they converted our recovery to ITU and they emptied all the theatres to make the availability to put beds into it, so they could be ventilated in there. Then they used coronary care as well, as they have the same sort of monitors. They were getting ready behind the scenes, but it was a case of holding our breath and not being quite sure of where it was going to go.

I heard on the Tuesday that my first shift on the ITU would be Saturday. It was terrifying emotionally, not knowing what you’re going to expect. I went into a full intensive care unit, which had over spilled into coronary care as well. It had gone from being one or two patients when I’d left

the week before, to 16–17 in the week. Not being an ITU nurse, I had to get used to a very different way of nursing a patient. A lot of the patients were face down as well or face to the side. If they weren’t asleep then they were gasping for breath as soon as they came off oxygen. I’m quite a senior member of staff where I usually work – in a theatre with one patient, a surgeon and an anaesthetic team and we just get on with our job in our own little bubble. But on the ITU, I was the equivalent of a just fledged nurse. I would turn up and realise that there were four of us in a room and none of us were ITU nurses; we had one ITU nurse overseeing us all. I constantly doubted whether I had done enough. We were doing one shift a week, with three theatre shifts as well.

The PPE we had to wear has changed as we’ve gone through the pandemic. There was always an underlying worry that there was not going to be enough PPE. Wearing the PPE was exhausting. You sweat so much. We’re used to wearing gowns, masks, gloves, and eye protection as theatre nurses. But the heat in intensive care is overwhelming. I didn’t get it quite right on the second shift I worked in the ITU. The day after I felt awful all day. That hangover feeling where you lean forward and instantly feel sick – I felt this every time I leant over. I think what I’d done is drink so much water to keep the fluids going in, that I had completely depleted my electrolytes. Once I discovered what it was, I had a full fat coke, a banana and a packet of crisps and that sorted me right out.

I think the ITU nurses had a really tough run. I can’t imagine wearing PPE in that setting three days a week every week for that whole 12-week period.

This whole “wash your hands” thing was utterly bizarre to us nurses. As a nurse, we wash our hands thousands of times a day. I counted one morning – I’d started work at 8am and by 9am I’d washed my hands 22 times. There were quite a few nursing jokes – “now we’ve taught the population to wash their hands, what’s next?”

I didn’t watch a lot of the news. I sort of shut myself off for reasons of self-preservation and protection. I became quite distanced from social media as well – ducking away from it really. I took lots of long walks instead.

Clapping for the NHS was fairly humbling. There was this sudden feeling of respect for nursing staff and medical staff. I clapped too, as it wasn’t just me, it was for the other healthcare workers too. I can’t imagine what the paramedics felt like, going into people’s homes. You get there and then you have to put your PPE on before you can go in and help. That’s really tough. And actually, community nursing is still that way. You’re still going into peoples’ homes. We’re fairly protected in theatres as all our patients are tested.

The people in critical care, cardiac, and theatres really did pull together as a team and I think it made us closer as a result. We supported each other, thrashing out ideas. I now see people in the corridor and we smile at each other because we know we’ve worked with them before.

The effect on A&E was interesting too. People just weren’t coming to hospital. It left us wondering, where have all these people gone? How many people were

Emily’s advice on nursing as a career

using home remedies or looking after themselves at home, whereas before, they would have gone to hospital? I wonder if this is going to change our culture completely.

I definitely learnt a lot and I don’t think it ever does you any harm to have new experiences. I’m not keen to go back and do it again but it is probably fairly likely that I will. We just hope for a steady trickle of patients and not a flood this time around.

My advice to everyone regarding Coronavirus is definitely about staying safe. Wash your hands, keep your distance and be really observant. Be sure to question whether you really need to go out. This is something we are going to have to live with for the foreseeable future. So if you don’t need to go out, then don’t go out. I know that’s really hard on your mental health, but actually, it’s not always about going to the pub to socialise – you can just go for a walk or just get out and about in that respect.

Written by Becca Maddocks

Nursing is an incredibly rewarding career. I am passionate about my job. Could I be a doctor? No. I work in a very different way to what the medical side of nursing does. I have always wanted to be a nurse, right from being little. If nursing is your dream, then do it. Don’t listen to the stigma of “you’re only a nurse?” I hear that a lot, but you’re not just a nurse – you make a difference to people’s lives every day. Most of my patients don’t see me, but I do what is often the biggest part of their hospital stay, which is the operation they come in for.

It’s also a big, big career field with all sorts of options. I’ve got a friend who’s a nurse endoscopist. I’m a theatre nurse and I’ve got friends who work on wards. We work all over the place. I don’t think anyone I qualified with works in the same field. You can switch paths too; because I’m an adult nurse, I could apply for a ward job tomorrow, anywhere. Yes, I’d be a bit ropey and rusty to start with, but I could go and work on a ward or in a GP practice.

Theatre nursing is a really hidden career. If you end up in theatre nursing and that’s the job for you, then you do tend to stay. We’re very hands on but in a different kind of way to ITU nurses. They’re one patient focused, as are we, but we start what we finish. There will be six patients on my list and each one, from when they come through the doors and into the anaesthetic room are the sole focus until they leave through the same doors again.

CAFÉ CULTURE

In the first of a series of interviews with OO entrepreneurs, Becca Maddocks talks to Bulgarianborn brother and sister team Ivo Nanev (14) and Tia Naneva (17) about their journey from School to running Fika, Oakham’s popular Scandinavian café.

What’s been your journey since leaving Oakham?

Tia: I decided to defer going to university after leaving School and popped into Fika as a friend of mine from Oakham was working there, and asked if there were any jobs going. I was hired for a part-time job and in my first week I worked 45 hours.

When Fika moved to its current venue, on Mill Street, the owner made me manager. I went travelling for a few months and having some time to think whilst I was out there, I realised when I came back that I didn’t want to go to uni. I could always apply later on in life if I changed my mind, but I was enjoying working for Fika. The owner of Fika made me a director of the business not long after, and what began as a small café soon became a booming venue, which was blossoming into quite a serious and popular business.

Ivo: I did an Engineering Degree after leaving School and during my placement year I worked at Rolls Royce. I didn’t really like the corporate environment but I really enjoyed the entrepreneurship project I worked on – I had to set my own deadlines, targets and strategy.

After uni I went travelling for a bit and when I came back, I got a job at Fika as well. I really enjoyed doing something new, and the creative side of latte-art and learning about coffee.

It wasn’t long before we realised that the owner was planning to sell Fika, and after lots of lengthy conversations with Tia, we decided we would be able to run the café by ourselves. We spoke to the owner and managed to come to an agreement.

What’s your vision for the future of Fika?

Tia: We hope to branch out further than Oakham. Fika is a really successful small business but we have bigger plans for it. At first we want to refine what is already in place, and make it so Fika in Oakham can run like clockwork, without much input from us. We don’t want or intend to be the next Starbucks, but we would like to open three, four, five, potentially more, Fikas. They would all be a similar style, with similar food. We will always want to have a hand in it and work in any café that we have, but Oakham is not the finish line for us. We want to go further.

Ivo: That said, so much of Fika is the rapport and the personality behind it – if it was to grow too much, it may begin to lose that focus and personality. Our focus will always remain on quality rather than quantity.

What is it like to run a Scandinavian coffee shop in Rutland? Is your intention to keep this style and culture?

Tia: Yes, to a certain extent. We want to encourage people to try something different. We always want to keep the essence of Oakham’s Fika, including the cinnamon buns which are very popular and so typically Fika, whilst also trying new recipes. I think so much of Fika is described in what the Swedish term actually means…

Ivo: Fika is about enjoying the little things in life, sitting down and talking with friends and enjoying good food and drink. In Sweden, it’s a really important tradition. This is how I personally like to spend my money and my time, so it is important to me that we create the same atmosphere for our customers. Fika therefore is a place where you can expect good food, great coffee, live in the moment and enjoy taking time off with friends.

I think quite a lot of people in Rutland are keen on having a café that they can go to, to experience a small part of Scandinavian culture. I think it is clever of the previous owner and founder of Fika to have taken such an attractive but little known part of Scandinavian culture and make it appeal to the clientele in Rutland. Tia: People always really enjoy hearing about what the term ‘Fika’ means and are then encouraged to introduce the tradition to their own friends and so on.

What advice would you give to younger OOs and even current students who might want to run their own business?

Tia: It is all about finding what you are passionate about in the first instance. If you are starting up a business, expect long hours and hard work, so it therefore needs to be something you really enjoy and can live and breathe. I think the best way you can learn how to run a business is to work in one, particularly one that’s relevant to what you want to do. Get to a point where you know the business inside and out.

Ivo: Try to find a way to get experience doing the thing you love, or a way of working towards it. A lot of people glamorise business, but in the initial stages it is likely to be hard work, where you are putting more money into the business than you are getting from it. It has to be something you are willing to make sacrifices for and are willing to do, even if you’re not getting paid for it.

To find out more, or to book a table at their Mill Street café:

visit www.fikacafe.co.uk

follow @fikaoakham on Instagram

find the Fika Brunch and Business podcast on Spotify

If you would like your business to feature in a future magazine, email Becca Maddocks at: ooclub@oakham.rutland.sch.uk

Fika [fi - ka] noun

to take a break from activity during which people drink coffee, eat cakes or other light snacks, and relax with others.

Fika’s Avo on sourdough with feta, Keythorpe tomatoes, mixed seeds and homemade chilli oil, with added smoked salmon

Swedish Cinnamon Bun

Orange, Cardamon and Rose Loaf

MIKE DREW (74)

What are your favourite memories of life at Oakham School?

Sport was always important to me, particularly cricket and tennis. One of my favourite memories is playing cricket against Kimbolton at home. It was a beautiful sunny day and Paul Bullock was umpiring. When girls arrived at the School in 1971, I felt total panic!!

Did you have a favourite teacher at Oakham? Jock Hunter taught Ancient History and I can still vividly remember his lesson on the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter in 1922. He made teaching interesting and clearly memorable if I can remember it 50 years later!

Any funny incidents you want to mention from your time at School?

I remember sitting in Maths classes on a Saturday morning and spending most of the lesson looking out of the window which was directly above the cricket pitches, wishing I was out there and not inside!

Also Matthew Manning (73) was a rather infamous pupil in the year above me. He could make things levitate and wrote a book the year after leaving Oakham called The Link which became a best seller and described the poltergeist activity that had surrounded him as a child which other pupils had witnessed.

What have you done since leaving Oakham? I left Oakham and went to Nottingham University where I read Politics and Law. On graduating I spent a year down in Berkshire working with mal-adjusted children and then spent a few years working in the Financial Services industry before becoming a Health and Safety Officer for a local authority. I found this the most satisfying role of my career and before retiring I worked for First Port as a Fire and Safety Officer. In 2005 my wife and I first visited South Africa with our three young sons with the aim of visiting some tourist attractions and to also help the local population. We found ourselves in Malkerns in Swaziland one day in our hire car, completely lost and I stopped and saw a group of boys playing football. I introduced myself to the adult in charge, who turned out to be Rodney Charles, the David Beckham equivalent in South Africa at the time! This chance encounter has since led me to get involved with his important work with orphans and football as a medium to teach social skills and teamwork to under privileged children. I helped fundraise for football kits and school fees and in 2018 I decided to move permanently to Swaziland. My work in Africa has now taken a new direction due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is on top of the other pandemics that are raging in the African Kingdom of Eswatini: HIV/AIDS, TB, gender-based violence, and corruption. The emphasis is now on local initiatives to get food and water to the informal settlements and childheaded families. For the past few months I have

been working as a weekly guest writer for the local newspaper, the Eswatini Observer

A link to my JustGiving page can be found on justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mike-drew

Any advice you would give an Oakhamian on leaving Oakham School?

Make sure you understand the importance of networking. Oakham School has a huge resource of OOs who are willing to help you with careers advice or assist in finding your next job role. Social media has helped hugely in joining people both socially and professionally.

Finally, do a job that you’re going to enjoy and make sure you get the balance right between family life and your job. The latter should never take over the former in importance.

Written by Antonia Scott (92)

Mike Drew joined Oakham as a day boy in Hodges in 1967. He recalls his memories of School in the late 60s/early 70s and talks about his recent work with underprivileged children in the kingdom of Eswatini in Southern Africa, where he now lives.

Summer Term, 1969 House photo. Mike is second row, fifth pupil on the left

Mike with Rev Shabangu and Rev Makhubu plus Church Warden Colile with a plaque made by a close friend from Scotland at St Bernard Anglican Church

OWEN PEGG (50)

Owen’s strongest memories are the sports, specifically rugby in winter, field hockey in spring and cricket, his favourite, in summer. Not so fond memories are the Langham-Ashwell-Oakham runs two or three times per week in any weather. No matter the sport Owen knew the importance of doing your best to support your House always, whether competing intramurally or against rival Uppingham. “One had the desire to win even if not the sporty type,” thinking of his best friend John “Bunny” Lisle, definitely not the sporty type, thus the nickname. One useful lesson took place during Owen’s early time as a rugby fullback. Being afraid of getting hurt, Owen would hold back and dive at a player just after the player ran by. “Oh bad luck, chap,” mourned his teammates. Apparently the teacher-coach noticed the repeated delay manoeuvre, snuck up behind Owen and yelled, “Now!”, which made him jump directly at the opponent’s knees, bringing him down. Owen acknowledged that he did not get hurt making this sudden move, and was encouraged not so subtly to file this realisation away for future plays.

As for classes Owen enjoyed Latin, Physics, Maths and Chemistry, but “was not keen on” French, Greek, or writing in his early-forms history classes about famous people. Owen was a good student judging by his Form III C prize from the summer of 1944 (Kipling’s book Kim; signed by Headmaster G Talbot Griffith) and his Lower V B Prize from the summer of 1946 (Rupert Furneaux’s book The First

War Correspondent about William Howard Russell; a first edition, signed by the Headmaster and by someone else, perhaps the form head but Owen doesn’t recognise the signature). In his notebook entitled “Alternating Current” he displays excellent penmanship and carefully drawn circuit diagrams and equations.

When I asked Owen about values at Oakham and people who inspired him, he commented on its recognition of the importance of etiquette and responsibility. Housemaster Bob Duesbury was a positive influence on him throughout his schoolyears.

Owen was considering Clare College, Cambridge, however, his Physics teacher who had studied at Keble College, Oxford pointed out that the Clarendon Lab was right across the street from Keble, whereas at Clare he would need to bus or cycle to the respective lab. So Keble it was, for himself and for John Lisle, a future Physics professor at Manchester. Following graduation, compulsory military service beckoned and he aimed for the RCAF. However, he failed the physical, and by then it was too late in the year to go up to Oxford. So, for his gap year Owen worked at Harwell nuclear research station. Owen unexpectedly wound up in Department of Defence top-secret work, was required to sign the Official Secrets Act, and was tracked for at least 10 years. Not a typical gap year but it reinforced his interest in Physics.

Following his three years at Keble and with an MA in hand, he was courted by various companies, deciding to work with Northern Aluminium. In 1958 he was tempted by an ad for Canadair’s nuclear division in Montreal, Quebec. However, upon arrival the company had moved it to San Diego, California. Being way too far from the UK, he decided to stay with Canadair in Montreal, and branched the company into aluminium building products, primarily curtain walling. He eventually returned to the UK starting Indalex with a partner, and returned to Canada in 1967. Owen first retired from business in 1988, but consulted, and completed an MBA in entrepreneurship at Schulich Business School, Toronto. He had completed all coursework towards a PhD at Schulich when a friend suggested they go to England to start a fibreglass window/ door company. Owen retired from business in 1997 and now lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario, where he designed and enjoys our four-pond water garden, a scaleddown version of Sezincote’s in the Cotswolds and spends much time reading, mainly The Economist

Written by Alice Marshall

Owen with his Lower V B Prize

“It was a jolly good school,” to quote my husband, Owen Pegg, when I asked him to think back to his time at Oakham between 1943 and 1950.

10

PET NAMES

Remember eating in ‘Trough’ or ‘Stumps’, or playing ‘Out back’?

And where exactly was the Eggy Triangle? We’ve gathered together 10 of the most intriguing nicknames for places around School, past and present, which hopefully will inspire a few memories.

1850s until present ‘Donkey’...

is the affectionate term for the Doncaster Close playing fields where pupils still congregate on summer evenings and where first team rugby and cricket matches are played. Named after former Headmaster Dr Doncaster (1808–1846), during whose tenure the fields were bought by the School, the origins of the term are unknown but it is still in use today.

Cars parked on Doncaster Close at Speech Day 1958

‘Donkey’, June 2019

‘The

I spent two very happy years in those studies (1966–67)… The Beach was often used by returning OOs to practise their handbrake turns! Happy days.

John Buckingham (68) -----

I was Housemaster of Deanscroft from 1979–1989. It then became a girls boarding house called Stevens and the boys relocated to Haywoods. In the photo you can see the Beach studies and the reading room/library. Boaters were a summer term option at that time.

Brian Welford (Hon OO)

There was a quad to the left of the cage and at the far end (opposite) the building) was a large air-raid shelter where trunks (and possibly tuck boxes?) were stored. Mrs Jenkins was the form mistress of Lower II in 1958–9, and I can remember she/we had a ‘nature cupboard’, with a manky fox’s tail and some other biological bits. Her husband also taught in the school.

Martin Eayrs (66)

1950s – 1980s

‘The

Cage’...

Basketwork time with Mrs Jenkins, who taught Art and Crafts to the juniors.

Christopher Frame (66)

1880 – 1955

‘The Tin Tabernacle’ ...

a music room on the site where the Round House Common Room now stands.

the small area of grass in front of the common room and adjoining the quad at Junior House (now Chapmans House).

1950s – 1980s

Beach’...

an area of gravel outside the Deanscroft Studies when Deanscroft was a Boarding House. This is now likely to be where the Computer Science Block is opposite the QET.

The Round House Common Room – site of the ‘Tin Tabernacle’

Boys reading on the ‘Beach’

1960s/70s ‘Eggy Triangle’...

one of the regular cross-country House runs that involved running from Oakham to Egleton and back.

The Egleton, Barleythorpe and Burley Triangles, recreated by Martin Eayrs

1970s ‘The Bird Cage’ or ‘The Dovecote’...

the name given to Round House when it was built in 1971 to accommodate the first girls to join the School.

1999 – 2014 ‘Stumps’ aka The Wharton Pavilion...

the name given to the Old Gym when it was renovated and renamed and used as a coffee shop/meeting place as well as a cricket pavilion during the Headship of Tony Little (Head 1996 to 2002). It was demolished in 2014.

Like saying goodbye to an old friend – many memories of a) Junior Entrance Exam and b) PE classes until the building of the fantastic Sports Hall! Farewell to a fine building that has served the school in so many ways for so many years. Paul Barrow (78) on the ‘Stumps’ demolition

1970s – 1990s ‘Trough’...

the School moved to central dining in 1966 and named the newly built Ashburton Dining Hall in honour of the School Shooting VIII winning the trophy of the same name at Bisley. When the Barraclough Dining Hall was opened in 1987, the nickname remained in use for a while but eventually died out. Perhaps due to the fact that the food now served in the modern day era Barraclough is worthy of any good restaurant, with the same amount of choice!

The Ploughmans lunch was a favourite on the Facebook group. Semolina less so….

1970s until present ‘Out back’...

the grassed area behind Jerwoods where Lower School pupils enjoy playing games. The term was first used in the 70s when Jerwoods was built and is still in use today.

2014 until present

‘BAFS’ Cricket Pavilion... named after its generous benefactor, the Brian Anthony Frank Smith Cricket Pavilion is fondly known in its shortened form ‘BAFS’. It has replaced Stumps as the go-to venue for all social gatherings, including OO reunions and Midsummer Drinks.

Team

tea. Chips, beans and a sausage followed by Ploughman’s lunch as you got half a baguette!

Ben Walsgrove (87)

A special thankyou...

to all those who posted their memories and photos on the OO Facebook page; Christopher Frame for the photos of Donkey, the Beach, and the Cage and to Martin Eayrs for his map of the infamous cross-country runs.

Join the conversation...

What memories do these names and places inspire in you? Are there any places that we have missed out? Dig out your old photos and send them to Charlotte and Aurore at archivesuser@oakham.rutland.sch.uk or get in touch via Twitter @OakhamArchives

Out back is still a popular area for today’s Lower School pupils

BAFS is a popular venue for all social gatherings

Stumps coffee shop and cricket pavilion

I remember those dreaded runs only too well –especially the Spring Term of 1963 when perpetual snow and ice cancelled all hockey for the term, and we went on runs every other day.

Christopher Frame (66)

Obituaries

JOHN STEPHEN BARBER (63)

15 February 1944 – 11 March 2019

John was the eldest son of Old Oakhamian John (Jack) Lewis (Oakham 1928–33) and Betty née Langson Day. He was a day student in Johnsons but lived in Wharflands where his father was Housemaster.

DEATH NOTICES

T W BADGERY (48)

4 November 1930 – 26 November 2019

MICHAEL BANKS (58)

Died 15 December 2019

AMANDA BENBOW (80)

5 October 1961 – 18 July 2020

AMANDA BLOMLEY (NÉE CULSHAW) (77)

30 April 1961 – 15 March 2019

JUSTIN BLACKMORE (86)

18 April 1968 – 18 August 2020

CAROL BROWNE (MATRON AT OAKHAM, 1990–2007)

TIMOTHY DAVID CORY (77)

23 December 1942 – 27 April 2020

Timothy David Cory passed peacefully away after a long battle with illness on 27 April, aged 77. A beloved husband and best friend of Maureen, much loved father of Katie and Amy, father-in-law of James and Johan, and grandfather to be. He will be sadly missed by all of his family and friends.

GEOFFREY CURRY (54)

22 January 1936 – 20 August 2020

SARAH WARD (NÉE ROBINSON) (79)

2 July 1961 – 20 April 2020

After leaving Oakham, he studied at Leeds University and subsequently took a job in the Nottingham Library Service where he worked all his life as a librarian in Nottingham. He died on 11 March 2019, aged 75, in a nursing home having endured ill health for a considerable time. Written by John’s brother, Anthony (Tony) Barber (64)

machines are still being used and produced today.

Dad’s family had links with Auster aircraft and the Wykes family (Roger’s dad was MD of Auster aircraft through the war) and it was in 1955 when his brother joined Auster as a test pilot. He was killed in a flying accident whilst on manoeuvres in Otterburn, Northumberland.

Dad met Mum, who had just moved from Sweden to the UK, at Rothley Court in 1960 and they married on 25 May 1961. They lived in Leicester for four years and had two children – Katarina and Christopher – and four grandchildren, two of whom also attended Oakham: George Anthony Marshall (94) and Harry James Marshall (97).

Mum and Dad moved to Cossington and in 1976 built their current property in Woodhouse Eaves.

Dad spent a considerable amount of time, or so it seemed to us as children, travelling both in the UK and abroad for the engineering business.

ROGER MARSHALL BATES (52)

10 January 1935 – 12 October 2019

Roger was born in 1935, the younger brother to Anthony Michael Bates (1930–1955). He boarded at Oakham, from 1944 to 1952 and loved it.

My father was very much a keen supporter of Oakham and was incredibly proud when his grandsons (my boys) also went there. Dad enjoyed tremendously OO events and following his grandsons at sports events, House do’s and Speech Days. After leaving Oakham my father went to Manchester University. He graduated with a History degree even though he started on an Engineering course.

He joined the family business, Crowther Ltd, in Thurmaston, Leicester and eventually became joint Managing Director with John Crowther. This was originally a textile engineering company, which moved into wire and fibre optics before selling its licences to various companies around the world. Their

When he retired, Dad and Mum both loved walking and went on several treks, such as to Matchu Pitchu and Hindu Kush. They spent a lot of time in Norfolk and Blakeney, sailing and walking. Flotilla sailing and skiing were also favourites of theirs. Mum loved riding and had her own horse in Woodhouse Eaves and ever since we were both little they have had dogs. Eleven years ago Mum suffered a catastrophic stroke and has been partially paralysed ever since. Dad became her main carer which he did unfalteringly until his sudden death – a heart attack whilst on a routine visit to the General Hospital in Leicester. Written by Roger’s son, Chris

John Stephen Barber (far right) at the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in the Memorial Chapel to Old Oakhamians who fought in the Battle of Britain, one of whom was his uncle Robert Hugh Barber (Oakham 1929–34).

MICHAEL JOHN BULLOCK (55)

20 April 1939 – 20 April 2020

Mike joined Oakham School in 1948 after obtaining a scholarship and having attended a local school. On his first day at the School he auditioned for, and was accepted into, the Chapel Choir. Thereafter he was fully involved with the Choir for all his years at Oakham until leaving the School in 1955. During his time at the School he also made the Senior Swimming Team and enjoyed the cross country running. At the age of 13 he joined the Combined Cadet Force, a natural succession to being with the Cubs and Scouts.

On leaving the School in 1955 he joined Barclays Bank at the local branch. After carrying out National Service in the Army and obtaining an officers commission he returned to Barclays Bank where he remained for his entire career. He retired, aged 52, as International Services Director for the Bank. Mike was always very proud of the foundation for life that his time at the School gave him and would often talk with great fondness of his School memories. His involvement with the Chapel Choir led him to have an enduring love of Church music and he sang with many church choirs throughout his life and in his latter years became a member of the Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir.

Written by Michael’s son Robin

“LES” COOKE (61)

1 October 1944 – 23 January 2020

Les was a day boy at Oakham (Johnsons) and lived locally at Manton. After A-levels, Les joined the Coldstream Guards as a ‘ranker’, progressing to Major by the time he retired, in 1999. After leaving the Army, Les lived in Stoke with his wife Pat who pre-deceased him by some five or six years. Following Pat’s death he became very active in his local church and was a driving force in the local Remembrance Day parades and activities.

In his time at Oakham, Les was a keen and talented rugby player as well as an active member of the CCF. In the last few years Les, together with Peter Smith (62) and John Dillon (62) had made annual visits to the School to take walks around the grounds and enjoy a few old stories in The Lord Nelson. Their last visit was in October 2019 - a brief account of their visit was included in the Old Oakhamian, no.115, page 114. At that time there was no indication that Les had a serious health problem and his death was a complete surprise; he was only 75. Les is survived by his son, daughter, grandchildren and his dog Jack. Written

by Peter Smith (62)

PAUL CROSFIELD

(teacher at Oakham 1995–2000)

Paul Crosfield taught languages at Oakham from 1995 –2000. After leaving Oakham, Paul went on to run the Modern Languages Department at Cranleigh and more recently as Director of Studies at the Leys, Cambridge. Here we reprint Stephen Burrow’s farewell to Paul from the Summer 2000 Oakhamian

FRASER GRAHAM (99)

1 December 1980 – 20 July 2020

I first met Fraser when he was a 13 year old Third Former. He was clearly a talented pianist, who was able to perform with the confidence and maturity of somebody much older. He had come through Jerwoods, (as it was then), with, not only impressive piano-playing skills, but also the makings of a sensitive chamber musician. He, and two other music scholars, Anthony Lai and Chris Latham, had formed a piano trio (piano, violin and viola), which had performed in festivals and entered competitions. In September 1994, these three were joined by three more scholars, Tim Whiteley, Ben Craft and David McKee. Fraser and David went on to become firm friends (or partners in crime?) throughout their school years, and beyond.

In addition to being an outstanding pianist, Fraser was also an accomplished trumpeter. I have known of several performances of Verdi’s Requiem where he was asked to boost the trumpet section. He also briefly played percussion in the school orchestra. This came about because, at the time, there wasn’t a need for another trumpeter; however, Fraser saw a gap in the percussion department. Given that the orchestra rehearsal overlapped with certain other activities, it transpired that this was actually a CCF avoidance scheme, rather than a desire to add percussion to his skill-set!

As a teenager, Fraser could never be described as ‘chatty’. He would communicate with adolescent-type mutterings, which could usually be interpreted as ‘Is Dave there?’. This all changed once he entered the Sixth Form. Girlfriends now became part of the social circle, and suddenly, interesting and articulate conversations with Fraser became the norm. Without a doubt, Fraser’s most impressive achievement, while at Oakham School, was his performance during his final term (Summer 1999) of Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto, which was accompanied by the school orchestra. He played the entire concerto from memory, and was given a standing ovation. Once again, his maturity as a musician was evident, but at the same time, he was always very down-to-earth. He had a skill, which he enjoyed using, but there was never any arrogance there. He went on to study music at the Birmingham Conservatoire, and returned to Oakham to teach piano in 2004. In the 16 years that he has taught here, countless students will remember him as a kind and caring teacher and accompanist. His talent, and his love for so many different musical genres will have spilled over onto his pupils. He has taught at many other places as well, and his friendship with David continued to the present day, with them working together as colleagues at Cheltenham.

Fraser tended to be quiet and thoughtful,

and, more often than not, would be on a computer at lunchtime in the staffroom, playing online chess. He didn’t readily engage in conversation, but when he did, there was a depth and sincerity about him, and an impish sense of humour, always accompanied by his smile and dimple! However, when his son, Toby, was born in 2012, it became obvious to all of us what a devoted and proud father he was.

We will all remember Fraser as an outstanding musician. I will also remember him as a good friend; a valued colleague; a respected teacher; a loving father; but above all, as a kind and caring person whom we will all miss. Oakham School nurtured him, and he, in turn, gave so much back to Oakham School.

Written by Jane McKee

and Economics. It was at Bangor where he continued his passion of outdoor pursuits, which remained a constant throughout his life. After University, he married Sarah and they both moved up to the Scottish Borders to manage one of the family farms. Not the easiest start to married life, they spent seven years there, battling between farming the land and the livestock. It was here in Scotland that they had two children, Bethany (10) and me (08).

We later returned to Lincolnshire in 1992 (his birth county), where he was initially to join his father and brother in the family farming business. However, prior to continuing his agricultural career, he spent two years travelling to and from London working for Lazard Brothers as an analyst. His intricate knowledge of the financial markets was undoubtedly an area where he excelled, and after leaving the bright lights of the city, his interests in this area remained.

He was a very keen and enthusiastic runner and could often be seen in a pair of shorts and t-shirt whatever the weather, stomping the pavements and grasslands of the cities or countryside, most of the time with Sarah in tow. It was probably running around the Lincolnshire Wolds with his family where he was the happiest and most content.

JONATHON DEREK GREEN (80)

16 May 1962 – 25 December 2019

It is with great sadness that we are announcing the sudden and tragic passing of my father on 25 December 2019 at the age of 57.

Jonathon was present at Oakham School from 1974, graduating in 1980. He followed in the footsteps of his father Derek (48) and was later joined by his brother Simon (83), before sending his two children to the School. Before joining Oakham, Jonathon attended Witham Hall Prep School from the age of seven. Later in life he sat on the board of governors at Witham and played an instrumental part in the assigning of a new head teacher to the school, who was previously an important figure at Oakham. A great success story for all parties involved. At School, he was a keen sportsman, playing rugby, hockey and athletics and was a promising academic, which was very apparent later in life. These attributes remained the cornerstones as to how he approached life and contributed to his many successes.

After Oakham, Jonathon enrolled at Bangor University to study Agriculture

Just after the millennium, he and his brother took the decision to diversify from farming and bought a small waste management company. After 20 years of hard work, it now stands as a very successful business operation. We are all extremely proud of what he was able to achieve. He proved to us, that no matter how enormous a challenge may seem, success can be achieved through hard work, grit, ambition and a determination to succeed; a great legacy to leave.

He was an enormously optimistic man who had time for everyone, no matter who they were or what they were doing. He was selfless and could not do enough for others, while expecting nothing in return. He loved his way of life, all of his friends and mostly his family. He will never be forgotten.

Written by Jonathon’s son, Daniel (08)

FREDDIE GROOME (13)

5 August 1994 – 30 April 2020

Over the last 10 years we have been blessed to experience some of the most amazing memories with our dear friend Fred.

Fred joined Oakham in the Sixth Form from Wellingborough, following his older brother Harry and his twin Will, and immediately became a brilliant addition to the School. Within a couple of weeks it was like you’d known Fred for years, a result perhaps of his infectious sense of humour, genuine interest in others and ever-present smile, which quickly became something you wanted to be around (unless it was you that he was winding up).

He got involved in rugby, football and cricket during his time at the School, and also threw himself into life as a boarder in Haywoods House, forming a great bond with his fellow teammates and housemates alike.

Fred had an entrepreneurial streak, and was always wise beyond his years when it came to things he planned to do. He even saw a gap in the market when Stumps stopped selling sweets, forming a successful breaktime trade from his dorm. We have no doubt that Fred would have gone on to do incredible things in whatever he laid his hand to.

His time at Oakham involved some memorable trips away with friends, and he travelled around Australia and parts of Asia during his year in-between School and University with fellow OOs, meeting with a number of others on the way and making lasting memories that they will never forget. All those who knew Fred will be able to recall an occasion he has made them laugh uncontrollably or been there to listen to them when they’ve needed someone to talk to. In every walk of life, Fred effortlessly balanced being hard working, ambitious and genuine, with being optimistic, carefree and endearing. Fred would never fail to make time for those close to him, a trait that now feels more important than ever to all of us, and one that we will all carry on in his legacy. His memory will have a special place in everyone’s hearts as he has given us so much to remember him by. No words will ever be able to express how much Freddie was loved by all of us and how much he will be missed. Our love and thoughts will always be with the Groome family. We’re proud to call Fred a friend and know that John, Sarah, Harry and Will are even prouder to call him a son and a brother. Written by a close friend of Fred

HANS HAEFELI (TRUSTEE 2015 – 2020)

23 September 1958 – 31 July 2020

The School was greatly saddened to lose a friend and excellent Trustee over the summer. Hans joined the Trustees in 2015. He was Chairman of the Finance Committee and provided great leadership in this critical area. His experience in the private sector ensured that the School had realistic long-term financial plans.

Hans was born in Cape Town. His father Adrian was a Swiss confectioner and his mother Erica a dressmaker. The family moved to Bulawayo in Rhodesia where they set up Haefeli’s, an amazing Swiss bakery which ensured that Hans was tutored well in the art of baking. After completing his schooling at Christian Brothers College, Hans returned to Cape Town to study for a degree in commerce at the university with a year break for National Service in the Rhodesian Army. In 1980 he met Lucy who was working as a physiotherapist and they were married in Bulawayo in 1982. After completing articles with Deloitte’s, Hans qualified as a Chartered Accountant and the family moved to Bristol in 1986. After a successful time at Hanson, Hans was appointed as Finance Director for Perkins in Peterborough which was bought by Caterpillar. This brought a new exciting set of challenges in which he thrived and involved two years in North Carolina, five years in both Peterborough and Peoria, Illinois.

His last five years with Caterpillar were spent as corporate Vice President for the Advanced Component and System Division, responsible for an annual cost structure of approximately $5.8 billion and nearly 9,000 employees throughout the world, with 12 plants in seven countries.

In spite of this challenging role, Hans was at heart a family man and he decided to take early retirement so that he and Lucy could spend more time with their three girls, Sarah, Emma and Anna. Anna spent

four happy years at Oakham School but sadly died in December 2014, which had a huge impact on the School and all who knew her. In her memory, Hans and Lucy funded the Anna Haefeli Scholarship at the School.

Hans enjoyed being a member of the Trustees gaining pleasure from sharing his business experience and maintaining a link with the School. It was through this that we all came to know Hans and his passion for travel, music, wine and sport. His love of rock music had started early in his life when he was a member of a student band, Dragonfly, who paid homage to Jimmi Henrdrix, Frank Zappa and Steely Dan, whose track ‘Reelin’ in the Years’ was the closing music at his funeral. Retirement allowed him more time to return to his guitar and to spend hours perfecting his skills as a classical guitarist in which he was preparing to take grade 8.

Hans was a huge supporter of the Tigers through the highs and lows of the club. An excellent skier, he ensured that the family had regular skiing holidays and taught all the girls to ski. In recent years Hans had taken to long distance cycling, tackling routes well known to professional cyclers, and he considered his regular 70-mile Saturday excursions to be short. After retirement, Hans was able to spend more time on another of his passions: helping to provide people with the skills and support to reach their potential. One example of this was the time he committed to mentoring disadvantaged young people through The Prince’s Trust and the Cranfield Trust.

I valued greatly his sage advice and counsel in his role as a Deputy Chairman and, along with all the Trustees, will miss his calm and engaging presence at our meetings.

In her moving tribute to Hans at his funeral, Lucy concluded with: “My husband was fun, kind, generous, wise. Sarah, Emma and I could not have loved him more and we know without doubt that he loved us too. Because of you Hans, we laughed harder, cried less and loved so much more. The world is a better place for having had you in it.”

Written by Neil Gorman, Chairman of Trustees

AMELIA CAROLINE BOUCHARD (NÉE HANDLEY) (06)

30 April 1988 – 21 October 2019

Amelia, known as Milly to many of her friends, started her Oakham School days in Ancaster House at Jerwoods, before moving to Lincoln House then progressing to Buchanans and then Round House. Although Milly tried several musical instruments in her time at Oakham, she decided it was best for herself (and probably the staff of the Music Department!) that she didn’t pursue a musical career but found her love for Latin and Classical Studies. She enjoyed several trips during her time at Oakham, including going to Italy with the Classics team and Hawaii for her D of E Gold award. Milly enjoyed playing badminton, a game of pool at break time and was a keen tennis player too. She also enjoyed watching many rugby matches, although I’m not sure if it was the actual game or the view on the pitch that interested her more!

Milly went on to study Classics at Reading University where she obtained her degree, and then on to live in London. She enjoyed working in the City and whilst still having a keen interest in Classics, she started a career in the accounting and finance sector. Milly loved London life and this is where she met her husband, James. They got married in 2017 and had the most beautiful reception at one of Milly’s favourite places, The George Hotel, Stamford.

Milly had a huge love for animals and was

so excited on the day she got her very own Cockapoo, Snowball. To this day, he is the most loved and pampered dog I know! Milly would often send her friends selfies of Snow and his mischievous shenanigans. Wherever Milly was, Snow wouldn’t be far behind!

Unfortunately Milly had several health complications, including a rare lung disease and an immune disorder called CVID. Milly spent a lot of time in and out of hospital, but this never dampened her spirits. Even on days when she felt her worst, she would still be smiling and finding humour in any situation she could. Milly showed both great strength and bravery in her health battle but sadly, and unexpectedly, passed away in hospital on 21 October 2019.

Milly will be remembered by so many for her quick wittedness, dry sense of humour, her unmistakable laugh and of course her love for afternoon tea and a glass of bubbles! She was a kind, loving, funny and beautiful person inside and out and is dearly missed by her family, friends and everyone who knew her.

There are plans to hold a Memorial Service for Milly at Oakham, however these have had to be postponed due to Covid-19. We are hoping to hold this in the spring of 2021 if the government guidelines allow it to take place then. Written by Victoria Freeman (06)

DAVID JACKSON

(Teacher at Oakham 2001 – 2011)

David Jackson or ‘deej’, as he was more commonly known, was Head of English and then Housemaster of School House at Oakham from 2001 – 2011. After leaving Oakham, deej taught English at Eton. Here we reprint Ian Robson’s farewell to deej from the Summer 2011 Oakhamian.

JOHN ANTHONY (TONY) ROSE (52)

23 October 1934 – 3 May 2020

Tony, as he was known, was born in Kandy, Ceylon, as it was known in those days, and came to Oakham when he was 13 and was in Deanscroft.

He was a born engineer and read Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough College. He joined Cooper Roller Bearings where he became Export Director and from a 20% share of the company’s revenues this became 80%. After 17 years he joined a friend to build river boats which was called Bounty Boats. They manufactured the largest single fibre glass mouldings ever produced, the largest being 80 feet long. This revolutionised the river cruising industry as these were much more economical and with standard comfortable furniture. They became the market leaders across Europe.

His sporting passion was hockey which he played for many years. When he retired he became Chairman of the Norfolk Austin 7 Club. In his early years he had rebuilt many old models and kept a collection of these. He used to race his “Ulster” in hill climbs. He is survived by his wife Anne whom he married in1959 and his son and daughter. Written by Tony’s brother, Robert Rose (53)

SIMON SCHANSCHIEFF (57)

22 October 1938 – 15 November 2019

Simon Schanschieff was a former pupil, Chair of Trustees and first Chair of the Oakham Foundation and is remembered to current Oakhamians through the area of Day Houses that bear his name. The four new Day Houses were opened on 17 September 1997 and there is a plaque dedicated to Simon, marking his marking his retirement as Chair of Trustees and the influence he had in the purchase and development of the site. Simon was born in Northampton on 22 October 1938, son of Brian and Nina. He entered the School in 1949, first in Hodge Wing and then School House. He was a School Prefect and represented the School and gained colours in Rugby, Hockey, Cricket and Fives. He was also a Cadet Sergeant Major with Certificate A in the Combined Cadet Corps (CCF).

On leaving School in 1957 he followed his father into accountancy at Thornton Baker & Co in Northampton. The firm went on to become part of Grant Thornton, and Simon was the office managing partner before becoming regional managing partner and retiring in 1999.

However, it was the many areas of public life where he contributed so significantly and is known by so many. Simon was passionate about public service; about giving time, knowledge and skills to the local community. He was heavily involved in the governance of Northamptonshire Healthcare; he joined the Hospital Management Committee in 1970 which later became the Area Health Authority where he served as Chair for 21 years and afterwards was appointed Chair of the Daventry Primary Care Trust. He also chaired an investigation into dentist treatment; the “Schanschieff Report’’ into unnecessary

dental treatment was published in 1986 and is still considered one of the most significant events in dentistry history. He was appointed OBE for his work with Northamptonshire Health Authority.

Simon served as a Magistrate in Northamptonshire from 1971–2008, on the committee of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club for 37 years and as Chair from 2000–2007, as well as serving on various committees at national level. He also served as a Trustee of Spratton Hall School for over ten years and as a Deputy Lieutenant for Northamptonshire.

There was so much charitable activity that Simon was involved with throughout his life, serving on trusts and charities which he continued until the end of his life. He also chaired major charity appeals, in particular the fundraising for Cynthia Spencer Hospice and more recently chairing the Peterborough Cathedral Development and Preservation Trust where he worked to raise £10m. Simon was a Trustee of Oakham School for 25 years, originally appointed to the Board of Trustees in 1975 as a representative of the Governors of the Foundation. He was Chair of Trustees for 18 of those years (1980–98). He was appointed the first Chair of the Foundation Board in 2000 and he retired from his formal involvement with Oakham School in 2006. However, he continued to be seen around the School supporting his grandchildren at School events.

Simon married Pip (Hon OO) in 1964. His three sons were all educated at Oakham: Guy (84); Christopher (87) and Nick (97), as were five of his seven grandchildren: Florence (14), Charlie (16), Tom (16), Amy (18) and Hannah (presently in Form 5). Written by Simon’s son, Guy (84)

Anne Bull for Richard Bull (Headmaster 1977–1985)

“Brilliantly intelligent, self-deprecating, humorous and wise – what more could any Headmaster want in a Chairman? Simon was the greatest possible support to Richard and became a dear friend: that he could combine personal friendship with the impartiality and judgment needed as Chairman of a governing body was truly remarkable. And of course, he brought an extra gift to Oakham School in the form of Pip!”

Graham Smallbone (Headmaster 1986–1996)

“An outstanding Chairman, man and boy devoted to Oakham School. Direct and decisive, his conduct of Trustees’ meetings ensured that they resulted in action and did not last a minute longer than necessary. A source of wise counsel, his relationship with the Headmaster was one of warmth and trust based on their mutual vision for the growth and stature of the School. A passionate devotee of sporting achievement and drama, he knew that he wanted much more for Oakham. Possessed of great humility concerning academic and pastoral matters, he was unstintingly supportive of evolving policy and, if necessary, change (for instance in the balance of numbers between boys and girls) as the School developed. He kept himself well informed about what was happening from day to day, and was universally respected and trusted by all branches of the community. The Oakham School of today owes much to SGS, a truly great chairman.”

Tony Little (Headmaster 1996–2002)

“The qualities I most associate with Simon are humour, lightness of touch, good judgement and total commitment to the School. I only worked with him for a couple of years as Chairman, so others will have a deeper-rooted view, but he really was a very good leader of the governing body. He really was more “Oakham” than anybody.

On a personal note, I was proud to count him as a friend, a very decent man and good company.”

During his time as Chair of Trustees, Simon worked with three Headmasters. His contribution to the School is probably best summed up through their words:

Pip and Simon Schanschieff

BRIAN (BAF) SMITH (54)

30 July 1935 – 5 December 2019

Brian was born on 30 July 1935 in Oadby, Leicester to Harold and Kathleen, he had an elder sister, Suzanne, and a younger brother John.

He was educated at Oakham School from 1943 to 1954, where he excelled at all sports and was captain of the cricket, rugby and hockey teams and oversaw undefeated teams in all sports in his final year. He maintained a deep affection for Oakham School and along with his brother John, they helped to fund the refurbishment of the School Chapel, and then recently after the school cricket pavilion was destroyed, Brian funded a new modern pavilion that bears his name and was opened in June 2014 by former England captain, Mike Gatting.

Attending Cambridge University between 1954 and 1957, he maintained his love of sport, captaining the Cambridge 2nd XV to a then record win over Oxford.

His love of sport continued after university and he played centre for Leicester Tigers from 1954 to 1960 and scored 19 tries. His rugby continued at Stoneygate, where he was Club Captain for three seasons between 1962 and 1965. He helped off the field, working to move Stoneygate to a new home in Scraptoft in 1966. He retired from rugby in 1967, but continued to referee games and served as Club President in 1985.

On the cricket front he played for the Leicestershire County Cricket Club 2nd XI and for the Leicestershire Gentlemen, the Free Foresters and Leicester Ivanhoe. He was President of Leicestershire from 1993 to 2003, following the tradition of his grandfather Frank who was Chairman of the Club. Brian was appointed an Honorary Life Patron of the club. He was also a member of the MCC.

After university Brian went on a tour of the dairy industry in the United States before coming home and joining the family business of Kirby & West in 1957. Along with his sister and brother they ran the company for many years, at different times supplying other dairies in Kettering and Northampton, purchasing businesses in Peterborough and Walsall, as well as consolidating the business in Leicester through the addition of smaller businesses and then bringing in the Leicester Co-op business. The culmination of this was the design and build of a brand new dairy at Richard III Road, Leicester which opened in 1980.

He undertook work for the national dairy industry and was President of the National Dairymen’s Association between 1984 and 1986. He then moved up to be President of the Dairy Trade Federation of England and Wales between 1991 and 1992, a particularly challenging time as the Milk Marketing Board was being disbanded and new milk

purchasing regimes were introduced. He married Jill Osborne, daughter of Sir Cyril Osborne, in 1960 in the Crypt at the House of Commons, and had three children; Julia, Sheila and Graham and six grandchildren.

Brian was Master of the Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters 2001–2002, he was made a “Paul Harris Fellow” for his 50 years of contribution to Rotary International. He received an Honorary M.A. in Business Administration from De Montfort University in 1998, was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire in 1999, and awarded the OBE in 2006. He passed away after a brief illness on 5 December 2019. As was said of him, he was a ‘larger than life’ character and will be missed by many. Written by Brian’s son, Graham Smith

Brian Anthony Frank Smith (centre) as captain of the 1953 Rugby XV, the 1954 Hockey XI and the 1954 Cricket XI

Brian Anthony Frank Smith at the 2016 OO Dinner at Lord’s

Brian (left) at the opening of the new cricket pavilion (“BAFS”) in the presence of former Headmaster Nigel Lashbrook and ex-England cricketer Mike Gatting

RICHARD VICK (65)

12 April 1948 – 19 December 2019

Richard ‘Rick’ Vick came to Deanscroft in 1961. He was something of a rebel from the start, much to the chagrin of those who were in charge of him, prefect or master, and known for his sharp dress sense, piercing blue eyes and flop of hair over his forehead. Coming from London in the ‘60s and having the audacity to sport a string or leather tie in front of John Buchanan was something we provincial boys regarded with a certain amount of awe. Buchanan thought differently. I recall Rick as being particularly good at a game we called ‘five stones’ with the gravel outside the Barraclough Hall.

He was the son of Richard Vick, a high court judge, and his wife, Judy (née Warren), a property developer. He went on to the City of Westminster College in 1965, and from there in 1967 he went on to work as a journalist on the diary column at the London Evening Standard, graduating to crime reporting. But, increasingly dissatisfied with the direction in which his career was going, in 1971 he went to live on the Greek Island of Hydra. Intending to be there for only a few weeks, he stayed for 14 years, marrying Shelley Campbell on the way. Much as he loved it, he and Shelley

RICHARD C. WARBURTON (63)

20 December 1947 – 14 June 2020

Richard was brought up in Leicester, the only child of parents Margaret and Freddie. After attending Richmond House School, he joined Oakham (Junior House) in January 1957 when barely nine years old. As a ‘city boy’ with a passion for football (rather than ‘rugger’!) he always had an element of the outsider about him – and, as I had a similar background (Birmingham) we found common ground and remained friends throughout his life.

‘Warbo’ as he quickly became known, was academically bright – he was an accelerated pupil and therefore usually the youngest in his form. He stayed on in Junior House when it became Chapmans, but his desire to play football regularly was a factor in his leaving Oakham in June 1963. He took A-levels at Wyggeston Boys’ Grammar where his ambitions became more academic; he secured a place at Leeds University and graduated in 1965 with an honours degree 2:1 in Textile Chemistry.

Richard was a natural traveller and particularly adored the Far East. After a few years with English Sewing Cotton, he joined ICI and worked for them in Nigeria, Australia, Italy, Taiwan, Japan and, majorly, in Hong Kong. He parted company with ICI in 1989, and thereafter took up consultancy and contract work in Hong Kong and around. He also spent an increasing amount of time in Bali, an island he particularly enjoyed.

felt they really ought to be doing something more ‘serious’, and went to British Columbia to pick up Rick’s career as a journalist and write poetry: something he found increasingly rewarding. The family, now with three children, moved to Stroud in 1997 but the marriage didn’t last. Rick worked as a poet and impresario, while helping immigrants to integrate into society and prisoners to find a better path, and organising film and art shows. A collection of his work, Indian Eye, was published by Yew Tree Press in 2013. The young Rick was rebellious, mischievous, swashbuckling, handsome and full of tricks, but in later life was a gentle, artistic and kind man, unusually in tune with the frailty and suffering of others.

Rick is survived by his partner, Gypsy Gee, by his three children, Lucian, Faye and Will, and sister Philippa. Written by Jerry Hibbert (66)

BRYAN WAITES (Hon OO; teacher at Oakham from 1986–1996)

Bryan taught Geography between 1986 and 1996. He came as an appointment for one year, but stayed for 10 – a testimony to his quietly unassuming but highly successful role, both inside and outside the classroom.

He had moved into the area at about the time of his appointment and he lost no time in becoming fully committed to Rutland life and history.

Richard was married three times. When with his third wife, Marisa, they adopted a young Filipino child, Camilla, around 1995, she quickly became the true love of his life.

In 2002, Richard was inside the bar in Kuta (Bali) when the terrorist bomb exploded. Bending down at the moment of detonation he was shielded from the full blast and its consequences. He was able to assist in the appalling aftermath and was commended for his efforts in newspaper articles in the Far East and locally in the Leicester Mercury

In June, Richard passed away in the saddest of circumstances. He suffered acute heart failure, and died shortly afterwards in hospital in Bali. Because of Covid restrictions he was alone, with not even his daughter Camilla allowed to be present. She, naturally, was devastated.

‘Warbo’ was a big personality: kind, humorous, endlessly optimistic and a great friend. He will live on to all who knew him. Written by John Lovat Begg (63)

He was active in the Rutland Local History and Record Society and was a regular contributor to its publication, The Rutland Record. He soon became a recognised authority on local history. His articles were often to be seen in the Rutland Times and elsewhere and he set up the Oakham Heritage Trail. He received a Personal Achievement Award from the British Association for Local History. His Christian faith informed his views and his living. He was a Church Warden at All Saints Church in Oakham and a founder of the Friends of Oakham Church. He died peacefully in hospital, on 11 January 2020, following several years of declining health, which affected his mobility and, perhaps most sadly in his case, his eyesight, preventing the continuing production of historical articles. He never lost his positive approach or his quiet sense of humour.

Written by Patrick Wilson (Hon OO)

COLONEL JAMES WEIR OBE

(Former Trustee

1991 – 2010)

Former Trustee of Oakham School, James Weir OBE, who died in September 2020 at the age of 89 after a year-long battle with cancer, will be remembered in Rutland for his tireless commitment to almost every area of public life in the county and the wider East Midlands.

Born in Aberdeen, Jim Weir moved to Edinburgh as a child with his family, where he attended George Heriot’s School. Jim showed a flair for sport at a young age, gaining his ‘colours’ for athletics. On leaving Heriot’s, he became an articled pupil in a firm of chartered quantity surveyors in Edinburgh. Jim had a lifelong passion for rugby. During the 1950s, he was one of the top try scorers in Scottish club rugby. He captained Heriot’s Former Pupils Rugby Club, and was a regular with Edinburgh District and the Co-Optimists. He played in two Scottish International trials, and in 1958 played for the Combined Cities of Scotland against Australia.

Throughout the 1950s Jim played in Sevens tournaments in Murrayfield, Melrose, Hawick, Langham and Jedburgh, winning medals in all venues, including three winners and two runners up medals at the home of Sevens in Melrose.

In 1954, Jim was called up for National Service and was selected for officer training and in 1955, he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers. Jim was to become a renowned figure in the construction industry. On his return from National Service in 1957, he took up a position with Wimpey, and later joined Mitchell Construction Kinnear Moodie, to set up their operations in Scotland. He established a subsidiary which erected some of the

first pre-cast concrete buildings in central Scotland.

In 1973, Jim was approached by the Corby Development Corporation to take on a housebuilding contract in this growing Northamptonshire town. Jim and a colleague, John Jeakins, set up Jeakins Weir Ltd in Corby, building housing and industrial buildings. The company is now run by his sons.

Jim had a long-standing involvement with the Territorial Army. As a young man in Edinburgh, he served in the Royal Engineers. When he moved to Rutland in 1973, Jim was attached to 4 Armoured Division in Germany.

In 1983, Jim began his involvement with the Army Cadet Force. He became County Commandant of the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Army Cadet Force.

He chaired the Rutland Branch of the ABF The Soldier’s Charity and remained an active supporter from 1990 until his death.

Lives Remembered

TONY CROUCH (67)

For his service to the Territorial Army and Army Cadet Force, Col. Weir was awarded the Territorial Army Decoration and clasp, and in 1987 was appointed as an Officer of the Military Division of the most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

In the 1980s, whilst chairman of the local Conservative Association, Jim represented Rutland on Leicestershire County Council. When a Mori Poll revealed that around 95% of Rutlanders wished to regain their county status, Jim took on the fight. Fittingly, on the return of county status in 1997, Jim was appointed as first Chairman of the new Rutland County Council.

Jim became Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire in 1984 then Deputy Lieutenant of Rutland in 1997. He was later appointed Vice Lord Lieutenant of the County, a position he held until 2006.

Jim served as a Trustee of Oakham School from January 1991 until January 2010 and was Chair of the Buildings Committee from 1998 until he retired from the Board. This was a busy period for the development of the School’s campus. Jim also supported the School’s Combined Cadet Force.

Jim was invited onto the board of Anglian Water and was influential in turning Rutland Water into a leisure destination. He also served as President of Rutland Sailing Club and President of Rutland Scouts.

Jim will be remembered as the consummate gentleman – a generous, hospitable host and loving family man, who delighted in playing golf and kicking a ball with his grandchildren until only months before his death. James is survived by his wife, Mary, his two sons, Jamie and Alistair, and four grandchildren, two of whom are current pupils at Oakham.

Written by James’s son, Alistair

Tony with his ‘pulse’ jet

‘Tony’ Crouch joined Deanscroft in 1961, along with Andrew Hawkins and Richard ‘Reg’ Legge, and me. Although his parents were hoteliers living in Stranraer, Tony was largely raised by his aunt in Woodford. We four new boys were placed in a small dormitory immediately above John Buchanan’s study. Chatting in the dark after ‘lights out’, we soon learned of his interest in science, something that never left him. He was good natured and much liked, a good runner, and big enough to be a pretty formidable rugby player. His reputation as a scientist was enhanced by his Sixth Form declaration that he would build his own jet engine - a ‘pulse’ jet - under the watchful eye of ‘Brother’ Pipes, the Physics master. Eventually the great day came when he would fire up his device mounted on a block somewhere down near Chapmans, watched by a small crowd of unbelievers. Much to our amazement it appeared to work amid the noise, flame and a smell of burning, and was declared a success. I left in 1966

but ‘Hector’ as he was known went on to become Head Boy at Deanscroft. I then lost contact with him, but bumped into him about five years later in Foyle’s Bookshop in the Charing Cross Road. He was in the science section, kneeling on the floor and thumbing through a book about ….. pulse jets. He went on to study architecture in London, and then to designing projects for C&A, Homebase and Sainsbury’s amongst others, and working with Erno Goldfinger. Eventually he moved to Scotland, married Joanne and had two sons. Later in life, following a parting of the ways, he married for a second time. Tony and his new wife Brenda eventually settled in Lincolnshire, and in retirement spent their time travelling, enjoying their combined four children and six grandchildren and their involvement in various community projects. Tony re-connected with some of his old friends from Oakham during these last years, and was present at the 50-year gathering of ‘66ers at the School in 2016.

Following Tony Crouch’s obituary in the Old Oakhamian issue 114, his friend Jerry Hibbert (66) wrote in with these memories:

Located