As life returns, slowly, oh so slowly, to “normal”, the College also continues to evolve. Some of the highlights for me this year include:
As School of the Decade, the College has shown itself to be a leader in independent education, not only in the UK but across the globe, most recently with the exciting addition of seven new locations in Vietnam added to its International Schools portfolio.
Meanwhile, the first set of A-Level results post-Covid were fantastic, with 79 sets of three or more A*s, further evidence of the resilience of our pupils over the past few years. Congratulations go out to our newest Old Brightonians!
Speaking of which, after the longest enforced break in 140 years, we were finally able to resume our programme of usual events, starting in Los Angeles and spreading to all corners of the globe. We want to return to a full programme in 2023: we hope to see you at an event near you in the next 12 months.
Once again, our esteemed Head Master was recognised on the national stage, this time in the UK Social Mobility Awards. The College’s involvement in the London Academy of Excellence and its tremendously successful Opening Doors scholarship programme both contributed to receiving this prestigious award.
It wasn’t all awards and reunions. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to several members of our community, most notably Rosamund Leach, Peter Perfect, Pete Bellenger, Stephen Waters and David Grigor, among others. I remember Mr Perfect from several years of Latin and vividly recall Rev. Grigor sharing interesting stories from around the world, and helpful life lessons not just during Divinity classes, but pretty much any time we got to chat, which was often. We will miss them all very much.
And following the terrible events in Ukraine, the school reacted with purpose, creating twenty places for Ukrainian refugees, supported by the Let Right Prevail Fund to support their families in relocating to the UK.
As Old Brightonians, we can all play a part in Brighton being an institution that effects real and positive change in the world. I would encourage you to stay connected to the school and its mission – go to the events; read the newsletters; write in; stay in touch by keeping your contact details up to date; and even pay the school a visit when you’re in the area.
Even better, share some memories. Maybe you too were one of the boys in the line-up when the Queen visited? Or maybe this is your first Pelican magazine, and you’ve just finished your first term at university. Whenever you became an OB, this is still your school. A place you belong, and where you can make a difference.
Before signing off, I want to extend my thanks on behalf of all of us to Cathy in the OB Office, who has worked tirelessly over the last three years to galvanise past pupils and staff across the globe with a series of tremendous events, communications and opportunities to come together. She will be missed but we wish her all the very best in her new role.
I hope you enjoy this year’s Pelican. The stories are your stories, and without you, our alumni body would not be the strong, dynamic, connected group it is.
Keep in touch and Happy Christmas.
‘
When you became an OB, this is still your school. A place you belong, and where you can make a difference.’
In July 1962, in the tenth year of her reign, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the College. We hear from the Old Brightonians who were there, and their memories of the young couple’s visit to Brighton.
“ We were all very excited the day the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited our school. She toured Brighton and Hove after she left the school, and all the premises along the route had been spruced up for the occasion. She went down George Street in Hove and every shop had been painted a different colour! I came quite close to her again recently when I was invited to one of her garden parties at Buckingham Palace.”
James Whittle (Ha. 1960-1965)“ I remember her visit well. We all lined up outside what was the assembly hall, all hoping she would speak to us. The Duke of Edinburgh stopped and spoke to the boy standing next to me, but no such luck for me!”
Michael Thomson (Sc. 1958 -1967)“
I was standing, purely by chance, about six feet from the Duke of Edinburgh when he turned to Mr Gough, the deputy headmaster, and asked him: “How many pupils do you have here?”
Mr Gough replied, “About…”, and that was as far as he got.
“What do you mean “about “”, said the Duke, “Don’t you know how many there are?!”
Rather embarrassing for Mr Gough, but enjoyable for us and very “Duke of Edinburgh”
Martin Diplock (Le.“
1960-63)
The Royal party set off on their tour which would take them past me. The Queen looked delighted to be there and at the reception she was receiving. She was dwarfed by the Head
Master, who was beaming with pride at showing the royal couple around his school. As we stood there, applauding, I think we all felt huge excitement but also absolute terror that the Queen would stop and ask us something.”
Peter Booth (Ch. 1960-66)“ Wearing shorts aged 13, lined up by the Chapel, I first saw the Queen as she passed within inches of me during her visit to the school in 1962. She touched my life then and subsequently throughout her seventy-year reign. My officer’s commission is by her command, I wore her royal cypher on my Royal Horse Artillery cap-badge and later, as an MP, I was able to see her at the royal garden parties.”
Keith Best (Ha. 1962-66)“
Having convinced myself that Her Majesty was bound to visit any boy in the sick bay, I feigned an illness. Unfortunately, this did not happen, so I missed her appearance and had to rely on news reports!”
Wardell (Du. 1962-66)Following the announcement of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September, the whole school gathered in the Quad to reflect on her life of service.
Leading a reflection on her seventy years of leadership, Richard Cairns spoke about The Queen’s life of service and how, in all that she did, she sought always to do what is right. The Heads of House and Head of School joined the Head Master in laying flowers in front of the Chapel plaque, unveiled by The Queen in 1962 when she visited the College.
In his address to the pupils, the Head Master reflected on the late Queen’s steadfast commitment to the promise she made to the people of the British Empire on her 21st birthday:
“
I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service”.
“She stayed true to that promise for more than seven decades even though, at times, it must have taken a terrible toll. And throughout it all, under the increasingly intense scrutiny of the media, she demonstrated a remarkable strength of character and an unwavering determination to do the right thing by her people. An abiding image of this profound sense of duty and responsibility is that of the Queen sitting alone in her pew in St George’s Chapel in Windsor at the funeral of her beloved Philip. Alone. Denied the close comfort of her children and grandchildren. Alone, because that was what Covid regulations stipulated. She led by example.”
In September, Richard Cairns was named as Tatler’s Head Master of the Year at what is widely known as the ‘Education Oscars’. Richard is the first person to win the award twice, having picked up the award in 2012 too.
We were thrilled that the school was named by The Week as the best school in Britain for community engagement. Our programme of service and volunteering, including Make A Difference Day, encourages pupils to work with charities and organisations across the city to make a meaningful difference.
Once again, Brighton College pupils and staff took to the streets with their message of 'always be kind', with a hugely colourful float in the annual Brighton Pride Parade. Rainbow umbrellas and pompoms galore, the atmosphere was electric. Our pupils danced their socks off around the streets, handing out paddle fans encouraging everyone to be themselves and wishing them a happy Pride.
It was incredibly exciting to return to the Parade after two years of absence due to the pandemic, and it felt truly like a celebratory occasion. In 2017, we were the first independent school in the country to participate in a Pride event, and so it was lovely to be able to continue this tradition.
The school had a wonderful time celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June. Transformed into a sea of red, white, and blue, the Home Ground played host to a street party and hotly contested Battle of the Bands competition. The sun was shining, the ice creams, doughnuts and candy floss were flowing, and pupils and staff got into the spirit of the occasion.
Old Brightonians of a certain age may recall competing in their Houses, under the watchful eye of Second Master Peter Gough, for a trophy called the Leonardo Cup.
This was unusual, in a school where, at that time, most of the available silverware was awarded only for sporting prowess, in being dedicated to the arts.
When, a few years back, one OB enquired whether the Cup still existed, he was told it had been discontinued in the 1990s. The College had then become, of course, a very different place, with art and music at the centre of College life. The OB concerned then, somewhat rashly, thought he might sponsor the return of the competition and, in the way of these things, within a nanosecond was embraced warmly by the Development Office.
In 2019, Richard Cairns sagaciously gave his consent and it was decided to run the competition in the following Spring Term. But there were two problems: first there was no trophy, and second there was no one within College to run it. Step forward the Development Office, who cleverly used the first tranche of prize money to commission a splendid crystal glass pyramid, a miniature of that outside the Louvre (wherein resides the Mona Lisa), containing a hologram of Leonardo di Vinci. Secondly, step forward Thomas Godber, then Director of Creativity within the College, to drive the project and ensure cooperation across the school, and then assemble the results into coherent order, which could be passed across for judging.
The Leonardo Reborn
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Nearly half the pupils of Brighton College had given up their structured time to do something creative.’Anna (Williams)
Eric (Head’s 2017-2022)
There were originally four categories of entries – creative writing, painting or drawing (including photography), sculpture or decoration, and musical composition. But, in keeping with the times, a fifth was added for the 2020 competition: film and digital, which supplied the winner out of an astonishing 500 entries, on the theme of “Planet Earth”. Piles of physical entries were deposited in Thomas’s office and a scoring system was devised for him and the OB judges to sift through all the entries.
The peculiarity of the scoring is that it awarded marks out of 20 for each entry but
also an overall mark representing the percentage participation up by each of the 14 houses, something that mathematicians tell you never to do. School House ran away with the trophy on the basis of securing entries from 100 per cent of its pupils. Some other heads of Houses muttered that this was “gaming the system” but it was exactly what the sponsor had in mind in trying to encourage as many as possible to try their luck.
Could the competition be run in 2021 in the middle of a Covid year, with many pupils being forced to return to their own homes,
‘
The judging task was massive but deeply rewarding, particularly in music’
Memories are old relatives that knock at my door They slowly grow dimmer as I meet more. I cling to the trail that each one leaves Memories are the owners and they are the thieves
Creating light, then spilling ink Ashes blowing away, I’m unable to think. Scattered with diamonds, sprinkled with tears Shining bright light on my darkest fears.
Some hurt so much, I wish they would leave But then I’d be robbing myself like a thief Don’t want to abandon those unwritten stories Even bad memories bear greater glories.
I feel pain catching me, grasping me tight Then I feel joy guiding me through the night As memories come, and as they go Both good and bad continue to grow.
Good memories care for me, keeping me warm Promising refuge in the eye of the storm I know I will grow new and fresh ones again Like words that keep flowing from a writer’s pen
Bad memories chasing me, holding me back When they meet my eyes, all changes to black. But they also strengthen my castle’s steel gates Help me confront whatever the fates
Every day, memories meet each other Old friends, they fondly embrace one another Keeping me warm, my sisters and brothers They have shaped me, my fathers and mothers.
Tali (Lower School)2017-2022)
including abroad? How could people possibly produce art in isolation? We needn’t have worried. 350 youngsters responded to the given theme “Where do I belong?” which reflected their countries, their attitudes, their fears, and their hopes. Typical among the entries was a collage from a New Zealand boy which included the Maoris alongside Brighton Pavilion. Another from the Middle East showed scenes of conflict alongside the Palace Pier. The Lower School supplied particularly imaginative entries, and Rupert Murrell, a wizard in the school's IT team, supplied superb digital compilations of the prize winners, who unfortunately could not be assembled in person. School House was again triumphant.
This year’s competition had two themes. Pupils were offered themes of “Memory” or, for the adventurous, “Beyond Tomorrow”, and
to relieve House Masters and Mistresses of the burden of pre-selection, all entries came across for scrutiny. The competition was by now the victim of its own success, and 540 entries were received – nearly half the pupils of Brighton College had given up their structured time to do something creative. The judging task was massive but deeply rewarding, particularly in music, and by now all entries were posted and marked online. Winners were invited to meet Pioneer OBs at their summer get-together, an occasion enjoyed by all. This time Ryle House stole away the trophy, which happily the sponsor was able at last to present in person.
The competition will run again in 2023 (and hopefully beyond), with a theme yet to be decided. Our aim is to attract 600 entries. In these troubled times, the need to encourage pupils to express themselves in artistic form
has never been greater. Much worthwhile art and music, some of it sublime, has been produced.
More OB judges would be welcome, particularly (but not exclusively) those with artistic inclinations – please contact the Development Office if you are able to volunteer your time. There are many ways in which individual OBs can be involved in the life of the College – one OB in particular, a survivor from Hampden in the 1960s, has had the time of his life in reinvigorating the Leonardo for today’s generation.
Philip Mitchell (Ha. 1960-65)
Throughout the year, we speak to OBs across the world about their time at Brighton and what they have gone on to do since leaving the school.
This year, we interviewed a diverse set of people – authors, teachers, TV producers and comedy performers. Here are some snippets of their stories.
Ivan Lakshinsky is the CEO of NGO Safe Nations International Alliance, having previously been a music producer and web designer. He has three children, and is a creative at heart, launching his online art project Sealed Tales in February this year.
What advice would you give to your school-age self?
To not be shy and to express myself more.
To show more of my talents and not to fear criticism. And to not be afraid to speak up for my choices and decisions.
Mark Simmonds is an author and coach. He published his second book “Beat Stress at Work” in March 2022 and is passionate about beating the stigma that surrounds mental health.
What does your work involve?
I design and deliver workshops, both face-to-face and virtual, and run sessions lasting anywhere from 2 hours to two days. During my career, I have run workshops in more than 30 countries across the globe. It has been very rewarding and a lot of fun!
2003-06)
Florie Evans is a TV producer and has worked on some of the country’s most popular television programmes, including The Grand Tour, The X Factor and Married at First Sight.
What are you most proud of?
Not knowing what it was I wanted to do post-school, and how it eventually all worked itself out.
Dennis Patrick Flynn was a pupil at the College during the Second World War and retired to France in the late 1980s with his wife, Jean. He devoted his life to his love of aircraft.
What are your favourite memories of your time at school?
I met some life-long friends at the school, both sadly now deceased, John Carden (Al. 1942-46) and Don Mellor (Ha. 1940-46), who shared some of my motorcycling travel across Europe: to France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Many of these journeys were made on mountain tracks on unmade roads with some dangerous hairpin bends!
Kip Baker has been many things since leaving school – from hotelier to professional diver to interpreter. He even worked on the construction of Brighton Marina and spent time on oil rigs in the North Sea.
What are you most proud of?
Looking in the rear-view mirror and remembering those who I have helped.
Meraj Huda (Ch. 1980-84)
Meraj Huda lives in Australia and is a marketeer, heading up the AU/NZ Digital operation for a global IT company. He is also studying for a second master’s degree, in Data Science, while coaching a semiprofessional football team in his spare time.
What advice would you give to your school-age self?
Never. Give. Up.
Rishi Soni is Commercial Director for Brighton College International Schools – so has never really left the College! A qualified accountant, Rishi worked for KPMG before moving back to work at the school to help grown the international family.
What are the three objects you would take with you to a desert island?
My BBQ, my Japanese kitchen knives, and some BBQ tongs…cooking is my Happy Place!
Gemma
(Ch. 2007-16)
Gemma Ashworth is a PE teacher and currently lives in Dubai. She is sports-mad and has taken up rugby 7s since leaving school and moving overseas.
How would you like to be remembered?
I want to be remembered as a kind, positive leader who looks out for other people.
2010-15)
Will Bicknell-Found is a comedy writer and performer, as well as a private tutor. His show ‘Pool Noodles’ received rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe this year.
When you were at Brighton College, what did you want to be when you ‘grew-up’?
At school I told myself I wanted to be a Barrister, though I don’t think I was ever sure why… perhaps purely because it sounded like a good answer to the question.
2004-06)
Catherine Gallagher is an award-winning entrepreneur and runs “The Empower Method”, a yoga business specialising in retreats and classes.
How would you like to be remembered? As someone who really went for it and built a life by their own design. A bold, empowered, SHE-E-O who’s devoted in the service of other female spiritual entrepreneurs.
James Holt is the co-founder of Holt Construction, which has a portfolio of luxury residential projects across London. He runs the business with his brother, and fellow OB, Rob (Sc. 1984-89).
What are your favourite memories of your time at school?
I loved every second of my time at school. I’m an extrovert so I loved being around my closest mates from breakfast ‘til dinner.
Kip Baker Meraj Huda Rishi Soni Gemma Ashworth Will Bicknell-Found James Holt
In May, we were thrilled to be able to host our annual Professions Conference at the school once again.
Over 30 Old Brightonians and parents volunteered their time to speak at the annual Conference, one of the biggest events for the Sixth Form during the year.
The Conference is a chance for the Lower Sixth to explore their options after leaving Brighton, and we were very lucky to have a diverse range of professions and professional sectors represented.
Tristram and Rebecca Mayhew, founders of Go Ape! and parents of pupils at the College, were our keynote speakers, kicking off the morning with a dynamic and exciting presentation taking us through the Go Ape! story.
Many thanks to all the Old Brightonians who made this event possible:
Alex Brown (BCPS/Hampden 2007-17)
Georgia Collard-Watson (Ch. 2002-07)
Jon Draffan (Ch. 1986-91)
Horatio Georgestone (Ab. 2007-09)
Amber Goodwin (Fe. 2013- 15)
Chris Grammer (Du. 1998-2003)
Harry Grocott (Le. 1997-12)
Yvonne Helmore (Se. 2008-17)
Neil Huzinga (Le. 1986-91)
Will Marks (BCPS/Du 2001-12)
Milan Shah (Du. 2011-16)
Joe Stone (Ch. 1977-80)
James Torry (Ha. 1994-99)
Our online networking platform continues to be a place for Old Brightonians to make new connections in industry.
2,500 Old Brightonians are part of this unique network. It spans the globe, and alumni from our entire family of schools are invited to join.
Sam Yousif (Al. 2012-19) shares his experience of using the platform:
‘ Using Brighton College Connect to ask for advice ahead of applying for my place on a Law conversion course proved invaluable. I received some great advice from OBs who had previously applied for conversion courses, and secured a week’s work experience at an international law firm, founded by an OB. Having the ready-made connection of the College was helpful and once I’m able to, I’m excited to help out others when they need my advice.’
In 2022, Old Brightonian lawyers and financiers came together in London for a couple of networking evenings.
Our networking event for OBs and parents working in the Law was hosted by Peter Binning (Ch. 1975-80) at Corker Binning and the event for those working in financial services was at PwC’s 7 More London Riverside offices, thanks to parent, Michael Cooch.
We are a global networking platform for Old Brightonians with over 2000 members
Thank you so much to all those who have volunteered their expertise and energy to supporting the careers of fellow Old Brightonians this year. If you can give your time and knowledge to help another OB as they set out on their first steps into the world of work, please contact the Old Brightonians Office.
‘ The Conference is a chance for the Lower Sixth to explore their options after leaving Brighton and beyond, and we were very lucky to have a diverse range of professions.’
Actress Gabrielle Ryan (Wi. 2001-03) made a big impact on the small screen with her role as Gloria in the popular series Power Gabrielle has spent most of her career working in the United States, but said in an interview recently that her dream job would be to be a Bond girl… so watch this space!
Congratulations to Laura Coppinger (Se. 2010-14), who was runner-up in this year’s Sussex Young Musician of the Year award. Laura is a soprano, currently studying at the Royal Sussex Conservatoire.
My brother and I have always loved The Divine Comedy. I’m not talking about Dante’s epic poem. I mean the pop band and their songs – all written and sung by Neil Hannon – are beautiful little things. As musicians ourselves, with our own band, we are greatly influenced by The Divine Comedy, and have always dreamed of being able to write songs as good as theirs. To use a cliché, Neil Hannon is a bit of a hero of ours.
We couldn’t quite believe it when he invited us to be the support band for The Divine Comedy’s 2022 UK tour. Somehow our speculative email got through to him! And even more remarkably, he liked our music!
Being in a band consists mainly of playing your songs to seven people in dingy rooms above pubs and wondering whether you made the right life choices. Which is why the experience on tour with The Divine Comedy was surreal as well as wonderful. The venues were beautiful old places like the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, and Brighton Dome (I don’t think
I’d been back since my last Speech Day in 2012).
And there were so many people! Neil Hannon has cultivated a loyal, passionate fanbase and every night they turned up in their thousands. We grinned at each other and tried to pretend we weren’t nervous. It was utterly ridiculous, and it was marvellous.
They seemed to like us too. Each night after our set we’d go out into the foyer and sell CDs. All the people were lovely. Phil Jupitus was there one night, and he said some very nice things about us.
And then it ended and looking back it seemed like a whirlwind. Did we really do that? Surely it was some sort of wonderful dream?
I’m still not completely sure it wasn’t.’
Henry Tydeman (Le. 2002-12)
For more about Barbara, visit www.barbaratheband.com.
Theatre is my first love, though I have done a few TV jobs – the most fun being Noel’s House Party!
I was an examiner with Trinity for many years and I travelled the world examining students: in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, New Zealand and Australia. I set up a drama school in London which I ran for 15 years and directed showcases at the Fortune Theatre in the West End, where I also worked backstage and was the Assistant Manager for a few years.
I have also done voice over work and was in Lysistrata at the Rose in Kingston with The Actors of Dionysus. Recently, I was reunited with Glen McCready (Sc. 1985-87), on the audio recording of Corpse, written and directed by Steven Berkoff.
After many years away, I missed being by the sea, and I moved back to Brighton. I produced open-air productions across the city but most recently, in 2020, set up sarahmanncompany and have acted in and produced Abigail’s Party, The Lady in the Van and Waiting for God, as well as Love and Money by Dennis Kelly in the Brighton Fringe earlier this year.
‘
And then it ended and looking back it seemed like a whirlwind. Did we really do that? Surely it was some sort of wonderful dream? ’
We have an impressive collection of drama records in the Archive. The collection tells the story of drama at Brighton College, from the first full play staged at the College, The Cyclops, in 1903, through the twentieth century, to the wonderful performances our pupils are performing today.
The collection includes photographs, programmes, posters, tickets, newspaper reviews, letters, licenses, manuscripts, and even a director’s notebook. Collectively, they provide us with insight into how performances at the College have changed over the last 120 years.
Before the 1900s, Brighton College drama was mostly limited to the reading of excerpts from plays on Speech Day, while “The Reading Club” provided opportunities for pupils to sample scenes from the works of Shakespeare, Sheridan and Goldsmith.
The first complete performance was a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, The Yeomen of the Guard. However, sadly no records of this pivotal moment in the history of Brighton College drama survives (although the Brightonians from the time reports that excellent photographs had been taken!)
3 years later the first full play was staged, The Cyclops by Euripides: performed entirely in Greek but, despite its success, no plays were staged at all between 1913 and 1917. However, in December 1917, an ambitious performance of The Merchant of Venice,
was produced and Brighton College never looked back.
College drama would go on to flourish throughout much of the 20th Century, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, under the guidance of Peter Gough. During this period, the drama productions were of such high quality that they were written about by national newspapers!
Drama continues to go from strength to strength, with four major performances per year. Pupils regularly take part in the Brighton and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals and many Old Brightonians have gone on to do great things on stage and screen.
2024 will see the opening of the College's first ever purpose-built theatre auditorium. With such an impressive run of productions in the Great Hall, one can only imagine the professional quality of future pupil productions.
Pirates of Penzance 1961
The Cyclops 1903
Macbeth 2014
On the Town 2005 Les Misérables 2021
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Drama continues to go from strength to strength, with four major performances per year.
Blackout, muffled sounds of dancers changing in the wings, a moment to quietly check the time and straighten the bow tie. Lights up, out rushes a phalanx of gold-spangled performers. The ticking of the drum starts. Boom—boom (dum dum-dee-dee dumdee-dee dum-dee-dee-dee-dee). The start to another successful Brighton College dance show.
21 years later, on a different stage, with different dancers, this scene reoccurs. Perhaps the list of school-dance worthy musicals is rather short, but maybe the repetition is down to the continued relevance of the musical from which it is taken. With that said, strictly, the number that they are performing is from a musical that does not exist. The programme cites the source as A Chorus Line, Marvin Hamlisch and Michael Bennett’s show about the fortunes of a group of auditionee dancers. However,
anyone double checking the film for context will discover that the ‘son of a gun’ singer along with his singular muse exist only within the metatheatrical world of this final routine. The song itself bookends the show, appearing first as an instrumental track over which is heard the harsh critiques and instructions of the choreographer running the initial audition. The second time is in the show’s finale, at the opening performance of the unnamed musical that the dancers serve as the chorus line for. This is the
message of the show: 109 of its 115 minute runtime are devoted to the auditionees, their experiences as dancers, their struggle to impress the choreographer and director, with no mention of the show they are actually preparing for. As many critics have noted, the five minute finale of the musical-within-a-musical ironically reframes these human characters as those homogenous golden figures the showgoing audience would be so familiar with. In his 1985 review, Roger Ebert named it ‘the quintessential backstage musical’. It attempts to answer Yeats’ immortal question ‘How can we know the dancer from the dance’ with a bitter ‘We cannot’. However, standing on stage at the Dome high-kicking in my own gold hat and sequinned tailcoat I felt like my experience supported another interpretation.
Following the rough logic of the different dance environments given by A Chorus Line its easy to see where the differences are. The musical is split up into numbers about the audition, the rehearsals, and finally the performance. We have plenty of rehearsals, and a few key performances, culminating in the spectacular end of year Dance Show, which outgrew the Great Hall, and has become a fixture of the Brighton Dome’s calendar.
Performance allows you to create those moments you would want to have encased in amber. They are not always perfect (I started my final tap bow a beat early), but they are sublime and fleeting moments of live vulnerability and endeavour. As well as showcasing the talent of the dancers to friends and family eager to see the payoff of
sacrificing Friday nights to dropping us off to the Prep School Hall, they also widen the reach of dance to those who might otherwise not be involved.
One of the great advantages of an institution like the College is that it allows one to be a composite character without leaving the boundaries of the institution. I have done emergency tap classes in the same room I used to spend Wednesday afternoons waiting for maths to end (the carpet wasn’t much help for the tap). This allows for the immortal scenario of one of your long-time teachers being assigned to herding at the Dance Show and exclaiming “Oh, Leif, I didn’t know you did dance?”.
The drawback of this entanglement is the kind of occasion when the staff barbecue on the Home Ground aligns with your
‘Backstreet Boys’ rehearsal behind a massive window in the sports hall opposite. Or when all the Open Morning presentations have ended so you’re stuck: wandering around in a gold sequinned blazer, dance shoes and very tight trousers while the rest of the school is in full professionalism mode.
Every week, we have rehearsals: hours of preparation done by both the pupils and the teachers throughout the year. Performance may grant a sense of personal glory and the finality of achievement, but rehearsal is where the moving history of dancing within an institution is made. The moments of overlap, when arriving too early and watching the younger dancers while taking your shoes off or waiting after a class has ended to watch the older kids, hoping that
they can be a prophetic vision of what you will be one day, of the new moves you will be able to do. Of course, proximity dispels sentimentality, and I still hold Will Emery’s (He. 2009-14) smile as an idol of dance in a way I cannot imagine living up to.
Dance has been a constant in my school experience from year one through to the night before my History A-Level. On a practical level, it got me out of the house most evenings, and stopped me from atrophying or being swallowed up by work. But more than that, it allowed me to find a community to learn with, suffer through Saturday mornings with, and eventually perform with. Having physically departed from this community now, and moved to another city for university, I find increasingly that it is not so much the everyday routine that I miss: the walking into school at 8, the breaks spent on
sofas in House, or periods 0-10. The greatest loss, and the quickest nostalgia to form, was for the optional activities. The first loss I felt was in the immediate aftermath of the Dance Show, realising that despite having spent as many as seven years dancing alongside some of my peers, I would now never do it again, not for performance nor rehearsal.
But for all that personal sadness, dancing will go on, and next year there will be another Dance Show and another group of weepy Upper Sixth. I have already testified as to the significance of some of the past figures in the dance school to my personal drive. Will Emery, Joe Cappai (Al. 2002-17), James of “James Jump” fame. These role models helped to motivate me to get further and further involved in more diverse types of dance and normalise the idea of boys
dancing both alongside female dancers, and in the boys’ performance group. If I have left any legacy that I can be proud of (besides my name on a couple of boards and some dart shaped holes in the Leconfield walls), it is the hope that I have played the same role for younger pupils. Amongst the general chaos of leaving the Dome, one parent found a moment to tell me that their son was a younger dancer and apparently held me in high regard. I am sure one day he will be hearing similar words from the generation below him.
Perhaps by then it will be time for another round of gold top hats.
Findlay (Le. 2008-22)
Leif
‘
The drawback of this entanglement is the kind of occasion when the staff barbecue on the home ground aligns with your ‘Backstreet Boys’ rehearsal behind a massive window in the sports hall opposite.’
Our catalogue of Oral History interviews document how life at Brighton College has changed over the years.
This year, members of the Lower Sixth particularly enjoyed speaking to Bill Gornall-King (Al. 1971-76). During the interview, they talked about school life in the 1970s: from the new buildings that popped up, to the arrival of the first girls at the College.
I did the scholarship exam and got an open exhibition: it involved sitting papers in various subjects and an interview with the Head Master and Deputy Head Master. I was interviewed by Henry Christie, who was leaving, and Norman Frith.
Throughout my time at the College, my favourites were English and History.
My least favourite subject was probably Chemistry. I just didn’t get on with it. It was a different language that I wasn’t suited to, and the structure those days was very much that you were either science or arts, and you were pushed in one direction or the other.
What was the entrance process like?
What were your favourite and least favourite subjects?
Gornall-King
‘ There had been rebelliousness around, and it hung over into the early 1970s. There was a cynicism about authority. It was an interesting time.’
Sport was rugby in the autumn term, spring term was what we called ‘minor sports’, and summer term was cricket, sailing, or swimming and water polo.
My cricket was played down at the New Ground, so that involved a little walk there and back. It wasn’t taken very seriously!
We believe you played the trombone, could you tell us about that?
I did! I got to the giddy heights of Grade 4 and was then told that I’d have to do music theory, at which point I decided that was the end of my grade-taking.
When I arrived at the College, I had never played a musical instrument. You had the option to play any instrument, and I thought that I’d quite like to play the trumpet, so had a go, but I couldn’t get the hang of it.
For some reason, they tried me on the euphonium, but I struggled with that too, so the brass music teacher, who himself played the trombone said, ‘we’ve got a trombone, try that!’, and I found I loved it!
Obviously, everything was performed in the school hall.
We had a great art teacher, Nick Bremer, who designed the sets, while an English teacher, John Griffin, produced most of the school productions, both the Lower School productions (up to the U5th), and the main school production each year.
The Lower School plays tended to have large casts and were intended to be more inclusive. The first production I was in I was part of the crowd in Zigger Zagger, which was a play about football supporters. It was quite rowdy, but we loved it.
I was also in The Crucible and got panned by the critics!
Girls arrived at the College in the autumn of 1973, so during my O-Level (GCSE) year. They were mainly boarders.
They were put into a separate house, and it was called ‘the girl’s house.’ After a couple of years, it was renamed Fenwick, after a very popular matron in years gone by. The boarders lived outside the College on Walpole Road.
People reacted in different ways. The girls were quite protected at first, living offsite. They didn’t have any organised sport to begin with, except some netball, though this was changing by the time I was in Upper Sixth.
There was quite a lot of socialising, and the pairing up of girls and boys, becoming ‘items’ during their time in the sixth form together. There were a few broken hearts!
Did girls arriving at Brighton College change things?
Yes, they were to begin with quite ‘strange creatures’ in the male environment. And probably actually the staff struggled as much as the boys. But they soon became accepted and played a full part in school life.
When I started, we had house dining rooms, and the food would arrive on a heated trolley and be dished out.
A couple of years into my time at school, they revamped the kitchens and began centralising dining. There was more – albeit still limited – choice at this point!
I’ve always been somebody who ate whatever was put in front of them. It wasn’t haute cuisine, but it was perfectly acceptable!
We were at school during the ‘cynical seventies’.
We’d had the sixties, and I arrived a couple of years after there had been a ‘minor rebellion’ at the school by the pupils in the late 1960s.
There had been quite a lot of rebelliousness around, and it hung over into the early 1970s. There was a cynicism about authority. It was an interesting time.
When you look at some of the house and school photographs from back then, people were pushing the boundaries as far as they possibly could – I mean, look at the haircuts!
Please do get in touch if you would be interested in participating in future Oral History interviews with current pupils. We would love for you to come back and share your memories of Brighton College.
‘
The brass music teacher, who himself played the trombone said, ‘we’ve got a trombone, try that!’, and I found I loved it’
Thank you to all who have donated items to the Brighton College Archive this year.
We received a large and generous donation, from an OB who was here in the 1970s, and it included records like school rules booklets, dinner menus, examination papers, speech day programmes, clothing regulations, fees information, and copies of letters that were sent to College parents that decade.
Another donation came all the way from New Zealand, from the grandchild of a member of staff who worked at the College during the 1920s and 1930s. It included rare photographs of Wilson’s House: Wilson’s sports team photographs, rugby fixture lists, a College calendar, and even a handwritten Housemaster’s notebook!
Perhaps you, or someone you know, have records from your time at Brighton College that you no longer need and would like to find a home for. We always enjoy being able to add extra colour to our school’s story and so if you are interested in donating to the archive, email our archivist James Harrison: archives@brightoncollege.net.
Cataloguing is an integral part of maintaining the school’s Archive.
This year, all house photographs in the College Archive have now been catalogued on our CALM Catalogue system, along with other drama and sports records in our extensive collection.
Much of the cataloguing work has been carried out by one of our amazing volunteers and the L6th pupils who were involved in this process too, as part of the Community Service Option the school runs on a Wednesday afternoon.
The archive catalogue will soon be available to view through our Digital Archive. Stay tuned for an announcement in the near future!
During this year’s Heritage Open Days Festival in Brighton, the College opened its doors to visitors from the local community.
James Harrison gave an overview of the College’s history, from its foundation in 1845 to its recent successes amidst Brighton’s own transformations as a city. He also talked to visitors about how the College site has grown and changed over the last 175 years. Guests were taken on a tour of the College site and had the opportunity to view the school’s fascinating blend of Victorian and modern architecture, and to see what life is like at Brighton College for its pupils today.
If it’s been a while since you’ve been round the school, come back for a tour! We’d love to see you.
This year we have hosted dinners for current university students across the UK, and it has been wonderful to hear all about how our most recent leavers have been getting on at university. This year we hosted dinners for OBs studying in Oxford, Cambridge, London, Edinburgh and in the West of England.
What a year of reunions we’ve had! We’ve welcomed back OBs who left in 1991, and caught up with those who left 10, 7 and 5 years ago.
Reunions are always great fun, bringing together friends who’ve lost touch over the years and sparking old memories for everyone. Come along to yours when it rolls around!
Our two Pioneers events are especially for OBs over 60. We host a lunch in London and an afternoon tea here at the school and after a such a long hiatus, it was very special to see a table full of OBs, some of whom left the school over 70 years ago.
Thank you to Miles Hutchins (Sc. 1961-65) for his help in arranging lunch in the beautiful Savile Club ballroom, and to Philip Mitchell (Ha. 1960-65) for hosting the prize-giving ceremony of the Leonardo Cup during the afternoon at the College.
2022 has been a bumper year of spectacular events for Old Brightonians around the world.
Arundel Cricket Ground was the perfect setting for a perfect day’s cricket.
We opened the day with the College’s top girl cricketers playing in the shadow of the castle. As expected, the cricket was of an incredibly high standard, and we are all looking forward to seeing many of those playing go on to great things in the sport. After lunch, the current 1st XI faced an OB XI. The game was won in the end by the school but it was a close run thing!
Thank you to Hugh Richards (Ha. 2007-12) for his work in getting an Old Brightonian side together.
Our alumni community is truly international and following the lifting of travel restrictions, we jumped at the chance to catch up with everyone living outside of the UK. We’ve had dinner in the highest restaurant in LA and tasted Italy in New York. In Southeast Asia, we caught up with friends in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and finished the year with a dinner in summery Sydney.
Our international community has never been stronger and more connected to the school.
Freya Davies (Se. 2012-14) continues to be an integral member of the England squad, selected to play for her country in the World Cup in New Zealand, in the test squad against South Africa and in the Commonwealth Games team.
The Old Brightonians had a successful season on the golf courses of Sussex and the surrounding counties.
In April, they completed their annual pilgrimage to Kent to compete in the Halford Hewitt Cup which is a scratch foursomes’ event for teams of 10 alumni from 64 public schools. Conditions were not ideal, with high winds, but they put up a good performance against some tough opposition.
In June, three pairs (all aged over 50) took part in the Cyril Gray tournament at Worplesden Golf Club. Whilst none of them placed, in the competition for those with a combined age of 140, Warwick Sabey (Br. 1959-65) and Robin Colbourne (Ha. 1960-65) represented the Old Brightonians, and came second.
For more information about Old Brightonians Golf, contact the Old Brightonians Office.
Athlete Toby Harries (Sc. 2012-17) became British indoor champion at 200m this year. Toby had a great run at the UK indoor athletics championships in Birmingham, holding on to first place in a talented field, scoring a PB over the distance, finishing in 20.99.
Ruby Jerges (Ch. 2015-22) leapt to victory at the English Schools Athletics Championships in July in the Senior U20 Girls long jump, taking home gold in her last schools’ championship.
Emma Stacey’s (Fe. 2013-15) life is in sport. Currently working for Williams F1, Emma is also a fixture in the GB shooting team.
Emma tells us about her very successful 2022: ‘ This was the first full year back since covid-19 restrictions ended, and it was great to get out to a full calendar of international competitions. This year was particularly challenging for me, trying to balance my competitive shooting career and travelling with work for the Formula E races. I made both the GB and England National Teams this year, competing in competitions all over the world, making it one of my most successful years both nationally and internationally. The Home International
at the end was a real highlight, as I not only finished as Ladies Individual and Team Champion but was in the Top 5 overall for both men and women: a very rare feat! ’
World Championships, Texas 2nd Place Team
European Championships, South of France 2nd Place Team; individual podium finish British Open Ladies Champion
Home International 1st Place Team; Ladies Champion
Congratulations to Harry Browne (Ha. 2013-22), Jonny Smith (Sc. 2020-22) and Charlie Clare (Ha. 2020-22) who have all been selected for Harlequins 2022/23 academy intake.
Having made his debut international appearance at senior level in 2021, Marcus Smith (Le. 2011-17) played a key role in the 2022 Six Nations, as the highest points scorer in the tournament.
Arthur Logan (Ry. 2015-22) had a phenomenal summer of sporting success. He came third in the 400m and 1500m freestyle at the British National Swimming Championships and broke the senior Sussex record for both the 1500m and 4 by 200m freestyle relay with his club.
What do you think of third umpire? Does it undermine your decisions when they are questioned or overruled? And do you ever think “Oh, I’ll just give it out – they can always review it?”
Third umpire is a valuable addition to the team, especially when we have full DRS (Decision Review System) capabilities.
I spent some time working with a psychologist to reframe DRS as another member of the officiating team so that it is viewed as a positive tool to make sure decisions are correct, rather than being there to prove us wrong. As an umpire you’re there to make decisions using the evidence in front of you as best you can, so no – the review system doesn’t make any difference to the decision I make!
Is umpiring men and women different? There are some differences in terms of methods of communication – men can be blunter and speak their mind more, whereas women tend to be a bit cannier with their questions and opinions.
Do you still enjoy watching as a spectator?
Netballer
I love watching as a spectator! Being able to be a part of the atmosphere and be ‘off the clock’ to enjoy the game is still one of my favourite things. I went to the Commonwealth Games as a spectator.
Is the women’s game more sporting than the men’s game?
I think as we have seen the women’s game become more professionalised, we have seen higher-stakes cricket being played.
I think sportsmanship depends on the player themselves; recently Jos Buttler opted not to appeal for Obstructing the Field against Matthew Wade. Whether we consider that ‘sporting’ behaviour is down to our own subjective opinion.
Should the Mankad dismissal somehow be banned?
My role as an umpire is to make decisions based on the Laws of the game. As of 1st October, the MCC have moved the run out of the non-striker from Law 41 Unfair Play into Law 38 Run Out. The MCC has said that change was made to clarify the Law and to place an onus on batters to ensure that they do not leave the crease at the non-striker’s end, prior to a bowler releasing the ball.
What do you think about when you are standing at square leg?
Oooh lots of things! It’s important to hold frequent eye contact with your colleague as you need to work together as a team. I am constantly counting the fielders inside/ outside the fielding ring for powerplay restrictions and giving my colleague advice if the batter chooses to take guard outside their crease. You’re still busy at square leg!
Holly Turnbull (Ch. 2015-22) has been selected for the Scotland U21 squad for the 2022/23 season.After 50 years of service, rugby coach, teacher, colleague and friend, John Pope retired this year.
He made an outstanding contribution to rugby and to the life of the school, influencing and inspiring hundreds of pupils. Your memories of being coached and taught by John tell the story of what an impact he has had at the school.
I was there at the start of John's amazing stay at BC: 1972 in the 2nd team; 1973 (1st team with only one loss); 1974 (1st team captain). Given we only had 70 or so in the whole of 6th form keeping 3 teams running was down to John's inspiration and quiet, calm, confidence building. At the time John wasn’t much older than us and playing for Rosslyn Park, captaining Sussex, but we all learnt together. Indeed, when losing badly to Eastbourne, I took the whole team to the touchline, and not under the posts after another try, and offered anyone who wanted to leave the game the chance to do so – a tactic John used in a Sussex match afterwards! I continued playing for another 17 years after leaving BC and put my love of rugby down to John – thank you.
Jeremy Charles (Sc. 1969-74)
John was an inspirational coach, and his love of the game was infectious. Our 1978 team was not the best by any stretch of the imagination, but he made playing enjoyable. Training for Sevens on Marine Parade on the stairs and the beach was exhausting but we got fit and were moderately successful. John managed to get me tickets to an England v Wales game the next year, and I’ve been going to Twickenham ever since, plus Lions tours, England away, World Cups, Harlequins and Rosslyn Park. Without a doubt, John introduced me to the camaraderie of the great game. The one thing he never instilled was a love of the Welsh rugby team. All the very best John, and thank you for all the memories and enthusiasm, for laying the groundwork of where Pelican rugby is today.
Mark Green (Al. 1973-78)
‘John introduced me to the camaraderie of the great game.’
What can you say about John Pope? I always remember John coming to me one day and saying to me 'Laflin you're an okay rugby player but you're a much better runner". With that he took me, in his spare time, to join Brighton & Hove Athletic Club, the club of Steve Ovett at the time. Little did I know, and John, that that decision would determine a long running career with Brighton & Hove AC and eventually lead to working at the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF now World Athletics) and a 30-year career in sport. It was 46 years later, that Cathy Drew-Beresford kindly organised for me to meet John at the College last year to thank him for going above and beyond and creating that life changing opportunity for me. It was so lovely to catch up with him and discover that we both developed our sporting careers at Exeter University. I couldn't believe he was still coaching at the College and still cycling to school! A big thank you John for all your wonderful inspiration and some great sporting memories. You are a true legend!
Mike Laflin (Al. 1973-78)
John was the most influential player I ever had the honour of sharing a changing room with. He played you and me like a ‘puppeteer’ and I genuinely believe that if I had known him 2 years earlier, I would have been a demonstrably better player for the rest of my playing days.
As a young Brighton rugby player I owned a book called ‘The Joy of Rugby’ which featured John on the cover; I would often fall asleep, holding said book, hardly able to believe that I played alongside the man on the cover.
Great memories of a ‘Top Banana’.
Dave Brown (Le. 1988-91)
Enjoy your retirement, thanks for the most enjoyable 2 years of rugby: including unforgettable 7s fitness sessions on the beach!
I remember the sidestep… always did it and you always fell for it! Lovely memories of a lovely man. And I want to wish you many years of continued enjoyment of the game.
Stephen Casey (Al.
1983-88)
John is a wonderful man and a fantastic rugby coach. My eldest son was lucky enough to be coached by him at Brighton, and I was fortunate to call him a colleague for many years. He has been an outstanding member of the College community, and if he really is retiring (?!) I wish him the happiest of times. Just avoid those potholes on your bike, John!
Ken Grocott
‘ Irreplaceable. A top-class man – and you didn't have to play rugby to see that.’
Head of Swimming,
After an astonishing 14 years, Francois has certainly left his mark on the College. He has built a swimming squad that has dominated the Sussex region and he has begun to attract competitive swimmers from around the country.
Francois has been entrusted with so many sports at Brighton College; and we truly appreciate his dedication in resurrecting water polo, enriching the swimming provision for competitive, social and various activities in and around the school, as well as his involvement in the David Dunn Relays. Outside of swimming, Francois has invested hours of time on various tennis courts, and he is rather infamous for his coaching strategies to win competitions. He has a deep love and knowledge of the game, and his passion comes through in his sessions.
Deputy
Those who know Michael, know that, as well as being great fun, he is also formidable. He is exactly the person you want in your corner when the going gets tough. Not just because, as a former Rifles officer who saw active service abroad, he could absolutely look after himself and everyone else in the room if he needed to; but more because when problems arise, as they inevitably do, Michael is unflinching in his resolve to do the right thing; he is calm; he is focused; and he will simply get the job done.
Steve Marshall-Taylor Head of Senior School
Thomas Godber
The eight years Michael Sloan has been at the College have been packed full of wonderful moments, awards, triumphs, and adventures. In that time, Michael has done so much to make the school what it is today.
It has been a wonderful privilege to work with Michael, and an almost-impossible task to summarise why he has been such an influential figure at BC, and why he will, without doubt, be a truly outstanding Headmaster at King’s College, Taunton.
brought to Brighton College a totally unique and quirky love of learning and creativity. As a superb teacher of Mandarin (who was also an accomplished Germanist), and then a Head of Department, he put this relatively new subject firmly on the map and ensured its central place in the curriculum at Brighton College. His innovative teaching methods often included poetry, singing and music which regularly wafted down the corridors of the Woolton Quad. It was guaranteed that the excited gaggle of third formers buzzing on their way were invariably hurrying to their favourite lesson of the week: Mandarin. This talent came to fruition when Thomas became Head of Creative Learning and masterminded the clever reinvigoration of the Leonardo Prize which tapped into the creativity of every pupil. The apogee of his wonderful talents, however, was the flash mob cum historical recreation cum communal singing event that was the christening of the Cairns Tower. Tower, Tower, Tower…unforgettable, just like Thomas!
Jo-Anne Riley Deputy Head
Lisa Packer Head of Netball and Tennis
Lisa Packer joined Brighton College as Head of Netball in 2008 and quickly transformed the club into one of the best in the UK.
Within the Sports Department, Lisa has always been an integral part of the sporting success and always raising standards along with being the ultimate team player willing to help where need be.
Lisa’s contributions to Chichester House and the Duke of Edinburgh award also need to be recognised where once again her commitment and loyalty have been huge assets allowing the pupils to flourish. A national Netball title always remained elusive with so many close calls, but in her final year the U16s won the National Schools Cup, and the 1st VII won the St Joseph’s Festival.
Nick Buoy Director of RugbySuzie Sturgeon HMM Williams, Teacher of Biology While successive years of pupils were lucky enough to have been taught by Suzie, inarguably an even greater contribution to the College was in her role as Head of House for Williams. Indeed, none of the girls of Williams House are going to forget the impact that Ms Sturgeon has had on their lives. With 11 years in the role, she knew exactly how to strike that delicate balance between offering advice and allowing the pupils to discover for themselves what they needed to do to overcome challenges. Her guidance was always practical, down to earth and optimistic. Level-headed to a fault, she steered Williams in such a positive and cheerful direction, championing the rights of women and inspiring great loyalty from the girls, parents and tutors.
During her time at the College, Suzie married Toby and they have two young sons. I am still frankly in awe of how she managed the demands of parenthood with her responsibilities at the College, all the while always appearing subtly but stylishly coordinated in her attire! Strong, compassionate and fun, Suzie has been a wonderful colleague and will be hugely missed.
Barney Davies Director of ScienceAdam
BaragwanathAssistant
Experimental Methodology, Adam’s lessons were greatly appreciated by all his pupils, with sixth formers benefiting most from the high level of academic rigour.
At the same time, his humour and kindness made him one of the most admired teachers in science. Adam is a gifted musician: we won’t forget Greensleeves on the flute during lockdown; and he was a sportsman too, having taken 2nd XI football as well as cricket, tennis and cross-country teams.
When a pupil arrives with a physics problem, we will never again be able to utter the phrase “Go see Dr B”.
to listen and support. Nathan made space and time for the whole House to get together and eat too, with the instigation of the “Leccie Breakie” in the Dining Hall.
Nathan got the ball rolling with several fantastic initiatives. It takes a great relationship with 17- and 18-year-olds to get them to give up their Saturday evenings but those who regularly shared a meal with Brighton’s homeless community at St Peter’s benefited hugely from this partnership.
Nathan appreciates how good it is for all of us to contribute in some way and he models it and is really keen to nurture it in our pupils.
HeadHaving joined the College as Head of Physics in September 2014, Adam will be best remembered for his humour and approachability and his ability to connect with anyone. This, and a feverish work ethic, have seen him move so rapidly up the levels of management, eventually becoming Assistant Head of Co-curricular and IT Strategy. Making no concessions to modern methods, with a devotion to strict “chalk and talk”, with a heavy smattering of
Peter Smales Teacher of PhysicsNathan Wriglesworth HMM Leconfield, Teacher of Mathematics
As a teacher of maths, his generosity in interims was legendary, but what most pupils mention is his care for them as individuals when he would take the time
Nathan’s organisation of the 3 peaks challenge and Tough Mudder are great examples of his love of the outdoors and of his desire to spend time with pupils and staff whilst keeping healthy and fit.
Graham Kennedy
Assistant Head (Head of Lower School)
Congratulations and welcome to all our newest Old Brightonians. Being an OB means being part of a global community of women and men doing exciting things – and you’re one of them!
Join Brighton College Connect to keep in touch with everything BC and we hope to see you at one of our many events in the future!
Welcome to the Class of 2022!
We are immensely grateful to the many Old Brightonians across the globe who continue to support the College and make it the special, successful place it is today.
Brighton College has a long history of philanthropy and past pupils and staff spanning seven decades are giving back to their school with time, expertise, and financial contributions. Our generous supporters help us to innovate our curriculum, create and improve inspiring spaces for teaching and learning, and to further develop our social mobility initiatives supporting children from less advantaged backgrounds. We really are very lucky to have such a loyal and philanthropic alumni community.
Earlier this year, ground works began on the southern flank of the Home Ground, in preparation for the College’s newest teaching facility and cultural hub: Project 175.
The £35 million development, designed by Dutch architects krft, will not only be the home of the first purpose-built theatre in the College’s history, but will have two computer laboratories, modern classrooms for English lessons, double height-studios for drama and dance rehearsal and a two-storey Sixth Form Centre.
Located at the very heart of the campus, Project 175 will offer spaces that will be
We are very lucky to have a number of OBs who generously fund awards and prizes, some of which were, this year, awarded at our first in-person Speech Day in three years.
The Ros Nichol Award is awarded each year in memory of Ros, who taught Modern Languages at Brighton in the 1990s and whose sons attended the school. It recognises the ambitions of pupils in the Upper 5th and Lower 6th by offering small grants to support their non-academic endeavours.
This year the award winners demonstrated how much our pupils look outward: Charlotte Ring (Upper 5th, Williams) won an award to visit Valencia to immerse herself in Spanish culture and explore her language proficiency outside of the classroom, Kate Griffin (Upper 5th, Fenwick) will use her award to launch a fashion show at the College in aid of the marine conservation charity Sea Shepherd, and Elly Na (Lower 6th, Fenwick) and Fran Carroll (Lower 6th, Fenwick) will be creating a short cinematic film from start to finish, teaching themselves editing and production
techniques as they go and will use their award to buy essential equipment.
The David Gold Respect Prize was this year awarded to Julia Stone (Lower 6th, Seldon), for her contributions to the College’s Syrian Community Project, which she has been involved in since the 4th form. Julia’s dedication to the project has been a great example to her peers.
This year’s winner was Heloise Riley-Smith (Lower 6th, Fenwick), who explored why we need new translation of ancient texts. Her essay delved into several key areas – to correct any unconscious biases that may have been embedded in the translations, to make these texts more accessible to a modern audience due to the ever-changing nature of language, to recontextualise
enjoyed by the breadth of our school community for generations to come. Whether it is for performing, programming, socialising, studying, reading, or rehearsing, every pupil and teacher here will benefit from these state-of-the-art facilities.
Although building works are successfully underway, additional funds still need to be raised and we are indebted to the Old Brightonians who have already come forward to contribute to this extraordinary project. We look forward to keeping you updated on the progress of this development over the coming months.
existing translations with new archaeological discoveries and hindsight and to strive to create as good a translation as possible –one that strikes a balance between reading fluently and being loyal to the original text.
The award is given every year to the incumbent Head of School, in recognition of their service to their peers and to the wider College community. This year this was Shaun Pexton (Upper 6th, Ryle). Shaun is a true polymath (saxophone soloist and Channel swimmer!) and, beyond his many talents, a pillar of support to his peers in the Upper 6th and in the whole school. He served as Head of School in a year in which the community was still feeling the effects of Covid-19 restrictions, and his positive attitude and friendly smile made a huge difference to the wellbeing of others.
Thank you so much to all our Old Brightonians, and their loved ones, who sponsor an award or prize.
Opening Doors is Brighton’s scholarship programme for local young people who have experienced significant disadvantage or displacement. Launched in 2020, the initiative builds upon the school’s long tradition of widening access to a premium education and provides a life-changing opportunity to local youngsters. Each scholar receives a 120% bursary, funding all fees as well as additional activities.
This year saw our third cohort of fully funded scholars – our Soames Scholars – join the Lower Sixth Form. Thanks to the generous support of our alumni community, we have continued to grow the number of Soames Scholars and they now represent 10% of all day Sixth Form places at the school. This summer 2022, our first Soames Scholars graduated and joined the Old Brightonian community. They all did brilliantly, and have left the College to attend some of the world’s leading universities, such as the University of Bath, University of Richmond, Virginia and Princeton. We are extremely proud of all that they have achieved.
This September we welcomed our inaugural Raymond John Ives Scholar to the College. This new fully-funded scholarship, made possible by a donation from an anonymous alumni donor, has been sponsored in perpetuity, and will provide a transformative Sixth Form education to a young person from Brighton and Hove.
There is a long tradition at Brighton College of doing all that is possible to support vulnerable communities seeking refuge and safety. Eight years ago, the school opened its doors to Syrian refugees settled in Brighton, and pupils and teachers continue to facilitate English lessons, social events and visa support to these families, working closely with local charities.
It is no surprise, therefore, that when news came of the tragic war in Ukraine, the Head Master was quick to offer the support of the school to families arriving in Sussex.
Just days after the first families arrived in the United Kingdom, a story in The Times announced that Brighton College was offering 12 free places to Ukrainian children settling near the school. The
response was overwhelming, and 12 pupils soon became 20.
While the fees for these 20 scholars have been funded by the College, the Let Right Prevail Fund (words taken from the school’s motto) was established, and parents and Old Brightonians made generous contributions to help fund essential costs for these families, such as visa fees, transport, and accommodation.
Our Let Right Prevail Scholars are already thriving at the College, despite the many challenges facing their families.
It has been an incredibly difficult time for each of them but our teachers and pupils at the school continue to do all they can to help them feel at home.
Peter came to the College as a graduate of Emmanuel College Cambridge, after two years of National Service, which he hated but later was very comical about. He joined the Classics Department in 1958, and between then and his retirement in 1994 served in many roles, from Resident House Tutor to Second Master. As a Housemaster of first Durnford, then a boarding house, and then Bristol, he would perhaps be surprised and amused to hear himself described as a progressive, but in the house I joined as tutor in 1971, boys were indeed treated as individuals, with patience, tolerance and good humour, as well as firmness. Later, as Director of Activities and Second Master, Peter involved himself very much in the extra-curricular side of the College. He loved his teaching and had the
gift of making the classics, be it Horace’s Odes or Ancient Greek History, seem as relevant and engaging as any modern happening.
Peter was an excellent games player and was Master in charge of Cricket for many successful seasons. When Bill Blackshaw decided to introduce hockey into the school, he provided the expertise to add to my cack-handed enthusiasm for the game, in establishing it as a major game for many years. On the musical side, his rich bass voice helped bolster the Choral Society and other concerts. Later he was persuaded to appear in solo roles in joint pupil/staff productions, from an upright Private Willis in Iolanthe, to a be-fezzed and seedy night club owner in Salad Days
In his private life, Peter was an enterprising restorer of the ramshackle property in France that he referred to as Mon Debris and a gifted photographer, of birds in particular. He loved his dogs too: I recall evenings in his sitting room in Bristol House, after dinner with his prefects, ‘teaching’ his Cavalier King Charles, inevitability called Sappho, to accompany us all on his piano! His generosity and his sardonic humour touched many lives.
Philip Robinson (CR. 1971-2007)
We were very sorry to hear the recent news that Nick Bremer, the former Director of Art at Brighton College, died peacefully on the morning of 8th November 2022.
Throughout his 30 years at the college, Nick was the embodiment of the visual arts within it. Endlessly creative and forever enterprising, his hand was evident in so many College publications, notably the Brightonian, paintings and posters. To begin with he was confined to the modest premises of two classrooms at the end of a corridor in the Dawson Building. He was later to move to what had been in the school tuckshop and the swimming pool attendant’s flat above it, with more space for classes and individuals to work. This was long before Art came to enjoy its present airy accommodation at the top the Woolton Building.
Of course, the Art School could not really confine him. At least twice a year he dedicated himself to designing, building and painting sets for plays and musicals in the Great Hall. They were often masterpieces of inventive design and visual trickery on that awkward split-level stage. His loyal helpers learnt much from him about the art of stage
design, if not the importance of getting a job finished on time: on one legendary occasion, whilst the first half of a double bill was being performed on the lower stage, the set for the second half was still being painted behind it. At the other end of the Hall, the Burstow Gallery, opened in 1979, was an important focus for his talent for mounting exhibitions. What had been a cold and featureless foyer to the hall became a white box with endless possibilities. It opened with a show of Ivon Hitchens’ work, and there followed exhibitions of other big 20th century names, amongst them John Worsley (OB), John Skelton’s sculpture and, famously, Picasso and the Theatre. It was Bill Blackshaw’s ambition to create a gallery that the art world would take notice of, particularly through the medium of Gavin Henderson’s burgeoning Brighton Festival, and with Nick’s assistance and energy that became a reality.
Like all good schoolmasters, Nick lived the life of the school. He was engagingly clubbable and entered into Common Room life with ebullient enthusiasm: he was a founder member of its dining club and would turn out on summer evenings for the Haymakers XI. At dinners he attended with
Jill he was unfailingly entertaining, cutting a dash with his white tuxedo and whatever sartorial embellishments that marked him out unmistakably as the Art Master. With his natural charm and wit, he was an easy person to like and a rewarding one to share a joke with. He stayed on for an extra term after officially leaving, in order to ‘tidy up’, as he put it. Quite apart from whatever detritus remained in the Art School after 30 years of his being such a life force within it, he left behind him a remarkable legacy of inspiring work and inspired pupils, for which the college is immensely grateful.
Simon Smith (CR. 1973-2011)
‘Rosamund was always supportive of me, and I always welcomed her positive conversations; her brave decision to ban smoking from the Head Master’s house, a vanguard for an essential policy for healthy people, earnt her “legendary status” in my eyes.’
‘She was such an attractive, vivacious, enthusiastic lady, and so well liked.’
‘I remember how much Rosamund defined and embodied the role of the Head Master’s wife, whether as the consummate hostess, the one with a genuine interest in the welfare of staff families and a mainstay in the life of the Chapel and its music.’
‘We remember Rosamund as an independently minded, thoughtful and very loyal support to John.’
‘The Leaches were a great team when Brighton College needed it and Rosamund was always so kind. She made her mark on our lives.’
Extracts from condolence letters received from the Brighton College community to John.
Pete was extraordinary.
Trust me, it is very hard to find words that come close to describing who Pete was to us – or capture the great depth of loss we feel.
Whether part of his boat crew, studying alongside him, drinking bottomless cups of tea or diet coke on a sofa, or just living in the same community – or if, like me, you were lucky enough to count him as the dearest of friends – to know Pete, was to be inspired by his courage, warmed by that other-worldly glow, guided by his wisdom, and embraced in his affection.
As his friends: colleagues, parishioners, students, and carers…and all Pete’s heroes from Brighton, Tollington, HTB, the MNDA, Durham, Oxford, Cuckfield and beyond, I know we would all speak of the unique way he made us feel: cared for, loved, and special.
Many have shared this sentiment with his family: ‘that after one conversation it felt like you had known him all your life.’
I’m sure, we have all felt the warmth of Pete’s smile, been lit up as we saw the light and joy in his eyes – and I hope you got to join in some of the frequent moments of bone-shaking belly laughter that Pete knew, right to the end.
The writer CS Lewis talks about joy being the ‘serious business of heaven’. Pete learnt that in his life, and through his long fight with MND. The joy Pete knew was contentment of the soul, even in adversity. And like Sussex’s answer to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Pete was a deep and spiritual person, but he did not overcomplicate life – his gentle spirit made you feel so at ease.
We had a lot in common. We shared a love of sport, fast food and putting the world to rights, so when Dominos started offering 2-4-1 Tuesdays on a Champions League night, it soon became a regular fixture.
Award-winning teacher, Pete Bellenger, really did not think he was any good at teaching. Yet his subject knowledge was remarkable. And his empathy and time for his pupils meant he was absolutely loved by them; it is no exaggeration to say he made a life changing impression on many.
I think he might be very delighted if we gave our gifts and ourselves in the service of comforting others and bringing light. It would bring Pete perfect joy, if we were to say, in spite of our cracks and flaws: we will try to live out the immeasurable, gentle and transformative hope he so loved to see in the world.
Chris Webster (CR. 2013-21)David was Chaplain for over 10 years and taught Religious Education.
However, first and foremost, David was a pastor to the pupils. He was a big personality with a huge smile and affectionately nicknamed “Smiley”. He cared for everyone at the College. He was a prominent figure in the school, and staff and pupils alike will remember David for his enthusiasm and energy for the CCF section.
He was regularly seen supporting many of the 1st XV games both home and away, cheering from the side-lines. His passionate singing voice was heard in his vibrant singing in the school Chapel and his sermons on a Sunday.
After leaving Brighton College, David took on several other chaplaincy roles, notably Warminster College (1989-92), San Pedro at Costa del Sol (1993-94), and George’s Church at Tunis (1996-98). David always remembered his time at Brighton College with much joy and happiness.
We remember Dad as being our guiding light, always there to support us and we miss him very much.
David P. Grigor (Le. 1982-87) and John M. Grigor (Le. 1978-83)
University of Cambridge Dinner 12th January University of Oxford Dinner 16th January
USA West Coast Dinner 4th February
USA East Coast Dinner 7th February
West of England Universities Dinner 23rd February
Vice Presidents’ London Lunch 9th March
OB London Drinks 9th March
OB President's Lunch 26th May
Our events throughout the year are listed on our website: https://oldbrightonians.com/events
Leaving a legacy gift to Brighton College can make a transformative impact on the education we provide to future generations of pupils. It also allows us to increase the number of scholarships and bursaries that we can offer. Membership of the 1845 Society is offered to those who indicate to the College that they have made, or intend to make provision for Brighton in their Will.
For more details on legacy giving and the 1845 Society, please contact our Director of Development and Engagement, Scott Sheridan at ssheridan@brightoncollege.net or by telephone on +44 (0) 1273 704 375