Marlburian Club Magazine 2020

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WINTER 2020

The Marlburian Club Magazine Cover story: Mental Health Bella Somerset on mental-health challenges and developing coping strategies

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Contents Features 07

Club Survey In early 2020, the Club issued a survey to all OMs and here the results are broken down for you

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Totally Inspirational Martin Pick writes about Head of English Michael Davis

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I’ll never forget…

Christopher Cannon recalls the pandemic of 1957

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My House Jane Green looks back at B3 in the early 80s

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OM Entrepreneurs Cactus Blu, Green Merchant, Nano Lit, Polly Wilkinson

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The Power of Mentoring A new Club initiative is explained

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Scandal and Intrigue − a Route to Success Issy Carr speaks to John Preston about his books becoming a success on the big screen

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The Idiosyncratic World of Hedgehog Hugh Richard Llewellyn Brown interviews ecologist, author, photographer, TV presenter and hedgehog lover Hugh Warwick

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Believing in Nature Lily Martin-Jenkins interviews Dr Lipp founder, Pontine Paus

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Shedding Light on Art Piers Nicholson talks about how an interest in sundials in the 1970s became a full career

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Engineered for Success Michael Orange, Holly ScottDonaldson and James Meredith recall one of Marlborough’s most influential icons Alex Moulton

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Drawing Inspiration from Visual Journalism Ollie Cameron explains the concepts and thinking behind visual journalism

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Malaysia Reflection Andy Gough reflects on his time working at MCM and the joy of developing as a person and bringing up a family there

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Front Row Seat at the RNLI during a Pandemic Katie Beney tells us how the RNLI have coped during the Covid-19 crisis

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Our very own Stormy Stan Katie Beney interviews new RNLI helm Barclay Harvey

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Mental Health: Tools for Prevention and Coping Bella Somerset looks at coping mechanisms to deal with mental-health issues

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Providing for the Nation BBC Health Editor, Hugh Pym, interviews Chief Executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson

50 Regulars 04 05 06 08 14 59 61 62 63 72 82 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 91 92 95 96 101 102 108 110

Upfront Contributors From the Chair This Year OM News Letters to the Editor Engagements, Marriages & Births Deaths Obituaries Events Diary Dates Professional Groups Development Update Innovation 1843 Society Bursaries Towns and Gowns The Master’s Review Malaysia Review Looking Ahead Valete Academic Results and Admissions Sports Financial Help for OMs On the Shelves Classifieds Crossword

The Marlburian Club, Marlborough College, Wiltshire SN8 1PA

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Telephone +44 (0)1672 892 384 marlburianclub@marlboroughcollege.org www.marlboroughcollege.org Twitter: @OldMarlburians facebook.com/TheMarlburianClub Editorial and advertising enquiries: +44 (0)1672 892 384 Editor: Catherine Brumwell (née Redpath NC 1991-96) catherine@theommagazine.co.uk Editorial Board: Kate Goodwin (Alumni Relations Manager) Jane Green (B3 1982-84, Communications Manager) Charles MacFarlane (CO 1967-71) Olivia Timbs (C1 1970-72) Charlie Corbett (C1 1990-95) Hannah Kapff (née Thomson EL 1991-93) Design: Andy Rawlings ©The Marlburian Club 2020

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Upfront journalist; Piers Nicholson (B3 1948-52) is your man for a sundial; and Pontine Paus (SU 1989-91) invented an award-winning nipple balm. A heady mix!

We, of course, need to remember those who are no longer with us. Sadly, there have been several losses in our community this year, but each one of these lives was lived to the fullest and they certainly skidded into heaven sideways.

All of this year's pieces have given me great joy, but none more so than the one remembering engineer Alex Moulton (C2 1933-38). It describes a fascinating life, and it came together so charmingly.

I asked one OM to write it: he suggested seeking someone else’s help. That person agreed and proposed cooperating on it with yet another OM. The next thing I knew I had a superb piece, written by three OMs, sitting in my inbox.

Another positive and collaborative outlook is from the Club itself. As it focuses on moving onwards, we are looking at its core values and commitments, hence the need for 2020’s Club Survey. These last few years have seen many developments and initiatives; these need consolidating. While we need to modernise, we also know that the interests and outlooks of our elder OMs – the backbone of the Club – should also be kept in mind. Getting this and other balances right is primary to the Club’s work.

‘...each one of these lives was lived to the fullest and they certainly skidded into heaven sideways.’

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wo things inspired me hugely this year and both appeared when inspiration was most needed.

The first was the article by the Master in Malaysia, Alan Stevens (Master 2018-), which you can read on p89. The second was a quote I’ve never seen before. The words resonate with me, they resonate with the Club, and they also resonate with the many OMs I have dealings with.

‘Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather a skid in sideways, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body totally worn out and screaming, “Woo Hoo! What a ride!”’

Over this year, we have re-evaluated our lives and the world around us. We have 4

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adapted, we have looked at things in different ways, and we have done what we can to develop the best path forward, responding in amazingly positive ways and steering deftly through the trickiest of obstacles.

You’ll read in these pages how many OMs have risen to 2020’s challenges. Katie Beney (MO 1989-91) had her hands full keeping our coastlines safe with her work in the RNLI headquarters. Many other OMs proved their worth by setting up their own lockdown initiatives, all of which appear in our extended OM News section.

OMs continue to thrive on the untrodden and esoteric work path. Hugh Warwick (C2 1979-84) devotes his multi-faceted life to saving the hedgehog; Ollie Cameron (C3 2010-15) is our first declared photographic

With this in mind, the Club is increasing its collaboration with the College to assist leavers. Additionally, we are setting up support and mentoring programmes not just for the young but also for the career movers and career leavers. We are fully supportive of the concept that Marlborough is not just for school years, it is for life.

As the saying goes, ‘Once a Marlburian, always a Marlburian’.

All in all, the Marlborough community is moving ahead with positivity. So please join us with a strawberry, a glass of champagne, and say, ‘Woo hoo! What a life!’.

Catherine Brumwell (née Redpath NC 1991-96) Editor, The Marlburian Club Magazine catherine@theommagazine.co.uk

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Contributors Piers Nicholson

Issy Carr

Mike Orange

(B3 1948-52)

(EL 2012-17)

(PR 1986-91)

Piers spent most of his career in a consultingand-publishing company concerned with the marketing of industrial metals and minerals.

Since 2002, he has been involved with the Tylers and Bricklayers Livery Company and became Master in 2011. All of this joins his second careers as a website designer and as a sundial designer.

Issy is completing an MA in English Literature and History of Art at Edinburgh. Alongside her studies, she’s a freelance journalist, writing for Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country and Wonderland. She took on her first solo producer job in Tuscany over the summer.

After graduating, she wants to set up her own creative agency.

Mike studied yacht design at Solent University. His first job was building lifeboats and then he moved onto superyachts.

Mike specialised in carbon-fibre masts and rigging for superyachts before co-founding the firm Cedence in 2014, who are pioneers of components for the transportation and defence sectors.

Ollie Cameron

Lily Martin-Jenkins

Andy Gough

(C3 2010-15)

(IV 2014-19)

(C1 1989-94)

Ollie was designing and researching for Project Dastaan (co-founded by Sam Dalrymple (C2 2010-15)) in India and Pakistan when Covid-19 hit. The project uses virtual reality to reunite partition-era refugees with their previous communities. Ollie is now seeking new opportunities to communicate topical issues through art.

Lily’s ski season in the French Alps was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before that she had been working at Christie’s and Andrew Martin in London.

She is studying history of art at The Courtauld, while also working weekends at Andrew Martin. She hopes to pursue a career in the art world.

After his maths degree, Andy attained his PGCE in Secondary Maths at Chichester. He taught maths and games at Windlesham House School for six years, then was Deputy Head for a Pupil Referral Unit before again teaching maths and PE at Dulwich Prep London. After six years as housemaster at MCM, he is now Deputy Head Pastoral.

Richard Brown

James Meredith

Hugh Pym

(C1 1970-74)

(B2 1988-93)

(C1 1973-77)

Richard always wanted to be an entomologist but changed direction and became a vet, working abroad and in Scotland. He collected butterflies in Belize and then Hong Kong.

In Scotland he photographs butterflies and ensures there are plenty of flowers in the garden for bees.

James studied Mechanical Engineering at Bath and gained an Engineering Doctorate from Warwick. His focus has been on innovative research and development. He now manages Very Light Rail projects at Warwick University, aiming to revolutionise urban and rural rail.

Hugh has been Health Editor for BBC News, covering aspects of health policy and developments in the NHS, since 2014. Before that, he was Chief Economics Correspondent and Business Correspondent. His career started in local radio and he has worked as a correspondent with ITN and Sky News.

Katie Beney

Holly Scott-Donaldson

Bella Somerset

(MO 1989-91)

(MO 1989-91)

(MM 2004-09)

Katie studied at Edinburgh before combining a passion for the sea with a career in sports sponsorship.

Since 2016, she has worked for the RNLI – a charity close to her heart, having grown up on Alderney, where the lifeboat provides a lifeline to a population of almost 2,000 people.

Holly spent several years in hospitality, financial and tech with global brands such as Sheraton Hotels, Citibank, CapGemini and SAP. Holly has recently returned to corporate life as Head of Sales for Data Interconnect, a revolutionary accounting and financing software suite.

Bella leads hiking wellbeing adventures through majestic mountain routes in Nepal and the Lake District to boost mental and physical health with her business Bella’s Magic Mountains. She also hosts wellbeing retreats at her family home in Badminton; Badminton Wellbeing.

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From the Chair ver and above the many social events we arrange, we are striving to create a strong alumni network that we hope will help OMs and College pupils to further their development and career progression throughout their lives.

We continue to evolve the Club to ensure that MC Malaysia, despite its geographic location, can equally benefit from what the Club has to offer.

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and communicate. Added to which, parents are now being included on the platform.

Traffic numbers are up significantly this year thanks to the number of interesting news stories you are adding. If you’re not signed up, you may not hear about any of our events and activities, so please ensure you are by visiting www.mcglobalconnect.org to hear all the news and to keep your contact details up to date.

We continue to invest in MC Global Connect, our networking platform and app. This will increasingly be the bedrock around which we keep OMs informed, make connections

Sadly, many of our planned events had to be postponed or cancelled this year but prior to Covid-19 the Professional Groups held some interesting and well-attended

‘We continue to evolve the Club to ensure that MC Malaysia, despite its geographic location, can equally benefit from what the Club has to offer.’

events: Sustainability Forum, Women’s Network Event at Google, Digital Event at Dell, and OMs continued to support the College’s career speed dating. In response to the pandemic, Marlburian Mondays were rolled out along with virtual events for the Sustainability Forum and the Not-For-Profit Group. We hope to be able to continue to hold events but we will also look at holding virtual events so more of you can attend if for some reason you cannot come along.

Thank you to all those who filled in the Club Survey that will help us shape the future of the Club. The results are shown on the accompanying page.

Social events continue to be valued by all – Class of 2014 Five-Year Reunion, Class of 1999 20-Year Reunion, South West Drinks in Bristol, and dinners in Rye and Edinburgh.

Our President organised a Celebration of the Individual, in memory of Toby GraffteySmith (B3 1984-89). Many OMs attended, a number performed with the pupils and the Class of 1990 30-year reunion took place afterwards.

On the sports front, the Club was busy and successful. Events included a cycle ride around the Cotswolds, the OMSA winning the Charterhouse bowl at the Arrow Cup sailing event, and The Blues retaining the CMJ trophy.

If you would like to be involved in any way or have ideas for us, please contact the Club at: marlburianclub@ marlboroughcollege.org.

Finally, I’d like to thank the President, Committee, Professional Group Heads and the Club and Development office for all their work in creating the momentum behind these initiatives. Sadly, I have now come to the end of my time as Chairman.

It has been a pleasure to do my bit for the Club and I am pleased to announce that Karen Hill (B2/MM 1988-90) took over from me in October. Karen has impressed greatly through her involvement in the Committee and with the Professional Groups.

Chris Carpmael (C1 1980-84) Club Chairman 6

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Club Survey

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irstly thank you to all those who filled in the Marlburian Club Survey earlier this year.

Having only started in January, this was a really useful opportunity for me to understand what OMs are looking for from their Club.

Four things stood out to me in particular. Firstly, the extraordinary willingness of alumni to volunteer in all sorts of ways, which demonstrates the strong altruistic nature of OMs. Secondly, the high awareness and usage of MC Global Connect, the online OM community, which has proved even more useful in the ‘virtual world’ of recent months. Thirdly, the high interest in the Club facilitating more OM work experience and mentoring opportunities that will be beneficial in the current tough employment market. Finally, the very strong support for increasing the number of bursaries available for young people from less fortunate backgrounds, which is a key strategic priority for the College.

In closing, I should also mention that 94% of you said you read this magazine, which also means that there is a strong chance this article might get read! Many thanks again for all your feedback, which is already being used to shape the future of your Club.

Simon Lerwill Foundation Director

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This Year younger, business-woman self?’ I replied, without hesitation, ‘Ask advice from those with experience – it is not a sign of weakness but of confidence with humility’.

The Club is providing wonderful opportunities to do exactly this through MC Global Connect – connecting OM mentors and mentees and providing precisely the advice and support that would have been of benefit to me in my early working life. There is a growing number of Professional Network Groups run by OMs – from Art & Architecture, Arts & Media, Digital Enterprises and Engineering to Law, Music, Clergy, and PR, Marketing & Communication. There will be an OM who has ‘been there and done that’ and is happy to share their experiences, be it on marketing a new product or raising capital, to the more woke issues such as work-life balance and task sharing in the home.

‘It was my experience speaking to the excellent OM Women’s Networking Group that prompted my acceptance of the invitation to become President of the Club.’

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omorrow’s World seemed a good theme for this article as I sketched out ideas in January 2020. The Innovation Centre project is exploring new ways of teaching and learning for the 21st century; Marlborough Malaysia is providing world-class education for an increasingly globalised society; the growing bursary scheme will extend access to a Marlborough education; and the ever-expanding network of OM Professional Groups all combine to show that both the College and the Club have their eyes firmly on the future.

girls in the Sixth Form of the mid-1970s, running the gauntlet of Norwood Hall voting, (I have no illusion about my place on the score card!) and sharing study corridors with nonchalant adolescent boys, I was well prepared for my career in the still gender-unbalanced world of business and politics.

Three months on, as I put pen to metaphorical paper during week three of lockdown, I wonder how that Tomorrow’s World will look when you read this piece later in 2020 and as the College and OMs alike survey the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis.

I set up my international political consultancy in 1990, long before start-ups were fashionable, and I am still active in that field. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, with both my businessman father, Sir Alastair Stewart Bt (PR 1939-43), and my late brother, John Stewart (B2 1975-79), starting and running their own businesses, and my architect mother showing me that working as a woman, wife and mother can be the norm.

I am delighted to be taking up the reins as President of the Marlburian Club. My family have been Marlburians for over a century from my great uncle Eric (PR 1913-17) through to my daughter Helen Neven (TU 2010-12). As one of the early groups of

It was my experience speaking to the excellent OM Women’s Networking Group that prompted my acceptance of the invitation to become President of the Club.

One of the questions I was asked was, ‘What advice would you give to your

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Once we reach the brave new post-Covid-19 world, this help and advice will be ever more valuable. Many OMs will be carrying heavy responsibilities for their businesses, their colleagues and their families and friends, and I hope that the Club’s groups and support can play their part to help them.

But the Club is not all about work! It is a place to meet old friends and make new ones through regional meet ups, unique events and College-based activities. How much of this can restart and how soon is as yet unclear. However, in the interim, the enterprising Club team have been forging new ways to reach out to Club members by introducing such things as Marlborough Monday talks by inspiring OMs. We won’t let go of these interesting virtual meet-ups that will continue to be valuable as the Club builds alumni connections with OMs from Marlborough Malaysia.

We have all learned the value of keeping connected during this strange period.

Technology has played a crucial part in this and, if the world is slow to reopen, I look forward to meeting many of you virtually, if it cannot be physically, over the next year in the Club.

Catherine Stewart (LI 1974-76) President of the Marlburian Club

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Totally Inspirational Martin Pick (CO 1957-62) writes about Head of English Michael Davis (CR 1949-85).

My housemaster was suspicious of these expeditions. When I asked his permission to go, he muttered, ‘I think you’re becoming rather an escapist, old chap!’. When we returned from one trip, I found the house door had been locked and I had to climb the fire escape. The next day, I had the impression it had been deliberate, and he never once asked if I had enjoyed the evening and the play.

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ike Davis introduced me to literature in its widest sense, and now, 60 years later, I remember what that has meant over the years. I first met Mike in my O Level year when we studied Chaucer’s Nun’s Priest’s Tale and Shakespeare’s As You Like It. His classroom in North Block was usually cold in winter but he would start off with five-minutes’ warm-up in our duffle coats. Behind him was a large bright painting of characters in The Canterbury Tales, which he would use as a reference. I didn’t realise until later that he had painted this himself with some boys who were studying the book.

I had a housemaster who typically found fault in us but Mike was quite different.

He asked us to think about what we were reading, and he wanted to know what we thought about it. The following year we read Chaucer’s Pardoner’s Tale, Milton’s Samson Agonistes and Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

He took us off to Salisbury Rep to see Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and to the Bristol Old Vic to see War and Peace.

I believe there were three other boys who had gone and who were in the same class and Mike spent time discussing the plays and the characters with us. It was the opportunity to escape from the dullness of boarding-school routine that I enjoyed, and other boys in my house were quite envious I had been invited.

In my last year, the post-A Level summer, Mike invited us to climb Granham Hill to his house to discuss novels. He would provide ‘cinnamon balls and coffee’ and I remember it feeling quite exotic!

sent me off on a three-week voyage by cargo boat from London to Cape Town, from where I travelled by train 880 miles north to Francistown, Bechuanaland. My father gave me a cardboard box of novels for the trip.

I was soon stuck into Graham Greene’s The Power and The Glory and The Heart of the Matter, Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage, Joyce Cary’s Mister Johnson and C S Forester’s The African Queen. I found I had learned to appreciate and contextualise what I read.

The Greene novels led me to appreciate the friendship of a mother of four children in her thirties whom I stayed with and whose husband always fell asleep after supper.

We would discuss what she and I had been reading. It was a small town and there were not many people either of us found sympathetic.

It was in this peaceful colonial existence where I learned about the starkness of racism and the need for educational opportunity for all children. Marlborough had implanted its Christian ethic in me and Mike Davis gave me the ability to appreciate fiction, and now I was seeing all this in Africa.

Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Doris Lessing’s The Grass is Singing and Conrad’s Lord Jim, a very long and complicated story for which I was probably too young, were all discussed.

No one seemed to know why Lord Jim had been chosen for the A Level syllabus, but it introduced me to Africa. I was gradually learning to analyse fiction and I am sure Mike’s encouragement gave me the confidence to continue. I was not obviously bright, but I made up for it with my enthusiasm.

Later that year, having left MC, I came into my own during a year in Africa on Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). My father, a publisher,

Author in Bechuanaland, Africa, discussing seeds with a teacher at a village school

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I’ll never forget... when Asian Flu was confirmed as a pandemic

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ovid-19 brings back a very painful memory. It was Michaelmas term of my second year at Marlborough when Asian Flu, which originated in China, was confirmed as a pandemic. It accounted for several thousand deaths in the UK, none at the College thankfully, and up to two million worldwide.

Asian Flu, unlike Covid-19, targeted the young and not the elderly, so a large number of us were laid up in beds. The infection came as a major shock to the College community as 500 boys out of a total of about 830 succumbed within five days. Those not infected helped with menial tasks such as distributing food trays.

Assistance was offered by town residents who came in to help with nursing and other duties. Teaching was greatly reduced and at times even the fit boys did not attend classes at all for some days.

It is unlikely that returning home was an option as we didn’t have one day of exeat or a half-term break, so I doubt it would have been considered!

I succumbed to the infection early and, although a member of B2, I was billeted

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‘The embarrassment of seeing his mother coming to look after her ‘two darling boys’ was too much...’

in a large dormitory in Field House, which became an extension of the overflowing sanatorium, and was converted into a ward for about 30 boys of mixed ages. As I had had pneumonia before, Doc Hunter (CR 1947-71), never one to be concerned about the treatment inflicting pain on his patients, plunged a large dose of penicillin into my backside. In those days, it came as a rather thicker liquid than the current equivalent, which added to the discomfort. I still wince at the memory, which probably led me to self-isolate before others this time round!

My mother, appreciating that the school would need another pair of hands, travelled 100 miles to assist the nursing staff and arrived in my ward in which my elder brother, Michael, (B2 1954-59) had a bed, too. The embarrassment of seeing his mother coming to look after her ‘two darling boys’ was too much and he shot

down his bed and took some time to resurface! The school was grateful for her assistance and she stayed with the Hallidays (John CR 1946-74) in B2 and teamed up with Trevor Gartside (CR 1954-91) doing nursing duties.

Because my recovery was slower than anticipated, I was transferred to a room in the San for closer observation and another painful injection. The last time I had been in that particular room, which had been converted from a rehab area to a ward, was when I and others were required to walk up and down the room without shoes and socks so Gerald ‘Bogey’ Murray (CR 1946-78) could assess how flat-footed we were. He identified those he thought needed remedial exercises. I don’t believe this is a priority these days!

Christopher Cannon (B2 1956-61)

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My House: B3 ‘Boys’ studies were called ‘bedsits’ and were plastered floor to ceiling with posters: James Dean jostling with the Sex Pistols...’

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arrived at Marlborough in September 1982 under Roger Ellis CBE (Master 1972-86). The College first admitted girls to the Sixth Form in 1968 and by the 1980s girls constituted around 10 per cent of the school. Girls joined Senior Houses with each having an intake of half a dozen girls. The Junior House of A1 and A2 was only inhabited by the Shell, and C House remained boys only because the layout made it difficult to segregate the sexes.

My house was B3, which shared the building of Field House with C2. Field house first opened its doors in 1911 to accommodate C2, and B3 and was so named because of its location next to the playing fields. The house is attached to North Block via the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ across the Bath Road, which once allowed boys access to the library after the gates had been closed for the night. To accommodate girls, two new wings were built between the housemasters’ residences of Pudmore and Dene to create bedrooms for girls and extra studies for boys.

Field House was In-College and meant you could return to house quickly at break or in ‘studs’ with the sound of London Calling by the Clash pounding out of open windows.

Loud music was heard everywhere, unlike today where headphones are the norm.

Boys’ studies were called ‘bedsits’ and were plastered floor to ceiling with posters: James Dean jostling with the Sex Pistols and the Marlboro’ cowboy from tobacco adverts.

During the ‘80s Sixth Form Captains ran the house and we only expected to see our housemaster at a Saturday night check-in or the Sunday morning study inspection, unless you’d been unlucky enough to get busted.

The house tutor, who lived in a flat within

B3 was known for being sporty and this was directly correlated to the number of 1st XV rugby players resident in the house; I think we had five. The blue and white of B3 was enthusiastically supported in house matches, which the majority of the house turned out for. Likewise, our performance of Barbara Ann by the Beach Boys in the House Shout cemented house spirit enormously.

the building, was our point of pastoral contact. Nor was health and safety so much a feature of the time. The C2 Bar, in the basement of Field House, opened on a Saturday night and served ‘home brew’ made on a Wednesday afternoon by the boys.

This would be unthinkable today when tokens for alcohol and breathalysers are the norm.

The identity of a house is built over the generations and by the personality of the housemaster. Although both may change over time, it is camaraderie that survives the decades and the bonds forged during formative years. As part of the process of becoming fully co-educational, B3 was closed and C2 moved to its present location in 1992. Morris girls were moved from A House to Field House in 1994 and it remains home to over 75 girls today.

Although B3 no longer exists in name, in spirit it certainly won’t be forgotten.

Jane Green (B3 1982-84) The Marlburian Club Magazine

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OM Entrepreneurs ocean views on one side and lush pristine jungle on the other. It was the perfect spot to create some holiday villas and have monkeys as neighbours!

The Dough: Selling their London home generated enough to buy the land and build three houses.

The Future: Perhaps building another villa in a couple of years to add to the portfolio.

Nifty Gritty: www.cactusbluecostarica.com cactusbluecostarica@gmail.com (+506) 6184 3205

The Key to Success: Being committed and very hands on.

Cactus Blue

The Present: Cactus Blue Villas can sleep up to 16 guests across the property. Plans are in place for a large yoga shala to open up the client base for hosting retreats.

The Founders: Lincoln Bolsover (SU 199194) and Scarlett Bolsover (née Rogers NC 1993-98) The Business: Luxury villa rentals in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.

The Beginning: After years in the rat race – Scarlett in fashion and Lincoln in the golf industry – they embarked on an adventure to find a new destination to call home and to set up a business. Both speaking Spanish, with a love of the beach and the tropics, Costa Rica seemed the best place.

The Eureka Moment: Whilst surfing in Santa Teresa in 2013 and stumbling across a beautiful piece of land with spectacular

Green Merchant The Founders: Oliver Brown and Peter Adams (both SU 2006-11)

The Keys to Success: Pinpointing the pain point you are solving for the customer – in their case the hassle of selling used items – and focusing on that.

The Business: Online consignment selling service for pre-loved items.

The Present: Marketing, expansion, data collection and learning.

The Beginning: After leaving university, Oli spent five years in investment banking as an equity analyst while Peter worked as a senior trader for a leading sportsbook.

The Future: Scaling and automating operations. Using the data they collect to make smarter decisions about driving efficiency and marketing/pricing items.

The Eureka Moment: There is £000s of value locked up in unused items in our homes. What’s stopping people from reselling it? Hassle! Selling stuff is timeconsuming and a real faff to get right as an individual. That’s where they saw demand for a specialist end-to-end selling service you can totally hand over to. They also get a kick out of giving items a new lease of life and powering a greener, more circular economy.

The Nitty-Gritty: www.greenmerchant.co.uk Instagram @greenmerchantuk

The Dough: Self-funded so far.

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Nano-Lit The Founder: Sarah Morgan (EL/NC 1989-93) The Business: Nano-Lit Technologies, a circadian-rhythm lighting company.

The Beginning: An introduction to and being given free rein to pursue a passion for lighting whilst studying CDT at Marlborough.

Then pursuing a Masters in Industrial Design, where I was introduced to Quantum Dots, the next generation in LED lighting.

The Eureka Moment: After a decade in the City, Polly decided to combine her love of gardening and design by retraining at The English Gardening School at the Chelsea Physic Garden before setting up her own garden design studio in Surrey.

The Dough: Training was a necessary (if expensive!) investment.

The Keys to Success: Polly earned a coveted spot at the Hampton Court flower show soon after graduating, winning a Silver Gilt for her first garden. The following year she displayed again, earning the People’s Choice Award and a Silver medal. Showcasing at the big-name flower shows is invaluable for raising the profile of new designers.

Pollyanna Wilkinson The Founder: Pollyanna Wilkinson (née Reeve MO 1998-2002) The Business: Garden design.

The Beginning: After university, Polly joined Deloitte’s management consultancy programme. She then moved into marketing, working at Magic Circle law firm Linklaters.

The Present: Polly now designs both private and commercial gardens across London, and the south-west, with projects ranging from roof terraces to country estates. Polly works collaboratively with clients to capture their wishes and is aesthetic in a way that’s fresh, interesting and practical.

The Future: Hoping to feature at Chelsea Flower Show within five years.

The Nitty-Gritty: www.pollyannawilkinson.com 07534506604 polly@pollyannawilkinson.com

The Eureka Moment: Deciding to replicate the changing colour and intensity of sunlight indoors while discovering that just one night of bad sleep suppresses our immune system and makes us more susceptible to disease. We now know that daylight is the primary input for controlling the sleep/wake cycle and we evolved under sunlight, which is dynamic.

The Dough: Angel investment £350,000, government grants (Canada/UK) £250,000, aerospace/automotive contracts £650,000, and patented product sales of £175,000 within six months of launching.

The Keys to Success: Build sustainable products that you love.

The Present: Customers are the US Department of Energy, Oxford Properties and CBRE. Space, aerospace, shipping, healthcare and education represent £6 million of sales in the pipeline.

The Future: Circadian lighting will be ubiquitous.

The Nitty-Gritty: www.nano-lit.com/home info@nano-lit.com The Marlburian Club Magazine

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OM News President Elect Nick Cooke-Priest (LI 1983-85) enjoyed a 30-year career in the Royal Navy as both an aviator and ships warfare officer. His roles included a deployment to the Antarctic ice in support of the British Antarctic Survey, disaster relief, chasing terrorists post 9/11, counter-piracy and drugs operations in the east and west, the Gulf ‘once too often’, massive-scale humanitarian rescues, war, and a variety of training and less-exciting staff appointments. In his last decade in the Navy, Nick held four warship commands including the Fleet Flagship and the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. He cycles and sails, and is married with two of his three sons part of a fifth generation at the College, and now works for a pioneering maritime data-analytics company. He follows in the footsteps of his father, Colin Cooke-Priest (LI 1952-57), who was President in 2011.

Auctioneer Spink & Son opened a competition for Marlborough’s pupils of History of Art. Dealing principally with militaria, numismatics and medals, Spink’s asked pupils to write entries for a sales catalogue concerning medals awarded to OMs. The winning submission was written

by Giacomo Prideaux (SU U6), who took as his subject Lieutenant Colonel Eric Charles Twelves Wilson (C1 1926-31), who was awarded his VC in 1942 in recognition of his valour in action in Somaliland.

John Turnbull (B1 1942-47) and his wife Sarah celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary. They were married on the 29th August 1959 at St Saviour’s Church, Brockenhurst.

Edward Twohig (CR 2017-) wrote a tribute to artist Derek Hill (LI 1930-33) after hearing a broadcast by presenter and producer John Bowman on RTE Radio 1.

The radio programme was fortified by reading Derek Hill, An Appreciation by the Earl of Gowrie, which is autographed by Derek and inscribed, ‘For Marlborough and the Old Bath Road, January 19th ‘95’ and is kept in the Art School library. Visit marlburianclub.org to read the full tribute.

John Bryan-Brown (B3 1933-37) turned 100 on 21st May.

Anton Barber (LI 1934-38) celebrated his 100th birthday with family, friends and staff at his care home in Marlborough.

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Members of Marlborough Golf Team met golfing legend Tony Hill (CO 1949-53), past president of the English Golfing Union.

They had dinner with Tony and exchanged golfing stories during the West of England Public Schools’ Golf Championship. The two-day event, which sees Marlborough challenging other top independent schools, was founded by Tony’s father more than 50 years ago.

Michael Elwyn (B3 1956-61) featured in Unprecedented, a series written by our nation’s most celebrated playwrights and performed by over 50 of the UK’s finest

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actors. It was filmed in lockdown and responds to the radical way we have seen our world change during the Covid-19 pandemic. Each episode gave insight into this unexpected communal experience and the unimaginable ways in which society has changed.

The team that won the 1980 final was very shrewdly captained by Robbie Johnston (LI 1965-70). The rest of the team was Mike Griffith (C3 1957-62), David Walsh (C1 1960-65), Nick Ross (PR 1961-66), Richard Brown (C1 1965-70), Nick Frome (PR 1967-71), Richard Savage (C1 1969-74), Alec Cunningham (C3 1970-74), Oliver Gravell (C3 1972-77), Chris Worlidge (B3 1973-78) and Simon Lillyman (B3 1973-78). Three others who played in earlier rounds were Mark Pinney (C3 1967-72) in the first round, Roger Hunt (C2 1964-68) in the third round and Ed Cunningham (C3 1975-80) in the semi-final.

After reading a feature article about former Head of Art Christopher Hughes (CR 1920-45), Henry Paul Street (B3 195661) sent two etchings to the College by this great and influential beak and artist. They feature C1 and the interior of Chapel and will join the Prints and Drawing Gallery in the Art School.

Christopher Macgowan OBE (B3 196164) was appointed Chairman of the National Motor Museum.

Bill Grimke-Drayton (CO 1961-65) made contact with OMs in and around the Philippines during the Covid-19 pandemic.

William Harmer (C1 1957-61) and Sarah Valentine celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. They were married at St Bartholomew the Great, Smithfield.

Michael Pennington (PR 1957-61) played the part of Prospero in The Tempest at the Jermyn Street Theatre. It was the second time he’s played the part, the first being at the College in 1959.

The work of All Souls in Langham Place, where Hugh Palmer (CO 1964-69) is Rector, was featured on the Today programme. They normally have a regular attendance of about 2,000 people but, due to the Covid-19 lockdowns, decided to produce a virtual service to enable their congregation to continue to worship together.

The Marlborough Blues Cricket Club celebrated the 40th anniversary of winning the Cricketer Cup. This was the only time Marlborough won since its inception in 1967.

Peter Walters (PR 1968-73) translated the templates on the Coronavirus Support Group UK, which was set up by James Johnstone (C1 1977-80), website into Spanish and circulated them in his neighbourhood tower of Medellín, Colombia.

The Encounter, directed and performed

by Simon McBurney (LI 1971-75), was available online, along with other productions from Complicite, during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Sue and Peter Oakden (B3 1960-64) celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in September 2019.

Michael Pennington (PR 1957-61) played the part of Prospero in The Tempest The Marlburian Club Magazine

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OM News Simon Mordant (B1 1973-77) was awarded a knighthood in the Order of the Star of Italy by the President. Simon has long championed the work of Australian artists in Italy and led the campaign for the new Australian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, which was the first 21st-century building in Venice. He is on the board of the American Academy in Rome and was Australian Commissioner at Venice Biennale in 2013 and 2015. He was also awarded an Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for distinguished service to the visual arts at national and international level, to emerging artists, and to philanthropy.

The family of Tim Hyde-Smith (C1 197681), who passed away in January, donated an impressive chair he carved while at Marlborough. It now resides in the housemaster’s office of C1.

William Cheng (B2 1975-80), Chairman of Magnificent Hotels, successfully won a bid to purchase the Wood Street Police Station.

William attributes part of his successful bid to his knowledge and appreciation of neoclassical architecture that he gained whilst at Marlborough. ‘I am so delighted to have won the bid to convert this magnificent building into a grand heritage hotel. I believe the vital difference was that I presented myself to the City Corporation’s project selection committee as someone with a passion for neoclassical architecture heritage.’

Lewis Borg-Cardona (BH 1973-77) won the New York Festivals Radio Awards with his podcast Unwrapping A Christmas Gift For You – The Story Of The Phil Spector Christmas Album. In early 2020, Lewis’s podcast series Manhunt: Finding Kevin Parle launched. The podcast followed former undercover police officer Peter Bleksley as he searches for one of Britain’s most wanted men.

Andrew Lim (C2 1975-80) sent in a photo of the tree-planting ceremony by HRH Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips (C3 1962-66).

Zoe Dyson Hedstrom (CO 1978-80) was one of 12 local artists chosen to display their work at the LF Wade International Airport’s new terminal in St George’s, Bermuda. All her work is motivated by her birthplace. ‘There are no colours like the colours in Bermuda. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of it.’

Annabel Chater Davies (PR 1975-77) played the role of Muriel in Alan Ayckbourn’s play Woman In Mind at the Mission Theatre in Bath.

Through his company Tête à Tête Opera, Bill Bankes-Jones (TU 1976-80) created the fabulous #coronachorus on Twitter.

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James Johnstone (C1 1977-80) set up the Coronavirus Support Group UK to help communities support each other during Covid-19 and it received national press coverage. The website provides six easy steps for people to set up their own local support group, and includes tools, tips, advice and templates. It also has a wealth of useful, easy-to-read, illustrated information and advice all sourced from UK, US and global organisations, governments and charities.

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Angus Wright (B2 1978-82) was featured in an episode of the British television detective drama series Endeavour.

and began his cabinet-making life in his mother’s garage. Over the 25 years he has been working, he has produced an eclectic portfolio of bespoke pieces. Although the bulk of his work has been in the furniture industry, he also makes commissioned furniture for private clients. In early 2020, he was working on making a model of Nassau Hall, which is part of Princeton University.

Cressida Cowell (BH 1982-84) read How to Train Your Dragon chapter by chapter from her writing shed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lara Flecker (CO 1986-89) featured in an episode of Secrets of the Museum.

The series went behind the scenes of the Victoria and Albert Museum and showed Lara’s work during the 2019 Christian Dior exhibition.

Richard Backhouse (C2 1981-86) was named Chair of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) for 2021-22. The HMC is a professional association of heads of the world’s leading independent schools, including Marlborough College.

Sam Anderson (B1 1983-88) is a cabinet maker living and working in the Dales of North Yorkshire. Sam is entirely self-taught Tessa Murray (BH 1987-89) and Jim Sewell, the volunteers behind the Flight Centre School Triathlon Series, have been honoured with the 2020 Points of Light Award. In 2019, almost 1,100 children took part in the triathlon event at Marlborough College, raising £100,000 for Restless Development and other charities. In a personal letter to Jim and Tessa, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, ‘I know you do

Heart-breaking photos of the after effects of the January bush fires in Australia by David Yarrow (CO 1979-83) were featured in The Sunday Times. Subsequent to this, he launched the #KoalaComeback campaign from which he hoped to raise at least $2m for WildArk and Global Wildlife Conservation by the selling of his photos.

He also recorded a podcast for Money Maze Podcasts. In it he talked about his youth, growing up in Glasgow, and the passion that led him to take the iconic shot of Maradona in the Azteca Stadium, trophy aloft, at the 1986 Mexico World Cup.

Simon Northcott (B1 1979-84) was appointed Head of Stafford International School in Sri Lanka.

David Yarrow (CO 1979-83) The Marlburian Club Magazine

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OM News Michelle Jana Chan (TU 1990-92), Travel Editor at Vanity Fair, hosted a new virtual show titled The Vanity Fair Future Series. The show tackled a range of compelling critical topics, inviting brave and brilliant individuals who are at the top of their game to look ahead to our new normal, reflecting on the changes, the losses and the opportunities as a direct response to the dynamic news cycle.

The Mound Trust, chaired by Charles MacFadyen (LI 1985-90), is currently restoring and conserving the Mound

this with no thought of praise or reward, but allow me to offer my own recognition of how your unique initiative has inspired over 9,000 young people to raise millions of pounds, through sport, for their peers around the world.’

Charles MacFadyen (LI 1985-90), current chair of The Mound Trust, sent in some photos of the current restoration and conservation of the Mound.

Innovations in Composite Design Industry Award 2019. The ceremony was held at the National Motorcycle Museum, which Mike attended along with Holly ScottDonaldson (MO 1989-91), Head of Sales and Marketing at Cecence, and James Meredith (B2 1988-93), who heads up the Engineering Professional Group.

Charlie Cannon (C2 1990-95) is a motivational speaker and shared mental health and resilience videos on his Facebook page during Covid-19.

Mike Orange (PR 1986-91), Head of Business Development and Head of Engineering at Cecence, won the

Tom Newton Dunn (C2 1986-91) started as Presenter and Chief Political Commentator at Times Radio. He presents weekly shows in the schedule as well as presenting special political shows during major events.

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Elizabeth Eade (MO 1990-95), who won the HIX award in 2018, had her first major solo show. The exhibition, titled I Know You Are But What Am I, included a series of sculptures and paintings using a variety of materials with each work being a form of social commentary.

Katharine Beaugié (PR 1991-93) works with light in a way that a sculptor might work with clay. Across a wide range of media – oil, photograms, burnt wood, gold leaf and in-water installations – she manipulates light to cast shadows or reflect surfaces. With these essential forms she highlights the duality of experience – light and dark – whilst celebrating the beauty of natural phenomena. Katharine combines light and water installations with early music in her Music & Light Symbiosis series. In 2019, she was invited to create

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Toddington Harper (C1 1992-96) was interviewed on the PM Show on Radio 4 discussing the country’s first electric forecourt, which is being built by his company Gridserve. This forecourt is the first of a planned nationwide network of over 100 electric forecourts.

They walked around the College and then went to the cottage they had rented for the weekend run by contemporary Fiona Cannon (NC 1992-97), with whom they had lost touch.

© Robert Greshoff

Fiona Adriazola (née Cannon NC 199297) set up a network of volunteers in her village to support the vulnerable people in her community during Covid-19. a site-specific work at Oxford by the mathematician and curator Balázs Szendró´i after he saw her artwork at a group exhibition curated by Nico Kos (MM/NC 1989-93).

Jennie Brown (MM 1991-96) offered four free half-hour barre sessions per week during the Covid-19 lockdown. Jennie said, ’You’ll need a high-backed chair, and, if possible, a couple of 1kg weights/bottles of water/tins of beans, and a Pilates ball or a deflated football. What you don’t need is any experience, musicality or to be a certain body type. Barre is for everyone.’

Hannah Gauntlett (MO 1994-97) invited all OMs to her first virtual solo exhibition, Urban Silence. Hannah said, ‘Last year, I turned 40 and I was going to mark the occasion with an exhibition in Chelsea.

It was sadly postponed, so this virtual exhibition was the solution to make it available to all.’

Hannah Quartermaine (MO 1994-97), Gabby Shiner Hill (MO 1992-97) and Leona Black (MO 1992-97) returned to Marlborough to celebrate their birthdays.

Lister’s Brewery is a truly family run brewery run by brother and sister, Phil Waite (BH 1994-99) and Katie Coakes (EL 1992-97) as well as by their father, Alan. Phil brings a visionary approach to the business as well as being the Head Brewer.

Katie runs the PR and marketing. They are based in West Sussex and brew traditional ales that appeal to the largest group of beer drinkers.

Jo Mann (LI 1997-99) successfully completed the huge physical challenge of sailing round Australia to raise money for Mind, the mental-health charity. Before the race she said, ‘The Clipper Race is a roundthe-world endurance test and I will be joining our boat on Leg 4. Sailing 4,000 miles around Australia, in a race against 10 other yachts, for 22 days. We will be cold, hot, wet, smelly, sleep deprived and

Serocold was set up by Bertie Stevenson (LI 1991-96) to help companies open their offices safely after the Covid-19 lockdown and to assure employees they are doing everything they can to keep themselves safe.

Toddington Harper (C1 1992-96) CEO and founder of Gridserve The Marlburian Club Magazine

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OM News probably pretty frightened but no doubt there will be elements of fun. Normally the domain of seasoned pros, this peculiar race is taken on by normal people, and in my case a complete novice.’

The Pico Players celebrated their fifth anniversary. They were established in 2014

by Patrick Massey and Rosie Wintour (MM 1996-2000) and have quickly grown to become one of London’s leading amateur orchestras, with many other OMs involved.

To mark the anniversary, they held a special celebration concert in Cadogan Hall.

Emerald Fennell (NC 1998-2003) plays Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown

Culture Shock, otherwise known as James Pountney (BH 1997-2002) embarked on a tour of USA and Canada in February as part of the Worship North America group.

Katyuli Lloyd (MO 1998-2003) has returned to the College as Artist-inResidence. Edward Twohig (CR 2017-), Head of Art, said, ‘This affable artist’s strength is her desire to create the versatility of her subject matter underpinned by observation and drawing and, most vital of all, the spark that infuses her repertoire. The latter is her visual signature. Nothing appears laboured.

Her website features her Hydra-inspired beach tote bags in addition to Katyuli’s prints and artwork.’

Emerald Fennell (NC 1998-2003) featured on the front cover of the Radio Times for The Crown, in which she plays Camilla Parker Bowles.

The film Promising Young Woman staring Carey Mulligan had its debut at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is a double OM feature as it was written and directed

by Emerald Fennell (NC 1998-2003), her first feature film, and the soundtrack was composed by Anthony Willis (B1 2000-05).

from within the hospitality industry. It started with small chefs launching a campaign to buy fresh produce from quality suppliers in order to use their time to make restaurant-quality dishes for the NHS workforce. The chefs involved are head chefs at local restaurants as opposed to chains and they’re committed to providing healthy nutritious meals at a cost of approximately £3 per dish.’

Anthony Willis (B1 2000-05), who composed the soundtrack for How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming, was interviewed about the process of composing the soundtrack and the route he took from studying composition at Marlborough to writing a soundtrack for the big screen.

Amelia Wix (MO 1999-2004) launched Hospitality For Heroes to provide free and healthy meals to NHS workers at hospitals.

‘We are a not-for-profit initiative that’s come 20

The Marlburian Club Magazine

Since leaving Marlborough College in 2006, Ann (CR 1990-2006) and Mitch Patching (CR 1980-2006) moved to Samoens in the French Alps to create

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LvF Alps. ‘We have expanded from a maison secondaire with occasional guests to a year-round venue for skiing, weddings, corporate events, school courses and alpine holidays. We have successfully maintained contact with school kids by running French culture courses, attracting students from Marlborough, Cheltenham Ladies, St Mary’s Calne, Dulwich College, Sherborne Boys and Girls, plus others. Over the last three years we have built more accommodation and facilities that has allowed us to attract larger corporate groups.’

Tom Durant-Pritchard (TU 2001-06) starred as Prince Harry in the third series of the comedy The Windsors with Harry Enfield.

Fred Gibson (B1 2006-11) won Producer of the Year at the 2020 Brits

The Club shared the kickstarter campaign that Louis Devereux (B1 2004-09) launched to fund the documentary he was making about his father, Robert Devereux (B3 1968-73), being the first person to walk the entire Rift Valley. The story was featured in 2018’s magazine, White Man Walking. Louis raised the money he

needed, and he wrote to the Club to say, ‘I set out to make a documentary following his walk and to tell a story from each country, however, as the walk progressed and we spent time together, we started to get more personal.’ Those conversations became the focus of the documentary.

The Rift has become a story about a father and son opening up to each other and tackles issues of unspoken rifts, male vulnerability and retribution through a deeply personal lens. The production has been validated in many film-festival successes.

2,323 miles and 12 countries in seven weeks and with zero punctures. They raised £5,585.

Georgie Frew (MM 2005-10) and Francesca Mortell (LI 2010-12) cycled from Brighton to Thessaloniki to raise money for Mind and Médecins Sans Frontieres. They successfully covered

Floris ten Nijenhuis (LI 2006-11) approached a doctor friend at one of the UK’s busiest hospitals to offer support and was told that nothing lifted morale quite as much as a warm healthy meal. Most staff on Covid-19 wards are not allowed out of their confined areas, meaning no access to the canteen, so Floris decided that he would cook 50 meals and deliver to different London hospitals each day. Thanks to the generosity of friends, he raised over £2,000 in less than 48hrs and offers to help with the project flew in, many of whom had been furloughed. Keen to help them too, Floris created #FurloughedFoodiesLondon, an initiative that brought together those who were too busy and those who sat at home.

Fred Again, otherwise known as Fred Gibson (B1 2006-11), won Producer of the Year at the 2020 Brits. This achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that he is the youngest ever person to win the award. Fred has produced many chart hits including those of Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and George Ezra.

The Marlburian Club Magazine

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OM News Jordan Butler (SU 2011-13) sent in what is believed to be the oldest photos of cricket being played at Marlborough.

The Club believe they are from 1865.

Orlando Gaul (LI 2010-15) and his four brothers set up a company called Political Confectionaries and launched the Brexit Biscuit. They have set out to ‘bring hilarity to our beloved nation by combining two classic British institutions – biscuits and Brexit’. The delicious shortbread biscuits are presented in a commemorative tin, designed

by Ollie Cameron (C3 2010-15).

Taken in 1865, this is believed to be the oldest photo of cricket being played at Marlborough

Laura Jardine-Paterson (LI 2009-11) raised funds to help those affected by the explosion in Beirut, where she has been living. She said, ’The situation on the ground is horrific and deteriorating at a terrifying rate.’ Laura and a friend set up the fundraiser where any contribution passes directly to those in immediate need.

Hamish Brown (C1 2006-11) performed as a piano accompanist in a live broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune. He accompanied mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor in a performance of Hamilton Harty’s song Sea Wrack.

Their radio appearance followed 2019’s Wigmore Hall Independent Opera International Song Competition, in which Hamish and Beth were one of four successful duos to reach the final.

Hattie Briggs (MM 2006-11) live streamed a busking session during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Page Fuller (MO 2008-13) featured in Great British Racing’s campaign celebrating women jockeys and equal opportunities for all jockeys as part of International Women’s Day 2020.

Old Marlburian representation in the Varsity match continues after Henry Martin (PR 2011-16) was named in the squad for the 137th Varsity match. Martin was a regular for the XV during his time at Marlborough and he went on to play for Bath Rugby United’s side. He was then awarded an England Sevens contract before taking up a place at Oxford. This was Henry’s second Varsity match, following his appearance off the bench as a late replacement in 2018’s 38-16 win.

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He has also provided valuable assistance to doctors by conducting patient triage, registration, ECGs and swab tests.

Will Cook (SU 2014-19) made a try-scoring debut for Rosslyn Park 2nd XV. Will started out in the junior section at Rosslyn after leaving Marlborough and continues to link up with them in addition to time spent at the Bath Rugby Academy.

After nine months of intensive training, Naylin Al (TH 2012-18) was posted to Central Division in the Singapore Police Force as an Inspector for his time in National Service and was awarded Best Officer in his division. He orchestrated anti-terrorist operations, directed security deployments at highly sensitive events and institutions, and saw his efforts directly enhance Singapore’s security. I will forever be grateful to Marlborough College for establishing a foundation of curiosity, versatility, and determination, necessary to chart a fulfilling journey in life beyond the college.’

Dominic Coulson (C1 2013-18) and Julian Vacher (C2 1980-85) came back to the College for a rackets coaching session alongside Master-in-Charge of Rackets, Mike Bush (TU 1993-98), and Rackets Professional, Rob Wakely (CR 1978-).

Piers Tabor (B1 2014-19) and his friend Harry trekked from Gloucestershire to Scotland in memory of Simon Kverndal, father of Finn (C1 2014-19) and Thor (C1 2001-16), who died earlier this year.

Harry’s mother wrote, ‘The boys were adamant that they weren’t going to let “Corona Hell” get to them. Keen walkers, they felt that this was the ideal opportunity to go walking in England. Their walk wasn’t going to be a fundraiser, but once they heard that their friend had lost his father to colon and lung cancer they set up a GoFundMe page. At the time of writing they had almost hit £15k raising funds for the Royal Marsden Hospital, the Shipwrights Apprenticeship Scheme, and 40tude. Please visit Go Fund Me, Pier’s and Harry’s walk to Scotland.

Harry Heneage (SU 2014-19) and Jude Fry (PR 2014-19) set up Pass It On. ‘We think we’ve put our fingers on two important facts: parents paying a lot for their school kit and students leaving school and throwing away good items. Pass It On is a peer-to-peer marketplace that gives buyers the chance to get their hands on second-hand kit at reduced prices while giving sellers funds. It’s good for you, it’s good for the environment. Our website is easy to use but we can also do all the work for you. Whether it’s a suit, cricket bat or violin, consider Pass It On.’

Archie Griffin (C3 2014-19) was included in the Wales U20 squad for the 2019’s Six Nations campaign. Sydney-born Archie was a regular for the XV at Marlborough throughout 2017 and 2018, and, after completing his A Levels, took up a professional contract offer with Bath Rugby.

He has recently been playing for Bath’s United side alongside a number of seasoned professionals.

As part of the Life After Marlborough lecture series for the Upper Sixth, the College welcomed back Celeste Spink (MO 201318) and Emily Symington (MM 2013-18) to speak to current pupils about their experiences. Celeste and Emily have been working for the Sambhali Trust in Jodhpur, India. They discussed their work with pupils, before taking part in a wide-ranging question-and-answer session.

Terrenjit Gill (TH 2013-19) made a significant impact during his National Service in Singapore serving as a combat medic. Terren has engaged in operations involving the setting up and running of medical posts in foreign-worker dormitories.

Piers Tabor (B1 2014-19) and his friend Harry trekked from Gloucestershire to Scotland The Marlburian Club Magazine

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The Power of Mentoring T

he recent Club Survey showed that almost half of old Marlburians under the age of 35 thought facilitating mentoring and work-experience opportunities should be a core part of the future purpose of the Marlburian Club.

The survey also revealed that offering one-to-one mentoring for a young OM was one of the most popular categories chosen

by OMs looking to volunteer their time.

So, there is clearly both a demand for mentoring and a willingness amongst OMs to act as mentors.

In the coming months the Club is aiming to bring pupils and younger OMs together with those who have already embarked on their careers in mutually beneficial relationships, as well as supporting OMs who are changing careers or who are returning to work after a break.

Mentoring can include a quick ten-minute chat, assisting with a CV, career guidance or longer-term mentoring. There are no hard-and-fast rules, each mentoring relationship will be unique and driven by

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the partnership. The invaluable role of a mentor is to share his or her own career path, as well as provide guidance, motivation and role modelling. Our aim is to promote mentoring, in all its forms, to the Marlburian community.

Working hand in hand with the mentoring programme is the Professional Group Network, details of which can be found on page 82. In an increasingly competitive global world and especially in the current difficult times, the Marlburian Club is aware of the benefits that can be gained from networking and sharing ideas. While we are unable to offer physical events at present, we will be running virtual events with a networking element. Please keep an eye on marlburianclub.org for details.

After attending a Club networking evening Siena Clarke (NC 2006-11) found both a mentor and employment with Hannah Kapff (EL 1991-93): ‘Finding a mentor through the networking group was surprisingly easy and undaunting.

I found the group was very relaxed, and everyone really was there to help in one way or another. I was lucky enough to find a longer-term mentor and a job at the same time! That, along with other factors, gave me the confidence to start my own business a year ago, and I am still in close touch with Hannah now.

‘If any recent university graduates or OMs are searching for a job entering the social-media world, or in consumer communications I’d love to help out. Having someone to ask questions who knew the world I wanted to enter really helped me – and I’d like to pay back into the system and help anyone else out, should they need it.’

If you would like to become involved with the mentoring programme, either as a mentor or mentee, then please sign up to MC Global Connect www.mcglobalconnect.org where you can offer to become a mentor or search for someone to mentor you. Please contact the Club on marlburianclub@ marlboroughcollege.org for any further details.

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Scandal and Intrigue − a Route to Success John Preston (LI 1967-71) speaks to Issy Carr (EL 201217) about his book A Very English Scandal, a terrific tenure at The Sunday Telegraph, and proving that reality is stranger than fiction.

He then undertook a remarkable career in journalism, where he went on to become the Arts Editor of the Evening Standard, then Features Writer and the Arts Editor of The Sunday Telegraph. ‘Working at The Telegraph was great. I ran all the critics for art, opera, ballet, television, radio and film, which meant I was invited to the opening nights of all the best shows. It was the adult equivalent of being a kid in a chocolate factory.’ Would he go into journalism now?

‘I wouldn’t go into it now because there is little money in it and as a career it has fairly limited prospects. I’m hopeful that this might change though.’

Many of you will remember the terrific three-part British television series A Very English Scandal, depicting the unbelievable fiascos between Jeremy Thorpe and Norman Scott in late 1960s Britain.

Created by the eponymous screenwriter Russell T Davies and starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw in the leading roles, the critically acclaimed series was based on John’s rollicking read of the same name.

Why was John so interested in the Thorpe case? ‘Jeremy Thorpe was on trial at the Old Bailey when I first came to live in London and at the time there used to be two evening papers in London, the Evening News and the Evening Standard. Outside each tube station the newspaper vendors

‘At the time, journalism was one of the few careers you could go into with barely any academic qualifications…’

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he charismatic author and journalist John Preston is at home in Hammersmith when we speak back in April and where he is isolating with his wife and two children. He describes these as ‘weird and uncertain times’, which is certified when one of the children bursts into his office during our conversation, probably something he is not used to on a weekday. The video that went viral of Professor Robert Kelly’s children entering the room while he was live on BBC News is now the norm for those working from home with children.

What were John’s schooldays like? The author was in Littlefield House and left in 1971, looking back fondly on the glorious surrounding Wiltshire countryside where he enjoyed ‘long walks on the Downs and in the Savernake Forest’. He continues to remain very close with the friends he made at Marlborough. After going to Nottingham University for a year, he then worked in theatre and film, before turning to investigative journalism. At the time, journalism was one of the few careers you could go into with barely any academic qualifications, which ‘suited him down to the ground’.

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he formed with the people who had been around at the time that gave him the passage for rediscovery of the events surrounding the scandal.

Preston handed the book over to the brilliant Davies to adapt for television, who rendered it in a unique way. John tells me, ‘Russell is a gay man, so he came at the story from this angle. He focused on Scott and Thorpe whereas the book is more about the relationship between Thorpe and Peter Bessell, a relationship that I found as interesting as the relationship at the heart of it.’ It was John who established Bessell not just as a peripheral figure but a central one, the ‘Judas figure who had turned against his great friend’. By getting Norman Scott to talk and understanding Bessell, John was stirred to produce his book.

‘...a buried treasure story for grown-ups.’

would compete, shouting out the most alluring headlines to get people to buy their papers. I remember being completely transfixed by the Thorpe case.’ It’s clear then that Preston was enraptured by the events and more so as it stayed ingrained in his memory many years later. He tells me, ‘What fascinated me the most was that none of it would ever have happened if the prejudice towards homosexuality hadn’t been so great. I was fascinated about how people’s lives had been ruined.’ The Jeremy Thorpe scandal is one of those cases where reality is stranger than fiction and Preston acknowledges this, explaining, ‘It is an unbelievably strange, funny and tragic story.’ I’m interested to know how John rendered the fast-paced thriller style to the book. ‘I wanted to get as deep inside the characters as possible and flesh them out, so the reader would identify with all of them.

I just wanted to tell the story as vividly as I could.’ Preston spent a lot of time with Norman Scott, who spoke with him in greater detail than he had anyone else before and it was the unique relationships 26

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Above: The Dig cover illustration Below: The set being built for the adaptation of John’s book The Dig

Prior to A Very English Scandal, John wrote a historical novel, The Dig, a story that had an innate personal connection to him. ‘I got a letter from a woman who claimed to be my cousin, which I was fairly sceptical about, as us journalists received things like that all the time. She turned out to be delightful and more importantly right about our family connection. As an afterthought when we first met, she told me that, amazingly, my aunt had discovered some of the first gold at Sutton Hoo.’ This extraordinary story lent itself well to John to write his novel, ‘a buried treasure story for grown-ups’, a concept that he had always been interested in. The rights were unsurprisingly bought almost instantly after publication for The Dig and the film was finally shot in autumn 2019 for release in January 2021 and starring Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan, Lily James and Johnny Flynn.

What’s next for John Preston? In early 2021, it will be the publication of Fall: the mystery of Robert Maxwell, a gripping and dramatic account of the infamous media baron. John Preston’s eye for the most scandalous and intricate stories in history render him as one of the most articulate writers of our time. Let’s hope the Maxwell story gets adapted for the big screen, too.

Isabel Carr inherited many of her eccentricities from playing Charlotta in The Cherry Orchard

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The Idiosyncratic I World of Hedgehog Hugh

recollect the first hint I had of the phenomenon of OMs not always going down the predictable career path was when I was taught English O Level by Jake Seamer (B3 1927-32 CR 1955-73).

He was an OM who had been a district commissioner in Sudan. His tales of his work in the Sudan fascinated me: it was so idiosyncratic and yet he was also housemaster of B2. Perhaps the most conventional matter he related to was using his OM tie as a belt to hold up his trousers.

Hugh Warwick (C2 1979-84) is an OM who has taken a unique path in life. He is a famed ecologist, author, photographer and TV presenter. He is also a promoter of British fauna and, in particular, hedgehogs. While it is true that many OMs take a fairly predictable career path, there have always been a significant number who do not. Vet and author Richard Llewellyn Brown (C1 1970-74) tells us more.

This uniqueness of OMs enrich our life and challenge us but, at the same time, they would say that the purpose of their life is not to amuse us or enhance our lives, rather they want to be understood. They would hope that we, in some small or big way, would follow their example. With this in mind I asked Hugh a few questions. And here are his answers: Did you always have an intrinsic interest in biology and photography or did one or two teachers at MC create an interest in you?

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My love of nature was inbuilt – right from the start it was where my passion lay. At Marlborough, I was an outstanding disappointment to almost everybody – parents included. But there was one teacher, Dr John Land (CR 1973-98), who had faith.

When tidying up the family home after my parents died, I found a letter he had written to them expressing that, and hoping to hear great things from my career.

Apart from hedgehogs, which creatures do you have a natural empathy with and why?

Hedgehogs are just the easiest manifestation of my love for the natural world. Thanks to their spines, they don’t have a fight or flight response, so it is possible to get close to these amazing creatures. They are also the most loved species in Britain – every poll is topped by the hedgehog – and this is important. It means that they are the perfect animal to introduce to a whole raft of complex ecological concepts, without frightening the horses. There is very little life on earth with which I do not feel some connection, though currently I am not enamoured of the rat that has broken into my kitchen.

What advice would you give a boy or girl at MC today who had the same interests as you and why?

I entered family life at a time when housing was just about affordable. So, it is deeply unfair of me to offer advice to those facing the impenetrable barrier of over-inflated property prices. I can do what I do because I am damn lucky. I know ecologists who struggle daily to earn enough to pay their mortgage and who would love to write but do not have that luxury. So, marry well or win the lottery because great wealth is rarely forthcoming from this work. Or find a way to live that keeps costs to a minimum and pursue your love for nature and communication with a single-minded ferocity.

If you had, for example, gone to a focused academic school such as Winchester College rather than Marlborough do you think you would now be a senior academic rather than a populist ecologist?

I do not think any particular schooling would have helped me conform, I am just not made like that. I did have a job for a year. A good one as a researcher in the famous BBC Natural History Unit. But apart from that I have been freelance, writing and photographing for most newspapers and many magazines. Though now it is mostly books and hedgehog conservation that takes my time – oh, and my other eccentric niche – choir photography. My son, Pip, got a choristership to Magdalen College School in Oxford and spent five years singing, 28

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‘Though now it is mostly books and hedgehog conservation that takes my time – oh, and my other eccentric niche – choir photography.’

Magdalen College Choir

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travelling and recording in a world-class choir and they had never had a photographer! Now I have nine choirs, which I regularly work with. I get paid to listen to sublime music while concentrating on capturing the moment.

There is a strand of thought in MC of using your talents to give back to society. What do you think you have achieved in this regard? What were your successes and your failures? What are your present goals?

The campaigning I have been involved in has been driven by a desire to help manifest a better society. So whether that was the school visit we organised from Marlborough to Greenham Common to join the women working to halt nuclear-weapon proliferation or the anti-roads campaigns, the research into indoor air pollution or organic agriculture, I feel like I work to pay back the privilege gifted to me by the experience of the school.

Towards the end of 2018, I launched a petition with a simple ask that all new housing developments should come with a hedgehog highway – fences with small holes, just 13cm across, at their base, allowing hedgehogs to move freely between gardens. In terms of success, this has been extraordinary. When I got over half a million signatures the Housing Minister agreed to meet. Now we are moving towards 700,000 and I have got one of the country’s largest developers Bovis Homes to commit to installing these highways as standard.

Check out change.org/SaveOurHedgehogs to see more.

The Marlborough motto is Deus Dat Incrementum. Irrelevant or useful hidden meaning?

God giveth the increase? Well thereby hangs two particular problems in one short phrase. The increase: the essence of industrial capitalism is that of growth and it does not require a genius to recognise that unlimited growth on a finite planet is doomed. Oh, and the free-thinking that I picked up from the school also enabled me to confidently declare myself as an atheist.

If you were given a large sum of money, assistance and time to do some research what would it be?

Currently, I help manage a wide range of research projects through the Hedgehog Street campaign, so in effect I have this already without the extremely exhausting fieldwork! And while I always had a yearning for working in exotic places, I have grown to recognise we would best spend our money investing in the capacity of the scientists in those countries. I know it is fun to work in amazing places, but better still empower the people already there and let them do the work.

I am a vet. What tips would you give a vet and what would you want them always to remember?

You know my original plan was to be a vet; James Herriot has a lot to answer for. This plan crumbled when I discovered you had to be really clever or at least good at passing exams! Being a vet must be very difficult when working with industrial agriculture.

The intensive and cruel production of animals is the reason I stopped eating meat when I left school (though over 30 years later I still miss it). And to be in that system as an animal lover must be challenging.

I suppose my only request to a vet would be to remember that animals feel fear, pain and grief and that to facilitate fear, pain and grief runs rather counter to whatever it was that got you started down this path.

I know it seems like my entire career fits neatly into what others might consider an ‘idiosyncratic streak’ but I do have something I consider odd – outside of the normal – and that is being the only hedgehog stand-up comedian in the country (or world for that matter). It is terrifying and exhilarating and I love it and hate it with equal measure but I keep wanting to do more! www.hughwarwick.com @hedgehoghugh

Lastly my own OM idiosyncratic streak was collecting tropical butterflies for the Booth Museum Brighton. Is this now outdated? Or should I, in my retirement, venture out to the tropics again and, under guidance from the museum, keep collecting?

I have a stuffed hedgehog at home – a vital prop when doing talks in schools, so I am not averse to the preservation of dead animals.

Should I judge your hobby? I suppose if it is motivated purely by the aesthetics there could be cause for concern. Especially as there are now breeders and dealers of exotic insect life who have commodified nature in a way that could lead to over exploitation. But I also appreciate the academic study of insect life often requires ‘collateral damage’ as some species are only identifiable under the microscope.

Richard Llewellyn Brown’s extremely high rabies antibody titre, incurred after mistakenly dissecting a rabid dog, is his ‘go to’ excuse for any faux pas of etiquette The Marlburian Club Magazine

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Believing in Nature Pontine Paus (SU 1989-91) is an artist, handbag designer, founder of cosmetic company Dr. Lipp, and an entrepreneur.

She has been involved in various areas of the business market and Lily Martin-Jenkins (IH 2014-19) was intrigued to interview her. Lily was determined to discover how Pontine eventually fell into cosmetics and how she found the famous hero product and formula for Nipple Balm, that so many lips depend on. She is friendly and inspiring to talk to.

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riginally from Norway, Pontine Paus went to Marlborough because it is co-ed and had ‘more personality and character than most of the other schools’. She mentioned that the art department at the time inspired her, especially because of the ‘fabulous’ Robin Child (CR 1971-92). She also started the Marlborough College Fashion Show; she particularly enjoyed that, as Pontine and her friends were able to dress the older boys! Pontine also mentioned that the ‘revolutions’ of the older year groups

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protesting against certain school organisations inspired her, which is seemingly relevant today. She said, ‘the student body showed how to expose an alternative point of view… and that’s really important because to have progress you need to break something in order to create something new.’ It seems that from a young age Pontine Paus recognised the problems in our world. She understands how to create change, and I discovered more of her concerns and opinions during the interview.

Pontine started young in the business world as a handbag designer. She has ‘always been entrepreneurially minded’ and did a masters degree in industrial design in Milan.

In one of the fashion capitals of the world, Pontine invented a new fabric when she couldn’t find a bag she wanted to buy, and so, showing initiative, she began making

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her own. Pontine Paus handbags were elegant but not subtle. They seem traditionally British yet have a darker undertone and hints of medievalism.

Her designs were timeless and they have been seen hanging from the shoulders of the Scandinavian royal families and were shown off as favourites by Kylie Minogue and British model Lily Donaldson, which she mentioned had been one of her career highlights.

that she was recommended by a friend for dry lips. How can one carry a large tube of nipple balm and feel relaxed while using it in front of friends because it is the only product that actually works! Pontine saw an opportunity, ‘and so essentially I took something out of the breast-feeding market and introduced it into the beauty market, and then built a concept around that’.

She rebranded it in a way that wouldn’t sound taboo or embarrassing.

Another career highlight has been winning awards for her Dr. Lipp Nipple Balm, year after year. How did she go from designing handbags to creating a nipple balm and building a cosmetics brand? ‘It was just another idea: I have lots of ideas.’ Paus explained that she, like 70% of the population, has dry skin. When Paus ‘found something that worked’ it was a nipple balm

In a world where talking about women’s health isn’t completely open, Dr. Lipp has done a good job by starting to break down the barrier and is building a bridge between words that have to be whispered and hidden, to now being the brand name of a hero product. Dr. Lipp’s Nipple Balm is mainly used as lip balm, but can be used all over the body: nipples, cuticles, elbows, burns – you name it. The Nipple Balm is so successful that the brand only had this one product for around 15 years. Even now, when she explains that her job is to make nipple balm, Pontine is greeted with strange looks, but she has found ‘a way of communicating to people that something works.

People don’t know what works, you don’t know what to trust any more.’ When asked about how she views today’s industry, Pontine says ‘confusing’. The cosmetics industry is constantly branding products with audacious metaphors that have an unrealistic meaning, and people have no idea what is inside the product or what it is really doing to their body. There are ‘too many products and too many promises.’

‘Pontine found the ingredients for the product by going back to basics and looking at old-fashioned formulas that have worked long before other chemicals came about.’

Pontine found the ingredients for the product by going back to basics and looking at old-fashioned formulas that have worked long before other chemicals came about. Pontine ‘revived something that had been around for a long time and evolved it’.

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Pontine believes ‘there is a need and want for transparency’, and she is right. The industry is changing, brands such as The Ordinary, Bliss, Drunk Elephant and Liz Earle have all inspired her by stripping back down to natural or simple ingredients that do not have false marketing promises. Outside of beauty and design, her concerns have a similar current running through, ‘I think one of the biggest challenges we have today is our food supply; the world is facing a big issue with the quality, it is full of pesticides, preservatives, steroids, antibiotics and it is making people sick. We need to produce food more locally and organically with nature, and, if so, we will reduce pollution, we will reduce the number of illnesses.’

‘I do not believe in factory farming, I think it’s one of the cruellest things you can do in the world. But I do believe in nature.’

used for handbags and lip balm, with the increasing number of vegans and the increase in animal-cruelty awareness.

She believes in ‘the cycle of life and nature.

I do not believe in factory farming, I think it’s one of the cruellest things you can do in the world. But I do believe in nature.’ Her lip balms contain the natural ingredient from lanolin, and when her company shears sheep’s wool, ‘it’s better for them’. They are free-roaming and Pontine feels it is all ethical. It is a natural ingredient that works.

It is simple and easy to understand. Pontine believes ‘we are supposed to work with the natural elements around us’, unlike the chemicals and pesticides that have been in the cosmetics industry for years. Pontine said there ‘is a balance (in the cycle of life) that we haven’t quite got the hang of yet,’ and I couldn’t agree with her more. This also reminded me of the Black Lives Matter protests, and when asked, Pontine believes that there is a power struggle. Today’s world needs to find a balance.

Pontine is only just starting to expand the brand, by creating new products with more natural ingredients. There will be a coconut cream product, and Dr. Lipp is launching a CBD (pharmaceutical cannabis) balm and CBD beetroot tint. Her products are ‘easy to understand and easy to trust’, and she is re-branding by ‘putting all the ingredients on the packaging, so people know’ what they are placing on their body.

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Pontine is currently living and working in the Swiss Alps, where the Covid-19 pandemic hasn’t really affected her life.

She is continuing to build a house there which, aside from Dr. Lipp, is currently her main concern. Speaking to Pontine was inspiring, and her viewpoints are prevalent and need to be heard.

The versatile products she has brought to us are of good quality, aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and a modern luxury.

When asked if she was a workaholic Pontine lightly joked ‘you can’t stop once you start’. Therefore, I am excited about what she is thinking of making available to us next.

Lily Martin-Jenkins is the first girl in the long line of Martin-Jenkinses that started at Marlborough 99 years ago. Sportiness was not passed down, so she stuck to art and started the Fashion Society

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Shedding Light on Art Many people think they can make a sundial. When they try, they find major unexpected difficulties because it brings together skills in mathematics, design and practical craft.

Piers Nicholson’s (B3 1948-52) love and understanding of these subjects has turned into a full career.

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fter leaving Marlborough in 1952, I did my National Service in the Navy, starting as a Boy Seaman RNVR and ending up at the dizzy heights of Midshipman RNVR. I then read physics at Magdalen College, Oxford, and after that went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study Industrial Management.

After a spell selling electric motors, I joined the firm of O W Roskill Industrial Consultants, which latterly specialised in providing market information for mining companies. By 2002, it was time to move on, and I started a small web-design company, specialising in creating information websites, and greatly developed my sundial interests.

I first got interested in sundials in the 1970s.

For a long time it was just a hobby, making a few painted wooden sundials for myself and some of my friends. One of them told me about the British Sundial Society, and I suggested at an Annual General Meeting that a Sundial Award Scheme should be set up and was invited to join the Council to set up the first one.

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Later, I became interested in the internet in connection with my job and set up the website www.sundials.co.uk and it has since become one of the leading information sites on sundials.

One of my other interests is cycling, and in the early 90s I rode on two of the trailblazing rides of Sustrans, a cycling charity in the UK that subsequently got a large National Lottery grant to build the National Cycle Network. They asked their supporters whether they had any special skills and I told them of my sundial interests. They asked me to design a sundial for the Witham cycle path from Lincoln to Boston.

This was my first public sundial commission.

It was a very interesting project, carried out under very adverse weather conditions.

1999 was a very special year. I was asked to design a large sundial for the City of London, and I had the idea for an innovation in the design of horizontal sundials.

The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers is one of the ancient City of London livery companies, with a history going back over 500 years. They wanted to give a present to the City of London to mark the Millennium. I designed a polar sundial standing on a plinth of exactly 2,000 bricks.

It is located on the riverside walkway, Paul’s Walk, outside the City of London Boys’ School and very near to the Millennium Footbridge.

Also, in 1999, my wife kindly took me on a bus tour of Guatemala. We had a certain amount of time hanging round bus stations with not much to do, so I thought about a question that comes up in the British Sundial Society from time to time, ‘Why are garden sundials so awful and what on earth can be done to improve them.’

One of the big problems for people buying a sundial is how to set it up correctly.

My idea was to make this part of the process easy, by making a slot in the

‘They wanted to give a present to the City of London to mark the Millennium. I designed a polar sundial standing on a plinth of exactly 2,000 bricks.’

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permits the mastheads of some of the newspapers that used to be on Fleet Street between the hour lines.

Ideally, one would wish to place the mastheads of some current newspapers there, but the City of London regulations do not permit advertising on walls in the City, so it looks as if there will only be defunct newspapers on the wall.

gnomon that casts the shadow. When the sun is directly overhead at noontime, a line of light will shine through the slit for a few minutes. Then, all you need to know is the exact time of noon at your location. It was fairly simple to produce the website www.solar-noon.com to give this information for every day of the year for every given latitude and longitude.

One of them is in position on the South Bank of the Thames near City Hall, and another is on public view at the Horniman Museum in South London. Altogether, more than 2,000 brass sundials and 200 stainless steel sundials have been sold around the world.

It took two years to get the first brass spot-on sundial into production. They are now made to my design in India, imported in bulk into the UK, and sold from there all over world. In 2004, we produced two larger brass sundials, one of which was for the bicentenary of the Royal Horticultural Society. We also produced a small polar dial, repeating the design of the Blackfriars sundial but on a smaller scale.

My latest project has been 12 years in gestation and will hopefully come to fruition this year, depending on the implications of Covid-19. It is called the Fleet Street Heritage Sundial. I became aware that, due to two unconnected historical accidents, there was a very large blank wall at the corner of Fleet Street and Bouverie Street.

Fleet Street used to be the centre of the British newspaper industry, but all the newspapers have gone, leaving hardly a trace behind them.

More recently, we have produced spot-on sundials in stainless steel. These have proved very popular for the larger garden, for schools and for public open spaces.

The wall is east facing, so it only gets the sunlight in the morning. East-facing sundials are unusual in that the hour lines are nearly parallel to each other, and this

At the end of 2019, the City of London gave full planning permission for the proposal, and the funding phase started.

I had already started talking to newspapers but they explained how advertising was drying up, and they had to concentrate on core activities. Nevertheless, donations totalling £2,600 had been received towards the budget costs of £24,000 when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Since then, things have become much more difficult, though there is a City of London Stronger Communities Fund that we hope will provide £10,000. If that comes through, there will only be another £14,000 needed from individual donations and construction would then start as soon as the lockdown eases off. Once the money is raised, we hope it will be built in 10 weeks or so.

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Engineered for Success Much has been written about Alex Moulton (C2 1933-38), a pioneering, daring and opportunistic entrepreneur, often described as ‘the last of the great Victorian engineers’.

Thanks to the careful work of those at the Moulton Trust, there is a detailed and inspiring collection of achievements and discoveries chronicled for us to peruse. As the College moves forward with its significant plans of transforming the Science and Design Technology buildings and building is starting on a new Innovation Centre, Michael Orange (PR 1986-91), Holly Scott-Donaldson (MO 1989-91), and James Meredith (B2 1988-93) thought it apt to highlight some of Alex’s groundbreaking feats as a beacon of inspiration to those who will benefit from these fabulous new facilities.

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pril 9th 2020 may well have slipped past many of us as we struggled with lockdown, home schooling, remote working and the rest of the chaos.

However, for those in the engineering world, it marked an important moment in history, 100 years since the birth of the world-renowned Alexander Eric Moulton.

From the day he was born, Alex was linked to scientific greatness. Not only did he come from an engineering dynasty, he also shared his birthday with one of the other great Victorian engineers, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Their connection continued as Alex’s great-grandfather, Stephen Moulton, a rubber pioneer, supplied Brunel with rubber isolators for his Great Eastern Steamship.

Brunel’s journal at the time notes the superior quality of the products, which set a standard of excellence that still resonated in everything that Alex himself produced in his lifetime.

Alex arrived at Marlborough College from his local Wiltshire home town of Bradford-onAvon in 1933. During his time at the College, he was recognised as having a great interest in engineering, as well as being a character who did not pay much attention to what got in his way of experimentation and progression towards a greater understanding. For example, when his interests grew beyond the simple woodworking equipment in the

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Design and Technology Lab, he persuaded his mother to transport his own lathe to the labs so that he could continue with his fascination in metalwork!

Alex went on to read Mechanical Sciences at Cambridge, but the start of World War II cut his education short. Whilst waiting to enlist, he returned home and joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company (BAC), then the world’s largest aircraft and engine manufacturer, producing such aircraft as Bristol Blenheim, Beaufort and Beaufighter.

BAC later went on to become BAE Systems and part of Rolls-Royce.

Alex’s first experience in industry was one of rapid progression, moving on very quickly from assistant tester into the technical department.

His final fast-track promotion into a very senior position was due to the unfortunate death of a senior employee alongside 100 other colleagues in a devastating bombing raid, which haunted Alex for many years to come.

It is at the end of the war when Alex’s recognised work with rubber in suspension systems comes to the fore. As war ended, Alex transitioned from the aircraft industry and joined the family rubber business, ceasing only for a moment to complete his previously interrupted degree at King’s College Cambridge.

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It was Alex’s great-grandfather who first demonstrated the opportunistic nature of the Moulton engineers. Using the technical advancements of Charles Goodyear in the preparation of rubber, Stephen was renowned for producing superior rubber products at scale. Now Alex was well positioned to pioneer the advancement of rubber in the automotive sector, starting with his interest in suspension.

Scientifically, cars need suspension to keep the wheels in contact with the road and isolate the passengers from road imperfections. At the time, the typical suspension choices were basic leaf springs or the more advanced (and expensive) coil spring.

Through his understanding of the energy absorbing properties of rubber and sheer determination to make a significant change, Alex pioneered the replacement of the standard suspension springs with rubber, developing a compact, lighter, and cheaper suspension system. By the mid-1950s, his patented discovery (branded the Flexitor) saw a rapid adoption within the now booming British automotive industry.

Starting first with the Austin Gipsy, then the Morris Minor and by the late 1950s, most famously, within the Alec Issigonisdesigned Mini as the Moulton rubber cone suspension. Even though Moulton and Issigonis were friends, it took some

From left to right: Alex Moulton with a dial caliper.

Bristol Buckingham with Bristol Centaurus radial engines. Alex with the Moulton bicycle. An advert for the Moulton Speedsix. Alex Moulton’s home in Bradford-on-Avon. The Mini was the first car to feature Moulton’s rubber-cone suspension.

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emotionally connect the user by more than pure function alone. A true blending of science and art.

He is certainly remembered as being a social person, but revered as a man who did not suffer fools and couldn’t, or wouldn’t, understand why individuals could not execute a set of tasks with the same accuracy or timeline that he expected of himself. His human computer of a brain was never at rest, not even when seemingly relaxing in his favourite spots along riverbanks. The conundrum of how to build a better kayak was never far from his mind as he would sit and contemplate the physics of transport on a river. Perhaps something that germinated from a concept while sitting on the banks of the Kennet many years before at his school in Wiltshire. considerable persuasion by Moulton to prove the superiority of his rubber suspensions, using the Morris Minor application as a test case for improved performance and durability.

The system eventually found its way onto some 5.3 million Minis made from 19592000 and over 12 million vehicles in total.

Alex never stopped developing his suspension and began experimenting with a combination of rubber and hydraulic fluid to enhance the ride comfort of his cars and give a big car feel. His work was the basis for the very latest hydraulic engine mounts used in premium vehicles to isolate engine vibrations. These are still produced today in Trowbridge by DTR Vibration Management Systems, who directly descend from the original Moulton company.

However, it was the Suez Crisis of 1957 that inspired his greatest achievement.

Fed up with having to make his petrol rations stretch, Alex bought a bicycle to be ‘a serious alternative means of locomotion’.

In typical Moulton fashion, he was all absorbed by this new engineering problem.

Whilst he was enthralled at the speed and liveliness of his bike, he was frustrated that it wasn’t ‘more’. He was particularly vexed by the inconvenience of the high-top tube and the lack of cargo carrying.

As per his modus operandi, he approached the problem by taking the structure to pieces and set about improving the bicycle from the ground up. Ignoring all common practice that had gone before, he drew on his success of utilising small wheels in the Mini and aircraft and designed a smallwheeled bike with a novel frame system and both front and rear suspension.

While the real benefit of the bike was its considerable load carrying capacity for its small wheel structure, Alex had significantly improved the ‘experience’ of the bike, rendering it easier to mount and smoother 38

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to ride. While these are common features today, Alex was 30-40 years ahead of his time, setting the precedent for what is today considered a utility.

Having solved the basic physics of the bike structure, he looked at how to scale production and take it to market. Using his by now well-known and revered powers of persuasion, he turned to his incumbent manufacturers such as Dunlop, to adapt the car suspension they were producing for him, for bikes and to develop the new range of high-pressure small tyres. Raleigh were initially involved, but when their interest dropped below that of Moulton’s expectations, he built his own bicycle factory in the grounds of the family home, The Hall, in Bradford-on-Avon.

Solving the problems of locomotion was a passion close to his heart all through his life, proven by the fact that even in his late 80s he was still consulting on suspensions for Toyota. His unique combination of breaking things down to truly understand them, and then building them back up in a completely different way for a superior means to an end, as well as being always open to seizing the opportunity in front of him, makes him a truly inspirational Marlburian and icon of the engineering capabilities of our country.

Here’s hoping that his achievements will inspire our future scientists and designers to not stop at ‘what if?’ and push them on to discovering their own world-changing technological advancements for the greater good.

The Moulton bicycle was launched in November 1962 at the Earl’s Court Motor and Cycle Show, where the public were totally overwhelmed. It was reported that they were ‘beating them off with a stick’ on the stand at the show! Shortly after that, their small wheeled bike impressively beat the Cardiff-London speed record. Demand kept increasing and eventually Raleigh took notice and acquired Moulton Bicycles Ltd. in 1967.

Following the acquisition, Moulton returned to work in automotive suspension, but when Raleigh ceased production of the bike in 1974, Moulton took back control and set up Moulton in Bradford-on-Avon, where they continue still.

Alex Moulton’s engineering legacy lives on in the iconic Mini and the Moulton bicycle – an invention that Sir Norman Foster described as ‘the greatest work of twentieth-century British design’.

He had a need to break down engineering problems to fundamentals before tackling them in a balanced methodology between engineering theory and practical testing.

He would also solve them in a way to

The lockdown has rekindled James Meredith’s experience of brewing rather potent cider in the B2 bar. Holly Scott Donaldson’s life has been anticlimactic ever since she realised she could never again beat prefect parlour’s wine prices. Mike Orange aka Jaffa has been breaking up his work as a naval architect turned composite aircraft-seat engineer with loud music, hockey and yacht racing.

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THE

MARLBURIAN COLLECTION 2020–2021 Supplied by Crosby & Lawrence: 01672 892 498

Visit our online shop at: shop.marlboroughcollege.org

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Drawing Inspiration from Visual Journalism Ollie Cameron (C3 2010-15) had always planned a life in the art world. Needing a distraction during a cancer diagnosis made him focus on telling a story through art.

This has since developed into an award-winning career. Here he explains how any story, no matter what its impact, can be told perfectly through art.

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The definition of visual journalism is broad as there are innumerable ways to visually communicate a story. Lying at a crossroads somewhere between art and more traditional forms of journalism, it can encompass anything from drawing and photography to sculpture and moving image. Photographs have long been used to document events, especially in times of crisis and war. Photography also has a strong association with objectivity, which is perhaps why it is the predominant medium used by modern media outlets.

Twitter and other social media platforms have also helped push photography to the forefront, cat videos, dodgy dancing and bad lip-synching notwithstanding. Today, we all have camera phones in our pockets and have become visual journalists in our own right.

In recent years, there has been an exciting resurgence in other storytelling techniques, ones that are redefining the relationship between visual storytelling and journalism.

George Butler’s poignant reportage drawings of local communities in Syria and Joe Sacco’s comics highlighting the plight of refugees in Malta are examples of a less objective, but perhaps more personal form of journalism.

My introduction to visual journalism started in a hospital. During my first year of studying Illustration and Animation at Kingston School of Art, I discovered a small lump on my head. Initially this lump, later christened Terry, was not a cause for concern. I remember jokingly asking the ultrasound doctor scanning the gloopy gel on my head, ‘When’s it due?’ Long appointments, long white coats, and several long words later, my original optimism was somewhat curbed. It turned out that Terry was a tumour and growing rapidly.

‘Long appointments, long white coats, and several long words later, my original optimism was somewhat curbed. It turned out that Terry was a tumour and growing rapidly.’

T

elling stories is a fundamental element of being human. Like other forms of storytelling, journalism thrives on an innate desire to understand the world around us through narrative.

What distinguishes a journalist from many other storytellers is the fact that the tales they tell are directly informed by real events.

From Hogarth to Tiger King, be it through the medium of writing, photography, video or illustration, the ultimate goal shared by all forms of journalism is the same: to help the readers, viewers, and even the authors themselves understand and interpret what is going on around them.

The project Behind Closed Doors initially started as a way of keeping my mother busy. Though incredibly supportive, she had a tendency to turn waiting rooms into pacing rooms. To stop her wearing holes in the slick vinyl floors, I asked her to take photographs of all the appointments on her phone. It soon became a great way for us both to make sense of our new surroundings; purple chairs, white walls, strangely wired machines, and the lingering smell of disinfectant. I then started making reportage sketches of our new world; a reflection in a mirror, the green-yellow hues of a hospital gown, the red-white pattern of no-slip hospital socks, the creeping tentacles of beeping equipment. I was keen to make drawings of my subsequent surgery and was granted permission for a medical photographer to document the operation by the Royal Marsden Hospital.

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After my recovery, I collated the drawings chronologically into a book that was bound at both ends. The centre of each page had to be torn down the middle to reveal the next, like a form of surgery, the torn pages like a wound. I wanted the reader to play an active role in the story as well as turn a very personal experience into something with the potential to help others. Without knowing, Behind Closed Doors had become my first visual-journalism project, and there are two elements to the process that are now running themes in my work, exploring different media and conducting research.

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‘Unlike more traditional forms of journalism, art has the ability to communicate information to an audience in unexpected ways.’

Unlike more traditional forms of journalism, art has the ability to communicate information to an audience in unexpected ways. The physical form of the work can be used as a means of conveying a message, for example. This became a central concept for me while investigating the issue of student debt. Student loan interest rates have risen to 6.3%. Like many students, pints of coffee may account for a small percentage of the £42,000 student loan spent over the past three years. However, I was shocked by how such a small number, 6.3% interest, could later grow to such a large debt after graduating from university.

I worked out that by applying 6.3% compound interest to the average weight of a university student’s rucksack, by the end of the loan’s tenure it would weigh the same as a square foot of concrete.

To visualise this, using a mould, I cast my own rucksack using a square foot of poured concrete and the resulting sculpture was listed on eBay for £42,000. I’m still waiting patiently for bids.

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Live drawing on location is another method of working adopted by visual journalists.

I have drawn inspiration from the sketches of war artist Linda Kitson during the Falklands conflict as well as Lucinda Rodgers’s multi-layered drawings documenting the gentrification of Ridley Road market in Dalston. The technique proved a particularly effective method of documenting a visit to the nuclear exclusion zone in Fukushima, where I wanted to investigate the growing trend of disaster voyeurism. You cannot photograph radiation, but you can certainly feel the oppressive presence it leaves in the air, and that is something you can draw.

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I got in touch with a nuclear specialist and former resident of the abandoned area, who worked directly in the anti-disaster headquarters for a year after the incident.

They agreed to meet me to answer my questions about crisis tourism and be my guide through the restricted areas.

A thick wet mist hung from the broken rooftops of Okuma and Futaba as we walked down the overgrown streets. Before the disaster, 16,000 people lived here but, as we walked past an abandoned pram wrapped in ivy, it quickly became apparent that it was now just us. The silence was broken by the peculiar snuffling noise of the wild boar that had reclaimed the towns, along with the occasional click of the Geiger counter on my lapel. I documented the unsettling atmosphere in a series of quick monochromatic Indian ink drawings and later incorporated the images into a lead-bound book, along with a transcript of an interview with my guide. The book opens

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up as a concertina, with a 5cm square cut out of each adjacent page referencing the depth of radioactive topsoil that is being removed from the affected area for cleaning before people can finally return.

Visual journalism has also taken me to other exciting and unexpected places.

I am currently collaborating with Sam Dalrymple (C2 2010-15) as the designer and storyboarder for Project Dastaan (www.projectdastaan.org). The exciting initiative uses virtual reality (VR) technology to reconnect 1947 Indian Partition refugees with their childhood homes and memories. We have successfully raised over $30,000 on Kickstarter, which is being used to fund families on both sides of the border to visit their old communities using VR, as well as a 360-degree feature documentary about stories of migration during the Partition of India and Pakistan.

I was surprised and delighted to be awarded BBC Student Visual Journalist of

the Year 2019. This has opened up a number of opportunities including hosting drawing workshops at the BBC Young Reporter Awards and documenting 24 hours in the radio offices at the Today programme. I am enjoying an eclectic variety of work; including designing the political cartoons for the packaging for a biscuit tin telling the satirical story of Brexit. Political Confectionaries is run by a fellow OM Orlando Gaul (LI 2010-15) www.thebrexitbiscuit.co.uk. I am no closer to finding a precise definition of visual journalism, as up until now my experience of it has been so varied, but that is exactly what makes it such an exciting area to be working in.

Ollie Cameron realised that visual journalism helped turn £42,000 of student debt into a sculpture To see more of Ollie’s work, visit www.olliecameron.com email him on ollie.cameron@hotmail.co.uk or follow him on Instagram @ollieisthecameraon

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MalaysiaReflection ‘Education is the most powerful weapon in which you can change the world.’ Nelson Mandela

M

y daughter is now six years old but never did I expect to see her dressed in Marlborough tartan ready for school at Marlborough College Malaysia (MCM) aged three and going to pre-school – one of the youngest Marlburians ever. She has to earn that prestigious label but I believe five years of being at the College might do it. MCM is in new territory with a Prep School and our #onecollege campus, which has six boarding houses, one stunning oval with the Master’s Lodge overlooking it, and the number of rugby pitches, Astroturf pitches and running tracks you would expect the College to have. Malaysia, across the causeway from Singapore, is proving to be the best choice for the Marlborough College brand to expand and evolve.

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My first year here was like no other teaching year before. Our daughter was born. Sport was on tap for me. I walked to school with beautiful sunshine every day and the pupils made the teaching incredibly rewarding with their thirst for learning, alacrity and endearing innocence, the 42 different nationalities seamlessly integrating and bonding through conversation, companionship and compassion – the three Cs our ethos revolves round. It truly was a magical year of teaching and adapting to international life. Only in its second year of existence and already MCM was gathering a name for itself, and, more importantly, happy children meant good learning and considerable growth. The calibre of Marlburian leaving here, having endured the challenge and breadth of the International

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Baccalaureate (IB) system, or fulfilling two or more years in the prep school, exemplifies a unique and strong set of characteristics that any school would be proud of. IB is more prominent and recognised by universities around the world, and highlights the notion that education is more than just academia – it is about community, creativity, risk taking, open-mindedness, inquiry, principles, thinking, being reflective and being knowledgeable.

I am presently the housemaster of Taylor House – same colours and swipe as Turner House – you can imagine how I felt about that. Ali Wade (TU 1989-94), good friend and rival – an outstanding sportsman of my generation, Turner House captain of sport, not to mention Senior Prefect and captain of rugby – is gleeful! Rivalry with Turner House is an indelible memory and now I am surrounded by their colours! My growth as a teacher and now housemaster has been amplified considerably working at MCM,

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and never did I think I would return to live and breathe the traditions and values of my old school again. The blue and white remind me of the days of running out on to the XV, or playing cricket on the XI, or indeed having two outstanding seasons playing hockey for the 1st XI, losing only two matches in two years under the expertise and incandescent coaching of Jon Copp (CR 1981-2019).

I have loved every minute but it has not gone without its trials and challenges. Being a housemaster and having two kids born in Malaysia whilst attending to the needs of 30+ boys and their parents, is a test of character. But I have survived and my kids are both flourishing in this climate, and furthermore, they are growing up with a multitude of cultures around them. As I write this, we are approaching Hari Raya and have many pupils fasting, devoted to their religion, but all the while wanting the rest of us to carry on as normal, eating and drinking so that they are reminded daily of the purpose of their commitment to Ramadan.

‘The 42 different nationalities seamlessly integrating and bonding through conversation, companionship and compassion.’

My son, Benjy, has grown up with endless brothers to play around with, and they are all great to my daughter, Millie, who is not fazed at all by meeting new people.

I have recently completed a Masters in Educational Leadership at Buckingham University and it is my experience that leading a team of tutors and trying to challenge the pupils and encourage them to go out of their comfort zone that has led me to further my education and follow my passion in leadership. I will be stepping into the role of Deputy Head Pastoral of the Prep School next year and I look forward to

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using my experience running a boarding house, and in pastoral care, in the wider community.

I am invested in the pastoral side of education and believe Tony Little’s quote from An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Education, a must-read for parents and teachers, that ‘pupils learn just as much outside the classroom as they do in, and more from their peers than from adults’.

This leads me on to boarding. Marlborough provides outstanding pastoral care that extends into the classroom and beyond the College, aiming to nurture and develop young people so that they leave at the self-actualisation stage, ready for the wider world. As aforementioned, Marlborough’s ethos centres around the three Cs – they are comprehensive and powerful in their guiding principles and the boys in my care are constantly reaching beyond themselves through these. In addition to this, creativity and courage fall under MCM’s aspirational

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character. These virtues are part of a boarding community that does not stop in the prep school but is extended throughout the College with monthly boarding assemblies emanating a positive education and celebrating all that is achieved by our boarders, and, in addition to this, encouraging them to serve the greater good and bring benefit and happiness to others.

‘Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.’ Dr Seuss I was written a very thoughtful thank you letter, which will strike a chord for many years, by one of my Year 8 leavers. It was at the end of my first year as housemaster – it made me realise the impact we have as teachers, tutors and beyond, as parents and as responsible adults. He thanked me for pushing him out of his comfort zone, encouraging him to go on a dive trip and to try for a part in the school play. He was outstanding in this. I genuinely had no idea how much I had influenced this young man.

‘I am invested in the pastoral side of education and believe Tony Little’s quote from An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Education, a must-read for parents and teachers, that “pupils learn just as much outside the classroom as they do in, and more from their peers than from adults”.’

It also made what was one of the toughest years of my teaching career worth every penny (and I had worked in a pupil referral unit in London for two years!). Being a housemaster is like no other job. Whilst incredibly rewarding, it is a seven-day week and you have to somehow find a healthy balance between being responsible for other people’s children and your own family, not to mention the teaching in the day.

Marlborough College has incredible space.

Space to be yourself, space to develop great self-awareness, and space to explore physically and emotionally. I can confidently say that the Marlburian who has studied IB and has been part of a multi-cultural day and boarding community is very special.

Whilst they maintain an air of innocence for longer than their UK counterparts, their international street-wise character not only has resilience, but the creativity and openmindedness I can only hope one day my own children will achieve.

I have skimmed through what I would consider a short overview of MCM from my personal viewpoint and as an OM and from someone who cannot sing the praises of how far this College has come and promises to go. When it happens, it is going to be a tough place to leave – a place where my children’s childhood was lived out and the place where I grew two-fold as a teacher, a parent and housemaster. I feel very fortunate to be living near Bali, Vietnam, Lombok, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Japan and New Zealand.

I will leave you with this quote, which illustrates the importance of questioning your purpose and finding answers from failure and ensuring you do fail. You have to take risks.

‘Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.’ Albert Einstein

Andy Gough has been a deputy head of a pupil referral unit in North London, but never has he been so challenged by his working environment surrounded by the colours of his rival house from 25 years ago: Turner 46

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Front Row Seat at the RNLI during a Pandemic Katie Beney (MO 1989-91) gives us the first in a two-part piece about the RNLI. Here she focuses on how the organisation coped during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. head-on, unequivocally defending the RNLI’s contribution to supporting international partners in their efforts to reduce drowning. Globally, an estimated 320,000 die from drowning annually, and the majority of these are children under five years old.

It was fascinating to watch the tide turn as supporters old and new, including many celebrities, came out to defend the RNLI and hush the sceptics.

This first week introduced me to Mark’s proactive and positive leadership style and gave me great guidance into how he wanted me to manage key relationships.

Little did I realise that just five months later the UK and Ireland would enter lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

All RNLI shops and museums closed, face-to-face engagement ceased, and access to lifeboat stations was restricted to operationally essential crew only, in order to protect the lifesaving service.

‘All RNLI shops and museums closed, face-to-face engagement ceased, and access to lifeboat stations was restricted to operationally essential crew only...’

I

n September 2019, I joined the Chief Executive’s (CE) Office at the RNLI to provide high-level support to Mark Dowie, CE, representing him to supporters, senior managers, directors, trustees, the Royal Household, government departments and other charities. Prior to this, I had spent three years securing and delivering strategic partnerships for the RNLI, with a focus on delivering income and driving water-safety messaging.

From day one in the CE’s office it was a fast-paced environment to work in. My first week in the position was spent dealing with the considerable aftermath of a report in the national press, negatively portraying the RNLI’s international work. Mark responded to the criticism this news item created

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From the outset, our two key priorities have been: to protect our people and to maintain our lifesaving service. We have established Gold, Silver and Bronze command teams to react to governmental advice – I support Mark on the Gold team. Our 238 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland have remained operational 24/7 throughout lockdown, and we’ve been able to accelerate online training and maintenance support to ensure the crew and assets remain fit for service.

Early on, a difficult decision was made to suspend the rollout of our seasonal lifeguard service, with some beaches due to start cover ahead of the Easter holidays. The Government’s social-distancing restrictions made it impossible for lifeguards to carry out essential training and perform their duties.

Though suspended, behind the scenes our Lifesaving Operations team worked tirelessly on a plan to roll out a reduced lifeguard service (based on a combination of risk and geographic spread) for when lockdown restrictions were eased.

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‘Though suspended, behind the scenes our Lifesaving Operations team worked tirelessly on a plan to roll out a reduced lifeguard service for when lockdown restrictions were eased.’

Throughout this period, I have been privileged to have a front-row seat as the RNLI has navigated its way through the constantly changing environment. It has been fascinating to see the agility of the organisation, but also the overriding passion and commitment of staff and volunteers to go above and beyond to do the right thing and fulfil our mission to save lives at sea.

During this period, I myself was tasked with engaging various Government agencies to request advance notice on the ease of lockdown, which would enable the RNLI to plan a lifeguard rollout (special thanks to Tom Newton-Dunn (C3 1986-91) for his help in navigating Government contacts).

Having gone into Covid-19 lockdown at a time when much of the pre-season work should have been carried out, we had a backlog of training, recruitment and distribution of equipment to manage, not to mention the new protocols that must be established to provide a safe working environment for the lifeguards. With no ‘crystal ball’ to see what the revised guidelines would be, we were faced with an impossible situation.

Unfortunately, no forward notice was given and the lockdown restrictions were eased to

include visits to beaches and resumption of activities in and around the water.

I am writing three weeks after the easing of restrictions. We have seen huge numbers of people travelling to beaches around our coasts where it has not been possible to place lifeguards with such a short lead time.

It has been a tough three weeks, and the RNLI has faced criticism that I have had to deal with on a daily basis. However, the selfless commitment displayed by staff and volunteers throughout this period is all the more humbling and makes me prouder to work for this incredible charity. I hope once this is all over, our critics will understand the bigger picture; it was never going to be as simple as just putting lifeguards back on beaches.

the way the RNLI team has pulled together as one crew to respond to the pandemic, the diversity of tasks I’ve been involved in from public affairs to videographer, filming Mark’s weekly staff and volunteer updates, and the pride in working for a charity that has remained committed to its core values and mission to save everyone.

However, the one thing I know for certain is I don’t have a career waiting for me in the film industry once this is all over!

Bottom left: Katie Beney filming RNLI Chief Executive, Mark Dowie Below: Sunbathers enjoying the warm sunshine at Durdle Door, Dorset

I am under no illusion we have a long three months ahead, but I am more determined than ever to serve the charity I love and more committed than ever to play my small part in ensuring we deliver the best possible lifesaving service this summer.

Whilst there have been many lows – the lack of differentiation between work and home life and missing the buzz and camaraderie of the office – there have been just as many highs:

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Our very own Stormy Stan On leaving Marlborough, Barclay Harvey (B1 1984-91) did a degree in Construction Management and Civil Engineering before embarking on a career in the golf industry and, latterly, health clubs. Six years ago, he returned to his roots in Jersey to run the State-owned sporting facilities on the island. This year, he became an RNLI volunteer inshore lifeboat helm and an all-weather lifeboat crew. He is married to Jane and has two daughters, Olivia (9) and Isabella (7). Katie Beney (MO 1989-91) and Barclay were at Marlborough together and have remained great friends ever since..

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How does your family feel about it?

They are immensely proud that I’m able to help other people. On the nights when it’s dark or stormy, they know I will be sensible and that I am going to help someone in need. Sometimes, when the pager goes off, they drop me at the station. Olivia is a member of Storm Force (the RNLI children’s club) and loves helping to fundraise – she would come on every shout if she could!

My wife, Jane, supports the guild by baking cakes for events. It’s important they play a part, along with the other partners and families of the crew. I’m very grateful to have their support.

The training is circa 12 months; tell us what it entails?

The initial training is very intense – three-hour sessions / four days a week, with most of the crew attending twice a week. To become a full crew member, you need to get signed off key competencies such as towing, emergency steering and using a VHF radio. You are trained at the station then an independent trainer will assess you. It’s a huge commitment in the first 12 to 18 months to sign off as many competencies as possible. Once qualified as a full crew member you are then assessed on a regular basis; basically, you are continuously learning.

Q&A

‘I work and play hard but wanted to give something back to society and becoming a lifeboat crew has allowed me to combine my passion for the sea with something very worthwhile.’

Coming from Jersey, have you always been drawn to the sea?

I have always been passionate about the water. Most of the sports I do are in or around the sea. I was a water-ski instructor for many summers growing up on the island and in 2004, I competed in a round-theworld yacht race. Returning to Jersey was always a goal so when the opportunity arose to raise my family here, I leapt at it.

It is magical at this time of year.

What attracted you to volunteering for the RNLI? First and foremost, a rare opportunity came up to join the crew two-and-a-half years ago. I have always admired the volunteer crew who go out and help those in need on the water. I work and play hard but wanted to give something back to society and becoming a lifeboat crew has allowed me to combine my passion for the sea with something very worthwhile.

I first met Barclay when he joined the RNLI in early 2018 as allegedly a ‘novice’ deck hand, full of enthusiasm and eager to learn. For Barclay, knowing what and how was required for his learning wasn’t enough; he wanted to know why. Barclay has committed a lot of time and energy to complete his development plans that have seen him rapidly progress and he is still willing to give more. To quote Barclay, “If I learn one item at every training session it is worth volunteering my time.” A truly colourful character who epitomises the RNLI values: selfless, dependable,courageous and trustworthy in everything he does.

‘

Martyn Hagan RNLI Fleet Staff Coxswain and Independent Assessor The Marlburian Club Magazine

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We assisted the inshore lifeboat in taking the casualties off the sinking boat, reassured them and gave the children Kit Kats. We then turned our efforts to saving their boat; with both salvage pumps working flat out, it took one hour to get the motorboat to shore and the safety of a cradle. It was a fairly typical Saturday shout in Jersey; fortunately, there was a happy ending as we saved the family as well as the owners’ boat.

What is the most memorable shout you have been on to date?

What are the most common incidents you respond to in Jersey?

Jersey’s coastline is incredibly rocky with lots of navigational hazards and huge tides; there is a lot to think about. We respond to a broad spectrum of shouts that make it exciting and the learning more intense.

As with many lifeboat stations, we do a lot of towing. There have been eight shouts in the last ten days; coming out of lockdown, people are rushing back out on the water in poorly prepared boats, often with dirty fuel, so engine failure is a regular occurrence.

Due to Covid-19, the crew has been split into ‘port’ and ‘starboard’ teams to reduce infection risk. I’ve been on duty this week.

On Saturday, we were called out in the all-weather lifeboat to assist a sinking motorboat with a crew of seven people on board, including four children aged five to nine years. This was concerning due to the sea temperature at this time of year.

There are two that spring to mind. The first was last summer, looking for two boys off Green Island in huge seas and 40 knots of wind. It’s a very rocky part of the island, challenging to navigate and a hairy environment to be in. Fortunately, the boys were found ashore by the police 45 minutes later. The second was to a Frenchman six miles south of Jersey who had fallen on his boat and broken his femur – his three crew were inexperienced sailors. I was the medical lead on board; we managed to get him on a stretcher, strapped-up and transferred him to another vessel, and then returned his boat to shore. He ended up in Jersey for a week having a major operation.

Make sure you understand the level of commitment. This week is a good example; I am on duty so I can’t have the children with me. The training and anti-social hours are a family commitment. Understand the risks – it’s not just playing on fast boats. The RNLI training reduces the risk in every possible way but unforeseen circumstances occur.

And finally, I hear you’ve been known to dress up as Stormy Stan, the RNLI mascot on occasion?

What’s the appeal?

Because you can be naked underneath (only joking!). And I can anonymously misbehave, like in the window display of the main department store here in Jersey.

It has to be somebody getting hurt or severely injured, worst case dying or drowning.

We put the crew first; as the helm on the inshore lifeboat, I have the responsibility to look after the crew first and foremost before committing to save other people.

Looking back on your time at Marlborough, is there a particular quality you acquired that has helped in your role on the crew?

My wife thinks it is a sense of humour; I agree in some respects. But for me it’s the ability to engage with a broad range of people – not everyone at Marlborough ended up being a lawyer, accountant or joining the forces – the same applies in the RNLI. Of the 40 operational crew at St Helier, there is a wide range of people from car mechanics to trust administrators.

Marlborough taught me to treat everyone the same way. I feel like I have 40 new friends on the crew who I can trust and who have a shared interest in helping people out.

I work for the government in Jersey which treats the RNLI as a Blue Light service.

The Marlburian Club Magazine

What advice would you give to someone considering volunteering for the RNLI?

What is your greatest fear?

How do you balance your day job with volunteering?

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They are fully supportive and respectful of my volunteer commitment; I couldn’t ask for a better employer. I get three days a year for training and, when I’m on a shout, it doesn’t matter how long it takes, I’m paid.

Katie Beney no longer thinks euthanasia is a misspelling of enthusiasm, having written her MC scholarship essay on being enthusiastic – unsurprisingly she didn’t get a scholarship

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Mental Health: Tools for Prevention and Coping Bella Somerset (MM 2004-09) talks about her own challenges with mental health and gives her views on how best to cope.

D

o you often feel unmotivated, chaotic, tired and lacking direction in life? Confused about what you should be doing to feel better? Or you feel you do know what you should do but your actions are not in line with your intentions?

As a millennial, we are often searching for identity, purpose, connection and adventure in an increasingly disconnected society.

So many of us after leaving Marlborough or university were confronted with these overwhelming questions about what our path should be.

Julia Samuel defines mental health as ‘the robustness and capability to surf the ups and downs of life’. I’m very grateful for all the privilege I’ve had in my life but, maybe consequently, there is often a missed skill of resilience and necessity. There is no silver bullet answer for mental health, but I will touch on how my depression and eating disorder developed and the tools I’ve integrated into my life to live with more contentment.

My time at Marlborough were some of the happiest years of my life. It was the structure of life that allowed me to flourish. I did well in my studies and I played a lot of sports, which brought me so much joy. While I was a bit

shy, I also made great friends sharing in the numerous activities Marlborough offered – sports, lessons and my boarding house.

My struggles developed in my last year of Marlborough College at age 17. Why? I don’t know entirely. I had a head injury and developed some bad habits around sleep – I viewed it as unnecessary. I know now how foundational sleep is for good mental health and good lifestyle choices.

Russell Foster, leading sleep neuroscientist, explains how disrupted sleep can be used as a marker for the development of mental illness.

The overarching theme that affected my mental health was when I started using food as a way to soothe that things got really out of control. With this came a loss of confidence as I felt powerless over my choices. I gained two stone in the space of a month-and-a-half, and this affected my confidence even more.

I found life after Marlborough tricky; I struggled to put structure into my life.

At university my mental health was nearing breaking point. So much socialising was centred around drinking and partying, something I was not very interested in, and I wish I’d been more proactive with getting involved in a society. But no regrets – everything leads to where we are today.

It was only really in January 2016 that things started to turn around. I took a step back and trained in holistic nutrition, which taught me the basics of how to nourish myself holistically; removing the focus on food. Since then, I have begun to work a programme around food addiction, which has been life transforming to bring greater mental health. If you or someone you know struggles with food, please do put them in touch so I can guide them to the community I am a part of, where everyone identifies as being a compulsive overeater, but has found recovery and wants to help those who still suffer with the disease.

With mental health, prevention of ill health is strongly preferred to finding a solution.

I loved hearing the simple and clear model of well-being that Marlborough now promotes: ‘Connect, be active, take notice (ie mindfulness), keep learning and give.’

Kate Cayley (CR 1988-), Pastoral Deputy Head, says, ‘As teachers we understand that learning can only happen really effectively when pupils feel emotionally safe, resilient and supported in all aspects of their well-being.’

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have to learn to shift away from the ego, control and perfection, and be more accepting of ourselves and others.

Loneliness or a lack of authentic connection was a root of unease in my life. I was living with an eating disorder that neither I, nor those I love, could understand. Now, being a part of a community that supports recovery is the foundation for me to live with more peace and contentment when I’m not in the mountains.

I always had my ‘escape:’ Time away trekking through beautiful, dramatic mountains. When life takes a bad turn, I always knew I could re-set and re-align back in the mountains.

The perspective and calm mind I got while trekking majestic trails enabled me to be objective on what was not working in my life, empowering me to surrender to outside help rather than rely on my own will that had led me to this place.

Old Marlburian, Arthur Kay (PR 2004-09), who co-created Action for Happiness whilst at university, never suffered personally with mental health but saw it as an important issue. He’s an advocate of the boring basis: ’routine, eating well, light exercise, sleeping properly and minimising time online.’ There is peace in simplicity.

I use my experience of what I found nourishing to offer the same experience for my clients – leading people in the mountains to get some perspective on steps they need to take once they return back home, whilst enjoying a magical adventure together.

The sense of camaraderie, sharing the adventure together, is unique and makes for lasting memories and friendships.

There’s lots of laughing! The altitude is said to have that effect and, mixed with endorphins, a happy and calm mind is easy.

Johann Harri, in his book Lost Connections, looks at issues of rising societal mentalhealth issues and depression and how people are becoming increasingly aware of how our individualist Western society isn’t nourishing our deep psychological needs.

We are becoming more conscious of the need for connection and community as core nourishment to feeling happy and balance.

Dr Katie Kangas explains how companionship from a dog could hold a nourishing solution. ‘In today’s society, with the advance of internet and technological connection, we are losing real interpersonal connection, and that is contributing to more emotional problems and disorders. Love and connection does exist in the world, and animals are a great resource to find this within one’s life.’ James Middleton (BH 2000-05) said, ‘My own dogs played a vital role in my recovery from clinical depression’.

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If a strong link to mental illness is loneliness, being part of a community or team that allows you to connect with people naturally and authentically could be part of the solution.

Finding a community that supports you and nourishes what you want in life is important, but also having a spiritual practice that allows you to do inner work so you can be more tolerant, patient and understanding in situations that would ordinarily trigger resentments to people and environments.

I’ve heard it said, ‘The way we see ourselves is the way we think we are perceived by others.’ So, by aligning our intentions and actions, I think we get a greater selfconfidence and contentment, but we also

Bella Somerset is lucky that doing her work keeps her sane

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Providing for the Nation BBC Health Editor, Hugh Pym (C1 1973-77), and Chris Hopson (B1 1976-81), Chief Executive of NHS Providers, first met on the Memorial Hall stage performing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Here Hugh interviews Chris on life at Marlborough and his current day job.

I interview you fairly frequently as BBC Health Editor – but do tell everyone how we first met many moons ago.

It was in one of those brilliant Robert Avery (CR 1968-90) Marlborough drama productions in the late 70s. In this case A Midsummer Night’s Dream. You were one of the leads, a commanding Duke Theseus, and I was one of Oberon’s gang of fairies – green knickers, green tights and green body paint above the waist. I think you had the better end of the deal there.

What are your favourite memories of Marlborough?

The huge range of amazing extra-curricular activities: Observer Mace Debating Competition, an English Speaking Union scholarship to the US, performing Edward Bond’s The Bundle in front of the author at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, and the chance to play team competitive sports, albeit very badly in my case. It’s playing team competitive sport that I probably miss the most – in those house third team matches, it didn’t matter how rubbish you were as long as you enjoyed it; everyone was in the same boat!

Which teachers most inspired you?

Jeremy Woodhouse (CR 1966-94) teaching history. ‘Respect the evidence, make a clear argument, structure the narrative, and express it clearly and cogently.’ This is a discipline needed at all stages and, hopefully, one I’m still doing 40 years later. Robert Avery’s creative flair and willingness to challenge and do the unconventional, despite all those parents watching their children in the school play. And Xxxxx Xxxxx (CR 19XX-20XX) gregariousness, gift of the gab and ability to charm absolutely everyone.

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How has Covid-19 changed the priorities and focus of NHS Providers?

It required us to focus much more heavily on our public voice and media role. We could quickly see that there was going to be a large gap between the top-level Downing Street press conferences and the, often distressing, detailed frontline testimony.

We felt someone needed to explain calmly and clearly what NHS trusts were trying to do, the pressures they faced, and how they were tackling the problems they were encountering. We felt we were on a mission to explain.

What were things like at the peak in April?

‘We could quickly see that there was going to be a large gap between the top-level Downing Street press conferences and the, often distressing, detailed frontline testimony.’

Do you enjoy hooking up with OMs at alumni events? I remember one we did together discussing the NHS, which was enjoyable.

Yes, when I get the time. Alas, too infrequently.

You are CEO of NHS Providers. Tell us about the organisation and its role.

We’re the membership organisation for the 217 NHS acute, community, mental health and ambulance trusts in England, which employ 800,000 of the NHS’s 1.3 million staff, spend £80 billion of its £130bn budget, and treat a million patients every 36 hours. We have all 217 trusts in voluntary membership and our job is to be their public voice, influence Government on their behalf, and support them, for example by running networks for their senior leaders.

We’re 80% funded by membership subscription, which means we can speak truth to power without fear or favour.

But our closeness to our members means we can play a system role. For example, we helped create an Aspiring Trust CEO programme, whose programme board I chair. We’ve now had 18 programme graduates appointed to NHS trust CEO roles, which I’m extremely proud of.

Were there aspects of previous positions you held that helped you when you took on the Providers post?

All of them helped. Being on the Board at HM Revenue and Customs helped me understand how the civil service at top level works. My last role at HMRC, leading 56

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15,000 customer contact staff, gave me good experience of what it’s like for our trust CEOs leading large, complex, customer-facing operations. At Granada Media, where I was one of the board team that took the fifth largest ITV franchise through four acquisitions to flotation as a separate FTSE100 company, ITV plc, I got a great grounding in how large organisations work and how to influence Government in a complex regulatory environment. Being a Ministerial Special Adviser and, before that, the CEO of David Owen’s SDP, gave me a good understanding of how political minds work and how to be a public spokesman with the media. I’ve had one of those odd careers, moving from politics to the TV industry to the civil service to the NHS. I feel like a jack of all trades and master of none.

But it enables me to compare and contrast across very different sectors and contexts.

Incredibly busy for us and our members.

Three thoughts. First, the speed with which something so serious came upon us, but also how well the NHS used its preparation time – for example creating the Nightingale Hospitals at the drop of a hat. Second, how little we knew, and still know, in many respects, about the virus. As an example, all the predictions on likely patient volumes and the need for vast numbers of ventilators in the first phase proved to be wrong. Third, just how reliant the NHS is on its amazing staff to go way beyond the call of duty, day in, day out. That’s all of them, not just the doctors and nurses. My favourite anecdote to illustrate this was the weekend work of an entire finance team at one of our largest hospital trusts to secure as many industrial overalls, from over 50 different local sources, when it looked like the trust was going to run out of surgical gowns.

How worried are you about a possible second spike in Covid-19 cases?

There is a huge psychological yearning to get back to normal, I feel it myself, but there is a basic inexorable truth here. Until we have a vaccine, or the virus dies out, which is much less likely, any increase in social contact risks, by definition, increasing the virus transmission rate. So, as lockdown

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‘One of the great things I feel Marlborough taught me was to treat the arguments on their merits and the evidence, never mind the position power of those arguing them.’

proud to be British. More than the monarchy, the armed forces and, dare I say it, the BBC. It also engenders that sense of mission that drives the staff discretionary effort that keeps the NHS afloat. That said, we risk hitting a point before too long where UK, as opposed to Scandinavian, levels of taxation will no longer be able to cover the level of demand an ageing population is generating. We will need to discuss that properly, as a nation, soon.

What advice do you have for someone planning a business or communications career?

eases, the risk will increase. We can do a lot to mitigate it – effective testing and tracing and all of us social distancing, wearing masks and obsessive hand hygiene. But it’s a risk. There’s a particular NHS worry that virus transmission rates will increase in the colder winter weather, giving us a quadruple whammy of a second Covid-19 spike, winter flu and the usual NHS winter pressures like icy weather leading to more broken bones.

All alongside doing the catch-up work we now need to do.

leading the world in creating vaccines and new types of test. The speed and skill with which the Treasury developed and rolled out the programme of economic support was seriously impressive. But there are areas of significant failure that any public inquiry will need to examine: personal-protection equipment distribution; the testing regime; the lack of priority in Government strategy to protect care homes and social care; and the speed with which we went into lockdown are on most people’s lists.

How are your members coping with the backlog of work that was postponed because of Covid-19?

Your job involves a lot of behind-thescenes discussions with ministers and sometimes open disagreements over policy. How do you find that?

They’re going as fast as they can. I know the papers are, understandably, full of stories about the harm non-Covid patients are experiencing but every trust leader I speak to is deeply aware of the need to go as fast as possible here. And they’re recovering services faster than I expected. However, obviously, it’s a worry.

How have we done as a nation in dealing with Covid-19?

It’s difficult to be definitive at this point because some of the comparisons – for example comparative death rates – need detailed analysis and a deeper understanding of how the virus works. It seems a reasonable hypothesis that our population density and our underlying poor health, for example our obesity rates, made a higher death rate more likely. We are at, or near, the top of the European league tables in both areas. We’ve done some things really well. The way we created 33,000 NHS coronavirus patient beds in less than a month, in order to avoid the health service overwhelm we saw in Northern Italy, was extraordinary. Our biotech industry is

One of the great things I feel Marlborough taught me was to treat the arguments on their merits and the evidence, never mind the position of power of those arguing them. You can and should challenge the teacher if you think they’re wrong or if you have a valid alternative interpretation. So, I feel comfortable challenging ministers, particularly if we have strong evidence from NHS trust leaders to support our argument, but you obviously have to do that responsibly and carefully, particularly in the media. When you are one of the public voices of the NHS, you are also part of one NHS team. It’s a balance we’ve constantly had to think about in our Covid-19 media work.

In your early roles get as much and as wide an experience as possible. Find your passion – something that makes you leap out of bed in the morning and say, ‘This is great, I’m good at this job and I enjoy it.’

Build your skills, including what you might feel are the slightly dull, formal, technical ones. And when you get to a leadership role, remember that the whole world turns upside down. It’s no longer about you being brilliant at whatever skills you’ve learnt, it’s about enabling your team, and the team members within it, to shine. That’s a completely different task.

Final thoughts – your job must be stimulating and frustrating in equal measure sometimes?

It is a great privilege to do my role. The NHS is a fantastic national institution. Of course we can do things better, but I have the highest possible admiration for our trust CEOs, chairs and their boards. I think they have an incredibly difficult job. What gets me out of bed in the morning is thinking that the organisation I lead might do something that day that makes their job just that tiny bit easier. Thanks to Marlborough for giving me some of the key skills that I need to deploy in my role, like how to make a good argument when quizzed by tough opponents like that rather demanding BBC Health Editor, Hugh Pym…

How do you see the longer-term future of the NHS? I’d die in a ditch for the basic model – a taxpayer-funded service free at the point of use, with care provided on the basis of clinical need, not ability to pay. It’s rightly the envy of the world and the opinion polls tell us that it’s the NHS that makes us most

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OMAIN Seeking the next unicorn?

Wanting to share hard-won wisdom?

Connecting OM Entrepreneurs and Business Angels from across the Marlborough College community OMAIN acts as an introduction platform between entrepreneurs and potential investors with a meaningful Marlborough College connection. Through an online portal, events and other communication mediums, OMAIN makes potential investors aware of possible investment opportunities in OM linked companies.

Should a company and an investor conclude an investment agreement following an introduction through the OMAIN network, then the company receiving the investment makes a donation of no less than 5% of the capital it raised to the Marlborough College Foundation.

For more information and online application forms visit:

www.marlburianclub.org/omain ANGELS WANTED!

OMAIN itself takes no fees for making introductions, does not act as an adviser, undertakes no due diligence of the parties or business opportunities involved nor does it recommend investment opportunities.

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Letters to the Editor with the College archivist Warwick James who said that the rebellion of 1851 was not Wilkinson’s fault at all. The trouble was that the governors – none of whom had any practical experience of running a school – insisted on being informed of every minor misdemeanour and incident. One result of that was that the staff felt they were being spied on and not given the freedom to do their job properly. The result of this was that they did not offer Wilkinson much support when matters came to a head. Mr James said it was surprising that he managed to run the school at all, with his hands tied in that way.

Heureka!

After glancing over a past copy of The Marlburian Club Magazine, it brought back some memories I felt I wanted to share.

The first was of George T Wright (CR 1954-80). In 1957, it was thought those doing the ‘arts subjects’ really ought to have a little bit of science to give us some idea of the real world. So, we joined together for one lesson each week. Chemistry during one term, physics another and biology in the third term. Mr Wright took us for one of these – it shows so much of my ignorance that I don’t know whether it was physics or chemistry.

He was the far side of a laboratory bench with built in basins, Bunsen burners and gas cylinders and was explaining how important it was to have oxygen for combustion. He pulled the rubber tube off a Bunsen burner, dipped the end in the bowl of soapy water, turned on the gas tap and blew a bubble about the size of a ping-pong ball. He then shook it off into the air and held a lighted match beneath it.

The bubble flamed silently. He then joined another tube from an oxygen cylinder into one branch of a Y-shaped funnel with the gas tube in the other branch and blew another small bubble, which made a reasonable pop when he held a match beneath it showing the difference he had explained.

He then said he ought to blow a bigger bubble and made one about the size of a grapefruit and this one exploded with an almighty flash and bang. Mr Wright was nowhere to be seen. Then a hand appeared grabbing the further edge of the bench

followed slowly by the rest of him saying a little shakily, ‘I think I must have got the mix just right.’

Secondly, there was an article about AF Elliott (CR 1954-74) by his daughter.

I was really pleased to learn he had done so well. I think he came to Marlborough straight from Oxford with a double first in Latin, Greek and Ancient History.

Incidentally, he was extraordinarily good at rugby fives.

We had learned enough science to know that Archimedes had leapt out of his bath shouting ‘eureka’ when he had realised how he could prove that a base metal that looked like gold was actually fake gold. We were all rather smug in our knowledge that although there is no ‘h’ in Greek language, he would have shouted ‘heureka’ as eureka has a little forward facing ‘c’ above the first ‘e’ like an accent. The little ‘c’ sits on the first letter of other Greek words we have taken into English like hysteria and the backward facing ‘c’ on words without an ‘h’ like euphoria.

‘In fact,’ said Mr Elliot. ‘Archimedes probably did shout eureka. He was a Sicilian Greek and Sicilian Greeks dropped their aitches.’

Charles Cope (B1 1954-58)

Matthew Wilkinson Matthew Wilkinson (Master 1843-51) was my great-great-grandfather and the brief mention of him on the College website borders on the libellous! [Editor: I have discovered this is a light-hearted threat].

Some years ago, my uncle corresponded

Also, I was sorry to hear of John Dancy's (Master 1961-72) death. He was my first headmaster at Lancing, though we overlapped by only one term.

Hugh Casement Great-great-grandson of Matthew Wilkinson (Master 1843-51)

Matthew Wilkinson (Master 1843-51)

Appreciation I appreciated my years at Marlborough.

I think my father, also a Marlburian, paid a life subscription for me to the Club. I lived most of my life in Kenya and India (during the Second World War). After Trinity College, Oxford and Ordination at St Paul's Cathedral, where I served at St Paul's Portman Square, I went to India again where I served as a missionary and then Rector of St John’s, Bangalore for 12 years.

I emigrated to Australia in 1974 with my wife, Edith, who was from Barbados, and our six children.

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I still pray for the Christian witness of my old school in this increasingly secular and godless world, and thank God for the Master, Louise Moelwyn-Hughes (Master 2018-), Marlborough College Malaysia, and for all other links to the College.

My wife departed this life 11 years ago, but I have a very supportive family network.

All six children are happily married and scattered throughout Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Auckland. I have 22 grandchildren and 19 greats, which is wonderful as I approach my 100th birthday.

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I enjoyed the history of Barton Farm, remembering the formidable Betty Edwards.

I remember walking along a muddy track through the farm and the whole hillside moving with a mass of rabbits.

Thank you for continuing to send me the magazine.

Penelope Garnett Wife of Thomas Garnett (Master 1952-61)

Arthur ‘Donald’ R Wright (CR 1953-63), teaching us history, became so emotional as the Hungarian uprising raged that he inspired one boy to go and fight the Russians. The boy was picked up by the police trying to board a merchant ship at Tilbury. I still have the note from his housemaster to go to the lodge to see the Master when he got back (see below).

Joe Mullins (C1 1934-48) [Editor: I have it on good authority from Louise herself that the College is still very much a non-secular establishment and continues to have students following and going into the church.]

Alan Cornwall (C2 1912-17 CR 1925-58) would only allow one classic red herring a year. He would tell of his part in the last cavalry charge of the British Army. As he reached the climax, he would pause and tradition dictated that some tactless boy would ask, ‘Were many of your comrades killed?’. With which he would dissolve into tears and let us out early.

Enjoyable read

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The magazine tells us about beaks of yesteryear but seldom speaks of their less reverent attributes. Such anecdotes therefore die as each generation falls away.

For example, my father used to tell me of the beak who went to London once a year to have his nose blown by a specialist. How I wish that I had asked my father more.

I remember the brilliant Lionel ‘Wiggy’ Gough (CR 1940-59). He would start a class with long tresses and tell us to read Chapter Y whilst he popped out for a haircut. He would return a short while later with a haircut much more appropriate for such a distinctive beak.

I conclude with a recollection. I enjoyed sport more than study at Marlborough, yet it was there that the Saviour of the World found me and started my life, which is still as fresh today. It’s too easy to take the words and symbols of the coat of arms for granted!

This is a short note to thank you for the Marlburian Club Magazine, which arrived at the aged care home to which I moved to last year. I found it extremely interesting, especially the map. It showed so many new buildings and playing fields since we left in 1961.

Beaks’ less reverent attributes

Thomas Ronald Garnett (Master 1952-61)

Peter Davies (C3 1953-56)

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Engagements, Marriages & Births Engagements Lucinda Dimbleby (EL 2004-09) to Richard Brendon

Marriages Ottilie Windsor (NC 2000-05) to Paul Coulon on 25th May 2019 Cordelia Keevil (MO 2001-06) to George Hockin on 29th June 2019 Piers Windsor (B1 2003-08) to Annabelle Clarke on 27th July 2019 Alice Campbell (MO 2007-12) to Simon Owtram in September 2019

Births To Naomi Ladenberg (née Kerbel NC 1993-98) and her husband, Jack, a son, Zachary Rafe, brother to Emmeline To Oliver Hickling (CO 1994-99) and his wife, Amelia, a girl, Persephone

Ottilie Windsor (NC 2000-05)

Piers Windsor (B1 2003-08)

To Andrew Coventry (B1 1995-2000) and his wife, Charlotte, a son, Jack, brother to George and Billy

For more details of the above, please visit www.marlburianclub.org/ announcements

To Georgina Russel-Lowe (née Hickling NC 1997-2002) and her husband, Douglas, a son, Jasper, brother to Freddie The Marlburian Club Magazine

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Deaths Hugh Lander (B2 1925-29)

Michael Tisdall (B3 1944-48)

Ian Wainwright (C3 1954-59)

David Briggs (B1 1931-36) see obituary

Nigel Faulkner (PR 1945-49)

Anthony Hartnoll (B3 1954-59)

Brian Orr (B1 1945-49)

William Radclyffe (PR 1958-61)

David Lacy Scott (LI 1934-39)

Timothy Halton (B1 1945-49)

Michael Lloyd (B1 1957-62)

George Willcox (C1 1936-40)

Ralph Rolls (CO 1946-49)

David Harbinson (LI 1958-62)

John Wace (B3 1937-41)

Brian Gotto (PR 1945-50)

Peter McKellar Robertson (CO 1937-41)

Philip Suter (C2 1946-51)

John Brigstocke (LI 1959-62) see obituary

Anthony Myer (LI 1947-51)

Anthony Shaw (C2 1959-63)

Charles Holroyd (B3 1947-51)

H Michael Stanfeld (C3 1960-63)

Stuart Lorimer (C3 1947-51)

Nigel Copleston Robert (PR 1961-65)

Marcus Wheeler (B1 1940-45)

Jonathan Sieff (PR 1947-52) see obituary

Jonathan Hooker (LI 1963-67)

David Bishop (LI 1941-45)

Edward Lander (B3 1949-53)

Walter Parks (C1 1941-45)

James Cameron (B1 1949- 54)

John Dancy (Master 1961-72) see obituary

Arthur Hadley (PR 1942-45)

Alexander Davidson (PR 1949-54)

Kenneth Cathan (B1 1967-71)

Peter Matthews (C3 1942-46)

John Watson (CO 1950-54)

Georgina Hobhouse (SU 1969-71)

James Scott (formerly James Kenny Courtney Clarke LI 1942-46)

Alan Clark (CO 1950-55)

James Young (C3 1969-73)

Timothy Baynes (C3 1942-46) see obituary

Christopher Burns-Cox (C2 1951-55)

Desmond Rice (LI 1938-43) John Sutcliffe (C2 1939-43) Maurice de Soissons (B2 1941-44)

Derek Stone (SU 1943-46) Euan Hutchings (C1 1942-47) Charles Eade (B2 1943-47) John Hartley (B2 1943-47) Peter Hinde (B2 1943-47) Terence Mallinson (CO 1943-48)

Ian Johnson (C2 1950-55) Richard Ford (C1 1951-55)

Edward Sewell (B2 1965-69)

Ian Willmore (B2 1971-76) Tim Hyde-Smith (C1 1976-81)

Andrew Spurling (B3 1952-56)

Brian Ashley (CR 1966-82) see obituary

John Everard (B3 1952-56)

Dominic Coupe (C1 1982-84)

Colin Cooke-Priest (LI 1952-57) see obituary

Bob Peel (CR 1960-91) see obituary

Timothy Ashfield (C1 1953-57)

Brian Williams (CR 1962-94) see obituary

John Mercer (C2 1943-48)

Peter Pyemont (C1 1953-57) see obituary

John Faulder (C2 1943-48)

John Andrews (B3 1953-58)

Ronald Diggle (C2 1943-48)

Ian Argyle (C1 1953-58)

Patrick Ellwood (C2 1943-48)

Peter White (C3 1954-58)

Rosemary Groves (CR 1992-05) see obituary

David Earee (B1 1944-48)

Robert Walters (C3 1954-59)

Robert Frome (C1 2006-11)

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David Green (CR 1962-95) see obituary

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Obituaries John Dancy Master (1961-72) John Dancy was not just an exceptional Master, which he was, but he was also an exceptional man. Immensely gifted intellectually, he revelled in the challenge of guiding forward what he described as the powerhouse of Marlborough, making it the leading public school of its time.

Born in 1920, he won scholarships to both Winchester and New College, Oxford. At both he was right at the top as a classicist, winning most of the available prizes, as well as a First in Honour Moderations (Mods).

War interrupted what could have been a glittering career at Oxford, and he was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade in 1941. While at Winchester, he had taught himself German so as to compete with his younger brother and had maintained the language by, among other means, singing German love songs and soldiers’ songs.

As a result, he was made Intelligence Officer in his battalion. When they deployed to Normandy in June 1944 many of his contemporaries were killed as platoon commanders, whereas he survived at Battalion HQ. This was particularly so during the assault on Hill 112, where they were pitted against the Hitler Youth of 12th SS Panzer Division. Interrogating some of these as prisoners was a formative experience as he realised the effect of Nazi education on them. It was one pointer towards teaching. A second occurred before going into battle. On leave in Cornwall, he partnered Angela Bryant in a tennis tournament. After a whirlwind courtship they were married, and she remained the biggest influence in his life.

University life would not have suited them, as when he was lecturing at Wadham, Oxford, she was only allowed into the college once a year!

There were three key influences on him before he became a headmaster. The first was the murder of his mother by her brother, suffering from PTSD as a result of injuries in the First World War. The second was his war experience. Third was catching polio, probably while swimming in Cornwall, in 1949. Six months in hospital in Oxford, leaving Angela to cope with two small boys in Winchester, where he had gone to teach in 1948, was difficult. Told that he would never walk again was even more challenging. Through deep determination he recovered the use of his legs, and

‘As a boy who had benefited from scholarships himself, John was determined to widen the base of entry to Marlborough.’

I never saw him walk with a stick until the last few years of his life. At the age of 98, after two years in a wheelchair, he became determined to walk again, and managed it, calling it the greatest achievement of his life. He returned to teach at Winchester and in 1953, at the early age of 33, he was appointed Headmaster of Lancing. Here, in his own words, he learned much and made

many mistakes. In 1961, he was appointed to Marlborough. He had the great good fortune to inherit a school that had been made humane by George Turner (Master 1926-39), and given a good Common Room by Thomas Garnett (Master 195261). His first impression of Marlborough, made at the end of his first term, was one of ‘virile liberalism’.

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Obituaries Readers of The Lanchester Tradition would have recognised in the Marlborough of the 1960s a few Mr Chowdlers. However, there was also an intellectual powerhouse that simply needed steering. When he arrived, the centre of power were the housemasters.

Very soon he transferred that to the heads of departments, giving them the opportunity for curriculum development. The College had a number of Oxbridge Maths Firsts on the staff and they were already at the forefront of the Schools Maths Project, started in 1961. John was an early enthusiast for the Nuffield Science Project and for Technology. Above all, he helped introduce the new subject Business Studies. All of these developments were aimed at more practical, as opposed to theoretical, applications of their subjects.

While many of these developments undoubtedly came from within Common Room, the lead very definitely came from the Master.

John also started to reflect the liberalisation that was occurring throughout society in the 1960s in his social reforms within the school. He abolished corporal punishments by pupils, abolished fagging, abolished

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compulsory cricket, abolished compulsory CCF (aside from the first year) encouraging the MoD to lean more towards self-reliance, which it did, abolished compulsory daily chapel, and freed up the uniform to some extent. He also introduced a tutorial system and Adventure Training for all. Not all of this went down well with Common Room and led

to some famous debates. One housemaster held to the point of view that the polishing of shoes was paramount. ‘It shows a tidy mind. I don’t imagine Einstein had dirty shoes.’ From a comfy chair at the back, a voice was heard to say, ‘I knew Einstein and he had the scruffiest shoes in the university.’

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A boy who had benefited from scholarships himself, John was determined to widen the base of entry to Marlborough. He served on the Public Schools Commission, set up in 1966 by the Labour government, which recommended compulsory integration of independent and state education systems.

However, the Labour government was never likely to act on it as it had just introduced comprehensive education.

His first stab at this broader entry was what came to be called The Swindon Experiment, whereby 21 boys from grammar and secondary modern schools in Swindon became boarders at Marlborough for two years in the Sixth Form. It was funded by an American foundation. While not a failure, the experiment was not renewed. Far more important was his decision to introduce girls in 1968. It was a brave decision, which changed the school, if not overnight, then certainly within three months.

The Master did continue to teach both Classics and Divinity. He tells the story of observing a student teacher who was struggling to teach a theology lesson on ‘the problem of suffering’ to a Shell set. He took over, saying, ‘The problem of suffering is comparatively easy to understand if you analyse it like this …’ When he had finished, a boy had his hand up. ‘Yes, Pelham. What is it?’ ‘It’s only that I have always thought it’s terribly easy to oversimplify the problem of suffering!’ The word ‘always’ coming from a twelve-year-old, now a double first in Natural Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and a knight of the realm! Such are the rewards of teaching.

I can recall him saying later that his priority at Marlborough was always the staff. ‘If they’re happy they’ll teach well. If they teach well the pupils will be happy. If the pupils are happy, their parents will be, too.’ It sounds simple, but it seemed to work. Of course, there were difficulties: the pupils of the 1960s were not always easy, and many of their parents and some of the older staff resented the changes he introduced, and indeed the whole liberalisation of the 1960s. One battle he did lose was over hair, a particular bugbear of prep-school headmasters, which was apparently affecting our reputation. He announced one day in a Mem Hall assembly that our hair was to be kept off the collar and off the ears, but if we couldn’t accept that he would be happy to discuss it with anybody in the Adderley after lunch. When he entered the room there must have been upwards of 400 boys in the room. He gracefully accepted defeat provided the hair was neat and clean.

The Master was constantly imitated, always his words and inflections, but never his walk, which says a lot about Marlburians, and never better than by Christopher Martin-Jenkins (B3 1958-63). A standard

‘...his priority at Marlborough was always the staff. ‘If they’re happy they’ll teach well. If they teach well the pupils will be happy.

If the pupils are happy, their parents will be, too’.’

imitation would begin, as apparently an early sermon once did, ‘As Socrates once said…’ He was probably best known by his Senior Prefects, who were always asked to stay in the holidays. However, he was less well known to the body of the school, viewed rather with a degree of awe for the famous intellect. That said, he always made himself available to boys after Chapel and lunch, when he would wait in Court for those who needed to speak to him.

The appointment of staff can rarely be faulted, and the values he inculcated into them can be seen in the fact that 13 of his appointments went on to be headmasters, plus another four who were on the staff when he arrived. Just listing some of the names (taken largely at random and from memory) indicates the quality of the staff he appointed: John Mills (CR 1962-91), John Roberts (CR 1963-74), Roy Chapman (CR 1964-75), John Osborne (CR 1964-2002), Terry Rogers (CR 19642014), James Sabben-Clare (CR 196468), Andrew Carter (CR 1965-70), Ian Davie (CR 1965-68), Xxxxx Xxxxx (CR 19XX-20XX), Christopher Joseph (CR 1967-2000), Graham Smallbone (CR 1967-71), Richard Barker (CR 1967-81),

James Flecker (CR 1967-80), Michael Preston (CR 1967-2001), Robert Avery (CR 1968-90), Rupert Lane (CR 1968-82), Andrew Davis (CR 1969-88), Tim Holgate (CR 1970-90), Oliver Ramsbotham (CR 1971-85), David Whitaker (CR 1971-85), Robin Child (CR 1971-92) and many more.

All learned from him.

John Dancy saw his time at Marlborough as the pinnacle of his career. Certainly, it was a time when Marlborough was at the pinnacle of the independent school pyramid. That it was so high is due in large measure to the man who led it through that period, John Dancy.

Robin Brodhurst (PR 1965-70)

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Obituaries and often convening groups of teenagers to put on plays or musicals.

David returned to King’s College School in 2004 when the Duchess of Kent opened the Briggs Building. Despite a century of listening to music old and new, Briggs remained wedded to his favourite carols: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and O Come, All Ye Faithful.

Timothy Baynes (C3 1942-46) My father, Tim Baynes, died aged 91 from Covid-19, was a retired vicar, furniture maker, artist and campaigner for social justice.

David Briggs (B1 1931-36) For many people Christmas does not begin until the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. The tradition, started in 1880, was introduced to King’s College, Cambridge, in 1918 and was first broadcast 10 years later. The last chorister to have sung in the original broadcast was David Briggs, then aged 11. He would remain associated with King’s for the rest of his life, as chorister, lay clerk and headmaster of the school.

John was born in 1917, to George, a clergyman and hymn writer, and Constance.

In 1926 he and his brother were taken to Cambridge. His father thought they should get into King’s Choir. The fees were £8 a term and were designed to be no more than the cost of keeping a boy at home.

After his voice broke, David was educated at Sedbergh School and then as a foundation scholar at Marlborough, where he joined the chapel choir, learnt violin and formed a jazz band called the Dandelions.

Leaving school in 1936, he returned to Cambridge with both academic and choral awards at King’s, where he sang bass.

Born in Oxford, the eldest of three children, he had a solitary childhood, and was sent to a residential nursery at nine months while his parents worked in Nigeria. Tim boarded at prep school from the age of seven and then went to Marlborough.

After national service, he studied art and furniture design, and his first job was at the Newcastle College of Art and Design.

Tim remembered these days as exciting, but some people thought him ‘cold’ – his early life experiences showing through.

A friend encouraged him to talk to a priest, and that experience of confession and blessing changed his life, leading him to go to Ely Theological College.

His spells as a curate in the 1960s gave him the view that the church needed to understand better the lives of working people, and, following a visit to a working

On demobilisation after the war, he was accepted for ordination but chose teaching.

He became a classics master at Bryanston School and, in 1959, he became master of choristers and headmaster of King’s College School.

True to his pacifist leanings, David’s first act as headmaster was to abolish corporal punishment. His last, before retiring in 1977, was to turn the school co-educational.

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Jonathan Sieff (PR 1947-52)

men’s club and a trip to a coal mine, he became an industrial chaplain. He joined the Greater Manchester Industrial Mission team in 1967, allocated to the city’s transport sector. Until 1972, he also held parish responsibilities as vicar of the innercity church of St John’s, Miles Platting.

For the rest of his life, Tim worked to bring about better support for workers, including bringing together unions, management and staff in the transport industry to improve conditions, and campaigning for a minimum wage in the 1980s.

On retirement, he continued to campaign for equality and social justice. He will be missed by Global Justice Now, World Development Movement, Forward in Europe, Kendal Ecumenical Group, South Lakes Extinction Rebellion, Kendal Quaker Meeting and many more.

He also carried on working with his hands.

Thoughtful, compassionate, wise, curious: these are words that came up time and again from those who knew my father.

My brother Nick and I will treasure our memories of him as a loving father and grandfather.

Jonathan Sieff (PR 1947-52) Concussion, brain bruising, and a broken spine brought an end to Jonathan’s motor-racing career. He had crashed at 125mph in a nighttime practice and was thrown 20ft from his Lotus Elite into a tree.

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He needed a steel corset to start walking again and the accident’s effects never entirely left him.

John diverted his energies into a business career. Though a scion of the M&S dynasty, he was determined not to be bound by the family company. He became an investor in Chipstead Motor Group, a west London sports car specialist that was run by Mario Tozzi-Condivi, later chairman of Maserati (UK).

When John Cooper retired, John bought the controlling interest in his company, he sold it to Chipstead to race cars in the Formula One world championship. CooperClimax cars had dominated the competition in the early 1960s, while the Mini Cooper led rallies.

After Marlborough, he read PPE at Oxford, but quit when he was not allowed to run a car. He did his National Service with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps repairing military vehicles. He also found himself in the middle of an extraordinary coincidence.

His father had been lenient to a guilty soldier. That soldier ended up as Jonathan’s commanding officer and took a kindly view of ‘Jono’ lending a general’s car to a pub landlady with whom he had become romantically involved. The landlady’s husband, however, was not so charitable.

Some years later, Jonathan’s son was drinking in the pub and the landlord spotted the family resemblance and threw him out.

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His Wessex helicopter hit the sea at night, but he was quickly rescued along with his crew. While on an exchange posting with the Royal Australian Navy he had a second accident in a Wessex. A winch cable snagged the ship’s superstructure and the helicopter blades struck the ship and the machine ditched. Again, all were rescued safely.

He commanded the frigates HMS Plymouth and HMS Berwick before his first spell in the MOD. In 1979, he was appointed Naval Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief Fleet, a sign that he was destined for higher rank.

He was promoted captain during this time.

Peter Pyemont was a pioneer and charismatic prep-school headmaster, who also founded one of the largest and most successful new independent secondary schools of the post-war period.

As headmaster of St Bede’s Prep School, Eastbourne, Peter applied his conviction that education is about more than academic achievement and includes emotional, social, physical, creative and spiritual faculties.

Time back at sea followed, initially with a brand-new ship, HMS Boxer and later HMS Brilliant, this time in the Gulf where he was Senior Naval Officer Middle East before the 1991 Gulf War. After promotion to rear admiral, he served with NATO on the staff of the Supreme Allied Commander in Belgium, before becoming the first Observer as Head of the Fleet Air Arm. He was appointed CB and retired in 1994.

From 1964, when he took over aged 25, to 1998, when he retired as headmaster, numbers at St Bede’s grew from 40 to around 400 pupils.

Peter encouraged pupils to become involved in discussing new ideas and plans for the school, and under his leadership it built an enviable record of success in prep-school sport.

The highlight of the school year were the plays and musicals Peter produced, which left a lasting impression on pupils such as the actor and comedian Eddie Izzard.

Colin Cooke-Priest (LI 1952-57) Colin was at St Piran’s Prep School and Marlborough with me. Head Boy, Captain of Cricket and Hockey at St Piran’s, he eased through Marlborough and always wanted to join the navy.

After training, he became an anti-submarine specialist who directed operations from inside the helicopter. He saw service in Aden and during the Borneo confrontation with Indonesia. He had two lucky escapes.

(C1 1953-57)

He went back to the MOD where he became Assistant Director of Naval Warfare, including the period of the Falklands Conflict. His staff work was always sharp and to the point and combined with a natural ability to get the best out of people.

As his career wound down, he devoted time to collecting art and first editions, enjoying music, bridge and gourmet food. His longterm injuries did not prevent him becoming a keen outdoor sportsman, particularly hunting, eventing and shooting.

He entered Dartmouth in 1957, despite suffering from seasickness. When the Fleet Air Arm was seeking more full-career officers, he was pressed into joining. He soon discovered he suffered airsickness too, which ruled him out for fixed-wing flying, making him determined to succeed in the world of helicopters.

Peter Pyemont

For the next five years, he was CEO of the Trident Trust. He also became a Gentleman Usher to The Queen. He continued this work until retirement at 70 and was appointed CVO in 2009. It was at this time that he became President of the Marlburian Club. He later became Master of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.

Air Marshal Sir Ian Macfadyen KCVO CB OBE (C2 1955-60)

Peter attended St Bede’s Prep School and then went onto Marlborough, where he represented the school at hockey and cricket and rackets. He did national service with the Black Watch and the Royal Sussex Regiment, quelling the bullies among his fellow recruits, many of them poorly educated conscripts, by reading to them their letters from home. This experience shaped his thinking to the importance of education.

Peter began his career teaching history at Chelmsford Hall Prep School before being appointed, in 1964, as headmaster of St Bede’s. While there, he played tennis, squash and hockey for Sussex. He captained Eastbourne Cricket Club, played for MCC, and was a first-class ski judge.

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Obituaries He retired as head of St Bede’s in 1998 but stayed on as Head of History. In 1989, Peter won the Frank Fisher Memorial Prize presented by the Ecclesiastical Insurance Company with a thesis on what the West could learn from the East and spent three months in Asia, teaching in schools and meeting ministers of education.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, he travelled to the former East Germany and established a scheme under which children and their teachers could visit Eastbourne to experience life in a British boarding school.

In retirement, Peter and his brother Christopher set up the public-speaking company, Talking Heads, and gave entertaining lectures on everything from the First World War to the history of skiing.

Peter became a founder governor of Gildred House Free School.

John Brigstocke (LI 1959-62)

John Brigstocke (LI 1959-62) commanded HMS Ark Royal from 1989-90

postings to several frigates, interspersed with stints at the Greenwich staff college and Dartmouth.

When Yorkshire Television filmed a documentary about life on board HMS Ark Royal, they were delighted to find that the captain of the ship was arguably the handsomest officer in the Navy.

By the time of the Falklands conflict, John was in command of sea training and could not deploy. Although his efforts undoubtedly had a positive impact on the campaign, he was dismayed not to play a more prominent part. Afterwards he moved to the Directorate of Naval Plans, tasked with undertaking the ‘lessons learnt’ process.

Small wonder he was considered the poster boy for the senior service. He had first found himself in this role at the age of 24 when he was given command of the minesweeper HMS Upton and featured on a navy recruiting poster.

In October 1986, as Commanding Officer of the destroyer HMS York, he was asked to escort the royal yacht during a state visit to China. John was a valued companion to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, and the experience remained a personal highlight of his time in the navy. The professional highlight was his command of HMS Ark Royal from April 1989 to October 1990.

After Marlborough, John entered Dartmouth in 1962 where he was identified as a rising star. His early career included

In the Nineties, John served as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff, with the administrative burden of a defence review dominated by

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debates over the preservation of costly capital ships. In 1997, having been promoted to vice-admiral, John was knighted and made Chief of Naval Personnel, which bestowed the titles of second sea lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command.

After retiring, John held senior positions in healthcare management and served as chairman of the East Midlands strategic health authority.

In 2009 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Buckingham University.

It was a proud moment: John had been among the last Dartmouth cohorts to be denied formal higher education.

John demanded high standards of his subordinates. He was astute, meticulous and often challenging. A private man, he was nevertheless steadfast in his support of those who earned his trust, particularly talented junior officers.

He was the Navy’s poster boy to the end.

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Brian Ashley (CR 1966-82)

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both cheeks) Obama. He later expressed regret that he hadn’t issued a return invitation to the Jazz Festival.

Brian died just a month after John Dancy (Master 1961-72), the Master who appointed him. They had a lot in common, both realising that the public-school system needed to move from its image of producing a cultured elite, to demonstrate its use to the wider community.

Nicholas Fogg (CR 1978-92)

Bob Peel (CR 1960-91)

One day, Brian Ashley was walking through the Rose Garden at Marlborough. It was the summer holidays and it didn’t seem right that the place should be empty for two months. Inspiration came to him that there should be a summer school. As a result of his tenacity, the first Summer School took place in 1975. There were just 20 classes and the 210 participants were mainly recruited from College parents and OMs. However, Brian’s vision was there from the start: a range of courses for all tastes, an entertainment programme, and an allinclusive fee. From these beginnings grew the Summer School as it is today: full-time staff, four weeks in duration, scores of courses covering virtually everything you can imagine – and more. Over the years, the Summer School has raised huge amounts of money to be ploughed back into improved facilities at the College.

People have commented on how much fun making music was with Bob. It really was, and he was also a very entertaining man, a great storyteller and the warmest of people in his slightly shy way. He saw the funny side of life, and of people. And he used music to bring people together, but he was also a really outstanding teacher.

As a nervous 12-year-old with no interest in music arriving at the Master’s Lodge from a northern prep school for my scholarship interview, I was asked by John Dancy (Master 1961-72) ‘Are you musical?’

‘Not at all,’ I replied. ‘Well, you should learn the trombone. You don’t have to be musical to play the trombone. Shall I put you down for lessons?’ I couldn’t say no, but I had no intention of taking it up.

In my first week at the school, I didn’t bother to go for my lesson, hoping all would be forgotten. But then I was picked out in the Norwood Hall by a very, very tall and rather scary RHDP wanting to know why I’d wasted his time. ‘The first term is free.

I expect you at the next lesson.’

What I then experienced was the very best of teaching: boundless patience, high expectations, clear guidance and – above all – belief in me. He showed me not only that I could do it, but also how. I didn’t want to let him or myself down. From him I learned not only to love and understand music, but also so much about how to encourage and inspire learners.

Bob was inclusive, he had no snobbishness about forms of music. Also, he had equal respect and care for the few outstanding musicians and for those who just enjoyed learning to play to the best of our ability and being part of Brasser. He was never one of the Common Room ‘stars’ but we knew the secret of how special he was.

Martin Spafford (B3 1967-72)

Brian was a product of Mansfield Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge.

Before coming to the College as Head of PE and history beak, he taught at St Paul’s, London. He began summer schools at Taunton School, Eton College and at Horace Walpole’s old mansion at Strawberry Hill. On leaving the College, he took over the Henge Shop at Avebury.

A great believer in community involvement, Brian ran keep fit classes for local businessmen. He served a spell on Kennet District Council. Later he was Chairman of the Marlborough International Jazz Festival.

Like the Summer School it brought thousands of people into the town to its great economic benefit.

It came as no surprise to those who knew him to hear that Brian was invited to the White House Christmas party as a guest of Barack and Michelle (she kissed him on

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Obituaries Brian Williams (CR 1962-94)

for several years. He was a regular player for the Town Hockey Club and a great supporter of Common Room cricket, even taking a team of beaks in 1969 to play in a tournament in Corfu.

Brian’s organisational skills were well known and, when the Summer School was established in 1975, he was the obvious person to be entrusted with setting up and running the bars, later becoming Director of the Summer School.

In 1970, Brian arranged an exchange to Brisbane Grammar School. Despite having given every impression of being a confirmed bachelor, he was rapidly followed by a vivacious lady from Marlborough and they were soon married. With his new wife, Doreen (known to one and all as Dottie), they quickly formed a strong partnership, which was to prove of immense value to the College on their return. Those OMs who were in Summerfield during Brian’s tenure as Housemaster (1980-92) will have many warm memories of how effective and complementary the Williams duo were.

Graduating in chemistry at Nottingham and having completed his teacher training at Cambridge, Brian arrived at Marlborough in 1962, after four years at Abingdon School.

Apart from two years on exchange in Australia, he fulfilled many important roles at the College over his time. His colleagues were quick to recognise his teaching ability and it was no surprise that he served for a period as Head of Chemistry and, for a while, led the entire Science Department.

In his younger days, Brian was an active sportsman, coaching rugby and cricket golf

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David Green (CR 1962-95)

Brian was a fine schoolmaster and, behind a sometimes gruff exterior, there beat a heart of gold! He also possessed a good sense of humour, an absolutely essential prerequisite for a successful schoolmaster.

He was a man of great integrity and wisdom, and his care for Dottie for over 50 years was both touching and admirable.

Brian passed away in March and Dottie joined him in June.

David Green (CR 1962-95) David was a distinguished sportsman and had been named Most Promising Cricketer of the Year in 1952 by Sunday People newspaper. He made his debut for Derbyshire in 1953 playing against Kent at Chesterfield aged only 17 and continued to play for the county for a number of years.

He went up to Christ’s College, Cambridge

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in 1956 and won Blues in 1957, 1958 and, in 1959, he was elected captain of the university side. David said that leading the team out at Lord’s against Oxford was one of his proudest moments.

David was selected for an MCC Tour to Canada and the USA in 1959, captained

by Dennis Silk (CR 1955-68) and managed

by JR Thompson (CR 1946-88). They were so impressed with David that he was soon asked for interview at Marlborough by John Dancy (Master 1961-72). His first teaching post was at Denstone College near Uttoxeter and was arranged by Derbyshire CCC, so that he could continue to play for them in the holidays.

In 1962, he was appointed to the College to teach history and to be Master in Charge of Cricket.

David was also a fine golfer and was a founder member of the Pedagogues Golfing Society, partnering Malcolm Hardstaff (CR 1961-92) in many encounters. He was a regular playing member at Marlborough Golf Club, where his wife, Pauline, also played.

Rosemary Groves (CR 1992-2005)

Rosemary Groves (CR 1992-2005) Rosemary Irwin was known at Marlborough as Doc Groves, a formidable deputy headmistress who came shortly after the school had become fully co-educational.

DJG enjoyed teaching history and was a popular beak, often inspiring his pupils with the deeds of Derby County FC on the football pitch. He ran the 4th XI hockey for many years, and his great enthusiasm and encouragement won much loyalty from his players.

David successfully ran the Summer School for 13 years, succeeding Brian Ashley (CR 1966-82) and was a tutor in Cotton House for 16 years. He was well supported

by Pauline and his children Richard (C1 1980-85) and Jane (B3 1982-84).

DJG was a fine gentleman and teacher and an excellent cricketer and golfer, known by all for his enjoyable wit and dry sense of humour.

When I started as Second Master in 1998, with full co-education about to begin a year later, I knew that a female Co-Deputy would be appointed very soon. Rosemary applied late and as soon as she came for interview, we all felt that she was exactly what we were hoping for. Having grown up in a boarding house at Wellington College, she had an instinctive feel for the job and her temperament – thoughtful, considerate, confident, flexible and unflappable – made her the ideal person to introduce MC to senior female authority.

Rosemary soon won the confidence of CR and it was an even greater testimony to her that senior boys and girls were quick to accept her also.

There was certainly enough work to keep two Deputy Heads fully occupied and, when she first arrived, I invited her to choose the areas of responsibility she wished to take on. I explained that my official job title was Second Master and asked her what title she wanted to have?

Her reply was immediate, ‘Anything but SECOND Mistress!’.

Over the following six years before I retired, Rosemary and I formed a strong team and

I can honestly say that she was a joy to work with and we became very close friends. How very fortunate MC was to have had RSG as the College’s very first female Deputy Head!

I retired in 1996 and Rosemary served a further decade as Deputy Head (including a term as Acting Master while Ed Gould (Master 1993-2004) was away).

Rosemary was a superb character and a great colleague.

Terry Rogers (CR 1964-14) (Rosemary’s full obituary, which includes her outstanding work at Gilbert White’s House, can be read on the Marlburian Club website)

Obituaries The Club is keen to receive more obituaries for inclusion on our website www.marlburianclub.org Please submit 200-300 words and a high-resolution image (minimum 1.5mb) to marlburianclub@ marlboroughcollege.org While inclusion in the magazine is not certain, we will judge who we can include closer to the publication date.

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Club Events Five-Year Reunion: the Class of 2014 17th September 2019 ‘Everyone enjoyed meeting up with old friends. The atmosphere reminded me of being in Norwood Hall on supper duty circa 2014 – what a fun year group!’ Neil Moore (CR 1996-).

Harry Reid (PR 2009-14), Joe Mellor (C2 2009-14) and Ollie Kicks (C2 2009-14)

Laura Marsden (NC 2012-14), Lucie Hughes (SU 2012-14), Ella Garel-Jones (EL 2009-14)

Club Day 2019 28th September 2019

Neil Moore (CR 1996-)

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2019’s Club Day saw slightly reduced numbers attending but it was nonetheless a very successful event. At the AGM, farewell was said to the outgoing president Paul Orchard-Lisle (SU 1952-56) and Richard Pembroke (B1 1985-90) was welcomed as the new president for 2019-20.

The day was timed to coincide with the College’s Festival of Sport so, as well as a full programme of OM sport, including mixed hockey, fives, rackets, shooting and football; there was also plenty of College sport to enjoy.

Grainne Lenehan, College Archivist, gave a fascinating lecture tracing the history of two boys at Marlborough College in the 1870s, told through two photo albums donated to the College.

One OM said, ‘I wanted to say a massive thank you to all who organised the Club Day. It was extremely well organised and was a fun excuse to come back and visit the school where so many happy memories were made. We loved playing hockey and I know the others enjoyed playing football and fives.

Breakfast in Norwood was a highlight and it was fascinating to visit Dancy House. We enjoyed catching up with lots of the teachers and we enjoyed the food and drinks that were endlessly provided throughout the day.’

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South East Dinner 30th November 2019 A dinner was held in Rye for over 30 OMs and wives, organised by Simon Compton (PR 1953-57), with participants mainly being local Sussex and Kent dwellers.

It was little surprise that a number of the guests were members of Rye Golf Club,

OM Carol Service 2019 12th December 2019 Chelsea Old Church was packed to the rafters with Old Marlburians in the runup to 2019’s Christmas. There was a wide age range and quite a few OM families. The choir, led by Mark Williams (C3 1976-80) and Julia Daniels (B3 1978-80), were in fine voice as were the congregation. Thanks must also go to Lis Priday (B2 1972-74), who is instrumental in organising the choir,

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where Simon was Captain and where the College has always been well represented.

He was ably supported by his two sons, Nick (TU 1983-85) and Charlie (TU 198589). Brothers James (CO 1986-91) and Edward (CO 1989–94) Harvey were also contributors to the evening, accompanied by their father Andrew (CO 1956-61).

Regardless of age or vocal qualification, all attendees sang The Old Bath Road with gusto, where the architectural idiosyncrasies of the restaurant happily allowed for privacy in choosing which notes to sing and in which order. The Master kindly sent a message of support for the evening, which included the hope that this worthy 1920’s composition would be ‘recognisable’. It possibly was, but with the overall musicality bearing some resemblance to that heard at a Wembley Final!

music and helping the Club Office with the Order of Service. Jo Bailey Wells (B3 1981-83), Bishop of Dorking, gave a thoughtful address and thanks also to the readers, Richard Pembroke (B1 1985-90), Alexandra Jackson Kay (CO 1974-76), David Fahie (C2 1963-67), Lara Good (MM 2007-12) and Carola Stewart (LI 1970-72).

Afterwards, everyone retired to the adjoining Petyt Hall where mulled wine and mince pies were enjoyed in a highly festive atmosphere.

Career Speed Dating 30th January 2020 A total of 14 Old Marlburians came to the College to talk to the Hundred about school, university and beyond. It was hugely beneficial as the pupils were about to choose their Sixth Form subjects.

As the OMs were working in different sectors, the event was of interest to everyone. The routes to their present positions were not all obvious, as a journalist demonstrated when he talked about switching university courses and then between professional economics and film roles until he arrived at the Financial Times.

The students also had the chance to ask the OMs any questions they had concerning A levels and beyond.

South West Drinks 13th February 2020

Poppy Webster (NC 2009-14), Alex Coughlan (NC 2009-14) and Laura Marsden (NC 2012-14)

Club secretary, Robert Drewett (C3/BH 1972-77), welcomed the small group of OMs, some of whom had travelled some distance, to this year’s drinks. Tony Hill (CO 1949-53) had travelled up from Somerset, and Gloucesterbased Air Marshal Sir Ian MacFadyen KCVO CB OBE (C2 1955-60) was in Bristol that afternoon for a meeting, so became an honorary member of the group. It was good to welcome some OMs who had not attended an event before. The location was chosen near the university, so the only disappointment from the evening was the lack of young OMs who are studying in Bristol. Maybe next time!

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Club Events Celebration of the Individual 29th February 2020 Back in the 1980s, the Celebration of the Individual band nights at Marlborough were riotous affairs. We overdosed on dry ice, thick black eyeliner and Elnett hairspray, and anyone lucky enough to hang out with a band in the rabbit warren of tunnels beneath the Mem Hall or, better still, get up on stage to play to a braying audience of 16 year olds could for a moment shake off the confines of school life and get a brief taste of what it might feel like to be a rock star.

At the time, I don’t think any of us imagined that one of us would, in fact, get to experience this life for real. Toby GraffteySmith (B3 1984-89) – B3 resident, Red

Damian Kathunda (B1 1983-87), centre, with his Mostar Diving Club bandmates 74

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Hand Gang member – was an insanely talented pianist who’d won a music scholarship to Marlborough. Like many others, he performed in classical concerts, played in a band at a Celebration and seemed to be ready to follow a more established path in life, landing a place to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Manchester University.

Then Toby’s life diverged. He embraced the rave scene, formed Jamiroquai with Jay Kay, and for ten years the pair wrote hit after hit, embarking on four world tours.

We got used to seeing Toby, now with an out of control mane of curly hair, playing the keyboard in the background on Top of the Pops with his shades on or to hearing his songs on the radio and dancing to them in muddy fields somewhere in the Home Counties.

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But it wasn’t until I sat in the Memorial Hall at the end of February this year that I truly understood what a far-reaching influence Toby had had on the country’s music scene.

Almost three years after his tragically untimely death, current students, beaks and assorted alumni gathered together for a oneoff Celebration of the Individual in memory of his unique life.

Irwin Sparkes told how he, ‘took us from nowhere and we ended up with a double platinum debut album.’

In between performances from current and past students, we watched a film about Toby’s life and achievements. It began and ended with him playing Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op 16, up on stage in the same Mem Hall, at a concert in 1989.

It was mesmerising to watch over 30 years on. I wondered how many of those who witnessed that breath-taking performance were aware how fortunate they’d been to listen to it.

The film revealed a man with an enormous zest for life, a musician with a prodigious talent both for making music and nurturing his fellow musicians, and a devoted dad of three and husband to Gaby Grafftey-Smith nee Crewe-Read (CO 1991-92).

Friends from the music world discussed what an influence Toby had been – especially in the years after he left Jamiroquai and worked with numerous bands at his studios in his estate in Northamptonshire. The Hoosiers’

We even discovered that ‘without Toby there might not have been a Coldplay’, as the group’s Guy Berryman revealed how he first bonded with Chris Martin by talking about Toby’s astonishing talent on the keyboard.

What would Toby himself have made of the event held in his honour? He might have been surprised by the newly sanitised Mem Hall – complete with plush red cushions and state of the art lighting – but I think he would have been impressed by the incredible range of talent showcased by current students, who were joined by his own son, Dylan, on the drums for the final song.

Space Acre’s Jas Scott and Phoebe Little (MM 2006-11)

Clare Toomer (CR 1991-) and Salome Northridge (IH 2013-18)

Tom Stafford (C1 2008-13) 330ml

Toby’s son, Dylan, supporting Biba Tarn (MM L6)

Tristan Landymore (SU 2006-11) 330ml The Marlburian Club Magazine

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Club Events Some pupils, including singer/songwriter Tom Phelps (B1 Hu) and Florence Tuckey (EL U6) already seem set on a path to fame, while former students Tom Stafford (C1 2008-13) and Tristan Landymore (SU 2006-11), performing as 330ml, have already found success writing tracks for other singers. The Mostar Diving Club might have been a more seasoned act, featuring Damian Katkhuda (B1 1983-87), but held the audience spellbound nonetheless.

For years after our Celebration, I carried around a tape of our year’s all-girl band, Minnie the Minx, performing The Specials’ A Message To You Rudy. It was raw, but full of enthusiasm, and I couldn’t help feeling that those girls – Tiffany White (B3 198789) and Katherine Tulloh (CO 1987-89) included – were, by bravely stepping into what had predominantly been a male domain, instrumental in paving the way for the incredibly accomplished women like SpaceAcre (Phoebe Little – MM 2006-11), who we saw up on stage this time round.

Photographs from that night in the 80s, when Toby also performed with his band, show spiky-haired students moshing close to the stage. The audience this year was perhaps a little more restrained, but I think Toby would have been proud of the hardcore group of Fieldhouse friends, and more, who smuggled in some alcohol and cheered every act as loudly as possible.

Toby Grafftey-Smith (B3 1984-89) 76

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Most of us were reeling from a few impossibly nostalgic pints in the unchanged Lamb pub beforehand, and determined to make the most of the event. Before the final song by Biba Tarn (MM L6), one of our number, John MacDonald-Brown (B3 1984-89), leapt to his feet and got the entire audience to do the same.

It was a fitting way to close. Some were in tears, and others clapping enthusiastically.

‘It was a celebration of a fine individual, and a celebration of fine individuals,’ said one friend the following day. ‘We did him proud,’ said another, of having ended up in Marlborough’s only nightclub at the end of the evening.

Salome Northridge (IH 2013-18)

In the film, Toby’s wife had said, ‘He was always creating.’

‘That’s what I will take away from the evening,’ I said. ‘That even at 48 or 49, we should still be creating.’ ‘That’s what I thought, too,’ my friend said.

The evening may have encouraged the current crop of pupils and those already on the cusp of stardom to follow their dreams, but it gave us middle-aged folk something precious to hold on to as well. Toby might not be here any more, but his inspirational legacy lives on.

Lebby Eyres (C2 1987-89)

The Grafftey-Smith family

Damian Kathunda (B1 1983-87)

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Rediscovering Nature: From Savernake Forest to Papua New Guinea, which focused on his passion for birds that he has been able to combine with his work for the BBC across the globe.

Marlburian Mondays April to June 2020 During the strange and uncertain times of early 2020, the Club looked at ways they can continue to communicate and bring the Marlburian community together whilst everyone was in lockdown. So, they introduced Marlburian Mondays, a series of Zoom talks by OMs to be held at 8pm on Monday evenings.

disaster areas and war zones, including the earthquakes in Kashmir, Haiti, Java and the Philippines, as well as the civil war in Libya.

At the beginning of May, Harriet Baldwin (LI 1975-77) talked about Life of an MP and the impact of COVID-19 on Parliament.

The inaugural talk was given by Jake Meyer (C3 1997–2002) mountaineer, adventurer and inspirational speaker. Jake shared stories and photos from his early climbing days and the lessons learnt whilst at Marlborough and from his many adventures conquering the highest peaks in the world.

In particular, he spoke about his ascent of K2 in 2018 on his third and successful attempt to reach the summit. Known as the Savage Mountain it has claimed the lives of one in four of the climbers who have attempted this challenge. Jake shared his most important rules when undertaking such a challenge with a team. Number one, ‘Honesty with your teammates and yourself.’ Second, ‘Don’t be a jerk’; in such close quarters and under extreme pressure, tensions can rise but always know you are on the same team.

The next talk, entitled Winged Scalpel – A Surgeon at the Frontline of Disaster, was given by Richard Villar (PR 1966-71).

Richard is an emergency response surgeon.

He served as an SAS Medical Officer, operating in the field on soldiers and civilians alike. He is now a leading orthopaedic surgeon, a member of the Disaster Emergency Response Team, a war surgeon in Lebanon and Gaza with the International Committee of the Red Cross, and has been assisting with the Covid-19 response in London. Richard talked about the difficulties and dangers of providing medical aid to

Harriet is a British Conservative Party politician serving as an MP for West Worcestershire since 2010. Prior to her parliamentary career, she worked for the investment bank JPMorgan Chase. She served as joint Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development from 2018 to 2019.

And Then the Murders Began: A Theory of Consequences in History was given by current Marlborough parent Dr Amanda Foreman at the beginning of June.

Dr Foreman is a historian, journalist and best-selling author. She is currently a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and her lastest book The World Made by Women; A History of Women from the Apple to the Pill will be published in 2021.

Documentary film maker Louis Devereux (B1 2004-09) discussed the making of his documentary film The Rift. The film is a deeply personal look at his relationship with his father while they both walk 6,000km up the Rift Valley in East Africa tackling issues of unspoken rifts, male venerability, and family. Louis spoke about the process of making an independent documentary as well as what it is like to talk about tough family issues on camera and the benefit this can have. Louis’ father Robert (B3 1968-73), also joined the talk.

Frank Gardner OBE (LI 1974-79), BBC Security Correspondent and President of the British Trust for Ornithology followed two weeks later. The title of his talk was

The last talk before the holidays began was given by Edward Gorman (C3 1974-79) entitled Untold Stories from The Battle of Britain.

All the talks were recorded and can be seen on the Club website marlburianclub.org The Marlburian Club Magazine

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Professional Events Women’s Networking 26th November 2019 The Marlburian Club Women’s Network held their event at the Google office in London. The basis for discussion was New Ways of Working. The theme was inspired by an article published in the Sunday Times, about the glossy portrayals of super-organised working mothers, which (more often than not) do not reflect the everyday mother. At the forefront of this article is an argument presenting the reality that families may be damaged by these ‘big little lies’.

The event not only opened a space for easy conversation between the College pupils, OMs and Common Room staff but also allowed room for discussion about topics that are not comfortably spoken about on an everyday basis. The range of ages, experiences and professional positions helped to provide a fully-rounded conversation, talking about different perspectives and understanding everyone’s opinions and justifications.

The event provided a protected and secure place for women to come together and discuss our concerns now and for the future. What is it that us women can do to make our world one that we feel glad and appreciated to live in? This is the question on all of our minds – one that may never be answered, but we know we will continue to challenge.

The five women who sat at the front offered us insightful and inspiring advice, which came from their own experiences.

The panel was led by Lara Cowan (MO 1992-97) and consisted of Emily Brooke MBE (TU 2002-02), Jo Iddon (SU 198789), Catherine Stewart (LI 1974-1976) and Polly Rathbone (EL 1991-96) who all have different careers and stories to tell. They emphasised that it is okay to ask for help

and to say you are finding it hard because that is how we learn and develop as humans, there is no shame. The panel told the audience about how they have had to adapt to the change, which was inspiring. Change is occurring all the time and the secret to understanding this is to be ready to face it.

Lara (MO 1992-97), Emily (TU 2002-04), Catherine (LI 1974-76), Polly (EL 1991-96), Jo (SU 1987-89)

Anna Strover (DA 2018-20), Daisy Parker (NC 2015-20), Jennifer Lane (CR 2012-)

Emily Brooke (TU 2002-04), Miriam Foster (TU 2001-03), Averil Curci (MO 1994-98)

Louisa Plint (MO 2005-10), Georgie Daniell (MM 2007-12), Meg Dempster (MM 2007-12), Caitlyn Lloyd (NC 2005-10)

Cyber Security & Incident Management 5th December 2019 Marlburian pupils, existing and past, and Common Room beaks met at Dell SecureWorks London offices to hear the latest from cyber-security experts. To the unacquainted, cyber security seems a dry subject but, with increasing news stories of individuals and companies left high and dry after being compromised, this is increasingly essential knowledge.

Simon Godfrey (C3 1984-88) and Rob Floodeen of Dell SecureWorks hosted the event and demonstrated what we take for granted: how constant attacks on our email and other digital services are thwarted so we can work as we would expect.

They narrated both commercial and technical avenues on prevention and mitigation, discussed issues and answered students’ career questions. There were good interactions from James Hanlon (C1 1996-2001), Angus McNab (SU 1986-91) and Gary Shearn (CR 1998-). Those at the event were recommended to read up on a global initiative developing more effective cyber security called ATT&CK.

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Rob Floodeen of Dell SecureWorks

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Sustainability Conference 12th February 2020 The members of the pupil eco society were lucky enough to attend the Marlburian Club Sustainability Conference, where they listened to a discussion from a panel of OMs whose work promotes more conscious corporate activity. Between the six speakers there was a wide range of specialists, from renewable-energy provision to communications, and it was particularly thought provoking to be reminded that sustainability-focused work is not necessarily confined to STEM-based jobs: it can be applied to almost any field of work.

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relationship with the planet, including (but not limited to) politics, colonialism, the failures of traditional economic models, national attitudes, and the unfair global distribution of climate-change effects.

The discussion was not contained to the specifics of the climate crisis and its basic causes. Instead, it was inspiring to see a truly interdisciplinary approach that addressed many of the mitigating factors and issues that arise from human’s

One of the most positive aspects of the event was to hear about the many initiatives that are actively trying to combat climate change, which really seemed to slice through the general sense of helplessness in the face of such a large issue and can often lead to inaction. A particular highlight was Electric Forecourts, a new project by Gridserve CEO, Toddington Harper (C1 1992-96), aiming to create charging stations that will make driving an electric vehicle easy and affordable, as well as running off 100% renewable energy. Another was Renewi CFO, Toby Woolrych (C2 1980-84), on waste management, who described the overwhelming progression of Benelux countries in this sector, as well as showing

Guy Wilkinson (CO 2009-14) and Rory McFarland (C3 2009-14)

Perry Hayden-Taylor (SU 1979 -84), Julia Edwards (MM 1991-93), Ravi Lockyer (B2 1984-89)

The conference seemed a real confirmation of the possibility for action in the face of a terrifying possibility, and more than anything, highlighted the capability and the responsibility of businesses to be leading the change for a more sustainable future.

Lucy Thornton (PR U6) and Skye Michaelis (DA U6)

Thinking of visiting MC?

Sustainability Forum 25th June 2020 Jo-Jo Hubbard (NC 2000-05) gave a fascinating talk in partnership with the Sustainability Forum at the College and OM Business Sustainability group about her company’s exciting direction in the energy market. Her company, Electron, is a London-based energy technology company, combining blockchain and energy expertise to design and build digital infrastructure for the energy industry. The company is developing the identity and trading platforms that will underpin the transition to cheaper, cleaner, more resilient power systems.

Moreover, the company, which was founded in 2015, is internationally recognised as a leader in its field, having been named a 2017 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, and recently a Cleantech 100 company. Electron currently operates in three countries,

the improvements Britain could make in aspiring towards a circular supply chain of discarded rubbish.

working alongside utilities, regulators and other technology providers to bring flexibility and coordination to energy grids.

After Jo-Jo finished her talk there was an interesting discussion on the use of various types of renewable energy and the capacity of hydrogen to store energy was highlighted. Other issues such as the need for greater recycling of batteries and for synthetic replacements for trace elements used in batteries such as cobalt was also discussed.

During the Covid-19 pandemic we are unable to accommodate visitors. Once we are able to welcome you back then, for security reasons, we ask that you call ahead to arrange your visit on:

01672 892385 or email marlburianclub@ marlboroughcollege.org

We will always try and accommodate you if you turn up at the last minute, but please be aware that there will be times when this is not possible.

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Development Events 749 Society Talk 11th November 2019 A packed Memorial Hall enjoyed a fascinating insight into the history and work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) given by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence KCVO CB ADC(P) who was, until June 2019, Vice Chair of the Commission.

Sir Tim outlined the criteria by which the CWGC had been founded and how some graves were considered controversial particularly that officers and soldiers were buried alongside each other. The CWGC continues to honour the 1.7 million fallen men and women with its work and Sir Tim revealed that every year 30-40 bodies are uncovered, primarily from World War One, and that the job of the CWGC is to identify and to ensure they have a proper burial.

Evening at Haberdashers’ Hall 1st October 2019 George Pulman QC (LI 1962-67) and past Master of Haberdashers kindly hosted the evening to raise awareness of the College’s bursary plans.

Professor Sir Keith Porter (LI 1965-67) spoke about how he would not have achieved his success in life had it not been for the bursary to attend Marlborough at Sixth Form. He went on to be Head of Trauma at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. He was later knighted for his services to the Armed Forces as he was responsible for the care of British troops returning badly injured from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Theo Featherstone (C1 2011-16) also

It was particularly fitting that the talk was held on Armistice Day and, as well as pupils, the guests included members of the 749 Society and those who had supported the restoration of the Memorial Hall.

The Master, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence

Bill Buxton (C1 1953-57), Anthony Spender (PR 1953-57), Mary Spender, Sonia Buxton

1843 Carols 9th December 2019 In a change to previous years, members of the 1843 Society joined the Sunday afternoon College carol service. Before the chapel service, 50 guests enjoyed afternoon tea in the Common Room dining room where they enjoyed lively conversation and a speech by the Master.

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spoke powerfully about the ability of Bursaries to change lives.

It was a convivial evening, with the Master sharing the latest news from Marlborough and her vision for the College, which includes a significant expansion of the bursary programme.

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Photographers and writers The magazine would like to help any potential writers and photographers.

If you would like to get your name onto the pages of this magazine (going out to over 10,500 subscribers), please contact the Editor, Catherine Brumwell, on catherine@theommagazine.co.uk

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Professional Groups I

n an increasingly competitive and global world, with ever more complex, multi-disciplinary careers, the Marlburian Club is aware of the benefits that can be gained from networking and sharing ideas. The Marlburian Club Professional Alumni Groups make it easier for alumni to meet and build new relationships with other Marlburians.

Throughout the year we invite alumni to attend a range of sector-specific events.

From the creative arts to law and the finance sector, we offer a varied programme of engaging events with topical guest speakers and professionalnetworking opportunities. Our networks assist in connecting Marlburians with each other, bringing together individuals with shared interests. We have the following groups up and running, each with a group head(s).

Diary Dates Monday 9 November Marlburian Monday – Hugh Pym (C1 1973-77) and Chris Hopson (B1 1976-81) ‘Lessons to be Learned from Covid-19’ Monday 7 December Marlburian Monday – Anthony Inglis (C3 1966-69) ‘My Life so Far in Music’ Monday 11 January Marlburian Monday – Speaker TBC Monday 8 February Marlburian Monday – Speaker TBC Monday 8 March Marlburian Monday – Speaker TBC

To find out more or join a group, OMs can login via MC Global Connect or contact the head directly.

Art, Architecture & Design Alex Tart (CO 1987-92) alextart@gmail.com Arts & Media Susannah Tresilian (NC 1992-97) stresilian@gmail.com Alethea Steven (NC 1994-99) aletheasteven@hotmail.com Andrew Shepherd (LI 1993-98) andrew@acsrandom.co.uk Business, Banking & Finance (including Commercial Banking, Investment Banking, Insurance, Asset Management, Private Banking, Family Offices, Accounting) Via the Club marlburianclub@marlboroughcollege.org

Monday 12 April Marlburian Monday – Speaker TBC

Clergy Via the Club marlburianclub@marlboroughcollege.org

All these events will be virtual, and information and links will be sent via email prior to them. Details about all Marlburian Club events can be found on the Club website at: www.marlburianclub.org/events

Digital, Science & Technology Mark Tidmarsh (B3 1983-87) mark.tidmarsh@gmail.com Jim Spender (C2 1987-92) james@fiftyten.com

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Education Via the Club marlburianclub@marlboroughcollege.org Entrepreneurs Ali Wade (TU 1989-94) alisdairwade@hotmail.co.uk Tom Archer (C3 2002-07) tbharcher@gmail.com Healthcare Greg Wang (CO 1985-90) egret1@tiscali.co.uk HM Forces Jamie Geddes (TU 2002-07) jfgeddes98@hotmail.com Law Claire Evans (B2 1986-88) claireevans2000@yahoo.com Masonic Lodge Julian Soper (LI 1979-81) julian.r.soper@mac.com Music Simon Arnold (B1 1971-76) smjarnold@btinternet.com Not for Profit Mayoor Patel (PR 1973-77) mayoor@poliochildren.org Property James Gillett (C2 1971-75) jgillett@savills.com PR, Marketing, Communications and Recruitment Alex Northcott (B1 1982-87) aenorthcott@gmail.com Karen Hill (B2/MM 1988-90) karen@nickshot.co.uk Public Sector Sue Bishop (C2 1977-79) laopengyou2003@gmail.com Women’s Network Lara Cowan (MO 1992-97) laracowanip@gmail.com Susannah Tresilian (NC 1992-97) stresilian@gmail.com Miriam Foster (TU 2001-03) miriam.foster@gmail.com

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Development Update L

ittle did I know when I was swimming in the outdoor swimming pool at Marlborough Summer School back in 1995 that, 25 years later, I would be working here at the College. It is an absolute privilege to be the Foundation Director at a school with such a unique heritage and spirit. Since I started in January, I have been struck by the warmth of the welcome from the whole Marlborough community, including the Club Committee, Old Marlburians, parents, donors, staff and pupils. The College is truly a special place.

‘My priority remains raising funds to increase accessibility to this great school. Social mobility has always been a passion of mine and I know it is one I share with the Master and Chair of Council.’

This generosity of spirit has been very much in evidence this year. As you will read elsewhere in the magazine the College’s response to Covid-19 has been admirable – both in terms of introducing virtual teaching for all pupils and in supporting the local community. The Club has adapted too, providing an innovative programme including the successful Marlburian Monday talks, for which I had the pleasure of hosting. I am immensely grateful to my team for all their hard work during this difficult time.

We were also delighted by the support of many parents who, together, raised £140,000 for a new parental hardship fund to help those parents struggling to pay the fees due to the financial impact of Covid-19.

The College matched this amount, creating a fund worth £280,000, which is making a real difference to many families. In the last 12 months, thanks to the support of several major donors, we also exceeded our fundraising target of £5.5m for the new Innovation Centre and refurbished science building. This is a hugely important project in support of the College’s academic ambitions and it will transform our teaching in the years ahead.

However, my priority remains raising funds to increase accessibility to this great school. Social mobility has always been a passion of mine and I know it is one I share

with the Master and Chair of Council.

Increasing the number of bursary places is a major priority for the College and now, more than ever, it is vital that independent schools, like Marlborough, reach out to support disadvantaged young people.

Currently less than 2% of pupils are on a full bursary and we are working on ambitious fundraising plans to change this.

These plans will sit within the College’s wider strategy of supporting disadvantaged communities through our outreach and partnership programmes.

Despite the less than favourable fundraising conditions, in the last six months we have raised over £1m for bursaries and received a legacy pledge of £1.25m – the second largest the College has ever had. Such generosity bodes well for the future, and I look forward to sharing

more about our exciting plans with the Marlborough community in the months and years ahead.

Together, I hope we can change the lives of hundreds of disadvantaged young people, young people like Ollie England (CO 201820) and Molly McHugh-Iddon (LI 2018-20) on page 86. They may not be able to swim in the outdoor pool anymore but I already know, after 10 months here, that a Marlborough education is one of the greatest gifts that you can receive.

Simon Lerwill Foundation Director The Marlburian Club Magazine

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Innovation Blocks, which will also enjoy significant refurbishment internally and externally.

Disruption of traditional job markets and the changes to daily life made by rapid technological advances make the need to adapt to technology greater than ever. At the heart of innovation lies the ability to question the norm, to think outside the box, and to learn from mistakes. To aid this new way of learning, the Innovation Centre will provide 1,070m2 flexible space over two floors, with the ability to create rooms from 30m2 to 250m2, and represents a three-fold increase on the existing provision.

Mark Durcan (PR 1978-79), former CEO of Micron Technology, feels it is vital that we are investing in the infrastructure that will support our pupils’ scientific learning as well as fostering the pleasure and sense of accomplishment that comes from learning how to collaborate and innovate.

‘Not only will this project benefit our pupils but also our growing number of outreach partners in the state sector.’

hen we were planning Marlborough’s largest ever capital project, the creation of a state-of-the-art innovation centre alongside a complete internal reworking of the Science Block, risk assessments could never have anticipated the hurdles that came our way.

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foundations. After the Second World War, ammunition was distributed to CCF organisations and it is believed the unwanted live ordnance was buried in the early 1950s.

Experts were again called upon and the ammunition was safely removed in January at the eyewatering cost of £170,000.

The project will allow the College to establish itself as an academic leader in the dynamic arenas of Science, Technology and Innovation and is part of the Master’s vision of repositioning Marlborough as an academic pioneer, as it has been in decades past. Not only will this project benefit our pupils but also our growing number of outreach partners in the state sector.

After a couple of months of good progress, we then found ourselves up against the unforeseen global pandemic of Covid-19.

Thankfully, at the time of writing, we are remarkably only four months behind schedule.

Following extensive environmental surveys of the Kennet Building, it was prepared for demolition. But, despite living in an era of constantly evolving technology, nature is a great leveller. It was empty for only a few weeks but, in the meantime, bats, a protected species, moved in. However, with the help of conservation experts, new homes were found and the bulldozers started.

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So, what are the plans? The Science Block was built by W.G. Newton and is Grade II listed but accessibility within the building was very poor and the Science Department lacked a heart. Working with English Heritage, our architects, Allies & Morrison, have ensured that despite removing the lecture theatres and opening up the core, the legibility of Newton’s original internal design survives and can be appreciated by visitors and examined by academics. Two new entrances will bring people right into the spacious central core and a link building, housing a student hub, with exhibition space above, will connect it to the North and South

‘The world today has been transformed by the pace of scientific and technological change, and we need to invest to make sure our pupils leave with the tools and passion to drive that change over the next 40 plus years. Technological change affects almost all fields of human endeavour,’ explains Mark.

Founding Director and CEO of CellResearch Corporation, Gavin Tan (B2 1981-85) believes this project is ‘strategic, visionary and a fundamental necessity to prepare young minds for the challenges of tomorrow’.

The project will be phased over three years, using one floor of the Innovation Centre from March 2021 to house laboratories.

This means the teaching of the core science subjects will not be disrupted when work on the Science Block begins.

The College is contributing over £10m to a total budget of £16m. However, we are very grateful for the support and generosity of OMs, parents and trusts who have provided £5.75m of funding over the last few years.

We are in no doubt that the stunning reinterpretation of the Science Block and Innovation Centre will inspire a new generation of Marlburian innovators as well as pupils from our partnership schools.

Jan Perrins Associate Director (Development)

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1843 Society We now have well over 100 members of the Society and I am grateful to all those who have joined during the last year despite the turbulent times, and it reflects well on OMs’ generosity and their wish to ensure the longevity of Marlborough.

It has certainly been an unsettled year since I last put pen to paper to record my musings on the Society. I am grateful to the team at Marlborough for all their hard work, together with my excellent committee of OMs, who continue to support and provide ambassadorial backing at College and Club events.

In November 2019, I hosted a reception and seminar in London, kindly sponsored

by Rathbone Investment Management, enabling those interested to learn more about legacy giving, its tax effectiveness and the Society. It was a good turnout, and another chance for OMs to meet up. I was delighted to see, after so long, Clive Arnold (C2 1967-71), who, among others, chose to make a bequest following the event.

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his year has – with the closing down of schools for such a long time during the Covid-19 crisis – been a poignant reminder of the real concerns felt for the education of our children and the need to provide bursaries.

The fact that many private schools had the resources to provide off-site learning teaches us that, to prepare for contingencies, effective resources are needed and they are expensive. If we can put in place a beneficial level of legacies, we shall be well placed to provide first-class education to an even more diverse number of students to ensure the College sends out a constant flow of world-class alumni to protect and prepare our fragile planet from future risks.

Clive commented, ‘I attended this very enjoyable event at Rathbones’ spectacular skyline office, and it was good to catch up with a number of my Marlburian contemporaries. One of them, Mark Malloch-Brown (C1 1967-71), gave a very informative presentation about the funding problems facing all public schools in the future as the fees rise year on year and become ever more difficult to afford for parents of relatively modest means. He also explained the purpose of 110% bursaries, which enable pupils to have an extra 10% funding to cover trips and

events that pupils undertake and make their time at the College more special. Bequests can provide funds for a variety of causes but none are as important as providing a bursary to those less fortunate than we have been.’

The 1843 Society is there to recognise those who have made a bequest to the College in their will. Members are invited to a number of special annual events hosted by the Master, including a summer lunch and carols in Chapel. Sadly, this year, both have had to be cancelled.

Hopefully, we will be able to meet at a Marlburian Club event soon to answer any questions you have. In the meantime, if you are interested in attending a similar event to that held at Rathbones, or would like a copy of the new legacy giving publication, please call 01672 892439 or email jperrins@marlboroughcollege.org I do hope you all have a much jollier and successful 2021.

Rupert Mullins (CO 1967-70) President of the 1843 Society

‘This year has been a poignant reminder of the real concerns felt for the education of our children and the need to provide bursaries.’

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Bursaries Providing a boarding-school education to deserving children, giving them a chance to develop their skills and talents, is something we truly believe in at Marlborough. We build relationships with partner schools and charities to identify children who will thrive and make the most of the opportunities on offer.

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am sure everyone will agree that this could be life transforming but how does the reality stack up when you are just 16, leaving home for the first time, and having been raised in a different environment. We asked two pupils who left this summer to share their experiences of their time at Marlborough.

Molly McHugh-Iddon (LI 2018-20) came to us through the Royal National Children’s Springboard Foundation (RNCSF). Molly’s Headmaster had spotted her potential and put her in touch with RNCSF, a national charity providing bursary opportunities for young people across the UK. During the process, RNCSF identify two or three boarding schools that they feel will best suit the student but Molly says she knew immediately Marlborough was the right place.

‘I fell in love with Marlborough straight away; I just loved it. Everyone was so interested in who you were and where you come from and nobody was judging me.’

It is independence that Molly cites as one of the most important traits she has acquired and her newly found willingness to try new experiences.

When Molly was initially invited to audition for the choir, she declined saying she did not sing as she was too scared. Following some persuasion from choirmaster, she duly auditioned and was accepted.

‘As soon as I was in the choir, I realised that singing is something that I just really love and I should have been doing right from the start.

Performing a solo was something I would have never done, so pushing myself out of my comfort zone is one of the most important things I have learned. Every time I go home my mum is shocked and says you would have never done that before!’ explains Molly.

As well as A Levels in Maths and Biology, Molly discovered a new subject at Marlborough – Psychology, and she has been accepted to study this at Birmingham University.

‘I’m so excited about university. Under normal circumstances, I would never have left my home in Liverpool; this has definitely pushed me to go beyond the horizon.’

Ollie England (CO 2018-20) on the other hand is from one of local partner schools.

‘It’s funny, I’d see all of the students as they walked to lessons, with their suits on, and it seemed very professional and at first I didn’t know whether I’d be able to fit in. But, in the end,

I realised that everyone here is just like me, loving school and wanting to make the most of everything,’ says Ollie, who is not only talented academically but also on the football field.

Ollie, who was football captain and a prefect, says Marlborough helped develop his leadership skills.

‘I think that lots of people are comfortable to talk in front of others and that’s something I had to develop. Being thrown in the deep end is something that you can afford to do here because you’ve got support around you.’

Ollie studied Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Philosophy and has been accepted to read Engineering at Durham. He also won the Caroline NG Yoot Koon Award. This award was created by Gavin Tan (B2 198185) to give four-weeks’ work experience at his bio-technology and finance companies in Singapore.

‘I’ve tried to do as much as possible. Whatever you’re passionate about they’ll help you cultivate those passions and whatever it is that you want to do in life, Marlborough will make sure that you get that.’

Jan Perrins Associate Director (Development)

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Town and Gowns How the College supported its local community

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ovid-19 has brought communities around the world together like never before. Across the globe people have been looking out for each other as we all tackle the impact of the pandemic. Here in Marlborough, the College worked hard to help the local town, within which we were founded, supporting

individuals and communities in many different ways.

Early on, as the College closed its campus and moved to online learning, surplus food was donated to local charities and care homes. This included a delivery to the local firm Sue Brady Catering, where items were used in food parcels to support key workers

and local families with children on free school meals. College staff supported the Devizes Foodbank, under which Marlborough falls, with donations and by cooking meals for families on their register.

Twenty-five members of staff signed up to cook meals for these families, supporting them with several home-cooked meals each week. One staff member said, ‘I’ve been struck by how gratefully the meals have been received; it shows how much difference a small practical gesture can make.’ In addition, many other staff signed up as volunteers for the local council’s response to Covid-19, checking in on the elderly and vulnerable individuals across the town.

The College contacted local primary schools and NHS providers to see what support could be given. Whilst use of facilities was not required, the College did distribute what medical equipment it had to the local Kennet & Avon Medical Partnership, along with 2,000 face masks that were donated by one parent. Dr Jenny Campbell, from the partnership, commented that ‘the College has offered every support and it is good to know that we can call on them further should the need arise’.

In terms of medical equipment, the Design Technology Department was busy making personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline NHS staff.

Head of the Department, David Madden (CR 2013-), manufactured full-face visors, which protect the medical professionals.

David used a laser-cut strip of polypropylene to act as the securing band and then some plastic sheet to act as the screen.

At the time of writing, he had made and distributed 120 and had more ready for final assembly. The College also supported a group of local volunteers who needed space for making PPE by offering them a large room in the laundry to make scrubs from cotton donated by local retailer Dible & Roy. Many of these were small gestures of support, but together they added up to make a real difference to our local community. The College will continue to do what it can in the months and years ahead as we all continue to adapt to the impact of Covid-19.

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Master’s Review Final of the England Schools Cup Plate at Allianz Park (although the match was postponed because of the virus); the U16 and U18 netball teams reached the regional finals; and our 1st XI footballers reached the final 16 of the Independent Schools tournament. Our polo team won the intermediate section of the national championships; Jason Kellinger (C3 2015-) and Wilf Adams (C3 2016-) were selected to represent Great Britain at shooting and Sophie Herrmann (DA 2018) at clay shooting; our show-jumping teams qualified for three major championship finals.

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or generations Marlburians and Old Marlburians alike have gathered on Prize Day to celebrate the passing school year, to enjoy time spent together and to mark the importance of the exceptional and unique boarding community that we are all a part of. In 2020, the year of Covid-19, although at a distance and indeed scattered all around the world, Marlburians, their families and members of staff came together online, determined to maintain that tradition. It was, in a way, an historic occasion in itself and it certainly pointed to this community’s resilience and to our determination to remain as one whatever the challenge.

It remains an honour to be Marlborough’s Master and a privilege to be part of a school that I have known and loved for decades. There is no doubt in my mind that Marlborough, beyond the current challenges, is enjoying a happy and successful period.

Pupil numbers reached a tantalising 999 this year, which breaks previous College records, and each one of those pupils has aspiration and is socially conscious, keen to make his or her contribution to and their mark on society. Marlburians are bright and they relish a challenge. Last year at GCSE we saw almost 42% of entries awarded grades 88

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8 and 9 (old A* equivalent), with over half of the year group achieving eight or more grades at 9 to 7 (old A grade equivalent).

At A Level and Pre-U, 45% of our grades were A*s and As, or D1 and D2 at Pre-U. That Marlborough is academically ambitious was highlighted when our Oxbridge, US College and Medical School applications soared this year and we saw significant scholarships won to Ivy League Colleges, Princeton and Columbia. In order to support this academic ambition, our state-of-the-art Innovation Centre will open in March 2021 and the interior of our iconic and historic Science building will be completely reworked to help move Marlborough to the forefront of this country’s academic agenda once again. These buildings will support our ever-growing outreach programme as we move towards further diversifying Marlborough’s pupil and staff body with a view to admitting the most talented to Marlborough, regardless of their ability to pay.

Sport at Marlborough is flying – Charlotte Longden (NC 2016-) became an Olympian, representing the Great Britain Bobsleigh Team at the Youth Winter Olympics; the Junior Colts 1st XV rugby reached the

Music, drama and art have been hugely successful, too. The major productions of Othello and Earthquakes in London proved outstanding; the latter filmed on the afternoon the school was closed because of the virus. The Royal Academy of Music Scholars’ Gala Concert, our internal competitive Music Festival, which involved 240 performers, A Celebration of the Individual in memory of Toby Grafftey-Smith (B3 1984-89), and the Southbank Sinfonia side-by-side all proved highlights. And the College has been awash with inspirational art exhibitions involving pupils and staff, with a record number of pupils winning scholarships to top art schools for the forthcoming year.

CCF, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Devizes to Westminster, Prefects, House Captains, tour guides, charity reps, members of academic and co-curricular societies and clubs; all of our pupils have been throwing themselves into the myriad opportunities that the College has to offer, and they have excelled.

Our vision is a simple one and that is to ensure that Marlborough is widely known to be the best coeducational boarding school in the UK and to have it and our exceptional sister school, Marlborough Malaysia, receive global recognition.

With our outstanding current pupil and staff body, our enviable alumni base, our determination to increase access and realise our academic ambition, our world-famous site and name, the journey should prove an enjoyable one.

Louise Moelwyn-Hughes (Master 2018-)

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Malaysia Review The Fourth C: Covid-19 or Courage at Marlborough College Malaysia?

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ar from the clear waters of the South China Sea, I recall being taught to fish in a quiet coastal village when I was very young. The hook looked shiny and menacing, like a piece of barbed treasure, but my mentor baited it with indifferent efficiency and, as the well-practised always do, made the process look deceptively easy.

Later, as we bobbed up and down in the North Atlantic in a very small boat, my close attention to the onshore lesson did not prevent me from pushing the hook straight through my thumb. I still have the scar.

As parents, we share with all of creation an enduring primeval instinct to protect our children. It is right that we should do so.

Only irresponsible or insane parents would knowingly send their children into harm’s way. Beyond the family, the first duty of schools, employers and governments is to protect all for whom they are responsible.

even thinking about it. Each of us calculates a series of barely recognised mental risk assessments: I am going to be outside for two hours so I could burn: apply sunblock and bring a hat. This may sound facetious, but we can extrapolate it to hygiene, road safety, healthy lifestyles and many other behaviours that are, in organisational terms, mitigating actions to manage risk of injury and illness, none of which can be entirely eliminated.

Risk awareness has special value for the young and is an important part of the Marlborough education. Children learn to take responsibility for their own safety and

well-being by avoiding deep water, fire or busy roads. To survive, we all make a quick calculation of each risk: likelihood and severity, but with sophistication comes nuance and risk management, rather than avoidance. Managing risk promotes judgment, courage and richness of experience; it allows children to flourish: how else could we abseil, dive, climb, play rugby, finish that DT project or chemistry experiment? This brand of intelligent courage, including the courage to learn through failure, is fundamental to developing what Professor Carol Dweck calls a growth mindset, which has become the keystone of modern pedagogy and personal growth.

Courage abounds in MCM and it is to be encouraged, but Covid-19 is rather different from standing behind a lectern or stretching for a distant hold on the climbing wall.

‘We all owe our children a duty of profound care in the face of obvious danger, but risk avoidance in every circumstance is unrealistic and even unhealthy.’

Yet my parents still allowed me to play with sharp fishing hooks and to sail in a tiny craft into a notoriously treacherous ocean in search of sport and supper. I suffered a sore thumb and a little seasickness, but I became skilled at tying knots and baiting hooks; moreover, I am still writing about it more than 40 years later.

We have all collectively responded to our various governments’ calls to action or inaction to limit the spread of Covid-19.

By early summer, governments around the world were beginning to adjust and introduce more flexibility, so it was timely to consider our response at MCM. The more relaxed Conditional Movement Control Order in Malaysia was initially received unenthusiastically by several states and in the UK surveys indicated that, having eventually been persuaded to stay at home, some people were for a time afraid to venture outside again.

We all owe our children a duty of profound care in the face of obvious danger, but risk avoidance in every circumstance is unrealistic and even unhealthy. Our challenge at MCM was to convey this to a diverse spectrum of cultural and national characters. We encouraged parents to join us in considering our daily routine in more normal times: we live with, and manage risk for, ourselves and our families every day without The Marlburian Club Magazine

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In the lent and summer terms in Malaysia parents did what was programmed by nature and compelled by government: they protected their children. By the end of the academic year, some children had barely been outside since March; they had not been shopping, playing or interacting with others en plein air. Collectively, we had done what was required and proved Nietzsche’s theory that ‘he who has a why can bear almost any how’.

However, it was time to consider the future.

Some parents and children were ready to move on, to re-emerge while others naturally felt nervous about letting go and placing their children in an environment that they could not control. They would need to learn again to rely on us to manage that environment, and, for some of them, we recognised that asking for that level of trust was enormous. We therefore worked together to ensure that no child was placed in danger, but also that they did not become slaves to this virus. To do so, we advised every parent, beak and child that each of us was being called upon to act with courage and resolve, making informed, intelligent decisions based on fact, not hearsay.

None of us could offer the guarantee that some parents sought. The world will not be free of Covid-19 until a vaccine is developed and mass produced, which is

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likely to be many months away. In the meantime, we had to consider the wisdom or otherwise of keeping our children at home indefinitely, particularly young children whose learning is so dependent on social interaction. So our first question had to be: what is the risk?

Comparatively Malaysia is in a very favourable position compared with many countries: its demography and geography provide a level of protection and the dominant strain of Covid-19 here is different from those that have been identified in Europe and America. The Malaysian government’s control measures have been widely implemented and acknowledged by other nations and the WHO for being effective, as rates of infection decrease and remain low and a simple universal tracing app is used by the public without fuss.

Within the College, we risk-assessed every aspect of our operation and introduced a host of adjustments and mitigating factors to the very best of our abilities. We shared these with parents and with other schools and collectively we built confidence that we could implement them effectively, asking for the support and cooperation of everyone in the College community. After more than three months of working online, on 24th June, Marlborough College Malaysia reopened its gates to pupils.

The completely risk-averse might consider it madness and perhaps growing up in Northern Ireland and a spell in uniform have dulled my personal risk radar. Illness, injury, cruelty, dishonesty or disappointment can happen and they naturally cause anxiety, but they don’t happen often and we cannot permit them to dominate our lives or the lives of those whom we love, because that is neither living nor learning and I am looking forward to the day when I go fishing again.

Alan Stevens (Master 2017-)

Below: Marlborough College Malaysia Campus

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Looking Ahead ‘Schools like Marlborough have a real opportunity to contribute to society in a meaningful way by significantly increasing the number of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.’

and enhancing a sense of academic ambition, in the broadest sense, and secondly, widening access to Marlborough.

Both these objectives struck a real chord with me when I was first approached.

Schools like Marlborough have a real opportunity (and I would say an obligation) to contribute to society in a meaningful way by significantly increasing the number of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds: they will have the chance to achieve their full potential, to their own personal benefit and the benefit of our society as a whole.

They will tend to be bright and engaged pupils who will add to the vibrancy of the school. At the same time the traditional pupils in the school will benefit from studying and living alongside those who have come from very different backgrounds from their own. All will benefit as they move on to the community at large in the next stage of their careers.

The Council at Marlborough has unanimously endorsed the objective of significantly widening access, including the need to assist outstanding pupils whose parents are able to pay only partial fees. This will of course require the raising of significant sums of money; and in the coming months and next few years we shall be moving to engage the whole of the Marlburian community to help us raise the money that will be required to achieve this goal.

I look forward very much to meeting many more OMs in the coming months.

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t is now just on a year since, out of the blue, I was approached about having my name go forward for possible consideration as the new Chairman of Council at Marlborough. I say ‘out of the blue’ because I had no previous connection of any kind with Marlborough. However, I could not now be more delighted. I have received such a warm welcome from members of Council, the Master, the Common Room, support staff, pupils and OMs; and the open and vibrant atmosphere within the College, and the Marlburian community more widely, is uplifting.

stimulus of interaction, both with undergraduate and graduate students from hugely varied backgrounds and nationalities.

After more than 30 years as a corporate lawyer in the City, I wanted to move into the charitable sector and into education in particular. I was fortunate enough to be elected as the Head of an Oxford College, where for 12 years I greatly enjoyed the

So then a move to be involved with one of the leading independent schools in the country was appealing. In particular it is exciting to be involved in trying to help the Master deliver on her two key strategic objectives for the College: first, instilling

Independent schools have been part of my life. I was lucky enough to attend two in South Africa where I was brought up: an outstanding prep school in Johannesburg and then Michaelhouse, set in the rolling green hills of Natal. When I subsequently came to study at Oxford, I made the decision to remain in the UK and make my life and career here. All three of my children attended independent schools and one of them works in the sector.

Giles Henderson Chairman of Council

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Valete ‘Andrew’s style was to support the individual rather than to try and mould his charges to a prescribed product.’

Kevin Richards (1989-2020) This year sees the retirement of a remarkable man, who has maintained a College tradition of pioneering exploration, and who has challenged and enriched the lives of generations of Marlburians. Kevin has undertaken 43 school expeditions and trips abroad, mainly as trip leader, to destinations in Europe, South America, Cuba, China, Russia, India, elsewhere in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Kevin arrived in Marlborough from Clifton College. Prior to this he taught in Saudi Arabia, and for three formative years he travelled solo around an extensive number of African, Eastern and Middle Eastern countries. Many of Kevin’s subsequent school expeditions, such as the Chinese Silk Route and Rajasthan took their inspirations from these personal travels.

Andrew Brown (CR 1981-2020) Andrew’s whole career has been based at Marlborough, and during that time he has taken on numerous responsibilities and excelled in all of them. Stints as RHT in Turner, Preshute and B1 laid the foundation for his role as housemaster whilst, on the co-curricular front, rugby coaching and service in the CCF kept him busy when not attending to the rigours of teaching French. Head of Shell was the next area of responsibility before moving on to be housemaster of Littlefield in 1996.

Andrew’s style was to support the individual rather than to try and mould his charges to a prescribed product. Andrew imbued a strong academic ethos through the rigorous systems he put in place for chasing up his charges when they had fallen behind with their studies. He was keen that conversation was at the heart of the culture and the level of conversation always impressed with the older pupils, setting the tone for the younger ones.

In 2009, Andrew left Littlefield and was enveloped in other aspects of College life.

He set up the appraisal system for beaks.

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Common Room, a role to which he and Amanda gave outstanding service. He was as adept at being the front man at a social event as he was to holding the Senior Management Team to account on inconsistencies in the conditions of salaries and service of his colleagues.

Following his time as president, Andrew went on to be Head of the Modern Languages Department, an obvious appointment given his insatiable love of languages. He has always been generous with his time and was as happy to teach a Shell set in his third language as he was to deliver an Oxbridge seminar on Maupassant. We were all able to see his tremendous skill of leadership, and his colleagues in the department had a clear affection for him, born of a deep gratitude for his support and obvious sheer graft behind the scenes.

Language education thrived under Andrew’s command: numbers studying A Level languages grew and many of our Oxbridge successes have been to read languages.

The College community has been extremely lucky to have had Andrew at the heart of its workings for such a long time.

Neil Moore (CR 1996-)

Kevin ran the Geography Department for 21 years, stepping down in 2019. During his tenure he introduced the IB Course, collaborated on new technologies, and developed overseas fieldwork. Kevin also ran General Studies (1995-97) during a period of considerable expansion. He worked creatively to develop this A-Level course, overseeing a department of 40 teachers.

Humorous comparisons were made between Kevin’s budget and the GDP of various small countries. Kevin also represented the HODs on CSSC for 10 years.

Kevin served for 10 years as a CCF captain. Kevin was to make good use of his summer mountain-leader qualification as well as his Scottish winter and Alpine training. An enthusiastic hockey player himself, Kevin was also a highly qualified coach. He trained 29 hockey teams, a good number enjoying unbeaten seasons. Kevin has thoroughly enjoyed tutoring for six years with Summerfield and 25 years with Morris House.

He enjoyed cross-country running with Bruce Tulloh (CR 1973-1994) and has completed several marathons, including London, the Neolithic Avebury to Stonehenge, and a trio of Snowdonia mountain marathons. In 1994, Kevin joined a group of Marlburians to complete the legendary 14 (3,000-foot) peaks route in Snowdonia in under 14 hours.

There is already a long list of Marlborough expeditioners; Kevin’s name should

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Throughout her time in Elmhurst she remained a positive and organised biology teacher, armed with her plethora of highlighters and coloured sticky notes coupled with straightforward explanations, meticulous notes and power points. Jean has never submitted a late report or failed to mark a piece of work, even if it meant staying up late at night or working all weekend; quite simply her pupils have always come first.

Jean has coached tennis and netball during her time at Marlborough as well as offering Horrible Science as part of the Shell and Remove options. She was also a Senior Reviewer and a Head of Shell.

Her final term was not the one she would have chosen, but she remained professional to the end, delivering well-planned lessons via Zoom while sitting in her kitchen at home still dressed in her Hobbs suit and heels.

‘Humorous comparisons were made between Kevin’s budget and the GDP of various small countries.’

There is no doubt that she will be hugely missed by so many of us at Marlborough, but she thoroughly deserves to put down her coloured pens and put her feet up instead. Jean is not a self-promoter; she just gets the job done and does it perfectly.

Harriet Cox (CR 2002-)

Craig Stewart

definitely be added. He, and others, have maintained our remarkable tradition of adventure and exploration, and his professional achievements are a challenge to all teachers to educate in the broadest sense; to show the truly remarkable and magical, to take pupils beyond comfort zones, to challenge, and to consider the unseen, the spiritual, and the wisdom of the ages.

(B3 1979-84 CR 2007-20) Craig hails from a family of farmers in Scotland, but most of his life has been spent in Wiltshire, growing up near Calne, attending Marlborough, captaining one of the most successful College rugby XVs, and then going on to Cambridge, where he met Sara.

Colin Smith (CR 1991-)

Jean McFarland (CR 2005-20) I first met Jean in 2005 when she joined the Biology Department, covering a last-minute staff shortage, and she was quickly offered a permanent position.

We first bonded while working together with a Wednesday afternoon conservation group planting trees all over Wiltshire.

Jean had moved down from Nottinghamshire after working at Trent College since 1986 where, in true Jean style, she had turned her hand to any job and done it perfectly; Head of Girls’ Games, Head of General Studies, Housemistress in a day house followed by a boarding house and an exchange in Australia.

The then Master, quickly recognised Jean’s experience, professionalism and skill and she was appointed housemistress of Elmhurst after a year of working at Marlborough. Jean was always available at any time of the day or night, sitting on the blue sofa outside her office, walking round the House or watching Elmhurst girls from the sidelines. Jean always seemed instinctively to know what to say to a girl, whether they had made a poor decision on a Saturday night or when they needed help with a family trauma.

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‘Craig’s mathematics lessons are accompanied by deadpan wisecracks only wholly appreciated by the brightest of students.’

his family well with their hard-earned and much-deserved retreat to Wales, but we hope they will not forget us in Marlborough; and we shall not forget them.

Matt Blossom (CR 2001-)

Unlike many teachers, Craig had a ‘real job’ in high-level banking before he relaxed into teaching. Having not slept properly for 20 years, he was relieved to discover that life as a beak would allow him to do so.

Craig quickly gained a reputation for very dry wit, and for improving minds, especially at the top end. Craig’s mathematics lessons are accompanied by deadpan wisecracks only wholly appreciated by the brightest of students.

With a particular penchant for Further Maths A Level, Craig’s clever use of the drawing tools embedded in SMART Notebook software allowed him to create impeccable diagrams to elucidate the trickiest corners of the Further Mechanics syllabus.

In sports, Craig spent 12 very enjoyable and successful seasons coaching Yearlings rugby and cricket with the Junior Colts. Craig encouraged the boys to apply intelligent tactics and strategy ruthlessly to all the sporting situations. As a long-standing tutor

in Barton Hill, Craig became a loyal servant of that very particular cult. Craig made himself especially popular by sharing with the Sixth Formers his expertise in brewing beer. One of his brew-disciples has even gone on to begin a commercial career in brewing!

As retirement loomed, Craig decided to buy a farm near St Clears in Wales. He began breeding Lleyn sheep there. It speaks volumes for his commitment that he read just about every land management manual written since 1700 to prepare for this. The reward for his effort is that he is already winning prizes for his sheep at local shows; and has his eye on prizes at the Royal Welsh Show. He has also become a fully qualified sheep-shearer!

Craig is understandably proud of his long, happy marriage to Sara, who he says looks after him far better than he deserves. They share an unexpected passion for yoga that keeps them both sane. We wish Craig and

‘Such a brilliant mind and dynamic and forceful personality could hardly fail to make a significant impression.’

Debbie Harris (CR 1989-20) Debbie had first joined the Common Room in 1989. Then Miss Mogg: brilliant maths graduate and teacher, Debbie was also RHT in Morris. From the outset, she was a Maths beak of terrific skill, driven not simply by a staggering intellect, but by a determined commitment to do her absolute best for the pupils in her care. Whether pupils regard themselves as natural mathematicians or not, they feel safe in Debbie’s teaching care, knowing that progress and success are possible – so long as they buy in positively, listen hard and do the work!

Such a brilliant mind and dynamic and forceful personality could hardly fail to make a significant impression, and none more so than on Rodney Harris. Debbie followed Rodney to Westminster School, where she joined a robustly misogynist maths department.

It was perhaps natural when their children reached senior-school age, that Debbie and Rodney would look to the countryside for a suitable school. In 2010, Debbie was appointed by Nick Sampson (Master 2004-12) to the role of Deputy Head (Co-Curriculum). Her brief was to cast her incisively critical and meticulous eye across the intricate jigsaw of Marlborough’s provision beyond the classroom. Debbie has not been afraid to deliver change, to rejuvenate and refresh what was on offer for pupils, ensuring them the opportunity to develop skills that are stretching and meaningful, including leadership, outdoor adventure, journalism, public speaking, and service to others. But she has never lost sight of the fact that being at school should be fun, and that staff and pupils should enjoy what they are doing.

This is also the place to note Debbie’s service as a Governor at Swindon Academy, devoting additional tuition for struggling students, or those aspiring to coveted and competitive university maths places.

And finally, behind the bluster and the fierce intelligence, but all too evident to those who know her, Debbie’s defining qualities: her generosity, kindness, humanity and integrity. She leaves to lead Westminster Chengdu, with our warmest good wishes for an exciting adventure ahead. Let’s hope China is ready!

Lady Cayley (CR 1988-)

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Academic Results and College Admissions 2020 Scholarships are not linked to a reduction in fees but instead allow pupils to access an enhanced programme of mentoring and enrichment once they join the College. Only children who have been awarded a place at the College can apply for a scholarship. Details of all such awards, dates, qualifications and examination procedures will be sent to all those holding a confirmed place at the College in the summer a year before a child starts at the College. The Scholarship Booklet may also be viewed online at www.marlboroughcollege.org

Academic Results In this strangest of years, Marlburians in Hundred and Upper Sixth showed a great deal of resilience and tenacity. The whole College was moved to an online footing in a little less than a day back in March.

Pupils and beaks alike rose to this challenge magnificently, using Zoom, Teams, OneNote and Firefly to build an outstanding remote-learning programme.

In the meantime, the government cancelled exams for both of these year groups and all schools were charged with producing Centre Assessment Grades for every pupil in every subject. This was a hugely complex process and the College’s academic departments worked hard to build a system for deciding on those grades that was fair and ambitious. While headline figures were strong (25% A*, 87% A*-B at A Level and 49% 9-8, 75% 9-7 at GCSE) we are proud of each Marlburian as an individual – they managed this most challenging of times with skill, good humour and adaptability.

We now have our eyes firmly set on the future. Eighty-one per cent of the Upper Sixth secured a place at their firm-choice universities and all head off in a dazzling array of directions; all Oxbridge and medicine applicants met their offers and a goodly number are heading to North America, including to some Ivy League colleges.

We couldn’t be more excited to be welcoming new Lower Sixth pupils back to the College. At the time of writing, I can see many of them arriving from the window of my office looking out on to Court.

Beaks in the Common Room have been working exceptionally hard to build inspiring programmes that are mindful of the needs for social distancing in classrooms.

The College is in an exceptionally strong position to support all Marlburians in the weeks and months to come.

College Admissions For Shell entry, the College uses an assessment system that seeks to select children with academic, sporting and artistic appetites and abilities that suggest they will make the most of their time at Marlborough.

The process uses a combination of academic assessment, a head’s reference from the applicant’s current school, and an interview at the College. The main admissions process takes place when a child is in Year 6, so we would recommend visiting the College when they are in Year 5.

If you are interested, please contact the Admissions Secretary, Louise Smith, on admissions@marlboroughcollege.org indicating that you are an OM so that this can be added to your child’s record.

Bursaries Means-tested bursaries are available to all those who apply to the College. They are not linked to scholarships. If you would like to apply for bursarial assistance, please contact the Admissions Department on admissions@marlboroughcollege.org in advance of your application. Details are also available on the website www.marlboroughcollege.org/ bursarial-support

Scholarships Dan Clark (CR 2016-) Deputy Head (Academic)

A wide variety of scholarships are available to all children (whether offspring of an OM or not) at 13+ and 16+ entry.

Charitable Funds The Marlburian Club Charitable Funds provides support for various purposes but commonly assists OMs, with a child at the College, who experience unexpected hardship. It also gives grants to College leavers pursuing gap year projects involving an element of service to others.

To apply, please contact marlburianclub@ marlboroughcollege.org

Clergy Fund The Marlborough Children of Clergy Fund, in accordance with the intentions of the College’s founders, assists ordained members of the Church of England (whether OMs or not) to send their children to the College. All awards are means tested and if you would like to apply for assistance, please contact the admissions department on admissions@marlboroughcollege.org prior to enrolling your child.

Can you offer a work placement or internship?

The Guidance Department is keen to support sixth formers and young OMs taking their first steps towards a career. If you think you or your organisation may be able to offer work experience or internships, please contact Guy Nobes in the Guidance Department egn@marlboroughcollege.com The Marlburian Club Magazine

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Sports Cricket results Played 8 Won 5 Lost 3 v Hampshire Hogs (A) 11th July – Won by 114 runs – Blues 281-6 dec. (Will Von Behr (B1 200712) 148, Magnus McGrigor (C2 2007-12) 60) – Hampshire Hogs 167 all out (Jim Crossland (C1 2012-17) 4-25, Dom Brown (C1 2007-12) 2-29) v Radley Rangers (Marlborough CC) 19th July – Won by 98 runs – Blues 248-7 dec. (Alex Combe (PR 2010-15) 74, Will Davies (C3 201217) 42*, Christian Freeman (SU 2015-20) 34) – Radley Rangers 150 all out (Will Davies 5-30, Christian Freeman 2-20)

Cricket – The Marlborough Blues A short, but successful season had to wait until 11th July before government guidelines permitted resumption. Once the green light was given the Blues were straight into action, and the 11am start at the Hampshire Hogs meant that it was the first recreational match to take place across the country, with Will Von Behr’s (B1 2007-12) fine century receiving a mention on BBC Test Match Special.

v RAC (Battersea Park) T20 30th July – Won by 93 runs – Blues 221-4 off 20 Overs (Tom de Boinville (C3 2002-07) 34 rtd, Fraser Clarke (TU 2004-09) 33 rtd, Owen Hargrove (LI 2011-16) 32 rtd, Dom Brown 32 rtd, Toby Hargrove (LI 201419) 30 rtd) – RAC 128 all out off 15.1 overs (Alistair Scott-Dalgliesh (C1 1997-2000) 3-17, Toby Hargrove 2-16) v Sherborne Pilgrims (Sherborne CC) 9th August – Lost by 1 run – Sherborne Pilgrims 185 all out off 36 overs (Joe Arkwright (SU 2010-15) 3-48, James Oakden (C2 1988-93) 2-8, Jack Cleverly (SU 2015-20) 2-44) – Blues 184-9 off 40 overs (Joe Arkwright 66, Jack Cleverly 49*, Owen Hargrove 38) v Eton Ramblers (A) 16th August – Won by 8 wkts – Eton Ramblers 171 all out off 34.5 overs (Joe Lloyd (SU 2012-17) 3-20, Magnus McGrigor 2-39, Dom Brown 2-43) – Blues 172-2 off 28.2 overs (Victor Kandampully (SU 19982003) 70*, Alex Combe 57, Sam Christey (C1 1995-2000) 34*)

revised fixture at Hurlingham saw the Blues go down convincingly in a T20.

Unfortunately, on the 40th anniversary of Marlborough’s only victory in the competition, the 2020 Cricketer Cup was cancelled due to Covid-19.

A celebration day in place of the final at Arundel saw Billy Mead (C1 2012-17) represent the South West & Midlands XI and score a half century in a nail-biting 3 run win over the South East XI.

Comprehensive wins were secured against the Hampshire Hogs, RAC, Eton Ramblers and the Flashmen, while the CMJ Trophy was retained with Christian Freeman (SU 2015-20) bagging the final Radley wicket to clinch victory with four balls to spare. Thrilling games on hot days, firstly down at Sherborne and then against the College in September, saw defeats by the barest of margins with both matches going down to the final ball, and the 96

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Personal highlights included centuries from Will Von Behr 148 v Hampshire Hogs and Hugo Fry (C1 2010-15) 106 v Flashmen. Leading bowling performances came from Will Davies (C3 2012-17) 5-30 v Radley Rangers and Jim Crossland (C1 2012-17) 4-25 v Hampshire Hogs.

Despite the truncated nature of the summer, a lot of fun was had and it was fantastic to see the Blues fielding youthful sides full of recent leavers.

Mike Bush (TU 1993-98 CR 2011-) michaelbush1979@googlemail.com

v Hurlingham (A) 28th August – Lost by 9 wkts – Blues 124-7 off 15 overs (Billy Mead (C1 201217) 53, Max Read (TU 2012-17) 41) – Hurlingham 128-1 off 11.1 overs v Flashmen (Culham Court) 5th September – Won by 114 runs – Blues 217-6 off 40 overs (Hugo Fry (C1 2010-15) 106, Will Fremlin-Key (C2 1998-2003) 44) – Flashmen 164 all out (Will Davies 3-25, Joe Lloyd 2-26, Jim Crossland 2-28)

v College (H) 19th September – Lost by 4 runs.

School 227-9 off 40 overs (Joe Lloyd 3-54, Jack Cleverly 2-30, Finn Campbell (C1 2010-15) 2-34, Will Davies 2-40). Blues 223-9 off 40 overs (Alex Combe 72, Uzi Qureshi (B1 2007-11) 71)

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Running The 67th Alumni Cross-Country Race run by the Thames Hare & Hounds running club took place in December 2019. The race is a five-mile cross-country run on Wimbledon Common for alumni of British public schools.

Runners compete as individuals and the top four for each school count towards the overall schools’ team competition. The race has a lot of history dating back to 1953 and Marlborough has had some notable involvement. In 1962 and 1963 the race was won by Bruce Tulloh (CR 1973-94) (albeit he was running for his old school, Wellington) and won by a Marlborough team in 1977 and 1987. Sadly, Marlborough has not fielded a team for quite some time.

This year, OMs Chris Ludlam (CO 198388), Jessica Davies (CO 2006-08), Andrew Fleck (B3 1976-81) and Charles Laughton (TU 1994-99) took to the course amongst a total of 303 entrants on a blue but very soggy afternoon. Jessica sported her Thames Hare & Hounds club colours, with Andrew in a Marlborough College running vest recently acquired from Crosby & Lawrence. ‘What size will you need sir?

Age 13-15 or 16-18?’ ‘Er…’. Charles and Chris both opted for Marlborough College Rugby Tour shirts with Chris also sporting his Cotton rugby socks. One Harrow wag was heard to comment, ‘You know this is a cross country race and not a rugby match?’

cross-country, including streams to cross, fallen trees to scramble over and lots of mud. There are indeed some very good runners but for many it is a chance to catch up once a year with old school friends.

Charles put in the best OM time of 37:25 closely followed by Andrew in 37:35, Jessica in 37:51 and Chris in 40:06. Our team result placed us 20th overall and Jessica came an impressive 10th in the women’s category.

The four of us intend to return in 2020 and it would be great to run alongside (or behind!) some of Marlborough’s finest cross-country runners. The race is typically on the second Saturday of December; please get in contact if you’d like to join.

The race is a fantastic event with ages ranging from 18 to 75 and it is truly

Chris Ludlam (CO 1983-88)

Sailing The Old Marlburian Sailing Team won the Charterhouse Bowl for Fleet Sailing at the Arrow Trophy in October 2019. The Arrow Trophy is a sailing competition between independent schools, raced as an annual weekend regatta, in one-design yachts crewed by former pupils. The organising authority is the Royal London Yacht Club and the race format is short fleet racing on Saturday, finishing up in Cowes in the late afternoon.

The top four teams from the fleet races then go into a series of match races on Sunday to determine the overall winner for the Arrow Trophy, whilst the remaining competitors fleet race to determine the winner of the Charterhouse Bowl.

The event takes place on the challenging waters of the Solent, aboard Sunsail’s fleet of F40 yachts.

Charlie Kendrick (C1 1998-2003) ckendrick0123@gmail.com

Back Row, left to right: Mike Orange (PR 1986-91), Will Steward (C3 2007-12), Jack Neale (non OM), Richard White (LI 1987-92), Andrew Knatchbull (B1 1983-88), Miranda Lindsay-Fynn (NC 1991-96), Nick Cooke-Priest (LI 1983-85) Front Row, left to right: Angus McNab (SU 1986-91), Edward Gregg (C2 1988-93), Seb Kathkuda (C2 1985-90), Charlie Kendrick (C1 1998-2003) not pictured The Marlburian Club Magazine

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Sports Cycling The enthusiasm for OM cycling remains undiminished with our group going from strength to strength. A combination of no club costs – the routes are kindly paid for

by HM taxpayers – and the UK’s newfound love of two wheels means that we are a strong peloton when out on the road.

and old – the age range was probably 23-75 – and a slight relief for the organiser when the sun finally came out at lunchtime.

This year, we were meant to be heading to France but sadly this has had to be postponed. It was, instead, replaced by a plan for a staycation ride in Dorset in October.

You can join the OM Strava Cycling Club www.strava.com/clubs/omcycling

and you will be kept updated on events. It will also give you the opportunity to communicate with other OM riders. You don’t need carbon and Lycra to enjoy our rides, you just need enthusiasm and your old Raleigh. But… the bug will get you.

Piers Dibben (B1 1981-85) piers@dibben.co.uk 07771 917760

The 2019 meeting and ride was hosted by Steven (PR 1969-73) and Cecilia Bishop at their house in Dunfield. It was a slightly chilly and wet start, but that doesn’t put off an OM, or indeed several OM parents, and we followed a 40-mile route up around the Cotswolds along some stunning roads, taking in some of the iconic vistas along the way. There was one quick café stop on the way and we then returned for a gourmet lunch at the Bishops. They had kindly hired in a French chef for the occasion and Jonathan Leigh (Master 2012-18), with his assistant Emma, cooked an excellent barbecue. It was great to see 40 or so OM riders young

Squash The Courtiers lost a good match to the Old Etonians in the first round of this year’s Londonderry Cup. As normal, the average age of the Courtiers was considerably higher than the opposition. Many thanks to the stalwarts for playing. Younger squash players are very much invited to get in touch.

The Courtiers were very sorry to learn of Peter White’s (C3 1954-58) death in 2019, his nephew Richard Spender (C2 1989-94)

is a great supporter and player of OM squash and wrote the following words about him.

Peter White (C3 1954-58) At Marlborough, Peter was known as Haystack. He played tennis for the College’s 1st team, but his main games were rackets, playing in the first pair for the school, and squash, where he played number one in the team. He always had magnificent hand-eye coordination, good fitness and a strong will to win. Academia

did not take up much of his attention, although most of Common Room knew and liked him, in particular his racketschampion Housemaster, the legendary JR Thompson (CR 1946-88), and the cricketer Dennis Silk (CR 1955-68).

After Marlborough, Peter went out to farm in Australia and New Zealand but came back to England in 1969, aged 29, and worked on the family farms near Mere. He took up squash again with enthusiasm. He was the Wiltshire champion for 10 consecutive years and was ranked in the top 20 players in the country. He went on touring teams for the Squash Rackets Association to New Zealand, and for the Jesters Club to both Kenya and the USA, where he also became the North American rackets champion. He went on playing squash and played for the England over 45s team in 1986 and 1987.

He was a semi-finalist in the World Open Championship for over 45s in 1987.

He played for the OMs for many years and, on one memorable occasion, the White siblings (Peter, Christopher (C3 1947-52), Robert (C3 1951-56), David (C3 1955-60) and Mary (non-OM)) took on the College 1st V.

1957 C3 XI – Peter White (C3 1954-58), back row, third from left 98

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Alex Wildman (C2 1984-89) alex@brookshirecapital.co.uk 07768 681 704

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Football The Old Marlburian Football Club (OMFC) entered the season with high expectations, after the club’s recent drive to recruit younger players saw the emergence of promising talent. This became evident during our annual pre-season fixture against the Marlborough 1st XI, when Willet Haxby (BH 2007-12) scored an audacious rabona to chip the keeper from 25 yards out, only to be bettered by George Blakey (C2 2006-11), who scored a first-time volley from near the halfway line. The team was shaping up nicely.

Unfortunately, before the season had even started, OMFC stalwart Alex Azis (CO 2004-09) was ruled out for the season with injury, and Brad Miles (TU 2005-10) announced a hiatus from the game to concentrate on improving his golf.

Despite these early setbacks, we started positively, going the first five games in the league unbeaten, drawing two and winning three. The experienced trio of Alex Middleton (C1 2004-09), Rob Guppy (C3 2003-07) and Ed Kilbee (C2 200106) got the season off to a flyer, with all of them registering goals and assists with some clinical finishing and seemingly telepathic understanding.

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when Harry von Behr (B1 2001-06) continued his incredible penalty-saving record, making his 9th save out of 10 penalties faced.

Excellent contributions at the back from the ever-present Joe Hare (C3 1999-2004), Harry Bristow (C3 1999-2004) and Joel Hughes (C3 1999-2004), alongside the industrious Tiger Foot (SU 2009-14), secured us vital points.

Unfortunately, the OMs were blighted by the recurring annual winter slump reminiscent of Arsenal teams towards the back end of Arsene Wenger’s reign. Trips away to Brentwood in November haunt the OMFC like the thought of going to Stoke on a rainy Tuesday night did for those Arsenal sides. A 6-1 loss to Brentwood was followed by three consecutive losses with the team conceding 16 goals during that period, culminating in the worst defeat in the club’s history. The less said about that the better.

An inspired change in formation by the gaffer, reverting to the trusty 4-4-2, saw an upturn in performances and, crucially, the results. The OMs went on to secure backto-back wins, most notably a thrilling 7-4 victory against Repton under the floodlights on a Friday night. This surge up the table was underpinned by the dynamism, leadership and tactical flexibility of Ben Walters (SU 2005-10), Alexander Walters (SU 2007-12), George Brown (BH 200207), and George Blakey in the midfield.

The recovery saw the OMs cruise back towards the top of the table, sitting nicely in preparation for the end-of-season run-in.

Unfortunately, due to circumstances we are all familiar with, the FA announced an end to all amateur registered football leagues,

voiding the 19/20 season altogether.

Our promotion push will have to wait until next season.

Niall Alcock (C2 1999-2004), Tom De Boinville (C3 2003-07), Tom Phillips (PR 2001-06), Cam Wimble (C2 2006-11), Jo Ridley (C2 2001-05), James Wilson (BH 2007-12), Alan Hamilton (C2 19992004), Ed Siddeley (C2 2007-12), Alex McGrigor (PR 2009-14), Nick Horowitz (C3 2002-07), Rupert Gorst (TU 2008-13), Theo Strong (C2 2004-09), Will Harvey (PR 2006-11), Cam Gordon (PR 2012-14) and Charlie McKelvey (BH 2008-13) all made valuable contributions to what was another challenging but ultimately successful season.

As always, we are on the lookout for new players, particularly if you have recently left the school. If you are a keen and committed footballer, I urge you to put your services forward and get in touch omfc.management@gmail.com Ben Walters (SU 2005-10) Captain

A notable 4-2 win over Repton on the hallowed turf that is the Athletics Track at Marlborough (as part of the annual Festival of Sport) saw the ever-present George Blakey continue his early season success with a 30-yard belter. Did he mean it, though? Our promotion aspirations reached their peak with a 6-0 demolition of Berkhamstead, which saw rising star Henry Alexander (BH 2010-15) score a perfect hat-trick and the OMs register their first (and only) clean sheet of the season.

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Sports Tennis OMs tennis in 2020 has doubtlessly been as interrupted as any other sport by the pandemic. With an increasingly strong group of players to rely on for external competition, we were looking forward to building a good campaign for the D’Abernon Cup to complement our quarter-final appearance from 2018 (when we were cruelly denied the chance to break through an Old Reedonians team by some poor admin on the part of our opponents, who eventually claimed a walkover).

This year, an OM pairing of former 1st VI captains, Greg Caterer (CO 2000-06) and Orlando Lloyd (C2 2005-10), were primed and ready to go for the qualifying rounds at Stoke Park in April… but then, of course, not a ball was struck. Sadly, the rest of the year to date has followed suit.

Many of us have returned to individual training and competition, and we’re sincerely hoping to be able to reassemble in time for the D’Abernon Cup and a host of other fixtures (including against the current 1st VI) in 2021.

Rifle Covid-19 has rather devastated the typically busy year that the Old Marlburian Rifle Club had planned for the year. All matches after mid-March were cancelled and the NRA Imperial Meeting was moved to mid-September in a curtailed form, without any involvement of the College.

In the autumn small-bore match, the Club secured a convincing – if rare – victory against the College. In the only full-bore event in the past year, a small

Club team were well beaten by the College a couple of weeks prior to the small-bore match. I guess we shall call it honours even for that past 12 months.

Whilst it would be lovely to believe things will be back to normal in a few months and that we will have a normal programme of events next year, I rather think that we shall not be that fortunate.

We can at least hope.

Bill Richards (C1 1977-79) OMRC President omrc.secretary@gmail.com

Greg Caterer (CO 2000-06) gjcaterer@gmail.com 07855 636116

Golf We live in difficult times and I hope everyone is keeping well. With this in mind, competitive golf is on hold for the foreseeable future. The Halford Hewitt and the Bernard Darwin have been cancelled and the Grafton Morrish scheduled for October must also be in doubt.

With regard to our matches, normally we have 25 against other schools and societies but only two have been held so far – one against Royal Cinque Ports GC and one against Sherborne. In addition, we have seven internal matches and the one that could have been held, the Young v Old in early February, fell victim to the weather.

The spring and mixed meetings fell victim to Covid-19 and the summer meeting did not go ahead. The problem is that although social golf returned in mid-May, nobody knows when the clubhouses will open, and the social side of the game recommence.

However, it is an ill wind, and our technology whizz, Malcolm Cornish (C2 1966-70), 100 The Marlburian Club Magazine

organised the first ever Zoom AGM of the OMGS. We had an unprecedented attendance of 57 and it was a great success. Details of the AGM plus other news about our matches etc can be seen on the news page of our website www.omgs.org.uk During this enforced period of inactivity, we are taking the opportunity, as a society, to do a bit of navel-gazing. We have a total active membership of 330, yet only 50 are under 35. We clearly need to increase this number and we are currently working on a strategy as follows: to increase the number of events that will appeal to younger members, for instance less-formal events at weekends. In addition, we already give a subsidy for under-35s which limits the daily green fee cost to £35.

We have just enlisted two youngish committee members to help with this ambition.

We are working more closely with Joe Lane (CR 2015-), the Master in Charge of golf, and the College to ensure that younger leavers know what the society is about. Currently, if an OM joins within three

years of leaving s/he can become a School Leaver Member and will not pay a sub (currently £25) until their 30th birthday.

In addition, we plan to ensure that we have at least one event per year aimed towards this age group.

If anyone wants to know more about the society, please look at our website, which will give full details about what we do. If you would like to join, either you can do via the website or you can contact me using the details below.

Bob Carrick (B2 1963-67) Honourable Secretary brb.carrick@omgs.org.uk

Women’s Hockey If you would like to join, please email Louise Burn on: louiseburn@ hotmail.co.uk

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Financial help for OMs The Marlburian Club’s Charitable Funds exist to assist OMs in various circumstances, as outlined below.

Assistance with College fees Assistance may be made available to ensure that when OMs with children at Marlborough encounter some unexpected severe hardship (sudden redundancy, severe illness or death) their children can complete their education at the College.

Assistance with professional training expenses Nowadays, more students are studying for postgraduate qualifications that often involve periods of study abroad. The Trustees have assisted various OMs training to be doctors by helping towards the costs of overseas medical elective studies; a talented music graduate – who had shown great initiative and determination in his fundraising – was given a grant

to enable him to undertake specialist training abroad; and a former student was given a grant to take up a United Nations internship.

Assistance with gap-year plans Gap-year pupils are invited to apply for grants to undertake schemes that involve an element of service to those less privileged than themselves. About £5,000 is made available each year for this purpose, with typical grants averaging about £400.

Funds come from an endowment made

by Judge Edwin Konstam (LI 1884-87).

Beyond the categories of personal grants listed above, the Club – as a charity – has been able to give considerable financial help to the College making it possible to undertake capital improvements, which would otherwise have been beyond its means. The funds have paid for the building of the Sixth Form Social Centre, the Marlburian Club, mobile shelving in the College Archives, and they have contributed to the refurbishment of the Memorial Hall.

Constructive emergency assistance

To apply for assistance from the Charitable Funds, please either send an email to the Trustees at; marlburianclub@ marlboroughcollege.org or write to them at;

Help is occasionally given to OMs who fall on hard times and are in need of short-term help in order to get them back on their feet.

Such assistance is usually given in the form of a one-off ex-gratia payment for a very specific purpose.

The Marlburian Club Marlborough College Bath Road Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 IPA

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On the Shelves The Thunderer: The Life and Times of John Walter II

By Christopher McKane (CO 1959-64) £25

John Walter II (1776-1847) was controller of The Times newspaper for 44 years. As a qualified Master Printer, he introduced the world’s first steam presses, an overnight strategy that outflanked his mutinous printers. He can rightly be called one of the most remarkable men of the 19th Century and this book frames him in the context of a remarkable period in British history.

A Classical Vet in Modern Times

By Richard Llewellyn Brown (C1 1970-74) £12.99 Primates – including man – are the ones to watch. In the jungle, it is men or related primates who can be dangerous. It shouldn’t happen to a vet, but in Richard Jones’s case it invariably does – whether he’s in Belize or Banffshire: an orangutan called Josh, fractious bulls, bellowing heifers, lambless ewes, three Caesarean calvings in one night,

odd goings-on in the Glacks of Garrough, a strange use for a hock bottle, a hint when Jack Russells are about to bite and a safe method of extracting an egg from a ninefoot African rock python! Yet the ones to watch in this beautifully drawn novel are, the author suggests, the humans. Why can’t some people let sleeping dogs lie – especially when they’re dead! And why exactly does Richard’s ferocious Classics teacher reappear in his life and insist on working in the practice? Are his motives benign, or is an excision required? Read on, for laughter and indeed information, as this highly detailed and humorous picture of rural life offers both in large measure.

R Llewellyn Brown was born in Tanzania in 1957 and spent much of his childhood in the tropics of Africa, Asia and South America.

Educated at Marlborough College, Wiltshire and St John’s College, Cambridge, he qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 1981.

In the same year he met his future wife on a farm in Scotland. They have two children.

After two tours working for the Belize and Hong Kong governments the family returned to Scotland. He and his wife practise in Aberdeenshire as a vet and a lawyer respectively while the children attend the local secondary school. At present he divides his time between his family, running a practice, church commitments, writing humorous articles, hockey and numerous hobbies.

A Heap of Stones

By Adam Pollock (C2 1950-54) £25 This is the story of the now legendary Batignano opera festival and how it came about, tracing the life of its founder from stage-struck wartime child to his career as a fashionable designer in swinging sixties London and then his ‘dropping out’ to find a

new life in Italy in a derelict building, the ‘heap of stones,’ that would launch so much young talent in the opera world.

Stars Before Bedtime

By Jessamy Hibbert (EL 1993-98) £10.42

In this fast-paced world, relaxing and preparing for sleep can be difficult for children. This beautiful, fact-filled book helps ease bedtime struggles with mindfulness, muscle relaxation, gentle yoga poses, visualisation and other exercises proven to help kids release stress and anxiety, clear their minds, get ready for bed and fall asleep faster while also boosting happiness and improving overall health.

With gentle, calming artwork and simple, melodic text, children explore the sky’s constellations and the mythical stories behind them as they get their minds and bodies ready for bed. Each exercise, called out by a moon symbol, is simple and easy to do. The pages are self-contained so you can start anywhere and complete as many, or as few, exercises as you like. Join your child as they complete the exercises – you might just find something that works for you, too.

Tips on mindfulness and extra resources for parents are included at the back of the book.

Good sleep is essential for growing brains.

Each beautifully illustrated book in the Before Bedtime series helps curious children prepare for sleep by uniting a different intriguing non-fiction topic with sleep-inducing mindfulness exercises; an effective alternative to the traditional bedtime story. Fascinating facts are paired with guided relaxation techniques inspired by the topic for a peaceful routine that not only leaves bedtime battles far behind but equips children for success in a hectic world.

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Interfaith Worship and Prayer

By Christopher Lewis (C2 1957-61) £17.99

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covering time in Palestine and Egypt before he joins the Eighth Army, describing the retreat back to El Alamein, the battle and its aftermath. He ends the campaign commanding his regiment. He often graphically details the physical realities of war: the appalling conditions in the desert, the bombardments of the regiment from the air, the deaths and serious injuries of fellow soldiers. In 1943, he flies down to Rhodesia to see his wife and infant son before returning to Cairo to join Churchill’s regiment, the 4th Hussars. Arriving in Italy in 1944, he recounts the campaign as the Allies push north.

illness, shedding light on topics that are off-limits, uncomfortable, or just downright embarrassing. This book details every challenging and awkward stage of Amanda’s journey with mental illness and how she manages what she calls her, ‘garden variety crazy’. These pages are a look at the everyday realities of mental illness – the particular kind of torture that is finding a good therapist, the challenges of figuring out the elusive correct mix of medications, and the appropriate responses with how to deal with the friend who insists ‘but you don’t look depressed’.

Four Million Footsteps

By Bruce Tulloh (CR 1973-94) £15 This ground-breaking book contains contributions from 12 different religious traditions: Hinduism, African Traditional Religion, Judaism, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Shintoism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Unitarianism and Bahá’í.

Interfaith worship and prayer can be complex, but this book demonstrates that in a world of many cultures and religions, there is an urgent need for religions to come together with trust and communication, especially when there is a crisis. Full of insights and examples of practice, the book demonstrates how religions can be a powerful means of unity and compassion.

The book opposes the ‘clash of civilisations’ model as a way of interpreting the world and promotes peace, hope, and the possibility of cooperation. Religious believers can be sincere and committed to their own faith, while recognising the need to stand firmly together with members of other religious traditions.

Churchill’s Colonel Edited by Charles Barne £14.22 Anthony Barne (B2 1920-23) started his diary in August 1939 as a young, recently married Captain in the Royal Dragoons stationed in Palestine. He wrote an entry for every day of the war, often with great difficulty, sometimes when dog-tired or under fire, and sometimes when things looked black and desperate, but more often in sunshine and optimism, surrounded by good fellows who kept one cheerful and helped one through the sad and difficult times. His diary ends in July 1945, by which time he was Commanding Officer of the 4th Hussars, having recently visited Downing Street for lunch alone with the Churchills.

The diaries have an enormous scope

It’s 50 years since Bruce Tulloh – barefoot running pioneer, former European 5,000m gold medallist and one-time Runner’s World coaching editor – ran across the US. Tulloh completed the epic journey in just 65 days and wrote the book Four Million Footsteps describing the adventure.

The tone of the diaries varies wildly: often witty, sometimes outrageous but also poignant and philosophical. The voice and attitudes are entertainingly dated, but are delivered with warmth, a charming turn of phrase and a keen eye for the absurd.

That’s Mental

By Amanda Rosenberg (NC 1999-2004) £11.12 Award-winning Asian British comedy writer Amanda Rosenberg presents an intimate memoir of confessional essays about the hilarious, inappropriate and often difficult side to being mentally ill. That’s Mental breaks down myths and misconceptions about what it means to be a millennial with mental illness in a darkly funny, but relatable way. In her new book, Amanda addresses the overlooked and offbeat issues of mental

It tells the story of a 32-year-old Bruce, who decides to call it quits on his Olympic dreams to choose something arguably even more challenging: breaking the record for running across the US. Bruce trained for the run whilst working full-time as a teacher, fitting in runs on the way to and from school and doing longer runs at the weekend. Although an experienced athlete, he had never run more than 23 miles in one stretch.

Four Million Footsteps is a detailed account of that run, a run undertaken with a fairly rudimentary support system and not that much knowledge of what lay on the road ahead. Bruce was accompanied by his wife Sue and son Clive (aged 7). Sue drove ahead in a caravan each day, waiting at campsite with a hot meal. Support during the day was provided by Bruce’s teenage cousin, Mark, who stayed in closer contact. Slowly his body adjusted to conditions, held by his indomitable will, and by the end he was up to running 40 miles a day – a running machine who ended the run in better shape than the beginning.

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On the Shelves One Life, Two Worlds

Stubborn as he is smart, Raphael wants to be loved – something he cannot allow.

By Richard Llewellyn Brown (C1 1970-74) Kindle Edition

As their lives become increasingly entangled, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has secrets. When a person is found gruesomely murdered, Kitty and Raphael risk finding themselves on opposite sides of a very dangerous war. Has Raphael left it too late to be honest. Just one question remains…

‘Who. Is. Andre. Hayes?’

This story begins peacefully with a student back packer, Richard Jones, wandering through South America. It concludes more than a decade later with a violent crescendo in Belize. By coincidence when travelling in Colombia, Richard meets Padrone the head of a major international drug cartel. Years later Richard is sent as an aid worker to the town of Orange Walk in Belize. Hidden in that town is Padrone’s representative, a shadowy man simply known as the Coordinator. The authorities, in their desperation to halt the development of the drug trade, go so far as to recruit Richard and his wife, Jill, to help identify the Coordinator.

This results in an unpredictable finale.

This is a story about the pursuit of redemption and survival when love and justice appear fearfully incompatible. and present. As a tutor at the Royal Drawing School, Tyga has also contributed a creative drawing exercise. This invaluable hardback includes articles by artist and Founding Artistic Director of the Royal Drawing School, Catherine Goodman; artists and tutors Clara Drummond and Sarah Pickstone.

Over 300 illustrated examples of works representing mono printing, collage, etching, ink, charcoal, pastel, paper cut, gouache, watercolour and mixed media abundantly provide a rich and visually diverse resource.

Daring

By Libby Adam (NC2009-14) £11.99

Two worlds coexist in much of Central and South America: the humdrum day-to-day world of ordinary folk and the violent world of narcotics, crime and power. It is possible to live one life and inhabit the two worlds.

To reflect this paradox the chapters in this novel alternate in style describing coexisting events found in the ‘ordinary’ life and the drug scene.

Ways of Drawing Featuring Tyga Helme (MM 2003-08) and Rose Artbuthnott (PR 2004-06) £20.99 Tyga Helme and Rose Artbuthnott both feature in this beautiful new publication from the Royal Drawing School. The book comprehensively presents multiple mark-making techniques, practical sessions, thoughts and visual ideas that have been explored by outstanding artists both past 104 The Marlburian Club Magazine

Kitty, orphaned at seven, has spent her entire life as an outsider. Her identity built around the memory of her father, a Chief Crown Prosecutor, who she will come to realise she hardly knew. Fiercely intelligent, headstrong and determined, Kitty wants to belong – something she vehemently denies.

After a night of horrors on the outskirts of a forgotten graveyard in Tuscany, Raphael has been running from everything he has ever known. His family, the rules they play by and the destruction that follows them.

Every copy sold provides another donation for the incredible charity that is Robbie’s Rehab, an amazing community, a charity and service that helps children with brain tumours.

A Brush With The Coast

By Sasha Harding (MO/NC 1989-91) £24.99 This is the lavishly illustrated story of artist and author Sasha Harding and her dog, documenting their solo adventures walking the South West Coast Path. The artist, in search of inspiration for an exhibition, roped in her reluctant ridgeback as her sidekick and together they embarked on a sixhundred-and-thirty-mile walk that changed their lives forever. This is a book celebrating the beauty and diversity of the South West Coast Path through Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, the Jurassic Coast of Dorset, and National Parks as seen through an artist’s eyes. A Brush with the Coast is the perfect guide for those who want to explore one of the UK’s National Trails, with or without their four-legged friend. An honest and inspiring tale of a lone woman walker taking on challenges, the elements, and the true meaning of dog friendly. Each copy of A Brush With The Coast comes with a

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personalised note from Sasha, a free limited edition bookmark and can be signed on request, making it the perfect present for any walker. A true guide to inspire you to search for your own walking adventure.

Note from the author: This is my second edition and, when it runs out, I’ll be looking for a new publisher. If anyone can help, please contact me through my website www.sashaharding.co.uk

Giulio Cesare Procaccini Life and Work

By Hugh Brigstocke (LI 1957-60) and Odette D’Albo 200 Euros Giulio Cesare Procaccini was perhaps the most technically varied and exciting artist

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based in 17th Century Milan, his work ranging from major altar pieces to rapidly executed autonomous oil sketches and highly inventive drawings. However, his wide-ranging experience, his Emilian origins and his exceptionally fruitful association with patrons in Genoa and Spain as well as Milan may explain why he was ignored or at least underestimated by local Milanese art historians. Thus, he is the last of the major Lombard artists to have received the detailed stylistic analysis and object orientated cataloguing now provided in this new book, co-authored by an Englishman with a museum background and a much younger Italian academic in a generous collaboration that bridges two generations of research.

Murder in St Paul’s: Justice and Vengeance in Tudor London

By Richard Dale (SU 1957-61) £9.37 In 1514 a respected London Merchant, Richard Hunne, was found hanging in Old St Paul’s Cathedral. Whether it was murder or suicide was hotly debated but popular opinion, endorsed more recently by many historians, pointed to foul play by

church officials. Around this central mystery, Dale has woven a story of murder, church politics and forbidden texts in turbulent pre-Reformation London.

Hunne’s widow, Anne, takes centre stage in this narrative as she attempts to solve and avenge the death of her husband. Her search for the truth will take her to Germany and Martin Luther’s revolt against the authority of the church, and up against powerful figures such as the English Lord Chancellor, Thomas More. She becomes involved in the new illicit trade of printing religious texts and will suffer both imprisonment and the danger of execution. She is helped by her lover, a German Hansa merchant, and through her adventures she will move closer to, and finally solve, the brutal killing of her husband – a crime that has baffled historians ever since the body was first found hanging in St Paul’s.

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On the Shelves Dambuster-in-Chief

By Richard Mead (SU 1960-65) £25

in the rush to sound up to date and trendy.

Specific words have become generalised to the point, sometimes, of losing their actual meaning in the pursuit of vogue expressions.

This little book is an attempt to highlight some of these common abuses with ridicule and, perhaps, sensitise its readers to these solecisms and abuses to which it is easy to become inured. So, going forward, very clearly we need to hold hands on this one and sing from the same hymn sheet in another Ball Park and create a new perspective on words and phrases that resonate with all of us and pressure the community at every level when we head out to go on a journey at the end of the day.

Ralph Cochrane was born in 1895 into a distinguished naval family. After joining the Royal Navy, he volunteered in 1915 to serve with the RNAS in airships and was an early winner of the Air Force Cross. In 1918, he transferred to the fledgling RAF and learnt to fly, serving in Iraq as a flight commander under ‘Bomber’ Harris. His inter-war career saw him as a squadron commander in Aden Before he became the first Chief of Air Staff of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

During the Second World War, he served mainly in Bomber Command and commanded 5 Group from early 1943. He formed 617 Squadron and led the planning of the legendary Dambuster Raid, the most spectacular raid of the war, as well as the sinking of the battleship Tirpitz. An inspirational leader, he trained 5 Group in low-level target-marking skills. Post war, Cochrane held a string of senior appointments commanding Transport Command, Flying Training Command, and finally as Vice Chief of Air Staff, retiring in 1952. He died in 1977.

This superbly researched biography of an inspirational leader and airman is long overdue.

Personal Prejudice in the Use of English

By John Harrison (B1 1958-62) £12.99 The slow development of the use of English since Middle English has recently become a torrent of inappropriate uses of old words that had precise meanings. The true meanings of many words are becoming lost 106 The Marlburian Club Magazine

Never Doubt… is available from the White Horse Bookshop. To reserve a copy please contact the White Horse Bookshop at info@whitehorsebooks.co.uk. For every copy sold, £2 will go to Oxfam and £2 to VSO, the organisations that had a major influence on Nick’s life.

The Storm

By Amanda Jennings (PR 1989-91) £6.55

This is not an academic work, but a working reference book for the general reader and for students of English with examples taken mainly from broadcast radio and television and what used to be called the ‘broadsheet’ press.

Never Doubt…

By Dr Nick Maurice (CO 1956-61) £18 This autobiography charts the history of the Marlborough Brandt Group and the partnership that we set up in 1982 between Marlborough and the predominantly Muslim community of Gunjur in The Gambia, as well as covering Nick’s early years growing up in Marlborough.

Lord Malloch-Brown (C1 1967-71) wrote to Nick saying, ‘I have enjoyed your memoir enormously. It is brimming over with your enthusiasm for life, friends, victims and humanity, the whole complicated job-lot of us that make up the world. The fact that from the bourgeois comfort of Marlborough and its GP practice you never gave up on the messy rest of the world is a real tribute to you and your spirit.’

To the outside world Hannah married the perfect man. Behind the closed doors of their imposing home it’s a very different story. Nathan controls everything Hannah does. He chooses her clothes, checks her receipts, and keeps her passport locked away. But why does she let him? Years before, in the midst of a relentless storm, the tragic events of one night changed everything. And Hannah has been living with the consequences ever since. Keeping Nathan happy.

Doing as she’s told. But the past is about to catch up with them. Set against the unforgiving backdrop of a Cornish fishing port in the ‘90s, this is a devastating exploration of the power of coercive control in a marriage where nothing is quite as it seems.

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Divine Remaking: St Bonaventure and the Gospel of Luke Truth and Reality: The Wisdom of St Bonaventure Way Back to God: The Spiritual Theology of St Bonaventure

By The Rev Douglas Dales (CR 1984-2012) £19.38 each

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Franciscans a theologian and spiritual teacher. Douglas said, ‘You can learn a great deal about Christianity from his writings and these three books are designed to make what he thought readily accessible.

I commend Bonaventure to anyone interested in how Christianity addresses the nature of truth and reality. I have gained a great deal from studying him since leaving my work at the College to serve as a parish priest in the Oxford diocese.’

Oxfordshire’s Threatened Plants

By Hilary J Killick (B2 1945-50), S E Erskine, C R Lambrick and E M Lee £18.95

Douglas has published three studies of St Bonaventure. Bonaventure lived in the thirteenth century and was a leader of the

language IGCSE course to A Level and IGCSE second language courses.

Edexcel A level Spanish (includes AS) (2016), Edexcel International GCSE Spanish Student Book Second Edition (2017), Cambridge IGCSE™ Spanish Student Book Third Edition (2019) (also 2nd edition, 2017), Cambridge IGCSE™ Spanish Vocabulary Workbook (2019), Edexcel International GCSE Spanish Vocabulary Workbook (2019), Cambridge IGCSE™ Español como Primera Lengua Libro del Alumno (2020), Cambridge IGCSE™ Español como Primera Lengua Cuaderno de ejercicios (2020).

The Hedgehog Book

By Hugh Warwick (C2 1979-84) £8.65 This book features detailed species accounts of the 274 species that are either nationally or locally scarce in our area. This number represents about a third of the native flora of the county.

We were alarmed to find that more than 50 species recorded as present in the Flora of Oxfordshire published in 1998, cannot now be found wild in the county.

We followed the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland’s guidelines on including species. The Thames Valley Records Centre handled the data and provided very informative maps showing species loss against the geological character of the land. There are also general chapters on the habitats of threatened plants and the causes of the decline over time. Finally, there are recommendations for helping prevent further decline are included.

The Hedgehog Book is the latest in the compact, accessible Nature Books series, exploring our relationship with some of Britain’s best-loved wild creatures.

A welcome visitor heard rustling through our hedges or spotted shuffling across our lawns, hedgehogs are a celebrated addition to every garden and their proper care and conservation valuable to numerous other species. Through informative chapters ranging from the physiological and environmental to the inclusion of the hedgehog in myth, legend, art and literature, The Hedgehog Book is an ideal guide to its subject for all nature lovers, beautifully illustrated throughout with new photography and artwork.

Spanish language books

By Simon Barefoot (CR 1979-90) Prices vary Simon recently worked with Hodder Education to produce various Spanish language textbooks – ranging from a first The Marlburian Club Magazine 107

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Classifieds HONEYSTREET MILL CAFÉ Honeystreet Mill Café on the banks of the Kennet and Avon canal in the heart of the Pewsey Vale. Open 7 days a week, year round. Serving freshly cooked, locally sourced, delicious breakfast, light lunches and homemade cakes. Barista coffee, loose leaf tea and licensed drinks.

BOTANICO

Learn a new skill or escape in a favourite pastime

Tel: 01672 851853 www.honeystreetmillcafe.co.uk

From private functions to large scale festivals, Botanico has a variety of mobile bar solutions suitable for every occasion.

Our commitment to excellence and passion for creating quality, will provide you with a memorable experience and seamless event.

11 July to 7 August 2021

Tel: 07391 163626 Email: dominic@botanicobars.co.uk www.botanicobars.co.uk

From Creative Arts to Science, History and Culture to Life Skills and Wellbeing, Summer School offers learning experiences and entertainment for all ages.

DESIRE PERSONAL TRAINING

FOSTER BOWES

Request a brochure today and discover over 500 courses waiting for you.

Bespoke, handmade, curtains & blinds Wiltshire, Hampshire & Berkshire.

Marlborough alumni/parents – 10% discount

01672 892388 summerschool.co.uk

Personal Training – Nutrition – Exercise Rehabilitation – Remote Coaching

Email: georgie.bowes@fosterbowes.com Instagram: @fosterbowescurtains www.fosterbowes.com

Taking the most up to date research, a strong understanding of your needs, wants, goals and providing you with around the clock support and commitment to ensure you see optimal results.

Tel: 07920 061217 www.desirepersonaltraining.co.uk

WILTSHIRE HISTORY MAN

BUNTING AND BOOTS Bunting and Boots produces personalised family and celebration drawings. Each one is unique and designed specifically for you. Prices starting from £18.

Visit: buntingandboots.webnode.com

Wiltshire History Man uncovers the shire’s exciting past. Nick Baxter’s walks and talks are on his website. www.wiltshirehistoryman.org.uk 108 The Marlburian Club Magazine

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Stay Connected Staying connected has never been so easy MC Global Connect is the networking platform and app for the Marlburian Community, where Club members and current parents can connect and communicate with each other.

• • • •

Professional development Mentoring and networking Professional and social events Memberships and discounts

Try it today mcglobalconnect.org Facebook.com/ TheMarlburianClub Follow us on Twitter @OldMarlburians Follow us on Instagram The Marlburian Club

Advertising T

he Marlburian Club Magazine is circulated to over 11,000 alumni of Marlborough College as well as to all parents and guardians of over 900 current pupils.

Advertising options Full page Half page horizontal Half page vertical

Research indicates the magazine is read by between two and five AB1 readers per copy, and that it is kept for the whole year. With alumni and parents living in all corners of the globe, its reach is international.

For that reason, the magazine has always attracted very high-quality advertisers. If your business would like to target the same demographic and you would like the opportunity to advertise in next year’s edition, please register your interest today by emailing: marlburianclubmagazine@ marlboroughcollege.org

Quarter page Outside back cover Inside front cover Inside back cover Classified

Advertising Sales Kate Goodwin Alumni and Engagement Manager The Marlburian Club Marlborough College Wiltshire SN8 1PA

DISCOUNTS FOR OM OWNED & LOCAL BUSINESSES

Tel: +44 (0)1672 892384 The Marlburian Club Magazine 109

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Crossword 1

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Doctor in rush, meeting right idiot, is put in awkward position (9)

14 Awful turbo noise creates unwanted interference (9) 9

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16 Finally finishes painting, extravagantly and unoriginally (9) 11

17 Makes grandiose brags about business degree (8)

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20 Intend to jeer, having no love for physicist (6) 13

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22 Law perhaps involves e.g. justice (5)

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24 Cut off horse’s tail and sidle off (5) 17 18

19 20

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25

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Competition crossword by Alberich (C1 1976-80). Closing date: 31 March 2021. Please send completed entries to: Kate Goodwin, The Marlburian Club, Marlborough College, Wiltshire, SN8 1PA or scan and email to marlburianclub@ marlboroughcollege.org

26

2019 Crossword solution 27

28

2020 Crossword

18 Was a thief left where certain aircraft can land? (8)

The wordplay of each clue indicates the answer with an extra letter that is not entered in the grid. These letters, in clue order, spell out a condensed version of a quotation from a work by an Old Marlburian, for whom this year would have been a significant anniversary. Solvers must highlight the work and the surname of the author.

19 A returning case gets ligature from A & E (4)

ACROSS

26 Tea in garden is sadly creating litter (5, 5)

1 5 9

Head of spies joins agents after passing fashion shop sign (6)

21 Flat-bottomed boat takes Jacob, on vacation, round a part of India (6) 23 Inappropriate content of film gets limited broadcast (3, 5) 25 Stopped working and had a meal (4)

27 Each goes after parts for submarine (8)

Took in new boarders around 7th of September (8)

28 Economist is partial to shortcake by Nestlé (6)

Condiment holder is vulgar, embodying bad taste, note (5, 5)

DOWN

10 Obligation of French club (4) 11 First off, edgy Poles must entertain new athletes (8) 12 Could be orators’ platforms (6) 13 Groom initially called off marriage, frustrating bride (4) 15 German girl with boxing punch reveals fighter’s weakness (5, 3) 110 The Marlburian Club Magazine

We were delighted to receive several correct entries for 2019’s crossword.

The winner was Rupert McNeile (B2 1960-65) who received a copy of David Du Croz (1996-2007) Book: ‘Marlborough College and the Great War in 100 stories’.

R O D E U

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Order some corn with fish (5)

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Ukrainian city contaminated by chlorine (9)

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Book, Aga saga, is pointed out (1, 7, 2, 5)

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Lapse by Madrid team of stars (8)

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