THE ORA
50 YEAR REUNION
From right to left: Nick Bion, David Frood, Nick Burrows, Jerry Vive, Graham Cook, Nick Hubbard, and Toby Thacker.
With a mixture of excitement and a modicum of trepidation, some of the 1969-76 cohort retraced their Freshman steps to the Big School Terrace for the long awaited 50 Year Reunion. How had the school changed in the intervening years since we left? How had we changed? We were soon to find out.
but perhaps less so for a few of the hapless Masters involved. The new labs were stunning. Mr Robson advised us that we could emulate one of our own cohort, Nick Bion, and sponsor a laboratory classroom. It was comforting to know that at least one of our year had made it successfully through the years of austerity!
The alumni soon began chattering as if we had never been away. No sooner had we started reminiscing about the ‘good old days’, it was time for our guided tour of Reading School, led by the current Headmaster Mr Ashley Robson. The first shock was his announcement that even he wasn’t able to access all the rooms and areas on campus due to the weekend security lock downs that were in place. Gone were the days when we could roam across all areas of the school like carefree wildebeest, ignorant of any dangers lurking around the corner. The second and subsequent shocks came in quick fire soon after. What had happened to the vast quadrangle we had played on during our class breaks and which the CCF had used so regularly? Where balls had zipped around years ago, there was now a wonderful, fully staffed refectory. Built as a large glass atrium style dining area, it seemed a welcomed addition to the estate: Central and airy.
We were shown all the current science laboratories and the lecture hall. A mix of new and not so new. Sadly, the Tuck Shop had gone, which might explain why the School Captain and his fellow students had such pearly white teeth. As we journeyed past South House, we heard that Bounders Hall had been sold off to help finance the building of the new Library. A fine building it is too. The Head Master was quite animated in his description of how the Library had quickly become a focal point for the community of Reading School boys.
What had been the Prefects Lodge was now an IT hub and nerve centre. Beyond this, the old prefab buildings (C1/C2) had long gone, but we all had fond memories of the ‘speakables’ and ‘unspeakables’ that occurred in the classes held there in our time. All in good humour for us,
10
The chapel hadn’t changed. The modern style building next door had been used as a squash court in our time, but we couldn’t enter it on this occasion. So, we headed back to the Cloisters. Our route allowed us to take in the distant views of The Music School, and East Wing and West Wing of old. We were advised that West Wing was no longer a Boarding House and that there were now two new Houses (Laud and School). Finally, thanks to Ken Brown (1955-63), we had a chance to visit the pop-up archive in what had been the Monitors Common Room in our day. An incredible detailed history unfolded in front of our eyes, including our 1969 Year Book.
Floreat Redingensis
SEPTEMBER 2020
