News and Congratulations

We are delighted to have hosted recently…

Carl Watson (89-94) and son, George 2015 Rugby World Cup preparations

Carl Watson (89-94) We were extremely pleased to see Carl Watson returning to the RGS from Hong Kong during the Summer Holidays with his son, daughter and niece. Carl and his son, George shared a moment in Carl’s old Fifth form classroom.

The 89th Annual ONA Dinner in which a record number of ONs attended with 160 tickets reserved. The dinner was a great success, particularly for the reunions who attended. Thank you to reunion organisers Tim Hill (82-89), Martin Purvis (79-84) and Dr Peter Robinson (54-60) for organising 25th, 30th and 60th reunions. Special thanks also to Mr Bill Elliott (52-88), retired teacher who managed to fill four tables with former students who studied A Level Applied Mechanics with him in the 70s and 80s and to our highly entertaining guest speaker, journalist and author, Tony Boullemier (57-64).

The 70th Reunion, September 2014 The Scotland national rugby team who trained on the 1st XV pitch at Half Term ahead of their Autumn Test, using the school facilities on a three-day training camp. RGS will host the team this year when Scotland will use the school for their 2015 World Cup preparations.

Will Welch (98-08) and Tom Penny (03-13) who recently trained on the 1st XV pitch with the Newcastle Falcons.

A 70th Reunion inspired by Burland Jacob (44-49) on 15 September 2014, celebrating 70 years since the 1944 starters first entered the school. Incidentally, on 14 September 1944 the whole school returned from Penrith (see page 16 for a separate report on the Penrith Reunion) having been evacuated there since 1 September 1939. Fourteen ONs and their wives and partners returned to school for the day, which included school lunch, school tours and an A Level History lesson with Mr Tilbrook, head of History.

Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn There are plenty of Old Novos social media groups around, but we have our own groups. Join us by becoming a fan of the Old Novocastrians Association pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Our congratulations go to… Joe Fisher MBE (30-36) on his MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for his services to charity. Joe has dedicated his life to working tirelessly to help polio sufferers ever since contracting the disease while serving in the Army. Jason Pearlman (89-91), political consultant who wrote it is a ‘massive honour

Basil Strang (04-11) who played in the 133rd Varsity Rugby Match at Twickenhamin November for the winning side; Oxford beat Cambridge 43-6.

Nick Gholkar (98-05) on his engagement to GP trainee Sophia Lee. Duncan Pollock (96-06) picture of himself with his the match.

Ami Noble-Newton

(03-05) and Clinton McKellar Appleby (95-02) on their engagement.

Mohit Basudev (01-08) on his engagement to Isobel Howe.

John Hammill (83-93) and Kate Jarvis (02-04) on

has been appointed as international media advisor to the new President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin. In a Facebook post announcing the appointment, Jason and privilege to work for the head of state’.

who played his first game and his first cap for Hong Kong against Russia. Jim Pollock (67-77) sent in a son, taken at King’s Park, Kowloon, Hong Kong on Saturday 8 November after their engagement. ONA Membership – Standing Orders If you still have a standing order set up to pay the ONA subscription fee, please cancel it as soon as possible. ONA membership is FREE to all Old Novos and former members of staff.

Nanci Fairless-Nicholson, Year 13, who won the ONA Art Prize. Her prize was presented to her at the school Christmas Assembly by Graham Mason (8996), head of Art who said:

“We need to move beyond thinking of the artist as someone standing solely at an easel. Nanci has been there, but she is an artist of the future. Adept with brushes and paints, or with film; she also possesses the skills of an architect, geologist, a public speaker, a politician or a scientist. What will identify her as an artist is an interest in art’s true, historic mission: the promotion of a sensory understanding of what matters most in life. She likes to create occasions, which might mean a tower of sweets, a crater of paint powder, a cake party or a space for others to discuss events that will promote the values to which art has always been devoted.

We wouldn’t be surprised, or see it as a loss of what art has always been about, if many of the artists of the coming decades do not produce traditional objects, and instead head directly for the underlying mission of art: changing how we experience the world.

Nanci is on the road to joining them”.

The ONA congratulate Nanci on her achievement.

Above: Nanci Fairless-Nicholson, Year 13 Below: Film still from Sound in Colour