ONA 111 - Economics at RGS

60 YEARS OF

ECONOMICS AT R G S

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: FINDING ROGER | CHARLES HUTTON | GEOFF RILEY | FROM THE ARCHIVES

ISSUE 111/SPRING 2022

ONA MAGAZINE ISSUE 111 SPRING 2022

ONA is the magazine for the Old Novocastrians’ Association All correspondence should be addressed to: The Development Office Royal Grammar School Eskdale Terrace Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4DX Telephone Development Office: 0191 212 8909 email: development@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk The Editor reserves the right to edit, alter or omit all submissions to the magazine. Copy may be carried over to the next edition. The Editor’s decision is final.

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The deadline for acceptance of copy for the Autum 2022 Issue 112 is Friday 29 July. Copy may be carried over to a future issue.

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PAUL HAGGIE (60-67) ONA PRESIDENT t gives me particular pleasure to introduce this edition of the ONA Magazine celebrating sixty years of Economics at RGS, since I am old enough to have been present at its inception. It is extraordinary to reflect that it was only in 1962 that RGS introduced such a seminal subject as Economics into the curriculum – almost furtively, as the part-time responsibility of someone trained as an Historian. With another teacher it could have taken years to establish as an independent discipline. But in Roger Hennessey (Staff 62-73) the man and the hour met. This issue chronicles how quickly and effectively he moulded an identity for the new Department and how successful the school has been in producing talented economists ever since.

It was my loss not to be part of the process. At the time, those of us who wanted to study History at University were still required to have Latin. Several years later, when I was posted to the British Embassy in Pakistan as First Secretary (Economic), I cannot say that the time I spent with Don Shipley (Staff 52-83) grinding through Tacitus was of much help. Most of my international economic and commercial colleagues were professionals and my presence among them seemed aptly to reflect our national approach to economic competitiveness. Fortunately for me, President Zia decided that Pakistan would introduce Islamic Banking and overnight we were all reduced to the same level of collective ignorance, as we struggled to understand this new dispensation. But I always regretted missing out on the brave new world of economics at RGS. I do hope that you enjoy this brief sprint through 60 years of Economics at RGS.

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IN THIS ISSUE 1 2 4 7 8 10 11 12 14 17 18 20 22 24 26 28 29

HEAD’S WELCOME GEOFFREY STANFORD FROM THE ARCHIVES LOUISE PIFFERO FINDING ROGER DAVID GOLDWATER ECONOMICS AND POLITICS DEPARTMENT STAFF 1962-2022 ECONOMICS AT THE RGS GEOFF RILEY 40 YEARS OF RGS ECONOMICS REMEMBERING FRANK BUDDEN LOUISE PIFFERO REFLECTIONS ROGER LOXLEY MEMORIES OF ECONOMICS AT RGS THE BUSINESS OF COVID ANUSHKA ARADHYULA CHARLES HUTTON JOHN SMITH MEMORIES OF RGS ANDREW FITTON A RUGBY TALE ALAN DICKINSON FORTY SHADES OF PAIN CHRIS PURDON NEWS & CONGRATULATIONS WHY I GIVE BRIAN AND CHRISTINE DAGLISH OBITUARIES

WELCOME GEOFFREY STANFORD HEAD

t is a real pleasure to introduce this ONA Magazine focusing on 60 years of teaching of Economics at the RGS. There are some fascinating recollections that I hope readers will find interesting. Amongst others, we have contributions from a former Head of Department, Geoff Riley, whom I have known for a number of years, and I am looking forward to hearing him speak at the Newcastle ONA dinner on the 14th of October 2022. It is also an opportune moment to celebrate the impact that another former Head of Department and still serving member of staff, Roger Loxley, has had over the last 27 years at the school. At the end of this year, he will be stepping down from his role as Deputy Head Academic after 17 years, though he will be continuing to teach part time.

I should note that I have a particular interest in Economics myself. Indeed, while I was at school, a careers aptitude test advised that I should become an economist. However, an economist came to speak who was so dull that I chose instead to read Classics at university. It is funny how things can work out –

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ONA | OLD NOVOCASTRIANS’ ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE | ISSUE 111 | SPRING 2022

following time in the City, I have found myself teaching Economics for most of my teaching career. I am, however, very grateful for the many economists among the RGS alumni who make possible the annual Economics trip to London and speak to our pupils far more engagingly than that experience of mine all those years ago.

We are also fortunate to have such an impressive Economics department with teachers who are specialists in their subject, capable of inspiring and motivating our students. Consequently, uptake of the subject at the RGS continues to be strong at both GCSE and A Level, with almost 300 students in Years 10 to 13 currently taking the subject. Indeed, Economics appeals to many at the RGS as it combines rigorous analysis of concepts with a very practical approach to the world we live in; the theory being taught in the classroom can be directly applied to events in the news. It is therefore both rewarding to teach and exciting to learn. I hope that this magazine provides readers with a good sense of the energy and enthusiasm for Economics at the RGS.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

BY LOUISE PIFFERO ARCHIVIST Louise Piffero joined the RGS in June 2021 as our new Archivist. Louise has had a varied career so far, which has included working with Benjamin Britten’s music manuscripts at the Britten-Pears Foundation, and a role supporting archive services across the country at The National Archives in Kew. Her most recent post was a major project to catalogue medical collections at Leeds University Library Special Collections.

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The Novo has proved to be a vital record for news of the Economics Society, Economics trips and visits, as well as valete articles for staff. ”

M

y first few months at RGS have been fantastic and I’ve felt instantly welcomed into school life. It is my first time working in a school, so I’ve had a lot to learn!

The archives are full of treasures and I’ve been energised by the many opportunities to bring these stories to life for ONs, staff and students.

When researching material in the archive relating to the Economics Department I found we don’t hold a huge amount, but there are certainly a few gems to share.

An excellent resource we hold are past issues of The Novocastrian student magazine, dating back to 1885. The majority have been digitised and are available to browse and search on our archives website (see link below). The Novo has proved to be a vital record for news of the Economics Society, Economics trips and visits, as well as valete articles for staff.

Professor Stanley R Dennison

We hold a few items relating to the Economist Professor Stanley R Dennison CBE, RGS Chair of Governors between 1969 and 1987. Dennison was the third Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull, and during the Second World War he was Economic Adviser in the War Cabinet Secretariat. We have a beautifully presented scrapbook which was likely presented to Dennison on his retirement as Chair in 1987.

Finally, a photograph album survives of the RGS Economics Tour of Denmark, 1978. It included visits to the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Factory, the Tulip bacon factory and the Carlsberg factory.

If any readers are able to identify individuals in the photograph from the trip, please do get in touch.

Extract from NOVO, 1984

In the 1984 issue [Vol. 91, Issue 2], you can find out about the Upper 6th Economics Competition “Running the British Economy 1984”. It was organised through Williams and Glyn’s Bank and involved running a computer model of the British Economy – the RGS team gained third place. I would love to know if any ONs have memories of taking part.

I was also thrilled to read how our first ever Head of Economics, Roger Hennessey (Staff 62-73), was instrumental in managing the school archive during his time here [Vol. 80, Issue 3, 1973]. We hold two of Roger Hennessey’s books, Factories (1969), and Railways (1973) – the latter copy he signed and presented to the Library.

ONA | OLD NOVOCASTRIANS’ ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE | ISSUE 111 | SPRING 2022

The RGS Archive is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you would like to visit, to use the archives or have any items to donate – please do get in touch!

Contact the Archive: Phone: 0191 2815711 Email: archives@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk Website: www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk/ rgs-family Stories from the Archive are regularly shared on our Twitter @RGSOldNovos and Facebook accounts: Old Novocastrians’ Association

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WD Haden was out to modernise the RGS and thought that a broader curriculum, geared to the (then) mid-20th century economy was called for, hence economics.”

FINDING ROGER

BY DAVID GOLDWATER (51-62) The theme for this issue of ONA Magazine is Economics and one man is responsible for its foundation at the RGS, Roger Hennessey (Staff 62-73), 60 years ago. Fortunately, an enquiry through the Stephenson Locomotive Society led me to contact and subsequently interview this iconic and important School staff alumnus.

Roger Hennessey Picture by AJ MacManners (Staff 64-73)

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DFG: Roger, as the pioneer of Economics at the RGS, it’s excellent to have made contact. Tell us about your Education.

RASH: After a ho-hum GCE O Level career at Epsom College, I took off in the Sixth Form largely because of the excellent teaching by two contrasting characters, teachers of history. Eventually off to National Service and then Downing College, Cambridge to read History. Tutors of some fame, included Geoffrey Elton and Dennis Brogan, but I owed much to Reggie White, my Supervisor at Downing College, a man with a great turn of phrase. My specialism was the British Economy 18701940, and within that, a study of the electricity industry (see below). This involved economics and therefore some acquaintance with its Tripos requirements.

DFG: How did you arrive at RGS? RASH: During my post-graduate year (also at Cambridge) for the Certificate in Education (1961-62) I applied for various posts as a starter. WD Haden (Staff 60-72) of the RGS invited me up to Jesmond for a grilling, joined for part of the time by George Dean (Staff 24-67), Second Master.

WD Haden was out to modernise the RGS and thought that a broader curriculum, geared to the (then) mid-20th century economy was called for, hence economics.

But he envisaged it as a purely Sixth Form subject, not enough to justify a full member of staff by itself. The second string to my bow, History, fitted in with the school’s needs, so he took a punt and appointed me. Haden’s start was ‘controversial’ and some were to perceive me as an agent of the new order, but that phase soon passed and I slotted in, making many lifetime friends.

DFG: How did the Economics Department begin?

RASH: WDH left it to me to select the appropriate syllabus from the A Level requirements of the Oxford and Cambridge Universities Joint Examinations Board.

Front line work commenced in September 1962 with a set of about 15. This included Ian Gardhouse (54-64), later a luminary of the BBC, Messrs R Bainbridge (54-65), JR Manley (54-64), CJ Sugden (60-64), H Gleave (57-64), D Oliver (57-64) et al.

I had no single room for teaching, leading a nomadic life in the chalk dust left by my colleagues. Later I was given Room Nine, later still the former Plender Library. Over the years the A Level results were good, thanks largely to the impressive application of my charges. The department grew in size. I was joined by David Whitehead (Staff 65-72) and we expanded the syllabus to include economic theory. Further growth was aided

by Joe McDonald (Staff 66-72) who added political theory to our offer. The subject spread into the Sixth Form, eventually into the Removes.

DFG: You revolutionised Novo Magazine and made some very positive changes.

RASH: This had been managed for years by Maurice Robinson (Staff 34-72), therefore to exceedingly high literary standards. Maurice relinquished the post to Raymond Bratt (Staff 61-67) who ran it for a short while before departing to Portsmouth GS. WDH asked if I were interested in succeeding, possibly because by then I had authored some books and papers, I have long had an interest in typography and printing. I was aided by a fine and skilful team of editors, mainly from the Sixth Form. We started a gossip column, written by various members of the team under the by-line name of Kasimir (thought to sound exotic, East European, enigmatic). Costs of production were high, but my interest in reprographics led me to a new set-up in Jarrow that was into computers and photo-typesetting, and over we went at once reducing costs and raising graphic standards. The entire editorial team came to my abode in Gosforth, cutting, pasting and rearranging material under the new dispensation. After a struggle with WDH we took on advertisements to further reduce costs.

So, in a short time, we shifted from lead type and copper blocks to the new technology.

DFG: You mentioned your Authoring.

How did this come about?

RASH: I started with a series of economic history textbooks for the publishers, Batsfords, and then moved to the heavier

George Dean

Patsy Gordon

stuff. My first such foray was The Electric Railway That Never Was, York-Newcastle, 1919. Thanks to the help of Arthur Howell (Governor c47-72), then Deputy Chairman of RGS Governors and an eminent electrical engineer, I had the run of the archive of Merz & McLellan, consultant engineers, where I found the necessary gems. Next was a general history of electricity supply in GB: ‘The Electric Revolution’ (1870-1940), kindly adopted by the Science Book Club. One work, somewhat out of my ordinary was Worlds Without End, a survey of thoughts and philosophies about extra-terrestrial life.

was son of a railwayman. Colin ‘Jake’ Nicholls (Staff 53 -86) eventually Second Master, was a strong ally in Sixth Form management. A notable member of the Common Room was Jimmy Doull (Staff 5267) a music teacher. He had served in the Army during the occupation of Constantinople (c1920) and the subsequent British intervention in Thrace. We set up a joint talk for pupils; I outlined the politicking and diplomacy, Jimmy described life on the Maritza front. A living primary source!

DFG: What are your recollections of RGS colleagues?

RASH: Too numerous to mention, really.

We were a harmonious band of brothers with some impressive sisters who added their civilising style to the Common Room: Patsy Gordon (Staff 59-85) and Joy Knowles (Staff 52-84). When I arrived, one or two colleagues had commenced work in the 1920s. Coming strongly to mind are my Common Room neighbours whose desks juxtaposed mine: a Scot Chemistry teacher, Charles George (Staff 50-78) and Bill Cuthbertson (28-35, Staff 47-74); the latter a man of many parts and deep religious faith: boxing, rowing, history and a fine photographer who taught me many related techniques. Each day I returned home across the Town Moor with Head of Mathematics Frank Budden (Staff 62-82), then engaged on writing his definitive work on group theory. He liked to hold forth on our walks against that which these days would be referred to as ‘wokery’. He had quite a menagerie of bêtes noires. Fred Galbraith (Staff 30-31 & 49-68) Head of History looked at me askance at first as a Haden ‘plant’, but we soon got on well.

Laurie Meaken (Staff 31-74) and Head of Physics Howard Burchell (Staff 66-99), were fellow-members of the railway mafia as was perhaps unexpectedly the scholarly Head of English Maurice Robinson (Staff 34-72) who

ONA | OLD NOVOCASTRIANS’ ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE | ISSUE 111 | SPRING 2022

DFG: What attracted you to railways and electricity?

RASH: No idea why I became interested in these subjects – mysterious chemistry.

Except I had many relations in both industries, a grandfather on the Great Western, another grandparent and many uncles who were ‘electricals’. A good study of the history of electricity supply would throw much illumination on the achievements and woes of the UK over the years. My research into its history was greatly aided also by a large archive in the Lit & Phil, of which I was for a while a Committee member.

DFG: What are your enduring memories of RGS? RASH: Many expressed above, so I will fire off some brief notes, I hope not too laconic. … WDH’s office, wood panelled, with a curious suite of green leather chairs, from the cusp of Art Deco with a matching green telephone which, for some reason, he preferred to keep hidden in a desk drawer… … as Common Room Secretary I was the nearest thing to a shop steward in that august company, occasionally having to deliver slightly unpalatable messages to WDH. The Common Room had a marvellous communications system arranged in a battery of pigeon holes for messages and mail, all very pre-internet…

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Freddie Galbraith

Maurice Robinson

Clara Teunon

… MGR’s economically elegant reports on pupils. I recall one that said it all in two words: ‘He falters.’…

dramas. Later, the Bursar gave us space in a stationery store and with the invaluable assistance of some pupils led by Mike Pullen (Staff 62-70), we catalogued and distributed it all on shelves. Haden became an enthusiastic supporter and we compiled a large album containing the photographic history of the RGS which he liked to show to visitors.

history, at the time the National Curriculum was being established. I retired on the establishment of Ofsted, 1992.

… the culinary genius of Mrs Teunon (Staff 57-72) her kitchen team producing waves of lunches every day, cuisine of an unusually high standard. I write as a qualified cook, at least in Army terms! … the installation of a tea urn in the Common Room… … arranging a course of general lectures for the Sixth Form, held in the amphitheatre of Room M… … long before it was part of the national cultural debates, Fred Galbraith insisted that the members of his department attended a short set of lectures on the history of ‘Black America’ so that we became familiar with the works and achievements of such as Booker T Washington, and Stephen Douglas, and the National Association of Coloured Peoples…

DFG: You mentioned you’d had a role in setting up the School Archive.

RASH: When the new Bursar Jack Thompson (Staff 65 to unknown) arrived, he made a drastic clear-out of the accumulated papers of the Padgham era.

I noticed a dozen or more tea chests stuffed with this unique documentary memory of the RGS lurking for skip collection, behind the great organ. Riffling through I found a vast stock of old photographs, some going back to the mid 19th century; stocks of books covering the history of the school, an early tasselled RGS cap, even a 17th century invoice sent to a parent, reminiscences of Old Novos in the Great War, and much else.

I had a quick word with the Bursar who said I could keep the lot if I found space for it.

Storage was supplied by Bill Thornton (Staff 49-76) amongst his props for school

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I gather some of the collection was lost after a flood in later years; given that Archivists ensure that such material is stored safe from fire, flood and damp, perhaps someone had nodded off. If this is so I hope some stock remains, it was a powerful record in its day.

DFG: Some ONs will no doubt remember outings or excursions with nostalgia?

RASH: Outside visits were a prominent feature of RGS life in the 60s. David Whitehead arranged an ‘Economics Camp’ down South, with visits to the Houses of Parliament and the Bank of England. Nearer to home there were conducted visits by economists, or enthusiasts of the RGS Transport Circle (or both) that read like a roll call of the lost industries of the ‘carboniferous capitalism’ era: Redheugh Gasworks; Dunston Power Station; Consett Steelworks; Royal Ordnance Factory, Birtley; Anglo-Great Lakes Graphite, Lemington, and the near-legendary Harton Electric Railway, South Shields. This was the last visit that I took part in; the first was down 1,200ft at Weetslade Colliery, near Gosforth.

DFG: Can you tell us something of your post-RGS life and North East reminiscences?

RASH: I left the RGS in 1973 on appointment as HM Inspector of Schools. Within a year I was District Inspector for Gateshead, later also of Sunderland. I moved South in 1978 (Kent) and later became senior HMI for

My late wife and I were keen and regular visitors to the North East (she had lived in Darlington for many years) and we often came to Newcastle. In 2002 the ONs invited me as guest speaker to their Dinner, celebrating 40 years of the Economics Department, which seemed to have grown mightily by that time. Joe McDonald also came, but alas David Whitehead had passed away by then after a distinguished career as lecturer and tutor at the University of London School of Education, where I occasionally met him. Various former pupils were there on that occasion, including current President Paul Haggie (60-67) of the Foreign Office and others. Other charges who have kept in touch include Paula Coningham (Staff 2007- present) of the Classics Department who is married to one of my nephews. Alister Cox (Staff 7294), former Headmaster, met in late 2021.

Alas, my wife contracted dementia so our visits faded after 2007; recent plans to return to the North East were torpedoed by Covid-19 lockdowns, but they remain ready to spring into action as and when.

DFG: Roger, many thanks for your reminiscences and we look forward to seeing you in Newcastle very soon.

ECONOMICS AND POLITICS D E PA R T M E N T S TA F F 1 9 6 2 - 2 0 2 2 Academic year Head of Department Teacher(s)

1962-65 1965-66 1966-72 1972-73 1973-74 1974-82 1982-86 1986-87 1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-11 2011-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-20 2020-22

Roger Hennessey Roger Hennessey

David Whitehead

Roger Hennessey

David Whitehead/Joe McDonald

Roger Hennessey

Nigel Tree/Gerry Keating

Nigel Tree

Alan Wilson/Bill Kerr/Gerry Keating

Nigel Tree

Trevor Regan/Gerry Keating

Trevor Regan

Jon Punshon/Gerry Keating/Jane Mckay

Trevor Regan

Jon Punshon/Gerry Keating/Richard Hughes

Trevor Regan

Jon Punshon/Steve Cavanagh/Suzanne Martin/Gerry Keating/Richard Hughes

Trevor Regan

Geoff Riley/Gerry Keating/Richard Hughes

Trevor Regan

Geoff Riley/Gerry Keating/Jon Punshon

Geoff Riley

Jim Keefe/Gerry Keating/Jon Punshon

Geoff Riley

Roger Loxley/Gerry Keating/Jon Punshon

Geoff Riley

Roger Loxley/Gerry Keating/Jon Punshon/Peter Shelley

Geoff Riley

Roger Loxley/Gerry Keating/Peter Shelley

Roger Loxley

Jonathan Neil/Gerry Keating/Peter Shelley

Roger Loxley

Jonathan Neil/Gerry Keating/Peter Shelley/Jonathan Ferstenberg

Roger Loxley

Jonathan Neil/Gerry Keating/Peter Shelley/Andrew Davie/Jonathan Ferstenberg

Peter Shelley

Jonathan Neil/Jonathan Ferstenberg/Roger Loxley/Andrew Davie/Jonathan Ferstenberg

Peter Shelley

Jonathan Neil/Jonathan Ferstenberg/Roger Loxley/Andrew Davie/Jonathan Ferstenberg

Peter Shelley

Jonathan Neil/Michael Smalley/Roger Loxley/Will Scott/Jonathan Ferstenberg

Peter Shelley

Jonathan Neil/Michael Smalley/Roger Loxley/Yago Moreno/Jonathan Ferstenberg

Peter Shelley

Jonathan Neil/Michael Smalley/Roger Loxley/Yago Moreno/Sue Baillie

Jonathan Neil

Peter Shelley/Michael Smalley/Roger Loxley/Yago Moreno

Jonathan Neil

Peter Shelley/Michael Smalley/Roger Loxley/Yago Moreno/Lucy Davison

Jonathan Neil

Peter Shelley/Michael Smalley/Roger Loxley/Shaun O’Dwyer/David Leightley/Lucy Davison

Jonathan Neil

Peter Shelley/Michael Smalley/Roger Loxley/Shaun O’Dwyer/Lucy Davison

Jonathan Neil

Peter Shelley/Simon Pearson/Michael Smalley/Roger Loxley/Shaun O’Dwyer/Lucy Davison

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During Summer 2021, Geoff Riley returned to RGS to wander the halls and reflect on his 10 years of teaching Economics at RGS, before leaving us to join Eton as Head of Economics and Politics. Geoff muses on some of the colleagues and Old Novos who made RGS the place he will always call home…

ECONOMICS AT T H E R G S

BY GEOFF RILEY FRSA (STAFF 88-00)

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raduates fresh out of university often arrive at a new school all guns blazing thinking they truly know their subject, although little about the nuts and bolts of teaching it. I fell firmly into that category when Alister Cox (Staff 72-94) appointed me to relocate to Jesmond in the summer of 1988 still soaking wet behind the ears from my degree at Cambridge. That said, with the benefit of hindsight, if you were to hand-pick a school, community, and a Common Room perfect for launching a teaching career now stretching well into the fourth decade, life and work on Eskdale Terrace could simply not have been bettered.

In truth, it was a little intimidating at times. The department was led by the charismatic Trevor Regan (Staff 74-90) along with Jon Punshon (Staff 82-86), Richard Hughes (Staff 86-88), and the legendary Gerry Keating (Staff 72-04). My early timetable involved an eclectic journey around the labyrinth of the old science

department and nearly every classroom adjoining school hall. Only David ‘Dusty’ Rhodes’ (Staff 6794) Geography schoolroom was sacrosanct, and I quickly learnt to walk past it in hushed tones lest I interrupted the great man from his intricate board work. But the RGS was, as I suspect it always has been, a hugely supportive platform for pedagogical trial and error, a school that nurtured passion and which prized deep subject knowledge. There have been many golden ages of staff at the RGS, but when I look back, how fortunate I was to join at a time when the school was blessed with colleagues such as Pete Wilson (Staff 89-20), Ollie Edwards (Staff from 89), Mike Downie (Staff from 89), Tim Clark (Staff 84-17), Steve Watkins (Staff 88-18), Judith Vivian (Staff 87-96), Wendy Collins (Staff 89-17), Simon Crow (Staff 93-02), Alan Seaton (Staff 89-98) and of course our great and much missed friend Neil Goldie (Staff 89-03).

Indeed, it was Neil who proofread my application to become Head of Economics in 1990 at the tender age of 26, when Trevor Regan left for the riches of Citi Bank. Thrust into a new role with limited – and I suspect barely adequate – experience, the decade that followed were truly some of the best years of my teaching career.

We appointed Jim Keefe (Staff 90-95) straight from finishing his degree at Newcastle. His no nonsense, direct and authentic approach was a wonderful help to me as student numbers grew and our Oxbridge aspirations flourished. Then, when Jim moved to King’s Macclesfield in the mid 1990s and latterly to a series of headships, and Jon Punshon took up a pastoral role at a local state school, we were incredibly fortunate to find Roger Loxley (Staff from 1995) and quickly after we convinced Peter Shelley (Staff 97-22) to move from Winchester College to help build the momentum still further. Roger’s extensive city connections provided the inspiration for the first of the London Tours and I sure it is a source of great pride within the department that they have flourished across the decades.

Those long nights in the City Hotel at the Barbican or epic suppers at Pizza Express in Moorgate live long in the memory for staff and students alike! A few months back, I took my octogenarian mother to see her cancer specialist for a regular check-up. She called him Mr Wetherspoon which I took either to be a sign of advancing years or confirmation that my Mum has a taste for their greasy all-you-can-eat breakfasts.

But no, it became abundantly clear a few moments into the consultation that her specialist was none other than one of my former students Rob Wotherspoon (92-99) and our conversation soon pushed back the years to tales of rookie north-eastern students discovering the delights of London in between rigorous sessions at Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch, or HM Treasury. The long-term value of these trips cannot be underestimated, and I think of the Tour as one of Roger’s immense legacies to Economics at the RGS.

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The RGS left an indelible mark on me, it is part of my DNA and I long for Eton halves to finish so that I can motor up the A1 and renew my acquaintance with the breath-taking Northumberland coastline” I left RGS in the summer of 2000 to become Head of Economics and Politics at Eton where I have remained ever since whilst at the same time co-founding, with twin brother Jim, the tutor2u business and brand which now counts tens of millions of users each year. Eton attracts quite a sizeable number of students from the North East, many of whom have deep-rooted Northumberland family histories or who apply for our summer schools and Sixth Form Orwell scholarships. Hearing a wonderful Tyneside lilt or working as a part-time translator for scholarship boys from Hartlepool reminds me of my spiritual home and one to which I will return. The RGS left an indelible mark on me, it is part of my DNA and I long for Eton halves to finish so that I can motor up the A1 and renew my acquaintance with the breath-taking Northumberland coastline.

One of the great joys of teaching is to witness former students cutting their own successful career paths in the profession. Mike Smalley (85-95, Staff from 05) has given huge service to the RGS inside and outside of the classroom and Ben White (89-99) is now Housemaster & Head of Economics and Business at St. Peter’s School, York, part of a formidable team of teachers that reminds me very much of the RGS days. There are legions of former students for whom Economics at the RGS provided such a rich foundation for their future careers in the markets, in business and in academia. Mike Metcalfe (83-93) my Hockey captain is now Head of Macro Strategy at State Street Global Markets. David Raw (92-99) is Head of Banking and Credit Team at HM Treasury. Chris Peacock (82-92) leads the education department at the Bank of England. And Nick Fawcett (93-00) is Vice President at the BlackRock Investment Institute at BlackRock after positions with Goldman Sachs and the Bank of England.

We celebrate 60 years of Economics at the RGS this year. The department has a proud tradition of developing students blessed with intellectual curiosity, independent thinkers and people who see and value the bigger picture beyond the narrow boundaries of an A Level specification. I am sure the next generation of teaching colleagues arriving on Eskdale Terrace will be as excited as I was all those years ago.

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40 YEARS OF RGS ECONOMICS 2022 isn’t the first time RGS has celebrated our Economics Department. The 40th anniversary of both the Economics and Politics Departments was marked by a staff reunion event at St James’ Park on 12 October 2002.

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oger Loxley recalls the celebration: “We had recently done “40 Years On” as a play in the school hall so the idea of celebrating an anniversary was on my mind when I realised that the department was going to be 40 years old. So it seemed entirely appropriate to run an event to celebrate that.

It was important to me to have both ex-staff and ex-students together to celebrate the anniversary and I was especially pleased to get almost all the ex-staff together, some of whom had not met up for many years. The range of ages and experience was great to see.

We had teamed up with the ONA to make a day of it by having both a lunch and then move onto the evening with the ON Dinner with its focus being on the 40th anniversary of the department.

I find it slightly hard to believe that I planned and ran the 40th anniversary and now we’re doing the 60th – how time flies!

The lunch we had was in the corporate hospitality area of St James’ Park with a great view of the pitch behind us. We had a really good range of ex-students attending from a variety of backgrounds but all able to meet their ex-teachers again.”

REMEMBERING FRANK BUDDEN

BY LOUISE PIFFERO ARCHIVIST Frank J Budden (Staff 62-80) clearly had a huge impact on the teaching of mathematics and wider school life during his 23 years of service at RGS. He joined us in 1959 before making Head of Department three years later.

His valete for The Novocastrian noted his dedication, integrity, and absolute enthusiasm for mathematics.

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udden studied Mathematics at Kings College, London, graduating in 1939. His talent was already evident then and he was awarded the Lubbock Memorial Prize. After serving during the Second World War he became a teacher. His first role was teaching maths and music at Ripon Grammar School (47-49).

Maths became a popular subject at RGS under Budden’s leadership, with high numbers taking it at O Level. His reputation in the field extended much further than our walls as Budden was a member of Council of the Mathematics Association during his time teaching. He led the British team in the International Mathematical Olympiad, both in 1971 and 1973 – nine of our RGS students competed in the IMO over the years. He published a number of books, including An Introduction to Algebraic Structures (1975).

Budden himself presented a copy to the RGS Library

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and it is now preserved in our Archive.

Not only was he an exceptional mathematician, he was an incredibly talented musician yet with no formal training. A choir leader, conductor and instrumentalist, he was involved in music at all of the schools he taught at, including RGS. Here he led the madrigal choir and a small orchestral choir.

After retiring, he became President of the Mathematics Association in 1982.

Readers can find out more about the life and work of Frank Budden in a forthcoming article by Tony Gardiner and Chris Tew to be published in The Mathematical Gazette in 2023.

References: ‘Valete: Mr. F.J. Budden’, The Novocastrian, Volume 87, Issue 3 (1980), pp. 3-4. Available online at: https://bit.ly/RGSFrankBudden

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REFLECTIONS

BY ROGER LOXLEY FORMER HEAD OF ECONOMICS AT RGS 2022 marks the 60th Anniversary of the RGS Economics Department, and it is also the year that Roger Loxley, former Head of Economics, will retire from his role as Deputy Head (Academic). Roger will stay on the RGS staff, continuing to teach Economics. Here, he reflects on his time at RGS and especially the Economics Trips to London.

When did the first tour happen?

I arrived at RGS in 1995 fresh from a PGCE and a ten-year career in banking and finance. As such I was still very much in contact with my old colleagues at HSBC. I was also very interested in learning in a real-world context and keen to use the contacts I had for the benefit of the students. I was aware that the department had run a tour to London in the past so Jon Punshon and I decided to put together an itinerary to re-launch the Tour. We went south in March 1996 with a handful of students in a minibus.

Why did you do it?

I’d always been keen to take students out of school. I did it during my PGCE in central London where I took 24 Y8 students to St Paul’s cathedral to study circles (I was teaching a bit of maths at the time). They loved it and it really brought the topic to life.

I also took my L6 students to the Job Centre to look at the realities of unemployment, both in London and at RGS. So, to travel to London to visit banks and hear from industry experts was a bit of a no-brainer.

It brings the subject to life and has the added benefit of making sometimes sceptical students realise that their teachers do know what they’re talking about!

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How did you pick the hosts and where to go?

I had a good list of contacts and so did Jon so we pooled our resources. I think we went to HSBC, James Capel, CitiBank and a couple of other institutions to hear from top people. Over time, we’ve blatantly abused our list of contacts and as a result we’ve had talks from some seriously impressive people including the early days of Steven King’s tenure at HSBC (he went on to be Chief Economist), Darshini David (now on the Today programme as Economics correspondent), Martin Weale (Economics guru and ex-MPC member), Gus O’Donnell at the Treasury and most recently David Smith from The Times. These are big names and for our students to hear from them is a wonderful opportunity. But, and this is really important to me, it’s not just hearing from them but being able to ask them questions that makes the difference. They come across as people as a result and that’s what sticks in the memory.

through our various networks. That makes the tour fairly stable in who we visit. Not a bad thing, but it does mean that we haven’t diversified much. What has changed immeasurably is what we can get away with.

It’s been 27 years since the first tour I did and what we did then we would certainly not be able to do now. At its height the tour used to go for three nights and we’d give students the last night off on their own to explore the West End. That couldn’t happen now. So the tour is down to one night where we can keep the students under our direct supervision for most of the time. That’s changed it, of course, and we’ve lost the late night long chats with students over a beer or two. I think that’s a shame but times change, as they say. At the instigation of Susan Beck in the RGS Development Team we do now have a wonderful evening in the House of Lords courtesy of the kindness of Lord Timothy Kirkhope (53-62) and we get to see lots of ONs there to do some great networking and casual inspiration.

What were the objectives and how did they change over time?

The main aim was to give the students an experience they would not forget. That meant the tour had to be seriously informative and the quality of the talks had to be top-notch. The few times we’ve had duff talks are when we’ve been subject to the standard “school talk” at places like the Bank of England or the Treasury. These are well-meaning and designed by the Education Department of the organisation and aimed at school kids. But I’ve always thought of RGS students as better than that, as proper Economists and thus able to cope with much more complex language and ideas. That’s what sticks with the students.

It also is what makes the speakers come back year after year. The students’ questions show them to be fearless and inquisitive and not interested in making themselves look good (as tends to be the case in more corporate settings). But it was also really important that the tour was fun and gave the students a real flavour of London. Being an ex-pat myself and a North East immigrant from the South, I really wanted to encourage our students to see London, go and work there at the start of their careers and then come back to the North East bringing their human capital with them.

How do you think the tour has affected those who went on it?

I hope that the tour has had a lasting impact on those that went. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea and some will have found it less useful. But I know that there were some, if not many, for whom it was a bit of a life-changer and if I can provide that opportunity for young people then I’m doing my job. At the very least I hope it was a school trip that all students can look back on as fun and enjoyable.

How has the tour changed over time?

The talks haven’t changed – and some of the speakers won’t like being reminded that they’ve been doing them for more than 20 years in some cases! We still seek out industry experts and people we know

What were your favourite memories?

I have too many to mention, and some that I simply can’t discuss in 2022! But the fondest memories are of some truly wonderful conversations with students: in the street whilst walking to or from a talk, in the bar of the hotel discussing life and possible career choices, on the train enjoying some lighthearted fun – mostly at Jon Neil’s (Staff from 2000) expense.

But also some great talks – David Mackie has always been a highlight for me, a man of great intellect and a true enthusiast for his subject. But also the amazing willingness that makes the speakers come back time and time again. To set the tour up can take as little as ten minutes – half a dozen emails with some quick replies and it’s done.

How will the tour carry on once you’ve retired?

I honestly have no idea. I’ve been running it for over 20 years now since Jon and then Geoff Riley left so it’s my contacts and, to an extent, my tour. I hope it can continue; it’s got to be bigger than me.

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Some Old Novos share some of their memories of the famous RGS Economics Trips to London: Jeff Ball (95-02) (Above) The Tour was what made Economics “click” for me.

Before that I struggled to understand the theory but by seeing it in practice at these leading financial institutions, it all started to make sense. It gave me the confidence to complete a Master’s degree in International Economics and Finance at Newcastle and that helped me find a role at FTSE 250-listed wealth manager, Brewin Dolphin, where I am now a Director within the Investment Management team.

Nicholas Fawcett (93-00) I owe my career to the RGS Economics tour.

It’s hard to overstate the inspiration of seeing people live and breathe what we had been studying in the classroom. It gave me career advice (from a Treasury official who went on to head the civil service), a future boss I ended up working with at the Bank of England, and a network from which I have sought advice many times over the past twenty years. I will always be grateful to the RGS economics teachers for their commitment to it.

Kieran Houston (96-03) The tour made me realise the extent of the privilege we all had as RGS students (or maybe just students of you!) to have that type of opportunity. It made me sure I definitely didn’t want to work in finance or banking!

Richard Cahill (87-98) I remember the Economics trip which was a great way to see the immense relevance of what we were studying and the teachers brought boundless energy to the trip, meaning it was filled with lots of great meetings.

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MEMORIES OF ECONOMICS AT R G S In this piece, some Old Novos from across the decades, share their standout memories from their time studying the subject.

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Nick Muse (60-70) This photograph, taken on the terrace of the Houses of Parliament, is of the first (I believe) RGS Economics Tour to London.

It first appeared, I recall, in the NOVO magazine under the caption “Jim Yarwood Mingles with the Mighty”. It was around 68 or 69, a time of flower power, The Beatles, and psychedelia — when this group of rather grey Lower Sixth young men set off on a whirlwind trip around the economic sights of London. The man hosting for the day – holding a note in his hand – was William Elliot, the local MP for Newcastle North. He was a rarity as one of the few MPs to represent Newcastle as a member of the Conservative Party. That day we were shown around Parliament and those that applied to their MP were able to sit in on a Select Committee and attend a debate in the Visitor’s Gallery. Other highlights of the trip were a visit to the Stock Exchange; lunch at the Bank of England; an evening trip to a Fleet Street newspaper being “put to bed”; and a tour round either the Ford car plant at Dagenham or the Wiggins Teape paper factory. It was all good fun and very informative but I don’t remember there being much socialising or secret drinking going on as we stayed in a school dormitory on the outskirts of London.

We were all doing the “Arts” side of an Economics A Level. This consisted of Economic History (ie the Industrial Revolution), Political Theory (from Karl Marx to Edmund Burke) and the British Constitution. The “Science” side of the subject was more to do with Applied Economics and Maths. For those who can remember think Rash Hennessy (Staff 6273) v’s Frank Budden (Staff 62-80).

I think we all did reasonably well at the school’s first attempt at Economics A Levels. One or two even went on to study it and related subjects at University.

Names on photo (left to right): ‘Pop’ Robson, unknown, Reevel Anderson, Alan Weir, Chris Owen, unknown, Alan Hansel, Norman Maitland, Hope, unknown, Tully Dewar, Jan Hesselberth, unknown, Al Hird, William Elliot MP, Mr Whitehead, Jim Yarwood, unknown (friend of teacher), Armstrong, Charles Smith, Robin Graham, Ian White, Edmondson, Pardoe, Richard Winter, Keith Cull, Townsend, Keith Proudfoot, Nick Muse

Ian Quickfall (55-65) In the summer of 63, after some modest success at GCE O Level, I was ready to embark on my A Level career. At the time the policy was not to waste time taking exams in a lot of subjects and so the choice of which three A Levels to select was by no means straight forward. English was out.

I had never liked the approach adopted by MG Robinson (Staff 34-72) and the thought of another two years was not inspiring.

On the other hand I had enjoyed the History lessons of Fred Galbraith (Staff 30-31 & 49-68) and Alan Mitchell and was quite happy to continue with the Geography lessons of Colin Nichols. Not being a boxer or a potential first eleven cricketer or a trainspotter meant that I did not have much connection with either of the Meakin brothers.

Word had reached us that Roger Hennessy was almost an even snappier dresser than the marvellous Macleod (what a contrast after Slinker Owen) and so Economics looked like a good third bet.”

A third subject was still needed. Word had reached us that Roger Hennessy was almost an even snappier dresser than the marvellous Macleod (what a contrast after Slinker Owen) and so Economics looked like a good third bet. Within a term it had become my lead subject and a fanatical cultish clique of economists had been born. We rushed to his lessons, eagerly lapping up the torrent of information and anecdotes that poured forth from the moustachioed marvel.

Thus was the cult perpetuated. Results were excellent (I even won a prize) and a place to read Economics and Economic History at Durham duly followed. A PGCE at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge led to me embark on a career teaching Economics, first at RGS Worcester and then at Malvern College. I drew heavily on the examples set by my teachers at RGS, in many cases to help me how NOT to do it but the gentle humour of Rashtash

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stood me in good stead though I am pleased that careers’ advice has improved considerably in the intervening years. Happy days indeed and I am pleased to see that his successors maintained the fine reputation that he helped to establish.

Ian Gardhouse (54-64) I was one of the original Economics students in 62. I remember Roger Hennessey introducing himself to us on our very first session by saying he was RAS Hennessey “rather unfortunate initials, I’m afraid”. He later provided one of the best quotes on the British Constitution I have ever some across.

Regarding election manifestoes he cited: “No-one but a fool would demand a promise. None but a knave would give one”. Despite many efforts I have never been able to source it, and I have been forced to wonder whether it was all his own work. Whichever, it deserves a wider currency. In fact he was always a stimulating and entertaining teacher with an urbane manner whose approach was to welcome us into a sophisticated and intelligent adult world. What could be higher praise for a teacher? He might have affected a borderline louche and almost cynical manner at times, but his enthusiasm for the subject never flagged.

Nor did his mission to engage us. Largely thorough his inspiration I went on to read Politics and Philosophy at Bristol University. Although my direct involvement in the subjects sadly waned after those three years, I went on to Teach, Lecture and then became a Producer and Editor at BBC Radio. Hennessey later became a School Inspector, I encountered him again when I moved in to a house at the end of the terrace on which he lived in Gosforth. I was about to be married, and he asked about it. I professed that my wife-to-be and I would have been happy to dispense with the formal ceremonials, but he impressed upon me that the day did not really belong to us, but to our parents. More wise words more people could heed today. I have nothing but admiration, and fond memories of my whole period with him. One of the most influential people I met.

Manu Rangar (95-00) I studied medicine post RGS Economics A Level; I was the only one in the set who didn’t apply to University to study Economics or social sciences, having been one of five pupils to get an A. It was all thanks to Geoff Riley (Staff 88-00).

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Michael Smalley (85-95, Staff from 05) I was so lucky to be taught by Jim Keefe (Staff 90-95) – a top man with high expectations and a wicked sense of humour – and to have Geoff Riley as a Tutor. Both were razor sharp, had an edge, but were well liked and respected because they were superb at their job, they weren’t soft touches and they expected you to deliver on your potential! Geoff left soon after me to become Head of Department at Eton and is something of a trailblazer with tutor2u.net. I owe both of them a huge debt of gratitude – I love what I do now, because of them.

I cannot thank the RGS economics department enough, especially Mr Smalley. He certainly hit the brief.” that Covid-19 would not have a large impact on the UK economy – but the greatest opportunity was the Old Novo drinks at the House of Lords, meeting and talking to Max Hill (72-82) and Scarlett Milligan (09-11) was inspirational.

Even though I sadly did not go on to study Economics (I am reading Law at UCL), the subject gave me the most fantastic opportunities to study the world in a different way, as well as helping me with all my other subjects.

I cannot thank the RGS economics department enough, especially Mr Smalley. He certainly hit the brief.

Millie Robson (09-20) Choosing A Level Economics was a gamble to say the least - having never studied it and not entirely knowing what to expect, I was at least slightly nervous. Walking out of that first lesson I knew I had made the correct decision. Mr Smalley welcomed Sohabib ‘Zibby’ Ghafoor (18-20) and I, the only novice economists, into the class as if we had been studying it as long as everyone else. He was amazing - available from early till late, kind and open to providing endless explanations to 1001 questions, no matter how seemingly stupid (apparently there is no such thing, unless I ask for a calculator in an exam to work out 10% of 100). The entire department was fantastic - having two different teachers in Sixth Form allowed me to benefit from varied teaching styles, always with the same level of encouragement and help when needed, as well as allowing me to make friends with people I’d never really spoken to before.

The highlight (other than the American States Quiz) was the economics trip to London in 2020. The funniest part was being assured by an expert at HSBC

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Simon Evans (85-95) I have many, many fond memories of studying GCSE and then A Level economics under the tutelage of Mr Keefe.

Economics class was always the highlight and somehow blended teaching excellence in the topic with a riotous good time. I went on to do undergrad and postgrad economics and use it every day in my working life doing government procurement in Australia.

Peter Hutchinson (60-68) I was in one of the first years to study Economics to A Level, in 1967. I have the impression that previously it was taught as an ancillary subject from the 4th form onwards. When I started we were taught by a young but very focussed master called David Whitehead, under the guidance of RAS Hennessy, an inspirational teacher. Roger Hennessy taught me politics/economics at S Level, and encouraged me to apply to Balliol, since “they are the only place that will put up with you”. Great advice for the first in his family to go to university! As a new subject in the school they had some challenges getting it taken seriously, but were excellent and created a first class department.

Philip Grindrod (71-78) I did A Level Economics, in 78, taught by Trevor Regan (Staff 74-90) and Nigel Tree (Staff 72-82) if I remember rightly.

Contrasting characters, who both communicated enthusiasm for and knowledge of their subject. I have a faint recollection that one day they got a don from (I think) Newcastle University to give a talk, and it gradually became clear that he had been perhaps over-exuberantly entertained beforehand. I went on to read Economics at Caius (and later Birkbeck), following hot on the heels of John Scaife (67-77) from the year above, and then joined the Government Economic Service. Subsequently I transferred to the administrative side and that’s what I’m still doing.

I remember the RGS Economics trip which was a great way to see the immense relevance of what we were studying and the teachers brought boundless energy to the trip, meaning it was filled with lots of great meetings.”

Richard Cahill (88-98) I studied Economics GCSE and A Level, achieving As at both. I was taught by Geoff Riley for GCSE and then Roger Loxley (Staff from 1995) at A Level. It was by far my favourite subject at school. After my degree, I went on to get an MSc in Development Economics at the University of Manchester. After spending the first part of my career working in Corporate Tax for a variety of household names, I returned to Economics working for the Migration Advisory Committee, which advises the Home Secretary on migration issues. It’s a great place to do Economics as there is a real impact from our analysis.

My review of the fiscal impacts of migration was discussed at Cabinet level which is a great honour. I remember the RGS Economics trip which was a great way to see the immense relevance of what we were studying and the teachers brought boundless energy to the trip, meaning it was filled with lots of great meetings.

Ultimately, my career has ended up being directly influenced by those days spent learning the basics at RGS. Thanks for all the memories.

THE BUSINESS O F COV I D

BY ANUSHKA ARADHYULA (09-20) Anushka is the first RGS girl to be accepted to Oxford University to study Economics and Management, indeed the first person from RGS for 25 years. Anushka studied Economics at GCSE and was inspired by the subject to continue her studies to A Level, under the supervision of Michael Smalley (85-95, Staff from 05).

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nushka was one of the Class of 2020 who had their school career curtailed by Covid-19 and endured a first year at University restricted by the disease and regulations. This experience has not stopped her, and she writes here a pertinent observation of the effect of Covid-19 on business.

Covid-19 has forced extreme change in almost every aspect of life, and business is no exception. The pandemic has propelled the growth of innovations and even entire organisations that once would have been rejected by consumers.

Equally, it has forced the decline of companies that once seemed invincible and deeply engrained in our lives. The last two years have signalled a striking shift in consumer and organisational behaviour – and it is difficult to predict how this will evolve.

The pandemic has been a powerful catalyst for innovation and has starkly demonstrated the repercussions of inertia. The rapid enforcement of lockdowns and restrictions has propelled the development of countless new offerings from organisations attempting to survive. Gyms, for instance, were forced to provide virtual workouts to continue charging membership fees; delivery services were expanded and adapted to provide a contactless solution for grocery shopping in the age of social distancing.

Those that failed to innovate fell behind, while those that demonstrated flexibility

were rewarded. Zoom is a powerful example of an organisation that played to emergent circumstances, providing a solution for schools to deliver online classes, and for employees to work from home. The company thus achieved unprecedented success, becoming a household name, and a prominent feature in the Oxford Dictionary in 2020.

The rapid emergence of new businesses has been equally, if not more, striking. In 2020, more than 400,000 startups were formed in the UK alone. This was first attributed to the tremendous

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Experts have suggested that we are entering a new ‘era of pandemics’; if so, Covid-19 is not the last disruptive force that organisations will face.”

‘free time’ that many had been gifted, exams cancelled and staff furloughed.

Recently, however, it has become clear that many new ventures were equally a product of opportunity, capitalising upon crisis to meet previously non-existent needs. Commercial cleaning companies developed to offer corporate ‘decontamination’ services in light of new guidance; private testing brands now offer support to customers as they navigate rules surrounding testing and travel. Such providers have emerged on high streets and in shopping centres, built above the ghosts of old department stores and multinational brands. They boast flashy branding, catchy rhyming names, and painfully high prices of up to £100.

Evidently, the success of these ventures has been tied to the events of the pandemic. The question then arises: how sustainable are the profits these businesses have seen? For instance, as economies across the globe begin to remove or alter testing rules, how will private test providers adapt their business model to continue generating revenue?

The UK, notably, has relaxed the requirement for pre-departure tests and the need for PCRs upon arrival – this will have consequences for not only domestic providers, but international firms, too.

Moreover, it is unlikely that Zoom or other platforms will be made entirely redundant, as we enter a new ‘age’ of work from home. Yet, as many offices move towards a hybrid working model, will the profitability of these applications decline in the future?

Experts have suggested that we are entering a new ‘era of pandemics’; if so, Covid-19 is not the last disruptive force that organisations will face. It is therefore difficult to predict what new opportunities will arise, and how businesses will continue to evolve and adapt. However, it has long been said that necessity is the mother of invention – and perhaps, now, crisis is the mother of profit.

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CHARLES HUT TON THE GEORDIE WHO WEIGHED T H E E A RT H

BY JOHN SMITH (STAFF 04 TO PRESENT) RGS DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS AND FORMER HEAD OF MATHS As former RGS parent, (The Viscount) Matt Ridley writes in his recent book, How Innovation Works, “…innovation is nearly always a gradual, not a sudden thing. Eureka moments are rare, possibly non-existent”

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idley investigates this thesis in realms as diverse as Computing, Healthcare and Food, but it is in the context of Scientific innovation that his well-argued book resonated with me. In the history of Physics and my own subject of Mathematics, breakthroughs are almost always an iterative, collaborative process: a succession of great minds each standing on the proverbial shoulders of giants.

It can take a veritable human pyramid of such giants to crack even the simplest of questions.

Think: ‘Why is the sky blue?’, ‘How did the Universe begin?’ or, more pertinent to this article, ‘How much does the Earth weigh?’.

It is the last of these questions that troubled the former coal-miner, school teacher and criminally forgotten Geordie genius, Charles Hutton. In the book, Gunpowder and Geometry: The Life of Charles Hutton, Pit Boy, Mathematician and Scientific Rebel, author Benjamin Wardhaugh takes us on a breath-taking journey from the coal-pits of Newcastle to the highest echelons of the British scientific establishment, taking in tutoring of Royal Grammar School students on the way.

We learn of a man of innate intellectual curiosity: dare I say, someone who embodied a real Love of Learning and a true Ambition to Succeed.

Building on the work of Sir Isaac Newton, who had established the link between motion and mass in the late 1600s (the Universal Law of Gravitation), it was not until 100 years later that Hutton set about designing the experiments that would help to weigh the earth. Needless to say, he couldn’t place the earth on the bathroom scales. So, how was this feat to be achieved?

Well, first of all, he needed to find an object big enough to displace a hanging plumb-line through its gravitational pull.

In 1774, he was in luck: the Reverend Nevil Maskelyne, Astronomer Royal, had found an unusually symmetrical and largeenough mountain in the Scottish Highlands: Schiehallion. Maskelyne was able to measure the angle of deflection of the plumbline in the vicinity of the gravitational pull of the mountain, providing a key clue on which Hutton could build his work.

Four years later, Hutton used these measurements to calculate the density of the Earth, which he figured to be 4.5 times that of water, and surprisingly higher than the density of rock. The scientists were edging closer to the mass of the Earth, but it took Henry Cavendish another 20 years to finish the line of enquiry at his mansion in London.

Sarah Sharp

Think: ‘Why is the sky blue?’, ‘How did the Universe begin?’ or, more pertinent to this article, ‘How much does the Earth weigh?’.”

Recommended Reading: How Innovation Works, Matt Ridley (2020) is out in paperback Gunpowder and Geometry: The Life of Charles Hutton, Pit Boy, Mathematician and Scientific Rebel, Benjamin Wardhaugh (2019) Universal: A Journey Through the Cosmos, Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw (2016) is an accessible place to start for the detail of the maths and physics behind Hutton’s work and those of his contemporaries.

History of the Royal Grammar School, Mains and Tuck (2016) is the definitive history of the school.

The polar opposite of Hutton, an eccentric ‘man of independent means’, he devised a fiendishly ingenious contraption to measure the displacement of suspended balls via a series of pulleys, improving on Hutton’s density approximation in Schiehallion.

As Cox and Forshaw note, “Hutton remained sceptical of Cavendish’s measurement until the day he died’.

Inspired by Hutton, Scottish mathematician John Playfair took the baton and returned the Scottish mountains to refine Hutton’s original, crude, but surprisingly accurate calculation. As Hutton would later write, somewhat pointedly, “…the preference, in point of accuracy, seems to be decidedly in favour of the large mountain experiment over that of the small balls.”

With modern methods, we must now concede that the Londoner was indeed more accurate than the Geordie, but there was not much in it! From Cavendish’s density number, the mass of the Earth could be deduced using what is now GCSE Level Maths to be 5.9 x 10^24, with the actual value measured as 5.97 x 10^24. Not a bad level of accuracy for the late 18th century!

As I learned of Hutton’s time as a school master in Newcastle, I was struck by the parallels between the educational landscape of the town then and my current mission to build partnerships between the RGS and local schools now. There is a long tradition of collaboration between Newcastle schools. In the Mains & Tuck History of the Royal Grammar School, we learn that through the late 1700s, Newcastle was home to a good number of private schools: ‘…at least fifty-seven private schools or academies have been identified as operating in Newcastle in the last thirty years of the century’.

Furthermore, ‘…one that gained a reputation beyond the town was that of Charles Hutton’. Hutton’s school was near

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the Grammar School’s then site on Westgate Street and ‘a great proportion of the Grammar School pupils attended Mr Hutton to learn Mathematics’.

Even after Hugh Moises’ modernisation of the curriculum in 1793, ‘students continued to attend private schools or academies for special subjects, such as Hutton’s for Mathematics’.

Having taken on the role of Director of Partnerships at RGS in January 2021, I am delighted and honoured to continue this spirit of collaboration among North East educators towards the common aim to raise the aspirations and attainment of students across the region, irrespective of background and means.

In the past year, we have been hugely excited to launch the work of our Physics and Maths Partnerships teachers: Tom Williams and Sarah Sharp. Tom and Sarah’s work is funded by the Reece Foundation, with each working partly in RGS, but mainly in the wider community.

Tom’s CREST Award strand of work in local schools is very much in the spirit of the Hutton era: providing opportunities for gifted students to devise experiments and to test hypotheses in the context of local industry and innovation. One of his recent projects with students at Benfield school has been to design a Raspberry Pi-operated music player to work in the casing of Victorian Radios at Beamish Museum. While Hutton had to do without micro-chips and WiFi on his treks to Schiehallion, his spirit of enquiry, endeavour, collaboration and curiosity certainly lives on in the outward-looking, modern RGS community.

To learn more about our Partnerships work, contact John on j.smith@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk

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MEMORIES OF RGS

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BY ANDREW FITTON (64-75) I remember the day in the late 1960’s that it happened. Back then, those of us who couldn’t keep up with the classicists, or who had no interest in trying, were offered the opportunity to take the “easy” route and study Economics instead.

Andrew the young rally driver, 1981 Below: Andrew in his role as Chairman of Swindon Town FC, 2009

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t best a poor Latin student, the school had written during the holidays to offer me an escape.

But the choice was not to be mine because my Mother, a formidable widow who had enjoyed a war serving with the Intelligence Service in far off places, had already made that decision. The box had been ticked and the letter returned; fortunately our stars were aligned and so my tenure in Room 9 (for that was where most Economics was taught) commenced.

We were a small group of “second-class citizens”, a “Dirty Dozen” led, in our case, not by Lee Marvin but by David Whitehead (Staff 65-72), a young (by RGS standards at the time) thoughtful man who loved his subject and who along with Roger ‘Rash’ Hennessey (Staff 62-73) drove the wedge to make room for this most important of subjects. In most disciplines, whether sporting, musical, or academic, success has more to do with inspiration than pure talent and David Whitehead lit the fire for many of us.

The ‘AO’ Level syllabus at the time was titled something like “Principles & Institutions” and to its eternal credit it offered a wide ranging canter through, not only the basic principles of micro and macro but, just as importantly, the organisation of financial institutions, manufacturing, co-operative societies, unions, friendly societies, etc. We were guided by a man who wanted us to understand that there was a reason that Economics was a social science; the study of the satisfaction of needs and wants, scarcity and choice, not the mathematical modelling exercise that it

Above: Andrew as John Proctor at Central Newcastle High School, 1974

has so often become but instead capitalism with a conscience. Geographers like to remind us of the importance of their studies by saying “geography is all around us”; aspiring economists could learn a lot by understanding that “economics touches everyone”. Despite the quality of those who followed, the school lost a guiding light the day that David announced that he was leaving to teach at a college in London where he also had some involvement with the left leaning think-tank the Fabian Society.

He had left a mark on all those that he taught and he remembered each one of us.

The last time I heard from him was a letter on the eve of my A Level exams wishing me and my fellow students “Good Luck”. David died too early only a few years later.

The study of Economics was a “light bulb” moment for me. In my early years at the RGS I was not a good student, my maverick nature compounded by academic laziness had already caused the headmaster WD ‘Bill’ Haden (Staff 60-72) to implore my Mother to give me the opportunity to blossom somewhere other than Eskdale Terrace (I think that banishment to Fettes may have been suggested). But, she was not a woman to be messed with and she stubbornly resisted his entreaties while simultaneously threatening me with the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. It wasn’t either of these that “lit the fuse” but instead that I had, at last, found a subject that I not only enjoyed but that I was good at.

Suddenly, and without apparent effort I was “top of the class” in something, and that gave me a position to defend. It’s an important motivational point - looking over your shoulder at the chasing pack is so much more compelling than sitting at the back of the field and wondering how on

earth you are going to overtake them all.

And success breeds success. “At 18 and by this time Deputy Head Boy, Bill Haden (by then retired and not a man noted for apologies), invited me to join him for a lunch, where he said "I wanted to tell you that I was wrong about you” – as Bill Shankly is credited with saying “Form is temporary, Class is permanent”.

David was followed by Nigel Tree (Staff 72-82), a good teacher and a nice man and then joined by Trevor Regan (Staff 74-90) who as a young recently qualified graduate “connected” with his students; they were good people who helped to expand the department and raise its profile in the school and they certainly helped me to fall further in love with “my” subject. But, they also did us all a disservice – they taught us too well!

My Mother died around the time of the Oxbridge Entrance Exams and, though I shan’t embarrass the institution concerned, influenced by that, my choice of university was a mistake. Trevor Regan had suggested that with nothing to keep me in the UK, I should drop everything and head to Princeton NJ - I wish that I had. Instead I ended up in a department where there was open warfare between opposing professors from Keynesian and Monetarist camps; out with the old and in with the new. The study of Economics is, in my opinion, worse for the fact that has become so mathematical and I think that this period was critical in that shift. Back then few people studied Econometrics but now, and with the advent of such computing power and the associated programs and models it has sought to become a quasi “pure” science.

Too well taught at the RGS, I learned almost nothing in my first year of University and

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little in the second. By now cars, which had always been a passion, looked far more exciting and so, it was all too easy to turn my back on university and buy a near bankrupt garage business in Whitley Bay from where I could indulge myself racing and rallying.

Some are envious of the breadth of experiences that I have had since then but as I have told my children (all much more successful academically than me), with only A Level Economics, an International Rally Drivers Licence, a Diploma in Sports Psychology, and a UEFA Football Coaching Badge to my name, there is no conventional career path. I have travelled widely across the globe, loved life living in the USA (Austin, TX is simply the greatest city in that country), managed race and rally teams at a high level, run businesses in a multitude of industries (from Computers to Communications and Heating to Healthcare) and even found time to be Chairman of two football clubs – as Alister Cox, Headmaster from 72-94 commented when I spoke at his retirement dinner – I was always searching for something, and I still am!

But in closing, from the first teachings of David Whitehead, I never lost a love for the subject. When asked what I do I still say (despite a lack of qualifications) that I am first and foremost an economist, I write occasional articles and papers under the pseudonym “The Elevator Economist” and now and again someone feels that they are good enough for publication – they are always practical and I try not to forget that this is a “social” science – capitalism with a conscience!

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A R U G B Y TA L E

BY ALAN DICKINSON (58-67) While I have pursued a lifelong career as a stockbroker, it was a love of tries, rather than trades, which has brought me much joy.

M

y journey began in ‘61 when I was 12 years of age. Recollections are dimmed with the passage of time but memories of my first competitive match for the RGS remain clear; Colin ‘Claude’ Dales (Staff 50-86) – what a gentleman – taking us on a bus to our first fixture. I was nervous; Blaydon U15’s were VERY physical.

Fast forward to the school rugby tour of ‘67. I was in the lower sixth at the time and was part of a very strong 1st XV. The late, great John Elders (57-82 & 92-96) was our coach and as we had a powerful pack including the formidable back row of Campbell, Duff and Dempster together with a strong half back combination (Fairbairn and Williams). It was no surprise that ‘10 man rugby’ was often the norm. Consequently, I never saw much of

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the ball, a pattern I have to say seemed to follow me.

Shortly after that, the selectors from Old Novocastrians RFC, as it was known then, may have seen something they liked in me as I was picked to play for Old Novos 1st XV against Northern at McCracken Park, towards the end of the 1967 season. I was only 17 and as my opposite number was a former England trialist I soon discovered the gulf between school and club rugby.

I left the RGS 1n July 1967 on a Friday and started work as a stockbroker the following Monday. I could, and probably should, have gone to university but it was my choice in the end to go straight into business; a decision which may have contributed towards my early retirement 34 years later.

I represented the Northumberland Society for 15 years, sometimes doing four games a week; I must have done around 700 games.”

Back to rugby and Novos where I played 10 consecutive years for the 1st XV. During that time, I was team secretary which in those days involved sending out postcards and telephoning players who had not attended training on Monday evenings. I must pay tribute here to my late mother, especially on Friday nights (I was out) when the fan was proverbially hit by late cry offs.

How lucky we are these days to have the internet and Whatsapp. I also did a stint as fixture secretary and with the help of Richard Deas, inaugurated mini rugby at the club. It is really satisfying to see how this has grown over the years and I now take pleasure in seeing my own grandchildren participate.

For many years I was on the committee in charge of the ground.

Latterly, not only did I have to cut and mark the pitches but on Monday mornings had to clean out the downstairs changing rooms, toilets, showers and corridors - not the best start to the week, especially after a muddy weekend.

As I grew older, I slipped down the sides and spent many happy years playing for the old man’s team, the 7C’s. We had some wonderful times, perhaps the highlights being the tours to the Lake District where we stayed with our wives in quality hotels and played at grounds such as Ambleside. On one occasion playing there the game just stopped as a dozen or so hot air balloons suddenly appeared from behind a hill and flew over – a surreal experience.

I was elected President of Novos in 1999. We had excellent tours of Prague and Dublin during my term and I also have very fond memories of the (now not so frequent) dinner dances at various local rugby clubs where strong friendships were formed.

The highlight of my reign, however, was at Ryton in 2000. My youngest son Simon was selected to make his debut for the 1st XV. I was at the clubhouse having a beer with the officials when the bar door opened and the Novos’ captain appeared asking “Alan, have you got your kit”’. A car carrying players had broken down and they weren’t going to make it. I soon changed, donning the number 14 jersey. It was a close contest but in the second half Simon made a half break and floated out a lovely pass, enabling me to beat my man and score.

Liz and I attended the Tynedale dinner dance that night word soon got round about my exploits and needless to say I don’t remember much more about the

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evening. That isn’t the end of the story as a few years later I was officiating a match (for the Northumberland Referees’ Society) between Wallsend and Ryton 2nds.

During a break in the game a mature Ryton player came up to me and asked ‘“Aren’t you that old git who scored against us a few years ago?” I replied ‘“yes” and he said “we are still giving our winger stick about it now!”.

I represented the Northumberland Society for 15 years, sometimes doing four games a week; I must have done around 700 games. Sadly, it was quantity not the quality of games which I am probably remembered for but I had a great time, it has kept me fit and I have received wonderful hospitality from all the clubs I have visited over the years.

Thanks to Dave Charlton (a top Northumberland referee) who allowed me to referee the second half of the John Elders game at Novos in 2017, I did realise my ambition to referee Novos 1st XV at Sutherland Park.

I haven’t mentioned the many tours of Amsterdam and France which we all thoroughly enjoyed but there is a saying about what happens on tour! However, one of the funniest moments was almost certainly in France where the story involves a few of us ordering steak, receiving steak tartare, then ordering cognac and matches!

There are so many more, including such gems as breaking my collar bone at Gateshead Fell three weeks before my wedding and on another occasion arriving home on a Saturday evening with Liz, my wife, asking “have you forgotten something?”; ‘something’ being our youngest son Simon aged four months in his carrycot behind the bar at Novos!

Covid-19, of course, has resulted in a long period of inactivity. I have missed refereeing, I have also missed assessing which I had taken up prior to Covid but most of all have missed playing and the associated camaraderie which the team environment brings. The journey is not yet at an end. On 28 September 2021 I played for Novos’ Vets in a competition at Morpeth RFC. I was ‘rusty,’ being polite, but thoroughly enjoyed the evening playing against a lot of people who knew me from my refereeing days. I am pleased to report that I could move the following morning so am prepared to give it another go if selected. What a great game rugby is - I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

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FORTY SHADES O F PA I N 2022 sees staff, present and former, parents and ONs making up the first RGS Great North Run team. Their goal – alongside finishing the race – is to raise much needed funds for the Bursary Campaign. When we announced this initiative, Chris Purdon (69-80) shared with us his impressive GNR journey, having completed his 40th Great North.

S

o, here I am again, on the start line at the very front of the Great North Run, the world’s largest halfmarathon, for the 40th time. I am in the first of four waves of runners starting at different times throughout the morning.

It’s a welcome return after one of the most challenging experiences in living memory and the postponement of the event in 2020. It’s still only 9am, 40 minutes until the gun is fired for the off. Plenty of time to reflect on how I got here and why I’ve spent two-thirds of my life competing in the event. Where did all the years go?

What happened to all those friends I used to run with? Can I get a message back to my 19-year-old self to say, “Whatever you do, keep going. You’ll still be doing this in 40 years’ time”. To which the reply comes back, ‘Oh! Do I have to?”.

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I’m standing in the starting pen with the rest of the “All Great North Runs Club”, the 81 people who’ve completed every race since 1981. It’s an eclectic mixture of club runners, fun runners, fancy dressers and, increasingly, walkers. At 59, I’m the third youngest, and by quite a margin. Most are in their 60s and 70s; the oldest two are well into their 80s. The organiser of the club is on the telephone hotline to Sir Brendan Foster: they’re starting us on the wrong side of the central motorway in Newcastle; there are metal crash barriers in V-shapes across the road which are dangerous and give no room for the fancy dressers to pass through; and why aren’t we starting immediately behind the elite like we usually do? Not that 40 years entitles us to being snobbish or anything.

Of course the organisers have had to change the procedures at the start to control the flow of 57,000 runners on the course and

reduce crowding across the event because of Covid-19.

And for 2021, the route is different. It’s an out-and-back course with a turn-around point at 6½ miles, finishing back in central Newcastle, rather than the straight run to the coast at South Shields. So we’ll be passing subsequent waves of runners on the way back, and be very close to the spectators on both sides of the road: the sweets on offer, the children holding out grubby hands wanting “high fives”, the myriad home-made signs of support. But there is more grumbling in the ranks of the All Great North Runs Club: the last two miles of the course are seriously uphill from the banks of the River Tyne, through Newcastle city centre, to the finish along the old Great North Road. It’s not going to be easy.

I glance down at the ever-so-expensive racing shoes I’ve bought for the occasion.

They’re those new Nike Zoomfly thingies (other running shoes are available) with a carbon-fibre plate that caused all the controversy in world athletics. Not that I’m obsessed with knocking another few seconds per mile off your time. Oh no. I’ve been averaging 40 to 50 miles a week in training for the past year and a half, with all the attendant niggly injuries. So what can possibly go wrong now? I get into a conversation with one of the elite club runners. He asks what my blue-hooped number means, and I explain they are given to the runners who’ve done every race. He then asks what time I’m hoping to run, and I reply between 1 hour 30 minutes and 1 hour 45. You haven’t done any other races this year, so predicting this is a bit of a lottery. And what is your personal best?

I reply 1 hour 15 minutes, set 26 years previously. He seems impressed by all of this, but I say there’s nothing special about it all, it’s just been a matter of keeping going, by hook or by crook, year after year.

Now there are only 10 minutes to go. Time to take off the old clothes and the bin liner I’ve used to keep warm and throw them to the side. And then a token attempt at some stretching. I think it will do me good, but deep down I know it won’t make much difference. I wish some last-minute expressions of “good luck” and “see you at the finish” to my compatriots in the All Great North Runs Club. The marshals walk us forward to the start line. One minute left, and silence. Everything around me disappears. It’s a moment of complete stillness as my mind switches from nervous tension to concentration. The only way to describe the experience is “transcendental” because it feels as though my whole running career has led to this moment.

That final minute seems to be longest and the shortest at the same time.

Boom! The explosion of the artillery gun brings me back to reality. We’re off and running. All around people are jostling for position. Must sprint the first mile as quickly as possible to get clear of the other runners and earn some space on the road. I’m only vaguely aware of the crowd on the side cheering. But we’re free, and the left-hand side by the gutter is clear. How does the sprint feel? Bearable. Can you keep it up for the first mile? Possibly. Which is the correct answer because it means I’m going neither too fast nor too slow. Down the underpass on the central motorway we go, still sprinting. It’s all downhill, which helps.

The first mile marker approaches; 6 minutes 10 seconds and it still feels comfortable.

A short, punchy climb up to the Tyne Bridge and we rejoin the crowds. There’s so much noise now, from both sides of the road.

Across the bridge we come to the first real climb of the race, through Gateshead.

Now it begins to hurt. Despite all that hill work I did in training, my legs are starting to feel a bit lactic. Don’t think about that.

I divert my mind onto something else: the steel band at the side of the road that’s playing Blaydon Races; I look to the faces in the crowd for some sign of support; try to remember that if I can just get through the next couple of miles, the road will even out.

I go on. It feels like a plod but my watch tells me the pace is still 7-minute miling.

I pass the 4-mile marker. My friend who promised to be there with a drink isn’t; I silently curse him. But I convince myself that I’m making good progress. Recovering somewhat, I settle into steady running. This is good because I can run along in autopilot mode: my brain doesn’t have to think too hard and I can leave my legs to it as they engage a relaxed, metronomic rhythm. I run like this to the turnaround point, reached

Great North Run - Tyne Bridge Left: Chris Purdon

Boom! The explosion of the artillery gun brings me back to reality. We’re off and running. All around people are jostling for position.”

almost exactly in 45 minutes. This is good!

I’m on for 1 hour 30 minutes. The next 2½ miles are slightly downhill, so I up the pace a bit. I slowly pass a few of the other runners around me. This is very good! I tell myself to stop looking at my watch and keep it going!

The 10-mile mark approaches, and I pass it exactly on 70 minutes. Then the course diverts off up an almighty hill that is a slip road on the dual carriageway through Gateshead. This is bad! It really is long, steep and an awful grind. But everyone around me seems to be suffering too.

My watch shows a pace of 10-minute miling.

Really? You’re joking? This is very bad.

I reach the top, am guided around a U-turn by the marshals to the other side of the road and start to descend to the Tyne Bridge. Come on, come on! Less than 3 miles to go. Keep pushing, keep working.

Onto the bridge and the crowd is going nuts. Wow! Such fantastic support. I really cannot let them down now. So I try to sprint over the bridge, and then are diverted off into central Newcastle and final big climb of the last 2 miles. This is getting really hard.

The fatigue becomes so great that familiar sights I’ve been to and enjoyed over so many years have no meaning now, they’re just random places that have to be reached

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and passed. Going through Newcastle never felt like this. Junction after junction, dog-leg after dog-leg. Is there no end to the twists and turns the organisers have devised? Then 100 yards ahead I see the marshals starting to rope runners onto different sides of the road. I know I must be nearing the end when they do this. As I approach them, they move the rope which switches me to the side of a tight bend and saves a few metres of effort. Yes! Thank you!

One of them says “Only half a mile to the finish”. My brain is confused with the fatigue. “Only half a mile” might as well be another 10 miles; and yet a small part retains some semblance of sanity and tells me that’s only two laps of an athletics track.

The debate continues to rage in my head.

And what a splendid amount of time that takes, because suddenly I reach the top of the final climb and can see the finish line a couple of hundred yards ahead. Runners are beginning to sprint around me. How can they do that? How do they have the energy?

What have they been doing all race? No matter, I’m going to finish now.

The clock on the gantry above the finish line says 1 hour 32 minutes. That’s good; it’s about what I thought I’d get. I reflect that in 2019 I hadn’t done any training and consequently my time was 2 hour 53 minutes. So I take quiet satisfaction from all of that. I move through the funnel and out onto the Town Moor. I collect my finishers’ medal and T-shirt, and move off to have photographs taken against a printed backdrop of the Tyne Bridge and the Red Arrows. I cool really quickly, so break into a slow jog back to the baggage tent to dress. Then it’s another jog back through Newcastle to the hotel to get changed and showered. I’ve arranged to meet some old running buddies in a pub, so it’s yet another race to ensure I won’t be late.

Until next year.

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NEWS & CONGRATULATIONS RGS ART OF HOPE AUCTION FOR THE BURSARY CAMPAIGN

I

MEMORIES OF MISS OLIVE

W

e are keen to hear from Old Novos who have any memories of Miss Olive Chandler, who taught music at the school for an incredible 48 years, between 1939 and 1987. Miss Olive was an undisputed pre-eminent violinist in Newcastle, and will have overseen countless Old Novos as they made their first pluck of the ‘A’ string under her guidance and encouragement. Please do get in touch with any memories, as we would like to document the story of this most long standing teacher in our community.

RGS REMEMBERS

I

n November our Remembrance Assemblies were broadcast to students throughout the school and to our wider RGS community.

We were also delighted to invite several Old Novos into school to watch the service in the Main Hall with members of our CCF. After the assemblies, our guests were invited to look at some artefacts from the RGS archives.

COX RETURNS!

I

t was lovely to welcome Alister Cox (Headmaster 72-94) back to school in November 2021, photographed above with current Head Geoffrey Stanford.

RGS COMMUNITY CHOIR

W

e're delighted to announce the relaunch of the RGS Community Choir!

The invitation to join is to all Old Novos, parents, staff, friends or anybody connected with the community of Royal Grammar School, Newcastle. It is a choir for those who enjoy singing, even if you don't read music or have limited experience.

Rehearsals take place between 6pm and 7.30pm each Monday, with entry via the Main Reception on Eskdale Terrace. For more information, please contact Director of Music, Neil Smith at N.smith@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk

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n December 2021 an Aston Martin appeared outside of school, much to the delight of students. The car was one of many fabulous auction prizes for our RGS Art of Hope event. What is the connection between the RGS and Aston Martin?

Robert Gordon Sutherland (another RGS!) became MD of Aston Martin Ltd in 1932 when his father, Sir Arthur Munro Sutherland (1878-1883), rescued the ailing motor engineering company from the economic recession. Sir Arthur was one of the School’s greatest benefactors, funding the school's organ and war memorial, a rifle range in 1915, the old gym and the swimming pool in 1930. After studying here as a boy, he became School Governor in 1919 and was Chairman from 1929 until his death in 1953. We think that Sir Arthur would certainly approve of us auctioning use of an Aston Martin for the weekend, for our Bursary Campaign!

For more information about the 2021 RGS Art of Hope event and how to get involved in 2022, please visit www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk/ rgs-family/art-of-hope

RETIRING STAFF Fred Dickinson Fred has been teaching at the RGS for almost 39 years and has made a significant contribution to the teaching and learning of generations of students. We are very grateful for his skill and expertise in all sports, particularly in Rugby and the extensive time spent on the many tours, matches and training sessions he has committed to both in the UK and abroad.

Fred retired as Teacher of PE and Games, in September 2021, and will be missed by all the staff, students and parents of the school.

RGS HISTORY WALK

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n September we spent a wonderful afternoon visiting the RGS historic sites around Newcastle. A huge thank you to David Goldwater (51-62) for arranging and delivering such a fascinating tour. Please keep an eye on our website for details of this years’ History Walk event.

IN PRINT

F

ormer ONA President and Cricket Historian Bryan Stevens (44-49) has just published his second volume of Poems entitled Second Thoughts. This is obtainable only from Bryan directly at a cost of £7, he is contactable at 2 Orchard Gardens, Haltwhistle, NE49 0DE or on telephone number 01434 321314.

M

ark Batey (73-80) recently wrote to us to say he has published his first book at the age of 60! Called GRACE, it is a full life story of Grace Darling. Though well known, especially in the North East, for her heroic rescue of shipwreck survivors on the Farne Islands in 1838, Published by Clink Street publishing, GRACE is available now in paperback and ebook formats.

Ron Wiggins Ron Wiggins joined the RGS in 07 as Head of Chemistry, bringing with him a chemistry degree from Imperial and an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject. The department thrived under his leadership, with excellent exam results and high pupil numbers at Sixth Form, clear indicators of both success and the popularity of the subject. As a UCAS Advisor he helped scores of ONs into university, critiquing their personal statements and preparing them for interviews with unrelenting patience.

Stepping down from Head of Department in 17, he moved to part time teaching, in which he relished the focus on classroom teaching as well as enjoying the opportunities offered by his days off! Despite planning to retire in September 21, Ron offered to continue in post until Christmas when his successor, Dr Liz Smith returned from adoption leave – how typical of him to help out when we need him most.

Countless Old Novos are incredibly grateful to Ron and owe their success to his impressive teaching. His colleagues will miss him more than we can say, but will never forget “Ronseal – does what it says on the tin”.

CORRECTIONS FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS We sincerely apologize that the obituary in edition 109 should have read Kenneth, not Keith Mewett.

An error seemingly crept in to “Corrections from Issue 109” on page 31 of Issue 110, about the Junior School. It states, “The teacher in the photo below is Derek Gibson”.

This is not so. The teacher is the Headmaster, Mr John Jones, so the original caption on page 15 of Issue 109 was correct.

The boys in the foreground of the photograph captioned “teaching at

the old Junior School” are in what was then called J3X (Mr Patterson’s form), in the third and final year of the Junior School. The photograph would have been taken in the autumn term of 1972, or the spring or summer terms of 1973.

In Issue 109 on page 7 there is a photo with the caption “Unknown, John H Jones with Alister Cox, Unknown”. We believe that the first boy captioned ‘unknown’ (to the left of John H Jones) is Brian Cordery, who was formerly head boy in the class of 1990.

ONA | OLD NOVOCASTRIANS’ ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE | ISSUE 111 | SPRING 2022

STAY CONNECTED Please join us by becoming a fan of the Old Novocastrians Association Facebook page and LinkedIn Group – Old Novocastrians’ Association (RGS Newcastle)

RGS TWITTER HANDLES @RGSNewcastle @RGSOldNovos @RGSpac @RGSNewMusic

@RGSEnglishNews @RGS_Library @NRGS_History

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WHY I GIVE

BY T WO E X I L E D GEORDIES

BY BRIAN AND CHRISTINE DAGLISH FELLOWS OF THE RGS Many professionals and retirees are finding they have little free time to pursue their philanthropic interests but have a strong desire to help others. Many don’t know what the possibilities are, they have initial ideas, but don’t know what project or causes really mean something to them. They question the integrity of the charity, they want to make sure they can monitor the impact of their donation.

T

he notion of philanthropy has been around for generations, it is a tradition and ideology that has evolved becoming heavily embedded into the business structures of education institutions globally.

My wife and I realised that our philanthropic interests lay with education, believing that it has the ability to enhance social mobility opportunities for children.

Sadly, the North East has seen the education standards somewhat slip in recent decades. We are avid readers of the news and it is alarming to say the least, when we read the annual school rankings, where only a small number of northern state schools feature. This became our motivation for giving and we wanted to make an impact in our home region, we get great pleasure from donating annually to the RGS Bursary Campaign knowing that it helps in giving an excellent, enjoyable education to some bright, hardworking children whose parents couldn't possibly afford the school's fees.

Once we settled on the cause we made sure that we give during our lifetime, we don’t want to let the money accumulate for the dubious pleasure of donating it on our eventual death. I get a real pleasure of giving now as we can see the impact of our gifts simply by looking at the school’s website and annual review; 28

Each donation received by the school can be boosted via Gift Aid, giving RGS additional funds at no extra cost to the donor.”

you will see that you could help in giving some boy or girl an enjoyable few years and a good kick-start into a worthwhile job in their future, which looks like being more difficult than ours were many years ago. These RGS bursary boys and girls add immeasurable balance to the life of the school. Donating to the Bursary Campaign has given two exiled Geordies immense pleasure and will continue to do so for years to come.

I am also passionate about giving tax effectively. Each donation received by the school can be boosted via Gift Aid, giving RGS additional funds at no extra cost to the donor. Here is an example of how the Gift Aid arrangement can work for RGS: A donation of £56 annually to the Bursary Campaign can have a greater reach when boosted with Gift Aid, HMRC will add £14 making the total value to RGS £70. This single gift would provide a bursary to a Junior School student for one day of their time at RGS. If you are “lucky” enough to have your top slice of a safe annual income taxed at 40% and give a gross donation of £11,599 RGS will be able to reclaim a further £2,900 in Gift Aid, making your total gift £14,499 for the Bursary Campaign – enough to sponsor a bursary student for a whole year. As a bonus, you can reclaim tax (through your self- assessment) of £2,320. So at a net cost to you is £9,279. We firmly believe in the transformational life chances we give to boys and girls from Newcastle. Should you wish to learn more about supporting RGS with a donation then please contact us at development@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk.

OBITUARIES DONALD MACBETH THOMSON (65-69) BORN 30 JANUARY 1950, DIED 30 APRIL 2021, AGED 71

D

onald spent his formative years in Aberdeen, but moved with his family to Newcastle in 1965. His time at the RGS between 1965 and 1969 was a brief interlude in the overall scheme of things, but led to many deep and enduring friendships.

He brought to Newcastle an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Scottish Highlands, especially the Cairngorms – and outstanding musical talents. He was a Grade 8 cello player and member of the school orchestra, but above all a brilliant guitar player and singer. He was equally at home with hard-driving 12 bar blues, Scottish ballads (sometimes performed without instrumental accompaniment) and the intricate finger picking styles coupled with unconventional tunings inspired by Davy Graham and Bert Jansch.

He was a regular performer at the South Tyne Folk and Blues Club in South Shields and with his friend Peter Day recorded the CD Hooks, Lines and Thinkers based on his performances there. He also delivered the best version of ‘Angie’ ever heard in the club.

Donald did not think much of the rounded and boggy hills on offer in Northumberland, but he did instigate ON outings into the Cheviots on Boxing Days, alternating between Hedgehope Hill and The Cheviot itself. This became an annual ritual for several years in the 1970s. Further north and on home ground, he introduced many of us to the delights of the Cairngorms, Torridon, The Fannichs,

and other regions of the Highlands.

After completion of a degree in Economics at Newcastle University, he qualified as a chartered accountant, before moving back to Aberdeen with the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board. Donald maintained a wide range of interests including music, skiing and climbing. He served in the Aberdeen mountain rescue team and with them enjoyed several trips to the Alps. He got to the top of Mont Blanc and Barre des Ecrins, amongst other challenging peaks.

Donald subsequently moved to Glasgow in the early 1990s to work in hospital management and was later promoted to become Director of Finance within the then Greater Glasgow Community Mental Health Trust. His work involved development of facilities under the Private Finance Initiative, although he was never truly comfortable with the public-private procurement methods of successive governments.

In Glasgow he met Morag Macleod and they married in 1993. Their son, Jamie, was born the next year and went on to study Civil Engineering at Edinburgh University. Donald spent the rest of his life in Glasgow, retiring in 2010. He and Morag followed their many interests including bridge, singing and travel. He continued to play guitar and singing a wide variety of music with different choirs, including performances in Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow City Hall and Kelvingrove Museum with the Bearsden Choir. His concerns for the environment led to him joining the Scottish Green Party.

He became a very active member and he played a major role in getting a local Green candidate elected to the Scottish Parliament.

Donald maintained his love of the outdoors and for his native Scotland, particularly the island of Islay, which he visited frequently with ON friends.

A highlight of these visits was Donald performing his wide range of songs and playing the guitar, latterly accompanied

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by his son Jamie – their renditions of Dire Straits’ songs will live long in the memory.

In 2020 Donald was given a diagnosis of terminal cancer. In typical fashion, he set all his affairs in order and took the opportunity to chat and say goodbye to all his family and wide circle of friends.

He died peacefully at his home in April 2021 with Morag at his side. His funeral, despite covid restrictions, was marked by a large turnout and celebration of his life.

He is survived by his wife Morag, his son Jamie and siblings, Kenneth, Alan and Julie.

By Russell Egdell (63-69), Kenneth Clarke (59-69), Julie Irvine (née Thomson)

GUY MORTIMER (52-60) BORN 1941, DIED 2021, AGED 80

G

uy attended RGS before going on to Birmingham University to study Metallurgy. He subsequently joined the Royal Navy as an Instructor Lieutenant.

His career was varied starting in 1968 as marketing manager at Texas Instruments. He took an MBA at Cranfield Business School and then moved onto roles at Total and Bahrain State Oil. In 1981 he became General Manager at Gateway Building society and then Marketing Manager at TSB. In 1996 he retired to the Languedoc, where he and his wife Wendy lived, until his death, surrounded by thousands of acres of vineyards.

He leaves two children and six grandchildren.

By David Mortimer (63-65)

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OBITUARIES A SPECIAL TRIBUTE

WG ‘BILL’ ELLIOTT (STAFF 52-88) DIED 23 SEPTEMBER 2021, AGED 94

B

ill came to the RGS in 1952. It was the age of Dan Dare, Jet Morgan in Journey into Space, Roger Bannister and Supersonic Planes.

Post war Britain was overwhelmingly optimistic and we at School had an abundance of exciting activities during and after lessons. For many it was the dawning technological age which beckoned and high speeds could be achieved on the running track. So it was welcome that along came a young and keen moustachioed teacher, who combined a skill in athletics and carpentry, with a gnawing ambition to bring his new School into the modern age. Here was a young man who had flown planes for the RAF in Southern Africa!

It was not at all easy for Bill – early attempts at developing an RGS Woodwork Department into something more in keeping with the 20th century were met with scepticism and even hostility. But by showing he could get boys at school to run like athletes and jump like gazelles, Bill demonstrated his skills at bringing even ordinary laggards into something like success. Gradually through his determined efforts, the School and its

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pupils and through the new trailblazing subject, Applied Mechanics, under Bill’s leadership RGS won prizes and national fame; specifically, the BBC Young Scientists Competition which, under Bill’s enthusiastic direction, the RGS won twice.

A superb small single-seater hovercraft and another craft converted into a crop spraying device, toys for disabled children with buttons and levers, a safe theatre lighting console and of course, hundreds of wooden household items which still grace so many homes – towel rails, shelf units, stools and so on, cherished by hundreds with genuine nostalgia for Bill’s firm but kindly manner.

After Bill retired in 1988, he wrote several excellent books on Local History around Benton and Forest Hall. He regularly attended school events including the School Masonic Lodge founded in 1956 by ONs and the then Head Oliver Mitchell (Staff 48-60).

He was delighted to be at the ONA Dinner in October 2019. Most of all he and Betty took pride in their growing family in Australia, headed by son John (61-72).

So many Old Novos hold memories of all kinds from yesteryear, very often through smells. Chemistry and Physics

presented a mixture of coal gas, sundry chemicals and the nearby toilets. Sweat mingled with floor polish and Bill’s Wood and Metal Working Department was overwhelmingly a glue and timber smell, mingling with formalin drifting down from the upstairs Biology Department. It was a privilege for those of us in Bill’s Tutor Set, and visits to his slightly isolated HQ across the school field left even us young lads with a feeling that here was a teacher who cared for his tutees in those days when modern concepts of care and concern were barely touched upon.

Many years of more recent friendship together with fellow Old Novos with Bill – and until 2018 his wife Betty – demonstrated that despite them both living to a great age, they remained young at heart, interested in the world at large, their family, work colleagues and the whole RGS where Bill touched the lives of thousands of us grateful pupils. He will be missed and all of our heartfelt thoughts go out to his family.

By David Goldwater (51-62) A full article about Bill Elliott is available in ONA Magazine 96, Spring 2016

The school was overwhelmed by the kind tributes to Bill from Old Novos, former and current staff. Here are just a few of the memories of a special man who made an indelible impression on so many.

Such sad news. ‘Bill’ was a lovely, kind and patient man (he had to be, to have been my tutor for 7 years!), and 40 years on I still have fond memories of his woodwork and Applied Mechanics lessons. Condolences to Bill’s family, and thank you to the man responsible for launching 100’s of engineering careers.

Gavin Kirk (77-84) Such a sad loss. I remember him well.

His woodwork lessons still stand me in good stead over 40 years later. As do his spice rack, cheese board and other paraphernalia. May God bless his soul.

Andrew Robinson (81-91) I remember his comment when I made a mess of my attempt at woodwork…”wood doesn’t grow on trees , boy!”

Peter Cheseldine (57-65)

Bill was Head of CDT when I arrived at the RGS in 1987 to teach Physics and Electronics.

He was an absolute gentleman and a great help to a fresh faced young teacher.

Sympathies to his family and friends.

Pete Wilson (87-20) What a great guy. He gave me my lifelong love of woodworking. I still have and cherish my first attempts at a table and bowl.

Russ Waughman (61-68) A sad loss. I loved woodworking lessons with Bill. My parents had my coffee table in pride of place in their lounge for years and the guitar I made nearly 50 years ago is still going strong! RIP Stuart Bagnall (66-73)

I’m really sad to hear this news. ‘Mr Elliott’ was my tutor when I arrived at the RGS in 1974 to do my A levels, and was a great encouragement to me to believe in my own abilities when other teachers were perhaps less encouraging (or maybe just expressed it in different ways!). And as for hovercraft development and racing need we say any more - it was a great ride, thanks Bill and RIP. Arthur Harbottle (74-76) A lovely guy who lived near me in Benton.

I still have a number of his books of local history, which include some of my father’s photos of the area. He despaired of my lack of woodworking ability and I finally disposed of the coffee table with unmatched legs when emptying my mother’s garage 10 years ago.

Peter Hutchinson (56-63)

Below (clockwise): some of the many Old Novos who attended a service to honour Bill’s memory, at St Bartholomew’s Church, Benton on 5 October 2021; Bill in 1956; Bill and various hovercraft projects

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OBITUARIES

DR FREDERICK J WILKINSON MB BS FRCGP (34-40) DIED 26 AUGUST 2021, AGED 95

JOHN MICHAEL LIVELY (50-61) DIED 15 NOVEMBER 2021, AGED 79

D J

ohn joined the RGS aged eight. He lived in Heaton and was a member of Eldon House and a School Prefect.

He was a fantastic, popular sportsman who excelled at all sport including gymnastics, boxing, athletics, tennis, badminton and squash. His name crops up countless times in the NOVO magazines of his period. However, rugby was John’s favourite sport. He played for the school 1st XV for three years in the centre, where he was superbly coached

by John Elders (57-82 & 92-96).

He scored countless tries and was awarded his School Colours. He went on to play for the Junior and Senior Northumberland Rugby sides and was awarded his County Cap which is still treasured. After A Levels, John went to Loughborough College, famous for sport.

Immediately he was selected to play in the centre for Loughborough 1st XV. He later qualified to play for Saracen’s 1st XV. John married Gill in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands in 1965 and they were happily married for 56 years. They have a daughter, Michelle, and two grandchildren, Scarlet and Cooper aged five and three. John and Gill moved to Freeport in Grand Bahama where John continued with his passion for rugby.

They originally only intended to stay for three years, but life in the Bahamas was too good to give up. Soon after arriving he met someone with the same interest and together, they formed a rugby team.

A clubhouse was built and thus the first

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Rugby Team for Freeport, Grand Bahama was born. They played matches against other islands and often British Navy Ship Crews that came to the island. He was captain of the Grand Bahama Rugby Team for several years. John was well thought of in Freeport and was considered the best athlete on the island, especially his rugby talent. During his time in Freeport, he also represented Grand Bahama in tennis and squash.

After leaving the Bahamas and moving to South Florida, John’s greatest interest became squash. He opened a squash club with some friends, and it was through John that the game of squash developed in South Florida. He formed the first Florida Squash Racquets Association and organised and ran tournaments for many years. Too old for rugby perhaps?! Rest In Peace, John.

By Mike Anderson (51-61)

erek was born in Gateshead, educated at the RGS, Newcastle and then Sedbergh School (40-44).

He graduated MB, BS Dunelm in 1950.

After resident appointments at the RVI in Newcastle, National Service in the RAMC followed initially at HQ Rhine Army in Bad Oeynhausen and then as RMO to the 5th Regiment RHA. Following National Service, further hospital appointments preceded his joining a single-handed general practitioner in the northern outskirts of Newcastle. He and his partner founded The Woodlands Park Health Centre in Wideopen. When vocational training for general practice commenced he took the RCGP membership exam in 1970 and joined the North East group of GP trainers and shared in the development of the scheme.

He became secretary, and subsequently Chairman of the local (Morpeth) BMA division and in 1978-79 chaired the BMA North Regional Council.

He was elected FRCGP in 1997.

In his spare time, in addition to involvement with the local Presbyterian Church in Wideopen (now URC) and the newly formed local residents association, he enjoyed membership of Gosforth Round Table. He enjoyed sailing a Merlin Rocket racing dinghy at both Blyth and Beadnell, eventually owning a Moody 29 yacht which he kept on the Clyde to enjoy the Western Isles of Scotland with family and friends.

He retired from General Practice in 1987. In retirement he enjoyed living in Morpeth, Northumberland where he helped to set up an arts trust and became its Vice President.

MARTIN CHARLTON (50-61)

DR ERIC AYNSLEY (50-59)

DIED 15 NOVEMBER 2021, AGED 79

BORN 8 SEPTEMBER 1940, DIED 4 SEPTEMBER 2021, AGED 80

T

M

artin went to school at the Royal Grammar School Before studying Town and Country Planning at Newcastle University. Under Stan Openshaw’s tutelage he developed a keen interest in computing and its geographical applications. Following this he stayed on at the university for a number of years as a researcher and lecturer, before moving to Maynooth University in Ireland in 2004.

His impact as an academic has been remarkable. To give some idea of this, we can look to his citation count. For those of you not familiar with this phrase, in academia this is a count of the number of times something he has written is referred to in another piece of writing – it is a sort of equivalent of a cricketers career batting average. Martin has around 22,000 – easily passing into the class of internationally renowned academic. I am sure this reputation will continue to grow with the passing of time.

But perhaps as well as considering Martin’s reputation in this way, we should consider his unique approach. One very memorable aspect of Martin’s talks was that, despite the content related to quite abstract ideas in computing, mathematics and geographical data, there were always plenty of photographs. These were often of people and places – and helped to tell the story of the people behind many of the ideas being discussed. For Martin these were not purely mathematical extractions, but concepts grounded in the people whose ideas they were, and the places where they were discussed – and on occasion the colossal 1960s mainframe computers they made use of!

There may have been complex mathematical ideas but they were also the stories behind them.

The humanistic aspect was always of importance in his work – he would always remind us that the human geographical data we analysed arise from the lives of people – and in finding patterns we were hopefully understanding something about these people, and even more hopefully influencing policies that might benefit them.

He was also an inspiring teacher – his lectures were entertaining and he always found time to help out students struggling with the more difficult aspects of their studies. This was also true of his younger colleagues – I have heard many people remembering how he had helped them in their early careers, in some cases saying he was the reason they became a lecturer.

Finally, I would like to remember him as a great friend. Over 35 years we have had many adventures together, writing books, giving talks and on at least one instance signing the official secrets act.

We also travelled around the world, including visits to China, the US, Australia, Japan, and many European countries, and discussed ideas over a beer in all of these places. However even travels to places much closer to home were always a pleasure, thanks to the company he provided. In conclusion I want to thank him for being a wonderful colleague and a great friend over the years.

hanks to the RGS Combined Cadet Force, Eric was proud to say that he gained his pilot’s license before he took his driving test.

In his school uniform, he would take the bus from the Haymarket to Newcastle Airport for flying lessons in a Tiger Moth bi-plane. He continued flying when he studied Chemical Engineering at Birmingham in the University Air Squadron, flying early Hawker Hunter jets.

But, it was in a different aspect of the air that Eric advanced his career.

He continued his studies, attaining a PhD in fine particle analysis, leading to a short career in industry and then teaching at Newcastle University before joining the so called ‘Brain Drain’ to the USA in the late 60s with his wife Jenny and their two young sons. He continued his research into air pollution at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. One of his early publications being How Air Pollution Alters Weather in the New Scientist in October, 1969.

Later, the family moved to Pennsylvania. He became one of the leading early experts on air pollution in the US and was a respected consultant to many of the largest corporate entities in the country throughout his career.

On retirement, Eric and Jenny returned to the UK, and settled in the Western Isles of Scotland, an area that they loved, and to which he had been introduced by Jeff and Joy Knowles on the early RGS school camp to the Isle of Eigg.

Eric died on the Isle of Lismore on 4 September, 2021, four days before his 81st birthday. He is survived by his wife Jenny, his two sons and six grandchildren.

Their daughter died tragically in 1990.

By Ian Aynsley (56-66), on behalf of the Aynsley family.

By Chris Brunsdon

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OBITUARIES JOHN DOUGLAS (STAFF 56-94) DIED SEPTEMBER 2022, AGED 87

J

ohn Douglas was born the son of a vicar in North Shields, attending Tynemouth High School before goingup to Cambridge to study Mathematics.

Having graduated he stayed on for a further year to complete his PGCE. During this time, he had to undertake one terms’ teaching practice. For him, this meant a placement at the RGS Newcastle. He must have made a favourable impression on the Senior staff and departmental colleagues as he was offered a permanent position starting in September 1956. As it turned out, the RGS was the only place he ever taught. In 1990 he stepped down from a full time teaching role to a part-time teaching role before retiring in 1994. Being a Maths teacher was what made him happy and what he really enjoyed. He had no desire to become a Head Teacher or Deputy Head as that would have taken him away from teaching and the “delight” of explaining the intricacies of calculus to pupils. Equally, he never expressed any desire to move away from the RGS to another school as to do so would have taken him away from the best school in the North East and the best and brightest pupils in the North East.

As well as being a good and well-liked maths teacher, he took on many additional responsibilities and extracurricula activities. His first was to become involved in Scottish Country dancing at the request of Joy Knowles. Scottish dancing turned into a life long passion

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which he continued to participate in right up until Covid caused dance classes to close. It was also through Scottish Country dancing that he met his wife, Jan, at a Summer School in St. Andrews in 1961 marrying her in 1963. In his usual way, he was not satisfied in only taking part in the dancing but was Chair of the Newcastle Branch for 20 years, taught at many events and schools, judged children’s competitions and sat on the main RSCDS management committee and took part in an international tour.

He also volunteered to help on the school’s camping trips to Eigg, later taking over running the Border Camp and the overall Camp programme completing 100 days under canvas in this role before passing on responsibilities to others when it came time for his sons to start going to camp.

John was appointed to the role of Head of Lower School giving him particular responsibilities for the welfare of the younger RGS students. In this role he introduced the Lower School assemblies both to reduce crowding in the main hall for full school assemblies but also so they could be more tailored to younger minds and interests. This role also included organising the entrance exams and interviewing prospective students.

Towards the end of his time at the RGS, he took over the role of General Secretary of the ONA, corresponding with many Old Boys, producing the semiannual ONA Magazine and attending many ONA Dinners throughout the UK and, when on holiday, around the World including even Sydney, Australia and Hong Kong. He stayed involved in ONA activities after retiring, attending the ONA and London ONA Dinners where he could catch up with many of those he had taught over the years and also those he got to know through being Head of Lower School. His last visit to the RGS was for the ONA Dinner in 2019 followed by his final attendance at an ONA event being the

London ONA Dinner in 2020.

Music and singing were significant pastimes for John. As well as singing in church choirs wherever he worshipped, be it Tynemouth, Gosforth or, latterly, Wokingham, he also played the organ in church as an able deputy to the formal organists when they were away.

John also sang for many years in the Bach Choir in Newcastle.

Following his retirement, he volunteered for Oxfam helping out at their charity shop in Gosforth. This was, for him a real eye opener, as it exposed him to a far wider range of people than he had encountered while teaching at the top public school in the North East. When he and Jan moved south in 1999 to be nearer to their sons, Martin and Alan, he continued volunteering in Oxfam’s Wokingham shop (as well as noting that it was warmer in the south).

John passed away in September after suffering from dementia for the final year of his life. He leaves behind his wife of 58 years, Jan, two sons: Martin and Alan and two granddaughters and one grandson.

By Alan Douglas (75-85) and Martin Douglas (74-84)

DEREK WILLIAMS (39-48) BORN 20 AUGUST 1929, 2 AUGUST 2021, AGED 92

B

orn two months prior to the Wall Street Crash, just across the Tyne from Jarrow, the memory of those early years, so close to the Great Depression’s epicentre, was never forgotten. Amongst earliest memories was that of a barefoot boy, shouting to a passer-by (who was eating a green apple): “Mister, giz yer gowk!” Gowk is Geordie for apple core. Fortunately, his father, who worked for a London firm, had a job, even a car; and in the late 1930s the family moved to a wealthier, healthier suburb of Newcastle.

Several uneventful years were followed by wartime evacuation to the Lake District. In later life, despite working in numerous beautiful places, he would always champion this scenic Lilliput: only 30 by 20 miles, its summits a mere 3,000 feet, wet as a sponge, yet miraculous in its concentration of poetry and beauty.

Circumstances go some way to explaining its impact: the contrast with industrial Tyneside and the peace was brought to rural Britain. For five tourist-free, trafficless years, it seemed as if those 15 lakes, 100 tarns and thousands of peaks belonged to a few boys on bicycles or on foot.

Lakeland may never be as tranquil again.

The late 1940s was the grey era of Atlee and Stafford Cripps, whose austerities resembled a continuation of war by other means. None the less, at the RGS (now returned from Penrith to its native city) these were vintage years, when Williams numbered among his classmates the effervescent Brian Redhead, later of the Today programme, with George Gayle of the Daily Mail a year older and the brilliant Peter Taylor, later Lord Chief Justice, a year younger.

A youthful interest was cinema, decidedly of the arty type: an introduction via the Tyneside Film Society to the British

documentaries of Grierson and Rotha, Harry Watt and Basil Wright; to the French romantics, Renoir and Carne; and the Italian realists Rossellini and da Sica.

National Service was spent in north German cities, still at “ground zero” level.

Cambridge was a warm and brilliant contrast, reading History at Corpus Christi, one of the smallest colleges and almost the oldest. It was while hitch-hiking in Italy during the long vacation of 1950 that Williams decided to combine two interests by making an amateur film about Hadrian’s Wall. Curious to have chosen – for a medium of movement – so motionless a subject. Nevertheless, the film remains of interest, capturing Britain’s senior monument in wild, romantic moods, rarely seen today after half a century’s well-intentioned tidying, the righting of tumbled stones and the clearing of wind-twisted gorse and hawthorn.

In post-war Britain, Williams followed a contrary course, joining the documentary film movement and soon finding himself in the Middle East as a lone cameraman, covering industrial projects no one else wanted. Self-reliance, learnt from this experience, brought him to the attention of Vivian Fuchs, then preparing the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. This proposed to make the first crossing of the Southern continent, from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea. Williams was engaged to cover the initial phase and to train others to record the trans polar journey itself. However, 1955-6 proved to be more than a tame, preliminary season. Their chartered ship, Theron, became trapped in the notorious Weddell, echoing the plight of Shackleton’s il-fated Endurance of 40 years earlier. After a six week struggle the 650 ton vessel managed to fight free of the pack ice before the long winter closed in. The resulting film, Foothold on Antarctica, earned Williams a Hollywood Oscar nomination in the short film category, one of four Oscar nominations his films received (plus one as a writer) during his 43 years of documentary work, though the statuette itself would elude him.

In all, he received some 62 national and international festival awards. Twenty five of those were for a single film, The Shadow of Progress (1969) almost the first

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to breach the industrial wall of silence behind which air and water pollution had already reached scandalous levels. The Tide of Traffic amongst earliest warnings about the consequences of the motor vehicle, was followed by documentaries on the coming of oil and its problems to Alaska and Shetland. All were sponsored by a liberal and enlightened BP. Despite including scientific subjects in his repertoire, Williams remained an historian at heart. Aged 50, while waiting for his train in Charing Cross Station, he chanced to open a book describing the Roman frontier across southern Germany.

He subsequently resolved to write what would be the first book for general readers about the Imperial frontier as a whole: a defensive system of 4,000 miles enclosing 40 provinces, along which Rome’s entire army was stationed. It was published in 1996 as The Reach of Rome and followed, two years later, by Romans and Barbarians, an account of relations with tribal societies outside the frontier.

Williams, who worked in 50 countries, scripted and directed 30 films, wrote three books and appeared on several television programmes on Roman topics, travelled far from Walkergate-on Tyne, but was proud to call himself a Geordie to the last. He leaves a wife, Olive, two sons, six grandchildren and a great grandchild.

Winning a BAFTA for Best Documentary Short in 1971 from Princess Anne

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OBITUARIES W GAVIN DEANE-WAKE (70-80) BORN 28 OCTOBER 1961, DIED 23 OCTOBER 2021, AGED 59

I

t is with profound sadness we report Gavin’s sudden passing; having played a convivial and successful round of golf at Braintree Golf Club, Gavin collapsed and died.

An RGS Newcastle Junior schoolboy and South Northumberland Cricket Club (SNCC) member from the late 60s, Gavin was active in all aspects of school life, especially sport. A good rugby player he played for the school 1st XV in the Sixth Form and proudly claimed that at one point managed to keep future England international Jonathan Webb (74-81) out of the team!

Gavin represented all the RGS Senior School cricket XI’s and the 1st XI for three years from the Fifth Form. He also represented a Newcastle City XI in 1975 and Northumberland County Schools as an U16 and an U19. NOVO recalls he became ‘a batting stalwart’ in 1978. He received full cricket colours in 1979, scoring 91 v Perse School, 50 v Magdalen, 40 v Newport and 37 v Wrekin on the East Anglian tour.

In 1980 he became a Senior Prefect, was House Captain of Eldon and captained the RGS cricket 1st XI, his highlights included 63v St Bees, 3-29 v Durham School and a ‘painful’ 59 in three hours v Pocklington.

The NOVO report of the Cambridge tour that year recalls “The fundamental principles of a tour of any kind are never strictly adhered to as our captain Gavin Wake showed us on the first night. As we travelled down it rained all Sunday, Monday’s game was cancelled…and recovery became possible”.

At SNCC he was a young member of the successful U17 XI in 1977 that won the League and Friarside Cup alongside Michael Robinson (68-78), Mike Anderson (73-78), Richard Calvert, Mick Thompson (73-80), Michael Wardropper (68-78), Steve Bell (64-74), Paul Scott, Jimmy Ryan (68-78), Mark Dolder, Chris Campbell and Gary Young.

Gavin played for SNCC 1st XI

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principally in the 1981-1984 period. His high point was in 1983 when he opened the batting, scoring 373 runs at 28.69, high score 68 v Morpeth. This included facing future West Indian Test fast bowler Courtney Walsh at Tynedale, top scoring with 39. In that game his sense of humour emerged as he watched Nigel Wardropper play and miss repeatedly when facing Courtney and was in tears at the end of the over!

In 1983 he captained Newcastle University Cricket Club 1st XI, was awarded his colours and organised the inaugural and subsequent tours to Holland.

Armed with a good Economics degree, Gavin trained as a Chartered Accountant with Thomson McLintock in Newcastle (1983-84). He joined Barclays and in total spent 16 years with them, firstly in various branch and regional roles in Newcastle and London (1984-89), a spell in the USA (1990-91), then Corporate Relationship Management (1991-96) and Senior Risk Management (1996-2004).

In 2004 he joined RBS as Senior Audit Manager (2004-09), later becoming Head of Risk Change (2012-13) before becoming a Consultant in his own right from 2014.

During his career he qualified as ACIB and IRM Cert.

Although he left the North East, Gavin always kept in touch with his RGS friends, often visiting his Mum and to play in the SNCC VP golf days. Striking the ball magnificently, a smile would emerge as his drive sailed down the middle of the fairway. It was always a pleasure to see him.

Gavin’s willingness to help others was epitomised by his participation in the Great North Run of 2014 to raise funds for Ovarian Cancer Action in memory of a close friend's wife. He enjoyed a challenge, problem solving and teamwork, all undertaken with a smile.

Gavin wrote an article for Novocastrian News, the forerunner of the ONA Magazine, which appeared in the Spring 1981 edition, RGS Cricket, A Personal

Viewpoint. Former MIC Cricket, Oliver Edwards reflected “What a lovely article!

Intelligent, well written, affectionate and heartfelt - the RGS at its best”, just like Gavin.

We send our heartfelt condolences to wife Joanne, daughter Ellie, sons Lewis and Alistair and all his family. We shall miss him. This is all so sad and much too soon.

Wonderfully, the Just Giving contributions already received have enabled a defibrillator to be purchased and a tree to be planted, both in his honour, at Braintree Golf Club. Also, a bench to rest on the pavilion steps at SNCC and donations to a charity which specialises in resuscitation skills training, the Adam Redfern Memorial Fund.

Clean cars and shiny shoes please!

By Duncan D Stephen (former RGS parent) with help from Gavin’s RGS 1980 friends.

ALAN HOWARD BARKER (38-45) BORN 1928, DIED 1 JANUARY 2021, AGED 92 ANTONIO DIAZ (STAFF 03-16) BORN 1952, DIED 10 JANUARY 2021, AGED 59 KW DODD (45-52) DIED 31 OCTOBER 2021, AGED 87 DR MALCOLM DUNN (60-62) Obit in next magazine BORN 1942, DIED 21 FEBRUARY 2021, AGED 78 ROBERT FENTON (76-82) BORN 1965, DIED 20 SEPTEMBER 2020, AGED 55 ANDREW MALT (87-94) Obit in next magazine DIED FEBRUARY 2022 ALAN PRINGLE (STAFF 38-45) LINDSAY RICE (51-59) BORN 1940, DIED 26 May 2021, AGED 81 BRIAN ROBERTS (35-42) BORN 1925, DIED 11 JULY 2019, AGED 92 CLG SMITHERS (73-80) DIED 15 JULY 2021, AGED 59

PETER ANGUS ALLAN (49-60)

IAN FRANKS (40-49)

DIED 9 JULY 2021, AGED 79

DIED NOVEMBER 2021, AGED 88

O

ur grandson remembered from a very early age that his Grandpa had said to him “your school days are the best days of your life.”

Although Peter had good education in the 1950’s he admitted his main interest for completing the Sixth Form was that he excelled in sport.

From the age of eight, he managed to be selected for most of the rugby teams.

His athletic coach remembers to this day his achievements. Peter broke the school record in the 440 yards in the time of 52.2 seconds and had the privilege of running in the Northern Schools Sports Athletics Championships at the White City Stadium and at Old Trafford, Manchester. To the age of 79 he always followed every sport and remained extremely knowledgeable.

Although brought up in Newcastle, he always wanted to farm. He took three years to qualify in agriculture, which enabled throughout our married life a career in four different counties: Shropshire, Norfolk, Cumbria, and Northumberland. During our marriage we had three sons, Peter, a devoted family man, always encouraged their education, sporting interests and country pursuits which they often enjoyed together. The most recent estate he managed was that of Viscount Ridley, Blagdon which included their estate in Perthshire, Scotland. Latterly he became an agricultural advisor to Barclays Bank and then for Deloitte, Newcastle. In 2000 he unfortunately had to retire early due to medical reasons, when he became physically disabled. His doctors claimed he was stoic throughout.

During his working career in the 1980s/1990s he was chairman of many of the various farming societies. He raised money by organising pig roasts for

Blagdon Park Cricket Club, Stannington Ridley Scouts, and other local charities including Morpeth Round Table of which he was a member. Until June, he had been an active member of Ponteland 41 Club.

He gave his time to St Mary’s Church by being a warden and the electoral role officer for many years. He often provided myself support when I was leader of the flower group and when making banners for the needlework group. He always encouraged me and insisted I continued independently, with my personal interests and what had been our joint hobbies.

St Mary’s Church served our family well. We had four confirmations, two marriages, four christenings, celebrations of our Silver, Ruby and Golden wedding anniversaries and two funerals.

We learn that “in giving we receive” and we will be always so grateful to our loving family who always supported us when we went through our most trying time during Peter’s illness this summer.

By Margaret Allan, Peter’s wife.

ONA | OLD NOVOCASTRIANS’ ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110 | AUTUMN 2021

I

an joined RGS when not quite eight years old when the school was located in Penrith. Early bouts of homesickness very soon gave way to great enjoyment, the camaraderie and the freedom of such a rural area was a small boy’s dream.

I particularly remember tales of sledging on Penrith golf course and he formed what became lifelong friendships.

In his later school years he opened the bowling for the 1st XI and I well recall one Monday morning assembly when the headmaster in announcing the weekend results made mention that RI Franks had taken 5 for 45.

Ian also swam for the school and created a record time for 50 yards breaststroke which stood for many years.

After school he fulfilled his obligatory two years of National Service in the army, took a commission and emerged as a 2nd lieutenant. After receiving his commission he had a questionnaire to fill in. To the question “would you wish to do overseas service” he answered “yes” and listed his preferences, Far East, Middle East, Germany, he spent the entire rest of his term in Rutland.

Ian spent all of his working life in our family business which was an Engineer’s Sales Agency.

He had a lifelong love of sport, opened the bowling for South North and for many years played golf with a single figure handicap. A past member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club he was also a very active member of the 111 year old Quayside Golfing Society, most notably serving nine years as secretary but also as Captain and President.

He leaves his wife of 64 years, Valerie, his daughters Carolyn and Deborah and granddaughters Emma and Kate.

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ONA DIARY DATES After too much time isolating, we cannot wait to see our community of Old Novos reunite in person! To reserve your place at any of these special events, please visit www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk/rgs-family or email development@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk.

THE ONA 96TH NEWCASTLE DINNER Friday 14 October 2022 6.15pm-11pm Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne Guest speaker: Geoff Riley In the 60th anniversary year, we are excited to host the ultimate reunion of RGS economists! Our guest speaker will be RGS’s former Head of Economics, Geoff Riley (Staff 88-00). This is set to be a popular event and places are limited so early booking is advised.

Tickets £55 (£45 for ON aged 25 or under).

ONS V RGS 1ST TEAM CRICKET MATCH Friday 1 July 2022 from 1pm Newcastle Cricket Club, 45 Osborne Avenue, Jesmond NE2 1JS Please contact us to register your interest in spectating at this event.

RGS HISTORY WALK Tuesday 6 September 2022 1.30pm-4pm Guide: David Goldwater (51-62). A walk to visit the historic sites of RGS. Seven points of interest including an interlude at the ‘Discovery Museum’ to see the 1600 Royal Charter. The walk will end at RGS, Eskdale Terrace for afternoon tea. Places are strictly limited on a first come, first served basis.

Tickets £20 per head (£10 for ON aged 25 or under).

ONA SHOP We have a range of wonderful RGS merchandise on our website, please visit www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk/rgsfamily/merchandise to order. Below are the new items, recently added to our range: Water Bottle Limited edition RGS branded black Chilli's water bottle.

Mug Full of History A quirky and beautiful china mug featuring the words dear to Old Novocastrians. Handmade in England, from the Susan Rose pottery in Northamptonshire.

PERSONAL DETAILS AND DATA PROTECTION

The 2021 John Elders Memorial Match, postponed due to Covid-19, is yet to be rearranged. Please see our website for further announcements.

Please note that all events are subject to the latest Government guidance and the school’s risk assessment, at the time of the event.

RGS Logo Silk Tie A new design 100% pure silk, slip stitched and fully lined tie in school colours and featuring the RGS logo.

RGS Teddy Bear Collection only

£30 £20

The school has a very special relationship with its former students.

In order to keep in touch we would like your contact details and consent.

Please do complete your details at www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk/rgs-family/on.

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