ONA Now and Then When I was appointed to the headship of the RGS (a year in advance, in 2007), a colleague back in Wolverhampton said, to my surprise, “My great-greatgrandfather was Headmaster. He was the one who built the school: look for the name Logan on the plaque”. I did look: and I found it. So I have been fascinated in this edition to read of Samuel Logan (1883-1912) who managed 29 years as Headmaster.
It’s impossible to resist the temptation to start with the Then. How sad to read, among the obituaries of several great supporters of the school, that we have lost two former ONA Presidents, Bill Weeks (35-44) and Rev Reg Harper (42-49). Both men were prepared through their work in the ONA to give something back to their old school on a significant scale – as well as enjoying the company of their former schoolfellows through the Association’s activities.
4
Centre, Brandling development and extension to the dining facilities and our spectacular new Sports Centre. But, lasting though those signs of his achievement are, neither he nor I would want us to limit appreciation to those physical symbols.
Richard has been a towering strength in the school, seeing financial management not as something simply to control, but as a mechanism for ensuring that our boys and girls receive every possible Moving into the Now, there is one opportunity. The staff who need his particular farewell I should mark. Every support have always received it – again, school says au revoir to members of staff to the benefit of the students. He really has at the end of a year, preparing to welcome been an enabling and facilitating Bursar others in September: such turnover is (which isn’t always the case in schools!) healthy, and I do not try to list all departures His genial presence, his unfailing kindness here. But I must mention my friend and and his care for everyone will not be colleague Stephen Davies who, after quickly forgotten: he has even looked after 10 years here, is leaving the History a student tutor set for Eldon House, a department to become vice principal group who I know will miss him while they and head of Sixth Form at Bede Academy wish him well – as we all do. in Blyth. He was for two years a very effective member of the ONA committee. It is always good, in the pages of this Moreover, since the bicentennial year in magazine, not simply to read of the past, 2010 he has been the school’s link with but to find news of those with bright the Collingwood Society, formed in that futures. So we congratulate Scarlett Milligan (09-11), a Sixth Form bursary year, as well as fixing our Peter Taylor Lectures: all the more generous, perhaps, holder who joined the school in 2009 and has now been called to the Bar of England because he is not an ON himself, but and Wales. She hopes to be practising a former student of Dame Allan’s. a combination of public, human rights, national security and tort law. Remembering I must mention two other people, very her well, I wouldn’t want to be on the much of our present. Legendary catering manager Barrie Bulch, for many years U16 opposing side to her: but I’d be delighted to have her fighting my corner! rugby coach, was honoured this year by the English Schools Rugby Union for It is a great thing about the RGS that it is services to school rugby: I cannot picture able to look in three directions at once. To a more worthy recipient. He remains with its revered past, to its proud present and to us, which is just as well: life without him what we are sure is a bright future. I think and his marshalling of the school’s this magazine illustrates all three aspects awesome catering forces (not least for vividly, and I hope you enjoy reading it. the annual ONA Dinner in October) is unimaginable. Bernard Trafford Headmaster Almost as unimaginable is an RGS without Bursar Richard Metcalfe. After 17 years, however, he is finally hanging up his calculator and theodolite! Richard leaves a physical testament to his work here in the form of the magnificent Performing Arts
