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ONA Now and Then central part of the Performing Arts Centre in his honour: it is now The Miller Theatre.
tortured into making false confessions. His ‘confession’, clumsily transcribed by his captors, describes an entirely fictitious history as a CIA agent. He was among I was delighted to witness one of those many thousands executed, a small rare and momentous occasions when individual tragedy that brings home to us three generations of RGS boys visited the monstrosity and evil of that regime. It school together. Walter Wood (37-44) and his son Simon (72-77) joined Walter’s has been suggested that we should create grandson, Edwin (current Upper Sixth and some kind of memorial to John Dawson Dewhirst: it’s hard to know what would be a Senior Prefect) (see page 15). ONA Committee member and former President appropriate, and we are certainly open to suggestions, particularly perhaps from David Goldwater (51-62) presented the ONs who knew him. previous issue of the ONA Magazine to Walter. Walter described being much inspired by the ‘brilliant’ Michael Roberts I’ll close with one last bit of, fortunately How good it is to see happier, history. It was marvellous to hear (24-31 and 34-41) (see issue 91): that the ONA Magazine ‘inspiring, unique and eccentric’ teacher of the now fully-restored organ (which is, of the ’30s and ’40s gave David the impetus course, a war memorial) in use in the May becoming fatter and performance of Haydn’s Little Organ Mass. and motivation to continue his search of fuller with every issue! We hope we’ll make good use of the The History of the RGS in its People I’m grateful to the organ now it’s working again, though we series (see page 10). don’t sing hymns in assembly nowadays: ever-increasing number the instrument has been acknowledged It was my pleasure to get to know W Ray of ONs ready and willing Eden (32-37) as a friend, and my sorrow by The British Institute of Organ Studies. A failed organist myself, I must add that it to mourn his loss at the start of the year. to contribute material. really does sound well now it’s in full Ray was another of those ONs (so many of them!) who was larger than life, full of fun working order. My colleague Jane Medcalf heroically tries and humour, and great company. In his last And that’s just a snapshot of this to pack in as many of the offerings as she couple of years we’d formed the habit of magazine’s contents! My thanks to all can: but we hope you will be patient if it meeting up at the Cherry Tree for dinner takes a while to get them all in. It’s a nice and jazz: but I know that my wife and I were contributors and to all who continue to support their old school: and I hope problem to have, though, and we welcome just part of a huge circle of Ray’s friends it and thank you. with whom he developed various cheerful to see many of you at October’s ONA and sociable activities in order to maintain Dinner at the school, or at the London event in March. In this issue I’ve enjoyed something of and build friendships. He was a very a dialogue with my pre-predecessor, special man whom we miss. Bernard Trafford Alister Cox (72-94) (see opposite) (who, Headmaster incidentally, celebrated his 80th birthday Earlier this year we received news of the recently: congratulations to him!) strange and disturbing decades-old tragedy that befell one ON. The state of I’ve also been able to witness some of the Cambodia is coming to terms with its terrible history of the ’60s and ’70s under events recorded in these pages. Wildlife the regime of the infamous Pol Pot and his photographer Will Nicholls (06-13) only ‘killing fields’. Bravely facing its darker past, left the school a year ago, so I had the that nation is creating museums and pleasure of seeing him develop (and win memorials to the victims. several awards) in his specialist field: his work is outstanding. Among them, we have discovered, was In July I was also privileged to invite my John Dawson Dewhirst (61-64), who left predecessor James Miller (94-08), back the RGS in 1964. He was one of a to the RGS so that we could rename the number of westerners captured and
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