The Olavian 2013

Vol. 116 2013 Olavian Editor: David Craig Old Olavian Editor: John Brown Assistant Editor: Peter Leigh Sub-Editors: Matthew Roberts Dhruv Krishna Isaac Van Bakel

Years 8 & 9 on World Challenge in Croatia (Full story on p63)

Contents Contents Headmaster’s Introduction Editorial

3 4 5

School Notes StOGS in the Fifties

6 14

Staff 2013 Students’ Work Prize Day Sixth Form News 2013 Leavers’ Destinations

24 31 41 49 54

Clubs and Extra-curricular

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Maths & ICT Science English & Drama The Library Music Modern Foreign Languages Humanities Sports Art, Design & Technology

67 73 87 95 97 103 113 129 139

Old Olavian

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From the Headmaster T

he theme of my third year as Headmaster of St Olave’s Grammar School has been the continuing pursuit of scholarship. Erudite student research articles, on topics ranging from Critical Limb Ischemia to Duality in Oscar Wilde, form part of an emerging range of student-led academic and society journals which now take pride of place in displays in the cloisters.

Once again the year concluded with public examination results that saw a record 52 students gaining Oxbridge or Medical places and St Olave’s as the top school nationally for the EBacc at 96%. It is no surprise that applications for places in Year 7 have, for the first time, exceeded 1000.

Our Wakeham Choristers of The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy performed for Her Majesty The Queen and 9 students received their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards at St James’s Palace. A number of students emulated traditions by reaching the Olympiad stages in national Mathematics and Science competitions.

Against an ongoing backdrop of public sector funding cuts which are particularly hitting Grammar Schools, we can be proud that our ancient school has continued to thrive, with students engaged in international cultural activities from Berlin to Botswana, Salt Lake City to South Africa. An unforgettable Rugby tour of South America, as well as the emergence of 8 national champions at Fives, are indicative of the quality of sporting involvement at the highest levels.

My thanks go, once again, to our Latin Master, Mr Craig, and to Peter Leigh, for skilfully editing this magazine which, I hope, will provide you with much interesting and entertaining reading.

Aydın Önaç Headmaster

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Editorial I

n recent years, many of the school’s faculties and departments have been producing individual magazines, which have been generated in a variety of ways such as the series of departmental society talks given by students, teachers and visiting guest speakers. My task as editor has been to avoid any overlap or repeats and I hope that this goal has been achieved. It is inevitable in a school where there is so much activity in the classroom, on the playing field, on the stage, in the various orchestras, in debates and in trips within the country and overseas that a huge amount of culling of text needs to be done.

It is, in some senses, an enviable task, given that I have so much copy from which to select, but at the same time there is the concern that someone may feel omitted. Let me therefore put readers old and new at rest, and stress that no one has been left out with any intent and that, given that this is an annual production, there will be an opportunity in future to appear in its pages, even if on this occasion there is to your mind a lacuna.

My task in the production of this magazine is greatly alleviated by a team of assistant editors who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, doing the type of work which is beyond my ken, that of sophisticated desktop publishing. I have known my deputy Peter Leigh for some time now, not least because I have taught him Classics for some years. Without Peter’s astonishing gifts for computer work and organisation, this magazine would not be such a joy to produce.

David Craig Editor; Head of Classics

There will be, this year, some articles which will be a little more diverse, as the wings of various departments have spread and new teachers have brought to the school different aspirations, for instance trips to Iceland, different sites in London and battle fields not seen before. Nonetheless, the core tenet of the magazine has been to maintain an historical record of the activities and achievements of the pupils over the past year from year seven to thirteen, and the achievements are, as ever, something to celebrate with pride. But we also celebrate Older Olavians too and the vast contribution they have made and continue to make to the wellbeing of the school.

Editor - The Olavian

Editor - The Old Olavian

David Craig, Esq. St. Olave’s & St. Saviour’s Grammar School, Goodington Lane, Orpington, Kent BR6 9SH

John M Brown, Esq. 60 The Lawns, Rolleston-on-Dove, Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire DE13 9DB

dcraig@saintolaves.net

johnmbrown60@gmail.com Olavian 2013 – 5

SCHOOL NOTES 2013 Academic Olave’s ollowing the 2012 examination results, I hope that some of you saw the Sunday Times article last year on Britain’s Top 400 Secondary Schools, featuring St Olave’s as the 3rd best state school; this was followed by the official government performance tables which confirmed St Olave’s as the joint Top Boys’ school Nationally for the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) with 96% of our boys gaining the qualification.

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Student performance in the 2013 public examinations confirmed St Olave’s continued excellence as the No. 2 state school with mixed 6th Form. At A level 93% of grades were at A*/B; 26 students secured Oxbridge places with a further 26 for Medicine. GCSE results were no less impressive and with 87 % of grades at A*/A we were, once again, the No. 1 school for the EBacc at 96%. For both of the last 2 years we were awarded ‘outstanding’ scores in all areas of the Alps report, with 3 year T-scores described as ‘better than any performance in the benchmark data set.’

Oxbridge ambridge and Oxford continue to lead our impressive field of Russell Group universities for leavers’ destinations - a record of which we should be rightly proud. I was delighted to receive letters from a number of Oxbridge Colleges with news of recent former students. Rishi Dutta and James Munro (Fitzwilliam and Trinity, Cambridge) both graduated with 1sts in Economics and Mathematics respectively. Kweku Abraham was made a Scholar of St. John’s College, Cambridge, and was awarded both the Leatham and the Johnston College Prizes for his Part 1A Mathematics; Kit Harris was formally declared a Scholar in recognition of his achievement in Mathematics at St Hugh’s College, Oxford; Eleanor Sands graduated with a 1st in History from Merton College, Oxford; former School Captain Harry McAleer, who is currently studying Engineering at Clare College, Cambridge represented the university in the Varsity match.

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Kit Harris and Luke Abraham both returned recently to speak to the 6th Form, as well as Old Olavians, Dr Peter Harland who is currently at the Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge, and Laura Reardon who read Engineering at Oxford, and now works for Atkins Global in the design of signalling and junction systems.

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Royalty Olave’s utumn 2012 was an amazing time for our Wakeham Choristers of the Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy, who were honoured to sing in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh for a special Service of Dedication to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The Queen was very generous with her time, spending a few moments in conversation with each of the Choristers. Later, they had the honour of singing in a service to celebrate the life and work of His Majesty King Michael of Romania, in the presence of The King and Their Royal Highnesses Crown Princess Margarita and Prince Radu. Finally, the boys were called on for a third occasion to sing, in the presence of HRH Princess Anne, at a Service of Dedication for new members of the Royal Victorian Order.

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Commemoration he spectacular setting of Southwark Cathedral played host to the annual Service of Commemoration, with an address given by The Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, CVO. Later in the year at Lower School Celebration, former Captain of School, David Akinluyi, presented the prizes and gave an inspirational talk about his experiences at Cambridge and his leadership of the Nigerian National Rugby Team.

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6th Form s our Year 13 students reached the end of their formal education the final assembly in The Great Hall was an emotional end of era. However, they had let their hair down prior to this with a Scottish dancing session, to the accompaniment of bagpipes, with skipping, twirling and Dosey Doe’ing – ‘a surreal memory to say the least’ as one student commented. We also had an opportunity to thank the Year 13 Prefects with a special luncheon in The Pavilion; they have been exemplary ambassadors for the school, admirably led by the outstanding School Captains Mohammed Fallaha and Grace Boyle, and the Senior Prefect team of James Atkinson, Eleanor Goodman, William Pyle and James Watson. A final farewell Leavers’ Event started with a Reception in the New Quad before students moved on to the Westerham Golf Club. We wish all of them happiness and fulfilment at university and in their lives beyond.

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Congratulations to the new Senior Prefect team: the Captain of School, Skanda Rajasundaram; and Vice

Captains Timothy Adelani, Charlie Bishop, Jordan Fisher, Sinead O’Connor and Zeinab Ruhomauly.

Admissions Olave’s he reputation and popularity of the school are continuing at record levels with Year 7 applications now exceeding 900. Around 450 prospective external students recently sat entrance papers for the 6th Form.

For the successful 100, expected to join us with 8 or more A*/A grades, there was a real buzz of excitement at the Congratulations Evening, with tours of the school hosted by our Year 12 Prefects, and a very popular buffet!

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Science and Medicine onsistency of progression into Medicine is becoming a hallmark of St Olave’s and 2013 produced a record 25 successes. The students are highly organised, running their own Medics’ Society with visiting speakers such as consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr WillisOwen or in-house speakers like Vice-Captain of School, Zeinab Ruhomauly, who gave a presentation on Antibiotic Resistance. They also produce their own quarterly Medical Journal with scholarly articles such as ‘Can gene therapy be used to treat breast cancer?’ or ‘Critical limb ischemia.’ Congratulations to Mohammed Fallaha and Asher Leeks who gained Gold medals in the National Biology Olympiad; to Finn Duggan, Ian Chiang and Tom Wang, who were awarded Gold medals in the National Biology Challenge competition, and to Alexander Robbins and Christopher Speller who won awards for gaining the 3rd highest mark nationally in the Salters-Nuffield A level Biology examination. Lower School Biology Club has taken on a new lease of life this year under the leadership of a fantastic group of Year 12 students, who have arranged investigations and dissections, informative talks and, more recently, a focus on invertebrates to be found in the Biology garden. At Nettlecombe Court Field Studies Centre in Somerset 74 A level Biologists carried out investigations on the relationship between lichen species and the age of gravestones.

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Thanks to the leadership of Jenni Visuri, Harry Jenkins and Fraser Boistelle, The Natural Sciences Society produced some superb examples of scholarship in their latest magazine, with titles including ‘Chaos’, ‘Discovery of the Higgs Boson’ and ‘Stellar limits on White Dwarfs.’

Well done to Uroosa Chugtai who gained a Gold Award amongst the 6200 students entered for the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge, with questions ddesigned to stretch the most able, including the discovery of the oldest sample of water on Earth and the controversy surrounding horse meat in processed foods.

Physics and Engineering Society continues to thrive with lectures and debates on, for example, the possible shape of the universe, how this is dictated by the amount of mass it contains, and how this may determine the way in which it ends. Members of Astronomy Club have enjoyed some spectacular sights, including asteroid 2012 DA14 which made a pass within 14,000 miles of Earth’s surface and a meteor that burned up in Earth’s atmosphere, lighting up the sky over the town of Chelyabinsk and sending a powerful shockwave that injured about 1,000 people.

Mathematics Olave’s n a testament to the problem-solving skills of our students, they achieved a record 43 Gold, 122 Silver and 116 Bronze certificates in the Senior Mathematical Challenge. 7 students qualified for the Olympiad, Round 1, with Alastair O’Neill gaining a Bronze medal, for the top 100 students, and Pascal Bose a distinction. Both went on to the even more daunting Olympiad Round 2, where Pascal managed to solve completely 2 of the 4 extremely demanding problems to gain a place in the top 20 nationally. This year’s Intermediate Mathematical Challenge also produced a record 70 Gold, 92 Silver and 73 Bronze certificates, with 15 students qualifying for the Olympiads and 27 for the Kangaroo follow-ons. In the Junior Mathematical Challenge, a record 10 qualified for the Junior Olympiad where Alex Song achieved a Gold Medal for providing faultless solutions to 5 of the 6 demanding problems, with Alec Hong gaining Silver and Daniel Maghsoudi and Oliver Bennett gaining Bronze.

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The school hosted the regional final of the UK Maths Team Challenge where the Olavian A-team of Owen Messère, Richard Moulange, Henry Miller and Christopher Rajendram emerged as winners and went on to win a top 10 position in the National Final. In the spirit of one of our founders, Ben Adlam left the UK to take up a place at Harvard, majoring in Mathematics.

He returned recently to talk to Year 12 about American universities and the scholarships available, which can sometimes make US degrees cheaper than those in the UK.

Political Economy Society e were fortunate to welcome Mr Paul Mason, Economics Editor of the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, Newsnight, for an engaging session on UK austerity and the banking crisis, and Dr Madsen Pirie, Founder and President of the renowned Adam Smith Institute, for a talk on “Ten Major Errors of Modern Political Economy.” His experience as an advisor to the Thatcher and Major Conservative Governments

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led to a very informative and thought-provoking lecture.

Lincoln and Vietnam War Memorials, The White House and the World Bank were all part of the agenda in the annual Economics and History trip to Washington and New York. A packed New York itinerary took in The Empire State Building, Rockefeller Centre, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, American Museum of Finance, and the razzmatazz of a Broadway Show. The emotional climax to this amazing trip was paying respects to those who lost their lives at the new Freedom Tower being built on the site of Ground Zero. Congratulations to Benjamin Fryza, who has recently won a scholarship with Ernst & Young.

Europe and Languages pportunities for our students to broaden their European cultural experience abound. In October, 6th Formers made their way to St Pancras and Eurostar to begin a 5-day trip to Paris whilst younger students enjoyed a day trip to the markets in Boulogne. A day trip to France, for Years 8/9 took in a waffle shop and factory, complete with tasting and purchasing these Flemish delicacies, before heading to Lille, for the Christmas market. A visit to Aachen started with breakfast in the 17th Century ‘Alt Aachener Kaffe Estuben’ before tours of the Cathedral, Treasury and Christmas markets.

An amazing itinerary on the February Berlin trip took in the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, the infamous Stasi Prison and a special 18th birthday celebration in an exclusive café with flowers, bows and enormous pieces of exquisite gateaux! 34 German students arrived from Starnberg to stay with Year 10s from Newstead and St Olave’s, with an itinerary including the London Eye, the Changing of the Guards, the Globe and the Tower; the group left their partners feeling rather sad, but looking forward to the return visit in July. In Murcia students visited the mud baths of the Salinas de San Pedro nature reserve and were specially commended for the quality of their Spanish by the organisers.

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Humanities Olave’s ear 10 Geographers visited Maidstone to collect data on the sustainability of transport through traffic counts, questionnaires, noise and pollution surveys; Year 12 Geographers travelled to the Malham, in the Yorkshire Dales, for the annual field-trip – a refreshing if often rather damp experience!

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Meanwhile, Year 9 Geographers gained a Certificate of Commendation signed by the Secretary of State for International Development, the Rt Hon Justine Greening, for their entry in the Shape the Future 8 – Olavian 2013

Competition. Led by Alexander Leggatt, their presentation covered the eradication of extreme poverty, empowering women and infant mortality.

History continues to be a popular subject at St Olave’s, as evidenced by articles on the theme of ‘Scandal’ in the latest edition of the History magazine, including: The Abdication Crisis by Luke Watkins, The Profumo Affair by Cameron Garrett, The Watergate Scandal by Kieran Bayne-Douglas and The Hillsborough Disaster

by Alex Tarrant-Anderson. The Year 9 Battlefields trip to Normandy allowed students to visit the Pegasus Bridge, Point du Hoc, Omaha beach, the St Laurent US Cemetery and the Longues-sur-Mer gun battery. At the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Ranville each student was allowed to place a poppy at a grave of their choice to remember one of the men who died. Students also travelled to Dover Castle with its secret wartime tunnel complex and learned how the Dunkirk evacuation was coordinated by Vice-Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay.

Thanks to the restoration efforts of former student Mr Michael Walter, the old Le Chavetois clock, which once controlled all the school clocks at Tooley Street, now hangs in pride of place in the School Reception.

Technology ddie Ho and Abhay Gupta competed against 11 other teams in their age group in the National Final of the Jaguar Maths in Motion Challenge at the Heritage Motor Centre in Banbury. This is the first time we have reached this stage of the competition - a testament to the outstanding support and encouragement provided

by Peter Leigh, Iain McGowan and Matthew BurnsWatkins of Year 13.

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‘Team Attyre’ of Billy Belsham, Kai Smith, Benjamin Stanbury, Edward Tolmie, Seraphin Gnehm and Adrian Santhaipillai whose belt made from recycled bicycle tyres saw them shortlisted and gain a well-deserved commendation in the final of the Design Ventura competition.

Music Olave’s hose who braved a freezing cold December evening were treated to a sparkling Christmas Concert with extracts from Grieg’s Peer Gynt and Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’, a-cappella carols by Taverner, Stopford and Lauridsen, up-tempo Rudolph, Bare Necessities and Hollywood Milestones from the Jazz and Brass and Symphonic Wind bands, and a powerful performance of Pergolesi’s Magnificat. The Final of the Norman Trotman Instrumental Competition at the BYMT was a stunning display talent with 2 Olavians amongst the 7 finalists.

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Stefan Beckett, who also has a prestigious scholarship to the Royal College of Music, was awarded the 1st Prize and the Norman Trotman Trophy for a performance that was technically flawless. Stefan also had the honour of performing at the Commonwealth and Foreign Office in the presence of the Rt Hon William Hague MP. Well done to Oscar Ridout whose setting of Te lucis ante terminum was sung for the first time at the Festival of Contemporary Church Music at St Pancras Church.

A fabulous production of Cabaret displayed talented performances from 2 different casts and some vocal control that would rival that heard in many West End productions. The annual Jazz Night included special guest Simon Bates whose sax/clarinet playing was breath-taking, and the inspirational Nick Beston who celebrated his 25th year since starting the Senior Jazz Band. The Spring Concert was also full of high quality music from many of our Year 13 leavers, as well as being the final concert for John Castle after 23 years of conducting the Symphonic Wind Band.

English and Drama ot only acting but also talented directorship was on display this year with Fintan Calpin directing Brecht’s ‘The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’ and Jack Bradfield and Samuel Luker Brown directing Oscar Wilde’s classic ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’.

Congratulations to all 3 directors whose new plays received performances as part of the National Theatre ‘New Views’ competition. With so much time devoted to the production of Cabaret, Year 11 students were nevertheless congratulated by the examiner for their performances of ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’, ‘The Pillowman’, ‘Every Good Boy Deserves Favour’ and ‘Waiting For Godot’, and Years 9 and 10 gave a powerful performance of William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’.

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Theatre trips have given our students exposure to some of the best professional performances in London such as the Apollo Theatre’s ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’; a modern, updated production of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at The Globe, Michael Morpurgo’s ‘Private Peaceful’ at The Haymarket and ‘Mies Julie’ at The Riverside Studios. ‘Dress Up as a Book Character Day’ meant that the school was full of colourful literary characters whilst celebrations for World Book Day included a free £1 book token for every pupil.

Chess continues to be one of our most popular and successful interests. Conrad Allison and Raunak Rao

were part of the victorious 8 player Kent Chess team that won the National Youth U18 Chess Association title, with teams from 8 English counties and from South Wales. Also, despite having predominantly young players, our team did themselves proud in the annual Millfield International Competition, finishing in 3rd place to continue our unbroken run of finishing in the top 3 places for each of the last 9 years. In an exciting climax to the season Conrad Allison won the U18 Kent Junior Chess Association Grand Prix, also finishing 1st at the Grand Prix Final in Sevenoaks. Congratulations to all of our boys who took part so that St Olave’s finished as the top Secondary School for the 12th time since 2000.

Sport Olave’s he Rugby teams were active all year and despite bad weather leading to a number of fixtures being cancelled, the 1st XV won their match against Salesians to progress to the 5th round of The Daily Mail Vase competition. The U15 Dublin Rugby Tour proved to be a memorable trip with some tough encounters and, 2 years in preparation, the South America Rugby Tour lived up to all expectations with fabulous cultural, social and sporting experiences. Some tough but close Rugby and some exotic locations such as Santiago, Buenoes Aires and the beautiful Iguazu Falls helped to make this an unforgettable experience.

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Another highly successful Fives season resulted in St Olave’s’ students winning many trophies and defeating top schools such as Alleyns, Eton, Berkhamsted, Merchant Taylors, Oundel, Blundells, Shrewsbury House School, Pilgrims, St Andrews Eastbourne, and St Pauls on the way.

In the Open, Christopher Self & Sanjay Kundu won the Doubles, and both players also met in the Singles Final where Sanjay won the Title by 2 points!

The St Olave’s 1st Team of Christopher Self, Sanjay Kundu, Sudhir Balaji, with Howard Wiseman, Seb Cooley and Peter White beat Shrewsbury 2-1 in a thrilling final to defend their prestigious “Richard Barber Cup” title.

Kameron Swanson and Sohayl Ujoodia became Midlands championships winners.

Tomas Gallagher, Vishwakrith Shetty, Kieran Walton, Sohayl Ujoodia, William Carew and Kameron Swanson won the REFCA CUP National 3 pair U14 team competition.

James Tate and Kieran Walton are the Eton Fives Schools Nationals U13 champions.

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James Tate and Kieran Walton are the Rugby Fives U13 National Doubles champions.

Kameron Swanson took the trophy as Rugby Fives U13 Singles champion.

Chukwunenyem Nwuba beat St Pauls’ top player to take the National U14 Rugby Fives Singles title.

Christopher Self and old boy Sebastian Cooley won the “Graham Turnbull Trophy” Our Cricket teams have been very successful this term with all four teams reaching the Bromley Cup Finals and Year 7 also reaching the Kent 20/20 Cup Final.

Stars of the season were Year 8 who recorded 13 wins out of 15 matches this season following a successful tour to Devon. They then proceeded to win both the Bromley and Kent Cups with impressive performances from Sohayl Ujoodia, Martin Senior and Laiq Nagi.

Congratulations also to Angus Dalgleish who was selected for the Dartford and District Schools XI match against Lashings XI. Well done to Sohyal Ujoodia, Prabu Sathananthan and Angus Dalgleish who have been chosen to represent Kent this summer.

Well done to Felix Haslam, Theodore Haslam, Henry Rennolls and Michael Jacobs who all won top places London Schools Swimming Association Championship held at Crystal Palace. Michael went on to represent London in the English Schools Swimming Championships, winning the 400M Individual Medley in a fantastic race to become the English Schools Inter Divisional Champion 2013.

Well done also to Shunta Takino who, despite only being an U16 player, has recently won 3 titles as Kent Tennis Champion, U16 boys, U18 boys and U18 doubles; to Adam Whitelaw who has been selected again for the England U15 Epee squad; to Tomas Gallagher who was selected for Kent U15 hockey; and to Chukwunenyem Nwuba who won the Junior Victor Ludorum and to Bingham who were overall winners of the Sports’ Day trophy.

It was good to celebrate the vast array of sports undertaken by students at Sports’ Celebration Evening where awards recognised skill and dedication, and guest speaker/Old Olavian, David Akinluyi, was inspirational.

DofE fter the practice expedition on Dartmoor where drowning seemed more than possible, students again endured unseasonal weather in the Gold DofE Assessed Expedition in the Brecon Beacons during the Easter holiday. Despite gale force winds and thigh

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deep snow in many places, the group overcame the challenge and passed the assessment with flying colours.

It is a testament to their character that they were one of only a handful of teams to complete this 5-day challenge when so many other schools had pulled out.

Year 9s commencing the scheme braved the terrain from Limpsfield to Sevenoaks on a DofE Bronze Award training expedition in a variety of weather conditions ranging from balmy sunshine to slightly more inclement downpours. Congratulations to recent leavers: Caroline Apsey, Michael Battle, Felicity Bown, Benedict Cook, Deeya D’Souza, Stephen Ellington, Jonathan Essam, Kit Harris, Daniel Morland, Verity Pitts, Aaron Neill, Emily Thorne and Jon Tong who have been invited to a presentation at St James’ Palace to receive their certificates from HRH The Earl of Wessex.

Art Olave’s he 6th Form Art group enjoyed the cultural delights of Amsterdam, with Rembrandt’s ‘Night Watch’, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Modern Art Gallery. Light relief was provided by the Cheese Museum, the David Bowie exhibitions and a canal tour of this fascinating city. Year 10s visited a variety of London galleries and museums, focusing on the way the river Thames has been used, through historical evidence in the old cranes, docks, buildings and pictures of the 3000 ships afloat at the height of the British Empire.

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Cultural Enrichment he 6th Form trip to Greece took in the traditional sites of Olympia, Mycenae, Epidauros, Delphi and Athens as well as the fascinating site of Rhamnous, an Athenian military fort overlooking the straits of Euboea, and a visit to Orchomenos with its colossal bee-hive tomb.

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Others flew to Johannesburg to take part in a biological conservation project with Operation Wallacea. Under the guidance of local rangers at Struwigs Eco-reserve in western Kruger, the students were trained in bush survival techniques and conservation issues facing Africa as a whole. As part of habitat surveys they collected data on birds, invertebrates and mammals as well as having many thrilling encounters with elephants, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, wild dogs and lions. The 2nd week was spent on the East coast at Sodwana Bay where students completed their diving training and the reef ecology course, before some close encounters with dolphins, turtles and humpback whales!

Those keener on sport jetted off to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the annual ski trip. With 6 hours of tuition every

day, a chance to see the Grizzleys play Ice Hockey and plentiful American cuisine, the experience was packed full of all types of activities.

Congratulations Olave’s number of students have gained other individual or team honours. Congratulations to:

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Thomas Halton, Jonathan McCabe, Daniel O’Driscoll, Jordan Adesina, Alexander Martin and Rory Yeates Riddoch who came through victoriously to take joint 1st Place in the Bromley ‘Fully Booked’ Literature Quiz.

Charles Jones, Skanda Rajasundaram, Keir Bowater, Chiha Choi and Samuel Rowe who won prestigious Arkwright Scholarship Foundation awards, bringing the school’s total to 11, a record for any UK school.

Jack Bradfield, who was short-listed from 5,000 entrants in the WICKED Young Writers’ Award and, in the presence of Michael Morpurgo, had his work read by members of the cast at the Apollo Victoria Theatre Oliver Plumstead, whose photographs on Flickr led to an invitation to be a contributor to Getty Images Deniz Ali, who did conservation work with Exeter University at the Alagadi Turtle Beach in Northern Cyprus Theo Clifford, who was a finalist in the Baillie Gifford & Financial Mail Young Writers’ Competition

Cultural Evening fter much preparation, a massive audience was entertained at the fabulous Cultural Evening, with Tamil singing, American piano playing, Indian dance medleys, Carnatic music, a Chinese poem and Indian singing. Ireland stole the show with a sensitive reading

by Fintan Calpin of W. B. Yeats’ Easter 1916 - a Terrible Beauty was Born and spirited Irish dancing by Roisin Hegarty O’Dowd. Many parents generously brought in food for the Food Market to create a mouth-watering display of tables piled high with exotic dishes from just about every corner of the earth, before the entertainment was rounded off with a colourful Fashion Show.

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Provision Olave’s he new year saw the start of our new catering company and I am pleased to say that feedback from students about the quality and range of food on offer is very positive. A new series of Careers Information Talks

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has been taking place with guest speakers talking about their careers, qualifications and training opportunities.

We have welcomed a number of Old Olavians, including Edward Barker, who talked about his Gap year with accounting firm Deloitte; Dr Riyaz Shah who spoke about careers in medicine and Neil Sears, who is currently a writer with the Daily Mail newspaper, and who, not surprisingly, spoke about the qualities required to be a journalist.

Scholarship is at the top of the agenda at St Olave’s and I am constantly impressed by the research undertaken, and presentations delivered by students in academic societies, including: Nuclear Fusion, Dystopian Fiction, Pharmaceutical Research, Reality, Animation, The History of the Soviet Union, How Magnets work, The universe before the Big Bang and the Devastating Effects of Hurricane Sandy. A large number of Senior students gave presentations on their EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) research. The scheme was extended to younger students this year through the Higher Project, with some erudite presentations on: The Olympic Legacy, Currency Forgery and the UK Economy, Duality in Oscar Wilde, Journalism and the Internet, Republicans and democrats, Cancer – Causes, and Treatment Options; British Interventionism, Chaos Theory, Funding the NHS – a Critique of Coalition Policy.

Values Olave’s he annual Festival, complete with zany activities, pushed the overall charity total to £7,000, which students chose to donate to ‘Over the Wall’ and ‘The Princess Royal University Hospital Special Care Baby Unit’. 2 years ago, students supported the construction of the new Langalanga School in Kenya and I was pleased to receive a photograph of the door of one of the new classrooms, named ‘St Olave’s’. I also received a letter thanking the staff and students for raising £350 during this year’s Poppy Appeal. It is good that our students continue to support the Royal British Legion who, without donations such as this, would be unable to continue their vital benevolent work. Students involved in Le Chavetois scheme have also continued support local organisations where, for example, Iain McGowan’s volunteering work at Raglan Primary School was described as a ‘wonderful inspiration’ by the staff. We were pleased to host Bishop Lindsay Urwin for the Communion Service in February; he particularly enjoyed meeting a number of our students, whom he described as mature, thoughtful and engaging.

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Parents’ Association he Parents’ Association continues to raise substantial amounts of money for the school through Second Hand Uniform Sales, Parents’ Quiz Nights, Auction sales and so on. On a glorious sunny day a variety of stalls, assault course, bouncy castle, food, drinks and Samba Bands created a welcoming and highly enjoyable afternoon at the PA Family Fun Day before a glamorous evening of good food, wine and dancing at The Warren allowed members to let their hair down at their annual Summer Ball. The much-need financial support provided by the PA has enabled the opening of the new PE Fitness Suite, the purchase of 2 defibrillators, 3 new Cricket sight screens, a brand new set of giant Chess pieces for the 1st Quad and on-going coaching for this important Club.

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Old Olavians y colleagues and I recently met with 6 recent former Captains of School to explore ways to cement stronger links with the Old Olavian community, develop useful networks of peer groups, build on their skills and experience to help current students and, of course, to support fund-raising initiatives. One such activity is The Old Olavians’ Day and Luncheon which was well attended this year, with boys from the Rugby squad acting as waiters and a fascinating speech from Sir Roger Sims. It was a pleasure to welcome back Old Olavian Jeremy Wisdom who gave a thought-provoking assembly on the challenges he has faced recently as the Principal of The King’s School in Burundi. It was also good to see so many friends and Old Olavians at the Former Choristers’ Service in The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy. As always, the cheques received from Chris Harris, Chairman of the Old Olavian Society, will be immensely helpful in supporting the general school budget and the hardship fund. It was particularly encouraging to note the inclusion of a substantial bequest from Dr Ray Cooper, who attended the Tooley Street site from 19481956 and was a member of the Forties group of Old Olavians. Sadly, Mark Jones who attended St Olave’s from 1986 to 1993, died at the very young age of 36. A student at Trinity College, Cambridge and a great lover of the music of Bach, he was a fine musician, organist and lovely person; A CD, entitled Bach at Trinity has been recorded as a tribute to him.

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Colours s always, I have been very pleased to award a large number of School Colours to students who have made outstanding contributions or demonstrated exceptional talent, distinguished leadership, full commitment and conduct that brings credit to themselves and the school.

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Staffing and Funding cuts e have now faced almost 3 years of the worst Public Sector funding cuts for the last half century - and there are still worse to come. Grammar Schools, like St Olave’s, continue to be particularly badly hit because the funding formulas at both pre and post 16 have had ALL success factors removed. We do not benefit from any of the much-publicised Pupil Premium, nor the extra £1000 per pupil who fails GCSE English and Mathematics, nor any post-16 weighting for Vocational subjects.

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I am deeply grateful to a group of parents, the Ensuring Excellence team (EEX), for their generous time and commitment to the new fundraising campaign. They are working tirelessly to increase parental contributions and generate additional income so that we can survive the overall reduction of £600,000 in our annual income and sustain the levels of scholarship, excellence and cultural activity in which we all take such pride at St Olave’s.

Aydin Önaç

Olavian 2013 – 13

StOGS in the Fifties Robin Dadson, Old Olavian (1954-59), has written about his days at the school, then still situated in Tooley Street, in the 1950s. He presents an incredible picture of a school very different to today in many ways, but, equally, with smiliarities that Younger Olavians will, we hope, recognise. In fact, we so liked the article - especially the wonderful descriptions of past teachers - that we have chosen to print it here, near the front of the magazine, rather than in the Old Olavian section.

Whether you have just joined in Year 7, are soon to leave in the Upper VI, or are now an Old Olavian, this is an article which we highly recommend.

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ooley Street - the name? According to what I have read it is actually derived from the name of the original church of St Olave.

The present thoroughfare would be unrecognisable to anyone who had attended St Olave’s School during the 1950s, assuming they had not visited the area since, and no more than just a couple of words to anyone under their mid-fifties who had never been to the school there at all. The short stretch of the River Thames that lies between London Bridge to the west and Tower Bridge to the east, known as the Pool of London, was still a bustling hive of activity in the middle of the twentieth century with many wharves and warehouses situated on the southern side. A quick reference to a map will illustrate that there is but a comparatively narrow strip of land between Tooley Street and the actual river but the amount of cargo that moved through there was quite amazing. Many of the commodities that were imported across the wharves lining the river were foodstuffs, and I have heard the area in general referred to as ‘The Larder of London’ for this reason. Although it may be hard to believe in the year 2012, ocean-going vessels still made their way up the Thames to the Pool of London in the 1950s and would berth at wharves along the southern bank to discharge and load cargoes. Generally speaking these were comparatively small ships, even by mid-twentieth century standards, and served in ‘short sea’ trading. This means that their voyages took them to the nearer ports of Western Europe, but there were vessels which sailed to and from the Baltic that regularly tied up at the wharf which was sited between St Olave’s and the river where the Mayor of London’s official office now stands. The northern bank of the Pool of London had far fewer wharves, mainly due to the Tower of London occupying much of its length. To the western end, however, there stood the former Billingsgate Fish Market, which was still actively trading in those days, and a rather grand white building immediately adjacent to the northern end of London Bridge called New Fresh Wharf. The principal cargoes landed here were fruits, and the wharf was used by much larger vessels voyaging to and from the Canary Islands on a regular basis with the 14 – Olavian 2013

very occasional visit by a ship from places much further afield such as the Pacific Coast of North America.

Before any of the ships visiting the Pool of London could proceed on their outbound voyage they had to be turned which could be quite exciting, especially in high winds. On more than one occasion a large ship ended up lying right alongside London Bridge which caused a few headaches to the port authorities as well as the master and officers of the vessel. When arriving or leaving each vessel would require Tower Bridge to be raised leading to total traffic chaos both north and south of the river several times a week. It was not only ocean-going ships that brought goods to be landed at the warehouses along Tooley Street as there was also a huge amount of traffic

that had been off-loaded from ships berthed in dock areas further down river into lighters or barges which where then towed upstream by tugs to enable final delivery through warehouses in the Pool of London.

You may be wondering, quite rightly, what all this has to do with life at St Olave’s in those days and the answer is plenty. The narrow strip of land between the northern side of Tooley Street and the river has since been dramatically opened up with the demolition of many of the old warehouses and the preservation and conversion of others into shopping centres and/or riverside restaurants. There is even a private hospital situated in a former warehouse.

It is strange to reflect on the fact that the area now has something of a trendy atmosphere which appeals both to tourists and other visitors alike. In the 1950s the aspect was far less attractive with a number of very narrow, dark, dingy lanes leading northwards from Tooley Street towards the river between the tall, dismal warehouses.

I believe the present students of St Olave’s are inclined to sing of ‘Dark Satanic Mills’. Well, gentlemen, and I guess I should now also be saying ‘ladies’, you might sing of these mills but we saw them, or their equivalent,

every day on our way to and from school rather than the leafy lanes of Orpington. As you progressed along Tooley Street you were treated to a variety of smells that came from these buildings and these ranged from being quite pleasant to most unpalatable. For me the worst was the sickly, cloying smell of concentrated rum which was to be experienced when passing a vault located under the railway viaduct on the south side of the road, not far from where the ‘London Dungeon’ later opened. The buildings to the southern side of Tooley Street had not changed to anywhere near the same degree as those on the northern side when I last visited the area a few years back mainly due to the Southern Railway and the viaduct that carries the lines through London Bridge Station.

The vaults under the railway viaduct, many of which now house tourist attractions, provided a convenient storage area for many of the imported goods. East of the junction with Bermondsey Street the buildings seemed much the same as they were sixty years ago. The only difference was that these buildings formerly contained offices which accommodated businesses that had some connection to the shipping or import and export industries but many now house bars, restaurants and other such attractions.

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If I recall correctly the only place you could see anything of the river and beyond was across a bomb-site opposite the hostelry called the ‘Shipwright’s Arms’ - known locally as ‘The Pink T-t’ due to the carved figurehead of a lady which still adorns the frontage. HMS Belfast, now moored in the Pool of London, was possibly still in service at that time and was certainly not there to obstruct the view. Building work actually started on this site whilst I was at school and became ‘Battlebridge House’ which I later visited quite often in the course of my career but even this has now been demolished to make way for more modern developments. How time flies, but it is quite ironic that much earlier buildings have survived whilst one built during the 1950s has gone! Naturally there was a lot of road traffic generated by all this commercial activity in addition to the normal, everyday flow of buses, taxis and cars and all this had to be avoided when crossing the street. There was no bridge leading over the road by London Bridge Station as there is today, nor was there a pedestrian crossing. It was rumoured that, following a letter by Dr Carrington which brought this situation to the attention of the local authority, a zebra-style crossing was installed near to the school and it was still in place when I last visited the area.

True to character Carrington immediately made it clear that all boys travelling via London Bridge Station should remain on the southern side of Tooley Street until the 16 – Olavian 2013

crossing was reached. I cannot recall whether this was made a school rule or only issued as a ‘guidance’, but it was yet another area where Carrington imposed his influence.

It may come as a surprise for some to learn that, in those days, the authority of a school carried far beyond the actual premises. Woe betide any pupil should Carrington received a complaint about any misbehaviour whilst that boy was travelling to or from school or indeed anywhere else whilst wearing the school uniform. The complaint would be investigated and, if justified, punishment would be imposed for bringing the name of the school into disrepute. I cannot help but reflect on my former place of residence where there were regular complaints from the local community regarding the behaviour of some of the pupils attending the local comprehensive school, a small element of whom just seemed to run wild. Sadly the official response was that, once students were beyond the school gates, it was nothing to do with the school!!

How times have changed, and not for the better.

Although the dockers and stevedores who worked in the wharves and warehouses along Tooley Street were usually far too busy to take notice of the large number of boys that passed them on a daily basis, there were occasional industrial disputes which resulted in crowds of dock workers gathering along the route between London

Bridge Station and the school. The older men still took little notice of the boys walking past but the younger element might poke fun at ‘The Toffs’ dressed up in their regulation uniforms and wearing their school caps. This was all a bit silly as it was quite feasible that a son of a dock worker might actually be attending St Olave’s if he were bright enough, but nobody seemed to acknowledge this point. Indeed one of my contemporaries lived in a block of flats right opposite the school building, literally but a few yards distant, and, for all I know, his relations may well have been employed locally in Tooley Street. If I remember rightly during my first couple of years all boys were obliged to wear caps right up until their very last day but this was later relaxed and, by the time I reached the sixth form, all older boys were allowed to dispense with this headgear. I can only assume that Carrington became aware of the embarrassment his older students were facing from these younger dock workers. Some ‘boys’ were eighteen or nineteen before they left and, obviously, looked quite ridiculous wearing a cap at that age.

Whilst boys attending St Olave’s were regarded as ‘Toffs’ by some younger people, first year students were obliged to attend elocution lessons under the supervision of the only female member of the teaching staff, namely Miss Robinson. Apart from the dinner ladies who visited for a couple of hours or so each day the only other female employed at the school was Dr. Carrington’s secretary but she was seldom seen by the boys. On reflection I think we junior boys were somewhat unjust to Miss Robinson as she was regarded as a quite elderly, plain spinster and was given the nick name ‘Fanny’ in a somewhat derogatory fashion. I must admit I have no vivid memories of her but I now think she was possibly anywhere between thirtyfive and forty-five years of age and not that unattractive to her contemporary males. This injustice possibly came as a result of the general attitude of the time when ladies past forty fell into the category of being ‘middle-aged’ and were thought of as sitting at home in their woolly cardigans, knitting by the fireside. Only recently, when I was shuffling through a large number of old photographs in the hope of unearthing some taken during my days at Tooley Street, I came across one of a dear old couple my maternal grandparents. I then suddenly realised that, at the time it was taken, they were younger than I am now myself. Times really have changed, but I digress.

shipping backwards but seemed to regard anybody with an upper-class accent as being a bit of a twit. Anything that Miss Robinson had tried to instil into me was quickly dropped in favour of my South London, though by no means cockney, way of speaking and I was more than accepted. It also seems somewhat ironic that the curriculum at St Olave’s in the 1950s included teaching English boys how to speak English when in 2012 we read many schools face the situation where a large percentage of pupils do not understand the language at all.

The annual school play, which was overseen by Mr Hill, who was nicknamed ‘Benny’ for obvious reasons, was quite an event and the acting was of a very high standard.

At least one of the boys that appeared regularly in these productions entered the profession and has frequently been seen on television. There were a number of consecutive nightly performances to which parents were invited, I believe, for a small charge which went towards production costs. The main hall became the venue for these performances, which were drawn from playwrights such as Shakespeare, and the dais was converted into a very realistic stage.

There was also a school orchestra and choir, and some choristers from the latter were recruited into the choirs of Southwark Cathedral and The Savoy Chapel. The orchestra gave ample support to the annual school play if required.

On occasions Dr Carrington would treat the school to musical recitals and all pupils would gather in the main hall in order to appreciate the performances. I recall one group of musicians were known as ‘The Marylebone String Quartet’ and, despite their undoubted talents, most boys were totally bored by their presentations.

Having said that, it was better than suffering double maths or, worse still, Latin which was still taught at St Olave’s when I joined in 1954. I believe I am correct in saying Carrington gained his doctorate following his research and work on Pompeii so, no doubt, he had a great desire for Latin to be taught. Some students were quite linguistic and took to learning this language but I have to confess I was not one of them. Fortunately, after the

Elocution lessons! Dr Carrington was clearly of the opinion that a South London accent would be highly detrimental in later life and had to be smoothed out in order for a boy to get anywhere in the world. I wonder how he would have felt if he had been able to see Lord Sugar on the television stating ‘Yer fired’ in his East End accent. Strange to tell but my career was spent almost entirely in the shipping industry during which time I had a great deal of contact with East End freight forwarders who were the salt of the earth and knew Olavian 2013 – 17

first year, any boy that was clearly never going to master the subject was excused further torture and was able to drop Latin from his curriculum. I am certain Latin was of use, possibly even essential, for some students who were aiming for a certain career but it was totally useless to the greater majority.

I had been five years at the school before I came to gain another somewhat strange insight into Carrington’s views on education. Once a boy had reached the lower sixth he faced at least one period a week which was overseen by Carrington rather than one of the lesser teaching staff. My fate, and that of my contemporaries, was to be taught of the days of the early English settlers in North America and their lifestyle with reference to a book written around that time. At the end of the lesson we would be set homework on what we had learned and would be tested at the start of the next week’s lesson by being required to answer around twenty supposedly relevant questions. Any boy failing to answer a set percentage correctly was automatically awarded a Saturday detention, upon which I shall elaborate later.

Most of us memorised dates, locations, names of settlers, voyage details and the like, but on one occasion we were asked to name the staple diet that prevailed during the winter of sixteen hundred and whatever. I don’t think any of us had a clue but the answer was ‘hog and hominy’ whatever that is. Funny to think I have remembered this right into the year 2012 and still do not really know exactly what it consists of apart from pork and certainly 18 – Olavian 2013

have never found the subject to arise in any subsequent conversation I have had. In the words of Sir Michael Caine, ‘Not a lot of people know that’, and by a strange coincidence this respected actor was born in St Olave’s Hospital, Rotherhithe!

In earlier reminiscences I mentioned the fact that the greater majority of students were not allowed to enter the school by the main entrance but were obliged to walk along the front of the building and use a side door. This rule was relaxed, however, on one occasion when the guttering and drain-pipes from the roof became loose.

It was deemed too dangerous to walk immediately under these so everyone had to use the main door or covered playground to gain access. This took place at the same time as a particular song called ‘The Day That the Rains Came Down’ became very popular and entered the hit parade. Of course this was adopted by the school and the words adjusted to ‘The Day That the Drains Came Down’ before being sung at every opportunity. Whether this had the desired effect of annoying Carrington following the enforced relaxation of his rules we never really knew as he never made any comment on the subject. Obviously the repairs to the guttering and drains were absolutely essential, but I think the majority of boys would have preferred that some attention be paid to the main toilet block which was situated on the western side of the main playground and was built alongside the high wall of the warehouse which lay immediately to the north of the main school building. To say the

least these positively stank and, apart from moments of dire necessity, were avoided by most pupils. In the heat of the summer months the stench could become quite unbearable whilst, in the winter without the provision of heating, they could become frozen up and were an extremely chilly area to have to visit. I am sure they were cleaned on a regular basis in accordance with the regulations of the day, but I am equally positive that in 2012 they would have been condemned outright.

The main school building itself dated from the 1890s and was quite unlike any modern educational establishment.

Anyone entering through the main door would have found themselves in a fairly large entrance hall from which access could be gained to the main hall, cloakrooms, headmaster’s secretary’s office and a rather wide stairway.

This led to a large first-floor landing from which you could reach the balcony around the hall, the library, the monitors’ common room, the music room and that most mysterious of places, the masters’ common room. I do not remember a single boy that could boast of having entered this hallowed sanctuary although I suppose there were some. You could gain access to the masters’ common room by either of two doors, one leading off the first floor landing as mentioned or a second which led onto the balcony. I have vivid memories of passing both of these doors at times when they had been opened and seeing clouds of smoke roll forth with a dense hazy atmosphere beyond. Clearly there were no restrictions or deterrents towards adults enjoying a smoke in those

days although any boy caught so doing could expect an early interview with Dr Carrington. As I have already indicated the library also led off this first floor landing beyond which was the door to Carrington’s study. There was an excellent stock of books in the library and boys could always be seen browsing there at those times when this was permitted. Many of these were, of course, genuine browsers but some were there in order to catch the sounds emanating from Carrington’s study as he dealt with some poor miscreant in his time-honoured fashion.

There was a second door leading into Carrington’s study from the balcony and, not infrequently, a boy could be seen waiting outside this door often for quite a considerable time. Everyone knew why he was there and what he could expect once he was invited to enter which, I have no doubt, was Carrington’s way of providing a deterrent to any other pupil contemplating mischief.

A further deterrent available to staff to help maintain discipline over and above writing ‘lines’ was Saturday morning detention. If a boy was sufficiently disobedient or disruptive his name was entered in the detention book and, after Friday morning assembly, Carrington would read out the names of those boys that were required to attend school the following morning. Everyone waited to see if Carrington would then indicate that he required to see a certain boy after the assembly had been dismissed. If this occurred everyone knew what it meant, a boy’s name had been entered in the detention book on more than one occasion during the week and, in addition to the two detentions, a further swifter penalty was about to be added. This did not cancel out either of the detentions, the first of which would be served the following day and the second at the end of the next week. The economic situation during the 1950s was such that many boys could not rely on their parents to provide generous amounts of pocket money so they found themselves Saturday jobs in order to earn a little cash. I say ‘Saturday jobs’ as, in those days, few if any businesses were open on a Sunday, so Saturday was the only day when there was an opportunity to find part-time work.

Obviously, if a boy found himself in detention, any job he might have was put in jeopardy and he might request that he be sent up to see Carrington rather than risk his job by non-attendance. This was a bit of a gamble as it was not unknown for Carrington to administer immediate punishment and then add detention as well if he considered the offence warranted additional measures.

Although Dr Carrington was lord and master of all he surveyed and was a strict disciplinarian, I have also heard reports that he had another side to his character and was not unknown to offer financial support to some pupil and his parents who had fallen on hard times. His methods of maintaining discipline and order would, undoubtedly, have led to an investigation in 2012, but these were quite acceptable in the mid-twentieth century. In fact in later Olavian 2013 – 19

years I had a business colleague who had attended a famous residential public school during the1950s and we were inclined to compare notes. Whereas at St Olave’s only Carrington was allowed to administer the ultimate deterrent my acquaintance revealed that, at his school, this privilege was extended to all teaching staff and even down to those senior boys appointed as monitors. He further claimed that some monitors had a sort of contest which started at the beginning of each term to see which of them would be the first to draw blood from a boy’s backside! Rarely were teachers assaulted in those days which, in these more ‘enlightened’ times, appears to happen on a daily basis. So much for ‘progress’.

I have already reflected in an earlier submission how I learned, many years down the line from one of my former masters, that most of the teaching staff were as equally fearful of Carrington as were the boys but immediately opposite the school stood ‘The King of Belgium’. This place had a magnetic attraction for two or three of the masters, whom I shall not name, who used to nip across for a lunchtime pint on occasions, presumably pay day. It was an open secret, but they always entered the place by a side door rather than the main entrance which could be seen quite clearly from the school. Whether this was an attempt to avoid the gaze of the pupils, Carrington or both was never clear but grown men who were perfectly entitled to enter a pub for a beer did so in a rather surreptitious fashion in the manner of naughty

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schoolboys. The place is still there but has since been converted into a sort of wine bar/bistro and can no longer be regarded as a pub.

Although the school was always referred to as being in Tooley Street half of the building actually fronted onto Queen Elizabeth Street which led up to a junction with Tower Bridge Road. On the north-west corner of this junction, and backing onto the school playground, stood a small hut housing a snack bar which, during school hours, was strictly out of bounds to all students. This regulation became like a red rag to a bull to some more rebellious boys although, as nobody was allowed to leave the school premises during the day without express permission, it was extremely difficult to break the ruling.

A rather hazardous solution was found by some who, during a morning, lunchtime or afternoon break, would deliberately kick a ball out of the school playground in the general direction of the snack bar. Permission would then be sought from a master or monitor to leave the school area to retrieve the ‘lost’ ball. If a lad was sufficiently quick he might just be able to purchase a meat pie or some other such trophy from the snack bar and smuggle it back into the school but, should this be detected, an appointment with Carrington was guaranteed with the usual results.

The science labs were at the top of the main building on the second floor. There were a number of science masters

including ‘Taffy’ Stevens who obviously hailed from Wales. Another master, who had a rather dusky eastern complexion and was awarded the unkind nickname of ‘Soapy’ as a result as he looked as if he needed a wash, travelled to and from Tooley Street on a motor cycle.

He was very likeable and seemed to do his bit for road safety by continually stressing to any classes he took that his machine was of 500cc but he never rode it at over 30 mph. Maybe this was his way of instilling road sense into boys who might well purchase a similar machine within a few years. Please bear in mind it was quite unusual to see anybody from the sub-continent or West Indies in those days and racism had yet to really rear its ugly head.

The chap had a dark complexion and that was that with no racism intended.

The laboratory technician was a chap called Wren and it became a sort of tradition for boys to listen out for ‘Taffy’ Stevens summoning assistance by hollering out ‘WREN’ at the top of his voice in his Welsh accent which would echo around the several laboratories. I suspect that these science labs were quite primitive compared with modern standards but were apparently well able to support ‘experiments’ whether these were being legitimately supervised or not. I was not actually at the school when the following took place and I can only assume that I was either at the Dulwich sports grounds or off sick but I know there was a great hue and cry after it occurred.

It seems that the majority of pupils were in class or going about other approved activities when an almighty explosion rocked the building blowing out some of the science lab windows in the process. The official story was that there had been an unfortunate ‘accident’ in a storage area but rumours were rife that a small number of students had found a recipe for making a crude sort of explosive. There were no such things as a World Wide Web or Google in those days so goodness knows where it came from. An ‘unspillable’ inkwell, a familiar object in schools during the 1950s, had been emptied, dried out and packed with whatever had been concocted and a crude fuse inserted through the top. I think a sort of indoor firework had been anticipated but the recipé was most effective with the aforementioned results. I have a feeling that those responsible did not remain at the school for long after the incident.

At the western end of the main building was an annexe which stood on arches above the covered playground.

Above this on the first floor were the woodwork and metalwork rooms and on the second floor was the gym.

All these were accessed by a spiral stairway in what was known as the tower and this stairway actually went a little further up past the door to the gym and opened out onto a balcony which overlooked the gym at one end rather like a minstrel’s gallery. This was where the boys actually changed into their gym gear before descending the spiral staircase once again to enter the gym itself.

Although I never had any first-hand experiences myself I have been told that one gym tutor would occasionally force a boy to jump from the balcony down onto the gym floor rather than go via the winding stairway. I would guess that this was from a height of around ten feet or more and I have heard it alleged that this resulted in broken limbs on more than one occasion. Just how this was allowed I really don’t know but it seems to have been if the stories are true.

The art room was situated at the top of the New Building which was to the east of the main building of the 1890s.

The close proximity to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London could provide something of a bonus during art lessons if the weather was fine. When I joined the school the art master was a Mr Middleton but he soon retired and was replaced by a much younger, rather Bohemianlike, gentleman who I think was called Mr Sleeman or something similar. He was quite a pleasant, talented, young man but had some trouble in maintaining order.

In order to assist in this somewhat difficult task he would occasionally take an entire class on an outing across the river to the Tower where we would sketch and paint our interpretations of life in the Pool of London. Yet again I have vivid recollections of the smell of the River Thames under a hot summer sun which was quite unique and

cannot be explained. It has now been confined to history with the clean-up efforts of more recent years. These treats were only granted to the best behaved forms and Olavian 2013 – 21

worked quite well in maintaining order but he could still face insubordination from junior classes. I actually left St Olave’s at the end of 1959 so, during my last term at the school, I had many ‘free’ periods along with one or two boys who were in the same situation. We were, of course, all in the lower sixth by that time and aged around seventeen. I have to confess that I and the others were encouraged to sit in on many of the classes Mr Sleeman conducted when the younger, more rowdy, pupils were present and act as sort of ‘deputies’. We would actually sit in the storeroom out of sight but, if things got out of hand, we would be called upon to show our faces and that was enough to quieten things down and we never had to do any more. I often wonder what Mr Sleeman did in the spring term of 1960 when his ‘deputies’ had left to earn their living in the great outside world, but I guess I will never know.

It is a fact that he was not the only member of staff that had the misfortune of finding it difficult to keep order whilst others, without ever seemingly trying, had mastered the art. Please excuse the pun. The rather diminutive Mr Buck was very adept at maintaining a quiet class with his characteristic question, ‘Whatever do these boys think they are doing?’ That was quite enough to calm things down despite his height of around five feet whilst other, far taller men, struggled.

Not all subjects had dedicated rooms, and many lessons were conducted in ordinary form-rooms of which there were quite a number. The master specialising in a particular subject would make his way to the appropriate form-room and take a lesson. Many had their own unique way of instilling learning, for instance ‘Old King’ Cole who taught history, would act out historic events before the class prancing to and fro like some amateur thespian.

Mr Creed, the German tutor, gave all his students German names and would conduct the lesson entirely in German. I was ‘Sebastian’ and it was known for a fact by the boys that Herr Creed had commanded a U-Boat in World War II although I seem to remember discovering much later that he was as English as the rest of us.

Geoff Chapman taught geography and was extremely patriotic, frequently pointing out what advantages certain countries had gained through being part of the British Empire which later, of course, was to become known as the Commonwealth. Most masters wore the traditional gown and Mr ‘Jack’ Hawkins, Deputy Head, who taught English had one that appeared to have got mixed up with a shredding machine. There was also a Mr Jones, who, although Welsh was a fanatical cricket fan, one assumes Glamorgan, and boys could often cut a lesson short by asking about the latest cricket scores the moment he appeared. Mr PG Ramm, Maths, once caused a whole form to collapse in laughter during one geometry lesson when he calmly announced that he was aware that many boys found basic geometry quite boring 22 – Olavian 2013

but, as we got older and progressed, we would start to notice some very interesting curves. I honestly do not think he ever realised why there was such uproarious hilarity from the entire class.

Eventually, just before Christmas in 1959, my days as an ‘Olavian’ came to a close and I walked out of the school gates as a pupil for the very last time to find myself within the ranks of the ‘Old Olavians’ two months before my seventeenth birthday which was a bit awe-inspiring. I sometimes reflect on just how many other boys had done exactly the same during the 75 years or so the Tooley Street building housed St Olave’s School. The intake of new boys when I joined in 1954 was around 100 and, if this serves as a guide, it would be somewhere in the region of 7,500 students.

Equally I wonder how many remember their days at STOGS, Tooley Street and have similar memories to mine? I know for a fact there are others as, during the spring of 2011, I made a sort of pilgrimage by taking a cruise to Norway and visited Trondheim Cathedral, the possible final resting place of St Olaf. Imagine my surprise when I mentioned to our guide that I had attended St. Olave’s School in London and a voice from within our party off the same ship said, ‘And so did I’.

May I close by quoting a couple of lines from The School Song: Though far away they seem to us, those mighty days of youth, And things may look a dream to us that once were naked truth.

Upon reflection those days do not actually seem so far away and look just a dream but appear to have been no more than a year or two back. Sadly, however, those mighty days of youth have gone and in 2012 my unbroken record of attending every single Old Olavian annual reunion since I left the school came to an end due to a severe attack of sciatica. I now wait with anticipation in the hope that Olaf will right my wrong and I will be back on parade on future occasions.

Robin A Dadson (1954-59)

All photos in this article sourced by the Assistant Editor

from copies of the ‘The Olavian’ from 1951-61.

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Staffing 2012-13 Chairman of the Governors S. Hibberdine, Esq., B.Sc., F.R.I.C.S. Vice-Chairman of the Governors The Revd Professor P. Galloway, OBE, JP, PhD, DLitt, FSA

Elected Parent Governors Miss J. Cattell, LLB, TEP Mrs S. Chaudhary, M.A., B.Ed. R. Senior, Esq., M.A., ACMA A. Wright-Jones, Esq., B.A.

Foundation Governors Appointed by the Lord Bishop of Rochester: R.P. Highmore, Esq., M.A M.H. Lovett, Esq., F.C.I.B. Appointed by the Rochester Diocesan Board of Education: The Revd H.A. Atherton, M.A., M.Th., B.Sc., F.G.S., Dip.Ed. I. Ketchin, Esq. The Revd B. McHenry, CBE, M.A., B.A. Appointed by the Chapter of Southwark Cathedral: N. Grenside, Esq. Appointed by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge acting jointly: M.A. Edwards, Esq., M.A., M.Sc., A.C.A. Appointed by the Senate of the University of London: The Revd Professor P. Galloway, OBE, JP, PhD, DLitt, FSA. Appointed by the Dulwich Estate: S. Hibberdine, Esq., B.Sc., F.R.I.C.S. Appointed by the Special Trustees of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals acting jointly: Councillor N.R. Reddin, F.C.C.A. 24 – Olavian 2013

Elected Staff Governors Mrs K.S. Brooker Mrs C. Johnson, B.Sc. A. Kenward, Esq., B.A. (Ed) Local Authority Governor Councillor J. Grainger.

Associate Governor St. Olave’s Grammar School A. Stoneham, Esq. Ex Officio A. Önaç, Esq., B.Mus., BSc., ARCM, FRSA Clerk to the Governors R. Walters, Esq., M.A., ACA

Assistant Staff R.N. Archer, Esq., B.Ed. (Hons), Loughborough University A.T. Henley, Esq., B.Sc., M.Sc., C.Math, M.I.M.A., Univ. Coll. Cork & South Bank University C.E. Davies, Esq., B.A., A.T.D., M.A., Universities of Wales, Bristol & London D.M.G. Craig, Esq., B.A., M.Phil., Bristol University & King’s College, London

L.J. Ward, Esq., B.Sc., M.Sc., University of Sussex & City University N. Maltman, Esq., M.A., Pembroke College, Cambridge Mrs. S.L. Beston, M.A., St Catherine’s College, Oxford P.E. Holland, Esq., B.Ed. (Hons), Brunel University A.M. Kenward, Esq., B.A.(Ed.) (Hons), University of Exeter Mrs. H.C. Cooley, B.Ed. (Hons), University of Sussex

T.M.W. Conway, Esq., B.A., University of Kent

D. Bowden, Esq., B.A., University of Lancaster

L.D. Espejo, Esq., M.A., University of St. Andrews

Mrs. R. Maxwell, B.A., University of Manchester Mrs. M.T. Morinan, B.A., B.Sc., M.Sc., M.R.S.C., National University of Ireland & Open University.

Ms C.E. Marwood, B.Sc., The Open University; L.R.A.M., Dip. R.A.M. Mrs. D.A. Ott, B.Sc., University of Sheffield Miss M.F. Sullivan, B.A., Westfield College, London University Ms S.K. Wilcox, B.A., Goldsmiths’ College, London University Mrs. J.M. Cooke, B.Sc., University of Wales Mrs. P. Garton, B.Sc.,University of Kent Mrs. J. Upsdell, B.A., University of Surrey Ms J. Bradley, B.Sc., PhD, King’s College & Royal Free School of Medicine, London Mrs. C. Johnson, B.Sc., University of Nottingham Mrs. D.E. Lewis, B.Sc., University of Portsmouth Mrs. D.A. Storrs-Fox, B.A., University of Southampton Ms G.C. Gardiner, M.A., Newnham College, Cambridge Mrs. E.J. Kite, B.Sc., B.A., University of Birmingham & The Open University Mrs. S.J. Wallace, B.A., MPhil., PhD, University of Lancaster & Christ’s College, Cambridge Ms B. Onifade, B.Sc., PhD, University of Central England Mrs. J.S. Penny, B.Sc., Royal Holloway College, London University

J.A. Greenwood, Esq., B.Sc., University of Bradford Mrs. K.A. Hodges, M.Eng., St. Catherine’s College, Oxford M.G. Price, Esq., M.A., Trinity College, Cambridge Mrs. P. Padmore, B.Sc., University of Sussex Miss M. Delage, Master 1, Universite de Limoges Mrs. V.E. Watson, B.A., University of Sussex

Mrs E.A. Goodman, B.A., University of York Miss R.E. Hawley, B.A., Middlesex University Miss A. Wilkie, M.A., B.A., University of Warwick & Goldsmiths’ College, London Miss E. Amonoo-Kuofi, B.Eng., Aston University G. Buckley, Esq., B.Sc., University of Sheffield D.J. Budds, Esq., M.A., St. Peter’s College, Oxford A.R. Gyford, Esq., MSci., University College, London University Miss S.L. Heraghty, B.A., Loughborough University P.S. Holton, Esq., M.A., B.A., University of Sheffield Hallam & University of Loughborough Ms. C.M. Knight, M.A., Selwyn College, Cambridge Mrs S.G. Latcham, B.A., University College, London University T.A McCurrach, Esq., MMath., Magdalen College, Oxford J.R. White, Esq., B.Sc., University of Bath Mrs J. M. Munday, M.A., Christ’s College, Cambridge Mrs K. I. Steel, B.A., PhD, Oxford & University of Southampton Miss H. Baguley, B.Sc., Bristol University Miss F. T. Marche, M.Phys., St. Edmund Hall, Oxford S. V. Ng, Esq., M.Phys., University of Sussex Olavian 2013 – 25

Miss D. N. Ellis, B.Sc., Pembroke College, Cambridge D. R. Shilling, M.Cam., Bournemouth and Poole College J. Geoghegan, Esq., B.A. University of Durham Mrs. S. L. Beard, B.A., University of East Anglia T. A. Martin, Esq., B.A., University of Reading A. Lake, Esq., B.A., University of Nottingham Miss L. G. Dunlop, B.A., University of Sussex

Departing Teaching Staff, Summer 2013 26 – Olavian 2013

The Faculty of Mathematics, ICT Valete & Computer Science, 2011-12 Richard Booth

Richard has left to become the Deputy Headmaster at Townley Grammar school for Girls.

Having arrived in 1997, Richard made an enormous impact on the school from the outset. He showed himself to be an outstanding economics teacher and a man prepared to give up vast amounts of time for pupils outside the classroom. He was heavily involved in the sports programme, especially the rugby teams, though his own game of choice was football and indeed watching it, preferably his own team Gillingham. Additionally he accompanied World Challenge Trips overseas and was very much perceived as a man who did rather than spoke about how much he did. With these blessings he leapt up the ‘cursus honorum’ first becoming Head of Economics, then Head of Sixth Form and then acting Deputy Head. In between he managed also to marry Lisa Bennett, a biology teacher at the school, and become the father to two charming daughters. His head was one of reasonableness and of firmness when firmness was required. His presence in the classroom and in the common room will be much missed.

Dominique Ellis Dominique joined the Economics Department having worked for more than a decade in the city. Educated locally at Newstead Wood and then at Cambridge she was to prove a woman of strong convictions and imbued with the acumen to turn her hand to teaching other subjects such as geography. A striking character with a love of pilates, ballet and the theatre in general, she brought to the classroom a certain individuality and flair.

She has now moved to Alleyns where we wish her the greatest of success.

Physics. She was never happier than when she was motivating the pupils in the joys of her particular branch of science. She worked phenomenally hard in a school where the staff all work so hard. She became an Olavian very quickly. She will be greatly missed and much appreciated at her new school, Dulwich College.

Thom Martin Thom came to the history department where he showed himself more than capable of filling the very large shoes left by his predecessor. Thom was actually an ancient historian, having studied Classical Civilisation at Reading University. Members of the Humanities Department as a whole seem to be there at all times from almost the dawn chorus to the wee small hours of the evening, and Thom was no exception. A superlative practitioner of his subject, he was to be found helping pupils individually and giving them the encouragement they needed. He greatly enjoyed sport and was a man who gave up virtually every Saturday to help with both cricket and rugby teams. He coached his teams after school with considerable success and also accompanied the department’s trips overseas to the First World War and Second World War battle sites.

He will be an enormous asset in his new school in Bexley.

Debra Ott Debra Ott has taken a very well-deserved retirement after a lengthy career in teaching mathematics. She was actually part-time at the school, but she was such a dedicated teacher that one really never had the impression that she was not there every day. She was the voice of common sense and was certainly not abashed at expressing herself lucidly. She was very much admired by her colleagues in the mathematics department for her devotion to her classroom work. We wish her and her husband a delightful long rest and no doubt lots of dog walking.

We would also like to send out our very best wishes to Silky Ng, Esi Amono-Kuofi, Heather Pearse, Jack Little, and William Byrne, and to thank them for their service to the school.

Fermina Marche Fermina was sadly with us for but a short time. She struck you for someone so young as someone who really understand the craft of teaching. She was positively brimming with enthusiasm for everything to do with Olavian 2013 – 27

Salvete - September 2013 and American Literature at the University of Kent before doing her PGCE at Magdalen College, Oxford. We hope to benefit from her experience in organising national and international events, as well as from her Trusteeship of the Ripley Arts Society.

James Davis

James returns to St. Olave’s as 2nd in the Mathematics Faculty. Educated at Warden Park School, he graduated with a Degree in Mathematics from UWC Cardiff. James’ recent responsibilities at Combe Bank and other Schools have included VLE management, Duke of Edinburgh Award Leadership, Timetabling and SIMS expertise. A keen Chess player, James is also involved in Orienteering and Cross Country.

Rachel Garswood

Miss Rachel Garswood is starting her teaching career at St. Olave’s as Teacher of Geography.

Educated at Torquay Girls’ Grammar School, she graduated from Exeter University with a B.Sc. Degree in Geography, before completing her PGCE at Exeter University with placements including Torquay Boys’ Grammar School.

As well as having completed the Duke of Edinburgh Leader Training Course, Rachel is a qualified First Aider, a keen singer and choir member.

Neil Stewart

We are very pleased to have secured the services of Dr Stewart, who joins us as Head of Physics after 5 years in the same role at Langley Park. Educated at Hamilton Grammar School, he went on to read Physics at the University of Glasgow before gaining a PhD in Offshore Engineering at Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh. Dr Stewart has been involved with running lower school Science Clubs, organising revision trips, planning STEM activities with local Primary Schools and organising a school Football Club.

Sezgin Kemal We are fortunate to have Mrs Sezgin Kemal joining us as a Teacher of English, after a decade as Head of English at Newstead Wood School. Mrs Kemal read English 28 – Olavian 2013

Meera Lawrence

We are delighted that Miss Meera Lawrence has joined us as Teacher of Physics.

After attending Tonbridge Grammar School for Girls, Miss Lawrence went on to Cambridge University where she graduated with a Degree in Engineering and then an MA from Newnham College. She has taught at Mascalls School where she was KS4 Co-ordinator, an Advisor for Years 7–11 and a Film Club Leader, as well as a Mentor for trainee teachers. Miss Lawrence has a keen interest in conversational French and enjoys costume-making.

William Haines

William has been appointed as the new Teacher of Economics.

Educated at Bromsgrove School, Worcestershire, he went on to the University of Manchester where he graduated with a Degree in Economics and an MSc in Development Economics and Policy. Mr Haines’ PGCE in Business Education concluded with a final placement at Manchester Grammar School.

He is a keen sportsman with extensive Rugby coaching experience, currently working towards the RFU Level 3 Coaching qualification; he is also an accomplished Cricketer who represents the MCC. Stephen Thompson We are pleased to welcome Mr Stephen Thompson who joins us as a full time Biology teacher to cover the maternity leave of Mrs Upsdell. Mr Thompson was educated at Oakwood Park Grammar School before studying at Keele University. He taught Biology previously at St Simon Stock Catholic School where he was also Gifted/Talented and SEN Co-ordinator as well

as Science Department Literacy Co-ordinator. Mr Thompson is currently continuing his studies through a distance learning M.Litt on ‘Creation, Origins and Science’ at the University of Durham.

Robert Cliff

Mr Robert Cliff also joins the Science Faculty as a parttime Teacher of Astronomy.

Educated at Haberdasher’s Askes Hatcham, he went on to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, to graduate with an MA in Natural Sciences. In fact, 2 of his sons were, themselves, former students at St Olave’s.

President of Blackheath and Bromley Harriers Athletics Club, Mr Cliff has been involved with middle distance athletics since school; he has also assisted with Duke of Edinburgh Training Expeditions to North Wales.

Jeremy Dodd We are pleased to welcome back Mr Jeremy Dodd, who joins the Physics Department as a trainee teacher on the School Direct Programme. Educated here at St Olave’s Grammar School, Jeremy went on to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he graduated with a Degree in Physics. He worked recently as a volunteer for City Year London as a Learning Mentor and also took part in the School Power programme to promote Science

in Primary Schools. A Duke of Edinburgh Award holder himself, Mr Dodd is now involved with this programme at St Olave’s. He has a keen interest in Hockey and Rugby and, whilst at Oxford, rowed for his College and was elected Secretary of the Boat Club.

Ateesh Sidhu

Dr Sidhu has been appointed on a School Direct Programme training place in the Biology Department.

Dr Sidhu attended Blue Coats CE School before graduating with a Degree in Molecular Biology from University College, London.

He continued his studies with an MSc in Bioinformatics at the University of Exeter and subsequently gained a PhD in Structural Biology from the University of Warwick. As a Senior Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Cancer Research UK, Dr Sidhu conducted some fascinating study into Fanconi Anemia.

He speaks fluent Punjabi, some Hindi and is also a keen sportsman.

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Creative Work

Students’ Work This year’s creative work section reaches out to many different subjects within the school, showing individual/group excellence within them. It is our hope that many readers will find something to interest them within this section containing illustrations from the Art exhibition and works from English, Geography and Economics. It was, unfortunately, impossible to include works from every subject that submitted pieces, but, with the launch of the new school journals, including the Olavian Academic Journal under the patronage of Mr Budds, we feel sure that such articles will not be lost to people as a result of not being printed here.

way to become the largest economy, a position it held for 18 out of the last 20 centuries2, will re-establish itself in the 21st.

Should the experience of China silence those who think that democracy is good for growth?

Dawud Khan’s (Lower VI) prize-winning Economics essay “Let China sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world”- Napoleon Bonaparte, 1803.

And China has done exactly that. It was conventional wisdom that democracy was the best political system for achieving economic growth1, Francis Fukuyama in “The end of history” suggests that it defeated feudalism, monarchical, fascism, and finally communism; that democracy is undisputedly the ultimate result of political evolution. But the rise of China as an economic super-house has defied this perception; a country that is steadily on its 1. Throughout this essay ‘economic growth’ constitutes as a “Quantitative change or expansion in a country›s economy. Economic growth is conventionally measured as the percentage increase in gross domestic product (GDP) or gross national product (GNP) during one year.” – defined by the World Bank.

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We have to understand institutionally what China is. It is clearly not a democracy, its leaders are not publically elected and neither are they held accountable for their decisions. The Politburo3 is the absolute source of power; policies are dictated by 25 individuals. But China is also not the nation it was 40 years ago, since Deng Xiaoping succession economic liberalisation followed, the country very much encapsulates an authoritarian capitalist system – described by Minxin Pei as a ‘Neo Leninist’ model which amalgamates the “one party system and state control of key sectors of the economy with partial market reforms and an end to self-imposed isolation from the world economy.” This model places greater gravitas on economic development over liberalism. With this system under its belt China produced remarkable economic growth: it averaged a 10% increases in GDP year upon year for 3 decades, it shifted 400 million people into the ranks of the middle class, it alleviated mass poverty and Robert Fogel even envisages that the size of its economy will reach $123 trillion by 2040, far outstripping that of the U.S. It is upon this authoritarian capitalist system that we shall be focusing and whether this model can replace that of democracy in achieving the goal of economic growth.

Proponents of Capitalist Authoritarianism claim that regimes are insulated from unwanted pressures and possess the vision to implement policies to aid economic growth, on a rock bed of political stability. Przeworksi and Limongi affirm that democracy is susceptible to pressures for mass consumption “which occurs at the cost of investment, hence of growth”. The reasons behind this are varied, but the most common supposition declares that the populace is myopic and demand immediate consumption, inevitably diminishing savings.

Democratic politicians are forced to redistribute resources to private and public consumption or face punishment 2. This was remarked by Chris Patten, the last British Governor of Hong Kong.

3. More commonly known as the Central Politburo of the Communist Party (CPC)

in the form of poor elections from voters. Whereas Authoritarian regimes can more easily neglect these pressures for mass consumption. The first channel of this ‘mass consumption’ results from political redistribution; democratic countries are compelled to tax the rich, who tend to save and invest a large proportion of their income and redistribute this to poor who have a higher propensity to consume. Secondly, an inherent part of a democracy is the right to form collective labour organisations such as trade unions, the existence of these bodies provides a bargaining chip for workers to demand wage rises, the ensuing consequence is that these workers receive higher wages and inevitably consume a much greater proportion of their income than their rich capital owners. Whilst it is true that China is home to the world’s largest trade union, the All-China Federation Trade Union (ACFTU) with a membership of 137 million it is virtually impotent when it comes to representing workers and in actual fact remains largely nugatory which is a factor for China’s low wages. These lower wages have also played economic miracles; it provided China with a comparative advantage in the international community and gave rise to the offshoring of companies who brought vital investment.

Furthermore the ability of authoritarian regimes to eschew political accountability and responsibility allows them to discourage consumption through not providing social security, welfare and insurance programs. China only began widely introducing these in the 1990s whereas before this consumers had to save for their retirement and healthcare.

The overall result of this ‘mass consumption’ is that consumers in democratic countries have lower savings rates than those with authoritarian regimes, Chinese savings rates as illustrated by Figure 1 have always been more than twice that of the US, a democratic country.

The Solow model suggests that high saving rates leads to higher capital addition and higher growth, since savings provide a pond of resources for investment, a key determinant for growth. This idea is vindicated

by Elhanan Helpman who states “economies with higher savings rates grow faster because they allocate more resources to inventive activities”. Furthermore Young’s studies of East Asian ‘Tigers’ attributes this capital investment from savings to be the predominant reason behind their incredible growth. If a democracy undermines investment in physical capital it threatens its potential for economic growth and Authoritarian regimes stand a far better chance in achieving it4.

Another argument for why China’s authoritarian capitalist model is more conducive at generating economic growth is that the democratic system is replete with bureaucracy 4. It should be noted that the high savings rates reminiscent in china are due to other factors besides regime type. Cultural elements and the one child policy also played a part. However this still remains a significant factor.

Figure 1: National Savings Rates (IFS,Taiwan Statistical Databook) and thus implementing proficient economic reforms becomes wearisome. The careful burdensome democratic process with its institutional discussion, checks and balances and the representation of different interest groups makes rapid reform impossible. If authoritarian regimes like China have the mantra of pro-growth then instigating policies to aid this becomes easier. Two heavy-weight economists, Acemoglu and Robison in ‘Why nations fail’ attribute this type of political decisionmaking “Extractive institutions” where “such growth takes place when elites find it in their interest to allow new technologies and institutional changes necessary for economic growth”. Moreover authoritarian regimes have longer time horizons than their democratically elected counterparts. Since politicians face re-election they have little incentive to promote radical reform. Perhaps the best example of radical reform which changed the face of China is the ‘Open-door’ policy where foreign trade and investment was encouraged after a long period of isolation. In 1978 the total volume of Chinas foreign trade amounted to only 7% of GDP, after the inauguration of this policy this volume jumped to 25% in 1987 and by 1998 comprised of 37% of GDP. Exporting companies were also given special treatment; they were allowed to retain part of their foreign exchange and the government was generous with long term capital expansion. The speed at which this turnover policy was implemented was remarkable, and such rapid reform would be non-existent in a democracy.

There are three significant studies that delve into subject of regime type and economic growth. The first, conducted

by Prezowrksi and limongi analysed 18 studies carried out by various economists and generated 21 findings.

Eight found in favour of democracy, eight in favour of authoritarianism and five discovered no difference and largely came to the conclusion that “authoritarian regimes grew faster than democracies”. The second piloted by Ali and Crain and suggested that “the effect of economic freedom on growth is independent of the level of political freedom and civil liberty” thus regime type is not a factor for economic growth. Finally the most recent study by Hassett, proposes that politically repressed countries Olavian 2013 – 33

outgrew politically free ones by a score of 6.28% growth in GDP compared with 2.62%, as elucidated by figure 2.

The significant factor here is that Hassett only analysed Capitalist Authoritarian governments as opposed to simple authoritarian ones, countries such as China, Singapore, Malaysia and Russian were investigated.

Figure 2: Hassett’s Bar Graph of Growth Rates, 1991-2005 Should critics be silenced? Not just yet. Authoritarian regimes are replete with problems, if it is not the interest of the ruling elite to pursue growth enhancing policies, growth simply will not occur. In some cases regimes may block such policies because it can undermine their political position. Additionally a lot of authoritarian regimes don’t have political stability: African nations with their localised power usurps are an anathema for investment. Democracies are also believed to protect property rights better and according to David LeBlang “nations that protect property rights grow faster than those that do not”. Another point to consider is that the very accountability of democratic politicians which poses a threat through ‘mass consumption’ also results in superior services in healthcare and education than those in authoritarian countries. These improved amenities lead to enhanced human capital and productivity - a generator of economic growth. Moreover Paul Romer believes that the most important determinant for long term economic growth lies with technological change. Civil liberties such as freedom of speech, mass media and travel allow for a widespread diffusion of ideas and technologies, which consequently enhances technological change.

There is strong evidence to back this, Young highlighted that Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea had fast capital accumulation, but had unspectacular Total Factor Productivity Growth (TFP) - i.e. low technological change-induced growth. China has been successful because it has avoided all these pitfalls: its capitalist model is based on pro-growth ideology, it has centralised power with which to carry effective reforms, its policies are aimed at increasing technological development and investment, it has devoted large resources to healthcare and education and it comprehensively protects property rights.

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Indeed, China’s capitalist authoritarian model looks compelling, but is it sustainable? Consider Siegle, Weinsten and Halperin’s analysis “Seventy percent of Autocracies have experienced at least one such episode (a fall of at least 10% of GDP) since 1980, whereas 5 of the 80 worst examples of economic contraction over the last 40 years have occurred in democracies” similarly the evidence isn’t entirely skewed in favour of Authoritarian regimes, overall they might exhibit growth rates above those of democracies but the actual results show a great amount of variance, with an iotas amount of growth to the exceptional. Economic growth is also not the only measure of a country’s progress. China may be accredited with scintillating growth, but nevertheless it scores poorly on other factors - Minxin Pei has routinely called it “fragile” due to its domestic complications such as burgeoning inequality, internal migration, marginalisation of ethnic minorities, increasing environmental damage, rampant corruption and lack of labour rights. China’s Gini coefficient of income has increased from 0.28 to 0.45 from 1991 to 2000; a relatively short time span. Additionally no authoritarian regime, including China, are insulated from pro-elite policies which can very easily hamper growth; since rising public frustration coupled with social injustice breeds political instability. However these problems are no secret to the Beijing Consensus5, the most boisterous local dispute over Taiwan’s sovereignty may finally be coming to a resolution and at home, the government’s increasing sensitivity to public opinion has made the regime more popular than ever. Robert Fogel believes these dynamics make “political instability unlikely”. However it is only a matter of time before the educated Chinese middle class will demand the same rights as their western counterparts, the right to have a say in the governance of their homeland, the right to full civil liberties, the right 5. Joshua Cooper coined the term ‘Beijing Consensus’ in contrast to the Washington Consensus.

to self-determination. But the Politburo will not give in so easily. China’s institutional model will have to lose either the ‘authoritarian’ or capitalist’ part to survive; it could develop into a liberal capitalist democracy or an isolated authoritarian nightmare.

Discuss the relative importance of physical and human factors in accounting for changes to vegetation over time within ecosystems in the British Isles Iain McGowan’s (Upper VI) Geography essay

The quest for the answer to achieving economic growth has been an incessant one, in the light of the recent recession which has plagued the developed world the capitalist authoritarian model has provided a beacon of hope; a model that has undeniably proved miraculous for China. But no one should be silenced. It is true that the evidence points in the favour of authoritarianism, but correlation does not imply causation. Minxin Pei makes a valid statement “Dictatorships are good at concealing the problems they create while democracy is good at advertising its defects.” The shine of this model may be beginning to peel off; many economists believe it is the abandonment of China’s isolationist, protectionist and socialist economic policies that ushered in the era of unprecedented growth as opposed to its institutional model. Even Przeworski a decade after his initial study suggested that “there is no trade-off between democracy and development”. The question of sustainability also looms large; economic growth in authoritarian states only acts to encourage democracy. And perhaps it is upon this system that the world should be focusing on instead; an amalgamation between an authoritarian foundation followed by democracy, as South Korea has shown all western developed democracies also achieved their initial growth under some auspices of authoritarianism.

Only time will tell whether any model can replace that of the long established one of democracy. But if you still prefer to indulge in Facebook6, than let us believe that the capacity of self-correction in democracy can only improve upon our existing model. And hope that the contradictions in capitalist authoritarianism, like communism before it, undermine itself.

In the British Isles, physical factors, including climate and topography combine creating climatic climax community of temperate deciduous forest. Therefore, in otherwise unaffected situations, most of the British Isles would be covered by temperate deciduous woodland, however, due to human factors and variations in physical factors across the country, subclimaxes occur, meaning only 12% of the UK is covered in deciduous woodland. Subclimaxes can occur from human actions, leading to a plagioclimax, or from physical factors such as soil conditions, relief or the availability of water leading to an edaphic, topological or hydrological climax respectively. Therefore, it is obvious that there must be a combination of physical and human factors culminating in the formation of ecosystems and these also account for changes to vegetation over time.

Winston Churchill famously remarked “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried.” That remains as true as ever.

6. Facebook is currently banned in China so this liberty is not enjoyed by most Chinese.

In the British Isles, the majority of the country has ideal climatic conditions for producing temperate deciduous woodland. Worldwide, temperate deciduous forest is located between 40-60 degrees north or south of the equator. Lying between 58.6 degrees north and 50.0 degrees north, the UK provides the ideal location for temperate deciduous forest to grow, providing the appropriate seasonal variations between temperatures and rainfall. Temperate deciduous woodland also needs an average of 1000-1500mm of rainfall each year, which should be relatively evenly distributed across all twelve months. Whilst the UK gets more than enough rainfall in some areas (especially in the west, due to relief rain falling as moist air from the sea rises onto the land) other areas such as the south east receive less than 1000mm, with London receiving an average of 650mm each year. This means some areas have better conditions for temperate deciduous woodland than other areas and so physical factors have a great effect on the climatic climax vegetation in an ecosystem.

The deciduous trees favour a growing season of four to six months, allowing them to shed their leaves each autumn when they have become damaged and worn out as it is more efficient than trying to repair their leaves all year round. This also means that there is a lower chance of the trees becoming desiccated over the winter when moisture is less accessible as transpiration rates are lower. The UK also has a moderate temperature all year round with no extremes, so cold spells and drought occur infrequently and trees are less likely to die.

However, there are regional variations in the average temperature across the UK as the north has an average of 8.5oC and the south has an average of 11oC. This has led to some areas of Scotland, especially areas of Olavian 2013 – 35

higher ground, having a climatic climax community of coniferous forest due to the lower temperatures, such as in the Caledonian Forest. Long hours of sunlight during the summer give the biome lots of energy, leading to the production of lots of organic matter. This therefore means that the temperate deciduous woodland has a high net primary productivity (NPP) rate of 600-2500 grams per square metre each year. The change in the location of the nutrients between seasons can be seen on the two Gersmehl models on the next page. There is obviously going to be a change in plant life (both in number of plants and species) from autumn to spring due to the different amounts of nutrients available to the plants from the soil. These physical factors contribute to changes to vegetation on a seasonal basis and so are responsible for changes within the year.

Plagioclimaxes, where human intervention stops an area becoming the climatic climax community, may occur when humans deforest an area of land. Much of the UK used to be covered with temperate deciduous forest, however human intervention since the Bronze Age has led to deforestation to clear land for live stock farms and wood harvesting. Some areas of cleared landed, such as the North Yorkshire Moors, have resulted in a plagioclimax of heather moorland being created. Deforestation in the Middle Ages in Malham, Yorkshire, cleared vast areas of land for agricultural purposes, predominantly for pastoral farming. Soil degradation then occurred due to trampling by sheep and weathering, leading to the establishment of heather moorland in the area. Grazing prevents young saplings from growing back so the heather (Calluna Vulgaris) has remained the dominant species. In order to keep the heather (which provides valuable habitat for species of bird such as Red Grouse) as a plagioclimax, muirburn occurs, burning patches of heather, allowing new young heather to grow which provides a better diet for sheep and allows nutrients to return to the soil from the ash.

It also allows fast growing species, such as blaeberry, to establish themselves before the heather once again takes over. However, if uncontrolled, the burning can kill plants and new shoots won’t be able to grow back from rootstock level, leaving land barren. In the case of the North Yorkshire heather moorland, human intervention is not only the reason why it is there, but the reason why it remains, however, this is not always the case as,

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according to Dr Oliver Rackham writing in ‘History of the Countryside’, some heather moorland occurred naturally in Scotland, as pollen analysis proves that trees have never grown in the area. Therefore, physical factors affect the plant community present in an ecosystem as well as on the succession leading to it.

Deforestation can also occur from natural causes.

For instance, lightning can cause forest fires in times of drought. This leads to changes in vegetation as the dominant tree species of temperate deciduous forest generally take many years to grow and so faster growing species can thrive. Another major cause of deforestation is as a result of urbanisation. As humans make the change from rural settlements to towns and cities, more land has to be cleared of its vegetation in order to build the buildings and the infrastructure required to support the town. Land is cleared for roads and transport links such as airports and railways. In the UK, 16,321km of railway tracks exist as well as 394,428km of roads, requiring massive areas of land to be cleared for these to be built.

Airport expansion has led to the loss of habitat, as well as noise disturbing wildlife and pollution from aircraft disrupting the ecosystem. Proximity to a new airport may lead to an increase in visitors to an area of woodland, as there is more traffic in the area with people getting off planes, leading to the forest being damaged and plants being killed due to litter, loose dogs and people stealing dead wood (preventing nutrients returning to the soil).

Therefore, the transport links created in our urbanising world can have serious side effects for the plants, which is a decidedly human factor in the changes to plants in the British Isles.

Another reason for changes to vegetation is the need for more food (due to an increasing population and an increase in meat consumption) in the cities leading to the mechanisation of agriculture has occurred. At each trophic stage, energy is lost and so eating meat as opposed to crops, as it contains at least one extra stage, is more inefficient as lots more land is needed to give us the same amount of energy. This has led to larger fields leading to the loss of other habitats such as hedgerows.

Developments in genetically modified crops also means that some plants would be unable to compete with the ones human choose to grow, even if the farms were to be abandoned and the vegetation to become wild again.

The use of pesticides and insecticides also impacts on the wider ecological community as when the insects die, they become unable to pollinate other plants and so the plants may become rarer and eventually die out.This is another way humans can affect succession within an ecosystem, however the increase in organic produce means that all pesticides and fertilisers used are natural and so this may reduce their effects on the plants growing in the British Isles.

Recently, there has been a trend towards afforestation

by humans across the British Isles and across much of Europe. The European Union has provided grants to farmers who turn part of their agricultural land into forests since 1990. This has resulted in an increase in temperate deciduous forest from just 4% of land area 100 years ago to 12% now in the UK due to the reintroduction of traditional species, such as oak and ash, into forests across the UK, such as in Rand Wood in Lincolnshire. However, despite progress being made, the UK is still very far off of the EU’s average of 45%, but this can be explained due to the UK having a high population in a relatively small land area compared to other countries such as France and Germany. Therefore the changes to the vegetation of an area can be disrupted by human activities such as deforestation, but they can also be reversed such as through afforestation.

One physical factor that can cause changes to plants in the British Isles is from disease or the introduction of a new animal to an area. If a new animal is introduced, it may choose to eat all of one plant allowing other species to grow in its place. Animals moving into an area may also bring in new species of plants with them through faecal matter and so cause change in this way. Disease, such as that caused by the Chalara fraxinea fungus on ash trees, can wipe out much of one particularly susceptible species. In Denmark, the fungus has wiped out 90% of its ash trees and a similar problem could now occur in the British Isles now. However, humans are trying to intervene to stop this wide scale destruction and have destroyed 100,000 ash trees in just six weeks to try to control the disease. This human intervention will also have an effect on the plants in the ecosystem, but perhaps not as much as the physical effect may have had if it was left alone.

One major factor accounting for changes to vegetation in the British Isles is its location within the country. If an area of land is near to the coast, a halosere is more likely to develop than a temperate deciduous forest is. In a salt marsh such as Morcambe Bay in Northwest England, there is likely to be a succession from pioneer halophytic plants growing in the mudflats which trap sediment through flocculation, allowing other plants (such as sea meadow grass and sea lavender) to grow before the area turns into carr woodland. However, in an inland dry environment, such as Wytham Woods in Oxford where oak and ash woodland covers 400 hectares of land, succession leading to a temperate deciduous forest is most likely to occur. The availability of water in an area also affects the changes to the plants, with a fresh water environment being likely to transform into a hydrosere such as Offwell in Devon. Originally the lake there was too deep for rooted plants to grow as not enough sunlight would reach them for photosynthesis to occur, so the sole inhabitants of the lake were microorganisms and plankton floating in the water. As sediment gets

transported into the lake, depth decreases so rooted plants, such as starwort and pondweed, can grow. As plant life increased, small invertebrates and fish began to inhabit the area and dead matter filled the lake, turning it into a swampy area. In this, yellow iris and branched bur-reed began to grow and over time, evaporation turns the swamp into drier land, allowing new plants, such as water mint, to take over in the changed conditions.

As the boggy areas dry up, plants such as star sedge and ferns grow, until the area becomes ever drier, partly due to transpiration of the vegetation, allowing the climatic climax community of temperate deciduous forest to grow, with oak, ash and beech becoming dominant with smaller plants, such as wood anemone and wild garlic, growing on the forest floor where enough light filters through the leaves. Therefore, the location of an area within a country can hugely affect the changes in vegetation of an area and so can the plants themselves as they help to prepare the area for new plants through trapping sediment and changing the pH of the soil.

In the British Isles, many factors combine to create succession within our ecosystems. Human factors, such as deforestation – and afforestation – and pollution (through carbon emissions and littering) can cause plagioclimaxes which stops the plant life from reaching its climatic climax community. However, the physical factors of a location (within both the country and the world) and climate of the country generally have larger effects on the progression of the species within an ecosystem than human factors do, but both physical and human factors can cause subclimaxes and stop the climatic climax community from ever being achieved.

Humans are having a greater impact on the changes to vegetation than they have done in the past as a greater population has led to a greater strain on resources, consequently leading to more exploitation of the natural environment than in the past and so humans are having a greater effect on succession now than they ever have before.

Olavian 2013 – 37

The Thirteenth Labour of Hercules: The Bronze Bull Sam Beale’s (8C) imaginative depiction of the thirteenth labour, incorporating an impressive knowledge of classical mythology.

Hercules approached the throne of Eurystheus and knelt respectfully at the foot of the mighty chair. Hercules’ eyes were glued on the floor as he knelt, but they rose to level with those of the man sitting upon this glorious seat.

Hercules couldn’t help but notice the encrusted jewels that glittered just before his eyes as he met the gaze of the King Eurystheus, his reluctant cousin. The king was an unfair man, Hercules thought, coming up with ways to dismiss Hercules’ successes as failures. Originally, his cousin had promised just ten tasks would be set for Hercules, yet he found ‘fault’ in two of his expeditions, because of the pay and help respectively. He had set Hercules two extra tasks as replacement for these ‘failures’, which Hercules had triumphed over as he had all the others. Sometimes Hercules hated his accursed cousin so much he wondered why he ever handed himself over to his ‘employment’, but he knew it was the right thing to be doing – he felt it was a little redemption of the sin that he had brought upon himself when he had slain his own sons. Hercules looked into his cousin’s eyes for the twelfth time now, and cleared his throat to speak.

“My Lord Eurystheus, I have completed the final task that you have set for me.” Hercules’ voice bounced around the room with a sinister echo.

Eurystheus narrowed his eyes – he had clearly not expected Hercules to still be alive at this point.

“Very well.” He responded calmly, yet Hercules could detect the shade of malice in his voice. “Seeing as you have successfully completed all the… errands I have had you run, there shall be one, final, conclusive test.” Hercules suppressed a sigh, for he knew that that would make his cousin angry. The king continued, however, seemingly not noticing Hercules’ lapse in concentration.

“I want you to slay the legendary Ninitean Bronze Bull. You will find it in the hills to the south of here, outside the village of Ninite. You will have to provide your own transport for this.” Eurystheus waved his hand absentmindedly, which was his ‘universal signal’ for when he no longer wished to speak. Once again, Hercules bowed curtly, then turned to exit via the route he had come. He was just on the brink of freedom from the presence of this repulsive man when Eurystheus spoke one last time: “Oh, and Hercules, my dear cousin, if you fail this task, do not return.” The king spat these last words off his tongue as he sneered cruelly at Hercules and waved his hand again. Hercules narrowed his eyes at this spiteful request but held his tongue – there was nothing he could do about 38 – Olavian 2013

it. Turning swiftly toward the exit, Hercules strode out of the colossal room, determined when (or if!) he returned, to wipe that sneer off his cousin’s face.

Once out of the chamber, Hercules made for the nearest stable, for horseback was the fastest way to travel. As he had learnt from his second task, no help was allowed if the task was to be considered a success, so he travelled alone.

Fortunately, he knew exactly where Ninite was, for he had visited his aunt there many a time and knew that they had been plagued by some beast for a while – he now assumed that that was the bronze bull. Hercules had actually considered taking on the challenge of slaying this monster before, to ensure his aunt’s safety, but his prior challenges had always taken priority.

Hercules made fast progress on the roads, alone with his thoughts for the short journey. Time passed in the blink of an eye and soon he was in the familiar paths of Ninite, not far from his aunt’s villa. His aunt was rich, yet kind and caring – not from Eurystheus’ side of the family. However, not only was Hercules not allowed any aid, he now felt that he no longer needed it – he had acquired many useful items in his twelve other ‘adventures’. Shouldering his Nemean lion pelt and the other souvenirs he had gained, Hercules turned away from Ninite and headed south again, but now the hills where Eurystheus had said the bull dwelt were in sight. They were huge, past the point that Hercules would have considered ‘hill’, and more like mountain or natural spire. They continued backwards for as far as the eye could see and were almost the same width-wise. Looking at their vastness, and having no clue as to which part the bull made its home, Hercules took a deep breath and dismounted from his horse – it had done enough for now. Tying it to the nearest tree or sturdy wood that he could find, Hercules patted its head, whispering to it as he tied.

“Good boy, I shall return soon, with the head of a bull on my shoulder.” Hercules hoped he could keep that promise.

The trees were thinning out, noticed Hercules, as he drove on deeper into the ocean of green that was the hills of Ninite.

The air was also becoming thinner as the altitude rose, but that did not worry Hercules – he would have to get very high in order for less oxygen to trouble him. His searching had been fruitless for the last couple of hours, for he had not seen head nor tail of the bull. The rich, golden sun – Apollo, of course - was now turning a light shade of orange as it sank lower in the sky. About a tenth of it had already been consumed by the ground, or at least that was how it looked (Hercules knew that it was just Apollo’s chariot nearing Olympus). It would not be long before Artemis, goddess of the hunt and goddess of the moon, took over. As ever, Hercules was on high-alert, for a moment of distraction could mean he missed any sign of the bull. As Hercules approached a particularly massive tree – an oak – his sharp eyes caught sight of a glistening liquid dripping from one of the plants leaves. Upon closer

inspection, Hercules dabbed his finger onto the substance, and brought it to his nose, sniffing.

up behind him. Letting an opponent surprise you was a fatal mistake, and Hercules knew it could be his last.

Instantly, he flinched away, for the smell was unpleasant but recognisable. Hercules’ nostrils were well used to the scent of poison when they smelt it. This was good, for Hercules knew from spending time with his aunt that there were no poisonous creatures in these hills. Thanking the goddess of luck, Tyche, for this almost certain sign of the whereabouts of this elusive bull, Hercules examined the trees and ground next to the plant, searching to confirm his suspicions. Sure enough, he found that a nearby tree had deep gouges in it, seemingly from claws, teeth, or, more likely, horns. Looking down, Hercules hit another stroke of luck – a piece of luck that could be decisive about the location of the Bronze Bull; hoof-prints.

Hercules was snapped out of the mesmerising beauty of the bull by a ferocious bellow – it was clearly unhappy that it had an intruder. Coming back to his senses, Hercules leapt clear of the bull’s range to get some more space to act. The bull’s crimson eyes swivelled to reach him and it charged quickly, faster than Hercules would have thought possible for a creature that big.

Hercules’ breath caught in his throat – he had not expected to find such an obvious clue to finding the bull. Surely, now, it was just a matter of following the prints and being led either straight to the bull itself or at least to its ‘den’ or base. Hercules’ feet were shadows as his eyes locked on the ground, following the trail. He padded along like a lion stalking its prey, until, to his excitement, the hoofprints finally led out into a clearing. There was no doubt to Hercules’ raptor vision that an animal or thing had been living here, temporarily using this clearing as a base. It seemed the bull was to be given credit for its intelligence.

All of a sudden, Hercules’ ears pricked. There was a faint thundering sound in the distance, an odd, banging kind of thundering – like a stampede. It was getting louder by the minute, yet Hercules had no idea what kind of being could make such noise. Surely not even a bronze bull could be so loud? The ground was shaking slightly now, rumbling like a chariot over uneven ground. Unsure what this could mean, Hercules took cover behind a fortunately placed boulder by the edge of the clearing. His hand twitched by his scabbard, ready to trigger his sword at a moment’s notice. Now the ground was rumbling even more, like a tiny earthquake was taking place. Suddenly, three things happened at once; Hercules threw himself clear from the boulder behind which he was hiding; the few trees that were behind him collapsed; and the bull finally make an entrance – in all its glory.

Hercules sidestepped the charge, but the bull – clearly too clever to be defied by such an easy manoeuvre, lashed out with its leather tail and span Hercules round as it caught his arm, the tail acting as some kind of lasso. Struggling to his feet, Hercules raced after the charging bull, only to be surprised again as it came to an abrupt halt. Hercules cursed as he flew into the bull, travelling too fast to stop. The pair were sent to the ground, a cloud of dust erupting around them. Coughing, Hercules forced his eyes open, only to be met with more smoke and dust – but this time, from the bull that was laying on top of him. Its immense weight would have crushed any normal human, but the son of Zeus shakily sat, that was when the bull came to its senses. Bellowing, it forced itself upon Hercules, hoping to crush him, only for its face to register surprise as Hercules resisted, straining. The monster bellowed again, and craned its neck to try and dig its poison-tipped horns into Hercules’ stomach. In a panic, Hercules lashed out at the bull’s windpipe, putting all his desperate strength into one punch. To his surprise, it had some effect – the bull was sent into a coughing fit and gasped for air.

Springing to his feet, Hercules had an idea. This beast clearly needed to breathe, and its windpipe was evidently vulnerable. Summoning all his remaining energy, Hercules threw himself at the bull’s throat, his hands ready and open. Latching them around the creature’s neck, Hercules squeezed with all his might, ignoring the bull’s squeals, roars and now feeble struggles. If it were possible for bronze to go a shade of purple, this bull was doing just that. Hercules waited until all the fight had faded from the bull, then released his hands. All was still. He pushed himself up and gazed at this magnificent creature. Its eyes were no longer a deep crimson, but now a lifeless, dull red. The Bronze Bull of Ninite was no more.

Despite the smoke flowing freely from its nostrils, the bull was a beautiful thing, a sight to behold. Its shining bronze hide glittered like silver and its impressive gold tipped horns dripped with ugly green venom – the sample that Hercules had found before. It was large, larger than Hercules himself, and a look of rage was plastered onto its reflective face.

Its long, leather tail whipped angrily like a horse that was swatting flies. Up close, Hercules could see its solid build, and now understood the earth-shaking noise – this thing must have weighed tonnes. The only part of the creature that wasn’t shiny and reflective were its eyes – they were a deep, menacing crimson. Hercules had severely misinterpreted where the stampeding was coming from; the bull had managed to come Olavian 2013 – 39

40 – Olavian 2013

Prize Day

Prize Day The Headmaster’s Speech Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a pleasure to celebrate the achievements of our senior students as we reflect on another excellent year.

A recent NMC question: “A wealthy man died and left £10m in his will. His 7 children each got £1.2m, his brother, his sister and his wife each got 1/3 of the rest. What did his wife get?” Well known private school beginning with E, 4 letters, “£1/2m”, No; a local private school beginning with D: “£533,333.33” No! It took a St O’s pupil to give the correct answer: “A lawyer!”

Students at St Olave’s constantly surprise us like this with their creativity and ingenuity. However, in a more serious way, using intelligence to think laterally, to explore an idea more deeply, to delve into an area of personal interest is fundamental to our aspiration for greater scholarship. I hope that tonight’s prize-winners will continue to pursue that aspiration and build on the great heritage of this prestigious Grammar school, as they embark on life with optimism and excitement for the future in a new and changing world.

Our Year 13 leavers again produced remarkable A level results confirming St Olave’s position as the 2nd best state school with mixed 6th Form. 93% of grades were at A*/B; 26 students secured Oxbridge places; a further 25 for Medicine; and 10 students gained 4A*s. For both of the last 2 years we were awarded ‘outstanding’ scores in all areas of the Alps report, with 3 year T-scores described as ‘better than any performance in the benchmark data set.’ The whole year-group, as well as staff and parents, can look back with great pride on these achievements.

Year 12 students also produced the =best AS results for the last decade with 87% A/B grades, a superb overall standard which augers well for next year. GCSE results were no less impressive and with 87% of grades at A*/A we were, once again, the No. 1 school for the EBacc at 96%. With 14 students gaining 9/10A* grades, we have great confidence in a strong 6th Form intake this autumn. Such results have clearly not gone unnoticed by prospective parents where applications for Y7 places have rocketed to 1020 this year.

Against a continuing backdrop of the worst public sector funding cuts of the last half century the number and variety of sports and extra-curricular activities was maintained, enabling our students to set their academic excellence in a wider cultural context.

42 – Olavian 2013

The much-anticipated South America Tour lived up to all expectations for our senior rugby squad. Some tough but close matches and some exotic locations such as Santiago, Buenoes Aires and the beautiful Iguazu Falls helped to make this an unforgettable experience. Our Fives players have had a spectacular season, beating most of the top schools on the circuit, winning almost every national championship and even starting to dominate Rugby as well as Eton 5s. Chess continues to be one of our most popular and successful interests. In an exciting climax to the season Conrad Allison took 1st place in the Kent Grand Prix Final, with St Olave’s finishing as the top School team for the 12th time since 2000. Stars of the cricket season were the Y8s who took both the Bromley and Kent Cups; whilst in swimming Michael Jacobs represented London in the English Schools Championships, winning the 400M Individual Medley to become the national Champion 2013.

The pursuit of real scholarship through deeper intellectual inquiry and subject societies, continues to develop.

Erudite submissions for the Extended and Higher Projects, the Medical and other Journals ranged from Duality in Oscar Wilde to Chaos Theory and Critical Limb Ischemia. From the impressive number of students gaining top awards in the Maths and Science Olympiads, there were Gold medals in Biology for Mohammed Fallaha and Asher Leeks. In Maths, Pascal Bose gained a place in the top 20 nationally in the daunting Olympiad Round 2, with Alex Song achieving a Gold medal in the Junior Olympiad for a set of faultless solutions. Leading intellectuals like Paul Mason, Economics Editor of BBC’s Newsnight, and Dr Madsen Pirie, founder of the Adam Smith Institute engaged students on thoughtprovoking topics such as ‘UK austerity’ or ‘Ten major errors of modern political economy.’

For those wishing to develop or showcase their musical talents, there were ample opportunities, with a sparkling Christmas concert, a professional production of Cabaret that would rival many West End shows, a foot-tapping Jazz Night and a fine Spring Concert in which John Castle finally laid down his baton after 23 years with the Symphonic Wind Band. Stefan Beckett took 1st Prize in the Norman Trotman competition and is just about to start at the RCM on a prestigious scholarship.

And for royal accolades, our Wakeham Choristers of the Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy were honoured to sing not only for Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, but also for His Majesty King Michael of Romania and

subsequently for HRH Princess Anne and new members of the Royal Victorian Order. Talented directorship was much on display this year with Fintan Calpin directing Brecht’s ‘The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’ and Jack Bradfield and Sam Luker Brown directing Oscar Wilde’s classic ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. All 3 received performances at the National Theatre as part of ‘New Views’ competition and Jack Bradfield was additionally short-listed in the WICKED Young Writers’ Award to have his work read at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. None of our activities would flourish so effectively without the valued support and commitment from the staff, for which I thank them greatly. Indeed the time they generously give has enabled a range of local and international trips that so enrich the cultural experiences for our students.

of Olympia, Delphi and Orchomenos with its colossal bee-hive tomb; others flew to Johannesburg for a conservation project with Operation Wallacea including encounters with elephant, giraffe and humpback whales; those keener on sport jetted off to Salt Lake City for the annual ski trip.

Despite gale force winds, thigh deep snow and enough rain to drown in on the Gold DoE Expedition in the Brecons, the group overcame the challenge and passed with flying colours. They will soon complete the award and join the 13 leavers who have been invited to St. James’ Palace to receive their certificates from The Duke of Edinburgh. Econ and Hist students again learned about the World Bank and the US political system in an exciting trip to Washington and NY. Trips to Paris, Boulogne, Berlin and Amsterdam, exchanges with Starnberg, travel to the mud baths of Salinas de San Pedro, opened up new outlooks on European Art and culture and the importance of foreign language.

The 6th Form Greece trip took in the traditional sites

St Os is rightly recognised as a centre of excellence, but there is another dimension – a sense of values which we hope students all acquire. In this respect, I was delighted when our students chose to donate their £7K charity money to ‘Over the Walls’ and the ‘Princess Royal Hospital Special Baby Care Unit’

Such experiences, which see our students return with new energy and a broader outlook on life, would not be possible without the support of parents and OOs. Not only do they underpin international enrichment, they also enhance wider provision, whether through the PA’s new defibrillators, bequests from OOs, targeted fund raising of the EEX gp or cooking exotic dishes for Cultural Eve.

Chairman, I believe that our prize-winners have embraced real educational enlightenment, but with a sense of balance. They have combined academic scholarship with rich cultural involvement, underpinned by true values, to become well-rounded individuals. They have earned their prizes in another highly successful year and deserve our warmest congratulations.

Olavian 2013 – 43

Special Prizes

Prizes for Achievement in Public Examinations

Giles Pilcher Prize for Public Service Grace Boyle (Awarded by The Old Olavians’ Lodge) Mohammad Fallaha

John Marshall’s Educational Foundation Prizes

James Atkinson William Pyle

Eleanor Goodman Chambers Prize for Leadership The Anthony Jarvis Shield The Woodard Board Prize

James Watson Michael Yates

Mohammad Fallaha Peter Leigh

Michael Pugh Prize for Public Speaking Oliver Hamlet The Renshaw Shield for Debating O.O. Lodge Prize for Contribution to School Life

Ashwarya Pai Grace Boyle

Cathedral Parish Prize for Voluntary Service Timothy Adelani

Leslie Sanders Prize for English Literature Katherine Shanahan French Prize

Matthew Burns-Watkins

A.W. Walker Prize for German

Timothy Stickings

Matthew Holmes Prize for Classics

Rogba Oladimeji

Spanish Prize

The Ashley Prize for History Antiquarian Society Prize for a History Project

Laura Christen

Timothy Stickings Alexander Rodker

Geography Prize

Iain McGowan

Harry Little Prize for Mathematics

Alistair O’Neill

Economics Prize

Paul Slade Prize for Physics

Theo Clifford Peter Leigh

Brian Ruth Memorial Prize for Physics Timothy Hill Gnaanachelvan Prize for Biology

Asher Leeks

George Dyson Prize for Chemistry

Sudhir Balaji

Biology Project Prize

Chemistry Project Prize Computing Prize

Phyllis Packer Prize for Practical Musicianship

Chrissy Antoniou James Teoh

Robert Sharp Stefan Beckett

An Old Olavian Prize for Music

Thomas Bridges

Art Prize

Oliver Plumstead

Religious Studies Prize Graphics Prize Design Prize

Susan Owen Medal for Drama

Lucy Clarke

William Dalton

Christopher Self

Eleanor Goodman

L.W. White Prize for Sporting Activities Joseph Theuns

I.W. Kirk Prize for Sportsmanship

Eleanor Goodman

Senior Victor Ludorum

James Allen

Ben Read Trophy

Sidney Tweedy Chess Cup

Douglas Keeble Prize for Fives 44 – Olavian 2013

Joseph Theuns

Conrad Allison Sanjay Kundu

H.G. Abel Prizes for A-Level James Allen

Peter Leigh

Sudhir Balaji

Alistair O’Neill

Conrad Allison Jacob Bartlett Theo Clifford

Mohammad Fallaha James Fargie

Benjamin Fryza

Luke Geoghegan

Eleanor Goodman Andrea Grillo

Maximilian Kennedy Asher Leeks

For G.C.S.E.

Nikhil Math

Alexander Penn William Pyle

Morgan Roberts

Christopher Self Lucy Sharman

Beatrice Shepherd

Timothy Stickings James Teoh

James Watson Peter Zheng

Thanusan Balakrishnan

Adrian LaMoury

Jack Bradfield

Edward McAleer

Kush Banga

Daniel Bradford Stephen Chan

Nigel D’Souza Daniel Fargie

Edward Fearnley Andrew Flagg

Daniel Gillette Ankur Gupta

James Kershaw Edward King

Samuel Luker Brown Alexander McKenzie Christopher Page Abhishek Page Raunak Rao

Akkilash Raveenthiran Matthew Roberts

Nirjithan Sivapalan Connor Smieja

Janushanth Sritharan

Lower VI Form Prizes

Awarded by the Parents’ Association for “enthusiasm, commitment and imagination in the use of the Lower Sixth year” Timothy Adelani

Sinead O’Connor

Fintan Calpin

Zeinab Ruhomauly

Fraser Boistelle Jordan Fisher

Bejamin McKechnie

Sunkanmi Ogundipe Jenni Visuri

Form Prizes 11J

Joseph Dudley

11K

Matthew Allen

11L 11M 11N 11O 10J 10K 10L 10M 10N 9B

Edward King

Lawrence Do

Michael Cann-Abaidoo Dhruv Krishna

Matthew Roberts Alistair Haig

Colm McElligott Cameron Fisher

8B

8C

7C

William Belsham Eddie Tolmie

Daniel Jenkins

Alexander Mulroy

7H

Christy Hinchcliffe Bradley Sawyer

Wilfred Kiondo Ian Chiang

7L

Rowan Wright

Praven Jeyarajah Richard Decker

Richard Moulange Theo Antonov Ali Albarosa

Raafay Younus

Aaron Kiernan

Jonathan Buchanan Joshua Davidson Kayo Kufeji

9L

7B

Daniel Finucane

Samson Woodley 9H

8L

Jack Bradfield

Luke Politz 9C

Christopher Rajendram Niko Kristic Eric Leung James Byrne Leo Bennett John Bentas Ammar Kisat William Carew Shalin Kothari Thomas Halton Matthew Page Jonathan McCabe Alexander Song Nebiy Daniel Kelvin Liew Jack McKeone Louis McLean Arnav Barry Hai Duong Benedict Forster Samuel Jolly Owen Somhorst Akshay Karthikeyan Matti Mitropoulos

8H

Adrian Santhiapillai Seraphin Gnehm Anik Roy

Grants and Awards Governors Awards Stefan Beckett

Norman Trotman Competition Winner

Sanjay Kundu

National Doubles & Singles Fives Champion

Thomas Hadden Peter Leigh

Abhishek Patel

Christopher Self Joseph Theuns

Norman Trotman Competition Finalist Grade 8 organ with Distinction

Bromley Festival Recital Class Winner National Doubles Fives Champion Kent U18 Rugby

Jonathan Clarke

Grants for Outward Bound, Travel and Gap Year projects

Gabriel Ide Veyasan Karnan Ali Mehmood Hari Patel Daniel Maghsoudi Cristiano Da Cruz Samuel Beale Sohayl Ujoodia

Peter Leigh

Rosler Mgbokwere

The James Burdett Prize for Gap Year Travel:

For travel to Eastern Europe, Italy and the Iberian Peninsula to experience different cultures, visiting historical towns, cities, museums, art galleries and churches.

The Potto Hicks Award: Thomas Upton

For travel to Hong Kong, New Zealand and Los Angeles to visit engineering landmarks, as well as museums and other cultural sites.

Olavian 2013 – 45

The Witton/Newmarch Award:

Maximilian Kennedy For travel to Paris, Rome, Venice, Amsterdam and Poland to visit famous Art Galleries, Museums and other places of historical interest.

The Lennie/Gridley Award: Michael Yates

For travel to Hong Kong, New Zealand and Los Angeles to explore the cultural diversity, museums and engineering landmarks.

Marshall’s Awards

Grants were made towards expenses as follows:

for the Woodard Foundation Senior Prefects Course for Woodard Foundation Masterclasses

for the Woodard “Musician of the Year” finals for a JACT Ancient Greek Summer School for entry to Mathematics Competitions

for Fieldwork including Biology, Geography, History and Languages for Senior Art and Design Project Installations

In addition a number of students received expenses in regard to music tuition.

Awards were also made to a number of students at the start of their Higher Education Courses last year.

Marshall’s Grants were also awarded to assist in enabling students to go on field trips which families could not otherwise have funded.

46 – Olavian 2013

Full Colours 2013

Natural Sciences Society: Asher Leeks

Senior Prefect Colours James Atkinson, Grace Boyle for Commitment to the Eleanor Goodman, William Pyle, School Mohammad Fallaha, James Watson

Literary Society: Katherine Shanahan

Senior Colours

Design Club: Samuel Rix, Christopher Self

Maths in Motion: Iain McGowan, Matthew Burns-Watkins, Peter Leigh

Contribution to School Sixth Form Association: Alexander Rodker

Cabaret: Lucy Clarke, Joanne Maure, George Mesure Festival: Alexander Rodker

Culture Evening: William Dalton, Mohammad Fallaha, Kulvir Guram, Jeevitham Jeyashiri, Caroline Yuen Technical Support: Luke Watkins

Rugby Netball

Men’s Fives Hockey

Football Table Tennis Badminton Chess

Music Drama

Debating Chapel

Olavian Magazine: Peter Leigh, William Dalton

Joseph Theuns, Alexander Miller, Michael Yates, Jack Cordrey, Samuel Murray

Intermediate Colours Rugby Fives

Cricket

Athletics Chess

Music

Eleanor Goodman

Sudhir Balaji, Samuel Rix, Christopher Self, Julian Wickert, Sanjay Kundu (13Q) Stanley Ho, Charles Stoneham

Joseph Coleman, Samuel Ketchin, James Narula

Benjamin Fryza, Timothy Stickings Timothy Foo

Conrad Allison, Asher Leeks, Robert Lobo, Alex Tse

Sudhir Balaji, Stefan Beckett, Thomas Bridges, Thomas Hadden, Peter Leigh, James Watson Grace Boyle, Lucy Clarke, Eleanor Goodman, Max Kennedy, Michael Yates, Charlotte Flowers, Thomas Hadden, Shannon Lavender George Mesure, James Watson Oliver Hamlet, Aishwarya Pai, William Pyle

Nicole Akano, Thomas Bridges, Peter Leigh (13X)

Other Clubs & Societies Languages Clubs: Thomas Bridges, Lorraine Li, Adelia Rakhimova

Drama

Clubs & Societies Junior Colours Rugby Fives Swimming Cricket

Athletics Chess

Music Chapel

Library: Peter Leigh

Michael Cann-Abaidoo, Joseph Cordery, Edward McAleer, Joshua Searby, Alexander Weeks Josh Ravi

Daniel Fargie, Nithen Pathmanathen Jonathan Pairman

Nigel D’Souza, Raunak Rao, Gautham Reddiar

Alaric Belmain, Jonathan Day, Jonathan Leech, Abhishek Patel, Adam Stagg

Jack Bradfield, Samuel Luker Brown Film Club: Jack Bradfield Doce Pares: Jay Desai

Henry Edwards, Charles Peck, Ciaran Twomey

Tomas Gallagher, Morgan Pugh, Chukwunenyem Nwuba, Vishwakrith Shetty Michael Jacobs

Arjun Anilkumar, Adlai Chua, Amrit Dawood, Henry Edwards, Jack Hurley, John Oxley, Morgan Pugh, Keeran Rajendran, Byran Sathananthan Joshua Davidson, Charles Davis Owen Messère

Prem Chowdhry, Shaqib Chowdhury, Richard Decker, Amrit Dawood, Oliver Morrell, Richard Moulange Jonathan Buchanan, John Hawk, Richard Decker, Oliver Morrell, John Holden-Murphy

Chemistry Club: Sudhir Balaji, Samuel Bentley, Asher Leeks, Alistair O Neill

Art Club: William Dalton, Timothy Foo, Oliver Plumstead, William Searle, Timothy Hill Munga: Aishwarya Pai, James Watson

Film Club: Luke Watkins

History Soc. Magazine: Luke Watkins Olavian 2013 – 47

48 – Olavian 2013

VI Form News

VI Form News Building Team Spirit at Blacklands Farm The battle at Blacklands Farm for the top form prize ensued on 13th September. In their new year 12 forms, students completed mental and physical challenges to solidify friendships and foster team spirit. Accompanied by the year 13 ambassador prefects, who shared the wisdom they had acquired the previous year, the year 12s excelled, putting teamwork and ingenuity into practice.

Abseiling 15ft drops, navigating through the trees on high ropes and filling an impossibly leaky pipe, 12G were crowned the overall form winners, gaining the most points from their activities. While the Gs showed their penchant for outward bound teamwork, each form gained valuable experience and had the chance to bond with their peers.

The day offered the opportunity to put competitive spirit to good use and develop relationships within form groups, with their form tutor and members of year 13. It was an invaluable experience and lots of fun.

Eleanor Goodman, Vice Captain of School Year 13 Oxbridge Workshop Jenny Medland, Admissions Officer at Mansfield College, Oxford, led two invaluable sessions on Wednesday 19th September in the Sixth Form Library.

The first of the two Oxbridge Applications Forums was held for staff in order to further refine and develop the quality of support which they can offer to those students aspiring for places at these prestigious universities. The second was directed at the applicants themselves and was attended by almost half of Year 13.

This latter session consisted of a detailed and engaging presentation covering all aspects of the admissions procedure, debunking myths which surround the interview process, offering valuable hints on fine-tuning the Personal Statement of the UCAS application and offering a broad range of advice on how best to prepare for the forthcoming admissions tests. The presentation was followed by a lively question and answer session in which our students acquitted themselves with their usual incisive yet gracious aplomb. Jenny Medland will be visiting the school again (with the Senior Admissions Tutor for Mansfield College) on the occasion of the forthcoming Oxbridge Evening for Year 12 students to be held in the Great Hall on March 18th.

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Young Olavians’ Day The Young Olavians’ Day took place on 12th September, with over 60 Young Olavians taking part in a range of events from chess to rugby, and many more Young Olavians coming to watch, cheer and get behind the teams. Despite some very tough contests, the results did not fall kindly for the school and the only victory was in chess, with the Saint Olave’s chess team defeating the returning Old Olavians 3-1. The match looked tight from the beginning and, though three wins in a row raised hopes of a whitewash, it was not to be. Nevertheless it was a pleasing result for their first match of the year!

The netball match took place for the first time in five seasons, helped by the Young Olavians calling up two Cambridge netball players at the very last moment, which helped secure them a victory. The results were as follows: Event

Score

Result

Chess

3-1

Win

Football

3-7

Loss

Basketball

16-38 Loss

Netball

9-28

Loss

Fives

1-1

Draw

Badminton

2-5

Loss

Hockey

3-4

Loss

Rugby

13-19 Loss

This proved to be an excellent afternoon for the Sixth Form and the students who left last year. We wish all students going off to university the very best of luck.

Assemblies given by the Joint Captains of School Conflict Assembly On Tuesday 9th October, an Upper VI Former gave an assembly in front of the whole school about the issue of conflict. In his assembly, Mo outlined the conflict faced in the Syrian civil war, and described the consequences of a number of potential solutions to the crisis. He then went on to conclude that whilst there may not be an immediate answer to the Syrian conflict, we can learn how to resolve most of the conflicts we encounter in our lives by adopting ideas from people such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

‘Imagination is more important than knowledge, knowledge is limited; imagination encircles the world’ On the 16th of October, a VI Former gave an assembly on the potency of imagination, focusing of how it can ‘set us free’. She talked about the true story of French fashion magazine editor ‘Jean Dominique Bauby’. In 1995 Bauby had a massive stroke, leaving him with ‘locked in syndrome’- a condition where in the mental faculties remain intact but most of the body is left paralyzed.

Bauby was only able to blink his left eye lid, and used this limited physical freedom to dictate a book (one letter at a time) via blinking called, ‘The diving Bell and the Butterfly’.

Grace used this metaphor of physical imprisonment vs mental liberation to demonstrate that, like Bauby, we can surpass our own limitations in life to achieve something remarkable. As somebody studying both Literature and Drama, Grace perceived this story as a form of portraying the importance of artistic expression. She argued that there are so many ways to express ourselves, not only via language but also through music, theatre and painting.

Grace wanted to show that, although you cannot do a GCSE, an A-Level or even a degree in imagination, it is by far our greatest gift.

Scottish Country Dancing Every Friday, during period four, year thirteen have a lecture. We have enjoyed a variety of presentations from ‘the danger of cults’ to ‘the argument behind animal testing’, but nothing was quite like what we experienced last Friday. We stood huddled together outside the doors of the great hall, not knowing what lay ahead for us. There had been rumours that this week was going to be ‘different’, and the speculations about ‘dancing’ remained a torturing threat to those of us with two left feet.

The rumours weren’t wrong. There was dancing alright.

We opened the doors and scurried into the hall to be greeted with the sight of two women and one man, all

Joint Captains of School for 2012-13, each presented an assembly to the whole school. dressed in the trademark tartan of Scotland. I don’t know who was more shocked (or scared): us, not knowing what they had in store, or them with the sight of a student dressed as Alice in Wonderland.

After getting into partners we lined up and simply accepted the humiliation that we would soon endure.

The ‘easy’ routine was explained; deep breaths were inhaled and then came the bagpipes. Off we went. We skipped, we twirled and we even ‘Dosey Doe’d’; It only took about five more explanations until we ‘sort of ’ got the hang of it!

Overall, to my surprise, it was rather enjoyable. I don’t think we had ever imagined ourselves all together, dressed as book characters, in school, Scottish dancing a surreal memory to say the least.

Upper VI Softball Last Thursday saw Year 13 engage in a battle of wits and strength as they channelled their seven years of secondary school experience into the art of softball. With forms Olavian 2013 – 51

pitted one against another, the top field was littered with epic shots and spectacular catches. With two games apiece, everyone had a chance to bat, with varying levels of success, while the large number of fielders made for a tight and challenging game.

staff for canapés and champagne as they listened to a string quartet and the newly formed barber shop singing group. Students and parents also heard speeches by the Headmaster, Director of Sixth Form and Grace Boyle and Mohammad Fallaha, Captains of School.

Although there was no outright winner, great fun was had by all in this less-than-conventional PSHE lesson.

Special mention must go to Mr. “Optimus” Price, for his outstanding home run, and to Mr. Rees for an agile, but soon-disqualified, catch.

We must record our thanks to Mrs Upsdell and Mrs Vaughan for organising the reception, with help from the South America rugby tourists. This was a highly successful event, marking formally the end of an era and culminating with a heartfelt and rousing (though perhaps lacking in musicality) rendition of Jerusalem, accompanied by Mr Geoghegan on the school organ.

Many thanks to James Atkinson for organising the event and to the staff, especially Mrs. Upsdell, for overseeing, refereeing and scoring.

James Watson, Vice Captain of School VI Form Association Throughout the year, representatives from each Year 12 and 13 form have been meeting with Mr Rees, Director of Sixth Form, and the Heads of Year, Mrs Updsell and Mr Budds, as a voice for students in the Sixth Form.

The Association has discussed issues raised by individual students, such as soap in the toilets and sourcing a clock for the pavilion, and matters which affect the whole of the Sixth Form, including car parking, use of the Sixth Form Library and the Leavers’ Reception.

After the reception, parents waved their sons and daughters goodbye as the students moved onto the Leavers’ Ball at Westerham Golf Club. Students danced the night away to the Take 5 Party Band and were entertained by a magician as they socialised on the balcony, overlooking the golf course.

As treasurer, Daniel Powell has been responsible for overseeing the collection and spending of the Sixth Form Subs, maintaining the condition of the Sixth Form Common Room and subsidising the Leavers’ Ball.

Caroline Yuen, as secretary, has ensured agendas have been circulated and minutes issued.

I would like to thank them both for their help this year and wish Max Hamilton-Jenkins (Chairman), Alex Bargeron (Treasurer) and Shino Hiraski (Secretary) the best of luck as our successors.

Upper VI Scottish Dancing...on a non-uniform day!

Alex Rodker (Chair, Year 13) Oxbridge Offers During the year, students have been busy with UCAS applications and university interviews. As ever, the offers from prestigious Russell Group universities flooded in and the new year began magnificently with an impressive spread of Oxbridge offers. Congratulations to the students, whose offers bring our Oxbridge total to nearly 120 over the last 4 years.

Leaver’s Reception & Ball A new format for the Leavers’ Event was introduced this year with a combined reception and ball held on a Friday.

This new arrangement began with a reception in the new quad, where students were joined by their parents and 52 – Olavian 2013

The VI Form Council Team for 2012-13

Lower VI - Blacklands Farm Team-building Day

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Leavers’ Destinations Name Nicole Akano Lucy Allatt James Allen Conrad Allison Georgia Amos Tom Anderson Samuel Andrew Chrissie Antoniou James Atkinson Rahul Bagga Sudhir Balaji Akwasi Bamfo-Quaicoe Leslie Bampoe-Addo Tanmoy Banerjee James Barnard Joseph Barrow Jacob Bartlett Aditi Basavakumar

Deepika Basavakumar Stefan Beckett Samuel Bentley James Boobyer Pascal Bose Grace Boyle Francesca Bradley Thomas Bridges Matthew Bruce Matthew Burns-Watkins Emily Bushell Hadi Butt Mica Campbell Nancy Carney-Holland Anna Chadwick Rebecca Chan Shanujan Chandrarajah George Chattaway Esme Chowdhry Laura Christen

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Destination Oxford Brookes University Exeter Girton College, Cambridge St. Catherine’s College, Cambridge UCL Applying 2014 Imperial King’s College London Applying 2014 King’s College London Queen’s College, Cambridge Westminster Birmingham Bristol Bristol Southampton Imperial Imperial

Course Architecture Accounting and Finance Mathematics Economics Geography Physics Medicine Medicine Chemical Engineering Human and Medical Science Chemical Engineering Aerospace Engineering History Biomedical Sciences Physics Medicine

Brighton and Sussex Medical School Medicine Royal College of Music Music Durham Natural Sciences Exeter Economics New College, Oxford Mathematics Applying 2014 Exeter Ancient History Applying 2014 East Anglia Economics Durham Modern Languages Durham Law UCL Medicine Manchester Life Sciences Cardiff Medicine Bristol English Birmingham Biomedical Sciences Southampton Aeronautics and Astronautics Applying 2014 Manchester Chemical Engineering UCL Spanish and Latin American Studies

Lucy Clarke Theo Clifford Joseph Coleman Jack Cordrey Benjamin Cotton Adam Cox William Dalton Kathryn Deegan Joseph Delaney Carson Dennis Jack Etienne Mohammad Fallaha James Fargie Emily Fittock Charlotte Flowers Timothy Foo James French Benjamin Fryza Luke Geoghegan Pavan Gill William Glevey Eleanor Goodman Liam Gough Andrea Grillo Kulvir Guram Thomas Hadden Clark Hailston Omid Hakimazari Charles Hallett Oliver Hamlet Thomas Hannath James Hart Henri Hassett Roisin Hegarty O’Dowd Thomas Heslop Timothy Hill Siu Fung Ho Manh Duc Hoang William Hoang Matthew Holland Cinderella Jawahar Ashley Jeffs Olivia Jenkins Jeevitham Jeyashiri

Exeter English and Drama Merton College, Oxford Philosophy, Politics and Economics Birmingham English Imperial Chemical Engineering Exeter Economics Exeter Archaeology Applying 2014 Hertford College, Oxford Economics and Management Warwick Mathematics Durham Accounting and Finance Applying 2014 Imperial Medicine Birmingham Chemical Engineering Liverpool Physics with Medical Applications Exeter English East Anglia Environmental Geography Applying 2014 Jesus College, Cambridge Land Economy Imperial Medicine Bristol Economics and Finance King’s College, Cambridge Economics Murray Edwards College, CambridgeEnglish UCL History Trinity College, Cambridge Law Queen Mary’s, London Dentistry York English Applying 2014 Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge Philosophy, Politics and Economics Applying 2014 Durham Philosophy, Politics and Economics Reading Geography Bristol History of Art Bristol Geography King’s College London Medicine Norwich University Of The Arts Illustration Employment Warwick Biological Sciences UCL Economics Applying 2014 Sussex Economics Queen Mary’s, London Medical Genetics Southampton Geography Nottingham Law with Spanish and Spanish Law UCL Economics Olavian 2013 – 55

Harriet Jones Durham Mounif Kalawoun Warwick Harshit Kanchi Nottingham Ria Katwa Exeter Maximilian Kennedy Warwick Hayley Kenton-Merrill Nottingham Philippa Kenton-Merrill Sheffield Charles Kershaw Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Samuel Ketchin Birmingham Vincent Khor Sussex Sanjay Kundu Southampton Shannon Lavender Exeter Michael Le Guillou Warwick Asher Leeks New College, Oxford Peter Leigh Applying 2014 Lorraine Li Warwick Selina Li UCL Robert Lobo Manchester Amy Lord Bristol James MacDonagh Sheffield Nikhil Math Imperial George Mathers Southampton Joanne Maure LSE Benjamin McCracken Canterbury Christ Church Max McDonagh Loughborough Iain McGowan Durham George Mesure Applying 2014 Alexander Miller Birmingham Kezia Mithra Johnson Applying 2014 Anthony Moore Reading Samuel Murray Bristol James Narula LSE Michal Nerek Sussex Mina Nguyen Applying 2014 Fadil Nohur Imperial Annabel Norris Bristol Adam O’Dolan King’s College London Temitope Odufisan Loughborough Oluwarogbayimika Oladimeji Selwyn College, Cambridge Emily O’Malley Nottingham Alistair O’Neill Trinity College, Cambridge Jason Opoku-Afriyie Warwick York Taha Pagdiwalla Aishwarya Pai Imperial 56 – Olavian 2013

Classics Engineering Industrial Economics Modern Languages History of Art Mechanical Engineering Chemical Engineering Ancient and Modern History Geology and Geography Biochemistry Electromechanical Engineering Economics Economics Biological Sciences Economics Modern Languages Material Sciences and Engineering Veterinary Science Biochemistry Medicine Geography Mathematics and Economics Geography with International Relations Product Design and Technology Geography Economics Environmental Science Ancient History Accounting and Finance Physics Biochemistry Medicine Mathematics Product Design Engineering Law German (Beginners) and History Mathematics Mathematics and Statistics Economics and Finance Medicine

Julia Panascia Glasgow Aashish Panchasara Imperial Rishi Patel LSE Shiv Patel Warwick Richard Pattinson Applying 2014 Thomas Paulsen Exeter Alexander Penn UCL Alexander Pereira LSE Oliver Plumstead Ravensbourne Daniel Powell Royal Veterinary College Anastasia Prempeh Applying 2014 Prabhleen Puri Southampton Ryan Pye Leicester William Pyle Brasenose College, Oxford Usenthini Rajasekar City Adelia Rakhimova UCL Sujaen Ravii King’s College London Saraavanabirasa Ravinthiran Imperial Yasmin Razzaque Leeds Katherine Reed Exeter Joshua Reynolds Applying 2014 Samuel Rix UCL Morgan Roberts Southampton Alexander Rodker Christ’s College, Cambridge Rebecca Rodney Southampton Thomas Rumbelow Birmingham Thomas Russell Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford William Searle Brunel Christopher Self Imperial Katherine Shanahan Warwick Lucy Sharman Bristol Robert Sharp Sheffield Beatrice Shepherd Jesus College, Cambridge Benjamin Shotnes Applying 2014 Thomas Silver Bristol Abraham Siregar Essex Ryan St Ledger Reading Joseph Stevens UCL Timothy Stickings Durham Charles Stoneham Cambridge Ghajhan Surenthiran King’s College London Chandini Sureshkumar Leicester Nicola Tagoe Birmingham Alexander Tarrant-Anderson Durham

Human Biology Physics Economics Economics Geography Physics Economics Broadcast Technology Veterinary Medicine Biomedical Sciences Medical Biochemistry Philosophy, Politics and Economics Actuarial Science Economics and Geography Biomedical Science Electrical and Electronic Engineering Biochemistry Law Architecture Acoustical Engineering History Economics Business Management Physics Sociology Civil Engineering English and German Literature Economics and Finance Computer Science Philosophy History Computer Science Geography (Human) History History Land Economy Medicine Medicine History History Olavian 2013 – 57

James Teoh Joseph Theuns Alex Tse Celia Udeagbara Thomas Upton Mantas Volkauskas Luke Watkins James Watson Ella Wells Julian Wickert William Williams Jakobi Wilmott Rebecca Wong Michael Yates Caroline Yuen Peter Zheng

58 – Olavian 2013

Imperial City Warwick Loughborough Bristol Swansea Nottingham New College, Oxford New College, Oxford York Bristol LSE Reading Durham Queen’s College, Oxford Imperial

Physics Investment & Financial Risk Management Economics Civil Engineering Engineering Mathematics Civil Engineering History Philosophy, Politics and Economics Biochemistry Economics Palaeontology and Evolution Economics Accounting and Business English Literature Law Aeronautical Engineering

Clubs & Extra-curricular

Clubs and Extra-curricular Natural Sciences Society In January 2013, three people were appointed to be the new leaders of Natural Sciences Society; Jenni Visuri, Harry Jenkins and Fraser Boistelle. The society meets every Friday lunchtime in S4 for a range of different types of events.

Each of the leader gave a speech during the Spring term, the topics being exoplanets, explosives and evolution of whales, dolphins and porpoises. We also held a debate on the topic “should science interfere with nature?” In addition to this we have contributed to the global Zooniverse project which asks all people to register and help with scientific research and analysis which cannot be done by a computer. This features projects such as classifying parts of the Moon, mapping Mars, and classifying galaxies as well as helping sort images of cancer cells. On the last day of the Easter term we held a quiz on random scientific knowledge which was just for fun.

The NSS has also been to visit many lectures at UCL over the year, which have featured a plethora of topics such as quantum computers, aliens and colonising space, the origins of asymmetry in the brain, mirror image molecules, and the science of invisibility. These have all provided a fantastic opportunity for members who have visited some of these.

Easter term was a extremely busy one for the society because we have released the third issue of our journal, a first for the new leaders. We had a whole new host of members wishing to participate by writing articles in all three fields of science. We do hope that you will read our journals (available online from the school website) and learn a lot about different scientific topics.

Chapel Notes 2012-13 2012-13 was a busy year for the School Chaplaincy, with a full programme of special events as well as the Chaplain’s day-to-day pastoral support for the school community.

The Chaplain’s weekly discussion group Firm Foundations, which is aimed particularly at boys in Y7 to Y10, has covered a wide range of exciting and sometime controversial topics, including If Hitler repented on his deathbed, would he go to heaven? Then in the end-of-term special event known as Roast the Reverend, the Chaplain was subjected to a quickfire barrage of difficult questions put by the students. His knowledge of theology bore up reasonably well, though his awareness of TV soap operas was found wanting!

Alongside the junior meeting, a group of Sixth Form students has continued to lead the Senior Christian Union, giving opportunities for Y12 and Y13 students to lead prayers and Bible study discussions. The Staff Prayer Meeting has also continued this year, with a faithful group 60 – Olavian 2013

of teaching and support staff gathering week by week to pray for the needs of the school community.

Continuing the school’s tradition of preparing lower school boys for Confirmation in the Church of England, three students – Billy Belsham, Marcus Finn and Alex Song - were confirmed in April by the Rt Revd Brian Castle, Bishop of Tonbridge. The boys also helped to lead different aspects of the service such as Bible readings and prayers. Music was led by the Chapel Choir, conducted by Peter Leigh.

Our annual Chapel weekend away at Carroty Wood Activities Centre near Tonbridge involved a group of students ranging in age from 12 to 18 and a team of staff led by Mr Maltman and the Chaplain. Along with activities such as low ropes, scavenger hunt, campfire and a forest wide game, students had the opportunity to consider aspects of the Christian faith through scheduled sessions and informal discussion times.

This year our theme was Christmas, which we celebrated in the middle of the summer with roast turkey and traditional carols! Despite the unseasonal weather, we enjoyed taking a fresh look at the story of Jesus’ birth, and saw how the fact of God coming into his world 2000 years challenges us to re-examine our relationship with him today.

The school’s community service programme known as the Le Chavetois Society (named after a former member of staff) has continued to grow in size and scope, with over thirty Year 12 students taking part in a wide range of different projects from healthcare to charity fundraising. A large team were based at St Paul’s Cray Church of England Primary School - a local school which St Olave’s has supported in various ways for many years - where our students helped in the school’s literacy drive, running a library bus and reading with children from Years 2 to 6. Placement supervisors testified to the positive contribution our students made within the community, describing their Olavian volunteers as excellent, polite, helpful, professional and always willing to help. One headteacher summed up the contribution of one of our students: “he will be sadly missed by all our pupils.”

Festival 2013 Following a special Christmas Assembly on Thursday 20th December, the School held a festival to help raise money for two charities nominated by the students; ‘Over the Walls’ and the Princess Royal University Hospital Special Care Baby Unit.

The Festival Committee put together a great line up of events, including ‘Jeopardy’, ‘Just A Minute’ and ‘University Challenge’. These events saw teachers pitting their skills against each other in the Great Hall. Also, students wore

non-uniform to school and during the afternoon tutor groups created stalls in their classrooms to help raise money.

The School raised through Festival and Cabaret around £7300 for the two chosen charities, with the most successful form being, by a considerable margin, 9C, who raised some £226 by selling pancakes, cupcakes and milkshakes.

O-Factor 2013 After weeks of intensive training, the “O Factor” inter-house choir competition finally culminated in an electrifying showdown on the last Thursday of the spring term. With each house singing one hymn and one karaoke classic, offerings ranged from Robbie Williams’ Angels to Amazing Grace via Bread of Heaven and even a song from Disney’s The Lion King.

After more than an hour of music, punctuated by excoriating criticism from the judges and dry wit from the dynamic duo of hosts Max Kennedy and the Reverend McClellan, the champions were finally crowned.

A close contest saw Leeke house (singing ‘Angels’ and ‘I vow to thee, my country’) storm to victory for the third year running, followed by an unprecedented three-way tie in second place between Harvard, Cure and Bingham. With a rousing full-school rendition of Jerusalem to round off proceedings, another year’s competition came to an end.

Special thanks must go to the music prefects, senior prefects and Peter Leigh who together masterminded, co-ordinated and led the competition from start to finish; the generous assistance and coaching from the music department; and the forbearance of Mrs. Ayres in reprographics.

James Watson, Vice Captain of School ____________________ Chess News Congratulations to Raunak Rao (Year 11) who came equal second in the Jessie Gilbert International Chess Festival, held at Coulsdon between August 25th and 27th 2012. This result is particularly impressive as it was a largely adult tournament, with many high graded players.

Congratulations also to Raunak who, as a member of the Kent Chess team, contributed, later in the year, to their win of the Southern Counties Chess Union under 160 Grade tournament for the 2012/13 season. Although the team still had one match in hand, they were declared league champions. Raunak played on Board 3 out of a 16 board team and has faced formidable opposition in his opponents over the course of the past year, being the only junior player in the team. Our congratulations to him and the team.

Millfield Chess Tournament Our young Chess team travelled to Somerset to take part in the annual Millfield International. At the end of the first day we were in third place and hopeful of

maintaining this position. However with relatively little experience, exhaustion took its toll and we slumped down the standings, needing a very strong performance in the last round to take third. As the results came in, this looked unlikely, but a nail-biting finish in the last game of the tournament did indeed secure our third place position, continuing our run of successive top-three finishes for the past nine years! Well done to all the young players.

ECF National Schools Chess Championships On Thursday 16th January St. Olave’s played The King’s School Canterbury in the second round of the ECF Schools Championship.

This proved to be a challenging match; however, we were able to finish with an impressive 5-1 win to progress to the next stage of the competition. Congratulations to all who played: Sachin Balaji, Nigel D’Souza, Owen Messere, Raunak Rao, Gautham Reddiar and James Wagstaff-Hall.

Then, on Friday 8th February St. Olave’s faced Eltham College, in what promised to be a tight match. Despite wins from Conrad Allison and Xavier Chitnavis on boards 1 and 6 respectively, some unlucky results meant we drew the match 3-3. Unfortunately, due to the age handicap system, our participation ended there. However, we then looked forward to the challenge of the plate competition.

ECF National Schools Plate Competition At the beginning of March, our chess team played Hampton School B team. It was a match we expected to win with relative ease, but things didn’t quite go to plan.

From the beginning it was a struggle, and we soon found ourselves two games down, with tricky positions in several of the remaining games. It looked as though it was all over, that we would be consigned to a humiliating defeat. But with true Olavian spirit and tenacity, we slowly fought back. Wins in the last three games from Xavier Chitnavis (who has won all his games this season), Raunak Rao, and Conrad Allison, on boards six, two and one respectively, clinched victory by the narrowest of margins - 3.5-2.5!

Our team was yet to be defeated this season, and we looked forward to playing in the quarter-finals.

Unfortunately we were then soundly beaten by QE Barnet in the quarter-finals, losing 0.5-5.5. However, we look forward to next year’s competition – we’ll be back!

Kent Junior Chess Success Conrad Allison of Year 13 won the Under 18 section of the Kent Junior Chess Association 2012/13 Grand Prix, also finishing first in his section at the Grand Prix Final held in Sevenoaks on Sunday 14th July.St Olave’s School also finished the season as the top secondary school. Congratulations to all the boys who took part to demonstrate the chess prowess of St Olave’s over the past year.

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DofE Awards - Expeditions The Gold D of E group had a very testing time on Dartmoor over the October half term, as they struggled to complete their practice expedition. The weather ranged from icy cold on the first night to high winds, driving rain, mist and the occasional glimpse of the sun over the next 4 days of trekking. The groups started in Cheston and trekked over 4 days (which included 3 nights of wild camping on the moor) to Oakhampton. With this behind them, they hoped that the assessed expedition, to take place in the Brecon Beacons at Easter, would be comparatively easy.

As Easter approached, expedition preparations were then under way, with not only Gold going out to the Brecon Beacons at Easter, but also Bronze in and around Sevenoaks and finally, Silver participants either on the Sussex Downs or in the New Forest. All in all it was a busy time for both students and the hard-core helpers on the staff without whose support these challenging opportunities just would not have been able to happen – and we are very grateful to all of them.

Year 10 on their Bronze DofE Expedition

The Upper VI had hoped for a better assessed expedition, following the Gold practice in Dartmoor where drowning seemed more than possible. Instead, we again endured unseasonal weather with temperatures down to -5 at night plus the windchill factor! During the day on the Mountain tops it was well below -15 with gale force winds and thigh deep snow in many places.

The assessed group numbered 26 walking up to 25km a day in hills and mountains in testing weather conditions.

Despite this, all the teams overcame the challenge and passed the assessment in the Brecon Beacons with flying colours. It is a testament to the teams that they were only one of a handful of groups to complete the five day expedition when the weather had caused so many schools to pull out.

Gold DofE Expeditions

Pitching camp on Gold DofE 62 – Olavian 2013

World Challenge – Years 8 & 9 in Croatia The expedition was to be for many of us the highlight of the summer, if not the academic year. After months of fundraising, lunch time meetings, and team building exercises after school, the two teams of year 8 and 9 students were almost ready to leave. The teams were led by teachers from the ADT department, Miss Hawley and Miss Heraghty, who were then joined by World Challenge leaders. This record of the trip is mainly in the perspective of Team 2 led by Miss. Heraghty, as this was the team I was part of.

The expedition began at Saint Olave’s Tuesday 30th July where we completed our final team building exercises, practiced putting up tents and getting familiar with the ‘trangia’ which would all be essential if we were to survive in Croatia. After final goodbyes were given by tear-sodden parents a final supper of Domino’s pizza from Orpington High Street was shared. The night soon fell and we slept in the pavilion, an honour which many students don’t get to experience in their school life. Our flight to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, from Gatwick left at 05:50 the next morning. We woke up just after midnight and were at the airport at 02:30, due to the regulations of our insurance. Tired, anxious and yet still excited we boarded the flight as the sun rose over our Easyjet plane. On an expedition of firsts the Easyjet flight was also a first for many.

Once we had landed in Zagreb, a comparatively minuscule airport, we met our local guides who took us by coach to our first destination, Lidl supermarket, a second first for some. Here we were faced with the challenge of getting used to the local currency (£1= 8.6 Croatian Kuna), and buying food for the next three days ahead as well as keeping within the teams budget. Two hours on the coach followed, Team 1 of 15 students lead

by Miss Hawley, started on the beaches of the Adriatic Sea, near Novigrad Bay, overlooking the ‘national park paklenica’. Their first challenge… sea kayaking.

The second team, led by Miss Heraghty, were then dropped off on the bank of the River Zrmanja where we set up camp and then tackled the challenge of cooking, not only for ourselves but for our leaders too.

On the menu first was ‘chicken with paprika on a base of very sticky rice’, which was no mean task especially without cooking oil for the chicken, but we overcame the challenges and were all feed. After a camp fire with roasted marshmallows we settled down for the night.

Kayaking down 8K of calm, crystal blue waters surrounded by baronial canyons was the next challenge.

The surroundings were stunning but the kayak was to be a difficult one. After packing up tents and putting our equipment in dry bags ready for transportation on the two man kayaks we set off down the River Zrmanja.

We then came to the River Krupa and joined it to reach our wild camp destination for the night with no facilities what so ever, apart from the refreshing water running from a spring close to our camp which was welcomed with masses of open bottles after a long day on the river, negotiating rapids among the challenges.

After a rougher night than the last we were up early ready to get back on the river to the campsite a further 8km downstream with a couple of waterfalls in the way as well. Negotiating these natural phenomenons was a task left to the local guides, lowering them one by one with many cords of rope. Continuing past the waterfalls ended our River journey and brought us to a popular campsite, with toilets and a shower all which had been alien to us the night before. These facilities were greeted with open arms after setting up camp in the sweltering mid day heat and kayaking for more than three hours.

Everyone was greeted the next morning by the warmth of porridge for the tasks ahead of us were massive. The first on the list was food shopping for the time we were going to spend in the mountainous national park paklenica. The challenges in Lidl still present. Once we had distributed the food between our bags we were back on the coach and dropped off at the foot of the park. What was advertised as a two hour walk for tourists certainly was not. Once our 65+ litre bags were factored in we knew two hours was an unrealistic target, especially with most of the course sloping with a violent gradient up hill. The moment we made it to the mountain hut was one few will forget, celebrations filled the air and the home made swimming pool was bombarded by 13 students needing a wash.

Once recovered from the trek, we were greeted by Miss.

Hawley’s team who had just climbed the ‘black peak’. This was the first time the two teams saw each other and a great chance to talk about each other’s adventures. Our team were eager to find out the time they had completed the black peak trek, knowing we were set to do the same trek tomorrow. Given a time to beat of seven hours, after supper, we made home in the mountain hut and settled down for the night.

After waving Miss. Hawley’s team down the mountain, to their river journey, we set out with our day sacks to climb the infamous black peak, so named because of the trees that surrounded it, making it stand out from a distance compared to the other peaks white with rock. Reaching the peak was another moment on our expedition that was unforgettable, eating lunch overlooking the Adriatic Sea. The trek was a challenging one but we were glad to hear supper was to be cooked by our leaders as a reward for our efforts throughout the week, a well deserved and much welcomed break.

The next day saw us wave goodbye to the mountain hut and trek down to the foot of the park where we were to Olavian 2013 – 63

Year 8 & 9 - World Challenge 2013

64 – Olavian 2013

...from Orpington to Croatia...

Olavian 2013 – 65

be transferred to the Adriatic Sea, near Novigrad Bay. Kayaking across the sea the next day was to conclude our expedition but was a totally different challenge and one which was rewarding for all. Once we had harboured the kayaks back where we were situated, we sat in the local café overlooking the sea with ice creams in our hand under the 37 degree heat. Night fell and all our kit was ticked off and the tents back in their tight bags.

The coach picked us up after midnight to take us to the Zagreb airport. Our flight was a short one and we were flooded with parents with open arms seeing their sons in a different light, a son who had taken on the challenge of a life time. A World Challenge.

Throughout the journey everyone took turns to be leader for a day. We grew as individuals, in leadership, strength and teamwork; all skills which will be invaluable in life.

The expedition to Croatia was an amazing one and I know that many of us will want to go on the four week expedition in a few years time.

Samson Woodley (9C)

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Mathematics & Computing Specialist Status

The Faculty of Mathematics, ICT & Computer Science

T

he Faculty has continued to thrive in its significant achievements on both the academic and extracurricular fronts. There have been new teaching courses introduced plus a new national final reached.

Students continue to develop their considerable mathematical plus problem-solving skills within both the classroom setting plus extracurricular clubs and competitions. The culmination of these efforts is a significant number of students embarking upon mathematics or mathematics related degrees.

both sets, giving them useful insights of concepts for their future mathematical studies.

A record number of Year 13 students completed both the A2 Mathematics and the A2 Further Mathematics course, achieving yet another outstanding set of results.

Almost 80% of entries were at A* or A grade with fortynine students achieving these grades on the demanding Further Mathematics qualification. This is possibly the highest number for any school nationally and a testament to the dedication, teaching and learning by students and staff. In addition, two students achieved very creditable results in the STEP papers.

As ever,all Olavian students have at least two opportunities to sit each of the national Junior, Intermediate and Senior Mathematical Challenges with impressive results being achieved in each plus significant numbers qualifying for the further Olympiad and Kangaroo rounds. The problem-solving nature of the competitions complement well the more didactic nature of much of the public examination qualifications and hence represent an important component in ensuring students develop into rounded mathematicians, especially as there is a desire to develop the problem-solving component of public examinations.

In Year 12, results for an amazingly large cohort of 169 mathematicians were comparable with the previous years’ excellent results. On the Mathematics front, well over a three quarters achieved at least an A grade score with over half of these being high enough to suggest the student is on course for an A* grade at A2. The truly outstanding results were achieved by the 100 Further Mathematicians in this year where 94% achieved an A or B grade for their Further Mathematics AS, well above any previous level achieved. These results reflect the effective advice upon the part of the staff plus wisdom upon the part of students as to their appropriate level of mathematical study. St Olave’s continues to have a amazing number of students studying Mathematics beyond the standard level and the prospects are that the incoming Year 12 will maintain and quite possibly further this growing tradition.

Our Year 11 students were the first set of Olavians to undertake the Edexcel Mathematics IGCSE qualification as this is deemed to be a slightly more effective preparation for higher level mathematical study.

Results were awaited with slight trepidation by staff, but we need not have worried as the students rose to the challenge, achieving our equal highest ever proportion of A* at almost 85%. The top sets continue to study courses beyond the IGCSE with, for the first time, both the top two sets sitting the Free Standing Unit in Additional Mathematics. Very creditable results were achieved by 68 – Olavian 2013

Students in years below have continued to be enthusiastically involved in clubs, national mathematics challenges plus team competitions, mathematics clinics, the buddy system and mathematics activity days plus team competitions. All of these have hopefully developed their skills plus passion for mathematical progress and development in future years.

In Computing, Dr Onifade has overseen the first cohort of students to undertake the Computing GCSE course with very encouraging results achieved as they achieved an A*/A proportion directly in line with the school average. In addition, the AS ICT students’ results were sound. Despite a large number of Year 8 students displaying the Olavian trait of leaving task completion until the last minute, a very high proportion of the year completed successfully the well-respected ITQ. The department is looking forward to introducing at Key Stage 3 a course more focused upon Computing rather than IT over the coming years.

At the end of the year the Faculty bade farewell to Mrs Ott who taught Mathematics to students in Years 7 to 11 for twelve years. Apart from achieving some excellent results with lower set Year 11 students on a consistent basis, Mr Ott will be remembered for her speedy marking, ability to relate mathematics to her previous career in banking plus being an effective Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator within the Faculty. We wish her an extremely happy retirement.

In September we welcomed back Mr James Davis who takes up the role of second in charge of the Faculty with specific responsibility for Key Stage 4 Mathematics. Mr Davis brings with him a wealth of mathematical teaching

experience plus IT skills that should be very useful in the continued development of the Faculty. In addition, it is good to report that Mr Timothy McCurrach successfully completed his Newly Qualified Teacher year in December of last year. The Faculty has an encouraging blend of experience and youth that should stand us in good stead as we go forward.

received a certificate of distinction placing him in the top 25% of those sitting the paper. Both these students sat the even more daunting Round 2 paper in January.

Congratulations go to Pascal Bose who managed to solve completely two of the four extremely demanding problems in this year’s paper to achieve a score placing him well within the top twenty scores nationally.

Finally, as I reflect upon my first year back as Head of the Mathematics and Computing Faculty, I consider it to be a privilege to oversee such capable plus motivated groups of students plus staff and look forward to them continuing to respond so effectively the opportunities plus challenges of the coming year.

Senior Kangaroo Nineteen students from Years 11 to 13 sat this follow-on competition from the Senior Mathematical Challenge.

The paper consisted of twenty problems with three-digit answers. Six students achieved certificates of distinction placing them in the top 25% nationally. Congratulations go to Oliver Mansell (11M) and Alastair Haig (11N) who achieved the best results in the school, each successfully solving thirteen of the problems. This represents an impressive achievement as they were undertaking the paper against students up to two years their senior.

Neil Maltman

Head of Mathematics

National Competitions Senior Mathematical Challenge On Tuesday 6th November, students from Years 11, 12 and 13 took part in the Senior Mathematical Challenge.

This year’s paper proved more difficult than most recent years’ papers with the average score being lower than usual.

However, the 356 Olavian entrants responded extremely positively to the challenge to achieve a record 281 certificates (43 gold, 122 silver and 116 bronze) representing an impressive 79% of entrants, by some way our highest ever proportion of entrants achieving such recognition. Special mention should be made of Alistair O’Neill (13Z) who achieved best in school with a score of 120 out of 125 plus Oscar Wilkins (12G) and Oliver Mansell (11M) who achieved best- in-year results.

Intermediate Mathematical Challenge In February a record 295 students from Years 9 to 11 participated in this year’s Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. They achieved a creditable 70 gold, 92 silver and 73 bronze certificates. Fifteen students qualified for the Olympiads and twenty-seven for the Kangaroo competitions that took place in March. Congratulations go to those achieving the best-in-year scores: Alistair Haig (11N), Tom Wang (10N) and Coby Plews (9L).

Intermediate Mathematical Olympiads and European Kangaroo Olavians found this year’s Intermediate Olympiad papers tough and only Kush Banga (11L) managed to secure a certificate of distinction. However, a creditable seven students received a certificate of merit in the European Kangaroo papers.

Seven Year 13 students qualified for the first round of the British Mathematical Olympiad and an encouraging twenty-two qualified for the inaugural Senior Kangaroo Mathematics follow-on round. Many schools are highly selective in whom they enter for the Challenge, rather than St Olave’s policy of entering all students studying Mathematics at the appropriate level, and hence these results are another testament to the excellent problemsolving abilities possessed by many Olavians.

British Mathematical Olympiad: Rounds 1 & 2 The seven Olavian students who qualified for the British Mathematical Olympiad in December all achieved creditable results on a demanding paper. Special mention must be made of Alastair O’Neill (13Z) who was awarded a bronze medal placing him in the top 100 students nationally and Pascal Bose (13X) who

British Mathematical Olympiad award-winners Olavian 2013 – 69

The four Lower School JMO Medallists

Junior Mathematical Challenge Students from Years 7 and 8 achieved another impressive set of results in this year’s Junior Mathematical Challenge. Almost ninety percent of students gained a certificate, including 74 gold, 74 silver and 50 bronze certificates. The outstanding top scorers in Year 8 were Daniel Maghsoudi and Christopher Rajendram who both scored 130 from a possible 135, whilst in Year 7 they were Alexander Song and Hai Duong who both attained a score of 124. There were ten qualifiers for the Junior Olympiad which took place in June.

Junior Mathematical Olympiad St Olave’s involvement in this year’s national Mathematics competitions ended on a high. In the Junior Mathematical Olympiad, a record four students were awarded medals placing them well within the top two hundred students nationally. Alex Song (7C) achieved a gold medal for providing faultless solutions to five of the six demanding problems. Close on his heels were Alec Hong (8L) with a silver medal plus Daniel Maghsoudi (8C) and Oliver Bennett (7C) with bronze medals. Several of the other six entrants achieved creditable scores. All are to be congratulated upon these outstanding results that are a testament to some excellent problem-solving abilities and bode well for future successes.

Senior Mathematics Team Challenge: Regional Final On Wednesday 14th November, some of the best mathematicians from over 35 schools gathered at Ravenswood for the South East London regional final of the UKMT and The Further Mathematics Network’s Senior Team Mathematics Challenge. Each school fielded four mathematicians for what would be an extremely tight competition.

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The Olavian Senior Team Challenge group

Alistair O’Neill (13Z), Pascal Bose (13X), Louise Selway (12I) and Oscar Wilkins (12G) represented St. Olave’s supported by Mr Henley and Frau Cooley. After the first group round, the top five teams were separated by only one question, raising the pressure. Following a very strong performance in the cross-number, where we dropped only a single mark, came the fast-paced relay round in which points are awarded not only for getting the correct answers but also for beating the clock. With an average of a minute and a half per challenging question, this was no easy feat.

After all scores had been collated, overall we achieved second place, closely following a very strong St. Dunstan team. To do so well in such a competitive region was a performance of which the team can be proud.

UKMT Mathematics Team Challenge: Regional Final On Wednesday 6th March, St Olave’s hosted the regional final of the UKMT Team Maths Challenge for thirty-five teams of four students from Years 8 and 9 from schools around South East London. After four hard-fought rounds of problem-solving, including a crossnumber and a frenetic relay, the Olavian A team of Owen Messere, Richard Moulange, Henry Miller and Christopher Rajendram emerged as narrow winners with a very high score of 224 points from a possible 240 and hence qualified for the national final in June. Congratulations also go to the B team of Richard Decker, Vishwakrith Shetty, Daniel Maghsoudi and Ken Yanagida, which achieved a very commendable fourth place.

UKMT Team Mathematics Challenge: National Final St Olave’s achieved another top ten position in the National Final of the UKMT Team Mathematics Challenge on Tuesday 18th June. The team were placed 8th from the eighty teams in the final. The first part was a poster competition based upon the interesting theme of “Packing” which involved using prepared materials plus solving some problems set on the day. The team produced an impressive plus informative poster. In the actual competition, after a slow start in the group circus that involved some practical problem-solving, the team performed impressively in the remaining rounds, achieving close to maximum scores in the crossnumber, mini relay and relay rounds. The team is to be congratulated upon achieving St Olave’s best position for several years, a suitable reward for the considerable number of training sessions undertaken by Mr Sanderson plus Mr Maltman.

The St Olave’s A (left) and B (right) teams from the UKMT Team Challenge Regional Final

Other Activities and Clubs Mathematical Lecture In April, the Olavian Mathematical Society continued its programme of lectures with former student Luke Abraham, currently reading Mathematics at St John’s College, University of Cambridge, returning to provide a highly entertaining lecture under the title Minus a half factorial and other nonsensical questions. The lecture certainly broadened our horizons mathematically and not a few quizzical faces left the Chapel that evening!

Oxbridge Mathematics Symposium The School was delighted to welcome back Old Olavians Kit Harris and Luke Abraham (2004 – 2011) in September to lead our first ever Oxbridge Mathematics Symposium.

They are second year Mathematics undergraduates from Oxford and Cambridge respectively. They presented engaging proofs of various assumptions which are taken for granted at pre-university Mathematics and gave insightful commentaries on the Oxbridge admissions process to members of Years 12 and 13. We aim to repeat and develop this opportunity in future years.

Royal Institution Maths Masterclasses Six Year 9 students had the opportunity to extend their mathematical horizons by attending Mathematics Masterclasses at Bromley High School on Saturday mornings during the Autumn term. The sessions involved exploring more advanced and abstract topics, often beyond the scope of traditional mathematics lessons. In the words of one student, “the emphasis on proof and rigour provided both challenge and satisfaction.”

Maths in Motion Club The Jaguar Cars “Maths in Motion Club” has continued to be very enthusiastically and ably run by Peter Leigh,

UKMT Team Challenge Regional Final in the Great Hall

Iain McGowan and Matthew Burns from Year 13.

Students have an opportunity to use their mathematical and arithmetic skills to design and fine-tune their racing cars in order seek places on the podium in races around simulations of various formula 1 race tracks.

St Olave’s qualified for the national final of the Jaguar Maths in Motion Challenge for Schools, a computerbased competition where students design and race cars around virtual Formula 1 circuits in a variety of driving conditions. Eddie Ho and Abhay Gupta of 7H competed against eleven other teams in their age group at the Heritage Motor Centre near Banbury on Wednesday 26th June. The computer-based competition involved designing a formula 1 racing car in the light of information given about a track and conditions. After a fiercely contested race, Eddie and Abhay achieved a very creditable 7th place in their age group. This is the first time we have reached this stage of the competition and its achievement is a testament to the outstanding training, support and encouragement provided over several years by Peter Leigh, who accompanied the team on the day, Iain McGowan and Matthew Burns-Watkins of the Upper VI. Olavian 2013 – 71

Jaguar Cars Maths in Motion - National Final

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Science

Specialist Status

The Faculty of Science

T

he atmosphere within the Science Faculty this year has been both innovative and inspirational, with the burgeoning of student-led societies and the publication of several excellent academic journals.

The Natural Sciences Society has gone from strength to strength under the leadership of Jenni Visuri, Harry Jenkins and Fraser Boistelle. Friday meeting are always well attended, with talks being given by members of the society and by outside speakers. A third issue of the NSS Journal was published in the Spring and another issue is going to press as I write. Medics’ Society has continued to thrive and published their own journal in the summer, and the Physics and Engineering Society attracted record numbers of students to its first few meetings with a journal now in the pipeline.

Sixth Form students continued to run the lower school Chemistry Club, and Biology Club has become a forum for talks given by younger students as well as an exciting opportunity for dissections and more extended projects.

Our academic prefects ran several in-school activities during National Science week as well as visiting St Paul’s

7H with sea lions at Colchester Zoo 74 – Olavian 2013

Cray Primary School with a range of exciting practical activities.

A level Biology students visited a range of institutions, from the Sanger Institute to the Natural History Museum, in preparation for their coursework reports, and years 7, 8 and 9 enjoyed various enrichment trips during activity weeks. A level Biology students also spent a week at Nettlecombe Court Field Study Centre in Somerset where they carried out individual investigations into various aspects of the surrounding habitats. In addition, I was lucky enough to lead an outstanding expedition to South Africa under the auspices of Operation Wallacea, brilliantly brought to life by Alexandros Adamoulas in this edition of The Olavian.

The results of last year’s public exam result were excellent, and we now look forward with interest to the new A level structure and to the first cohorts taking the Certificates in Science (formerly IGCSE).

Caroline Marwood

S___Head of Science Faculty

Lower VI Biologists on the Nettlecomb Court field trip

Year 7 trip to Colchester Zoo The Colchester Zoo experience was amazing! It was a great day out with special opportunities. It’s not often that you get to feed elephants and giraffes, but Colchester Zoo provided us with that possibility. The zoo is a 600 acre park with something new, exciting and interesting around every corner you turn. From lions to warthogs, this zoo provides a bigger range of animals than London Zoo! My personal favourite were the Sea Lions.

This area had a glass tunnel under the pool where the Sea Lions swam. We were not able to see some species of animals as it was too cold at the time for them to come outside, but luckily enough most of them had their own indoor space that we could see into. This trip showed us all how the animals needed different life surroundings, which related closely to our current topic of ‘evolution.’

Seeing how animals have changed over millions of years is a fascinating study! I would definitely recommend Colchester Zoo to anyone, whether it is for studies or just fun! This zoo provides a thrilling experience for anyone. I obviously want to say a huge thank you to all of the science staff and especially Doctor Bradley for organising this brilliant trip.

Dominic Marshall, 7H Royal Observatory in Greenwich During Activity Week 1, Year 8 visited the Royal Observatory in Greenwich where they enjoyed an interactive talk on Exploring Exoplanets and, under the panoply of a ceiling of stars and galaxies, an intriguing lecture-show about the features and nature of our universe.

Year 9 trip to Kew Gardens and the National Archives On Thursday 4th October 2012 Year 9 visited Kew Gardens where we were shown a variety of plants that have use in medicines, cosmetics and foodstuffs as part of a tour that focused on Economic Botany. The saffron crocus was the first plant we saw, and some of us even got to try the stigmas (which when dried create saffron), which tasted more like orange peel than saffron! We were then shown a poisonous type of lily which looked very similar to the saffron crocus. You wouldn’t want to eat this plant, though.

We were then taken to Kew’s jewel in the crown – the Palm House, which is still today a great piece of architecture. It has stood since the Victorian times, and one particular palm is as old as the building itself ! We were shown how the plants represent the rainforest, with some of the palms in the canopy reaching over 50m tall!

We were shown some well-known plants, such as the cacao and brazil nut trees, as well as the lesser-known annatto and cycad and Neem trees.

Year Nine at Kew Gardens

After having lunch at Kew Gardens we walked to the National Archives. Once inside our guide told us about the Archives. Any member of the public can access any document of importance over 30 years old over 14 as long as it doesn’t affect the security of the country. Next, we were showed the Doomsday book which you could read it through the glass cabinet. After that we had a chance to study and handle actual sources on the table in front of us which included a Tudor manuscript, a Victorian prison book, the census from 1881, a poster from the WW2 and a map of London from 1667 showing the areas destroyed by the fire.

Richard Decker (9B) & Finnian Robinson (9C) Lower School Biology Club St. Olave’s Biology Club opened its doors for the first time in the Autumn Term of 2012. It has since developed into one of main extra-curricular activities for a host of lower school students who attend every week to take part in exciting practicals that lie outside of the normal school curriculum, and receive presentations from older students and their peers on a range of topics.

The practical activities, selected and organised by the 6th form students have ranged from dissections to excursions

Year 9s carry out a dissection as part of Biology Club Olavian 2013 – 75

to the school pond. The club started with a Brine Shrimp project, where students were provided with a population of new-born brine shrimps and tasked with supporting their new pets to adulthood. Two-litre bottled were duly filled with water and a nutrient mix, and the shrimp were provided with their habitats. Some of the populations were not as successful as had been hoped, but a few survived the term to be taken home for Christmas.

The most exciting practical by far was the heart dissection that was carried out as part of the science week activities.

Trays of scalpels, scissors and knives were distributed to a record attendance of younger students who made quick work of the pig hearts. The dissected hearts were then examined to identify the chambers, valves and the path taken by the blood. This was most students’ favourite practical to date, due to the extra responsibility given to the students and the advanced nature of the practical work. We have also dissected mackerel, to investigate the structure of the gills and to gain an understanding of the anatomy of fish.

Other investigations have included collecting organisms from the pond and identifying them under a microscope, and solving a crime by matching the fingerprints of the culprit to those on the evidence. Microscope work has been a recurring theme in the Club, with plants and animal cells alike both being examined.

There have been presentations from sixth formers and younger students alike, with younger students using the opportunity to improve their presentation skills and demonstrate their interest in a particular area of Biological Sciences. These have included turtle conservation in Cyprus and the heart defect Supraventricular Tachycardia. A particular highlight was a fantastic talk on the prehistoric underwater predators, ranging from Megalodon to Liopleurodon covering time periods, prey and possible reasons for the extinction of each species. Other talks have included a terrifying presentation on BSE and its ever-present risk to man-kind. A presentation on the life of Fungi opened the eyes of many students to the hidden world of microorganisms that exists all around us. This was followed up with an investigation into bacteria and fungi around the school. Teams of students were armed with petri dishes and swabs and combed the school for all manner of places thought to be harbouring micro-organisms.

Door-handles, bins and drains were swabbed, as well as more unusual places such as the Piano Keys in the Great Hall and the tyres of a bike. The results were truly surprising, with a multitude of bacteria growing in the unlikeliest of places, leaving many of the students with thoughts of the organisms they are exposed to each day.

Biology Club continues to grow, with more students arriving every week!

Joe Cox & Abigail George (Lower VI)

Culture of bacteria from around the school

National Biology Challenge The National Biology Challenge is open to students in Years 9 and 10 and Finn Duggan (10M), Ian Chiang (10M) and Tom Wang (10N) were all awarded Gold medals in the competition. Well done to them and to the seven others who gained Bronze medals.

A Level Biology Trips On Tuesday 27th November, Year 12 biologists visited the Sanger Institute, Wakehurst Place, the research labs of the Royal Free Medical School and the Natural History Museum. They were introduced to many aspects of scientific research and were able to meet scientists working in a range of pioneering fields including stem cell research, genomics and evolutionary relationships.

Middle School Biology Challenge Gold Medallists 76 – Olavian 2013

Year 12 Biology Field trip This year, Year 12 A level Biologists visited pastures new, moving from their old haunt at Flatford Mill to

Nettlecombe Court near Taunton in Somerset for Biology field trip. Seventy four students and three members of staff spent 6 days investigating a variety of ecosystems, from the rocky shores of the Devon coastline to the heathland of Exmoor.

British Biology Olympiad Seventeen Year 13 students took part in the National Biology Olympiad on February 6th. Asher Leeks and Mohammad Fallaha were awarded gold medals; Nikhil Math, Stanley Ho Andrea Grillo James MacDonagh and Aishwarya Pai, were awarded silver medals; bronze medals went to Ella Wells, Morgan Roberts, Joseph Barrow, Fadil Nohur, Rahul Bagga and Ben Shotnes.

can see a stunning picture of the Orion Nebula, taken by James, on the next page of this magazine.

Year 5 Maths and Science Day In mid-June, eighty Year 5 pupils from three local primary schools, Chelsfield, Highway and St. Paul’s Cray spent the day at St. Olave’s solving puzzles in Maths and Science. The day consisted of four lessons, Maths Carousel, Maths Quiz, The Mystery at Inkworth Manor (chromatography and flame tests) and Electromagnets and Static Electricity. The Maths prize went to “The Brain Box” team from Highway. The Science prize went to “Maths Invaders” from Chelsfield” and Highway school were awarded the overall School prize.

Salters’ Festival of Chemistry Archie Grant, Misha McFeat, Samuel Mellis and Shachin Pratheepan (all of 7C) entered the Salter’s Festival of Chemistry at University College London on Thursday 25th April. They carried out flame tests and test tube reactions on salts and finished the day being entertained by Professor Andrea Sela who performed some amazing demonstrations.

Astronomy Club The year saw some great spectacles for Astronomers including Asteroid 2012 DA14 making a pass within 14,000 miles of Earth. Thanks go to Dylan Abeelack (7B), Shaun Sanu (7B) and Theo Antonov (9B) for their contributions in the Astronomy club assembly and James Teoh (13Q) for taking the time to image and present many wonderful celestial objects in the club. You

Year Seven carry out flame tests on an unknown salt

Lower VI Formers on their Biology field trip to Nettlecombe Court, collecting data for coursework Olavian 2013 – 77

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The Faculty of Mathematics, ICT Operation Wallacea 2013 & Computer Science, 2011-12 On Thursday the 18th of July a thoroughly kitted-out group of Olavian sixth-formers plus Ms Marwood and Miss Baguley convened at Terminal 1 of Heathrow Airport to embark on the trip to end all trips - SA 2K13 (as the participants colloquially termed the adventure later on). The all-male cast of our student cohort inadvertently laid the foundations for the ultimate lads’ holiday experience. Whilst proceeding to the South African Airways check-in desks we were offered stickers upon which to write messages of support for the critically ill Nelson Mandela, who just happened to be celebrating his 95th birthday on that day. Everyone duly obliged and wrote their messages. Just before boarding we all stuck our stickers on a specially-designated wall by the departure gate. We couldn’t help but wait for a certain Ken Chung to even join us in the first place, having been hilariously held up on the way to the airport by police.

Upon making his long-awaited appearance the original group size of 23 (21 students, 2 staff ) was restored, so we all sat back and reflected on the prospect of an 11 hour, 15 minute flight.

meeting up with the other school group we all boarded a coach bound for our destination, and an eight hour road journey ensued, taken by many as an opportunity to nod off. I on the other hand used the time rather more wisely by indulging in some birdwatching. Being the most avid ornithologist of the group, only I appreciated the hovering black-shouldered kite by the highway and the fearless pied starling at our only pit-stop (named Belfast, as it happened). A later transfer to open-top safari vehicles signalled our near-arrival. Whilst on these vehicles we briefly saw a few elephants just as it was getting dark. For quite a few of us this was unfortunately the only view of elephants we would have on the whole trip. A while later a scrub hare zigzagged in front of our vehicle for a few metres. When we at last reached our destination, Struwig Eco Reserve, within the confines of Balule Nature Reserve, right on the edge of the Kruger National Park, all were keen to have dinner. Following this we were introduced to the reserve staff, split into our groups for the week and assigned to our rooms (or tents for some of us) and settled down for the night against the backdrop of the adjacent Olifants River and its grunting hippos (likened by reserve staff to a bunch of old men laughing at a very bad joke).

Our first full day on the reserve began early for some of us, as we rose of our own accord while it was still dark to catch the unmissable sunrise over the river and tried to photograph it (with mixed success, I have to say).

Birthday boy Tim Adelani and I were also among the few to glimpse a snake as it swiftly slithered off into the reeds (my research has led me to believe that it was an olive whip snake). First on the list of activities were back-to-back talks on biodiversity and trees, delivered by Orla and Rhian respectively, two of the reserve staff. The latter talk included a short walk around Struwig, where

We arrived early on the morning of the 19th of July at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

Some of the cohort emerged sleepless, having opted for a nine or ten hour film marathon during the flight (when we were also reminded via plane safety announcements that it was forbidden to sleep in the aisles). We were given some free time on the grounds that a group from another school which would be accompanying us hadn’t landed. We had already been joined by three girls from a different school who were on our flight. Many of the cohort made a bee line for “Nando’s”, others stocked up with souvenirs. While on our own individual excursions we couldn’t help but notice that South African taxi drivers are very keen to acquire passengers. After eventually Olavian 2013 – 79

we were shown many different tree species and were told (amongst other things) of the difference between a spine and a thorn (a spine is a modified branch, a thorn is a modified leaf ). Our favourite plant was definitely the buffalo thorn, but only because we found out that the leaves acted as natural female aphrodisiacs (note: this was after Ms Marwood and Miss Baguley had been coerced into sampling a leaf each). My group later had its first drive around the bush. Our driver, Daniela, had eyes like a hawk and as such managed to point out the more obscure organisms such as rock hyraxes and a ground squirrel as well as the more obvious organisms such as giraffes, water buck and kudu, on top of that ubiquitous antelope, the impala ( JAFI to the locals). The birding highlight was the striking lilac-breasted roller perched on a low branch. On our return to base we were greeted by warthogs on the other side of the river. Our evening lecture was on spiders, snakes and scorpions, given by the reserve manager, Toby, who taught us (amongst other things) the difference between poison and venom (poison is ingested, venom is injected). During this time Toby also passed around a scorpion preserved in a jar and an ultraviolet torch so that we might appreciate the fluorescent glow of the scorpion under the UV light.

Following his talk he took a large number of us to a certain tree inside which could be found two resident scorpions of the family Scorpionidae (the not-sodangerous variety, as opposed to the potential killers in the family Buthidae). On another invertebrate note, the keen Olavian entomologist Asher Leeks found a large hawkmoth inside one of the lodges.

The next day began with a walk in the bush for two of the Olavian groups. My group was led by a guide who went by the name of Gavin, while the other was led by the biggest legend among the reserve staff, Warren, with his characteristic “Hey, what’s up, gangsters?” catchphrase.

I might as well come clean now; I envied this other group for their lucky sighting of a female spotted hyena.

However, my group had its own share of adventures.

Gavin and Daniela taught us how to identify various animal tracks and dung, plus trees on the receiving end

of elephant damage, but the informative highlight was the tale of the amazing symbiotic relationship between fig trees and tiny fig wasps (watch “The Queen Of Trees” if you’re really interested). We also spotted our first zebras, but for me the highlights were the birds, with magpie shrike, greater honeyguide and juvenile bateleur featuring on the list. On our return we were treated to one of Orla’s bird lectures, which became highly entertaining when Jay Siregar decided to share his slightly smutty mnemonic for the order of the taxonomic levels with us. Our short mid-lecture break was used by me in the

standard fashion, and as such I was rewarded with views of a Hamerkop on our side of the river and the Natal spurfowl, a bird whose raucous call was from then on the soundtrack to the reedbed. Later we readied our sleeping bags, roll mats and bare necessities, for the Olavians would be staying in bush camp that night. After we arrived at said location we delayed none in sitting around the camp fire. During this time we all heard a spotted hyena and discovered that Jay could tell spontaneous funny stories, a talent unknown to most of us. We were accompanied by Warren, who told us about a local spirit which he could have sworn he had seen earlier on in his life, the Tokoloshe (I suggest you look this up, fans of the supernatural). He also started the tradition of calling Luke Richards “Fancypants”. Some of the cohort were brave enough to have a bush shower before bed, but only after it felt we had exhausted the number of ways in which we could play rude versions of Chinese whispers.

We awoke the next morning for an early transfer back to base. This time it was Asher’s turn to have a birthday. On our return we attended a lecture on African herbivores (except elephants; these formed a separate talk).

Lunchtime was dreaded by my group as it was our turn to wash up, but thanks to some military-style direction by Miss Baguley we were done much quicker than expected.

In the afternoon the work aspect of our trip began, with some groups heading off to conduct habitat assessments, others game transects. The former were conducted by my group, and it was a fairly uneventful affair except for the sighting of three blue wildebeest. However, on our return

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to base we exploited the opportunity to watch wildlife from the hilltop viewpoint, with plenty of bushbuck, kudu, warthog and impala to keep us occupied. The highlight was a family of ten banded mongooses drinking from the pond, unfortunately missed by a group returning from a game transect (unfortunate because had they seen them they would have broken the record for the highest count of individual game in such a survey). In the evening we boarded the big game viewer for a night drive. This involved searching for wildlife with the help of some big and very bright torches. The target species were nocturnal specialities such as leopards and porcupines, but we saw neither of these. The same familiar herbivores of impala, water buck, bush buck and zebra were the main sightings, along with a scrub hare.

One nocturnal creature we did spot was the bush baby, its red eye shine standing out from its surroundings. The main stars of the night drive were two separate giraffes because of what they were doing - one was sleeping, one was audibly urinating.

The next day almost made up for the lack of success the night before. While we never did see a leopard on our expedition, it was my group’s turn to try its hand at doing a game transect. Water buck, impala and kudu were regulars, but we also spotted a Nile crocodile a long way from the river where we usually saw them. After the survey work was completed we were treated to a drive, with no shortage of birdlife whatsoever. Personal highlights were a distant martial eagle, the striking African hoopoe and the dark-chanting goshawk which allowed us some very good views and chances of excellent photographs. I was greeted by more birds on the river on our return back to base, with sightings of African jacana, black-winged stilt (a record breaker - the bird with the longest legs compared to its body size) and the all-toofamiliar Egyptian goose (feral populations of this species exist in Britain), as well as two species of kingfisher; pied and brown-hooded. A lecture on carnivores followed (including a showing of the amazing video clip “Battle Of The Kruger”), then an entomology workshop led by Elmè, a native entomologist and expert on beetles. It was

this experience that later bore the idea amongst some members of the group to start an entomology society on our return to school in September. The evening was a very competitive affair - at lunchtime we had been given a debating topic (whether we should legalise game hunting), and the evening saw this debate take place. We were randomly divided into two groups and allowed some preparation time, but then battle did well and truly commence. We managed to confirm the theory that a debate is not a debate without the vital ingredient of Lucas Bertholdi-Saad. The debating maestro drew out his introduction into a full-blown soliloquy and every time the right to speak had to go to the opposing team he visibly squirmed in his seat, longing for the opportunity to shoot down their argument with his arsenal of comebacks. Yet despite his and everyone else’s best efforts, neither side was declared the winner.

The next day began very well for me as I spotted a blackheaded oriole just after breakfast, but sadly no one else was in the right place at the right time to marvel at this bird’s stunning colouration. The first part of the day was spent mounting some of the insect specimens we had caught in traps two days before. David Giles, Asher and I were very lucky to have caught two of the most striking of the area’s butterflies in one of our traps, the pearl emperor and the Bushveld emperor. The afore-mentioned lecture on elephants followed. The surprising fact was that the Kruger National Park has an over-population of elephants, yet only one group had good views of these behemoths later on that day. During the break I found Olavian 2013 – 81

and photographed a male collared sunbird at close range.

The next talk was by Elmè on insect orders (Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera etc). In the evening there was a surprise in store for previous birthday boys Tim and Asher - each was presented with a cake. We were also told that the next evening we would be giving a presentation in our groups for the week on a topic linked to what we had been learning about in our lectures. Most of us then attended the optional talk on stars given by Gavin and Warren. We saw Centaurus, Scorpius and Crux (the Southern Cross), three constellations only visible in the Southern Hemisphere. We also saw the Milky Way, Jupiter and Antares, a red supergiant star within Scorpius. Using the bisector of the line between the two brightest stars in Centaurus (Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri - the Two Pointers) and an extension of the longest side of the kite shape formed by the stars in Crux, we were told that we could locate geographic South, by the intersection of these two said lines.

Our last full day in Struwig began with the first and only

bird point count for my group. Many species were noted based solely on their calls, but we did have sightings of greater blue-eared starling and crested barbet. After we had completed our survey at all three points we went on a drive around the bush, where the game highlight was a group of three male buffaloes (one with its tail bitten off ) drinking at a watering hole. We ventured in search of lions following a reported sighting by another group, but this turned out to be a fruitless quest. There were plenty of birds to keep me busy though, with 82 – Olavian 2013

pearl-spotted owlet, little bee-eater and white-crowned lapwing being of note. Two more lectures greeted us on our return back to base - invertebrates (given by Elmè) and conservation (given by Orla). During the break between these two the most iconic raptor of the region, the African fish eagle, appeared, soaring and calling overhead (the call is surprisingly gull-like). Ms Marwood and I were also lucky enough to spot two very distant baboons on the other side of the river which nobody else saw. The real drama, however, unfolded during a final trip up to the hilltop viewpoint. After about only five minutes the shout went up for African wild dogs, and lo and behold a pack of eleven ran through on a hunt.

Word quickly got round of this incredible sighting, thus practically all the Olavians crowded into the hide and stood in awe, snapping incessantly with their cameras.

With an estimated world population of only 5,700, these animals are endangered, and their appearance was surely unforgettable. Even a lone shooting star and glorious sunset practically went unnoticed. Our last meal on site was a barbecue, with a Southern African addition of cooked mopane worms (they’re actually moth caterpillars), which most of us tried and surprisingly enjoyed. We also had the luxuries of marshmallows toasted by an open fire for some extra sustenance. The evening was dominated by the group presentations, ranging from a snippet of David Attenborough’s “Life In The Undergrowth” to a gospel reading of “U Can’t

Touch This”, the first and only chapter in “The Book Of Hammer” (containing the Ten Commandments for wildlife conservation), ending a fabulous week to say the least. Our time in Struwig hadn’t passed without its fair share of songs either. I distinctly remember one of the cohort remarking “I came here and now I know all the words to Toto’s “Africa””. Such was the power of music, infiltrating our minds even in that remote location.

The next day marked a week since our touchdown in South Africa. It was also the day of our transfer to Sodwana Bay, the site of our marine activities, all of 12 hours away by road. Most of us woke up around four in the morning for a five o’clock departure from Struwig.

As we had been reminded the previous evening, the darkness at our time of departure meant we still had a chance of spotting some nocturnal creatures, perhaps even those we didn’t see on our night drive, given that it would be nearly two hours until we left Balule’s dirt tracks. I thought I was most unfortunate to be the only Olavian on a full open-top jeep, while the rest of the cohort and a few others filled up the big safari vehicle, but an advantage of this arrangement soon made itself clear. My jeep overtook the other jeep while the big safari vehicle brought up the rear, putting me in the best position for wildlife-watching. While it was still dark my vehicle lit up a porcupine by the side of the road. The great rodent scarpered five seconds later, but nonetheless I remained the only Olavian to see this animal on our expedition (bragging rights were obtained but not utilised!). Just as it was beginning to brighten up later the passengers on all three vehicles had views of a sidestriped jackal trotting along the road in front of us, but mine were the best owing to my vehicle still being at the front. My driver informed my temporary crew and I that this was the rarer of the two species of jackal on site, the commoner species being the black-backed jackal. I hoped most for a leopard or a better view of elephants, but neither of these wishes came true. We eventually hit the tarmac and transferred to our coach at the same stop as where we had made the opposite transfer a week before. I used the brief break to go inside a shop for some vital warmth, having foolishly worn only two layers on the back of an exposed jeep in near-zero temperatures.

The coach journey was fairly uneventful but for some common mynahs on a roundabout, a brief roadblock made of cows and the mixture of moral, philosophical and political debates going on behind me between Shunta Takino, Skanda Rajasundaram and Lucas. At last we arrived in Sodwana Bay for another open-top jeep transfer, this time to our intended campsite of Exodus.

There wasn’t time for much that evening except for dinner and the formality of being split into groups (all named after South African rivers) depending on whether we were qualified scuba divers, aimed to qualify and had done the pool training, aimed to qualify and had not done the pool training or (like Ms Marwood, Lucas and I) we had opted for snorkelling instead. Following this we all settled down in our tents, with some (including me) mentally cursing an early start to the next day.

The next day we all passed by the scuba centre first thing in the morning. Those without their own gear picked up what they were renting by a man known only (and quite degradingly in my opinion) as Hopeless (don’t worry though, it wasn’t his real name). I and my snorkelling crew had to complete some surprisingly quick and simple pool skills before we were ready for some marine action.

Indeed the ordeal was so quick the only vivid memories I have concern the mysterious disappearance of my towel and elsewhere witnessing Tim’s attempts to photograph

Henri Hassett in a very feminine wetsuit. The rapid drive down to the beach on the open-top jeeps gave an uncanny sensation of flying. The route took us through mangrove forest alive with sound, and there wasn’t a day when we didn’t narrowly miss running over some crested guineafowl and pass through the toll with the worst security anyone had probably ever experienced. The first boat ride in this coastal location was fairly unpleasant for some, as the rough conditions and the power approach to driving by certain skippers (including one with a striking resemblance to Sir Richard Branson) combined to give rise to a few instances of seasickness. While I too fell into this category, I was very content at coming across a few bottlenose dolphins during the journey and spotting a great-winged petrel and juvenile red-footed booby. The snorkelling itself yielded some good views of the reef. Free time on the beach was spent by most at the beach café which provided all manner of tasty snacks, including the widely-promoted “Sodwana Special”, a sandwich talked about like no other. A girl from one of the other schools famously remarked upon first tasting it “I want to make love to this sandwich!”. She then made it her personal duty to tuck into at least one other each day. A major attraction was the system of rock pools exposed when the tide went out. The most obvious species here was the rockskipper, a type of fish which scampered over rocks into other pools at the slightest hint of danger, but most exciting was the juvenile floral moray eel I found and photographed (then tried to show to everyone else, but

it had gone. Typical!). Each afternoon at camp we also had a lecture delivered by one of the centre staff, Kirsty, and upon our return from the beach we attended the first one, an introduction to coral. In the evening we watched a documentary about Sodwana Bay, highlighting its marine biodiversity.

The next day was even busier for the snorkellers, as we went out not once but twice. The first trip was most memorable for our first humpback whales of the trip, with their exhaling water jets clearly visible.

The snorkelling itself yielded some reef fish, but the murky conditions meant that they proved difficult to Olavian 2013 – 83

identify. The most exciting fish were seen from the boat when flying fish broke the surface and glided on their elongated pectoral fins for many metres. This journey was inexplicably supplemented with the singing of some 80s classics, mostly the Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me”. The interval between snorkelling sessions was spent at the café, with most playing cards. Our views of humpback whales improved further in the second snorkelling session when we came across two individuals, a mother and calf, perhaps only ten metres away from our boat. Our skipper told us that that particular calf was probably no more than a week old and would have been born weighing nearly a tonne. During this journey we also found a hawksbill turtle (my first and only critically endangered species) on the surface of the sea.

We discovered a piece of debris in the sea which our skipper removed, only to find a baby octopus amongst it. We took this tiny specimen back to shore to show everyone else. On exploration of the campsite once we had returned, I found a yellow-fronted canary to add to my bird list, plus some crowned hornbills and very noisy hadeda ibises before our lecture, which was on the productivity of a coral reef. There was no documentary that evening, so the whole cohort turned to relaxation mode before eventually going to bed.

The next day’s snorkelling was very rough. The boat’s motion over the waves was undulating like we had never experienced before. We saw some more humpback whales, but the snorkelling itself was very difficult, both in trying to stay together and to see anything through the nearly opaque waters below. The conditions only deteriorated after coming ashore, so much so that the intended second snorkel had to be cancelled. An alternative arrangement of rockpooling was undertaken, with sightings of sea slugs, sea urchins, more rockskippers and plentiful coral in an array of different types, including tree and brain.

However, if the snorkellers thought they had had a tough time out at sea, they should have talked to some of our divers. Although some our divers officially qualified that day, having completed their four required dives in open water, qualification for others was postponed due to complications. While one lost the rest of his group, a 84 – Olavian 2013

few others suffered with severe ear and chest problems, putting them out of action for at least a couple of days.

The most exciting avian sighting was a group of swift terns on the edge of the rockpools in the early afternoon.

In the latter part of the afternoon we sat through a lecture on marine invertebrates, some of which we had seen during rockpooling. In the evening we watched a documentary about one man’s quest to convince people to save sharks, since some species are of conservation concern due to heavy persecution and hunting.

The next day began wonderfully: for the first time I was on the latest transfer down to the beach, and as such I was entitled to an extra-long sleep! The day itself was one of novelty for many; while more divers qualified after four open-water dives those who hadn’t done the pool training on arrival in Sodwana Bay had their first such dive in the sea. The latter group was the only one not present for the shore snorkel in the morning, whereby everyone else snorkelled around the rockpools close to the shore. As well as having much better views of innumerable (and unidentifiable) species of fish I was lucky enough to be pointed in the direction of a lobster, its long antennae the only protrusions from its crevice hide-out. While lounging around on the beach during our free time some of us looked out to sea at exactly the right time to see a humpback whale breaching fairly close to shore. When we snorkellers headed out to sea we saw more humpbacks. Cameras snapped when our skipper stopped the boat and we witnessed another breaching (just when I was cleaning my lens!). We also found two loggerhead turtles on the sea surface. Visibility for fish and coral was also decent. Back at camp we attended a lecture on two very important beach habitats, mangroves and dunes, before the evening documentary of “Coral Seas”, an episode from the series “Blue Planet”.

The first beach activity of the next day was a talk on dune ecology, whilst appropriately standing on top of such a structure. At the end of the talk most gave in to the temptation to run down the steep dune as quickly as possible, while those who were less enthusiastic opted for the more gentle amble down the ridge. With my hope of seeing as many marine megafauna as possible, I was very happy when we snorkellers came across a manta ray swimming on the sea surface on our boat ride.

Unfortunately it had disappeared by the time we were ready to go in and swim with it. We again saw many species of fish and coral when we did venture into the water. A very amusing incident greeted us back on the beach. One of the many vervet monkeys inhabiting the mangroves snuck into the café area, stealing a bag of nuts off the counter when there was someone on duty. Even more amusing was the response; one of the café workers came out brandishing the most formidable weapon of them all - a water pistol! I also added some new birds to the list: dark-capped bulbul, white-fronted plover and

grey-headed gull. Instead of going straight back to camp we had the opportunity to go to the local market for some shopping. Most if not all of us bought at least one thing, but whether any haggling went on or not depended on each individual. All manner of goods from hats featuring the “Big Five” (lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, and elephant) to wooden animal figures and bracelets were for sale.

Our return to camp was just in time for a double bill of lectures, with the first focusing on threats to coral reefs, the second on how coral reefs can be conserved. Next came something a little different, namely a quiz. From the previous evening we had been told that we would be having this quiz and that it would be based on what we had learned from the week’s lectures. The bottom team would be on washing up duty, the only team to have to do it twice. Needless to say, with everyone possessing the “I’m on holiday” attitude, as far as I know nobody had bothered to re-read their notes (if they had any). The quiz therefore became a test of pure memory recall. With the universal lack of revision I feared my team could come bottom, but as it happened, we won, beating our nearest rivals (a group of university students) by half a point.

Last place and hence plate and cutlery scrubbing duties went to Miss Baguley and her team (yet the winners never got a prize. Anyone for an inquest?).

treated to a singing and dancing performance by Zulu dancers. After some initial apprehension some audience members joined in with the dancing, although some of this inexplicably slipped into “Gangnam Style”. We all tipped the Zulu dancers for their efforts, then settled down to eat a barbecue dinner. Following dinner each group gave an evening presentation on a topic linked to what we had been learning about in the week, very similar to how we gave presentations in Struwig. Despite a warning dating back a few days of the need to give a presentation, some groups had clearly put in more effort than others. The presentations this time ranged from a list of humorous misconceptions about sharks and dolphins to a cross between a children’s coral reef programme and an episode of “The Jeremy Kyle Show”. Some of us then retreated to our tents for some sleep, while others stayed awake in the dining area all night, playing all manner of music. It had been a thoroughly enjoyable second week, with many sightings of spectacular marine life by the snorkellers. The divers reported their own sightings back to me too. As well as the afore-mentioned whale shark, the divers saw all manner of organisms from green turtles to Spanish dancers, lionfish to blue-spotted rays and honeycomb moray eels, and a potato bass which Tim was apparently very tempted to hug.

Upon waking the next morning it dawned on us that it would be our last day of marine activities. By this time most of our divers who had been negatively affected by the experience earlier in the week had sufficiently recovered to try and squeeze in their last qualifying dives on this day. With the exception of one person, this strategy was a successful one. Those on shore for the morning were treated to a talk on sea turtles by an external speaker, with the opportunity to handle some preserved turtle specimens - a hawksbill, a green turtle and a leatherback hatchling. We were also shown the skulls of a green turtle and a loggerhead to appreciate the difference between them; the loggerhead has a much larger head. I was also very happy to later spot an African black oystercatcher on the beach. One diving group returned with news of a whale shark sighting. Upon hearing this I was desperate to see the world’s largest fish for myself. Our only snorkel that day and our last of the whole trip was my only chance. During the preceding boat ride we came across the bottlenose dolphins again, then our skipper spotted a whale shark beneath us too. I don’t really need to say that within an instant we were in the water, swimming with both of these magical marine organisms. Barring green and leatherback turtles, I had thus seen the megafauna the area had to offer. Even one last look at the reef didn’t produce anything on the same level of splendour.

When beach time was over we all transferred back to the scuba centre for the divers to do their necessary paperwork. I took this opportunity to explore the lost property and was delighted to find my long-lost towel.

There was no lecture that evening, but instead we were

The sleepers had to wake up early the next morning, since a five o’clock transfer was again in order as it had been a week earlier, while the all-nighters couldn’t wait to make up their lost nap time on the coach. A last transfer on open-top jeeps was marked by the singing of “Jerusalem”, which was later repeated on the coach along with “I vow to thee my country” (the Headmaster would have been proud). Yet with so many of the cohort asleep for at least part of the journey, the near-ten hour drive was otherwise very quiet. We drove straight past two hitchhikers with scarcely anyone noticing. Having said that, everyone seemed to be awake when we ran into our first South African traffic jam. Our driver was having none of it and did a U-turn back the way we had come, which involved partly driving into a field. He then proceeded to miss a turning, therefore needing to drive off the road to turn around again, with many of us thinking we would be having an off-road part to our journey. Within a few minutes everything was back to normal and the tranquil Olavian 2013 – 85

atmosphere returned to the passengers. I then had my final new bird sighting of the fortnight when I spotted two sacred ibises (so named because they were revered by the ancient Egyptians) in a small pond. We reached O.R. Tambo International Airport faster than expected, leaving nearly three hours for lunch in “Nando’s” and a final stint of buying souvenirs. We later passed through all the security hurdles and eventually boarded our South African Airways return flight to Heathrow.

We touched down at Heathrow earlier than scheduled.

Far more of the cohort had slept on the return flight than on the outward-bound flight, but I had decided to have my own film marathon instead. We descended from the plane and boarded a bus for a ride to our destination of baggage reclaim and security. There was a final heartin-mouth moment when I thought my roll mat had got lost in the transfer, but I thankfully managed to recover it. At this point we could go our own way as we pleased, but not before we had presented both Ms Marwood and Miss Baguley with a thank-you card each, both complete with a signature from all 21 members of the Olavian student cohort. There were some very emotional goodbyes too. We had got to know the three girls from one of the other schools very well, and needless to say there was a lot of hugging. Perhaps more importantly, we Olavians had got to know each other even better than before, having spent two weeks together on the other side of the world without our families, and there was no

86 – Olavian 2013

less hugging among us. The goodbyes came particularly thick and fast for those in Year 13, since their last chapter of the Olave’s experience had come to a close.

However, it was the end of an era for all of us, the end of the SA 2K13 era. No matter how sad we were to have had to come home, it was on the back of a truly unforgettable experience. A quick survey concluded that the wild dogs at the end of the first week had proved the most popular sighting. On behalf of the whole student cohort I would like to thank Ms Marwood and Miss Baguley once again for this breathtaking journey into the unknown. I think I speak for all of us by saying we had the time of our lives.

Now a note to the readers: if you are in Year 12 or below and you are green with envy upon hearing of our experiences on such a trip, then the best advice I can give is this: if the opportunity to embark on such an expedition presents itself to you, do all in your power to grasp it with both hands and never let go! You will make new friends, re-affirm existing friendships and perhaps more (Toby knew of three instances of marriage between people who first met on an Operation Wallacea expedition). I admit that there is a hefty price tag attached, but if you can meet it then I assure you that you will return from a lifechanging experience in the same state of ecstasy as us.

Alexandros Adamoulas

English & Drama

The Faculty of English & Drama

T

he focus this year was to increase the challenge and imagination in the curriculum by setting more creative tasks linked to real audiences. Much of the curriculum is delivered through literary texts to encourage reading and discussion of wider themes, along with developing imaginative responses.

At Key Stage 5 Literature is taken by approximately 40 students who study the traditional novels like ‘Jane Eyre’ and ‘Mrs Dalloway’ and more modern texts like ‘The Road’, ‘Enduring Love’ and ‘Closer’. Here there are opportunities for re-creative writing in the style of the original with a supporting detailed analysis. These produced excellent responses; while others chose to write a close analysis of a Ted Hughes poem from ‘Birthday Letters’. The Sixth Form organise the Literature Society, led by Katie Shanahan, who received the English prize this year. The presentations have been as diverse as ‘Dystopian Literature’, ‘A Brief History of Literature in 10 Texts’ and ‘Sci-fi: The meaning of Life’. Our Theatre Society continues to thrive stretching the imaginations of our members by exposing them to such delights as ‘Miss Julie’, Shunt’s promenade piece, ‘The Architects’, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’ and Rupert Everett’s magnificent portrayal of Oscar Wilde in ‘The Judas Kiss’.

Drama productions in school have now been firmly established as a highlight on the calendar with audiences growing. ‘Cabaret’ was our musical, double cast to challenge our performers and create more opportunities to shine. Student directed pieces are burgeoning with Fintan Calpin’s ‘The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’ in the Michaelmas Term and in the Lent Term Jack Bradfield and Sam Luker-Brown’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. Both were highly professional productions showcasing talent and superb organisational skills.

The National Theatre’s playwriting course allowed a small group of students to write their own 30 minute scripts, two of which were then performed in school. The group saw, ‘The Effect’ and ‘Port’ at the National Theatre and took part in workshops and feedback sessions with one of the theatre’s playwrights.

Drama and Theatre Studies assessed performances produced some of the most imaginative work. The Year 13s devised ‘Letters’ an ensemble piece drawing on different styles and genres of theatre that challenged their creativity and demonstrated their talent. Year 12 performed Enda Walsh’s ‘Chat Room’, while our first Year 11 cohort drew on ‘Waiting for Godot’, ‘Rosencrantz 88 – Olavian 2013

and Guildenstern Are Dead’, ‘The Pillowman’ and ‘Every Good Boy Deserves Favour’. With several achieving full marks this proved a challenging evening for the students and the audience.

English and Drama Week in April saw three inter-house competitions: Year 7 took part in a Balloon Debate, Year 8 performed their own short stories and Year 9 their own monologues. Luke Smith went on to perform his monologue for our Open Morning in June and at the Lower School Celebration in July when he enthralled us all and created tension and drama at the horror of war. The week ends with a fancy dress day ‘Dressing Up as a Book Character Day’ in aid of a charity aimed at encouraging reading and improving literacy in London.

At KS3 we worked on cross-curricular projects with the Humanities Departments on a utopian vision of society in Year 7 and a mock trial of a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case in Year 8 and 9. Every boy in Year 7 was invited to The Globe for a production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in March and there were further opportunities for them to see ‘Private Peaceful’ with years 9 and 10 invited to see ‘Liar, Liar’. We then tapped into their imaginations in Activity Week One inviting them to choose between trips to the National Theatre backstage tour, the British Museum and The Bank of England to give Year 7 a taste of the working world.

Our students were challenged to work on their speaking and listening skills, with two Year 9 boys, Luke Smith and Samson Woodley competing in the local finals and William Adams from Year 10 representing us in the Speak Out! Challenge in March.

The year ended with the new GCSE Drama students completing a workshop by an outside theatre company, Tender on unhealthy relationships. In summary, it was a challenging and rewarding year with our imaginations stretched in every direction. My thanks must go to all the staff and students involved.

Liz Goodman

S___Head of English Faculty

The Faculty of Mathematics, ICT School Productions 2012-13 & Computer Science, 2011-12 Cabaret Between the 19th and the 22nd of March, the Great Hall was transformed into the Kit Kat club, in 1930s Berlin, for the school musical ‘Cabaret’. A fabulous affair with a wonderful live orchestra, singing and dancing, it proved an enjoyable evening for each audience.

Based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood, the play opened with the American novelist Cliff arriving in Berlin, and followed his love affair with the Kit Kat Club singer Sally Bowles. Around them, Berlin changes as the Nazis gain influence.

The ambitious double casting paid off with fantastic performances from all students with particular mention going to Larissa Schymyck and Lucy Clarke in the lead role of the captivating and inspiring Sally Bowles. Michael Yates and Louis Cokell were superb as the ‘starving’ author Clifford Bradshaw, and both Grace Boyle and James Watson were certainly ‘sitting pretty’ in the role of the Emcee, complemented by the exceptionally talented Kit Kat dancers. The audience were unsettled by the revelation of Ernst’s allegiance - James Curling and Jack Bradfield and were won over by the romance between Schneider - Charlotte Flowers and Eyiara Olugunna and Schultz - George Mesure and Tom Hadden.

All those involved should feel incredibly proud of their achievement and we are grateful to all who attended and supported the show.

Members of the Cabaret cast

...Telephones on every table. Girls call you.

You call them. Instant connections...

The second EmCee

The Kit Kat Klub, waiting for the curtain to rise English & Drama – 89

Lady Bracknell makes an entrance

The Importance of Being Earnest This year we were treated to two fantastic performances of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. Superbly directed by Jack Bradfield and Sam Luker Brown, the performance in the Chapel was hugely appreciated by the attending audience. Laughter and applause was a constant soundtrack, as the audience were clearly delighted by the show!

Favourite moments include Matthew Roberts’ terrifying Lady Bracknell questioning Julian Wickert’s Earnest to see if he is marriage material; Larissa Schymyck and Emily O’Malley as Gwendolyn and Cecily, arguing extremely politely about a spade; James Watson’s arrival as the dapper, but imaginary and dead, brother; his wooing of Cecily and his discovery that Colm is her dream man; Peter Debenham’s Miss Prism flirting with Fergus Macdonald’s Rev. Chasuble and the exotic facial hair of Christy Hinchliffe and David Van Egghen’s butlers.

This was a very special production owing much to the mixture of year groups involved, and the extraordinary talent of the directors. We can’t wait to see what they do next.

Earnest, Gwendolyn, Cecily and Algy

The cast of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Following the success of ‘Playboy of the Western World’ last year, Fintan Calpin again assumed the role of director in a production of Brecht’s ‘The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’ on Wednesday 19th December. Chosen by Caspar Smart, this challenging political allegory about Hitler’s rise to power was rendered entertaining by the very strong cast, with particular mention going to Max Kennedy for his outstanding performance in the title role. The play was well supported by fellow students and parents, who enjoyed working out the links between the characters in the play and their counterparts in Nazi Germany.

Playwriting group As part of the National Theatre ‘New Views’ play writing competition, The play writing group recently went to The National Theatre to see ‘Port’ by Simon Stephens. ‘Gallows Humour’ written and directed by Jack Bradfield (11L) and Samuel Luker Brown (11L) and Fintan Calpin’s (12F) ‘Kunsthal’ were both performed by students as part of English and Drama week. Well done to all students involved!

Lower School Drama Students in Year 9 and 10 performed ‘Lord of the Flies’ on Tuesday 2nd The boys created a chilling atmosphere for the audience as they watched them descend from familiar, well-behaved students, into savagery and murder. The boys embraced their characterisation, perhaps with a little too much enthusiasm. They created a very entertaining evening for us all.

The cast of ‘The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’ 90 – Olavian 2013

Year 11 Drama The Year 11 Drama GCSE performances took place this term in front of an external moderator. After watching ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’, ‘The Pillowman’, ‘Every Good Boy Deserves Favour’ and ‘Waiting for Godot’ the moderator congratulated the boys for performing what he described as ‘real plays’.

Out and About Theatre Society On Thursday 27th September sixty students from Years 7 to 9 travelled to The Haymarket to see a production of Michael Morpurgo’s ‘Private Peaceful’. This was a successful introduction to the theatre for many of the younger students. In February, eighty members of the Sixth Form Olavian Theatre society went to The Duke of York Theatre to see ‘The Judas Kiss’ and then saw ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time’ at The Apollo Theatre, which was a truly amazing production. In February there was also a drama trip to take students in Year 9 and 10 to see ‘Liar, Liar’ at The Unicorn Theatre. The play focused on a girl struggling to cope after her mother leaves home. Aimed at a student audience, the play used contemporary music and audiovisual techniques. The students enjoyed the production and discussed the themes and issues covered with intelligence and maturity.

Young Writers’ Award 2012 Many congratulations to Jack Bradfield (11L), who attended the ‘Wicked Young Writers’ Awards’ ceremony, after being shortlisted, on Thursday 6th December at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London, the home of Wicked The Musical! Hosted by Wicked star Louise Dearman, the prizes were presented by the renowned former Children’s Laureate and Wicked Young Writers’ Award Chair Judge Michael Morpurgo.

Shakespeare: Staging the World Just before half-term, Year 13 enjoyed a day in London to a preview screening of a new film version of ‘The Tempest’ followed by a Q&A with the Director Rob Curry and some of the cast members. After lunch the British Museum’s exhibition ‘Shakespeare: staging the world’ proved a rich source of artifacts, video clips and stage design that enriched their understanding of the period, its politics and adventures, as vital context.

Romeo and Juliet at the Globe Recently Year 7 attended a modern, updated production of this famous tragedy at the Globe in London. Earlier in the term one of their Drama Practitioners had visited St Olave’s to run a series of workshops exploring the language through Romeo’s first speech and the later fight scene with Tybalt.

National Theatre performance of Othello On the 4th July a small group of English and Drama students saw a superb performance at the National Theatre of ‘Othello’. Rory Kinnear played Iago and Adrian Lester Othello. Nicholas Hytner set this powerful psychological drama in a desert army camp with the cast in combat gear and helicopters delivering new arrivals.

The staging was particularly impressive with a rolling set that shifted between office, washroom and bedroom. The

Theatre Society particularly enjoyed the incredible dramatisation of Mark Haddon’s well-known book

Olavian Young Writer with Michael Morpurgo

Romeo and Juliet updated for the modern day

Lower VI Formers at the National Theatre English & Drama – 91

students thoroughly enjoyed the evening with several enthusing that it was the best Shakespeare production they had seen!

Speak Out Challenge Year 9 and 10 students were privileged to take part in two SpeakOut public speaking workshops on Monday 3rd and Friday 7th December, run by external professionals and the Jack Petchey foundation. William Adams (10K) then went on to represent Saint Olave’s at the Bromley regional final where he spoke with great passion on the topic of celebrity. The event was also hosted by Matthew Roberts (11M) a SpeakOut national finalist from the previous year. Two year 9 boys also took part with Samson Woodley (9C) creating an emotive vision of London and Luke Smith (9B) delivering a thought provoking speech exploring the dangers of fanaticism.

Around School Utopia Day On Tuesday 13th November the whole of Year 7 took part in Utopia Day which was a cross curricular event jointly involving the Humanities and English Faculties.

The day was launched with an assembly discussing the meaning of ‘Utopia’ and then forms enjoyed a rotation of English, Classics, History and Geography before coming together in groups across the forms to create their own Utopian society, flag and main settlement.

Senior Debating Raring to go at the start to the debating season, the St Olave’s senior team were keen to demonstrate their oratorical excellence on the motion “This house would abolish the UN Security Council Veto. Two pairs: one from Year 12, Lucas Bertholdi-Saad and Timothy Adelani, and one from Year 13 Aish Pai and Oliver Hamlet at the Cambridge Regional Final at TWIGs on Thursday 7th Feb who acquitted themselves well but got no further. St Olave’s was also represented with two teams in the local round of the Oxford Schools’ Debating Competition and an inter-house competition in the VI Form.

Junior Literature Society (JLS!) Sinead O’Connor (12I), Camila Arias (12I) and Cameron Garrett (12L) have been running a Junior Literature Society for Years 7-9 in the Main School Library. They have led fun quizzes and lively discussions every week on all eight books shortlisted for Carnegie Children’s Book Award.

Year 7 Inter-house Balloon Debate On Wednesday 1st May, the Year 7 English house competition took place. Three students from each form represented their house by delivering a speech as their chosen historical figure, persuading listeners that they should be the only survivor in a hot air balloon. We heard from a host of famous names including Charles Darwin, Leonardo Da Vinci and Dora the Explorer, and we were all impressed by the extensive research evident in the speeches and the quality of their delivery.

Congratulations to all who competed!

St. Olave's represented at the Bromley final

Year 7 Balloon Debaters 92 – Olavian 2013

Lower VI Formers competing at TWIGs

Year 8 Inter-house Story Competition On Wednesday 25th April three Year 8 finalists from each form represented their house delivering a short story that encouraged listeners to view well known characters in a new light. This included the truth about the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Rudolph the Reindeer and many others.

Particular congratulations go to 8C who won the group prize with their fine storytelling, and to Cian Donovan Taylor (8B) who won the individual prize with his story.

Book Character Day On Friday 26th April we had ‘Dress Up as a Book Character’ day. For the second year, the school was full of exciting characters from literature, with both staff and students entering in to the spirit of the day. As well as having some fun, we were also raising money for literacy charities and have raised nearly £1500. Thank you to all who took part and supported the event - now start planning for next year’s Book Character Day!

Book Character day saw a vast variety of fictional personages appear - including Professor Snape, reading out the assembly notices!

English & Drama – 93

94 – Olavian 2013

Library

Library News

W

ith well-stocked libraries in such a school, you might think that one merely sits back and lets the pupils avail themselves of the excellent resources. Not so – quite apart from the ever-used stationery department – librarians are on hand to suggest, locate, talk about, and, of course, buy, books, as well as running a series of extracurricular events. Year 7 were introduced to the library (“It’s so huge!”) in the customary fashion, with lessons including the Dewey decimal system, as well as the now-established reading bingo. Some read more than others, but a substantial number are now to be found regularly within the library. Both libraries continue to be a hive of activity and are very much in use throughout the school day, with some already using the VI Form Library by 8am and others not leaving until required to do so near 5pm, while the Main School Library is now a Year 11 form room, and is used for VI Form lessons, as well as being open to all at Break and Lunch.

This year saw the launch of a Junior Literature Society for Years 7 to 9, led extremely impressively by Lower VI Formers Sinead O’Connor, Camilia Arias and Cameron Garrett. They led fun quizzes and lively discussions every week. We thrived on disagreement - when one person loved a book, another hated it! Whilst reading through all eight books shortlisted for Carnegie Children’s Book Award, we uploaded reviews onto the Carnegie shadowing website. Two days before the award was announced, we conducted our own St Olave’s vote.

Our winner was Weight of Water by Sarah Crossnan and we waited in suspense for the judge’s choice. It was controversial. Some were disappointed that Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner was the Carnegie winner and others were delighted. The heated debates (and chocolate) will most certainly return in Autumn.

Friday 16th November also saw eight Bromley schools participating in the Bromley & Bexley ‘Fully Booked’ Literature Quiz. With Olave’s having been reigning champions for seven years out of the last eight, there was considerable pressure on our joint Year 7 & 8 team of Jonathan McCabe, Thomas Halton, Daniel O’Driscoll, Jordan Adesina, Alexander Martin and Rory Yeates Riddoch. They did not disappoint, and, after a brilliant performance, the boys came through victoriously to take joint 1st Place. Congratulations to the team, and many thanks to Mr Budds for his support. We look forward eagerly to returning to the competition in 2014.

Celebrating World Book Day, meanwhile, was an opportunity for a competition which saw many from 96 – Olavian 2013

Years 7 to 11 discussing books wherever they went. How good are you at identifying the faces of your favourite authors? It sounds easy, but was in fact very tricky.

Authors ranged from Austen, Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie to the more contemporary Muchamore and Suzanne Collins. This called for teamwork – or rather, as people realised that the prizes were for individuals, a certain amount of secrecy. In the end, the clever winner was Peter Maslin (Year 10) who won a cinema token and an Easter Egg. Two runners up, Boyan Popov & Ammar Kisat (both Year 8) also won an Easter Egg. In these straitened times, all departments, sadly, must tighten their belts, and the Library is no exception to this rule. Towards the end of the year, we said goodbye to Mrs Sebborn, and wish her the very best in her new job in Bexley, as she returns from Library work to school administration. She will be greatly missed by all, especially those who were frequent visitors to the Main School Library. Sadly, she will not be replaced – thus saying that she is irreplaceable is literally true, for once! – as one librarian will now oversee both libraries.

In addition, as I write this in November of 2013 – thus breaking my own rule that The Olavian should strictly keep to the one year – we have also, sadly, come to the end of an era, with the departure of Mrs Humphries. Joining the school in 2006 as the VI Form library was about to open, originally under Mrs Lodge, Mrs Humphries later rose to become Senior Librarian and will be remembered by many VI Formers as someone to whom we could always talk, and, in particular, from whom we could always ask for and receive lots of advice about universities and careers – which, over the years, she had become an expert in.

After October half term in 2013, an interregnum, which will last for a month or so, now occurs, before we welcome the new full-time librarian from Croydon Libraries. It must be emphasised that the library would simply not be able to continue without its many Library Assistants from Lower and Middle School. Helping out ‘behind the desk’, they have been – and continue to be, especially at present – invaluable. The year 2012-13 saw a vast team of Years 7 to 11 help as assistants, and many have continued into the new year. Their names are a tad too numerous to print here, but we are enormously grateful to them all.

Floreat Bibliotheca!

Peter Leigh

Student Assistant Librarian

Music

A Year of Music

A

fter what seemed like a whirlwind two years at St Olave’s, we had to say “Farewell” to Mr Matthew Cook. (I hope it was nothing I said!) With energy in abundance, he took on the St Olave’s Choir and steered them through some exciting and challenging music.

Outside Music, he also threw himself headlong into the life of the school in other ways, becoming Head of Year 8 and continuing to coach and support in sporting activities. His enthusiasm for both teaching and the students at the school was appreciated by his colleagues and his pupils, and I thank him and wish him well in his promotion at Sevenoaks School. This year also saw Mr John Castle conduct the Symphonic Wind Band one final time after 23 years of service. I am sure that he will maintain his links with the school, following such a sustained and distinguished contribution to Olavian musical life, and we are indebted to him for all he has done in his time.

Despite these departures, the Music Faculty here has had another impressive season, both “at home and away” this year. Much-loved hardy-perennials such as the Christmas Concert, Mid-Term Concerts and Samba workshops returned again on top form. Much of the credit for making these events so successful should go to the newest member of the Music Faculty dynasty, Mr Jonathan Geoghegan. With him he brought a wealth of experience as a choral scholar himself, a talent for organ playing and his own brand of sardonic wit! Since arriving at the school he has stepped seamlessly into the busy role and been a great support in the work that we do.

It was a quite unbelievable privilege to attend the Diamond Jubilee commemoration arranged at the Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy in the presence of Her Majesty. A new stained-glass window had been commissioned and installed in the Chapel, along with a commemorative plaque on the wall, with The Queen

98 – Olavian 2013

and the Duke of Edinburgh present to see it officially unveiled. With the Wakeham Choristers singing for this special occasion, both Mr Geoghegan and I were invited to share in the celebration and even to meet The Queen at the reception afterwards. The choristers represented the school immaculately, as singers and ambassadors alike, and the occasion was truly memorable.

The other major highlight of the musical calendar for me was the Drama and Music Departments’ joint production of Cabaret. Beforehand, I have to confess, it was a show about which I knew relatively little. Kander’s music is cleverly crafted to compliment the spectrum of emotions on the journey through the work. With a cast and orchestra made up entirely of Olavians, it was an achievement of which all involved should feel very proud. The experience of preparing, rehearsing and staging a production on this scale across multiple nights is a very intense and enriching one; one which I hope all participants will remember for a lifetime.

Year on year, the music-making at St Olave’s continues to unearth impressive individual and ensemble achievements in our students. Though we have unfortunately to bid farewell to a number of our talented musicians annually, the baton passes on and, without fail, the next generation is ready to pick it up and run at least as fast. At the close of another year, I hope that each musician in the team is looking back, reflecting upon some great successes.

Those whose careers carry on with us next year are, I hope, revving engines with excitement at the prospects of what is in store.

Matthew Price

S___Director of Music

Autumn Mid-Term Concert The Mid-Term Concert, held on 15th November, once again showcased the wide-ranging talents of the school’s soloists and ensembles. Parents, friends and teachers gathered in the chapel and were treated to an impressive array of performances from all involved.

Given the difficulty of mastering string instruments, it is most encouraging that two of the outstanding performances came from cellists Dominic Jelf and Eric Leung. There was a range of ages and a diversity of instruments from Year 7 Sachin Balaji’s Mozart Piano Sonata, to Year 13 Dominic McDonald’s mature Guitar solo. Good playing was evident in two Piano Duets, one from Mr Price with Abhishek Patel (his 2nd performance of the week) and the other from Hoan Truong and Calvin On. Other notable performances came from the Junior Jazz Band, Cristiano Da Cruz’s violin solo, and vocal duets/trios from Jonathan Leech and Alaric Belmain, and from a smaller-than-usual Cantores (Oscar Ridout, Thomas Bridges and Oliver Morrell). Well done to everyone involved.

Wakeham Choristers On Thursday 8th November the Wakeham Choristers had the pleasure of singing in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at a special Service of Dedication to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. They then had the honour of singing in a service to celebrate the life and work of His Majesty King Michael of Romania, in the presence of The King and Their Royal Highnesses Crown Princess Margarita and Prince Radu. And then on Wednesday 14th November, the boys were called on for a third occasion to sing, in the presence of HRH Princess Anne, at a Service of Dedication for new members of the Victorian Order.

The complete Savoy Choir, Spring 2013

Christmas Concert: Saxophonists and Oboists in Symphony Orchestra

Christmas Lights Switch On Despite the appropriately arctic weather to complement Orpington’s electric answer to the aurora borealis, our students drowned out the storm and warmed the festive spirits of a brave but audibly appreciative crowd. The band played a fun selection of lively Christmas music that was enjoyed by all, making good on MP Joe Johnson’s promise of a splendid yuletide extravaganza.

Christmas Concert Those who turned out on a freezing cold Wednesday 5th December were treated to a sparkling Christmas Concert this year. Under the fluent baton of Mr Price, the Symphony Orchestra started off with impressive renditions of extracts from Grieg’s ‘Peer Gynt’ and Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ before the Chamber Choir tackled, with great accomplishment, three beautiful a-cappella carols by Taverner, Stopford and Lauridsen.

The Jazz and Brass bands were both confidently led

by Martin Bunce and really got the Christmas spirit

Christmas Concert: Upper VI soloist

Music – 99

buzzing with up-tempo Rudolph and Bare Necessities, and a tight Christmas medley. It was good to see Mr Geoghegan masterfully directing the full forces of the Choir, including the 450 parent Choir, in a powerful performance of Pergolesi’s Magnificat.

You would rarely hear such mellow strings in a school concert as Douglas Blew’s Chamber Orchestra playing Schiassi’s ‘Weinachts Symphonie’, before John Castle and the Symphonic Wind Band rounded off the evening with a riotous ‘Hollywood Milestones’. Solo items from two of our most talented Year 13s, James Watson and Peter Leigh, elicited well-deserved applause, and enhancement by several of our recent leavers, friends and peripatetic players was greatly appreciated.

Christmas Concert: School Choir singing Pergolesi’s Magnificat

With some seasonal readings interspersing the musical items, and mulled wine and mince pies to cheer the palate in the interval, the whole evening was a perfect start to Christmas.

Music Workshop On Monday 28th January, the AS and A Level Music students travelled to the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the South Bank Centre to attend a workshop and performance of their set work ‘Prélude à l’aprèsmidi d’un faune’ by Claude Debussy. Following an enlightening talk contextualising the work in relation to musical trends of the late 19th century, the students enjoyed a sparkling performance of the piece performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Christmas Concert: Symphony Orchestra

Norman Trotman Winner Not one but two of the seven finalists in BYMT’s Norman Trotman Competition were Olavians this year, Stefan Beckett (13W) on percussion and Thomas Hadden (13W) on saxophone. The entire evening was an impressive display of seven of the most talented musical performers in the borough and, in the climax of a fabulous evening, Stefan was awarded the First Prize and the Norman Trotman Trophy for a performance that was both sensitive and technically flawless, keeping the whole audience spellbound.

VI Former in the Norman Trotman Competition

Cabaret The St Olave’s performances of Cabaret in March were a huge success. With the Great Hall laid out as the KitKat Klub, the audience was truly drawn into the performance, in the most effective 3D visual experience that can only be achieved in live contexts. The clever construction of the show, which transitions gradually from the pleasures of the decadent Berlin social scene through to the demise of society under Nazi rule, was portrayed in turn with elegance, flair and grit by the double stage-cast. The glamorously bedecked orchestra rose to the challenges of being the KitKat Klub Stage Band. The playing was mature, authoritative and sensitive and completed the picture of the perfect evening for all involved.

The Cabaret Orchestra ‘...even the orchestra is beautiful...’

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Spring Concert For a number of Olavians, the Spring Concert was a fantastic fitting finale to their season of music at the school. The evening was an opportunity both to showcase a wealth of high-quality musicianship and to say farewell to the Year 13 students who have supported music-making at the school, some for as long as seven years. There was an atmosphere of warm appreciation amongst the audience members, and of happy memories, as the performers pulled together for the final major event of this year’s musical calendar.

The night lived up to the high standards set by previous concerts, whilst the audience were treated to ensembles and solos from a wide variety of musical traditions.

Lyrical vocal solos were given by Sebastian Cook (12L) and Richard Decker (9B) and dexterous playing was exhibited by Karen Mortby (12H), Stefan Beckett (13W) and Elliot Beagley (12H) on oboe, marimba and violin respectively. We reminisced over the wonderful performances of ‘Cabaret’, as five numbers from the show were specially resurrected for the occasion. The Brass Band, Chamber Choir, Guitar Group and Chamber Orchestra all had their moments to shine. Also, the 450 Choir went a cappella for the first time, singing three items with skill and conviction. Special mention must finally go to John Castle who, after an impressive 23 years, is stepping down as Director of the Symphonic Wind Band. In their last performance under his leadership, many former students returned to join the current cohort to wish Mr Castle well and send him off with fond memories of a terrific rendition of a work by Malcolm Arnold.

Spring Concert: Symphonic Wind Band, directed by John Castle for the final time

Chamber Orchestra playing in the Spring Concert

Jazz Night The annual Jazz Night was a treat for those who attended including impressive solos from Thomas Hadden (13W) on both sax and vocals; Stefan Beckett (13W) provided his usual top quality on percussion; there was some sensitive keyboard playing from Samuel Wootten (10K) and the highlight of the evening came from special guest Simon Bates which was rounded off by the Senior Jazz Band.

Samba Workshop During Activity Week, Year 8 had a Samba day and were introduced to a range of percussion instruments and to a new style of music. The instruments we used comprised maracas, drums, cowbells, agogos, ganzas and more! All these were beaten or shaken in various rhythms, creating an extraordinary sound together. We each had a turn on all the instruments; but it was clear everyone was aiming for the big drums! The teacher blew an apito whistle (a whistle with two holes to sound both low and high pitched noises) to give signals to the class, along with hand signals. After a short break, we started to develop a performance unique to the class, such as chanting ‘We will rock you’ or having a call-and-response pattern. Overall, it was a brilliant day that all enjoyed – we would definitely take any opportunity to play Samba again!

Nick Beston & Jazz Band at the ever-popular Jazz Night

8L learn the art of Samba, led by Mr Geoghegan Music – 101

Her Majesty the Queen greets the Savoy Choristers

Image - and that on p.99 - printed with pemission from The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy/Duchy of Lancaster

102 – Olavian 2013

Modern Foreign Languages

Modern Foreign Languages The Department of French _ Comme dit le proverbe – les voyages forment la jeunesse!

T

he French department has grown from strength to strength this year and students’ experience of the language has gone beyond the classroom for each year group. From visiting l’Institut Français to spending a few days en Normandie and à Paris, the French-speaking world was within reach and students have had a taste of the culture, arts and food of this neighbouring country.

Nous avons fini l’année en beauté – Then came August and exam results. Our GCSE students did extremely well this year and should be commended upon their hard work and effort. At A Level, boys and girls saw their passion for the French language being rewarded with excellent grades.

The year ahead will see our students going on trips and putting into practise the skills they have developed in the classroom – speaking the language is essential, as, challenging as it may be, le jeu en vaut la chandelle!

Marjorie Delage

S___Head of MFL & French

7B in the library of the Institut Français

European Day of Languages On Wednesday 26th September the European Day of Languages was launched in an assembly entirely designed and presented by Sixth Form students. At break and lunch time, students enjoyed taking part in activities in French, Spanish, German or Italian, ranging from an obstacle course to word games and watching films. There was also the opportunity for our boys to sample some European food available from the canteen.

Year 7 trip to Institut Français On Thursday 14th March, boys from 7B and 7C made their way to South Kensington to spend the day at the French Institute. While this was an opportunity for all to learn about the history of the institute, we also had a chance to experience comics in French and learnt about characters such as Titeuf, Spirou, Astérix and Tintin. During lunch, we enjoyed chatting to the French students of the nearby lycée français, and, at the end, as a little treat provided by the Institut, there were trays of pains au chocolat waiting for us!.

During our afternoon at the French Institute, we all watched an animation film called L’Ile de Black Mor, which was about a 15-year-old boy named ‘The Kid’ who manages to escape from the orphanage where he is held captive. His only possession is the map of a treasure island that fell from the pages of a book about Black Mor, a notorious pirate.

‘The Kid’ lives many adventures while travelling towards the Treasure Island. Qu’est-ce qu’on s’est amusés!

Lower VI French pupils in Paris 104 – Olavian 2013

Year 12 Paris Trip A group of 14 Y12 students spent 3 days strolling around in Paris in October half term in 2012. Blessed

by a gorgeous sun and mild temperatures, they visited many of the most famous monument of the capital city of France – la Tour Eiffel, le Centre George Pompidou, le Sacré Coeur, la Sainte Chapelle amongst others. As challenging as it may have been, they went to see a French film in the original version at the cinema. This trip would not have been such a success if we had not had lunch at the most popular bistro restaurant of Paris – Chartier Bouillon. There students sampled some escargots and crème de marrons! Comme de vrais parisiens!

French Film Society On Sunday 21st October, a number of Sixth Form language students travelled to the Ciné Lumière at l’Institut Français in South Kensington to enjoy a showing of ‘Vous N’avez Encore Rien Vu’ (or ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’) providing an opportunity to practise their language skills and broaden their cultural horizons.

Later in the term they returned to see ‘De Rouille et d’Os’ (‘Rust and Bones’), a dramatic and moving tale of love, family and passion.

Year 13 French students attended the British Film Institute in London on Wednesday 14th November to see ‘Occupied France on Film’. Students were shown short clips from various films, which raised such issues as the extent to which French people collaborated with the Nazis and the treatment of Jews in occupied France.

After lunch they watched “Un héros très discret” which depicted a young Frenchman who pretends to have played a heroic role in the Resistance movement.

Lille Christmas Markets Trip Early on Friday 14th December, 79 boys from Y9 and 8 members of staff gathered at Saint Olave’s to make their way to France. The programme of the day included a visit to a waffle shop and factory, where our boys learnt about all the ingredients and the techniques to prepare these Flemish delicacies. The highlight of the visit was without any doubt when the boys tasted the waffles before purchasing some for their families.

fast moving sinking sands in order to reach “Le Mont St. Michel” pictured in the background. Among other highlights were the high ropes course and a visit to the very enthusiastic Monsieur Martin’s goat farm! Snails and mussels were braved and enjoyed by most. A good time was had by all and we returned to school more confident and better prepared for the year ahead!

Year 8 Boulogne Trip Bright and early (too early for some!) on the morning of Wednesday 2nd May, the whole of year 8 arrived at school eager to embark on their trip to France. After an uneventful journey via the Channel Tunnel we arrived at the top of the town and set off on a tour of the walls and ramparts, visiting the historic heart of the town. This included a visit of the Basilica, an impressive church with a large dome which we had to try and draw.

We then carried on down the hill to the bustling market place, where we were allowed to roam and practice our French when making purchases. We bought the customary souvenirs and presents for our family, but the most popular items were sweets and an assortment of head gear. Next we walked down to the front, past the

Year 10 at Mont St Michel, Normandy

Despite the rain, we then headed to Lille, to visit the Christmas market and its central square with its big wheel.

Boys thoroughly enjoyed trying out their French while sampling some of the treats on offer and making further purchases for their families. A good day was had by all and many thanks to all the teachers who accompanied us.

Year 10 Trip: The Normandy Experience As part of their French enrichment programme, 44 year 10s embarked on a week of immersing themselves in the French language and culture in Normandy. Students rose well to the challenge of undertaking the majority of activities in French, including interviewing local residents, purchasing their lunch in competitive groups, navigating their way carefully across the notoriously treacherous

Year 8 wait for the Sea Lion display at Nausicaa, Boulogne Olavian 2013 – 105

fishing port and on to the beach front, where we could sit and enjoy our lunch in the warm sunshine. After lunch we all went to Nausicaa, an impressive sea-life centre with all sorts of fish and sea creatures, ranging from the beautiful, vibrant colours of the tropical fish to the impressive sharks and their razor-sharp teeth. The visit was concluded with a sea-lion show, highlighting their agility and intelligence.

After the visit we had a chance to enjoy games and fun on the large sandy beach. Some chose to play football or cricket, whilst others just enjoyed running and fooling around, building castles or burying friends! The day concluded with some last minute shopping at Cité Europe, a large shopping centre with lots of shops and a massive hypermarket, our final chance to spend our remaining euros and buy yet more sweets, chocolate and biscuits. We arrived back at school at 8pm, tired but happy after an eventful and enjoyable trip, with lots of memories and photos of our day trip to Boulogne.

Year 13 Primary School Visit It was a day of colours, animals and Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes for Year 13 French Students on a visit to St. Paul’s Cray Primary School. After “enjoying” the stress of lesson preparation, we arrived bright and early on the morning of Friday 8th February equipped with packed lunches, various multi-coloured pieces of paper and, in some cases, pom poms!

The group was split into pairs and each pair had been given a year group that they would be teaching for the day, so at 9:00 we went to meet our groups and start the activities.The pupils got involved in lots of different events, from learning French words for colours to sampling croissants in the French Café.

Many of us soon realised the challenge of teaching, as not only did we have to make the lessons informative, we had to make them interesting as well and make sure all the children were fully engaged in learning French. It was also a bit of a jump switching from being the pupil to being the teacher as there was no room for errors! It was really fantastic to see the children get involved in the activities we made, however and we all got a sense of pride when the students learnt and remembered something that we taught them. Although challenging at times, we all really enjoyed the day and wish all the pupils at St. Paul’s Cray luck with their French!

The Department of German he German department is one of the smaller departments of the school, yet it is a vibrant, lively, enthusiastic department and offers a lot. German can now be chosen in year 8, and this year there are two groups in that year. We usually have two GCSE groups and groups of varying sizes in the 6th form. One of our strength is that we run a number of trips every year; a year 9 trip to a Christmas market in Germany, either an exchange with Starnberg in Bavaria or a trip to the Rhineland for year 10 students; and a 6th form trip, alternating between a cultural trip to Berlin or an exchange with Heidelberg.

And there’s lots more going on, of course…

T

Hanna Cooley

S___Head of German

Year 10 exchange to Starnberg, Bavaria From 6th July to 13th July 2013, 14 of our year 10 German students were in Starnberg, south of Munich in Bavaria, on our return leg of the exchange, We travelled by plane ant train and arrived in Starnberg at a reasonable time in the evening. Some of us went to a welcome party but most just settled for a meal and a decent sleep. The Sunday was spent with the host families and we did various things, from rafting to sightseeing in Munich and the Alps.

During the week we met up at school in the morning and then left for our ‘programme of the day’: two days in Munich walking and climbing a lot and seeing a huge variety of famous and not so famous sights: the Marienplatz with the Neue Rathaus and the everpopular Glockenspiel, the Viktualienmarkt, the Alte Peter, the university, the Englische Garten, the Olympia Park… all in good weather – we love Munich!

We also spent two days in the Alps; one on a superb, if a little taxing, walk through the spectacular Partnachklamm and up through the woods to the Eckbauer (where we appreciated the rest and the refreshments), then down in cable cars and off to the ‘water experience’ at the Trimini, to two hours of jumping, diving, sliding, laughing and just having a great time enjoying ourselves. The second trip to the Alps was a joint trip with the girls from Newstead Wood to the famous castle of ‘Neuschwanstein’, which did not fail to impress even the most cynical of us, as it is magnificent both inside and out.

We spent one morning at school, shadowing our partners, although we found that at the very end of the school year, there are lots of activities going on there other than lessons – probably a universal phenomenon. We enjoyed the relaxed feel without uniforms and also our boat trip on Lake Starnberg in the afternoon.

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When it was time to say good-bye on Saturday, we really were quite emotional and even tearful. Invitations were plentiful, and many of us shall return! We had such a superb time!

Year 10 Rhineland Trip From the 8th to the 12th of July 2013, a group of year 10 German students went on a trip to Boppard in the beautiful Rhineland area of Germany.

Having been travelling for eight hours, we arrived at the Hotel L’Europe on Monday just as the sun was beginning to go down. We unpacked our equipment before going for a walk around the historic town of Boppard. We were greeted with some spectacular views as we watched the sun set over the river and we admired the centuries-old architecture as we strolled around the cobbled paths of the town.

Tuesday was our first day of activities. We began proceedings with a leisurely late-morning river cruise, basking in the splendour of the warm July sunshine. When we departed the boat, the coach took us to Rüdesheimam-Rhein where we ascended the sides of the valley on a cable car. The views across the Rhine were nothing short of spectacular; if there was anything wrong with the cablecar ride it was the fact that it had to come to an end! The cable car ended at the scenic Niederwald Landscape Park where we were able to observe the Niederwalddenkmal, a memorial to the Franco-Prussian War and an impressive leviathan of a structure by all accounts. The final activity of the day was a visit to Marksburg Castle, a mediaeval fortress that sat high atop the valley. It was a defensive castle as opposed to a residential one and is the only castle in the Middle Rhine never to have been destroyed.

We were taken on an informative tour of the castle and we had the good fortune to view the mediaeval torture instruments in the torture chamber.

Wednesday took us to the town of Cochem. Like many of the historic Rhineland towns, Cochem is filled with an eclectic variety of shops and eateries and it was a difficult task not to slowly drain the contents of one’s wallet!

Once we had satisfied ourselves with the town centre we climbed the steep ascent to the Reichsburg Castle. The castle was in ruins until it was rebuilt in the 19th-century in the fashionable romantic-style. Although the current building does not have as much history as Marksburg, it is quite a spectacle behold and the many ornate details make it a fascinating building from an architectural viewpoint. We spent our last hours in Cochem cooling down in the outdoor swimming pools and making good use of the water slides and diving boards. We returned to the hotel for our evening meal and then the day came to a close as we drove to a leisure centre for a very competitive game of bowling.

The whole of Thursday was taken up by our visit to the Phantasialand theme park. We tried a variety of thrilling

Year 10s on the German Exchange resting in front of the Chinesischer Turm in the Englischer Garten, Munich

Year 10s on the Rhineland Trip in the Reichsburg, Cochem

rollercoasters that tipped and twisted and turned us upside-down. In just one day we were able to go from a Colorado mine train to riding on the Black Mamba in the African rainforest!

On Friday we were sad to say goodbye to the captivating Rhineland and we reluctantly began our journey homeward. After a stop at a Belgian chocolate factory we made our way to the Euro Tunnel where we left the continent and returned home.

Although we were only there for five days, we were able to gain a great appreciation for German history and culture and put our linguistic skills to the test in the shops and cafés we visited. All in all, everyone had a thoroughly good time and if you asked one of the students whether they would like to return to the Rhineland, you would almost certainly be met with a resounding reply in the affirmative!

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German Trip to Berlin On Sunday, 17th February, we met at Gatwick airport to set off on our trip to cold, wintry, yet very hospitable Berlin; ‘we’ were six year 13 and ten year 12 students accompanied by Mr Henley and Frau Cooley.

We had a very packed programme for each of the five days we spent there, starting on Sunday night, shortly after we arrived at our hostel, with a walk along the old East Berlin ‘Unter den Linden’ to the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial and a short preliminary visit to the unique Sony Centre with its unusual roof which changes colour!

Monday saw us at the Bernauer Straße, with its relic of the wall, at the ‘Topographie des Terrors’, the Nazi headquarters of the Gestapo and SS, and then at the amazing Jewish Museum designed by Libeskind; in the early evening we had a fascinating guided tour through the Bundestag by a most erudite and witty German lady with a superb command of the English language. In the evening we all gathered at the hostel to celebrate Louis’ birthday with a lovely cake!

Tuesday started off with a walk through the freshly fallen snow to the Russian memorial in the Treptower Park, dominated by the gigantic statue of a Russian soldier holding a child and having smashed a swastika with his sword, representing the liberation of Berlin from the Nazis in 1945. Then to the heart of the Stasi machinery, its former headquarters, where we had a guided tour by a German whose standard of English did not quite match that of our Bundestag lady.

The sobering experience of the Stasi HQ was eclipsed by the visit to the infamous former Stasi Prison, where many a political prisoner was kept, tortured, traumatised for life or, as many did, perished. The utter cruelty of the Stasi regime, related to us by a ‘Zeitzeuge’, a witness of the time, a former prisoner, horrified us, and her plea for young people to be politically aware and involved and to defend democracy was deeply moving.The evening was free, but most of us gathered at the hostel and spent the evening together, relaxing.

The Wednesday was a much lighter day. We greeted Marx and Engels on the way to the famous Pergamon Museum with its spectacular Pergamon altar, the Ishtar gate, the market gate of Miletus and the remnants of the Mshatta palace to name just four of the invaluable treasures of this fantastic museum which, soberingly, presented us with the most unfriendly people we met in Berlin who were guards there – arrrgh! We managed to recover from these officials as the immense beauty of the old buildings displayed impressed us deeply.

Off to the bus and a trip to the former West Berlin and the ‘hollow tooth’ a church ruin which is kept as a 108 – Olavian 2013

reminder of the horrors of war, and its new neighbour, an extraordinary church building with a simple, striking symbolism of form and colour. Then followed an utterly pleasant experience: we were invited to Tim Sticking’s 18th birthday celebration in the exclusive café on the top floor of the KaDeWe, where we sat under the glass roof and by the window, at lovingly laid tables with flowers and bows: Tim’s father had invited us all to cake and coffee and we appreciated it greatly, doing justice to the enormous pieces of exquisite gateaux.

Similarly loved was the shopping time afterwards and the meal in the Kartoffelkiste, where each students joyfully accepted a contribution of €10 from the trip fund. The waiters here were really helpful and friendly, and clearly enjoyed the pleasantness of the visitors they served. We got back to the hostel quite late yet managed to spend some time together on this last evening in Berlin.

On our last day we visited the Hedwigskirche with its beautiful organ,then the Gendarmenplatz with the Französische Dom (French Cathedral), Deutsche Dom (German Cathedral) and the Konzerthaus with the statue of the famous German playwright Schiller, where we had one of our last group photographs taken.

Due to public pressure, we went the chocolate shop once more and then took the U-Bahn to the Potsdamer Platz, where we visited the Filmmuseum with its unusual arrangements of mirrors reflecting us into endless heights and depths, which was quite disconcerting!

We returned to the Alexanderplatz for our last lunch and shopping time, before collecting our luggage from the hostel and setting off for the airport, where we arrived far too early due to the seamless connections of the underground trains and the bus.

Tired and happy, we arrived back in England, perfectly on time and without any hitches or delays. We had such a good time and many thanks are due to all parents who have allowed their children to come on the trip, the students for being so wonderfully well behaved and pleasant to each other, and Mr Henley for accompanying us and giving up his half term. The group and the trip were absolutely great!

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The Department of Spanish panish is still a growing subject at Saint Olave’s, and is now taught in every year group. We have recently started teaching the subject in year 7 to half the year group, with the other half studying French. The present year 8 students, who followed this pattern of study last year, will be the first to undertake the new three year key stage 4 programmes – a real luxury in a foreign language, and we look forward to including many elements of South and Central American culture along with the usual GCSE material. We are also expanding our educational visit programme, with a new Year 7 visit last year and a new year 8 visit planned for this year to add to our successful year 10 residential trip to Murcia. In the sixth form, we are travelling to Andalucía for the first time this year.

S

Gillian Gardiner S___Head of Spanish

Year 7 trip to the Europa Centre On the 13th March 2013, at 8:40am, 7H departed with Ms Gardiner and Mr McCurrach to the Europa Centre in Havering. We were all quite nervous as we would have to speak Spanish to native speakers, and we weren’t quite sure what they’d think!

We got to the centre very quickly, thanks to some nifty coach driving. We were shown into a classroom where the five ladies that were working with us introduced themselves. We then went into the centre itself, ordering what we would like from the café. Lips were licked in anticipation. The lady working with our group was called Carmen. Some of us had difficulty telling her how to spell our names in Spanish!

We then walked round the centre. We had been given booklets with various quizzes and information to fill in. We also had to ask the shopkeepers for information about a missing person that we were looking for. This fast became the most hotly contested quiz after we found out that the prize was a free cruas án (croissant) from the café.

The class’s terrible fashion sense was revealed after several of us bought assorted handbags from the shops, using the (paper) credit cards that we’d been given.

Other attractions around ‘Villaguisante’ were la farmacia (pharmacy) la panaderia (bakery) and la oficina de turismo (tourism office).

All too soon, it was time to go. We thanked the women for making such an interesting experience and boarded the coach, in time to return for a Spanish lesson.

James Blackwood (7H) Foreign Film Society This society has recently started up again with our enthusiastic new Languages prefect team running it.

A small but select audience (not all linguists!) came to see the first part of “Machuca” on Monday lunchtime in room 13. This Chilean film is in Spanish (with English subtitles) and deals with young people coming to terms with political change in their school and meeting people whose lives are very different to their own. Viewers found the film easy to understand and it helped them to realise how extreme politics can impact on the everyday lives of young people. There was humour as well as a serious message, and we are all looking forward to part 2, and future films in a variety of languages.

VI Form Spanish Work Experience During February half term, I had the opportunity to undertake some work experience in Salamanca, Spain. It was a chance to learn more about the world of work and improve my Spanish.

Being the only person to travel from St. Olave’s at that time was daunting at first, but my nerves were quickly calmed by other students travelling on the trip.

7H & hats at the Europa centre: perhaps not a good combination?

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My work placement,YMCA,was a charitable organisation that helped the vulnerable. They helped immigrants and children with difficult family backgrounds. My job there was to speak to and teach the immigrants some Spanish

and make them feel at ease, as well as helping the children with their homework and giving them a break from their home life.

My colleagues were lovely, the town was beautiful (see two beautiful examples of the architcture below), my Spanish improved and everyone was extremely welcoming – all in all, I had an amazing time and I would thoroughly recommend anyone who is doing a language to do the same.

Tolu Majekodunmi (Lower VI) Year 10 Trip to Murcia During Activity Week 2, those from Year 10 taking Spanish made a trip to Murcia, Spain. We had a fantastic time, and the uncivilised flight times meant we had extra time to relax in the sea and on the beach during our visit, as well as having lessons and educational visits. Amongst other things, we

visited the mud baths, which are part of the Salinas de San Pedro nature reserve. The environment is very fragile, and once the mud had dried on the boys’ skin (it is stinky and full of chemicals which are supposed to be good for you, as well as very salty) they had to wash it all off again in the same part of the lagoon as they got it from, before having a proper wash in the sea. The boys were able to relax and behaved well, using Spanish quite naturally to the monitors and teachers by the end of the week, and a great time in the sun was had by all.

Impressively, some students were specially commended for the quality of their Spanish by the organisers. Eddie Tolmie and Jeevan Ravindran have provided a fuller report on the trip, in (naturally enough!) Spanish: Un Viaje al sur de España Salimos del aeropuerto de Gatwick a las seis. Llegamos a España a las nueve. Fuimos a la playa y nadamos en el Mar Menor. Es un mar muy salado.

Cada día jugamos al fútbol, y Comimos en el comedor.

Al día siguiente, por la mañana estudiamos español. Hicimos deportes acuáticos como la vela y el windsurf. ¡Era muy difícil mantenerme en pie! Además remamos – era más fácil. Por la tarde algunos de nosotros cantamos karaoke.

El miércoles por la mañana, fuimos al parque natural de San Pedro con nuestro guía Carolina. Vimos flamencos – son pájaros muy raros. Después, jugamos en la playa y enterramos a David en la arena. El mismo día, fuimos al teatro romano en Cartagena, una ciudad muy histórica, y vimos grafiti estupendo allí. Luego, fuimos a la feria y comimos churros deliciosos.

El jueves, estudiamos español de nuevo y después fuimos al mercado ¡compramos caramelos, por supuesto! Hicimos baños de lodos. Eran muy divertidos. ¡Qué guay! Por la tarde, tocamos percusión. Más tarde, escuchamos música cubana, y bailamos, por supuesto.

El último día: ¡qué triste! Fuimos a la playa por la última vez. Compartimos pizza allí. Después, visitamos el centro comercial. Luego tuvimos que volver al aeropuerto.

Estábamos muy cansados. ¡Lo pasamos bomba!

Salamanca: a beautful setting for work experience Olavian 2013 – 111

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Humanities

The Faculty of Humanities

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here 2011-12 had seen much upheaval in the Humanities Faculty, 2012-13 saw the foundations laid for its continued and future success. Mrs Beard, Miss Dunlop and Mr Lake joined the faculty and were instrumental in the strong exam results enjoyed by all its subjects. The faculty was sad to see the departure of Mr Booth, a stalwart of the Economics department since end of the 1990s. The reports from each of the faculties departments highlight the quality and diversity of provision made both within and beyond the bounds of the curriculum.

Daniel Espejo

S___Head of Humanities

Year 8 ‘Jack the Ripper’ Humanities Day

Year 7 ‘Utopia’ cross-curricular day 114 – Olavian 2013

The Faculty of Mathematics, ICT The Department of History & Computer Science, 2011-12 “Remember, always give your best. Never get discouraged.

Never be petty. Always remember, others may hate you. But those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.”

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resident Richard Nixon uttered the words above as he addressed White House staff for the final time in August, 1974 following the Watergate scandal. Nixon, appropriately, graced the cover of the fourth edition of the History Society magazine entitled “Scandal”. The professionally produced magazine featured contributions from students throughout the school and was ultimately put together by Dr Wallace, Tim Stickings and Luke Watkins (both Year 13). The History department enjoyed another successful year in 2012-13 combining excellent public examination results with a wide range of extracurricular trips and activities which challenged pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding of a range of topics.

The department returned for the first time since 2008 to the World War 2 battlefields in Normandy. Year 9 pupils had the opportunity to explore a range of sites which were focal points during Operation Overlord in June 1944. These included Pegasus Bridge and Omaha Beach which saw the US armies assault German defences which was later immortalised in the film “Saving Private Ryan”. As the generation that provided the participants Year 9 Battlefields trip: Normandy Upon arrival at Normandy on Wednesday 22nd May we visited Pegasus Bridge, which for me demonstrated the ingenuity of our military in spite of limited resources of World War 2. The combination of the engineering of the gliders and the expert use of the element of surprise were fantastic examples of how the British military achieved a tactical victory.

in WW2 sadly dwindles, 2014 will see both Year 8 and 9 visit Ypres and the Somme as preparations begin for the 100th anniversary of the start of World War 1 in 2014. These visits, alongside other day trips, will be the highlights of the department’s extra-curricular provision in the academic year 2013-14.

The department has been enhanced by the additions of Sarah Beard and Tom Martin to its fold. Both have brought with them enthusiasm and a range of exciting new teaching ideas. Mrs Beard has served as Head of Year to Year 8 and in this role led the organisation of the new cross-curricular day which asked pupils to decide, “Who was Jack the Ripper?” Year 8 pupils were helped

by Year 13 drama students who took on the roles of the main suspects before they enjoyed History, English and Chemistry lessons which furnished them with a range of evidence before they conducted a trial of Walter Sickert, the eccentric artist who was one of the men accused of the Whitechapel murders. Suffice to say there was no consensus on who the identity of the “Ripper”.

2012-13 was an action packed year for the History department, but 2013-14 promises to match or even exceed it!

Daniel Espejo

S___Head of History which showed the true extent of the battle between the allied navy and the German artillery.

On Friday 24th we visited a 360 degrees cinema which created a great sense of atmosphere that allowed you to immerse yourself in the footage of WW2 shown.

The St Mere Eglise museum was fascinating as it contained the uniforms and the weaponry used by different troops deployed in Normandy. Also that day we visited Omaha beach. It was interesting to see the actual site of such a chaotic battle. It was a peculiar feeling standing on the calm, peaceful beach where just under 70 years ago thousands of men fought and many died.

After that we visited one of the three US cemeteries in Normandy. It was a massive cemetery containing over 9000 graves. It was a beautifully decorated cemetery, a worthy resting place for the fallen American soldiers.

Finally, we visited the Longues sur Mer gun battery Olavian 2012 – 115

We also had a look at the mulberry harbour, a harbour hastily put together by the British to accommodate the larger ships of the British navy to allow them to supply the army following the D-Day landings. Then we visited some of the British beaches and saw the wide variety of equipment used to successfully take them. Finally we visited the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery at Ranville. It was a very moving experience as many of the British troops buried there lived not too far from where I live and one soldier there was only 16 when he died.

After a short remembrance service at the cemetery we were allowed to place a poppy at a grave of our choice to allow us each to remember one of the men in the Cemetery. It was a good end to an educational trip.

Luke Smith (9B)

St Laurent Cemetary, Normandy

Jack the Ripper Day On Monday 8th July, Year 9 took part in “Jack the Ripper Day” attending Chemistry, English and History lessons to try to establish who Jack the Ripper was before conducting a mock trial of one of the suspects, Walter Sickert in the afternoon. They were confronted with the problems the police faced in 1888 and began to understand how forensic techniques can be used to help solve crimes. There was also the opportunity to study the letters purported to be from the ripper sent to the police and to make links with ink and handwriting analysis.

Year 9 summarised the court procedings: On the 8th July 2013 as part of “Jack the Ripper Day” we witnessed the trial of Walter Sickert, accused of the murder of Mary Jane Kelly. He pleads innocent to the charge of murder.

The prosecuting lawyers from 9B started by calling forward John McCarthy, the owner of the property Mary lived in.

They described how the organs of the deceased were laid out in an organised fashion. The defence lawyers (9H) countered by saying he would have to be educated to have such a good knowledge of human anatomy. The prosecuting lawyers then called forward George Hutchinson, the last person to see Mary alive. His description of the murderer was not very similar to Walter but the prosecution lawyers argued that Walter was well known as a master of disguise. The defence lawyers then called forward their first witness: James Wicker. Walter was an art protégé of James in America. However, James struggled to answer the prosecuting lawyer’s questions and proved to be a poor witness by contradicting himself. Then the defence lawyers called forward the defendant, Walter Sickert. Walter Sickert started by contradicting the statement he made before the trial. He then went on to confirm that he uses the same ink Jack the Ripper used in his letters to the police. The final witness the defence called was a prostitute.

She supported Walter’s alibi but the prosecution lawyers tried to tarnish her name and reputation to invalidate her evidence. Following their deliberations the jury came to a unanimous decision that Walter was guilty.

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Upper VI Formers set the scene for Year 9’s ‘Ripper’ day

Year 10 at the National Army Museum National Army Museum A group of Year 10 students travelled to the National Army Museum this year to learn more about the diversity of historical battles from different parts of the world, including the 17th century English civil war, India’s fight for independence and the 20th century Korean War. The highlight of the trip for many came when students were able to examine weapons and clothing used by the British army.

History Lecture Trip A group of Year 12 historians attended a lecture on Wednesday 6th February at UCL given by Professor Mary Fulbrook entitled “A Small Town Near Auschwitz: Ordinary Nazis and the Holocaust”. She provided an insightful look at the lives and attitudes of the Nazis working in party administrative positions as well as an explanation of the skills she had used in researching the book. Overall, students found the lecture to be not only a new and exciting experience but also one that was enriching and thought-provoking.

History Society Magazine The fourth edition of the History Society Magazine, entitled Scandal, included articles from students through all years and even Old Olavians. The scandals reported included the Reichstag Fire, the Princes in the Tower, Operation Menu and the Hillsborough Disaster.

Olavian 2013 – 117

The Department of Geography

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eography is a fascinating study of places, people & their interactions. It is truly synoptic, and is always relevant and changing – from the local to the global – and this is reflected at St Olave’s. Geography is everywhere – we live in an amazing, awesome, but delicate physical environment that needs our care.

Through understanding the interactions between it and human activity, geographers can find sustainable solutions to wide-ranging problems.

In this spirit, many were inspired about the world and people around them through the fascinating talks in the new Geographical Society set up in 2012 by Mounif Kalawoun and Adelia Rakhimova. Sixth form students were able to attend stimulating lectures given by the Geographical Association during the Autumn term, discovering where new research is taking the subject.

The department once again achieved excellent results across the key stages, with 13 students choosing to continue their pursuit of Geographical understanding at Universities across the country.

Rachel Garswood joins the Geography Department this year. She studied BSc Geography at the University of Exeter, where she also continued on to complete her PGCE teacher training. She loves to travel and to enjoy the outdoors which is what led her to specialise in Physical Geography, with a particular interest in coasts.

Victoria Watson

S___Head of Geography

Year 8 collecting data on the Ashdown Forest field trip 118 – Olavian 2013

Department for International Development: Shape the Future Competition Since their creation in September 2000, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have encouraged the many countries committed to them to work towards meeting the needs of the world’s poorest people. The target date for the MDGs is 2015 so beyond that, a new set of goals will be required. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, is Co-Chair of the United Nations High Level Panel that has been tasked with making recommendations on these new development goals, and he wanted to hear via the Department for International Development ‘Shape the Future’ Competition what young people in the UK think needs to be included. Year 9 Geographers at St. Olave’s study Development, and all year 9 students prepared group presentations to discuss, formulate and submit their own proposals for post-2015 development goals.

The 9H group led by Alexander Leggatt with Joshua Goulbourne, Kayo Kufeji, Jamie Macdonald and Charlie Peck was chosen to represent St. Olave’s in the Department for International Development ‘Shape the Future’ Competition. Their presentation covered issues surrounding the eradication of extreme hunger and poverty, promoting gender equality and empowering women, diseases, infant mortality and global partnership goals. There were 114 entries to the competition from schools in all parts of the British Isles. Alexander, Joshua, Kayo, Jamie and Charlie were congratulated on the excellent standard of their work and in recognition of the quality of their entry were awarded with a Certificate of Commendation signed by the Secretary of State for International Development, Rt. Hon. Justine Greening.

9H shaping the future of the world

Year 7 Geography and RE field trip: Farningham and Eynsford During our first Activities Week, Year 7 was taken on a walking fieldtrip to a number of locations in the Darent Valley, Kent. We visited the villages of Farningham and Eynsford, the hamlet of Hulberry and the Roman Villa at Lullingstone. Whilst the day was primarily based upon our studies for Geography and RE, we also saw a lot of history and got a clear insight into how the area has changed over time.

The aim of the RS part of the trip was to visit and learn about parish churches and the role they play in the local community. During the course of the visit, we visited the parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul’s in Farningham and the parish church of St. Martin’s in Eynsford. On arrival at St. Peter and St. Paul’s, we were given a small booklet with questions regarding the churches to complete over the course of the day. Some of the questions required us to observe the features of the church and grounds, others asked for thoughts and opinions. A Norman building, the church had various elements particular to it such as the interesting stained glass windows showing, amongst others, King Charles the Martyr - very rarely found depicted thus. We also visited the Lullingstone Roman Villa containing one of the earliest dated Christian chapels in all of Britain. All in all, it was a tremendous (though exhausting) day.

Ashdown forest: Year 8 field trip On the 21st May Year 8 braved a windy spring morning to visit Ashdown Forest, an area of stunning beauty and home to many interesting geographical features as well as the River Warren. Although Ashdown is still a forest, we were surprised to discover when we arrived that many of the trees had been cut down for lumber in the past, leaving large areas grass and scrubland.

After sketching and observing this spectacle, we then proceeded down towards the more wooded areas of the forest where we found the River Warren itself.

After lunch, at the river we divided into our groups and performed various tests that we had planned in class such as measuring the velocity, gradient and width of the river.

Admittedly, several of us got more than a little soaked whilst doing this! Finally worn-out, Year 8 walked back to the coaches to conclude a fun and thought-provoking trip to Ashdown Forest.

Year 12 field trip: Malham Tarn Year 12 geographers spent four days in the Yorkshire dales as a part of their AS level course. After our arrival in Yorkshire and a short minibus journey, we arrived at our first geographical feature of note, Malham Cove.

This 260 foot high, natural limestone structure was not only evidence of the last significant period of glaciation in the UK, but also gave the group a beautiful view over

7L under the lychgate of Ss. Peter & Paul in Farningham

Lower VI Geographers in Yorkshire the surrounding area. We then walked the short distance to Malham Tarn House, which, as its name suggests, is located adjacent to Malham Tarn – the highest river in England. This beautiful lake was the backdrop to our three night stay, and after a short period of exploration, we retreated to our rooms.

The following morning, after a brief by the staff at the field study centre, we left the house and soon arrived at our first of three field sites on the small Cowside Beck River. At each of the sites, members of the group would wade into the river, in order to measure a variety of variables, such as width and depth, which would be essential in our later assessment of the river as a whole, and whether hypotheses could be deemed valid. After an exhausting yet rewarding day, which involved a near vertical climb at one of our sites, we returned back to the House and after attempting to dry our sodden clothing, gratefully went to bed.

Our final full day of the trip saw some get up before sunrise to visit Goredale Scar, a limestone ravine a mile or so from the centre of Malham. Our early awakening didn’t go unrewarded, as a small group of us witnessed and safely navigated two waterfalls and peered over the edge of a 100m high limestone cliff – yet another eye-catching reminder of the power that nature possesses.

A fascinating and constructive venture for all involved.

Jordan Fisher Olavian 2013 – 119

The Department of Classics

‘R

es Novae’ was the Classical Term for revolution.

The two words as you will recall actually mean ‘new things.’ Things indeed will be new first teaching in September but first let me reminisce on ‘mos maiores’, the way of our ancestors. Very sadly last year Rosemary Lukas died. Many of the older readers will remember her given that she taught at the school for many years and was one of the very few female members of staff in the early days at the Goddington Lane site. She was an outstanding teacher of both Latin and Greek whose results year in year out were impeccable. When I joined the school on a full time basis in 1989 bringing the department up to team of three, Latin was still compulsory for all boys up to the end of Year Nine. She fought ferociously for a subject she valued most highly. She was a specialist in grammar and to be fair to her she did not express a great deal of interest in the Classical Civilisation course which today is so enthusiastically embraced. She was not an innovator but a traditionalist and she could do the one thing was required of all us .She could teach. Her reputation for teaching was second to none and she did not restrict herself to Classics. Generations of boys will have been coached by her and her diary was always full.

She did not advertise since her reputation for excellence was known. She will be both remembered and missed.

One can gauge one’s longevity when a number of staff in the common room are ex-pupils and indeed some who have been taught by you right through to A level. There are now three in my case and I gather the number will be rising next year. One of these is Mr Lake, who has been the Head of RE now for a year and has joined forces with me to start a new initiative of taking Year Nine to Saint Paul’s and the City of London Museum. In the latter we taught the boys a great deal about Roman London, its layout and its cult religions. One of the problems faced by teachers is finding suitable places for enrichment locally which can house whole year groups. While for example the British Museum is entirely wonderful it is always very crowded. This is not the case with the Year Seven visit to Portchester which as ever was very successful and we had the whole site to ourselves. The trip which I believe must be in its tenth year now has taken on a new dynamic with the Maths Department doing some excellent work on trajectories and for this I have to thank Mr Gyford. The big trip continues to be the one to Greece of which you can read a full report below. This will be run for as long as possible given the nature of the Art and Architecture Module taught in the Lower Sixth.

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Numbers at both GCSE and A level continue to be strong with many students continuing to go to the best universities to read Classics. I hear excellent reports of past achievements notably Mark Darling’s First at Cambridge and George Jenkyns’ on- going success at the same university. The department faces new challenges in the coming years with the new arrangements of language options and the new configuration of the Key Stages. We will rise to these challenges with determination. Already new enrichment material has been produced and the department has been working on new in-house booklets on the Iliad and the Art and Architecture of Classical Greece. My colleague Mrs Latcham has been totally superlative and in the tradition of Classics department has naturally coached and umpired cricket. She has also taught Greek, spent some of her weekends on DoE and attended the Chapel Weekend in Carroty Wood. We are very blessed to have her here in the school.

David Craig

S___Head of Classics Year 7 visit to the British Museum As part of a creative writing project Mrs Latcham and Mr Craig took a group of year seven boys to the British Museum. The idea was that by looking at the mythology behind artistic objects the pupils would be inspired to compose a story of their own imagination. While Mrs Latcham concentrated on the myth surrounding Theseus through the medium of pithoi, Mr Craig explored the notion of the ‘other’ through the study of the Parthenon metopes.

The 2013 Classics Trip to Greece At the time of writing an opportunity for jingoism has occurred. In the past few weeks a Scotsman has won Wimbledon, a combined British Lions team has beaten the Australians, the English have so far won two test matches against the Australians and an Englishman has won the Tour de France. Not naturally given to displays of enthusiasm for banner- waving and indeed in its extreme form a detester thereof, I mention these victories by way of introducing the reader into the Classical world of agon.

I want to explain what this means from the outset. It is a term that implies that in every walk of life a man must be competitively better than anyone else and it is an idea that appears in the earliest Greek epic that of the Iliad. To not be better than anyone else brings shame

to the individual, to his family and the community or deme in which he or she was raised. By contrast to win is to bring glory to that individual, to his family and to his community. That glory will be taken to his grave and he or she will be spoken of with honour for ages to come. We are a great deal different today. We will of course remember Andy Murray winning Wimbledon in 2013 but will he be remembered in the Greek sense. I think perhaps not. Will he be remembered in Dunblane?

The possibility is more likely especially if some statue is erected in his honour. But will Andy Murray be remembered in the same way as Leonidas the Spartan general at Thermopylae who died fighting the Persians in 480BC and fell in the very place in which Heracles his ancestor was born or Miltiades the Athenian general who fought and defeated the Persians at Marathon in 490C. The Greeks seem to have an ability which is alien to us to allow such memories to drench the psyche and permeate their aesthetic.

The students on this trip saw much evidence of the aesthetic ‘agon’ especially in Athens , a city of statues carved out of marble or in some cases bronze. The ancient Greek city is the city of monuments which permanently engage the viewer with the need to reflect on past achievements. They are to be seen in the round, viewed at different times of the day and to be a source of encouragement to greater things. The students also saw the replicas of the Parthenon frieze in the New Parthenon Museum and the stunning exhibition displaying to what extent the figures on the pediments were painted as were the korai that forested the Acropolis. The buildings on the Acropolis, the Propylaea, and the Temple to Athene Nike, the Parthenon itself and the Erechtheum were not pure pentellic marble but highly painted in vivid, almost gaudy colours; they were in modern parlance rather ‘bling’. All these sites in Athens were explored by the students and some others too notably the theatre of Dionysus.

Each year we go Greece I try to slip in something new which by my own confession is somewhat worrying and has not always paid off as in the case of Tegea last year. This time however we did extremely well with our first visit outside Athens to Rhamnous, an Athenian fort overlooking the straits of Euboea. It had two ports which were vital during the Spartan occupation of Attica during the Peloponnesian War of 431-404. Given that the ancient fort of Decelea had fallen into Spartan hands and the slaves had been freed from the silver mines in Laurion, the fort overlooked the corn routes from the east. Rhamnous has two small temples, one to Nemesis and one to Themis but descending over a very hazardous and rocky glen the valley opens up with the remains of a superlative fort complex with massive gates and wall.

Nine towers exist alongside a theatre, a gymnasium and a shrine to Aphrodite. We had the whole site to

ourselves and indeed the attendant looked somewhat bemused by the idea of a coach full of English pupils wanting to see the remains. From there we drove up the coast past the site of Marathon and onto Orchomenos, the capital of the Minyans. The site was excavated by the ubiquitous Schliemann betwee1880-1886. Here there is a huge bee-hive tomb comparable with the so-called ‘Treasury of Atreus’ at Mycenae .Although the roof has largely disappeared the stones are impressively enormous especially the lintel of Levadeia marble on the entrance.

Off the main room there is also a small square chamber made from green schist decorated on its ceiling with beautiful floral motifs. Adjacent to the tomb there were the remains of a rather dilapidated 4th century theatre.

From Orchomenos we drove through the mountains up to Delphi on the day of the Wimbledon final. Under the auspices of my wife, a very keen tennis fan, a small group of boys went to watch the final in a local inn with Skye sport while I kept watch at the hotel. How many boys will be able to say that they saw a Wimbledon final in the shadow of Mont Parnassos at Delphi won by Andy Murray! The heat at Delphi was as ever extreme drawing to attention to the boys the horrors of travelling there, the dust, the unmade roads, the hazards of sea voyages and the sense of pilgrimage. The Roman section has been closed now to visitors though we were able to visit the tholos and the treasury of the Greeks from Marseille.

In our minds we bathed like Byron in the Castalian spring, ritually purifying ourselves like the ancient traveller before entrance to the sanctuary itself. We saw the evidence of ‘agones’ with the various treasuries, the theatre and the dromos at the top of the hill. In the museum we delighted in the friezes from the Siphnian treasury and of course the Delphic charioteer. Delphi never fails to impress.

The journey to Olympia from Delphi is long and I would welcome any feedback from a reader who has any suggestion where we could visit. Olympia itself was as wonderful as ever and I perhaps begin to understand more each year about the site. There was a good deal of excavation work in progress around the palaestra and perhaps next year we will be able to see the results. The site was not busy and this gave us more time to linger especially at the Roman sections and the remarkable Leonidaion. The pupils particularly enjoyed the workshop of Pheidias and its position in relation to the Temple of Zeus. For any enthusiast of the Classical World a visit to the site museum is essential and not to have seen the pediments from the temple of Zeus, Praxiteles’ Hermes and Dionysus and Militiades’ war helmet from Marathon would be a travesty.

We went up to Bassae the following day to see Iktinos’ experimental temple of Apollo Epikourios. The coach driver said that he had never been there before and indeed Olavian 2013 – 121

became lost but the scenery in the area is so magnificent that we gained rather than lost. This year we had a talk in situ from an archaeologist who seemed delighted that any school party would visit. He explained that the thinking about the position of the temple was that its elevation was in part due to its relative proximity to Sparta. He believed that the outlying community of the Phigalians gradually planted their small communities in the ‘Bassai’ or ravines further up the hills to protect themselves from Spartan attack and descended into the valleys to farm.

Although interesting I am not sure how far this helped in explaining the curious orientation of the temple, it’s odd side walls and the anionic Corinthian column in the ‘cella’. Its bronze statue to Apollo was removed to Megalopolis and later replaced with an acrolithic statue.

This visit was as ever marked by some spectacular beetles, bugs and grasshoppers.

We stopped at Andritsaina a ramshackle village on the way down for lunch. This was not to everyone’s taste but it had a remarkable village square where water from the mountains was channelled through plane trees. It also had a rather splendid folk museum with a great deal of traditional Greek costumes and photographs of the current queen of Spain.

Between Olympia and Napflion there is very little archaeological which can be visited though we did try to see Megalopolis which boasts the largest theatre in Greece but as with last year the sites was closed. The final few days of the trip revolved around the sites of Mycenae, Tiryns, Argos and Epidauros. At Argos Seb Cook, a member of the National Youth Choir gave a stunning recital of an aria by Pergolesi, thus following in the tradition of Peter Leigh and James Robinson.

The trip went perfectly and the girls and boys who accompanied me and my wife were absolutely delightful.

Their behaviour was immaculate and never at any moment did they give cause for concern. Some amused me especially with their enormously expensive ward robes, some confounded me with a vastly complicated card game, some had my wife in hysterics with a rendition of a song outlining my teaching practise with the refrain of irregular Latin imperatives and all made the visit a complete delight.

David Craig

Fintan Calpin, a Lower VI pupil on the Greece trip, and increasingly known Olavian poet, wrote the poem next to this, inspired by Greece, the Greeks and the trip.

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The Charioteers Kαλημέρα.

Beautiful and good, how Do we begin to be Beautiful and good?

So it goes Through gates whiter than ivory, or horn, And the passages passed together (Are these ivory or horn?)

Where the two do meet The spear of Pisa, Hippodamia’s brazen gaze Only the centre of the universe For a week’s voyage.

The breeze that carries in Mycenae Exactly as we heard it.

Kαλησπέρα.

A fine evening To chase the echoes of the old days’ heat Towards a modern love.

Pierced by those Two crossed knives Hidden for seven years: Build. Sail. Revelation.

The distant battle The patient love Stretched across the horizon; Hold still, Atlas. Hold. Still.

So I straddle two lands Mixing memory and pouring Pleasure into the cruel glass of summer Pausing in the palaestra.

And the breeze that carried in Mycenae Exactly as we heard it.

So I say Kαληνύχτα Kαλοι και αγαθοι Goodnight. In the morning.

The weak heat of the morning Good night.

A week’s goodnight.

Olavian 2013 – 123

The Department of Religious Studies

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he academic year 2012-2013 was one of substantial change in the Religious Studies department, much of which would have been unnoticeable to those outside it.

As in previous years, Year 7 and 8 were ably taught by staff from other subject areas. Rochelle Maxwell and Tom Conway began the year, and Les Padfield covered for Tom during his illness, from which we wish him a speedy recovery. The curriculum, however, was almost entirely revamped for 2012 to give a greater emphasis on creativity and thinking skills. Year 7 formed travel agencies and pitched their personalised Hajj pilgrimages, while Year 8 formed detective agencies and investigated the death of Jesus.

The weather smiled on the Year 7 combined RS and Geography field trip to Farningham and Eynsford, which involved an enjoyable and interesting investigation into historic church buildings. Many thanks go to the chaplain for his turn as a tour guide.

Year 9 brought inquisitiveness and a flair for debate to their GCSE course. Creationism, the relationship between Church and State, the rights and wrongs of church schools, and the balancing of rights in a multicultural society were just some of the topics that sparked fiercely-contested discussion.

In Activities Week 1, Year 9 filled a train for the combined RS and Classics trip to St Paul’s Cathedral and the Museum of London. The trip fell right in the middle of our class discussions on the relationship between Church and State, and with the sheer mass of national history entombed or enshrined in this magnificent building no student can fail to have noticed the role of St Paul’s as a physical embodiment of this relationship.

For the first time in recent memory at St Olave’s, the Short Course Religious Studies GCSE was the only qualification entirely completed in the summer of Year 10. The year group were naturally nervous about their first ‘real’ exam, but returned a very pleasing set of results and students have now gone into Year 11 with their confidence buoyed for the rest of their subjects. A special mention is owed to 10J, who managed a perfect 100% A / A*.

Years 13 were the first year group to complete the new-to-St Olave’s OCR A Level syllabus. A heady mix of Philosophy and Ethics, the course evaluates big ideas from Aristotle and Aquinas to Wittgenstein and Wiles.

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Very few philosophers have names beginning with ‘Z’.

The small but very likeable class of 3 students, Anna Chadwick, Lucy Clarke and Bea Shepherd, worked extremely hard all year and were justly rewarded with some excellent results. Congratulations in particular to Bea Shepherd, who achieved an A* and has gone on to read Philosophy at Cambridge.

2012-2013 was a busy year for the department (alsomentions include a visit to A Level students by Bishop Lindsay Urwin and a philosophy conference at Newstead Wood attended by a select cohort of Year 10 students), but it was not hectic all the time. Also new on the syllabus, under Year 8 Buddhism, is a tonic for the overactive student that I am sorely tempted to introduce from time to time in other year groups: silent meditation!

Andrew Lake

S___Head of Religious Studies

Year 9 trip to St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Museum of London On Monday 20th May Year 9 visited St Paul’s Cathedral and the Museum of London as part of a combined Religious Studies and Classics Departments Study Day. Students had the opportunity to consider the role of the cathedral and the life stories of some of those buried there. At the London Museum they were given the opportunity to examine artefacts on foreign deities introduced into the Roman province of Britannia by the resident army and explore the Roman army through the grave monuments and statues of several soldiers.

Year 10 Philosophy and Ethics Conference On Friday 8th January, 15 Year 10 students attended a Religious Studies conference at Newstead Wood School. There they took part in a carousel of 4 sessions on a range of philosophical and ethical issues, facilitated by 6th form students from Newstead Wood.

After some initial shyness at being quite considerably outnumbered, the Olavians quickly showed themselves to be every bit as articulate and perceptive as their female counterparts. On topics as diverse as the merits of Utilitarianism and evidence for/against the afterlife they demonstrated an impressive ability to deconstruct and assess an argument, with David Van Egghen and Thomas Miller in particular more than holding their own in debating the issues. Following the success of this year’s conference, plans are already afoot for next year.

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The Department of Economics

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t has been another successful year for the Economics Department in 2012 2013. The department achieved yet another successful set of examination results with 95% of A level students achieving A*B. The department was elated that 7 students were offered places at Oxbridge in 2013 for related course in Economics. As per normal the department has been involved in a number of scholarship opportunities which help to deepen and extend students understanding of the World Economy including the Bank of England, Target 2.0, Politics and Economics Society and the annual visit to Washington and New York. At the end of the academic year Mr Booth who has taught Economics at the school for 17 years left to become Deputy Headmaster at Townley Grammar School. The department has been joined by Mr William Haines who has already proved himself in his proactive involvement in Political economy society.

John Greenwood

S___Head of Economics

Lower VI Trip: Washington and New York In activity week 27 students visited Washington DC and New York. The Trip encompasses visits to both Economic Political and Historical landmarks and organisations.

The highlights of trip involve visiting The World Bank, US Congress United Nations, Federal Reserve and Wall Street. These visits provide the students of both Economics and History A level with real contextual examples in relation to key events and world economic policy. In particular the visit to the World Bank and The United Nations provide an excellent launch pad for the subject of Development Economics which is studied in Year 13 Economics. The visit also includes visits to many tourist landmarks including the White House, Lincoln Memorial in Washington, and The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Empire state building, The Rockefeller centre and statue of Liberty in New York.

Politican Economy Society - Paul Mason of Newsnight

Political Economy Society The thriving Political Economy society has seen a range of talks and discussions throughout 2012-2013 by students. The highlight of the year came about when the society welcomed Paul Mason Newsnight’s Economics editor pictured below, with Gavin Benson and Theo Clifford. He delivered an excellent talk about the impact of austerity. In addition to this talk, the society welcomed Madision Pirie of the Adam Smith Institute and Johnny Glennie from the Guardian.

Young Writers’ Competition The school recently received a letter from the Baillie Gifford & Financial Mail Young Writers’ Competition congratulating Theo Clifford (13T) on his selection as a finalist in the 16-18 section. His essay on “When do you want to retire and how do you plan to fund this?” won £50 of book tokens for the school in addition to some for his personal use.

Careers Information Talks In the spring term, there has been a series of careers information talks which took place at the end of the school day. Talks included Accountancy, Medicine, Journalism, Engineering and Investment Banking. They provided a valuable insight into careers in these areas and were delivered by Old Olavians and school parents.

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Young Enterprise The Young Enterprise Company Exponential ended this year’s competition by being runners up in the Bromley Borough having. The team produced a range of products including calendars, mother’s day gifts and a series of personalised gifts.

Economics Conference On Monday 3rd December Year 13 Economists attended a conference in London to enjoy a range of presentations by Ed Balls MP (Shadow Chancellor), Hugh Pym (Economics Editor, BBC), Tim Harford (Author of ‘The Undercover Economist’, BBC and the FT) and various economists.

Bank of England - Target 2.0 On the 26th February the Saint Olave’s Monetary Policy

committee represented the school in the Area final. The competition involves the students analysing Economic data and making a recommendation as to what the Bank of England should do to achieve the inflation target of 2%. The team opted to incentive banks to encourage more lending in the economy. The team unfortunately did not win through to the national final but they would like to thank everyone for helping to fill in their surveys.

Work Related Learning & Enterprise Days As part of their work related learning, Year 10 visited the Bank of England including a talk giving valuable insight into why it is essential to manage inflation in the economy and what constitutes economic stability. The day also included a business game which all enjoyed.

The St. Olave's Grammar School Bank of England ‘Target 2.0’ Team

Washington & New York - Lower VI Economics and History Trip Olavian 2013 – 127

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Sports

The Sports Faculty

S

port continues to flourish at St. Olave’s and we are very proud of all that our students accomplish. The Sports’ Prefects have made a significant impact on the volume of clubs that are run and help us push towards our goal of every student finding at least one activity that they wish to continue with once they leave the school.

As always the PE department is also indebted to those members of staff who voluntarily give up their time to support us by coaching teams, driving minibuses and arranging matches. Well done to everyone who has got involved, at whatever level and in whatever capacity.

Andy Kenward

S___Director of Sport

Sports’ Prefects There are many activities which the students enjoy and many of these are facilitated by the sports prefects. With a new cohort just starting it is appropriate at this stage to thank their predecessors for their support of sport at St Olave’s. Clubs in basketball, squash, badminton and table tennis for example ensure that many pupils can take advantage of what these sports have to offer. The table tennis teams have also played competitively and we recently took eight players to the South London individual championships where five players progressed through to the second round.

Cricket Leadership The school continues its association with offering cricketers in Years 9 and 10 the opportunity to become cricket leaders in association with Bromley cricket. These leaders undertake sessions on coaching, officiating, groundsmanship and first aid before volunteering to lead sessions both in school and at their local clubs.

Sports Celebration Evening On Friday 10th May, the PE department hosted the first Sports’ Celebration Evening which replaced the previous rugby and cricket dinners. Guest speaker and Old Olavian, David Akinluyi, proved inspirational and presented awards for in a multitude of activities in recognition of the hard work and dedication of the students.

New Fitness Suite It was with a great sense of excitement and gratitude that the PE department were able to open the fitness suite this term and which has already proved to be a valuable and popular resource. Particular thanks go to the Parents’ Association and parents who donated equipment and 130 – Olavian 2013

funding to enable the suite to be filled with a range of fitness-related equipment.

Rugby 1st XV Rugby The 1st XV this year has had a successful season, which culminated in reaching round six of the Daily Mail Vase competition. The season began with an encouraging start with notable wins against Colfe’s, Reigate and Hayes before suffering some disappointing losses during the bad weather and examination period. The squad this year has shown resilience as no less than thirty five players have experienced 1st team rugby showing the strength and depth of the squad.

2nd XV Rugby This year’s squad finished the season as one of the most successful team in the school, winning ten out of thirteen matches. There were big wins against Ravens Wood, Colfe’s and Cooper’s Coborn. A major factor that pervaded through the season was the heart that the team showed when under huge amounts of pressure, especially in defence. This came to fruition particularly during the 8 – 7 victory over Trinity, and 29 – 28 win over Chis & Sid, characterising the squads’ successful but hard fought season ably led by Captain Michael Yates (13O).

Under 16 Rugby This has been an extremely successful season for the U16s, winning nine out of their eleven of their matches. Several of these victories were close but the team worked extremely hard for one another and developed the ability to close out matches. Notable wins over Dartford, Judd and Brighton College were particular highlights and particular thanks goes to Teddy McAleer (11K) and Joe Cordery (11K) for their leadership of the A and B teams respectively.

Under 15 Rugby The U15 A and B teams both made indifferent starts to the 2012-13 season, failing to carry the momentum forward from their impressive U14 campaigns. Injuries throughout the squad led to the introduction of new players who made major contributions in many matches. Both teams form improved as the season went on, with the A team recording impressive wins against Wimbledon College and Brighton College. The B team improved similarly and capped the season with a fine victory over London Oratory.

Under 14 Rugby It has been a tough year result wise and the U14s have struggled to win against some very large and skilful sides despite some very spirited performances. However their time will come but not without some hard work and some growth powder! Well done to the chaps who have been led by the irrepressible Henry Edwards (9C) in the A’s and Charlie Peck (9H) and Ciaran Twomey (9L) in the B’s. A big thank you to Mr Martin who has worked tirelessly with the B Team this season.

Under 13 Rugby The U13s experienced numerous successes on the rugby pitch this season with convincing victories over strong rugby schools such as Skinners, Reigate and local rivals Chislehurst and Sidcup. Led excellently by skipper Finn Macpherson (8C) the rumbling pack were often dominant in the scrums with the likes of Sam Bullen (8L) and Temi Talabi (8B) throwing their weight around. In the backs, Charlie Stocks (8H) and James Tate (8C) dictated the team’s patterns effectively, enabling the outside backs to let loose with the likes of Tom Whichello (8C), Joshua Joseph (8B), and Adrian Ize-Iyamu (8L) running in the tries.

U12s Rugby The U12 rugby squad have improved steadily over the season gaining impressive wins over St. Dunstan’s College and Reigate GS.The ‘A’team have been captained extremely well by Sam Eldridge (7L). The ‘B’ team have been well run by Mr Gyford and Captain James Blackwood (7H).

Rugby 7s The rugby 7s squads trained busily in preparation for their entry into local, county and national competitions. The U16 came 3rd in their pool for the county competition, while the U13s reached the semi-finals of the Judd 7s, narrowly losing to the hosts.

Under-16 XV, 2012-13

Under-15 A, 2012-13

Under-14 A, 2012-13

Under-13 A, 2012-13

Under-12 A, 2012-13 Sports – 131

South America Rugby Tour This summer a cohort of 30 players from the current Sixth Form embarked upon a once in a lifetime rugby tour to Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. The team were accompanied by 1st XV coach Mr. White and Director of Sport Mr. Kenward, as well as Mr. Espejo and the returning Mr. Harding.

The group’s first destination was Chile, where they trained on the beach to the entertainment of the locals, who were not accustomed to seeing people playing rugby wearing vests during their winter. The team then moved from their hotel in the city of Vina Del Mar to the capital Santiago to play their first game against Craighouse School, with the mountains providing a scenic backdrop for the match. Alas, the team lost, but for a first outing against an established school team they were pleased with their performance.

The team then moved onto Mendoza, Argentina. Here the team were fortunate enough to experience white water rafting over the freezing rapids and zip-lining across the river. That evening, the boys also got their first taste of the fabled Argentine steak. This was certainly the main reason Mr. White had come to South America, and everyone was thoroughly fed in preparation for the games against Los Tordos A & B teams the next day. The B team game was first, and was a closely fought battle, with Olave’s going ahead first. However, Los Tordos fought back and the game was lost narrowly. The A game was a similar affair, with Olave’s playing some excellent attacking rugby, and fierce defence against a much larger opposition. Despite a hat trick from Will Searle, the boys were unfortunate to lose a tight game 24-17. The disappointment was soon forgotten though, with the post-match hospitality being of an unrivalled standard.

Plate after plate of red meat was provided for us, and the team went home for a second night with their stomachs bursting.

After Mendoza, the team travelled to Buenos Aires.

Whilst there, the group visited the Don Silvano gaucho ranch, where we were greeted by the hosts with empanadas, just in case people weren’t full enough. It seemed clear why our oppositions were always so much bigger than us; they don’t stop eating! At the ranch

the team took part in horse riding, watching a gaucho display and looking around the farm at all the animals.

The day was topped off with a music and dance show, which was of course accompanied with vast amounts of food. Some of the boys were fortunate enough to be asked to go and dance, and everyone went on stage to do a rendition of Jerusalem for our hosts. We then had to recuperate for our game against Belgrano the next day.

The boys as ever expected a physical battle and that is again what they got. Despite the team’s best efforts, they were not able to end their losing streak but what was key, again was the way they fought against such large and skilful opposition. The food was delicious as usual, and the group then went onto watch the Belgrano 1st XV play in one of their National League matches. Of course the team were supporting Belgrano, who were victorious.

The cohort then crossed borders again when they got the ferry over to Montevideo, Uruguay. The sole purpose of this journey was to play the Uruguayan National U18 team. Everyone was excited to be playing in a national stadium, especially one where England had played CONSUR XV weeks before. The spirit of the team before the game was high, realising the implications of beating a national team. The game started well with Olave’s going 3-0 with a penalty from Alex Weeks.

However, the game went somewhat downhill after that, with the team losing 71-3.

The team then headed back to Buenos Aires for their final match against St. Alban’s. This game followed the pattern of the other games where despite some excellent play from Olave’s, the opposition was simply too big and powerful. It was unfortunate to end their games without a victory, but looking at the bigger picture, the team having realised how far they had come as a group of players, hoping to take the bond formed between the different year groups forward into this season. The tour was rounded off by a final few nights in Iguazu. Here the team visited the great Iguazu Falls, viewing them from both the Brazilian and Argentine sides. Whilst in Brazil, the group got to experience a super-carnivalvariety-show-extravaganza, where again the food was in plentiful supply.

The team and coaches then prepared themselves for the long journey back which included three flights stopping at Buenos Aires, Madrid and London. For many, the tour was one of the greatest adventures they had ever been on and are ever likely to go on. The cohesion between the two year groups and preparing for the season ahead were the main aims of the tour, and they were certainly fulfilled, with any year 12/13 barrier completely broken down. In this regard, the tour was an absolute success and the team are excited to get the new season underway.

Ben Cole, Tour Captain

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Cricket U15 Cricket The U15 XI has had a successful season, reaching the final of the Bromley Cup. As current holders, they faced Langley Park at the end of term. During the season, they claimed a notable victory over Skinners. The bowling attack has been ably spearheaded by Captain Prabu Sathananthan (10N), well supported by James Reed (10L) among others. James Wagstaff–Hall (10L) and Connor Quick (10K) have excelled with the bat and in the field.

All the team have contributed significantly at times, and have proved a very capable and hard to beat group.

U14 Cricket The U14 squad have had a mixed season. After good early wins against Rochester Maths and Tunbridge Grammar the squad faced a tricky first round Kent Cup tie against Eltham College. Unfortunately a narrow loss in a competition that previously had seen the team win and come runners up was a huge blow. However the team have turned the corner in recent weeks, culminating in a Bromley Cup victory over Langley Park!

U13 Cricket After a successful season last year the squad were brought back down to earth though with a loss in the first game against Tunbridge Wells. However this sparked their season into life and since that match the team has been undefeated. They won the Bromley Cup by 8 wickets and also managed to win the Kent cup courtesy of a record 211 for 2. Captains Matthew Lane (8H) and Sohayl Ujoodia (8C) have led from the front both with their batting and their organisation of the team but in truth the results have been a tremendous team effort.

Under-15 XI, 2013

Under-14 XI, 2013

U12 Cricket It has been an excellent season for the team, with a series of good results culminating in seven wins and one loss.

Indeed, the Year 7s managed to get through to the finals of both the Bromley Cup and the Kent 20/20 Cup, though unfortunately narrowly losing both matches.

Kent Cricketers Cricket has always been a successful sport for the school and this trend looks set to continue with three players being chosen to represent Kent in the summer, Sohyal Ujoodia (8C), Prabu Sathananthan, (10M) and Angus Dalgleish (12N), the leading run-scorer for Kent U17 last year.

Devon Cricket Tour During May half term, Year 8 cricketers travelled to Devon for their annual cricket tour. They managed to play three matches, winning the last two against Paignton and Torquay, whilst only losing to Shaldon having given them one of the School’s star players who took a fantastic catch and scored fifty runs for them!

Under-13 XI, 2013

Under-12 XI, 2013 Sports – 133

Fives The huge St Olave’s Fives team enjoyed its strongest season ever. Top Open Christopher Self (13P) & Sanjay Kundu 13Q), U16 Leo Henderson (10K) and William Phillips (11K) and U14 Tom Gallagher (9B) & Kosi Nwuba (9B) were amongst the highest seeds in the National Championships. The U13s Nationals took place and was dominated by St.Olave’s with an all-Olavian final won by Kieran Walton (8L) and James Tate (8C), who defeated Kameron Swanson (8L) and Sohayl Ujoodia (8C) in the deciding set. Over twenty five matches have been played and won, as well as players entering adult and regional school competitions. Congratulations to Kosi Nwuba (9B) on becoming the U14 National Champion in Rugby Fives.

Senior Fives players, 2012-13

Rugby Fives This year St. Olave’s entered the U13s and U14s Rugby Fives National Championships at St. Paul’s School which culminated in all Olavian final with Kameron Swanson (8L) beating Sohayl Ujoodia (8C). James Tate (8C) won the singles plate which saw St. Olave’s take first, second and third place in the Singles competition and Kieran Walton (8L) and James Tate winning the Doubles.

Senior Fives The U18s Squad have played well this season with School wins against Harrow, Eton Berkhamsted, Shrewsbury, and Westminster. Christopher Self (13P) partnered Old Boy Sebastian Cooley (1991-1999) and regained his Turnbull Trophy title where they beat Berkhamsted School 3-0 in the final. The School’s Girls pair has played well this season and have played matches against Berkhamsted and Westminster School and played with the Old Olavian ladies team in the “Black Cup” Competition, improving throughout the season.

U16 Fives This has been a great season for the U16s with Ross Henderson (110) and William Phillips (11K) playing with the Old Olavians in the Adult league, causing a real upset in the U18s by defeating the seeded Highgate second pair. All players worked hard this season and this was rewarded with wins over Berkhamsted, Harrow, Eton College, Shrewsbury and Westminster School.

U15 Fives Leo Henderson (10K), Harry Russell (10N), Billy Belsham (10J), Will Edmonds (10J), Connor Quick (10K), Miles Dutton (10K) and Nathan Lewis (10L) formed the backbone of the U15s team. Leo and Harry were the most improved players, achieving some spectacular results against very highly ranked players from other schools.

Their performance in the Nationals was their best of the season which saw them reach the third round.

Under-14 Squad, 2012-13

Under-13 Squad, 2012-13 134 – Olavian 2013

U14 Fives This season the U14s squads have recorded wins against, Eton, Shrewsbury, RSG High Wycombe, Berkhamsted, Lancing, Emanuel and Westminster School.Top pair of Tom Gallagher (9B) and Kosi Nwuba (9B) have only lost one match this season and were amongst the highest seeds in the Schools National Championships. Tom Gallagher and Vishwakrith Shetty (9H) teamed up with the Year 8s to win a prestigious three pair team event at Harrow and Kosi Nwuba reached the final of the Rossall U15s Singles Championships. Tom Gallagher won two regional U14s individual competitions as well as John Hawk (9H) and Anik Roy (9L) reaching the main plate final of the Midlands Championships.

U13 Fives The U13s squad has done extremely well this season with Kameron Swanson (8L) and Sohayl Ujoodia (8C)

winning the Midlands School Championships beating Rydal Penhros School in an epic final. In the U13s Schools’ Nationals St. Olave’s reached the final with both first and second pairs to make it an all Olavian affair. St.Olave’s also won the Rugby Fives Nationals at St.Paul’s school, with Kameron Swanson (8L) winning the Singles and Kieran Walton (8L) winning the Doubles – the first school pair in history to win both Eton and Rugby Nationals!

U12 Fives The squad has taken part in matches against Berkhamsted School, Shrewsbury, Emanuel and Highgate School. In the U12s National Competition the School’s top two pairs qualified into the main knockout stages.

Netball The netball squad have had a good year. A very successful match was played against Trinity, with two games securing Olave’s convincing wins. Morale was therefore high and performance has certainly been enhanced due to the external coaching from Sue Ellis. The girls have worked well together and many thanks go to Ellie Goodman (13P), Lucy Allat (13S) and Katie Shanahan (13Q) for their support as Netball prefects. We look forward next year to new leadership from Katie Hunt (12J), Megan Collet (12M) and Bumade Agbaje (12N).

Netball Team, 2012-13

Football 1st XV, 2012-13

Football The football team has continued its good form from 2012 into 2013. The team has seen an excellent run of results with notable wins against Bexley Grammar and Christ the King in 2013 and looked set to achieve their highest ever placing in the North Kent Division 1.

Athletics The athletics season has seen some outstanding individual performances in a range of events. For the juniors, Harry Rennolls (8C) and Joshua Joseph (8B) both scored thirty points or more in the English Schools Cup, with Vinothan Sureshkumar (10M) and Leo Henderson (10K) doing likewise. In the Bromley Minors the team performed very impressively with Year 7 coming third and Year 8 coming second.

Sports Day 2013 Sports’ Day is traditionally a day where the school’s best athletes can showcase their talents but also where many students can represent their House. With the Celebration Band spurring on the athletes there were many performances to marvel at and be impressed by.

Competition within the year groups, as well as for an overall winner, was fierce and it was great to see sporting rivalry between the boys upheld in the right spirit.

Sports Day 2013 Special mention goes to Kosi Nwuba in 9B for winning the Junior Victor Ludorum as the most successful Year 9 athlete on the day.

Cure won in Years 7 and 8, with Harvard winning Year 9 and Bingham winning Year 10. Congratulations to Bingham who were overall winners of the Sports’ Day trophy. Final placings were: 1st Bingham, 2nd Cure, 3rd Harvard, and 4th Leeke London Marathon Well done to William Ruiz (12F) and Gavin Benson (12N) who ran the London Mini Marathon representing the Borough of Bromley, running 3 miles in 16:46 and 18:19 minutes respectively.

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Sports Day 2013

Discus

Javelin

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1st: Bingham

2nd: Cure

Shot put

3rd: Harvard

4th: Leeke

Triple Jump

High Jump

John Castle directing the Celebration Band Hurdles

The results are in (left) and are processed by the scoring team (above) of three capable Olavians Olavian 2013 – 137

Cross-country It is good to see our students doing well in the recent Kent School’s Cross Country Championships. For the juniors, Charles Davis (9B) finished 17th overall and 3rd in Bromley, with Joshua Davidson (9H) coming in 28th overall and 5th in Bromley. Congratulations to them both and, most particularly, to William Ruiz (12F) who came an impressive 5th overall in the seniors and was the fastest competitor in Bromley. This has resulted in his selection to run in the English Schools Cross Country on Saturday 2nd March.

Tennis This year the School entered the Year 8, 10 and senior championships this year with mixed results. Year 8 ended their season with an impressive 5 – 1 win over Ravens Wood and Year 10 showed good promise and some new players gained valuable match experience.

Badminton Having both won the Bromley competition last term, the Junior and the Intermediate badminton teams travelled to Wilson’s School to take on the best teams in South London. The Juniors performed well in their pool and finished runners up, including a notable win over Whitgift, before beating Graveney School to finish third.

The Intermediates also played some excellent badminton to come second in their pool but were unable to emulate their younger peers, finishing a highly respectable fourth.

Long distance running on Sports Day

The Junior and Intermediate Badminton teams

Hockey The St. Olave’s 1st XI mixed hockey team played their traditional summer game against Burnt Ash on Tuesday 11th June at Chislehurst and Sidcup AstroTurf. The students worked very hard and came together as a team winning 3-2.

Swimming This term has seen huge success for the school’s swimmers. Following swimming victories over Colfe’s several students won medals at the Kent Schools’ Championships including Theo Haslam (10K), Michael Jacobs (9L), Matthew Ruiz (10L), Harry Rennolls (8C) and Alexander Song (7C).

Hockey 1st XI, 2012-13

Ski Trip This year’s ski trip took students to Salt Lake City in Utah. Over the course of the week all students had up to six hours of tuition every day, went to see the Grizzleys play (Ice Hockey) and had the chance to enjoy American cuisine and various all American activities.

Ski Trip to Utah, February 2013 138 – Olavian 2013

Art, Design & Technology

Art, Design & Technology The Department of Design & Technology The department of Design and Technology continues to progress from strength to strength as the subject changes and adapts in response to the shifting UK curriculum.

With the re-launch of the National Curriculum for D&T, which will see schools teaching 3D printing and potentially cooking with insects from September 2014, and the announcement that schools UK wide will be able to use GCSE qualifications as part of its 8 A*-C grade league table figures, D&T at St Olaves Grammar School is set to maintain and grow in stature at the school.

With no changes in staff and an increase in the range of activities available through the department, D&T at the school is better than ever.

Philip Holton

S___Head of Design & Technology

Results In September 2012 the department were honoured to publish its latest exam results. GCSE Design and Technology remains a fantastic subject studied by boys across the school, and with all but one student achieving an A* or A grade at GCSE level, the department have once again performed above expectations. Despite the challenge becoming harder year on year to achieve the A* and A, students continue to perform well and have been pushing the boundaries of what can be designed and made.

Exceptional work from the Year 11 students included products by James Gibb who designed a chopping board system, Gihan Fernando who produced a beautiful cricket bat stand, and Akkilash Raveenthiran who developed a unique Apply style wooden MP3 player.

At AS Level, Product Design suffered a drop in exam performance despite exceptional continued performance in the coursework aspect of this first sixth form year.

A national trend of marks dropping 2 or more grades has resulted in disappointing grades for the cohort, and despite the active challenging of the exam board to review the “sudden shift” in the way the mark scheme is applied to assessment, the department have sadly not been able to move the marks. In response this year students taking on the AS course in September 2014 will be able to study AQA Product Design instead of OCR Product Design. This new course will offer a much easier transition from GCSE to AS Level, and alongside a traditional exam will see students design and make a quality product, which will now form a new feature of the AS course. Despite the disappointment in exam 140 – Olavian 2013

performance, there was exceptional design work from the group which included Jing Lu’s handy cheese grater, Dasha Veysey’s child’s self-powering torch, and a mean looking barbeque fan from Keir Bowater - all great concept designs and worthy of note.

At A2 level the performance was as expected with all students achieving their target grades or going above them. Christopher Self continued to excel in the subject with the only A* the department has ever seen at A2, a testament to his hard work developing a builders Acro as part of his major Year 13 project. His work developed a unique geared system for supporting collapsing roofs, which was worthy enough to be sent as evidence of “excellence in engineering” to every single school in the country by the Young Engineers “Engineering Solutions” programme. Michael Odufisan and Max MacDonagh go on to Loughborough University to study Industrial Design on the back of success in the subject, whilst Sam Rix has earned himself a prestigious place on an Architectural course at UCL. Thomas Heslop has gone onto continue his creative studies at University, whilst Tanmoy Banerjee has earned a place on a Mechanical Engineering course. William Dalton goes on to study outside of the creative industry, to round off a very successful year for A-Level Product Design, and we look forward to the work our current Year 13’s will go on to produce this year. A growing trend of students choosing design and engineering related courses having studied Product Design is exactly where the department want to progress, so we are very excited to continue to support the future progression of excellent students who study at our school.

Projects Last year students saw a revamp to the projects at Years 7 to 9, with the inclusion of food at both Year 7 and 8 for the first time, the introduction of end of year exams for each year group using online self-assessing tools, and three new exciting projects at Year 9 in anticipation of the new three year GCSE courses, which will include lighting, clocks and robotics. As part of the development of the subject the department are exploring the offer of Product Design at GCSE, Graphic Products at GCSE, and the potential of a Robotics GCSE in the future (from 2015). Work at every level, from Year 7 to 13, has seen dramatic change as staff push students to go above and beyond the norm and be as creative as possible without fear of failure. Excellent work was evident in Year 9 as students designed unique articulated robot characters, students applied Dye Sublimation to clock designs, and

Autodesk Inventor software slowly fed its way into the everyday design work of students.

Food Food technology continues to grow in D&T. Last year saw more students than ever take part in a food club, whilst two regional competitions, the Kent Young Chef and the Springboard Food Competition, saw students design unique dishes to cook for a judge to taste. Rishil Patel in Year 10 performed exceptionally well cooking a two course meal in a professional kitchen alongside some of the regions best chefs. The competition as always was fierce, and sadly Rishil did not make the finals despite cooking a great meal.

Year 12 continued to develop their life skills by all studying and passing the Level 2 Food Hygiene certification. This will grant all students opportunity to work in a kitchen when they leave school, to handle and prepare food, and also to sell their own food as an entrepreneur if they wish too. We hope none will end up working a McDonalds!

Trips & Competitions The department continues to develop the designers and engineers of tomorrow, and trips organised last year were aimed at the provision of D&T learning outside the classroom. A visit to Brompton Bicycles, a UK manufacturer and exporter or fine handmade bicycles was a high for students, who were privileged to see firsthand the welding of frames, the product development of 3D printed product solutions, and the business model for marketing globally a very British product. The sheer pride of being able to stamp “Made in Britain” on each and every bicycle was the clear reason the company had such success since launching in 2004. Students applied the learning directly into coursework back at school by preparing marketing presentations for their own products, and designing their own brands and website.

The Design Museum, as part of the Design Ventura competition run for another successful year by Ms Hawley, was host to a fantastic workshop for Year 9 to 11 students. Into our third year of the competition in which we have previously finished in the top 5 in the country, expectations were high again this year in anticipation of our boys developing even better conceptual products for the museum shop. A group of students from Year 10, who developed a sustainable belt from a used bicycle tyre, was chosen to represent the school at the National competition. The boys again achieved success, earning them once more recognition with a certification and nomination for Sustainable Design, but sadly not the top prize. The growth in interest in the competition is reflected in the success of the department, who for three years are the only school UK wide to reach the final 10 for every year the competition has ran.

The Toyota Stem Challenge once again saw Year 10 students building a solar powered car to support the learning around Sustainable Design. This year students negotiated the early knock out stages to be pitted against the top 10 schools in the South of the UK at a regional final at the Imperial War Museum in Cambridge. The boys performed exceptionally well and enjoyed the day.

Despite not making the final, there was a lot learnt about how to work as a team, build and develop a product, and take ownership of a new technology. We look forward to seeing the competition next year and widening the age groups who take part.

VEX Robotics For the first time last year, students began to study and work with robotics. One group of Year 10 boys represented the school at the Big Bang Show Event at the London Excel centre. Over a three day event, boys built from scratch a robot that would compete head to head against robots from schools who would have had nearly a year to prepare. The boys performed exceptionally well, beating schools from across the country, but only managing to negotiate up the score board enough to ensure they were not at the bottom, and not high enough to progress to the top 24 knock out stage (of 34 teams). The group were awarded the “Judges Award” for exceptional work and effort over the three days, gifted the robotics kit worth £800, and were invited back next year to compete once more for the prize to fly to California to attend the World competition. The winning team, a girls team from East Barnet, went on to represent the UK in California, but we hope to be there instead next year.

On the back of a successful entry to the VEX National competition, the department launched an internal robotics league, with teams from year 7 to 10 fighting it out every Wednesday in a VEX Robotics league called Sack Attack. The winners, a team from Year 9 called the “Machines” won the league to earn a paid place in the National competition next year. A further knock out competition cup style event saw another Year 9 team win £100 in VEX kit to develop their robot. We hope

D&T – 141

the growth and interest of our boys in robotics in the department will see students studying GCSE Robotics in the future, or developing an interest in AS Product Design – Electronic Products, or entering the World Skills UK competition in which sixth form students can design and make robotic solutions against the best in the country. Exceptional work as a team resulted in VEX boys raising £600 from Hexbug sales to buy more kit and materials for the club, and we hope to expand next year to offer a Year 7 only club to enhance what the department offer.

The Arkwright Scholarship scheme Once again the department achieved a fantastic result in the Arkwright Scholarship scheme. Despite more candidates from more schools applying for the scheme, and less scholarships nationally being available, the department continues to see success, with 4 new scholars joining 5 existing scholars at the school. Each will be awarded funding throughout sixth form and will have opportunity to work at the very highest level in design, engineering and industry leadership. Students this year have mentors at fantastic local and national companies which include BAE Systems and the MoD.

new trends. In the new Arkwright room students have access to not one but two new 3D printers, allowing them to print out virtual models they have designed.

Students have managed to develop tools, fixings, toys and characters to print, and in doing so are learning about a world changing piece of technology that will benefit everyone one day. As part of the department becoming a Digital D&T centre of excellence, the department has access to the latest technology and software to support students in their learning. Next year the department will become a Teach Design Tech Centre, and a VEX Robotics Centre of Excellence, in response to their work with VEX Robotics and 3D printing. The department will also receive a further 4 3D printers to grow this technology into more everyday workshop activities.

On the back of last year’s success, staff in the department refitted the classroom D3 with new flooring, tables and equipment to turn it into a fantastic study room for sixth formers of D&T. The room also provides a quiet space to study, design and make, and pupils benefit from comfortable seats and space to spread their projects out.

Next year we hope to have equal success in the Arkwright Scholarship scheme, which will run alongside a new Crest Award scheme to credit students studying D&T with a D of E equivalent award for UCAS applications.

All students next year taking part in the VEX club will earn a Silver award.

The Design Ventura team with their commended product

3D Printing has arrived Whilst budgets continue to tighten, modern technology moves on and the department continue to keep up with

The Arkwright scholars

Olavians visit the home of Brompton Bikes 142 – Olavian 2013

The Department of Art The Art department has been a hive of creativity this year, with students continually pushing the standard of work.

Every year group has contributed to the departments highlights. In the lower school, Year 7s produced imaginative human sculptures, Year 8s created ‘Identity’ themed Totem Poles and Year 9 animated stop-motion films, often with humorous results. Our KS3 students also won the prestigious ‘Bromley Schools Digital Art Prize’. GCSE students took trips to the several London Galleries, collecting inspiration for their projects. The sixth form Art trip to Amsterdam was a huge success, with students having the opportunity to visit the Van Gogh Museum, The Rijks Museum and Anne Frank’s house. The most admirable areas of the department are the clubs and societies, run by the students themselves.

This year ‘Art History Society’ came into being, boasting a wide range of high quality talks and a loyal cohort.

The Art prefects have given a new lease of life to Art club, running fun and engaging activities for the lower school including sculpture projects and spin art. The year culminated in a breath taking sixth form exhibition held in the chapel. This showed a wide range of inspirational work, much of which demonstrated sophistication and skill well beyond the years of the student. It was in the beautiful, and often emotional, film work that the students really epitomised the strong link between technical skill and creativity that the department is always striving towards. Congratulations to all the students and staff for a truly fantastic year.

Year 11 at the Saatchi Gallery

Siobhan Heraghty S___Head of Art

Year 11 Art Trip On the Tuesday 23rd October Year 11 Art students visited London as part of the preparation for their current Controlled Assignment entitled ‘Great Britain’. They visited an interesting contemporary exhibition and talk at the Saatchi Gallery just off the Kings Road followed by an open-topped bus tour of sites and attractions.

Year 10 Art Trip On Tuesday 2nd October the Year 10 Art group went on a visit to London and a variety of galleries and museums.

The day started at the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe with a fascinating talk about the first ever tunnel under a river in the world. The group then walked along the Thames river bank, stopping and discussing the changes in London and the way the river has been used. There is still plenty of historical evidence in the old cranes, docks, buildings and views of the history of the river. 3000 ships at the height of the British Empire on the Thames at any one time.

The group also visited an American artist’s show at the White Cube gallery in Bermondsey Street, just behind

Photos from the Year 10 trip to London Art–143

the old St Olave’s school in Tooley Street. Further walking then followed past the Globe and along to The Tate Modern. The Turbine Hall was the site for a conceptual piece where members of the public are approached and engaged in conversation about peoples’ stories. Several of the group were thus engaged.

The purpose of the visit was to record people and environments in London, to be used back at school for Art project work. Thanks go to Miss Heraghty and Mrs Smith for accompanying the group.

Year 10 Maritime Museum Trip As part of their introduction to GCSE Photography the year 10 artists visited the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich to be inspired by the photography of Ansel Adams. Displaying a huge range of epic landscapes in his distinctive dynamic style, students were impressed by the iconic and beautiful images of American nature.

A highlight of the exhibition was the documentation of water in its varying forms; ranging from exploding geezers, to still, reflective pools and churning seas.

Students had a chance to leave their mark on the exhibition by leaving comments on how Ansel Adams had inspired them. There was just enough time to take photographs of the newly restored Cutty Sark before returning to school. Many thanks to the staff involved.

Bromley KS3 Art Exhibition This year’s Bromley Key Stage 3 Art exhibition was held at Hayes school on Thursday 7th March offering all schools in Bromley a chance to showcase their Key Stage 3 Art work. As in previous years, the visually stimulating artwork, including those submitted by St Olave’s students reflected the talented artists in the Key Stage 3 cohort and we were thrilled to win the prize for the best digital artwork in the Borough.

Year Eight Totem Poles Taking inspiration from contemporary imagery and tradition methods, Year 8 produced a series of fantastic Totem Poles during an extra-curricular day. Each student carved and painted their own block of wood which were then attached together to create striking sculptures. Well Done to the entire year group for all their hard work.

Art Exhibition This annual event was again typified by the quality and variety of art work produced by Year 12 and Year 13 artists.There were paintings, sculptures, reliefs, graphic designs, photographs, films and timelapse and the external examiner commented on the wide range on show. A few pieces have been chosen for the Creative Work section of this magazine, and can be found towards the front.

Royal Academy of Art Life Drawing On Tuesday 5th February, the Year 12 and 13 Art students spent the day in the Pavilion attending a life drawing class arranged by the Royal Academy Outreach programme, with a model and tutor.

It was a very intensive day spent exploring various ways to portray the human figure. Working on the floor, on a wide variety of exercises and in different media, the idea was to widen the perception and approach to drawing.

Life drawing is probably one of the hardest challenges and this was the first time that some of the students had attempted this task. It was a tiring day, both physically and intellectually, but all students worked very hard and produced some excellent outcomes.

Students enjoyed a short visit to the fully restored Cutty Sark after travelling to the National Maritime Museum

Students taking part in the RA Life Drawing workshop

Students of 8L with their newly-designed Totem Pole

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VI Form Trip to Amsterdam The 6th Form art group spent Activity Week 2 enjoying the cultural delights of Amsterdam. We visited a wide variety of galleries- not just the famous ones. The newly refurbished Rijs museum for older artworks, including Rembrandt’s ‘Night Watch’, delightful gems by Vermeer and many other famous artists. The Van Gogh museum, with the accompanying audio tour taught us all a lot about his techniques and life. The Stedelijk modern art gallery was probably the most popular with a huge variety of modern works displayed in the recently opened extension.

Other delights were the Cheese Museum,The Fluorescent Art gallery or Electric Ladyland and the Foam photography and David Bowie exhibitions. A canal tour and various markets completed a varied and stimulating visit to a fascinating city.

Many thanks to Mrs Smith for her organisation and patience.

Olavian 2013 – 145

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Old Olavian

Contents 149

Editor’s Notes Chairman’s Report

Chris Harris

Annual General Meeting

Chris Harris

Annual Dinner

Eric Hibbs Megan Ford

Till all our fight be fought

Peter Leonard

StOGS in the Fifties - Part Two

Robin Dadson

150 151 153 153 154 14

Clubs and Societies Old Olavians’ Lodge

Peter Hudson

Cricket Club Tour 2013

Lance Giles

Eton Fives Club

Howard Wiseman

155 155 159

John Brown

160

Old Boys’ Notes 1950-2012 In Memoriam

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162

Editor’s Notes was very surprised to realise as I sat down to write these notes that this is my twentieth year trying to cobble together the Old Olavian section. Twenty years! That’s longer than any of the students at the School have been alive. Twenty years seems such a long time while you are still at school, but everyone realises eventually that it is an all-too-short period of time.

I

The magazine itself has seen many changes in those twenty years: from what was a comparatively thin publication, it has blossomed into what can only be described as a magazine of high quality, a quality which reflects very well on the staff and pupils who are responsible for its content and appearance.

When I started as honorary editor of the Old Boys’ section in 1993 I could rely on a regular flow of contributions, often quite short, from old boys from all eras – from the twenties to the present day.

Now, it seems, technology has changed the way we communicate with each other, and I never – well, hardly ever – receive notes from ex-pupils of any age.

Just occasionally my pleas are heard by some kind soul and I am sent a longer piece to share with what seems to be a dwindling band of readers.

I am, therefore, especially grateful to Robin Dadson (1954-59) for the second part of his memories of his days at the School in the late fifties. His recall of places, deeds and personalities from those days are especially vivid, and I am sure that all old boys from that time, some fifty years ago, will read them with a mixture of pleasure and nostalgia. The editorial team at the school has so enjoyed this article that they have asked that it should be transferred to the earlier pages

of the magazine. This means that readers will have to turn to the appropriate page in the school section.

Robin Dadson joined the school six years later than me, but there is much in his memoirs that rings many bells with me. I am reminded of the rehearsal in the school hall with ‘Benny’ Hill when the cast had arranged to stop whatever they were doing at 6.45pm precisely and lala-ing the signature tune to The Archers – yes, that radio programme was already well-established in the early fifties – we all enjoyed our producer’s reaction, and I think he enjoyed it too.

There must, surely, be others who could describe their days at St Olave’s, whether it be in Tooley Street or Orpington, others who would almost certainly enjoy reliving those mostly happy, comparatively carefree, days from their youth. I was an enthusiastic member of the Fives club when the school moved from the Bermondsey dockland to the much greener site in Kent and I ‘volunteered’ to visit the new site to inspect the new courts. When I arrived everywhere was locked, so I climbed a fence and, feeling somewhat guilty, was able to see the excellent new facilities and report back to the regular playing members of that time.

There must be so many of my readers who can recall incidents such as these from their all-too distant past, who only need a nudge to put them down on paper (or, better still, by email) – as you read this, please take this as that nudge – don’t put it off – do it now! Please!

As always I give thanks to Jane Wells for her help and forbearance throughout the year. This year, in particular, she has been successful in attracting a few last-minute contributions from those few OOs with a conscience!

John Brown Editor, Old Olavian

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Olavian 2013 – Old Olavian – 149

Chairman’s Report ompared with my previous years as Chairman, this one has been relatively quiet, mainly due to my inability to attend some functions, and possibly due to getting used to the routine of it.

C

The school Remembrance Service, which took place in the Great Hall on 9th November 2012 was attended by Old Olavians, including Mr Michael Walter, Captain Daniel Betts, Mr Graham Milne and me. It is good to see Old Olavians attending, especially from The Old Olavians’ Lodge who are always represented at this service. This service, included the reading of an Old Olavian’s letter to home in the event of his death, which referred to friends made at school. That was particularly moving. I would encourage those local enough to attend, to try to come along in 2014. The date is announced quite early in the winter term, and it will be in the newsletters and on our Events Calendar.

The AGM was held in March, and the minutes are below.

I would like to see more of the Old Olavians attend, and to have a say in what goes on.

Sadly there was no 40s Lunch this year. However, it is intended that it will take place in 2014, and Jane Wells has volunteered to arrange it. So please let her know if you are interested in attending. I know some of you already have done.

network with their contemporaries, who would share their experiences with current sixth formers of choosing a degree, choosing a career or attending a University Interview. As a result, the school was able to put on a programme of related activities at the beginning of the school year with the help of Old Olavians.

Also, in September it was good to see a similar attendance to two years ago at the Old Olavians’ reunion at the RAF Club in Piccadilly, although there is always room for more diners. We had Old Olavians attending who spanned nine decades of the school. From Eric Bickerdike-Hibbs, who joined the school in 1937, when the headmaster was Henry George Abel, to Kit Harris and Raphael Fischer, who both left in 2011, under the current headmaster, Aydin Önaç. Mr Önaç is also our President and only the fourth headmaster since Henry Abel. Replying this year to the Headmaster’s toast to the Old Olavians, our guest speaker was Les Padfield. He has taught at the school a number of times, having “retired” from teaching. His recollections from his interview with the then headmaster, Tony Jarvis, and the arrangements re mobile phone usage in his classes, as examples, kept our attention and kept us laughing. He was very entertaining and left the audience wanting more.

It is likely that we will return to the RAF Club in Piccadilly for the 2014 reunion in September. Please keep an eye out for the date, which will be posted in the newsletter, and on our website.

Old Olavians have been meeting up on the morning of the annual Commemoration Service to relive memories of days spent in the Tooley Street school buildings, and for many years to act as guides to lower school pupils. This year, the old school premises were not accessible, and the organised reunion and usual lunch did not take place. However, this did not mean our numbers at the service were any less.

We will continue to try to gain access to the buildings, as planning restrictions mean that the Great Hall and other parts including the Governors’ room are protected.

And so that brings us to the beginning of a new year.

You may recall from last year I reported that only one master from my time remained. Mr Archer decided to retire this year and an invitation to former pupils was circulated to allow them to say farewell at one of our local hostelries. Although unable to attend myself, I am told it was a wonderful, memory-laden afternoon/evening. Mr Archer, though, seems unable to let the school go, and he is still seen in and around the sports department, and is joint form tutor to 7B (or my old form, 1B, in old money).

The Old Olavians’ Society, and ultimately the school, are grateful to those who remember this great institution in their own wills. No matter the amount, the funds can always be put to very good use.

In July we brought together a number of recent Heads of School/School Captains for a meal at the Calcutta Club in Polhill, to foster the encouragement of recent leavers to come back to the school. The aim was to get them to 150 – Old Olavian – Olavian 2013

2014 will see the world remember the outbreak of the First World War 100 years ago. Peter Leonard (1970-77) is writing a new book, which will tell the story/ies of Old Olavians’ sacrifices. The society has agreed to fund the publishing of this work, and will receive income from a share in the profits. Please look out for further details in the months to come (there is further information/recommendation a few pages further on – Ed).

Last year the society donated about £15,000 to the school, including bequests, specific donations and excess funds.

The uses to which these funds are put enable the school to continue to support the pupils in ways that many state schools are just not capable of doing. One only has to read the Olavian to see the breadth of student activities.

Did you know that Old Olavians is a group on LinkedIn, and that you can add a link to your LinkedIn profile, your

Twitter account and your Facebook page on your personal details page on the society’s website - www.webalumnus. com/wa/userLogon.aspx?oid=40023

year to use to top up the funds available to meet hardship requests. Whilst this seemed to meet the definition, it does mean that control passed to the school. Nothing further was heard about the proposed amount or how it would work.

And finally, I would still like to know what else you would like from the Old Olavians Society, preferably with a suggestion of how it can be achieved. Write or email via our administrator at the school, Jane Wells at jwells@ saintolaves.net.

2.4. OORFC funds There have been some banking hold-ups with transfer of funds to the Society from OORFC. These are being addressed.

The society will maintain the funds, and these will be available to assist with the setting up of a new OORFC. If that has not occurred by 2037, then the funds will be available to another OOs sports club, or to the school to support sporting activities.

Looking forward to serving, and hearing from, you.

Chris Harris (1970-77) _____Can be contacted via OOs Administrator jwells@saintolaves.net 3.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

3.1. Membership

OLD OLAVIANS’ SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 12th March 2013 1.

Old Olavians on Web Database – 7188, of which 2237 have provided their email addresses. 457, including 24 sponsorship members, have paid full membership of £20, entitling them to the Olavian and a discounted price for the Reunion Dinner/ Lunch.

Minutes of Last Meeting Agreed

2.

Matters Arising

3.2. Society Administration

2.1. AGM later than aimed for again

This continues to be managed entirely by the school’s OO Administrator ( Jane Wells).

The AGM has to be held within 6 months of the society’s financial year end (30th September).

November had been the target month, however due to late account completion again, the chairman had delayed the meeting to now. It is also important that a date is set that a quorum can be attained, given the low numbers expected to attend.

Audit, Magazine & Reunion – managed by the committee pro tem.

3.3. Magazine 2012 edition of Olavian distributed to 485 members and contributors – thanks again to the OO section editor, John Brown.

2.2. Investment costs The cost of holding the funds with our current broker has been set at £500 per annum. This is now an execution only service, which appears to be no change to the service that the society had been receiving in recent years. The funds will be moved to Lansdowne & Hargreaves in the coming months.

Chairman’s Report

4.

Finance Report 4.1. Accounts

General Fund

Income Expenditure Profit/(Loss) Balance Sheet

2012 £16,612 £16.462 £ 150 £36,363

Benevolent Fund

Income Expenditure Profit/(Loss) Balance Sheet

£ 1,928 £ 0 £ 1,928 £60,447

2.3. Benevolent Fund I met with the Head to discuss a range of topics, including a suitable use for the Benevolent Funds, and he wished to have a set amount each 151 – Old Olavian – Olavian 2013

2011 £18,204 £25,523 £(7,319) £36,213 £ 2,677 £ 0 £ 2,677 £58,519

Olavian 2013 – Old Olavian – 151

4.2. Notes – General Fund

sale or return, even if that means no draught beer, and future meals should be more heavily subsidised if necessary from subscriptions.

Income – Subs and sponsorship were down £340, and investment income was also down by £350.

The Reunion lunch was subsidised to the extent of £600, after paying a donation £500 to the school Rugby Tour Fund, in exchange for the teams supplying the waiters for the event.

This year it is anticipated that we will return to the RAF. A date has been provisionally booked Friday 20th September 2013.

6.

4.3. Donation to School

6.1. Cricket Club

It was recommended and agreed that the donation to the school would be the same as the previous year, £9,618, which includes the sponsorship subscriptions of £1,808.

Ian Giles apologised for missing the meeting, and asked the Chairman to give the very briefest of reports.

It was hoped that everyone had seen the tour report in the 2012 Olavian. The tour was, as ever, a success.

4.4. Hidden assets We have in stock 35 pairs of cufflinks and 95 OO ties.

Ian Giles and Chris Swadkin attended the school cricket Awards dinner, addressing the boys and the parents. They will be following up, to capitalise on the interest generated, for the July friendlies and the 2013 summer tour.

4.5. Notes – Benevolent Fund There were no requests for funds acceded to during the year. However, with the benevolent fund objects in mind: “TO ASSIST NECESSITOUS OLAVIANS, WHICH TERM SHALL INCLUDE BOTH CURRENT AND PAST PUPILS AND STAFF OF SAINT OLAVE’S AND SAINT SAVIOUR’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL, BY PECUNIARY GRANTS OR IN SUCH OTHER MANNER AS MAY BE DEEMED APPROPRIATE”, it was proposed and agreed that £5,000 would be given to the Headmaster.

This is to be used in cases of hardship, and the Society will expect a letter from the headmaster confirming that its use met with the fund’s objects.

5.

Club Reports

The club would welcome a £500 donation to assist with tour costs. The donation was approved.

6.2. Rugby Club The club continues to exist in its “hibernated” state.

7.

Election Of Officers 7.1. There were no resignations, and the Committee members were re-elected to office: Committee Chairman 3 Ex-Officio Members

Functions Report 5.1. Reunion The reunion lunch was held at the school on Saturday 22nd September. It was attended by almost 80, with some attendees coming early enough to watch some Rugby. The school senior prefects provided guided tours of the premises.

Sir Roger Sims was the guest speaker. The film of Tooley Street school life was also on show in the library, and some members have expressed an interest in owning a copy. Lessons were learned by the Chairman – All drink should be purchased on

152 – Old Olavian – Olavian 2013

8.

Chris Harris Paul Ouseley Bill Prouse Trevor Read

Other Business 8.1. Promoting Old Olavians Society Following the previous AGM the Chairman met with the headmaster. The school are very grateful for the support by way of funds, and the headmaster made it clear that he would welcome assistance from OOs to provide careers advice, work experience places and in other, as yet unqualified, ways. It is likely that the Chairman and the headmaster, in

his position as our President, will be writing to all members for their assistance.

8.2. Tooley Street school life It was agreed that the society should arrange for copies of the Tooley Street film, shown in the library at the reunion lunch and previously at the 450 year exhibition, to be available to members for a fee. The society will have to buy the rights to copy it first.

8.3. Till all our fight be fought – The Olavian ‘Fallen’ and the Great War 1914-1918 One of our members, Peter Leonard (1970-77) previously wrote a book about the Olavians who lost their lives in WW1. Peter has proposed to the society that he rewrites a new edition, which with the advances in media will, for a small outlay, see a more professional book published. It was proposed and agreed that the society pay the expected amount to get to publication. For each book sold, whether through the society or the publisher, the society will receive a small royalty.

It will be published to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of the outbreak of war.

Chris Harris (1970-77)

Annual Dinner On the evening of Friday 20th September 2013 I attended the Annual Reunion Dinner of the Old Olavians’ Society at the RAF Officers’ Club in Piccadilly, London. Having attended the School in the days of Dr Abel in the mid-1930s I was not surprised that there was nobody there that I recognised. However I was soon gathered in and introduced to the Headmaster and by him to the six seniors from the pupils, among them the head boy and head girl.

To say that I was impressed would be an understatement for they immediately showed me their ability to make me realise that the stature of the school, as I had known and remembered it for over seventy years, had not changed.

I was invited to sit at the top table for the dinner with the head girl next to me and it soon became very obvious how the current pupils feel about St Olave’s. The meal was served and dutifully despatched; speeches followed and the evening rounded up by the singing of Olaf to Right the Wrong which brought back memories of prayers in the main hall, of presentations by visiting speakers, orchestral performances by the school orchestra, and a play performed on the hall stage called The Bishop’s Candlesticks. I wonder if any of those who took part in the play may read this and remember.

153 – Old Olavian – Olavian 2013

After the dinner I wended my way back to the Union Jack Club (a forces club at Waterloo) of which I am a member, to rejoin my wife. We stayed there until Monday morning when we entrained at Marylebone station for our home in Henley-in-Arden, West Midlands. During the weekend we visited a gentleman’s club in Mayfair called The Fox for afternoon tea, met a party of ladies staying at the Union Jack Club, who had all seen service in the WAAF for as many as twenty-five years at home and overseas, and who held a reunion on the same date every year. Recognising that I had served in the RAF during the War, photographs were taken which I may be able, some time in the future, to see in print in The Olavian.

Eric Hibbs (1937-40) Our chairman asked Alex Allen, head boy in 2007/08 who had made up a table of eight from his year to attend the annual dinner, to provide a report on that event; he, in turn, persuaded Megan Ford who was one of that select group to produce the following contribution: A great evening was had by all at the Old Olavians’ Summer Dinner, held at the RAF Club in Piccadilly. With ages ranging from 89 to those of us who were experiencing our first Old Olavian dinner since leaving School five years earlier, it was a fantastic opportunity to reminisce about our school days. For the first time the full senior prefect team also joined the old boys and old girls. This meant we could both quiz them on what the school was like now and offer them advice on what life was like after St Olave’s. It was also lovely to hear from the current headmaster, Mr Onac, about the recent achievements and activities at the School.

A highlight of the evening was, of course, the guest speaker, Mr Les Padfield. Having taught as a semi-permanent supply teacher at St Olave’s on no less than six occasions, he decided to share with us some of his experiences at the School. This was hugely entertaining and very funny, especially for those of us who were lucky enough to have had him as a teacher!

It was a lovely opportunity to celebrate our school years with friends and teachers, and to meet new people with whom we have St Olave’s in common.

The Old Olavian tradition promises to expand, with year groups setting a challenge for 2014 to see who can achieve the most populous attendance! Let us see if we can make this event an annual reunion across the whole Old Olavian community. We look forward to the next dinner and our next rendition of Olaf to Right the Wrong. We’ll see you there!

Megan Ford (2006-08) Olavian 2013 – Old Olavian – 153

Till all our fight be fought – The Olavian ‘Fallen’ and the Great War 1914-1918

the call to arms of World War 1. I have sent this book to the librarian of Eton College as they possess a very comprehensive library devoted to the study of that conflict.”

John H W Silberrad – Trustee of the St Olave’s and St Saviour’s Grammar School Foundation.

About the Book: Peter Leonard

insert Cover of book

“I found this book a fascinating read. Having read many accounts of fallen from particular schools or professions, I found that this work had the extra edge of a passionate relay of the details, passion that is often lacking in many more prosaic accounts. I truly felt that I got to know many of the warriors so adroitly described and therefore felt the impact of the sadness when their all-too-common fate arrived. I loved the way the work was punctuated with poems and pertinent quotes which added a subtlety to the accounts. I believe there is a uniqueness to this account which allows the names of these fine, brave men to live on forever more.”

James Thurbin – Author – Their Father Lied “In spite of the topic, I found the book neither mawkishly sentimental nor morbidly curious. I found it to be a stirring tribute to the Olavians who died in WW1, acknowledging their heroism and sacrifice. The book was obviously meticulously researched and written in a straightforward manner, concise yet not truncated. I thought the interpretations of the theatres of operation to be accurate and thoughtful. Altogether a fine literary effort.”

Father Kenneth Eade: St Barnabus Church, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. “This book forms a piece of research which brings together an important chapter in the School’s history and which will be an essential part of the archives.”

Anthony Jarvis, Headmaster – St Olave’s Grammar School “I read this book with the greatest interest, it affords a fascinating insight to the response of a non-military school to 154 – Old Olavian – Olavian 2013

The idea behind the book has been to interweave the biographical stories of the many boys and men who had attended the School in Tooley Street, with the dramatic story of the events of these infamous four years of war, which happened nearly a century ago, but still resonate with us, through literature, video, poetry, film and through many other cultural channels.

It seems incredible now how some of the ideas, attitudes and morals that were held by our recent ancestors have changed in the intervening period, partly as a result of our reaction to their loss. Both the amazing and terrifying technological developments of this short time period are reflected by Olavians who served and suffered in these branches of the armed forces…from submarines, dreadnoughts and Sopwith Camel bi-planes, to deep trench mining and bombing, poison gas and munition shells – all aspects of the war touched St Olave’s, Bermondsey and the schoolboys who went there.

The new book will have 23 chapters,163 pages, 22 pages with all 192 men’s portraits and nearly 30 pages of appendices and indexes. Some chapters describe the role of Olavians in the major campaigns and war theatres captured in our national imagination, names like ‘Ypres, the Somme, Gallipoli, Cambrai and Passchendaele’; other chapters attempt to show what life was like in different parts of the war effort – from the medical corps, the engineers and artillery to the navy, tank corps and air force; Some histories focus too heavily on the Western front only, whereas here are chapters on the exploits and adventures of Olavians in the Balkans, Salonika, Palestine and also on the Home front; and finally, despite being an old London-based School, many of the Olavians had links throughout the empire and fought the war as Canadians, South Africans, Anzacs and even in the French Army.

People who buy a copy of this book are actively sending a message: to support their old or current school by understanding the nature and value of its history and educational culture; to use this as a way of educating our children and young people as to the futility of war, but also to inspire them with stories about bravery, self-sacrifice, morality, hope, loss, selflessness, and helping others before ourselves; and to commemorate and remember what the annual service at the Cenotaph really means.

Let’s finish with Rushbrooke…..

some

words

from

Headmaster

Our branch of this world-wide organisation was originally set up for former pupils, staff and governors of St Olave’s.

Parents were always welcome as well. Nowadays friends of members, or people “just interested” too – so no-one gets turned away, but our old school is still vitally important to us.

“We hear that pitiful long list of names of Old Olavians – many of them boys, going from School into the war-machine. It makes one hate the injustice of it all, those lads, mere schoolboys, radiant, full of hope, upon the threshold of the outer world, swept out of life, killed on the battlefield.

We meet four times a year in Central London. We are involved in traditional Masonic ceremonial of course, but this is always followed by an excellent dinner.

Armistice Day – 11th November 1930: The School Hall – Tooley Street:

The solemn reading of their names recalls their faces as we knew them in the School, linked with some tone or glance, some incident of classroom, or the Corps, or cricket field. The name recalls the features: one by one, seen as of old, they pass before the mind, a living gallery of pictures, dearer made by pity, for the wanton sacrifice of their young lives to cruel war’s demands.

Soon, it may be, the list no longer read, will rest, a vellum roll, within a drawer, mute witness of their willing sacrifice.

But while the youthful figure, sword in hand, calls through the years, our youth to take their stand, with heart ablaze to fight against the wrong, may these forgotten names live to declare to future generations of the School, the cruel injustice, senseless sacrifice of life, the misery, the desolation, wrought by war.”

The new book is to be published in August 2014 to commemorate the centenary of the Great War.

CLUBS AND SOCIETIES Old Olavians’ Lodge No. 5051 The Masonic lodge associated with our school was founded 75 years ago and is still going strong.

When asked the question, “Why does freemasonry still exist today?” my answer is “Primarily to raise money for charity.” This is something our Grand Charity does with remarkable efficiency. It is said that only the National Lottery raises more funds for such purposes in the UK. Funding for medical research, for a huge range of charitable organisations, big and small, in this country and support for appeals from organisations ranging from hospices to crumbling places of worship are all within our remit. Funding from us is sent to disaster appeals worldwide within days of the appeal’s launch. We also sponsor important prizes at St Olave’s annual awards ceremonies.

155 – Old Olavian – Olavian 2013

Any enquiries from readers interested in freemasonry and, of course, maintaining links with St Olave’s can be addressed to me, Peter Hudson: Secretary of OO’s Lodge 9 Downs View Close Pratts Bottom Orpington Kent BR6 7SU Peter Hudson

Old Olavian Cricket Tour South Devon 2013 One of the finest feelings every year on tour is rolling up around midday at a nice country pub and spying old friends that you may not have seen since the year before propping up the bar or relaxing on a bench in the sun, as well as meeting new tourists who will almost certainly become old friends very shortly. The pub this year was the Dolphin in Bovey Tracey as we were playing at that town’s very picturesque ground again after a gap of several years.

After lunch, OO captain for the day, Lance Giles, had the pleasure of tossing up with the most attractive skipper in Devon, Sophie Whitlock, who was in charge of the home team. Given Bovey’s premiership standing the tourists decided to send their big guns out first, and so Tom Parsons and Rob Williams strode to the crease aiming to get us off to a good start, with Dave Golbey primed in the silo at number three. Fours started flying immediately, but unfortunately in the third over so too did Rob’s stumps as he was faced with a rotten shooter of a delivery. Deterred neither by this nor the first of many hamstrings to be pulled during the week, Golbey joined Parsons in sending the ball around the park. The Bovey line-up included a few promising colts but it became obvious that they hadn’t selected any of their first-team bowlers, and after blasting his way to a fast ton Tom Parsons (eventually) got himself out, followed by Dave the ball after reaching his fifty.

Lawrence Roots hit 24 and Peter White, an Old Olavian on his first tour, got a nice 26 during our total of 263 in 40 overs. One other notable feature was that Ray Michael and Chris Swadkin only just missed batting together, which may well have been the first such occurrence since the 1960s when they were at school together.

Olavian 2013 – Old Olavian – 155

P White, a batsman who keeps wicket, found himself opening the bowling due to a start-of-the-week seamer shortage, and settled into a nice line and length straight away and got a wicket in his second over. Ian Giles and another new tourist, Chris Ruddle, got three wickets between them with their swing and spin, and Robbie Williams made amends for his swift batting exit with eight overs of good bustling left-arm tweakers and two more wickets. However, bowling honours went to Swaddy for the incisive figures of 3.3 overs, four wickets for six runs, including one wicket from an awesome diving one-handed catch by Parsons T. The OOs won by 110 runs and tour was off to a winning start.

We were greeted at Sidmouth by glorious sunshine the next day, and the famous ground had never looked better. Since Sidmouth had a batting order stacked with first-teamers, including the Devon skipper J Bess (many of whose family the OOs have encountered before) we generously let them have a bat first. Jay Patel took the first over and set the tone well, with good nip and a bit of bounce, and Golbey courageously braved his wailing hamstring to send down three quality overs from the other end. Batsman A Dibble unwisely tried to take a quick single behind point to fielding machine Tom Parsons, who stuck out a large mitt, pirouetted and hurled down the one stump he could see to run out Bess by a good yard for ten runs, and so making the all-important first strike. Skipper Ian Giles brought himself on, and took his customary early wicket, courtesy of an excellent running catch from Alex Dombrandt (16 years old going on 35, and on his first tour). The batsmen Dibble and L Bess then settled down and began to hit back. Pete White came on at an awkward time and held things together well, including an unlucky dropped catch. Mike Mitchell, who had sprained his wrist the day before tour playing football (can you believe it?) replaced Ian Giles and broke the partnership in his second over, as Jay raced around the boundary to pluck a certain six from the air in the most casual of fashions. N Gingell came in and started hitting fours and sixes to the short pavilion boundary while Rob Williams did his best to contain him without much luck – the ball landing in space and a couple of catches going down. Then Gingell middled another ball straight at the pavilion, where Sanjay Ranasinghe was stationed on the edge of the boundary. Our man leapt straight up in the air and took it nonchalantly with one hand. We were all far too happy to knock him much for not attempting to use his other hand as well, and anyway it might just got in the way. Ian brought himself back for one over and drew Dibble down the wicket to be stumped by Lawrence Roots; Jay returned to bowl out two batsmen and Alex got another Roots stumping before Sidmouth declared on 252 for 9 in 44 overs.

It was an imposing total, but with one short boundary and a quick outfield the OOs had every intention of going for the win. Tom Parsons certainly had no doubts and was seeing it like a beach ball. He raced to 42 off 21 balls and the 156 – Old Olavian – Olavian 2013

chatter from the Sidmouth fielders had decreased markedly when suddenly the game was marred by a controversial incident. With the score on 47 Tom middled it into his pads, the Sidmouth fielders gave up on their appeal for LBW, and the Sidmouth umpire leaned forwards and up shot his finger in determined fashion. Tom paused in stunned surprise, before walking dejectedly back towards the pavilion. The home skipper apparently spoke to him on his way, saying, “We know you hit it, but we’re not going to call you back because the umpire’s new and it would undermine his confidence.” Suffice to say this did not go down too well with the tourists and’ fuelled by the injustice of robbing their man of a possibly match-winning knock, the OOs yet to go in to bat sat a little straighter in their seats and watched the game through narrowed eyes.

Williams was out shortly afterwards from a good ball, but then the hobbling Golbey (30) and the towering Dombrandt took the attack to Sidmouth, hitting several lovely boundaries and sixes. One of the sixes landed rather unfortunately directly in Terry Smith’s full pint glass as he sat on a bench in front of the pavilion, shattering it into a thousand pieces. He took it very philosophically. Jay Patel (31) replaced Golbey and carried on the good work before he was out. Sanjay came to the crease and held one end up well while Alex struck more imperious blows as the Olavians got ever closer to their target while also keeping the run-rate in check. Dombrandt was looking so secure that the tourists were beginning to breathe a little easier when Sidmouth brought on a quickish young bowler called Mansfield with a dozen overs left of the game. Alex hit his first ball for four, before being surprised by some extra bounce and was caught in the slips for a classy 78.

With 44 runs still to get and Mitch with his sprained wrist there was still plenty of cricket left in the game as Lance Giles took guard. Missing his first ball by quite a margin, the new batsman was surprised to hear a hysterically elongated appeal from Mansfield. Giles told him to stop being silly and get on and bowl it. Mansfield seemed to take exception to this, and followed it up with a bouncer miles over the batsman’s head and then pitched one up which Giles managed to hit through extra cover for four.

This didn’t do anything for Mansfield’s humour, which aided the OOs’ cause as he subsequently sent down two leg-stump full-tosses which Sanjay despatched behind square with aplomb. The momentum had returned to the OOs, and despite losing Sanjay to a skied drive Giles was able to hit a few more fours and effectively end the game with a six past the pavilion off L Bess, who had rather bizarrely, or possibly sportingly, been brought on to bowl spin from the short boundary end.

The very satisfying win from an excellent team performance, with five and a half overs still remaining of their allowed 41, led to a very

convivial atmosphere in the White Horse pub after the game.

Sandford were one man short on Tuesday, so Chris Ruddle kindly agreed to play for them. The Olavians batted first, and Rob Williams continued his run of bad luck as he was bowled first ball by an absolute stinker of a shooter that cut back. To improve Rob’s mood even more, the bowler then came off after his second ball due to a side-strain.

The other bowlers were performing well, though, and the run-rate was initially cautious. Parsons joined Williams back in the hutch before Pete White and Alex Dombrandt put a good partnership together, both hitting some soaring sixes and managing to counter a very cagey spell of spin from Chris Ruddle in the process. Both then fell in quick succession to Ashplant, and Swadkin and Golbey took up the mantle, Dave in particular hitting some big shots on the way to a very important 54 runs. Jay, Sanjay and Lawrence all hit a few more quick runs toward the end of the innings and the OOs ended up on 211, which we thought was defendable but maybe slightly under par.

Mitch had obviously been chatting over the sumptuous Sandford tea with skipper Tom Parsons, as he came tearing in for a surprise first over off his long run-up in a most un-spinner-like way, with his wrist bandaged up like a white left-handed Malcolm Marshall. He beat the bat a bit too, but couldn’t find the consistency a regular pace opening slot would have given him and so stopped after four overs to save the rest of his quota for his usual spinny darts. Jay bowled tightly at the other end, but the first wicket didn’t fall until L Giles floated one up outside off which the batsman obligingly smacked into the captain’s safe hands at cover. Swadkin and Williams then combined in a long stint together that kept the run-rate down and Swaddy claimed another wicket with an absolute pearl of a caught and bowled off one that was drilled back at him. However, the OOs were finding it hard to beat the bat, aerial shots were dropping into space rather than onto fielders, and Sandford’s two overseas batsmen chipped away at the total very professionally. Jay returned for one last charge and bowled one of them out, leaving seven runs required off the last over. Patel’s first ball of the last over was sent into the sheep-field for six which took the pressure off the batsmen, and the home team won back the Stan Newell trophy with three balls remaining. It had been another in a long line of good close games with fun banter against Sandford, and you couldn’t hope to find more friendly or sporting hosts.

Torquay’s new groundsman decided to leave the covers off that night to let the grass benefit from a foretold nighttime shower. He obviously knew he wasn’t down to open the batting the next day, and I don’t think Torquay’s opening batsmen would have patted him on the back for his horticultural consideration as balls spat from a length off Jay Patel and Mike Jones at the start of play on 157 – Old Olavian – Olavian 2013

Wednesday, and Jay got a wicket caught in the gully off his second ball. Mike had just arrived for tour by train. He was itching to get stuck into some proper bowling and was absolutely hitting the spot in his early salvo, and so was most aggrieved when Torquay’s overseas batsman Bourke started complaining that the track was dangerous. After some discussion, and not wanting to generate any bad blood in a friendly game, the tourists relented and it was agreed that no-one could bowl pace that day. Since Mike then had to finish his over bowling off-spin, Bourke rather took advantage of the situation by hitting a full-toss for six over the short leg-side boundary and losing it in the road.

Chris Ruddle and Ian ’Jonty’ Giles came on, and Jonty especially bowled well in taking two for 21 since the ball quickly became very slippy to use due to the damp outfield, and Chris took a good catch at midwicket to dismiss the other opening batsmen. Skipper Rob Williams brought himself on fourth change and proceeded to take five for 20 from six overs which kept the brakes on the Torquay batting well. Mike Jones returned to bowl more spin and got sweet revenge on Bourke by bowling him for 80, and Ruddle returned to take the last wicket. Torquay finished on 158 all out from 33 of their 35 overs in the rain-shortened game.

In the OOs reply Pete White opened the batting and hit a fine 30, but wickets fell at regular intervals at the other end.

Dave Colloff, fresh from Singapore via Italy, was appearing for just two days on tour this year, and Mitch, crawling his way up the batting order as his wrist slowly improved, steadied the ship. Both played lovely attacking innings, which wasn’t easy given the wicket and the slow outfield.

Janet and Amanda Colloff, who had just joined tour that day, observed that Dave was doing ‘much better than last year’. Sadly both batsmen perished in quick succession, and the rest of the team weren’t able to rediscover their mojo as they succumbed to the pressure of the mounting run-rate for 139 with two overs left. Rob Williams, selflessly batting at number 11, was left not out without facing a ball and probably should have batted a little earlier.

After renewing our friendships at the bar with the home team we all returned to the annual tour quiz, created and conducted masterfully once again by tour stalwart Terry Smith. I can’t remember who won but since it wasn’t our team that’s scarcely important.

Many of the team managed to squeeze in a quick visit to Starcross golf course on the Thursday morning before the game against South Devon. It was pouring with rain on the way there, but as we pulled into the car park the clouds parted and the sun appeared and stayed for the rest of the day. The long, hot summer had resulted in Starcross being drier than anyone could remember before, and several times we were able to find balls that would normally have been Olavian 2013 – Old Olavian – 157

lost in the middle of reed-filled ponds. There were still plenty of hazards, however, and as he contemplated them Jay was heard to remark, “Actually I prefer team games.

Golf is a very lonely game. I think I could get quite lonely in a bunker.” Ian Giles, full of consideration, replied, “Well we’ll send someone over for a chat next time you’re in one.”

The tour party was reinforced at Newton Abbot by the arrival of the Nayanah-Rajh family - friends and old teammates of Lance’s from Bristol. Since none of them had twanged hamstrings, unlike most of the players already on tour, Sagren and his sons, Prevan and Rashalen, were immediately put to good use and went straight into the team, and Sharon, their mother, only escaped by locking herself in her car.

The Olavians batted first and South Devon were two players short, so the tourists contributed two substitute fielders for most of their innings. Sage and Prev opened the innings and were soon propelling the ball to all parts of the boundary with regularity. Prevan liked to stroke the ball into space and Sage preferred to welly it into the adjoining football ground, but since both methods were highly effective the race was on to see who would reach their century first. Prev got there in the nineteenth over and retired out, while Sage launched one up in the air a few overs later and was caught at deep square leg for 94, stopping the pair claiming the record of being the only related tourists ever to score centuries on their debuts in the same game.

Not having been faced with walking to the crease with the score on 175 for one before, the rest of the OO batting order didn’t appear to have a clue how to handle the situation.

Barring a decent knock from Mitch (29), nobody else got more than twelve (Dombrandt got his 12 from the last three balls of the innings), but we still set them 293 to get in 40 overs.

Conrad sent out his best bats first in reply, and they started well, hitting some good fours. However, Grant Ward was bowling very accurately and giving away little, and Alex didn’t do a bad job of opening the bowling from the other end with pace rather than his usual spin. He made the breakthrough by getting a wicket with the last ball of his spell, which was incidentally his worst one, being a high full-toss outside off-stump. Shortly afterwards South Devon’s overseas bat was run-out by their number three, attempting to take a quick single to short-ish extra-cover (or “barbecued by C Corby” as Jay described it in the scorebook), and from then on the result was never in doubt.

The wickets were shared around the bowlers and Rash, who was only 13 years old, looked a natural behind the stumps and took a nice stumping. The home side finished on 155 all out.

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Thursday night featured the regular tour dinner back at the hotel, smoothly presided over by Brian Cantle who gave his usual comprehensive run-down of the week’s cricketing achievements and handed out the awards for any particularly humorous gaffes that had occurred.

Friday dawned and was greeted by the tourists with the usual combination of relief after a tiring week and regret that it was coming to an end. Lunch at the Ship in Teignmouth preceded the trip to Kenn, where we found the ground bathed in unaccustomed sunshine and looking very attractive indeed. Prev and Alex, with a combined age of thirty-two, opened the batting and their differing styles complemented each other very well as they both reached 50 before being dismissed. The rest of the batting order didn’t fare so well apart from Sage, who hit six sixes on his way to retiring for 66 and who shared a nice partnership of forty-five with his youngest son Rash who hit a couple of nice fours of his own in his ten not out. The only thing really missing was a crowd-pleasing cameo from Stephen Parsons, who was sadly confined to umpiring duties due to breaking his hand in a fall a few weeks previously.

The tourists had reached 262 from their 40 overs and thought this was probably enough to defend, but Kenn came out all guns blazing. Apparently all the teams in the 40-over league that Kenn play in play their cricket as if it was twenty-20 cricket, which led to short but exciting innings from most of the batsmen. Jimmy Gosling blazed a quick-fire 26, P Boot smashed 37 and R Parsons struck 42 not out. All of these were very promising young batsmen which bodes well for Kenn and who I’m sure the OOs will see many times in the years to come. Vinny, the overseas player, came in at number four, and the long week was beginning to tell on the Olavians as we dropped him at least five times (honourable mention must be made to Sage here, who threw himself around the field and took two catches on his own), which proved the deciding factor in the end. Vinny finished on 106 not out and Kenn cantered to victory in 34 overs. Since they’re such nice chaps we didn’t begrudge them the win at all, and it was very pleasant to have a celebratory pint with Pete Murfin and the rest in the bar after the game.

2013 had been another vintage tour, if not particularly for results, then certainly for the style of cricket, team spirit and general camaraderie from everyone on board. It was terrific to see so many new tourists enjoying themselves, and hopefully they will all be down again next year, both the players and Rosemary, whom Ed Davey brought along for the first time and who fitted in with everyone so well.

Special mention must also be made to the other ladies not featured so far - Pennie Giles, Penny Cantle, Linda Bolter, Jo Swadkin, Jackie Childe and Laura Pangbourne - for adding so much to the week beyond the boundary ropes.

Finally a big vote of thanks as ever must go to Stephen Parsons and Tom Baterip for umpiring so well and without a murmur of complaint all week and for being such good company, and thanks also to Sanjay for handling the tour finances while he was there.

If any Old Olavian is reading this and pondering whether they may enjoy a few days’ cricket in Devon in 2014, cease your pondering and just drop me an email or have a look at the Old Olavians’ Cricket Club page on facebook.

Results: Sun 11th August v Bovey Tracey (40 over game) WON by 108 runs OOs 263 for 8 (T Parsons 116, D Golbey 50, P White 26) Bovey Tracey 155 all out in 33 overs (C Swadkin 4 wkts for 6 runs) Mon 12th Augsut v Sidmouth (timed game) WON by 4 wickets Sidmouth 252 for 9 in 43.2 overs ( J Patel 3-31, I Giles 2-29) OOs 253 for 6 in 35.3 overs (A Dombrandt 78, T Parsons 42, J Patel 31, D Golbey 30, L Giles 27 no)

Old Olavians’ Eton Fives Club The Old Olavian Fives club had another very busy season.

The introduction of a Saturday morning club session during term time was a real success. It enabled regular play for those who cannot make it to league matches during the week and it provided many people with the opportunity to pick up the gloves for the first time in a number of years.

Most people that played throughout their schooling at St.Olave’s are very keen to continue playing as adults; it is just a matter of having the right opportunity!

A large number of recent university leavers came back to the game this year as well as a number of older players who have been absent from the game for many years.

There were many highlights in the season. The most important team event in the adult game is the Barber Cup. The Old Olavian Fives team won this again making a tally of ten wins in the past eleven years and a grand total of twelve in our proud history. The winning team on this occasion was James Toop, Howard Wiseman, Sebastian Cooley, David Mew, Matthew Wiseman and Sanjaya Ranasinghe. The final was played at Eton College where the Old Olavians defeated the old Harrovians 2-1.

Sebastian Cooley had another great year, winning the Kinnaird Cup for the Men’s National Open championships.

He also won the Northern Championships, the London Tournament and the mixed Championships with his sister Charlotta Cooley, who played extremely well in partnership Sandford 212 for 3 in 39.3 overs with her brother. Charlotta Cooley managed also to Wed 14th August v Torquay (35 overs) crown her Fives season by winning the ladies National Championships after a gap of some ten years since she last

LOST by 22 runs won this event as a schoolgirl at St. Olave’s.

Torquay 161 all out in 33 overs (R Williams 4-5, I Giles 2-21) Tues 13th August v Sandford (40 overs)

LOST by 7 wickets OOs 211 for 8 (D Golbey 54, C Swadkin 28, P White 25)

OOs 139 all out in 33 overs (M Mitchell 31, P White 30, D Colloff 28) Thurs 15th August v South Devon (40 overs) WON by 134 runs OOs 293 for 8 (P Nayanahrajh 100, S Nayanahrajh 94, M Mitchell 29) South Devon 159 all out in 35 overs (M Jones 3-7, M Mitchell 2-10, P White 2-30) Fri 16th August v Kenn (40 overs) LOST by 4 wickets OOs OOs_262 for 7 (S Nayanahrajh 66, P Nayanahrajh 57, A Dombrandt 55) Kenn 265 for 6 in 34 overs (L Giles 2-34, I Giles 2-43)

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Lance Giles (1988-95) 159 – Old Olavian – Olavian 2013

The Richard Barber Cup winners three Old Olavians and three current school pupils

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The Old Olavians’ Ladies team took part in the Richard Black Cup which was held at Eton College. They reached the final where their excellent run of form ended. Also in that ladies team was Marrianne Rees who had a particularly good season. Marrianne reached the National Ladies final where she played brilliantly, helping her to achieve a 2-1 lead in the final. It did seem as though Marrianne was likely to win the ladies nationals for the first time but in the end she lost two sets to three in what was a really fantastic final.

Secretary (Howard Wiseman) on: hwiseman@aol.com.

There have also been several Old Boys who have requested to come and watch some school and Old Boys matches.

Anyone will be most welcome!!!

Olavians competed as usual in the adult league in both the first division (fielding two teams) and also in the second division. Whilst we have dominated the first division in recent years, this year the league system was used as a training ground for new up-and-coming players. Chris Self, Sanjay Kundu, Will Phillips and Ross Henderson from the school were regular members of the first team who were able to partner, on a regular basis, top nationallyranked players from within the Old Olavian team. This very strong link between the Alumni and the school team was brought to its climax in the Richard Barber Cup, which is a three-pair tournament in which three old boys compete in partnership with three present school players. For the second year in a row this was won by the Olavians. So many of the school players become used to playing adult league and friendly Fives before they leave school. As a result, it is very natural for them to continue playing as adults when they leave university and again have easy access to the sport.

OLAVIANS 1950-2012

In a year in which young Olavians won national titles in Rugby Fives (U 14 Singles and U13 Singles and Doubles) it was great to see an Old Olavian also continuing to dominate Rugby Fives in the adult game. James Toop won the National Rugby Fives Singles Championships for the fifth year in a row. This has only been achieved once before and James’ achievements in Rugby Fives have now established him as the second most successful player in the history of the Sport.

Many Old Olavians continue to play a prominent role in the England Team - competing on the international stage through the neutral code of One-wall Handball. Peter White, Peter Cohen, Luke Stradwick, David Mew, Anita Ganguly and Marianne Rees have all represented their country in recent times and many of them took part in the World Championships in the USA. The Old Olavian Fives club is a really wonderful set-up.

Just as at the school, any player, no matter what their standard of play may be, is most welcome to take part. We have great players. We have terrible players! We all get to share this great sport together and have a lot of sociable enjoyment together. It is always the best excuse to meet up with old friends in such a busy life!! Anyone reading this who would like to play Fives again, or indeed try it for the first time, can simply e-mail the Old Olavian Fives 160 – Old Olavian – Olavian 2013

Howard Wiseman (1980-87)

OLD OLAVIANS’ NEWS Ron CORK (1962 to 1968) wrote in May 2013 to express disappointment that he had not heard from any of his contemporaries in response to his invitation in the 2012 edition for them to contact him. Perhaps some of them will make just that little extra effort this year. Ron had visited The Shard building near London Bridge, and made the ascent to the viewing area on the 74th floor. He reports that this is a fantastic place to view Tooley Street and the site of the old school.

He took a photograph of our old site – this clearly shows the building work which was going on at the time, and it reminded me of those long ago days of my youth when I used to play cricket with my form-mates against one of the dockland walls.

Ron tells us that the old building is to become The Lalit, “a boutique hotel in a beautiful Grade 11 listed building including a destination signature restaurant and fashionable bar” and it is due to open in 2014. He suggests that the OOs might arrange a visit once it has opened.

ride to London Bridge in a smoke-filled carriage packed with coughing commuters, a steep descent into Tooley Street and the rancid fumes of a greasy spoon. Then a long walk past docks, doss-houses, and dingy warehouses.

Sports day, Wednesday I think, required a bus journey to Dulwich where two changing sheds awaited us: rugby for the fit and hearty; a run round Dulwich Park for the others.

Neither there nor at the school gym were any showers available. With our ancient geyser at home operated only on Sunday evenings one joined a weekly crocodile of towel bearers, which, once it had passed the whiffy tannery off Tower Bridge Road, appreciated the watery frolics at Grange Road Baths.

Over the ensuing years, the gloom faded. The Festival of Britain in 1951 helped, but the Queen’s Coronation in 1953, my penultimate year at school, was the start of an astonishing age.

Thanks to the perseverance of my teachers, good GCE results enabled me to get a job at Lloyd’s of London. But in those days any career plans were subject to another wartime relic: National Service.

Geoffrey HALL (1949-54) – in response to a request from Jane Wells, Geoffrey submitted the following contribution entitled Blitz Boy to Barrister: Having survived the Blitz as a non-evacuee in South London, I was admitted to STOGS, Tower Bridge in 1949. “My father went to this school and I’d like to follow,” was the dithering response in an admission interview with headmaster Dr R C Carrington! Did this family connection, perhaps, dissuade him from rejecting me outright?

In retrospect the age seems a gloomy time. Bomb sites everywhere. Rationing of food, clothes and petrol was being lifted, but not sweets. That would not come until 1953.

Arriving in the playground with other new boys a salutary warning began to circulate: “If anyone says: ‘Come into the toilets and see the school tadpoles’, Don’t go!” The reason was not provided, further increasing our anxiety.

As a result, when an assembled 1A was asked by elderly form master Mr H G Wright - who had actually taught my father – to call out their names, my own nervous mutter drew the curt response: “What d’ye say boy? Hull? Hole? Holly?” To the merriment of my fellows a nickname was bestowed: Olly.

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My own – as an air radar mechanic – was a godsend.

Taking daily responsibility for the navigational radar of a B29 Superfortress does a lot for one’s self-confidence.

As a result, once demobilised, I began reading for the Bar being called in 1963. The following decades were hectic: legal publishing and conferences in the UK, United States and Far East, finally founding a family business in 1980 which is still carried on, via the web, with my daughter in New Zealand.

A close friend at school was David Beaman - each of us best man at the other’s wedding. Any information on David appreciated: geof.hall@ntlworld.com.

Constantinos PHANIS (1987-89) has written from Cyprus to tell us of a recent UNESCO publication which he has produced this year. Dr Phanis attended the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine University of London where he earned the following qualifications: BSc in Microbiology (1993) and PhD in Molecular Biology (1996).

From university he spent a month teaching biology at St Olave’s before becoming a biology teacher at the English School of Nicosia in 1998; after two years here he moved to work at the Cyprus Government Schools on the National Biology Curriculum, while for the last five years he has been the Biology Advisor for the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus. Amongst many other responsibilities he is the Cyprus National Coordinator for Olavian 2013 – Old Olavian – 161

the South Eastern Mediterranean Environment Project (SEMEP) of UNESCO. He has also been a university lecturer and he is a regular setter of examination papers in Biology in Cyprus.

Constantinos reports that the aforementioned publication is a first collection of SEMEP good practices entitled, Bridging Culture through Science for a Sustainable Environment. He has also published an eco-biology unit for the ESTABLISH project (European Science and Technology in Action: Building Links with Industry, Schools and Home), which is a four-year (2009-13) project funded by the European Commission’s Framework 7 Programme for Science in Society. The overall objective of this project is to facilitate and implement an enquiry-based approach to science education for second level students (age 12 to 18 years) on a widespread scale across Europe by bringing together, within a collaborative environment, the specific stakeholders in science education. The aim of ESTABLISH is to create authentic learning environments for science education by bringing together and involving all the key communities in second level science education.

The ESTABLISH group of over 60 partners from eleven European countries are working with these key communities including science teachers and educators, the scientific and industrial communities, the young people and their parents, the policy makers responsible for science curriculum and assessment and the science education research community.

He goes on to tell us that SEMEP is an interdisciplinary environmental education project focusing primarily on the south-eastern Mediterranean sea region. Member countries include: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Malta, Palestinian Authority, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey. The project promotes environmental education through science and intercultural dialogue in the region.

SEMEP involves students at the upper primary and secondary levels in both formal and non-formal sectors. It provides an opportunity to consider environmental issues which are of common concern to countries in the SouthEastern Mediterranean region. Within the framework of the existing school curricula, the project encourages a multitude of science and technology educational approaches in favour of sustainable development, such as problem identification and problem-solving, hands-on activities and determining decision-making parameters.

SEMEP is a platform for dialogue and cooperation among students that reaches beyond the school to the community. Intercultural dialogue in the whole region has been promoted in particular through the development of student exchanges between SEMEP countries.

Every year a meeting of the national coordinators is 162 – Old Olavian – Olavian 2013

organised, where participants can discuss country reports, best practices and future development of the project.

IN MEMORIAM We have recently learned of the death at the beginning of September of Barry Langley (1956-63). A fuller note about his life will appear in the next issue.

Michael John ELLIOTT (1966-73): Michael A Hunt (1964-71) wrote ‘with great regret’ in July 2013 with the sad “news of Michael Elliott’s recent death following a short and nasty battle with prostate cancer. Mike was a staunch member and supporter of the OORFC and OOCC. He was a talented fly-half and an excellent batsman and spin bowler, representing Kent in both sports whilst at school and playing for North Wales while at college in Bangor where he gained a degree in Education specialising in PE and Creative Arts.

On leaving college, he embarked on a successful teaching career at several schools, including a period at one in France.

At the time of his untimely death, Mike was a Year-4 teacher at St Olave’s Preparatory School in New Eltham, where he was very popular with staff, parents and children. He will be missed by many there, as well as by his fellow Old Olavians who have many fond memories of him.”

Richard Kenneth MARLOW (1951-57) died on 16 June 2013. A very full obituary appeared in the national press: there follows a summary of that which appeared in the Daily Telegraph on 1st July. We are grateful to Ron Cork for brining this to our attention. Richard Marlow was one of the few choral directors of modern times also to pursue a full academic career; he served as musical director at Trinity College, Cambridge, for almost forty years, and was a pioneer in bringing women’s voices to the fore in cloistered choirs.

As a composer and arranger, notably of settings of the psalms and descants, Marlow was a great talent; among his best-known works are Veni Creator Spiritus, a motet for Whitsun, and a popular evensong setting.

Although Trinity has a choral tradition dating back several centuries, it was not until 1982 that female voices were heard regularly there. The mixed-voice ensemble proved to be a success for Marlow, and over the next 24 years he released more than 30 discs with the Choir of Trinity College as well as taking them on many overseas tours.

His style of direction was clear and incisive, drawing a clean, beautiful and vibrato-free sound from his singers, regardless of sex, and putting paid to the belief that sacred music is the exclusive preserve of the male voice.

Richard was born in July 1939 in Banstead, Surrey, the son of an electricity board worker. He failed his 11-plus,

but judicious lobbying by his father won him a place at St Olave’s. (At the age of 11, Richard went to my father’s school, Archbishop Temple’s, near Lambeth Palace, and I still remember my father’s pride when Richard was ‘promoted’ to St Olave’s, the school which I was attending at that time - Ed).

While a choirboy at Southwark Cathedral he sang for the Coronation in 1953, after which the boys were invited for tea at the Lords. Marlow recalled how he and another boy ended up at the wrong reception and, while trying to find their correct group, came across an unattended royal carriage and climbed into it.

He won an organ scholarship to Selwyn College, Cambridge, where, after taking a First in his finals, he was awarded a research fellowship.

After three years lecturing at Southampton University, Marlow was appointed to Trinity College and soon set up the Cambridge University Chamber choir. He disbanded the group in 1989 to concentrate on the mixed-voice Trinity ensemble. On several occasions he was invited by Benjamin Britten to conduct one of the Bach Passions at Aldeburgh, with Peter Peers singing the Evangelist.

Although he retired in 2006 Marlow remained a Fellow of Trinity and continued to teach there. He had a passion for steam trains, volunteering on heritage railways. His Hornby model railway, which was laid out in the loft of his home in Cambridge, ran to more than a mile of track. In later life he learnt to swim, eventually covering more than a mile a day.

Marlow is survived by his wife Annette, whom he married in 1964, and their two sons.

Brian MONKS (1947-54) died on 4th June 2013 at the age of 77. His wife, Judy wrote with the sad news. She tells us that, “after his school days, on which he looked back with much affection and gratitude, Brian went for teacher training at Chester College. There followed a successful career teaching in secondary schools in London, Berkshire and Hampshire. He was also involved in work in Christian education nationally, being for a time the chairman of the Association of Christian Teachers.

“His time at St Olave’s expanded his horizons, and gave him a love of music, a meticulous approach to all his work, and thoroughness at all times.”

Judy sent the news on a card showing a painting of the locomotive, The Cornish Riviera, and she explains that she did so “because railways were always close to his heart, his father having been a railwayman working at Kings Cross Top Shed, until very seriously injured by one of the locos on which he was working”.

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THE OLD OLAVIANS HONORARY OFFICERS 2013 PRESIDENT Aydin Önaç, Headmaster The Headmaster’s House, St Olave’s Grammar School, Goddington Lane, Orpington, Kent BR6 9SH Tel: 01689 820101 CHAIRMAN Chris Harris, chris.r.harris@ukgateway.net COMMITTEE MEMBERS Bill Prouse Paul Ouseley Trevor Read EDITOR OF THE OLD OLAVIAN John Brown, 60 The Lawns, Rolleston-on-Dove, Staffordshire, DE13 9DB Tel: 01283 813976 e-mail: johnmbrown60@gmail.com SECRETARIES OF AFFILIATED CLUBS AND SOCIETIES CRICKET CLUB Lance Giles, c/o 44 Harwood Avenue, Bromley, Kent, BR1 3DU Tel: 07891 725488 e-mail: lancegiles@hotmail.com FIVES CLUB Howard Wiseman, 7 Genoa Road, Anerley SE20 8ES Tel: 020 8778 0752 OLD OLAVIANS’ LODGE (No. 5758) Peter G Hudson OBE 9 Downs View Close, Pratts Bottom Orpington, Kent, BR6 7SU Tel: 01689 858583 e-mail: hudsons91@btinternet.com RUGBY CLUB Phil Grayson, 57, Byrne Road, Balham, London SW12 7JB Tel: 07971 878750 HOLYOAK ROOM St Olave’s School, Goddington Lane, Orpington, Kent, BR6 9SH Tel: 01689 830744 Olavian 2013 – Old Olavian – 163

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