Christmas
Old Birkfeldians 2025
Dear Old Birkfeldian
Space to thrive
As I write, we are approaching the season of Advent and Christmas. This has to be one of the greatest joys of working alongside young people: experiencing the excitement build for the festivities to come and the traditions to be followed at this time of year. These include preparing for nativities and our annual candle-lit Carol Service – this year at 6.00pm on Monday 15 December – in our beautiful Chapel. We are also looking forward to seeing lots of former students at our OB Christmas drinks evening in London early in December, a great opportunity to network informally, as well as simply catch up with friends and College staff. As ever, it was fabulous to see so many of you back on campus for our 39th annual Rugby Festival and to hear about your studies, careers and family news. Please see the photos on pages 6 and 7 and do keep sharing your updates. Now is the time to ‘save the date’ in your calendars for the 40th anniversary Festival, 16-19 October 2026. Another event we are looking forward to is the College’s second annual Giving Day, on Thursday 19 March 2026. More details will follow on why we hope you will decide to take part... and how. Finally, in terms of College news, we are delighted to have launched our own independent residential summer school for summer 2026 with football and rugby camps, as well as academic English for international students. If you would like to know more about these camps - please see here or contact Mrs Rebecca Gordon-Cocker at r.gordoncocker@stjos.co.uk. I hope you enjoy perusing this term’s OB Newsletter and wish you and your loved ones a blessed and peaceful Christmas. Danielle Clarke Principal
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Christmas 2025
Seeing the Bigger Picture While the St Joseph’s College campus provides a wonderfully peaceful sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the world, the school never cuts itself off from the wider community or ignores the pressing challenges of the day. Throughout the year, trips and visits are run – locally, regionally and overseas – and guests are invited in. Among the latter are many Old Birkfeldians who kindly give up their time to speak to current students about their work and adventures. Three events this term give a flavour of our outlook. This year the annual Remembrance Service was live-streamed, allowing families and OBs to share a very significant item on the national calendar and our own. Many of those with memories of the Second World War are now residents of care homes. Sixth Form volunteers have been building up warm friendships with elderly people living at Henley House in Ipswich. They happily work on projects together, including flower arranging. Our annual Grandparents’ Breakfast proved a huge hit for visitors and visited alike.
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39th Rugby Festival
Space to thrive 4
Always an extraordinary weekend, this may have been the best Festival yet Wellington College claimed their second St Joseph’s Festival after an intense two days of action in the U18 competition, finishing with an epic contest against Millfield in the final, writes Angus Savage of NextGen. The Berkshire side had to show grit and determination right from the very start of this competition and they had to carry it through into a final against one of their great rivals, Millfield, a side that has won here eight times before and that had narrowly bettered them a fortnight ago. It looked like it might go that way again, Millfield leading 7-0 through most of the game, but this Wellington College side simply has not known the meaning of being beaten in this tournament, consistently finding a way through. stjos.co.uk
They showed it on day one, holding out Seaford College, then in their quarter final to edge out a brilliant Cheltenham College side in their quarter final, then a crucial intercept from Elijah Jeyes, a Player of the Tournament contender, helped them past the hosts, St Joseph’s College, who were sensational this weekend – putting in by far their best display since they won this title in 2013. It was a cauldron like atmosphere, a brilliant one, but pressurising – and at that point perhaps we should have known, Wellington College could handle the pressure.
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So too though could Millfield. Like Wellington College they dug deep in day 1, particularly against Cheltenham College. Their quarter final against Whitchurch High School needed real grit, a 6-3 victory that said everything about this excellent Whitchurch side, but also of Millfield’s ability to tough it out. A tough conversion from Sam Watson-Knee saw them level it, and Watson-Knee was to prove the hero a couple of minutes later when, in the penultimate play, he landed the calmest of 40 metre penalties to seal an epic second title for Wellington College at the end of the most extraordinary weekend.
Elsewhere, the hosts finished in third, winning a tight play off against Kirkham Grammar School. Both could so easily have finished as champions, they were outstanding. Only the finest of margins denied them a place in the final, and it was fitting that each earned another award, St Joseph’s winning Try of the Tournament (Fin Westley), and Kirkham Grammar School’s Charlie Bray earning the Player of the Tournament award.
There was extraordinary rugby in the U15 tournament as well. St Michael’s College of Ireland won it in exceptional style in 2024, beating Northampton School for Boys in the final. This year the NSB side went one better. The U15 tournament has been a brilliant addition to the Festival, adding a further layer of quality and excitement, but also one of aspiration for those younger players, sharing the same turf as their U18 leaders. A fantastic competition.
Mr Fred Wenham, Director of Sport at St Jo’s agreed. ‘The 39th National Schools Rugby Festival provided what can only be described as the most remarkable stage for a simply colossal three days of outstanding rugby. The very best of school sport was celebrated in Suffolk, as we were joined by teams from around the country to battle it out in what was undoubtedly the highest level of competition yet. It is not often that players of this age have such opportunities as they did across the weekend, but we, as lovers of sport and community, were also treated to a simply unforgettable weekend.’ stjos.co.uk
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Space to thrive
You Wait Four Decades and Five Come Along at Once!
Tim O’Leary OB, served as a Gurkha officer for 25 years. Tim attended St Jo’s from 1972 to 1980 and was one of four boys who went on to join the Gurkhas. The others being John and David Bulbeck, and Jeremy Maddox.
A terrific first was achieved when the five Chapman brothers reunited at the Festival for the first time. Their career at St Joseph’s extended from 1971 to 1987 and with their three sisters boosting the connection by being Jesus and Mary girls, their claim to the title of St Jo’s family par excellence surely cannot be challenged! Seated left to right are Stephen, Philip and Jonathan. Standing behind them are Patrick (left) and Greg. They made their way back to St Joseph’s College from their homes in Harwich, Bristol, Hertford, Norfolk and Hampshire. An ad hoc tour of the campus elicited some very interesting stories and we hope they won’t wait so long before visiting again.
On the left is Hubert Lelijveld OB, a doctor now retired who became medic to the first Rugby Festival. He is pictured with his friend since joining Oakhill Prep in 1969/70, Mike Munroe OB, a great supporter of the school.
A table full of friends at the Friday evening reception.
It’s great to see those blazers once again; they make friends very easy to spot in the beer tent.
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Christmas 2025
The Original and the Best What an honour to welcome Mr Peter Inman OB back to the school he first joined in 1937! Peter is now 95-years-old but you wouldn’t know it - perhaps those days as Captain of Cricket and Captain of Rugby laid the very best foundation.
Peter was photographed among the first intake of boys when the school opened on 20 September 1937 and of course has very vivid memories of the school in wartime, including sheltering in the cellars when directed. With his school friends he took part in the patriotic sale of stamps for war funds. This became highly competitive but he won the day for his class when he sold £10 worth to the local MP, Lord Belstead. This may have been an early indication of
his future career in sales, which he embarked on after doing his National Service in the Army. Peter attended the Festival with his daughter, Sarah and son-in-law Graham, who photographed him in the OB Lounge with the editor of the newsletter, Mrs Lindy Rodwell. Peter, who in time became Captain of the School, chatted about the boys he remembered who lined up with him for that opening day photograph. Asked discreetly if her father still lived independently, Sarah replied that he most certainly did. He was a fine cook, too, and if making a shepherd’s pie for himself would also make a second for her.
Scotland international Marshall Sykes OB, who was interviewed by NextGen during the Friday evening reception in the Festival’s VIP tent, is pictured with ace commentator Wilfred Kemsley OB. The second shot shows Marshall at St Jo’s with Tom Williams of Wales and Samson Ma’asi of England.
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Space to thrive
A Ruby in St Joseph’s Crown -
Countdown to the Fortieth Festival
October 1987 is etched into my memory for two reasons. The first is because on the night of Thursday 15th, the now infamous ‘Great Storm’ swept across the UK (see page 15), wreaking havoc and leaving theretofore unseen damage in its wake. Across Europe there were 22 fatalities and it caused £7 billion worth of damage in today’s money. We all got a day off school and I remember feeling both delighted at this unexpected good fortune, but also anxious. And the reason for this latter emotion is the second reason for remembering this particular time of year. With a day off school, would we have time to get that last minute practice in, of the moves we’d need, for what was about to occur? The first weekend of October half-term 1987 would see the inaugural St Joseph’s Rugby Festival be held, and as a rugby-playing Lower Sixth, I would be a part of it. Amongst fallen trees and under grey skies, the 87-88 team 8
would unknowingly make the first steps along a road that has rolled out with increasing popularity and coverage for the next 39 years. I think about 12 schools attended, including Ipswich School and Campion – teams we met on the circuit anyway – stjos.co.uk
Rugby was a bit different back then – I’d been lucky enough to play in the senior side at scrum-half since Fifth year, and even at that age, going away on the 7s circuit, or playing a 15-a-side tournament up at Preston Grasshoppers, we were allowed out to the pub in the evenings before playing games the next day! There were no squad tracksuits or thermal coats back then, and I remember desperately trying to keep warm in between fixtures over that first Festival weekend, chatting to friends and members of the previous year’s squad, who had returned to spectate under the boughs of creakingly unsafe trees. A quick stretch and a bit of jogging on the spot probably covered the pre-match warm-up, and the warm-down hadn’t even been invented! Allan Rutherford was our coach – a man for whom I retain a great fondness. When I reached the Upper Sixth he made me captain. My own year group was not sportingly strong, nor was the year below, and we relied heavily on Fifth years to plug the gaps in our squad. As a result I think I have the worst school record of any Joey’s Senior XV captain – played 13, lost 12, drew 1. And yet, responding to a question some years ago on Facebook, Allan wrote about the positivity of that group and of me personally, and I am grateful that he remembered both me and the values that rugby brings. So grateful, in fact, that rugby has remained a part of my life right up to the present day. I went on to study English at university, and after a year working for the Evening Gazette in Colchester, and another backpacking around South East Asia and Australia, I finally decided that I’d like to be a teacher, and so I trained to do just that up in York. By chance, John Regan, then Headmaster at St Jo’s, was looking for an English teacher, and so it was that I returned to teach in the alma mater. Here again, I was involved in rugby, coaching and refereeing, but those early years of teaching are more fondly remembered for working alongside the wonderfully mischievous and sorely missed Head of Sixth Form, Mike Davey. I had, by this time, met my wife-to-be, a beautiful Dublin lady also working in teaching, and we married in the College chapel in 1998. I left St Jo’s in 1999 to work in a large comprehensive school in Chelmsford, where I started up a school rugby team and got a few games for them too. In 2003 Laura and I decided to re-locate to Ireland, and I found myself working as the Head of Boarding at Kilkenny College – the largest co-ed boarding school in the Republic of Ireland. I continued to coach rugby and in stjos.co.uk
2007 and 2009 brought teams over from Kilkenny to play in the Festival. In 2009 we made it to the Trophy semi-final, losing to Campbell College, Belfast, who themselves lost to St Jo’s in the final. I recall disgruntled Joey parents tut-tutting as our Kilkenny lads sang ‘Stand Up for the Ulstermen’ in support of their fellow Irish rugby players, very much against the general swell of support.
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RGS High Wycombe and Merchiston, who made their way down from Edinburgh. I do know that we didn’t cover ourselves in glory!
Kilkenny has been my home for the past 22 years. Laura and I have seen our three children go through the school, and whilst I retired from coaching when I turned 50, my youngest son has carried on the mantle of rugby involvement as he currently plays with Galwegians RFC alongside his studies in Galway University. I loved my time at St Joseph’s – perhaps that was part of the inspiration for returning to education as a vocation; and I loved playing rugby there – it created an easy link to people when I travelled or moved abroad. Rugby values remain the same the world over. Every October, I watch YouTube to keep up to date with the Festival as it unfolds over the weekend. 2026 heralds the 40th incarnation of the Festival. A milestone, and a chance to remember those embryonic years as it gained traction, popularity and media attention. Names from the ‘Originals’ float across my mind – David Hamer, Antony Dupont, Jamie Cockburn, Julian Murray and Warren Webb who formed the back line; Paddy Goodall, Guy Greenfield, Mike Ball in the pack; Ian Potter in Fifth year in the squad, along with possibly Andy Simpson and Matt Potter… As part of the celebrations, the organisers are looking to bring back as many of the original players in the ’87 squad as possible. I can think of nothing finer than on a brisk, October Saturday next year, being able to return to St Joseph’s and reminisce with that team, if only to jog my memory and remind me of exactly who and how we played! So if you were part of the ’87 First XV, or you know the whereabouts of someone who was, please contact Lindy Rodwell at L.Rodwell@stjos.co.uk. It would be great to find you all again, and share a beer whilst watching the teams compete in a competition that we all had a hand in beginning. Matt Berry (‘82-‘89)
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Space to thrive
From Ipswich to the Cradle of the Renaissance
Charles dangling out of a ground floor window at Goldrood. It was probably taken in 1969.
I was invited to write about how I ended up retiring in Florence. As with most things, it’s a long story, but here it goes! I completed my A-levels at St Jo’s in 1969, and after a year in London I ended up at Aston University doing a BSc in Administrative Science, which was another name for a degree in business. The course was for four years instead of the usual three. Year three was spent in an internship at the end of which one was required to submit a dissertation on a topic of one’s choosing. The purpose of the year was to give undergraduates a taste of the ‘real’ world before embarking on a career after graduation. I did my internship at Plessey Aerospace in Hampshire. Plessey made parts, such as starter motors and undercarriages, for the aeroplane makers. The company was bought by GEC and no longer exists. My dissertation argued that Concorde should be cancelled before production got under way: for while it would be a tremendous technical achievement, I predicted that not enough planes would be sold for it to become a commercial success. As it turned out, only 11 Concordes flew, leaving the British and French taxpayers to carry 10
the loss. Ironically, if the programme had been cancelled, I would not have had the pleasure of flying on it from New York to London many years later. A further irony, at a personal level, was that the economics surrounding Concorde’s cancellation led me to develop an interest in aircraft finance, which was to become part of my professional life. The year also taught me that I did not want a 9-to-5 job and that I wanted to travel in my work. So, when job hunting started in year four, I looked for companies that offered overseas assignments and two came up - the Bata Shoe Company and the Chartered Bank. I applied to the bank and was offered a job the September after graduation. I started in the City not doing anything interesting but watching other people work. However, six weeks later, when the bank realised I received an automatic granting of Part 1 of the banking exams, they sent me to continue my training in their Hamburg branch. I was busier there and got a feel for the plumbing of international trade transactions. By then the bank had merged with the Standard Bank and became Standard stjos.co.uk
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Chartered Bank, which is the name it retains to this day. Three months into Hamburg, I was instructed to return to London. After two weeks I was told that training was over; whereupon I was sent to Bahrain as soon as I could get my things together. And so started an international banking career which saw me living in 10 countries. The longest period I stayed in one place was in New York, where I served for 13 years. By then I had left Standard Chartered and was working with a Canadian bank, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce or CIBC, which transferred me from Toronto to New York. I met my wife Monica on a business trip to Washington DC. Monica is Colombian and had been with the Colombian Embassy before becoming a translator of legal documents from English to Spanish for a law firm in DC. We married and lived in New York, both becoming US citizens. We did not expect to leave the US, but life throws many twists… Standard Chartered had bought the business I was a part of from CIBC and so I was back at Standard Chartered. Monica decided that she would not only have a child but also take a degree in Art History. As part of her degree programme, she was required to do a summer study abroad and did this at the Lorenzo de’ Medici Art Institute in Florence. I joined her for two weeks during my holiday and I decided to take a cooking class at the same institute. After further overseas postings, which saw me move from New York to London and finally to Qatar, I retired in 2017. We returned to the US, where both Monica and I spent a year at Harvard University at their Advanced Leadership Initiative. This is a programme that invites people who have had a career in various professions, such as banking, the law, government etc, so that they can use their expertise to pivot into a third social impact career. Soon after that we moved to Medellin, Colombia, to explore if we wanted to live there and decided that while we would like to visit frequently, we would not live there, so where do we go? After some deliberation, we decided Monica would explore Florence. So we booked a flight and hotel for her and off she went. I stayed behind to settle our daughter who was staying behind. A few days later, Monica went back to the Lorenzo de’ Medici Art Institute and reconnected with the Professor of Art Restoration, who remembered her from the study abroad period 25 years earlier. Monica stayed and volunteered at various fresco restoration projects.
Charles with his wife and daughter in front of the Duomo in Florence, a 600 year old marvel of engineering.
I joined her a month later. As I was still a British Citizen I was able to get Italian residence two months before Brexit in 2019. The rest in history! We purchased an apartment here, my daughter is at college in Florence studying Fashion Marketing and I spend my time struggling to learn Italian. We retained our house in Western Massachusetts for a time. It was in the woods and an excellent location to see Covid off. Though we did divide our time between Florence and the US, we are now spending more time in Florence. But who knows, we have the moving bug and are susceptible to being presented with another twist in life which could see us move again - maybe Ipswich will beckon me to go back where it all started.’ Charles would be delighted to hear from old school friends. Drop him a line at charlescarlson51@gmail.com to say hi. Florence, Italy Charles Carlson OB (1969)
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Space to thrive
Finding a Home in Artistic Spaces Izzie Atkinson OB ‘It feels like yesterday’; what a funny turn of phrase. We use it all the time to describe the things we did, that we accomplished or experienced, but that feel otherwise indescribably distant. As much as I used this phrase to illustrate the sense of detachment I felt from the things I left in the past (or in Suffolk), leaving St Jo’s in 2021 and heading off to Edinburgh for uni doesn’t feel like yesterday, it feels like ages ago. As I approach my 23rd birthday I suppose four years is an age of sorts. In that time I’ve moved to a new country, completed my undergraduate degree in Social Anthropology, performed in seven theatre productions, tried my hand at musical directing, taken part in two Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, travelled, made friends, lost friends, fallen in love, and learned what it means to be myself. It feels like ages ago that I stood in the Sixth Form Quad wishing everyone a lovely summer as I made my last address as Head Girl, an address in which I finally (and rather publicly) acknowledged how scared I was of this huge next step. Going off to university was undoubtedly full of fun and excitement and I would never go back and change anything, but my goodness was I terrified. On my first day in Edinburgh without my mum-shaped safety net and with no flatmates yet moved in, I cried over the fact that I couldn’t get the hobs in my accommodation to work. Then, as I sat with my luke-warm pesto pasta in my unpacked room, I cried over the fact that I was so far away from home and I felt so incredibly small. I seem to remember that aforementioned Head Girl speech followed a similar theme of crying all over the place, so at least I’m consistent. Flash forward to October 2025 and I’ve graduated, moved down to Leith, and I’m working part-time while still cracking on with theatre. This summer I took part in my 12
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second Fringe with the cast and crew of Mary: A Gig Theatre Show. The production follows the life of Mary, Queen of Scots through original folk-rock music and spoken word; as the token English cast member I play Queen Elizabeth I. I joined the show in 2023 for its first fully-cast iteration and have seen it through six successful productions since. This show has been one of the biggest steps towards feeling settled in Edinburgh, both as an artist and in my personal life, largely through the confidence boost it gave me. Mary gave me an assurance that I can be a performer in a professional capacity while pursuing other projects. I have found comfort and community in these artistic spaces, cultivating a space for exploration that doesn’t have a deadline but rather allows people to grow into themselves as I feel I have. So, it may feel like an age ago that I said my goodbyes to Ipswich, and I can’t say that I’ll call it home again for a while, but I look on that fondly. I think it’s a really positive thing to acknowledge the time and distance between these two stages of my life. For one it pushes me to appreciate the fact that these four years and however many miles have allowed me to change and to grow, and, beyond that, to get things wrong and start over, to have no idea what’s coming next and to live confidently within that
It didn’t take the wider world long to recognise the outstanding talent of Mariam Pope OB. Hard on achieving a First-Class honours degree in Acting, Mariam was snapped up for the West End production, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
She told us how delighted she was to be making her professional stage debut in such a popular West End show. ‘I loved my time at St Jo’s and owe a lot to the people I met there for the person I am today. I was always encouraged to engage with the arts as much as possible and I think it’s safe to say I did just that. I’m very grateful to have been nurtured in such a creative environment when I was younger.’ Recipient of an Academic and Drama scholarship, Mariam fulfilled every promise. Mrs Cheryl Pethybridge, teacher of Performing Arts, said, ‘Mariam is a real ambassador for the school, for the way she inspired not just her own year group but younger students too. She created a legacy as a singer, and also as a dancer, in academics, in sport and personally.’ Mariam’s role as Polly Chapman in the awardwinning Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a straight acting part – and acting was always Mariam’s first love. The enormous success she made of it during her degree course at Rose Bruford College in Kent is testament to her aptitude.
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Landing a Dream Role in the West End Mariam Pope OB
But all who knew Mariam at St Jo’s are now smiling to themselves knowing her equal prowess as a singer. What a talent to hold in reserve! The school traditionally produces a musical show each year and from the time Mariam joined in Year 9 she took on significant roles and lit up the stage year after year. In the role of a shy student whose amazing voice transforms her life, she was indeed well cast in School of Rock (2018). She followed up with Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray (2019), Ronette in Little Shop of Horrors (2020) and as Rizzo, leader of the Pink Ladies, in Grease (2022). Along with A-levels in Drama, English and History, Mariam gained a Grade 8 Distinction in LAMDA Acting and became Senior Drama Champion in the Suffolk Festival of Performing Arts. She was Senior Arts Prefect at St Joseph’s and a tireless advocate for the Arts. Mariam’s mother, Caroline, Housemistress and NonResidential Matron at St Jo’s, told us Mariam is working six days a week, understudying two other characters alongside her own part.
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Space to thrive
A Letter from Jimmy Chiu OB We are always grateful when members of the St Jo’s community take time to reflect on their journey through the school, as the feedback helps us keep on improving. Positive comments are particularly welcome! We know from research that word of mouth is the number one reason why prospective families come to us. Recent leaver Chun Ming (Jimmy) Chiu, kindly put down his reminiscences, with future boarders in mind. Jimmy, who came to us from Hong Kong, is currently an undergraduate at the University of Southampton, his first-choice destination, where he is reading Computer Science. He wrote: ‘I started my Boarding life in Year 7 and ended in Year 13. During these years I grew a lot, from an unconfident kid to a mature adult. It was hard, but the Boarding staff always supported me to help me get through those hard times. Progressively, I talked to the teachers as my friends, especially the matron. She helped me so much in my Boarding life, including taking me to the dentist/GP, helping me to buy new school uniform, and even giving me advice on how to make a start in university. ‘The single rooms I lived in were decent: big enough for me to put in everything I needed and not feeling too restricted. My neighbouring roommates were outgoing and friendly. Boarders love to drop in to other student rooms and be visited by friends. Inside the room you have got all the furniture you need - a wardrobe, a study table, a chair and plenty of drawers. 14
‘The facilities in Boarding are quite complete. We have a kitchen with a fridge, plates and cups, electric cooking stoves…a great opportunity for socialising. We also have a TV room, study room and a games room. In the games room there are various sports and games to play, such as table tennis and snooker. The football pitch in front of Boarding and the adjacent basketball court provide places for outside sports. ‘Overall, I think Boarding is a challenge for new students, but very rewarding in the end. You will learn how to become independent, able to deal with most things by yourself, and be ready for life after the middle and high school years.’ Thanks, Jimmy. We hope we’ll see you back at St Jo’s soon. stjos.co.uk
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The Night of the Great Storm We are indebted to Ken Mark (then 4H) for this contemporaneous account: It was in the early hours of the 16th October 1987, that I was woken by a terrible crash; both of the monkey puzzle trees had been uprooted and had just missed Goldrood House. It was about 3am. The boarders who live in the rooms upstairs at the front of the house had just missed serious injury or even death! They got up and knocked on the door of Mr Winter’s room. They told him what had happened. Most of the Fourth years were up by now, having been told the hurricane was over. Indeed, it would not stop. A few boys went outside, the blowing of the wind almost knocking them over. The boys went to Mr Regan’s cottage to help him out as his cottage was totally blocked by massive trees. The entrance to the Mews was cut off. A large tree had hit the arch of the Mews and slates had fallen off.
was unbelievable: all the big trees of Goldrood had been uprooted and had fallen across the path leading to Birkfield; it looked as if a bomb had been dropped upon it. Mr Winter announced there would be no school and we all cheered, but the tree behind the house had broken the water-pipe and there wasn’t any water in the house. (Luckily I’d had a shower at 4.00am!) We had breakfast at a later time of 8.30am and to reach the refectories we had to go around the trees blocking the paths. The rugby posts had been bent and the woodland areas had many fallen trees. The large tree in front of the library had fallen and smashed to pieces over the main drive at Birkfield. When we went back to the house we listened to the radio for any information on the storm. Many, many buildings were damaged around Ipswich and quite a few people were made homeless. Electricity was cut off and water mains burst, and even Mr Hardie’s new Sierra car is believed to have been damaged.
Many of us tried to phone our families but the trees had cut down the line. Mr Winter and the boys at the front of the house slept down in the front hall just in case any trees would fall. By 7.20am, the Fifth formers who lived in the centre of the house had finally woken up and were astounded at what had happened. Mr Begg, the housemaster, was up quite early, and had been talking to some boys asking if the school was open. As it became light I looked out of the front window, and what I could see stjos.co.uk
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Space to thrive
‘ For giving a person a certain degree of confidence there is no better amusement than amateur theatricals.’
Where the Rainbow Ends, 1960 ‘To put hundreds of pounds into an English junior school production must appear plumb crazy. But, we are trying out something unique which deserves to be carried to its logical best. By giving youngsters all the professional trappings of an adult production we found through our 1957 Toad of Toad Hall that the junior boy can be inspired to transform his acting into something amazing for his age. We are going one stage further this time by adding evident polish to the production and searching for more sophistication in the portrayal of character. ‘By casting the play in Edwardian costume we are endeavouring to evoke the spirit of that first performance of the play at the Savoy Theatre in 1911. Of late, grown-ups have tended to bring in the pantomime 16
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element almost to the point of banality when putting on this play, so we trust you will find our approach refreshing. By the way, those of you who have come to see the lovely ballet sequences will be disappointed, for instead, thirty of the liveliest little leprechauns imaginable are going to make you sit up!’ ‘I have been reading lately the life-story of Al Smith, the once Governor of New York and one of the most renowned American statesmen of this half-century. Like the youngsters acting here to-day, he was once a pupil at a De La Salle Brothers school. Surely, he must be smiling down on us from heaven now for he once penned these lines. “For innocent pastime, for
recreation, for knowledge, for training the memory and for giving a person a certain degree of confidence there is no better amusement than amateur theatricals.”’ So wrote the director, Bro Francis, when the Prep School staged ‘Where the Rainbow Ends’ in…1960? Perhaps you can date it accurately for us. That is decades ago and we are no longer a boys school or a De La Salle school, but at St Joseph’s College Prep School today, as at its precursor, Oak Hill, the value of staging a performance is well recognised. Our Prep girls’ and boys’ most recent production was ‘Oliver with a Twist.’ Our Senior students delivered Aladdin, back at the Riverside Theatre, Woodbridge, scene of many St Joseph’s College past productions. stjos.co.uk
Rosamund Carey S. Dowling Crispian Carey P. Ballard Matilda Flint, aunt K. Goodrich Joseph Flint, solicitor uncle M. Dowling Monsieur Bertrand, antique dealer J. Oxley Jim Blunders, a friend of Crispian P. Andrews Betty Blunders, sister of Jim P. Cady Captain Carey, father of the children M. Dunne Vera Carey, his wife S. Boreham William, a page boy F. Pizzey Cubs, a lion cub I. Smith St George J. Leeder Dragon King A. Webster Dunks, Chief Minister of Dragon King R. Staker King of the Leprechauns J. Ringer Genie of the Carpet A. Pozyczka Will-o’-the-Wisp R.Thraves Sea Witch J. Kelly The Slacker P. Boland A Tree A. Kelly Leprechaun Pages J. Luckett, D. Cappuccitti Three Bears P. Boland, D. Witt, M. Dunne Dragon Guards A. Burchnall, J. Whitty, C. Spruytenburg, V. Jedzrejewski, D. Laws, G. Bacon Rabbits B. Joslin, R. Prior, P. Brown Leprechauns A. Laws, N. Melero, N. Spruytenburg. D. Hearne, S. Coelho, S. Hawkes, S. Cole, J. Deamer, P. Cockell, P. Odell, K. Austin, R. Fowler, A. Saward, R. Clark, N.Wrigley, R. McDonagh, N. Wood, J. Kelly, O. Cockell, A. Ursic, A. Moss. J.Ebbage, P. Oliver, M. Fowler.
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The Cast
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