My Trinity Summer 2020

Trinity MAGAZINE FOR FORMER

ISSUE 2 SUMMER 2020

My

PUPILS, STAFF AND FRIENDS

ROBIN WILSON HEADMASTER 1972-94

BARRY MACEVOY IN MALAWI

JOEL WILLIAMS Tenor of the Ensanche

WHERE IN THE WORLD

RAISE YOUR GLASS TO GEOFF WILSHER

My

Trinity

Welcome Dear alumni, former staff and friends

As I write, our Junior Year is about to start a phased return with our Years 10 and 12 also returning in small groups over the last two weeks of term. We are working through the complications this creates as remote teaching still needs to continue for everyone not in school. The phased return will enable us to test the measures we have introduced before the school returns in September.

Welcome to the second edition of My Trinity magazine.

Our news sections bring you a few highlights from the school and our alumni community as well as reviews of the events we have been able to host prior to lockdown.

I hope you enjoy reading about 2010 leaver and up and coming opera singer Joel Williams, alumnus and governor Barry MacEvoy’s trip to Malawi, and the articles on former Headmaster Robin Wilson and alumnus and stalwart of the Trinity Club, Geoff Wilsher.

As I write, we are gradually easing out of lockdown whilst still in the grip of the worldwide pandemic. I sincerely hope you have kept safe and well during this time. My condolences go out to all of you and your families where you have been affected in different ways by the virus.

I could not be prouder of the way in which the staff and pupils at Trinity School have responded to the unique challenges that face us. Our staff trained over the Easter holiday for a week and have been delivering online teaching via the Teams platform throughout the summer term. Learning virtually is an intense experience for students and staff, so we introduced a slightly reduced timetable for teaching remotely, with a longer lesson length than at school. Staff have been sharing innovative ways to teach and learn with each other, and parents have been generous in their praise for the engaging lessons that staff are creating. We have had to learn quickly, and the broadband networks of South London have been put through their paces, but our governors have paid tribute to the dedication of our teaching and support staff in delivering a very high level of teaching remotely.

As our GCSE cohort had no exams to sit, we introduced a new programme for them to start to engage with their A level subjects. I have been incredibly impressed by the set of ideas and resources our staff have produced for the pre-A level programme, which is also being shared with the 43 external students joining our Sixth Form in September.

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When this magazine reaches you, we will know the outcome of our first Giving Day, which is being held in support of our Bursary Fund. Bursaries make a crucial difference to our school. To the individuals who receive them, we hope we can give them a life changing opportunity. But the impact is even greater on all of our students because it means that they will grow up and rub shoulders with children from all kinds of backgrounds and we think this can shape powerfully the kind of young person they will be when they leave us at eighteen. Trinity has always valued this, but the cost of a private education means we have to do more to address the structural inequality of access to schools like ours.

I would like to thank the hundreds of you who have already generously supported the Bursary Fund. Our longer-term ambition is that one in every five Trinity students will be supported by a bursary, but the pandemic is going to impact a number of current Trinity families economically for the foreseeable future, so we also want to be able to support them to keep their children at school.

I hope we will be able to resume our programme of events for alumni over the next academic year and I look forward to seeing many of you then.

With my best wishes

Alasdair Kennedy, Headmaster

“We are really grateful that under challenging circumstances, the school and teachers have managed to keep our child motivated and positive about their education, and provided a way for them to maintain a routine that is so important for their well-being.”

TRI N ITY PARENT

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Alumni news MY T R I N I T Y CO M M U N I T Y O N L I N E Introducing our new Business Directory

Have you registered on our alumni networking site My Trinity yet?

Join over 1,400 people from our Trinity community and keep in touch with the latest news from the School and former students, see our forthcoming events, view photographs and connect with your peers and fellow alumni. Alumni can also seek and give careers advice and search for, or offer, mentoring opportunities, jobs and other forms of support through our secure site.

How to register It is simple to join us on My Trinity, just sign up using your LinkedIn or Facebook log in, or register with your email address. You can tailor your profile by offering as much or as little support to others as you want.

Register now at

www.mytrinity.org.uk My Trinity Magazine is published by the Alumni and Development Team at Trinity School Edited by Melodie Johnson, Head of Alumni Relations Comments and suggestions for content, or requests for copies of photographs can be sent to Melodie by email: maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk or by post, addressed to Melodie Johnson, Alumni Office, Trinity School, Shirley Park Croydon CR9 7AT

We have recently launched our new Business Directory on My Trinity, where you can add a free listing to promote your company to our excusive Trinity community. People have already started posting their businesses, including those offering financial advice, IT support and handmade bespoke cakes.

Why not add your company now?

contents 3

y Trinity engagement M platform

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School News

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J oel Williams – Tenor of the Ensanche

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Review of Events

12 School News 13 Alumni News 16 Barry MacEvoy in Malawi 18 Where in the World?

20 Trinity Gives 21 Lisa Kladitis

New Resources section on My Trinity We have also enhanced the site with a new Resources area, which we have started to populate with Media; including alumni performing in lockdown and an interview by alumnus Alistair Kitchen, who left Trinity in 2001, with composer and film maker, Tony Britten, who left in 1973, Publications; where you can find the latest editions of the School and Alumni magazines, and an Obituaries section.

These two new sections can be accessed from the menu.

Join us on our social media

22 The Return of the Alumni 24 R obin Wilson, Headmaster 1972-1994 26 D estination of 2019 Leavers 28 Trip down Memory Lane 29 The Trinity Club 32 Raise your glass to Geoff Wilsher 34 In Memoriam 35 A lumni & Development Team 36 Dates for your Diary

facebook.com/TrinitySchoolCroydonAlumni linkedin.com/in/trinityalumni twitter.com/TrinitySchAlumn instagram.com/trinityschoolalumni

direct line 020 8662 5159

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School news CRICKET

FOOTBALL

Trinity win against MCC

Tayla Lock

Trinity’s 1st XI claimed victory at our annual fixture against the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) last summer. Our team bowled the best they had all season, restricting the MCC to 109 all out. The match culminated in ‘Spirit of Cricket’ award winner Alex Connaghton, who hit two enormous sixes to win the game; our first win against the MCC for some time.

Sixth Form student Tayla Lock completed trials last summer at the ISFA (Independent Schools Football Association) camp for the U18s team.

Tayla also plays for Crystal Palace ladies.

Lanre Olatunji First Year student Lanre Olatunji signed for Charlton Athletic FC academy in February.

Ollie Scarles

Henry Molyneaux Fourth Year student Henry Molyneux signed a two-year contract with Crystal Palace FC Academy.

HOCKEY

Top 100 Trinity has been named one of the top 100 cricket schools in the country by The Cricketer magazine for the fifth year running. The listing follows an exhaustive process where all entries are judged against an extensive set of criteria, with all the chosen schools having outstanding facilities, fixture programmes and coaching.

William Haspel First Year student William Haspel was named Player of the Season for the U13 Surrey Boys Panthers Team last year. William was also invited to attend a trial for the England hockey Southern Counties Performance Centre selections.

Joe Cotton Fifth former, Joe Cotton was named “Player of the Tournament” at England Hockey’s Futures Cup. Along with securing this coveted title, Joe was also selected for the England U15 squad.

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Third Year student Ollie Scarles was selected for the England U15 football team in January following his success as part of the FA Development Squad.

He demonstrated his excellent football skills during a match against Belgium in February.

RUGBY

Three students selected for Harlequins U13 programme Second formers Joseph Jenkins, Conor Maguire and Cuthbert Bashukwa were selected for the Harlequins U13 Developing Player Programme in February. All three boys already make a great contribution to our teams at Trinity and will certainly benefit from this level of training and coaching.

Archie Warren Sixth Form student, Archie Warren, represented Surrey as part of their U20 rugby squad in March. It’s a great accolade for Archie, who was selected to play for the U20 team despite the fact he is only 18. He played the full 80 minutes against Sussex RFU on the 1st XV pitch at Esher.

RUGBY CONTINUED

WAT E R S P O R T S

Fifteen Rugby Team of the Year

Five Gold Medals!

Two Trinity students were voted into the starting XV for ‘Fifteen Rugby Schools Rugby Counties XV’ in April. Alex Connaghton was voted into the second row while Chris Lipczynski was selected at inside centre.

Third Year student, Zain Lam, returned to school with a suite of medals after competing in the Surrey Swimming Championships in March. He won five gold medals across the 50m, 100m and 200m breast; 50m free, and 50m fly, and he won silver in the 100m fly.

Alfie Velasco Upper Sixth student, Alfie Velasco was selected for the U18 Welsh Exiles squad last September.

Trinity Boys Choir back at Abbey Road The Trinity Boys Choir, currently the busiest studio session recording children’s choir in the UK, make regular visits to famous studios like Abbey Road. Some projects they can excitedly tell us about, and some they can’t yet reveal.

The Choir recorded the score by Nicholas Britell for the Netflix film The King, starring Timothée Chalamet, and spent a further two days at Abbey Road recording the soundtrack for Maleficent 2.

The Choir also recorded the song Monsters with James Blunt for his new album Cold, which was recorded in the Guards Chapel at Wellington Barracks. It is a very touching ballad, written in homage to Blunt’s father.

Ross Sinclair Fifth Year student, Ross Sinclair, was selected for the Scotland U16 Exiles Green Squad at Murrayfield stadium in March.

The camp involved work on individual development, team organisation and game opportunities against Scotland U16 Blue and Scotland U16 Red teams, giving participants the chance to impress the national selectors and earn a Scotland U16 cap.

MUSIC

Gold and Silver for Water Polo Teams Our U15 and U18 Water Polo teams claimed gold and silver medals respectively at the ESSA National Finals. The U15 team won the national title following a closely-fought match at Northampton School for Boys against Bolton, with the U18s claiming silver in their final match, also against Bolton, after a semi-final victory against Alleyn’s.

Anna ESSA Champion Sixth Form student Anna Bradescu was crowned ESSA national diving champion in December in the Senior Girls diving category.

Her win also contributed to the London team winning overall.

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Student awarded Royal College of Music scholarship Sixth Form student, Amiri Harewood, has been awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Music.

Amiri is one of our most talented pianists and, at the age of 13, became our youngest Steinway Scholar. He has since won a number of awards, including our annual piano competition on three occasions and, in 2018, was named our Trinity Musician of the Year. Amiri has performed at prestigious venues across Europe including Venice, Bologna and the Steinway Hall in London. He recently gave a brilliant performance of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor at the newly-refurbished Fairfield Halls.

Students mark Holocaust Memorial Day Our Lo Quartet performed at a service on Holocaust Memorial Day in January at the Council Chamber at Croydon Town Hall, which was attended by the Mayor of Croydon, local faith leaders, Councillors and other local schools.

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JOEL WILLIAMS Tenor of the Ensanche We speak to rising star, Joel Williams Joel Williams left Trinity School in 2010 having attained A levels in English, History and Religious Studies, but his passion has always been his music. Whilst at Trinity, Joel was a chorister in the Trinity Boys Choir, played the cello, clarinet and piano, and was awarded Trinity School’s Music Prize for Singing. Joel was also leader of the concert band and through all this, he managed to fulfil his duties as Deputy Head Boy. Joel said: "I feel incredibly lucky to have spent seven years at Trinity. It is with the music department that many of my happiest memories were formed.

The opportunities under the helmsmanship of David Swinson were astonishing. Within the relatively short life-span of a boy treble, I ended up on many of Europe's greatest stages and sang with many of the world's greatest conductors. Of course, at the time I was mostly excited about races through

the frozen streets of Venice and the smoothie selection in the Royal Opera House canteen. Alongside races run and smoothies drunk, I was exposed to art of indescribable beauty, passion, and love, and was piloted through this world by teachers for whose patience, knowledge and humanity I will be forever grateful."

Joel went on to read History at King’s College, Cambridge, where he was an academic and choral scholar, singing

We are hugely proud of his achievements and it is an inspiration for our young singers to see one of our own doing so well.

David Swinson, Director of Music at Trinity

© Ben Ealovega

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in the world famous choir in their international broadcasts, and singing solos in the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing, the Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House, reaching combined audiences of many millions. He then gained a post graduate place at the Royal College of Music Opera Studio, where he studied for five years. He was awarded a Kiri te Kanawa Scholarship, following a rigorous audition process, attended by Dame Kiri herself. Whilst still a student at the RCM, Joel built up his solo career as a tenor, performing in Adriana Lecouvreur under Valery Gergiev in Verbier and with the LPO and Vladamir Jurowski.

Described by Opera Magazine as a singer "with flair, his tenor simultaneously caressing and resilient", Joel is now a member of the Centre de Perfeccionament Palau de les Arts in Valencia. Joel is the recipient of an Independent Opera Fellowship which is awarded annually to talented singers in the early stages of their professional operatic careers. His studies up to this point have been generously supported by many charitable bodies which he lists fully at tenorjoelwilliams.com.

On stage, Joel, aged 28, has already played a multitude of roles and made debuts for major companies including Basilio in Nozze di Figaro at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Facio in Fantasio at Garsington, Le Ruisseau in Les Fêtes D'Hébé at Bastille, Opéra de Paris, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni at Holland Park, Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Count Belfiore in La Finta Giardiniera, Hexe in Hänsel und Gretel at the Royal College of Music International Opera Studio, Odoardo in Ariodante at the London Handel Festival, Oronte in Alcina at the Ryedale Festival Opera, and he also created the role of Captain Vere for the Royal

Music is such a powerful force to unite and inspire us. Now, we need it more than ever.

Xxxxxxx

Joel as Basilio in Nozze d Figaro - © Chris Christodoulou

Joel as Odoardo in Ariodante - © Chris Christodoulou

Opera House's Learning and Participation reduced version of Billy Budd.

8pm. "I had seen other people entertaining their local community in Italy, so I thought, why not? I go out onto my balcony to pay tribute to our wonderful health workers with others in our street, and when the applause stops, I sing. I've performed almost every night for two months".

Joel arrived in Valencia with only a smattering of Spanish, and was thrown into rehearsals on his induction day for a production of Nozze di Figaro for a main house production. Rehearsals were almost entirely in Spanish.

"I was so fortunate and grateful that I had already performed the role of Basilio under the direction of Sir Thomas Allen, and thanks to the international language of gesticulating I ended up standing roughly in the right part of the stage at roughly the right time", Joel said. Mauricio Villa from Operawire was impressed "I have to mention Joel Williams as Basilio... this young tenor created a humorous creation and, above all, his voice was projected wonderfully."

Joel was singing in Rossini's Viaggio a Reims at the Palau in Valencia when the Covid-19 outbreak took hold (rehearsals this time were almost entirely in Italian), so when the country went into lockdown, Joel had to resort to singing at home and taking online classes with his teacher, which "works surprisingly well, and I am enjoying this time to focus on my technique, but I feel bad for my neighbours when I practice vocal exercises without any tunes!"

It was actually one of his neighbours who suggested Joel perform for the street after the nightly applause for health workers at

Joel’s neighbours came to know what was coming and waited in anticipation on their balconies to listen to him. With his ipad and small speaker to accompany him, Joel became the Tenor of the Ensanche. Singing in his unmistakable and powerful voice, Joel delighted his audience with favourites such as Brindisi, Nessun Dorma, and La Donna È Mobile. When David Swinson, our Director of Music, came across one of Joel's videos, we posted it on our social media, and Joel went ‘viral’. Many people shared the videos via their social media and mobile phones during Covid-19 as a way of connecting with others and Joel’s videos became firm favourites.

He has been interviewed (in Spanish) and performed on Spanish television channel A3TV and has been played on ITN in Britain, reaching millions of viewers with his balcony performances.

David Swinson said of Joel: “It’s 10 years since Joel left Trinity but, of course, I remember him well. His highlights as a treble included a solo with Paul McCreesh at the Gabrieli Consort in Madrid and taking the role of Cobweb in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at La Monnaie, Brussels.

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

He was an excellent and charismatic Cobweb and it doesn’t surprise me at all that he is doing so well as an operatic tenor.

We’ve kept in touch, partly because he has sung alongside current Trinity boys, both at the Royal College of Music and at Garsington Opera, and also on a tour to Italy. We are hugely proud of his achievements and it is an inspiration for our young singers to see one of our own doing so well.”

For Joel’s neighbours, his performances were awaited with enthusiasm. One of his neighbours wrote to him saying, "I wanted to thank you from me and on behalf of my 8-month pregnant wife for your encouraging music every day. In these difficult days, going out on the balcony to clap and to listen to your awesome voice is like having an oxygen balloon that makes us forget all the bad things for a while".

Joel says he is "So happy to do my small bit for the community around here and the people who see recordings. These are difficult times when we need the human connection and community denied to us by quarantine. Music is such a powerful force to unite and inspire us. Now, we need it more than ever."

We are sure to see more of Joel as a young and upcoming opera singer, so watch this space - for updates, follow him @TenorJoel on Facebook and Instagram and tenorjoelwilliams.com.

If you have not already heard Joel sing, log in to our My Trinity alumni engagement platform at www.mytrinity.org.uk where you can see one of his performances from his balcony.

Click here

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Review of events Afternoon of Sport beginning of this Members of the Trinity community came together at the our alumni challenged academic year for our annual Afternoon of Sport where hockey, netball, our current students and staff in hotly-contested rugby, football and water polo matches. a fun-filled day for Over 300 alumni, parents, students and staff joined us for open for people were courts all the family. Our tennis, squash and badminton n, and all childre er wanting to play; we had a bouncy castle on offer for young our guests enjoyed a delicious BBQ.

We were delighted to host Trinity RFC’s 1st XV as they took on the mighty Purley John Fisher’s 1st XV in their first warm-up game of the season. We witnessed a great performance by Trinity RFC in an exciting match which culminated in a win for Trinity RFC.

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Reception for our Supporters We were delighted to welcome alumni, parents and friends of the School to our Reception for Supporters of the Trinity Bursary Fund in November. The room was buzzing with energetic and lively conversation as we thanked members of the Trinity community for their generous donations to our Bursary Fund.

2015 leaver and bursary recipient, Lisa Kladitis, gave a moving speech about her journey from her local state school to Trinity, and then on to Oxford, where she graduated with a First in History.

You can read more about Lisa on page 21.

Celebrity Organ Recital We hosted a special event in September to celebrate the installation of our Wyvern Organ in Trinity Concert Hall. The best seats were occupied by our supporters, who so generously donated to our Organ Fund; enabling us to bring organ music back to School.

Internationally renowned organist, David Briggs gave an electrifying performance on the night, demonstrating what this magnificent instrument is capable of.

Edinburgh Reunion In November, David Young, our Director of Development, hosted drinks for alumni based in and around Edinburgh.

“Thanks for a great evening David.

It was lovely to meet you all!”

Spencer Collingwood, Alumnus, left 1986

David’s playing was incredible; with enthralling and masterful performances of Bach, Gustav Mahler, and Widor, followed by a memorable performance of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which had the whole audience humming and toe tapping.

The second half of the evening included a captivating improvisation

by David to the Charlie Chaplain film The Immigrant. The organ was dedicated by the Reverend Canon Dr Andrew Bishop, Chaplain to the Whitgift Foundation, and guests were treated to a thrilling finale of Hubert Parry’s I Was Glad, accompanied by a massed choir of alumni, parents, students and staff. Fabulous!

Can you help with a venue for networking?

We would love to hear from you if you are prepared to host one of our networking events, whether it be a drinks reception, working lunch or breakfast at your place of work or a venue you are associated with. Please get in touch with Melodie by email maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk if you are able to help.

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Review of events Battle of the Blues We arranged for a group of our most ardent rugby fans to join us at Twickenham Stadium for the Varsity Match, with George Chuter (Mid Whitgiftians, Saracens, Leicester, England and, most importantly, Trinity, 1994), as our guest of honour.

Christmas Jazz evening Our jazz enthusiasts were blown away by the quality of our students’ performances at our annual Christmas Jazz evening in December, which had to be rescheduled at very short notice due to a clash with the general election.

The Alumni Team provided hospitality in the Rose Room before and after the match as part of the Varsity Gathering – a space reserved for university college supporters and teams.

Thanks to a combination of links to senior members of the OURFC and sheer effrontery, Trinity School has a standing invitation as the only non-Oxbridge group in attendance.

There were so many fantastic performances, including from The Jazz Collective, comprising Sixth Form students Will Hardy, Ben Peck and Luca Wade, accompanied by singer Alex Persinaru.

The Trinity party had lots of time to reminisce about past and present rugby glories – not least when an Old Whitgiftian who was there as part of his university college party was attracted to our banner and, having confessed that he was part of the 1977 Whitgift XV, which was the first ever to lose to Trinity, was promptly introduced to Laurie King and Nick Woodman who were part of that victorious Trinity team!

During the evening, Ben Peck played a gold-plated Selmer Radio Improved alto saxophone from 1935. The saxophone, donated to the School by alumnus Bob Beere, who left in 1958, is one of only 2,000 made. Bob and his wife Tricia drove up from Devon to hear Ben put it through its paces and they were thrilled to hear it being played so professionally.

Oh, and the matches? Cambridge won both men's and women's games. Oxford will be seeking revenge this December. We hope the match will go ahead and that we will be able to attend with alumni again.

CANCELL ATION OF EVENTS We were looking forward to the Founder’s Day Supper, Class of 2015 Reunion, City Careers networking event at KWM, hosted by Trinity alumnus Darren Roiser, our Evensong at Bath Abbey, our Trinity Golf Day, Milestone Reunions and, lastly, our Afternoon of Sport at the start of the autumn term, but due to social distancing measures, we had to cancel the rest of our alumni events for this academic year.

We have delayed our programme of events until late autumn, but are currently working on ideas for virtual events we hope you will enjoy.

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Christmas Drinks Over 100 U25s enjoyed Christmas drinks at our Sports Pavilion after term finished in December. Thankfully, the music provided by Nathan, the youngest member of our team, outplayed the racket made by the fire alarm we managed to set off in the kitchen at the start of the event.

It was an evening full of fun and laughter, with lots of hugs and ‘hi-fives’ in abundance as our young alumni gathered to eat, drink, socialise and upload photos and videos of the event to their social media.

Ladies who lunch Muriel Stocker, the widow of Brian, who left Trinity in 1952, and her sister Pamela joined Melodie and Donna for lunch at Chapter 1 in February. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet up, share memories and talk about our outreach to alumni and their families.

London Drinks

New York Reunion

It was great to meet up with alumni and parents for an evening of lively conversation at The Yorkshire Grey in London in February. The reception enabled those attending a chance to enjoy mini reunions, network with others, and, for our younger alumni, to seek careers advice.

David Young flew over to New York in February to meet with alumni and organized a reunion for ex-pats over there at The Shakespeare Pub, which was really well received.

“The first Trinity School alumni reunion get together in NYC. Great to catch up with everyone. Well organised by David Young.”

Richard Sexton MBE, Alumnus, left 1988

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Trinity in Top 50

School news DRAMA

The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide 2020 has ranked Trinity School in the Top 50 independent secondary schools in the UK for the fourth year running.

Extra-Curricular Activities during lockdown It was inevitable that the students would miss the vast number of extra-curricular activities available to them at school, but staff and students have risen to the challenge by enriching their lives and others in many different ways.

Rave reviews for Joseph The School’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was met with rave reviews following a sell-out in December.

There are so many initiatives to mention, but they include the launch of our Blue Cube Gallery by the Art Department where staff and students can share the art they produce during lockdown, our Head of Drama is working on a production ‘Shakespeare in Pieces’, which will comprise a compilation of individually recorded parts from the bard’s plays, and groups of musicians have created memorable performances on video together.

Spanish cooking has seen 40 students (and their families) each week joining our Head of Spanish in his kitchen over Friday lunchtime.

Foundation schools and care homes have really come together. Volunteers from the

With a cast, orchestra and stage crew of 80 students, this firm musical favourite was a spectacular show.

Paul praised individual student performances, stating that “it’s a statistical certainty that one or two will end up in the West End”.

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Jasper Bew, son of a key worker, plays his part in Trinity guitar group, The Axemen from the school library.

schools have been driving care home staff to and from their shifts to save them having to use public transport, DT departments have been providing PPE for care worker staff, and students have been supporting the residents with cards and letters. I don’t think the three schools have worked together so closely before.

Alasdair Kennedy, Headmaster

Staff provide PPE to NHS

Featuring an original technicolour coat, designed and made by staff member and alumnus Will Coma; a complex set; live music, directed by Head of Music, Richard Holdsworth, and innovative stage direction, led by Head of Drama Productions Chris Chambers, it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Paul Johnson, editor of "Sardines", a leading theatre magazine, gave the production five stars, saying “… for sheer bravery, team spirit, ambition, enjoyment, audience reception, commitment, attitude and downright entertainment, I cannot fault Trinity Drama Productions’ latest show in Croydon”.

Click here

Our DT staff have been producing protective visors using our 3D printers and laser cutters to supply to local care homes and GP surgeries, as well as local hospitals with much-needed PPE. Other members of the staff community are contributing to the nationwide ‘Sew for the NHS’ initiative, working with local groups and sewing shops to create scrubs, hats and face masks for medical staff, with patterns and instructions being shared via our Intranet.

Photo: Senior Partner of Forge Close Surgery in Hayes, Dr Sarah Young, will be sharing the kits we supplied with the local midwifery team who have been running critically short of PPE.

Fifth formers get a taste of A levels Designed to keep young brains engaged, and in the absence of formal examinations, our Fifth Form students have benefited from exciting and enriching opportunities to enjoy intellectually stimulating work to give them a taste of what it is like to study A levels at Trinity.

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Alumni news

Organ Scholarship for Luke Imani’s GB Team raise funds for NHS Alumna Imani-Lara Lansiquot, who left in 2016, participated in the #DontRushChallenge fundraiser for the NHS with her fellow members of GB’s 4x100m women’s relay team. The girls recorded a fun video of the team in lockdown.

2017 leaver, Luke Saint, who graduated this summer from Royal Holloway, University of London, has been awarded an Organ Scholarship at Guildford Cathedral where he will be working alongside Cathedral Organist Katherine Dienes-Williams and Sub Organist Richard Moore.

It is a fantastic opportunity for Luke who is really looking forward to joining them in September.

LOCKDOWN FUN

London Quartet’s parody Simon White, FRSB 1977 leaver, Simon White, has been elected to Fellow of the Royal Society of Biologists. Simon is Chair of EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) Supply Chain Working Group and a Director at Pfizer. Any thoughts about ‘winding down’ have been put on hold as it is ‘all hands on deck’ to supply hospitals worldwide during the current crisis.

Simon said: “I thought the School would like to know as it all started with A-level Biology.”

Simon’s FRSB certificate is dated the 1st April, but he assures us it is genuine!

Trinity alumnus, Mark Fleming, performed a parody of Fat Larry’s Zoom with his fellow members of Cantabile – The London Quartet during lockdown using the video conferencing app of the same name.

Mark and the rest of the group got together to give a wonderful recital with a great play on the original lyrics.

Harry Petty appears on ITV 2015 leaver and English Teacher at Trinity, Harry Petty, performed his self-penned lockdown poem ‘Another Day’, which was broadcast on ITV news.

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Engineering Scholarship for Niamh 2019 leaver, Niamh Singleton, has secured a Quest undergraduate scholarship with the Institute of Civil Engineering (ICE), sponsored by construction group Taylor Woodrow, part of Vinci Construction UK. Niamh will study at a leading UK university, while gaining valuable work experience. With the added benefit of financial support, mentoring and networking opportunities, VINCI say that the sponsorship route is taken by “many of our rising stars”.

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PhD beckons for Tom Wood Thomas Wood is starting a PhD in Genetics and Development at Columbia University this autumn. Tom, who left Trinity in 2016, has just completed studying Genetics at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA and is looking forward to starting his PhD in New York City.

Columbia University is an Ivy League research university, founded in 1754 by royal charter of King George II. Based in Manhattan, the University is the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.

We asked Tom to tell us about his course at Rutgers and the focus of his PhD: “A highlight of my course at Rutgers was the level of interaction you get to have with your professors. The class sizes in the upper level classes are small and allow for seminar style lectures where you can build relationships with the faculty. This interaction is fantastic, as all Genetics majors are also required to join a research lab and conduct their own independent research project to complete the degree.

I joined the Nakamura Lab two and a half years ago and this experience has allowed me to develop professionally in ways that would not be possible with a lecture-based course. We conduct research into the genetic mechanisms underlying the fish to tetrapod transition, with my focus being on bone formation and neck development.

In the lab, I have managed to publish a first-author paper on the subject, as well as use an integrative approach of functional gene knockout via CRISPR-cas9, CT scanning and live cell fate tracking to show the role certain genes play in the evolution of the neck and differentiating bone fates. Such genetic understanding can have important implications for developing therapies for numerous bone diseases further down the road.

PhD programs in the life sciences in America tend to allow students to rotate between labs in their first year to find the lab that is the perfect fit of research interests and personality. However, I know that there are lots of fantastic labs at Columbia investigating areas such as hematopoietic stem cells, heart development and how bone can function as an endocrine organ. Any of these areas (and many more) would be amazing to work in so I can't wait to get started and see what I like!” oy, Tom’s education at Trinity laid the path to his further education: “My time at Trinity was shaped by some fantastic members of staff such as Mrs Anderson and Mr Johnson who went above and beyond to inspire me in their subject. I am also particularly grateful for the career support that was provided, as I would not have been able to navigate both UCAS and American University applications without the help of Mrs Highmore. In short, I would not have been able to be successful in America without Trinity helping me get there.”

B r Head ary d forme in Febru aver an s le k n 3 ri 0 0 D 2 rk h o it Y w w Tom the Ne rten at Ben Sho

Trinity alumnus selected to attend One Young World Summit 2012 leaver, Francis Beechinor-Collins, was selected to attend the One Young World Summit 2019 by his law firm, Clifford Chance, whilst he was training to be a solicitor. Francis is now an Associate at this prestigious law firm, working in the Project Finance team at their Frankfurt office.

The Summit acts as a forum for young people from over 190 countries, allowing them to come together to accelerate the resolution of the world’s biggest threats, such as climate change and extreme poverty.

Francis said: “This was an excellent opportunity to represent my law firm, as well as network with young people working for large companies, NGOs and charities. I came away inspired to take action against the global threats we face. Being in a Q&A session with someone like Muhammad Yunus, who forged

My time at Trinity was shaped by some fantastic members of staff such as Mrs Anderson and Mr Johnson who went above and beyond to inspire me in their subject.

the idea of microfinance, suddenly made solving big problems far more tangible and realistic. I left feeling that helping to stop climate change or alleviate poverty is something I could actually do, rather than just aspire to do.”

Tom o utside Rutge rs

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Alumni choosing Apprenticeships over university Many school leavers are looking at apprenticeships as an alternative to university and the number of degree apprenticeships on offer is on the rise, as are the industries where they are offered. However, the sheer number of candidates applying means applicants need to work very hard to get noticed.

Here are three Trinity students who have been successful in their endeavours:

Alumna awarded Gold D of E Award 2018 leaver and forme r Head Girl, Deesha Ganguli, was presented with her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award at Buckingham Palace last summer. Deesha sai d “I thoroughly enjoyed completing my Gold award and learnt so much whilst doing it!”

Oscar with proud parents Nina and Simon (Simon is also an alumnus, leaving in 1981)

Alex Willis

Oscar Steele

2018 leaver Alex Willis started a 4-year apprenticeship in Farriery with Nigel Brown in Abergavenny after completing a prefarrier course at Warwickshire College, where he gained three distinctions and a merit.

Alex got the bug for farriery after completing a blacksmithing taster course, then going on work experience with various farriers.

Oscar, who left Trinity in 2019, has secured an apprenticeship in the asset management division of global investment company First State Investments.

Alex says, “I’m really enjoying myself and have been able to work all through lockdown - horses’ feet don’t stop growing!

I’d like to thank the school for its support in my career choice, particularly Mrs Highmore and Mr Price for their help and encouragement”.

The journey to securing the position at First State certainly wasn’t straightforward, but Oscar’s perseverance and determination paid off in the end. Oscar said: “Going through various interviews and assessment days was initially very difficult and something that required a lot of practice ... The main thing I learned is that preparation is key and will give you confidence throughout the process”.

Alumnus secures prestigious scholarship

George Railton George, who left in 2018, started a degree apprenticeship with Commerzbank the September after leaving school.

George said: “I’ve always wanted to work in finance and when I saw the opportunity at Commerzbank, I realised I could do something I enjoy whilst studying for a degree without getting into debt.

I’m proactive and wanted to take on a role where I could make a difference and learn invaluable work skills, so it was a perfect fit”.

George attended our Higher Education week last summer to share his experiences with our Lower Sixth students. George’s degree apprenticeship is partnered with the European College of Business Management (ECBM) and the degree is sponsored by the University of South Wales.

Dukinfield Darbishire Scholarship for Kieran The Headmaster was delighted to receive a letter from Somerville College, Oxford, announcing that 2018 leaver, Kieran Moore, had been awarded a Dukinfield Darbishire Scholarship and College Prize.

The award was granted to Kieran in recognition of achieving a distinction in his first-year exams. The college said: “Somerville will always be pleased to welcome entrants from Trinity School, and we hope that Kieran’s success here will be an encouragement to other applicants.”

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

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Barry MacEvoy in Malawi Governor and Alumnus Barry MacEvoy talks about his visit to our partner school in Malawi. Barry wanted to get a sense of why we, as a School, are involved, how the money we raise is spent, and if our students, when visiting, truly benefit from the experience.

Here is an account from Barry about his trip:

Barry left Trinity in 1990 and read Physics at Balliol College, Oxford. After completing a PhD in Particle Physics, he spent 17 years working on the Large Hadron Collider project at CERN and teaching at Imperial College London. Simultaneously, Barry built up a now sizeable business acquiring, managing and developing residential and commercial freehold property in the South-East. Barry is a Governor on Trinity School’s Committee.

“I flew to Blantyre in Malawi and was greeted by our local outreach contacts and a gaggle of our (rather tired) Sixth-Formers and (similarly tired) teachers. Students and teachers stay at “Fisherman’s Rest”, a lodge set up to support community projects.

Our contribution is set into the context of Hope 4 Malawi, a charity dedicated to bringing food, water, education and sanitation to the south of the country.

I have travelled widely in sub-Saharan Africa over the years and I own land in a poor, rural part of India. I had thought I had seen, and understood, poverty. I did not. In the absence of electricity, gas, heavy oil and petrol, the population has deforested large swathes of the country to create fuel for cooking, heating, brick-burning and tobacco curing.

To come from a country where we have the luxury of being able to travel and then talk about offsetting the effects of that travel by planting trees, to one where the people would have starved had they not cut the trees down, is quite a jolt. This deforestation has brought, inevitably, problems with soil erosion and the landscape has been ravaged in places.

In the south of the country, there are some twenty-five primary schools but only a handful of secondary schools. The reason is that, most children leave school at the age of 12 and go into subsistence farming. Around 20-30% of children don’t even make it to the end of primary school. When these children finish their education, they work with their families, in unforgiving conditions, growing staple crops such as maize. At the end of the year, it is often the case that imported food is cheaper than what they can produce at home. In purely economic terms, the people are working … for nothing.

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Class sizes can be anywhere between 10 to well over 100. A classroom scene typically consists of a large room, unbearably hot, with one window and the children sitting in the half-dark on soil, among puddles of water. Conditions are deeply unsanitary and toilets – if they exist – are shocking. Books are virtually non-existent and teachers use chalk and blackboards. Even chalk is scarce and many of the teachers themselves have left education before the age of 18.

Trinity School has carried out a great deal of work at one particular school in Chipwepwete, where we’ve helped to

We provide vitaminenriched maize to each child, which costs £12 per child per year

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

build new classroom blocks that seat 30 children, at desks, in a clean and well-lit environment. We take books with us each year. People have been taught how to make their own lightweight concrete blocks and timber trusses. UN agencies have helped by drilling boreholes, as river water is often dirty and contaminated. We provide vitamin-enriched maize to each child, which costs £12 per child per year. Without that food, many children will go hungry until the evening, making school attendance almost pointless because they are exhausted and undernourished.

On one particularly fierce day, when the temperature in the shade was around 30 degrees, I was driven to a distant school.

This meant 30-odd minutes down a dirttrack in a 4x4, during which I wondered if my teeth were going to fall out. There was no town as such, but people scattered around the hills thereabouts sent the children down every morning and the

Maize arrives to feed the children.

Staff and students gather outside the school.

Trinity School’s Malawi Project supports local charity Hope4Malawi through fundraising and volunteering for our partnership school in Chipwepwete.

Founded by Trinity parents Sara and Mark Goodman, the charity helps schools and orphanages in Malawi provide a better life for the children in their care.

Our school community has raised over £100,000 since the project began and since the start of our collaboration, 116 Trinity students and staff have volunteered in Malawi; teaching the children and helping with building projects.

school had been positioned roughly in the centre-of-gravity of the local population.

Our outreach partner explained that the program wanted to update the school because it was shockingly dangerous.

He was not wrong. To do so would mean levelling an adjacent plot to build on.

As I turned to look at it, what with construction being one of my core businesses, I immediately thought that a 17-tonne excavator, 8-tonne dumper and 2 competent operators would make a nice job of it in one week and a perfect job in two. But there is little in the way of machinery and even if there were, transporting it to site is not easy. Much of the work must be done by local people by hand, when they are preoccupied with the more pressing issue of earning enough to live. When I picked up a mattock and struck it against the soil, it didn’t leave a mark.

The ground may as well have been iron.

Despite the dreadful poverty, people were warm and gentle and I didn’t at any time feel unsafe. I was waiting for the hassle to start, but it never did. This was in stark contrast to a number of the other countries I’ve travelled through over the years.

was their future. That in return, they had given something back to us. They made us re-examine our own lives in the UK and we would not forget their kindness, hospitality and fortitude. This seemed to go down well, although my thoughts at that stage had not really crystallized.

The programme plays to everything we should like our young men and women to be; outward-looking, kind, polite, sensitive, ambitious for themselves and others and resilient. It is almost a “finishing school” for the students who have been lucky enough to join the team in Malawi over the last six or seven years. Digging trenches and fixing boreholes beneath an unforgiving sun, teaching in desperate conditions and seeing that life is not all skiing holidays and nice dinners is, we hope, life-changing for them.

It’s not for the faint-hearted and it’s certainly no holiday.”

The programme plays to everything we should like our young men and women to be; outward-looking, kind, polite, sensitive, ambitious for themselves and others and resilient.

L-R: Nick Denman, Stephanie Justin, Hannah Carey, Barry MacEvoy and Lucy Charlton.

What with a lot of travel and, I suppose, culture shock, I was by this stage dishevelled and discombobulated. It was perhaps therefore unfortunate that, I was thrust with no warning in front of an audience of several hundred children and teachers “to say a few words”.

I was not prepared, so all I could do was come out with what was in my head.

I said that the country was beautiful, but we could see the people were struggling and we wanted to help. That education

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

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Where in the World?

Our alumni network reaches across the globe.

Here are some snapshots of some of our alumni from around the World.

Chris O’Connor Victoria, BC, Canada 1987

Indy Kler Amsterdam, Netherlands 1988

Chris joined the Foreign Office in 2003 and enjoyed postings in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Lebanon, Tunisia and the USA. He was awarded an OBE whilst UK Ambassador to Tunisia where he oversaw the UK’s response to the first of the “Arab Spring” revolutions that shook the region. Chris now works freelance from Canada, developing innovative approaches to addressing insecurity and conflict in the Middle East.

Former Head Boy, Indy, is Regional Sales Manager (UK & Scandinavia) for Silicon Refractory Anchoring Solutions - a world leader in the manufacture of refractory anchoring systems for multiple building industries.

Basit Sheikh Orange County, CA, USA 1986 Basit is Vice-President of Emerging Technology at Capital Group, an asset management firm based in Southern California. In his role, he drives research into new technology trends including AI and Cognitive Computing as well as incubating the firm’s FinTech and Blockchain domains.

Ross Angel Padova, Italy 1978

Richard Sexton NYC, USA 1988 Trinity Ambassador for USA Richard is the CEO of Office Concierge which helps companies navigate their office leasing options.

He is also the Founder of Captain’s Knock, which creates inspiring public and private events that champion sports and expat communities. Richard was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to British and Commonwealth charities in New York.

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Ross is a crystallographer whose research has taken him around the world. After a PhD at Cambridge, Ross worked in New York, Washington, University College London, Bayreuth in Germany, and Virginia Tech in the USA before he moved to Italy. He is now in Padova at the National Research Council.

Percentage of Alumni outside the UK

Simon White, FRSB Tours, France 1977 Simon is Chair of EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) Supply Chain Working Group and a Director at Pfizer. He has recently been elected to Fellow of the Royal Society of Biologists.

23%

AU ST R A L A S I A

40%

N O RT H AMERICA

20%

EUROPE

14%

ASIA

2%

AFRICA

1%

SOUTH AMERICA

Jason Toms Hong Kong 1986 Jason is a Commercial and Maritime litigation solicitor and Partner at Reed Smith LLP. He is experienced in dealing with dry and wet shipping claims and investigating maritime accidents.

Jason acted for the estate Administrators in Hong Kong's highest value contested probate proceedings and in proceedings resulting in Hong Kong's largest ever divorce settlement.

Lali Wiratunga Sydney, NSW 1993 Haroon Niazi Dubai, UEA 2000 (Class of 2002) Haroon is a Partner (Head of Middle East) for HKA, a global Construction Claims and Consulting firm, and is based in Dubai. Haroon holds dual qualifications in law and construction and previously worked as a barrister in London before moving to the Middle East 10 years ago. Haroon has been instructed on various construction disputes and is a testifying expert witness.

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Trinity Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Lali, a former lawyer and management consultant, is now National Manager of Westpac’s Davidson Institute, in Sydney. Lali volunteers on the board of community organisation TAD, and serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of UNSW Business School.

He advocates for financial wellbeing, innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2016, Lali was recognised for helping in the community by Pro Bono Australia's Impact 25.

www.mytrinity.org.uk

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Trinity Gives Young alumni raise over

£120,000 for bursaries

We held our first telephone fundraising last summer, with 12 young alumni ambassadors contacting over 500 Trinity parents, alumni and other supporters of the School to talk to them about the Trinity Bursary Fund.

These incredible students raised gifts and pledges amounting to £120,475; surpassing all our campaign targets.

Holly Bishop and Oscar Lally (both Trinity leavers from 2015) were joined

by Callum de Freitas and Pearce Jennings (2016) , Jack Grainge, Robert Good, Joseph Francis, Harry Jackson Priya Patel and Yunus Skeete (2017) and James Hammond and Munaiza Hoq (2018) in the call centre set up in our library.

Their teamwork and sense of fun was really remarkable during a fortnight of cheerful and enjoyable telephone conversations.

Support came from every quarter, with parents and alumni alike signalling their approval of our drive to increase the number of bursaries we can offer at Trinity. Our thanks go to all our donors for their generous support and encouragement for the campaign.

Why do we need to raise money for bursaries?

We want Trinity to remain within reach of any child who would thrive here, not only for the difference it will make to them, but also for the way it shapes our school experience and values of our whole community.

Less than 20 years ago, schools like ours received massive funding from central government and local authorities to fund scholarships and bursaries, ensuring talented students from poorer families aspiring to come to Trinity did not have to pay school fees. The last of this funding was withdrawn in 2004. Trinity is more fortunate than most because the John Whitgift Foundation endows around £1.9 million p.a. to be spent solely on bursaries to support children from low income families, but there is a need for more.

of local state secondary schools to meet the needs of their brightest pupils. Sadly, levels of attainment in A-level exams in Croydon are 62% below the national average.

Our ambition is to increase the percentage of students who currently receive bursary support from 17% to 20%.

One in Five.

We are aware of many talented children at local primary schools who would thrive at Trinity if they are given the chance of a place.

We aim to make our entrance examinations almost unteachable, ensuring those families with money to coach their children do not gain advantage over poorer pupils with greater potential. However, we still have to turn away bright children because of their inability to pay.

The exponential growth in demand for bursaries at Trinity is fuelled by the failure

Trinity Giving Day As we go to press, we are about to embark on our first ever Giving Day, on Thursday 18th June.

In addition to supporting Headmaster Al Kennedy’s One in Five bursary funding goal, the Covid-19 outbreak has introduced a new challenge for us with many Trinity families affected by bereavement or financially through illness, unemployment and business failure. So, while raising funds

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to open our doors ever wider, Trinity's first Giving Day will also be used to help those who are already part of the Trinity community, providing temporary bursary support for families who might otherwise have to withdraw their children from school.

Why not visit the Giving Day website at www.TrinityGives.org.uk to see how we got on!

Alumna Lisa Kladitis talks about being awarded a bursary 2015 leaver and former Head Girl, Lisa Kladitis joined the Sixth Form in 2013.

She moved schools because she was concerned she would not realise her full potential at A level and recognized she would be more challenged academically at Trinity. Having attended the Sixth Form Open Evening, she was certain where she wanted to study and applied.

We were delighted when she agreed to speak at our Reception for Supporters of the Bursary Fund last November about her journey from local state school to Trinity and then on to read History at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, where she graduated with a 1st Class Honours degree.

Lisa said: “I still vividly remember the excitement of finding out I had been accepted at Trinity after a challenging interview and examination process.

However, after this initial excitement, there was an agonising wait. Coming from a single-parent household, there was no way that my mother could afford to pay the school fees. While I had been told I was academically good enough to attend, my mother was careful to manage my expectations and I knew that without a generous bursary I would have to turn down my place. Our happiness and excitement when we found out that I would receive a bursary and was able to come to Trinity is hard to describe.

I am unbelievably grateful to donors who made this possible, as well as the staff and students who made my time at Trinity so life changing. I am so pleased that the opportunities I enjoyed are now being given to more students like me.”

When talking about the difference between her previous School and Trinity, Lisa said: “The change from my previous school was disorientating; I vividly remember comments on one of my first essays asking what subject I was planning on reading at university. Had I considered Oxbridge?

I was encouraged to read beyond the A Level syllabus. Whereas before I had been allowed to coast, I was suddenly being given extra work and I engaged with my

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Encouraging me to achieve the best I possibly could in everything I attempted has had a profound impact on my approach to all aspects of my life... subjects in ways I never had before.

Perhaps most startling was the other students. Previously, my desire to do well academically had made me an outlier, and often an object of gentle ridicule.

I was suddenly in an environment where a desire to achieve the best possible results - academically and otherwise was the norm for all students. Rather than being embarrassed because I had actually bothered to complete the homework set, I was now surrounded by students who also had a passion for learning.”

Lisa confessed she was a “painfully” average sportswoman. She played netball from young age, but she had never taken it seriously. At Trinity, she had the opportunity to develop her skills and be coached in a way she had never been before. She improved significantly and enjoyed netball all the more for it.

“Encouraging me to achieve the best I possibly could in everything I attempted has had a profound impact on my approach to all aspects of my life, and is what makes Trinity such an inclusive and enriching school.”

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The Return of the Alumni Many of our alumni have visited us over the past academic year to talk to our current students, help with practice interviews, or join our Alumni and Development team for a social visit and tours of the School.

Young alumni impart valuable advice Recent leavers visited the school to speak to our Lower Sixth students as part of their Higher Education Week. Our young alumni talked about their first year at university, stressed the importance of making new friends; advised on managing finances, and what they might do differently if they could turn back the clock to their time at Trinity.

Kjellon Morris It was great to see 2019 leaver, Kjellon, who returned to present us with a sequel to a comic strip he first created seven years ago. The characters are the same ones from the original comic and this one concludes the story.

Kjellon said: “One day in Year 7, I went to the library after school. I asked the librarian, Ms Parlain, if I could use some printer paper, and I started drawing.

I spent an hour or so making a comic, with a simple story. I showed Ms Parlain and she displayed it in the library for others to see.

I promised her I would make another comic before I left the school”.

Fast forward to now, around 7 years later, and the original comic is still displayed on the library wall. This time, Kjellon produced his comic on canvas.

He said: “It’s a thank you gift to the school, for helping me find what I love to do. I like to create things, and make things that others can enjoy and learn from”.

Kjellon is currently studying Computing and Games Development at Plymouth University.

They encouraged our students to remain focused, examine all their options, not to get complacent, and to think carefully about the choices they were about to make on what to study and where.

Their key messages were: Don’t be afraid. Be determined. Be hopeful.

Empower yourselves with a good education.

David & Michael Hodson Brothers David and Michael Hodson visited us in January for a tour of the School. David, who left in 1977, had previously visited us for the opening of our new Music School, and promised to return with Michael. David is a contemporary of our archivist and alumnus, Laurie King, so there was much reminiscing at the music opening and on the day he and Michael visited. Former Trinity chorister, Michael, who left in 1978, also has a great deal in common with Laurie, who was Head Chorister in his time, and was delighted to be shown our recently-installed organ in Trinity Concert Hall (a.k.a. Big School).

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Classicists back at Trinity 2017 leavers Henry Gale and Harry Jackson returned to Trinity again in the autumn term, this time with 2018 leaver Eliza Prentice, to talk to current students about their university courses. Henry is reading Classics and Linguistics at Cambridge, Harry is reading Classical Literature and English Language at Leeds and Eliza is studying Classical Studies at Exeter.

Anthony and Stephen Harrow Brothers Anthony and Stephen Harrow visited us in January. Anthony, who left in 1957, is a regular visitor at our events at Trinity and it was good to meet with him and his younger brother Stephen, who left in 1964. The brothers enjoyed a tour of the School, followed by a pub lunch with David Young and Jason Court. Anthony and Stephen used the occasion to exchange belated Christmas presents, which became all the more poignant when we heard the devastating news that Stephen had succumbed to COVID-19 shortly after their visit. We hope Anthony will continue to visit us once the current crisis has abated.

Alumni help with practice interviews Our Head of Careers, Sue Highmore, was delighted when Architect Jamie Bell, 2007 and PHD student with a teaching role at Reading University Alex Dean, 2011, kindly agreed to conduct practice interviews with students for university applications.

And that’s not all!

Other alumni dropping by to see us include Lali Wiratunga (1993) and Mike Pougher (1958) who were over here from Australia, Malcolm Duncanson (1989) when he visited Trinity for a tour of the School with his wife and son, and Peter Tugwell (1956), fellow golfer and friend of our archivist Laurie King.

Alan Tomsett and Oliver Tomlin It was wonderful to reunite Alan Tomsett, aged 97, who left in 1938 and Oliver Tomlin, aged 96, who left in 1940. Alan and Oliver have remained friends over the years and still exchange Christmas cards, but they had not seen each other for a while. Oliver and Alan enjoyed reminiscing and meeting our Headmaster, Al Kennedy over tea and cake.

Of course, we see many alumni at our various events, although they were sadly curtailed from March. However, we hope to resume our programme of events later this year.

Sharing your experiences We really appreciate alumni who give up their time to help our current students.

We would love to welcome you back to pass on your wisdom at a careers evening, society meeting, during our higher education week, or as a judge of one of our internal competitions.

Would you be willing to help with practice interviews for university admissions or apprenticeship applications? These interviews normally take place one evening in November.

Do you have half an hour on the phone to guide a student in their choice of profession?

If you work within 10 miles of Trinity, could we organize a short student visit to see your industry in action?

Interested?

Please contact Sue Highmore, Head of Careers at sfh@trinity.croydon.sch.uk, or Melodie Johnson, Head of Alumni Relations maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk, so we can explore how you can get involved.

Alan regularly travels up from Bognor Regis to visit St John’s Church in Shirley and his wife’s grave. Oliver is still local in West Wickham and we hope to see him again soon to capture more of his memories.

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

www.mytrinity.org.uk

23

ROBIN WILSON

Headmaster of Trinity School from 1972 to 1994

Robin Wilson succeeded Oliver Berthoud as Headmaster of Trinity School in 1972. Oliver Berthoud had planned to retire due to ill health and Robin had been interviewed by the Governors at the Fairfield Halls for this prestigious role. Tragically, Oliver Berthoud died in office and Alan Turner was appointed Acting Head for the summer term before Robin took up his post in September 1972.

Robin studied French, German, and then English at Trinity College, Cambridge, where John Whitgift had been Master – Whitgift Middle School was renamed Trinity School after Trinity College in 1954. Robin's first job was at a German University teaching English and was also in charge of a British Council Anglo-German Centre at the time.

On returning to the UK, Robin worked at the third oldest school in the country, St Peter's York, which was founded in 627. During his time there, he acted in 21 performances of the York Mystery Plays.

Robin joined Trinity from Nottingham High School, where he was Head of English. He faced the rather daunting task of being a young, untried Headmaster at a school with teachers who were much older than him and had been at Trinity for, in some cases, a considerable length of time. On joining the School, Robin was asked to offer his first impressions of Trinity, to which he replied “The School was run in a very happy atmosphere.”

At the start of his Headmastership, Robin planned to bring focus to specific areas of school life including Religious Education, Arts and Technical Studies and General Studies in the Sixth Form. He appointed two new Heads of Department for General Studies and Religious Studies by 1973 and began working on a series of building projects to improve the facilities at the School. Robin left his mark in so many ways during the 22 years he was Headmaster; not least overseeing the massive expansion of the school buildings and facilities available to students.

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Day Supper e Founder’s Robin at th

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The Berthoud Centre opened in 1981, complete with Recital Room and Music Practice Rooms, giving the growing number of talented musicians space to practice and learn, including The Trinity Boys Choir, which was gaining critical acclaim under the then Director of Music, David Squibb.

The Turner Building followed in 1987, an ambitious project that extended the existing School building to create the Mitre Theatre, Mathematics Department, Economics Department, a new room for Prefects and a Sixth Form Games Room.

In 1994, the impressive and state-of-the-art Shaw Building was built to house extensive Art and Design and Technology suites, including photographic and pottery studios, dark rooms, exhibition areas, design and

technology work spaces, a video and CCTV Studio, sports halls, squash courts and a fully equipped fitness room. The Shaw Building was officially opened on 22nd April 1994

by Dennis Silk, President of the MCC. Chris Tolman, who was in the Lower Sixth recalls the Mayor’s reaction to the new facilities at the time: “Absolutely fantastic”. There are not enough superlatives. Brilliant ”.

Robin’s last building project was the expansion of the library to create The Wilson Library. Robin knew all too well that all these projects were essential to keeping Trinity School competitive in the market place by creating outstanding facilities to enhance learning and get the most from each and every student at Trinity.

Trinity’s intellectual status at the time was also evident, regularly celebrating victory in the Croydon Advertiser’s ‘Top of the Form’ competitions and becoming the first team to win the National Independent Schools Challenge Trophy in 1977. Notably, during Robin tenure, the School’s rugby 1990-1991 team recorded its best ever season at the time with 16 victories, scoring 485 points with only 46 points scored against them.

Robin liked to get involved and was a keen producer of school drama and children’s operas, such as “Bang” by John Rutter; Sir Richard Rodney Bennett’s “All the King’s Men”, and many others. He was also game enough to be involved in the alumni amateur dramatic society, The Mitre Players, from time to time.

Robin formed the Trinity Group of Headmasters, comprising the Headmasters at Whitgift, Caterham, Eltham College and Dulwich, along with numerous other schools in the South London area. The group still meets to this day, discussing common issues and opportunities and acting as an open forum between what might be construed as competitive organisations. Robin saw the merits of acting in solidarity, particularly as inflation in the mid ‘70s was running at 8-12%, which was affecting school fees for all independent schools. The ‘Three-Day Week’ action during the 1974 Miner’s Strike and the impact of multiple three-hour black outs of electricity during this period were also affecting schools. Robin became Chairman of the Headmaster’s Conference in 1993, a great honour for him and recognition of the ever-improving status of Trinity School.

Robin left his mark in so many ways during the 22 years he was Headmaster; not least overseeing the massive expansion of the school buildings and facilities available to students.

Robin at the reception following the Re-dedication of our War Memorial

Robin joins the 1988 leavers at their reunion

Robin attends a reunion

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Robin’s energy and drive have continued well into retirement. He continued to work parttime for HMC, leading inspections of eleven of its schools. Robin also became involved with his wife Caroline’s work with the local NSPCC, which for some years has included a tea and concert at Trinity, mainly for the elderly. He is a loyal and long-standing member of the Trinity Golf Society and is still a Member of the prestigious Addington Golf Club, where he enjoyed a year as Captain and researched and wrote the Centenary booklet in 2013.

Robin is also a keen supporter of the Trinity Bursary Fund, recognising that Trinity remains the diverse, inclusive community that embraces education for all, regardless of capacity to pay. We salute you Robin!

www.mytrinity.org.uk

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Destination of 2019 leavers Name

Destination

Subject

Name

Destination

Subject

Saifullah Aleem

Kent

Law

Charles Davies

Oxford

Engineering

Euan Baird

Loughborough

Management Sciences

Owen Davis

Nottingham

Modern Languages

Finlay Baker

Coventry

Sports Management Jasmine De Maid

Birmingham

Business Mgmt with Marketing and Year in Industry

Jonathan Douglas

Nottingham Trent

Product Design

Christopher Dray

Goldsmiths

Economics

Thomas Duval

Kent

Management with a Year in Industry

Nicole Bambroffe

Bath

Business Administration (with placements)

Abbie Bateman

Loughborough

Psychology

Samuel Beadle

Grant Thornton Accountancy Apprenticeship

Accountancy

Billy Bearman

Nottingham Trent

International Business with Spanish

Michael Eagling

Loughborough

Biological Sciences

Nathaniel Bedeau

Loughborough

Industrial Design & Technology

Tom Fairley

Loughborough

Cameron Beglarbegi

Nottingham

Finance Accounting & Management

Commercial Management & Quantity Surveying

Fred Figueira

Durham

Business & Management

Alfie Bennett

Gloucester

Sports Business & Coaching

Max Finch

Harper Adams

Automotive Engineering (off highway)

Joseph Bennett

Leeds

Mechanical Engineering

Brodie Foxley

Oxford

Elijah Berhane

Economics & Management

Gap year

Marco Fung

Warwick

Economics

Chloe Beroud

Bristol

English

Shreya Ganguli

Edinburgh

History & Politics

Joseph Bertolotti

Nottingham

International Management

Daniel Giffin

Croydon College

Eva Bervas

Criminology Psychology & Social Justice

Bristol

Maths & Physics

Daniel Gilbert

Sankalan Bhattacharyya

Leeds

Automotive Engineering

Cambridge

Natural Sciences

Joel Goodman

Leeds

History

Owen Harries

Bristol

Biology

Dylan Bowling

Nottingham

Economics with Hispanic Studies

Angus Harrington

Cambridge

Engineering

Zachary Bowling

Exeter

English

Owais Hasan

St Georges

Biomedical Science

Jacob Bowry

Sussex

International Business

Tayyab Hasan

KCL

Medicine (5 years)

Julian Bromberg

Bath

Mechanical Engineering (with placement)

Finlay Higgins

Manchester

Architecture

Renee Brown

Birmingham

Dentistry

Harry Holland

Engineering Apprenticeship

Offshore Energy

Rory Brown

Gap year

Maddy Burt

Durham

English Literature & History

Adam Cady

University of Arts London

Film Practice

Karin Camprodon Garcia

UCL

Cancer Biomedicine

Jack Cernoch

Oxford

Law with Spanish

Joel Chan

Nottingham

Law

Kekeli Chen-Kwawu

Bristol

Mechanical Engineering

Christy Clancy

Edinburgh

Classical Studies

Brad Clark

Exeter

History

Samuel Connelly

Nottingham

Civil Engineering

Nathan Cook

East Anglia

Computing Science with a Foundation Year

Harry Cookson

Cambridge

Engineering

Coleman Corry

Gap Year then Exeter

PPE with Study Abroad

Edward Cowlard

Birmingham

Theology & Religion

Prashant Dandiker

UCL

Physics

Shivani Dattani

Gap year

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www.mytrinity.org.uk

Gabrielle Huggins

Gap year and then Sheffield

BioSciences with Foundation Year

Iftee Hussain

KCL

Politics Philosophy & Law

Timothy Hutchings

Destination not yet known

Edward Johnston

UCL

Psychology

Neal Kesterton

Bristol

Aerospace Engineering

Hashim Khan

Manchester

Modern Languages & Business Management

Alexandra King

QMUL

Medicine

Sam Kirby

Southampton

Computer Science

Elliot Knight

Nottingham Trent

Architectural Technology

Esteban Kumar

Surrey

Law

Gabriel Kuti

Gap year

Ari Lalji

Leeds

English & Comparative Literature

Krishna Lall

Imperial

Chemistry

William Lamont

Leeds

Film Photography & Media

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Name

Destination

Daniel Le Maitre-George

Birmingham

Jared Lee

Gap year

Haig Lucas

Edinburgh

Robert Lynch

Gap year then Australian university

Subject Money Banking & Finance

English Literature & Classics

Name

Destination

Subject

Millie Reid

KCL

History & Iberian Studies

Samuel Richardson

Kent

Business & Management with a year in industry

Sarah Rogers

Gap year and then Keele/ Leicester

Medicine

James Rowland

USA (Washington State)

History

Matthew Scally

Oxford

Physics

Aryan Shah

Lancaster

Accounting & Finance

Devina Shah

Bristol

Chemistry with Industrial Experience

Jay Shah

Loughborough

Accounting & Financial Management

Millie Malone

Gap year

Brandon Man

Bristol

Toros Maraslioglu

Gap year

Sophie MarieGallagher

Bath

Modern Language & European Studies (Spanish and Italian)

Harry Marshall

Nottingham

Finance Accounting & Management

Robert Sharrock

Bournemouth

Computing

Charlie Short

Bristol

Aerospace Engineering

Ibraheem Siddiqui

UCL

Biological Sciences

Niamh Singleton

Bath

Civil Engineering

Alexander Smith

Lancaster

Economics

Economics & Accounting

Quentin-Zach Martins

Manchester

Music

Jack Maw

Gap Year then Bristol

History

Jack McCarthy

Economics Degree Apprenticeship

Civil Aviation Authority

Benjamin Smith

Royal Holloway

History

Archie McMillan

Newcastle

Business Management

Olivia Smout

Exeter

English

Toby Mills

Warwick

Maths

Tara Snowley

Bristol

Physics

Joshua Mogford

USA (Colorado State)

Psychology

Nadia Soole Sanchez

Leeds

Exeter

Business & Management with Industrial Experience

Criminal Justice & Criminology

Dante SpencerCampbell

Leeds

Computer Science with high-performance graphics and games engineering

Joseph Spiteri

Bath

Business Administration (with professional placements)

Oscar Steele

GAP year then apprenticeship applications

Sam Moran Funmi Morgan

Leeds

Medicine

Kjellon Morris

Plymouth

Computing & Games Development

Jenna Murphy

St Andrews

History

Izzy Newbold

Oxford Brookes

Philosophy/Sociology

Fintan O'Connor

Arts University Bournemouth

Film Production

Joel Okolo-Hunter

St Georges

Medicine

Matthew Steven

Arts University Bournemouth

Film Production

Jabir Olatunji

Leeds

Languages & Culture

Robbie Styles Chan

Durham

Joseph O'Reilly

York

Economics

Chinese Studies (with year abroad)

Daniel-Paul Osahon

Oxford

Medicine

Euan Tilley

East Anglia

Modern Language with Management Studies

Madeleine Packard

Leeds

Graphic & Communication Design

Lidia Toth

St Andrews

Biochemistry

Aidan True

Bristol

Economics

Lilly Tuesley

Durham

History

Mollie Palmer

Bristol

Chemistry

Jay Paranjape

Bristol

Geography

Yannis Patakas

LSE

Accounting & Finance

Matthew Vaz

UCL

Economics with a Placement Year

Keya Patel

GAP year and then Nottingham Trent

Business Management & Economics

Max Walker

Leeds

Law

Blythe Walker Sibthorp

Camberwell School of Art

Art Foundation Course

Liverpool

Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies

Joseph Watchorn

Warwick

Philosophy Politics & Economics

Birmingham

Electronic & Electrical Engineering (with an Industrial Year)

Lea Watson

UCL

Psychology with Education

Amber Wentzell

Warwick

Modern Languages

Daniel Williams

Leeds

Geological Sciences

Betty Wood

Warwick

Maths

Katie Woolcott

Nottingham

Economics

Ellen Wyllie

Leeds

Physics with Astrophysics

Artemis Xenitidou

Bristol

Economics

Nikolas Zamar

Leeds

Politics

Shiv Patel

Martin Percival William Perry

Apprenticeship

Accountancy

John Petty

Nottingham

Medicinal and Biological Chemistry

Ben Phan

Bath

Biomedical Sciences

Kiran Pillai

Bristol

Law

Hugh Preston

Loughborough

Product Design & Technology

Luke Regan-Daley

Newcastle

Accounting & Finance

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

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27

A trip down Memory Lane All the King’s Men Laurie King, our archivist, recently uncovered a copy of the recording of All the King’s Men, a children’s opera by Richard Rodney Bennett.

A performance of the opera by the Trinity Boys Choir at the Fairfield Halls marked the release of the Choir’s recording in May 1971. Arthur Davison, a popular conductor at the time, came along to ‘launch’ the recording and was presented with a copy by the Drummer Boy, Bill Tucker, resplendent in the uniform featured on the LP’s cover.

Many of you will know, Bill is a member of our teaching staff at Trinity and has held the posts of Head of Physics and Head of Science.

The Abbey label record was well received with extracts being aired on the radio with the initial pressings selling out quickly. A trade paper of the record retailing industry commented at the time: “Every school library in every dealer's territory should want this. So should every household with children."

The reverse side of the album lists the choristers, including the principal characters as follows: King Charles I, Michael Flaxman, left 1972; Queen Henrietta Maria, Paul Male, left 1975; Dr Chillingworth, Jonathan Gaunt, left 1972; Drummer Boy, Bill Tucker, left 1976; Colonel Massey, Ashley Stafford, left 1972; Messenger, Colin Greenstreet, left 1976; King’s Herald, Stephen Cornwall, left 1975.

Have you discovered our online archive yet?

Over the years, we have built up a massive online archive of photographs, school publications, school lists, films and much more. To access the site, go to trinityschool-archive. daisy.websds.net and log in with User name: guest and Password: trinity Happy browsing!

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alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Please share your memories of School in the 1940s, 50s and 60s We have started work on a compilation of reminiscences and memories of School life in the 1940s, 50s and 60s and would love alumni from these eras to take part by sending in their recollections. Please tell us about Headmasters Horace Clayton and Oliver Berthoud, what sport you played, the music and drama you were involved in, pranks pupils got up to, the subjects you studied and, for our older alumni, what your schooling was like during WWII. To take part, please email Melodie at maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk, or send your memories in the post addressed to Melodie Johnson, Trinity School, Shirley Park, Croydon CR9 7AT. We are also happy to record memories during a telephone call or visit.

We would love to see you back at school again!

CRICKET

the Chairman of our Here is the latest from on, The Trinity Club former pupils’ associati sic and amateur and its related sports, mu Meadow Avenue, dramatic clubs at Lime Sanderstead: g safe and healthy I hope everyone is keepin restrictions, which during the corona virus since 21st March, have kept the club closed ghed or re-deployed. with staff either furlou me our fabulous and it is a sha The weather has been being used. bhouse are not currently sports facilities and clu b and all it has to offer nity to introduce the Clu We missed the opportu assembly before they all th leavers at their final to this years’ Upper Six ables and activities lics on the various inflat fro d an fun for e tsid go ou to discourage some is fun afternoon helps laid on by the school. Th time at the school! t happened during my of the last day pranks tha , to make sure they get h leavers in due course We will be in touch wit wish them all the s. In the meantime, we rve sca or s tie ils Pup Old their and career paths and ther education choices best in their chosen fur re for all ex-pupils to us soon. The Club is the hope that they will visit d take part in one with contemporaries an be able to stay in touch look us up at er activities on offer. Do of our many sports or oth k. www.thetrinityclub.co.u r 400 club. Not y wish to do is to join ou Something members ma o gives all entrants an ney for the Club, but als only does this raise mo 0 stake enters you for ny monthly prizes. A £2 opportunity to win ma 0 or £30; there is you can win £60, £50, £4 ere wh , ws dra ly nth mo 10 big prize of £500. r, when you can win the yea the in w dra al fin e h also on ityclub.co.uk to help wit tten, 400club@thetrin Please email Trevor Sto e. this worthwhile ventur members. I’m sure there your friends and team Do keep in touch with a message or a chat. o would be grateful for are many out there wh healthy and look I hope that you all stay le to meet again as forward to us being ab so. In the meantime, soon as it is safe to do h of the Clubs please see news from eac e. at Lime Meadow Avenu man Andy Thompson, Chair adow Avenue, Me e The Trinity Club, Lim Sanderstead CR2 9AS

A quite remarkable weekend last September will probably define the 2019 cricket season. The final 1st XI league game began in the knowledge that victory was required to avoid relegation.

The match was one of the most dramatic witnessed at Lime Meadow. Chasing a daunting 254, at 37-3 all appeared lost.

Two excellent centuries by senior players under the most extreme pressure batted ‘Mids’ into a winning position, only for fortunes to change. However, a 16-year old’s display of great maturity, with a scrambled single from the last ball, helped to secure a tie. Ultimately just enough for survival.

The Surrey Trust League Finals at Normandy the following day were perhaps even more stunning than that of the previous year, as the double-double was achieved with victory in both Tier 2 and 3 finals for the second consecutive year; an extraordinary achievement, unparalleled and unlikely ever to be equalled.

Cricket matches should have commenced at our beautiful grounds at the beginning of May, but all recreational cricket is currently on hold, including coaching, training and matches for juniors and seniors alike. At the time of writing it is unclear as to whether there will be any season (mid-April to mid-September) at all. It is likely that any cricket played will be on a ‘friendly’ basis and possibly in shortened formats.

Nick Trend, Chairman TMWCC Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TMWCC Instagram: @TMWCricket Twitter: @TMWCC. www.tmwcc.co.uk email: enquiry@tmwcc.co.uk

The Trinity Club is your Club, so please do come and join us!

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

www.mytrinity.org.uk

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HOCKEY

RUGBY

GOLF

Like many sports, Trinity Hockey was affected by the current pandemic and the season, under guidance from England Hockey, was curtailed. It was anticipated that this season could be a struggle given the fact that 11 schoolboy players had moved on to University.

However, I am delighted to share that the 1st XI were just outside the promotion zone and were 3rd in their league. There was also good progress with Trinity Colts and its outreach programme to the other schools.

We were proud to wear our new home and away kits for our first season as Trinity RFC. Our 1st XV enjoyed a number of great performances, captained by Ali Hall.

The Club is blessed to have what we believe is the best pitch in Surrey to play on. Although the season was cut short with three games to play and the 1st XV finished 4th in the league, thankfully, we finished ahead of local rivals Whitgiftians, Purley John Fisher and Chipstead.

The Trinity Golf Society was formed in 1990 and was looking forward to celebrating its 30-year anniversary this year, with the original Captain, Jez Glynne-Jones, back in post to lead the fixtures.

From a season that initially looked as if it may be a challenge, I am pleased to say that club performed well and continued to move forward. Our prime objective is to provide Hockey for former pupils and staff of Trinity School and we are always delighted to welcome new members from the Trinity family.

If you are interested in playing, please email me at sanjay.bowry@btinternet.com

Our AXV managed to field teams that enjoyed a couple of victories that could easily have been mistaken for cricket scores! Our Under 13s, managed by Phil Mamode, were top of the league and our younger members’ team, the Titans are growing stronger. Off the pitch, Jez Glynne-Jones, aka Matron Jez, is doing a grand job organising events and keeping in touch with our former players’ section, The Midwives. www.TrinityRFC.com twitter: @Trinity_RFC info@trinityrfc.com

The society exists to foster friendship, fun and a bit of competitive golf amongst not only the alumni of the school but across the wider Trinity community. Indeed, a growing number of our membership started playing as guests and have now become firmly established members of the group.

Our Golf days planned for the rest of this year and next are as follows (subject to social distancing restrictions at the time): • Thursday 20th August 2020, Captain's Day, Purley Downs • Sunday 6th – Tuesday 8th September 2020, Sandford Springs • Autumn 2020, date and venue to be confirmed

Sanjay Bowry, Chairman TMWHC www.tmwhockey.com

• Wednesday 30th December 2020, Post-Christmas bash at Tyrrells Wood • Thursday 25th March 2021, Croham Hurst • Thursday 13th May 2021, Mill Ride • Wednesday 23rd June 2021, The Addington If anyone is interested in coming along to any or all of these fixtures, either as a guest or to join the society as a member, please email Laurie King for more details lck@trinity.croydon.sch.uk.

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alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Lime Meadow Avenue Acoustic Folk and Blues Club It has been nearly seven years since the folk and blues club opened its doors at the Trinity Club and during that time, we have attracted many musicians from far and wide, including the USA and Australia, as well as those who just like to listen and enjoy the atmosphere.

Our fortnightly club nights are well attended and even more so on concert evenings, where we have had the likes of Richard Smith from Nashville, Brooks Williams from Statesboro, Georgia and our homegrown talent of Wizz Jones, Daryl Kellie, Jon Hart and Sanjay, who toured the country in a show in the lead role as Buddy Holly.

Our last concert in November was the very popular Two Coats Colder, who have appeared at folk festivals all over the country, even The Royal Festival Hall.

One of our regular members has set up a weekly Zoom meeting online during the lockdown, which has again been well attended to the point of making it a now twice weekly event.

The Mitre Play ers

Our 2019 sum mer season star ted with our to version of “Bug uring show, th sy Malone”, whi e adult ch we perform at the Clubhous ed to sell out ho e at Lime Meado uses w Avenue and the Isle of Wig our new venue ht. This was a ne on w venture for th we spent 9 grea e Mitre Players, t days on the is an d land, taking pa parade as well rt in the local ca as seeing the si rn iv al ghts, having BB at The Apollo Th Qs and perform eatre, Newport ing .

Our autumn sh ow, performed in Trinity’s Mitr the hugely am e Theatre was bitious produc tio n of “Big Fish”. stunning sets, A large cast with costumes and a giant, wowed night. January th e audiences ea 2020 saw the ju ch nior Mitres perf production of th or ming a magnific e junior version ent of “Honk!”. Both cast had a won audiences and derful time, se lling out as usua l.

“Coram Boy”, du e to show in M ar ch , was to be the School/Mitre Pl first joint Trinity ayers productio n for over ten ye Chris Chambers ar s.

Directed by (Trinity) and Ju lia Ascott (Mitr production invo e Pl ay ers), this huge lving Trinity stud ents and The M Trinity musicia itr e Players with ns providing th e music, was on success with ol course to be a d links being re great newed and ne w bonds forged .

We hope to be able to perform the show in th e autumn.

Please visit ou r website at w ww.mitreplaye more or contac rs.org.uk to fin t me by email d out secretary@mitr eplayers.org.u k.

Diane Jones, Se cretary, Mitre Pl ayers

Once the Trinity Club has been given the all clear to re-open, we hope you will come along one evening, have a drink from our well stocked bar and sit in our hall with stage and soft lighting and listen to an eclectic mix of music and if you feel so inclined, bring an instrument and sing us a song or three.

You can see details on our website www. limemeadowacousticfolkandbluesclub.co.uk,

or visit our Facebook page.

Neil Pepper, alumnus, left 1971

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

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31

Geoff was invited to join the Club’s hierarchy in 1966 at the tender age of 25, which, he said, seemed a great honour at the time.

He has held just about every post on the Council over the ensuing 54 years, including Honorary General Secretary, Founders Day Supper organiser, Chairman of the Council and Chairman of the General Committee. During this time, he also served as Secretary and then Chairman of the Hockey Club where he captained every team from the 2nd to the 6th XI.

Raise your glass to

Geoff Wilsher

CELEBRATING

60 YEARS AT THE TRINITY CLUB

Geoff Wilsher has finally retired, having been a stalwart of The Trinity Club for more years than he cares to mention.

He has literally given up years of his spare time supporting its members and the School.

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alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Geoff has been the ‘Voice’ of the Club over the decades. He edited the magazine for over 20 years and disseminated news across the alumni community through newsletters and other communications, including those sad occasions when imparting news of alumni leaving us, which he handled in a very personal and sensitive way. He developed the first Association website, which he still maintains, and also developed the first hockey club website.

Geoff was involved in re-writing the constitution several times - every time a major change was introduced to the Club's rules.

Most recently, he was involved with John Parish in preparing the Articles of Association for the new Trinity Sanderstead Sports and Social Club, and then did the same job for the revised TMWA. At a more mundane level, Geoff found himself responsible for the distribution of the TMWA magazine, the AGM notices and any other formal notices issued. This, he claims, was a big mistake, as he estimates he had to purchase, stuff, label and stamp some 100,000 envelopes during that time, with help from a small band of helpers. For much of the time, envelopes and stamps were not self-adhesive, as you can see if you examine the state of his tongue!

Geoff extended the link between the Association and the School by becoming a member of the External Relations Committee.

He also established an important link between the Association and the School’s Alumni operation. Geoff has been a regular guest at School events, and has enjoyed coming in to speak to Sixth Formers about to embark upon life beyond Trinity, to talk to them about the Club and encourage them to use its facilities.

Sadly, his dry wit was sometimes lost on the 17-18 year olds, but not on the staff in attendance!

1st XI Hockey Team 1958.

Did you know Now here’s a little-known fact.

Geoff was a champion Tiddlywinks player in the Sixties, playing for Cambridge University from 1961-62, England in 1962 and for Surrey in 1963-66!

Volunteering is in Geoff’s blood, and despite being kept busy at the Club, Geoff became a magistrate in Croydon at the age of 55, and served there until compulsory retirement at the age of 70. Magistrates handle the early stages of every criminal case, and take over 90% through to acquittal or sentence. He sat as a court chair in the adult and the youth courts, handling cases from shop-lifting to murder. In 2008, Geoff was elected Chairman of the Croydon Bench, taking responsibility for about 150 magistrates. In this role, he was following in the footsteps of other alumni, including John Sinkins and Michael Bone.

After retirement from the magistracy, Geoff volunteered to help at the London Science Museum in Kensington. In this role, he lectured to members of the public on a range of matters illustrated by the museum’s exhibits, focusing on the history of aviation from the Wright Brothers to Concorde. He often found he learned as much from the audience as they did from him!

Sport is clearly one of Geoff’s loves, although he admits that his enthusiasm exceeded his ability. He was a keen and successful sportsman at School, playing Hockey for the 1st XI, captaining the 2nd teams for Rugby and Cricket and hurdling in the athletics team. He continued to play sport at university and at the Club

whenever he returned. Geoff not only excelled in sport and academia, but also in the CCF, where he reached the rank of under Officer in the RAF section and became the first member of the corps to take the controls of a jet fighter; a Gloster Meteor.

The extent of Geoff’s popularity at School culminated in him being appointed Vice Captain of the School in 1958, the equivalent of Deputy Head Boy today.

When he left School in 1959, Geoff went on to read Aeronautical Engineering at Trinity College, Cambridge, having won a state scholarship for further education.

Career-wise, Geoff was always a techie of some sort, initially in the aircraft industry and then in IT. He worked for Hawker Aircraft after University, working on the Harrier jump jet and then on a supersonic vertical take-off aircraft, the P1154. Geoff’s specialty was kinetic heating, evaluating how hot a supersonic aircraft would become at high speed. This was with the benefit of the latest model of slide rule, and the occasional use of a primitive computer, a Ferranti Pegasus.

From the cash-strapped aircraft industry, Geoff transferred to the emerging world of IT, where he worked as a programmer and then as a sales manager and marketing manager. In the final ten years of his career he found a new love – teaching!

Geoff spent ten years teaching the rudiments of computing to all ranks of the Ministry of Defence, from the Chief of Defence Staff to the newest recruits.

Geoff’s talented wife, Judith, attended Croydon High School and graduated from Newnham College Cambridge with a degree in Mathematics. Judith has been

by Geoff’s side for 56 years and has leant her unstinting support to Geoff throughout his career and beyond. Their sons Stephen and Mark both attended Trinity and are a great credit to them both.

Now Geoff has hung his volunteering hat up for the Club, he hopes it can continue to preserve and propagate the values alumni acquire at School and offer a place where friendships, sports and networking can thrive for many years to come.

Changing names The Old Mid-Whitgiftian’s Association (OMWA), was established in 1908 under the headship of the Rev. G Jones when the School was known as Whitgift Middle School. In 2009, some 50 years after the School changed its name to Trinity School, it was renamed the Trinity Mid-Whitgiftian Association (TMWA). Whilst the TMWA is still the official trading company for the association, it became known as The Trinity Club last year.

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In Memoriam Sadly, we lost some dear friends over the past year. We offer our condolences to families and friends who have lost loved ones and we say a few words about of some of them here.

Barry Widger, staff 1968-2003 Barry was a very popular teacher and contributed enormously to the life and development of the School. He was Head of Cricket, coached Rugby; taught Classics, was Head of the Junior School for fourteen years and Tutor for Admissions. He took jazz classes for General Studies, chaperoned members of the Trinity Boys Choir on international trips and led Classics trips around Europe.

It is true to say that Barry played a part in all aspects of life at Trinity. Barry died in May leaving son Andrew (alumnus, left 1989) and daughter Hannah.

Phil Broadhurst, left 1967 Phil was a professional jazz pianist, arranging and composing for his own quintet as well as scores of other pieces for various bands, ensembles and at festivals in New Zealand, where he settled and lived with his wife Julie. A presenter for radio programme Art of Jazz, Phil was the first jazz musician in NZ to be honoured as a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM). Phil passed away in April.

Ron Etheridge, left 1949 In 1942, Ron received a government grant to attend Whitgift Middle School (now Trinity) and quickly developed his ability and love for cricket. Ron was the first pupil to score a century against the staff Common Room in 1949 and in his last match played at the ‘old school’ ground, prior to its demolition, Ron topped the scoreboard with over 80 runs for a Past Captains XI. Ron passed away in January, leaving widow Olive and sons Nigel and Brian.

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Richard Hyder, left 1973 Among the first intake at Shirley Park in 1965, Richard was, according to friend Nigel Flay “The most loyal of friends - always keeping in touch, even during those hectic years when career and family tend to take precedence and override old connections. His gentle promptings kept nearly 20 of his classmates/ teammates in regular touch; meeting up several times a year.” Richard passed away in January and is survived by his wife Denise and children Matt (left in 2007) and Katy.

Roger Hammond, left 1963 Roger was a popular member of the TMWHC, making a huge contribution to the club both on and off the field. He was famously known for his tardiness and rarely turned up for matches on time, but he could be relied upon to take on many responsibilities over the years both at the Club and prior to that, at the School where he helped behind the scenes in house and school plays as stage crew. Roger passed away in May, leaving his wife Pam.

Sir James Gowans, left 1942 Former School Captain, James Gowans, was a pioneer of immunology, whose early research demonstrated a type of white blood cell played a central part in the body’s immune system. His research over the years was recognised with many honours.

James passed away in April at the age of 95.

Stephen Harrow, left 1964 Stephen divided his time between Croydon, where he was Vice Chair of the Sutton & Croydon United Nations Association, and Exminster in Devon. He visited the School in January with his brother Anthony, so it was a shock when he passed away a few weeks later. Stephen leaves his widow Jenny and brother Anthony.

Shomari Lyon, left 2007 Fellow alumni will be shocked to hear Shomari passed away last September, aged just 30. Shomari graduated from Bristol in 2013 and was working and travelling in Australia when eight months into his trip, he became ill. He leaves his mother Angela, his brothers Kamau and Chinyelu, and his fiancé Lucy, to whom he proposed a few weeks before he died.

We send our condolences to the family and friends of the following alumni who we also lost over the past year: • Kenneth Duckett, left 1944, • Richard Fleming, left 1981 • Leslie Harris, left 1948 • Mike Mead, left 1957 • Chris Neal, left 1975 • Anthony O’Connor, 1957 • John Parker, left 1947 • Martin Taylor, left 1971 • Christian Wilcox, left 1994

Obituaries on My Trinity Full obituaries and tributes can be found on our alumni engagement platform, My Trinity at: www.mytrinity.org.uk. Please go to the Resources area from the left-hand navigation menu, then Obituaries.

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

The Team The Alumni and Development Team has been working from home since March; keeping in touch with each other via a regular 10 am Zoom meeting every working day. We are all looking forward to getting back to the hairdressers or barbers (well, apart from David who doesn’t need his hair any shorter, and Nathan, who has found a way to cut his own):

How to get in touch with us: David Young Director of Development, email: dty@trinity.croydon.sch.uk direct line: 020 8662 5162*

As well as keeping in touch with alumni, David and Jason have been working on the forthcoming Giving Day, supported by Donna, our Social Media Queen, and Nathan, our Data Analyst, who is managing to fit in studying at the same time as working. Laurie has been keeping in touch with alumni after a short time in furlough until the Headmaster realized he was missing and Melodie has primarily been working on the magazine.

We miss seeing our alumni at the many events we have already had to cancel, but we loved hosting Imani-Lara Lansiquot’s Q & A with students, staff and alumni on 4th June.

We look forward to seeing many of you as soon as we are able to resume our programme of events.

Extracts from Trinity entrance exams I came across these extracts from entrance exams in 1983 and 1984 and could not resist reproducing them here. (Editor) • "Well be running out of oxygen soon" said Simon in moose code.

• I soon settled down at the school and got into trouble often.

• The looks on the fishes' faces ranged from superfluous to happy.

• The villigers had been hit very badly with the wind.

• We put our diving suits on and checked we had air in our water bottles.

• In the night my father searched for wild animals to see if they would come and attack us.

• To my great surprise a small tidle wave knocked over my dad on to the cuboreds.

• I've seen a hospital and they're open for vacancies.

• We sat by the fire and listened to the spockey noses.

• I was having night mayors. Why! Why was I having night mayors?

• When I saw a two faced cobra I didn't bother about thinking twice.

• I screamed quite softly.

• Armed to the teeth with swords, daggers and swing balls, they looked terrifying.

• He sprang at me with a knife in his hands. I swiftly sprang out of the way and he stabbed a boar thinking it was me.

• I will kill every one of you with my bear hands.

• Mr. Giles was quite nice. He was unmarried.

• I couldn 't swim so I went into the cabin and shot myself.

• There was no-one at home who could worry about me because I lived with myself.

• I quickly woke up Chris but he was dead.

Jason Court Development Manager email: jtc@trinity.croydon.sch.uk direct line: 020 8662 5147* Melodie Johnson Head of Alumni Relations email: maj@trinity.croydon.sch.uk direct line: 020 8662 5159* Donna Lewis Alumni Relations Officer email: alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk direct line: 020 8662 5155* Laurie King Archivist and Alumni Relations email: lck@trinity.croydon.sch.uk tel: 020 8656 9541 ext 747 Nathan Lee Choon Data Analyst email: nlc@trinity.croydon.sch.uk tel: 020 8656 9541 ext 266 If you would prefer to write to us by post, please write to the relevant team member at the following address: Trinity School, Shirley Park, Croydon, CR9 7AT * Important: please note, our direct lines may not be manned due to the current situation. If you need to contact us during this time, please ring the main school number on 020 8656 9541 and they will get a message to us to ring you back.

Thank you.

• Suddenly I woke up. It was 23.59. We were going to die at midnight.

I got back to sleep as quickly as I could.

• The guard was reading a newspaper. I could just make out the date.

It was the 20th of October, 1501.

www.mytrinity.org.uk

35

Dates for your diary We are hoping to resume our programme of events towards the end of the autumn term 2020, but please note, events are dependent on the social distancing measures at the time. Whether you are interested in networking, music, sport or would like to catch up with your peers from years ago, there will be something for everyone.

mber 2020 Monday 16th Nove rs no Reception for Do orters We thank our supp Fund of the Trinity Bursary ol Trinity Scho

er 2020 Decemb h t 8 Carols y a ons and Tuesd s s e L e l of Nin ls Festiva ive caro for fest s u in Jo Minster Croydon

Wednesday 9t h December 20 20 Christmas Jazz Evening Enjoy our won derful Jazz mus icians Trinity School

r 2020 Thursday 10th Decembe Varsity Match Twickenham Stadium

Tuesday 15th Dec ember 20 Under 25 20 s Christm as Drinks Back from Universit y Party Trinity Sc hool

Friday 4th March 2021 Spring Concert We invite alum ni to sing Trinity School 1 March 202 Friday 19th r e Day Supp Founder’s ity Club

by The Trin Organised ol Trinity Scho

Friday 26th March 2021 Classes of 2 015 and 20 16 Reunion Sponsored b y The Trinity Club Trinity Scho ol

April 2021 Saturday 10th isters h Trinity Chor Evensong wit ni to sing We invite alum Ely Cathedral Thursda y 29th A pril 2021 City Care ers netw orking E Hosted b vent y KWM ‘Walkie T alkie’ Bu ilding, EC 3

Coming soon!

T20 Cricket Networking events: Medics Engineers Property and Construction

2021 th February Thursday 11 on Drinks Trinity Lond Event Networking e Grey WC1 The Yorkshir

36

www.mytrinity.org.uk

To find out more, or to register your interest in an event, please contact one of the team overleaf.

Make sure you receive your invitation - please let us have your up to date contact details!

alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk

y 2021 Wednesday 12th Ma Mitre Society Lunch s leaving We thank supporter a gift in their Will Almshouses Audience Chamber,

Tuesday 25th May 2021 Trinity Golf D ay Shirley Park G olf Club

Saturday 19th June 2021 Milestone Reunions 0/61, Reuniting the Classes of 196 0/1 70/71, 80/81, 90/91 & 200 Trinity School

Saturday 4th Se ptember 2021 Alumnae Reun ion Celebrating 10 years of girls at Trinity Trinity School 1

mber 202 11th Septe Saturday y Trinity Da rt, oon of Spo An Aftern the Arts Music and ool Trinity Sch