Will Heathcote (A 98

Director of Organisation and Teacher of Physics

What was Wellington like when you were a student? I think the strangest thing about being a Wellington pupil and then returning later to teach is that the College is very different and yet in many ways the same. It looks the same and some of the teachers are even the same. Some of the aspirations of the older Wellington are still there, but everything now operates on a bigger scale. When I was a pupil, the College was a bit less ambitious and things happened on a smaller scale.

It’s often said that the College is a friendlier and kinder place now, and that’s certainly true. That’s not to say that it was populated by monsters back then, but I don’t remember the same College-wide sense of community that now exists.

What are your fondest memories of Wellington? Many of my memories are based around the music performances and ensembles that I had the opportunity to play in. There were the big events like the South Africa Orchestra tour or the Jazz Orchestra tours but also smaller ensembles and concerts.

Other things I remember fondly are things like athletics training on Rockies. I was a hurdler and high jumper and sometimes ran a 1500m. Rockies in summer weather still is a wonderful place and being out there coaching in summer is something that holds many memories.

Did any member(s) of staff stand out in particular and why? I remember many staff and some of those who taught me are still around the College. Given that my interests were mainly Maths, science and music, I probably remember these teachers more, and certainly spent most time in these lessons. But I guess there are two that I could mention.

One is my Maths teacher — Mr Halpin. He taught me for all five years and had a good understanding of how I worked. I remember that there were times in my Upper sixth year when I was really busy — I was taking 5 A Levels as well as two grade 8 instrument exams and so I needed a little flexibility occasionally. I remember that he let slip in a parents conference once that he knew when I didn’t understand a topic, because that’s when I would hand in the homework.

I also remember my piano teacher, Irene Roberts. She was had very high standards and was very tough to please. But every so often when you got something just right she would visibly relax and say something in her Austrian accent like “Ah now Villiam….”. I remember playing Chopin and being aware that she was waltzing around the room behind me. It wouldn’t happen often, but you knew that when it did, that the practice was paying off.

Did you ever get into trouble? Of course not. I’m assuming that to get in trouble, you have to get caught. I was fairly well-behaved sort of pupil on the whole and that meant that I normally got the benefit of any doubt.

I do remember one occasion when I was charged with the job of going to Little Sandhurst in order to buy Saturday night supplies for the Anglesey sixth form. This was a job that went on rotation —

whoever hadn’t got an away match and was most likely to be able to get to the off-license without being caught or asked for ID. I used to think that being 6’4” and a bit stubbly made it easier, but in hindsight, I think I could have been baby-faced and a foot shorter and I don’t think the shopkeeper would have been too fussed. Two of us were therefore cycling back with a heavy rucksack when we realised that our AHM was playing golf on Farm field and that we would instantly be caught. We decided to cross the railway line and make a detour but getting a bike over the gate with a heavy rucksack was tricky. Just as I was getting the bike well and truly stuck on the railings, one of the HMs (yes — it was Mr Potter) appeared and asked me to hand him the rucksack. I handed him the heavily clinking bag and untangled the bike, whereupon, he merrily passed the bag back over the gate to me and we all went on our way.

Are you still in touch with any OWs from your year? Alas, very few. There are still a couple that I hear from occasionally, but keeping in touch is not something I’ve been very good at. help them get back on track. I enjoyed the experience. In my last year I was given the opportunity to tutor the first year students at my supervisor’s college. I really enjoyed this and later took on the second year optics tutoring at two other colleges.

When it came to finally finishing my DPhil, I considered the bits that I had enjoyed and decided that teaching was the best course that might enable me to keep doing these things. Throughout my time at university, I had been playing a lot of music and running big bands and jazz groups so a job that enabled me to bring some of those other interests was a definite bonus as well.

What made you come back and teach at Wellington? Teaching at Wellington really wasn’t the plan. I thought at first that perhaps it would be a bit weird going back to my old school. But when the College put out an advert for a physics teacher, I thought that perhaps it would be foolish not to apply. It was, by then, a different place and also a school which was rumoured to be going places. Where better to start out?

What inspired you to become a Teacher? It’s probably a combination of many things. I remember a GCSE physics lesson where I was asked to explain something at the board. When I returned to my seat, my friend next to me commented that I was “so going to become a teacher”. I probably hit him!

After I’d finished my degree, I stayed on at Oxford to pursue a DPhil in atomic and laser physics. I enjoyed the work, although I spent a lot of time playing Jazz as well. As things went on, I started to realise which things I was good at and what I enjoyed. I was quite good at the practical side of getting the experiment to work. As a result, I helped as a demonstrator on the practical course – the experiments that undergraduates have to complete as part of their course. First on the first year practicals, then on the second year practicals where I would help supervise the second day of the two-day experiments. This often involved trying to rescue an experiment which had gone nowhere throughout the first day and I remember an OW friend saying (long after we left) that he remembered the staff as being super-human people — that the majority were not only highly intelligent and interesting people, but would also have played sport at a very high level or perhaps have another skill at an unbelievably high level. It made the concept of joining the teaching side of College quite a daunting one. Obviously, I can now confirm that the idea is true — the staff are super-human in many ways, although I try to drag the side down.

Are you enjoying your role as Director of Organisation and, both in real life and virtually and what has been the biggest challenge in either or both? My role as Director of Organisation is one that involves planning and delivering the calendar and the timetable, along with various other things. It’s always tricky when making long term plans, but I think all organisations are finding it particularly hard at the moment. Fortunately, I quite enjoy problem solving and logical thinking; and there’s no shortage of things to get thinking about!

“I can now confirm that the idea is true — the staff are super-human in many ways.”