UPTHEGREATNESS

OW Oluwani Akintunde has spent the last two terms at Whitgift launching his UptheGreatness project whilst simultaneously being a mentoring lead.

UpTheGreatness is a project devised by Oluwani where he brings back OWs to open discussion panels where they talk about their journey after Whitgift and the many different paths to success. These OWs have worked in a range of fields, from professional sportsmen to fashion designers and filmmakers. The range and depth of professions has made these OWs to be extremely well received by students with all boys really engaging in these discussions. Year 11 Philipe highlighted how helpful the panels had been with OWs in fields they weren’t necessarily interested in before as they ‘provided a moment for reflection on what you want to do and also an opportunity to learn about these fields.’ These sessions have not only been rewarding for current students, but also for the OWs who have visited. Many of the visitors have remarked at the realisation of not only how much of a role model they are to the boys now, but also when they were older students at the School. A lot of these OWs have therefore left with a sense of pride, as they realise the gravity of their achievements and the real impact that they have had on boys. UpTheGreatness is therefore not only a means to recognise success but also a way to inspire younger members of the Whitgift community to continue in their own pursuits of success.

As mentioned, Oluwani has also been running mentoring sessions with boys throughout the whole school to help guide them through their time at Whitgift and glance a lens onto life after Whitgift. One of the key aspects of Oluwani’s mentoring sessions has been making sure that boys recognise their success, but deal with it in the right way, something which can be difficult to reinforce in a competitive culture at the School.

One of his main goals has been to break the barriers between different year groups, making sure that boys are able to learn from other students who may be able to offer a different perspective on life at Whitgift. As such, he has devised a buddy system, pairing boys who conventionally would not interact with one another together and running big group activities at group mentoring sessions to facilitate the development of informal friendships. The growth of these friendships has been hugely significant for younger students, with Year 8 Deon saying that he ‘can look up to his buddy, being able to confide in him certain things he wouldn’t tell others given that they have genuine concern for one another.’

We are all immensely proud of Oluwani at Whitgift and thankful for all he has done. We wish him all the best in the new year as he begins to study in the USA.

Jamal Musiala

Congratulations to OW Jamal Musiala on his recent appearances for Germany at the 2022 World Cup.

At just 19 years of age, Jamal started every World Cup game for the Germans, a mark of how impressive he has been this season. This international success is further to his club achievements this year, playing in his 100th match for Bayern Munich, an enormous achievement given his age. We wish Jamal great success with the rest of this season trying to win both the Bundesliga and the Champions League.

Kit Connor

We were delighted to hear that recent leaver Kit Connor, has been recognised as one of GQs men of the year.

This recognition comes in light of both his acting performance in the Netflix TV show Heartstopper, and also due to his social activism work. What is even more impressive is that Kit managed to balance doing all this with performing in the school production of Chariots of Fire and completing his A Levels over the past year. Kit has recently finished filming the second season of Heartstopper and is also working on a new film A Cuban Girls Guide to Tea and Tomorrow. We are looking forward to seeing how Kit’s career progresses.

MEMORIES FROM WHITGIFT Ian Lucas (OW 1943-51)

I was determined to capture Martin Turner’s school senior high jump record in my final year at Whitgift. To give myself a chance of achieving this, I used to walk down the steps past the War Memorial every lunch hour and make my way to South Field, once there I devoted my lunch hour to a training session.

My good friend John Luxton volunteered to be my ‘coach’ for these sessions and although he was not a jumper, he used to tell me what I was doing wrong and suggest ways to improve my technique. One day, when John and I were returning back to the school buildings after a training session, we bumped into the Headmaster, Mr Marlar, who was also returning to the school after having had lunch at his house. Mr Marlar gave me one of his penetrating stares and said to me: “What are you wearing Lucas?” to which I replied: “It’s called a track suit, Sir.” Mr Marlar retorted: “It’s a good job it’s navy blue!” and he immediately continued on his way back to his office. I must explain that track suits were only just becoming available in 1950 and I was the first schoolboy to wear one at Whitgift. At least it passed its first inspection!

I was made the School Athletics Captain for the year 1950-1951 and we developed a strong school team that season. I did manage to break Martin Turner’s school high jump record on Thursday, 23 March 1950. A reward I think for all the hours training which John and I had done. The height I achieved that year was nearly five inches more than my previous year’s winning jump. I was so pleased that I had reached my objective. The height of 5ft 6ins would be a ‘low’ jump nowadays, but in 1950 there was no synthetic approach from which to take off and no ‘Cloud Nine’ to land on, just wet heavy sand!

This photograph was taken on South Field ‘High and Long Jumping’ areas. It can be seen how soft the ‘take-off’ surface was from the shoe print marks in it. The landing area was hard and jarred the body when one landed.

Interview

Patric Okumi (OW 1997-2004)

Interview by Struan Fotheringham (OW 2016-2022)

What are your earliest memories of Whitgift?

My earliest memory, and I suspect one shared with many Whitgiftian’s, was the walk up through the gates to Big School. Very fond memories of the sense of unity walking up the drive with other school kids lugging our oversized crest adorned bags eager to see what the day would bring.

How has the school influenced your life?

Whitgift, I feel has had a profound impact on my life. I joined the school as an only child from a single parent family and so being part of the school made me feel part of a larger immediate family. Without a shadow of a doubt, the school’s culture of encouraging students to balance both academia with extracurricular activities I feel allowed me to develop with a confidence that I may otherwise not have had.

You have also worked in the financial sector for over 15 years, how have you managed to balance your creative and logical work?

Very good question. As an only child I had to be fairly creative in order to keep myself entertained and I was fortunate through school to choose subjects and extracurricular activities that didn’t stifle my desire to create.

You’re quite right that creativity and the financial sector are often seen to be incompatible however I’ve been fortunate to choose roles that require creative thinking to create new products and reward innovative thinking.

Outside of the day job I do enjoy working on start-ups and find this a thoroughly rewarding way to explore interesting opportunities, learn and grow as a person.

You also participated in Hockey and CCF at school, did you carry any of these on? Or did Whitgift inspire you to take up any other activities?

Being part of the RAF section of CCF was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and for a while I was very much set on pursuing a career as a pilot. I later decided against this however, now as an adult I may look to reconnect with my interest in aviation with some private pilot lessons – something I may not have thought to consider had it not been for Whitgift.

One piece of advice for Whitgift students?

I would advise students, both young and old alike to fully immerse themselves into Whitgift.

During my time the school’s facilities were outstanding and I have no doubt even today they remain so. With so many extracurricular activities, students can explore interests at their own personal pace and develop these in an amazing environment.

Can you tell us more about your career and journey after school? After Whitgift, I went off to Durham to study Business Finance, in fact I was based on a campus that no longer exists! Out of university, I managed to get my first job with an Icelandic bank which was really interesting as not only was I able to learn more about the industry, but I also lived in Reykjavik for a period of time. Most recently, I have been involved in equity trading for an extended time, before now currently heading up the EMEA and trading for a new block trading platform to help bring efficiencies to equity trading.

In 2019 you co-founded ADINKRA London, have you always been interested in fashion and what does it mean to you to be able to showcase your heritage? Well, I suppose the main thing is that I have always wanted to be quite entrepreneurial right from a young age. Because of this, I have launched start-ups previously, which only confirmed my desires to continue building something very personal. Launching a fashion brand with African roots was an exciting project for me given the quite Eurocentric nature of luxury fashion, something I have found has led to fashion often without any sort of cultural meaning. ADINKRA therefore is relatively unique in that in terms of quality, it is on par with many of the top fashion brands, but it is also African based and carries real sentimental cultural value. It makes me extremely proud to be able to showcase symbols and stories which have enriched mine and many of my family’s lives. Equally, I have been delighted to see many of those without African heritage wear the clothes with pride, as this highlights how transferrable the messages we are expressing are.

FOUNDER’S CIRCLE

Leaving a gift in your will is one of the most personal ways of supporting the School. We will recognise your generosity by inviting you to membership of the Founder’s Circle. To find out more, please contact alumni@whitgift.co.uk or call 020 8633 9922

WMH GRAND MASTERS WORLD CUP, TOKYO 2022

Derek Wright OW (1962-1969) representing Wales is a World Cup winner.

Hockey is a great sport for all ages. The introduction of Veterans’ hockey which led to the development of Masters’ Hockey has enabled the sport to keep its players playing. There are now Over 80s International Teams with England and Holland playing the first international match in 2019.

Every year there is either a World Cup or European Championship which each operate on two year cycles. Players change age group every five years, starting from Over 35s all the way through to Over 75s – soon to be joined by the growing number of Over 80s teams.

The planned Grand Masters (Over 60s plus) 2020 tournament finally took place two years after it was scheduled, due to Covid. With Japan opening up after an extended lockdown, 27 teams representing 12 countries made the trip to play in the Olympic Park in Tokyo.

Some of the European nations were not present but England sent one team of Over 60s and Wales sent its Over 70s team to compete against strong teams from Australia, South Africa and Japan, with Canada, USA, Malaysia, Singapore also being represented.

The hosts were welcoming, helpful and so polite, it was a pleasure to visit such an interesting country. The Japanese are very fit, youthful and competitive; they play hockey with speed and perseverance.

It was against the Japanese team that Wales played its semi-final, recovering from 0-2 down to win 3-2. Australia, who went on to win the Bronze Medal gave up a 3-0 lead to lose to the South Africans on penalty strokes in their semi-final.

Wales played its best game in the final and controlled the game, scoring two goals in the first half and winning by the same margin. I scored our second goal, from which the South Africans did not recover.

It was a great tournament, certainly for Wales who have never won a World Cup – the best result previously being the Over 65s winning the Bronze Medal in Barcelona in 2018.

It all started at Whitgift and I owe a lot to the School and to Bob Schad.

Hockey is a great game which should be promoted at all levels. To know that we can still play competitive hockey in our 70s and 80s should be an inspiration to all!

1596 Society

Named after the School’s founding year, the 1596 Society recognises our donors who give over £1,596 a year. To find out more, please contact alumni@whitgift.co.uk or call 020 8633 9922.

Owgs

Peter Gale, Hon. Sec. (OW 1963-69)

The Hornsey-Walker Cup meeting was held at The Addington in early September.

The trophy is the oldest in the society, having been presented first in 1927. The general level of scoring was quite good, and Andrew Winterbotham (photo, below left, with captain Jeremy Stanyard), took the HornseyWalker home with him, having scored 36 points. He was hotly pursued by two more experienced golfers, David Absalom (also 36) and Nigel Huxtable (35). Richard Gibson, captain of the Hewitt team and playing off +3, won the scratch prize with a gross 69 (level par).

It poured when we arrived at Royal Ashdown Forest (West Course) to complete the full 18 holes; but we were able to welcome Chris Jones after a fourteen-year break and for his first meeting with us, Rory McKinnon. for the Autumn meeting, later in September, with Howard Beeston spotted measuring the depth on at least one occasion. It appears to have worked for him; his 32 points winning the Autumn Cup, in front of Martin Down and Mike Berners Price, both on 30. Only nine players out of 18 starters managed

The OWGS autumn tour has become an established feature in our calendar. This year we ventured to Birmingham where, by and large, the sun shone. We started at Sutton Coldfield GC, a lovely heathland course ranked in the Top 100 in the country. Also in the Top 100, Little Aston was the venue for the next day’s play, a parkland course in a glorious setting. On the third and last day, we played next to our hotel, at Moor Hall GC, a more modest course, but with a brutal final five holes, four of which were well over 400 yards in length, and all par 4s. 17 starters pitted their wits against the three courses and against each other. Jeremy Stanyard tussled with Alan Scovell for top marks, with Jeremy eventually claiming the overall tour prize, whilst George Cook prevailed at Little Aston. Brodies won the house competition, blessed as they were with Messrs Stanyard and tour organiser John Gould, and Tony Mason hit the longest drive. Matt Webster took a strong side to the Grafton Morrish finals, with debutants Laurie Evans (picture below) and Matt Spriegel joining experienced campaigner Richard Gibson and young thrusters Joe Carmody-Firth and Jack Raison.

The Grafton is a prestigious scratch foursomes competition, played in North Norfolk, and is a national competition open to all schools.

Our first-round opponents, Rugby, were a team we knew well, having played many times before. Their number included a recent world top 50 amateur, and despite a strong showing from Gibson and Spriegel, who looked likely to win, the match was determined in the first two pairs which, with a little good fortune, Rugby won. We refocused our efforts on Saturday in the Solihull Salver, the scratch Stableford competition for the 32 schools knocked out in rounds 1&2. In testing winds, our pairs managed 28, 28 and 31 points, good enough for 3rd place overall, narrowly behind winners Solihull, and Canford. The top 4 of the 32 schools qualify for the semi-finals of the Committee Bowl, played at Hunstanton on the tournament Sunday. In beautiful morning conditions, we squared up to Canford and with a big win for Evans and Spriegel, and a loss for Carmody-Firth and Raison, Gibson and Webster were playing last in the deciding match. After battling back from 3 down through 10, they were in prime position to move back to all square playing the 15th, but Canford holed from 80 feet, off the green, to snatch the hole, and eventually the match.

OWGS is at https://www. oldwhitsgolf.com/

OW RUGBY Chris Hall (OW 2001-2008)

Greetings from Croham Road. I write this in the middle of what is becoming a landmark season for OWRFC. Like many other sports, rugby has endured some difficult times recently. I am incredibly proud to say that Old Whits is navigating those storms well, as proven by the many successes that have come in the first half of the season.

Our club vision is to open rugby up for everyone to enjoy throughout their sporting lives. This Autumn we saw that vision come to life. From the mini section holding a festival that hosted over 1,000 players and supporters to the newly established social touch section – Old Whits is living up to the promise: “All Welcome”. The newly established Saffron Stormers, a section dedicated to girls and women, is the epitome of that promise. I look forward to sharing news of their growth in the seasons to come.

The senior section has also made great strides. The first XV has maintained strong performances in the face of a brutal playing schedule and plague of injuries. The Wanderers have fared better still, winning handsomely throughout the first half of the season under the stewardship of debutant captain Rob Sandford (OW 2002-2009). Best of all we fielded three men’s sides for the first time in ten years. A huge moment for the club.

Off the field the club and its members have been active in supporting members struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, assisting families with kit, food and sanitary products that mean everyone can enjoy our great game. The Whits Young Leaders scheme has been developing leadership skills in our young members who will no doubt make their contribution in the years to come. Perhaps the best examples of promoting the game came from Junior Chair Amy Atkinson, who partnered with England International Kyle Sinckler who joined our juniors on a frosty training session to give one of the team a life-changing opportunity to pursue a career in rugby. The less said about the club’s Movember efforts the better – but raising over £2,500 for charity was worth every stray hair.

In closing, I’d like to offer a warm welcome to anyone considering playing, supporting or volunteering at the Whits. To get a fixture list or enquire about our juniors, seniors, women’s or touch section – email secretary@ owhitgiftianrfc.club

NEWS FROM THE SCHOOL –WINTER 2022

Dominic Edwards (OW 1988-96) Teacher and Housemaster (Mason’s)

Towards the end of Michaelmas term, the U16 and U18 Indoor Hockey Teams qualified for the National Finals, to be held at Whitgift in early January. This news prompted me to look at other results from the season thus far.

As has become their way in recent years, the First XI kicked off their season playing universities and men’s club sides, chalking up draws against Oxford, Birmingham and Nottingham universities, and a very impressive 2-1 win against Wimbledon Hockey Club men’s Second XI. The necessity for such challenging fixtures became obvious later on in the term, when the team began to compete against other school sides and racked up scores of 9-0, 10-1 and 11-1 against Ipswich, Langley Park and RGS Guildford respectively. Currently they have won all their games against school opponents. The same is the case for the U16A’s and B’s, the U15A’s, the U14B’s, the U13C’s and the U12A’s. And for good measure, the U14 A’s and the U13A’s are also unbeaten, but they have both drawn one fixture. All of this, which would be quite remarkable for any other school, has become par for the course for Whitgift hockey. Take one glance at the Honours boards in the Sports Hall foyer and you will see national titles galore for every year in recent history. The incredible hockey staff, led admirably by Dr Karl Stagno, have presided over the most successful period for any sport in the school’s history and long may it continue! But it was not always this way. Indeed, were it not for one man, Whitgift might never have played hockey. When the sad news of former master, Mr Bob Schad’s passing was announced at the end of November, thousands of OW hockey players would have taken a moment to reflect on the great man who brought hockey to the school. In addition, thousands more mathematicians, CCF alumni and ex Brodie’s House members would have taken a glance up at the sky too. Bob taught at the school for 48 years; he was a true Renaissance man and he made teaching (and indeed, everything he did) look effortless. I was lucky enough to both be taught by Mr Schad in the classroom and share the Common Room with Bob as a fellow member of staff, and so I can say with authority that the school owes a lot to Bob; indeed, it would not be the fantastic school it is were it not for great teachers like Bob. RIP, Bob; Whitgift will always remember you.

Bob was 96 when he died, the same age as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who passed at the beginning of term. The school honoured her life with a minute’s silence and a series of assemblies for the different year groups. A Book of Remembrance was also opened for the Whitgift Community to offer their condolences and it can be accessed and viewed on the school website. Continuing the theme of honouring the lives of those who have given service, the annual Remembrance Day service took place by the War Memorial on Friday 11th November. An audience of Lower First and First formers joined with a healthy number of Old Whitgiftians to witness the traditional ceremony of hymns, readings and wreathlaying, as well as a poignant rendition of The Last Post by Ed Bowley, all expertly presided over by the school chaplain, Reverend Alan Bayes. As ever, the precision and professionalism of the CCF and Corps of Drums meant that the event proceeded in perfect order and it was a deeply moving occasion for all present.

A lot has been written in recent weeks about the possibility of a Labour government removing the charitable status of private schools, and so it is rather timely that in October, Whitgift was announced as the Independent School of the Year for Community Outreach 2022 at the Independent School of the Year Awards. A combination of the 22-year-old Primary Project, which invites children from local Primary schools to Whitgift for one week of exciting lessons and welcomes over 1000 children each year, and the Whitgift Community Summer School, which takes place for two weeks each summer, were vital components of the award submission. Students at Whitgift are actively involved in the running of both programmes. Additionally, they volunteer at local schools and teach Saturday masterclasses at Whitgift for local Year 5 girls and boys who have been put forward by their Headteachers. The judges commended Whitgift not only for its full and interesting programme of community action, but also for measuring the impact on the pupils that attended the sessions.

Yet more recognition came the school’s way for Community Outreach later in the term when Ms Charlotte Letchford, our Primary Project Co-ordinator, was invited to attend the launch event of the Independent Schools Council 2022 Celebrating Partnerships Report, which took place at the House of Commons build their confidence and skills. When you add all this to the wonderful work being done by the Alumni section of the school in combination with generosity of Old Whitgiftians for Whitgift For All, one would hope that the kindness and compassion of our school community is plain for all to see and something to be carefully considered by any future government when making an economic policy which could have such a profound impact on the future of our school. on Monday 14 November. This year, we were recognised for the aforementioned Saturday primary masterclasses. This initiative aims to stretch and stimulate pupils over three hours on Saturday mornings. Whitgift welcomes around 85 children each year, all nominated by their Heads, who then take part in a six-week block of lessons. Sixth Formers and teachers volunteer to share their time and knowledge to support these young people and

The Music Department put on a packed programme this term, bookended by the magnificent Chamber Choir, who combined with the choirs of Croydon Minster early on to put on Lux Aeterna, a concert of reflective music including Faure Requiem, and then returned to the Minster at the end of term to lead the congregation in the school’s heart-warming carol service. In between, the Woodwind and String Programmes put on their annual competitions in the Concert Hall, but the main event of the term was the Autumn Collection Concert at the

Fairfield Halls on November 17. The day began with a shortened version of the concert being performed to 1300 local primary school children, who made for an extremely enthusiastic audience! In the evening, a packed auditorium of parents and staff were treated to a varied programme involving 330 students, including the entirety of the First Form, who provided a rousing finale to the evening with their Disney Dazzle arrangement. Before that, a variety of ensembles had the opportunity to showcase their skills, including the Chamber and Symphony Orchestras, Brass and String Ensembles, Jazz Band and Soul Choir, but perhaps the highlight of the night was the spectacular opening extravaganza performed by the Corps of Drums, whose combination of sound, movement and lighting provided a feast for all the senses.

The Drama season got off to its usual upbeat start with the House Drama competition in early October. Recently retired Whitgift Performing Arts legend, Mr Paul Wilson, was invited back as judge for the evening and, knowing what to expect, he embraced the madness and merriment of the event. This year, Ellis’s won the coveted trophy for the first time in over a decade with their performance of Tuesday by Alison Carr. They had the largest cast in the event and Lower Sixth director, Bakari Leon, should be commended for his efforts in bringing it all together.

Over the past couple of years, Head of Drama, Mr James Hammond has made a name for himself as a master innovator when it comes to the use of set in his school plays, and this year he did not disappoint when he took on Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle. In his programme notes, James highlights Brecht’s ground-breaking influence in modern theatre, “in rejecting the illusion of reality for a clearly presentational style, Brecht returned theatre to a place where performer and audience member look each other in the face and share a collective act of creation.” This production certainly was the very definition of immersive theatre, with characters from the play greeting audience dance floor… whatever next? I will keep you informed. members with a jovial, “Welcome to the village!” as soon as they entered Big School. The fabulous creative team had weaved their usual magic to create a traverse stage with a revolving floor in the centre, constantly bringing audience and cast into close proximity to make sure that everyone was fully engaged. If that were not enough, characters from play actually shared their meals with us; if I’d known I was going to be offered soup and cake, I would not have enjoyed such a hearty meal in the Little Bay restaurant beforehand! To cap things off, everyone was invited onto the stage at the end of the play to engage in dance to celebrate its joyous denouement! It was an utterly compelling experience and another in a long list of triumphs for Mr Hammond: an Olympic running track; a prison surrounded by liquid cement; a revolving chalk circle which transforms from a court room to a

Coming back to sport to finish with, the rugby term saw mixed fortunes for the Whitgift sides. The First XV have struggled with injuries this season, and not managing to get your strongest side out when you are playing the likes of Millfield, Sedbergh and Wellington College (the former two away) is certainly not ideal! The three losses to these prestigious rugby schools meant we finished bottom of the table in the inaugural Schools Rugby Championship. Described by schools’ rugby website, nextgenxv. com as “A new era for English Schools Rugby”, this competition started small this year with just us and the three above mentioned schools. The vision for the future, however, is much bigger: “a series of conferences being established giving teams competition against teams of a similar level, whilst also allowing for traditional fixtures to remain firmly in place.” Whilst we were not able to chalk up a win in the event this year (although we did run Wellington very close, going down 28-29!) it was still an honour to be part of the founding four schools of what will hopefully become the centrepiece of English schools’ rugby for many years to come. The First XV did still, however, enjoy some crushing victories, beating old rivals John Fisher and Dulwich 40-19 and 38-0 respectively, and new faces Bishop Wordsworth’s and St Joseph’s, Ipswich, 50-15 and 50-7. Also, the future of Whitgift rugby looks like it is in good hands, with the U13A’s going through the term unbeaten and the U14A’s still going strong in their National Cup.