Worth Society Blue Paper 2011

The

blue paper Magazine 2010/11

Tom Symonds races along his vocational path Worth Society Life

Inaugural reunion for Worthian girls Life in the Manquehue Movement Life and Times of Worthians

Interview with Michael Spencer Bees, yurts and craft courses The Old Place

Fr Kevin’s Abbatial Blessing The Abbey Church resplendent

The

blue paper

Contents Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

04

Chairman’s Report 2010/11 Nick Butterworth (G’76)

35

Larry Achike on his Life and Influences Louise Moon – Co-editor of Identity

05

Throwing down the Gauntlet Olivia Henley

36

Caught on Camera

38

06

Worth Society Events: Recent Leavers’ Networking Evening – Daniel Pring (R’03) 2011 City Lunch – Mark Collini (StB’89) Desmond Calnan (R’69) Worthians Girls’ Inaugural Reunion – Anna Webb (StM’10) The Bluffers’ Challenge – Eddie Robinson (B’89) 2000 Leavers’ 10-Year Reunion – John-Henry Wicks (G’00) 1990 Leavers’ 20-Year Reunion – Charlie Gerada (R’90) 1980 Leavers’ 30-Year Reunion – Chris Mathews (B’80) 1969 Leavers’ 40-Year Reunion – Desmond Calnan (R’69)

Racing up my Vocational Path Tom Symonds (B’03)

40

Welcome to Bees, Yurts and Craft Courses Charles Hooper (C’80)

42

Michael Spencer Interview (B’72)

44

My Mad Operatic Ambition Mark Spyropoulos (StB’99)

46

Rules of Engagement Nick Barnett (G’73)

47

Cracking Petty Crime with Facewatch Simon Gordon (StB’74)

48

Theatre Review An Inspiring Failure Adrian Pring (R’01) reviews Owen Lean’s (C’01) show

49

News in Brief

54

Announcements – Engagements / Marriages / Births

14

Supporting Good Causes: Sponsorship Support: Cycling for Breast Cancer – Matthew Burnford (StB’77) Cycling 2,000 km for Leuka – Andy Carroll (R’81) Ascent of Mont Blanc – Tim Davies (C‘10) Double Marathon Run – Giles Heather (F’03) Climbing Kili for Kids – Dani Jeyes (StM’10) London Marathon – Fraser Moyle (R’08) Running for the Irish Guards – Mickey Morrissey (R’77) A Christian Calling – Andrew Pring (R’10)

17

Careers Fair 2011 Duncan Pring, Head of Careers

17

Work Experience Withers LLP – Joseph Busuttil (B’06) Down Under – Jessica Coffin (StM’10)

20

Global Action Awards (GAA): Year 11 Introduction: Olivia Henley

21

GAA: Gringo Diaries: Life in the Manquehue Movement James Harrold (StB’10)

24

GAA: Teaching in Tarma Max Watson (F’05)

26

GAA: Bare-footed Prowess in Kenya Benedict Wintour (B’09)

28

Worth Society Sport Rugby: Champions of Surrey 3 League (Desmond Calnan - R’69) Cricket: 10/11 Season Report (Simon Jones - StB’98) Golf: 10/11 Season Report (Ken Ross - G’65) Golf: Worthians versus Eastbourne (Alex Pollen - StB’04) Football: 2011 Match Report (Andrew Taylor, Staff) Tennis: Speech Day Match Report (Crispin Hayhoe - StB’82) Squash: Inaugural Match Report (Jeremy Dowling, Staff)

The Old Place 56

Celebrating Success and Achievement Gino Carminati, Headmaster

59

Fr Kevin’s Abbatial Blessing

60

The Abbey Church Resplendent – View from the Pew James Forte (C’72)

62

University Places Gained Second Generation at the School Children of Worthians Registered at Worth

Worth Society Directors Nicholas Butterworth, Mark Collini, The Hon Crispin Hayhoe Worth Society is a not-for-profit limited company (number 06506005)

The Worthians Charitable Trust (formerly Worth Old Boys’ Society) Patron Fr Kevin Taggart, The Abbot of Worth Trustees Nicholas Barnett, Robert Bodnar-Horvath, Nicholas Butterworth, The Hon Crispin Hayhoe, Fr Luke Jolly The Worthians Charitable Trust (registered charity number 1084948)

We would like to extend our grateful thanks to this year’s advertisers: Business Leadership Academy Farleigh School Magazine designed and produced by Green Lizard 01892 619888

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Chairman’s Report 2010/11 Hardly had the last issue of The Blue Paper reached everyone, than it was announced that the monks had elected Fr Kevin as the Monastery’s fifth Abbot. His installation was attended by over 750 people – including many Worthians – and it is typical of our new Patron that while he told me that his additional responsibilities would limit his time for us, he has continued to contribute significantly to the wellbeing of Worthians by attending Committee meetings, celebrating our annual St Benedict’s Day Mass in London, attending many events and helping individuals whenever he can.

In looking back over the year, I am delighted to report that our Society has continued to attract new members, bringing membership to 1,300 including 60 young lady members and we have implemented various initiatives aimed at helping as many Worthians as possible. In particular, we have developed the Worthians Group on Linkedin with over 500 connections; organised the first ever networking event for recent School and University leavers with Worthians from a variety of careers; and also widened the scope for supporting Worthians who spend time helping a variety of good causes. Greater numbers than ever attended the now regular decade reunions and social events and the first ever all-girls reunion saw a tremendous turnout of the pioneering girls’ year group. The sporting groups prove increasingly popular and achievements were capped by the Worthian golfers winning the Russell Bowl (Catholic public schools’ golfing trophy) for the second successive year.

At a time when a number of schools are facing difficult times, it is very pleasing to report that Worth continues to thrive in all respects. A recent inspection by OFSTED resulted in the School being ranked ‘Outstanding’, the highest grade, and the latest academic results showing a 100% pass rate for final year students, with 79% of all grades at A level and the IB diploma being the equivalent to A* to B grades.

The Society has continued in its efforts to support the students – contributing to careers events, arranging work experience opportunities and with financial support through the Global Action Awards. As previously mentioned, the Society has contributed towards a bursary for a pupil who could not otherwise have attended Worth and we will continue to assist others when the School identifies further candidates. We will also be establishing a Worthian School fund – to which we hope Worthians will contribute so that the Society will be able to make donations to specific projects for the benefit of future generations.

In seeking to identify how the Committee might develop the Society further, Olivia and I attended a conference during the year where representatives from over sixty former pupil associations gathered to share ideas about how societies like ours operate and what they provide for members. It was rewarding to learn that Worth Society is one of the most active and modern in the way it serves its members and we ended up guiding other societies on activities, networking and communication.

The fact that we are a diverse and active Society is in no small part due to the considerable contribution made each year by members of our 21-strong Committee. On behalf of all members, I thank Abbot Kevin and Fr Luke (C’71), Gino Carminati and Dr Pring, representing the Monastery and the School respectively, who have provided invaluable guidance and help, along with Worthian members who help to organise so much. Particular thanks are due to our sporting stalwarts: Ken Ross (golf); Desmond Calnan (rugby) and Simon Jones (cricket). Immense thanks are owed to Julian Gairdner (S’89) who stood down during the year. Julian has been one of the longest serving members and Trustees of the Committee, and has made an extraordinary contribution to all aspects of the Society’s operation.

Finally, as always, we all owe our secretary, Olivia, the greatest thanks. Her enthusiasm, commitment, energy and ideas have been behind so much of the way our Society has developed recently. In particular, Olivia is wholly responsible for the significant increase in communication among Worthians and for developing www.worthsociety.org.uk into what is the most interesting and informative website we have ever had. Please do log into the website from time to time to see news and details of forthcoming events such as the first ever Worthian girls’ hockey match at the School, networking, social, sporting and spiritual events.

The other reason why our Society is thriving is because of your support through membership, participation in the events that are organised and the mutual help so many of you provide when we ask for assistance. We are extremely grateful to each member, and I’d like to thank those of you who have made donations which have helped us extend our charitable endeavours and those of you who have helped with careers events and provided work experience for fellow Worthians and pupils.

We were delighted to receive so much positive feedback following publication of last year’s issue of The Blue Paper and you will find yet more excellent contributions in this issue – which all of us on the Committee very much hope you enjoy.

Nick Butterworth (G’76) September 2011

A note to non-Direct Debit Subscribers A plea from our Secretary! If you do not currently subscribe by direct debit, can we please urge you to take this opportunity to do so – it makes a huge difference to us and helps relieve the significant administrative burden relating to the collection of annual subscriptions.

You will find a direct debit form to complete and return to the Worth Society office on our website at www.worthsociety.org.uk under ‘About Us’ in the Membership section.

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Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Throwing down the Gauntlet It’s been another very exciting year for us – particularly with the arrival of our first full cohort of Worthian girls to the Society in June 2010. And they are already making their mark! The School reverberated with their squeals and laughter as they returned in January 2011 for their first reunion (see page 8) and we much look forward to seeing a lot more of them over the coming years.

And the launch of two new business networking initiatives – the Worthians Group on LinkedIn (the Facebook for professionals) and the recent leavers’ networking event (see page 6) – are proving to be great business networking resources.

The Worthians Group on LinkedIn is helping Worthians to promote their businesses as well as facilitating the sharing and gaining of knowledge, expertise and contacts (if you aren’t already part of it, then please do get in touch with me, and I’ll tell you how to join).

While the recent leavers’ networking event offers a fabulous opportunity for younger Worthians to speak to, and rub shoulders with, the movers and shakers in our midst who work across a wide range of professions.

And as the Society grows in both numbers and activities – I am ever more indebted to our stalwart team of sporting representatives and to those of you that I cajole into acting as co-ordinators for the 10-, 20-, 30- and 40-

Far left: Chris Mathews dropped by for a visit – the first time he had returned since leaving Worth 31 years ago!

Left: Patrick Lindley brought his family from Spain to visit – from left to right: Patrick’s mother, Isabel, his wife, Maria and children, Eugenia, Cosima, John and Alex

year reunions (which for you only happen once every ten years, but for me it’s every year!) as well as for the growing number of sporting fixtures and events that we add to the Calendar each year.

when Chris Mathews (B’80) and Patrick Lindley (B’90) paid us a visit on the same day in early June – and they saw Worth at its absolute best, on a bright sunny day with the azaleas in full bloom.

It appears that Charlie Hooper, co-ordinator for the ‘Class of 1975-80’ 30-Year Reunion in 2010, has really thrown down the gauntlet!

Through some fantastic detective work and Facebook, they managed to get in touch with almost all of their peers, and a magnificent 49 attended a great reunion in London (see page 11). The question is – can John Bennett, Dominic Strickland and David van der Lande beat this record? They are certainly well on the way to doing so for their ‘Class of 1976-81’ 30-Year Reunion which is taking place in October 2011.

It is always a delight to meet you and, if you let me know me in advance, I can arrange a tour of the School with one of the PR Prefects who can take you to visit old haunts, allow you to re-live some of your memories and see ‘how things have changed’.

In all seriousness, without your help and support, we simply couldn’t run all of these events and, as you will see over the forthcoming pages, we continue to add new activities and events in the hope that we can offer something that will appeal to the whole gamut of our membership.

And something that always gives me great pleasure, is welcoming those of you who happen to be passing the wrought iron gates, back to Worth for a visit – and we see a few more of you returning each year. It just so happened that I had my camera with me

In time-honoured tradition, we will be introducing some further new initiatives in the autumn of 2011. As well as launching a new-look website, we are expanding our merchandise range and will be welcoming our 2010 and 2011 Worthian girl Leavers back for their inaugural hockey match on Sunday 11th September 2011; the same day that the ‘young’ Worthians take on the ‘older’ Worthians at Rugby. Spectators are always welcome if you fancy coming along to watch.

I’m sure there will be yet more to talk about in 2012 – and I must end by saying a huge thank you to all who have contributed to another great issue of The Blue Paper.

Happy reading!

Olivia Henley

Worth Society Committee Contact Details

Edward Robinson (B 1984-89) Office: 01628 637600 e-mail: eddie@robinsonestateagents.co.uk

Ben Babington (G 1994-96) Office: 020 7664 6649 e-mail: benbabington@jackson-stops.com

Michael Gabriel (C 1980-1985) Office: 01892 619888 e-mail: michael@green-lizard.co.uk

Dominic Strickland (C 1976-81) Office: 020 79371776 e-mail: dominic@strickland.co.uk

Nick Barnett (G 1968-73) — Trustee Office: 020 7404 4022 e-mail: nicholasbarnett@fsmail.net

Crispin Hayhoe (S 1977-82) — Director, Trustee Mobile: 07718 339802 e-mail: crispinhayhoe@hotmail.com

Robert Bodnar-Horvath (B 1969-74) — Trustee Office: 020 7305 2443 e-mail: robertbodnarhorvath@blueyonder.co.uk

Olivia Henley — Secretary Office: 01342 710241 e-mail: worthsociety@worth.org.uk

Worthians Cricket Club Simon Jones SKJones@ReedSmith.com 07736 686107

Nicholas Butterworth (G 1971-76) — Director, Trustee Office: 020 7664 6644 e-mail: nbutterworth@jackson-stops.com

Father Luke Jolly (C 1966-71) — Chairman of Trustees Office: 01342 710308 e-mail: ljolly@worth.org.uk

Gino Carminati Headmaster Office (sec): 01342 710222 e-mail: gcarminati@worth.org.uk

Ed Keelaghan (R 1993-1998) Mobile: 07967 303496 e-mail: edward.keelaghan@gmail.com

Mark Collini (StB 1984-89) — Director Office: 020 7783 4941 e-mail: mark.collini@ofcom.org.uk

Daniel Pring (R 1998-2003) Mobile: 07865 064439 e-mail: danielpring@ymail.com

James Forte (C 1968-1972) Mobile: 07884 268264 e-mail: james.forte@vision40.com

Duncan Pring — Careers Office: 01342 710239 e-mail: dpring@worth.org.uk

Worthians Golfing Society Ken Ross (G ‘65) Kenneth.ross2@virgin.net 01323 733499 Worthians Rugby Club Des Calnan (R ‘69) Desmond.Calnan@shell.com Worthians Sailing Giles Turton (F’02) gilesturton@hotmail.com Girls’ Sports Louisa McCarthy (StM’10) mcclouisa@hotmail.com For all other Sporting Clubs contact: Olivia Henley worthsociety@worth.org.uk 01342 710241

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Recent Leavers’ Networking Evening Events

The inaugural Worthians Recent Leavers’ Networking evening took place on Wednesday 22nd September 2010 at the Samuel Pepys bar in the City of London. It was an informal gathering aimed at bringing together the bright minds of Worthians already established in the City with recent School and University leavers needing guidance in their future career decisions.

Around 30 Worthians gathered, with elder statesmen from a variety of industries – including construction, consulting, finance, insurance, law and property – to offer advice to the younger generation. As well as providing an opportunity for Worthians to catch up with familiar faces from both near (and far distant!) past, it was reassuring to see a great deal of networking taking place. Something that struck me in particular was the ease with which Worthians from different year groups and eras mixed, and the generosity of the more established professionals in giving both their time and advice. Both traits struck me as particularly ‘Worthian’.

The following attended the City Networking Careers Event: John Barnes (StB’06) Dale Bellis (F’03) Charlie Birchall (R’03) Simon Blunt Jack Bodkin (G’03) Howard Brookman (G’93) Danny Brown (B’04) Christian Bruning (StB’88) Tom Butter (B’04) Nick Butterworth (G’76) George Calvert (C’09) Alonso Caro (R’06) Giles Heather (F’03) Olly Ingram (B’04) Ed Long (G’03) Richard Lurcott (parent) Rorrie Mars (R’03) John Paul Matthews (B’06) Tom McConnell (F’05) Simon McMenemy (R’89) Sebastien Plummer (R’06) Alex Pollen (StB’04) Adrian Pring (R’01) Daniel Pring (R’03) George Ross (G’95) Nick Vasquez (G’97) Max Watson (F’05) Christian Zaleski (StB’05)

Howard Brookman made contact the following day to say, “Please extend my thanks to those involved in the organisation of the Worthians City Networking Event.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and a great opportunity to be back in contact with some old friends, as well as to meet some new faces and to network. It's an event that I hope will be repeated in the future.”

Charles Birchall, Tom McConnell, Edward Long and Daniel Brown

Thomas Butter, Howard Brookman, George Ross, John Barnes, Daniel Pring and Nick Vasquez

Our aim is to make this an annual event, and we are hoping it will gain in momentum and attract increasing numbers as it becomes firmly established in the Worth Society events calendar. We would particularly like to see more representation from recent School and University leavers in the future.

I’d like to thank all those who attended for making it such a great evening and particularly Simon McMenemy for organising the venue which offered plenty of space to mingle and offered a great view of the Thames.

Rorrie Mars, Dale Bellis, Jack Bodkin, Charles Birchall, Daniel Pring and Giles Heather

Daniel Pring (R’03)

Simon McMenemy, Nick Vasquez and Christian Zaleski

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Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

We welcomed the following Worthians to the 2011 City Lunch:

2011 City Lunch It’s certainly a truism that where there’s good food and wine, you’re bound to find Worthians!

And so it was on a sunny afternoon in February that a swarm of Worthians descended, as bees to a honey pot, on The Terrace Room at The Bleeding Heart Restaurant, just off Hatton Garden, for the third consecutive year.

Competition is becoming increasingly fierce for a place at the fabled City Lunch and, looking around the room, you can see exactly why. Old friends use it as an excuse to ‘catch up’, while others use it as an opportunity to network and meet other co-Worthians for the first time.

Representation came from a wide range of year groups spanning five decades. We had a quartet of oldies – James Wheeler (C’68), John Weguelin (C’70), Tony Green (C’69) and Desmond Calnan (R’69) – while at the other end of the age spectrum we welcomed the early noughties in Luca Belpassi (G’01), Phil Davey (F’04), Andrew Long (B’00) and Matthew Page (C’00).

The room buzzed with animated conversation and we were delighted to have in our midst Fr Kevin, a real stalwart of these occasions and here for the first time as Abbot of Worth. Nick Butterworth greeted the guests with a suitably short and witty address (which included a delightful sales pitch for the marvellous memorabilia and apparel on sale from the Society!) and Nick thanked Fr Kevin heartily for his continued support, and Olivia Henley

Jamie Griffith (B’72) Charlie Hamshaw-Thomas (B’78) Mark Lee-Barber (C’71) Andrew Long (B’00) Gordon Moore (G’85) Mickey Morrissey (R’77) Nick Norton (R’72) Matthew Page (C’00) Chris Rooney (StB’84) Tim Ross (R'86) Chris Rybak (B'85) Jeremy Sandle (G’74) Matthew Scouller (G'86) Michael Spencer (B’72) David Tye (StB’70) Michael Vermehren (StB’96) John Weguelin (C’70) James Wheeler (C’68) Tom Willett (G’85) Michael Worrall (R’71)

for her great efforts on behalf of the Society. Fr Kevin’s dedication and commitment to Worth Society, in spite of his new-found abbatial duties, is something to which we all owe him huge thanks – long may it continue!

We all thoroughly enjoyed the food and wine served at this top-notch French restaurant. Although a few of the harder-working Worthians crept away at around 3.30 with their Blackberries to return to their City pc screens, there were quite a few 1980s laggards who joined the office-less Simon Bayles and his dessert wine and gave the office a miss for the afternoon. And so it was that the reminiscing and the very important networking duties continued over a pint of beer in the adjacent hostelry.

The event was a complete sell-out and continues to gather in momentum each year. So don’t forget to book early if you want to secure your place at next year’s City Lunch!

Roll on 2012!

Mark Collini (StB’89) Desmond Calnan (R’69)

Over 40 Worthians attended the 2011 Worth Society City Lunch

Luca Belpassi, Nick Butterworth and Charlie Hamshaw-Thomas

Simon Bayles, Desmond Calnan and Michael Spencer

Hugh Bett and John Weguelin

James Wheeler and James Griffiths

Chris Rybak, Sean Donnellan, Matthew Scouller and Tim Ross

Phillip Davey, Christian Bruning, Simon Bayles and Mark Collini

Michael Spencer and Abbot Kevin

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Events

Abbot Kevin Ben Babington (G’96) Nick Barnett (G’73) Ollie Barnett (StB’98) Simon Bayles (B’90) Luca Belpassi (G’01) Michael Berkeley (G’76) Hugh Bett (B’73) Christian Bruning (StB’88) Nick Butterworth (G’76) Desmond Calnan (R’69) Christopher Coffin (G’73) Mark Collini (StB’89) Simon Crane (StB’70) Phillip Davey (F’04) Sean Donnellan (StB’86) Simon Drummond-Brady (B’74) James Forte (C’72) Charlie Gerada (R’90) Anthony Green (C’69)

The Worthian girls’ inaugural reunion was attended by: Fiona Bond Sophie Bowe Jessica Coffin Sarah Featherby Charlotte Hart Laura Hurley

Charlotte Hutchinson Maddy Ilsley Dani Jeyes Katie Jones Alexandre Kinde Naomi Larsson

Flora Macdonald Zarah Manning Louisa McCarthy Chloe Noakes Anna Webb

Caroline Brown Fr Stephen Ortiger Rebecca Paterson Joanna Phillippo Nevill Nikki Webb Naomi Williams

Gino Carminati (for the School) and Nick Butterworth (for Worth Society) joined the girls for a pre-dinner drink

Worthian Girls’ Inaugural Reunion Events

The start of the 2011 was greeted with the sound of excited screeching as Worth Society’s first collective group of Worthian girls returned to School on Friday 7th January 2011 for their inaugural reunion dinner.

Back row from left to right: Laura Hurley, Jessica Coffin, Charlotte Hart, Alex Kinde, Sarah Featherby, Sophie Bowe, Charlie Hutchinson, Flora Macdonald and Zarah Manning

Out of the original cohort of 32 girls, 17 returned to enjoy a meal in the Cowdray Room. Having been treated to regular ladies’ dinners whilst at Worth, it soon felt completely natural to be enjoying school food and wine with old friends, and we were lucky enough to share the evening with many of the Staff who had worked closely with us during our two years at St Mary’s. The noise levels were testimony to the excitement we all shared at seeing each other after what had, for most people, been an incredibly busy summer and the start of University or gap years!

Front row from left to right: Katie Jones, Naomi Larsson, Fiona Bond, Anna Webb, Dani Jeyes, Louisa McCarthy, Maddy Ilsley

Charlotte Hart, Anna Webb, Zarah Manning, Dani Jeyes, Fr Stephen, Maddy Ilsley, Katie Jones and Jessica Coffin

As we settled down to dinner, conversation centred on what had happened to us all since leaving School – and of course, reminiscing about our favourite school moments.

This was aided by the circulation of a form, asking us to give some advice for the benefit of ‘future generations’ of girls passing through the School. Unfortunately, the form wasn’t circulated until late into the evening, and I fear that quite a bit of heavy censoring must have been required...!

We also enjoyed a speech written by Ms Paterson who, unfortunately, was unable to make it to the dinner because of last minute changes to plans.

After dinner we all returned to St Mary’s for coffee, bursting noisily in on registration which left the Year 9 girls looked slightly bewildered. We then enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with the girls in the year below us.

It was especially interesting to hear how the dynamics of the house had changed since the arrival of younger girls and the split between St Mary’s (the girls’ boarding house) and St Anne’s (the day girls’ house).

Louisa McCarthy, Maddy Ilsley and Zarah Manning

Sophie Bowe, Katie Jones, Jessica Coffin and Charlotte Hutchinson

Considerable excitement ensued as Mrs Webb, matron, came in brandishing chocolate following complaints that we missed her ‘chocolate Fridays’! The day girls inspected their old rooms – surprised to find that one had been turned into a dormitory.

We all left having had a really lovely evening catching up with old friends and satisfied that our successors were doing a good job in keeping the St Mary’s house spirit going!

Anna Webb (StM’10)

Back row: Zarah Manning, Louisa McCarthy and Dani Jeyes Front row: Anna Webb, Jessica Coffin and Charlotte Hart

08 I

Maddy Ilsley, Katie Jones and Fiona Bond

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

1

2

3

The “Call My Bluff” Wine Tasting was attended by:

The Bluffers’ Challenge

Ben Babington (G’96) John Barnes (StB’06) Ollie Barnett (StB‘98) Charles Bellm (R’04) Livio Belpassi (B’04) Lorenzo Belpassi (B’04) Richard Breen (StB’75) Sean Buckley (G’83)

Well, Ben Babington managed to find us a new venue – the Prince Albert Pub on the Albert Bridge Road in Battersea.

With a private bar upstairs (to protect the SW11 locals from disturbance and shock) and some fine food to soak up all the booze, it proved to be a perfect location for us and certainly didn’t disappoint. Surely the pub’s location – a mere stone’s throw from Ben's house for the stuttering walk home – had no bearing on his decision?

On our arrival we were entertained by Worthian street magician, Owen Lean, who amazed us all with his show.

You can read more about him and his act on page 48 and I would wholeheartedly recommend that you make the effort to go and see him perform.

The bluffers were Eddie ‘Dobbo’ Robinson, Simon McMenemy and Ben Babington who all delivered the ‘tasting’ descriptions with eloquence and charisma – even those in the wine business were fooled! The younger Worthians were left with little or no wine in their spittoons

Alex Gazzi (R’04) Simon Jones (StB’98) Dominic Latham-Koenig (B’83) Owen Lean (C’01) Marcus Lee (StB’04) Chris Madsen (B’04) Simon McMenemy (R’89) Alex Podbury (C’04)

(buckets to be more accurate) and displayed, in typical Worthian tradition, a fine-honed skill in the volume of alcohol they consumed, while the older crowd looked on nostalgically thinking: “I used to be able to do that”. Some tried to recapture male machismo by laying down the challenge of “see you next year” across competing tables.

Special thanks must go to Ben for doing some mind blowing negotiation with the restaurant, meaning that we were able to double the money raised for the Worthians Charitable Trust – money that will go towards supporting good causes. The fact that this negotiation took place right at the end of the evening was even more astounding! Well done to you Ben.

Andrew Pollen (StB’00) James Pymont (B’00) Eddie Robinson (B’89) Guy Salimbeni (F’07) Hugh Salimbeni (F’05) Hugo Sanders (R’00) Jeremy Sandle (G’74) Nick Smyth (StB’00)

1. Our three bluffers – Ben Babington, Simon McMenemy and Eddie “Dobbo” Robinson 2. Everyone enjoys a much-needed hearty supper to soak up the wine 3. Worthian street magician, Owen Lean, entertains Simon Gordon

Events

The third Worthian “Call My Bluff” wine tasting broke new ground this year whilst maintaining the deep-rooted traditions of the previous two. So, what was new?

Nick Butterworth (G’76) Robert Butterworth (StB’06) Nicholas Coleridge-Watts (C’06) Mark Collini (StB’89) Tom Cottrell (StB’04) Lorenzo Curci (B’00) Ben Drummond (R’83) Richard Gairdner (StB’98)

Where our evening harked back to its firm roots, was the fun time had by everyone who attended. This is a really inclusive event – all that’s required is a sense of humour.

Oh, and liking a few drinks comes in handy too. We have a formula that works, so do come along to the next one and experience the atmosphere for yourself!

We hope to see more of you next time.

Eddie Robinson (B’89)

10-Year Reunion for the Class of 1995-2000 Whilst we were relatively few in number, ours proved to be quite a formidable gathering in the private room of the Antelope pub, off Sloane Square.

For some it was the first time in a decade that they had set eyes on some of those present – and yet still it seemed all too easy to slot back, very comfortably, into our old relationships. Very little seemed to have changed in the intervening years; Lorenzo Curci was still shy and retiring; Hugo Sanders still small; and Oliver Parry’s manners and etiquette still redefining refinement!

The main surprise for me, personally, was the sheer number of those present who had managed to defy the odds (set by the girls of Woldingham and St Marys) by finding a member of the fairer sex to take them on and, in some ‘extreme’ cases, even to marry them! In fact our Nordic friend, Hugo, had tied the knot just days before, and Oliver Parry a few months earlier. Weight gain was another observation – perhaps a trend in which I have led the charge, but many others had followed, just a little less successfully.

Even though he was unable to attend, the ever succinct Peter Vere still managed to write a few thousand words for me to read out – the general gist being that he is a tax attorney in Cayman and would be more than happy to overcharge any Worthians looking to hide their assets in an offshore tax bolt!

The Class of 1995-2000 Reunion was attended by: Rob Campbell Lorenzo Curci Tom Holt Matthew Page Oliver Parry Andrew Pollen

James Pymont Hugo Sanders Nick Smyth Alistair Stirling Oliver Tyrwhitt Will Walshe

Dave Whyte John-Henry Wicks Peter Vere (in spirit!)

Fr Martin McGee

On a more serious note, the entire evening was a real testament to the type of chap Worth produces. Everyone appeared very at ease with themselves and were forging ahead in their respective careers. We were a disparate year, which is perhaps why we didn’t get quite the same representation as other reunion events – but with any luck, following the success of this event, that might all change in the future.

Everyone was very grateful to see Fr Martin and for his efforts in joining us to represent both the Monastic and the teaching communities at Worth. Special thanks must also go to Olivia Henley for all her help, tolerance and drive in getting this event organised; as well as to Hugo Sanders and Francis Binney for helping me in arranging the smaller details.

The reunion continued into the small hours and the general consensus was that we should not wait another ten years before doing the same!

Above: features 2000 Leavers’ Jack Harrison, Lorenzo Curci, Alistair Stirling, Andrew Tyler, Nick Smyth, Andrew Pollen and the groom, Hugo Sanders and his wife Milly

John-Henry Wicks (G’00) In the absence of any photos taken at the reunion itself, John-Henry sent us two pictures taken at the recent weddings of Hugo Sanders (above right) and Oliver Parry (below right) – where Worthians from the Class of 1995-2000 were present in force!

Right: features from left to right – Fergus Chedgy, non-Worthian guest, non-Worthian guest, Oliver Parry (groom) and his wife Kate, John-Henry Wicks (best man), Nick Parry, non-Worthian guest, Dominic Moor and Alexander Parry

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20-Year Reunion for the Class of 1985-90 Events

Seated left to right: Tom Pullen, Kevin Solan, Rod Little, Mel Carson First row left to right: Michael O’Sullivan, Steve Heath, Justin Jacques, Joe Warwick, Tim Starkey, Ross Murray, Simon Gabriel Back row left to right Ed Found, Charlie Gerada, Simon Bayles, Mark Waghorn, Mike Rigby, Dave Wiehe, Dom Floyd, Paul Buchanan, Patrick Lindley, Shaun Severi

Saturday 6th November 2010 saw twenty or so middleaged men descend upon Worth School for their 20-year reunion.

Abbot Kevin, Fr James, Fr Luke, Keith Owers, Paul Miller and Jeremy Dowling; with a special guest appearance from Fr Charles – all on very fine form.

The memories came flooding back as soon as we arrived at Three Bridges where we were met by two Barkers taxis (sadly there was no Mrs Blake there to meet us but a 50year old taxi driver known as ‘Hotty’!).

Having got over our initial disappointment at not being issued with vouchers for the consumption of alcoholic drinks; the reminiscing began and the tone was set for a marvellous afternoon catching up with some of our former teachers, each other and changes at the school.

Any initial reservations about who might or might not be there quickly dissipated and drinks flowed into lunch.

Fortunately for all of us, food standards have improved dramatically and pupils no longer need to consider repeating the ‘ban gammon’ campaign which remains our year’s principal achievement.

At first glance, the School seemed more or less the same as when we had left it. But, as we all know, first impressions can be very deceiving!

Survivors to the bitter end – on-stage in the PAC with Simon Gabriel reclining

On arrival in the front quad, we were met by Olivia Henley and some more of our peers and then quickly moved through to the Cowdray Room where we were joined by

After lunch Fr Luke and Fr James treated us to a tour of the School. How things have changed in the last twenty years! Finally the piles of bricks and steel beams, which had been lying in wait outside the church for the duration of our years at Worth, had given way to further accommodation. There were significant on-going works to the Abbey Church, but the Narthex retained the same air and indeed the very same smell about it.

We were shown the extremely impressive Performing Arts Centre with its theatre-style seating and array of professional AV equipment; an upgraded gym 1 where we witnessed a fencing match in action. Continuing back up the hill, we passed the rather forlorn ‘cardboard castle’ and visited the sports hall which has changed very little, apart from the addition of the promised squash courts and

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The Class of 1985-90 Reunion was attended by:

5-aside pitch (which necessitated an impromptu game between us Worthians and the incumbent pupils. For the record, we Worthians won 1–0!).

Simon Bayles Paul Buchanan Mel Carson Dominic Floyd Ed Found Simon Gabriel Charlie Gerada Steve Heath Justin Jacques Patrick Lindley Rod Little

We then headed for the Patrick Lamb Centre on the front lawn above the tennis courts – a sympathetically designed building that houses the sixth form boys, a truly fantastic addition to the School. Suffice to say, gone are the communal showers and Argos pool tables!

Ross Murray Michael O’Sullivan Tom Pullen Mike Rigby Shaun Severi Kevin Solan Tim Starkey Mark Waghorn Jo Warwick David Wiehe

Abbot Kevin Taggart Fr Charles Hallinan Fr Luke Jolly Fr James Cutts Jeremy Dowling Paul Miller Keith Owers

After spending a few poignant moments in the Monk’s cemetery toasting absent friends, including brothers, Alex (C’89) and Rorie (C’90) Duncan, we concluded our tour and said our farewells.

For any of you out there who might be apprehensive about assisting in the co-ordination, or even attending such a reunion – I urge you to put any worries or prejudices aside and commit to helping and/or attending. We all had a truly marvellous and very memorable day.

It was such a great idea to hold the event at the School as so much has changed and yet so much remains the same.

Seeing the School, and each other, twenty years later is a thoroughly rewarding experience.

Our special thanks to Olivia for all her hard work in getting the reunion off the ground and bringing us all together; to Simon Gabriel for his persistence in getting us there and getting the day superbly organised; to the catering staff for preparing such a delicious lunch and serving us with great humour; to Shaun Severi for quietly snapping away

throughout the day with his camera; to Kevin and Mel for being, well – Kevin and Mel! And last but by no means least, our sincere thanks to the Monks and Staff who so generously gave up part of their weekend to join us, show us around the school and share with us their memories of our time at School – truly, the day would not have been so memorable without your presence.

Roll on the next time!

1. Mel Carson, Dominic Floyd and Jeremy Dowling 2. On-stage in the PAC – Michael O’Sullivan, Charlie Gerada, Kevin Solan and Paul Buchanan 3. Kevin Solan and Charlie Gerada

Events

Needless to say, the day would never have been complete without a visit to the Cowdray Arms – where the stragglers concluded the day’s frolics.

4. Watching the game

Charlie Gerada (R’90)

5. Paul Buchanan, Kevin Solan, Fr James and Jeremy Dowling

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30-Year Reunion for the Class of 1975-80 Well I will be honest – as I walked out of the School in July 1980 I did not look back and, as I had the whole of the rest of my life in front of me (still do actually!), I set off to find out what life had in store for me; and lost contact with those 75 or so souls that I had spent up to eight years living alongside during my formative years.

Then one day in early 2010, that lady whose e-mails seem to have some form of compelling powers, contacted a number of us and pointed out that it was 30 years since we had left that ex-Cowdray pile in West Sussex and why don’t we organise a get together? Well, for some strange reason myself, Philip Lundberg, Stephen Rhind-Tutt and Charles Hooper said “yes”, and a flurry of excited emails were exchanged between us; we hastily introduced ourselves to the glories of Skype; held numerous conference calls (as well as a few plain old telephone calls); and decided to “go for it”.

And so it was that the wheels were set in motion and we took the first steps towards organising an evening meal in London on Friday 17th September 2010. Then, armed with a list of e-mail addresses from Olivia, the four of us set to the task of tracking down as many of our peer group as we could find with all the determination of Indiana Jones.

The internet proved invaluable to us – we used it all, and

some more – and Stephen Rhind-Tutt set up a website specifically for the Event. And so it was, that after several months of wading through the internet and following up on even the most tenuous leads, we managed to track down most of our peers – although one or two did, unfortunately, evade us (and if any of you are reading this now, then we apologise but we did try so hard to find you!).

So, fast forward to the 17th September 2010, and we start to gather at ‘The Pillars of Hercules’ somewhere in Soho.

Philip and I were the first to arrive and then everyone started filtering in.

30 years does different things to different people – some seemed to grow taller (John Tyszkiewicz), others in ‘other directions’ (they shall remain nameless!), others looked smaller (most notably Bernard Hickie, who was so slim he proved difficult to recognise), some younger (David Harries – so much so that he took up smoking to promote the ageing process), some unchanged (Alex Walters), some had lost hair (only one or two of us of course), and some looked very distinguished (Charles Mawenu, in particular). But most of us recognised one another just so quickly, and any reservations or worries disappeared within seconds. It was like rewinding back to 1980, as if we

Bernard Hickie, Desmond Shanahan, Dominic Ferguson and Charles Hooper

The Butler House representatives from left to right: David Whelpton, Ivan Macquisten, Charles Mawenu, Charlie Cruz, Daniel Taylor, John Dyne, Chris Mathews and Paul O’Donahue

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The Class of 1975-80 Reunion was attended by: David Adeleke Dick Aldridge Ugo Baccanello Edward Belgeonne Mark Behard Gerald Berkley Simon Bore Matthew Bowden Bruno Brenninkmeyer Richard Challoner

Simon Coughlin Charlie Cruz John Dyne Dominic Ferguson Garry Goghlan Michael Golton Ben Goodger David Harries Peter Haydon Edward Henry

Bernard Hickie Christopher Hobbs Charlie Hooper Piers Jennings Philip Lundberg Ivan Macquisten Michael Masrieh Chris Mathews Charles Mawenu Julian McCarthy

Paul O'Donahue Frank O'Kelly Paul Parke Mark Porral Rupert Pridham Mark Reynier Stephen Rhind-Tutt Desmond Shanahan Chris Stevens Mike Tait

Daniel Taylor John Tyszkiewicz Mark van der Lande Elena Vinycomb Max Walker Alex Walters David Whelpton Abbot Kevin Fr Stephen Ortiger Keith Owers

30-Year Reunion for the Class of 1975-80 continued

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had hardly left. The man hugging commenced, the talking started, the updates flowed and the memories flooded back (how could we possibly forget those nicknames and wild stories?!).

Eventually Charles, Stephen, Philip and myself managed to coax everyone away from that herculean establishment and we set off to The Dining Room at Soho 21 for our meal. It was there that we met up with Fr Kevin (now Abbot), Fr Stephen and Keith Owers – it has been mentioned before about the elixir that must be present at Worth that enables those who inhabit the premises to halt the dreaded ageing process.

In the end, a total of 46 Worthian boys and one girl (Elena Vinycomb - which took some explaining to family members who thought of Worth an all-boys school back then) attended. Many had come from far and wide – including America, France, Spain, Uganda and all over the UK. Some were unable to attend as they had work to do in far flung places – but you were with us in spirit guys! But of those who were there, what privileged company we found ourselves in; with professions ranging from barristers and solicitors to doctors (one that seemed strangely popular), surgeons, City types (too complex for me to understand), advertisers, musicians, soldiers, sailors – to mention just a few.

Fr Stephen and Michael Tait

We had ‘sort of’ planned that we would all sit down to the meal and then move around between courses. The first course went according to plan, but then it graduated to one of those parties where we all ended up in the kitchen

Back row left to right: Simon Coughlin, Richard Challoner, Simon Bore, Paul Parke, John Haydon, Michael Golton, Chris Stephens. Front row, left to right: Ugo Baccanello and Ben Goodger

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(though we didn’t actually quite make it into the kitchen here!) and just talked, drank, ate, and then talked and talked some more. There is no doubt that the whisky kindly provided by Michael Masrieh, Simon Coughlin and Mark Reynier helped us on our way, but I have never enjoyed such a night before. I left at about 2am – and I believe that others continued until daybreak.

And since then, old friendships have been rekindled, some contacts maintained and more memories relived.

Promises have been made to ‘repeat it again’ but not to wait another 30 years. I hope that we will, as it was a great evening and one I shall cherish for a very long time.

If you’d like to share in some of the merriment, then do visit the website link at: http://worthreunion.ning.com/.

Chris Mathews (B‘80)

Desmond Shanahan, Alex Walters and Max Walker

David Adeleke and Simon Coughlin

Elena Vinycomb and Ben Goodger

Chris Mathews and Charlie Cruz

Julian McCarthy and Simon Coughlin!

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

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40-Year Reunion for the Class of 1964-69

For my part, there were other emotions going on too – what the hell have I done with the last forty years? Have I made the best of them? Probably not. Have I made a load of mistakes? Certainly yes. Did I want to share these with individuals who I had not seen for a lifetime? Ah, now that was the big question. Was I going to be the Pete Best – the 5th Beatle – the one who didn’t really make the most of his opportunity?

We were meeting at a critical time too – all of us being in our 60th year. Either we had done it, as it were – or we had not. Would we be basking in glories, or muttering regrets?

It was an evening that had all the potential of welcoming you like a fixed smile. Some, understandably, avoided it.

Desmond Calnan and Tim Belson

We stayed late, we drank plenty and all agreed that we couldn’t wait another forty years to do it again. Des was terrific and gave an excellent speech to the entire restaurant (whether they wanted to listen or not!) but our table appreciated it. Sadly, Michael Breen died a few years ago and he was remembered, as were others, who have fallen off the radar.

Looking back, it is extraordinary to think that we grew up at Worth while the Swinging Sixties raged on around us – the music, the fashion, the wars, the politics, moon landings and World Cup wins. However, these were memories that didn’t enter our thoughts that evening.

Instead, Claude reminded me how I had got him out at a house cricket match, those were the important things then, and just for that evening, they were the only details we cared about!

Jason Squire (R’68)

The Class of 196469 Reunion was attended by: Tim Belson Desmond Calnan Robert Dory Louis Farrugia Tony Green John Harben Janusz Heath Claude Keith Carl Kirby-Turner Christopher Peck Jason Squire John Weguelin James Wheeler Mark Williams Abbot Kevin Keith Owers

The fact that we met at all was down to the energy and downright perseverance of Desmond Calnan and James Wheeler! Retracing individuals after all this time would have been a tricky project even for Poirot. But through a combination of social media, ex-wives phone numbers, unpaid betting dues and unreturned library book statistics, Des and James managed to track down and persuade 14 of us to meet in a champagne bar off Regent Street. That man James Wheeler always did know how to throw a good party!

And one by one we entered. Some of us had come from far afield, like Louis Farrugia, all the way from Malta.

Others from close by - Robert Dory had just left his club in Pall Mall! And, honestly, we all looked more or less the same – give or take a little fraying round the edges, a loss of hair or increased girth. But what was really extraordinary – should it be? – the characteristics of each personality were still the same. Claude Keith was still ebullient, Tony Green still optimistic, John Weguelin still tall and urbane and Johnny Harben still funny and easy company. Well why wouldn’t they be you might ask?

Catching up on the intervening years over a meal

Luckily for us the champagne was on James and we were soon swapping stories without a trace of guilt or regret.

It was just terrific to see others such as Tim Belson, Carl Kirby-Turner, Janusz Heath, Chris Peck and Mark Williams.

We were also joined by Father Kevin and Keith “Beef” Owers who both looked in terrific shape and form.

Christopher Peck, Carl Kirby-Turner, Mark Williams, Keith Owers

Jason Squire, Robert Dory and John Harben

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Was it some macabre fascination that attracted 14 of us to attend a Reunion organised by Des Calnan and James Wheeler? After all, most of us had not seen each other for 40 years and Father Time was not going to turn a blind eye to deterioration – well, not in my case.

John Weguelin, Fr Kevin and Claude Keith

Supporting Good Causes

Sponsorship Support

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There are many Wothians who undertake significant personal challenges to raise money for good causes that are close to their hearts. Worth Society is always delighted to receive sponsorship requests and the Committee will consider every request and offer support where it can. The following are examples of challenges undertaken

by Worthians during 2010/11 for which the Society provided sponsorship.

1. Mathew Burnford (StB’77) Matthew undertook a lone cycle ride of 850 miles, starting at his cottage in Todenham in Gloucestershire, and finishing at his sister and brother-in-law’s home in Ardouane near Montpellier in France. He averaged 80 miles a day and cycled for ten days. Matthew carried his tent in order to be completely independent - and he doesn’t want to see any more French bread or Camembert for a good while! He raised £2,135 for the Sarah Greene Clinical Fellowship which goes towards a £300,000 target to fund a new post for a talented medical doctor to join the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at King’s College London.

2. Andy Carroll (R’81) 2010 saw the longest charity ride that Andy has ever attempted for Leuka. As one ‘Firefly’ he has cycled across the Alps on several occasions, but in 2010 he decided to join the original five Fireflies on a ride from London to

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Cannes, via Geneva and the Alps. They covered just over 2,000km in 14 days. This 2010 ride was the tenth anniversary Fireflies ride and they hit their £1,000,000 fund-raising target for The Catherine Lewis Centre at Hammersmith Hospital – an amazing centre at the forefront of Leukaemia treatment and research. The photo captures the hell of one particular leg – where Andy was caught as a blizzard closed in on the summit of Col d'Iseran, the highest paved mountain pass in the Alps.

3. Tim Davies (C’10) and Will Brenninkmeyer (StB‘10) Tim and Will completed the ascent and descent of Mont Blanc in a single day – with the help of fine weather, a great local guide and sheer grit and determination! It took them 6 hours to reach the top of the Aiguille du Midi and then a further 4 hours 15 minutes to make their return down the mountain. Their route for the ascent was technically more challenging than the ‘Gouter’ route they had originally planned to take. “It was extremely windy

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Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

during our ascent and involved crossing numerous crevasses,” commented Tim. “It certainly proved to be quite a challenge as we were faced with a significant amount of rock climbing which demanded a lot of rope work – but it did mean that all our advance training was put to very good use”. Tim and Will raised £615 for Lupus UK and the Alzheimer’s Society.

Nick Butterworth (pictured centre) met with Tim and Will at Worth the day before they left school to embark on their adventure – it was the perfect opportunity to hand over Worth Society’s sponsorship cheque.

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4. Giles Heather (F’03) When Giles secured a place to run in both the London and the Brighton Marathons in the same week, he had no idea that it was going to be the hottest spring on record for decades! But he was cheered on his way by a number of Worthians who came out in force to support him – pictured from left to right at the 2010 London Marathon are Rorrie Mars (R’03), Jack Bodkin (G’03), Giles, Daniel Pring (R’03) and Mark Lane (F’03). Giles managed to raise over £2,800 for the Lymphoma Association 5. Dani Jeyes (StM’10) Dani chose to ‘Climb Kili for Kids’ as part a charity project being run at Nottingham University. She had to raise a minimum of £2,440 for Childreach International, £700 of which covered her 10-day trip to Tanzania where she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and visited a local school supported by the Charity. Dani raised £2,552 in total and, out of a total group of 27 students, 25 of them made it to the summit of Kili. “Walking for 9 hours overnight to reach the summit was one of the hardest things I have ever done, and it was made worse by the fact that I suffered from severe altitude sickness,” she said. “Having said that, it was also one of the most rewarding things I have done and I would like to thank Worth Society and everyone else who sponsored me”.

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6. Mickey Morrissey (R’77) Mickey and his son, Hugo, completed the Edinburgh Marathon on the 22nd May 2011 in 3 hours 58 minutes and 3 hours 56 minutes respectively. They got off to a fantastic start, completing the first half in 1:49 and 20 miles in 2:55 minutes – then they found themselves running the last six miles into the wind with gusts of 35-40mph along the coast road to the finish at Mussleborough. It proved to be a real test of endurance!

They raised a magnificent £5,000 for The Irish Guards Appeal and WellChild 7. Fraser Moyle (R’08) In a time of just over 4 hours, Fraser completed his second London Marathon in 2010. “The experience of running through London with thousands of other people watching and supporting cannot be compared to anything else,” he said once he’d finished. Fraser ran for the charity CLIC Sargent – raising a total of £1,000 from donations and sponsorship as well as playing in concerts. He is looking forward to running more Marathons in the future, and has just completed the 2011 Edinburgh Marathon.

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Supporting Good Causes Background image: The statue of Immaculate Mary is located in the centre of the Domain, the holy quarter of Lourdes Below right: The Grand Basilica in the Domain which is built over the site of the Spring in the Grotto

A Christian Calling As I got on the coach to begin my twenty hour journey to Lourdes, I thought to myself that this time would not be so special. “I’ve done it before” I thought “the novelty has worn off”. But after a week at Lourdes I can safely say that I have, for a second time, been deeply touched by the experiences that I had in this little town hidden away in the Pyrenees – and the experience I had was even more profound for having done it a second time.

Above top: OMV banner in the procession of light Above: OMV singing session at the ‘Cathedral under the trees’

The Pyrenean village of Gavarnie is a popular destination for the OMV, being the closest village to the glacial source of the Gave de Pau River that runs in front of the Grotto at Lourdes

I went as a helper with the Order of Malta Volunteers (OMV), a Catholic charity that started off as a small group of Worth and Downside boys and monks who went to Lourdes on pilgrimage in July 1974, led by the late Fra Andrew Bertie, then French and Spanish teacher at Worth School and a member of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) and later the 78th Grand Master of the Order. Nowadays the OMV is ‘a group of young people who volunteer to dedicate their time to the care of the sick, handicapped or terminally ill people’.

At Lourdes, helpers from the OMV – such as myself – spend a week of their summer holidays looking after the Hospital Pilgrims (HPs) of the OMV at their own cost. Our job was to give the HPs and their carers a holiday out in the Pyrenees and to give them, and ourselves, a way to truly live out our Christian responsibilities to the weak and the vulnerable. It soon became apparent to me that, although many of the people that I looked after were lacking in the full complement of functionalities that we all too often take for granted, all of the HPs that I met were blessed with gifts of fortitude, determination, trust, humour, understanding and patience as well as a thorough and heartfelt gratitude for, and love of, life.

Their outlook on life is what touches many people who go to Lourdes and is what moved me most in my pilgrimage, whether it is helping HPs in and out of bed, showering them, chatting with them, praying with them, processing with them or sharing many, many glasses of Rosé and/or pints of Kronenbourg in the OMV’s local pub.

Among other things that I took away from Lourdes was a thorough appreciation of the blessings of my own health and a huge amount of satisfaction from knowing that I have helped people in need – it is an experience I cherish dearly and one that I look forward to repeating.

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In 1858 Our Lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, a poor and sickly 14 year-old local girl, in the Grotto of Massabielle. She revealed to Bernadette, among other teachings, that she was “the Immaculate Conception”, a concept that would have been unknown to an uneducated peasant girl; and under Mary’s instruction, Bernadette discovered a spring inside the grotto from which flows healing waters - which is the focus of many of Lourdes’ pilgrims. Since Mary’s eighteen apparitions to Bernadette, Lourdes has been visited by millions of pilgrims each year and to date an estimated two hundred million people have visited the shrine. Among them are the sick and disabled who, at Mary’s request, “come here in procession” and “drink at the fountain and wash”.

The rest are tourists, clergy and most importantly for the running of Lourdes – volunteers.

I would like to pass on my deepest thanks and gratitude to Worth Society for their considerable help in getting me to Lourdes by supporting me through sponsorship, and to the OMV for organising yet again a wonderful pilgrimage.

I would strongly recommend the OMV to anybody who wants to live out their Christian calling by helping the less fortunate and making a difference to their lives.

Andrew Pring (R’10) September 2010

Murals of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI can be found in the centre of the tourist quarter of Lourdes to commemorate the visits of both Popes to the town

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

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Careers Fair 2011 Jonathan Stordy, Dom Reynolds, Tom Butter and Robert Birchall who joined us for the 2011 Careers Fair

For the fifth consecutive year, Worth school organised a Careers Fair for its Year 12 students (or lower sixth to our more senior readers!). It took place on the 30th June 2011 as part of the ACE week programme – which aims to encourage students to think about wider issues, including life beyond Worth.

The format was the same as previous years, with a number of outside speakers talking about their own career to small groups of students. Each speaker made their presentation four times, so that students had the opportunity to learn about life in four careers that were of particular interest to them.

Once again we were indebted to our cohort of Worthians, who represented 50% of the total number of speakers.

Tom Butter (B’04) spoke about his career in Accenture, where he mostly consults in the financial services area.

Dom Reynolds (StB’01) has done a great deal of work in video and multi-media, often for ITN, and was able to offer some thoughts and ideas about a career in journalism.

Robert Birchall (R’01) talked about his time as a lawyer – he had done a conversion course at the College of Law in York before joining Speechy Bircham on the corporate tax side.

Last but by no means least, Jonathan Stordy (StB’81) has had a long career in marketing for the drinks industry, and is now working for a Russian vodka magnate. He offered a number of insights into a career in marketing.

It is extremely important that students understand what is involved in different careers, as this can help to guide them either towards or away from a particular profession.

Inevitably there is nothing quite like the knowledge gleaned ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’ and our Worthian speakers provided invaluable advice. I would like to express my gratitude to them and to all Worthians who have supported the careers programme over the years – we are greatly indebted to you.

We have also recently introduced a work shadowing scheme, which offers students the opportunity to spend a short time work shadowing in a particular career that is of interest to them, so they can see what life is really like in the workplace. This is a new venture for the school and relies very much on the generosity of parents and Worthians who are willing to offer such placements. If you feel that you are able to help us in this area, then please do get in touch with me at dpring@worth.org.uk. I would love to hear from you!

Duncan Pring, Head of Careers

Withers LLP – a Seminal Experience I graduated from Leicester University in 2009 with a BA in History, but with conflicting career plans and having not taken a gap year before embarking on University, I decided to take a year out to gain some relevant work experience and to pursue my musical interests.

As the year progressed it was the concept of law – always of interest to me from a very young age – that became more and more appealing. Now I can safely say that, thanks in no small part to the help I received from Worth Society, it is a career to which I am totally committed.

My own, considerable and lengthy, search for legal experience proved only moderately successful, so I decided to approach Worth Society to see if they could help me. Within ten days I had heard back from the Society with details of an offer from Christopher Coffin (G’73) of Withers Worldwide, a highly respected international firm. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity, and a week's work experience was organised within the litigation department of their London offices at the beginning of November 2010.

I have to admit that I was honing my tea-making skills in the days preceding my time with Withers, but Chris Coffin and the Withers team really went out of their way to make my time there as engaging as possible. Through them I was given an invaluable insight into many of the varied tasks undertaken within a law firm.

While I had little previous legal experience, much of the work I was given during that week actively contributed to many of the projects on which Withers were working at the time. Particular highlights included taking minutes on international client conference calls; undertaking research

for a number of major cases being constructed by the litigation team; and a tense meeting between Withers and two other firms who were discussing the proper allocation of money between three parties from a previous court ruling. Some of the tasks were unexpected (remembering how to do compound interest calculations was a real shock to the system!) but all of them were extremely interesting and engaging.

Although perhaps a little daunting at first, many of the lawyers and partners turned out to be very approachable.

They provided me with a wealth of useful advice on current issues in the legal world that would put me at an advantage in any interview. I was also able to meet many of their trainees during the week and, as a recent graduate, it was insightful to hear their experiences of law and the routes many of them had taken to securing their current positions. At the end of my work placement, I was also lucky enough to be offered an interview for Withers’ summer internship scheme!

To all those at Worth currently considering career options, I would highly recommend that you secure some work experience. Gaining practical knowledge of the sector you are interested in is the only sure way to know if it really is for you and it adds considerable merit to any UCAS application and also at interview – even if you do decide to apply for something totally different.

I'd like to thank Worth Society and Withers Worldwide for providing me with this valuable opportunity, and I hope to be able to return the favour and assist future Worth students as soon as I qualify!

Joseph Busuttil (B’06)

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Each company I worked for was incredibly friendly and took me on board wholeheartedly as a member of their team

Work Experience Down Under

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Jessica pictured backstage at the Sydney Opera House while starring as an extra in an advert promoting opera

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he three months between finishing school in June and starting University in October 2010 lay white and rather too bare in my diary. No more scribbled revision timetable, no more deadlines, no more school.

Of course, the freedom would be blissful - absolute something I had been craving ever since the pressures of school had become more pronounced. But I couldn’t help but feel that three months in the familiar and distinctly uninspiring Bromley (my hometown, and proud), would leave me slightly fidgety. My friend from junior school, Katie, and I had always casually chatted about travelling together but, as is often the case, it had been in the knowledge that it would probably never happen. And yet, when in February 2010 we sheltered from the pouring rain in a Soho bookshop with a map of the world in front of us, I couldn’t help but feel that this time, all the wishful thinking might soon become reality.

Australia had always been a potential travel destination.

With copious numbers of distant relatives there, a large backpacker community and so many things to do and see, it seemed the ideal location for two fairly inexperienced 18 year-olds to catch the travelling bug. And so, with our parents’ approval, Katie and I began planning what would inevitably be, clichéd as it sounds, ‘the holiday of a lifetime’. Due to the fact that Australia is so far away – 16,997 km to be precise – and so expensive to get to, I decided to maximize my time there by flying out six weeks in advance for some work experience. Thus, ‘study periods’ at school became consumed by my search for firms that might just take me on. I sent copious emails and copies of CVs to newspapers, broadcasting companies

and charities, but to no avail. After abundant negative responses or simply no reply, I extended my search to Google by typing in ‘work experience Sydney’, then trawled through the sites that came up, but most contained seedy job adverts. Progress was not being made.

I can’t quite remember how I ended up getting in contact with Worth Society, but I am eternally thankful that I did.

After asking where in Australia I wanted to work and the kind of work I was interested in (anything but banking!)

Olivia emailed seven Worthians in Sydney who might be able to aid me in my quest for work experience.

Amazingly, about half emailed back offering to help, and not just with work experience. I was advised on everything from visas, to the best places to visit, some even offered accommodation with their families. I was astounded by the fact that people all the way across the world were so generous and kind to a complete stranger - the only connection being our common school. Perhaps the Benedictine value of hospitality does pervade outside the school grounds! So, with work experience sorted and flights booked, Australia went to the back of my mind, and exams regrettably came to the front.

One month later, exams over and freedom attained, I boarded my flight to Australia and a gruelling 30 hours later landed in Sydney. I spent the next five weeks staying with some very tenuously related cousins in North Sydney, going to my placements in the day and doing quintessentially touristy things during my spare time such as travelling to Manly Beach on the classic yellow and green ferry and visiting the bright lights of Luna Park.

Worth Society Life

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The Old Place

Far left: Sydney Harbour Bridge from the river Left: Sydney skyline at night Background image: Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands

The placements themselves were all very enjoyable; two weeks at an advertising firm, STW; one week with Opera Australia and two weeks with a PR firm, Liquid Ideas. They all opened my eyes to the different industries and, from listening to the tales of the elderly volunteers at Opera Australia, to lunchtime wine tasting and BBQs on a Friday with Liquid Ideas, to being asked to star as an extra in an advert promoting Opera – my experiences were certainly not all about making tea and filing (which I have heard is not uncommon in many work placements!). Each company I worked for was incredibly friendly and took me on board wholeheartedly as a member of their team. Although the industries I worked in are not necessarily ones in which I wish to pursue a career, working in them has emphasised what I do and don’t want from a job, and helped shape ideas for my future direction.

Undeniably, a special mention must go to Olivia from Worth Society, Andrew Caillard (C’78) who organised two work placements for me, and Joanna and Will Lockhart (StB’96) for organising a further placement. I am so grateful to them for all their advice and help, especially when they lead such busy lives. Andrew and his wife, Bobby, also put me in touch with their niece who was in Sydney at the time, invited me over to dinner with the whole family, secured Katie and I fantastic tickets to the Opera and made sure that my whole Australian experience went smoothly – they were incredibly, incredibly generous and hospitable, and I am truly thankful.

Following my work experience, Katie flew over and we spent the next five weeks travelling down the East Coast of Australia, from Cairns to Byron Bay and then flew back to Sydney. It was truly fantastic and an experience I will never forget – the independence, the people, the places – all amazing.

Having just finished my first term as a student, I would say that the whole experience better prepared me for University and I would recommend travelling independently in any capacity before you start. Apart from being more worldly and independent, you pick up skills essential for student life – budgeting being one which I perhaps should adhere to more vigorously! Writing this from my room in cold and dark England, despite the fact that it’s only 4.30pm, I’m experiencing huge amounts of nostalgia for the wide blue skies of Australia and would love to go back. Having said that, my diary for next summer is still very white and bare so – who knows …

Mira Mira falls in the Atherton Tablelands

Jessica Coffin (StM’10) December 2010

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The Global Action Awards

The Global Action Awards The Global Action Awards (GAA) programme has been running for eleven years, during which time the Worthians Charitable Trust (formerly WOBS) has awarded a total of £13,830 to Worthians who have spent time in unpaid work for the good of others and the community, either working within the UK or overseas.

We continue to encourage Worthians to apply for a GAA at any age or stage in their lives – it may be during their gap year, or perhaps during a sabbatical from work later on in their lives. The table below lists the GAAs we have awarded since 2000, and it clearly demonstrates the depth and breadth of projects that are supported by the Charitable Trust.

Since our last issue of The Blue Paper, we have seen the return of Max Watson (F’05) from Tarma in Peru (you can read about his experiences on page 24) and Benedict Wintour (B’09) from Kenya (see page 26); while James Harrold (StB’10) is currently volunteering with the Manquehue Movement in Chile, and we are very grateful to him for writing to us from Santiago to share his story with us on page 21.

It is both enlightening and heart-warming to read of their individual experiences – each has come away with some very special memories. They have certainly learnt a huge amount, immersed themselves wholeheartedly in the respective cultures and successfully adapted to a very different way of life during their time away.

We were lucky enough to get a first-hand feel for this when Tom McMurray (B’08) came back to Worth to speak to Year 12 about his gap year experience for which he was awarded a GAA in 2008. He spoke eloquently of the excitement and sheer joy of his work with disadvantaged people in Africa, and left his audience excited about the many opportunities available if they are willing to push the boundaries and stretch themselves.

We much look forward to hearing from our 2011 awardees once they return from their ventures. Jack Clancy (F’11) is going to be volunteering at an orphanage in Tanzania and building up the role of the Christian community there; while Chris Napleton (C’11) will be working at the Lotus Children’s Home in Nepal – a cause very close to his heart and for whom he has undertaken numerous fund-raising cycle rides during his time at Worth.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Global Action Awards, then please do either contact me or visit our website at www.worthsociety.org.uk and go to the ‘Activities’ section. If you would like to apply for a GAA, donate to the GAA fund via the Worthians Charitable Trust, or find out about any projects in need of volunteers, then please do contact me at worthsociety@worth.org.uk for further details.

Left: Tom McMurray pictured with Duncan Pring when he returned to Worth to speak about his experiences working with disadvantaged people in Africa Middle and right: Nick passing over the cheques to our 2011 GAA Awardees – Jack Clancy and Chris Napleton

GAAs Awarded 2010-11 Jack Clancy (F’11) – volunteering at an orphanage in Tanzania

£ 900

Chris Napleton (C’11) - volunteering at an orphanage in Nepal

£ 700

2009-10 James Harrold (StB’10) – working with the Manquehue Movement in Chile

£ 750

Will Desmond (C’09) – working with Cross Purposes in the UK

£ 400

2008-09 Tristan Stutchbury (StB’01) – teaching English in Uganda

£ 750

Max Watson (F’05) – voluntary work in Tarma, Peru

£ 250

Benedict Wintour (B’09) – working as a teaching assistant in Kenya

£ 750

2007-08 Benedict Kelly (StB’78) – fund-raising for communities in Peru

£500

Tom McMurray (B’08) – nature guide training in South Africa

£500

Fridolin Steinbeis (R’08) – working with aids orphans and as a hospital volunteer in Mexico

£780

2006-07 Luke MacWilliam (R’07) – eco-tourism in South Africa; teaching in Malawi

£750

Rob Carson (G’94) – running a camp for disabled children in Ireland

£500

2005-06 Dominic Moor (StB’00) – medical elective in Uganda

£500

Michael Burr (F’06) – conservation work in Cambodia

£500

Rob Carson (G’94) – running a camp for disabled children in Ireland

£850

Edmund Chedgy (G’00) – medical elective in China

£500

Johnathan Craik (C’00) – medical elective in China

£500

2004-05 Daniel Grace (F’05) – teaching in Chile

£500

Elliott Webber (R’04) – teaching in Nepal

£500

2003-04 Andrew Welsh (B’04) – teaching in the Galagapos Islands

£500

2002-03 Francis Binney (G’00) – conservation work in Indonesia

£200

Mark Haden (G’03) – building nurses homes in Zambia

£250

2001-02 James Powys Lybbe (B’02) – working as a carer in a Romanian orphanage

£500

Alex Tyrwhitt (G’02) – teaching English in China

£250

2000-01 Nick Smith (C’01) – teaching in Uganda

£500

Ed Bonn (G’01) – teaching in Kenya

£250

Olivia Henley

20 I

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The Global Action Awards

Gringo Diaries - Life in the Manquehue Movement

I

can safely say that, before embarking on my trip to South America, I knew hardly anything about the experience I was about to undertake. It was only on the flight over to Santiago that I began to ponder and question a few important things, like; Who is picking me up from the airport? Where am I staying? What am I going to do about food? Where am I actually working and living for the next four months?

To which the answer to every single question was: “I haven’t a clue!”

James on his amazing trip to Patagonia in Chile

I 21

The Global Action Awards

The Manquehue Movement is based in Santiago, Chile and was founded by Jose Manuel Eguiguren Guzman 40 years ago. The mission of the movement is based upon Catholic teachings, and in particular the rule of St Benedict and education. The movement founded and runs three schools in Chile – Colegio San Benito, Colegio San Lorenzo and Colegio San Anselmo. There are 40 'dedicated' men and women, called ‘Oblates’, who give their lives to the work of Manquehue. Their main focus is to work in the schools, and the Oblates are the foundation of everything that the movement does.

Gringo Diaries - Life in the Manquehue Movement continued

Break-time at school

Tutoria with kindergarten

So, what made me choose Chile in the first place? I knew that I wanted to spend part of my gap year doing something worthwhile and very different. Worth has a well-established relationship with the Manquehue Movement, which sends missionaries over to visit the School and Abbey every year. I really enjoyed their company when I met them during their visit to Worth, and respected the messages they were bringing from their work in Chile. Despite the movement taking Gringos (a friendly name given to any foreign gap student) since the 1980s, nobody from Worth had yet taken this opportunity.

Ampleforth and Downside have been sending gap year students since the beginning of the Gringo programme, and I thought it was a terrible shame that no-one from Worth had taken advantage of all the amazing opportunities that lie in wait there. In addition, this was my chance to learn a new language, gain experience of a new culture and undertake some fulfilling work within a school environment.

On my arrival I was thrown into a period of intense activity – learning about Chilean customs, meeting lots of people, trying to get to grips with the incredibly fast Spanish that is spoken here. Even after a few days, I still had very little idea as to how my time in Chile would be spent.

Students on a school retreat

Some of James’s class!

Working in Casa Santa Escolastica San Lorenzo

22 I

I soon discovered that the very essence of this experience is one of faith, which forms the root of all activities in which Gringos are involved. I was placed in Colegio San Anselmo, the movement’s newest school, established in 1995. The setting is dramatic – located in a high valley 30 minutes from Santiago, surrounded by a desert landscape and a backdrop of impressive mountains.

San Anselmo is a little oasis among all this.

My main work was to assist in English classes and a department called Tutoría. Tutoría is quite a unique section of each school – its sole purpose being pastoral with the aim of building relationships between the younger and older students in the school. Every Monday afternoon the final lesson of the day was set aside for a Tutoría session. Older boys and girls would be split into groups and sent to visit the same class each week. The Tutoría would begin with a reflective prayer, followed by chaotic versions of football or other unique games! Above all, this was a special time for the students; offering them the opportunity to bond with one another and develop friendships across all age groups. To see the spirit in which the Tutoria was carried out was quite something and I felt very privileged to be part of it.

One of my favorite aspects of Tutoría was the 'acompañamientos', which involved taking 11 to 16 yearold students out of class and simply talking to them individually. My role was to listen and to give them my full attention. The openness of some of the boys took me by complete surprise. They entrusted me with very personal problems and issues they had. As my Spanish developed, I was able to help them and offer advice where I thought appropriate. Being a mentor was not something I even expected when I arrived in Chile, but it became a very important part of my day. Although some were a little apprehensive to start with, you could tell how thankful they were to have somebody outside their everyday life to talk to, and I really valued this special opportunity.

One of the main 'rites' of the experience with the Movement is the Gringo’s accommodation. Most commonly they stay in a house of single Oblates of the Movement, in what they call a 'community'.

I was very fortunate to live in a house, named Casa San Eduardo, which was located in the suburbs of Santiago.

I lived with a group of three young Oblates and another gringo from Ampleforth, called Johnny Wells. The five of us lived very simply (without internet or TV!) under the Rule of St Benedict. I found the first few weeks were pretty tough. Although my housemates were great, I was a little uneasy about how to approach this new way of community living. Everything we had – iPods, computers, books, etc – we shared, and there was never much time just to be alone. It was very important to the Oblates that our 'community' was healthy and strong, which meant always being together in the evenings as well as doing activities together at the weekends in order to help our friendships to grow and develop.

There were times when I focused on the impracticalities of everyday living and allowed myself to become frustrated. Part of the mission of our house was to invite old boys from the Manquehue schools to live with us for a short period of time. We found our little 3-bedroom house was filled to bursting point with an additional six students at times. My focus was entirely on the practical – we didn’t have enough food, beds, chairs, etc for their stay. Why hadn’t the Oblates thought about this? However, when they came to leave, and indeed when I left, I feel I had learned an incredible lesson in community living. Through the Oblate’s example, this aspect of the experience developed my capacity to share and look out for others without focusing on the negative.

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Left: Building Media Agua Below: Johnny and James in the Andes

Apart from my regular work in San Anselmo, there were many other things that occupied my week. Johnny and I were in the school’s ‘Servicio’ team, and so were taken to visit a local prison; quite an intense experience!

My favourite memory was working in San Lorenzo, the Movement’s school in a very poor area of Santiago. I went once a week with a group to help in ‘Casa Santa Escolástica’ – an after-school day-care centre for young pupils whose parents were facing difficulties. I visited the same young girl each week and spent an hour doing whatever she wanted to do. Sometimes I helped her with homework, other times we painted pictures - and to her amusement, sometimes she painted me! She spoke no English, but my Spanish improved over time and I could at last have a proper conversation with her. Despite our limited understanding of each other initially, it still amazes me how we found other ways to communicate, how our friendship grew through seemingly simple activities, and how rewarded I felt in giving my time to help someone who had a very difficult time at home.

Another very special memory is the weekend that I helped a group of students to build a 'media agua' – a house designed for emergency accommodation after an earthquake; but often used as homes for people in the poorer regions of Santiago. We were building this particular media agua for a woman who had been left homeless after the house and land that she had rented for many years was sold. We worked all weekend to finish the project, and throughout it all, the woman was there thanking us. This sense of gratitude was so uplifting – and I was actually having fun in the process, having made some great friendships with the students I was working with. The house was like a grand garden shed – but for this woman it was to be her home. The fact that we had helped change this woman's life for the positive in such a short time was a very powerful experience and it has encouraged me to volunteer more of my time in the future.

I have learnt and achieved so much by coming to Chile – and for this I have to thank Worth Society for generously supporting my adventure. I started slightly apprehensively as I boarded the plane, bound for a country tucked away in a different corner of the world, where I arrived without any expectation. Things haven’t necessarily been easy – indeed aspects have been extremely difficult – but the value in facing and overcoming these difficult periods has become clear to me over time.

In all honesty, it is impossible to convey just how much I have gained from my whole experience with the Manquehue movement. I feel that I have grown mentally and spiritually, I have learned more about myself and been shown a unique way to live and to love. Having an open heart and mind is something very important for anyone planning to come here (it is unlikely that you will find me happily washing and pairing my housemates socks in any other situation!).

If I was to take one thought away from this whole experience however, I think it can be best described in the Movement's motto: "Nadie tiene mayor amor que el que da su vida por sus amigos" (Jn 15:13) which translated means: “No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends”.

Living this verse taught me so much in Chile – and it is the very essence of life in the Manquehue Movement.

This has been an incredible journey for me, and I know I will never forget it.

James Harrold (StB‘10) May 2011

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The Global Action Awards

Teaching in Tarma

T

he last twelve months have been spent working on my career, improving my CV, and thinking of little else other than my friends and myself. Then, rather suddenly, I had a dawning realisation that the summer of 2009 could well be my last long holiday for some considerable time as, following the usual pattern set out

by University, I would be finishing my year’s internship and entering a daunting final year – hoping to embark on a career as soon as exams were done.

Even a simple internet search into voluntary programmes can leave one rather dumbfounded by the variety on offer. I admit my criteria were perhaps more ideological than most – I wanted to avoid organisations that created profit from unwitting young people with backpacks; NGOs

Outreach Peru provided the funding necessary to build the school; using the monks’ historical ties within the country to help them choose both an area in need, and a group of people capable enough and driven by the same principles to make a real difference. Fr Bede offered to contact the headmistress of the school to see whether they were interested in having me for a while – I jumped at the chance!

A couple of weeks later I was invited to pop over to the Abbey to talk over the project with Fr Bede. His enthusiasm for the project was entirely infectious; the photos and stories captured my imagination and what had recently started as a dream began to take shape.

Funding was my next challenge. I approached Payden and Rygel, an asset management company for whom I was working at the time. They most generously agreed to sponsor my flight and pay for a brand new printer/photocopier for the School. Subsequently, Duncan Pring got in touch having spoken with Fr Bede. He suggested that I apply for a Worth Society Global Action Award. I did – successfully – and with this further funding, I was ready to embark on my volunteering adventure.

So, on the 6th July 2009, I set off for Peru. I was collected at the airport by Sisters’ Charo and Jenny and taken to their Order’s house near to the parish of San Benito, which Fr Bede had founded some years before. Now, the only very important bit of advice I would give to anyone embarking on such an adventure, is to learn at least the basics of the native language of the country that you’re visiting. It makes things a lot easier (not heeding Fr Bede’s warning was a big mistake). Luckily, he arrived the next morning and after a couple of days in Lima, we took a coach to Tarma, in the Junín region of the central Andes.

Above top: The morning rendition of the Peruvian national anthem Middle: Greetings from Peru Bottom: Max giving a guitar lesson

24 I

whose budgets were largely spent upon lobbying and advertising; and, even more importantly, governmental and super-governmental agencies whose agendas are intertwined with nations’ foreign and security policies.

This, it appeared, was going to be a rather tall order.

The school is set high in the mountains surrounding the altitudinous City of Tarma, and was chosen for its poverty and lack of access to the City’s other schools. It is a fantastic project, the School being funded by Outreach Peru, the Sisters of St Joseph and Fe y Alegria; while the teachers are paid by the local educational authority.

But, on casting my mind back, I remembered a talk given by one of the monks about his work in Peru. And so it was that I got in touch with Outreach Peru – by way of an email to Fr Bede – asking whether they knew of any schemes in Peru that might need some voluntary help. He sent back an enthusiastic response, with information on a school in Tarma that Outreach Peru had been supporting through the Catholic educational charity, Fe y Alegría.

Fr Bede was there to check on progress, and to take part in the School’s opening ceremony. A group from Worth School arrived shortly after us for the ceremony, complete with Alan Mitchell (quite shockingly, sans moustache). The day was a riot of colour, music and dancing, and it quickly became very clear just how much this project means to the local community and how the lives of these young

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children can be transformed through a good education.

Once the party was over, and Fr Bede and the Worth group left, I remember the reason why I had made this journey.

Peru is a truly fascinating place and its people are friendly and open. However, 20 years of civil conflict has torn communities apart and destroyed a great deal of trust.

Between 1979 and 2000 Maoist extremist groups such as Sendero Luminoso (The Shining Path) and the MRTA declared guerrilla warfare upon the Peruvian state, often targeting civilian communities in order to evoke terror.

Every family in Peru was affected by insurgent or government brutality, and the extreme circumstances allowed Fujimori’s dictatorship to occur and justice to be shunned for order. The scars still run very deep and the continued failure of politicians means that the work of NGOs is essential to the restoration of the country.

I spent the rest of my time in Tarma doing a wide array of work – from helping in English lessons, to giving guitar lessons, cleaning windows still filthy from the building work and moving and assembling furniture.

came from families many would consider too large given the income brought in by their parents. Without a welfare safety net that many in Europe take for granted, it is likely that these children would have been deprived of the basic opportunities to improve their lot without the schooling afforded by Hermana Charo, her fellow teachers, and organisations such as Outreach Peru and their donors.

Left: The pre-school class Below: Waving the flag for Tarma Bottom: Kites at playtime

I would strongly advise anyone interested in voluntary work to get in contact with Outreach Peru – my two months spent there were just incredible. I was treated like family and encountered some of the most genuinely lovely people I’ve ever met, whose humility and faith allows them to transcend material constraints to achieve so much.

I would very much like to thank Worth Society for the £250 they provided to help me make the trip, and would love to think that others who read this account might take the opportunity to visit Tarma.

Max Watson (F’05) December 2010

During this whole experience, I gained so much more than I could ever offer. The children I was lucky enough to meet were welcoming, inquisitive, funny, unworldly and ebullient. Some were raised by elder siblings – their parents having moved away to find work – and nearly all

I 25

The Global Action Awards

Bare-footed Prowess in Kenya Later that week, we heard that Elkana was dropping out of school because there were insufficient funds to pay his fees Above right: During Ben’s first week in Kenya, he worked at Roseve Primary School

I boarded a plane in early January 2010 to leave for my four months in Kenya with Africa and Asia Venture.

It is a country within a continent that was completely alien to me. On arrival, I teamed up with cohort, Nick, and we headed to Lelwack Boys’ High School (for Years 9-13) which is situated in one of the most rural areas of Kenya, near a small town called Kapsabet. It was here that we would spend the next three months teaching. We felt a little on edge at first as we were exposed, not only to a completely different way of life, but to people with a very different mentality to our own.

It is almost impossible to sum up such an experience – all I can say is, from the moment we arrived, Nick and I had the most incredible four months of our adult lives. The pairing couldn’t have been better as we got on so well throughout our time together.

There were the inevitable highs and lows; from running out of electricity and attempting to make lanterns from vegetable oil, to anxiously refereeing a rugby game in front of 2000 spectators. We found ourselves using our initiative to find ways around potential difficulties; like carving a hole through a chair and placing it over the long drop at the end of the garden (we didn’t want to dwell for too long on the consequences of falling in!).

Although we were provided with school lunches, Nick and I were left to fend for ourselves for other meals and, to my huge disappointment, he was just as feeble a cook as I was! Luckily, we were rescued by the English teacher ‘Susan’ who became our ‘Kenyan mum’ and taught us to cook some delicious dishes such as succulent deep fried chicken – so we didn’t go hungry after all.

I chose to teach Religious Studies and English as my main subjects and also took drama classes several times a week. The classes were big – I was teaching up to 40 boys per lesson; but they were passionate learners which made my job relatively easy and made the teaching incredibly rewarding.

Even though I could never have been labelled ‘Mr Athlete’ at Worth – the thing that Nick and I felt most passionate about was the sports teaching. Experiencing the incredible talent on the sports field was something that took both of us by surprise – and our local town, which only spread over a few hundred square metres, is home to many prior Olympic champions.

26 I

On one of our first days we arranged a small rugby game – the results of which were, well, interesting! Balls were being thrown high in the air and the boys were jumping on each other’s backs in their attempts to tackle one another; now I could understand why local teams refused to play Lelwack for fear of injury. Being a proud member of Worth’s fourth team I felt semi-professional in comparison! We started introducing the rules slowly, gradually the boys responded and we started a relentless training programme as the weekend approached for our diarised fixture against another local school – it became our mission to beat them!

One day a few new boys joined us for a game of touch rugby and it was then that Nick and I caught our first glimpse of Elkana; who took the ball and ran with jaw dropping speed down the wing. We soon discovered that his main sport was handball and that he was the fastest runner in the school. Not ones to miss an opportunity, Nick and I managed to persuade Elkana to play in the match against our rivals, Samoei High, at the weekend.

So the weekend arrived and we watched in awe as our opposition arrived in a huge truck – out of which tumbled a group of confident rather bigger boys. Not to be deterred, we told our friends that we had a surprise awaiting them!

As soon as kick off took place, all four coaches were yelling passionate encouragement to their team from the side lines. Our team tactic was to ‘pass the ball to Elkana who was to sprint like hell’ but, every time the ball was on its way to the wing it was dropped, and Nick and I were left boiling with frustration. Finally our moment arrived – the ball met Elkana’s hands and without a moment’s hesitation he burned down the wing. Not

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During the half-term break, we drove to Uganda and went white-water rafting – a terrific experience.

After our three months of teaching was over, we had a remaining month to explore Kenya. Starting in Nairobi, we travelled to the northern coast of Kenya and made our way down through Lamu, Watamu, Mombassa and Diani Beach. We spent time exploring the coast and went sailing, fishing, rode camels and swam with dolphins – meeting some really interesting people and hearing some fascinating stories along the way. We completed our travels with a safari in the Masai Mara National Park.

one boy managed to get within five metres of that ball. It was truly one of the most exciting moments of our time at the school!

Nick then started focusing on the Rugby and I worked on Athletics. I measured a two hundred metre line with the help of the local children and created a running track.

None of the boys knew how to sprint start and I worked with them, and particularly with Elkana, on their starts and running technique. It was a very exciting moment when I timed him over the 100 metres sprint. Barefooted and running on grass, he achieved a time of 10.20 seconds which meets the Olympic qualification standard of 10.21.

Later that week, we heard that Elkana was dropping out of school because there were insufficient funds to pay his fees. This meant that he couldn’t attain his Form 4 certificate and without this he wouldn’t be able to get a decent job in Kenya. Most who fail to achieve Level 4 can’t get a job, end up suffering from depression and this often leads to drink and a very slippery slope. If Elkana stopped his education now, he certainly wouldn’t have the qualifications to further his athletics career. So Nick and I took the decision to sponsor him through his final year at school.

Left: Nick and Ben (first and second left) in front of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley Middle: Hanging off the side of a wooden dhow while sailing off the coast of Kenya Right: Richard and Ben were given the opportunity to visit the cheetah’s run in Nairobi's animal sanctuary

I have been so lucky to be able to visit such an incredible place and to immerse myself in, and grow to feel part of, another community. Worth Society supported the cost of my flight to Kenya and I am so grateful to them for their help; as without this support I would have missed out on an incredible experience.

I would strongly recommend that any student hoping to spend a Gap Year undertaking community work abroad, should certainly apply for a Worth Society Global Action Award.

Ben Wintour (B’09) January 2010

Nick and Ben outside Lelwak Boys’ High School

Ben and Nick teaching a Maths lesson at Lelwak Boys’ High School – using Mr Dowling’s teaching techniques!

Samoei School - the big competition!

An elephant crosses the plains of the Masai Mara

Since then Elkana has gone on to acheive the Provincial, Regional and District level qualifications – and is now in the Nationals.

Nick’s continued perseverance on the rugby field really paid off as he transformed a group of clueless players into the second best team in the District.

During our time in the area we made some great local friends and at the weekends would visit different areas to meet up with other friends who were also teaching.

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Worthians Rugby 2010/11 Season Report Champions of Surrey 3 League!

Sport

The 18th season of Worthians Rugby was perhaps our best ever. We managed to secure the much coveted Surrey League 3 Championship, and with it, promotion to Surrey 2!

The Worthians team at the Streatham 7s on 14th May 2011 proudly showing off their Surrey League 3 trophy: Back row from left to right: Desmond Calnan, Rob Cottrell, Will Dulley, Dan Pring, Giles Heather and Kevin Danagher Front row from left to right: Dan Fergusson (guest), Mark Breen and Ed Kemp.

The 2010-11 season looked particularly promising after a stunning 32-20 victory over the Old Cranleighans in the RFU Junior Vase. This was followed by good wins in our opening two League games. But our euphoria was shortlived, as our form dipped seriously in October with three successive League defeats, and a disappointing exit from the Cup, leaving us in an unimpressive mid-table position.

From that point on, the Worthians won a remarkable 12 out of the following 13 league games, including vitally important home and away victories against our main league challengers in the Table.

The ‘team to beat’ in Surrey 3 was the newly formed Old Tonbridgians who dominated the League with massive victories over all-comers – until they met their match in the form of the blue-and-gold army of Worthians on Saturday

11th December 2010! In a thrilling match the Worthians scored five times, winning by an impressive 34-17 to deliver the first ever defeat suffered in the Old Tonbridgians’ history. Later on in the season, the Worthians repeated this feat in a nail-biting 33-32 victory on our home ground at Walton-on-Thames – with the lead changing hands five times in the game – to clinch our well-deserved promotion.

Other main contenders in the League, including the well-established Old Rutlishians, were given the same treatment home and away. In each case the Worthians came from behind, first to win narrowly by 19-17 at home, and then a hugely satisfying 25-19 away victory, in front of a crowd of a hundred baying Rutlishian supporters.

Being a mobile pack was the team’s strength. Often significantly lighter than our opposition, we always held our ground in the set-pieces. ‘Player of the Season’ was runaway prop Lorenzo Belpassi, ably supported in the front row by Doz Osborne, Giles Heather and guest, Ed Hackett.

The Worthians dominated the line-outs where Danny O’Connell was supreme, fed by the precision throw-ins of skipper Alex Podbury – this combination often producing vital tries from unstoppable driving mauls.

Also available for second row duties were specialist jumpers Richard Brown, James Henwood and guest Tom Lewis, returning to the team to make a big impact in key games.

In the back row, we were extremely lucky to have two powerful match-winners, the experienced Jack Bodkin and our talisman Chris Madsen, ably supported by an equally solid Adam Williams and super-sub Andy Bayles, back on the field after a four year break. Tom Middlehurst and Phil Myles also played their part in some big games.

Scrum half duties were shared by Rob Cottrell and Jamie Bruce. Rob played in most games to secure the position, bossing the forwards to great effect; while Jamie was used primarily as an impact player to change the game. The midfield backs of guest players, Mathieu Denarnaud and Jamie Garratt, became a very effective unit, recovering after the loss of our centre, Tom Podbury, with an unfortunate shoulder injury. The back three – silky-skilled Kevin Danagher-Smith, powerhouse guest Matt Williams and youngster Christian Killoughery regularly turned the game in our favour with many thrilling tries, and they were well supported by Ben Calnan and Jules Stevens, who provided good cover in the backs.

Worthians in action at the Middlesex 7s on 1st May 2011 – Eddie O’Hare wins the maul for Dan Pring to pass. Ed Kemp and Jules Stevens look on

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At the Surrey RFU Awards Dinner held at Twickenham on the 12th May 2011, Desmond Calnan and Lorenzo Belpassi receive the Surrey League 3 Trophy from England ladies players Jo McGilchrist and Amy Turner

Dan Pring made the most appearances for the second season running, and demonstrated his skills and versatility week after week playing with equal confidence at lock, flanker and wing. Likewise, ‘most improved player’, Giles Heather found himself at various times in all three rows of the pack, settling in best at prop; while guest, Lee Howard, in his 10th season with the Club was equally versatile and unselfishly offered his services in all positions in the backs.

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

The following 45 Worthians represented Worthians RFC in the 2010/11 Season: Jake Ambridge (C’07) Andy Bayles (B’98) Adam Braverman (G’05) Lorenzo Belpassi (B’04) Otto Blom (R’02) Jack Bodkin (G’03) Mark Breen (B’05) Richard Brown (F’05) Jamie Bruce (R’04) Ben Calnan (R’97) Rob Cottrell (R’97) Kevin Danagher-Smith (B’03)

Martin Danagher-Smith (StB’09) Joe Green (B’05) Simon Hawkins (R’01) Giles Heather (F’03) James Henwood (C’07) Peter Hilton (G’98) Ben Holloway (C’93) Ed Kemp (F’10) Christian Killoughery (R’10) Chris Madsen (B’04) Daniele Manzi (R’09) Max McAlister (G’02)

Tom Middlehurst (R’03) Craig Monteiro (StB’05) Andy Morris (R’06) Phil Myles (G’02) Danny O’Connell (R’02) Eddie O’Hare (B’10) Mike O’Sullivan (B’89) Dave Osborne (R’04) Peter Osborne (R’08) Alex Podbury (C’04) Tom Podbury (C’02) Alex Pollen (StB’04)

Adrian Pring (R’01) Dan Pring (R’03) Rob Rooney (G’01) Giles Sacarello (StB’08) Jules Stevens (B’96) Warwick Symcox (R’07) Nick Vasquez (G’97) John-Henry Wicks (G’00) Alex Williams (R’06)

Below from left to right: Jeremy Marozzi, club sponsor; Ben Holloway, fixture secretary; Jamie Bruce, manager Under-21s; Desmond Calnan, chairman; Mathieu Denarnaud, guest; Giles Heather, most improved Player 2011; Lorenzo Belpassi, player of the season 2011; Dan Pring, most appearances 2011!

These two events serve to introduce new players to the Worthians RFC team and they are a vital part of our recruitment effort. During the year, several younger players joined us in the main fixtures, including Christian Killoughery, Eddie O’Hare, Daniele Manzi, Martin Danagher-Smith and Mike O’Sullivan. Each made a big impact when they played, with Mike playing a huge part in our Cup victory over the Old Cranleighans, and Eddie giving the Worthians team a new dimension on the open side flank with some rampant performances in vital league games. The season’s revelation, however, was Christian Killoughery who brought real class to the league team with his scintillating runs, and massive side-steps.

Martin also added pace to our league team, and really came into his own with a super-fit display of the sweeper role in the Caterham Sevens, before unfortunately damaging his knee in a bad fall – but he will be returning to the Worthians pack next season.

Our skipper, Alex Podbury, led the team by example on the pitch throughout the season and he also led the midweek coaching sessions – we train every Wednesday under floodlights in Battersea Park. Desmond Calnan continued to manage the team – for a magnificent 18th successive season! – since the foundation of the Club back in 1993.

Desmond Calnan (R’69) June 2011

Sport

In addition to the gruelling League season, there were several games tailored for the Club’s new recruits.

On the August Bank Holiday weekend an Under-21 side – skippered by Giles Sacarello and managed by Jamie Bruce – competed strongly in the Cronk-Cunis National Under21 Competition. A fortnight later, a well-contested ‘young’ versus ‘older’ Worthians game at Worth saw the oldies avenge the previous year’s defeat with an impressive 31-14 victory over their younger brothers.

Lorenzo Belpassi and Giles Heather

Representatives of Worthians RFC proudly display their Surrey League 3 Trophy

The ‘young’ Worthians team who took on the ‘oldies’ at Worth School on the 12th September 2010

The ‘oldies’ beat the ‘young’ Worthians by 31-14

Remember this is your Club – for all Worthians – and we always need new players, particularly for next season when we will be in the highly competitive Surrey 2 League.

Everyone is welcome to play – even if you can’t commit to a full season – and there are plenty of fixtures to choose from, so just take your pick from the following options and come and join us!

1. In August/September: Play in the National Under-21 competition (Richmond, 29th Aug 2011) Play in the ‘older’ Worthians vs ‘young’ Worthians match (Worth, Sun 11th Sept, 2011) 2. During your Gap year: Sign up for a few games before you set off on your gap year travels 3. While at University: Play in the under-21 fixture at Christmas, or the Sevens at Easter.

Or ring up for a game if you are visiting your parents for the weekend!

4. After University: Join Worthians RFC full-time if you are working in London or nearby.

Desmond Calnan hit 60 on the 8th April 2011. To mark this special milestone – which coincided with the Worthians RFC winning the last match of the season and therefore the Surrey 3 League – the Calnan family organised a ‘This is Your Life’ party for him at the Broadway Bar and Grill in Fulham, London. Desmond is pictured holding the red book while his sons, Tom and Ben, ‘tell the story’. Other Worthians celebrating with Desmond included brother Terence (R’65), Janey Calnan (R’78), Louis Farrugia (C’68), Tony Green (C’69) and Jason Squire (R’68)

If you are thinking of playing, just ‘phone one of the following people: • Eddie O’Hare (2010 Leaver) 07717 501720 • Jo Bradley (2009 Leaver) 07525 645800 • Giles Sacarello (2008 Leaver) 07760 889086 • Jamie Bruce (Manager Under-21s) 07900 881089 • Alex Podbury (Captain Worthians RFC) 07789 691113 • Desmond Calnan (Chairman Worthians RFC) 07535 939582 or 01372 386511

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The following 23 Worthians played in cricket matches during the 2010/11 Season: James Anthony (G’97) Sam Barnett (C’97) Joe Bradley (F’09) Ed de Mott (B’07) Ben Drummond (R’83) Angus Gairdner (StB’96)

Jeremy Jalie (C’01) Simon Jones (StB’98) Julian Kirk (StB’75) Mark Lane (F’03) Dominic Latham-Koenig (B’83)

Ed Long (G’03) John Manning (C’10) Max McAlister (G’02) Dom Rollo-Walker (R’09) Greg Russell (F‘11) Darran Smith (B’96)

Tim Starkie (G’88) Ed Watson (StB’09) Harry Woodman (F’10) Tom Woodman (F’07) Ben Wright (B’09) Tom Wright (B’08)

Worthians Cricket 2010/11 Season Report Sport

The start of the Worthians 2010/11 Cricket season was, unfortunately, thwarted by the weather – with our game against the School 1st XI on Speech Day being rained off.

We had better luck for our next game against John Denman’s Worth Occasionals however, and this turned out to be a competitive, enjoyable and very close game. The Occasionals batted first and amassed a competitive, but seemingly not insurmountable, total of 169. Ben Wright and Ed DeMott were the pick of the Worthian bowlers with three wickets each, although the Occasionals innings was propped up by a confident 58 from James Innes.

The Worthians batted well but lost wickets regularly.

A spirited 41 from James Anthony, coming in at number 10, was not quite enough for us to reach the Occasionals total and our last wicket fell when we were just 3 runs short. Worthian, Max McAlister, who was playing for the Occasionals deserves a special mention here as it was probably his bowling that won the day – he took four wickets for only 15 runs from his 10 overs.

Below left: Simon Jones and Richard Gairdner (Worthian and captain of St Chad’s College Durham Old Boys team) having just tossed the coin in the game between the Worthians and St Chad’s Below right: The Worthians who played versus the school team on Speech Day 2011: Front row from left to right: Ed Long, Simon Jones and John Manning Back row from left to right: Nick Southwell (guest), Ben Drummond, Freddie Mead (guest) and Ed de Mott

30 I

Our next game was against St Hugh’s College Oxford Old Boys. Both sides were a little short on numbers so we developed a new format, which we are calling “Quad 15”.

Seven of us from each side gathered to play a 2 innings game of 15 overs per innings, with batsmen retiring at 30 and all fielders having a go at bowling. Having won the toss, the Worthians batted first and amassed a creditable 117 from their first innings of 15 overs, following a healthy opening stand from John Manning and Tom Woodman.

However, nobody quite knew what a good total was in this innovative new format, and we found our score surpassed

by St Hugh's who managed to gain a 30 run lead after the first innings.

Some great hitting by Greg Russell in the second innings – and the Worthians were right back on track, with St Hugh's

needing to chase 90 in their second innings of 15 overs.

We thought that we were unlikely to have enough runs on the board – but the pressure of the chase (and the fact that Tom Woodman was released from wicket keeping duties to turn his arm over) was too much for St Hugh's who fell just 10 runs short.

And so victory was claimed by the Worthians team and, even though both sides were short on players, we managed to have a thoroughly enjoyable game in a fun new format!

In our final game of 2010 we took on St Chad’s College Durham Old Boys, captained by Worthian, Richard Gairdner. The Worthians batted first and an incredible innings of 133 from Greg Russell saw us to a total of 232.

Greg took the Chad’s bowling attack apart, hitting no fewer than 11 sixes and 12 fours. St Chad’s put up a spirited effort but fell just short, reaching 212 all out. Six wickets from Tom Wright – and the game was ours for the taking.

So, two wins and one narrow defeat was a good overall return for the 2010 Season and, as I write, we have already started the 2011 season with our annual game against the School 1st XI. A great innings of 100 from John Manning saw the Worthians to 158 from their 25 overs. But the boys batted confidently and surpassed our total with two overs to spare.

We still have three matches left in 2011 with our normal fixtures against the Worth Occasionals, St Chad’s and St Hugh’s – when we hope to see a return to our winning ways!

New players are always warmly welcomed to the team, so please do get in touch with me, Simon Jones, at skjones@reedsmith.com if you are interested in playing in one, or all, of our matches.

Simon Jones (StB’98) June 2011

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Top row from left to right: Daniel Brown (B’04), Oliver Ingram (B’04), Charles Bellm (R’04), Alex Gazzi (R’04) and Guy Bartleet (C’04)

Worthians Golf 2010/11 Season Report The season opened with our annual match against the Old Gregorians, with the team comprising Stephen Bamford, Hugh Bett, James Blake, Patrick and Philip Davey, Peter Gottelier, Hugh Maguire and Matthew Wood.

Unfortunately, despite an excellent day and a very spirited effort, the Worthians were beaten 6/2.

Our next venue was Moor Park Golf Club, where we played the Spring Meeting in April. Eleven players battled for supremacy with Patrick Davey carrying off the Rose Bowl Trophy with an excellent 39 points. ‘Nearest the pin’ prizes were won by myself and Hugh Maguire, whilst Peter Gottelier launched the ‘longest drive’.

Patrick and Philip Davey, Stuart Hiscocks, Rupert Pridham, George Ross and myself represented the Society in the Grafton Morrish Scratch Foursomes Competition at the Annual Public Schools Competition in May. Regrettably, we still have not qualified for the final weekend of this competition but, undeterred, we will keep on trying!

In early June success came our way in the Russell Bowl Catholic Public Schools event at Woking with our second consecutive win! Congratulations to our winning team comprising Philip and Patrick Davey, Peter Gottelier, Simon Jones, Will Kelly and myself.

The season’s finale was the usual Autumn Meeting at Royal Ashdown in November. Fifteen players took part with Paul Moran winning the Worth Salver with 36 points – a very good result at this time of year. ‘Nearest the pin’ prizes went to James Blake and Hugh Bett while Stephanie Davey, the Society’s very first lady player, beat off the boys to win the ‘longest drive’!

Kenneth Ross (G’65) Secretary – Worthians Golf Society June 2011 Winners of the 2010 Russell Bowl Trophy – from left to right, Philip Davey, Peter Gottelier, Simon Jones, Ken Ross, Will Kelly and Patrick Davey

The following 19 Worthians attended the Golf meetings or played in matches during the 2010/11 Season: Stephen Bamford (StB’70) Nick Barnett (G’73) Hugh Bett (B’73) James Blake (B’77) Patrick Davey (C’01) Phillip Davey (F’04) Peter Gottelier (R’70) Stuart Hiscocks (B’95) Will Kelly (F’02) Hugh Maguire (R’77)

Paul Moran (G’94) Dominic Pasqua (B’76) Greg Pickard (StB’81) Rupert Pridham (G’81) George Ross (G’95) Ken Ross (G’65) Simon Ross (G’98) Simeon Stevens (StB’95) Matthew Wood (B’77)

Worthians versus Eastbourne OBs

Sport

For the 2010/11 season, our loyal cohort of Worthian golfers were joined by a few new faces, who have been most welcome as we embarked on our usual round of golfing challenges!

Bottom Row from left to right: Lorenzo Belpassi (G’04), Alexander Pollen (StB’04) and Livio Belpassi (G’04)

In November 2010 eight 2004 Worthian leavers and eight Eastbourne Old Boys took to the course for the second Worth versus Eastbourne Ryder Cup! This year’s venue was Donnington Park, near Newbury, which is one of the country’s longest courses and the cold, dank November weekend made it even tougher.

As last year, we played two rounds – one on the Saturday and a slightly more bleary-eyed version on the Sunday morning! After a tight series of matches on day one, with three going down the 18th, the match was beautifully poised at 2-2. Charles Bellm and Oliver Ingram won their match with consummate ease, demolishing Eastbourne’s strongest pair 6&5 and there was some top golf played by Livio Belpassi who shot the lowest score of the day. With 12 points up for grabs on the Sunday there was everything to play for. We did not, however, get the early night we needed (but then again, nor did our opposition!).

On the Sunday we incorporated a singles match and a four-ball match in the same round in order to speed up proceedings. In true Ryder Cup fashion, all the matches were incredibly tight and strong performances from Charles Bellm, Oliver Ingram, Alex Pollen and Lorenzo Belpassi put us in a great position – but the final few matches went the way of Eastbourne, who eventually won a hard fought contest at 9-7. Special mention must go to Guy Bartleet who, after sinking a 25ft putt on the 17th green to take his match down to the 18th, gave himself a self-imposed penalty for accidently grounding his club in the hazard. He ended up losing the hole and the match but it was a piece of true sportsmanship which epitomised the spirit in which the weekend was contested.

The weekend was hugely successful once again, and all of us who played would like to extend our thanks to Worth Society for their support – plans for the 2011 match are already underway and we can’t wait to win our trophy back!

Alexander Pollen (StB’04), 2010 Captain July 2011

Our Worthians Golfing Society really does need to grow – and new members of all standards and all ages are always most welcome. So, if you’re interested in getting involved – whether to play in one match or several – then please do feel free to contact me: kenneth.ross2@virgin.net. I would really love to hear from you!

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The following 28 Worthians played in the 2011 football tournament:

Worthians Football 2011 Match Report

Jake Ambridge (C’07) Livio Belpassi (B’04) Lorenzo Belpassi (B’04) Luca Belpassi (G’01) Adam Braverman (G’05) Mark Breen (B’05) Alonso Caro (R’06) Charlie Forbes (StB’09) James Henwood (C’07) Stef Humphries (C’00) Daniel Hyde (StB’05) Mat Jeffery (C’10) Ed Kemp (F’10) Christian Killoughery (R’10)

Alex King (C’10) Ryan Lall (C’10) John Manning (C’10) J P Matthews (B’06) Mike Matthews (B’99) William Neville Smith (StB’10) Jack Rackham (R’05) Jo Rivers (F’10) James Talty (StB’06) Ben Taylor (F’03) Josh Taylor (B’05) Harry Wake (B’10) Edward Wiggins (C’06) Harry Woodman (F’10)

Sport

The Worthians versus School team annual football match, for the Henry Surtees Memorial trophy, is now a wellestablished fixture on the Worth Society Calendar and gathers in momentum each year. It is always played on the last Sunday of the Lent Term and on Sunday 27th March 2011 we welcomed a spectacular 45 players – enough players to field four separate teams!

The School team played in a triangular tournament against both the ‘older’ Worthians and the ‘young’ Worthians teams, while both Worthian teams also played against a Staff team. Overall the School team came out on top, beating the ‘young’ Worthians by 1-0, thereby retaining the trophy for the second consecutive year.

Our special thanks must go to John Surtees, father of the late Henry Surtees (C’09), for coming along to support and watch the tournament and witness the presentation of the Henry Surtees Memorial Cup by Abbot Kevin to Nick Wallendahl, Captain of the School’s 1st XI. It was especially heartening to see so many of Henry’s year group and good friends present – especially the ‘young’ Worthians captain, Charlie Forbes who, as ever, did not deserve to be on the losing side!

John Surtees, left, congratulates Nick Wallendahl on his team’s victory with Abbot Kevin

Match tea and the presentation of the trophy took place in The Pitstop café, named after Henry. His father said how delighted he was, to see not only the younger Worthians playing, many of whom were in Henry’s year, but also a staff team and an older Worthians team.

Chris Roberts (R’06) sent us an e-mail afterwards summing up his feelings about the day; “I had a great day and it was so nice to be back at School in the sun! It was also good to catch up with old classmates some of whom I haven’t seen since leaving Worth”.

A significant level of skill was demonstrated amongst the older Worthians, with Stef Humphries deserving particular mention – he really should be thinking of signing for Leeds!

Young Worthians team: Back row from left to right: Alex King, Ryan Lall, John Manning, William Neville Smith, Christian Killoughery, Mat Jeffery and Harry Wake Front row from left to right: Harry Woodman, Jo Rivers, Ed Kemp and Charlie Forbes (captain)

Older Worthians team: Back row from left to right: Adam Braverman, Edward Wiggins, Livio Belpassi, Luca Belpassi, Lorenzo Belpassi, James Talty, Alonso Caro and Mark Breen Front row from left to right: JP Matthews, Josh Taylor, Stef Humphries, Jack Rackham, Daniel Hyde and the team mascot in front!

For some families, football runs in the blood of course, so we saw brothers out in force – the Belpassis, the Lalls, the Matthews, the Rivers and the Taylors (alongside their dad!). It was great to see Ryan Lall back on the pitch and his brother, Dylan, deserves a special mention here as, at the age of just 15 and a pupil in Year 10, he already plays for the School 1st XI – the only boy I have known to play four years above his age! Sadly we will be seeing less of him in the 1st XI next year as he is on Brighton’s books and will be progressing in a very different league.

Our thanks must also go to our stalwart supporters who came along to cheer us along on the day and who almost outnumbered the players – that in itself is a fitting testament to the skill of the football teams that we produce here at Worth.

So, to all you footballers out there – we know that our 2012 fixture will take place on the last Sunday of the Lent Term as the final match of the 1st XI season – so we accept no excuses, if you’d like to play, e-mail Olivia Henley straight away at worthsociety@worth.org.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!

School team: Back row from left to right: Nick Elvidge, Tim Long, Nick Wallendahl (captain), Dylan Lall, Jason Yau, Theo Rivers and Nick O’Dwyer Front row from left to right: Andrew Taylor, Rajesh Patel, Conor Keating, Adam Mascarenhas, Alex Fletcher and Darren Carrick

32 I

Staff team: Back row from left to right: Andrew Taylor, Daniel Koch, Mike Matthews, John Everest, Ben Taylor, James Henwood, Fr Tim Front row from left to right: Conrad Ware, Chris Quayle, Tony Ross, Darren Carrick, Stephen Shields and Jake Ambridge

Andrew Taylor, Worthians Football Co-Ordinator June 2011 Our heartfelt thanks go to Andrew Taylor who so gallantly orchestrated such a hugely successful football fixture.

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

The following Worthians played in the 2011 Tennis Challenge: Philip de Ayala (C’76) Chris McCourt (B’83) Ben Elwes (G’81) Neil Laughton (C’82) Crispin Hayhoe (StB’82) Greg Pickard (StB’81)

Worthians Tennis 2011 Match Report

Our crack team of six Worthian tennis players assembled for an intensive pre-match training session – well, a quick knock-up before the match is perhaps a more realistic interpretation – before moving into our designated pairings comprising Ben Elwes and Philip de Ayala, Greg Pickard and Chris McCourt and Neil Laughton and myself.

The School team consisted of Tom Hicks and Ed Gritten; Will Neville-Smith and Jamie Elson-Drew; Ed Bridge and Seb Ward.

Once we (the Worthians) had applied copious amounts of liniment, adjusted our ankle, knee, thigh, back, elbow and wrist bandages and Philip had been persuaded that it was no longer frowned upon to use a tennis racket made from something other than wood – the matches got underway.

But for all the flair, charm and exuberance of the Worthians, the merciless professionalism of the School team was not to be outdone. For every point won by the Worthians the School won two points, for every game won by the Worthians the School won two; and for every set won by the Worthians, the School won two. Thereby the final result came out with the School on top, beating the Worthians by 6-3.

Sport

After last year’s stirring performance when the Worthians team did not lose a set, match, or indeed a single point (all because the match was abandoned because of appalling weather!) spirits were high as we gathered for our 2011 challenge against the School.

And 2011 may be the last time that we experience an allboys line-up on the tennis courts. In 2012, we are very much hoping to find some girls playing alongside us as we welcome more Worthians tennis enthusiasts of the fairer sex into the fold.

If any Worthian out there would like to join us for next year’s tennis challenge – male or female – then please do contact Olivia Henley at worthsociety@worth.org.uk. It could be the dawning of a new age … … …

Crispin Hayhoe (StB’82) July 2011

Conditions were far from ideal. As readers who know the tennis courts at Worth will remember, a peculiar microclimate pertains there and it can be one of the most windswept places in Britain. And so it was on match day – not quite as bad as the famous ‘hurricane horror’ of 2009 – but it was very close.

We gave it our absolute best – delivering stupendous serves, vicious volleys, stupefying smashes, gritty groundstrokes – and points, games, and even sets were won. There were a few memorable highlights including Neil Laughton’s ability to seemingly defy gravity (as only one who has driven a flying car can) to launch himself high into the fencing surrounding the court to successfully return an un-returnable smash.

Left: From left to right: Chris McCourt, Crispin Hayhoe, Philip de Ayala, Greg Pickard, Ben Elwes and Neil Laughton Below left: The full cohort of School and Worthian tennis players Below right: A point well won by Crispin and Neil

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If you aren’t already on our ‘squash players’ circulation list and would like to be ket informed about the Worthian versus School Squash matches, then please get in touch with Olivia at worthsociety@worth.org.uk. We would especially like to hear from anyone else who left before 2000 as numbers are a bit thin of the ground!

The Inaugural Worthians Squash Match Sport

Will Kenney kindly invited me to play squash at his Club in London last year, along with Darran Smith and George Ross. Over dinner afterwards, they suggested organising a Worthians match against the School’s current squash team. I thought it an excellent idea and was delighted when Olivia contacted me independently, proposing that

we should introduce an annual Worthians squash match to the Society’s list of sporting fixtures.

We put together a list of past enthusiastic squash players, set the date for Saturday 20th November 2010, sent out a notice – and were completely overwhelmed by the response!

Fast forward to the 20th November 2010 and we welcomed fifteen Worthians back to Worth. The day started with a tour of the School for those interested in seeing all the new developments since leaving Worth, followed by a buffet lunch in the Cowdray Room.

Then the serious business began with matches starting promptly at 1:00pm!

Tom Lewis, Robert Butterworth and Edward Wheeler

Perhaps the hardest fought match of the day was between George Salimbeni (the school’s number one player) and his brother, Guy. It was a very exciting match to watch, with Guy saving one match point to secure an overall win.

We welcomed the following 15 Worthians to our inaugural Squash match: Charlie Bridge (StB’09) Howard Brookman (G’93) Robert Butterworth (StB’06) Matthew Doggett (F’07) Alex Dungate (F’08) Joshua Hardwick (C’08) Andrew Hodson (B’93) William Kenney (B’95) Tom Lewis (G’05) Richard Pannell (C’08) Guy Salimbeni (F’07) Matt Scotland (C’08) Darran Smith (B’96) Tim Spiers (C’07) Edward Wheeler (StB’06)

Rob Butterworth and Ed Wheeler won their matches against Dylan Warren and Edoardo Loison. Next up were Tom Lewis and Tim Spiers, who played Abraham Baucher and Matthew Hay - two close matches were fought, with Matthew just winning the only game for the School team.

Matthew Doggett and Charles Bridge then played the School’s 3rd and 2nd string players, Patrick Thick and James Emery. Once again, two good games were played with Worthians coming out on top again.

Matthew Scotland, Alex Dungate, Richard Pannell and Jeremy Dowling

As Worthian numbers far outweighed the number of School team players, I arranged for an exhibition match of top quality squash and we witnessed some very exciting games. Darran Smith just beat Will Kenney while, on the other court, Howard Brookman and Andrew Hodson both enjoyed their first competitive game of squash against each other for some years (just how many years will remain unpublished!). Then, Richard Pannell, Matthew Scotland, Patrick Forsyth and Alex Dungate played some games while Tim Spiers, Matthew Doggett and the Salimbeni brothers had a game of doubles.

It was a great pleasure to welcome Martin Powys-Lybbe who came along to watch some of his former pupils play and also Nick Butterworth, Chairman of Worth Society who came to support his son, Robert, and meet with Worthians.

We had a really great day and there has been an enthusiastic call to organise two matches a year – one in the Christmas term for Worthians who left before 2000 and another in the Easter term, for those who left after 2000.

So, if you’re interested in getting involved in future matches do get in touch with Olivia, she would love to hear from you!

Jeremy Dowling December 2010

Richard Pannell, Patrick Forsyth, Matthew Scotland and Alex Dungate

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Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Larry Achike on his Life and Influences he was a keen triple jumper in his youth and supported me in pursuing my athletics career. During the winter Glenn would drive me to Horsham indoor track to train with some of the Sussex squad. He introduced me to my first club - Crawley Athletics Club. And, finally, he promised me a bottle of his finest Champagne if I broke his personal best while at Worth, which I actually did – but I’m still waiting for my bottle!

What is your fondest memory of Worth?

I have quite a few – but perhaps one of the most memorable was at the Sussex Rugby Sevens when Worth As played Worth Bs in the final. No school had ever achieved that then.

How did your experiences as a pupil at Worth shape your life and the path you have followed?

I learnt the importance of discipline, hard work and time management; these skills have helped me both on the track and in the classroom, and I now run my own company which requires all these skills.

Larry Achike is well known to many of us as the famous Olympic Triple Jumper whose personal best was achieved at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney when he jumped 17.30 metres. What many readers might not know is that Larry is a Worthian! He was in Rutherford and left Worth in 1993.

Worth Society put Louise Moon, one of the editors of the School magazine “Identity” in touch with him and she spoke to him about his life and influences.

When did you first know that you wanted to pursue Triple Jump as a career, and why did you choose this particular event rather than pursue your rugby talent having played for Sussex U19s?

I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the Triple Jump after my first world Junior Championships in Seoul, Korea. I made the final, but hadn’t jumped well. After the competition ended, I vowed to win my next world Junior Championship which was to be in two years’ time – and that’s exactly what I did. The rest is history. As for picking the event, I believe the event picks you. I was talented at a number of sports, but I excelled at the Long Jump and Triple Jump. As a junior international I would double up in both the Long and the Triple Jumps.

How helpful was Worth in helping you to pursue your Athletics career?

Worth was instrumental in my early success - particularly one member of staff, Glenn Robertson. Glenn is better known for his Rugby coaching than his triple jumping, but

What are your thoughts on Worth turning coeducational?

I wish it happened in my time! It makes social and financial sense in this day and age.

Have you ever thought about coming back to Worth to coach?

That would be nice, possibly a one-off Master Class. I’m currently a UK A Level 3 coach.

How have you kept motivated and in shape during your various injuries?

It has been very hard sometimes, but making the finals of two Olympic Games was enough motivation for me.

And my dream of jumping at the 2012 London Olympics is the sole reason for me continuing in competition.

Larry in action!

Lead us through an average training session.

Warm up: 40mins Sprint over: 60m x 6 Run-up: x 10 Jumping drills: about 30mins Short approach Triple Jump: 45mins 10 x 100m strides warm down From start to finish this takes about 3.5hrs!

How do you balance your time between training and relaxation?

I have very little time for relaxation. Between my family, training, coaching and running my own company the only time I actually get to relax is while driving and listening to the radio.

What are you looking to do in time after you finish competing?

Growing my company into a global brand and coaching.

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Caught on Camera

Chris Coopman (R’02) outlining ‘the fun of numbers’ to HM the Queen

Trent Belasco (G’91) comperes at the Pope’s World Youth Day Event in Sydney 2008 where he addressed a live worldwide audience of 500,000,000

Chris Kelly (R’96) pictured with the Nepalese Ambassador at the Development Nepal Spring Ball held at Westminster Cathedral Hall, which raised over £18,000 for Development Nepal’s work in East Nepal

Daphne, daughter of Ben (G’90) and Linda Hancock, with the Prime Minister, David Cameron, at a reception to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Royal British Legion at 10 Downing Street

Will Watkins (R’10) asks one of The National Seal Sanctuary’s Fur Seals, Andy, to open his mouth for a teeth and gum inspection

Tony Saunders (C’72) and David Parker (StB’72) meet up in Rome

Philip Mould (StB’78) pictured with Fiona Bruce in their BBC television series ‘Fake or Fortune’

Marcus Elwes (G’83) raised over £13,000 for Beating Bowel Cancer when he ran his first London Marathon in April 2011

Matt Scotland (C’08) receives the Business and Finance Undergraduate of the Year Award - receiving a trophy and a 10-week internship with Morgan Stanley including a week all expenses paid trip to their New York Offices.

He is pictured with Steph Ahrens, Executive Director Graduate Recruitment at Morgan Stanley and Michael Portillo

Tim Ross (R’86) and Jeremy James (StB’99) work together in the Savills Cobham office in Surrey

James Chick (StB’91) is loving life running his Spanish food market stall in London at the weekends and cooking during the week

Alex Stewart-Clark (R’79) seeing if Jesus is alive at Brighton’s Easter Passion Play 2011

Crispin Etherington (R’67) on Race Day at Summit Point, West Virginia, USA

Oli Mulcahy (C‘05) far right and David Mansell (C’05) beside him, took part in a two-week sponsored climb to Mount Everest Base Camp last summer with a group that raised over £30,000 for Moving Mountains, a charity undertaking work in Nepal

Chris Rooney (StB’84) auditioning for Grease 2011 with John Travolta

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Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Johnny Harben (G’69) has been appointed ‘official storyteller’ by Lakenham Primary School in Norwich. Photo printed with kind permission of Angela Sharpe/Eastern Daily Press

Jonathan Stordy (StB’81) and his family – Ciaran, Anna and wife, Sarah

Andrew Stewart (B’72) at the controls of a PA28 Piper Cherokee

Tim Brenninkmeyer’s (B’07) band, Hot Light Fiesta, perform live at the Beach Break Live Festival in June 2011

Jem Treays (G‘81) dancing full-time again after 15 years

Larry (G’96) and Haruka Elwes at Sledmere House in Yorkshire

Rupert Stutchbury (StB’69), left, is enjoying his new career as an actor

John Wild (C’70) walked the 100mile stretch of the South Downs Way in April 2011 with his two sons, Tom (C‘95) and Toby (Year 9 at Worth) in aid of Lupus UK John Tyszkiewicz (G’79) running the 2010 Beirut marathon as a rhino

Raibeart MacDougall (C’70) pictured with his wife, Beata, and daughters, Malgorzata and Katarzyna Simon Bayles (B’90) is already picking up the accolades in his newfound sport – powerboat racing

Thomas Sullivan (StB’89) celebrating Mother’s Day in Johannesburg with his daughter, Tamsin

Mark Collini (StB’89) and his fiancée (now wife!), Alex, organised the Mansion House Highland Ball, held on Saturday 23rd October 2010, which raised £23,000 for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. Mark is pictured outside the Mansion House having successfully persuaded one of the traders at Smithfield to donate 32lbs of free haggis for their haggis Shepherd’s Pie!

Olly Parry (StB’00) and Kate McCutcheon on holiday before becoming Mr & Mrs

Robert Carroll (R’69) left, pictured with footballing legend, Pele

Caught on camera by Jack Harrison (G’00) – Robert Tyler (G’02), Andrew Tyler (G’00) and Tom Calnan (R’95) at the 2011 Hong Kong Rugby Sevens Tom Carew Hunt (StB’02) and Giles Turton (F’02) at a very muddy Glastonbury Festival in 2011

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Racing up my Vocational Path

B

ack in 1999, head boy Mike Matthews (B’99) gave his debut speech on opportunities – his advice was to grasp every opportunity before you, no matter how challenging it might seem. At such a young age, deciding on a future career is not an easy decision; other factors take precedence like exams and coursework – few pupils know their ‘personal legend’, as Paulo Coelho wrote in “The Alchemist”.

I was a student at Worth from 1998-2003 and enjoyed all aspects of scholastic life; academia, sport and the monastic community. During these years at Worth I cultivated a long held passion for horse racing. It became the antithesis of my school work and gave me a release from my studies. Having been lucky enough to work with horses my whole life, I always hoped that I might be able to do something within the industry. During the school holidays, I had ridden out horses for the Grand National winning trainer, Venetia Williams, and horse racing became my passion – if not my obsession!

At a Catholic school like Worth, ‘vocation’ is something that students are made very aware of. Thus, with guidance from my supportive and open-minded tutor, Alex Farquhar, I decided to fulfil my vocational path with a career in horse racing. I had to be sure in my mind that this was the right decision; especially considering the customary ‘rite of passage’ was to go through UCAS. And now, in the summer of 2011, I am taking the next step in my career and taking out a license to train horses at my own Herefordshire establishment. I have been fortunate enough to serve my apprenticeship under some of racing’s top trainers and feel that the time is right for me to embark on my own voyage across what is currently, a very stormy sea.

Horse racing has certainly been in a stronger financial position in the past, and the recession has hit some establishments very hard. Lack of back up by the bookmakers is a real issue, as they will not pay into the sport that they make their money from; thus prize money is low. The industry is battling to address this prize money issue; as so much money goes into preparing a horse to win a race that it must be monetarily rewarding if the sport is to be made viable. This situation will improve and I hope that I can start my ‘ministry’ at a time when racing’s problems are in abeyance.

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I have worked for Nicky Henderson at Seven Barrows as Assistant Trainer for the past five years, allowing me to learn from the very best team – equine and human. Nicky, who started training in 1978, will be the first to advise that owning racehorses is not a money-making scheme but a hobby that gives owners immense pleasure and enjoyment.

It is a business of entertaining – remember that everyone else’s bank holidays and holidays are horse racing’s busiest days! The head lad at Seven Barrows – Albert ‘Corky’ Browne – has been instrumental in the success of the yard. He ensures that all the horses are kept in the best of physical health in order for Nicky to train and get the best out of them. Dealing with these issues is something that you can only learn from experience – it is a practical way of learning.

As the training of horses is regarded as an art, there is no definitive way of going about it. While living in Newmarket, working for trainer James Fanshawe, I watched over 50 trainers training their horses in different ways to achieve the same result – a winner! After all, winners are the best advertisement for a trainer and as the old adage goes ‘you’re only as good as your last win’.

It is a fickle world indeed, but one where success does breed success. It is a way of life as opposed to a job and a constant test of character; an unpredictable sport where an outstanding success can be followed by heartbreaking failure.

Above left: Tom riding Duc De Regniere up the grass gallops at Seven Barrows Above: Tom overseeing Long Run before the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November 2010 Background image: Tom riding Long Run – the recent King George VI Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup winner who is currently the highest rated steeplechaser in the country at just six years old!

Below: Tom, aged 9, showing a stallion called ‘Action Man’

Isaac Newton famously stated that his achievements only came about because he was ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’, and opportunities do reveal themselves through the success of our predecessors. We strive and evolve from what they leave behind and though we all start as an empty vessel, it is up to each of us to fill our own cup.

Opportunities arise and it is up to us to grasp them. Life is short and although racing is a tough world in which to survive – I aim to fill my vessel right to the very top!

Tom Symonds (B’03) February 2011

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Welcome to Bees, Yurts and Craft Courses

Y

urt camping and traditional woodland craft courses such as green wood working, basketry, hurdle making, flint knapping and bee keeping are all available at a new business created by myself and partner, Lisa Aitken, called Forest Garden Shovelstrode.

It is located outside Ashurst Wood in the High Weald of Sussex and is a quite glorious setting, amounting to around six acres including ancient woodland and a vacant paddock that has been re-cultivated into the early stages of a Forest Garden with a newly created wildlife pond.

Forest Garden Shovelstrode is a place for people to come and learn the principles of Permaculture as demonstrated in a Forest Garden - a diverse and carefully balanced ecosystem where a myriad of edible and useful plants are harvested. There will also be a range of woodland and traditional rural craft courses on offer, as well as a shop that sells honey, eggs, green wooding tools and locally produced crafts.

I was greatly inspired after my appearance in the BBC TV show “Mastercrafts” hosted by Monty Don; in which I learned about the traditional craft of ‘green wood working’ from master craftsman Guy Mallinson. I found the whole process of making a chair from a tree in the Dorset woods quite meditative.

“What a great thing for a parent and child to learn together,” I thought and the idea germinated. Why didn’t we create a place for people and families to get away from their normal hectic lives and share valuable learning experiences in self-sufficiency and sustainability within a beautiful English woodland setting? So much better value than a couple of weeks in Benidorm – and a memory to be treasured forever!

I was greatly inspired after my appearance in the BBC TV show “Mastercrafts” hosted

by Monty Don The plan was hatched over Christmas 2009 when we started looking at how best to use the space we had, while also creating a business for ourselves. A shared love of horticulture combined with my burning desire to continue with green wood working and Lisa’s wish to learn more about forest gardening gave us a vision – and then the process of making it happen began!

My background as a Landscape Architect was invaluable as I set about producing a master plan for the project. In order to proceed, we needed a hefty planning application for conversion works to the existing outbuildings; the construction of two timber barns; a car parking area for 10 vehicles; a new road access; the excavation of a large wildlife pond; the building of a large woodland workshop and also the erection two 5m diameter yurts! I knew the dangers of not getting the application right from the start and there were many hurdles to overcome along the way; but early consultation with the local council enabled us to weave their comments and suggestions into our design and this was key to the success of our application.

Approval finally came through in June 2010.

Getting full planning consent was our first major milestone – we now needed to find a way to finance our project. Even though Lisa sold her flat in London and poured every last penny into the project – there was still not enough money to get the initial infrastructure in place, which was critical to the viability of the whole enterprise.

From top to bottom: the Kushti Yurt among the bluebells; pole lathe turning; Charles (right) hard at work with his son, Archie; excavating the wildlife pond; the pond in all its glory; and work in progress – yurt construction

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After extensive research, we finally found a European grant for which we were eligible to apply through the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).

Creating a sound and credible business plan with projections for the next five years was an unenviable task – but we worked tirelessly to complete endless forms and compile the necessary reports.

In September 2010 our initial application was turned down with 11-4 of the committee voting against our project. We

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Far left: The interior of the Savannah Yurt Left: A lesson in bee keeping Below: Lisa and Charles in the studio preparing for a radio interview

were absolutely devastated – it felt as though our project would never get off the ground and after so much effort too. When we discovered that we were to be given the chance to appeal the decision, we put together a 10-minute presentation including a five minute film of interviews and testimonials in support of the project; this was done with the help of many friends, local businesses and a local cameraman. A solid financial model for the business was clearly presented and ultimately we managed to swing the Committee round to a 20-1 vote in favour of our eco-tourism project.

The funding, amounting to £35,000 and to be matched by ourselves, was absolutely pivotal in getting the project off the drawing board. Work started in earnest in late September 2010 on the main infrastructure, including parking, services and shelter.

The harsh winter weather meant building works suffered constant delays – but a short break between snowfalls enabled the planting of our first 20 trees to create the forest garden. We have worked tirelessly over the winter and spring months to get the Forest Garden Shovelstrode ready in time for its opening.

And the best news is that we opened at Easter and are now ready for business! Courses are running throughout the

summer and autumn and camping is available either in one of the yurts or, for course attendees only, in one of the simple freestyle camping pitches within the woodlands.

So, if any of the following courses appeal, why don’t you get in touch with us?: • Introduction to Bee Keeping • Introduction to Vegetable Gardening • Basket Willow Weaving • Green Woodworking • Hurdle Making • Children's Green Woodworking (Parent & Child) • Flint Knapping • Beeswax Products We are offering Worthians, teachers and their families a 10% discount on any course.

To book a course or yurt, register your interest or simply to find out more – do visit us at: www.forestgarden.info, or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/forestgardenshovelstrode.

Charles Hooper (C’80) June 2010 Below: ‘Glamping’ in the Kushti Yurt © Lucy Johnston

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In October 1998 Intercapital merged with EXCO plc, a listed money broker, and formed Intercapital plc.

Michael Spencer became Chairman and Chief Executive. The following year Intercapital plc merged again, this time with Garban plc to form ICAP plc.

Michael Spencer, Group Chief Executive of ICAP plc Worthian, Michael Spencer has had a particularly distinguished career since leaving Worth in 1972.

He went on to read physics at Corpus Christi, Oxford and his career in the City began in 1976, as an investment analyst at Simon and Coates.

In 1980, he joined Drexel Burnham Lambert where he spent three years broking futures and became an Assistant V.P. Between 1983 and 1986, Michael was a director at money broker Charles Fulton, until his involvement in the new interest rate swaps market led him to set up Intercapital in May 1986. As a specialist financial derivatives broking firm, Intercapital grew over 10 years from the original four people to over three hundred worldwide, with offices in London, New York and Sydney.

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ICAP is the world's largest interdealer broker and following the acquisitions of the BrokerTec (2003) and EBS (2006) is also the world’s leading electronic broker of fixed income and foreign exchange with a total daily transaction volume in excess of $1.6 trillion, 40% of which is electronic. The Group is active in the wholesale market for OTC derivatives, fixed income securities, money market products, foreign exchange, energy, credit and equity derivatives.

Michael was named the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 and in April 2011, ICAP won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category. As Britain’s most coveted business prize, the Queen’s Awards recognise outstanding achievement by UK companies. The award is formally conferred by a Grant of Appointment and is symbolised through a presentation given by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenants, as the Queen’s local representatives.

This is the second time ICAP has received a Queen’s Award in this category, having also been named a winner in 2005.

Michael is also Chairman of the Intercapital Private Group Ltd, a private company which owns leading financial spread betting bookmaker, City Index, and various other interests.

Michael stepped down from his role as Treasurer of the Conservative Party in October 2010.

He is 56 and his interests include running, wine, art, politics and military history.

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Olivia Henley caught up with him recently …

What are your least fond memories?

My family lived in Africa throughout my Worth years, and my saddest moments were flying back from Addis Ababa at the end of a holiday to what was a much colder and wetter England!

What motivated you to establish ICAP’s Charity Day and what does it actually involve?

ICAP, even in the early days, supported various charities and fund raising events on a piecemeal basis. In 1993 a close friend and I hatched up an idea that, one day each year the firm should give our entire revenues, without any deductions for costs or bonuses at all, to charity. Thus started our annual Charity Day, which we have held every year since then. That first year we raised an amazing £250,000; last year the global total was over £12 million and the total we have raised so far in those 18 Charity Days is over £75 million – and we have supported literally thousands of charities, some big but mostly small.

How did your experiences as a pupil at Worth influence the paths you have followed in your life?

I learned a lot from Worth. My early years in Tower House were pretty tough – but I learned to fit in. Then in my later years in the senior school I focussed pretty hard on my work. That capacity to work hard, to focus and to fit in has always stayed with me.

How do the Christian values that you were taught at Worth find a place within your work?

I am immensely proud of our annual Charity Day – it is the largest City of London fundraising event. Last year Prince Charles and Prince William came to our London offices on the day. I think my Worth background has had some influence here.

Did you have any particular hobbies or interests that you followed at School outside the world of academia?

I was always interested in aviation. In Tower House, Fr Benedict was a model enthusiast and Fr Stephen was very keen on planes – I have always loved aviation and am now finally, at the age of 56, taking my Private Pilot Licence.

How do you balance work with relaxation and how do you spend your leisure time?

I do go to the gym and cycle three times a week. I believe that you need to keep fit to work hard. I also have three great children and a wonderful girlfriend. We travel a lot together.

What motivated you to set up ICAP? I always wanted to run a business and be an entrepreneur – in truth I was a poor employee. My opportunity came when I was 30 and I got the chance to set up a small boutique broking firm with four colleagues in the City of London. I invested £50,000. It would be impossible to do the same today as we have too many regulations. In June 2006 ICAP joined the FTSE 100 Index and today the firm employs 5,000 staff in 40 offices around the world and has a market capitalisation of about £3.5 billion.

If you were to offer advice to any Worthian who is just starting out and looking for a job during these difficult economic times, what would it be?

Hard work and persistence in the face of adversity are essential if you want to succeed. Don’t let setbacks bother you too much – get back on your feet, dust yourself down and get going again!

What are your fondest memories of your time at Worth School?

I really enjoyed sport at Worth, I wasn’t especially good, but I particularly enjoyed athletics and rugby. I also made many good friends (I still see several) and some great tutors – Keith Owers, Mike Robinson, Fred Belcher and Bob Axbey.

Visitors to ICAP’s annual Charity Day have included, clockwise from top left: Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Kevin Spacey; David Cameron; Boris Johnson and Lord Richard Attenborough

July 2011

What are the most memorable challenges that you have faced during your many years at the helm?

Our headquarters in New York used to be in the World Trade Centre. I was in London on 9/11 – that horrific day almost 10 years ago when the planes went into the Twin Towers and I watched them collapse on television. It was the worst day of my life – we had 750 employees working on three floors in the World Trade Centre. Amazingly, all but one survived.

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My Mad Operatic Ambition

I

am sitting alone in the restaurant of London’s Coliseum theatre, the home of English National Opera, with my laptop and a fizzing barocca. It is eerily quiet now, but in a few hours time the gilded grandeur of this high Edwardian palace will be packed with an excited audience, jostling for champagne, before tonight's eagerly anticipated production of Don Giovanni.

Top right: Mark’s regular publicity shot Above: Backstage at Holland Park Opera ready for ‘Barbiere di Siviglia’

I am here for my coaching with Jane Robinson (ENOs head vocal coach) to work on excerpts from Cosi fan Tutte. It is also here where, seventeen years ago, I sat totally mesmerised with my housemaster, Nick Evans, during a school trip to see another Mozart opera, The Magic Flute. Until that point I had only really known singing as the church music that I sang regularly with Worth Abbey Choir. But on this particular night, I was to be introduced to an entirely new kind of singing, combined with the drama of theatre, to create Tamino’s magical fantasy world, with music that was as intense and beautiful as it was overwhelming. (I hasten to add that I had been to an opera once before when I was nine on a prep school trip to see Don Giovanni at Hammersmith Church, but I am ashamed to admit that on this occasion, I was bored out of my mind and got into trouble for fighting over bubble gum!).

I am now working here as part of ENO’s Opera Works programme for young singers entering the profession.

It is a year long intensive course of regular coaching from ENOs music staff, as well as workshops with conductors and directors from other major British theatre and opera companies. It is an exciting process and a great opportunity to work with some of the most creative and dynamic people in the industry at one of Britain’s top opera houses.

It represents a high point in my journey to achieve my ambition of being an opera singer.

This is a long and complicated process – principally because, unlike other musicians, an opera singer must be an actor, the skilled master of an instrument and the instrument itself. A child prodigy pianist may conquer the works of Chopin before their 10th birthday, but they cannot sing the Verdi baritone roles because no amount of practice could give them the larynx or the physiology necessary. Crudely speaking, the ‘operatic voice’ is the result of the development of adult muscles which can allow the larynx the freedom to vibrate in such a way that it causes resonance in other parts of the body which creates the 'big' sound. Add to this acting ability, the

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language skills, musicianship and finely honed techniques and you've got the basics of an opera singer.

Most male opera singers (female voices develop slightly differently) tend to start their careers at around the age of 30 – the 'Young' Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House goes up to 35 – when most of the training has been done and the body has developed fully.

My initial music and acting training started at Worth, where I spent my life in the music department singing for the choir, scraping a viola in the orchestra and writing sheets and sheets of dreadful music. In my sixth form years I got some great roles in the school plays which, in hindsight, was invaluable stage experience. From school I went on to Trinity College Dublin to read Music. The course itself was very dry and involved no performing whatsoever, but I was a Choral Scholar in St Patrick’s Cathedral and conducted the Trinity College Singers’ Chamber Choir. I also got my first taste of performing opera with the chorus of Opera Ireland.

In Dublin, at the age of 21, I was advised to think seriously about opera and I left Trinity College and transferred to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. This quickly became a demoralising experience. I had arrived as a tenor and was taught as such for three of the four years. I was bottom of the class and twice failed my recital exams.

Thankfully, in the summer before my final year, I changed teacher to an 82 year-old Italian lady who had sung with many of the great Italian bel canto singers of the mid-20th Century. After a few lessons she said to me “Darlink, why youa seeng lika thees!? You are a baritone!” That comment changed my life!

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Everything I had known about singing was an extension of Anglican Cathedral tenor singing, when in fact I was really a Verdi baritone using about five per cent of my voice.

Basically, I belonged at the opposite end of the vocal spectrum, and I had to start all over again.

I scraped through Guildhall and graduated in September 2006. I was on the verge of giving up and went to the best people I could find to ask them for their honest opinion as to whether or not I was wasting my time. I wrote to the Head of the Manhattan School of Music; someone who has taught many great singers who now sing regularly at New York's Metropolitan Opera House and at other famous Opera Houses around the world. He invited me to come and work with him, and over the next eighteen months I went to New York five times, for a week at a time, for daily lessons. He released in me a huge and exciting new voice that I never knew I had and eventually said to me, “To hell with Guildhall, you've got a bigger voice than I have, go for it!”

So I did.

Since that moment, I have been working steadily with my teacher here in London. I sing regularly with Opera Holland Park and for various other projects, and I present the flowers every night on the stage at the Royal Opera House which provides me with a regular income, a place to practice, informal lessons and coaching with the music staff and, of course, access to the top opera performances in the world. I continue to study with ENO, and future plans for me this year include Aeneas in Purcell's Dido & Aeneas in Venice, the ENO Opera Works showcase and a debut role in Rigoletto with Opera Holland Park.

“It’s a mad ambition,” my friend tells me. “I know,” I reply, “but then some of us just are a bit mad!”.

Mark Spyropoulos (StB’99) April 2011

Above: Mark as Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro Left: ENO Works in rehearsal with Terry Gilliam

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Rules of Engagement With the announcement of the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton and their fairy tale wedding at Westminster Abbey on the 30th April, it was difficult not to get wrapped up in wedding fervour this year – and there is one Worthian, Nick Barnett (G’73), who has a particular interest in ‘that ring’; having supplied the diamonds for Princess Diana’s engagement ring, which is now proudly worn by the Duchess of Cambridge.

Above: The diamonds in Diana, the Princess of Wales’s engagement ring, were supplied by Nick Barnett. The ring was made by Garrard & Co of Regent Street Top and below: A wide range of ring designs are available from Nick Barnett’s company – HandMadeJewellery.com

So, for anyone thinking of investing in diamonds, or perhaps an engagement, eternity or any other ring, Nick has a few words of guidance on the subject – and we will start off with a girls best friend – diamonds!

Anyone investing in them should familiarise themselves with the ‘4 Cs’...

Colour All diamonds have a hint of colour with ‘D’ being as close to colourless as you can get – the better the colour, the rarer and more expensive the stone. White stones, D–J, are best set in White Gold or Platinum; KLM (Dutch Airline) colours, are best set in Yellow Gold.

Clarity Most diamonds have tiny black, grey or white flaws in them, called ‘inclusions’. The fewer marks, the more expensive the stone and ‘IF’ (internally flawless) means that there are no marks visible in the stone under 10 x magnification – making them the most expensive stones. Grades go down through VVS, VS and SI (very very small, very small and slight) but you have to go down to ‘P1’ before there is a mark that can be seen with the naked eye.

Cut Look to spend more on the cut of the stone as it will reflect the light better and make the diamond really ‘sparkle’. A round ‘brilliant’ cut stone is the most expensive and shows the diamond at its very best by enhancing the shine and hiding any small flaws. Other classic cuts include Oval, Princess, Marquise, Drop and Emerald.

Carat This refers to the weight of the diamond, not the size.

There are 142 carats to the ounce. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the bigger the carat weight, the better the stone. If you can, do go for uneven numbers rather than whole carats, as the price of diamonds increase exponentially and although the difference in size between a 0.90 carat and a 1.00 carat stone is tiny, the price differential is huge.

When it comes to the metal – gold is still the most popular choice for jewellery – even though yellow gold has fallen out of favour in the last few years. Platinum is the most expensive metal and is 1.4 times the weight of 18ct gold.

As well as being denser, much stronger and less likely to tarnish or fade, it is hypoallergenic. Nick baulks at the use of other so called ‘precious’ metals like Palladium or Titanium – he says they are for making Formula One engines, not jewellery!

As far as the settings are concerned – there are three main settings that you can go for. If you are buying a Solitaire (a single stone ring) it’s best to go for a ‘claw’ setting which allows the stone to be shown to its best advantage. Micro Pave, (rows of tiny diamonds on the shoulders of a ring, or around the main stone) can really enhance the look and sparkle without costing a fortune; while a Rubover setting (a stone set in a circle of metal) protects the stone and maybe better for someone with a more active lifestyle.

And if you’re trying to surprise your loved one, a great tip for sizing a ring is to make an impression of an existing ring in a bar of soap and take the soap along to the jeweller to measure!

If you’re interested in finding out more, then Nick would be delighted to hear from you. He can be found at: www.handmadejewels.co.uk or telephone 020 7404 4022.

Some interesting facts: Double the number of engagement rings are sold in December than in any other month of the year The average amount spent on an engagement ring is £1,575 Typically, the equivalent of two months’ salary is spent on a ring In 2011, Micro Pave has been the most fashionable diamond accompaniment

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Cracking Petty Crime with Facewatch Many readers of The Blue Paper will be familiar with Gordon's Wine bar – the oldest wine bar in London dating back to 1890.

It has been a family business for many years, and I have run it for the last five since the death of my father. In that time I have expanded the bar; building on its deep-rooted traditions while managing to expand it to include a permanent outdoor area. It has now grown into one of the busiest bars in London and we welcome visitors from all over the world. This year we have had TV crews visiting us from various countries – wanting to see one of the best 'untouched' original wine bars in the UK!

While it is still early days for the new company, we have had great interest from all sorts of organisations and even enquiries from as far afield as New Zealand, South Africa and Singapore!

Far left: Simon launched the Facewatch pilot with over 30 premises on board, including household names such as House of Fraser, Pret A Manger, Sainsbury’s, and Your M&S

But, with success there inevitably come problems, and one of the most frustrating has been the increase in bag thefts, largely carried out by the same prolific thieves.

Sadly, this is a common problem throughout London and the whole of the UK. Low level crime, which includes bag theft and shoplifting is a blight on our society and is something the police struggle to combat – especially at the present time with the significant budget cuts they are under pressure to make.

I was not alone in wanting to do something to help my customers and to help the police. Increasingly I have found fellow licensees, hoteliers and shop owners wanting to take some form of action and this culminated earlier this year with the launch of my new company – Facewatch.

Facewatch has developed a unique and simple way of sharing information and images of criminals captured on CCTV, between different premises and the police. The system, developed in consultation with senior police officers, enables premises to drastically reduce their costs and to increase customer satisfaction, while enabling the police to save time and work more efficiently.

Facewatch has developed and created a network of businesses who use one simple online system to report incidents and share information and CCTV images. It requires no further investment in CCTV hardware, as it is a simple low cost web-based system.

We launched our pilot on the 1st November 2010 in the Victoria Business Improvement District in London with over 30 premises on board including Sainsburys, M&S, Starbucks and Pret A Manger. We have even signed up two top London nightclubs and have developed links with

Left: Simon at the launch of Facewatch on the 1st November 2010

organisations such as Card Protection Plan and Victim Support in order to help lessen the impact to victims of such crimes.

While it is still early days for the new company, we have had great interest from all sorts of organisations and even enquiries from as far afield as New Zealand, South Africa and Singapore! We have been featured on Sky News, and Canal 2 from France came over to film a piece for television. While there is an awful lot of work for me and my small team of six still to do, we are very excited and enthused to have created something that is making such a difference to the lives of so many people.

I have already received some great introductions from Worthians and any further help that anyone out there could give me would be greatly appreciated!

More details can be found by visiting www.facewatch.co.uk and www.gordonswinebar.co.uk.

Simon Gordon (StB’74) December 2010

I 47

An Inspiring Failure!

Review

Adrian Pring (R’01) reviews Owen Lean’s (C’01) oneman show: “Failure: Admit It, Accept It, Embrace It” Owen Lean has never really been a ‘by-the-book’ sort of guy. Instead of going to University to study a traditional course like History, Economics or my very own Psychology, Owen’s passion for performing took him to Trinity College Dublin where he read Drama and Theatre Studies, specialising in Magic.

So, when I bumped into him on Villiers Street in London on a warm spring day last year, I wasn’t surprised to hear stories of a year-gone-by of ‘good hats’, sofa-camping and receptive Vancouver crowds on Granville Island.

Whilst chatting over an espresso and a croissant he handed over a flyer for his next initiative, a 4-date show in London called: Failure: Admit it, Accept it, Embrace it.

Dates were immediately stored on my trusty iPhone and the anticipation began.

When the date arrived I dragged along a Uni friend, promising her world-class entertainment in London and dinner; she was sold! The setting could not have been more fitting. The show took place at an old Church that had been converted into an exhibition and art space. The venue nestled in the shadow of Harrods and all the glitz that surrounds this world-famous store. As we approached the Church and passed the red Ferraris and cream Bentley convertibles lining the pavement, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as I shunned these ostentatious surroundings for the more grounded and humbling explorations of Owen’s path to ‘failure’!

Even though I had seen Owen perform before, I still wasn’t quite sure what to expect. His usual environment is the street – where he performs his routine for passers-by.

Here, he was in a venue surrounded by people who had already paid to watch him do what he does. Naturally this is something that he played to in his first ‘conversation’ with the audience – then he walked off-stage and pretended the show was over! It was his mischievous humour that made the evening so much fun. The show was a great combination of magic, stand-up comedy, lecture (on magic and street performing of course) and autobiography.

He started off with magic and then went on to perform a number of tricks during the show; one particularly memorable trick involved him finding a card with his mouth – a trick he prefaced by asking if anyone wanted to see something ‘sexy and gross’! He also performed his

48 I

trademark, ‘smash and stab’ routine, where he gets a member of the audience to join him in a daring trick which involves him hiding a large nail under one of three plastic cups and, with the volunteer’s hand, he smashes the first plastic cup to the abject terror of the nervous guest! He then asks his guest to choose which one of the remaining two cups he should smash into his own forehead – not a trick for the fainthearted, but one he managed to pull off without ill effect – to everyone’s huge relief!

In the end, whilst we were able to enjoy an evening of light-hearted entertainment, there was a deeper and more valuable moral behind the show, which Owen was able to weave into his performance.

As he rounded up the evening, he challenged all of us to evaluate our own perception of what it is that defines ‘success and failure’. He has chosen a path in life that some may perceive as lacking in importance or value. Yet he is happy and, more importantly, through his performing talents, he makes other people happy. He summed it all up rather poetically: “Maybe, just maybe, making people happy on a daily basis is a far better thing to do with your life than moving money around and so maybe I shouldn't get a job, maybe you should get a show!”

Thought provoking stuff to round off a truly successful and enjoyable evening!

Adrian Pring (R’01) June 2011

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

News in Brief Former Staff

John Denman (1974-2007) Although I retired from full-time teaching in 2007 after spending 99 terms at Worth, I have managed to complete my century by teaching part-time for the last three years. This part-time work has involved some IB geography classes in the sixth form and running the 2nd XI cricket. I still organise and play in the Worth Occasionals cricket team and this allows me to keep in touch with several Worthians. I am also President of the Worthian cricket side and am looking to develop the fixtures list. Away from school activities, Maureen and I are kept busy helping to look after our four grandchildren – already I detect sporting potential in all of them!

Richard Knowles (1974-2011) I retired from Worth in August 2011 after 37 years service! Because GAP years didn't exist when I was younger, I decided to take the opportunity now to travel to South East Asia and explore new places and cultures. I spent six months there – mostly in Thailand – but with trips to Malaysia and Cambodia as well. Escaping the UK winter, playing tennis nearly every day, learning to speak Thai and dancing the tango - for me it ticked all the boxes! Come the end of October, I'm off there again!

Mike Margrett (1968-2002) With my day boy (and girl!) driving ‘career’ ending in December 2009, I finally became an ex-Worth employee! I guess 42 years is quite enough. I’ve dusted off the golf clubs and walking shoes and Patsy and I go on our travels when we can – especially to see Hannah and her husband in Barcelona; Tim (C’99) and his wife in Wellington, New Zealand; and Matt (C’01) in London drops by now and again. Can I see us moving from Ardingly? I don’t fancy all the upheaval!

Paul and Carol Miller (1980-2003) We are delighted to announce the forthcoming marriage of our daughter, Kate, to Alastair Milne in the spring of 2012 and the wedding will take place at Stowe House, near Buckingham.

Kate is currently a housemistress and teacher of English at Dean Close School, Cheltenham. Many thanks to those of you who babysat for her at Worth in the 1980s and 1990s!

Keith Owers (1962-2000) I am happily retired in Buxted with the usual army of Cavalier King Charles puppies and doing a bit of voluntary work with the Citizens Advice Bureau, Age Concern and also prison visiting at Lewes Prison.

The ten grandchildren are a delight with two grandsons at Worth (in Butler!) and I see lots of the family with Paul (G’81) in Horsted Keynes, Lawrence (G’83) near Chichester and Roly (G’85) near Cambridge. Gilly and I still do a fair bit of travelling – recently to Syria, Morocco and Costa Rica.

Glenn and Annette Robertson (1970-2005) We are still tucked away near Burnham Market in beautiful North Norfolk (which is not flat!!!) Who taught you geography?! Annette continues to accumulate grandchildren - six at present, two more en-route. I am Captain of Fakenham Golf Club Seniors - a very arduous task - and also in charge of the dog. We still have plenty of visitors and are always happy to receive more; so if you are in the area do get in touch with me via e-mail at: grobertson14@btinternet.com.

Nick Robinson (1986-1998) I have been Headmaster of King’s College School, Cambridge since 1998. The school has 420 pupils aged 4-13 including the famous King's Choristers of King's College Choir. I enjoy touring all over the world with the choir and have recently returned from a tour of China and Korea.

In November 2004 I helped the Duchess of Kent to found a new charity called 'Future Talent', supporting outstanding young musicians aged between 5-18 and I am Chairman of the Trustees – do visit www.futuretalent.org to find out more. One of the highlights of 2011 was meeting the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace.

Roger and Margaret Stokes (1967-2001) We have been away from Worth for ten years now and away from teaching for sixteen years. It is alarming the way time passes but it is satisfying to attend Worthian reunions and see our ‘products’ developing so well in the world (and even spiritually!). We still like to feel we are working rather than retired. I am Chairman of the Stretton Arts Festival which puts on a fortnight of music, drama, arts and crafts with a mixture of local and national talent. I work with the Rotary Club, play Bridge do

Worthians 1960s Clive Bayne ’65 Still busy in Mexico City running Professional Learning Partners, a leadership solutions company.

Terence Calnan ’66 Pam & I are still living in Gozo but I am consulting to various clients in the UK, Europe and more recently, Oman. We had a pleasant surprise visit from Fr Stephen, who dropped in for lunch on a 4-hour exeat from a Retreat he was leading here in Gozo. There was an option to take him out on the Little Red Rooster, but the last time I took him out on a boat in the Maltese midsummer back in 1971, he ended up as red as, well, the Red Rooster. So, instead, we focused on lunch by the pool in the shade!

Robert Carroll ’69 I am working on: 1. An autobiography on war reporting in East Timor 1999; 2. Renegotiating publishing contracts for my children’s books (I have had 16 published); 3. Grieving the suspension of my TV talk show host job; and planning: 1. Carroll USA founding fathers and clan museum in Ireland; 2. A UK TV panel show proposal; 3. Potpourri humour book; 4. Afghan war autobiographical book.

Peter Gilbert ’68 I am Emeritus Professor of Social Work and Spirituality at Staffordshire University; visiting Professor at the University of Worcester; Project Lead for the National Spirituality and Mental Health Forum; associate member, ADASS and ADSS (Cymru); Co-Editor of “The International Journal of Leadership in Public Services” and Co-Executive Editor of the “Journal for the Study of Spirituality”.

Johnny Harben ’69 I have a new career as a storyteller in Norfolk schools.

I write my own stories and tell them in primary schools, as well as giving workshops to help the children tell their own stories and thereby improve their literacy skills and – it is hoped – take their imaginations beyond vampires, zombies and the world of war craft!

Anthony Hayes ’67 I have now retired from the Royal Navy and am living in Southend. Trying very hard to improve my golf handicap!

John MacWilliam ’66 I am still working as a White Father missionary priest in Tunisia. My main work at present is co-ordinating the reconstruction project of our house following the fire in early 2010 – it's taking a long time. I do still help some schoolchildren with their studies at the neighbouring libraries run by the Sisters. I also visit various religious communities in Tunis and elsewhere for the sacraments. The Tunisian ‘Jasmin Revolution’ in January 2011 passed very peacefully (compared to some others) with only about a week of real difficulty (teargas, shortages, a few shots ...). Elections are due in October, and we really hope that the tourists will soon be back in numbers to this welcoming and historic country.

Anthony McGrath ’68 No news about me this year, but my son Tom (StB’96) and his wife, Dymphna, have a son, Hugh, who was born in November 2010.

They are still living in Brighton and Tom is now working at the Bank of England.

Rupert Stutchbury ’69 I am continuing to enjoy my new career as an actor, having played Polonius in a TIS production of Hamlet; the Governor of Longkesh Prison at the time of the hunger strikes for TG4, an Irish TV Station; an old toff tramp in a comedy short; and most recently, an extremely nasty priest in a satirical feature film “Jesus The Remake” which should come out some time in 2012. I am currently in rehearsal for a summer tour of Chekhov farces.

Peter Symonds ’66 Jane and I celebrated 31 years of marriage on the 21st June 2011 – the ceremony took place at Belmont Abbey, Hereford and the celebrant was Dom Dominic Gaisford. Our two sons, Philip (B’01) and Tom (B’03) have both been through Worth. Philip works in commercial property in London and is, at present, in training for a mountain cycle ride in France. Tom returned to our farms in May having worked away for two well-known horse racing training establishments (see his article on page 38) and is taking out a license to train horses from Dason Court. It is wonderful for us to have one of our four children back here.

1970s Gerald (Gerry) Ambrose ’76 I am now resident in Malaysia and work for Aberdeen Asset Management. Married to Laini and we have two daughters, Alissa (16) and Anis (12). I am a keen athlete and my personal best in the 400m this year, to date, is 94 seconds.

Philip (Phil) Barnes '73 I am leaving the Middle East in July 2011 after four years here. I will be returning to Canada as Vice President and General Manager of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver, and am much looking forward to having dinner with Andrew Stewart (B‘72) in August as he passes through the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Mark Behard ’79 I am living in Bristol with my wife, Nicole, and three boys – Tyler (18), Travis (15) and Conor (9). We are celebrating our third anniversary of owning and operating the Blue Sky Cafe, Staple Hill, Bristol. Life is great!

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News in Brief

James Cockburn (1980-1990) I am holding exhibitions of my work in September 2011 at The Red Gate Gallery, Cold Harbour Lane; in November 2011 at The Pasmore Gallery at Harrow School; as well as others during November and December 2011 in Singapore, Brisbane and Adelaide. Any Worthians are more than welcome to visit and to check out my website at www.jamescockburn.com. I am much looking forward to catching up with the ‘Class of 1976-81’ at their reunion in October – one of whom, Andy Carroll (R’81), has just spent a few days with me in France.

some accounts and auditing for local clubs and potter around keeping our old cottage intact. Margaret looks after our Village Hall, is in WI and Inner Wheel, runs a monthly lunch for old people, plays club tennis and visits lonely old ladies under the auspices of our local Social Centre. We are delighted to have 13 grandchildren, two in Naples (Emma), four in Mallorca (Anna), three in Norfolk (Rachel) and four in Winchester (Ben). Keeping up with them is fun and we often have to go babysitting in these exotic parts. Harry, Anna’s oldest, is now in Yr 12 at Worth and playing tennis and rugby with great enthusiasm. So we get a little news of Worth, though it is so good in Shropshire that it is difficult to lure us away for any length of time!

Michael (Mike) Bernard ’77 In September this year I will have completed 30 years with IBM! I'm currently the Large Enterprise Marketing Leader for the UK and Ireland. I am also a Trustee at AbilityNet, a charity helping disabled people to improve their lives through the use of technology. I have been married to Catherine for 22 years and our three sons – Christopher (19), Henry (18), and Dominic (13) – are at various stages of University and school. Still playing guitar in a wedding and party band and living near Salisbury.

Ian Bowker ’75 I still have a job! Recently completed a windy Round-the-Island sailing race with a 5th in class, and we are entering the Half Ton Cup run from Cowes later this summer. My wife, Kate, is working for the Olympic Games, recruiting volunteers. Our eldest daughter, Rosie, has secured a place at Christ’s College, Cambridge to read music and will be starting this September. As principal flautist in the National Youth Orchestra, she will be playing at the Proms in early August. Our youngest daughter, Laura, has just taken her GCSEs and is staying at St Anthony's, Leweston for her A levels.

Timothy (Tim) Hutchings ’77 Still working in TV commentary and I am now the founder and race director of the Brighton Marathon – the UK's second biggest marathon which takes place one week before the London Marathon each April.

Any Worthians running, do get in touch with me at timborun@aol.com.

Luke (Dick) Jolly ’71 Getting younger by the year! I am celebrating 31 eventful years in the monastery; now Prior under Abbot Kevin and Novice Master in the Community. I was delighted to attend the ‘Class of 1986-91’ 20-Year Reunion recently in London.

Julian (Denis) Kirk ’76 I am living in Clapham and working as a wine consultant in London, promoting pleasure in a bottle! Married for 26 years to Fiona, who works at Trotsky Towers (LSE). Our son, George, is on a gap year somewhere in India or Shanghai. I still play 5-a-side football every week in Battersea with Nick Walters (R’76) and occasional other Worthians (any other Worthians very welcome - do contact me). I recently discovered the wonders of scuba diving in the Maldives (not the Channel!).

News in Brief

Justin Brown ’78 I have been a consultant in Myanmar since 2000, advising companies on market climate / market potential. Do contact me at: jahbrown@starhub.net.sg.

Robert (Rob) Lindsell ’77 Four kids are keeping me very occupied here in Balham! I am working for my own brand licensing consultancy and clients include Raymond Blanc, so enjoying some fine food too!

Matthew Burnford ’77 I am a partner at Crux Risk which specialises in crisis management and I live in the Cotswolds – not far from my Worthian brother, Nigel (StB’72). I have set myself the task of an annual adventurous challenge – last year a cycle across France (sponsored by Worth Society!) and this year El Capitan....maybe!

James Madsen ’77 After spending two years in Mexico and really enjoying it, HSBC did its usual thing and asked me (i.e. told me) to move to Dubai in February this year. It seems rather strange to be back living here after 29 years; as Dubai was my first proper posting overseas with HSBC. It was here where I met my wife, Fran, and there are still one or two landmarks that we recognise from back then!

Nigel Burnford ’72 The first of my three daughters was married in France in June 2011 by Fr Stephen Ortiger, who also married us in June 1978. He promised to try to hang on for the third generation! We even got Dominic Bexon (C’72) to come along – things must be looking up.

Mark Madsen ’74 I am living in Kent and occasionally working in London as a broker for the marketing communications sectors – see www.madsenconsulting.com. Married to Caroline with two Worthian sons; James (B’02) is in Dubai working in financial PR and Christopher (B’04) in sponsorship with Chelsea Football Club at Stamford Bridge in Fulham; as well as a daughter who is with Hamptons International.

Andrew Caillard ’78 I have taken a position at Woolworths Liquor Group in Sydney, advising the buying teams at Dan Murphy’s and Woolworth’s Private and Control Brands. I remain active as a writer, critic, international wine judge, consultant and charity auctioneer and travel regularly to Asia, New Zealand and France.

David Caillard ’79 Karroo Capital is now in its sixth year. I have been appointed to the advisory board of Fondinvest, a €2bn Paris-based private equity firm.

My daughter finished at St Mary’s Ascot in July and is planning to go to Exeter University in September.

Richard Caillard ’74 I moved to Perth from Sydney in July 2010 and live in Trigg, a beach-side suburb ‘doing it tough’. Working with IBM in Western Australia developing a number of natural resource opportunities and, given the consistently good weather in WA, I have taken up gliding again.

Christopher (Chris) Cussons ’70 Still seeing too much of the M1 motorway and not enough of the boat; must find more ways to avoid clients and definitive reasons to retire!

Peter Furlonge ’70 I spent 20 years building a company into a global brand, sold it and retired. Two years of boredom and I am now back at work with the same company, building the same brand!

Simon Gordon ’74 Over the last 18 months I have developed ‘Facewatch’ – a system that allows businesses to report crime online direct to the police – with a group of friends and we are now gaining significant momentum, appearing on the Crimewatch Roadshow, Sky TV and we have also had lots of press coverage.

See my article on page 47 and also do visit the website at www.facewatch.co.uk.

Any contacts or help would be much appreciated!!

Martin Green ’76 I am working at Cenkos Securities advising on corporate finance and IPOs – very happy to talk to Worthians thinking of a career in the City or to those who are running companies seeking financial advice!

Hugh Hamshaw Thomas ’76 I am an artist / educator. Do feel free to visit my website at: www.hugh-ht.com Francis Hobbs ’77 I am delivering ‘virtual’ office solutions using cloud computing platforms for commercial and not-for-profit organisations worldwide for a small, fast-growing international business consultancy. We are just starting a major programme into Africa – if you know of any charities that need free help, do let me know at: francis.hobbs@sandhurstfoundation.org. Jo is still a GP in Sussex, and our children aged 15, 13, 11 and 8 are at various stages of educational achievement.

Nick Houston ’70 I have spent the majority of my career as a freelance cameraman / scriptwriter in the film industry having travelled extensively to far-flung places. I was marketing director for VFG Ltd until its demise, and am currently writing original screenplays and have returned to my roots as a cameraman.

Julian Hughes ’78 I continue working as a consultant in old age psychiatry at North Tyneside General Hospital and as honorary professor of philosophy of ageing at the Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University. Anne and I celebrated our silver wedding anniversary in the summer of 2010. We happened to be in Rome and were able to meet up for a long Roman lunch with Monsignor Rod Strange, who preached at our wedding. The other key person, sadly missing at our lunch was Dom Christopher, who married us. We are all well – and as far as our three children are concerned: Oli is working in the UN in New York on sustainability; Emma is at medical school in Manchester; and Luke is studying Physics at Merton, Oxford. Anne is teaching Maths at Dame Allan’s School in Newcastle. I had a philosophical book published early in 2011 titled “Thinking Through Dementia”, and have another more clinical book (but aimed at carers) appearing in September 2011 called, “Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias: The Facts”. Both are published by Oxford University Press.

50 I

Tim Maile ’77 Tina and I are due to celebrate 25 wonderful years of marriage in August. Our eldest, Emma, has just finished at UEA and is due to start training as an accountant in October. Peter has just finished his AS Levels (which thankfully I was steered away from!) and towers above both of us. I suddenly feel quite old!!

Sandy Mallet ’79 I am working in London as an arts journalist and look after a gallery in Chelsea. I also make and sell my own land-based paintings, and hold occasional exhibitions. Do feel free to get in touch with me at: sandy@sandymallet.com Edward (Ed) Mannix ’78 Still living in Meribel with chronic arthritis and Diesel the dog, who doubles as my ski trainer. Taking early retirement to allow more time for mountain activities is tempting but not practical, given that my son is at last starting University this autumn and that is unlikely to be cheap!

Simon McDonagh ’78 I am married to Fiona and we have two boys, aged 9 and 6. I work as a portfolio manager with West LB and still live in Shenfield, Essex. I am in touch with Ben Bacon (R’78), Sebastian (C’78) and Robert (C’77) Tibbles, as well as Hugh Ibberson (C’78).

David Parker ’72 I am a civil engineer and am married with a son, who is 19.

I live and work in Lexington, Kentucky, USA and mainly work on projects with the US military.

Jeremy Sandle '74 My daughter, Emma, who is River Restaurant Manager at The Savoy is getting married in August 2011 to Justin from the USA. We are very excited – if somewhat poorer! I now have some 35 years experience in commercial and residential property asset management and am currently looking to secure tenants for business park offices in Peterlee at no rent – weird but true! If anyone is interested, do call me on 020 8977 2444.

Anthony (Tony) Saunders ’72 I live in Rome and am married to Myriam with two children, Katy (27) and Jonathan (22). I work between Rome and Kuwait as finance director for the international activities of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, the national oil company of the state of Kuwait.

Michael Saunders ’76 (news sent by his brother, Tony). Michael is married to Helen with two children, James and Matthew, and is a Captain with BMI Baby flying out of East Midlands airport Andrew (Andy) Stewart ‘72 Thirty years after I flew Fr Stephen in an RAF Hawk jet, he flew up to Rutland landing at RAF Cottesmore, and got me airborne in control of a PA28 Piper Cherokee. A very brave monk, although I resisted the urge to fly aerobatics this time!

Antony (Tony) Tyler ’73 I left Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong at the end of March and have moved to Geneva to become Director General and CEO of IATA (International Air Transport Association). My lads: Andrew (G’00) is still living in Berlin and is a musician, while Robert (G’02) is living in Papua New Guinea doing logistics for International SOS, who provide medical services for the construction of a large pipeline across the country.

John Tyszkiewicz '79 I have been married to Bibi since 1987; we have three children aged 22, 20 and 17; we live in Saffron Walden, Essex; I am working in the City as a Director with Towers Watson, a Lloyd's Broker and have been for the last 20 years since leaving the Army (9th/12th Royal Lancers) in 1991. I spend my time messing around in boats; running (have run 50+ marathons and ultras since 1993, including 18 London Marathons) and travelling. I am international representative for the Beirut Marathon, so if anyone wants to run that race (it's excellent by the way) in November – do drop me a line at: j_tyszk@yahoo.co.uk and I will sort it all out for you!

Ewan Ward-Thomas ’77 I am living on a narrow boat in London and about to start my final year at Roehampton University to qualify as a primary teacher in the summer of 2012. I will be aiming to work at prep schools in the South West.

Time rushes on as daughter Gracie is now 12, and Theadora is 10.

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Robert Wauters ’72 I am working in corporate housing with Bridge Street whose head office is in Marylebone. Currently with five children. Found regularly at Craven Cottage or following Fulham around Europe.

Charles (Charlie) Whelpton ’74 I keep bumping into Worthians in and around London and Sussex – saw Aidan Freyne (G’74), in very rude health, at a drinks party for the first time since leaving Worth (I make it 37 years ago!). My son Harry (R’11) has just left Worth and is undertaking work experience with his godfather and my old room mate, Mark Drummond-Brady (B’74). I had dinner with Robert Bathurst (R’75) recently, who is off to South Africa for four months for the filming of “Wild at Heart” for ITV3.

John Wild ’70 The Millstream Hotel has been owned by the Wild Family since 1976 and you can read a little about its history on our website at: www.millstreamhotel.com. In April 2011, I together with my two sons Tom (C‘95) and Toby (currently in Year 9 at Worth), walked the 100-mile South Downs Way trail to raise funds for the Rutherford nominated charity, Lupus UK. We set off from Winchester on the 11th April and after five days strenuous walking finished in Eastbourne and were delighted to raise over £2,000 for such a worthwhile cause. Any donations would be gratefully received at: www.justgiving.com/Toby-Wild-Worth

Richard Wilson ’71 Living life gracefully! Children, Gemma and Alistair, are now married and we are expecting our first grandson at the end of October 2010. I am still fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support with my Barrel Organ and my total stands at £120,000! I enjoy my golf, photography and riding my two Harley Davidson’s – but not at the same time!

1980s John Bennett ’81 I am married to Deborah and we run a small farm in south Suffolk where we live with our three daughters, Isobel (13), Polly (12) and Catherine (10). I am CEO of a Lloyd's Broker and when I grow up I would like to do a bit more farming and a bit less broking – but the inexorable drip, drip of school fees makes this a distant pipe dream. For leisure, I breed Old Spots and Dexters, have become a keen but inaccurate shot and just to keep the Catholicism bit up, I'm president of the City of London Catenian Association. I am very much looking forward to our ‘Class of 1976-81’ 30-year reunion in October 2011!

Alex Buckley ’88 I now have three boys (Jack 7, Oliver 4 and Nathaniel 21 months) who keep me and my wife, Shauna, very busy. I am still working at Venda (my 10th year!) in sales. We live in Epsom and I work in central London.

Have got into playing music again and now gig regularly with my brother, Tim, in pubs in south London. I have recently lost over three stone in weight – hitting 40 made me think I did not want to become a fat old man! I found it very easy to do and so wrote a book about it – the first publisher I contacted believed in my message and published the book! It’s called “Ssh! Lose Weight in 20 Minutes” and I am very very proud to have had it published. It is available at all good bookstores including online at Amazon, Waterstones, WH Smith and Tesco (as well as many more).

Sean Buckley ’83 I am enjoying life to the full – my daughter, Alicia, is hoping to go to Worth for the sixth form in Sept 2012. My son, Max, is already boarding at a special school – Moor House – in Hurst Green, which is not far from Worth. I play squash racket ball regularly, box once a week and play occasional golf for the amusement of friends! Professionally, I own a private Dental Practice in Bromley (buckleypractice.com) and have branched into facial rejuvenation (Botox and dermal fillers) which has been a lot of fun.

Benjamin (Ben) Burroughs ’81 After a long career in IT and Telecommunications I have moved to Cornwall to enjoy life and concentrate on my own business interests. I have a small ski and beach holiday business www.extremechalets.com and www.starfishcottages.com amongst other business interests. I have been married to Claire for 21 years and have four daughters. I enjoy skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking and paragliding.

Johnny Caillard ’81 I am taking a sabbatical this year from St Aloysius College in Sydney and am starting a French immersion course in Nice in September.

Rohan Cavaliero ’81 I’m still living in Kula Lumpur with my wife, Aileen, and our three kids. I’m joint managing director of a small property development business and we have just opened a new golf course in Langkawi, Malaysia.

I still see John Bennett (R’81), Mark Jenner (C’81), Chris Bloy (R’81) and Gerry Ambrose (G’76). Henry Thornton (B’80) breezes through occasionally and we behave like 18 year olds again!

Hugo Clarke ’87 I have recently returned from Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion Scots Guards and commanded No 2 Guard on Her Majesty's Birthday Parade. I move back to Wiltshire to work in Warminster in July.

Giles Coghlin ’88 My wife, Abi, gave birth to our son and first child, Jimi George, on the 20th Jan 2011. All doing well!

Mark Collini ’89 Alex and I were married on Saturday 7th May 2011 in Holy Trinity Church, Bosham – one of the oldest Saxon Churches in West Sussex – with Abbot Kevin delivering a wonderful homily and blessing. My brother Paul Collini (StB’91) was our best man and his son, my nephew Joseph (5), our pageboy.

After a month exploring the colourful cities of Rajasthan and trekking in the Indian Himalayas we are now enjoying married life in London and looking for a new house!

Marcus Elwes ‘83 I ran the London Marathon for the first time in April this year, raising over £13,000 for ‘Beating Bowel Cancer’ in the process.

Nicholas Franck ’82 Despite being out of touch for a very long time, I have fond memories of Worth. It is 28 years since I left and during that time I have spent 10 years in the UK, 2+ in Ireland, 13 in Singapore and 2+ in Switzerland.

I married in 1989 and we have one daughter who is now at Mayfield. I am keen to get back in touch with old friends.

Paul Fremantle ’87 I'm still living in Emsworth and still CTO of the company I started in 2005 – WSO2. Business is good and we recently opened an office in Palo Alto. By the time this is published, Jane and I will hopefully have had our 20th wedding anniversary (Fr Kevin must have done something right on the day!). Anna is now 14 and Dan 10 – somehow they seem to keep getting older but I still feel just a year or two older than when I left Worth. Apart from work I do some occasional blacksmithing, play the tin whistle a lot and write the odd tune.

You can find me on Facebook, Twitter or do email me at: paul@fremantle.org.

Julian Gairdner ’89 We continue to live in East Sussex and are expecting number three in September 2011. Our eldest, Olly (8), has had a great first year at Claremont Prep School near Battle and Freddie (18 months) is great fun but wilful!

Ben Goodger ’80 I have now moved my job from being based in Oxford to the City of London and would be pleased to meet up, in the centre of town, with any Worthians who know me. You can reach me via my e-mail: BGoodger@eapdlaw.com Johnny Greig ’85 I’m living in London with my wife and two young daughters and work as a commercial photographer specialising in business photography, but I am also shooting for stock which enables me to do some interesting projects of my own – such as a recent trip to the Pushkar Camel Fair in India.

Giles Hamilton ’82 We have just published a companion volume to “Galactic Ramble” – a complete encyclopaedia of British rock, pop, folk and jazz which was reviewed in the 09/10 issue of The Blue Paper. Our latest venture, “Endless Trip”, is a similarly exhaustive study of the American and Canadian music scene of the 1966 to 1972 period and it is available from Amazon – so do go and buy it! Otherwise my career has remained pretty constant since the day I left Worth.

I am still trading equities in the City and have two children, Hugo (10) and Alexandra (6) who are at Northcote Lodge and Broomwood Hall in Wandsworth.

Interestingly, a contemporary of Hugo’s is the nephew of Chris Bloy (R’81) – Chris was one of my greatest school friends. Another Worthian I came across recently was Tim Franks (G’91) who was briefly our head of sales at the Bank of China International in Hong Kong. If there are any other Harley Davidson riding Worthians in London - they'd be very welcome to join Nick Hooper (C’81) and myself on our jaunts!

Crispin Hayhoe ’82 Anne and I have just celebrated our first wedding anniversary and are expecting the birth of our first child in September 2011.

Dominic (Dom) Hirons ’89 I relocated to Hong Kong in September 2010 with my wife, Louisa, and our three daughters, to run Morgan Stanley’s Asia Pacific compliance department. We are enjoying the expat lifestyle and the many opportunities for travel around the region. Any similar vintage Worthians in Hong Kong, please do feel free to get in touch with me at: dominic.hirons@morganstanley.com William (Bill) Hurst ’86 Still trying to make a living as an actor and as yet I am still waiting for that perfect role!

Jonathan Jenkins ’81 I am still living in Linlithgow, near Edinburgh with my family and happily running an oil and gas business – but have an interview to see the Registrar at Worth next week (don’t tell my children; the pull of Worth may yet drag us back to England…!)

Stephen (Dunbar) Johnson ’81 I am currently Publisher (CEO) of the International Herald Tribune based in Paris. I have been married for 20 years and we have two boys. The job has me spending much of my time travelling, although I rarely get back to the UK for more than a day or so – rather bad at keeping in touch so grabbing this opportunity to do so!

Nigel Laughton ’84 I returned to the UK in April 2011 having managed the four venues used in Bangladesh for the ICC Cricket World Cup. I have since been appointed as the new Performance Director for British Skeleton in the lead up to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Philip Lundberg ’80 2011 was the year that my wife of twenty years and I divorced; on an amicable basis as we just had nothing left in common. Both the boys are in the process of either finishing or starting the final year of their GCSEs and seem to be adapting to having two homes! Alexander (16) played rugby for England U16 last season and now has a professional England Academy Player contract at London Wasps. Matthew (15) is in the London Wasps Academy set up.

Business is proving to be a success this year with the insurance broker that I am buying a share in – All Seasons Sport & Leisure – going from strength to strength.

We sell private medical insurance, primarily to sports players, but also have a line in competitive covers for individuals and families. I am a member of the Catenians and would recommend this Catholic Gentlemen’s Society to all Worthians who might be interested. It provides good networking opportunities and has provided great support during my separation.

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News in Brief

Jonathan Wilkins ’70 I am now living in Brazil working as a professional photographer. I have five grandchildren and two daughters, Melanie and Carolyn, from my first marriage and two daughters, Jaqueline and Stefanie, from my second marriage. Jaqueline works at the British Embassy in Brasilia. She visited Worth in November 2010 and was shown around by a monk who had lived in Goiania, Brazil and who speaks excellent Portuguese she tells me. I have been in contact recently with Nicholas Houston (C’70) and Raibert MacDougal (C’69). Do have a look at my work at: www.wilkins.fot.br.

Simon Douglas-Dufresne ’80 In 2010 I made a big change to my life; I sold up my company, put my house on the market and gave up my lifestyle in Kenya.

I moved with my wife, Carolyn, and my two children to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Basically, my thoughts were; one is only young once so jump into the unknown and see where you go; I planned to retire and I am retired! The going was a little tough to begin with, but since March 2011 when my soul finally caught up with my body in Mexico, I have had a ball. The Mexican people are wonderful and if they are not fiesta-ing they are siesta-ing! I like that attitude to life and next year I'll let you know more!

Christopher (Chris) Mathews ’80 I live on the Isle of Wight working for the local council (well it pays the bills!) and am married to Yvonne, a garden designer.

We have one son, three step children and nine step grandchildren – would you believe it? No, neither do I. It’s all great. I enjoy long distance motorcycling trips when I can – maybe we could arrange a Worthians bikers outing? We had a fantastic 30-year reunion in 2010 for the ‘Class of 1975-80’.

Niall McCarthy ’81 I have been happily married to Tina for 20 years now and we have two lovely girls, Lydia (13) and Elsa (11), and live in central Windsor.

The years just seem to have flown by! I work part-time (around 20 hours a week) for Sytner Group as Operations Manager, Sytner Finance FSA Compliance and various other dull, but essential, areas – but I love it! I also run a management consultancy with Tina and between us we juggle the constant needs of our children – driving them around, feeding them and generally topping them up with cash! We spend a fair bit of time in Spain and enjoy travelling. Tina’s work also takes her overseas quite often. We have a busy but very happy time. With running our own business we are, thankfully, able to work odd hours and therefore maximize our time together as a family.

News in Brief

Nicholas (Nick) Mifsud ’87 Having been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel I am now commanding the Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search School in Chattenden and will take over command of 71 Engineer Regiment (V) in Leuchars (near St Andrews) in the summer of 2012. Sophie and the boys, Edward and Thomas, have just caught up with me and we are living in wonderful Chatham-sur-Medway.

John (Johnny) Mocatta ’81 We are enjoying our little daughter, Lotte (18 months), and she will shortly be experiencing her first Cornish holiday! Much looking forward to the 30-year vintage reunion that John Bennett is organising in October!

Patrick (Paddy) Morrissey '84 Jo-Jo and I are happily living in Suffolk, south of Bury St Edmunds with our two boys William (12) and Freddie (9). They are at Orwell Park prep school near Ipswich and are enjoying all sports. William has represented West Suffolk County Cricket and both have played club rugby for Sudbury. My work with Tim Sheffield is still moving forward – we recently opened for business in Sydney and now have ten offices worldwide in Executive Search (check out www.sheffieldhaworth.com). I am always happy to hear from any Worthians looking to change careers in the financial world! I will be cycling from London to Paris in September with a group from Sheffield Haworth in aid of research into Spinal Muscular Atrophy – the first real challenge in over 20 years.

We have a three-bed house near Carcassonne we are trying to sell – if anyone is interested!

Stefan Reynolds ’89 I have been married for one year now to Silvia and am completing a PhD at London University (Heythrop College). We are planning to move to Cork, Ireland before the end of this year. In touch with William Horner (B‘89), who got married in July 2011 and works as a sculptor, and Michael O'Sullivan (B‘89) who works with Marks & Spencer.

Edward (Dobbo) Robinson ’89 I am still in Maidenhead; still running an Estate Agency; still biting my nails; still stuck in the 80s; and still wishing I had gone to the ‘How to get into private banking / hedge fund management’ careers talk in 1988! Please call me if you live in or around Maidenhead and fancy a beer (or 6).

I will happily pay if you instruct me to sell your house!!

Christian Rooney ’84 I still run Bookajet and its executive jet management and charter operations around the world. Some wonderful clients – some not so great – but lots of entertaining stories along the way!

Tim Ross ’86 I am working at the Savills office in Cobham, Surrey and my new work colleague just happens to be a Worthian (and we only found out after three weeks working together!). Jeremy James (StB’99) transferred from our Guildford office and we both work in residential sales. We would happily welcome any Surrey-based Worth boys for a week of work experience (subject to availability as we are limited to taking 1 or 2 each year).

Dom Sharkey ’85 Our first child, Millicent (Millie) Anne, was born on the 6th October 2010. Sara and I have just moved to the Defence Academy so that Sara can start her new job directing staff after maternity leave. I am still CO of 39th (Skinners') Signal Regiment (Volunteers) based in Bristol.

Maurice Stagnetto ’86 Paula Neish and I married on Saturday 28th August 2010.

Jonathan Stordy ’81 My son, Ciaran (17) is loving Worth and my daughter Anna (13) might go there too in a couple of years. Sarah is still putting up with me and we are still living in Madrid thankfully, but I am travelling loads with Russian Standard Vodka.

Thomas Sullivan ’89 May 2011 signalled my 17th year in Africa and Mandy’s and my ninth wedding anniversary. We are blessed with two great kids – Christian (5) and Tamsin (3) – and have settled down in Northcliff, Johannesburg.

I am still involved in the mining industry and will be visiting the UK in July 2011 for graduation at the University of Warwick where I obtained an MBA. Sean Taylor ’85 I am working for a Hedge Fund in Dubai, running their emerging market equities. Married to Catherine, for 15 years in 2010. We have three kids – Alice (13), Patrick (12) and James (9). Enjoying life to the full – particularly sailing and skiing – and I still keep in touch with a number of Worthians. A few of us are cycling from London to Paris for charity this year.

Henry Thornton ’81 I am gutted to be missing out on the October reunion of the ‘Class of 1976-81’ due to a prior commitment in the Caribbean – it’s a tough life! Have a great evening boys! I am still living in Hampshire, working in London, travelling in Asia.

Jem Treays ’81 I have just been made redundant after 15 years as a movement lecturer at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. I am dancing again – aged 45! – directing and have started to create intelligent yet accessible dance theatre for family audiences.

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Mark Walker ’80 Not much has changed since last year – but I do have a new gig that I'm really enjoying! 35 years after first discovering ‘Caravan’ and ‘The Land Of Gray’ and ‘Pink’ courtesy of Ed Mannix (StB’78) in the St Bede’s dormitories, I am now drummer for the band which I have to say is fantastic fun and it’s great being back behind a Rock ’n’ Roll drum kit after years of playing percussion. Apart from that I’m still married; still playing for Rolf Harris; still corporately drumming; still seeing my kids get older (oldest daughter is about to start at Keele University; son in the middle of A-levels, youngest daughter just discovering boys!), and I’m still recovering from the ‘Class of 1975-80’ reunion – what a fantastic night!

Thanks once again to Charlie Hooper (C’80) and all the organisers.

David Whelpton ’80 I am living in Newick with my wife and two young sons.

I run a marketing communications consultancy; am a primary school governor and a cricket coach.

Edward Wilkinson ’87 I am head of sales & marketing at organics recycling technology firm, CompostManager, and live near Goudhurst in Kent. My daughter, Grace, has just celebrated her 4th birthday and my wife Charlotte (nee Macfarlane, ex-Woldingham) had the honour of designing the bridesmaids’ dresses at the Royal Wedding in April – so if any of your littl’uns need wedding or christening outfits, you know where to come!

1990s James Albert ’93 A year of changes – a new job at KPMG doing operations strategy consulting; have finally bought a flat in Brixton; have settled back into UKlife after a year doing a Master’s in Spain. Luckily this summer in London is living up to Madrid standards (well, almost!)

Ben Babington ’96 On Saturday 21st May 2011, I married Susanna Hall at St Mary’s Cadogan Street, London.

Sebastian Bailey ’93 I am living in New York with my wife and two daughters and attempting to expand The Mind Gym’s US business. I am very keen to connect with any Worthians in New York or the USA, so do e-mail me at: sebatian.bailey@themindgym.com.

Philip Barrett ’90 (news sent by his father, Austin). Philip still lives in Buffalo, New York with his wife Sande and works as a scientist with a major US multinational industrial gases company.

Simon Bayles ’90 My new sport is powerboat racing and my boat is called Team 88! Although very much of a rookie, I finished 2nd in my second race after a highly creditable 5th place in my first ever race. To have made the podium at the end of the day in my debut race was just an amazing feeling – and I got lots of mentions on Sky Sport and Channel 4 Sports! I will be racing for the rest of the season. All is fun!

Trent Belasco ’91 I relocated to London permanently in 2008. After an awardwinning career in corporate communications and advertising, I’ve hung up my copy quill to pursue other passions and now help successful executives and entrepreneurs to master core skills in attraction, connection and leadership in order to achieve superior results in business, relationships and social life.

Worthians can e-mail me for a 10% discount on all products and services at www.primeinstinct.com, www.connectandachieve.com and www.leadershipcommunicationacademy.com.

Tom Calnan ’95 I am still based in Abu Dhabi with my wife Angela, where we have been living for two years now. I continue to work in the UAE office of the law firm, Berwin Leighton Paisner. Any Worthians who are ever in the region are always very welcome to stay. Interestingly there are a few other Worthians based out here – James Madsen (B’02), Guy Fulbrook (B’78), and fellow 1995 leaver James Quinn (G’95). I have caught up with all of them during my time here (although the less said about my night out with Madsen the better…!). I am still playing rugby and am about to start my third season with the Abu Dhabi Harlequins (although I still bleed blue and gold after 10+ happy seasons with the mighty Worthians RFC!).

Eoin Carson ’97 (The Rifles) I have finished a year in Salalah, Oman on loan service with The Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces, which was an incredible experience. I was subsequently promoted and am now at Staff College before heading off to Army Recruiting Group as an SO2. I am enjoying being in England on posting for the first time in nine years.

James Chick ’91 This year has been one of wonderful change – as I dropped my 18-year career in IT security in favour of a back-to-basics campaign setting up a small Spanish food market stall business in local farmers markets – you can find me in Barnes on a Saturday and Chiswick on a Sunday. The rest of the week is spent cooking. Being customer-facing and able to bring great happiness to people who come to visit the stall gives a far greater sense of satisfaction than life in an office ever offered me. At last I am in my element and business is growing at a level I am already finding difficult to keep up with. Other than business I have been married for twelve years and we live in Surrey. No children but loving every minute of life.

Paul Collini ’91 I've hung up my stethoscope (temporarily) and am now funded by the Medical Research Council to do research into HIV and pneumonia at the University of Sheffield. When I'm not in the lab you'll find me enjoying life with Magda and our two boys, Joseph (5) and Matthew (2).

Raphael Coman ’95 Chartered tax adviser and certified accountant, Coman & Co, have moved their office to East Dulwich, London SE22 9EE. You can reach them on 020 8299 1575.

Corrado di Mascio ‘96 My wife, Jessica, and I have just had our second child, a baby boy called Rocco born in January 2011.

Nicholas (Nick) Donovan ’93 June 2011 marks my 13th wedding anniversary to Joanne and we have three children; Oliver (11), Flynn (8) and Ruby (3). I am working in East Grinstead – still in recruitment for my sins. This month marks 18 years since I left Worth! I recently caught up with some of my year, Sebastian Bailey (R’93), Ben Holloway (C’93) and Guy Robinson (G’93) at Des Calhan’s (R’69) 60th birthday bash.

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Also saw Ben (R’97) and Tom (R’95) Calnan, PJ Bailey (R’95) and Rob Cottrell (R’97).

I have just been to the marriage of Alistair Milne Home (C’93) who married Charlotte in Sotogrande, south of Spain on the 17th June 2011.

Richard (Larry) Elwes ’96 I am still known as Larry and live in Leeds with Haruka, my wife of four years. I spend most of my time on maths-related activities and have recently been appointed a Teaching Fellow in the mathematics department of Leeds University. I also write books on the subject – aimed at the interested layman (in case any interested laymen happen to be reading this update – “Maths 1001” and “How to build a Brain” are both out now!). Away from maths, I am a recent convert to yoga; enjoy playing the piano, the bass and ukulele; and am making a little progress at learning Japanese.

Ed Gairdner ’91 I am living in Longparish, Hampshire with my wife, Lizzie, and three young children George (4), Amelia (3) and Charlotte (18 months). Life is full on and hectic! I try to play cricket when I can, but family life stops me from playing as much as I would like, not to mention the knackered knees and back. I was medically discharged from the Army in 2008 and I am now the operations director for FastMarkets Ltd owned and run by another Worthian, Dominic Hall (StB’83).

Daniel (Danny) Garrigan ’99 I married Frances (Fran) at the Sacred Heart Battersea, London on the 11th July 2009, and our first child is due in July 2011.

(Editor’s note: baby has arrived! See Announcements page.)

Ben Hancock ’90 The most significant change to mine and Linda’s life has been the arrival of our daughter, Daphne, last November, who continues to flourish.

On top of my new role as a father, I have also started a new role in Aon's Crisis Management division – which for those who remember my admin skills from school, will consider a very appropriate place for me to be! I am still organising London Poppy Day which continues to grow and this year will take place on Thursday 3rd November 2011. We are aiming to collect £500,000 – having raised £250,000 in 2010. It’s a massive target and we are looking to recruit as many volunteers as possible. We will be joined by servicemen and women, ex-services, bands, pipers, a parachutist and all sorts of general supporters to create a massive atmosphere around the capital. If anyone is interested in joining the team, then please get in touch with me at: benjamin.hancock@aon.co.uk.

Christian Jamison ’93 I got married last September to Victoria and we have a baby due in July (in just two weeks – yikes!). (Editor’s note: baby has arrived! See Announcements page.)

Alex Kenney ’97 Living in New York and working for Ernst & Young, where I help Banks in the US to implement changes to regulations in response to the financial crisis. In my free time I explore New York and the rest of the US as much as possible.

William (Will) Kenney ’95 I am living and working in London and have recently taken up cross country skiing. Still enjoying backgammon and squash and getting married later in the year.

William (Will) Lockhart ’96 I am living by the beach in Sydney, Australia with my wife Jo (a former Woldingham girl), and our three children Olivia (4), Beatrice (2) and Harry (5 months). We are very much enjoying Aussie life, despite getting increasingly disturbed with our eldest child's developing Australian accent.

Pearse Lynch ’99 I am still working for the BBC World Service producing news and current affairs programmes.

Alasdair Macdonald ’91 We're on the move again – leaving Malaysia to start a new role with Accenture in Australia. The kids – Angus (8), Georgie (6) and Emily (3) – are very excited about living pretty much next door to Toronga Zoo, but we will all miss our friends in Kuala Lumpur. If you're in Sydney do get in touch on + 61 4 222 67 200.

Gareth Maguire ’97 I am still enjoying living in Geneva. My wife, Genevieve, and baby Finlay – now 18 months old! – are doing great and we’re expecting baby number two in September. Do get in touch if you’re coming through Switzerland.

Andrew Micallef-Eynaud ’96 My wife, Katia, and I are expecting our second child in October 2011.

Richard Morgan ‘97 I am still working at the Ministry of Defence for Brigadier Mark van der Lande (StB’80), on Afghan, and now also Libyan, strategic communication planning.

David Newbery ’94 I am currently based in Geneva, Switzerland where I am in the process of setting up a new non-profit organisation called AOM (Aura One Movement). After eight years of global marketing experience at Proctor & Gamble, I am working on a new value creation model where, under one umbrella social enterprise organisation, we develop social businesses and brands that are of a social and environmental nature in themselves. We then put 100% of our revenues into our social projects.

Justin Randall '91 Having been unemployed for the last couple of years, barring two months at BWT patent attorneys, I am currently on the government's 'New Deal' programme where I have been regularly seeking work and updating my CV in order to continue to qualify for the New Deal Allowance and Housing Benefit.

Damian Reynolds ’98 I moved out to Sydney, Australia in February 2011 and am working for media agency, Ikon Communications. I’m loving life out here and can see myself staying here for a good few years to come.

Toby Rumford ’95 In August 2010 I became engaged to Floriane Heutsch.

Dominic Stobart ’90 I am married with two children, William (3) and Stella (2), and work as a television producer in New York.

James Bannister ’04 I joined Aon on their graduate training scheme in September 2008 and now represent Aon’s group risk practice, responsible for positioning its broking and consultancy services with a portfolio of city-based clients. I live in Pimlico with fellow Worthian, Charlie Sunnucks (R’04), and despite their recent relegation, continue to support Preston North End! Robert Birchall ’01 I qualified as a solicitor in 2009 and am currently working in the Corporate Tax Department at Speechly Bircham LLP in London. I still keep in touch with a number of Worthians from my year and am looking forward to our ‘Class of 1996-2001’ 10-year reunion in August 2011.

Tim Brenninkmeyer ’02 So I guess I'd like to say a very big thank you to all Worthians who took the time to vote for my band, Hot Light Fiesta, to play at the Beach Break Live Festival! We got through to the final and played at the festival in front of a great crowd of friends and new fans. Although we didn't make it onto the main stage, it was an awesome opportunity so thank you to everyone who voted for us! Our EP (demo album) is due for release on the 1st July 2011 at www.hotlightfiesta.bandcamp.com so please check it out if you liked what you heard previously. Otherwise, look out for us on Facebook to see what other festivals/gigs we'll be playing at – and we hope to see you there!

Thomas (Tom) Carew Hunt ’02 I have just finished a year’s teaching at Sacred Heart High School, Hammersmith. Presenting RE and Theology to the Catholic girls of west London has been a significant change from the 1600 students I saw fortnightly at my last school; and it's been a welcome one! I’ve met many a Worthian at parents’ evenings, and more than a handful of my pupils have brothers, cousins and sisters who have been through the wrought iron gates of Worth – and I never tire of hearing about their own happy memories of school.

Teaching aside, I'm looking for new opportunities, and hope to have something more exciting to report in the next issue of The Blue Paper!

Andrew Cloud ‘00 Natalie and I had our first child, a boy called Jacob Joseph, on the 18th May 2010 weighing in at 8lbs 10oz.

Christopher (Chris/Coops) Coopman '02 Since leaving Worth I have travelled the world, and then joined the RAF and been stuck in the UK. I am currently living on Anglesey at RAF Valley and – exactly as Mr Robertson predicted in the Leavers’ Book – I’m working in Accounts (maths is fun!) having just completed a tour shouting at new recruits and recreating Bobby's room inspections!

James D’Arcy ’02 I have become a fully qualified Paraglider and have gained a place on the Marsh (London) graduate development programme – of which I am very proud – and am so grateful to Olivia for all her help in linking me up with Worthians.

Jamie Edgington ’06 (news sent in by his father, Ken). Jamie is working as an airline pilot for a local airline in Jakarta, Indonesia flying Boeing 737s.

Adam Fudakowski ’02 I married Katherine in August 2010. The wedding was in Poland with six Worthians in attendance. We are now living in London and I am working on a medical start-up business.

Charles Gairdner ’01 I am currently serving with the Queen’s Royal Hussars in Germany, as a Squadron second-in-command. I deployed with the Regiment to Iraq on Op TELIC 13, the final British deployment to Iraq and am hoping to deploy to Afghanistan in November 2011 – depending on what my next job is.

The Queen’s Royal Hussars is a tank regiment, but unfortunately there are no tanks in Afghanistan so we are waiting to find out what role we will be given.

Tom Hammond-Davies (Tom Davies) ’03 I entered into a civil partnership with Paull on the 2nd April 2011 and have completed my Master of Music at the Birmingham Conservatoire (Conducting) winning the 2011 Michael Beach Conducting prize. I am conducting at the famous Three Choirs Festival in August in Worcester and for the next couple of years I will continue my posts as Director of Music at the City Church of Oxford (www.smng.org.uk), Resident Pianist at the Randolph Hotel, Choral Director of The Blenheim Singers (www.blenheimsingers.com), and will be taking up the post of alto Lay Clerk in the Choir of New College Oxford in October (www.newcollegechoir.com).

Jack Harrison ’00 I have spent the last four years living and working in and around China – firstly in Beijing working as a strategy consultant with Accenture, then on a two-year Chinese course in Taiwan. I am now back working with Accenture in Taiwan; as well as separately helping some brands enter the region. I keep in touch with Worthians through an annual trip to the Hong Kong Sevens. Away from work, I am busy training for a half Ironman in November, which should be interesting since I have forgotten how to swim!

Richard Hayward ’06 I graduated from Newcastle University where I read Geography. After working at Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, I started on a Graduate Scheme with Aon in September 2010 and am living with James Talty (StB’06) in Fulham.

Maddy Ilsley ’10 I have just finished my first year studying French and Spanish at Bristol University – am really enjoying it and have also been getting involved in dance, drama and organising a student ball in my spare time.

Owen Lean ‘01 I have just returned from performing at the Hay Festival and am getting ready to perform magic at the Kliensfest in Germany for four weekends in August. You can find out more at: www.roadmage.com and do read Adrian Pring’s review of my show on page 48.

Christopher Madsen ’04 Since leaving Oxford Brookes in the summer of 2008, I joined the London Irish Rugby Club, working within their Commercial Department. Having worked there for two years and gained some great experience, I decided to leave for an opportunity at Chelsea FC where I work within the sponsorship department based at Stamford Bridge. I live in Battersea with Alex Podbury (C’04) and am very close to a number of my old Worth

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Richard Gairdner ’98 I am still working at Alliance Bernstein, an investment management company – and it has been an interesting couple of years to be in this industry! Living in Battersea with my wife, Emma, and 15-month old daughter, Jemima. The flat is starting to feel too small but we don’t feel grown up enough to leave London yet! I went to the Worth Society ‘Call My Bluff’ wine tasting event in January with fellow 1998 leavers Ollie Barnett (StB‘98) and Simon Jones (StB‘98) – it was a very enjoyable event…from what I can remember of it….”

2000s

friends who I see regularly. I play for Worthians RFC who have just been promoted and we are all looking forward to the challenge of the new season!

James Madsen ’02 I’m still enjoying life out in the Middle East, working in financial communications. I’ve caught up with fellow Worthian RFC mate Tom Calnan (R’95) as he is based just down the road in Abu Dhabi (the less said about evenings out with him the better; one ended with a sword being driven through his living room coffee table!). I've just finished a five week trip to the UK – enjoying stag dos and weddings – which included the privilege of being best man to Worthian, Tom Podbury (C’02); a very proud day!

Nicholas (Nick) Miller ’05 After a stint with the British Embassy in Beijing, I am now moving into the fast-paced world of the Chinese wine industry. I will be based in Beijing and should any Worthians find themselves in this neck of the woods, don't hesitate to drop me a line at miller.nicholas@yahoo.co.uk or call me on: 00 861 821 021 1487.

Dom, Sara and Millie Sharkey

News in Brief

Henry Morgan ’04 I passed out of training as an Officer in the Royal Marines from Lympstone in December 2010 and am spending my first year as a Troop Commander in Faslane as part of Fleet Protection Group RM. I am not currently pegged for a tour to Afghanistan; although I will be assigned to a new position in the next few months so will see what the future holds. My free time is spent desperately trying to hone my meagre surfing skills, whilst also trying to see as many old friends as possible – something a job in the far reaches of Scotland stops me doing as often as I'd like!

Oliver (Oli) Mulcahy ’05 I am just four weeks off passing out from Initial Officer Training at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and will soon be moving to Portsmouth to start phase two training as a Weapons Engineering Officer.

Tom Podbury ’02 I married Lauren Siepiela on the 9th July 2011. James Madsen (B’02) was best man and Worthians: Toby Bligh (R’02), Otto Blom (R’02), Chris Coxall (R’02), Sam Middlehurst (R’02), Danny O'Connell (R’02) and my brother, Alex Podbury (C’04), were my ushers.

Alexander Pollen ’04 Having read politics at Newcastle University, I now work for Cheviot Asset Management, a private client investment management firm in Covent Garden, London. I run a cricket team, alongside other Worthians, which plays in a league in London and we are touring the Caribbean in November.

Joe Delaney with his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Mila Rose

Andrew Pring ’10 I have just finished a gap year in Edinburgh where I worked for Selex Galileo in their system’s engineering department. In October 2011 I'm off to Bristol to study Aeronautical Engineering.

Peter Rankin ’05 I am currently living in Cardiff after completing my sports management degree. In January 2011, I opened my own gym ‘The Boat Shed Training Centre’ and am loving being self-employed! I try and meet up with friends from Worth as often as I can, but if anyone is ever passing through Cardiff don’t hesitate to drop me an email at: pete@theboatshedfitness.co.uk or drop in to say hi if you’re passing by.

Sean Rebecchi '05 I recently joined ZS Associates, a strategy consultancy firm with particular strengths in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

Jocelyn Seligman ’01 I left St Andrews in 2005 with an MA in History and gained an MSc in real estate finance at City University in 2006, before qualifying as a chartered surveyor. I currently split my time between the family home in Wester Ross and London, where I run Ulysses Investment, which sources and manages commercial property investments for private individuals.

Ben and Susanna Babington

Mark and Alex Collini

Nicholas (Nick) Smyth ’00 I recently left Google after four years to join four ex-Google colleagues at a fast growing technology start-up called QuBit. We specialise in helping businesses to improve their online sales through a mixture of technology and consulting. I live with my younger brother, Jonny Smyth (StB’01).

Thomas (Tom) Storey ’09 (news sent by his father, Roger). Thomas seems to enjoy the work he is doing on a VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier). He joined the ship in Fujairah in the UAE and sailed to Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia to load, then sail on to Rotterdam for discharging. This voyage took him through ‘pirate alley’, the Suez canal, the Straits of Gibraltar and the Dover Straits. They then sailed for Singapore, a 40-day voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. I know I am in the shipping business – but I really do think it is a good career for someone looking for a bit of adventure and not the normal 9 to 5 working day!

Tristan Stutchbury ’01 I am teaching English on a three year contract at a state primary school in Hong Kong.

Oliver Taylor ’03 I am currently living in Oxfordshire and have recently qualified as a chartered surveyor and town planner. Still playing lots of cricket and tennis!

Fr Stephen Ortiger presides at the marriage of Crispin and Anne Hayhoe

James Thorp ’01 I got married to my gorgeous wife, Hayley, last June on the beach in Poole, Dorset. We've been happily married for a year and are looking forward to the future! I am still working as a freelance sports television producer and enjoying seeing some Worthians now and again – such as Will Harrison (StB’01), Patrick Davey (C’01) and Ed Morgan (G’01).

Giles Turton ’02 I left London two years ago in search of a more rural existence; following a year-long Master’s degree at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. I've successfully swapped the tube for tractors and now live and work in Cambridgeshire undertaking my APC as a land agent. I would love to hear from any Worthians in the area, as the Eastern regions are still largely foreign to me! So do get in touch with me at: gilesturton@hotmail.com William (Watto) Watkins ’10 I have just completed three weeks volunteer work with The National Seal Sanctuary – the same one that I visited five years ago on a school trip during Ace Week! I have been working with the animal care team involved in a range of jobs including fish preparation, feeding and handling.

Milly and Hugo Sanders

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Worth Society Life

Oliver and Kate Parry

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Don’t forget to e-mail Olivia at: worthsociety@worth.org.uk with any announcements – engagements, marriages, births, major wedding anniversaries or distinctions Jimi George Coghlin

Stefan and Silvia Reynolds

James and Hayley Thorp

Announcements Births To Andrew Cloud (B’00) and Natalie, a son, Jacob Joseph, born on the 18th May 2010 To Giles Coghlin (C’88) and Abi, a son, Jimi George, born on the 20th January 2011 To Joe Delaney (G’92) and Sarah, a daughter, Mila Rose, born on the 21st June 2010 in Melbourne To Corrado di Mascio (R’96) and Jessica, a son, Rocco, born in January 2011 – a brother for Isabella To Patrick Doyle (B’92) and Sarah, a son, Daniel, born on the 15th July 2010 – a brother for Evie To Daniel Garrigan (G’99) and Fran, a daughter, Aela Willow Mary, born on the 5th July 2011 To Ben Hancock (G'90) and Linda, a daughter, Daphne Charlotte Poppy, born on the 14th November 2010 To Tom Holloway (C’91) and Patty, a daughter, Flora Louisa, born on the 30th July 2010 – a sister for Bertie To Richard Hook (B’92) and Di, a son, Elliot James, born on the 23rd November 2010 To Christian Jamison (StB’93) and Victoria, a son, Nicholas Robert, born on the 28th July 2011 To Nicholas Little (G’98) and Helen, a son, Joseph Alexander Kingsley, born on the 14th May 2011 To William Lockhart (StB’96) and Jo, a son, Harry Mungo, born on the 9th January 2011 – a brother for Olivia and Beatrice To Tom McGrath (StB’96) and Dymphna, a son, Hugh Anthony, born on the 4th November 2010 To Jonathan Nickell (B’87) and Corinna, a son, Barnaby Paul Jonathan, born on the 20th March 2011 – a brother for Maddie and Tilly To Dom Sharkey (R’85) and Sara, a girl, Millicent (Millie) Anne, born on the 6th October 2010 To Kevin Walshe (R’87) and Gwendoline, a daughter, Alix Juliet Victoria, born on the 16th March 2011 To Capt Stephen Wolseley (R'98) and Mary-Kate, a son, Nicholas William Garnet, born on the 11th October 2010

William Horner (B’89) to Marcia Derraik on Friday 15th July 2011 in Islington, London Christian Jamison (StB’93) to Victoria Chernaya on the 3rd September 2010 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Farm Street, Mayfair, London with Fr Christopher Jamison presiding Alistair Milne Home (C’93) to Charlotte on Friday 17th June 2011 in Sotogrande, Spain Alistair Myles (G’99) to Zia Dottridge on Saturday 28th May 2011 at Mayfield Oliver Parry (StB‘00) to Kate McCutcheon on Saturday 10th July 2010 in Dollar, Scotland Tom Podbury (C’02) to Lauren Siepiela on Saturday 9th July 2011 at St Leonard’s Church, Turner’s Hill Stefan Reynolds (G’89) to Silvia Bence-Jones on Saturday 3rd July 2010 in Nacton, Ipswich Hugo Sanders (R’00) to Milly Broadbent on Saturday 18th September 2010 in Medbourne, Leicestershire Nick Smith (C’01) to Jenny Woodruff on Saturday 11th June 2011 Maurice Stagnetto (B’86) to Paula Neish on Saturday 28th August 2010 James Thorp (G’01) to Hayley White on Thursday 10th June 2010 in Poole, Dorset

Ordination Simon Kirkdale (R’73) was ordained on the 16th July 2011 at Uckfield as a Permanent Deacon for the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton

Engagements Christopher Kelly (R’96) to Laura Knowles in October 2010 Will Kenney (B’95) to Dr Sharleet Mahal in April 2010 Oliver Mulcahy (C’05) to Olivia Gibson in July 2011 Toby Rumford (R’95) to Floriane Heutsch in August 2010

Preparing to go into the Church for the wedding of Hugo Sanders (R’00); from left to right: Alastair Stirling (B’00), Jack Harrison (G’00), Andrew Pollen (StB’00) and Nick Smyth (StB’00)

Marriages Ben Babington (G’96) to Susanna Hall on Saturday 21st May 2011 at St Mary’s Cadogan Street, London.

Mark Collini (StB’89) to Alex Finch on Saturday 7th May 2011 at Holy Trinity Church, Bosham Adam Fudakowski (G’02) to Katie Tween on Saturday 28th August 2010 in Zakopane, Poland with Fr Mark Barrett presiding John Haan (StB’96) to Annabel Church on Saturday 18th June 2011, in Kelso, Scotland Tom Hammond-Davies (C‘03) to Paull on Saturday 2nd April 2011 at the Oxford Registry Office, Oxford Daniel Garrigan (G’99) to Frances (Fran) on Saturday 11th July 2009 at the Sacred Heart Battersea, London Crispin Hayhoe (StB’82) to Anne Looney on the 26th June 2010 at St Dominic’s Priory, London with Fr Stephen Ortiger presiding

The ushers lunch at John Haan's (StB 96) wedding; pictured from left to right: Tom Gaisford (R’96), Simon Holland-Brown (B’96), Freddy Crossley (StB’96), Jack Smales (B’96), Olly Donaldson (R’96) and Ed Paget (G’96)

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This level of success is the product of continuous hard work and a great deal of nurture, care and dedication from many people to whom I extend my heartfelt thanks

Celebrating Success and Achievement 2010/11 has been an academic year in which Worth has continued to grow and evolve. In September 2010 we were joined by our first junior girls in Years 7 and 9. They have made a tremendous impression not only by adding to the decibel levels, but also a sense of refined glamour.

They are a credit to themselves and their achievement levels in all walks of life, testify to their full involvement in the life of the school. The boys also have taken the continual advance of co-education in their stride with a sense of grace and generosity of spirit. In reality, this new stage in our evolution has seemed so natural that it is difficult to remember a time when girls were not part of Worth.

This is a tremendous outcome as it reflects a school community at ease with itself and happy in its labours.

I was delighted when this was reflected in the Ofsted inspection report in February which identified the School as truly outstanding in all aspects of life. It stated that Worth clearly embodies, and makes visible, the Catholic Benedictine values and ethos that it promotes, encourages and attains high levels of achievement and concludes that it enables pupils to be happier, better and more mature people, well prepared for life beyond school. I was also delighted to read that boarders were keen to state when asked about the School; “We love it” and from one in

particular “This School grows happy pupils organically”.

This level of success is the product of continuous hard work and a great deal of nurture, care and dedication from many people to whom I extend my heartfelt thanks – the Governors, the monastic community, our parents and the Friends of Worth; our pupils and the teaching and support staff.

We reported excellent academic results across the board.

At GCSE all pupils gained a minimum of five or more grades at A*-C with 55% of all grades at A*-A. The 2010 Year 13 leavers secured a 100% pass rate at A2 level with 72% of all grades attaining A*-B and an IB score of 33.5 points which beat the world average of 28 points; thereby placing Worth, once again, in the forefront of leading UK IB schools. The vast majority of Year 13 leavers fulfilled their university entry requirements including all those offered places at Oxford, Cambridge and other leading Russell Group universities. This pattern of success at gaining university places looks set to be repeated again this year as all bar two Year 13 students seeking entry to university have achieved offers from their preferred choices, including Piotr Galuszka who has achieved offers to read Mathematics from Cambridge, Columbia, Yale and Harvard.

Above: Gino awards the prizes at Speech Day 2011 in the newly refurbished Abbey Church Right: Worth student Piotr Galuszka (centre) is heading to the USA in July as one of four team members to represent the UK in the International Linguistics Olympiad

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Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Outside the classroom, good attendance at academic clubs, societies and the Worth Lectures, has enabled intellectual curiosity to be challenged and stretched beyond the normal frontiers of the classroom. The principle of education at Worth continues to be based on encouraging students to think, to learn how to learn and to engage in an intellectual dialectic, rather than simply to be told what to know and place one’s faith in utilitarian skills.

Some notable academic achievements beyond examination results have included achievements in the National English Benedictine Schools’ Essay Writing Competition; 64 pupils in Years 9, 10 and 11 were awarded certificates in the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, 7 of whom achieved gold; 29 students were awarded certificates for the Mathematical Senior Challenge including 9 who achieved Gold Awards. In the National Biology Challenge, 4 pupils gained Bronze Awards, 6 Silver and 4 were awarded Gold. 60 students from Years 7 to 11 took part in the UK Linguistics Olympiad and Piotr Galuska went on to become Champion in the National Competition and has been selected to be part of the international UK visiting team which will take part in the finals in Pittsburgh USA in July. In LAMBDA Speech and Drama, 21 pupils were entered for grades of which 9 achieved Distinction, 9 Merit and 3 Passes. Katherine Farmer gained one of only 25 national places to attend the Guildhall School of Speech and Drama.

In music, a small army of students have gained a plethora of grades including 8 musicians who have attained grade 8 in a variety of instruments and voice.

We have the principal flautist and principal clarinettist in the Brighton Youth Orchestra, a cellist who plays for the Junior Royal College of Music and a pupil who plays Viola in the National Children’s Orchestra. Another pupil has performed with the “Cantati Group” of professional singers and yet another has been awarded a place with the National Youth Theatre!

The quality of music making has remained very high and the frequency of performance impressive – even with the temporary closure of the Abbey Church. There have been a number of chamber concerts held; an excellent performance of Faure’s Requiem; one of the best interhouse Music Competitions I have ever attended and, as

ever, a loud and exuberant Battle of the Bands.

There have also been several drama productions involving performances of students’ devised pieces and a most remarkable and inspiring production of “Don Quixotte”.

Younger actors in the School also gave a lively and colourful production of “Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat”.

Above left: The head boy and head girl for the 2010/11 academic year – Nick Elvidge and Tess Ryan Above right: The drama department put on a fabulous production of “Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat”

Other notable achievements have included the creation of a new literary journal named “Kaleidoscope” and 11 pupils from Year 7 have had poems selected for publication in the National Poetry Writing Competition.

A Worth Equestrian team has been established and in the lower School there has been the creation of the Abbot’s League where pupils join the abbatial teams of Ortiger, Jamison and Taggart to compete in a variety of activities and challenges. The School’s Debating Team has had an excellent year and was runner-up in the Oxford Union “Youth Speaks” competition. The Young Enterprise Company were runners-up in their regional final but won the category for best ‘Report and Accounts’ and were awarded distinctions for best ‘Presentation’ and best ‘Product Innovation’, whilst Elizabeth Hill was awarded the ‘Young Achiever of the Year Award’.

In the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme, not only did the School achieve an outstanding report by visiting inspectors, but 29 students achieved the Gold Award, 25 Silver and 59 Bronze.

The School has also seen a growing number of curricular and extra-curricular trips taking place. These include the annual battle field trip to the Somme and Flanders; the ski trip to France; the IB trips to Salamanca, Madrid, Paris and Rome; the Aurillaic exchange; the Year 7 Adventure Camp on the Isle of Wight; the Rugby tour to the West Country and a whole host of subject and foreign language based trips.

The inter-house Charity Competition – set up last year as part of the Worth 50 celebrations – seems to have given birth to a new tradition as the Chaplaincy and House representatives quickly adopted the same format for this year. Fr Martin kindly provided the “Caritas Shield”, won last year by St Mary’s House. This year the houses have, once again, adopted a variety of different charities and they are

Above: Musicians have gained a plethora of grades across a wide range of instruments

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working hard to raise money for their causes in an attempt to equal last year’s total donations of £20,000.

I am also delighted to report that in the area of chaplaincy and spiritual formation a great deal of magnificent work has been undertaken by the School chaplains, lay staff and the ever-growing number of highly committed students who motivate and support faith inspired encounters of various types.

Above: Here come the girls!

Top right: The fiercely-fought house Rugby finals won by Farwell Below: Worth’s new social centre The Pitstop café – has been in constant use throughout the year

In sport the School has attained some notable team and individual achievements with Worth pupils represented in the Great Britain Ski team, the Great Britain Children’s Ski Team; the Sussex U13 golf team; and at the Public Schools’ Fencing Championship. Frederica Williamson won the English Schools’ Swimming Association National Championships, represented England in the Home Internationals and is part of the England National Development Squad. We have in our midst the Captain of the U16 Sussex Water Polo team who also represented the Region at U18 level. We have pupils in the Sussex U14, U15, U16 and U17 Rugby squads; four pupils have been selected for the Harlequins’ School of Rugby and three more trialled for Sussex. Dylan Lall continues to play for Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club, is in their U18 scholars side and has been nominated for the Independent Schools Football Association at U16 level, alongside another pupil at U12 level. In cricket we have pupils represented in Sussex U13, U14, U15 level and U17 level .

In Rugby, the U18s were Sussex Cup semi-finalists; the U15s were Sussex Cup runners-up; the U15s were also Sussex Cup runners-up in the 7s competition and the U13s were winners of two Rugby 7s Plates and were semifinalists at the Oratory 7s.

The Year 7 and Year 9 girls have had an excellent season in all sports and went on to gain gold and silver positions in the Inter-Prep Schools’ Cross Country Championships.

In tennis, the 1st and U16 teams both won the Sussex Plate Competition.

As I hope the above demonstrates – success and achievement abound in all aspects of life at Worth and the variety of opportunities that exist for pupils to be engaged and inspired are immense.

As part of our constant desire to progress and develop, our social centre, “The Pitstop”, has been in constant use since it opened at the start of the year. The newly refurbished library is being well used and work has commenced on constructing two new additional laboratories which will be ready for September 2011. Planning permission has been granted for the construction of a new St Bede’s boarding house and work has started with a view to full occupation in September 2012. Work has also started on the construction of a floodlit Astro-turf, adjacent to the Austin cricket oval; and the plan is to have this facility fully operational for the start of the new academic year. Chapman and Farwell Houses will also undergo a major refurbishment of their study areas over the summer holidays and the first stage in the modernisation of the teaching block and the dining hall will be undertaken during the summer. Plans are also in hand for the future refurbishment of the current St Bede’s buildings in order to provide additional accommodation for day students and some additional classroom space – all of which will come on stream in September 2012.

The refurbishment of the Abbey Church is now complete – and you can read more about the service to celebrate its re-opening in James Forte’s (C’72) article on page 60.

Last year I spoke about the desire to build greatness here at Worth; a greatness founded on values, ethos and the visible living out of our faith across a myriad of human activities and achievements that God has inspired within us. This vision has not altered nor diminished. I am more confident than ever that Worth is engaged in a wonderful journey of creativity and is carving for itself and for future generations, a legacy which will nurture, support and challenge all who have the privilege to join our community.

The successes I have described are a reflection of these fundamentals and of the genuine commitment and industry of a great many people. I thank everyone associated with the school for their loyalty and for contributing to Worth’s continuing success.

Gino Carminati Head Master June 2011

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Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Abbot Kevin made solemn promises to lead the Monastic Community in their lives of prayer and work, and to watch over them as their father

Fr Kevin’s Abbatial Blessing

M

ore than 750 well-wishers, including a representative of the Papal Nuncio, a Cardinal, Abbots of other monasteries, Bishop John Hind of Chichester and dozens of clergy, flocked to Worth Abbey on Saturday 11th September 2010 to witness Dom Kevin Taggart’s formal installation as the monastery’s fifth Abbot.

In a moving and memorable ceremony, Bishop Kieran Conry solemnly blessed the new Abbot in front of a capacity congregation in a marquee especially erected while the Abbey Church was undergoing refurbishment.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor (Bishop Kieran’s predecessor as Catholic Bishop of Arundel and Brighton) joined Abbots and representatives of most Benedictine monasteries throughout England for the traditional blessing, along with parishioners, parents from Worth School and others from the many works in which Worth Abbey is engaged.

Cardinal Cormac, a long-standing friend of the new Abbot, said; “I am delighted to be here for the formal blessing of Abbot Kevin. It is an important occasion for the monastery and for the whole community... which is a source of prayer for the whole diocese.”

Left: Abbot Kevin and Bishop Kieran Conry in all their finery Below: Abbot Kevin (centre) flanked by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor and Bishop Kieran Conry

Bishop Kieran added: “The demands on an Abbot are strenuous. You have to give a great deal of yourself…It is a big day, a challenging day, an important day, a great moment for the church.”

Abbot Kevin, 79, was elected by the 25-strong Worth monastic community on the 2nd June 2010 for a term of eight years, during which time he will lead the Community as father of the monastic family.

During the Blessing, Abbot Kevin made solemn promises to lead the Monastic Community in their lives of prayer and work, and to watch over them as their father. He joked to the packed congregation; “I am a little bemused to be elected as Abbot at my time of life!”

And he continued, “It is a great occasion for the monastery”.

He thanked all those who had given their time to be at the Blessing and who give the monastic Community such support.

Abbot Kevin has been a monk at Worth for more than fifty years, but his connections with Worth go right back to his childhood when he was a pupil at Worth School during the war. As many Worthians will be aware, he became the first Housemaster of the senior school in 1959 and was subsequently Headmaster and Bursar. He also worked in the Abbey’s parish for 18 years.

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The Abbey Church Resplendent View from the Pew

S

unday 12th June 2011. It rained, and it rained, and rained even harder as late afternoon turned into evening, until it seemed that the heavens themselves were opening for the re-opening of the Abbey Church that was celebrated at Solemn Vespers on Pentecost Sunday.

Fortunately, the usual foresight of the community at Worth ensured that our arrival was greeted to a welcome spread of tea and cakes before a rainbow flotilla of umbrellas made the dash from marquee to Abbey Church for the start of the service.

Images of attending boyhood services in the original Abbey Church floated through my mind, together with memories of early services on an uncarpeted and seemingly ‘extra-hard’ concrete floor as the Church was pushed into service as soon as practical.

Today’s Worth Abbey Church is absolutely as described – a sanctuary, enhancing the experience of prayer for all who use it – monks, school, parish, visitors. The journey to develop today’s wonderful interior began in 1964 when the Foundation Stone was laid. The Church was consecrated in 1974 and can seat some 1400 people – the largest capacity of any Church in Sussex.

The building was originally designed by the distinguished architect, Francis Pollen. The vision was driven by Abbot Victor Farwell and both development and evolution were

“Take the furniture out of a room and its purpose is neutralised.

Put in furniture and the space has a purpose, put in what we call purpose-built furniture and the way the space is to be used becomes even clearer” continued by all his abbatial successors supported by the monastic community.

The major works – overseen by the dedicated hard work of Fr Aidan – that set the stage for this re-opening celebration include new windows, lighting, sound system, pew benches, kneelers, choir stalls, misericord seats, choir benches, reconciliation rooms, credence tables, server seats, lectern and balcony panels. The main material used is black American walnut with an ash line, and is Forest Stewardship Council certified.

With the Abbey Church nearing its full congregational capacity, the choir stalls resplendently filled by an impressive number of choristers and the community of monks taking their place in their seats – the ambience within the Church seemed to resonate with the values of Worth on the occasion of its re-opening.

Above: Abbot Kevin makes his way to the Abbey Church in the pouring rain Right: Br John, Br David and Br Gabriel process into the Abbey Church

60 I

The new improved acoustics enabled us to really appreciate the true talent of the choristers as their voices filled the Abbey, to be followed by the monastic community singing before Abbot Kevin to welcome the congregation. The Ambo, choir stalls and congregational pews were blessed.

It was evident that this congregation was not in the least bit bashful about all singing to resonating effect, so contributing fully to the memorability of the occasion.

Dom Aidan read a fittingly chosen passage from Exodus, “All who are skilful among you shall come and make all that the Lord has commanded”.

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

And so to Fr Christopher’s homily which was so thought provoking – drawing on ‘furniture’ as both theme and inspiration. We learned, or had our memories refreshed, about the designs for the Ark of the Covenant – God’s 10 commandments being so precious that they had to be kept in a cabinet as strong and as beautiful as the words themselves...Jesus’ birth accompanied by a manger for a bed, a very rough piece of furniture, Jesus as carpenter...

Furniture, Fr Christopher elucidated, gives purpose to an empty space. “Take the furniture out of a room and its purpose is neutralised. Put in furniture and the space has a purpose, put in what we call purpose-built furniture and the way the space is to be used becomes even clearer”.

Fr Christopher took us through the development of a Church as a place of worship, and the Catholic tradition of celebrating the presence of Christ with three pieces of furniture: “a stone altar for the celebration of Mass, a fixed chair from which the bishop or priest could preside and…an ambo from which to proclaim the scriptures...The Word of God was proclaimed at the ambo, the Sacrifice of Christ was offered at the altar and from the chair the priest presided and led the prayers in persona Christi. Even when not in use, these three items came to symbolise the presence of Christ as sacrifice, as Word and as priest. The furniture itself becomes sanctified by its use and is a permanent reminder of the purpose of the Church, a reminder not only of the purpose of the building but also the mission of the faithful”.

Fr Christopher made the connections between monastic life, beautiful souls and a beautiful church – a space full of spaciousness and light that feeds our souls and our communities. The homily also included thanks to the many benefactors whose generosity made the completion of the Abbey Church possible.

Above left: Abbot Kevin takes centre stage Above right: A near capacity congregation witnessed the reopening ceremony

The notes of incense reached me as Abbot Kevin led the congregation through the service which was concluded with the Solemn Blessing and we celebrated and signalled the Abbey’s re-opening with a resounding final Hymn.

Once again, the rainbow flotilla of umbrellas made its dash – this time from Abbey Church to marquee. The monastic community hosted the congregation over a celebration with bubbly fare and delightful canapés. A convivial and enjoyable ‘fin de scene’.

James Forte (C’72) July 2011

Below: Fr Luke armed with many brollies!

Above: The Abbey Church resplendent Left: The pew benches are made from Forest Stewardship certified black American walnut with an ash line

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Worthians—University Places Gained Autumn 2010 Name

Course

University

Name

Course

University

David Armstrong

English Literature

Durham

Christopher Kirkman

Engineering

Bath

Roberto Escudero Ayllon

Law, Business & Management

Madrid

Matthew Kwong

Business Management

Kingston

Olivia Barclay-Hudson

Environmental Science

Leeds

Ryan Lall

Sports & Business Management

UWE

Benjamin Barham

Construction Project Management

Oxford Brookes

Naomi Larsson

Classics

Bristol

Alexander Latham

PPE

Exeter

Aidan Baun

Geology & Geography

Manchester

Garance-Amanda Lauer

Business Studies & Economics

Fiona Bond

Psychology

Trinity University College

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Sophie Bowe

Psychology

Durham

Sebastien Lewis

Politics & Sociology

Exeter

Business Management with French

Reading

Samuel Bradley Sam Bravery

History & Economics

Cardiff

Wilfrid Lytton

Geology

UCL

Jeroen Bromilow

Economics & Spanish

Cardiff

Flora Macdonald

Psychology

Leeds

Jason Chan

Philosophy

KCL

Jonathan Mann

History

Swansea

Scott Cheung

Mathematics

Imperial

John Manning

Economics

Birmingham Aberystwyth

Maxwell Cobb

Biomedical Sciences

Manchester

Zarah Manning

Geography

Jessica Coffin

Geography

Oxford

Louisa McCarthy

Sport Science

South Bank

Charles Coleman

Media

Greenwich

Scott McIntosh

Real Estate

UWE

Alvaro Comas Gomez

Law

Westminster

William Miles

Biology

Sussex

English Literature

Bristol St Louis Uni - Madrid

Jack Corr

Law with Chemistry

Keele

Hugh Minch

James Crick

Forensic Science

Canterbury

Tara Nagelschmitz

Business Management

Bristol

Alexander Neville Smith

Economics

Liverpool

Geography

Liverpool

Animal Science

Newcastle

Timothy Davies

Classics

Hugh Dixon

Real Estate Management

RAC Cirencester

Chloe Noakes

Matthew Donegan

Theology

Leeds

Edward O’Hare

Newcastle

Alexander O’Mahony-Zed Business Management

Exeter

Music

Cambridge

Patrick Donegan

Economics & Management

Leo Drysdale

Engineering

UWE

Benedict Oakley

Jack Featherby

Material Science

Oxford

Charlotte Perry

Psychology

Kent

Oxford

Natasha Plummer

International Management & Modern Foreign Languages

Bath

Andrew Pring

Engineering

Bristol

Thomas Prower

Real Estate Management

Oxford Brookes

Harry Pye

Hospitality Management

Leeds Metropolitan

Peter Fitzsimons

PPE

Thomas Fletcher

Physics

Imperial

Charles Forbes

Hospitality Management

Oxford Brookes

Soham Gehani

Accounting

Newcastle

Alexander Gill

Economics & Philosophy

Nottingham

Nikita Glisanovs

Business Management

Westminster

James Harrold

Economics & Geography

Leeds

Charlotte Hart

English

Oxford

Alexandra Hess

Real Estate

Birmingham City

Alexander Hickson

American Studies

Sussex

Anna-Barbara Hocker

Economics & Business Studies with Language & Management

WHU, Germany

Luis Huete

Economics & Politics

Navarra

Laura Hurley

French

Leeds Metropolitan

Charlotte Hutchinson

Social Science

Cardiff

Kyusan Hwang

Economics & Statistics

Edinburgh

Madeleine Illsley

French & Spanish

Bristol

Oliver Jacobs

Music & Sound Recording

Surrey

Matthew Jeffrey

Economics

Birmingham

Danielle Jeyes

Biology

Nottingham

Catherine Jones

History

Liverpool

William Kan

Clinical Science

CMD

Thomas Keefe

Maths & Philosophy

York

William Kelly

PPE

Warwick

Edward Kemp

History & Archaeology

York

Alexander King

International Business

Birmingham

62 I

Matthew Quinn

Archaeology

Bristol

Antony Riley

Business Administration

Bath

Joseph Rivers

Geography & Geology

Manchester

Christoph Roggemann

Law

Tübingen

Lewes Russell

Business Management

Southampton Solent

Andrew Scanlon

International Business & Economics

Manchester

Nathaniel Scherer

Psychology

Newcastle

David Stark

Law

Greifswald

Isabel Stewart-Roberts

Combined Honours

Newcastle

Hugo Sunnucks

Business

Durham

Chloe Thomas

Speech and Language Therapy

City

Ross Topham

Film Production

Birmingham City

Harry Udale

Business Information Tech

Kent

William Watkins

Life Sciences

Aberystwyth

Anna Webb

Natural Sciences

Cambridge

Lucy Whitehouse

English

York

Benedict Wintour

Sociology

Leeds

Harry Woodman

Film & TV Production

York

Celia Young

Classical Literature & Philosophy Leeds Please note, these details were correct at time of going to press

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Worthians—The Second Generation: July 2011 Pupil

Christian

Current

Surname

Name

Year

House

Father’s name

Pupil

Christian

Current

(house, year left)

Surname

Name

Year

House

Father’s name (house, year left)

Clyde-Smith

Benjamin

13

Gervase

Julian (G'68)

Neville Smith

William

13

Gervase

David (prep school)

Elwes

Samuel

9

Rutherford

Benedict (G'81)

Noel-Hill

Michael

13

Gervase

Steve (StB'74)

Elwes

Jasper

10

Rutherford

Benedict (G'81)

Owers

Samuel

11

Butler

Paul (G'81)

Harries

William

9

Rutherford

David (G'80)

Pickard

Rory

13

Gervase

Simon (StB'78)

Marcos

Vincent

9

Rutherford

Ferdinand (R'74)

Spencer

Piers

10

Butler

Peter (G'78) RIP

Marcos

Joseph-Simon

10

Rutherford

Ferdinand (R'74)

Wheeler

Ruan

10

Rutherford

James (C'68)

Marcos

Ferdinand

12

Rutherford

Ferdinand (R'74)

Whelpton

Harry

13

Gervase

Charles (B'74)

Metcalf

James

12

Rutherford

Nicholas (R'75)

Children of Worthians Registered to Join Worth: July 2011 Pupil

Christian

Proposed

Year

Father’s name

Pupil

Christian

Proposed

Year

Father’s name

Surname

Name

start date

group

(house, year left)

Surname

Name

start date

group

(house, year left)

Adams

William

2013

9

Charles (R'86)

McMenemy

Charles

2012

9

Simon (R'89)

Bain

Annapurna

2011

12

Peter (R'75)

Morrissey

William

2012

9

Patrick (R'84)

Bayles

Sebastian

2017

9

Simon (B'90)

Morrissey

Frederick

2015

9

Patrick (R'84)

Birrell

George

2011

9

Mark (G'77)

Nevill

Olivia

2012

9

Dominic (R'74)

Bruning

Emma

2013

9

Christian (StB'88)

Owers

Isabelle

2012

9

Paul (G'81)

Buckley

Alicia

2012

12

Sean (G'83)

Quigley

Alexander

2014

9

Donal (R'81))

Ceparano

Matthew

2013

7

Anthony (C'88)

Shanahan

John

2013

9

John (G'69)

Dring

Naomi

2011

12

Dominic (G'80)

Sharpe

Frederick

2011

9

Jonathan (B'84)

Elwes

Barnaby

2012

9

Benedict (G'81)

Sharpe

Sophie

2012

12

Jonathan (B'84)

Flood

Oliver

2011

9

Dermot (C'77)

Taylor

Patrick

2012

9

Sean (C'85)

Hamilton-Deeley

Harry

2013

9

Gavin (R'70)

Woolgar

Edward

2012

12

Dermot (G'83)

Harries

Toby

2012

9

David (G'80)

One of the Mediterranean’s best kept secrets

C’an Rolls is a fantastic family holiday villa (sleeping 6), situated in a wonderful position adjoining the Mediterranean on the little known Balearic island of Formentera with its superb beaches.

Available from May to October 2012.

Prices from £750 per week.

For further details please call Simon Gabriel on 01892 619888 or email simon@greenlizardhomes.co.uk

I 63

“The country boarding school of choice” The Good Schools Guide

“The atmosphere of industry in the classrooms was outstanding” ISI Inspection 2009

Open Mornings

Saturday 1st October 2011 and Friday 4th May 2012

A leading co-educational Catholic prep school for 3 to 13 year olds, which welcomes boarders and day pupils of all denominations and is set in 60 acres of beautiful parkland in the Test Valley of Hampshire.

‘Outstanding’ in all six areas inspected by Ofsted 2010. See more at:

www.farleighschool.com Farleigh School, Red Rice, Andover, Hampshire SP11 7PW