Worth Society Blue Paper 2012

The

blue paper Magazine 2011/12

Julian McCarthy dove biking at London 2012 Worth Society Life

60 years on: a trip down memory lane Feeling the burn among the Maasai Life and Times of Worthians

Interview with Philip Mould OBE Designing robots to build on the Moon Books

Poems from the new generation of War Poets

The

blue paper

Contents Worth Society Life 04

Chairman’s Report 2011/12 Nick Butterworth (G’76)

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My Journey from Football Agent to Addiction Intervention Steven Noel-Hill (StB’74)

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Message from Olivia Henley Worth Society Committee

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Visiting the Mudannayake family in Sri Lanka Janine Forbes-Kiely, Matron, Gervase House

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Worth Society Events 60 years on: A trip down Memory Lane – Ted Pigot (1937-40) 2012 City Lunch – Simon McMenemy (R’89) Recent Leavers’ London Networking Evening – Daniel Pring (R’03) Andrew Taylor 1999-2011 Leavers’ Gathering – Andrew Taylor 2012 Worthians Girls’ Reunion – Lucy Whitehouse (StM’10) 2001 Leavers’ 10-Year Reunion – Jos Seligman (StB’01) 1991 Leavers’ 20-Year Reunion – Ben Hamilton (B’91) 1981 Leavers’ 30-Year Reunion – Dominic Strickland (C’81)

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News in Brief

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Announcements – Births/Engagements/Marriages/ Distinctions/Deaths

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Sponsorship Support

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Books Heroes: 100 Poems from the New Generation of War Poets edited by John Jeffcock (R’85) How to Build a Brain: And 34 Other Really Interesting Uses of Mathematics by Richard Elwes (G’96) Review by Jeremy Dowling

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Work Experience Insight into the City – James Folger (B’10)

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Careers Fair 2012 Duncan Pring, Head of Careers

Theatre Review Chris O’Shea in “Sea Plays” by Daniel Pring (R’03)

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Global Action Awards: Year 12 Introduction: Olivia Henley

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GAA: Feeling the Burn among the Maasai Jack Clancy (F’11)

Obituaries Peter Cole (C’92) by Paddy Lynch (C’92) Mick Fagan by Glenn Robertson and Mike Margrett Sister Joan Edey by Fr Stephen Ortiger

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GAA: Living the Dream in Kathmandu Chris Napleton (C’11)

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Worth Society Sport: Rugby – Desmond Calnan (R’69) Golf – Ken Ross (G’65) Girls’ Hockey – Joey Hall-Palmer Squash – Jeremy Dowling Football – Andrew Taylor/Darren Carrick Tennis – Crispin Hayhoe (StB’82)

The Old Place 70

Aiming High and Aspiring to Excellence Gino Carminati, Head Master

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

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Merchandise Order Form

Life and Times of Worthians 32

Caught on Camera

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Dove Biking at London 2012 Julian McCarthy (StB’79)

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Designing Robots to Build on the Moon Neil Leach (G’76)

40

In Hiding with the Opposition in Syria James Longman (B’05)

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Philip Mould OBE (StB’78) Interview

46

Olive Oil: Made in Britain Neil Davy (G’89)

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Journey of Self-Discovery Neil Laughton (C’82)

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 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)

Advertisers We would like to extend our grateful thanks to this year’s advertisers: Owen Lean Signet Partners Worth School Magazine designed and produced by: Green Lizard: 01892 619888

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Chairman’s Report 2011/12

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he last twelve months have shown that, despite severe economic hardship for many and real uncertainty about the future, our nation responds so enthusiastically to the opportunity to organise and celebrate great events. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was a hugely uniting occasion and it is typical of Worth that the event was not only celebrated, but that great thought ensured it was as inclusive as possible. The School’s Jubilee Jamboree, organised by the Friends of Worth, included a reunion for those who were in the Prep School when the Queen acceded to the throne, drawing 25 former Prep School pupils back (some for the first time in 60 years!) to one of the most memorable of reunions. The Olympics provided a further opportunity for people to demonstrate a real feeling of national pride and the story behind the cover of this issue of The Blue Paper, by Julian McCarthy (StB’79), highlights the massive planning and detailed thought that went into the organisation of every aspect of the Games of the XXX Olympiad.

It has also been another year in which Worthians have featured in, or been behind, worldwide events as Olivia highlights in her following message. From risking their lives to defend peace, reporting under siege on oppressed people, raising significant money for various causes through to mutual support for fellow Worthians and helping current students by attending careers events or arranging work placements – 2011/12 has shown how much so many Worthians do to help others and that’s just what we hear about as many do a lot below the radar. That is the enduring benefit of what we learnt and were inspired to do by the monks and members of staff during our respective times at Worth.

It is a hugely rewarding experience for all of us on the Worth Society Committee to help channel that interest in supporting others to those who need help. I thank everyone who has supported our endeavours to connect Worthians, and to those who have contributed to this issue of our annual magazine which illustrates the diversity of Worthians’ lives. I am also indebted to the ‘hard to rein back’ enthusiasm and commitment of Fr Kevin and Fr Luke, the Head Master, Dr Duncan Pring and Andrew Taylor (who we were delighted to welcome to the Committee after twelve years of highly respected House Master-ship), the respective Heads of the sporting groups along with my fellow Worthian members of the Committee – who have again committed energy, great thought and time to the continuing development of Worth Society. Above all, I thank Olivia whose extraordinary dedication, thoughtfulness, sheer hard work and good humour as our Society Manager has been at the heart of our most active year to date.

That activity has included the introduction of the new website, an e-newsletter conveying news of events organised by Worthians, (which was viewed by considerably more recipients than the industry norm!), further development of our business networking through the Worthians Group on Linkedin (now numbering 650 members) as well as the now regular annual decade reunions, City lunches, recent leavers networking evenings and girls reunions, through to widening our sartorial collection to include a Jubilee hallmarked, sterling silver ‘crown and cross’ charm for our lady members.

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Message from Olivia Henley

Members will be pleased to hear that, following last year’s assessment by OFSTED as ‘outstanding’, the School continues to thrive and now numbers 584 students. 2012 saw the best ever level of A* grades at GCSE and 75% of grades at A level and IB equivalent were A* to B. IB students achieved an average IB points score of 37 points per candidate – the highest ever attained – and 11 pupils gained 40+ points.

One of Worth Society’s primary aims is to support the School and, once again this year, Worthians supported the annual Careers Fair providing six of the eleven speakers, visited Worth to speak at lectures and to give informal talks, facilitated work placements for students and provided funding to the Global Action Awards and sponsorship. That funding was greatly helped by a number of Worthians who generously made either specific donations to the Society, or added an amount to their annual subscription. We are immensely grateful for this generosity. One of our fundamental aims is to increase the level of support we offer to Worthians who are seeking to help others. We also received a donation for the specific purpose of assisting a family who were encountering severe financial difficulties from a Worthian who had benefited from such generosity in the past. With guidance from the Head Master we were able to direct the donation to a family with an immediate need, and this funding enabled a pupil to complete his education at Worth.

In the Monastery there are now 22 Monks in residence and 24 in total. Br Gabriel Dobson and Br David Jarmy are Juniors in the Community. Br Gabriel made his Solemn Vows in September 2011, while Br David is due to make his Solemn Vows in September 2013. Abbot Kevin is attending the four yearly Congress in Rome of all Benedictine Abbots from around the world in September 2012. Fr Martin has stepped down as School Chaplain after 11 years and is currently having a sabbatical, while Fr Peter has taken over as the new School Chaplain. Fr Christopher continues in his role as Director of the National Office of Vocation, for the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

A year rarely passes without sad news and since the last issue we learnt of the deaths of three Worthians – Peter Cole (C’92), Roger Belson (R’67) and Robert Dory (StB’68). Shortly after the last issue of The Blue Paper was published, Sister Joan Edey died at the grand age of 95 and I represented the great number of Worthians who she had helped through illness at her funeral Mass at Worth.

The School also reported the very premature death of Matthew Boughton, Head of Drama and I ask that you remember each of them in your prayers.

In comparing our Society with other former pupil organisations, Worth Society has one of the highest percentages of subscribed members who have been through the School. Looking ahead, our ambition is to increase our income by attracting more members in order that we can provide additional help through the Worthians Charitable Trust. We are also working on ways to connect ever more Worthians to help with careers and to meet socially. I hope all of you will see from this issue that the Society is immensely active – and that is a result of your great support for which all members of the Committee thank you wholeheartedly.

Nick Butterworth (G’76) September 2012

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

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have been particularly struck in compiling this latest edition of The Blue Paper, at just how many Worthians seem to be, in no small part, involved in news that is making the headlines.

Anthony Aris (R’64) is currently touring Europe with his sister-in-law, the Burmese pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who was married to Anthony’s late twin brother, Michael, before his tragic death in 1999.

James Longman (B’05) is frequently found reporting on the uprising in Syria, having spent the summer of 2011 tracking the fledgling uprising there at the start of the movement we now call the ‘Arab Spring’; Sir David Bell (C’64) has been appointed an assessor for the Leveson Inquiry; and Brigadier Patrick Sanders (R’83) returned from Afghanistan in May 2012, from a six month tour deployed on Operation HERRICK 15, which aims to hand over responsibility for security in Afghanistan to the Afghan National

Security Forces (ANSF) by the end of 2014.

There are also many Worthians who, in their busy working lives, find the time to do some fantastic work for the benefit of others – such as Ben Hancock (G’90) who, back in 2009, set up London Poppy Day which he organises annually and which raised a record £450,000 in November 2011 for our armed forces; Adam Fudakowski (G’02) who dedicates so much time and energy to his role as Chairman of the Order of Malta Volunteers; and Neil Laughton (C’82) who leads the pioneering youth development programme, NextGen, for the benefit of some of the UK’s most marginalised young people.

It is these insights into your lives – and there are many more examples that I could proffer – that help to make my role so interesting and rewarding.

There are so many Worthians who provide truly inspirational role models for the

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

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

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

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

Robert Bodnar-Horvath (B 1969-74) — Trustee Office: 020 8408 2524 e-mail: robertbodnarhorvath@blueyonder.co.uk Nick Butterworth (G 1971-76) — Director, Trustee Office: 020 7664 6644 e-mail: nbutterworth@jackson-stops.com

Ed Keelaghan (R 1993-1998) Mobile: 07967 303496 e-mail: edward.keelaghan@gmail.com Daniel Pring (R 1998-2003) Mobile: 07865 064439 e-mail: danielpring@ymail.com

Gino Carminati Head Master Office (sec): 01342 710226 e-mail: headmaster@worth.org.uk

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

Mark Collini (StB 1984-89) — Director Office: 020 7783 4941 e-mail: markcollini@yahoo.co.uk

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

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

Dominic Strickland (C 1976-81) Office: 020 7937 1776 e-mail: dominic@strickland.co.uk

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

younger generation coming through Worth and I am, as ever, indebted to the increasing number of you who help in so many ways.

Many thanks to all of you who assist by arranging, and / or taking part in, all the sporting fixtures; helping to organise the decade reunions and the increasing number of events that we run each year; facilitating 2-week work experience placements within your business; visiting Worth to speak about your work at the annual Careers Fair or to give talks at the Friday evening lectures; and of course, providing me with material for this magazine.

This list is certainly not exhaustive. I am truly grateful to all of you – without your support we would not be able to achieve nearly so much and I send my heartfelt thanks for your continued support; and to everyone who has contributed to what I think is another great issue of The Blue Paper.

Olivia Henley, Worth Society Manager

Andrew Taylor — Football Office: 01342 710515 e-mail: ataylor@worth.org.uk Worthians Cricket Club Simon Jones (StB’98) Mobile: 07736 686107 e-mail: SKJones@ReedSmith.com Worthians Golfing Society Ken Ross (G ‘65) Home: 01323 733499 e-mail: Kenneth.ross2@virgin.net Worthians Rugby Club Desmond Calnan (R ‘69) Home/Mobile: 01372 386511 or 07535 939582 e-mail: dcalnan@tecres.net Worthians Sailing Hugo Sunnucks (R’09) e-mail: hugo@sunnucks.co.uk Girls’ Sporting Co-ordinators Louisa McCarthy (StM’10) e-mail: mcclouisa91@gmail.com Alice Rooke (StA’12) e-mail: Rookie93@hotmail.co.uk For all other Sporting Clubs contact: Olivia Henley, Society Manager Office: 01342 710241 e-mail: worthsociety@worth.org.uk

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The following 25 Worthians / Old Gregorians attended the Jubilee Jamboree:

60 Years on: A trip down Memory Lane

The Jubilee Jamboree in full flow!

Events

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he Worth Jubilee Jamboree took place at Worth School on the afternoon of Saturday 26th May 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Organised by the Friends of Worth, the event brought together the whole School community for a giant street party-style day – with traditional attractions, high octane rides, a hog roast, barbeque and a host of family-friendly stalls for all to enjoy.

In the embryonic stages of the event’s organisation, it was decided that the day wouldn’t be complete without the presence of Worthians who attended Worth Prep School in 1952 and 1953 – covering both the year the Queen ascended the throne and her Coronation. At this time, and since its founding in 1933, Worth had been a Prep School for Downside until Worth Senior School was established in 1959.

Step in Jake Francis-Jones, Old Gregorian (OG) and Executive Secretary of St Gregory’s Society at Downside. Jake issued a notice on our behalf in his OG e-newsletter, inviting OGs who had attended Worth in 1952 and 1953, to contact myself and Sara Barclay Hudson, Co-Chair of Friends of Worth and stalwart organiser of the Jubilee Jamboree.

Nothing could quite have prepared us for the response that we received – it was quite magnificent!

Although not all who made contact with us were able to make it to the Jamboree; we welcomed 25 Prep School Worthians for a truly remarkable and memorable reunion event which we hosted in the Cowdray Room at Worth School.

It was a particularly poignant day for some – as they returned to Worth for the first time since the day they had left the School, some 60 years before.

Ted Pigot shared his experiences of the day with us …

The greatly anticipated day of the Worth Jubilee Jamboree dawned as a wonderful bright summer’s day, and the excitement mounted as noon approached and the guests arrived to see the huge preparations that had been made for these festivities by the Friends of Worth.

As we entered the Quad, we were greeted by Dodgems and a Meteor Centrifuge – all ready and waiting for those daring enough to have a go! These, together with the many other fairground facilities, showed the great effort that the Friends of Worth had made for the benefit of the whole Worth community on this celebratory day.

Michael Agius, Kevin Dwyer and Peter Pavry pictured in front of Tower House where they first met in 1953

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Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Central to the ‘great day’ was an invitation that had been extended to boys who attended Worth during the time of the Queen’s ascension to the throne in 1952 and her Coronation in 1953. I arrived at Worth in 1937 to join my brother, David, who had started at Worth when it first

opened in 1933. Today, I was one of those able to represent boys who were at the Prep School prior to the Second World War, until the time when everyone was evacuated to Downside in 1940.

Events

Michael Agius 1952-58 Peter Agius 1962-66 Antonio (Tony) Bueno 1950-55 David Cane 1953-56 Michael Cane 1948-53 John Carter 1952-58 Robin Clapham 1948-53 Marquis Nicholas de Piro 1950-55 Kevin Dwyer 1953-58 Michael Hawkins 1949-53 David Legge 1949-54 Tom Maddock 1954-55 John Magauran 1947-53 Simon Matthews 1947-52 Byard McHugh 1945-50 Roderick (Roddy) Melotte 1947-52 Martin Monico 1943-1949 John Moran 1947-49 + 1 James Pavry 1959-63 Peter Pavry 1953-58 Richard Pavry 1950-55 Ted Pigot 1937-40 Anthony Pontifex 1953-56 Alan Ridgway 1948-53 Dr Peter Louis Wright 1948-49

I was thoroughly spoilt having arrived the day before to spend the night with my nephew, Giles Watson (who is Housemaster of Gervase), and his wife Anna and their delightful children whom I had not seen for four years.

So for me, it was just a minute’s stroll from Gervase to the main Quad, where I arrived in time to be greeted by the familiar face of Abbot Kevin (in our day a young Novice and a fine rugby player) and to meet some of my compatriots.

The Jamboree opened at 12 noon with a rousing rendition of the National Anthem, played on an electric guitar from the top of the Tower. From here our worthy group was ushered into the Cowdray Room, where the Abbot conducted a brief blessing to mark the start of our reunion and the School’s current Head Master, Gino Carminati, warmly welcomed us all. There were further warm words from the ever-smiling Fr Stephen, himself a former Abbot and, like Fr Kevin, an Old Gregorian.

We were then free to mingle and talk (and talk we did!) while enjoying free-flowing champagne and some delicious canapés.

A sumptuous buffet lunch followed, when we were joined

by Abbot Kevin again and other members of the Monastic community. It was a great opportunity to reconvene with old friends and I was able to say a big hello to Dom Philip Gaisford, whom I had last met at a lunch with his father and mother at the Residency in Bangalore when he was just nine years old! Although I had been at Downside with his elder brothers, I hadn't seen Dom Philip since that day.

After lunch we were taken on an extended tour of the School to re-visit some of our old Prep School haunts. The tour was led by Fr Stephen and some charming members of the girls’ houses – St Mary's (boarding) and St Anne’s (day) – who kept us amused and entertained throughout with anecdotes as to how it had been for them joining the formerly all-male community at Worth, and of experiences from their previous schools.

We had a nostalgic visit to the Monks’ Cemetery where I found many old friends, including Abbot Victor Farwell who was Second Master at the time that Worth was evacuated to the Worth Block at Downside during the war.

Abbot Victor continued to run the Scout Troop there, and I became the first ‘1st Class Scout of the Troop’ back in 1940! Others that brought back many memories included Dom Maurice (it was me that nicknamed him FJ), Dom Julian, Dom Alban and Dom Oliver.

Tom Maddock and Anthony Pontifex

Simon Matthews and Roddy Melotte

Byard McHugh, Fr Stephen and David Cane

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Right: Byard McHugh with the tour guides from St Mary’s, from left to right: Mia Ryan, Lizzy Narbeth, Letizia Vargas and Charlotte Bonhoure

Far left: Clockwise from left to right: Kate Hamilton, Charlotte Bonhoure, Mia Ryan and Ted Pigot Left: David Legge, Kevin Dwyer and Robin Clapham – three first cousins who flew over from Ireland especially for the Jubilee Jamboree Reunion

Far right: Nicholas de Piro examines an old school photo

We returned to the Cowdray Room for the taking of a team photograph on the lawn which was followed by a welcome cup of tea from the Jubilee Jamboree’s ‘Vintage Tea Tent’.

Below left: Revisiting the past Below right: Byard McHugh, Anthony Pontifex and Nicholas de Piro

Our thanks to everyone who helped to make this great visit to Worth such a happy and nostalgic occasion for us Prep School boys – what a day!

Ted Pigot (1937-41) June 2012

Memories Past “I started at the Prep School in Sept 1952 and remember the Coronation well. I was in the infirmary with Chicken Pox which was sweeping through the school at the time!

Whether I was allowed out for any of the celebrations at all, I can't remember now.”

Michael Agius (1952-58 ) “I can remember the Coronation so well – not least for the sheer magic of a 'live' outside broadcast which I had never seen before, and also having a television picture projected onto a screen on the building behind, what at the time, was known as Tower House. In those days we didn't have a television at home, so it was an additional thrill. Perhaps the most poignant moment for me in returning for the Jamboree was evoked as I approached the gates at the end of the front drive. I wound down the window in anticipation of waving my car park sticker at someone, and as the azaleas came into view I caught the smell of them. In a split second I was transported back 60 years.

It was quite surreal that a 60 year-old memory could be so stimulated with one whiff; and perhaps even more amazing to think that those azaleas look as wonderful now as they did then – quite remarkable!”

Michael Hawkins (1949-53) “The time at Worth for the Jamboree was indeed charged with emotion – reflecting our stay at Worth Priory (as it was then), was a very happy period in our lives. Watching the Queen sail down the Thames yesterday on the television, I felt grateful to her for the Jubilee which brought us all together; a finer excuse, impossible.”

Tom Maddock (1954-55)

Below: Back row from left to right: Peter Agius, Fr Stephen, Michael Hawkins, Kevin Dwyer, Anthony Pontifex, John Moran, Robin Clapham, Simon Matthews, David Cane Front row from left to right: Michael Agius, Roddy Melotte (wearing dark glasses), Tom Maddock, John Carter, John Magauran, Alan Ridgway, Byard McHugh, Fr Kevin, Dr Peter Wright (wearing dark glasses), Ted Pigot, Peter Pavry, Tony Bueno, David Legge, Richard Pavry (wearing glasses), Michael Cane, James Pavry, Nicholas de Piro, Tigs Nott (née Sacre), Fr Richard

"I reported back to my sister, Jane, who was very disappointed not to be there. She remembered over half of those who came to the reunion and could recount many stories about them. I thought it inappropriate to tell

the very helpful girls who showed us around of her memories of Fr Stephen who, when in Tower House, would swing from the rafters; his ambition at that age to be Tarzan!"

Simon Matthews (1947-52) “By special request, Fr Stephen very kindly took me up to my old dormitory, now known as the O’Connor Room.

During the time that Worth was requisitioned during the Second World War, the O’Connor Room had been used as the planning room for the Canadian Infantry Division’s part in the invasion of Europe as part of VIII Corps, commanded by the highly decorated and distinguished General, Sir Richard O’Connor.

“The commemorative plaque of Worth’s military occupation (now rather difficult to read and probably the worse for wear after many more years of ‘pupil occupation’!) had been above my bed on the North wall of the room. It now resides on the East wall.

“Another piece of Worth history that many I spoke to seemed unaware of, is that the first torpedo was tested out in the pond. Although unsubstantiated, it seems quite credible since the inventor, Robert Whitehead, bought the estate in 1881.

“Anyway, that minor excursion down the dark narrow passage to what had been the chapel and up the small winding oak staircase to the dormitory, opposite which Dom Michael Smith – known to us as Snitch – had a small room, was perhaps the most evocative part of my visit back to Worth. I could almost hear the shrill screams of us young boys as we broke the ‘no running, no ragging around’ rules.”

Roddy Melotte (1947-52)

“I approached my first visit since leaving Worth with some trepidation. I needn’t have worried as the whole day was a delight – bringing back many memories in the most friendly and open-hearted company. I recalled the day of the Coronation seen on a tiny monochrome TV set up on the stage in Tower House; the stables where I had ridden a series of overweight ponies; the grounds around which Dom Brendan Lavery used to ride around on his motorcycle; Dom Jerome’s ‘0’ gauge steam railway in the basement and Dom Dennis’s ‘00’ one in his study; the baby grand piano belonging to Dom Thomas Symons on which I once found a letter from Sibelius; and of course Dom Maurice Bell, the then Headmaster, and his attempts to inculcate musical appreciation on a wind-up gramophone. Visiting the Monastic cemetery was most poignant and Abbot Kevin’s conducted tour of the Abbey church was a fitting end to our visit.

Alan Ridgway (1947-53) “I remember particularly the day the old King died. There were classrooms called the Potting Sheds, and everything just stopped when his death was announced. It was quite extraordinary – we all came out of the classrooms and milled about, not really knowing what to say or to do.”

Anthony Staveacre

Events

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Other great memories flooded back to me – including Christmas holidays spent at Worth with my brother when our parents were based in India; the time when Dom Simon van-Zellar took me shooting with a .22 rifle and we bagged an albino squirrel; a Christmas trip to Bertram Mills Circus with the then Prior, Dom Siegbert Trafford. Oh, what happy days these were – particularly compared to those spent at the sad convent where I went before moving onto Worth. It was, literally, heaven on earth!

Top left: Nicholas de Piro as a Worth Prep School boy Top centre: Peter Pavry with his older brother, Richard, outside the main school building Top right: Worth Prep School boys celebrating the Queen’s Coronation back in 1953

“Thank you so much for your part in organising such a happy reunion at Worth. Although much has necessarily been done to improve and modernise the school and monastic facilities since the 1950s, Worth still retains that sense of peace and wellbeing which has always remained with me. To see it all in celebration and in perfect weather was a real treat. Of course nostalgia ruled – but that’s no bad thing once in a while.

“Meeting old friends and recollections of many friends, teachers and mentors now at rest, came flooding back.

Perhaps most vivid of all was the memory of waiting in the Quad on Sunday mornings to see my parent's car appear around the bend at the end of the drive to take us home for an exeat. Happy home and happy school – what more could a boy have wanted – a true blessing.”

Peter Pavry (1953-58) Right: The 1949 Worth Prep School Leavers

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Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

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We welcomed the following Honorary Guests and Worthians to the 2012 City Lunch: Honorary Guests: Abbot Kevin Fred Belcher Evonne Gubbin Glenn Robertson Nick Robinson Roger Stokes Helen Sweetman Worthians: 1960s Desmond Calnan (R’69)

Terence Calnan (R’65) Mike Clarke (G’63) Anthony Green (C’69) Gavin Hamilton-Deeley (R’70) Claude Keith (G’69) John Weguelin (C’70) James Wheeler (C’68) 1970s Nick Barnett (G’73) Mark Breen (StB’76) Richard Breen (StB’75)

Nick Butterworth (G’76) Paul Cattermull (StB’73) Martin Green (C’76) Jeremy Sandle (G’74) Mark Simpson (StB’76) John Tate (G’76) 1980s Mark Collini (StB’89) Luan de Burgh (StB’84) Séan Donnellan (StB’86) Ben Hancock (G’90)

Chris Kenny (B’89) Antony Legge (G’86) James Maxwell-Scott (R’89) Simon McMenemy (R’89) Tim Ross (R’86) Chris Rybak (B’85) Matthew Scouller (G’86) 1990s Simon Albert (G’98) Ben Babington (G’96) Oliver Barnett (StB’98)

Howard Brookman (G’93) Richard Gairdner (StB’98) Nick Kelly (R’00) Richard Lynton-Jones (StB’97) John-Henry Wicks (G’00) 2000s Livio Belpassi (B’04) Lorenzo Belpassi (B’04) Luca Belpassi (G’01) Charles Birchall (R’03)

Sam Burman (B’03) Calum Butler (B’07) Mark Corbyn (R‘04) Giles Heather (F’03) Mark Lane (F’03) James Madsen (B’02) Chris Madsen (B’04) Rorrie Mars (R’03) Adrian Pring (R’01) Daniel Pring (R’03) Christian Zaleski (StB’03)

2012 City Lunch

Mark Simpson and Nick Butterworth

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Now here we are 10 years later and the City Lunch has clearly come of age. Nick Barnett and Olivia had scoured the City in search of restaurants that could accommodate 60 for a sit down lunch in a private room. They settled on Vivat Baachus in Farringdon Road and not only were these 60 places quickly filled – there were a further 14 Worthians on a waiting list.

One of the greatest strengths of Worth Society is that it offers opportunities not only to catch up with old friends, but also to make new ones who may be from quite a different generation. This is increasingly the case with the City Lunch which, though informal and fun, is also a great networking event and an opportunity to tell fellow Worthians what you do.

This year the pre-lunch drinks were kindly sponsored

by Nick Barnett who was promoting his fine jewellery business. In the past lawyers, estate agents, wine merchants and distillers have all kindly supported the event. It was particularly heartening to see the increased numbers of Worthians in their 20s and 30s attending this year – some already well established in their careers, while others were still looking for ‘that ideal job’.

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Abbot Kevin joined us and was mobbed by the usual queue of those wanting marriages, baptisms and maybe even the odd informal confession conducted (I’m sure if the Church still had Chaucerian Pardoners Abbot Kevin would do rather well!).

eptember 2011 saw the Recent Leavers’ London Networking Event return to the City for the second year.

It was fantastic to see a good number of the Society’s Honorary Members present, including Fred Belcher, Evonne Gubbin, Glenn Robertson, Nick Robinson, Roger Stokes and Helen Sweetman – who all obviously still receive their monthly package of miracle drug from elixirofyouth.com!

Lunch was hearty, sanguine fayre; bloody steaks with chips and gallons of red wine; but it really could have been sheep’s eyes in marmite, no-one would have cared because the real reason for being there was to talk – and the room was buzzing with chatter and laughter.

Daniel Pring, Lorenzo Belpassi and Adrian Pring

We encourage all recent leavers who plan to attend the evening to let Olivia know the areas of business that are of particular interest to them, so that we can encourage representation from Worthians who work in that sector.

Above right: John Barnes, Tom Woodman and Nick Butterworth

Below top: Ben Babington and Andy Bayles Below bottom: Rob Butterworth, Alonso Caro and Mark Corbyn

Following on from requests received this year; we saw careers in finance, insurance, property, law and the media covered. Everyone came away from the evening having gained much from the opportunity to network informally and inevitably – as is always the case when Worthians gather together – having had a thoroughly enjoyable evening (albeit helped along by Worth Society’s generous monetary contribution behind the bar!).

The few hours passed incredibly quickly and those running desks or with afternoon meetings started to shoot off before we had the chance to exchange much more than a nod or a wave across the table.

With diaries so difficult to co-ordinate, this really is one date to put in the diary which is the alumni equivalent of speed dating –“Hi, how are you? How many kids have you got now? I see you’ve moved job? Are you on LinkedIn?” – and then someone else taps you on the shoulder, further introductions are made and the banter continues.

Hosted at the scenic riverside Samuel Pepys Bar and Restaurant, the event’s primary aim is to introduce ‘young’ Worthians seeking advice to the ‘not quite so young’ who are already well established in work and business. It provides a perfect opportunity to network in an informal environment and to learn about new professions, discuss old ones, as well as meet Worthians who work across a wide range of professions.

Above left: Mark Corbyn and Ben Green

Sam Burman, Rorrie Mars and Calum Butler

We really are hoping to push the numbers up for our next gathering – particularly amongst our university cohorts and recent school and university leavers. So, if you fall into this group, please do come along and join us; it is, after all, you who will gain the most benefit from attending this event.

It was over all too quickly – roll on 2013!

Simon McMenemy (R’89) March 2012

Daniel Pring (R’03) October 2011

We welcomed the following Worthians to the 2011 Recent Leavers’ Networking Evening: Luca Belpassi, Livio Belpassi and Mark Corbyn

Matthew Scouller, Chris Rybak, Séan Donnellan and Tim Ross

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Terence Calnan, Fr Kevin and Paul Cattermull

Ben Babington and Glenn Robertson

Worth Society Life

Mark Breen, Chris Kenny and Simon McMenemy

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

John Tate and Martin Green

Working Generation: Ben Babington (G’96) Andy Bayles (B’98) Christian Bruning (StB’88) Howard Brookman (G’93) Nick Butterworth (G’76) Ben Elwes (G’81) Charlie Gerada (R’90) Greg Pickard (StB’81) Jonathan Sharpe (B’84)

Jackson-Stops & Staff (property) Law Greshams (private equity) Bloombergs (business and financial news) Jackson-Stops & Staff (property) CIG (investment management) JGR Law (commercial law) Hampton’s International (property) Ratio Asset Management (hedge fund management)

Younger Generation: John Barnes (StB’06) Dale Bellis (F’03) Marco Boodramsingh (C’11) Joe Bradley (F’09) Sam Bradley (F’09) Tom Butter (B’04) George Calvert (C’09)

Alonso Caro (R’06) Mark Corbyn (R’04) Anthony Garai (StB’11) Ben Green (G’03) Rorrie Mars (R’03) James Matthews (B’08) Daniel Pring (R’03)

Nick Rush (R’03) Sam Swadling (B’07) Andrew Talty (StB’08) James Talty (StB’06) Tom Woodman (F’07)

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remember sitting in the Officers Mess at 10 Stone Buildings back in 2002 – brandishing a list of 30 Worthians who had ‘promised’ to attend our pilot WOBS City Lunch – just waiting to see if anyone would actually turn up! These 30 had not proved easy to pin down but gradually faces familiar, changed and new trickled in and, half an hour or so after the appointed time, we had a quorum and sat down to a lunch that would have been memorable had we not then gone on to a local bar afterwards…

Recent Leavers’ London Networking Evening

We welcomed the following 25 Worthians to 2012 Girls’ Reunion:

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Jessica Coffin (StM’10) Sarah Featherby (StM’10) Frances Hampson (StM’11) Charlotte Hart (StM’10) Laura Hurley (StM’10) Charlotte Hutchinson (StM’10) Dani Jeyes (StM’10) Alexandre Kinde (StM’10)

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Andrew Taylor 1999-2011 Leavers’ Gathering

4. James Cliffe, Henry McNeil, Sebastian Ward, Fergus Hallam and Harry Beer

For me, the flow of memories from those incomparable two years grew stronger as the gates loomed up ahead. I remembered the months of snow that had sat on the gates so winningly; making for both idyllic photos of prospectus gold-dust, and interminable days of cold.

Right: Left to right back row: Oliver Potton, Ed Bridge, Valentinas Dulis, Dominic Spiller, Edward Everington, Sam Shepherd, Josh Taylor, Edward Michie, Graham Hutchings, Nick Hopkins and Will Burrett

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n Friday 16th September 2011 over 100 Worthians gathered for drinks in central London to meet with Andy Taylor who retired as boarding House Master at the end of the 2010/11 academic year.

Andy continues to be heavily involved in many aspects of school life at Worth – including teaching history and being an active member of the Worth Society Committee as our footballing guru! But, after 12 years at the helm of St Bedes (from 1999 to 2001) and Gervase (from 2002 to 2011), Worth Society felt that this was an opportune time to celebrate Andy’s momentous milestone with those Worthians who had fallen under his care between 1999 and 2011.

Over 100 Worthians attended Andrew Taylor’s gathering including the following (apologies to those who attended but who are not listed):

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Back row from left to right: Ellie Minch, Hannah Nottage, Tess Ryan, Lucy Whitehouse, Jess Coffin, Natasha Plummer, Charlotte Hart, Sophie Nash, Rosetta Mondeh, Tanera Simons, Garance-Amanda Lauer, Sarah Featherby, Laura Hurley, Charlotte Hutchinson

Edward Everington (B’11) James Furlonge (R’04) Anthony Garai (StB’11) Ben Green (G’03) George Gwilliam (StB’07) Fergus Hallam (StB’11) Giles Heather (F’03) Laurence Hegarty (StB’06) Richard Holt (StB’02) Nick Hopkins (G’05) Graham Hutchings (G’05) Dan Hyde (StB’05) Oliver Ingram (B’04) Paul Keenan (R’05) Chis Kellaway (B’02) Christian Killoughery (R’10) Marcus Lee (StB’04) Ben Leslie (B’02) Toby Logue (C’03) Edward Long (G’03) James Longman (B’05) Rorrie Mars (R’03) Henry McNeil (B’11) Nick Michell (StB’03) Edward Michie (B’05) Hugh Minch (R’10) Craig Monteiro (StB’05)

Michael Montgomery (R’04) Teddy Noel-Hill (StB’07) Ben O'Donnell Bourke (R’11) Peter Osborne (R’08) William Palmer-Brown (B’07) Oliver Potton (StB’05) Andrew Pring (R’10) Jack Rackham (R’05) Peter Rankin (R’05) Nick Rush (R’03) Giles Sacarello (StB’08) Sam Shepherd (B’05) Benedict Smith (C’11) James Soulsby (B’07) Dominic Spiller (StB’11) Lewis Stagnetto (B’04) Matthew Stagnetto (B’10) Sam Swadling (B’07) Jonny Smyth (StB’02) James Talty (StB’06) Ben Taylor (F’03) Josh Taylor (B’05) Jack Udale (B’11) Harry Wake (B’10) Sebastian Ward (R’11) Will Watkins (R’10) Andy Welsh (B’04)

Having found what we deemed to be the right type of venue – the ball was set rolling. The date was agreed, the Nordic Bar and Restaurant in London W1 was booked and Josh Taylor set about establishing a Facebook page while Ben Taylor and Olivia issued the invitations. It wasn’t long before the responses started flooding in!

So, fast forward to the evening itself and we find that over 100 Worthians (many more than the 80 originally expected!) arrived to celebrate with Andy – a fitting tribute to his significant popularity.

With a Worth Society kitty for drinks and canapés in place behind the bar, the tone of the party was set and it was time for some serious drinking and catching up!

The majority of Worthians who joined Andy were past Gervase boys, although one or two showed up simply because they enjoyed playing in his sports teams. There were also Worthians on Gap years, others who were home from university and even Paddy, one of Worth School’s past gap-year helpers from Australia (amazing how far an Aussie will travel for a free drink!).

As Andy commented : “It was really heart-warming to see so many of you on Friday 16th September, including three former Heads of House – Tom Cottrell, Alonso Caro and Fergus Hallam – and three former Heads of School – Fred Bradley, James Longman and Nick Elvidge.

“As former Worth boys you are all very special to me, and I was struck by how many of you continue to stay in touch with one another – perhaps a sign of how important that final year in Gervase is for forging lifetime friendships.”

“My particular thanks go to Nick Butterworth and Olivia from Worth Society and my boys (Ben and Josh) for thinking of, and arranging, the gathering – and to all of you who came along to make it such a memorable and enjoyable evening for me.”

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

I remembered the nerves the gates had thrown open on my very first day; the stress they engendered when approaching the school for exams; and the excitement they'd ignited after the first half term of Year 12 when I couldn't wait to get back to my new friends.

But on this freezing cold night in January 2012, being two long summers and a year of university older; the gates seemed a little less grand, a little less powerful.

I was coming home to Worth, not as its student but as a Worthian; my rite of passage was complete.

We rolled up in front of the main reception with my mum telling me to take my 'ridiculous' woollen hat off as she bid me goodbye. In the quiet before the storm, I waited outside the building with Ms Paterson, because we couldn't remember the door code, and I steeled myself for the impending onslaught of cosy reminiscing.

The Old Place

Caroline Brown, Fr Stephen, Eimear Neeson, Julia Cook and Rebecca Paterson

The evening turned out to be just lovely. The atmosphere was relaxed, informal and friendly as we fell in with each other like a pack of reunited wolf cubs who would never forget how to be comfortable together. Nearly half of the 2010 and 2011 leavers attended in a healthy mix of day girls and boarders.

Julia Cook, Eimear Neeson, Rebecca Paterson and Nikki Webb, essential and much-loved members of staff who had supported us during our time at Worth, all made appearances. Father Stephen pottered about dropping wisdom left, right and centre as usual; and Mrs Brown welcomed us back with her warm, ready smile.

The emphasis of all the conversation – unexpectedly for me – wasn't backward-looking. We didn't obsess over our time at Worth (although a few tasty anecdotes were, of course, relived with relish!) but we looked forward at how our lives are progressing and at who we are becoming.

Naomi Larsson, Fr Stephen and Charlotte Perry

Anna Webb, Charlotte Hart and Lucy Whitehouse

Julia Cook and Rebecca Paterson

Natasha Plummer and Jess Coffin

That is what is great about Worth. Though we can all quibble about the lack of swimming pool (it had to have its staple mention OK!), Worth is well aware that its people hold it together where walls cannot. Worth's admirable strength of community was alive and thriving at this all girls' reunion – and it was a very warm and enjoyable occasion for us all.

Lucy Whitehouse (StM’10) January 2012

Olivia Henley/Andrew Taylor, Staff

Front row from left to right: Anna Webb, Charlotte Perry, Barbara Loefflmann, Chloe Noakes, Charlotte Perry, Naomi Larsson, Imogen McMurray, Fran Hampson, Tara Nagelschmitz, Flora Macdonald

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3. Michael Montgomery and James Furlong

Lucy Whitehouse (StM’10) They were joined by: Fr Stephen Ortiger Caroline Brown Julia Cook Eimear Neeson Rebecca Paterson Nikki Webb

2012 Worthian Girls’ Reunion

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2. Mark Breen, Nick BellYoung, Jack Rackham and Lewis Stagnetto

Rishi Amin (F’11) Ben Barham (R’10) John Barnes (StB’06) Harry Beer (C’11) Dale Bellis (F’03) Nick Bell-Young (G’05) Jack Bodkin (G’03) Dom Bosher (R’08) Fred Bradley (R’04) Adam Braverman (G’05)) Mark Breen (B’05) Edward Bridge (StB’11) Marco Boodramsingh (C’11) Christopher Brown (C’05) Richard Brown (F’05) Charlie Bunn (G’05) Sam Burman (B’03) Will Burrett (StB’04) Calum Butler (B’07) Edward Calvert (C’11) Alonso Caro (R’06) Jack Clancy (F’11) James Cliffe (R’11) Tom Cottrell (StB’04) James D’Arcy (StB’02) Valentino Dulis (B’05) Nicholas Elvidge (C’11)

Sophie Nash (StM’11) Chloe Noakes (StM’10) Hannah Nottage (StM’11) Charlotte Perry (StM’10) Natasha Plummer (StM’10) Tess Ryan (StM’11) Tanera Simons (StA’11) Anna Webb (StM’10)

e forged our ways across the country one cold January evening, revisiting those same windy roads which used to lead us to school every morning, week or term. Whether as day girls who took the route every day, or as boarders who took it less frequently, for all of us the road back to Worth was no doubt a trip down nostalgia way.

1. Josh Taylor, Sam Shepherd and Andrew Taylor

Front row: Andrew Taylor is flanked by James D’Arcy and Daniel Pring

Naomi Larsson (StM’10) Garance-Amanda Lauer (StM’10) Barbara Loefflmann (StM’10) Flora Macdonald (StM’10) Imogen McMurray (StM’11) Ellie Minch (StM’11) Rosetta Mondeh (StA’11) Tara Nagelschmitz (StM’10)

The following 25 Worthians attended the 2001 Leavers’ 10-Year Reunion: Butler: Niall Keelaghan Louis Pitto Phil Symonds

Chapman: Ian George Matt Margrett

Gervase: Luca Belpassi Phil Butterworth Alex Cooper James Dempsey Tony Long

Rutherford: Je Ahn Perdo Alves Rob Birchall Mike Corbyn Simon Hawkins

St Bedes: Mike Botcherby James Coutts Donald Tom Noakes Dom Reynolds Jocelyn Seligman

Chris Lamb Andy Mars Rob Palmer Adrian Pring Graham Prior

1991 Leavers’ 20-Year Reunion

2001 Leavers’ 10-Year Reunion Events

here were a few who questioned my motivations for organising the 1991 Leavers’ 20-year reunion, which was held at The Courthouse Modern, a central London hotel, on Saturday 2nd July 2011. And I’ve got to come clean; they were more selfish than altruistic ones.

With some gentle encouragement from Olivia, 25 Worthians convened for supper in central London on Saturday 20th August 2011. Events were largely co-ordinated by Adrian Pring, smoothly assisted by Luca Belpassi and Je Ahn – for which they deserve our many thanks.

We met for drinks in a pub, after which there was a short stagger to Ciao Bella (an Italian restaurant close to Russell Square in London WC1) for vast quantities of food and Grappa. And this is when the merriment really started!

Then on we moved for further extra-curricular activities, after which a hardy few continued the marathon and went out into the night in search of Paddy Scott who, true to form, can still be found at 151 on the King’s Road.

Some stellar efforts to attend this marathon are worthy of note – Louis Pitto flew in from Malta where he left his wife and children (which hopefully explains the miniature spider-man rucksack he was carrying). The human foghorn, known as Rob Palmer, was brought in from Guernsey. Mike Botcherby had broken his arm especially, just so he could miss rugby training to join us. And whilst on the subject of Stella – James Coutts-Donald was there too.

Luca Belpassi, Mike Botcheby and Tom Noakes

Extraordinarily, no one seems to have changed. Chris Lamb continues to be very nice, even when Luca Belpassi persistently put garlic bread on his shoulders. Tom Noakes runs a pub in Sussex; Niall Keelaghan plays for a rock band; inexplicably James Dempsey has become a world class poker champion. Graham Prior has had a haircut – while Je Ahn has forgotten to cut his. Dom Reynolds was not quite sure if he should still be campaigning to be head boy.

Ian George and Louis Pitto

Rob Birchall and Graham Prior

We pondered important matters. How closely related was Louis Vallejo to a duck? What has the world made of Adrian Chong? Was Charlie Gairdner really Fr Christopher? Why a Performing Arts Centre instead of a rifle range? Why did the school insist on putting wicker geese everywhere? Owen Lean a magician? Will Harrison was never suspended?

We pondered what had happened in the nine years following 1992 when the first of our group arrived at Worth. Ours was the final year to run the full gauntlet of separate classrooms in Junior House, of metal hospital beds and communal baths. We were lucky to catch the twilight careers of the original monks and staff who founded the senior school in 1959.

Insisting that the fifth form slept in the upper and lower fourth dormitories was presumably intended to instil order – but instead created chaos. There was no question that the headmaster was a monk; no sixth form house existed; day boys were a newish invention; the School firmly held the line that they would never take girls; the remnants of fagging, delivering papers and occasionally not being paid to perform rudimentary tasks, were abolished.

After one teachers’ meeting we found a piece of paper lying around revealing that they had concluded that Worth excelled at turning ‘pigs ears into silk purses’ (probably not quite how the marketing department would put it these days!) but quite right – Worth boys (and doubtless girls) excel at being likeable. We all got along with great ease at supper, whether it had been ten years or ten days since the last meeting. There are not many schools you could say that about. Put it down to the Benedictine ethos.

Extrapolation from blurry photographs taken during the evening reveals a good turnout of 25 from the ‘Class of 1996-2001’. Some of those who were unable to join us sent their apologies, and we send ours to the few that we were unable to find and contact to tell them about the reunion.

Left to right approximately in the cast of dozens! : Chris Lamb, Luca Belpassi, Phil Butterworth, James Dempsey, Alex Cooper, Andy Mars, Anthony Long, Jos Seligman, Rob Palmer, Je Ahn, Ian George, Graham Prior, Mike Corbyn, Tom Noakes, Simon Hawkins, Pedro Alves, Dom Reynolds, Matt Margrett, James Coutts-Donalds, Phil Symonds, Niall Keelaghan, Mike Botcheby, Rob Birchall, Adrian Pring and Louis Pitto

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Jos Seligman (StB’01) September 2011

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

“You were the most cynical person in our year,” Marc Le Clercq reminded me on the day. He was clearly disappointed there wasn’t some sort of sting from the schoolboy banned from the library for reading a poem that started: “Port, poetry and prose; but nobody knows how the pomposity grows.”

“You were wasted as a malcontent, Hamilton,” furthered Ben Hughes later on Facebook. “You would have made a good head boy.”

Praise indeed, but the reality was that I decided to organise the reunion after stumbling upon a review of the 1990 Leavers’ get together that released my inner control freak.

While I’m sure a great time was had by all (check out Shaun Severi’s cool video online), it was held at Worth in November. So I reasoned: why not hold it in fair weather not foul and see if ‘the year that never stayed in touch’ could surprise a few and rustle up slightly more than the 21 who attended the 1990 reunion, and the 18 who showed up for the 1989 edition.

In the end we welcomed 31 Worthians and seven monks and staff to our central London location that offered

Piers Nightingale and Justin Randall

decent enough canapés and a steady flow of beer and wine – all thanks to the sterling efforts of Chris Loftus.

It proved good value at £25 all-in and there was only one absentee from the expected list of attendees.

It was a largely chit-chat affair with some visual stimuli on the walls from old Worth Records – including accounts of the 1990 trip to Israel in which the minibus got firebombed and our ridiculously successful, mutant-like under-14s, 15s and 16s rugby sides that lost only one game in three years.

Other noteworthy highlights included; one of the guys in finance (accounting for around 80% of the room!) was able to succinctly explain what he did; Dave Barnett adjudicated that Major Tom Holloway was the most smartly dressed (while I was the scruffiest), although at least I don’t have any hair to worry about anymore (unlike Justin Randall who’s got bushels of it); Trent Belasco and yours truly addressed the gathering, but kept it brief; an exuberant Keith Owers was in fine fettle (his opening line to Owen Lynch was: “Who’s Beef now?”) partly thanks to an impressive 10-strong turnout from Butler; fast-talking George Daly enjoyed reliving his school play highs and staff football match lows; Roger Stokes arrived tie-less (what was he thinking?) but it emerged that his trusty briefcase was holding one of his famous red numbers; and Father Luke, Nick Robinson, and Richard Knowles

The following 31 Worthians attended the 1991 Leavers’ 20-Year Reunion: Butler Dave Barnett Oli Clark Ben Hamilton Jamie Kenny Chris Loftus Owen Lynch Ed Mauleverer Alex Nickson Douglas Ogilvy Watson Sam Smith Chapman Tom Coghlin Tom Holloway Ciaran Naidoo Dom Newland Gervase Richard Bates Trent Belasco Chris Brading Justin Duckworth Timothy McCann Piers Nightingale Al Prescott Vincent Tang Marc Vinycombe Rutherford Ben Hughes Dom Newby St Bede’s Paul Collini Hugh Crossley Edward Gairdner Marc Le Clercq Justin Randall Toby Simmons

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10 years since leaving Worth – and I have another ‘blue paper’ to write; although refreshingly not as punishment for dissent in Mr Smith’s maths class.

Tom Coghlin and Sam Smith

Front row: Ben Hamilton, Dom Newland, Chris Brading Second Row: Justin Randall, Paul Collini, Roger Stokes, Dave Barnett, Tom Coghlin, Al Prescott, Justin Duckworth, Toby Simmonds, Jamie Kenny Third Row: Owen Lynch, Chris Loftus, Sam Smith, Trent Belasco, Ed Mauleverer (behind Trent), Richard Bates (behind Dom), Dom Newby (in jacket), Ciarin Naidoo (behind Oli), Oli Clark, Vince Tang Fourth Row: Jeremy Dowling, Nick Robinson, Keith Owers, Tom Holloway, Alex Nickson, Piers Nightingale, Hugh Crossley, Douglas Ogilvy Watson, Mark Vinycombe, Edward Gairdner, George Daly Fifth Row (five ‘tallest’): Ben Hughes, Mark Leclerq, Father Luke, Tim McCann, Richard Knowles

The Old Place

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and shuffling took place between courses, as we tried to see and catch up with as many of our old friends as possible and spent much time reminiscing with one another about all the things we did and didn't do.

Dave Barnett, Justin Duckworth, Ben Hughes and Tom Coghlin

Ed Mauleverer and Oli Clark

Marc Le Clercq, Ciarin Naidoo and Dom Newland

1991 Leavers’ 20-Year Reunion continued

“You look well” was a common greeting – a defence mechanism giving each of us the chance to properly assess who was balder, fatter and more youthful in appearance. Following a 1pm start (the cool kids didn’t arrive until 3.30; something to do with Gay Pride apparently) we vacated to the hotel bar, then a pub, then a steakhouse, and finally Ciaran’s house, the numbers gradually dwindling as we moved on.

Talking of houses, Butler won the day (no change there then) – with ten from a possible 13 attending, closely followed by Gervase with nine (albeit from a possible 17), and then St Bedes with six, Chapman with four, and Rutherford with two. And special kudos must go to Richard Bates for making it all the way from Hong Kong, Vincent Tang from Vancouver, Owen Lynch from Texas and Toby Simmons from Kingston …. in Surrey.

In the process of tracking everyone down, some e-mail responses came back with a sense of concern and caution in varying degrees, one of our favourites being: To conclude – we learnt the rest of us aren’t such a bad sort after all, that there might be some momentum to organise more of these in the future, and discovered that while nostalgia has its merits, networking invariably has more.

Ben Hamilton (B’91) July 2011

Aaron Firth, Nick Hooper and Ben Burroughs

Chris Loftus, Dom Newby, Keith Owers, Father Luke and Trent Belasco

Justin Mould, Fr Stephen and Richard Urwick

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engines. In the end we managed to contact all apart from around five – and all I can say if you happen to be one of those reading this article, we are very sorry that we didn’t get hold of you, but we really did try our utmost!

Step forward John Bennett, former Rutherford boy, who bravely volunteered to host and organise the event – and I offered to assist. Fortunately for me, and all of us, John is a serial organiser of such events, so we were in very safe hands.

Inevitably there were a few who were unable to join us – some felt such a gathering just wasn’t for them; others couldn’t make the journey from the other side of the world, or already had family commitments. Others made extreme efforts to ensure that they could ‘share the moment’ and changed already scheduled commitments; while some planned business meetings in the UK to coincide with our event and flew in from far and wide.

Our aim at the outset was to try and make contact with everyone. This would have been an impossible task without the internet, Facebook, LinkedIn and various other search

“....When I first encountered the idea of this event, I was sceptical. Do I really need this? However, the idea has grown on me and what really sealed it was talking to Charlie Hooper who organised the year above us to meet last year. He said that everybody loved it, and it was one of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences of his life. Yes I am nervous. Yes, there are some people I don't particularly want to see. Yes, I am worried that I may be judged. However, it is just one day of my life and the potential benefits of connecting with old friends far outweigh all that other stuff...”

We received some amusing ‘post-event’ e-mails, one dryhumoured quip concluded:

aving read of the huge success of the 1980 Leavers’ 30-Year Reunion in the last issue of The Blue Paper, we knew that our time had now arrived and the pressure was on!

We set the date – Friday 7th October 2011 – and although this was many months away, the task of getting everybody together seemed a rather daunting one. I think we were, and have continued over the last 30 years to be, a relatively close year group. Many of us have kept in touch with the friends that we grew up alongside at school and continue to see each other on a regular basis.

That said, there are always pockets of boys who move on and who lose touch with school and friends – and it was in the process of locating these few that we needed to employ our utmost investigative skills in attempting to track them down.

Greg Renouf and Bob Mannix

Of course, once we were all assembled on the night, these and similar thoughts all faded into insignificance and we typically returned to basics – leaving our current lives behind us for the evening and taking off from where we had all left.

1981 Leavers’ 30-Year Reunion

James Wardlaw, Martin Hunt and David Van Der Lande

Fr Kevin, David Van der Lande, John Bennett and Fr Philip

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were on hand to recall age-old memories from Chapman, St Bedes and Gervase.

Welcoming our former Monks, House Masters and teachers as guests was a real bonus – they added so much to the evening. They had made a great effort to join us and we were thrilled to see them again. And it always amazes me just how good they all are at recognising each and every one of us – in spite of the passing of time!

On the night itself, 39 of our year group convened in the Ballroom at The Lansdowne Club and seeing them all and having them there was, indeed, very special. For many, this was the first reconnection of our year group since we all left Worth back in 1981.

We were joined by some of our favourite Monks, House Masters and teachers so, in total, our gathering comprised 45 – 38 Worthians and Abbot Kevin, Father Stephen, Father Philip, James Cockburn, George Daly, Keith Owers and Roger Stokes.

Drinks were followed by a sit-down 3-course meal accompanied by plenty of the liquid stuff. Much movement

“It was very different to what I was expecting – no bad thing, to be honest – and I had a very pleasant evening.”

It is only natural to question the merit of such a reunion, but I think that all those who came along felt it was truly worthwhile. It made me realise how genuinely fortunate we all are to have this common link which was founded at Worth, and just how much we have to be thankful for.

Much has passed over thirty years, but the close connections were clear for all to see. The friendships that we made during this period of our lives are invaluable, and for those who had been outside the loop for a short while, this event gave us all the opportunity to reconnect.

It would be good to do it again before another thirty years pass, and that does seem to be a re-occurring theme of all the years that have held similar events. I do hope we manage to do it again sooner.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that we even had one gate crasher – and I thought the days of such excitement were long gone! Much to the delight of all gathered – a tall gentleman, who was one whole year older than us decided to join our gathering. It just goes to show that even though he had attended his own year group reunion just eleven months before, he evidently felt that the 1981 Leavers’ reunion was just too good a party to miss!

Dominic Strickland (C’81)

Peter Hall, Simon Cruz, Dominic Strickland, Greg Pickard and Richard Nunn

“It was a great evening from so many points of view. The venue was very grand and friendly, giving us enough space to cope with the numbers and move around as the evening went on. It was a great credit to the organisers for gathering so many from their year – particularly as so many had not seen each other in that time and were thrilled to get together again.

“I was delighted to be asked and was wonderfully looked after throughout the evening – I managed to recognise most, although one or two eluded me for a while. It is always remarkable at these occasions how little people have changed. One gets talking and the years roll away.”

Keith Owers “I have just returned to Shropshire from the Reunion. It was absolutely great. A wonderful turn out (David Adeleke even gate crashed from the year above!!). It was excellently organised – the food was just right....and the drink! We had two seating plans and I think I managed to speak to nearly all there. Extremely enjoyable and so good to catch up with a great band of people in a super atmosphere. My thanks to Dominic and John for all their excellent work.”

Roger Stokes

Aaron Firth, Paul Owers and Hope Elletson

James Cockburn, David van der Lande and Justin Mould

The following 39 Worthians attended the 1981 Leavers’ 30-Year Reunion: Butler Simon Atkinson Rohan Cavaliero Simon Cruz Harry Fisher Peter Hall John Mocatta Richard Nunn Geoffrey Page-Morris

Chapman Andrew Bernard Hope Elletson Aaron Firth Iain Gately Nicholas Hooper Gregory Renouf Dominic Strickland James Wardlaw

Gervase Andrew Clutterbuck Jeremy Cox Martin de la Bedoyere Ben Elwes Paul Owers Richard Urwick Dominic Wheeler

Rutherford Andy Adams Richard Bell John Bennett Chris Bloy Benjamin Burroughs Andy Carroll Mark Gormley Daniel Preston

St Bedes Martin Hunt Robert Mannix Justin Mould Greg Pickard Dominic Rolls Jonathan Stordy David van der Lande Nicholas Wallace

David Adeleke (the imposter!) and Jonathan Stordy

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Insight into the City

I joined the Corporate Finance team and was given my own desk in the department behind the ‘Chinese Wall’.

Undoubtedly this knowledge is best received “straight from the horse’s mouth” and who better to guide our students than a group of Worthians who have all spent some time in their respective careers.

Careers Fair 2012

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I joined the Corporate Finance team and was given my own desk in the department behind the ‘Chinese Wall’.

The first week was exciting; a firm’s mining licence being revoked by a government in the week before an equity placing and, at another company, a set of angry shareholders trying to remove a director from the board.

Of course it was not all bad news; but seeing these crisis situations unfold provided me with a real insight into the pressures of the job and the need to be able to think on one’s feet. I also spent some time building pitch books, for which I was required to focus on the specific needs of the potential clients.

or the sixth consecutive year, Worth School organised a Careers Fair for its Year 12 (lower sixth) students. This took place on the 16th June – a Saturday morning outside of the Ace Week programme, as it was felt that this would give more students a chance to attend. And so it proved to be, with almost 100 students participating.

The morning was designed to encourage students to think about wider issues, including life beyond Worth.

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

In my second week I spent some time with the research team. While stumbling upon an excellent investment opportunity for myself, I also gained an insight into the life of a research analyst on the Sell-Side. As well as the early starts, I witnessed the patience and care that they put into their work; building very detailed models to develop target prices for companies they follow.

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t would be quite easy to spend your whole gap year in the sun, beer in hand and – while I would encourage people to do this to some extent – I would also urge you to take advantage of some of the opportunities that being a Worthian presents. I contacted Olivia Henley in late 2011, not entirely sure what I could gain, but I was aware that several other Worthians had, through Olivia’s hard work, managed to secure internships and work experience in areas of particular interest to them.

At this stage I must thank Olivia for her seemingly endlessly willing desire to help me secure an internship.

Olivia got in contact with many Worthians on my behalf to see what could be arranged. I have a real desire to work in financial services so, accordingly, Olivia managed to arrange a two-week work placement at Daniel Stewart & Company plc with Worthian, Antony Legge (G’86), a corporate finance director there. Daniel Stewart is a boutique investment bank specialising in AIM quoted companies, linking up investors with potentially highgrowth companies. The broking, sales, research and corporate finance departments all complement each other to provide a full service for investors and for corporate clients.

Having not had to wake up before 9.00 am for a very long time – maybe not since being at Worth, I was proud to arrive at Daniel Stewart’s offices at 8.30 am on my first morning! During my two-week placement, my main aim was to get a feel for the city lifestyle and the world of a corporate financier in order to gain a better understanding of a career that is of particular interest to me; albeit without knowing too much about what it actually involves on a day-to-day basis.

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Once again we were indebted to our six Worthians who agreed to come along and accounted for more than half the total number of speakers. Tom Butter spoke about his career at Accenture; where he consults mostly in the financial services area. Both Dan Hyde (Daily Mail) and James Longman (BBC) provided fascinating insights into the worlds of journalism and the media industry in general. Robert Birchall spoke about his life as a lawyer; having done a conversion course at the College of Law in York before joining Speechly Bircham on the corporate tax side. James D’Arcy is working as a member of the graduate scheme in Marsh Risk Consulting – one of many Insurance firms with which the school has very strong ties. Last, but by no means least, Luca Belpassi offered insights into careers in the financial services industry – a talk that was both compelling and very topical!

The social aspect of city life was not fully neglected and a strong positive of being an intern is that no one expects you to buy any rounds! I went to an event hosted by a Financial PR firm aimed at the younger generation of city recruits, at which I enjoyed a seemingly bottomless glass of champagne. It was interesting to bump into several unlikely acquaintances – including another Worthian!

During the course of these two weeks, I have gained a better understanding of the life of a corporate financier – late nights, hard work, the occasional trip to the pub and good rewards.

As an intern, sometimes it can be difficult to feel you are doing something valuable at every moment throughout the day, but I am sure this is true throughout life. But interning is a fantastic way of gaining experience that is invaluable for building your CV and, more importantly, helping to remove prejudices and misconceptions (good and bad!) from a particular career that you may have set your sights on, or simply be interested in exploring.

It is extremely important that students understand what is involved in different careers – providing guidance either towards, or away from, a particular profession.

Their advice was much appreciated by the students who rated their presentations very highly. I would like to express my particular gratitude with the event taking place on a Saturday this year – meaning they had to give up part of their weekend and get up particularly early to arrive on time and impart their wisdom.

I continue to be most grateful to all those Worthians who have supported the school’s careers programme over the years, and to those who assist with our work shadowing scheme – one that offers students the opportunity to spend a short time working within a particular career to see what life is really like. This is a relatively new venture for the school and relies very much on the generosity of parents and Worthians who are willing to offer short work placements.

If you think you might be able to help us by speaking at future Careers Fairs or by offering pupils short work placement opportunities – then please don’t hesitate to contact me at: dpring@worth.org.uk or Olivia at: worthsociety@worth.org.uk.

Your help would be most gratefully received!

Duncan Pring, Head of Careers, Worth School "Who would have thought that donning a suit early on a Saturday morning and heading 'back' to school could be such fun?! The place still resonates greatly with me ten years on; although the butterflies are still there as I turn into Paddockhurst Road; reaching fever pitch as I pass through the grand gate and head down the front drive of Worth.

I spend a lot of my time talking about my career / job, and how nice it was to be invited to talk to young people who may actually gain from the experience!

The event was extremely well run and organised; those initial nerves abandoning me fast. The students – a great bunch – were interested and engaging in equal measure. The focus of my talk was the importance of relevant and structured work experience, going just that little bit further at university and the fundamental element of integrity.

Thank you for giving me the chance to get involved, and I look forward to the possibility of returning in the future."

James D’Arcy (StB’02)

From left to right: Thomas Butter (B’04), Rob Birchall (R’01), Luca Belpassi (G’01), James D’Arcy (StB’02), James Longman (B’05) and Dan Hyde (StB’05)

My sincere thanks go to Antony Legge for his time and excellent advice as well as to the corporate finance team at Daniel Stewart. They were all so welcoming and kept me busy and entertained during my fortnight with them.

The experience has helped to provide me with a much clearer focus on what I want to do. After all – I think it is considerably easier to be successful once you know what you want to be successful in!

James Folger (B’10) May 2012

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

I 19

The Global Action Awards

The Global Action Awards

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he Global Action Awards (GAA) programme is now in its twelfth year, during which time the Worthians Charitable Trust (formerly WOBS) has awarded a total of £16,030 to Worthians who have spent time in unpaid work for the good of others and the community, either within the UK or overseas.

The Global Action Awards

We continue to encourage Worthians to apply for a GAA at any age or stage in their lives – this might be during their last year at school, during a gap year, or perhaps in anticipation of taking a sabbatical from work later on in life.

Nick Butterworth presents Francis Dring with his GAA cheque

GAAs Awarded since 2000 2011-12 Niamh Fogarty (StM’11) – volunteering with Tanzanian NGO, TanzEd

Since our last issue of The Blue Paper we have seen the return of Jack Clancy (F’11) and Chris Napleton (C’11) from their respective GAA projects. £500

Xavier Geissmann (B’11) – working with the Manquehue Movement in Chile £700 Francis Dring (C’12) – volunteering with The Peru Mission in the Amazon

The adjacent table lists the GAAs that have been awarded by the Worthians Charitable Trust since 2000, and the list clearly demonstrates the depth and breadth of projects supported.

Feeling the Burn among the Maasai

£1000

2010-11 Jack Clancy (F’11) – working for remote Maasai community 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

Jack spent two months living within, and working for, a remote Maasai community in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area of North Tanzania. You can read about his adventures on page 21.

Chris had a very different experience visiting The Lotus Children’s Home in Kathmandu, Nepal – an Orphanage very close to his heart and for whom he has undertaken numerous fundraising cycle rides while a student at Worth. He treated this as a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the Orphanage, to meet its owner and the children, while also lending a helping hand (see page 24).

As is always the case, both of our awardees have come away with memories to last a lifetime, as well as a desire to do more for the communities that demonstrated such kindness and selflessness during the short time they became immersed in their lives.

Year 12 pupils were given an insight into the true impact of Jack’s GAA when he returned to Worth in June 2012 to encourage this year group to apply for a GAA as they embark on their final year at Worth in September 2012.

Jack spoke about the application process, his own experiences in Tanzania and his continued endeavours, on his return to the UK, to help secure sponsorship for his Maasai hosts; thereby helping to further the educational aspirations of teenagers within this community.

We now look forward, with keen anticipation, to hearing from our three 2012 awardees once they return from their ventures.

As I write, Xavier Geissmann (B’11) is in the middle of his five-month stint working with the Movimiento Apostoloco de Manquehue in Santiago, Chile; while Niamh Fogarty (StM’11) was one of 20 volunteers who provided resources to five local schools in Morogoro, Tanzania which form part of an educational development plan spearheaded by her University’s charitable volunteering scheme and Tanzanian NGO, TanzEd.

Even when I arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport I wasn’t sure exactly what I would be doing, or even how much I could help – if at all. I had a vague idea that I could teach and offer some rudimentary building skills, but I arrived with the mind-set that I would be happy to turn my hand to pretty much anything that was asked of me.

Our final awardee, Francis Dring (C’12) will be leaving the UK in the autumn of 2012 headed for the Amazon Rainforests of Peru. He is to spend six months volunteering with a community of priests who serve with the charity, The Peru Mission, which represents the needs of some of the poorest and most primitively equipped people in Peruvian society.

If all of this is enough to whet your appetite and interest – then please do visit the ‘Community Support’ section of our website at www.worthsociety.org.uk to find out more.

If, on the other hand, you’d like to apply for a GAA, donate to the GAA fund via the Worthians Charitable Trust, or find out about projects in need of volunteers, then please do contact me at: worthsociety@worth.org.uk for further details.

Olivia Henley August 2012 Jack on the ridge of the Olmotti Crater holding Makamero’s Maasai spear

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Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

I 21

The Global Action Awards

Feeling the Burn among the Maasai continued

Tom – Jack’s host and friend of Mr Shield

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was to stay in a village called Nainokanoka in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) of North Tanzania. It didn’t take me long to realise just how tough my living conditions were going to be; no electricity – and no mobile signal! The village is remote and it is illegal to cultivate in this area, so the Maasai live mainly off wild crops and what little they can afford to buy off their small livestock herds.

Buffalo, Africa’s biggest killer

In this remote region a high level of skill and hard work is needed to undertake seemingly simple tasks, such as cutting wood for heat and cooking. While the logs are rock hard, the axes are not and I would find the axe head flying off at regular intervals. I was aware that unless I mastered such everyday skills quickly, I would soon become the butt of many a joke and lose the respect awarded me by my host – Tom, the local priest, who was a highly regarded member of this community.

Although I lacked the skills of my African counterparts, I feel that I earned some respect by working hard enough to procure half a dozen broken blisters on my first day!

The Maasai made fun of my weak European skin – but I loved the work. Not necessarily for the satisfaction of finishing a job or ‘feeling the burn’, but because it gave me the opportunity to feel like a Maasai as we worked side by side and gradually came to know one another.

They were so welcoming – the Mama Pendo family treated me as one of their own and looked after me as if I was their seventh child. I will never forget the generosity that they, and others, showed me. They are amongst the poorest people in the world, but gave willingly to me and were insistent when I tried to decline their offers of kindness. One mother even offered me her eleven year old daughter in marriage; I had to be very careful not to offend when refusing such a very kind offer!

Mama Pendo and Jack – with a gift she made for Jack’s mum

On a daily basis, I would be charged with manual work – digging foundations for Tom’s new Parish house, chopping wood, planting trees to prevent erosion, or cutting long grasses for roofing.

A few times a week Tom and I would travel on bumpy tracks to local outposts where we would meet the local villagers and celebrate Mass; an experience unlike any other Mass in the world – of that I’m absolutely sure. I was particularly struck by the Maasai women in their colourful robes and beautiful jewellery. They would jump and sing and, seen live, these services were so very memorable – I would never tire of watching the choir. Type “Maasai Mass at Naiobi” into YouTube to see a church that I often visited with Tom; which is so typical of the surrounding churches.

Lions often climb out of the Ngorongoro crater and block the road around the ridge

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After Mass, I would often be invited back for a traditional meal at someone’s home – typically made from ash, water

Home – with a fire to stay warm, Jack’s bench and Tom’s bed

The Mama Pendo Family

Daniel and Jack visited the circumcision celebration

Tom – with his family and their cook

and cow dung. Some of the food was consistently delicious (chapatti), some had significant novelty value which soon wore off (goat meat or fresh blood with milk), whilst other dishes I found unpalatable from the outset (curdled sour milk; or one dish with the consistency of a half formed scab that I didn’t dare ask the ingredients of, but know it did contain blood!). I felt it was important to appear to indulge in, and enjoy, these local dishes so became very adept at forcing the meal down with a wide smile.

During my time I had a few one-off experiences that I will never forget. One day one of my friends, a 19 year-old Maasai called Daniel, took me to a Maasai circumcision celebration where eight to ten 16 to 20 year olds ‘became men’ – provided they didn’t show any sign of pain. I only witnessed the celebration from the point at which a cow is killed. The elders drink a homemade honey alcohol and particularly intense ceremonial dancing takes place.

Despite being welcomed as a ‘special guest’, it was the only time I felt slightly intimidated, such was the intensity of the dancing and the sheer numbers of people participating.

Earlier in my stay, I had been told that the Maasai tradition of taking multiple wives originated because of the need for strength in numbers due to the high infant mortality rates and also the huge distances they need to travel in search of water and wood. Having witnessed such a display of strength and vigour during this ceremony, I was convinced that this philosophy of ‘togetherness’ is key to their strength and longevity as a tribe.

Close to my new home for these few months was the famous Ngorongoro crater. It was a place that I didn’t believe I’d get to visit during my stay so I was completely overwhelmed when, on my birthday, Tom surprised me by taking me on a trip there. As I stood in the middle of this 100 km sq crater, it was impossible to imagine the enormity of the volcano that must have darkened the skies for miles around as it erupted. I had never before witnessed any of the animals in their natural environment before that day, so it really has remained a very special memory for me.

A further highlight of my stay was helping Tom to distribute scholarships to Maasai children. These scholarships enable teenagers to continue on to secondary school education. Witnessing first-hand the difference that this money makes – about £200 for the first year, and £100 per year thereafter – to these Maasai teenagers had a huge impact on me. They are a new generation who are acutely aware of the need to change their lives and know that learning is the key to facilitating that change.

Now that I am back in England, I aim to secure sponsorship to help subsidise the funding that Tom currently obtains

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Jack’s kitchen, with friends working around it. Behind is the Olmotti crater

from Croatia, which will enable more Maasai teenagers to continue on to secondary education. Through Tom’s programme there is the opportunity to sponsor individual children for one year, up to the full five years. I have seen how Tom manages each sponsor relationship very closely – offering financial support to those children with a real desire to study and learn, so that any funding received is guaranteed to change the lives of highly motivated teenagers. He also ensures that there is personal feedback between each individual sponsor and the recipient child.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about Tom’s sponsorship programme and my proposal, then please do get in touch with me at: jwcclancy@gmail.com.

Without doubt, during my time in Tanzania I met people that I will never forget and for whom I have the utmost

respect. Despite being amongst the poorest of the poor, the Maasai are, without a shadow of doubt, the kindest, most generous and happiest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

This has been a truly inspirational experience for me, and I am very thankful to have successfully applied to the Worthians Charitable Trust for a Global Action Award.

I would wholeheartedly encourage any Worthian who is looking to share experiences and memories that will remain with them for life, to think about applying for a GAA. Jack Clancy (F’11) May 2012

A Maasai girl called Josie - a Croatian “National Geographic” photographer called her ‘the most beautiful girl in Africa’

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The Global Action Awards Bathing with elephants in the Chitwan river

Throughout our time at the Orphanage, we came to know the quirks of each character of the family; whether it was Anusga’s accident-prone attention seeking or Alvish’s passion for British pop music – each one remains a fond memory.

Living the Dream in Kathmandu

T

hough studying, working and kicking back once in a while are part of everyday life, a lot of my time is spent entertaining ideas of adventure – where to go, when to do it, how to get there. If a school trip overseas is available, why turn it down? If there’s nothing to stop you doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award and seeing the British Isles, then why not do it? Equally, if you have a passion for a sport, then why not see how far you can take it?

Chris and Laxman at Boudhanath

Going straight from school to university was the preferred – and perhaps safer – option in a year when university fees have risen so dramatically. Nevertheless, I couldn’t conceive turning down the opportunity of a Gap Year, and I was never going to. Since lower sixth I had dreamed of an adventure and, although I knew the budget for this trip was never going to be big, my naivety led me to think about places like New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the Pacific Islands all in one hit.

However, when Nick Butterworth spoke to Gervase about the Global Action Awards and the opportunities available, I began to think of a trip with genuine purpose rather than just an extended holiday. The sport I have always been passionate about is cycling, which has led me to take part in sponsored cycle trips from London to Paris and from John O’Groats to Lands End while a pupil at Worth.

But I wasn’t thinking about another big cycle trip. This time I wanted to visit The Lotus Children’s Home, which is the Nepalese Orphanage that I had raised money for on those previous sponsored cycle trips. Finally, I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to visit this Orphanage and to lend a hand in person.

I spoke in greater depth to Nick and Olivia, put in my GAA application and waited with baited breath. It was not long before I heard that my application had been successful, and that I had secured funding to cover the cost of my return flight to Kathmandu.

So I left England on the 25th August 2011 with my close friend Tom (Monty) Montgomery (F’11). The thought of going with someone hadn’t originally crossed my mind, but the trip simply wouldn’t have been the same without him. With our bags packed full, we set off for the long plane ride east and arrived tired from our journey. But, as we soon found out, there’s no time for sluggishness in Kathmandu!

At the airport we were met by Laxman, the owner of the Orphanage, and immediately set off into motoring madness. I can’t emphasise how differently life goes on in Kathmandu – every scene is like a page from “Where’s Wally”. Bicycles packed to the gunnels serve as mobile vending machines and, all over this metropolis, cows roam with no restrictions sometimes just relaxing in the middle of the City’s busiest roads. It wasn’t so much like stepping back in time, but just a world very unlike the west; and it was brilliant!

We had thought that much of our time would be spent teaching the children English, but their knowledge of our language was impressive and they enjoyed practising on us. Though they knew English well, it was difficult to explain some of the quirks of our grammar and, likewise, they would explain the different Nepalese sounds which, to our ears, are hard to differentiate. Much of our time was spent playing games with them; they took full advantage of our height and used us as makeshift climbing frames. When energy levels ran low, we would help out in the garden or teach them chess, a game at which they became quite expert.

Although we mostly stayed in Kathmandu, Laxman, being a former travel agent, offered us many exciting expeditions all over Nepal. With him we ventured for a week to Chitwan in the south and Pokhara in the northwest. We were truly thankful for these excursions and had some amazing experiences – riding and bathing with elephants, cruising down croc infested rivers, honing our motorbiking skills and taking to the skies on a breathtaking paragliding trip in the most stunning part of Nepal. Laxman was a fantastic host who was keen to show us his country, and the phenomenal beauty of Nepal more than compensated for the very long, slow journeys we endured.

Monty and I often stayed up late in the evenings to play card games with Laxman – which felt like a little piece of home far away from England; the games led to some thought provoking discussions and a bit of friendly competition too; this was a great time of day to get to

know this man who had sacrificed a relatively normal life to undertake an incredibly benevolent and charitable one.

I refer to the place as an Orphanage, but this word does not fit comfortably with the reality. This is home to a big family and Laxman is the father figure to this family. The weight on his shoulders is extreme. He works as a taxi driver, but only has part ownership of his car. As a result all his profits are halved. It is difficult for him to manage when supporting his wife, his own two children and a further eight children at the home. He hopes one day to own his car, or find a way back into the travel industry.

It proved both uplifting and distressing to know that the money I had raised on those previous cycle trips was indispensable to The Lotus Children’s Home; helping to build a well in the garden, to pay for the children’s school fees and to buy their books.

There were times of desperation which would force most people into a morose outlook on life; but even in the most difficult of situations, these people rarely failed to smile.

Their overall attitude to living is a joyful one.

I am extremely thankful to Worth Society for offering an opportunity as rich and fulfilling as the Global Action Awards. I am glad to report that since Monty and I left Nepal, Monty’s mother, Eve, has visited the Orphanage and has subsequently set up a PayPal Account for The Lotus Children’s Home. This means that Laxman’s hope of receiving ‘little and often’ can now be achieved.

The memories we hold from this trip will always remain dear to us and as soon as another opportunity arises, I won’t hesitate to visit Nepal again and re-visit the many friends I made while there.

World Peace Day in Nepal

Chris Napleton (C’11) April 2012

Monty and I arrived at the Orphanage and met all the children as they filtered home from school. They were shy at first, but curious about their new visitors. I can assure you that they weren’t the only ones who were nervous!

Monty and I had no knowledge of the Nepalese language, so interacting was an interesting experience and brought out acting skills that I never knew existed in Monty.

Far left: A meeting with the monks of Boudhanath

Anusga dresses for winter

Left: The Monkey Temple Below: Monty learns to ride with companions Right: Lunchtime at the Orphanage Far right: Motorcycling around Pokhara

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Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

I 25

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n February 2012, Tom Mitchell (F’07) was selected to play for England for the New Zealand leg of the Sevens series in Wellington. Since then he has played in a further five tournaments – in Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Glasgow and London. By the end of the series Tom was in the top ten points scorers and managed to secure a starting spot.

Worthians Rugby 2010/11 Season Report When the going gets tough...

Tom is pictured below playing for England at Twickenham versus South Africa in the final leg of the HSBC World Sevens Series. England went on to win the game 19-17.

Worthians RFC in action

Sport

The first half of the season proved hard work for the Worthians, with just three wins out of nine; the only significant scalp being a disciplined performance against a good Old Emanuel team to graft a well-deserved 15-8 victory. At Christmas, the team found themselves in a tenuous 7th position (out of 10 teams), and cracks were appearing. Despite securing wins against a strong Chipstead team and a weak Haileyburians outfit, a crucial error was the 23-23 draw against the Law Society, allowing them to escape the relegation tussle while putting us firmly in the danger zone. Needing to win just one game in our last five to escape the drop, we stumbled to five consecutive defeats as end of season injuries mounted.

Miraculously however, we were thrown a life-line when a team above us exited from the League; allowing us the unexpected chance to remain in Surrey 2 to fight another campaign.

This reprieve is certainly good news for us, as we now appreciate the true rigours of, and competition within,

this League. And we now have the opportunity to iron out the errors of the season and to consolidate our position in the coming year!

So what went wrong?

It’s difficult to say really – as the season started so brightly with a new number 10, Sam Barnett, who offered significant experience and discipline to the back line.

Guest player, Frankie Williams, was at his aggressive and attacking best on the wing and fellow guest Jamie Garratt started the season well with a string of tries. Added to this was the precocious talent of young Harry Killoughery, who shared responsibilities with speedster Kevin Danagher at full back. In the forwards, most of last year’s Surrey 3 Championship team were available, including skipper Alex Podbury and prop stalwarts Giles Heather and Doz Osborne, supported on occasions by guests Ed Hackett and Harry Foster. The back five had bags of experience with Jack Bodkin, Chris Madsen and a rejuvenated Andy Bayles all offering plenty of momentum, plus Joe Green and the ever-versatile Dan Pring supported by the Rayfield brothers (also guests). Newcomers to the team were Simon Jukes, returning with great success after a long-term serious knee injury and Tony Riley who was probably our most effective loose forward (when not rowing at Bath!).

Three problems were soon in evidence though.

On the actual field of play, we found ourselves in the unfamiliar position of being out-muscled in the forwards and the resulting slow delivery to our backs meant that our back line seldom clicked as a unit. Despite some solid games from Rob Cottrell, the scrum half position never really stabilised, and a total of nine players donned the number 9 shirt in the season. In addition, our lineout – a major strength for the Club over many seasons – was suddenly no longer reliable (a situation we hope to rectify in 2012/13 with the return of Danny O’Connell from his Far East assignment).

But the bigger issues for us were those of training and availability. We learnt the painful lesson that to compete in Surrey 2 you must train (other teams were training twice a week!). Although training sessions were well attended in the early weeks of September and October, the numbers

The following 51 Worthians represented Worthians RFC during the 2011/12 Season: Oliver Barnett (StB’98) Sam Barnett (C’97) Andrew Bayles (B’98) Livio Belpassi (B’04) Lorenzo Belpassi (B’04) Jack Bodkin (G’03) Adam Braverman (G’05) Mark Breen (B’05) Richard Brown (F’05) Jamie Bruce (R’04) Ben Calnan (R’97)

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Desmond Calnan (R’69) Tom Calnan (R’95) James Cliffe (R’11) Rob Cottrell (R’97) Sam Crowhurst (F’09) Tom Cummins (C’12) Kevin Danagher-Smith (B’03) Martin Danagher-Smith (StB’09) Nick Elvidge (C’11) Ed Everington (B’11) Nick Gandy (R’11)

Joe Green (B’05) Simon Hawkins (R’01) Giles Heather (F’03) James Henwood (C’07) Nick Hopkins (G’05) Simon Jukes (R’09) Ed Kemp (F’10) Christian Killoughery (R’10) Harry Killoughery (R’11) Mark Lane (F’03) Chris Madsen (B’04)

Daniele Manzi (R’09) Tom Middlehurst (R’03) Tom Mitchell (F’07) Craig Monteiro (StB’05) Tom Montgomery (F’11) Phil Myles (G’02) Tomek Nawrocki (F’11) Danny O'Connell (R’02) Eddie O'Hare (B’10) Dave Osborne (R’04) Peter Osborne (R’08)

Worth Society Life

Mike O'Sullivan (B’89) Alex Podbury (C’04) Andrew Pring (R’10) Dan Pring (R’03) Tony Riley (R’09) Bernard Seyffer (‘gappie’) Tom Woodman (F’07)

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

dwindled as the weather got worse; and with this decline came our own decline in performance. In addition, we struggled with injuries and found a large number of our influential players side-lined for significant periods. Most unfortunately, we lost our two top-class hookers to long term knee injuries – line-out expert Mark Lane and guest Harry Foster. Likewise, the loss of both Belpassi brothers for the whole season proved critical. Key players were therefore simply not available for enough games and when they were, they weren’t fully fit, with the result that invariably new players were shipped in to help with numbers. Although this wide pool is a credit to the Worthians organisation and network – with over 50 Worthians representing the club during 2011/12 – it is not a good recipe for team cohesion and success; and our results this season demonstrated just that.

“A try with the last play of the game put the scores level, and I was left to hit the conversion to win the game. Thankfully, the nerves held steady and we won by 2 points. The victory was significant, because although we went on to lose to Australia in the plate final at Twickenham, the win against South Africa earned us enough points to finish third in the overall series standings.”

Tom is currently doing pre-season training with the squad in his first year as a full time England Sevens player.

“Competition is strong this year, so I will have to work hard to earn a place in the squad for the first tournament in October which takes place in Australia. It has been a really rewarding, if rather surreal, last six months and I am really looking forward to the next two years and beyond. I realise how fortunate I am to have such a wonderful job – if you can call it that! – and am grateful to everybody who has helped me along the way; not least those at Worth and in particular my family.”

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orthians RFC have found the going tough in Surrey 2 during the 2011/12 season – after their great success in becoming Champions of Surrey 3 at the end of 2010/11. Surrey 2 is a league where most teams – on their day – could give anyone a good game; with just two teams, Farnham and Old Cranleighans, having the edge over the rest of the table.

The full line-up of ‘young’ and ‘old’ for the opening match of the 2011/12 season which the ‘young’ Worthians won 20-15

“It has been a successful start to my England Sevens career”, he says, “more so than I could ever have expected.”

Looking to the future and to 2012/13 – despite last season’s travails our prospects appear to be good. We continue to get strong young recruits into the team and this season was no exception; with Tony Riley, Simon Jukes and Nick Elvidge all very useful on the field and excellent catalysts for getting others to play. Harry Killoughery was a great find, establishing himself as the team’s regular full-back with some skilful, and sometimes risky, manoeuvres; while Martin Danagher will surely deliver great things on the pitch when he has banished his niggling injuries.

The Cronk-Cunis National Under-21 competition in late August is a great way of getting together with former 1st XV team-mates; and the needle game of ‘young’ versus ‘old’ Worthians in September gives prospective players a good introduction to Worthians rugby. The key target group, as always, is those who are leaving University and, once again, we have heard encouraging noises from the 2008 Leavers as they return down south after their educational experiences. And finally, the Sevens campaign this season established some important connections with the school team, thanks to valuable performances from 1st XV skipper Tom Cummins and a speedy Eoin O’Connor.

For the 2012/13 Season, we simply need to raise our game and our competitiveness to make sure that we play at our very best for the full 80 minutes; rather than in 10-minute or 20-minute bursts, which seemed to be the main feature of our play in 2011/12. This means our players committing to regular training as well as making themselves available throughout the season. Easy!

Remember this is your Club – for all Worthians – and we are always in need of new players; especially for 2012/13 when we face our second season in the highly competitive Surrey 2 League!

We welcome everyone – even if you can’t commit to playing a full season.

Take your pick of these choices and come along and join in: • In September 2012: Come and play in the Worthians vs School XV match at Worth • During your Gap year: Sign up for a few games before you set off on your gapyear travels • While at University: Come and play for the Under-21 fixture at Christmas, or the Sevens at Easter, or ring up for a game if you’re visiting your parents any weekend!

• After University: Join Worthians RFC full-time if you are working in London or close by If you are thinking of playing, then please do phone one of the following people for more information: • Tom Cummins (2012 Leaver) 07584 570132 • Nick Elvidge (2011 Leaver) 07784 255775 • Eddie O’Hare (2010 Leaver) 07717 501720

...the tough get going.

• Jo Bradley (2009 Leaver) 07525 645800 • Giles Sacarello (2008 Leaver) 07760 889086

Up the Worthians!

• Jamie Bruce (Manager Under-21s) 07900 881089

Desmond Calnan (R’69) June 2012

• Alex Podbury (Captain Worthians RFC) 07789 691113 • Desmond Calnan (Chairman Worthians RFC) 07535 939582 or 01372 386511

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The following 14 Worthian girls supported our first 2011 Worthian girls’ hockey match: Players: Olivia Barclay-Hudson (StM’10) Niamh Fogarty (StM’11) Charlotte Hutchinson (StM’10) Natasha Jackson (StA’11) Sophia Knight (StM’10)

Worthians Golf 2011/12 Season Report

The Worthian girls’ hockey team line up

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As the photos illustrate, the spring meeting at Moor Park was a great day and the weather was reasonably kind to us. Dominic Pasqua won the Rose Bowl with 34 points, and Matthew Wood the longest drive (for which he won a very smart woolly hat!). We always have a splendid lunch there, and the fact that we play a further 18 holes after lunch ensures that we can walk off the odd glass of wine. Being a couple of members light – we were joined for lunch by two Moor Park members and the secretary to the secretary (namely Bridget, my wife) as we had already paid for lunch in our package.

As far as this year’s headlines go – they must surely be awarded to Rupert Pridham who, whilst playing the first round in a knockout 4 ball better ball, was struck by a car while looking for his opponent’s ball in the verge, close to the roadside at his home club.

A driver swerved to avoid an oncoming motorbike and hit Rupert. Although his injuries could have been far more severe, he sustained a broken leg, and was incensed at having his much loved golfing shoe cut away by the medical team!

During the course of the year I have e-mailed those recent leavers supplied by Olivia at Worth Society who have indicated a keen interest in playing for,

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The girls in action

and / or getting involved in, Worthians Golf.

Regrettably, the response has been poor.

We are very keen to encourage the younger generation to get involved so, if you happen to be interested, or know of someone who would be interested in joining and playing for Worthians Golf, do please contact me – either by e-mailing me at: kenneth.ross2@virgin.net or calling me on: 01323 641221.

Patrick Keane and Richard Stephens

Ken Ross (G’65) July 2012

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)

Worth Society Life

Some solid defending by Olivia Barclay Hudson, Sophia Knight and the ever-busy midfield dynamo, Louisa McCarthy, meant that the ‘oldies’ more than held their own. Louisa – the only player to win a Cap at Worth to date – fittingly scored the winning goal to round off a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon for the players and a large crowd of spectators.

And so it was that the Worthian girls emerged triumphant at 3-2 – albeit after a titanic battle!

Our grateful thanks to Louisa McCarthy for her valiant efforts in recruiting the Worthian girls’ team, and to Olivia Henley for helping to set up this match – which we are hoping will become an annual fixture in the school and Worthians calendar.

We look forward to many more fabulous matches like this for girls’ sport at Worth, and to seeing many more Worthian girls both playing and supporting in the future as their numbers grow.

Joey Hall-Palmer, PE and Games September 2011

The following 10 Worthians attended the Squash meetings during the 2011/12 Season:

fter the success of last year’s inaugural Worthians Squash Match, we arranged two separate contests during the 2011/12 season – the first in November 2011 and the second in March 2012.

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It was a real pleasure to team up with all our Worthian footballing counterparts – to share match tea in the school’s social centre, The Pitstop, and to witness the presentation of the football trophies.

Matthew Doggett (F’07)

We were a little disappointed that there wasn’t greater take up for the November line-up – but it gave me the excuse to don my sporting gear and join our three Worthians for a series of hard fought matches and we had a really enjoyable afternoon. In the end, Harry Fisher came out on top, beating both Patrick Thick and myself, and Guy Salimbeni won a hard-fought match against the school number one, Matthew Hay. Matthew Doggett also won his match against Ashley Thomas.

We are much looking forward to arranging further squash fixtures in November 2012 and March 2013 and wholeheartedly encourage any Worthian who enjoys the game (at whatever level) to come along and join us. So, if you’re interested in joining us, then please do get in touch with Olivia at worthsociety@worth.org.uk.

Matthew Doggett (F’07)

Harry Fisher (B’81) Guy Salimbeni (F’07) Desmond Calnan (R’69) James Emery (C’11) Paddy Keane (R’94) Tom Lewis (G’05) George Salimbeni (F’11) Richard Stephens (C’02)

Jeremy Dowling

The second match, on Sunday 18th March 2012, coincided with the Worthians football tournament and was better attended. We arranged for our seven squash enthusiasts to meet at 1.00 pm, so they would finish in good time to either watch, or participate in, the various football matches taking place in the afternoon.

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)

For the Worthian girls, Charlie Hutchinson shook off the fact that she apparently hasn’t ‘touched a stick since leaving Worth’ by leading the way with two really well struck shots. The current Worth 1st team fought back with a great individual goal from Alice Rooke, followed by another excellent goal involving some fantastic teamwork.

From left to right: Sophie Noakes (Y12), Jess Cook (Y12), Sophia Knight, Olivia Barclay-Hudson, Chloe Noakes, Charlotte Perry, Natasha Jackson, Louisa McCarthy, Niamh Fogarty, Hannah Nottage, Charlotte Hutchinson

Worthians Squash 2011/12 Season Report

Dominic Pasqua wins the silver at the Moor Park spring meeting in June 2012

So, here’s to 2013!

Around 25 players – old and new – observed one minute’s silence to commemorate those who died on this, the anniversary of 9/11. Fr Stephen led everyone present in prayer, in a very poignant reminder to us all of those tragic events that took place on this day ten years before.

And then the fun started! The match proved to be an excellent, well balanced and competitive game with five great goals scored.

Matthew Wood accepts his prize for the longest drive from Ken Ross – with James Blake to Matthew’s left

In spite of many phone calls we could not muster a team for the Grafton Morrish this year. It seemed to clash with a number of other events, but fortunately this fixture returns to Knowle Park next year – with the chance of moving onto the knock out stages at Hunstanton (an achievement that has eluded us to date – but we are hoping that will all change!).

The Russell Bowl at Woking, which is the Catholic Schools Cup, also had a rather spectacular turn out. We were just one team member short through illness; but the whole Ampleforth team failed to turn out at all, having made a note of the wrong date! We hope for better planning next year.

Worthian Girls’ Hockey 2011 Match Report he very first Worthian Girls’ Hockey match was played on Sunday 11th September 2011 on Worth’s stunning new astro pitch. It proved to be a true Indian summer’s day, which meant that we were bathed in glorious sunshine and everyone saw this fantastic new facility at its very best.

Fr Stephen leads everyone in prayer to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11

Spectators: Fiona Bond (StM’10) Julia Hollis (StM’11) Sasha Richards (StM’11) Izzy Stewart-Roberts (StM’10) Anna Webb (StM’10)

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e have struggled on occasion to gather a team together this season – although we’re certainly not alone as other Societies have experienced exactly the same. But we had a very good turnout at the East Sussex National, which was our inaugural golfing fixture in the autumn of 2011.

A dozen golfers played on Saturday and Sunday – and we had a great dinner and overnight stay at the hotel. Suffice to say, those sensible chaps who turned out on Sunday for just one round, had a much clearer head and a better idea of what they were doing on the golf course than the rest of us.

But they had missed out on a great evening and gathering the night before. James Blake tells me that he could have set the morning fumes alight on the course that Sunday morning! At the end of the weekend Hugh Bett won the Worth Salver on a count back, with 38 points, from John Shepherd.

Louisa McCarthy (StM’10) Chloe Noakes (StM’10) Hannah Nottage (StM’11) Charlotte Perry (StM’10)

George Salimbeni and James Emery

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

They played one another in a series of matches but it was Desmond Calnan’s 25+++ (!) years’ additional experience that really came up trumps. He stole the show on the day, coming out on top as the overall winner followed by Paddy Keane in second place and Richard Stephens in third.

Above: James Emery, Tom Lewis, Patrick Keane and Desmond Calnan Left: The November 2011 foursome: Matthew Doggett, Guy Salimbeni, Jeremy Dowling and Harry Fisher

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The following 31 Worthians played in the 2012 Worthians Football Tournament Rishi Amin (F’11) Dale Bellis (F’03) Nick Bell-Young (G’05) Mark Breen (B’05) Nick Elvidge (C’11) James Henwood (C’07) Daniel Hyde (StB’05) Jack Jenkins (C’07) Matthew Jeffery (C’10) Ed Kemp (F’10) Alexander King (C’10)

Worthians Football 2012 Match Report

Julian Kirk (StB’75) Ryan Lall (C’10) Edward Long (G’03) John Manning (C’10) Mike Matthews (B’99) Scott McIntosh (R’10) Rajesh Patel (C’11) Theodore Rivers (F’11) Joseph Rivers (F’10) Adam Smyth (B’06) Michael Solomon (C’04)

Matthew Stagnetto (B’10) Tim Starkie (G’88) Andrew Talty (StB’08) James Talty (StB’06) Ben Taylor (F’03) Josh Taylor (B’05) Harry Woodman (F’10) Tom Woodman (‘07) Stephen Young (G’03)

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The overall winners of the round-robin tournament were the O21 squad with two wins. Their team captain, Mark Breen, was presented with the Henry Surtees Award, also presented by John Surtees.

Once again, the school team played in a triangular tournament against both the U21 and O21 Worthian teams; while the U21 and O21 teams played in a further round-robin tournament against the staff.

A really excellent afternoon was had by all who took part and, once again, our very special thanks go to Andrew Taylor – whose invaluable long-term connections with Gervase ensured an excellent turnout of Worthians.

There were a few brotherly rivals amongst the school and Worthian U21 teams – Ollie Rivers facing brothers Theo and Joe; Dylan Lall facing brother Ryan; and James Kemp facing brother Ed. As one would expect where footballing prowess is concerned – certainly no love was lost and the challenges were fierce!

Darren Carrick, 1st XI Team Coach Andrew Taylor, Worthians Football Co-ordinator March 2012

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have to say that your tennis correspondent is feeling a little fed up and down in the dumps. In the 12 years or so in which a Worthians tennis match has been played against the school, there has been only one occasion when the Worthians have emerged as victors.

In recent years there has been a glimmer of hope – as fresh blood has been introduced into the team and some progress made towards victory. And we are ever hopeful that, in future matches, this fresh blood will include some of our Worthian old girl counterparts, as they leave University and join the working ranks over the next few years. In spite of Olivia’s considerable efforts to attract them, the match currently remains an old boy affair.

And so we move onto the day itself – Speech Day, Saturday 2nd June 2012. As a result of it being the Jubilee weekend and a number of injuries sustained in the countdown to this momentous day, the Worthians team was diminished and reduced to just three – Neil Laughton (C’82), Sean Buckley (G’83) and myself. We were therefore forced to ‘borrow’ a fourth player from the school.

In the Worthian U21 versus school match, the U21 side took the lead initially, leaving the school side to chase the game. Despite this being their third game within four days, the fitness of the 1st XI surpassed that of their University counterparts – and they played a fast-paced passing game. A penalty enabled the School 1st XI to even the score, which left the school team feeling re-energised and looking for a winner! It wasn’t long before a winning strike was headed home to seal victory for the school.

But, where we lacked in players, we were inordinately strengthened by our own groupies and cheerleaders (OK, our family members). Support – at least I think it was support – was vocal throughout the course of the match and the team drew a great deal of inspiration from this encouragement.

In the round-robin tournament we saw a strong staff team defeated 2-1 by the O21s. This was followed by a heavy 4-1 loss for the U21s when playing against the O21s. The staff team then went on to draw their match with the O21s.

So, overall the School 1st XI retained the Henry Surtees Memorial trophy and the O21s won the new Henry Surtees Award. Once again, John Surtees, father of the late Henry Surtees (C’09), kindly returned to Worth to present the trophies. John is always warmly welcomed back to the school and we are extremely grateful to him for his continued interest in, and support of, this annual sporting fixture.

John Surtees presents the Henry Surtees Award for the overall winning team of the round-robin tournament to Mark Breen, the Worthians O21 team captain

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The fact that I am now in the fifth paragraph and have yet to mention anything about the match itself, might lead uncharitable readers to draw the conclusion that the team did nothing to break its now decade-long losing streak.

Well, this is not quite the case, as part of the Worthians team was able to post a victory – perhaps in part due to

Tom Carew Hunt (StB’02) and Hugh Bett (B’73) played in the 2012 Schools Old Boys’ Real Tennis Doubles Championships. They successfully reached the final of the Henry Leaf Cup Handicap Division

The Worthian tennis teams in action

the change in format of the event which meant we were able to avoid yet another whitewash by the school! The new format meant that each of the pairings played each other so, at one point, the Worthian pairs played against one another, resulting in the only ‘true’ old boy pairing coming last.

So what was the final result? Well, the old boys lost – let’s leave it at that shall we? There’s always next year – when we’re hoping that more of you will join us in our quest for victory!

Crispin Hayhoe (StB’82)

Back row, left to right : Ryan Lall, Rishi Amin, Theo Rivers, Edward Long, Jo Rivers, Matt Jeffery, Raj Patel, Scott McIntosh Front row, left to right : Alexander King, John Manning, Tom Woodman, Ed Kemp, Matthew Stagnetto, Nick Elvidge

John Surtees presents the Henry Surtees Memorial Cup to Conor Keating – captain of the winning School 1st XI

Team tactics from Andy Taylor!

From left to right: Ed Gritten, William Shortall, Neil Laughton, James Kirkman, Sean Buckley, Crispin Hayhoe and Connor Thornton-Clark Right: All psyched up and ready to play!

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Sport

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n Sunday 18th March 2012, a record 31 Worthians returned to Worth for our fourth annual football match – ready to pitch themselves against the School’s 1st XI and Staff teams.

Worthians Tennis 2012 Match Report

Caught on Camera

Left: Simon McMenemy (R’89) in Afghanistan during a six month sabbatical

Je Ahn’s (R’01) intricate timber structure, ‘Paleys upon Pilars’, marks the location of Aldgate where Chaucer lived from 1374-1386

Jack Udale (B'11), Nick Gandy (R'11) and Nick Elvidge (C'11) happy to have completed their ‘Tough Mudder’ challenge in aid of the Matthew Elvidge Trust

Conor Bevan (R’02) features on Australia’s Bondi FM

Mark Shepherd (B’79) celebrating New Year’s Eve 2010 in Locheil, Scotland

Professor Peter Gilbert (R’68) visited Worth School in the Lent Term 2012 to give a presentation on spirituality and mental health

Ciaran (StB’12) and Jonathan (StB’79) Stordy

Mark Hayhurst (B'00) on ceremonial duties in London with the Coldstream Guards

Stephen Wolseley (R’98) pictured with his son Nicholas, and Mark Esdaile (StB’98) with his son Charlie (team Esdaile is clearly getting less sleep!)

Steven Noel-Hill (StB’74) pictured with his sons, Michael (StB’11) and Teddy (StB’07)

Guy Nivelles (G’93) at his MBA degree ceremony in London

Jim Condie (B’02) on ‘best man’ duties to Mark Churchman (C’02)

During HRH Prince Harry’s visit to Rio de Janeiro to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in March 2012, Jaqueline Wilkins (centre), daughter of Jonathan Wilkins (C’70) explains the finer workings of the Science without Frontiers, ‘Knowledge is Great’ programme that she heads up at the British Embassy in Brasilia

Paul Fremantle (B’87), left, performs in his folk/acoustic band

Right: Lightning over the chapel at Camp Bastion, Helmand Province in Afghanistan (photo taken by Sgt Steve Burke RLC)

Martin De La Bedoyere (G’81), Ben Burroughs (R’81), Nick Hooper (C’81) and Dick Bell (R’80) on a Worthians skiing trip to the French Alps

Graham Hutchings (R'05), second from right, rows in the quarter finals of the 2012 Henley Royal Regatta

Simon Douglas-Dufresne (G’80) enjoying lunch in the Andes

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Guy Hoogewerf (G'90) and his wife, Henny (left), at the first holy communion of his second daughter, Maria (middle)

Michael Cane (1948-53) riding Sam, a thoroughbred trakehner, in Canada

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Caught on Camera continued Tony Shepherd (B’75) climbing in the Lofoten Islands, Norway

If the planning meeting for the 2002 Leavers’ Reunion is anything to go by – the event itself in September 2012 is going to be quite something!

John Ford (B’82) and his family – Hannah, Ellie, Edward and wife Teresa

Michael May (StB’67) working on the mural for the new Zedel Brasserie off Piccadilly Circus in London

Owen Lean (C’01) competing at the 2012 London Stage Magic Championships, which he won

Patrick (R’64) and Suzy Nivelles

Michael Hughes (G’81) on safari in South Africa with Phoebe, Alexander and Emma

John Shepherd (B’82) with daughters Sarah and Sophie

Jonathan Wilkins (C’70) and Nicholas Houston (C’70) shopping in Barbados

Peter Gilbert (R’68) – running to relax

Rob Palmer (R’01) at work in the Erindi Game Reserve, Namibia Luan de Burgh (StB’84) addresses a legal conference

Patrick Barr (R’01) was awarded the Hannah Evans Award for Excellence by the League of Charing Cross Hospital Nurses for dedication to his work at Charing Cross Hospital

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Nick Robinson (StB’75) had an amazing summer as a ‘Games Maker’ at the Olympics and Paralympics. Here he is wearing a ‘real’ gold medal borrowed from an Australian competitor

Having fun in Cornwall, from left to right : Richard Williams (B’80), Mark Walker (StB’80), Ivan Macquisten (B’80), Mike Golton, (R’80), Ben Goodger, (R’80), Simon Allen (StB’80) and Julian McCarthy (StB'79)

Gaye (née Robertson) Wilmot (B’88) with the ‘Class of 2010’ who fell under her pastoral care for seven years

Mark Behard (G’79) hard at work in his Blue Sky Café, Bristol

Mike Matthews (B’99), second from left, was in for a big surprise at his wedding when Joe Nurse (R'11), Maddy Ilsley (StM’10) and Oliver Jacobs (F'10) joined the School Jazz Band and marched into the marquee playing ‘Celebration’ Ed Paget (G’95) working with the Canadian National Alpine Ski Team Bobby Acworth (C’81) pictured with Bear Grylls and a student participating in the National Citizenship programme of which he is a Programme Leader

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Philip Lundberg (C’80) challenged his sons, Matthew and Alexander to a 100-metre race on his 50th birthday (he won – OK, maybe not!)

Sean Buckley (G’83) at the end of his Moonriders Challenge in June 2012

Michael (R’65) and Jo Bray sample the delights of a ride in a sampan in Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong

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Dove Biking at London 2012

Doves march in convoy to the stadium

Julian meets Steve Redgrave

Doves ‘in flight’

All relaxed – but raring to go

I can wholeheartedly say that this was the most exciting experience of my whole life – a week later and I’m still buzzing!

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was lucky enough to be one of the 70 ‘dove bikes’ representing the release of doves at the Olympic Opening Ceremony for London 2012. The show – effectively a live shooting of a four-hour feature film in a single take – was a stunning and proud moment for the UK; with even the most hardened cynic softening a little.

Julian’s very first trip to the stunning Olympic Stadium

View of the show from back stage

So, how did I get involved in the first place?! Well, I’m a keen triathlete and a call had been put out to online cycling and triathlon forums for ‘cyclists with good upper body strength’ to volunteer for participation in the Olympic Opening Ceremony as one of several bike groups.

We had around 15-20 full-time staff and volunteers to support the ‘dove team’. They were entirely responsible for our costumes, our props, bike mechanics and stage management. This was typical of the attention to every detail that helped to guarantee the success of the whole show.

After completing a simple online form (name, address, can you ride a bike? type of questions) I was invited to audition at a large studio in East London. We had no idea of selection criteria but had to be able to hold a straight line, speed up and slow down smoothly, demonstrate our wobble-free skills as well as trying out some Red Arrowstyle manoeuvres!

Our excitement levels really started ramping up in midJune when rehearsals took place in the Olympic stadium – our cue to run in slow motion down the back straight!

Fabric and fibre optic LEDs were attached to the wing structure and finally the time arrived for us to try them out in our final formation, in the dark, with the correct lighting. It was a truly magical moment.

After weeks of waiting I was initially rejected but then, around mid-May, I received a formal offer with pages of legal contracts about keeping secrets and being paid nothing (a free Oyster card was our only expenses offering).

Our final three dress rehearsals followed – the last two of which took place in front of a full stadium of 80,000 people comprising family, friends and helpers. Many hours were spent ‘just waiting’ at the Olympic Park before being called into the stadium at around 10.15pm and then making our appearance at midnight. As our element featured after the athletes’ parade, the rehearsal audience had to leave early in order to catch the last train home – and also to keep us secret! – so show night, the opening ceremony itself, was our first time ‘live’.

Rehearsals initially took place at a disused Ford factory in Dagenham. As I live near Southampton this meant several train trips to London and a 20km time trial on the bike down the A13 with my new ‘dove friends’. Each rehearsal took between five and six hours so there was a lot of downtime with only small snapshots of action – but we loved every minute of it!

Danny Boyle came to talk to us at each rehearsal to obtain our feedback and to re-affirm our view that sainthood – or a knighthood at least – would be well deserved recognition for possibly being Britain’s ‘nicest bloke’.

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The main purpose of the rehearsals was to ascertain the optimum speed, spacing and formation and to enable us to practise ‘complete with wings’ – which actually were quite light and didn’t prove too physically demanding or that difficult to move and flap.

I did not feel stressed or nervous when the night of the Opening Ceremony arrived and, alongside my fellow doves, I can wholeheartedly say that this was the most exciting experience of my whole life – a week later and I’m still buzzing!

Immediately we came off-stage, we sneaked back in to where the Arctic Monkeys had been playing and peered out at that magical view. As Sir Macca finished we strolled out onto the platform with Britain’s medallists and met some of our country’s biggest sporting stars. Eventually we were thrown out of the stadium at around 2.30am and went off for an all-night party – my first in years!

Danny Boyle did Britain proud by using volunteers to put on a bonkers but brilliant show filled with humour – James Bond and HM the Queen, Mr Bean – the stunning spectacle of the Industrial Revolution and truly great moments like the opening rendition of “God Save the Queen” by the Sex Pistols.

And for me, it was a truly amazing experience – one that will always stay with me and is unlikely ever to be repeated (although I’m open to offers!).

As a result of it, London was a very different place last week – people actually chatted on the train (how weird is that?).

Julian McCarthy (StB’79) August 2012

Arise Sir Danny, and thanks to my new ‘dove friends’.

Coo Coo.

Any readers interested in viewing some footage should visit the following links: - The official rehearsal video can be viewed at: http://tinyurl.com/dove2012.

- A high definition video of the Arctic Monkeys and dove bikes at: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10404889/HD%20video%20of%20Arctic%20Monkeys%20and%20Dove%20Bikes.mp4 - BBC Interview at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-19157076 - The view from an audience member at: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10404889/London%202012%20Opening%20Ceremony%20-%20audience%20view.mp4 Julian McCarthy

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explore the potential use of Contour Crafting on the Moon. We were lucky. Ours was one of only 30 successful bids out of some 800 applications. Our research for NASA involves exploring the potential of using the Contour Crafting robot to build infrastructure projects on the Moon – roads, landing pads, storage spaces etc.

Designing Robots to build on the Moon

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ometimes life can take you in unexpected directions.

Whilst a student at Worth, I was intent on two things – obtaining a place at Cambridge to study Architecture, and being selected to run at the Los Angeles Olympics. I succeeded in the former but failed at the latter (although Tim Hutchings (StB’77), my training partner at Worth, did make it and was placed 4th in the 5000m at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles).

Buzz Aldrin – after whom the Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear was named – was the second man to walk on the Moon. He lives in Los Angeles and is seen here giving a lecture at USC

By strange coincidence I now find myself in Los Angeles as a Professor of Architecture at the University of Southern California [USC], whose American Football stadium is none other than the Coliseum – the very stadium where Tim ran in the Olympic final!

What I would never have expected, however, is that I would end up designing robots to build structures on the Moon. One of the reasons why I came to USC was to collaborate with an Iranian engineer, Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis, who has invented a robot – called Contour Crafting – for 3D ‘printing’ buildings out of concrete. This robot is designed to construct buildings much more economically and faster than traditional methods of construction; through a process that is more akin to automated automobile assembly plants than traditional methods of construction. The robot squirts out rapidhardening concrete, layer by layer, in a process that resembles frosting a cake. The aim is to build a house in 24 hours using this process and its potential is enormous.

Contour Crafting was voted one of the top fifteen inventions most likely to change the world recently.

Last year, Behrokh and I teamed up with two other colleagues and applied to NASA for some funding to

Now why would anyone want to use a robot to build structures on the Moon? Well, the Moon is not exactly the cosy, ‘made-of-cheese planet with a smiling face’ that most people think it is. The Moon is a highly hazardous environment. The radiation there is so severe, that a human protected just by a spacesuit would only last for 8 hours on the surface of the Moon before dying of exposure to radiation.

According to some experts, if the Moon is colonised eventually, humans would need to live continuously below the surface of the Moon, protected from radiation, and should only come out onto the surface in emergencies. Meanwhile temperatures on the Moon may vary between -200ºC and +200ºC on a single lunar day.

Robots must therefore be used to perform as many tasks as possible.

Given that, according to some estimates, it would cost roughly $2million to send a single brick to the Moon; NASA favours a strategy of ‘In Situ Resource Utilisation’ [ISRU] – i.e. making use of the resources already on the Moon. We therefore proposed to build structures out of regolith – the fine powdery, graphite-like substance that coats the surface of the Moon – by turning it into a form of lunar concrete. But there is one problem: in concrete construction water is normally used as a binding agent.

Although tests have shown that there are traces of water on the Moon, what water there is would have to be mined at great expense. Water on the Moon would therefore be something like gold dust on Earth. An alternative is the use of sulphur as a binding agent instead of water.

Sulphur is certainly to be found on the surface of the Moon, and sulphur concrete is robust enough. But this is not an ideal alternative, as sulphur melts at 130ºC – well below the 200ºC maximum temperature on the surface of the Moon. Other options include scintering regolith to produce a glass-like substance, or simply melting the regolith at a high temperature. We are currently exploring all these options.

Far left: A lunar lander comes into land on a landing pad constructed by the Contour Crafting robot.

A wall shields the equipment from ejecta from the lander Background image: The Contour Crafting robot fabricates a road, with a lander housed in a storage structure in the background

We are now completing our initial phase of research for NASA, and bidding for the next – far more lucrative – round of research funding. Part of our strategy has been to produce hyper-realistic visualisations of the technique in operation. We imagine that – just as people suspect that Neil Armstrong (himself a USC graduate), Buzz Aldrin and the other ten astronauts who claim to have walked on the Moon did not actually go there – if we make our renderings convincing enough, some will believe that our Contour Crafting robot was actually there.

Will we ever get to building structures on the Moon?

Somehow I doubt it. The US Space program is in disarray right now. President Bush wanted to send a rocket to Mars, now President Obama wants to send a rocket to an asteroid. Meanwhile – now that the Space Shuttle is no longer in service – the only way to send an American astronaut to the International Space Station is by hitching a ride on a Russian rocket.

Neil (left) met up with Tim Hutchings at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where Tim was working as a reporter and Neil was in town to curate the Architecture Biennial Beijing

However, just as Teflon emerged as one of the byproducts of NASA’s Space programme, we are hoping to use the knowledge gained in this research to develop ways of printing buildings on Earth in a more sustainable fashion. Water has become one of the crucial issues around the world and if we can develop a technique for building structures without water, we will have contributed to some broader environmental issues here on Earth.

Neil Leach (G’76) May 2012 In May 2012, Neil met up in Oxford with Julian Dare, his former Classics teacher at Worth

The Contour Crafting robot – mounted on the ‘Athlete’ rover developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena – fabricates a storage structure

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I would go on to report from many other towns and cities in the country, including Homs, where I narrowly escaped the shell of an anti-aircraft gun.

In Hiding with the Opposition in Syria

Above: A Syrian flag with gunshot holes in Homs Below: James Longman

J

ames Longman studied Arabic at SOAS after leaving Worth in 2005. His fascination with Syria was fuelled after spending a year abroad at the University of Damascus, which led to him tracking the fledgling Syrian uprising in 2011 as a journalist.

He is now forging a successful career in journalism as a producer for the BBC with a special focus on Syria. Over the summer of 2011, he reported from a number of Syrian cities for “The Daily Telegraph” and “The Times”, as well as US broadcasters NPR and PBS. Here he shares with us some of those early experiences …

“We want what you have: freedom.” These were the first words spoken to me by Ali Jaber Abu Hamze, the leader of a regional faction of Syria’s popular opposition movement, in a remote mountain farmhouse in the Syrian countryside.

They were words that would come to be repeated in the many similar interviews I would hold over the summer of 2011, which I spent embedded with the growing network of Syrian rebel groups inspired by the movement we now call the ‘Arab Spring’.

I’d embarked on a career as a journalist and foreign correspondent, and that night marked the beginning of the most exciting – and inspiring – journey of my life.

My mother’s Lebanese roots, and the many childhood trips to the region, made the choice of a degree in Arabic at SOAS a simple one; and Syria became an instant fascination after spending my year abroad at the University of Damascus. Over the years, trips to the country became more and more frequent, allowing me to specialise in the region for my subsequent Masters at LSE. It was research for my thesis and my resolve to become a journalist that convinced me a trip to map the (at that stage) fledgling Syrian uprising would be worthwhile.

Posing as a student, and having made all the necessary contacts through work; I had already begun as a producer at Sky News; I arrived in Damascus in June 2011. My contact would meet me at a rest stop 20km outside of the

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city centre and, after three car swaps, I finally arrived at the farmhouse where I was to meet Ali. His story, described to me under a clear night sky in a large lemon grove adjoining the disused farmhouse where he hid with his band of armed rebels, was heart-breaking.

Torture, extreme brutality and humiliation at the hands of guards in the two prisons in which he had been held, and the stories of friends and family lost to the gunfire all made for a shocking first glimpse into life as a dissident in Syria. Of course, his experiences are not necessarily shared by all Syrians, and as it has been pointed out to me many times by friends in Syria – friends, it must be said, who occupy a rather better position in society than the great majority of their co-nationals – this country enjoyed a seemingly unparalleled level of peace in comparison to many of its neighbours. I have lived in Syria and know of the peace about which they speak. But it was peace coupled with a level of fear I had never before witnessed; fear of the authorities knocking on your door in the middle of the night; fear of a neighbour over-hearing a disparaging comment; fear even of one’s own family and what they may have felt forced to do to protect others close to them. Syrians had been conditioned to view President Bashar-al-Assad as Syria personified in this dictator state – to speak against him was treason.

acting as scouts for the 30-minute journey, racing ahead to check for security forces. Speeding through olive groves along dirt tracks in the middle of the night, the driver was alerted to another car following us. He took a handgun from the glove compartment. “We have to protect ourselves,” insisted Ali, seeing my startled look.

“You will see at the protests, we are not violent.” We stopped in a lay-by to wait for the car to pass, before continuing our journey.

And the town of Rastan, where I sat and wept as a grieving father told me how a bullet had gone through his shoulder and into the head of his six year-old son. I toured hospitals to meet the injured and their worried families, counted the dead with bereaved relatives and climbed up hills, ran through deserted towns, was smuggled through checkpoints and watched from rooftops to witness the ever-growing mass street protests that continue all over Syria to this day.

We arrived at a very basic three-room farm building. Set on a small hill overlooking the apricot and cherry groves that carpet this Syrian-Lebanese border region, this formed the base for local operations. Many more young men were there – all wanted by the authorities. Some of them continued their regular jobs – as farmers or labourers – and used their wages to pay the way of the others who were unable to return to work. Seven men were on guard at all times, each with a walkie-talkie to avoid cellular tracing. Around 20 men spent their time between the street and this small farmhouse, where they ate, slept and watched the news.

But the first few nights with those brave men in that small farmhouse was an experience I will never forget.

It is doubtful whether many of them are still alive, as in recent weeks the government’s crackdown has reached new levels of intensity. People often ask what attraction there can be in witnessing such massive suffering and persecution. My response is always the same: faced with such atrocities, humans have a tendency to act with similarly extreme levels of kindness and compassion.

I was fortunate to see how a society under siege unites in the face of immeasurable brutality; how ordinary people – many younger than myself – are inspired to do extraordinary things; and importantly in this case, how faith and its capacity to unify, encourages such great sacrifice.

At various intervals over the next three days the atmosphere darkened, as reports came in about security forces scouring the hills and raiding homes nearby. As each threat subsided, the mood lightened slightly, and brotherly chat over a meal made in the house’s small kitchen presented the men with a brief moment during which they could forget their perilous state.

This was my first glimpse of Syrian revolutionary life; a new reality for these men – and many others like them in similar groups all over Syria – separated from their families and living as fugitives in cramped smoke-filled retreats, constantly on the move. I would go on to report from many other towns and cities in the country, including Homs, where I narrowly escaped the shell of an antiaircraft gun.

Below: Two defected soldiers show off their weapons in Homs Middle: Syrian rebels continue their fight against the government

As the crackdown continues, these qualities will be severely tested. But for those few weeks I had the chance to witness levels of courage, dignity and love that I could not otherwise encounter in a life I know is immensely privileged compared to those of that small band of brothers with whom I shared my first experiences as a foreign correspondent, and the many millions of people on whose behalf they and many others still fight.

James Longman (B’05) February 2012

Bashar-al-Assad, President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party

But this fear it seemed was slowly dissipating and the regime’s grip over the people loosening. And as Ali spoke, I realised he had been empowered with a sense of hope that gave him the power to continue his struggle. It was a strange thing to hear a Syrian speaking so frankly about life in his country, especially given my own experiences of life there, where certain words are taboo, let alone criticisms. I also soon realised that my own capacity to deal with the kind of emotions these men go through every day would be severely tested, as we were to head deeper into opposition territory.

As we emerged from the compound in Madaya that night, more men appeared, and jumped onto their motorbikes,

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Children watch a demonstration in Rastan

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Philip at BBC1’s “Antiques Roadshow”

Philip Mould – the UK's leading specialist dealer in early British art

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

I have a bunch of fond but fragmented memories: Tony Renouf, our art master, cutting my teeth with burnt out slides of old masters in the art room; coach trips to school dances soaked in Brut and the hopeless expectation of conquest; my inseparable friendship with Simon Pickard (StB’78) – whom I last saw thirty five years ago; the late Mrs Rozum, the St Bedes laundry matron, who spent her airless days knee-deep in our unwashed smalls and who invited me to lavish one-to-one teas; Fr Anthony who starred in “Oh what a lovely war” and attempted to teach me writing by lampooning my metaphors; surreptitiously throwing a soft-boiled egg 30 metres from the main school front door that landed randomly on a boy's head; a crush on the one girl in my year, Helen Wheeler (G’78), which caused me two terms of love sickness.

orthian, Philip Mould OBE, is likely to be a familiar face to followers of BBC 1’s Fake or Fortune? and Antiques Roadshow. He left Worth in 1978 to study History of Art at East Anglia University and since then has become one of the country’s foremost experts on British portraiture and established his own business, Philip Mould Ltd, in 1987.

Philip is widely consulted by galleries, private collectors and the media and is regarded as the leading specialist in the field of early British Art. He is well known for his numerous discoveries and is an expert valuer on art for the government. He was official art adviser to the House of Commons and to the House of Lords from 1988 until 2011.

In recognition of his art world expertise and contribution to portrait heritage, he was awarded an OBE in the January 2005 New Year's Honours list.

What are your least fond memories?

There was a bad element within my year-group in St Bedes. Worth was – and is – full of great people, and in later life I meet them all the time. But there were some bad apples in my dormitory; bruised misfits who took out their frustration on the softest target. For my first two terms I was miserable. This was forty years ago mind you, and pastoral school culture – and Worth in particular – would never allow bullying like this to happen now.

Philip sits on a number of charitable boards including The Heritage Foundation, Kids in Museums (Chairman), Plantlife (President), Fight for Sight, the Tony Banks Memorial Trust and CleanupUK. Following the publication of his book, “Sleepers: In Search of Lost Old Masters” he is also an acclaimed author and regular art world commentator. His television work includes writing and presenting the Channel 4 series, Changing Faces, co-presenting BBC 2's Antiques Show, co-hosting with Fiona Bruce the TV programme, Fake or Fortune? and he is an expert on BBC 1’s ever popular, Antiques Roadshow; a programme on which he recently made history with its first £1 million valuation.

What were your particular hobbies or interests at School?

I was obsessed by Antiques. I started dealing when I was fourteen. The Colonel, the retired head master of the Junior School, fostered this by lending me leather-bound albums of past copies of “The Antiques Collector” (collectors’ items in their own right) which were drenched in his cigar smoke; I kept them beneath my pillow and read them every night before lights-off during my first year (on reflection, I was probably fair game for the dormitory tyrants). I appeared on the kids TV programme “Magpie” with a collection of 18th Century shoe buckles and it set me on a single-minded ambition to work in television and to combine it with antiques and art. On one occasion, Fr Stephen Ortiger drove me to a local house sale to top up my holdings from the legendry shoe buckle collector, Lady Prudence Maufe.

Philip's latest book, “SLEUTH: The Amazinq Quest for Lost Art Treasures” was published in the UK

by Harper Collins in 2009. The Sunday Telegraph selected it as one of their Art History Books of the Year. It is a selection of true stories that reveal the extraordinary culture of detection behind art discoveries and can be purchased direct from Philip’s gallery or ordered through Amazon.

He is currently finishing filming the next series of Fake or Fortune? for BBC1 which will be transmitted later this year.

Do they feature in your life now?

The turn I made on those buckles when I sold my collection eight years later got my business going. Thank you Fr Stephen for that invaluable jaunt. And thank you Colonel, for perilously trusting me with those smoked leather albums.

We caught up with Philip recently …

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

This is going to sound negative – which it is not – but by realising my manifold limitations (incompetent at games, academia, extra curricula pastimes) I learned that if I were to have half a chance of succeeding I needed to find my own thing. And Worth did not discourage maverick urges if there was half a chance of making them vocationally viable.

Is there any one person who has had a particular influence on you and the decisions you have made in your life?

Without a shadow of doubt my father – a man who is difficult to live up to but whom, in his late eighties, vigorously retains the qualities that have always defined him: curiosity, empathy and compassion.

Last year “Fake or Fortune?” instigated the discovery of a painting by Winslow Homer, found near a rubbish tip which was later estimated at $250 million dollars

How did you get into the world of broadcasting and television and find yourself teaming up with Fiona Bruce?

After studying history of Art at UEA I went to the National Broadcasting School (now defunct). When I was 28 I was given a TV series by Channel 4 on the history of portraiture, and after piecemeal appearances as a presenter on “The Antiques Show”, and other programmes, the new producer of “The Antiques Roadshow” asked me to audition.

I became a regular, got to know Fiona, and my break came after my second book “Sleuth” was published three years

Philip Mould OBE

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ago. BBC1’s programme controller, Jay Hunt, decided the time was right to chance offering a mass audience with real-time tales from the international art world. When “Fake or Fortune?” (I admit the title sounds like a game show – but it was not my choice) aired last year, Fiona and I were quite unprepared for its success. The art world’s elitism proved to be the secret of its broad allure. We are now deep into filming the next series which is airing in the summer or early autumn. Fiona loves the testing investigation which plays to her journalistic training. I love the challenge of uncloaking and revealing the hidden (at the risk of sounding like a west end flasher!).

Banks MP, and gave the oration at his funeral. I miss him deeply and chair a memorial trust in his memory.

What was your motivation behind setting up Philip Mould Ltd? British portraiture is a fabulously rich subject, and great works of art are still affordable. You can buy a Gainsborough for the same price as one polka dot by Damien Hirst. I found my niche, and pursued my interest with the same vigour as I did with my shoe buckles.

What are the most memorable challenges you have faced during your many years working in the art world?

Balancing friendship with colleagues who are also business competitors. In the end people matter most – but in business, clear headed self-interest is essential.

So a fine balance is required.

What has been your greatest artwork detection coup as an ‘art detective’?

It happened this week. But with the utmost respect to The Blue Paper, I cannot discuss it now. If it is what I think and I can prove it, it will be a transformative moment for our team at Philip Mould Ltd. Happy to tell you in the next edition of The Blue Paper!

Do the Christian values that you were taught at Worth find a place within your work and everyday life?

Yes, absolutely. And it happens in a curious way. Whenever I am morally troubled I dream of Catholic clergy. In these dreams they either rebuke me, or reveal their human weaknesses. These oneiric wanderings have led me to monks, cardinals, even the Pope. I wake up, either with a pointer to rectify the situation, or an implicit licence to continue as I am. Passive pastoral pillow guidance is a legacy from Worth.

Above: Philip offering advice at BBC1’s “Antiques Roadshow” Right: A recent discovery of a painting of the Chevalier D’Eon – the world’s first recorded transvestite Far right: A circa 1640 self-portrait

by Sir Anthony Van Dyck

How did you come to start writing books and to write articles for the national press?

“Herons Attack Fishponds” was amongst my first freelance articles for the “Wirral Globe”. I was 19. It was a worthy piece of civic prose. I bombarded local press, radio and TV during my university holidays with ideas and – amazingly on occasions – was commissioned to write things. My father got me going when I was fifteen by helping me to write an article for an antiques magazine on buckles. I believed journalism was my best way into TV, and this largely drove me. My books came out of an itch to chronicle the excitement of art discoveries, which by dent of my specialisation I was beginning to make.

What did your role as art adviser to Parliament involve?

Advising MPs and Peers on all aspects of building up the art collection. My role was to fill the corridors of power with images, portraits and paintings that told the story of England, the Mother of Parliaments. I found about two hundred paintings for them by the end. The job massively enriched my life, giving me access to areas of society I would normally never have encountered. I became very friendly with the Common’s Art Chairman, the late Tony

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CleanUpUk is about litter – my bug bear. We want to clean up housing estates, shopping centres, etc and the countryside is next.

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

I have three ponds on my land at our weekend house in Great Rollright, Oxfordshire. Three quarters of all British wildlife thrives in or around water, and I use them as bolt holes into tranquillity. Nothing relaxes me more than sitting next to my pond in the summer, watching damsel and dragon flies on the hunt. I am also building a meadow from scratch: a much more complex job than it sounds

that involves killing off the monocultural rye grass and starting again.

If you were to offer advice to any Worthian who is just starting out and looking to enter the world of employment, what would that advice be?

I respond with a metaphor about trying to ascend in your chosen vocation that I feel sure Fr Anthony would have put a red line through! If you can’t compete, or are feeling jostled on the main staircase, try the back stairs. If the back stairs are crowded, try shinning up the drain pipe.

And if that gives way, there are millions of other houses with equally good views from the first floor.

Above left: Philip presents “Fake or Fortune?” with Fiona Bruce on BBC1

Below: A view by Gainsborough

What does your work as a Charity Trustee of Kids in Museums, Plantlife, English Heritage Trust and the Tony Banks Memorial Trust involve?

Wild plants are extremely close to my heart. They can be exquisitely beautiful and, when randomly encountered, uplifting; they are a health-check that God is in his Heaven, and all is well on earth. Their tangibility is a magnificent connection to our social history from which they are indivisible. Plantlife has forty staff based in Salisbury and we fight to save wild plants across Britain by buying sites, lobbying and research.

Kids in Museums is all about making our museums family friendly: my family experiences in museums were formative to my appreciation of art. Museum artefacts are also losing out to ‘virtual’ displays and our next generations must be encouraged to encounter and revere the real thing.

The Tony Banks Memorial Trust provides small grants to museums that need to fundraise for pivotal objects for their displays. We have just helped the Ashmolean in Oxford buy a Manet.

Fight for Sight relates very closely to my day job of using my eyes: it funds crucial research into blindness and sight loss.

The English Heritage Foundation helps look after and fundraise for our portfolio of over 400 properties and monuments across England – from Stonehenge (where I spent the summer solstice as a hippy for the night this year) to Kenwood House in London which is a treasure chest of Old Masters.

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Olive Oil: Made in Britain

Soil testing

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s our climate warms and longer growing seasons become the norm, we’re increasingly hearing stories of ‘climate change’ crops being trialled in Britain. The Government is also challenging British farmers to think differently; the recent Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) report highlighted opportunities for crop diversification in response to climate change.

Olives are a prime example of a crop that could soon enter the UK’s agricultural vocabulary and the prospect of home grown British olive oil is attracting increasing interest and attention.

The business case for British olive oil is also starting to stack-up. According to International Olive Council (IOC) forecasts, global olive oil production is anticipated to rise by 5% in 2012 and consumption to increase by 8%.

Separately, the UK Office of National Statistics estimates British consumers spend over £150m purchasing 30m litres of olive oil a year – all of which is imported. That spend and consumption is projected to increase.

‘Old World’ olive producers such as Italy, Greece and Spain, with their established groves, are well placed to benefit.

Arguably however, ‘New World' producers such as Australia, New Zealand and the US are poised to reap the rewards from the projected rise in demand. Olive growers in these countries are adopting highly intensive production schemes and are producing oils that exceed, in quality, award winning products from some Old World groves.

We’re also seeing the rise of a more discerning consumer in the UK. Despite stringent criteria for attaining Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) status, many manufacturers falsely label products as ‘Extra Virgin’ when in fact they are lower grade olive oils; blended with other vegetable and nut additives and infused with artificial colours and flavourings.

Recent media exposure of widespread fraud in the olive oil industry is prompting consumers in the UK to demand greater integrity and provenance in the products they purchase from the supermarket. Growers who are committed to producing high standard Extra Virgin Olive Oil are poised to benefit from these trends and, increasingly, growers from the New World have been defining those standards.

After year-long trials we selected three cultivars to plant in the main grove. Not all are self-fertile so we also included a reputedly good crosspollinator to help increase oil yields.

Despite the growing environmental and commercial case for commercial olive production in Britain, there is no precedent in Britain for successful olive production.

In early 2011 we started trials of six olive cultivars on our farm on the Isle of Oxney, in Kent. Our site is south facing, a mix of light clay on sandstone, well drained, not particularly fertile (which olives tolerate) and in an area with some of the lowest levels of rainfall in Britain.

Agronomist tests showed our soil to have the nutrient

Above: Featuring on the front cover of “Farming Monthly”.

Background picture: The test row of six olive cultivars at Neil’s home farm

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The project involves the whole family. Neil pictured with 3 year-old Teagan and 6 year-old Kailash

Neil’s wife, Louise

profile, pH values and levels of organic matter typical of successful olive growing regions.

The olive trees we planted were carefully selected from a small group of cultivars thought to have the characteristics and resilience to survive our English climate. All had common traits; their tolerance of cold temperatures, good disease resistance, medium-to-high oil content and distinctive flavour characteristics. The varieties are typically harvested early in the growing season before they are fully ripe, which not only helps to give them their unique flavour but is also important as we will need to harvest before our early winters set in.

Neil tending to his trees

After year-long trials, we selected three cultivars to plant in the main grove. Not all are self-fertile so we also included a reputedly good cross-pollinator to help increase oil yields.

After appraising a range of commercial nurseries in the US, Australia, Spain, Greece and Italy we finally found a small, traditional olive grower in northern Italy that supplies tree stock to some of the leading Tuscan olive oil producers. Once they were convinced we were serious about purchasing stock for a British olive grove, they accepted our order and a few weeks later we took receipt of 200 trees.

In preparation for planting, the grove was twice deepploughed (for added drainage) and cultivated. Once the grove layout and tree spacing had been finalised we planted the 200 olive trees on a traditional 7m x 7m planting scheme.

Soil testing

Olive growers from Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Greece, the US, Argentina and Chile, as well as the trade media, are keenly following our progress. Industry leaders, agronomists and academics have also been generously offering advice.

Closer to home, interest and support from those trialling climate change crops in the UK have been just fantastic – notably Mark Diacono, Head Gardener at River Cottage and Judy Ridgway, one of the world’s most respected olive experts (ironically she is based in neighbouring Sussex!).

The BBC has also been documenting our progress on TV and radio.

Neil being interviewed for BBC News

There is no precedent for olive oil production in the UK, and we are taking a risk. However, with the inevitable warming of our countryside and assuming that our olive trees mature, we hope to be well placed to benefit from the projected rise in demand for Extra Virgin Olive Oil – by producing it right here in Britain!

Neil Davy (G’89) April 2012

Frantoio Olives

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Journey of Self-Discovery

Young adventurers on an introductory weekend, learning camp craft, orienteering and team building skills

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n November 2011 the office for national statistics announced that the number of young people in the UK not in Employment Education or Training (NEET) had risen to an all-time high of 1.16 million. Whilst for some young people being NEET is a finite, transitional phase that ends in a positive outcome, for others the situation they find themselves in is a symptom of disadvantage in early life which, unchecked, can go on to limit future potential and happiness greatly.

I am the Programme Director and Chief Leader of a pioneering new youth development programme called NextGen that I helped establish with two UK charities – The British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) and Catch22.

It is changing the lives of some of the most marginalised young people in the UK, including NEETs, care leavers and young offenders; by steering them into employment, education or training. Our motto is “From Dependence to Independence”.

Increasing numbers of 16-24 year-olds from around the UK are embarking on the NextGen journey of self-discovery which involves three UK training weekends – Phase 1: a three week adventurous expedition; Phase 2: follow-up skills development; Phase 3: includes on-going education, training, work placements, apprenticeships and other schemes. Catch22’s youth services team help recruit 100 volunteers annually from across the UK and we offer them an unrivalled opportunity to improve their self-esteem, develop their soft skills and increase their employability.

NextGen (Next Generation) is a privately funded programme inspired and led by entrepreneur, adventurer and Worthian, Neil Laughton. He tells us about the programme and what it aims to achieve for some of the most marginalised young people in the UK.

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A calm day in the North Sea mid-passage between Norway and the UK. Adventurers are expected to ‘work the ship’.

The programme is carefully managed by a team of 20 volunteer adventure leaders, social workers, business mentors and assistant leaders (who are selected from the previous year’s intake) who work with BSES, Catch22 and any third party service providers such as the Tall Ships Youth Trust, Wildfox Events and Business Leadership Academy who help to deliver the programme. NextGen is a privately funded enterprise by a number of generous benefactors including the Dangoor Trust, The Rank Foundation and other commercial sponsors.

Last year, the adventurous expedition phase involved a 75 km unsupported week-long trek across the mountains of south west Norway, followed by a two-week sailing adventure on a Tall Ship including a passage across the North Sea. Furling and unfurling the sails 100 ft up the mast at 3.00 am in a Force 6 gale is certainly not for the faint-hearted!

This year’s expedition was even more ambitious and involved a 165 km trek across the Sinai desert from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Gulf of Suez in the hottest months of June and July; with the help of 30 Bedouin tribesmen and 50 camels that carried our food and 10.2 tonnes of drinking water. The intrepid young explorers learnt about their environment, the Bedouin culture and, most importantly, themselves.

For these young adventurers, embarking on such an initiative requires endurance and the ability to dig deep in order to find the resolve to carry on at times; but the true

Above: The trip of a lifetime – a week-long unsupported 75km trek through Norway’s mountains and fjords Left: Young adventurers ‘man the yards’ on return from their three-week expedition

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My Journey from Football Agent to Addiction Intervention The 2012 expedition involved a 165km trek across the Sinai desert

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value of such a programme is clearly demonstrated once we analyse the outcomes from 2011:

seemingly had it all – a beautiful wife, children at the best schools, a lovely home and my dream job as a FIFA licensed football agent.

• 75 voluntary applications were received

But, as I am the first to acknowledge, I was living a lie. I had a serious gambling addiction and it wreaked havoc on my family and my own mental health.

• 52 young people commenced Phase 1 • 34 young adventurers completed Phase 2 • 31 were awarded a RYA Competent Crew Certificate

Working as an agent was glorified gambling – feast and famine, big deal, no deal, red or black. I realised that, to get well and to provide the care that my family so deserved, I needed to retrain and chose to work in the field of addiction counselling. I trained at The Priory and have worked for them, on and off, ever since.

• 47 young people are currently participating in Phase 3 • 8 young adventurers have secured full-time employment There are some key fundamentals that we apply in making this programme work for these disadvantaged young people; they engage voluntarily because the programme is exciting and so different, and they are challenged mentally, physically and emotionally throughout, whilst also being treated as adults. We encourage them to set their own behavioural standards, to leave behind their past history and to focus on their future and the opportunities available to them.

Manning the yards

Discipline, respect, time-keeping, teamwork and communication are practiced 24/7 and they find themselves empowered as they learn new skills every day – such as camping, trekking, survival, navigation, sailing and camel herding!

The Tall Ship – Stavros S Nairchos

From the outset their self-confidence develops and we encourage, recognise and reward good behaviour and performance. The fact that they travel some distance from their often difficult and destructive home life, and that the team leaders are on-hand to teach, mentor, support, encourage and provide some ‘love’ are also key elements to the programme’s success.

Neil Laughton (C’82) July 2012

This year’s expedition was even more ambitious and involved a 165 km trek across the Sinai desert from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Gulf of Suez in the hottest months of June and July.

I still believe that gambling remains untreated. There are very obvious physical signs that someone is struggling with their drug or alcohol intake; whereas a gambler can empty a bank account (not always their own!) and nobody would have a clue. GP’s often fail to pick up on what is really going on, as the patient tends to present with depression. In fact, there are many more suicides amongst compulsive gamblers than among all the other addictions put together.

I specialise in ‘interventions’ – namely, getting help for families who are at their wits end with a loved one who is facing addiction. There is a myth that addicts need to reach rock bottom before they can be helped – an intervention is a structured way of managing a rock bottom, and my work involves getting the right treatment.

The deaths of Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston are testament to the fact that addicts often die young. It is not overdosing or alcohol poisoning that is necessarily responsible. It can be suicide, choking on vomit while asleep, falling down the stairs, setting off fires, crashing cars into trees, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

An intervention and finding the appropriate help is a way of preventing this pain for all invested in their addict.

So why use a professional ‘interventionist’? The answer is simple – because families have usually tried everything in their armoury to get their loved one to stop their selfdestructive behaviour. An interventionist can stay strong for the family when their addict tells them: “This time it will be different”.

If truth be told, families are often all too aware that something has been seriously wrong for many years – the lost education, the lost jobs and opportunities, the lost friends and family. So what is it that stops a family from acting to put an end to all this chaos? It is usually fear. Fear that their loved ones will hate them. Fear that they are the

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breadwinner and what would happen if work found out.

Fear of what people will say.

I am stunned at how many families still opt for maintaining respectability rather than grappling with their own sanity. Indeed, that was one of the very reasons that kept me in my own addiction for years.

Increasingly I am working with adolescents, which I find most rewarding. When running group therapy sessions at places like The Priory, I am constantly amazed at how a client’s behaviour has finally led them to this most drastic of measures. The reality is that, as teenagers, their behaviour had already become unmanageable – getting expelled, excessive drug and alcohol abuse, self harming, wrong friends, excessive computer gaming, etc. Early intervention by an intervention expert can save many years of heartache in the future for them and their loved ones.

So if you are facing such issues; ask yourself what is your bottom line? If they cross that line again, what are you going to do about it? My advice would be – consider calling a professional interventionist and put everyone on the road to recovery.

You are most welcome to contact me at : snoelhill@aol.com or call me on : 07857 501152.

Steven Noel-Hill (StB’74) March 2012

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Visiting the Mudannayake family in Sri Lanka

I love reading The Blue Paper and seeing all those familiar faces – growing ever more handsome with age! – and reading about the interesting lives they lead.

We had the most wonderful holiday; starting with a mini tour of some of Sri Lanka’s most popular sights including Mount Sigiriya and the Dambulla Rock Temple.

We went on an elephant safari, visited gem factories, spice trails, tea plantations…so the list goes on. And finally we ended up on the West coast for the remaining part of our holiday – which is when we had the opportunity to catch up with Suresh, Mandy, Rehan and their younger daughter, Francesca.

The family made us feel so at home and we chatted for hours over lunch. I was finally able to ask Suresh some of the questions that I had been dying to ask him for years – never getting the opportunity at the beginning or end of terms, as dropping off and collecting children is always such a frenetic time.

Back row, from left to right : Janine’s daughter Lucy, Suresh, Janine’s husband Aidan, Mandy and Francesca and sitting in the foreground, Janine and Rehan

A typical Sri Lankan street scene

A

s Matron of Gervase (the boys’ sixth form house), one of the very best parts about my job is saying goodbye to the boys at the end of their school life here at Worth.

You may think this is a strange thing to say, but it is then that the boys are ready to ‘fly the nest’, ready to become men, ready to enter university life and to forge their own way in the world. And it is very gratifying for all the staff here at Worth to have been part of that process and to have helped them along the way.

I am very lucky that some of the boys enjoy keeping in touch – popping in to say hello on their way to, or from, university for a cup of tea or coffee, or dropping me the odd e-mail with an update on what they’ve been up to.

Travelling by tuk-tuk in Columbo

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This has been the case with Mandy and Suresh Mudannayake whose son, Rehan, attended Worth between 2006 and 2008. I first met the family when Mandy and Suresh came over from Sri Lanka with Rehan, when he was entering Gervase in September 2006. We started chatting and Suresh told me that he was a former pupil. From that point on, Mandy and I started exchanging e-mails between the UK and Sri Lanka – and have done so for the past four years. Mandy and Suresh often asked whether it would be possible for me to visit them in Sri Lanka – and my family and I were lucky enough to do just that last summer!

Suresh was at Worth from 1968-75 – when it was quite a different school to the one it is now. He particularly remembers the long summers when Worth looked so splendid in the sun, with its acres of lawns, flowers and boys playing tennis and ‘padder’ outside in the fresh air.

The individuals who had the greatest influence on Suresh were Fr Fabian, his former Chapman House Master. He also remembers Frà Andrew Bertie, who went on to become the 78th Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, who he described as a real thinker.

the film industry – which had always been his passion.

However, whilst in Sri Lanka a year or so later, Rehan’s ambitions had finally been realised.

I asked him how he thought things had changed at Worth since his father’s time at the school – he joked that his father’s claim that the food had improved was greatly over-exaggerated! However, food aside, Rehan has some great memories from his own days at Worth. Such stories as kidnapping a sheep with four house mates as a birthday surprise for a friend – happily, the said sheep was later reunited with the rest of its flock!

Rehan continues to see his three best friends from school – Tom Wade (F’08), James Doyle (C’08) and Tom Wright (B’08) – almost every month. He has also met up with several others from his year in various parts of Europe whilst on his travels.

After leaving Worth, Rehan spent a year in Amsterdam as an exchange student; studying a combination of literature, film and theatre, and music. I was very excited to hear that he had been hired by Oscar-nominated film director Deepa Mehta, who was making Salman Rushdie’s Booker prize winning book, “Midnight’s Children” (one he wrote in 1980 that deals with India's transition from British colonialism to independence and the partition of India) into a film.

Rehan’s role was to supervise the casting of 300 different roles – no mean feat – and he also secured a part in the film itself as the Pakistani Prime Minister’s son. I haven’t actually seen the film, but this is my only claim to know someone who features in a film – so I am really proud of that!

Rehan told me just how much importance he places on the friendships that he made at Worth, saying that without the support of those friends he would not be the person he is today. What a lovely thing to say and testament to some of the Benedictine values that Worth holds so dear.

He remembers the food as ‘unappetising’, the nights in Chapman playing bridge and his Matron, Miss Sweetman, with fondness (she would ply the boys with hot buttered toast and jam to help them through the long winter evenings!).

Although father and son clearly had very different experiences at Worth, it seems to me that there are also many similarities – the education, the fun, the strong memories of the place; but most of all the close and lifelong friendships that Worth encourages individuals to forge.

Suresh’s love of English (he was the only boy in his year to get a grade one in English) and academia served him well.

He went on to study maths at Oxford before moving into property development. Suresh moved back to Sri Lanka in 1988 and started writing. He has since written three novels and has also set up the internationally renowned Gall Literary Festival, which is held annually in Sri Lanka.

All too soon it was time to say goodbye and we parted – my family heading back to the UK and home. Mandy and I are still in touch (oh the wonders of modern technology and e-mail!) and I regard it as one of the true pleasures of my role at Worth to meet such wonderful families and to share their joy as their children move to different parts of the globe and enter the workplace in their own right.

Suresh, like many Worthians, continues to keep in touch with some of his peers including Nick Robinson (StB’75), Joe Espinoza (R’75), Richard (StB’75) and Mark (StB’76) Breen. He said that sending Rehan to Worth has kept his memories all the more alive.

It was fascinating for me to visit the family, to hear about Suresh’s memories and it meant such a lot to see Rehan so happy. I hadn’t seen him for a few years since he popped in to see me at school with some of his classmates. I knew it had been pretty tough for him attempting to break into

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I love reading The Blue Paper and seeing all those familiar faces – growing ever more handsome with age! – and reading about the interesting lives they lead.

I much look forward to continuing to keep in touch with the Mudannayake family and hope that they – and any of ‘my’ Worthians who just happen to be reading this article – get the opportunity to re-visit Worth for a catch-up in the not too far distant future!

Janine Forbes-Kiely, Matron, Gervase May 2012

Top: Mount Sigiriya. Middle: The Dambulla Temple. Bottom: The Indian Ocean on the west coast of Sri Lanka

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Worth School

News in Brief Former Staff

George Daly (1973-1990) Angela and I now have seven grandchildren. Angela has just completed her final year as Head at Cranbrook School in Kent, having been Head of Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School – making a total of 20 years of Headship. I'm a lawyer and now a Professor of Law at The College of Law in London, teaching the next wave of young lawyers in the City. I also run a Forum on Law and Justice. I've been keeping up the theatre and producing plays most years at RADA, including some of my own. I'm still playing lots of squash, as well as cricket for the village of Benenden. We have a big house in Brittany which is used for holidays for the ever-growing family and we're moving there very soon when we stop full-time work in England. Delighted that we still see plenty of people from Worth – teachers, students and the odd monk too. If anyone wants to get in touch about Law, theatre or visits to Brittany or any other aspects of life, then do contact me at: george.daly@lawcol.co.uk.

Worth Prep School Michael Callender 1946-52 I was at Worth under Dom Maurice Bell and enjoyed my time at the school enormously. I now live in France with my wife, Vivienne. Worthians might be interested in viewing my web site at: www.michaelcallenderadventurewriter.com.

Michael Cane 1948-53 I hadn’t ridden since leaving Worth in 1953, but have recently taken it up again on my daughter’s horse farm in Canada which is located in Sharon, north of Toronto. (See ‘Caught on Camera’ page 32.)

Johnny Harrison 1952-57 I am helping one of my son's, Sam, with his Brasserie at: www.harrisonsbalham.co.uk. It is called Harrisons and you can find it at 15-19 Bedford Hill, Balham, London SW12 9EX! John Keogh 1944-49 I have just finished directing four of Chekhov’s short comedies at the Malvern Theatre in Melbourne, Australia.

Peter Koe 1944-49 I started playing table tennis in the big day room at Worth when we got back from Downside (c.1945). I am still playing four times a week – over 65 years later!! I have two brothers, four children and seven grandchildren.

David Legge 1949-54 I worked as a radiologist in the Mater Hospital Dublin for my career. During that time I was involved in setting up our postgraduate teaching programme in both Ireland and Kuwait. On retiring at the mandatory age, I visited South Africa, got registered as a medical practitioner and was offered work as a volunteer at Tygerberg Academic Hospital, University of Stellenbosch.

My specialty is interventional radiology and I have been in charge of this section for the past four years. The disease profile in the Western Cape is the same as Europe, but our patients present at a much more advanced stage of their illness so our main work is treating complications including diabetes and tuberculosis, as well as dealing with trauma cases – mainly knife and gunshot wounds.

John Moran 1947-49 After Worth I went to Downside, then to Trinity College, Cambridge and then onto Middlesex Hospital, London. After further training in the UK and USA, I was appointed consultant neurologist to University College Hospital and to The National University of Ireland in Galway, Ireland. I have been married to Carola for 41 years and we have three children and three grandchildren. Since the recent Worth Jubilee Jamboree, I am trying to re-establish contact with my contemporaries and other Worthians.

Anthony Norfolk 1950-54 I am based in Canada as a retired lawyer. Interests include heritage conservation in the context of urban planning and I am Board Chair of the Roedde House Museum (www.roeddehouse.org).

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Andrew Boys R’64 I am now retired and involved in voluntary work for various charities including The Prince’s Trust. Live London and Wiltshire and still active on tennis courts and golf courses (mostly looking for lost balls!). Granddaughter, Eliza, is a major but delightful distraction. If anyone is interested in what I’ve been doing since moving on from a career in PR, do have a look at : www.ABC.uk.com. Now do pro bono work. Delighted to see Worth Society going from strength to strength – congratulations to all involved.

Robert Carroll R’69 I am making progress on the Ely O’Carroll Museum in honour of my clan and two US Carroll founding fathers (collateral ancestors).

The launch of my auto-biographical non-fiction adventure book “Year Zero: Witness, East Timor Lost and Regained” has been postponed.

Professor Peter Gilbert R’68 I am continuing my work on spirituality and mental health, and am starting to write a book on ‘End of Life Care’, to follow the mental health book published last year. I very much enjoyed being invited to speak at Worth, to the sixth form, a few months ago. I’m still running to relax!

My favourite event is the Jersey half marathon, which gives me a chance to catch up with my old Jersey and Worth friend, Julian Clyde-Smith (G’68).

Sir Peter (PJ) Jonas G’64 Although officially in retirement, I am continuing my work on the supervisory board of all the State Opera and Ballet companies in Berlin; on the supervisory board of the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam; on the Board of the University of Lucerne and teaching seminar at the University of Zürich. I have also nearly finished my project of walking from Inverness to Palermo – having now reached southern Italy, south of Salerno. In June 2012 I married Barbara Burgdorf, the concertmaster of the Bavarian State Orchestra in a ceremony in Zürich, where I have lived for the past six years.

Peter Knyvett G’62 I think I’m the oldest (I was a late starter!) of the initial 32 who caused dear Dom Kevin a few heart palpitations when we started the Senior School back in 1959. Charlie Bowlin (G’61), Steve Urquhart (G’63), Tim Carr (R’63), Patrick Nivelles (R’64) – who I know is steaming ahead with his plans on house re-development – the late Simon Kenny (C’63) who broke my nose while wicket keeping in a colts match against Christ’s Hospital. Anyway I’m now off to the far north of Scotland to try and entice the ‘King of fish’ to accept my fly!!

David MacLure R’69 Williams de Broe was taken over by Investec at the tail end of last year so we will be changing our name to Investec Wealth & Investment in August 2012 and moving into new offices in Edinburgh at Quartermile One, Lauriston Place.

John MacWilliam StB’66 Not a lot of change since last year. The ‘revolution’ in Tunisia where I work as a White Father missionary is slowly proceeding to work out a future for the country. It is relatively peaceful compared to other countries in the Arab world, although the militant Salafism of a tiny but vocal minority is worrying the moderate and liberal majority. We pray for them all. The rebuilding project in our library is over a year behind schedule – so my long-awaited homeleave is also further delayed. I did manage a brief trip to the UK in June 2012 and called in at Worth to see the monks and the beautifully refurbished Abbey Church – where I was ordained 20 years ago.

Michael May StB’67 Still working as a freelance scenic artist, mainly in the world of TV but covering other areas as well. I am currently working on a 6-week project for M&S and recently completed a mural for the new Zedel Brasserie off Piccadilly Circus. I would really like to cut back more, or stop completely, in order to concentrate on my own work and feel this is slowly happening as my clients and contacts retire. My wife, Jane, and I still live in north-west London but go to our newly built house boat on the Chichester Canal as often as possible. Our daughter, Katherine, is married and working as a clinical psychologist in Hawaii and our son, Charlie, is working for Apple in Covent Garden. I am in touch with Peter Deckers (StB’67) who has now retired from Slaughter and May and lives outside Paris. I have rather lost touch with Sean Conway (StB’66) – last heard of in South Africa – but would appreciate any news.

Alexander Nauta G’64 After a 42-year flying career, I have finally retired (much to my regret but alas my age has put a limit on my license)! I have fond memories of all my travels and of my time at Worth. I will be moving to the United States of America with my wife, Elena – where I will be able to catch up with my daughter, grandson, mother, two sisters and a brother. I hope to continue my contact with Worth Society and maybe, if and when in the UK, I will be able to attend one of those reunions!?

Patrick Nivelles R’64 Suzy and I are currently looking at a Chateau renovation project in Southern France. Any interested Worthian property developers do get in touch with me at: pnivelles@hotmail.com! My son, Guy Nivelles (G’93), has just completed his Executive MBA at London Business School and he graduated in July.

Rupert Stutchbury StB’69 My reinvention as an actor continues to go surprisingly well despite hitting 60 this year! I won Best Actor Award in a New Play festival this year. I have also played the Governor of Long Kesh Prison in the award winning 2012 docu-drama “The Hood and The Collar” for Irish TV station TG4; Captain Frank 'Skipper' Worsley in Tom Crean Endurance for Irish radio; as well as other stage parts – big and small – at various venues. I am currently in

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Hugh Wylie R/StB’65 My wife, Jenny, and I are living in Houston, Texas. I am on assignment in the US where I am involved in the development of some deep water oil facilities for BP in the Gulf of Mexico.

1970s Timothy (Tim) Aldridge B’74 I have now completed 36 years as a Lloyd's broker! I am divorced and have four children – Matilda (22), Henry (19), Barnaby (15) and Bruno (12). Home is at 2 Fordwater Cottages, East Lavant, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0AP. Gerald (Gerry) Ambrose G'76 I live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with my wife Laini and two daughters, Alissa and Anis. I still keep my Sussex Schools U14 100m certificate from 1974 on my mantelpiece – and consider myself unlucky to have been drawn against Daley Thompson in the national championships! I now work for Aberdeen Asset Management.

Peter Bain R’75 I am busy planning for my ‘retirement’ by doing my UEFA B football coaches licence and currently coach Barnes Eagles FC in the Surrey Youth League Premiere Elite division.

Nicholas (Nick) Bathurst R'72 I have lived in Sherborne, Dorset since 1988 and work as a consultant radiologist at Yeovil Hospital where I will be for at least another three years. Married to Deborah and our daughter, Beth (22), is about to start teacher training having graduated from Durham in music; while our son, Alex (20) has just finished his first year of engineering (and coxing the college 8) at Sydney Sussex College Cambridge. My main hobby is music which has brought me in touch with Sebastian Holmes (StB’74) who plays timps/percussion in the local community orchestra which I help to organise/conduct. I maintain a share in a Piper Warrior (single engine aircraft) but the weather and work has combined to mean very little airborne time this year. Being a governor at Leweston School I meet Adrian Aylward (R’76), Leweston’s Headmaster quite regularly – and Ian Bowker (G’75) is another Worthian in Sherborne.

Mark Behard G’79 This last year has seen a continued development of our business – Blue Sky Cafe in Bristol – with a much-needed refurbishment. We have successfully taken on and seen two chefs go through level 2 Apprenticeships, and somehow we’re managing to survive despite the on-going troubles in our environment! It goes without saying – the staff would like more hours and we would like less! My eldest son, Tyler, has just finished his first year reading English Literature at Christ Church Oxford.

Nicholas (Nick) Bodnar-Horvath B’72 I have been in Hong Kong for 28 years now, and practise as a solicitor at my own firm, Bodnar Horvath Solicitors & Notaries. I am married to Helen and we have two children – Illiana who, after graduating from Leicester University with an MSc in Marketing, is running her own marketing company in Hong Kong and Charles, who is returning to Wheaton College outside Boston to complete the final year of his 4-year liberal arts degree, majoring in Political Science and History. Following the children’s studies, Helen decided to return to study too and, after obtaining a law degree from Manchester Metropolitan University and a traineeship, will be eligible to be admitted as a solicitor in August when she will join the family firm. I also run the Billiards Room at the Hong Kong Club.

Ian Bowker G’75 Survived another windy ‘Round the Island’ yacht race this year before being displaced from our home port of Portland for the Olympics. Kate, my wife, was a Games Maker in the Protocol & Language team, looking after the ‘Olympic family’ (IOC members, heads of state, etc) at the Mall and Hampton Court with great excitement in the cycling at both venues. Our youngest daughter, Laura, was an Ambassador at Weymouth, facing a variety of challenges posed by an international set of visitors. Meanwhile our eldest daughter, Rosie, spent a week with the Cambridge University Orchestra playing at chateaux in Bordeaux (it’s alright for some!) followed by a college choir tour to the west coast of Canada and US. A great summer!

Jeremy Brooks StB’72 I am an assistant director at the Judicial Appointments Commission, responsible for running selections to the High Court and above.

I live in Banbury with Sally. Still trying to understand my two daughters and can’t really accept that I’m 58!

Justin Brown C’78 I have been Myanmar-based since 2000, providing overviews on market climate, market potential for companies/organisations looking to update their records and can be contacted at: jahbrown@starhub.net.sg.

Matthew (Matt) Burnford StB’77 I live in the north Cotswolds and have my elderly mother (Patricia) close by! I'm a partner at Crux Risk, a specialist crisis management consultancy. Brother Nigel (StB’72) and family are not so far away, living near Oxford.

Andrew Caillard C’78 I am travelling extensively – particularly to Europe and China over the last year for the making of a docu-film called “Red Obsession”, which looks at China's obsession with red wine and Bordeaux, as well as at the development of China's wine industry. It will premiere later this year at Chateau Margaux and go on general release soon after. My youngest child, Dominic, recently turned 18 and will finish school later this year (our summer) before going to the University of NSW next year. Alex, my eldest, works in marketing for McWilliam Wines, and Toby has started an internship with Microsoft in Sydney.

David Caillard R’79 Business continues to progress in spite of the challenging markets! I made my first business trip to Brazil and got robbed on Ipenama beach in Rio (I'm told it’s all part of the Brazil experience!). It is now 30 years since

I went to the Falkland Islands with the Royal Air Force Regiment. My daughter, Christina, has just finished her first year at Exeter reading English Literature.

Richard Caillard C’73 I joined Ernst and Young in Perth, WA after ten years with IBM. I am advising the Australian government on business development opportunities in the utilities sector. We live in Trigg, a beachside suburb 20 minutes north of Perth. My eldest daughter, Marissa, works for the Rydges hotel group in Perth and son, Sam, works in the mining industry. Jamie is at TAFE in Sydney and Mia has another year to go at high school. She boards at Frensham in Mittagong where my mother went to school in the 1940’s! My youngest, Zoe, has just started school in Perth.

Kevin Clyde-Smith G’70 I have just completed the original Camino Way on bicycle with my wife and found it an uplifting experience – would recommend it to all. I continue to live happily in Jersey, although finding it difficult to push all my four children out of the nest to allow me the freedom to plan more similar challenges before the body has had enough! I look back at my time at Worth fondly (two of my sons also went there) and still keep in touch through my uncle, Fr Philip. I just wish we had had girls at the school when we were there, our only female contact in the late ‘60s was Sister Edey.

Chris Coffin G’73 I am still global head of Withers LLP's international litigation and arbitration department, spending some of my time visiting our offices in places such as New York, Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands. Last month I spoke at a conference in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, where I learned that it was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 310 AD. Judy and I celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary on the 18th July 2012 (we were married by Fr Kevin). Our elder daughter, Jessica (StM’10), has just finished her second year at Brasenose Oxford, and our younger daughter, Maddie, hopes to be starting at Edinburgh University in September. A few months ago I met up with Giles Maskell (G’72) whose daughter, Julia, is my goddaughter. He is a radiologist in Truro.

Simon Cope R’72 I’ve been out of touch with Worthians for at least fifteen years, so I thought it might be time to remind my ‘old peers’ that I’m still alive and kicking – well just!! Where on earth have the last forty years gone??? I now live just outside Princes Risborough in Bucks, married to Susie and we are just about to celebrate 21 years of marriage in July. I have two step-children – Caroline, who’s 30 and is getting married next year and James, 28 who is working for the investment bank side of RBS – as well as my son, 20 year-old Nicholas who is studying environmental science at Manchester University and should graduate next year. He is currently doing an internship with Hess for six weeks. For my part, I established Generation for Growth (www.gfgrowth.co.uk) just over five years ago and provide consultancy support for the hospitality and leisure sector.

Christopher (Chris) Cussons R’70 One year on, and I’m still trying to retire from material part-time involvement with a small fabrication company in Yorkshire – if not from business consultancy altogether. Hoping that an imminent move, from near London to nearer the boat on the south coast will help!

Guy de Burgh StB’73 I am a senior EMC compliance engineer at Apple, competitive runner and Ultimate Frisbee player!

Richard D'Alton B’74 I retired from the Metropolitan Police in August 2011 after 31 years service. I live in West Molesey, Surrey with my wife, Jackie (we were married by Fr Hugh in May 1983) and teenage son, Ben (who was baptised by Fr Kevin in 1997!). I started my second career as a government aviation security inspector in February 2012.

Luke Elwes G’79 This year marks 25 years of making and writing about art, and 25 happy years of marriage to Anneke! Jake and Toby, our teenage boys, continue the creative life: one beginning at Central Saint Martins, the other being shortlisted as best young filmmaker by the BFI. Martin Green C’76 Still advising companies on mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, investor positioning, etc in London at Canaccord, a Canadian Bank. We recently merged with broker, Collins Stewart, to form one of the leading non bulge bracket players. Happy to chat to those who might want a career in the City(!).

Simon Gordon StB’74 Family is all well and now out of education – yippee! My new business next to Gordon's wine bar, called Facewatch, has just launched an App called Facewatch id which made it to number 4 in the iPhone download charts. Watch this space – we are going to be the business crime reporting system for the whole of the UK soon!

Francis Hobbs G’77 I am still working in Cloud computing with Westbrook International (if you need to ask ...) and my wife, Jo, is still a GP. We have two children at Downside and two at a prep school in Hindhead.

Patrick (Paddy) Jago StB’75 I am president at Willis Re and travel extensively to the USA on business. Spend my time between London and Dorset (Shaftesbury).

Married to Jane (née Denny) and we have just celebrated our silver wedding anniversary. We have two children – Freddie and Maddy.

Hugh Laughton C’78 I run a specialist bakery in Shropshire with my wife, Annie, and we make delicious handmade products for Fortnums, Daylesford, Harrods, Jamie Oliver, etc as well as some prestige Airlines. The children are now all grown up and earning more than me…hurrah! Come and say hello should you be lucky enough to find yourself in Shropshire.

Sandy Mallet R’79 I am running an Old Master paintings gallery in Chelsea and also do a bit of journalism. Currently living just off Ladbroke Grove, but secretly planning to return to Dorset!

Andrew Moor B’76 I am married to Mags and live in Toronto, Canada. We have three children – Daniel 21, Catherine 19 and Sarah 17. I have recently met up with two Worthians – Steve Winters (B’76) in San Francisco followed by a great day’s rafting on the ferocious and beautiful Klamath River with Tim Sorby (R’77) in Oregon. Good times!

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News in Brief

Fred and Anne Belcher (1963-2003) We have retired to Herefordshire, living in the village of Ewyas Harold. We keep closely in touch with many former staff – the Stokes', Robinsons', Margretts', Ann Fagan, Millers', Bob Axbey plus others.

We have recently returned from three weeks camping in France (in a tent!) where we met up with George and Angela Daly who have gone to live there in retirement. Fred finally gave up squash at 68 and has now taken up the old mans' game – golf! We both do a little local community driving which enables us to discover some of the ‘out of the way places’ in Herefordshire and we recently celebrated our Golden Wedding anniversary when we had a luncheon party at a local hotel for family and friends. Many old friends from Worth came along, including some from the Monastery. As you may know, we lost our son, Gareth, to cancer five years ago – he was heroic. Mark lives and works in Somerset. We always look forward to our copy of The Blue Paper with news of old boys and staff!

1960s Michael Bray R’65 It only seems like yesterday that I left Worth. I have now retired from the Confederation of Service Charities and, with my wife Jo, we have done the trip of a lifetime in January and February 2012 to Hong Kong, New Zealand and Los Angeles – to learn how to switch off work and enjoy life.

I strongly recommend it to everybody! I am now focussing on doing all those things we want to do. I also celebrated 65 years on this earth in July and wonder where it all went!

rehearsal with my own company, Gulliver's Travelling Theatre, for a revival of the 1904 French absurdist comedy “The Lovers” by Octave Mirbeau which I translated for the Cork Arts Theatre summer sessions. If all goes well, Gulliver's Travelling Theatre is planning to take this and another of Mirbeau's 'farces et moralites', over to the Brighton festival next spring.

Michael (Mickey) Morrissey R '77 For once, this September will see our children in the same locations – with Rosie and Hugo both at Edinburgh University and both studying Theology (something of the Benedictine education creeping in there!), whist Olivia and Francesca start at St Mary’s Shaftesbury.

Meanwhile, Hugo’s housemaster from Downside, Mr Pearce, is moving on – as he has taken up the post of Deputy Head Master (Pastoral) at Worth. Small world!

Michael Saunders C’77 Following the purchase of the BMI Group by IAG (British Airways), the low cost arm (BMI Baby) is being closed on the 9th September 2012.

So, if anyone needs a Boeing 737 Captain, I'm your man!

Anthony (Tony) Shepherd B’75 I’m head of centre, Outward Bound Scotland.

Married to Debbie (née Hammet) and we have two children. Alistair is now doing a PhD at Southampton University, Clare has just graduated from Aberdeen and is interviewing for positions in physiotherapy. Aside from my family, the outdoors remains my great passion. When not tackling serious rock climbing (I had a recent climbing trip to the Lofoten Islands in Norway – see ‘Caught on Camera’ page 34) I have rekindled my love of golf.

Jonathan Stordy StB’79 Sarah has put up with me for 20 years this year and Ciaran has just finished at Worth, which he loved. I hope Anna will go for sixth form in a couple of years. I am still working with spirits – now Russian Standard vodka.

Antony (Tony) Tyler C’73 I retired from Cathay Pacific Airways in March 2011 and joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as Director General and CEO soon afterwards. I spend most of my time travelling as my 240 or so airline members are based all around the world. Now living in Geneva, but I have kept a place in Hong Kong and plan to return there in a few years time.

John Tyszkiewicz G’78 I was a captain in 9/12 Royal Lancers and then, in 1991, started working in the City. Now a Director at Towers Watson, North American Reinsurance. Have been married to Bibi since 1987 and we have three children.

I am founder and director of Brooks Development Trust, a newly established charity working to equip schools, support teachers and provide low level medical aid – primarily in Myanmar (Burma). When not working, I keep busy doing ultradistance events around the globe to raise funds for charity.

Tony van den Bosch C’74 Still working in the City and suffering the bulls and bears of outrageous fortune – with little prospect of retirement . The two girls are leaving the nest (slowly) which will leave Jo-Anna and I with a bit more time (and money) to do some more exotic things – like mopeding through Vietnam!

Ewan Ward-Thomas B’77 I have gained my BA degree from Roehampton and married a childhood sweetheart, Beatrice de Cizancourt in March 2012. We are living in Brittany and I expect to start work as a teacher in September 2012.

Jonathan Wilkins C’70 I just turned 60 this year and have been living in Brazil since 1977. I am fluent in Brazilian Portuguese, am the father of four daughters and very fortunate to have five grandchildren. I currently work as a freelance professional photographer, working in digital, and my work can be viewed at: www.wilkins.fot.br. My passion for photography started at Worth where I was in the photographic society. It was carpentry master, Walter Stanford, who encouraged me greatly (in the good old days of Rolleiflex and 120-roll film developed in total darkness!) and I built the first darkroom at Worth. In 1973 I accompanied the BBC Observer Expedition and climbed the 9,000ft Mount Roraima. My photographs from this expedition are in permanent archive at The Royal Geographical Society in London. In 1984 I won a NIKON award for my photography. My third daughter, Jaqueline, visited Worth in 2010 – where she was shown some of my old haunts.

She now works with the British Embassy in Brasilia and is handling the Science without Borders programme and ‘University UK’ which deals with exchange scholarships for know-how at university level. In February 2012 she received HRH Prince Harry on his Jubilee tour to Rio de Janeiro (see ‘Caught on Camera’ page 33). In April I met up with my long-time classmate, Nicholas Houston (C’70), in Barbados which was a truly wonderful experience.

Alastair (Al) Wilson B'76 I am living in southern Spain – Puerto Banus – and do a lot of sailing out of Gibraltar.

1980s Robert (Bobby) Acworth C’81 I’m back from my seven year New Zealand adventure – Ta Moko and all. After a summer working for ‘The Challenge’ with inner city youth, I'm moving to Loughborough to teach philosophy and religion at Ratcliffe College, a co-ed independent school in the Rosminian tradition which is based near Loughborough. My son, Theo, is a remarkable photographer and Flynn is about to hit sixth form college in Sherborne while my daughter, Delilah, is at Leweston in Sherborne which is becoming a Worth enclave – Adrian Aylward (R’76) is Headmaster at this flourishing girls’ school and Andy Rome (G’78) and Chris Hobbs (G’80) have their daughters there. Parents day was a hoot!

Andrew (Andy) Bernard C’81 Celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and my 50th birthday all at once has made life worth living – but has been bad for the liver! Recovering slowly. I am still working in the City, but mostly not telling anyone. I still don’t have a black Labrador called Binky. I very much enjoyed the 30-year reunion at the end of last year. It was good to see old friends and relive the heady excitements of minor crimes from so long ago. How did we all (mostly) become so respectable?!

Christopher Brading G’89 I have a son, Hugh Edward, who is now 14 months old. I married my wife, Amanda Simpkins, in 2008. We had a Catholic wedding at the Monastery of San Francisco, Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán in Mexico.

Sean Buckley G’83 In the past year I’ve enjoyed sharing a few beers and curries

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Ben Burroughs R’81 At the 30-year reunion in October 2011, I met up again with Nick Hooper (C’81), Martin de la Bedoyere (G’81) and Dick Bell (R’80) – see ‘Caught on Camera’ page 32. Following this, I organised a long weekend’s skiing in March 2012 at my chalets in the French Alps: www.extremechalets.com.

We had a great time on the piste. I hope to make this an annual event, so any Worthians who would like to join us next year can contact me at: ben.burroughs@btinternet.com.

Johnny Caillard R’81 I made two trips to Europe last year – a sabbatical to France where I completed an intensive French language immersion course near Nice, and a few months later a school trip, which included spending Christmas with brother David. I continue to compete in Ironman and triathlons in Australia, and in August 2012 will do a 100km walk and run for Oxfam from Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury River to Balmoral Beach.

Mark Collini StB’89 Alexandra and I have spent the early part of 2012 moving between properties but we are now living in our new home in Barnes and enjoying London in our village setting.

Daniel Crampton StB’80 I live on a boat on the Hackney marshes, ride a motorbike and cycle to work. The only person I keep in touch with is Greg Whitfield (R’82), who I went to see in Korea late last year – he has a lovely family.

I am interested in catching up with other Worthians who were at Worth with me, so please do contact me at: Daniel.Crampton@Enfield.gov.uk.

Peter Cullinan StB’82 I am based in Durban, South Africa and work as head of buildings and industry sector Coastal Region South Africa (BKS Pty) Ltd Consulting Engineers, part of Aecom (USA). Have two children – 15 year-old Joshua who is at Michaelhouse, and 12 year-old Danielle who is at St Mary’s. The school fees are killing us! My wife has just completed her fourth Comrades Marathon (90kms).

I’ve just got back on a mountain bike. Life is still good in this part of the world.

Luan de Burgh StB ’84 After years of voice and presentation lecturing, I set up my own company eighteen months ago. We provide presentation, communication and impact skills training and coaching to leading companies and executives.

Despite the economic gloom, organisations are still recognising the value of such training, which is good for us. We will happily offer a discount to any Worthian who is interested in training, either for themselves or their company! Do call me on 020 7416 6076 for a chat, or e-mail me at: luan@deburghgroup.com.

Simon Douglas-Dufresne G’80 I’m still retired but working on some new projects! I have been travelling extensively for the past year (with the intension of investing!). In July last year I travelled back to Kenya and enjoyed four months of fun – had lunch with John Bennet (R’80) – and then by January 2012 found myself in Lima Peru staying with Edward Fyfe (B’80). Since then I have travelled across many parts of central and north Peru – only after buying a great car that could handle the Peruvian roads very well. Earlier on in the year we had lunch in Lima with Mr and Mrs Owers.

Alex Duckworth G’83 Threw caution to the wind and, after nine years together, I married Kimberley in July 2011. So, I now have a 13 year-old stepson and, as of four months ago, a baby daughter called Phoebe – who fortunately looks like her Mum! Ben Elwes G ’81 I still live in Sussex (20 minutes south of Worth), still commute into London daily where I still manage portfolios for a large international asset management company. I’m still married to Georgie and I still have three teenage sons and one dog (male, 7). What’s changed is that, as of September 2012, all three boys will be at Worth together and nine months ago I was appointed a parent governor at the school. I am not looking forward to being 50 next year, but other than that everything is ticking along nicely.

Adrian Firth C’89 Live the hard life in Perth, Western Australia, and am married to Linda with four young and energetic children!

John Ford B’82 Have had stints in London, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, New York and Hong Kong with Schroders plc, and then Tokyo with Fidelity Investments, the US Investment Company. My home is now Singapore, but I commute weekly to Hong Kong as Fidelity’s chief investment officer (Asia Pacific). I saw Adam Brodnicki (B’82) in New York for lunch last week and had a beer in Cornwall with Giles Hamilton (B’82) a few months back. I’ve confirmed that I’m going to the Class of 1977-82 Leavers’ 30-Year Reunion in London on 20th September 2012 – so if I can make it from Singapore, no excuses from the rest of you! I’m married to Singaporean Teresa, with three kids – Hannah is 14 (now boarding at Cheltenham Ladies College), Edward is 12 (boarding at The Dragon Prep School Oxford) and Ellie is 9 (at Tanglin Trust day school in Singapore). My youngest

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

brother, Ben Ford (B ’91) is now also in Singapore working as an executive director with JP Morgan and is here with his wife Jo, daughter Leah and son James – with another on the way which is due next January. Younger brother, Tom Ford (B’87), is based in Luxembourg with Covidien as Chief Legal Counsel EMEA. He is married to Susie, with sons Harry and Fred and twins Barnaby and Alice.

Paul Fremantle B’87 I’m still trying to make it big with my no longer start-up software company – WSO2 – which now counts UBS, eBay, British Airways and many others as customers. My kids are now getting quite big – Anna is 15 and Dan is 11. I’ve formed a folk/acoustic band and we play in local pubs around Portsmouth and the South Coast. I recently met up with Jon Kelly (G‘87), and I see Andrew Gregory (R’87) and James Marshall (R’87) regularly. Still trying to meet up with Enrique Biel Gleeson. Anyone wanting to get in touch will find me on Facebook at: http://fb.com/pizak.

Michael Gabriel C’85 Still working with brother Simon (C’90), running Green Lizard in Tunbridge Wells where we sell residential property. Last year I cycled from London to Paris with Worthians Gordon Moore (G’85), Jaime Dunster (B’85), Fraser Moore (G’95), Johnny Greig (G’85), Charles McHugo (G’85) and Sean Taylor (C’85) raising money for St Marks Hospital in Harrow, the world’s first specialist bowel disease hospital. This year we’re cycling another challenging route in Provence – which includes scaling Mount Ventoux (the infamous mountain climb of previous Tour de France races!). We’re raising money for St Mark’s Hospital again – so any donations would be very welcome(!) at: www.bmycharity.com/michaelgabriel.

Tom Garrigan G' 88 I am married to Liz with two children – Freya (just 7) and Matty (nearly 5) – and our home is in Richmond, Surrey. I’m managing director of TPG Design, a ‘boutique’ web design and development company. I was in Munich for the Champions League final – and am just about to start a beginners ‘puppetry’ course as something completely different to my daily work. “That's the way to do it!”

Michael Hughes G’81 We are still living in Switzerland, near Geneva, where we have been for nearly seven years now. It works fabulously for the kids – Alexander (15) and Phoebe (9) – who are both at the International School here.

The school is in our village which makes life easier and I commute to London once a fortnight to work with a small global equity asset management boutique, of which I am a partner. My wife, Emma, teaches in another international school in Geneva. The kids are both phenomenal skiers but, for Alex, honing his latest aerial trick seems to be of much greater importance than homework!

Bill Hurst R'86 Still acting – but not much more than cameos recently. Otherwise I am a full-time carer for my mother in Suffolk. Still playing a bit of football and uhmming and arring about a return to the rugby pitch (I might visit the boys from Gibraltar who are still playing for inspiration).

John Jeffcock R’85 I collated and edited “Heroes: 100 Poems from the New Generation of War Poets” (see ‘Review’ on page 64). It was released on Armistice Day 2011 and quickly became the best-selling poetry book in the UK. It was supported by the Poet Laureate, General Dannatt (Baron Dannatt), General Sir David Richards and Simon Rae from Radio 4 (of “Poetry Please” fame). The book has recently been adopted by Cheltenham College (Boys) as part of their English syllabus. I donate all the income from this book to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.

Jonathan Jenkins G’81 As threatened in the last ‘News in Brief’, we have decided to move our son, Callum (Year 8), to Worth in September. A big move from SMC in Edinburgh but I am sure the right one. Pippa will torture him at Worth as she gets old enough. We are moving temporarily to East Grinstead to try and re-acquaint ourselves with Sussex. It’s a long way from West Lothian!

Piers Jennings StB’80 I live in Somerset with my wife, Kate, and our three children. I continue to work in Medicine and was recently appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (FRCGP).

Nigel Laughton C’84 I am working as performance director for British Skeleton – busy preparing the GB Team for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Mark Lethbridge B'80 I’m still flogging away in City real estate (our company was recently taken over by Deloitte). Also still married to Camilla and also still have four kids! I’m in touch with David Adams (R’82) and Ollie Morris (R’82).

Philip Lundberg C’80 It's been a pretty hectic couple of years. My ex-wife Felicity and I divorced and I now have a new life with my girlfriend, Lucy. Our family now consists of five children, two dogs and a horse, and I spend my time between my flat in Chiswick and Lucy’s house in Hampshire. I run a Sport Risk Management company, with two partners, which specialises in arranging insurance for professional sports people – principally rugby, both codes and soccer (this includes medical insurance and loss of income protection). My elder son, Alexander, is captain of rugby at Hampton School for the 2012/13 season and is currently preparing for the England U18 tour of South Africa in August, where he will be playing either at tight head or loose head prop. Matthew has already represented Middlesex at U16 level and is looking to join Alexander in the London Wasps Academy, as well as at Hampton if he obtains the required grades.

Christopher (Chris) Mathews B'80 Still trying to keep the Isle of Wight on the straight and narrow! Had a great trip round the UK on my motorbike to visit the four compass points on the mainland and the highest and lowest roads – 2,500 miles in a week! Rain was a bit of a pain, but I managed to avoid some of it. My 17 year-old son is thinking of joining the Merchant Navy – just maybe Yvonne and I will get the house to ourselves soon!

Julian McCarthy StB’80 I performed at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics on the 27th July 2012 – as one of a group of 70 cyclists all dressed in white.

We appeared just a few moments before the lighting of the flame (see article on page 36). Had a great trip to Cornwall recently with Richard Williams (B’80), Mark Walker (StB’80), Ivan Macquisten (B’80), Mike Golton (R’80), Ben Goodger (R’80) and Simon Allen (StB’80) – where none of us felt, or looked, 50!

Simon McMenemy R’89 Hit 40 and decided to get my mid-life crisis out of the way – so left my job and took six months out. Spent it with the Army and went to Afghanistan for a bit. I was there at the time that the Royal Marines handed over to 20 Armoured Brigade commanded by Worthian, Brigadier Patrick Sanders (R’83).

Got back to the world of law in February 2012 and have set up my own firm with former colleagues. Called Signet Partners, we are specialists in employment law and are based near Fleet Street (see our advertisement on back cover). Marie-Clare is now teaching at Cumnor House Prep School which Annabel and Lizzie attend.

Charlie was head boy at Brambletye and is off to King’s Canterbury in September.

Ted Melaniphy C’87 I have been married to Olivia since 2002 and we live in County Offaly, Ireland with our three children – Niamh 8, Laura 5, Hugh 2. I have been working in the financial sector in Ireland since leaving the British Army in 1998 and currently work for State Street Bank in Dublin.

Nick Moore B ’82 I am living in Wandsworth and am married to Erica (we married at the Abbey Church in 1999). We have two children, Alex and Elodie. I am in fairly regular contact with Jules Recordon (G’92) and Donal Quigley (R’82).

Patrick (Paddy) Morrissey R’84 We – I am married to Jo-Jo – are happily living in Suffolk, near Hadleigh, with our two boys, William and Freddie. William has just passed Common Entrance to Ampleforth (sorry!) having had a wonderful time at Orwell Park Prep School near Ipswich. Freddie has three years left and is due to follow in his brother’s footsteps. I am still Group MD of Sheffield Haworth, the leading international financial services executive search firm. We celebrate 20 years in business this coming January. I am a founding partner and anyone who has seen me recently only needs to look at my hair to see what the years have done!! Always more than happy to hear from Worthians who work in the financial world: www.sheffieldhaworth.com. I left Worth nearly 28 years ago this summer, and it would be great to hear from anyone from Rutherford who was in the ‘Class of 1984’!

Richard Nunn B’81 Married to Nicola (Eddis) with two boys – Joshua (9) and Ned (6). We are living in Suffolk – near Worthians John Bennett (R’81) and Paddy Morrissey (R’84). I am working as a Director of Burgundian wine producer, Maison Louis Latour, but lucky enough to travel to other parts of the world in search of good wines. It was great to catch up with so many people at our 30th anniversary dinner last year.

Paul Radziwill C’88 Eloise and I are delighted with the arrival of our daughter, Willow Frances Rose, on the 3rd July 2012 – a sister for Barnaby, Alexei and Felix.

Stefan Reynolds G’89 I have just moved, with my wife, to Ireland – Glenville Park, Glenville, Co Cork. I have come to the end of my joy at Heythrop College and am finishing a PhD taken at London University. Applying for a history teaching post at Cork University and we are taking on a big country house there.

Eddie Robinson B’89 Still living and working in Maidenhead running my own property business. I now read “The Daily Telegraph” and have joined the local golf club! Check this profile next year for when I announce the size of my new slippers and what tobacco I use in my pipe! All is well with me and my lovely family – Helen, Tim and Jamie. Tim had his first Holy Communion in May and it took me back to my own memories back in 1977 when it was my turn. My boys are getting enthusiastic about sport and have developed a real skill in answering back to Helen and I. Happy to hear from anyone at any time – especially if they have a house to sell in Maidenhead, so do get in touch: eddie@robinsonestateagents.co.uk!

John Shepherd B’82 I am sales director at Serious Readers (www.seriousreaders.com) based in Aylesbury, with a 40-strong team fighting back against the recession! Rowena and I will celebrate 18 years of marriage this October. I am father to two beautiful girls – Sarah who is 13, and Sophie who is 12. I remain a very keen golfer.

Henry Thornton B’80 Another middle age crisis strikes! Having not looked at a bike for 30 years I have completed two charity rides in the past month – across Belgium and then France. Seven days in total, 560 miles and a gross climb of almost 30,000 feet. Otherwise still residing in Hampshire, working in London and travelling in Asia.

Dominic (Dom) Sharkey R'85 Still in command of the 39th (Skinners') Signal Regiment (Volunteers). I’m assisting with Olympics military contingency communications until mid-September 2012 and will then be posted to instruct at the Defence Academy, College of Management and Technology at Shrivenham, where Sara and I have lived for a year. She is also a serving Lieutenant Colonel working as an instructor at Staff College there. We now have two daughters, Millie (nearly 2) and Jessica (4 months). One nephew, Peter Vangelatos, is about to start at Worth this coming September.

Michael Tait G’80 I have made up my own photo cards which I am selling on the Isle of Man to raise money for Action Against Cancer. Our friend, Liz, is battling against cancer and yet has just completed a triathlon in Liverpool and will take part in a 1.5 mile swim called ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ in San Francisco later this year. She is a remarkable woman.

Mark (Max) Walker StB’80 As seems to happen each year, the kids are getting older and more expensive – uni, cars, etc – but fortunately the corporate world still seems to have money to spend on drums and drummers. The Caravan job that I started last year has been great fun with festivals around Europe, and next January (snow permitting!), there’s a tour around the UK kicking off at the Queen Elizabeth Hall: www.caravan-info.co.uk. In the unlikely event of any of my old Worth friends actually attending any of the gigs, do get in touch in advance – it would be great to hook up for a beer: mark@mark-walker.co.uk!

Michael (Mike) Watts C’89 I am living in Hanwell, London with Suzanne and Barney, Ned and Stan. Still teaching at St Benedict's and have survived a hard year. Well into my fifth decade but hoping to run my third half marathon in September 2012.

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News in Brief

News in Brief

Mark Shepherd B’79 I am a partner at Shoosmiths Lawyers in their Southampton office. Married to Nicki (née Bednall) and we have three children – Jack, Phoebe and Hugo – all are still at school. I am a cycling enthusiast and, when time permits, I go kite surfing.

with Ben Drummond (R’83), Paul (Spud) Johnson (R’83), Dom Latham-Koenig (B’83), Tony Sugrue (G’83) and Charles Rangeley-Wilson (R’83). Played for the Worthians tennis team in May – no idea who won in the end but it was good fun.

(It would be great if we could recruit a full team next summer, so please do contact Olivia at: worthsociety@worth.org.uk if you’re interested!). In May we celebrated the golden wedding anniversary of my parents – Ann and Mark – in great style, both in the UK and Tenerife. My daughter, Alicia, starts at Worth in September and is very excited – I trust that they’ll give her a better moral grounding than I can ever manage! My son, Max, is at a special residential school in Hurst Green close to Worth, so Sarah and I will find our home very empty this autumn! I completed a Moonriders overnight cycle from Alexandra Palace to Brighton in June and raised over £5,000 for the Epilepsy Society – thanks to several Worthians for their kind sponsorship. Visited Dubai for the Sevens last December which was an absolute riot, and I’m travelling with the Ryder Cup Team to Chicago in September, where hopefully Europe can retain the cup!

Otherwise working hard and trying to keep fit – but it seems to get tougher every year and I now need to work to iron my shirts!! It would be great to catch up with any Worthians – the usual suspects above will be meeting in autumn for more 'beverages' – so do e-mail me if you’re interested and I can let you know when and where: sean@buckleyhome.com.

Gaye (née Robertson) Wilmot B’88 I am a teacher of design technology in Bradford and have just returned back to work after maternity leave – another baby at 42! My daughter, Billie, is 7. Very happy living in Leeds although life is a constant DIY project trying to get our 150 year-old house shipshape – really must get that bedroom sorted for our new son, Ben! My husband – Bob – is now director of Solec Energy Solutions so, for anyone going green or interested in avoiding soaring energy costs, do check out http://www.solec-uk.com. Happy Days!

1990s James Albert G’93 Beatrice and I are very excited by the arrival of our twins, Theodore and Helene, on the 15th March 2012. Our lives have been somewhat turned upside down during the last few months, but appreciative smiles from the little ones suggest that we must be doing something right! Not content with one life-changing event, we’ve decided to make things even more exciting by moving to Australia for 4+ months. I will be working in Brisbane while Beatrice enjoys surfing on the golden coast (sorry, meant to say looks after Theo and Helene which is like doing day and night time shifts at the same time!).

Ben Babington G’96 Jack Charles Alastair arrived into the world on Monday 20th August 2012 weighing in at 9lb 2oz – he’s already eyeing up his place in the Worth 1st XV! Oliver (Ollie) Barnett StB'98 I am still working at C Hoare & Co in private banking and private wealth management, looking after customers and running a small team. I got married to Rachel on the 23rd June 2012 – Richard Gairdner (StB'98) was an usher. Rachel and I are looking to move out of London over the next few months, but not too far away as we both still work in London. My brother, Sam (C’97), is at Morgan Stanley in their corporate brokerage team – I doubt he will have time to submit his own 'News in Brief' as they have him working every hour of the day!

Philip Barrett C’90 (news from father Austin). Philip lives and works in the US (New York State) and travels a lot. Having specialised in chemistry, he has a doctorate in that subject and is a scientist with Praxair Inc the largest industrial gases company in the Americas. He speaks Spanish and participated in the European Zeolite Conference in Valencia last summer and lectured at the post conference school. His subject was ‘Adsorption Properties of Zeolites’.

James Baybutt StB'99 A lot has happened in my life over the past year – but the main highlight has been starting up my own business in the past six months. I now run a business called Fast Track Career Coaching (FTCC) which is a coaching and careers advisory business for school/college leavers, university graduates and young professionals. FTCC aims to inspire, educate and empower these individuals to pursue their passions with purpose and direction, whilst helping them to achieve their career aspirations and life goals.

In short, we offer life and career coaching in order to help people secure their ‘dream job’ and set them on their way to a meaningful, well established career path for the future.

Andrew Bayles B'98 I am married to Maeve and we are living in Wandsworth.

Currently working as Legal Counsel for Fujitsu in the UK; and juggling that with pre-season fitness training for the 2012/13 rugby season with Worthians RFC! It may be my last one!

Howard Brookman G'93 Happy to report that all is well. Having married Sarah in 2007, we now live in South Woodford with our two children James (4) and Zoe (1).

I am working for Bloomberg in London and still keep in touch with a handful of people from Worth, including Andrew Hodson (B’93) – but it would be good to hear from others too, so do feel free to get in touch with me at: howard.brookman1@btinternet.com.

Mel Carson B’90 Ashley and I have a new addition! Margaret Jane (Maggie) was born on the 21st August 2011. I have also co-authored and published a book called “Pioneers of Digital: Success Stories from Leaders in Advertising, Marketing, Search and Social Media”. You can find out more at: www.PioneersOfDigital.com.

Michel (Mick) Cataldo StB’97 I'm still in the Army having avoided being shot or made redundant. Returned last year from Afghanistan and I’m off to Staff College in September 2012. Married Laura back in 2009 and we now have an 18-month son; Xavier George. Great guy with massive head – a true Cataldo!

James Chick StB’91 Having dedicated much of my life to the absolute states of 1s and 0's (IT), I decided a couple of years ago that what I really enjoyed was being with people so, with few skills in this realm but the incredible support of my family, I set up a stall in a couple of weekend markets (Barnes and Chiswick) at the weekends where I offer a selection of home-cooked, organic and, where possible, locally sourced produce and dishes. Two years down the line and I find myself doing exactly the same – never having been so happy. There really is something very special about the happiness you can bring someone with carefully prepared food. I look forward to seeing and serving more Worthians, and to keeping in contact with a few from my era on the stalls at the weekend!

James Crofton B’95 Kate and I are delighted to announce the birth of our baby boy, Theodore Jameson Flanagan, born on the 29th May 2012 weighing in at 9lb 9oz.

James Crookenden StB’99 I got engaged to Holly Marriott-Smalley on the 14th July 2012 and we will be getting married early in 2013. Anthony Vassallo (StB’99) is to be best man.

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Richard (Larry) Elwes G'96 I recently celebrated my fifth year of marriage to the lovely Haruka Okura. Besides marital bliss, I have been splitting my time between lecturing geometry in Leeds University and writing books on Maths aimed at the general public (see ‘Book Review’ on “How to Build a Brain and 34 other really interesting uses of Mathematics” on page 65).

Angus Gairdner StB’96 I rejoined Sky in October 2010 after five years away as senior presentation manager of Sky Sports, News and 3D. Was heavily involved in the launch of the F1 channel in March; apologies to BBC fans! I am living in Putney with my girlfriend, Julia. Have skied in Meribel, will be sailing in Croatia and family holidaying in France before the year is out.

Charlie Gerada R'90 We have had another baby – a brother for Frederick, Albert and Willoughby! – Tobias Michael (Toby) was born at 5.45am on Saturday 3rd December 2011 and weighed in at 8lb 8oz (he was a week overdue). He is very sweet, very well and we’re very lucky.

Ben Hancock G’90 Walter Henry Petre was born on the 22nd May 2012 at 09.45am – a brother for Daphne. We are all doing very well!

Dan Harlow B’95 Krista and I are delighted to announce the arrival of our first child, Samuel Joseph, who was born on the 22nd August 2011.

Andrew Hodson B'93 In 2011 started work as a consultant haematologist in Ipswich, where I run the bone marrow transplant programme following two years studying for an MD at Imperial College London. I married Laura in 2008 and we celebrated the birth of our first daughter, Emilia Grace, in January this year.

Tom Holloway C’91 I’ll soon be back in England after two years in Canada, followed by a year in Glasgow. Next stop is Paris for a year at l'Ecole Militaire after (re)learning the lingo!

Phil Holmes StB’97 I am working for the Met Police in London – with John Vinten (R'96) and Corrado Di Mascio (R'96)! I see them from time to time, just in passing, as we are all working on different boroughs in different units. I am receiving a commendation later in the year for my service, bravery and resilience during the riots of last August 2011.

Justin Kelly StB’92 I am now married to Lucy. Our wedding took place on Saturday 31st March 2012 at All Saints Church, Dane Hill with Vicar David Hall and Fr Stephen Ortiger concelebrating. I am just about to start as head of legal and business affairs at Hanway and Recorded Picture Company (a film sales agent and production company).

Alex Kenney B’97 I continue to live in New York and work there and in other locations in the US, helping banks to deal with the fallout from the financial crisis of 2008. I still enjoy travelling for business and pleasure, as well as catching up with the few Worthians who live in New York and those who come to visit.

William (Will) Kenney B’95 Living and working in London. I have recently taken up cross country skiing and still enjoy playing backgammon and squash.

I married Dr Sharleet Mahal in Chamonix, France in September 2012.

Luke Kenny B’98 Living in West London and working in advertising. I married Katie in 2009 and now have a new baby, Isla, to deal with too!

Jason Kitcat B’97 In May 2012 I was elected the leader of Brighton & Hove City Council and Convenor of the Green Group of Councillors there. Ania and I welcomed our second child, Max, into the world on the 5th October 2011.

Patrick Long B’94 I married Alice Carter at Wardour Chapel, Wiltshire on Saturday 21st April 2012.

James Lynch StB’94 I married Sinéad on Wednesday 6th June 2012 at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the Abbey Church at Worth, the principal celebrant was Fr Luke and my brother, Paddy Lynch (C'92), was best man.

Alasdair (Ali Mac) Macdonald C’91 After a few years working in Asia (last stop Sydney) we're back in the UK living in Hampshire. I am still working at Accenture running the analytics and big data business in the comms and media group in the UK. Angus (9), Georgie (7) and Milly (4) are at Farleigh which they love. Beth is starting up a little business involving ‘canvas’ and ‘luxury’ but that’s all we can say for now. As always – it would be great to hear from anyone living in this neck of the woods, so do contact me at: alasdair.macdonald@accenture.com.

Gareth Maguire B’97 We had a beautiful baby girl, Cecily, who was born on the 9th September 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. Finlay is quite a character – Genevieve has her work cut out! Please drop by and see us if you're passing through Geneva – you can reach me at: Gareth.Maguire@kellogg.com.

litigation at Hogan Lovells in London since 2003. I got engaged to Eilís Mulkerrin in June 2012 and we are planning our wedding for sometime next summer.

Guy Nivelles G’93 (news from father Patrick R’64). Guy has just completed his Executive Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at London Business School.

The degree ceremony took place in July 2012 at the Festival Hall in London – and all the family were there to celebrate with him (see ‘Caught on Camera’ page 33).

Edward Paget G'95 I am living in Canada working as an Osteopath with wife Lucy, daughter Nina and we have another one on the way.

Justin Pavry StB’91 I am still in Washington DC with my wife and three kids and work for the IFC doing renewable power in the developing world. It would be great to hear from Paul, Al F, Sull, Frank, James O'C, etc, so do get in touch with me at: JPavry@ifc.org or contact me on Facebook.

David Ponsford B’96 My partner, Victoria, and I welcomed the safe arrival of our daughter, Scarlet Victoria, on Friday 13th July 2012. I live locally to Worth and have run a tree surgery business – Sparks Farm Tree Surgery – since leaving school.

George Ponsford C’99 I work as project facilities manager at Jones Lang LaSalle in Perth, Western Australia.

Jonathan (Jon) Smith StB’98 I married Aoife Kilpatrick in Leixlip, Ireland on Saturday 31st March 2012. Fr Luke Jolly concelebrated the ceremony and gave the Homily. Worthians in the wedding party included my best man Colin Rowton (R’98), Master of Ceremonies William (Will) Loden (C’93) and ushers: Matthew (Scotty) Sullivan (B’94) and Ben Nickell (B’94).

Robert (Rob) Stewart B’99 After an extremely rewarding 10 years flying in the Royal Air Force, I have left to pursue my ambition of running my own business.

Now that I can put down some roots, I would like to announce my engagement to Sally Weigh, with the big day following on the 7th September 2012!

Dominic Stobart C’90 Living in New York and working as a TV producer.

Married with two children – William and Stella.

Hugo Terry C/B’98 I married Lesley in her home country of Ireland earlier this year (Irish ladies, particularly sisters, seem to be the status quo for many of the ’98 leavers!) before finding the summer sun in Asia. Now back in London – living in Clapham and working as a programme manager at Transport for London.

Stephen (Wooly) Wolseley R’98 We – myself, Mary-Kate and little Nicholas – are enjoying life after the Army and I am now living and working in Muscat, Oman. Happy days!

2000s Je Ahn R’01 We are currently doing a large-scale installation at Aldgate in the City of London. The structure is to mark the location of historic Aldgate – where Chaucer lived from 1374-1386 (see ‘Caught on Camera’ page 32). The intricate timber structure is called ‘Paleys upon Pilars’ (Palace on Pillars).

Jake Ambridge C’07 (news from Jake’s parents - Paul and Ali). The Wellcome Trust has awarded Jake a £5,000 bursary and all fees covered to spend a year doing Veterinary Pathology at the Royal Veterinary College. He will graduate in Veterinary Pathology at the end of this academic year, before finishing the last three years of his Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine degree. This is a great achievement as only nine people from all over Europe are selected for this course and only five bursaries are offered.

Tom Ballard F’07 I have been accepted to study law following my first degree at Durham University.

Conor Bevan R’02 G'day! After leaving Worth I became a graphic designer and a music producer in my spare time. Having lived and worked in London for over five years I decided to jump ship and move to Sydney – which I currently love.

I've managed to get a couple of vinyl releases since I've been out here and even an appearance on Bondi FM! Francis Binney G’00 My wife, Kate, had a little girl on the 10th February 2012.

She was seven weeks early and we have named her Maya Elizabeth Grace. Her godfathers are Ed Cooper (B’00) and Ed Bonn (G’01).

Robert Birchall R'01 I’m still in regular contact with quite a few Worthians and enjoyed seeing them – and a number of others who I'd lost touch with – at our 10-year reunion last summer. Much looking forward to meeting up again at the round of 30th birthday celebrations that will be starting very shortly!

Alex Bone R '00 I married Nicola Gutorski in Didsbury, South Manchester on Friday 8th June 2012.

Chris Coxall R’02 Still living in Los Angeles and working for a film studio doing publicity campaigns for film – a far cry from what I thought I’d be doing when I left Worth 10 years ago!

James D'Arcy StB'02 I am working in the City of London with Marsh Risk Consulting as an enterprise risk analyst. Recently got engaged to Georgina Everington (on a glacier in Deux Alpes) and we are planning to marry on Saturday 15th June 2013 in Kent. I would welcome contact from Worthians.

Joshi Eichner Herrmann F’07 I am working as a feature writer for the “Evening Standard” and living in Putney. Do get in touch if you have a story or want me to look into something. My email is: joshi.herrmann@standard.co.uk and you can view some of my articles at: www.joshih.com.

Gavin Frost C'03 I am currently a forensic psychologist in training, working for HM Prison Service on the Isle of Wight but living in Portsmouth. Within this I am doing an MSc in Forensic Psychology which I finish in September 2012.

Adam (Fuda) Fudakowski G’02 I am running a medtech startup in London called Nanoclave.

Charles (Charlie) Gairdner StB’01 (news from mother Rosemary). Charlie returned from Afghanistan in mid-April, and he and Penny Blair were married on Saturday 30th June 2012 near Edinburgh. All his four brothers were ushers, and we had a wonderful weekend – only two showers but beset by a plague of midges in the early evening! He is still based in Germany and for the foreseeable future will be commuting to London at weekends. He left for Afghanistan in early October 2011 as Adjutant with the Queen’s Royal Hussars.

Ian George C’01 My lovely wife, Jennifer, and I tied the proverbial knot at Worth on Saturday 26th May 2012. In addition we welcomed our son, Charlie, into the world on the 23rd September 2011.

Tom Hammond-Davies (Tom Davies) C’03 Since completing my Master of Music last year in Conducting at the Birmingham Conservatoire and graduating with distinction, I won the top prize in Conducting at the famous Three Choirs Festival and have been appointed Musical Director of the Wooburn Singers, a chamber choir founded by Richard Hickox based in Buckinghamshire (www.wooburnsingers.co.uk). I continue in my post as director of music at the City Church of Oxford, St Michael at the North Gate (www.smng.org.uk), where I have launched an ambitious project to perform J. S. Bach’s Cantatas every week. I have recently completed my first CD as a conductor, which is an exciting disc of Walford Davies’ rarely performed Requiem and previously unrecorded works by Vaughan Williams and Paul Spicer. The CD will be released in the autumn of 2012. I am also the founder and director of The Blenheim Singers at Blenheim Palace, with whom I will be performing Handel’s Messiah at Blenheim Palace on Sunday 2nd December 2012, starting at 6.00pm, in aid of Cancer Research UK (see www.blenheimsingers.com). In addition, I am currently a Countertenor Lay Clerk with the multiple gramophone award-winning choir of New College, Oxford, with whom I have recently been recording CDs of Joseph Haydn, Benjamin Britten, and Marc-Antoine Charpentier, as well as on their latest release ‘Illumina’ featuring Gustav Mahler’s Adagietto from Symphony No 5 transcribed for choir and harp (see www.newcollegechoir.com).

Jack Harrison G’00 I am still living in Taiwan – it’s coming up to five years that I’ve been in Asia. I recently joined Jardine Matheson as development director for KFC Taiwan. Never quite expected to have Colonel Sanders on my business card but it’s been great fun so far!

Mark Hayhurst B'00 Having read Geography at St Andrews University, I commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in December 2006. I’ve had various jobs within the Army – have deployed to Afghanistan twice and conducted ceremonial duties in London (see ‘Caught on Camera’ page 33) before taking up the role as Assistant Equerry to Her Majesty The Queen in September 2011.

I married Elizabeth Sebag-Montefiore on the 3rd September 2011 in Shropshire and we spent our honeymoon in Kenya and Zanzibar.

Graham Hutchings R'05 On leaving Worth I spent a year working at St Ignatius College, Sydney with Guy Shepherd (B'05), Peter Rankin (R’05) and Paul Keenan (R'05). I graduated with a 1st in Geography from Exeter University in 2009 and am now living and working (in something nothing to do with Geography!) in Henley-on-Thames. I am rowing quite seriously and playing golf less seriously.

Still in touch with lots of Worthians from my year, as well as ex-Worth gap students from Sydney.

Simon Jalie C’02 I returned last summer from a four year stint in Barcelona, and am now living in southwest London and working in the football department at Sky Sports.

Benedict Bridge StB’07 I have been working for an environmental planning department in Kent for the last four weeks – and am now looking for other employment ...

Chris Kellaway B’02 Working at Accenture now with ‘big’ Max Barnett (G’02).

Delighted to be an usher at Mark Churchman’s (C’02) wedding this year and much looking forward to the 10-year reunion on the 15th September 2012.

Hope to see many of you there!

Michael (Mike) Matthews B’99 I married Sarah Woodland on Saturday 7th July 2012 at Worth Abbey. The ceremony was conducted by Fr Christopher Jamison (in amongst all his commitments as chaplain to the media for the upcoming London 2012 Olympics!).

Charles (Charlie) Bridge StB’09 (news from brother Benedict). Charlie was awarded a double first in natural sciences at Cambridge University in June 2012 and has decided to continue his studies with a masters in applied algorithmic hieroglyphics.

Masahiro (Rocky) Kume StB’03 I am currently working in Tokyo at my dad’s company. I came back to Japan after I graduated from uni – and have been working long hours ever since! I haven't been back to England since, but hope to return to Worth some day soon.

William (Bill) McNamee StB’92 I am now working as EMEA Learning Operations Manager at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Our son, Harrison, was born on the 13th July 2011 and Pauline and I married on the 20th July 2012.

Jeroen (Jay) Bromilow StB'09 I’ve just finished my second year at Cardiff University and am about to head off to Chile for a year, where I'll be doing a placement in the British Embassy in Santiago. If anyone is passing through, please stop by and say hi – you can reach me by e-mailing me at: jeroenbromilow@hotmail.com.

Christopher Lamb R'01 I married Isabel in 2008 and we have Joseph, born on the 14th April 2009, and Martha born on the 3rd April 2012. We are living in London and I am working as assistant editor (home news) for “The Tablet”.

Alistair Myles G’99 Eliza Scarlett was born on the 25th February 2012 weighing in at 6lb 13oz.

Ciarán Naidoo C’91 (news from brother Liam). Ciarán works as a press officer for UNITE. He is married to Isabel and has two children – Ruarí and Bede – with a third on the way!

Liam Naidoo C'97 I have been working as a solicitor in fraud and insolvency

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Mark Churchman C‘02 I married Christina O’Connor on Saturday 16th June 2012 at All Saints Church, Headley in Hampshire. Several Worthians were there to share our special day including James Condie (B ‘02’) who was my best man.

Owen Lean C’01 I have recently been performing for the 25th Hay Literary Festival and at the Henley Regatta for the British Travel Awards. Still based in London and offering a discount on my performance rates to fellow Worthians!

Do have a look at my website at www.owenlean.com and you can contact me by e-mail at: owen@roadmage.com.

Chris Coopman R’02 I got engaged to Louise Glover on Monday 21st May 2012.

We are planning our wedding for July 2013.

Ben Leslie B’02 I proposed to Gemma Rosalind Finney on the 9th December 2011 at an altitude of about 5,450m while trekking through the Himalayas –

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News in Brief

News in Brief

Simon Albert G'98 I returned from Afghanistan in September 2011 and became a proud father to Leofwin in April 2012. I left the army in July after ten years and have, for the meantime, settled in Hampshire while exploring other options. All is well and we are adapting to our new circumstances while looking forward to the next chapter of our adventure.

Dominic Doyle B'90 I married Tracy Wanner on Saturday 5th August 2011 in the UK at Magdalene College Chapel in Cambridge. I am teaching theology at Boston College, Massachusetts, USA. My first book has just been published and is called “The Promise of Christian Humanism: Thomas Aquinas on Hope” (Crossroad 2012). It is available from Amazon.

luckily she said “yes”! I also passed my MSc from UCL last year, gaining a distinction, and was later awarded the ‘Lightmongers Millar Award’ for the most deserving student in education.

Chris Madsen B’04 I’m still working for Chelsea Football Club within their sponsorship department. Enjoyed a fantastic Champions League Final win in Munich in May and have just returned from our pre-season tour of the US where we played matches in Seattle, New York, Philadelphia and Miami. Living in Battersea, with Alex Podbury (C’04), and I keep up with many Worthians in London. Currently in pre-season training for the Worthians RFC team – we are always looking for Worthians living in London to join us … interested? Then do contact me at: chris.madsen@chelseafc.com.

James Madsen B’02 After two years in the Middle East, I’ve now moved back to London and am living in Battersea. Seeing enough of Otto Blom (R’02) and Danny O’Connell (R’02) to make anyone miss the sand!

Maggie Carson

The Albert family: mother Anne (centre) with Simon and Clare holding baby Leofwin and James and Beatrice

Michael (Monty) Montgomery R’04 I recently joined Selfridges as floor manager for Beauty.

News in Brief

Edward Nunn (B’03) I married Katie Hore in Camerton, near Bath on Saturday 8th July 2011. We are now living in Clapham in south-west London and I work for Sainsbury's.

To Simon Albert (G’98) and Clare, a son, Leofwin Jeremy born on the 2nd April 2012 To Ben Babington (G’96) and Susanna, a son, Jack Charles Alastair born on the 20th August 2012

Rob Palmer R’01 After spending two years living in South Africa and Namibia working as a game ranger, I am now back living in Guernsey – working at Specsavers head office for the unforeseeable future. Much looking forward to the upcoming 10-year celebrations with Rob Birchall (R’01) and Luca Belpassi (G’01) – and also visiting Simon Hawkins (R’01) and Chris Coxall (R’02) in the States.

To Francis Binney (G’00) and Kate, a daughter, Maya Elizabeth Grace born on the 10th February 2012 Pauline and Bill McNamee with Harrison at his Christening

Chris Coopman with his fiancée, Louise, at the Trevi Fountain in Rome

Johannes Stroebel StB’03 I just started as an assistant professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. If any Worthians happen to be in town they should get in touch, I can be reached at: jcstroebel@googlemail.com.

To Michel (Mick) Cataldo (StB’97) and Laura, a son, Xavier George born on the 28th October 2010

To Alex Duckworth (G’83) and Kimberley, a daughter, Phoebe born on the 23rd March 2012

James Thorp G’01 My wife, Hayley, and I have just had our first baby, Charlie, born on the 29th March 2012 at East Surrey Hospital, weighing in at 8lbs 3oz.

John-Henry Wicks G’00 I married Rhiannon Tracy on Saturday 14th July 2012 in Edinburgh where Olly Parry (StB’00) was my joint best man.

2010s David Matthews and Sophia

Ewan and Beatrice Ward-Thomas

John-Henry and Rhiannon Wicks with best man, Olly Parry (StB’00)

Justin and Lucy Kelly

To Paul Radziwill (C’88) and Eloise, a daughter, Willow Frances Rose born on the 3rd July 2012, a sister to Barnaby, Alexei and Felix To Dominic Sharkey (R'85) and Sara, a daughter, Jessica Alice born on the 11th March 2012, a sister for Millie To James Thorp (G’01) and Hayley, a son, Charlie James born on the 29th March 2012 To Gaye (née Robertson) Wilmot (B’88) and Bob, a son, Ben Lewis Woody born on the 18th December 2011, a brother for Billie

Engagements

To Charlie Gerada (R’90) and Katie, a son, Tobias Michael (Toby) born on the 3rd December 2011, a brother for Frederick, Albert and Willoughby

Liam Naidoo (C'97) to Eilís Mulkerrin on the 9th June 2012

James Crookenden (StB’99) to Holly Marriott-Smalley on the 14th July 2012 Ben Leslie (B’02) to Gemma Finney on the 9th December 2011

To Ben Hancock (G’90) and Linda, a son, Walter Henry Petre born on the 22nd May 2012, a sister for Daphne

Ronan O'Kelly (StB'02) to Catherine Newton on the 8th June 2012

To Dan Harlow (B’95) and Krista, a son, Samuel Joseph born on the 22nd August 2011

Marriages

To Gareth Maguire (B’97) and Genevieve, a daughter, Cecily Angela Anne born on the 9th September 2011, a sister for Finlay

Hugh Brading, son of Christopher (G’89)

To David Ponsford (B’96) and Victoria, a daughter, Scarlet Victoria born on the 13th July 2012

James D'Arcy (StB'02) to Georgina Everington on the 27th March 2012

To Christopher Lamb (R’01) and Isabel, a daughter, Martha Iris Agnes born on the 3rd April 2012, a sister for Joseph

Gareth Maguire with Cecily and Finlay

To Louis Pitto (B'01) and Gianna, a daughter, Gianella Anna born on the 3rd December 2011, a sister for Louis

To Ian George (C’01) and Jennifer, a son, Charlie Lewis born on the 23rd September 2011

To Jason Kitcat (B'97) and Ania, a son, Max born on the 5th October 2011, a brother for Ella

Emily Jacobs StA’11 I had a year out, working at Burberry in London, and received an unconditional offer to study international business management at Oxford Brookes University – where I start in September 2012.

To Alistair Myles (G’99) and Zia, a daughter, Eliza Scarlett born on the 25th February 2012

Chris Coopman (R’02) to Louise Glover on the 21st May 2012

To Luke Kenny (B’98) and Katie, a daughter, Isla Rae born on the 22nd October 2011

Jan-Philipp (JP) Hotze B’11 366 days to do whatever! For the last year I have been on a sea kayaking and mountain expedition in Alaska, worked for Vodafone Germany as an Intern in their headquarters, completed a Marathon, went to school in Costa Rica and to University in Beijing, China. Now it’s time to go to University – if only they would respond!

To Bill McNamee (StB’92) and Pauline, a son, Harrison William born on the 13th July 2011

To Julian Gairdner (StB’89) and Melissa, a daughter, Phoebe born on the 23rd September 2011, a sister for Olly and Freddie

To Andrew Hodson (B'93) and Laura, a daughter, Emilia Grace born on the 10th January 2012

Nicholas (Nick) Elvidge C’11 In May this year, Jack Udale (B'11), Nick Gandy (R'11) and I completed an event called ‘Tough Mudder’ in Kettering, Northamptonshire. It's a 12-mile obstacle course that’s made up mostly of mud and other obstacles – such as a skip full of freezing cold water, dangling electric cables and monkey bars! We did this in aid of the Matthew Elvidge Trust, a mental health charity (see ‘Caught on Camera’ page 33).

Dani Jeyes StM’10 I am currently midway through completing an internship in Corporate Finance (TAS) at Ernst & Young.

To Mel Carson (B’90) and Ashley, a daughter, Margaret Jane (Maggie) born on the 21st August 2011

To James Crofton (B’95) and Kate, a son, Theodore Jameson Flanagan born on the 29th May 2012

James Talty StB’06 I am currently on the graduate programme at Ernst & Young, working within the business tax advisory banking team and training to be a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. I am living with Richard Hayward (StB'06) in Parsons Green, Fulham.

Edward (Eddy) Bridge StB’11 (news from brother Benedict). Eddie has just returned from an eight week sabbatical in Ecuador, where he worked in a hospice for leprosy sufferers. He’s now broke(!) but looking forward to starting medicine at Leeds this coming September 2012.

Announcements To James Albert (G’93) and Beatrice, twins, Theodore and Helene born on the 15th March 2012

Ronan O’Kelly StB’02 Catherine Newton and I got engaged on the 8th June 2012.

Appreciative smiles from Theodore and Helene Albert

Walter Hancock

Births

David Matthews B’01 (news from brother Mike). Eight days after my own marriage to Sarah, my brother David and his wife Alessandra gave birth to Sophia Grace at 4.30pm on Sunday 15th July 2012. They are all doing well!

Hugo Sanders R’00 I was joint best man – with Alastair Stirling (B’00) – to Lorenzo Curci (B’00) on Saturday 21st July 2012, when he married Araminta Wilkinson in Porto Ercole, Italy.

Theodore Crofton

To David Matthews (B’01) and Alessandra, a daughter, Sophia Rose born on the 15th July 2012

Rob Stewart (B’99) to Sally Weigh on the 3rd February 2012

Oliver (Ollie) Barnett (StB'98) to Rachel Thomas on Saturday 23rd June 2012 at St Nicholas' Church, Nether Winchendon, Buckinghamshire Alex Bone (R'00) to Nicola Gutorski on Friday 8th June 2012 in Didsbury, South Manchester Mark Churchman (C’02) to Christina O’Connor on Saturday 16th June 2012 at All Saints Church, Headley, Hampshire Lorenzo Curci (B’00) to Araminta Wilkinson on Saturday 21st July 2012 in Porto Ercole, Italy Dominic Doyle (B’90) to Tracy Wanner on Saturday 5th August 2011 at Magdalene College Chapel, Cambridge with Fr Christopher presiding Charles Gairdner (StB’01) to Penny Blair on Saturday 30th June 2012 near Edinburgh

Luis Huete G'10 Over these past two summers I have had the opportunity to complete two different internships in different economic sectors in Paris and Marseille – both proved very interesting experiences.

Christoph Roggemann StB’10 After 1½ years of studying law in Tubingen, Germany, I studied for one semester in Milan, Italy with the Universita Cattolica and I am now doing an internship in Milan at Deutsche Bank. Afterwards I will continue with my studies in Frankfurt.

James Shepherd C’09 I’ve been working at PWC in Guernsey, working my way towards an accountancy qualification through ACCA. I have passed my first three exams and am now entering my second year.

William (Watto) Watkins R’10 I’ve just completed six weeks volunteering work at Port Lympne Wildlife Park where I worked closely with the carnivore section who look after a range of different animals – from frogs to Meerkats and Bengal tigers!

60 I

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

Ian and Jennifer George

The Old Place

Pictured at the wedding of James and Sinead Lynch: Fr Luke, James, Sinéad, Paddy Lynch (C’92) and Fr John O’Byrne

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A large Worthian contingent attended Lorenzo Curci’s wedding in Italy

Celebrating at the wedding of Robert and Sally Stewart – Robert’s godfather, Fr Stephen, and parents, Geri and Andy Stewart (B’72)

Sponsorship Support

Patrick and Alice Long

Announcements continued

W

orth Society is always delighted to support Worthians who undertake personal challenges to raise money for good causes that are close to their hearts. If you would like Worth Society to consider supporting you in a fundraising challenge, then do contact Olivia at: worthsociety@worth.org.uk with the details. The Committee will consider each request individually and will offer support wherever it can.

Ian George (C’01) to Jennifer on Saturday 26th May 2012 at Worth Abbey Church Mark Hayhurst (B'00) to Elizabeth Sebag-Montefiore on Saturday 3rd September 2011 in Shropshire Sir Peter Jonas (G’64) to Barbara Burgdorf on Friday 1st June 2012 in Zurich Justin Kelly (StB’92) to Lucy Wright on Saturday 31st March 2012 at All Saints Church, Dane Hill, with Fr Stephen Ortiger concelebrating William Kenney (B’95) to Dr Sharleet Mahal on Saturday 17th September 2011 in Chamonix, France Patrick Long (B’94) to Alice Carter on Saturday 21st April 2012 at Wardour Chapel, Wiltshire

Sara and Dominic Sharkey with baby Jessica and Millie

James and Hayley Thorp holding Charlie

The following are a few examples of challenges that Worthians have undertaken during 2011 and 2012 for which Worth Society provided sponsorship support.

James Lynch (StB’94) to Sinéad O’Driscoll on Wednesday 6th June 2012 at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the Abbey Church at Worth, with Fr Luke Jolly as principal celebrant Bill McNamee (StB’92) to Pauline on Friday 20th July 2012 at St Josephs, Maidenhead Mike Matthews (B’99) to Sarah Woodland on Saturday 7th July 2012 at Worth Abbey with Fr Christopher Jamison officiating Edward Nunn (B’03) to Katie Hore on Saturday 8th July 2011 at Camerton, near Bath Toby Rumford (R’95) to Floriane Heutsch on Saturday 24th September 2011 in Vevey, Switzerland Jonathan Smith (StB’98) to Aoife Kilpatrick on Saturday 31st March 2012 in Leixlip, Ireland Rob Stewart (B’99) to Sally Weigh on Friday 7th September 2012 at Combermere Abbey in South Cheshire

Floriane and Toby Rumford

Charlie and Penny Gairdner

Lucy, Nina and Ed Paget

Alex and Nicola Bone

Hugo Terry (C/B’98) to Lesley Hughes on Saturday 26th May 2012 at Aughrim, County Wicklow, Ireland Ewan Ward-Thomas (B’77) to Beatrice de Cizancourt on Saturday 17th March 2012 in London John-Henry Wicks (G’00) to Rhiannon Tracy on Saturday 14th July 2012 at Greyfrairs Kirk, Edinburgh

Distinctions Oliver Mulcahy (C’05) passed out of Britannia Royal Naval College on Thursday 4th August 2011 as a Sub-Lieutenant Weapon Engineer Chris Dobson (StB’66) The Priestly Ordination of Deacon took place on Saturday 21st July 2012 at Worth Abbey by The Right Reverend Kieran Conry, Bishop of Arundel & Brighton

1. The Class of ‘85 (some of them!)

Described affectionately by the non-cycling fraternity as MAMILS (middle aged men in lycra!) Gordon Moore (G’85), Fraser Moore (G’95), Michael Gabriel (C’85), Jaime Dunster (B’85), Johnny Greig (G’85), Charles McHugo (G’85) and Sean Taylor (C’85) mounted their sturdy road bikes early on a sunny September morning in Barnes to embark on a 245 mile London to Paris bike ride over three days to raise money for St Marks Hospital in Harrow, the world’s first specialist bowel disease hospital. Riding as part of a team of 33 and representing Momentum, a charitable organisation set up in 2011 by Gordon to raise awareness of colon cancer and to raise much needed funds for research projects into its treatment. To date a staggering £250,000 has been raised. Successfully completing the ride and keen to continue raising funds for this worthwhile cause, Gordon, Fraser, Michael, Jaime, Charles and Jonathan Sharpe (B’85) are cycling another challenging route in Provence at the end of September 2012 – including going up Mt Ventoux (the infamous mountain climb of previous Tour de France races). To everybody who has supported Momentum so far and to those who would like to make a donation do visit: www.bmycharity.com/momentum).

Thank you.

2. Rupert Dewey (F’02) “The two things that really stood out for me from my London Marathon experience were the support from the armies of people that lined the course and the incredible generosity of those who donated to my charity. Events like this really do bring out the best in people! When I set out to raise over £2,000 for HopeHIV, the fundraising seemed a more intimidating task than the actual running.

But friends, family and colleagues – including Worth Society – were so generous and I am very grateful for that. HopeHIV is a fantastic charitable organisation that helps some 50,000 vulnerable children and young people through around 40 partner organisations in 400 communities located in sub-Saharan Africa. For me, that’s the definition of money really well spent. My sincere thanks to everyone!”

Deaths Councillor Roger Belson (R’67) on 26th December 2011, aged 62 years Matthew Boughton, Head of Drama at Worth School from September 2008 to September 2011, on 15th September 2011, aged 33 years Peter Cole (C’92) on 22nd October 2011, aged 37 years Robert Döry (StB’68) on 14th February 2012, aged 61 years Joan Edey, long-time Medical Sister at Worth School from 1945 to 1985, on 22nd September 2011, aged 95 years Mick Fagan, former member of staff from 1971 to 2002, on 29th July 2011, aged 70 years Peter Scholl (R’68) on 23rd May 2012, aged 60 years

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their bikes they battled the English weather, near crashes (with a coach), falls, injuries, France, Switzerland, Italy and huge mountain peaks to raise funds for the Geoff Thomas Foundation. Commenting on his experience Christian said; “This was a genuinely exhilarating trip with massive emotional highs and very few emotional lows. We raised over £7,000 for the Geoff Thomas Foundation – a charity that has now merged with Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. I wholeheartedly encourage you to research Geoff Thomas – a truly inspirational individual. I’d also encourage everyone to ride the wave of British Cycling’s recent successes and – get on your bikes!”

4. Chris Napleton (C’11) “It’s difficult to summarise a trip that was full of so many peaks and troughs in just a few words. However, there is absolutely no doubt that our 20-day, 2,000 mile Paris to Istanbul Cycle Challenge really was a challenge in every sense of the word. There was physical hardship and psychological anguish at almost every turn. The first day was enough to make any sensible person say; “This is too much” and just turn around and go home. The low moments – mechanical failures, passport issues, financial problems and incorrect documents – threw the moments of magnificence into even greater relief. We conquered Alpe d’huez, crossed the flats of Northern Italy, cycled along the Dalmatian coast and finally made it to the meeting point of Asia and Europe and one of the busiest cities in the world – Istanbul. We completed the trip in aid of The British Red Cross, a charity supported by many of my own family members and one that I hold to be a really worthwhile cause. We accepted donations at home and ‘on the road’ while proudly wearing the charity’s symbol on every day of our trip – to the far side of Europe and back again. To date we have raised just over £400, and I will continue to support The British Red Cross in my future fundraising endeavours. Surely another challenge awaits in the wings!”

3. Christian Zaleski (StB’05) and Tom McConnell (F’05) In August 2011 Christian, Tom and two friends undertook the biggest physical challenge of their lives to date. On

Fr Christopher Jamison officiates at the wedding of Sarah and Mike Matthews

2 Top: All set and ready to go on day three of the 2011 Momentum Challenge Above: Rupert Dewey at the end of his London Marathon experience

Below left: James Miesner, Nick Poursadigh, Tom McConnell and Christian Zaleski Below: Chris Napleton (right) and brother Richard at the end of their epic 2,000 mile journey

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Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

I 63

“Heroes: 100 Poems from the New Generation of War Poets” edited by John Jeffcock

“How to Build a Brain and 34 other really interesting uses of Mathematics”

by Richard Elwes

John Jeffcock

It is the first time that poems have been gathered from all ranks and all organisations – from the Parachute Regiment to the Special Air Service, from the Gordon Highlanders to the Royal Marines – and their subject matters vary from action in Afghanistan to poems inspired by the Second World War, The Falklands and Northern Ireland.

As the poetry of Brooke, Owen and Sassoon spoke to those who endured the First World War, here are poems that speak of war in our time. Written with a poignancy that can only be conveyed by those immediately affected by the experiences of war, “Heroes” is a collection that touches the reader intimately and leaves an indelible mark.

Part of the proceeds raised from sales of the book will go to ABF, The Soldiers' Charity.

“[Heroes] is a humbling project, allowing the voices of those whose lives have been changed by war to speak to us with the raw directness of feeling and experience” Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate

W

orthian, John Jeffcock (R’85), is a poet and former soldier of the Coldstream Guards.

His own experiences as a soldier serving in places such as Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina and South Armagh’s ‘Bandit Country’ inspired him to compile a collection of poetry from the new generation of war poets.

In 2010, with the full support of the Ministry of Defence, John invited contributions for a book of modern war poems and was overwhelmed by the response.

Contributions were sent from serving soldiers, veterans and their families – wives, sisters and daughters (one who was just 11 years old). The writers have one thing in common: they are people whose lives have been changed by war, and the poems speak to readers with a direct and emotional appeal.

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“I have read many war poems written by those who have taken part in previous conflicts, and it’s only right and proper that we now have a book of poems by those who have witnessed modern day warfare. It's important that war is told like it is, as future generations need to understand the sacrifice of past conflicts.”

Andy McNab

Heroes: 100 Poems from the New Generation of War Poets

By John Jeffcock Published by Ebury Press – 3rd Nov 2011 Hardcover 176 pages Size 18.2 x 12.2 x 1.8 cm Price £10.00 (£7.00 from Amazon) ISBN-10 0091946646 ISBN-13 978-0091946647

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

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r Richard Elwes (G’96) is a writer, teacher and researcher in Mathematics and a visiting fellow at the University of Leeds.

He currently works part-time there, lecturing the first year module ‘Introduction to Geometry’. He contributes to “New Scientist” and “Plus Magazine” and publishes research on Model Theory – an area which bridges mathematical logic and algebra.

Jeremy Dowling, is a Mathematics teacher at Worth School and was Richard’s Maths teacher when he attended Worth between 1991 and 1996. Jeremy shares his thoughts on Richard’s book.

probably expect, the level of technical knowledge that is needed to understand much of the work might fall beyond the average reader. He does, however, succeed in giving a valuable insight into how the world of mathematics has developed, how it continues to develop, and lists a number of mathematical problems that still remain unsolved.

Overall, this is a highly readable book and an excellent introduction into the world of mathematics.

I am much looking forward to reading his other books on the subject!

Jeremy Dowling, Mathematics Teacher

As the inside cover of his book states, Richard is passionate about the public understanding of mathematics and regularly promotes the subject in lectures and books.

My memories of Richard as a student relate more to sport than to mathematics, as I took him for both rugby and cricket when he was in Year 6, in what was then known as Junior House.

He was a courageous full-back for the rugby team, but my abiding memory of him comes from the cricket field.

After about ten overs of a particularly dull match being played at the Oval – in which Richard had been dutifully trudging from fielding at mid-on to mid-off for the next over, he turned to me as umpire and asked, “Sir, why are we doing this?” It was hardly a surprise then to read on his website that he dislikes cricket!

Richard’s book is a very refreshing study of ‘35 landmarks of the mathematical world’ in which he aims to make accessible; ‘a world of mathematics that can astonish with its diversity, captivate with its mystery, and enthral with its beauty’.

Each bite-size chapter lays out the basics of some of the world’s most important mathematical ideas, including tricky concepts like irrational numbers, chaos theory, infinity and why greengrocers always stack their oranges in a particular way.

Richard engages the reader at the start of every chapter with interesting anecdotes and historical insights into how problems in mathematics have been tackled, and how there are surprising connections between them. He shows how a mathematical theorem is established and what goes into developing a proof.

The book attempts to demystify some of the really challenging topics in mathematics but, as you would

How to Build a Brain: And 34 other really interesting uses of mathematics

By Richard Elwes Published by Quercus – 31st Mar 2011 Hardcover 224 pages Size 21.8 x 17.4 x 2.4 cm Price £9.99 (£6.79 from Amazon) ISBN-10 1849164800 ISBN-13 978-1849164801

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Book Review

Book Review

All entries were judged by John, alongside Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, former presenter of Radio 4’s “Poetry Please” Simon Rae and General Sir Richard Dannatt. “Heroes” is a remarkable collection of those judged to be the best 100 of the works submitted.

Chris O’Shea in “Sea Plays” Theatre Review

But Chris, aged 27, is doing just that – and he is starting to make quite a name for himself in the London acting scene.

One of his most recent appearances was at the Old Vic Tunnels in “Sea Plays” by the great American playwright, Eugene O’Neill, and I took the opportunity to go and watch Chris in this powerful trio of sea plays.

The dingy tunnels underneath Waterloo station proved the perfect setting for the sub-standard conditions that merchant sailors were exposed to during the First World War (which look even worse than those experienced in the old ‘cardboard castle’ that we knew as Rutherford!).

Amongst the sweaty, industrial claustrophobia of the

merchant ship SS Glencairn, we experienced the realities, complexities and camaraderie of a life lived at sea in the early 20th century.

Chris plays a young Scottish sailor (aptly named “Scotty” – accent and all!) amongst an international crew who grow suspicious about the ‘mysterious box’ they find under a shipmates bunk. Conspiracy theories about spies and superstitions abound as the tension builds – with grave consequences.

This is one of several plays Chris has done since graduating from Exeter and he is now also acting in Shakespeare’s Henry V at the Globe Theatre. Having acted alongside Chris in several school productions, I find going to watch him on stage is always a genuine pleasure. He often plays the lead role in smaller independent productions and always steals the show.

I am sure that, in years to come, we will be adding him to our list of distinguished Worthian actors!

Daniel Pring (R’03)

P

ete was a great friend whom I first met when I arrived at Worth in January 1989. We shared one of the ‘Quads’ dormitories in what was known as Chapman back then. Initially a quiet individual – as you got to know him better you soon experienced a dry sense of humour and some trademark one-liners which frequently had us in stitches. Pete was always engaging and enjoyable company, as well as being a true and loyal friend.

Pete arrived at Worth from Wimbledon where he had been born and raised with his three sisters – Gabby, Maddy and Henrietta – all of whom he was very close to.

He really enjoyed and made the most of his time at Worth, taking part in a variety of sports and immersing himself in the many other activities on offer. His intelligence, especially in the realms of maths and science, was soon evident. At ‘A’ Level he seemed to do every type of maths possible – from Maths to Further Maths and Applied Maths. He excelled in all of them and earned a place at Oxford where he enjoyed four very happy years. Once again, Pete threw himself into all that University life had to offer and was a popular figure at Wadham College. He took up rowing as well as hockey (a sport he was to play for many years to come).

After Oxford, Pete went on to complete a Master’s degree at Kent University in Canterbury, before securing a job with Vodafone in Newbury where he remained for his entire career. It was in Newbury that he made his own family home.

One of Pete’s great interests was the Order of Malta Volunteers (OMV) charity. He first went on annual pilgrimage to Lourdes with the OMV at the end of our Upper Sixth (Year 13) at Worth. Like so many others before and since, Pete was completely hooked by the experience and he went on to participate in around 15 further pilgrimages and participated in many of the charity’s other activities.

Pete served on the OMV’s Committee for many years and ran the regular weekend trips to Walsingham. These were hugely popular and, under Pete’s stewardship, expanded to become the charity’s second biggest activity. Pete’s warmth, compassion and humour – plus his mother’s wonderful cooking! – made them a ‘must attend’ occasion for so many people. Pete had a particularly great knack of getting people involved to help run the weekends with him, especially his family. As well as encouraging his

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mother, Clodagh, to share her culinary skills, Pete also convinced Gabby to do all the necessary tests which enabled her to drive everyone around in one of the minibuses.

Obituary

W

hen Chris O’Shea (G’03) first stepped onto the stage at Worth – as the ventriloquist in the Year 10 production of “Bugsy Malone” – few of us could imagine that his future would see him treading the boards with Felicity Kendal and taking curtain calls at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

Peter (Pete) Cole 1974-2011 It was through the OMV that Pete met his wife, Helen – a nurse who hailed from New Zealand. New Zealand played a big part in Pete’s life; he first visited the country in 1993 when he was one of many Worthians who visited the country to follow that year’s Lions tour; which luckily just happened to fall during our gap year. Subsequently, Pete was to visit the country on many more occasions with Helen, and again in 2005 when a group of us followed the next Lions tour of the country. Like so many others, we toured the country in campervans and experienced Pete’s hitherto unknown ability to drive at great speed – an interesting experience on some of the New Zealand roads!

Later in 2005, Pete and Helen were married close to his family home in Wimbledon, it was a wonderful winter wedding and a very happy occasion. Then, in July 2007, their first child, Olivia, was born. She was to be the centre of their lives. From the very early days, Pete and Olivia developed a great bond and were absolutely hilarious together – Olivia so clearly possessing her father’s great humour and his straight talking nature.

We were all deeply shocked when Pete received his diagnosis in early May 2010. But rather than be depressed and constrained by it, Pete ensured that he lived every minute of his life to the full. Despite receiving on-going treatment for cancer, the next eighteen months were happy ones for Pete, Helen, Olivia and their family and friends. They achieved so much and we all have closely cherished memories from this period – another trip to New Zealand, a family pilgrimage to Lourdes in conjunction with the OMV and a Disney holiday with Olivia were just a few of the highlights they enjoyed.

Pete is survived by Helen and Olivia, his parents – Robert and Clodagh – and his three sisters – Gabby, Maddy and Henrietta. They, along with his many close friends will miss a loving husband, father, son and brother as well as a great mate with a unique sense of humour.

Olivia and Pete

We all have our own wonderful memories of Pete. May he rest in peace.

Paddy Lynch (C’92)

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The list of activities that Mick offered outside his teaching duties is a long one. Many students benefited from the careers programme that he and Mike Robinson devised.

Mick worked tirelessly on it, and this pastoral add-on put Worth well ahead of its rival schools in the difficult area of career choices.

Michael (Mick) Fagan 1940-2011 The notion that ‘how Mick appeared was how he was’ could not be further from the truth. An Irishman who liked a yarn, a joke, a smoke and a pint provides a starting-point – but Mick had many more layers to his make-up than that. For over forty years we knew, lived, worked and played with Mick, and you could fill many chapters of a book with reminiscences and details of the varied life he led at Worth.

It was in 1971 that Mick, Ann, Luke and Jessica came to Worth from Cottesmore, via Gilgil in Kenya. He was to be a Junior House (as it was then) science and games teacher – but from that simple job description he went on to teach generations of students much, much more. Science and sport, yes, but Duke of Edinburgh, judo, cookery, careers, learning skills, tutoring are all areas that can be added to the ‘Fagan CV’; and together they provide a glimpse of the time and true dedication that Mick gave to Worth.

In his lab, Mick was innovative and sometimes unconventional; but he always got the best out of his classes and believed that nobody was incapable of achievement given the right motivation. If you were struggling to understand a student; Mick’s reports were always worth a read, for he was peerless at seeing into the personalities of boys.

He aimed to give encouragement wherever possible, but he could be critical when required yet always in a constructive way and he possessed a laser-like wit – usually directed against those who displayed arrogance or selfimportance. He also owned a video of the highlights of Ireland beating the West Indies at cricket – it did happen… after a night out at the Guinness brewery in Dublin! – and any class that were trying Mick’s patience, would be threatened with a viewing of this epic tape. This acted as a sure-fire deterrent, and is just one example of how Mick was able to make learning fun as well as challenging.

Mick – at his happiest on the rugby pitch

Although Mick coached soccer and cricket, it was on the rugby pitch that he was at his happiest. Many generations of Worth rugby players came under his eagle eye and influence during their formative years, and they can be grateful for the start he provided. He had the shrewd knack of creating scrum-halves out of locks – and vice-versa! – and, generally speaking, the position that boys played in Mick’s teams were the positions they occupied throughout their school careers.

He went on playing rugby himself until he was well over fifty – at Haywards Heath RFC, where his commitment and tackling power never flagged. He would say that he didn’t need the ball to enjoy rugby, just someone to tackle. Worth 1st XV players found this out all too often during Staff XV matches (back in the days when they were permitted), but there were never any grudges held nor hands unshaken at the final whistle.

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Mick was also very much at the forefront of Worth social life. The Staff Club was his ‘local’ and Mick served on its Committee for several years. It was famously the venue for the ‘Mick Fagan lookalike night’ when we all – men and women – turned up wearing Arran sweaters, pipe-cleaner glasses, false beards and tashes, cords and sandals.

Any Irish win at rugby (especially against the English) meant pints all round, and St Patrick’s night was always strenuously celebrated – with black velvet dispensed from Granny’s Jug. On one occasion, Ann made Mick up as a shamrock – piece by piece. Each time he went out he returned a little greener – first his face, then his top, then his tights and shoes. Finally he entered with the full set of green leaves – it was brilliantly funny, and only Fagan could have carried it off.

Mick was an excellent cook – and the well-supported staff dinners in the Pavilion, when we had menus from a host of different countries, gave him the chance to display his cooking skills. We all chipped in with a course or two, but Mick invariably produced four or five great dishes. Another culinary treat was the New Year’s Day ‘open house’ which he and Ann hosted every year. These occasions had an atmosphere all of their own, with marvellous food served up throughout the day, Ann’s artwork to admire and, above all, plenty of craic. The Fagan’s house was so easy to get to, but so hard to get away from!

Of course, the rock in Mick’s life was Ann, and their devotion to each other and to their children and grandchildren was plain in everything they did. When Ann survived her terrifying accident, it changed Mick – gave him back his faith and brought them even closer together; so that the retirement years at Bell Cottage were years of family contentment and enjoyment (helped, no doubt, by Ireland’s Grand Slam win in 2009, which Mick made sure we all knew about).

As his illness progressed, Mick never lost his great sense of humour. With Fr Kevin at his bedside and the sun shining, he decided it was too lovely a day to die just then. He asked for a ‘trad jazz’ band to play at his funeral – jazz being another of Mick’s passions – and for us all to meet in the pub after the service to eat and drink and celebrate his life.

And what a life! What memories and achievements he has given us. Mention his name – and the smiles and laughter come bubbling up.

Unique, is the only word to describe Mick.

Glenn Robertson and Michael Margrett Former Staff Members

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Joan Edey 1916-2011

J

oan Edey, who died on the 22nd September 2011 aged 95, was a legend in her lifetime and a key player in the life of all Worthians who were at Worth between 1959 and 1975.

She was the ‘Sister in Charge’, to use her official title – the person to whom you went to try (a vain hope) to get off cross-country runs, but also the person who, when your need was real, made instantly sure that what needed to happen happened. She, who could spot a malade imaginaire at a thousand paces, could often diagnose a genuine condition even before the doctor. The suggestion that she would prescribe a lozenge as the remedy for everything from a sore throat to a broken leg is legend rather than history; when a matter was real and urgent, she never missed a trick.

Her manner was direct and forthright. To Mike Gilpin (G’64), Worth’s first head boy, injured on the rugby pitch and carried straight to the surgery from the field of battle, her greeting was: “Gilpin, take your boots off”. Age and stage made no difference. As a junior monk I came to grief on a Moped and, bleeding profusely, made my way to the Surgery. Sister Edey greeted me with a considerably raised eyebrow: “Be your age”, was her comment; she then expertly tended my wound before dispatching me to Crawley Hospital. The exchange between Jeeves and Bertie Wooster comes to mind: “A forceful personality, sir.”

“Forceful is correct. What’s that thing of Shakespeare’s about someone having an eye like Mother’s?”

“An eye like Mars, to threaten and command, is possibly the quotation for which you are groping, sir.”

Underneath the ‘no-nonsense exterior’ beat a heart of pure gold and Worth was extremely lucky to have Sister Joan’s services for almost thirty years. She joined the staff at the end of the war, aged 29, when Worth was a prep school; this suited her perfectly because she was an SRCN – State Registered Children’s Nurse – not an SRN. When Worth opened the senior school in 1959 she was faced with a dilemma; either to leave or, if she stayed, to adjust to an age group for which she had not originally signed up. Happily she stayed and, in the event, gave sixteen years of wonderful service to the senior school in addition to her previous thirteen years work in the prep school. In her prep school phase – Henry IV Part 1 – the school doctor was Ronnie Matthews, followed, for Henry IV

Joan Edey (left) with her father and sister, Mary

Part 2, by Bob Jackson; both had the deepest respect for her total professionalism.

She was a shy and private person, kind and – in the best sense – sensitive, which brought her great personal heartache on two very sad occasions: the first was on the 15th October 1950 when a 12-year old prep school boy, Timothy Martin, died in an accident during the night; the second was the tragic death on the rugby field of 13 yearold Simon Wood, on the 27th September 1972. Although Joan could have done nothing to prevent either accident, she felt each of them very keenly with every fibre of her personal and professional being.

Physically, she was slim, upright and elegant, with twinkling, quick eyes; she was a keen observer of people, amused by the idiosyncrasies and eccentricities of young and old alike; monks, she once said, were prone to hypochondria and were over-fearful of death. Quiet and discreet, she shunned crowds, including liturgical crowds; she was a devotee of the 8.00 am Sunday Mass in the Lady Chapel and, even in that low profile context, would sit at the very back. Her twin soul in this respect was Frà Andrew Bertie, who was also one of her closest friends.

She retired in April 1975, and moved into one of the bungalows on the swimming pool side of the road. In retirement she was a dedicated gardener and would put plants outside her bungalow for anyone to take: ‘Please Help Yourself’, said her little notice. She lived quietly and happily at Worth until 2005 when, for health reasons, she moved to Truscott Manor, a residential home near East Grinstead, where she spent the last six years of her life.

Farewell, dear Joan, you were a gift from God to us. You gave wonderful service to Worth for almost thirty years and we are very, very grateful. Rest in peace and pray for us.

Fr Stephen Ortiger

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Obituary

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Unique, is the only word to describe Mick.

In other areas, neither judo nor the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme (DofE) would have functioned without Mick’s involvement and guidance. Typically, he began learning judo at Worth under John Pluckrose, and was so enthused he wanted to pass on what he’d learned to the boys. With the DofE, his insistence on walking the expedition routes that the students were to follow, meant that he knew every potential dodge or short cut that they might be tempted to take. Hundreds of boys can be grateful to Mick and the team for the success the scheme enjoyed.

Aiming High and Aspiring to Excellence

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nce again we celebrate the many achievements and successes that have been garnered over the last twelve months, and to recognise the immense commitment and dedication given by so many.

There is also the need to acknowledge that, unlike previous years, this year has been exceptionally difficult and traumatic for the entire school community, overshadowed as it has been by the deaths of our Head of Drama, Mr Matthew Boughton, and pupil, William Avery-Wright.

Gino and Anne Carminati Above right: Worth in all its summer glory

In the deaths of both Matthew and William, the school has been shaken and rocked; whilst the pain and suffering that we have felt has been nothing in comparison to that experienced by their families; we have, nevertheless, shared in their suffering and pain and we will continue to do so. It is within the strong solidarity of our community, of our shared values and faith, that we have all been able to give one another the means by which we can begin the healing process and find the means to move forward.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support, prayers and compassion during a very difficult time.

In reviewing the 2011/12 academic year, we are – once again – proud to record some notable achievements.

Academically the school continues to thrive at all levels and the year began with some of the best academic results the school has ever achieved. At GCSE all pupils gained a minimum of five or more grades at A*- C with 55% of all grades at A*-A. The Year 13 leavers once again secured a 100% pass rate with an impressive 80% achieving grades A*-B. While the IB average for the school was 35.3 points compared to a world average of 29.6.

The overwhelming majority of Year 13 leavers secured their first choice university places including a great many to Russell Group, Ivy League and prestigious European universities, against the backdrop nationally of the largest number of students ever who were unable to secure a place at any university.

Drama – the lower school performing “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Other notable cultural experiences and achievements have included the Spanish Sixth Form trip to Salamanca, a variety of cinema visits to view international films in foreign languages and several theatre trips. The IB trip to Paris was a great success as were the trips to Berlin and Moscow. Our Year 8 visit to Aurillac continues to be a popular and enjoyable occasion and this year’s ski trip to the USA was clearly enjoyed by all (and resulted in only a few injuries!). The Year 7s enjoyed their residential trip to the Isle of Wight, as did the Year 9s when they visited the First World War battlefields and cemeteries in France and Belgium. Pupils from the school took part in the Benedictine and World Youth Conferences in Spain and a variety of Geography and Biology field trips have also taken place.

I am delighted to report that Worth Chess has revitalised itself and is going from strength to strength. Six of our pupils, ranging from Years 7 to 13, won this year’s final of the U18 Sussex Senior Schools’ Chess Competition. One of our Year 7 pupils then went on to become Champion of the U12 England Grand Prix Series and has been selected

by the English Chess Federation to represent England in the World Youth Championships to be held in Slovenia in November 2012.

Young Enterprise continues to provide budding business men and women of the future with an opportunity to develop their business skills without Lord Sugar’s “Apprentice-style” incentive of having to be fired! The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme goes from strength to strength and so far this year, 33 pupils have completed their Bronze Award, 15 Silver and seven Gold – with a great many more still to complete before the end of the term.

The spiritual life of Worth continues to flourish. Once again we were very fortunate to host three members of the Manquehue Apostolic Movement from Chile, who supported the houses in the development of Lectio Divina and spiritual formation. The Kintbury Retreat was especially successful this year, with pupils engaging at a level not previously witnessed. The days of reflection have been very well attended and there has been a very strong, positive engagement from all concerned. The houses have continued to undertake excellent assemblies during the course of the year, and the Chaplaincy Prefects and representatives across all the houses have worked especially hard and with great success. I am also delighted that approximately 60 pupils have been confirmed and three have received baptism into the Church.

In the area of raising awareness and funds for a variety of charities, the school has again been busy and creative in its fund-raising and in its desire to help a variety of good

causes via the House Charity Competition. As the year is not yet over, the total amount of money raised in this academic year is not yet known. I can report, however, that the final total raised by September 2011 was £39,000, which has been distributed to several charities both in the UK and abroad. The Caritas Shield was won by Butler House for raising £6,253 for their two charities – The Rose Charity, which supports children with HIV in Zimbabwe, and the Romanian Shoe Box Appeal. I should also like to mention a group of Year 12 students who, before the end of this term, intend to swim the Channel in support of their chosen charity, Cystic Fibrosis.

Above: The Summer Concert on Speech Day 2012

In the area of sport, the last twelve months have been very busy and resulted in an array of success at team and individual level across a wide range of sports –from rugby, cricket, football, golf, hockey, netball and athletics to swimming, polo, skiing, fencing and karate.

In addition, the Senior Rugby Squad has had a very successful pre-season tour to the West of England and the Senior Football Squad also had a very successful pre-season tour to Valencia. In Rugby, the U14s had an unbeaten season, were semi-finalists in the Sussex Cup, were winners of the Ardingly Sevens Competition and Champions of the Sussex Sevens; the U15s were Sussex Champions and runners-up in the Sussex Sevens competition; the U16s reached the semi-finals of the Sussex Cup; the U18s also reached the semi-finals of the Sussex Cup, won the Reigate Bowl, and reached the last 16 of the Rosslyn Park National Sevens – in which over 120 schools competed.

Above: The refurbished Oval Pavilion Left: Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award Assessment in the New Forest

Following the reopening of the Abbey Church in September 2011, Worth musicians have worked intensely to re-acclimatise themselves in familiar but altered surroundings. There have been approximately 20 concerts during the course of the year involving a large army of instrumentalists and singers. The main school orchestra now numbers 60 members and the quality of its performances are some of the best ever heard at Worth.

The ‘Battle of the Bands’ and ‘Worth Unplugged’, once again, proved to be popular and loud celebrations, and this year’s House Music Competition was of a staggeringly high standard. It was won by Rutherford House.

This year’s senior school production was a minimalist rendition of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” which was both haunting and sinister in its telling. The quality of the

70 I

acting, the set design and the use of lighting and modern technology pushed many boundaries and reached new heights, even for Worth School drama, which is always of the highest standard. Similarly, the lower school performed a magical, enchanting and hugely enjoyable production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” which showcased a vast array of talent in the younger years and which leads me to think that Worth School drama will continue to go from strength to strength.

The winners of the 2012 U18 Sussex Senior Schools’ Chess Competition

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

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Worthians—University Places Gained Autumn 2011 Name

Course

University

Name

Course

University

Rishi Amin

Economics

Manchester

Sophie Nash

Medicine

Queen Mary University of London

Catherine Bailey

Architecture

De Montfort

Harry Beer

Philosophy/Politics

York

Tomasz Nawrocki

Linguistics

University College London

Economics

Lincoln

Marco Boodramsingh

Biomedical Sciences

St George’s London

William Neville-Smith

Edward Bridge

Biomedical Sciences

Sheffield

Mark Newton

Geography

Exeter

Edward Calvert

Politics

SOAS

Michael Noel-Hill

Drama and Theatre

Goldsmiths

Calvin Cheng

Chemical Engineering

Imperial

Hannah Nottage

English

Exeter

James Cliffe

Economics

Cambridge

Joseph Nurse

Music

Southampton

Ben Clyde-Smith

Science

Manchester

Benedict O’Donnell Bourke English and Philosophy

Bristol

King’s College London

Philippa Oakley

Art History

Nottingham

Politics and Portuguese

Bristol

Statistics and Business Management

Warwick

Anastassia Dimmek Above left: Having fun on the dodgems at the Worth Jubilee Jamboree Above right: Rugby Master class with Rowly Williams

Below: Worth Parish Open Day in September 2011 Bottom: Thursday worship in the refurbished Abbey Church

Unfortunately this year’s Cricket has, thus far, been a complete wash out and a real victim of the phrase ‘rain stopped play’. After Speech Day last year, however, the U14s became runners up in the County Championship finals and three of our players were selected to represent Sussex at Cricket.

As far as other developments are concerned, we started the year with two new laboratories, refurbished day houses for Chapman and Farwell and a wonderful new floodlit astroturf, which has greatly helped to support various sports and training sessions for both girls and boys. The refurbishment of the classroom block was completed, as was the Austin House Pavilion following a generous donation by the Friends of Worth. New parking and roadway facilities have been introduced at the Austin Oval and additional street lighting has been provided around the campus.

The building of the new St Bede’s has continued throughout the year. It will provide modern and up-todate boarding accommodation for 56 boys, a House Master’s family residence and a flat for a resident boarding tutor. In addition, much of the existing St Bede’s building around the Clock Tower will be refurbished over the summer to accommodate the relocation of St Anne’s House, with appropriate study and common room facilities for our day girls, as well as some additional classrooms and offices for the Economics and Business Studies, Learning Support and EAL Departments.

Nick Elvidge

French and Philosophy

Exeter

Nicholas Ottersbach

James Emery

Forensic Biology

Kingston

Viktor Pallua

These are just some of the many successes and developments that have arisen during the course of the year, and which were also reflected in the school’s excellent ISI report published in January 2012; which praised all aspects of life at Worth. They are also just the tip of a very large mountain of hard work and commitment given by so many people in support of the education that we aim to provide.

Katharine Farmer

Theatre

Warwick

Niamh Fogarty

Philosophy and Literature

Exeter

All that I have described is characteristic of the school’s desire to aim high and to aspire to excellence. Though we will never achieve total perfection – our ideals and aspirations go before us as our inspiration. They are shaped by the values that make up our community; namely our faith and trust in God, the teachings of Christ as witnessed in the Gospels and the wisdom of St Benedict to help provide us with the framework for our community way of life.

Frances Hampson Julia Hollis Natasha Jackson

International Hospitality Management

We aim to nurture the young to discern their vocation in life and to become more fully formed. We seek to inspire them to be the best they can be and to engage with the wonders of creation. The education of the young isn’t simply about industry and austerity, of gaining more and more utilitarian skills and prizing measurable wealth and productivity. It is about appreciating and creating quality.

It is about approaching life with balance, virtue, discretion and humility. It is about gaining an understanding of what is true, good and beautiful and, in the process of discovering and learning, bearing the fruits of endeavour and creativity whilst remembering to spread joy, delight and love.

At a time when the world is experiencing immense turmoil and when so many people are facing enormous hardship and strife, we are enjoying growth and success.

In conclusion, I would like to publicly state that leading this school community is a privilege and an immense honour. It is by no means easy and is undoubtedly exhausting, but equally it is something deeply fulfilling and inspiring. Yet leadership on its own counts for very little. It needs to be fed and invigorated by the support and willing co-operation of others. Consequently, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the pupils, staff, monastic community, governors, parents and former pupils of this school; without whose continued commitment and dedication, nothing that we set out to achieve would come to fruition. This support has been given generously this year, and for this I thank you.

Gino Carminati, Head Master, Worth School June 2012

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History

Additional and new washroom facilities will also be provided for both girls and boys.

Worth Society Life

Life and Times of Worthians

The Old Place

Benjamin Parry

Physical Geography

Aberystwyth

Thomas Phillips

Mechanical Engineering

Bradford

Oliver Plumb

Philosophy and Literature

Warwick

Michael Prior

French and Business Management

Manchester St Andrew’s

Antonia Foldes

German

King’s College London

Nicholas Gandy

Philosophy

Leeds

Nathan Giorgetti

Music

York

Fergus Hallam

Economics

Exeter

Nicholas Redman

Neuroscience

Neal Hamill

Physics with Astronomy

Southampton

Theodore Rivers

Sports Studies

Glamorgan

Edward Hampson

Biochemistry

Nottingham

Dominic Robinson

Economics

Nottingham

Economics and Management

Sheffield

Greg Russell

Theatre Lighting

Rose Bruford

Philosophy

Leeds

Clarice Ryan

Psychology

Bradford

Oxford Brookes

Tess Ryan

History of Art

York

George Salimbeni

Mathematics

Cambridge

Naomi Sautter

Business Management

Winchester

Tanera Simons

English Literature

Exeter

Henry Siu

Business and Japanese

Manchester

Benedict Smith

Audio and Music Production

Anglia Ruskin

Sebastian Strudley

Chemistry

Imperial

Patrick Tan

Civil Engineering

Nottingham Trent

Emily Jacobs

Business and Retail Management Bournemouth

Max Kerz

Biochemistry

King’s College London

Friederike Klanke

Management

City

Alexandra Kogelheide

History and Politics

Warwick

Jun Seong Le

Mathematics

University College London

Edoardo Loison

Economics and Management

University of Venice

Phoebe Loveland

Spanish and Linguistics

York

Mattia Maccario

International Management and Spanish

Bath

Imogen McMurray

Psychology

Exeter

Andreas Tombazis

Architecture

Kent

Henry McNeil

Architecture

Oxford Brookes

Sebastian Ward

History

Newcastle

Eleanor Minch

Philosophy and Theology

Edinburgh

Dylan Warren

Construction Management

Plymouth

Economics

Exeter

Economics and Philosophy

Cardiff

Steve Tan

Mathematics

York

Rory Tilford

Digital Film and Video

South Bank

Rosetta Mondeh

Medical Biochemistry

Birmingham

Harry Whelpton

Christopher Napleton

Sociology and RS

Leeds

Richard Wiggins

Please note: these details were correct at time of going to press

Worthians—The Second Generation: September 2012 Pupil Surname

Christian Name

Current Year

House

(house, year left)

Father’s name

Pupil Surname

Christian Name

Current Year

House

Father’s name (house, year left)

Bain

Annapurna

13

St Mary's

Peter (R'75)

Jenkins

Callum

8

Rutherford

Jonathan (G'81)

Birrell

George

10

St Bedes

Mark (G'77)

Harries

William

11

Rutherford

David (G'80)

Buckley

Alicia

12

St Mary's

Sean (G'83)

Marcos

Vincent

11

Rutherford

Ferdinand (R'74)

Dring

Naomi

13

St Anne's

Dominic (G'80)

Owers

Samuel

13

Butler

Paul (G'81)

Elwes

Barnaby

9

Rutherford

Benedict (G'81)

Spencer

Piers

12

Butler

Peter (G'78) RIP

Elwes

Samuel

11

Rutherford

Benedict (G'81)

Wheeler

Ruan

12

Rutherford

James (C'68)

Elwes

Jasper

12

Rutherford

Benedict (G'81)

Children of Worthians Registered to Join Worth: September 2012 Pupil Surname

Christian Name

Proposed start date

Year group

Father’s name (house, year left)

Pupil Surname

Christian Name

Proposed start date

Year group

Father’s name (house, year left)

Adams

William

2013

9

Charles (R'86)

Hamilton-Deeley

Harry

2013

9

Gavin (R'70)

Archer-Perkins

Georgina

2022

9

Richard (C'66)

Johnstone

Dominic

2014

9

Rupert (R'85)

Bayles

Sebastian

2017

9

Simon (B'90)

Little

Matilda

2016

9

Roderick (G'90)

Birrell

Edward

2013

9

Mark (G'77)

Little

Lochlan

2018

9

Roderick (G'90)

Bruning

Emma

2013

9

Christian (StB'88)

Morrissey

Frederick

2015

9

Patrick (R'84)

Ceparano

Matthew

2013

7

Anthony (C'88)

Quigley

Alexander

2014

9

Donal (R'81)

Flood

Phoebe

2015

9

Dermot (C'77)

Samuels

Raphael

2017

9

Dominic Quennell (C'74)

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Worth Society Merchandise Order Form Wearing the Society Colours If you would like to order any item/s, then please either : 1. Complete your details on the form below, indicating the items you would like and send a cheque made payable to Worth Society. Remember to add postage and packing.

2. Visit the Merchandise section of the Worth Society website at: www.worthsociety.org.uk and purchase items safely and securely using PayPal.

✁ Ties @ £20.00 each:

Polo Shirt @ £15.00: 100% cotton navy blue Polo Shirt

100% smooth silk with Worth cross and crown motif

with cross and crown motif embroidered in gold on left-hand side

embroidered onto a navy background (pictured above)

Large

100% smooth silk, navy blue and

Extra Large

gold striped tie 100% reppe silk, navy blue and gold striped tie

Enamel Cufflinks

Sterling Silver Bracelet Charm @ £35.00:

@ £30.00 per pair: Each pair comes in its own presentation

Engraved with the Worth crown

box and is available in either a chain-link

and cross motif, has a sterling

or T-bar fitting

silver lobster claw fitting for attaching directly onto a bracelet.

Chain-link

Hallmarked on the reverse and comes in its own navy blue

T-bar

presentation box

Please complete your details and return to: Olivia Henley, Society Manager, Worth Society, Worth School, Paddockhurst Road, Turners Hill, West Sussex RH10 4SD. ORDER TOTAL =

£

+ £3.95 p&p (£5.95 overseas) =

£

Pottery Tankard @ £9.00: Cream pottery tankard decorated with blue illustrations – cross and crown on one side and a line

Name:

drawing of the main school building on the other

Address: Postcode: Telephone: Email: A company limited by guarantee registered in England (no 06506005). Registered Office as above

74 I

Specialists in Employment law

Signet Partners is pleased to support Worth Society

Signet Partners LLP, 21 Whitefriars Street, London, EC4Y 8JJ www.signetlegal.com Simon McMenemy

Louise Hobbs

Partner e: sm@signetlegal.com t: + 44 (0)203 077 7025

Partner e: lh@signetlegal.com t: + 44 (0)203 077 7021