OPmag2013 - Pocklington School Threat Management Gateway

Transcription

2012/13
French Open Tennis Win
Kyle Edmund wins boys’ doubles title at Roland Garros
Riding High at Badminton
Lucinda Cawood competes in the Grassroots Championships
Royal Albert Hall Debut
Alexandra Dariescu wows the audience with her stunning performance
Slave Sculptor Returns
Peter Tatham recounts how his time at Pocklington inspired his career
The Old Pocklingtonian
Note from
the Editors
It has been another busy year in the OP Office with
increasing numbers of OPs getting back in touch
with us as the school’s quincentenary approaches.
We have already had a few big year-group reunions
this year and reuniting with contemporaries in 2014
is definitely high on the agenda of many OPs. Joan,
David and I are on hand to help you contact your
contemporaries or to offer any advice if you need
it but please help us by organising your reunion well
in advance.
Hopefully you have already received your
quincentenary ‘blue book’ which provides a handy
reference for some of the key events throughout
the celebratory year. A number of these events such
as Cambridge, York, Pockfest 500, and London are
particularly suited to year-group reunions, so please
do think about organising your year-group reunion
around one of these events.
OPs love hearing about other OPs, particularly if they
were in the same year at school, so please remember
to send us your news and updates and let us know
what you have been up to recently.You can contact us
in the traditional way:
OP Office
Pocklington School
West Green
Pocklington,YO42 2NJ
Tel: 01759 321307
Rachel: [email protected]
Joan: [email protected]
David: [email protected]
Or you can post something on the Old Pocklingtonian
Association group on Facebook or send us a tweet
@PocklingtonOPs.
Hope to hear from you sometime!
Best wishes
Rachel Dare
OP Liaison Officer
1
From the Headmaster’s Desk
Dear Old Pocklingtonians
After several years of planning, dinners in fine
houses and reconnecting with our rich history,
our Celebratory 500th Year will commence this
September, culminating in a service at York Minster on
Saturday 24 May 2014. Five hundred years on one site
provides a remarkable sense of place and identity and
inspires current Pocklingtonians, as clearly articulated
in the following letter that a 3rd Year pupil chose to
write to the Queen this March:
Your Majesty
I have heard you send letters to those who have reached
100. My school is going to be 500 next year, and would
be honoured to welcome you to the loving and caring
environment of Pocklington School, Pocklington, East
Yorkshire.
I must say that during the 6 years I have attended
the school I have looked forward to going every single
morning, and always come home with a smile on my
face. I am in Year 9 and in September go into Year 10.
Pocklington School has been educating children for 500
years, through two world wars, and has had famous
pupils such as William Wilberforce and Tom Stoppard
and also my grandpa was evacuated to the school during
the war.
I am sure you would enjoy meeting my friends and
teachers and seeing memorabilia in the school’s archive
dating from 1514 to the present day. I also think William
and Harry could take a particular interest in our CCF.
I know it is a very big thing to ask and you are very
busy, but we would be so thrilled if you could visit us in
our celebratory year, as I believe the pupils and all the
teachers deserve it for all the effort they have put in over
the many years the school has been running.
I have the honour to be, Madam, your Majesty’s humble
and obedient servant.
The academic year started positively with our GCSE
results placing us in the top 8% of schools nationally
and, more importantly, in the top 5% of schools for
Value Added, a measure which takes account of
students’ ability and, most importantly for us, reflects
the progress of each individual in achieving their best.
Our leavers of 2012 also achieved significant personal
success, with 80% securing their first choice of
university and 46% going to Russell Group institutions,
ahead of the Independent School average.
The environment in which Pocklingtonians and their
teachers interact has continued to evolve in line with
our Strategic Plan. We have provided new pastoral
areas for the Lower School and the Middle School,
the latter opening up the ground floor corridor, whilst
provision of further classroom space in the main
building enabled us to remove our first portacabin
block in the Michaelmas Term. Work is currently under
way to enable Biology to move into the main building
to form a Science Faculty with Chemistry and Physics.
We will then remove a second portacabin block over
the coming year.
There has also been success beyond the classroom.
In rugby, a greater number of boys have gained
representative opportunities, and in music, there are
now three separate evenings in which soloists can
perform compared to only one such event two years
ago.
Old Pocklingtonians also continue to inspire our
current pupils. We were very proud when Rob
Webber (94-04) was the first Pocklingtonian to be
appointed Captain of the England Rugby Team against
the Barbarians. In June, Alexandra Dariescu (01-03)
was the first Pocklingtonian to perform at the Royal
Albert Hall.
The economic environment remains challenging for
our pupils venturing into the sphere of employment,
and I continue to be immensely grateful to all
Pocklingtonians who have offered advice and
opportunities to current pupils and recent leavers.
These connections are so important when the world
of work is currently so competitive.
I do hope that you will have the opportunity to join
us at an event celebrating the 500th anniversary.
The stronger our community becomes, both within
and beyond the school gates, the better for all
Pocklingtonians.
Mark Ronan, Headmaster
The President’s View
OPA
Committee
OP Elected
President: Tom Nash (68-77)
Vice President: Andrew Wilson (89-99)
Treasurer: Vacant
David Moore (78-82)
Duncan Goodyear (80-85)
James Sweeting (81-88)
Joan Gough (75-77)
Henry Mitchell (91-02)
Sophie Guest (03-10)
Steven Kyffin (70-77)
School Appointed
Mark Ronan (Headmaster)
Rachel Dare (OP Liaison Officer, OPA Secretary)
Phil Donaldson (Teaching staff)
Trevor Loten (Teaching staff and OP 70-80)
Ex Officio
Mark East (72-76, immediate Past President)
AGM – 2013
The OP President proudly collecting third prize with his sister, Alison King, at this year’s Pocklingtonian Golf Day
Dear OPs,
This has been another busy year of building our
active membership base and our range of activities
for alumni. We have been able to share in many
achievements and happy events involving OPs of all
ages and year groups and have noted the sad passing
of a few.
In a short period of time we have already seen a
complete overhaul of working relationships with the
school. Teachers, Governors, parents and the alumni
are actively working much more closely together for
the good of the Pocklingtonian community.
We are now able to fulfil our potential as a highquality, effective, social, sporting, careers, welfare
and networking group adding value to the school
experience beyond graduation and to allow links with
the school to be fostered and expanded for mutual
benefit.
We have revitalised the website, the database and
data management system, the calendar of events and
the ambition, size, setting and number of activities.
We have brought to bear, with great effect, additional
staffing and resources, without which much of this
would not be possible or so professionally achieved.
We have quickly seen new levels of engagement with
the Association and the school both within and across
year groups.
Our attendance numbers at events, networking and
careers, where we are already responsible for alumni
gaining interviews and securing employment, are
all up and we are helping an increasing number of
sixth formers, undergraduates and graduates move
forward in their chosen careers. This aspect alone
has developed more rapidly than I could have hoped
for in such a short time and I feel confident that it
will become a tradition for the school over years to
come.
There is strong evidence of a lifting of spirit,
enthusiasm, pride, loyalty, volunteering, engagement
and activity from within the whole community, with
positive feedback across the board and the timing is
perfect as we gear up for the 500th celebrations next
year. The calendar of traditional and special events
has been published and I commend you to partake
in as many as possible from Cambridge to York to
Pocklington and in London.
I thank the Committee and staff and all active OPs for
all of this and trust that you will enjoy catching up with
the news in this magazine and be part of the news
yourselves again next year.
The Annual General Meeting of the Old Pocklingtonian
Association will take place on Saturday 7 December
2013 from 12.30pm to 1.30pm in the Pavilion at
Pocklington School. Come along for sandwiches and
drinks and find out about OP activities before watching
the 1st XV rugby team take on Ampleforth in the
Webber-Dallaglio Trophy and the 1st XI girls’ hockey
team take on St Peter’s in the Quincentenary Trophy
as part of the school’s 500th birthday celebrations.
All OPs are welcome. Agenda as follows:
• Apologies
• Minutes of last AGM
• President’s/Secretary’s Report
• Treasurer’s Report
• Approval of Accounts
• Nomination and Election of Committee
• AOB
Cover Story
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Thank you.
Tom Nash, President
Old Pocklingtonian Association
2
Welcome to the Old Pocklingtonian Association
2013 Leavers become Old Pocklingtonians!
2012 Leavers’ Destinations: Find out where they went
Samuel Dawson
Plymouth University
International Business
with Spanish
Jeremy Deas
Sheffield Hallam University
Criminology (2013)
David Dickinson
University of York
Chemistry
Niall Donnan
University of Sheffield
International Politics and Security Studies (2013)
Staffordshire University
Marketing Management
Katie Donohue
University of Birmingham
Theology and Religion
Imogen Barker
Newcastle University
Financial Mathematics
Sophie Duncan
University of Leeds
Theology and Religious Studies
Joseph Bedford
Gap Year, applying in 2013
Georgina Beevers
Agriculture
Sophia Eggleston
University of Hull
Chemistry with
Molecular Medicine
Samuel Berridge
Modern Languages
Samuel Elcock
University of Reading
Film and Theatre
James Bisson
University of Nottingham
Mathematics and Management Studies
Michael Evans
Business with
International Management
Thomas Brown
Psychology and Sociology
Thomas Burke
History
Doruk Canbolat
Business Management
Mustafa Alsudani
Northumbria University
Applied Sciences-Extended
Sophie Appleyard
Harper Adams
University College
Food and Consumer Studies
Robert Arnold
University of Applied Sciences, FHDW,
Bergisch-Gladbach Business Management/
International Business
Anup Bahik
Edward Chappelow University of Birmingham
French Studies and Mathematics
Gerald Fenton
Employment
Lawrence Fok
Durham University
Accounting and Finance
Jake Galley
University of Hull
Geography
Guy Harland
Imogen Henderson
University of Leeds
Art and Design
Forrest Cheung
University of Hong Kong
Psychology and Counselling
Emma Hessay
York College
Foundation Diploma
in Art and Design
Jonathan Chu
University of Warwick
Economics
George Hetherton
Assistant technician
in a recording studio
Liam Corbally
Oxford Brookes University
International Relations
and Politics
Henry Hetherton
Imperial College London
Medicine
Isabelle Cowley
Leeds Metropolitan
University
Marketing
William Hick
Harper Adams
University College
Agriculture with Mechanisation (2013)
Jake Dale
Ancient History
Alexandra Howard
University College London
Biological Sciences
Rosemary Hull
University of Liverpool
Nursing
Hannah Hutchinson University of Birmingham
Modern Languages
Agnieszka JakubowskaQueen Mary,
University of London
Medicine
Andrew Johnson
Amy Kendall
Business and Marketing Management
Stephanie Kerr
University of Chester
Geography
Rebecca Knight
Nottingham Trent University
Fashion Communication and Promotion (2013)
Thomas Launders
Product Design (2013)
Jeanny Law
Chinese University
of Hong Kong
Nursing
Harry Lawton
Real Estate Management (2013)
Serena Leach
Rural Property Management
Harriet Lord
Applied Sciences
Extended (2013)
Georgina Lucas
York College
Foundation Diploma
in Art and Design
George Luck
University of Westminster
History and Politics (2013)
Alexander Lyon
Criminology and Forensic Science (2013)
Joshua Male
University of Edinburgh
Computer Science
Simon Hodgson
Gap Year
Juliet May
Matthew Horrocks
Design for Industry
Ellie McCabe
Medical Science
First Class Honours
Congratulations to the follo
wing OPs who
have recently gained a 1st
class honour s:
Henry Burn (99-08)
BSC (Hons) Geology
University of Durham
Sandra Daroczi (06-07)
BA (Hons) Politics and French
with distinction in spoken Fren
ch
University of Exeter
Catherine Drake (07-09)
BSc (Hons) Medical Sciences
(Industry)
University of Leeds
Joseph McNelis
Physics
Luke Simpson
Agri-Business Management
Martin McVey
Applying to join the Army
Georgina Sleigh
John Micklem Cooper Heriot-Watt University
Structural Engineering
with Architectural Design
Lucy Soanes
The Academy of
Contemporary Music
Music Business Degree
Iain Moorhouse
Tom Sowersby
Harper Adams
University College
Agriculture
Theo-James Moulton Gap Year
Chin Him Ng
University of Hong Kong
Engineering
Alexander Stevenson Gap Year
Charles Marshall (98-09)
MEng (Hons) Civil Engineering
Political Science
Georgia Oddell
King’s College London
French and Hispanic Studies
Olivia Swaine
Elizabeth Oughtred
University of Southampton
Mathematics with Physics
Manchester Metropolitan
University
Criminology/Psychology
(2013)
Alexandra Pallier
University of Hull
Psychology
Ho Fung Tang
London School of Economics
and Political Science
Management
Lewis Pearson
Business Management (2013)
James Tomkinson
Criminology
Ryan Phillips
Applying to join the Navy
Ruth Tyrrell
Gap Year
Christopher Pratt
University of Leeds
Civil and Structural
Engineering
Sarah Veitch
Business and Marketing
Charlotte Prescott
Trainee Associate
PWC (School Leavers
Scheme)
Nathan Waddell
Aston University
French and Spanish
George Wagstaff
Gap Year
Jack Whitlock
Bath Spa University
Business & Management
(Marketing)
Chloe Rayner
History and Politics
James Reckitt
University of York
Law
Anna Wilkinson
Laura Reeson
University of Bedfordshire
Sports Studies
Medicine (2013)
Sze Hang Wong
Gap Year, applying 2013
Thomas Rhodes
Oliver Richmond
University of Kent
French and Italian
Thomas Roberts
Luke Sewell
University of Hull
Computer Science
Jacob Sherwood
French and Spanish (2013)
Christopher James (97-08)
MMath (Hons)
University of Newcastle
Louis Los (99-10)
BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science
Oliver Norgate
Charles University, Prague
Medicine
Alice Horne (03-10
BSc (Hons) Veterinary Medical)
Science
Pharmacy (2013)
Sophie Stuart
Jerome Remblance
Joe Green (07-09)
BA (Hons) Business Manage
ment
Lenoir–Rhyne University, USA
Benjamin Woodhouse University of Sheffield
History and Politics
Freddie Wride
Gap Year, applying for
Drama School in 2013
Emily Young
Communication and
Public Relations
Patrick McIntyre (02-09)
MChem (Hons) Chemistry
Sarah Rhowbotham (00-04
)
MChem (Hons) Chemistry
University of Leeds
Lexi Strauss (87-89)
BA (Hons) Fine Art
Hereford College of Art
Chris Sullivan (01-08)
BA (Hons) Fine Art
University of Cumbria
Charles Thompson (99-10
)
BA (Hons) Geography
University of Newcastle
Well
Done!
4
Spotlight on Careers
Guy’s Engineering Placement
at Babcock
comprises of everything
Last year it was reported that Guy Harland (07-12)
secured an engineering placement in Plymouth at top
firm Babcock International with the help of the OP
careers network and Jerry Caley (61-67), Director
of Nuclear Operations at the Devonport site. Here is
Guy’s report on what he got up to on his placement:
OP Careers Network Update
This year the Old Pocklingtonian Association has
continued to develop the careers network to offer
further support and advice to recent graduates,
undergraduates and sixth formers. Read the case
studies below to see how the careers network
helped recent leavers Guy Harland (07-12) and Lucy
Snowden (06-13). There are also examples featured
in this section of entrepreneurial OPs who have set
up their own businesses or won awards for their
excellent work.
Another feature of the OP careers network is the
Pocklington School Alumni group on LinkedIn.
The group now has over 350 members and is an
excellent tool for securing advice, contacts, business
opportunities and work placements for the OP
community. The LinkedIn group proved to be very
effective in finding contacts at UBS for Jonny Chu
(08-12) who had a two-week placement with the
company during the summer. Regular offers and
requests for careers help, advice and contacts are also
sent out via the monthly OP e-mail news bulletin and
Twitter is proving to be a good source of information
for job opportunities and advice for students.
As well as the regular business networking lunches
in Leeds and London, the annual OP Newcastle
Reunion featured a drinks networking event before
the meal and an opportunity for the OPA committee
to promote the OP careers network to those about
to graduate and head off to the big bad world of work.
Over the coming months the committee is planning
to extend the business networking events to other
key university towns, so please do get in touch if you
can help in any way by providing a meeting room at
your office for example or suggesting a venue. Keep
an eye on the OP website for announcements and
dates of future networking events.
ork
row the OP Netw
G
ocklington
- join the ‘P
ni’ g roup
School Alum
5
Babcock International is a support service company
that has been rapidly expanding, by buying other
service and engineering firms, since the millennium.
It recently entered the FTSE 100 and works on
everything from fire engines to mining equipment
to nuclear submarines in locations as varied as South
Africa, Australia and Canada. The Devonport site is a
huge dockyard complex, with over a dozen dry docks
and hundreds of buildings. They build the new fleet
of RNLI lifeboats here, refit submarines and surface
ships alike, and produce, test and analyse the 4.5 inch
main gun and Phalanx weapons systems on site. With
this much diversity, my two-month placement passed
very quickly.
My first placement was with the SUBSFAC on
a project to design a pump to bring effluent from
tanks inside a submarine up the wall of the dock and
into a tank on the dock side. This project gave me
my first insights into the design and planning process
of engineering a solution. One of the requirements
was to have a ‘proof of method’ test, which gave me
a good chance to get my brand new white overalls
dirty by messing about with a tank of water and some
tubing at the bottom of a dry dock.
Throughout the first few weeks I spent a lot of time
meeting with managers from around the site in order
to get an idea of how the site functioned, the chain of
command in business units, and the specific industries
that each area specialised in. One of these areas was
the CWEW, which specialised in building, overhauling
and testing weapons systems. I worked for just under
a week with the testing lab team (motto ‘if it ain’t
broke…then we’ll break it’) which I particularly
enjoyed as it amalgamated both the theoretical and
physical sides of engineering. That is to say, we would
break something and then do a lot of maths to work
out quite why it broke!
Although less mathematically based, I also enjoyed
a week with the Safety Culture Improvement Team
(or SCIT). This small, busy team specialises in how
to encourage everyone else to actually follow safety
standards and improve the culture of the site so
that ‘no one walks by an unsafe act’. The team was
incredibly creative, energetic and friendly. I even
managed, thanks to an invitation from one of them, to
attend a meeting of directors that centred on sharing
best practices between the various Babcock Marine
sites across the UK.
Perhaps the most interesting time I spent in the
dockyards was the period I spent inside ‘9 Dock’,
the controlled-access site-within-a-site that is where
the refit of the V-Class nuclear submarines takes
place. Thanks to Jerry, I got full access to the site
and was placed under the wing of an ‘external zone’
production engineer there. With HMS Vengeance
about half a year into her refit, there was a lot of
action happening on the boat. The ‘external zone’
comprises of everything outside the pressure hull of
the boat (to clarify, the outside you see on a submarine
is the outside of the flood tanks, the pressure hull
is underneath) and so I spent a lot of time crawling
into some very tight work spaces that make up
the catacomb of flood chambers in the metre or
so of space between the pressure hull and outside.
Shadowing a pair of fitters, I spent a couple of days
connecting high-pressure air canisters outside the
pressure hull to pipes inside the pressure hull. Most
certainly not work for the claustrophobic. I spent
extensive time inside the boat, spending time in the
engine room, the gear box and the missile section. It is
hard for me to describe working on a project of this
size; the simple scale and complexity of everything
involved really has to be seen to be understood (the
ICBM tubes, for example, are 13m tall, and so would
dwarf the main building at Pock).
I would like to thank Rachel, Jerry and the OP network
for helping me secure this fantastic opportunity and
hope that my success here will be encouragement
to other young Pocklingtonians. I have spoken to the
HR department here and they are willing to offer me
summer placements during university if I would like
them and I feel that I now have a much clearer idea
of what a job in engineering actually involves. (Report
by Guy Harland).
After his placement at Babcock, Guy spent ten
weeks in Madagascar as a research diver for Frontier
followed by ten weeks teaching riding at a summer
camp in Texas. From September 2013 he is reading
engineering at Durham.
PR in London for Lucy
Lucy Snowden (06-13) came to the OP Office
towards the end of her upper sixth year to find out
about work experience opportunities. She wasn’t
sure exactly what career direction she wanted to take,
but she knew she enjoyed writing and communication
and had been thinking about journalism or advertising.
Rachel put her in touch with Chris Talago (84-86),
an OP who recently moved back to the Yorkshire
area with his family but still worked during the
week for a large PR company in London, Waggener
Edstrom (WE). Chris put Lucy in touch with the HR
department at WE and she was offered a two-week
placement during the summer holidays. Here is how
she got on:
Country Girl, Big City – it sounds like the opening to
a cheesy chick flick, but in fact I’m talking about my
travels to London’s Covent Garden for my first taste
of the PR world at Waggener Edstrom (WE).
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in my two weeks.
My dad was making jibes about being stuck in a
cupboard filing for the entire time, but my fortnight at
WE could not have been more different.
Team Technology – I spent my first week working
in the Technology department, with a great mentor
helping me through tasks such as creating media
lists, writing a story pitch, researching for briefing
documents and writing a couple of blog posts. What I
loved the most is how current and constant the work
they do is and the volume of information to absorb is
endless – which made it great for me! My notebook
was glued to my hand wherever I went, trying to
scribble down notes about the knowledge that was
being imparted to me! Even after my first day with the
company I had a really good feeling about WE and all
it had to offer; not only the exchange between lots of
different people and work on different accounts, but
the sheer amount of free food and drinks available
was crazy!
Healthcare Happenings – In my second week at WE
I joined the Healthcare team. I was guided on how
to do media monitoring and editorial calendars, and
sat in on meetings and conference calls to really get a
feel of what goes on in the department. There was a
lot of terminology I picked up on the way, especially
while looking through medical journals for a research
task – I know a lot more about rare diseases than
I could ever have imagined when I arrived! As for
putting what I learnt at school into practice, I found
my English Language A-level to be really useful. After
all the different types of media we had analysed
during my A-level course, I felt well equipped to write
several blogs on various topics – one of which was
the royal baby!
to the entire office, and everyone has been so
welcoming. I am going to university in September and,
having really enjoyed my time here, I now have a good
insight on where I want to be in the future and I feel
like I could seriously consider a career in PR.
Thank you – I cannot say enough about my
appreciation for the OP network, because, thanks to
Chris, I was given an opportunity that would simply
not have been an option otherwise. I have learnt so
much at WE but the biggest lesson I will take away
with me is that experience is invaluable.
Whistle-stop Tour – I can’t believe how fast these two
weeks have gone! I can only describe the atmosphere
as fast-paced, friendly and fun. I have been introduced
London Clubs and Networking
Just left Pock? Heading to London? Want to join a private members’ club? There are several cost-effective options for OPs who are thinking about joining a private
members’ club for socialising, networking, meeting other like-minded people or just to use as a base for meetings, dinner or a drink. As well as accommodation, the clubs
offer a wide range of facilities for members and are centrally located in the heart of Mayfair. Contact the OP Office for more information.
The East India Club
The University Women’s Club
The Lansdowne Club
Membership of the East India Club is available
at the current rate of £350 with nothing more to
pay until the age of 25 and no joining fee. To qualify,
membership must be taken up within 18 months of
leaving school and a letter of recommendation from
the Headmaster is required as part of the application
process. The J7s are full East India Club members,
enjoying all the facilities provided by the club including
a full programme of social and sporting events and
access to cricket at Lord’s, the club’s box at Ascot and
rugby internationals at Twickenham. Whilst it is male
members only, women are, of course, allowed in at
any time when accompanied by a member.
For the ladies, membership of the University
Women’s Club is available on a similar basis to the
East India Club. Applicants must be nominated by
the Headmaster and can apply as a Young Member
on leaving school or for up to 18 months thereafter.
The membership subscription is a single payment of
£230, which provides membership up to the January
following the member’s 25th birthday. As well as a
range of social events, the club offers the perfect base
for networking, checking emails, meeting for lunch or
dinner or relaxing with friends over a coffee or a glass
of wine.
Membership of the Lansdowne Club is open to both
men and women. The club’s membership scheme for
recent school leavers is called Club 1824. Members
between the ages of 18 and 20 pay a one-off fee of
£500. Applications for this category must be received
before the candidate’s 21st birthday and is valid for
seven years of membership up to the age of 24. As
well as numerous social events and concerts, the
Lansdowne Club also has good sports facilities and
fitness classes as well as a range of meeting rooms,
dining facilities and accommodation.
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6
Spotlight on Careers
applying to a small college in London, Cordwainers,
which specialises in shoe design. I took his advice, they
offered me a place and I haven’t looked back.”
After college, Catherine was headhunted to work at
Kickers in London followed by Dr. Martens then into
private label and importing. She eventually settled
in Sheffield, freelancing while bringing up her young
family. In 2011 Catherine decided to take the plunge
and set up her own business, Poco Nido, designing and
selling children’s shoes and clothing. “The brand was
created purely out of a need to work, to gain a happy
personal work-life balance and to bring an additional
income into the family. It was something with flexible
working times to fit in with regular childcare, close to
home, and was more reliable than an occasional, highpressure freelance project.”
Entrepreneurial OP
in Shoe Heaven
Catherine Lobley (93-95) can pinpoint the moment
when, as a pupil at Pocklington School, she was
“Inspired for life” and Peter Edwards, Head of Art, first
saw her talent and ignited the spark of interest that
started her design career and gave her the confidence
to pursue her dream. “It was on a beach collecting
driftwood and other materials for an art project to
design a shoe. Later, after I had completed the project,
Mr Edwards suggested that I should think about
Catherine returned to school earlier this year to visit
Peter Edwards in the Art Department. Not only is she
passionate about shoe design, but she also strongly
believes in conserving and fully utilising resources.
All Catherine’s products as far as possible are sold
Keeping it in the Family
at No6 The Pavement
To find out more about Catherine’s business, please
visit the Poco Nido website www.poconido.com,
follow on Twitter @poconido or like on Facebook
www.facebook.com/PocoNido
The aim of the business is to create quality clothing
and footwear in limited runs so customers get
functional and exclusive pieces that won’t break the
bank. Catherine enjoys the fun-factor of designing for
children and although the business started off small,
it has gone from strength to strength. She recently
picked up her biggest order to date from Taiwan for
900 pairs of shoes!
No6 specialises in providing home-made sweet and
savoury treats, local meats, cheese, preserves, a gift
hamper service and a range of quality wines and
beers. Whilst they continue to offer the most popular
items, the family is keen to expand on the variety
of produce available. Chris is a trained chef who
has returned to his culinary roots after previously
working in the motor trade. He said “As a family we
love cooking and we’re always experimenting, trying
out new recipes and entertaining friends, so this was
really an extension of our interests.” The shop has
been given a bit of a revamp although the traditional
character and features of the shop have been retained.
“Everybody has commented on how light and fresh
the shop is and the vast range of items that we stock.
Wherever possible we stock local produce but if we
can’t source items locally than we make sure we use
local suppliers.”
No6 The Pavement Delicatessen and Wine Merchants
is fast becoming a familiar name in Pocklington and
the surrounding area. Previously owned by former
Pocklington School parents, John and Josie Atkinson,
and known as Atkinson’s Delicatessen, the shop was
taken over at the end of January upon their retirement
by another set of former Pocklington School parents,
Chris and Anne-Marie Salmon, who run the business
with their daughter, Rachel Salmon (07-09). AnneMarie also continues to teach cookery at the school
as part of its co-curricular activities programme.
in ecologically sound, well-designed packaging.
For example, footwear products are packaged in
cardboard tubes which are fully recyclable and can
also be reused for children’s craft projects. On her
visit to school, the first year pupils led by Catherine
and Peter had a wonderful time letting their creative
imaginations run riot by making new and exciting
objects from the shoe tubes and inspiring the next
generation of budding designers. Watch this space!
Rachel is equally enthusiastic about the business
which now includes a daily range of home-baked
goods for sale, including quiches, cakes, scones and
biscuits. “We have invested in a new kitchen at the
shop which looks amazing and means we will now be
able to make twice as much.” This is good news for
the family as they also offer a party catering service
as well as continuing to run the York Gift Hampers
service from the shop.
The Old Pocklingtonian Association is pleased to
announce that No6 is now an official stockist of the
quincentenary beer, Old Pock Founder’s Ale, brewed
by Tom Mellor (70-78) at his Wold Top brewery
at Hunmanby. As well as buying the beer from the
shop, the beer can be supplied in a hamper for those
looking for gift ideas. Contact No6 for further details
or to order.
No6 The Pavement, 6 The Pavement, Pocklington
YO42
2AX, [email protected],
01759302149, follow on Twitter @no6thepavement
or like on Facebook www.facebook.com/
no6thepavement
Student Awards for Jess
Jessica White (05-10) graduated from Durham
University in July and has won two prestigious
awards. The first award was the ‘Durham Award’ for
outstanding contribution to university life and the
second was the ‘Golden Oldie’ award presented by
Student Community Action (SCA), the university’s
volunteering organisation, in recognition of the student
who has contributed the most to SCA throughout
their time at Durham.
Sophie Scoops Enterprise Award
Animal-lover Sophie Tregellis (07-09) was inspired
to create her own range of dog biscuits after
accompanying her mother to RSPCA dog shows.
Spotting a gap in the market for home-made,
wholesome, healthy and fun products, Sophie began
making the dog biscuits at her parents’ home and
selling them at dog shows. That enterprise may have
remained only a hobby, had it not been for a chat with
a University of Leeds Careers Adviser.
As a final-year philosophy student, Sophie had been
thinking about life after graduation. In December 2012
the Careers Centre advised her to book a business
meeting with Spark, the University’s business start-up
service. “I hadn’t thought that my dog biscuits could
be a serious business proposition but, having told the
Careers Centre about my interests, they encouraged
me to take the idea further,” said Sophie. Now, only
a few months after that original conversation, Sophie
has not only launched her business, ‘Top Collar’, but
is also this year’s winner of the Sir Peter Thompson
Enterprise Award, an annual award given to promising
entrepreneurs from the University of Leeds worth
£5,000.
What is it that makes Top Collar different from its
competitors? “I’ve mixed healthy ingredients, aimed at
different stages of a dog’s life, with a fun combination
of flavours,” explained Sophie. “My biscuits are also
hand-made with locally sourced, human-grade
ingredients. I know that owners think of their pets
as family members and my range of flavours, such as
the classic ‘Sunday Roast’ and ‘Full English’, are natural
treats for dogs of all ages.”
Winning the Sir Peter Thompson Enterprise Award
has been the springboard Sophie needed to get the
business up and running. “Some of the £5,000 prize
money will be used to have the products analysed and
tested so that they meet all the necessary regulations.
The biscuits can then be made at a production facility,
freeing me up to promote the brand and launch the
website.”
Sophie has been offered a retail space at Handpicked
Hall, a community of independent retailers in Leeds’
Grand Arcade, so do pay her a visit if you are in the
area, or visit the Top Collar website www.topcollar.
co.uk.
Jessica held two positions within SCA and fulfilled
them both excellently. As NEPACS (The North East
Prison After Care Society) Project Leader for two
years, she helped and encouraged many others to
volunteer, whilst also giving hundreds of hours herself
as a volunteer. “Her professionalism and dedication on
the project has led to a fantastic working relationship
with both the volunteers on the project and the staff
at NEPACS, which will strengthen our work invaluably
in the long term,” commented the SCA. Meanwhile,
as the Ambassador for Collingwood College at
Durham, she found new ways to engage volunteers
and encouraged them to attend a range of social
and volunteering activities. Jess was praised for her
commitment by the SCA who described her work
as “inspirational, embodying the best of the spirit of
volunteering, and inspiring that spirit in others”. With
this kind of attitude and approach to life, Jessica is sure
to have a bright future ahead of her as she begins her
new job on the Tesco graduate store management
programme in September 2013.
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8
Lucinda Riding High
at Badminton Grassroots Championships
Lucinda Cawood (97-06) recently competed in
the Badminton Grassroots Championships with her
horse Alfie finishing a very creditable eleventh out
of sixty-five competitors. Lucinda writes about her
experience:
I think the first and most important thing to do is
to introduce ‘Team Cawood’, which mainly consists of
me, my mum Sharon and my wonderful little horse
Alfie, along with lots of support from my family. We
bought Alfie when he was four years old and have
owned him for the past three years. Having attended
Pocklington School from the age of nine, I competed
on ponies throughout my time at school before
having a break from the equestrian world in order
to head off to university. During my placement year
at HARIBO, I found the pull of the horse world was
stronger than ever and this is when we bought Alfie
with the aim to get back riding again and enjoying the
sport. I rode throughout my final year at university
before heading home, getting a job in marketing (still
at HARIBO) and being able to put more time into
him. Having produced him and trained him from
scratch, I have competed him for the past three years
in the sport of eventing.
For those with little or no knowledge of the sport, the
best way to describe it is a triathlon on horseback. It
is an official Olympic sport which consists of three
disciplines and is designed to test the horse’s ability,
trainability, athleticism, stamina and bravery. The three
disciplines are: dressage – testing the trainability of the
horse in walk, trot and canter; show jumping – testing
athleticism, control and accuracy; and cross country
– testing stamina, speed, jumping and bravery. The
winner is the combination of horse and rider who
finish on the least penalties over the three phases.
During the 2012 season Alfie and I qualified for the
regional finals by being placed in the top ten per cent
in an affiliated eventing competition. We then went
on to win our regional finals last September and
therefore qualified for the Badminton Grassroots
Championships, something we were over the
moon about, especially as Alfie was only six which
is relatively young for such a competition. The
Badminton Horse Trials is hailed as the biggest and
toughest three-day event in the world so for the
Grassroots Championships to be held there during
the same week was very exciting, especially with all of
the British Olympic Team and the Olympic Champion
competing in the 4* competition.
We had a busy winter ahead of us with a lot of
hard training and preparation and were very lucky
to be able to secure sponsorship from Manor Farm
Cottages, Goodmanham and also Fulmart Horse
Feeds. This really helped with the day-to-day running
of our horses and also meant I could secure some
excellent training, especially in the dressage phase.
By the time April arrived I felt primed and ready
and put everything we had learnt into practice. All
of the family came down to watch, including my
fiancé, Jim Stephenson (87-97), my father and my
brother, Charlie Cawood (97-06), which really made
the week even more special. Alfie felt great and this
showed as we were lying eleventh out of sixty-five
competitors after the dressage phase. It was good to
feel that all the training we had put in through the
winter had really paid off.
We went on to knock one pole down in the showjumping phase (rider error!) and then complete a
fabulous clear round on the cross-country course.
This was particularly exciting as we weaved in and
out of the International Course in the grounds of
Badminton House. The course was really tough with
a real Championship atmosphere. It included banks,
hedges and even the opportunity to jump into the
famous Badminton Lake which was such a thrill! There
was one moment on the course as we pulled up
the hill towards fence ten when I looked round and
thought to myself – “we’re at Badminton!”
I’m really excited about how Alfie performed and
he showed he is up to tackling the next level, so I
plan to move him up the grades with the ultimate
aim of completing a 1* (the first level of international
competition) later this year or early next year. We
also have a lovely five-year-old horse called Herbie
who I aim to event this year and hopefully bring on as
successfully as Alfie.
To find out more about Lucinda and her eventing
why not follow her on Twitter @lucindacawood. She
also writes a regular blog for one of her sponsors,
Fulmart Feeds. If anyone is interested in sponsorship
opportunities please contact Lucinda via the OP
Office.
Alex’s Royal Albert Hall Debut
Bryony Marshall, Head of English, attended the concert
and writes: “Alex has always been a consummate
performer; she lives and breathes her love of music
and this was never more evident than during her solo
performance. From the moment she stepped onto
the stage, to the rapturous applause from the packed
house and the post-concert reception at Sir Vernon
and Lady Ellis’s Queen’s Gate Terrace house, Alex was
effervescent in her happiness. It was a real privilege
to be there to witness and share such a wonderful
event.
Alexandra Dariescu (01-03) became the first
Romanian female pianist and the first Old
Pocklingtonian to play solo at the Royal Albert Hall
when she made her debut at the venue in June with
the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
When Alex Dariescu came to England ten years
ago as a Romanian music scholar at Pocklington, she
stated her ambition: to play at the Royal Albert Hall.
Friday 7 June 2013 saw her realise this ambition by
playing the Beethoven piano sonata No 5 – The
Emperor – accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra. It was a truly magical evening, attended by
members of the Romanian royal family in honour of
Alex’s achievement.
“It goes without saying that her playing was flawless.
But she brings so much more than technical brilliance
to her playing – and this has been the case ever since
she first stunned Pocklington with her renditions
at school assemblies. The winner of numerous
scholarships, awards and prizes since leaving school,
Alex is enjoying a glittering career as a concert pianist.
She really is an OP of whom we can all feel immensely
proud; as the critics have said, she is ‘a princess among
pianists’!”
Alan Biller (51-60) was also at the concert that
night. He was singing with the Royal Choral Society
in Beethoven’s Choral Symphony in the second half.
He commented: “Alex gave a lovely performance, and
what struck us was her obvious enjoyment at being
there. She seemed totally engaged with the music
and it was no wonder that the conductor and RPO
responded so sympathetically to her every gesture.
Of course, all this was communicated to the audience
and we loved it!”
As well as playing with the Royal Philharmonic Alex
has also played Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 with
the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Birmingham
Festival Orchestras and performed at the Geneva
and Verbier summer festivals. Check Alex’s website
for a full schedule of her concerts or if you are unable
to see her live why not buy a copy of her latest CD
issued earlier this year and featuring preludes by
Chopin and Dutilleux?
Perhaps the biggest highlight from an OP point of
view will be the OP London Dinner on Friday 22
November 2013 at the Lansdowne Club. Alex will
be a special guest of the OP Association at the dinner
and will give an exclusive performance for guests
in the venue’s ballroom. Places are filling up fast, so
make sure you send in your booking form as soon as
possible.Tables of 8, 10 or 12 are available if you would
like to come as a group with your contemporaries.
Further information is available from the OP Office.
You can follow Alexandra’s career by visiting her
website: www.alexandradariescu.com or by following
her on Twitter @alexdariescu.
Alexandra being presented to Her Highness Crown Princess Margareta and Prince Radu of Romania following the concert
10
Slave Sculptor Returns
know, it is a board sport for the slightly unhinged.
Essentially the oversized skateboard has large wheels
and is designed to travel down mountains when
there is no snow. My brother David (82-91), myself
and two friends joined forces and ‘noSno’ was born.
Before long it was just Dave and me and for the next
ten years we pioneered the sport which is now one
of the fastest growing extreme sports in the world.
We focused on the more extreme end of the market,
producing top end boards with hydraulic disc brakes
and full suspensions. I have been lucky enough to
compete both nationally and internationally, more
than fulfilling some of my school-day dreams. Aged 38,
I still compete and am now five-times World Downhill
Champion – must be those Yorkshire genes!
The artist and OP behind the slave sculpture in St
Nicholas’ Court, Peter Tatham (83-93), came back
to school earlier this year for the 1993 year-group
reunion which took place during the OP Summer
Reunion weekend in June. Whilst here he revisited the
slave, and here he is pictured next to his handiwork.
When asked for a bit more background about how
he came to do the sculpture and what he was up to
these days, Pete replied with a fascinating story which
goes like this:
After leaving Pock I ended up studying sculpture in
Cheltenham. I returned to visit the school in 1996 to
catch up with some old teachers, the late (and in my
opinion great) Terry Hardaker, Doug Wagstaff and of
course Pete Edwards (who I’m sure will be missed
having retired this year). Pete Edwards mentioned to
me about the school planning a memorial to William
Wilberforce and I set about researching his work and
putting forward a proposal to the school. Pocklington
School very bravely took a chance on an OP and
unknown sculptor, a chance for which I will always
be grateful. The sculpture took almost an entire year
to make with me modelling it in clay, making the giant
nine piece mould, casting a wax copy and through lost
wax process producing a bronze. My research into
William Wilberforce and the slave trade was telling
and many of the themes still present in my work
come as a direct result of the Pocklington School
commission.
After leaving university my life took a sharp
divergence. I was a very keen sportsman at school but
unfortunately was incapacitated in my sixth form year
when I got M.E. Sport and a great deal of school went
out the window. Twenty years on I still live under its
shadow, although it is much less intrusive than in my
school days. I had managed to complete my degree
and the Wilberforce project when an opportunity
arose to be involved in the start of a new extreme
sport – mountain boarding. For those not in the
11
In 2009 I decided on a career change and left Dave
to run the company (I just get to do the fun bit now
– riding and competing). I qualified as a teacher and
planned on teaching sculpture workshops in schools.
However, in 2010 I was lucky enough to be invited
to work for Pangolin Editions, the largest commercial
sculpture foundry in Europe. They had just started a
modelling department and I was asked to join their
team to create work for artists such as Damian Hirst,
Sarah Lucas and Michael Ghaui. For the next three
years I modelled and worked on life-size elephants,
huge courgettes and giant mythical creatures. Damian
Hirst’s Legend was one of the first pieces I got to
work on, remodelling a new set of wings for the ‘lifesize’ Pegasus.
In 2013 I made the very hard decision to leave
Pangolin and set out on my own. Ultimately, modelling
other people’s work was never going to be fulfilling
enough. I have just finished making my own purposebuilt studio and am now two weeks into my first
piece of work. It is a new life-size figure, the first in a
series which will eventually lead to a complete body
of work and solo exhibition. The first piece should
be finished in approximately one year and the entire
exhibition is a five-year project.
I would like to take this chance to thank the school
and certain teachers. All teachers are to a degree
useful, but for every pupil there will be a few who
will have an influence reaching throughout a lifetime. For each pupil I am sure these teachers will
be different. Each will hit their own chord. For me
three teachers have made a huge impact on the way
I work, the way I create and the way I think. Doug
Wagstaff and his technicians gave me and my brother
a passion and engineering ability that has helped us
design a product that was sold internationally. The
‘noSno’ Downhill Mountain Board is recognised
within the industry as the market leader in terms
of design and performance. Our team of riders has
never lost the World Downhill Championships. This
engineering background has also been of huge benefit
in the construction of large sculptures. Pete Edwards
and the art team encouraged and developed my
modelling from my early years at school, creating
life-size models of E.T. and spitting image puppets
of the leaders of that time. Making big work from
a young age gave me the confidence to tackle a lifesize figure for the Wilberforce Memorial. Lastly, and
unfortunately belatedly, Terry Hardaker for whom all I
can say is he made me think. All my work is to a great
extent a testament to him and it is and will be the
best memorial that I can think of for him.
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Development and School News
School Development Update
As the Headmaster alluded to earlier in the magazine,
there have once again been several changes and
improvements to the school campus over the last
year as the Estates Development plan continues to
be implemented. Here are a few highlights.
same corridor. As well as teaching ICT, a new GCSE in
Computer Science is being trialled by the department
from September 2013.
Happy Birthday Pocklington
School!
Cookery Classroom
Middle School Pastoral Area
Last summer was extremely busy for Premises
Manager Matt Partis and his team as they started
the task of transforming the main school corridor
into the new Middle School pastoral area in record
time. The project involved the removal of several
walls to open up the space previously occupied by
changing rooms on either side of the corridor. The
dust was immense, but slowly over time (eight weeks
to be exact!) the new space began to emerge and,
once the fixtures and fittings were installed and the
decoration was under way, the area really began to
take shape. The final touches included new lockers
and furniture, noticeboards and wall art as well as a
clock to avoid being late for lessons! The corridor is
now transformed into a bright and functional space
buzzing with activity in between lesson times as pupils
get things from their lockers, chat to their friends or
talk to one of their teachers.
With History moving to the former School House
dorms, Psychology then moved from the portacabin
block to the main school to occupy the classrooms
vacated by History. This just left Cookery to be
relocated before the first portacabin block could be
removed. The solution was to create a new Cookery
classroom in part of the former Sixth Form Centre
(are you keeping up?!) within the main school.
Although cookery is not part of the curriculum, it is a
key element of the co-curricular activity programme
and pupils from all age groups within the school, from
the tiniest tot to the tallest teen, use the new facility.
Coming up …
Further details and updates about events will be
posted on the Pocklington 500 area of the school
website, www.pocklingtonschool.com/pocklington500, so don’t forget to keep checking back. Updates
throughout the year will also be sent via e-mail, so if
you don’t already receive the monthly e-mail bulletin
from the OP Office it probably means that an e-mail
address is not recorded for you on the OP database
or an incorrect one is held. Please get in touch with
the OP Office so that your e-mail address can be
added to the system.
IT Suite
As well as the above developments, it has also been
possible to move Psychology into the main school
building allowing for the removal of one of the
portacabins. This area has now been landscaped to
create a laurel garden which is much easier on the
eye. Building work is currently under way in the
space vacated by the Classics department last year to
provide a new biology lab and allow the removal of a
second portacabin block in the very near future.
The former School House dorms, which were being
used as Middle School locker areas until the new
Middle School pastoral area was created, now house
the History department and a brand new IT suite
bringing the ICT department together along the
The quincentenary is almost here as 2014 marks
500 years since the school’s foundation in 1514.
The school has produced a quincentenary calendar
of events modelled on the traditional ‘blue book’ to
use as a handy guide to some of the main events
throughout the year. This has been circulated to all
OPs, former and current parents, staff and the wider
school community to help plan which events to
attend.
il?
t your e-ma
Have we go
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ut. Send us you
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updates!
quincentenary
Social media will also be used to keep you informed and
give feedback about events as they happen, so make
sure you follow OPs on Twitter @PocklingtonOPs,
join the OP Facebook group (Old Pocklingtonian
Association) and the OP LinkedIn group (Pocklington
School Alumni). You can also follow the school on
Twitter @PockSchool.
Please use the calendar to plan which events you
would like to attend. A few suggested highlights are
included with the events listing on the back cover of
the magazine. Of note is the actual anniversary day
which will be Saturday 24 May 2014 when a special
service is being held in York Minster preceded by a
dinner in the city for those living locally or staying in
York the night before the service – please see the
back cover for further details.
12
Development and School News
Quincentenary Bike Ride
attention on the school’s big event and to make
contact with some of the OPs who have perhaps lost
touch with school. The plan is to leave school during
Sports Day on Saturday 14 June 2014 and return
during the Pockfest 500 Weekend on Saturday 28 or
Sunday 29 June 2014.
“The total distance is about 500 miles each way
(according to Google!) and we shall be covering about
70–90 miles a day. The route we will take will depend
on OPs, and this is really the point of this article,
because we are appealing to Old Pocklingtonians
who live along the route to provide us, and possibly
a driver, with overnight accommodation. Our stopoff areas will be roughly in the vicinity of: Bishop
Auckland, Otterburn/Jedburgh, Edinburgh, Perth, Tain
and Wick, but we could tailor the route to suit offers
of accommodation.
In 2014 retired teachers Rob Peel (former staff,
71-11) and Iain McDougall (former staff, 86-13)
are planning a Quincentenary Pocklington to John
O’Groats 500-mile sponsored bicycle ride. This is a
revised version of the Land’s End to John O’Groats
ride advertised in the bulletin last year so many thanks
to all those OPs who offered ‘B&B’ along the way but
who are no longer on the route! However, do read
on…
Rob explains: “For the older OPs who don’t know
me, let me introduce myself. My name is Rob Peel
(aka Bob Peel in some circles!) and I took over from
Geoffrey Currey as Head of Biology in September
1971. Martin Butcher took over that post when I
moved into boarding ten years later and is still going
strong. I finally retired at the end of the Summer
Term in 2011 but retain a strong link with the school.
Iain McDougall, who has recently joined the ranks of
retired Pocklington teachers, will be joining me on this
adventure. For those who don’t know Iain, further
details can be found in the ‘Staff Annexe’ section
towards the back of the magazine.
“2014 is a landmark year. The school celebrates its
500th birthday - and Scotland votes whether or not
to remain in the UK. In June 2014, Iain (himself very
much a Scot) and I plan to celebrate the school’s
Quincentenary by cycling 500 miles from Pocklington
to John O’Groats and then back again making a total
of 1000 miles. Our intention is not just to satisfy a
personal whim but to extend it to help focus OP
Friday 23 May 2014
dinner
York black tie reunion gton
cklin
hosted by The Old Po
Association
2014
Saturday 24 May
at
Founder’s Day Service
by the
York Minster followed
n at
io
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Headmaster’s Re
ge
St Williams Colle
See back cover
for details.
13
“We are also hoping to have a support vehicle along
the way. The finer detail is being worked out but
we will need someone, or several people, to drive
it either all or part of the way… so if you are able
to help out with accommodation or driving, please
let Rachel Dare in the OP Office know by e-mail or
phone 01759 321307 as soon as possible. By way of
recompense, the OPA has agreed to provide a special
gift to those OPs who are able to put us up or drive
the support vehicle!
“We are looking forward to this and very much hope
OPs will rally round. Training has already begun: last
week I notched up 73 miles in six hours and Iain
has a long history of racing on two wheels so we
are confident we can rise to this challenge. OPs can
actually be involved in the cycling itself, too, by joining
us on the first day as we set out from Pocklington and
then returning to school after completing as many
miles as they wish; we thought it would be good if
between them OPs could total 500 miles.
“There is one more way you can help: we would like,
through sponsorship, to raise £5,000 for the following
charities: DERG (Degenerative Encephalopathy
Research Group supported by the Mills family),
Children with Cancer (which used to be called
Children with Leukaemia), Teenage Cancer Trust and
the Lymphoma Association.”
We hope OPs will support this novel and challenging
quest for the Quincentenary. If you can help in any
way, please get in contact with the OP Office.
A Holly Tree for Holly
A memorial holly tree was planted and a plaque
unveiled at a ceremony to remember Holly Mills
(97-03) who sadly died in 2011 after a nine-year
battle with variant CJD. The ceremony took place on
Saturday 9 March 2013 at school and was attended
by Holly’s family and close school friends as well as
Headmaster, Mark Ronan, and teaching staff, both
current and retired, who knew Holly during her
time at Pocklington. Also in attendance was OP
President Tom Nash (68-77) representing the Old
Pocklingtonian Association committee.
During the ceremony in St Nicholas’ Court, Holly’s
father, Peter Mills, said a few words about Holly and
the happy times and many friends she had enjoyed
at school, before officially planting the holly tree
and unveiling the plaque with Holly’s mother, Linda.
After the ceremony the family and OPs had a tour
of school led by Rob Peel (former staff, 72-11) and
Fenwick-Smith Housemaster, Patrick Dare.
Claire Russell (96-03) commented: “Thank you for
organising such a lovely day on Saturday. Despite the
sad circumstances, it was lovely to see staff and friends
and catch up!”Thanks also go to Jenny Brownlee (née
Hudson, 97-03) who helped to co-ordinate the event
and Pocklington School staff members Paul Wright
(Head Gardener), Matt Partis (Premises Manager)
and Andrew D’Arcy (Domestic Bursar) for their
support with the preparations for the event.
Pockfest 500
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Oosterbeek Cemetery Visit
Director of Music and Head of Co-Curricular Martin
Kettlewell led the biennial Swing Band tour to Belgium,
Holland and Luxembourg during the summer. As part
of the tour the group visited Oosterbeek Cemetery
in Holland where the pupils had a good hour’s visit
to the cemetery, finding the graves of three VCs and
more importantly laying a wreath at the grave of
Old Pocklingtonian William Harold Smith (27-33)
of Market Weighton who died at Arnhem on 20th
September 1944 aged 29. Martin read a prepared
text by Paul Bennett (Bursar), who has been
researching Pocklington School’s military history and
the war graves, and Tom Baarda performed the Last
Post which was followed by a minute’s silence and
then Reveille.
Planning to Visit School in 2014?
School Chapel Wedding
The first wedding was held in the school chapel on
Saturday 18 May 2013 when Natalie Binks (9603) married Chris Lazenby. Father of the bride and
Head of Physics at Pocklington Garry Binks put his
exam-marking on hold to walk his daughter down
the aisle in what was once the library and prior to
that the gym. The School Chaplain, the Reverend Jim
Roberts, conducted the service and the Swing Band
entertained guests in the Music School afterwards.
Following photos and ice creams, guests left for a
reception in Wetherby at the Wood Hall Hotel and
Spa.
It was a wonderful occasion and a lovely setting close
to Natalie’s heart. Natalie explained: “There were
several reasons why we chose the school chapel
for the ceremony. Obviously our family has a longstanding connection with the school; my dad has been
teaching there for almost thirty years and Beth and I
both went right through the senior school and we
lived in the junior boarding house for ten years, so it’s
been a massive part of Binks family life for as long as I
can remember! I was also christened in the old school
chapel (and I think I’m right in saying it was the first
christening for around 200 years?) by the previous
Chaplain Michael Smith (former staff, 82-07).”
Following the wedding the couple spent their
honeymoon in Turkey. They live in Helmsley near York;
Natalie is a school attendance manager and Chris is
an architect.
We hope as many OPs as possible will be able to
attend one or more of the planned events during
2014, either at school or elsewhere. If however you
just want to informally visit school, we in the OP
Office will be delighted to see you. We would ask
you though please, if at all possible, to pre-empt your
visit with a phone call, e-mail or letter so we can then
plan to give you some time and hopefully make the
occasion that much more rewarding. Term times are
busy and hectic but we can, of course, accommodate
visitors so they can see the school at work and play.
14
From the Archives
Archive Room Opening
On Friday 9 November 2012 a very special gathering
of almost one hundred Old Pocklingtonians, staff,
volunteers and contributors came together to
celebrate the opening of our Archives. Chris
Solomon (former staff, 68-03), former Head of
History and early pioneer of the School Archives, was
welcomed back to talk about how he managed to
gather together such a wealth of important material
during his time here, and how he managed to put it
into such good order. The official opening then took
place, with a ribbon to the new Archive room being
cut by honoured guest Chris Webb, Keeper of the
Archives at the Borthwick Institute. This was followed
by an informal evening, which included a magnificent
spread of food provided by the school’s catering team
led by Andrew D’Arcy.
A display of pictures, uniforms, magazines and
ephemera was crowned by the Vellum Book, the
school register from 1650, which had been especially
borrowed from its home at the Treasure House in
Beverley. Also on display were the silver cock-fighting
bells, the Seal of John Dowman’s Guild and various
other magnificent silver cups and trophies.
Much discussion was generated by the whole-school
photographs and the caning book, where some of the
older guests found great merriment in discovering
how many times their names appeared!
A book of donors has been bound, and will remain
in the Archive room for anyone who would like to
come and see their name. The room itself, beautifully
appointed, houses facsimile copies of the school’s
mediaeval documents, together with translations for
those who would like to come and spend a little time
reading them.
The Archive room is now open for researchers and
visitors who might like to look up their time at school
via photographs, magazines or other papers. If you
would like to come and have a look, please contact
the Archivist, Angie Edwards, to arrange a mutually
convenient appointment on 01759 321241 or email
[email protected]. As the Library is a
very busy and vibrant part of the school, Angie would
like to be able to prepare for and welcome guests at
less busy times.
Anyone possessing any items which they may consider
donating to the Archives, do please contact Angie.
It seems to be the little things – letters home, play
programmes, unofficial photos (with names!) which
elicit the most interest.
Angie Edwards
Librarian and Archivist
From the Magazine Archives
In 1962...
In 1987/88...
On our delve back into the past we look at what was
in magazines 75, 50 and 25 years ago.
there was a major epidemic of German measles
which disrupted many Lent Term activities. Mike
Stevenson produced Hamlet with D G Lackie in the
title role. Major Percy Stewart of school and Burnby
Hall fame died. In cricket the 1st X1 had the most
wins since 1914. Patrick Briggs played for Cambridge
in the rugby Varsity match and was described as
the outstanding Back on the field. Athletes took
seventeen first places in the E. R. Championships and
the team beat Abingdon and Stamford in a triangular
match. The shooting team had wins over Ampleforth,
Harrow and Malvern.There was a summer expedition
to North Africa and seventeen people went in a
converted 1½ ton ex-army ambulance. There were
also more conventional trips to Italy and Paris.
Head of Art Nigel Billington retired after thirty years
at the school. He was the driving force behind the
initiative for a Design Centre and there were many
tributes to his energy and foresight which led to its
creation. Peter Edwards, who retires this year, was
appointed the new Head of Art. Ralph Ineson was
Head Boy. Seven pupils gained entry to Oxbridge.
John Nuttall gained his Oxford cricket “Blue” and
Marcus Wood, playing for the 1st X1, became only
the second boy to score over 500 runs and take
more than fifty wickets. The cross country team won
the East Riding championships. The Senior play was
“Hobson’s Choice”. Fifteen pupils went on a former
“Colonies” trip to the USA led by Keith Robinson.
Jason Carr gained a first at the Guildhall School of
Music and also won a musical writing competition
about which the judge, Andrew Lloyd Webber, said he
was “overwhelmed to hear a major musical dramatist
emerge”.
In 1937...
In Coronation year it is reported that House rugby
matches were played with their customary violence!
(editorial exclamation mark). Tom Pay was appointed
OP Secretary, a post he filled for many years with
enthusiasm and distinction. The staff put on a very
well-attended play – “Third Time Lucky”, with the
Headmaster, Percy Sands, playing a leading role. In
sport G F N Pedley won the 100 yds and the long
jump and in shooting the school beat City of London
Boys School and lost narrowly to Glasgow Academy.
15
Down Memory Lane
Photo Mysteries Revealed
Thank you to everyone who sent in suggestions for
the missing names in the 1976 Mixed Hockey Team
photograph which appeared on page 11 of the last
magazine.We can now reveal the team was (unknown
players in bold) as follows: (L to R, back row) Nicholas
Price (73-78), David Lumley (73-78), Hugh Brumfitt
(70-76) (not Alistair Brumfield 71-78 as previously
stated), John Hunston (71-77), Chris Smith (71-78),
Ranjiv Chopra (75-76), Jonathan Barrass (73-78),
Phil Woodward (71-76), Richard Wolstenholme (7177), (L to R, front row) Andy Smith (65-76), Sally
Pilmoor (née Wilde, 75-77), Phil Lumley (67-76),
Jane Millar (née Duggleby, 75-77), James Thornton
(73-77). If you don’t still have your copy of last year’s
magazine to hand to refer back to this photograph,
you can download it from the OP website,
www.oldpocklingtonians.com.
The Block circa 1982
David Moore (78-82) would like help identifying the missing names and those marked with a question mark in
the photograph below. David says that it was taken in 1982 in the garden of The Lodge (aka The Block) at the
end of A-Levels just before leaving school. Can you help please? E-mail [email protected] if you
can identify any of the unknowns or if you can confirm the names with a question mark by them.
(L to R, back row) Steve Chick (72-82), unknown no1, unknown no2, David Pixton (77-82), Russ Gardner (75-82) ?, Mark Duggleby
(75-82) ?, Mark Skaife (77-82), Simon Crooks (75-82), Steve Morris (75-82), unknown no3; (L to R, middle row) Simon Kaye (77-82), Tim
Dowling (73-82), Jonathan Barden (77-82), unknown no4, Sue Rumbelow, David Rumbelow, Martin Rumbelow (90-97, in arms), unknown
no5, Ian Robertson (77-82), Ed Davey (75-82), David Moore (78-82); (L to R, front row) J J Harvey (75-82) ?, unknown no6, Mark Currey
(75-82), Sarah Rumbelow (90-92), Elizabeth Rumbelow (91-93), Simon Maddox (77-82), unknown no7, Tim Fisher (77-82).
Rugby Teams
Angie Edwards, the School Archivist, would like to know which team, what year and players’ names for each of
the following photographs. Please contact [email protected] with your answers.
Pocklington School:
A Celebration
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16
Down Memory Lane
A Bridge to Modernity
My ten years at Pocklington School included significant
changes that brought the school into the modern
age in many respects, all under the able headship
of Pitts-Tucker. In September 1946 when I arrived
at Dolman House as a new boy, Tom Brown would
have recognised many aspects of daily life from his
own schooldays. The dormitories were still freezing
cold in winter, food was at best unappetising and the
wartime allotments still bordered the 1st XV rugby
field. All sport was compulsory including the dreaded
winter cross-country!
I have already alluded to swimming. During the
summer we had to clean the swimming pool twice,
once at the beginning of the summer and once in
time for the school sports and Commemoration. We
also tested the water and kept up the chlorine level
accordingly. We would start training when the water
temperature reached 15–17 °C! Some of the squad
are shown in the photo taking a break during training
in the summer of 1955. Of course our modest
achievements pale into insignificance alongside
those of Duncan Goodhew, but we were very keen
nonetheless.
John Derbyshire also helped me to master physics and
to become the engineer that I had always dreamed
of being. I am still practising as a professional engineer
today, more than 50 years after graduation.
Outside of school hours I suppose my highlights were
the choir (an excuse to go into town once a week for
choir practice and to exchange chips with some of the
local Guides!), the drama group – or Dramatic Society
as it was called – and also of course the swimming
team. It was a great privilege to know Tom Stoppard
(51-54) as well as his brother Peter (49-53) and we all
know who else has blessed our TV screens from the
origins of that drama group in Pocklington. Charles
(Chas) Windsor was the pillar and his wife taught us
all diction and movement. She was a perfectionist to
our mutual benefit. I only acted until my voice broke.
The photo below shows (from right to left) Robert
Moore (46-53), Tim Beard (46-56), Martin Bagnall
(46-54) and self, dressed and made-up for the school
summer play of 1953 – “A Servant of Two Masters“
by Goldoni.
(Can anyone help with names please? We think they
are: (L to R, top row) Samuel C Rushworth, Stephen
A Bateson, J Roger Chapman; (L to R, bottom row) A
K Rodgers and John T Swarbrick)
Nicknames could sometimes be cruel and were always
based on the family name that we bore. Since there
were many Wilsons I was known as ‘mechanically
minded Willy’ by one J D Jewitt, probably because of
my obsession with Meccano (quite prophetic when
you think about it), and named ‘rhubarb Willy’ by the
said James Eggleshaw, once he recognised the part of
the West Riding I came from.
There were others from the rhubarb fields who
attended Pocklington School. My cousin on my
mother’s side of the family, D A Bradley, followed his
elder brother C K Bradley to Pocklington in 1939 and
also remained for ten years – long enough for me to
see him play in a successful 1st XV. He decided to
become a farmer – hardly surprising in view of the
size of the Young Farmers Club at Pock in those days!
– and after Askham Bryan he farmed in Finghall. His
son, Richard Bradley, followed him to school and now
runs the same farm. Derek lives in nearby Leyburn
and still goes to the farm most days. He also delivers
papers locally on his way! Another half-cousin, David
Wilson, was at Lyndhurst during my later years and
went on to become a senior executive with Yorkshire
Television. He is now retired and lives in Brighton.
Of the four of us who survived the Science Sixth
during that last summer of 1956, I have only kept in
touch with Stuart Crossland with whom I still trade
Christmas cards. He and I also sang in the choir,
latterly under the direction of the wonderful and
inspiring Sefton Cottom, later to become a master
at Pocklington in his own right, of course. Regrettably,
I have lost touch with David Derbyshire (son of said
physics master) and Richard Hardy.
It is inspiring in the extreme to see how the school
has grown and succeeded in so many things since
these early post-war years. As far as I am concerned
the transition to co-educational was key and could
17
(Contributed by D. Keith Wilson, 46-56)
Robin Skelton 1925-1997 (36-43)
– Poet and Writer
By the balmy summer of 1956 we had bikes, a choice
of sport in summer and even attended the sixth form
dance at the Mount School in York, though two years
too late to dance with Judy Dench! During that time,
James Eggleshaw, who started as Housemaster in
Dolman, changed from being the master that I most
feared to become a friend to my wife and myself
before he left Pocklington to return to his beloved
Oxford.
Tom Pay taught me to swim and this led me to
become captain of swimming at school and later
to swim and play water polo for the then British
University swimming champions – Manchester
University. Mrs Tom Pay introduced those of us who
lived in Wilberforce Lodge to mouth-watering homecooked food. I can still taste her delicious shepherd’s
pie when I try!
not have come too soon. But in my opinion the die
was already cast by a forward-looking headmaster
and his staff, which consisted of all age groups from
Tom Pay, who graduated before the First World War
to Mike Stevenson, who came to us fresh from his
successes on the cricket field and who was brimming
full of new ideas, and also to Gerry Thornton from
Hull, who taught us how to play rugby according to
league rules on foggy mid-week afternoons!
Schoolboy Robin Skelton, right, with his sister
Robin was a notable poet and literary scholar from,
perhaps at first glance, a background that would
normally be associated more with farming than
poetry. He was born in Easington in the East Riding
where his father was headmaster of the village school.
After Christ’s College, Cambridge his first post was
on the English staff of Manchester University. After
this and time as Chairman of the Examiners for
English Literature O-level he turned more and more
to writing poetry. During these years he frequently
returned to his roots in the East Riding for inspiration
and made many visits back to school. On one visit in
the early 1960s, whilst watching an OP rugby match
on a damp, gloomy autumn afternoon, he encountered
a retired member of staff who said to Robin: “You’ve
come back then … they all come back”. The nostalgia
generated in Robin by this remark eventually became
the poem “Big Field” which is reproduced below. A
pupil here during the war, he recalls the emotion of
listening to young, serving OPs returning for a brief
visit and contrasting the hearing of their experiences
with his own early teenage angst on the rugby and
cricket field. He dedicated the poem to his old school
friend Alex Engler and his wife.
Big Field
For Alex and Corina Engler
Who will read this? Many of them are dead.
The white Pavilion on Big Field is gone,
and everything is altered but the heart
I hurt myself with; even the Drome is done,
ploughed-up, forgotten. You’ve come back to look
the Old School over, then? They all come back.
Even the tireless dead. A smell of sweat
lives in the changing room I crouched in, crying,
with a twisted arm; a smell of piss
drifts through the shrill-voiced bogs; my fingers
smearing
OP Sport
dubbin are clagged yellow, gritted, sore;
I take the ball and fall; mud claws my nails
and masks my jersey. Stand up! Prove yourself!
Prove that you’re not a girl! He grabbed my towel.
That was during the Spanish Civil War
when everyone backed Franco. Thin and pale,
I was martyred small in a narrow bath
at ten years old. Shame is a kind of death.
He is a Doctor now, firm-voiced, assured
with sicknesses, and not among the dead
who came back huge with uniforms, and told
new dirty stories, and smoked cigarettes
openly in the corridors. On one wall
we kept a map of the fighting. When France fell
that summer, I cried, walking to Big Field
to play twelfth man in a match that never ended.
It was a hot drugged day. Europe had stopped.
The Gods had lied, and Glory now pretended
that it hadn’t meant it. Dreams went sick.
Nobody ever let me get to the wicket;
I stayed in the outfield always. There two boys
taught me the lesser death. The wind is cold
across Big Field, and in the Spinney dark
trees gather round dark waters. Long ago
I stood here in my world and felt it crack.
You’ve come back, then, he said. They all come back.
Skelton wrote or edited more than a hundred books
and pamphlets including criticism, biography, novels
and editions of scholarly text as well as a substantial
body of verse, much of it produced by Faber and
Faber, publishers of Larkin, Stoppard, Auden and
T S Eliot. He later crossed the Atlantic to lecture
at Massachusetts University and then became, until
1991, Professor of English at Victoria University,
Canada. In later life, prompted by studies of the IrishCeltic renaissance, he became increasingly interested
in witchcraft, producing collections of ancient spells. In
2007 a memorial plaque was unveiled at his birthplace
in Easington.
Boxing Day Rugby
The Old Pocklingtonians annual ‘Town v Gown’ Boxing
Day reunion match against Pocklington RUFC was a
well-contested game until Pocklington pulled away in
the second half to win 48-10. It was real end-to-end
stuff in the first half-hour as Pocklington’s forwards
held sway while the OP backs were always a threat.
Pocklington twice went ahead as pack pressure ended
with close-range tries for No 8 Dan Wilson (94-01),
both converted by wing Billy Higgins (00-07). But the
OP backs immediately responded both times to get
right wing Sam Knight (01-08) away and he popped
the pass back inside for the school’s back row Rich
Skowronek (99-10) to dive over.
That made it 14-10 with the interval approaching
before Pocklington pulled clear with a lineout catch
and drive try from flanker Jack Holbrough (97-07),
and an opportunist score from wing Higgins which he
converted himself.
Pocklington’s pack power told in the second half. Tries
from prop Chris Morton and flanker Rob Kinnell,
augmented by three-quarter efforts by centre Billy
Hardy and fly half Josh Britland took them out of
sight, Higgins adding another conversion to regain the
Bottomley trophy from the OPs.
After the match supporters and players convened in
the clubhouse to enjoy a few pints and a bite to eat
from the buffet sponsored by the OP Association.
(Report by Phil Gilbank, 67-74)
We are very grateful to an old friend and
contemporary, Alex Engler (39-44), who has recently
donated his collection of books by Robin Skelton to
the Archive Centre.
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OPs at Pock 7s
Old Pocklingtonians from far and wide gathered
at the annual Good Friday Pock 7s tournament
again this year. They were not disappointed as the
OP team got through to the Plate final in a ‘Town
versus Gown’ classic against hosts Pocklington. Having
progressed well through their qualifying matches, the
OPs continued to give a good account of themselves
in the final. However, Pocklington’s superior fitness
levels and consistency showed in the end with the
OPs losing out 38-17.
OP team (L to R; back): Ryan Duncan (99-07),
Laurence Cowen (98-07), Fergus Purtill (94-03),
temporary sub; (L to R, front): Josh Papa (96-03), Sami
Eggleston (99-07), Alex Smith (89-92), Billy Higgins
(00-07); not pictured: Lewis Papa (96-03) and Tom
Hardy (01-09)
The results of the OP matches were:
Preliminary round:
York HG3 Harriers 22 v Old Pocklingtonians 12
Plate competition:
Quarter-final:
Goole 0 v Old Pocklingtonians 48
Semi-final:
Old Pocklingtonians 40 v Driffield 5
Final:
Old Pocklingtonians 17 v Pocklington 38
Next year’s Pock 7s is Friday 18 April 2014.
18
OP Sport
Pocklington Pixies 2012
was edged and Adam Iyer took a magnificent catch
at 3rd slip whilst fielding at 1st slip! Mike would have
been happy with the whole day when a typical Pixie
XI – a mixture of experience and up-and-coming
younger players – enjoyed an excellent game against
a similarly constituted MOD side. Miles Picknett (48)
and ‘AJ’ Clarke (48) were the main contributors to the
Pixie’s total of 184 for 8 and then Dan Atkinson took
3 wickets as the hosts achieved their win at 188 for 6
with an over to spare. Also special mention must go
to Nat’s sister Tilly who subbed for ‘AJ’ for six overs,
thus becoming the first lady to take to the field for
the Pixies! Will Stephenson played a cameo innings
on debut and maybe next year Tim will join him,
making another father/son to follow recent occasions
featuring the Iyers and the Townends, or maybe the
Baldersons will beat them to it?
A most enjoyable season ended on a poignant note
when the Founder’s grandson, Nat Wyman, made his
debut against the Men of Derwent at Woodhouse
Grange in September. It was good to see Mike
Stevenson’s widow Biddy and daughter Pam in support
to see a memorable debut wicket; a flashing drive
from one of the York Senior League’s most prolific
batsmen. Chris Bilton (Alaisdair Swann’s grandson!)
Jack Bolam (126) scored the first of his three centuries
during the season – a record – against the Yorkshire
Gentlemen. On tour he aggregated 339 (avg. 84.75)
still short of the President’s (Tim Hughes) 1973 tour
aggregate of 400 in six innings averaging exactly 100!
Jack’s record is no surprise really, as I am constantly
reminding people of Wisden – with Alistair Cook top
of the School Averages along with Jack in the top ten!
ies
Pocklington Pix ne
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Plenty of good
Records Tumble for Pocklington
Pixies on Tour
OP Cricket Halted
A big thank-you to all OPs who came along to play in
the annual OP v School cricket matches on 23 June
2013. Although matches did get under way this year,
the heavy showers that persisted after the first hour
meant that play had to be abandoned. The players
retired to the dining hall for nourishment and beer!
Those who were playing for OPs were: A J Clarke
(01-09), Daniel Dodds (94-96), Sam Dodds (94-97),
James Flint (00-11), Isaac Green (09-11), Charlie
Marcus Townend (33 not out) as they saw Pixies
to a respectable 169 off 40 overs. In reply Marden
snicked Phil Balderson’s third ball through the slips
for four and he finished his over allocation with the
remarkable figures of 2-5.
Marden needed four off the last over, off Pete Massie,
who had the last man out off the last ball with them
two runs short. This exciting game then took us to
Hastings.
Records were created on the 57th tour by the
twenty-three players (the highest number ever) who
all played a game or more.
Scoring only 144 in their opening match at Holmesdale,
the Pixies lost by five wickets. However, they bounced
back against Eastbourne. Adam Iyer took 3-9 as the
home side reached 203. Victory was achieved with
two overs to spare and Chris Suddaby (68) and Steve
Burdett (51 not out) were the chief contributors.
Against Haywards Heath the Pixie’s totalled 265-3
and Andy Inns declared early with Quentin and Joel
Hughes and Jack Bolam all scoring excellent halfcenturies. Haywards Heath could only muster 127 in
reply with Adam Iyer’s 3-4 causing the most trouble.
Then it was on to an excellent game at Marden when
it turned out to be veteran’s day. Miles Picknett (85)
top scored in a ‘memory lane’ partnership of 74 with
19
Jack Bolam (120) and the unlucky Tom Young (96) set
off with a record opening partnership of 199 on a
beautiful wicket and the rest kept up the run rate
to finally total 348 off 45 overs. Twice the opposition
looked in with a chance of an improbable victory, but
were eventually all out for 300.
Bowling was equally hard in the finale at Ashford and
the fielding wilted as old adversary Liam Tegg, who
was dropped on 13, raced to 172 helping the hosts
to 354-1 off the 40 overs. Credit must go to the
youngsters Iain Moorhouse and Tom Townend who
had the most economical bowling figures in this run
riot.
The Pixies were determined to at least reach
respectability and an opening partnership of 178 by
Jack Bolam (104) and Pete Massie (63) set them off
well. Joel Hughes (51) and Tom Young (52 not out)
were the other main contributors but all players kept
up an incredible run rate. Forty-eight was needed
off the last four overs and 13 off the last. Two were
required off the last ball when sadly Steve Burdett
His century against the YGs aided by Andy Inns
(39), James Hopwood (32 n.o.) and Dan Nuttall’s
(22) first runs for the Pixies accumulated 254 for 5;
a total which proved beyond the hosts who could
only muster 131, with Adam Iyer, Dan Nuttall and Iain
Moorhouse taking two wickets apiece.
Earlier in the season, playing against the Town, the
Pixies won the 25th Worsley Cup for the sixteenth
time. Batting first, they made 223-9 which included
a fine knock of 93 from Jack Bolam and 34 from Phil
Balderson in his eighteenth cup appearance. Charles
Lambert chipped in with 30 and captain Adam Iyer
scored 19.
Pocklington replied with a strong opening partnership
between Andy Anderson and Neil Jackson of 70.
Wickets then fell and it was left to Richard Readman,
with an excellent half-century, to make a valiant effort
to try and win the game. Jack Bolam took three
wickets and was man of the match as Pocklington
finished on 183.
Andrew Inns, the chairman, who has played fifteen
Worsley Cup games for the Pixies, presented the
Worsley Cup to the Pixies skipper Adam Iyer.
Lambert (01-08), Peter Massie (00-10), Josh Miller
(99-10), Iain Moorhouse (06-12), Richard Readman
(97-05), Chris Suddaby (02-10), Hugh Barlow (0310), Ben Dawes (01-10), Charlie Cawood (99-10),
James Lewis (03-09), David Phelan (98-09), Richard
Pope (91-93), Peter Tatham (83-93), Sean Houltham
(staff). Umpires: David Byas and Mike Newhouse
(staff) and Malcolm Milne and David Nuttall (former
staff). Thank you to all concerned and fingers crossed
for next year!
was inches short going for the second – a tie.
A memorable finish to a most enjoyable tour!
Finally, thanks go to the thirty-six players and four
officials for all their support and also to the school
and the OP Association for their support in a variety
of ways.
If you are reading this and would like a game, contact
me.
(Report by M G Milne)
Results
1. Pixies 144 (J Bolam 30, J Hughes 24, A Iyer 22,
C Lambert 21). Holmesdale 144-5 (T Townend 3-7).
2. Eastbourne 203-9 (A Iyer 3-9, I Moorhouse 2-26).
Pixies 206-5 (C Suddaby 68, S Burdett 51 not out, T
Young 28, J Bolam 20).
3. Pixies 265-3 (Q Hughes 67, J Bolam 65 n.o., J
Hughes 59 n.o., M Atkinson 48). Haywards Heath
177 (A Iyer 3-4, S Burdett 2-13, C Suddaby 2-13, J
Burrows 2-19).
4. Pixies 169-7 (M Picknett 85, M Townend 33 n.o.,
P Balderson 29). Marden 167 (P Balderson 2-5, P
Massie 2-26).
5. Pixies 348-6 (J Bolam 120,T Young 96, S Burdett 40,
M Picknett 25). Hastings 300 (P Balderson 4-48).
6. Ashford 354-1. Pixies 354-7 (J Bolam 104, P Massie
63, T Young 52 n.o., J Hughes 51).
OP Hockey
After days of rain, the weather was kind to us on
Sunday 17 March when OPs took to the astros for the
annual OP v School hockey matches. Staff members
David Byas, Sarah Metcalfe and Peter Horne umpired
the games with the OP men’s team playing two halves
of 30 minutes and the OP ladies playing three sessions
of 20 minutes.
The ladies played some challenging hockey with the
return of OP regulars Olivia, Charlotte, Laura, Jess,
Lydia, Fran and Helen. Sophia and Lucy were playing
for OPs for the first time and made a real impact with
some good attacking play and a great goal by Lucy.
Further goals were scored by Laura and Lydia and
some great defensive work by OPs, who were playing
without a goalkeeper for the entire match, kept the
score at a 3-3 draw on the final whistle. Special thanks
to parent Janet Anderson for stepping in at the last
minute to play for the OPs.
The OP men’s team had some strong individual
players in the squad again this year as well as the
welcome return of Adam and Ed who have not been
able to make it back in recent years. 2012 leavers John
MC, Andrew J and Sam made their debut for OPs
along with Joe and Tom, adding strength and depth to
the squad. During the first half OPs struggled to get
into their stride and despite good pressure around
the goal area they could not produce a score. After
a productive team-talk at half-time the OPs were
much more organised in the second half and played
some competitive hockey. However, the school side
was too strong in the end and despite some excellent
goalkeeping from Andrew J for the OPs, the school
team were the victors with the final score standing
at 3-0.
OP Ladies’ Team 2013
Lucy Butcher (96-05), Helen Bayram (03-07), Olivia Byas (99-08), Charlotte Flint (97-08), Laura Horne (01-08),
Jess Blake (03-10), Lydia Edwards (99-10), Fran Rickatson (99-10), Sophia Eggleston (04-12), Janet Anderson
(current parent!)
After the matches everyone gathered in the pavilion
for a drink and a catch-up to round off a great
morning. Thank you to all those who took part or
came along to watch.
Athletics records
Our article in the last magazine on school records
has created a lot of interest, not least in updating the
distances and times we published. Thank you to Geoff
Kelly (48-56) and Tim Slater (55-66) for news on the
long jump. Tim broke Geoff ’s ten-year-old record in
1966 jumping 21 feet, ten and three-quarter inches.
In doing this Tim became, and still is, only the third
person in the history of the school long jump to hold
the record. In 1891, H M St C Tapper, later a Canon,
jumped 20 feet and ten inches and this extraordinary
distance, for its time, remained unbeaten until 65 years
later when Geoff Kelly broke 21 feet. So, a challenge
for current pupils: the long jump has had only three
record holders in over 120 years. Is there someone
who can become the fourth holder?
Tim Slater also reminds us that in the sixties the
school was formidable opposition in competitions
and at one time was unbeaten in forty inter-school
matches. The AAA ranked Pocklington third in the
country behind Lancing and Denstone.
OP Men’s Team 2013
John Skinner (75-82), Mark Robson (93-00), Ed Gale (93-03), Adam Haines (93-03), Stuart Boneham (98-05),
Andrew Welton (96-06), Mike West (01-08), Sam Knight (01-08), Joe Michniewicz (98-09), George Pollard (0310), Thomas Beachell (04-11), Sam Berridge (05-12), John Micklem Cooper (05-12), Andrew Johnson (05-12)
20
OP Sport
OP Tennis
Rain did not stop play for the OP tennis matches
against School which took place later in the day at the
OP Summer Reunion on Sunday 23 June 2013. There
was a good turnout of OPs this year and an even
number on both sides, meaning that the staff member
co-ordinating it, Trevor Loten (70-80), was not able
to play this year (sorry Trev!). The ladies were evenly
matched against the school pairs as reflected in the
final score of 2-2. The men’s team was more mixed
with James Bisson and Louis Los, the strongest pair for
OPs, remaining undefeated in all their matches. This
wasn’t enough to hold back a solid performance from
the school team and the final score was 6-3 to school;
although, technically speaking, the school was aided
by OP and former 1st team tennis player Max Los,
who stepped in to play for the school at short notice!
No hard feelings though!
OP Ladies’ Team 2013
Sophie Duncan (05-12), Hattie Lord (05-12), Jenny
Owen (97-08) and Charlotte Flint (97-08)
OP Men’s Team 2013
James Bisson (04-12), Louis Los (99-10), James
Sweeting (81-88), Ed Sweeting (84-91), Matthew
Smith (87-97), Ben Dawes (01-10), plus Max Los
(98-09) on loan to the school!
Thank you from everyone at the Old Pocklingtonian
Association to Trevor Loten and Goldie Cosby (née
Rayley) for their support with the event and for
organising the teams on the day.
Mark Ronan, Headmaster, and Tom Nash, OP President, present the winning team with the President’s Cup
Second Annual Pocklingtonian Golf Day
Another good day was had by all the teams who
took part in this year’s annual golf tournament at The
Oaks Golf Club. The Nutt family once again looked
after us all very well and the weather held out for
most of the day. Main sponsors S G Petch provided
an entertaining hole-in-one competition for the main
prize of a Fiat 500 car on the 7th hole, but despite the
players’ best efforts the car was sadly returned to the
garage at the end of the day! Other sponsors were
Turners Garage Ltd, Grays & Co and Filplastic. Sixteen
teams of four players of all ages and abilities took part
in the golf day this year, including many OPs, current
and former parents as well as a staff team, all battling it
out for the President’s Cup and having lots of fun and
banter along the way! Here are the results:
2nd Prize: The Oaks – Ed Nutt (95-06), Jack Bolam
(95-05), Alex Pinion (95-06), Joe Butcher (94-06)
3rd Prize: All the President’s Men … and a Woman
– Tom Nash (68-77), Nick Baines, Alison King, Stan
Anderson
Nearest the pin: Dan Atkinson (04-11)
Nearest the pin in two: Oliver Smith (07-12)
Longest drive: Andrew Welton (96-06)
1st Prize and The Tom Nash President’s Cup Winners
2013: D and 3 A’s – Aiden Beattie, Darren Beattie
More photos from the event can be found on the
OP website and news of next year’s golf day will be
announced soon, so watch this space and hope that
as many OPs as possible will be able to support the
event by entering a team or sponsoring a prize.
Laura Appointed by Rounders
England
OP Golf Society Welcomes
New Players
Laura Horne (01-08) was recently appointed by
Rounders England to coach the U14 England squad.
The OP Golf Society would like to welcome some
new players to its ranks. If you play off scratch or
better and would be interested in playing for the OPs
in the Grafton Morrish tournament or the Birkdale
Bucket competition, please contact Alex Lewis (8594) via the OP Office as new players of all ages, but
particularly younger players, are being recruited. On
offer is some great golf on some of the best courses
in the country accompanied by good food, beer and
banter with fellow OPs.
Laura got into rounders during her time at Pocklington
and was sent for trials, working her way up through
the age groups to make the senior squad in 2011.
In 2008 she attended a rounders coaching course
and in 2009 was asked, with another player, to take
on the U16 South national team. Laura takes up her
position as U14 National Squad Coach with Sophie
Calvert who will be joining her as Assistant Coach.
Each of the coaches are qualified and chosen for
their commitment, enthusiasm and motivational skills.
Through the season Laura will be using the skills from
her coaching qualifications to encourage every player
to perform to the best of their ability, to increase their
confidence and to deliver skills and tactics training to
enhance the team performance.
21
(89-00), Anita Beattie, Adrian Glew
Edmund Wins French Open Junior
Doubles Title
British tennis hopes for the future were raised back
in June when Kyle Edmund (02-06) won the boys’
doubles title at the French Open in Paris to become
the first British champion there for 31 years.
Kyle and his partner, Portugal’s Frederico Ferreira
Silva, added to their US Open boys’ doubles title with
a repeat performance in Paris, beating the Chilean
pair Christian Garin and Nicolas Jarry in straight sets
6-3, 6-3. Kyle, who also reached the quarter-finals of
the junior singles tournament, is the first British player
to win a title at Roland Garros since John Lloyd’s
mixed doubles victory partnering Australia’s Wendy
Turnbull in 1982.
Webber Captains England
OPs and everyone at Pocklington School and
Pocklington Rugby Club were delighted that Rob
Webber (94-04) was appointed captain of England
for the first time in May this year. Bath hooker Rob, 26,
led his country to a 40-12 victory over the Barbarians
at Twickenham as they played in an uncapped warmup match in preparation for their tour of South
America. Deputy Headmaster Andrew Dawes spoke
“It’s a nice feeling to win at any level but after our win
at the US Open it’s great to be able to do it again at
Roland Garros,” commented Kyle. He also tweeted
after the match “Thanks for the tweets of kind words!
Very happy I was able to win with Fred” in response
to a plethora of congratulatory tweets from the
Old Pocklingtonian Association (@PocklingtonOPs),
Pocklington School (@PockSchool), OPs and pupils.
Since his win, there has been increased press coverage
of Kyle who went on from the French Open to
compete at Queen’s and Wimbledon. At Wimbledon
he got to the semi-finals of both the boys’ singles and
doubles tournaments and is growing in confidence as
he continues to gain experience against some of the
world’s top young players. Watch this space!
of the school’s honour at seeing an ex-pupil captain
his country. He said: “All of us at Pocklington School
are enormously proud of Rob.”
Rob, who joined Bath last season from London club
Wasps, went on to play in England’s two test matches
in Argentina as part of the summer tour. He has also
been selected for the England Saxons which form
part of Stuart Lancaster’s 65-man Elite Player Squad.
22
OP Social Events and Reunions
OP Events in Photos
Over the last year successful OP Association dinners
and reunions were held in Leeds, London, Newcastle,
Cambridge and at school with each one being unique
and thoroughly enjoyable. Read more about them
on the OP website (Events > Past Events) and take
a moment to look through some photo highlights
below.
1977 Leavers’ 35-Year Reunion
Joan Gough (75-77) and Jane Millar (née Duggleby,
75-77) organised two tables of ’77 leavers at the OP
London Reunion last year for the group’s 35-year
reunion. “A few of us have been going along to the
London Dinner quite regularly over the last few years
so we thought that it would make sense for us to try
and get a few more of us to come along for our 35year anniversary. Jane and I have been friends since
our school days and have always kept in touch so
we decided to put ourselves forward to organise it.
It helps that I work in the OP Office, but between us
we found that we were already in contact with quite
a few from our year so we soon filled the tables,”
explained Joan. “We had such a good night and the
London Dinner was the perfect event to come to
for our reunion. We would definitely recommend it
1993 Leavers’ 20 Year Reunion
Andy Rose (86-93) has done a great job in recent
years of keeping in touch with the ’93 leavers and
has organised several gatherings in the run-up to the
group’s big 20-year reunion which took place on the
OP Summer Reunion weekend in June. The focus for
the get-together was a drinks reception followed by
a meal at local Indian restaurant Sonali in Pocklington
on Saturday 22 June. Over 30 OPs came along and a
guest appearance from Iain McDougall added to the
evening. The group had an excellent time with many
saying how pleased they were that they had made the
effort to be there.
23
to other year groups who are thinking of organising
a reunion.”
Association is also delighted to welcome the very
talented pianist Alexandra Dariescu (01-03) who will
perform at the dinner. Read the earlier article about
Alexandra – you will not want to miss the opportunity
to see this amazing young pianist perform. Early
booking is recommended as tables are selling fast!
This year’s London Dinner will be held at the
Lansdowne Club in Mayfair on Friday 22 November
and we are grateful to Charles Marshall (98-09) for
his help in booking the venue for our event. The OP
The following day a number of ’93 leavers also came
along to the OP Summer Reunion at school and
enjoyed reminiscing during a school tour and catching
up with former and retiring teachers and their families
who were also at the lunch, including David and
Yolande Nuttall, Malcolm Milne, Derek Whilesmith,
Peter and Liz Edwards and Iain, Mary, Iona and Struan
McDougall. “It was fantastic to see everyone in
Pocklington last week. I can’t believe how quickly 20
years has gone – and how the banter is just the same
... I’d be up for getting together at one of the 500th
anniversary events next year, if others are up for it too
and I am sure they are,” commented Andy.
Look out...
ary events
and quincenten
for more OP
r details.
e back cover fo
se
–
4
/1
13
20
in
1988 Leavers’ 25-Year Reunion
James Sweeting (81-88) stepped up to the plate to
organise a 25-year reunion for the class of ’88 during
the weekend of the OP Summer Reunion in June.
The main event for the reunion was a meal out for
over 40 of the year group at Café Rouge in York on
Saturday 22 June followed by lunch and tours of the
school for those who were able to stay on for the
OP Summer Reunion on Sunday 23 June. Julian ‘JJ’
Allen (81-88) commented “I am so glad I committed
to come and it was lovely to catch up with everyone
again. Some had changed a lot and others scarily not
at all. It is also really nice to be back in touch with
people again although we all reverted to type and
stayed out far too late for middle-aged men. I look
forward to the next one!”
James was equally pleased with how the weekend
went. “It was great to get such a good turnout for the
reunion. Once a few people had signed up to come,
it snowballed from there. We had a great time and
I would recommend it to any other OPs out there
who are thinking about organising a reunion for their
year group, and the OP Office was very helpful.” The
’88 leavers are now intending to get together again in
five years’ time for their 30th anniversary.
Announcements and Notices
Engagements
Will Cowley (98-07) to Nadia Smith (02-07)
James Hill (87-97) to Alexandra Gilmore of Stretton
on Fosse
James Hopwood (95-04) to Anna Skilbeck of Escrick
Tom Jameson (95-03) to Kathleen Winzoski
of Vancouver, Canada
Henry Mitchell (91-02) to Ella Post of Chesham
Lewis Papa (96-03) to Claire Potter
Lucy Shinkins (99-06) to Andrew Hardcastle
Charles Smith (98-09) to Paula Coates
Ed Smith (90-01) to Polly Gough
James Stephenson (87-97) to Lucinda Cawood (97-06)
Jonathan Sutton (89-92) to Katie Briggs (94-01)
Rachel Towse (98-05) to David Davenport of Rugby
Rebecca Triffitt (96-98) to Andrew Lasota
Charles P Wood (88-98) to Melissa Brewer
of Old Malton
Marriages
Natalie Binks (96-03) to Chris Lazenby, May 2013,
at Pocklington School Chapel. OP Bridesmaids were
Beth Goodliff (neé Binks, 93-00) and Stephanie
Atkin (98-05).
Richard Booth (92-02) to
Georgina Chapman (96-06)
June 2013, at Sledmere Church.
The reception was at the bride’s
parents’ farm, Fimberfield Farm,
Fridaythorpe. Bridesmaid was
Lucinda Cawood (97-06), Ushers
were Mat Webber (94-02),
Henry Mitchell (91-02), Simon Hornby (01-06) and
William Chapman (98-04). There were also a further
20 OPs in attendance as guests.
Nick Crossley (89-97) to Jenny Lovel of Hutton
Cranswick, May 2012, at Burythorpe House, Malton.
Christopher Hanson (97-05)
to Elizabeth Watts, April 2013
at Rochester Cathedral. Daniel
Wright (97-04) was Best Man,
Tom Glover (94-05) was Usher
and Father of the Groom was
Robert Ward (52-62).
David Hill (90-97) to Louise,
May 2013 at St.Andrew’s Church,
Ham Common, Richmond. Neil
Hill (90-95) was Best Man. Music
provided by Matthew G Smith
(87-97).
James Izzard (93-00) to Rebecca
Poad, April 2013 at Oulton Hall,
Leeds. OPs in attendance were
Alistair McHenry (89-00), Tim
Brooks (89-00), Emma Larard
(née Shipley, 95-02), Rob Larard
(95-00), Mark Bloor (91-00),
David Bloor (91-01) and Daniel
Izzard (93-01).
Rob Larard (95-00) to Emma Shipley (95-02), August
2012, St Peter’s Church, Hutton.
The reception was at Willerby
Manor. James Machin (93-00)
was the Best Man, David Larard
(92-97) and Michael Larard (9702) were Ushers and Father of
the Bride was Anthony Shipley
(67-72). There were many other
OPs in attendance.
Tim Nettleton (98-03) to
Marion Henley (96-03), May
2013, All Saints’ Church, Market
Weighton. Usher was Chris
Mawer (98-03), Bridesmaids
were Emma Nettleton (94-05),
Rebecca Henley (91-98) and
Caroline Wheldon (née Henley,
93-00), Father of the Bride
Richard Henley (58-67), Father of the Groom Peter
Nettleton (49-58), and MC John Nettleton (78-89).
There were many more OPs in attendance as guests.
Joshua Papa (96-03) to Amy
Wong (96-03), April 2013, at
Blackbrook in Derbyshire. OPs
in attendance included Best Man
Lewis Papa (96-03), Ushers David
Barrett (92-03), Christopher
Barrett (91-02), Fergus Purtill
(94-03), Guy Rowe (92-03),
Bridesmaids Stephanie Wong
(00-07) and Anita Wong (98-05). There were also
many other OPs attending as guests.
Amy Pressland (94-01) to
Eric Godoy, June 2012, at
Goldsborough
Hall,
North
Yorkshire.
Heather
Rodgers
(90-00)
to Christopher Burlton, April
2013 at Dunnington Church.
Mark Rodgers (90-01), Natalie
Doherty (née Clark 96-00)
and Catherine Maitland (92-98)
were in attendance.
Kathryn Stephens (92-99) to
James Grandy of Wexford, Ireland,
April 2013, Birdsall Church, North
Yorkshire.
Paul van Dijk (92-03) to
Stephanie Welton, September
2012, at St. Stephens Church,
Newport, East Yorkshire. Best
Man was Will Sherwood (92-03)
and Rosanna van Dijk (99-10)
was a Bridesmaid. Also present
were Barnaby Patchett (92-03),
Joe Oughtred (93-03), Stephen Orridge (96-03) and
Neil Readman (74-76).
Toby Vinnell (87-94) to Joanna Wood, May 2012. Carl
Eden (87-94), Alex King (88-94), Anthony Emmet
(87-94), Guy Weston (87-94) and Stuart Sykes (8794) were amongst the guests.
Fiona Wassell (95-02) to Stewart Kiddie, September
2012
24
Announcements and Notices
Births
the front quad. Upon leaving Pocklington he joined
Ford Tractor division and only spent a couple of years
in England before working in Athens, Karachi and
Singapore. He retired to North Island, New Zealand.
Tim Booth (89-99) and
Amy, a daughter, Kiri Isla
Keddie, January 2013
John Burrans (89-94)
and Ella Searle (wife), a
son, Hector Peter Searle
Burrans, January 2013
Sam Hill (02-09) and Rachel Sellers, a daughter, Mia,
a sister for Elle, January 2013
Fiona Kiddie (née Wassell, 95-02) and Stewart, a
daughter, Luvinia Catherine, January 2012
Lucy Knock (95-97) and Gabriel Horgan, a daughter,
Isobel Hebe Rose, January 2012
Stacey McVeighty (93-98) and Sheridan Ramskill, a
daughter, Mia, July 2012
Edward Shaw (84-93) and Lanna, a son, Alexander,
April 2012
Nikki Scott-Somers (née Whatford, 91-98) and
Alistair, a daughter, Suzanna Jay, July 2013
Deaths and Obituaries
Keith Appelbee OBE (42-50)
of Caernarfon, February 2013
Robert Paul Cherry (55-65)
of Northland, New Zealand, June 2013
Dudley Stephen Doy (54-58)
of Lincoln, December 2011
Roderic Field (57-66)
of Bury, Lancashire, February 2012
Mark Eliot Fisher OBE, MVO, RDI (58-65)
London, June 2013
James Brian Gilyead (49-56)
of Hertfordshire, February 2013
Philip Rodger Green (53-58), 1986
of Perth, Australia
Brian Sidney Hobson (41-43)
of Newcastle, December 2012
James Richard Hodgson (55-64)
of Harrogate, August 2012
John Leslie Kitchen (42-49)
of Chichester, May 2012
Christopher J Mason (53-61)
of Brussels, January 2013
Peter Hopley Massie (42-48) of the Cayman Islands
Albert Dennis Moody (43-46)
of Wakefield, January 2013
Christopher William Cotgrave Mossop (34-38)
of Ilminster, Somerset, March 2013
Addison Hedley Pickles (32-36)
of Whitley Bay, December 2012
John Leslie Silkstone (56-63) of Wetherby, July 2012
Hugh Brian Geoffrey Vodden (68-76)
of North Ferriby, July 2013
25
Obituaries
Keith Appelbee (42-50) a boarder, brought up in
Malton, he was a senior prefect, in the athletics team
and shooting VIII and stage manager for the Dramatic
Society. He became a Dolman Exhibitioner to St.
John’s College, Cambridge where he read mechanical
sciences. Whilst there he took up rowing, becoming
a keen oarsman, spending many happy hours on the
Cam. He joined Metro Vickers as a trainee and was
soon involved in projects such as the construction of
the large Indian factory. He stayed with the company
(and its successors) for the next forty years, managing
several divisions principally associated with export.
During the last ten years of his working life he was
MD of GEC Alsthom Traction. When he retired
in 1993 he was awarded the OBE for services to
Engineering and Export.
One of Keith’s closest friends at school was Gus
Weeden. They later shared rooms at St. John’s. Gus
recalls: “We were both prefects in Dolman when Jim
Eggleshaw was senior housemaster. We were secret
smokers and enjoyed pipes rather than cigarettes.
However, one evening Eggleshaw detected the
unmistakeable shape of a pipe in each of our jackets
and we were temporarily reduced to the ranks!”
Practical jokes abounded in their shared rooms at
Cambridge. These usually involved water – a teapot
fixed to the ceiling, linked by string through several
pulleys into a back room suddenly dispensed a stream
of cold water onto Gus as he relaxed in the armchair
with the newspaper. The response some days later
was a large saucepan rigged in such a way that as
Keith opened a door the pan discharged water,
saturating him from head to foot. After examining
the contraption Keith pronounced it a mechanical
success.
He also found time to be a Governor of the school
for over thirty years and was a strong supporter of
the Old Pocklingtonian Association. He was married
with a daughter and three sons, two of whom, Richard
(72-77) and James (81-83) are OPs.
Robert Paul Cherry (55-65) Paul attended school
with his identical twin brother, Simon. He was captain
of shooting in 1965 when Pocklington School was the
Bisley National Schools Champion. Some OPs may
remember the large silver trophies displayed in the
Library (formerly the gym and now the chapel) off
Mark Eliot Fisher (58-65) Mark Fisher was an
acclaimed creator of live rock shows. He effectively
invented the notion of rock concerts as theatre,
creating elaborate, spectacular and complex stage sets
for artists including Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, U2
and Madonna and a multimedia show to inaugurate
the Millennium Dome in 1999. He also designed
the opening and closing ceremonies for the Beijing
Olympics in 2008 and was executive producer for the
London Olympics in 2012.
His family lived in Lincolnshire and so he came to
Pocklington as a boarder. He was often involved in
escapades and following a go-karting accident aged
about fifteen he had his kneecaps replaced with metal
ones. As a result he could get a magnet to stick on
his knees!
He became very involved in drama and was soon
assisting Mike Stevenson and others with stage
management and productions. The plays included
Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” and Robert
Bolt’s “A Man for all Seasons”. He also did the sound
effects for the 450th anniversary “Pageant” and
held the unofficial title of “Pyrotechnical adviser”
to the Dramatic Society. When he left school Mike
Stevenson wrote: ”He will be much missed; his work
behind the stage has contributed enormously to the
success of several productions … china falling from
bookcases, unexpected explosions from the wings
and surrealistic sound effects will never again possess
the same devastating violence.”
He was also a member of the CCF and Richard Lyon
(57-67) and Leon Morris (58-65) recall assisting Mark
with a choreographed display for the annual inspection,
where on this occasion fire-fighting skills were going
to be displayed. A building had been constructed
of railway sleepers with a corrugated iron roof and
stuffed full of oily rags. Mark ignited this with a mixture
of sodium chlorate and sugar wired up to car battery
terminals. There was a large explosion and the welldressed visiting VIPs and parents were showered with
clods of earth. David Nuttall’s face turned an ashen
grey but, after a long and pregnant pause, the visiting
colonel said “Jolly good show,” saving Mark from the
Headmaster’s possible wrath.
He gained a Distinction in A-level Art and went on
to the avant-garde Architectural Association School
in London. He eschewed a conventional design career
when he left college in the early 1970s, working
instead on the set design for the rock musical “Jesus
Christ Superstar”. His break came when he was
asked to make an inflatable menagerie for Pink
Floyd’s “Animals” tour of 1977, which confirmed the
band as the masters of stadium rock. But it was his
design for the ex-Floyd member Roger Waters’ oneoff concert in Berlin in 1990 that catapulted him to
fame. Waters gave a performance of the group’s 1979
album The Wall at the site of the Berlin Wall in the
Potsdamer Platz. To mark the occasion, Mark (with his
then partner, Jonathan Park) built the largest set in the
world from 2,500 styrofoam bricks stretching 550ft
across what had been No-man’s-land. The concert
featured the demolition of a monumental 60ft wall
by a 100ft helium-filled inflatable pig and cost $16
million.
For U2’s epic world tour launched in Las Vegas in
front of 40,000 fans in 1997, he designed the kind
of preposterous spectacle that defines the desert
gambling city. The set was dominated by a 100ft
golden arch supporting the group’s enormous PA rig.
Stage-right was a cocktail stick of equally monstrous
proportions, on the tip of which sat an illuminated
olive, 12ft in circumference. The world’s largest
video screen, 150ft wide and 50ft high, served as a
backdrop, conjuring images of consumer culture by
means of one million separate LED fittings. But the
biggest surprise was a rotating mirror-ball lemon, 35ft
in diameter that shimmered out along a track into the
audience and opened to reveal the group. “It’s the
carnival, the circus,” he explained. “The grail is to give
the audience something spectacular it really didn’t
expect.”
bridge linking two parts of the set, only for Keith
Richards to respond: “What the f*** do we want that
for?” But when Mark returned ten months later with
an animation illustrating the same idea, Richards said:
“That’s fantastic; we gotta have one of those.”
Although best known as a rock venue designer, Mark
also designed the Queen Victoria Memorial stage at
Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s diamond jubilee
in 2012; the opening ceremony for the 2010 Asian
Games in Guangzhou; and the opening and closing
ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He
was executive producer for the London 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies.
For his work on the Millennium celebrations he was
awarded an OBE in 2000. In 2002 he was appointed
MVO for his contribution to the Queen’s golden
jubilee celebrations. “I try to find a narrative thread
in everything we do and use colloquial visual language
to express it. With popular culture, if the audience
don’t understand what they’re looking at, the game is
lost.” With the bespectacled look of a mad professor,
he admitted to thinking of himself a rock star manqué
but never took his work too seriously. After all, he
would joke, rock set design is no more than “the
invention of the unnecessary by the unemployable”.
He died in Hampstead and is survived by his wife,
Cristina Garcia.
With the Rolling Stones, he worked most closely with
drummer Charlie Watts – himself a former graphic
designer – as well as with Mick Jagger, who considered
set design crucial to how the Stones maintained their
provocative, contemporary edge. It was not always an
easy relationship: for the band’s “Bridges To Babylon”
tour in 1997, for example, Mark proposed a telescopic
Phillip Rodger Green (53-58). We have recently been
informed of the death of P R Green who sadly died in
1986. His contemporaries, John Harper (55-64) and
Pavlik Thompson (56-64), write: Phillip Rodger Green
was born on 9 August 1941. In the early 1950s he
sailed with his family to Brazil, where his father was
due to take up a post with Reckitt and Colman in
São Paolo. In 1953 Phillip and his family embarked
on the “Highland Chieftain” landing at Tilbury on 7
May 1953.
He started at Pocklington in the 3rd form, boarding
at Lyndhurst. His school number was 232, and he was
placed in Wilberforce Games House. In 1954 he was
a boarder at Dolman.
He was a very successful member of the school
swimming team, and in summer 1956 took the school
junior record for the 50 yards backstroke with a tie of
41.8 seconds, later that year winning the Donald Tyre
Junior Challenge Cup.
In 1957 he became a member of the senior swimming
team, competing with success then and in 1958. He
was awarded a 6th form tie in Lent 1958. He was a
marksman in the CCF and played in the Military Band.
He left school aged 16, on 29 July 1958.
A note in the summer 1964 Pocklingtonian Personalia
states that “he has just returned from 5 years
in São Paolo, Brazil, where he has been training
manual workers for J&P Coates, the cotton thread
manufacturers. He has enjoyed swimming, surfriding, badminton and has played for Brazil against
Argentina at rugby. Just before leaving for England
he had completed an interesting overland trip to
Asuncion, Paraguay, by train, bus, horse and finally by
river steamer.”
For the central arena of the Millennium Dome at
Greenwich in 1999, he had at his disposal an area the
size of Trafalgar Square, high enough to accommodate
Nelson’s Column. Attracted by something so huge
spatially but physically ethereal he devised a 20minute show in which he completely filled the space
with constructions of lightweight materials.
Until the 1990s, rock concert sets were built entirely
from scaffolding, requiring gangs of roadies at every
venue. By the end of the century almost every set was
assembled from a kit of prefabricated parts rented
from specialist suppliers, halving the requirement for
casual labour. He recognised that technology had
revolutionised the live music experience, and that
fans spent much more on tickets than they had in
the past. A band like Pink Floyd, for example, might
play 110 gigs in venues each holding around 20,000
people. With the average cost of a ticket set at £75,
production and touring costs of £37 million were far
outstripped by potential ticket sales of £165 million.
“It’s all about economics,” Mark explained. “For the
sums to add up on a major tour, an artist needs to
play three to four concerts a week, and to keep the
price of the set below $1 million per gig.
but very rewarding. Their sense of humour has not
always been mine but they have made me laugh on
so many occasions.” He was married for forty-eight
years to Gillian and they had two sons Robin and
James. He was also a frequent attendee at Oxford
and London reunions.
James Brian Gilyead (49-56) was brought up in the
town and although most of his adult life was spent
outside Yorkshire he retained his local links, one
of which was as a York City supporter. Indeed, this
interest, and an early wish to be a journalist, led to
him watching York from the press box for both home
and away matches and then phoning in the report
immediately afterwards, with the paper then on the
streets an hour after the final whistle. But it was
teaching that eventually drew him and, after training
at Westminster College and short-term experience
in a few schools, Brian joined a boys prep school,
Aldwickbury, in Harpenden. He spent thirty-nine years
there where he taught history, RS and a lot of games.
He introduced tennis to the school and a number of
successes were achieved at annual IAPS tournaments.
He was the London area organiser for IAPS athletics
and was also a founder member of the English Schools
Ski Association. In this role he organised numerous ski
trips to the Tirol and Val Cenis. He loved his pupils and
once said of them: “Boys come in all shapes and sizes.
They have been pleasant, funny, infuriating, rude, lazy
Green went out to Perth, Australia, in the late 60s or
70s, but it is not known precisely when. Very little is
known of his activities for the last 20 years of his life.
He died in 1986, and is buried in an unmarked grave
in Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth. Plans are being made
by friends and relatives to erect a memorial for him.
JGH and PT.
Brian Sidney Hobson (41-43) was from Cottingham
where his family ran the Railway Hotel. He spent
three years at Pocklington, leaving aged sixteen to join
the family business in Hull. He remained very proud
of the school and for the solid grounding it gave him.
In his later years, although then living in Heaton close
to Newcastle, he was a regular visitor to summer
reunions.
James Richard Hodgson (55-64) known as Richard, he
came from an RAF family and so his early childhood
was an itinerant one. He was a boarder and after
parental postings in Germany and around the UK
26
Personalia
the family eventually settled near Whitby. He was a
member of the unbeaten 1st XV captained by Jeremy
Shaw, playing prop, and was also in the athletics team.
He went on to qualify in law and became a solicitor in
Harrogate specialising in family matters. In later life he
decided on a complete change and went into outside
catering and built a business that had contracts with
all the Yorkshire racecourses.
John Leslie Kitchen (42-49) Leslie was a Day Boy
from the town. He excelled at athletics and in his final
year won the steeplechase, mile, half-mile and long
jump. He was also a three-quarter in the 1st XV. He
proceeded to Reading University and spent his leisure
time distance running, becoming the university cross
country champion and winning many races at this
event in inter-varsity competitions. A horticulturist,
he joined the Ministry of Agriculture in Camborne,
where he focused on the development of bulbs and
broccoli, also playing rugby for the town side. Known
as Les to family and friends, he married Anthea in
1958 and they had two daughters. He returned to
Yorkshire for a time, based at Cawood, horticulture’s
principal research centre in the UK. This was followed
by a move to the East Malling Research Station in
Kent where he was responsible for experimental
development in glasshouses. He and Anthea lived in
Chichester in retirement, where, not unnaturally, he
immersed himself in his love of gardening.
Peter Hopley Massie (42-48) and his brother
Alan came to the school during the war from near
Scarborough. Peter played centre in the 1st XV and
was gymnastics captain. He served in the Army where
he became a major in the Royal Corps of Signals. He
spent a large part of his life abroad in the transportation
industry where he became the Operations Director
and shareholder of a large container company which
specialised in rail, shipping and road transport. He and
his wife Judy retired to the Grand Cayman Islands in
the early 1990s where he continued to be a very
active member of Rotary. He made many friends
through other community service organisations and
clubs and was particularly active in the Hyperbaric
Chamber. He also enjoyed shooting, fishing, boating,
diving and watching international rugby. He was also
a keen member of the Cayman Radio Society and
enjoyed chatting every day to people all over the
world.
Christopher William Cotgrave Mossop (34-38) was
one of three brothers to attend the school.Their father
was an export agent based mostly in Ceylon which is
where Christopher went to immediately from school.
He returned to join the Army until 1946 and then
went back to Ceylon until retirement beckoned. He
settled in Ilminster in Somerset. His brothers (Hugh
and John, both 37-40) both predeceased him.
Don’t Forget
r next
nouncement fo
an
ur
yo
us
Send
the Old
enary issue of
year’s quincent
magazine.
Pocklingtonian
27
Pre-1970
Andrew Beckett (62-69) is still enjoying working in
engineering (signal processing for communications) in
Bristol. Beyond this he relishes trips to the Scottish
hills, where he completed a round of the Corbetts
(Scottish hills between 2,500 and 3,000 feet) in June.
Rex Belas (35-40) attended the Old Pocklingtonian
Lodge in April to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
the Consecration of the Lodge of which he is the only
surviving founder member and also which coincided
with his 60 years as a Freemason.
Derek ‘Titch’ Bradley (39-49) enjoyed his visit
to school at the OP Summer Reunion in June and
meeting up with a few friends. He is semi-retired now
at 82, but still goes down to the farm each day to help
his son Richard Bradley (69-79) with the eggs from
his c.12,000 free-range hens. He also has a herd of
Limousin cattle. His wife sadly died in March 2012 but
his daughter only lives down the field so he feels very
lucky to have family close by. He remarks that school
has certainly changed since he was there!!
Christopher Dent (61-65) retired in July 2012, after
nearly 20 years as vicar of St Andrew’s, Bedford and
40 years in ordained ministry. He and his wife Vanessa
have moved back to Kent and are living on the
coast at Deal. Vanessa is still in paid employment, so
Christopher combines his duties as a ‘house husband’
with locum work at local churches, chaplaincy at
Canterbury Cathedral, where visitors ask fascinating
questions, and being one of the bishop’s honorary
chaplains. There is also plenty of opportunity to
indulge his interests in history, archaeology and
natural history.
Courtenay Ellis (54-63) practises law as a name
partner in the international business law firm of Ellis
Weber, 818 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20006, USA, near the White House. A former
president of the British American Business Association
of Washington, DC, Courtenay has a long history of
working to help British business interests in the US.
After leaving school, Courtenay took a law degree at
St. John’s College, Oxford, then qualified as a solicitor,
serving articles with the London firm of Field, Fisher.
He then worked at the law firm Farrer & Co in
Lincoln’s Inn Fields, before emigrating to the United
States in 1970. He requalified as a lawyer in the US,
taking a Master of Laws degree in Corporation Law
at The George Washington University Law School.
He practised as an associate attorney with the major
Washington law firm of Covington and Burling, was a
partner for 20 years in the Washington office of the
international law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer
and Feld, and since 2000 has practised international
business law with the law firm of EllisWeber of which
he is a founder.
Over the years he has handled commercial and
litigation matters for many large and small businesses
in the United States, as well as sovereign government
interests. He has served as Chair of the International
Law section of the US Federal Bar Association and
as President of the Washington Foreign Law Society.
He has been listed in Who’s Who in American Law,
Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the
World. He played left wing on the all-conquering
1st Rugby XV of 1963-4! For the ‘Full Monty’ see
www.ellisweber.com/courtenay.html. He can also be
reached at [email protected].
John Emms (56-66) is retired after a career as a local
government solicitor. Since then he has written and
had published a book entitled Local Lawyers: Public
Practice - Solicitors in Local Government 1947-2012.
He describes it as “a serious, not so serious and
occasionally frankly frivolous story of the profession
– or at any rate, its professional association.”
Brian Fenwick-Smith (43-54) was recently out having
dinner and quickly discovered that the English couple
sitting next to them were Robert and Sheila Nutt,
parents of OPs Ed Nutt (95-06) and Pippa Nutt (9706).They had an enjoyable evening chatting about the
school and Brian invited them for a final nightcap at
his apartment. It’s a small world!
Brian Haigh (51-55) writes to say he is still alive and
kicking in Victoria, Australia and very much looking
forward to seeing those of his vintage next year
at both the big events (York dinner and Minster
service and the Pockfest 500 weekend). When he is
in Brisbane visiting family he sees his contemporary
Roger Dutton (47-55) and they enjoy lunch and/or a
game of golf together.
David Hall (47-54) recently resigned as chairman of
a farming estate in Norfolk and is currently chairman
of an IT company in Leeds. He describes his sporting
activity as having descended to watching cricket and
second division football and regularly playing flat
green bowls.
Robin Hall (53-61) lives near Tower Bridge
in London. He retired a few years ago from
PricewaterhouseCoopers after ten years in Moscow.
He has not retired from music and sings for the
London Symphony Chorus and plays bassoon in
several bands and orchestras. In 2012 he attended
a reception at Churchill College for the unveiling of
a plaque commemorating Canon Noel Duckworth
(58-61) who was a former chaplain at Pocklington
School before his time at Churchill College. Noel’s
nephew, James Duckworth (47-57), unveiled the
plaque.
David Horner (60-68) is now living in Verbier,
Switzerland. He recently visited Les Marecottes which
is not far away from his home and is the place Reggie
Allan took school ski trips to in the 1960s. He can be
contacted at: [email protected].
Malcolm Johnson (58-63) continues to practise
architecture as a Fellow of the Royal Architectural
Institute of Canada – he is just completing his own
home in Peachland, British Columbia and, with his
wife Sallie, spends half the year in Montagnac, France.
He will be in England in October 2013 for the 50th
reunion of Cambridge Architectural Graduating Class
of 1963 and is looking forward to visiting Yorkshire
and Pocklington again. He still follows YCC and tests
on the internet!
David Kingham (53-59) attended Sutton Coldfield
Art School and Birmingham College of Graphic
Design after leaving Pocklington. Following a career
in advertising in New York City he retired to the
Charente region of France and started to paint again.
He exhibited for the first time at an annual Charente
Arts Exposition, ‘Echallarts 2013’. The exhibition took
place in August in Echallat near to his home. He
showed ten paintings at the exhibition which was his
first since moving to France. He enjoyed the challenge
of communicating effectively with the French audience
and making new contacts in the ‘domaine d’art’! A
biography and samples of work are on his website
davekingham.com.
Roger Kohn (64-69) is a micro-publisher, designer
and author of art books and magazines based in
Sunningdale, Berkshire. The world of micro-publishing
is expanding rapidly as the greatly improved quality
and eco-friendliness of digital printing has reduced
costs for small print runs. Additionally, following the
success of his book Looking For Orion (O’Brien
Press, 2007), a copy of which is in the school library,
he is now working on a follow-up, to be published in
Ireland and America in 2014, charting the work of his
friend, Rowan Gillespie, the sculptor.
Ian Leckenby (56-64) took early retirement in 1998
after 18 years with Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong) and
long-haul flying, and moved to France where the
family had a holiday home. After major renovations/
upgrades, he continued to live there in an idyllic rural
setting until June 2013. The pull of family ties and a
couple of good long-time friends finally prevailed, and
he has recently moved back to the UK permanently to
an old farmhouse outside Fairford in Gloucestershire.
He is still settling in, which he says could take some
time after 34 years abroad! He has a vet daughter
working in Swindon, another working with Barclays
in Reading, and a son, currently at Harvard Medical
School doing a two-year PhD specialising in plastic
surgery.
Michael Long (1945-50), Rev. Canon, has been
in touch to say he has moved from Norwich out
to Cromer where he has an apartment on the
windswept seafront. He was previously Canon of York
Minster and then Honorary Chaplain at Norwich
Cathedral. In retirement he has taken an appointment
in the Quintet benefice of Cromer and surrounding
villages, usually taking a service in a different venue
each Sunday.
Jim Osborne (59-65) retired last year and he and his
wife Darlene are thoroughly enjoying it. They have
lived in Victoria, British Columbia for many years which
he says is a beautiful part of the world for recreation.
Jim was recently visited by Steve Greatorex (57-63)
and his wife Christine, who have been touring and
cruising the West Coast. They stayed with Jim for a
few days, before returning to the UK. They had the
opportunity to catch up with gossip and old stories
(from the Pitts-Tucker/Eggleshaw era when they were
at school).
Peter Sawyer (55-66) hung up his laser pointer last
year after 16 years of lecturing for Wyeth and Pfizer
on drug action, critical paper reviewing and topics like
Vitamin D, and is now retired although seems busier
than ever! He lives near Thame in Oxfordshire and
avidly reads all the OP news!
W Ian Scarborough (45-52) sings with The Flying
Shepherds in Monmouthshire, a small group of twelve
who specialise in folk and early English music. He gives
concerts and sings in local churches and Newport
Cathedral. His main fundraising activity is for Hope and
Homes for Children, with the South Wales Support
Group. He is married and has lived in South Wales for
over 40 years. He enjoys family life with their three
sons and four grandchildren. As a Yorkshireman he is
pleased to say they all have a great interest in cricket!
Two of his grandchildren have Wales caps!
Tony Sever (52-62) is now retired after a career
as a software developer working for International
Computers (and its predecessors/subsidiaries/
successors). He has recovered well from a quadruple
bypass last October and is enjoying life in London
with his wife. He is still solving crosswords, though he
admits not quite as quickly as he did 30-odd years ago
(see http://tony-sever.livejournal.com/).
When he moved to London, he met his wife, Gill, in
Mill Hill. They settled in Tring, in the Chiltern Hills and
had two daughters, both now married. After school,
he played rugby for Doncaster, his REME battalion,
Bracknell and Harrow, and after marrying he played
for Tring, covering a period of 25 years. He has sung in
parish church choirs in York and Doncaster for several
years, and on moving to Tring he and Gill joined the
choral society from which they recently retired. Their
major achievement was Verdi’s Requiem at St Albans
Abbey and at Ely Cathedral. They took up playing
bowls some thirty years ago and are still enjoying
it. They have a full social life but also participate in
voluntary work for a hospice and for Age Concern
– all of which contributes to an enjoyable retirement.
Phil Wilkinson (64-70) and his wife Philippa are still
living near Hexham in Northumberland. They are
busy helping their sons Jonny and Mark with Fineside.
com, their online sports and outdoor wear company.
As it is likely to be Jonny’s final season of rugby, they
have a number of trips to Toulon planned. They also
enjoy helping Mark and his wife Annette with the
grandchildren Mattie and Ben. In his spare time Phil
goes salmon fishing on the Tyne.
Tom Stoppard (51-54) was presented with the
2013 Laurel Award for Screen at The Writers Guild
of America awards ceremony in Los Angeles in
March this year. The Laurel Award recognises lifetime
achievement in outstanding writing for motion
pictures. Tom, who has been a WGA member since
1991, won an Academy Award for his screenplay
for “Shakespeare in Love”. He has also penned the
screenplay for “Anna Karenina” and the television
series “Parade’s End” which was recently on BBC2. In
August an hour-long audio drama written by Tom to
mark the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s 1973 Dark
Side of the Moon album was aired on BBC Radio 2.
The radio play featured an all-star cast including Iwan
Rheon, Amaka Okafor, Bill Nighy and Rufus Sewell.
Malcolm J Watson (47-52) born in York, 1935, he
commuted to school by train as a dayboy and was
saddened to read in the last magazine of the death
of one of his travelling friends, Michael Andrews (4651). He enjoyed living in York and also his education
at school, participating in sports including rugby,
athletics and gymnastics. He would be pleased to
hear from some of his old friends. On leaving school,
he moved with his family to Doncaster, where, as
an apprentice, he built steam locomotives for two
years. He then moved to various places around the
country, where he learnt about electric railways. At
the same time, he was studying towards, and achieved,
an HNC in Electrical Engineering. After National
Service, he moved to London where he participated
in the electrification of British Rail. In 1966 he left
BR and joined a process engineering company. He
was involved in the design, equipment procurement
and construction liaison of various schemes which
included a penicillin fermentation plant, trans-desert
pipelines, UK offshore oil production platforms, and
water and waste water treatment works. This took
him abroad to many interesting places including
Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, and to a wide
variety of major equipment manufacturing companies
all around the UK and Europe, for whom he prepared
technical specifications and procurement orders.
Jack Wilson (39-46) has fully retired at the age of 84.
He has renewed his interest in his time at Pocklington
through exploring his family history and finding that
he was able to spend seven wonderful years as a pupil
there through the munificence of some Yorkshire
charity which no longer seems to exist and which,
indeed, seems to have left no record of itself. He was
always told that the charity was named the Yorkshire
Society of Gentlemen. If anyone has heard of such a
body Jack would be grateful for any detail they could
let him have. Some good has come of his research,
however, since he has made closer contact with the
school; he attended the Cambridge Dinner and gave
a fascinating talk to the diners about how the school
fared during the war. Best of all he enjoyed meeting
several of his contemporaries at the recent Summer
Reunion, such as Bryan Scaife (39-46), Gus Weeden
(42-49) and Peter Blacker (40-46), whom he had not
seen since 1946. This was a very moving occasion for
Jack which he hopes to repeat during the school’s
500th anniversary.
David Wood (46-54) retired from the retail motor
trade in 1999 and still has an interest in classic cars.
He and his wife Christine moved from North Leeds
to a rural village near Wetherby in 2004. Retirement
has allowed them more time to visit their son and
family in South Wales and their daughter and family
in Sydney, Australia. As a family genealogist he is a
member of the family history group of the Wetherby
U3A. He enjoyed meeting several of his school
contemporaries at the OP Summer Reunion and
looks forward to doing so again in 2014!
Dr Richard Wray (52-62) is a Deputy Lieutenant
and finally retired in 2011 after a long career as a
consultant cardiologist in Hastings and London
(Kings). He and his wife Julia now spend time in the
Lake District as well as Hastings. From 2004 he was
appointed Deputy Lieutenant for East Sussex. One
continuing interest is music and he organises “live”
music performances in Hastings (Conquest Hospital)
and Eastbourne (District General Hospital); another
is gardening in the Lake District at Holehird (the 17-
28
Personalia
acre garden of the Lakeland Horticultural Society
where he works with the Meconopsis team).
1970-1989
Simon Abel (64-75) has been living for the last 15
years in Redmond, Washington State (as opposed
to Washington DC!) about 15 miles east of Seattle.
Redmond is most famous as the home of Microsoft so
he says he is surrounded by geeks. His job as Director
of Sales for a high technology company takes him all
over the world. He has three sons, two of whom live
nearby and the third who has just graduated from
Sheffield Hallam with an honours degree in Computer
Animation. His mother lives in Pocklington so he does
still visit the area and hopes to get back next year for
some of the quincentenary events.
Julian ‘JJ’ Allen (81-88) is running a private security
company in Iraq. He is married with two young
children and living in Dubai.
Jack Arthurs (82-89) has released his first solo album
‘Only Dreams Are True’, a collection of acoustic songs
which have been described as “music to warm your
soul”’. Hear and find out more at: www.jackarthurs.
co.uk.
Colin Bell (84-89) is the CEO of InterBay Commercial
a commercial property mortgage lender and lives in
Berkshire with his family and children.
Debby Brumfield (77-79) has lived with her partner
Steve for the past ten years on the South Bayside area
of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. Currently she
works for a company called APA Group as a Program
Administrator within the Major Projects team.
APA Group is Australia’s largest gas infrastructure
business.
Peter Clarkson (68-76) is a Professor of Mathematics
at the University of Kent and has just been appointed
Head of the School of Mathematics, Statistics and
Actuarial Science. His research has applications in
areas such as “Rogue Waves” which are large and
spontaneous ocean surface waves. During the past
year he has given talks at conferences in China
(Beijing), Japan (Kyoto and Sapporo) and the USA
(San Diego).
Mike Complin (67-76) left the Army in 2012 after
many years, most of them spent travelling around
the world, and is now working for Babcock and living
with his family in rural north Dorset (his time at
Pocklington is still the longest period he has lived in
a single place!). During his travels he has met quite a
few OPs. He says there were at least five OPs at the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst at the same time in
1977 and in the 1980s he and Karl Howard (70-77)
worked together in Brunei. He was lucky enough to
serve with the Gurkhas for a number of years, in both
the Far East and the UK and is maintaining his links
with them and developing an interest in their history.
When work and family commitments allow he still
runs quite a bit and also spends time sea kayaking.
Chris Corbett (67-74) is the Director of costumed
historic walks in York (Civil war and Georgian
periods). For more information visit the website
www.musketandmuslin.co.uk.
29
Jeremy Coulson (66-71) is still teaching at a prep
school in West Sussex. He has two children; one has
just qualified as a quantity surveyor from Reading and
is about to fly the nest and the other is working in
property in London.
Martyn Craven (81-88) is Head of Forestry Land
Valuation at Telfer Young in New Zealand where he
has been living for the last 13 years. He lives with his
partner Sandra on a 2-acre block 4km out of Rotorua
which has a holiday cottage available for UK visitors
if any OPs would be interested if they are travelling
to New Zealand.
Martin Crimp (68-74) has written the libretto for a
new opera “Written on Skin”. The opera premiered
in Aix-en-Provence in 2012 and received its first UK
performance at the Royal Opera House in London
in March.
Derek Crumpton (66-74) following a career in IT,
directing the operations of medium-sized solution
providers, he now offers independent program
management to companies implementing large IT
solutions. However he tries to avoid doing this in the
summer months, preferring the tranquillity of the Lot
region in France where he enjoys cheap wine, good
food and hosting the occasional B&B guest. This of
course means that he is out of the UK at the time of
the summer OP event and was unable to join other
’73 leavers at the reunion but he sends his best wishes
to those who were there.
Matthew Durdy (79-84) has spent the last few years in
a team creating the £150m Cell Therapy Catapult, an
innovation centre dedicated to the commercialisation
of this strand of medical science. He is now its
Chief Business Officer. For further details visit the
website www.ct.catapult.org.uk or follow on twitter:
@MatthewDurdyCTC.
Peter East (73-80) lives in Chesterfield with his wife
of 22 years, Kathy. They have two children, Charlotte
(20) who is studying drama at university and Jacob
(18) who is going to university in the USA on a tennis
scholarship. Peter enjoys golf, playing off a handicap
of 9.9, and every year he officiates at the Wimbledon
tennis championships. He works as a chartered
surveyor.
Phil Gilbank (67-74) has teamed up with ex member
of staff David Stanton to help raise funds for the
Friends of All Saints’ Church in the town. Funds raised
will be used to help maintain the building and develop
its heritage through tours and displays. Phil is also
very active in “Pock 500” and is giving a lecture in the
School Library in March entitled “The Rise and Fall of
the Dolmans”.
Jeremy Goode (70-79) has just celebrated 30 years’
service with IBM UK. He is currently leading complex
IT outsourcing transformation programmes for blue
chip clients. He is married to Susan and has three
adult sons. He lives in Solihull, West Midlands.
Andrew Green (73-79) is busy running his own
butchers shop D J Horsley Falsgrave Ltd in Scarborough.
He has four children and two grandchildren.
Mark Grigg (77-84) flies Boeing 777s for British
Airways on long-haul routes and enjoys exploring
the Far East. Away from work, he flies aerobatics, is
a School Governor and takes part in TV quizzes – he
once won The Weakest Link!
Chris Haynes (78-88) has become general counsel
of FTSE 100 company International Airlines Group,
the owner of British Airways and the Spanish airlines
Iberia and Vueling.
Luke Hirst (82-92) moved to Cape Town in 2004.
He is married to Lauren and they have three children:
Callum, Cameron and Freya. He still manages to catch
up with a number of OPs when he is back in the UK
or when they are over in Cape Town on holiday.
David Hoggard (64-71) is now living back in his home
town of Malton and has started a new job as Sales
Leader for a company specialising in commercial social
media platforms. He expects to be in San Francisco
in September 2013 for Oracle World, so if any OPs
are expecting to be there, he would be glad to share
a glass of rubbish American beer!
Jon Hornsey (81-86) is currently working for UK
Power Networks in Bury St Edmunds. After getting
his law degree he drove forklifts for a year or so then
went into managing distribution centres. At UK Power
Networks he is effectively an internal consultant
designing and managing a continuous improvement
which trains and motivates front-line staff to get great
business results. Outside of work he describes himself
as a fitness junkie running obstacle races, working out
in the gym, mountain biking, etc. He also plays jazz
piano.
Jason Horsley (79-83) younger brother of Sebastian
(78-81) is an author, filmmaker, podcaster and media
storyteller. One of his recent books is Homo Sapiens:
An Occult History of DNA from Eden to Armageddon.
His film analyses can be found in magazines and
national newspapers.
Adrian Edmondson (69-75) has been busy with
a number of projects including a new series of The
Dales for ITV and Celebrity Masterchef for the BBC.
He has also been touring with his band The Bad
Shepherds who are due to perform at Pocklington
Arts Centre in December 2013 although tickets have
already sold out.
Simon Hudson (74-81) has a company, Cloud, which
is approaching its fifth year and is on track to do
its first £1m turnover, which is very exciting. The
company specialises in advanced intranet, document
management and business intelligence solutions for
business and the NHS. It also supports organisations
moving onto Microsoft Office 365 and is a wellrespected Microsoft Gold Partner. The company
employs 15 staff; the main office is in Bradford and
it operates nationally with an eye on overseas. On a
personal level Simon has a new band, Fiction (happy
to play for any OP events!), his daughter is expecting
straight As at GCSE and life is good if rather busy.
Ralph Ineson (83-88)
featured in the Channel
4
four-part
political
thriller Secret State which
explores the links between
government, the military
and big business. He also
took the part of Amycus
Carrow in Harry Potter
and the Half Blood Prince
and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and
Part II.
Tim Ingarfield (64-73) has been living in Madrid
since 1978 and works throughout Spain and South
America as a consultant and psychotherapist. He has a
daughter, Sara, who is studying psychology at Bath and
a stepson, Gonzalo, who is hoping to represent Spain
in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics at Skeet shooting. In
his free time he enjoys skiing, sailing and is learning
to fly gyrocopters. He can be found on Facebook at
Tim Ingarfield.
Nicholas Jackson (64-71) worked for 35 years as a GP
in villages to the north and east of Peterborough and
retired completely from medical work in March of this
year with no regrets! He is currently enjoying retired
life but seems to be busier than ever. Family includes
three grown-up children, one currently working in
the USA which gives him a good excuse for trips out
there amongst other holidays. He also has a grandson
whom he sees often as he and his parents live only
an hour away. His hobbies include photography and
flying radio-controlled model airplanes. He is planning
to take on some voluntary work later this year but
has not decided exactly what yet.
Keith James (65-71) retrained and went into teaching
after a varied start to his career which included
running his own business and managing three radically
different third-sector organisations. He is now head
teacher for an independent education business in
Thailand as well as being Head of English in a private
school in Bangkok. He and his wife also own their
own Thai cooking school and a small food production
business catering to expats in Thailand. He says he
must be settling down at last as he has now lived
in the Bangkok area for longer than anywhere else
in his life!
David (Dafydd) Johnston (67-74) is Professor of
Welsh at the University of Wales and Director of
the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies in
Aberystwyth. He has published extensively on Welsh
literature, including A Pocket Guide: The Literature
of Wales (1994) and Medieval Welsh Erotic Poetry
(1991).
Onno Jongkind (87-89) has been happily married
to Heidrun since 1997 and is the proud father of
Magnus (6). After Pocklington and four years at Hull
University reading European Economics he started
his working life as a management trainee at Yorkshirebased CRODA Iinternational. He describes this as
an outstanding learning ground which helped him
to form a solid base for subsequent senior positions
in the UK and overseas. This experience gave him
the confidence to set up his own company in 2007
specialising in natural ingredients: speciality oils and fats,
protein and whey products for personal care, health
care, baby food and various technical applications. In
2012 the company pushed into new markets (China/
India) and developed new product groups; for more
information please visit www.opw-ingredients.com.
In his spare time he and his wife ride their Harley
Davidson, escape on a mountain bike or on a hike in
the mountains with friends.
John Kaye (77-82) works for Glencore Grain UK Ltd
as a farm trader buying grain from farms in Yorkshire
and North East Lincolnshire. He has been with the
company since December 2003. In his spare time he
continues to play rugby for Selby RUFC and appeared
in the winning Grain Trade team at Newark in April
alongside Paul Rhodes (74-83).
Robert Kyffin (70-79) is still in Kenya with his wife
Tracey who works for the MOD as a Civil Servant
with the Army in Karen, Nairobi. Robert spends a
lot of his time coaching squash, providing IT network
administration support and training on a freelance
and unpaid basis, and being a part-time travel agent to
friends and visitors. They are not due to leave Kenya
until April 2014 which may extend to April 2015.
Any OPs intending to come to Kenya on holiday are
welcome to get in touch!
John Lamb (63-70) lives in the US but was able to take
a few days in March to go on a very enjoyable miniOP tour visiting Kevin Mercer (64-72) in Somerset,
his mum Peggy in Lincolnshire, Howard Parham
(61-68) in Cornwall, and Daryl Richardson (62-70)
in Manchester. Howard suffered a minor stroke in
2010 but luckily there are no lasting effects. Howard’s
amazing railway collection now includes some of the
station signs from the Beverley to York line, and some
from their historic 450th anniversary special train
journey from Pocklington to Stratford fifty years ago!
John and his family are all well and enjoy plenty of
summer visitors on Cape Cod where he is kept busy
otherwise supporting locally driven development
with trips to Central America and Africa.
Angus Langworthy (77-86) went to Writtle
Agricultural College in Essex to study Commercial
Horticulture after leaving school. He then travelled
around Zimbabwe and South Africa before working
for various nurseries and MAFF in the UK. He married
Angela in 1996 and they now have three children,
Isobel (15), Emma (13) and George (9). He is a
Director for Thompson Fertilisers Ltd which was
established over forty years ago and is based in Malton,
North Yorkshire. The company supplies fertiliser and
provides advice to its agricultural customers across
the UK.
Cecilian Liu (née Ng, 86-88) lives in Hong Kong.
She is married with a 13-year-old daughter and is
currently doing a Masters degree in Psychology at the
University of Hong Kong.
Mark Longley (69-79) works with Europa Services
Group as Central Services Director. He lives in
Staffordshire with his wife Sarah and daughter
Alexandria (14). He is looking to organise a 77/79
leavers’ reunion to coincide with the 500th anniversary
celebrations next year.
Stefan Ludewig (81-86) works for BT in Sheffield and
lives in South Elmsall near Doncaster. He is also working
on his dissertation for an MSc in Telecommunication
Engineering at UCL. He is married with two boys
and is a Governor at their school. He still enjoys the
odd game of rugby but is trying to concentrate on
reducing his golf handicap. He is a part-time wedding
photographer and enjoys riding his bike as often as he
can to offset his other interest in wine!
William MacKay (67-77) lives near Cambridge
and works as a specialist in British coins for Spink,
the London collectables auctioneers. He is in touch
with Robert Brimblecombe (66-75) who lives in
Cambridge. They met up through their daughters,
Elizabeth and Florence, who are both in the same year
at school in Cambridge. William is also in touch with
Tony Broomfield (68-78) who now lives in Australia.
William’s brother Andrew MacKay (66-74) retired
this year after working for Edinburgh City Council and
is enjoying life doing things closer to his home near
Haddington, East Lothian.
Marc Mason (76-85) has recently set up a new
company based in Beverley, Chauffeur Luxury, which
offers clients high-quality transport all over the
UK and Europe for any type of business or leisure
function. After school Marc did French and Business
Studies at Nottingham University and has previously
run restaurants in Hull and Beverley.
Neil Mcgregor (76-81) was one of triplets at school
at the same time. He did a degree in Fine Art at
Norwich School of Art and was then a lecturer in
painting and drawing, while continuing to do his
own paintings. In 2006 he was appointed Museums
Officer for Art at Doncaster Museum and Gallery.
His particular passion is modern British prints and
drawings, an area well represented in Doncaster’s
collection. James (76-81) did Fine Art at Manchester
and is now Head of Art at Bedford Modern School.
Ian Moir (77-84) is currently resident in Bahrain in the
Middle East going into his 18th year. He is in charge of
the alcohol division of a local company and married
his biggest customer, Karen. They now have three
daughters: Nicole, Lauren and Sophie.
Nigel Montagu (71-76) has left the Army, having
reached the rank of colonel, and is now the Chief
Executive of the Institution of Royal Engineers, one of
the Professional Engineering Institutions licensed by
the Engineering Council. He still lives in Rochester.
David Moore (78-82) has been
a motorcycle instructor from
York to Milton Keynes and back
for the last 15 years. He has also
worked as a civil and structural
engineer, a bus driver, a contracts
manager and a delivery driver.
However, it’s the bikes he loves
the most – “The freedom of two
wheels is like nothing on earth.”
The happiest day of his life was his wedding day when
he married Vicky.
Julian Morgan (68-76) is Head of the English Section
at the European School of Karlsruhe, Germany,
where he teaches Latin and Ancient Greek. He has
just released his all-new Latin course on the market.
Imperium comes with three main coursebooks,
a Grammar and Syntax Guide, and a whole set of
30
Personalia
electronic support materials which include an app
for iOS and Android devices. For details see www.
graeculus.com.
Jim Mundell (86-88) lives in Kent. After leaving
school he joined the Army as an officer in the Duke
of Wellington’s Regiment where he served for four
years. After a three-year stint managing a bar in Val
d’Isère he entered the recruitment industry and has
remained in recruitment ever since. He co-founded
Manners Maclean International Search & Selection in
2009 based in Covent Garden, London.
John Nettleton (78-89) is the Land Director for a
retirement village developer, Audley Retirement. He is
married with three children and lives near Wetherby.
Chris Nicholas (66-72) left the UK in 1987 and since
then his career in the pharmaceutical industry has
taken him and his wife to live in the United States,
South-East Asia, Brussels and Tokyo. They are now
dual American/British citizens and are settled in
Charlottesville, Virginia. They have three grown-up
children who are all now pursuing their careers in
the US. Chris is currently a co-founder and CEO of
a private biotechnology company which has just seen
its first new product brought to market in the US.
Iain Nicol (68-75) is living near Harrogate and has
been through a few turbulent years business-wise, but
is now settled in a new role opening up the European
market for a Los Angeles-based software company.
Music still figures highly in his personal life – playing a
couple of gigs a week in North and West Yorkshire as
the bassist in ‘Rock Train’, a rock covers band. He says
that it is not dissimilar to the school band with Ade
Edmondson (69-75), Ian Payne (71-75) and Dave
Ferris (70-75), just older and a bit better!
Gerry Orchard (69-75) and his wife Julie have been
living in a caravan at an altitude of 800 feet on the
North Yorkshire Moors since April 2012 whilst their
house is being totally rebuilt. They are hoping to be
moving into the house at Christmas. He works for
3M Northallerton as a Product and Process Specialist
having got a degree in Chemistry and an MBA. He is
an active runner (over 500 marathons completed!)
and walker and is general secretary of the New Lyke
Wake Club www.lykewake.org.
Richard Patchett (64-74) has been living and working
in Thailand for the past 15 years, teaching English. He
would be happy to hear from anyone from his era
at school.
Richard Pearson (81-88) is the Regional Director for
the National Farmers Union in the north-east. He is
married to Polly and they have three children who are
all doing well. He really enjoyed the 25-year reunion
for ’88 leavers organised by James Sweeting (81-88)
earlier in summer – it was good to catch up.
Paul Rhodes (73-83) is offering
opportunities for dog-loving OPs
to become home-based dog
carers with his company Holidays
4 Dogs. The company is expanding
its UK national network of homebased dog-loving carers and would
love to hear from any OPs, their
friends or relatives anywhere in the
UK who are interested in becoming a dog carer or
31
would like to find out more. Contact Paul via the OP
Office or via the Holidays 4 Dogs website.
Stephen Sellers (65-71) has recently started a
new not-for-profit enterprise, FarmBuddies, in the
south-east. The business promotes Social Farming
(aka Care Farming), which involves introducing
small accompanied groups looking to improve their
well-being to selected family farms to do half a day
a week farm work according to age, ability and
choice. This concept is well known in Holland and
some other European countries but only started
professionally around 2005 in the UK. It is still early
days for FarmBuddies, but so far over 1,000 individual
day placements by disaffected youths and adults
in recovery from substance misuse, financed by
several county councils, have produced encouraging
outcomes and consequently lifted a considerable cost
burden off council budgets. Stephen is more than
happy to answer enquiries about Social Farming for
any sector from interested parties.
John Skinner (75-82) is Chairman of North Yorkshire
Girls cricket as well as running North Stainley’s
successful junior cricket section. He continues to
play tennis for Ripon, squash for the Jesters and
Thorp Perrow, cricket and hockey, as well as being
a Governor at Harrogate Ladies College. He met up
with Nick Howdle (77-80) recently, has seen Nick
Dobson (75-82) who is a dentist in Ilkley, attended
the Leeds OP business networking lunch and played
in OP hockey; he sees Nick Pierson (76-82) amongst
others. His girls U13 team came second in a Lady
Taverners event held at Pocklington during May half
term. One day he hopes they will win it!
Nigel Skinner (75-78) is currently working as a
hypnotherapist and healer in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
He also breeds pedigree Burmese cats.
Paul Stephenson (69-79) moved three years ago from
Stratford-upon-Avon to Guildford where he is now
HR Director at the University of Surrey. He enjoyed
a great reunion two years ago with Mark Campbell
(69-79) and Jeremy Goode (70-79), returning to
Beverley to celebrate their 50ths.
Martin St Quinton (65-75) who is vice-chairman
of premiership rugby club Gloucester has been
appointed to chair the committee overseeing the
financial plans of Cheltenham racecourse’s £45m
redevelopment. He will bring his own experience in
business and finance to work with the Jockey Club
funding committee as they seek to complete the new
and extended facilities in 2015. Martin is also a nonexecutive director at Epsom.
Mike Strong (66-76) was married in 2008 to Joanna
Holmes, an equine vet. They have two children, Siena
(4) and William (1), to add to Lucy (26), Theodore
(22) and Magnus (19). Mike lives in Hampshire and is
currently employed as Sales Director for Opta Sports
in London. He still plays golf (for OPs) and squash
whenever possible. He is in regular touch with Martin
St Quinton (65-75), Larry Lawson (70-77), Chris
Pressley (72-77), Dave Morgan (68-75), Charlie
Readman (74-76) and Tim Wade (72-76).
Richard Sutton (81-88) left the UK in 1991 after
university and went to business school in Paris. He lived
there for eight years working for various companies
and then moved to Japan where he worked for just
over eight years. He has now been in Greece for
three years where he is responsible for the Greek
subsidiary of a French life insurance company. He
has been married to Emi for 17 years and they have
two children, William (13) and Henry (10). Richard
recently attended the 1988 leavers’ 25-year reunion
in York organised by James Sweeting (81-88). During
the summer he visited the school with his family to
see all the recent changes.
James Sweeting (81-88) organised a 25-year reunion
in York for his year group during the weekend of
the OP Summer Reunion in June. James has also
joined the OP Association committee. He has been
travelling a lot on behalf of his company, Lincoln &
York Ltd, looking at coffee plantations around the
world including trips to Brazil, Peru, Honduras and
Ethiopia in the last year.
Chris Talago (84-86) returned to live in York with his
wife (Melissa) and two boys about a year ago. After
eight years in the Army and another five years in
South Africa and America, he retrained in marketing
and PR. He is now EMEA regional director for
Waggener Edstrom and spends time watching his
boys play cricket and rugby, playing cricket (badly),
sailing (with even less talent) and trying to hit a golf
ball. When he grows up he wants to own a curry
shop with a whiskey distillery in the back garden.
Please email [email protected] if you’d
like to get in touch.
Harvey Taylor (84-89) has returned to Thailand
where he is currently working as IT Director at the
New International School of Thailand.
Angus Thomson (82-87) is a Consultant Obstetrician
and Gynaecologist in Worcestershire. He is married
to Lucy, a GP, and they have three boys (Ben, Joe, and
Sam). He is enjoying Worcestershire, family and being
Clinical Director lead for the department.
Brian Veitch (72-81) has been in Frankfurt, Germany
since 1991 working in the private equity industry.
Although he studied chemistry at Nottingham
University and started working at BP Chemicals,
he soon decided that developing glues and fabric
softeners was not for him! He is married to Janet
whom he met whilst at Nottingham and they have
two children. Callum is 18 and has just finished his
Abitur and French Baccalaureate and hopes to study
in Toronto and Helena is 12 and goes to a local
grammar school. Brian would love to hear from
people he was at school with.
Richard Verow (78-85) after five years as Head of
Legal at Sky Sports, he has recently taken on the
role of Commercial Director with the company. He
is responsible for rights acquisitions and relationships
with sports bodies in the UK and overseas.
Chris Watson (67-77) is Professor of Transplantation
at Cambridge, and is involved in kidney, liver and
pancreas transplantation. While at a transplant
conference in San Francisco last year he caught up
with Phil Dunning (70-77) who lives over there.
Andrew Work (69-80) is celebrating 30 years working
in telecommunications and the 10th anniversary of
his Dutch engineering company, Telecom Synergy. His
fascination with telecoms started in the 3rd form at
Pocklington, when he saw a (then) sixth former, Phil
Dunning (70-77) operating the school amateur radio
station. The antenna was at that time (1975/6) strung
between the top of the Assembly Hall and the Gym,
and was active on the 3.5MHz/80m amateur band.
Andrew is currently working on projects in Europe
and India, although the past 30 years have taken him
to more than 60 countries. He lives both in the UK
(5% of the time) and in the Netherlands.
Tony Wray (76-81) is still living in Sydney, Australia
with his wife and two teenage daughters. Last year he
sold his financial planning business and is now working
for the new owners. He hopes to be back in England
in 2014 and get a chance to visit the school again. He
recently caught up with David (Gadge) Cooper (8185) at the first Lions v Australia Test in Brisbane.
1990s to Present
Richard Abbey (85-94) has been living in Melbourne,
Australia for the last ten years. He is married with two
young daughters and works for a Swiss bank.
Amie Atkins (née Levitt, 91-95) is the Supervisory
Nurse at Wicstun Veterinary Group, Market
Weighton, now in her tenth year with the practice!
Amie married Rob Atkins in 2004 and they have two
children, George (6) and Lily (4). She plays hockey
for Hornsea Hockey Club and is also an Independent
Phoenix Trader.
Emma Baarda (03-10) is at the University of
Gloucestershire studying Events Management. She
has just completed her year in industry (3rd year)
with Compass Group, one of the largest catering and
business management companies in the world. She
was based in Cheltenham at the racecourse but was
constantly on the move around the country doing a
variety of jobs from managing events and functions
to assisting HR departments, working as a chef and
assisting accounts. Among the events she has worked
on are the Olympics/Paralympics, the Henley Regatta
and Glyndebourne.
Oliver Barber (00-11) took part in a 6-week
placement after leaving Pocklington with German
retail equipment supplier and shop fitting specialist
Wanzl. This proved to be a success and he
subsequently began working for the Wanzl UK Group
in September 2011. Shortly after, he was given the
opportunity to return to Germany’s head offices for
a 2½ year course beginning in September 2012. The
plan is to return to the Wanzl UK Group, focusing
on the remanufacturing of existing retail equipment
in order to provide a more sustainable and costeffective solution for UK retailers.
Amy Bean (90-97) is a physiotherapy clinical specialist
with Saebo Ltd, provider of rehabilitation products
for stroke survivors and other neurologically impaired
people. She markets the products across the UK.
Stella Beaumont (former staff, 94-08) is now retired,
although still doing supply teaching. Stella and her
husband Mike are making the most of being able to
holiday in term time with trips to Turkey, Canada for
her nephew’s wedding, Dubrovnik and a Baltic cruise.
They now have three grandchildren in Australia so try
to holiday there when they can.
Helen Black (née Pilgrim, 88-90) lives in Sydney,
Australia and works in corporate communications.
Heather Burlton (90-00, née Rodgers) is now
working as an anaesthetist in Bristol having spent the
last two years working in Auckland, New Zealand.
Whilst at school Heather designed the school clock
in the quad with Catherine Cooper (87-88, née
Stephenson).
Jack Bolam (95-05) has set up his own business ‘online’ importing, initially, equipment for boxing and this
is now being extended to include a wide range of
sporting equipment. Jack still plays cricket and is a
regular tourist with Pixies. He played in the OP Golf
Day and his team with Ed Nutt (95-06), Alex Pinion
(95-06) and Andrew Welton (95-06) were runnersup.
Georgina Booth (née Chapman, 96-06) recently
bought a company called Absolutely Everything hiring
out crockery, glassware and table linen for weddings
and events. For more information or to hire visit the
website www.absolutely-everything.vpweb.co.uk or
email: [email protected].
Hannah Booth (92-02) is currently living in London,
working as a Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist.
She works at a sports clinic, Pure Sports Medicine,
treating amateur to elite athletes. Hannah, Ned
Mclean (97-02), George Marsden (95-00) and
Hamish Marsden (98-03) took part in the Artemis
Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon in Scotland for charity
in July. This involved a swim (1.5km/0.8 miles to the
north side of Loch Tay), a run/walk (seven Munros
encompassing the Lawers and Ptarmigan Ridges to
Morenish, approx. 24km or 15 miles), kayaking (11km
or 7 miles back to Ardtalnaig), a cycle ride (around
Loch Tay 54km or 34 miles) and then slicing a melon
in two with a sword to stop the clock!
Richard Booth (91-99) graduated from Loughborough
University with a degree in Management Science.
Since university he has been with Red Bull where he
currently holds the position of Marketing Manager for
the Indian Sub-Continent working in Sri Lanka and
the Maldives.
Tim Booth (89-99) graduated from Bristol University
and completed a house-vet position at Liphook
Equine Hospital before gaining a post graduate RCVS
certificate in equine orthopaedic surgery. He now
works at Shelf Equine Clinic as one of two full-time
equine surgeons amongst a team of 14 other vets. He
has also been working as an equine vet at Bramham
and Badminton International 3-day events, the 2012
Paralympic Games and Wetherby racecourse. He
married Amy Greenwood in May 2012 and their first
daughter, Kiri Isla Keddie Booth, was born in January
2013.
Tracey Botha (née Goodwill 90-97) is married with
a son, Harry (2), and lives in Elvington near York. After
a number of years with Findus Foods, she is now an
Account Director with Young’s Seafood managing
the company’s frozen food business with the Co-op,
Waitrose and Ocado.
Sophie Brown (90-96) is Chief Finance Officer at
Leeds Bradford International Airport and lives in
north Leeds.
John Burrans (89-94) is now based in Bristol where
he has been working for a Business Development
Agency in the city centre for the last three years. He is
married to Ella and became a father for the first time
with the arrival of Hector Peter Searle Burrans in
January 2013 as reported elsewhere in the magazine.
Charlie Cawood (99-10) has just returned to
Northumbria University for his final year studying
Business with Marketing after finishing a work
placement. He has been offered a graduate job with
unconditional sponsorship through his final year and
is currently training for the inaugural York marathon!
Paul Christopher (85-90) is based in Hong Kong. He
is the Managing Partner of the Hong Kong office of
Mourant Ozannes, one of the world’s leading offshore
law firms, having moved there to establish the firm’s
presence in the Asia Pacific region. He recently caught
up with his old school friend Xavier Pick (82-90) who
was in Hong Kong on an assignment.
Tom Clark (97-08) graduated from Durham
University in 2012 with a BSc in Biology. He now has
a north-Europe-wide role in pesticide research and
development. He lives in Cambridge and rows for
City of Cambridge RC.
Harry Coates (97-08) has moved into a new role as
a Business Development Project Leader responsible
for the project management of new coffee project
launches at Mondelêz International (the new name
for Kraft Foods/Cadbury with brands such as Kenco,
Carte Noire, Tassimo, Maxwell House). The job
promotion comes as a result of the highly-regarded
‘Values in Action’ award, an in-house award presented
to Harry by the Company President for inspiring
integrity and trust from senior stakeholders within
Mondelêz International for a project Harry was
leading on business forecasts. Harry was nominated
for the award by the management team within his
department.
Hannah Crompton (00-11) is studying Geology at
Leeds University and has just started her final year.
She intends to follow a career in the hydrocarbons
industry. She is an Officer Cadet in the Yorkshire
Universities Air Squadron (YUAS) serving as a
reservist, learning to fly the Grob Tutor alongside her
university course. In September 2013 she is swimming
the English Channel for charity as part of a relay team
of eight members of YUAS. See the website for more
information: www.yuasswimthechannel.com. She is
also taking part in a number of other charity events
including the National Three Peaks Challenge, the
Great North Run, the Royal Air Force Triathlon at
RAF Cranwell and the York Marathon. (Phew!)
Nick Crossley (89-97), whose marriage is announced
elsewhere in the magazine, is an optometrist working
in Malton and Pickering. His brother James (8997) is based in the States where he is a calibration
anaesthetist.
32
Personalia
Abbi Dixon (93-97) was one of the attendees last
year at the reception held by Headmaster Mark
Ronan and his wife in Hong Kong. She works there
for JP Morgan Chase where she is the Executive
Recruiter for senior staff.
Callum Doyle (01-08) is working as a Sports Data
Collection Executive for Opta Sports, who provide
live and detailed analysis of a wide number of sports.
At the moment he is helping prepare for the new
football season, where Opta’s information will be
provided for customers including ‘Soccer Saturday’ on
Sky Sports News.
Catherine Drake (07-09) graduated with first class
honours in Medical Sciences from Leeds University as
reported earlier in the magazine. She has now started
her first graduate job at Seven Seas where she will be
taking on the role of Medical Marketing Executive and
Consumer Response Manager.
Dan Dummer (84-90) has been working in the
healthcare sector for the last 11 years and is currently
Commercial Manager at Mölnlycke. He looks after the
company’s four largest customers which represent
85% of their business. He is also responsible for new
channel development. He has been married to Ellie
for six years and they live in Leeds and have a son
called Gray (3).
Richard Elliott (85-90) returned to the north of
England two years ago with his wife Laura and lives in
Harrogate. Their first baby is due in September. Prior
to the move he spent 15 years in London working
in finance.
Jonathan Flint (88-95) is Research & Development
Manager with Foresite Diagnostics based in York.
The company develop lateral flow diagnostics for
healthcare and veterinary organisations.
@taglinequartet. As far as Robert’s studies are going,
he has just started his final year studying Music and is
hoping to go into post-production for TV audio after
he graduates in July 2014.
James Fowler (88-95) is serving in Afghanistan until
November commanding the Warthog Squadron.
The Warthog is an armoured fighting personnel
carrier to support Brigade operations against the
insurgents. Despite the drawdown of British bases
and troops in Helmand, the Squadron is still very busy
protecting the base closures and supporting Afghan
Army operations. James says the Afghans are doing
an exceptional job as they take the lead against the
insurgency for the first time this summer. He plans to
leave the Army in 2014 after 16 years’ service with
the Royal Tank Regiment.
Virgil Fung (87-91) has been living and working in
Kingsport, Tennessee for the past seven years as a
Formulation Chemist in the defence industry (Google
“IMX-101” for more detail). He has been married
for 13 years and his daughter Valerie is now 11. He
last visited Pocklington in March 2009 and was very
impressed with all the new changes since he left in
1991. He is planning to attend the Pocklington 500
celebration event next May and hopes to catch up
with some fellow OPs and teachers from all eras.
Amy Godoy-Pressland (née Pressland, 94-01), whose
marriage is announced in this magazine met her
Chilean husband Eric while studying Spanish in Chile
as part of her undergraduate degree. Since then she
has done a PhD in Women’s Studies at York University
looking at the representation of sportswomen in
British newspapers. She is now working in her new
post as a Lecturer in Education at the University of
East Anglia in Norwich.
Isaac Green (09-11) leads a very busy life – he is
at the RAC Cirencester and also finds time to play
scrum-half for the successful Hull Ionians 1st XV now
promoted to National League 1.
Joe Green (07-09) recently graduated in the US with
the equivalent of a first in Business Management as
reported earlier in the magazine. He is now working in
the US for a large remodelling company called ‘Power
Home Remodeling Group’ on their management
training programme. He is still playing football
regularly. This summer he played for the Maryland
Bays reaching the regional semi-finals where they lost
2-1. He plays for a team called Christos.
Robert Foot (02-11) has started singing barbershop
at the University of Manchester with his quartet,
Tagline. The group finished fourth in the national
quartet competition in their first year of competing
and were invited to compete in the International
Collegiate Competition in Toronto in July where
they were placed 24th in the International Collegiate
contest (see photo of their performance courtesy
of Lorin May, Barbershop Harmony Society, Rob
pictured second from the right in the green shirt).
Tagline has also been invited to attend a coaching day
for quartets that could potentially help them reach
the top 20 in the world. The group are also hoping to
qualify for the competition next year in Las Vegas, and
are looking to do some fundraising gigs to help them
get there. If anyone is interested in booking Tagline
for an event, please can they get in touch via the OP
Office, the Tagline Facebook page or follow on Twitter
33
Katherine Hamblin (née Flint, 90-97) after a
seven-year spell at Morrisons supermarket as a
buyer, Katherine left to start a family and has since
started working for herself with food producers in
the Yorkshire Region. This has recently included the
William Jackson Food Group. Her website is at www.
theeastfield.co.uk.
Ashley Hamer (99-06) graduated with an MA in
Journalism in 2012, winning the Mind Media Student
Journalist of theYear award for her final project. She has
since continued freelancing at ITN where she started
with ITV during the London Olympics. Her ambition
was always to work on the Channel 4 News and since
December she has managed to ‘wriggle’ her way into
a relatively steady position, still freelance, on the C4N
news desk where she coordinates camera crews,
takes orders from reporters, chases interviewees and
revels in the fact that she sits three feet away from Jon
Snow! She also operates the script autocue for the
live C4N 7pm bulletin. In addition to C4, she is helping
to build a small media company where she and two
colleagues develop and pitch neglected current affairs
stories to the likes of Al Jazeera and Australia’s SBS. In
March she was sent on a shoot to Marseilles where
she and the reporter spent ten days investigating the
city’s desperate problem with drug and gang violence.
For the short-term she intends to stay with both C4
and the “Indy” in the hope that it will lead to training
as a foreign affairs producer and then reporter.
Ed Hamer (02-09) started his climbing year off with
an amazing two months in the Blue Mountains of
Australia. This enabled him to sport climb on bullethard sandstone on superb overhanging, world-class
routes. He was lucky enough to climb with some of
the top Australian and New Zealand climbers who
showed him ‘the ropes’ and the classics. The trip was
sponsored by Sherpa, Red Bull and Wild Country and
kick-started his professional climbing year well. From
there he has climbed in Germany and Spain, whilst
training for forthcoming World Cup and European
competitions.
Sam Hamer (01-08) joined a four-man team in July
2013 on a climbing expedition to the Northern
Territories of Canada where they made a successful
ascent of the 800m route called the Lotus Flower
Tower in the Cirque of the Unclimbables. It is one of
the most famous and remote ‘Big’ walls in the world
and required a lot of logistics to reach it. Once there
the team made two attempts to reach the summit
in between some very mixed weather conditions! It
is the first expedition of its kind that Sam has been
involved with and was supported by Berghaus, one
of Sam’s sponsors. He hopes this will lead to other
similar expeditions to complement his other climbing
ambitions which include sport climbing, traditional
climbing and bouldering.
Chris Hanson (97-05) is a trainee solicitor, having
secured a training contract in February 2013 with
Castle Legal LLP.
David Hill (90-97) recently got married as reported
earlier in the magazine and has just moved house
in Chiswick. He is currently Sales Manager for the
Chelsea office of Marsh and Parsons Estate Agents
and in his spare time plays rugby for Chiswick.
James Hill (87-97) is a qualified chartered surveyor
and has recently been appointed as Chief Executive of
commercial property development company Adalta
Real PLC based in Oxfordshire. The company works
with food retailers to develop both small and large
supermarkets and distribution centres throughout
the South.
Jodie Hill (00-06) qualified as a solicitor in March and
works for Milners Solicitors in Leeds. She specialises
in employment law but also deals with personal injury
and commercial litigation.
Simon Hird (83-92) has been working as a sales
manager for a software company near Cambridge for
the past five years. He has been married for six years
and he has a son who has just started school.
[insert photo 100]
Joe Hodgson (95-02) spent much of 2011/12
adapting a series of Land Rovers for use in the
opening sequences of the Bond film ‘Skyfall’. In
addition to adapting the Land Rovers, Joe was kept
very busy when he was whisked away to Turkey to
make some last-minute alterations to the vehicles
during filming. Originally from Everingham, he is
based in Maidenhead and has now returned to his
usual duties of adapting old Land Rovers to unique
specification for export to the USA.
Sarah ‘SJ’ Iveson (88-90) left the RAF in 2010 to
pursue a career in teaching having served for 19 years
as an Air Traffic Control Officer. After three years
teaching in Lincolnshire, she is moving to Dubai to
teach in an international school.
owned cider producer, in a new and very different role
to support the new product development process
and non-technical accreditation and compliance
requirements of the business. She is thoroughly
enjoying learning about the business and, of course,
all about the production of cider!
Patrick McIntyre (02-09) recently graduated from
Reading University with a first in chemistry as
reported earlier in the magazine. He will be starting a
PhD in biochemistry at Leicester in September 2013.
Raul Miron (07-08) stayed in Romania after his time
at Pocklington and studied law. In 2012 he took part in
the Telders International Law Moot Court competition
representing Romania with three other students.They
won first prize for best written submission and came
third overall. Raul also won a prize at CUIMUN 2012
in Cambridge. He has undertaken several internships
and is currently working as an intern for a law firm
in Bucharest, NNDKP, in the banking and finance
department. He graduates in 2014 and hopes to
pursue a career as a lawyer or magistrate.
Tim Nettleton (98-03) is still working as an airline
pilot and is now based at East Midlands and Leeds
Bradford. His wife, Marion Nettleton (née Henley,
96-03) is a physiotherapist based at Castle Hill
Hospital in Hull and his sister Emma Nettleton (9505) is working in Beverley as a vet at Peel Veterinary
Clinic.
Emily Newell (03-08) has just finished an industrial
placement year with the pharmaceutical company
Pfizer. She is back in Newcastle from September to
complete the final year of her Pharmacology degree.
Jonathan Iyer (98-08) graduated with an Upper
Second Class Honours degree in Law (LLB) from
King’s College London in May 2013. Shortly afterwards
he began the accelerated Legal Practice Course. He
will start as a trainee solicitor for global law firm
Norton Rose Fulbright in early 2014.
Tom Jameson (95-03), having qualified in 2011, is a
corporate lawyer for Penningtons Solicitors LLP, a
multi-service firm based in London. He is due to get
married in May 2015 having recently proposed to his
fiancée Kate who he met on his gap year. He would
be very pleased to be in touch with old friends from
school.
Alex King (88-94) is a chartered accountant now
working as a fund manager in Jersey looking after
private equity and real estate funds with assets
totalling over ¤25 billion. His parents have retired to
the Pocklington area and he enjoys visiting when he
gets the chance.
Charlie Lambert (01-08) recently left his job at
Mulberry Hall in York to return to student life as he
starts a degree in PE and sports coaching at York St
John University from September.
Tom Lee (86-96) lives in Northumberland and is
married with two children. He works for the NHS
and has recently qualified as a gastroenterologist. He
played in the OP Golf Day in a team with his father
and OP brothers Roger (52-62) and Jeremy Shaw
(54-64).
Katie Levitt (91-94) left KPMG in January and joined
Aston Manor Cider, the UK’s largest independently
Adam Newman (86-91) joined the Parachute
Regiment after leaving school. A jump accident ended
his military career so Adam started a new career as
a commercial airline pilot. He is now a Boeing 747
Captain for Cathay Pacific Airways based and living
in Hong Kong.
Harry Orr (former staff, 83-99) is still teaching at
Ellesmere College in Shropshire. He recently visited
Xavier Pick (82-90) at his London studio. He is in
touch with a number of OPs on Facebook.
Joshua Papa (96-03) married Amy Wong (96-03) in
April as reported earlier in the magazine. He recently
started a new company called UK Property Partners
Ltd offering investment opportunities in property. In
his spare time he still plays rugby for OPs and for his
local club West Bridgford.
Lewis Pearce (98-06) is finally coming back home
to Yorkshire to commence GP training in Hull after
seven years in South Wales.
Lydia Pike (née Kemp, 95-02) is working as a Project
Manager at Arco in Hull (the largest UK health and
safety equipment supplier) but is due shortly to go off
on maternity leave to have her first child. She lives in
East Yorkshire with her husband James.
Sarah Peterman (née Spencer, 88-98) is now working
in the hospital where she had her two daughters. She
is in the HR department and is responsible for talent
management and learning management within the
hospital. She celebrated her 6th wedding anniversary
in August and five years of living in the States.
Millie Rae (99-10) is running the Great North Run
in September for the National Autistic Society. She
decided to run for them after working at a local
primary school on her Thursday afternoons in Lower
Sixth which opened her eyes to the difficulties both
the children with autism and their families face. Any
donations would be warmly received (http://www.
justgiving.com/Millie-Rae). Millie is studying an MA in
the History of Art at the University of Aberdeen and
is due to graduate in September 2014.
James Reckitt (10-12) has successfully completed his
first year studying Law at the University of York with a
2.1 and is looking forward to learning about property
law in practice by doing some work experience with
Adam Hastie (83-88) at Schofield Sweeney in Leeds
this September.
John Rhodes (82-92) is currently Principal Architect
for the specialist sports architecture firm Populous.
As well as leading the Populous Motorsport team,
responsible for designing Formula 1 circuits such
as Silverstone and the new circuit for Wales which
has just received planning permission, he has been
the leader of the recently opened Leeds Arena.
The unique 12,500-seater super theatre was tested
by Bruce Springsteen in July with his only arena
performance in the last six years, and the only one
on his Wrecking Ball Tour. The official opening is in
September with Elton John. The building is designed
to create an intimate but large performance space
right in the city centre. The facade architecture is
designed to react to varying performance content.
Matthew Richardson (88-98), following the
completion of the Offshore Pipeline in Papua New
Guinea, has relocated his family from Singapore to
Houston, Texas where he has accepted a promotion
as the ExxonMobil Offshore Installation Execution
Lead, heading up the execution phase of all the
large offshore Capital projects (>$200m) for the
Corporation.
Samuel Robinson (84-91) is still living in New York
with wife, Liz, and two children (all of whom have
visited Pocklington). Seventeen years after joining,
he works as the chief administrative officer and
head of strategy for Goldman Sachs’ Investment
Banking Division. Unfortunately he doesn’t get back
to Yorkshire often enough. Iain McDougall is the last
to retire of his great teachers and supporters at
Pocklington and he is hugely grateful to him and Iain’s
confidence in him in 1990 or so. He wishes Iain and
Mary all the best for their next phase in life.
Leanne Robson (03-08) who graduated in Printed
Textiles and Design at Leeds is one of eight fashion
graduates to guest edit an issue of the Fashion
magazine. Her contribution is mood boards and
fashion features for autumn and winter trends and an
interview with Fearne Cotton. Following this she has
been made full-time art assistant for the magazine.
34
Personalia
Charles Rook (87-97) continues as cricket captain
of Londesborough Park for the 2013 season as does
Matthew Atkinson (85-93) at Pocklington where
Andrew Inns (83-90) is club chairman and Adam Iyer
(96-06) skippers Dunnington. Marcus Wood (82-90),
for many years captain of York, stepped down last year
to become captain of the 2nd X1 with the purpose
of bringing on the club’s youngsters and he does that
again in 2013. Nick Hadfield (90-06) had another fine
season in 2012 with Woodhouse Grange with both
bat and ball – one weekend scoring successive daily
centuries.
Claire Russell (96-03) is a primary school teacher in
North Yorkshire and has just started her first Deputy
Headship at a primary school in Ripon.
Donna Sanderson (née Littlefair 88-97) works with
her brother Scott (88-98) in the family property
letting business based in York. Together with their
father they employ twenty people. She is married
to Jonjo Sanderson (85-95) the Chief Executive at
Wetherby racecourse.
Thomas Scanlon (02-07) is currently working for the
German chemical firm BASF in the Crop Protection
business. He was based in Ludwigshafen, Germany
from November 2012 to April 2013, and since May
this year has been based in Milan, Italy. Over the next
nine months, he will be returning to Manchester
before taking further delegations to Ludwigshafen
again and Prague in the Czech Republic as part of his
graduate scheme.
Tom Screeton (98-09) graduated from Newcastle
with a 2.1 BSc (Hons) in Economics in July and is now
in New Zealand and Australia for six months doing
harvest work before returning home to Yorkshire in
the spring to get stuck into the family farm!
Lucy Seddon (00-07) graduated from Sheffield
Hallam in Metalwork and Jewellery and has now
started her own business, online, selling delicately
handmade paper jewellery using vintage paper dating
back to 1865. Check it out on www.etsy.com/shop/
JustLucyJewellery .
Edward Shaw (84-93) studied English and History at
the University of Dundee. Subsequently he qualified
as a solicitor. In recent months he has joined DLA
Piper and has relocated from Addleshaw Goddard’s
Manchester office to London. In April 2011 he
married Lanna and in April 2012 they had their first
son, Alexander.
Rob Slater (88-98) is living in Shanghai, China,
producing and directing documentaries; on occasion
with his wife! He is still in touch with his good friend
Philip Short (88-98) who recently moved back
from London to the North with his new wife, Sarah
Jane. Philip hopes to launch his new company ‘S&S
Handymen’ later this year and has his eye on a role in
York’s Conservative Party.
35
Matthew Stacey (89-96) is working as a finance
director for a national office supplies company
(Office2office Plc) based in Norwich. No family yet,
which gives him plenty of time to play golf and spend
time with his partner and two dogs. He is currently on
sabbatical from cricket but hopes to make the annual
Pixie tour in 2014.
Laura Staniford (97-08) has been on the Mountbatten
Institute program working full time for Euromoney
Institutional Investor in their Forums division in New
York. She has been involved in Audience Development
for conferences aimed at top financial executives
throughout North America and Europe. She is also
studying on a PGC in International Business.
James Stathers (86-95) gained a BSc (hons) degree
in Industrial Product Design at Coventry University
after leaving school. He went back to uni in 2001
and was awarded a PGCE in Secondary Education
in 2002 from the College of Ripon and York St John
from the University of Leeds. In 2002 he started
teaching at Howden School and Technology College,
teaching Design Technology and in 2004 became a
Leading Teacher of Technology at the centre and is
now responsible for the department. James teaches
Electronic Control Systems, Product Design, Resistant
Materials, Graphic Products, CAD/CAM, Engineering
and Textiles to 11–16-year-olds. He also mentors
trainee teachers from Sheffield University who are
training to become DT teachers and for the last nine
years has also worked for the AQA examination
board as an external moderator, moderating the
GCSE work for London Schools.
John Steer (84-91) has spent the last ten years
as Technical Director for a small marketing
communications company. He is also involved with
his local village hall and recently became a parish
councillor. With the youngest of his six children
starting nursery in September life is keeping him very
busy!
coordinator for foreign students at an education
consultancy company in York.
Isaac Tsang (91-95) studied Hotel and Restaurant
Management in the US before returning to Hong Kong
and then working in Thailand and the Philippines in the
hotel industry. He currently works as an interviewer
for the Hong Kong Tourism Board conducting surveys
of visitors as they leave Hong Kong at eight different
locations across the territory. In his spare time he has
many interests including travelling, cars, consumer
electronics and food!
Andrew Welton (95-06) following his graduate
traineeship with Redrow Homes Ltd, Andrew is now
a project manager for housing development based in
Wakefield. He played for this year’s OP hockey team
but admitted to being more than a little exhausted
after the match.
Aimee West (92-03) qualified as a solicitor in 2011
and now works for Charles Russell LLP in the London
office close to St Paul’s Cathedral. She specialises in
litigation involving trusts and high value estates and
assists in cases involving a dispute in the Court of
Protection where a Deputy has been appointed to
manage the affairs of someone who has lost capacity.
Gavin Whitelock (93-03) is currently living in
Newcastle. He is happily married and has two
daughters aged 5 and 3. He has worked for HSBC
for five years but has recently been successful in
joining the HMRC Tax Graduate Scheme starting in
September 2013 based in Hull.
Staff Annexe
Farewell
The school bids farewell to the following staff:
Alexandra Stephenson (96-03) is living in
Aberdeenshire working for Baker Hughes, an oilfield
services company. She is currently renovating a
country house and says she hasn’t had a kitchen since
March!
Julie Craggs (2009-2013), Learning Support.
Christina Stubbins (97-08) recently graduated with a
veterinary medicine degree from the Royal Veterinary
College and started work in July at the Prince Bishop
Veterinary Hospital, a small animal practice in Consett,
County Durham.
Vicky Edgar (2012-2013), Teacher of English.
Chris Sullivan (01-08) has graduated with a BA First
Class Hons. in Fine Art from the University of Cumbria
and is now studying in London with Christie’s for a
M.Litt in Modern and Contemporary Art.
Richard Talbot (93-00) read History at St. Andrews
and was in the 1st XV. He then worked in the Cabinet
Office for a while before joining Price Waterhouse
in London. He finds time to play social rugby for the
LSE Old Boys.
Victoria Talbot (93-98) did Law after Business Studies
at Leeds and now works in HR for the company that
runs Law Schools, including Chester and York.
Georgina Tognola (98-09) graduated in July with a BA
(Hons) in French and Spanish from the University of
Newcastle. She has now started working as a student
Linda Deadman (2001-2013), Head of Learning
Support, retired, would love to hear from any OPs
who remember her.
Peter Edwards (1980-2013), Head of Art, retired,
looks forward to keeping in touch with OPs and will
be attending the London Dinner in November 2013.
Ivor Huntingford
retired.
(1996-2013), Music Teacher,
Iain McDougall (1986-2013), Head of Geography,
retired, looks forward to keeping in touch with
OPs and will be attending the London Dinner in
November 2013.
Krystina Meinardi (2000-2013), Singing Teacher,
retired, would love to hear from any OPs who
remember her.
Updates?
ates
Send your upd ine to:
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for the next m nschool.com
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darer@po
Peter Edwards (1980-2013)
I and my two brothers were all in the sixth form
when Peter arrived at the school, and I seem to
think of him wandering
around in scruffy jeans
and with quite long hair,
something which I’m
sure Mr Willet, who was
headmaster then, would
not have approved
of! But in spite of (or
perhaps partially because
of) his appearance, Mr
Edwards was an inspiring
teacher, and alongside
Mr Billington created a
wonderful atmosphere
of freedom and creativity
in the art block. (Neil
McGregor, 76-81)
After 33 years of injecting fun into the Art Department
(affectionately known as the Fun Palace), the effects of
Pete’s enthusiasm for all things creative will hopefully
last long after he has gone.
Peter took on the department after being expertly
trained by Nigel Billington. Peter acquired the same
need for all who passed through the department,
whatever their ability, to come away with a sense
of having experienced something special, unique.
Subsequently there have been very few students that
have not left the department with a smile on their
face, having had a good injection of humour, fun and,
most importantly, creativity!
As well as being expertly guided in all matters twoand three-dimensional, without Peter, many pupils
would not have had the advantage of extending or
finding their creativity through the digital medium. It
is down to him that the department has moved from
having a few limited Amigas to a super suite of Apple
Macs. His love for this form of creativity began twenty
or more years ago through entering young filmmaker’s competitions. In recent years this has grown
into the fabulous staff leaving films and departmental
music videos produced
for House Music. He will
be greatly missed but the
department’s personality
has been shaped forever
as its DNA is in every
one of its staff and pupils
– Peter has made sure of
this! (Clare Swann, Art
Teacher and Head of
Middle School)
Peter has taught me from the age of 8 to 18, and I
worked with him as a resident artist at the school
for a couple of years. He has been my mentor, a
father figure and one of my best friends. His love
and respect for the natural world and promoting
this through the visual arts has had a profound effect
on my own development and the career path I have
chosen. (Xavier Pick, 82-90)
I just wanted to congratulate you on your long service,
and say thank you for some very happy art classes
back in my day... I always felt the art & design centre
was an oasis, where normal school rules didn’t apply,
and you were free to explore creativity without the
strict discipline and obsession with marks and league
tables that was the order of the day elsewhere in the
school. You were definitely one of the cool teachers
– I don’t know if you regard that as a flattering label
or not! – but you were much appreciated. (Richard
Loxley was Gibbs, 80-87)
Peter is a great teacher and man. Pock is losing another
one of the greats! (Tim Cowan, 95-06)
Peter was a huge inspiration during my time at Pock
and while I think I made a staunch effort to do the
precise opposite of everything he ever advised, I
profoundly admired and respected him! (Ashley
Hamer, 99-06)
Like countless other sixth form students who
passed through the doors of the Art Centre, I was
lucky enough to be shepherded to Paris twice with
Pete and Clare for a few days of travel, culture and
subversive drinking! Under Pete’s relaxed stewardship,
we survived an attempted mugging by a knife-wielding
local, eating horse steak (which has more relevance
now than then) and managed to see enough ‘art’ to
make the trips justifiable to our parents. One of life’s
true gents and characters. (Steve Towse, 90-94)
He was an amazing inspiration to so many of us
and always had us in stitches with his anecdotes and
eccentricity. He was a bit of a revolutionary where
education and academia is concerned which I think
was the reason we all loved his lessons so much. He
was a bit like “Citizen Smith” and “up the revolution”
and also you could draw really close parallels with
“The Young Ones”. (James Warburton, 78-83)
I saw the notice of your retirement and wanted
to pass on my best wishes and thanks. But for you,
I would never have seen Moonraker three or four
times in the DC – can’t remember now what the
causes were, but that one sticks, as does your coming
in the room at various
points to shout at us to
be quieter. I remember
your drawing on the wall
of some young mods or
similar with the tagline
“There’s no Justice – Just
Us”. Strange what one
remembers after 25 years.
Enjoy your retirement
(Samuel Robinson, 84-91)
I never was much of a visual artist but most of my
good school memories were art ones. You and Boss
(Nigel Billington) encouraged us to think artistically
and be brave. (Ralph Ineson, 83-88)
36
Iain McDougall (1986-2013)
midnight a quality audit might not have thrown up
one or two issues!
In his final year Iain has continued to coach U16 rugby,
helped with athletics and in the summer took a trip
to Tanzania, where he helped local communities and
climbed Kilimanjaro. There is no doubt he is a school
master of ‘the old school’, having inspired generations
of pupils both inside and outside of the classroom.
I have had some great times with Iain and although
I am sad he is leaving, I wish him a long and happy
retirement and look forward to a continuing supply of
‘num nums’ chez McDougall. (Martin Butcher, Head
of Biology)
Iain relaxing with Ops
Twenty-seven years I have known this man, from the
seemingly timid guy in a grey suit at interview (how
deceiving first impressions can be!) to the definitely
not timid individual I know now.
Where do I start with a man I have shared such
a glittering array of experiences with? Well, both
coming from Celtic nations there has always been
a source of great nonsense activities. Watching the
grand slam decider in 1990, in a bar in a French ski
resort where England lost to Scotland and hence
blew their chances, was a source of great merriment,
especially as Andy Towner stormed out accusing us of
being racists! Sport has always been one of Iain’s great
passions, whether it be rugby, running, skiing or cycling
and this enthusiasm has spilled over and benefited
the multitude of co-curricular activities he has been
part of. There is no doubt my fondest memories are
mostly associated with the ski trips we ran for many
years. Having my early morning coffee served by a
naked room-mate, always served to get the day off
to a good start even though this was often followed
by a diatribe relating to which legs he had put on
that morning and did he have the correct number
of layers on, “any fool can be cold”. The après-ski
was always good fun with Iain, although I feel that he
should not attempt to include clog dancing as one of
his retirement activities! The ski inspection trip to Big
Bear resort in California was especially memorable.
The skiing was out of this world, but I am not sure
how we ended up in Las Vegas for two nights. Even
though Iain is Scottish he is one of the most generous
people I have ever met. You seldom entered School
House without being offered a glass of something
usually accompanied by a plate of ‘num nums’, but it
was not just wine and nibbles that were offered, but
also the generosity of spirit that was always evident.
Always willing to chat, he has helped many pupils,
colleagues and OPs, all of whom have benefited
from his experience and knowledge, although past
Iain McDougall is the last to retire of my great teachers
and supporters at Pocklington and I’m hugely grateful
to him and his confidence in me in 1990 or so. I wish
him and Mary all the best for their next phase in life.
(Samuel Robinson, 84-91)
Linda Deadman (2001-2013)
Linda joined Pocklington School in 2001 after previous
posts in East Sussex, Norfolk and York. She has had the
dual responsibilities of teaching maths and increasing
and improving the provision of learning support in
the school.
As a teacher of mathematics, Linda expected full
effort from those in her classes, and in return she gave
her full support to her pupils. Settling for a modest
result was never an option for them, and she made
her pupils lift their sights and gave them the belief that
they could achieve a higher target. She was also keen
to raise her own level of expertise and embraced
opportunities to extend her teaching into new areas,
under-taking training and hard work to do this.
Linda with 6th form maths pupils
37
Linda’s dedication to those of our pupils whose
academic path is not so smooth has been unstinting.
She championed the cause of every one of her special
needs pupils, and treated each one of her charges
with individual care and attention to bring out their
best, whatever obstacles may have been encountered.
Her loyalty was assured, and her delight on hearing of
their success beyond school was obvious. The seeds
of success were sown in the support offered from
their earliest days at Pocklington by Linda and her
team.
An enormous part of Linda’s life is her family,
especially her husband Kevin who retired last year.
Linda is relishing the prospect of being able to spend
more time with Kevin, their four children and two
grandchildren. We wish her every happiness in the
years ahead. (John Cullen, Head of Maths)
Join us!
ian
Pocklington
Join the ‘Old
book
’ group on Face
n
o
ti
a
ci
o
ss
A
OP Gifts and Merchandise
Welcome to pockgifts.com
OP ties, cufflinks, pen sets and a range of quincentenary
gifts and merchandise can now be purchased securely
online at www.pockgifts.com and delivered directly to
your door. Plenty of gift ideas for the OP in your life!
A sample of each item is also displayed in the school
shop for those who live in the Pocklington area and
would like to have a look at the products before
making their purchase at www.pockgifts.com.
Quincentenary Coffee
James Sweeting’s (81-88) company Lincoln & York Ltd
has produced a new coffee specially commissioned
for the quincentenary. Blend 1514 is a medium-tofull roasted Fairtrade Colombian coffee perfect for
drinking throughout the day. The special presentation
tin features the school’s original pre-Reformation seal
illustrating the school founder John Dowman praying.
Priced at £4 per tin, all profits from the sale of Blend
1514 will be shared equally between the following
charities chosen by the school’s Charity Committee:
Louby’s Lifeline, Ataxia UK and Revive. The coffee is
available to purchase from the school reception on
a collection-only basis. Contact 01759 321200 for
more information.
Old Pock Founder’s
Ale and Glasses
As reported earlier, Old Pock
Founder’s Ale, the unique
beer specially brewed by
Tom Mellor (70-78) at his
Wold Top Brewery for the
school’s quincentenary, is now
available to purchase from local
delicatessen No6 the Pavement.
Pint glasses with the Old Pock
logo are also available and can
be purchased individually or as
part of a gift pack or hamper.
Please contact No6 on 01759
302149 for further details or
visit the pockgift.com website.
s
s
e
r
P
p
o
t
S
beer,
ing Old Pock
are also stock
aith
es
Sn
Al
in
ire
sh
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rk
sh
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packs in their
t
ail
gif
m
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glasses
lling the beer
as well as se
site:
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le)
w
oo
G
eir
r
th
ea
(n
from
re in the UK
order anywhe
eales.com
www.yorkshir
Legally speaking
38
Forthcoming OP & Quincentenary Events
olf Day 2014
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Annual Pocktblinc gtonian
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OP Boxin26g DDayecem
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Thursday
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Rugby
Pocklington
bridge Dinner
Quincentenary Cam
hosted by the OPA , 6.30pm for 7.00pm
13
November 20
Details TBC
xture @ The Close
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Wednesday
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2.30pm kick-o
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Friday 22
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Monday 31
00pm
rd Theatre, 7.
Tom Stoppa
OP Rugbyidayat, 18PoAckpr7sil 2014
Good Fr
Percy Road
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Pocklington
May 2014
tbc
rther details
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Quincente10naan
May 20
11
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Saturday
30pm
rd Theatre, 7.
Tom Stoppa
Black Tie Dinner
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hosted by thaye20O14PA, 7.00pm
Friday 23 M
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Further deta
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Saturday 24
ter’s Receptio
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rk
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at St William
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Saturday
Party @ Pock
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Sunday 29 Ju
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Sum
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Triennial ‘D25inSeosptauem
ber 20
Thursday
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more
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year s ago or
50
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For OPs who
eQuincentenary Final inner
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hosted by the OPA 14
ovember 20
Friday 21 N
s’ Hall
Haberdasher
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(Precede
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al
dr
he
at
in St Paul’s C
ils tbc
Further deta
Want updatderesss?
-mail ad
Send us your e st updates.
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to receive the
Pocklington School, West Green, Pocklington YO42 2NJ
Tel: 01759 321307, E-mail: [email protected]
www.oldpocklingtonians.com

OPmag2013 - Pocklington School Threat Management Gateway

Transcription

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