Issue 29 July 2012 - Reading Blue Coat School

BLUES NEWS
ISSUE 29, JULY 2012
Incorporating the
old blues news
ccf inspection day
T
he two-year cycle of CCF inspections fell on 4 May
this year, and Blue Coat was pleased to welcome as
the Reviewing Officer, Air Commodore Paul Higgins RAF
from the Permanent Joint Headquarters, Northwood, in
Middlesex.
on the river. Undeterred, and in good military fashion,
we carried on as if nothing was amiss... with our
fingers firmly crossed.
Fortunately the weather was benign for the day, and
the Headmaster, Brigadier Sheen, Group Captain and
Mrs Pierce, Colonel Webb, and other guests, buoyed
by the excellent music, were able to visit the cadets’
stands and remain dry throughout. Onlookers from
the lower school and local primary school children
assembled on the bank to watch the Section Battle
Drill Demonstration, and the day was under way.
Unfortunately, we could not engineer an RAF victory
in any of the competitions, with the Army winning
the Shooting, the Raft Building, and the very exciting
Field Gun final against the Royal Navy, and the Royal
Navy stopping the Army gaining a clean sweep of
trophies by winning the Year 9 Tug of War.
The Air Commodore spoke to the assembled cadets
of his pride in being invited to see their achievements,
the enormous ‘shot in the arm’ he had been given
by them, how good it was to see opportunities being
grabbed with such gusto, and that “their enthusiasm
and commitment shone through brightly”.
Unlike previous inspections, our preparations for the
day were hampered by the almost continual deluge
that fell over much of the country in the preceding
weeks, and in fact put paid to our plan for the work
July 2012 newsletter FINAL DRAFT.indd 1
22/06/2012 14:18
THE FRENCH connection ii
F
ollowing a successful Rugby and Football tour to Ligugé and La Rochelle at Easter, Blue Coat hosted the return visit
of La Ligugéene FC, from Sonning’s twinned town. The visiting group comprised 16 boys and 6 coaches and guides,
who arrived for a long weekend visit on Thursday 26 April and were hosted by Blue Coat and local families.
In anticipation of the group’s visit to the Emirates Stadium,
Friday started with a group photo in front of School House
with every member of the group wearing a different Arsenal
shirt from my collection of the last 25 years. We then
travelled by way of Wembley Stadium to the Emirates
Stadium for a tour that included the Directors’ Box,
changing rooms, and even Arséne Wenger’s seat (from
which you can’t apparently see anything!). After the tour
the boys bolted to the shop and then went to the statue of
Thierry Henry for more photos.
Despite the rain on Saturday, we managed to squeeze
in our RBCS U15’s football match versus the visitors. In
an entertaining end-to-end match where Blue Coat were up twice, we eventually lost out 5-2 but it was immensely
enjoyable with football being the winner. The afternoon saw a trip to Wycombe Wanderers and another goal-fest.
Sunday brought our ‘Hands across the water’ mixed 5-a-side competition in the Sports Hall, which was followed by
a recreational swim in our pool and a shopping trip to the Oracle, dodging Reading FC’s Championship celebrations.
The tour ended on Monday with everybody very effusive about the way they had been looked after so well by their host
families and all that they had done. From my own point of view, thanks so much to those host families who, along with
the assisting staff at the School, did so much to make this tour such a success for our visitors.
Mr Bill Voice, Director of Sport
first VIII ENJOY
REGATTA SUCCESS
B
lue Coat’s 1st XIII won the Reading Amateur regatta
in Reading on Saturday 9 June, beating Groton
School from Connecticut, USA, in the final. In the
semifinal, Blue Coat defeated Canford School, who had
beaten them the previous week at the National Schools’
Regatta, keeping them out of the final.
July 2012 newsletter FINAL DRAFT.indd 2
senior rosebowl
S
enior and Inter pupils had a chance to show off their
interests and hobbies at the lunchtime Senior Rose
Bowl on Friday, 23 March, in the Sports Hall. Exhibits
included topics such as fishing, art, carrots (!), music, a
live chicken, baking, trampolining, SCUBA diving, cross
country, FIFA, ballet, film making, pancake making, golf,
martial arts, go
kart-building and
a Colosseum
made of toast.
The overall
winner for the
Inters was
Tom Veale for
his display on
photography,
and two Seniors
shared first
place: Alex Scott
for his display
on fishing and Jessica Tomkins for her display on ballet.
Kathryn Venables, pictured here, displayed samples of
her artwork.
22/06/2012 14:18
berlin express
rain stops play
D
O
uring half term 22 Year 10 boys embarked on a History
trip to
Berlin, visiting
various places
of interest,
all of which
were relevant
to their GCSE
studies on Nazi
Germany and
the Cold War.
There were
numerous
highlights of the
trip, including
the trip to the
Reichstag
Dome, the
Berlin Wall, the
Olympic Stadium, the TV Tower and the Allied Museum.
The boys also took advantage of the opportunity to
purchase a variety of Russian hats, as well as indulging in
ut for a duck - or with one? An inauspicious start to
a very damp cricket season.
speaking success
O
nce again, Blue Coat’s Junior Public Speakers were
successful
at the Woodley
Festival of
Arts and
Music, winning
medals in
every category
entered. Year 7s
Jules Aplin and
Seb Beattie,
pictured here,
won bronze and silver respectively. George Westaway
in Year 9 and Connor Garnett-Comerford and Harry
Ashcroft in Year 10 all won gold.
Fivethirtyone
currywurst and pretzels. The students were accompanied
by Miss van der Werff, Miss Marshall and Mr Rattray and
both staff and students had a fantastic trip.
July 2012 newsletter FINAL DRAFT.indd 3
T
wo Blue Coat Year 12 pupils, James Berger and
Harry Walker (far left and 2nd left), make up one half
of the band FiveThirtyOne, which has made it through
to the final of the Reading Rock Academy’s Battle of the
Schools at the Rivermead Leisure Centre on 4 August.
22/06/2012 14:18
Y13 students
leave in style
W
hat’s become known as “Muck-Up Day”
took place this term on Thursday, 17 May,
when the Year 13 Leavers had a chance to cut
loose on their final day at Blue Coat. Outgoing
Head Prefects, Jamie Connell, Ian Willis (Head
of School) and Lily-Mae Fisher were an OompaLoompa, a gladiator and Britannia respectively
- and they were joined by a collection of gorillas, Ghostbusters, crayons, prehistoric women,
bananas and much more. After breakfast in the
Dining Hall, the Leavers received their Year Books
and then assembled for their Leavers’ photo in
the Walled Garden.
wit and whimsy
W
ednesday 9 May saw the Buttery
transformed into a raucous Victorian
Music Hall as boys of all ages performed
songs and sketches to a packed audience.
The traditional role of Chairman was filled
with aplomb by Marcus Ruddle and there
were hilarious acts from an array of Blue
Coat talent, ranging from a host of ‘street
urchins’ including Elliot Morris, Alex Wood
and James O’Leary to more seasoned
Wit and Whimsy entertainers, Sam Baxter
and James Quarterman. Ed Kaye and Alex
Tsaptsinos performed their own series of
sketches in an evening that really captured
the spirit of ‘The Good Old Days.’
touch rugby - A
SPORT FOR ALL
T
his term, Touch Rugby at Blue Coat has gone
from strength to strength and the School
now fields a total of four teams in the Thames
Valley Reading region of the In 2 Touch League.
Touch Rugby is a minimal contact sport, which
emphasizes running, agility and ball-handling
skills such as passing and catching, and is played
by men, women and children worldwide. Touch
looks similar to rugby, but without the tackling,
scrumming, and kicking seen in rugby; the aim
of the game being to score tries. Blue Coat’s
teams - the Hawks, the Flamingos (a mixed team),
the Bro’s (U15s and U16s) and Can’t Touch This
(U14s) - were almost unbeaten this season.
July 2012 newsletter FINAL DRAFT.indd 4
22/06/2012 14:18
d
),
budding director
triathletes triumph
J
osh Dean, who leaves Blue Coat this term, has made
his mark at
the School by
writing, producing
and directing a
number of small
films, including the
Sports Day film
that can be seen
on the School’s
website. Josh’s
swansong this
year was a weeklong screening,
for Year 9 pupils
and above, of
his horror short,
Phantasm, which
was sold out at
every performance. When Josh finishes his A levels this
month, he plans to take a year off to “have a good go” at a
film career.
O
n Monday 14 May, three Year 8 pupils travelled
to St John’s Beaumont School in Old Windsor to
participate in an inter-school triathlon, and came away
with gold, silver and bronze medals for their event.
Ethan Carter (silver), Alex Bakker-Noguer (Gold) and
Morgan Barnes (bronze) - pictured here - made up
a team of six with three St Piran’s boys, and swam,
cycled and ran their way to victory over five other
teams.
MINI MASTERCHEFS AND intrepid explorers
O
nce again, Activities Week was crammed full of eventful trips and visits for most
year groups. Early in the week, the Year 7s enjoyed a day’s cookery instruction with
outside caterers, Pudding Pie. The boys were encouraged by chefs Martin and Ilya to
get ‘hands on’ building up their ‘life skills,’ and some budding chefs soon emerged from
the clouds of flour and clatter of rolling pins. A key area of the workshop was to focus on
healthy eating and the fresh pasta bake created certainly hit the mark; Mr Salmon and
I also learned a thing or two! Many boys commented that the activity was “awesome”
and one even went so far as to say that it was “the best thing ever.” The boys thoroughly
enjoyed the experience - and then went home with a two-course meal to share with their
families. - Mr Martin
O
n Monday 11 June, 95
excited Year 8 pupils
and 6 staff departed school for a week of adventure and
challenge in the picturesque Welsh town of Aberdovey.
Pupils took part in many activities including Jacob’s
Ladder, High and Low Rope courses, Cave Walking, Jetty
Jumps, Commando Crawls and Paddling Kayaks down
Dyfi Estuary, but the highlight of the week for most was the
18km overnight expedition. Throughout the week our pupils
learnt to reflect on their abilities, work as a team developing
their communication and leadership skills and explore new
opportunities with greater self-belief. The experience of the Welsh outdoors gave our pupils a deeper understanding
of, and respect for, the environment that surrounds them. The Outward Bound instructors were really impressed by our
pupils, particularly by their maturity and their willingness to get involved, be challenged and get the absolute maximum
they could out of their week in Aberdovey. I would like to thank Mr Walters, Dr Magill, Mr Crouchman, Miss Van der
Werff and Mrs Coates for accompanying me on this hugely successful trip. - Mrs Watmough-Starkie, Head of Year 8
July 2012 newsletter FINAL DRAFT.indd 5
22/06/2012 14:18
House Ne
T
Aldworth
his term
started off
with an excellent
House Ergo Competition, where the Aldworth team were
led to a win by House prefect Josh Weekly. The whole
team performed well but a special mention must go to
Matthew Shimmin in Year 7 who got us off to a fantastic start.
Aldworth’s team performed well at the Inters House tennis, winning the majority of their matches and were unlucky to
finish second. Matthew Bettaney and Sam Shahriari were the standout players at the event. Year 7 and 8 archery and
pitching were both successful events for the Aldworth team, who finished first in half of the events. Richard “Robin
Hood” Romaine needs a special mention for his performance in Year 7 archery. He hit the target every time, leading us
to victory. But the biggest event this term was the Massive Mini Olympics charity event where Aldworth hope to have
raised a lot of money for the Harry Mills Foundation. We won the Year 7 and 8 event but all the participants impressed
me that day by performing fairly and to the best of their ability.
I would like to thank all the prefects for their help and hard work this year, with a special thank you to Calum O’Flaherty
(House Captain) and Michael Richards (Deputy House Captain) who will be greatly missed. However, congratulations to
Alex Woolley and Sally Richards who will be taking over as House Captain and Deputy House Captain.
Lastly, welcome back to Mrs Bayliss returning back from maternity leave and thank you for letting me look after the
House while you’ve been away.
Mr Mitchell, Acting Head of House
A
Hall
cross the year groups members of Hall House have once again had a busy term, competing
in both the closely contested Shield and Sports Cup. The successful participation of all boys
from years 7-10 in the Massive Mini Olympics charity event has been a highlight; the challenge of
being active continually over a long period of time as they rotated around a circuit of Olympic disciplines was one the boys
clearly enjoyed, and they gave their all to the event.
Sadly the inclement weather conditions have meant that Sports Day is yet to
be competed for at the time of writing. A good performance, however, may
just be enough for Hall to consolidate a third Sports Cup in as many years.
Much of this success can be attributed to the Girls of the House who have
won every event this year, with their most recent success being on the Rounders pitch. Well done, girls.
It has been a relatively quiet term in the Shield Cup. Freddie Bryce has been
flying the flag commendably in the Junior House Debating.
I would like to offer my thanks to all members of the House who have fully
participated this year, and I would also like to thank those senior pupils who
leave us. Special mention must go to the Head of House Alex Tsaptsinos, and
his team of prefects, Adam Butler, Kartic Rana, Jake Turner, Kieran MartinDavis, Louise Winter and Max Steady. Next year, the House can look forward
to Sidney Hopper-Kelly taking over the reins as Head of House, and Sidney will
be well supported by James Halson as Deputy.
Mr Turner, Head of Hall House
July 2012 newsletter FINAL DRAFT.indd 6
22/06/2012 14:19
se News
Malthus A
Year in the Life of a Year 7 Malthusian
And what a year it’s been…First was the House cross-country competition. I
did really well and came 12 . Finished covered in mud but at least it stayed dry. Chess results were announced - we
managed to get second after a nail-biting final round against Hall. Rosebowl was fun, Malthus won it again. I worked
really hard on my exhibit. The House Poster competition was something everybody did; we had to “design a House
poster that best shows what your House represents.” Simple? Not really. How can you capture on paper what the
Mighty House of Malthus represents – competition, friendship, fun,
involvement, teamwork, and, of course, winning? The rest of the
events came by in a flurry – basketball, football, rugby, archery,
Sudoku (never done that before!!). My favourite event so far has
been dodgeball – I still don’t know the rules!
th
Last week we did the Massive Mini Olympics - ten Olympic events
in three hours. Very tiring but I’ve already collected £45 sponsorship
money for Naomi House. Sports Day and a few other sports still to
come, but I can’t believe how many new competitions I’ve taken
part in this year – and I can’t wait till next year to do them all again.
It’s been a great year – and I think Sudipto Biswas, Sam Lewis and
the House Prefects helped make it that way.
A Year 7 Malthusian
Rich I
t has been a very busy term despite the wet weather. Although Cricket and Sports Day
have been postponed we have enjoyed taking part in numerous events. At the start of term
students from every year group participated in the House Ergo Competition - supposedly one
of the more demanding events but the most enjoyable. Early
in the competition Rich realised that yet again Aldworth was
the House to beat. Quick changeovers and real team work
across all year groups enabled Rich to achieve an admirable
second place 30m behind Aldworth. The Junior students
enjoyed taking part in the new pitching competition with the
Year 7 students’ accuracy winning the competition.
The highlight of the term was the Massive Mini Olympics
charity event, in which all students took part with real
enthusiasm and determination and we have no doubt that
we will have raised a huge amount for money for Diabetes
UK. The Juniors showed strength and depth across the
year groups and achieved the Gold medal. On the same
day, the Inters won the House quiz proving to be the most
knowledgeable House on the Queen and the Olympics.
In the last assembly of the term, the House thanked the
House Captain Jamie McAdam and his prefects for all their hard work during the year. Jamie has been an inspirational
Head of House who has run the House with his prefects extremely well.
Miss Hope, Head of Rich House
July 2012 newsletter FINAL DRAFT.indd 7
22/06/2012 14:19
Montague’s madrid
david MONTAGUE
M
r Montague was our tutor for four of his six years
at RBCS - and he taught us every year. He was,
however, never regarded as someone who just ticked our
names off the register, or spouted verb tables at us until we
had memorised them. Every time we saw him, he would
make us smile, usually as a result of a joke of his that could
only be described as awful, or some tutor banter about
whether or not he should straighten his hair the next day.
Of course, the academic lessons we received from Mr
Montague were of the highest standard but the most
valuable lessons he passed on were the ones about staying
positive, being polite and treasuring every good moment
and intrinsic reward we obtain as we strive to achieve our
own personal goals.
It’s crazy to think that only a month or so ago we were
enjoying the evenings with Mr Montague in various tapas
bars around Madrid and unfortunately we will never have
that opportunity again - although looking back at those
moments will always make us smile. There are many
fantastic memories of our trip this Easter: the walking
tour of Madrid (on which Mr Montague tried many times
to outwit the tour guide with his extensive knowledge of
Madrid - but to no avail), the various trips to museums
and our visit to Colegio Brains, where we had the
W
e were all shocked and saddened to receive the
news that David Montague, a teacher of Spanish
and French at Blue Coat since April 2006, had been killed
in an accident on Tuesday 22 May 2012. David was a
well-respected and hard-working colleague who loved
his job and who always put the interests of his pupils
first, showing exceptional commitment to the School, his
subject and his students.
David was born in Canada and had spent a considerable
time living and working in Spain before moving to the UK.
He therefore brought a cosmopolitan approach to his
teaching and was always keen to pass on his particular
passion for Spain and Spanish culture. He had high
expectations of his pupils and delighted in their academic
success but he never perceived exam results as the be
all and end all, rather encouraging students to develop
their linguistic ability for its own sake.
pleasure of meeting his Spanish relatives. In the evenings,
Mr Montague took us to traditional restaurants across
Madrid, to allow us to embrace the famous culture of los
madrileños. For the duration of that trip Mr Montague’s
enthusiasm never faltered, no matter the activity or time of
day. Every day he went that extra step to entertain us and
make sure we got the best out of our experience there.
He brought tremendous
enthusiasm and a sense of
fun to lessons, creating an
environment in which pupils
could learn with confidence.
He played a key role in
organising and participating
in school trips to Spain and
France and many pupils have
warm memories of their visits
to Madrid and Barcelona
with him. David was also
committed to environmental
issues and led the School’s Eco Schools Committee.
His last words to me were: “I’m proud of all the work you
have done, Sam. You’ll do well.” Unbelievably caring words
that reflect his selflessness perfectly.
David was a warm and generous man who was very
popular with pupils and colleagues alike. He will be very
much missed.
Sam Jones and Will Tyrrell, Year 12
Mr Windsor
July 2012 newsletter FINAL DRAFT.indd 8
22/06/2012 14:19
Reading Old Blues Association
Issue 61 · June 2012
Your President writes…
In this issue
President’s report
Alumni concert
Richard Holmes
News of Old Blues
Stewart lets slip
In memoriam
Football result
A new School history
Old Blues News
p1
p1
p1
p2–3
p3
p4
p4
p4
The Association website is at:
www.readingoldblues.org.uk
Use it to contribute your news!
CONTACT YOUR
ASSOCIATION
James Boyce, Secretary
[email protected]
Roger Wiggett, President
[email protected]
We’re almost into the
summer – at least, calendarwise if not weather-wise! The
summer period will see some
fantastic events going on at
RBCS and I encourage everyone to attend and enjoy!
There are a quite staggering number
of acceptances to the Daniels Cup
& School Open Day on June 30,
at which my Vice Adam Hill will
represent the Committee and lead
the cheering for the Old Blue’s
Cricket team. Our new Old Blues
ties will be on sale.
Henley Regatta is upon us again,
and I’m sure Old Blues will be there,
shouting loudly for all our rowers
playing their part. The prestigious
new Richard Aldworth building
which replaces the Dunster block
continues to take impressive shape
and its opening is drawing closer.
Just recently the School played
host to a popular musical evening featuring performances by
alumni, several of whom are
making careers as professional
entertainers. It was a brilliant
success! Also recently, Piers Daniel
(2000), Neil Gourlay (2002), and
Alex Wren (1994) very successfully contributed to a Lower Sixth
Management Conference – yet
another example of the many real
ways in which Old Blues continue
to make a real difference to life at
the School.
30 June, 2012 from 11.00am, rbcs
Swing into Summertime
26 June, rbcs
Malthus Service
3 July, St Mary’s, Reading
Opening event, new classrooms
28 September
2029 obn 61.3.indd 2
I hope to see and catch up with
many of you throughout the
coming months. Roger Wiggett
Old Blues perform for Help for Heroes
James McKean spoke hilariously
about ‘what I learned at RBCS’ Rob
& Sam Hazle performed the brothers’ song ‘Lily’s Eyes’. Amongst
many other fine performances,
Olivia Shepherd sang ‘Don’t cry for
me Argentina’ and Jonny Wood
gave a stunning rendition of ‘Maria’
from West Side Story. The evening
ending with two jazz classics played
by Michael Windsor (double bass)
with some stylish accompanying
keyboard work.
David Woodward, Newsletter Editor
Have you got news for the
Old Blues News? Tell us about it:
[email protected] or
Long Gardens, Sonning Eye,
Reading rg4 6tr
Daniels Cup & Reunion Day
We shall celebrate the success of
this year’s crop of pupils at the
Malthus Service in St Mary’s Butts
on July 3. I look forward to attending for the first time since I was a
pupil, and experiencing the atmosphere around what I remember to
be a great afternoon.
Both the Arts and Sports play a
Marjie Thorne, Alumni Office
[email protected]
Diary dates
huge role in life at Blue Coat, and
I spoke at the Annual Dinner this
year about successes and the different forms they come in. From
academic results, through sport,
art and pastoral growth, Blue Coat
continues to deliver into the ‘real
world’ those pupils who we Old
Boys need to achieve high things –
so when we hit pensionable age, UK
plc is ready to pay!
Adam Rattray assembled a
kaleidoscope of musical talent
for a special informal musical
evening for ‘Help for Heroes’
at Holme Park on 28 March.
From Albinoni, played by the
Aldworth Philharmonic’s chamber band, to Lloyd Webber by way
of Lehrer, G&S, Bernstein and
Novello, this was a highly enjoyable
evening that was greatly appreciated by an enthusiastic audience.
Rob Castell of !!!"#$%#&%'()*+
&%$",)- opened the evening in
great style with two of his own fine
songs – he was about to go on stage
at London’s Soho Theatre and is
fresh from appearances on E4’s
‘Playing it Straight’.
This was a splendid evening. Clear
your diaries if the event is repeated,
as it certainly deserves to be.
Richard Holmes
As we were going to press we
learned of the sad death of Richard
Holmes (1964), at home in Rockbourne in the New Forest on 15
June. He was 65. He leaves a widow,
Adele and two daughters, Fiona
and Jennifer. Contemporaries Chris
Grigsby and Bob Bartlett toured
the School with him recently on a
much appreciated tour with Peter
van Went. They hope to attend the
funeral which is to be held at a date
yet to be announced.
19/06/2012 22:23
2
Old Blues News
News of
Old Blues
In memoriam
Alistair Grunert
1948–2012
Alistair passed away 3 May 2012
after a period of ill health. The
service, which was attended by
many Old Blues, was at St Andrew’s
Church, Sonning with a reception
at Sindlesham Court, Mole Road,
Sindlesham.
Alistair was born in Lyndhurst
in the New Forest on 11 October
1948 to John (known as Joe) and
Mary, their younger son, his older
brother also being named John. His
father was a pilot with BOAC and
was originally based in Hythe on
the Solent. They moved to Solihull
briefly to be near grandparents.
In the mid 1950s his father was
posted to Australia and spent three
years in Sydney where Alistair
acquired his love for koala bears
and fishing in particular, which
started for him by dangling a line
over the jetty at Watsons Bay to
catch tiddlers. It developed into a
lifelong enjoyment of fly fishing
and he was always at his happiest in
Scotland where he had a time share
at Altnahara.
On their return to England in 1957
the family moved to Sonning.
Alistair was educated at Sonning
Primary School and then Reading Blue Coat School, to which he
remained committed for the rest
of his life. He was a past president
and committee member of the
Reading Old Blues Association
and had a particular interest in the
Trusts Funds – there being one in
his name.
Alistair pursued a career in the
marine insurance market at Lloyd’s
of London until his retirement
in 2001 at the age of 52. Sadly this
coincided with the deaths of both of
his parents within months of each
other following short illnesses.
Alistair joined the Aldworth Lodge
(The Reading Blue Coat School
Lodge) on 3rd March 1979 and
became the Worshipful Master
in 1986. Immediately after this he
became the Secretary, a role he held
for ten years. Typical of Alistair
his support and commitment
to the Lodge was never failing.
He was a founder member of the
Sports Lodge that meets regularly
2029 obn 61.3.indd 3
in Wantage and also a founder
member of The Izaak Walton
Lodge with interests in fishing
that meets in London. All these
activities went hand in hand with
his great support for St Andrew’s
Church in Sonning where he was a
regular worshipper.
Old Blue speaks up for
England (and Wales)
especially as the standard of the
competitors was so high. Negotiation has been a great activity to do
as it has allowed us to step outside
of the academic world of law and
actually practise one of the skills
that we’ll need in our careers. It
requires research and planning,
but also the ability to think on your
feet and to employ your words
very carefully. We’re both looking
forward to Belfast, but we’ve got
the small matter of exams to think
about before then.’
Late in life Alistair met Patsy and
they married on 19th December
2009. He instantly became a father
and grandfather figure to his
adopted family, a role at which he
excelled.
David Montague
(1967–2012)
An inspirational and much-loved
and respected teacher of Spanish at
the School from 2006 was killed at
the level crossing at Ufton Nervet
on 22 May, 2012. Our deepest
sympathy to his wife and family.
A packed memorial service at St
John’s, Woodley on 8 June heard
tributes from the Headmaster
amongst others. He will be greatly
missed.
Philip Atkinson (1984) congratulations to the RAF Group Captain
who has been appointed officer
commanding at RAF Boulmer
near Alnwick in Northumberland
from July 6.
Kristian Branum-Burns (2006)
is studying for an MSc Finance
and Private Equity at The London
School of Economics. After graduating this year he will be working at
NM Rothschild and Sons in Global
Mergers and Acquisitions.
Stephen Bonny (1996) is married
and a consultant physician in
general medicine in Cheshire.
Simon Collings (1984) is currently
head of product design for a design
and manufacturing company
based in Guildford. Moved back
to the UK in 2010 after four years
in Germany and now living in
Streatham Common.
Russell Cook (1977) is an independent financial adviser. He is
currently recovering from a lifesaving bone marrow transplant.
Tony Cooke (1956) is happily
retired and living in Cambridge.
Married to Wendy with two
daughters, and in touch with Geoff
Reynolds (1956). He would like to
hear from Roger Brown (also 1956).
Frank Davis (1959) after leaving
RBCS worked for the firm HS
Marsh Engineering in Reading. He
emigrated to Australia in 1959 and
spent 18 years in the NSW police
force until becoming a farmer in
Queensland. He is now retired and
enjoying life in the sub-tropics.
James Clark (2008) is to
represent England and Wales
in the International Negotiation Competition in Belfast in
July after taking first place in
the national competition.
James graduated at Edinburgh
in 2011 with a first class honours
degree in German & English
Literature, with a distinction in
German oral and the prize from
the German Consulate in Edinburgh for outstanding performance on his final year German
work.
He is currently sponsored at York
Law College by international law
firm DLA Piper. James, aged 22
of Cookham and his team mate
Ben Keatinge overcame opposition from law schools around the
country to be crowned National
Negotiation Competition champions at the finals held at Manchester
Metropolitan University .
The pair are now preparing to
take on teams from around the
globe, including India , Singapore ,
Canada and the US , at the international competition.
James is currently studying the
Graduate Diploma in Law, which
gives non-law graduates an entry
route into the legal profession, at
The College of Law in York He said:
‘We’re both really pleased to have
won the national competition,
Richard Downey (1965) left School
after O-levels, taking A-levels and
then a degree at Leeds. Became
an accountant and spent seven
years in Zambia. Worked in hotels,
restaurants, care homes, mining
amongst others. Met partner
in Zambia & have two teenage
daughters, one now at Manchester
university. Working in London.
Trying to contact Richard Parrot.
The national competition, sponsored by the Centre for Effective
Dispute Resolution, is open to
every undergraduate and postgraduate law school in England
and Wales and was entered by
around 64 teams. Law students
negotiate in pairs on a variety of
disputes on behalf of fictional
clients and this year the scenarios
were based on make-believe problems surrounding the London 2012
Olympics.
Students are judged by legal practitioners and academics on the
outcome of the negotiation, how
prepared they are, their flexibility,
teamwork, ethics and their relationship with the opposing team.
After sailing through the regional
heats James and Ben successfully
took on 11 other teams in the finals.
Paul Aber, Centre Director of
The College of Law in York, said:
‘Lawyers need to be able to negotiate effectively across contexts,
cultures and national boundaries
and the Negotiation Competition
is an excellent forum for highlighting this. Congratulations to James
and Ben on their victory. It came
as no surprise to us that they won it
and showcases the high standard of
legal skills acquired at the College.
We are delighted that they are now
going forward to the International
Competition in Belfast in July and
I have no doubt that they will do
very well.’
Matthew Gardner (formerly
Salisbury, 1984) immigrated to
the US in 1992 and now lives in
Seattle where he runs an economic
consultancy firm.
Philip Gent (1960) has now retired
to Thatcham. He worked in estate
agency, for the police and as an oil
company representative, garage
proprietor and publican.
19/06/2012 22:23
Old Blues News
Nicholas Griffiths (1993) after
RBCS graduated in commercial
shipping at Warsash Maritime
College and was set for a life at sea,
and after several thousand logged
sea miles was offered a Captain’s
position on a super yacht based in
Monaco. However he decided to
hang up his lifejacket to become a
crude oil freight trader for TOTAL,
trading a fleet of supertankers
around the world.
David Grimwade (1977) put in a
surprise appearance at the open
morning in April and is now
working as a furniture restorer in
Gloucestershire.
3
James Howard (1994) graduated
at Stirling with a 2:2 in Business
Law and emigrated to Maine, USA.
Married to Robin with a toddler
Charlie. He graduated in May with
a Masters in rehabilitation counselling at Virginia Commonwealth
University.
Phillip Kemp (1999) presented
Radio 4’s Report programme on
May 24 investigating the mysterious death in 2010 of Gareth
Williams, the MI6 agent.
David Melrose (1968) is an operations director at Rivalminster Ltd
in Sussex.
Mark Rivers (1981) has been living
in Bristol since 1981. After taking a
law degree there, he has been practising as a solicitor in the area ever
since. He is married with two sons.
Donald Wallace (1969) now retired
after career in Financial Services
Industry, working mostly for Royal
& Sun Alliance Life & Pensions.
Also a high hours private pilot and
aircraft owner (group). Supports
Manchester United. Married with
two daughters.
The school participated in the
Queen’s Diamond
Jubilee concert at St Andrew’s
church in Sonning on May 12.
Choir and soloists included
Will Lewington who has
recently been appointed
organ scholar at the church.
The congregation included a
number of Old Blues.
Peter van Went is hard at work on
a 350th anniversary history of the
School, due to be published next
year. It will feature a reproduction
of a new portrait by Richard Ennis
of founder Richard Aldworth.
Tony Halford (1953) is a retired
Electronic Engineer who still
enjoys playing tennis, albeit at a less
competitive level than previously.
He has four grown-up children,
and currently six grandchildren
and has lived in Ireland for the
past 40 years, mostly in the Dublin
area. ‘I too used to enjoy the daily
cycle to school, along the Henley
Road from Caversham Heights to
Sonning, some seven miles or so in
all weathers.
‘The article in the March 2012 issue
of Old Blues News stirred a few long
forgotten memories!’ The photo is
of ‘a long-ago self, proudly displaying my newly acquired transport,
resplendent in school uniform,
and ready to roll!’ The house in
the background is now occupied
by his daughter. ‘The names Wells
and McCormick certainly ring a
distant, if not spinning chrome
bell, good wishes to you both. Best
wishes to all who remember me!’
Adam Hill (2004) completed a
two year graduate scheme in the
fresh food industry run by Harper
Adams University College and
MDS in 2010. He recently moved
to Spain to work as a manager for
G´s, a large grower and marketer
supplying supermarkets across the
world.
2029 obn 61.3.indd 4
Matt Parker (2010) is starting an
internship as a lighting
design consultant in Hertfordshire, returning to the University
of Glamorgan to complete BSc
(Hons) Lighting Design in 2014,
whilst continuing to freelance in
the events production industry.
Robin de Pass (1965) attended
catering college and enjoyed great
success as BOAC and BA L/HC/
Crew from 1969–2007. He has three
sons Jon, Matt, Tim. A widower
since 2004 and now living in Hove
with his partner who is a BACP
Humanistic Counsellor.
Hannah Rancombe (Walmsley)
(2202) is much enjoying teaching
Biology GCSE and A-level and
has set up a Psychology A-level
this year. She married Digby from
Henley last summer.
Anthony Redford (1968) retired
from Royal Bank of Scotland in
2008 after 42 years in banking,
mostly in London. Married with
two grown up children and five
grandsons and now one granddaughter, all under four years old.
Jonathan Wood (2011) is studying
for a BA Economics at Exeter and
has just been accepted to be a paid
choral scholar at Exeter Cathedral.
He will also be singing live on TV
in the BBC Proms on Friday 27 July.
David Woodward (1979) designed
and produced the Royal County
Berkshire’s loyal greeting to the
Queen which was presented by the
Lord Lieutenant at a ceremony at
Buckingham Palace. He also took
part in the Thames Jubilee Pageant,
but much to his relief given the
conditions, was not rowing as was
originally planned. He is to sing
in the Aldworth Philharmonic’s
birthday concert on June 30.
Alexandra Wren (1994) recently
joined us in school as an Advisor
for the Challenge of Management
LVI conference. She has been
working in the City as Global
Research Director at Unilever,
leading the House of Salon (Haircare) team. She’s continuing her
career in consumer research and
after nearly 12 years at Unilever is
moving to GlaxoSmithKline to
research consumer behaviour in
dental care which will be a new
adventure. ‘I was impressed by the
new buildings at RBCS and the
new facilities – it was lovely to catch
up with Sally Lambert and Peter van
Went in the School’s dining room’.
Stewart lets slip
who gets the
slipper
Perhaps to show the value of
his ‘A’ levels in biology and
art, Stewart Parvin disclosed
to Sunday Times recently that
the Her Majesty the Queen
engages a courtier (a footman, presumably) to break in
new shoes before she wears
them.
Does that ditch his hope of an OBE?
Stewart, who has designed the
Queen’s dresses for 11 years, said
it was right she should go to such
lengths because she could never
decide to change her shoes half way
through an official engagement.
He also revealed the Queen wears
an extra shoulder pad on one side to
disguise a slight imbalance and has
a team of dressers who record the
outfit she wears for every engagement to ensure she never repeats
herself.
19/06/2012 22:23
4
Old Blues News
Drawn to football victory for Cup win?
On a gorgeous Sunday morning the Old Blues reunited,
with trophy in hand, to
unleash a vast array of talent
on the football field.
Although they spanned across a
decade of year groups, the whole
squad had one common goal,
victory. Upon arrival, we were
quick to learn of the intimidating
rumours flying around the school
that the current 1st XI were one of
the best the ‘Gaffer’ (Derek Cottrell)
had seen for a while...
The first half of the game proved
to be a dog fight, with both the Old
Blues and School maintaining a
good deal of possession in midfield
but failing to create chances on goal.
The combination of Griffths and
Moszczynski in the middle of the
park was a real force to be reckoned
with, and it was from those two
players that the Old Blues struck
gold. In the commentary style of
Alan Partridge, Sam Griffths had ‘a
boot like a traction engine’.
As the second half got underway,
fatigue set in. A quick set piece from
the School outsmarted the Old
Blues and they tied the game at 1–1.
From that moment on, the School
were persistent in their attacks,
but valiant defending from Matt
Andrews and Jonny Bell kept them
away from our goal. Final score 1–1,
Old Blues retain the trophy: mission
accomplished.
GK: Nigel Jackson (2009)
RB: Dunstan Tough (2000’s)
CB: Matt Andrews (2011)
CB: Matt Crouchman (c) (2007)
LB: Jonny Bell (2007)
RM: Sam Wareham (2010)
CM: Tom Moszczynski (2008)
CM: Sam Griffths (2007)
LM: Chris Fajer (2000’s)
ST: Ross McAdam (2010)
ST: Ben Jones (2000’s)
Enthusiastic feedback after an
enjoyable dinner, victories in
the Daniels Cup and more…
Many commented on the quality of
the food and setting at this popular
event. Also, such was the success of
the Alumni music evening that it is
hoped to repeat it next year.
Ties, bow ties and scarves will be
one sale at the Open Day on 30
June, 2012.
There is support for another Rugby
VIIs tournament to be held towards
the start of the academic term. Final
date to be confirmed.
Daniels Cup Football was a draw.
Cricket and Rowing competitions
to follow in deciding the winner of
the 2011–12 Daniels Cup.
A big birthday present for Reading Blue Coat School
We reprint with thanks an
article compiled by Peter van
Went for Bridge, the newsletter of the Sonning & Sonning
Eye Society. Peter is engaged
in writing an anniversary
history of the school, to be
published next year.
In 1646 at the height of the English
Civil War, a wealthy London
merchant, Richard Aldworth, left
the Corporation of Reading the
sum of £4,000, the proceeds of
which were to be devoted to ‘the
education and upbringing of twenty
poor male children, being the
children of honest, religious poor
men in the town of Reading.’ From
this bequest, which in 17th century
terms was quite substantial, originated the Aldworth’s Hospital charity school better known to us now
as the Reading Blue Coat School.
Aldworth, who had been a governor
of Christ’s Hospital in London,
modelled the new foundation on
his own old school, the boys being
required to wear the familiar Blue
Coat attire of gown, yellow stockings, and buckled shoes. Aldworth’s
Will further stipulated that the
Master of the new school should be
‘an honest, Godly and learned man’
who for his ‘paines’ would receive
a stipend of £30 a year. His duties
were to include the instruction of
reading, writing and ciphering
and to ‘teach the Catechism in the
points of Christian Religion.’ A
portrait of the founder is owned
by the School and hangs today in
School House.
The School was originally accommodated in an old building situation at the corner of Silver Street
and London Street known as ‘The
Talbot’ in one of the oldest parts of
2029 obn 61.3.indd 1
Reading. The house, once an old
inn, had known better days. Owing
to litigation in connection with
Aldworth’s will, it was not until
1660, the year of Charles II’s restoration, that the first boys entered the
School to be taught. Despite many
difficulties at the outset, the School
flourished and even received generous subventions from local benefactors such as William Malthus
and John West. Malthus also left a
certain sum for an annual sermon
to be preached to the boys, a tradition still maintained in Reading at
the end of each summer term.
In 1666, Sir Thomas Rich of Holme
Park, Sonning, gave the Corporation the sum of £1,000 to ‘maintain
six poor boys in Aldworth’s Hospital, three of whom were to be chosen
from the parish of Sonning.’ By a
happy coincidence, in 1947 the new
School was to find its existing home
on the site of Rich’s estate. Indeed,
the present Holme Park mansion is
situated within a few hundred yards
of Rich’s own manor house, an old
residence which in turn had been
built near an ancient but ruined
palace that had belonged to the
Bishops of Salisbury long before the
Norman Conquest in 1066.
The ‘Talbot’ was a mean and
uncomfortable building not at all
suited to the needs of a growing
school, and soon the Corporation,
as Trustees, decided to replace it
with a more modern structure in
1723. A place ‘where the rays of the
sun never penetrate, and where the
atmosphere must have been particularly noxious from want of circulation…’ was hardly conducive to the
healthy upbringing of youngsters.
That the School’s reputation and
circumstances stood at a low ebb
is further confirmed by an order
of the Trustees that ‘the Master of
the Blue Coat School do not suffer
the boys to play about the streets
but that they be kept within the
limits of the said School between
and after School times, and that the
Master go with the said children to
the Parish Church of St Laurence
every Sunday.’ This they unfailingly
did every Sunday until 1946! There
the School was to remain until 1852
when it removed to more commodious premises at Brunswick House in
the Bath Road. For nearly 90 years,
generations of Blue Coat boys were
to be educated there in ‘the three
Rs’, many proceeding to a variety
of local apprenticeships, trades and
professions.
The impact of the 1939–1945 war,
combined with rising educational
expectations, posed immense
challenges to the School which
was faced with the fate of eventual
closure unless it removed to more
extensive premises outside Reading and met the terms of the 1944
Education Act. Described by the
Headmaster, Bernard Inge, as ‘as
an act of faith’, and following a local
fundraising appeal sponsored by
the Bishop of Reading, the Mayor,
and Corporation, the Trustees
acquired the Holme Park estate and
the School began a new and initially
uncertain lease of life.
19/06/2012 22:23