WINTER 2012/13

THE GORDONSTOUN ASSOCIATION Patron: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG, KT

THE GORDONSTOUN ASSOCIATIONELGIN, MORAY, SCOTLAND IV30 5RF

ga@gordonstoun.org.ukwww.gordonstoun.org.uk/former-students/+44 (0) 1343 837 922

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FORTY YEARS OF GIRLS ATGORDONSTOUN

CONTACT INFORMATIONThe GA Office Gordonstoun School Elgin Moray IV30 5RF

Tel: +44 (0) 1343 837922 Email: ga@gordonstoun.org.uk

www.gordonstoun.org.uk/former-students/ga

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3 Whilst every care is taken in the preparation of this publication The Gordonstoun Association cannot accept responsibility for actions or decisions taken by readers based on information supplied, that is subsequently changed or cancelled. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Gordonstoun Association or The Gordonstoun Schools.

ChAIRMAN’S WELCOME ThE GA COMMITTEE

ThE GA OFFICE

Steve Brown GA Co-ordinator

Andrew Lyall GA Assistant Co-ordinator

Niki Pargeter GA Office Administrator

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Peter Ramsay(Windmill 1973)GA Chairman

Georgie Middleton née Housman(Hopeman 1978)

GA Committee Secretary

Amanda Campbell Lambert née Brown (Plewlands 1991)

Andrew Clark(Windmill 1973)

Marina Edge née Ford(Plewlands 1991)

Nicky Montgomery née Hill

(Hopeman 1980)

John Mulligan

(Altyre 1981)

Nigel Rimmer

(Duffus 1960)

Ben Goss(Former Staff)

Keeper of the Gordonstoun Family

CONTENTS

Peter Ramsay GA Chairman

The GA Magazine receives high praise from its readership and the Committee will endeavour to produce a publication which evolves and continues to be of interest to the GA community.

The overheads and postage costs for the magazine are rising and will continue to do so. The committee are keen to address this issue, especially with the increasing flexibility of electronic media. With this in mind, at the beginning of 2012 the Committee sent out a questionnaire, by post to those without email. For those using email, a link was established to an on line survey facility. A total of 890 responses were received of which 91% were via the online survey. Thank you to all who took part.

The committee has been considering the responses to the survey and your additional comments. 879 people responded to the

question, “Would you be happy to access the magazine electronically, with an option to opt for a hard copy in the future?” Of those, a resounding 84% said “Yes”. The committee has decided therefore, that this year a version of the Magazine will be made available electronically. An email has been sent to all those for whom we have a current email address to seek confirmation of whether they wish to receive the magazine in this way and at the time of writing this report approximately 700 have responded positively.

We also asked, “Would you be happy if we offered advertising space, solely for members, to offset the cost?” 89% of those who answered the question said “Yes”. The committee is now looking at this in more detail and hopes to have the framework for this in place in time for next year’s Magazine.

I would like to assure our readers that printed copies of the Magazine will always be available.

As you know Lucy Wickens, the previous GA Office Secretary, left at the end of November 2011, and we were delighted to welcome her replacement Nicola Pargeter, who took the new title GA Office Administrator and made an immediate impact. At the time of writing Nicola is currently on extended leave and Varie Parker has been recruited to cover the role.

There have also been changes on the Committee side. At the last AGM I was delighted that Amanda Campbell Lambert was elected to take on the Treasurer’s role. Amanda is a fully trained Chartered Accountant, and is therefore admirably suited to the task. Due to work commitments Karen Campbell has resigned from the committee. I would like to record our thanks to her for her contribution.

I am delighted to report that work on the George Welsh Sports Centre is being completed, and that major improvements to the Boarding accommodation are in the pipe-line. This admirable level of capital investment will ensure that Gordonstoun remains a destination of choice for those seeking the very best in education. The Governors and fund raisers are to be congratulated on their efforts.

The Association continues to host events throughout the UK and further afield. Very successful new ‘Gatherings’ have taken place this year in Canada, Dubai and Spain. One of our more unusual events in 2012 was a “Day at the Races,” where a group of OGs and guests enjoyed an excellent day’s entertainment. Information on future events is available on page 28.

The committee is looking ahead to a significant milestone in 2014 when the school turns 80. Watch out for events announcements.

I ask you to remember that The Gordonstoun Association is yours, the committee is there to further the contact across all of the Gordonstoun family so please feel free to come to us with ideas or suggestions.

I would like to thank all the committee, Steve Brown, Andrew Lyall, Nicola and Varie for all the help they have given me as well as help from many in the school itself.

2 Chairman’s Welcome

3 The GA Committee

4 View from the GA Office

5 Principal’s Welcome

6 The First Canadian Lass at Gordonstoun

7 The Time of our Lives

7 Obituaries

8 Gordonstoun Memories

9 Mars Time

10 Olympics 2012 from Down Under

11 A Moonlight Introduction to Orienteering

12 Lotus in the Dust

13 Good with Wine

14 One Careful Owner

15 Golden Aura

16 The Angel’s Share

17 Rivers of Kindness

18 Gordonstoun 1945-46

19 From School to Seaweed

20 Kurt Hahn Remembered

21 Ice Run 2012

22 Red Cross Emergency Response

23 Cumming House to PhD

24 Oh, To Be a Guv’nor!

25 Romania Project

26 Memories from an old boy

26 Unknown Faces

27 GA Events

hELP US GO GREENPlease let us have your email address so we can email you news and events, rather than printing and sending them on paper!

ga@gordonstoun.org.uk

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How wonderfully appropriate in the year in which Gordonstoun celebrates the 40th anniversary of girls joining the school that two of our alumni should perform so successfully at the 2012 Olympic Games. I know the whole of the Gordonstoun community was delighted for both Heather and Zara. Heather said in last year’s GA Magazine about her forthcoming challenges. ‘I am excited and I hope I enjoy the Journey’. Heather, we all enjoyed the journey! Heather returned to school at the end of August and allowed us all to live our lives vicariously

(however briefly) by holding the gold! She also returned at the beginning of November along with eight other OGs to take part in the GA Careers day. There has been further OG sporting success this year as Preston Mommsen (Duffus 2007) became the first OG to play county cricket (for Leicestershire) and he was subsequently selected to lead the Scotland team on a tour of his native South Africa. Of course success has not been restricted to the sporting arena and the articles in this magazine reflect the broad array of challenges which OGs are prepared to tackle as well as providing an opportunity to wallow in a little nostalgia.

2012 saw former pupils return to the school in record numbers both for the more formal events such as GA weekend and for privately arranged visits. It was wonderful to see so many OGs returning, many for the first time in a number of years. In fact the ‘record’ was taken by Ian Farmer who returned for the first time since he left as Guardian in 1947. 65 years is a long time between visits but he thoroughly enjoyed his return and wrot ‘even in my day Gordonstoun was ahead of its time in its approach to general education and the development of the young person. Then it lacked most of the amenities that other schools enjoyed. Things have changed dramatically and in spite of the school magazines keeping me informed of the latest progress I was overwhelmed with the magnificence of the estate.’ If it is some time since you last visited the school, why not contact the GA office to arrange a visit? You would be most welcome to join us for lunch, a tour of the school and to see some of the exciting new developments on campus.

There have been a wide variety of events this year and they have been diverse in both geography and content. In addition to events at school Gatherings have been held in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Windsor and further afield in Croatia, Spain, Canada and Dubai. The wonderful Carol Services held in both London and Edinburgh are always very well attended and folk are returning to school for GA Day in record numbers. This year as we celebrate 40 years of girls at Gordonstoun we would encourage you all to make a special effort to attend. Some GA events are more intimate affairs but nevertheless equally enjoyable. The inaugural GA ‘day at the races’ was a very successful occasion at Royal Windsor – especially for the lucky Round Square chap whose bank balance was several thousand pounds healthier at the end of the day! We also had 3 different groups of OGs organising reunions – two year-group based and one House based. The GA is always very keen to support new initiatives so if you would like to explore the possibility of a gathering or event please do not hesitate to get in touch.

We do hope that you enjoy reading this year’s magazine and we would like to extend a big thank you to all of those who have contributed to this publication. If you would like to write a piece for next year’s publication please do get in touch and we are always delighted to receive items of news for our web and Facebook pages. We look forward to hearing from you.

This has been a very busy year for the Admissions Department and I am happy to report that we have been pleased with the recruitment totals which were almost identical to those encountered in 2011. Despite the impact of the recession the Aberlour House roll rose by 10% and the number of girl boarders rose to full capacity.

A significant number of OGs have continued to send their children to Aberlour House, Gordonstoun and the International Summer School. As ever, we have been hugely grateful to a large number of former students both at home and abroad who have attended promotional functions and assisted in so many varied ways with the recruitment process. We are always open to advice over the nature and location of our marketing efforts and please do make contact with us if you have any ideas with regard to increasing the exposure of all three Schools in your area.

In the meantime do come and see us we would be delighted to welcome you back to Gordonstoun!

NEWS FROM ADMISSIONSBy Chris Barton, Director of Admissions

With the official closing of the Campaign for the George Welsh Sports Centre in the summer of 2012, the Campaign office is now in a quieter period of consolidation and preparation.  Consolidation in terms of doing all we can to ensure that what we have learned over the past six years of campaigning is fed in to our next plan, and preparation for what is to come.

However, one aspect of our fundraising programme that never ceases is our quest to raise funds through our Scholarship and Bursary programme to support those less able to afford the fees.  Throughout the School’s history Gordonstoun has always been truly comprehensive in terms of its intake.  One of the key qualities which makes the School so special is the breadth of backgrounds of its students, and this is no different today.  At the moment over 30% of students receive assistance with their fees, and we are determined to sustain this number in the years ahead.  However, it may come as a surprise to many OGs to know that, unlike many leading Independent Schools, Gordonstoun does not have a large endowment on which it can draw to fund these awards.  Rather, it supports them largely through fee income, currently spending approximately £2.2 million per year to support those who cannot afford the full fee.

This obviously accounts for a significant proportion of our annual running costs and we are determined that, over the coming years, we do everything we can to reduce the financial demand of these awards on the School whilst at the same time maintaining the degree of support for students.  To this end, I am delighted to say that in recent years we have had a good degree of success in finding supporters amongst the OG body who appreciate the importance of maintaining our Scholarship and Bursary numbers and have been happy to support with either one-off donations or regular amounts each month or year.  However, it is a simple fact that we need to find more people like these. 

Perhaps you received help from an organisation or individual to attend Gordonstoun yourself.  Perhaps one of your best friends at School did.  What is certain is that every single OG knew many such students who were only there from the generosity of others, even if at the time nobody within their peer group knew this.

I would appeal to you to think hard about whether you too can help the Scholarship and Bursary programme to support the next generation of Gordonstoun students with either a monthly or a one-off donation.  If, on reflection, your answer to this is ‘yes’, do get in touch at deveyr@gordonstoun.org.uk or via telephone on 01343 837827.  Thank you.

p.s. As a result of my travels in recent months I have heard of a game called Round Square football, apparently with three goals, played in the late 50s and early 60s.  If anyone can help me with a few more details of it I would be very grateful, as it’s time it was resurrected! 5

By Simon Reid, Principal of Gordonstoun Schools By Richard Devey, Campaign DirectorBy Steve Brown, GA Co-ordinator

The year since my last article for the GA magazine has been both fascinating and very exciting. Gordonstoun in that time was educational home, if not actually home, to about 600 students. Expeditions flourished; as ever, sail training took our students out onto the Moray Firth in droves; ‘Ocean Spirit’ took 276 students out to and about the western islands from early April to October, Gordonstoun sports teams competed in and some won national trophies - most notably the U18 Rugby Team that won the Caledonian Cup and the U14 Netball Team that won the Scottish National

Schools Silver Competition; the drama department threw itself into outstanding productions of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and ‘As You Wish’ and, in August, A2 academic results reached heights they had not done before.

Perhaps most significantly, in April 2012 an announcement was made about future capital expenditure plans for the school which involve the upgrading of three boys’ boarding houses, the completion of the George Welsh Sports Centre, the relocation of the Drama and Dance Department to a newly built extension to the Ogstoun Theatre and a re-development of Round Square to incorporate a curriculum centre and be accessible to all Gordonstoun students. The excitement of these plans is fired largely by their underpinning even more effectively traditions and educational principles which have been at the heart of Gordonstoun School since its foundation. I appreciated very much the opportunity to speak in more detail with past students of the school at the excellent OG weekend held at the school in May this year. Equally, everyone should have received from me a letter announcing the developments in late April.

Since then, a new year has started in all its busy colour and, at the risk of seeming to give a blow-by-blow account of all events at the school, I should like to select two which took place at St Christopher’s Chapel. The first is the address given by Gold Medallist, Heather Stanning (Plewlands, 2003) at the first Flag Service of the year. None will have missed, either in the flesh or on TV, the happy image of Heather and Helen Glover’s delight when crossing the line first in the Olympic final of the Women’s Pairs race. After lengthy and thunderous applause when she arrived at the lectern here at the school, she spoke memorably to a packed chapel about her perceptions of links between this achievement and her life at Aberlour and Gordonstoun. We listened to her unaffected celebration of the themes of engaging in life’s experiences with passion, of tenacity, and of managing challenge with fortitude.

Secondly, and on Wednesday 3rd October 2012, Gordonstoun Schools were honoured to hold a memorial service to celebrate the life of Mr David Byatt MBE. Conducted by The Right Reverend Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray Ross and Caithness, this was an occasion which drew a remarkable number (about 350) and variety of people who taught, are present students or staff at the School, or were students or staff when David himself was here as student or teacher. It was also, for the many students who chose to attend the Service, a glimpse of a person who had been a vital part of the School’s ethos and what it continues to foster. The Memorial Service, though sad, created an echo of the School as it was at a different time and provided a moment when understanding of some of the underpinnings of the School in its relatively short history came sharply into focus.

These are two people who in very different ways have shaped and been shaped by Gordonstoun. Long may it mould and be moulded by such outstanding people. Both David Byatt and Heather Stanning - though I knew one and know the other little – are united being known for extraordinarily humility; they are people of whom we can be immensely proud.

PRINCIPAL’S WELCOMEThE VIEW FROM GA hQ CAMPAIGN UPDATE

Now you might be wondering how a kid who was born in Ireland of Scottish parents and living in Ontario, Canada came to be one of the first girls to enrol in a well-known boys’ school situated in the spectacular region of northern Scotland in 1972.

It came about because my Grandmother, living in Lanarkshire, Scotland at the time read an article that Gordonstoun School was about to take an enormous leap and slowly initiate thirty girls from around the world into this challenging all boys’ school.

I vaguely recall a visit to our home by a gentleman who interviewed me to see if I was an appropriate candidate to be the first Canadian female Gordonstoun student. So it was settled. Soon I would be heading to a new school with new adventures, new friends and lovely Scotland.

I was very excited to see the school but have to admit to being just a tad nervous as to how I would be accepted. My first glimpse of Hopeman House came into view. This was to be my new home.

So bear with me as I conjure up some memories and share a few vignettes of my great time at Gordonstoun:

Our Headmistress.Miss D. Witts and her assistant Miss N. Smith welcomed us all with open hearts. Both were ready for the challenges that thirty totally different girls would bring. These women, our guardians, were approachable and kind. Our biggest challenge was to be accepted – not only as new arrivals – but as girls who had the “right” stuff to be there; who could take on the

challenges that embodied the history of the schools strict curriculum. Yikes!

Ah, Morning Run. If the boys could do it so could we. Donning those regulation, warmly lined and shapeless bright red track suits we trotted out to the goal post and back. I’m totally convinced that red was chosen to ensure we could be seen and counted.

Showers. Yes, we had the benefit of hot water. Thank you.

Making Our First Official Debut. Leaving Hopeman House we walked to Gordonstoun House for our first showing and meal. I remember turning the bend and… oh my… there in front of us was a bevy of boys hanging out by the front entrance of Gordonstoun House as others leaned out of the windows above.

“Hello. We’re here!” The boys were all very kind and welcoming.

“Higher, Please Higher.”

That was the cry and plea from us as we bombarded the poor ladies in the linen room to raise our skirts above our knees. We were just keeping up with the fashions – that and showing off a bit of our lanky legs. Such

brave souls we were, as we weathered the winter months with our new fashion… the shortened skirts and knee high woollen gray socks. Styling!

High Sea Adventures. Seamanship was at its best while under the watchful eyes of Barney Robinson the first mate and Captain and Commander Edleston. With those two gentlemen as our trusty skilled Sea Leaders I experienced a respect for the waters, a taste for sea spray and the feel of wind tossed hair.

Sea Spirit, the Lady of the Sea. Yet another challenge. What a graceful ship it was that guided us safely along the rugged coastline holding fast on the North Sea for a week of high sea adventure. It was all enjoyable under the watchful eye of Barney and Commander Edleston and through all kinds of weather we were put to the test.

More Challenges. There were some great ones. This takes me back to memories of that wonderful Services Obstacle Course located adjacent to the lake. Oh what fun. Not!

Climbing the Cairngorms. Yes, another “sure, I can so do this” moment. What was I thinking? But you know it turned out to be a blast and I have the picture to prove it!

Royal Arrival. There was a definite buzz in the air as we heard that Prince Andrew would be arriving to attend Gordonstoun. Talking with him (my first Royal encounter) he was very nice, had a great sense of humour, and seemed to have no problem fitting in. Prince Andrew was soon one of us.

Teachers/Professors. Gordonstoun had a vast array of highly intelligent and well educated Teachers/Professors who instilled discipline and their love of professional academic studies. I admired them greatly and all were very kind to me, as was Mr. Kempe and his wife who welcomed the girls with a smile and watchful eye.

Medic! Last, but not least, there seemed to be an unusual rise in rugby injuries from years gone by. Hmmm… could it be that there were now girls watching from the sidelines?

Well, that’s my glimpse into a few of my memories as one of the first thirty girls. For myself, I feel privileged to be the first Canadian girl. I loved my time at Gordonstoun, made many wonderful friends and it gave me the opportunity to do so much more. To this day the motto Plus est en Vous is very dear to my heart.

ThE FIRST CANADIAN LASS AT GORDONSTOUNby Ghislaine Friesen née henderson (hopeman, 1974)

OBITUARIESThe Gordonstoun Association is sad to announce the deaths of the following alumni and extends its condolences to their family and friends. If you wish to notify the Gordonstoun Association of a bereavement, please contact the Gordonstoun Association Office. Tel: +44 (0)1343 837922 or Email: ga@gordonstoun.org.uk

IAN WAUGH – Altyre 1957

OWEN (ALFRED) GRIFFITHS – Cumming 1949

DAVID A BYATT – Gordonstoun House 1951 Teacher of Biology and Deputy Headmaster 1971-93

MATTHIAS PANETH – Round Square 1940

JAN MICHAEL EINWÄCHTER – 1957

ROBERT H SWANNEY – Altyre 1958

MRS BETTE WELSH wife of George Welsh, Head of PE 1965 -1984

RONNIE BERRY Teacher of Music 2000-2012

GEORGE R HOFFMANN – 1940

CANON ANTHONY MONTGOMERY Former Staff, Chaplain 1968-1993

LORD LEVEN AND MELVILLE Former Governor

DAVID H PEAT – Round Square 1964

FRANK Y THOMSON – 1949

Full obituaries (if available) can be seen on our website: www.gordonstoun.org.uk/former-students/ga/obituaries

Forty years is a long time. That’s how long girls have been going to Gordonstoun. Before making the decision for the school to go co-educational, the Governors canvassed the opinions of the parents on this question. My mother wrote that she thought it was a fine idea but could they please wait until her son had finished school? Based on my academic achievements in the Sixth Form this was a wise request.

Fortunately the Governors and Mr. Kempe ignored my mother’s wishes and, in September 1972, the first girls arrived. Based on what I learned about Life, with a capital L, this step-change was invaluable. Luckily for me I had two sisters so I knew that it was possible to conduct an almost normal conversation with the female half of the human species – even aged 16.

Once we heard that girls would be joining us at Gordonstoun some of us had mixed feelings. We felt that we would lose some of the uniqueness and traditions – which we did. On the other hand we gained immeasurably more and community life did become somewhat more normal.

The first intake of girls were real pioneers. They had to put up with the inquisitive stares of 400 pairs of eyes. However as most of the “new girls” seemed to have been selected on their good looks, intelligence and strong nerves they were generously given a chance to prove themselves. One change considered essential by the boys before allowing girls to the school was that long trousers could be worn. Funnily enough the girls didn’t make fun of boys wearing shorts and they (the grey shorts) soon experienced a renaissance. I even went as far as wearing a (Campbell) kilt!

The Services Obstacle Course Race always took place soon after the summer holidays and “the Wall” and “Crossing-the-lake” were features which commanded respect from most of the boys. The big question was, how would the girls manage the Obstacle Race? Lead by A.L., on exchange from Salem (First House Captain of Hopeman House), they did an excellent job earning the boys’ respect. In fact, A.L. was so impressive that M.S. fell tragically in love with her – I think that this was the first great love affair in 1972 – any other suggestions?

OK. So the 30 girls were there with 400 boys to choose from; quite a challenge – and not just for the girls. Of course the girls in the Lower Sixth thought the boys in the Upper Sixth much more attractive than the boring

Lower Sixth boys so certain strategies had to be developed to maximize potential contacts and “quality time” together. No mobile phones or social networks to help us out in those days. One strategy, which worked very well, was joining Mr. Waddell’s fascinating Lecture Course on The History of Art – nearly all the most attractive girls took part and I developed a life-long interest in the Visual Arts.

Another essential step was to get invited to the School Dance. This wasn’t easy because each girl was allowed to anonymously invite just one boy. I missed the first dance but after that I got invited to each dance and to this day I don’t know who invited me – but I do have my suspicions.

As I was a poor actor the other possibility was to take part in the School Opera which, the following year, was Mozart’s “Magic Flute”. I only had a small role in the Orchestra (playing the flute) but there was loads of time during rehearsals “to talk”. Once, in the interval of one our public performances (I think it was in Aberdeen), a girl came up to me, kissed me, and without a word walked off. I never did quite understand why but it sure made a big impression.

The ultimate opportunity was, of course, the annual Sixth Form cruise on Sea Spirit in the summer term. Seven boys and six girls in a confined space for seven days! Neil Young’s “Harvest” playing on a tape recorder in the background and the midnight sun setting over the Summer Isles. Wow!

We did feel sorry for one girl who left after three weeks. We were afraid that we had been unfriendly to her but we never heard whether that was the real reason she left. All the other girls stayed the course and we never regretted it. In fact, we became quite proud of our new comrades and discovered again “Plus est en Vous”!

All-in-all we were having the “… time of our lives…”

We were very privileged and fortunate to be part of this dramatic change to school life – and some of us knew it . Forty years is a long time but sometimes it feels like yesterday!

ThE TIME OF OUR LIVESby Ian M. Campbell (Altyre, 1974)

ShARE YOUR PhOTOS!If you’ve got any old photos you’d like to share with the readers of the Gordonstoun Association Magazine, please send them by post or email to the GA office and we’ll feature them in these pages!

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When Curiosity landed on Mars, NASA lead flight director David Oh and his colleagues responsible for the rover’s operation were required to

live their lives on ‘Mars Time’. In the spirit of Adventure, David’s wife Bryn (Windmill 1991) and their three children Braden, 13, Ashlyn, 10, and Devyn, 8 decided to join him! A day on Earth is 24 hours, but each Mars day is 24 hrs and 39 mins long! 39 minutes doesn’t sound like much but as Bryn explains, the impact is dramatic. “40 minutes a day is like moving 2 time zones every three days for a month! But I jumped at the chance to take our family on to Mars time. Building a spacecraft and landing it on Mars is a life-changing experience. I wanted the opportunity to include our entire family, especially our children. There is a sense of adventure, of traveling into the unknown, that accompanies sending a spacecraft to Mars. We captured a piece of that as our family followed the rover’s schedule on Earth,” she explained.

“In the end, we chose not to add 39 minutes to each day. We actually added 30 minutes to each day for the first week or so until we started going to sleep after the sun came up. That gave us the chance to start off “slowly” and figure things out, plus it gave us more time to be awake during daylight hours. Once the schedule really became inverted, we pushed our schedule an hour a day, because the kids needed to be able to start school by the end of August. One way of looking at it is that we went around the world in 30 days.”

“We didn’t do anything special to simulate living on Mars -- no space rations, or anything. Instead, we embraced what it’s like to live in a big city at night. We enjoyed a midnight picnic lunch at the beach, taught our youngest how to ride a bike in an empty parking lot at 1 a.m., went bowling at 4 a.m., and went on a lot of night walks.”

Bryn’s oldest son Braden documented the entire adventure, with pictures and occasional video, on his blog which can be read at http://marstimr.tumblr.com

Bryn’s husband David has his own take on the family’s experience. “First, taking a journey around the clock really is a great adventure for the family and a great bonding experience. It has been great to have the family together on Martian time. There is nothing like coming home from a long day at work at 4am, opening the door, and having the kids run up and yell “Daddy” and then sitting down to eat dinner. It is invigorating, and livens up a dark night. It has brought the family together to wander through the night doing all these different things. I believe we are a closer family at the end of this month than at the beginning.

Second, the city of Los Angeles is really a completely different city at night than during the day. The weather cools down, the traffic disappears, and you can travel from any part of the city to another in 30 minutes by car. Parts of LA have a reputation for being sketchy at night, but we never ran into any of that. The people we met were invariably kind, friendly, and happy to see us (happy to see the kids!) wandering through at 4am; and they were invariably interesting. The friendly waitress Nicole, Auggie, the space

enthusiast at the bowling alley, Andy at the 24 hours newsstand were all great people we would never have met on Earth time. It was great to see a wonderful side of the city that we had never seen before.

Third, it was hard to lose the social interactions with friends as we moved our schedule though the night. We looked forward to coming back to Earth time (coming back home!) and meeting our friends again.

Fourth, it is a privilege to work on the Mars program. There is nothing like sitting in mission control at 2am looking at the pictures newly received from the Rover, knowing that we in the room are the first people on Earth to see them. It has been an honor to work with the most brilliant team of people I have ever met in my career.

Both at work and at home, I will cherish the experiences we have had, the knowledge we have gained, and the friends we have made on this two part adventure: exploring Mars at work and living on Mars Time at home.”

MARS TIMEby Bryn Oh née Mowry (Windmill, 1991)

One reads tales of life in public schools and the imagination turns to places like Eton, Harrow and the like. I was a little apprehensive about what might be in store for me but it all turned out to be quite different. “Berth Dhu” was the junior section of the school. On arrival I was introduced to the dormitory leader and shortly after supper we retired to bed. I had been allocated a bottom bunk. The following morning I was aware of a face hanging over the side of the upper bunk above me and a greeting in a thick Scottish accent asking me my name. When I said Kenneth Marley the answer came back - Scrooge. And that was my nickname from then on.

The housemaster was Mr. Kerr Campbell, a Scotsman and retired army captain who taught us geography. He had a gruff rasping voice and was obviously more interested in geology than geography. A study period would start with a discussion on the distribution of the population in some obscure part of Britain and this led on to the physical lay of the land in the area, inevitably terminating with weird drawings on the blackboard and notations about synclynes, anticlynes, and the like. The French mistress wore glasses and her pointed face, mouth with two front teeth in a prominent position and severe bun hairstyle rose above a lean body. She was also very generous with her distribution of bad marks; of which the Greek letter “Γ” (gamma) was the lowest. It formed an appropriate basis for a characteristic cartoon figure with whiskers, pointed ears and two protruding front teeth.

One other master is also worthy of special mention. His name was Norman Pares and he was a bachelor. He was much liked by everybody and as far as I remember he taught us English and quite successfully too. Outside the classroom he would engage in earnest conversation with any boy who happened to pass by and often the subject was the opposite sex.

The early morning run was a devilish institution, especially in winter. Having been turned out of bed and suffered the agonies of the morning cold shower - sometimes impossible because the water pipes to the showers were frozen - we then assembled in front of the house, dressed in shorts and shoes only, our track took us down a lane without lights (we were at war remember). During one of these runs I was the last member of the group and must have erred onto the wrong side of the lane because I suddenly experienced a large burst of stars and a heavy blow on my mouth. The leader - Mark Varvill by name - had run into me; sending both of us sprawling in the frosty and frozen ditch. It was one of those events which could have been termed a pyrrhic victory for Mark because although he had succeeded in knocking in one of my front teeth, he had to report to the school matron and have his forehead stitched. I now had the painful experience of slowly pushing my damaged front tooth back into its original and proper position; hoping the beastly thing wouldn’t turn black or drop out. It did neither but since then, a number of dentists have asked me how I managed to come by a discoloured tooth.

Gordonstoun maintained a regular unit of the National Fire Service with an appliance on the grounds of Plas Dinam and a “firemens hut” where the boys on fire duty had to stay in the event of an alert. During the holidays, a team of men, recruited from the local population in Llandinam, took over these watch duties. They passed their time in the evenings by smoking, reading and enjoying beer they had brought along with them. Because of the blackout regulations, the hut had all its windows suitably covered. During the holidays some of us stayed in Wales because of the bombing. Another boy came to me one day with a thunder- cracker firework, which must have been overlooked or mislaid during one of the term-time exercises. We thought it would be a great joke to set this thing off under the fire hut one night when the local “yokels” were least expecting anything exceptional. We crept up to the hut, placed our charge and when conversation inside the hut was running at a high level, ignited the fuse and withdrew to watch the result. The firework exploded with an almighty bang and within fractions of a second the hut door flew open disgorging a bunch of obviously highly frightened individuals. A woodland copse nearby housed a large number of rooks and these also joined in the general din with cries and squawks. Such nocturnal activities did not go unheeded by the staff in the main house and although I don’t remember what actually happened that night, I do remember we were both summoned to appear before Hahn the following day for a lecture on public spirit and our responsibilities toward fellow citizens etc.

Several other smaller episodes cross my mind but these would take up too much space. Sufficient perhaps, to mention such events as an ‘invasion’ by a squad of Italian POWs who took over the kitchen and almost in the twinkling of an eye had spaghetti strings lining the marble slabs in the pantry. The sight of Hahn on the hockey field, wearing two or three sunhats and thundering down the wing issuing instructions to some luckless boy to pass the ball to him. Visits to “Ma Davis” who owned a cake and pastry shop just up the road from Plas Dinam. Her chocolate iced cakes were a dream and obviously she had no problems in obtaining eggs and butter to make them. And finally, the occasion when our housemaster sent out a team of boys to buy eggs from the local farmers. Not only did they come back well laden but some enterprising farmer had also presented them with a beautiful piece of well hung beef. That evening, every boy in the house had four fried eggs on his plate and a large slice of meat; the latter melting in the mouth almost in the same manner as the eggs.

And so on and so on; remember we were at war with Hitler during all these facts.

GORDONSTOUN MEMORIESby Kenneth Marley (Duffus, 1946)

ALThOUGh hE hAD SUCCEEDED IN KNOCKING IN ONE OF MY FRONT TEETh, hE hAD TO REPORT TO ThE SChOOL MATRON AND hAVE hIS FOREhEAD STITChED

“

10

I was really lucky to have had an incredible time at Gordonstoun, with amazing experiences, brilliant people and a wonderfully sport filled five years. It wasn’t just playing sport that I loved; it was from PE lessons on the sports hall balcony where I discovered a passion for the theory behind it.

After leaving Gordonstoun, I headed to the South West to study Sports Science at Bath University. Once again sport was a big part of life: learning, playing and spectating. Mid-way through the course, there was an option to take a placement year in the industry. Keen for an adventure, I travelled to Australia to work with the National Cycling team. After returning to Bath for final year, I was really fortunate to be asked back to Adelaide and appointed as a Sports Scientist for the Olympic Track Cycling Team.

In the months leading up to the games, every effort was made to try to help the athletes go as fast as possible. From a sports science perspective, this involved physiological testing, biomechanical modelling, calculating aerodynamics in the wind tunnel, psychological preparation, innovating new kit, performance analysis, skill acquisition, training periodization; the list went on. In the gym, sprinters would lift the equivalent of a car, and on the track reach speeds of up to 80kmph. The endurance riders would generate enough power through the pedals to supply the electricity for a small family home and produce lactate levels that were off the scale. The ability of the riders to push themselves beyond the limits was astonishing, and it was really exciting to be a part of the team supporting them in their quest for an Olympic medal.

During the 2011/2012 world cup season, the team were showing promising signs of heading in the right direction. At the World Championships, World Records where being broken and races won by 0.001 of second, the smallest margin measured in the Velodrome. Despite a successful competition for the Aussie riders, there was still a lot of work to do. The team had stepped up, but so had the rest of the world and it was all to play for.

In the months prior to the games, we headed overseas to tour around Europe for the final phases of preparation. First stop was Holland for some road tours and shorter criterium races. Next the whole team assembled in the Swiss Alps for a big block of training on the track at the UCI centre and finally travelled to Italy for the taper, and to carry out the final race prep. I must admit that flying to London for a home Olympics with a team in green and gold rather than red, white and blue felt strange, especially as Track cycling had been dubbed “the Ashes in Lycra”, but when it came to cycling, I had become an adopted Aussie.

The atmosphere in the velodrome was incredible. The British team were on phenomenal form, going quicker than anyone had imagined in front the roars of an awesome home crowd. The Aussies battled hard in some fantastic racing, demonstrating tremendous physical and mental strength. Medals were valiantly won in the Team’s Pursuit, Team Sprint, Sprint and Omnium, but Team GB had top spot on the podium in almost every event.

In the last race on the boards, Anna Meares was on great form in the Sprint Final. An amazing athlete, a previous gold medallist in Athens, who also won Silver in Beijing, a remarkable feat having broken her back 6 months previously in an horrific crash on the track. Despite the media hype of the rivalry between Pendleton and Meares, Anna fought hard, and with an outstanding performance won Gold in an epic encounter. Although not everyone came away with the result they had hoped for, it was a fantastic performance from the young squad and they were one of the most successful Australian teams of the games.

A week after competition it was back to Europe in preparation for the Road Cycling World Championships. Now briefly back in Adelaide, the focus moves quickly to this World Cup season and the lead up to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014.

It has been an unforgettable summer of sport. The extraordinary stories and performances of so many athletes from around the world (including some amazing OG achievements) have been inspirational, and this sporting endeavour is one place where the school motto can most definitely be seen in its purest form.

OLYMPICS 2012 FROM DOWN UNDER

by Emma Barton (Windmill, 2007)

11

Part of Kurt Hahn’s philosophy was to develop a boy’s character and self-confidence by searching for and developing hidden talents. Thus those like me who did not shine in the academic world or on the sports field but had an ability to manage bloodhounds or ferrets, to fish or play an instrument, were encouraged to develop these latent gifts. I think it would be this philosophy, which led him to suddenly appoint one of my peers as what we might now call a “Head of Orienteering”.

I found myself faced with this newly promoted individual who was, as intended, basking in his newfound glory! Fortunately we were good friends.

He thrust a prismatic compass and an ordinance survey map of central Montgomeryshire (now Powys) at me, his sole guinea pig, and ordered me, “to prepare immediately a compass course for a day’s outing!” He then disappeared to collect the rations and other necessities.

I had received little training in this pursuit so was forced to do some quick thinking in preparing a plan. Luckily my proposals were accepted without hesitation!

We departed by train south on the now disused railway line from Llandinam to St

Harmon and then walked east by road and track to Abbeycwmhir. There we visited the village store where I noticed a bar of chocolate that had been nibbled by mice! I tried to persuade the lady shopkeeper to let me buy it without a ration card as it was shop soiled, but my plea fell on deaf ears as she had already earmarked it for her children! From here a further trek by forest track and by-road took us to the hamlet of Swich-y-sarnau, where the “orienteering” began.

As I had received very little instruction in compass work I had not felt competent to plot a cross-country course nor did I want to lose face by revealing my ignorance. However I did know where the big luminous arrow was on the instrument and I also knew that it faced magnetic north. I had noticed that Swich-y-sarnau lay almost due south of Plasdinam and so no complicated bearings were necessary. All we had to do was to march northwards following the compass.

As so often in my early lifetime, schedules and the need for haste never entered my head, so the serious trudge of the outing cannot have started till late afternoon. Thus we proceeded more or less in a direct line up hill and down dale. Obstacles in our path had to be surmounted rather than circumvented. However the steep drop down to the Severn valley never appeared and doubts as to the validity of the compass arose in our minds. Were there mineral deposits somewhere in this lonely moorland that were distorting its reading? Fortunately a wonderful starry sky appeared and I knew that the leading edge of the plough always pointed to the pole star. There it was and thus there was no need to panic, but just to plod on. “Plus est en vous” had not as yet

appeared in the Gordonstoun firmament but its spirit in far off enemy occupied territory must have been with us.

We got back before reveille and showered before the school got up.

We later learned that bloodhounds had been out searching for us during the previous evening along with a lone bugler summoning us back to barracks. In keeping with regulations we had left an itinerary before leaving so they had known where to look.

Hahn appeared with a smile on his face and the cheery remark that he had been contemplating phoning our parents to tell them that we had disappeared. I received a medical inspection from our charming Welsh GP to make sure that I had not strained myself as by this time we had convinced all and sundry that as we had been walking for 18 hours we must have covered nearly 30 miles. Such was my self-conviction that I “dined out” on the achievement for nearly 40 years till “the unrealised truth found me out”!

Time and fortune’s wheel had brought me back to Powys as one of Her Majesty’s Cattle and Sheep Advisory Officers. One day I was sitting in a farm kitchen laying forth about my prowess as a young walker when the farmer, in his courteous Welsh way, quietly informed me that he had often walked from Abbeycwmhir to Llandinam in half a day. Somewhat crestfallen I checked and double-checked the distances on the map; alas we had only managed a total of 16 miles!

A MOONLIGhT INTRODUCTION TO ORIENTEERINGby George Mathewson (Plas Dinam, 1943)

WE LATER LEARNED ThAT BLOODhOUNDS hAD BEEN OUT SEARChING FOR US DURING ThE PREVIOUS EVENING

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12

I was born in Northern India; when I was two my father contracted leprosy. Lepers were then treated as social outcasts; people still believed leprosy was contagious. My father was asked to leave his village and mother took her family to live with our grandparents.

Fortunately, at that time, there was a Christian missionary priest named Christdas, who had been working with Mother Teresa in Calcutta. He realised the need for a Treatment Centre in our region, North Bihar, as the facilities in Calcutta were insufficient. In 1981 he travelled from Calcutta and established a Treatment and Accommodation centre which he named Little Flower in a village called Sunderpur (‘beautiful’ in Hindi). Since then he has been instrumental in the building of a hospital, he has also overseen the introduction of a school, dairy farming, silk weaving, clothing manufacture and farming.

My family were very fortunate, and after three years, we were all reunited in Sundepur as my father’s treatment was successful and his foot saved; some patients were too late to be saved and had lost hands or legs. I was then aged five.

I continued at my village school in Sunderpur until I was seven when I sat the Entrance exam for a very prestigious school called St Teresa Girl’s High School (like Gordonstoun but in India); this was run by the Holy Family Sisters. I did well in the exam and they were very keen to have me at their boarding school free of cost.

I studied for eight years at St Teresa’s. Alongside sciences I was taught classical music for two years and won several prizes for dance music and academic performance. The Sisters were very proud of me and I was chosen to be Head girl at the school and hostel. I finished at High School in June 1994, aged fifteen, having sat the Metric exam, which is the equivalent to GCSE in England.

I now wish to introduce you to an amazing lady called Daphne who had heard about Christdas’s work and wanted to help. Despite having six children to look after, as well as her own family life she chose to help Christdas and raised money so leprosy sufferers could live a better life.

In January 1994 she arrived at our village, Sundepur, accompanied by Lady Puttnam; having already previously arranged a scholarship for a child from our village to Gordonstoun.

Thankfully, I was also awarded a scholarship to Gordonstoun arriving in the UK on 24th June 1994. Lady Puttnam agreed to look after me both in London and Bath so I could experience English culture.

I started at Gordonstoun and absolutely loved it despite not knowing any English, everyone was so understanding; I well remember Mrs Clenaghan who was very kind to me at Hopeman House; also Mr Pyper for having faith and believing in me; my heartfelt thanks go out to Jenny (Mr Pyper’s wife) for her support during my stay at Gordonstoun. I studied for three years learning English in my first year followed by two years learning sciences. Gordonstoun has a very special place in my heart; I have very sweet memories of my time there; I felt at home.

On returning to my village, Sundepur, aged eighteen, I wanted to teach and help other children with their education; my ambition was that every child should be educated and have the opportunity to achieve their dreams. I have now been able to educate two of my sisters and two of my nephews; my younger sister is now a teacher and the other has a Master’s degree in Nursing.

Three years later, Lady Puttnam visited again and invited me to apply to study Pharmacy at Sunderland University; I agreed, and after completing my pre- registration training in Newcastle, I qualified in July 2006 aged 27.

That same year I was accepted to study Medicine at the University of East Anglia in Norwich and, after having taken a year out to provide financial support to my sisters and two nephews, I am delighted to have qualified as a doctor with an MBBS degree from Norwich University this summer.

I have decided to return home to India for a year where I will be working as a junior doctor in the Kurji Holy Family Hospital, Patna, capital of my home region North Bihar. This is where my sisters live and where my youngest sister is responsible for nurses’ training in the same hospital. Hopefully, I wish to return to England in a year’s time.

I have had several helpers along the way; I couldn’t have achieved all of my ambitions without the help of others and my thanks go especially to John Higgins, my long-term partner for his emotional and financial support.

LOTUS IN ThE DUSTby Rina Kumari (hopeman, 1997)

PISCATORIAL PARTICIPANTS SOUGhT

Golf, Hockey, Cricket and Rugby participants have long been catered for within the GA; but some of us are interested in “hunter-gatherer” pursuits ... to wit the noble art of fly fishing for Trout (and Salmon).

Other “old boy” associations have such (Loretto for one) who meet and fish for a day then repair to a suitable hostelry for a dinner (with not too many formalities). Meetings would be at a suitable venue such as Lake of Menteith , Loch Leven or other water to achieve maximum support; or perhaps tagged onto the GA weekend (venue possibly Glen Rothes Fishery) or an established dinner venue such as Edinburgh.

We are now seeking to find out if such a group within the auspices of the GA would find supporters. Please E-mail or snail mail/phone Steve Brown at GA office and advise.

Fairly early in life, one sustained element of an as yet unknown future career was already clear to me: it appeared that I liked drinking. But how to turn this into a career, now there was the question…

It’s been a long maturation process; from glugging Jacob’s Creek at Saturday Night socials to sniffing, tasting - and actually appreciating - Bordeaux First Growths, which is a facet of what I now do for a living.

Upon leaving Gordonstoun I was lucky enough to embark on a gap year of adventure, a period of which saw me based in Los Angeles, where I spent several months following the sun, fun and the great grapes of California’s Napa Valley; now this was where my love of fine wine was born. Though more recently my wine loyalties lie predominantly in France, the experience I gained during this time in the US taught me to appreciate the structure of a fine wine, also – crucially – giving me regular epiphanies (often after midnight, naturally) around exactly what it was about wine that I loved.

Returning to the UK after a fantastic and fulfilling year, the next three years at University left me no further along the path of potential career choices. Obviously I still liked drinking, and needed to find a way of paying for my habit, so it was clearly time to embrace a bit of entrepreneurial spirit and set up my own business.

Champers & Hampers enabled me to combine the things I loved. Good wine, lots of parties, and the opportunity to be front of house. Built on the concept of a mobile champagne bar for use at private parties, sporting events or summer shows, the first thing I had to do was establish a brand; a fox in tails, carrying a bottle of Champagne and a picnic hamper seemed to make sense, ideally to symbolize me and the look and feel of what I was trying to achieve! Several years on Champers and Hampers is still trading but remains a side-line to my main career.

In 2008 I was employed by a small wine merchant in Exeter, which took me on to the next level in terms of my knowledge and appreciation of fine wine, but it was not long before I realised the only place to accelerate my career was London, where I might seek my fortune dealing with higher end wines, higher end clients and potentially higher end opportunities.

Since early 2011 I have been with Provenance Fine Wines, a fine wine investment management business, part of the Lenagan family group of companies which includes Oxford United FC, Wigan Warriors RLFC amongst other businesses within the Software, Sport, Hospitality & Education sectors.

The jump from selling wine at £250 a case to £25K+ a case should have seemed really daunting, but I loved it immediately. Managing clients’ wine collections on a much grander scale than anything I’d done before, I realized that this is what really gives me a buzz, and my career is moving along rapidly.

I now have a much more targeted insight into fine wine and the investment potential of fine wine – it’s not merely a question of being good at selling wine, it’s more about analysis and the appreciation of ever-evolving market trends.

Fine wine has long been considered a “natural hedge” against the vagaries of wider economic influences, particularly in times of recession; and the period we find ourselves in these days is no different. That, accompanied by the tax-efficient status of Fine Wine as an asset class means that these days the market is becoming more and more mainstream, to be considered as seriously as one’s yearly ISA allocation.

I like to think that my time at Gordonstoun has played a huge part in my success these days – the confidence to be comfortable in any given situation, as happy maintaining relationships with clients who are Teachers, High Court Judges, Prison Officers and Painters & Decorators (all true!) is largely down the benefits of being on the receiving end of the holistic approach to education there, for which I will always be grateful. Cheers!

GOOD WITh WINEby Jamie haselock (Altyre, 2003)

ThE JUMP FROM SELLING WINE AT £250 A CASE TO £25K+ A CASE ShOULD hAVE SEEMED REALLY DAUNTING, BUT I LOVED IT IMMEDIATELY

“

It took me eleven years after leaving Gordonstoun to work out what I really wanted to do for a living and that was to become a writer. Writing had been a central part of my university studies and my career as a communications specialist but I really wanted to move away from the corporate environment to write engaging stories. In truth, I probably had a romantic view of the life of a writer. I reasoned that I could work anywhere in the world and engage with any topic that caught my imagination. I was sure it would be a more interesting path than the one that I was on and I was drawn to the idea of engaging with my creative side.

When I was younger I had it in my mind that I was going to be a businessman of some sort. I would work in an office and wear a suit. My father and step-father had done this and I assumed that this would satisfy me too. Looking back, even my A-level choices were based on a belief that I should do something ‘serious’ as opposed to the

more creative subjects I had been most interested in. In time I made my way up to a senior management position for an oil and gas contractor in Aberdeen but after a particularly tumultuous period it dawned on me that my ambitions lay elsewhere.

After numerous discussions with friends and family I made the decision to leave my job and to leave Aberdeen. I sold my flat and moved to London where I intended to write my first fiction novel but when it came down to it I found myself drawn to something different. Instead of thinking about character and plot development I was thinking about cars. For years I had marvelled at magazine articles about Lamborghinis tearing across the snow-lined Alps, tales of Ferraris being driven to or from the factory at Maranello in Italy, and stories about Porsches tackling the

Nürburgring. The more I read, the more that I wanted to emulate these journeys.

I came to realise that there was a demand for motoring stories that went beyond the pages of magazines and I wondered whether I might be able to blend my two passions. I began by arranging a trip to Monaco to attend the press conference for a luxury car show, hoping that I would find inspiration there. It turned out to be a great trip. By the time I returned to London I had arranged an interview with the owner of an

electric car company and had an article about the car show published on the website of my favourite car magazine. Taking this as a sign that I was on the right track I threw myself into the world of motoring and began chronicling my experiences.

Over a period of nine months I travelled thousands of miles around the UK and Europe in a Ferrari. I took on the legendary Nürburgring circuit in Germany, visited the Pagani factory in Italy and took part in the Gordonstoun classic car rally in Scotland. I drove some iconic cars, including the Morgan 3 Wheeler and the Aston Martin DB7 Vantage. I went out of my way to meet established car enthusiasts to hear about their evolving passion for motoring.

The result was One Careful Owner, a book that blended travel writing and motoring journalism. It took much longer than I expected to get the book from first draft to the finished product, partly because no publishers would consider my book as I wasn’t famous enough!

Having already had two chapters published as feature articles in The Scotsman and having built a strong network of motoring enthusiasts through social media, I knew that there was an audience for the book. I had done all the hard work and wasn’t going to let my book gather dust on a shelf, so I started my own independent publishing imprint, Sloane Books.

It was very satisfying taking my book from concept phase right through to publication and I learnt a huge amount in the process. Of course the most satisfying experience was receiving positive feedback from those that had read the book, particularly friends and family, and seeing it recommended in the motoring press. Now I have found my calling I can’t wait to write the next one.

One Careful Owner is available to buy in paperback and ebook.

ONE CAREFUL OWNERby Alex Christou (Altyre, 1999)

My love and passion for jewellery goes back to when I was a little girl. Growing up in a family where jewellery is more than just an accessory, it is a piece of art passed on from generations, made me be in awe of every piece of jewellery I came across.

After two wonderful years of high school at Gordonstoun, I went on to read a B.Sc. in Management at the London School of Economics. From there, as most LSE graduates do, I went on to work in the City for a large Investment Bank. I spent more than 7 years in Finance, but after my first daughter was born I did not want to go back to it. However, I still wanted to work and do something that would keep me busy and provide enjoyment, while at the same time providing flexibility with working hours.

My husband’s family have been jewellers for over 20 years. After getting married, I spent time with my mother-in-law learning this fascinating trade – from designing to getting the pieces through to making an actual sale. So when I was looking for something different to do, entering the jewellery business was an obvious decision to make. In March 2009 I decided to go back to studying – this time at the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) to become an Accredited Jewellery Professional (AJP). I loved my course and met some wonderful colleagues. Following on from this

course and with a lot of help and support from my husband and our families, auraonline.co.uk was born.

When I started the business I decided that in addition to the diamond jewellery, which my in-laws pioneer in, I wanted to start a new fresher and younger range involving silver and semi-precious stones. My emphasis was always on quality and value for money. Hence all stones I use are natural, I only work with sterling silver, (and gold?) and all my jewellery is handmade with excellent attention to detail on the craftsmanship. I attended several trade shows in London and abroad. I started small, initially buying ready-made pieces, and from there went on to work with suppliers to design new styles. After a lot of hard work I finally had a new range of jewellery that I was really happy with and I could call my own.

Armed with my new collection, I began approaching shops with both the diamond and the silver jewellery, with the aim of getting them to stock it. All the pieces were very much appreciated and many shops in Chelsea and the Bond Street area started buying them. This was a very exciting time and it pushed me to work harder. I decided to start selling some of the jewellery directly to customers. To begin with this was by word of mouth through family and friends, which then blossomed on to holding stalls at various Corporate Christmas fairs. One of my most satisfying retail days was when I had the opportunity to set up a stall in Portobello market, Notting Hill. The experience of standing there and selling to complete strangers in such a busy market was second to none.

Now with my business over its nascent stage I continue to sell privately, at exhibitions, and also supply wholesale to shops. I also make bespoke diamond and gold jewellery for my clients and have an established clientele who count on me to buy any jewellery they want – a treat for themselves or a present for a loved one. It feels great to know that my customers fully trust me on both quality and the price, a goal I had set out to achieve.

As my business grows, I look forward to new challenges. Currently I am looking to expand into other accessories, such as handmade scarves and shawls. I am also working on setting up an e-shop on my website to give my clients easier access and keep my business

current, as well as to reach out to a wider audience. In summary, Aura has taken a lot of hard work and dedication, but been great fun. I have many exciting things planned for the future and look forward to it all very much.

15

GOLDEN AURAby Milina Lunavat née Agrawal (hopeman, 1998)

16

As a 14 year old Gordonstoun schoolboy living in the Forres-based Altyre House annex leased to the School by Sir William Gordon-Cumming, Saturdays were for fun!

My first intoxicating single malt “experience” happened late one afternoon as I was cycling back to the school from Forres along the 4 mile drive, long and winding and lined with rhododendrons and mostly up hill!

It was a chilly autumnal day and the sun had set. There was no breeze and then it hit me! I felt exhilarated and uplifted.

The wonderful aroma of distilling whisky totally enveloped me as I cycled towards the Dallas Dhu Distillery. This small, independent distillery, I later learned, was the last one to be built in the 19th century. Its pure, although a little peaty, water was taken directly from MY Altyre Burn which was the focus of my activity every Saturday during the summer months.

It was here, just by the distillery itself, that I “guddled” (tickled) my first brown trout, lying away from the shadows on the bank and very carefully following the instructions of one of my friends, “Keep away from casting a shadow on the water, Laddie. Slowly, lower your hand into the water and then, very slowly, feel your trout and slide your hand under him. Now flip him onto the bank”. It worked and there was my Sunday supper. Here I fished for “brownies” when the burn was in spate and here I watched kingfishers catching the myriad small fish in the shallows.

The memory is a vivid one and, years later, I was able to indulge my interest in Single Malts.

Single Malt Scotch Whiskies are categorised into the following whisky-producing regions:

Highland Island Speyside Islay Lowland Campbelltown

Each region produces widely differing tastes.

What then, are the variables that determine the flavour of the whisky

Water – from my Altyre Burn is definitely “peaty” Malting Mashing Fermentation Distillation Maturation Bottling

The definition of a Single Malt Scotch is that it must be distilled by a single distillery in a pot still and use malted barley as the only grain ingredient, in Scotland. It must also be matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years and one day!

So each batch in the production process is different from any other.

Water is used throughout the process being added to the barley to promote germination, mixed with ground barley grist to create a mash and to dilute most whiskies before maturation and, ultimately, bottling.

One very critical step is in the germination first and then after 3 – 5 days, the drying of the germinated barley. It is here that peat smoke (more, or less, according to the flavour required) is introduced . The three smokiest and peatiest malts are: Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin – with Lagavulin probably the peatiest and most “smoky” flavoured of them all. All three come from Islay.

Maturation in oak casks – usually used sherry barriques - for 3 years or more, now takes place. It may well remain in these casks for 20 years or more. During this time the volume and alcohol content decreases and the taste changes as the oaked sherry casks infuse the liquid.

The lost volume through evaporation while it is casked is referred to as “The Angels’ Share”

So what happened to Dallas Dhu? It produced whisky from 1899 to 1983.

Closed during The First World War, the owners, Wright and Greig sold it to J.P O’Brien of Glasgow and, on their liquidation in 1921, Dallas Dhu was sold to Benmore Distillery.

Substantial investment was made but a bad fire damaged it in 1939. Production finally began again in 1947 and continued until 1983 when, largely as a result of a shortage of water, it finally closed.

The Altyre Burn, I am happy to report (because I have personally checked out its good health), continues to flourish.

James GunnAltyre House, Forres 1958-1959

Round Square, Gordonstoun 1960-1963

ThE ANGEL’S ShARE: ALTYRE IN FORRES, 1958

by James Gunn (Round Square, 1963)

In 2004 I spent a year in Uganda as a teacher trainer. Whilst in the Kamuli District I faced crowds of Ugandan children suffering for the lack of healthcare. One girl called Christine was losing her hearing simply because no-one would provide her with antibiotics for an ear infection that had plagued her since birth.

Helping Hands developed out of my response to all that I saw. In consultation with friends in Uganda and the UK I began to form a team and shape a healthcare programme based on interactive lessons for young children and the provision of free medical treatment and essential disease prevention measures such as mosquito nets and latrines.

Initially, Helping Hands employed only one nurse to work with 1700 children in eight different school communities. As the numbers of schools and children rose, so the team of staff and volunteers has grown. Helping Hands also works in community development with a particular emphasis on assisting the more vulnerable families who are identified through our schools work. In 2013 a new project in Turkana, Kenya will be established, to work with a group of mothers and children initially.

When many of us think of African children we see images of malnourished, sick little ones in rags languishing in their mother’s arms or sitting desolate in the dust. I have seen that too, many times in fact, but I have also seen something so much brighter and so much better. I have seen children exchanging their

begging bowls for open handed and hearted generosity towards others. I have begun to see something beautiful in Uganda, true transformation which begins on the inside and works its way out.

Through our relational network in east Africa I heard of a pastor struggling to offer help to a hundred young and hungry children in Turkana, Kenya. These were more victims of the savage drought that has been plaguing the Horn of Africa for several years now. When I shared this with our wonderful children in Uganda I was overwhelmed by their response.

It took one older boy to step forward and offer his sole coin, worth around three pence, to break open the dam which then released a flood of generosity. Many children in school after school did a similar thing, giving up the money which would have bought them some water or a small snack during a long school day. A few of the younger children brought maize cobs hoping that I could carry them to Kenya.

Earlier this year two of us from Helping Hands travelled to the Turkana region of Kenya to carry the kindness of our children, combined with that of many of our own supporters. It was such a delight to be a “postman” and deliver their gifts to their new friends. Our Ugandan children had adopted the role of givers, inspired by the love shown to them by children in the UK. Such a transformation in the presence of their own continuing need shows that something very special has happened in their lives.

Debbie Newman www.helpinghands-uk.org

£££ THE GA 200 CLUb £££YOU COULD BE IN WITh A ChANCE OF WINNING £1000!!!!

The GA 200 Club requires more members. Membership of the GA 200 Club costs just £30 a year. If you join the GA 200 Club you will be doing your bit to help current students. The surplus money that the GA 200 Club generates goes into a fund known as The Student Support Fund which is available to students who require financial help in order to participate in overseas projects, such as the Thailand Water Project and Sinai Project.

The annual 200 Club £1000 prize is drawn during the AGM, which this year will be held on GA Day, at the School, on Saturday 4 May 2013. As well as the £1000 prize drawn in May there is a £500 prize which is drawn in November and also a £40 prize drawn during each of the ten remaining months of the year. Please sign up as it is for such a good cause. If you are interested in becoming a 200 Club member, please contact the GA Office by email ga@gordonstoun.org.uk or phone 01343 837922 to request an application form.

RIVERS OF KINDNESSby Debbie Johnson née Newman (hopeman, 1984)

GORDONSTOUN 1945-46

Price Louis. Note the jibboom and fidded topmasts. She was built in 1878!

Norman Pares. Unfortunately, a very poor quality photograph.

Group Left to Right: Makepeace, Bendal, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, Howe, Marette (his son also went to Gordonstoun), Russell

Group Left to Right: Rendell, Spivey, Unknown, Unknown, Varley, Unknown

by Cdr Tony Rendell (Round Square, 1946)

19

I never really enjoyed subjects at school that involved a lot of writing. Having dyslexia didn’t help and neither does having the most appalling handwriting. Fortunately I always enjoyed science at school. Here were subjects that rarely required more than a few lines of text in order to convey an answer, plus I got to do experiments.

When it came to decide about going to university, studying chemistry seemed the natural choice for me. I moved to Newcastle and started a degree in chemistry with medicinal chemistry. I think that during my undergraduate degree I didn’t fully appreciated the amount of work that I needed to do and as a consequence I got a 3rd class honours degree. During my undergraduate degree my enjoyment for medicinal chemistry had grown and the prospect of researching and developing potential new medications was of great interest to me. Knowing that further study would help in my career progression I undertook a Master’s in drug chemistry, also at Newcastle University. Half of my Master’s course involved conducting a research project and I found doing research was quite rewarding. I went from one extreme to the other, going from a 3rd class Bachelor’s degree to achieving a Master’s degree with Distinction. This extreme transformation made me realise that I might actually be good at this research stuff! With this new level of confidence I decided that doing a PhD could be a productive step in my career.

Finding an institute that would actually accept me was a challenge in its self, despite the good Master’s degree, my grade from my undergraduate degree let me down and I really did wonder whether I was a suitable candidate to undertake a PhD. Eventually I found a position and it was a little closer to home in Moray than I imagined. The Environmental Research Institute (ERI) based in Thurso is part of the North Highland College which in turn is one of the Academic Partners of the University of the Highlands and Islands. The ERI aims to address current environmental issues within its unique setting and to explore the sustainability of our natural resources.

My PhD project was to investigate naturally occurring compounds from seaweed species found around the Caithness coast. Why seaweed you may ask? In many parts of the world, including the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, seaweed has a history of use in traditional medicine. However, there has been little research into identifying the chemicals responsible. In addition it is thought that seaweed can produce chemicals that may inhibit the growth of unwanted marine life, such as barnacles, often found on submerged marine surfaces; a process called biofouling. Thus, these chemicals may have benefits in the marine industry in developing potentially less toxic antifouling paint than those currently used.

My research showed that seaweed from Caithness is a rich source of chemicals that possess antibacterial, anti-cancer and anti-parasitic activity, leading to the possibility that new medications could be developed from seaweed found on our own shores. I was also able to show that seaweeds do produce chemicals that can inhibit

the biofouling process and I am proud that this research has now been taken forward for further development. I am currently preparing the results of my research for publication and have been fortunate enough to present my research at a number of international conferences in locations including Athens and Hawaii.

Writing my PhD thesis was perhaps the most challenging thing I have done yet. There were plenty of times when I wondered whether it was worth it, whether I was good enough and whether I should stop being a student and get a real job instead! I chose to persevere and continue writing. Eventually I submitted my thesis, passed my viva and finally graduated in July 2012.

I am currently working at Bangor University as a research scientist. I am part of a project that works with local companies in North Wales to extract

and identify chemicals from plants, usually grown or supplied by our partners, for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic industries. Another critical part of this project is to develop greener technology for the extraction of chemicals which traditionally use large quantities of organic solvents which can be harmful to the environment.

I never thought that I would have been able to achieve the things that I have and perhaps there is some truth in the school motto after all!

FROM SChOOL TO SEAWEEDby Robbie Mutton (Duffus, 2001)

I first came to Gordonstoun in September 1945. The school had been occupied by the army during the war and they had burned part of Gordonstoun House. This had been repaired in a very rough and ready way with unplastered concrete walls and floors of very inferior pine. It is hard for anyone who was not there at the time to visualise what Britain was like then. The Country was bankrupt and everything was rationed. A number of the senior boys had come up during the summer holidays to help set the place up and things were in reasonable running order, but life was a bit primitive. My first House was The Naafi. This was an enormous nissen hut in the grounds which had indeed been the Naafi when the army was there. We were told it was to be called Bronfellen (or Ffronfellen) after a house in Wales but nobody called it anything but The Naafi..

The routine was different then. We were called at 6.30 and went for a half mile run. Next a cold shower, then 45 minutes housework. We then had breakfast. Two 45 minute lessons were followed by a period of athletics, or a cross country run. More schooling, then lunch. In the afternoon there was rugby or cricket, sailing and ‘practical work’ which was a euphemism for doing work on the estate: I have vivid memories of shovelling coal. Another cold shower, then supper. Lastly there were two more school classes. I may not have got the exact sequence correct, I am recalling events over 65 years ago, but it is essentially correct. In addition to the school routine one had one’s Training Plan. This was central to the whole Gordonstoun System. I cannot remember much of it but it involved, daily, the above-mentioned two cold showers, sixty skips, ten press-ups and much other strenuous activity. There were also good habits like not eating between meals which I have always more or less adhered to. Here I should add that we were very well fed. How it was managed with food rationing so stringent I do not know. The housekeeper was a Miss Stewart, and I have no doubt she is now catering to the Archangel Gabriel.

The student body during my time at the school was, to say the least, mixed. I suppose there were about 300 of us altogether of whom perhaps just over half were there because it was the school of their parents’ choice. Then there were a sizeable number of boys who had recently returned from America where they had been evacuated during the war, usually to family or friends. (I was to have gone to the American branch of our family but the scheme was stopped when a shipload of children was torpedoed). These boys had had a comfortable and often luxurious war and

must have had a problem adjusting to a Britain in the grip of stringent austerity. In addition there were a lesser number of former Eton boys who failed to maintain the academic standards of that school. I will spare their blushes and not name any of them. Then there were those under the Conway-Gordonstoun Scheme, of which I was one. This started in 1943 when applications for the merchant navy training ship H.M.S. Conway exceeded the ship’s capacity. An arrangement was made, for the younger members of each term’s Conway intake to spend their first year at Gordonstoun which was badly lacking in pupils. A master from the Conway, Capt. Macgregor came to Gordonstoun to accompany the Conway boys, and he became Housemaster of Hopeman House. It cannot be said the scheme was a happy one. The Conway boys did not want to be there; they wanted to be in naval uniform under naval discipline. Wearing shorts, having cold showers and doing cross-country runs was not what they had applied to the Conway for. The Gordonstoun chaps, on the other hand, regarded the Conways as uncouth and with some reason. The Conway was a Mersey-side training ship and her catchment area was mainly the north-of-England (then) industrial towns. Friendships between the two groups were rare. I was something of an exception, coming from a family of country builders in rural Wiltshire. Generally I was more at home with the Gordonstoun boys, though I was ragged for my Wiltshire accent. One friend I made was Jonathan Janson, . He went on to win a bronze medal in the Dragon class at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.

One event I recall which is worth recounting. In early 1946 two Old Boys who had served in the Navy during the war came to tell us about their experiences. One was Mark Arnold-Foster,the other man was a Lieutenant Prince Philip of Greece. He had been at the Battle of Cape Matapan and gave us an account of that notable action which managed to be both vivid and humorous. He was very smartly dressed in blazer and flannels and kept one hand in his blazer pocket; this led a chippy Conway boy from Manchester to say, “Huh! He’s a Prince and he puts his hand in his pocket”.

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When I arrived in Gordonstoun in 1938 at the age of 16, the headmaster was Kurt Hahn. No one who came into contact with him could remain unaffected; such was the force of his personality. His appearance alone - tall, stooping figure, prominent forehead, penetrating blue eyes – was awe inspiring. He cast a spell which few were able to resist. His total sincerity and the moral stance he invariably took earned him admiration and respect, rather than love. Yet he was kind at heart and possessed an impish humour with a disarming smile. Hahn’s unwavering faith in the goodness of human nature made him look for, as he put it ‘pure gold’ in his pupils.. With problem boys he was at his most successful. They presented him with the biggest challenge and he lavished his attention on them with infinite patience. So intense was the interest in the welfare of his pupils, every one of whom he knew through and through, that it could be overwhelming.

Because I was older than other ‘new’ boys I had difficulty in adjusting myself to the Gordonstoun ethos. I did not see much of Hahn, partly because he was often away in order to find more money and pupils for his fledgling school (started only four years earlier with 13 pupils). When I did see him it was mainly because I was in trouble. Let me give you one example: I was practising throwing the javelin on the north lawn when a boy emerged from the copse at the far end. If I had hit him I would have broken the world record, he was that far away. But what I had done was to break an important safety rule. I was summoned to see the headmaster, expecting to be at the receiving end of the cane. He was sitting behind his desk at the far end of his study called the Long Room. By the time I reached the desk my knees felt like jelly. Hahn sensed that I was in distress and that beating someone of my age would only breed resentment. He downgraded the punishment. That was a solitary walk to Hopeman harbour and back, on the only precious free afternoon a week, during which one was to reflect upon one’s sins.

In one respect I did not disappoint Hahn. I was a bit of an athlete, made the school relay team (third from left on the photo), gained the Moray Badge at Senior Silver (the highest) level, and a Half Blue for the long jump when at Oxford - incidentally Hahn’s old university.

Some years later a meeting took place to decide the future of the Outward Bound Badge, when he and I found ourselves on the same side. We lost, but that episode transformed our relationship. He sent me an article of his inscribed “To Peter, a trusted brother in arms”. Following his death in 1974, by then living in Cambridge, I became more and more convinced that something needed to bedone to give Hahn the public recognition which was his due. For instance, how many people knew that The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award had its roots in the Moray Badge and that, but for his taking the initiative in 1954, there would be no Award today? Hahn had been responsible for a scholarship scheme which operated in Oxbridge between 1958 and 1965. Typically it was not called after him but after G.M. Trevelyan, a former Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a great admirer of his. That gave me an idea: To mark the centenary year

of Hahn’s birth with scholarships which this time would bear his name. I put the idea to Prince Philip, Chancellor of Cambridge University, with whom I had kept in touch since we were contemporaries at Gordonstoun. With his help the Kurt Hahn Trust was established in 1986. The Trust, together with the German Academic Exchange Service, awards ‘Kurt Hahn Scholarships’ to German students towards one year of post-graduate study at Cambridge University. It also makes awards to students from Cambridge, to enable them to continue with their studies in Germany (where he is known even less, though it is the country of his birth). During that year the Scholars not only learn about his ideals but visit one of his foundations. They now play their part in ensuring that the name of Kurt Hahn remains in the public domain. Some of them might even discover that there is “more in them than they thought.”

KURT hAhN REMEMBEREDby Peter Carpenter (Duffus, 1940)

hAhN SENT ME AN ARTICLE OF hIS INSCRIBED: TO PETER, A TRUSTED BROThER IN ARMS

“

Peter Carpenter is third from the left

13

Two OGs taking an Old Russian Ural motorbike with sidecar up the River Ob across frozen rivers and ice roads to the Arctic Circle.

Back in the UK with all fingers and toes (7 each is correct?) We completed the ice run in 11 days, 1 day over our target, and travelled over 2500Km in this time.

It was an unbelievable experience and demanding riding. Twice we rode through the night to make up time, and some tracks required all our concentration just to stay on. Navigation we learned the hard way, dead ends and trapped in snow, we quickly learnt that it was better asking the locals where the new road was as they change every year. Maps are useless, so we navigated mostly by local knowledge and compass.

Camping took up a lot of time packing and unpacking (it takes about 45mins to prepare your sleeping area and get into bed!) but it was the most enjoyable part for us. I have never seen so many stars. We tested all our kit out and really experienced living in these extreme temperatures. Part of my beard came off twice as it froze to my velcro on my jacket and face mask!

Every team, where needed, helped each other out and whether it be towing to the next village or aiding in a mechanical repair, everyone got involved. We stopped multiple times when we bumped into a fellow broken down Ural. This camaraderie amongst the other teams added to the spirit of pioneering adventure. Every Russian we met thought we were all crazy, but no team would have been able to complete the Ice Run without their hospitality and mechanical expertise on the Ural bike. The Russians we met are the kindest and friendliest people I have known and in this very cold and isolated environment a breakdown can mean certain hypothermia. Their friendship saved the lives of more than one of us, myself included. On the flip side getting towed by a Russian in snow and ice is very dangerous. We were towed 90km through snow ice and horrendous roads. It was mentally and physically very demanding to keep the bike up right.

Despite the obvious hardships there were some great highlights too; watching Dave getting his tongue and lip stuck to his metal cross bow was quite entertaining and I had to pour hot water over him to save his lip! Trying to ride for 50km stuck in 4th gear through a forest till the next town without losing speed was another ‘interesting’ experience. The camaraderie amongst the teams was really inspiring; one team towed another 400km to the finish line, a truly incredible achievement.

Our biggest challenge apart from the -35° degrees cold was without doubt the bike’s reliability. Total brake failure for 95% of the journey, loss of back wheel due to sheared bolt, loss of gear box 2 days from the end, multiple gear box issues until complete failure (reverse not working, gears popping out, stuck in gear, snapped 2 front suspension forks so no front suspension, oil leaking at a rate

of a litre a day, new ignition coil and timing reset, replacement of plugs… x 6, no lights, clutch cable replacement, loss of front fairing and windshield, new battery…Other than that she ran like a dream! We actually pushed the bike ourselves the last 2km over the finish line. It was an epic adventure. Together Dave and I have raised over £5,000 for our charities.

We got to see Siberia up close and personal and to camp in the heart of its beautiful scenery, and last but not least we were interviewed on Russian national TV. This was at times the most frustrating and coldest challenge I have experienced but I loved it. It focussed the mind like nothing else. Life is simple; look after yourself, your team mate and trust your own judgement and skill that you will find a solution to the situation you are in. I am already thinking of another trip but until the next time, thank you all for your support and donations.

ICE RUN 2012by Simon Limpus (Altyre, 1999) with Dave Murray (Altyre, 1999)

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE FOR 95% OF ThE JOURNEY“

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In 2004 I left Gordonstoun and Cumming House, places that had come to feel more like home to me than anywhere else at the time, contemplating my future at university, anxiously wondering how life there would compare to the two year long adventure at Gordonstoun.

In October 2004 I began my undergraduate education in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bristol. One of my reasons for choosing engineering was that it would hopefully enable me to innovate, not just amass knowledge. In a careers test I’d shown that I might have an aptitude for Mechanical Engineering, and I had also been told it was a versatile degree, good to do if you didn’t really know what you wanted to do!

Half way through my first year I found myself tempted to give up and switch to a degree in Physics. The course was tough, lots of labs and more lecture hours than most other degrees. I had no idea if all the work would really be worth it or whether it would lead me into a career that I might actually enjoy. At the time I did not have the courage or perhaps the impulsiveness to simply quit. I decided to stick it out, and drew strength from the life I had outside of lectures.

My persistence, or cowardice, depending on your point of view, was rewarded in the second year. The abstract fundamentals gave way to more interesting areas of study. Suddenly the application, the useful and tangible end-result of engineering, was being made clear. My third year at the University of Illinios, in the US, further consolidated this. It was a year of tough academic grind, the US university system favouring a regular monitoring approach: weekly home-works and regular exams as opposed to one final exam at the end of the year. However, I was able to increase my knowledge of the subject, getting to grips with the practicalities of engineering through hands-on lab sessions using shiny and expensive lab equipment.

Towards the end of my study abroad year I was asked by one of my professors to continue a research project I’d begun with him. Reluctant at first, as it would require me to stay on campus another month when all my friends would have left, I eventually accepted, reasoning that I would have nothing much to do if I did go back to the UK as most of my friends would be in the midst of exams, the US academic year ending before the British one. The decision would have a profound effect on the direction of my life as I found myself thoroughly enjoying the autonomy and freedom of research work. I could start work at

nine in the morning or four in the afternoon, as long as I got the work done, no one minded. Not being a ‘morning person’ this was a particularly desirable feature.

When I returned to Bristol to complete my final year I began to investigate PhD opportunities. I was eventually able to obtain a department scholarship to pursue a PhD in Electro-Active Polymers (EAPs) - rubber like materials which move when high voltages are applied to them. This was right up my street, to work on something that I could actually see move in front of my eyes would be cool.

However, prior to commencing my PhD my confidence in my academic abilities had been knocked having not achieved the 1st class degree which I wanted and which was also required by scholarship. Thankfully, I was still permitted to progress on to my PhD with my 2:1 degree and did this with a newly acquired humility. This humility, I believe, contributed greatly to my success at PhD as it made me willing to perform ‘grunt work’ - seemingly basic and uninteresting research tasks set by my supervisors, very willing to accept help from others around me.

Three and half years later I found myself in a good position with my PhD and sprinting to finish my thesis in time to begin a volunteer project I’d signed up to do in Bangladesh. The project had come about because I’d wanted to do something adventurous and distinct from my PhD as well as a way of washing out my brain after all my

studies. I’d be working for an engineering consultancy which consults with textiles factories, helping them to become more sustainable, efficient and socially responsible. Roughly a month after passing my PhD viva, the Dragon’s Den verbal examination which everyone must pass in order to obtain their PhD, I set off for Dhaka. I truly enjoyed the two months that followed, but as a result I realised that I wanted to continue with a career in research and not in industry.

Now I am about to embark on my next adventure, a postdoctoral research position at EPFL, a University based in Lausanne, Switzerland. I am not exactly sure what to expect in this new phase of my life but, unlike when I left Gordonstoun, I’m full of excitement and eager to embrace it.

CUMMING hOUSE TO PhDby Seun Arorami (Cumming, 2004)

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I read International Relations and Modern History at the University of East Anglia, and although I found aspects of the course interesting, I also felt very detached from the situations I was reading about, a million miles away. At the end of my second year, in the voluntary spirit of Gordonstoun, I began giving time to the British Red Cross Refugee service as a volunteer caseworker.

The people I met and helped support made the world a smaller place for me. The situations I was reading about were not a million miles away: I met and knew people hurt and affected by them. I sat face to face with them in Norwich.

I now look after both the Refugee and International Tracing and Message Services in East Anglia. We support those who are exercising their right for asylum as stated in the United Nations 1915 Refugee Convention; ‘ ...owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, … or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country....’ The British Red Cross is an emergency response organisation, we provide support which addresses the immediate needs of refugees and asylum seekers. These vary and change at different points of a person’s journey through the asylum system. This journey, and the relationship that we build with those we support, puts us in a strong position to advocate on their behalf. We raise issues, concerns and observations at various different levels, including at local forums, at regional stakeholder meetings with the UKBA, as well as with key representatives at a national level.

I also work closely with our Youth and Schools team to promote awareness and understanding of asylum and migration in schools. Following a successful pilot we ran last year, this academic year the University of East Anglia launched an accredited module on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Refugee Law. As part of the pilot students

delivered IHL workshops to local schools, educating and raising awareness of the laws of conflict and the challenges they pose.

We also support a number of children who arrive in the country alone to seek asylum. We are able to support them with case work through our Refugee Services on a practical level, and by working closely with Youth and Schools we can also deliver a holistic response. We run six weekly blocks of activities that aim to develop life skills and confidence. This summer we went to Wales, where we climbed Snowdon, and amongst other things taught three young people how to ride bikes. Leading these activities really made me value my time at school and what I learnt. The confidence, strength and teamwork that grew in a week in the outdoors were extraordinary.For these young people the week was simply a chance to forget the worries that they were burdened with.

Although our International Tracing and Messaging Service is not exclusive to asylum seekers and refugees, these services sit closely together. Under IHL and the Geneva Conventions, the International Committee of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (ICRC) is mandated to provide a service that offers a way for families to keep in contact and share family news when war or disaster has broken down communication networks.  Approximately

15 per cent of our caseload relates to relatives missing as a result of the Second World War.

Where people are trying to contact missing family members, we gather detailed information and messages. We then work with the ICRC field workers to use this information to try and trace the lost relatives, dependent on local circumstances, and often security situations.

As well as sending tracing requests out to the Red Cross movement, we receive similar requests from colleagues trying to trace people who may be in the UK. I too have found ‘Sought People’, knocked on doors and sat in living rooms, delivering news of lost family.

In this line of work, a positive outcome is indescribable. But ITMS is complex and challenging, and many of the stories shared are full of horror and pain. Sometimes we have to accept we’ve reached a ‘No Trace’, which answers no questions but creates more.

I am humbled daily by the strength and resolve of those I have the privilege of working alongside and find myself constantly challenged by the concept of ‘Home’. What is it? Where is it and what is there? At the end of each day I go to a place I call Home. It’s a place where I am not waiting for a letter of acceptance or refusal on which my whole life hangs.

RED CROSS EMERGENCY RESPONSEby Lucy Atkinson (Plewlands, 2007)

It’s such a joy to take a moment to look back and reflect on my time as a Governor as it seems to run in direct parallel to the warmth I felt about being at a pupil at Gordonstoun. When I received the call from James Weatherall the ex-Chairman of the Board of Governors and an ex OG himself, it had been 20 years since I left the school and headed out into the world for my life in Paris and London.

There is a wonderful sense of familiarity about everything when arriving at Inverness Airport. I was met with the wonderful surprise of being collected by Jennifer Maclean, daughter of Jimmy Sutherland the amazing taxi driver who took us everywhere during my time at the school between 1979 and 1983. Elgin, airports, drop offs, Jimmy was an institution, so being met by his daughter immediately transported me not only to the school but back in time. On the way to Gordonstoun from the airport we reminisced about old friends and teachers and all our adventures laughing all the way.

When we arrived and began the journey up the long driveway to G House, I felt a wash of emotion and excitement just as I did all those years ago when my Sister Lisa and I arrived on our first day. It was like coming home, full of safe reassurance and security. And such a contrast to the feelings I had experienced the night before my visit while watching a Panorama special on the pressures of being a teenage girl in London. The documentary was full of disturbing tales of peer pressure, anorexia and a total lack of self esteem.

Once I was inside and meeting all those lovely, bright, vivacious, intelligent, confident and self assured girls and boys, I was reminded immediately of what a positive impact Gordonstoun has on young people. I hope that like me they will one day fully appreciate what a special place it is, and how it informed and nurtured the solid and caring relationships I have as an adult and a parent. The essence and DNA of Gordonstoun was alive and well, and it made me happy to know it was still there and thriving. Buildings full of happy, smiling children clearly enjoying every minute of it.

Working in the world of Luxury Travel and PR and having a passion for theatre, my role on the board as Chairman of the Fundraising Campaign was tailor made for me. Having been on the Board of the Almeida Theatre and of various children’s charities was the perfect grounding to take on these responsibilities. That said little did I know that the school motto of “Plus et en Vous” was about to take on its true meaning.

My seven years have been a total joy and I am thrilled that we managed to raise £5 million under the superb guidance of Richard Devey who not only managed to establish the development office, but also built the George Welsh sports hall and added much needed money to the scholarship and bursary foundation. Richard and I visited some schools in the USA to see how they ran their development and in the process realised what incredible things we managed to achieve with a small team, quite phenomenal.

Equally thrilling was the opportunity to see HRH the Princess Royal the Patron of our Campaign close up and in action with invitations to Buckingham Palace and St James Palace. As a person who has to speak frequently in public, I was in awe of her amazing natural ability to speak so eloquently without notes and manage to inject such passion and commitment into her speeches about the school. She is extraordinary and the school is extremely lucky to have her as their Warden.

As I look back on this time as a Governor I know I will really miss my dinners with the CBs and the staff, and the wonderful hospitality of Ben and Anne Goss who made me always feel at home. And of course the special nights of burning the midnight oil with a wee dram alongside Sophie Kueffer (nee Upton) and George Grunebaum, warmed by the fire and our lively conversations.

Gordonstoun is intrinsically part of my life and who I am, so I say with genuine heartfelt gratitude, thank you. I wish nothing but the best always for Gordonstoun and I look forward to another chapter of my life when I shall return with my son Jake in September 2016 as he begins his life at Gordonstoun, something that we will share all our lives too.

24

OH, TO BE A GUV’NOR!by Tanya Rose Simpson née Rose (Windmill, 1983)

First and foremost we would like to say thank you for providing us with such an amazing opportunity. Without the tremendous support of the Gordonstoun Association we would not have been able to be a part of the Romania 2012 project. We were told by many that it would have an impact on the orphans’ lives, what we didn’t expect was the remarkable impact the project made on our lives. I am sure you would like to know how it went so we will try putting some of our experiences into words.

During the summer holidays, we were involved in the Romania international service project, just one of the many projects Gordonstoun runs every year. We were part of a team of ten students and two teachers, and despite some apprehension on the nature of what we would be facing; we had been looking forward to it all term.

The project revolved around the summer school that was organised annually by Little John’s House – a rather small yet homely orphanage – and this was where we stayed. As well as the six children who were permanent residents of Little John’s, between twenty to thirty children from other local orphanages or schools attended the summer school every day. This was where we were really challenged; this was the everyday test of connecting with these children, some of whom were autistic or physically disabled and making their time at Little John’s special, as this was literally all they had to look forward to in their lives. We put on various activities for the kids, for example every day we did face painting, trampolining, some creativity-based activities such as bead making, as well as sporting games such as football or basketball. However, in order to mix it up a bit, we also did specially themed days such as “Pirate Day” or “Olympic Day” so as to avoid repetition. We also rehearsed several songs and dances which we performed every day and by the end of the two weeks we both agreed that we had enjoyed every moment, whether or not it was outside our comfort zone! We went from being weary about how to talk or play with the children to just doing everything and anything with them! We grew as a team; we learned to deal with situations trained staff would face. We also had the chance to visit another orphanage (one of the most emotional moments of the trip) and put on a little show and we were overcome with sheer emotion.

Whilst not as physically challenging as, for example, the Thailand Water Project, Romania has served to give us all a new perspective on life, making us realise how fortunate we are and how big a difference young people such as ourselves can make in a community. By the end of the summer school, we had all made special friends we would remember for the rest of our lives, and it is an understatement to say

that we had become attached to some of the children. Leaving was undoubtedly the hardest part of the project, but we left Romania with the knowledge that it was irrefutably a life-changing experience that everyone could benefit from.

Tony – ‘Retrospectively, whilst it is clear to me that I’ve taken a lot of out the project in how it has developed my character, I also feel as though it has also influenced my future aspirations such that I believe that my time in Romania will be hugely beneficial in the work place. Having worked

around difficult circumstances in the orphanage, I have acclimatised to consistently being out of my comfort zone and while I may never work around children professionally in the future, it has undeniably helped that I have been in such a situation. Furthermore, because English was scarcely spoken by not only the kids but also the orphanage staff, I have improved my communication skills through other non-verbal means, such as body language and actions. After experiencing a hugely immersive two weeks of volunteering, it has also inspired me to fulfil further charity-based ventures in the

future, which may even possibly include another foray into Little John’s House in the forthcoming years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Gordonstoun Association without whose help I would not have been able to partake in the project and would have missed out on the two most difficult and challenging, and yet beneficial and unforgettable weeks of my life to date’.

Hannah – ‘Before my participation in the project I had thought that perhaps I wanted to work with children when I am older and I hoped that this project would help me with that decision. Well this project has definitely served its purpose, and has made me realise that it is indeed my passion to work with children! I even intend on going on the project again! Your actions have made such an amazing impact in my life, from the bottom of my heart I truly thank you. I hope one day I could do for a young person what you have done for me’.

ROMANIA PROJECT 30Th JUNE – 14Th JULYby Tony Le and hannah Oladugba

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ASSOCIATION EVENTS

I really enjoyed my time at Gordonstoun and can still turn a mattress and go outdoors. ‘Plus est en Vous’. The school got me into Aberdeen University, where I graduated with an Ordinary General mixed-subject degree in 1966, chiefly in English Literature. This got me a job in Paris, teaching English as a foreign language. Next I went down to Morocco, passing through the enclave of Spanish Morocco, which is virtually a country of its own, with borders. After heading home to the Highlands, I spent a year in Edinburgh, working in The Arts. I wrote a novel (first attempt), and gave Poetry readings. I also assisted at The Traverse experimental theatre. The following year I went as a tourist overland to India and Nepal. One could see Mount Everest pink with the setting sun. After a rather eventful return journey, I went to Brighton for a job interview with Safari, but didn’t take this driving job. Having met a brilliant astrologer-Yogi, I started studying these two subjects, and still do. When in India I went to a lecture by the Maharishi. Next I went to Malta, and sold a few watercolours. After many jobs, on return, I was taken on by the Highland Folk Museum, now closed, except for a branch in Newtonmore. During the holidays I was in Athens and Crete, and have been in several other countries over the years. Now retired, I don’t travel far, but always wash my face in cold water. At school in my day, you sometimes had three cold showers a day, if you include morning break activities. My expeditions were to Loch Duich in Kintail, pouring rain, and two to Sutherland with Bex, (Dr Richter, Biology teacher,) to watch red and black- throated divers, and corncrakes. The other was to Boat of Garten, where we cooked sausages in the sunshine. I didn’t go on expedition in the 5th year, because of exams. Did Business studies at Inverness Tech., and Art at Inverness College. They are building a University there. Also got some Creative Writing certificates from National Extension College. Married, divorced, one child, two grandchildren in Australia.

As ever, we get a lot of fantastic old photographs that come through the GA office, but we’re not always provided with names for the people featuring in the images. In this issue alone we’ve got numerous photographs featuring unidentified OGs! If you can help by letting us know the names of any faces you recognise, please get in touch!

Several of the boys shown above in this photo from Cdr Tony Rendell are unidentified –can you help us find out who they are?

FRONT COVER – MISSING NAMES!We loved this photo so much we used it on the front cover of this issue, but we’re not sure who everyone is! if you know who the two students in the right of the image below are, please contact us at ga@gordonstoun.org.uk

FROM AN OLD BOY UNKNOWN FACESby Keith K. I. Murdoch (Cumming, 1962) help us identify photographs!

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UPCOMING EVENTSFor up-to-date information on all events and gatherings, please see our website:

www.gordonstoun.org.uk/former-students/ga/gatherings

or phone the GA Office on +44 (0) 1343 837922

Do you have a story you’d like to see published in the next edition of this magazine? If so, please get in touch with the GA Office: ga@gordonstoun.org.uk | +44 (0) 1343 837922

CALCUTTA CUP WEEKENDmatch OG vs. London Scottish, 2nd Feb 2013 (venue: London Scottish)

GA LONDON DINNER (hosted by Nigel Rimmer) Fino’s, London 15th March, 2013

OGGS ILKLEY GOLF EVENT (Organiser Martin Scriven) 12th April, 2013

OGGS MATCh V. SChOOL AT LOSSIEMOUTh (Part of GA Weekend Events) 2nd May, 2013

OGGS SPEY VALLEY GOLF EVENT AT AVIEMORE ( Part of GA Weekend Events) 3rd May, 2013

GA DAY AT SChOOL 4th May, 2013

OGGS BRUNTSFIELD EVENT Edinburgh 31st May, 2013

GA EDINBURGh DINNERNew Club, 23rd August, 2013