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APRIL 2018

OCMAGAZINE

FILMING IN THE WILDS An OC’s life as a natural history

film-maker and photographer

‘WUMP’ Yvone Kirkpatrick’s 35 years

of service to Canford

FROM LONDON TO PARIS BY CYCLE

Pedalling in aid of Lyme disease

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The OC Magazine is printed on paper from sustainable forests; the printing plates are processed without chemicals; printing inks are vegetable-based.

The OC Magazine is published twice yearly in April and October for members of the Old Canfordian Society. If you would like to receive more copies, register a change of address or elect to receive your magazine online via email, please contact the OC Office

on 01202 847506, email ocs@canford.com, or write to the Old Canfordian Office, Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3AD.

Where more than one OC is registered at a given address, we are now sending one family copy of the OC Magazine. If you would like to receive more copies or would like to register a change of address please don’t hesitate to contact development@canford.com

Contributions to the October 2018 issue should be sent to the Editor by 15 August 2018

Designed by Shadow Design 01202 805532 (www.shadowdesignbournemouth.co.uk)

President Robin Wright (SH69)Flat 18, St Nicholas Hospital, St Nicholas Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 2SW tel: 01722 239193 email: presidentoc@live.co.uk

Magazine Editor John Newth18 Morden Road, Wareham, Dorset BH20 7AA email: johnnewth@gmail.com

Honorary Secretary Simon de Halpert (F64)Nutbourne Lodge, Main Road, Nutbourne, nr Chichester, West Sussex PO18 8RRtel: 01243 572289 or 07931 579095 email: simonandkay@dehalpert.com

Honorary Treasurer Colin Chalkly-Maber (S73)28 Sandringham Road, Lower Parkstone, Poole, Dorset BH14 8TH email: chalkly-maber@gmx.com

THE OLD CANFORDIAN SOCIETY

Mike Lerwill (SH62)Elm Tree Cottage, Woolston, North Cadbury, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7BJtel: 01963 440478 email: mike@thelerwills.net

UK & Overseas Representatives’ Co-ordinator

Committee Colin Patrick DL (F52), Barry Coupe (F70), Steven Ives (S78), Sheila Way (née Morrison B86), Rachel Holland (née Thwaites W88), Matt Keats (S89), Jonathan Gollings (W00), Amanda Seabrook (née Pearson C92), Emily Hewitt (née Keats S93), Natalie Llewellyn (SH94), Will Robinson (F09), Mark Burley

UK OCS REPRESENTATIVES

Somerset & Bath Vaughan Ives (S76)Orchard House, East Compton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 4NRtel: 01749 345566 email: revives@hotmail.com

Cornwall Nigel Milliner (W62) Carveth House, Tregony, Truro Cornwall TR2 5SE tel: 01872 530250 email: legincarveth@gmail.com

The North Mike Blunt (C55)Birdforth, Mowthorpe Lane, Terrington, York, N. Yorks YO60 6PZtel: 01653 648295 email: mikeblunt3@gmail.com

OCMAGAZINE

contentsFeatures16 At the mercy of Mother Nature18 Yvone Kirkpatrick21 Remote Area Medical22 London to Paris for Lyme24 A literary debut

OCS information and reports30 Reunions and events31 Dates for your Diary36 Memorabilia37 Sport39 Overseas representatives

Regular items4 From the President and Treasurer5 From the Headmaster7 Whatever happened to…?12 Seen from Top Tower25 From the Archive28 You write32 Development News33 Requiescant in pace

As always, the help of many people at Canford, especially Richard Knott, Rowena Gaston and Steve Ives, in compiling this issue is gratefully acknowledged. JN

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ALL Canfordians across the generations will have their own memories of Canford and these will vary greatly. I have had the privilege of meeting a great many OCs who attended the school from the late 1930s to the present day. It is important that we all have memories as they help to shape us and provide guidance and direction for the rest of our lives. My memories of my own school days are not particularly happy ones, but I have taken much from those experiences. I have used them to try and do things better and to influence positively what I have sought to achieve for myself and others in my professional and personal life. Times change, of course, and I hope that a Canford education now offers experiences and memories which are predominantly happy and influential. Why do I think that is so? Since I joined Canford as Headmaster almost five years ago, we have thought long and hard about precisely what the essence of a Canford education is – what makes Canford special. Defining such a diverse and dynamic education, taking place in such a unique and beautiful setting, is no easy task, but as mnemonics are a great way to help pupils remember and learn, I thought we would try to capture what CANFORD stands for in the same way.

I won’t attempt to tackle every aspect in this piece but I will pick up directly on just the first three whilst alluding to others along the way …

Canford is a Confident and purposeful schoolWriting about the advantages of independent schools, a Daily Telegraph journalist commented that ‘Private education gives pupils a special gift: confidence.’ There has been much talk recently about the development of so-called ‘soft skills’, including leadership,

teamwork, self-confidence, ambition and self-belief, and the high regard in which they are held by university admissions tutors and potential employers. According to Forbes magazine, nine in ten employers believe that, as globalisation speeds up, it is vital young people have highly developed soft skills if they are to become key players in the international workplace. The phrase ‘soft skills’ can conjure up thoughts of soft options and bland attributes – a far cry from the high standards we aim for and expect at Canford. In reality, all that we do, both within the classroom and beyond it, draws together to produce a confidence and aspiration in our young people which in turn, as part of the fabric of our culture, results in the ambition to succeed. The development of minds through the inspirational academic experience, with encouragement to think critically and stretch and challenge, leads to a strong work ethic and an awakened intellect. Confidence without arrogance is the key.

Canford has a fine reputation for Academic rigourWe are extremely proud of what our pupils achieve academically. We believe that these outcomes flow from generating a sense of aspiration and intellectual curiosity in our pupils’ approach to learning, and ensuring excellence in our teaching, in a way that stretches minds beyond the confines of the exam-based curriculum. We offer an extensive and stimulating programme of academic enrichment which begins in the Shells and runs right through to the Upper Sixth – a school-wide programme which is open to all who have a thirst for knowledge and an enquiring mind. By way of an example, the Shells have been working hard on their cross-curricular projects, a new half-termly innovation designed to ensure that they make connections between their learning in different subjects and more widely, and develop other crucial skills along the way. In the second half of the Christmas term, through History, English, Drama and Music, they worked as teams to study how ‘Propaganda’ has been and is still used to distort views and perspectives, and then to construct and present their own propaganda campaign either in support of or against issues such as Brexit, Donald Trump’s Presidency, North Korea and more. Their maturity of understanding and commitment to this intellectually challenging task has been heartening to see, and the quality of the output was truly impressive. This term sees pupils working in teams combining Design and Technology, Computer Science and Business Studies to design, build and programme a robot and develop and brand a company to promote and sell their product. Staff and pupils work together to develop ideas and to promote independent thinking. Creativity and breadth is actively encouraged every step of the way in our teaching, while at the same time promoting both depth and detail. Yet we are not complacent about our academic success, or indeed in any area of school life. The educational and wider landscape is ever-changing and the scenery is always shifting. We recognise the importance of managing enforced change such as the extensive reforms

From the HeadmasterCHANGE is as good as a rest. And change for a changing world is better than resting on one’s laurels. So it must be with the OC Society, and your committee has begun the process of a total strategy review, both financially and in our modus operandi. What we have

achieved in the past has brought us to a very healthy state in 2018, again financially, membership-wise and in outreach to our youngest through to our most senior members. Your committee, as it has done for many a year, meets three times a year at the school and decides on the business of the Society and how we can assist OCs in maintaining contact with each other and with the school to the benefit of all. Associate Members are now involved in our meetings and are helping to form opinion as to the future of the Society. In January the committee spent almost its entire morning in forming a future strategy that would take us in a more cohesive and dynamic direction. The item in question, under the stewardship of Matt Keats (S89), looked at how we must spend our resources more fully for the benefit of our members and the school and decided that we would appoint various smaller groups, each under the chairmanship of a full committee member and involving a wider range of Society members, to define opinion and strategy for that group – for example, networking, membership,

events, communications, careers, finance etc. If you would like to become involved with one of these areas and be a part of a specific Project Group, without having to attend regular committee meetings, please do in the first instance contact me or our Secretary, Simon de Halpert, and we can put you in touch with the relevant committee member leading that group, so that they can then report back your findings to a full committee meeting. This is indeed an exciting new way of formulating and conducting our business and we are now searching for the expertise that exists out there within our 7000 + membership. Please do become involved. Earlier in the year, Kerry Mapp, Canford’s Grounds and Garden Manager, informed me that the task of labelling all trees in the Park had been completed for the self-guided walk. The OC Society was delighted to pay for this labelling – another way in which we have over the years provided funds for projects that were not included in the school’s budget priorities. In just five years – 2023 – we shall all be celebrating the centenary of Canford School. How this wonderful place has grown and developed over that 100 years, and we hear of projects that will ensure that it reaches even greater heights as we approach the milestone. We shall be liaising very closely with the Headmaster, the Development Office and other Community groups to see how we can best play our part in the build-up to what will be a memorable occasion. But please remember that if you have a desire to become involved in a practical way in the OC Society, please get in touch. The Society really does need you!

Robin Wright (SH69)

From the President

THE Society’s accounts show a strong financial position, with an annual surplus of £9,311 (2016, deficit £1,404). The Society's year-end followed a significant rise in stock market indices, which, together with stable income and a reduced value of grants made, resulted in a higher value of net assets, on a revalued cost basis, of £196,654 (2016, £145,082). By the end of 2017, the portfolio value had risen a further 12.5%. Subscriptions received are up on last year and remain the major source of income, with income from investments also increased and forecast at 2.5% next year. Magazine costs, the Society's largest single expense, have risen (12.8% up) to £9,961. At the same time the Society gave support to groups of Old Canfordians involved in sporting activities both against the school and against other old pupil teams. The total of grants to groups organising activities was similar to last year, £2,650 (2016, £2,850), as follows: cricket

£1,000 (2016, £1,250); golf £550 (2016, £550); and rugby £1,100 (2016, £1,050). Although the Society continues to support the Old Canfordian Bursary Fund, which is currently invested by the school as part of its Prize Fund, this year the Society did not make a gift to the Fund because of concerns about investment performance. The Old Canfordian Bursary Fund, started more than fifty years ago, is designed to help Old Canfordians with particular needs meet some of the costs associated with sending their children to Canford. The Fund is comparatively modest but over the years has made a significant difference to those who have benefitted from its assistance. The accounts have been independently examined and copies are available on request. Please contact the Honorary Treasurer.

Colin Chalkly-Maber (S73)

From the Treasurer

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Anthony Eyton RA (B41) is currently artist-in-residence at Stowe School. There was recently an exhibition dedicated to his work in the Belle Shenkman Room at the Royal Academy.

John Clevely (SH45): I have very happy memories of wartime Canford, with the Rev. C B Canning as headmaster, and a wonderful housemaster in Willie Strain. I remember beating Marlborough 2-1 on Mountjoy, fire-watching on the roof in the holidays, the roar of aircraft on D-day morning while trying to sleep in Crown Dormitory – and being introduced to Lucky Strike cigarettes by the Americans billeted at Court House. I shared a lodge with Ian Campbell (SH46) and John Neale (SH45). After 2½ years in the Army, spent mostly in Belfast or on Salisbury Plain, I was very lucky to get the Vintners Scholarship in 1950 and to spend six months in the vineyards of Europe. I became a Master of Wine in 1957 and spent the rest of my life tasting and selling the best of French wines. How lucky can one get?!

Peter H Reeve (F49): After National Service in REME, an unsuccessful application to Clare College, Cambridge, meant that I was in need of a big re-think. I liked the idea of working for a plantation company, but a chance sight of an advertisement to work on a farm in Kenya led me to fly out to Nairobi and after a few months I was accepted by the Kenya Tea Company, working in management for eleven years. With Kenya now independent, I successfully applied to study social administration at the LSE. This led me to a career in teacher training in Rudolf Steiner education, so that in due course I was employed as a class teacher in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. Married and with two daughters, I resigned and returned to Norfolk, buying a smallholding with the intention of becoming self-sufficient. Another daughter and a son arrived, so that the need to educate our young family led to our starting our own small school. This thrived and grew, transferring to Wroxham and keeping us fully occupied for 30 years in all. At one point, in 2001, I stood for Parliament for the Green Party, focussing on education issues. Since retiring in 2008 to Sheringham, I have been a keen student of homeopathy. Otherwise, I have had a lifelong interest in sailing wooden boats and in child drama.

Kyle Burnet (B54): I am still alive, but about ten years ago I had an epileptic attack and the doctors will not allow me to drive, which means that I am confined to a few miles from home, unless anyone takes me out somewhere. I used to enjoy driving into the countryside of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and exploring the villages and lanes. I had a 1972 MGB roadster, which was great fun, and I was involved with the local MG Car Club. I am still a member but can only go to a few meetings. You may see from this that there is not very much fun, and that it is more existence than life, but I have a good

wife, son and family, so at least I must take some comfort from that.

John Rowe (W57): I am still an OCS overseas rep, but now in Portugal instead of Spain. There were good reasons for staying in Spain, but a constant 40°C on the back terrace (scene of a number of OC gatherings) was getting a little wearing, and a cooler Algarve seemed attractive. Having said that, last year was the hottest and driest here on the Ria Formosa since about the time of Henry the Navigator. We have grandsons at Whitgift, at Millfield and at Millfield Prep – and one of ten months old, so there is some hope yet for a Canfordian in the generations to come!

Martin Hicks (F63) was in practice as a solicitor in Chard, Somerset, from the mid-1970s until 2005. He retired early following a head injury incurred while hunting in 2003, and in 2010 moved to Australia. There he has served for five years as secretary for the Dorrigo and Guy Fawkes Agricultural Society. He still assists at the annual Agricultural Show and has been co-opted to serve as secretary of the Bellingen Men’s Shed. The last of his Austin 7s, a 1934, 750cc two-seater ‘special’, accompanied him to Australia. Keeping it roadworthy occupies some of his time. A fascination with reptiles and entomology, acquired at Canford, and woodworking with hand tools occupy the remainder. He returns periodically to the UK to visit children, grandchildren and old friends. After a gap of many years, Norman Boyer (W62) contacted Martin just before the latter left the UK. Sadly, he moved to the UK just as Martin departed in the opposite direction for NSW.

After five very happy years at Canford playing rugby, hockey and fives and sailing, Richard Smith (B64)’s final act as a Canfordian, a few days after the end of his last term, was to win the Public Schools Sailing

From the Headmaster

Peter Reeve at the helm of Lady Daphne, a Thames sailing barge, on his 80th birthday. With his daughter, Elizabeth, and her daughter, Louise, he had joined a cruise from near London Bridge to Greenwich. Because Peter told the helmsman that his grandfather had owned barges sailing from Faversham, he let Peter take the helm and he continued at the helm all the way to Greenwich and back to Tower Bridge.

to the public exam system, while embracing continuing educational research into teaching and learning through a rigorous and ongoing staff development programme. Every week sees all our teachers engaging with projects to improve their own practice and performance. This keeps us on our toes and we are constantly reflecting on and reviewing what we do – and how and why we do it. Most schools are very different places now from what they were even five years ago and they need to keep moving forwards, and this is especially pertinent when we now operate in a closely connected global context. I have already talked of the dynamic academic teaching and learning we offer here. Yet that experience goes way beyond the classroom. We are currently working on a number of projects to build closer educational links with schools around the globe as part of our efforts to ensure pupils understand and engage effectively with the world in which we live. Having spent a day recently with our Canford delegates at a Model United Nations conference, I was impressed by their grasp of the key problems which crowd the news headlines currently, and their ability to lobby and debate on motions related to these issues. The development of character through the co-curricular challenges we offer provides a commitment to teamwork and empathy and effective communication, leading to a strong sense of community, ambition and direction. We believe it is of paramount importance that we ensure that Canford continues to hold enthusiasm and joy at the heart of its learning environment, whether that learning takes place in the classroom, on the games field or river, in the theatre, in the music school, on Dartmoor, at a local hospice or in an orphanage in India. As the19th-century American writer, Dale Carnegie, said: ‘One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.’ These words have a real force when put into the educational context. It is so important that we encourage our young people to prepare and be prepared for the future but not to lose sight of the joys which today can bring. The educational experience as a whole allows all pupils, whether they be a shooting star, a shining sun or an individual who has found an inner glow from overcoming a much more personal challenge, to recognise and understand how their learning experiences are entirely interwoven and can be applied to any context in life. However, whilst we will not stand still, my focus has been, and will continue to be, on evolution rather than revolution as the recipe in the Canford pot is already a rich and tasty one. But there is always a need to add fresh spice and new ingredients, or the dish can become stale and bland.

Canford provides a Nurturing, caring environmentUnderpinning all of this is our pastoral programme, providing an atmosphere of trust, mutual respect and a regard for the values of community, offering all of our pupils, boarding and day, stability and support during those uncertain teenage years when the development of self-belief is so important. Canford’s educational vision states that we seek ‘To

inspire young people to embrace learning in all its forms and to use their educational experience to make a real and positive difference to their own lives, and to the lives of others.’ This vision stretches far beyond fine words and honourable intent. These words have real power and inform so much of what we do here each day, and what we plan to do in the future. The sense of purpose, energy and a commitment to the values of community are things which so many visitors to the school comment on, whether they have a prior connection or not. I could continue to wax lyrical about how the pupils and the staff have worked and continue to work so hard to build unity and community partnership and to make a difference in whatever ways they can, and you could visit the https://www.schoolstogether.org/schools/school/66967/ website to learn more but I thought I would close with two short letters I received from some of those who have experienced this first-hand. The first is from a representative of the Streets Meadow Care Home residents:‘I write to thank you and your students for allocating some of your time at Canford to the residents of Streets Meadow. In particular, the effort made by Jamie Lees and Finn Manley has, in my view, been outstanding for young men of their age… ‘They both arrive every week with enthusiasm and energy, which they willingly pass on to our residents. They make a great effort to actively listen and converse with people, no matter the difficulties at times with communication. In particular, they have developed a lovely relationship with a gentleman called Bill, who thoroughly enjoys the male company. Bill tends to get frustrated and bored at times, both boys make a tremendous difference to him during their time here, which is much appreciated. In addition, they are always willing to take part in any activity taking place, our older ladies love to dance with them... ‘I find Finn and Jamie to be very smart, respectful and polite at all times, a credit to both themselves and the school.’ And the second letter I received thanked the Canford pupils involved in the recent community service Care for the Elderly visit:‘I would like to pass on my praise for the students who were involved today. I came with a friend. Both of us are wheelchair-users. From the moment I parked my car I had students helping – showing me the way, checking I didn't need anything. Once tea and coffee arrived, all the students were attentive to everyone there, ensuring we had drinks and those wonderful shortbread biscuits. We were escorted to lunch, with two young ladies fetching our choice of lunch for us, and sitting and eating with us. I glanced around the dining room, and all the guests had youngsters sitting at the tables with them. It was clear that both generations were enjoying talking to each other…. I feel that there is a very good ethos at Canford School, where a caring attitude is very much in evidence…. Once again, many thanks to all who were involved in making this such a great experience.’ I hope this gives you a flavour of what a CANFORD education stands for in 2018 and, whilst we are constantly reviewing and planning for what is required to ensure the school thrives in the future, we recognise also the importance of keeping the threads and links to the past which bind us together in a positive sense.

Whatever happened to…?

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Whatever happened to...?

Championship at Itchenor. The prize in those days was a new Firefly dinghy for the school. After obtaining a law degree from Southampton University, a career as a divorce lawyer followed at Paris Smith, a large law firm in Southampton. For the last eleven years before retiring in 2008, he was managing and then senior partner of the firm. Thereafter he practised part-time as a notary public for five years. Now he and his wife, Jane, spend as much time as they can cruising with Cunard Line (his father had been a Cunard Captain, the second-ever Captain of QE2) including a world cruise on Queen Victoria in 2014. From time to time he meets up with Peter Haslett (B63), Steve Moore (W68), Ben Richards (B84) and Stuart Mason-Elliott (B68). He also sees his nieces Katie Holt (C95) and Susie Palmer (née Holt Ma97) and nephew Jono Holt (SH02) regularly. In the summer of 1965, he and Peter Kendall (SH64), with two others,

toured the USA in a 1957 Buick, covering 10,000 miles. They lost contact for 40 years but met up again when Peter was in London negotiating the purchase of Bass by Coors. Peter lives in New York and he and Richard meet there whenever Richard’s ship sails in!

David Ralph (SH67), the OCS representative in South Africa, has recently moved from Johannesburg to Hermanus in the Western Cape – see page 39. He has recently started up the South African chapter of the Lord’s Taverners, which has already supplied games of table cricket to twenty schools for the disabled throughout the country.

Charles Fowler (W71) combines management consultancy and volunteering, the latter being most recently at the World Athletics Championships in the Olympic Stadium last July and August.

Nick Broom (C77) was just a whisker away from fulfilling a lifetime ambition of visiting a Hong Kong opium den, but sadly turned up with local resident Ed Peters (C77) on early closing day. They consoled themselves with a dish of fish balls at a Michelin-starred establishment around the corner. Out-of-towner Nick remarked that they must have been big fish.

Three old buddies met up for the first time in almost forty years at Canford over October half-term. Memories flooded back while touring the school – and a few hostelries in Wimborne – over the course of the weekend. Steven Ives (S78) is the school’s Sports Co-ordinator, 1st XI cricket manager and Lancaster House tutor; Chris Duncan (F78) qualified as a chartered surveyor and is now an associate director of Wood, a multi-disciplinary global practice with around 60 offices in various parts of the world and over 50,000 employees; and Chris Wyle (C78) has run a number of successful pubs in the south and is currently supplying health foods to local establishments (including Canford). Steve Tapner (B78) couldn’t make it as he has already retired from teaching and lives in Majorca (he was not toasted in absentia by the other three), and Geremy Thomas (SH78) was there in spirit, if not in (substantial) body!

After 25 years in Prague, Bohemia, James de Candole (M80) has settled with his family in a village in

Transylvania where together they have turned an abandoned town hall built under the Dual Monarchy into their home. They offer accommodation and guided tours for riders and walkers, especially nature-lovers wishing to explore this remarkable medieval landscape. The de Candoles lead trips, lasting anything from four hours to four days, either on foot or on their beautifully schooled horses, through the high wildflower grasslands and 80,000 hectares of oak, beech and hornbeam forests. Write to james.decandole@outlook.com for more information.

Having been an estate agent for 28 years in Surrey, 20 of those working in an independent firm in Guildford, Ken Mead (C81) decided that he wanted to explore other avenues and hobbies while he had the opportunity to do so. He managed an exit policy in 2014, two weeks before his fiftieth birthday, and since then has kept himself very busy by setting up a property consultancy business, helping out as the sales development manager of a tree surgery business and volunteering with three charities, two of them on the fund-raising side. He still follows his passion by playing cricket three or four times a week during the summer, including for an over-50s county side. He is still living in Shere in Surrey and getting involved in the village community with his wife, Cathy, who retired six years ago, enabling them to have quality time together.

Justin Cooper (B83) has been living in Sydney, Australia, for 23 years, having moved there with a multinational personal care company in 1994. He has worked in marketing all his career and starting his own consultancy in 2004. Last year he published his first book, entitled Marketing is Dead, Long Live Purposing, which is designed to help individuals, businesses and brands to explain what they offer in a way that attracts the right customers, partners and opportunities.

Ivan Snell (C87) got engaged to Sarah last year whilst flying a helicopter over their house on Hayling Island at 1200 feet and 75 knots. Sarah said ‘yes’, if only to encourage Ivan to land the helicopter safely.

Adam G Pearson (M90) is living in Newquay, Cornwall, and has set up a practice as a hypnotherapist. He moved to Cornwall following a spell in the Hague (Netherlands),

where he worked for Shell and was part of a very active surfing scene. Before that he lived in Southfields, London, and was a senior member of a karate club in Fulham. He now spends his time surfing, volunteering for a youth development charity called the Wave Project, and leading various community action groups, including one working on patient-led strategic change in the health service. Adam is still very active as a musician, playing flugel horn in the Newquay Band and freelancing as a professional viola player.

Holly Henderson (L96) has taken part in the International Surfing Association Stand Up Paddleboard World Championships in Denmark. With 42 nations and 286 competitors, it was the biggest ever World Championships. Team England came 14th overall and Holly was 48th in the Women's 20km race around Copenhagen. You are never too old to represent your country, she says, and she can't wait to try and qualify for next year.

Whatever happened to...?

Ed Peters (left) and Nick Broom meet up in Hong Kong

Visitor Robin Lane Fox on Nemesis and James de Candole on Boleslav in the Transylvanian hills

Ivan Snell and Sarah following his airborne proposal

Holly Henderson at the Paddleboard World Championships

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Whatever happened to...?

Florence Wallis with the Low Anthem

Belle Cartwright (W10) is working as a data and audience strategy consultant with iProspect, implementing technology to maximise the impact of marketing strategies. She has just been included in ‘20 in Data & Technology’: a project created by Women in Data UK and The Female Lead to shine a light on twenty amazing stories of female achievement and to inspire data practitioners across the UK.

Florence Wallis (S10) is releasing her second album with the band, the Low Anthem, whom she joined in Providence, Rhode Island some years ago. The band recorded both their last album, Eyeland, and this album, The Salt Doll Went to Measure the Depth of the Sea, in their studio in Providence. They look forward to continuing to tour internationally this year, so look out for a show near you.

Albert Thornton (C12) has recently graduated from Exeter University. In June, he and a friend will depart from Boston and attempt to cycle the width of America, spanning approximately 4300 miles and finishing in

Seattle. They are looking to complete the route in 60 days, averaging roughly 70 miles each day. For the duration of the trip they will be unsupported, navigating with maps and carrying all their equipment on their bikes. They are using the trip as an opportunity to raise money for ‘The Campaign Against Living Miserably’ (CALM), a mental health charity working specifically to tackle mental health concerns prevalent among men (www.thecalmzone.net). Albert’s donation page is at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/AlbandBodCoast2Coast.

Tabitha and Liberty Tennant (B15): Back in January we celebrated our 21st birthday surrounded by family and friends. With 21 OCs in attendance, and almost three years since all of us had been together, the night was one of lots of laughter and fond reminiscing. It was also great to see a mix of generations amongst the OCs with our Dad, Mark Tennant (C86), and Tabitha’s godfather, Jamie Telfer (C85), in particular keeping people entertained with stories of their golden days. Our party was actually the second Tennant celebration that had inadvertently turned into an OC reunion, the first being our father’s 50th last year, where the sixteen OCs accounted for a quarter of the guests! Whether it was three years or thirty years since people had left, both parties were reminders of how those friendships made during the five years at Canford are ones that last a lifetime.

Imogen Still (L16) has been given an Independent Event Organiser award by Diverse Abilities, a charity which supports children and adults with profound physical and learning disabilities throughout Dorset. While in the Sixth Form at Canford, Imogen organised a summer fair, booking organisations for stalls, organising the logistics, designing the marketing material and recruiting volunteers to help on the day. Later, she gave a talk at Canford about Diverse Abilities and its work. Now at Southampton Solent University, Imogen is hoping to get a work placement at the charity.

Below left: Helping the Tennant twins celebrate their 21st: Back row: Rachel Harris (D15), Johnny Mitchell (C15). Middle row: Ellie Bellfield (B15), Ben Heyman (C15), Kit Saunders (F15), Ed Barrett (S15), Joe Graves (S15), Connie Beauchamp (L15), Arabella Watkiss (L15), Georgina Dean (B15), Beth Holmes (W15). Front row: Celi Leverton (M15), Tabitha and Liberty Tennant, Beth Rees, Antonia Matthews, Miriam Hornsby (all B15)

Below right: Imogen Still receives her award from Diverse Abilities

LONDON DRINKS PARTY

Thursday 24th May 2018

7.00pm - 9.30pmThe Terrace Pavilion

House of Commons

Please join us for drinks and canapés at a cost of £27 per person

Please book and pay online atwww.canford.com/Book-Events

Alternatively please send the completed formand payment to: The Development Office,

Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3AD

If you have any queries please contact the Development Office on T: 01202 847506 or E: development@canford.com

Tickets in advance on a first come, first served basisThere will be no tickets available on the door

Dress code: Jacket and Tie

Old Canfordian society

London Drinks Party Please send me tickets at £27 per person

I enclose a cheque of £

Name

House/Year

Name of Guest

Address

Telephone

Email

Please send the completed form and payment to:

The Development OfficeCanford School, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3AD

Cheques to be made payable to Canford School

FRIENDS OFCANFORD MUSIC

FRIENDS OF

CANFORD

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Seen from Top Tower

seen from top tower

A BOURNE SUCCESSRichard Knott and David Neill are not only the retired deputy head of Canford and a current deputy head respectively, they are also the chair and deputy chair of governors at the Bourne Academy in Bournemouth. In February, they travelled hopefully to London, with Caroline Gobell of the Academy, for the announcement of the winners of the Times Educational Supplement Independent Schools Awards 2018; Canford reached the shortlist in the Independent-State partnership category for its sponsorship of and close association with the Bourne Academy. Although there are several independent schools who are associated with academies, Canford is

Far left: A festive meal for Canfordians and their guests from Northam

Left: As a result of her successes at school level, Bethan Burley represented Wales U18s in the 400 metres hurdles

for battle! The OCs meanwhile were taken back down memory lane and surprised themselves at how easily they could remember their stick skills. Following their whistle-stop introduction to lacrosse, the rookies were put into a half-game, the teams being made up of novices and experienced players, and everyone had a great time in the glorious sunshine. After much shrieking and some innate skill, goals were scored! The other goal was to earn the lovely meal put on in the pavilion at the end of the morning – and the rosy cheeks and dishevelled locks certainly indicated that lunch was well-deserved.

LATEST NORTHAM VISITCanford has been working for seventeen years with the City Reach group in the inner city Southampton community of Northam. Northam is a small neighbourhood in Southampton near the heart of the city which is geographically quite isolated and with few local amenities. In December a record number of Canfordians joined in to welcome children from Northam for one of their regular visits. The visit started with lunch, which happened to be Christmas lunch! After lunch it was off to the sports hall, where a mixture of sport, ranging from football to various forms of catch to everything between, was played. Then the children went into the swimming pool for impromptu swimming lessons mixed with various forms of water polo. From there they moved on to the Christmas party held in John o’Gaunt’s, playing various games including the obvious favourite, ‘Pass the Parcel’, accompanied by Christmas songs playing in the background. The whole event was a real pleasure, not just for the children but also for those who helped. This project is a long-term partnership between Canfordians and Northam, involving a programme of visits and activities. For the people of Northam, the project provides an opportunity to take part in a range of activities which it is sometimes difficult for them to access and also provides support for the work of the Community Centre and its leaders.

TEXAS-BOUNDUpper Sixth pupil Bethan Burley has recently accepted a full athletic scholarship to Southern Methodist University in Dallas. A successful athletics season saw Bethan finish 6th in the senior girls’ 400 metres hurdles at the ESAA national championships, having claimed the SW Schools’ heptathlon title

a couple of weeks earlier. As a result of these performances, several US universities expressed significant interest in her as a potential athletic scholar, subject to her performance at the ESAA heptathlon national championships in September. Fortunately, Bethan achieved a personal best score of 5015 points which saw her finish 2nd overall, and this led to invitations to go out and visit two universities in Texas during the October half-term. West Texas A&M University was the first school to provide a concrete offer, but this was surpassed by the offer from SMU, which provided the perfect mix of sporting and academic excellence. Having been treated to an evening in the 40,000-seater Gerald Ford Stadium watching the SMU Mustangs football team play, Bethan was then shown around the campus by several of the current track team. The hi-tech sports facilities and impressive academic reputation, coupled with an excellent coaching programme all located within a couple of miles of downtown Dallas, was too good an offer to turn down. SMU compete in the American Athletic Conference and Bethan will begin next January with the indoor track and field season.

CHALLENGING THE SHELLSSeptember 2017 saw the introduction of a new Shell curriculum at Canford. At the heart of the

Canfordians helping in classes at the Bourne Academy is only one of many ways that the two schools work together

Some of the players who tried out lacrosse for the first time

proud to be one of only a handful who are full sponsors. Since the Academy opened in 2010, exam results have improved dramatically and it now ranks highly among non-selective Bournemouth schools. A £10 million investment programme has included a new Maths and English block and Music and Drama studios. A Sixth Form has been added, giving the opportunity of a quality education for boys and girls aged 11to 18 years. Canford and the Bourne Academy pupils and staff work together in many ways, and a joint staff conference, 'Improving Outcomes', was held as part of an INSET in 2016, with a second one planned shortly. Alas, reaching the shortlist was the extent of Canford’s success: the deserved winner of the TES award was Latymer Upper School who had, amongst other things, helped out a local school after the Grenfell Tower fire.

A STICK-Y MORNINGThe Friends of Canford School thought it would be a good idea to open up the opportunity of playing lacrosse to the wider community and so offered a ‘fun morning’ in November. A few OCs who fancied picking up a stick again came along, together with some current parents who took the plunge and thought they would ‘give it a go for a laugh!’ Luckily the sun was shining, the pitch was in beautiful condition and the lacrosse players did indeed have fun. There was, understandably, quite a lot of warming up and stretching required and then an induction to lacrosse for the beginners similar to that which their children as Shells receive in the Christmas term. They learnt that they were carrying on a traditional game invented by the Native American Indians to prepare

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Right: One purpose of the new Shell curriculum is for the pupils to learn the joy of learning

programme are several projects which are thematic rather than based on single subjects and which provide a range of challenges for thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds. Thus, having recently attempted Project XER – Extreme Environment Robot – the Shells are about to take on the redoubtable question, ‘What is happiness’? This project will challenge pupils to consider definitions of happiness from philosophical, biological and psychological points of view as well as how to go about reliably measuring the concept. Running through all the projects are three core strands: habits for learning, skills and literacy. Determined to raise pupils’ confidence in higher-order reading skills, as well as encourage a desire to read for pleasure, Canford has designated three sessions a week to Shell reading and has invested in the Accelerated Reader programme, which was officially launched with the ‘Six Nations’ reading competition. The objective is simple: to convert the most ‘millions of words read’ during the course of the

rugby competition. The programme gives our pupils the opportunity to get lost in a book and to read without a host of other distractions. The Shell form with the most words ‘converted’ at the end of the Six Nations will win an outing to an exclusive movie night at school – complete with copious amounts of popcorn!

LIFE IS A CABARET, OLD CHUMThe school musical this year was Cabaret, based ultimately on Christopher Isherwood’s Goodbye to Berlin. During show week, you would expect the theatre to be full to the brim with drama, but that drama is rarely just confined to the stage. This year, for example, saw one of the cast return from an away rugby match fifteen minutes before curtain up on opening night, transferring straight from the coach to a German night club in 1929 in as much time as it took him to don his costume! A number of the cast were called to Oxbridge interviews, which have become longer and more inflexible than ever, leading to a handful of roles being quickly understudied by other cast members and to an additional drama scholar stepping in at the last minute to learn the entire role of Ernst Ludwig in under a week, and then performing it for two out of the four nights. As usual, though, new reserves were found during the week of the show, the energy to persevere and to overcome flowing with renewed vigour. The dramas that happened offstage remained there, and all the audience could speak about after each performance of Cabaret was how fabulous the Emcee was, how fun the choreography, and what a great plot to explore.

EXCELLENCE IN MOTIONJaguar Land Rover can think small as well as big and for some years have sponsored the Land Jaguar Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge. Pupils from schools across the UK are challenged to build a radio-controlled four-wheel drive vehicle to the specifications provided by the International Rules Committee. It must successfully navigate and complete obstacles on an off-road test track which is just as demanding as a real off-road situation. The vehicle must emulate the capabilities of a full-size 4x4 vehicle. They also have to give an eight-minute

presentation, communicating their design theme and ethos. Then they are technically quizzed by Land Rover engineers about the design choices they made, with some very searching questions designed to test the depth of their understanding. Fourteen Canfordians, from Shells to Sixth Form, travelled to Devon to take part in the SW Regional Finals of the 2018 competition, entering teams in the professional class and entry level categories. In the professional class competition, the recently formed Canford group was up against teams which had been running for several years. Despite this, they came a very creditable third. The entry level class involves a great deal of fact-finding and discussion between judges and competitors, alongside creating an innovative body shell for the 4x4 vehicle. Of the eight teams who took part, Canford’s was judged the winner for their excellent approach and enthusiasm towards the challenge, so both teams have won a place in the National Finals at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon.

SWIMMING LINKSwimming is increasing in popularity among both juniors and seniors at Canford and the school’s swimmers will be taking part in a full programme of galas this season. A new arrangement has been put in place whereby Swim Bournemouth will be working in association with the school to deliver its junior and senior swim programmes. Swim Bournemouth was formed by a merger of Bournemouth Dolphins and Ferndown Otters and the Otters in particular had a proud record of supplying swimmers to the Great Britain teams at the Olympics and other major championships; freestyler Karen Legg, for example, was a member of the 4x200 relay team at the Sydney Olympics. Swim Bournemouth is already linked to the school as it uses the Canford sports centre as its training base, and it numbers some Canfordians among its members. Mark Burley, Director of Sport, commented: ‘I am delighted that Swim Bournemouth will be providing expert coaching to our swimmers from next term, and we are looking forward to benefiting from this additional expertise and support for our swimming programme. It will enable Canford swimmers from across the year groups to develop their potential to the highest possible levels and their enjoyment of the sport.’

CANFORD’S SOCIAL SCENE GOES NATIONALTatler, the long-established society magazine, has appointed Social Editors at all the leading public schools, and sixth-formers Alice Kalmanson and Helena Jackson have been chosen for the role at Canford. They report: ‘During the October half-term we travelled up to Vogue House in London for the unforgettable experience of an induction day, including the history and ethos of Tatler and the role we are expected to fulfil. That role is to cover the best Sixth Form events at Canford by writing a short article as well as including some photographs

that we take of the event. It was enjoyable to meet lots of like-minded people of our age from schools across the country. Tatler are particularly interested in Bystander-style events, so for us, the Sixth Form Christmas dinner-dance seemed the obvious choice to cover for our first piece. We were a little worried about acting as the photographers, but people were more than happy to be photographed by us, and really made our job a breeze. The evening itself went beautifully, and it was sorting and narrowing the two thousand photos we were left with that ended up being the difficult part. We loved the challenge, and are looking forward to starting our next piece! Canford had one of the first submissions to Tatler of the thirty or so schools with which they are linked. You can read the feature online at www.tatler.com/gallery/canford-sixth-form-dinner-dance.’

Seen from Top TowerSeen from Top Tower

DID YOU KNOW...... that you can keep up to date with news and information from the school online at www.canford.com? Head to the ‘School Community’ section and on the next screen click again on the School Community link at the top to take you to the main menu. Select ‘News, Events and Publications’. Within the Publications section you can find digital versions of Canford News (a twice-yearly news magazine), The Canfordian (the annual school magazine) and previous issues of the OC Magazine. It is worth browsing further in this School Community area, which includes a section for Old Canfordians.

Closer links with Swim Bournemouth will benefit Canford’s swimmers

Below left: ‘What good is sitting alone in your room?’

Below right: The Canfordian team field questions from the judges about the design of their radio-controlled 4x4 vehicle

A demure start to the Sixth Form Christmas dinner-dance, which was the first Canford social event featured in Tatler

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on a diverse set of challenges. These people have normally actively sought out a range of experiences in their lives, throwing themselves into situations and environments that have forced them to adapt, be open to a range of cultures and opinions, and know a good story when they see one. This practical adaptability is essential in my job, because the greatest joy of the profession, but potentially its most stressful, is that no single day is the same.

Monday My team and I have been preparing for our final trip to Russia on a project in the wilds of the Far East, and we are in the final throes of checking equipment. We will be flying drones above and inside forests there, and the good news is that the forecast over the next few days is for heavy snow, which photographically will make the forest infinitely more beautiful. Fresh snow on the ground will also make tracking the animals we are filming much easier. The bad news is that whether or not the necessary permissions and permits will be in place in time is still up in the air. We leave tomorrow. Does Aeroflot allow us to carry lithium-ion camera batteries? Probably should have checked.

Tuesday Air travel isn’t glamorous, especially when there are only two of you travelling with 30 bags. And the amount of time I have spent milling around the airports of this world might be depressingly close

Jeff Wilson (F97) on the joys and frustrations of being at the mercy of Mother NatureIT IS a cliché to hear that someone just ‘fell into the job’, but in my case the phrase seems to fit. On leaving Canford I had no grand plans, no vision for the future, only a set of interests that were deep-rooted and simmering. The first of these led me to choose a Biology degree at the University of Bristol, a course which seemed to satisfy my fascination with the natural world, born from a childhood growing up in Kenya. The second, a developing love of photography, was maintained at hobby level throughout my university years. The time came at the end of university to finally start making some adult choices. It was my mum who pointed out that the BBC Natural History Unit were based in Bristol, where I was studying, and so, after a brief spell of work experience, I discovered that the team I was working for needed someone with African experience to help with driving, carrying bags and cooking on a film in Western Kenya. I had fallen into the job of my dreams and seventeen years later, I am incredibly fortunate to still love every single day of it. Of course, like all industries, ours has a diverse set of jobs within it and employs people from all skill sets. Amongst the film directors and camera people, there is a strong tendency to have some biological training, primarily because at its heart, ours is the job of communicating science to a broader audience. However, I am as interested in people with a passion for the natural world, combined with a practical ability to problem-solve

Jeff Wilson with an atlas moth in Papua New Guinea, while filming Planet Earth

to the amount of time I have spent with friends and family in the last decade. The only joy comes from the age-old game of charm and rebuttal with the check-in staff to see if we can get an upgrade. We don’t. It’s going to be a long 19 hours.

Wednesday Falling asleep in one country and waking up in another culture never gets old. Surprisingly, all our bags have made it through to Vladivostok (50% of the time there is one missing, typically a crucial one). A pre-organised driver is there to meet us and we only have a twelve-hour drive down an icy road, dodging kamikaze logging trucks, before we get to location. As if that wasn’t relaxing enough, I receive a message from a team of mine in Antarctica, filming penguins for another project, that they have ‘dunked’ a very expensive camera rig in a very wet ocean. It turns out an errant porpoising penguin was to blame. I spend the next few hours on my phone tracking down a man I know in Argentina who knows another man who knows a lady with the same part as the one currently drying out on the great white continent. There is a chance we might be able to get it to a friend of ours on a boat leaving Punta Arenas for Antarctica on Friday.

Thursday It is in indeed snowy on location when we arrive, and undoubtedly beautiful. It is also -25C and gusting 65 mph: hardly conducive for flying drones. The drone is rated to work down to temperatures of -10C, so we are in uncharted territory. A test flight outside the cabin shows that when we eventually do fly, the batteries will only last about eight minutes per flight. Because we are working on a project that requires a 4K image delivery, the camera we are attaching to the drone is one of the best available. It is also worth £30,000. So with the forecast for tomorrow looking more positive, I end the day finding it hard to sleep with the pressure of knowing that either our trip will begin to bear fruit in the morning, or the Russian winter will eat our expensive rig for breakfast. There will be many back in Bristol waiting to mutter, ‘I told you so.’

FridaySunshine and stillness. Perfect (although still -15C). The thing about flying drones in unknown places is that you don’t know what you are going to see until you start to fly. But what we see is beautiful, expansive and wild. We have sourced a generator to keep our batteries charging on a loop, there is a kettle of coffee on the fire in the hut, and we have a skidoo to get further into the forest in case of need. 99.9% of our job is making sure we are in the right place at the right time with the right toys so that when Mother Nature decides to allow us access, we can focus and achieve with blinkered determination. Eight minutes is not a lot of time to look, make decisions on what the right shot is, perfect it, and then bring the drone back to its landing pad before it falls out of the sky, but at the end of the day, we feel

like we’ve got 30 seconds or so of screen time we would be happy with.

Saturday Weekends, time off and holidays are non-existent when in the field: we will often work eighteen-hour days for weeks on end. It is knackering but it is a day like today that makes it worthwhile: sunnier, stiller and warmer. This is what we came for. With a few shots in the can, we can begin to get more ambitious with our shot choice – we are constantly trying to up the level of cinematography beyond our previous projects, and we are on the last shot of the day, doing just that, when an errant branch emerges out of range of our sensors and the whole rig goes crashing 40 feet to the floor into a bank of snow.

SundayKnowing how to pick oneself up after minor disasters is essential. We have a saying amongst our field teams: ‘If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.’ The drone is trashed, the camera is fine – a slither of silver lining if ever there was one – and at least it means we can go home and warm up.

A life in the week of…

The death trap disguised as a road leading north from Vladivostok

A life in the week of…

A wildlife film-maker and photographer

Jeff ’s team launching a drone in prohibitive temperatures in the wilds of Russia

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to deliver a course of lessons, I silently thanked him for enabling me to earn my living. But I do thank him, still. He was always known as ‘Wump’, perhaps because of his bouncy walk and fiery red face. An Old Salopian, he had come to Canford in 1930 with a degree in French from Corpus Christi, Cambridge, and teaching experience at Sevenoaks and Harrow, followed by two years in Germany. My first encounter with him was, of course, as a cadet in the CCF, of which he was Commanding Officer for 25 years. Bryan Bell put up a notice on the board in the Franklin corridor announcing that the following people would be joining the CCF: interesting, as the corps was advertised in the prospectus as voluntary! But it soon became clear that, with Wump as CO, the corps was fun; he took it seriously, but not too seriously. If you were too enthusiastic, you were known as a ‘corps fiend’, and this expression carried over into his German classes: when Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, a very military-minded sort of chap, was mentioned, he was always referred to as ‘the Great Corps Fiend’. On one occasion during the hot summer of 1940, the OTC (as the CCF was then) endured a gruelling field day on the banks of the Stour. Wump’s final order was to jump into the river for a swim, which everybody did, in various states of partial or complete undress. The happy splashing was abruptly ended by the sight of a column of Girl Guides approaching along the towpath, which produced a frantic blowing of whistles and bellowing of orders from Wump as everyone dressed in record time. His face was said never to have been redder. Such stories should not obscure the work that Wump put into the CCF, nor his professional

Stuart Monard (F64) tells of Yvone Kirkpatrick’s contributions to Canford, with some affectionate personal memories

MANY years after I had taught her daughter, a mother told me that because of something I had covered with her when she was in the Sixth Form, the girl was now hooked on Baudelaire. I had no recollection of the lesson or its content, but I was touched to hear this. I am sure this would have been Yvone Kirkpatrick's reaction if he had been told that he had nurtured in me an enthusiasm for Goethe in particular and the German Enlightenment in general – not to mention the gardens at Stourhead. He might also have been surprised to know that every time I flew to Germany

competence. During World War 2 he commanded the local Home Guard detachment and helped with the interrogation of German prisoners of war on Salisbury Plain, receiving an OBE and a Territorial Decoration for his efforts. His obituarist in this magazine remembered a visit to the Parachute Regiment’s obstacle course at Aldershot: ‘This was a formidable affair, and by far the most frightening of the obstacles was the death slide, the pinnacle of which was only to be reached by climbing a scaffolding perched on a small hill. Once up there, it felt like being on top of the Empire State Building; without hesitation Yvone, then no longer young and a bulky figure, hoisted himself to the summit and launched himself into space.’ Early on in the Lower Sixth, I spotted the RFC tie Wump was wearing and spoke to him about it, explaining that my uncle also wore one. I found out that he flew Camels in World War 1, and that he had had some hairy moments. On one occasion, his engine cut out. What did he do about it? He prayed, he said, and, as he dived, the engine kicked in again. There was a certain chivalry in the air in those days and he, like my father, an infantry officer at the Somme, bore no personal ill-will to those fighting in the other uniform. World War 2 was different, of course, because of the fascist dimension. We would ask Wump what the German prisoners were like when he was interrogating them. Above all a benign man, his reply was, ‘Oh, frightened boys – unless you met a Nazi, and there was no talking to him.’ I spent a not insignificant amount of my teaching career pointing out that not all Germans were Nazis, and not all Nazis were German.

The Wump files

The Wump files

Above left: ‘Wump’ put his photography hobby to good use by taking the pictures for a series of sports books by his colleague, J T Hankinson, who during the War was the housemaster of Canford’s first day house, which became Salisbury

Above right: As CO of the CCF at an Annual Inspection in the late 1950s

Somehow, Wump could only have driven a car like the Buick Coupé that OCs of his era will remember. Like the man himself, it was large, solid, dependable – and a bit old. It was blue, with brown leather upholstery and, considering its vast size, far from roomy. Clearly, as he and the car got older, he saw no reason to change it, and when he retired he still had it. A very different vehicle was the Vespa, and a more unlikely sight than this generously proportioned gentleman on such a, by comparison, minuscule device was an arresting one. In the days when I was retained by Andrew Davis as time-keeper for the 1st VIII, I would ride the towpath, stopwatch in hand, but ever on the subconscious lookout for the Vespa, from which YK used to keep tabs on his Colts VIII. We never had a collision. He would invite his Sixth Form to his home on Rowland's Hill for Sunday tea once in a while, and the speciality was hot buttered crumpets spread with mashed sardines, which remain a favourite of mine after all these years, although I never have offered them to my pupils. John Drummond (B52), the late director of the Edinburgh International Festival and controller of music and Radio 3 at the BBC, wrote in his autobiography: ‘Yvone Kirkpatrick was a big man with loud voice who…loved poetry. His wife was a painter and they had talented and pretty daughters. In time,

Walking from chapel with the Headmaster, John Hardie, in 1959. Behind are Messrs Hopkinson, Pantlin, Hankinson and Davis

Yvone Kirkpatrick, Royal Flying Corps officer, with his Sopwith Camel

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The Wump files

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tree and careened out of control through a cashew orchard. Kang, head down with the bit in his teeth, hit a wooden fence at full gallop. I was flung over the top unscathed until Kang followed in a somersault and 700 pounds flattened me into the ground. I remember hearing one of the vaqueros say, ‘Well, the nearest doctor is 26 days on foot from here’, referring to a path through the forest. Many weeks later, after patching myself up, I thought, ‘One day I need to bring doctors a little bit closer to this place than 26 days on foot!’ Kang set in motion an organisation we now call RAM: Remote Area Medical. To date RAM has completed over 900 medical expeditions. We send doctors to Guyana and provide a free air ambulance service for the Wapishanas, as well as bringing help to those within the USA who struggle to afford medical care. RAM has had over 120,000 volunteers in the field and provided US$120 million in free care to nearly a million patients. At a RAM event, it is not unknown for upwards of 1500 people to have free dental or eye examinations. Now I have been following the ailing health care service in Britain. It suffers from similar woes to those of the American health care system: not enough doctors, not enough access, and unaffordable alternatives for millions of people. For example, in 24 different local authorities in the UK, no dentist is taking on new NHS patients. I would love to try a RAM alternative in a suitable part of Britain, perhaps Wales: a series of events at which qualified volunteers would provide thousands of people with free dental care and eye tests. If any OC can help in any way to facilitate such a venture, I would be delighted to hear from you: stanbrock@ramusa.org. Visit www.ramusa.org for more information.

Stan Brock (S53) has transformed lives with his mobile medical charity. Now he wonders if the organisation should turn its attention to the UK

IN 1953 I left Canford at the end of the summer term, intending to return in the September. In the CCF I was top of the class in Certificate A and focused on Sandhurst or Dartmouth for a military career. Then that summer my father took a job in British Guiana and I went out on a round-trip ticket. In Georgetown I tore up the return portion and hopped a ride on a World War 2 Dakota heading south for the Brazil border and the lure of the Amazon. I found the Dadanawa Ranch and went no further. Forty thousand wild Longhorn cattle roamed 4000 square miles on the Guiana side of the border. All the cowboys were Wapishana Indians, mounted barefoot on hot-tempered mustangs. I couldn’t ride, couldn’t rope and couldn’t speak Wapishana. They gave me an old buckskin horse to ride and I named him Butterball. We followed the massive herds on trail drives and Butterball knew how to cut out a lost calf and find its mother. A year later, I could speak fluent Wapishana, was pretty good with a lasso and had abandoned my worn-out boots and was riding barefoot like the rest of the vaqueros. Then I met a horse named Kang and my life changed for ever. ‘Kang’ was the Wapishana name for the devil, a reputation he had earned from killing two other cowboys in Brazil. Now Kang was assigned to me. A small crowd gathered when we lassoed Kang in the corral and blindfolded him to a post in front of the bunkhouse. Kang was a lethal 700 pounds of tightly coiled muscle. He could flash front and back hooves with deadly accuracy or slap you in the face with his head and rip off your ear in his teeth. The vaqueros looked on as I adjusted the plaited rawhide girths. I got three toes into the stirrup and eased into the saddle. Kang plunged forward with a loud squeal. We tore through low-hanging fruit under a mango

100 dentists’ chairs at a RAM event in BaltimoreBringing RAM to Britain?

when he learnt of my love for buildings, he would organise outings to country houses in the district where he was known and made welcome…. Yvone encouraged me to plan outings and eventually write to the owners myself.’ Wump retired in 1963, after 33 years’ service to Canford. When retirement loomed, he was clearing out Top Tower and for some reason asked me if I would like his Complete Works of Goethe. They are on the shelves behind me as I write, an ever-present and treasured memento. Even after retirement, his contribution to Canford was not at an end. He did some teaching, and in 1965 he took on almost single-handedly the Development Fund Appeal, personally telephoning countless OCs all over the world. His unflagging efforts were by far the most important reason why the appeal raised £130,000, or in today’s terms approaching £2 million. One most interesting aspect of his life was in the inter-war period, when he was frequently in Freiburg im Breisgau, attending the Albert-Ludwigs University, which I also attended in my turn, thanks to him. As far as his family was concerned, he was doing a degree, but it is interesting to note that, according to Double Cross by Ben McIntyre, British Intelligence had an active group in Freiburg. He would travel into the University daily by tram, asking for the Kaiser Wilhelm Platz, or something similarly regal and traditional. However, on a visit in the mid-1930s, he got on the

The Common Room in 1960, the year of Wump’s retirement. He is fifth from the right in the front row

The plaque on the organ in Canford Magna parish church

tram as usual and asked for the usual stop, only to be told by a lofty conductor that it was now called the Adolf Hitler Platz. On his return to Freiburg after the post-war dust had settled, he asked for the Adolf Hitler Platz once more, only to be hurriedly shushed and corrected by the visibly embarrassed conductor, who said sotto voce that that was not the name, it was the Kaiser Wilhelm Platz. From what his daughter has been kind enough to tell me, life for his young family during school holidays must have been a delight. They had a house at Ringstead which was, until very much later, quite devoid of mod cons, but they would travel down there for the summer, lock, stock and barrel, complete with horses, chickens and so on. He was a great photographer, and the last Christmas card I had from him was a picture he had taken of the beach there. After his death, the school donated a new organ to Canford Magna parish church in his memory. A plaque on the organ records this fact and he is the only member of Canford staff memorialised in the church. All my memories of this charismatic character are good and positive: I never saw him cross, just occasionally testy if your work was not up to the mark. I wonder if my victims can say this of me? Better I never know, but in the case of Yvone Kirkpatrick, to quote from the final line of Taugenichts, the 19th-century novel by Joseph von Eichendorff , ‘...es war alles, alles gut.’

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by a growing UK tick population. The charity aims to provide the essential information that can help towards prevention or early diagnosis, in order to reduce the disease becoming unnecessarily serious. Its work covers the whole of the UK and it has also recently helped in the formation of an All-Party Parliamentary Group for Lyme disease. While About Time for Lyme’s work focuses primarily on awareness amongst the general public, they are now also working closely with the charity Vis-a-Vis Symposiums, whose emphasis is on improving understanding of tick-borne diseases amongst medical professionals. The past couple of years have seen several OCs supporting the cause in impressive – and often verging on mad – ways, including 30 OCs taking part in Hampshire’s Rough Runner and co-founder Elliott Hawkins fighting in the Clapham Grand’s White Collar Boxing Match. In August, five OCs – Rick Duckett (SH09), Nick Hassell (M09), Chris Shepheard-Walwyn (M09), Hugo Langlois (SH09) and Rory Maclean (SH09) – took on the considerable challenge of cycling from London to Paris in 24 hours, with their incredible efforts managing to raise a huge amount of awareness and funds for the cause. This is their story…

1 pm: Meet Marble Arch. After an interminable period of delaying the date, we set off from Marble Arch in brilliant sunshine to ride the 104 kilometres down to the ferry in Newhaven in high hopes that we will be opening demi-bières at the Arc du Triomphe in

Kellie Maher and Rick Duckett tell the story of a 24-hour cycle ride from London to Paris

IN 2016, three OCs – Kellie Maher (Ma09), Elliott Hawkins (C09) and Alec Fraser (SH09) – founded About Time for Lyme, with the aim of improving awareness of the growing problem of Lyme disease in the UK. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection, transmitted via the bite of an infected tick. If it is diagnosed and treated early, a full recovery can be made, but failure to do so can result in it developing into a seriously debilitating, multi-systemic illness. It was following Kellie’s experience with the disease that it became evident what a serious impact a lack of awareness can have. About Time for Lyme was set up to educate people about the risk posed

A well-earned rest on the way to Newhaven. Left to right: Nick Hassell, Rory Maclean, Chris Shepheard-Walwyn, Hugo Langlois

less than 24 hours. Initial optimism is quickly subdued by a crack of thunder and a deluge that forces us to take shelter under a railway bridge in Clapham, less than an hour into the ride. It sets the tone for the next day and a very wet ride to Paris. 5 pm: Curious Pig at Copthorne. Following a predictably slow ride out of London, we take a chance to stop and fill up water bottles before riding on through the North and South Downs. Having previously done the route on a sunny day in June, the cold and wet make progress slower than we would like. The rain finally clears as we take a left just before Ditchling Beacon and ride the descent into Newhaven, energised by the lure of a pint and a warm meal. 9 pm: Newhaven. The two hours of down time before the ferry are a chance to put on some dry kit and to refuel before the five-hour crossing to Dieppe. Fresh socks and flip-flops make a welcome change from soaking cycle shoes. We line up to board the ferry alongside other cyclists doing the same route who – unlike us – have had the foresight to book a cabin for the crossing. 11 pm: Ferry to Dieppe. As some riders turn the children’s soft play area into an oversize, makeshift mattress, we try to get some sleep before starting on the 190 km to Paris the next morning. A combination of the large swell and a contingent of loud booze-cruisers drinking the bar dry mean that as we pull into a foggy Dieppe at 5 am, Chris is the only one who seems to have managed to get any sleep. 5 am: Dieppe. The first 35 miles of the route in France take us along an old railway line called the Avenue Verte, now a paved cycleway that heads directly towards Paris. With just a straight, flat road to worry about and only a few light showers, we enjoy two silent hours of riding through the French countryside as the sun comes up. 7 am: Forge-les-Eaux – 112 km to go. Cafés and boulangeries are just opening as we pull into the small town of Forge-les-Eaux. Others who left the ferry two hours earlier are dotted about, taking on as much coffee and pastry as possible. Rick catches the only puncture of the trip, but spirits are high as we climb back on the bikes to head onwards towards Paris. 11 am: Lierville. The next few hours of cycling past picturesque French farmhouses along gently winding country lanes would be much more enjoyable if it didn’t start raining and keep on doing so for the entire morning. Various niggling pains start to appear in knees and hips and we begin to wonder whether we should have done more training than Saturday rides to Richmond Park, supplemented with rides to Brighton and Box Hill. Eventually the rain forces us to stop at a service station near Lierville, where we damply consider whether it is going to be realistic to make it in 24 hours with the weather and various unconditioned joints conspiring against us. The restorative effects of a baguette and a double espresso are enough for us to head back into the rain and finish the last 55 km. Arc de Triomphe. The Eiffel Tower looms into view a long time before we are in Paris proper, as we

look down a long, gentle descent into the city. The routes that we have tried to patch together using advice online and the ‘most popular route’ function on Strava (a satnav system designed for runners and cyclists) serve us well until the last twenty miles, when our indicated route becomes a very muddy path. Google maps help us to get back on the road to Paris but on a route that we have not planned to use. With suburban Paris becoming busier with traffic and the rain continuing to fall, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées comes into view and we haphazardly negotiate the traffic around the Arc du Triomphe to arrive at 1.57 French time – three minutes to spare. It is fantastic to see other riders arriving who were on the ferry last night and to trade excuses about why it has taken so much longer than planned. After grudgingly realising that the only practical option is to cycle across Paris to the hotel, we rally for a meal and a glass of wine along the Canal Saint-Martin before catching the Eurostar back the next morning.

www.abouttimeforlyme.com. You can acknowledge the achievement of the five cyclists by making a donation at https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/lymelondontoparis

‘Tous les pains au chocolats, s’il vous plaît’. Rory Maclean minds the bikes while the others take on fuel

For About Time for Lyme

Done it! Nick Hassell, Rory Maclean, Hugo Langlois, Rick Duckett and Chris Shepheard-Walwyn at the Arc de Triomphe.

For About Time for Lyme

At Marble Arch – the start of the adventure

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More curiosities from the school’s history, selected by Archivist Frank Ahern From the Archive

Wow! What? Where?Richard Knott introduces five items in the school archive that might surprise you; five that can’t be identified; and five the Archive should have but doesn’tI RECENTLY met a county archivist who told me that he saw his job as throwing away 90% of what was passed on to him; the only problem was deciding which 10% to keep. I sympathise. The Canford archive acts as a collective memory and should represent the school’s history, so it is not surprising that the vast majority of the material we hold is after 1923 (some of which should probably belong in the 90%). However, we do have some material related to earlier occupants of the manor house, especially the Guest family, which, though not strictly part of the school’s history, is of obvious interest and of more than tangential relevance. The earliest document we own, found in the muniment room when the school moved into the building, is dated 1766 and concerns the Webb family, a Catholic family who owned Canford throughout most of the 17th and 18th century; but my first choice comes from a small collection of bills from the 1830s when William Ponsonby, who married Sir John Webb’s granddaughter, was Lord of the Manor. Ponsonby was considered tactless and something of a ‘jackass’ by many people but we have an 1838 bar bill from the Royal Oak in Milbourne – now Milborne St Andrew; the pub is still there – for £52 10s (about £5,000 in today’s money) which Ponsonby ran up in only twelve days in the year that he was made Baron de Mauley. The Guest material is much more extensive and is still being added to: a collection of letters from Lord Wimborne to Henry Layard was donated in 1960 and one in the other direction was given as recently as 2000. There are also ball tickets, photographs, paintings, door keys, menus and a variety of other material; but representing that era is a first edition of Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur. It was printed in 1867 by the Canford Press, a private press run by the Guest family, who often included their own editorial marks on what they were printing. Although the poem had been written – and published – some years earlier, this was the first-ever single edition and was one of several Tennyson poems published by the Guests. Recently I was sent a photograph taken of a painting on the wall of the Monteacute Sixth Form lodge in 1959 (see the archive catalogue for details). One of the artists was Derek Jarman, so it would be good were it to be found, but sadly, there is some doubt as to whether the wall has survived, let alone

From the Archive

the painting! However, a film by the Barnes brothers that was shot in 1937/8 has a happier ending as it finished up in a Brighton collection. We have a copy and it forms my third choice. As I referred to this film in the last OC Magazine, little needs to be said now, but there is no doubting the fortune of having moving pictures of various aspects of Canford life just before the War. Most of it is sport, including the Speech Day riding display, but the shots of the CCF, groundsmen, floods and, particularly, the fire in Gisborough Hall make it unique. Inevitably age can lend archive material a lustre that it might not deserve, but there is always pleasure

A novel idea

KEEN to keep myself busy, having finally taken the last step down from a ten-year, tiered descent into full retirement, I decided to write the novel that had been brewing in my mind for some time. Its genesis is a little bizarre. In 2012 I was in hospital for a dacrocystorhinostomy, a procedure that requires drilling through the nasal bone, close to the eye, to improve the drainage of tears into the nasal cavity. I was not a little surprised when the anaesthetist (a Canford parent, as it happened) told me that it was customary to give a hefty squirt of cocaine up the relevant nostril just before the op. When I emerged from theatre, I was comfortably drowsy for some hours. And then, completely unexpectedly – presumably because the anaesthetic had by now worn off – I experienced this incredible rush: a head so fizzing with ideas that I had to go to the duty nurse and ask for pen and paper. Over the next hour or so, I just scribbled furiously, page after page. When I came to look at these scribbles some time later, I found they made more sense than I had expected. The first thing I had noted was what would motivate the plot: the discovery by a school archivist of a fragment of letter that would prompt an enquiry into its significance; and the notion of a hidden school scandal with an alumnus at its heart. Thereafter the writings were a somewhat random collection of half-explored topics: my childhood home; the significance of maps; trees as motifs of both continuity and change; the wildlife pleasures of chalk downs; the river Thames, a long-held obsession of mine; the relationship between literature and life; the nature and purpose of an archive and the role of the archivist. The challenge was to think of a story, an over-arching narrative into which I could integrate these diverse elements. Once I had decided that the backdrop to the action would be the 2015 General Election and

that the subject of the investigation was an alumnus, an ambitious MP with a potentially career-breaking skeleton in his cupboard, I was ready to start. I got going in April 2016 and finished my first draft by the end of the year. I then revised for six months before readying it for publication. The school in the novel is not Canford – it is situated in north-east Wiltshire – but OCs will recognise some borrowings. Some of the characters, too, are composites, with the combined attributes of various people I have known. I should add that the central character, Matthew Agnew, though a former English-teaching school archivist, is not me; I do not share all of his attitudes, opinions or actions. (I do,

however, make a brief, Hitchcock-like appearance at some stage.) Although I might be considered a little tardy in becoming a debutant novelist at the ripe old age of 70, I am trying to make amends: I am 45,000 words into my second novel.

A Parcel of Fortunes is available now from:www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=4972Amazon.co.ukfrankahern@btinternet.com It will be available in bookshops from 28 April

Having spent 25years analysing other writers' work as an English teacher at Canford, Frank Ahern decided to see life from the other side and to write a novel of his own. Here he tells how it came about.

An extract from A Parcel of Fortunes:

When he retrieved the file, he was surprised to see that it was much scanter than most of the files of former staff. It appeared to have been culled; there was none of the routine correspondence that most files contained and – most unusually – no letter of resignation. But as he flipped through the papers – the CV, the application for the headship, the references – a loose page of cream-coloured writing paper untucked itself from between the tightly stapled pages of a reference and fluttered to the floor. It was the second and final page of a handwritten letter. Without the first page it was impossible to tell its date, and the only clue to the writer was his first name in the subscription. A puzzling extract, for sure:

no alternative but to follow the course of action we did. It was expedient and, in my opinion, not wrong. An eminent man’s reputation was saved, a promising boy’s future protected, and the school spared from scandal (to say nothing of the generous donation David’s parents have agreed to make). I am sure this whole unhappy episode will blow over in time. You must not fret. In the meantime, Janet and I wish you a very happy retirement. With all good wishes, Tony

The archive had many documents whose full meaning or significance Matthew had failed to discern, but this snippet had intrigued him. He had decided in May that he would investigate further. That he would delve. And now, four months later, as he headed down the spiral staircase for some lunch, fragments of a famous line of Eliot’s floated through his mind: fragments indeed. Fragment, at any rate. But ruin? Ruin? Whose? The bar bill run up by the

high-living William Ponsonby

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a list of names of those in it! – and there may have been others, so a gift or loan of those would be very welcome. The collection of house photos also has some gaps, particularly Franklin in the 1930s. At one stage I thought we had none at all from Wimborne before 1946 – a casualty of the move out of the main building in 1996 – but a few have surfaced since. Nevertheless, there is still a space from 1929 to 1936. Leavers’ books are a comparatively recent invention. Their content is sometimes dubious but they give a slant on school life that doesn’t come from elsewhere. We have editions for 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 2007 and 2010 onwards. I’m not sure how many others were published, but some were. If you can face the embarrassment of passing on what others said about you at the time, please do so. They make for good reading at reunions, as was shown recently. Although Canford was founded in 1923, the links with Combe Down and Clarence School stretching back to the 1880s are strong, but we have very little material from that time, apart from a few Clarencian magazines after 1910. It does surface – a collection of photographs from Clarence School was sold at auction less than ten years ago (although the auction room is being very unhelpful about putting me in touch with the purchaser) – so I remain hopeful that more will emerge. Clothing is bulky and difficult to store, but we do have some. Caps are the most popular donation, probably because they recognise some achievement, but everyday items tell a story as well. There is only one house vest in the archive: a Salisbury version with a large mitre on the front, probably from the 1950s, although its provenance is unknown. We probably need more in similar vein, although I fear being deluged, with nowhere to store it. If you have something that represents a particular time or event, please send it in; a quick search of the online catalogue will tell you if we have it already. Finally, like photographs, personal reminiscences can give a depth to the story of a school that is difficult to replicate by other means. We do have quite a

collection, but the more we have, the truer the overall picture becomes. If and when the next school history is produced, these will form an important resource. It is an area where the war years are reasonably well represented, but OCs don’t think about writing until well after they have left, so we have far fewer covering the last fifty years. Even if only for the archivist’s eyes, please send in your stories of Canford; we need to understand the lives of the everyday pupils as well as the stars.

Above left: The 1867 edition of Morte d’Arthur, complete with engraving of Canford Manor

Above right: Is this a colts rugby cap and if so, when was it last awarded?

These blazer badges and tie each present a mystery

in looking at the juvenilia of those who went on to important careers, even when it is fairly recent. The archive has a large number of poetry collections, often done by pupils on a particular trip or event; but the Imprint series, produced for two years at the start of the 1970s, seems unique. Unusually, it was sold rather than given away and included unpublished poems from poets outside the school, such as Brian Patten and Roger McGough, two of the most important Liverpool Poets. There were five volumes representing work by a range of pupils, with each poem on its own loose sheet, but four pupils (and Robin Whicker) were each given an edition to themselves: Alan Hollinghurst (B71), Ric Walker (SH71), Rich Morris (B72) and Peter Parker (SH73), all of whom went on to art college or literary careers. I wonder how many of them still have their copies. My final ‘Wow!’ choice isn’t all that impressive, but shows what goes on behind the scenes in one small area of Canford life and shows what can still turn up unexpectedly. The feed scales of the school’s horses before the War, along with the shoeing and other equine records from the 1930s, were found in a house in Little Canford only a few years ago by a recent OC. Given that the house riding trophy (part of Macnutt’s personal collection passed on by a relative) and some photos of school riding in the 1920s have also been added recently, that part of the

archive has suddenly become quite substantial: no bad thing, given the importance of riding shortly after Canford was opened, and the basis for an article that will appear in the next issue of the OC Magazine. The first ‘What?’ item is something of a cheat, as I think I have now established what it is, but confirmation from elsewhere would be helpful. It is a black cap with a silver tassel, but no peak, that belonged to Leslie Wienholt (B32). I had begun to think it might be from his prep school, but then a small team photo, included in the material passed on by his daughter, showed him wearing it as a younger pupil, so I assume it must have been his Colts Rugby colours as he certainly went on to play for the 1st XV. I can find no other reference to it, so I wonder when this sort of cap was last presented. The next three items are on the light-hearted side and may have nothing to do with Canford at all, but they have been donated by someone who felt that they should be preserved. They are pictured together: a black and green tie with a Harrods label and two blazer badges. One badge has the initials NCHA above a Tudor rose, although the rose is unusual in that the white petals are not offset from the red ones as would normally be the case, so I suspect it is a spoof. The other is certainly a joke as the motto (Ad Sum Ard Labor) is clearly a pseudo-Latin form of Had Some Hard Labour, particularly as there are several pictorial references to prisons. Lastly, and more seriously, there is a group photograph, probably from the 1960s, taken outside the library. It certainly isn’t teaching staff, but whether it is support staff or visitors (such as the Canford Summer School), it has made its way into the archive room. None of the long-serving bursarial staff recognises anyone. Can you? Moving on to ‘Where?’, photographs form one of the largest sections in the Archive but frustratingly, large numbers are undated and unannotated, so are pretty useless. Labelled albums give a wonderful impression of life at Canford – the archive can’t have enough of those – but there are two gaps amongst the group photographs that are particularly irritating. The whole school photos for 1937 and 1948 are slightly damaged and the one in 1927 is tiny so can hardly be seen, but we don’t have any between 1951 and 1960. I know there was one in 1954 – we have

From the ArchiveFrom the Archive

This photo was probably taken in the 1960s, but who are the group?

More memories of wartime CanfordJohn Palmer wrote in the April 2017 OC Magazine about bagging rabbits in the school grounds with a .22 rifle. I was unable to play games in the winter due to acute asthma, but I was given permission to bring back my 12-bore shotgun as long as it and a bag full of car tridges were kept locked in the study of my housemaster, C D D Beresford. My family owned a farm and I did a lot of shooting in the holidays. On winter afternoons, while games were being played, I could shoot all over the school property and the neighbouring agricultural land bordering the Stour. I became popular with the masters for supplying them with wild duck, wood pigeon, hares, rabbits and other treats. My other memories of Canford during the War include air raids when the whole school (in their pyjamas) had to go down to the brick-lined air-raid shelters that had been dug in the grounds. They had really wet walls and were always bitterly cold – we all dreaded leaving our warm beds. Perhaps for that reason, we had an outbreak of scarlet fever. I was affected and sent to the sick bay. Matron took my temperature and I couldn’t resist putting the thermometer into a hot cup of tea. She was not amused! Looking back, the masters did an extraordinary job during the War : maintaining an extremely high standard of teaching, while keeping up morale during all the shortages and deprivations.

Michael Toosey (W44)

H E PiggottRecent ar ticles about notable Canford teachers remind me that when I arrived at the school in 1942, the teacher who stood out for me was H E Piggott, the Head of Maths. When the school orchestra played, he was to be seen taming a

double bass, looking remarkably like Vaughan Williams with his stout figure and a striking wave of white hair rising above a towering forehead, below which impressive eyebrows shaded eyes intent on the score. In the afternoon he was to be seen occasionally taking a walk, a portly figure striding out along the balustrade path. Behind him hastened Mrs Piggott, remarkably small in comparison, periodically trotting to keep up. As a teacher, Mr Piggott was always clear, logical and patient. As he walked into the classroom, he would be reciting mental arithmetic problems and by the time he had walked to the front of the room and laid his papers out at the dais, you were expected to have done all ten mental arithmetic sums correctly: seven out of ten was barely acceptable. That ability to do mental arithmetic has stayed with me, even if I have now regressed to seven out of ten. In School Certificate I did much

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better than expected, gaining a distinction in one paper and a credit in another. The afternoon after we got our results, I met him in the corridor. He beamed. I beamed back. ‘Well, Henderson,’ he said, ‘that was a surprise’ – but I still opted for ar ts subjects for the Higher Certificate. Some years after I had left, I happened to turn on the West of England Home Service as it then was. A string quartet was being played. At the end, the announcer said, ‘You have been listening to a programme of music by H E Piggott, played in his memory.’ I have since discovered that around 1910, H E Piggott worked with Percy Grainger, collecting folk music in the West Country. Was this the Vaughan Williams look-alike playing the double bass at Canford? Does the current Music Department know anything about this aspect of his career? Perhaps it even has some scores?

Richard Henderson (S47)Sadly, Richard died in January, before we could report to him on the results of our research. They confirmed that the H E Piggott who taught at Canford was indeed a composer and musicologist; some of his music can still be bought and he also wrote a book, An Introduction to Music. He taught at RNC Dartmouth for 27 years, becoming Second Master. He presumably came out of retirement to help with the teaching of Maths at Canford while younger permanent members of staff were away on war duties. Ed.

Canford rowing, 1944-50My attention has only just been drawn to a history of Canford rowing that appeared in this magazine some years ago (October 2014). The article rather skates over the period from 1944 to 1950, so I thought a more detailed memoir of the sport at Canford during those years might be of interest. Rowing was classified as a major sport, but in reality, rowers were considered non-cricketers rather than oarsmen. This was the great cricket period of I P Campbell, so the river took a bit of a back seat. Added to that, we could only race in fours and one boat would race behind the other. The river was so bendy, an eight would have broken its back, let alone be caught up in the reeds. There was a 1st IV and a 2nd IV, but matches were only for the 1st IV: a race versus Bryanston, one against a visiting crew from a Cambridge college and the annual trip to the Marlow Public School Four races. We also enjoyed inter-house races. The Boat Club survived and eventually grew, thanks to the workload taken on and the enthusiasm offered by Tommy Nash (deputy headmaster and housemaster of Court House). The last crew he coached was the 1949 IV, and the next year, R G B Faulkner (former cox of the Cambridge blue boat) took over the coaching. He was a great coach, but it was bad luck on Tommy Nash: if he had held on for another year, he would have seen the 1950 crew win the club’s first-ever national cup, the Public Schools Marlow Cup.

You write After that, rowing grew, the river was straightened and cleared, eights were launched and the club went on to other successes.

Clive Waters (F50)

Not the pilotMay I rather belatedly respond to Bill Davis’s input to ‘Whatever happened to…?’ in the October 2016 issue? He describes an incident in which a Tiger Moth, allegedly involving myself, ran out of fuel. In fact, I was the chief witness, as I was standing on the river spit opposite John O’Gaunt’s when the engine cut out, while Keith Owen (SH56) was the pilot and his house tutor, Norman Evans, was his passenger! Bill has even got the dates wrong: the incident took place in 1956, not 1957. I left in 1957 and had 36 years flying in the RAF. I did a few things of which I was not proud, but never ran out of fuel!

Richard Howard (C57)

The early days of GeologyThe death of Philip Lancashire (M62) has only just been brought to my attention, which reminded me that Geology had never been taught at Çanford until 1960. It happened that a newish biology teacher, Mr Boughton, had taken the subject at university and was allowed to teach it to just two of us: Philip and myself. We star ted around November and went from zero to A level Geology in the school year 1960-61. Philip and I spent a long time working together that year, usually in his study in Monteacute. Mr Boughton didn’t last long at Canford. He was much too progressive. He dared to teach natural selection in biology classes, and I suppose he clashed with the new headmaster that year, I A Wallace. When I moved on to take Geology at the University of Bristol, the professor of physical geology was still refusing to teach continental drift and plate tectonics. It had only been proposed as recently as 1906!

Robert Fripp (B61)

You write

Above: ‘Shelter practice’ in March 1942. The boys are not moving into the shelter on the right with quite the same urgency as they presumably would have done in a real alert

Right: H E Piggott in 1946

This picture, which appeared in the Daily Mail, was taken from Marlow Bridge when Canford capsized their IV while boating to compete at the 1949 Marlow Regatta. Apparently the person who was responsible for holding onto it neglected to do so.... Canford won the Regatta the next year, presumably without having fallen in before racing.

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Murder on the Orient Express Gala DinnerThe gala dinner held on 24 November was the first fundraising event held to support the Martin Marriott Foundation for bursaries at Canford. The theme was chosen to tie in with the launch of the new Kenneth Brannagh version of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. The Great Hall was transformed and ‘passengers’ appeared in 1930s evening dress. Guests included parents, staff and OCs, including a table of OCs from the class of 1997 who decided to use this event to return to Canford and celebrate their 20th anniversary! The evening started with James Aiken (F07) playing the piano in Long Gallery, followed by a performance from a local community choir, Vocal Impact. Ben Vessey spoke about his passion for bursaries and the differences he had seen in the lives of children, their communities and other pupils when financial support is made available. Guests were entertained by Tom Williams, screenwriter, and finally heard from Joe Harmston, former artistic director for the Agatha Christie Theatre Company. Joe’s knowledge of Agatha Christie, and in particular Murder on the Orient Express, is vast and he was hugely entertaining. He brought his speech to a beautiful close, tying in the diversity of the guests on the train from a wide variety of different backgrounds with the diversity of pupils that we are striving to bring to Canford. Alongside the speeches,

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reunions AND EVENTS

Nineveh Legacy Society LunchThe Nineveh Legacy Society was set up some time ago to honour in their lifetimes those who have pledged a legacy to Canford. The Society is named after the lasting legacy of the Assyrian frieze brought from Nineveh by Sir Austen Henry Layard and the impact of this on the development of Canford. We were delighted to welcome Nineveh Legacy Society members to a new annual lunch in John o’Gaunt’s in November. They had the pleasure of

APRIL

Saturday 21st: Open Day Sunday 22nd: Foundation Day Service Wednesday 25th: Chamber Choir sing Choral Evensong (Winchester Cathedral)

MAY

Saturday 12th: FCS Tennis Tournament Thursday 24th: OC Drinks Party, House of ParliamentFriday 25th-Sunday 27th: National Schools’ Regatta

JUNE

Sunday 3rd: FCS Golf Day Friday 8th: FCS Arboretum Tour Saturday 9th: House Regatta Saturday 9th: Boat Club Dinner Tuesday 26th: Outdoor production of The Tempest at Canford (Lord Chamberlain’s Men) Thursday 28th: School Summer Concert Friday 29th: Speech Day; Cricket, Cygnets vs Canford 1st X1; Summer Ball

JULY

Wednesday 4th: Henley Royal Regatta Drinks Party Monday 9th-Friday 13th: Cygnets Cricket Week

Dates for your diary

hearing pupils play and sing beautifully and, after lunch, heard from Ben Vessey, Martin Marriott and a bursary recipient, Luke, who was at Canford during Martin’s time as Headmaster. Guests were touched by the moving speech that Luke made about the difference a bursary made to his life. The Legacy Lunch will become an annual event to enable us to thank legators for their thoughtful gift to Canford.

Spring LunchAnother annual lunch was re-instated in February – The Friends of Canford Spring Lunch. On the Friday before half term, guests were treated to Canford hospitality with a talk from Sarah Eyton and musical performances from Alexandria Eyre and Chloe Gadd. Sarah’s father is an Old Canfordian who left Canford in 1941 and is currently the artist in residence at Stowe School. Sarah talked a little about her father and his passion for art which also runs

through their family. Her talk opened with a picture of one of father’s paintings of Canford created in 1945: ‘They were made of strong stuff in those days, my father is 95 in May this year and still works full-time!’ Sarah talked about her early years as an actor and moving into design work, originally furniture design but latterly jewellery and accessories. Most recently she has started Canine Chic of London, designing pendants for dogs.

Class of 1989 ReunionThe class of 1989 are keen to celebrate thirty years since leaving Canford by returning for a reunion lunch in 2019. This will be a three course lunch hosted in John o’Gaunt’s, most likely in May (date to be confirmed shortly). If you are a member of this vintage, please look out for emails with further information. We don’t have contact details for all OCs, so please be sure to share the information you receive with friends with whom you are in contact so that as many OCs as possible from 1989 are aware of this celebration.

a silent auction provided merriment with some guests bidding against each other on the same table – all via iPads! The big lots on the night included a walk on part in Doc Martin, a tour of Pinewood Studios, VIP tickets to the Strictly Come Dancing Tour and a holiday cottage on the Scilly Isles. The evening raised over £10,000 and in doing so meant that we achieved the Annual Fund target of £51,000 to fully support a Sixth Form day pupil for their two years at Canford. This will be an annual fundraising dinner. Save the date – Saturday 17 November 2018!

An appreciative audience at the Niniveh Legacy Society Lunch

The FCS Spring Lunch heard an entertaining talk by Sarah Eyton

The Murder on the Orient Express Gala Dinner was enjoyed by all

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requiescant in pace

WILLIAM SPILLER (F42)After Canford, where he was a house prefect, he joined the Royal Artillery but volunteered for the Commandos and, with 5 Commando, was involved in the Japanese surrender of Hong Kong. After the War he joined the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery. This gave him the strong foundation in equitation which served him so well through life, as he instructed the Pony Club and Riding for the Disabled – not forgetting his children and grandchildren. He hunted with many packs, latterly the Wilton, rode in point-to-points and was a fair shot. He became heavily involved with SSAFA (formerly the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) and worked tirelessly for years on the annual Carol Concert at the Guards Chapel, helping to raise significant funds for the charity. After his second marriage, he enjoyed forty years living at Minstead in the New Forest.

DUDLEY BLASCHECK (M45)His home was in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and he returned there after Canford, where he was a house prefect. He worked first as surveyor but then joined the South Africa Police, trekking through the bush on horseback to the remotest parts of the country. He remained there with his wife, whom he had met on a visit to Vancouver, and their two small children, until they took the decision to move to the safer environment of Canada. However, the sights and sounds of Africa were always in his heart. He worked in insurance in Winnipeg, then moved to Vancouver Island to open a branch of the business in Victoria. He retired in 1992 to Saanichton, BC, and cared devotedly for his wife for twelve years after she had been incapacitated by a stroke. He was an avid philatelist, an interest that began at Canford and continued throughout his life.

ROBERT TURNER (SH45)He lived in Kent during his working life, first in Chislehurst, then in Sevenoaks, in Leigh near Tonbridge and lastly in Tunbridge Wells. He worked as a Lloyd’s insurance broker in the City of London, and latterly in Tunbridge Wells. In the City of London, he served as a Member of the Court of Common Council for many years. He was a founding member of the Tower Ward Club, and its Master in 1973/74. He was a Member of the Worshipful Company of Horners. He was also a Freemason in the United Kingdom and New Zealand for more than fifty years. Upon his retirement in 1989, Robert and his wife, Betty, emigrated to New Zealand. There, they lived in Invercargill, in Christchurch, and lastly in Dunedin, where he died in October after a short illness. During his years in New Zealand, he served for several years as Secretary of the New Zealand branch of the Old Canfordian Society. His interests included family, sailing, golf and woodworking.

RICHARD HENDERSON (S47)Richard attended Canford as a day boy, where the headmaster, Clifford Canning, nurtured his talent in art – Richard always spoke of him with admiration and affection. Inspired by the portraits of philosophers on the library ceiling, he set out to read through their works. While at Canford he volunteered to help at the Boys’ Club in Bournemouth. He said later that this was the point at which he began to think politically, and which led to him becoming a member of the Labour Party and, later, a Labour councillor. Breaking with school tradition, he studied economics at UCL, where he met his wife, Cathy, and then went on to study art at the Slade. Richard and Cathy had three children, Catherine, Fiona and Gavin, and the demands of family meant that he spent his working life as an art teacher, at Simon Balle School, Hertford. His interest in architecture – Fiona and Gavin both became architects – led to him lecturing and organising visits/weeks for the U3A and WEA. He was a gentle, kind man who always took a lively interest in the world.

Far left: William Spiller in the uniform of an officer in King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, in the early 1950s

Left: Dudley Blascheck

OVER the last few months, I have been delighted to welcome many Old Canfordians back to Canford from around the globe and to walk with them through the grounds and buildings of the school. Your memories of times here are so varied and interesting, along with the skills and knowledge you learned while you were here. OCs are all keen and pleased to see that the school, which for many was your home for such formative years, is flourishing and that pupils are thriving in all that Canford has to offer. For some, your visit is one amongst many; for others, it might be the first time in fifty years that you have returned. It is a pleasure to meet with you all and I encourage you to call in if you are nearby. We have some significant celebrations on the horizon. 2019 will mark fifty years of girls at Canford. We are drawing together a committee of female OCs from across the years, including current pupils, to decide how we mark this occasion. We are very keen to make contact with as many OCs as possible to discover what Canford women have gone out into the world and achieved – successes large and small – so that we can build a picture which can inform and inspire our next fifty years of girls. Of course, in 2023 we will have the Canford centenary. Again we are drawing together a committee of Canfordians who will discuss how we celebrate this milestone in the school’s history. If you feel that you have views on what you would like to see from this celebration, please get in touch with the Development Office (development@canford.com). Moving back to this current year, we are hoping that OCs will join us for the House Regatta and Boat Club Dinner on Saturday 9 June. In memory of the late Derek Drury, who was such a prominent figure and force in rowing at Canford, we will be officially naming our boat house the Derek Drury Boat House at the House Regatta. In celebration of this we are inviting OCs to return to Canford for the House Regatta, celebrate Canford rowing, and take the opportunity to step into a Canford boat once again if you wish. In

The Gala Dinner helped the Annual Bursary Fund to achieve its aim of funding a pupil day place for two years

the evening, we hold the traditional Boat Club Dinner to which you are also invited to further celebrate rowing today at Canford. Hear from our after-dinner speaker, World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist, Sarah Winkless, and enjoy the hospitality and camaraderie that the sport of rowing engenders so well. I was fortunate to be able to join a very fruitful discussion at the most recent OC Society committee meeting in January, where the strategy for the OCS was discussed at some length. As a Development Director, I very much feel that I and the Development Office staff are here to serve the OCS and support all that you can achieve as a prominent group of people with a common and special bond. There is so much to be gained from working together and supporting each other in a world where connections are so important and valuable. From wisdom and enthusiasm, some great ideas emerged from the meeting and I am confident that the future will be bright for the OCS. Don’t forget that it is your Society. Please don’t hold back on telling us what you would like from your OCS. The Canford Charitable Annual Bursary Fund for 2017 drew to a close in December with the gala dinner in November, supporting this new fund. We were delighted to announce that we achieved our target as you can read in the section on Reunions and Events (page 31). Our challenge now is to do this all over again in 2018, where our aim is to once more fund a Sixth Form pupil day place for their two years at Canford. There is still a very strong desire to increase accessibility and create a diverse pupil body by offering bursaries to bright and talented young people who would otherwise not be able to attend the school. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all OCs for their support of the Martin Marriott Foundation and Annual Bursary Fund, which supports the Foundation’s work. We are most grateful, and you are helping to change lives.

Rowena Gaston, Development Director

Development News

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Requiescant in pace

COLIN AKERS ( M50)Abridged from an item that he sent for ‘Whatever happened to…?’ in October 2012: Along with many of my contemporaries, I elected to do my National Service in the Gunners. Then, after one year at University College, Oxford, the Dean decreed that I was 'not cut out for an academic career', but I played hockey regularly for the University and toured Germany with them at Easter. If I had survived, I like to think that a Blue the following year was a possibility. I played club hockey at Broxbourne until I was 65 and for Hertfordshire for 15 years. The high spot came in 1960, when I captained Herts (and scored the winning goal) in the County Championship final against Middlesex, who fielded eight internationals and were odds-on favourites. After I had abstained from alcohol for over 21 years (I recall with horror that my 21st birthday party was 'dry'), that Oxford trip to Germany was a watershed. I discovered that I liked wine after all – since when I have rarely been seen without a glass in my hand! I became quite good at 'blind' tasting and won several competitions. I retired in1999, since when much of my time has been spent listening to classical music and promoting the enjoyment of wine; I am chairman of the UK branch of Les Compagnons du Beaujolais and president of the Herts Fine Wine Society.

JAMES MORRIS (F50)At Canford he won 2nd XI colours for hockey, was a house prefect and rowed in his house’s IV. He qualified in medicine at the London. With his wife, Anne-Marie, a young Danish nurse whom he met in Plymouth, his home town, he went to Rhodesia and then South Africa for a further year, before returning to Plymouth where he was offered a partnership by his wife's former employer, Dr Helm. Anne-Marie’s death by drowning in 1988 was the great tragedy in his life, leaving him and his four daughters grief-stricken, but he married a friend of his sister. Together they had a happy life for another twenty-five years. He was a successful and admired doctor who established a modern clinic-style practice. He was also a clever art collector and a skilful worker with wood who restored furniture and made fortresses for his grandchildren. The gardens at Penlee Gardens, overlooking Plymouth Sound, are beautiful thanks to his knowledge and pleasure in chairing the gardens committee.

GEOFFREY STOKES (M53)The oldest of three brothers, all of whom were born in the USA (Geoffrey in St Louis, Missouri) and all of whom attended Canford. He was a house prefect and played in the 3rd XV. He did his National Service in the Royal Artillery during stirring times, serving both in Cyprus during the early EOKA troubles and in the 1956 Suez conflict. His career was as a qualified broker on the London Stock Exchange.

MICHAEL STOKES (B63)He was a senior prefect and head of house, secretary of the Modern Language Society and manager of the Mountjoy Press. In sport, he won his 2nd XV colours and captained the hockey 2nd XI. He took a

degree from Bristol University in French, German and Economics. He joined ICI straight out of university as a management trainee and worked for them until 1994, living in South Africa, Japan, London, Harrogate and eventually Greensboro, North Carolina, where he ran the ICI Fibres North America division. In 1994 he joined THEM International, also based in Greensboro, where he worked up until March 2017. He spent many hours on the water at Belews Lake. He also loved making model boats, a hobby he learned from his father. He served in the Greensboro Rotary Club and was a great supporter of the Greensboro SPCA. He was also involved in re-enacting Revolutionary War battles at Guilford Courthouse.

JOHN RATHBONE (SH66)Mark Rathbone (S74 and teaching staff 1988-present) writes: He was a house prefect and secretary of lawn tennis. On leaving Canford, he began work at Samuel Montagu, moving to Grindlays Bank in 1975, where he set up part of their market trading operations and ran their New York Treasury desk. Grindlays Bank later became part of the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group and in 1985 he became an executive director. In 1989 he took the courageous step of setting up on his own, founding JC Rathbone Associates, an independent financial risk management consultancy. Under his leadership, JCRA grew enormously over the next three decades, becoming a leading derivative advisor, covering a variety of sectors and serving a large number of clients in Britain, Europe and North America. He remained chairman until he sold the company in 2017. He was the nephew of Michael (teaching staff 1946-76), and his two children, Melissa (B98) and Dan (SH00) are both OCs. His interests included skiing and rugby – he attended every home international at Twickenham for more than twenty years. He also enjoyed following racing and in his final few years acquired a quarter-share

in a racehorse. He expressed the view that the fact that each leg was in different ownership could account for the animal’s inability to co-ordinate their use sufficiently to win races….

HUGH PLAYFAIRKeith Hay writes: Hugh was a member of the teaching staff at Canford from 1974 to 1993. He was a diligent and meticulous teacher of History with a very clear passion for military topics. He also taught Politics and RE; his strong faith led him to become a Lay Reader in the C of E and a revered figure in the Preservation of Somerset Churches Trust after he retired from teaching. As CO of the CCF, he re-organised the Army section and created an impressive list of opportunities for Canford pupils to join expeditions in Wales, the South West, Norway, Germany and even West/East Berlin before the end of the Cold War. He enhanced Canford's already nationwide reputation for its CCF, recognised by being awarded an OBE (the only member of staff in the last 50 years to be so honoured). Hugh was a very fine golfer and under his guidance, Canford's golf team rose to national prominence, certainly enhanced by his role in the creation of a school golf course, designed in conjunction with Peter Boult. He was active in the Pedagogues Society (for public school teachers), where he served a three-year term as President. A favoured project which he launched was the 'Challenge of Industry' conference for the Sixth Form: not a chore but reflecting his commitment to raising awareness of Industry amongst Canford students. Hugh also served as the housemaster of School House from 1974 to 1978. Such was the trust and respect placed in him that he was elected as President of the Common Room from 1984 to 1987, a role he carried out with dignity and modesty but also with firmness. Above all, Hugh was a whole-hearted schoolmaster, a gentleman, a wonderful husband to Bridget and father to Patrick, Edward and Elizabeth. His contribution to the life of Canford cannot be over-estimated.

ROLAND YEARWOOD (W84) After serving as head of house, Roland ‘Rodney’ Yearwood took pre-med at the University of London. He then returned to his beloved Grenada, where he studied medicine at St George’s University. Having completed his residency in New York, he moved to Georgiana, Alabama, where he and his wife began both a family and a family practice, providing much needed medical care to this otherwise under-served rural area. Although careful and measured in his profession, Roland never lost his appetite for adventure in his personal life. He was an accomplished skier, a licensed pilot, an avid yachtsman and a certified deep-sea diver. Above all else, he was a mountaineer, having climbed six of the ‘seven summits’ – the highest peak in each continent. Everest was his final challenge, and it was there, in May 2017, that he died in the infamous ‘death zone’. Reports of his death are uncertain whether he died on his way to the summit or while descending from it. Those who knew and loved him do not share that uncertainty: as with all things in his life, he most surely crested.

Requiescant in pace

Roland Yearwood in the mountains he loved

Charlotte Fullerton: ‘bright, fun, warm, humble in success and invariably polite’

CHARLOTTE FULLERTON (D13)She joined Canford as a scholar in the Sixth Form from St Catherine’s, Bramley, and was an exemplary pupil both inside and outside the classroom. It was no surprise to either her teachers or her peers that she was awarded a place to read Medicine at Jesus College, Oxford. In sport she represented the school at both lacrosse and squash and developed a keen interest in Real Tennis. Described in her university application as ‘one of the most talented, focussed pupils we have had’, she was dedicated to pursuing a career in medicine and developed her passion through community work locally in a care home and in a centre for children with disabilities, and abroad as part of a school partnership trip to an orphanage in Argentina. Her housemistress, Marianne Marns, writes: ‘Lottie was an exemplary student, bright, fun, warm, humble in success and invariably polite. Staff and school friends will cherish their memories of her. My favourites include the many house competitions – plus snowball fights against the boys’ houses after prep – for which she readily volunteered (and invariably won!).’ She died in a landslide while on a trekking holiday in Nepal.

Right: Hugh Playfair, OC Canford School CCF, in 1993, the year of his retirement

MERCHANDISE DETAILS

Prices include postage, packaging and VAT. For postage overseas please contact the School Shop. OC Merchandise can be purchased in a number of ways:

• Online - go to www.canford.com Click on ‘School Community’ then ‘Merchandise’

• By phone - call the School Shop on 01202 847463 • By cheque - please make cheques payable to Cheneford and send with a note of your requested items to The School Shop, Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3ADPlease note, if an item is not in stock you may need to allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.

1. OC Pendant, sterling silver oval pendant 15mm x 13mm x 1.9mm. Sterling silver trace chain measuring 18” with adjustment links to 16”. £31.50

2. OCS tie in black with green, blue and white stripes. 140cm long, up to 9cm wide. Silk tie presented in a Canford embossed gift box, wrapped in Canford printed tissue paper £26.50. 3. Black nylon performance socks with cotton terry foot in white, blue and green hoops and OC on the back. Available in men’s size 6-11. £10.00

4. Cufflinks,17mmlongx14mmwideina black presentation box. £31.50

5. OCSoverseastiesinnavywithflagset within tree emblem. USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Polyester £13.50

6. Purenewwoolscarf,fleecebackedinblack with green, blue and white stripes. 160cm long x 26cm wide. £29.50

7. OC Beanie Hat. £12.00 8. Prints from watercolours of Canford by Dennis Roxby Bott, in a limited edition of 250 copies: ‘John o’ Gaunt’s Kitchen’ and ‘View from Mountjoy’. £26.50 each9. Canford umbrella, navy in six-panel design. £31.50

10. Canford water bottle £8.50

11. Canford large jute bag £9.50

12. Canford baseball cap in navy blue with white school crest. £11.50

OTHER ITEMS ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE

canford Memorabilia

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MERCHANDISE DETAILS

Prices include postage, packaging and VAT. For postage overseas please contact the School Shop. OC Merchandise can be purchased in a number of ways:

• Online - go to www.canford.com Click on ‘School Community’ then ‘Merchandise’

• By phone - call the School Shop on 01202 847463 • By cheque - please make cheques payable to Cheneford and send with a note of your requested items to The School Shop, Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3ADPlease note, if an item is not in stock you may need to allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.

1. OC Pendant, sterling silver oval pendant 15mm x 13mm x 1.9mm. Sterling silver trace chain measuring 18” with adjustment links to 16”. £31.50

2. OCS tie in black with green, blue and white stripes. 140cm long, up to 9cm wide. Silk tie presented in a Canford embossed gift box, wrapped in Canford printed tissue paper £26.50. 3. Black nylon performance socks with cotton terry foot in white, blue and green hoops and OC on the back. Available in men’s size 6-11. £10.00

4. Cufflinks,17mmlongx14mmwideina black presentation box. £31.50

5. OCSoverseastiesinnavywithflagset within tree emblem. USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Polyester £13.50

6. Purenewwoolscarf,fleecebackedinblack with green, blue and white stripes. 160cm long x 26cm wide. £29.50

7. Prints from watercolours of Canford by Dennis Roxby Bott, in a limited edition of 250 copies: ‘John o’ Gaunt’s Kitchen’ and ‘View from Mountjoy’. £26.50 each8. Canford umbrella, navy in six-panel design. £31.50

9. Canford water bottle £8.50

10. Canford large jute bag £9.50

11. Canford baseball cap in navy blue with white school crest. £11.50

OTHER ITEMS ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE

canford Memorabilia

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MERCHANDISE DETAILS

Prices include postage, packaging and VAT. For postage overseas please contact the School Shop. OC Merchandise can be purchased in a number of ways:

• Online - go to www.canford.com Click on ‘School Community’ then ‘Merchandise’

• By phone - call the School Shop on 01202 847463 • By cheque - please make cheques payable to Cheneford and send with a note of your requested items to The School Shop, Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3ADPlease note, if an item is not in stock you may need to allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.

1. OC Pendant, sterling silver oval pendant 15mm x 13mm x 1.9mm. Sterling silver trace chain measuring 18” with adjustment links to 16”. £31.50

2. OCS tie in black with green, blue and white stripes. 140cm long, up to 9cm wide. Silk tie presented in a Canford embossed gift box, wrapped in Canford printed tissue paper £26.50. 3. Black nylon performance socks with cotton terry foot in white, blue and green hoops and OC on the back. Available in men’s size 6-11. £10.00

4. Cufflinks,17mmlongx14mmwideina black presentation box. £31.50

5. OCSoverseastiesinnavywithflagset within tree emblem. USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Polyester £13.50

6. Purenewwoolscarf,fleecebackedinblack with green, blue and white stripes. 160cm long x 26cm wide. £29.50

7. Prints from watercolours of Canford by Dennis Roxby Bott, in a limited edition of 250 copies: ‘John o’ Gaunt’s Kitchen’ and ‘View from Mountjoy’. £26.50 each8. Canford umbrella, navy in six-panel design. £31.50

9. Canford water bottle £8.50

10. Canford large jute bag £9.50

11. Canford baseball cap in navy blue with white school crest. £11.50

OTHER ITEMS ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE

canford Memorabilia

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MERCHANDISE DETAILS

Prices include postage, packaging and VAT. For postage overseas please contact the School Shop. OC Merchandise can be purchased in a number of ways:

• Online - go to www.canford.com Click on ‘School Community’ then ‘Merchandise’

• By phone - call the School Shop on 01202 847463 • By cheque - please make cheques payable to Cheneford and send with a note of your requested items to The School Shop, Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3ADPlease note, if an item is not in stock you may need to allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.

1. OC Pendant, sterling silver oval pendant 15mm x 13mm x 1.9mm. Sterling silver trace chain measuring 18” with adjustment links to 16”. £31.50

2. OCS tie in black with green, blue and white stripes. 140cm long, up to 9cm wide. Silk tie presented in a Canford embossed gift box, wrapped in Canford printed tissue paper £26.50. 3. Black nylon performance socks with cotton terry foot in white, blue and green hoops and OC on the back. Available in men’s size 6-11. £10.00

4. Cufflinks,17mmlongx14mmwideina black presentation box. £31.50

5. OCSoverseastiesinnavywithflagset within tree emblem. USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Polyester £13.50

6. Purenewwoolscarf,fleecebackedinblack with green, blue and white stripes. 160cm long x 26cm wide. £29.50

7. Prints from watercolours of Canford by Dennis Roxby Bott, in a limited edition of 250 copies: ‘John o’ Gaunt’s Kitchen’ and ‘View from Mountjoy’. £26.50 each8. Canford umbrella, navy in six-panel design. £31.50

9. Canford water bottle £8.50

10. Canford large jute bag £9.50

11. Canford baseball cap in navy blue with white school crest. £11.50

OTHER ITEMS ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE

canford Memorabilia

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3

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MERCHANDISE DETAILS

Prices include postage, packaging and VAT. For postage overseas please contact the School Shop. OC Merchandise can be purchased in a number of ways:

• Online - go to www.canford.com Click on ‘School Community’ then ‘Merchandise’

• By phone - call the School Shop on 01202 847463 • By cheque - please make cheques payable to Cheneford and send with a note of your requested items to The School Shop, Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3ADPlease note, if an item is not in stock you may need to allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.

1. OC Pendant, sterling silver oval pendant 15mm x 13mm x 1.9mm. Sterling silver trace chain measuring 18” with adjustment links to 16”. £31.50

2. OCS tie in black with green, blue and white stripes. 140cm long, up to 9cm wide. Silk tie presented in a Canford embossed gift box, wrapped in Canford printed tissue paper £26.50. 3. Black nylon performance socks with cotton terry foot in white, blue and green hoops and OC on the back. Available in men’s size 6-11. £10.00

4. Cufflinks,17mmlongx14mmwideina black presentation box. £31.50

5. OCSoverseastiesinnavywithflagset within tree emblem. USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Polyester £13.50

6. Purenewwoolscarf,fleecebackedinblack with green, blue and white stripes. 160cm long x 26cm wide. £29.50

7. Prints from watercolours of Canford by Dennis Roxby Bott, in a limited edition of 250 copies: ‘John o’ Gaunt’s Kitchen’ and ‘View from Mountjoy’. £26.50 each8. Canford umbrella, navy in six-panel design. £31.50

9. Canford water bottle £8.50

10. Canford large jute bag £9.50

11. Canford baseball cap in navy blue with white school crest. £11.50

OTHER ITEMS ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE

canford Memorabilia

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37

sport

Rugby

With roughly a month to pull together a team, the OCs entered the Cronk-Cunis Old Boys 12-a-side tournament alongside other strong sides such as Stonyhurst, St Benedict's and the Perse School. The squad looked strong in the run-up to the tournament but due to some unforeseen circumstances, it was reduced to just ten. To turn up to a 12-a-side tournament with just ten men put the OCs in a bit of a spot straight out of the blocks, but rather than give in, the Tenacious Ten came to the tournament proudly suited up in their OC colours. After an early defeat to the very strong (and numerous) Bloxham, the OCs took on the school where the Headmaster used to teach, Christ's Hospital. A feisty opening saw possession exchange hands several times before Canford managed to suck in the opposition defence with dominant carries from determined forwards such as Sam Vivian (SH16) and Patrick Regan (SH17), both ex-captains of Canford’s

1st XV. The ball was then shipped wide courtesy of the sharp hands of Joe Holland (F15) and dotted down under the posts by Ollie Dunger (C17), leaving a simple conversion and giving the OCs an early lead. After this an attritional game left Canford with a slim lead of 14-5 at half-time. The first scoring of the second half was courtesy of a beautiful piece of skill from Otto Gray (C15) as he chipped the ball ahead, re-gathered and found Joe Holland, who scampered 60 metres upfield, only to be brought down on the 5-metre line. He sharply recycled the ball for Bugs Mitchell (C15) to cross the whitewash for his first score. A second-half comeback was mounted by the opposition but fell short, even with a 12 against 10 numerical advantage. Canford emerged winners by a score of 21-17. With such short numbers the OCs could not complete all their games but even so finished in joint 3rd place in their group.

Ollie Dunger

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Cronk Cunis Festival

On 4 November, Marlborough College held a Festival of Sport to celebrate their 175th anniversary. Part of this festival was a rugby match between the Old Canfordians and Old Marlburians. The game kicked off with Canford playing into the brisk wind which frequents the Marlborough Hills. For a team which got together roughly half an hour before kick-off, the OCs came out looking very organised, with a sharp set piece and excellent first-up tackling. The OMs had the better of the ball early on and the OCs were forced to defend their own line against some huge OM ball-carriers. The OC defence was led by Freddie Dunger (C14), making several dominant tackles and dislocating his shoulder for the cause. Even this couldn't keep him off the field. In all this time in the OC half, the OMs came up with no points and the OCs were beginning to take full control of the game. This dominant stretch was led by ex-1st XV captain Charlie Samways (W13), playing in a hybrid half-back/back-rower role, winning an astounding three first-half penalties at the breakdown in the first half. These penalties allowed the OCs to advance down the field, each time securing clean ball at the lineout. The OC forwards were exemplary in the first half, with heavy truckers Gus Mitchell (C15) and Will Moss (C14) giving quick, go-forward ball with several brutal carries. This agricultural approach was complemented by several long streaking runs from ex-head boy Charlie Barnes-Yallowley (SH14) and Joe Wilkinson (W16), each showing excellent pace in the loose. As the OCs moved deep into the opposition half, the backs began to move the ball beautifully. Outstanding distribution by Toby Mallinson (L16) at 12 and Alex

Versus Old MarlburiansBrunwin (C13) at 15 drove the OCs down into the opposition 22. A brilliant darting run from Joe Holland (F15) down the right wing exposed the OMs and as the ball went wide, Ollie Dunger (C17) threw an offload out of a weak tackle to unleash Canford trainee chaplain Jack Newton to run into the corner and touch down in the last play of the first half. The conversion fell wide, giving the OCs a 5-0 lead at the break. The OC pack were confused at the first scrum of second half as they could not locate their stalwart tighthead prop, Gus Mitchell. After scanning the field, Gus was spotted in the other half in a heap as his legs had cramped up. Gus also soldiered on after a brief break, encapsulating the passion for rugby in the OC community (also, we didn't have any subs). In the second half, Canford were very happy to launch kicks deep into the Marlborough half, using the wind and disorganised opposition backfield to press the OMs back. Several of the OC players before the game recalled losing to Marlborough on this very pitch in their last 1st XV season to a try in the top right corner in the last play of the game. In this game the OMs were awarded a scrum and last play was announced. The déjà-vu was palpable but thanks to an excellent tackle in that very same corner by Joe Holland, forcing the opposition winger to knock the ball on, Canford left with a win. The match may have been low in scoring but it was high in quality, and the OCs were very pleased with their performance and the result. Now we are looking forward to the Bournemouth 7s on 25-27 May, where we will look to extend our winning streak.

Ollie Dunger

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OC Sport OrganisersCricket Tom Darby (M10) & Rob Graham (F10)cygnetscricket@yahoo.co.uk GolfBen Richards (B84)023 8076 9117ben@zeldainvestments.co.ukHockeyCharlie Chalkly-Maber (S06)cmdcmaber@gmail.comNetballImogen Gamble (B15)shimmy-imy18@hotmail.co.uk

RowingJames Parris (C98)07855 480303jamesarparris@gmail.comRoyal Tennis, Squash & Lawn TennisDavid Harms (L99)07973 924767daveharms@hotmail.comRugbyAlex Richards (C04)07796 957771cygnetsrugby@yahoo.co.uk

RunningChris Beaven (S08)07887 937 237christopher_e_beaven@ymail.comSailingTom Montgomery (S98)07517 469312tom@tomontgomery.comShootingRod Philpott (M80)020 8549 93347.62rod@gmail.comand Richard Dyball (S82)07971 973342richard.dyball@btinternet.com

OVERSEAS REPRESENTATIVES

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AUSTRALIAAlan Wilson (S48) 179/33-93 Spinifex Avenue, Tea Gardens,NSW 2324, Australiatel: 00 61 24997 0310email: awilsona@bigpond.net.au

David Combe (C45) 64 Ardross Street, Applecross, Perth WA 6153tel: 00 61 8 9364 5731email: davecombe@yahoo.com.au

CANADAMike Petre (F63) #6201, 403 Mackenzie Way, S.W.Airdrie, Alberta T4B 3V7tel: 00 1 587 254 7310email: mickeypm@telus.net

CHINAHenry Gill (F01) 1603 OOCL Plaza, 841 Yanan Middle Road, Jing An District, Shanghai 200040tel: 00 86 21 6289 7588email: henry.gill@demonchy.cn

GERMANYTatjana König (SH84) Rotherstrasse 1, 10245 Berlintel: 00 49 711594284email: tatjanakoenig@gmx.de

IRELANDJohn McFarlane (S67)Ballyhue, Mount Lucas, Daingean, Tullamore, Co Offalytel: 00 353 579 353552email: jmcfarlane1@iolfree.ie

ISRAELDan Diamant (M88) Kibbutz Horshim, DN Sharon Tichon, Israel 45865tel: 00 972 9 938 6365email: dandiamant@yahoo.com

ITALYJessima Timberlake (S91) Via Pietro Risso 27/516032 Camogli (GE)tel: 00 39 185 773543email: jessimatimberlake@alice.it

KENYANatasha Di Cangio (née Tundo Ma97)P.O.Box 9712, Lanet 20112, Nakurutel: 00 254 0202064126mob: 00 254 734748332email: tashtundo@hotmail.com

LUXEMBOURGJason Rea (W81)38 Cité du Soleil, L-3229 Luxembourgtel: 00352 621 241 296email: jasonrea@pt.lu

MIDDLE EAST & UAE Nick Pomeroy (S94) c/o DMG, PO Box 33817, Dubai, United Arab Emiratestel: 00 971 50 7084844email: nickpomeroydxb@gmail.com

NETHERLANDSFrans Glazener (F78) Elzenlaan 19, 1214 KJ Hilversumtel: 00 31 35 6237415email: fransglazener@gmail.com

NEW ZEALANDRob Morton (SH56) P O Box 37520, Parnell, Auckland, 1151 tel: 00 64 9 3790679email: rsmorton@xtra.co.nz

NORWAYIan Spink (C57) Andersdammen 27, 1389 Heggedaltel: 00 47 6678 9109 email: IanRSpink@gmail.com

PORTUGALJohn Rowe (W57) Urb Village Marina, Lote 11-Bloco 1 ID8700-292 Olhaoemail: johnhr2003@yahoo.com

SOUTH AFRICADavid Ralph (SH67)PO Box 77, Hermanus, 7200, Western Capetel: 00 27 28 314 0003 mob: 00 27 83 455 7555 email: ralphad@iafrica.com

SWITZERLANDJonny Rea (W86)Laverstrasse 51, 8002 Zurichtel: 043 542 4173 email: reajonathan@hotmail.com USAJeremy Fergusson (F64)223 Walnut Avenue, Wayne, PA 19087tel: 00 1 610 687 8036email: ferguss@earthlink.net

Richard Gowar (C73) 26303 Prince Pierre Way, Bonita Springs, FL 34135tel: 00 1 239 240 9184email: rjgowar@gmail.com

Tom Coombes (B88) 7421 Cervantes Place, Los Angeles, CA 90046 tel: 00 1 310 467 5644email: Tom.Coombes@cognitomedia.com

If you are an OC living in a country or region not listed above and would like to become a representative for that area, do please contact the OCS office (ocs@canford.com).

Sport

The Old Canfordian Golf Society’s annual President’s Day was held this year at the lovely North Hants Golf course in Fleet, Hampshire. Sixteen Old Canfordians, of all ages, enjoyed wonderful weather and fun, but also strong competition for the President’s liquid prizes! The winner of the scratch was Stephen Moore (W68) and the handicap prize went to Roger Palin (SH57). Cleverly, the President, Andrew Sommerville (SH55), has been increasing the ‘longest drive’ age-bracket over the years and this year won his own ‘over 75’ prize, which had an entry list of two!

Ben Richards (B84)

Golf

The OC team had a busy season on and off the water. The first event of the year was the Belvedere Cup, hosted by the Royal Thames Yacht Club, racing J80s at Queen Mary Reservoir. Due to the variable winds and crew changes, the team put in a valiant effort, but were beaten by the club’s homegrown team of experts. Our OCs v Old Wykehamists match was sadly cancelled due to lack of wind at Spinnaker, and then due to lack of crews at the height of the wedding season. Not only did Nick Hornby (W97) get married to the beautiful Milly Cummings, his younger sister, Sarah Hornby (W04), married Nick’s team-mate, Barney Pollock (SH97), but at least it ensures a consistent OCs sailing team for the future. Nick Phillips (SH01) and Tom Montgomery (S98) had a good season in the J24s, winning not only the Spring Cup, but the Autumn Cup in Nick’s aptly named J, Chaotic. They have now qualified for the World Championships at Lake Garda in summer 2018. Tom Montgomery’s many years of working in the superyacht insurance market have recently led him, with a couple of friends, to invest in Rastey & Lapthorn, the world’s oldest sail loft, so there might be some future opportunities for OCs and current Canfordians to race classic yachts.

Sailing

DATES FOR 2018:7 April – Belvedere Cup, Royal Thames Yacht Club, London

June (TBC) – OCs v OWs, Spinnaker SC, Ringwood

13-14 October – Royal Ocean Racing Club, Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Tom Montgomery

Several recent OCs have kindly donated to the school their representative jerseys, shirts and tops, which have been framed and hung in the Sports Centre. The frames have been paid for by the OC Society and we all feel they are a great way to celebrate some of the fine sporting achievements of Canfordians, whether during their time at the school or after. It would be fantastic to have some more of these framed jerseys, so if there are other OCs who have achieved national honours and would like to donate their shirts, please get in touch.

Mark Burley

An appeal

The Canford Gallop is a highlight of Speech Day