Growing together

Welcome

WelcomeFrom the PresidentMy name is Pat Kerfoot. I am married and have three married children and seven grandchildren.My two sons live down south in Bath and Farnborough and my daughter lives in the SouthernHighlands about one hour south of Sydney, Australia.

I first went to Penrhos in 1979 and in 1999 I went up to the new school, leaving in 2004. Youmay be thinking that I was a very slow learner as I spent 25 years with the school but, in fact, Itaught Physics and Chemistry at both schools and was a member of the Senior ManagementTeam at Rydal Penrhos. I retired in 2004 but I have kept my connection with school, spendingJanuary, May and June invigilating the external examinations. I have been a member of the RydalPenrhos Society committee for several years, and was delighted to be asked to be President at this

exciting time in the life of the Society.

So what has been going on this year? In February there were dinners in Dubai and Hong Kong. The Cambridge Dinner tookplace in May, and the London and North Wales dinners in November. There were reunions for leavers in the 1950s and 1960s,and during Founders’ weekend Rydal leavers of 1972 and Penrhos leavers of 1999 met in local hotels. There was also aLeavers’ and Alumni Ball in June. Next year we look forward to the Yorkshire Dinner and reunions for the leavers of the1970s, ’80s and ’90s amongst other events. For details of all Society events please look at the website or the back cover ofthis newsletter.

Finally I must thank Diana for the excellent work she has done as President over the past year, supporting Sarah Ritchie inher role as Alumni & Development Director and travelling the long distance from Cambridge to attend meetings andfunctions. I will have a much easier time as I live in North Wales. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible atthe exciting functions that are being arranged for the coming year.

Pat Kerfoot, PC 79-99, RPS 99-2004

From the HeadmasterSince the last edition of the newsletter I have had the opportunity to meet a good number ofmembers of the Society at Founders’ Weekend, at the 1960s reunion and at the dinners inLondon and Betws-y-Coed, and I’m looking forward to the events that are taking place in 2013.Everyone I’ve met has a different point of view about the school as it was in their own time andas it is now, and I value every conversation as an opportunity to understand how the schoolcontinues to grow and develop from the perspective of its alumni. We’ve been really encouragedby the support for the Annual Fund, which is described in more detail later on in the newsletter,and your generosity in contributing to the Fund means that we can now undertake projects thatwill enhance our current pupils’ educational experience, so many thanks to everyone who hasbeen involved.

The Autumn term is the powerhouse of the academic year, and this has been a very productiveterm in school. We have really appreciated the contribution of a significant number of new staff,who have brought a wide range of talents and experiences to share with the school; our newintake of pupils have also established themselves as a very promising cohort, and many of themhave already started to show their strengths academically, in sport, music, drama and plenty of other areas of school life. Ihave enjoyed working with all these new members of the community this term, and am looking forward to see how theygrow and contribute to the future success of the school.

Patrick Lee-Browne

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From the Alumni & Development DirectorWelcome to the 21st issue of theRydal Penrhos Society newsletterwhich I hope you enjoy.

It has been a busy few months sincethe last issue, with a number ofevents taking place. You can find outmore about these events on thefollowing pages. Thank you so muchto everyone who attended - it hasbeen a pleasure to meet so many ofyou!

We have many more events comingup, including reunions for leavers of the 1970s, ’80s and’90s anda dinner in Yorkshire so please do have a look at the back coverof this newsletter for details and remember to book early to avoiddisappointment. We are also introducing a joint Friends of RydalPenrhos School / Rydal Penrhos Society ball in May which willfollow Speech Day. In recent years Society members have beeninvited to join the 6th form leavers at their ball on this night,however we felt that it would be nice to do something just forour alumni and parents. Details are yet to be finalised howeverplease let me know if you would be interested so that I can makesure you are contacted when they are available.

As ever, please do get in touch if you have any news that youwould like to share or any ideas for features in future newsletters.We really do rely on you providing the content, and I love hearingfrom you.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and new year - here’sto a fantastic 2013!

Sarah (Somerville) Ritchie PC 92-99

ContentsWelcome 2-3Reunion News 4-6Archives & Merchandise 7Sport News 8Sailing 9Afternoon Tea with Alfred Bestall 10More Alumni in Print 11From the Chaplain 11Thank you! 12School News 13Alumni News 14Obituaries 15

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A full list of Society events isavailable on the back cover.

Please contact us if you would like moreinformation or if you would like to book.Places at the dinners are limited so please bookearly to avoid disappointment.

The next newsletter will be published in July 2013.Please submit any copy for entry into the July issueby 1 June.

Contact UsSarah RitchieAlumni & Development DirectorRydal Penrhos, Pwllycrochan Avenue, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, LL29 7BT

01492 539736

SJRitchie@rydal-penrhos.com

Rydal Penrhos Society

@RP_Society

Rydal Penrhos Society

Do you have an email address?Please help us to keep in touch with you in the most costeffective way, and do our bit for the environment. EmailSarah at SJRitchie@rydal-penrhos.com with your details.You will then have the option to receive either a hardcopy or electronic version of the newsletter.

January 2013 (Issue 21)

Do you have your own business? Would you consideradvertising in this newsletter?Four thousand hard copies of the Rydal Penrhos Societynewsletter are produced twice a year, and the online version issent to over 1,600 email addresses, as well as being available toview on our website and posted on Facebook, LinkedIn andTwitter. We are considering offering members the opportunityto advertise within the newsletter to help us with the cost ofprinting and postage. It would help us greatly if we had an ideaof how many would be interested in doing this should we goahead. If you would like to find out more, please contact us usingthe details on the right.

Reunion NewsWe have had a busy few months with lots of events taking place. These are just some of the get togethers that havebeen organised by the Society and by individuals recently...

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On Sunday 14 October the grounds ofRydal Penrhos were buzzing withexcitement as over 60 former pupils andtheir partners explored the school beforeenjoying a delicious three course Sundayroast in the dining hall. The “Old”Penrhosians and Rydalians, who had left

school between 1960-1969, were also ableto view items and photographs from ourarchives collection which were displayed inthe Library. Much time was spent spottingthemselves and their contemporaries in ourmany photographs from their time atschool!

Leavers of the 1960sReunions for leavers

of the 1970s, 1980sand 1990s are planned

for 2013. Please seethe back cover for

details!

Founders’ Weekend 2012On Friday 14 September the pupils of Rydal Penrhos gathered in St John’s Church for a service to commemorate the foundersof Penrhos College and Rydal School, Frederick Payne and Thomas Osborn. Each year the staff and pupils take this opportunityto look back at the history of Rydal Penrhos and to remember where the school began. Members of the Rydal Penrhos Societywere then invited to join us over the weekend for some special events. On Saturday, former pupils enjoyed refreshments in theFerguson Centre before taking a tour of the campus. Rydalians reminisced in their old classrooms whilst Penrhosians weredelighted to be able to see their school photographs and the stained glass windows from the Penrhos College chapel. Followingthis the ‘Old Girls’ team took on the current pupils in hockey and netball matches in memory of Natalie Moss RPS 96-03, whosadly passed away in 2011. The girls were competing for the Natalie Kate Moss trophies, as well as raising awareness of theNatalie Kate Moss Trust. For the full match report please see page 8.

On the Saturday evening the Rydal leavers of 1972 had a reunion at the St Georges Hotel, Llandudno, while the Penrhosleavers of 1999 enjoyed a delicious meal at the Castle Hotel, Conwy.

Sunday saw the official opening of the refurbished Fives courts. There is a long history of Fives at Rydal Penrhos, with thefirst courts being built at Rydal in 1935. Two further courts were built after the war and the school enjoyed a long and successfulschedule of fixtures throughout the years, with the most regular (and most difficult) opponent being Shrewsbury School. Twoof the most notable highlights were the success of the junior pair, J.B. Hacking and S.T.J Walter in winning the Public SchoolsCompetition in 1939, and the two defeats of the Shrewsbury first pair by John Kaye and David Owen in 1972. Forty years on,David Owen RS 67-72 (pictured bottom left) returned to Rydal Penrhos to see the courts being reopened by Richard Black,the Chairman of the Eton Fives Charitable Trust.

Reunions

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OPA Branch NewsSheffield There have been three branch meetings during 2012. The first, in March, was held at Sally (Trickett) Booker's PC 63-69 home in Sheffield; the second, in July, at the home of Angie (Craig) Ward PC 49-54 in Hathersage, north Derbyshire; and thethird, in October, was held in Chesterfield at the home of Zillah (Wallis) Stevenson PC 50-59. As most of our members are nowretired we usually meet for coffee and, in the summer, for lunch. There were 15 members present at our summer meeting inHathersage. We were very pleased to welcome two guests, Sylvia (Morphy) Bennett PC 45-53 from the Yorkshire branch and Nancie(Moore) Park PC 40-44 who now lives in Edensor on the Chatsworth estate.North Wales Old Penrhosians Barbara (Yates) Goolden PC 52-59, Glenys (Roberts) Hughes PC 54-58 and Sarah (Somerville)Ritchie PC 92-99 as well as former members of staff Mary (Cummins) Henshaw, Pamela Hoyle, Pat Kerfoot, Margaret Worthington,Elspeth Wolstencroft, Hilary Williams, Chris Rimmington, Jackie Wynne-Freer, Shelagh Thomas and Sonia Ankers gathered forlunch at the home of Pat (Wright) Jones PC 48-54 on Thursday 8 November. Unfortunately the Headmaster was unable to attendhowever his wife, Nicky Lee-Browne, was delighted to represent him. We were sorry that former staff member Yvonne Widdopwas in hospital and unable to join us. Many thanks to Pat Jones for her hospitality and to Mary Henshaw for providing the food.We look forward to our next meeting at Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel in Spring 2013. Anyone interested in joining us should contact HilaryWilliams on 01492 581889.Nottingham Gillian (Burney) Halstead and her husband hosted a lunch party for members at their house. It is the first timewe have met for four years, so we had plenty to talk about. Members present were Gill (Kemp) Orrell, Pat (Davies) Bentley, JuliaBeachall, Mary (Rogers) Elliman, Gillian Halstead and Lesley Baker. Several members could not come: Elisabeth Whistler, HazelCrookes, Sheila Turner, Janet McGill, Nancie (Moore) Park, Anne (Hobson) Whitty, Sheila (Bradshaw) Barber, Joyce (Barber)Williams and Anita (Kay) Hough. Gill Orrell and Lesley Baker met Sheila (Lishman) Beckingham for lunch in November. Gill metSheila Beckingham, Dawn (Hodgson) Morton, June (Bindell) Best, Kay (Robson) Corry, and Jill (Parkes) McCulloch for lunch inCambridge in March. Lesley Baker keeps in touch with Jos Bennett and Margaret (Miggi) (Glasier) Smythe. She has also seen hercousin Maragaret Baker several times this summer – on holiday together in June in Dartmouth and the Isles of Scilly. Her sister, Anne(Baker) Mills was in the UK in June and stayed with Sheila Hipwell. In October Helen (Baker) Taylor, her daughter Marion and Lesleywent to Canada for Anne’s 80th surprise birthday party. Nance [Hogg] Hutton was also there. Nance’s husband had sadly passedaway in July.

Six members of the Rydal class of 1982 met up inManchester on the 30th anniversary of leaving. Here theyare pictured left to right: Linus Roache, Dan Johnson, PeterCraven, Carl Mesham, Tim Forster and Simon Waterhouse

Your chance to be part of the Quad!The Quad really is the heart of Rydal Penrhos – a lovely area surrounded by beautiful schoolbuildings where pupils gather during break times. There are few seats however, and the onesthat are there are looking a little tired. Rather than simply replacing this seating, we wantedto give you, as Society members, the opportunity to make your mark and be part of thisarea by purchasing a bench for the Quad that will be inscribed with wording of your choice.Perhaps you would like your name and school dates to be displayed, have a bench dedicatedto your family, or one in memory of a former pupil or member of staff ? The cost is £500– this includes a beautiful teak outdoor bench with your choice of words carved in the toprail. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity please contact Sarah Ritchie atSJRitchie@rydal-penrhos.com or 01492 539736.

Twenty reasonably well-preserved 1974 leave

rs

gathered at the Abode Hotel in Chester for t

heir

first reunion in 38 years. Many old friendships

were rekindled. All present signed up for a 4

0th

anniversary reunion in 2014.

Penrhos leavers of 1979 recently met up in Chester.

They are pictured above (left to right) Hilary Cookson,

Sian Jones, Becki Pratt, Sarah Carswell, Avelia Moisey,

Kathy Harris, Suzy Gibson, and Biddy Crompton. The

photograph was taken by Suzanne Wardle and NikkiO’Donnell joined them later.

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London DinnerOn Friday 2 November, 91 guests arrived at the National Liberal Club for theRydal Penrhos Society London Dinner. The evening began with a welcomedrink in the Smoking Room before former pupils and their guests took theirplaces for dinner in the David Lloyd George Room. There was a fantasticatmosphere, with former pupils ranging from those who left in the 1950s tothose who left in 2012! After a delicious meal there were speeches from BabakEmamian RS 73-78, and Society President, Diana Smith PC 61-67 before theHeadmaster, Patrick Lee-Browne, gave an update on the school as it is today.Thank you to Babak Emamian for kindly sponsoring this event.

North Wales Dinner & AGMThe 12th Annual General Meeting of the Rydal Penrhos Society took place on Friday 9 November at the Royal Oak Hotel,Betws-y-Coed. During the AGM the 2011-12 Society President, Diana (Wildblood) Smith, handed over to the newPresident for 2012-13, Pat Kerfoot. Pat is a former teacher at both Penrhos College and, following the merger in 1999,Rydal Penrhos.

The AGM was followed by the North Wales Dinner which is held every year at the same venue. Fifty seven members ofthe Rydal Penrhos Society gathered in the Llugwy River Restaurant at the hotel for a delicious meal before being entertainedby excellent speeches from Nick Pochin RS 1953-59, Pat Kerfoot (President), Patrick Lee-Browne (Headmaster) and thecurrent Head Boy and Head Girl, Henry Salisbury and Annabel Large.

Christine (Gething) Brown PC 43-50 and her husband, Nigel.

Bob Barltrop RS 65-72, Peter Gwilliam RS 69-72, Hilary (Mayer) Barltrop PC 66-73, Susan(Moss) Miller PC 64-72 and Michael LlewellynJones RS 67-72

Douglas Lawry RS 67-76, Susie MitchellPC 69-76 and Simon Turner RS 68-76

Jeremy Birkett RS 57-62 andMartin Birkett RS 55-58

2002 leavers including Sarah Cole, Lucy Cook, Victoria Patel,James Reece, Rachel Ringstead, David Watkins, Paul Heywoodand Owen Ireland, with 2012 leavers Adriaan Gussman and JakobSchrandt.

2011-12 President, Diana (Wildblood) Smithhanding over to 2012-13 President, PatKerfoot.

Rydal Penrhos Head Boy, Henry Salisbury, withHead Girl, Annabel Large.

Alison (Scott) Taylor-Stokes PC 83-91, Nicola(Payne) Rutherford PC 86-93, Joanna (Owen)Kelly PC 85-93 and Nicola (Owen) PrydderchPC 86-91

Reunions

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There is a wonderful archives collectionat Rydal Penrhos, with thousands ofitems reaching back through the historyof the school. Our archivist, RobertTickner, works hard to ensure thatitems from Penrhos College, RydalSchool and Rydal Penrhos are storedsafely and preserved so that we canmake sure that the history of ourschool is never forgotten.

We now have a large space within themain school which is to become anarea where the archives collection canbe permanently displayed so thatformer pupils who visit us will be ableto view items from their time at school.Current students will also be able toview the items and see for themselveshow the school has changed throughthe years. This is a very exciting

In the Archivesproject, and Robert now has the hugejob of unpacking, sorting andcataloguing the collection before it canbe displayed.

We are always looking for items to addto our collection, so if you are clearingout your loft and stumble across someitems from school that you would behappy to donate please get in touch!

All items are very welcome –photographs (even better if you canname the people in them!), playprogrammes, uniforms, sports kits,badges, books... literally anything thatwill help us to keep our history alive!

If you can help, please contact theSociety office.

New Merchandise for SalePenrhos College Bead Charm: £48 inc p&pThis silver and gold bead charm has been designed exclusively for Old Penrhosians by Clogau Gold. The charm is inscribedwith the motto ‘Semper ad Lucem’ and is rimmed with a touch of Clogau Gold. The gold used by Clogau is from the lastremaining gold mine in Wales, and is the rarest gold in the world. In fact, the Royal family use Clogau Gold in all their weddingrings! The charm has been designed by Old Penrhosian, Samantha Roberts, who is Creative Designer at the family-run firm. More information about Clogau can be found at their website www.clogau.co.uk The charm is designed to be worn on a bracelet or necklace. (Bracelet or necklace is not supplied). PLEASE NOTE: Due to the cost of the beads the Society is unable to order a large stock. We are therefore taking orders in advance. Theorder deadline is 28 February, after which time we will be placing a bulk order. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to order additional beadsto hold in stock should people want to order after this date. Please make sure that your place your order before the deadline. The beads will thentake 6-8 weeks to produce and will be dispatched as soon as possible after this time.

100% silk replica of the Rydal School tie: £28 (including P&P)Due to popular demand we have had a high quality tie produced in the style of the RydalSchool tie. The tie is 100% silk, and would be a fantastic addition to any Old Rydalian'swardrobe.PLEASE NOTE: We need to ensure that there is enough demand before we can proceed withmanufacturing this item. Orders and payments are being taken now to ensure that we meet the minimum orderrequirement, however please be aware that the item will not be available for dispatch until Spring 2013. If,for any reason, we are unable to meet the minimum order requirement the order will not proceed and allpayments will be refunded. Please place your order by 28 February 2013.

To place an order or to view our other items for sale please visit our websiteat http://alumni.rydalpenrhos.net and click on merchandise, or contactSarah Ritchie on 01492 539736 or SJRitchie@rydal-penrhos.com

All items are much appreciated however weare particularly searching for...Old Penrhosian magazines pre 1919, 1968-75 and 1977 onwards.Penrhos grey suits from 50s/60s.Penrhos sports kit (any era)Old Rydalian magazines pre 1939Rydal White rugby 1st XV shirtRydal Athletics vests / swimwearPenrhos / Rydal photos from 70s/80s/90sAnything relating to Lyndon School since itsfoundation.

GolfPochin Trophy - 21 September 2012 We returned to Delamere Forest Golf Club this year and had a good entry of 19 golfers supporting Wilmot Blockley RS55-57 captain of the club. John Norbury, chairman of the club, and son of the late Fred Norbury a former governor of theSchool joined us as a guest. The course was playing long after heavy rain but the captain offered us the chance of playingfrom the back tees and we accepted the challenge. It was good to welcome Brian Bulmer and Julian Watson, playing in thecompetition for the first time.

Three players tied with 36 points, Richard Wood winning on a card play off overthe last three holes. Incidental prizes were won by Howard Marshall, for thelongest drive on the fairway on the 18th hole and Mike Wood for nearest to thepin on the 6th. The leading scores were:1st Richard Wood (hcp 11) 36 points, 2nd Brian Bulmer (hcp 4) 36 points,3rd Mike Wood (hcp 6) 36 points

Philip Reid and Dave Ridgeway joined us for a meal in the clubhouse. It ishoped to play the competition at Delamere in 2013 on Friday 20 September.

The next competition is the Silcock Salver at Maesdu and Conwy on 11 and 12 April 2013.

Sport News

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If you would like to be involved with the Golf Society, or would like further details of these events, please contact theSociety Office on 01492 539736 or SJRitchie@rydal-penrhos.com to be put in contact with Guy Watson.

Guy Watson RS 57-66

Hockey & NetballOn a bright Saturday morning, dozens of former pupils fromRydal Penrhos descended on Colwyn Bay to watch the ‘OldGirls’ take on the school’s current first teams. With some of thebest players from recent years returning to compete in both thehockey and netball, there was great expectation that the daywould be highly entertaining – and it certainly did notdisappoint! This year the ‘Old Girls’ fixtures were played inmemory of Natalie Moss who sadly died in December 2011 dueto a brain haemorrhage. Natalie was a keen sportswoman,winning the Derbyshire Shield for her contribution to girls’ sportat school, and so it was fitting that the girls were competing forthe ‘Natalie Kate Moss Trophy’ in both sports.

The day kicked off with the hockey and despite a considerable amount of worrying by the old girls over their lack of fitness,they proved that they still had the skills that took many of them to the Welsh Nationals, and some of them to become Welshchampions. Playing together like it was ‘the old days’, the ‘Old Girls’ worked hard to push through the first team’s defenceto win 5-0. After a few words from the Headmaster, Patrick Lee-Browne, the trophy was presented by Natalie’s brother,Sebastian Moss RPS 96-02. After lunch in the Ferguson Centre, the netball took place in the sports’ hall. With many of theplayers still regularly playing, the ‘Old Girls’ team proved a very able side and they showed just how strong they were bywinning 71-23. Another success for the returning team and so another trophy, this time presented by Natalie’s godmother,Alison Phillips. Natalie’s father, Philip Moss RS 67-74, concluded the afternoon, thanking everyone for their support andencouraging the players to return next year and to keep the day ‘fun’ just as Natalie would have wanted it. As well as donationsfrom many of the spectators, a cake and coffee stand was run to help raise money for the trust that has been set up inmemory of Natalie. For more information on the trust go to www.nataliekatemoss.co.uk

Fiona Moss RPS 02-09

Sports

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Rydal Penrhos RegattaIn June 2012, the Rydal Penrhos Sailing Regatta once again brightened up the waters of Colwyn Bay with over 40 mixed racingdinghies. The weather conditions allowed for an enjoyable but challenging competition, with gusts of wind reaching 28 knots.Nevertheless, the racing continued with a fantastic demonstration of ability from all sailors.

The competition was fierce with sailors competing from Sedbergh School, the Sea Cadets and the Sea Scouts. The Rydal Penrhossailors showed their usual resilience in coping with the temperamental Welsh weather, and despite some capsizing there wereimpressive results, particularly from Tom Bale (Year 6) who won the Tera Fleet, and Jamie Chan and Oliver Sharples (Sixth form)who won the Asymmetric Fleet.

Without question the award for most capsizes went to our sailing captain Nick Bellamy who, together with Annika Lenz, achievedmore than 60 over the weekend. Further mention should also go to Ewan Luke (Year 6) for giving Tom Bale a run for his moneyand Seren Kerfoot- Robson, (Year 9) for a spirited and determined performance

A number of ‘Old Boys’ returned to Colwyn Bay for the weekend, and took to the wavesas competitors or manning the safety boats. In fact, the winner of the Gold Fleet was formerpupil, Edward Bellamy RPS 02-09. The fun and frolics continued off the water with abarbeque on Saturday evening. Thanks must go to Rosy Hearn PC 87-95 for heading up theevent and for dragging Peter Weekes out of retirement to lead the safety boat fleet. Overallthis was a thoroughly enjoyable and successful weekend for our sailors and their families.

How Sailing Began...In 1959, my penultimate year at Rydal, I asked the Headmaster, Donald Hughes, if I could bring my sailing dinghy to school inorder to prepare it for the forthcoming sailing season. After a brief discussion he readily agreed, on the proviso that I involvedother boys in the project. Following this visit to the Headmaster I went to see Frank Richards my housemaster at Walshaw, tolet him know what I had arranged to do. At the time Frank had a visitor, one Barry Heywood, who having heard my plansexpressed great interest, saying that he was involved in the formation of a sailing club in the town and wondered if I might beallowed to join too. After some discussion we felt that there may be other boys who would be interested in becoming involvedand there might be the possibility of forming a school sailing club.

There now followed two significant events. First, at a gathering of interested boys we agreed that there was more than enoughinterest to form a club and Rydal Sailing Club was born. Second, a small representative body were invited to attend an earlymeeting of the Bay of Colwyn Sailing Club. At this meeting it was agreed that the Members of the Rydal Sailing Club becomeassociate members of the new club. And so Rydal School went sailing.

We asked Ron Grime, a Chemistry Master with outdoor interests, to look after the club from a staff point of view, to which hereadily agreed, and he was joined by Mr Hendry. I agreed to Chair a committee, a Secretary was appointed and a smallcommittee created. We even designed our own tie. Having, in conjunction with the Bay of Colwyn Sailing Club, drawn upsome ‘Safety on the Water’ rules we were ready to launch. 1960 was to prove equally exciting as the Club grew and flourishedrapidly, and I am delighted to see it continues to flourish some 50 years later. Happy sailing!

Richard (Slim) Shore RS 55-60

Not to be outdone, the Penrhos girls soon took to the water in the late 1960s. Starting with no more than two dinghies, thePenrhos Sailing Club was soon flourishing after G.P.s, Catamarans and Cadets were generously loaned to the school by kindparents and the Bay of Colwyn Sailing Club. Sailing went from strength to strength with many girls taking to the water bothto sail and to take part in rescue boat training. The Penrhos boat park, situated on the Promenade, is still in use today andstores a large number of dinghies, which are used regularly. Sailing remains an important part of school life, and is part of thecurriculum for students as young as Year 3 at the Prep school.

When I discovered that Alfred Bestall wasnot only educated at the same school asmyself but also studied at the CentralSchool of Arts and Crafts in London (some45 years earlier than me) I was resolved tomake contact with the Rupert illustrator. Ihad loved his work since the 1940s and withthese connections (together with the factthat I also write and illustrate children'sbooks) I plucked up the courage to write tohim at his flat in Surbiton. I was delighted toreceive a prompt reply from him, written ina neat hand and delightfully discursive incontent. Alfred and I finally madearrangements to meet over afternoon tea athis Surbiton flat on Friday the 20th ofOctober 1978. I must admit to beingsomewhat shocked when I arrived at theuncompromising block of flats at OxfordCourt in Avenue Elmers. Surely, I thought,the great Rupert artist couldn’t live in suchan ordinary place as this.

Alfred greeted me at the door and his genialspirit immediately captivated me. He cut thefigure of a ‘period-piece’ artist with hishandsome plum-coloured velvet corduroyjacket which was tied with a wide matchingbelt. When we entered his living room hequickly apologised for what he called his“too much of a lady’s type flat”. He hadlived in Surbiton since 1920 but had onlyrecently moved into this flat. I believe somefriends had let him occupy it during hisperiodic long visits to London from his nowregular home in Beddgelert in North Wales.

While Alfred busied himself about makinga pot of tea, rejecting my assistancevehemently, I cast my eyes along hisbookshelves. There were quite a few poetrybooks including Rupert Brooke and FrancisThompson, a chess book by Capablanca;books by Thurber, Evelyn Waugh, A.A.Milne, G.M. Trevelyan and Thomas Hardy.There were also a series of Punch annuals(possibly the ones where Bestall’s owncartoons appeared from 1925 to 1933), ahistory of Surrey, books on Origami, thecurrent Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

Afternoon Tea with Alfred Bestall RS 1904-11

catalogue and a couple of bibles.E.H.Shepard’s childhood memories - Drawnfrom Memory could also be found among thefew books on the shelves. Alfred was to tellme that it was Shepard who commissionedhim more than the other senior staff artistsof Punch during his pre-Rupert days. Afterand during his Punch period Bestall hadbeen given carte blanche from Tatler,Bystander and other “shinies” to illustratecolour plates owing to his “snobbish abilityto depict pretty girls out of the top drawer”.He was later to write to me of hiscommissions during this period - “Inretrospect I can see that the great slump ofthe ‘30s saved my immortal soul”. Pictureson the wall included an air-raid shelterdrawing executed by my host. He hadserved in Flanders as a driver-mechanicduring the First World War and as an air-raid warden in Surbiton during the SecondWorld War. We talked continuously forthree hours with intermittent telephoneinterruptions. When the telephone rang Ihad to alert Alfred to the fact on eachoccasion, to which he said “Thank you foryour hearing”. We discussed mostly ourrespective school experiences at Rydalwhere he had won the Classics Prize and hewas quite a successful athlete apparently. Hewas passionately keen on rugby and cricketand he waxed eloquently upon the subjectof George Hurst and the young “pink-faced’ Wilfred Rhodes, two great Englishcricketers. We talked at length about Rupertand how he had “wanted to put the rightideas in the children’s minds”. He was laterto write to me - “An artist may behandicapped by requests from theauthor for whom he is working, butwhat he sets before children must be thebest of which he is capable within thebounds of his knowledge, the time athis disposal and the depth of hisaffection for the world of children. Theresponsibility of those who implantanything on receptive and intenselysensitive minds of children is beyondcomputing. The impression may last alifetime.”

The late recognition of his work, until the‘unexpected publicity’ he received duringRupert’s Diamond Jubilee caused him towrite somewhat soulfully, “I wish it couldhave come earlier while my nearest anddearest were alive. Now there is no one toshare the amusement”. He was later toreceive an MBE some six months before hisdeath, and more than 20 years after hisretirement.

When it was time for me to leave heinsisted, against all my protestations, ongiving me a lift in his car to KingstonStation - the first time I had ever beendriven by anyone of his venerable years. Wewent to his garage, which was among a rowof identical garages behind the block offlats where he lived. Upon opening thegarage door we beheld what seemed to be aRupert fantasy when we discovered that thecar had vanished into thin air. “Well Inever,” I remember him exclaiming, “Howsilly of me, I’ve parked the car in the front”.Sure enough there was his red Austin Maxiparked in the avenue. There was a knittedcushion on the driver’s seat and a RupertNot being a driver myself I wonderedapprehensively how so fragile a man wouldnegotiate the busy Surbiton streets. Hisearly clutch-changing was not promising butas he weaved confidently through the traffiche calmly reassured me by saying “I amhappier behind the wheel than on legs”. Hetold me how regularly he had driven fromLondon to North Wales in eight hours. Itturned out three years later that he wasinvolved in a car accident in Wales when thisvery Maxi was written off!

We parted at the station with a firmhandshake and during my journey home Ipondered upon this gentle and warm-hearted soul. I felt I had experienced a littlecameo of history during our delightfulafternoon tea together and I was honouredto have met this modest man and greatillustrator, who has given and will continueto give so much pleasure to countlessgenerations of families.

Alfred Edmeades Bestall wrote and illustrated the regular Rupert strip for the Daily Express from 1935 to 1965 and he continued to work on the famousAnnuals until 1973. Before he worked on Rupert he had already illustrated over fifty books. At one time the Rupert Annuals were selling well over a millioncopies each year. Rupert was aptly described by Sir Hugh Casson as “a quiet corner of British genius”. Bestall died on the 15th of January 1986 at the ageof 93 and in the following account John Lord RS 48-56 recalls an afternoon tea spent with him at his Surbiton flat in 1978.

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“Before the silver cord issnapped and the golden bowl is

broken.”The Rev’d Nick Sissons, School Chaplain

I wasn’t really sure how theymanaged to do it, but my oldschool in Bedford somehowpersuaded me to part withsome money to help fund aproject, aimed at supportingstudents without the financialfunds to attend the school.Perhaps it was the biblicalreference, the Extra Mile

Project, that craftily drew me in or perhaps the carefullyselected former pupil, female of course, who knew justhow to listen patiently to old lags rambling on aboutschool life in the 1970s, a period, which for her musthave seemed something akin to ancient history. Orperhaps it was something else?

This is now the beginning of my fourth year in RydalPenrhos School. In that relatively short time I have seena large percentage of staff retire or move on. Thisacademic year I find myself organizing the school’s thirdtrip to Uganda, because nobody who went in 2011 isstill with us. This turnover may be natural withininstitutions such as ours, but it raises the fundamentalquestion as to whether we are in danger of losing touchwith our past. As the number of staff who went to orworked in Penrhos College dwindles, as the number ofex-Rydalians in the Common Room diminishes, who isleft to link our present endeavours with those of earliertimes and ensure the silver cord is not snapped nor thegolden bowl broken?

If you are reading this article then you are probablyalready aware of the answer, because you are theembodiment of that priceless connection between nowand then; it is the active concern of the alumni thatensures that Rydal Penrhos School 2012 is not allowedto drift from her moorings. What, however, you maynot be aware of is the effect being part of the schoolhas upon those who come into it from outside, withoutthe history, the memories and the glorious baggage. Forwhat does happen, what certainly is happening to me, isthat you get gently gathered in, simply by being part ofthe fabric of the place, by rubbing shoulders with itsinscriptions and stones and stained glass stories, bybecoming aware that the school’s history now embracesyou as well.

Perhaps that’s why I wrote that cheque: by being partof a living school tradition here and by seeing howimportant it is in the lives of the present pupils, I havecome to realize the significance of that other school,which once shaped and shielded me, and which needshelp to continue to do the same.

After studying at Rydal School, JohnVernon Lord RS 48-56 studied atSalford, and the Central School ofArts and Crafts in London. He taughtat Brighton 1961-99 and stillcontinues to lecture there occasionallyafter an association of 50 years. Hewas appointed Professor ofIllustration in 1986, now a ProfessorEmeritus. An Hon DLitt wasconferred upon him by the Universityof Brighton in 2000. During the 1980she was Chair of the Graphic DesignBoard of the Council for NationalAcademic Awards. He has illustrated

well over 30 books and has written a number of children’s books. Hispicture book The Giant Jam Sandwich has become a classic havingbeen in print worldwide since it was first published in 1972. Lord’sAesop’s Fables (1989) won the V & AIllustration Award in 1990. His bookDrawing Upon Drawing includes 400 ofhis illustrations, together with essays,articles and lectures about the art ofillustration. He lives in Sussex withDenie, his wife of 50 years. They havethree daughters and seven grandchildren.

John Anderson RS 61-66 graduated inMechanical Engineering at ManchesterUniversity and gained an M.Phil in theHistory of Science and Technology. Fornearly 40 years he has worked in industryin the field of Tribology and structuraltesting and, more recently, running his ownengineering business. He is married withone daughter and lives in Cheshire. Hecombined his enthusiasm for the history oftechnology and the novels of Nevil Shuteto write Parallel Motion: A biography of NevilShute Norway which was published in 2011

by Paper Tiger. The book is the first thorough and in-depth biographyof Nevil Shute, covering his life from childhood to his last years inAustralia. Nevil Shute was the world famous and best-selling author ofA Town Like Alice, On the Beach, and over 20 other novels. It containsa wealth of information about this wonderful (and often-overlooked)novelist.

More Alumni in Print...

Joy Hendry PC 55-63 is Professor Emerita atOxford Brookes University after retiring fromteaching anthropology there in 2010. She has hadseveral books published including An Introduction toSocial Anthropology, An Anthropologist in Japan, OtherPeople’s Worlds: An Introduction to Cultural and SocialAnthropology and Beginners Guide to Anthropolgy,amongst many others. Joy has books in the RydalPenrhos library which are available for students toborrow.

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Thank You!The first Rydal Penrhos Annual Fund campaign was launched in October and we have had a fantastic response so far. Thankyou so much to everyone who has supported this campaign so far. You have donated a total of £7,148.75 (including giftaid) which means we are now almost half way towards our target. We are pleased to report that the honours boards for thePavillion have now been paid for in full, however we are still accepting donations for the drama studio lights, Prep Schoolmusical instruments, data logging kit for science and dye sublimation kit for Design & Technology.

Annual Fund Campaigns are run by a large number of schoolsand universities across the UK, and are an ideal way for thosewho would like to ‘give something back’ to support projectswithin the school which fall outside the operational budget.Participation is completely voluntary, however if you would liketo find out more, please visit our website athttps://alumni.rydalpenrhos.net/annualfund or contact SarahRitchie on SJRitchie@rydal-penrhos.com or 01492 539736.

Number of donors choosing to support each project

Thank you to Jonathan Ratchford RS 77-80 whokindly donated the material for thecover of our new school hymnbooks from his family bookbindingcompany, Ratchford Limited(www.ratchford.co.uk)

Online Survey ResultsThank you to everyone who completed our online survey which was sent out by email in August. Apologies to those whodo not receive emails – in order to keep our costs to a minimum we did not print and post this survey. However if you wouldlike to have your say please contact Sarah Ritchie for a paper copy. Some of the main points from the survey are below:

The most common reason for people not attending events is that they are concerned they won’t know anyone else. This isone of the reasons that we have introduced the decade reunions. With a smaller range of attendees we hope that it’s morelikely you will recognise some faces! Reunions for the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s leavers will be taking place next year – please seethe back cover for details. We have also started publishing a list of attendees on the Society website so you can see whoelse is going to be at the event.Many of you asked for an event to take place in the North of England / Yorkshire area. The Yorkshire Dinneris taking place on 10 May – please see details on the back cover.95% of you enjoy hearing from the Society and feel that the frequency is just right!

36% have never visited the school website. If you have internet access, please do have a look and see what the school islike today (www.rydalpenrhos.com ). The website is frequently updated with school news. You can also explore the Societysection of the website by clicking on ‘Alumni & Friends’. We also have our own Rydal Penrhos Society website which isseparate to the school site and can be found at http://alumni.rydalpenrhos.net . Here you can find out more about theRydal Penrhos Society, purchase merchandise, book and pay for events online and log in to our secure area to search forfriends in our online directory.We had lots of comments from people who felt that the newsletter has too much focus on Rydal. We also had lots ofcomments from people who felt that the newsletter has too much focus on Penrhos! We do try to keep it as balanced aspossible however please remember that we can only publish the news that we are given. We rely on you to provide thisinformation so please do get in touch if you have anything that may be of interest to our readers! If you don’t feel that thereis enough of your school in the newsletter, please give us some news to share!Many of you requested that we publish a list of contact details for Society members, particularly email addresses.Unfortunately we are unable to do this. In order to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 we cannot share contact detailswithout the consent of each and every person, and so it would not be practical for us to produce this document. We do,however, have an online directory on our website http://alumni.rydalpenrhos.net . The success of this does depend onusers logging into the site and un-ticking the “private” option next to their details. This means that certain details can beviewed online by other registered users (all of whom are verified Society members). If you are not online, or cannot findwho you are looking for on the online directory, please call us on 01492 539736 as we may be able to pass a message on tothe person that you are looking for.

Thank you to all those who responded to our requestfor Careers’ Mentors. Over 50 of you replied to say youare happy to provide advice to pupils and those detailshave been passed on to our careers department. If youwould like to find out more about being a Careers’Mentor, please get in touch.

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Exam Results 2012Pupils from Rydal Penrhos continue to reach new heights with record achievements atthe top of the A-level scale. Out of 41 A-level candidates, 40% were awarded A* andA grades (the A* is awarded to candidates who score more than 90% in their finalpapers). Fourteen candidates achieved at least one A*, and the outgoing Head Boy,Thomas Warrington, was awarded 4 A*s, which has secured him a place at CambridgeUniversity to study Engineering. Eleanor Murphy, Natasha Kanvinde and Gary Wuwere awarded 2 A*s each, and Harriet Barlow, Nick Bellamy, Freya Cassia and WilliamPullman also scored one apiece. The top grades were achieved in Biology, Chemistry,Design and Technology, English Literature, Mathematics, Further Mathematics andReligious Studies. Just over 64% of pupils scored grades A*-B, which is animprovement on last year’s best-ever figure for those grades at the school.

The results of the International Baccalaureate were published in July. The averagepoints score of 31.6 for the 26 candidates was an improvement on last year’sperformance, representing the equivalent to 2 A*s and an A grade for eachcandidate. Amelia Dunton, Deputy Head Girl, scored 42 points out of a maximum45, and Joel Sugarman scored a very impressive 39. Amelia is going to study Englishat Leeds, while Joel will be studying Medicine at University College, London. Whenthe A-level and International Baccalaureate results are combined, the average UCASscore is 367 points, which represents the equivalent of three A grades for each

candidate. These results confirm that the school excels in preparing its pupils to achieve real academic success in the Sixthform. The breadth of subjects in which pupils achieved the highest grades – four A*s in English Literature alone – showsthat the school equips its pupils for a wide range of university courses as the next stage towards their chosen careers.

Year 11 candidates celebrated their GCSEs, with some excellent individual and subjectachievements. The results reflect the hard work that the pupils have put into their exams,and the year group scored an average eight-and-a-half A*-C passes. Lydia Davidsonachieved a clean sheet of 10 A*s, and Hannah Davies, Sophie Cashell, Alexander Farnelland Sara Popa scored all A*s and As. Laurie Brummitt and Jingyi Xie also scored 20 Asand A*s between them, and a total of 18 pupils achieved at least seven A* or A gradeseach. A good number of subjects, including Biology, Chemistry, Drama, English,Physics, Spanish and Welsh achieved a 100% pass rate at A*-C.

Leavers’ DestinationsThe school is happy to report great success at securing chosen university places this year for bothA-level and IB students. Amongst the many successes this year were Tom Warrington with 4 A*s,now studying Engineering at Cambridge, and Gary Wu with 2 A*s and 2 As who has gone on tostudy Accountancy at Bristol. Nick Bellamy secured his place to read Medicine in Edinburgh whileAmy Yu goes to City University, London, to read Economics. Mandy Lau, who achieved 3 A grades,will study Business in Hong Kong. Julienne Krool, with 4 As, is taking a year out as are CatherineDavies and Anna Stevenson who also achieved straight As. Amongst our IB students, AmeliaDunton is currently studying English at Leeds, and Joel Sugarman is reading Medicine at UniversityCollege, London.

School News

Overseas ChaptersDo you live outside of UK? Would you like to help us to organise dinners and reunions in your area? Currently the RydalPenrhos Society runs several events in the UK, however it is difficult for us to arrange events overseas from our office inColwyn Bay! Gareth Williams RS 57-66 kindly organises the Hong Kong Dinner each year, however we would like to expandour calendar of events to include other countries. If you would like to be a representative for your country, and are happy toorganise events (the frequency is up to you!) then please do get in touch with Sarah Ritchie at the Rydal Penrhos Societyaddress.

Alumni News

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Congratulations to Leonie Wainwright PC 92-99 who is now anAdvocate in Practice for the Design Commission of Wales. Leonie isa Chartered Architect and Associate of Ainsley Gommon Architects.She gained her BA(Hons) degree and Post Graduate Diploma inArchitecture at Leeds Metropolitan University. In 2005 she returned toNorth Wales and joined Ainsley Gommon Architects in their Flintshireoffice where she has been involved with a number of award winningschemes. After qualifying as a Chartered Architect in 2007 Leonie waselected a Council member of North Wales Society of Architects andhas supported her professional body the RSAW with a number ofimportant initiatives. Leonie enjoys the diverse challenges of workingthroughout Wales in both the public and private sectors. Within theoffice she helped implement the practices Environmental ManagementSystem to ISO 14001, and is studying Welsh at Deeside College. Shehas a keen interest in green buildings and is chair of the officesustainability focus group. She believes good design emanates fromconsultation with the end user as part of a collaborative process.

Congratulations also go to Val Lishman RS 42-48 who was awardedthe ‘Doctor of the Year’ by the AMA in 2010 and has just beenappointed to the Governing Council of the Health Service (WesternAustralia Southern Country Division).

Keith Lester RS 64-69 retired as a Regional Director of LloydsTSBCorporate Banking a few years ago and is currently non-executiveChairman of Birmingham Children's Hospital. He is about to finishhis year as Captain of Copt Heath Golf Club in Knowle, so all in allis keeping very busy - particularly as his elder daughter has just givenhim his second grandson!

Az Hakeem RS 86-91 is currently appearing on Australian breakfastTV show Weekend Sunrise as their resident psychiatrist. After doingTV Psychiatry in the UK (LKToday, Big Brother on the Couch, Co-Presenter on Wife swap the Aftermath) he travelled to Australia for a12 month sabattical and was approached by Australian television. Henow appears most weekends as “Dr Az”. In February he will return toLondon to resume his work as a consultant psychiatrist andpsychotherapist in private practice, to the media and within a centrallondon NHS teaching hospital.

Daniel Williams RPS 95-04 is currently in the USA cycling 3,580miles from San Diego to Key West for Help for Heroes/WoundedWarriors. It is an unsupported trip, so he is travelling with about 20kgsof luggage strapped to his bike. The trip costs are being entirelyfunded by Daniel with any donations going to the UK and USservicemen charities. Daniel is travelling with his father, Stuart, and hisuncle, Thomas Winkelspecht. You can follow his adventure on hisblog: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/CANTLAMF

Mary (Wilkinson) Gray PC 55-61 is now living in Cardiff and hasrecently spent time on holiday with Elinor (Ellis) Kidd who now livesin New Zealand.

Pat (Benson) Johnson PC 58-66 is looking to get in contact withSue Healey. Class of 1968. She left at Christmas 1966. Pat lost touchwith Sue when her parents moved from California to Europe. If youcan help, please contact Sarah Ritchie in the Society office.

BirthsTo Rosie (Burroughs) Hopkins PC 89-94 and Michael Hopkins adaughter, Joanna Rachel Emily, born 16 August 2012 (pictured)To Jo Fothergill and Josh Fothergill adaughter, Elinor Louise, born 5September 2012To Clare (Craig) Poynton-Craig PC88-99 and Neil Poynton a son, Xander Emile, born 26September 2012To Hilary Powell PC 92-95 and Daniel Edelstyn a son,George Sidney, born 30 August 2012

MarriagesJane Hayes RS 83-86 married Alex Hatton on 11 September 2012Savini Wijesingha RPS 87-01 married Tom Bowden on 1September 2012 at Rydal Penrhos School. The weekendincluded a bridal party dinner in the Pavilion on Friday night,a service in the Memorial Hall on Saturday followed by areception in a marquee on New Field, and a touch rugbytournament and hog roast on Sunday. 80 guests stayed inWalshaw and Edwards boarding houses for the weekend.

Old Penrhosian Provident Fund (Charity no. 1092283)

The objects of the Old Penrhosian Provident Fund Trust are‘to provide help and financial assistance by way of gift or loanor in any other manner to any former student or member ofstaff of the school known as Penrhos College situated inLlannerch Road, Colwyn Bay, North Wales who in the absolutediscretion of the Trustees shall be in necessitouscircumstances’. As a result of notices about this Fund, morePenrhosians have approached us. However, if you know ofanyone who may not be aware of the Fund and might requireassistance, please let us know. Help can be offered in the formof either a grant or a loan. If you, or anyone you know couldbenefit from the help of the OP Provident Fund, pleasecontact:Lesley Baker, Chairman, 6 Private Road, Sherwood,Nottingham NG5 4DB (0115 9609572)Vera Male, Acting Secretary, Pretty Penny, Moat Green,Sherbourne, Warwick, CV35 8AJ (01926 624773)Anne Whitby, Treasurer, 13 Belvedere House, 130 GrosvenorRoad, London SW1V 3JY (020 7821 0980)Anne Barker, 0118 966 2621, Felicity Bryson, (no number at present) Janet McGill, 01636 636529 Joanne McGinn 01295 680173.Julia Bayton 0151486 2624.

Iolo Owen and Trevor Lloyd Williamsvisited Rydal Penrhos in September - 70 yearsto the day after they started as 10 year olds!N

ews

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ObituariesDouglas Wilson Haigh RS 30-37Douglas was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire inJanuary 1919. His father was a TechnicalManager in a Coal and Coke Works inYorkshire. Work was hard to come by, so inabout 1921 the family moved to Bihar, India,to a coke works, and his father Benjamin wasManager. While Benjamin continued to workin India, Douglas was returned to England toattend Rydal in 1926, before going to ImperialCollege, London University, where he studiedto become a Chemical Engineer, one of thefirst four graduates in Chemical Engineering,and graduated with honours in 1940. He was on his vacation with his parents inIndia, to which he went out by ship, when Warwas declared in Europe in 1939. He joined thelocal Cavalry Regiment for a couple of weeks,before returning to England to complete hisUniversity studies. At University, he was on thefirst XV Rugby Team. He graduated in 1940and found a job with a Munitions Factory,Royal Ordinance in Scotland and Cumberland,but felt the need to join up for the War effort.After 3 years in the ranks, he trained with theRoyal Engineers as an officer. He joined the79th Armoured Tank Regiment. As SecondLieutenant, he landed with the Canadians onJuno Beach on D-Day, and stayed with theCanadians through Holland and into Germany.

At the end of the war, Douglas remained inGermany for a year before being demobilized.For his efforts during the war he was awardedthe France and Germany Star, the 1939-45 Star,the Victory Medal and the Defence Medal. On his return to England he was employed asa Chemical Engineer and met Anne Sager, whowas training to be a nurse and they married inAugust 1947. By 1952, he was becoming fed upwith the continued food rationing, (it continueduntil 1954!), he decided to take advantage ofthe 10 pound scheme where the Australiangovernment sponsored Europeans to populateAustralia, providing you stayed for a minimumof In 1963 the family decided to move on toCanada. He accepted a job with Sandwell andCo., a consulting Engineer Co. He learnedshortly after joining, that the company wantedhim to spend two years in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) soin December the family flew to Colombo,stopping in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singaporeon the way. They lived in Valaichchenai, on theEast coast of the island, about 20 miles southof Batticaloa. In 1966 the family returned to Vancouver. Onhis return, he was again involved in the BoyScouts, becoming District CommissionerSeymour District and over the years was anofficer in various clubs; Orienteering

Association of B.C., Baden-Powell Guild,Society of Saint George, North LonsdaleRatepayers Assn., a choir member at St.Richard's Church and then St. Martin's and amember of the Professional Affairs Committeefor the Professional Engineers of B.C.Douglas has been awarded both the 35 yearService Medal and Long Service & GoodConduct Medal, in Scouting. He enjoyedphotography, bookbinding, woodwork, winemaking and singing in the choir. In 1993, after30 years in his home at 130 KensingtonCrescent, his son Peter arranged to purchasehis home, demolish it rebuild with an In-lawsuite, where he has lived since. Since hisretirement he has travelled extensively inEurope and took a 4 week tour through theUSSR before it broke up. His enjoyment ofChurch music, particularly Organ music ledhim to visiting and hearing Organs in the greatCathedrals of Europe on his visits. He returnedto Juno Beach for the 50th anniversary of D-Day (1994) and met up with his CommandingOfficer from his military days. Douglas diedon 5 March 2012 at the age of 93, after a fulllife. His ashes are interred with his wife’s at thelocal Anglican Church, St Martin’s

Edwina Maud (Bamber) Fletcher PC 36-40Wina was at Penrhos College when the school was evacuated during the Second World War to Chatsworth House. She was proud of this and hadfond memories of her time there. A significant event for her was being included in the oil painting, State Apartments , Chatsworth, 1940. Wina isthe girl in the guide uniform. Wina trained as a physiotherapist at Manchester Royal Infirmary and worked at Chorley Hospital until she marriedJim Fletcher in 1948. They were happily married and lived in Chorley where their three children were born (Lynda PC -67, Duncan RS 60-70 andJohn.

When Wina became a widow in 1979 she nade a new life for herself. She made new friends, began to travel and took up new interests includingrambling and painting. She gained the equivalent of A Level Art and enjoyed painting holidays. At the age of 80 she joined a gym. Wina valuedher family and friends. She loved visiting and having visits from her family. She was a good listener and made time to be interested in everyone.She took great delight in being kept up to date in what was happening in their lives, particularly her grandchildren. Wina kept in regular contactwith Old Penrhosians Tricia (Heald) Taverner, Mary (Heald) Harris (nieces), Libby (Stansfield) Lomax, Louise (France) McArthor and the lateMargaret (Haighton) France. Wina was very fortunate to be able to live independently in her own home until she became ill. She died peacefullyon 18 June 2012, age 89, after a short illness. She is survived by her sister Mary (Bamber) Rigby PC 41-44, her three children and four grandchildren.

DeathsNotification has been received of the following deaths since Issue 20 of RydalPenrhos Society News. Hon = Honorary Member of Rydal Penrhos Society. CR = Common Room. G = Governor.Name School Dates Death DateBrian William Keenan RS 1959-63 August 2008Heather (Weatherill) Baker RS 1975-80 October 2008John B Tuckey RS 1940-46 July 2011Douglas Wilson Haigh RS 1930-37 March 2012Christine (Feather) O’Donnell PC 1956-62 March 2012John Edward (Jack) Moseley RS 1926-36 April 2012ER Carroll RS 1928-32 April 2012Valerie (Perks) Phillips PC 1939-45 May 2012Edwina Maud (Bamber) Fletcher PC 1936-40 June 2012James Arthur Bills RS 1924-27 July 2012Margaret Barker PC 1935-39 July 2012Dorothy Helen (Rains) Southan PC 1936-38 July 2012Muriel (Crowther) Hackett PC 1944-50 August 2012Elizabeth Betty (Ley) Kinloch PC 1939-46 August 2012Audrey Shand PC 1941-48 August 2012Melanie Monteith CR October 2012Peter Hendry CR November 2012

State Apartments, Chatsworth, 1940 by E.I. Halliday, hungin the Royal Academy. A copy of this painting currentlyhangs in the conference room at Rydal Penrhos.

EventsHong Kong Dinner 24 January 2013, Hong Kong ClubThe Hong Kong Dinner will take place at the Hong Kong Club again this year. For further details please contact Sarah Ritchie onSJRitchie@rydal-penrhos.com Booking deadline: 15 January 2013.

Leavers of the 1970s Reunion 14 April 2013We are continuing our decade reunions with a Sunday lunch event for those who left Rydal or Penrhos between 1970-1979, and membersof staff who were at the school at that time. Join us at 10am for a tour of the school and to view our impressive archives collection fromyour era. This will be followed by a delicious three-course lunch in our Dining Hall. Places are just £25 per person. Please book early toavoid disappointment as places are limited. Booking deadline: 30 March 2013

Yorkshire Dinner 10 May 2013, Brighouse Holiday InnThe Yorkshire Dinner will be taking place at the Brighouse Holiday Inn, Leeds at 7.30pm. The cost is just £25 per person to include a 3course meal and coffee. Booking deadline: 19 April 2013

Speech Day and May Ball 25 May 2013You are warmly invited to join us for the Rydal Penrhos Speech Day on Saturday 25 May where you will be able to soak up the celebratoryatmosphere in the marquee as the students collect their prizes. Following this will be the Friends of Rydal Penrhos and Rydal PenrhosSociety May Ball which will be taking place in the marquee that evening. Further details will be released soon, however if you would liketo indicate your interest in this event please contact Sarah Ritchie on SJRitchie@rydal-penrhos.com or 01492 539736.

Leavers of the 1980s Reunion 15 June 2013Penrhosians and Rydalians who left school between 1980-1989 (and their teachers!) are invited to join us for our 1980s reunion. This willbegin at 2.30pm with afternoon tea in the Rydal Penrhos Dining Hall, followed by the opportunity to have a look around the school today.The tour route will include a display from our archives collection including photographs and items from both Penrhos and Rydal in the1980s. There will also be the chance to see the magnificant stained glass windows from the Penrhos College chapel which are displayedaround the school. The reunion will carry on into the evening with a delicious 3 course meal at the St Georges Hotel, Llandudno, beginningat 7pm. Places are just £36.50 per person. Please book early to avoid disappointment as places are limited. Booking deadline: 17 May 2013

Rydal Penrhos Regatta 22 - 23 June 2013Sailing has always been a feature at both Rydal and Penrhos and continues to thrive today. The Rydal Penrhos Regatta is your chance tocome back to school and take to the sea alongside current Rydal Penrhos students. Whether you are taking part or are a spectator thispromises to be a fantastic event. If you are interested in taking part, please let Sarah Ritchie know by emailing SJRitchie@rydal-penrhos.com

Founders' Weekend 14 - 15 September 2013Join us on this special weekend to celebrate the founders of Penrhos College and Rydal School. Full arrangements will be announced shortly.

Leavers of the 1990s Reunion 28 September 2013Penrhosians and Rydalians who left school between 1990-1999 (and their teachers!) are invited to join us for our 1990s reunion. This willbegin at 2.30pm with afternoon tea in the Rydal Penrhos Dining Hall, followed by the opportunity to have a look around the school today.The tour route will include a display from our archives collection including photographs and items from both Penrhos and Rydal in the1980s. There will also be the chance to see the magnificant stained glass windows from the Penrhos College chapel which are displayedaround the school. The reunion will carry on into the evening with a delicious 3 course meal at the St Georges Hotel, Llandudno, beginningat 7pm. Places are just £36.50 per person. Please book early to avoid disappointment as places are limited. Booking deadline: 30 August 2013

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations made before the specified booking deadline will receive a full refund. Unfortunately weare unable to give any refunds after the booking deadline has passed.

Booking InformationOnline: You can now book your place at events online. Simply visit www.alumni.rydalpenrhos.net/events and followthe instructions. Alternatively, contact us by email at: SJRitchie@rydal-penrhos.com with your requirements.Telephone: You can book your place and pay by credit / debit card over the phone. Contact Sarah Ritchie on 01492539736 for details.Post: Send your booking requirements with payment to Sarah Ritchie, Rydal Penrhos School, Pwllycrochan Avenue, ColwynBay, LL29 7BT. Cheques should be made payable to Rydal Penrhos Society.