The RonianISSUE 58 - Autumn 2014

w w w . s a i n t r o n a n s . c o . u k

Inside: HRH Duchess of Cornwall visit • Armistice & World War I • Nativities • All Weather Pitch

The Headmaster writes...

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The highlight of our busy term was the royal visit, when we welcomed Her Royal

Highness, the Duchess of Cornwall, to dedicate the new all-weather pitch to the

memory of her late brother, Mark Shand (OR 1959-64). ‘Shandy Ba’ is nearly finished

and should be ready for play next term. The official opening will be on Brodie Day

(Saturday 14th March), just before the senior Cross-Country races.

Another special event was Armistice Day when the Rt Reverend Michael Whinney (OR

1939-44) opened Chapel Court. It is a beautiful and significant addition to the school.

These events, and the Autumn Fayre, Bonfire Night and Carol Service, encouraged

Old Ronians to come back and see what we’re up to. It’s heartening when previous

generations applaud our progress and remark that we have kept alive what keeps the

School so special.

Over the summer, Cranbrook announced its Academic and Music scholarships and the

final tally for 2013/14 was an unprecedented 35 awards, won by 23 children in 7

different disciplines. Of course it’s not all about scholarships, and we celebrate the fact

that our children succeed and flourish in so many areas of School life. Some of this

happens quietly, under the radar, and some of it is represented by some very personal

battles! We are equally proud of everyone.

The last few months have been something of a roller-coaster and I salute the staff who

have rallied around with such grace and good humour. Someone once said that people

are like tea bags - you find out what they are really like when you put them in hot

water! Our people are certainly made of strong stuff!

Emma and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

With kind regards,

William Trelawny-Vernon

Headmaster

Following an Assembly given by Joy from

fields of cancer care and research, the P

the worthy cause.

Mrs Hinchcliffe ran through the Pre-Prep

Hall. Louis and Amy, the Gappies, got up

‘The Best Song Ever’ by One Direction. A

go by, it’s an event we should repeat eve

Ceramic poppies made by Shell and

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In this issue...

HRH Duchess of Cornwall visit 5

Maths in Motion 6

In our Chapel this term 6

Harvest Produce and Carols 7

Saint Ronan’s has the cutest delegates 7

This term in... Bicton 7

Three Wise Men were followed by the Landlord’s Cat 8

A busy and festive term in the Music Department 8

Violet Vassar-Smith 8

We Will Remember Them 10-11

Stars in their Eyes 12

Class 3 visit Biddenden Vineyards 12

Paradise Farm 13

RE moves with the times 13

Armistice Service & Opening of Chapel Court 14

Armistice Announced 15

Spring Term Prizes 16

Pitch Perfect 17

Cross Country 18

Hockey & Netball 19

Football 20

Coming up... Next Term

Term begins 8th January

Class 4 trip to Rye 20th January

Midway trips to Tunbridge Wells Mosque 21st/22nd January

Evensong 23rd January

Reception trip to Pizza Express 27th January

Childrens’ Burns Night 4th February

Shell trip to Portsmouth 5th February

Burns Night - FOR event 7th February

Music Department Open Week begins 9th February

Half Term 13th-23rd February

Evensong 27th February

Book Week begins 27th February

Prep School Book Fair 6th March

Prep School Exams (Upper & Remove) 9th March

Pre-Prep Parents Evening 10th March

Judo Grading 12th March

Red Nose Day 13th March

Informal Concert 13th March

FOR Quiz Night 13th March

Brodie Shield & Opening of ‘Shandy Ba’ 14th March

ABRSM Exams 15th-17th March

The Wizard of Oz 25th/26th March

Term Ends 27th March

Dancing for Macmillan

m Macmillan, who explained her company’s important work in the

re-Prep and Prep Schools danced enthusiastically to raise money for

moves with the children before their moment came in the Sports

p on stage in the Great Space and led the Prep School in a dance to

A total of £443 was raised and, if the happy faces were anything to

ery year.

d Midway, inspired by the River of Blood at the Tower of London

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‘Shandy Ba’

Her Royal Highness pictured with the ‘Mark Shand Elephant’donated by Professor Dacre

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All images © Sarah Clark Photography

Duchess of Cornwall names All-Weather Pitch in her brother’s memory

The children and staff of Saint Ronan’s were delighted and

honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of

Cornwall, when she came to dedicate the Astro to the memory

of her brother. Shoes shined and flags waved as the Duchess

drove up the drive, lined with children, to be greeted by the

Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Viscount De L’Isle (OR), Mr and Mrs

T-V and the Head and Second Prefects. Led by the

Headmaster, the Duchess toured the school, which she had

last visited over 50 years ago when her brother, Mark Shand,

was a pupil here.

Her Royal Highness met some of his contemporaries,

including one of his former teachers, David Duttson, and saw

his name written in the Confirmation book in the School

Chapel.

After inspecting the construction site, Her Royal Highness

unveiled a plaque in the Sports Hall and named the pitch

‘Shandy-Ba’ (Mark Shand’s nickname at School). The

Duchess was then whisked away by helicopter, waved off by

the children.

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I met our teachers for the day sitting with Mrs Peacock on the

sofas on the red sea carpet. They were as exited as I was for

the day ahead!

We walked down to the DT workshop. We then logged on to

the computers and then onto the Maths in Motion website. Our

first task was to measure the size of the bends and straights of

the track on the sheet we were given and then determine

whether they were large bends, medium bends, tight bends,

large straights medium straights or small straights - this

puzzled some of us! This data was then transferred onto the

computers. Our next task was to create and design our race-

cars, which was the theme of the day. After Mrs Lloyd had

finally picked the colour of her car(!) we began the next task,

which was to ‘create’ our engine by changing our engine

tuning, suspension adjustments and aerodynamic down force.

Using this data and some original information we worked out

our safe speeds. This was put into each feature of the track.

The fun really started when we started the practice laps. This

really brought the competitive side out of everyone, Mr

Bennett and I especially! Everyone went over their safe

speeds by about 50%.

With the practice laps done we had to brief our pit crew. This

involved measuring the track and working out how much fuel

you needed and when to have a pit stop.

Finally it was time for the race. It started and I was in the lead,

I made it around one lap but my engine overheated! The race

carried on and Mr Bennett won.

Overall it was a great day. I would certainly recommend the

program to anyone with the opportunity.

By Jamie Jordan, Upper GV

Maths in Motion Challenge In our Chapel this term

The Prep School gathers in the Chapel twice every week

for our “regular” services, but the Autumn Term is always

rich in additional gatherings for special occasions. The first

one of these this term was the annual Dedication Service,

on 12th September, whose order of service pretty much

replicates that of the same service at Saint Ronan’s… in

1913. Two weeks later, we welcomed Reverend Craig

Huxley, from Benenden School, who spoke in our Harvest

Festival. Though the service itself was beautiful and

uplifting, what made it even more memorable was the fact

that pupils accessed the Chapel via the “new” corridor for

the first time that night.

The most momentous event in the Chapel was, however,

on Tuesday 11th November, when we held two Armistice

Services: one for pupils in Years 1 to 5, and one for the rest

of the Prep School, as well as about 80 guests, most of

whom were Old Ronians. Robin Griffith OR spoke in the

service, very movingly, on the theme of remembrance. The

Chapel Court was subsequently opened, with a further

address by the Right Reverend Michael Whinney.

Our sole Evensong Service of the term was on Friday 14th

November, when Simon Davies, Headmaster at

Eastbourne College and Trustee at Saint Ronan’s, visited

us. The fire alarm slightly spoiled proceedings, as it rang

minutes before the service was due to start; it was the first

time that we had to evacuate the Chapel! Our next guest

speaker, on 5th December, was Reverend David

Commander, Rector of Benenden and Sandhurst – and our

host for the Carol Service. Appropriately enough, he spoke

in our Chapel on the topic of Carols and Christmas.

There were two high-profile “Chapel” gatherings in the final

week of term – though neither actually was in our Chapel.

The first one was the termly Whole-School Assembly, in the

Great Space, which was led by Kathryn Bender, the Head

of Nursery and Pre-Prep. This was our own version of a

Christingle Service, designed to appeal to children (and

Staff) of all ages. Finally, to finish with a flourish, the term

was concluded by the Prep School Carol Service, held for

the first time this year at St George’s Church in Benenden.

Carols and choral pieces resounded, and the “usual”

readings were heard – with one addition this year, which

probably was one of the highlights of the service, when two

Class 4 pupils (William Durtnell and Jemima Spence) read

as a poem the words of the song “Mary, did you know?”.

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Each house takes a turn to showcase what they’ve been up

during the course of a term.

The term in...

BICTON

This term all the Houses competed in the House Shout. We

were asked to choose a war song, a hymn and a soloist. The

war song we chose was, ‘We’ll meet again’ and our hymn was,

‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God’. Well done to Orlando

Copplestone, who played the recorder for our soloist part! We

all sang well and worked very hard to sing our songs

beautifully!

I would like to congratulate our Bicton

runners who did lots of races this term

against other schools, with some

excellent results! The runners

competed in the Brenchley Relay

against lots of schools and the boys

came second in their race (the girls

also did well).

This term we welcomed our new Year 3s to Bicton. I’m proud

to say that the old Bictonians did a very good job of welcoming

them! We played lots of games to get to know each other and

then ate ices together. I think Years 3 and 4 have done the

best job of earning most of our Shows and Show-ups this

term. Well done to Rebecca Redmayne, who got 35 shows!

We have had a number of people from Bicton who have

helped with charities this term. Sam King helped make lots of

cakes and sold them to make money for the Rhinos. Herbie

Stephenson and Finlay Carver did a 60 mile bike ride and

earned £18,000 for the Brain Tumour Charity, set up in

memory of their friend. A massive achievement!

We also had a number of House assemblies. Most of them

were spent practising for the House Shout and eating ice-

creams! But after Half-Term, Mrs Morrell (our Housemistress)

handed out the Bicton Bear, Jeff, to the people who had the

most shows. Olivia Hamilton and I also gave a talk on ‘the

beginning of Santa’! The children had to guess the names of

Santa’s reindeer. Quite a few of them had forgotten!

I have really enjoyed being House Captain of Bicton this term

and everyone has been very supportive and encouraging.

Bicton is always remembered for being the kindest House!

Also, thank you to Mrs Morrell, who has been an amazing

Housemistress! By Eva Sayers, House Captain.

Harvest Produce and Carols

The Class 3 children have been busy with our Community

programme this term and have done fantastically well. Early in

the term we delivered a mountain of Harvest Festival goods to

the elderly in the village; some of which we were able to

distribute in person, to the delight of the residents and the

obvious pleasure of our pupils.

Last week the children returned to sing carols and to chat to

the residents over tea and biscuits. The residents were in

agreement about how delightful, polite and confident the Saint

Ronan’s children were when socialising outside of School and

in a different environment.

As in previous years, Saint Ronan’s sent five delegates to

Benenden, to participate in the 7th Model United Nations

conference. The pupils and the respective committees they

sat on were: Alice Clapp (Health), Gus Statman (Human

Rights), Fraser McConachie (Political), Sos Stevens

(Economic) and Sophie Charlesworth (Ecology and

Environment).

Although the delegates were new to the MUN, all participated

very well and made salient points in their respective

committees, Gus even making a point of information in the

General Assembly. Sophie spoke eloquently on the

importance of water in the Middle East, Fraser defended the

rights of journalists working in conflict zones, Alice railed

against animal testing, Gus condemned torture in sharper

tones and Sos convincingly pointed out that there are some

jobs or even roles in entertainment that are gender-specific.

Although Saint Ronan’s received no honourable mentions for

its debating skills, they were voted ‘cutest delegate’ in their

respective committees!

Saint Ronan’s has the cutest delegates

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The Three Wise Men

were followed by the

Landlord’s Cat!

Whilst we don’t know for sure if there was a cat following the

Wise Men, in this instance the title refers to the Nursery and

Pre-Prep performances of the Nativity.

The Frogs, Caterpillars, Hedgehogs and Rabbits performed

‘The Three Wise Men’ and opened the show with ‘Twinkle,

twinkle little star’. The audience was immediately captivated.

It’s difficult to remember a Nativity when our youngest

performers sang as clearly and sweetly, and spoke their words

at such volume. The Wise Men were very learned, being

skilled at astronomy, literature and exploring, but they did work

the poor camel very hard, to the delight of those watching. At

the Dress Rehearsal Mary and Joseph had obviously had a

marital tiff prior to stepping on stage, but harmony was

restored by Friday when the soloist Angel and the rest of the

cast soothed them with their singing.

At a certain Bethlehem inn, the landlord's cat was so fed up

with the hectic atmosphere and with being ignored by her

owner that she was on the verge of leaving town. However,

with the arrival of Mary and Joseph in the stable, as well as

Wise Men and The Shepherds, the cat sensed that something

very special was about to happen (cats know these things.)

Naturally she was determined to find out exactly what it was

and the children in Owls, Squirrels, Badgers and Otters helped

her in this quest, acting their parts confidently and

competently. The narration was word-perfect and clear, as was

the singing, which received rapturous applause from the

audience.

The children deserved their afternoon of parties and a visiting

Father Christmas, which rounded off the term nicely, if rather

excitedly!

The Spring term saw the launch of the School’s official social media presence. If you

haven’t already had a chance, do take a moment to ‘like’ us on Facebook and ‘follow’

us on Twitter. Both are proving to be highly popular ways of keeping up with all the

events taking place at school. /saintronans @saintronans

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The Music Department has had a full and busy term. We

welcomed Glynnis Dickinson to the Piano Department. She is

an experienced teacher and

was Assistant Director of

Music at Holmewood House

for over ten years.

As soon as term got

underway, rehearsals began

in earnest for the annual

House Shout. This year the

theme was ‘Songs from the

World Wars’ and the shield

was won by Tongswood. Their

instrumental contribution was

Luc Doane, a Stanley Harris

Scholar, who stunned us all

with his rendition of Rutter’s

‘The Lord Bless you and keep

you’.

The Orchestra began

rehearsals for the Michaelmas

Concert at the end of

November. Mrs Effie Sparkhall

conducted a wonderful

Concert, with music ranging

from the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ to

‘Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer’.

Our Wind Band heralded Christmas with a set of Carols at

pick up time and between the two Nativities. They were ably

led by Mr Jonathan Rutland.

A busy and festive term in the Music DepartmentOur instrumentalists have been hard at work, with Ruairi

Pringle and Orlando Copplestone entertaining Alumni and

dignitaries at the Chapel

Court Opening luncheon and

performing in the Chapel

when we were visited by the

Duchess of Cornwall.

Once again we had a bumper

crop of Merits and

Distinctions in the recent

ABRSM music exams.

William Ashenden was

awarded a Saint Ronan’s

music scholarship and tie for

attaining Grade 5 on the

Saxophone.

The Music Department has

been assisted by Tim Daniell

(retired Director of Music at

Walthamstow Hall) and Arran

Keith, who stepped in to

accompany choirs, soloists

and exam pupils this term.

We look forward to the arrival

of our New Director of Music,

Mr David Force, who comes

to us from Eastbourne College. David is a superb musician

and an inspiring teacher. He takes up his post in September

2015.

The House Shout

The Michaelmas Concert

Violet Vassar-SmithRight at the end of Half Term and, surprisingly, on time (which

I suspect was her mother's influence), Violet Vassar-Smith

was born at Pembury. This caused much rejoicing, not only

for her parents but also for the pupils, who were glad to see

the back of me for a week (particularly Midway RVS, who were

treated to the kind offices of Mr Fox). Violet, who was 9 lbs

when she was born, weighed in at the end of term at 10 lb 14

oz and is thriving, even if she is most active at about 3am.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts, words, cards and

presents. Lydia and I are so touched and grateful to be part of

such a supportive community and we look forward to bringing

Violet in at the beginning of next term to meet you all. RVS.

W E W I L L R E MThe 4th August this year marked the centenary of the start of

the country’s involvement in the First World War. The school

was not in session at the time, but had resolved to remember

the occasion in the course of the term. It seemed appropriate

enough to do so around Remembrance Day (though, of

course, November 11th was a significant date in 1918, not

1914) and two “cross-curricular days” were scheduled. The

aim was learning rather than solely remembering, and a range

of activities was planned for the pupils.

In particular, the Pre-Prep focused on the lives of Charles and

Norman Gunther, the sons of the Tongswood Estate owner

who both dies in the war. Children also scattered poppy seeds

around the War Memorial in the school grounds – and ended

their cross-curricular days with a “street” party (in the Harris

Building!) to celebrate the Armistice.

In the Prep School, work on the Great War started on Friday

7th November with a fascinating Lecture by John Graham-

Hart, a journalist and former parent who has extensively

researched the topic. His talk was not, however, designed to

compile facts and figures, but rather to encourage the children

to find a personal connection with the era – as he put it in one

of his articles on the subject: “So if you would like to give your

child an appreciation of this exceptional time in our history,

one way is to help them find a guide, someone to take them

back and walk beside them through those extraordinary years.

Step back a couple of generations and most families have an

ancestor who died in the Great War.”

One manifestation of this

approach was the display

that was put together

thanks to numerous

contributions from

members of the whole

school community –

especially parents,

whom we warmly

thank for their

outstanding support with

this. In the end, ninety

pupils and Staff had their

photos “on the wall”,

alongside documents

(even archives) about their relatives involved in WW1. Several

nationalities were represented, with men and women, civilians

and soldiers of various ages and ranks. The effect

was not quite as stunning as the “Poppies at the

Tower”, but nonetheless conveyed something of the

multitude of connections that can still be traced from

the present day to a century ago.

Prep School pupils also took part in Drama workshops,

listened to an enlightening talk by a Kent Community

Archaeologist, watched a live broadcast of a special School

Assembly held at the Tower of London,

found out about different aspects of the

Great War, engaged in debates, wrote

diaries or soldiers’ letters, made ceramic

poppies, re-enacted the Christmas Truce of 1914, on

the playground or on stage – among other things…

The Headmaster’s assessment at the end of the cross-

curricular days was absolutely right when he wrote: “it’s been

an exceptional couple of days – totally inspiring”!

Kent archaeologist Richard Taylor shows Prep School children

a genuine World War 1 Lee-Enfield rifle.

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M E M B E R T H E M

Saint Ronan’s Remembers The Great War

War letter written by Midway pupil based on a scene from the trenches.

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Stars in their Eyes

The special entertainment at the Feast this year was a

production of Stars in their Eyes. Pupils have auditioned

throughout the term, pretending to be different musical acts,

and seven made it through to the final night. On a night of high

drama, Poppy Barker as Carly Rae Jepson won the

prestigious trophy. Congratulations to all the contestants, who

sang wonderfully well on the night - and thanks to Abba for

their guest appearance! The finalists were:

Emma Beart as Amy Winehouse

Rosie Stickney as Kate Bush

Catherine Redmayne as Adele

Poppy Barker as Carly Rae Jepsen

Lizzie Wooff as Lilly Allen

Caitlin Milborne and Grace Easton as Ariana Grande and Iggy

Anushka Ramyead and Asia Davies as The Glee Warblers

‘On Tuesday the 7th October there was a buzz of excitement

in Class 3. 3TT were wrapping up warm for their trip to

Biddenden Vineyard. We clambered onto the mini buses, 3RB

and 3EP trudging along with us. When we got there the

geography trip began.

We met a friendly man called Mr Knight who took us on a tour

of the vast vineyard. 35 acres of grape trees lined liked

soldiers in front of the Queen. After we saw the amazing

vineyard we went and looked at the awesome machinery. The

red one wrapped the bottles and the other put the apple juice

in. There were containers as big as giants.

The thing I liked the best was when we were allowed to taste

the most delicious apple juices. We tried Russet, Cox, Early

morning Windsor, Worcester and even pear! I really enjoyed

the trip and hope to go back there soon.’

Class Three pay a visit to Biddenden Vineyards

The Farm has continued to grow. More hard areas have be

laid in preparation for the winter and the arks have been

arranged more systematically (very entertaining when it came

to moving the pigs!) We now have a new member to the team,

Debbie Dallaway, who runs the Farming extras. Debbie is a

familiar face at School as she also works in the Kitchen. She

keeps pigs herself and her local knowledge and animal

husbandry know-how have been invaluable.

We sold hundreds of pounds of delicious sausages and joints

on the Red Sea Carpet and the money raised will be ploughed

back into food and bedding for the Farm. The manure has

rotted down and we are now the proud owners of enough rich

compost to keep the School going for some time.

The chickens have gone from strength to strength and have

been more confident in their sorties, including the Sports Hall!

Time perhaps to have their wings clipped. As ever huge

thanks to the children for their hard work and to our parents for

supporting the Farm by buying the produce.

Religious Education moves

with the times

Almost every R.E. lesson in the Pre-Prep is “hands-on”; in

Class 3, pupils are known to play with Lego or act out stories

(in class!); in Class 4, one task this term involved leafing

through a collection of Christmas cards – but by the time

pupils get to Year 8, the “fun” element has to make way for

questions such as “Outline some non-religious reasons for

social justice”, or “Explain the relationship between human

rights and punishment”. Still, this term, probably the most

stimulating R.E. activities took place in Years 5 and 6.

Without having to leave the Great Space, Shell enjoyed a

colourful morning of discovery in October, when the annual

Hinduism workshop took place. Very many wonderful artefacts

were on show, as well as story-telling, facepainting, dressing

up, dancing… and a wedding ceremony involving two of the

pupils – which we understand is probably not legally binding!

Pupils in Midway studied Judaism, and some of this was done

somewhat inventively. The first highlight of the term was the

Shabbat Demonstration, at dusk (more or less) on Friday 3rd

October. As well as the actual ceremony (and eating!), some

pupils also had to bake the bread – and the write-up for the

whole event was done in the style of the pop song “Last Friday

Night”!

However, what seemed to catch the pupils’ imagination most

was when they were asked to build synagogues – though not

quite in the real world: the school purchased an educational

licence for the well-known video game Minecraft, which

enabled the children to get really creative… albeit virtually.

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Armistice Service and Opening of Chapel Court

This year’s Armistice Day Service was special for several

reasons. As we always do, we remembered the Old Ronians

who had given their lives so bravely in the service of their

country. It was all the more poignant because it also marked

the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the First World

War in 1914. Our thanks to Robin Griffith (OR 51-56) for his

insightful ‘numerical’ address during the service, which was

thought-provoking and moving for adults and children alike.

This year’s service also marked the opening of the new

Chapel Court. WB Harris’ vision of a fitting link between the

School and the Chapel has been realised at last, with the

creation of a memorial garden, with War Memorial, to replace

what was lost when the School moved from Worthing. We are

hugely grateful not only to our generous donors but also to

Stephen Langer, who designed the project and kindly gave so

much of his time.

Listed to the right are those who attended the ceremony.

James Harris unveils the bust of WB Harris.

Rt Revd Michael WhinneyThe bust of WB Harris

Some of the Old Ronians who gave their lives during WW1

Mr Brian Alexander

Mrs Caroline Alexander

Mr Johny Armstrong

Mrs Jean Arnot

Mr and Mrs Keith Arnot

Mr and Mrs Roger Baden-Powell

Mr and Mrs Nick Block

Mr and Mrs Nick Bray

Dr Sara Butler-Gallie

Mr Ben Clarke

Mrs Mary Cox

Professor Kathy Dacre

Mr and Mrs Robin Dalton Holmes

Viscount Malcolm Davidson

Mr and Mrs David Duttson

Mr James Gough

Mr Robin Griffith

Mrs Mary Hale

Mr and Mrs John Harrington

Mr and Mrs James Harris

Mrs Judy Harris

Mr and Mrs Gos Home

Mrs Arran Keith

Mr John Kimpton

Mr and Mrs Stephen Langer

Mr and Mrs Jeremy Lucas

Mr and Mrs Tim Milling

Mr Timothy Monckton

Miss Sue Morgan-Kirby

Mr Christopher Page

Mr Tony Pape

Hon. Philip Remnant

Mr and Mrs Graham Rhodda

Mr and Mrs Andrew Russell

Mr and Mrs Jeremy Russell

Mr and Mrs Bruce Seton

Mrs Merrill Shaw

Mr Christopher Snell

The Very Reverend Henry Stapleton

Mr Michael Swiney

Mr David Tennant

Mr Richard Turner

Mrs and Mrs James Underhill

Miss Juliet Vassar-Smith

Sir John and Lady Vassar-Smith

Mr Richard Vassar-Smith

Mr and Mrs Christopher Whinney

The Right Revd Michael and Mrs Whinney

Mr and Mrs Tim Whinney

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On 11th November 1918 Brigadier-General R.N. Bray (above

right) wrote a letter to his son, Robert (above left), then at

Saint Ronan’s, telling him that the Armistice had been signed.

This letter has recently been bought at auction and the buyer

has sent us a copy, which we reproduce.

R.N. Bray died of wounds shortly after the end of the war and

is commemorated by a window in our chapel as well as on our

new war memorial.

There is a nice quirk of history involving R.N. Bray. When war

started he was commanding the Shanghai Volunteer Corps, a

body funded and manned by the trading nations involved in

business in China. He was recalled to fight in France but

continued to be paid by the Corps for the first few months of

the war. Hence, he started fighting the Germans with one

third of his salary coming from Berlin.

R.N. Bray’s son, Sir Robert, was the first of many Brays to

attend St Ronan’s and went on to become the senior general

in the Army. He retired in 1970 as NATO’s Deputy Supreme

Allied Commander, after 44 years service..

Brigadier-General R.N. Bray1872-1921

General Sir Robert BrayOR 1918-1921

Armistice Announced

Letter to Ronian boyfound at auction

Autumn Term PrizesSenior Prefects

Head Prefect A. Erith

Second Prefects O. Chatterton / M. Chesters

Heads of Houses

Bicton L. Marsh

Pembroke A. Stevens

Selden F. Joarder-White

Tongswood Z. Barker

School Appointments

Captain of Boys’ Hockey O. Addis

Captain of Rugby N. Easton

Captain of Netball S. Charlesworth

Captain of Cross Country S. Lund

Captain of Lacrosse C. Goodacre

Headmaster’s Special Prizes

O. de Winton, L. Doane, S. Lund

Most Shows

Remove A. Erith

Upper J. Jordan

Midway D. Dent

Shell G. Bartleet

Class 4 R. Redmayne

Class 3 B. Wyatt

Exams Best Average

Remove Z. Barker

Upper F. McConachie

Midway T. Tweedie

Shell C. Milborne

School Prizes

Sight Reading D. Dent

Public Speaking A. Stevens

Harris Cup O. Addis

Football Prizes

U13 Player of the Season N. Easton

U13 Most Improved D. Gorman

U11 Player of the Season F. Kirkland

U11 Most Improved E. Hues

Girls’ Hockey Prizes

U13 Player of the Season A. Erith

U13 Most Improved M. Clarke

U11 Player of the Season R. Honychurch

U11 Most Improved C. Redmayne

House and Form Prizes

Senior Form Midway RVS

Junior Form 3 RB

House Cup Pembroke

Bicton Prize E. Sayers

Pembroke Prize J. Gotts

Selden Prize B. Booth-Clibborn

Tongswood Prize A. Erith

Form Tutors’ Prizes

Remove KK A. Statman

Remove PG S. Lund

Upper DB J. Beeching

Upper BC D. Gorman

Upper GV J. Funnell

Midway SC E. Balfour

Midway RVS G. Parsley

Midway IP B. Lambert

Shell RT G. Wood

Shell RH L. Stewart

Shell NH E. Tapper

4 AW P. Connell

4 EM T. Hall

4 LS J. Heard

3 RB R. Campbell

3 EP R. Macleay

3 TT M. RamyeadThe Great Space in November: below left: Children in exams;

below right: Grandparents’ tea

16

17

Pitch Perfectin three months!

All being well, the new ‘Shandy-Ba’ All Weather Pitch will be completed in time for the beginning of the Spring term.

S p o r t S a i n t R o n a n ’ s

18

The Saint Ronan’s Cross Country squad has been out in force

this term. Competing in six events, over some extremely

challenging courses, we have achieved some superb results,

making this arguably the best start to a season in recent

years.

Back in September when the ground was still hard, Years 2, 3

and 4 took part in the Rawlinson Run, hosted by DCPS.

Notable performances over the fast, flat courses were

recorded by Lotte Harrison, Ned Taggart , Bea Wyatt, Jack

Kirkland, Hope Rutter and Charlie Ellison. They were

supported well by their team mates, the fierce competition

leaving us just out of the medals.

The Brenchley Relays provide an opportunity for a select team

to race at home in front of a vocal crowd, fresh from practice

for the House Shout. Our girls’ teams put in some stoic

performances, but the boys’ A team of Archie MacLeod, Fin

Kirkland, James Crawley and Sebbie Lund really gave their

supporters something to cheer about, finishing a fantastic

second. The Brenchley Shield was claimed by DCPS, with

Sevenoaks Prep second and Saint Ronan’s and Marlborough

House sharing a hard-fought third place.

Forty-one runners made the trip to Sevenoaks Prep for the

Thomas Trophy. Again, we were just out of the medal

positions, but there were some wonderful performances: Bea

Wyatt, Hope Rutter, Joseph Fuller, Charlie Ellison, Wilf Wyatt,

Fin Kirkland, Sebbie Lund and Oli Milborne all finishing in the

top thirty.

With a well-attended early morning running cub taking place

every Thursday morning (the lure of Richard’s breakfast

enticing the children out of bed for a 7.15am start), the

training, effort and resolve finally bore fruit when both the U11

and the U13 Boys’ teams were rewarded with third place in the

IAPs District 2 Cross Country meeting. Carlos Nieto-Parr and

James Crawley, both returning to fitness, led the teams home

in 3rd and 7th places, the forces of Wilf Wyatt, Fin Kirkland,

George Kidd, Archie Rutter, Archie MacLeod, Oli Milborne,

Sebbie Lund, Olly Addis, Guy Pryke and Freddie Dear

combining to put Saint Ronan’s up with the might of Yardley

Court and DCPS.

Conditions couldn’t have been better (or worse) for this year’s

Dobson Trophy, as days of rain rendered parts of the course

totally waterlogged. The girls’ and boys’ teams ‘podiumed’,

coming third overall with some superb running from the mud-

caked athletes. Hope Rutter, Beatrix Wyatt, Joseph Fuller,

Carlie Ellison, Wilf Wyatt, Carlos Nieto-Parr and James

Crawley all finished in the top ten, both Carlos and James

coming second – really fantastic running.

Finally, at the Junior Knole Run, the Saint Ronan’s U13 Boys’

team recorded our best performance at the race in recent

years. Finishing seventh out of sixty-four teams, our first four

runners home were all in the top fifty and there were some

superb sprint finishes from our second team, who came

twenty-second. The Saint Ronan’s girls - Lily Marsh, Sophie

Charlesworth, Jade Beeching, Alice Clapp and Olivia Hancock

persevered around the challenging 2km course, encouraged

by the vociferous support team! Finishing 40th of 48, the girls

are to be commended for their effort.

Looking ahead, next term we will be competing at the Bracken

Cup / Woodmansee Shield at Somerhill; the Kent Schools at

Wilmington; the U8/9 event at Hilden Grange; the Stevens

Cup / Wainman Cup at Northbourne Park and the IAPs

Nationals at Malvern College. And of course, our own in-

house event, the Brodie Shield on 14th March.

Well done to all the runners who have worked so hard in

training, and competed so tenaciously in the races.

Curreat Saint Ronan’s!

Let Saint Ronan’s Run!

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S p o r t S a i n t R o n a n ’ s

If there was ever any doubt what a difference the new Astro

turf pitch will make, just ask the Years 7 and 8 girls. With

numbers stronger than ever, and C team representation for

the first time in both years 5 and 6, the courts and Sports Hall

were fully occupied by the juniors. This meant the seniors had

to train on grass. We were extremely fortunate with the

weather but couldn’t help but keep a watchful eye on the

construction of the Astro and think……this time next year!

The overall statistics shape up as follows: Matches played 46,

matches won/drawn 23, goals scored 46. It was the U10

teams who stole the show this year. The U10Bs played

fantastic hockey and were unbeaten, winning 5 and drawing 1

of their 6 matches. The As also played a convincing game and

were the highest-scoring team, with 18 goals collectively. The

U11 sides were also strong and will be teams to watch in the

future.

All of the girls should be congratulated for making great

progress and there are many individual highlights. Not only

those who have demonstrated outstanding skill and potential

(Alexandra Erith, Daisy Holden-Craufurd, Rose Honychurch,

Maddie McDonald, Grace Easton and Cailtin Milborne) but

also those who have trained hard every week and improved

tremendously over the course of the season (Olivia Hamilton,

Charlotte Goodacre, Matilda Clarke, Megan Hopper, Harriet

van Buer, Amelie Bottle, Catherine Redmayne, Maddie

Spence, Ella Balfour, Grace Alexander, Molly Sanderson,

Emily Hills, Sophie Ford, Georgina Wood, Saskia Wood and

Alexandra Codd), with some earning promotion to the A

teams.

The Inter-House hockey league was, as always, an extremely

enjoyable event with everyone doing their bit for their House.

Tongswood won the U13 competition and Bicton the U11.

Hockey Highlights

The U8/U9 girls have just finished a fruitful Netball season,

winning 17 of the 24 matches and scoring 107 goals

(conceding only 30). The U9 girls are a super group with bags

of potential. The A team were the highest scoring team (44

goals) winning 6 of 7 matches. The Bs also performed

consistently winning 5 of 7 matches, scoring 42 goals. The U8

teams enjoyed their first taste of competitive netball with both

A and B teams winning 3 of their 5 matches. Again, lots of

potential here and exciting times ahead.

Netball Report

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S p o r t S a i n t R o n a n ’ s

© Saint Ronan’s School 2015. Editor: Ben Clarke.

After watching the 1st XI beat Ashdown House in a close 3-2

win, one of their parents said that it was like watching Arsenal

v Hull City … and we were not Arsenal! That was a wonderful

compliment which highlighted our ambition to play a beautiful

game. This was not just confined to the 1st XI - all the teams

have been encouraged to play in this way, developing their

passing skills, close control and movement.

Alongside some impressive team performances there has also

been individual success. Nat Easton and Barney Hall have

both made the 2nd trial for the South East U13 Prep School

football team. Finn Kirkland has been selected for the final

squad for the U11 South East Football Squad (this team will

play in the World Youth Cup in Sweden next summer) and

Tom Hall (U9) is attending a trial with Brighton and Hove

Albion over Christmas.

Great teamperformances andindividual successes